Why We Matter to God

Well, Greetings in the name of the Lord and welcome to the first e Church for Bolivia. Baptist Church is good to be seen, even though I can't see you. But I'm so glad to be able to come and bring the word of the Lord T today.

I just want to tell our members of Livia Baptist Church how much I miss you and any others joining in. I'm just glad you're here. If you don't have a church that is able to do this, then you're free to join us every single week to try to bring a message every week.

If you do have a church is doing, you're joining us anyway. Glad to have you along. You know, I think it's important during these times that we ve people of prayer and devotion, so they were not overwhelmed with fear or doubt.

I think that's one of the things that I'm seeing out of this virus situation. That Gramps God is just trying to drive us to our knees and help us see that we need to be in fellowship with him, that we need to be close to him and that way need to realize that we're not just the church will be able to be in a building where the church, wherever we go, and he's with us at all those times.

I heard someone say this week, too, that they're trying to make sure that they take time away from the news and to do talk about other things. And so I want to encourage you to not only take care of yourself physically, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

That particular person said they were taking, like, three hours in an evening to turn the news off to not even pay attention to. And it just be together. Make sure you take time away from the bad news and just focus on the good things, too, like they play board games with your family.

Listen, your favorite music. Watch a movie that makes you laugh and helps relieve the anxiety. And like, right now, I think it's important to listen to a sermon that point you back to God. Now. The message I want to bring today in the message up probably bring throughout.

This whole thing is just meant to remind us to some things that are true about God in ourselves things that will help us through the times we're in. Each week, I'll continue to write and preach, just like I do for every Sunday and make sure that you have a fresh word from the word I can't make a promise that I'm going to avoid entirely speaking about the Corona virus.

It's an obvious elephant in the room kind of thing. But I am gonna make an effort to kind of steers toward God and the PC offers and not just constantly reference it all the time. Because if you're like me, you're kind of sitting down hoping to find.

And here's something that's good. Some good news that's gonna be my Amos. Well, I'm just gonna try to bring messages every Sunday that encourage and challenge and help the score up. They hope you'll take your Bibles and memory in the 139 songs, Thistle's a Psalm of David that reveals the Amish INTs and on the presence of God that he knows all things and is everywhere at the same time.

And so I'm gonna be reading from the New American standard version of God's words to do every week from 139 Psalm Psalm of David So follow along with me as I read Oh, Lord, you have searched me and known me You know when I sit down and when I rise up you understand my thought from afar You scrutinize my path in my lying down and are intimately acquainted with all my ways Even before there is a word on my tongue.

Behold, Oh Lord, you know it all. You have enclosed me behind it before and laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is too high. I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I send to heaven, you are there.

If I make my bed and she'll behold you are there If I take the wings of the dawn If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea Even there your hand will lead me and your right hand will lay Hold it If I say surely the darkness will overwhelm me And the light around me will be night Even the darkness is not dark to you And the night is as bright as the day darkness and light are alike to you for you formed my inward parts.

You woke me and my mother's womb. I will give thanks to you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made Wonderful are your works and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance And in your book were all written The days that were a dame for me When is yet there was not one of them. How precious Also your thoughts to me. Oh God! How vast is that? Some of them.

If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand when I awake. I am still with you. The David takes a little bit of a turn here. Oh, that you would slay the wicked Oh God! Depart for me. Therefore men of bloodshed, for they speak against you wickedly and your enemies take your name in vain.

Do I not hate those who hate you? Oh, Lord And you are not low. Those who rise up against you I hate them with the utmost hatred They have become my enemies. Search me Oh, God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts and see if there be any hurtful way in the and leave me in the everlasting way Assam is like most Psalms.

It can be broken down into sections, each section conveying a concept, each section building to a conclusion. The first section. That song tells us that God knows us personally and our circumstances specifically God knows us personally and our circumstances.

Specifically looking again at Verse one, says the Lord, You have searched me and known me. David writes this in the past tense because he recognizes that where he is in life and that God has continually known him up to this point in time.

