WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.419 So yeah, my name is Cedric Evans. I do the young 00:00:02.419 --> 00:00:06.040 adults ministry here, and aside from that, I 00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:09.080 am usually inside the tech booth on every other 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:13.820 Sunday, but today I am very blessed with the 00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:16.859 opportunity to speak to all of your lovely smiling 00:00:16.859 --> 00:00:25.399 faces. So I was thinking about what to talk about, 00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:30.559 and I had some ideas, and In my opinion, they 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:34.119 were good, but I was just like, Lord, what are 00:00:34.119 --> 00:00:37.859 you really calling me to talk about? And then 00:00:37.859 --> 00:00:43.000 I was on Instagram, where you get all good inspiration 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:48.299 from. And as I was going through social media, 00:00:48.399 --> 00:00:52.979 I came across just a few stories. And I was like, 00:00:53.100 --> 00:00:56.840 that's it. Wait on the Lord. I didn't get the 00:00:56.840 --> 00:01:01.240 inspiration from Instagram. The stories led me 00:01:01.240 --> 00:01:05.700 to what I'm eventually talking about. So within 00:01:05.700 --> 00:01:09.739 the past few weeks, it's been extremely eventful. 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:14.579 A lot of both good things and bad things going 00:01:14.579 --> 00:01:19.099 on. Good thing, the Israeli hostages were released. 00:01:19.340 --> 00:01:22.379 And so, yeah, yeah, praise the Lord for that. 00:01:24.060 --> 00:01:26.040 Something that, I mean, I know they've been praying 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:28.040 about it. We've been praying about it. So we're 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:31.599 just thankful that, you know, many of them were 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:36.500 able to make it back home. Good thing. A little 00:01:36.500 --> 00:01:38.280 bit of a bad thing. Well, not a little bit. A 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:41.959 lot of a bad thing is that Christians are being 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:46.859 persecuted in, I believe, Nigeria. And I think 00:01:46.859 --> 00:01:49.260 Sudan as well. But Christians are being heavily 00:01:49.260 --> 00:01:53.500 persecuted in Nigeria right now. And it's just 00:01:53.500 --> 00:01:57.859 terrible. I saw a video of a pastor standing 00:01:57.859 --> 00:02:04.099 in a large trench and grave for all the dead 00:02:04.099 --> 00:02:06.700 Christians. And he's calling this out. He's like, 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:09.979 look at what they're hiding from you guys. Look 00:02:09.979 --> 00:02:15.219 at what they're hiding. Another big con that 00:02:15.219 --> 00:02:20.539 happened is the passing or assassination of Charlie 00:02:20.539 --> 00:02:27.090 Kirk. And another terrible thing was the three 00:02:27.090 --> 00:02:32.069 times failed rapture predictions. Now, the rapture 00:02:32.069 --> 00:02:34.349 predictions have been interesting because I've 00:02:34.349 --> 00:02:36.270 made a lot of jokes about them in young adults, 00:02:36.330 --> 00:02:39.069 more than I probably should have. But then I'm 00:02:39.069 --> 00:02:44.710 also like, why? Why? That does so much damage 00:02:44.710 --> 00:02:48.110 both internally and externally to the body of 00:02:48.110 --> 00:02:53.060 Christ. So with the event of Charlie Kirk's assassination, 00:02:53.180 --> 00:02:56.439 I saw story after story, we're ready for a civil 00:02:56.439 --> 00:02:58.199 war, we're ready for a civil war, we're ready 00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:02.620 to fight, riot, all of that stuff. And then I 00:03:02.620 --> 00:03:05.840 thought, the Civil War in America was the bloodiest 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:10.620 historical battle amongst America. You're ready 00:03:10.620 --> 00:03:17.639 for part two of that? And then with the rapture 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:20.389 predictions and people falling for that. And 00:03:20.389 --> 00:03:25.729 getting sucked into this lie is just constantly 00:03:25.729 --> 00:03:28.469 believing that, no, it happened, it's going to 00:03:28.469 --> 00:03:30.990 happen this time. No, actually next week. No, 00:03:31.009 --> 00:03:35.169 the week after. And I'm praying about this. I'm 00:03:35.169 --> 00:03:39.310 like, Lord, why is this happening? Why are people 00:03:39.310 --> 00:03:42.110 in this state of we're ready to take action, 00:03:42.189 --> 00:03:44.689 we're ready to do it ourselves, we're ready to 00:03:44.689 --> 00:03:49.330 affect change and all of... the just ungodliness 00:03:49.330 --> 00:03:52.289 that in our eyes and do something about this, 00:03:52.469 --> 00:03:55.949 even if it means, you know, strong violence. 00:03:57.009 --> 00:04:00.610 But then also, why are people falling for all 00:04:00.610 --> 00:04:03.069 these failed rapture predictions? Three times 00:04:03.069 --> 00:04:05.229 it's failed. People are still falling for them. 00:04:06.270 --> 00:04:10.530 Why are people just, you know, ready to say, 00:04:10.569 --> 00:04:17.620 Lord, take us now. Let's go. From both of these 00:04:17.620 --> 00:04:23.959 reactions to both of these events, I believe 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.620 there is something that we're lacking in America 00:04:27.620 --> 00:04:30.180 and just across the world, which is this idea 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:37.540 of waiting on the Lord. This idea of, Lord, at 00:04:37.540 --> 00:04:41.480 your time. when you're ready to move, when you 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:44.980 are ready to come, when you are going to be the 00:04:44.980 --> 00:04:47.459 one to say now, or when you are going to be the 00:04:47.459 --> 00:04:51.120 one to affect action in this area. There's this 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:55.139 feeling of impatience, and that's what we're 00:04:55.139 --> 00:05:01.680 going to get into today. Oftentimes when we think 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:04.560 of waiting on the Lord or waiting in general, 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:07.800 when we think about waiting, it is a passive 00:05:07.800 --> 00:05:12.100 experience. Think about when you're warming up 00:05:12.100 --> 00:05:15.540 your hot pockets late at night when you should 00:05:15.540 --> 00:05:18.180 just be going to sleep. This is you, you just 00:05:18.180 --> 00:05:21.480 put it in the microwave, hit two minutes or whatever, 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:24.860 and you walk away, scroll on Instagram, look 00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:27.139 at the dog or something like that. You're not 00:05:27.139 --> 00:05:31.860 doing anything that is in relation to the food 00:05:31.860 --> 00:05:34.939 being warmed up in the microwave. It's a passive 00:05:34.939 --> 00:05:38.860 experience while we are waiting for the food. 00:05:41.100 --> 00:05:43.980 My argument is, scripturally speaking, we're 00:05:43.980 --> 00:05:47.339 going to see that waiting on the Lord is anything... 00:05:47.819 --> 00:05:51.439 but passive. That is a very intentional thing 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:55.360 that we have to do day in and day out, from just 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:59.740 sitting there to actually doing something while 00:05:59.740 --> 00:06:03.019 we are saying, Lord, until you return or until 00:06:03.019 --> 00:06:06.600 you call me home, I'm going to wait on you. I'm 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:12.279 going to do X, Y, and Z as I wait on you. So 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:19.319 Psalm 37, starting at verse 7. Be silent before 00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:23.779 the Lord and wait expectantly for him. Do not 00:06:23.779 --> 00:06:27.339 be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by 00:06:27.339 --> 00:06:34.339 the person who carries out evil plans. Now, the 00:06:34.339 --> 00:06:38.879 word for wait expectantly is a phrase. It's one 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:42.899 word here in the Hebrew language. It is kul. 