Sunday, April 11, 2021 AM

Sunnyside Baptist Church

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April 12, 2021

Sunnyside Baptist Church Michael Dirrim Pastor of Sunnyside Baptist Church OKC "Hosanna's Hallelujah"

05:20: Good morning, everyone. It's good to be together worshiping together this morning at Sunnyside.
05:27: If you are a guest this morning, we're especially glad you joined us today. I have seen a couple of faces
05:34: I haven't seen this morning, Cheryl, it's good to have you back this morning. Good to see you. A few announcements as we get started this morning, looking ahead into the week.
05:46: We come back for this evening's service. It does say in your bulletin for this evening's service, we're going to have a time of Q &A with Michael, so get your questions together.
05:56: If you haven't already gathered those, gather those as soon after church as possible so we're not dropping something on Michael at the very last minute, but his email address is there in the bulletin and you can send those to him there and he'll look at those and address a few of those this evening.
06:11: And then looking ahead, Wednesday, we've got dinner at 545 for everyone, and then 630
06:18: Bible study and prayer for the adults and tag for the kids. And then looking ahead on Saturday, April 24th, from 8am to 1030am, there's going to be a workday here at the church.
06:30: Brian has an announcement related to that. Lots of smiles and cash donations.
07:02: I hear Brian is taking Bitcoin now. A few other announcements this morning.
07:09: Our fighter verse for this week comes from the book of James, James chapter 1, verses 4 and 5.
07:16: And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
07:24: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
07:34: Few other announcements, Hannah Horner and Daryl Hamilton are having a wedding shower coming up on April 17th here at the church from 2 to 4.
07:44: Be looking forward to that. Also, Operation Christmas Trial donations are still going on. April's donation requests are yo -yos, jump ropes, and small puzzle sets.
07:54: Tag still has some needs with regards to some craft things that they need for later in the semester.
08:00: And then regarding the nursery needs, we thank Hannah Horner for being able to fill in the Sunday school position that we've been asking for.
08:09: The month of May does need one more volunteer, and then some volunteers are needed for June as well.
08:16: Any other announcements before we move on into worship? All right.
08:21: Well, we are going to have a time of prayer and contemplation. After we're done with that, Michael will open us in prayer.
09:23: Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning, and we just want to thank you and acknowledge your grace, your long -suffering, the bounty of your blessings upon us.
09:44: You have made us stewards of a very great freedom and liberty in Christ.
09:50: You have given us of your fullness through Christ. You have given us your
09:56: Holy Spirit, grace and truth, your word and fellowship together.
10:14: You have done so much, more than we can give an account for.
10:28: Your grace is greater than our ability to appreciate it. Oh Lord, I pray that you would give us joy today as we worship you, as we rejoice in Christ.
10:48: I pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ on this day, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ all around this globe.
11:02: Lord, there are people with the same freedom and abundance, Lord, and there are brothers and sisters who are in prison, unable to meet, unable to gather, unable to have communion and sing hymns together with their fellow believers.
11:21: There are churches within jails, and there are churches within prison camps, and there are churches that stand without, looking upon the property that they once gathered at.
11:35: I pray for Grace Life in Edmonton, Alberta today, James Coates and his church, that you would give them courage and joy as they sing your praises and declare the victory of Christ in the face of tyranny.
11:56: Lord, we know that you are good, and all that you do is good. And I pray that as we walk through difficulties, that we would let patience have its perfect work.
12:07: And as you wash your bride, O Christ, as you wash your bride with the water of the
12:13: Word, pray that she would glorify herself in our midst, that we would give you praise and honor, that we would trust you and revere you, to fear no man.
12:33: Help us this day to grow in our faith, and be rooted in Christ.
12:40: We pray these things for his sake. Amen. On Wednesday night,
12:52: Brother Dwight shared with us a whirlwind tour of the book of Philippians. One of those verses is in Philippians 4 -4 that says,
13:01: Rejoice in the Lord always, and again, I say rejoice. So this morning, I hope you are rejoicing in the
13:06: Lord, and that you are here to worship him in truth and in spirit, in the Word, in prayer, and in song.
13:13: So if you would, stand with me at this time, and we'll have our call to worship together.
13:19: Our passage this morning is found in Psalms chapter 62. We'll be reading verses 1 and 2.
13:26: Read with me together. For God alone my soul waits in the silence.
13:33: From him come my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation.
13:40: My fortress I shall not be greatly shaken. Our first song this morning is on page 27 of our little black hymnals,
13:49: Hymns of Modern and Ancient. Come people of the risen King. Come people of the risen
14:15: King. Come people of the risen
14:55: King. Come one voice, one voice. O church of Christ, rejoice.
15:10: Come those whose joy is morning sun. And those weeping through the night.
