[0:00] Good morning and welcome to Bethel Christian Church. If you have never filled out one of these cards,! We do greatly appreciate when you do do that! And put it in the offering just to let us know of your attendance.
[0:18] And for announcements this morning, we've got an insert in your bulletin. These are the addresses and names of college students from our body.
[0:31] And make it an effort to surprise them. Send them a letter. There is no greater joy for a college student to get a letter in the mail than verses like a text or something like that.
[0:45] They love letters. That was one of those. Or food, yeah. Care packages or gift cards or whatever. Whatever. That makes their day, their week, their month.
[0:56] And after being stressed out with studies. So that's a ministry. That's something that you can do. You don't have to sign up for it. You don't have to let us know.
[1:07] Just do it. And then I've got another opportunity. Next week we have Leah Brockhoff who went to China to smuggle Bibles.
[1:19] She's coming to share. And she's being brought over by a couple from Indiana that do not want to have to make the trip here to drop her off and then take her back all in one day.
[1:33] It's, I think, almost a four-hour drive one way. And they asked if somebody would house them just on Saturday night. And you won't need to provide dinner.
[1:44] They're coming in in the evening. Just a place to sleep. So if you can do that, let me know. I need to know as soon as possible today so that we can make arrangements and let them know where they'll be staying.
[2:00] It'll just be the husband and wife. If Leah and her mom and sister have another place they already we've got scheduled. So let me know, would you please?
[2:12] Kids Corner, again, if you would love to serve and doing one a year, two a year, whatever, let Jim Foltz know and sign up for that.
[2:25] We would greatly appreciate that. Men, next week is the men's, no, two weeks, excuse me, excuse me, I'm off, is the men's retreat.
[2:37] It's a 24-hour retreat. And so it's something that make it a priority. See if you can't just be a part of this ministry.
[2:47] We don't have really any other opportunities to get to know other men in the church throughout the year. So try, try to get, put that as a priority in your life.
[3:01] And we'll be back by Saturday night, probably around 5 o'clock, and it's a good time. And then we've got two other announcements, Pastor and then Doug.
[3:16] Just real quick, an encouragement for what Rhonda just shared about the men's retreat. Man, I just want to really challenge you. If you haven't signed up, to consider signing up. You know, so often, I know we're busy.
[3:26] I know we've got a gazillion things on our to-do list and lots of places to be and things to get done. But, you know, we have a tendency to be able to make time for the things that we want to make time for. So I just really want to encourage you to consider signing up for the men's retreat.
[3:39] It's a place where, you know, don't worry about being put on the spot or having to open up and share. I know sometimes I'll talk with men, and I'll go, I don't want to go and have to share all my feelings and stuff.
[3:49] So it's just a good time, and you'll be blessed. That's all I'll say. So consider signing up for that. Also, as you know, we've been working on getting all the pictures taken for our church pictorial.
[4:02] And Tina has been working hard at getting those pictures taken. I know there are a few stragglers yet who haven't got their pictures taken. And by stragglers, I don't mean that in a negative way because you're in good company.
[4:13] We haven't had ours taken yet. But Tina will be taking pictures again next Sunday. So if you haven't had your picture taken, just know that she'll be doing that after the service next Sunday.
[4:26] And then after that, we're going to start comparing our addresses and things we have with the pictures that we have. And if you're not on the list, we're going to hunt you down and snap your picture when you're not looking or something.
[4:38] So come get it taken, and we appreciate your help in that. Again, it is a real blessing for folks to be able to look at pictures. So thank you. All right, I think Doug has something he wants to share to you. Good morning.
[4:51] I praise God for a beautiful day yesterday. And I want to thank all those that came out yesterday at the church work day. We had roughly 20 people, and we got amazingly probably 99.9% of our work done.
[5:04] So all those that were here and volunteered, I want to thank you very much. All right, let's go to Lord in prayer. Father, we thank you for another opportunity that you have allowed us and blessed us with to be here together.
[5:24] Father, I mean, so often we take it for granted. But we need to stop and think that it's because of you that we can gather and worship.
