How do you Worship?

Turn with me in your Bibles to Psalms 138.

Woo! Isn't Jesus awesome?

I already had Barry just text me, said he's already found possibly a stroller, so we'll check on that too.

That's unreal.

I'm telling you, God's awesome, folks.

In Psalms 138, I don't know about you, but this has just been such an unbelievable series.

It's been speaking to me each and every week.

Does everyone have an outline?

Everybody got an outline.

Anyone need one?

Good, because I know you're taking them home, keeping them.

And I know my wife's watching.

They're watching.

I know a lot of people that are gone this weekend said they'd be watching.

They don't want to miss a message.

And by the way, if you miss one, go back and listen to it during the week.

Or if you God just really used it to speak to your heart, go back and listen to it again and outline all that's on our site, our webpage.

So please do.

Now, next week, your homework is Psalm 63.

Next week, we're gonna be looking at the title of the message is How to Prosper in Spiritual Desert Places.

You ever been there?

You ever been to the desert spiritually?

Oh, yes.

Yes.

Well, what do you do when you're in the desert spiritually?

Well, we're gonna look at that in Psalm 63 next week, because David, David's life, you know what, when everybody says, oh, King David, what a magnificent king he was, and a man after God's own heart, the only person in the Bible that God said that about.

I meant he didn't say it about Moses, he didn't say it about Abraham, he didn't say it about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Nebednego.

He didn't say it about Paul, didn't say it about any of the disciples.

A man after God's own heart.

And why was he?

Because he fulfilled the will of God in his lifetime.

I pray that every morning.

Lord, please, let me fulfill your will in my lifetime.

I want to complete my race.

I really do.

But do you realize after studying all the series that I've been studying since uh mid-June, going through all these Psalms, do you realize David spent most of his life in trouble?

Well, not in trouble, but walking through trouble, and there's a difference.

We're gonna see that today.

Most of his life he was walking through trouble.

So don't feel like you're out there by yourself.

Because if the man after God's own heart walked most of his life through trouble, who are we to say anything?

That's good, preacher.

It's good for me.

So remember that.

Today, often our desire for worshiping God is tied to how we feel about life.

If we feel good, we worship.

If we feel bad, we complain.

If we feel good, we'll go to church.

If we feel bad, we'll stay home.

Do you realize you'd be better when you feel bad to come to church than when you feel good?

That's when you need it the most.

It really is, folks.

But isn't it amazing?

If life is hard, we don't feel like worshiping.

Worship should not be tied to our circumstances.

Worship should be a constant, oh, a constant action for the Christian.

Regardless of the direction of his life and regardless of the circumstances.

He ought to be worshiping the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

I was reading, doing my research as I always do every week, preparing.

I do a lot of reading.

A child of prodigy named Barclay Allen was born in 1918.

By the time he was four years old, listen to this, he knew all the notes on the piano and being blessed with perfect pitch, could identify any note just by its sound.

At the age of 13, he was directing an orchestra in one church and playing the pipe organ in another.

In addition to the organ and piano, he had mastered the violin, the trumpet, the clarinet, and the saxophone.

His mother insisted that he learn and play what?

Nothing but classical music.

But during his teenage years, he got bitten by the jazz bug.

And he was soon traveling with professional bands and composing million seller songs.

He eventually formed his own band and began traveling in the same circles as the best-known entertainers of his day.

But here's the problem.

But as his professional stardom was increasing, his life was deteriorating personally.

And then he was drunk, had a major accident, and was paralyzed from his neck down.

And while in the hospital, he became bitter.

Bitter with everybody, bitter with his family, and especially bitter with God.

And then a faithful pastor kept coming by every day, sharing the love of Christ with him and loving on him.

And sure enough, one day he bowed his head and he asked Christ to come into his heart and save him.

And so then through rehabilitation, he was able to get some feelings back into his extremities, especially his hands.

And so he was able to once again play the piano some, not to the extent he was prior to the accident.

But he started composing again, but this time it was not jazz, it was not classical, it was Christian music.

Now watch this.

Here's the punchline.

One of the songs that Barclain composed became one of the most sought-out and sung song songs at Billy Graham's Crusade by Beverly Shea.

And here's how it goes.

Billy Graham's Crusade for years.

Its opening lines say, I found a friend when life seemed not worth living.

I found a friend so tender and forgiving.

I can't conceive how such a thing could be that Jesus cares for even me.

Barclay Ron Allen.

That song is very much like some of the songs here in the Psalms that we find in the Old Testament.

