WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:15.599 Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:20.480 ! It is wonderful that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:25.679 either by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray for us 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:32.159 that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself? 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:37.359 The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:42.159 we really, I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:48.799 Bible, they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will do 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:55.120 what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a non-Christian, 00:00:55.119 --> 00:01:00.320 checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't hesitate to send us 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:05.280 questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the types of things 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:07.759 that you're really struggling with. So God bless. 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:20.239 Bow our heads in prayer. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons, one God, you are a great 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:28.000 mystery. We ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would launch each of us on a quest to abide and 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:35.759 meditate and contemplate who you are, to learn how to adore you. And now, Father, as part of that, 00:01:35.759 --> 00:01:40.879 as we come to your Word, which aims to help us adore you, we ask that your Holy Spirit would lead 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:47.199 us and guide us soon to all truth. And we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Saviour. Amen. 00:01:47.199 --> 00:01:48.000 Please be seated. 00:01:54.000 --> 00:02:03.439 So, not many of you might know this, but about 40 plus years ago, a group of people in England 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:09.840 started something called Proclamation Trust, which was designed to help ministers learn how to preach 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:16.960 and teach the Bible better. And Jonathan Griffith, who's the lead pastor at the Met, he actually was 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:22.400 on staff with them for a while. And after he'd been here in Canada for a while, one of his great prayers 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:29.360 was that something like that would get started in Canada. And I am worthy as I am. I was asked to be 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:35.440 part of that original board. I am still on the board of that organization in Canada. In Canada, 00:02:35.440 --> 00:02:43.120 it's called the Timothy Trust. Now, I mention this not so I can boast, far from it. It's because the 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:50.160 main way that they teach people how to preach the Bible is different than what I'm going to do this 00:02:50.160 --> 00:02:55.520 morning. In other words, if instructors from that organization were here, afterwards they'd want to 00:02:55.520 --> 00:03:00.960 put their arms around me and say, hey brother, you didn't do that quite the way you're supposed to. 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:06.320 So, in other words, I'm breaking the way that they teach you to teach and preach the Bible. And I'm 00:03:06.320 --> 00:03:12.480 doing it not to be rebellious. It's just that I'm sort of really stuck this morning. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:18.719 And the reason I'm stuck is this. Last week, because we're going through the book of Philippians, 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:23.439 and close to the end of what we were talking about last week, I pointed out that the Bible put, 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:29.759 in a sense, two ways to live. One way is the way of death. The other way is the way of life. And the 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:36.560 way of life is the way of undeserved kindness and mercy from God. And so, there's the choice, 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:41.120 and we are to try as much as possible. Well, first of all, if you give your life to Christ, 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:49.120 you are on the way of life, the way of undeserved kindness from God. And so, we should try to live, 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:54.000 not out of the old way, but out of this new way. And so, the text that we're looking at today, 00:03:54.000 --> 00:04:00.640 it's Paul's letters coming to an end. And what he does is he gives some quick bullet point commands 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:06.560 in terms of how you live if you are on the way, if your quest is to be on the way of life, 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:14.800 of undeserved kindness. And so, I could probably preach seven sermons on these next few verses, 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:20.399 because there's these bullet points. This, this, this, this, this, this, this. And I want to at least 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:25.120 cover most of them. And so, it means I'm going to, we're just going to go through it. We're going to 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:31.120 read the Bible together, which is really good. So, open your Bible. And we're going to be looking at 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:36.800 Philippians chapter 4, verses 4 through 9. And just so you know, as we go into it, 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:45.120 the Bible here, Paul is giving very profound and wise advice about how to deal with 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:54.879 several profound human issues. The first one is anxiety and worry. Like, if I was to ask who here 00:04:54.879 --> 00:05:00.639 has not had any worries or anxiety over the last month, and if one person put your hand up, the rest of 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:07.279 you wouldn't believe them. We all deal with this as a common thing. And then the other, another one 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:14.079 of the issues is self-preoccupation. And if we don't think we deal with that, we should just ask your 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:18.159 wife or your husband or your best friend. And they'd say, yeah, yeah, no, that's an issue for them too. 00:05:18.719 --> 00:05:24.079 They have some issues with self-preoccupation. And with it all, as a little bit about how you talk to 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:31.199 yourself, I have a problem of not only talking to myself inside my head, but outside my head. 