Psalms | Psalm 148

Good morning. My name is Alan.

How are y'all doing today? Being cheered on, I like it.

Hello. Hello.

Well I am going to attempt to walk through psalms with us

today. And but first, I want to say

man, I love getting to watch you sing.

If you're here all the time, if you're new here again, my name

is Alan. If you hear a lot, you see me up

here a lot and I say it all the time that I love getting to

watch you. Sing, I love getting to watch us

worship together and sing out phrases that we can sing as a

body. That say, Behold Him for, he is

our savior. He is Jesus.

The Messiah and we're going to talk a lot about that.

Today we're going to talk about salvation coming through our

Lord today and how that is great and good good news and so I'm

happy to be up here. I don't do this very often I

would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous because

I feel I have a hard time communicating my thoughts in a

communicative all way. A lot of times it's just very

difficult for me. If you don't believe me, you

should see interactions with like me just talking to my kids

and Shay just looking like, what's happening?

Now and I think that I understand what I'm saying but

no one else seems to ever think that they understand what I

think of that, I understand what I'm saying.

So we're going to try to get through it today but first I've

got to say it's my mom's birthday so happy birthday Mama.

Happy birthday. I love you very very much and

thank you for all that you have just always done for me.

So it's a birthday like today. It's not in a few days.

So I got to say it. We're not going to sing Happy

Birthday yet. We can later, if this starts to

go south, y'all just start singing.

Happy Birthday! It'll be fine!

I'll get the cue will wrap it up.

Okay, okay so we're in we're in Psalms so we're what we call our

summer of Psalms. We do this every year, we walk

through different songs during the summer with the hope that

these are collections of songs that we can sing out to God and

bring praise to him. And so we try to break some of

them down last week, Steve talked about Psalm 131 and it

had some it was only three verses.

So well done with three verses. I think I would be done.

Now that's all I have is just three verses.

I'll be like well I read them, there you go.

But it said language like do not do not have haughty eyes or do

not do not see yourself as high and lifted up.

So it wanted us to To see the almightiness of the Lord and it

said for us to rely on the Lord paraphrasing a little bit, but

like a weaned child. And man, that that hit me hard.

Because most of the time I think of like, dependency as like a

small little baby. Right?

So when they're first born, they are completely dependent upon

their parents, but a weaned child is a lot more than just a

dependency on your parents. So Wayne just means they're

starting to come to understand, but they're completely content

with the Lord. And so I'm blessed in that, that

kind of part in my life right now, with my two kids is that

most of the time, not all the time.

They're starting to get out of that stage, but most of the time

they are happy when they're just with me and Shay.

Like we don't have to be doing anything.

You know, the more that we do, I guess the happier they get at

times but most of the time, if they're just with us their

content because they depend on us and they love us that much.

And so this Psalm talked about not trying to understand things

that we can understand not seeing ourselves as too high and

mighty but to have that kind of relationship with the Lord that

we are. We're just happy to be in his

presence. And so, so often I'm not, I'm

always trying to do my own Or do it doing something in the Lord's

part of it? And so, man, I really love that

word last week so that was last week.

Psalm 131 I thought it was really good, so this week we're

going to be. If you've got your Bible, you

can go ahead and turn there. It's going to take us a minute

to get where we read it, but it'll be in Psalm 148.

And we actually sing a song last week and this week, that was

titled that. Oh, praise him.

I think that's the name. I'm not sure what the name of

this song. Praise His Name is the name of

the Sonic driver says, oh praise him quite a bit in it.

But praise praise His name. So we're going to attempt to

answer kind of an age-old question today.

That is, why am I here? What's the purpose of life?

What's the meaning of life? Why are we doing this?

What's it all about? Why am I here?

So I figured I'd take the biggest theological, you know,

or cultural question ever, we'll just all explain it.

But before we get there, I want to, I want to State a couple

things. So Most of us I think would

agree. It leaks.

It is with me and what our culture teaches is that our

purpose while we're here is generally to make ourselves

happy. This isn't from a Biblical

perspective, this is just how we do things in life in general.

If If you want some evidence of that, I'm going to, I'm going to

use some WWE quotes. Don't hate me for this.

