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Clarity for Life · Sermon Podcast at Cartersville1st

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As we continue in our series in the book of Psalms, I love this
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book. These Psalms are, as all of them
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are, straight from the heart. They are speaking to the
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practical matters of life, and my goodness, they are
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encouraging, clarifying, and often meet us right where we
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are, no matter what we're going through.
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If you're interested in where we're headed at the end of July,
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when we turn the turn into August, on those Sundays, we
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will pick up in the New Testament letter of First John.
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So if you want to read ahead and study a bit, we're going to be
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walking through First John together beginning this fall.
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But we're walking through Psalms now, and I pray they've been an
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encouragement to you. I know they've been an
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encouragement to me as you, as you have your place in Psalm
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May, let me tell you the story that's been told of a man by the
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name. Giovanni.
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Giovanni was a lawyer, had a son named Carlo, and they moved in
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the middle of winter. It was January and they moved to
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a new home. And as soon as they moved in,
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father and son, the next day, this massive snowstorm hits and
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they're snowed in. So all schools are canceled.
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And Carlo had some school work he had to do from home.
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In fact, he did have a school essay he had to submit that day
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online that was due. And unfortunately though,
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Giovanni the father still had to go into the office at least for
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about an hour to sign a contract with a client that he had.
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And so he leaves Carlo behind as he goes into the office.
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A few hours later, Giovanni received a text message from his
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son Carlo that read Windows frozen won't open.
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Windows Frozen won't open. Now Giovanni was a little bit
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confused, because he didn't know why young Carlo wanted to open
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the windows on such a wintery snowy day.
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But he thought for a minute he didn't have much time to think
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about it. He was trying to get to the
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meeting with his client, so he simply thought back to some days
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when he actually lived in the Italian.
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Alps and some. Cold weather and gave his son a
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remedy he thought would work and it went like this.
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He text heat up some water and pour it over the edges and the
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gently tap with a hammer. Giovanni then raced off to his
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meeting with his client to make sure the contract got signed as
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he had promised and over the next hour they worked through
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that contract in his phone as you felt before when you can't
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look at it was buzzing all along in his pocket.
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Finally contract signed client was served and looks at his
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phone and the text messages from Carlo red number one.
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Are you sure? Then a few minutes later, hurry
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up my I must send in my essay. Then the text message said, OK,
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now the computer won't turn on at all.
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Well, I'm confused by the messages.
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Giovanni called home, and Carlo answered the phone, a little
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frustrated, a little angry, as you might imagine, The
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conversation went like this. OK, what's wrong with the
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computer? Giovanni asked.
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I don't know. I poured hot water over the
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edges and I tapped with a hammer.
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Now it won't turn on at all. It's dead.
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Well, Giovanni realized the Sun wasn't talking about the windows
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of the House is some of the windows of the operating system
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of his computer. Carlos computer had been frozen
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now, thanks to hot water and a tapping hammer, it was dead as a
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doornail, right as a door knob. However that saying goes, My
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point is this confusion y'all can be can be damaging,
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confusion is destructive and confusion can be honestly can be
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deadly. And not just physically but
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spiritually. Confusion can be damaging and
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destructive and deadly. Now on the other hand, the
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opposite of confusion is clarity.
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And, and clarity can be constructive.
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Clarity, praise God can be so kind.
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Clarity can be life giving. And again, not just physically
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but spiritually, praise God for the clarity He has given us in
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His word. Clarity for life.
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Because you know what the truth of the matter is.
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Because of sin, my sin, your sin, and our forefathers sins,
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life has frozen up and won't open.
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Life is locked up on us because of sin and won't open, and all
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people everywhere are trying lots of different things, every
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experiment under the sun to try to get life to thaw out and open
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up and to work and it just won't right.
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And sometimes only making things worse.
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I praise God, we praise God for the clarity for life that He
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gives us in his Word. And by the way, out of all the
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things that Psalm chapter 8 does, in fact, there's so many
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ways to go about processing the truth of Psalm 8.
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But as I thought about it and worked through it this week, I
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just thought, you know what? This Psalm is clarity for life.
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If you don't understand the truths of Psalm 8, life will
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never work and make sense the way it's supposed to.
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By the way, this clarity for life sometimes can be can can be
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something that we think sometimes people have got all
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figured out life on the outside, but they don't have on the
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inside. Sometimes people can look like
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they've got life all put together, maybe like a fit body
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and a fat wallet and driving fine cars and a perfectly
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manicured yard. You know, maybe like your
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neighbor has or you have. But on the inside they're
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they're broke. On the inside, life's frozen up.
