1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,980 Let's pray. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:59,980 Let's pray. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:29,980 Let's pray. 4 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:23,000 Okay, good morning. Good morning, everybody. It's good to be here with everyone. We're going to get started today by reading out of Psalm 107, so if we want to go ahead and stand, we will be reading verses 1 through 3 today together. 5 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:51,000 And it begins, "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south." This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray. 6 00:05:51,000 --> 00:06:13,000 God, we thank you so much for the opportunity to gather here today. We thank you for those that are watching online, and we thank you for the encouragement and the excitement that we can feel here today as we just get together and fellowship and worship you. Be with our service today and allow it to glorify you. In Jesus' name. Amen. 7 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:19,000 Alright, we're going to start our service today by singing Raise a Hallelujah. 8 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:29,000 I raise a Hallelujah 9 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:35,000 In the presence of my enemies 10 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:41,000 I raise a Hallelujah 11 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:47,000 Louder than the unbelief 12 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:53,000 I raise a Hallelujah 13 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:59,000 My weapon is a melody 14 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:05,000 I raise a Hallelujah 15 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:11,000 Heaven comes to fight for me 16 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:15,000 I'm gonna sing 17 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,000 In the middle of the storm 18 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,000 Louder and louder 19 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,000 You're gonna hear my praises roar 20 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,000 Up from the ashes 21 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,000 Hope will arise 22 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,000 Death is defeated 23 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:39,000 The King is alive 24 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:44,000 I raise a hallelujah 25 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:50,000 With everything inside of me 26 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:56,000 I raise a hallelujah 27 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:02,000 I will watch the darkness flee 28 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:08,000 I raise a hallelujah 29 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:13,000 In the middle of the mystery 30 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:19,000 I raise a hallelujah 31 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:25,000 Fear you lost your hold on me 32 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,000 I'm gonna sing 33 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:31,000 In the middle of the storm 34 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,000 Louder and louder 35 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,000 You're gonna hear my praises roar 36 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,000 Up from the ashes 37 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:43,000 Hope will arise 38 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:46,000 Death is defeated 39 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:52,000 The King is alive 40 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:54,000 Sing a little louder 41 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,000 In the presence of my enemies 42 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,000 Sing a little louder 43 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:04,000 Louder than the unbelief 44 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,000 Sing a little louder 45 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,000 My weapon is a melody 46 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,000 Sing a little louder 47 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:15,000 Heaven comes to fight for me 48 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:17,000 Sing a little louder 49 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:21,000 In the presence of my enemies 50 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,000 Sing a little louder 51 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:27,000 Louder than the unbelief 52 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,000 Sing a little louder 53 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:33,000 My weapon is a melody 54 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,000 Sing a little louder 55 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,000 Heaven comes to fight for me 56 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:44,000 I'm gonna sing 57 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,000 In the middle of the storm 58 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,000 Louder and louder 59 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,000 You're gonna hear my praises roar 60 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,000 Up from the ashes 61 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,000 Hope will arise 62 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,000 Death is defeated 63 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:09,000 The king is alive 64 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:31,000 All right, you can keep standing if you want or if you'd like to sit, that's fine, too. We're gonna be moving into our prayer and share time. So if you're watching online, there'll be a phone number to text. If you have anything you'd like to share with us, please do that. And then we'll be muted here during that time. So give us a few minutes and then we'll be back to continue on with the right. 65 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:36,000 Continue on with the rest of our service. And we're going to be singing as we go into that time, "Your Grace is Enough." 66 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:24,000 You wrestle with the sinner's restless heart. You lead us by still waters and to mercy. And nothing can keep us apart. 67 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:47,000 So remember your people. Remember your children. Remember your promise of God. Your grace is enough. Your grace is enough. Your grace is enough. 68 00:11:47,000 --> 00:12:10,000 Your grace is enough. Your grace is enough for me. Great is your love and justice, God of Jacob. You use the weak to lead the strong. You lead us in love. 69 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:38,000 You lead us in the song of your salvation. And all your people sing along. So remember your people, remember your children, remember your children, remember your children. 70 00:12:38,000 --> 00:13:06,000 Remember your promise, O God. Your grace is enough. Your grace is enough. Your grace is enough for me. Your grace is enough. 71 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:16,000 Your grace is enough. Your grace is enough for me. 72 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:26,000 You can sit down. 73 00:13:34,000 --> 00:14:03,980 So, let's go. 74 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:33,980 So, let's go. 75 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:40,000 I want us to see what God is doing in this passage. I want us to see what God is doing in this passage. 