[0:00] Good morning again. It is an incredible privilege to be back in Grand Prairie. Some of you, you might be thinking back in Grand Prairie. What are you talking about?
[0:13] Well, we actually, we lived here for a season. There's always a piece of you that stays behind, and we always enjoy the opportunity to come back.
[0:24] I was thinking this morning about, well, not just this morning, last week and the week before, about the faithfulness of God. If you've been reading through this text, if you've just given it a quick glance, you'll notice that word is repeated several times. The psalmist wants to make sure that everyone knows that God is faithful. And if you continue reading the psalm, you'll find an interesting part towards the bottom of it. In verse 38, it says, But thou hast cast off and abhorred and hath been wroth with thy afflicted, or thine anointed. Sorry, he, the psalmist is saying that there's, there's, there's a problem. You're angry with your people.
[1:16] And in that season, in that moment, there was problem between God and His people. But it was this understanding that God was faithful that kept the psalmist going. It was the, the understanding that God would keep His covenant, even though in that particular moment, it didn't look like He would. In that particular moment, in that season, things were going very, very wrong. So what does He do? Instead of focusing on the very, very wrong, He focuses on the faithfulness of God, the promises of God, the character of God. And so that's what I want to speak about today. I want to, I want us, as the Church of Jesus Christ, gathered together to meditate upon and think about the faithfulness of God. I remember hearing a story from a pastor many years ago.
[2:16] He was working on an evangelistic video, and it costs money, obviously, as all things do. And he didn't have enough. He needed some more funds for the project to go forward. And if the funds didn't come in, then the project wouldn't finish. And he was getting a little bit nervous.
[2:37] He had heard from a friend that there was a donation coming. But as yet, the donation hadn't arrived. And so what is he supposed to do? Well, what do we do when we think something is going to happen, but it doesn't happen? Well, doubts begin to creep into your mind. You begin to wonder, did I actually hear that correctly? Maybe I misunderstood. Maybe the money isn't actually coming. And as it got closer and closer, and he got more and more uncomfortable, he finally, in an act of embarrassment and desperation, called his friend and asked, is that money actually coming? I don't want there to be a misunderstanding.
[3:23] He was worried by his friend that the money was, in fact, on its way, and it should be arriving shortly. So the pastor tried to compose himself as he thanked his friend, and he hung up the phone.
[3:37] Immediately, he ran out of his office. He ran down the middle of the church aisle, leapt into the air, and yelled, I got it. Now, I want you to pause for a second.
[3:47] As you see this image in your head of a pastor running down the middle aisle of the church, leaping through the air, pause right in the air, because it's just a funny place to stop that story.
[3:59] Think for a second and ask the question, what does he actually have? Nothing. The pastor, as he soars through the air, yelling, I got it, actually doesn't have anything in his hand. He doesn't have any more money than he did two seconds ago. He doesn't have a check in his hand.
[4:22] He doesn't have anything except the word of someone who is faithful. And as he thinks about the word of that person who is faithful, it gives him great joy.
[4:38] Physically, he has nothing, but realistically, he has everything he needs. Because someone who was faithful told him that he had everything he needed.
[4:50] And so when we think about God, we realize that he, if he is faithful, that means that everything he has promised will come to pass.
[5:03] Everything he has said will happen, no matter how we feel about it in the moment. Or whether or not it seems to be working in that direction. The faithfulness of God guarantees that he will always act in accordance to his nature, and he will keep every promise he has ever made.
[5:27] That ought to give us, as believers, great rejoicing. As you meditate on that, you just stop and you just think for a second. Can you imagine, there is one in this universe who cannot lie.
[5:39] We say, you know, there's something, God can do anything. Actually, that's not true. He cannot lie. God will not, cannot lie, because God is truth.
[5:53] God is faithful. See, sometimes this is hard for us to absorb, because we've grown up in a faithless world. Every single one of us has been other.
[6:06] Every single one of us has suffered hurt because somebody broke their word. They said they were going to do something, and they didn't. You think about how many marriages suffer damage because one or both of the spouses have been unfaithful to their vows.
[6:23] See, these, this is where we live. It's almost universally accepted that a politician will not keep his promise. We just accept it.
[6:35] We vote for the guy. He gets into office, and then he doesn't do the things that he was going to, said he would do. And we just kind of go on our merry way because, well, that's politics.
[6:46] I mean, did we really think he was going to do it? No, we didn't. Maybe in the back of our mind we hoped he would, but the reality is is it wasn't going to happen.