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:37.759 But that's for marriage counseling because it confuses my wife. But it's talking about some 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:42.479 very important topics and gives some very wise advice. So, let's have a look at it. As I said, 00:05:42.479 --> 00:05:48.560 it's Philippians chapter 4, beginning with verse 4, which I looked at very briefly last week. But it 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:55.280 begins this, it's sort of a, verse 4 is both bringing the last bit to an end and looking forward to the 00:05:55.280 --> 00:06:02.639 final bit. So, we need to read it again. And here's how it goes. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:08.879 say, rejoice. And it's a command. And just as I mentioned last week, the Bible's not foolish. 00:06:08.879 --> 00:06:16.319 Like, even from a human point of view, people should ask themselves, why have people still 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:22.959 been reading this book for almost 2,000 years? And you say, well, that's not really a good thing 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:29.360 to say, George, because look at the Koran. Well, nobody reads the Koran. Like, virtually no Muslim 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:37.759 that you meet actually reads the Koran. But Christians read the Bible, or should. And so, 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:42.319 why is it that people still read the Bible? Well, it's not because it's really foolish. So, 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:48.639 the Bible isn't saying, commanding you to have a particular emotion, excuse me, because we all know 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:54.240 that commanding an emotion doesn't work. And it's not saying that when it says, rejoice in the Lord 00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:59.199 always, again, I will say rejoice. It's not saying that that's the only emotion you should ever have. 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:05.759 The emotion connected with being, with rejoicing. The Bible's not saying it's a sin to be sad, 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:12.480 or to be unhappy. It's not saying that at all. It's saying something far more profound. It's, 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:19.839 and the other thing about this is, and this is really important. Somebody at a coffee shop was 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:24.959 asking me what I was, I actually gave them, you know, one of those little booklets that you can 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:30.319 mark in. I gave them one of those, because they were, you know, curious about what I preach on. And 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:34.079 I said, just before you read it, you need to know that Paul wrote this while he was in prison, 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:42.799 potentially on, to be killed. And he's there unjustly, and there are people who want to kill him. 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:48.800 And he goes, and they go, oh wow. Like, so this isn't just, this isn't just, Paul's not writing this 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:55.199 as like a rich trust fund kid, who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth and has lots of servants 00:07:55.199 --> 00:08:02.480 just pleasing him. He's writing this from jail. And so what is it that he says, what does it mean when 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:07.040 he says, rejoice in the Lord always? Again, I will say, rejoice. What is the command? 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:16.960 Well, the command is all around what you put your trust in and how you evaluate situations. 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:21.520 That's a bit of an addition that I didn't talk about last week, which I'd like to add. 00:08:22.400 --> 00:08:30.480 So if you were to, if people were to listen in to your own internal conversation as you're assessing 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:38.480 situations, or if they were to hear you talking out loud to your best friend or whatever, and if 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:43.120 they were to hear, how do you think what's going to happen to you next? Is it going to, 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:48.560 are you going to fail or are you going to succeed? Well, some of us in certain situations, we say, 00:08:48.560 --> 00:08:53.680 you know, I'm going to fail. I lose all the time. I'm just a failure. Things always go wrong for me. 00:08:53.680 --> 00:08:58.960 Things never work out for me. I never get picked. I never, like that's the self-conversation for some 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:04.160 people. Actually, for some people, that's what their conversation is all the time about everything. 00:09:05.040 --> 00:09:10.400 But for most of us, it's how we talk about certain things. And then if we talk about some other things 00:09:10.400 --> 00:09:15.600 that we think we're going to succeed in, and we talk about it, and it will reveal why we think we 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:22.800 will succeed, why we think we will triumph. And that's what this word, rejoice in the Lord always, 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:29.679 again, I will say rejoice. It's addressing to you. It's not telling you to change your emotions. 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:38.799 It's telling you, inviting you to re-center and re-understand how to assess a situation 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:46.479 and why it is possible that you will succeed. I'll give you a very clear example. Actually, 00:09:46.479 --> 00:09:52.399 from this work this week, I was really struggling over the fact that I couldn't sort of do a 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:57.439 classic sermon like this in terms of having one primary point and having it all structured and 00:09:57.439 --> 00:10:03.439 all of this type of stuff. And then it sort of, it's really funny. I think maybe it's one of the 00:10:03.439 --> 00:10:07.360 big lessons that God wanted to teach me this week. Because here I am going to tell you about this, 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:12.720 but I wasn't actually practicing it. And it came to me, George, you actually think your success in 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:18.720 a sermon is by following some type of rhetorical device? Like that's a pretty foolish thing to base 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:24.639 your confidence in. Like your confidence should be that this is God's word. Your confidence should 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:29.200 be that God speaks. Your confidence should be that the Holy Spirit works through his word. 00:10:29.920 --> 00:10:33.120 That's what your confidence should be, not your rhetorical ability. 