Messages from the Youth and Young Adults

Well, as you can see, there's a slight labor shortage for today's service,

but that's okay. So today I'm going to tell you a story about

the Israelites in a time when they were homeless and lost in the desert.

And I'm going to ask you a question right now. Have you ever felt

spiritually homeless? Have you ever felt spiritually lost? How do you get out

of that situation? Luckily, the Israelites give us some guidelines through scripture.

So let's just see what happens Exodus fourteen, verse thirty one. And when

the Israelites saw the great power of the Lord displayed against the Agyptians, the

people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

So this happened right after the Israelites got out of Egypt. So they

were free at this point. They just crossed the Red Sea and they weren't

slaves anymore. God delivered them, and God delivers us two out of our

own personal egypts, our own personal slaveries. But the interesting thing is the

things actually didn't get better when the Israelites became free. They actually got worse.

And that's because the Israelites had lost their identity. They didn't know who

they were anymore, and God was going to give them that identity in him.

So the Israelites were free, and they were grumbling and complaining a lot

with that freedom in the wilderness. They weren't really having a good time.

And so Moses goes up on the mountain. It's been about three months,

and he's getting the law that these people clearly need. And while Moses is

up on the mountain for forty days Exodus thirty two, Verse one happens.

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,

they gathered around Erin and said, come make us gods who will go

before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt,

we don't know what happened to him. What are they doing now?

I'll just say that when I was younger, I used to read stories like

this and see these mistakes that people make in scripture, and I would say,

I would never do that. I'm better than these people are. I'm

not. I learned that now that these stories are really just patterns that,

unfortunately we repeat in our own lives. And I hope that these patterns can

help us to avoid some of these mistakes. But the truth is we're really

no better than the Egyptian the Israelites, and we're worse sometimes. So to

reiterate the Israelites, they want new gods. They don't want the God that

literally three months ago parted an ocean or a sea and allowed them to pass

through it, that delivered them from the tyrannical Egyptians that were subjugating them.

They don't need that God anymore. They want a new God. Okay,

that's what you want to do. So they get a new God. And

it's a calf, and it's golden, so it probably looks pretty good.

Not gonna lie. And it is interesting that a calf is an animal.

They're worshiping an animal, and just so happens that a lot of pagan nations

worship animals, the Egyptians worship animals. So what we're actually seeing here is

that the Israelites maybe physically removed from Egypt, but spiritually they've actually brought Egypt

with them. Does that ring true in our lives? Do we tend to

turn back to the places where God has just delivered us from? Do we

go back to our old habits, our old sins, And then I guess

the question is do you want God to reorient you at that point or do

you want to constantly be bouncing back and forth between Egypt and the wilderness.

So God punishes the Israelites, He re orients them, and they continue to

complain, and they're heading towards the Promised Land, which is their ultimate destination.

But the issue is, if they were to go from Egypt to the

Promised Land without having any sort of character change, one of two things would

happen. The most likely thing that would happen is they would arrive in the

Promised Land in Canaan and they would immediately start worshiping with the pagan people that

lived there. They would just join those clubs. They would be pagans.

The other thing that could potentially happen is they could come into the Promised Land

and they could establis, a tyranny just like the one they left in Egypt,

and they could start enslaving people. And God knows this, and so

God has them in the desert. God has us in the desert for the

purpose of preparing us for his promised lands. But we have to we have

to be obedient. We have to let these parts of us die in the

desert, the parts that maybe we learned in Egypt. We have to be

obedient. And it comes to the point where the Israelites are on the doorstep

of the Promised Lands. They're this close, but they flinch. They're afraid,

and they don't want to go in the Promised Lands because it turns out

that there is some work that they need to do in the Promised Land.

It's not like that's the end of their story. It actually is kind of

scary in there, to be honest. But if they trust in the Lord

and his promises, then they're going to be Okay, they're not going to

do that though numbers fourteen, verse thirty five. I the Lord have spoken,

and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community which has

banded together against me. They will meet their end in the desert here,

they will die. So you can read this like God punishing the Israelites.

