"If He Brought you Here, He Will Take You There"

Graduation has Come

The late Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady of the late 32nd President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt said: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” After 12 years, 144 months, 4,383 days, 105,192 hours, 6,311,502 minutes and 378,691,200 seconds the first lap of your educational journey will culminate in a 2-4 hour ceremony celebrating your great accomplishment. After 4 years, 48 months, 209 weeks, 1461 days, 35,064 hours, 2,103,840 minutes, 126,230,400 seconds you completed the second lap of your educational journey that you will now enter a world where you have to take what you learn and make a living. As you matriculated from Day care graduations, kindergarten graduations, sixth grade graduations, eighth grade graduations, to high school and college graduations, you were met with difficulties and tests that challenged your faith, but yet your presence here today signifies that you passed the test. Life presented you with different tests that were not on paper, but your presence here today proves that you made it. For the college graduates, you close the second phase of your educational journey and enter the world looking for an opportunity to showcase the skills you’ve acquired during your collegiate career. The world and workforce are still polarized by the color of one’s skin, no matter the amount of education you obtain. Its still not safe to walk the streets or get pulled over by the police. To some still your life doesn’t matter, and people who don’t know you are making decisions that affect your body and your life. Stereotypes still dominate the day as you strive to shatter the statistical mold others have crafted. You will be met with people who believe in removing diversity from state universities is a smart thing... All of you grew up during troubled times, where you witnessed events and things that neither I or your parents experienced…yet, by the grace of the Lord you’ve come along way. As you embark on the next phase of your journey, life will bring a new set of test that you need a different type of education to pass. Jude 24 says:

Jude 24 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

God brought you here through some ups and down…God brought you here through the storm and the rain…God brought you through heartache and pain…God brought you from here to there…The same God who brought you here is the same God that will take you to his “there.” Don’t allow your here change your confidence, commitment, and calm faith in God…Don’t allow negativity “here” to affect your positive progress…Don’t allow those in your ear “here” to change what God has said about your “there...” Don’t allow those who leave you in your “here” season stop you from getting to your “there” season…Don’t let “here” affect “there...”

Now permit me to close with a word from the Lord.....

Propositional Statement

Christians must remain confident, committed, and calm during this life journey because God will get you from “here to there.”

Psalm 37

This psalm is a sermon, and an excellent useful sermon it is, calculated not (as most of the psalms) for our devotion, but for our conversation; there is nothing in it of prayer or praise, but it is all instruction; it is “Maschil—a teaching psalm;” it is an exposition of some of the hardest chapters in the book of Providence, the advancement of the wicked and the disgrace of the righteous, a solution of the difficulties that arise thereupon, and an exhortation to conduct ourselves as becomes us under such dark dispensations. The work of the prophets (and David was one) was to explain the law. Now the law of Moses had promised temporal blessings to the obedient, and denounced temporal miseries against the disobedient, which principally referred to the body of the people, the nation as a nation; for, when they came to be applied to particular persons, many instances occurred of sinners in prosperity and saints in adversity; to reconcile those instances with the word that God had spoken is the scope of the prophet in this psalm, in which, I. He forbids us to fret at the prosperity of the wicked in their wicked ways (v. 1, 7, 8). II. He gives very good reasons why we should not fret at it. 1. Because of the scandalous character of the wicked (v. 12, 14, 21, 32) notwithstanding their prosperity, and the honourable character of the righteous (v. 21, 26, 30, 31). 2. Because of the destruction and ruin which the wicked are nigh to (v. 2, 9, 10, 20, 35, 36, 38) and the salvation and protection which the righteous are sure of from all the malicious designs of the wicked (v. 13, 15, 17, 28, 33, 39, 40). 3. Because of the particular mercy God has in store for all good people and the favour he shows them (v. 11, 16, 18, 19, 22–25, 28, 29, 37). III. He prescribes very good remedies against this sin of envying the prosperity of the wicked, and great encouragement to use those remedies (v. 3–6, 27, 34). In singing this psalm we must teach and admonish one another rightly to understand the providence of God and to accommodate ourselves to it, at all times carefully to do our duty and then patiently to leave the event with God and to believe that, how black soever things may look for the present, it shall be “well with those that fear God, that fear before him.”