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:38.960 And it's like that, you know, for all sorts of things. So we might not know whether we're going 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:43.440 to get accepted into a graduate school or whether this will happen or that will happen. But 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:51.440 the Bible wants us to begin to rehearse to ourselves, both out loud and internally, remembering who God 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:59.040 is and how great and powerful he is, and that that should be the basis of our confidence of being able 00:10:59.040 --> 00:11:06.960 to move forward. And that's in terms of where we want to succeed. But if we are captured by constant 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:13.840 putting ourselves down, then we even more need to hear this command. 00:11:16.160 --> 00:11:21.280 We need to say, I mean, it's not a matter of changing how you feel, but saying, 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:27.280 there is a great, I have a Father in heaven who loves me. And I live in his world. 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:36.959 And he has sent me a Savior. And he will bring me to glory. And he will never leave me or abandon me. 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:43.679 And even if this is the worst of all possible situations, and I am about to enter into the valley 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:50.639 of the shadow of death, I have a good shepherd who has gone before me, not only into the valley of the 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:57.360 shadow of death, but into death itself. And he will walk with me in this hard time. And it could go on. 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:03.360 Now that doesn't necessarily make you feel better, although it will actually. 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:14.159 And if you get moments of joy, it comes sideways. Because the command is all about 00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:22.159 keeping, in a sense, taking your eyes off yourself for a moment, and putting your eyes and your 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:32.079 affections all on the great God who loves you, and the Savior who died for you. 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:40.959 Now, I'd love to do a whole sermon on this next point. And for some Canadians, I think they'd find it 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:48.320 quite shocking. But it's a really important aspect of the whole Christian walk. Look at verse 5. 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:56.320 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Let your reasonableness be known to 00:12:56.320 --> 00:13:03.440 everyone. God wants you to be reasonable. He wants you to use your reason to the best of your ability. 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:10.160 Some of you have maybe a sub-100 IQ. Some of you, I don't know, have a 100-squared IQ. 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:14.879 Whatever it is, your ability to think, He wants you to use it to the best of your absolute ability. 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:22.159 And reasonableness is not just that. It's a matter of being kind and patient and considerate 00:13:22.959 --> 00:13:29.759 as you are looking for the reasons and considering the reasons. But here's the big thing. And then we'll 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:39.519 move on to the bigger points. It is not unusual for gurus to have either to say this specifically out 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:45.360 loud. And if it's not out loud, it's implied. And that is, leave your shoes... You know, you're going 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:51.600 to come into their presence to get the wisdom from the guru. Leave your shoes and your mind at the door. 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:55.840 And Jesus never says to you, leave your shoes and your mind at the door. 00:13:55.840 --> 00:14:01.360 He says, come to me with your mind. Come to me with your thinking. 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:08.480 I want to teach you the wonders of learning how to be reasonable. 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:15.360 Now, you'll notice this thing here in verse 5 that sounds a little bit like a hallmark type moment. 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:21.040 Verse 5 again, let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. And that just sounds a 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:27.679 little bit like a hallmark type of moment. The Lord is at hand. But actually, it's... 00:14:29.199 --> 00:14:34.319 In some ways, if I was to have tried to group this all around a particular theme, I probably would have 00:14:34.319 --> 00:14:39.679 begun with the Lord is at hand and then made the sub points from it. Because it's one of those things 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:46.159 that we just skip over. But it's very, very, very important. And it's really important to help us to 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:53.600 deal with anxiety. It's important for us to deal with self-preoccupation. It's not mere religious 00:14:53.600 --> 00:15:01.120 sentiment. The other day... So I'm hard of hearing. I have next to no hearing out of my right ear. 00:15:01.839 --> 00:15:09.279 And so the other day, my wife said something to me and I heard a murmur that I knew was her, 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:13.279 but I hadn't the vaguest idea in the world what she was saying. And I asked her to repeat herself. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:20.480 And I couldn't hear her over the other noises in the kitchen. So I went right up to her so I could 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:25.519 hear her. Now, she would tell you and I would agree that I should do that more, listen to her more. 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:30.959 And that's true. But once again, that's a marriage sermon, not a sermon like this for us today. 00:15:30.959 --> 00:15:37.600 But I go... I'm at hand. Because I want to hear what she has to say. And I want to be able to respond 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:42.720 to what she has to say. So I go right up close. And that's on one hand, the idea which has been 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:50.160 communicated here, is that the Lord is close. He's right. For us as Christians, He is in our midst. 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:52.639 But who is in our midst? 00:15:55.120 --> 00:16:01.680 The one we sang about earlier. The one who is in our midst. The one who is at hand. The one who comes 00:16:01.680 --> 00:16:08.320 close so that He can hear. And God doesn't need to come close to hear. He comes close so that you know 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:15.760 that He's close to hear. Be able to hear us. He is the almighty. He is the creator of all things. 00:16:15.760 --> 00:16:22.640 He is the sustainer of all things. He is the one who raises nations up and puts nations down. He is 00:16:22.640 --> 00:16:27.680 the one who can perform miracles. He is the one who will bring all things to their proper end. 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:36.479 A lot of our anxiety has to do with getting certain types of relationships all confused and mixed up. 