Hello and welcome to 3ABN Worship Hour. 00:00:27.56\00:00:30.06 I'm Jill Morikone, 00:00:30.09\00:00:31.43 and we're so glad that you have tuned in 00:00:31.46\00:00:33.33 as we study God's Word and worship together. 00:00:33.36\00:00:36.97 As news of COVID-19 sweeps across the world, 00:00:37.00\00:00:40.90 we see families becoming infected, 00:00:40.94\00:00:42.90 and communities, and country after country. 00:00:42.94\00:00:46.61 Where is God in the midst of this 00:00:46.64\00:00:48.54 and how can we trust Him in a tumultuous time? 00:00:48.58\00:00:52.41 We're going to look at that today 00:00:52.45\00:00:53.95 as we discussed trusting when I can't see. 00:00:53.98\00:00:58.12 I want to encourage you to get your Bible 00:00:58.15\00:01:01.09 as we open up God's Word and look at His Word for hope, 00:01:01.12\00:01:05.23 and help, and healing. 00:01:05.26\00:01:07.76 But before we do that, 00:01:07.80\00:01:09.56 we want to go before the throne of grace, 00:01:09.60\00:01:12.77 and Tim Parton is going to lead us there. 00:01:12.80\00:01:15.00 Psalm 84:11 and 12 say, 00:01:18.11\00:01:21.88 "For the Lord God is a son and shield. 00:01:21.91\00:01:25.11 The Lord will give grace and glory, 00:01:25.15\00:01:27.12 no good thing will He withhold 00:01:27.15\00:01:29.15 from those who walk up rightly. 00:01:29.18\00:01:31.49 O Lord of hosts, 00:01:31.52\00:01:33.12 blessed is the man who trusts in You." 00:01:33.15\00:01:36.16 Do you acknowledge 00:01:36.19\00:01:37.53 that the Lord is all that you need? 00:01:37.56\00:01:39.59 Do you grasp that what God is to us 00:01:39.63\00:01:42.50 is what the sun is to our universe, 00:01:42.53\00:01:44.97 the source of life and light. 00:01:45.00\00:01:47.54 Without the sun, 00:01:47.57\00:01:48.90 life would vanish from the earth, 00:01:48.94\00:01:50.54 and without God, 00:01:50.57\00:01:51.91 we would have 00:01:51.94\00:01:53.27 neither physical life nor spiritual life. 00:01:53.31\00:01:55.74 God is our provision and our protection. 00:01:55.78\00:01:58.21 He is the giving God, 00:01:58.25\00:01:59.95 and He gives grace and glory, 00:01:59.98\00:02:02.12 grace for the journey 00:02:02.15\00:02:03.82 and glory at the end of the journey. 00:02:03.85\00:02:06.25 If we walk by faith, 00:02:06.29\00:02:07.89 then whatever begins with grace will ultimately end with glory. 00:02:07.92\00:02:12.29 God does not give us everything we want, 00:02:12.33\00:02:14.60 but He bestows upon us all that is good for us, 00:02:14.63\00:02:17.40 all that we need. 00:02:17.43\00:02:18.97 No good thing will He withhold from those who walk up rightly. 00:02:19.00\00:02:23.67 Do you delight in the Lord today? 00:02:23.71\00:02:25.51 Do you seek Him? 00:02:25.54\00:02:27.18 Do you depend on His strength? 00:02:27.21\00:02:29.44 Do you walk and work by faith? 00:02:29.48\00:02:32.71 Are you among those who walk up rightly? 00:02:32.75\00:02:36.28 Blessed is the man who trusts in God. 00:02:36.32\00:02:39.85 When we walk with the Lord 00:02:42.92\00:02:45.73 In the light of His word 00:02:45.76\00:02:48.93 What a glory He sheds On our way 00:02:48.96\00:02:55.47 While we do His good will 00:02:55.50\00:02:59.61 He abides with us still 00:02:59.64\00:03:04.05 And with all who will trust 00:03:04.08\00:03:08.68 And obey 00:03:08.72\00:03:13.39 Not a burden we bear 00:03:13.42\00:03:17.06 Not a sorrow we share 00:03:17.09\00:03:20.60 But our toil He doth richly repay 00:03:20.63\00:03:27.54 Not a grief, nor a loss 00:03:27.57\00:03:31.01 Not a frown or a cross 00:03:31.04\00:03:34.58 But is blessed 00:03:34.61\00:03:35.94 If we trust 00:03:35.98\00:03:38.48 And obey 00:03:38.51\00:03:43.32 Trust and obey 00:03:43.35\00:03:46.89 For there's no other way 00:03:46.92\00:03:51.73 To be happy in Jesus 00:03:51.76\00:03:57.67 But to trust 00:03:57.70\00:03:59.83 And obey 00:03:59.87\00:04:05.14 But we never can prove 00:04:05.17\00:04:09.04 The delights of His love 00:04:09.08\00:04:13.11 Until all on the altar 00:04:13.15\00:04:17.09 We lay 00:04:17.12\00:04:20.39 For the favor He shows 00:04:20.42\00:04:24.06 For the joy that He bestows 00:04:24.09\00:04:28.26 Are for those who will trust 00:04:28.30\00:04:32.20 And obey 00:04:32.23\00:04:39.04 Then in fellowship sweet 00:04:39.07\00:04:42.88 We will sit at His feet 00:04:42.91\00:04:46.88 Or will walk in the way 00:04:46.92\00:04:50.82 By His side 00:04:50.85\00:04:53.36 What He says we will do 00:04:53.39\00:04:56.52 Where He sends we will go 00:04:56.56\00:05:00.33 Never fear only trust 00:05:00.36\00:05:04.17 And obey 00:05:04.20\00:05:08.87 Trust and obey 00:05:08.90\00:05:12.71 For there's no other way 00:05:12.74\00:05:18.45 To be happy in Jesus 00:05:18.48\00:05:25.42 But to trust 00:05:25.45\00:05:28.52 And obey 00:05:28.56\00:05:34.36 Let's spend some time praying. 00:05:37.73\00:05:39.27 Father, as Your children, 00:05:43.14\00:05:45.47 I thank You 00:05:45.51\00:05:46.84 that we have constant open access 00:05:46.88\00:05:50.11 into Your presence 00:05:50.15\00:05:52.75 because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ 00:05:52.78\00:05:55.75 and His constant intercession for us in heaven. 00:05:55.78\00:06:00.96 Thank You, Lord, for this wonderful gift. 00:06:00.99\00:06:04.36 And thank You for hearing our prayers. 00:06:04.39\00:06:08.70 God, You made the world and everything in it. 00:06:08.73\00:06:11.60 You are Lord of heaven and earth. 00:06:11.63\00:06:15.30 You don't dwell in temples made with hands. 00:06:15.34\00:06:20.28 And even our feeble attempt to worship You, 00:06:20.31\00:06:23.41 You really don't need because You are the giver. 00:06:23.45\00:06:28.22 You give life, You give breath, 00:06:28.25\00:06:30.79 You give all things. 00:06:30.82\00:06:33.39 And You have made from one blood, 00:06:33.42\00:06:36.09 every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth. 00:06:36.12\00:06:43.00 Lord, it is You who have determined 00:06:43.03\00:06:46.07 our preappointed times, 00:06:46.10\00:06:49.47 and the boundaries of our dwellings, 00:06:49.50\00:06:51.97 so that we should seek You 00:06:52.01\00:06:55.24 in the hope that we might find You, 00:06:55.28\00:06:57.11 though, Lord, You're really never far from us. 00:06:57.15\00:07:01.02 For we acknowledge God that it is in You 00:07:01.05\00:07:03.12 that we live and move and have our being. 00:07:03.15\00:07:08.19 We are Your children. 00:07:08.22\00:07:09.56 Father God, I pray for those 00:07:13.19\00:07:14.76 who are in authority around the world. 00:07:14.80\00:07:18.80 Those leaders who form our policies, 00:07:18.83\00:07:23.97 those who bear the weight of making the hard decisions. 00:07:24.01\00:07:29.38 God, Your Word declares 00:07:29.41\00:07:31.98 that You put our leaders in office. 00:07:32.01\00:07:34.85 So I will trust 00:07:34.88\00:07:36.22 that You are causing all things to work 00:07:36.25\00:07:39.35 for our good and for Your glory. 00:07:39.39\00:07:41.49 And today, God, I lift up our families, 00:07:45.23\00:07:49.36 that precious unit 00:07:49.40\00:07:50.73 that You sanctioned from the start of time. 00:07:50.77\00:07:54.50 God, I pray that You will bind us together 00:07:54.54\00:07:56.77 with love and understanding. 00:07:56.81\00:07:59.94 Fill us with forgiveness and mercy. 00:07:59.97\00:08:04.21 Lord, I pray that You would touch marriages, 00:08:04.25\00:08:08.02 that You would fill husbands with love for their wives, 00:08:08.05\00:08:12.09 fill wives with respect for their husbands. 00:08:12.12\00:08:15.19 May they live 00:08:15.22\00:08:16.56 with understanding and compassion 00:08:16.59\00:08:19.09 for one another. 00:08:19.13\00:08:22.70 And, Lord, grant restoration 00:08:22.73\00:08:24.13 to those marriages and families 00:08:24.17\00:08:26.20 that the enemy is tearing apart. 00:08:26.23\00:08:31.07 Oh, God fill each of us 00:08:31.11\00:08:33.34 with a renewed desire to be faithful to You. 00:08:33.38\00:08:37.75 God, Your Word declares 00:08:42.08\00:08:47.62 that the generous will prosper. 00:08:47.66\00:08:51.63 Those who refresh others 00:08:51.66\00:08:54.36 will themselves be refreshed. 00:08:54.40\00:08:58.97 Lord, may we Your children 00:08:59.00\00:09:00.60 not give in to the world's urge to hoard. 00:09:00.64\00:09:04.81 Only using our resources on ourselves, 00:09:04.84\00:09:07.51 measuring carefully what we give away, 00:09:07.54\00:09:10.55 climbing over others in our way to get more. 00:09:10.58\00:09:14.68 Holy Spirit stirs us to think of others needs, 00:09:14.72\00:09:18.45 to give without fear of being taken advantage of, 00:09:18.49\00:09:22.52 to look out for other's interests 00:09:22.56\00:09:24.13 above our own. 00:09:24.16\00:09:26.80 I thank You, God, that every need is supplied, 00:09:26.83\00:09:30.33 according to your riches and glory. 