Knowing the God who is our Judge and Father

I want you to turn in your Bibles this morning to the book of Nahum.

You say, where in the world is Nahum?

Well, it's in there.

In fact, you can go to Jonah and go to the right, a few books, and you'll run right into Nahum, the little book, three small chapters.

It's really the sequel to the book of Jonah.

A lot of people don't realize that.

Jonah was written, and the prophet Jonah served a hundred years prior to the prophet Nahum.

But then, after the Assyrians and Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, fell back into ungodliness and brutality and cruelty, and just, like I told you, the Assyrians were the Nazis of their day.

They were horrible.

And then they went back to their lifestyle after about a hundred years after the revival that broke out in Assyria.

Well, in Nineveh, the Assyrians had revival.

And then God said, Okay, I told you, if you did not repent and live righteously, that my judgment would come.

And so Nahum opens up and talks about chapter 1, verse 1, the burden of Nineveh, the book of the vision of Nahum, the Excolochite.

And then he says, God is jealous.

And the Lord revenges.

The Lord revenges and is furious.

I mean, he is, I really use the word another synonym for furious.

There's passion.

Now it's a passion in a role.

It's a, it's, you know, you have passionate people, passionate people for righteousness and passionate people for cruelty.

And so we see that this passion of God is his heart's broken and he's furious.

There's a hot passion against evil in his heart.

And the Lord will take vengeance.

That's pretty strong, folks.

And he says, on his adversaries, and he reserves wrath for his enemies.

The Lord is slow to anger and of great power.

And will not let any get away.

And that's what the word acquit there means.

He will not let any of the wicked get away with their wrong.

The Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm and in the clouds of the dust of his feet.

And you go on with verse 4 and 5 and 6.

You see that power exhibited.

That power and that passion exhibited against wickedness.

He says, I've given you my mercy for over a hundred years.

I've loved you.

I've tried to get you to live righteously, and now you're going back to hurting my people, killing my people again.

That's it.

Enough's enough.

I'm going to show you my power now.

I'm going to bring judgment.

And God help us in America.

Because if we do not repent and come together as a nation, we are divided people.

And a house divided cannot stand.

If we do not, we will see the judgment of God.

I promise you.

And we have a great book to show the difference between God's judgment and God's love as a Father.

So today, let's look at knowing the God who is our judge and our Father.

And in verses 1 through 8, and I dropped down and I love the verse 7.

After we see his power exhibited against the ungodliness, then he says, though, oh, those first six verses there are kind of his attributes as a judge, and we're going to look at those, but then he says, the Lord is good.

Woo! The Lord is good.

The Lord is good?

Say it with me.

All the time, all the time, God is good.

He's a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows them that trust in him.

But with an overrunning flood, he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

After this judgment came, never again was Nineveh ever mentioned.

And to this day, it's nothing there.

So when God's judgment comes, it's final.

Hello.

Amen.

So today, I want you to read something I put in your notes.

Hand me that bulletin right there.

Do you need that, sweetie?

Do you have one?

You keep it.

You keep it.

Does everyone have a worship guide?

I'm gonna give this right back to you.

Does everyone have a worship guide?

I just wanted to make sure it's on there.

It's not on there.

Okay.

Here we go.

I want to.

This week I I thought I'd put that on your outline.

But but uh William Jones, who's a great theologian, wrote this powerful statement.

And it's titled Life's Living Option.

Life's Living Option.

And we all have an option.

Every one of us has this option.

And listen to what he said.

Every man has a choice to make, every man has the ability to make that choice.

There is a consequence to that choice.

While he is choosing that choice, he is in one of those choices.

In other words, you have the option to make a good choice, or you have the option to make a bad choice.

But you are living in the choice that you make.

Wow.

So today, the theme of this whole book, knowing the God who is our judge and father, is, and I wrote that and put that on your outline, God creates us in his image and wants the best for us.

Can I get an amen?

Genesis chapter 1, verse 27 and 28 says, God has created man and woman in his image.

Genesis 1:27

And verse 28, and for the purpose of us being fruitful and multiplying and being rulers over the earth, we are to be a living testimony of all that God is where he places us.

And we see that.

However, he will not violate his righteousness by blessing us if we willfully continually make wrong choices.

Now I'm going to read that again.

He will not righteously and continuously bless us if we make wrong choices.