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:45.039 A big part of our analogy of our worries is that we think that people are big and we are small. 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:54.399 And so we live under lots of anxiety. Our mom is big, our husband, our ex-husband, 00:16:54.399 --> 00:17:02.879 our kids, our boss, the creditor, the professor, our neighbor. They're really, really big. And we're 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:09.119 just small. And we're tiny. And we have nothing we can do about it. And that creates lots of anxiety 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:16.000 within us. And so it's really important to understand that the Lord is at hand, especially, 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:22.879 and I'm going to build to a bit about why that's exactly really important good news for everybody. 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:27.440 That's one of the many reasons why, if you're not a Christian, you should give your life to Christ. 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:33.520 And another source of constant anxiety for people is when we see ourselves as really big and everybody 00:17:33.520 --> 00:17:39.920 else is small. And while this might not seem as if it would cause anxiety, in fact, it actually seems 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:45.360 sort of like what all of the self-help gurus are trying to teach us as to how we should make ourselves 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:51.519 really big and all. But, you know, the problem with us being big and other people small is that even that 00:17:51.519 --> 00:18:01.119 very, very idea is it's highly competitive. It's almost, even though we can have, you know, nice ways to talk 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:08.319 about it and euphemisms and all of that type of stuff, it really just sort of means that life is like a greasy pole 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:12.960 and you've got to climb the greasy pole and you can't climb the greasy pole above others unless you're 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:21.439 stepping on them to get higher up the pole. And that causes an unrecognized anxiety 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:30.799 anxiety and even a recognized anxiety because the excellencies and promotions of other people cause 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:37.519 us worry and anxiety because we're addicted to seeing ourselves as big and other people as small. 00:18:39.600 --> 00:18:44.880 So partly when the Lord is at hand is here, the message is that we need to understand that God is big 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:55.200 and people are small and understand that I am small in context to the fact that God is really big. 00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:03.840 But that's actually really scary too. Now, I'm not a really huge guy, but I am big enough that when I 00:19:03.840 --> 00:19:09.920 get into, go into an airplane, and if you've been in an airplane for a little while, I mean, I know it's 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:14.640 probably just that I've been getting bigger and bigger as I get older, but it really seems as if the 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:20.400 seats are getting smaller and smaller and smaller. And I can well imagine that if I'm coming down the 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:25.440 aisle to get on a plane and there's two people and there's a middle seat, they're thinking, 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:33.040 I sure hope he doesn't sit here. I sure hope. I'm looking for somebody who's five foot tall, 00:19:33.040 --> 00:19:40.240 95 pounds to come and sit between me. I don't want somebody like George, you know? And so the idea 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:46.559 that God is big and we're small or that God is big and other people are small, that's actually not 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:52.640 very, very helpful to a lot of people because the image that automatically comes to us is that the 00:19:52.640 --> 00:20:01.039 bigness of God will crush us. It will invade our space. It will make us feel unbelievably cramped. 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:09.759 They'll be mean to us. I was telling somebody in a coffee shop the other day that, and then we got 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:13.759 interrupted, we couldn't go any further in it. I told them that I don't believe in the God that most 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:19.039 Canadians believe in, which surprised them. I said, I don't believe the God that most Canadians believe in. 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:24.720 And then they said, well, I said, one of the things is that most Canadians, the way they understand God, 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:32.079 is really how they should understand a demon. Because demons want to present themselves as being 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:38.400 very, very big, but they're only big to control you, to dominate you, to rule you, to take you over. 00:20:39.120 --> 00:20:44.240 At that point in time, other people came in and I couldn't finish the conversation with them. 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:49.519 But you see, this is where the gospel is so unbelievably important. 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:58.799 It is a source of reasonableness. It is the source, it is one of the keys to beginning to have 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:04.960 anxiety have a less role in your life. It's one of the keys to beginning to understand that even though 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:10.720 you're small, you can still accomplish some things. Even though you're weak, God can still use you. 00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:15.920 That you have all the weakness you need already for God to do very mighty and wonderful things in you. 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:21.120 That's a profound counterintuitive promise. You have all the weakness you need for God to work 00:21:21.120 --> 00:21:26.480 through you. You need to understand, I need to understand, I need to rehearse, I need to rejoice, 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:32.400 I need to rehearse in my own mind. I need times like Sunday morning where we sing the hymns that John 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:38.000 O. has picked and we remember the Lord's Supper and we hear the Bible being read to understand and 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:45.360 once again that God is big and I am small and that is very, very good. And God did not, does not use his 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:51.839 bigness to crush me. He could do it like that. He does not use his bigness to crush me. He used his 00:21:51.839 --> 00:22:05.599 almighty bigness to save me. The almighty God became Emmanuel, God with us, God amongst us, God with me 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:18.079 in my mess and in my angularity and in my particularity. Almighty God came amongst us and almighty God loved me so much. 