Latest / CCC West Covina / The Perpetuity of Praise, Part 2

Transcript

The Perpetuity of Praise, Part 2 · CCC West Covina

0:01
Since October of last year, we have been on this pathway of
0:06
praise. It's a journey that takes us
0:09
from the time we are saved until the time we enter into glory
0:14
where our praise will fill all of heaven in the presence of the
0:21
living God. And during this time, we've
0:24
given you a key verse. I'm not going to give you a quiz
0:27
this morning for fear that you might fail early in the new
0:31
year. But there's a, there's a verse
0:33
that we've used as the theme verse.
0:36
It's in Isaiah 43 verse #21 You should have it memorized by now.
0:41
If not, it will be good to memorize it, which says the
0:44
people that I have formed for myself, they will declare my
0:48
praise. Now that is such a powerful
0:52
statement because the question comes, well, how will the people
0:58
that God has formed for himself declare his praise?
1:01
Or why would the people that God has formed for himself declare
1:06
his praise? Why is that possible?
1:10
How is that possible? Well, we've just come fresh off
1:15
the Christmas season, and the Christmas season is about what
1:19
the Angel said to the shepherds. Fear not, for I bring you good
1:25
news of great joy. The good news is that the
1:32
Messiah is here. The great joy is that the
1:38
Messiah's ministry will bring you joy that's incomparable to
1:44
anything else. And so that was always the theme
1:50
of Christmas, that there would be the gospel that now is given
1:56
that brings great joy. But if you have your Bible, turn
2:01
with me to the book of Isaiah, the 61st chapter, Isaiah 61.
2:08
You remember Isaiah is writing to those who are about to go
2:11
into captivity. He is warning them about the
2:15
judgement that's going to come. There will be turmoil, there
2:21
will be tears, there will be tragedy all-encompassing the
2:27
Babylonian captivity. He's warning them to repent and
2:32
turn, but they do not. They do not listen.
2:36
But He's prophesying all this going to happen.
2:38
In the meantime, all the prophecies send us around the
2:42
light that will come in their darkness, the dawning of a new
2:46
day, the coming of the Messiah, and all that that means.
2:50
The Man of Sorrows, Isaiah 53. And Isaiah presents to us this
2:55
great servant of the Lord, this Messiah who's going to come and
2:59
bring to them what they so desperately need in spite of
3:02
their captivity, in spite of all that's going to happen.
3:07
The Messiah is their hope. So when you come to Isaiah 61,
3:13
you have a very familiar passage.
3:16
It's familiar because Jesus would read this passage in the
3:20
synagogue in Nazareth and Luke chapter 4, and he would tell
3:24
them that today this scripture has been fulfilled, telling them
3:34
that He was the fulfillment of what the Bible said concerning
3:39
the Messiah and the Spirit of the Lord being upon him.
3:43
So this is what it says in Isaiah 61.
3:45
The Spirit of the Lord of God is upon me because the Lord has
3:49
anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted.
3:54
He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim
3:57
liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners, to proclaim the
4:01
favorable year of our Lord. And he closed the book and said
4:06
this has been fulfilled. When the Angel said, we bring
4:10
you good news of great joy, he was telling them that Isaiah 61
4:15
is going to be fulfilled. This is the good news.
4:20
Prisoners will be set free. Those in bondage to sin will be
4:24
set free. The emancipator has come, and
4:28
when he frees you, he sets you free.
4:32
From that which enslaves you, great joy comes.
4:38
Notice what else he says about the ministry of the Messiah.
4:44
It says in the end of verse 2 to comfort all who mourn.
4:51
Isn't it interesting that Jesus begins his sermon in Matthew
4:55
chapter 5 with these words? Blessed are those who are poor
5:02
in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.
5:08
Blessed are those who mourn over the sin, for they should be
5:13
comforted. Jesus is saying the exact same
5:17
thing that the prophet Isaiah said about how the Messiah will
5:20
bring comfort to those who mourn.
5:23
In fact, he goes on and says this.
5:25
He says to grant those who mourn in Zion those who mourn in Zion.
5:31
In other words, Israel is going to go back to Jerusalem, Israel
5:35
is going to go back to their hometown.
5:37
Israel is going to be there and they're going to mourn.