But I almost wonder if God is really just making an observation here. He's

just saying they're not going in. So, yeah, they're going to die

in the desert. That's just what's going to happen. That's what it looks

like to me, and it's a shame. So I mean, I guess

I'm saying, are you going to be that wicked community that just refuses to

enter into the promise that God has for you even if it's scary, Or

are you going to be a younger generation that was actually obedient and was able

to enter the promised land after forty years of disobedience. I pray that none

of you stay in the desert for forty years. So to read it through

the story very quickly, Egypt for us our vices, sin that we need

to get out of because we become slaves to sin. God will deliver us

from that. When he does that, we enter into the desert. Things

get harder because you want to go back to the desert. We all do,

or to Egypt. I mean, it's like if you're an alcoholic you

stopped drinking. Do you feel better after you stop drinking? Maybe emotional you

feel good like, oh I did it. Physically you're in hell. You

are not feeling good. A toxic relationship, you cut someone off that you

know you shouldn't be around, you want to go right back to him.

That's the desert. It's a withdrawal, but the desert is also sanctification.

It's a place where God is training us. He's preparing us for the good

work that He has for us in the Promised Land. What is the promised

land? The Promised Land is coming into alignment with Jesus. It's joy,

it's peace, it's an adventure, and it's truly meaningful, beyond anything you

will find in this life, anything in Egypt. So let's strive to be

servants of Christ, not slaves in Egypt. And I'll just leave you with

this scripture that God actually told Moses to tell the Israelites before they were even

out of Egypt. And when I read this, imagine that God is saying

this to you, and not just to the Israelites. Because he is saying

it to you, He's saying it to all of us. Exodus six,

verse six. Therefore, say to the Israelites, I am the Lord,

and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I

will free you from being slaved to them, and I will redeem you with

an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as

my own people. And I will be your God. Then you will know

that I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out from under

the yoke of the Egyptians, and I will bring you to the land I

swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.

I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.

Well, a good morning once again in happy Sabbath. My name is Samuel,

and I'm here at Reaching Hearts. Uh. If you can't tell already,

I my profession, I guess is I cook. I work at Alton

House as a senior center. And if you were to ask me, like,

let maybe you choose, I guess that line of work. I'll have

to do credit to one of those people. With my dad now, growing

up, I remember just seeing him work at our in our kitchen out home,

and you know, he would also be messing around with recipes and stuff

like that. He was a big fan of garlic, by the way,

I nson garlic like that was his go to the house smelled nice and it's

just something that I remember, you know, it brought the family together.

There's a lot of good memories and of course, also just as important to

him was spiritual food. You know, he was very active as well as

in church and growing up. You know that stuck with me. And when

Pastor Pastor Nick asked me to do a Lowisammernette, I knew that. You

know, this was another another time that I could say thank you to Dad,

you know, for being such a role model and how important it is

not only with life lessons in cooking, but as well as spiritual food as

well. So, if you don't mind, let's have a quick word of

prayer, Our Harley Father, Please remove me in this moment from any selfish

words or acts. Lord, this is the time I give to you to

use me as a vessel, to use me as a blessing for others.

Lord. Without you, I can do nothing. Thank you Lord for this

moment. And Jesus name Amen. If I had a title from my sermonants,

I would I would say it's a recipe for discipleship, and I'll give

it to you right now. It's only two ingredients. The first ingredient is

to know God and love him forever, and the second one is to tell

others so that they can know God and love Him forever. Now why specifically

this, Well, it's actually a not to my favorite Bible character, which

is found in Luke ten. I'm not sure we have the scripture on screen

there. It is Luke ten, verse forty and just kind of a little

premise. You know, Jesus was out with his disciples. He stopped by

this place of Mary and Martha, their sisters, of course, and my

favorite. I'll just have to read it to you. It says, but

Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached him and said, the

Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?

Therefore, teller to help me. Now, there is just so much.

It's literally just a few scriptures, but it's just it means so much

to me for someone who works in the hospitality world. I'm sorry, what

does that mean? I had to move this? How's that it's a better

Okay? I want to unpack this and why Martha is my favorite Bible character.

First we have to read but Martha was distracted. For any of you

that works in the kitchen or really in hospitality, you know, it can

sometimes be hard. It could be very high stressed, can be not enough

health. I feel Martha and what she's going right now. But I have

to insert this because sometimes we give Martha, you know, the bad rep

and this part of the story. But could it be that even serving with

Jesus nearby, that Martha Martha was not content just to be near Jesus.

But let's go on, and she says, and she approached him and said,

Laurie, do do not care that my sister has left me to serve

alone? I'm Martha more often times not that my focus is not on him.