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They're confused, they're pouring hot water over the edges
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of life and anything they can do to try to tap and make life work
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and seek and find contentment and satisfaction and joy and
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life and future and hope, and they just can't find it because
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they're looking at all the wrong places.
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Praise God for the clarity for life He's given us in His Word.
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Psalm chapter 8 is going to give us some clarity for life.
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Listen to the Word of God as I read Psalm chapter 8.
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Oh Lord our Lord, oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name
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in all the earth. You've set your glory above the
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heavens, and out of the mouths of babies and infants.
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You've established strength because of your foes, to steal
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the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the
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work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you've set
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in place, what is man? And that's the question of life,
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isn't it? What is man?
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God, that you are mindful of Him, and the Son of man that you
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care for him. Yet you've made him a little
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lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and
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honor. You've given Him dominion over
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the works of your hands. You've put all things under his
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feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beast of the field, the
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birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes
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along the paths of the Seas. Oh Lord our Lord, how majestic
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is your name in all the earth. The first clarity for life that
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we get from this text is this truth, and it's #1 here only God
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is great, only God is truly great.
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Oh Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name, David says in all
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the earth. The first thing David is
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acknowledging here is the reality, y'all, that there is
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one true and only one true God, Lord, Maker, Sustainer, and
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Creator of everything that there is.
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Some people have had that clarity of life and others have
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not, and they're still pouring hot water and tapping on the
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edges, failing to realize the truth.
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There is only one God, one Maker, 1 Sustainer, and 1 Lord.
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Second, David isn't just acknowledging God, but he is
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claiming to know God. In other words, he's claiming
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the reality. You.
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We can know God personally. Notice he says not just O God or
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O Lord, but our like David knows this God personally, right?
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And again, lots of people, some people have made this clarity
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for life realization that God not only is, but he wants and
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longs and desires a personal relationship with us.
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But most people, many people have not found this clarity for
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life realization that God not only is, belongs and desires to
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have a personal relationship with him through faith in his
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Son Jesus Christ. And so the reality is right.
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So like all human beings belong to humankind, right?
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And in that way, we have a relationship with one another as
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human beings. And yet we know, you know, that
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you share a unique relationship with those in your family.
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Well, guess what? God the Father obviously is the
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Creator of all people, of all mankind, right?
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Of every human being. But God only shares a special,
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unique relationship as Father, not just with those He made, but
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only with those who have been born again and made his, brought
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into His family by faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
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Do you belong in that family if you made the realization for
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life that God not only is, but He longs for a personal
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relationship with you through His Son Jesus Christ, longing
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for you to be in His? Family, David acknowledges not
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just that God is that you can know him personally, but David
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acknowledges the greatness of God here.
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Did you see that word he uses twice at the beginning and end?
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Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all?
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The earth. Now what in the world does David
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mean when he says, oh Lord, how majestic is your name, right?
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I mean, maybe you'd be like me, like God.
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I've never actually seen your name inscribed or scribbled in
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the sky. I haven't.
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Have you, God? I've never seen your name carved
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in the bark of a tree, God, I've witnessed a lot of incredible
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western sky sunsets, but God, I've never looked at the bottom
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right hand corner and seen the initials of God, of Yahweh, of
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the I am Himself scribbled right there to see.
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Have you? What in the world then does
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David mean then? How majestic is your name in all
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the earth? Well, by name, by that David
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simply means God's reality, God's existence and God's
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excellence and God's character and his goodness and his power
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and his glory. And yes, even as the word he
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uses, God's majesty, it's clear that the greatness and goodness
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and glory of God permeates all of creation.
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Now again, people get confused here.
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Right, because you may be sitting here thinking, McCall,
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if that's true, how come so many people can't see it?
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Let's be honest. How do scientists spend their
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lives investigating the secrets of the universe and fail to see
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the majesty of Almighty God permeating every inch of it?
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If it's there, how do they miss it?
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How does scientists and geologists and astronomers see
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the incredible balance and perfection of the law and order
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and detailed intricacy of the universe, even down to the human
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eye and failed to see the design and the creator behind
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everything created? How are they so blind if it's
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true, Kyle How many times, how often, how?
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Why can't people see? The Bible has a very clear
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clarity for life answer for that issue.
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I'll go and tell it to you, but then I want you to maybe read
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this passage on your own this afternoon.
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But it answers in a passage, Romans chapter 1.
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The answer is people don't see because of the blindness that
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sin has caused them. This truth out of Romans chapter
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1 is one that often we have to go back to to understand how our
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world works. This is clarity for life.
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Let me just read you some verses of chapter one verse 18.
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For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
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ungodliness and unrighteousness to men who watch this by their
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unrighteousness suppress the what?