76 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:44,000 Jesus said, "I'm not going to leave you alone." Let's pray. 77 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:48,000 I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 78 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:52,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 79 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 80 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 81 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:29,000 God is doing this. God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 82 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 83 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 84 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 85 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,000 God is doing this. God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 86 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:19,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 87 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:21,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 88 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 89 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing. 90 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 91 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 92 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 93 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,000 God is doing this. God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 94 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 95 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 96 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,000 God is doing this. I want us to be able to find out what God is doing in this passage. 97 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:43,000 We're doing things in a little bit of a different order this morning. 98 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:48,000 In just a few minutes, we're going to dive into the 107th Psalm. 99 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:58,000 Then we will let this song of praise to God's rescue and redemption lead us to communion. 100 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:04,000 Before we dive in to God's word this morning, we're going to sing "Break Every Chain." 101 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:14,000 We've been trying to sing songs this morning that help us with the picture of God's power and God's rescue and God's help through all of these things. 102 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,000 Let's go ahead and sing "Break Every Chain." 103 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:34,280 There is power in the name of Jesus 104 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:40,920 There is power in the name of Jesus 105 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:48,820 There is power in the name of Jesus 106 00:21:48,820 --> 00:21:55,240 To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain 107 00:21:55,240 --> 00:22:00,840 There is power in the name of Jesus 108 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:06,840 There is power in the name of Jesus 109 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:32,760 There is power in the name of Jesus To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain Oh, sufficient sacrifice, so free to be saved, and so free to be saved. 110 00:22:32,760 --> 00:23:01,900 Oh, sufficient sacrifice So freely given such a price For our redemption Heaven's gaze swing wide. There is power in the name of Jesus. 111 00:23:01,900 --> 00:23:31,040 There is power in the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Jesus. To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain. There is power in the name of Jesus. 112 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:55,040 in the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Jesus. Break every chain, break every chain, break every chain. Break every chain, break every chain. 113 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:20,040 Let's pray. Father in heaven, I thank you so much that you have saved us, that you have rescued us, that you have redeemed us. I thank you for how you have loved us and how you have brought us from all different directions to be part of your family. 114 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:40,040 I thank you so much for grace, and this morning, as we hear the words of this psalm, may you encourage our hearts to those who are hungry or lost or feel like they are imprisoned by sin, that you would help us to see that it's through your Son that all of those things that have been holding us captive are broken through him. 115 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:45,040 So, help our hearts rejoice this morning. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 116 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:56,040 All right. One of the things that most of us have experienced is we've seen the power of pictures. And what I mean by that is that pictures for us can do a lot of different things. 117 00:24:56,040 --> 00:25:11,040 They can sort of portray information. So, for example, I was looking through some of the screenshots on my phone. Maybe. There we go. And, you know, found sort of some maps. Most of us have used a map or a GPS that helps us. 118 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:24,040 And I can hear turn right in, you know, 800 feet. But looking at that picture helps me see that just a little better because, like, which 800 feet? I don't understand distance in that way. 119 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:31,040 And then sometimes, right, pictures can sort of stir up our emotions or attitudes. They can make us laugh or make us sad. 120 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:39,040 So I sent this to my wife and Cody and Holly this week with the heading that the first time you go camping as a family. 121 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:46,040 And the headline is just, "Wife Stabs Husband with Squirrel." It turns out there's more to the story that makes it even funnier. 122 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:52,040 It was a ceramic squirrel, and the reason she stabbed him was because he didn't bring home beer after work. 123 00:25:52,040 --> 00:26:01,040 And so it's kind of a rough story. Likely, I think it may have taken place in South Carolina, but it sounds like something that would have happened probably in Florida. 124 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:07,040 And then there are pictures that kind of warm our heart and remind us of something that we had forgotten. 125 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:15,040 What showed up in my memories this week was a picture of Luke as pretty close to being a newborn, just a few weeks old. 126 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:27,040 And our dog, Rigby, who was amazing with our kids and who loved our kids very well. We have pictures of all of our kids either using Rigby as a pillow or Rigby kind of curled up around them. 127 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:35,040 And you see that? And I'd totally forgotten about this moment, and it was heartwarming remembering Luke as a child when he couldn't run away. 128 00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:53,040 And remembering Rigby and how well she cared for our family. And so one of the things that pictures do for us is they help us sort of see and understand and feel things and recognize things maybe in a better way than what would normally happen. 129 00:26:53,040 --> 00:27:05,040 And one of the things that I have come to love about the Psalms is that the Psalms frequently use sort of word pictures to help us understand pictures that don't just address our mind by giving us facts, 130 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:14,040 but they don't just address our hearts by giving us emotion, but they also address our actions. I'll give you a few examples. The very, very first Psalm. 