Be not deceived, God is not mocked.

For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he reap.

Galatians 6, 7.

Amen?

O me.

We have a choice to make.

And it's our choice.

Adam and Eve had a choice to make in the Garden of Eden.

And Adam and Eve made the wrong choice.

And we have been reaping those consequences ever since.

Romans 5.12, whereas for by one man, Adam, wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, so death has passed and hey, and sin upon all men.

We are the lineage of the choice that Adam and Eve made.

And because of that, all of us are born with a sin nature.

Behold, I'm formed in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Psalms 51, 5.

Amen.

So Adam and Eve made a bad choice.

And ever since then, we've been reaping the consequences.

So, two megathemes.

Ready?

Here we go.

Number one, God judges.

God judges.

In John chapter 5, verse 30, listen to what it says.

John 5:30

Jesus, I hear.

Jesus says, hey, I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just.

I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just.

In other words, the Lord knows what choices we make.

He knows everything.

He knows the secrets of my heart.

That scares me.

Romans chapter 2, verse 2 says this.

Romans 2:2

We are sure that the judgment of God, now watch, is according to truth.

In other words, God judges in comparison to his word, his truth.

Sanctify them through thy word, thy word is truth.

John 17, 17.

Amen.

So we know that he judges in accordance to his word, his truth.

Second mega theme is God rules.

God rules.

In Psalm 66, 7, God ruleth by his power forever.

The Bible says in Daniel chapter 4, verse 25, that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men.

Daniel 4:25

And I like this verse.

In fact, it's one of my favorites.

Proverbs 22, 28 says he rules the nations, but here's one that I really love.

Proverbs 21, verse 1 says, God controls the king's heart as the rivers of water, he turns it whithersoever he will.

Proverbs 21:1

In other words, God is in control, folks.

You may think that the Democrats are in control.

You may think that the Republicans are in control.

You may think that the FBI is in control, but I've got good news.

None of them are really in control.

Thank God.

Amen.

The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6 that the government of this world is upon his shoulders.

Isaiah 9:6

Hallelujah! But he gives us a free will.

We're not robots.

We have to make the choices.

We have to make those choices.

So God rules and God judges.

With that said, let's look at God as judge.

As judge, God is, notice.

Number one, jealous.

He's a jealous God, verse 2.

God is jealous.

He'll have no other gods before him.

Exodus chapter 20, verse 3.

Exodus 20:3

Amen.

In other words, ladies and gentlemen, God wants first place in your life and my life.

Can I get an amen?

That's why he says in Matthew 6, 33, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things should be added unto you.

He wants first place in your life.

And you know what I've learned?

All these other things should be added unto you.

All those things that you really desire and you enjoy, if he's first, you will enjoy them a lot better.

But he will not be second fiddle to anyone.

You like that second fiddle?

Amen.

So he's a jealous God.

He really is.

In fact, what we realize and what people are lacking today in America, let me tell you what's happened to America.

About 25, 28 years ago, we took character out of our school system.

We took God out, hey, and put humanism in.

And that's where we are today.

There's no character, there's no absolute truth.

I mean, it's amazing that, hey, you have to have metal detectors for guns and knives and all in our school system today.

Why?

There's no discipline, there's no character.

Everyone does what's right in their own eyes.

How did that happen?

By making wrong choices.

That's what happened.

That's how it happened.

And we got away from the truth.

We got away from absolute truth.

So that's what brings, hey, it's on.

Number two, not only is he a jealous God, but he's avenging.

He's an avenging God.

He's an avenging God.

Look at verse 2 again.

Hey, and the Lord revengeth.

The Lord revengeth and is furious.

Oh my goodness.

That's why he says in Romans 12, 19, avenge not yourselves, for it is written, Vengeance is mine.

I will repay, saith the Lord.

Thank God for his mercy.

But ladies and gentlemen, we've got to still come to the point to realize that God's mercy, hey, is long-during, I mean long-suffering and enduring, but you still have to repent or the judgment will come.

And we saw that in Nineveh.

We saw that in Sodom and Gomorrah.

But notice number three, he's a wrathful God also.

Look at what he says.

And the wrath of God comes on his enemies.

The Bible says in Ephesians 5, 6, the wrath of God comes on children of disobedience.

Wow.

