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Lamentations 3
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We're gonna be in Lamentations chapter three. We're gonna open with prayer, and, then we're gonna have some, some worship. Father, we come before you, Lord, and we thank you for this night that we can gather and have a meal together and fellowship and pray. And and, Lord, we lift up Rob, pray that you help him to feel better. We lift up Joanne, Lord, you do miracles of healing for her. And, Lord, I continue to bless, those who are sick within the body. And Nancy, Lord, we pray for Nancy. You help her, also, and Kathy and, anybody else, Lord. We just lift them up to you and pray that you'd heal, pray that you pour out your holy spirit upon us tonight, and, Lord, that you inhabit the praise of your people. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Okay. So the first song we're gonna do is seek ye first. We're doing songs. Yeah. A cappella. No guitar. Air guitar. Alright. Alright. We all know this one. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And these things shall be added unto you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Ask and it shall be given unto you shall find Knock and the door shall be opened unto you. Hallelujah. Amen. You wanna do that one next? Sit next to you and you have a voice. Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks because of what the lord has done for us give thanks That's pretty. Beautiful. I I heard this song. Are we gonna do I love you, Lord? Yeah. You wanna you can do that one now. Okay. Okay. K. Love you, Lord, and I live my to worship you oh my soul rejoice Take joy, my king, in what you hear. May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to you. Oh, my soul rejoice. Take joy, my king, in Amen. Amen. Alrighty. Thank you very much. Okay. We are in the book of Lamentations chapter three tonight. If you'd to turn there. Now chapter one and two, the way that Jeremiah arranged this was 22 verses going with the Hebrew alphabet. And then in chapter three here, he goes with, 66 verses. And and he does in chapter three, there are 66 verses arranged in 22 groups of three verses. Each contains 22 verses in a plaintiff, excuse me, verses each. My eyes went off of there. Okay. First, each contains 22 verses in a plaintive meter, which the second half of each verse being shorter than the first conveys a somber effect of whatever that means. Alright. So if you know Hebrew, then, in in an acrostic fashion, much like Psalm a 119. Alright. So chapter three verse one, father, thank you for your holy word, and lord, we thank you for the details, all the little tiny things, every dot, every tittle, lord, shall be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but your word will not pass away, lord. Thank you that you've made us students of prophecy, that it matters, that you're telling us ahead of time what's going to happen so that when it happens, Lord, we know to look up knowing our redemption draws nigh. So we thank you so very much for giving us the hearts of learners, Lord, disciples, those that wanna learn. Lord, I pray that you raise up more and more people who want to learn, Lord, and you be our teachers. Please teach us tonight. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. So in the singular I, and he's verses one through 18 on to 19, he's gonna talk about the affliction that he's faced. So I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. So he's a witness, a witness of the affliction that's come. He has led me and brought me into darkness, but not into light. Surely against me is he turned. He turned his hand against me all the day. And so huge changes are taking place, bringing correction. My flesh and my skin has he made old. He has broken my bones. So this whole seeds, this whole means of judgment and affliction has affected his health. He has builded he has builded against me and compassed me with gall and travail. And so he's speaking of his, you know, within, there's a bitterness that's taken place. Now Christians are like teabags, John Corson says. The trials will make you either bitter or better. And so when you and I are put in hot water, others can see the flavor that comes out of us, either bitterness or to make you better. Right? So you're you're being tested, you're being exposed, and, and he's experiencing the bitterness of what's taking place. He has set me in dark places, like the dead of old. So the gloominess, the stress, I hear people, given you know, speaking of a false hope that America's gonna go back to normal and all. And when it doesn't, I I really fear for how fall how far they're gonna fall. And, and you and I, we ain't seen nothing yet like Jeremiah chapter 12. If we're wimping out, you know, in the footman, what happens with the horse than chariot? So it's only gonna get worse, before it gets better. He has hedged me about that I cannot get out. He has made my chain heavy. Hedge me about that I can't get out. So you're trapped. You're trapped in your circumstances. You're trapped in what's happening. Now turn to Job chapter one, Book of Job. Job. Job. Job. Job. How many of you love the book of Job? Oldest book in the bible. Yeah. I liked it, but they really went back and forth for a really long time. Book of Job chapter one. There was a man in the land of Oz whose name was Job. Oz or Oz? Oz. And that man was perfect and upright, one that feared god and has shunned evil. So let's get that straight. We're talking about a good guy. Right? Yeah. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 she, donkeys, and a very great household so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East. So a contemporary of Abraham also, quite possibly. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, everyone his day, and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. Great joy. And it was when the days of their feasting were finished that Job sent and sanctified them. Remember how we talked in the believing person sanctifies the other members of the household? Well, he's wanting to pray over his family and to sanctify them, to set them apart. Sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. He's a really good father. He's a good husband. He's a a good Christian, you know, believer. Now watch this. Verse six. Now there was a day, oh, that day, when the sons of god came to present themselves before the lord and Satan came also among them. And so, you've got the fallen angels coming before the Lord, you've got Satan Lucifer, the leader of these guys, sons of God are angels. And so, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, from where comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it. So Peter reminds us that Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Satan is not omnipresent. He can't be everywhere at once. That's why he needs demons, to help him, principalities, and powers to work a grid, to work a strategy all over the all over the world. And, little g god of this world. And the lord said unto Satan, hast thou considered my servant Job that there's none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil. So Job is this real trophy of God. Just look at Job. Now, you don't want the Lord bragging on you, do you? I don't. I don't. I wanna be obscure. Just and I am. That's good. Then Satan answered the lord. So Satan must know Job. He must know about Job. Right? Then Satan answered the lord and said, does Job fear god for nothing? So when the seven sons of Sceva, when they try to, mimic the apostle Paul in the name of Paul you know, name of Jesus, we adjure you. Come out. And, the demons came out and said, Jesus, we know. Paul, know, but we don't know you seven sons of schema. And they they ripped their clothes off him and made him run away and all that. So Satan definitely knows Job, and Job's a threat to the kingdom of darkness. So Satan says, answered the lord, does Job fear god for nothing? Has not thou made a hedge about him and about his house and about all that he has on every side? Thou has blessed the work of his hands and the substance is increased in the land. So here's Satan's strategy. But put forth thine hand now and touch all that he has and he will curse you to your face. And that's what Satan's saying about you and I is that if God doesn't give us all that we want and we demand and everything, that our relationship with him is such that we're just mercenaries. We're just we're just like the people that follow Jesus for the loaves and the fishes. That there isn't a depth of love in our relationship with him that even if he took away what he blessed us with, that, we'd curse him. That's what Satan said. They'll curse you. They'll be bitter. They'll they'll and and let me show you. Let me prove it to you. Remove that hedge. Remember the hedge down here in verse 10? Remove that hedge. Let me pass that hedge of protection that you have around Job and all of his family, and I'll get them to curse you to your face. Right? And, we know the story that God allowed that hedge to be removed and all of this stuff was taken away. And he said, blessed naked came my end of the world, naked and not go, the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Right? So Satan was wrong about the relationship that Job had had with the Lord. Now turn to Job three twenty three. Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden and whom God has hedged in? So now you go from being protected and prolific and prosperous and all this great stuff that you're accomplishing in your life, and the Lord removes the hedge of protection. And now you're like Jeremiah, you're hedged in. Now you're entrapped. Before you enjoyed great freedom and protection that the powers of darkness couldn't penetrate and couldn't get near you. Now you've got light, you've got understanding, you've got life, you've got a lot you wanna do, but notice whose way is hidden and whom God has hedged in. And so God has a there's no getting out of this trap. There's no getting out until God lets you out. Right? And you gotta read the whole book and get to, you know, the last chapter to see how how he got out of it. But turn to chapter 19 verse eight. He has fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he has set darkness in my past. So you're in that struggle and you're trying to fight your way out of it. You're trying to use all that brilliance you had before that caused you to prosper, and and you can't you're fighting against demons. You're fighting against things that you can't even see anymore. You know? And, the powers of darkness got you trapped, and God you know, where's God? Where's God? You know? And you're you're crying out. And so later, you know, Job will say, I bore myself and I repent in dust and ashes. He actually knew the Lord from afar, but when the Lord drew near to Job, Job, that light and the knowledge that he gained brought him to his knees, and, he repented, chapter 42. And, and then after that repentance, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar were always, you know, armchair quarterbacking Job, trying to come up with the reasons why these bad things are starting to happen to him. And, but we didn't see nobody can see that God removed that hedge. Once God removed that hedge, the vulnerability of Job was such that the only only protection he had was the lord himself, you know, drawn closer to the lord. Lord, you're with me here, and I don't have this external hedge to protect me. Lord, you're the only one. Lord, you're my portion. So now as we come back to Lamentations, he says he says, he has hedged me about that I cannot get out. He has made my chain heavy. So you're in bondage. You're in prison. You're the prison of pain, and you want out. You want out and you can't get out. And maybe some of you have have experienced this, with sickness because that was the next thing that the devil came with. Take away his health and he'll curse you to your face. And the Lord said, alright. Take away his health. But Job continued to maintain his integrity and didn't, you know, didn't curse God and die like even his wife suggested. So there can be a period of time where you're just stuck. You can't get out. You're wanting to get better again. You're wanting to get back to normal. We keep hearing that. We wanna get back to normal. When am I gonna get back to normal? Also, I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer. So God's far away. You think he's far away. He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone. He has made my paths crooked, so all doors of escape are closed. You can't get out of this trial. He was unto my life like a bear lying in wait and like a lion in secret places. So he's in deadly. My life's like you know, my life's in jeopardy every hour with lions and bears. Oh my. He has turned aside my ways and pulled me in pieces. He has made me desolate, so God's tore me apart. I've been torn apart like if these animals got at me. He has bent his bow and set his mark for the arrow. Guess who the target is? He's bent his bow and I'm the target. I don't like that. Are you a target of the wicked one? The devil targeting you? He has bent his bow and set me as as a mark for the arrow. God's targeting. God's allowing it. He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my heart. I'm suffering from a broken heart now. It's so internal. I'm just broken inside. Anybody ever experienced that kind of brokenness? Yeah. Have you been targeted to be broken? He's breaking me down. He's breaking you down? Yeah. That's a good place to be. Yeah. Because then he's gonna build you back up. Yeah. I realized that a couple months ago. And I was crying all the time. Yeah. You just take a pill? No. Oh, alright. No. I just came to bible study. A gummy? No. Oh. It's it's all the food on Mondays. It's the love. It's the fellowship. Love of the fellowship. It's the word of god. In my Shannon. It's Jesus. Yep. It's your learning to trust in Jesus more and more, more and more and more. It's my peeps. She just went through a divorce. Oh, yeah. Very difficult. We hear about it every week. I know. It's all good now. I'm I'm I'm enjoying being single. I can load the dishwasher however I want. Al, who are you brother? Do do you still put the toilet seat down just just Nope. No? No. I never touched the toilet seat. Alright. Alright. But I clean it. I told you we're crazy. You're Yeah. You're with the right group. You're insane. There's no You found the right group. You fit right in. More. You fit right in. Kathy's over there shaking her head. Kathy's over there shaking her head. Alright. Alright. Edit that out. Edit that out. He has caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my heart. I was a derision to all my people and their song all the day. So you go to the bar and they're all singing songs mocking Jeremiah. They're making country songs about him, his dog left him and his truck broke down and and he's being mocked. Go ahead and sing it. I hear some out there. Go ahead and sing it. Nobody knows trolley. Yeah. Friends in low places? Yeah. Friends in low places. Alright. I love her laugh. Shannon says I love you guys. Yay. Oh, we love you too, Shannon. She's watching online. He has filled me with bitterness. He has made me drunk with wormwood. So he's there's depression. There's despair. There's discouragement. And depression, discouragement is normal. Don't think you can always be up. When you go through these trials and God's breaking your heart, it's normal to be like Jesus, a man of sorrows, a woman of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. So don't think that it's gonna last forever either. Now, Psalm 42, David is depressed. And have any of you ever tried talking to yourself? Every day. I have to say something into Have any of you ever answered yourself? Yes. That's hard. Now what are those voices in your head? Hopefully, it's scripture. Don't do that, Don't do that, Cheryl. Right? No. So David David is praying. David's crying out. Why art thou cast down, oh my soul? Why art thou disquieted within me? So cast sheep. A cast sheep is a sheep that's hell helpless, lying on its back, little spindly legs and a big round body like me. You can't get up. Can you kids help me get up? Help me get up. So you're on your back like a turtle, and the other turtles, they've left you. They're not gonna help you throw you over. So that sheep begins to beat bleed, you know, beat out. And they and juices and gastric stuff happens, and, you know, there's, like, craziness. That's why Jesus leaves the ninety and nine to go find that one sheep that's cast that's out there helpless. And there's enemies around. There could be wolves, lions, anything that come around. So you're imagining things in your head. You're so much you're imagining. So why art thou cast down, oh my soul? So differentiating between the physical body, the spirit, and then the soul is the center of the mind, the will, the emotion. So that center of mind, will, emotion is discouraged and filled with despair. And then David answers the question, hope thou in God. Get your eyes off yourself and off of what's happening. Get your eyes back on the Lord. Hope in him. And that's how we get through it, is a confident expectation that I'm in God's will and that he's gonna work everything together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. So Jeremiah, Jesus, David, Elijah, many, many people in the Bible have experienced what you and I have experienced. This false gospel presents a picture, an illogical, irrational, erroneous picture that you can have your best life now and you're never going to suffer. You're never going to be depressed or discouraged or or whatever. It's it's a lie. So take it take it as it comes, give it to the Lord, allow the Lord to use it to help you to grow more, to grow, you know, by faith. Your spirit will be strengthened. You'll be able to get through those times. And when Elijah was depressed, part of it can be physiological. You know, he's