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:51.100 Cool is often more times translated as whirl 00:06:51.100 --> 00:06:57.660 or to spin or dance or writhe or to be in anguish. 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:04.740 Cool is this word. What's also interesting is 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:10.660 this is the only time where cool is translated 00:07:10.660 --> 00:07:15.889 as wait expectantly in the Old Testament. So 00:07:15.889 --> 00:07:20.470 I'm wondering, I'm like, okay, why is cool translated 00:07:20.470 --> 00:07:24.550 in this way? And as I'm reading and I'm studying, 00:07:24.810 --> 00:07:29.930 cool is really this idea of you're in anguish 00:07:29.930 --> 00:07:35.990 while you're waiting. So now think way back in 00:07:35.990 --> 00:07:39.610 the day in ye olde ancient times to when we had 00:07:39.610 --> 00:07:46.000 DVD players. So it was ancient for me. Remember 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:50.220 when you would have a DVD player going and then 00:07:50.220 --> 00:07:53.540 it would go idle and you would have the logo 00:07:53.540 --> 00:07:57.899 bouncing around? What was the thing that we all 00:07:57.899 --> 00:08:00.759 did? We were all hoping it would perfectly land 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:04.339 in the corner of the TV screen. At least that's 00:08:04.339 --> 00:08:06.740 what I was doing. I was a very easily entertained 00:08:06.740 --> 00:08:09.899 child. So I was hoping that it would very perfectly 00:08:09.899 --> 00:08:14.240 go right in the center. But frequently it would... 00:08:14.649 --> 00:08:17.730 get really close, then it would bounce off one 00:08:17.730 --> 00:08:20.589 edge, hit the other edge, and go away. And every 00:08:20.589 --> 00:08:22.889 time, I mean, I was staring at this thing for 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:26.149 too long, and every time I'm looking at this, 00:08:26.170 --> 00:08:28.889 I'm like, oh, come on, just get in there, just 00:08:28.889 --> 00:08:31.250 right there, you're going to get it, you're going 00:08:31.250 --> 00:08:33.629 to get it. And then it bounces off. I'm like, 00:08:33.690 --> 00:08:37.549 oh. And I would get more and more, you know, 00:08:37.549 --> 00:08:40.250 worked up over this because I just wanted to 00:08:40.250 --> 00:08:43.379 go right in. and then I could actually start 00:08:43.379 --> 00:08:49.879 the movie. But this is this idea of cool. It's 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:54.340 you're feeling this sense of, like, why won't 00:08:54.340 --> 00:09:00.320 it just do the thing you want it to do? And this 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:05.080 is cool, but in the context of why we are waiting 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:08.259 expectantly on the Lord, it's so much more than 00:09:08.259 --> 00:09:14.289 that. Because The context is the psalmist is 00:09:14.289 --> 00:09:17.350 feeling this way because of the latter half of 00:09:17.350 --> 00:09:22.149 the verse, as it says, do not be agitated by 00:09:22.149 --> 00:09:27.710 one who prospers in his way, by the person who 00:09:27.710 --> 00:09:31.029 carries out evil plans. Now, what's interesting 00:09:31.029 --> 00:09:36.230 is one who prospers in his way, right? This is 00:09:36.230 --> 00:09:39.629 him saying, This is the one who says, this is 00:09:39.629 --> 00:09:46.230 the right and good thing for me to do. As Christians 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:48.970 and believers of Christ, we know that our ways 00:09:48.970 --> 00:09:54.330 really are not that good. One of my favorite 00:09:54.330 --> 00:09:59.450 verses or passages in the Bible is the book of 00:09:59.450 --> 00:10:03.409 Judges, specifically how it ends. Now, it ends 00:10:03.409 --> 00:10:08.159 after the Israelites, they kind of fight with 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:11.740 each other for a little bit, and then they fight 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:14.220 with some other people, and they were getting 00:10:14.220 --> 00:10:17.360 into idolatry, and they were just doing all sorts 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:23.460 of bad things. And then it ends, they were doing 00:10:23.460 --> 00:10:25.419 all these sorts of bad things because they weren't 00:10:25.419 --> 00:10:28.779 following God. And towards the end of the book 00:10:28.779 --> 00:10:33.220 of Judges, it says that they did what they thought 00:10:33.220 --> 00:10:36.879 was good. and they did not have a king in that 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:40.720 day. What they should have been doing, as we 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:43.019 know, is that they should have made God their 00:10:43.019 --> 00:10:46.139 king and been following his ways, because their 00:10:46.139 --> 00:10:50.960 ways led to a lot of ungodliness, idolatry, and 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:56.080 just senseless violence. And this is our ways 00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:01.080 without God. Do not be agitated by one who prospers 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:06.269 in his ways. And then it goes on, by the person 00:11:06.269 --> 00:11:12.950 who carries out evil plans. Now, this word agitated 00:11:12.950 --> 00:11:18.330 in the Hebrew is charda, charda, and singular. 00:11:18.330 --> 00:11:20.909 I just had to try to pronounce it more closely. 00:11:21.309 --> 00:11:24.950 So charda is the word used for agitated here, 00:11:25.110 --> 00:11:30.789 and it means to burn with anger or become furious. 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:35.679 This verse is painting a picture of someone who 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:38.100 is sitting there. They're watching all the ungodliness 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:42.340 go on around them. They're watching all the lawlessness 00:11:42.340 --> 00:11:45.559 and sin go on around them. They're watching all 00:11:45.559 --> 00:11:48.519 these cheats, liars, and thieves get ahead in 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:52.580 life. They're seeing all of this, and they're 00:11:52.580 --> 00:11:54.779 starting to say, what's up with that? They're 00:11:54.779 --> 00:11:57.679 starting to feel cool, and they're like, what's 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:01.039 going on? Something is wrong here. Something 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:03.860 needs to happen. We need to do something about 00:12:03.860 --> 00:12:07.200 this. And then God steps in and says, hey, just 00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:10.600 wait on the Lord. Just wait on me. Don't be agitated. 