15:19: Come those who tell of battle's won. And those who wait for his mercies.
15:37: And follow us through our days. In the certain ways.
15:58: O church of Christ, rejoice. Come young and old from every land.
16:13: Men and women of the faith. Come those with full heart, empty hands.
16:21: But the people sing joy to every tongue.
16:50: Rejoice. One voice, rejoice.
17:04: Let every tongue rejoice. One voice, rejoice.
17:31: Our scripture reading this morning is from the book of 1 John, and chapter 3.
17:39: We'll be looking at verses 1 through 12. Behold what manner of love the
17:46: Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God.
17:52: Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be.
18:04: But we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is.
18:12: And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
18:19: Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
18:26: And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him there is no sin.
18:33: Whoever abides in him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen him nor known him.
18:41: Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous.
18:50: He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the
18:57: Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for his seed remains in him.
19:07: And he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest.
19:17: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
19:24: For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain, who was of the wicked one, and murdered his brother.
19:34: And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brothers righteous.
19:42: Would you pray with me? Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us together this morning to gather around your word, to hear of Christ, and to glory in who he is and what he has done for us.
20:10: May we receive your word with reverence and awe.
20:18: May it bring peace and comfort to the hurting and the downtrodden.
20:28: May it be strength to the weak and the weary. And may it bring joy to the one who knows that their sins have been forgiven, nailed to the cross, to be remembered no more, never to be brought as an accusation in the courts of our
20:49: God. Blessed be the
20:56: Lamb of God, slain for us. Blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ.
21:01: Amen. You may be seated. Our next song is
21:17: The Lord is My Salvation. There was a handout at the back, if you were able to grab that. It's got the melody on it.
21:23: But also, if you would, turn to page 350 in your blue hymnals, because we'll go right into "'Tis
21:30: So Sweet to Trust in Jesus," after we sing, The Lord is My Salvation. ♪ ♪
21:41: Grace of God, extend to me, ♪ and pull me from the raging sea.
22:00: ♪ Oh, that I am safe on the solid ground.
22:06: ♪ The Lord is my salvation. ♪
22:23: Be still, O God, ♪ when
22:29: I see the dawn ♪ of the rising sun. ♪
22:34: The Lord is my salvation. ♪ Strong to save, faithful in love, ♪ my death is made, ♪ and victory won.
23:02: ♪ The Lord is my salvation. ♪
23:34: The Lord is my salvation. ♪ ♪
23:42: He is like the Lord, O God, ♪ strong to save, faithful in love, ♪ my death is made, ♪ and victory won.
24:00: ♪ The Lord is my salvation. ♪
24:10: Each my final day, ♪
24:18: O God, lead me in the prayer. ♪
24:28: Lead on, the Lord is my salvation.
24:33: ♪ The Lord is my salvation.
25:05: ♪ Be to God, be to God, be to God, ♪ the
25:22: Spirit, be to God, be to God, ♪ the
25:50: Spirit, salvation.
26:12: ♪ I trust
28:33: Him, how I pray, ♪
28:42: Jesus, Jesus, precious
28:47: Jesus, ♪ oh, for grace to trust
28:55: Him. I invite you to open your
29:38: Bibles and turn with me to Psalm 100. Psalm 118. Psalm 118.
29:48: And let's pray together. Father, I thank you so much for gathering us together on this day, in this place, to glorify your
29:56: Son, Jesus Christ, in whom is all our hope. We ask that glory would be given to you today from our hearts, that our fear of you would not be as a commandment taught by men, but that we would truly revere you and honor you and glorify you from the very innermost parts of who we are.
30:21: That you would so shape us and guide us and own us.
30:30: We would indeed be your people in word and indeed in affection, in thought, in heart.
30:44: Lord, we pray that you would give us special blessing by your Holy Spirit today as we read your word and bring application to our lives.
30:55: May we have the utmost confidence in you and in your
31:02: Son, Jesus Christ, for it is in His name that we pray. Amen. The title of the sermon is
31:14: Hosanna's Hallelujah. Hosanna is a prayer.
31:21: O Lord, save. We hear it on Palm Sunday. Hosanna to the
31:27: Son of David. There's a cry for the Lord to save. And the attention is put upon Christ to do the saving.
31:39: So, Hosanna is a prayer to the Savior. Hallelujah, that we've been talking about for quite some time, is of course praise.
31:48: Hallelujah. Praise to the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise to our
31:53: Sovereign. We find both brought together here in Psalm 118.
32:01: In particular, there it is in verse 25. Save now, I pray, O Lord. There's Hosanna.
32:09: O Lord, I pray, sends now prosperity. So there's the Hosanna. But it's more than just in word.
32:17: It's in theme in all parts of the psalm. That the people of God are looking to the
32:24: Lord for salvation and giving Him praise for He deserves to be praised for His goodness and His power,
32:32: His mercy. So that's the point of Hosanna's Hallelujah.
