The Reason for My Hope- Psalms 37:23-33
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I just want to encourage you today. If you don't sometimes after we get up in age this this five letter word comes up to us. This is the six letter word that begins to come up and missed opportunities for children has gone astray for bad things that happened and it sometimes has raised some mistakes and children are still good.
Just want to give God praise for ICU belts.
Define introduction by the beautiful beautiful, Octavia Petty a man. 74 I worship leader Sister Yvonne Johnson. Thank you so much for the choir and praise God for them. And for this August acacian the song So apropos for men and women in armed forces and armed conflict that we will be memorialized informally on tomorrow. Amen. And we thank God because some gave all but all gave some amen. So we praise God for that today you about depriving me, please God. We thank you so much for your goodness to us. And for your mercy that you've extended to us today. We pray God that you do is only you can with superintendent of our time cause it to be profitable to my brothers and sisters and to myself Lord May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. Oh Lord my strength and My Redeemer in Jesus name. Amen senior US citizens Dale seniors day, we praise God for the sages of our faith. Amen. Amen. Did the wisdom that has been imparted from generation to generation because God has blessed us with what he calls the silver the gray hairs that are indicative of wisdom. least in most cases it is every now and then we find that there's some folks who like to display otherwise, but for the most part we know that the saying is true with with age does Cam Winston. Amen, amen at I just want to praise God again. For what he is doing through our August body here today. In fact, if you look around the country and our world, so people may say otherwise is because about senior citizens and that we are in or where we are today. For they have laid the foundation upon which we stand fact right down to the infrastructure that we drive across and ride over it wasn't for that generation of folk who committed to the task. We would not be able to be the beneficiaries of their labor at least same sentiments were intimated in one by the name of Tom brokaw's book called the greatest generation. And he says there are five dominant characteristics. In fact that we can still clean from even today. And I just like to give you those fired right off the break. If you will the first of those those five you have to understand that they didn't this and done this through the Great Depression and through World War II. I don't know what it would be like today for America to find itself an armed conflict with the dearth of commitment that we see today, but we have on the front here. It is with the greatest generation is personal responsibility. That was a dominant characteristic of that August body of people. They they believe that the job wasn't done until it was done. Start with V came with the job wasn't done. That means that it wasn't done yet. In fact, there's even an illustration that comes to mind one got by by the name of George Barna talks about how these days this there was once a pipe that broke in the main manufacturing plant in begin to leak in such a way and they were two people from different Generations. That was there. There was the what they called the boomer generation and then there was what the called the greatest generation and all those two what would happen it was is as the water begin to seep and begin to Florida get to the point that it wasn't going to stop at 5 promptly the one from the boomer generation looked at their core. I can say it's 5 It's time for me to go home. I bought but the one from the greatest Generation would not stop until they had closed off the link which was well after 3 hours after the pipe and broke that personal responsibility no Blame Game there they just did what needed to be done to get the job done. Because they gave me benefit from that but the other thing about this was an issue of humility is generation was a humble generation and didn't way flash just worked hard. Labored and Fields labor and manufacturing plants labor in long hours. These folks didn't took their own horn. They just did with need to be done. And if you're asked them why they did what they would do if they just said it was supposed to be done these folks. Whoa humble folks, but they had what they called a work ethic. Lord have mercy let me say that just one more time. I don't know. If you won't see me YouTube demonstration of the young person getting ready to get hired in it. And when the boss explained to them that they had to be there at eight-thirty. Yes. It did the young person begin to have this continue to have this dialogue with with this to the person who was interviewing them in before too long. They figured out that they didn't have to show up for work because even an interview date already beginning to feel sensitive about work when we say show up for work. Come on say Amen somebody you can't show up any old time you want to show up? No, you got to show up when I say what time you need to be there because 15 minutes early mean that you were on time and we sure did have a certain kind of a tiger on when you come in.
Whatever you need to have in order to get the job. They didn't understand that. That's how we work. I want the things that we're trying to instill in men at the mission is that there's a certain thoughts to employment. You show up to work before you are supposed to be there. You knew more than what's required and sometimes you need to ask for is there anymore? What's the temperature in a competitive market?
You never get the opportunity to advance. You need to have any to show up on time. You need to be there and you know what you need to get along with people. I don't have time to worry about you and you and you all about what my responsibility is while I'm here. I don't have time to figure out. What you doing over there. Lotto office chit-chat could come to a minimum if he can figure that out and savings Lord have mercy prudent and savings day that it was a situation where even Tom Brokaw said it's easier to make a buck but it's a lot harder to make a difference a lot of folks. What they do is everything that comes in. what to do if your senior citizens even if there's a penny on the ground that pick it up Call talk to me song.
