ps 119 part 2

A shelf Are you past the point of weary? Is your burden weighing heavy? Is it all too much to carry? Let me tell you bout my Jesus do you feel that empty feeling? Cause shame's done all that stealing and you're desperate for some healing Let me tell you about my Jesus he makes a way where there ain't no way Rises up from an empty grave Ain't no sinner that he can save Let me tell you about my Jesus his love is strong and his grace is free and the good news is I know that he can do for you what he's done for me Let me tell you about my Jesus and let my Jesus change your life Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Amen. Amen. You can wipe away the tears from broken dreams and wasted years until the past to disappear oh let me tell you about my Jesus and all the wrong turns out you would Going on to if you could who can work it all for your good Let me tell you about my Jesus he makes a way where there ain't no way Rises up from an empty grave Ain't no sinner that he can say Let me tell you about my Jesus his love is strong and his grace is free and the good news is I know that he can do for you what he's done for me Let me tell you about my Jesus and let my Jesus change your life Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Amen. Amen. Amen.

You take my cross to Calvary Pay the price for all my guilty who would care that much about me? Let me tell you about my Jesus oh he makes a way where there ain't no way Rises up from an empty grave Ain't no sinner that he can say Let me tell you about my Jesus his love strong in his places and the good news is I know they need can do for you what he's done for me Let me tell you about my Jesus and let my tears change your life Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Amen.

Amen.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Let my Jesus change your life There's a peace I've come to know Though my heart and flesh may fail there's an anchor for my soul I can say it is well Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed the victory is won he is ris from the dead and I will rise when he calls my name no more sorrow, no more pain I will rise on eagle's wings before my God Fall on my knees and rise I will rise There's a day that's drawing near when this darkness breaks to light and the shadows disappear. And my faith shall be my eyes.

Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed.

Victory is won. He is risen from the dead. And I will rise when he calls my name. No more sorrow I will rise on eagle's wings before my God Fall on my knees and rise I will rise.

If I hear the voice of many angel sing wor and I hear the cry of every longing heart wor the voice of many angels sing. Worthy is the lamb and I hear the cry of it long. You are worthy, you are worthy. Worthy is the name.

I will rise when he calls my name. No more sorrow, no more pain. I will rise on eagle's wings before my God Fall on my knees and rise will rise.

I will rise.

Lord, I come I confess bowing here I find my rest without you I fall apart. You're the one that guides my heart.

Lord, I need you. Oh, I need every hour I need my one defense, my righteousness. Oh God, how I need you.

Where sin runs deep, your grace is more grace is found is where you are, where you are. Lord, I am free. Holiness is Christ in me. Me.

Lord, I need you. Oh, I need you. Every hour I need you. My won my right. Oh God, how I need you to teach my soul to rise to you when temptation comes my way.

When I cannot stand, I'll fall on you.

Jesus, you're my hope and stay.

Lord, I need you. Oh, I need every one defense my righteousness. Oh God, how I need you.

Father, we thank you for this day. And we thank you, Lord, for all that you have given us. Father, we thank you that you are our defense and righteousness. And we thank you, Father, for the salvation you have given us. Father, we pray today as we come to your word that you will transform us and conform us to the image of your son.

We also pray, Father, just for the events of this week ahead. You know what they are, Father, and we pray that you will reign and be there in the midst of this. And Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Well, good evening, everyone. Welcome back to Church of the Bible. Last week I wasn't here, or I was, but not really.

I had some issues just regarding my seizures. And so we played an episode of my podcast where we talked a lot about the book of Job and suffering. So with a week with the whole break, two weeks really in between here, I just want to quickly, when we get to our message today, reintroduce Psalms 119, which is where we are as well as what we have seen so far. But first, some announcements. Or really, I guess, okay, two announcements.

I have changed the setup a little bit of the way that I will show scriptures during church. For the past year or so, it's been a big screen and then when I'm talking, a tiny little screen. And I've had people tell me they can't read that tiny screen. So I've split it up a little bit where it will be bigger. So some feedback on whether not you guys like that and if it's beneficial would be helpful to me.