Songs about the friend that God is to us when we find ourselves in need and help.

Barclay Allen is not the only person God helps.

Amen.

He's been helping people for thousands of years, and he will continue to help people.

Psalms 138.

We have the record of David's discovery that the most direct path to God, and I believe this, in times of trouble is through worship.

That's a direct path to God.

In times of our most crucial situations in our lives is to thank Him and praise Him.

But so often we don't do that.

So often we just take our truckload of problems and difficulties and hard circumstances, and we just kind of dump them on God.

Say help God.

And I know, I understand that.

Casting all your care upon him because he cared for you, first Peter 5.

But that's not the way David, here's David is.

And the context here is one or two thoughts.

One's that it was during the time Absalom was trying to overthrow the kingdom, but I think it was the other, I lean more to the other research, is that he was in the midst, he was young in his kingdom and fighting a lot of battles with all the Amalekites and Malachites and Termites and all that other stuff.

But but he's he's fighting.

He's you know, he's battle here and battle there, and you'll see why I believe that here in a minute in this passage.

But so he's got a, you know, he's got enemies here, enemies there all around him.

And uh so with that context, we see David cries out for a friend that sticketh close.

By the way, let me tell you something.

Jesus is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18, 24.

Amen.

He's right there with you.

And so David cries out, and boy does he cry out, and let's look at it in verse 1 through 3.

And the first thing I want us to look at this morning is number one in your outline.

In times of present trouble, the Lord is to be worshipped.

In times of present trouble, right now.

How many of you are going through a difficulty right now?

Raise your hand.

Okay, we are, Roy and our family.

We are major situation.

I mean, this could cost Roy his life at age 50.

And he's got three children.

And we got a lot of people.

We're going through right now, present trouble.

Hey, you're you're in a situation right now that's pretty crucial.

Okay?

Well, that's where David is.

He's got enemies coming from all directions.

And here's what he says in Psalms 130.

I will praise thee with my whole heart.

Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.

And he says, I'm not worried about those false gods and those other kings that are coming after me and their gods.

I'm gonna praise thee, God.

And then he goes on and he says, I will worship toward thy holy temple and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for the truth, for thou hast magnified.

I love that, the word above all thy name.

And in the day when I cry, thou answerest me and strength strengthens me with strength in my soul.

Woo-hoo! Hallelujah.

The essence of worship right here we see for David is thankfulness, gratitude for who he is and what he has done for him.

So, first of all, let us worship the Lord, hey, hey, thankfully.

Let us worship the Lord in the midst of our trouble, thankfully.

If you notice, David only mentions the trouble he is in briefly in verse 3, when he says, In the day when I cried, thou answer me and strengthens me with strength in my soul.

So he, hey, in the day when I cried out, the word here he uses for praise in verse 1 is a very interesting word.

And it really means that I will give thanks to you, God, regardless of what's going on in my life.

David begins his time of worship and trouble by giving thanks to God.

Notice he's in the midst of battles coming everywhere, and he's thanking God.

Now, I don't know about you, is that hard to do?

Isn't that hard to do when you are in a major situation?

You've just been diagnosed with cancer, or my nephew, uh my wife's brother could literally die through this surgery and everything, or if it doesn't work, he will die in less than a year.

I mean, folks, that's a major situation.

And now, what am I to do?

Oh, thank you, Father.

Thank you, Father, for this situation.

I don't understand it, I can't comprehend it, but I praise you.

Because you're in charge.

And we know, say it, church, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

We know.

That's what he's saying here.

David begins his time of worship in trouble by giving thanks to God.

That's an amazing thing.

It's often a challenge to remember that no matter what we are going through, we have many reasons to still praise him.

The Bible says we are to look at it, Psalms 95, too.

Come before his presence with thanksgiving.

Now he didn't say come before his presence just in the good things with thanksgiving.

In all things.

All things.

And then notice what he says in Psalms 100, verse 4.

Psalms 100:4

It's there in your outline.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.

That's why I love coming to church.

I'm entering into his courts with praise.

I know we're gonna praise him.

I know we're gonna love each other, we're gonna grow together, but we're gonna worship together, and we're gonna be thankful for what God is doing in our lives and in our church and in our people's life, even if it's good or bad.

We're gonna praise him.

And we're gonna be encouraged.

We're gonna be encouraged.

That leads me to be.

Let our worship.

Let us worship the Lord wholeheartedly in verse 1 also.

Sincerely.

David was not someone who just sat in the presence of the Lord in a passive way.