The greatest Generation understood that that that in order for me to get down the road. I need to have the money. And there's something about spending it with me is I don't have it with his dog, you know about my grandmother.
I remember those days. I mean, you know, you don't you get a nickel you get a quart or something like that. You read it wrong to the store my grandma.
Turn on to it for a little while longer. One thing I learned is that interest over time helps you to accrue some money. So you don't have to spend everything you get but that's what the greatest Generation taught us at particular. You have to understand that you gone to the Great Depression. You know, you want to save yourself some money. What number five they were faithful date with this thing of faithful commitment? You know back in the day you could get a person to start a job. And 4050 years later, they get the golden watch the certificate and retirement and they don't want their way.
Now you can't get folks to go through relationships. 458
I'm almost in a museum right now.
When Dick and Emmys did 59 years, he has a deacon at Mount Olive Baptist Church. That is a rarity folks really serve any time for a long time doing anything for a while. Some of it has come about because of industrialization, but the other part is coming from without a card narcissist. Me Myself and I you're not doing what I want you to do the way I want you to do it. I'm going to find something else to do. I don't have any loyalties except to myself. Because we have that type of mentality. We find that we are losing ground even in the church. We have a kind of what I call her and that's going on. I can pick up that what I want to do over here and I can go ahead and do that over there and then come back to this over here when life doesn't work like that. Could you imagine God is such a day? I'm going to take your breath away.
Take your job off your menu. How You Like Me Now. Yeah, that would be a little bit frustrated. But see what happened with this generation of senior citizens was is that is that their personal responsibility? They had humility. They had to work after they had true that savings and faithfulness something. that we all about without senior citizens something that we could intimated ourselves. I suppose as you as we read the word of God will hear the word of God read this morning this familiar passes. That is in Psalm 37. David now is up in years.
He has seen a lot. He seen Goliath fall. He seemed the Battle of ziklag at which time they took all of his wives and children. Casino David has seen a whole lot. He's like he's been chased by a demented team who wanted to make him a pin cushion. David and seeing that at this point David says as if he's giving us what I would call reasons for his hope I think I'll see you citizens could say the same thing that they have at least and I want to say this at least three reasons. They got through watch this the Great Depression how they got through World War 1 & 2 how they got through difficult times. At least three things comes to mind and I believe David continue the activist in Psalm 37 The first thing he brings to our attention here. Is that ultimately I know that God orders my steps. I don't know about you. I don't know about you, but I spend time around my grandmother's both of them on maternal and paternal side and there was a piece about them and not from anything they were doing but their relationship with God. Yes, it came from the relationship with God and His David sessions the steps of a good man. I ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way. What was that? They are sustained and stabilize. That is he is he is ordering he's moving my life. So even though things may be happening about me. I know that God is ultimately in control. She does something about these 50 Cent word sovereignty in Providence and seen your family members went through
the new one understood that it's not their problem because it's so big I got to give it over to somebody bigger than I so they look good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way because what God has set it up so that even if he slipped,
I'll come I'll talk to me somebody. I don't know about you. But all you got to do is just keep on living. Oh, yeah, you won't have success in life all the time. You won't experience everything good in your life all the time and you can watch this in many cases, but the Bible says right here in reverse and thrust 24 though. He fall he shall not be able to even though all this has happened. Guess what God is in the midst of holding me up. The reason for my hope is that I don't even understand God's servant Lisa Lex and providentially provides for me even in the midst of my bad situation to you. Sometimes after we get up and they just this five letter word comes up to us. This is the six letter word regret begins to come up and harness for opportunities for children. things that happened
knowing that all that stuff is going to be through all of that and it's still going by myself through then. Do they have the stuff when you go to a house? Let me know when you looking at houses and stuff like that, you know real estate folks have a way of saying stuff about a house to to make you not look at what the real flaws of. They call it a distressed property. What happens if I buy the distress property and then distress property then the renovation may have taken place either before? When they're finished with that distress probably. Oh my goodness the value goes up so much more fixing us up. Just went right on.
like what's happening to you the steps of a good man, you know every now and then if your father, you know father's I don't they may not say it out loud sisters and butt, but they struck Because they did keep saying they keep hoping that that they got that one, right? Open I hope that if I did that right, I hope I got done, right?
You know when I sell my girls both of my oldest and my my first and second daughter when they graduate I said Thank You Jesus. And my wife got that one right one day my wife and I were talking and she said well she said and she said well, at least we raised our daughter so that they had virtue at least we raised them. So they knew the Lord at least at least I didn't cuz you know, I can come back over and see when you have here is behind you if you have less years in French.
