[0:00] The Lord has met.
[0:20] Let us rejoice. Let us rejoice. And be glad in it. And be glad in it.
[0:33] This is the day. That the Lord has met. Let us rejoice. And be glad in it. This is the day.
[0:45] This is the day. That the Lord has met. Good morning.
[0:58] Welcome to our church. We have a gift for our visitors at the connection site. Please fill out your friendship card for any prayers or concern or just so we can get to know you.
[1:09] It's fun to be part of the welcoming committee here at Hamilton Center. We are glad to have you here at church this morning. Our ministry opportunities on the clipboard today are two things.
[1:20] One is our 24-hour prayer vigil. We keep the church open for 24 hours and we ask people to sign up for an hour to pray to God. And believe it or not, an hour goes faster than you can imagine in a prayer vigil.
[1:32] It's a little different than when we pray at home on our own. Also, the second one is for a marriage enrichment class. It's going to start in October. So if there's some people that like to come to a four-week class on strengthening your marriage, that's going to start in October on Wednesday nights.
[1:48] Actually, this Wednesday, I'm going to be starting the book of Hebrews in my Bible study. For those of you who might be interested in that. Next Sunday. Next Sunday, the children are going to the corn maze.
[1:59] I'm hoping the corn is bigger than I see in Wyoming County because then only the kids would be in a maze because it's only about this high, right? And the teenagers are going to the zoo. And you're welcome to join either one of them in that adventure.
[2:12] And next week, we're going to have a homecoming Sunday. And if you have the ability to and the interest and willingness to do it, to bring a little bit of cider and some donuts, we're going to have a celebration out in the fellowship hall and just an opportunity to get to know each other a little better.
[2:27] Let's turn to the Lord in prayer, shall we? Dear Lord, we pray your blessings upon us, that you will fill us, that you will strengthen us, that you'll be our God today and help us to be your people.
[2:39] Bless us in this place with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And I'd like to invite you, if you're able, to stand as we're going to sing together. Holy, holy, holy. Thank you.
[2:52] Yes. Bye, friend. I dance. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty Early in the morning Our song shall rise to thee Holy, holy, holy Merciful and mighty God in three persons Blessed Trinity Holy, holy, holy
[3:57] All the saints adore thee Casting down their golden crowns Around the glassy sea Cherubim and seraphim Falling down before thee Which word and heart And evermore shall be Holy, holy, holy Though the darkness hide thee Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see Only thou art holy There is none beside thee Perfect, empowered in love and purity
[5:02] Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty All thy words shall praise thy name In earth and sky and sea Holy, holy, holy Merciful and mighty God in three persons Blessed Trinity The Lord be with you And now take a moment if you will And greet your neighbor With the peace of the spirit Peace of the spirit be with you I'd like to invite the children to come up
[6:04] If any of the kids want to come up Join me You're welcome to come up Any other kids want to come on up?
[6:22] How do you guys like my blue ball? Isn't it a nice looking blue ball?
[6:33] You don't like my blue ball? It's blue No, it's blue Isn't this blue? You see?
[6:45] This is a blue ball Because I said it's a blue ball Right? So that makes it blue Because I say it's blue And I'm your pastor So it's blue Right?
[6:58] No? It's purple or pink or red Pink, red It's not blue You know what?
[7:11] If people tell you something that's true That isn't true It doesn't make it true, right? If people say something that's just false It's what? False, yeah You know It's really pink You're right There are people Who will try to tell you Things that are not true Yeah Don't believe them It doesn't matter who they are If they say something that's not true Then you don't have to believe it You know there are people out there That tell lies And say things that aren't true And God wants you to always know what's true And so he'll bless you To help you know that He gives you parents and grandparents And teachers and people To help you know what's right Okay?
[7:51] Alright What are you guys thankful for? You want to share something? Raise your hand Thank you for my baby sister My sister My brother My family My brother My sister and brother My family and friends My parents Okay, anybody else?
[8:23] Alright Lord, we thank you for the blessings you give to us We thank you you give us the truth And the hope and the peace that you can always give Bless us and love us In Jesus' name, amen I think there's one more right there Taking a shower Alright Okay Now all the kids can go out to church school If they'd like to Thank you for the beach You never knew You never knew No No No No There you go.
[9:23] You can stay here with me and take the offering. God is so good, ain't it? We continue our worship in the joy of the Lord.
[9:33] Let's bring our gifts, tithes, and offerings before him. God is so good.
[10:14] God is so good.
[10:44] His heart adore you. Hope of all life spent with you. And here I am to worship.