And what happens is we tend to, despite you know, our strengths

and the talents that God gives us, when we don't have Christ center,

not focus on him. We tend to compare ourselves to others. And we

noticed because the verse continues on saying, do you not care that my sister

has left me just serve alone? Therefore tell her, He's telling Jesus is

therefore tell her to help me. But the verse goes on, and Luke

chapter ten, versets on by saying that, and Jesus answered and said to

Martha Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but

one thing is needed. And Mary has chosen that good part which will not

be taken away from her, and what is that? What do I want?

I see that from my line of work. For one, being a

disciple. Part of being a disciple, I should say, is being at

the feet of Jesus. And that's what Mary was and that's what was needed

at that time. But also you know, being Martha, you know she

was serving the Lord. When you take your eyes off God, it's so

easy fall into that trap where you compare yourself to others. And believe me,

I get it. You know, sometimes in the restaurant industry, you

know, things get out of hands. Like I said, you're understaffed.

You know, you feel like it's not fair. And many times, you

know, I sometimes work on Friday nights, so I'm not even involved with

some of the church activities that I would love to be. You know,

I compare myself to other people. It's like, Jesus, is is it

really fair? You know, I'm still working and you know why me?

But then I have to remember I had to remember Mary. And this key

point. A blessing Jesus gives keeps a person in a relationship with him.

Who are we to ask Jesus to take it away? A blessing Jesus gives

to someone in a relationship with him. Why do I tell Jesus to take

it away? You know? Yeah, it's sometimes is definitely lonely, so

she won't work in Sabbath, you know, people got to eat and I

don't always go to church at times. But this story reminds me time and

time again that perhaps what I'm doing in that moment in service with God can

actually keep me in content with Him, knowing that he put me there,

because otherwise I'm not where I'm supposed to be. I could be on a

path not going towards Heaven. And I have to stop myself comparing my life

to other people that they have more money, or that they have more time,

or they have traveling, you know, all the stuff that I currently

don't have. You know what, that's okay. If that's the blessing God

can give them, then the least I can do is just be present,

be fully in service with God and be content. And for one thing,

Altonhouse, where I work, I know for a fact that God gave me

that job. I was literally at a low point in my life. I

was going to move back home with my parents, and it was literally within

hours that I was about to board the blessed back to New York, where

my family lives. And then I was actually still here in Maryland's and I

received the phone call because one of my friends put a good request for a

cooking job, and I answered it. I was like, I was talking

to my future boss. It's like, you know what, I don't think

this work out. For one, you know, I don't have a place

to stay. And he then told me, well, you can actually stay

right where you work. And he and I also like, you know,

I still have a car, so it's really hard to you know, work

around with that. And he says, you know what, we can work

with it. And I realized in that moment, you know, even though

I don't know, you know what the next day holds, just being able

to trust in God he will take care of the rest. And like I

said, I get it. I get it. Sometimes adulting is hard.

So for all you younger people out there, I appreciate it really because it's

not always going to be easy. So what's the takeaway again? The recipe

for discipleship for me, it's to know God and love them forever. And

that's a daily struggle. But when I allow that every morning. I am

content even in those low points, in those high stressful times. And it's

second thing is to tell others so that they can know God and love them

forever. Why not, that's the whole reason why we were put on earth.

Heaven is the goal. And perhaps even those struggles with families or sometimes

think it's just not fair, Maybe it's just what you're currently going through is

going to keep you on the road to heaven. And you can share those

high and low points with other people so that they also want to go.

Let us pray, Jesus, your family is here. I'm here not by

any accident. There was a reason that we're here and reaching hearts, and

that is to be constantly be reminded of the many blessings that you bestow personally

to us. Lord, So help us to not forget, help us to

remember what you've done, what you are doing, and what you will do

in our lives. And how was to give that courage to share that testimony,

to share that faith with others so that we can all be together in

heaven as a family. This is my prayer in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank good morning, Church, Happy save to you all. I am very,