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:14.120 I know they're doing wrong. I know they're doing 00:12:14.120 --> 00:12:18.539 what they shouldn't be doing. I know they're 00:12:18.539 --> 00:12:24.220 doing all of this that's getting at you. Don't 00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:27.460 be agitated. Don't burn with anger. Don't bubble 00:12:27.460 --> 00:12:35.870 up with rage. Wait on the Lord. And this is the 00:12:35.870 --> 00:12:39.350 first active process of waiting on the Lord. 00:12:39.429 --> 00:12:43.490 It's this continual denial of letting yourself 00:12:43.490 --> 00:12:47.529 bubble up and over with rage when we're seeing 00:12:47.529 --> 00:12:51.070 all of this ungodliness. all of this lawlessness, 00:12:51.149 --> 00:12:54.669 all of this sin go on around us, and it feels 00:12:54.669 --> 00:12:58.090 like no one's doing anything about it. So we're 00:12:58.090 --> 00:13:02.350 thinking to ourselves, oh, we just need to do 00:13:02.350 --> 00:13:07.330 something. This is the first active part of waiting 00:13:07.330 --> 00:13:11.210 on the Lord. This is what he says in verse 8 00:13:11.210 --> 00:13:17.169 through 9 of Psalm 37. Refrain from anger and 00:13:17.169 --> 00:13:21.879 give up your rage. Do not be agitated. It can 00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:26.220 only bring harm. For evildoers will be destroyed, 00:13:26.340 --> 00:13:32.039 but those who put their hope in the Lord will 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:37.100 inherit the land. This is why God says, refrain 00:13:37.100 --> 00:13:40.840 from anger. It's not that God doesn't want us 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:44.159 to do anything about it. It's not that God doesn't 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:47.720 want us to go out and try to be the salt and 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:50.039 light of the earth. It's not that God doesn't 00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:53.519 want us to try to push back against whatever 00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:57.139 darkness and evil is going on. Quite the contrary. 00:13:57.299 --> 00:13:59.639 I think we could argue from Old and New Testament, 00:13:59.700 --> 00:14:02.539 God wants us to be involved and wants us to, 00:14:02.539 --> 00:14:04.799 you know, sort of hold the line, if you will. 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:11.960 But specifically here, it is do not act enraged 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:16.539 towards the situation. Why? Because you will 00:14:16.539 --> 00:14:20.860 bring harm on the situation. How many times can 00:14:20.860 --> 00:14:26.259 we all look back at something in our own lives 00:14:26.259 --> 00:14:30.879 or in someone close to us, and we think to ourselves, 00:14:31.419 --> 00:14:33.259 yeah, I'm going to do something, and then we 00:14:33.259 --> 00:14:37.259 get involved in the situation. And somehow, because 00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:40.679 we thought we were great, it actually ends up 00:14:40.679 --> 00:14:47.080 getting even worse than before. I remember there 00:14:47.080 --> 00:14:51.139 was a time where I had a leak underneath my sink, 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:56.159 and plumbing is not my strong suit. So I had 00:14:56.159 --> 00:14:59.960 a leak underneath the sink. I tried to, you know, 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:03.059 Mickey Mouse it and do whatever I could, and 00:15:03.059 --> 00:15:04.960 then the hole got bigger, and I was like, oh. 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:09.919 About time to call a professional. So that was 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:13.860 me bringing more harm to the situation. Now, 00:15:13.940 --> 00:15:20.500 in the context of cool and harder, it is we're 00:15:20.500 --> 00:15:24.120 getting agitated, we're getting frustrated, we're 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:27.980 feeling this anguish, and then we go do something 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:32.500 in that frustration, in that anger, and we bring 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:36.299 more harm to the situation. But that's not what 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:40.299 God wants. God isn't in the business of punishing 00:15:40.299 --> 00:15:45.000 just for the sake of punishing. It's always just 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:52.320 with him. When people were talking about civil 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:55.919 war, we're ready to fight back, push back against 00:15:55.919 --> 00:15:59.360 those who did this. When they're talking about 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:03.620 this, it's important to... really recognize, 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:10.240 would that actually help the country? Would that 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:16.379 actually add justice to the situation of what's 00:16:16.379 --> 00:16:20.340 going on, or would it only bring more harm to 00:16:20.340 --> 00:16:25.019 the situation? Oftentimes, when we think about 00:16:25.019 --> 00:16:31.690 just getting into this righteous mode, such as 00:16:31.690 --> 00:16:34.929 a civil war, we think it's going to go so well 00:16:34.929 --> 00:16:39.029 for us. Yet no one stops and takes a moment to 00:16:39.029 --> 00:16:42.350 think, but what if my friends and family died 00:16:42.350 --> 00:16:48.070 because of this? No one ever, very rarely do 00:16:48.070 --> 00:16:52.690 we think about how many things could actually 00:16:52.690 --> 00:17:00.379 go wrong. But this is why God says refrain from 00:17:00.379 --> 00:17:04.900 anger. Again, this isn't saying don't be involved. 00:17:05.059 --> 00:17:08.200 This isn't saying don't try to affect change. 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:13.900 It is don't act in your rage against this thing, 00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:21.480 lest we bring more harm to the situation. Practically 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:26.119 speaking, for whatever issues that may be plaguing 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:31.670 us, As bad as it may be, before following through 00:17:31.670 --> 00:17:35.430 on whatever action we may think we need to take, 00:17:35.529 --> 00:17:39.450 before saying, all right, we ride at dawn, before 00:17:39.450 --> 00:17:43.569 doing any of that, it's worth asking ourselves, 00:17:43.849 --> 00:17:50.950 am I acting from a place of rage? Am I intending 00:17:50.950 --> 00:17:54.750 to bring more harm? Would this bring more harm 00:17:54.750 --> 00:17:59.450 to the situation? Or is this going to actually 00:17:59.450 --> 00:18:02.809 bring justice to the situation? Is this going 00:18:02.809 --> 00:18:05.509 to actually be something that God is saying, 00:18:05.650 --> 00:18:15.410 yes, do exactly that? Now, what's also interesting 00:18:15.410 --> 00:18:23.509 in verse 9 is the word for hope here. Now, just 00:18:23.509 --> 00:18:27.519 to reread part of it. for evildoers will be destroyed, 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:33.079 but those who put their hope in the Lord will 00:18:33.079 --> 00:18:38.299 inherit the land. Now, this word for hope, in 00:18:38.299 --> 00:18:41.660 some translations, if you have a ESV version 00:18:41.660 --> 00:18:46.000 or an amplified version, it might read, those 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:58.700 who wait on the Lord. Now, this word is kava. 00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:02.619 And personally, I just love doing, you know, 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:04.920 word studies and stuff. I do that all the time 00:19:04.920 --> 00:19:08.200 in young adults. I have a lot of fun with it. 00:19:08.420 --> 00:19:10.720 What's interesting about this word here, kava, 00:19:10.900 --> 00:19:14.220 is sometimes it's used hope, other times it's 00:19:14.220 --> 00:19:17.299 wait. The times in which it's used as wait in 00:19:17.299 --> 00:19:22.079 the Lord often are synonymous to hope in the 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:27.640 Lord, hoping in Him. Chava simply means to hope 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:32.740 or wait expectantly, as in the thing you know 00:19:32.740 --> 00:19:37.380 or believe you are waiting in, you know for certain 00:19:37.380 --> 00:19:42.319 that will come to pass. Chava, I am waiting on 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:44.819 the Lord. Why? Because I know he's going to come 00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:48.680 to pass. Chava, I am waiting on his promises. 