32:38: They come together as prayer and praise here in Psalm 118, which is the last psalm as part of the
32:45: Great Hallel, sometimes called the Egyptian Hallel. For these worshipers of God, these
32:53: Jews have returned from exile. They have left Babylon. They have been brought back by the providence of God under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah.
33:04: And they've come back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city, the walls, the temple, to settle themselves where they have been promised that God would reveal
33:15: His Savior, His servant, Jesus Christ, where the new covenant would be forged, there in that city, there in that land, in that place.
33:25: So they have returned in anticipation of the Lord's great salvation. And they are singing this
33:31: Hallel. They are compiling and bringing these psalms together and worshiping God.
33:37: And it's called the Egyptian Hallel because they're reflecting on the fact that God had delivered them from Egypt when they were slaves in Egypt.
33:45: How poignant is that? Now they've been brought back from Babylon. They were in exile in Babylon, oppressed and in bondage in Babylon, but they've been brought to their land.
33:54: And they have new appreciation for God's grace and mercy and power revealed in the exodus and God bringing them up out of Egypt.
34:05: And so they sing this Hallel around Passover, thinking about God's grace,
34:12: God's mercy, God's goodness. And Psalm 118 combines hosanna and hallelujah.
34:21: I'm going to read the first 12 verses for us this morning. Please stand with me as we read the word of God, read a word from our
34:30: Savior and Sovereign, Jesus Christ. Beginning in verse 1, Psalm 118. Oh, give thanks to the
34:38: Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.
34:45: You can say that part when I come to it. Let Israel now say, His mercy endures forever.
34:51: Let the house of Aaron now say, Let His mercy endures forever. Let those who fear the
34:58: Lord now say, His mercy endures forever. I called on the
35:03: Lord in distress. The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on my side.
35:11: I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me.
35:19: Therefore I shall see my desire and to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the
35:25: Lord than to put confidence in princes. All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the
35:31: Lord they were quenched like a fire of thorns. For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
35:38: This is the word of the Lord. Praise be to God. You may be seated. There is one thing that is not exactly my forgetfulness, though that is the main cause.
35:55: Sometimes somebody else takes them and uses them and loses them. But there is something, and the common denominator is rust.
36:08: I always find rust on the tools that I have forgotten about, mislaid.
36:14: And finally I recover them, and there it is. It really makes you appreciate a razor -sharp, mirror -finished blade.
36:26: Something my neighbor, Philo Gravitt, does to perfection. Razor -sharp, mirror -finished blade.
36:34: You sit that alongside something rusty, you appreciate it all the more.
36:44: The fear of man is rust upon our shield of faith.
36:53: The fear of man is rust upon our shield of faith. It is corrosion upon all of our spiritual armor.
37:05: It could be that we have, in neglect, laid aside our spiritual armor, thinking we don't necessarily need to fight.
37:18: That we need not bother with combat in a time of peace.
37:26: But all of the peace, peace being claimed is inaccurate, for there is no peace.
37:36: And there will be rest for the church. There will be a day when the church is at rest.
37:45: But now, as ever, we are the church militant. We are the church at war.
37:52: Not against flesh and blood, as if we fight with weapons of material.
38:00: But we are at war. There is a struggle. There is combat that must be done.
38:07: And it seems that the church is weak. And that the church is full of unbelief.
38:18: Lord, we believe. Help our unbelief. The fear of man is rust upon our shield of faith.
38:27: But praise and prayer, hallelujah and hosanna, file away the rust.
38:38: The dullness, the corrosion. Mirror bright, we are to don our armor before the risen sun and face anything.
38:51: Now here in Psalm 118, we do have this theme of combat, war, conflict.
38:57: Especially in verses 5 through 12. Before we get there, verses 1 through 4 is really the introduction to the whole psalm.
39:06: It sets the theme of all of it. I want to start there in verses 1 through 4.
39:13: And consider this introduction. In which we are called to give thanks for God's goodness.
39:19: And to praise him for his mercy. To give thanks for God's goodness and to praise him for his mercy.
39:28: Verse 1 says, oh give thanks to the Lord. For he is good.
39:34: Do you know that's what Jacob's first wife did when she had her fourth born son?
39:40: Leah? When she had her fourth born son, she named him, give thanks.
39:47: She named him, praise. Judah. That's what that word means.
39:54: In fact, the word picture is something like shooting an arrow as high and as far as you can.
40:01: And here, Israel, Aaron, those who fear the
40:06: Lord. All who love the Lord are being called to fire off a volley of grateful praise to the
40:16: Lord. Together. Because he is good.
40:22: He is good. What does it mean that God is good?
