Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #20250402 - Defeating Discouragement - Psalm 73

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#20250402 - Defeating Discouragement - Psalm 73 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's Word recorded live at Calvary
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Church in Aurora, Co. To learn more about the many
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resources available through Abounding Grace Media or to tune
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into our live stream services, visit us online at Calvary Co
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dot Church or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now let's open our Bibles and study God's Word.
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Amen. Well, you know, thinking of
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that, I, I wanted to start off with the question.
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You've heard the phrase, I'm sure the struggle is real, which
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is this. The struggle is real means that
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it's or just as a phrase acknowledging the genuine and
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significant challenges and difficulties we face in everyday
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life. If you, if you can agree with
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that statement, the struggle is real, I'd like to just say, hey,
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just raise your hand real quick. The struggle is real.
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Most of us, right? Most of us, if you, if you would
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say, I don't agree with that. I mean, hey, we want your life.
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I think we covet a little bit of that life.
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Because as I think of that phrase, I would say that that's
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a reality that doesn't really discriminate, that the struggle
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is real, applies to everyone, regardless of age, race, our
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gender, our socio economic class, you know, think the
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struggle is real. I would even say applies to both
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a believer in Jesus but also to a non believer in Jesus, but
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also excuse me, to even a believer in Jesus.
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Jesus he acknowledges that he said it in a different way in
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John chapter 16 verse 33. He acknowledges this day-to-day
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struggle, but with promise. And that's what I love about
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Jesus. He keeps it real, right?
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But with a promise. So in John chapter 16 verse 33,
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Jesus would say it this way. He says these things.
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I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace in this
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world. The struggle is real.
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Now in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good
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cheer. I have overcome the world and as
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we consider this struggle is real or what the culture would
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say the struggle is real. I, I would say there's probably
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another term and as a follower of Jesus that we should adopt is
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yes, the struggle is indeed real, but I would even share
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with you today and have you to process that the battle is real.
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The battle is real and you think about what the Bible refers to
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or what we have termed spiritual warfare.
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Spiritual warfare if you you can hold your place in Psalm 73 and
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turn to the book of Ephesians chapter 6.
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I'm sure most of us are familiar with the idea of the armor of
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God or what's revealed as spiritual warfare, but I want
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you to see it in your Bibles this evening in Ephesians
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chapter 6, verse 10 at the as the struggle is real, the battle
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is real, it tells us this. Ephesians 6 verse 10.
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Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of
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His might. Put on the whole armor of God,
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that you may be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil.
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For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
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principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of
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this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the
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heavenly places. That our battle is one that has
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even been waged by the enemy of our soul.
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We see that in verse 11. It says the stand against the
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Wiles of the devil or the tactics of the devil.
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And I want to put up a few things.
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There'll be a slide you might see.
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But I, I believe that most times in spiritual warfare, what does
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it look like and how is it manifested in our life?
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Often times I've noticed in my life I've noticed in the life of
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those I've been able to walk alongside often starts with
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words with the letter D I've thought of doubt that a lot of
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times spiritual warfare can manifest in a way of doubting
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you think that was really the first attack that Satan had was
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to get Adam and Eve to doubt God's word.
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Did God really say and that same type of while of the enemy upon
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our life. You think of distraction and I
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love that prayer point of walking in the will of God and
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knowing the will of God and going in the way of obedience in
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the will of God. So of course the tactic of the
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enemy would be to distract us from that disobedience that a
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lot of times even as I was praying and LED to pray as we
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closed off give 10. It's easy to be in a place to
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not do the right thing, especially when it's
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challenging. That's a level of of spiritual
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warfare even becoming manifesting to a place of
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disobedience. You think of discontentment, and
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we'll see that here in the in Psalm 73 that you see
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discontentment wove through here in a level of spiritual warfare
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where you look around at others and covet and want and wish that
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discontentment dissatisfied with what God may have had the lot he
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has for us, and even depression. You think spiritual warfare can
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a lot of times be shown and aware of in a place of just
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overwhelming sadness, overwhelming just being
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debilitated and because the ultimate tactic or whatever word
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and they they don't only have to be of course, words that begin
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with D. But we know in John chapter 10,
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verse 10, Jesus says that the purpose of the thief is to
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steal, to kill and to destroy and the ultimate plan and tactic
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of the enemy. And so as we go to Psalm 73,
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another word, of course, I didn't put up on the slide
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behind me, but really one that I found in my life that can be one
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of the strongest way that spiritual warfare will come to
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the surface. One of the strongest attacks
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that I felt, and I'm sure many in this room, as I think of the
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word the struggle is real or the phrase the struggle is real or
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the battle is real, is the word discouragement.