00:19:48.740 --> 00:19:52.000 Why? I know they're going to happen. I know he's 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:57.670 going to keep them. It leads to the situation 00:19:57.670 --> 00:20:06.230 that we can use Kava to lean on him as an aid 00:20:06.230 --> 00:20:11.529 as we wait for him. So Psalm 130, verses 5 through 00:20:11.529 --> 00:20:17.829 8. I wait for the Lord. I wait and put my hope 00:20:17.829 --> 00:20:22.650 in his word. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen 00:20:22.650 --> 00:20:27.990 for the morning. more than watchmen for the morning. 00:20:28.430 --> 00:20:32.029 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for there 00:20:32.029 --> 00:20:36.609 is faithful love with the Lord, and with him 00:20:36.609 --> 00:20:43.829 his redemption is in abundance. For there is 00:20:43.829 --> 00:20:46.789 faithful love with the Lord, and with him is 00:20:46.789 --> 00:20:50.849 redemption in abundance. And he will redeem Israel 00:20:50.849 --> 00:20:58.609 from all its iniquities. Kava is the word that 00:20:58.609 --> 00:21:02.009 is used here for I wait for the Lord, I wait 00:21:02.009 --> 00:21:04.329 and put my hope in his word. That's where we 00:21:04.329 --> 00:21:09.269 see kava. And it points to the fact that it is 00:21:09.269 --> 00:21:13.569 used here pointing to having faith in God as 00:21:13.569 --> 00:21:17.170 a confident belief to his promises, that his 00:21:17.170 --> 00:21:19.930 promises are going to be kept, his promises are 00:21:19.930 --> 00:21:22.750 going to come to pass, that he is going to follow 00:21:22.750 --> 00:21:28.470 through. Now, backstory for Psalm 130. This is 00:21:28.470 --> 00:21:31.930 one of the songs of ascent. If you don't know 00:21:31.930 --> 00:21:34.670 what a song of ascent is, these are one of the 00:21:34.670 --> 00:21:38.549 few songs that the Israelites would sing as they 00:21:38.549 --> 00:21:42.049 were ascending up to Jerusalem. They would go 00:21:42.049 --> 00:21:45.849 up to Jerusalem, and they would sing one of these 00:21:45.849 --> 00:21:49.450 songs of ascent when they were especially going 00:21:49.450 --> 00:21:54.980 for Passover. Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Tabernacles. 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:59.960 Each of these feasts dealt with sin in some way 00:21:59.960 --> 00:22:02.779 or another, where they got to offer sacrifices 00:22:02.779 --> 00:22:05.480 for God to take care of their sin and iniquity, 00:22:05.480 --> 00:22:10.079 and so on. This is what they would sing, and 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:12.079 it was them saying, you know what? God's going 00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:15.299 to deal with my sin. As they're going up to Jerusalem 00:22:15.299 --> 00:22:18.660 for one of these three great feasts, they're 00:22:18.660 --> 00:22:21.200 just constantly reminding themselves, God's going 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:23.160 to deal with our sin. God's going to deal with 00:22:23.160 --> 00:22:25.819 our sin. We're going to wait on him. He says 00:22:25.819 --> 00:22:28.819 what he says, and he means what he says. He's 00:22:28.819 --> 00:22:31.680 going to keep his word. So constantly, they're 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:34.960 just singing not just this song of ascent, but 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:39.319 a few others as they are continuously reminding 00:22:39.319 --> 00:22:44.359 themselves. of his promises that God said that 00:22:44.359 --> 00:22:46.539 he was going to do what he said he's going to 00:22:46.539 --> 00:22:53.460 do. And we see this sentiment repeated again 00:22:53.460 --> 00:23:00.980 in 2 Peter 3 .9. The Lord does not delay his 00:23:00.980 --> 00:23:05.779 promise, as some understand delay, but is patient 00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:09.940 with you, not wanting any to perish, but all 00:23:09.940 --> 00:23:16.259 to come to repentance. Now, Peter wrote this 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:20.299 chapter 3, or at least part of chapter 3, in 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:23.819 response to what people were saying about and 00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:26.420 to the Christians. Now, by the time that he wrote 00:23:26.420 --> 00:23:29.099 this, Christians had already made their beliefs 00:23:29.099 --> 00:23:33.279 known to the world, not fully, you know, to the 00:23:33.279 --> 00:23:37.210 extent that it is now, but Christians had already 00:23:37.210 --> 00:23:40.269 built this reputation of believing in the Lord 00:23:40.269 --> 00:23:44.670 and having this belief that the day of the Lord 00:23:44.670 --> 00:23:52.089 is coming. But as Christians were believing in 00:23:52.089 --> 00:23:55.170 this and preaching, we need to get right with 00:23:55.170 --> 00:23:58.750 God. We need to put our faith in Christ. We need 00:23:58.750 --> 00:24:02.829 to turn to him and put our hope in him because 00:24:02.829 --> 00:24:07.750 he is coming back. As they were doing this, time 00:24:07.750 --> 00:24:11.769 went on, and time went on, and time went on. 00:24:13.170 --> 00:24:16.809 And it's likely that the people who weren't going 00:24:16.809 --> 00:24:19.569 for Christianity at the time were the people 00:24:19.569 --> 00:24:23.529 who were saying, where's your God at? Where's 00:24:23.529 --> 00:24:26.049 this Jesus you're talking about? I thought the 00:24:26.049 --> 00:24:27.890 day of the Lord was coming. I thought he was 00:24:27.890 --> 00:24:31.359 going to deal with sin. You've been preaching 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:34.500 all of this, you know, sin needs to be atoned 00:24:34.500 --> 00:24:38.059 for stuff. You need Jesus. Where's he at? I thought 00:24:38.059 --> 00:24:42.619 he was coming. Again, speculation that that's 00:24:42.619 --> 00:24:47.559 exactly what they were saying, but don't we see 00:24:47.559 --> 00:24:54.220 this happening now? Three times have there been 00:24:54.220 --> 00:24:58.740 a recent rapture failed prediction. Three times 00:24:58.740 --> 00:25:04.950 over. What's been especially hard and sad is 00:25:04.950 --> 00:25:10.230 the response from outside the church to the church. 00:25:10.450 --> 00:25:14.690 I saw a video where a very prominent, famous 00:25:14.690 --> 00:25:21.069 YouTuber, who is an atheist, was online. It got 00:25:21.069 --> 00:25:24.769 so big, it reached him and his massive audience, 00:25:24.910 --> 00:25:29.190 and an atheist was saying, Yeah, but doesn't 00:25:29.190 --> 00:25:32.089 the Bible say, didn't Jesus himself say, no one 00:25:32.089 --> 00:25:36.849 knows the day or the hour? And I'm watching this, 00:25:36.970 --> 00:25:43.089 and I want to get upset, not at him, but because 00:25:43.089 --> 00:25:46.549 of the detriment that has now come upon the church 00:25:46.549 --> 00:25:51.269 of Christ. Because he is right. This atheist 00:25:51.269 --> 00:25:54.369 who doesn't know God, and I'm not putting him 00:25:54.369 --> 00:25:57.559 down saying it like that, but He's an atheist 00:25:57.559 --> 00:26:01.539 who is not even actively listening or following 00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:06.900 the ways of God, yet he has a point to say, didn't 00:26:06.900 --> 00:26:12.660 Jesus say no one knows the day or the hour? And 00:26:12.660 --> 00:26:17.160 this is the detriment that gets done to us. This 00:26:17.160 --> 00:26:18.859 is the detriment that gets done to the church. 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:25.220 Why? Because internally, what could end up happening 00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:31.000 is, people who say, oh, well, I was so sure that 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:36.500 Jesus was going to come this time. But if I was 00:26:36.500 --> 00:26:40.339 wrong about that, then what else was I wrong 00:26:40.339 --> 00:26:46.740 about? Did he really walk this earth? Did he 00:26:46.740 --> 00:26:50.980 really die for my sins? Was he actually the Son 00:26:50.980 --> 00:26:56.380 of God? And then the detriment externally is, 00:26:56.740 --> 00:27:05.259 see, it's all fake. It's not real. It's not real 00:27:05.259 --> 00:27:09.359 is the detriment that comes from outside the 00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:12.740 church onto us. Now, we've got more groundwork 00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:17.119 to build up and say, no, it is. That's just wrong. 