Okay, I really like, yeah, there we go.

It's all for you, buddy. They say things like this.

Some of the really quotable things are.

He's got him Triple H and he would say things like, I'm the

game and I'm that good. There's a guy named them is it

would say I'm The Miz and I'm awesome.

Bret Hart, used to say, I'm the best.

There is the best there was and the best there ever will be

Hulk. Hogan, would say what you going

to do when Hulkamania runs wild on you.

Guy named Steve Austin would say and that's the bottom line.

Why? Because Stone Cold said so,

There's a guy right now. His name is Roman Reigns.

His big catch phrase is acknowledge me.

So in all this, I know that silly, but in all this, it is

some way to Puff ourselves up, right?

It's a way to say acknowledge me.

And that last one acknowledge me is something that I've never

heard somebody with the gumption to go around and just say

acknowledge me. I want you to acknowledge me,

but you know what? I do.

See, I see on Facebook all the time.

Or I'll see you on Twitter. I'll see you on Instagram or

hear stories. Because it's about acknowledge

my faults acknowledge my opinions, that knowledge, My

Views acknowledge. What I want you to hear me.

Say acknowledge all of this and so we tend from just a worldly

perspective, all the time to Puff ourselves up or at least I

do, maybe maybe that's just me. But I look at things like for me

on like Facebook and I've heard that it's called, you know, like

a you can it's like a town square and you can voice all

kinds of things and that's true. But the thing about town squares

is there was also a lot of Village idiots in those Town

squares. And so, for me, anytime that I

would ever get on there, I would be the big village idiot and I

would try to put myself up. And so what we're going to look

at today is that puffing ourselves up?

Like we talked about last week is in contrary to God's word and

we're going to talk about why. So if our purpose isn't just to

make ourselves happy, if our purpose isn't just a puff

ourselves up, if our purpose isn't to succeed in business or

succeed in a job or commenting and Min ago, make money or hold

on to all of this stuff, if all of that is fleeting, Then what

is our purpose? There's a there's a quote from

Tom Brady. Back in like 2005.

I think you'll probably know Tom Brady's, pretty good and he had

won three, Super Bowls. By the time, he was 27 and

there's a really cool clip of him and interviewer was just

asking and he said, what what's next, you know, like what's

what's your favorite ring? Whatever and he says, my next

one, my next one is my favorite and then they keep going a

little bit and he says we've done all this stuff.

So what's like, what are you going to do next?

And his answer. A little heartbreaking as he

goes, you know, about 27, I've done everything that I know to

do. There's got to be more than

this. There has to be and the

interviewer goes, what is that? And he goes, I don't know.

I wish I knew I wish I knew, I wish I knew what else there was.

And so there's more all of that long get around and saying

there's more and when some of the recent stuff in our day with

Roe versus Wade which Kyle you did a fantastic job a couple

weeks ago, explaining the significance of that.

But why does it matter that we can celebrate?

if there's not more, right? So if from the world tells us

that we're here and then we're gone and then it doesn't matter.

Why does it matter so much? That we celebrate life.

And so we're going to get into that a little bit this morning,

that's all my WWE. It's almost say about WWE.

There's there's a lot of life lessons their kids.

I'm just saying go home and watch it.

So our purpose, I believe at a cord level, I think the Bible

teaches it is to glorify God. That's why we're here.

We are here to glorify the Lord. We are here to praise His name

as we sang about. Not to Puff ourselves up.

Not to be haughty but to praise His name and his name alone for

he is exalted. So let's go to Psalm 148, I'm

going to pray before we read and then I'm just going to read all

of Psalm 148. So let's pray first.

Lord, we love you. I thank you for your word.

I thank you that we get to come together corporately as one body

And sing out your praises. And speak to how good you are.

Speak to how Just You Are. And just to say, thank you.

Thank you for your revealing yourself to us through your

word. For we love you in Jesus Christ

name. Amen, amen.

Okay, Psalm 148. It starts.

It's got a little heading and it just says, praise the name of

the Lord. So we're going to start in verse

1. It says it says, praise the

Lord. Praise the Lord from the

heavens, Praise Him in the Heights, praise him all his

angels, praise him. All his hosts, Praise Him, sun

and moon. Praise him.