The wrath of God comes on children of disobedience.

And then look at number four.

He's great in power.

We see the power of God.

Not only does God pronounce the verdict, but he has the power to carry the verdict out.

Amen?

And we see that.

We see that.

We saw it happen.

Hey, when he would bring the storms, he would bring the famines, he would cause droughts.

He had the power.

Psalm 62, 11 says, Once, twice have I heard this.

Power belongs unto God.

And that is so true.

Number five, verse 3 again.

The guilty will not go unpunished.

The guilty will not go unpunished.

Notice what he says.

And will not at all acquit the wicked.

In other words, the wicked's not going to get away with it.

The wicked will not, right now, I know how you feel.

I feel sometimes when I see all this ungodliness and even our leaders telling us to be uncivil and stuff like that.

You know, I just want to get so mad, I just want to, yeah.

You want to fight?

Come on.

Now, don't look at me like that.

Don't you feel that way sometimes?

I mean, when you always see the the wicked win, and you you you you know what I here's what you say and I say, Lord, Lord, what in the world?

Why are you letting them get away with that?

I got news for you.

He's not.

Now he's not judging on, hey, his judgment's not coming quick enough for me.

I meant, God, okay, be merciful, but at least get them tomorrow.

Give mercy today, but take them out tomorrow.

Thank God I'm not the judge.

Amen.

But you feel that way.

But see, God is merciful.

He's long, his mercies are new every morning.

Great, great is thy faithfulness.

His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning.

Lamentations 3.22 and 23.

Thank God, but I got news for you.

He can only take so much, too.

And payday is coming.

The guilty will not go unpunished.

Colossians 3.25.

He who does wrong will be, watch this, repaid for what he has done.

There is no partiality with God.

Wow.

Number six.

He's the God of indignation.

You know what that means?

In other words, righteously he's angry because his people, the people that had repented, had gone back and violated his laws and principles.

That's what it means.

They turn back again to their wickedness.

Isaiah 1, 19 and 20, listen to what it says.

If you're willing and obedient, you should eat the good of the land, but if you refuse and rebel, you should be devoured by the sword.

You got a choice.

Hey, got a choice.

Remember what we said last week?

We got, hey, hey, you remember what we said in Deuteronomy?

He says, hey, if you're willing and obedient, you should eat the good of the lamb, but if you refuse and rebel, the curses of God will come upon you.

So we see that.

Righteously angry.

Number seven, he's righteously angry because we have violated his principles.

Write this verse down.

Psalms 11:5.

Psalms 11:5

I saw this early this morning.

God just took me to it.

God loves righteousness.

That's what it says.

But God hates wickedness.

Wow, that's pretty plain, isn't it?

God loves righteousness, but he hates wickedness.

And that's why we see him righteously getting angry.

And then number eight, he always follows through with his judgments.

Now it may not seem like it.

It was a hundred years after a revival broke out in Nineveh.

A hundred years before he brought judgment on Nineveh and the Assyrians.

Hundred years.

I'd say that's a patient God.

Can I get an amen?

And I believe God is being very patient right now with America.

I really do.

I think the only reason we're not seeing the judgment of God is because I really believe that the church of God is still standing in the gap for men.

I believe that.

We, CCW and all the other great churches in this area, we're standing in the gap for Westover.

We're standing in the gap for Chelsea and Vincent and Harpersville and all the Sir Wilsonville and all and Childersburg.

We're standing in the gap.

Saying, God, please don't punish them.

God, bring them to repentance.

But just as we see, as judge, God is jealous, avengeful, wrathful, great in power.

The guilty would not go and punish.

We'll see his righteous anger.

And he always follows through, thank God, for the next megatheme, as father.

We see him as judge, but now we see him as father.

God is.

Look at it.

Look at verse 3.

God is slow to anger.

Can I get an amen?

That's why we've not seen the judgment of God on America right now.

It's because the Lord is good.

Amen.

And in verse 3, he is slow to anger.

Thank God for that.

In fact, in Romans 9 22, he literally says that God, through his power, could unleash his wrath, but because he is slow to anger, he hasn't.

God can release that wrath anytime he wants to, but because Of his love for us and his love for people, he has not.

That's why one day, when we stand before the judgment seat of God, well, especially the great white throne judgment that we preached when we were in Revelation, and that's for the lost people.