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:30.159 Seeing my mess, seeing the mess I've done and made and he loved me so much that his God in the person of his son died on the cross for me. 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:41.519 Who better to think of than one who knows you perfectly and still was willing to die for you because he loved you? 00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:48.640 Who is it that would be better to think about than that God who is almighty? 00:22:48.640 --> 00:23:00.960 Who better to pour out your heart to? To bring your anxieties and your worries to? To bring those situations, to come to him and say, God, 00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:15.600 please help me. I need to see you as really, I need to see you as big. I confess, I see my husband as big or I see my kids as big or my 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:23.039 friend or my neighbor or my mom or whatever it is. I see them as really, really big, but Father, I need to know that you are big. 00:23:24.159 --> 00:23:31.279 Make that more real to my heart, Father, that I might start to see other people in their right size. 00:23:33.679 --> 00:23:39.679 So here it is when it says, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Verse 4, verse 5, let you 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:49.200 be reasonable, be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. That is who is at Lord. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, which we sang earlier. 00:23:49.680 --> 00:23:57.519 Think of that hymn. That's the one who's at hand, who loves you. Now, the Lord is at hand leads you into the discussion of anxiety. 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:07.039 Remember, this is a, every time I come across this verse, it's a very profound verse to me personally. 00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:18.480 I've shared with you maybe more than once, but not for quite a long time. When I was in my mid-30s, I was having a whole range of heart problems. 00:24:18.480 --> 00:24:33.599 And, um, and, uh, it didn't help that I was in rural Canada, and when I went to the doctor about it, he, he thought that I had a, uh, uh, both that my valves were broken and that I had a profound heart disease. 00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:39.360 And he actually told me I should try to do absolutely no, nothing at all of any exertion for a period of time. 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:46.240 And, um, my family doctor, uh, because he knew me quite well, was skeptical about it. 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:54.319 And I ended up being able, at the time I, I was running probably 60 miles a week and doing other exercises. I was very fit. 00:24:54.880 --> 00:25:00.559 And, um, um, um, he sent me to the Heart Institute in Ottawa. 00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:12.400 I actually was able to get in very quickly because I ran so many miles and there was a doctor at the time who specialized in people like me who were long distance runners who had heart trouble. 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:18.240 And there's not many of us. So he took me in right away, uh, because he was curious to do all his tests. 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:30.640 And it turned out, I can't remember the name of it, but I had a, I have, not had, I have a heart condition where if I have too much accumulated stress and worry and anxiety, 00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:36.080 if I accumulate too much of that, I will develop a range of heart symptoms. 00:25:37.520 --> 00:25:44.520 He, uh, he told me that if it happens to me again, it means I have to tell my wife and my church that I need to go fishing for a month. 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:48.200 And just sort of chill out. 00:25:49.040 --> 00:25:53.700 Uh, but here's the thing. If somebody had asked me, are you an anxious person? I would have said no. 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:56.660 Do you worry? I would have said no. 00:25:59.460 --> 00:26:04.580 I mean, I, I know I'm very thick, but here's the thing about anxiety. 00:26:04.700 --> 00:26:07.640 Well, actually let's read the text. Verse five is the last part of verse five. 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:13.900 The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, 00:26:14.120 --> 00:26:20.000 let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:22.519 will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 00:26:22.519 --> 00:26:46.200 A lot of us don't experience our worry and anxiety directly. 00:26:46.200 --> 00:26:52.880 It's one of the things that, that makes it so hard for us is that it's sort of, um, 00:26:54.019 --> 00:27:00.519 we can be very profoundly unconscious about it, even though other people, uh, could see it in us. 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:05.200 Um, so that, that's a, a very, very big problem. 00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:09.980 And if you don't think you're anxious and worried, it's going to be hard to deal with it. 00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:15.660 And the other thing is, and this makes it always relevant to everybody, 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:19.319 is that a lot of times what we do, apart from being in denial about worry, 00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:21.700 is that we try to numb the worry. 00:27:22.299 --> 00:27:23.700 And how do you numb worry? 00:27:23.700 --> 00:27:37.360 You numb worry, uh, with, um, with porn, with alcohol, with drugs, with risky behavior, with shopping, 00:27:38.700 --> 00:27:46.440 with, well, you can begin to fill in some of the other blanks of what people do to numb their worry and their anxiety. 00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:50.820 And if any of you have ever been in any of those situations, 00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:56.799 these ways of numbing worry and anxiety are profoundly destructive, 00:27:57.360 --> 00:28:01.140 and they're completely counterintuitive, they're completely counterproductive. 00:28:01.360 --> 00:28:06.940 Because what happens is you, you numb your, your worry and your anxiety, uh, let's say with porn, 00:28:07.100 --> 00:28:10.960 or with, uh, with gambling, or with shopping. 00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:16.480 And then it, it numbs it for a moment, but afterwards you're actually filled with, filled with shame. 00:28:16.900 --> 00:28:19.240 And you're actually filled with more worry. 00:28:19.700 --> 00:28:22.920 Because you not only didn't deal with the issue at hand, 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:25.299 you've done something else which was wrong. 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:27.680 And that makes you worry more. 00:28:29.140 --> 00:28:31.759 And, and so the devil has a great time with you. 00:28:31.819 --> 00:28:33.880 He can, he can just, he can play with you. 