40:28: It means that he is rich in all that is pleasant and right. He is rich in all that is truly happy and excellent.
40:39: And not only is he rich and full of all of that. But it overflows upon us.
40:48: Upon whom he has mercy. So we should have every confidence to call upon him to save.
40:55: And we have every reason to praise him as we consider his goodness. And in fact, we have done a lot of that.
41:03: We have thought about that a great deal in the previous Psalms and here in the great Halel. We are to give thanks for God's goodness and we are to praise him for his mercy.
41:14: And it says that in verse 1, for his mercy endures forever. And Israel is called to say it.
41:19: The house of Aaron is called to say it. Let those who fear the Lord, they are called to say this. His mercy endures forever.
41:28: God's grace. God's faithful love. His covenant love.
41:33: His hesed is the Hebrew word. Is forever. What does it mean that his mercy is forever?
41:41: His grace is forever. It means that the lines of his grace. If you could draw the lines of his grace.
41:49: They would stretch out past every horizon. They would continue past all of our sight.
41:57: Time out of mind. There is a God in his mercy.
42:03: He has a fountain of grace. The overflow of his glory unceasing.
42:10: His mercy endures forever. And all are called to praise.
42:16: All are called to praise him for his forever mercy. His grace. His love.
42:26: Israel. Aaron. Those who fear the Lord. They are to now say.
42:31: There as they gather together in the rebuilt temple. There as they gather together in Jerusalem.
42:38: Having been brought so long and from so far away. Now looking about at God in the process of him keeping his promises.
42:46: They are to now say his mercy endures forever. How long suffering is
42:52: God? How merciful is God? How gracious is God? That he would rescue us from bondage in Egypt.
43:03: That he would remember his promises to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob. And that he would suffer long with our ancestors.
43:12: And bring us through the wilderness. And even into the promised land. And grant that to us despite all of our weaknesses.
43:18: And despite all of our stubbornness. Despite all of our failings. That he would grant to us this land.
43:25: And give us victory under his servant David. And how long suffering was he with us.
43:31: With our ancestors who turned to idols. And immorality. And injustice.
43:38: Until finally by all the rights of the old covenant. God simply destroyed the city.
43:45: And the land spewed us out. Like it had those who were before us.
43:52: For we were as canonized as they were. And yet God, look how merciful he is. Look how gracious he is.
43:58: That he preserved a remnant. And he kept us alive. And he helped us to be fruitful.
44:05: And to multiply. To increase there in Babylon. And then come back. Because there is still hope.
44:11: Because there is a new covenant coming. That God will set David again as king over us.
44:19: The Messiah is to come. That yes, there is a stump. But there is a shoot coming out of the stump.
44:24: There is still hope. Look at how gracious God is. Give him praise.
44:31: Israel beholding all of God's goodness. Anticipating the Messiah.
44:37: The one who stands as the fulfillment of all of God's promises to Israel. Israel should now say.
44:43: His mercy endures forever. Certainly now on this side of the cross. And the resurrection and the ascension of Christ.
44:50: Let Israel say. All his mercy endures forever. And Levi. Or the house of Aaron.
44:56: The priesthood. Who are greatly diminished at this point in Jerusalem. They don't even have an ark of the covenant.
45:03: Many of the holy artifacts are gone. And many of the priests are struggling to maintain their genealogy.
45:11: They don't really know if it's real pure or not. And they're greatly diminished. But it's not dependent upon them.
45:19: They're looking ahead to the coming great high priest. Let them now say. God's mercy endures forever.
45:26: It does not end. Let those who fear the Lord. Let all those who have been told the promises of God.
45:34: And shown the greatness of God. In the nations to which Israel has been spread.
45:40: And they have come back now to Jerusalem. Something that people said would never happen.
45:46: And yet there they have been gathered back. Let those who fear the Lord say. His mercy endures forever.
45:51: For indeed the good news went to the Jew. For the sake also of the
45:57: Gentile. Let them now say. His mercy endures forever.
46:05: The focus indeed is upon the Messiah. The focus is upon Jesus Christ. And if you're not convinced by the first four verses.
46:12: You will by the last third of the psalm. Verses 22 -29.
46:19: This is all about Christ. Let Hosanna's hallelujah.
46:24: Let our looking for salvation. And our praise of the Lord. Let Hosanna's hallelujah resound for Christ.
46:32: For Christ. He is our savior. He's worthy of our praise. And we see this first of all in verses 5 -12.
46:42: Under the heading of righteous destruction. Let Hosanna's hallelujah resound for Christ.
46:51: In the righteous destruction of his enemies. Let Hosanna's hallelujah.
46:59: Resound for Christ. In the righteous destruction of his enemies.
47:06: And this is the kind of praise and prayer. That will knock the rust off.
47:12: And sharpen and polish our faith. These verses are crammed.
