Participants:
Series Code: HC
Program Code: HC210006S
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00:01 Three Angels Broadcasting Network
00:02 is pleased to bring you something better, 00:06 a faith inspiring picture of a loving God 00:08 from the Book of Hebrews. 00:11 Welcome to 3ABN's Virtual Homecoming Camp Meeting. 00:16 Welcome back to 3ABN Fall Homecoming Camp Meeting. 00:19 And I tell you what a blessing 00:21 we've had already here at camp meeting. 00:22 It's amazing. 00:23 It's already Friday afternoon, 00:25 and we've already been filled up, haven't we? 00:27 I can see you and hear you saying your amens 00:30 and taking notes there at home. 00:32 Thank you for being a part of our 3ABN family. 00:35 Of course, we miss you being here. 00:37 But praise the Lord, we can do this virtually 00:39 and still join and you can join with us 00:41 here in Thompsonville/West Frankfort, Illinois. 00:44 Praise God for technology 00:45 that the gospel can still go out 00:47 around the world. 00:48 I have the privilege right now of introducing 00:52 the love of my life. 00:53 And that's Jill Morikone. 00:55 Of course, my wife, we just passed our anniversary, 00:59 we've been married 19 years, 01:01 which to some of you that even been married 60 years 01:04 or 50 years, you're like, Oh, you're just the baby. 01:07 But I have to say 01:08 what an incredible blessing Jill is to me. 01:10 And those 19 years have just absolutely flown by. 01:14 You know, she's been my friend for 25 years. 01:18 We knew each other back in school. 01:20 And I was talking to her the other day, and I said, wow, 01:22 you know, sweetie, I've known you 01:24 more than half my life. 01:26 I'm only in my 40s. 01:27 And so I said, "Well, 01:29 this is an incredible blessing." 01:30 So I just praise the Lord that we can minister together 01:33 with you at the Ministry of 3ABN. 01:36 You know, Jill is a woman of detail. 01:39 And a list lady, as many of you say 01:41 because you watched Sabbath School panel, 01:43 and she loves lists. 01:44 She's a woman of detail. 01:46 She's a woman who cares for others. 01:48 And I have to say she cares for me, 01:50 I'm so blessed by. 01:53 She's also a woman that stands for what is right, 01:56 and a woman of the Word and she loved to share. 01:59 She loves to share and to teach the Word of God. 02:03 The message that she's bringing to us today 02:05 is entitled God of love, God of justice. 02:09 Now, the music today is going to be 02:10 at the end of her message. 02:11 And that's going to be brought by Ryan and Tim. 02:15 But at this time, I want to welcome Jill here 02:16 to the platform. 02:21 Thank you so much, sweetheart. 02:22 What a privilege to have your husband introduce you, 02:25 that's really special. 02:27 I feel like I need to say Happy Sabbath 02:29 because I'm standing here in the Worship Center stage. 02:32 But we are in the middle of camp meeting, 02:34 and it's Friday afternoon. 02:35 What an incredible camp meeting it's been already. 02:39 We're so glad that you have joined us at home 02:42 and glad for our family that's here in the audience. 02:46 That's such a blessing 02:47 to open up the Word of God, to fellowship together 02:50 as we look at this entire theme of camp meeting 02:52 something better. 02:54 As Greg mentioned, the theme of my message for this hour 02:59 is God of love, God of justice. 03:03 How do you reconcile a loving God 03:07 who also brings judgment? 03:10 You know, to be honest with you. 03:12 This is a subject that I have sometimes tried to avoid 03:15 when I was growing up. 03:17 And even in my 20s and probably 30s, 03:19 I avoided some of those verses in the Word of God 03:22 that appeared that God was harsh, 03:24 or God was unloving. 03:26 But yet 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, 03:28 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God 03:31 and all scripture is inspired." 03:34 So what do we do with those verses 03:37 in the Word of God that we struggle with? 03:39 How do we handle that? 03:41 What do we do with that? 03:42 He's a God of love. 03:44 He is clearly the God who raises the dead, 03:46 who heals the sick, who sets the captives free. 03:49 He enables the lame to walk 03:51 and the blind to see and the deaf to hear. 03:53 He forgives our sins, 03:56 He redeems our life from destruction. 03:58 He breaks the chains of sin and addiction. 04:02 He's the God who forgives, who heals, who cleanses, 04:06 who sanctifies, who loves us, who accepts us 04:11 no matter what we've done, 04:12 no matter where we've been, 04:14 He's the God who accepts us. 04:16 He cherishes us and He redeems us. 04:19 But at the same time, He's the God of justice. 04:22 How do we reconcile the God of love on this side 04:27 with a God of justice over here? 04:30 How can He be the God who delivered the Israelites? 04:33 That's love, is it not? 04:35 That is the God of love. 04:36 But how did He deliver them? 04:38 By destroying the entire Egyptian army 04:42 in the Red Sea. 04:44 That's a God of justice. 04:45 How can He be the God that ordered the destruction 04:50 of all the Canaanite nations 04:52 when the children of Israel went 04:54 to inhabit the Promised Land? 04:57 How can He be the God who would cast the wicked 05:01 into the lake of fire at the end of time 05:04 not to be burned eternally, 05:06 but they will be in fire and will be burned up. 05:11 How do we reconcile this God of love 05:15 with a God who brings justice? 05:18 And sometimes it's not even the God who brings justice. 05:21 Sometimes it's the God who allows 05:24 bad things to happen in this world. 05:27 God is sovereign, is He not? 05:29 And if He is sovereign, what does that mean? 05:32 That means He's in control of everything. 05:34 That means if you are sick, He can heal you. 05:36 Praise the Lord for that. 05:38 But does that mean everyone's healed? 05:40 No. 05:41 So what do we do with that? 05:43 Does that mean that He can redeem us? 05:46 Absolutely. 05:47 Does that mean that some people tonight 05:50 will go to bed hungry? 05:52 Yes. 05:53 Could He provide food? 05:54 He provided food through the ravens for Elijah, 05:56 did He not? 05:58 God can provide food, but yet sometimes 06:03 He chooses not to 06:05 and some people go to bed hungry. 06:07 So how do we reconcile that? 06:08 Our opening scripture is 1 John 4:8, 06:12 you know, the scripture open it up at home, 06:14 1 John 4:8, 06:17 "He who does not love does not know God, 06:21 for God, He's love." 06:25 Everything we study today 06:26 will be looked at through that scripture, 06:28 through the lens of a God of love. 06:31 We're going to look at a God of justice, 06:34 a God of judgment through the lens of a God of love. 06:37 Let's pray. 06:39 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus. 06:41 This is Your time. 06:43 We are Your children. 