[6:56] Why? Because we've seen it that it's, these people can be unfaithful. If there's any politicians in here this morning, I apologize, but didn't even think of that.
[7:12] Sometimes we would have our MP, MP, MLA, whatever, one of our government guys, would sit in our church, and usually when it's close to an election, he'd show up.
[7:23] No, I'm kidding. That's not nice. But, so I can't, he might be here. So I just, or she, I don't even know, Grand Prairie area. But the point is, is that all of us understand faithlessness.
[7:38] It's the world we live in. It's some of the deepest pains emotionally that we've ever felt. It's because somebody was faithless. Somebody didn't keep their promise.
[7:48] So when we want to meditate upon the faithfulness of God, it's actually going to take effort. And we have to think about these things. But it's also vital to our faith.
[8:01] If you want to, it was mentioned this morning in prayer, this world is getting darker. It's getting scarier. There's wars, and rumors of wars.
[8:12] It's almost like somebody said something about that many years ago. But this world is going crazy, if you will, and what you need to know is that.
[8:25] So the question that we want to ponder then this morning is then, to whom is God faithful? Who does God bestow this faithfulness upon? Well, there's a few people.
[8:37] Actually, all people. But it manifests itself, it shows itself in different ways. God is faithful to the proud sinner.
[8:49] God is faithful to the returning sinner. And God is faithful to the tempted and struggling saint. So I wanted to start this morning as we think about God's faithfulness to the proud sinner.
[9:07] That might sound a little strange. How is God faithful to a proud sinner? God is faithful in that He will bring judgment to the proud sinner.
[9:20] God is faithful to the proud sinner. I cannot just simply assume that everyone in this congregation knows and loves Jesus.
[9:33] I want to, and that would probably be, but the reality is, is that Jesus even said that narrow is the way, and few there be that find it.
[9:47] Jesus said that many will say to him on that day, Lord, Lord, and he will say, depart from me, I never knew you. These were people who made a profession of faith. They probably even went to church on a Sunday morning. They even felt really good about themselves because they went to church when it was snowing. Look how holy I am. The snow didn't even stop me, but Jesus says many will say, Lord, Lord, and I will say, I never knew them. I never knew you.
[10:18] See, I don't know your heart, but you do, and God does. You know where you stand before the Lord, and you know whether or not you have actually surrendered your life to him, whether you have actually turned from your sin and trusted in Christ. The first song we sang this morning about this remembering, this joy that we had when we were saved, this overwhelming love of God, that was shed abroad in our hearts, and many of us have no idea what that's talking about.
[10:56] I remember years ago, a friend of mine sent me a text message, and he said, Billy, I'm getting baptized, and I was so excited. I text him back. I said, that's awesome. Born again. He said, Billy, I've always been a Christian.
[11:12] Well, that's difficult, because one of the surest signs that you're not a Christian is if you think you've always been one, because it's either you're right or Jesus was right, because Jesus says, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
[11:30] Those are the words of Christ, and we have people that grow up in Christian homes, and a lot of times we get this comfort from growing up in a Christian home, and we forget that we ourselves have to personally surrender to Christ. We have to give our hearts to Jesus. I don't get in because my dad's a Christian, or because my mom's a Christian. My kids don't get a free pass because their dad's a pastor. They will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ by themselves, and they will have to give an account as to whether or not they've trusted in Jesus, and whether or not they've truly been born again. But see, you haven't been judged yet. And many, many sinners feel like the fact in delayed means that God is actually okay with what they're doing. That because judgment didn't come yet, I'm all right. I can wait a little bit longer. But they're walking in a proud and arrogant delusion.
[12:33] They're fooling themselves. If you think that God is not going to judge you, you're fooling yourself. You think about the gentleman we heard about this morning.
[12:46] He got up that morning, and he felt fine. Well, at least we assume. We don't know. But he's out there, and he's working in the yard. It's a day like any other day, and the Lord says, you're coming home. Your time is up. Many young people, they think that, oh, I've got time. I've got, look, I'm healthy. I've got all of this energy. And they hit an icy patch, and the Lord says, your time is up. Just because you've been given time doesn't mean you'll be given more time. Peter talks about these folks in 2 Peter chapter 3. He warns about these scoffers who believe that the delay in judgment means that it's a freedom from judgment. He says that they are willingly ignorant of God's previous judgments, speaking of the flood, and they don't realize that it's the same God who holds that, that held the flood back, is also holding back the judgment of fire.