5:39
And he's going to bring comfort to those who who mourn over
5:42
their sin. Then he says this, giving them a
5:48
Garland instead of ashes for those who who are comforted
5:56
because of God's forgiveness. They are those who are crowned
6:04
with God's loving kindness. God's going to give you a
6:11
diadem, A tiara, a crown. Those who mourn, mourn with
6:18
ashes upon their heads to show their grief and their sorrow.
6:24
But the Lord's going to replace all that with a crown, a crown
6:29
that signifies his, his beautifulness, his loving
6:32
kindness, granted to those who mourn because those who mourn
6:36
are comforted, comforted by God's forgiveness.
6:43
Note the next phrase he says, the oil of gladness instead of
6:50
mourning. The oil of gladness instead of
6:54
mourning those who are comforted with God's forgiveness and those
7:00
who are crowned with His loving kindness are those who are
7:06
covered with His gladness. You see, the oil was the perfume
7:15
that was presented to the special guest of honor at the
7:19
table. That that's why David would say
7:22
in Psalm 23, verse #4 that that thou prepare us to table before
7:27
me in the presence of my enemies, and you anoint my head
7:32
with oil. I am the honored guest at the
7:35
table of God. And Isaiah is telling us about
7:42
those who are covered with the oil of gladness.
7:48
They are honored, They are the special ones because they've
7:53
been comforted by God's forgiveness.
7:57
They've been crowned with God's loving kindness, and therefore
8:03
they are now comforted, or they are now covered with God's great
8:11
gladness. But the next phrase is where
8:16
we're at. It says the the garment of
8:20
praise instead of fainting or feebleness, the garment of
8:29
praise. Why is it Isaiah would say in
8:34
chapter 43, the people that I have formed for myself, they
8:38
will declare my praise. Why would he say that?
8:42
And how can he say that? It's because the people that God
8:46
has formed for themselves, for himself, are those who have been
8:50
comforted by God's forgiveness. They have been crowned with
8:54
God's loving kindness, they have been covered with God's
8:57
gladness, and they are now clothed with thankfulness.
9:04
You receive a garment, you receive a cloak that covers your
9:11
body. Why is it, Isaiah would say the
9:17
people that I have formed for myself, they will declare my
9:19
praise. It's because you've been covered
9:22
with praise. You've been cloaked with
9:25
thankfulness. You can't help but give thanks
9:28
to God. It it's all-encompassing praises
9:34
and the people of God have been have been clothed with this
9:38
garment of praise. It covers us.
9:43
It is the distinguishing mark of the believer that there's
9:47
something unique about our lives that that offer praise to God
9:52
and then it says so they will be called oaks of righteousness.
9:58
The planting of the Lord that he may be glorified.
10:02
All this is done so that God will be glorified.
10:04
You will give praise to him so that he will be glorified.
10:07
You will be oaks of righteousness.
10:10
You're not going to be like feeble reeds that blow in the
10:15
wind. You're you're, you're like oaks
10:18
that are planted by God, that they're immovable, they're
10:21
sustainable. And it's by the righteousness of
10:25
God that you are planted by him to give glory to his name.
10:33
But but the key for us during our our pathway to praise is
10:36
that is that we are we are cloaked covered in this garment
10:43
of praise over in Isaiah 61 verse #10 is this I will rejoice
10:51
greatly in the Lord. My soul would exalt in my God,
10:55
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation.
10:59
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness as a bridegroom
11:04
decks himself with a Garland and as a bride adorns herself with
11:08
jewels. Isaiah is saying what what God
11:14
does is you receive the garments of God, and part of the garments
11:19
are the cloak of praise. You, you adorn yourself with the
11:25
with the robes of righteousness. The the garments of God consists
11:31
of the robe of righteousness and the garment of praise, so much
11:37
so that as the bridegroom would adorn himself, as the bride
11:41
would adorn herself, making them the best possible presence to
11:46
those who are there, so too is the child of God.
11:54
So important to understand this. It's no wonder the psalmist said
11:58
in Psalm 147 verse #1 It is good to sing praises to the Lord for
12:04
this pleasant and praise is beautifying.
12:11
It's becoming why? Why does praise change the
12:17
scene? Why?
12:19
Why does praise enhance your situation?
12:26
Because when you walk into the situation, you are covered.