06:46 And we ask right now 06:48 for the outpouring of Your Holy Spirit. 06:51 I pray that Your Word, 06:53 your character would come alive. 06:57 And You would speak to us just now. 07:00 And God, could You speak through me? 07:03 And I thank You in the precious, 07:05 in the holy name of Jesus. 07:07 Amen. 07:09 It was a Monday night. 07:10 I don't know about you what you do on Monday night, 07:14 maybe you have Monday Night Football, 07:15 but for many years, in my life, 07:18 at least five years, Monday night was jail night. 07:21 That meant we went to the woman 07:23 and there are several women here 07:24 who have participated in jail night. 07:26 That meant that we went to our local county, 07:30 we went to the jail, and we gave Bible studies 07:32 to the women there in jail. 07:35 And I'll never forget this particular night, 07:37 we were having studying, 07:38 I noticed a girl I had never seen before. 07:41 And I said, "Oh, what's your name? 07:42 We're so glad you came to the study." 07:44 And she said, "My name is Crystal." 07:46 Now that's not her real name. 07:47 We just called her that, my name is Crystal. 07:50 She said, "I don't have any use for God." 07:53 And I thought, wow, 07:54 but you're in a Bible study, right? 07:55 What are you doing in a Bible study? 07:57 Praise the Lord. She's in a Bible study. 07:59 And so I said, that's okay. 08:01 We're just glad you came tonight. 08:03 And so we went around and shared prayer requests. 08:05 And she said, "I don't want to talk to God. 08:07 I don't have any use for God. 08:09 I'm not giving any prayer requests." 08:10 And we said, "That's okay. 08:11 We're just glad you're here. 08:13 And then it came time for prayer. 08:15 And in jail, we always stand and hold hands 08:17 with a woman in a circle. 08:19 And she kind of stood back. 08:21 I don't want to, I don't want to pray. 08:22 And one of the girls said, "Come on, Crystal, 08:24 if you are coming to Bible study, 08:27 you got to pray." 08:28 So she came reluctantly and held hands, 08:31 and we prayed. 08:32 And then we began the study 08:34 and the study that particular night was on forgiveness, 08:36 and the forgiveness that Jesus extends to us 08:39 and the forgiveness we can extend to others. 08:41 And as we were having the study, 08:43 I kept praying in my mind, 08:44 God, what is the source of Crystal's angst with You? 08:47 Why is Crystal upset with you? 08:50 God, can You break through to her heart. 08:53 And about halfway through the study, 08:55 the breakthrough occurred. 08:56 One of the women there said, 08:59 "You all know that I have cancer. 09:01 I believe that I developed cancer, 09:04 because of a resentment 09:06 that I held on to for many years." 09:09 And I thought, "Oh, wow." 09:11 True, our emotions can affect our health. 09:13 There's truth in that. 09:15 But we also know we live in a world of sin, do we not? 09:17 And that many times the things that happened to us 09:20 have nothing to do with even choices we made 09:22 and it's just the result of the world of sin we live in. 09:24 And I didn't know how the girls in the jail 09:26 Bible study would take that particular thought. 09:30 And instantly Crystal spoke up. 09:32 And she said, "What sort of a resentment 09:34 does an eight year old child hold on to." 09:37 And I said, "What do you mean?" 09:40 And she said, "My eight year old son died 09:41 six months ago." 09:43 Cancer. 09:44 You cannot tell me that was his fault. 09:47 And instantly it was like wow, God, 09:50 that is the source of her angst with God. 09:52 That is why she struggled with God. 09:55 And I said, "Crystal, tell me, 09:56 do you believe that God caused him to develop answer." 10:00 And she said, "No, I don't. 10:02 But He could have stopped it, and He didn't." 10:07 We're back again to the sovereignty of God, 10:11 this God of love, this God of justice. 10:14 How do we reconcile the two? 10:17 Turn with me to the Book of Deuteronomy, 10:19 I'm going to give you five keys coming up, 10:21 as Greg mentioned, you know, I like lists. 10:24 But that's coming a little bit later. 10:26 We're going to look first at how some of these verses 10:30 that are sometimes heavy, 10:31 and sometimes difficult to read, 10:34 but where we see the justice of God. 10:36 We're going to the Book of Deuteronomy. 10:38 Now Deuteronomy is an incredible book, 10:40 and you see a great deal of God's love in this book. 10:43 We actually just finished it with our Sabbath School panel. 10:46 We're going to be studying it for fourth quarter. 10:49 And we did the entire study on that. 10:51 And Deuteronomy, of course, 10:52 is the retelling of the Covenant, 10:55 the reaffirmation of the Covenant. 10:57 The children of Israel have been 40 years 11:00 wandering in the wilderness as a result of the sin 11:05 that they committed years earlier. 11:07 And so they're just about there at the borders 11:09 of the Promised Land at the cusp, 11:10 the very cusp as it were, 11:12 and they're just ready to enter the Promised Land. 11:16 And in Deuteronomy 32, 11:17 Moses is talking right at the end of his life, 11:20 talking to these people 11:21 that he led for all these years, 11:22 talking to these people that he loves. 11:25 Deuteronomy 32:39, and he reminds them, 11:30 first of all, of what God has done for them. 11:32 And then he tells them, 11:34 this is what's going to happen to you if you are abstinent. 11:37 If you turn your back on God, if you do your own thing, 11:41 and if you worship other idols, judgment will come upon you. 11:46 Deuteronomy 32:39, "Now see that I, even I, am He, 11:51 there is no God besides Me, 11:53 I am God, overall, I am sovereign." 11:57 I kill, did you catch that word? 11:59 God kills. 12:01 "I kill and I make alive, 12:04 I wound and I heal, 12:09 nor is there any who can deliver Me 12:11 from My hand." 12:15 Let's go to another scripture. 12:16 This one's in Exodus, Exodus Chapter 22. 12:19 This is, of course, 12:20 part of the Sinaitic covenant that's given. 12:22 And the heart of that, of course, 12:23 is God's Ten Commandment law of love found in Exodus 20. 12:27 But we're going to Exodus 22:22-24. 12:32 "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 12:35 If you afflict them in any way, and if they cry at all to Me, 12:40 I will hear their cry." 12:41 And what's He going to do? 12:43 Verse 24, "My wrath will become hot, 12:46 I will kill you with the sword, 12:49 and your wives will be widows, and your children, 12:54 they're going to be fatherless." 12:56 So what you have experienced 12:58 if you inflict punishment on those people, 13:02 I'm going to give you your medicine. 13:06 Let's look at the Book of Isaiah. 13:07 We're going to look at two different passages 13:09 and then we'll jump into our five keys. 13:11 We're going to Isaiah 66 first, 13:13 then we're going to Isaiah Chapter 13. 