[5:40] So I would just pray that throughout this service and all that we do, that it will be glorifying to you and that we can worship you with all our heart.
[5:52] In Jesus' name, amen. All right, take a minute to greet each other. It sounds like the first song should go along real good with what everybody's doing.
[6:05] We're glad to come into God's house. He has made me glad. 214. I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart.
[6:23] I will enter his courts with praise. I will say this is a day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice for he has made me glad.
[6:37] He has made me glad. He has made me glad. I will rejoice for he has made me glad. He has made me glad.
[6:51] He has made me glad. I will rejoice for he has made me glad. I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart I will enter His courts with praise I will say this is the day that the Lord has made I will rejoice for He has made me glad He has made me glad, He has made me glad I will rejoice for He has made me glad He has made me glad, He has made me glad I will rejoice for He has made me glad Since He makes us glad, we should give Him all the glory, shouldn't we?
[7:43] To God be the glory, 56. To God be the glory, great things He hath done So loved He the world that He gave us His Son Who yielded His life and atonement for sin And opened the life gate that all may go in Praise the Lord, praise the Lord Let the earth hear His voice Praise the Lord, praise the Lord Let the people rejoice O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son
[8:45] And give Him the glory, great things He hath done O perfect redemption, the purchase of God To every deliver the promise of God The wildest abendant who truly believes That moment from Jesus the pardon receives Praise the Lord, praise the Lord Let the earth hear His voice Praise the Lord, praise the Lord Let the people rejoice O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son And give Him the glory, great things He hath done Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done
[9:52] And great our rejoicing, through Jesus the Son But pure and higher and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we sing Praise the Lord, praise the Lord Let the earth hear His voice Praise the Lord, praise the Lord Praise the Lord, praise the Lord Let the people rejoice O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son And give Him the glory, great things He hath done Chorus 146, I worship you, Almighty God I worship you, Almighty God There is none like you I worship you, Almighty God
[10:58] There is none like you I worship you, O Prince of Peace That is what I want I worship you, O Prince of Peace A miracle miracle miracle I give you praise, for you are my righteousness.
[11:32] I worship you, almighty God, there is none like you.
[11:43] I worship you, almighty God, there is none like you.
[11:58] I worship you, O Prince of Peace, that is what I want to do.
[12:10] I give you praise, for you are my righteousness. I worship you, almighty God, there is none like you.
[12:37] Thank you. May be seated. All right, this is time we go to prayer.
[12:53] Let our requests be made known to God. I wanted to share about an email that I received about a week and a half ago.
[13:04] There is a gentleman from Johnny and Friends that takes care of their prayer requests and he sends out emails for us to lift up in prayer.
[13:15] And he was sharing that he received an email from a missionary friend. And basically, the friend was saying, you know, get this message out as much as possible.
[13:30] And the town that they were serving in, the ISIS Muslims were going from house to house and would take the kids in front of the parents and tell them, are you a Muslim or are you a Christian?
[13:50] And the kids would have to claim what they are. And if they were a Christian, they gave them one opportunity to denounce Christ. And then if not, they were murdered right in front of their parents' presence.
[14:06] And I tell you, I read that email and I couldn't hardly handle it in thinking if I was in that situation. And so these missionaries are actually choosing to stay in that town to support the church and to support these families that have had their kids murdered right in front of the parents' eyes.
[14:32] And what was really amazing is, as far as they knew, there wasn't one kid yet, a Christian child that denounced Christ.
[14:43] And that was exciting to hear that. But in light of what it was all about, it just made me think how blessed we are that we're not having to deal with that right now.
[14:58] So, let's pray, continue to saturate the throne of God with requests for grace, for mercy, for those that are being persecuted.
[15:14] All right, what else do we have this morning? Edgar? Pray. Fathers, we're reminded about your love for us.
[15:27] It's, it still hurts to hear information about others around the world that are struggling because of the persecution that's in front of them.
[15:42] And as your, as scripture says, those that have been martyred, John was able to see in Revelation them at the throne of grace.