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Psalm 73, I believe we're going to see the author here deeply
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struggling in a time of discouragement.
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It goes from, but going from an attitude of discouragement and
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ending like I pray that we would, with having a right
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perspective, a godly perspective.
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Now as we go to the book of Psalms, of course, the largest
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book of all the Bible covers 150 chapters.
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But the book of Psalms is actually broken up into five
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sections or five books within itself.
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And book 3 of Psalms is where we pick up in Psalm 73.
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And most of the Psalms, of course, are or the main author
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is David, but this book 3 of Psalms, which Pat it covers from
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Psalm 73 to Psalm 89 is the main author is actually a man Asaph
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or his descendants. He was, you know, ordained as a
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temple choir leader or a worship leader.
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You find you can find out about him in First Chronicles.
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The book of First Chronicles Chapter 6 and chapter 25 is a
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few of the mentions of who Asaph is.
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But very likely when you read the context of this third book
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of the Psalms that spans from chapter 73 through 89, you'll
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see that it probably wasn't just the man Asaph, the one mentioned
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in First Chronicles that was writing those, but him and his
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descendants. But knowing that and just
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knowing that Asaph was one of the temple musicians, I think
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that's an important distinction to make as we go to verse 1.
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So notice with me Psalm 73, verse 1.
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He says truly God is good to Israel and to such who are pure
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in heart. And as you look at verse 1, you
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would say that doesn't sound like discouragement.
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And I would agree. I think, you know, for Asaph, he
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knew about God. I mean, he was trained in
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worship. He was an anointed man that was,
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I'm sure, well educated in the things of God.
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And, you know, I think there's a truth that is, is for all of us
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to grasp today, that probably most of us in this room have the
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right answer about God, who is Jesus.
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You know, what did he do for us? We, we can have the right Bible
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answer where especially, you know, you can share counsel with
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somebody and give right answer. And there's this idea of what's
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called formal theology that I know the right answer in my
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head, But what we're going to see here is there's a difference
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between our formal theology and our functioning theology.
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Because what I know about God and how I live don't always line
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up. And I can say that transparently
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as a pastor, I'm sure even as I share this message on
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discouragement for those who know me well, they may be
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wondering, I wonder if you read your own sermon notes or watch
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your own thing because the the idea of, like I said,
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discouragement being one of the strongest struggles, right?
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But verse one remains true. And let it be true not just in
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my mind, but also my heart. Again, he says, truly God is
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good to Israel to such or as pure as in heart.
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But notice in verse 2 is where we start to see this
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discouragement. He says, But As for me, my feet
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had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped, for I was
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envious of the boastful when I saw the prosperity of the
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wicked. And this discouragement we see
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in verse two had almost got the better of Asaph.
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He said my feet had almost stumbled, my steps nearly
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slipped. And why?
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Verse three? He says, because I was envious
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of the boastful and when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
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A key point that I want to give us here this evening is this,
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that discouraged people will often think too much about
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themselves and, and too and or others and too little about God
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and, and many times when we're in a place of discouragement.
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That's just it, where our eyes and our focus are off of the
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Lord. They're on myself.
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They're on my circumstances. They're on why does so and so
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have this and even what we're going to see with ASAP.
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He was not just looking about his neighbor or his Christian
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brother, his believing brother. He was looking at the
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unbelieving world. Why do they have it so good and
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why do I have it the way I do? Right?
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It was my foot had almost slipped.