When the lost people stand before God at the great white throne judgment, there is no way they'll be able to say that God was not merciful to them and gave them ample opportunities to be saved.

Why?

God is slowed to anger.

2 Peter 3 9 says, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, but his long suffering, not willing.

Now listen, not willing that any should perish.

Let me tell you what the Greek word for any means.

Any.

God is good.

Say it with me.

All the time, all the time, God is good.

In fact, Romans 2.4, are you ready?

I'm about to have a spell.

Hey, hey, hey, Romans 2.4, the goodness of God brings thee to salvation.

It's the goodness of God that brings us to salvation.

And listen to this.

Oh, there's so many verses.

I could quote them all day.

And then he says in Psalms 84, verse 11, for the Lord God is our Son.

Psalms 84:11

Hey, and Sheel.

He gives grace and glory.

Now, are you ready for this?

No good thing will he withhold for them that walk uprighteously.

Say it with me.

No good thing.

Say it again.

No good thing.

Will he withhold for them that walk uprightly?

Folks, hey, you want a good thing?

Just be obedient.

You want a good thing?

Just walk right.

You want a good thing?

Somebody said, Man, I wish God would give me a good wife.

Well, hey, let me tell you, let me help you.

You catch what you are.

Hello.

Because no good thing's gonna come up to a bad thing.

Hello?

You okay out there?

I am.

You a bad thing, you're gonna get a bad thing.

You a good thing, you'll get a good thing.

Woo! I got a great thing.

Amen.

It works.

Somebody said, how in the world you get her?

I'm a good thing.

I'll tell you how I got her.

I quoted Jeremiah 15, 16.

Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy words were unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart, for I'm called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

Woo! Sue said, that's a good thing.

And I looked back and said, whoo, that's a great thing.

And those good and great things came together.

How many?

37 wonderful years.

Amen.

You have an account too now, aren't you?

We get November 37.

Woo! God is good.

Job put it this way.

We receive good.

Now what's this?

Job said, and let me give you a verse.

Job 2.10.

Job said, we receive good at the hand of God.

God doesn't want to give us anything but goodness.

Amen.

But we have that choice.

God does not give good to evil.

God does not give good to sinful.

You with me?

Number three.

As Father, God is slow to anger.

God is good.

But look at verse 7 again.

God is a stronghold.

Woo-hoo! When trouble comes, he's the place to go.

Amen?

How many of us have ever been in trouble?

Okay?

Now about half of you didn't raise your hand.

If you're not in trouble, it's coming.

Every one of us gets in trouble eventually.

That's life.

Whether it's sickness, whether it's losing a job, whether it's divorce, whether it's a tragedy, trouble comes.

Why do you think the Lord says in 2 Timothy 2, 3, thou endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ?

Why do you think he says, all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution?

2 Timothy 3.12.

Okay?

But what I do see is when that trouble comes, when you're walking in His way, His will, the name.

Woo! Are you ready, Proverbs 18, 10?

The name of the Lord is a strong tower, and the righteous run in and they are safe.

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

Psalms 46, 1.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the righteous cry out and he delivers them out of them all.

Psalms 34, 19.

Amen.

Number four, God knows those who trust him.

Verse 7 again, at the end.

Knoweth them that trust him.

He knows who takes refuge in him.

Psalms 91, 2 says, I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge, my fortress, my God.

In him will I trust.

He's my refuge, he's my fortress, he's my God.

I will trust him.

Now, so we see the difference.

We see God as judge, and we see God as our Father in these eight verses.

So now let's look at the lessons that I want us to learn today.

Say this with me, church.

Lessons to learn.

Now here we are, here America.

Lesson number one.

Verse three.

God's blessings today do not mean God's blessings tomorrow.

God's blessings today do not mean God's blessings tomorrow if we are living in sin.

If we are being disobedient.

The blessings of God on our lives, on our homes, on our church, on our businesses, on all that that He blesses.

Remember what I said?

I don't think I Psalm 68 says, God has been mindful of us to bless us.

Psalms 115, verse 12.

Psalms 115:12

God has been mindful of us to bless us.

And then Psalm 68 says, daily God will bless us with blessings.

Daily.

Can I get an amen?

Daily.

Man, that's good.

Daily will he bless us.

Psalm 68, 19.