[13:48] God isn't on our timeline, and he, while he is merciful, he will return, whether we're ready for him or not. Verse 8 reads, but beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack or slow concerning his promise, as some men count slowness. But he is long-suffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. See, this is the heart of God. If you have been, if you have been waiting to give your life to Christ, if you have been waiting to turn to Jesus, this is because God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
[14:37] His desire is that you turn, but he's not going to wait forever. He will give you time, but you don't know how much time that is. And one day that time will be up. Verse 10 says, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, when the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. There is coming a day when God will judge the world in perfect righteousness.
[15:14] And just because he hasn't judged it yet doesn't mean that he won't. And if you are willingly ignorant of God's mercy, if you don't see the goodness of God pleading with you, asking you, be reconciled to God, then that judgment will come as a thief in the night. There is a great white throne judgment coming. We read about it in Revelation. The Revelator says, I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away. And there was found no place for them.
[15:49] And I saw the dead small and great stand before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man according to their works.
[16:14] And whosoever was not, or sorry, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
[16:34] This is a judgment that is coming, though it has been delayed. It has been delayed because of God's incredible love and God's incredible mercy. But do not assume that because you've been given time that you'll be given more. If you are taking God's patience as an indication that judgment isn't coming, you are sorely mistaken because God is faithful. He said He will judge the world in perfect righteousness, so He will judge the world in perfect righteousness. However, if, even if, in this moment, you've kind of been foolish, I should probably get right with God. Well, I want to think about, and I want to meditate on, I want us to think about the God's faithfulness to the returning sinner.
[17:26] This is such a fascinating thought. In Luke chapter 15, the Pharisees murmured at Jesus. Why? Because Jesus was eating with publicans and sinners. Oh, the horror that Jesus would eat and drink with people who were not up to the Pharisees' standards. And so in response to this, Jesus gives two parables and a story. The parable of the lost sheep.
[18:02] In that story, the shepherd, he leaves the ninety and nine and he goes after the one. Then he talks about a story of a parable of a lost coin. It's a woman. She had ten coins and she lost one. What does she do? Oh, she lights a lamp and she looks all throughout her entire house. She's moving furniture. She's looking underneath things. She's trying to find this lost coin. And when she finds it, there's great rejoicing. In fact, both stories end that there is great rejoicing in finding the one that was lost. You see, this is what Jesus was telling the Pharisees. You guys think that these people aren't worth your time. These are the people I came for. The sinners, the dirty, the lost.
[18:51] Those are the ones that Jesus came for. That's the heart. The proud and arrogant need not apply. But if you think, if you come to a place where you realize that you cannot please God, that all of your good works are as filthy rags, that the best that you can do, the best that you can offer is still not enough, then you can cast yourself upon the mercy of God and you will find him faithfully merciful. And then Jesus tells a story, possibly my favorite story in the whole of Scripture, which is saying there's a lot of great stories. But then Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son. We're not going to read it, but I just want, I want to just give you a bit of a summary for those of you who don't know. Most of you probably know this story. But there is this son who asks his father for his inheritance. And then he goes away and he spends the inheritance in a foreign country on riotous living, the King James says. Harlots and drinking and parties and everything that his little fleshly heart could desire. He'll finally, when the money runs out, suddenly the friends run out too. And he found himself alone and he had to go work for a farmer feeding pigs.
[20:18] Now, when we listen to this story, we think, man, that's a terrible story. But I think sometimes we need to really think like a Jew. So you have to imagine, one of the challenges that we have is that we are some 2,000 years removed from this story.
[20:35] And we wrestle with understanding the gravity of this story. You see, when Jesus is telling this story, he's going out of his way to make the bad guy look as bad as possible. Okay, when this young man says to his father, I want that inheritance now. Essentially, what he's telling his dad is, I wish you were dead. And you see, back then in Jewish culture and in Jewish homes, there is this hierarchy, this patriarchy. The dad is in charge. And you respect and you honor the father. There is an intense respect and honor for your father. Because you are a communal thing. It's not just individuals. You carry the name of your father. Paul even, he identifies himself as a Benjaminite. Right? This is something that's important to Jews. Your heritage, your history, your lineage, your father. This is incredibly important. And this young man says, I don't want it.
[21:44] Now, when Jesus is telling this story, I didn't actually spit, just so you know, that was just a sound effect. But Jesus is telling these Pharisees this story. And that alone would have made the Pharisees incredibly angry at this young man. Oh, what a terrible person. Then, to make matters worse, he goes off into a foreign country. Jews weren't allowed to intermingle with the foreigners.