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As we continue on in verse 4 through 14, what I want you to
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do is I want you to notice because I won't necessarily go
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through each verse in detail, but I want you to notice all the
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false conclusions, all the times that maybe there was an unmet
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expectation or even this feeling of discontentment that you see
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ASAP. Articulate the discouragement
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he's articulating here. But notice in verse four he
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says, for there are no pangs in their death, but their strength
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is firm. They are not in trouble as other
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men, or are they plagued like other men.
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Therefore, pride serves as the necklace.
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Violence covers them like a garment.
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Their eyes bulge with abundance, and they have more than heart
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could wish. They scoff, speaking wickedly
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concerning oppression. They speak loftily.
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They're they set their mouth against the heavens, and their
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tongue walks throughout the earth.
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Therefore his people return here, and waters of a full cup
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are drained by them. And they say, how does God know?
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And is their knowledge in the Most High?
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Behold, these are the ungodly who are always at ease, and they
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increase in riches. I'm going to pause there for a
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moment because Asaph has come to the wrong conclusion, that the
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struggle is real does not apply to the wicked.
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He he only sees a limited perspective.
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It reminds me of social media, right?
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We only see the best of people's lives.
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But there's a story behind those pictures.
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I, I say that from personal experience.
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So, you know, I'm not, I'm not as active on social media as my
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wife is, But you know, we, we see, you know, all the family
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gathered for that picture, but they didn't get the argument
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right before I was joking about our time at Disney World.
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My kids fortunately were a little older than at the time we
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went to Disney World. But man, I can tell you all the
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times you see these kids, you know, crying on the side and you
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know, you know, parents, you know, pulling their kids off.
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And I just every time I would see a kid just having a meltdown
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and a breakdown, I'd look over at my oldest and I'd be like
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happiest place on earth. But I bet you those family
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pictures, hey, they were all smiling.
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It was all it was all good, right?
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But you know, for ASAP, he didn't see that for ASAP.
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He says, hey, these people are always at ease.
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Verse 12 and they increase in riches.
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Surely. Now here's this false
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conclusion, right? This is the lie.
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This is spiritual warfare, verse 13.
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This is when the enemy has gotten a foothold and let's not
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just put it on Asaph, but let's see this in our own life because
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he says, surely I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my
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hands and innocence for all day long.
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I've been plagued and chastened every morning.
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So he looks at the those who are not following God looks like
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they have a life of ease. It's a carefree life.
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And he looks at himself, he looks at his life.
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And maybe it's a dramatic statement, but hey, when you're
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living through something, right? It's like how trauma is defined.
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Trauma is what you perceive to be traumatic.
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You look at verse 14, he says. But all day long, I've been
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plagued and chastened every morning.
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And I just wonder even today, like how many of us have been in
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that long vicious cycle or season of discouragement where
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it just feels like it is unrelenting and unending.
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And that's kind of where Asaf is at.
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That's why he says back in verse 2, This is why his foot had
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almost slipped. He's just like, I know God is
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good, but why is my life not that?
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It just feels like everything's against me and all these things
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are happening. And then I look at people who
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don't even care about God and they just have this carefree
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life. But again, verse 13 is the is
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the danger, right? Because he says, surely I have
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cleansed my heart in vain. And obviously that is not true.
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And of course we're going to see him come out of that mindset.
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But I appreciate that transparency.
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And I think sometimes even for us in the church, for us as
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followers of God, that we wouldn't just sugarcoat our walk
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because of course, coming to Jesus is the best decision we
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can ever make, trusting that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
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that Jesus Christ died for my sin on the cross, that I am
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covered with his righteousness. And yes, if anyone be in Christ,
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he is a new creation. Old things have passed away.
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All things have become new. And that is the truth, right?
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But then sometimes because of that life of the new creation,
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you know, we kind of try to mask and hide the reality of our pain
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and we maybe aren't as transparent as we could be.
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And I appreciate, I think that we can even take that as a side
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note with Asaf. So he kept it real.
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And that's what Psalms is, right?
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It's this the the songs and prayers being lifted up and I
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appreciate it. Pastor Bob Klaykamp was sharing
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with our staff today that there's times in meetings where
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he'll encourage people, write out your own Psalm.
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And I like, I think he said it not in like a heretical way, but
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write out your own song or prayer to God.