very happy to be given another opportunity to do a sermonette. If you

remember the last time I did this, I needed a stool in order to

be able to be able to stand off on the pocket. Now, the

grace of God, I am tall enough to be able to stand comfortably,

So thanks to me to God. Anyways, today I'll be talking about Daniel

and what he did and the people he was involved with, Nebuchadnezzar, and

how he trusted God no matter how bad it God. Along with Nebuchadnizzar he

also did so he also helped out. All right. But before I begin,

let's open up with the word of prayer. Father, we thank you

for his day. We thank you for your protection over us. We'll keeping

us safe, for bringing us all here the church to be able to listen

to the word. Pray that you will help me to be able to get

the message out to everyone who needs it so that they two can also follow

you jusam my favorite Thanksgiving. Amen. All right, So our story begins

in Daniel one as Daniel and his friends Hennaniah, Michelle, and Azariah are

taken captive by the King of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar, now Nebuchadnezzar is well a

ruthless person. He takes so he according to Daniel one verse one, it

says that in the third year of the reign of Jehoah Kim, King of

Judah, Nebuchadnezar, King of Babylon, king to Jerusalem and besieges it.

He takes over the city. And then it goes on to say in verse

two, and the Lord gave Jehoah Kim, King of Judah, into his

hand with some of the articles of the House of God and carried into which

he carried into the land of China to the House of His God. And

he brought the articles into the treasure house of his God. So he goes

to Jerusalem, takes over, and then he takes the articles of God as

well. But that's not the only thing he takes. He also instructs astronauts.

According to verse three, the master of his unics to bring some of

the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles.

That's where Daniel and his friends come in. Now they're just living normal

lives, just relaxing, doing what normal kids do, and their time,

and then all of a sudden, souldiers rush into their city and it's gone

wasteland. The temple is destroyed, buildings are destroyed, people are wailing,

screaming. The norm for pain, grief, whatever you feel if you've lost

and your home, basically, if you will. So Daniel and his friends

are taken to Babylon, where they are supposed to serve in the king's palace.

So the king decides to give them some of his food. Food that's

honor to God's his best choice of food. Now most people go consider this

an honor. It would be an honor to be able to eat from the

king's to eat what the king would eat, if you will. But Daniel

and his friends knowing that this is not the type of food that they eat.

So it says in verse eight, Daniel purposed in his heart that he

would not defile himself with the portion of these king's delicacies, nor with the

wine which he drank. He would not defile himself. For those of you

who do not know what that means, it means still it, well,

yeah, I really much it. Oh yeah, So he would not defy

with self himself with portions of the king's food, so Daniel instead ask the

unis. He asked that instead of eating the king's choice of food, that

they'd be tested for ten days with vegetables is what most versions would say.

Some say seeds, which has to do with fruits. Grains also vegetables,

still the same things. So after much persuasion, the chief of the unis

decides to listen to their request and test them for ten days. And after

ten days he finds that Daniel and his friends. In verse fourteen, it

says at the end of ten days, their features appeared better and fatter in

flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king's delicacies.

Now, kids, this means you gotta eat your fruits and vegetables. All

right, eat your fruits and vegetables, and you'll be better, bigger,

stronger. That's good for you. But that's not the only lesson we have

to take away from Daniel chapter one, or from this part of Daniel.

Just because others do something doesn't mean that we have to do what they're doing.

We are leaders, so as it's our job as leaders to set an

example for others. So if that means that we have to do something that

most people would not do. Or everyone's doing something, but we are not

doing that thing. It's because we know what God wants for us, all

right, amen. So it goes on to show, and I learned from

my Sabbath school class Professor Nick's simplified it in another way, God's way is

greater than man's way. So as you can see in Daniel, they were

given a certain choice of food, the King's food that was not to be

eaten by well us I knew. So instead, Daniel and his friends decided

to choose God's way. They decided to eat fruits, vegetables, grains,

drink water, things that would help them be healthy. And as a result,

they were better fatter then most of the others that ate the king's food.

And not only that, but it also says in verse twenty of Daniel,

chapter one, and in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the

King examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and

astrologists who were in all his realm. So not only did God help them

make the right choice in that situation, he blessed them for making that choice.

He gave them more wisdom, more knowledge, so that is pure proof

that God's way is always better than man's way. Now moving on to not

nebucan ness his first dream, but his second dream, because this is where

nebucan Nesser's part comes to play in the most Sober has a second dream.

There's a tree in the middle of giant plain. Surrounded might mean nothing.

