Give UP
I'll have to work a little bit.
Thinking about that song. That's a beautiful song. Certainly a beautiful song when you have throngs of people singing it together and but it is pretty and especially like the the women who backed that up pretty voices, that glint in, we're thankful for that. We're thankful for all the songs because they're about our God. They're about Jesus and I can't emphasize enough. What Roy had said that, I really hope and pray that you will come in and worry about Jesus. We're going to be studying Jesus. In Bible class. We're going to be preaching about Jesus from the pulpit, and we're going to be studying more about Jesus and you've ever studied Jesus in your life time. Now, where the Church of Christ What is the possessive word? And we find here the possessive nature that we belong to Jesus Christ? And because we belong to Jesus Christ, why not know more about the one to whom you belong. And so we need to do understand our Lord, and, and maybe that you'll come away with a more intimate knowledge in a more intimate understanding of who Jesus really is. And above, you have friends and family, especially children, young children, even the children are going to be learning about Jesus in the classes. Now, I can bet you. A bottom dollar that there are many children out there in the world. You don't know Jesus. They may not even heard the name Jesus. And so if you can reach them, and if you can invite them and just give them the influence that Jesus can bring to their lives while you're talkin about a good start. Because it's sad to think about so many young children and you and I we're older folks, and moms and dads brought us to church. We learn about Jesus. We learned about the fundamentals there. So many today that have no idea about the fundamentals. Have never been grounded in the word of God, but certainly have never been grounded in Jesus Christ. That's where we all need to be grounded in Christ. Jesus, why? I encourage each of you to come beginning on January 9th, about the study of our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ.
How do you do? Noah field. When he was in that ship with his family. And hearing all the cries outside her. How you feel. And I wonder how Abraham Phil. When he knew that he had to bring his son up the mountain, to be sacrificed. I wonder what was going through his mind. And I wonder how the Israelites feel felt when they were walking through the wilderness. Probably should have taken him a couple of weeks to get to where they needed to go. But because of their hardness of the hearts in the Sin, they walked in circles in the desert for 40 years, a whole generation of people died off in that Wilderness in those desert travels, and I wonder how they all fell while they were walking, but I wonder how old Joshua fell when he was walking around that city called Jericho and he was looking up at those magnificent walls around the city and I just wonder what was going through his mind, whether any doubts. Yeah. God said, walk around seven times on the seventh day. Is it really going to fall?
And I wonder how the disciples felt. When Jesus was hanging on the cross. And I wonder how they sell. when the next day came, And then the next day came. What was going through their minds? You can read about the anguish in the lives of many, of these people that we just spoke about. We can read about the hard times of life that came their way. Now, if you were disciple of Christ and you put all your hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he comes to you and he says I'm going to be raised up.
Day one. Day 2. Morning day 3, what's going through your mind? Are you hopes dashed? Certainly, some of the disciples were weaned agreed about to on the road to Emmaus. Where they were just disheartening and broken hearted until they realized the person next to them, that was walking with him, was Jesus? Imagine that. And so, as we think about this morning about The Seven-Ups, I'm talking about The Seven-Ups. And this morning, we talked about give up. We need to give up. We need to quit. So this morning. I'm calling on each of you to become quitters, right course, you know, the expression quitters never win, and we always talk about Dad would say, never never give up, never give up. Never quit quitters, never win. Well, there's some things in life that we need to quit. and one of the things that we need to quit is given up hope Giving up where anxiety and where depression, and we're fear, and, where Rory, and all kinds of anxieties enter into our lives. Now, this is not a Panacea. Because anxiety is real. And it affects millions of folks, millions of Christians, it affected even the people in the Bible.