[15:57] And, Lord, I know it's not easy, but it's neat to hear that there wasn't a single young person that this missionary, these missionaries knew of that denounced your name.
[16:12] Father, I just pray that they'll continue to be able to stand firm in their faith. Father, I can't imagine what it would be like as a parent to see your own child murdered in front of your eyes.
[16:31] Pray for grace. I pray that, as Stephen said, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. I pray that the parents can have forgiveness in their heart.
[16:46] But, Lord, as the pain is excruciating, the agony, I just pray that you'll bring comfort to those families that have lost loved ones.
[16:57] Just pray for Edgar and Carol as this week they'll be headed down to Columbus for more tests and for doctor visits. I just pray that you would give the wisdom, give wisdom to the doctors to know the best thing to do in each of those cases.
[17:16] For the workers, the two GM workers that passed away this week, I just pray that you would bring comfort to their families. Whether they knew you as their personal Savior or not, I don't know the situation, but I just pray that there will be those that address that in their own lives because of this.
[17:42] That they'll realize that death is imminent. You can't get around it unless it's by your choice to send Jesus Christ to finish it all and take the believers up with them.
[18:01] But, Lord, I just pray that those around these families can realize that they need to deal with that question in their lives.
[18:13] But I pray for comfort for the families, for the friends, the co-workers. Pray for the Tenora student who's dealing with cancer, the Gisagi student.
[18:25] I just ask that you would be gracious upon him. And, Father, I just pray that you'll give the doctors wisdom there. As we have some surgeries coming up for Michelle on Wednesday for Jack Vance on Friday, just pray that you would be with them, the doctors there.
[18:49] I pray for healing. I pray that the healing will be quick and that they can get back to their lives as soon as possible.
[19:02] For the unspokens, there's been a lot of unspoken requests, Lord. You know what they are, and we just lift them up and pray that you'll work it out for your best, for the best. For the family and friends of Mary, that you'll meet their needs.
[19:19] For Jim Carpenter, as he's going to probably be facing a double bypass. I just pray that you'll help him and to give him peace and that you'd be with the doctors there.
[19:30] For Amy, as she relies on you again for your timing concerning the kidney stones that she deals with. And the Mike Froehlich family, as they deal with the loss, the sudden loss of a loved one, I just pray that you'll help them out.
[19:56] For Marv and Donna, we continue to lift them up. For Trevor also, we pray for him. For Val, the neighbor of Kathleen and Dave, that you'll help her.
[20:13] She goes to surgery tomorrow. I pray that that will go well. For Christina Sarka, who severely springed her ankle.
[20:25] I just pray that that would heal quickly. For Jeremiah, as he's got a test this week. I just pray that that will go well. And we lift up Hannah, and as she's recovering from mono, I just pray that you'll bring healing to her quickly, too, as she has a full load with school.
[20:47] And I just pray that you'll help her as she has a desire to start attending class this week, that it's going to even be more of a challenge.
[20:59] I just pray that you'd help her out. And for our other students who represent this body that are away from us right now, we lift them up and pray for them.
[21:10] For our president, for the leaders of this country. Lord, more than ever, they need to humble themselves.
[21:21] We need to humble ourselves as a nation and ask for forgiveness. But I just pray that they'll seek and desire wisdom from you.
[21:32] Our troops, our military, as they're doing a service to allow us just to be able to continue to meet here in freedom.
[21:47] I just pray that you'll watch over them and put a hedge of protection around them. As there's so much uncertainty, so much tribulation, wars going on.
[22:01] And it seems like there's never an end to it all. So I pray that you'll watch over them. We thank you again for this day. We thank you for the opportunity to come to you and let our burdens, our requests, be made known.
[22:19] And that we can be at peace knowing that you're going to take these requests and work them out for the best. And we thank you in Jesus' name.
[22:33] Amen. Amen. I'd like to take your hymnals and stand and turn to 571.