13:15 Isaiah 66 shows judgments 13:19 against those who have pushed back against God, 13:22 against those who have wandered in their own way. 13:25 And specifically, this is judgment against 13:27 the house of Israel, against the house of Judah. 13:30 So you could say, 13:32 these are judgments against God's chosen people. 13:36 Isaiah 66:16, "For by fire, 13:42 and by His sword, that's God, 13:45 the Lord will judge all flesh, 13:48 and a slain of the Lord shall be many." 13:51 So they are judged, why are they judged? 13:55 Why is the Lord gonna judge all flesh? 13:56 And why will the slain of the Lord be many? 14:01 Verse 6, we're in Isaiah 66, jump back to verse 6, 14:04 "The sound of noise from the city! 14:06 A voice from the temple! 14:07 The voice of the Lord, who fully repays His enemies!" 14:12 They're judged, 14:13 because they fought against God. 14:16 Verse 3, jump back to Isaiah 66. 14:19 Just a couple of verses back, verse 3, 14:21 "He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man, 14:26 He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog's neck." 14:28 Now wait a minute, 14:30 what in the world is Isaiah talking about here? 14:32 Of course, the sacrificial system 14:34 was godly, was it not? 14:36 It was instituted, the children of Israel did it 14:38 with a tabernacle service in the wilderness, 14:41 and they carry this forward into the temple, 14:44 they word this is how they worshiped God. 14:46 So Isaiah is talking, God is talking to His people, 14:51 and the manner in which they worship Him. 14:52 They're supposed to slay the lamb 14:55 that was part of their worship service. 14:58 Symbolic, of course, of Jesus the Lamb of God 15:01 who would come and take away the sin of the world. 15:03 And yet, they're sacrificing a lamb, 15:06 but it's not in a godly sense, is it? 15:09 It's as if they're breaking a dog's neck. 15:11 They're offering a grain offering. 15:13 They were supposed to offer grain offerings, 15:15 but it's as if they're offering swine's blood. 15:20 They are burning incense, 15:22 they're supposed to burn incense, 15:23 but it's as if they're blessing an idol or idolatry, 15:28 just as they have chosen their own ways, 15:30 and their soul delights in their abomination. 15:33 So what is he saying? 15:34 The children of Israel have walked in hypocrisy. 15:37 They have walked in legalism. 15:39 They knew what they were supposed to do, 15:41 but their heart was far from God. 15:44 And because of that 15:45 God was bringing judgment upon them, 15:47 because they fought against God, 15:49 because they walked in hypocrisy 15:51 because they walked in legalism. 15:52 Look at verse 4, "I will choose their delusions, 15:56 I will bring their fears on them, 15:57 because when I called, nobody answer." 16:01 That's really sad. 16:02 "When I spoke, they did not hear, 16:06 but they did evil before My eyes, 16:08 and chose that in which I do not delight." 16:11 God said, "They refuse to listen to me, 16:13 and they have openly rebelled against Me." 16:16 And so judgment is coming upon the house of God. 16:20 Now turn back to Isaiah 13. 16:22 This is not judgment on the house of God. 16:23 This is not judgment for the children of Israel. 16:26 This is judgment on a heathen nation, 16:28 judgment on the Babylonian nation. 16:31 In Isaiah 13, we see this judgment, 16:34 this prophecy of coming judgment against 16:38 the kingdom of Babylon. 16:40 Now, at this time in Isaiah 13, 16:42 Babylon was not even a threat to Judah, 16:45 the threat to Judah at that time 16:47 would have been Assyria. 16:48 That was the major political world power. 16:51 But yet, this is a prophecy looking forward 16:53 because Babylon would rise on the stage. 16:56 And eventually Babylon would take 16:58 the children of Israel captive, 17:00 and bring them to Babylon. 17:02 So we're in Isaiah 13, pick it up in verse 4, 17:07 second half of verse 4, 17:09 "The Lord of hosts musters the army for battle." 17:12 That tells us that God's a warrior. 17:14 Verse 5, "They come from a far country 17:16 from the end of heaven, 17:18 the Lord and His weapons of indignation 17:20 to destroy the whole land." 17:23 God is a warrior, and He's bringing destruction. 17:26 Is this hard for you to hear? 17:28 This has been, these verses in the Word of God 17:31 have been difficult for me to read, 17:34 difficult for me to understand, 17:36 difficult for me to digest. 17:39 It doesn't stop there. 17:41 Verse 6, "Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand, 17:44 it will come as destruction from." 17:45 whom? "From the Almighty. 17:49 Therefore all hands will be limp, 17:51 every man's heart will melt, they will be afraid." 17:53 So the wicked are afraid, why? 17:55 Because of the coming judgment of God. 17:57 Jump down to verse 9, "Behold, the day of the Lord comes, 18:00 cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, 18:04 to lay the land desolate, 18:06 He will destroy its sinners from it." 18:10 Now comes the hardest verses of all for me 18:12 in this chapter is verses 15, and 16. 18:17 Everyone who is found, not one person, 18:20 not two people, not 10, not a 100, not a 1000. 18:24 "Everyone who is found will be thrust through," 18:29 meaning, they're going to be killed, 18:32 "and everyone who is captured will fall by the sword." 18:37 Verse 16, "Their children also will be dashed to pieces 18:42 before their eyes, 18:43 their houses be plundered and their wives ravished." 18:46 That word ravished in Hebrew means 18:48 to be lain with or violated, 18:51 in other words, they're going to be raped. 18:52 So what is God saying? 18:54 I'm coming. 18:55 What? 18:57 I will thrust everyone through, I'm going to kill everyone, 19:00 not just one or two, everyone. 19:04 Their kids, I'm going to cut in pieces 19:08 and rape the woman. 19:10 Now I don't know about you, 19:11 but we say in today's society, do we not? 19:14 When there is a war, and soldiers go in, 19:17 and they hurt the villagers. 19:19 What do people say? 19:21 There's an outcry, is there not? 19:22 There is a public outcry 19:24 that innocent civilians were hurt, 19:26 and especially if children are hurt, 19:29 or if women are hurt, we have a public outcry. 19:34 And yet this is in the Word of God. 19:36 And God is the one bringing this judgment. 19:40 How in the world are we to reconcile a God of love, 19:44 a God of peace, a God who came and died for you and I 19:49 that we could spend eternity with Him? 19:51 How do we reconcile that God who says 19:53 I don't care what you've done, I can forgive you. 19:55 I don't care where you've been, I will cleanse you. 19:58 I don't care. 19:59 I love you. 20:01 Would you come home to Me? 20:02 How do we reconcile this God with a God I just read about 20:07 in Isaiah Chapter 13? 