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Be real with God and be real. Like even to have that moment to
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just say to be transparent, like, Hey, I was, you know, any
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time I go down, you know, towards Highlands rants and you
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know, Cherry Creek and you see all these beautiful homes.
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I mean, I had a whole season where my my shopping route was
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like that. And you just look at these
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houses like, man, what do they do to live there?
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And I'll never be there. And you get mad about your
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situation or mad for me. I get mad about some of my past
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decisions. You know, it's easy to look back
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and say, well, I wasted some of my good years not paying enough
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attention in school or doing that, you know, and all of these
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things that can just flood your mind.
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Surely I've cleansed my heart. Verse 13 in vain.
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Not true. Come back into the text here in
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verse 15, he said, if I had said I will speak thus, behold, I
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would have been untrue to the generation of your children.
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When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me.
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And here's what we see. We see him going from that
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discouraged mindset to now the mindset of a sound mind of a
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sound mind. And verse 17 is a key in
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transitioning. Remember, I've titled today's
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message defeating discouragement, and there's a
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thought I I didn't share. But the thought is this, that if
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we don't learn how to defeat discouragement, it will very
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likely defeat you. If we don't learn how to defeat
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discouragement, it will very likely defeat you.
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And when I look at verse 17, here's where the everything
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changes to where he goes from. I had almost slipped.
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I'd cleanse my heart in vain till until verse 17 I went into
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the sanctuary of God and then I understood their end.
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One of the take, a take away that I would have for us is this
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is to do the next right thing and the right emotions will soon
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follow because the idea of discouragement, the idea of
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discouragement is a mindset that will hold us back from doing the
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right thing. When you're discouraged, often
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times it will lead you to inactivity.
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It will lead you to being unproductive.
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And so, you know, to just know that when we're in the place of
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discouragement to do the next right thing and trust that the
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right emotions will follow and we think about, you know, for
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him to go to the sanctuary of God.
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Well, he was a worship leader, right?
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And this is probably going from the mundane.
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And maybe, you know, that was just every day.
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He's just leading in the goodness of God.
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That's where he starts off, right?
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Surely God is good to Israel to where it just went from the
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mundane formal leading. God is good to really like you.
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But you know what, God is indeed good.
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It was until I went into the sanctuary of the Lord.
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And and I would ask a question for us here today is where is
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your sanctuary? And of course, what a blessed
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place we're here. That's you know the name of this
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room. That's what we've named this
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room, the sanctuary, right? Where God's people meet or we
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come to gather, to worship, to fellowship, to break bread and
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communion. Of course, to be encouraged and
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strengthened and for sometimes rebuked through the word of God.
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But you know, we come to this sanctuary.
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But I would remind us that the sanctuary in the new covenant is
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anywhere a follower of God is. You and I are the temple of the
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Holy Spirit that I can meet God in anybody.
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I can meet him in in my bedroom. I can meet God in my drives.
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I can meet God, you know, at the gym.
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I can meet God in all these places of my life and just say,
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hey, when I'm in a discourage mindset, it's time to go to the
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sanctuary. Time to go back to prayer, to
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being in my word, to reaching out to a brother or sister in
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the Lord, to being in fellowship.
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And I want to remember to we, we looked at the tactics of the
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enemy earlier, remember doubt and we, and we've talked about
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distraction. We talked about disobedience.
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We talked about discontentment and we talked about depression.
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But here's what happens when we go to the sanctuary of the Lord,
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as we see the victory of the Lord and, and let's, let's cross
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all those things out. And in place of doubt comes
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faith and restored faith. And in place of being
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distracted, I become alert and focused and attentive.
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In place of course, of disobedience, I have that heart
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towards obedience. And in the place of being
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discontent, I become satisfied. Or you can use the word grateful
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because a lot of times discontentment is met with the
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lack of gratitude. But now I'm in this place, in
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the sanctuary where I look at what I do have, not what I don't
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say. God, you are indeed good.
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And thank you for those things. You know, we go from a place of
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depression to a place of hope. And these are the victories that
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we have in the sanctuary of the Lord.
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Because where the Lord dwells, there is victory.