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The truth of the majesty of the name of God written throughout
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all creation. For what can be known about God
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is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
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For His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and
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divine nature, have been clearly perceived from when, ever since
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the creation of the world, ever since the world's been around,
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the nature, beauty, power, excellence, the name of God has
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been obviously written throughout it.
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For all they knew God right? And let me go back in the things
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that have been made. So they are without excuse.
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For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give
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thanks to him, but became futile in their thinking, and in their
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foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became
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fools, and they exchanged. Can I use a different word?
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They exchanged the majesty of Almighty God for the of the
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immortal God, for images resembling mortal man and birds
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and animals and creeping things. Why can't man see?
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Because mankind saw and decided to suppress the truth of the
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majesty of God and continues to suppress that truth and deny
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that truth to this day. Praise God.
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Aren't you glad that if you see the majesty of God, it's because
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of the grace of God, because of the work of the Holy Spirit in
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your heart that has opened your eyes to see the greatness and
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glory of Jesus Christ and the Maker of all things.
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David is a man who's had his eyes opened to the majesty and
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might and glory of God. By the way, can I just tell you
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this practically, if you ever lose sight of the greatness of
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God, that only God is great, you will live your life
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disappointed, looking for greatness in anything and
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everything else under the sun that will never give you
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greatness. Fail to see, fail to realize
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that only God is great. You'll spend your life.
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You'll waste your life looking for something great.
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Lots of good things under the sun to enjoy, but only God.
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Only God. Is great clarity for life #1
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clarity for life number 2 is God's glory.
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God's glory is everywhere. God's glory is everywhere.
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David says how majestic is your name where in all the earth no
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matter where you go, right, no matter where you look, the
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evidence of the master handiwork of God is present.
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It didn't matter if you go to the deserts full of sand or the
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ocean depths. The majesty and might of the
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handiwork of God if you go and see mountain heights, if you
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just behold a bright blue Big Sky.
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If you go look in a microscope at microscopic organisms, if you
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just want to sit on your porch and see day, sunrise and sunset
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and the rhythm of day and night, pouring forth speech, all of it
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speaks of the might and master handiwork of God, right?
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And yet as loud as all of that is, even more so God has
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manifested his glory, David says above the heavens.
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He's like, hey, as great as all that is is as unimaginable as
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God's glory is that we see reflected in creation.
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You know, you can't even see God's greatest glory right now
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because this above the heavens. Now, what does he mean by
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heavens? Well, the Bible kind of has a
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three fold concept of the word heaven.
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The first one might be just what we might call the aerial heaven,
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like Earth's atmosphere, heavens.
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That's referred to as heaven in the Bible where the birds fly,
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airplanes go, and skyscrapers reach, right?
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That's kind of the aerial Earth's atmosphere, right?
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And then there's what we might call like the stellar heavens,
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like the home of the sun, moon and stars.
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There's those heavens. They've been saying God has set
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his glory above plural the heavens, Earth's atmosphere,
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heaven above the galactic stellar heavens.
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He set his glory in the dwelling place, what's called the 3rd
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heaven. It's even referenced in Hebrews
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924, the dwelling place of God, where it says for Christ has
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entered. This is after his life, death,
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burial and resurrection. Christ has entered not into holy
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places made with hands which are copies of the true things, but
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into heaven itself. Now, to appear in the presence
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of God on our behalf, y'all, as glorious as all of creation is,
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God's greatest glory as we speak is not even yet fully visible.
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But Can you imagine that day we get to see God's glory face to
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face, dwelling in unapproachable light?
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God Almighty, Maker of all things.
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I mean, part of creation's design is just to give us a
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glimpse of just how glorious it's Maker must be.
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For how big, how grand, how majestic God is infinitely
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greater, bigger and better. This set his glory above the
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heavens and yet right just as heaven.
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This is not just heaven, shouts the glory of God.
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You go back down to earth and David says, did you notice an
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inner creation and find the smallest, the weakest among us?
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And guess what you'll find there, even out of the mouth of
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children, God is what God is praised.
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Now, that doesn't mean that all children everywhere all the time
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praise God. Wouldn't that be awesome if they
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did? My son, he's not in here
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anymore. I look down, he's like, dad, I'm
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just here for the Lord's Supper, not for you preaching.
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So praise God, right? He came for that.
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But he's going back to Sunday school to hear what?
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What if all kids everywhere, they never talked back.
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I'm not saying they did anything wrong.
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That was probably the right move.
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But I what if they just always everywhere gave praise and glory
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to God? Well, they don't always do that,
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but what this is saying is that yes, and even specific ways and
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certain times and for His design and glory, even out of the
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mouths of the youngest, the smallest, the feeblest, God has
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ordained praise. Now the greatest, the greatest
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come to pass of this happened in the life of Jesus while on earth
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in Matthew 21, verse 14 through 16.
