March 19, 2017

Good morning. Welcome to Hillandale. We are continuing a sermon series out of Psalms during Lent in preparation for Easter and Cindy's going to read our passage this morning.

Good morning. YouTube and Psalm 43 as a deer pants for streams of water. So my soul pants for you. Oh God my soul thirst for God for the Living God. Where can I go and meet with God my tears have been my food day and night while man say to me all day long is our God these things are remember as I pour out my soul. So I used to go with the multitude leading the procession to the house of God, which sounds of joy and Thanksgiving among the festive wrong. Why are you so downcast? Oh my soul. Why so Disturbed within me put your hope in God for I will yet Praise Him My Savior and my God, my soul is downcast within me. Therefore. I will remember you from the land of Jordan the heights of her men from Mount mizar deep calls to deep in the Roar of your waterfalls. All your waves and Breakers have swept over me. My day the Lord directs his love at night. His song is with me a prayer to the god of my life. I say to God my rock. Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about morning oppressed by the enemy my bones suffer. Mortal Agony is my foes taught me saying to me all day long is your god. Why are you downcast? Oh my soul. Why so Disturbed within me put your hope in God for I will yet Praise Him My Savior and my God vindicate me o God and please my car against an ungodly Nation rescue me from deceitful and wicked man. You are my God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about morning oppressed by the n stand for with your light and your truth. Let them guide me and let them bring me to your Holy Mountain to the place where you dwell then I will go to the altar of God. Did God my joy and my delight I will praise you with the heart. Oh God my God. Why are you downcast? Oh my soul. Why so Disturbed within me put your hope in God for I will yet Praise Him My Savior and my God.

the

says in this song that their soul is downcast three different times that's part of the theme of this song. Now the word translator downcast means completely distraught and dissolved with nothing left. My natural personality bent is to be a little bit of a goofball and an extrovert and as I've gone through the Psalms in preparation for Lent. It's challenged me because it's taking me into passages that aren't normally the ones that I gravitate towards but one thing I love about scripture is scripture is true to life. Scripture speaks to the reality of life and the complexities of life and it doesn't sugarcoat it and it doesn't avoid difficult things and the truth is in the original language here in the Hebrew. This song most is admit is admitting that he is completely overwhelmed. He is completely depressed this. This is not just a little down in the dumps moment in his life. He doesn't have anything left. He doesn't want to go on he would just as soon have God end his life. It is deep depression downcast does not catch the full meaning of this word. He is completely dissolved before the Lord overwhelmed.

The truth is if we are honest with one another like scripture is honest with us and honest with life. I suspect we can all relate to this.

either at some point in the past you had a season when you felt like this writer of this song completely overwhelmed and distraught and downcast or if you haven't you will

That's part of human life. There's no avoiding it. You don't want to buy professors and undergrad used to say that too often. Our goal in life is to slide fat dumb and happy from the Cradle to the Grave and sometimes that's the American way. You know, what if I can just keep busy and stay distracted and not really focus on the heavy things or the challenging thing. Maybe I can just get through. You know what I'm a little down today, but maybe if I go buy something that'll distract me or maybe if I if I veg out in front of the TV or if I go over eat in my favorite food, you can see how we live in a culture that wants to not look at the heavy or serious things but scripture is honest and true to life and so the psalmist admits. He's overwhelmed. He's distraught with life. Now I want to make a couple of notes hear this severe depression is not something that happens only the spiritual weaklings Elijah and Moses spiritual Warriors both asked God to let them die during depression. Sometimes we think well, if you're spiritually strong you will always be upbeat and full of joy, but that's not what scripture. Reports for us. But even those who are spiritual Warriors and spiritually mature are overwhelmed at times and so Elijah and Moses have moments when I said God I'm just completely spent I have nothing left. I don't even want to go on. Bella second note about this song that makes it unique among the Psalms is a whole is this passage is not about sin or tragedy in the Samus life most often. That's the frequent cause of deep sadness in the Psalms. The Samus will will lament their sort of depression and sadness and then they will say it's because I've hidden my sin it's because I'm not confessed it we talked about that a couple of weeks ago and sold it Miss. That's what's causing this or he will talk about great tragedy. You know, my enemies have have done this to my city to my nation and I'm greatly depressed over that. But even in this song when he mentions those were taunting him if you read the song carefully, they're taunting him because he is downcast. It is not the time thing that is causing him to be downcast. So this song is not about the traditional categories of the Psalms that speak to sadness or depression. There's not an immediate answer to say all well clearly. You've not confessed your sin or clearly there's this tragedy that you're talkin about. The writer is talking about his longing for the presence of God. This experience of God this sense of God being real. He's talking about panting for God at something we all need. You know, sometimes the image we have in our mind is this lush green forest in this beautiful little Disney dear, you know Gathering some Clearwater, but what he's talking about is in this painting, it's this dear death dehydration. Again, he's overwhelmed. He's does off. He doesn't sense or feel God's presence. He's like this animal stuck in the desert. That's close to death that's looking for any little muddy puddle to lap something up. As the deer pants for the water so my soul Longs for you and if we're honest as scriptures are Even the people of God even elders and pastors deacons at Central teachers and even sweet little old Christian ladies. Can say there have been times when I did not feel God's presence. I only felt his absence. I wondered where he was. I felt abandoned and alone and overwhelmed and that's what this song is talking about. And if we're honest when we look at scripture, we have to start that. I say that. Almost apologetically, but if I'm true the scripture I'm Unapologetic about it, but we're so used to not shining a light in that direction. But hang with me as we go deeper in that direction. We will talk at the end about where the light is in this tunnel of Darkness. But when you look for clues about what has placed the writer of the songs in this position where he says, I'm overwhelmed I'm distraught dissolved. I feel no sense of God's presence UC inverse for inverse 60 talks about how he used to go to the house of God, but now