running from Jezebel, and he's just won a great victory over the 450 prophets of Baal. And Jezebel makes a threat, a Sidonian princess from Sidon that they have married, and she grabbed hold of her 400 prophetesses and hid them so that they they couldn't be killed. But the 450 prophets of Baal died on Mount Carmel as as God used Elijah to slay them. Now he ran because of a threat. You're gonna be like them this time by this time tomorrow. So he runs, and then when he gets to where he's at, he's psychologically, he's messed up. Physiologically, he's messed up. He's super, super hungry, wants to sleep. So God lets him sleep. God gives ravens to bring food to him. So physiologically, he has to address the sleep sleep deprivation will make you crazy. He needs sleep. He needs food for his body. He needs water from the brook that's there. And he also needs to be encouraged as the lord as as he has a mindset that these he's the only one left. And god says, no. I have 7,000 that haven't bowed their knee to the prophet bell. So the next thing was get back to work. Once you're once you have that r and r and you're okay again, you don't stay in that place of discouragement. So part of what we deal with is maybe I need to take a walk, maybe my diet's wrong, maybe I'm not getting enough sleep, maybe I need to feed my spirit, be in the word, be in prayer, and then find somebody that's worse off than you. There's always somebody out there that's worse off than you, and go and minister to them. Go and minister to them. Make them some cookies. Give them a call. Have some coffee with them. And you go away from there going, lord, I thought I had it bad, but, woah, they got really bad. You know? No. When you minister to others when you minister to others, the lord blesses you. There's a blessing that comes. Get your eyes off your cell. So god told Elijah, go and anoint Hazael king and and then go and anoint Elijah, a prophet in your stead. And so Jeremiah's got a lot to be depressed about. And nobody should say to him, oh, you can just need more faith. You need more faith. No. You gotta go through it. You gotta go through it. Charles Spurgeon suffered great depression. It's called he called it his fainting fits. And part of what he would do, physiologically, he'd get run down living in London. And it's kinda like living in Bremerton, living here, and it's very covered with a lot of clouds and industrialization and everything, and it was very poor, very difficult for his health. So he would take periodic trips when he would get way down by train to the beaches of France. And that fresh air, salt air, and that rest and he died in his fifties. The guy was so prolific, but he died an early, you know, early point in time. And and his wife said what caused him to die so quickly was the heretical modernism that began to creep in at the latter part of his his ministry. And so he had to fight this fight against guys would come along like a theistic evolution or the scopes, the monkey trials. People began to doubt creation, And this was the modern theologians thought they were so hip and cool because of a Darwinian evolution. They needed to counteract it in the church because they were made to look stupid. And and Spurgeon's saying, no. Stay the course. Stay with the word of god. Stay with the word. Don't fall into that, you know, bang theory or whatever else is coming up after it. And so anyway, it broke his heart. But that's why it's good to go to the beach. That's why it's good to get out of here. You know? He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones. He has covered me with with ashes, so I'm completely defeated. And thou has removed my soul from off my soul, what's that word? Far off from peace. So he's lost his peace and prosperity. You've removed my soul from peace and I forgot prosperity. He used to have peace and prosperity. Right? And it's gone. He's ruined. He's lost everything. And I said, my strength and my hope are perished from the Lord. And that's a bad place to be when you've lost hope in the Lord. Don't wanna go there. Don't wanna lose hope. Hope's the key. Hope's what's gonna get us through looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and savior. Don't ever lose hope of the soon return of Jesus and coming for us his bride. And so now verse 19, remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. And so it speaks of the turmoil. Now from verses 19 to 40, he's gonna transition now with the emphasis upon hope. So what is hope? Faith, hope, and love, these three. Greatest of these is love. What what is Hope. What is hope? Faith. Faith is different than hope. It is? Yeah. I do. You guys got bible dictionaries? Hope is a confident expectation of good. Faith faith in Hebrews 11, faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things not seen. So we we walk through the we we watch with the eyes of faith. So we know that we know that we know within our spirit that God's gonna keep his word, that God is true, and that he's he's that he's faithful and that we can trust in him. So hope is a confident expectation looking for good. So, some people, you're around them, they're like like when you watch Winnie the Pooh and you see the little donkey. Eeyore. Eeyore. Right, Kath? So I really can't do it. I don't watch it a whole lot, but I don't watch it. Old brother or something like that. You know? And just always a bummer, bummer, bummer, bummer, bummer. And then you got Christopher Robin running there with his shorts and balloons and Winnie with the with the honey and, you know, everything and Tigger and everything changes. Right? Everything changes. So that's God gives us friends. He gives us people that come into our lives that are influences to help us get out of the doldrums of and if you're looking in, where art thou cast down on my soul? The focus is in. And when we look inward, there's so much failure. There's so much loss. There's so much pain and hurt when we look within. If the devil can get you to look within and stay looking within, he's gotcha. Yeah. So, oh, where art thou cast on on my soul? Hope thou in God. Hope thou in God. Just just agree with the devil and say, you're right. I'm a loser. But god But god. But god, the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed me of all sin. And so it's no longer me living, but Christ living through me. And and now the devil runs away because he can't deal with that. But if he can get me to look within and send people my way, husbands and wives and children and coworkers and old friends, people that are supposed to be your friends, supposed to love you, and they can become some of the greatest threats to your peace and your prosperity or your sense of well-being because they're sent by the devil as the accuser of the brethren in Revelation chapter 12 verse 10. And so they'll now the way that you'll know they're not being sent by God is how? Condemnation. They show the pit of hell. And you know the strategy of the wicked one. Jesus said the thief comes not but to steal, to kill, and to destroy. So all that you possess all that you possess as a Christian, as plutocrats, as as your riches that are in Christ Jesus, the devil comes along to steal in your mind. He tries to steal within your mind to take that away from you where you lose sight of how valuable you are. And to to kill, he wants to kill us, and to destroy everything that's good. But Jesus said, but I've come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly. So get your eyes off of self, get your eyes off the lies of the wicked one, take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and every imagination high thing that exalts itself against Christ and bring it into captivity. Bring it to the place of what does God say about me? What does the word of God have to say? And there's there's your release. And Jeremiah is gonna point out that all those that this is really bad, it's gonna be okay. It's gonna get better. God's not throwing away the nation of Israel. God's not throwing them away. Christians and people today that think that God has abandoned Israel, they're they're wrong. They they don't know prophecy. They don't understand that, God promised in Ezekiel thirty six and thirty seven that he would restore the nation. 