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This is familiar to you, I think.
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And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and he
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healed them. But when the chief priest and
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the scribe saw the wonderful things that he did and the
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children crying out in the temple, Hosanna to the son of
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David, they were indignant and they asked, they said to him, do
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you hear what these people are saying?
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And Jesus said to them, have you never read?
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Do you not know Psalm 8? Out of the mouths of infants and
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nursing babies, you have prepared praise.
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Now what might be a shock to you?
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But if you read and study any on the history of revivals and
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mighty movements of God, almost always you will find written
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records of how God mightily used little children and mighty
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movements of God around the world.
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Included little children to do things that only by the power of
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the Holy Spirit could have happened.
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Things like being led by God, children being led by God to
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pray and fast children being led by God to prompted to preach
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children being emboldened by God to witness and share the gospel.
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Children emboldened by God to pray for physical healing and
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the salvation of the lost. Oftentimes their parents
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anywhere you look and see out of the mouth even of little
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children, God is ordained praise out of the weakest.
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Why would God do that? God who's majesty and glory is
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ultimately set above the heavens, Why would he
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intentionally design even out of the mouths of the weakest, the
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littlest of feeblest to ordain praise?
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You know why? Because God loves to look at the
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enemy and say, you know what? I'm going to show you how great
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I am by taking the weakest, the smallest of feeblest, and
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they're even going to glorify me and give me praise.
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I can be glorified and honored. And the littlest, the smallest
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of feeblest. God loves to slap the enemy in
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the face by using the weakest to bring glory to Himself.
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Which by the way, ought to be a reminder to me and you of this.
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We may not be a little child anymore, but if God can use a
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little child to bring glory, honor and praise to him, then
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God can use you. And the The thing is, we often
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think, well, I'm not good at this, or I can't do that, or
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I've done this, or I'm disqualified because of this or
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I don't feel like I'm excuse after excuse, right?
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We throw up our weaknesses at God and God's like, don't you
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realize? I love to use that very tight
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situation. I love to use people and things
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that are weak and in abilities because you know what happens
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when God uses our weaknesses to display His strength?
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You know what happens? Who gets the glory God does
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instead of us. God, whose glory is above the
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heavens, wants to use the weakest, the feeblest, the
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littlest. Including you and me to bring
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himself glory. God's glory is everywhere.
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Thirdly, third clarity for life. We get out of the question that
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David asked in this Psalm, and it's this truth.
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Physically, physically, mankind is minuscule in light of all
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creation, in light of the grandness of the universe.
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The truth of the matter is you need to understand.
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I need to understand mankind is kind of minuscule.
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Y'all notice that we're pretty small in light of all of
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creation? In fact, David asked, it says it
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like this. He asked the most logical
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question possible. He he's beholding the heavens,
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he's thinking about. And he didn't even fully
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understand to the level of the degree that scientists have been
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able to understand how that sun is 1 giant blazing star and it's
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just one among trillions of others.
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David says. When I look at the heavens, when
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I look up at the galactic distances, the stellar
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realities, the stars and the moon and planets, and of course
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we can see far more now and further than what he could see
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in his day. When I look up there, God, and I
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look back down, what in the world am I that you would care
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for God? How small am I?
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How minuscule am I that you would care for me?
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This is the question of all questions.
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In fact, in the words of another, they've said it like
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this. Astronomy.
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Reveals what a mere Adam man is in the midst of creations
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immensity. David looks up and like God, I'm
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like this small particle of matter.
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What is it that you would care for for me physically?
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It's true that mankind is minuscule, but that leads us to
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the 4th and final clarity for life in verses 5 through 8.
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Which is this? Spiritually, mankind is most
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precious. Spiritually, mankind is most
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precious. Physically, yes, we're miniscule
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and light of the created universe, a mere Adam compared
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to the gigantic realities all around us.
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And yet spiritually, mankind is most precious.
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It says here, look again, you've made him a little lower than the
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heavenly beings. What does that mean?
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It means God made mankind in the degree of dignity, just slightly
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lower than the angelic beings. And by the way, it will not
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always be that way. It is for now, but a day's
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coming when Jesus returns in the resurrection and we are joined
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with him forever. The Saints.
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God's Word tells us we'll even be involved in judging who?
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Judging angels? No longer set just below them in
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dignity, but we are for now God. You've made mankind just below,
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just in dignity, a little lower than the heavenly beings.
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But then notice what he says. Yet you've crowned him mankind
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with glory and honor. I'm going to quote something in
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a second that might sound different than something you've
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heard. I'll hope to bring a balance
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between two truths I want you to see here.