Something different. We don't know if this Ryder used to live near the temple and would go to the temple but then somehow his life change that he he move somewhere else until he doesn't get to do that anymore or if he used to go, but now he simply does not go all we know is he says you don't I I remember these good old days when there was a big crowd of us and we would go up to the temple and it was this great experience. And so part of what's leading him toward this depression is this sense of being disconnected from what he would say are those Glory Days? Now, let me offer a little suggestion. I believe that as humans we get this myth in our mind about the Glory Days we say I wish things were like they used to be and we think you used to be points to a number things. I wish we sang the music we used to sing. I wish our culture. I wish it was 1950 or I Wish It Was 1980 or fight even settle for 1994 you pick a day. I wish it was as sometimes we referring to the changes in the culture. Sometimes are referring to changes in the church. I wish people would dress up like they used to I wish we have all these Glory Days cuz I remember I remember we used to go to the house to look at it was so good. It was so wonderful. Where are those days? Let me tell you something. I believe that we buy into this myth about the Glory Days or the good old days being about a time. If only we could go back in time. Then things would be better. Let me point out something that's obvious that I think sometimes we forget. The reason those good old days were good was because of relationships. Not because of the calendar. Both Glory Days you remember where days when you were connected? Well with Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Maybe you had a home fellowship group. I hear that all the time when we used to we used to in the good old days. We had we gathered we pray for a shared life together. We would go on trips together. We just did life together. That's what the psalmist is revealing. That's what's missing. It's not simply a matter of could we set the calendar back? Could we change the dress style? Could we get Phil Donahue on the TV again? You don't care if we somehow go back in time, Carol Burnett come back. You don't care for today was a good sweat. Can we have Andy Griffin somehow we think if we could just go back in time. But the adversary deceives us if we don't pause and think long enough and realize those good old days when you felt like your face was maybe more vibrant than it is now they were good because you were investing in relationship.

Was it because you had a better pastor? The past that used to come sit on the porch with me and drink lemonade. He just had all the time in the world can have lunch with kids. You just hold my hand and things were so good. Those were the good old days. What am I cuz you had better deacons or better Elders or better worship leader or better youth Minister, but the adversary gets us to think that