131 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:25,040 It's a Psalm probably a lot of us have read. If you've ever tried to read through the book of Psalms, you start at the first Psalm, and it talks about how the righteous is like a tree planted by streams of water. 132 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:35,040 And in my mind, I have this picture of sort of an arid area, and through it flows a stream, and there is this tree, and it's not like the scraggly desert bushes that we see so frequently, 133 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:51,040 but it's this big, tall tree that offers shade and refreshment. And this tree, even in the dry season, is strong and green and producing fruit because its roots go down deep to find the moisture, and the psalmist helps us picture this. 134 00:27:51,040 --> 00:28:04,040 And then he says this is like the man who meditates on the Word of God, right? And so it helps us understand strength in our mind. It calls to our emotion. If you've ever looked for shade on a hot day, 135 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:13,040 it also calls us to action because the psalmist says if you want to be like that tree, here is the Word of God. Or one that we're all very familiar with in the 23rd Psalm, right? 136 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:25,040 "The Lord is my shepherd," and there's this picture of a good shepherd who provides for us by bringing us to refreshment and nourishment, who walks with us through the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death, 137 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:36,040 brings us to God's feast and in a rejoicing manner. And it's a picture that has encouraged Christians for forever, since it was written, right? 138 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:42,040 All of those centuries have been encouraged by the picture of God being our shepherd. 139 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:50,040 And so one of the things we find when we come to the Psalms are this beauty of these pictures that address our mind and our heart and our actions. 140 00:28:50,040 --> 00:29:01,040 And this is something that Jesus talks about in the Gospel of Mark. He'll say, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." 141 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:08,040 And Jesus says, "We love God." It's not just one part of our being. Not just sort of intellectually saying, "Yes, I believe this." 142 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:15,040 Not just sort of feeling it, and not just sort of acting, but all three of these things that we know, we feel, and we do. 143 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:28,040 And the Psalms address all of us. And so this morning, as we dive into the 107th Psalm, one of the things that I love about this, and it's a long psalm, 144 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:40,040 is that it presents, sort of between verse 4 down to verse 32, these four pictures that are ultimately God's rescue of us. 145 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:45,040 And so I want to sort of walk through, just briefly this morning, these four pictures. 146 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:52,040 And the first picture we find begins in verse 4 and 5. And I'm going to sort of give us the beginning of these pictures, and then we'll walk through them. 147 00:29:52,040 --> 00:30:03,040 It says, "So some wandered in the desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in, hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them." 148 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:08,040 And so the very first picture are these who are lost in the desert, but they're not just lost, 149 00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:16,040 as they were heading to a destination, to a city, where there would be safety and shelter and refuge and refreshment. 150 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:20,040 But instead of finding that city, they're wandering through the desert. 151 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:25,040 And in our lives, we've probably experienced lostness on sort of a varying scale, right? 152 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:28,040 There's the lostness where we're not really sure where something is. 153 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:35,040 So a few weeks ago, Rachel and I, kids went to my mom and dad's, and we were celebrating our 10th anniversary. 154 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:41,040 And we were over toward D.C., and we were in a mall looking, and don't laugh too much at this, for a Lego store. 155 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:47,040 And we walk in the mall, and it's like, "Where is this?" And we're wandering around trying to find it, and can't find it anywhere, right? 156 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:52,040 And so we were lost, but it wasn't a big deal, right? Because you can find a map, and you can look around, you can ask somebody. 157 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:58,040 And then there's times where maybe we're driving in an unfamiliar place, and we get turned around and lost, but it's not a big deal. 158 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:02,040 So we can pull over and pull up directions on our phone, or we can ask somebody. 159 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:13,040 But then there is a lost that is life-threatening, right? Where you're lost in the wilderness, or you're lost in the desert, and there's no food, and there's no water, and no shelter. 160 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:21,040 And the picture that the psalmist is giving us here is not just sort of, "I can't find where I'm going," or "I got turned around, and I'm a little confused." 161 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:30,040 This is a life-threatening lostness that he's talking about. And he's not just simply speaking of a physical lostness. 162 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:40,040 But he's saying take that feeling of being almost dead in the middle of the desert, and understand that your soul is like that. It's crying out for something. 163 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:50,040 Charles Spurgeon, one of my favorite preachers, says this: "Who can keep up his courage when he is ready to fall to the ground at every step through utter exhaustion?" 164 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:59,040 He's talking about this verse: "The supply of food is all eaten, the water is spent in the bottles, and there are neither fields nor streams in the desert. 165 00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:08,040 The heart, therefore, sinks in dire despair. Such is the condition of the unwakened conscience before it knows the Lord Jesus. 166 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:20,040 It is full of unsatisfied cravings, painful needs, and heavy fears. It is utterly spent and without strength, and there is nothing in the whole of creation that can minister to its refreshment. 167 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:28,040 That you are lost and searching for something that will help your soul." And that's the very first picture the psalmist gives us. 168 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:39,040 The second is one of the darkness of imprisonment. He'll say this, beginning in verse 10, "Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons. 169 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:51,040 For they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High. So he bowed down their hearts with hard labor, and they fell down with none to help." 170 00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:57,040 Right? So there's some misery for us that isn't too bad, especially if we have companions in this misery. 