And then second, there will be no Bible study this Wednesday. I just want to remind everyone this week, Monday through Friday, I will be in court and I just ask everyone to be praying, pray all week long for what's going on. This court case that I will be in this week is over the kidnapping, raping and stabbing of my fire chief's daughter. It's been traumatic for the family and they are looking for justice. So please be praying with me, be praying with them over the outcome of this trial and just know that's why I will not be here on Wednesday.

So with that said, let's go ahead. I'm gonna bring up our slides here and let's just go over where we are in the Psalms so far and what has happened. So the book of Psalms, chapter 119, it is arranged, we would talk about this in 22 different sections. Each of these sections actually begin the section itself with the corresponding letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. Every verse, except for verses 1 through 3 and 1 15, will directly address God Himself.

And all of the sections are 22, are broken up into a verse, eight verses per passage.

In the first passage, which was verses one through eight, we discussed the similarities that it had to Psalms chapter one, that the one who walks in the ways of the Lord are happy. They have no shame. Which discussed that the phrase they do not sin, which the psalmist writes in here, he says they do nothing wrong, doesn't necessarily mean that they never sin, but that the defining characteristics of their life is no longer a pattern of sin, but a pattern of righteousness.

In this next passage here, we discuss that we, we as humans on our own cannot remain on the path. We can't remain pure. And the answer to remaining pure here he gives us to remain in God's word and keep it in our heart. In the next passage that we discussed, we saw that humans were prone to sin. We also discussed that the author doesn't say, he doesn't say here that God if you're good, I will obey.

But rather he says, God, be good to me, that I may obey. And what he recognizes in that isn't a if you do good to me, I'll do good to you. But rather he recognizes I can't do good apart from you. I can't do good without your grace and your mercy. And that is what enables us to obey God.

So as we, as we continue in. I got only through three sections last week and it is my hope today that we can get all the way through. I've got six sections that I want to be able to get through today. I don't know if we're gonna be able to do it, but we're gonna try. So we're gonna pick up right where we left off will be in verses.

We're gonna start in verse 25 today. So let's just bring that up here, alright? So in verse 25 it says, My life, life is down to the dust. Give me life through your word. I told you about my life and you answered me.

Teach me your statutes, help me understand the meaning of your precepts so that I can meditate on your wonders. I am weary from grief. Strengthen me through your word. Keep me sorry, keep me from the way of deceit, and graciously give me your instruction. I have chosen the way of truth.

I have set your ordinances before me. I cling to your decrees. Lord, do not put me to shame. I pursue the way of your commands. For you broaden my understanding.

This is a, an interesting past passage here. Look at how he starts. He starts with my life is down to dust.

Isn't that a little dramatic? Right? My life is down to dust. He says this, this just reflects something in the way that this, that this psalmist is viewing his life right now. He views his life as if he is.

As if his end is near, right? As if life itself is going to consume him. And his prayer here he says, give me life. Just notice though, look at what he says when he says, give me life through your word.

This recognizes something. And Jesus tells us this. Jesus says that he is the way, the truth and the life. He says, you are clean because of my word, right? We live because of the word of God, which is Jesus.

And he explains here how he has called out to God, how he has told him of his woes, how he is weary from grief.

Don't we all, I think we all are able to reweight right here to being weary from grief.

When life wears us down, whether it's depression or it's financial issues, or it's loss of family members, or it's a divorce in the family or breaking your family, whatever it is. We've all been there where we are weary from grief. And I want to point out here, if you. If you're following along in with the scriptures I got up how where he is looking for his strength. He says, strengthen me through your Word.

I have a friend who, you know, just related, but not related. I have a friend who is a pastor. He lives in what I call the state of misery for everyone else. That's Missouri. But he knows everything that's been going on with me and with my life.

And he also knows how I've slowly been giving up hope on a recovery. And just yesterday, he sent me a text. I. His encouragement to me wasn't to find strength in my medical teams and strength in science and strength in the medicine that I take. Right.