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And I'm, I'm sure you've heard it before and I say it, I know
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I've said it before, maybe not to this audience, it's been a
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while, but you know that we don't fight for victory, but we
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fright from a place of victory, right?
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That that's the whole heart of being in Christ is that we're
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already in a place of conquering.
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We're already in a place of victory.
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And when I'm getting in this discouraged mindset, I'm kind of
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throwing a pity party. I forgot who I am and the Lord.
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I forgot the authority God has given me.
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I forgot the power God has impressed upon me.
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Because as a follower of God, we know in His sanctuary we have
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all of these victories picking back up in verse 18 of Psalm 73.
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And remember the big struggle that ASAP was having was the
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wicked and the prosperity of the wicked.
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In verse 18 he says surely you have set them in slippery places
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and you have cast them down to destruction and whole.
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Oh how they brought to desolation as in a moment they
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were utterly consumed with terrors as a dream when one
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awakes. So Lord, when you awake you
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shall despise their image. I do want to pause on verse 20,
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right, because I want us to be careful to develop a doctrinal
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stance as if God were sleeping. But I think I believe for ASAP,
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it was in that intensity of the season, intensity of what he was
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dealing with. He felt as if it was like God
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was sleep. But we know God neither sleeps
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nor slumbers, right? We know that even when I don't
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see it, God is working. And even when we don't feel it,
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God is on the move, right? And so it's not like we look at
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verse 20 and I just wanted to pause with that because again,
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we can't look at that and say, I believe for Asaph, he was like,
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as if, you know, it's like when the time comes, because it's
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it's when we look at that we see God.
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When is the justice going to happen?
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When is all these things going to come to pass?
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But I can tell you this, I'm glad God waited for me.
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I'm glad God waited for many in this room to come to right
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standing. And that's exactly what second
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Peter chapter 3 says that God is not slack in his promise, but he
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is delaying the judgement until many and his heart that all
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would come to repentance, right. And so again back in verse 20 as
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a dream when one awakes, O Lord, or when you awake, you'll
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despise their image. And thus my heart was grieved
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and my and I was vexed in my mind.
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And the new living translation verse 21 is translated as a
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bitter heart and kind of like a confused mind.
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And isn't that what discouragement does?
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Discouragement can do will just confuse us.
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The discouragement will cloud us.
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And he says my heart was vexed my or my heart was grieved or
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bitter. I was vexed in my mind, and I
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was so foolish and ignorant. I was like a beast before you.
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Nevertheless, I am continually with you, and you hold me by my
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right hand. You will guide me with your
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counsel and afterward receive me to your glory.
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I want us to to really, especially for those of us that
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are maybe in a season of discouragement or just naturally
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struggle with discouragement. One to remember.
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Yeah, it's a lot of manifestation, you could say, of
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spiritual warfare in your life. And what does that look like as
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opposed to just the spiritual term of warfare, right?
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Just know that's what discouragement is.
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It's it's a place to get us in a place in our mind that will stop
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us from a place of action, right.
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But as you think of that, well, God hasn't given us that
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discouraged mind. Think of all the times it was
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told to be strong and of good courage, because that's another
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way you could define discouragement, literally
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lacking courage, but to be strong and of good courage.
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And that is not from the Lord. And I'm just, you know, one of
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those key verses that maybe just in a discouraged mindset that
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you just put as a memory verse for our for our hearts.
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Again, I'm sure those who know me well, they're like, Hey, hope
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you're listening to the sermon, right?
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But to pray Second Timothy 17 for God has not given us a
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spirit of fear or timidity, but of love and of power and of a
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sound mind. And when we're when we have that
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discouragement, like I see back in verse 21 where it's this
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grieved heart and this problematic mind or this
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discouraged mind to get to this place, to remind myself that
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through Christ, he has given me a sound mind that I want to not
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have that discouraged mind, but to have this sound mind.
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And that's where you see like verse 24 and verse 23, that you
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could hold me continually in your right hand.
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You guide me with your counsel. And afterward you received me to
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glory. And you know, I had this take
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away that when we feel discouraged, if that's the time
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to pause and pray for perspective, when we feel
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discouraged, it's the time to pause and pray for perspective.