All you shining stars, Praise Him.

You highest heavens and you Waters above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded that they

were created and he established them forever and ever.

He gave a decree and it shall not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth. You great sea creatures, and all

deeps fire, and hail snow and missed stormy.

Wind fulfilling his word mountains.

And all Hills fruit, trees, and all Cedars beasts, and all

livestock creeping things, and flying birds Kings of the earth,

and All Peoples, princes, and all rulers of the earth, young

men and maidens together. All men.

And children, let them praise the name of the Lord, for his

name. Alone is exalted.

His majesty is above Earth, and Heaven.

He has raised up a horn for his people.

Praise for all his Saints, for the people of Israel who are

near to him. Praise the Lord.

Mmm, Mmm. So a couple things that I want

to start here. Is this, this little slogan?

Praise the Lord. So Psalms is it's a collection

of writings that all kind of have a this this story that is

is really pointing to the Redemption of Israel, there's

Victory coming, there's Victory coming.

And so it kind of starts, you know, proclaiming is praising as

it kind of moves on. We see the kind of the rise of

David King, David and then The fall.

And then it's kind of a story and as it ends it ends with

these last five books, the conclusion of Psalms and they

all start with, praise the lord. And there are looking for this

coming Messiah. And so they all start and end

146 on, 146 through 150, they all start and end with praise

the Lord, which is can be broken down into The Fray Just Praise

yah or Hallelujah. And so that in essence is what

it's saying. Hallelujah.

And an interesting thing with the word.

Hallelujah. Is that a lot of times, I think

we might even sing it. Or we'll say it as, like, a way

to talk to the lord. It's actually a phrase that

would be used like, To each other.

So I would be saying, you know to Jasper.

Hallelujah is saying. Hey you Jasper, praise the Lord.

So when we say hallelujah, it's a corporate phrase that we can

all say together that we are encouraging each other.

To praise the Lord. So this is written when it's

saying this, it's say it's really talking to us as the

reader, praise the Lord, you who's reading this, let's praise

the Lord together and then it starts listing out some things

and so it starts and ends. By saying you praise the Lord,

and then it'll kind of list some reasons why.

And so this song breaks down into two, main parts, it breaks

down into saying, praise the Lord really everything in the

skies and the heavens. And then the second part of it

is, praise the Lord everything on Earth and inner that kind of

breaks it into two parts of creatures.

And then us as people And so, verses 1 through 6, if we look

at them, I'm going to read them again.

Real fast. Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens, Praise Him in the

Heights, praise him all his angels, praise him.

All his hosts, Praise Him, sun and moon.

Praise him. All you shining stars, Praise

Him. You highest heavens and you

Waters above the heavens. If you've been in Sunday school

whenever we started it, we talked a lot about the very

creation and this sounds very familiar.

It's got some of that same language, so He is stating that

the Sun, the moon, all of the heavens Stars, Heavenly angels.

We'll all and should all praise the Lord.

And this is significant because science or culture or whatever

you want to call. It would say, a lot of these

things are just in adamant is that the right word inanimate

objects in eight objects. An atom.

Is that right inanimate? They don't move, they don't move

around. It just is this A rock in the

sky right? Tapping to be there.

It's just a son it's just stars and just they they are born and

then they die and then that's it which is pretty bleak.

If you think like if you relate that to us this is important

because right there in verse 5 it says let them praise the

Lord, why it says for he commanded and they were created.

He established them forever and ever, he gave a decree and it

shall not pass away. Which blows my mind to look up

in the sky or to think about this and know that the Lord

created these things for the purpose to glorify his name.

They're not just happenstance or not just by chance that they

that they happened, the Lord created, and the Lord made these

things to worship him to praise His name.

From Angels. The Stars he has decreed exactly

how our solar system is going to go is decreed exactly how the

Earth's going to turn is decreed exactly how daytime and

nighttime will happen. He has made all of this.

For his glory. Verse seven, it changes in goes

to the Earth. Praise the Lord from the earth,

you great sea creatures, and all deeps.