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:20.960 That's weird. It's wrong. But here's the point. 00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:26.740 Psalm 130, 5 through 8, and 2 Peter 3 and 9 both 00:27:26.740 --> 00:27:32.740 get at this idea of staying reminded of the promises 00:27:32.740 --> 00:27:37.680 of God. This idea of meditating on the promises 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:42.519 of God. This idea that I might not know when, 00:27:42.599 --> 00:27:46.279 but I know he's going to do something. He said 00:27:46.279 --> 00:27:50.259 it in his word. From the perspective of Psalm 00:27:50.259 --> 00:27:58.250 130. It was, he's going to deal with sin. And 00:27:58.250 --> 00:28:02.750 he did. Centuries later, after the psalm was 00:28:02.750 --> 00:28:05.970 given, and they started making a tradition to 00:28:05.970 --> 00:28:09.890 sing this, can you imagine the Israelite who 00:28:09.890 --> 00:28:13.509 was singing this, and then they got news of Jesus, 00:28:13.730 --> 00:28:19.849 and then they were like, wow, he did it. He dealt 00:28:19.849 --> 00:28:23.069 with our sin. He dealt with our sin through the 00:28:23.069 --> 00:28:29.430 person of Jesus Christ. And now, on the other 00:28:29.430 --> 00:28:35.190 side, on the side of 2 Peter 3 and 9, we look 00:28:35.190 --> 00:28:38.829 at this and say, He did deal with our sin through 00:28:38.829 --> 00:28:41.710 the person of Jesus Christ. And guess what? He 00:28:41.710 --> 00:28:45.490 is really coming. I don't know when. I don't 00:28:45.490 --> 00:28:51.490 know the day. I don't know the hour. If in Psalm 00:28:51.490 --> 00:28:54.569 130 he said he was going to deal with sin and 00:28:54.569 --> 00:28:59.250 he dealt with sin, then I could even more trust 00:28:59.250 --> 00:29:02.450 him to say he's coming back and he's really coming 00:29:02.450 --> 00:29:12.210 back. The second most active process in waiting 00:29:12.210 --> 00:29:17.630 on the Lord is being reminded of his promises. 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:22.299 constantly having this mindset that he said it, 00:29:22.359 --> 00:29:25.400 he's going to do it. I just need to keep believing, 00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:28.480 keep having faith, keep pursuing, keep living 00:29:28.480 --> 00:29:32.519 my life as if the promises of the Lord mean something, 00:29:32.619 --> 00:29:39.019 because they do. Now, the imagery used in Psalm 00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:43.759 130 is that of a watchman waiting for the sunrise. 00:29:45.289 --> 00:29:47.890 Now, historically speaking, the watchmen on the 00:29:47.890 --> 00:29:51.450 walls, they were probably most likely some guards 00:29:51.450 --> 00:29:55.349 who would watch out to see if there was any intruders 00:29:55.349 --> 00:29:59.210 or enemy attackers coming against Israel. These 00:29:59.210 --> 00:30:01.890 were watchmen on the walls, and they would just 00:30:01.890 --> 00:30:05.509 watch out, make sure everything was fine. There's 00:30:05.509 --> 00:30:08.190 also some debate and speculation that maybe it 00:30:08.190 --> 00:30:12.589 was also some of the priests or someone else 00:30:12.589 --> 00:30:16.529 who would watch for the first light so that they 00:30:16.529 --> 00:30:19.230 could say, okay, there's the first light of the 00:30:19.230 --> 00:30:22.829 sunrise. We can start the morning sacrifices 00:30:22.829 --> 00:30:27.609 that Israel would do. In either case, they both 00:30:27.609 --> 00:30:31.710 had the job of watching for the first light of 00:30:31.710 --> 00:30:38.470 the sun. They didn't necessarily know when exactly 00:30:38.470 --> 00:30:41.430 they would see the first light in the morning, 00:30:41.529 --> 00:30:46.309 but it's likely never did they ever think, you 00:30:46.309 --> 00:30:48.869 know, Abraham, I've been on this earth for 53 00:30:48.869 --> 00:30:51.869 years. I don't think the sun's going to rise 00:30:51.869 --> 00:30:56.569 in the morning. It's likely they all had the 00:30:56.569 --> 00:31:01.509 same belief that the sun always rises in the 00:31:01.509 --> 00:31:06.019 morning. We see the sunlight. Every day. Don't 00:31:06.019 --> 00:31:08.579 know when. Don't know when exactly in the morning 00:31:08.579 --> 00:31:13.019 it's going to happen. But I know it's going to 00:31:13.019 --> 00:31:20.799 happen. It's funny because aren't we in that 00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:27.259 same state? In the darkness of the world as if 00:31:27.259 --> 00:31:30.960 we were at night and we're watching out for our 00:31:30.960 --> 00:31:35.430 Lord. Don't know when he's coming back, but we 00:31:35.430 --> 00:31:39.009 know he's coming back. The watchman didn't say, 00:31:39.089 --> 00:31:42.349 eh, the sun will rise when it does, but rather 00:31:42.349 --> 00:31:46.289 the watchman, they were actively looking for 00:31:46.289 --> 00:31:50.410 the sunlight. They were actively waiting and 00:31:50.410 --> 00:31:55.630 watching for the sunlight. They were actively 00:31:55.630 --> 00:31:57.930 waiting and watching for the light of the sun, 00:31:58.029 --> 00:32:02.029 even as we are waiting for the sun and his light. 00:32:02.700 --> 00:32:06.180 watch out for him and stay reminded daily of 00:32:06.180 --> 00:32:10.319 the time that God will put an end to sorrow once 00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:18.000 and for all. The danger is if we stop meditating 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:23.279 on his promises, if we stop living like he truly 00:32:23.279 --> 00:32:27.180 is coming back or even, you know, zoomed out 00:32:27.180 --> 00:32:30.839 more than that, if we stop living like God said 00:32:30.839 --> 00:32:34.710 it, so he's going to do it with that same excitement 00:32:34.710 --> 00:32:40.809 and zeal and focus mentality, we run the risk 00:32:40.809 --> 00:32:46.930 of becoming lackadaisical. And when we're lackadaisical, 00:32:46.970 --> 00:32:52.450 we're lazy and unenthusiastic and, you know, 00:32:52.470 --> 00:32:57.630 just all sorts of bad stuff. The danger in becoming 00:32:57.630 --> 00:33:02.720 lackadaisical is... perfectly summed up with 00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:06.000 the end of the ministry of Elijah the prophet. 00:33:07.779 --> 00:33:11.160 In my opinion, this is very well summed up of 00:33:11.160 --> 00:33:16.240 what this dangerous state looks like and why 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:21.420 that's not good for any of us. Now, for those 00:33:21.420 --> 00:33:24.690 of us who may remember, Elijah the prophet He 00:33:24.690 --> 00:33:28.009 had that great battle of him versus about 400 00:33:28.009 --> 00:33:32.089 prophets of Baal, right, in Israel at the time 00:33:32.089 --> 00:33:35.529 when Israel was starting to worship Baal, and 00:33:35.529 --> 00:33:37.569 they were giving more credence to that because 00:33:37.569 --> 00:33:40.990 the queen Jezebel was, you know, bringing in 00:33:40.990 --> 00:33:44.490 all her, you know, bad prophets and all that 00:33:44.490 --> 00:33:48.329 stuff into the culture of Israel. He has this 00:33:48.329 --> 00:33:51.910 moment where he versus all the prophets say, 00:33:51.970 --> 00:33:55.339 all right. Showdown. Which God is real? If your 00:33:55.339 --> 00:34:00.940 God calls down fire and consumes your sacrifice, 00:34:01.259 --> 00:34:04.200 your God is real. We'll worship that God. We'll 00:34:04.200 --> 00:34:07.779 worship Baal. If my God is real, you all die, 00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:11.320 and we are going to worship Israel. They all 00:34:11.320 --> 00:34:14.480 agreed. They said, that sounds good. Long story 00:34:14.480 --> 00:34:17.139 short, Baal didn't show up. He was in the bathroom, 00:34:17.300 --> 00:34:25.019 and then God showed up, and boom. all the prophets. 