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But listen to this. This is helpful quote if one
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were to imagine a scale. Of one to 10 with living
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creatures such as Beast as a one and God as a 10, then so high is
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David's estimation of humanity, he should have put mankind at an
23:35
8 or a nine. In other words, it is God, not
23:39
animals, who is man's closest relatives now, closest relative.
23:45
Now when you hear that, like I hear that, I'm like, whoa, wait
23:48
a second. There is still a vast, in fact
23:52
infinite distance between the creator and the Creator.
23:55
And I'm not trying to close that distance.
23:57
We're not God, and God is infinitely greater and
24:00
infinitely higher and infinitely more absolute.
24:03
And he's only independent. He's the only one self existent
24:05
and we are totally as creatures dependent on Him.
24:08
And yet clarity versus confusion is most of men through the
24:12
years, in fact, some that you know well and Charles Darwin and
24:15
others have said, you know what, we're just a little higher than
24:20
animals. We're just one degree more
24:23
sophisticated than monkeys. The Bible says you're just a
24:28
degree below the heavenly angelic beings out of all of
24:33
creation on a scale of 1 to 10, you're more like God, the only
24:37
ones the crown of his creation made in his image to rule and
24:41
represent on earth for him. It was as if when God made all
24:44
of creation in the earth, you know what he said?
24:46
I'm going to make a special part of my creation to be the royal
24:50
family on my behalf, to image me, to represent me, to reign
24:54
and rule through them so they can create.
24:56
A place in a culture and relationships and environment
24:59
that reflect my character. They're going to be most like me
25:03
than anything else I put on the planet.
25:05
Do you follow me? Praise God for the clarity God's
25:13
Word provides us confusion on the place and role of man in
25:19
life. Confusion brings destruction.
25:24
It's damaging and it's deadly because if you're just a cosmic
25:28
accident that happened to get dressed this morning, then your
25:32
life is meaningless and mine is meaningless and you're not
25:36
really going anywhere. There really is no hope.
25:39
And you better eat and drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die.
25:41
It might happen today. That confusion is damaging, it's
25:47
destructive, it's deadly. But the reality that God made
25:52
you, designed you for His glory, made you in His image, and gave
25:59
you the job of exercising dominion over all that He has
26:02
made. In fact, let me put it in the
26:04
words of another, mortals have not gained power over the
26:07
creation by chance, mechanistic process, but by a mandate from
26:11
the Creator to establish a culture that expresses God's
26:15
character. All this role that we were given
26:19
to exercise this dominion. He says you have given Him
26:21
dominion over the works of your hands, and then he put all says
26:24
put all things under our feet. God has given to mankind the
26:27
charge to rule and reign over and to steward everything in
26:30
creation. All right, God gave us this
26:32
mandate prior to the fall of sin.
26:35
God is not taking it away after our fallen descent.
26:38
Yes, the image of God is marred in us.
26:41
The crown we have has been rolled in the dust, right?
26:43
The glory is not what it once was.
26:46
In fact, you could put it like this when in Garden of Eden,
26:49
Adam and Eve had perfect dominion, perfect charge,
26:51
perfect control and leadership of all of creation.
26:53
They're under their stewardship, right?
26:55
Imagine the day the animals just walked right by, nice and kind
26:58
by Adam. He was unafraid of the lions and
27:00
the tigers and the bears giving them their name.
27:03
Life's not quite like that anymore, is it?
27:06
The wrong encounter with the wrong dog on the wrong day can
27:09
be terrifying. Sends you up a tree or climbing
27:11
and hugging a mailbox, right? You're like, I don't really feel
27:15
in domain right now, Kyle. I was running at youth camp, ran
27:19
down this road, saw a dog at the garage.
27:21
Next thing you know, that dog was at the end of that driveway
27:23
looking at me like he didn't like me.
27:26
I talked back to him like I didn't like him.
27:28
Then I kept running. Praise God, but right?
27:30
I mean, that domain is imperfect now, and yet it's not over with.
27:34
And even through the brokenness of sin, we're exercising that
27:37
domain, right? Because mankind still tames
27:39
beast of every kind, Do we not? Do we not fly through the air at
27:43
the speed of sound? Do we not till the ground to
27:45
grow our food? Do we not, by the power and
27:47
grace of God, rocket into space and back?
27:50
Do we not sail the seas? Do we not understand mysteries?
27:53
That got me. That domain is still.
27:54
It's imperfect. We're marred.
27:56
The image of God is not nearly as clear as it once was.
27:59
But this is not over with. We still have a charge given to
28:02
us by God to exercise and reign and rule over creation on His
28:07
behalf. It's just not near as easy as it
28:10
once was. We still have the charge, now we
28:13
just have to sweat, bleed, and die to do it.