And instead of being a presence of encouragement to one another we become a presence of discouragement one another. Instead of an acting the very solution that scripture gives us when we're longing for those good old days. We can act its opposite don't you just hate the devil? The way he tricked us into doing the very opposite of what God says. We should be doing scripture says that that that we need one another. We not only need our relationship with God but all throughout scripture, we're told that we need our relationship to one another that are 59 one another commands in the New Testament commands not suggestions not for some of those pictures you got more time than I do commands 59 commands and leave and those command require actual ongoing close relationships with Brothers and Sisters in Christ, their commands like confess your sins to one another and James and don't just walk up to somebody you hardly know and say hey, I just need to let you know I really was rude to my wife this morning. I mean, I was downright mean I was short I did the wrong thing. I sent to confess that sent to you. Nobody. Does that sort of thing? You confess those sins to somebody who's a good friend who you spent a lot of time with you get to know each other well enough that you start to feel comfortable. You start to share you pray together that relationship grows enough that you can tell you know, sometimes I'm really I'm the problem at all these things that point to if only this and I'm honest sometimes I'm the problem I enter a room at it becomes a room that's less. Joyful because I'm locked and loaded to criticize or to gossip. We need to practice those one another's and that's what scripture says. It's part of the cure to this kind of melancholy or this kind of mediocre Christianity that slips over us like a blanket where we just kind of settle we either Escape. Keep thinking one more purchase one more boyfriend one more spouse and somehow I'll turn the corner on happiness it we are buying into that lie or we just said we settle we just lower the bar and you know what? This is good enough. This is good enough. The scripture says we should be above that level. We should be enjoying we should be dealing with our struggles. So the myth of the Glory Days is not about setting the clock back. It's about setting our Behavior FAQ.

If you remember the good old days when you felt like all my faith was Byron. I was thrilled to be in worship. I couldn't wait to get to see others than the challenges. Are you living out relationships with Brothers and Sisters in Christ in such a way that you can't wait to get to your Sunday school or you can't wait to get to worship.

That's part of the challenge. Are you carving out time in your life scripture talk about this in the New Testament Hebrews 10 2425. Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and to do good deeds. You should not stay away from the church meetings as summer doing but you should meet together and encourage each other do this even more as you see the day coming. Scripture says when you when you long for those good old days. One of the jurors is to make sure you're faithful and committed to these healthy relationships with Brothers and Sisters in Christ for your thinking about each other you're thinking. How can I encourage Mitch? You know Mitch and I spend enough time together, but I happen to know this is a big week from Hitch. He's got a lot on his plate. And so what can I do? Maybe it's simple as cinnamon emails. Just thinking about you this week. I pray for your family prayed for you think that would encourage

That's the scriptural cure look like I said, sometimes they have us instead into thinking the good old days with I just sure wish that we had it on the same color fuse we used to have or I wish the both of us blah blah blah. The answer just gets a great Victory and steering you away from the biblical and scriptural solution to some of the melancholy.

So instead of misunderstanding With the Glory Days were remember there about relationships and renew your focus on those relationships your relationship with God and your relationship with Brothers and Sisters in Christ. And if there's not a life group or home fellowship or group do you get involved with and start one?

Find a couple of Brothers and Sisters in Christ and say hey, can you guys come to our house on Fridays? We're going to eat pizza and pray together. Hello Bible study and we're going to we ball until midnight till the Neighbors start this talk about it. Why are they still up?

Do that sort of thing Embrace what scripture models for us? Don't forsake meeting together and that doesn't refer to Simply a routine of being in a building when the doors are open as you see in the larger context of that verse it refers to thinking about each other and encouraging each other. It assumes those sorts of relationships. But it continues to go deeper. The Simon says my tears have been my food day and night. He's not sleeping. He's not eating. This is textbook depression. So there's not a quick simple answer to say well just do this and everything will get better just like that. It's deeper and more complicated Tim Keller whom the series is based on has a book called the songs of Jesus and he goes through the songs and talks about how the how the the average Jewish person would have been reading the songs as their devotional life any points out some of these great insights that were talking about this morning because it's more than just a light-hearted buck up little camper. He quotes Dr. Martin Luther Lord Jones who talks about who is a medical physician and a pastor who says look it's it's more complicated than just spiritual only and it's not just physical only the way our world might say around us. He says there's anyone hold of you as long as you're a Christian, it doesn't matter what the condition of your body is. So he says there's a physical reality are physical health whether we're eating whether we're sleeping that very much connect to the spiritual reality of Joy or depression being overwhelmed or dissolved. We can't simply separating. Sometimes a preacher be the worst one who will never address any other issue but just said well if you confess your sin, are you right with God you just get those that's probably why you're depressed. You just need to get spiritually fixed and then everything will be good, but it's more complicated than that. And so this position and pastor says does anyone hold of you as long as you are Christian, it doesn't matter what the condition of your body is.

I don't like that verse by the way. That's like when some people say to me, do you ever preach on gluttony and I say no, I'm not allowed. That's the send that we all say. Let's just all agree that it's okay. Let's not talk about it. I overeat I love food. I love to eat food. That's bad for me. I love LH that awful and I'm at Tennessee boy and my favorite soft drink is until 8 and it's just full of sugar. But I think it would be good with this. You know, it goes good with ribs.