00:09:30.37\00:09:33.64 And our greatest need, 00:09:33.67\00:09:36.77 salvation from sin 00:09:36.81\00:09:39.14 has been paid in full 00:09:39.17\00:09:41.81 by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. 00:09:41.84\00:09:45.35 Lord, may we share that truth lavishly, 00:09:45.38\00:09:49.98 the most expensive possession that any of us owns 00:09:50.02\00:09:55.76 was so freely given by You. 00:09:55.79\00:10:00.13 The precious blood of Jesus. 00:10:00.16\00:10:02.90 So, Lord, I pray that You would open our eyes 00:10:02.93\00:10:05.30 to the vast opportunities around us to be generous. 00:10:05.33\00:10:10.01 Clean out our self involved, 00:10:10.04\00:10:12.21 self protective, self focused hearts. 00:10:12.24\00:10:16.28 Make us available to You. 00:10:16.31\00:10:19.75 And may we do generous deeds 00:10:19.78\00:10:22.65 that are beyond reimbursement, 00:10:22.68\00:10:25.52 showing kindness without compensation. 00:10:25.55\00:10:30.03 God, I choose 00:10:30.06\00:10:32.09 to trust and to obey You 00:10:32.13\00:10:37.47 in Jesus' name. 00:10:37.50\00:10:38.83 Amen. Thank you so much, Tim. 00:10:49.24\00:10:51.78 Aren't you grateful that we can trust God 00:10:51.81\00:10:54.32 in the midst of this virus pandemic, 00:10:54.35\00:10:56.99 in the midst of trouble and tribulation, 00:10:57.02\00:10:59.19 we can trust even when we cannot see. 00:10:59.22\00:11:02.92 Until I learned to trust, I never learned to pray. 00:11:02.96\00:11:05.96 I never learned to fully trust till sorrows came my way. 00:11:05.99\00:11:10.73 Until I felt my weakness, His strength I never knew, 00:11:10.77\00:11:15.60 nor dream till I was stricken that He would see me through. 00:11:15.64\00:11:20.68 Who deepest drinks of sorrow, drinks deepest too of grace. 00:11:20.71\00:11:25.81 He sends the storm 00:11:25.85\00:11:27.18 so He Himself can be our hiding place. 00:11:27.22\00:11:30.82 His heart that seeks our highest good 00:11:30.85\00:11:33.59 knows well when things annoy. 00:11:33.62\00:11:35.69 We would not long for heaven if earth held only joy. 00:11:35.72\00:11:40.76 You know, if you do a little research, 00:11:40.80\00:11:42.13 there's supposed to be 195 countries in the world. 00:11:42.16\00:11:46.00 Some people say there's 197 countries. 00:11:46.03\00:11:50.21 That depends if you count Taiwan and Kosovo, 00:11:50.24\00:11:52.74 but there's quite a few countries in the world. 00:11:52.77\00:11:54.94 Now the danger of mentioning this 00:11:54.98\00:11:57.41 because this is Sabbath 00:11:57.45\00:11:59.18 and the program was recorded a few days before 00:11:59.21\00:12:02.88 is that, this COVID-19 is spreading so rapidly 00:12:02.92\00:12:08.22 that the statistics change not just on a daily basis, 00:12:08.26\00:12:11.99 but the statistics change on an hourly basis. 00:12:12.03\00:12:16.30 In fact, overnight, 00:12:16.33\00:12:18.17 they said 400 more people died in the country of Spain. 00:12:18.20\00:12:21.90 And another 4,000 people were diagnosed 00:12:21.94\00:12:25.67 in just simply a 24 hour period. 00:12:25.71\00:12:29.78 In the United States, we say, 00:12:29.81\00:12:31.65 it would be older people who would contract the disease. 00:12:31.68\00:12:36.69 But yet the newest reports coming out 00:12:36.72\00:12:39.42 are of those people who are hospitalized 00:12:39.45\00:12:42.06 with a serious case 00:12:42.09\00:12:44.33 that 40% of them 00:12:44.36\00:12:45.69 are between the ages of 20 and 54. 00:12:45.73\00:12:50.93 For the countries that have been affected, 00:12:50.97\00:12:52.70 it depends on the statistics that you look at. 00:12:52.73\00:12:56.20 There's anywhere between 159 countries 00:12:56.24\00:12:59.87 to 192 countries and territories. 00:12:59.91\00:13:04.38 This virus pandemic has impacted 00:13:04.41\00:13:06.98 not just a local region, not just a community, 00:13:07.02\00:13:11.29 not just a state or a country but the entire world. 00:13:11.32\00:13:15.59 And there's fears, will I lose my job? 00:13:15.62\00:13:18.19 Those were financial fears. 00:13:18.23\00:13:19.73 Can I still provide for my family? 00:13:19.76\00:13:21.40 How will it affect them? Physical fears. 00:13:21.43\00:13:24.50 What if I become ill? 00:13:24.53\00:13:26.20 Or what if my loved one becomes ill? 00:13:26.23\00:13:29.74 Will they die? 00:13:29.77\00:13:31.61 When everything we know is stripped away, 00:13:31.64\00:13:34.51 when you get rid of all of that, 00:13:34.54\00:13:37.05 we discover our priorities 00:13:37.08\00:13:39.08 and what is really important in life. 00:13:39.11\00:13:42.45 We discover our fears and who we really are inside. 00:13:42.48\00:13:47.19 We discover our God and who He really is. 00:13:47.22\00:13:50.83 I remember driving one day and seen on a sign. 00:13:50.86\00:13:54.53 It said, 00:13:54.56\00:13:55.90 "The teacher is always silent when the test is given." 00:13:55.93\00:13:59.90 What does that mean? 00:13:59.93\00:14:01.27 Does that mean that the teacher is present? 00:14:01.30\00:14:02.90 Absolutely. 00:14:02.94\00:14:04.27 Does that mean that the teacher left the room? 00:14:04.31\00:14:05.64 No. 00:14:05.67\00:14:07.01 The teacher is there, 00:14:07.04\00:14:08.38 but the teacher is always silent 00:14:08.41\00:14:11.51 when the test is given. 00:14:11.55\00:14:13.88 Are we going through a testing time 00:14:13.92\00:14:15.25 right now in the world? 00:14:15.28\00:14:16.62 Absolutely. 00:14:16.65\00:14:17.99 Today, we want to look at how we can still trust God, 00:14:18.02\00:14:22.89 when we cannot see. 00:14:22.92\00:14:24.99 Let's pray. 00:14:25.03\00:14:26.36 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus. 00:14:26.39\00:14:29.70 Thank You for Your Word. 00:14:29.73\00:14:31.57 Thank You for the anointing of Your Word. 00:14:31.60\00:14:34.04 Thank You that You are good. 00:14:34.07\00:14:37.24 And You were God, and You are on the throne, 00:14:37.27\00:14:40.64 even in the midst of this time. 00:14:40.68\00:14:44.38 We ask right now that You would speak, 00:14:44.41\00:14:47.62 that You would bring hope and comfort to our hearts 00:14:47.65\00:14:50.95 through Your Word. 00:14:50.99\00:14:52.45 And we ask this in the precious and Holy name of Jesus. 00:14:52.49\00:14:55.52 Amen. 00:14:55.56\00:14:56.93 An email crossed my desk just last week. 00:14:56.96\00:15:00.50 And all of a sudden that popped into the inbox 00:15:00.53\00:15:02.56 and I looked at it and it was from a gentleman, 00:15:02.60\00:15:04.43 and he and his wife 00:15:04.47\00:15:05.97 had been to 3ABN Fall Camp Meeting. 00:15:06.00\00:15:08.67 So they had been right here at 3ABN 00:15:08.70\00:15:10.61 and we met them last fall. 00:15:10.64\00:15:12.44 And he said, "Please pray, 00:15:12.47\00:15:14.81 because my daughter 00:15:14.84\00:15:16.38 was just diagnosed with COVID-19." 00:15:16.41\00:15:20.68 What do you do in the midst of that? 00:15:20.72\00:15:22.05 What do you do 00:15:22.08\00:15:23.42 when a family member is diagnosed, 00:15:23.45\00:15:25.32 and you're struggling with the stress 00:15:25.35\00:15:27.32 of what the future holds 00:15:27.36\00:15:28.69 and what's going to happen? 00:15:28.72\00:15:30.49 I think just in the space of a couple of weeks, 00:15:30.53\00:15:32.73 and this is just things impacting my own life. 00:15:32.76\00:15:36.56 I think about people who have contacted me. 00:15:36.60\00:15:39.83 I think of a woman 00:15:39.87\00:15:41.20 that is in an abusive relationship, 00:15:41.24\00:15:45.24 beat and hit by her husband. 00:15:45.27\00:15:48.78 And she showed me the bruises. 00:15:48.81\00:15:50.78 I think of another friend's marriage 00:15:50.81\00:15:52.91 who's falling apart in the midst of difficulty. 00:15:52.95\00:15:57.95 I think of another friend who texted and said, 00:15:57.99\00:16:01.22 "Every day, I think of killing myself. 00:16:01.26\00:16:04.69 Every day, I wonder if I should commit suicide." 00:16:04.73\00:16:08.90 We go through trials 00:16:08.93\00:16:10.27 that might not be the COVID-19 virus, 00:16:10.30\00:16:12.07 although that is definitely gripping the world. 00:16:12.10\00:16:14.57 But we have marriage struggles, we have financial struggles, 00:16:14.60\00:16:17.47 we have family struggles. 00:16:17.51\00:16:19.41 What are we to do when we cannot see the future? 00:16:19.44\00:16:22.74 How do we trust God when we can't see? 00:16:22.78\00:16:27.02 You know, I like lists. 00:16:27.05\00:16:28.38 So there's three points for today's message. 00:16:28.42\00:16:31.59 How do I trust Him when I can't see? 00:16:31.62\00:16:34.02 First, remember who He is. 00:16:34.06\00:16:37.46 Second, remember where He is. 00:16:37.49\00:16:42.03 And third, remember where I am? 00:16:42.06\00:16:45.63 Did you get those three points? 00:16:45.67\00:16:47.00 What are they? Let's say them together. 