And so the Bible tells us that were to cast all our fears, our cares, our anxieties upon him, because he cares for you. But have you ever felt anxious? Have you ever felt? I mean, fear and dread? Have you ever been in a depressed state of mind? And then you look at that passage into say, am I sending? What's wrong with me? How come all these other folks out here? All these other Christians, all these, my brothers and sisters. How come Satan doesn't touch them, but he touches me. Well, that's certainly a misunderstanding because we don't know what goes through the minds of folks, especially our brothers and sisters and how Satan gets to them on a daily basis, but part of living is having to deal with the ups and downs of life. We can escape them. Our Lord and Savior. Jesus could not Escape them. He would part of humanity and because of, what are mommy? And daddy did in the garden. Adam and Eve. Because of them? Because of them, we have to suffer. Now, if it wasn't them, who would have been you or me. It didn't matter. Humankind is humankind. And so, we have to suffer and deal with the consequences that's been brought in. Because of Sin Sin and death entered the world. And so with that comes disease, was that comes pestilent when that comes hurricane, when that comes tornadoes and fires and all the things that you could think about, in nature earthquakes, you can think about head-on collisions with cars. Right, you can think about boats sinking and Josh coming up to eat you, right? You can think about the all that answer the world because of what happened in the garden. Everything else is perfect otherwise, but because of that, we have to deal with a life of issues and a life of problems. So let's get back to the text that we had just read. In Psalm chapter 3 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me, many. Are they who rise up against me? And, as I stated before, Absalom David's son is out to get David.
David. I wonder what was going through. David's mind. Do I kill my son? How do I keep my son alive? What's going to happen? What's going to happen when I face my son face to face. What am I going to do? Think about was going through David's mine? Now he's talking about the trouble in his life. He says many, are they rise up against me? Many are there you say of me. There is no help for him. In God, say, That's a Hebrew words comprised of two Hebrew words, and I mean stop think. Appraised. And the word Sailors found 72 times in the Old Testament, 74 times in the Old Testament, 71 in the Book of Psalms 3 in the book of habakkuk. And it means stop. Thank and praise David's riding the song and he's just thinking about all the trouble is surrounding him and then he says, in his own mind. I think I'm going to stop. Sync.
And now, I'm going to praise.
Whatever he does that he gets back to writing. He says but you oh Lord are a shield for me. My glory in the one who lives up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice and he heard me from his Holy Hill, sayla. There it is. Again, stopped. Thank and praise. And now notice he says I laid down and slept, I awoke for the Lord, sustains me. That's a nap. So here he is. He's being tormented by the thought of his son chasing after him. He's tormented by the thought of losing his kingship. He's tormented at the thought. He's lost so many friends.
And now he has to deal with what they call in the world of sport. A come back. How do I come back from all of this? How do I maintain my sound? This is mine. How do I remain joyful in these dark times.
Think. Praise. That's what David did in this song and what we ought to do. When we come to times with anxiety, beer in distress, and I was at said, this is no Panacea because something's are real. Right, anxiety, depression, they can get out of control and become physical issues, physical problems. And so there are people who didn't need medication because of such things, so they're real and they exist. You know, your people used to say all, just suck it up for you being worried about and all these other things or all you have to do is just Rely Upon Jesus. Really?
David. As we read this song and we read house, where we find that he asked where God was at certain times.
Was David sinning? No. He had to stop at the bank, but then he had the praise. The price comes because of past experience. The praise came because David remembered all the times the Lord was with him. So he could bring down drop down to his knees and offer praise. But notice what David's are what Paul writes here in Philippians 4:4. Nothing easier said than done, right? But in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and Minds through Christ. Jesus. Be anxious for nothing. We've just been through a whole year or more about being anxious. Heavenly. Lots of folks Rangers about death and about dying. Am I going to be next? What's going to happen to me? What's going to happen to my family? I sure hope no one in my family gets sick and dies. All these are the top two things that were talking about. These are the types of things that David had to deal with these other types of things that we're going to be dealing with, even after work on humankind will still have to deal with these things. And so we talked about anxiety. We talked about the fear, we talked about depression and you cannot be a true disciple of Jesus Christ until you quit. Until you quit. If so, I'm encouraging you this morning to become a quitter. And Abby. Think about this past year. I was reading this little article from Amazon and they said that the most downloaded book throughout the year. Guess what? The Bible, the most downloaded book, The Bible, do people have time on their hands, people are worrying. Who do they turn to? Melville Shakespeare.
Who's some other Riders? I don't know any other right now, they turn to God and turn to the Bible. And what was the most downloaded passage from the Bible? Here it is.