He knows where he is and that God knows where he is. There's never been a time that God did not know David and everything about him and the same is true for us. God knows us personally. He has always known us personally in our successes, and our failures are highs and lows.

He has always been there and known our hearts and our circumstances. In fact, the first part of verse to tells us he knows each part of our day from beginning the end. It says, You know, when I sit down and when I rise up everything about our day He knows when we get up.

When we sit down when we lie down, when our day begins, when our day ends, he knows each part of our day. He knows every thought we think. Look at this second part of hers to you understand my thought from afar.

I don't know about you. When I think about God, knowing all of my thoughts, it's a little frightening. Sometimes we tend to feel good about ourselves when we keep sin from coming out of our mouths are showing in our actions.

And that is a good thing because keeping bad thoughts from getting out of us is a step in the direction of overcoming sin as a whole. But depending on the thought, we may still be engaging. It's sin that secret to those around us, but known by God.

I think that's why Paul says in Corinthians 10 5 to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Disobedience doesn't just happen. It starts with a heart that desires that which is sinful and a mind that chooses to give into dwelling on it.

If we dwell on something in our minds long enough, guess what we're gonna do. We're gonna act on it, right? And so we must bring our minds into obedience by being disciplined, to think on the things of Christ.

Paul's also, I think, talking about that in Philippians four, when he tells us not to be anxious about anything and overcome our anxiousness with right thinking in Verse eight of Philippians four, he says, Whatever is true, whatever's on over whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever's of good repute, if there's any excellence and if anything, were the appraise, dwell or ponder or meditate on these things? All of those things, I think in that verse, Philippians for a are descriptive of Jesus.

Let me look at that again. He is true, right? He is honorable. He is right. He's pure, He's lovely. He's a good repute, right? He's excellent. He's worthy of praise all those things, Paul said in that verse.

If we want our thoughts to be something pleasing aboard, then we must think on him he knows all our thoughts so we can be honest with him about what we're thinking and turned to him for help and thinking rightly look again at verse three.

You scrutinize my path in my lying down and you're intimately acquainted with all my ways. He knows each step we take in between are rising up in our lying down, and each time we choose to take a break and that's it.

Sometimes he directs us to take a break because he knows we need it. You know, whether we're active. Rest. The point is this. He scrutinizes our path right. He watches our steps to see if we're walking with him or walking some other way.

The good news is, no matter what path world, he remains close to us in all our ways, right? He's always with us, ready to guide us back to his chosen path and does so with patients because he knows sometimes we wander.

Nevers four tells us how well he really knows this. Look at this. Even before there's a word on my tongue. Behold a lord, you know it out. All he knows our thoughts and our ways complete because he knows it's personally and he knows it specifically.

Second part of this song is that God has his hand upon us and around us has his hand upon us and around us we see that in verse five, you have enclosed me behind and before and laid your hands upon me.

Throughout the songs, in various places, we see that God is described as our shield. Maybe our fortress, our refuge in times of trouble. He is our protector and sustainer, no matter what. Now here's where I can't avoid talking about the virus because many have the questions.

Why God's letting this happened at all? The answer to that is simple. The answer to Why is God letting this happen? It's simple. He isn't. We are. We chose sickness and death and sorrow all the way back in The Garden of Eden is a human race.

These things are reality in our world and will be until the Lord Jesus returns. Christians physically get sick and die like anyone else. None of that changes. The fact that he is our protector and sustained scene should have done this in a long time ago should have put us in the grave a long time ago.

He has protected and sustained all of humanity by his gracious work on the cross and his patients. That gives mankind the opportunity to know him. The proof that he is our protector, it sustainer, is that we are alive and breathing.

Despite our sin, the biggest threat to our well being is not the Corona virus. And it's certainly not a shortage of toilet paper. Thank goodness it is our sin and always has been. But Jesus has provided the way of protection in eternal sustenance by his blood.

For those who will believe and receive him, thank God that in good times and bad times and despite our sin, he has his hand upon us and around us. As Verse five tells us here, third Movement The third section of this song is that God is always with us, always with us.