There are birds flocking to the tree. They nest in the tree. There's

fruit in the tree, can eat from the tree if you wish, and

animals land animals find shade under the tree. And then a holy watcher comes

down from heaven and says, cut down the tree, strip off the branches,

and leave the stump in the ground. So obviously Neverchannzzard is confused by

this dream, so he asks Daniel to interpret it for him, and Daniel

says, and Daniel explains to him, says to the dream in the dream

that in second and Daniel chapter four, verse twenty two, he says,

it is you, o King, who have grown and becomes strong, for

your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens and your dominion to the ends

of the earth. So in essence, Daniel is saying that King Nevichandnzzar is

the tree, and continuing on verse twenty three, and inasmuch as the king

saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying,

chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in

the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass

of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven. And

let him graze with the beasts of the field till seven times pass over him

Verse twenty four. This is the interpretation o king, and this is the

decree of the Most High which has come upon my lord, the King.

So Daniel goes on to say that he shall be driven from men, and

he will be living with the beasts of the field, and he will eat

grass like oxen, and he will continue. He shall be what would the

do of heaven until seven times pass over him. Then he will know that

the Lord is the most Higher rules in the Kingdom of Heaven, and he

gives it to whom he will. So never Kinzer hears this, but does

he actually make the choice to turn to God. Unfortunately, one day he's

walking around his castle and he's he's walking around his castle, and he says,

is this not the kingdom I have built by my power, my majesty?

He goes this, my that no, And so God's the voice from

heaven then says sorry. A voice from heaven then says that. A voice

from heaven then says that he shall be now driven from man to be made

to eat with the oxen, and he shall be what would they do of

heaven until seven times pass over him? Now upon saying this, Nebuchadnezzar,

it comes an animal and is wet with the do of heaven. After being

cast out of the kingdom, he walks around on his bare feet, on

all fours like oxen eats grass. And then there's seven times pass over him,

it says in verse thirty four. At the end of the time,

i'd Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me.

And what did he do? He says, and I bless them most high,

and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an

everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. Friends, if

we ever feel lost, all we have to do is turn to God and

he'll show us the way, and then now on to Daniel five, because

Belshazzar also comes into play in this story. Now Belshazzar is having a feast

at this time, drinking, eating, being married, what most kings would

do in a time like this, And then he decides to bring in the

gold and silver vessels taken from Jerusalem and use them as cups in order to

praise his gods while drinking out of them at the same time. Not obviously

this offends the Lord God. So once they have praised their gods of wood,

stone, iron, clay, what have you? A man's hand appears

on a wall and then writes mena mena TAKEO farson, you know this already,

And Daniel comes in afterwards, after no astrologer can explain, and Daniel

says, keep your gifts or give them to someone else, because Belshazzar has

said that whoever can explain the dream to me, well not the dream.

They ever can explain them writing on the wall will be given riches and be

third highest ruler in the land. So Daniel says in verse eighteen, O,

King the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzer, your father a kingdom and majesty

and gloria and honor. He says this, and he also says that he

will never get Anzer had everything, but he didn't follow God. He didn't

do what God wanted him to do. So, unfortunately, when his heart

was lifted up in verse twenty, when his heart was lifted up and his

spirit was hardened in pride, he was disposed from his keenly throne, and

they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of

man. His heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with

the wild donkeys. And after David, after Daniel says all this, he

then goes on to say to Belshazzar, you knew all this, but you

are still not sorry for the things you have done. So God himself sent

the writing on the wall which you now see, Manee, means that God

has number your kingdom and finish it. And to call you have been weighed

in the balances and found wanting and Paris, your kingdom has been has been

divided to the Meads and Persians. Friends, let us not be like Bounsiza,

who unfortunately lost his way, and even though he was given a chance

to turn to God. He didn't take it, and unfortunately he died a

tragic death. So let us not be weighed and found wanting amen. And

then there's the story of Daniel. When Daniel the lines. Then when the

new king, King Darius, has made a decree that everyone should pray for

thirty days, and those who do not shall be thrown into the lions den.

Now this law was made by his official, his other officials. Of

course, Daniel was not aware of this law. But once he was aware

of it, he could have been like any other person and say, all

right, I'll stop, I'll stop praying to God for thirty days, and

then once the thirty days have ended, I'll go back to praying. But

no, he stayed faithful to God, and he trusted that God would deliver

him in this situation, so he continued to pray to God. He was

caught, he was put in the lions den, but he didn't stay there

forever. In the morning, when the sun rose, King Darius went back

to the den and said, Daniel, has the Lord your God saved you?