20:09 That seems harsh, does it not? 20:13 Everything in the Word of God, everything in our lives. 20:18 Today especially, we're going to look at 20:21 through the lens of 1 John 4:8. 20:24 God is love. 20:25 God does not do love, God is love. 20:30 So how do we reconcile this God of love 20:34 with a God who brings judgment? 20:38 I want to give you five keys 20:39 to understanding the character of God. 20:42 If we look at, if we truly understand, 20:45 experience, and know, these five keys, 20:49 they make a tremendous difference 20:51 in how we look at not just our God of love, 20:53 but this God of justice. 20:56 These five keys have been transformational 21:00 in my own life in experiencing who our God is. 21:05 I'm going to give you the keys 21:06 and then we'll go back and unpack them all. 21:08 Key number one, love is holy. 21:13 Love is holy. 21:14 Key number two, love is jealous. 21:18 Now we don't even like to think 21:20 of that word in connotation with God, 21:21 but we'll discuss it, love is jealous. 21:24 Key number three, love is disciplinary. 21:29 Key number four, love is fair. 21:33 And key number five, love is redemptive. 21:37 So let's go back to key number one. 21:38 This is love is holy. 21:40 I believe God's judgment can only truly be understood 21:44 when we catch a glimpse and a picture of the purity 21:48 and holiness of our God, 21:50 which we have no idea truly of His purity and His holiness, 21:55 and the dissonance or the disconnect 21:58 between God's purity on this side 22:02 and my sin on this side. 22:04 My ugliness on this side, the disconnect between the two. 22:09 You know, sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. 22:12 Remember Adam and Eve 22:14 in the beginning in the Garden of Eden, 22:15 what did they do? 22:16 Every evening, they walked and they talked with God. 22:20 He came to them as their maker 22:22 and they communed every evening. 22:24 But what happened in Genesis Chapter 3? 22:26 Eve reached out, and she was fascinated 22:29 and deceived by the serpent. 22:31 And she took that forbidden fruit, 22:34 the tree of knowledge of good and evil, 22:35 she's not supposed to eat. 22:37 And Adam ate it as well. 22:39 And as soon as that happened, 22:40 you can read about it in Genesis Chapter 3. 22:42 As soon as that happened, they were afraid. 22:45 Sin brought a chasm 22:46 between God and His holiness and His purity on this side, 22:50 and you and I, and our junk on this side. 22:53 And in Genesis 3:8, the Word of God says, 22:57 "They heard the sound of the Lord God, 22:59 walking in the garden in the cool of the day." 23:02 Now this is their favorite time. 23:03 God came every evening to meet with them. 23:05 God came to teach them, God came to talk with them. 23:09 And yet what did they do? 23:10 Adam and his wife hid themselves 23:14 from the presence of the Lord God 23:15 among the trees of the garden. 23:16 You see sin, it brings fear and guilt. 23:18 Sin brings separation from God. 23:21 Just the sound of His voice, 23:24 and they turned and they ran away. 23:27 You know, if you look at the Book of Revelation 23:29 Chapter 6, 23:30 this is, of course, the sixth seal. 23:32 This is right before the second coming of Jesus. 23:36 And what did the wicked say? 23:37 In Revelation 6, you can look it up, 23:39 it's in verse 16 and 17. 23:40 "The wicked cry out to the rocks," what? 23:43 Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him, 23:48 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 23:51 for the great day of His wrath has come, 23:54 and who is able to stand." 23:55 Now the righteous aren't saying that, are they? 23:57 They're saying, lo, this is our God. 23:59 God, we've waited for you, and You have come to save us, 24:02 You have come to set us free. 24:04 You have come to redeem us 24:05 from this world that we live in, 24:07 but the wicked are terrified. 24:09 Why? 24:10 Because love, love is holy. 24:13 And sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. 24:18 How can the righteous even stand in that time? 24:21 You see, that question ends Revelation Chapter 6, 24:25 who's gonna stand? 24:26 God who can stand, fall on us and hide us, who's gonna stand? 24:29 Revelation Chapter 7 tells us who can stand 24:32 and those are the ones who are sealed with God's name, 24:36 sealed with God's character, 24:39 and we see a little description of them 24:40 in Revelation Chapter 14, 24:42 we call them 144,000. 24:44 Revelation 14:1, 24:46 "I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, 24:49 with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, 24:51 having the Father's name written in their foreheads." 24:55 Jump down to verse 4. 24:57 "These are ones they're not defiled with woman, 24:59 for they are virgins. 25:01 They're pure. 25:02 They are ones who follow the Lamb everywhere he goes. 25:05 These are the ones who walk and talk with Jesus." 25:08 Verse 5, "In their mouth is found no deceit, 25:13 for they are without fault before the throne of God." 25:19 Those are the ones who can stand. 25:20 David says it in Psalm 24, 25:22 "Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord, 25:24 who shall stand in his holy place, 25:28 He that has clean hands, and a pure heart, 25:31 he who has not lifted up his soul 25:34 to vanity or to an idol, or sworn deceitfully." 25:39 Love is holy. 25:40 God's judgment can only truly be understood 25:43 if we begin to catch a glimpse of the holiness 25:47 and the purity of our God. 25:50 And the disconnect or dissonance that creates 25:53 with sin over here on this side. 25:55 Key number two, love is jealous. 26:00 God's judgment can only truly be understood 26:06 when we understand the jealousy of our God for us, 26:09 and how He doesn't like anything in our hearts 26:12 that would be between us and God. 26:14 Now, wait a minute, you say God jealous? 26:16 I thought jealousy was an evil emotion, 26:18 is that not right? 26:20 We're taught, right? 26:21 Okay, don't be jealous of so and so. 26:24 There are two different types of jealousy 26:26 and we'll look at that. 26:27 Let's read first, the second commandment. 26:29 This is in Exodus 20. 26:30 This is where God actually talks about 26:32 that being a jealous God. 26:34 We're in Exodus 20:5, 26:36 this is the middle of the second commandment. 26:38 "You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them." 26:41 Meaning idols, don't worship other idols. 26:43 Why? 26:45 "For I, the Lord your God am... What's that word? 26:48 Jealous God, that's right, a jealous God, 26:52 visiting the iniquity of the fathers 26:54 upon the children to the third and fourth generation 26:55 of those who hate me. 26:57 I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. 27:00 Seriously, God, You're jealous. 