05/14/1948, Israel's in the land restored, and still there's so many churches today that follow what's called a replacement theology that God's done with Israel, and and now he works through the church, which is wrong. He works through both. And God's promises to Israel are yay and amen. They're gonna be fulfilled. So blindness in part has happened unto Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so the fullness of the Gentiles is gonna be the rapture of the church. So notice the word hope, there in verse, 18 and verse 21, verse 24, verse 26, verse 29. And so in this section from verse 19 to 40 is gonna be an emphasis upon hope. So he brings it all down personally. This is what's happening to me personally. And my soul, remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall, my soul has they still in remembrance and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. So you're all down, you're discouraged, all this stuff. And it's not I mean, it's real. All this stuff that's happened to him is real. So somebody that comes along and wants to comfort can't act like it's not real. This is real. This is real suffering, real affliction. So don't try to just blow it off like, oh, yeah, well, you know, I once I once had a toenail that came off, you know, and it doesn't comfort people. So my soul has them still in remembrance and is humbled in me. This I recall to mine, therefore have I hope. So now you come back to, thinking of the promises of God. You're thinking of God's word and his faithfulness. It is because of the Lord's mercies that we so it transitions from I singular to plural, to we. So he's exhorting the nation of Israel. Now it's now it's a plea, to remind the nation of Israel. So Lord, in your wrath, remember mercy in Habakkuk three two. His mercies we are not consumed because his compassions fail now. So you always come back to the love of God. The devil's always trying to lie to you and tell you all these bad things happen to you because God doesn't love you. How do you always always know that that's a lie that God loves you? Because he died on the cross. The cross. For God so loved you, right, that he gave his only begotten son. So that proves his love. His compassions fail not. His love fails not. His mercy's mercy is not getting what we deserve. Right? Grace is unmerited favor, getting what we don't deserve. So we deserve hell. We deserve judgment. And although we may go through the Hebrews 12 chastening, whom the Lord loves, he chastens, it's always restorative. In the life of the believer, it's restorative. It's to restore us back to fellowship. And he waits a long time, but they're in such incredible rebellion, you leave him no choice but to act in a severe manner. So his mercies, we are not consumed. So the reason we're not totally and completely wiped out is because his mercies, because his compassion, his love fails not. God loves at all times. They are new every morning, and I love that. I love that if you if you are a big sinner like me now I know I'm a big saint, but I'm also a big sinner. So if you're a big sinner, one of your outs, one of your ways that you can experience that peace and that joy and prosperity and is when you wake up in the morning, it's a fresh new day. Amen. His mercies are new every morning. I right? Yep. So I don't need to I don't need to stay with the mistakes I made the day before or six months ago or ten years ago. His mercies are new every morning. So I'm gonna take this thy day, this day, and I'm gonna seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. I'm gonna trust that all these other things be added unto me. And if in that day, I sin, which I will, I'm gonna confess that sin. I'm gonna get it out. I'm gonna say, Lord, please forgive me. He's gonna wipe it away, fellowship's restored, and I don't have to sleep on the couch. You know? I didn't get to It it it doesn't work with your husband or wife. You have to say I'm sorry or not. You what? You have to say I'm sorry in while. Doesn't work with your husband or your wife. We all have to say we're sorry. All of us. Yeah. People Only guys say they're sorry. Girls never say they're sorry. Alright. So they're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. So he won't stop. Now here here here you go. No matter what's happened to you, the lord is your portion. Right? The lord is my portion, personal, saith my soul. Therefore, will I hope in him. So you can lose it all, but you're never he'll never leave you nor forsake you. You're never gonna lose your salvation. You're never gonna have your name blotted out of the lamb's book of life. You're in. You know, he loves you. He's gonna get you to the finish line. And he's gonna lavish his love upon you for all eternity in the ages to come according to Ephesians two verse seven. Right? The Lord is good unto those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. So Matthew six thirty three, seek first the kingdom of God And all these other things shall be added unto you. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. God's always right on time. So wait upon the Lord. Waiting upon the Lord is praising him, worshiping him, serving him, sitting at his feet. So you wait upon the Lord and you wait for his salvation. You wait for him to come and help. You don't run up ahead of God and try to fix it. You don't say, hey, honey, why don't you go into Hagar and we can help God out? You don't listen to her when she's saying that. You say, no. No. We're gonna wait for the Lord. We're gonna wait for his best. We want his best. And so many of us settle. We settle for something less than God's best. Right? And we don't wanna do that. We don't wanna be in a hurry. We don't wanna wait. Do you hear that, Cheryl? Yeah. Is that resonating with you? Yeah. Yeah. I finally like him being alone. The lord is your portion. You're married to him. You're married to him. I have two dishwashers. Yeah. I can load them however I want. So it is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. I mean, what guy would care about a dishwasher? Oh. Who cares? Well, he's neurotic. I mean, just stay away from it. It's not your job. Let somebody else fill it and empty it. That's great. God. I'll do all the work outside. Alright. So it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. And he sits alone and keeps silence because he has borne it upon him. There you are. You're all alone. Born upon you. I'm sitting only here. You're sitting there. He puts his mouth in the dust. If so, be there maybe hope. Maybe hope. So he's gonna keep quiet. He's gonna keep quiet and just wait upon the Lord. He's gonna quit running to everybody wanting to tell everybody what you're afraid of and just sit, chill, take a chill pill. Call out to the Lord. Take a chill pill. Take a take a gummy. Do something. CBD. Have a nice cup of coffee and just wait upon the Lord. Open the Bible. Read the word of God. And if you wanna fall asleep, have the the mushroom coffee. It puts you to sleep, man. I'll tell you. Really? Oh, yeah. I'm off coffee for a week, man. I can't I can't even my eyes, I can't keep them open. You're off coffee coffee? Yeah. We'll talk about that later. Alright. It's a real trial. So he puts his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope. And he gives his cheek to him that smites him. He is filled full with reproach. Okay. Who's that sound like? Ripples? You get to read Isaiah 50 verse six. Oh, boy. Okay? Yay. Now, Jim, I want you to read Matthew five thirty nine. And verse six. Cheryl, I want you to read Matthew twenty six sixty seven. And Robbie can read Job sixteen ten. And I won't repeat it. Can you repeat that? I'll write it down. Isaiah 50 verse six. Isaiah 50 verse six. We have Lindsay here tonight. She loves Jesus. Oh, boy. Is she on camera? Can everybody get that smile there? Alright. This is going all over the world. You didn't know who you're hooking up with. Jeez. Reading the bible. Isaiah 50 verse six. Hold on just a second. I gave my back to the spiders. I can't believe there's really some My my eye appointment got changed. I gave my back to the spiders. Mhmm. And my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting. Did they pull out? Can you hear? Jesus is bigger. Lord speaking to you. Said Want us come back to you? We'll come back to her. I Are you there? Are you there? Yeah. 50 versus Speak loud. Okay. I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spit. Who's that sound like? Seven hundred years before it happened to him in Matthew 20. Jesus. Then did they spit in his face and buffeted him, and others smote him with the psalms of their hand palms of their hands. Oh, beating me on the recognition of a man. That's mean. No. If it happens to you someone smikes you on the cheek, Jim will tell you what you're to do. Matthew five Matthew five thirty nine. But I say unto you that you resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Oh, what's that mean? What's it mean to go the extra mile? Do it again. I dare you. You're you're you're not you're not holding people to the letter of the law. Do it again. Dare you. Merciful, and you're being gracious. Now the thing to remember is you only got two cheeks. It's game on after that. And that's You have every right in the world to defend yourself. So you're gonna you're gonna take wrong. You're gonna be you're gonna try and diffuse the the altercation. You're gonna turn the other cheek. And, so you're not living by the letter of the law. You're trying to love a person. If a if a centurion takes and taps your shoulder and demands that you carry all of his gear for a mile, which was part of the Roman law, Jesus says go the extra mile. You as a Christian, you go the extra mile to glorify the lord. Right? Even without deodorant. Pardon