David’s Current Situation

In Psalm 37, David shares his cheat codes for life’s test by reminding the reader that every life experience is under God’s governance. The main idea of this song is to not become angry or let your inability to endure be kindled, even though you see that the impious flourish and the wicked succeed and prosper in their wickedness. Do not let yourself be disturbed so that you would abandon you zeal for piety or abandon your vocation or associate with the impious or participate in the world’s usual trickery and deceits. But whatever should happen, always endure in knowledge and confession of the truth, in zeal for piety, in the labor of your vocation and in keeping a pure conscience. He encourages the reader to trust God and continue to do good. When others and they will turn on and away from you, the reader can trust that God will never forsake them. Like the psalmist who laments the prosperity of the wicked and the affliction of the weak, the reality is that Christians live in a world in which sometimes evildoers flourish and the righteous suffer. David’s song provides affirmation that believers should not fear or worry, even though sinners may prosper for a time. To be overly worried about such earthly struggles demonstrates a lack of faith. Instead, despite their sufferings, Christians should trust in God, take comfort in the divine providence, be at peace through the presence of the Holy Spirit and endure in faithfulness through prayer, patience and meditation on the Word of God.

Confidence in God

Chuck Swindoll said:

“We must cease striving and trust God to provide what He thinks is best and in whatever time He chooses to make it available. But this kind of trusting doesn't come naturally. It's a spiritual crisis of the will in which we must choose to exercise faith.”

David no doubt pens this psalm as he reminiscences on his ascent to king of Israel. From the field to the palace, David’s story is not everyone’s story. After Saul’s unlawful sacrifice in 1 Samuel 13:8-14, the prophet Samuel tells Saul that his kingdom would not continue and that God is looking for a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Later, the speaks to Samuel, revealing his regret for making Saul king because he turned away from him and his commandments. The Lord sends old man Samuel to Bethlehem “the house of Bread” to find the next king of Israel. Seven passed before Samuel, they met man’s standard, but not God’s standard....we know how the story goes and David is anointed as the next king of Israel. David did not immediately become king, but his confidence (trust) in God kept him while he waited. Trust in the Hebrew means “to believe in a person or object to the point of reliance upon.” David had reasons to trust God, and we have reasons to trust God....Fretting and being angry at those “haters” who seemingly have a leg up on you is a sign of mistrust vis-a-vis the judgmental reality of Yahweh. David encourages the reader to trust in God, walk uprightly, and display unwearied steadfastness in life on the land—which is thought of as the highest evidence of blessing and the epitome of goodness of God that sustains life. David encourages the reader to desist from every type of quarrel with God about the ungodly so that he may confidently receive and enjoy the full blessing that God presents to his servants. “A untested faith is a faith you can’t trust. A faith worth trust is a faith that is tried.” Faith becomes trust when it goes through the fire and comes out as faith. Confidence in God comes through experiences with God showing up when he knows you need him. It is difficult to trust and have confidence in God when your faith is untested by life. You won’t praise, pray or worship anyone or anything you don’t have shared experience with. Trusting God comes with receipts…

“If God was able to bring you here, then He is able to take you there, just keep on trusting in Him”

— Pastor Marc

Commit to God

“Your commitments can develop you or destroy you, but either way, they will define you.”

— Pastor Marc

We all practice the discipline of commitment to either the right person and things or the wrong person or thing. Even people commit to not committing to anything. David encourages the reader to allow their confidence in God to translate into a eternal commitment to God. Commitment to God means you place your cause and life in his hands. The word commit in Hebrew means “to trust in his help,” is an appeal for perseverance, which is supported by the reference to the speedy end of the ungodly. Commitment means you “roll differently” than other people that when distressing times come instead of rolling with the punches, you have to roll your troubles on to him. “When life rolls up on you, then your next move is to roll up on God with what rolled up on you.”