Be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication in that something. So people are anxious to learning not to be anxious. How will they learn? By prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, never forget that. Always have a Thanksgiving in your heart. Always be willing to thank God for everything that you have, and everything that you are. Because those are blessings that come from him. Without him. We don't exist. That's the point. So we pray and we thank God for our lives for our jobs, for our families, for the food, for the water. Think about all those little things, the food. And I don't think about the World At Large and just think about how many people in third world countries who don't eat. You don't have clean water. They drink out of puddles. Isn't that something? And here we are, drinking out of Faucets in our own homes. Something that we really think about because it's becoming a common thing that we deal with, but notice what David says. So be anxious for nothing, Mark that down, read that. But the David comes along and says, how long will Lord. Will you forget me? How long will you forget me? Isn't that the woe is me. Right. Foot up the film. How long our Lord? Will you forget me forever forever? Where are you going Lord? How long will you hide your face from me ever? Feel like that you ever feel God has abandoned you.
How long should I take counsel in my soul? Having sorrow in my heart daily, how long will my enemy be exalted over me? Where are you going to help me out? Be anxious for nothing. Did David sin against Paul? The same God that inspired David to ride also inspired Paula, right? So God is not a crazy God. So the point is, you can have these symptoms. You can have these feelings. Didn't Jesus pray. Not to die? Father is it can be in your will and it's according to your will. Can you take away this this cut that I have to go through this suffering that I have to endure. Can you just take it away?
How many coats on 22? Why have you forsaken me? Lord. Lord? My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me? Why have you left me? That's how we felt because that's exactly how David Felton Psalm 22 because David wrote that song. My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me? We've all felt that way, including our Lord, but the Lord knew something that perhaps you and I don't, he knew the rest of Psalm 22. And as you read, Psalm, 22 in unfolds. And unfold knowing that God hears my prayers. He knows my anguish. He knows what I need and then lo and behold, you come to the 23rd song. Right. The 23rd song, remember the 23rd song, right? The Lord is what my shepherd. What show I want. I have no need. I don't want nothing more than Jesus. Nothing more than God. That's what he saying. What shall I want?
He's everything to me, and that's enough. And so we're looking at this from David's perspective as a human being and then he says, consider it hear me. Oh Lord, my God, and like my eyes less. So I sleep, the sleep of death. Have you ever been in the sleep of death? Guess you have. It's figurative, expression. It's talking about tossing and turning. Remember that song from the 60s? Or I couldn't get to sleep at all last night, You can't fall asleep. And so, what do you do? You stare at the ceiling, you get up. You try to walk it off, you do something, but you can't get to sleep. The second night. It goes on for a month, for some, a couple months for some six months.
Now, when you get that far into the sleep of death, you're into the sleep of death. Because now, No, your body. Is Playing Tricks on your mind. And you can't sleep and you can feel the pain and that's what David is talking about. He says less my enemy say, I have prevailed against him, less those who have trouble with me. Let's go to trouble me. Rejoice. When I am moved. but,
But I have trusted in your mercy. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. But what's the remedy, right? What's the there is no remedy. We simply have to cope. We caught would lie. We cope with problems. That is we deal with it. We get through it. It doesn't leave us. Sometimes the pain still there. But we cope with it and we learn to deal with it. We learn. To deal with it. That's the point. God gives us these things or allows these things to happen. So we learn learn what learn to trust him. Too many people turn out to be judases. All Judas had to do was trust, Jesus. And even Judas could have been forgiven. But what did he do? He went about looking for the remedy on his own. Jesus had provided the remedy already. Repent. Come back. Change your thinking, change your mind. So, how do we do that? Well? We started off the series by saying wake up. That was the first up that we had to study wake up, right? You know what? It will have this on the screen, but I want to turn our attention to that passage Ephesians chapter 5. If you would, Beginning and verse 8. He says for you were once in darkness, but now life in the Lord. Keep On Walking as children of life. I know those words aren't in there, keep on walking, but walk is in the present tense. And that's exactly what that means. Keep On Walking, as children of light for the fruit of the spirit is all goodness righteousness and Truth. Finding out. What is it? What is acceptable to the Lord? And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them for it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret, but all things that are supposed are made manifest by the light for whatever makes manifest his life. Therefore. He says, awake, you who sleep arise from the dead in Christ will give you what Stephen. that you walk up right circumspectly, not as fool's but as wise Redeeming the time because the days are evil there for Therefore remember we always have to know what the word therefore is therefore and the word therefore points back to what he just said, based upon what I just told you. He says there are four.