[10:58] Here I am to follow. Here I am to say that you're my God You're altogether lovely Altogether worthy Altogether wonderful to me Keep the old days I can exalt Glorious and held in the fall Only you came and came to me All for the safety base for us Here I am to worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that you're my God
[12:04] You're altogether lovely Altogether worthy Altogether wonderful to me And I'll never know How much it costs To see my sin upon that cross Oh I'll never know How much it costs To see my sin upon that cross Oh I'll never know How much it costs To see my sin upon that cross How much it costs How much it costs Here I am to worship
[13:10] Here I am to worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that you're my God You're altogether lovely You're altogether lovely Altogether worthy Altogether wonderful to me And here I am to worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that you're my God You're all together lovely You're altogether lovely Altogether worthy Altogether wonderful to me And here I am to worship And here I am to worship Here I am to worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that you're my God
[14:16] You're my God And here I am to worship And here I am to worship And here I am to worship Thank you.
[14:59] Thank you.
[15:29] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[15:41] Thank you. Thank you. We ask that you bless them. We ask that you give us wisdom to know how to best use what you have given us.
[15:53] That we return to you now for the furtherance of your kingdom. We desire Lord that many come to salvation in Jesus Christ and that those who do know you would grow in their faith.
[16:06] be with us, bless us in all the gifts. In Jesus' name, amen. Please be seated.
[16:21] I do have a couple of things to lift up before the Lord as we come to our time of prayer. We have Mike who is having an issue with an infection and is in the hospital right now.
[16:35] And we have a number of folks, several actually, in our congregation who have been recently diagnosed with cancers of different kinds. And we want to keep all of our congregation lifted up, the folks who are dealing with this, not just the disease itself and for healing, but also the adjustment that it takes to understand what it is that has to happen now.
[17:02] We just want to pray for them and their families and other folks who have other health issues as well. And we have news that Eileen Chatley's dad, Harold, passed away. And he is Allison and Ben's grandfather.
[17:15] And that service will be coming up. You'll hear about it. But it's not scheduled right at the moment. We just want to keep the Chatley family in our prayers. You are welcome, as always, to join me at the rail, standing or kneeling, as we turn to our Lord in prayer.
[17:29] Heavenly Father, we are so grateful that you love us, that you hear us, that you answer us when we seek you.
[17:54] Amen. Amen. So we lift ourselves up before you now, Lord God, and all of the needs that we have, those things that are in our hearts, that we will speak out loud and that we will hold in our hearts and just lift up to you in quiet.
[18:15] Lord, we thank you that you hear and answer us. And we lift up now all of those folks who are sick and infirm, who are in need of a healing touch from you, that you would make them whole in their spirits and their souls and in their bodies.
[18:39] From the tops of their heads to the soles of their feet, just cover them, Lord, fill them, Lord, with your healing power. Draw them close to yourself.
[18:55] Give wisdom and patience to the doctors and nurses and family members and friends who are helping them. Help them to have hearts of compassion.
[19:12] Help them to bring peace into the midst of the storms of life. Lord God, we pray for those who are feeling the pain and the grief of losses of all kinds, whether it's a loss that happened what may be for us a long time ago or the sudden, immediate loss.
[19:42] We just ask for you to send comfort now, Lord. Lord, help us to know that you are with us, that we are one in you, and that you understand our troubles, that you walk with us in our grieving.
[20:06] Bring comfort, Lord, by your Spirit. Amen. Now, Lord, we'll be going from this place.
[20:18] We come for meeting with you, to worship you, and knowing that you will fill us and that you will prepare us for what is to come. And we do ask for that preparation.
[20:31] We'll be leaving this place to go out into the world, to our schools, to our jobs, to our neighborhoods. We just ask, Lord God, that you go with us and that we allow you to let your light shine in us and through us.
[20:53] Help us, Lord, to be able to do that. We want people to see Jesus. We want them to know that in the midst of their trouble, they can come to you as well.
[21:08] We want to show them the way. So as we hear your word and as we lift our voices in song and in prayer, as we hear Pastor Tom's message, Lord God, let it all wash over us and transform us.
[21:26] Let it all prepare us and help us to be able to deal with the people and the situations we'll encounter this week.
[21:36] Help us do it, Lord, the way that you want us to. Be with Pastor Tom as he brings the word.
[21:51] Let it be a blessing to him. Let it bless us, Lord God. We pray that all of our worship this morning is a blessing to you. In Jesus' name we pray.
[22:03] Amen. Shall we hear from the word of the Lord? Amen. Amen.