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:39.920 And so, so this, this advice isn't saying here that if you experience anxiety, you're not Christian. 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:42.180 What it's telling you is this. 00:28:43.460 --> 00:28:49.160 If I'm driving, when I drive my car and I see the low fuel indicator light come on, 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:51.660 I know that it means I know I need to go get some gas. 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:58.220 And when you feel anxiety in your life, it's God telling you, 00:28:58.759 --> 00:29:03.200 friend, child, it's time to pray. 00:29:05.060 --> 00:29:06.220 It's time to pray. 00:29:06.220 --> 00:29:11.240 And he's also probably telling you, and George, it's time to rejoice. 00:29:12.860 --> 00:29:15.839 I want you to think a little bit about my greatness and my goodness. 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:20.460 I want you to think a little bit about my son who died on the cross for you. 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:25.559 And that's what it's saying. 00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:26.339 The Lord is at hand. 00:29:26.460 --> 00:29:28.299 Verse six, do not be anxious about anything. 00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:32.240 In other words, it's saying don't double down on your anxiety. 00:29:32.379 --> 00:29:33.159 Don't ignore it. 00:29:33.259 --> 00:29:34.119 Nothing like that. 00:29:34.759 --> 00:29:35.359 You're anxious. 00:29:35.559 --> 00:29:36.319 What do you need to do? 00:29:37.879 --> 00:29:38.279 Pray. 00:29:40.159 --> 00:29:45.299 With supplication, prayer, thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:50.319 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:52.319 And what does that mean? 00:29:52.319 --> 00:29:59.839 And how is it, is it saying that, like some of you might be thinking, George, I've tried to pray this verse all the time and I don't experience peace. 00:30:00.460 --> 00:30:08.399 And George, isn't this even like an attempt of emotional manipulation that I, you know, I'm feeling stressed and anxious so I'm going to pray. 00:30:08.400 --> 00:30:14.400 Because praying is better than looking at porn or better than gambling or better than going on a shopping binge. 00:30:15.780 --> 00:30:24.380 You know, by the way, yeah, you know, like if you're really, really struggling with worry, don't go on your computer to look at Amazon or anything like that. 00:30:24.500 --> 00:30:25.780 It's not going to help you. 00:30:26.780 --> 00:30:30.880 Like you're just going to spend money that you, especially if you use a credit card, right? 00:30:30.900 --> 00:30:32.019 It's just going to make it all worse. 00:30:32.019 --> 00:30:37.799 So, but George, I don't feel the prayer and I've prayed about things and God never seems to say yes. 00:30:39.619 --> 00:30:46.759 Just the other day I was talking to somebody, I'm not always very good at catching on this, and they just say, well, I pray all the time and nothing happens. 00:30:47.420 --> 00:30:50.779 And when people say that to me, it's like a mic drop moment for them. 00:30:50.819 --> 00:30:52.440 They think they've just clenched the argument. 00:30:53.139 --> 00:30:55.119 And, well, here's what's going on. 00:30:55.119 --> 00:31:03.500 A couple of things as I'm going to be wrapping this sermon up, you know, with this and just a final comment about something else. 00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:12.139 Most of us think of prayer a little bit like the fellow who came into the coffee shop late Friday afternoon. 00:31:13.219 --> 00:31:14.779 So I'm in Centretown. 00:31:14.899 --> 00:31:21.579 I'm in a coffee shop and a person comes in and the owners tell him to not come in and he ignores them. 00:31:21.579 --> 00:31:25.139 And he immediately comes up to me and asks for money. 00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:30.000 And then he goes up to another person for money and another person for money and another person for money. 00:31:30.619 --> 00:31:40.639 And when the store owner tried to get him to leave, he yelled at the owner, cursed him out, and then went ahead and kept asking different clients for money. 00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:46.139 And one person actually gave him some money, which was a mistake on her part. 00:31:46.140 --> 00:31:48.920 But here's the thing. 00:31:49.820 --> 00:31:51.920 A lot of us think of prayer. 00:31:52.440 --> 00:32:02.700 Obviously, we don't think of ourselves as a street person with an anger problem, going around asking strangers for whom we have absolutely no interest in a relationship with for money. 00:32:03.320 --> 00:32:05.580 But that's functionally how most of us pray. 00:32:07.920 --> 00:32:09.580 Send out little requests to God. 00:32:09.640 --> 00:32:10.160 I want this. 00:32:10.280 --> 00:32:10.800 I need this. 00:32:10.920 --> 00:32:11.420 I need that. 00:32:11.600 --> 00:32:12.259 Stop this. 00:32:12.800 --> 00:32:13.440 Give me this. 00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:17.580 And we don't really want to have a relationship with God. 00:32:18.420 --> 00:32:21.259 You see, God hears the prayers of people who are outside the Christian faith. 00:32:21.360 --> 00:32:21.940 He hears the prayers. 00:32:22.460 --> 00:32:23.680 He listens to every prayer. 00:32:23.779 --> 00:32:26.900 It doesn't matter if you're a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist or an atheist. 00:32:27.259 --> 00:32:28.180 An atheist pray. 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:30.440 He hears all their prayers. 00:32:30.860 --> 00:32:33.539 But in their heart, they're just sending out little requests. 00:32:33.920 --> 00:32:38.940 We're really like, and Christians do it too, like just asking for money. 00:32:38.940 --> 00:32:40.680 But we have no desire for relationship. 00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:45.759 And here's the thing about this, how this thing works here, where it says, 00:32:45.960 --> 00:32:48.840 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. 00:32:48.940 --> 00:32:49.759 The Lord is at hand. 00:32:49.840 --> 00:32:51.220 Do not be anxious about anything. 00:32:51.720 --> 00:32:56.320 But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 00:32:56.779 --> 00:33:01.600 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:08.099 See, Jesus died on the cross that we might have peace with God. 00:33:10.279 --> 00:33:15.759 Peace with God is a gift that comes from God because we couldn't make peace with God. 00:33:15.899 --> 00:33:18.299 We couldn't be in harmony with God. 00:33:18.500 --> 00:33:22.839 God had to do what only he could do and we could never do, 00:33:23.139 --> 00:33:29.019 to do what was required for us to be in harmony, in balance, in a right relationship with God. 00:33:29.019 --> 00:33:31.019 God had to do what we could do and we could never do. 00:33:31.019 --> 00:33:34.680 And that's who God is and that's what he's done for us in his son. 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:40.639 And we need to understand that prayer is the great conversation. 