Look at Verse seven. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? The answer is no Where we can run but we can't hide just like Jonah found out. And perhaps you know that to be true from some time in your life when you tried to run from God as well.

Let's look at versus eight through 12 against re read those with me and then I'll comment on them. If I send a heaven, you are there. If I make my bed and she'll behold you're there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in their motives, part of the sea, even there your hand will lead me and your right hand will lay hold of me if I say surely the dark muscle over, Well, me and the light around me will be night.

Even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to you what we see in these verses for us in relation. What we're talking about today is that no matter where we are or what is going on, God is with us.

Whether it's a good place or a bad place, a distant place or dark place, he's there. Why would he go to all of these places with us? Because he loves us. Romans 8 39 tells us nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ.

Jesus, our lord, whether it be a pandemic or just a cold, whether the success or failure in life, whether it be good choices were bad, he will not leave us or forsake us because he knows we need him at all times.

Right now, you might be dealing with. Anxious is from all of this. You know, I'm the same way. Sometimes you go to the grocery store and I punch in my pin number, and I feel like I'm getting dirt filth all over me.

You know, if you're feeling anxious right now, I would encourage you to just get off somewhere alone, get very quiet, empty your thoughts and ask God to show up. Then wait. They have the time on your hands.

Wait. Don't keep asking or thinking about all of these things. Just wait. How you gonna know he's there? You'll know. Maybe for the first time, you will know how close he really is to you. But I really believe that these times right now we were not able to be in fellowship with each other are the greatest moments God may have given us in our lives to really develop a close deep fellowship with him.

I encourage you to do that because listen, God is always with us. He is with you right now, but it's up to you to stop and give him the chance to make himself known. Another four section of the salt is that God made us purposely, purposefully and perfectly purposefully and perfectly.

Look at Verse 13 1 of the once wonderful versus and all the Scripture for You formed my inward parts. You wove me in my mother's womb, formed us like molding clay and a piece of pottery. Know you have that pottery on that wheel and you're sitting there and you're taking her hand.

That means God has both ends on you and he's shaping you and molding you and something wonderful, beautiful. It says that you won't me in my mother's womb. That's like taking material, and some of you that are in my church at least make quilts, and it's like taking material, making clothing or making a quilt.

Both the words formed and wove tell us that it's a process from raw material to a completed project, and such work takes a plan and must be done purposefully, you know, Every once in a while I come across a person who shows me blueprints at my work.

I'm bi vocational. I see blueprints of oven irrigation system. I've learned to read those, but if you were to take, say, a high rise, a set of blueprints for high rise building or even a home and put it in front of me, I would struggle some more intricate.

Once I can't even make heads or tails off. But in the hands of a master builder, a set of blueprints represents purpose and perfection. It's a job done with the process and an end result in mind that, if done right, makes the master builder proud.

That's how purposeful God is, as he perfectly performs a human being in the womb and when he's finished, just like in the beginning of time, he says. That is very good, and he's very proud of you. And looking at Verse 14 it continues.

These are two of the most beautiful, versatile scripture I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it very well. We're fearfully made it means it's a reverend process with an awesome outcome.

You're also you really are. We didn't just evolve. We were carefully constructed by God. To be the most wonderful part of creation. Says were wonderfully made. I want you to stop right now. Just stop and think about the most beautiful place you have ever been on Earth.

I think about it. He got it in your mind. Did it leave you awestruck and full of praise and wonder? I could tell you something with certainty. No matter where that place waas that you thought about. And no matter how beautiful it was to you in God's eyes, it doesn't compare to you.

As I said in the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, we as humans were the part of creation that took it from being good to very good, because we're made in his image. And when he looks at us, he sees himself and he is more beautiful than anything.

Even with sin upon us, we're still more like him than any other part of creation and still the most beautiful part of creation to him. Verse 15 says my friend was not hidden from you when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the depths of the Earth.

That secret in depths of the Earth means that they're talking about the womb where were skillfully made. We're not who we are, how we are by random chance. When you were inside of your mother, you were being carefully, skillfully, secretly perfectly made by God.