me? Even without deodorant? Even without deodorant. Yep. Yep. They didn't have deodorant. I feel bad. They didn't have deodorant back then. Is is that why they say Use oil. Fool me once. Fool me twice. That's not in the bible. No. You'll get fooled a lot more than twice. But I mean, then after the second time, you can you can hit them back? I'm not telling you to hit anybody. If they Walk away. Walk away. Man. Alright. Okay. So Job sixteen ten. They have gaped at me with their mouth. They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt. They have masked themselves against me. Man, the crowd, the mob, the mob violence against Jesus just coming after him. The mob violence against Stephen. They gaped upon him with their mouths, you know, and they stoned him. Oh god. Mob violence. They tried to get Paul. 40 of them said, we're not gonna eat anything for forty days till we kill, you know, Saul of Tarsus. And, so the coal conspirators, you know, the mob. For the Lord will not cast off forever. So it's temporary. Your trial, your affliction, it's temporary. How temporary? Hopefully, only a week. Hopefully, a week? Yeah. I start going crazy after a week. You start going crazy after a week? Yeah. Well, the lord's gonna build your endurance. Oh, yeah. He will. Right? You're gonna get endurance. Right? Go three weeks. How many have gone ten years, twenty years? What? Ten or twenty years for what? Well, I did twenty. Maybe maybe a physical affliction, maybe a bad marriage, maybe a child that's that's sick. It's a huge trial. You maybe a prodigal child, maybe financial reversals, a lot of different things that bring us to the end of our self, and and it's all temporary. Right? It's temporary. It's not eternal. So if I'm Paul and I'm giving you a whole list of afflictions, right, whole list of things that happened to me, What's Paul saying? What are some of the things that happened to him? Boiled in oil. He wasn't boiled in oil. Oh, he wasn't? No. Is that John? That's John the beloved. Oh, I'm sorry. He was stoned. He was shipwrecked. Stip yeah. Shipwrecked. Shipwrecked. Beaten with 40 thirty nine lashes, what, four times, three times? Five Five times. Yeah. Mhmm. Yep. And then he and then he evaluates it all, and he says this light affliction, which is but for a moment, it's temporary. It works a far more an internal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. So you're eternally minded for the things which are seen are temporal. Things which are not seen are eternal. So his value system, no matter though he slay me, Job said, yet will I trust in him. Right? The Lord knows the way that I take, and when he's tried me, I'm gonna come forth as gold. So you see the trials working for you as refinement to burn off the dross, to burn off the impurities of our life, to bring us to the end of ourselves where the metal the metallurgy, the metalsmith, when would he know that the silver was clean enough with all the impurities gone? He could see himself, the reflection. The reflection. So when people see Christ in you, that's when the impurities of you are gone. The Greeks came to Philip and said, sir, we would see Jesus. So on my pulpit, you guys can't see it, but it's written, sir, we we would see Jesus. People aren't there to see me. They're there to see Jesus. Right? People are at church to have an encounter with Jesus. Right? No celebrity no celebrity whatever. It's we're here to see Jesus. And that's all of us what all of us need, what all of us want, what all of us need to remember. God shares his glory with no man. And and if you if you're not being met by the holy spirit, if you don't sense the Holy Spirit, if you you aren't encountering Jesus, then you're in the wrong church. It's just a social club. It's nursery school. It's it's idiocy. And so we we expect for God to show up. We expect for God to be there. And if we're in his word, he's the incarnate word. You're you're gonna you're gonna meet Jesus if the pastor and you as a church are going through God's word. God's gonna speak to you. And but if we're telling story time and all the attention is upon me or somebody else, then you don't meet up with Jesus. That's very tragic. Because he's the great physician. He's the one that can put Humpty Dumpty back together again. But though he caused grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. So he's he's causing the grief as a means of correction, as a means of justice, as a means of dealing with the evil, dealing with the sin. And but his intention is restorative. He wants to restore those who are corrected thereby. So you have a Judas who doesn't get his way and he goes out and he hangs himself. That's a sorrow that didn't lead to repentance. Worldly sorrow doesn't lead to repentance. So all this affliction they're going through here, just like in the book of Revelation, they're being hammered with God's wrath being poured out. And for many of them, they have no intention of repenting. No intention of instead, they become the enemy of God. They're so angry at God. They're shaking their fist at God. They're hailing the antichrist who killed the two witnesses, you know, as as their champion and all. And but then you got others who, through the crucible, through the trial, through the affliction, They come through it with faith. They come through it with confession of repentance and confessing their sin. So it'll expose the time of crisis. The COVID will expose. It'll expose whether we believe or don't believe these kind of crises. For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men to crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most high to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approves not. And so God is not into unjust affliction. The affliction that he brings is a just affliction, not unjust. Not when somebody in an unjust way is afflicting you. That's not God. That's not what he's doing. Not a part of that. Verse 37. Who is he who saith and it comes to pass when the Lord commandeth it not? And you hear these boasters today, the Noah Yuval Harares, and these guys talking about how they're gonna live forever, never gonna die, and just boastful, boastful, boastful. You know, who can go against God's sovereignty? Who can go against God's will? According to Revelation seventeen seventeen, he's allowing them a little latitude. He's putting in their hearts things he wants them to do to set the stage for the return of his son. So the beast systems are being allowed by God to be put in place, the the global currency being allowed by God to be put in place. The track and tracing system because the devil's not omniscient and omnipotent, and he's not omnipresent. So you have the beast system, the image of the beast being developed, and so it portrays and gives the appearance to people that the antichrist is all powerful, you know, but he's not. And he's gonna be subdued by the sword of the Lord's mouth and the brightness of his coming. And and so the appearance thereof, but basically a test for all humanity of whether they wanna worship God or they wanna worship the beast. Jesus said, I came in my father's name and you received me not. Another shall come in his own name. In him you will receive. So what I get out of this is I cherish my faith. The faith that I have is a gift from God. I'm so thankful that within me is the capacity to believe in God. If you take that from me, I've got nothing. I got absolutely nothing. So even the faith that I have is a gift from God. For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it's a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. So out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not evil and good, proceedeth not evil and good, question mark. Why does a living man complain a man for the punishment of his sins? And we when we had the Roxy, we took that verse and we made a a sign out of it and put it up in the men's restroom so all the guys could watch it and read it every day. Why does a living man complain, a man, for the punishment of his sins? And you wives can do that for your husbands if you want. So afflicted for your sins. You're being afflicted for your sins. This is not unjust affliction. This is just affliction. And whom the Lord loves, he chastens and he scourges every son or daughter. If you love your kids, you're going to spank them. You're going to bring correction. You're going to bring instruction and righteousness. You're not going to just leave them to themselves to destroy themselves. So now we go to the plural, and this is a call to confession, asking the nation to pray and confess their sin. Now there's a day when Jesus said, you're not gonna see my face anymore till you say Blessed be Jesus. You come to the name of the lord. And that's confession. They're confessing that they crucified their lord, and they're recognizing Jesus as the messiah, and and they're crying out to him to come. And he's gonna come. He's gonna come and rescue him. Except those days be short and no flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake, the lord Jesus is gonna intervene at that appropriate time, the exact time that's needed to save that one third remnant that's fleeing from the antichrist and his armies. So let us search and test our ways and turn again to the lord. So a call to repentance. Now in Isaiah chapter one, the lord makes an appeal to the people. He's saying, come now and let us reason together. Right? Let's be reasonable. Let's reason. Your actions, what you're doing. Is it reasonable? Is it right? Are you right with God? Come now, let's reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they'll be white as snow. Though they'd be red like crimson, they'd be as wool. And we cry out, search me, o God, and know me. Try me and know my heart, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Right? Search me, oh god. Try my heart. Search me. Open yourself up to the lord. See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. He has shown thee, oh man, what does the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God? God's shown you. This is what he requires. He has shown thee what does the Lord require of thee, but to love mercy. Right? And walk humbly with thy God. So let us search and and test our ways and turn again to the Lord. Paul would say, let a man examine himself to see whether he's in the faith. Self judgment. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have so you're gonna be worshiping the Lord. We have transgressed and have rebelled. Thou has not pardoned. I don't get the pardon this time. Thou has covered thyself with anger and persecuted us. Thou has slain, thou has not pitied. Thou has covered thyself with a cloud that our prayer should not pass through because of sin. So what separates us from God? Sin. And you and I as believers, if we confess our sin, he's faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and to cleanse us of all unrighteous. We call it the Chuck Missler called it the Christian's bar of soap. You don't lose your salvation. You're just defiled. You're dirty. And God wants fellowship with you, but he wants you to take a bath first. Right? Wash up. Thou has made us like the off scouring. Remember we talked about the offscouring? Paul described himself as the offscouring. It's the bathtub scum. Paul said the false prophets are treated like celebrities, but we're the offscouring. Right? We're the under rowers like number 44 ramming speed. We're the condemned criminals. And you guys all know what I mean by that. You know? Been around a while. So we have turned the grass and have rebelled and thou has not pardoned. Thou has covered thyself with anger and persecuted us. Thou has slain, thou has not pitied. Thou has covered thyself with a cloud that our prayer should not pass through. And you just keep praying, keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking, don't give up, keep praying. Thou has made us like the off scouring and refuse in the midst of the people. And, Paul described that in first Corinthians four verse 13. And, he counted everything that he had gained as a Pharisee of Pharisees as refuse, as dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Philippians three verse eight. So all our enemies have opened their mouths against us. And, again, Romans 12 verse 10, the devil is the accuser of the brethren. In a courtroom of law, he's the prosecuting attorney. He's the one making the accusations against you. And he's using the law and he's not wrong. He's right. His accusations, his charges against you are correct. You are a sinner, But you have a defense attorney. Right? Amen. He ever lives to make intercession. Right? Thank you, Jesus. And he's there and his hands are scarred up in heaven. Right? Amen. And says says, father, you can pardon them because they're mine. I purchased them with my blood. I gave my life a ransom for these. And so the father looks at you and he justifies you just as if you've never sinned. There's no record of wrong. There's nothing in the file that anyone could ever look at again to find that you ever did wrong. The file's gone. Righteous. It is finished. The talus died paid in full. So fear and a snare are come upon us. So now we come to that word fear. Fear not, little flock, for it's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. So if we look down at verse 57, we're gonna see fear again. Right? Fear not. 63 times in the Bible, fear not. 144 times, fear ye not. We got a big fear problem, don't we? Fear is the opposite of what? Faith. Faith. So fear not. Don't fear him who can kill your body. So what happened was we fear the guy that's gonna take my job, the guy that's gonna leverage me and lie to me and use mandates and all these things to try and ruin me. And so what happens is we don't bring all these things to the Lord in prayer. Instead, we try to understand it with our own faculties. We're overwhelmed with anxiety. We're filled with fear, and then we begin to act irrationally. It's irrational. It's goes against the constitution, goes against the bill of rights. It goes against everything we are as a constitutional republic, but yet people are swayed by fear. So Joseph Goebel said, get them afraid, lie to them, and you can get them to do anything. Right? But if you know the truth, the truth will set you free. Are you sick and tired of the lies that we live? Are you so sick and tired of being lied to in this age of deception? I'm up to here with it. I just that's why I can't give in to any of it. It's just it I'm done. I'm done. I want the truth. So fear and a snare come upon us, desolation and destruction. So we're paralyzed. Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water. Have you ever cried till you couldn't cry anymore? You ever cried until you broke a blood vessel? You cried so much? You went through a whole box of tissues? So mine eye run down with rivers of water in the singular. This is Jeremiah speaking. For the destruction of the daughter of my people. He's the intercessor. This is Jeremiah describing. Now, this is Jeremiah's testimony here. And don't be afraid to use your testimony. The tests that you face, the trials that you've gone through can be used of God to encourage people, to glorify the Lord. They're your testimonies. They're your trials that you faced. And somebody comes to church and they say, hey, the doctor said that I have cancer. And Betty says, well, I had cancer, but it's in remission now. Gives them hope, doesn't it? Betty wouldn't be able to say unless she went through something like that. Right? Mhmm. And so in any event, don't be afraid of your testimony. You've gone through a divorce, god will use it. Lost a child, god will use it. And so Jeremiah, mine eyes run down with rivers of water. So Jesus wept, right, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem when he could see the destruction that was coming against that city. Right? Forty years up ahead, Titus would surround the city of Jerusalem and destroy it. Not one stone would remain upon another. And he's he's weeping because how often I would have gathered you as a mother hen does gather her brood under her wings, but you would not, so your city's left you desolate. And it's so hard to be a parent and to watch your kids refuse the help that you wanna deliver, the help that you wanna bring. And, and it just hurts to watch the consequences of their actions be that which corrects them. And, mine eye trickles down and ceases not without any intermission till the Lord look down and behold from heaven. So God has delivered Jeremiah, and so too he will deliver us, so too he will deliver Judah, so too he will deliver. Maybe he'll deliver The United States Of America. But we gotta come to repentance. We gotta nationally confess like the nation Nineveh. Right? The Assyrians. If we keep thinking we're so great, then we're blinded by by our pride from the very source of of God's mercy that he wants to pour out. So here's testimony. Mine enemies chased me hard like a bird without cause. The devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. They have cut off my life in the dungeon and cast a stone upon me. Jeremiah was imprisoned in Jeremiah thirty eight one through six. There was a assassination plot against him in twenty six seven through '9. And in thirty seven eleven through '16, he was apprehended as a traitor. So, again, you might hear me go through in a repetitive fashion things that Kathy and I had to go through. And the only reason is is because it's real. And it's so real that every one of you would coil, recoil, and with fear if you had to go through it. There's no pastor I know of that's lost four buildings and four foreclosures, you know, and watched nobody come to help him. So it's part of it's part of my testimony. It's part of what God allowed and put us through so that we can help others so that we can help others as they go through similar things. So we have no credibility. We have no ability to empathize with people that go through suffering if we don't first