Hey, he says, Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with blessings.

Wow.

But God's blessings today do not mean God's blessings tomorrow if we choose, our choice to go the wrong way.

If we choose to go our way.

So you have a choice.

Now with that said, look at your outline.

From spiritual blessings to bankruptcy.

Wow.

Have you ever been there?

Have you ever been on the mountaintop and then all of a sudden you choose to go your own way, and next thing you know, you're in the valley?

Three of us.

Well, we got three, uh, okay, it's getting better.

Hello.

Okay, come on now.

So, hey, you are you're in trouble now, you're lying.

Lying lips are abomination unto God.

They will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 12, 22.

Hello.

Now I want you to see this.

This is so good.

We've got seven principles here.

And the apex, the height of our walk with God is in the middle, where you see that little word that says hope in God.

Hey, when you and I are at our our our height and walking with God, we're we're doing everything.

We're having our quiet time.

We're studying, we're witnessing, we're sharing, we're giving, we're faithful to all that God's asking us to do.

We found out our giftiness.

We're exercising our giftiness like these ladies and gentlemen did today.

And just you just, you're just, whoo, you're just basking.

That's a good word.

You're just basking in his goodness.

You're just basking in his glory.

You're just basking in his promises.

You're just basking in his gracefulness.

You're just basking in his glory and grace.

And everything's just going like it should be.

You're on the mountaintop.

You say, where does that come from?

Right there.

You're hoping in God.

Can I get an amen?

And how does that happen?

Look at the first thing.

You have a hunger for God.

And that hunger for God, now look, equals, I realize my need for God's blessings.

That's where it starts.

Oh, Matthew 5, 6, blessed are they that hunger and thirst after God, for they shall be filled.

Can I get an amen?

It's that hunger.

Folks, listen, you gotta have a hunger for God.

I'm not saying just show up on Sunday.

Hey, that was, yeah, I can get up here and I can preach and hey, and not even have the hunger of God.

Well, that was quite.

That's one of my gifts.

And you know what?

You can exercise your gifts and still not be filled with the Spirit of God.

Hello.

You can exercise your talents and not be filled with the Spirit of God.

My brother could play the fire out of that thing.

But guess what?

He can play the fire out of it probably with his not being spirit-filled.

But there's a difference.

And let me tell you something I've learned, and it's taken me a long time to learn this.

But I'm telling you, listen to me, when I'm sitting where you're sitting, I know.

When a guy's teaching or a lady's teaching and preaching in the spirit, or they're singing in the spirit, I know my spirit.

Woo! My spirit bears witness with that spirit that the spirit of God is all over them.

And I can also know when it's not.

And guess what?

I know when I'm in the spirit and when I'm not.

Hello?

And the last thing, and that's why from about six six, between six and six and thirty after I feed the dogs till I drive up right there.

It's just me and Jesus searching my search me, oh God.

Know my heart, try me, know my thoughts.

If there's be any wicked way in me, God, lead me in the way of everlasting.

God, get all the Danny out, get all the flesh out, get all the garbage out, get all the shit out.

Get it all out so that when I stand on that pulpit, they're not hearing Danny love it.

They're hearing the spirit of the living God through the word of God.

It's not about me.

It's about him, a hunger for him.

Psalm 73, 25, there is none upon earth that I desire before thee.

Woo! That's a good verse.

There is none upon this earth that I desire besides thee.

Notice the second step.

Not only is there a hunger for God, there's help from God.

And that means I begin to receive God's blessings.

At equals, I start receiving God's blessings.

Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefit.

Let me tell you something.

Are you listening?

Listen, church.

Watching online, listen.

If you're walking with God and you have a hunger for God and you desire Him above everything else, God's gonna bless you.

I wish God would just bless me like He's being blessed.

Have you ever thought that?

Absolutely.

Oh, He's got a bigger church.

Well, and then you start fault finding.

The moment you do that, God's not gonna bless you.

Come on why?

God says, judge not that you be not judging, you're judging.

Listen, when you desire Him above everything else, He knows that.

He knows if He's second fiddle or not.

And when He's first, I'm telling you, He's gonna open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing.

You begin to receive God's blessings.

And notice the third thing.

Hunger for God, then you have help from God.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after God, for they shall be filled.

Luke 6.21, blessed are you who hunger now.

I like that.