Therefore do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is. Understand the word of God. That's what he said. The will of God is the word of God desires for you. And me is his, will we find that in scripture? That's the only way you can understand the will of God by the word of God. And so what are you saying? Is if you're going to walk upright, if you're going to be a Godly person. You need to know the word. And this is another advertisement. Another advertisement on Shameless when it comes to this, but we had, we had a Bible class at 10 on Wednesdays. Perfect opportunity coming. No more about the will of God. Through the word of God. Share with one another building each other up in the Most. Holy Faith, and Paul said. He goes to war this word that I have taught you, I'll eat you that it may build you up and give you an inheritance among all the saints. That's what the word does. That's what the word can do. And if you're not built up, and if you're in fear, and you have anxiety in your life and you're struggling with him.
Because you don't know the will. Therefore, you don't know the Lord and if you don't know the Lord. How are you going to pray to the Lord? What are you going to pray? The Lord for? and so, here's what we need to do. Here is the quickest remedy. I'm learning to lean on Jesus. Who sang that song? Here a couple times? I can't remember if it's in our book or not. But anyhow, Learning to Lean. I'm learning to lean on Jesus. What a beautiful song. It's so the Learning to Lean on Jesus means I'm leaving what's behind? And I'm learning to lean on him. Now. It's not an overnight process and, you know, we still have a little foot left in the world. Buddy overtime. You begin leaving that world and you're more to the side of Christ. And so we need to learn to lean on Jesus. And folks, the only way you can learn. Is through his will. His word, I'm pleading with you and I'm betting with you as your minister. You need to know the word of God, you know, I'm not going to stand before Jesus for you. You are. He's going to ask you some questions. Where were you in Bible class? Where were you, when you were opportune times to learn? Well. It's not so much about filling ourselves with information. It's about growing in intimacy with Jesus Christ. That's how you learn who he is, and we learn who I am. Who You Are. James tells us when you look at the word of God, is like looking in the mirror.
He said, you look at it. You look at yourself. You see all your flaws. You see all your foibles. You see all your mistakes, but then you see Jesus.
And that's why I called with the perfect law of Liberty. But then he goes on to say, he goes, but some people look at the mirror and they just turn and walk away.
This is our mirror. This is what describes you and me, this determines our destiny. So only look about those words. I want you to take to heart. What these words mean. I'm learning to lean, Learning, to Lean, Learning to Lean on. Jesus find more power than I'd ever dreamed Learning to Lean on Jesus.
When you cut yourself off from this, you cut yourself off from the power of God does not. Say. This is the power of God to Salvation. This is the dunamis, the power, the dynamite that explosive thing that we just got it bill just up and gives us strength. When you read the song that we just read some of them from David and David said, you know, I feel awful. I feel like God has abandoned me, but you know what? David spent an entire chapter of 176 verses in Psalm 119 dedicated to the word of God.
I encourage you to go back and read Psalm 119 and let David tell you about the word of God. It's power. It's Wonder, it's work that I can do in your life because it sure was worth all that in his life. And that's why he went down to his knees and praise God, for his word. For his word. And so if I can give you one thing to talk about, one thing to think about one thing to have heavy on your heart is learn more about Jesus.
Learn more about Jesus because with Jesus come all the answers of life and you'll be surprised the answers that you're going to find from a study of Jesus Christ. So I'm begging you. I'm pleading you planning with you as your minister come to our studies. It's going to be a whole year. I know you're not going to make every time. For being fair, and learning about Jesus things that you have not heard, or thought of the, for concerning Christ, things that he has said, that you may have forgotten. All those things are going to be beneficial for you and for your spiritual health and growth. You know, we talked about our help, we fear for our health. Do you fear for your spiritual health? We don't want to die physically, but spiritually. And what's more important? The physical aspect. What is spiritual aspect? Write Paul said to live is Christ. How wonderful is that living for Jesus Christ? That's my life. But he says, but dying is what gain? Brethren Make It Rain for the New Year. Have a new beginning. Put your trust in Jesus Christ, learn more about Jesus Lord. More about his will for you. His last will and testament for your life for your children's life for your grandchildren's life. Let them absorb Jesus as well.
There's some here that perhaps, if not put on Jesus Christ. Paul says, for all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus for his mending a baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. If you want to put Jesus Christ on he says as many of you that have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. That's the only way you can clothe yourselves with Jesus Christ. It begins with the words of Jesus. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. That's how you put Jesus on. But perhaps as we walked our life after doing that, we kind of threw up Jesus and we started our own path. In Jesus words, still stand today. Repent, come back. Come back home. Back home, rededicate your life to Jesus Christ. What you do that this morning. Together, we stand