Not only that, you were formed for purpose. Look at verse 16. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance. And in your book we're already the days there were Dane for me when it's yet there was not one of them.

Ecclesiastes says there's a time to be born in time to die and God knows it. But he also knows the in between and the purpose for which he created us. Sin oftentimes leads us for safety, purpose and going our own way for our own purpose and pleasure.

But repentance and cries can bring us back to his purpose and allows to bringing pleasure. So if you've wandered off your track a little bit, if you're searching for purposes, you're searching for meaning, especially in these trying times.

Come back to the Lord, Do it do it, Do it. David writes that the very end. Search me and oh God and know me and try me and know my anxious thoughts. Check me out, Lord. See if there's any sin in me so that I can confess that repent of that.

And you can restore me back to the path that you designed me to be on and give me that purpose again. That's what he created us for. He created for his pleasure so that we could be purposefully serving him and honoring and glorifying him.

Now, the fifth section that song is that God has his mind on us. God has his mind on us looking back at 17 and 18. How precious Also all your thoughts to me. Oh God, your thoughts to me. It says how vast is that? Some of me God thinks about us a lot.

If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand When I awake. I am still with you. Why? Because I'm still with you. Because I know you're thinking about me. You've got your mind on. God is paying attention to you right now.

His mind is on us and he thinks about US verse 18 David Kahn turns around. It talks about his thoughts toward God as well. Just as God has his mind on us, we should have our mind on him, No matter if the world seems to be spinning out of control.

When we return our thoughts to him, we find that he is in control, has been thinking about us all alone, and that should bring us peace. All of these truths, this point to an outcome in the last few verses of this song.

And this is where David Kinda takes that turn a little bit that I mentioned is I read it in Verse 19 he says. Remember, David had a lot of difficulties in life, had a lot of enemies. He was a king. There was always somebody wanting to dethrone him.

Saul wanted to keep him from getting on the throne. He was always in constant conflict, some of that because of his own sin. We know that it's saying, cause God to allow his family be in constant conflict in turmoil.

But he says, Oh, that you would slay the wicked Oh God, depart from me therefore, men of bloodshed, for they speak against you Weekly and your enemies Take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate your Lord and do not load those who rise up against you? I hate them with the utmost hatred.

They have become my enemies. Now this seems kind of cruel. And this seemed kind of mean in a world where we're told we're supposed to love in everybody. We're not supposed to hate anybody, things like that.

But that is kind of a worldly philosophy. The spirit, in its often times will give us discernment of knowing who we can really love and who we have to be careful about. And we have to be careful. There are some people that are outright enemies of God and those against God who are his enemies.

We need to recognize our our enemies as well, or else we may buy into their philosophies. We may accept what they're selling. We've got to be careful not to do that. It doesn't mean we condemn. It doesn't move.

You don't share the gospel with who doesn't mean we don't try to bring them over to our side because surely we should. But if we don't recognize them for who they are. Then we can fool ourselves into accepting them as being something that really are not.

But no matter what, what we see here is that even God's enemies, though they be ours, they cannot defeat him. And therefore they cannot defeat us. We can't win our fights alone. We need the Lord. He he made us that cares for us in order to fight our battles for us.

He didn't make us so carefully that we would walk and defeat all the time. Full of worry and anxiety, he made us tow walk in him and the victory. He has one of the cross. No matter how difficult a crazy life gets with God, we can overcome.

He may not take the virus away. It's probably not gonna put more toilet paper on the shells. I know I used that joke once. I probably shouldn't use it twice, but he'll be with us through it all and bring us the victory in the end, versus 23 24.

He said, Search me, Oh God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts. I know some of you have those today and see if they're being hurtful way in me. You know, I've seen people pulling stuff off the shelf in bulk when they're people that really need it, who have none shameful and how sorrowful that is.

We can't be that person. We can't have those hurtful ways in us. But then he says, and leave me in the everlasting way. Listen, God is the only one who could put us keep us on the righteous path. We can't put ourselves on this path.

