I wasn't expecting such nice words from race. I was so kind.
Thank you. We used to play a lot of card at his house thanks,
saying when you give a team a round of applause.
Common over the obstacles with the sound of the marks of the
things delivers great worship week after week. What time it is
my absolute honor and privilege to be here tonight to say the
word, and I'm gonna do it from down here because I like to be
with the People but tonight you know that over the last couple
of weeks. We've been going through this series on tough
text of the Bible in the central premise is that we take these
scriptures from the Bible that often we look at and their
complex and they don't really make sense so we just go over
them. But we recognize that all scripture is God breathed so
there's a purpose for those
scriptures. Now I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to jump
in on the series, because I feel like there are others more
qualified and I don't want to risk heresy so I just thought I
might bypass that you know topics like circumcision
childbirth, an evil demon puppy job. I'm like puppet. Giants you
know all that stuff, if you know what I'm talking about then
please. Feel free to watch back on those messages and next
week's message is going to be ridiculous and also
ridiculously. Good but tonight I'm happy to be a little
placeholder little breather in the series, but tonight I'm
excited to bring this word because I have been thinking. A
lot about it over this last week and trying to figure out what
God wants to say to his People, and I believe that it's very
clear what he wants to encourage his church with an and so we're
going to speak through a passage of scripture tonight and I'm I'm
praying that that you just sent the presence of God. Through it
all, and be encouraged by what God is doing in your life, but I
thought I'd start by giving some
advice. I have some advice that I've learned in my life and my
time here on this Earth. It's a strategy that I have actually
for getting through difficult days if you like Maine.
If you're having a bad day at work, having bad's at uni bad
day at school and you just need something to get you through it
off and what I do is I think of food now. You don't get this
without investment. But what I often think about if I'm at uni
if I'm at work and it's just you know it's been a rubbish class.
I'm getting annoying emails got deadlines coming. I'm thinking
about dinner. That's what I'm doing and this is happening from
a whole life. In fact, on Friday. Very busy day.
Everyone's at my office. It was a bit too, stressful, but I went
out to dinner and let me tell
you. I went and got beef cheeks and it was served with a spoon
that makes I tend to over there getting men showing men and that
was good for me 'cause it got me through my day. It actually
happened. A lot as a child. I grew up with two older brothers
and we ate a lot and we ate very quickly and if you wanted, a
second serving you did, it fast. It was no rules just getting and
get it done. It was the same thing with that. I'd be at
school and I'd be thinking. When I get home and have some 2
minute noodles, So what I'm going to do I had far too many
of them. I did, but I get home?
And my brother had it in my noodles, which I think is poor
form, but it was fine for him to eat my ice cream and so will
deal with that, well, we will will deal with that and and are
dealing with that. But the premise here is often what I do
in my day to get through something. I'd have something at
the end of it. I have something at the end of that I could draw
my attention to that I could put my eyes on it would remind me of
something good. That's coming and a lot of People actually do
this with Holidays. I've got it quite a lot. I like to put if I
know I've got a massive semester coming up a cheeky little get
away at the end of it. I'm going to Hong Kong soon. I know
showing off whatever and while I'm over there, I've had so many
People come up to the unlike you nervous about the protests in
Hong Kong. Are you kidding political protest. Yum Yum,
joining in. I actually want to go to the Government House,
where they storm down the window. Get me in on that. Yeah.
Get me on a Chinese watch list. You know, I'm saying very
excited to go to Hong Kong. But it's the same thing massive
semester, but I knew there something good at the end of it.
You gotta remember that line, answering political protest Yum
Yum. What expecting that at church? I'm excited to head over
there but through this semester is things have been difficult as
things have been confronted. I'm reminding myself of something
good. That's coming at the end of it and this is actually a
really similar strategy to what we hear about in the scripture.
It's actually from King David and so tonight? What I'd love to
do is take you through a short passage of scripture in some 27
where we see this actually lived out and we can apply. This
principle and So what we're going through so the scripture
is going to come up on the
screen. And this is what we're focusing on tonight. So I'm 27
verse 13 and 14 read it here. I would have lost heart.