And if you guys have seen cuz I'm on display every week for the past year-and-a-half. I've done the yo-yo diet, you know where I've tried to lose weight and I've lost a little and gained a little back lost little and Camelback and I'm still on that journey to try to get healthier in part because I'm thinking now about our two little baby girls, and then I need to be energetic and be a dad for a couple of decades ahead of me still active running around chasing babies. but I don't know if they're too like that cuz I like to think of that to my own business and nobody else's business and yet This writer points that out. And is anyone hold of you as long as you are Christian doesn't matter what the condition of your body is, you will soon be disillusioned. If you believe that those who are physically weak or more prone to attacks. What's the old saying is it halt hungry angry lonely tired those who counsel folks who struggle with addictions or just bad habits or what? We can easily call Saint Seiya some of the triggers are when you're too hungry or too angry or too lonely or too tired. Those are often physical reality. How many of you are more tempted when you're hungry. Write this is common sense. Right? Don't go to the grocery store when you're hungry, right? I mean everything looks you I just fall off Oreos. We need more Oreos. You just fill the car and head out if you're not careful. And so there is a connection between these two he continued but if you recognize that the physical may be partly responsible for the spiritual condition and make allowance for this you will be better able to deal with the spiritual issues. It's interesting. You think I'm not sure that the biblical that's just a googly google talk from some sort of doctor. It's interesting in 1st Kings 19, if you know the story Elijah has just had this tremendous spiritual Victory as a mature Prophet where he is clearly stood up for the Lord. He said soak the wood with water you'll this passage. He's battling the other prophets whose God is the real God Steven says to the other maybe your Gods on the toilet or translate don't put that that's what it says in Hebrew when they're all chanting around cutting themselves working up this Fury to have their God Display of Power and burn this would he says where's your God, you know Tonks down and then he says soak the wood before we call on my God so filled with water and then he calls on God and says show your reality and fire comes down and burns up everything as a display. That's a pretty significant event in the Old Testament. He's not a spiritual weakling. He's serving God in this bold way immediately after that he runs and hides in the wilderness and is so depressed and overwhelmed. He says God just take my life. An angel appears to him to minister him in 1st Kings 19 and guess what the angel does?

Angel breaks out a hymn book And says, let's sing the good old hymns and his spirit is not even then then have a handbook during that time. Angel rolls out the Scrolls of scripture that says if you'll just meditate day and night on the word of God you will suddenly

Angel said to him I bet you got some unconfessed sin spit it out.

If I know what the angel. The only place in all of scripture that an angel does this for somebody? Angel cook salmon meal amazing. The angel says you need to sleep go to sleep. You're exhausted. And while he's sleeping the angel Cooks him dinner, you need to eat something cuz you haven't eaten.

the Bible speaks to the complexities of life It does not compartmentalize everything and say well keep your physical life over here and your spiritual life over here. Keep your church life over here and your family life over here. It speaks to the complexities of Life as We Know It Dr. Lloyd-jones is making a Biblical point. We see that in First Kings that the angel immediately deals with the physical reality Elijah's life that he needs to rest that he needs to eat. Does this how well you eat in terms of healthy food make an impact on how you feel? Do you have more or less energy? Anybody ever too tired to read your Bible?