[22:18] Good morning.
[22:48] The scripture today is from 1 Samuel, chapter 18, verses 5 through 21. Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army.
[23:03] This pleased all the troops, and Saul's officers as well. When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the woman came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres.
[23:21] As they danced, they sang, Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands. Saul was very angry. This refrain displeased him greatly.
[23:32] They have credited David with tens of thousands, he thought, but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom? And from that time on, Saul kept a close eye on David.
[23:45] The next day, an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did.
[23:56] Saul had a spear in his hand, and he hurled it, saying to himself, I'll pin David to the wall. But David eluded him twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David, but he had departed from Saul.
[24:10] So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. In everything he did, he had great success, because the Lord was with him.
[24:22] When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns. Saul said to David, Here is my older daughter, Mirab.
[24:37] I will give her to you in marriage. Only serve me bravely, and fight the battles of the Lord. For Saul said to himself, I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that.
[24:50] But David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law? So when the time came for Mirab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Mahola.
[25:07] Now Saul's daughter, Michael, was in love with David. And when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. I will give her to him, he thought, so that she may be a snare to him, and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.
[25:21] So Saul said to David, Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
[25:33] Thank you, Elizabeth. In this sermon series, we're looking at the life of David. David who became king over Israel, a man after God's own heart.
[25:44] And we're also looking at the fears we face, the problems in our world. It seems our culture is now just wallowing in fear, struggling with fears on every side.
[25:55] Today we're going to talk about the fear of failure, the fear that we're just not good enough, we're not successful enough. If I said the word Edsel, what does that mean to you?
[26:08] Ford. Edsel. Edsel and a Ford and a failed car launch. This joke of a car that they made in the 1950s that everybody laughed at and talks about as the example of the greatest failure of product launch in history.
[26:27] But Edsel Ford is also the name of a man who actually was a chairperson of Ford Motor Company. He was the only son of Henry Ford, and in fact, the Edsel was launched after he died.
[26:41] So he had no part in creating the car, actually, except that he had always wanted a more stylish car than his father made. His father wanted practical cars like the Model T, and Edsel said we need something with style.
[26:56] So they made the Edsel, the most stylish, the most amazing car with huge fins and all sorts of gadgets and things, just at the time that nobody wanted that car anymore.
[27:06] And they named it after Edsel, because they thought that would make him proud. And instead, his name has gone on to mean loser, mistake.
[27:18] How would you like that? If every time somebody heard your name, they thought loser, mistake, failure to launch. Once upon a time, there was a king.
[27:33] He was a tall and handsome king. It says the most handsome man in the kingdom. He came from a good family, and he was wealthy. He united the kingdom together, and everybody loved him.
[27:48] And he's remembered in the Bible as a loser, as a failure. And we know him as King Saul. What is the definition of success?
[28:02] Saul, after all, was king. He had a loving, wonderful family. He had power. He had money. He had everything.
[28:13] And then he heard some women singing a song. Saul has killed his thousands, but David has killed his tens of thousands. And he lost it.
[28:25] He lost it. He was so upset by what these women sang in a song that his entire feeling of self-worth fell apart.
[28:38] Saul was always worried about what people thought. In fact, that's what got him in trouble with God in the first place. Saul was more worried about what his troops would think, and so instead of sacrificing the animals and the goods he won in battle to God as he was supposed to, he gave them to his troops.
[28:59] And even when the great prophet Samuel chastised Saul, he was less worried about God being angry at him and more concerned about being embarrassed in front of the people.
[29:13] Because we worry. We worry about what people think and what they say, even to the point where sometimes we will deny our God. It's not anything new.
[29:25] In the time of Jesus, it says in the book of John, well, I said it for a minute anyways, the same time, even among the leaders, they believed in Jesus.
[29:37] But because of the Pharisees, they wouldn't openly acknowledge their faith for fear they'd be put out of the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.
[29:50] And I think we can all empathize with that, can't we? We are concerned about what people say, what people around us say, what they think of us. I went to a funeral for a family friend that my wife was doing about two or three weeks ago.
[30:05] And I sat down with a couple I had never met who happened to be friends with them, but also knew my in-laws. And when we introduced each other, they said, oh, your in-laws didn't like you.
[30:18] Well, that was not news to me. I knew that. I have to tell you, when we were engaged, I was not allowed on the property. I had to pick my wife up in the street. I was not allowed a pull in the driveway when we were engaged to be married.
[30:32] We didn't get along for a long time, 15, maybe 20 years. It was like a struggle and a battle. And no matter what I did or what I said, it seemed like they just couldn't accept me as being anything but a failure.