Says King David unless I had believed that I would see the
goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see
the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living wait on the
Lord Be of good courage. He shall strengthen your heart
again. I say wait on the Lord. This is the passage will be
speaking on tonight and if you
wanted scripture. Let's go with good stuff that's what I'm going
to call it so the next time someone comes up. She's like
good stuff mate. You can remember. This remember this
scripture because what we're going to see as we go through
this. Scripture is God has good stuff for you in your life now
in your future in who he is as a person as our Lord as our savior
available to us through every situation in every circumstance
and so before we jump in why don't you pray? I got I just
thank you for your presence that's here? I thank you for who
you are. I thank you for your words or word that brings life
that brings joy that brings Liberty brings for it. And we
just bless your name. We asked you here with us tonight and men
and men. So through this scripture there's a lot, that
and we can unpack and I'd love to start at the start, which
makes sense where it says at this time I would have lost
hard. But unless I believed that I would see the goodness of God
in the land of the living now a couple of weeks ago. I I gave a
message and in that message. I was talking about another
passage of scripture where the author says a similar thing is,
but I remind myself of these things I remind myself of what
God is doing in my life and I'll be honest with you actually
because they were so similar.
In such a short period of time I felt a bit like I was cheating,
so I put this message, a side by side and think about other ones
that I could do. But I couldn't get it out of my head. I
couldn't get past this point. This central point that if we
are in circumstances that aren't ideal if we're struggling if
where in this time this season, where we're battling where we
can't get rest. Our spirit wear perhaps there's sickness
financial issues. Perhaps we're going through something with our
family and we are in this struggle. But we know God's with
us. If that's the season that we're in this something we can
do about it. Let's remind ourselves of the goodness of
God. That was the central point of my last message and it's the
first point here. And I couldn't get it out of my head so maybe.
What God's trying to say to you tonight? This church to these
People is that you might be in a situation of season a
circumstance where you can't seem to get through it yet well.
You're frustrated. You can't find the job. You can't sell the
house. You can't get that promotion. There's always
sickness around you're struggling with relationships,
then let me tell you let me
remind you tonight. That if you set your eyes on the
goodness of God your situation won't be it won't
be eternal. It will be temporal your circumstances
will change because the promises of God are true. The
promises of God. True and they directed to you and
that's the first point that I wanted to draw out tonight.
That in this situation, David's writing this summon if we look
at the life of David. It's really incredible 'cause. We so
often recall him is this hero of scripture. He's known as a man
after gods own heart. We talk about. We talk about you know
how incredible he wasn't worship or the fact that he had faith in
God believe in his promise with Goliath. But the scriptures very
detailed about how difficult his life was as well. He went
through some incredible circumstances. Where is losing
friends and family members where someone he trusted's trying to
kill him? He's Try to hide in caves, so that he could keep
his life because he's believing in the promise of God time and
time again. David's actually thrown into these situations
that are remarkably difficult.
But what we see through the
sound in particular. Is that he reminds himself of God?
What he knows isn't just the fact that he's going to get
through the circumstance but he knows that he's getting through
this circumstance because God's with him and because God's on
the other side and because God gives him strength and because
God sustains him even in these circumstances, which are so
confronting and so challenging David knows what to do and I'm
so glad that it's written in the scripture because we can apply
the same principle as I said earlier with the food it often
gets me through a tough day. What David saying here is in
this season of life where I'm confronted and I'm challenged.
I can remind myself of the goodness of God and I can remind
myself of what's coming. I can remind myself of the new season
ahead. I can remind myself that my circumstances, temporal, but
my God, and his promises are eternal and that's what David's
reminding himself of there. But what exactly is you reminding
himself of in this scripture. You think that I will see the
goodness of the Lord in the land
of the living. And this is a beautiful beautiful
passage in fact.
I'll come back when we talk about the goodness of God, it's
talking more not just about an action or activity. It's not
about being good. It's about where this goodness comes from
the scripture when it's used this term when it's used in the
Old Testament actually referring to God in his goodness. It is
character team being good. It's in buys nature being good. What
what Dave it's showing us. It's not just the the act of what God
does for us. It's her. God is as as as as he is our God is the
Lord is our savior, he is good.
He's by his nature good and so when we know him, he can't help
it be good toward us. It's it's part of who he is.