[22:11] They were to be kept a holy nation, separated from all of these wicked pagan nations around them. But what does this guy do? Not only does he spit on his heritage, he goes off and lives in a foreign country. The Pharisees are getting red in the face as they think about this young man. Then he spends all of his money on drinking and women. It's like, you cannot get, you cannot possibly get any worse. And then, Jesus, and then he went and fed swine. Pigs. The unclean animal that the Jew would never so much as touched. Pigs are disgusting. They're bottom feeders. They eat garbage.
[22:56] I know Varsh and bacon is pretty amazing, but the actual pig is actually kind of gross. And for a Jew, they were commanded by God, you don't touch this animal. And here, this man, who has done all of these terrible things to end the entire story, Jesus says he's feeding swine.
[23:19] And he would have even eaten the food that the swines were eating if he could have. You could not get a worse character. But what does the story continue to tell us? Well, it says that as this man is in this slop, it says that he came to himself.
[23:39] Sometimes, sometimes we need to be brought low. We need to be brought to the end of ourself so that we can start thinking clearly. Sin deceives us. Sin clouds our mind. Sin makes us think that everything is going to be great. And then it's not. And then all of a sudden, we have to start thinking, what went wrong? And all of a sudden, he's sitting there in this pig pen, and he realizes, man, when I live with my dad, even the servants had enough food. Even the servants, the slaves, were well taken care of. And here I am feeding pigs.
[24:26] And so he makes up his mind. He says, this is what I'm going to do. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to go back to my dad, and I'm going to tell him, look, I'm not worthy to be your son. I have sinned against heaven. I know that I have given up my right to be your son, but can I just be hired on as a slave? That's all he wants. Just hire me as a slave, and I'll be okay. Well, as the story goes, it says, while he was yet afar off, the father saw him, ran to him, and kissed him. Again, let yourself into this story. First of all, what does it mean if the father saw him afar off? That means that the father was watching. He had his eyes on the horizon. When is my son ever going to return?
[25:22] He was watching, and he was waiting. And when he sees in the distance, that's him. That's him. He's back. Imagine this old man. He's so excited, and he runs. Again, in this story, you have to understand. Old men don't run in Israel. It's not proper, but this man did. He would have had this chieftain's robe, right? This big thing that's hanging over him, and you imagine this old man, beard up to here. He grabs this thing up, and he starts running towards his son.
[25:57] He's making an absolute fool of himself. Why? Because of the love he has for his son. This is God. This is the attitude of God the father upon every single sinner that turns back and says, Dad, I'm sorry. I messed up. I left you, and I never should have. And it led me to the worst thing you can possibly imagine. And the father says, yeah, I know. And what I love about this story is the young man, he goes to his father, and before he can say a word, his father, and he hugs him, and he's, and you imagine, I don't know if you've seen, ever seen, like, Eastern culture. They're very, they're very kissy people. They're very affectionate, physical.
[26:54] You know, for some of us, we don't even like a hug. You know, I have a gentleman that's recently started attending our church. He's a hugger, you know, and he, he came up to me. He came to my office a couple weeks ago, and right before he left, he's like, Billy, do you like hugs? I said, no, I don't actually. It makes me a little bit uncomfortable. He says, okay, good, come here.
[27:13] And he gave me a hug anyway. But so you imagine this man, he's, he comes up to his son, and he's holding him, and he's kissing him, just on his cheeks. He's just so excited.
[27:28] And then all of a sudden, you see the young man, he says, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. It's like he had this line that he was preparing. He had to share the line.
[27:40] I have sinned. I'm no longer worthy of being your son. And what I love about the story is that the father really almost doesn't even give that any regard. You've returned. You've come back to me. That's all that matters. That's all that matters.
[27:57] I know that you are repentant. I know that you don't want to have anything to do with your sin. Do you know how I know that? Because you're here. You returned to me. Turn your back on the world and turn yourself to God, and you will find a God that be.
[28:14] To give you his life and to forgive you of all of your sins. Isaiah 55, 7 says, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
[28:34] That's a faithful promise from your faithful God. You turn from your sins. You forsake your unrighteousness, and you ask God to forgive you.
[28:46] He promises without a shadow of a doubt that your sins will be forgiven. They will be cast as far as the east is from the west. Sorry, that's like that. They will be cast into the depths of the sea.