suffer, if we don't go through it. So it's just simply now you have things in your life that I haven't gone through, but God allowed you to go through it to comfort me when it's it's our turn. And and so it's it's nothing to be afraid of. So we don't use it in a way of whining or complaining. We use the testimony in such a way like, this brings credibility. This is what I've gone through, and we haven't quit. We're still here. Jeremiah is still here. He didn't quit. God sustained him. God got him through that. You don't have Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar around you who even begin to understand why it happened. You become a leper. Everybody shies away from you. They begin to speculate. Well, the reason it happened, you know, as they whisper, is because he's a traitor, because he's treasonous, because he's a false prophet, because he's, you know, whatever. And but Jeremiah is laying it out. This is what I went through, and I was in God's will when I was going through this. I wasn't outside of God's will. Now here's another thing. We came here to do good, Kathy and I. We came here to have a nursery, a church, a Sunday school, a school to teach children. And we had a preschool and a school. We did outreach concerts. We shared the gospel like crazy. We invested everything we have. We went all in. Now, if we were doing evil, then I could understand. Jeremiah wasn't doing evil. Jeremiah was doing good. And he's treated as a traitor. He's he they have an assassination plot against him. And what is it the devil hates about Jeremiah? He keeps telling the truth. He's gotta somehow silence Jeremiah. And that's that's what the devil hates right now because he's such a liar. There's so many lies out there. They're gonna the devil hates you and I because we stand upon the truth. And you can show them your scars or what you went through for doing good, for telling the truth. You know what I mean? Paul goes to prison because he's telling the truth. What? It could be for you, for, like, you know, for everything that you had to go through. Like, we're all gonna go through that, so you'll be able to tell us it's gonna be okay. We're still gonna be fine because you had to go through it before we did, and then we're all gonna lose everything too. Well, I hope you don't I hope you don't have to go through it, but I'm just saying that what Jeremiah here is in that dungeon, he's he's up to his head. The water's coming over him. His family was plotting against him. If you've ever had family members that have ostracized you and and, you know, wanted to destroy you or character assassination, Jeremiah went through that. The men of Anathoth, his own family, were plotting against him. Jesus, his own brothers, didn't believe in him till after the resurrection. His own people, Nazareth and and the Jews, are the ones that came against him. My sin put him upon the cross. So what I wanna say is is when you're going through these kind of things and you don't understand, you gotta walk by faith that god's working all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Kathy and I have never been able to reconcile or reason what's the purpose of this, you know, why this happened. But we know that God's on the throne. He's in control. He's sovereign. He allowed it, and and he's causing everything to work together for good. And it also provides a a real good testimony against the kingdom of darkness because you don't quit. You simply continue to tell the truth, teach the word, learn from it, confess your own sin, examine yourself, and then, and then move forward. So Jeremiah is bringing up here in the book of Lamentations. Hey, this is what I've personally gone through. So it brings credibility to your ministry. It brings credibility that you were willing to suffer for the Lord's namesake and and your rewards when you get to heaven. So I called upon thy name, o lord, out of the low dungeon. Remember when he was in the dungeon chapter 38? And thou hast heard my voice, hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Now Isaiah the prophet, Isaiah was cut in two by Manasseh, sawn in two. Jeremiah's gonna wind up being killed when he goes to Egypt. These guys are sore losers. They don't they don't want him to continue to live. They wanna grab him from Jerusalem and take him down to Egypt and kill him. And, tradition says that's what happened to him. So the martyrs, Jesus asked the religious leaders, which of the prophets did not your fathers kill? You know, they kill them all. Prophets. That's how prophets are treated. So ask yourself, how are Christians treated? How is Jesus treated? How are the apostles treated? When you're treated that way, don't think it's strange. You're in good company. We've been through a unbelievable time of peace and prosperity. And part of the way to maintain that peace and prosperity until the dollar crashes is to live in denial, to not say a word. Because the only ones that are persecuted for righteousness are those who stand up for the truth. Right? All they that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer Right? So you can negate it for a while. You can avoid it for a while. But ultimately, your life is gonna come down to a decision. And that decision is save myself or remain on the cross. Are you gonna remain on the cross? Thou has heard my voice. Hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drew near in the day that I called upon thee. So there's a testimony. You drew near. All this stuff outwardly is happening. You can't stop it. But Kathy and I can attest the Lord drew near. As we drew near to him, he drew near to us. And it wasn't just buildings. We had four deaths. Four key people in our lives die at the same time. And and our daughter going through horrific things and family things and just the devil was trying to get us to quit. And I remember the first night that we went to the Seventh day Adventist church, we rented the school to do a Sunday night bible study. And this one couple showed up, and they were sent there by the people that were trying to destroy the church. They actually went and knocked on doors of people that they never had nothing to do with, and they they they were trying to get them to leave our church. And many of them did. Many of them did. But those are those sects, those heresies are necessary for it manifests those that are approved. It's a trial that a church goes through, and those that come through it are the ones that are supposed to be there. Those that listen to the lies are the ones that the Lord's gonna take away. So anyway, this one couple was there. We never met him before, but I remember at the school there. And she expressed to me that the ringleader, one of the ringleaders that was trying to destroy us, you gotta understand, they called the state. They lied to the state to get the state to come in. They went door to door. They went door to door at Christmas time inviting people to their new churches and stuff. And and, you know, saying bad things about me. And so that night, she mentioned, yeah, he's so furious at you. He's so furious because he thought that you and Kathy would go back to California. He's so angry that you guys are still here. And we were only 10 people. But they wouldn't stop till they they wanted it destroyed. You know? And so I say this. This guy that was doing that and another guy that was doing it, both of them went through divorces because they wound up cheating on their wives. And they that hatred that they had toward me and toward Kathy and that self righteousness that they epitomized was a facade. It was it wasn't true. They weren't godly men. And so it basically backfired on them like Haman, where Haman built a gallows to destroy Mordecai, and he wound up hanging from his own gallows. So all you have to do is just be faithful with what's left. When the dust settles, there'll be something left. And in our case, there was 10 people. And so 10 people were enough to continue to meet, and we went over to the Seventh day Adventists, they were so sweet to us, and they continued to be sweet to us, and they let us rent their building. And we we're able to we're we're able to we're able to continue. So that's the pastor Chuck used to say, the best way to deal with your detractors. There's always gonna be detractors, people that try to talk you down and and all, is outlive your detractors. Yeah. Just outlive them. And that's that's where we're at today. So we're so so what I was saying here is with all these trials, I the number one thing I'm so thankful for is that we didn't quit. Now another thing you need to understand is when you're in this crucible, there will be people that come along, meaning well, offering you a really good job that will solve all your problems. There'll be ways to leave the ministry and say, hey. I been there, done that, and now I'm gonna go back into the workplace. And they're holding dangling money there, dangling money that can be yours if you just leave the ministry. So I had a