But his encouragement to me was to stay in the word of God. Why? Because that is where true strength comes from. In fact, Jesus says, apart from him, you can't do anything. And Paul, he wrote in the armor of God to the church of Ephesus.

He taught us that our only weapon is the Word of God. So that's what the psalmist here, he says, I'm weary from grief. Strengthen me through your Word. And I think that right there is a powerful testament of the psalmist, the author of the song in prayer, but also where strength comes from. He doesn't seek it through money, right?

Through work, through affairs and relationships. He seeks strength from the Word of God. He prays. He says, keep me from deceit. And when he says here, he says, give me your instruction.

Look at how he does it. Graciously. Give me your instruction. He is. He loves the Word of God.

To this person, the Word of God is everything. I'm reminded here and just, you know, remind everyone else of John 1 John 1:5. Sorry, not John 1. First John, chapter 5. Just remember what he says.

He says, the one to whom the command is not a burden. Here the law is not seen as a burden, but is freeing the Bertie. In First John 1:5, he explains it like this. Starting in verse two, he says, this is how we know that we love God's children, when we love God and obey his commands. Because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world.

This is the victory that has conquered the world, our faith.

So this is how we know we love God, when his Word is not a burden.

Let's go ahead and read our Next passage It'll be verses 33 through 40. He says, Teach me, Lord, the meaning of your statutes, and I will always keep them. Help me understand your instruction and I will obey it and follow it with all of my heart. Help me stay on the path of your commands, for I take pleasure in it. Turn my heart to your decrees and not to dishonest prophet.

Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless and give me life in your ways. Confirm what you said to your servant, for it produces reverence for you. Turn away the disgrace I dread. Indeed, your judgments are good. How I long for your precepts.

Give me life through your righteousness.

This psalm or section of the psalm has a strong emphasis on God's teaching, directing and redirecting. It is clear that the psalmist in this passage and the psalm as a whole, he views his ability to obey God on God's mercy and grace. He says, lord, teach me, Lord, instruct me, Lord, correct me. Help me stay on your path. So it is the teaching of God, the directing of God, and even the redirecting of God.

As we start to get off and he turns us back onto the path, he keeps us on the path that is that which gives us the ability to obey God's commands. That only happens when God resides within us. We've seen that in the New Testament. Again, he says, without me you can can do nothing. And the way he asks us to live is according to the fruits of the Spirit.

But right here, he says. He says a few things. He says, turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless, right? Turn my heart to your decrees, not those things that are worthless. Turn away disgrace and dread.

In another passage, he is going to say, or maybe now I'm gonna hurt my head. Maybe it was the one we covered two weeks ago. He says that he values the Word of God more than silver or gold, even more than plentiful gold. Jesus taught about this. Jesus says, what good is it to gain the world but to lose your soul?

In Jesus Sermon on the Mount, he instructs us to not prize and treasure up that which moth and rust, corrupt and thieves can steal, but to treasure up that which is in heaven. He says, where your treasure is, there is where your heart is. Think about that. Where your treasure is is where your heart is. If we treasure up things of this world, physical belongings, money, disgraceful things, our heart will not be in heaven.

Our heart is here in on the earth and on things that are sinful. But if we treasure the Word of God, if we treasure the Word of God. As much as we treasure our TV shows, our sports games, whatever else it is that we treasure, not even as much, but more so, we will notice that our haunt going to be in heaven.

Let's look at the next verse here, starting in verse 41. He says, Let your faithful love come to me, Lord, your salvation as you promised. Then I can answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Never take the word of truth from my mouth. For I hope in your judgments I will always obey your instruction.

Forever and ever. I will walk freely in an open place because I study your precepts. I will speak of your decrees before kings and not be ashamed. I delight in your commands, which I love. I will lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and will meditate on your statutes.

The letter that corresponds to this section here is the Hebrew letter vav. This letter VAV is a conjunction. It is equivalent to the English word end, and it's used to tie thoughts together. That's how we use the English word end. I went to the store and I bought some bread.