171 00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:07,040 So, believe it or not, in my time in school, during my education, especially probably in my middle school years, I may have gotten in trouble a little bit. 172 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:17,040 And there was two kinds of trouble to get into, right? There's the trouble where you're the only one in trouble, and it's lonely, and you're bearing the weight of the punishment all by yourself. 173 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:26,040 And then there's the time you get in trouble with all of your friends, and yeah, you're punished, but, right, it's kind of a funny joke to you and your friends. 174 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:33,040 The psalmist here is not picturing sort of that misery loves company. Yeah, we're going through something hard, but we're going through it together. 175 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:46,040 The picture here is separation, isolation, darkness, and there's a monster in that darkness, which is death. And it says this picture of chains. 176 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:55,040 And then the thing that makes this even worse is that, right, some people are imprisoned wrongly and falsely, but the ones that the psalmist talks 177 00:33:55,040 --> 00:34:04,040 about here are not imprisoned wrongly. They had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High. 178 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:11,040 That picture of spurning is to treat something wonderful with contempt. And so there's a lot of things, probably most of us have a lot of 179 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:20,040 things that we like, that we own, but then there are some things that are sort of extra special to us. And I was thinking about my things, and one of those 180 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:29,040 things for me is I have a Bible from a preacher in our family from three generations ago. Our family was a family of 181 00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:37,040 preachers on my mom's side who emigrated by decree of the king from Sweden, exiled, came to America and preached. And I have 182 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:46,040 generation number three, both from the beginning and from me, in terms of, you know, preaching. And I have his Bible. It's in my 183 00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:52,040 office in a little box. And it's something I treasure, right? Because it's a picture of family. It's a picture of the 184 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:59,040 goodness of God. It's a picture of the gospel. It's how God sustains not just one generation, but seven generations. 185 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:05,040 And it's something that is precious to me. And if I was showing you this Bible, which is old and it's rickety and it's 186 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:11,040 falling apart, and you just looked at it and threw it on the floor, right, I would become very angry. Because here's 187 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:16,040 something that is precious to me, and you're treating it with contempt. Now take that thing that 188 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:24,040 is precious to you, and imagine somebody treating it with contempt. And that's the picture of how these 189 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:30,040 people who are in prison are treating the Creator of the universe, treating the good gifts, His Word that 190 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:39,040 directs and protects and guides, and they treat it with contempt. And so justly they are imprisoned. But more 191 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:45,040 than that, it says they're bowed down with hard labor. Hard work we find biblically is good for us, but 192 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:51,040 hard labor in prison is different because it's not work where you accomplish something. It's work you're 193 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:57,040 doing on behalf of another, and it's discouraging, and you're despondent. And so the second picture, 194 00:35:57,040 --> 00:36:03,040 first picture is lost in the desert. The second picture is bowed down under the weight of captivity 195 00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:11,040 and imprisonment, but it's a just and righteous imprisonment. The third is, some were fools through their sinful ways, 196 00:36:11,040 --> 00:36:19,040 and because of their iniquities, they suffered affliction. They loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 197 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:23,040 And so the second picture is similar to the first. Both people have spurned the Word of God, 198 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:29,040 but these are the ones who are fools, right? And so it's not necessarily an intentional decision. 199 00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:34,040 I'm just going to spurn the Word of God. I'm going to treat it with contempt. I'm going to treat him with contempt. 200 00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:40,040 But rather, this is somebody who just simply follows their own desires no matter where they lead. 201 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:48,040 You can read about the fool in Proverbs when the shady lady is calling to him, and he doesn't see the dangers and the snares. 202 00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:53,040 All he sees is somebody he wants to pursue, and so he just goes off following his own desires. 203 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:58,040 It's still sin, and it's still brokenness, and it still has consequences. 204 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:10,040 And what you find is this one who has struggled to follow his desires, who has not learned, you see them suffering with affliction that is bringing them near death. 205 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:23,040 And what you find is when you and I rebel against God, it brings into our life, into our souls, hurt and suffering and discontentment to the center of our being. 206 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:34,040 The fourth picture here in the 107th Psalm is a little bit different. It says this, "Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters. 207 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:42,040 They saw the deeds of the Lord and the wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 208 00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:48,040 They mounted up to the heaven, and they went down to the depths, and their courage melted away in their evil plight. 209 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:54,040 They reeled and staggered like drunken men, and we're at our wits' end." So there's a change of pace, right? 210 00:37:54,040 --> 00:38:00,040 We've gone from the traveler who's wandering in the desert. We've moved to the person who intentionally spurns the Word of God. 211 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:04,040 And then we've moved to the person who is spurting the Word of God, but in a different way. 212 00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:11,040 Not necessarily saying, "I hate God," but rather saying, "I'd rather follow the desires of my heart no matter where they lead me." 213 00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:17,040 And we've seen brokenness, lostness, and hurt so far. And then we come to these respectable merchants. 