Boy, I love that.

Does it make sense if we're going to worship God that we should be totally, hey, doesn't it make sense that we should be totally devoted to Him?

I meant totally consumed by Him.

If I could get the church to worship God with their heart and their soul and their spirit, like the football fans do when they go to their football games religiously, and I'm not against football.

I love football.

I play football.

Hey, hey, but they put their whole heart and soul into that Saturday afternoon.

If we could do that on Sunday, oh God help us.

The shakana glory would be all over this county.

People to be coming over here to see what's going on.

I'm serious.

And that's what he's talking about.

David was totally consumed with God.

We don't mind yelling and screaming at a football game, cheering wholeheartedly, but when it comes to worshiping the Lord, we sometimes have no heart at all.

We rearrange our schedules to do anything we want to do.

Hello.

If it means something to you, you're gonna rearrange your schedule to do it.

Come on now, just amen or owe me.

But when it comes to Sunday, do we rearrange everything so that we're not gonna miss church?

But you know the easy way now, watch.

Here's the easy way.

I don't I left my phone in the car.

Well, oh I got I'll watch you, Sunday.

Yeah, watching me while you're still doing what you really want to do.

Oh, that hurt me too.

Am I right?

So don't say we worship God wholeheartedly or I love God wholeheartedly unless you really love God wholeheartedly, and that means seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things shall be added unto you.

In other words, that's top priority is I'm gonna be in church, I'm gonna have my quiet time, I'm gonna be in my Bible study, I'm gonna do what I'm supposed to do with the gifts God's given me to help enhance his kingdom.

I wholeheartedly can't wait wherever I go tomorrow to say to somebody, Jesus is awesome.

To share the gospel.

Son, you can look out.

God's committed me, son.

I'm I'm shooting at everything that moves.

I am, I am.

That's the way it's supposed to be, and I'm back.

I got both, I'm like Royal Rock, I got both of them.

I'm shooting.

Wow, Jesus is awesome.

Boom.

Yeah, I am.

I'm wearing it, I'm sharing it everywhere we go.

Folks, you start doing that, things happen.

God honors that.

Hey, David, David was in the midst, and he didn't know if he was gonna win, lose.

I mean, he's but he didn't matter everywhere he goes, he said, Jehovah Jirah, my Lord provides.

Come on, bring it on, boys.

I'm gonna praise him the whole time I'm charging.

Oh, I can see him going against Goliath.

You come to me with a shield and a sword, but I come to you in the name of the Lord.

Yes.

They sang praises to God going head-on battles.

Let us worship the Lord wholeheartedly.

You know what I've discovered that it's in my own worship, seems more wholeheartedly.

When I'm in trouble instead of when I'm blessed.

It's just something different.

Because I'm vulnerable.

It's no longer in my hands.

I can no longer control it.

If God doesn't come through, I'm through.

Now that's faith.

Let me tell you what faith is.

Forsaken all, I take him.

Yeah, yeah, that's good.

I like that little phrase.

Forsaken all, I take him.

But let me tell you what faith is.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

If God didn't come through, they were through.

Daniel in the lines then.

If God didn't come through, they were through.

I've been there.

God didn't come through.

Hey, we're through.

Now that's faith.

When the disciples were going across the Sea of Galilee and the winds and the water filling the boats, if God hadn't to come through, they were through.

But I got good news.

When God's when God says you're going to the other side, you're going to the other side.

You're going.

Yes, sir.

The people said, hey, we're through.

He said, no, we're not.

Stand back and have faith and watch God.

Exodus 14, 11.

Watch God.

Wholeheartedly.

That leads me to the third one.

Let us worship the Lord courageously, even in our troubles.

David says he will praise God before all the pagan gods.

Now notice the lower case g, referring to idols and the rulers who worshiped their gods.

David was not ashamed of his God.

He would boldly praise the God of Israel in the presence of these false gods without worrying what anyone said or thought of him.

Are you willing to do that today?

David was not worried about being politically correct.

He wasn't worried about offending people.

I'm not talking about being arrogant and hurtful.

No.

I'm just talking about standing up and saying, I love my Jesus, and I'm not gonna bow, I'm not gonna bend, I'm not gonna beg.

And bless God, I ain't gonna burn.

Amen.

That's what he's saying here.

I can remember when it was common growing up.

We did this the other night.

We went out with Iowa approached me to eat after they helped us move hard.

Praise God.

That's over.

Went through purgatory.

I hate.

I hate it.