[30:47] And to be honest with you, I imagine they had their side of the story. My father-in-law used to introduce me as his wife's son-in-law. Not a lot of love there.
[31:01] It's hard when people don't think well of you. We want people to admire us and be proud of us and talk about us with praise.
[31:12] But that's not what makes us successful. In verse 14 of this passage, it says David was successful in all that he did because the Lord was with him.
[31:25] God is what makes us successful. We can win everything in the world and lose it all because we don't follow God.
[31:38] It says, what does it profit a person if they gain the whole world and lose their soul? In the words of Jesus. The truth is, is God wants us to be successful and he wants us all to be successful.
[31:52] He created us to be blessed. But to be blessed to do what he made us to do. God has something he intended and designed each of us to be and to do.
[32:03] And when we live into what God has decided to bless, God pours out his blessings. God pours out his love. Success is to live to our call, to our purpose, to what God wants and to develop God competence, which leads to self-confidence, not people competence.
[32:27] Saul couldn't see this. All he cared about is what people said about him and so he remains in a curse. And it says in here that God sent an evil spirit to solve.
[32:40] That kind of bothered me a little bit. God sent an evil spirit. What could that possibly mean? You know, we all have fears. Some of us have phobias.
[32:51] Those things that we're afraid are lurking in the closet. You know, Indiana Jones, as brave as he was, he even had a phobia and a fear. Snakes.
[33:04] Why do they have to be snakes? What would you do if you came face to face with a snake?
[33:34] They live in our closets, you know. They're in our attics. They're coming up through the toilets. They're in the walls. They're everywhere. You go out in the garden and they're slithering around out there.
[33:45] They're near flowers. They're everywhere. Snakes. Those slithery, slimy little things with their little beady eyes. You know where we first see snakes?
[33:58] In the book of Genesis. In chapter 3, we read about the serpent. It says, was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. And the serpent said to the woman, did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?
[34:15] The woman said to the serpent, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. But God did say, you must not eat fruit from the tree that's in the middle of the garden. You must not touch it or you will die.
[34:25] And the serpent said, you certainly will not die. For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be open. You'll be like God, knowing good from evil.
[34:36] That ancient snake, that ancient serpent that whispered out that God is trying to keep us from all the good things. God is trying to mess up your life and keep you from enjoying life.
[34:51] The Azelubub, Satan, the devil. That ancient serpent that God sent to Saul. Anybody know what his given name is?
[35:03] Lucifer. I heard somebody say it. Lucifer. Which Lucifer means the angel of light. The angel of light.
[35:14] We think, angel of darkness. Now that's a play. Angel of light. Lucifer. Was the one who shed light on people's faith.
[35:27] He was created to do it. And even in his rebellion against God, he's still doing what God made him to do. Going around and testing people's faith to see if it's genuine.
[35:38] And God sent an evil spirit. That serpent, if you will, the devil to test Saul. And Saul gave him the jealousy.
[35:53] And envy. And ambition. Which we made the hallmarks of our culture. Part of the reason we're afraid is because we're living for the wrong things.
[36:04] We're being told we deserve something. That we should have something. That other people shouldn't get what we don't get. That life's not fair. We become ambitious.
[36:16] And self-focused. In the book of John, we read these words. Or James, rather. The brother of Jesus. We read these words. If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, don't boast about it or deny the truth.
[36:33] Such wisdom doesn't come from the heavens. But is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you'll find disorder and every evil practice.
[36:46] We live in a culture filled with fears and worries and troubles because we're living to envy and selfish ambition and fears. Just as Saul did. God sent an evil spirit to Saul.
[37:01] To test him in his faith and see where he was. We live in a world where we have a struggle. And the struggle is not the one we tend to focus on. We're in a struggle for our very souls.
[37:14] Ephesians chapter 6 tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world. Against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.
[37:28] Fear comes. We don't have God. God had loved Saul. And he's facing down the devil. Now how do we overcome this fear?
[37:40] How do we overcome this feeling of not measuring up, of failure, of not being successful? The answer is actually surprising. Because we think the way to feel more successful is to be more successful.
[37:53] The way to feel as if we're okay is to have everybody praise us. But the truth is that never is enough. Saul was the king. He had a good family. He had money. He was wealthy. He was handsome.
[38:03] Everybody liked him. But it wasn't enough. David wrote songs. One of them, he says, the Lord is my shepherd.
[38:16] I don't want anything. The Lord is my shepherd. I don't need anything more than that. Matthew chapter 16.