And Daniel answered, my God has saved me from the mouth of the

lions, and they have not hurt me. Friends, if we can put

our trust in God, no matter how hard it gets, then we won't

worry about what others may say or do to us, because if God is

with us, who can be against us. So, friends, there are

some important parts I want you to take this. I mentioned them already,

but I mentioned them again. Daniel trusted God no matter how bad it got.

From Daniel's situation with never can Nezzar and how he planned to kill all

the wise men because they could not answer one dream all the way to the

lions, then even what happened with Daniel's friends, it's all part of what

happened to Daniel. But Daniel trusted God. His friends also trusted God,

and God delivered them. Now Nevercannzzar wasn't that great a person. He destroyed

Jerusalem, took holy things from the temple and Daniel and his friends as long

as well as other nobles. He did a lot of bad things, but

after he lost his way, he then turned to God. So, friends,

even someone who feels lost can turn to God. Belshazzar, unfortunately,

was no better than his father. He was obsessed with parties, drinking,

and when he disrespected God. After drinking out of the sacred cups of Jerusalem.

It was over. His life was finished. He had the chance to

turn back, and he did it. So, like I said, he

died a tragic death. Fortunately, that faith can be ours if we don't

trust God, if we don't put our faith in Him, if we don't

hold on to his words. So we must continue to put our trust in

God. If we continue to trust in God, he will lead us out

of any situation. So, friends, let us remember to continue to put

our faith in God, because, as it says in Him five nine,

trust and obey. If there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than

to trust and obey. Let's end with the word of prayer. Father,

we thank you for today's sermon. Thank you for helping me to get the

message out to everyone, and I pray that you will help us to be

able to share this message with other people who need to hear it, and

help us to continue to put our faith and our trust in God because we

know that you will lead us out of nby situation if we trust and obey.

Jessy my prayer, thanksgiving, Amen, God bless me. Hello,

good afternoon, Sorry, hello, hello, So when we were asked to

speak. They told me speak about your favorite Bible character. I was like,

okay, well that's easy because I already know who that is. It's

David. And I have a few reasons why David is my favorite Bible character.

He was a man after God's own heart. It says in First Samuel

thirteen fourteen, it says, but this is Samuel speaking to King Saul,

and he says, but now your kingdom will not endure. The Lord has

sawt out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people,

because you have not kept the Lord's command. So the number one reason

why I love David is because he's called a man after God's own heart,

and that to me is a beautiful thing. Honesty, praise, and sorrow.

These are the three reasons that I hold dear as to why David was

called a man after God's own heart. Number one is because he was honest.

And when we look, when we look throughout Psalm, you can open

almost anywhere and recognize that David knew the heart of God, he knew God,

his honesty with God. In Psalm one thirty nine, he says,

you have searched me, Lord, and you know me, he says in

verse twenty three, Search me, God and know my heart, Test me

and know my anxious thoughts. He was open with God. He was very

open with God. He laid everything that he had, all of his thoughts,

all of his anxieties, of his any anger, any pride. He

laid everything open and before God. I've taken a lot of classes, but

one that stood out to me. This is actually one of my pe teachers,

and he said, putting God in his place tends to land you in

yours. And that brings me to the second point is David, praise to

God throughout Psalms. You have a lot of content in there. But throughout

Psalms he was giving glory and praise to God. He says in Psalm ninety

two five, how great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts?

And in Psalm one of four one, praise the Lord my soul,

Lord, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with splendor

and majesty. He had an understanding of who God was. He says in

twenty five six, remember Lord, your great mercy and love, for they

are from old. And in forty eleven do not withhold your mercy from me,

Lord, May your love and faith fulness always protect me. His honestness

and openness with God and his praise of God helped him to recognize the attributes

of God, because when you open psalms and you look, he's continually speaking

about his love, his faithfulness, his mercy, over and over and over

again. He's giving praise to God for these attributes. A quote by Desmond

Ford is that God is better than we ever considered, and we are worse

than we ever suspected. Putting God in his place and recognizing our place is

that God is better than we've ever considered, her ever imagined. And there's

many people that will say differently, for sure, but we're also worse than

what we suspect. And for anybody who's fallen, you know that it almost

comes as a surprise to you of how how negative, or how bad or

the things that you thought you could never do. So it's been stated that

the moment where David was considered to be most a man after God's own heart

is in the story of Absalom and in Second Samuel thirteen through eighteen. I

don't have time to expound on it, but it starts with the story of

Amnun and Tamar, and basically Amin is the oldest son of David and Absalom

is the third oldest, and he had a sister. Absalom had a sister

named Tamar, and Amnun fell in love with her and ended up raping her,

and so Absalom got upset and killed his brother and then flees the city.