28:17
But the truth of the matter is, it won't always be that way.
28:20
It won't always be that way. Life as we know it under the
28:24
curse of sin will not always be this way.
28:28
The reason we know that is because of what the Bible, again
28:31
clarity for life, makes so clear for us.
28:33
And This is why the writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm chapter 8
28:38
to speak to the answer of why is it that life will not always be
28:41
as we experience it now? Why is it that we have hope that
28:44
that curse one day will be broken, that one day we'll reign
28:47
and rule with Jesus Christ and perfect righteousness with life
28:51
forevermore, the way God intended for us to live it?
28:54
He says here in Hebrews, and I'll read it again as we read
28:56
it. What is man that you are mindful
28:58
of him, or the Son of man that you care for Him?
29:01
You made Him a little lower than the angels.
29:03
You've crowned Him with glory and honor.
29:05
You've put everything in subjection under His feet.
29:07
Now I'm putting everything in subjection to Him.
29:09
He left nothing outside His control.
29:11
But watch this. This is a really honest
29:13
statement right here. At present we do not yet see
29:16
everything in subjection to Jesus.
29:18
Is that not true? I mean the curse of sin still
29:21
running rampant, right? It ran in the form of how water
29:25
in like an hour in South Texas and how many people lost their
29:27
lives tragically. The curse of sin is still
29:30
happening. We don't yet see everything
29:32
perfectly yet under the feet of Jesus and yet namely Jesus
29:36
crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of
29:40
death, so that by the grace of God, he might taste death
29:42
forever. Now skip to verse 14.
29:45
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he
29:48
himself likewise partook of the same things he partook.
29:54
He was made a little lower than the angels, taking on flesh like
29:57
we have. Why?
29:59
So that through death he might. Here it is.
30:01
Here's the good news. Here's the hope we have.
30:03
Here's why life will not always be the way we experience it
30:06
today. That He might destroy the one
30:09
who has the power of death, that is the devil.
30:12
And watch this and deliver all those who through fear of death,
30:15
were subject to lifelong slavery.
30:19
O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
30:26
Because though we messed it up. God was mindful of us, mere
30:31
Adams in comparison to all the physical created universe, but
30:35
made precious in His sight. God so loved us that He would
30:38
send His only Son to come and His dignity be humbled, taking
30:42
on the form of a human, taking on the form of a servant, and
30:46
even going to the humility to the point of dying on the cross
30:49
wine so that we huddled in our fig leaves in the garden because
30:52
of our sin. He could clothe us in the
30:54
righteousness of Christ and impart to us life if we by faith
30:57
would trust Him, raise us up to new life, cause us to be born
31:01
again so that one day when He returns, we will reign and rule
31:04
with Him forever, even judging angels.
31:07
Oh Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth?
31:12
Can you see it? Has the curse of sin blinded you
31:15
to it or have your eyes been open like David's have?
31:22
I just want to ask a few questions to ask you to reflect
31:26
on before John and praise team come.
31:29
The first one is this, have you realized, have your have you
31:34
seen, have your eyes been opened to the glory of God?
31:43
What I'm asking is, is there been a day and a time when
31:48
you've seen your sin, you've seen your need for a Savior?
31:54
You realize the glory of Jesus Christ, what He did for you out
31:58
of love for you, you called on Him to save you.
32:04
The glory power of God made you alive.
32:07
If not, maybe seeing that glory of God today, pointing to Jesus
32:11
Christ, you will call on Him right now to save you and ask to
32:14
forgive you of your sin and make you alive and make you His own,
32:17
and He will. Let me ask you if you've done
32:20
that, have you lost sight of the glory of God?
32:24
You know, one of the temptations we face as Christians, even as
32:27
believers, is to let our eyes move off of being fixated on the
32:32
author and perfector of our faith and start living thinking
32:36
something else is greater and better than Jesus.
32:39
Being distracted by things we think are great in the world
32:42
when only God is great. And often times we can be
32:45
believers and yet most miserable because we know the truth that
32:48
only God is great, but we're not living like it.
32:51
Do you need to realize again, only God is great?
32:55
Can I ask you, do you need to realize again today that God
32:57
wants to get glory from you? And maybe you've made lots of
33:02
excuses about your weaknesses or your failures or your
33:04
disqualifications when God just simply says, listen, hey, the
33:07
more that is, the more glory I can get from you.
33:09
If you're just by faith, trust me to obey me.
33:14
May I ask it like this? Do you realize, third question,
33:19
that God has crowned you with glory and honor as the most
33:24
precious part of His creation? Here's what I mean.