[38:27] Jesus said, whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me will find it. You see, the odd thing is, is the way we overcome our feelings of inadequacy is through humility.
[38:43] Through humility. Remembering whose we are and who we're not. Samuel had anointed David to be king. You would think at this point, David would be like, I demand.
[38:55] I am so demand. Not you, you old man. I demand. God anointed me. But he's not. He's serving Saul loyally.
[39:08] He keeps grounded. He knows who he is. He plays music for Saul. You see, because David's songs, they soothe Saul when he was feeling low, broken, and the challenge of evil.
[39:28] David served Saul. He served his commander loyally, serving in the army for his king. David knew that he lived in the palace.
[39:40] That he served the king. That he was a commander of armies. Only because Saul himself had given that to him. He realized where his bread was buttered from.
[39:51] Who he was and who he wasn't. Even when Saul offered him his daughter as a wife. He said, I'm just a shepherd boy.
[40:01] I'm not a guy that should be marrying princesses. Do you know where I come from? I come from Cheektowaga, by the way. Some people would say, what good could come out of Cheektowaga?
[40:15] David knows who he is. And he lives into that humility. And because of it, Saul's family loved him. Saul's daughter, Michal, loved him.
[40:27] Saul's son, Jonathan, made David his best friend. That humility helped him to live in love, even when he was feeling broken in hate.
[40:38] David played the harp for Saul. And Saul gets up one day with a spear and throws it at David. Not once. Twice. Do you know what it says?
[40:51] If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to them the left cheek also. And if someone hits you again, punch them between the eyes, right? I don't think it says that, does it? David didn't abandon Saul.
[41:04] David didn't say, what are you doing, dude? David continued to serve and love in humility. He was tempted. He was tempted to think more of himself than what he was.
[41:17] But instead, he humbled himself. And he didn't let the devil bring him into a situation where he was going to bring brokenness out of brokenness.
[41:31] About three weeks ago, I went to First Niagara Bank. Some of you have done this lately, right? And when I went into First Niagara Bank, I told him, I said, I'm going to close this bank account.
[41:42] I don't need a bank from Pennsylvania. You know, I've got a Bank of America account. I'm moving everything over to there. But when they checked out things, there were still a couple people who had not cashed checks for me.
[41:52] I'm like, really? Come on. Cash your check. So I left it open with some money in there. Well, it's a good thing I did because I got a notice that Verizon had put a hit on my account because I had forgotten to change that bill.
[42:06] That was my fault. I was like, dodge that bullet. And then two days ago, I got a notice in the mail that my bank account with Northwest was overdrawn. I'm like, seriously?
[42:18] How can my bank account be overdrawn? There's only one bill that could possibly overdraw my bank account, and that's my credit card. Now, let me tell you, I call the credit card people to change the accounts.
[42:30] I sent in paperwork, which I have a copy of, and I called to verify that the account was changed, and they read back to me the new bank account, right?
[42:41] And yet they charged my old bank account. So I went into the bank to straighten this out.
[42:53] And I sat down in the little chairs out there in the lobby. Every little office was filled with somebody going like this, you know. So I waited my turn. There was one lady there.
[43:04] About 20 minutes later, finally, the wind frees up, and that lady went in. I said, oh, you're good. A couple came in and sat down where I was. And a guy came out of the little room. I could see he was finishing up. And he walked over to where I was seated, turned to the other couple, and said, I'll be with you in just two minutes.
[43:19] Be right back. I'm like, what? Am I invisible here? Hello? Hello? Been waiting? I'm next. And he came out, and he said something about they had an appointment.
[43:30] You can make appointments at banks? What? I didn't know you could make appointments at banks. So I saw this woman. She was finishing up, too. I said, that's no problem. She'll only be another couple minutes. She's only a couple minutes, and then she got on the telephone for 20 minutes.
[43:44] Really? Some other guy came in and sat down. Now, at this point, I'm about right there. Finally, she called me in. Now, you know what I wanted to do? You know what I wanted to say? You know what I was feeling at that moment?
[43:59] But I honestly, this is the truth. I said a little prayer. God make me what I'm supposed to be. And I went in. She was the nicest lady.
[44:11] And it wasn't their fault. Actually, Northwest Bank had used my overdraft account of line of credit, so this whole thing was going to cost me $1.76.
[44:23] $1.76. Is that worth getting your blood pressure kicked through the roof over? And this lady, she's working it all out, figuring it all out.
[44:34] And I said, well, we'll keep the checking account. And I handed her some checks to, you know, take care of it, make sure the balance was right. And she went away. And at that moment, I thought, the checks are made out to Pastor Tom Kraft.