So it's a conjunction. And in this passage, where it begins with it, or at least my Bible, my version, it begins, it says, let your faithful love come to me. But if we were to apply this, the Hebrew letter VAV here, it doesn't begin by saying, let your love come to me, but it begins by saying, and let your love come to me. And this is important, this is a tie in point for the entire chapter. This section right here is used to tie together everything that came before it and everything that will come after.

Also acts all together as a summary of what has been said so far.

But let's just look down what he says real quick. He says, faithful love. That's something we know about God. We sing about it, we talk about it. His love is faithful.

His love. His love is a love that we can depend upon. We can rely upon his promises. And as such, look what the psalmist really is looking for. He says, that your salvation might come to me.

Salvation is of the Lord, and we can trust that salvation is sure. We can trust that the promise of eternal life is true. And we can trust Jesus to do what he has said. Then he says, here I can answer the one who taunts me. I can speak to the kings.

What he is saying is the word of God frees him. It gives him liberty. As we talked about before in chapter one of Psalms a few weeks ago, two weeks ago, when we looked at the very first eight verses of the psalm. And even today, when we kind of look, we looked at John 1st, John 5, verses 2 through 5, we saw that we know we love God when it's not a burden. And that is to contrast what we normally think of when we think of rules and commands and laws, that we think of them as restricting.

That's what our society says is rules and laws are restricting. But again, look at the way that the psalmist speaks of the Word of God. He speaks of it as a free thing, a thing that gives him liberty and peace. He can answer his adversaries. He can walk freely in open places.

In the first section, he said, I have no shame if I meditate on your word and do that which it says. So it gives us freedom. And. And in order to get from the laws and commands of God are restrictive to the laws of God. Give us freedom.

What we really need to do is let God direct our life. Let his Spirit live through us and experience that freedom. It's a lot easier for each of us to say the Word of God gives freedom when we have actually experienced that freedom. And that's the freedom that the psalmist here, he longs for, he desires, and it comes, he says, through the Lord and obedience to his instruction.

Let's continue. We're going to look at verses 49 through 56. He says, Remember your word to me to your servant. I've got to stop right there for a moment. Remember your word to your servant.

I don't want to lose up some of my mind before I continue.

That's an interesting way to phrase something, right? He doesn't say, I will remember your word or you will remember your word. But he says, remember your word to your servant.

That phrasing, it's so interesting. And here's what he's saying. He is saying the ability for him to meditate on God's words day and night, the ability for His Word to live in Him. Remember, Jesus tells us that in order to bear fruit, two things have to happen. One, we need to abide in Him.

And second, he needs to abide in us. And that is what the psalmist is asking right here when he says, remember your word to me. He says, I'm depending on you to rem. Remind me of your word.

I'm depending on you to abide in me. In order for us to know His Word, we need to abide in Him. And we do that through prayer. We do that through study. We do that through reading His Word.

But we also need him to live in us. And we need his spirit to remind us of his words. We need his spirit when we go to do something that we should not do. Remember as two passages ago, he depended on the Lord's teaching direction and redirection, right? So, and that's what he is saying right here.

Remember your word to me, right? Is that redirect me. Keep bringing your word to up. Keep it fresh on my heart. Keep it fresh on my mind.

Let's continue reading this passage. He says that you have given me hope through it, and this is my comfort in my affliction. Your promise has given me life. The arrogant constantly ridicule me, but I do not turn away from your instruction. Lord, I remember your judgments from long ago and find comfort.

Fury seizes me because of the wicked who reject your instruction. Your statutes are the theme of my song during my earthly life. Lord, I remember your name in the night and I obey your instruction. This is my practice. I obey your precepts.

I love this passage. I love everything that he says in it. All the way from the opening sentence. Remember your word to me. But then the grace says, I have been given hope through it.

What is our hope? Our hope is eternal life. Our hope is to escape judgment and condemnation. And what does that hope come from? It comes through Jesus Christ.

We can expand on our hope just looking at what the psalmist says. A few verses ago, he was saying, my life is coming to dust, right? He's saying, I feel as if my life is about to end. My end enemies surround me. He says, I'm weary from my affliction.