214 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:26,040 It doesn't say anything about them being sinful, but I think the picture of these merchants as they set to see, to pursue their trade, is one of pride. 215 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:32,040 Because they don't seem to think of God, right? And so God will send a storm to sort of introduce Himself. 216 00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:37,040 And so their issue here is not that they're necessarily running from God or trying to rebel against God. 217 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:43,040 They just don't simply think about God at all. And this is oftentimes, I think, where maybe we find ourselves. 218 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:48,040 As we face decisions in the world, we just sort of think, "Well, I'm going to do that," right? 219 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:55,040 Without a second thought to what God has called us to do. And so God humbles the proud with a storm. 220 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:59,040 Notice you see His hand. "For He commanded and raised the stormy winds." 221 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:05,040 It's not an accident that they encounter this storm. And it's bigger than anything that they've ever seen. 222 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:12,040 The waves went up to the heavens and down to the depths. And these men who had been experienced merchants, 223 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:19,040 they couldn't keep their footing because of the rocking of the boat, and they're at their wits' end. 224 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:25,040 Right? God humbles them with a storm. So these four pictures, as they began, none of them are very comforting, right? 225 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:29,040 You've got the guy dying of thirst in the desert. You've got the person dying in prison. 226 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:32,040 You've got the person dying on their sickbed as a result of their decision. 227 00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:39,040 You've got the person dying in the middle of the storm, and it just seems like it's a little bit depressing. 228 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:46,040 You have the desert at its driest, the ocean sort of at its ocean-y, ocean-y-est. I just made that word up. 229 00:39:46,040 --> 00:39:54,040 And then you have, right, the prison and the hospital. Let's move to the response of these people. 230 00:39:54,040 --> 00:40:01,040 These might seem sort of similar. Psalm 107:6, "Those lost in the desert, they cried to the Lord in trouble, 231 00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:07,040 and He delivered them from their distress." Those in the darkness of jail, they cried to the Lord in their trouble, 232 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:13,040 and He delivered them from their distress. Those suffering in the hospital, they cried to the Lord in their trouble. 233 00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:18,040 He delivered them from their distress. Those sailors and merchants in the storm, 234 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:22,040 they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. 235 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:27,040 I don't know if you see a pattern, but they're crying to the Lord. And what that simply means is that they're praying, 236 00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:33,040 but it's picturing a prayer of deep emotion, of deep urgency from the center of their being. 237 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:38,040 They're not just sort of simply saying, "God, thank you for the food that you've provided for me today." 238 00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:44,040 They're crying out with the entirety of their being for rescue. 239 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:50,040 And one of the things you find in the Bible is that prayer can be long, it can be short. 240 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:54,040 It can happen in all kinds of different places, all kinds of different postures, 241 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:58,040 from hands lifted high to face down on the ground before God. 242 00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:02,040 Prayer happens in so many different places and times and ways. 243 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:08,040 But oftentimes in the darkest moments, our prayers are short and from the heart. 244 00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:16,040 In Jehoshaphat, in 2 Chronicles 20, as the enemies march toward the city, he prays and he asks God and he explains their situation. 245 00:41:16,040 --> 00:41:21,040 But the prayer at the very end of his big prayer is simply this: 246 00:41:21,040 --> 00:41:24,040 "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." Right? 247 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:27,040 That's crying out to God, "I don't know how to face this storm. 248 00:41:27,040 --> 00:41:31,040 I don't know how to face the desert. I don't know how to face the imprisonment of my sin. 249 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:37,040 I don't know how to face the brokenness of my heart for my foolish behavior, but my eyes are on you." 250 00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:43,040 Or Nehemiah chapter 2, as Nehemiah stands before the king, and the king has asked him why he's sad, 251 00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:47,040 and Nehemiah has explained to him why he's sad, and the king says, "What do you want to do?" 252 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:49,040 And for Nehemiah, this is a pivotal moment, right? 253 00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:55,040 His life is on the line depending maybe on how he answers. We don't know his relationship or how close. 254 00:41:55,040 --> 00:42:00,040 And so Nehemiah in that moment will do this. He says, "I pray to the God of heaven." 255 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:08,040 It wasn't a long extended prayer like he had prayed in chapter 1, but I think he simply says, "God, guide me and give me strength." 256 00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:12,040 You see, in their brokenness, God's people cry out to him and say, 257 00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:15,040 whether that's the brokenness of dissatisfaction in the desert, 258 00:42:15,040 --> 00:42:18,040 whether that's the brokenness of being imprisoned from our sin, 259 00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:23,040 whether that's the brokenness of finding the consequences of our foolish behavior, 260 00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:28,040 or the brokenness of our pride being humbled. 261 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:32,040 And here's where we see the wonder: God delivered them. 262 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:34,040 Now, I understand delivering the guy who's lost in the desert. 263 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:38,040 I understand delivering the guy who has been in the storm. 264 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:42,040 And I understand a little bit about delivering the foolish guy, right? 265 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:44,040 He made a bad decision, you bail him out. 266 00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:48,040 But the guy who has intentionally rebelled and spurned the Word of God, 267 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:52,040 you think, at least if it was me, I'd be like, "I don't know about him." 268 00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:55,040 But you see what God does? He rescues all of them, right? 