[44:49] Right? The other one's from Pendleton Center, United Methodist Church, two and two together. Right? And she came back, and she says, I know people from your church. I know people from your church.
[45:03] I've been to your church. Lord Almighty. Thank you, Jesus. Because I was about to slaughter this lady.
[45:16] Like she had done something to me. All she was trying to do was help me. She hadn't done a single thing wrong. She didn't charge my account.
[45:27] Right? She didn't send a credit card bill. Actually, even Northwest Bank gave them credit. I told them to close the line of credit three weeks ago. They didn't do it.
[45:39] That's why it cost me $1.76 instead of $35 for an overdraft and $35 for a late payment, which they would have heard that, right? And all the interest on it.
[45:49] And oh, my gosh. So, you see, it does matter what people think of us. Because who we are reflects on God. And God. And God.
[46:01] And I thank God that for a moment, I didn't let that ancient serpent, the devil, tempt me into doing something hurtful.
[46:12] Hurtful. Hurtful. Hurtful. For no reason. David didn't give in to the temptation. He overcame it.
[46:23] We can face down the serpent and keep our integrity. Again, the brother of James in chapter 4, brother of Jesus. James says, submit yourselves to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
[46:36] He's an archangel, but he's afraid of you when you submit to God. Humility is the way to victory. God is the source of all blessing. The Lord is my shepherd.
[46:48] Because of that, I don't need anything. James also said in the first chapter of his book that all success comes from God. Every good and perfect gift is from above.
[47:00] Coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who doesn't change like shifting shadows. The serpent wants us to doubt that God is a source of our blessings, our providence.
[47:13] Verse 14. It says, everything David did was successful because the Lord was with him. The very things that Saul was trying to protect, his fame, his family, his kingdom, his nation, himself.
[47:31] He loses. He plots to kill David, who's one of his greatest supporters and his best commander. He uses his own daughter in an attempt to destroy David, using her love to turn it against the man she loved.
[47:51] And lost the love and respect of his daughter. His son turned against him. The nation turned against him. He destroyed everything that mattered.
[48:05] Because he gave in to the devil over a silly little song. Saul has killed his thousands. David has killed his ten thousands. It's like what some women are singing in a song really powerful.
[48:17] And by the way, even that note itself. Doesn't it say in the Bible, thou shalt not kill? So he's like proud of killing thousands of people?
[48:30] You know, David later is going to get in trouble for all the people he killed. He's going to have some problems with that. He shouldn't be happy because he killed people. And sometimes we get so focused, by the way, on those things we do wrong.
[48:42] We think that's what it's about. The real battle is not over what we do. The real battle is over whose we are. Who do we live for? It doesn't matter what people do.
[48:55] Only what God thinks. Submit yourself to God. And the devil will flee from you. Because God is my shepherd.
[49:07] Because of that, I shall not want. You know, a few years ago, something shifted in my relationship with my in-laws. To this day, I couldn't tell you what. I don't know if I did something different or they did something different.
[49:21] I don't know if they had a conversation and talk. Or I finally stopped being such an arrogant little jerk. I'm not sure which one it was. I really don't know. But I just know that one day, all of a sudden, we weren't fighting anymore.
[49:36] And when my father-in-law was dying in the hospital, they had one of those marker boards up above his bed where they listed family. And they listed me as son. And my wife said, no, it's son-in-law.
[49:51] And my father-in-law said, that's the same thing. That's the same thing. And when my parents died, my in-laws became my parents.
[50:05] And we may have fought for 15 years, but we loved each other for 15 or 20 more. And I treasure that. All because somewhere, one of us, maybe both of us, decided it wasn't worth the battle.
[50:19] The devil wants to destroy us. The devil wants to destroy us. God wants to save us. You know, we could end this sermon by saying this is the story of David overcoming temptation, which it is.
[50:34] And David being humble, which it is. But it's also the story of God giving Saul one more chance. Saul gets one more opportunity for grace.
[50:45] See, even though we fail, God continues to give us more chances. There's always hope. Remember, we read it a couple weeks ago.
[50:57] David's already been anointed by God to be king. So why is God keeping Saul around? Why doesn't he just have him killed somewhere and get out with it? Why does it take so long for Saul to die?
[51:11] We know God could take his life at any moment. But God loved Saul. Saul was his chosen king. And God knew the potential in Saul.
[51:24] And God wanted to redeem him. Saul doesn't know that David has been anointed to be king. David didn't feel a need to tell him.