We just went to anybody go to the beach this year.

So far. Yeah, like everyone not yet.

Who's going to the beach? Yeah, there you are.

There's some creepy things in the beach, all know that making

the water. Some creepy stuff.

I was talking to Cory the other day for Cheatham and he's, it's

tell me about scuba diving stuff that he had done and went down

like a hundred feet and how it was essentially like, you know,

being in somewhere like the Grand Canyon or something, but

you're underwater, and there's just there's mountain range.

Like it's just it's it's a whole other world down there that

Sighs me. I'm not scared of a lot of

things but like going deep in the water is not something that

sounds like fun to this dude at all.

That just sounds like a nightmare in the disaster

waiting to happen. So praise the Lord, all you

great sea creatures and all Deep's.

One more thing about the ocean, then I'll get off of it.

So there's a movie called Lucas And it's a I think it's a cool

movie and there's a little creature in there, it's a fish

that's got its a real type of fish.

It's got a little light that hangs in front of its face.

If y'all ever seen these weird things, Like, I don't know what

their purpose is or what they do, they just swim around and

complete blindness with this little light that attracts other

fish to them, and they eat them like what a life they're down.

I don't know how far they're down in the pitch, Blackness of

the ocean and they just swim around and they try to trick

other fish that they can eat them like.

Wow. All right, I'll get off of us

are fire and he'll snow and Mist stormy.

Wind fulfilling his word. My point in all of that is just

like the stars. Like There are things that I

don't understand at all. There are so many creatures that

we probably haven't even found and they're not just by chance.

That they didn't just happen. They didn't just evolved from

all these other things. These these creatures these

animals, these plants, these reefs, all of these things are

created by the Creator. Why?

To praise His name. Then it goes on.

It doesn't just leave it at creatures either.

He says, mountains and all Hills fruit trees and all Cedars

beasts and all livestock, livestock creeping things, and

flying birds. This encompasses everything.

Made to praise the Lord. All of it from The Little Ant.

To the whale. We actually got to see a

dolphin. It was kind of cool to see a

dolphin sounds like the nice thing.

That's not even the creepy animals.

Created to praise His name and then in verse 11 it turns a

little bit and it goes from just mountains and Hills which is a

cool thought, just to think about them praising.

The Lord that they're created to glorify his name.

Other parts of the Bible says, even the rocks can cry out like

what God is capable of. Is astounding to me.

Then in verse 11, it says Kings and of the earth, schnauzer were

relationship to me and you a little bit more Kings of the

earth and All Peoples, princes, and all rulers of the earth,

young men and maidens together. Old men and children.

It's going to say praise the Lord but here's why.

Here's why all of that's important.

Here's why from the earth, great sea creatures, mountains and

Hills, we should praise the Lord.

It says let them. Praise the name of the Lord.

Verse 13 for his name. Alone is exalted.

His name alone is exalted. His majesty is above Earth, and

Heaven. Your name's not exalted.

My name is not exalted and praise God for that.

Man, the scary enough thought that.

I get to lead my wife and children.

And go, man. Don't don't mess this up, right?

Praise the lord, it's not just up to me.

But for his name, alone is exalted, his name, alone is

lifted high. For he is the Lord, most high.

And then we're going to get into verse 14 here.

Says this. That's it.

It kind of pointed that these books Point towards a coming

Messiah. We're going to spend much of the

rest of our time on this. For, he has raised up a horn for

his people, praise for all his Saints, for the people of Israel

who are near to him, praise the Lord.

So, when I first read that I was saying to myself, I was like

Self. What, what is the horn have to

do with it? And you see this phrase a lot,

you'll see, well maybe not a lot, but you'll see this phrase

throughout as a common theme throughout the throughout the

Old Testament and New Testament of lifting up your horn.

And we first see it, the sign of a horn when Abraham was going to

sacrifice his son and so he's about to do that and then a ram

gets caught, right by his horns. It's called by his horns.

And so, from there, on out, the bible really talks about About a

horn as something of a power of something of strength, as

something of Victory, you will see it.

The walls of Jericho come down after they blow the trumpet,

which is likely it's a horn. It's like a just like a Bighorn.