00:16:47.04\00:16:48.44 Remember who He is. 00:16:48.47\00:16:51.87 Remember where He is. Remember where I am. 00:16:51.91\00:16:58.21 So let's look at number one. 00:16:58.25\00:16:59.58 Remember who He is. Who is He? 00:16:59.61\00:17:01.22 Of course, Jesus is many things and we could go, 00:17:01.25\00:17:04.35 spend the entire hours just talking about that. 00:17:04.39\00:17:06.99 But we're going to look at for Who is He? 00:17:07.02\00:17:09.52 First, He is the Creator. 00:17:09.56\00:17:12.59 Go with me to the Book of Genesis, 00:17:12.63\00:17:14.13 the very beginning where everything began, 00:17:14.16\00:17:16.13 we see that, Genesis 2:7, 00:17:16.16\00:17:19.73 this is the creation of humankind. 00:17:19.77\00:17:22.80 It says, "Then the Lord God formed man 00:17:22.84\00:17:25.37 of the dust of the ground, 00:17:25.41\00:17:27.28 and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, 00:17:27.31\00:17:29.98 and man became a living being." 00:17:30.01\00:17:32.58 Now if He is the Creator, 00:17:32.61\00:17:33.95 I can think of that 00:17:33.98\00:17:35.32 and I can even distance myself from that 00:17:35.35\00:17:36.99 or be separate from that. 00:17:37.02\00:17:38.65 I can say, okay, He is the Creator, 00:17:38.69\00:17:40.86 that's wonderful, 00:17:40.89\00:17:42.22 but that really has nothing to do with me inside. 00:17:42.26\00:17:46.09 But He is not just the Creator, He is my creator, 00:17:46.13\00:17:50.40 He is your creator. 00:17:50.43\00:17:52.63 Jeremiah, I love this chapter. Jeremiah Chapter 1. 00:17:52.67\00:17:56.24 He was a young prophet, 00:17:56.27\00:17:57.87 and he didn't know much about 00:17:57.91\00:17:59.41 what God was calling him to do. 00:17:59.44\00:18:00.98 He didn't know who he was supposed to be 00:18:01.01\00:18:03.28 and yet God gave him this assurance 00:18:03.31\00:18:05.51 in Jeremiah Chapter 1. 00:18:05.55\00:18:07.25 Jeremiah 1:5, 00:18:07.28\00:18:10.12 "Before I formed you..." 00:18:10.15\00:18:11.49 God is speaking to Jeremiah, 00:18:11.52\00:18:12.85 but really today God is speaking to you. 00:18:12.89\00:18:16.39 "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, 00:18:16.42\00:18:21.20 before you were born, I sanctified you." 00:18:21.23\00:18:24.83 That word in the Hebrew means, I set you apart. 00:18:24.87\00:18:29.00 I ordained you a prophet to the nations. 00:18:29.04\00:18:30.91 Now we're not all ordained to be a prophet to the nations. 00:18:30.94\00:18:34.08 But we are all called to be set apart, 00:18:34.11\00:18:37.08 from the very beginning of time 00:18:37.11\00:18:39.95 in your mother's womb God knew you. 00:18:39.98\00:18:42.42 He created you. 00:18:42.45\00:18:44.92 Remember who He is. He is our creator. 00:18:44.95\00:18:48.32 He's your creator. 00:18:48.36\00:18:50.13 But it doesn't stop there. 00:18:50.16\00:18:51.49 He is our redeemer. 00:18:51.53\00:18:54.46 Turn with me to Isaiah 43. 00:18:54.50\00:18:56.26 This is probably one of my favorite passages 00:18:56.30\00:18:59.10 in the Book of Isaiah. 00:18:59.13\00:19:00.47 The first half of the Book of Isaiah 00:19:00.50\00:19:01.84 is definitely a book of judgment. 00:19:01.87\00:19:04.37 The people had walked in their own way, 00:19:04.41\00:19:06.17 they had followed other gods, 00:19:06.21\00:19:08.84 they had intermarried with a heathen. 00:19:08.88\00:19:11.71 And God said, 00:19:11.75\00:19:13.08 "If you don't repent, if you don't turn back to Me, 00:19:13.11\00:19:16.28 judgment will fall upon you." 00:19:16.32\00:19:18.45 And the people said, 00:19:18.49\00:19:19.82 "We're done with you, God, we want to do our own thing." 00:19:19.85\00:19:21.69 We don't want that. 00:19:21.72\00:19:23.56 But the second half of the book, 00:19:23.59\00:19:25.33 the book of comfort, 00:19:25.36\00:19:27.46 God says, "I love you with an everlasting love." 00:19:27.50\00:19:31.07 God says, "I want to forgive you, 00:19:31.10\00:19:33.17 I want to bring you back to Myself." 00:19:33.20\00:19:36.04 So we're in Isaiah 43, the first three verses. 00:19:36.07\00:19:38.71 This is God is our redeemer. 00:19:38.74\00:19:42.78 First one, now this says, "The Lord who created you" 00:19:42.81\00:19:47.22 now that word in Hebrew, means to form or shape. 00:19:47.25\00:19:52.25 So God, here it mentions Him as our creator. 00:19:52.29\00:19:55.29 He formed us, "He created us, 00:19:55.32\00:19:58.39 and He who formed you O, Israel, 00:19:58.43\00:20:00.76 fear not, for I have," what's the next word? 00:20:00.80\00:20:04.07 "I have redeemed you. 00:20:04.10\00:20:07.14 I have called you by your name. 00:20:07.17\00:20:09.17 You are mine." 00:20:09.20\00:20:10.64 We belong to Him. 00:20:10.67\00:20:12.97 You see, we're twice bought. 00:20:13.01\00:20:14.61 First, He created us. Second, He bought us back. 00:20:14.64\00:20:18.91 He redeemed us. 00:20:18.95\00:20:20.28 You know, there's a story I love 00:20:20.32\00:20:21.65 about a little boy who made a sailboat. 00:20:21.68\00:20:23.79 And he was just a little guy, maybe six, seven years old, 00:20:23.82\00:20:26.65 and he loved his sailboat. 00:20:26.69\00:20:28.79 And he was so excited about it. 00:20:28.82\00:20:31.56 And so he got the little wood and he put it together, 00:20:31.59\00:20:35.63 and he fixed the sail and he got out his paints 00:20:35.66\00:20:39.07 and he painted the sailboat. 00:20:39.10\00:20:41.00 He was very excited about it. 00:20:41.04\00:20:44.74 And then he took it out the first day, 00:20:44.77\00:20:46.78 he's so excited and he put it on the lake 00:20:46.81\00:20:48.98 and it went out sailing 00:20:49.01\00:20:50.61 and he watched it and it came back to him. 00:20:50.65\00:20:52.95 Then the next day he said, 00:20:52.98\00:20:54.32 I'm going to go out and play again, 00:20:54.35\00:20:55.68 and he took his sailboat and it went out 00:20:55.72\00:20:58.42 and he did this for several weeks, 00:20:58.45\00:21:00.59 and then one day his sailboat never came back. 00:21:00.62\00:21:03.59 And he went in the water and he looked for it 00:21:03.63\00:21:05.69 and he couldn't find it. 00:21:05.73\00:21:07.06 And he went home and he cried. 00:21:07.10\00:21:08.80 And he said, "Daddy, I lost my sailboat. 00:21:08.83\00:21:13.00 I made it. 00:21:13.03\00:21:14.90 It's mine. But I lost it." 00:21:14.94\00:21:19.17 And so every day he would go out to the lake, 00:21:19.21\00:21:21.38 and he would look for his sailboat 00:21:21.41\00:21:22.74 and he couldn't find his sailboat. 00:21:22.78\00:21:24.11 And the next day, he'd go out 00:21:24.15\00:21:25.48 and he couldn't find a sailboat. 00:21:25.51\00:21:26.85 And one day he was walking down the street. 00:21:26.88\00:21:29.18 And he looked in the store window, 00:21:29.22\00:21:31.72 and there was a sailboat, his sailboat, 00:21:31.75\00:21:35.06 the one he had made, 00:21:35.09\00:21:36.46 and he could see the little nick on it, 00:21:36.49\00:21:38.06 and he could see the way he had painted it. 00:21:38.09\00:21:40.20 So he went in the shop 00:21:40.23\00:21:41.66 and he looked at the store owner 00:21:41.70\00:21:43.03 and he said, 00:21:43.06\00:21:44.40 "Mister, you have my sailboat." 00:21:44.43\00:21:46.23 And the man said, I don't know about that. 00:21:46.27\00:21:47.94 This is a sailboat we're selling. 00:21:47.97\00:21:50.41 But if you want it, you can buy it back. 00:21:50.44\00:21:53.44 And so the little boy went home 00:21:53.48\00:21:54.98 and he raked leaves for his parents 00:21:55.01\00:21:56.61 and maybe he dug dandelion weeds 00:21:56.64\00:21:58.61 like Greg's parents paid him 00:21:58.65\00:22:00.22 when he was a little boy to dig dandelion weeds. 00:22:00.25\00:22:02.98 Maybe he made his bed. 00:22:03.02\00:22:04.69 I don't know, whatever he did, he did some chores. 00:22:04.72\00:22:07.39 He earned pennies after pennies. 00:22:07.42\00:22:09.62 And then one day he had enough. 00:22:09.66\00:22:11.56 And he went back into the store and he said, 00:22:11.59\00:22:14.23 "I'm ready to buy my sailboat now." 00:22:14.26\00:22:18.63 And he bought it back. 00:22:18.67\00:22:20.00 You see, he made the sailboat in the beginning. 00:22:20.04\00:22:22.90 And then it went its own way and it got lost, 00:22:22.94\00:22:25.17 but he bought it back. 00:22:25.21\00:22:27.14 That's when I look at Isaiah 43, 00:22:27.18\00:22:28.84 that's what I see. 00:22:28.88\00:22:30.21 God says, "I made you in the beginning 00:22:30.25\00:22:31.75 and you went your own way, 00:22:31.78\00:22:33.55 but I bought you back 00:22:33.58\00:22:34.92 with a precious blood of Jesus." 00:22:34.95\00:22:37.62 But it doesn't stop there. Verse 2, we're in Isaiah 43:2. 00:22:37.65\00:22:41.42 "When you pass through the waters, 00:22:41.46\00:22:43.26 I will be with you." 00:22:43.29\00:22:44.63 Are you going through a storm right now? 00:22:44.66\00:22:45.99 Are you going through a difficult time? 00:22:46.03\00:22:47.36 Are you going through a time 00:22:47.40\00:22:48.73 where you don't see where Jesus is? 00:22:48.76\00:22:51.10 He is with you. 00:22:51.13\00:22:53.44 "And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you, 00:22:53.47\00:22:55.84 when you walk through the fire 00:22:55.87\00:22:57.21 you, shall not be burned, 00:22:57.24\00:22:58.87 nor shall the flame scorch you, 00:22:58.91\00:23:01.51 for I am the Lord, your God, 00:23:01.54\00:23:03.11 the Holy One of Israel, your savior." 