12:30
You are clothed with a cloak of praise.
12:34
You've adorned yourself with the garments of God.
12:39
Do you understand that? What that means?
12:40
When you come to church, or you go out on a date, or you go to a
12:44
wedding, or you go someplace special, what do you do?
12:47
You adorn yourself in the best that you have because you want
12:51
to present to the Lord and those around you the beauty and best
12:54
that you have. Well, God has clothed you with
12:58
the best that He has, so that when you walk into a room, you,
13:03
you are clothed already with the garments of praise.
13:07
You're already wrapped in the robes of righteousness.
13:12
You've already been adorned by God himself.
13:18
So as we travel the pathway of praise, we can understand why
13:23
Isaiah would say that. The people I have formed for
13:25
myself, they will, without a doubt.
13:28
It's a guarantee. Declare my praise.
13:35
Why? Because it's all about the glory
13:40
of the living God. So on.
13:44
As we journey along the pathway of praise, we find ourselves
13:47
looking at the perpetuity of praise, the state or quality of
13:52
longevity. In other words, the perpetuity
13:55
of praise talks about how it is praise now, continues on and on
14:00
and on and on and is never ending and continues into glory.
14:06
It's the perpetuity of praise. It's what makes the pathway so
14:11
enjoyable. And so we say, OK, so if that's
14:15
the case, how is it I engage in never ending praise?
14:21
Well, we told you last week, we do it because he recognized that
14:27
God's power, God's power is always available.
14:35
He's empowered us with His spirit.
14:38
He's clothed us with all that we need, and His power is always
14:45
available. In other words, He is able to do
14:52
exceeding abundantly, above all that we ever ask or think, by
14:55
the power that works within us. There's already a power that's
15:00
active. The power of God is not dormant
15:03
in the life of the believer. The power of God is always
15:07
active in your life. It's always available.
15:12
And therefore, when you tap into that power of the Spirit of God,
15:16
you praise Him and give glory to His name.
15:19
God's power is always available. It's actively available #2 His,
15:28
His presence is, is, or His promises are are absolutely
15:34
undeniable. The promises of God are
15:37
absolutely undeniable. For all the promises of God are
15:42
yes, in Christ Jesus. Now remember, Revelation 3 tells
15:47
us that Christ is called the Amen.
15:53
He is faithful and true. He is called the Amen.
15:56
It's the confirmation. It's the affirmation of all that
15:59
God has promised is fulfilled in Christ.
16:02
Isaiah 65 tells us that the Messiah is the God of truth.
16:08
OK, He's the God of the Amin, or the God of the Amen.
16:12
He's the God of affirmation. He's the God that's undeniably
16:16
going to prove all that He has said.
16:21
That's the promises of God. So in the Book of Numbers, the
16:26
23rd chapter, it says God is not a man that he should lie, nor
16:31
son of man that he should repent.
16:34
Has he said and will he not do it or has he spoken and will he
16:41
not make good? Yes, He is, because His promises
16:49
are absolutely undeniable, His power is actively available, and
17:00
#3 His presence is actually unavoidable.
17:09
In other words, there's no way you can get out of the presence
17:14
of God. Listen to the words of Moses in
17:19
the book of Exodus, the 33rd chapter very carefully.
17:25
Listen to what he says. God says, My presence shall go
17:30
with you, and I will give you rest.
17:33
The Lord is speaking to Moses. Then Moses said to him, if your
17:38
presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.
17:44
In other words, we need you. For how then can it be known
17:49
that I have found favor in your sight?
17:52
I and your people, is it not? But you're going with us, said
17:58
we. I and your people may be
18:02
distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of
18:07
the earth. Moses makes a statement that is
18:11
so unique that so many times we miss it.
18:17
What distinguishes you from the unbelieving world is the
18:22
presence of God in your life. Moses made it very clear.
18:29
The only way we are distinguished from the people in
18:32
in the land of Canaan is because of your presence with us.
18:41
How would he know that? How would Moses know that?
18:47
Remember the life of Joseph. The life of Joseph is a unique
18:53
and and special life in the book of Genesis, the 39th chapter.
19:02
I want you to remember what it says about Joseph.
19:07
Remember, Moses is the author of Genesis, so he would have
19:12
already written this in his life, probably by now.