00:33:42.879 --> 00:33:44.099 That's what prayer is. 00:33:44.139 --> 00:33:45.859 It's the great conversation. 00:33:46.559 --> 00:33:50.519 When we see this here, this is yet again God's reminder. 00:33:50.779 --> 00:33:51.599 He said to me, 00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:55.980 George, I want you to be part of the great conversation, 00:33:56.399 --> 00:34:00.219 which is me talking to you and you talking to me for the rest of your life. 00:34:00.339 --> 00:34:01.679 That's the great conversation. 00:34:03.599 --> 00:34:06.099 My conversations with my wife change me. 00:34:06.439 --> 00:34:08.559 My conversations with you change me. 00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:12.559 My conversations at the coffee shop change me. 00:34:13.360 --> 00:34:17.279 They might change other people as well, but they change me because it's a conversation. 00:34:17.280 --> 00:34:20.280 It's a conversation in the context of a relationship. 00:34:21.380 --> 00:34:26.060 And that's why we begin to get changed by the great conversation. 00:34:26.640 --> 00:34:29.000 And here's what the peace of God means. 00:34:29.280 --> 00:34:31.120 The peace of God is not an emotion. 00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:36.519 The peace of God is not an emotion. 00:34:37.760 --> 00:34:39.260 It's something way better. 00:34:40.300 --> 00:34:43.740 Remember I said that if you go down and look, 00:34:43.739 --> 00:34:45.539 what is it here again? 00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:47.199 It says it in verse 6, 00:34:47.519 --> 00:34:48.459 verse 7, 00:34:48.539 --> 00:34:49.339 and the peace of God, 00:34:49.439 --> 00:34:50.259 which surpasses all, 00:34:50.379 --> 00:34:50.659 understand, 00:34:50.739 --> 00:34:52.519 will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 00:34:52.659 --> 00:34:57.159 And if you look down to verse 9, 00:34:57.459 --> 00:34:57.879 it says, 00:34:58.019 --> 00:35:00.039 what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, 00:35:00.119 --> 00:35:00.919 practice these things, 00:35:01.000 --> 00:35:02.439 and the God of peace will be with you. 00:35:02.459 --> 00:35:04.379 It's the peace of God from the God of peace. 00:35:05.099 --> 00:35:08.299 And he makes our relationship right with him 00:35:08.299 --> 00:35:10.239 by what his son has done for us on the cross, 00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:13.599 and we receive that by grace. 00:35:13.979 --> 00:35:15.979 And peace with God means we begin, 00:35:16.179 --> 00:35:18.079 we're in a right relationship with him, 00:35:18.179 --> 00:35:20.719 and that we live and grow out of that. 00:35:20.799 --> 00:35:24.659 And it's within this context that we embark on the great conversation 00:35:24.659 --> 00:35:27.059 of pouring our heart out to God about everything. 00:35:27.579 --> 00:35:29.539 Everything from we need a parking spot, 00:35:30.099 --> 00:35:31.479 to, you know, 00:35:31.539 --> 00:35:33.539 we forgot our money and we really need a coffee, 00:35:34.139 --> 00:35:35.919 to really, really, really big things 00:35:35.919 --> 00:35:39.219 like what's going on between Iran and Israel right now. 00:35:39.219 --> 00:35:40.379 God is saying here, 00:35:40.459 --> 00:35:41.899 you can talk to me about anything. 00:35:42.219 --> 00:35:43.839 Let's have a conversation about it. 00:35:43.879 --> 00:35:44.899 It's the quest of your life 00:35:44.899 --> 00:35:47.159 to have an ongoing conversation with me 00:35:47.159 --> 00:35:49.419 about the biggest and the smallest things in your life. 00:35:49.739 --> 00:35:51.539 And the peace of God, 00:35:51.599 --> 00:35:53.239 which comes into this, 00:35:53.899 --> 00:35:54.859 is more like, 00:35:55.199 --> 00:35:56.439 don't think of an emotion, 00:35:56.699 --> 00:35:57.679 think of a mobile. 00:35:57.679 --> 00:35:57.799 mobile. 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:02.679 But not like a mobile that you see over a baby's cradle, 00:36:02.980 --> 00:36:03.259 you know, 00:36:03.379 --> 00:36:05.019 which everything is, 00:36:05.399 --> 00:36:06.279 they're nice little cute, 00:36:06.480 --> 00:36:06.899 I don't know, 00:36:07.019 --> 00:36:08.000 unicorns or, 00:36:08.279 --> 00:36:08.579 I don't know, 00:36:08.599 --> 00:36:09.980 angels or something like that, 00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:10.719 or teddy bears. 00:36:11.440 --> 00:36:11.779 No, no. 00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:14.379 What your life is like is not like that. 00:36:14.559 --> 00:36:15.679 What your life is, 00:36:15.799 --> 00:36:19.059 is you and I are made up of big things 00:36:19.059 --> 00:36:20.059 and small things, 00:36:20.519 --> 00:36:21.139 huge, 00:36:21.279 --> 00:36:21.739 angular, 00:36:21.960 --> 00:36:22.699 pointy things 00:36:22.699 --> 00:36:23.340 and tiny, 00:36:23.420 --> 00:36:24.320 tiny little things. 00:36:24.639 --> 00:36:26.000 And you just need to imagine 00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:26.619 that it's like, 00:36:26.679 --> 00:36:28.500 our life is like a mobile 00:36:28.500 --> 00:36:30.199 made out of steel girders. 00:36:30.619 --> 00:36:32.139 And on those steel girders, 00:36:32.279 --> 00:36:33.420 some of the things 00:36:33.420 --> 00:36:35.079 are just the tiniest piece of thread, 00:36:35.159 --> 00:36:36.380 which holds some tiny thing. 00:36:36.739 --> 00:36:37.440 And other things 00:36:37.440 --> 00:36:37.980 are huge, 00:36:38.079 --> 00:36:38.279 big, 00:36:38.400 --> 00:36:39.000 thick chains, 00:36:39.139 --> 00:36:41.219 which hold huge things, 00:36:41.340 --> 00:36:43.239 like Chevy Silverados 00:36:43.239 --> 00:36:44.340 or something like that. 00:36:44.380 --> 00:36:45.059 And all of that 00:36:45.059 --> 00:36:46.840 is kept in some type of a balance. 00:36:46.840 --> 00:36:48.280 And what God does 00:36:48.280 --> 00:36:51.220 is as you pour out your heart to him, 00:36:51.300 --> 00:36:53.240 as you rejoice in him 00:36:53.240 --> 00:36:55.620 and realize how great and good he is, 00:36:55.940 --> 00:36:57.340 and as you talk to him 00:36:57.340 --> 00:36:58.559 and as you're reading your word 00:36:58.559 --> 00:36:59.180 as part of the way 00:36:59.180 --> 00:37:00.400 that he speaks back to you, 00:37:00.680 --> 00:37:01.600 that he's bringing 00:37:01.600 --> 00:37:03.840 this chaotic and crazy 00:37:03.840 --> 00:37:05.400 whole jumble of things, 00:37:05.519 --> 00:37:05.960 of tiny, 00:37:06.059 --> 00:37:06.840 tiny little things 00:37:06.840 --> 00:37:07.480 and huge, 00:37:07.740 --> 00:37:08.820 hulking big things, 00:37:08.980 --> 00:37:10.420 and he's bringing all of them 00:37:10.420 --> 00:37:11.320 into the balance 00:37:11.320 --> 00:37:11.980 like a mobile. 00:37:13.660 --> 00:37:15.220 He's doing that deep, 00:37:15.460 --> 00:37:16.539 structural work 00:37:16.539 --> 00:37:17.360 within you 00:37:17.360 --> 00:37:19.579 in this great conversation. 