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Because that's what Psalm 73 is, right?
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You see how he goes from my feet had almost slipped until I went
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into the sanctuary of the Lord. Because what happened in the
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sanctuary of the Lord, Yeah, he received all the victory, but
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it's because his perspective came back to the to the right
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reality. He went from just looking at the
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things external to seeing things eternal.
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And that's really the perspective that we're needing.
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That's really the perspective we should have is the perspective
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of eternity. We got a little bit of time.
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I want you guys turn, if you would, in your Bibles to
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Colossians chapter 3. Go to Colossians chapter 3
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because this is an instruction right here in the Scripture,
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right? To have our mindset and even as
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you think of him declaring to be put in that place until I see
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you in glory in Colossians chapter 3, I direct you to verse
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one and two. And by the way, this promise and
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many of these promises I've been speaking about are for those who
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have bowed their knee and heart to Jesus Christ, that these are
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not promises I can declare if I'm not in right, standing with
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the Son of God, right? And so even for those that are
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listening today, you may stand on the other side of Psalm 73
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where you just feel like my life is all right.
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My yeah, the struggle is real, but my, but I don't need God.
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And what you'll see is a lot of those judgements, He said, hey,
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until I saw their end. Well, hey, those things are
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true, that God is a God of righteousness and justice.
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He's absolutely a God of love. And the greatest expression of
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love is Jesus spread out on that cross, the only sinless man to
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ever live, dying for us, but for the believer again.
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And so again, if you don't know Christ, let this just be what
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God brought you into this place for, that this would be the day
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you would bow your heart and bow your knee on this side of
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eternity. And for the follower of Christ,
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it says this in verse 3, chapter 3, verse 1 of Colossians.
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If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which
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are above where Christ is sit is where Christ is sitting at the
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right hand of God. And then verse 2, set your mind
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on things above, not on things of the earth.
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In a discouraged mind, we've probably lost sight of heaven.
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We're probably just too focused, as if the end is here, as if
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this is all there is. It's our bank account, it's our
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cars, it's our life, it's our marriage, it's our this, it's
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our that. And it's all the things
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all-encompassing that will frustrate us and discourage us.
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But we've taken our eyes. Even, you know, we're
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discouraged at God, that God, why haven't you done this for me
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or done that? But all the while God is
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reminding us get our sights back to him, back to heaven.
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And that's where if you go turn, turning, going back to Psalm 73,
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these next verses, we're going to see this heavenly
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perspective, this perspective of eyes upon the Lord.
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Verse 25 the psalmist declares this says whom have I in heaven
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but you and there is none on earth I desire beside you my
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flesh and my heart fell, but God is the strength of my heart and
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my portion forever. And so again he's putting his
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sights upon heaven on the reality and we even more so than
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Asaph. Do you know we have more
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information, more understanding than Asaph did as a worship
31:06
leader. But a lot of times maybe I'm
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attributing too much of about Christian principles, but
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remember they're looking forward.
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Asaph was looking forward to the Messiah.
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He didn't understand the name Jesus.
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Like I understand the name Jesus, like you and I understand
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the name Jesus. We look back and say even more
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so he's looking forward and just you know, I know there's got to
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be more than this like Job. I know my Redeemer yet lives and
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I'll see him here on the earth and he says whom am I in heaven
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but you and there's none on earth I desire beside you.
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You know, I should call myself out a little bit in
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discouragement. But verse 26, you see, you know,
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my flesh and my heart fell. You know, maybe for ASAP he was
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struggling with physical ailment and I'm not sure if I'm the only
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one in the room, but that could probably be one of the areas if
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I get hurt or if I get sick, man, I just get out out of this
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world inconsolable and just discouraged, right?
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And you know, that's for him again, putting his sights back
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on heaven. He says, even though it's like,
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even though my flesh and my heart fail, God is my strength.
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He is the he is my, my port, my heart and my portion forever.
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So again, another good memory verse for those in the time of
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the struggle and maybe even in a physical health struggle.
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Remember that my heart and flesh, my flesh and my heart may
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fail, but God is the strength and my portion forever.