27:03 Now in Hebrew, the word is qana. 27:05 And it's used only six times in the Old Testament, 27:08 and every time that word jealous is used, 27:11 it means jealous. 27:14 But it also always refers to God. 27:16 Wait a minute. 27:17 So this word jealous refers to God. 27:20 You mean God can be jealous. 27:23 There's a difference between godly jealousy 27:25 on this side, and a sinful jealousy, 27:28 which to be honest, is the kind I possess over here 27:31 on this side. 27:33 Godly jealousy is jealous for. 27:37 Sinful jealousy is jealous of. 27:41 I don't know about you, 27:42 but I've been jealous of things. 27:44 Have you ever been jealous of someone else's home? 27:46 Oh, wow, they got a really nice home. 27:48 But it doesn't belong to me. 27:50 It's not my home, 27:51 but I'm still jealous of this home. 27:54 What about I'm jealous of someone's position, 27:56 or I'm jealous of someone's title. 27:59 Or I'm jealous of someone's money, 28:01 or maybe someone's spouse. 28:03 These are all things that we're jealous of wishing 28:07 we could have it. 28:09 But in reality, it doesn't belong to us, does it? 28:11 It was never ours in the first place. 28:13 This is coveting something that does not belong to us, 28:17 that is sinful jealousy jealous of. 28:20 But the godly jealousy over here on this side 28:22 is jealous for. 28:25 This is a godly jealousy. Why? 28:27 Because God already owns us. 28:29 We belong to Him. 28:31 He's not coveting something that does not belong to Him. 28:35 He owns us. 28:38 God wants nothing to supersede the place in our hearts 28:43 that He shouldn't have. 28:47 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul talks about it, 28:49 references it to marriage and Christ in the church. 28:52 He says, "I'm jealous over you with godly jealousy." 28:55 There's that word again godly jealousy, seriously. 28:57 "For I am betrothed, 28:59 I have betrothed you to one husband, 29:01 so that to Christ, 29:03 I might present you as a pure virgin." 29:05 In other words, if you're married to someone, 29:07 you feel this over your spouse. 29:08 Now it can turn sinful of course. 29:10 But it could also be wow, I belong to this person. 29:13 Praise the Lord, what a gift. 29:15 So God says what? 29:16 In the beginning, I made you. 29:19 And then I bought you back. 29:22 I redeemed you. 29:25 You see we're really twice bought. 29:27 He created us in the beginning, 29:28 He stooped and formed Adam from the dust of the ground. 29:32 And then He breathed into his nostrils 29:34 the breath of life. 29:36 And Adam became a living person. 29:38 He created him and yet Adam chose to walk away. 29:41 Adam chose to do his own thing. 29:43 Adam said, "God, I'm not going to serve you. 29:46 I'm not going to follow You. 29:48 I'm choosing to eat of the forbidden tree 29:52 where I know I should not be doing that." 29:54 And yet God said, "I still love you. 29:56 I still want you. 29:58 I will buy you back." 30:00 It's like the story of the little boy 30:02 who built a boat and he loved his boat. 30:04 It was a sailboat. 30:06 And he took it out in the water and he would watch it 30:09 and he loved to sail it. 30:10 And then one day his boat disappeared. 30:12 It got caught in the reeds, and he couldn't find it. 30:14 And he was so upset because he had made the boat. 30:17 He created it himself. 30:19 And he said, "Well, where's my boat?" 30:21 And then he trudged up the little street 30:23 and he looked in the shop window, 30:25 and guess what? 30:26 There was his boat, and he ran in. 30:29 And then he said to the shop owner, 30:30 "But that's my boat. 30:31 You have my boat? 30:33 How did you come with my boat? 30:34 I made that boat, that is my boat." 30:36 And the shop owner said, "I don't know, 30:38 Sonny, but it's my boat now. 30:41 If you want this boat, you got to buy it." 30:44 And so the little boy saved up his nickels 30:46 and dimes and quarters doing all kinds of little odd jobs 30:48 until he had enough money. 30:51 And he went back to the shop owner 30:53 and he purchased back the boat 30:54 that was really his in the beginning. 30:57 And he said to its little boat 30:59 as he took it down to the lake, you're mine. 31:02 You're twice mine. 31:04 First, I made you. 31:06 Second, I bought you. 31:09 You belong to me. 31:11 You see, you and I, 31:12 we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ 31:14 if we have accepted Him into our heart, 31:17 if we said yes, God, I want you as Lord of my life. 31:21 What? 31:22 We belong to Him, we belong to Him by creation. 31:25 Yes, Isaiah 43:1, "Thus says the Lord who created you, 31:29 'O, Israel, He who formed you.' 31:32 Fear not, for I am, I have redeemed you.'" 31:36 You see that, He made us in the beginning, 31:38 then He redeemed us. 31:40 I've called you by name. 31:42 You are mine. 31:45 You're mine shows ownership. 31:47 God is jealous over us, of us 31:51 with a godly jealousy because He loves us. 31:57 Key number one, love is holy. 31:59 Key number two, love is jealous. 32:01 Key number three, love is disciplinary. 32:05 You see God's judgment can only really truly be understood 32:10 when we look at it in the light 32:12 of the redemptive judgment from a parent 32:15 who loves their child and wants to save them. 32:20 If you look at the Book of Hebrews, I love this. 32:22 In Hebrews Chapter 12, 32:23 we see this picture of God as a parent 32:27 reaching out in love to us as His children, what? 32:31 Because He wants to hurt us? 32:32 Because He wants to punish us? 32:33 No, because He loves us. 32:36 And He wants to make us 32:38 just a little more into the image of Jesus, 32:41 as Ryan talked about in our previous message. 32:45 Hebrews 12:5, 32:49 "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, 32:53 Do not be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him." 32:57 I don't know about you, but I get discouraged. 32:58 Wow, God really? 33:00 Seriously? 33:01 Did this have to happen too? 33:03 This happened here? 33:04 What in the world do you think 33:06 you are doing right now in my life? 33:10 Do not despise the chasing of the Lord 33:12 and don't be discouraged when you're rebuked by Him. 33:14 Verse 6, 33:15 "For whom the Lord loves 33:16 He chastens, 33:21 and scourges every son whom He receives." 33:24 Now that word scourges is used 33:26 seven times in the New Testament 33:27 and the Greek word is used. 33:29 And every time it's used for Jesus, 33:31 when He was scourged, 33:32 and flogged, and whipped by the Romans 33:34 right before His crucifixion. 33:36 And it's also used for Jesus' disciples 33:39 when they were persecuted, 33:41 or flogged, or whipped right before 33:46 when they were being persecuted for righteousness sake. 33:50 This is the only time it's used for you and I, 33:52 not referring to Jesus, not referring to His disciples, 33:55 but by extension, His disciples, 33:57 you can say down through the stream of time 33:59 to us here today. 