woman that offered me her real estate business when they were moving, all of her clients, and so I could have done that. There's other opportunities that made themselves available, but I had to for me, it wasn't a struggle or a fight. I knew that I was supposed to be faithful. But I was trying to figure out before it all fell apart how we could keep it. And so I went to North Dakota, and I drove truck, and I sent back two payments for the Roxy while I was there. But then a whole bunch of people left the church. And I thought and the Lord spoke to me. You can't put a life support system on my church. I can't life support it. I already gave all my credit. I gave my equity. I gave the best years of my life. And now I'm gonna go, what, drive truck? And and at the time, they're making a lot of money there in the oil fields, and guys were making $10.15 grand a month. And so I went there and sent home two payments. The payments on the Roxy were, like, $3,300. And and I thought we're gonna rally. I thought we'd rally. I thought we'd all together rally, but they left. They just left. And so when I came back, I had 10 people. And so I began to just liquidate everything that's there. Kathy went on Craigslist, began to sell everything, sell it all, downsize. And where two or more are gathered, there he is in the midst. Right? So that's my testimony. That's what we went through. That's that's what we came through. And so my heart breaks for the guys that were fighting against the Lord. I wasn't fighting against the Lord. I was pleading with the Lord. I was begging the Lord. But he said, no, Rick, that season's over. I got a new season for you. So thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee. Thou said, fear not. 63 times in the Bible, a 144 times we hear fear ye not. Oh Lord, thou has pleaded the causes of my soul. Thou has redeemed my life. So Jeremiah can attest to the faithfulness of God. Cathy and I can attest to the faithfulness of God. Godliness with contentment is great gain, you know? We brought nothing into the world. It's certain we're gonna carry nothing out. Right? Oh, Lord, thou hast seen my wrong. Judge thou my cause. So, Lord, vindicate me. We want to be vindicated. And I hope and pray at the Bema Seat judgment that the Lord is gonna vindicate all of us. Right? Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me, so the plotting, the scheming. Thou has heard the reproach, o Lord, and all the imaginations against me, the strategies. The we're not ignorant of the devices of the wicked one. We we fight not against flesh and blood, but against spirits and principalities of the air. And the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty of God to the pulling down of strongholds. Those 10 people were godly people who prayed for Kathy and I, who continued to give, continued to serve, continued to stay with us and tell me that the holy spirit was still there. And so it was enough. It was enough for us to have some faith and to keep going. So Lord, thou hast seen my my wrong, judged thou my cause. Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. Thou has heard their reproach, oh Lord, and all their imaginations against me, the strategies, the lips of those who rose up against me and their plot against me all the day. You know, James talks about how powerful the tongue is, a means of destruction, tremendous destruction with our tongue. And I've told you guys over and over and over again that I've been a pastor of a a sick church. And the number one thing I've tried to plead with you is that that we not gossip, that we not slander, that we not backbite and tear down the sweetness and the beauty of what God's building with our tongues. God forbid that we would be the cause of taking something that's sweet and making it bitter. Behold, they're sitting down and they're rising up. I am their muse. What's that mean? I am their muse. What's that mean? I don't know what I was gonna ask you. Songs of scorn. They're making up ditties. They're making up songs of scorn. They're making fun of them? Making fun of Jeremiah. Do people make up songs of scorn to make fun of Jesus? Mhmm. Do they paint pictures to make fun of Jesus? Yeah. Does Noah Yuval Harari mock Jesus publicly? Yeah. Absolutely. Songs of scorn. Render unto them a recompense, oh lord, according to the work of their hands so God is not mocked. Galatians six verse seven. God is not mocked. Whatsoever man sows, that shall he also reap. Lord, work up a recompense. Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. So take away the party. Don't let them party. Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord. And guess what? The Lord is setting the stage and it's called Armageddon. Armageddon. All these enemies of the cross, they're all gonna be there. Yeah. Purgatory prayers. It's not we're not cursing. We're asking god to deal with us. Amen. Amen. And he will. Problem with that. He will. Going to anyway. Yeah. Yep. You're here because you had to save me. No. I didn't save you. God saved you. Yeah. And that's the other thing. Always remember that if you wimp out, if you quit, not just replace you with someone else. The work's gonna get done. You're the one that misses the blessing. Mhmm. All of us ever wonder, like All of us are replaceable. Takes so long. Pardon me? Like, I always wonder why, you know, like, you know, people say, oh, God was coming for you, but you know what I mean? But why did it take so long with me? I don't know why long, but I I have the joy and the blessing of watching God save you. Hallelujah. You dumped me. When we we give an appeal, an invitation, we never know who the Lord's gonna save that day Yep. Or if he will or whatever. So that's part of what keeps us going is is seeing the fruits, seeing the Lord continue to save, continue to minister, continue to take people that have been starving, haven't been taught the word of God, and then they come in and they start to be taught, and they start to grow, and it gives confirmation that we're in God's will. Amen. Right? Alright. Well, let's pray. Father, we come before you. Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for preparing us for what's up ahead. And Lord, the reality, the the tragedy of a world in rebellion against you and the apostasy, the church departure from the truth. And Lord, we thank you that regardless of all that stuff, Lord, you remain true. You are faithful. And that Lord, there's a work for us to do. And Lord, we pray that we'd be about our father's business that we'd occupy till you come, that we'd share the good news of your coming kingdom with those who are losing hope, that we'd share, Lord, your faithfulness for those who are being overwhelmed with fear as reality begins to bite, as reality begins to be undeniable for them, Lord. We pray that they would transition, they would let go and begin to walk by faith and not by sight. That they would have a faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God that you put a great appetite, a great desire, a great craving within their heart to know you through the study of your word. We pray that you'd raise up intercessors, prayer warriors, and people, Lord, that that will stand in the gap. And, Lord, we do pray for a miracle for America, that America won't have to go through such a cataclysmic end. God, pray that it would begin in the church, that your church would confess, that your church would come to repentance and confess our sins. And, God, that you bring a revival, Lord, as a result of that repentance. And so, Lord, we lift up Joanne once again and Eddie and Debbie and Clovis. We pray for this family. We pray for this wonderful saint of the Lord. Lord, you say in Psalm a 116, Lord, that precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. And, Lord, if you choose to take Joanne in that way, Lord, we rejoice with you. But Lord, we saw her on Mother's Day. She was so healthy. It's mind boggling, Lord, to see the decline. And God, we pray that the will to live would stimulate her heart and mind. We pray that the right doctors and nurses and family and advocates and all would be there to see her miraculously, Lord, come out out from the verge of passing, Lord. We lift up Nancy and pray you continue to help her to with the doctors to get her in that balanced condition, Lord. And we lift up our friend Lindsay. We lift up anybody else that's been sick or had a difficult time, Lord, that you're a God of comfort, you're God of hope. Your mercies are new each morning, Lord. So help us, we pray. Be with Rob, Lord. He'll Rob. He never gets sick. Lord, he's sick now. We pray that you help him feel better and help Kathy feel better. In Jesus' name, amen.
About This Podcast
Calvary Chapel Bremerton - Home Bible Study
Listen to Rick Beaudry, Pastor of Calvary Chapel Bremerton, lead our home Bible Study session in worship and teaching the Word of God. Be edified and built up in your faith with solid Bible teaching. New episodes released on Tuesdays in the Pacific Standard Timezone.