I hate it.

Hate moving.

Hate moving.

One thing about going to heaven, when you move to heaven, you don't have to take the furniture.

Can I get an amen?

Ain't no moving.

Ain't no hearse behind there's no U-Haul trailer behind a hearse.

That's right.

You know, we we've always, I grew up doing this.

And my whole family, I don't care where I am, we hold hands and pray when we're out eating.

When's the last time you saw somebody do that?

If it wasn't you.

Huh?

Oh, you might see them do this, reach for the napkin and look around to act like they're praying, but then then they pull the napkin and they're ashamed of it or scratch their head, you know.

I'm praying.

No.

Hold hands.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

For being the God that loves us and cares for us and provides for us.

Thank you for this food.

Thank you for dying on Calvary.

Thank him out loud.

That's what David did.

That's what he's talking about.

You're saying you were asking us to be obnoxious?

Not at all.

Not at all.

I'm asking you to be bold.

Courageous.

The righteous are bold as lions.

Proverbs 28, verse 1.

Proverbs 28:1

They're bold as lions.

That's what we're talking about.

That's what David said.

I will praise my God before the pagan gods.

That's what he said.

He praised God.

That brings me to D.

Let us worship the Lord cooperatively and intelligently.

Look at verse 2 again.

I will worship toward the Holy Temple.

Let me tell you why you come to church to worship God.

But to be with your people.

We worship cooperatively together.

I want, hey, we hurt together, we cry together, we laugh together, we feel together, we rejoice together.

Folks, I need you.

And I hope you need us.

How in the world, that's why people get depressed and they get discouraged and they get down and out.

If you sit there at home by yourself, even though you're watching it on television or online, I understand that.

It's not like being here.

Now it's better nothing.

But man, you get to just encourage one another.

Somebody here today needs you to encourage them.

Somebody told me the other day that somebody said that preacher over at CCW, he's a little weird.

I could have told them that.

They didn't have to gossip.

Just asked me.

They said, man, he just hugs everybody's neck when they come in and go out.

Yeah, I do.

I do.

Because I care.

And there's been three people in the last 40 years that I hugged their neck and told them I loved them on Sunday, and they were dead by Wednesday.

I'm gonna hug you.

I'm gonna shake your hand and I'm gonna tell you I love you.

And a lot of people never heard the word I love you.

Amen.

I grew up in a family and my daddy didn't say I love you.

He thought his love was shown by taking care and providing and working hard.

And that's part of it.

I understand that.

But people want to know that they are cared for, folks.

Amen.

And if you walk in a church and somebody doesn't greet you and tell you they're, hey, they're glad you're here, something's wrong.

When you have a, there's a there's two or three needs that will be met this week, because whether it's the stroller or whatever it's needed, will be met.

We I that's just what I do.

When God speaks to my heart, I do it.

Amen.

And I'm telling you something, if you're in a cooperative body of people, God will speak to you regularly about meeting needs with people within your body.

And you don't have to tell anybody about it, just meet it.

And I'm gonna tell you, when you do that, God's gonna, oh, you're gonna feel so good.

Now let me tell them why you're gonna feel so good, and you don't do it to feel good, but you know why you feel good?

Because you've been obedient to the Holy Spirit of God as a member of the body of Christ.

I don't own anything.

I have a lot, but I don't own it.

It's not mine.

Have you ever thought maybe the reason I have more than I need because I don't own it?

Just think about that.

Whatever God gives me, He gives it for me to use to spread the gospel and enhance his kingdom.

And we have always done that with everything we've had.

We don't own anything.

We're stewards.

And God can use it and take it anytime he wants it.

Because it's his.

I mean that.

I tell you what, you can lay down and sleep at night when you really believe that.

Because it's not your problem.

It's all paid for?

You know, if it's God's, he'll pay for it.

Hello.

Now some of y'all look, man, where is he going?

I don't know, but hang on, we're going.

Now but watch, watch.

Being a steward means that you're not in debt to man, but in debt to God.

So that means if it's God's, he's gonna help you make sure that nobody owns it but him.

And when it's his, amen.

Oh, it's liberty.

That brings me to D.

Whoo, man, this is good.

Let us worship the Lord not just cooperatively, but intelligently, and here's why.

God gives us three ways to pray right here.

This is one verse that just knocked me right between the eyes.

But here's why we pray and we come together cooperatively so that intelligently we can understand what God has for us and wants us to do.

And there's three things right here.

Are you ready for this?