00:23:03.14\00:23:07.82 I love that. 00:23:07.85\00:23:09.78 In this verse, 00:23:09.82\00:23:11.25 you see that when we're redeemed, 00:23:11.29\00:23:13.62 we don't have to be afraid. 00:23:13.66\00:23:16.59 Did you catch that? That was in verse 1. 00:23:16.62\00:23:18.59 It says, "Fear not for I have redeemed you." 00:23:18.63\00:23:21.00 When we are redeemed, we do not have to be afraid. 00:23:21.03\00:23:25.43 So we remember who He is. 00:23:25.47\00:23:28.80 He's our God, He's our creator. 00:23:28.84\00:23:30.47 Number two, He's our redeemer. 00:23:30.51\00:23:31.84 Number three, He is our light and salvation. 00:23:31.87\00:23:35.31 Turn with me to Psalm 27. 00:23:35.34\00:23:37.25 Now, Psalm 27 is an interesting chapter 00:23:37.28\00:23:42.08 there in the Book of Psalms. 00:23:42.12\00:23:44.15 David and his men were hiding in the wilderness from Saul. 00:23:44.19\00:23:50.66 And so they were in the rocks, 00:23:50.69\00:23:53.26 in the cliffs and hiding, 00:23:53.29\00:23:54.96 this was a time of trauma and a time of terror for them. 00:23:55.00\00:23:59.57 And yet in verse 1, David declares, Psalm 27:1, 00:23:59.60\00:24:03.87 "The Lord is my light and my salvation, 00:24:03.91\00:24:08.18 whom shall I fear? 00:24:08.21\00:24:10.05 The Lord is the strength of my life 00:24:10.08\00:24:12.28 of whom shall I be afraid?" 00:24:12.31\00:24:14.88 Now here you notice again that if we are saved, 00:24:14.92\00:24:17.59 it says, the Lord is my light and my salvation, 00:24:17.62\00:24:19.59 whom shall I fear? 00:24:19.62\00:24:20.96 If we are saved, we do not have to be afraid. 00:24:20.99\00:24:25.29 When we're saved, 00:24:25.33\00:24:26.66 we don't need to be afraid of people. 00:24:26.70\00:24:28.03 And we don't need to be afraid of situations. 00:24:28.06\00:24:32.33 You know, several years ago in my life, 00:24:32.37\00:24:34.17 I went through a difficult experience 00:24:34.20\00:24:37.17 with a co-worker. 00:24:37.21\00:24:38.64 It was one of those experiences where you lay awake at night 00:24:38.67\00:24:41.94 and you can't sleep. 00:24:41.98\00:24:43.38 Or maybe you cry yourself to sleep. 00:24:43.41\00:24:45.81 Or maybe as you're going throughout the day, 00:24:45.85\00:24:47.78 you're trying to figure out how best to deal with this. 00:24:47.82\00:24:51.79 I was afraid of him. 00:24:51.82\00:24:53.52 I was afraid of what he would do. 00:24:53.56\00:24:55.46 I was afraid of what he would say. 00:24:55.49\00:24:58.36 I was afraid of how he would treat me 00:24:58.39\00:25:00.30 and I lived my life in fear. 00:25:00.33\00:25:03.93 And then one day, 00:25:03.97\00:25:05.40 a friend gave me a verse. 00:25:05.43\00:25:07.77 I want to look at that verse with you. 00:25:07.80\00:25:09.70 It's in Isaiah Chapter 51. 00:25:09.74\00:25:12.81 We're going to just jump over from 43 to 51. 00:25:12.84\00:25:15.88 Isaiah Chapter 51, 00:25:15.91\00:25:17.31 we're gonna pick it up in verse 12. 00:25:17.35\00:25:19.85 I have written 00:25:19.88\00:25:21.22 actually in the margin of my Bible, 00:25:21.25\00:25:23.22 the day, the month and the year 00:25:23.25\00:25:26.82 when God revealed this verse to me, 00:25:26.86\00:25:30.19 and it was in context of that difficult situation 00:25:30.23\00:25:33.96 that I was experiencing. 00:25:34.00\00:25:37.03 And God said, "Jill, you do not have to be afraid." 00:25:37.07\00:25:41.67 It says Isaiah 51:12, 00:25:41.70\00:25:43.34 "I, even I, am He who comforts you. 00:25:43.37\00:25:47.81 Who are you 00:25:47.84\00:25:49.18 that you should be afraid of a man that will die, 00:25:49.21\00:25:53.31 and of the son of a man who will be made like grass?" 00:25:53.35\00:25:55.85 As soon as I read that, God said, 00:25:55.88\00:25:57.22 "Jill, why are you afraid of this person? 00:25:57.25\00:25:59.02 Why you're afraid of what they're going to do? 00:25:59.05\00:26:00.39 Why you're afraid 00:26:00.42\00:26:01.76 of what they are doing in your life? 00:26:01.79\00:26:03.32 Who are you that you should be afraid," 00:26:03.36\00:26:06.19 but it doesn't stop there. 00:26:06.23\00:26:07.56 It says, verse 13, 00:26:07.60\00:26:08.93 "And you forget the Lord your maker, 00:26:08.96\00:26:12.50 who stretched out the heavens 00:26:12.53\00:26:14.60 and laid the foundations of the earth. 00:26:14.64\00:26:17.17 You have feared continually every day." 00:26:17.21\00:26:19.51 Are you walking in a situation with people in your life 00:26:19.54\00:26:24.48 that you're afraid of, 00:26:24.51\00:26:25.85 or a situation that you're afraid of? 00:26:25.88\00:26:28.32 Have you feared continually every day 00:26:28.35\00:26:31.22 because of the fury of the oppressor 00:26:31.25\00:26:33.09 when he is prepared to destroy? 00:26:33.12\00:26:35.26 What's this say? 00:26:35.29\00:26:36.62 Where is the fury of the oppressor? 00:26:36.66\00:26:40.16 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed. 00:26:40.20\00:26:42.86 Verse 15, 00:26:42.90\00:26:44.23 "But I am the Lord, your God, 00:26:44.27\00:26:45.90 who divided the sea whose waves roared. 00:26:45.93\00:26:49.44 The Lord of hosts is His name. 00:26:49.47\00:26:52.07 And I have put My words in your mouth, 00:26:52.11\00:26:56.08 and I have covered you with the shadow of My hand." 00:26:56.11\00:27:00.62 What is God saying? 00:27:00.65\00:27:01.98 He's saying, "I divided the Red Sea. 00:27:02.02\00:27:04.35 I can move mountains, I can do anything in your life. 00:27:04.39\00:27:08.69 Why are you afraid of people? 00:27:08.72\00:27:10.26 Why are you afraid of situations 00:27:10.29\00:27:12.19 because I am God." 00:27:12.23\00:27:15.36 We remember who He is. 00:27:15.40\00:27:18.03 We remember that He is our creator, 00:27:18.07\00:27:20.77 that He is our redeemer, 00:27:20.80\00:27:23.47 that He is our light and salvation and strength. 00:27:23.51\00:27:27.98 Number four, we remember that He is our rock, 00:27:28.01\00:27:31.25 our fortress and deliverer. 00:27:31.28\00:27:33.78 You know where I'm going, Psalm 18. 00:27:33.82\00:27:36.28 Now this verse, Psalm was written by David, 00:27:36.32\00:27:39.29 when God delivered him from Saul and the enemies. 00:27:39.32\00:27:42.92 Now remember, the previous psalm we read 00:27:42.96\00:27:44.59 was written by David when he's hiding 00:27:44.63\00:27:47.30 from Saul and the enemies and he's hiding there. 00:27:47.33\00:27:50.17 But this psalm is written when God delivered him 00:27:50.20\00:27:53.40 from his enemies. 00:27:53.44\00:27:54.77 We're in Psalm 18:2, 00:27:54.80\00:27:57.01 "The Lord is my rock, 00:27:57.04\00:27:59.21 my fortress and my deliverer. 00:27:59.24\00:28:02.68 My God, my strength in whom I will trust." 00:28:02.71\00:28:07.02 Now the wording, I will trust 00:28:07.05\00:28:09.68 in the original language in Hebrew literally means, 00:28:09.72\00:28:13.15 I will seek refuge. 00:28:13.19\00:28:16.32 So in God we trust. What does that mean? 00:28:16.36\00:28:18.73 We run to Him and seek refuge in Him. 00:28:18.76\00:28:23.60 You know, there's seven 00:28:23.63\00:28:24.97 I am statements in the Book of John, 00:28:25.00\00:28:26.97 speaking of Jesus. 00:28:27.00\00:28:28.37 Jesus is, He says, 00:28:28.40\00:28:29.74 "I am the bread of life. 00:28:29.77\00:28:31.94 I am the light of the world. 00:28:31.97\00:28:34.24 I am the door, the Good Shepherd, 00:28:34.28\00:28:36.54 the resurrection and the life, 00:28:36.58\00:28:37.91 the way the truth and the life and the true vine." 00:28:37.95\00:28:41.52 In Revelation, there's 17 statements, 00:28:41.55\00:28:44.19 at least 17 statements for who He is. 00:28:44.22\00:28:49.82 He says, 00:28:49.86\00:28:51.19 "He is and was and is to come. He is the first and the last. 00:28:51.23\00:28:54.33 He is the Alpha and the Omega. 00:28:54.36\00:28:55.86 He's the ruler over the kings of the earth. 00:28:55.90\00:28:58.13 He is the Amen. 00:28:58.17\00:28:59.90 He is the first begotten of the dead. 00:28:59.93\00:29:02.24 He is the Son of Man and the Son of God. 00:29:02.27\00:29:05.31 He shuts and no man opens. 00:29:05.34\00:29:07.31 He is holy and true, He is Lord. 00:29:07.34\00:29:09.64 He is lion of the tribe of Judah, 00:29:09.68\00:29:11.65 the Root of David, the Lamb of God, 00:29:11.68\00:29:14.32 King of kings and Lord of lords. 00:29:14.35\00:29:16.38 He is the word of God." 00:29:16.42\00:29:18.22 Now you can say that's wonderful, Jill, 00:29:18.25\00:29:19.65 but who is He to me? 00:29:19.69\00:29:21.39 He is your creator and your redeemer. 