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In verse 27, it says, for indeed those who are far from you shall
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perish, and you have destroyed all those who desert you for
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harlotry. And pausing quick there, here's
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where another perspective comes. Even if the wicked are
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prospering, even if their bank accounts are more and even if
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they have more vacations and even if their life looks better
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on social media, and even if all of those things, it's the end of
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the wicked. Their wealth in is lost at death
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that you don't take anything with you.
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And that's this idea of verse 27.
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He's saying even if that's true, even if day-to-day I wake up and
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the struggle is real and every day I wake up like verse 14, I'm
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chastened every morning and I'm plagued every day and even
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though verse 26 my heart and flesh fell.
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It's like those who are far from you shall perish.
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And on the flip side of that, right, But for those who are
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righteous in Christ, death is a reward even in itself, that
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there's treasure. I'll take you one more.
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Maybe I'll take you a couple more places.
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But let me take you quickly to Matthew chapter 6.
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If you want to turn in your Bibles, you're welcome to do so.
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Matthew chapter 6. I want to plant in your minds
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the words of Jesus who tells us to store up for ourselves
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treasure in heaven. And Matthew chapter 6 verse 19
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through 21 as a reminder as we look back at verse 27 in the how
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the wealth of the wicked will perish with them, but the for
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the life of the righteous, we build treasure in heaven.
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And my perspective is heavenward.
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Jesus would say like this in Matthew chapter 6 verse 19.
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Do not lay up for yourself treasure on earth where moth and
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rust destroy where thieves break in the still, but lay up for
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yourself treasure in heaven, or neither moth nor rust destroy
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where thieves do not break in. And still for where your
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treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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Again, such an important reason. I want a heart and mind set upon
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eternal things, because those are the things that really
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matter. Those are the only things that
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are going to matter. I'm not going to take any of
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these, any of the things I've acquired on earth to heaven
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unless it was done and the name of the Lord unless it was done
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for the Lord, you know, build up our self treasure in heaven.
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Going back to Psalm 73, as we start to wind down here, we'll
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see this final verse, another verse of good perspective,
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another verse that's important for defeating discouragement.
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Another verse that is is a strength in the midst of this
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real battle and says, but it is good for me to draw near to God
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and I've put my trust in the Lord God that I may declare all
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your works. And you know, as I gave you all
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the contrast earlier to all those other D words, right, of
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doubt and of, you know, of distraction and disobedience and
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discontentment and depression. Let me give you this victory
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from discouragement, right? And that's what I see here in
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verse 28, that this victory instead of discouragement is one
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of strength, 1 of boldness and one of joy.
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And those are the this is the great exchange.
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And isn't that what Jesus does? Not just what he did for our
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eternal salvation and praise him for that.
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He took my sin and gave me his righteousness, but here He
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continually by grace through faith, does these amazing things
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that He exchanges all of these challenges in warfare and in
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place of discouragement. Here's what he wants to give us
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right strength and boldness and joy.
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As you just scan back to Psalm 73, let me as we consider that
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the battle is real, as we consider what it means to defeat
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discouragement, let me highlight again some key verses that maybe
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you just need to highlight these, write them down.
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Really rehearse them in your mind before the Lord.
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But verse one, here's our victory verses today.
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Verse one, truly God is good to Israel, to such who are pure in
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heart. And I look at verse 17, right
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where his whole shift in mindset changed until I went into the
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sanctuary of God in verse 24. And you can look back even in
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the verse 23. But verse 24 you will guide me
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with Your counsel and afterward receive me to glory in verse 26,
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that my heart and flesh fell, but God is my strength and my
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portion forever. And then of course, verse 28.
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But it is good for me to draw near to God that I have put my
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trust in the Lord God that I may declare His works.
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I'll have brother Henry come back up as we wind down.
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But last couple thoughts, right, Because there's a lot of
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takeaways as we think of discouragement.
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And of course, you know, there's more things I'm sure we can
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expand on. But if I were to, I want to give
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you a comprising of three things, three things of what
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does it look like to defeat discouragement?
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And I want to remind us and and through the word of God, right
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that we are told to stand still, Exodus 14, verse 13 and to stand
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strong as we see in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 12.