47:18: Full of the images of combat. Of warfare. And when you think about the history of Israel.
47:25: There are many pivotal moments. Where they were in combat. When they were in the middle of war. And they were probably thinking of some of those things.
47:35: When they were singing the psalm. But we see first of all.
47:40: There is the call to worship. Verses 1 -4. Then there is the call to war.
47:51: Verses 5 -12. First the call to worship. Then the call to war.
47:57: This is the way it was supposed to be with Israel. They were to fear the Lord. Worship the Lord.
48:03: Go to him in prayer. Praise him. Trust him. And then see how he brought the victory.
48:10: The same pattern is here. And the images of this combat and warfare proceed in two ways.
48:17: We have taking sides. Verses 5 -9. And being totally surrounded.
48:23: Verses 10 -12. We see the theme of taking sides.
48:28: Verses 5 -9. Do we not? The Lord is on my side. What can man do to me?
48:34: The Lord is for me. Among those who help me. There is one side. Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
48:41: Or those on the other side. Better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in man. Better to trust the
48:47: Lord than to put confidence in princes. You see all the taking of sides? Notice as well.
48:55: That it's all I and me. First person singular. To remember.
49:22: That Israel ultimately is all about one man. How did
49:30: Israel begin, by the way? I mean, when did
49:36: Israel first show up? When Jacob wrestled with Christ.
49:44: And it was when Jacob was on his face. Grabbing the heels of Christ.
49:53: Having been beaten. Defeated. Humbled.
50:00: Before him. That he found his identity. Israel. Israel's identity is all about being before Christ.
50:11: Being owned by him. Submitted before him. It's the way it's always been.
50:17: And indeed, the story of Israel is the story of Christ. From shadow into substance.
50:23: And we see this more and more in the Old Testament. As the scriptures progress through the story of redemption.
50:31: And I think that's important for us to keep in mind. When we think about the combat and the warfare and the hostilities.
50:39: Israel endured in their history. And as we look at the passage here.
50:48: Notice two themes. First of all, God's help. And secondly, man's hate. First of all,
50:55: God's help. I called on the Lord in distress. The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
51:01: What does that mean? It means that I'm not closed in, hemmed in on both sides. I don't have people right next to me attacking me.
51:10: I'm in a broad place. It's like having the high ground. God has set me in a broad place.
51:19: I have high ground. I have sure footing. Because I called upon the Lord in distress.
51:25: We move from hosanna to hallelujah. From prayer to praise. The Lord is for me among those who help me.
51:33: It is better to trust in the Lord. It is better to trust in the Lord. So God's help is the theme here.
51:39: And isn't this the story that we find again and again in the history of Israel? Faced with impossible odds.
51:47: Israel cries out to God as one man. And God breaks open the earth and swallows their enemies.
51:54: He rains hailstones from the sky. He rolls up rivers and parts the seas.
52:03: He stops the sun from setting. And sets foes at each other's throats.
52:10: And strikes down whole armies with a single angel. The warrior with God on his side may stand steady and sure upon the high ground.
52:22: And consider how important this is for these Israelites that have come back from exile.
52:30: They've gathered in Jerusalem. Rebuilding walls. What's going on at this time? Everything going smoothly?
52:40: Nehemiah chapter 4 verses 7 through 9. They're trying to build the wall.
52:47: Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the
52:53: Ammonites, and the Ashdodites. Heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored.
53:00: And that gaps were beginning to be closed. That they became very angry. And all of them conspired together.
53:10: To come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Nevertheless, watch this,
53:17: Hosanna. Nevertheless, we made our prayer to God. And because of them, we set a watch against them day and night.
53:27: Hey, they're going through it. They're going through this. They're having to call upon the name of the
53:33: Lord. God, we need you to help us. We are being surrounded by our enemies.
53:39: People who hate us. But we're looking to you for help. We're not going to look to the idols for help.
53:44: We're not going to look to the nations for help. We're not going to look to men for help. We're going to look to God for help.
53:50: God's help. And we see, notice this in Psalm 118.
53:56: When God is our help, we do not have to fear man.
54:03: Do you see this? The Lord is on my side, Israel says. I will not fear.
54:11: And in fact, notice verse 7. The Lord is for me among those who help me.
54:19: So, whatever help we enjoy from men, whatever aid we might receive.
54:24: From a man or from a prince or anybody else. The truth of the matter is, it's
54:30: God helping us through them. It's not them.
54:36: It's not the man who is our help. It is God who is our help through that man.
54:44: Now, notice this in Nehemiah 2. Verses 7 -10. Nehemiah is talking to King Artaxerxes.
54:53: Furthermore, I said to the king, if it pleases the king, let letters be given to me. For the governors of the region beyond the river.