00:29:21.42\00:29:25.59 He is your light, and your salvation, 00:29:25.63\00:29:28.56 and your strength. 00:29:28.60\00:29:30.37 He is your rock, and your fortress, 00:29:30.40\00:29:33.03 and your deliverer. 00:29:33.07\00:29:35.17 When we cannot see the future 00:29:35.20\00:29:37.57 and God calls upon us to trust, 00:29:37.61\00:29:40.98 we remember who He is. 00:29:41.01\00:29:44.15 Number two, we remember where He is. 00:29:44.18\00:29:49.18 Now, there's many places that He is, 00:29:49.22\00:29:50.89 but I want to give you five places that He is. 00:29:50.92\00:29:54.16 And the first number one, He is with God. 00:29:54.19\00:29:57.46 Remember John 1:1. 00:29:57.49\00:29:59.89 This is a parallel 00:29:59.93\00:30:01.26 to the beginning of the entire Bible, 00:30:01.30\00:30:03.06 Genesis Chapter 1. 00:30:03.10\00:30:04.43 It starts with in the beginning. 00:30:04.47\00:30:06.23 "In the beginning was the Word..." 00:30:06.27\00:30:08.14 Who's the Word? 00:30:08.17\00:30:09.50 Jesus Christ, 00:30:09.54\00:30:10.87 "And the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:30:10.91\00:30:14.38 In the beginning, 00:30:14.41\00:30:15.74 Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. 00:30:15.78\00:30:18.91 Where is He? 00:30:18.95\00:30:20.28 You might be saying, "I'm in the midst of trouble, 00:30:20.32\00:30:21.98 and distress, and struggle. 00:30:22.02\00:30:23.72 Where is God right now?" 00:30:23.75\00:30:26.99 He is divine, and He is with God. 00:30:27.02\00:30:30.26 Number two, He is with you. 00:30:30.29\00:30:35.26 Isn't that amazing 00:30:35.30\00:30:36.63 how by the power of the Holy Spirit 00:30:36.67\00:30:38.77 that God can be everywhere. 00:30:38.80\00:30:41.90 So He is not only divine and with God, 00:30:41.94\00:30:44.21 clearly He's overall, 00:30:44.24\00:30:45.57 He's looking 00:30:45.61\00:30:46.94 at what's happening on this world right now. 00:30:46.98\00:30:49.48 And He sees 00:30:49.51\00:30:50.85 what's happening in your life right now. 00:30:50.88\00:30:53.55 But not only that, He's with us. 00:30:53.58\00:30:55.82 Now you might think we're going to Matthew 28. 00:30:55.85\00:30:58.35 You know that promise Jesus saying, 00:30:58.39\00:30:59.82 "Lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the world." 00:30:59.85\00:31:03.66 You might think that's where we're going, 00:31:03.69\00:31:05.19 but we're actually going to Joshua. 00:31:05.23\00:31:07.00 Joshua Chapter 1. 00:31:07.03\00:31:08.86 Remember, Joshua was, you could say 00:31:08.90\00:31:10.97 one of the right hand men with Moses. 00:31:11.00\00:31:13.30 So Moses led the people through the children, 00:31:13.34\00:31:15.94 the children of Israel through the wilderness. 00:31:15.97\00:31:18.01 But remember, Moses 00:31:18.04\00:31:19.37 was not allowed to go into the Promised Land. 00:31:19.41\00:31:23.18 Remember when he struck the rock 00:31:23.21\00:31:24.98 and he repented of that, 00:31:25.01\00:31:26.48 but he was not allowed to go into the Promised Land. 00:31:26.51\00:31:29.18 Joshua however was called by God 00:31:29.22\00:31:32.02 to lead the people into the Promised Land, 00:31:32.05\00:31:36.16 but he was afraid. 00:31:36.19\00:31:38.93 It was a task that seemed too big for him. 00:31:38.96\00:31:42.36 It was something he was not sure he could do. 00:31:42.40\00:31:46.00 And God told him in Joshua 1:9, I love this passage. 00:31:46.03\00:31:50.71 "Have not I commanded you, be strong and of good courage. 00:31:50.74\00:31:54.84 Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, 00:31:54.88\00:31:58.65 for the Lord your God is with you 00:31:58.68\00:32:02.32 wherever you go." 00:32:02.35\00:32:04.49 You see here again God's presence 00:32:04.52\00:32:07.29 is associated with us not having fear. 00:32:07.32\00:32:10.16 When He is with us, we do not need to be afraid. 00:32:10.19\00:32:15.06 Where is He? 00:32:15.10\00:32:16.43 He is with God, He is with us. 00:32:16.46\00:32:18.63 Number three, He is in our midst. 00:32:18.67\00:32:22.50 Turn with me to Zephaniah 3. 00:32:22.54\00:32:25.54 I like this passage. 00:32:25.57\00:32:27.14 It's probably one of my favorite passages 00:32:27.18\00:32:29.08 in the Minor Prophets. 00:32:29.11\00:32:32.25 Zephaniah 3:16 and 17. 00:32:32.28\00:32:39.22 "In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: 00:32:39.25\00:32:41.12 'Do not fear, Zion, let not your hands be weak." 00:32:41.16\00:32:44.39 Here again, "Do not fear." 00:32:44.43\00:32:46.26 Why? 00:32:46.29\00:32:47.63 "Because God is with you. 00:32:47.66\00:32:49.00 The Lord your God, in your midst, the Mighty One, 00:32:49.03\00:32:53.57 He will save, 00:32:53.60\00:32:54.94 He will rejoice over you with singing. 00:32:54.97\00:32:58.04 He will quiet you with His love, 00:32:58.07\00:33:01.54 He will rejoice over you with singing." 00:33:01.58\00:33:03.78 Aren't you grateful that God is in our midst? 00:33:03.81\00:33:07.82 So you might be encountering something, 00:33:07.85\00:33:10.62 you might be going through difficulty, 00:33:10.65\00:33:13.32 but God is in your midst. 00:33:13.36\00:33:16.19 God is there beside you, 00:33:16.22\00:33:18.83 right now in the middle of that. 00:33:18.86\00:33:21.23 He's not just in the midst, but He is with us when we pray. 00:33:21.26\00:33:25.83 That's number four. 00:33:25.87\00:33:27.20 He is among those who pray. 00:33:27.24\00:33:30.87 Matthew 18:20, Jesus speaking, He says, 00:33:30.91\00:33:34.91 "Where two or three are gathered in My name, 00:33:34.94\00:33:39.11 there I am in the midst of them." 00:33:39.15\00:33:42.22 Now I know during this time, we practice social distancing. 00:33:42.25\00:33:46.29 And in fact, even here at 3ABN, 00:33:46.32\00:33:48.16 we're seeking to practice social distancing. 00:33:48.19\00:33:50.99 We have many of our employees who are working from home, 00:33:51.03\00:33:54.56 because that's just safety right now during this time, 00:33:54.60\00:33:58.83 and we need to do that. 00:33:58.87\00:34:00.60 Then when we're here at the office, 00:34:00.64\00:34:02.27 we call on the phone instead of have meetings 00:34:02.30\00:34:05.37 or we practice even in the studio here 00:34:05.41\00:34:07.58 remaining that six feet of separation 00:34:07.61\00:34:10.11 between people, 00:34:10.15\00:34:11.48 even when we're trying to record programs 00:34:11.51\00:34:13.42 or we do our best to maintain that. 00:34:13.45\00:34:16.28 But we can pray during this time. 00:34:16.32\00:34:19.72 You can pray on the phone with someone. 00:34:19.75\00:34:21.72 You can pray through email. 00:34:21.76\00:34:25.99 We can connect with people, join together. 00:34:26.03\00:34:29.26 Of course, you can gather your family to pray, 00:34:29.30\00:34:30.97 but if you can't gather other people right now to pray, 00:34:31.00\00:34:34.47 know that as you're praying, 00:34:34.50\00:34:36.67 your 3ABN family is praying for you 00:34:36.71\00:34:38.77 at the same time. 00:34:38.81\00:34:40.58 Know that He is among those who pray, 00:34:40.61\00:34:44.05 and where two or three gather in His name, 00:34:44.08\00:34:47.12 His presence is there. 00:34:47.15\00:34:49.62 My favorite place where He is? 00:34:49.65\00:34:52.25 I like the fact that He's God because if He, 00:34:52.29\00:34:54.79 if we didn't have God, where would we be? 00:34:54.82\00:34:57.33 And who would we be right now? 00:34:57.36\00:34:59.89 I like the fact that He's with us 00:34:59.93\00:35:01.76 because I want to know 00:35:01.80\00:35:03.53 that Jesus can be right beside me. 00:35:03.57\00:35:06.23 I love the fact that He's in our midst, 00:35:06.27\00:35:09.20 and He rejoices over us and because of that, 00:35:09.24\00:35:12.47 we don't have to be afraid. 00:35:12.51\00:35:15.18 I love the fact that He comes in a special way 00:35:15.21\00:35:18.18 in His presence, 00:35:18.21\00:35:19.65 when we gather to pray. 00:35:19.68\00:35:22.35 But my favorite place where He is, 00:35:22.38\00:35:24.85 is He dwells inside us. 00:35:24.89\00:35:27.56 Galatians 2:20, 00:35:27.59\00:35:30.06 "I have been crucified with Christ, 00:35:30.09\00:35:32.73 but it is no longer I who live, 00:35:32.76\00:35:34.30 but Christ who lives in me, 00:35:34.33\00:35:37.10 and the life which I now live in the flesh 00:35:37.13\00:35:39.13 I live by faith in the Son of God, 00:35:39.17\00:35:42.30 who loved me and gave Himself for me." 00:35:42.34\00:35:48.74 By the power of the Holy Spirit, 00:35:48.78\00:35:50.28 Christ wants to dwell in us. 00:35:50.31\00:35:53.42 I don't know if you've ever heard of this little book. 00:35:53.45\00:35:55.28 I have. It's an itty-bitty book. 00:35:55.32\00:35:57.19 I have it right here. 00:35:57.22\00:35:58.55 It's called "My Heart Christ's Home." 00:35:58.59\00:36:02.19 It's written by Robert Boyd Munger. 00:36:02.22\00:36:04.16 And it's a great book 00:36:04.19\00:36:05.53 when it talks about Christ in you, 00:36:05.56\00:36:08.33 the hope of glory. 