It's got a little curve on it, they would call it a shofar.

I think it's how they would say it.

I don't know if that's the correct pronunciation of it and

so they would blow this trumpet or blow this horn for a sign of

victory. So he is saying that the Lord

has raised up a horn. He has raised up a sign of

victory for who for his people, praise for all his Saints,

praise for all his Saints. And the cool thing is that, that

kind of points. Praise for all his Saints, man.

It's just it's I'm getting a little sidetracked.

It's astounding to me that he is saying and he is pointing to the

Messiah. That Jesus will save us, Jesus

is called The Horn of our salvation.

And so we'll get there in a second.

This is where my brain sometimes gets lost in some of my

thoughts. Because it's so amazing to me

how they how the Riders and how the Lord has orchestrated

everything to make complete sense.

Maybe not to Me Maybe not always to me but man his word does not

fail. So, he has raised up a horn for

his people. So back to the question, why are

we here? What's the purpose?

Its meaning of life? We are here and the purpose and

the meaning of life would be to glorify God to praise His name.

But there's still a question that I have after that, it would

be why. Why?

So, we're people he can have rocks that can crowd his name.

All the other creatures can crowd, is named Stars, the Sun,

the moon mountains Hills, Why Us?

Why are we just made to glorify the name of the Lord?

When all the rest of creation can do it.

And it is because he has raised up a horn for us.

He has raised up salvation for us to be with him because he

loves us. He loves you, he loves me.

Jesus is the Horn of Salvation. We know that now and when they

were riding this, they knew a messiah was coming, but now we

can firmly stand that Jesus is the Horn of Salvation.

He is our victory in him alone. His name is exalted.

That is our purpose is to continue to blow this trumpets.

As shout in this horn, to say, he is our victory.

All the time. So if he is our trumpet or our

horn, he is our Victory. What we are to do in response to

that Let's repent and believe. for by Grace, you have been

saved through faith in Christ and we know all of that now We

have no excuse not for doing this.

And I'm great at making excuses. Anybody else great at making up

excuses. Why you don't do things, man.

I'm good at it. You to Scarlett.

Yeah, I hear you. I hear you.

I don't remember what was happening the other day, but she

had asked me to do something I was like, yeah, yeah.

Yeah. I'll do it.

And then, before I know it, I'm playing Odyssey with Ethan.

Playing a video game, and then I see her do it.

And I was like, I was about to do it.

I need it. I just had to go see what had

happened. He just asked me.

To do this or whatever. This is a daily occurrence all

the time. I'm sure I'm the only one but

I'm really great at making up excuses of why I'm not doing

something or why I did this or why didn't do that or why blah

blah blah. And I'm really good at that

internally with the Lord or so. I think I know I'm not Why

didn't I read this? Why didn't I get in my word?

Why didn't I blah blah blah. I'm really good at it.

But Paul State some stuff in Romans 1, as far as the Lord,

being the Horn of our Salvation or about about Christ and him

reveal himself that leaves us with no excuse for praising his

name. So it says it's got your Bibles

and turn to Romans 1 It turned over here, I've got too many

sticky notes. Everywhere should have labeled

these things. Okay, so Romans 1 will start in

verse 18 and right before that. So when Paul is writing to the

Romans he is he is writing and he starts off in verse 16 and

he's talks about the gospel. And so he's I'll just save and

I'll start in verse 16. He says, for I am not ashamed of

the gospel for it is the power of God, for salvation to

everyone, who believes to the Jew first.

And also, to the Greek, to the Gentile for it is the

righteousness of God. In it.

The righteousness of God is revealed from faith for Faith.

As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.

And then he says, this in verse 18, He says for the wrath of God

is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and

righteousness and unrighteousness of men who by

their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

That's like the hold-down Cal talked about this, not too long

ago or Jasper, one of y'all did it talked about this idea of

trying to hold something underwater, you know, you making

suppress it but it is trying to burst forth.

Fourth. Who by their unrighteousness

suppress the truth. And then he says, for what can

be known about God is plain to them?

Why? Because God has shown it to them

for his invisible attributes. Namely, his eternal power and

divine nature have clearly been perceived ever since the

creation of the world, in the things that have been made.