19:16
Listen to what it says. Genesis 39.
19:19
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an
19:23
Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought
19:26
him from the Ishmaelites and he'd taken him down there.
19:32
The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man.
19:41
But read on, and he was in the House of his master, the
19:46
Egyptian. Now his master saw, listen
19:49
carefully. The master saw that the Lord was
19:53
with him, and how the Lord caused all that he did to
19:58
prosper in his hand. In other words, Potiphar was
20:04
able to see the presence of God in the life of Joseph because
20:10
that is the distinguishing mark of the believer.
20:15
God's presence among us separates us from those who do
20:20
not know Him. Joseph is the classic example,
20:25
and you read on in Genesis chapter 39, and it says these
20:28
words in verse #21 But the Lord was with Joseph and extended
20:33
kindness to him and gave him favor in the sight of the chief
20:38
jailer. So it was the presence of God in
20:42
the life of Joseph that distinguished him, so much so
20:46
that Potiphar saw the success in his life, and that the chief
20:50
jailer would see something different about Joseph as well
20:54
because of the presence of God in his life.
20:57
Verse 23, The chief jailer did not supervise anything under
21:01
Joseph's charge because the Lord was with him in whatever he did.
21:07
The Lord made to prosper. You see that what made Joseph so
21:14
unique in his journey from being sold to the Israelites to go
21:19
into Potiphar's house, to being lied about, thrown into prison,
21:23
and then becoming the greatest leader in Israel, greater than
21:27
even Potiphar or Pharaoh himself?
21:30
It was because the Lord was with him.
21:33
The presence of God was seen clearly in his life.
21:36
So the question comes, is the presence of God clearly seen in
21:40
your life by your boss, by your teacher, by your coach, by your
21:46
wife, by your husband, by your children?
21:49
Is the presence of God clearly seen because you are so
21:53
dependent upon Him for everything?
21:58
That's why we praise Him. The presence of God is actually
22:06
unavoidable. You can't get away from him.
22:10
He's always there, which is a good thing.
22:13
It's never a bad thing. And so the reason we can live a
22:19
life of perpetual praise is because the power of God is
22:25
actively available. The promise of God is absolutely
22:31
undeniable in the presence of God is actually unavoidable, and
22:40
we praise him for that. Here's the next one.
22:44
The Providence of God is admitted, admittedly
22:52
unsearchable. The Providence of God is
22:59
admittedly unsearchable. 2025 is past. 2026 is present.
23:10
As you look back on 2025, there are things that have taken place
23:15
in your life that you have no understanding of.
23:20
You don't know why things happened the way they did.
23:24
You don't know why God did what he did.
23:26
You have no understanding of that.
23:28
As you embark on a brand new year, you're going to face all
23:32
kinds of things that you'll shake your head at, you'll
23:37
scratch your head at, you'll wonder what it is God is doing.
23:42
But the Providence of God is unsearchable.
23:48
In other words, you're never going to understand it.
23:52
You must come to grips with that.
23:53
And that's what causes us to praise Him because He's in
23:57
charge and you're not. Remember, God's sovereignty is
24:02
the entire show. God's Providence are the details
24:10
that define the show. That's how you tell the
24:13
difference. God's sovereignty is how God has
24:18
this complete and total show that's happening, but the
24:25
province of God are the details on how the show was ran, and
24:30
those details are unsearchable. You're going to ask the question
24:36
why? That's always the wrong
24:40
question. The question is always who.
24:46
That's why when Job asked the question why he never received
24:49
an answer, he never received an answer as to why, even after the
24:57
Lord gave him twice as much as what he had before.
24:59
He never understood why. Because the Providence of God is
25:04
unsearchable. And God wanted Joe to understand
25:10
like he wants you to understand. That's not a question of why.
25:12
It's a question of who. It's who I am.
25:17
It's a revelation of who I am. God does all these things in
25:21
your life, whatever they may be, to demonstrate His person who He
25:29
is, because He wants you to worship Him for who He is.
25:35
He's the God who is sovereign over all.
25:40
He rules over all. Let me let me just read to you a
25:43
couple of verses to set this in your mind.
25:47
Some of them will be familiar to you, others will not.