55:00: That they must permit me to pass through until I come to Judah. Nehemiah is going to go back and help build the wall at Jerusalem.
55:06: So he says to King Artaxerxes, here's what I need from you. And a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest.
55:15: That he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel. Which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.
55:23: And the king granted them to me. Watch this. According to the good hand of my God upon me.
55:28: The Lord is for me through those who help me. It is the Lord who is at work.
55:35: Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the river. And gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
55:42: When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it. They were deeply disturbed.
55:48: That a man had come to seek the well -being of the children of Israel. We are in a war.
56:02: We are in combat. It is a conflict.
56:10: The scriptures tell us the spiritual nature of that. And we see the physical manifestation of that.
56:21: But we are in a conflict. Even as the exiles returned.
56:29: They too were in conflict. But let us not waste our halal upon men.
56:39: Let us not waste our praises upon men. We must rely upon the Lord.
56:45: And direct our hosanna to him. Let us not look to a man or a group of men and say to them, oh save.
56:53: We must look to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must look to God for our salvation.
57:01: For our deliverance. For our help. This is most essential for us fearing the
57:08: Lord. Rather than man. We call it a culture war.
57:16: But it is a spiritual war as well. It is not a war between equity and whiteness.
57:29: It is not a war between generations. It is a spiritual war.
57:39: It indeed is a war between paganism and Christianity. Of those who hate
57:45: Christ and those who fear God. So there are sides.
57:51: There are the taking of sides. And these sides become ever more clear as we move forward into ever heated combat.
57:59: The sides become more and more clear. But picking heroes is not the answer.
58:07: Picking heroes is not the answer. Yes, there is taking of sides.
58:12: But picking heroes is not the answer. So, you know, President Trump should not be picked as our hero.
58:19: Ben Shapiro should not be picked as our hero. Jordan Peterson should not be picked as our hero. John MacArthur should not be picked as our hero.
58:29: Doug Wilson should not be picked as our hero. James White should not be picked as our hero. Do not waste our hosannas and our halels upon men.
58:42: Let them be reserved for Christ. Let our hosannas, hallelujah, resound for Christ. Otherwise we still stand in rusty armor.
58:52: It is no good to say, well, I'm not afraid of these men because I have put my trust in these men.
58:57: It's still rust all over. Because men fail. But Christ does not.
59:05: In the taking of sides, we must be as Joshua. We must be as Joshua.
59:14: Chapter 5, verse 13 of Joshua. And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a man, capital
59:23: M, a man stood opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, are you for us or for our adversaries?
59:36: Hey, we're in combat here and we've taken sides. So he said, so the man, capital
59:43: M, man said, no. Wrong question.
59:54: No, but as commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped.
01:00:03: And said to him, what does my Lord say to his servant? You see, that's how we should be.
01:00:11: Then the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, take your sandal off your foot for the place where you stand is holy.
01:00:17: And Joshua did so. That should be our approach in taking sides. We look to the Lord's help that we will be up on the
01:00:24: Lord's side, fearing him first and foremost, crying out to him, O Lord, save, reserving our hosanna for Christ and our hallelujah for Christ.
01:00:35: Also notice men's hate in the text. Not only the Lord's help, which is abundant and far better than the help of man, but also notice man's hate in this taking of sides.
01:00:49: The Lord is on my side. I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me.
01:00:55: Therefore, I shall see my desire on those who hate me. Those who hate me.
01:01:02: Now, it's important for us to take up those threads that we laid down a little earlier about the story of Israel being the story of Christ.
01:01:11: For here we have an example, as we do in other Psalms of something called the imprecatory Psalms, wherein you find
01:01:18: David in other Psalms sometimes praying to the Lord, O God, break their jaw. Or calling out to the
01:01:26: Lord about getting ready to totally wipe out and desolate the enemy. How are we to understand that?
01:01:35: Well, this can be confusing for many believers. Some Christians read things like that in the
01:01:40: Psalms. Well, that doesn't really sound like love your enemies and pray for those who spitefully use you and so on.
01:01:48: It's like, well, that appears to be for Israel, only about Israel, so it totally has nothing to do with us.
01:01:55: And we will put it up there as an artifact and look at it from afar and say, ah, there's an artifact. Or sometimes you say, well, yes, that's me in the text.
01:02:10: That's my prayer. I will pray that over all those who don't like me. There was a photo of a page in a book written by someone.
01:02:24: She wrote a prayer book and has been making the rounds recently. And in it, she's praying, she has printed out her prayer, and she's asking
01:02:33: God to help her hate white people. She's calling out to God, please help me hate white people.
01:02:41: At least help me learn to want to hate white people, she prays, and so on and so forth.
01:02:50: And there was some expressed concern about that approach.