So they are without excuse for. Although they knew God, they did

not honor him as God or give thanks.

Thanks to him but they became futile in their thinking and

their foolish Hearts were darkened claiming to be wise,

they became fools and exchanged, the glory of the immortal.

God for images, resembling mortal man and birds and animals

and creeping things. Therefore, God gave them up in

the lusts of their hearts to impurity to the dishonoring of

their bodies among themselves because they exchanged the truth

about God, for a lie and worshipped and served the

creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever.

Amen. And then he goes on.

And in verse 2, he wraps it all up a little bit and he says

therefore and between the verses he talks about a lot of

dishonorable passions that we've talked about here in the last

several weeks that have consumed us that have made unnatural

relations, instead of they've traded natural relations for

unnatural relations that goes on and talks about evil covenants.

Malice lust murder Strife of a bunch of not good things that

are not god-honoring. And then in verse 2, he says,

therefore You have no excuse. Oh man, every one of you who

judges. we have no excuse because to not praise the Lord

because he has clearly Given us, every reason to praise him.

From the rising of the Sun to the setting of the sun.

He has made himself known. To us.

And maybe if you haven't called on to that right now, his word

is clearly telling us that. So I hope that you have ears to

hear that. Hope that I'm communicating that

somewhat good ish. He's made himself known through

all of creation and Paul goes on throughout Romans and threw out

some other books and he says things that are pretty clear

that we are with this knowledge to trust and follow Jesus.

He says, if we confess with our with our mouth, that Jesus is

Lord, and we believe in our heart that God raised him from

the dead. He says, you will be saved.

This is true Faith with beliefs of these are not just ideas.

These are not just things that we reading and I think that was

probably true. This is a true active faith for

his word is living and active. It requires requires action on

our part to show people that we believe this is true.

You know, we can stand and just read it but it says in John that

Jesus says they will know you are my disciples by the way that

you love one another. By the way, we take this into

action. Trusting and following Jesus is

a faithful faith. Other places Paul says on how

will they know or how will that not, how they know, how will

they call on him? If they, if they don't believe

it says? And how will they know if they

don't hear? And how will they know?

Or how were they here if they're not sent?

And so it wraps back in of why we're celebrating the disciple

the nation's of different missionaries with six kids.

Wow. A bunch of kids.

A lot of kids in Paris, right? Italy, it's closed across Seas.

Why we can celebrate things like that is because they are sent to

do what Their sense of praise. The name of the Lord by telling

people, by proclaiming his goodness, by proclaiming the

gospel. And this is all a big circle of

what discipleship that's why. When we say here at New Life

Community Church, we want to grow in our faith and in our

love for one another, as we want to grow in our, in our knowledge

of the were going to grow closer to the Lord, we were in grow in

our love towards one another so that we can share with other

people so we can make disciples that will turn around and

hopefully do the same thing that will preach the word.

Maybe not up here. This terrifies me up here.

But you don't have to be up here, to read his word, don't

have to be up here. To share the gospel, don't have

to be up here to acknowledge that he has created the things

around us and that we are to praise him for it.

So who will send them? How will they know?

They'll know by proclaiming his word.

Because his word is good and his word is true.

And that's why we can sink things, like Behold Him.

Hallelujah. You over there.

Praise the Lord with us. Hallelujah.

Don't know if I told you I was going to be super short but I'm

going to be fairly short I'm about.

Ready to wrap this up so team, y'all can come back up.

Got a couple more things before we sing.

We're going to sing a song called abide in a minute that

we've sang a few times and The ending of it says I depend on

you and it just repeats that I depend on you I depend on you.

It starts by saying for my daily breath or for my waking breath.

So from the moment we wake up to the moment, we lie down our

life, there's a purpose. There's a meaning.

And is to glorify the father because he loves us.

Because he wants that relationship with you.

So, I'm going to turn over to Corinthians.

I want to read, this is from. Put my notes first.

Greetings. Actually. 2nd Corinthians.

I'm going to read verse 11. Says this is Paul again, he's

writing to the Corinthians. He says, therefore, or because

knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others.

But what we are is known to God and I hope it is known.