33:27
This summer, some of you might have seen some amazing things on
33:29
vacation. Some of you might have seen some
33:31
mighty mountains. Some.
33:32
Of you might have seen the Grand Canyon, some of the wonders of
33:36
the world out there, some of the most beautiful gorgeous sunsets
33:39
or scenery or vacation places are things that God made looked
33:42
up in the night sky and seen all the stars.
33:44
And let me listen to what I'm trying to say is it doesn't
33:46
matter what you, where you go, or what you see that God has
33:50
made. The most precious part of all of
33:53
creation is none of those things in God's sight.
33:56
It is you and it is me. Let me ask you like this, are
33:59
you looking in the mirror and believing that God values you
34:03
and loves you as much as His Word says He does?
34:05
Are you looking for other people for your validation, for your
34:08
value and your worth and yourself esteem?
34:11
Are you believing the truth that what God says about you is true,
34:14
that God has crowned you with glory and honor as made in His
34:17
image, and fourthly, given you a domain to exercise dominion in
34:22
like this? Let me ask you like this, what
34:24
is God put into your charge today?
34:27
A job, a family, kids, a role as a parent, schoolwork, your home.
34:40
He's a property. What is God giving you?
34:44
Charge of the Bible says clarity for life.
34:48
God's giving you that domain to exercise stewardship over any of
34:52
that. It doesn't matter if it's
34:53
today's lunch, tonight's dinner, or your job tomorrow morning.
34:56
God has given you a domain to exercise dominion, to cultivate
34:59
the character and glory of God in those things.
35:03
The smallest of things where God is honored because you're His
35:06
royal representative in those things God has given to you.
35:12
So are you living and doing life for the glory of God as a royal
35:16
member of the royal family? God put on earth who is most
35:20
prized possession made in His image, all to represent him.
35:24
Are you representing God when you do what God has given you
35:28
charge to do? John and praise him are going to
35:32
come out. I'm going to ask you to bow your
35:33
head where you are. I want to ask you to consider
35:36
those things that I've asked you about, and would God have you
35:40
respond in a way to them this morning?
35:44
They say How so? Well, I'm going to stand right
35:47
here in a moment as we sing and worship.
35:52
Maybe if realizing the glory of God means trusting Him for
35:55
salvation is something that you just did while I spoke or need
35:57
to do, you'll step out from where you are and just come tell
36:00
me. Maybe God's been calling you to
36:06
do something. Up to step out.
36:08
You've just been making excuses because you think God couldn't
36:11
get glory from you. God couldn't be praised because
36:15
of you. God couldn't use you.
36:19
Maybe it's going to come and. Put yourself on your.
36:20
Knees. Or stand at this altar and say
36:22
God. I want you to get praise and
36:26
honor and glory. For me I want to say yes and.
36:30
Take that step of faith to being used.
36:32
By you. Some of you maybe been looking
36:36
in the mirror and you. Don't like what you see or you
36:37
don't value the person God made you to be.
36:42
And maybe. You need to come and say God, I
36:43
need I. Need you to remind me that you
36:44
that you made me? As most precious.
36:48
You crown me with glory and honor.
36:49
God keep me from looking for glory and honor in the eyes of
36:52
other people. Help me to just trust the truth
36:54
of what you believe, what you say about me.
37:00
Maybe it's going to say God I want help.
37:03
To do what you've given. Me to do in such a.
37:05
Way that brings you glory? Not for me, not for others, but
37:08
for you, no. Matter what that is, no matter
37:12
how small or big. God help me to do that, Father,
37:14
I pray, Lord, that however we need to respond today, you would
37:18
you would prompt us accordingly. So, Father, that we.
37:22
Can live every day. Realizing and acting on the
37:25
truth of how majestic is your name.
37:28
And that you want, your Majesty proclaimed through our lives and
37:31
our mouths and our jobs and our duties and everywhere our feet
37:34
go, our eyes. Being opened to the glory of.
37:37
God helping other peoples have their eyes open to the glory of
37:40
God. Help us live it.
37:42
In Jesus name I pray, Amen. Would you stand with me?
37:45
We're going to sing together. You come, our encouragers will
37:48
be closed. I'll be here.
37:49
You come and use this altar. Come talk to me and let's
37:51
worship. And you respond as God leads you
37:53
this morning. For my.
38:09
Waking breath for my daily breath I depend on you or.
38:24
I. Depend on you sing it out for
38:28
the sun to rise for my sleep at night I.
38:39
Depend. On you, yes, I depend on you.
38:49
You're the way, the truth and the light.
38:53
You're the well that never runs dry behind the branch, and you
39:01
are the bone. Draw me close and teach me to
39:07
abide. Where the Spirit?
39:21
Leads as I'm far away, I depend on you.