[22:45] Trust and obey. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[23:16] He abides with us still And with all who will trust and obey Trust and obey For there's no other way To be happy in Jesus But to trust and obey Not a shadow can rise Not a cloud in the skies But His love simply drives Him away Not a doubt nor a fear Not a sigh nor a tear Can abide while we trust and obey Trust and obey For there's no other way To be happy in Jesus
[24:17] But to trust and obey Not a burden we bear Not a sorrow we share But our toil we death richly repay Not a grief nor a loss Not a loss Not a crown nor a cross But it's blessed if we trust and obey Trust and obey But there's no other way For there's no other way To be happy in Jesus But to trust and obey But we never can prove We never can prove The delights of His love Until all on the altar we lay For the favor He shows
[25:18] For the favor He shows For the joy He bestows For them who will trust and obey Trust and obey For there's no other way For there's no other way To be happy in Jesus But to trust and obey For there's no other way But to trust and obey When in fellowship sweet We will sit at His feet Or we'll walk by His side in the way What He says we will do Where He says we will go Never fear Only trust and obey Trust and obey For there's no other way To be happy in Jesus
[26:20] But to trust and obey Thank you, thanks. I pray that's what we all strive to do To trust and to obey You know, that's what God desires From each one of us.
[26:37] And you know, in the midst of trusting And obeying, God blesses us In so many ways. And you know, that's why We take the time every Sunday To share a little bit Of what you praise God for. His word asks us And wants us And directs us To praise Him.
[26:51] So what do you praise God for this morning? Heavenly Father, we just thank you For this day that you've given us. We thank you for the work that you do In our lives And Lord, just for your goodness As it was shared For your unconditional love towards us For the salvation that you offer And extend to each one of us And Lord, that's just Those things are the greatest And yet it's just the tip of the iceberg So many blessings that you give us.
[27:17] Lord, help us to remember To take the time to thank you for them And to give you praise for them. And now Lord, as we take up our tithes And our offerings You've given us financial means To be able to To take care of ourselves But Lord, we also recognize That's a blessing from you.
[27:31] So Lord, as we give to you I just pray that you'd help us To have wisdom To use what's given In a way that would be pleasing to you. So Lord, just bless what's given And each one that gives And we ask and pray these things In the name of Jesus Christ.
[27:45] Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Praise God from whom all blessings flow Praise Him all creatures here below Praise Him above the heavenly host Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost Praise Father, Son You can be seated.
[28:23] You have your Bibles with you this morning I'd encourage you to take them And turn to the book of Psalms Chapter 91 is where we're going to begin And we're going to look at a few different chapters In the book of Psalms And we're going to begin in Psalms chapter 91 And as you're turning there I want you to think a little bit about The sermon from last Sunday What we had discussed.
[28:45] And if you remember last Sunday we talked about sin. We talked about kind of the definition of it. The impact that it has on us and on the world around us. And if you remember the definition of sin is to transgress.
[28:59] Which means to cross over the line or to miss the mark. This morning as we look at Psalms. Who wrote Psalms? David.
[29:10] Did David ever miss the mark? Or step over the line? Often. Many times in David's life we find that he missed the mark.
[29:24] That sin entered into his life and was a big part of his life. And affected a lot of things for David. But what I want us to think in the midst of that. What does the Bible call David?
[29:35] David. A man after God's own heart. How do those two things coincide? How can you have a life that made such mistakes at times?
[29:50] Such sin at times. And yet was a man that was after God's own heart. This morning I want to look at that a little bit. And I think Psalms is a good place to look.
[30:03] Because if you look at Psalms. It is. David's heart kind of opened up to us. Psalms is full of so many things. But let's look here in Psalms 91.
[30:14] Follow along. In Psalms 91. He who dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
[30:26] I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress. My God, in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence.
[30:39] He shall cover thee with His feathers. And under His wings shall thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day.
[30:53] Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness. Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand.
[31:04] But it shall not come near thee. Only with thine eyes shall thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation.
[31:17] There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come near thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
[31:32] Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and the serpent shall thou trample under feet. Because He has set His love upon me. Therefore will I deliver Him.
[31:44] I will set Him on high, because He hath known my name. He shall call upon me and I will answer Him. I will be with Him in trouble. I will deliver Him and honor Him. With long life will I satisfy Him.