Hunger now, for ye shall be filled.

Now, what is he talking about being filled?

With the Spirit, yeah.

But also being filled with blessings from God.

I'm blessed this morning.

Can I get an amen?

Say this with me.

I'm blessed.

Did you get up?

Are you breathing?

Did you get something to eat?

Did you get some coffee?

Your kids breathing?

You're blessed.

You're blessed.

And then that third thing is happiness in God.

Now, what does that equal?

I begin to rejoice in Him.

Let me tell you, when God's blessing you daily, you can't help but rejoice in Him.

And people say, Well, you just have a spell.

Yeah, I got the Can't Help It.

I can't help but speak the things that I've seen and heard and been blessed with.

Acts 4.20, Peter said.

Yes, yes, I'm blessed.

I'm blessed.

Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.

Luke 11, 28.

And then what does that bring me to?

It brings me to hope in God.

The mountaintop, the apex, the height.

When I have that hunger, when I have that help, I have the happiness.

Hey, I realize my need for God's blessings.

I begin to receive God's blessings.

I begin to rejoice in Him.

I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me in the life which I now live in the flesh.

I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2, 20.

Amen.

That's what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about present your body a living sacrifice, holy accepted unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Be not conformed to this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Romans 12, 1 and 2.

That's what I'm talking about.

Now, quickly.

Look what happens when you go the opposite direction.

The downward step.

Happiness in myself.

I rely on myself.

We take God's blessings for granted and we begin to give ourselves credit instead of God.

Hello.

Look what we are doing.

At CCW.

Mm-hmm.

Oh yeah.

Look what I'm doing.

There's no I in God.

Hello.

It's all about Him.

We just have the privilege to get in on it.

We are blessed to get in on it.

Amen.

Now notice the next step.

Not just happiness in myself, in other words, self-glory instead of God's glory.

Whether I eat or drink or whatsoever do, I do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10, 31.

We don't, you know, we start taking credit, but notice the other thing: help for others.

Help from others.

I will rely on others instead of God.

Well, the government's going to take care of me.

God help us.

That's a flawed system.

Psalms 118, verse 8, it's better to put your trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

Psalms 118:8

And then the next verse, verse 9, said, it's better to put your trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes in the King James.

That means government.

Hello?

Somebody said, Can I help you?

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

You've got to work for it.

Amen?

And then the third thing.

On the downward sparrow.

Hunger for other things.

I rely on things to satisfy me instead of God's blessings and power and approval.

See, we ought to be seeking God's power, God's approval, and God's blessings instead of things of this world.

Can I get an amen?

So, lessons learned, God's blessings today do not mean God's blessings tomorrow.

I gave you the formula.

Now, if I was sitting here, he'd say, That's good, preacher.

Because that's, hey, from spiritual blessings to bankruptcy, that's there's, hey, there's the formula.

You can be blessed, hey, or you can lose all the blessings.

You can be spiritually bankrupt.

It's our choice.

Number two, God guarantees his protection to those who rely upon him.

Look at verse 7.

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble.

God guarantees his protection to those who apply.

Hey, and rely on him.

Now, Proverbs 3, 5 and 6.

Look at your outline.

Trust begins with commitment.

He says in Proverbs 3, 5, trust in the Lord with all thy heart.

You've got to make, listen to me now.

This is very simple.

You've got to make a commitment to the Lord.

You've got to make a commitment to the Lord.

Okay?

Delight thyself also in the Lord.

And he shall.

You give thee the desires of your heart.

Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.

Psalms 34, 7 and 5.

You with me?

Or four and five, I'm sorry.

You with me?

Delight.

And that's the first part of that formula we just gave you.

A hunger, a help, and happiness and hope in God.

Alright?

Now watch the second part of that.

Trust begins with commitment, trusting the Lord with all the heart.

Now watch.

Trust builds upon relationships.

In all thy ways, verse 6, and all thy ways acknowledge Him.

Now watch.

And He shall bring it to pass.

Wow.

A commitment to Him to do what He asks you to do?

When you do what He asks you to do, He leads you, He blesses you daily.

Daily.

So you've got the commitment and the relationship.

Without the relationship, listen, there will be no commitment.

And with no commitment, there will be no blessings.

So it's your choice.

Remember, start it out.

We've got a choice to make.