00:34:25.460 --> 00:34:27.579 I'm glad you guys like that joke. I just thought 00:34:27.579 --> 00:34:32.679 of it right on the spot. But yeah, God showed 00:34:32.679 --> 00:34:38.099 up, and all right. So he left feeling like, he 00:34:38.099 --> 00:34:41.880 likely left feeling awesome. Israel's going to 00:34:41.880 --> 00:34:43.960 get back on track. We're done listening to the 00:34:43.960 --> 00:34:46.579 prophets of Baal. We're done, you know, following 00:34:46.579 --> 00:34:50.300 this. Cool. It seems like, probably in his mind, 00:34:50.760 --> 00:34:52.400 hey, we're probably going to get back on track 00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:54.599 and, you know, start following God like we used 00:34:54.599 --> 00:34:59.039 to. Now, fast forward to the next chapter, 1 00:34:59.039 --> 00:35:07.760 Kings chapter 19, verse 1 through 5. Now, Ahab 00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:13.000 told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:16.760 he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 00:35:18.119 --> 00:35:21.679 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, 00:35:21.880 --> 00:35:26.500 may the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely. 00:35:26.719 --> 00:35:31.519 If by this time tomorrow, I do not make your 00:35:31.519 --> 00:35:36.500 life like one of them. In other words, you're 00:35:36.500 --> 00:35:41.820 a dead man. Elijah was afraid and ran for his 00:35:41.820 --> 00:35:45.639 life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he 00:35:45.639 --> 00:35:49.840 left his servants there. While he himself went 00:35:49.840 --> 00:35:52.960 a day's journey into the wilderness, he came 00:35:52.960 --> 00:35:56.219 to a broom bush, sat down under it, and prayed 00:35:56.219 --> 00:36:02.900 that he might die. I have had enough, Lord, he 00:36:02.900 --> 00:36:09.239 said. Take my life, I am no better than my ancestors. 00:36:12.059 --> 00:36:20.539 In other words, Elijah reached his point. Elijah 00:36:20.539 --> 00:36:25.199 reached the point where he said, you know what, 00:36:25.219 --> 00:36:30.360 God, I'm done. About ready to throw in the towel, 00:36:30.460 --> 00:36:38.559 Lord. Now, I believe he was genuinely serious 00:36:38.559 --> 00:36:42.820 about walking away. No part of the context of 00:36:42.820 --> 00:36:45.400 the ministry, especially, or not ministry, no 00:36:45.400 --> 00:36:47.760 part of the context of the beginning of the passage, 00:36:47.800 --> 00:36:50.179 as well as what we'll see later on, suggests, 00:36:50.360 --> 00:36:53.300 no, wait, Lord, I was just kidding. Or, no, wait, 00:36:53.320 --> 00:36:55.639 Lord, I was just throwing a little fit right 00:36:55.639 --> 00:36:58.900 now. I'm ready to go. I believe this was him 00:36:58.900 --> 00:37:03.960 saying, Lord, I am, I'm done. Like, I'm at my 00:37:03.960 --> 00:37:09.710 breaking point. We've all been there. We've all 00:37:09.710 --> 00:37:13.510 been at the point where we've had a really bad 00:37:13.510 --> 00:37:17.250 day, and then the breaking point is you stub 00:37:17.250 --> 00:37:20.590 your toe, and then all sorts of words come out, 00:37:20.670 --> 00:37:23.090 but not those words because we're sanctified. 00:37:24.449 --> 00:37:26.789 We've all reached that point where we've said, 00:37:26.949 --> 00:37:37.250 I've had it. I'm done. So just to fast forward 00:37:37.250 --> 00:37:44.170 in the interest of time, Elijah says this. God 00:37:44.170 --> 00:37:48.030 shows up. And then he goes on a journey, about 00:37:48.030 --> 00:37:54.409 three days journey ride away. And he, you know, 00:37:54.409 --> 00:37:57.150 gets provided for by God for a little bit. And 00:37:57.150 --> 00:38:01.429 then he talks to God. And God said, I'm going 00:38:01.429 --> 00:38:06.030 to get your attention. And God sends a strong 00:38:06.030 --> 00:38:11.460 wind, an earthquake, and a fire. right? Earth, 00:38:11.480 --> 00:38:16.880 wind, and fire, to get his attention. And it 00:38:16.880 --> 00:38:20.599 works, sort of. So, 1 Kings chapter 19, verse 00:38:20.599 --> 00:38:26.340 13 through 18. When Elijah heard it, he pulled 00:38:26.340 --> 00:38:30.579 his cloak over his face and went out and stood 00:38:30.579 --> 00:38:33.940 at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to 00:38:33.940 --> 00:38:39.050 him, what are you doing here, Elijah? He replied, 00:38:39.369 --> 00:38:42.829 I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. 00:38:43.650 --> 00:38:47.349 The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 00:38:47.349 --> 00:38:50.630 down your altars, and put your prophets to death 00:38:50.630 --> 00:38:59.690 with the sword. I am the only one left. And now 00:38:59.690 --> 00:39:03.869 they are trying to kill me too. The Lord said 00:39:03.869 --> 00:39:08.670 to him, go back the way you came. and go to the 00:39:08.670 --> 00:39:14.130 desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint 00:39:14.130 --> 00:39:21.769 Hazael, king over Aram. Also anoint Jehu, son 00:39:21.769 --> 00:39:26.769 of Nimshi, king over Israel. And anoint Elisha, 00:39:26.769 --> 00:39:30.929 son of Shephat, from Abel, Meholah, to succeed 00:39:30.929 --> 00:39:37.059 you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who 00:39:37.059 --> 00:39:40.300 escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put 00:39:40.300 --> 00:39:45.639 to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. And 00:39:45.639 --> 00:39:50.980 then the Lord says, Yet I reserve seven thousand 00:39:50.980 --> 00:39:55.659 in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed down 00:39:55.659 --> 00:39:59.119 to Baal, and whose mouths have not kissed him. 00:40:01.099 --> 00:40:06.429 End of passage. Man, the Lord knows how to mic 00:40:06.429 --> 00:40:10.550 drop, doesn't he? You know, this kind of reminded 00:40:10.550 --> 00:40:15.670 me of this moment where my wife, her dad is a 00:40:15.670 --> 00:40:18.429 chiropractor, and he owns his own office and 00:40:18.429 --> 00:40:21.309 practice, right? So she once went to go visit 00:40:21.309 --> 00:40:24.650 him at one of his offices, and when she gets 00:40:24.650 --> 00:40:31.000 there, he has a patient who had been asking her 00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:34.239 dad for a job, right? Because he just needed 00:40:34.239 --> 00:40:38.239 money. But he was also a patient. So my wife 00:40:38.239 --> 00:40:42.119 shows up and she's doing, you know, she starts 00:40:42.119 --> 00:40:44.420 working on paperwork and the guy's like, oh man, 00:40:44.619 --> 00:40:47.599 why is she doing it? Like, I could do it. Like, 00:40:47.599 --> 00:40:50.860 come on, bro. I could, that was supposed to be 00:40:50.860 --> 00:40:55.170 for me. I could do it. And he's like, look, she 00:40:55.170 --> 00:40:58.010 doesn't need to be here. Just saying all sorts 00:40:58.010 --> 00:41:02.590 of stuff, unnecessary stuff. And then my father 00:41:02.590 --> 00:41:06.010 -in -law says, I don't owe you a job. And then 00:41:06.010 --> 00:41:09.349 right before he and my wife walk out the room, 00:41:09.429 --> 00:41:12.070 he says, oh, by the way, this is my daughter. 00:41:12.289 --> 00:41:17.250 And they walk away. And he's like, you know, 00:41:17.250 --> 00:41:22.769 like the Pokemon meme. That's kind of like how 00:41:22.769 --> 00:41:26.210 he left it. That's how God left this situation. 00:41:26.590 --> 00:41:32.989 This Elijah, this guy, woes me, Lord. I'm the 00:41:32.989 --> 00:41:39.230 only one left. They've all abandoned you. I'm 00:41:39.230 --> 00:41:43.230 like the other ancestors. I'm just like them. 00:41:43.309 --> 00:41:49.409 Woe is me. I'm the only one who's zealous. And 00:41:49.409 --> 00:41:52.800 God says. There's 7 ,000 Israelites that are 00:41:52.800 --> 00:42:00.179 still faithful to me. 7 ,000. Now, this is speculation, 00:42:00.920 --> 00:42:06.940 but a lot of the times, when it would count people, 00:42:07.099 --> 00:42:13.820 it was mainly counting the men. Speculatively, 00:42:15.340 --> 00:42:18.739 It could have been 7 ,000 men plus their families, 00:42:18.760 --> 00:42:20.920 including their wives and their children that 00:42:20.920 --> 00:42:23.840 are still following him. Speculative, speculative. 