39:32
I depend on. You before the victories, still
39:41
in front of me. I depend on you.
39:47
I depend on you. Yes.
39:51
I depend on you all the way. The truth and the light.
40:01
You're the whale that never runs right.
40:06
I'm the wrench in you are the vine.
40:10
And draw me close and teach me to abide me my strength, my song
40:19
in the night. Be my all, my treasure, my eyes
40:25
I am yours, whatever your mind. Draw me close again teaching to.
40:44
The and when I pass. Through death as I am to sing it
40:53
out. I depend on you, yes.
40:59
I depend. On you for eternal life to be
41:09
raised with Christ. I depend on you.
41:18
Yes, I depend on you. Draw me close, then teach me to
41:43
abide. Me, my strength, my song in the
41:49
night. Light me my own, my treasure, my
41:51
rise, high in the hearts forever true mine.
41:58
Draw me close, then teach me to abide.
42:18
Church family, you can be seated.
42:25
Chris and I had lunch this week and young man that just came
42:30
down and with his permission I can tell you this, but Chris and
42:34
I had a conversation about the gospel and we left that lunch.
42:39
Just with Chris. Knowing that he had the decision
42:41
one way or the other to make. And Chris wants you to know that
42:45
he walked down today to say yes to Jesus and Amen.
42:49
I'm proud of you, Chris. That's what it's all about.
42:58
And those that's what it means. Your eyes are open to the glory
43:02
and goodness of God. And when they are, nothing else
43:05
compares. Nothing else comes close.
43:08
And so Chris, we're proud of you man, and excited for the God has
43:12
in store for you. Let me just give you a few
43:15
things not near as important to close our service with.
43:20
First of all is this is that elder nominations are going on.
43:24
Some of you participated, some of you are procrastinating and
43:26
I'm looking at a lot of you. All right, y'all seen the video
43:30
that I sent out by text or e-mail?
43:32
You're like, no, I don't open those emails anymore.
43:34
Well, before you take your Sunday afternoon nap, all right,
43:39
you can get on the website and the elder nomination process
43:41
goes through this next Sunday and you can look at that list of
43:44
men and prayerfully put forward those that you think God would
43:48
be calling to serve, that God places on your heart to do.
43:50
And I pray that you do. That's a huge help to us.
43:53
It's a way to participate in that leadership dynamic of our
43:55
church. If you've not taken the next
43:57
step for membership at First Baptist, next Sunday is our next
44:01
Discover First class. It's at 10:45 in room 1O3 right
44:04
across the hall and you can sign up online.
44:07
Pastor Steven James leads that and let me encourage you to take
44:10
part in that. It's not a commitment that you
44:11
have to join, but it's that next step to get the info you need to
44:14
know. We're also doing a Back to
44:16
school supply drive. We've been doing it.
44:17
It'll go through July 23rd collecting backpacks and other
44:20
school items for up to about 200 kids.
44:23
In fact, we asked those kids the things they need and 100, I want
44:27
you to get this. 125 out of 200 kids indicated they don't have a
44:30
Bible, and so guess what? Just one of the things we're
44:34
going to be. Able to include when we supply
44:35
them a backpack for school, we're also able to supply them a
44:38
Bible to take home so you can be bringing those supplies we've
44:41
got the Bibles already but you can bring other things they
44:44
might need to fill those backpacks with through the 23rd
44:46
And finally you might notice that sign up to serve table
44:49
we've had in the lobby. If you've again not taken that
44:51
next step to say, you know what, I know I'm saved.
44:54
I'm. Just not plugged.
44:55
In serving in the body some way, let me encourage you to stop by.
44:58
You can ask questions, you can say I just want to experiment.
45:00
I want to shadow. I don't want to commit you fully
45:02
yet. We'll give you a little time to
45:04
experiment and see how God might want you to plug in.
45:06
We've got so many ways, especially in the Nest and the
45:08
kids area, but all kinds of ways to plug in the life of First
45:11
Baptist, that God will use you and your gift to bless the body
45:15
of Christ. Don't forget about the guys at
45:17
the doors, one with a bag for benevolence and one with just
45:19
the normal ties and offering search.
45:21
Thank you for your generosity. That makes the ministry
45:23
possible. That makes things like what we
45:25
see happen on Sunday morning when people choose Jesus and
45:28
even like Puerto Rico team that just got back.
45:30
Danny was on stage with his T-shirt.
45:32
Many others around were able to take the gospel to the ends of
45:34
the earth because of your generosity.
45:36
Would you stand with me as you go?
45:38
You go to church, family, make disciples.
45:42
Love you all, guest. I'll be in the lobby.
45:43
Would love to meet you out there.