01:02:58: And she responded and said, obviously, y 'all have never read your Psalms. Maybe you read
01:03:03: Psalm 23 or Psalm 1 or something like that. But you've obviously never read the
01:03:08: Psalms, because there's all sorts of material in there that this is based on. The imprecatory
01:03:14: Psalms. Now, the problem with that is that, well, one, she's deceiving and being deceived.
01:03:24: She's been discipled that white people are anti -Christ and anti -good, and they deserve to be hated.
01:03:31: So someone has been discipling her that way, and she's discipling others to do the same. And she's a purveyor of witchcraft.
01:03:40: But the problem with immediately personalizing the text is, well, it's not about you.
01:03:47: It's about Jesus Christ. And so remember that what is going on here is that the kingdom of God is expressed through his chosen servant administering his authority on earth.
01:04:08: And Israel is the shadow, and Christ is the substance. And Israel was very often called upon to administrate
01:04:14: God's authority in judging his enemies. But that has been resolved in Christ.
01:04:21: Jesus Christ is God's servant to administrate all of his authority. And it's Christ's business to bring judgment and destruction upon the enemies of God.
01:04:32: That's his business. And he has been doing it, and he will do it, and he will be successful at that.
01:04:42: That's his job. Now, as we see this text,
01:04:50: Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. There's the confidence of Israel saying, we know the promises of God.
01:04:57: We know that he's going to keep them. We know he's going to fulfill them. And indeed, he has, and he will, and they are fulfilled through Christ.
01:05:06: So when we talk about men's hate, Yeah, we felt the heat of men's hate, your direction.
01:05:15: But it's for the sake of Christ. Peter says, make sure it's for the sake of Christ. Not because you're being an obnoxious person, being an unrighteous person.
01:05:25: The heat is coming because of Christ. And there are those, there are many who hate
01:05:30: Christ. They hate the image of God. They hate God incarnate.
01:05:36: They hate his authority. They hate his truth. We have to recognize that that is what's going on in this spiritual war.
01:05:45: We are to stop telling ourselves that people who hate Christ are just, you know, sincere good folks, just a little misguided.
01:05:52: This is combat. This is war. They are being deceived, and they are deceiving others.
01:06:00: There are those who hate Christ. Those most verbosely opposed to hate are the ones who are full of a foaming sea of hate.
01:06:09: Spawn of Satan, tools of the devil. They inhale lies and exhale murder. Deceptive and violent, cutters of flesh.
01:06:18: Slayers of men, women, children, butchers of infants. They drink the blood of the innocent and the righteous and thirst for more.
01:06:27: They hate marriage. They hate the family. They hate childbearing. They hate childrearing.
01:06:34: They hate order. They hate righteousness, and they hate truth. They delight in theft and injustice.
01:06:41: They despise blessings and they loathe grace. They hate, they hate, they hate the bride of Christ, the church, and whatever is from Christ and through Christ and for Christ.
01:06:54: There they focus their rage. Woe to anybody who in the name of Christ would seek to make alliance.
01:07:05: These men. What a joke. The Lord laughs.
01:07:13: What a joke. I will not fear. I will not fear.
01:07:21: The Lord is for Christ, and I in Christ overcome. All those in Christ are overcomers.
01:07:27: All those in Christ know that God is for them in the person of Jesus Christ. So I will not fear.
01:07:34: What can man do to me? Man can call me names, but he can't change my identity in Christ.
01:07:42: Man can condemn me in society, but he can't overturn my justification before heaven's throne.
01:07:49: Man can end my civil liberties, but he cannot touch my freedom in Christ. Man can put me in jail, but he cannot arrest the gospel.
01:07:58: Man can steal my money, but man cannot seize my treasure. Man can burn my house, but my home in heaven has not the smell of fire upon it.
01:08:13: Man can fence in the church building, but he cannot lay siege to the kingdom.
01:08:22: Man can take my children and my wife, but he cannot sever them from God.
01:08:28: Man can cut me down, but I fly to Christ. Man can rage and rage and rage until he sets the whole world on fire.
01:08:38: But long after Christ makes all things new, he'll be burning in hell, and I will reign resurrected upon the earth before the face of God and the glory of Christ.
01:08:47: Knock that rust off your shield, O church. Do not fear man.
01:08:53: Do not fear man. What can man do? For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith, your faith.
01:09:03: Who is he who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Let your hosannas, hallelujah, resound for Christ and Christ alone.
01:09:19: What if we're totally surrounded? Verses 10 through 12, what if we're totally surrounded?
01:09:27: All nations surrounded me. They surrounded me. They surrounded me like bees. What if we're totally surrounded?
01:09:38: How many times do we see that in the story of Israel? Totally surrounded in the wilderness, in Canaan.
01:09:48: How many times was David totally surrounded? Nehemiah and the returned exiles trying to build the wall, they were totally surrounded.