00:36:08.36\00:36:09.70 What does it literally mean to be crucified with Christ 00:36:09.73\00:36:12.93 and it's not me living anymore, 00:36:12.97\00:36:14.94 but it's Jesus Christ living in me. 00:36:14.97\00:36:17.84 What does that mean? 00:36:17.87\00:36:19.21 And what does that even look like 00:36:19.24\00:36:20.58 in the Christian's life? 00:36:20.61\00:36:21.94 We can say that many times 00:36:21.98\00:36:23.31 "Oh, yeah, I want Jesus to live in me. 00:36:23.35\00:36:24.68 I'm good." 00:36:24.71\00:36:26.05 But what does that literally mean? 00:36:26.08\00:36:27.95 And how do we have Christ dwell in us? 00:36:27.98\00:36:31.79 This book, equates, you could say, 00:36:31.82\00:36:35.46 rooms of a house to the rooms of our hearts. 00:36:35.49\00:36:40.23 It talks about the study. 00:36:40.26\00:36:41.60 In fact, I think the book starts with the study, 00:36:41.63\00:36:44.33 which it calls the library of the mind. 00:36:44.37\00:36:47.84 You know, in many homes, 00:36:47.87\00:36:49.20 you literally would have a study 00:36:49.24\00:36:50.57 and what would it have? 00:36:50.61\00:36:51.94 It would be filled with books that line the wall. 00:36:51.97\00:36:55.61 It would have maybe some magazines 00:36:55.64\00:36:57.81 or The Wall Street journal or some newspapers in it. 00:36:57.85\00:37:01.38 That's what you would have in your study nowadays. 00:37:01.42\00:37:03.92 This book was written some time ago. 00:37:03.95\00:37:05.29 Nowadays, 00:37:05.32\00:37:06.65 you get all that on the internet, 00:37:06.69\00:37:08.02 but or an eBook, 00:37:08.06\00:37:09.39 or you could read it on your Kindle, 00:37:09.42\00:37:10.76 but the study, 00:37:10.79\00:37:12.23 but what does that mean literally? 00:37:12.26\00:37:15.00 That means that God wants to clean my mind. 00:37:15.03\00:37:19.80 He wants to put in my thoughts, 00:37:19.83\00:37:24.57 a picture of Himself. 00:37:24.61\00:37:26.57 Remember, Paul tells us 00:37:26.61\00:37:28.71 that we by beholding 2 Corinthians 3:18, 00:37:28.74\00:37:31.88 "By beholding, we become changed 00:37:31.91\00:37:36.05 into the same image." 00:37:36.08\00:37:37.52 And so God calls us to hang as it were, 00:37:37.55\00:37:39.82 in the hall of the mind, the study of the mind, 00:37:39.85\00:37:43.19 a picture of Jesus that we look at. 00:37:43.22\00:37:47.00 He calls us to line the shelves with the Word of God. 00:37:47.03\00:37:53.07 He calls us to think on Philippians 4:8, 00:37:53.10\00:37:55.97 what is true. 00:37:56.00\00:37:58.77 That's a study. Go into the living room. 00:37:58.81\00:38:03.58 And I love how the book talks about it, 00:38:03.61\00:38:05.31 how every morning they set a date 00:38:05.35\00:38:08.48 where they would spend time with Jesus. 00:38:08.52\00:38:10.65 So the fireplace would be kindled 00:38:10.69\00:38:12.45 and Jesus would be sitting on the couch, 00:38:12.49\00:38:14.62 and we would run down to meet with Jesus 00:38:14.66\00:38:17.73 but then pretty soon, maybe one morning, 00:38:17.76\00:38:20.50 you're in a hurry 00:38:20.53\00:38:21.86 and you rush off to work and say, 00:38:21.90\00:38:23.23 "I don't think I can do that today, God." 00:38:23.26\00:38:24.67 And then the next day, 00:38:24.70\00:38:26.03 and then one morning running down. 00:38:26.07\00:38:27.54 And I know this has happened to me. 00:38:27.57\00:38:30.24 Running down, hurrying out to work. 00:38:30.27\00:38:34.01 And there's Jesus sitting on the couch. 00:38:34.04\00:38:37.38 "Oh, have you been here every morning?" 00:38:37.41\00:38:39.85 And He said, "Yes, 00:38:39.88\00:38:41.22 I love our time together to make that a priority." 00:38:41.25\00:38:47.39 Spend time with Him in the living room. 00:38:47.42\00:38:49.16 That's time with Him every day in His Word. 00:38:49.19\00:38:53.70 There's the bedroom and the rec room, 00:38:53.73\00:38:55.70 the dining room, 00:38:55.73\00:38:57.07 but the whole closet is where it ends, 00:38:57.10\00:38:59.43 and I love that. 00:38:59.47\00:39:02.47 I don't know if you've ever experienced this 00:39:02.50\00:39:03.84 in your life, 00:39:03.87\00:39:05.21 but I know I have that Jesus says 00:39:05.24\00:39:09.48 there's an odor here Jill in your life, 00:39:09.51\00:39:11.35 something is dead. 00:39:11.38\00:39:12.88 And I say, "I don't know what you're talking about." 00:39:12.91\00:39:15.35 Because there's maybe certain things in my life 00:39:15.38\00:39:18.49 that I want to keep under lock and key. 00:39:18.52\00:39:20.96 And I just don't want anybody to know about in particularly 00:39:20.99\00:39:24.56 I don't want Jesus to know about them. 00:39:24.59\00:39:27.23 And yet as we walk upstairs as it were in the house, 00:39:27.26\00:39:30.60 Jesus says, the smell is getting stronger. 00:39:30.63\00:39:32.43 I think it's coming from in here. 00:39:32.47\00:39:35.14 And then sometimes I get angry. 00:39:35.17\00:39:38.64 God, I gave you access to the living room, 00:39:38.67\00:39:41.14 and I gave you access to the study, 00:39:41.18\00:39:42.68 and I gave you access to the rec room, 00:39:42.71\00:39:44.28 and the bedroom, and the dining room. 00:39:44.31\00:39:45.65 Why do you have to have access to the hall closet too? 00:39:45.68\00:39:48.38 God, do You have to have everything, 00:39:48.42\00:39:50.32 I really like to keep that? 00:39:50.35\00:39:52.29 And then Jesus, He never forces. 00:39:52.32\00:39:54.42 He'll say, "You know what, Jill? 00:39:54.46\00:39:56.32 It's okay. 00:39:56.36\00:39:57.69 I can sleep on the porch tonight." 00:39:57.73\00:39:59.16 I don't know 00:39:59.19\00:40:00.53 if you have ever experienced walking with Jesus, 00:40:00.56\00:40:04.70 and then all of a sudden 00:40:04.73\00:40:06.13 sensing the withdrawal of His face 00:40:06.17\00:40:09.37 and His presence from you. 00:40:09.40\00:40:11.51 It's a horrible experience. 00:40:11.54\00:40:13.34 It is not something that I want. 00:40:13.38\00:40:15.11 And so when that happens in my life, I say, "God, 00:40:15.14\00:40:18.31 I don't want you to leave 00:40:18.35\00:40:19.78 but I can't even get rid of the things 00:40:19.81\00:40:22.68 in the closet. 00:40:22.72\00:40:24.05 I want them out of my life. 00:40:24.09\00:40:25.42 Those things I keep under lock and key, 00:40:25.45\00:40:27.29 those things that I don't want to give to you. 00:40:27.32\00:40:28.89 I want them out of my life. 00:40:28.92\00:40:30.26 But God, I don't know how to do that. 00:40:30.29\00:40:33.73 And so He says, 00:40:33.76\00:40:35.10 "Oh, gladly, just give me the key. 00:40:35.13\00:40:38.10 And I can take those things out of your life." 00:40:38.13\00:40:41.30 And so I give Him the key and He handles them. 00:40:41.34\00:40:44.77 And then, I don't know about you, 00:40:44.81\00:40:47.01 but in my own journey, sometimes I get busy 00:40:47.04\00:40:49.04 running from room to room, 00:40:49.08\00:40:50.41 okay, now the study is clean, oh, the living room's a mess. 00:40:50.45\00:40:52.85 Oh, I just get the living room clean it. 00:40:52.88\00:40:54.38 Oh, the rec room over here's a mess. 00:40:54.42\00:40:57.49 And then I thought, what if I went to God. 00:40:57.52\00:41:01.99 And like He handled the closet 00:41:02.02\00:41:03.53 where I couldn't even handle it myself. 00:41:03.56\00:41:06.13 What if I went to Him and said, 00:41:06.16\00:41:07.50 "I'm giving you title to the whole house. 00:41:07.53\00:41:09.83 I'm giving you everything. 00:41:09.86\00:41:11.90 I want you to run my life." 00:41:11.93\00:41:14.90 And I will stay as a servant. 00:41:14.94\00:41:18.04 That is Galatians 2:20 in a nutshell, 00:41:18.07\00:41:21.54 Christ in us the hope of glory, 00:41:21.58\00:41:25.21 giving Jesus access to those places in our life. 00:41:25.25\00:41:29.88 So we trust Him when we can't see 00:41:29.92\00:41:32.15 because we remember who He is. 00:41:32.19\00:41:35.12 We remember where He is. 00:41:35.16\00:41:38.36 And third, final point, 00:41:38.39\00:41:40.40 we remember where I am. 00:41:40.43\00:41:45.83 Where are you? 00:41:45.87\00:41:47.20 Number one, I am my Father's child. 00:41:47.24\00:41:51.94 1 John 3:1, what's the Word of God say? 00:41:51.97\00:41:55.28 "Behold, what manner of love 00:41:55.31\00:41:57.18 the Father has bestowed on us 00:41:57.21\00:41:59.38 that we should be called the children of God." 00:41:59.41\00:42:03.28 God doesn't call us slaves. He doesn't call us servants. 00:42:03.32\00:42:07.42 He calls us sons and daughters, 00:42:07.46\00:42:10.56 heirs according to the promise. 00:42:10.59\00:42:13.16 You know, when I first went off to college, 00:42:13.19\00:42:14.76 I remember my dad and mom saying this, 00:42:14.80\00:42:18.50 "Jilly, 00:42:18.53\00:42:19.87 remember whose you are." 00:42:19.90\00:42:23.20 What does that mean? 00:42:23.24\00:42:24.61 It just means simply, remember your name, 00:42:24.64\00:42:27.38 remember your parents, remember your heritage. 