34:03 Do all things really work together for good? 34:06 I was at a funeral. 34:07 And Greg and I were at a funeral 34:08 just a couple weeks ago. 34:10 Young woman, beautiful, died of COVID. 34:14 Whoo! 34:15 Painful. 34:17 And you know the scripture they used in that service. 34:21 Now you can pick any scripture in the Word of God, 34:24 you'd want maybe 1 Thessalonians 4, right? 34:27 The Lord Himself would descend from heaven with a shout, 34:29 with the voice of the archangel, 34:30 with a trump of God. 34:31 Comfort one another with these words, right? 34:33 Maybe we'd want, eye has not seen neither ear heard, 34:36 nor is entered into the heart of man the things 34:38 that God has reserved for those who love Him. 34:41 Maybe that would be what you would want. 34:43 But the scripture they chose, 34:45 the scripture the husband chose for this funeral 34:47 that touched me more than anything else 34:49 in the entire funeral. 34:51 It was Romans 8:28. 34:53 And we know that all things work together for good, 34:57 that doesn't mean all things were good. 34:59 That does not mean that death of this woman, 35:01 young children, untimely death. 35:03 That does not mean God wanted it to happen. 35:05 It does not mean God caused it to happen. 35:07 And clearly it does not mean it was good. 35:11 But it can work together for good to those who love God, 35:16 to those who are the called according to His purpose. 35:21 I can't even begin to really understand that. 35:25 I don't know about you, I'm just being honest with you. 35:27 There's times when I say, wow, God, I'm still learning. 35:32 I'm still growing. 35:34 I'm still trying to understand this. 35:37 Psalm 119:67, "Before I was afflicted, 35:41 I went astray, but now I keep Your word." 35:47 Another words, what is David the Psalmist saying? 35:50 The affliction enabled me to keep God's word better. 35:55 Did you catch that? 35:56 That means trials. 35:58 That means the discipline that we experienced 36:01 that is seemingly harsh sometimes, 36:04 seemingly judgmental sometimes, 36:07 God is working it in our lives 36:10 to make us that much more like Jesus, 36:14 to enable us to walk with Him and to experience His Word. 36:20 You know, in Nehemiah Chapter 9, 36:21 we see this incredible picture. 36:24 I'm going to turn there, Nehemiah Chapter 9, 36:26 of the love of God, 36:28 and combined with the judgment of God. 36:32 It's amazing to me as we look at this in Nehemiah Chapter 9, 36:35 it happens three times 36:37 in a matter of just a few verses, 36:39 and I call it the five cycle of disobedience. 36:42 So over here, we have disobedience. 36:44 The children of Israel do their own thing. 36:46 They walk away from God, they bow down to other idols, 36:50 they do what they want. 36:52 That's number one. 36:54 And the second step of the cycle, 36:57 judgment comes. 36:59 Judgment from God, and God sends it. 37:02 And the Word of God is very clear about that, 37:04 if you read Nehemiah Chapter 9, but it doesn't stop there. 37:07 Step number three is repentance. 37:11 And repentance is also a gift from God. 37:14 Romans 2:4 says, "It is the goodness of God 37:16 that leads you and I to repentance." 37:19 So it's not even them trying to repent. 37:21 It's God wooing, God drawing, 37:24 God bringing them back to Himself. 37:26 That's the third step in the cycle 37:29 is repentance, that's from God. 37:30 Then we see mercy, and that is from God. 37:33 And then number five is deliverance, 37:35 and that comes from God as well. 37:37 So if we go all the way back over here, 37:38 we start with and we can see this. 37:42 I'm in Nehemiah 9:26, "They were disobedient. 37:45 There's the disobedience. 37:46 They rebelled against you. 37:48 They cast your law behind their backs. 37:50 They killed your prophets who testified against you." 37:52 That's pretty hard. 37:54 "All of those things they did." 37:55 And then what did God do? 37:56 God sent judgment. 37:59 They repented, 38:03 God sent mercy. 38:06 And He delivered them. 38:08 And then what happens? 38:09 You think, wow, they would have learned something, right? 38:11 Wow, God, when I walk away from you, 38:13 it's doesn't go so well. 38:15 And You are so merciful, and You're so forgiving, 38:17 and You love me. 38:19 Wow, God, I don't want to walk away again. 38:20 But what they do? 38:22 They went right back into sin, did they not? 38:24 And they disobeyed again. 38:26 It says, verse 28, "After they had rest, 38:31 again, they did evil before you." 38:33 So for a while they walked in obedience, 38:35 for a while they did what God had asked. 38:37 And then after they had rest, 38:39 again, they stepped into disobedience. 38:41 Again, God sent judgment. 38:44 Again, the people repented. 38:47 God forgave and had mercy and what happened? 38:50 He delivered again. 38:51 Now you think that would be it. 38:53 But that's not it, three times. 38:56 And Nehemiah Chapter 9, 38:57 detailing the history of the children of Israel, 39:00 they stepped out again. 39:02 Verse 30, "For many years, You had patients with them, 39:05 testified against them 39:07 by Your Spirit and Your prophets, 39:08 but they would not listen. 39:10 And then judgment came again." 39:12 This is the Babylonian captivity 39:14 that was a serious judgment. 39:15 My friend always says, 39:17 God uses the gentlest means possible to get our attention. 39:23 Meaning, if it just takes a tap on the shoulder, 39:25 oh, yes, God, I want to turn to you. 39:27 Instantly, we're walking with Him again. 39:29 But in the case of the children of Israel, 39:31 it took 70 years in Babylonian captivity. 39:35 Then they turned back to Him. 39:38 Then they sought His face. 39:40 You see, love is disciplinary. 39:42 God's judgment can only truly be understood 39:45 in light of the redemptive judgment of a parent 39:48 who loves their child and wants to save them. 39:50 Key number four, love. 39:53 Love is fair. 39:55 God's judgment can only truly be understood 39:59 in light of His law, in light of His fairness. 40:03 You know, Romans Chapter 7. 40:05 If you read Romans Chapter 7, it's this whole dichotomy, 40:09 the things I want to do. 40:11 I don't do them, and the things I hate, 40:14 those are the things I do. 40:15 This is the struggle of the person 40:18 who's seeking to follow God. 40:19 But yet the carnal nature is pulling us away from God. 40:23 In the middle of Romans 7, 40:24 there's this incredible statement 40:26 by Paul saying, Okay, it's not God's fault, 40:29 because the law is holy. 40:30 Romans 7:12, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, 40:36 and just, and good." 40:38 You see, there's nothing wrong with the law of God. 40:40 God's law is perfect. 