[31:57] And show Him my salvation. Let's pray. Lord God, I just thank You for this morning. And I thank You for Your Word that we can read from, that we can study, that can cause us to grow and learn more about You.
[32:10] And Lord, I pray that it accomplishes all that in our hearts this morning. So we just turn this time over to You. Just help our hearts and minds to be focused and directed at You, Lord. And to be listening for Your message.
[32:21] And we ask and pray these things in Christ's name. Amen. As I was saying, we get a look at Psalms, and it's a book that's comforting.
[32:31] It's a book that's reassuring. It's a book that's full of so much hope. And I know Psalms is one of the books that I like to pick up and try to read through every once in a while, just because of that.
[32:44] You know, a daily dose of Psalms in our lives can do a great deal. If you're ever wondering, well, what should I read today? Or where do I begin? Maybe you've not been reading God's Word, and you're like, well, where do I start?
[32:55] Start in Psalms. That's a good place as any. Because it is full of such hope. You know, I even think of some of these verses that are in this chapter that I often share with people when they're in the hospital or they're in places that are challenging.
[33:07] Look in verse 11. It says, For He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. What does that mean? Think of just that verse. He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways.
[33:22] What does that mean? He has sent angels to protect us, to watch over us. Isn't that what it says? Think about that for a minute.
[33:35] God not only knows you and loves you with an unconditional love like we talked about earlier, but He's concerned enough about your life that He sends His angels to watch over you, wherever you're at.
[33:49] And whatever you're doing, He's got His angels watching over you. Is that reassuring? It ought to be. If it's not, it's reassuring.
[33:59] And Psalms is full of truth and wisdom that reassures us. And David, as he writes, it's a beautiful book. It's full of Psalms and poems. But there's really, there's something in it for everyone.
[34:12] You know, it's in the book of Psalms that we can read. Be still. And know that I'm God. Isn't that a wonderful verse? Are there times to just sit in silence and to consider who God is?
[34:25] But we can also read in Psalms to shout and for joy and clap your hands. That's kind of the other end of the scale, isn't it? Are there times for that as well?
[34:39] Everybody say amen. There's times for both. And Psalms covers all of it. Because I think what we really see in Psalms is David's heart opened up.
[34:49] And the reality in all of our lives, we have times when we know we just need to be silent and listen. We have times when we're full of such joy we just need to clap and yell hooray or whatever you do when you're excited.
[35:05] We have that. But one of the things about Psalms, I believe, and one of the things about David that really caused him to be a man after God's own heart, is because Psalms is a book that's personal.
[35:19] Think about that for a minute. It's personal. It talks about David and his relationship with his God. It talks about David and his relationship with his God.
[35:38] And the fact that he had a personal relationship with God. He tells us not just about God, but he tells us, he says, this is who God is to me.
[35:50] This is what God has done for me. This is how God has worked in my life. If you look in Psalms, the Lord is, that phrase, the Lord is, and then followed by things.
[36:03] It's mentioned 50 or 60 times in the book of Psalms. The Lord is. Because it's David saying, this is who the Lord is to me. This is what he has done. And folks, it's all about it being personal.
[36:17] Who is God to you? It's what I want us to think about a little bit this morning. How would you answer that question? You know, as you look, I want you to look at a few verses. Look in Psalms 18.
[36:30] You can't tell me you can't find it, because we're going to stay in Psalms. If you know numbers, you'll be able to find it. Psalms 18, verse 2. David says this, The Lord is, how does that finish?
[36:45] My rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust, my buckler or shield, and the horn of, and, what is that verse full of?
[37:08] Praise. But a two-letter word there. An M and a Y. I'll give you a hint. My. So what is that verse really saying?
[37:20] David is saying, this is who God is to me. The Lord is this for me. He is my shield. He's not just saying God is a shield to those who need Him.
[37:31] He's not just saying, I mean, look at the whole list. He's not just saying God is a rock for those who need Him to be a rock. That's one thing to say that, but what does it mean when you say, God is my rock?