But then he says, I have hope through your word, right? If you hear just a few verses later, you have given me hope through your word, right? Hope that pain will end, hope that sickness will end, hope that death will end, hope that division and fighting and sin and all comes through Jesus Christ.

And then there's a little bit of a prophecy here, right? This is my comfort in my affliction. He says, so in all this chaos, his enemy is pursuing him. Life feeling as if it's coming to an end, right? All of these things.

He's weary. He's dreading the day to day. But he says, I have comfort. And this comfort is that your promise has given me life. And that should be the comfort in all of us that the promise of God has given us life.

I want to remind everyone what Jesus said in the book of John. You might remember when we were studying it, Jesus said that when we were saved, when, when we receive him. He says, you have passed from death into Life. But what's interesting about that is he doesn't say that you will pass from death into life. He says you have passed from death into life.

Our hope isn't just that we will have eternal life, but our hope is the fact that we do right now have eternal life. We have already passed from death when we received Jesus. We died in a sense, and we came back to life. And that life, that spirit which has come to life in us, will never die. So he says, I have comfort in this, that you have given me life.

Right. He says, even though the arrogant constantly ridicule me, I do not turn away from your instruction. We need a, we need to remember we live in a world that is not a godly world. We live in a world that is going to ridicule us, that's going to persecute us, that's going to cut us out and various other things is prophesied. Why?

Because of Jesus. But we must not allow the world or the so called wisdom of the world. Right? What's today one of the biggest things that atheists say, you're so stupid. I can't believe you believe in a God.

Right? We can't allow that to persuade us to abandon God and his precepts. Let's read the next passage here. It's going to be verses 57 through 64.

He says, the Lord is my portion. I have promised to keep your words. I have sought your favor with all my heart. Be gracious to me according to your. Your promise.

I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to your decrees. I hurried, not hesitating, to keep your commands, though the ropes of the wicked were wrapped around me. I did not forget your instruction. I rise at midnight to thank you for your righteous judgments. I am a friend to all who fear you, to those who keep your precepts.

Lord, the earth is filled with your faithful love. Teach me your statutes. So just again he is showing here his reliance upon God. He said in almost every passage we read so far, he says, lord, teach me, or Lord, keep me, or Lord, instruct me, or Lord, don't let me forget. So he has shown extreme dependence upon God.

Remember, this is one long prayer. So in this one long prayer, how many times has he said, God, I'm depending upon you. But the thing now where we've seen that a lot, the thing here that stands out to me the most, the thing I really, really look forward to being able to get to tonight is the, the opening verse. The Lord is my portion.

That is a strong phrase. Right there. What does he mean by the Lord is my portion?

It sounds weird today to think in that language, but what he's really saying is the Lord is my inheritance. If we go all the way back to Old Testament Hebrew literature and Hebrew thinking and Hebrew laws, your portion refer to your inheritance. And if we go way back in the Bible to, you know, to Exodus and Leviticus and numbers and Deuteronomy, we see something particularly interesting. There's 12 tribes of Israel. And 11 of the 1212 tribes are given land, right?

Land as their inheritance. That was their. Their inheritance. And we do the same thing today. We die.

We have a last will and testament. We leave land or homes or property of some sort, vehicles, money to our descendants, right to those in our will. 11 of the 12 tribes of Israel were given land as their portion. But there is one tribe that was not given land at all, and that was the tribe of the Levites.

While every other tribe had a portion of land, the Levites were spread all throughout, all throughout Israel. And why? Their job was specifically to serve God. And their portion, their inheritance was God, right? He said to the Levites, I will be your portion.

I will be your inheritance.

The tribe of Levite, they, even though they had no land, they received everything through their religious system, right? Their inheritance, their portion, they shared in that which was offered on the altar of God. They received from, from the sacrifices they helped to administrate, and they reawaken, relied fully upon God for their portion. So to say that the Lord is my portion. Let's look at that in a modern context.

What is it that we are that we really want and desire? Is it that house? That new car, that better job, that awesome vacation? I don't know what is it? Or.

Or is it God? Is God what we consider our portion and inheritance? Can we be satisfied on God alone? Let's continue here. We're going to switch to verses 65, 72.