God is God. That's the reason for our hope we know that God is the Lord will never forget his people. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. They get inflated egos. They get inflated bank account to get inflated titles and and next thing, you know, you are stranger in the land above the Bible says about serving God. It's not like that. Look what it says if he says here I have been young and now I'm old.
Watch this as a chain. Could you imagine the stuff that David has seen all the wrong? He has seen But Davis's I've been young and now I'm not seen the righteous forsaken. Noise seed begging bread or it may seem like it and I will admit that that the principal is a general principle principal in the statement is generally speaking. You won't believe that the Lord has forgotten you Lord does not forget his people in this life, but certainly the next but they did bring it out here. He says the bridge for she is ever merciful and Linda's and his seed is blessed. In other words the righteous person who invested in God the righteous person is the person whose trust in the Lord. The righteous person is the one who follows after the righteous person is the one who is a Believer here and he brings this out. He says, I've not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread if he that is God is a merciful intended at his seed is blessed. Watch this if you can live the experience some frustration.
parents who are leaving their children
I'm also a man say I'm somebody because God was one of The Obedience of the parent and pass that down to the child and those blessings. Amen. Yes. Yes.
They are preserved forever. But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. Yes, I'll bring to my attention here. As I said last week of God. Don't get you in the washing. He will get you into wrench.
Bible says it this way in Galatians 6:7 be not deceived God is Not mocked whatsoever. A man soweth that shall he also reap what he sow lausanne to the flesh into the spiritual life of the flesh death. In other words. This person is going to receive what they deserve in this life or the next. Yes, number one reason for my hope ultimately. I know that God orders my steps. Yes, if you still living and you are cuz you hear you listening to me, I know right now y'all saying Lord have mercy.
That means that it ain't over yet. And I mean God is calling the shots in your life. Oh, yes. Yes. Yes when he says there he Peppa secondly, you know, the Lord will never forget you. God is Not Like Us. He don't forget us. He never does it may seem like it. I remember reading in Revelation where the Elder was saying. How long how long how long? But guess what? That's an eschatological time. That seemed like forever. But guess what A Thousand Years is as a day to the Lord just one day even Methuselah didn't live a day in the sight of the Lord goes on to say this to the Lord will not leave us to the mercy of our enemies. Look at versus 29 and following does the righteous shall inherit the land and well there in Forever the mouth of the righteous speaker wisdom in his tongue talker of judgment. The law office God is in his heart. None of his steps. Shall slide another word everything that he or she does will count the wicked watches the righteous and secret to slay him. But the Lord would not leave him in his hand nor condemn him when he is judged arrest people who write their brothers and sisters.
Stepken factor into what God wants you to somebody says it this way pause it this way. He says that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose is that he didn't say everything was he said when you come back to Jose a mixed number.
baby standing by sing
work this thing out for your good he's not going to leave us into the hands of a Friday we would have the opportunity to go up to. Camp Bennett, which of the camp that the mission primarily works with this our mission is our camp. And I remember. We drove up I noticed that. It was a giant tree. I mean look like it's about maybe maybe two or three feet in diameter because of the previous night's storm. The tree had fallen over pulled up roots. Put up the steps that was there with it. I don't see any long and mercy would look at the Damage Done but the scripture brings out that that the wicked is like that tree. That one day they will fall and and no be collected in and you look up one day and they won't even be a trace where they were. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I know Mike might my senior citizens have seen situations where folk had done stuff. And next thing you know, you don't.
Oh, no, it's not that God took him out as just that what happened was they were eliminated from the process because God has something that he wanted to do. people have messed with them on their jobs and it looked up in the
they want three things that gives us hope and wishing by God. God is ordering you. Question is are we following his instruction? But number to know what you will never forget you. He never forget you won't forget your prayers. He won't forget the tears that you cried. He won't he won't forget the times you prayed over your children. He won't forget. The time that you were in struggling in court was something God will not forget it even though it may take a while to get to you. Guess what God will get to you. Finally. God will not leave you to the mercy of your enemies or I think it's one of the greatest deception you can have about one of God's people. Because she they have this belief that that because they can't see God that God doesn't exist. They have this belief that because that maybe because they didn't strike me down cuz I asked him to that he doesn't exist and what they don't understand is concerning his promise, but he's long-suffering else with that wooden initial perish, but that all should come to repentance giving them time to come to him. But at the same time God's will take care of you as you're standing on your feet this afternoon.
very very poignant words Thank you for joining us today. If you happen to be in the Washington DC area. Feel free to join us at the Mount Olive Baptist Church 11 46th Street Northeast, Washington, DC 20002. Again, thanks for listening. God bless you, richly and have a great week.