25:51
Romans 11, 33 O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and
25:55
knowledge of God, How unsearchable are His judgements,
26:00
and unfathomable His ways. For who has known the mind of
26:05
the Lord, or who became His counsellor, or who has first
26:09
given to him, that it might be paid back to Him again?
26:14
For from Him and through him and to Him are all things, to Him be
26:19
the glory forever. Amen.
26:23
All things are from Him, all things go through Him, and all
26:30
things come back to Him again. Paul would say to him, be the
26:35
glory. Praise Him for this.
26:39
His ways are unfathomable, His wheel is unsearchable, His
26:48
wonder is unimaginable. You cannot conjure up in your
26:53
mind, in a finite mind, all the things that God is doing, but to
26:57
him be the glory, to Him be the praise forever and ever.
27:01
Because we know this. It's all from Him.
27:04
It goes through Him and back to him again, because it's all
27:08
about God. See what what is happening to
27:13
you in 2025 and what will happen to you in 2026 is never really
27:17
about you. It's about the Lord and all that
27:22
He's doing in and through you, that he might be glorified.
27:27
That's why his Providence is admittedly unsearchable.
27:34
But to him be the glory and praise, forever and ever.
27:37
Amen. How about this Deuteronomy 32,
27:43
the song of Moses? He's closing out his life.
27:46
He's about to die. He's going to give it a
27:49
historical perspective on Israel and then a prophetical
27:54
perspective for Israel. It's a great song.
27:58
He says this verse one, give ear, O heavens, and let me
28:01
speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
28:04
Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the
28:08
dew, as the droplets on the fresh grass, as the showers on
28:12
the herb. For I proclaim the name of the
28:15
Lord, ascribe greatness to our God, the rock.
28:21
His work is perfect. All his ways are just a God of
28:26
faithfulness and without injustice, righteousness and
28:31
upright is He. Our God is the rock, and even
28:38
though you might not understand anything about him, He is
28:40
immovable. He is unchangeable.
28:44
There is stability in God and all his ways are perfect.
28:50
None of his ways are imperfect. They're all perfect.
28:54
Why? Because they're couched in His
28:55
righteousness, in His judgments that are pure and right.
29:00
He goes on to say this in verse #8 when the Most High gave the
29:03
nation's their inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He
29:07
set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number
29:10
of the sons of Israel. God did this.
29:12
God gave you your inheritance. God set your boundaries.
29:15
In other words, God gives you what you have, and God shows you
29:18
where you live. He sets the boundaries of and
29:23
the parameters of your home. God does all that.
29:28
We think we buy our house. That's so funny.
29:34
We think we buy our house. We think we get our jobs.
29:38
We think we do all. We are so narcissistic.
29:40
We think we do all that stuff. God grants you the inheritance
29:45
and God grants you the boundaries by which you live.
29:48
God does all that. He goes on to say this in verse
29:50
#10 he encircled him, he cared for him.
29:53
That's Israel. He guarded him as the pupil of
29:55
his eye, like an eagle that stirs up it's nest that hovers
29:58
over it's young. He spread his wings and cut
30:00
them. He carried them on the in his
30:02
opinions. The Lord alone guided them.
30:05
In other words, he's, he's reviewing Israel's history and
30:08
saying, look, you are where you are because God protected you.
30:11
God guarded you. God took you from where you were
30:15
and placed you right here. God did all this.
30:19
He's saying don't take credit for anything.
30:23
Give God all the credit for everything because God did it.
30:28
It says in verse #39 see now that I, I am he, and there is no
30:34
God beside me. It is I who put to death and
30:36
give life. God does this.
30:40
Nobody dies unless God puts them to death.
30:44
Nobody lives unless God gives them life.
30:47
He says I have wounded and it is I who heal and there is no one
30:54
who can deliver from my hand. Moses is accentuating the
31:00
Providence of God in the life of Israel that they might learn to
31:04
sing praises to his name and glorify him.
31:07
Because God is in charge of everything and directing every
31:11
aspect of your life. What a marvelous statement.