Look, number one, he says, praise him for his mercy and truth.

Look at what he says.

Verse two David praises God for his loving kindness and truth.

The word loving kindness is the Hebrew word, and it means Hasid is the Hebrew word, and it really is the word for mercy.

So he's saying, mercy and truth are often throughout the Old Testament paired, if you study the Old Testament, paired together.

Mercy and truth occurring in many verses together and all through the Psalms.

It's not unusual to find a person, though, that is in possession of a lot of mercy that has problems with sharing the truth.

Because they don't want to hurt people's feelings.

They just want everybody to be okay.

They don't want to confront the wrong.

They just want to love them.

Just love them.

I've had people tell me, all you gotta do is just love them.

Well, that's part of it.

But you also got to share the truth.

Share the truth in love.

And then there's a lot of people with truth that have no mercy, and they'll just nail your hide to the wall.

Amen?

They're not real sensitive.

Those are cholerics.

Bam! And you know what?

You kind of jar back at them, and here's the bad thing about a choleric, and I happen to be part of a chleric.

You y'all go at it, and man, they they get through and they say, Whew! I feel good, I feel better now.

And then the flame agglets, poor, they feel like they've been killed, run over.

So you gotta you gotta share your heart, you've got to be merciful, and you gotta share with love and truth.

But you cannot share the truth because you should know the truth, and the truth sets you free.

You gotta have the truth with the mercy.

Can I get an amen?

That's good, folks.

You gotta have both.

And then notice what else.

Number two, we praise them for his magnified word.

We come to we come to church to be loved on, have mercy shown to us, but also to hear the truth.

That's why we're here corporatively and intelligently.

That's what we're doing.

We're taking God's mercy and God's truth, and we're combining it together to make us more like Jesus.

And then we magnify his word, one of our core key values here.

Clear biblical truth.

Look at what he says.

This is powerful.

He says, I have magnified his word above all his name.

Now, can anything be magnified above the name of Almighty God?

That's some should be the first question you ask.

How in the world can he magnify his word above his name?

Well, you gotta understand what he means when he says his name.

He's talking about God's honor, God's authority, and God's character.

And that's what a person's name should represent.

But it does represent God's honor, God's authority, and God's character.

Well, guess what?

When you go to the word of God, what does it do?

It exalts God's honor, God's glory, God's character, and God's authority.

And so when you put them together, you're not magnifying the word over God.

You're magnifying God through his word.

In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and the word was God.

Is that not good?

The word just adds up to all that God is and who he says he is.

And it validates it.

That's why we magnify it.

Oh, that's so good.

And then the third thing, we praise him for his mighty provision.

Look at verse 3, his words of hope for every troubled soul right here.

In the day we cry out, God answers.

Notice he answers.

Verse 3, he says, In the day when I cried, thou answered me.

God answers and makes us bold.

Notice in verse 3, he gives us strength.

The psalm doesn't say that when we cry out, God makes all our trouble go away.

Does it say that?

No, not at all.

It says he answers.

And there's a big difference by his answer.

Now, watch this.

Three things.

One, he may take us through the trouble.

Secondly, he may help us in the trouble.

And then thirdly, and I like this too.

He may keep us from the trouble.

Let me say that again.

He may take us through the trouble.

He may help us in the trouble.

Or he may keep us from the trouble.

But he answers.

Amen.

He answers.

He took Shadrach and Meshach in the Bed and Ego through their troubles.

He took Daniel in the lion's end through his troubles.

He took the disciples through their troubles.

Amen.

So remember that.

Good examples.

The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Psalms 34, 17.

Which brings me to number two.

In times of present trouble, the Lord is to be worshipped.

How?

Thankfully, wholeheartedly, courageously, cooperatively, and intelligently.

And then the second thing, in times of future triumph, the Lord is to be worshipped.

In verses four through six.

All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth.

Yea, they shall see in the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.

Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly, but the proud he knoweth afar off.

Woo man.

In verses 4 through 6, David looks at the future.

A day when all the kings of the earth will praise the Lord.

Oh, what about that?

Isn't that good?

This is another reason to worship the Lord, even in the midst of the trouble.

One day, church, every knee's gonna bow and every tongue's gonna confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

I think we have the verses up there from Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

But we see right here, and we'll get there in a minute.

Uh all hey, all kings of the earth will praise the Lord.

It will come a rude awakening to many in high places, but the day is coming when every ruler, king, and leader will bow before King Jesus and give him glory and honor.

Look at Philippians 2, 10.

Listen to what it says.