269 00:42:55,040 --> 00:43:02,040 And there's not a precondition. They cry out to God, and He delivered them. 270 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:08,040 And so I would just point to you to sort of the practical power of prayer. 271 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:14,040 And if you're struggling with prayer, maybe how to pray, what to pray, 272 00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:18,040 you find that God hears your prayers. He wants to hear your prayers. 273 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:20,040 He loves it when you pray. 274 00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:23,040 And Romans 8 tells us that He helps you when you pray. 275 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:29,040 We also see that some people only turn to God when life is at its dark. 276 00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:36,040 So I would say to you this morning that if you're afraid to pray, understand that God cares, God listens, and God helps you pray. 277 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:41,040 Next, you see not just that God rescues, but you see how God rescues. 278 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:47,040 And what you find, and I love this, is that the vastness of the emptiness of the desert is no match for the power of God. 279 00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:56,040 And I would also say that the vastness of the emptiness of all those things that we've tried to satisfy our soul with are no match for the power of God. 280 00:43:56,040 --> 00:44:02,040 Listen to what God does to those in the desert. He led them by a straight way until they reached a city to dwell in. 281 00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:10,040 Or this, it should sound familiar. He satisfies the longing soul and the hungry soul. He fills with good things. 282 00:44:10,040 --> 00:44:17,040 Mary sings that in the Gospel of Luke as she celebrates her pregnancy with Jesus. 283 00:44:17,040 --> 00:44:21,040 The second thing we see is that imprisonment is no match for the greatness of God. 284 00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:32,040 He brought them out of darkness in the shadow of death, and He burst their bonds apart, for He shatters the doors of bronze and cuts into the bars of iron. 285 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:38,040 And you see that God doesn't halfway save, right? He doesn't come in and unlock everybody and say, "All right, you're free to go." 286 00:44:38,040 --> 00:44:46,040 But He bursts in and He shatters and breaks the bonds of these prisoners into and brings them to freedom, right? 287 00:44:46,040 --> 00:44:52,040 Your imprisonment from sin is no match for the greatness of God. 288 00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:58,040 You find that our brokenness is also no match for the greatness of God. Listen to Psalm 107:20. 289 00:44:58,040 --> 00:45:03,040 He sent out His Word and He healed them. He delivered them from their destruction, right? 290 00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:11,040 Those sick in the depths of their being, God heals and saves them from their destruction. 291 00:45:11,040 --> 00:45:19,040 And storms that we face in life are no match for the greatness of God. He made the storm to be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 292 00:45:19,040 --> 00:45:25,040 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and He brought them to their desired haven. 293 00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:32,040 And so I hear things like this, how God has saved the struggling in the desert. He's greater than the vastness of our emptiness. 294 00:45:32,040 --> 00:45:40,040 And how God has saved and rescued those who are imprisoned by sin. How He saved those from their foolish decisions by healing. 295 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:47,040 How He saved those in the midst of the storm by bringing calm and healing to that storm, and it quiets the waters. 296 00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:51,040 And our objection might be, "Well, that's great for them, but what about me?" Right? 297 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:56,040 Because we live in a world where we have to earn everything. Right? Where we have to qualify for everything. 298 00:45:56,040 --> 00:46:01,040 You want to buy a car and you need a loan? You have to qualify. You want a credit card so you can get a loan on your car? 299 00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:07,040 You have to qualify. You want a mortgage? You have to qualify. You want a job? You have to be qualified. Right? 300 00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:18,040 You want to go to a good school? You have to qualify. We are so used to, in this world, having to earn our way and to qualify for the things that we want. 301 00:46:18,040 --> 00:46:29,040 And so we look at this and say, "Yeah, that's great for the people in the psalm that God saves them from their emptiness and from their sin and from their foolishness and from their pride in the midst of the storm. 302 00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:34,040 What about me?" Listen to how the psalmist begins, and we read this together at the beginning of our service. 303 00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:40,040 "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. 304 00:46:40,040 --> 00:46:50,040 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble and has gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south." 305 00:46:50,040 --> 00:46:58,040 Right? You see, our distance, our lostness, our imprisonment, our spiritual sickness and brokenness, 306 00:46:58,040 --> 00:47:03,040 our pride in the midst of the storm is no match for the reach of God. 307 00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:12,040 Notice how He begins this whole psalm, right? From the north, south, east and west, all of these people He brings in and has saved them. 308 00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:22,040 But more than that, you see God's love. For He is good. His steadfast love endures forever. Right? 309 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:27,040 The first thing is that God's love doesn't run out. We're used to that all of the time. 310 00:47:27,040 --> 00:47:33,040 We have to grocery shop every week because our food runs out, it gets eaten, and we have to replenish it. 311 00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:40,040 We're also used to things expiring, right? Milk expires. Coupons expire. 312 00:47:40,040 --> 00:47:43,040 Learned this when I had kids that car seats expire, right? 313 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:46,040 You have all of these things that expire, and we're used to this. 314 00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:50,040 Things running out and things expiring, and we look at the love of God and we say, 315 00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:55,040 "Yeah, the love of God, maybe it's enough for them, but not for me. I'm too far away." 316 00:47:55,040 --> 00:47:58,040 Or the love of God is great for them, and it's been great for me. 317 00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:06,040 But what about now, after I've made a shipwreck of my life, after originally following God? 318 00:48:06,040 --> 00:48:09,040 And the picture you find is that His love endures forever. 319 00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:16,040 No matter how north, south, east, or west, it doesn't expire, and it doesn't run out. 320 00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:20,040 I want you to hear the response of the saved. 