40:43 Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death. 40:47 But the gift of God is eternal life, 40:51 through Christ Jesus, our Lord." 40:53 You see, we all should have died 40:54 when Adam and Eve partook of that fruit, 40:56 we all should have died. 40:57 We all deserve to be punished. 41:01 If God is holy, if His law is perfect, 41:05 if His standard is perfection, 41:08 we surely do not meet that standard. 41:13 But yet, Jesus came to be our substitute 41:18 and stand in our place. 41:19 We'll get to that, 41:21 because that's really key number five, 41:22 so we won't step into that right now. 41:23 But the point right now is God is not only fair, 41:26 in His upholding of His holy law, 41:29 and the punishment for those who break the law. 41:32 But He's also fair in His dealing with others. 41:35 He's fair in His bringing His Son 41:38 as the perfect substitute 41:40 to fulfill the claims of the law. 41:43 He's fair in how He deals with other people, 41:45 and how He brings justice and judgment 41:48 to those who don't follow Him. 41:52 You know, I don't know about you, 41:53 but it's very interesting. 41:55 Human nature is very fascinating to me. 41:56 And it seems as if we as humans are never bothered by judgment, 42:01 as long as it's against someone else. 42:03 You ever notice that? 42:05 It's when the judgment comes against me, 42:07 that sometimes I have more of an issue with it. 42:09 You ever noticed that we plead with God to right our wrongs? 42:12 We plead with God to rescue our families. 42:15 We plead with God to deliver. 42:18 Roman says, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay." 42:21 And sometimes we say 42:22 God, why haven't You executed vengeance? 42:24 Why haven't You stepped forward? 42:26 Why haven't You done something, God? 42:29 And yet when God does arise, when God does execute judgment, 42:34 when justice comes, what do we say? 42:37 Why is He so harsh? 42:39 Why does He bring judgment? 42:43 You know, it's very interesting 42:45 to step into the role of employer 42:47 instead of employee. 42:49 And it's been a big learning experience 42:51 for me here at 3ABN the last several years. 42:54 And one of the things I found very fascinating 42:57 is this whole conundrum of justice and human nature. 43:00 As an example, 43:02 we had to terminate an employee one time. 43:04 And before the termination, 43:06 I cannot tell you how many people came forward and said, 43:09 you know what so and so does? 43:10 Can you believe why are they still working here? 43:12 Why don't you all do something? 43:13 You need to really execute justice 43:17 and judgment in this situation? 43:19 Why are you allowing these things to happen? 43:22 And so administratively, we looked and we prayed, 43:24 and we consider and there's a lot of things 43:26 that go on behind the scenes. 43:27 You can't talk to anybody about. 43:29 You can't tell anyone about, 43:30 but we knew that things were happening. 43:32 And eventually, unfortunately, 43:34 it led to the person's termination. 43:36 At the very end, when that happened, 43:38 you know what the same employees then, 43:40 the same ones who had come and said, 43:41 why don't you do some? 43:42 What's wrong with you all? 43:44 Why do you allow that to happen? 43:45 You know what they said? 43:47 Why did you terminate so and so? 43:49 What is wrong with you? 43:51 Why don't you exercise mercy? 43:53 You see, it's that age old question 43:57 that we want, for whatever reason, justice, 44:00 but we want it on other people. 44:02 We don't really want justice to come against us. 44:05 You know, the martyrs, 44:07 this is the fifth seal in Revelation Chapter 6. 44:10 They're crying out under the altar, 44:12 and what do they cry out? 44:13 They say how long oh, Lord, 44:16 how long and tell her mistreatment 44:18 and tell her abuse and tell her torture, 44:21 and tell our death is vindicated? 44:23 How long until these wrongs are writing? 44:26 Psalm 73, David said the same thing. 44:29 He said, "Why are the wicked unpunished? 44:33 Why do the righteous suffer? 44:36 Why do the wicked seemingly escape?" 44:39 We ask again, God, how long? 44:42 Are you fair? 44:44 And yet when God does arise, we get mad. 44:47 Why are You being so harsh? 44:50 You know, we cry today, how long God, 44:51 how long until you release those in slavery? 44:55 How long until You rescue 44:56 those who are abused and neglected? 44:58 How long until You recover hurting families? 45:01 How long until You feed the starving children? 45:04 How long until You free persecuted Christians? 45:07 How long until You fight 45:08 for those who are trafficked and abused? 45:11 How long God until You rise up 45:13 and vindicate Your name? 45:15 How long? 45:17 Love, key number four, is fair. 45:20 God's judgment can only truly be understood 45:23 in light of His law and His fairness. 45:26 Key number five, love is redemptive. 45:29 God's judgment can only truly be understood 45:32 in light of His redemption. 45:34 You see, Jesus took my sin on the cross. 45:36 Jesus took your sin on the cross. 45:39 1 Peter 2:24, 45:40 "He Himself God bore our sins in his own body, 45:46 on the tree, that we having died to sins 45:49 might live for righteousness, 45:52 by His wounds, we were healed." 45:55 In 2 Corinthians 5:21, all over again. 45:57 I love the scripture. 45:59 "God made Him, God made Jesus 46:01 who knew no sin to be sin for us, 46:05 that we might become the righteousness 46:07 of God in Him." 46:08 In other words, Jesus on the cross took my sin. 46:12 He took my punishment. 46:13 He took what we deserved, because why? 46:16 Love is fair, and love is holy. 46:20 He took my punishment, and He credited to my account, 46:24 His righteousness, in which I had no share. 46:29 How do you reconcile a loving God, 46:32 allowing His only Son to die a wicked death? 46:37 Because He is holy, because He is fair, 46:41 because the demands of the law, 46:44 it must be met, 46:45 because the wages of sin is death. 46:49 But the gift of God is eternal life 46:52 through Christ Jesus, our Lord, 46:54 because He's redemptive. 46:56 He's not willing that any should perish, 46:58 but He wants all to come back to Him 47:03 for repentance. 47:05 Christ was treated as we deserve, 47:08 that we may be treated as He deserves. 47:10 He was condemned for our sin in which He had no share, 47:15 that we might be justified by His righteousness 47:18 in which we had no share. 47:20 He suffered the death which was ours, 47:22 that we might receive the life which was His. 47:25 By His stripes, we are healed. 47:29 How do we reconcile this God of love on this side 47:32 with a God of justice over here? 47:35 The five keys in my experience 47:37 to understanding the character of God 47:39 is that love is holy. 47:42 Love is jealous. 