31:17
So Nebuchadnezzar had a vision. He needed someone to interpret
31:26
the vision. So he chose the chief of the
31:28
magicians, Daniel. And Daniel would tell him of his
31:33
vision of the great tree and told him what was going to
31:38
happen in his life. But Nebuchadnezzar never
31:41
repented. 12 months later, everything happened just as the
31:45
vision was prophesied. After seven years,
31:50
Nebuchadnezzar says this. At the end of that period, I,
31:54
Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my reason
31:58
returned to me, and I blessed. I praised the Most High and
32:01
praised and honored him who lives forever.
32:03
For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his
32:06
Kingdom endures from generation to generation.
32:08
All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, but He
32:12
does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the
32:15
inhabitants of earth, and no one can warrant off his hand or say
32:19
to him, what have you done? This is Nebuchadnezzar.
32:23
He's realized that God is providentially in charge, that
32:27
God is the king and Nebuchadnezzar is not the king.
32:31
God's the true king, he says in verse 37.
32:34
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of
32:37
heaven, for all his works are true and his ways just, and he
32:41
is able to humble those who walk in pride again.
32:44
He is acknowledging the Providence of God working in his
32:49
life because God is king over all.
32:52
He is the one who's to be praised and exalted because he
32:55
is the one in charge of everyone and everything.
33:01
And that's why his Providence is admittedly unsearchable.
33:10
He says, Nebuchadnezzar, who can ever say, what have you done?
33:18
But we say that, Lord, what are you doing?
33:23
Lord, why do you do this? And Nebuchadnezzar, the Pagan
33:26
says, look, you can't say what have you done.
33:29
Let's let God do what he does and rest in his Providence
33:37
because he's in charge. And then you have, of course,
33:44
Psalm one, O 4 verse 24, which says, O Lord, how many are your
33:48
works in wisdom? You have made them all the work
33:55
of God is done by his wisdom. It's the wisdom that causes God
34:01
to work the way he does. And every child that's born in
34:06
every event that happens, in every circumstance that goes by,
34:10
it's all under the work of God, formed by the wisdom of God.
34:20
The earth is full of your possessions, he concludes.
34:24
How about this Ecclesiastes 3 verse #1 There is an appointed
34:30
time for everything, and there is a time for every event under
34:35
heaven. This is Solomon speaking.
34:40
There is an appointed time for everything.
34:42
In other words, everything that happens is done by divine
34:45
appointment. Everything, nothing is by
34:50
accident. Everything is by divine
34:53
appointment. And then he goes on to say, and
34:56
he has made everything beautiful in it's time.
34:59
That's in verse #11 not everything, not, not only is
35:03
everything appointed, but everything that's appointed is
35:06
beautiful in its time because God is the author of beauty.
35:11
And God through his wisdom performed the works that he did
35:14
in order to bring about his glory that he says this verse
35:19
12. I know that there is nothing
35:22
better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's
35:25
lifetime. Moreover, and every man who eats
35:27
and drinks sees good and all his labor.
35:29
It is the gift of God. I know that everything God does
35:33
will remain forever. There is nothing to add to it.
35:35
There is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that
35:38
men should fear Him. I know that you can't change
35:42
anything God does. And in fact, you can't add to
35:45
what God has done, and you can't take away to what God is going
35:48
to do because what He has done, He has done, so that man will
35:52
learn to fear him. Other words, God's plan is
35:56
concrete and God's plan is complete because you can't do
36:01
anything to change it, add to it, to make it any better or
36:05
worse than it is. And then He says these words,
36:12
that which has been already, and that which will be has already
36:16
been, for God seeks what has passed by.
36:22
In other words, God requires an account for how did you respond
36:27
to all that has taken place. Then he says in Chapter 7 of
36:33
Ecclesiastes these words, verse 13.
36:36
Consider mathematical term which means to look at all the facts,
36:41
add them all together. Consider the work of God, for
36:47
who is able to straighten what he has bent.
36:51
In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of
36:55
adversity consider that God has made the one as well as the
36:59
other, so that man will not discover anything that will
37:03
happen after him. God's Providence is
37:09
unsearchable. No way will you be able to ever
37:15
understand why God does what He does.
37:17
You have a finite mind, He has an infinite mind, so you rest in
37:24
what he says and does. Earlier in the book of Proverbs,
37:32
Solomon who said these words. Verse Chapter 16.
37:36
Verse #1 The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of
37:41
the tongue is from the Lord. You have plans for 2026.
37:50
The answer, the final word is from the Lord.