Never too tired to pray at night before you go to bed. You mean well, but then you just think I can't hold my eyes open. I'll go to sleep. I start reading the Bible. I mean just The Gap and begat and another bag app before you know it you'll be snoring away and scripture. Like I said speaks to the complexities of life. Look this world II the world says if you're depressed it's nothing but brain chemistry and we will give you a pill and it's all better. This world is not speak to the complexities of Life the realities of us because it's not that simple sometimes religion and preachers can get wrong when they think of it purely as a moral issue. You're just need to confess your sins and all your problems will be over just like that. It's not that simple sometimes which is purely emotional with that person. If you would just give them your full support just love them and self no matter what its okay. Its okay. I'm with you. I'm for you no matter what. It's not that simple is it? You can sit beside somebody and hold their hand and they can go right down a dark path and make horrible decisions and you can keep saying I'm here for you. I'm with you and watch a car wreck in slow motion because you've not done. What needed to be done. It's all of those things were physical beings scripture speaks to that at times Moral Beach we talked about that couple weeks ago about confession is good for the soul or emotional beings. It's all those things together and scripture speaks to all of those things. Now that being said the song issues has an intensive eye in the Hebrew meaning it is his deepest self with the longing for God to feel present and real again. So it is those things but it's also more and deeper the foundation. Of what's going on in this passage? Is this feeling of not being connected to God feeling God's absence. I'm wondering where he is longing and in the Hebrew you can intensify word in such a way that he sang my deepest self. I get it. I thought about it. I reflected. I'm self-aware. I'm in touch with who I am and I'm telling you my very identity in my heart of Hearts Deep with who I am a long like a deer panting for water along for the presence of God. He realizes that fundamental truths that you and I were created for fellowship with God. Augustine said it best when he said we're Restless we have this God shaped hole in our hearts and were restless until we find you and connect with you. CS Lewis talked about this and I see if I brought my paper with knees too long to memorize he talked about this reality that we are made for something more than just this life and he says it so well that it's best simply to read what he says. He says most people if they have really learned to look into their own Hearts would know that they do want have longings and they want acutely something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise the longings which arise in us when we first fall in love or first think of some foreign country or first take up some subject that excites us our longings which no marriage no travel. No learning can really satisfy. Because I want to say I'm not talking about bad marriages or bad trips or bad jobs. Even the best marriage is even the best vacations even the best careers still fall short of meeting that need that we have in our heart that only God can meet what author said that the danger of a bad marriage or bad job is that you keep thinking if I just get a better marriage or if I just get a better job then I will know the happiness I long for That's one of the problems with youth. I decide this way, but when you're young you keep thinking well as soon as I get this next thing then I'm going to have this deep satisfaction. And to the old of us in the room. Then work that's it. I'm all about good marriages. Don't miss hear me and good careers and good holidays, but they are not the ultimate satisfaction that God created us to find in him. And the Samus is talking about the steeper satisfaction Lewis goes on to say look he points out to two ways of not how not to deal with these things. I alluded to them earlier one way. We don't deal with these long as we have is we we foolishly think well it was that first wife was the problem if I could just get a better wife. Then things are going to be gold or if I can just get a better car or better career or better this until we keep that fool's path of thinking something here in this world is going to satisfy the longing that can't be satisfied in this world. He said the second path of diluted it to is where we just settle we just say I'm old enough now to know that I'm not going to be Jason pots of gold at the end of the rainbow anymore. I'm just going to have a nice predictable Safe Life. But he said those are those are the fools pass. Here's what the Christian should do about those desires. The Christian says creatures are not born with desires and less satisfaction for those desires exist a baby feels hunger. Well, there is such a thing as food a duck duckling wants to swim. Well, there is such a thing as water men feel sexual desire. Well, there is such a thing as sex if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