01:10:01: What about the Jews in the book of Esther? Boy, they got totally surrounded by the kingdoms of that empire, ready to destroy them.
01:10:13: Ah, the story of Israel is the stories, are the stories resolved in Christ.
01:10:22: Acts chapter 4, Acts chapter 4.
01:10:29: Here is hosanna and hallelujah brought together in the church when they are surrounded.
01:10:37: Verse 23 of Acts 4, and being let go, Peter and John being let go out of prison, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
01:10:46: So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, you are
01:10:52: God who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them. Who by the mouth of your servant
01:10:58: David have said, Why did the nations rage and the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the
01:11:06: Lord and against his Christ. Surrounded. For truly against your holy servant
01:11:11: Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever your hand, your purpose determined before to be done.
01:11:28: Totally surrounded. What became? What became of those enemies who did not take refuge in the sun?
01:11:39: Who did not do homage to the sun, kiss his ring and submit to him? What happened to those enemies?
01:11:49: Well, he destroyed them. According to the word of God, what was the fate of Herod? What was the fate of Pilate?
01:11:57: What was the fate of the generation of Jews that his blood be upon us and our children? What was the fate of the city that murdered him?
01:12:03: What was the fate of the enemies of Christ? All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the
01:12:10: Lord, I will destroy them. They surrounded me. Yes, they surrounded me. But in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them. They surrounded me like bees.
01:12:18: They were quenched like a fire of thorns. For in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them.
01:12:27: Yes, they were destroyed according to the word of God. In the name of the Lord, they were destroyed like a statue would be crushed by a heaven -cut, heaven -thrown stone.
01:12:40: It's the role of God's chosen servant to administrate God's authority upon earth, even to wage war against his enemies.
01:12:46: Israel did that in shadow, but Christ has done that and is doing that in substance. In the name of the
01:12:54: Lord, again, let us knock the rust off of our shields. Why would we fear men when we see the victory and the authority and the power of our
01:13:05: Savior, Jesus Christ? Fearing man very often happens because we have sound sensitivity.
01:13:19: We're sensitive to loud noises. And man gets loud, and we get afraid.
01:13:30: They're like the buzzing of bees. Ask me later, I'll tell you a funny story about a man's first time trying to cut a hive of bees out of a tree.
01:13:43: Get really scared. Buzzing of bees. And the noise that they make.
01:13:50: And then the heat they generate, like a fire. But why be afraid? These enemies, these enemies of Christ, they just make a lot of buzz.
01:14:00: But they are a poorly -fueled fire. That's what the text says.
01:14:06: They make a noise like a lot of bees, but they are a poorly -fueled fire, like thorns in a fire.
01:14:13: They last just about that long. The enemies of God are a flash mob.
01:14:25: They're just an Antifa riot. They sing their sad song.
01:14:33: They throw their fit. They stamp their little foot and hold their breath.
01:14:42: And then they're done. I mean, what is man?
01:14:48: Just like grass in the field. Passes away. Nobody remembers where it was before.
01:14:56: Christ, however, Jesus Christ, however, reigns from the right hand of the
01:15:03: Father until all of his enemies are placed as a footstool for his feet. So no matter how much noise men make, no matter how much heat they try to generate, let's remember how long it lasts.
01:15:18: Let's remember how long Jesus reigns. Let's fear him. Let's worship him.
01:15:24: And let hosannas, hallelujah, resound for Christ. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for this word from Psalm 118.
01:15:33: Build our faith. Increase our faith. Teach us that it is not folly and it is not childish to hang every last one of our hopes upon the single nail of Christ.
01:15:54: And to rejoice in his victory and his goodness and his power.
01:16:01: And in this fear of the Lord at this beginning, starting place of wisdom and knowledge.
01:16:09: Father, I pray that you would greatly bless us in joy as we worship you and fear you alone and follow what you have for us to do.
01:16:15: Help us to proceed from faith in Christ in these days. And I pray these things for his sake.
01:16:22: Amen. Philippians 4 -4.
01:16:37: Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. As Brother Michael was preaching, I couldn't help but think of Psalm 118 -24 that says,
01:16:44: This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Stand, if you would, for our song of vindication.
01:16:51: We're going to finish our song, Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus. Yes, it is sweet to trust in Jesus.
01:17:10: Just from sin and self -deceit. Just from Jesus simply taking life and rest and joy and peace.
01:17:26: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust you.
01:17:31: How I would give more and more.
01:17:37: Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus.
01:17:43: Oh, for grace to trust in more.
01:17:49: I'm so glad I learned to trust you.
01:17:56: Precious Jesus, Savior, friend.
01:18:02: And lead me to the end.
01:18:13: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust you.
01:18:25: Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus.
01:18:40: May the love of the Father and the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.