I love this.

Philippians 2, 10 and 11.

That at the name of Jesus, there it is, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Wow.

Wow, every knee.

You know what David realized here?

David in the time of his trouble was wise enough here to recognize that the posture of worship and humility before God is the posture that every human being is going to face one day.

And it's better to face it now in loving, submissive attitudes instead of one day through obligation bowing before the real and awesome God.

Think about that.

Now's the time to worship him.

David understood that, regardless of the situation he was in.

There used to be a television commercial, remember?

You can pay me now.

You can pay me now, or you can pay me later.

Now that's a worldly saying to apply a very real spiritual truth.

You can worship God now, or you can worship God later.

But everybody's gonna bow and worship him one day.

I'd rather do it now and enjoy it, wouldn't you?

Absolutely.

And then look at the second thing.

All kinds of people will be acknowledged by the Lord.

Look at verse 6.

Do you know that the Lord acknowledges everyone?

Verse 6 demonstrates how the Lord divides all of humanity into two classes.

Do you realize there's only two classes of people?

Only two.

You thought there was a bunch.

Bunch of races.

Yes.

But there's only two classes of people.

Here they are, right here.

Look at what he says.

What does he say?

One, the lowly, the other, the proud.

Two types of people, the lowly or the proud.

And sometimes you're a little bit of both, aren't you?

But notice what he says.

I often think about this while visiting third world countries.

How that these countries and the Christians in these countries, deeper just back.

Good to see you back, deeper.

Out of town brown.

I love it.

God's so using you.

But when we go on these mission trips, you see these people that have nothing.

I meant nothing.

They're living in some in we've seen them living in trees, in a big tree.

The house was in a tree.

We've seen them in cardboard boxes.

And they'll walk for hours to come to worship God.

In the rain, the rain doesn't stop them.

You know what?

You know what Reuben said to me the first time he came over here and it was raining that Sunday?

One Sunday he was here.

And I said, Oh my goodness, well, tends to be down today because it's raining.

People don't want to get out in the rain.

And Reuben looked at me, he said, Pasta Danny, you are joking.

I said, No, I'm not joking.

He says, You have cars.

We walk.

We walk or we catch a bus.

But they still come and fill the buildings.

You know why?

Listen to me.

Wholehearted worship.

They don't have anything but God.

And without God, they're through.

So they depend on Him like the Lord's Prayer daily.

So you are not gonna, the only way you're gonna keep them from being in God's house is they're sick that they can't be there.

They're gonna be there on Sunday.

And they'll praise him.

And you don't come for 58 and a half minutes and leave.

You don't walk three hours to come for a 58 and a half minute message and then leave.

Come to worship.

It's a whole day for them.

We've worked all, we've done everything we can all week, and we've looked forward to being with our God on Sunday.

This is his day, and it's our day with him.

To honor him.

Now they're with him every day, but it's a it's like going to a football game.

Somebody said, How can you explain?

I said, I'll tell you how.

When there's a hundred thousand people in a stadium acting like a bunch of idiots, and I'm one of them sometimes.

For nothing that matters for eternity.

And then for something that matters for eternity on Sunday morning, you can't fill the house up.

Folks, something's wrong.

Right here.

And I love feel, hey, I'll get let's go Saturday.

Let's go.

But my goodness, on Sunday, let's come and be more energetic than we were on Saturday.

Now I'm a very calm person.

So it doesn't matter what I do.

If I'm gonna do it, I'm passionate about it.

Amen.

So don't misread me here and don't walk out of here saying Pastor Danny's knocking football or sports or nothing.

No, I God saved my life through sports.

I was all amazing.

I meant sports was my platform and still is.

That's not what I'm saying.

All I'm saying is where's your heart?

Where's your first love?

That's what I'm talking about.

Hey, your first love ought to be all about Him.

Then he says, all these other things shall be added unto you.

Man, Louine, hey, I'll shout with the best of them on Saturday.

But my attitude is not near what it once was.

Because after I got saved and started growing in the Lord, I realized that that's a great way to have fun and relaxation.

We all need an outlet.

That's fun.

But that's not what matters for eternity.

If you never get that straight, folks, it'll help you.

What matters for eternity ought to be number one.

Can I get an amen?

I'm telling you.

Priorities.

Once you get your priorities in order, isn't it amazing how everything goes well?

It does.

Oh yeah.

Pay me now.

Pay me later.

It's up to you.

And then the Lord resists the lofty look.

He respects the lowly.