[51:36] And God didn't send that evil spirit to hurt Saul. He sent that spirit to challenge Saul to turn around. And walk away from this brokenness.
[51:48] Imagine what would have happened. If Saul and David would have united together. The great king Saul with the great king David.
[52:01] My son-in-law who's like a son. Same thing, married to my daughter. Who I love. They would have brought the kingdom of Israel together forever.
[52:13] Instead of them fighting and fighting for years to come. God wanted to make everybody win. We're all tempted.
[52:29] You know, even Jesus was tempted. It says that Jesus, right after his baptism, was led by the Holy Spirit of God out into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
[52:40] And the devil said, if you bow down and worship me, I'll give you all the kingdoms of the earth. Jesus said, it's written to worship the Lord. And him alone.
[52:52] And the devil led from him. Jesus could have called angels. Jesus could have run the world. Jesus could have taken over and conquered everybody.
[53:03] Instead, he humbled himself. This is what it says in the book of Philippians. Paul says to us, being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.
[53:19] Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. You know, the cross is a symbol of our faith, not an open grave. The cross, the symbol of death and persecution, the symbol of humility and embarrassment, is a symbol of our faith.
[53:41] Because God wants us to remember that even he was willing to humble himself so that we could be in love again. And victory comes from humility.
[53:54] When we are brought low, God brings us up high again today. Maybe you're feeling the devil tempting you in a way you know you should not come.
[54:06] Come into that temptation. Resist it, and the devil will flee. Maybe you're feeling that somehow you've failed. You've broken. You've destroyed.
[54:17] You've crushed your relationship with God and people you love. Remember, God didn't give up on us all. God doesn't give up on any of us.
[54:29] Take the brokenness to the cross. And let God pour his grace out on you. Amen. Amen.
[54:41] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[55:14] Amen. Redemption's here where your blood was spilled for my ransom.
[55:28] Where it's me, I want to sell dear, like I'll be on your thoughts.
[55:39] Lead me to the cross, the way of the Lord. Lead me to my knees, Lord, I lay me down.
[55:54] Lead me of myself, I belong to you. Oh, lead me, lead me to the cross.
[56:11] Oh, lead me to the cross. You were as I tend to try.
[56:32] You were as I. You became flesh, but most lies in your death.
[56:47] Now you're risen. Everything I once did, I count it all as long.
[57:04] Lead me to the cross, the way of the Lord. Lead me to my knees, Lord, I lay me down.
[57:16] With me, I'm not so I belong to you. Oh, lead me, lead me to the cross.
[57:35] Lead me to your heart. Lead me to your heart.
[57:52] Lead me to your heart. Lead me to your heart.
[58:04] Lead me to your heart. Lead me to the cross, where your love flowed out. Bring me to my knees, Lord, I lay me down.
[58:18] Lead me to your heart. Lead me to my knees, Lord, I lay me down. Lead me to my knees, Lord, I lay me down.
[58:40] With me, O myself, I belong to you. Believe me.
[58:54] Lead me to the cross. Praise is rising.
[59:16] Eyes are turning to you. We turn to you. Hope is stirring.
[59:32] Hearts are yearning for you. We long for you. When we see you, we find strength to face the day.
[59:51] And in your presence, all our fears are washed away. Washed away. Hosanna.
[60:02] Hosanna. You are the God who saves us. Will you love our presence?
[60:17] Hosanna. Hosanna. Come at your way among us. We welcome you here, Lord Jesus.
[60:29] Hosanna. We welcome you. Hear the sound of hearts.