[37:46] He's taking ownership. Again, it's a personal thing. He's not just talking about this impersonal God who's out there and can do all these things. He's telling us how God is doing this for Him.
[38:01] There is a vast difference there, folks. We can go out and tell the world about God, that God is this and that, but it's so much more effective if we can say, this is who He is to me.
[38:15] This is what He's done for me. Because there's a realness to that. There's a personal connection to that. Look in Psalms 23, verse 1.
[38:29] Keep up. Psalms 23, verse 1. You know Psalms 23, obviously. How does it begin? The Lord is my shepherd. David doesn't just say, He's a shepherd.
[38:42] It's a pretty good shepherd. He says He's my shepherd. He's the one that I follow. Look in Psalms 27.
[38:54] You only have to turn about one page. Verse 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
[39:06] David isn't just saying He offers salvation to people. He's saying He's my salvation. He has saved me. Look in Psalms. We're going to jump a little ways now. 94. Verse 22.
[39:25] The Lord is my defense and my God is the rock of my refuge or salvation.
[39:36] One more. Psalms 118. Verse 14. The Lord is my strength and song and has become my salvation.
[39:57] Again, all of this is a personal connection. David's talking about how he intimately knew God and how God had worked in different times in different ways in his life.
[40:10] the things that God had done for him. The ways that God had displayed himself and shown himself in David's life. It meant that he did more than just had a passing connection with God.
[40:22] That's what it means. He was a man after God's own heart because he knew God. You know, sometimes we talk about, and I'm not saying this is a bad phrase, but we talk about introducing people to Jesus.
[40:39] You ever heard that expression? We need to introduce people to Jesus. And I think that's true. We need to show them Jesus and help them to see who he is. But the problem is, God has far too many people who are just acquaintances.
[40:54] Think about that for a minute. Do you have some acquaintances in your life? How would you define an acquaintance? someone you know, but not well.
[41:10] Someone you just kind of know, but not real well. You know, I have a lot of acquaintances at work. My other job that I work at, I don't know, there's 400 and some employees where I work.
[41:23] There are a lot of them, you know, in passing, I recognize their face. Some of them know me, and they're like, hi Chris, and what do you do, and you don't remember their name? Hi, how you doing?
[41:38] You know, I kind of know them, but do I really know them? Do I really know them? No. Have I ever had in-depth, extended conversations with them?
[41:53] No. Do I know much about them? No. Do I know much about their personal life, or what their joys are, what their disappointments are, what their struggles are?
[42:03] Do I know any of those things? No. Are they in acquaintance? Yeah. Do I really know them? No. And the challenge is, I think God has a lot of acquaintances.
[42:15] People that say, well, yeah, I know God, I've heard about him. I know he's there, if I need him, he'll be over there, and I can go to him. But they don't really know God.
[42:26] Folks, David was a man after God's own heart, because he knew God. He had that relationship with God. A relationship that grew as David grew. You know, it's like the physical relationships that we have here on this earth.
[42:41] You know, I can use my wife as an example. She just loves it when I do. But think about it. When we first met, we were in the same high school, and it was during, it was a play or a musical, which was it?
[42:54] I always forget. It was a play. All right, we'll call it a play. And I remember I was clear on one side of the stage, and she was clear on the other side of the stage, and you know, Continental is a very small school, so everybody at least knew the other person's name.
[43:09] But I remember looking across the stage and kind of catching her eye. Or she caught mine, I think, was probably more like it. I knew her then. Right?
[43:22] Went to the same school. I knew her name, so I knew her, right? How well do you think I knew her? What did I know her as at that point? No, I knew her as a pretty girl that was on the other side of the stage.
[43:38] That's who I knew her as. She was older, a year older than me. That's, you know, I didn't really know her, but I knew her a little bit. But as time went by, that grew.
[43:50] And eventually she became my girlfriend. Girlfriend first. Slow down. She became my girlfriend.
[44:02] Did I know her any different then? Yeah, I knew her as a pretty girl that would go out with me. It was amazing. But obviously, you know, that grew.