Those longings that we never get satisfied when we finally get the house paid off. We finally get the new car. We finally lose the weight or whatever that goal that we think if I just do this I'm going to be gold. Those desires that never quite satisfy that longing point to the fact that like the psalmist we were made to know God and know him intimately and that's the ultimate satisfaction to this long and the psalmist concludes that himself. He does three things that are our model for dealing with depression. So let's take a big deep breath of you ready? We're past all kind of that. You know heavy heavy. I'm used to Robbie being kind of job you'll and it's just all wet blanket, but sometimes you have to talk about the problem in order to understand the solution. Sometimes we have to walk through that dark Friday and order to really celebrate Easter morning, too often. We just skip the reflection on the hard part and that makes the celebration of the good part just mediocre. So sometimes spending time focusing on the reality of our need helps us appreciate and not just take for granted what God does provides and offers to us as well as model 3 things he model that we should pray even when we don't feel like praying. Did you notice that the Samus during this whole time? He says I'm pouring my soul out to you. Think about that. He said he who is he talking to in this song? He's praying to God in the song in the summer when she says I am so downcast, but he says I'm pouring out my soul to you. It's only models for us. This this wisdom that says pray even when you don't feel like praying. Think about that, please. Hold on to that, please carry that with you. All through your life at any time in your life when you say I just don't believe there's a God. I don't think that God is real. Doesn't seem to be answering my prayer. Where is he? I'm angry at him. He didn't answer my prayer. This thing went wrong. Why I can't I'm not talkin to him again. I don't believe he's really don't believe he cares even in the midst of all that emotion the songs as a whole and this song has a particular model. Is that even in that moment. God wants you to come to him. Even if your words are. I don't like you. I hate you. These tragedies of have enough. I don't believe you're real because you are never going to get closer to the reality of God's by completely not praying. By ignoring him But you will if you pray even when you don't feel like praying one author said it's like opening your eyes in the pitch-dark if I ever wake up in the middle of night in your room and happens to be an especially Dark Knight. You didn't leave the hall out on like usually do raise your hand. If you've ever done that you ever open your eyes in the complete darkness. If you down that I want everybody's attention when you first open your eyes. What do you see? Dark, that's right. Nothing. I mean nothing. You're just like whoa. Oh, I didn't leave a single locking on. I mean it is pitch dark completely dark, but if you keep your eyes open, what begins to happen? Suddenly, you're like even though I get turned on but suddenly you start going to wait a minute. There's the corner of the bed. I can see that little bit. Oh, no wait, there's a little something coming from this way. I can see the outline over here. When you pray even though you don't feel like praying it's like open your eyes in the dark you might begin with that prayer will you feel like I got nothing I don't feel anything. I don't see anything but keep it Suddenly you will realize God is listening God is there God is responding. Don't follow the psalmist advice and his model in the midst of discouragement. The second thing he does as a model for us is that we should challenge you should challenge yourself as to where you place your hope. You notice he says to himself put your hope in God three times. He says that to himself put your hope and God he's challenging himself against the other side wants us to say if only and fill in the blank if only politics would change this way our culture. If only this policy would change this way in my church. If only my employer would change this policy of the way he treats me. If only I could have a little more if only I had a boyfriend or a girlfriend if only he gets us thinking if only if only if only we'd have some sort of solution but the song is models and reminds us to challenge yourself. Where are you placing your hope? Why is your soul downcast?

Is it because something of this world didn't come through for you the way you wanted? Is it because of a person that you were placing ultimate? Hope in failed you? Samus challenges us and says put your hope in God we see this all throughout scripture in John 6. Jesus said to the disciples when a bunch leave him. Are you going to leave me too and I love this passage because Peter says look all I can muster up right now is we got nowhere else to go? We can't think of another person who has the words of life. You have the where else where else would we go and he's not full of this real bus pay to know this morning in my devotional. I was I finished reading the entire Old Testament the Angels appeared to be it's not that sort of thing. Are you going to leave me too? And he says no cuz we got nowhere else to go. We can't think of a better option. No one has the words of life like you do. Is modeled in in in Psalm 121. Where the song Masterpiece again again? Where will I turn for my help? The Lord will be my help. Where will I turn for my help? The Lord will be my help even a Nehemiah 9 a model this in that moment in the am I aware they're distraught. They're crushed by their own sin. They have no hope in the leaders get up and say the joy of the Lord will be your strength and they still had to be saying what are you talking about? Are you not aware that we're all grieving and sobbing how can you spit out those words? But then the leaders have them all gather and celebrate the Feast of boost and he recites this great prayer prayer and the Feast of booths is when he goes back in this is what the that face is all about anywhere accounts all the time that all the times that God delivered Israel.

Where should your home be in yourself? If you're just dropped because you're saying I have failed. Once again, I promise to God I promised everyone that I would not fail again and I have failed once again, if you let that Crush you and crush your spirit then you have placed your hope in you. You have said I will do it. I will do it this time. I will be a better supply for a better husband or a better employee. You place your hope in yourself. The psalmist is learning as he prays this prayer confesses these things to God and he challenges himself put your hope in God. Don't put your hope in the church as an institution. Again, those good old days myth. If only these things were in place. Everything would be good. Put your hope in God. He's talking to himself. He's speaking the truth to himself. Now. Look it's valuable to listen to yourself cuz you do need to know what you feel. So I'm not discounting that you shouldn't know your feelings. But we live in a culture where it's very easy to Simply listen to our feelings and have our feelings tell us what to do and to make all our decisions based on our feeling that is a dangerous path to go in because when you're completely overwhelmed and depressed, what does your heart say to you?

right when you're like this song s and you're dissolved and you look Inward and say what do you think are your heart's just going to say? Never going to just give yourself. When you listen to your emotions. They will just throw a blanket over you. And they will say you are never going to find love. That person dumped you because of you and you're never going to find love never have that voice in your head. You're never going to be a success your career will never take off. Look at your age look at your peers. It's never going to happen for you. When you rely just on your own heart and your own emotions, the adversary says awesome wonderful opportunity. I'm going to sleep right in here and Whisper nothing, but darkness and doom. So don't make that dangerous mistake of living your life based purely on your emotions have your emotions ever changed? Can I can I get an honest reply here? And they were changed on a dime. Your thought something was true. Somebody came and gave you a news and that you thought that they've dumped me it's over.