[29:01] They will be forgotten. You will be made new. You will be given new life, and you will have a relationship with this Father in heaven whom you have spurned.
[29:14] Now, if you are not a believer here this morning, I can speak for all believers here, you don't know what you're missing out on. To have your sins forgiven, to know that everything I've done, those sins, all of depravity, that only you even know, and even more than you know, can be forgiven.
[29:40] Well, what if I sin again? Listen to 1 John 1, 9. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. He is faithful to forgive you of your sins.
[29:55] So what happens? As believers, we enter into this relationship with God. We rejoice for a season, but then life happens. Life happens.
[30:06] And we find ourselves not quite as excited, perhaps, as we were. We enjoyed the forgiveness and we enjoyed the mercy, but just like Israel did, we can forget what the Lord has done.
[30:24] And sometimes we are so bombarded with temptations. Day after day after day, we are bombarded with new temptations. Temptations to lust and temptations to fear.
[30:40] Sometimes we feel like I can't escape these temptations. I feel like I'm in a box. I can't go left or right or front or back. I just feel enclosed by these temptations that I feel.
[30:55] Well, one of the great things about when you feel... If you can't go left, right, forward or back, you can't go up. God is there and He is ready to help you.
[31:08] You see, sometimes we like to think that our temptations are unique. You know, we sing like, nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Oh, if only you knew the trouble I've been through.
[31:22] If only you knew the temptations that I've had to handle. There is nothing new under the sun. I don't want to downplay your temptation or your life. But listen to what the Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 10, 13.
[31:37] There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. We like to think that we are somehow unique and special. And even in our sin, we are unique.
[31:52] Other people don't struggle with this thing that I struggle with. Are you sure? I bet you if you shared that with a friend, you would find a lot more people have a lot more in common with you than you know.
[32:06] There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. But check this. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.
[32:27] A lot of times we are overcome with fear. Especially, I mean, in the last few years we've seen this. We've seen how quickly media and governments can hijack fear and cause people to act irrationally in ways that they never would have otherwise.
[32:45] Fear hijacks your thinking. And that's exactly where the devil wants you. He wants you afraid. So that you do things that you would have never done.
[33:01] You think, I just can't, I can't fight this fear, I can't fight this anxiety, I'm just, you don't know what it's like. Maybe I don't. But Jesus does.
[33:13] The scripture says that he was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin. We have a savior who actually feels with us because he was like us.
[33:27] He walked on this earth just like we did. He faced the same temptations that we did. In fact, we could probably argue that his temptations were amplified far beyond what we've had because the devil was right there trying to trip him up every step of the way.
[33:49] And yet, he did not sin. And so if this God says that he will give you a way of escape, you need to trust him. Your faithful God says that you can overcome your fear and your anxiety and your fretting.
[34:05] The question is, are you willing to obey him when he says, fear not? Are you willing to take your fears to him and say, Lord, I apologize.
[34:18] I'm always afraid. Every time I hear of a new war, I have more fear. Every time I hear about the government is going to have new mandates, I get so afraid.
[34:29] Every time I want to go out into the world to go shopping, I just get scared. God says, fear not for I am with you.
[34:41] Fear not, I will not forsake you. Do not be afraid. Your God walks with you. He will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able.
[34:56] Maybe you think, I just cannot overcome this lust problem, this addiction. Oh, if only you knew how difficult this was.
[35:10] Well, unfortunately, in this particular realm, I do know how difficult this is. I do know what it's like.
[35:21] I've been there and so have about 95% of other human beings. we think that lust is somehow unique to us.
[35:33] You don't know the temptations I deal with. Yes, I do. And so did Jesus. And yet, He did it without sin. And Jesus says that you can overcome your sin.
[35:45] But the question again is, are you going to obey your faithful God? Jesus made it pretty simple. If your right hand offends you, cut it off.
[35:57] Cast it from you. If your right eye offends you, cast it from you. Now, obviously, He's not telling you to actually mutilate yourself. So what's He talking about?
[36:08] Jesus is saying that you remove the stumbling block from your life. If your phone is a stumbling block in your life, toss it.
[36:23] It's not that difficult. He said, well, how will I live without a phone? You mean like the people did for thousands of years before now? I just get so frustrated that people, they say they can't overcome their sin, but they're not willing to kill it.
[36:40] They're not willing to do the thing they need to do to put it to death. sin. Oh, you don't know how difficult this is. Yes, I do. You're not unique.