[44:15] And the way that I knew her grew. And I knew a little more about her. I knew more about her family. I knew more about her personality. And time went by, and eventually we got engaged, and then we got married.
[44:29] Did I know her different then? Yeah, absolutely. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and we said our wedding vows and committed ourselves to each other. Do you think I knew her completely at that point?
[44:42] No. I don't mean that in a bad way. You're making me look bad, and I didn't mean it that way. I just meant...
[44:58] Okay, let me share this. When I do premarital counseling with folks, I always ask them before they get married, how well do you really think you know this other person? And usually they say, oh, I know him pretty well.
[45:11] I say, well, give me a percentage. How well do you really think you know him? 50, 60, 70% is what I usually get. There was a study that was done of people that had been married for 50 or more years, and they asked him, when you got married, how well did you really know that person looking back?
[45:25] What percentage? Do you know what that was? What do you think they said? Seven. Seven percent. That's what I meant. Trying to get me in trouble.
[45:37] I do that well enough on my own. What I meant was, sure, we knew each other better, but was there more to know? Absolutely. You know, time went on, we had children, and then I got to know her not just as a wife, but as a mother.
[45:52] You learn a lot more then. And as the years have gone by, we obviously know each other much more than we did 23 years ago when we got married. Do we still have more to learn about each other?
[46:02] I'm sure. I'm sure. But what I'm talking about, folks, is that's a relationship. that you begin to know them more and more on a more in-depth level.
[46:14] And that's what David had with God. That's why as he wrote Psalms, it's such a deep book. That's why David could say over and over again, this is who God is for me.
[46:26] He is my shield. He is my trust. He is my salvation. He is my defense. He is my strong tower. All these things David could say because he knew God in those ways.
[46:40] It was his psalm. It was a personal thing. For you and I, as we look at the book of Psalms, I want you to think a moment in your life. What would your psalm be?
[46:53] What would your psalm be? If you had to write down who God is to you, what would you write? If you had to write down what things has God done in your life, what would you write down?
[47:07] Every one of us should have a psalm in our hearts of what God has done in our lives, of who he is to us.
[47:18] A personal thing. And as we read God's word, folks, this is God's personal letter to us. Do we also understand that? Every word of it, this is God's and I've heard it referred to and I agree, it's his love letter to us.
[47:34] It's personal for us. And even as we read God's word, we need to think of it in terms of what is God saying to me here? It's not just a book that was written so some people would benefit, it's a book that was written for you, so that you would grow from it, so that you could become more acquainted, so that you could know God better.
[47:57] That's how we need to read the word and look at the word. What is God saying to you? I brought this with me, this is something for me that I started quite a few years ago and it's still not finished, but it's a good reminder, I get it out once in a while, and it's about the book of Psalms.
[48:15] I decided at one point in my life that I wanted to make it more personal and really wanted to consider what the scriptures meant in my life, what God was saying to me through them. So I begin for every chapter in Psalms, I was reading it and just praying, God, what do you want me to see in this?
[48:31] And writing down what God brought to my mind, I can say that I started it in the year 2000 and I'm up to Psalms 79.
[48:45] You know how many chapters there are in Psalms? 150, you know what that means? I got a ways to go. But you know folks, I believe this is what we need to do with God's word.
[49:03] And I'm not saying you need to start writing like I did. But we need to find ways to read it and ask God, what do you want me to understand from this? What is it you're saying to me?
[49:15] Because folks, God wants to be a personal God for you. Do you understand that? God wants to be a personal God for you.
[49:27] I think it would be a wonderful thing if every one of us sat down and wrote some Psalms. God for you. Who is God to you? What ways has he demonstrated himself in your life?
[49:40] How has he shown himself to you? You know, I think back in my life and I could write down ways that God was my guide, ways that God showed me the paths that I was to take, ways that God put me in situations that I had no idea why I was there until later and then I saw how God fit it all together.
[50:04] God was the master weaver, I don't know, there's another word for that, but the way he weaves everything together or has in my life to fit it together.