[60:43] We turn unto you. We turn to you. In your kingdom broken lies our days new You make us new When we see you we find strength to face the day And in your presence our life is washed away Washed away Hosanna Hosanna You are the God who saves us Worthy of all I pray Hosanna Hosanna
[61:46] Come have your way among us We welcome you here Lord Jesus Hosanna Hosanna Come have your way among us We welcome you here Lord Jesus Every time Every time I start to feel like I'm a success God humbles me And every time I start to feel broken As if there's nothing I'm worth being God pulls me up out of that pit Every success All brokenness comes through God All brokenness comes through the devil
[62:48] So when we come for our prayer of confession What we're really doing is saying We're losers We're Edsels We don't measure up But God Can make us into Cadillacs Amen And only God Jam can't make a Netsam into a Cadillac I don't think Maybe they can I don't know I have no idea And I don't care So let's turn our hearts And our souls And our lives Over to our God And let him work on us Okay Dear Lord in heaven I have sinned I'm not what I should be I worry about the wrong voices I worry what people say When I should be worried about what you say Forgive me Lord Guide me to what you want to bless That I might be yours And you might change the world For me
[63:50] And through me In Jesus name we pray Amen So God takes all our brokenness All our pain All our struggles Everything we brought into this place And today he puts it aside And we go into a world That's fresh and new Filled with possibilities And wonders And blessings Of God In the name of Jesus Christ Your sins are forgiven In the name of Jesus Christ Your sins are forgiven Glory to God Amen Lord I come to you Let my heart be changed Renewed Falling from the grace
[64:50] That I found In you For I come to know The weaknesses I see And we will be stripped away And we will be stripped away Of power over love Holy Ghost Let your heart surround me Bring me in Draw me to your side And as I wake
[65:56] I'll rise So bright Be equal And God will slow in you Your spirit leads me on But now I know You're born Amen And God wants us to come And be with him here At the table That the table that we receive We can come And know that God Has made a way for us Know that God Has made a way for us To draw near to him So that God Can hold us close Everyone is welcome
[66:57] At the table If you love God Earnestly repent Of your sin And seek to live In peace As a disciple In the Bible of Jesus Christ You are welcome To draw close To the Lord Here at the table And receive from him All he has for you You don't have to be A member of this church You don't have to be A member of any church If you seek To draw close To God In Jesus Christ Come to the table This morning Come and receive The Lord be with you Lift up your hearts Lift up your hearts Lift up your hearts Let us give thanks To the Lord our God Lift up your hearts Lift up your heart Lift up your hearts It is right And a good And a joyful thing Always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
[67:55] You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life. When we turned away and our love failed, your love remained steadfast.
[68:06] You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God and spoke to us through your prophets. And so with your people on earth and all company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn.
[68:23] Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
[68:34] Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Holy are you and blessed is your son Jesus Christ. Your spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to announce the time had come when you would save your people.
[69:00] He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.
[69:17] Now the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread and gave thanks to you, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat.
[69:29] This is my body which is given to you. Do this in remembrance of me. And when the supper was over, he took the cup and gave you thanks and praise.
[69:45] He gave it to his disciples. He said, Drink from this, all of you. This is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new covenant, poured out for you, poured out for many, for the forgiveness of sin.
[69:58] Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. And so, in remembrance of these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves, in praise and thanksgiving, as a holy and living sacrifice, communion with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
[70:23] Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, God. And on these gifts of bread and wine, make them be for us, the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world, the body of Christ redeemed by his blood.
[70:46] By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
[71:02] Through your Son, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.
[71:15] Shall we pray as Jesus, Father, our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
[71:29] Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[71:45] For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Will those who are serving, please come forward. that he will be done for all yourại roIVs, with the purpose of evil.
[71:57] And then, we will Beit home, that I believe our children and to God, have mercy on us.
[72:09] For example, she will be dued for all thebek, and serve all the way. So that he will be done with the fruit of God. For example, the beneficiary fairmost, Thank you.
[72:45] Thank you.
[73:15] Thank you. Come to the table, to the rail for prayers for healing, the light candle. Join us in the grace that God is offering to us.
[73:27] Come, meet with your Lord. Come, meet with your Lord.
[73:59] Come, meet with your Lord.
[74:29] Come, meet with your Lord.
[74:59] Come, meet with them. That's a little bit. Well... Thank you.
[75:34] Thank you.
[76:04] Thank you.
[76:34] Thank you.
[77:04] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[77:18] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[77:34] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[77:46] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[78:00] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[78:12] Thank you. Thank you.
[78:24] Thank you. I am weak, but I'm strong. Jesus, keep him from our wrong.
[78:42] And I'll be satisfied as long as I walk. Let me walk and walk to thee.
[78:55] Just a close walk with thee. Breath in Jesus is my plea.
[79:09] Daily walking close to thee. Let it be, Lord, let it be.
[79:21] Let it be, Lord, let it be.
[79:52] You see, somehow we think that love is always kindness and always the fun stuff and all the things that we might call blessings. But sometimes God sends a little whack upside the head to remind us that, hey, we're going the wrong way.
[80:09] Hey, we're not as good as we might think we are. Hey, maybe we need to get a little humility. Remember whose we are so we don't lash out at people the wrong way. So we're not afraid of the world and crickets and things like that.
[80:23] That we can live knowing that God will lift us up. And if God of the universe loves us, the rest of it doesn't matter at all.
[80:34] Now go in the power of God and let God hold you and let God strengthen you and let God lead you and let God be your strength and find that cricket. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[80:49] Thank you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you.