00:37:23.900 --> 00:37:25.840 When my body is in pain, 00:37:26.320 --> 00:37:29.099 all I can think of 00:37:29.099 --> 00:37:30.179 and feel is the pain. 00:37:31.880 --> 00:37:33.559 When my body is healthy, 00:37:34.199 --> 00:37:35.039 isn't it interesting 00:37:35.039 --> 00:37:35.900 to think about your body? 00:37:35.960 --> 00:37:36.699 When your body is healthy, 00:37:36.739 --> 00:37:37.380 you don't feel it. 00:37:40.420 --> 00:37:41.779 When your body is in pain, 00:37:41.880 --> 00:37:42.980 all you can feel is the pain. 00:37:42.980 --> 00:37:44.039 When your body is healthy, 00:37:44.099 --> 00:37:46.960 you can feel hunger, 00:37:47.539 --> 00:37:48.579 you can feel thirst, 00:37:49.159 --> 00:37:50.240 you can feel full, 00:37:50.699 --> 00:37:51.760 you can feel joy, 00:37:52.219 --> 00:37:53.400 you can feel prayerful, 00:37:53.639 --> 00:37:54.780 you can feel happy. 00:37:56.119 --> 00:37:57.340 And so the peace of God 00:37:57.340 --> 00:37:59.380 isn't a type of a valium 00:37:59.380 --> 00:38:01.079 that descends upon you 00:38:01.079 --> 00:38:01.860 to drug you. 00:38:01.860 --> 00:38:03.240 it's a restructuring 00:38:03.240 --> 00:38:03.240 00:38:03.240 --> 00:38:04.400 and a restructuring 00:38:04.400 --> 00:38:05.539 of who you are 00:38:05.539 --> 00:38:06.700 and a reforming 00:38:06.700 --> 00:38:07.420 and a rebuilding 00:38:07.420 --> 00:38:08.280 of who you are 00:38:08.280 --> 00:38:09.460 so there is a balance 00:38:09.460 --> 00:38:11.039 that's maintained by God 00:38:11.039 --> 00:38:12.120 and given to you 00:38:12.120 --> 00:38:12.780 by a gift. 00:38:13.579 --> 00:38:15.180 And as that happens, 00:38:15.179 --> 00:38:18.279 you feel 00:38:18.279 --> 00:38:23.419 lots of different stuff 00:38:23.419 --> 00:38:25.619 because that's the way 00:38:25.619 --> 00:38:26.239 he made you. 00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:33.519 Invite you to stand. 00:38:33.519 --> 00:38:33.619 Stand. 00:38:42.619 --> 00:38:44.000 This is what's, you know, 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:45.480 so beautiful about gathering 00:38:45.480 --> 00:38:46.900 with God's people 00:38:46.900 --> 00:38:47.519 and his children 00:38:47.519 --> 00:38:48.219 and we come into 00:38:48.219 --> 00:38:49.420 the very presence of God. 00:38:49.559 --> 00:38:50.940 God is literally 00:38:50.940 --> 00:38:53.400 present and listening to us. 00:38:53.480 --> 00:38:54.179 He is at hand. 00:38:54.300 --> 00:38:54.900 He is near. 00:38:55.320 --> 00:38:56.940 And we get to read his word. 00:38:57.059 --> 00:38:58.480 We get to sing his praises 00:38:58.480 --> 00:38:59.539 and rejoice in him 00:38:59.539 --> 00:39:01.360 and rehearse his greatness 00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:02.099 and his goodness. 00:39:02.320 --> 00:39:03.320 And we get to gather 00:39:03.320 --> 00:39:04.099 around the table 00:39:04.099 --> 00:39:04.699 and remember 00:39:04.699 --> 00:39:05.880 that Jesus died 00:39:05.880 --> 00:39:08.739 to create a new relationship 00:39:08.739 --> 00:39:10.340 with each of us 00:39:10.340 --> 00:39:11.139 as individuals 00:39:11.139 --> 00:39:12.280 and also to be part 00:39:12.280 --> 00:39:12.940 of his people. 00:39:12.940 --> 00:39:13.000 people. 00:39:14.400 --> 00:39:16.500 And so we rehearse 00:39:16.500 --> 00:39:17.079 these things. 00:39:17.220 --> 00:39:18.440 We remember these things. 00:39:18.639 --> 00:39:19.340 And because we don't 00:39:19.340 --> 00:39:20.420 just do it by ourselves 00:39:20.420 --> 00:39:21.139 but together 00:39:21.139 --> 00:39:22.360 on Sunday mornings, 00:39:23.119 --> 00:39:24.159 God's intention, 00:39:24.340 --> 00:39:25.280 that's the whole thing 00:39:25.280 --> 00:39:25.960 about verse 9 00:39:25.960 --> 00:39:27.200 about hear and seeing 00:39:27.200 --> 00:39:27.679 and all that 00:39:27.679 --> 00:39:28.240 is that we're part 00:39:28.240 --> 00:39:29.200 of a people together 00:39:29.200 --> 00:39:30.700 that can walk 00:39:30.700 --> 00:39:31.340 with each other 00:39:31.340 --> 00:39:32.460 and pray for each other 00:39:32.460 --> 00:39:33.539 and support each other 00:39:33.539 --> 00:39:35.019 and pray that we will 00:39:35.019 --> 00:39:35.960 learn how to rejoice 00:39:35.960 --> 00:39:36.960 or rejoice with us. 00:39:37.099 --> 00:39:38.500 It's all part of God's 00:39:38.500 --> 00:39:39.679 great goodness to us. 00:39:39.679 --> 00:39:41.779 It's why the Lord's 00:39:41.779 --> 00:39:42.639 supper and his word 00:39:42.639 --> 00:39:43.839 and singing his praises 00:39:43.839 --> 00:39:45.299 are the standard 00:39:45.299 --> 00:39:46.460 fundamental pieces 00:39:46.460 --> 00:39:47.419 of Christian worship 00:39:47.419 --> 00:39:48.299 and we need to gather 00:39:48.299 --> 00:39:48.639 about. 00:39:49.639 --> 00:39:50.279 But let's pray. 00:39:51.079 --> 00:39:52.399 Father, thank you so much 00:39:52.399 --> 00:39:54.039 that your son loved us 00:39:54.039 --> 00:39:54.919 so much that he died 00:39:54.919 --> 00:39:55.379 for us. 00:39:55.519 --> 00:39:56.339 Thank you, Father, 00:39:56.460 --> 00:39:57.159 that you are 00:39:57.159 --> 00:39:58.480 an almighty God 00:39:58.480 --> 00:39:59.460 but not almighty 00:39:59.460 --> 00:40:00.940 in a way that crushes us, 00:40:01.019 --> 00:40:02.019 that we should dread 00:40:02.019 --> 00:40:04.099 seeing you come towards us 00:40:04.099 --> 00:40:05.319 to be at hand, 00:40:05.320 --> 00:40:07.039 but that you are a God 00:40:07.039 --> 00:40:08.660 who is almighty to save 00:40:08.660 --> 00:40:10.539 and almighty to speak 00:40:10.539 --> 00:40:12.340 and almighty to rescue 00:40:12.340 --> 00:40:14.340 and almighty to be present 00:40:14.340 --> 00:40:16.500 and almighty to walk with us 00:40:16.500 --> 00:40:18.220 and almighty to help us 00:40:18.220 --> 00:40:19.280 to face the challenges 00:40:19.280 --> 00:40:20.260 of our lives 00:40:20.260 --> 00:40:21.780 and almighty to hear 00:40:21.780 --> 00:40:22.460 our prayers 00:40:22.460 --> 00:40:23.559 about our smallest 00:40:23.559 --> 00:40:25.220 and even our deepest anxieties. 00:40:25.420 --> 00:40:27.080 Father, this is the God you are 00:40:27.080 --> 00:40:28.620 and we know that this is 00:40:28.620 --> 00:40:29.440 the God you are 00:40:29.440 --> 00:40:30.680 because we know Jesus 00:40:30.680 --> 00:40:32.200 and his death upon the cross 00:40:32.200 --> 00:40:34.440 that he was almighty to save 00:40:34.440 --> 00:40:36.099 and is almighty to save 00:40:36.099 --> 00:40:37.480 and we ask, Father, 00:40:37.559 --> 00:40:38.820 that you bring home to us 00:40:38.820 --> 00:40:39.599 in a deep way 00:40:39.599 --> 00:40:41.800 how almighty you are 00:40:41.800 --> 00:40:42.820 and how almighty 00:40:42.820 --> 00:40:43.500 your goodness 00:40:43.500 --> 00:40:44.119 and love 00:40:44.119 --> 00:40:44.780 and kindness 00:40:44.780 --> 00:40:45.420 and grace 00:40:45.420 --> 00:40:46.159 and gentleness 00:40:46.159 --> 00:40:46.800 and mercy 00:40:46.800 --> 00:40:48.460 is towards those 00:40:48.460 --> 00:40:49.980 who become your children 00:40:49.980 --> 00:40:51.179 by adoption and grace. 00:40:51.340 --> 00:40:52.760 Father, bring these truths 00:40:52.760 --> 00:40:54.019 home deep to us 00:40:54.019 --> 00:40:55.019 and help them 00:40:55.019 --> 00:40:56.380 to help each other, 00:40:56.480 --> 00:40:57.980 help us to help ourselves 00:40:57.980 --> 00:40:58.940 and each other 00:40:58.940 --> 00:41:00.119 to rehearse 00:41:00.119 --> 00:41:00.800 and grow 00:41:00.800 --> 00:41:01.460 and live 00:41:01.460 --> 00:41:02.400 out of these things 00:41:02.400 --> 00:41:03.840 and we ask these things 00:41:03.840 --> 00:41:04.800 in Jesus' name. 00:41:05.500 --> 00:41:05.840 Amen.