321 00:48:20,040 --> 00:48:23,040 Let them thank God for His steadfast love. 322 00:48:23,040 --> 00:48:26,040 For His wondrous works to the children of man. 323 00:48:26,040 --> 00:48:30,040 For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things. 324 00:48:30,040 --> 00:48:33,040 Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love. 325 00:48:33,040 --> 00:48:36,040 For His wondrous works to the children of man. 326 00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:40,040 For He shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron. 327 00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:43,040 Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love. 328 00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:46,040 For His wondrous works to the children of man. 329 00:48:46,040 --> 00:48:51,040 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy. 330 00:48:51,040 --> 00:48:54,040 Let them thank God for His steadfast love. 331 00:48:54,040 --> 00:48:57,040 For His wondrous works to the children of man. 332 00:48:57,040 --> 00:49:03,040 Let them extol Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders. 333 00:49:03,040 --> 00:49:08,040 First of all, you see thankfulness and acknowledgement of where our salvation comes from. 334 00:49:08,040 --> 00:49:12,040 You and I, when we do something good, we tend to like to take the credit. 335 00:49:12,040 --> 00:49:16,040 One of my favorite things to do, especially when I'm eating at somebody's house, 336 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:19,040 and somebody gets done with the meal, and they say, "Oh man, that was so good." 337 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:23,040 I like to just simply take credit and say, "Thank you. I worked very, very hard on this meal." 338 00:49:23,040 --> 00:49:28,040 Much to the annoyance of the person who has actually gone ahead and done that, right? 339 00:49:28,040 --> 00:49:35,040 We like to take credit. And so many times, we come to God in our brokenness, and He heals us, and He saves us. 340 00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:39,040 Man, I really did well at putting my life back together. 341 00:49:39,040 --> 00:49:41,040 And the psalmist says, "That's not how it works." 342 00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:48,040 That the response to joy, the response to salvation, is to come to God in thankfulness. 343 00:49:48,040 --> 00:49:53,040 That it wasn't me, and it wasn't my goodness, and it wasn't my strength. 344 00:49:53,040 --> 00:49:56,040 It was the goodness of God. 345 00:49:56,040 --> 00:50:01,040 But the second thing you see is that God's people are called to proclaim His good works. 346 00:50:01,040 --> 00:50:07,040 And for us, sometimes, especially when we think about sharing the gospel with people, this is a hard thing, right? 347 00:50:07,040 --> 00:50:10,040 That people can reject us. Maybe we don't know what to say. 348 00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:15,040 The psalmist says, "Proclaim what God has done for you." 349 00:50:15,040 --> 00:50:19,040 In Luke chapter 8, Jesus meets a guy who has been demon-possessed. 350 00:50:19,040 --> 00:50:24,040 And if you remember, he charges Jesus' boat naked and in chains and screaming. 351 00:50:24,040 --> 00:50:27,040 Jesus casts out the demons. This guy says, "I want to go home with you, Jesus. 352 00:50:27,040 --> 00:50:30,040 I want to follow you. I want to serve you and with you." 353 00:50:30,040 --> 00:50:36,040 And Jesus will say this to him, "Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you." 354 00:50:36,040 --> 00:50:42,040 And he went away proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus has done for him, right? 355 00:50:42,040 --> 00:50:45,040 That's one of our calls, those of us who have been saved by God. 356 00:50:45,040 --> 00:50:53,040 It's a call not just to be thankful, but it's also a call to share the goodness of God in our life. 357 00:50:53,040 --> 00:50:57,040 We have in this text the wonder of redemption. 358 00:50:57,040 --> 00:51:02,040 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. 359 00:51:02,040 --> 00:51:06,040 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble, 360 00:51:06,040 --> 00:51:11,040 and has gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west and from the north and from the south. 361 00:51:11,040 --> 00:51:16,040 Redemption simply means buying back something that was yours. 362 00:51:16,040 --> 00:51:19,040 It can be translated in other places as ransomed. 363 00:51:19,040 --> 00:51:25,040 Something that you owned and has either left under its own will and you purchased it back, 364 00:51:25,040 --> 00:51:27,040 or that you have lost, it's come back under its own will. 365 00:51:27,040 --> 00:51:35,040 You see, you and I in our rebellion have run from God and he bought us back with the blood of his son. 366 00:51:36,040 --> 00:51:47,040 As the Israelites celebrate in Passover, one of the things they celebrate is the four promises of God that are found in Exodus 6 and 7. 367 00:51:47,040 --> 00:51:52,040 One of those promises is, "I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians." 368 00:51:52,040 --> 00:51:56,040 The second promise is, "I will deliver you from slavery to them." 369 00:51:56,040 --> 00:52:01,040 The third is, "I will redeem you with an outstretched arms and with great acts of judgment." 370 00:52:01,040 --> 00:52:05,040 And seven, "I will take you to be my people and I will be your God." 371 00:52:05,040 --> 00:52:11,040 And during the Passover in Jesus' day, as they would celebrate, they would remember these promises. 372 00:52:11,040 --> 00:52:18,040 And one of those promises would be remembered by taking a cup at different times in the service. 373 00:52:18,040 --> 00:52:24,040 And as Jesus prepares to go to the cross and He celebrates the Last Supper with the disciples, 374 00:52:24,040 --> 00:52:27,040 He will take the cup that's after supper. 375 00:52:27,040 --> 00:52:31,040 Paul makes a very specific point of that in 1 Corinthians. 376 00:52:31,040 --> 00:52:37,040 He takes the after supper cup, the cup that would have been the promise of redemption. 377 00:52:37,040 --> 00:52:40,040 That I will redeem you. 378 00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:43,040 And Jesus was about to do just that. 379 00:52:43,040 --> 00:52:49,040 To redeem, not just those sitting at the table, but all those who would come here. 380 00:52:49,040 --> 00:52:53,040 He was about to redeem you and He was about to redeem me. 381 00:52:53,040 --> 00:53:00,040 And so, this morning, as we consider God's redemption, 382 00:53:00,040 --> 00:53:03,040 how He brings us out of the desert. 383 00:53:03,040 --> 00:53:06,040 How He brings us out of the prison of sin. 384 00:53:06,040 --> 00:53:10,040 How He brings us out of the sickness and brokenness of sin. 385 00:53:10,040 --> 00:53:12,040 How He brings us out of His pride. 386 00:53:12,040 --> 00:53:15,040 I want to remind you that we are redeemed. 387 00:53:15,040 --> 00:53:18,040 And not with something like gold or silver, Peter says this: 388 00:53:18,040 --> 00:53:23,040 "Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited with your forefathers, 389 00:53:23,040 --> 00:53:26,040 not with perishable things such as silver and gold, 390 00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:33,040 but that with the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without blemish and spot." 391 00:53:33,040 --> 00:53:37,040 And so as we break this bread and we drink this cup, 392 00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:41,040 we're reminded of the fact that we are redeemed. 393 00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:50,040 We're redeemed by Jesus out of the darkness and brokenness of our sin and of our hurt and of our lostness. 394 00:53:50,040 --> 00:53:54,040 So we're going to go to God in prayer, and we'll read just a little bit from Corinthians, 395 00:53:54,040 --> 00:53:58,040 and we will partake together. 