00:42:27.41\00:42:31.58 Before I became a Morikone, I was a Penny, 00:42:31.61\00:42:33.82 that's my maiden name. 00:42:33.85\00:42:35.38 And so when I went to college, 00:42:35.42\00:42:36.99 and I would talk with people 00:42:37.02\00:42:38.55 or I would be engaged 00:42:38.59\00:42:40.16 in things in class or activities 00:42:40.19\00:42:42.92 that would stick in the back of my mind. 00:42:42.96\00:42:45.33 Remember, whose you are? 00:42:45.36\00:42:48.33 You were Penny. 00:42:48.36\00:42:49.76 Do the name proud as it were. 00:42:49.80\00:42:52.17 So remember that we are sons and daughters of God. 00:42:52.20\00:42:58.51 When life is uncertain, 00:42:58.54\00:42:59.91 remember that you are His child. 00:42:59.94\00:43:02.74 When you don't know what others think of you, 00:43:02.78\00:43:04.41 remember that you are His child. 00:43:04.45\00:43:07.65 When you lack money, 00:43:07.68\00:43:09.02 remember that you are His child. 00:43:09.05\00:43:12.19 When you are afraid for the future 00:43:12.22\00:43:13.62 and you don't know what's going to happen, 00:43:13.66\00:43:15.32 remember that you are His child. 00:43:15.36\00:43:19.26 We are the Father's children. 00:43:19.29\00:43:23.13 Number two, where are we? 00:43:23.16\00:43:24.80 We're not just His children, He is with us. 00:43:24.83\00:43:28.87 Hebrews 13:5, 00:43:28.90\00:43:30.77 "For Himself has said," that's Jesus, 00:43:30.81\00:43:32.64 "God has said, 00:43:32.67\00:43:34.01 I will never leave you nor forsake you." 00:43:34.04\00:43:38.31 So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, 00:43:38.35\00:43:40.88 I will not fear what can men do to me. 00:43:40.92\00:43:45.25 His presence, the presence of Jesus 00:43:45.29\00:43:49.46 takes away fear. 00:43:49.49\00:43:52.03 Remember, where are we? 00:43:52.06\00:43:53.73 We are the Father's children. 00:43:53.76\00:43:55.46 We are with Him and I love this one. 00:43:55.50\00:43:58.43 We are in His arms. 00:43:58.47\00:44:02.70 Deuteronomy 33:27, 00:44:02.74\00:44:05.47 "The eternal God is your refuge, 00:44:05.51\00:44:07.38 and underneath are the everlasting arms. 00:44:07.41\00:44:12.35 He will thrust out the enemy from before you, 00:44:12.38\00:44:15.45 and will say, 'Destroy!'" 00:44:15.48\00:44:18.75 I went through a difficult time in college 00:44:18.79\00:44:21.02 with some physical issues and pain. 00:44:21.06\00:44:25.06 It lasted maybe two, three months. 00:44:25.09\00:44:27.93 And I remember going through that time 00:44:27.96\00:44:31.60 and when your mind is clouded with pain, 00:44:31.63\00:44:33.57 it's difficult 00:44:33.60\00:44:34.94 emotionally and spiritually to deal with other things. 00:44:34.97\00:44:37.11 I don't know if you've ever walked that road, 00:44:37.14\00:44:39.67 or experienced that road. 00:44:39.71\00:44:42.24 And I remember one day coming down 00:44:42.28\00:44:43.71 we had in the mailroom 00:44:43.75\00:44:45.18 where all the calls would come in 00:44:45.21\00:44:46.61 and the receptionist and all of that, 00:44:46.65\00:44:48.12 there was a whole bunch of boxes, 00:44:48.15\00:44:50.65 we had our mailboxes 00:44:50.69\00:44:52.02 and I can still remember mine was right up there at the top. 00:44:52.05\00:44:54.19 It's been over 20 years. 00:44:54.22\00:44:55.56 So just don't even laugh about that. 00:44:55.59\00:44:57.29 So went up there 00:44:57.33\00:44:58.66 and I remember pulling that out. 00:44:58.69\00:45:00.46 And there was a note. 00:45:00.50\00:45:02.93 And it said, when your mind is clouded by pain, 00:45:02.96\00:45:06.40 do not try to think, just rest. 00:45:06.43\00:45:09.97 Rest in the arms of Jesus. 00:45:10.01\00:45:13.27 Are you experiencing physical pain today? 00:45:13.31\00:45:15.98 Maybe you're dealing with COVID-19 yourself. 00:45:16.01\00:45:18.91 Maybe you've gone through a surgery 00:45:18.95\00:45:21.38 and you're dealing with pain from that. 00:45:21.42\00:45:23.42 Maybe you're encountering cancer, 00:45:23.45\00:45:27.52 know that you are in His arms. 00:45:27.56\00:45:31.73 Maybe you're going through spiritual pain right now 00:45:31.76\00:45:33.66 and you're saying who am I? 00:45:33.70\00:45:36.13 Will God take me? 00:45:36.16\00:45:37.53 Will He forgive me? 00:45:37.57\00:45:40.04 Will He love me? 00:45:40.07\00:45:42.94 Maybe you're going through emotional pain like my friend 00:45:42.97\00:45:45.47 who wants to commit suicide. 00:45:45.51\00:45:50.61 And you're saying, I don't even know 00:45:50.65\00:45:51.98 what to do with this. 00:45:52.01\00:45:53.35 Know that you are in His arms. 00:45:53.38\00:45:57.89 How do you trust when you can't see? 00:45:57.92\00:45:59.92 You know, they say that seeing is believing. 00:45:59.95\00:46:03.93 Have you ever heard that before? 00:46:03.96\00:46:05.46 Seeing is believing, but I'm not sure that's true. 00:46:05.49\00:46:09.13 I believe that believing is seeing, 00:46:09.16\00:46:14.10 you know, Jesus said that in John 11. 00:46:14.14\00:46:16.17 Remember John 11, that's the story of Lazarus. 00:46:16.20\00:46:18.97 And he died. 00:46:19.01\00:46:20.34 And remember that, the disciples said to Jesus, 00:46:20.38\00:46:22.61 they said, oh, Lazarus is, remember he was, 00:46:22.64\00:46:26.01 Jesus said, "He's sleeping." 00:46:26.05\00:46:27.38 And the disciples said, 00:46:27.42\00:46:28.75 "Oh, great, he's going to get better." 00:46:28.78\00:46:30.12 And Jesus says, "You don't understand. 00:46:30.15\00:46:32.19 Lazarus is dead." 00:46:32.22\00:46:35.52 And so Jesus came to the home, 00:46:35.56\00:46:38.93 came back to Bethany, 00:46:38.96\00:46:40.30 came back to the home 00:46:40.33\00:46:41.73 of the one that He had loved so much, 00:46:41.76\00:46:43.40 knowing that Lazarus was in the grave 00:46:43.43\00:46:45.17 and remember, Mary came running out to meet Him. 00:46:45.20\00:46:47.57 And in John 11:40, Jesus said to Martha, 00:46:47.60\00:46:52.97 "Did I not say to you that if you would believe 00:46:53.01\00:46:56.75 you would see the glory of God." 00:46:56.78\00:46:59.88 You see, in this case, believing preceded the scene, 00:46:59.91\00:47:04.85 she had to believe. 00:47:04.89\00:47:06.29 And if she believed, 00:47:06.32\00:47:07.92 then she would see the glory of God. 00:47:07.96\00:47:11.99 How do you know you'll see the glory of God? 00:47:12.03\00:47:14.20 Do you know because it feels good. 00:47:14.23\00:47:16.26 Do you know because it's easy? 00:47:16.30\00:47:17.73 Do you know because it's what you want? 00:47:17.77\00:47:20.37 You know, because He is God. 00:47:20.40\00:47:23.17 Because He is good, 00:47:23.20\00:47:25.24 because He is my creator and my redeemer, 00:47:25.27\00:47:29.01 because He dwells with me and He sustains me. 00:47:29.04\00:47:32.85 And He walks with me and lives with me. 00:47:32.88\00:47:36.45 And because He carries me. 00:47:36.48\00:47:39.52 You see, trusting Him doesn't always mean 00:47:39.55\00:47:42.99 that I can see the future, 00:47:43.02\00:47:44.73 but that I know who can. 00:47:44.76\00:47:47.86 That's the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:47:47.90\00:47:49.63 Trusting Him doesn't always mean 00:47:49.66\00:47:51.13 that my circumstances will change, 00:47:51.17\00:47:54.14 but that I know who walks beside me 00:47:54.17\00:47:57.41 in the midst of those circumstances. 00:47:57.44\00:48:00.31 And I know who will carry me 00:48:00.34\00:48:03.65 through those circumstances. 00:48:03.68\00:48:06.88 Knowing Him, knowing the Lord Jesus Christ 00:48:06.92\00:48:11.15 makes all the difference in the world. 00:48:11.19\00:48:13.29 Do you know Him today? 00:48:13.32\00:48:15.96 You know, when I was 13 years old, 00:48:15.99\00:48:18.33 I went through a difficult time in my life, 00:48:18.36\00:48:21.83 not knowing if I wanted to follow God. 00:48:21.86\00:48:24.27 I should really phrase that a different way. 00:48:24.30\00:48:27.20 I went through that time, 00:48:27.24\00:48:29.94 making a choice to walk away from Jesus. 00:48:29.97\00:48:33.04 You see, 00:48:33.07\00:48:34.41 this is no fault of anyone in my life or in my family, 00:48:34.44\00:48:37.55 anyone in my own circumstances, 00:48:37.58\00:48:40.02 but I felt 00:48:40.05\00:48:43.08 that there was a lot of hypocritical Christians 00:48:43.12\00:48:44.99 in my life. 00:48:45.02\00:48:46.35 And so as I journeyed through, 00:48:46.39\00:48:49.52 I'm 13 years old, young, impressionable, 00:48:49.56\00:48:52.93 it seemed like everyone around me, 00:48:52.96\00:48:55.36 everyone in my church. 00:48:55.40\00:48:56.83 I'm not saying that was true. 00:48:56.87\00:48:58.20 It's just how it appeared to me. 00:48:58.23\00:49:00.40 That they didn't really walk with God, 00:49:00.44\00:49:02.77 that they didn't really know God, 00:49:02.80\00:49:04.71 that they had never experienced Him 00:49:04.74\00:49:07.68 for themselves. 