37:54
Verse 4. The Lord has made everything for
37:56
its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.
38:01
God makes everything for His own purpose.
38:06
He even makes the wicked boss the wicked coach for the day of
38:14
evil. Verse #9 of chapter 16.
38:21
The mind of the man plans his ways with the Lord, directs the
38:23
steps. Again, man has a plan.
38:28
We set goals and objectives, but it's God who directs the steps.
38:34
Then you go over to verse 33, same chapter.
38:39
The lot is cast into the lap, but every decision, so the Lord
38:46
God has the final word on everything.
38:49
Chapter 19, same author, verse #21 He says these words.
38:58
Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord will
39:05
stand. We have plans, but the counsel
39:11
of the Lord stands. Chapter 20, verse #24 says this
39:17
man's steps are ordained by the Lord.
39:22
How then can man understand his way?
39:27
Answer. He can't.
39:31
You have plans. You have plans to get married.
39:37
You have plans to move. You have plans for a new job.
39:46
You ever ask yourself why I can't find a husband?
39:53
Why I can't find a wife? Where are they?
39:57
So you make a plan. You make a plan to find a wife.
40:03
You make a plan to find a husband.
40:07
I think God laughs at those plans.
40:10
Because God in his Providence has ordained that person
40:13
already. God's going to bring them to you
40:17
in his time. He's in charge.
40:22
Man has a plan, but God directs his steps.
40:26
God is in complete in charge of everything.
40:31
And yet we can't understand why? Because Solomon made it very
40:35
clear. He says your steps are ordained
40:39
by the Lord. How can you ever understand his
40:43
ways? You can't.
40:48
So what do you do? You just praise him.
40:52
To him be the glory and honor forever and ever.
40:55
Lord your, your your ways are unsearchable.
40:58
Your wonder is unfathomable. Your will is unimaginable.
41:03
There's no way I can grasp what you're doing.
41:07
Why? Why did you take my wife?
41:11
Why did you take my husband? You'll never get an answer to
41:15
that. God is not obligated to answer
41:19
the why question, but He always gives you the answer as to who
41:27
He gives life. He puts to death.
41:29
He's in charge, He has a plan, and in the Providence of God,
41:34
this was what He ordained to happen.
41:38
And although we don't have an answer, we sit back and say,
41:40
Lord, I rest in the Providence of the living God.
41:45
And even though I can never understand why you did what you
41:48
did, I praise you because you did what you did.
41:52
You are the God in charge. And I thank you, Lord, that I'm
41:57
not. And that's a good thing.
42:02
You don't want to be in charge of your life because you're
42:07
going to make it a mess. God's in charge.
42:12
Let him do what He does and rest in His Providence.
42:20
Psalm 33 First, sorry, Psalm 31, verse 14.
42:26
But As for me, I trust in you, O Lord, I say, you are my God.
42:33
This should be your verse for 2026.
42:37
But As for me, I trust in you. O Lord, I say you are my God.
42:42
And then verse 15, my times are in your hands.
42:47
Isn't that great? That is so good.
42:52
That should be your theme verse Psalm 3114 and 15 for 2026.
42:58
Lord, I trust you. You're my God in all my times,
43:03
all my days, all my events, all my circumstances, because you
43:09
have made everything beautiful in it's time and you've
43:13
appointed all things to happen at a particular time.
43:17
My times are in your hands. My dating life is in your hands.
43:23
My marriage life is in your hands.
43:26
My work life is in your hands. My school life is in your hands,
43:31
my emotions in your hands, everything about me, Lord, is in
43:35
your hands. I trust you.
43:38
Why? Because you are my God and I
43:42
praise you. Let's pray.
43:45
Father, we thank you for today. There is so much to to read in
43:51
Your word that will help us get a better grasp on all that
43:56
happens, but yet we realize, Lord, that You are in control of
44:01
everything. Our prayer today, Lord, is that
44:06
we would be the kind of people who trust You and believe in You
44:08
and never waver in our commitment to You.
44:09
And that, Lord, we would trust You because our times are in
44:13
Your hands. May that be a theme for our
44:17
lives as we lift, as we leave this planet one day into Your
44:24
presence. To that time, may we be found
44:27
faithful in praising our God as we travel the pathway of praise
44:35
in Jesus name, Amen.