And you're just completely crossed and then somebody comes as no there was a misunderstanding. You can't wait to take you to prom and then your liking so what what what totally stoked that was somebody else. They were talking about somebody going to go and then suddenly Your emotions are completely different, right? Can you imagine if you made life-altering decisions purely in a state of emotions? I won the lottery suddenly you make all kinds of financial commitments and then I come inside right there was actually 47 other winners and you're probably $1,400. I should not have made so my car for a buck to my neighbor, you know, I'm in I'm in I'm in trouble. Yes be aware of what you feel. But speak the truth to yourself the way this song has does he knows his feelings that he is overwhelmed, but he says to himself. You know, what where should my hope be put your hope in God? Put your hope in God and lastly and the worship team can come forward.

A model for us a tweet. We really should you should remind yourself of the unconditional love of God. He talked about that in verse 6. I will remember you and I'm verse 9 he talks about the Lord's love and in the original language is this unconditional love even in the midst of this he remembers, you know what but God loves and he loves unconditionally.

That's a vital thing to remind ourselves off of God's unconditional love. The way if you're blessed you might have someone in your life that you know, you could go to and they would be for you no matter what. I hope I hope you have at least someone in your life like that. But if you don't the Lord wants to be that person for you. But if we've been blessed with good parents or a good sister or close friend there might be somebody that we think you know what I have royally screwed up. I mean, this is oh my goodness. I don't and there's somebody you can call and say I just paid I've just made the biggest mess and that person would say it's okay. We'll figure it out. We'll figure it out. I'm with you. right remember remind yourself of the Lord's unconditional love no matter what we can turn to him. Roman says while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Peter had the gospel and the Lord's presence and even a warning from the Lord. Be careful Peter you're going to betray me and he still said you don't know what you're talking about. What's this betrayed him three times and John 21 is Jesus and Peter. I want you to feed my sheep. You're forgiven your loved your empowered Your Leader. I want you to feed my sheep. I'd say Peter has not sent forgotten the unconditional love of the Lord. Think about Jesus words on the cross from the cross. He said my God my God. Why have you forsaken me and he said I thirst you realize we're going to celebrate communion in a couple moments and part of what we celebrate is that Jesus experienced what we deserved. Jesus took what we deserve God's distance in God's absence so that we would not be abandoned by God.

He said my God my God. Why have you forsaken me and even know when he said I'm thirsty. I'm sure it was physical, but I think it was also spiritual. He took what we deserve so we don't have to take it may take a little secret and what will end here. You are never abandoned by God because of the work of Christ on the cross. never never you may feel like he's absent like he's not present. You may feel like you've been abandoned. But the reality is that Christ suffered that sense of absence that Abandonment for us so we don't have to Romans 8:1 there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

So the challenge is to live by the truth. And the speak the truth even to ourselves Pino 1st, John says even if our own Hearts condemn us that God's word is greater. Lego how amazing that is. But even if my heart I say, nope, I'm no good. I'm no good. God has abandoned me. God can't have anything to do with me. I'm this on that. 1st John says no. Who's greater? You are God. And if God says there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus then guess what there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus you are never abandoned by God. It's a part of the of the battle is to call out to God for the help. We need and to speak the truth to our own hearts and Minds that he is with us, even if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He is with us. He is never not with us. We're going to sing a song of decision. If you have a decision to make I'll be in the back. You can come to me. I'd love to pray with you about any concerns. You have her decision. They'll be folks in the front and back also available for prayer during this time. Let this be a time that we prepare our hearts to celebrate communion that we honor God that we remind ourselves of his unconditional love that we place our hope in him a table. So the Easter Giving Tree is in the four-year there are tags on it. If you want to take a tag and bring that item bag that will help supply all the Easter baskets that will be giving away. There's also an empty basket underneath the tree and you can simply put candy there that'll be used to give away during Easter. And then this Tuesday evening teenagers monthly meeting Laura Doolittle is music and Heather Clary and Tom henager will be providing be the speakers that he thinks he'll take note of teenagers this Tuesday night.