[36:51] Sin is ugly, but it can be defeated through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ, but you have to be willing to obey Him. He is faithful. He's going to do His part.
[37:03] Are you going to do yours? If your phone is accessible, if your computer is a stumbling block, get rid of it. You say, well, I need my computer for work.
[37:14] Get a new job. Are you serious right now? Get a new job. That's exactly what I'm saying. We have to understand how wicked sin is. It will not be done until you're dead.
[37:27] Right? Sin wants you dead. It's not a little problem. It's a big problem. And if you give an inch to the devil, he will take a mile.
[37:40] You have to be willing to obey. God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able. He will make a way of escape.
[37:51] Will you take the way is the question. And finally, God is faithful to the struggling saint. God is faithful. Sometimes, we just get sad.
[38:09] We get depressed. We get bogged down. Sometimes, we think about the past and we think about what was. As we were singing the one worship song, stop singing, I was actually overcome.
[38:22] We talked about it the other day. We lived here in 2018. And sometimes, when I think about the difference between now and 2018, it's difficult for me.
[38:36] Because I'll get consumed with what could have been and what people have said about me and what stories have gone on. Within those six years, we have lost many great friends.
[38:51] We have gone through incredible trials. But God is faithful. I'm back here.
[39:04] I'm like a boomerang. You just cannot get rid of this guy. See, the reality is, and what I have learned over the last half a decade, is that God things work together for good to them that love God.
[39:25] All things work together for good to them that love God. But that scripture doesn't end there. is that God is called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
[39:46] Sometimes we Christians can get so caught up about the word predestinate, we miss what it is that we've been predestinated for. To be conformed to the image of His Son.
[39:57] You see, there's a lot in me that does not look like Jesus. So what does God have to do? What does this faithful God do? He has to remove it.
[40:09] Well, sometimes that removal takes place by humbling you, by humiliating you. It seems like this is the worst possible thing that could happen to me, but God is faithful.
[40:24] And everything He does has a purpose. You imagine the story of Joseph, and I know you tell the story of Joseph, it's always fun to be Joseph. Right?
[40:34] I was the guy that everybody did everything wrong to, but God made me the hero. No. God's the hero. The Lord, perhaps, is chastening you right now.
[40:47] Maybe you're going through a season of challenges in your life where people have been very faithless, and you're struggling with even coming to church on a Sunday, morning. What's the point in giving myself to service if my service isn't even, if nobody even cares about it?
[41:05] If all of my effort is just looked down on, and people just talk about my motives, and they say, oh, He's just doing this because of this or that. God is faithful.
[41:19] One of the greatest lessons I've ever learned is to give my life as an, to perform my life for an audience of one.
[41:32] I stand before, I don't know how many, was it 115, 20, 30 people? But in reality, I stand before one because there is only one that I want to give my life a living sacrifice for.
[41:45] No offense. You're wonderful people. But truly, I want to live my life for Jesus. And if that means He needs to chasten me like Him, I'll take it.
[41:57] Because at the end of the day, according to His word, He says, now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous. Oh, we know that, don't we? Nevertheless, afterward, it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby.
[42:14] And I want to close with this verse. Wherefore, okay, so there's chastening coming to the children of God. Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees.
[42:30] No, no, no, no, no. You feel weak? Yeah, you are weak. Lift up your hands to God who gives you strength. Strengthen your feeble knees. You know, we used to play sports and they always said, your feet shoulder widths apart.
[42:44] Plant your feet. Plant your feet on the promises of God. Plant your feet and be stable upon His promises. Make straight paths for your feet.
[42:57] Lift up your hands, strengthen your knees, and look to the heavens because your redemption draweth nigh. God is coming. And upon His thigh is the words faithful, the names faithful and true.
[43:12] And He is coming for His children and He is going to make everything right. Our King, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending, He is coming back for His bride.
[43:28] So watch and wait. And may it be that when our King returns, may it be that we will be found faithful as He has been to us.
[43:42] Praise God. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You, Lord. We thank You, Lord, for this beautiful place. God, that You have blessed us with.
[43:53] Lord, we thank You for the opportunity to gather together and just to meditate upon Your faithfulness. God, You have been faithful. Every saint who has known You down through the ages knows this truth, that You are faithful.
[44:10] Lord, You have and You will always keep Your promises. You will never leave us. You will never forsake us. No matter what happens, we know You. God, we thank You.
[44:23] We thank You and we praise You in Jesus' name. Amen.