[50:19] He's my provider and the jobs and living that he's allowed me to be able to make over the years, ways that he has worked for me. And I can say the same thing as David, my salvation, the one who has saved me from my sin.
[50:36] I'm no more perfect than David was. He had sins, I have sins, I need him as my salvation. What is he to you? How has he worked in your life?
[50:50] How is your personal relationship with him? It's great to know who God is. But it's better to know him personally.
[51:02] Folks, I just want to challenge you to think about who God is in your life. If you would write down, the Lord is my, what would follow?
[51:17] What would you write after that? That's your psalm. I encourage you to think about what your psalm is, who God is to you, and then share it.
[51:30] Do you think the book of Psalms has made an impact on people's life? Absolutely. Do you think if you share with people who God is to you, do you think that will make an impact? Absolutely.
[51:44] Folks, what's your psalm? Who is God to you? What has he done in your life? Do you have that personal connection with him? Consider that.
[51:54] And then share it. Let's bow our heads. Heavenly Father, I just thank you so very much for this morning, and I thank you for your word.
[52:06] Lord, I thank you for all of it, from cover to cover, but this morning, I just especially thank you for the book of Psalms. As we can read, as David shares, a man who was flawed, a man who had sin in his life, and yet a man who is after your own heart.
[52:28] And Lord, I believe that it's because he had a desire to know you, that he had a relationship with you. And Lord, I pray that we would have that same desire, that we would be able to share that you are my, and then we'd have things to share because we have that relationship.
[52:46] But Lord, I just pray that each and every day you'd help us to get to know you more. as we read your word, Lord, I pray that you just open it up to us, and I pray you'd help us to ask ourselves a question, what is God saying to me?
[52:59] Help us to consider that. And Lord, I pray that we would have a desire to spend time with you, that you would become far more than just a passing acquaintance, that you'd become a personal God in our lives, that we realize that we are known by you, but that we also know you.
[53:20] Lord, help that to take place in each and every one of our lives. And Lord, as we get to know you more, help us to share that with others, so that they can see that you want to be a personal God for them as well. Lord, I just pray that you'd help each one of us to have a song of who you are to us and a praise for what you've done.
[53:40] And we ask and pray these things in Christ's name. Amen. This morning as we close the altars open, if you have a need, come and ask God. Come and talk with God about it.
[53:50] You know, the other thing about Psalms, we've just barely scratched the surface of what Psalms is, but if you look at it, David pleads with God over and over again for lots of different things. This morning, if there's a burden on your heart, something on your heart, come and talk to God about it this morning.
[54:05] Open your heart up to Him. That's what God desires for us. Becky? So take our hymnals and stand and turn to 552. 552.
[54:17] I am Thine, O Lord. I am Thine, O Lord. I am mine, O Lord.
[54:30] I have heard Thy voice and it told Thy love to me. But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to Thee.
[54:47] Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died. Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to Thy precious bleeding side.
[55:08] Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord, by the power of grace divine. let my soul look up with the steadfast hope and I will be lost in thine.
[55:26] Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died. Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to Thy precious pleading side.
[55:49] Oh, the pure delight of a single hour that before Thy throne I spent. When I kneel in prayer and with Thee, my God, I commune as friend with bread.
[56:08] Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died. Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to Thy precious pleading side.
[56:30] There are depths of love that I cannot know till I cross the narrow sea. There are heights of joy that I may not reach till I rest in peace with Thee.
[56:49] Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where love has died. Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to Thy precious pleading side.
[57:12] I just encourage you to, in your life, have a desire to do what we just sang. Be drawn nearer to God each and every day. Let's bow our heads as we close in prayer. Lord God, again, we just thank You for Your presence in this place and for Your presence in our lives.
[57:30] You desire to have a relationship with us, and Lord, I thank You so very much for that. And I pray that we would take advantage of that desire and that we would have a desire to have a relationship with You, a relationship that grows, that deepens as time goes by.
[57:45] Thank You, Lord, for Your love towards us. And we ask and pray these things in Christ's name. Amen. God bless you and have a wonderful week.