47:44 Love is disciplinary. 47:47 Love is fair and love is redemptive. 47:50 Now, I told you, there are five keys, 47:52 but in actuality, there's six. 47:54 There is one more key to this puzzle 47:57 that to me is probably the most important key of all, 48:00 and that is this, love is present. 48:04 Hebrews 13:5, He says, "I'll never leave you. 48:09 I'll never forsake you." 48:12 This key doesn't help us understand 48:14 God's judgment at all. 48:15 You know what it does? 48:17 It helps you and I walk through it. 48:20 It helps us when life is hard, 48:24 when the valley is deep, 48:26 when the journey is long, it helps us 48:30 because God walks with us in the midst of the fire, 48:36 in the midst of the valley, 48:38 in the midst of the difficulty, 48:40 God, He's with us. 48:44 I remember, probably 16 years ago, 48:48 it's a long time ago. 48:49 Greg told you at the beginning, we've been married 19 years. 48:53 So it's probably about 16 years ago, 48:54 we were just at the beginning of our infertility journey. 49:00 We just found out 49:01 that we could not have children. 49:03 And I'll never forget it. 49:05 It was Mother's Day Sabbath here, 49:08 right here on the stage at the Thompsonville Church. 49:12 And I was over there playing the piano. 49:15 And it was the time they honored the mothers. 49:18 And you know how it goes, who's been a mom the longest? 49:22 Who has the most kids? 49:25 Who's the oldest mother? 49:28 Who's the newest mother? 49:31 And I'll never forget, 49:32 Greg and I had just found out the news 49:34 that we could not have children. 49:36 And I was playing the piano. 49:38 And the mothers were coming up from all over the church 49:40 to pick up roses right here at the front at the altar. 49:45 And I thought, God, they'll never be me. 49:49 What happened to that dream? 49:50 What happened to what I wanted? 49:52 What happened to what we wanted? 49:54 What happened to the desire of our heart? 49:56 I thought you said you give us the desire of our heart. 49:58 God, you could work a miracle, but You chose not to. 50:01 So why? 50:02 I thought You were sovereign God. 50:04 And I remember, 50:06 I put my head down and shook my hair over my face. 50:08 So nobody at church would see I was crying, 50:11 because I didn't want them to know. 50:13 Sometimes when we're in pain, it's like we hide. 50:15 We don't want people to see our pain. 50:17 We don't want people to know our pain. 50:20 And so I put my head down and all of a sudden, 50:23 I felt a touch on my shoulder. 50:25 And a little girl about 10 years old, said, 50:29 "Miss Jill, my mom wanted you to have this rose." 50:33 And she laid it right there on the piano. 50:36 And I thought of my friend. 50:38 She's here today, sitting in the church. 50:42 And I thought of her love for me 50:46 at a painful time in my own life. 50:50 And it reminded me that 50:52 sometimes God's ways are past finding out. 50:56 Yes, when we look at this God of love, 50:58 and we look at the God of justice or God of judgment, 51:01 we can say love is holy. 51:02 And that helps a piece of the understanding. 51:06 We can say love is jealous. 51:07 And maybe that gives us another piece of the understanding. 51:10 We can say love is disciplinary and yes, 51:13 God, I do want that and need that in my life. 51:15 We can say love is fair. 51:17 We can say it's redemptive. 51:18 But when you get right down to the nitty-gritty, 51:22 that doesn't help my heart at all. 51:24 But what does help me is to know that my God, 51:28 the God of the universe, the God who can do anything, 51:32 and for whatever reason 51:34 in this situation has chosen not to 51:37 and I may not fully understand that until eternity. 51:41 But yet my God is present. 51:44 Are you walking through a valley right now? 51:46 Are you walking through a hard time in your life? 51:51 You might say, "I don't need answers, Jill. 51:53 I don't need solutions. 51:55 But I need to know someone's beside me. 51:57 I need to know someone's in my corner. 52:00 I need to know someone is walking with me 52:02 through this pain." 52:05 Love is present. 52:08 God Himself is walking with you. 52:12 He will never leave you, He will never forsake you. 52:15 What storm are you in right now in your life? 52:20 You may be in the dark of midnight 52:22 where you can't even find His face. 52:25 The storm could be howling around you 52:28 and there'd be no hiding place, 52:30 but, yeah, He wants to keep you safe 52:33 until the storm passes by. 52:51 In the dark of the midnight 52:56 Have I oft hid my face 53:02 While the storm howls above me 53:07 And there's no hiding place 53:13 'Mid the crash of the thunder 53:19 Precious Lord, hear my cry 53:25 Keep me safe 53:28 Till the storm 53:32 Passes by 53:38 Till the storm 53:41 Passes over 53:44 Till the thunder sounds no more 53:49 Till the clouds roll forever 53:55 From the sky 54:00 Hold me fast, let me stand 54:05 In the hollow of Thy hand 54:10 Keep me safe 54:13 Till the storm passes by 54:25 Many times Satan whispered 54:31 There is no use to try 54:36 For there's no end of sorrow 54:41 There's no hope by and by 54:47 But I know Thou art with me 54:52 And tomorrow I'll rise 54:57 Where the storms 55:00 Never darken 55:04 The skies 55:09 Till the storm passes over 55:14 Till the thunder sounds no more 55:19 Till the clouds roll forever 55:25 From the sky 55:30 Hold me fast, let me stand 55:35 In the hollow of Thy hand 55:41 Keep me safe 55:44 Till the storm 55:47 Passes by 55:52 Keep me safe 55:57 Till the storm 56:01 Passes by 56:11 Amen. 56:12 Thank you so much, Ryan and Tim. 56:15 Are you in the storm? 56:16 Are you walking through a storm? 56:19 Are you walking through a time in your life 56:21 where it seems God has left you 56:24 or it seems all you are experiencing 56:28 is the justice of God, 56:29 is the judgment of God and you say, 56:32 God, but where are you? 56:34 I can't find you. 56:36 I can't feel Your face. 56:38 I want to know You are there. 56:41 That is the time, my brothers and sisters, 56:44 where we open up the Word of God, 56:47 where our Christian life is not dependent 56:50 on how we feel. 56:51 It's dependent on the authority of the Word of God. 56:54 If God says you are forgiven, you are forgiven in Jesus. 56:58 If God says He can bring you peace, 57:01 He will bring you peace. 57:03 If God says He can anoint you, He will anoint you. 57:06 If God says when you are weak, I will be made strong. 57:11 He will give you strength 57:13 no matter what you're going through, 57:15 no matter what you are experiencing, 57:17 He is right by your side because love, love is present. 57:22 Holy Father, we're grateful 57:23 that in the midst of our trials and experiences, 57:26 You are present, be present in our lives today. 57:30 Amen. |
Revised 2021-11-19