One thing is that even though you “roll up on God” it may not change anything. David’s enemies mock his trust in God. As you “roll up” to God, he can roll away the scorn and contempt from him (Psalm 119:22). When God asks for your commitment, he is not asking for your things first, but he is asking for your “way” or your journey, your life…conduct…way of life…what is done…behave in a particular way…in the manner one conducts one’s life, including habits, as a figurative extension of a thoroughfare...

Remain Calm in Circumstances

“This is the most precious answer God can give us: wait. It makes us cling to him rather than to an outcome. God knows what I need; I do not. He sees the future; I cannot. His perspective is eternal; mine is not. He will give me what is best for me when it is best for me.”

—Pastor Marc

There are times when God just wants to tell his children “Get yourself together” its going to be alright. The hardest thing God asks us to do is “be still” or to extend a period of time, with no implication if appropriate or inappropriate. Christians are to be well reconciled to all he does and acquiesce in it, for that is best that is, because it is what God has appointed; and be well satisfied that he will still make all to work for good to us, though we know not how or which way.” Be silent to the Lord (so the word is), not with a sullen, but a submissive silence. A patient bearing of what is laid upon us, with a patient expectation of what is further appointed for us, is as much our interest as it is our duty, for it will make us always easy; and there is a great deal of reason for it, for it is making a virtue of necessity.

“Fret not thyself because of him who prospers in his wicked way, who, though he is a bad man, yet thrives and grows rich and great in the world; no, nor because of him who does mischief with his power and wealth, and brings wicked devices to pass against those that are virtuous and good, who seems to have gained his point and to have run them down. If thy heart begins to rise at it, stroke down thy folly, and cease from anger (v. 8), check the first stirrings of discontent and envy, and do not harbour any hard thoughts of God and his providence upon this account. Be not angry at any thing that God does, but forsake that wrath; it is the worst kind of wrath that can be. Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil; do not envy them their prosperity, lest thou be tempted to fall in with them and to take the same evil course that they take to enrich and advance themselves or some desperate course to avoid them and their power.” A fretful discontented spirit lies open to many temptations; and those that indulge it are in danger of doing evil.

Point of Emphasis: “The Lord was with Joseph, and Joseph remained forgotten for two years. Both were equally true.”

Just because the Lord is with you does not exclude you from waiting…can you handle waiting when everything in you says “go.” He equates “waiting patiently” in the Hebrew to a woman being in labor which is painful, yet the end result of waiting brings to bear what you’ve expected for nine months....

“Waiting is a very active part of living. Waiting on God, if we do it correctly, is anything but passive. Waiting works its way out in very deliberate actions, very intentionally searching the Scriptures and praying, intense moments of humility, and self-realization of our finiteness. With the waiting comes learning. I can’t think of much I’ve learned that’s positive from the times I’ve plowed ahead without waiting on God.”

If He Took...

Noah from a flood to dry land…Abram from Ur to Caanan…Joseph from the pit to pinnacle of power…Moses from the river to royalty…took Ruth from a widow to a Kinsman-Redeemer…David from the field to the king’s palace…Esther from an exile to the throne…Job from losing everything to double for his trouble…the Hebrews boys from the fire to deliverance…Daniel was brought from exile to regency to the loin’s dens to deliverance…he took Jonah from the belly of a fish to the shores of Nineveh…he took Saul from persecution to a prolific apostle of Jesus...

He brought Jesus from eternity to time…from time to the manger…from the manger to Egypt....from Egypt to the temple…from the temple to the Jordan River…from the Jordan River to the wilderness…from the wilderness to a wedding in Cana…from the wedding at Cana to Galilee…from Galilee to Capernaum…from Capernaum to Lazarus’ grave…from Lazarus’ grave to the temple in Jerusalem…from the temple in Jerusalem to the upper room with his disciples…from the upper room with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane…from the garden to the court…from the court to the crowd that shouted “crucify him”…from crucify him to the road of sorrows…from the road of sorrows to the cross…from the cross to his death…from the cross to the death to hell…from hell to resurrection…from the resurrection to the room with his disciples…from the room to the Sea of Galilee…from the Sea of Galilee back to heaven....