396 00:53:58,040 --> 00:54:00,040 Father in heaven, 397 00:54:00,040 --> 00:54:06,040 we hear the words and see these pictures of those who are lost and those who are imprisoned, 398 00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:09,040 those who are suffering and those who are in the midst of the storm. 399 00:54:09,040 --> 00:54:14,040 Remind us in this moment that you, you are the one who has redeemed us. 400 00:54:14,040 --> 00:54:17,040 You are the one who has saved us. 401 00:54:17,040 --> 00:54:22,040 And the cost of that salvation was your son on the cross. 402 00:54:22,040 --> 00:54:25,040 That through the cross and the resurrection, 403 00:54:25,040 --> 00:54:28,040 he has defeated sin and brought victory on our behalf. 404 00:54:28,040 --> 00:54:30,040 I thank you for grace. 405 00:54:30,040 --> 00:54:34,040 Help us to be a people who are thankful for the good that you have done to us. 406 00:54:34,040 --> 00:54:37,040 Help us to be a people who proclaim these good things. 407 00:54:37,040 --> 00:54:41,040 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 408 00:54:41,040 --> 00:54:44,040 Paul writes this, and it's a very familiar passage to us. 409 00:54:44,040 --> 00:54:47,040 "For what I received from the Lord, I delivered to you. 410 00:54:47,040 --> 00:54:50,040 The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread. 411 00:54:50,040 --> 00:54:52,040 And when he had given thanks, he broke it. 412 00:54:52,040 --> 00:54:54,040 And he said, 'This is my body, which is for you. 413 00:54:54,040 --> 00:55:01,040 Do this in remembrance of me.'" 414 00:55:01,040 --> 00:55:05,040 In the same way also, he took the cup after supper, saying, 415 00:55:05,040 --> 00:55:07,040 "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. 416 00:55:07,040 --> 00:55:14,040 Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me." 417 00:55:14,040 --> 00:55:17,040 Just as we have talked about thankfulness 418 00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:20,040 and proclaiming the good of what God has done, 419 00:55:20,040 --> 00:55:24,040 Paul ends this sort of paragraph by saying this, 420 00:55:24,040 --> 00:55:27,040 "For as often as you eat the bread and drink this cup, 421 00:55:27,040 --> 00:55:31,040 you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." 422 00:55:31,040 --> 00:55:36,040 We're going to stand and sing your great name. 423 00:55:36,040 --> 00:55:55,040 Lost are saved, find their way 424 00:55:55,040 --> 00:56:01,040 At the sound of your great name 425 00:56:01,040 --> 00:56:07,040 All condemned, feel no shame 426 00:56:07,040 --> 00:56:13,040 At the sound of your great name 427 00:56:13,040 --> 00:56:20,040 Every fear has no place 428 00:56:20,040 --> 00:56:26,040 At the sound of your great name 429 00:56:26,040 --> 00:56:32,040 The enemy he has to relieve 430 00:56:32,040 --> 00:56:39,040 At the sound of your great name 431 00:56:39,040 --> 00:56:49,040 Jesus, worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us 432 00:56:49,040 --> 00:56:55,040 Son of God and man, who are high and lifted up 433 00:56:55,040 --> 00:57:04,040 That all the world will praise your great name 434 00:57:04,040 --> 00:57:07,040 All the weak 435 00:57:07,040 --> 00:57:10,040 Find their strength 436 00:57:10,040 --> 00:57:13,040 At the sound 437 00:57:13,040 --> 00:57:16,040 Of your great name 438 00:57:16,040 --> 00:57:19,040 Hungry souls 439 00:57:19,040 --> 00:57:22,040 Receive praise 440 00:57:22,040 --> 00:57:25,040 At the sound 441 00:57:25,040 --> 00:57:28,040 Of your great name 442 00:57:28,040 --> 00:57:31,040 The fatherless 443 00:57:31,040 --> 00:57:35,040 They find their rest 444 00:57:35,040 --> 00:57:37,040 At the sound 445 00:57:37,040 --> 00:57:41,040 Of your great name 446 00:57:41,040 --> 00:57:43,040 Sick are healed 447 00:57:43,040 --> 00:57:47,040 And the dead are raised 448 00:57:47,040 --> 00:57:50,040 At the sound 449 00:57:50,040 --> 00:57:55,040 Of your great name 450 00:57:55,040 --> 00:57:58,040 Jesus 451 00:57:58,040 --> 00:58:00,040 Worthy is the lamb 452 00:58:00,040 --> 00:58:02,040 That was slain 453 00:58:02,040 --> 00:58:04,040 For us 454 00:58:04,040 --> 00:58:06,040 Son of God 455 00:58:06,040 --> 00:58:07,040 And man 456 00:58:07,040 --> 00:58:08,040 Who are high 457 00:58:08,040 --> 00:58:10,040 And lifted up 458 00:58:10,040 --> 00:58:12,040 And all the world 459 00:58:12,040 --> 00:58:13,040 Will praise 460 00:58:13,040 --> 00:58:17,040 Your great name 461 00:58:17,040 --> 00:58:23,040 Redeemer 462 00:58:23,040 --> 00:58:24,040 My healer 463 00:58:24,040 --> 00:58:25,040 Lord 464 00:58:25,040 --> 00:58:27,040 Almighty 465 00:58:27,040 --> 00:58:29,040 My savior 466 00:58:29,040 --> 00:58:30,040 Defender 467 00:58:30,040 --> 00:58:33,040 You are my king 468 00:58:33,040 --> 00:58:35,040 Redeemer 469 00:58:35,040 --> 00:58:37,040 My healer 470 00:58:37,040 --> 00:58:38,040 Lord 471 00:58:38,040 --> 00:58:40,040 Almighty 472 00:58:40,040 --> 00:58:42,040 My savior 473 00:58:42,040 --> 00:58:43,040 Defender 474 00:58:43,040 --> 00:58:47,040 You are my king 475 00:58:47,040 --> 00:58:52,040 Jesus 476 00:58:52,040 --> 00:58:58,040 Worthy is the lamb that was slave for us 477 00:58:58,040 --> 00:59:01,040 Son of God and man 478 00:59:01,040 --> 00:59:04,040 Who are high and lifted up 479 00:59:04,040 --> 00:59:11,040 And all the world will praise your great name 480 00:59:11,040 --> 00:59:14,040 Your great name 481 00:59:14,040 --> 00:59:19,040 Your great name 482 00:59:19,040 --> 00:59:24,040 Your great name 483 00:59:24,040 --> 00:59:40,040 I am glad that you are here with us this morning. Also thankful for those of you who are joining us online. Just a few announcements 484 00:59:40,040 --> 00:59:52,040 before we pray, read a verse, and sing one last song. Coming up next Wednesday night, not this Wednesday night, next Wednesday night, we are going to begin our study in the book of James. 485 00:59:52,040 --> 01:00:09,040 So I would encourage you to come and join us for that. There will be no Wednesday evening service this week, but we begin James, and it's I think 13 weeks beginning the first Wednesday in September, which is September 7th. 486 01:00:09,040 --> 01:00:30,040 Also, ladies' class is this week, Thursday at 1:00 p.m. Am I right? Okay. What? Oh, go ahead. You can announce it. Who's tall? 487 01:00:38,040 --> 01:00:49,040 All right. And then, additionally, starting first Sunday in September, which is next week, we've been announcing this through the month of August, we are doing the Bible Memory Project. 488 01:00:49,040 --> 01:01:04,040 So, it's four verses for four weeks during each month. The theme this coming month is the theme of self-control. So, for example, one of the verses is, you know, be quick to listen and slow to speak, thinking about how we speak. 489 01:01:04,040 --> 01:01:15,040 And so, one of the things, I know several people have signed up, and we've got a big portion of the pieces in, but depending on, I think most of the kids will take a size medium. 490 01:01:15,040 --> 01:01:24,040 Rachel will be in the back, and she has some different sizes, so you can kind of see which fits better. We can send some of those home with you today. 491 01:01:24,040 --> 01:01:34,040 So, that's where we're at and what we're doing. So, I'm going to pray, and we'll read the very last verse, the 107th Psalm, and then we will sing the doxology. 492 01:01:34,040 --> 01:01:42,040 Father in heaven, I thank you for grace and for hope, and I thank you for your church and your people, and how they encourage and help us. 493 01:01:42,040 --> 01:01:52,040 Just be with us as we seek to proclaim your goodness and your greatness to the world that is around us. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 494 01:01:52,040 --> 01:02:01,040 The 107th Psalm says this, "Let whoever is wise attend to these things," to listen about how God has saved us. 495 01:02:01,040 --> 01:02:06,040 Then he says, "Let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord." 496 01:02:31,040 --> 01:02:36,040 Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 497 01:03:01,040 --> 01:03:31,020 Let's pray.