We're not sufficient in ourselves, but our sufficiencies in God.

2 Corinthians 3, 5.

Boy, that's good.

My son, as a man thinks in his heart, say it with me.

So is he.

That's Proverbs 23, 7.

And then verse 26 in Proverbs 23 says, okay, my son, give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways.

That means I'm putting my hope in God.

And when I put my hope in God, I have happiness in God, help from God, and I have a hunger for God.

See how it works?

Lesson number three.

God's power can bring judgment on any situation.

God's power can bring judgment on any situation anytime.

And we've already looked at the verses, so I won't read them again.

Verses three through five.

His power can bring judgment anytime.

On anything.

None of us are exempt.

Why?

John 16, 8.

He reproves the world of righteousness, of sin, and of judgment.

Nineveh, what you don't realize at this time, had a, are you ready for this?

A hundred-foot wall.

Now listen to this.

80 mile circumference.

Hundred foot.

You listen to me?

You know how wide it was?

Four chariots could be driven on top of the wall.

They had a hundred and forty mile, I mean a hundred and forty-foot wide moat all the way around that.

Impossible to bring down.

Impossible to take over.

Except for God.

Man couldn't do it, but God did it just like that.

Remember Jericho?

The walls came tumbling down.

Anytime.

God's power can bring judgment on any situation.

Any situation.

2 Chronicles 25, 8, all these verses are there, I think.

God hath power to help and to cast down.

He can build up or he can bring down.

Number four.

God's patience gives us plenty of time to find him.

Can I get an amen?

God's patience gives us plenty of time to find him.

They're new every morning.

Great as their faith.

Comforting thoughts about that.

The patience that God gives us plenty of time to find him.

Number one, this is good.

Our first choice need not be our final choice.

Angela, amen.

I think you're the only one that got that.

Our first choice doesn't have to be our only choice.

Amen?

How many of us have made some bad choices?

Hello.

Hey, aren't you glad that's not your final choice?

Or it doesn't have to be.

Isn't that good?

I read C.S.

Lewis made this statement.

You ready?

You may not be able to go back and start afresh or have a new start.

That's what he said.

But now watch what he said after that.

You may not be able to go back and make a brand new start, but you can start now and make a brand new ending.

Boy, is that not good.

You may not be able to go back and make a brand new start, but you can start right where you are right now and make a brand new ending.

Well, that's good.

Our first choice need not be our final choice.

And then number two, under comforting thoughts, God is always ready to forgive and hey, to forgive a repented heart.

Hey, just that quick, the thief on the cross turned and instead of going to hell that day, right there before he died, he went to heaven.

He realized who Jesus was and what Jesus was doing, dying for his sins.

He was, Jesus was innocent.

He realized it.

He said, Lord, remember me.

He said, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise.

If I confess my sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us, our says, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Church, listen, you can make that choice.

The goodness of God bringeth thee to repentance.

Romans 2.4.

And then the last point, last lesson, and I'm through.

Today we can receive God's mercy.

Today.

Oh, now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6.2.

Now.

Today we can receive God's mercy.

If we do not, someday we will receive God's judgment.

One of my favorite presidents ever was Abraham Lincoln.

I love Civil War history.

I've read everything about it.

Did you know Abraham Lincoln before he was president was a judge in his community?

And there was a man that was brought before Abraham Lincoln in his courtroom.

And he had committed a murder.

He was drunk.

Killed someone.

And as Abraham Lincoln pronounced his sentence after the jury had found him guilty, which was death, he looked at the man and said, Is there anything you have to say?

He said, Yes, Your Honor, there is.

He said, Years ago, I was drunk and had passed out in my buggy and dropped the reins, and my horse was running ramply through the middle of town.

And you, as a young man, jumped out and grabbed the reins, risking your life to save me.

And I was drunk.

He said, Your Honor, I'm asking you for mercy again to save my life.

As you did.

Abraham Lincoln paused and then he said, Yesterday, sir, I was your savior.

Today, I'm your judge.

Folks, listen to me.

Right now you got a chance.

You can make a choice today.

Because right now, because of Calvary, today, Jesus Christ is your Savior.

But once you pass, He becomes your judge.

So will you today give your life to God the Father?

Through the Son.

What a beautiful picture.

What a beautiful picture, Church.

Did you do that?