Also to your conscience, this is referring back to ax. 931 and

it's just says so. So the church throughout all

Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built

up. So, the church throughout these

regions had peace and was being built up and walking in the fear

of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it

multiplied. So that's really Our Hope for

coming together. Is that we can Worship the Lord

and that we can walk in the fear of the Lord knowing that he is

sufficient and in the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit,

knowing that whatever comes our way he is greater and he is

better. And that we can abide in him and

just say, Lord, I depend on you, I don't want to be lifted up

myself. I'll shout it from the Town

Square because you are worthy. But it always point to you,

Lord. And I'm going to read a little

bit more lengthy part of scripture, but I think it is

important for us to hear that. It was important for me to hear

it. Second Corinthians five,

starting verses verse 14. It says this, for the love of

Christ controls us because we have concluded this.

This is what we've concluded. That one has died for all.

Therefore, all have died and he died for all that those who live

might no longer live for themselves.

But for him, who for their Sake died and was raised without

Jesus. from now on there, for We regard no one according to the

flesh, even though we once regarded Christ, according to

the flesh, we regard him. Thus no longer for, He Is Risen.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away behold. The new has come all, this is

from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and

gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

That is in Christ. God was reconciling the world to

himself. Not counting their trespasses

against them and entrusting us the message of reconciliation.

It's entrusting us as Believers, the message of reconciliation

says therefore now because of all of that we are ambassadors

for Christ God making his appeal through us.

Paul says this, I love this. He says, we implore you on

behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God, we implore

you, we beg of you. For our sake, he made him to be

sin who knew no sin that in him. We might become the

righteousness of God working together with him.

Then we appeal to you working with the Holy Spirit working

together with God, we appeal to you, not to receive the grace of

God, in vain for, he says, in a favorable time I listened to

you. And in a day of salvation, I've

helped you. This is referencing back in.

Isaiah, they're calling Israel to repentance says behold.

Now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of

salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone's

way so that no fault may be found with our ministry.

But as Servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way

by great endurance. In afflictions hardships

calamities, beatings imprisonments riots, laborers,

sleepless nights, hunger by Purity knowledge, patience.

Kindness the Holy Spirit. Genuine Love by truthful speech

and the power of God with the weapons of righteousness for the

right hand and for the left through honor and dishonor

through slander and praise. We are treated as imposters and

yet are true. As unknown and yet, well known

as dying and behold we live. As punished and yet not killed

as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing as poor yet.

Making many rich as having nothing yet.

Possessing, everything. We have spoken freely to you

Corinthians. I can say, hopefully I've spoken

freely to you New Life Community Church.

Our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us.

But you are restricted in your own affections in return, widen

your hearts also. In return, widen your heart

cells. So before we sing I want to say

this that if you are a Believer, you have placed your faith in

Christ. Know that your destiny is

secure, know that your future is secure with them because he

holds it, no one else holds it. Not restricted by anyone else.

We are safe and secure in the hands of almighty.

God. and if you're not a believer, I don't believe the

Bible teaches, your fate is determined Believe it teaches in

a god of Hope. That you may repent, and believe

the gospel that he is presented. God, that is righteous pure and

holy God. That loves you very very, very

much. And God has made a way by grace

through faith in Our Savior, Jesus Christ to be reconciled

with him. So I want to try to Echo Paul

this morning. And the psalmist.

And say I implore you to trust and follow Christ.

If you're unsure, what the next steps are?

You can talk with me or Jasper Kyle, or a multitude of people.

Thump Lauria beg of you. Trust and follow Jesus.

And as the psalm says, let's praise the Lord together.

Hallelujah, you here. Let's praise.

We're going to sing out that we can abide in him.

So I'm going to pray for us. If y'all will, please stand and

then we'll sing. Jesus, thank you for your

goodness. Thank you for your word.

Lord. And I ask that you draw Us near

as that you draws near to you. We acknowledge we are reconciled

through you Christ. You are the only way.

You are our rock or Foundation, The Horn of our salvation.

And we praise you, as your creation, we praise the Creator.

Help us abide in you, in Jesus name.

Amen. Let's sing together.