00:42:24.099 --> 00:42:30.340 But for now, 7 ,000 is a lot. Woe is me, Lord. 00:42:30.699 --> 00:42:37.420 I'm the only one. I'm all that's left. I'm having 00:42:37.420 --> 00:42:44.199 too much fun with this. But this is the danger. 00:42:44.760 --> 00:42:49.280 That Elijah fell into because he wasn't reminded 00:42:49.280 --> 00:42:53.579 of the promises. He fell in that lackadaisical 00:42:53.579 --> 00:42:57.199 state, this unenthusiastic state, this laziness 00:42:57.199 --> 00:43:04.079 state, this undetermined state. And what happened? 00:43:04.159 --> 00:43:07.659 He completely overlooked the mission field that 00:43:07.659 --> 00:43:13.130 was actually set before him. 7 ,000 people. Still 00:43:13.130 --> 00:43:16.329 following God. Still would have heard the prophet 00:43:16.329 --> 00:43:19.809 of God. Still would have followed him. But this 00:43:19.809 --> 00:43:26.469 is the danger that we risk running into if we 00:43:26.469 --> 00:43:30.289 forget to remind ourselves the promises of God. 00:43:30.409 --> 00:43:35.949 If we get to live like God really keeps his promises. 00:43:36.889 --> 00:43:40.449 If we forget that God's really going to do what 00:43:40.449 --> 00:43:47.739 he said he's going to do. In our carelessness 00:43:47.739 --> 00:43:52.380 and lack of determination, we can overlook every 00:43:52.380 --> 00:43:58.159 area that actually needs attention. Ugh, the 00:43:58.159 --> 00:44:01.199 last five people at my job didn't want to hear 00:44:01.199 --> 00:44:06.340 me talk about God, so I'm done. But what about 00:44:06.340 --> 00:44:09.039 the sixth person that's been silently praying, 00:44:09.300 --> 00:44:16.780 Lord, reveal yourself to me? Ugh. That person 00:44:16.780 --> 00:44:20.719 is so lost. They won't be saved. Don't waste 00:44:20.719 --> 00:44:24.679 your time on them. But what if someone said that 00:44:24.679 --> 00:44:29.599 about us? Or did someone say that about us? And 00:44:29.599 --> 00:44:36.099 here we are. Well, it's hopeless trying to get 00:44:36.099 --> 00:44:40.880 young ladies not to abort their babies. They're 00:44:40.880 --> 00:44:45.400 going to do it anyway. Why even bother? Is that 00:44:45.400 --> 00:44:51.659 what God wants? Us to just give up? Would he 00:44:51.659 --> 00:44:55.179 want us to give up on any cause that advances 00:44:55.179 --> 00:44:58.679 his kingdom and preserves goodness and light, 00:44:58.820 --> 00:45:02.519 even while we are currently waiting on him right 00:45:02.519 --> 00:45:09.320 now? Practically, practically speaking in our 00:45:09.320 --> 00:45:12.699 lives, waiting on the Lord does not always seem 00:45:12.699 --> 00:45:18.579 easy. Sometimes it can appear appetizing to want 00:45:18.579 --> 00:45:23.159 to give up or get careless when you live the 00:45:23.159 --> 00:45:27.940 life of steadfastness for so long. Elijah was 00:45:27.940 --> 00:45:30.820 steadfast for a while, and he was very zealous. 00:45:32.579 --> 00:45:36.480 He was waiting on the Lord. Then he got tired. 00:45:37.199 --> 00:45:43.860 He got scared. But the warning is, please... 00:45:44.590 --> 00:45:50.010 Don't assume it's over just because you feel 00:45:50.010 --> 00:45:55.030 like it's over. Last I checked, we're all still 00:45:55.030 --> 00:45:57.670 down here on earth, so therefore it is not over. 00:46:00.949 --> 00:46:06.489 Psalm 37 verse 37, wait for the Lord and keep 00:46:06.489 --> 00:46:11.099 his way. and he will exalt you to inherit the 00:46:11.099 --> 00:46:15.300 land. You will watch when the wicked are destroyed. 00:46:18.159 --> 00:46:22.619 How do I not overlook what is to be done? How 00:46:22.619 --> 00:46:26.340 do I not become lazy while I'm waiting for the 00:46:26.340 --> 00:46:31.079 Lord? Super simple. Keep his way, and we are 00:46:31.079 --> 00:46:36.539 all experts at that. So, no. While we could talk 00:46:37.230 --> 00:46:41.090 for an endless amount of Sundays just on keeping 00:46:41.090 --> 00:46:46.630 His way. Here's something to really just think 00:46:46.630 --> 00:46:51.809 about. Yes, keep His way, study the Word, read 00:46:51.809 --> 00:46:55.809 the Word, apply the Word, but it's about getting 00:46:55.809 --> 00:46:59.110 to faithfulness, and it's about getting to a 00:46:59.110 --> 00:47:04.309 steadfast and disciplined area. Which is a fancy 00:47:04.309 --> 00:47:06.909 long way of saying, rather you feel like it or 00:47:06.909 --> 00:47:15.030 not, you do it. Now, I want to apologize right 00:47:15.030 --> 00:47:18.750 now. It's about to get slightly emotional. Christiana 00:47:18.750 --> 00:47:20.949 did cry when I brought this up at first service. 00:47:22.349 --> 00:47:26.469 So yesterday, I had the honor and pleasure of 00:47:26.469 --> 00:47:31.050 doing the tech booth for Tom Johnson, who... 00:47:31.469 --> 00:47:36.010 I went on to be with the Lord. Now, my wife and 00:47:36.010 --> 00:47:38.489 I, we've been at this church for about two years 00:47:38.489 --> 00:47:45.489 now. A little over two years now. I did not interact 00:47:45.489 --> 00:47:50.550 with him very much, but I was so blessed to hear 00:47:50.550 --> 00:47:53.889 all these stories about him just from the tech 00:47:53.889 --> 00:47:58.650 booth alone as I was recording. And I'm listening 00:47:58.650 --> 00:48:03.190 to this story after story. Tom Johnson, the snack 00:48:03.190 --> 00:48:08.170 king. Tom Johnson, who just had this calming 00:48:08.170 --> 00:48:14.170 presence on children, who was there for the kids, 00:48:14.230 --> 00:48:16.849 there for youth ministry. Tom Johnson, who said, 00:48:17.050 --> 00:48:19.590 oh, the government said we can't do baptism. 00:48:19.750 --> 00:48:22.150 Let's do it anyway, because we obey God more 00:48:22.150 --> 00:48:28.110 than we obey man. And then there's a story that 00:48:28.110 --> 00:48:31.500 I heard from a... Jeannie Venderbrink. And she, 00:48:31.619 --> 00:48:34.619 forgive me if I butcher it, but she told a story 00:48:34.619 --> 00:48:38.039 about how she one day saw him taking out the 00:48:38.039 --> 00:48:42.320 trash for children's ministry or for the youth 00:48:42.320 --> 00:48:48.500 ministry at Hosanna. And she said that, she was 00:48:48.500 --> 00:48:50.380 like, wow, that's a real man of God right there. 00:48:51.159 --> 00:48:53.800 And I was sitting in the booth and I was like, 00:48:53.900 --> 00:48:57.820 that's it, that's it right there. Because personally, 00:48:58.730 --> 00:49:02.110 as the last few months, just a fun little thought 00:49:02.110 --> 00:49:07.849 I've been thinking about is this. There are so 00:49:07.849 --> 00:49:11.710 many prominent Christian leaders and figures 00:49:11.710 --> 00:49:17.610 in the public space right now, or in the past, 00:49:17.650 --> 00:49:21.969 right? Charlie Kirk, he was a Christian. He was 00:49:21.969 --> 00:49:26.719 very out and loud about his faith. Votie Bauckham, 00:49:26.780 --> 00:49:30.840 who also recently passed away, he was very out 00:49:30.840 --> 00:49:35.659 and loud about Jesus Christ. You know, people 00:49:35.659 --> 00:49:39.780 like Frank Turek, a very, you know, professing 00:49:39.780 --> 00:49:47.159 Christian apologist, or Ray Comfort, Ray Comfort, 00:49:47.280 --> 00:49:50.000 you know, all these Christian leaders and people 00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:54.099 that generally, when you say the name, you know 00:49:54.099 --> 00:49:58.639 who we're talking about, right? And, you know, 00:49:58.659 --> 00:50:01.460 they fly to all these places, they preach the 00:50:01.460 --> 00:50:03.900 word, they defend the faith, they do all this 00:50:03.900 --> 00:50:07.139 stuff, and we see it from our living rooms and 00:50:07.139 --> 00:50:09.579 all of that, and we're like, wow, look at what 00:50:09.579 --> 00:50:12.179 God's doing with them and through their lives 00:50:12.179 --> 00:50:18.019 and all of that. But I've been, just kind of 00:50:18.019 --> 00:50:21.360 been chuckling to myself because as great as 00:50:21.360 --> 00:50:26.349 they are and they've done a lot of good, Hundreds 00:50:26.349 --> 00:50:32.010 and hundreds of millions of Christians exist 00:50:32.010 --> 00:50:36.650 where when you say the word faithful, everyone 00:50:36.650 --> 00:50:40.809 thinks of that person in their community. And 00:50:40.809 --> 00:50:44.710 we will never know their name. They're just regular 00:50:44.710 --> 00:50:48.030 people. They don't have a super glamorous life. 00:50:48.690 --> 00:50:52.170 They just get up. They love their wives. They 00:50:52.170 --> 00:50:54.170 love their children. They love their husbands. 