We need Jesus to put us there and help us stay there to show us how to do what's right. And what's truly fascinating is they made us to know him so he could help us know ourselves. We even have to turn to him and say, Show me, me.

We need him to show us our sin because sometimes we just can't see it for what it really is. We needed him to show us what is right and what is wrong and lead us on the everlasting way, the way that brings him glory and honor and pleasure.

I know right now, maybe you're going through a lot of unusual things, like I shared about going in the store and punching in the pin number. I feel like everything I touch. I don't want to touch something and put it back.

I feel like I got to pick it up and I gotta have the hand sanitizer with me because you got five or 10 minutes. You know, you start feeling anxious about these things I want, you know, no matter what, life throws our way, we're Children of God.

We can rest in the fact that he will get us through it because he loves us. It has a purpose for us. Shad Rack me shakin Abednego back in the book of Daniel, thrown into the fire for not bowing down to the golden image.

They still had to walk through that fire, but he walked with him. And he will walk with you if you've never accepted Jesus as savior. And Lord, I know you're feeling really anxious right now, but I want to tell you can trust that he is with you.

All you've got to do is turn to him. He wants you to learn from your circumstances. And what he wants you learn is that you need to trust him with everything. Turn your heart completely over to him. Jesus Christ died on the cross that you could be forgiven of your sins.

It doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter what you've said. Doesn't matter who you heard of, how you hurt them. He will forgive you if you will turn to him with a sincere heart. Confess your sin confessed that you are a center and ask him to come into your heart and save you from her scent.

He'll do it because he died and rose again. That you could have everlasting. If you don't know it fully what I'm talking about, You could go to my church Website Bolivia about this dot org's and on their don't tell you how to know.

Christ. Listen, if you're anxious to all this, you keep listening to the media. You listen Your friends even listen to the voices of doubt and fear in your head and all your get is more anxious thoughts.

When you listen to God, you will find a piece that you can't understand But we'll see you through. You may not know all of how this fits in with his plan for you or for the world. And that's okay because you don't need to know that you just need to know him and trust that he knows what he is doing.

Let me pray with you, Father. Come to you right now. Does anyone watching this? We're listening to this, that it's not noticed. Lord and Saviour pray that they'll confess their sins and invite Jesus. Hard to say.

Oh, Lord, I'm a sinner. I confess that I need you. I believe that Jesus is God's son. That he died and rose again. That could have everlasting life and complete forgiveness. And I invite him into my heart or for those who've already done that for all of us.

I pray that you would keep us and watch overs through these times. Give us the peace that passes all understanding. Help us a sense your presence near does hear your voice and find your comfort through all of this.

God help us to make the adjustments in life we need to make and do it with grace. Do it with joy. Help us to see the people around us that are in need and need help help us to help them with the heart of love and compassion.

God just walked with us through these times because we know that you knew they were coming before we ever did. And you always know what's best and you've got a perfect plan. So work your plan in us and threw us.

God bless each home and family represented that's watching or listening right now. Blessed them with your presence. Bless them with all the help that they need provide for their needs. According Richardson going Christ cheeses and be that hedge of protection about them Keep them healthy or if they're already not, will Lord bring healing to we pray all this in the precious, matchless name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord.

Amen. Oh, I thank you so much for joining me today, and I plan on being back with you again each week with the new sermon, something that you will be able to sit under and hear the word of God. If you don't have a church home that is able to do this, just join me every week.

If you do, I encourage you to join your church home. But you can also join me as well and one last thing that I want to share with you. One last thing to remember your church right now. If it is not meeting just like our church, it's not able to take its ties and offerings, and that's do able to do that online.

And if they're not, take the time right now when you finish after you finish, perhaps praying and praising the Lord and set aside at least write something that set that aside in your mind of yours, so that when you are able to come back to join in with your church and worship, be able to give it helps support that ministry.

It's not about the money. It's about supporting those who are being used of God and about making sure that we all are able to serve the Lord continuously without interruption. Thank you again for joining me, and I hope to see you again.