And what we see here in this scriptures that the goodness of
God will be saying in the land
of the living. The goodness of God will be saying in the land
of the living and what that means is we're actually going
to witness the goodness of God manifest. We're not just going
to think about it as a theory is an idea as a characteristic
that God is good in himself, which he is, but we're actually
going to see the goodness of God. We're going to be able to
see it in our life.
And so this is something that during the 21 days of
breakthrough in a couple of the prayer meetings. We had around
it. That was the thing that I couldn't get out of my head.
That we're going to see the goodness of God in the land of
the living. We're going to say the goodness of God in the land
of the living and I just couldn't get it out of my head.
I was up the back during one of their meetings and I just set it
for probably like 20 minutes because it was the only thing I
could think of and it wasn't just for Maine was for a house
was for our church and I'm happy and confident to say I can say
that prophetically because it's a promise of God, it's embedded
in his word, and in his character and in his nature that
we will see the goodness of God in the land of the living we
will see the goodness of God in
this house. In your house in your family in your future you
can see the goodness of God. But what I love about this. There's
something so cool in this scripture because that that verb
there to see in the original Hebrew actually has a bit of an
inference to it that it's not just to see more accurately it's
to see and enjoy.
To see and enjoy?
I would have lost hot? How do I not believe that I would both
see and enjoy the goodness of God in the land of the living?
So often. We love the Christianity that gives us that
future in that hope in the sense that we know where our soul is
going. We know that our attorney is secure in God. But we cheap
in our experience on Earth. If we don't believe that he wants
to show us himself now.
I hope it's secure.
Al eternally secure that's not changing because the sacrifice
of Jesus was done once for all its eternal it's done.
It's written in his blood it is done.
But we miss out.
We chafing the experience for yourself if we refuse
to believe that his goodness is for us today.
This scripture is so real to so alive to tell us that we can see
and enjoy the goodness of God, now in the land of the living.
I would have lost hot unless I believe that I would see and I
would enjoy the goodness of God in the land of the living.
This is a promise that it gives us to promise that he gave to
David. It's a promise that got David through those incredible
challenges that we FaceTime and time again because he believed
that he would see the goodness of God in the land of the
living. Verse 14 of this passage
is. Really encouraging as well, says white on the Lord Be of
good courage for, he shall strengthen your heart.
Wait. I say on the Lord.
It's a really powerful scripture.
When we talk about this idea of waiting on the Lord. It can turn
into this theological discussion. and I really want to
simplify it for us tonight? When we look through the book of
Psalms. Every time that phrase waiting on the Lord is referred
there's a couple of characteristics that are usually
attached to it, and there's a few references in the book of
Psalms, about waiting for the purpose of hope you're waiting
and hoping in the Lord for his deliverance for his breakthrough
for his triumph waiting and hoping on the Lord. We also see
references to waiting and
patience. Perhaps you haven't seen what God is to do yet, but
you're patiently waiting that he
will deliver. And the other references also to rest and when
you wait on God you can rest in him resting who he is, and find
yourself in his presence.
So when we talk about waiting on God. There's a there's a
lot of different ways that we can look at it, but tonight.
We are going to wait on the Lord. The fact that you come
here and you've entered into praise and worship. That's
you're waiting on the Lord. Its positioning yourself in his
presents so you can find that hope that you can find that
patients that you can see God move that you can have rest for
your heart and for your soul.
Wait. I say on the Lord An.
But once one thing that's really incredible about this verse. In
particular is the way that it's written this is actually David
talking to himself. This isn't David declaring it over the
nation. It's not David declaring it over his family. This is
David saying to himself.
Alright night wait on the Lord.
I want to, I would wait on the
Lord. Again, I say wait on the Lord has courage God's going to
strengthen your heart wait on
the Lord. This is huge.
Because it's so real for you and for I tonight.
What David demonstrates in this scripture? Is there will be
times where you need to remind yourself remind your soul remind
your spirit. To have courage and take strength from God.
And I think I can share about that for a couple minutes
personally and because it's a nice tool store. I'm going to
set up on the stage so casual so
engaging now. Some of you may not know, but I'm in the process
of completing my pH D which don't clap. No, it just means I
really love to read.