00:49:07.71\00:49:10.78 I remember reading the Bible. 00:49:10.81\00:49:12.65 And it was very clear to me that Jesus walked on water, 00:49:12.68\00:49:16.72 and that He enabled Peter to walk on water. 00:49:16.75\00:49:19.12 It was clear to me 00:49:19.15\00:49:20.49 that He raised people from the dead. 00:49:20.52\00:49:22.99 It was clear that He touched the blinds' eyes 00:49:23.02\00:49:26.26 and they saw 00:49:26.29\00:49:27.66 and that He reached out to lepers 00:49:27.70\00:49:30.00 and that they were healed. 00:49:30.03\00:49:31.73 And yet I had never seen, 00:49:31.77\00:49:34.34 I had never experienced 00:49:34.37\00:49:36.94 that in my own heart and in my own life, 00:49:36.97\00:49:41.68 I had never seen it. 00:49:41.71\00:49:43.08 And so I said, God, Your Word says You're true. 00:49:43.11\00:49:46.11 Your Word says You can do this. 00:49:46.15\00:49:48.62 Your Word says you are real, 00:49:48.65\00:49:51.22 but I've never seen it myself. 00:49:51.25\00:49:54.79 So I'm making a choice. 00:49:54.82\00:49:56.62 And I'm walking away from You. 00:49:56.66\00:49:59.23 I remember writing it in my journal. 00:49:59.26\00:50:02.70 "God, I'm done with You. 00:50:02.73\00:50:05.30 You're fake. 00:50:05.33\00:50:06.80 Everything I read in the Bible is not true. 00:50:06.84\00:50:09.80 I want to do my own thing." 00:50:09.84\00:50:12.67 And so for six months, 00:50:12.71\00:50:15.48 I lived without Jesus, 00:50:15.51\00:50:17.41 not that I'd ever really known and experienced Him before, 00:50:17.45\00:50:20.42 but I clearly lived without Jesus. 00:50:20.45\00:50:23.69 And then at the end of that six months, 00:50:23.72\00:50:26.02 something happened. 00:50:26.05\00:50:27.92 And that was in my own home, 00:50:27.96\00:50:32.66 I saw a difference in my mom. 00:50:32.69\00:50:34.40 Now, my mom's a wonderful mom. 00:50:34.43\00:50:36.67 And I love her dearly. 00:50:36.70\00:50:38.63 She would tell you this as well, 00:50:38.67\00:50:40.37 that when we were growing up, 00:50:40.40\00:50:42.30 that she did not know Jesus. 00:50:42.34\00:50:45.97 And that if you don't know Jesus, 00:50:46.01\00:50:47.48 of course, that's exhibited 00:50:47.51\00:50:49.38 in the way that you interact with people 00:50:49.41\00:50:51.45 and your children especially. 00:50:51.48\00:50:53.75 And so, my mom 00:50:53.78\00:50:55.65 at the end of the six month period of time, 00:50:55.68\00:50:57.49 my mom began to change 00:50:57.52\00:50:59.65 and I didn't know what caused it, 00:50:59.69\00:51:01.86 but I did everything I could to make her upset 00:51:01.89\00:51:05.46 and to push her buttons and to get her to react 00:51:05.49\00:51:08.76 in the same way that she used to. 00:51:08.80\00:51:11.90 And all of a sudden, I discovered that 00:51:11.93\00:51:13.87 the mom I used to know was gone. 00:51:13.90\00:51:16.64 And a completely new mom had taken her place. 00:51:16.67\00:51:19.97 So I would spend time at night lying awake, 00:51:20.01\00:51:22.48 what's different? Why is my mom so changed? 00:51:22.51\00:51:25.35 Why is she happy? 00:51:25.38\00:51:26.88 Why does she sing in the house? 00:51:26.92\00:51:28.95 Why does she not get upset? 00:51:28.98\00:51:30.85 What is different? 00:51:30.89\00:51:32.22 And finally, one day, I just couldn't wait anymore. 00:51:32.25\00:51:34.99 And so I went to her and I said, 00:51:35.02\00:51:36.36 "Okay, what changed? 00:51:36.39\00:51:39.23 What's different in your life?" 00:51:39.26\00:51:41.56 And she said, "Jilly, am I really that different?" 00:51:41.60\00:51:45.23 And I said, "It's like night and day." 00:51:45.27\00:51:47.60 And she said, "I met Jesus." 00:51:47.64\00:51:51.84 And if you want, 00:51:51.87\00:51:55.84 you can meet Him too. 00:51:55.88\00:51:58.41 And so I made a choice that day that I wanted to know, 00:51:58.45\00:52:03.82 not just the Jesus in the Word of God, 00:52:03.85\00:52:06.65 because He's true, 00:52:06.69\00:52:08.02 but I wanted to know Him for myself. 00:52:08.06\00:52:10.23 I wanted to taste and see that God is good. 00:52:10.26\00:52:15.50 I don't know where you are right now. 00:52:15.53\00:52:20.70 In your journey, 00:52:20.74\00:52:22.07 you might be at home terrified of COVID-19. 00:52:22.10\00:52:26.57 You might have just laid to rest 00:52:26.61\00:52:29.51 someone with a disease 00:52:29.54\00:52:31.25 or someone with some other disease. 00:52:31.28\00:52:33.72 You might be encountering marriage issues, 00:52:33.75\00:52:36.18 family issues, financial issues. 00:52:36.22\00:52:40.76 Reach out to Jesus. 00:52:40.79\00:52:43.96 He knows you. 00:52:43.99\00:52:45.79 He loves you. 00:52:45.83\00:52:47.80 He wants you to taste 00:52:47.83\00:52:50.87 and see that He's good. 00:52:50.90\00:52:53.23 Not a burden, we bear 00:52:56.30\00:53:01.01 Not a sorrow we share 00:53:01.04\00:53:06.08 But our toil 00:53:06.11\00:53:07.82 He doth richly repay 00:53:07.85\00:53:14.79 Not a grief or a loss 00:53:14.82\00:53:19.26 Not a frown or a cross 00:53:19.29\00:53:24.17 But is blessed 00:53:24.20\00:53:26.20 If we will trust 00:53:26.23\00:53:28.94 And obey 00:53:28.97\00:53:33.94 So trust and obey 00:53:33.98\00:53:37.98 For there's no other way 00:53:38.01\00:53:43.18 To be happy in Jesus 00:53:43.22\00:53:49.59 But to trust and obey 00:53:49.62\00:53:55.40 Trust and obey 00:53:55.43\00:53:59.40 For there's no other way 00:53:59.43\00:54:05.97 To be happy 00:54:06.01\00:54:08.94 In Jesus 00:54:08.98\00:54:13.48 But to trust 00:54:13.52\00:54:16.65 And obey 00:54:16.69\00:54:23.22 Until I learned to trust, I never learned to pray. 00:54:23.26\00:54:27.46 I never learned to fully trust 00:54:27.50\00:54:29.60 till sorrows came my way, 00:54:29.63\00:54:32.97 until I felt my weakness His strength I never knew, 00:54:33.00\00:54:37.87 nor dream till I was stricken 00:54:37.91\00:54:39.87 that His grace would see me through. 00:54:39.91\00:54:43.68 Who deepest drinks of sorrow, 00:54:43.71\00:54:46.92 drinks deepest too of grace. 00:54:46.95\00:54:49.65 He sends the storm 00:54:49.68\00:54:51.55 so He Himself can be our hiding place. 00:54:51.59\00:54:56.86 His heart that seeks our highest good 00:54:56.89\00:55:00.36 knows well when things annoy. 00:55:00.40\00:55:03.06 We would not long for heaven, 00:55:03.10\00:55:05.33 if earth held only joy. 00:55:05.37\00:55:08.57 You see, I trust Him 00:55:08.60\00:55:11.47 because He can see behind the veil, 00:55:11.51\00:55:15.01 He can see above everything 00:55:15.04\00:55:16.91 and He can hold my heart through the storm. 00:55:16.95\00:55:22.42 How do I trust when I cannot see? 00:55:22.45\00:55:26.05 I remember who He is 00:55:26.09\00:55:29.02 that He is not just the Creator. 00:55:29.06\00:55:32.03 He is my Creator. 00:55:32.06\00:55:34.96 He's not just the redeemer or a redeemer. 00:55:35.00\00:55:39.73 He is my Redeemer. 00:55:39.77\00:55:43.00 He is my light, my salvation, 00:55:43.04\00:55:48.04 my rock, my fortress, 00:55:48.08\00:55:52.11 He is my deliverer. 00:55:52.15\00:55:54.82 That's who He is. 00:55:54.85\00:55:56.82 I remember where He is. 00:55:56.85\00:55:59.92 I remember that He is God, and He is with God. 00:55:59.95\00:56:04.66 I remember that He is with us forever, 00:56:04.69\00:56:09.36 for always. 00:56:09.40\00:56:10.73 I remember that He is in our midst, 00:56:10.77\00:56:13.44 and that He dwells with us, 00:56:13.47\00:56:17.01 and He wants to dwell in us. 00:56:17.04\00:56:19.97 I remember where I am, 00:56:20.01\00:56:22.74 that I am my Father's child, 00:56:22.78\00:56:26.15 that I am with Him, 00:56:26.18\00:56:29.25 and that I am most importantly in His arms. 00:56:29.28\00:56:34.72 Do you want to accept Him into your heart today? 00:56:34.76\00:56:36.79 Do you want to stay in the midst of this trouble, 00:56:36.83\00:56:39.49 in the midst of this turmoil, 00:56:39.53\00:56:40.93 in the midst of what I am going through? 00:56:40.96\00:56:43.63 Yes, God, I want to reach my hand out. 00:56:43.67\00:56:46.63 I want to trust You, even when I can't see. 00:56:46.67\00:56:51.71 Father, we come before You now as Your children, 00:56:51.74\00:56:56.48 grateful that You are God. 00:56:56.51\00:56:59.88 Grateful that You are love. 00:56:59.91\00:57:02.35 Grateful that You have a plan for our lives. 00:57:02.38\00:57:05.95 And even when we can't see, even when we don't know, 00:57:05.99\00:57:09.69 even when we don't see the future, 00:57:09.72\00:57:12.63 we can still trust You. 00:57:12.66\00:57:15.36 And so God we reach up our hands right now 00:57:15.40\00:57:18.50 saying, we trust You, we trust You with our lives. 00:57:18.53\00:57:22.20 We trust You with our families, 00:57:22.24\00:57:24.47 we trust You with our neighbors and community with our church. 00:57:24.51\00:57:30.11 We put and commit our lives 00:57:30.15\00:57:32.98 into Your hands now in Jesus' name. 00:57:33.01\00:57:35.92 Amen. 00:57:35.95\00:57:37.29