00:50:55.079 --> 00:50:59.980 They serve at church. They bring an extra lunch 00:50:59.980 --> 00:51:03.599 pail for someone else. They take out their trash. 00:51:04.480 --> 00:51:09.539 They provide snacks. They do all these things. 00:51:10.039 --> 00:51:18.119 Not super glamorous. But faithful. Steadfast. 00:51:20.239 --> 00:51:28.760 Disciplined. And I was blessed to, when I was 00:51:28.760 --> 00:51:30.659 in the booth, I was like, that's it, that's it. 00:51:31.059 --> 00:51:34.800 Because hearing all these stories about Tom Johnson, 00:51:34.860 --> 00:51:40.360 I was like, he's the guy who the public, you 00:51:40.360 --> 00:51:45.659 know, the person in China, they probably won't 00:51:45.659 --> 00:51:48.980 hear about Tom Johnson, not the way that we've 00:51:48.980 --> 00:51:54.719 heard about him. But he was a faithful guy. With 00:51:54.719 --> 00:51:57.079 just hearing the stories about him, I'm like, 00:51:57.119 --> 00:52:04.440 wow, that's an amazing guy. He lived out Psalm 00:52:04.440 --> 00:52:11.239 37 verse 37. He lived out Galatians chapter 6 00:52:11.239 --> 00:52:17.539 verse 9. Galatians chapter 6 verse 9 says, let 00:52:17.539 --> 00:52:22.679 us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap 00:52:23.130 --> 00:52:30.909 at the proper time if we don't give up. So, in 00:52:30.909 --> 00:52:37.309 closing, hopefully thus far we've seen how it's 00:52:37.309 --> 00:52:42.150 not passive, waiting on the Lord. It's a very 00:52:42.150 --> 00:52:50.389 involved process. It's a very active process 00:52:50.389 --> 00:52:57.010 all throughout. We actively refrain from reacting 00:52:57.010 --> 00:53:00.090 in rage to the lawlessness going on around us. 00:53:00.170 --> 00:53:03.670 We actively remind ourselves of the promises 00:53:03.670 --> 00:53:07.760 of God so that we know how to live out. just 00:53:07.760 --> 00:53:11.980 being faithful. We actively focus continuously 00:53:11.980 --> 00:53:15.739 on Him in excitement and confident expectation 00:53:15.739 --> 00:53:20.159 of His appearing. We actively stay vigilant to 00:53:20.159 --> 00:53:24.059 the opportunities to serve God, to serve others, 00:53:24.159 --> 00:53:27.380 and to push back against any evil and injustice 00:53:27.380 --> 00:53:30.239 and wrong that we see that goes against the Bible. 00:53:30.400 --> 00:53:36.750 We actively say, Lord, as I wait, for your return, 00:53:36.969 --> 00:53:45.530 I will be faithful. How long do we wait on the 00:53:45.530 --> 00:53:50.369 Lord? Well, if the fourth rapture prediction 00:53:50.369 --> 00:53:56.650 is true, we won't wait very long. No. Don't know. 00:53:56.710 --> 00:54:02.929 Don't know how long we have to wait, but we'll 00:54:02.929 --> 00:54:08.130 be blessed doing it. He's never late. It's always 00:54:08.130 --> 00:54:14.150 just on time. No one knows but him. Rather, that's 00:54:14.150 --> 00:54:17.030 next week, next year, next century, or even in 00:54:17.030 --> 00:54:22.510 the next hour. What matters more right now is 00:54:22.510 --> 00:54:29.289 are we in the position to say, I am waiting on 00:54:29.289 --> 00:54:33.260 him? those of us in this room and watching online, 00:54:33.360 --> 00:54:36.679 are we in the position to say, I am waiting on 00:54:36.679 --> 00:54:41.059 the Lord. I do have my hope in the Lord. Not 00:54:41.059 --> 00:54:43.940 just hope that He's going to make it all better 00:54:43.940 --> 00:54:48.360 for the whole world, but even hope on a personal 00:54:48.360 --> 00:54:52.340 level, hope that He's going to wash me clean, 00:54:52.440 --> 00:54:59.199 that He has washed me clean. It's a hope like 00:54:59.199 --> 00:55:03.619 no other when you know that we have a personal, 00:55:03.719 --> 00:55:07.559 strong relationship with the Lord because he's 00:55:07.559 --> 00:55:14.579 provided that for us. Hope like no other. And 00:55:14.579 --> 00:55:18.599 if anyone does not know that hope, I invite you, 00:55:18.699 --> 00:55:25.219 just pray. Lord, I don't have that hope. It doesn't 00:55:25.219 --> 00:55:29.079 have to be a... super loud, stand up right now 00:55:29.079 --> 00:55:33.199 declaration. It's even in our own hearts. The 00:55:33.199 --> 00:55:36.719 Bible says if we confess with our mouth and believe 00:55:36.719 --> 00:55:40.360 in our heart, we will be saved. Romans 10, 9 00:55:40.360 --> 00:55:43.900 through 10. Even right now, if anyone is saying, 00:55:44.019 --> 00:55:48.059 even in your own heart of hearts, I don't have 00:55:48.059 --> 00:55:53.579 that hope, Lord, but I want to. I do believe 00:55:53.579 --> 00:55:55.800 that you rose. I do believe that you died on 00:55:55.800 --> 00:55:57.900 the cross for my sins. I do believe you rose. 00:55:59.860 --> 00:56:03.420 Lord, will you be my hope? I believe if anyone 00:56:03.420 --> 00:56:08.940 were to say that right now, even just that, you'll 00:56:08.940 --> 00:56:13.340 be saved with the understanding that, Lord, if 00:56:13.340 --> 00:56:15.260 I don't have my hope in you, I don't have my 00:56:15.260 --> 00:56:18.619 hope in anything living. I don't want to be lost. 00:56:19.739 --> 00:56:23.840 I don't want to experience, you know, You know, 00:56:23.860 --> 00:56:26.820 eternal separation from you, which is the second 00:56:26.820 --> 00:56:30.260 death. I want to hope in you. I want to wait 00:56:30.260 --> 00:56:36.840 on you. I want to be with you, Lord. Let's pray. 00:56:41.719 --> 00:56:52.289 Lord, thank you. Sometimes it's not easy. As 00:56:52.289 --> 00:56:57.210 we wait for you, we get beat up down here. We 00:56:57.210 --> 00:57:03.889 get abused and roughed up, Lord, but in spite 00:57:03.889 --> 00:57:07.650 of all the challenges, in spite of how hard it 00:57:07.650 --> 00:57:10.730 is, how hard it has been, how hard it may get, 00:57:10.889 --> 00:57:17.670 we hope in you, Lord. We are actively waiting 00:57:17.670 --> 00:57:21.650 on you, Lord. We are actively doing the work 00:57:21.650 --> 00:57:25.190 that you have called us to do. We are actively 00:57:25.190 --> 00:57:30.829 meditating on how you are a promise keeper. Your 00:57:30.829 --> 00:57:40.170 word comes to pass. Lord, it is our hope that 00:57:40.170 --> 00:57:46.389 we see you again. Not hope as in maybe we will, 00:57:46.489 --> 00:57:51.469 maybe we won't. Hope as in we have an expectation 00:57:51.469 --> 00:57:56.389 too. A confident expectation. Why? Because you 00:57:56.389 --> 00:58:01.409 made it possible. Because you said, if we'll 00:58:01.409 --> 00:58:04.809 turn to you, if we believe in you, if we trust 00:58:04.809 --> 00:58:10.730 in you, that we will be saved. We will see you. 00:58:11.010 --> 00:58:14.809 We will partake in the inheritance that you have 00:58:14.809 --> 00:58:22.219 for us. I pray that if there's anyone in here 00:58:22.219 --> 00:58:25.619 who might feel in here or online, who might feel 00:58:25.619 --> 00:58:30.000 that tugging on the heart, that they would just 00:58:30.000 --> 00:58:35.019 say, Lord, I believe. I want you to be my hope. 00:58:35.860 --> 00:58:42.780 Please be my hope, Lord. Lord, I pray that you 00:58:42.780 --> 00:58:48.300 watch over that person. I pray that if they have 00:58:48.300 --> 00:58:51.079 made that choice, that they would know that they 00:58:51.079 --> 00:58:56.199 have a family, that they are always welcome here, 00:58:56.219 --> 00:59:00.699 that they can talk to anyone here. And Lord, 00:59:00.760 --> 00:59:05.139 as I pray that as we get ready to close in worship 00:59:05.139 --> 00:59:07.420 and go about the rest of the week, that this 00:59:07.420 --> 00:59:11.880 study remain on our hearts and that we be constantly 00:59:11.880 --> 00:59:18.130 reminded of you. constantly waiting on you with 00:59:18.130 --> 00:59:22.449 great joy and great expectation. In Jesus' name 00:59:22.449 --> 00:59:23.309 we pray. Amen.