No no no when I started it, it was really interesting because.
The first thing these professors would say to me is, you do know
that 7 out of 10 People who start one won't finish. It Oh
that's good and then I talked to another. One is not well. My
last PhD student well. You know, we found a spelling mistake in
his first page and then he fled. He fled to the Woods, he lived
in spring book for 6 months and and I didn't talk to him for
awhile. But you know, he got there in the end of Maine. What
are we doing here you're telling me that I'm going to go and run
into the forest like? What are you trying to say? Why why are
you saying this to Maine but?
What they were trying to do is prepare me for the fact that it
is actually a very difficult process which I learned doing
it. And there were several times in the process where I genuinely
did struggle through it. It's a very internal thing you can feel
very secluded. There's a lot of pressure and you're also doing a
lot in your life outside of it and so that doesn't slow down.
But the expectation is that you'll finish it and sometimes
it just gets a bit overwhelming, thankfully. I didn't have a
major breakdown. Apart from that one time that I went to a hotel
and I shaved my hair.
Very Britney I7 moment and before you saw I know that it
wouldn't have taken long I get at her, but the problem. Here
was the fact that it was an electric razor and it ran out of
battery. I thought it was done until I wasn't in IGA and I saw
the back of my head in a TV screen. I looked like I'd escape
from some sort of asylum genuinely. I've been walking
around in public for 2 hours looking like that, not good. But
we got that fixed the next day.
It was yeah, but that might give an indication of that time,
there was another time, though.
When everything was due I wasn't fine. I wasn't sleeping
properly. It was difficult when I'm at home. I just felt really
on edge all the time I had all these papers that I had to mark
that would do I had a deadline that I had to reach I just come
to church and it was just so much going on and I found myself
and worship trying really hard trying really hard to engage in
worship and I couldn't I was trying so hard to do all of the
right things to try and make myself feel that relief and I
just couldn't get there, I tried so hard to get.
Things out of the word but it was so difficult for Maine to
figure out what was going on. I was just so overwhelmed and what
happened was I went out after church grab. Some dinner and I
was in the car and I I played. This one song and as I started
playing it. I I found myself just saying God I need you.
And AG. I don't know how I'm gonna do this unless you with
me. That was a moment where I did what David did in
this scripture.
I said to myself, Scott wait on
the Lord. Wait on the Lord.
Wait on the Lord.
I had to get myself out of my circumstance out of my own head
space out of my own thinking. I'd get myself out of my
situation, said myself Scott wait on the Lord.
And it happened in the car.
I turned on that song as I as I started worshiping I actually I
felt his presence I felt relief.
I felt stress come off Main.
I felt pace.
I felt God say to me, you can do this, you're almost there. Your
almost there. Which is the second part of this verse.
David said he'll take courage.
But then after that is something
so profound. God shall strengthen your heart.
God shall strengthen your heart.
I couldn't find my strength in that circumstance through what I
was doing. I couldn't find strength in the work that I was
doing. I I even struggled to find strength in church.
Because I came to church not looking at God I came to
church looking at shirts.
But what we see here is God gave
me a strength. That I couldn't have gotten anywhere else. God
strengthen my heart. When I couldn't find strengthen myself
when I couldn't find strengthen my purpose in my job in my
family. My friends I couldn't find it there, but I found it in
God. And it came to me because I
was waiting on him. It came because I position myself in a
place where I could be with him or I could see him move or
I could see his goodness or I could experience his presence
is because I found myself in the presence of God.
Let me look through this scripture.
It's such an encouragement to us.
Because it's so real.
It's so real.
Some of you tomorrow will go to work and you'll be confronted by
People. You don't like working with a boss that gives you
rubbish jobs. Maybe there's issues with your pay. Maybe I've
been trying for a promotion for what's not happening. Some of
you will go back to uni and you'll really struggle to see
what's going on in the course and assessments and deadlines.
The stress, the pressure of life. All of that some of you.
Go home and maybe there's a family member. You are on great
terms with at the moment. There's a tension in the house.
But David's writing here isn't just a beautiful scripture. It's
not just poetry. It's not just a quite it's real life.