And by the way, the Church of Jesus Christ is and should be, for the most part, made up of lowly people.

If we are not lowly when we are saved, we should be, as we grow in the Lord, being more merciful.

That word mercy.

I didn't have a lot of mercy when I started in ministry.

I really didn't.

I just thought, read the word, do the word, and that's it.

If you don't do it, get right.

Get right, get out.

Bad, bad, bad.

No mercy.

Susan, God sent me Susan.

That's the most merciful person I've ever seen.

She was she early in our ministry.

I had a deacon that was giving me a hard time.

So I finally just told him.

Told Susan, I said, I'm just gonna meet him tonight and I'm gonna whip him.

I said, I don't care if they fire me, I'm just gonna whip him.

I said, and I'm gonna get him good.

I was mad.

She looked at me and she said, now is that what the Holy Spirit would do?

And my first thought was, why did you say that?

And then David picked me up.

David said, he was there.

You never won't say a word, I'm all handled.

Susan, David, I'm out.

And he did.

Save me for making a fool of myself.

Aren't you glad you got people around you that love you enough to say that's wrong?

You don't need to do that.

Let me handle it.

Thank God for my wife.

I have two Holy Spirits.

How would you like to live with two Holy Spirits?

One of them thread-headed.

And she's crying and laughing watching right now.

I know you are, honey.

I love you.

Oh, she's helped me out a few of those times.

And then the Lord resists the lofty, but the proud he knows from afar.

Ooh.

Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination unto God.

They will not go unpunished.

Did you hear that?

God rejects, he says in James 4, God rejects the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time.

1 James 4 6 and 10, and then 1 Peter 5 says, same thing.

God, I think we got it.

There we go.

Likewise, you younger people, submit yourself to your elders.

Yes, and all of you by submissive to one being submissive to one another, be clothed with humility.

There it is.

And watch.

Verse 6 says, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Is that not it?

Oh, that's good.

And that brings it to the last thing.

Oh man, this is good.

Oh me, Lord.

In times of present trouble, the Lord is to be worshipped.

In times of future triumph, the Lord is to be worshiped.

All the kings of the earth will praise the Lord.

All kinds of people will be acknowledged, the lowly and the proud.

And then the last thing, we're to worship him.

In times of personal uncertainty.

Verses 7 and 8.

Well, this is good.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me.

Thou shalt stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of my enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.

The Lord will perfect the oh, this is gonna be good as we close.

Perfect that which concerns me.

Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever.

Forsake not the works of thy own hands.

Woo! Folks, I'm just telling you the theology and the comforting news in these two verses is unreal.

These last two verses find the heart of a true believer right here.

The one who can worship God even in times of personal uncertainty.

Notice that David says, he says in verse 7, he walks in the midst of trouble.

Now, remember what I said at the beginning?

Here it is.

That's different than being in trouble.

Or being troubled.

That's different.

Not letting trouble, what it is, what he's saying here is it is an ongoing process of living through the reality of trouble and not letting trouble derail or wreck one's life.

Two things happen for the one who walks in the midst of trouble.

Watch this.

The person, like David, who walked most of his life through trouble, two things were going on in his life.

Here they are.

This will help you immensely.

Number one, the Lord continues to protect us.

Look at verse 7.

David again spent most of his life in trouble before he was king.

He was running from Saul.

And then in this context, I believe he was warring with his neighbors, and then toward the end of his life and reign, his own family turned against him.

Absalom and Adonijah, rebelling against him.

So David walked most of his life in the midst of trouble.

Yet David said in Psalm 23, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

For you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

David was confident of God's protection.

He was confident of God's protection.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you're a Christian, you ought to be confident of God's protection.

You say, Yeah, but what if I die to be, hey, to be absent from the bodies, to be present with God.

You are promised that.

Jesus says, I am the resurrection life.

He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

Do you believe that?

If you believe the words, you believe that.

We are confident that God's going to protect us.

We are confident that God knows what's best for us.

Man, that's good.

Boy, that's good.

Just as David, hey, you know what I was thinking about, a good illustration here.

Just as those precious sheep that David shepherd out there in the beautiful hills of Jerusalem, outside of Jerusalem.

I've been there two or three times.

Those sweet little sheep were so assured of David's protection as their shepherd.

One day there was a lion that was going to get some sheep.

The lion ended up dead.

One day there was a bear that was going to get him some sheep.

He ended up dead.

Those sheep were assured of David's protection.

Well, guess what?

You and I are assured of God's protection.