Then Absalom, after a woman, comes before David and convinces him that

that's not what God wants and he wants to restore Absalom returns to Jerusalem.

So this is just a brief overcap. So Absalom, once he does return

to Jerusalem, starts a conspiracy against his father. He starts he starts visiting

with people outside of the gate of that where they come to request basically the

mercy of the king in certain situations, it's like a court. And so

he would sit out there and he would say, oh, you have a

just case, you have a right? You have you if I were in

this place, then I would do such. And so he started for four

years, he started gaining them or rallying the people and gaining popularity, and

so David had ends up having to leave the city because Absalom got together an

army and was going to take Jerusalem. So David flees, and then there's

a war, and then, as most of you probably know, Absalom is

death. He's riding on a mule and gets his long hair caught in a

tree, and I think it's Joe. Ab comes and kills Absalom. And

then in second and Samuel in second Samuel eighteen thirty three. This is David's

reaction to hearing his death, of his death. The king was shaken.

He went up to a room over the gateway and wept as he went.

He said, oh, my son, Absalom, my son, my son,

Absalom, if only I had died instead of you, Oh, Absalom,

my son, my son. This is where you can see most clearly

the reflection of the heart of God and David, because he had a son

that he rebelled against him, and he wanted him dead. He wanted to

take the kingdom from him. And even with all of the war going on,

with all of the injustices done to David, he still said, my

son, if only I had died instead of you. He has such a

mercy and love for his son. There's a verse that I didn't add in,

but it's in. If he turned back to Second Samuel fourteen, verse

fourteen, it's the woman who came to David to try to convince him to

bring Absalom back. And it says like water is billed on the ground which

cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God

desires. Rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain

banished from him. I wish I had it up on the screen because it's

so beautiful. God devises ways to bring back banished people. He doesn't keep

people banished, he doesn't cast people from his presence forever. He devises ways

to bring them back. And that's beautiful. So honesty, praise, and

sorrow. Honesty because being honest with ourselves, being honest with God, and

being honest with others is important for relationship. Any of you who have long

marriages probably know that honesty is very important. And praise because once we realize

who we are and who God is, we can do nothing but praise and

then sorrow because I have friends, and my best friends are the people that

have been through everything with me, have been through the hard moments, the

worst moments, and if we want to draw close to God, we have

to have the same expectation of is. If he's a friend to me,

I need to be a friend of him. So to understand what breaks the

heart of God. David understood what hurt and what broke the heart of God.

He understood on a level of everything that was going on in his life

personally. But that's a reflection of the same sorrow that God himself held in

his heart when his son died. I'm going to end on this quote by

John Peckham's God enjoys and is deeply affected by reciprocal relationships with humans. He

wants to restore us, but he wants to draw close. He wants to

be close. And I'd like to propose that being honest with God and with

yourself and praising God and understanding the sorrows that God goes through our three avenues

of drawing close to God, drawing close to the heart of God, and

encourage you to just fall in love with Jesus because he's so in love with

you. He's so in love with you, and just like that verse said

in Second Samuel fourteen fourteen, he doesn't desire that people are banished forever.

Complete opposite, he devises plans to seek you. In Psalm twenty three,

it says and says, pursue me all the days of my life. And

when it says, what actually says, Yeah, pursue all the days of

my life, your love. She'll pursue me all the days of my life.

And that's a beautiful thing because it is a pursuit. God seeks to

be united with you. God seeks to have a relationship with you. Let's

say a quick prayer. They're having a father, God, thank you again

for Sabbath. Thank you again for your mercies and your love and our life

got it, asked it, just like David, and a solid relationship with

you God, because he understood who you were. God, I ask you

please give us clarity on who you are. God, that you draw us

close, that you'd help us to be open and honest. But God,

that you'd please hold us together in our sorrows, help us to understand better.

In Jesus name, I pray Aman