When you're confronted by circumstance that you know
you're going to get through remind yourself of the goodness
of God that you're going to see it and enjoy it in the land of
the living and tell your spirit tell your soul tell your heart.
Tell your mind tell yourself to wait on the Lord have courage
when you're with him because when you're with him. He will
strengthen your heart again. David says wait on the Lord.
The scripture will change your
life. Because it's the promise
of God. You will say, and enjoy his goodness today.
So what does it look like to wait on the Lord I intentionally
tonight wanted to make sure that the message was a bit shorter
because we're going to actually worship in a second so that we
can together wait on the Lord so before we go out before we go
and grab dinner before we catch up in our showers or whatever.
We're doing tonight. We can actually take this moment to
have the presents and the spirit of God strengthen our hearts.
So what does it look like then to wait on the Lord, it's
actually one of my favorite scriptures in its earlier in
this chapter and I'll I'll read
it for you now. In Psalm, 27 are 8 from verse four it says one
thing I have desired of the Lord that will I seek that I make
dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life to
behold. The beauty of the Lord to inquiring his temple for in
the tribe in the time of trouble. He shall hide me in his
pavilion in the secret place of his Tabernacle, he shall hired
me, he sells sent me high upon a rock and now my head shall be
lifted up above my enemies all around me. Therefore, I will
offer sacrifices of joy in his
Tabernacle. I will sing yes, I will sing praises to the Lord
here. Oh, Lord when I cry with my voice have mercy on me.
Answer me when you said seek my face. My heart, said to you,
your face. Lord I will see.
What does it look like to wait on the Lord that is a beautiful
picture of what it looks like to wait on the Lord to find
yourself in his presence.
To find yourself somewhere where you know, God can speak to you.
To sing songs of praise to Glorify God for his goodness to
Glorify God for his work in your life to praise him to inquire
his temple. That's to get to know him to find out about him.
When we read his word. When we ask him questions in prayer.
That has finding out inquiring of the Lord that you dwell in
his presence that you get close to him that when you're in that
time of worship that your Internet with him. It means that
he he hired you in his presence in that shadow his wing.
But you can find him there. He sets your head above the enemies
that you can see beyond what your current circumstances and
you remind yourself of the future that you have of God?
What does it mean to wait on him it means to be with him it means
to be within whatever the circumstance might look like it
means that you're with him and when you're with him. When
you're in his presence. You realize that nothing else
matters. You realize when you're actually genuinely in his
presence at the circumstances don't matter. You realize that
you will find a job you will get
that pay rise. Your relationship will be restored,
you realize that you will see healing. You realize that you
will have freedom. You realize that those those mental health
issues, they will be broken in your life. You realize that
when you're in the presence of God, because when you wait on
him, he strengthens your heart.
Tonight I know that there are People here.
Who going through a circumstance and you're
struggling to see a way out?
Well, tonight, if you wait on the Lord, he will give you
strength. The strength in your heart to know that you will see
his goodness in your leg.
I I love this scripture so much because it's so real.
And that's why it's not I would love if we could just take a few
moments. So why don't him together?
So the teams going to come out and going to prep.
And tonight what I would love is that we just worship him
together. For you, you might want to find a bit of space. You
wanna move a couple of seats down so that you can just put
your attention fully on God.
And if you don't know what to do in this time you
could sing along.
You can pause in silence, just think about God.
You can start to pray you can start to thank him for what he's
done. You can start to also's questions of God.
You can start to put before him your request.
In this time, whatever it is that you're going through.
You do what you need to do.
He knows your circumstance he knows your needs, he knows your
heart. He knows what you're feeling right now toward him.
What he wants more than anything right now is to be with you?
So tonight
Ha ha.
Let's say his goodness in the land of the living? Why don't
you send to not immigrants.
Hearts and not spend a few moments with him.
Father God right now.
In this place we set aside our circumstance our distraction,
the things we have to do at work
tomorrow. We set aside the things we gotta do when we get
home. Is right now a priorities to be with you?
A priority right now is to be with you.
More in this time of worship.
We believe in what your scripture says that you will
strengthen our hearts. By the power of your spirit.
We thank you for change.
Thank you for law.
We thank you for joy.
We thank you for freedom.
Thank you for love.
To see.