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I want to read Exodus 14 verse 13 quick to you, but it says
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this remembering the idea of standing still and standing
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strong. Exodus 14 verse 13, Moses said
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to the people, do not be afraid, stand still.
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See the salvation of the Lord which he will accomplish for you
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today. So as we think of our
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discouragement or think of your battle, your warfare, to
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remember to stand still and as we saw in Ephesians 612 earlier,
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to stand strong. I think of what Paul told
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Timothy in first Timothy chapter 6, verse 12, to stay in the
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fight because all the times that we feel like we want to give up,
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that's not the voice of your shepherd, that's the voice of
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the enemy. But to stay in the fight, to
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keep up the good fight of the faith.
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So stay in the fight and then to rest in and to rely on the Lord.
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And Exodus 14, verse 14, the Lord says, it says that the Lord
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will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.
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And just as we are saved by grace through faith and not of
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our self, that's how we that's our eternal salvation.
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And praise him again for that. But by grace through faith is
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how we continually see these victories in our life that we
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don't dismiss grace for the sake of just our eternal salvation.
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But I receive God's grace through faith through all these
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areas of my life. Church, I want us to do
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something as we close off, but I want to pray over us and over
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each one. And I'm sure you know, like all
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the hands that went up earlier for understanding the struggle
40:02
is real and acknowledging. Of course, today the battle is
40:05
real and praying for in the idea of spiritual armor in Ephesians
40:10
chapter 6. It tells us to pray for one
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another. The way that we receive these
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pieces of armor and all the armor God has given us is
40:19
through prayer. And if I could encourage you to
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lay a hand on someone nearby, because I'm sure to some
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capacity, all of us here in this room have a level of warfare.
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So if you're not near anyone or you see somebody that doesn't
40:34
have a hand on them, I just encourage, lay a hand on
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someone's shoulder. I want to share this verse and
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then I'm going to pray. But I was reminded or I saw this
40:44
in Second Chronicles 20, verse 17, and I'm going to read it
40:47
from the new Living Translation. But it says as the Lord would
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speak to Jehoshaphat through a prayer to answer the prayer he
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said, but you will not even need to fight.
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Take your positions, then stand still and watch the Lord's
41:01
victory. He is with you.
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O people of Judah and Jerusalem, do not be afraid or discouraged.
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Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you.
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We're going to pray, and I'm going to pray and lay hands even
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on my brother Henry up here. Let's pray together.
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God in heaven, we just humbly come before you.
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God, we recognize that it's not just the struggle is real.
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God, the battle is real and all the things that how spiritual
41:26
warfare can just come to surface in our life.
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We ask for your victory today. God, We pray it by faith and
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receive it by faith. God.
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And so we think of all the pieces of the armor you've given
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us the belt of truth, God, we place it on to ground us back
41:41
into a place of truth. We think of the breastplate of
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righteousness, this covering upon the emotion of our heart,
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but also God, this covering of you, Jesus, that picture of you
41:50
who are our righteousness to lead us to that next right thing
41:55
that we put on the foot gear that says it's the gospel of
41:58
peace. And help us not to just take
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this truth for our self. But God give us that strength as
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we put on the foot gear to take that gospel truth to those
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around us. And God, we take up the shield
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of faith, which you say quenches the fiery darts of the wicked. 1
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And so we take up today by faith, by prayer, your shield to
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to quench those fiery darts. And we put on the helmet of
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salvation as it is this covering over our minds, as it is a
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reminder of our true identity. As we went back to the sanctuary
42:31
of the Lord, we were minded, God, the joy of our salvation.
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And of course we take up the sword which is your spirit and
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is your word. And God we declare that as our
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offensive tool is that we walk not by might but by your spirit
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and heeding your word and all things.
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God bless these people and all that are hearing it even online
42:52
or in some other Ave. God we ask all these things
42:55
again by faith and we receive them by faith.
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In Jesus name we pray, Amen, Amen.
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God bless you guys. We pray that you've been
43:03
encouraged by this Bible study delivered live from the
43:06
sanctuary of Calvary Church for prayer.
43:08
Call us at 87730 grace that's 877-304-7223.
43:18
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43:21
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Be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.