Can we get an amen?

That makes me feel good.

We're assured.

And then does this mean we will never be injured?

No.

Be hurt?

No.

Apparently not.

Why?

Look what David says.

David says, God will revive him when need him.

Do you realize trouble depletes you of energy?

Come on now.

Physically and spiritually.

Hello.

What did we say last week?

Hello! Four times.

How long?

How long?

How long?

How long?

Wow.

You get weary.

But just when you are to the point where you don't know what to do and you can't get back up, there's a man named Jesus Christ through the power and the person of the Holy Spirit that comforts it.

He'll never leave you comfortable.

And he comes in and he revives you.

He revives you.

God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.

Psalm 46, 1.

Do I have Psalm 62, 7, and 8 there?

I can't, I've got so many.

Is it up there?

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

What's this?

And God is my salvation, my deliverance, and my glory, the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God.

Trust in him.

Now what's this?

Trust in him at what?

What?

Who?

Us, you people.

Now what does it say?

Here it comes.

Pour out your heart, that whole heartedness before him.

God is the refuge for us.

And that brings me to the last point.

Not only does he continue to protect us, he continues to perfect us.

Now watch this.

Finally, the Lord perfects us.

Look at verse 8.

This is beautiful.

Look at verse 8.

It is a beautiful conclusion for the soul that is in trouble.

Look at what he says.

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.

Look, wait a minute.

You, nobody else.

You.

David, you, Rick, you, Paul, you, me, me, you, Darren.

Through what you've been going through, God's using this to perfect you, to teach you.

Everything this church is going through right now.

God is, he's protecting us, you may not think, but he is.

That's why I don't get too discouraged.

When other people start, well, I just say, hey, hey, just hang in there.

Keep your eyes fixed on him.

Just keep doing what you're supposed to do.

Because you're in a valley right now, but the mountain's coming.

Just keep walking through the valley.

Keep walking through trouble.

Well, this message is a powerful.

Just keep walking through trouble.

Keeping your eyes fixed on him.

He's going to protect you.

The bear's not going to get you.

The lion's not going to get you.

You may see them coming at you.

But they ain't going to get you.

If my wife was here, she said, don't say ain't.

I'd see her on at South Georgia's coming out.

Next he'll be washing a winder.

But now watch.

Man, this is so good.

He's going to perfect you.

He's concerned about you individually.

He's using what you're going through right now for your benefit.

It's easy in the midst of trouble to lose sight of that.

Our perspective grows foggy and we begin to wonder if God is still walking with us in the midst of our troubled days.

Yes, here is the promise right here, day by day.

Hey, all the days.

Hey, whether the good days or bad days, He is moving us toward perfection at every moment.

Romans 8.29 says he wants to conform us unto his image.

All right, and I'm through.

Almost.

Is that good?

Has this been a blessing?

Man, I needed this today.

Now watch this.

This is not in your notes because God gave it to me two days ago.

See, after I get this thing done, I just then I meditate upon it.

You know what meditation means?

It's kind of gross.

But it's bringing something in, meditating on it, putting it down, and then regurgitating it back up.

And then going back through it again.

That's what a cow does call chewing the cud.

So, and then, and and then here's what he, and I'm I I'm all, I said, this is where I'm all in it.

Never have we ever had a friend.

Oh, Philippians 1, 6.

Being confident of this very thing, that he which begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

He is perfecting you.

You with me?

Faithful is he that's called you, who also will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5, I think 16, 18, somewhere right there.

All right, but now watch this.

Never have you a friend like Jesus.

Even on the days when life seems to you not to be worth living, your faithful friend is protecting and perfecting you.

Can I get an amen?

Here's what I wrote to me.

God always does a complete job.

You want to write this down?

This is worth writing down.

God always does a complete job.

Number one, look at the maturity in the completion.

Look at the maturity God has in completing what he has for us.

That which concerns me.

In other words, he knows you and he's gonna perfect in you exactly what he wants you to be.

Is that not good, church?

And then look at secondly, look at the mercy for the completion.

Thy mercy of the Lord endureth forever.

He's gonna lovingly, if you allow him to take you through it, he's gonna be there, he's gonna comfort you, he's gonna love on you, he's gonna hold you up with his hand.

Remember, he uses the word hand there, he's gonna hold you up.

And then the third thing the maturity and the completion, that which concerns you, the mercy for the completion, his mercy endures forever.

And I put it this way the man for the completion, God himself, nothing is impossible without God.

Is that not good, church?

Is that not good?