He says, Lord, you have treated your servant well, just as you promised. Teach me good judgment and discernment, for I rely on your commands. Before I was afflicted, I went astray. But net I keep your word. You are good and you do what is good.

Teach me your statutes. The arrogant have smeared me with lies, but I obey your precepts with all my heart. Their hearts are hard and insensitive, but I be light in your instruct. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I can learn your statutes. Instruct me for instruction from your lips.

It's better for me than Thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Okay, so there it is. I don't know if you remember just a little bit ago I said I couldn't remember if it was a couple weeks ago or coming up, that he would say that God's word is more valuable to him than silver and gold. And that's what he just says right here. He says it's more valuable than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Right, that's, that's crazy to think about thousands of gold and silver pieces.

He's, what he's really saying is, your word is more valuable to me than anything on earth.

Well, let's look at the beginning of this passage, kind of like we've been look at when he starts, he says, lord, you have treated your servant well.

I find this statement to only well, I don't find the statement interesting outside of or how do I articulate what I'm saying within Christianity with the way that I've experienced God, with the way we experience God. This statement doesn't surprise me. The statement actually isn't of that much interest to me because through my problems, through my trials, through my tribulations, I have seen God treat me well. I have seen him provide, I've seen him instruct and lead and take care of me. And through other people's trials and tribulations, I have seen it sort of.

See that biblical author says the same thing. It doesn't surprise me. But the people who should and would find this interesting and why I want to point it out are those who have not tasted of that, who have not seen that. As we've read up to this point, we're 72 verses into this chapter and as we read to get up to this point, what have we seen? We've seen just the last passage.

He says the enemy's ropes have bound me. He says, my life is coming to dust, it's coming to an end. He says my enemies surround me. He says, I am weary from the dread, right? You listen to him say all of that and then suddenly his says, lord, you have treated me well.

To an atheist, to a non believer, or to someone who hasn't really experienced God, it seems weird to say everything in life is horrible, right? I'm being pursued by enemies, they're trying to kill me, they're trying to bind me. My life is coming to an end. I'm weary at worn out and dreadful for them to say, but you have been good to me, God. But as a Christian, we understand that just because life's circumstances are not always the Best does not mean that God isn't treating us right.

In fact, God does treat us right. He does treat us well, does take care of us. And in fact, affliction serves to the Christian a purpose. And instead of him getting bitter toward God, he actually gets. He praises God, he is glad in him, Affliction has taught him to respect and value God's law, which is not a outlook that is shared by those who are hardened in wickedness.

I want a New Testament example of this. I just want to read real quick. I'm not going to put it up, but it's from Romans 5 and, and it's the first five verses. Look what Paul says. He says, therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we hope and stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. And this hope will not disappoint us because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is given to us.

Isn't that powerful. But we can choose to look at affliction and troubles as injustice, as unfairness, as God being cruel to us. But look what Paul says. He says, I not only boast in Jesus, he says, but I boast in my trials.

Think I boast on my shoulders. Why? Because every trial that I have right, he gives this order right. Trials produce endurance, endurance, character and character, hope.

But to put it into practice, put it into today trials. What do trials do? The more trials I have, the more I experience God's character and goodness. To me, the more affliction in life that there is, the more opportunity I have to rely upon God to watch God come through for me. To watch God do that which I cannot do and that.

And that produces hope inside of us. That produces hope and a God who loves us and a God who will not only provide for us, but save us because we experience it. And for that reason, trials and tribulations and afflictions in our life, they're not fun. They never are. I can tell you right now.

I'm well acquainted right now with trials, right? It seems like nothing in my life right now goes right. That's how it feels.

It's not fun, but it's worth it. Because even through everything I have been going through, what I to see and what I get to experience is God caring and providing for me. And even more than that, what I get to do is share with others that God cares and provides even through these type of things. And when I get through this, and I will get through this, it'll even be better because I will get to share with people going through, through this the hope that God provides. This is where we're going to come to an end here tonight with this.

And I just for anyone at any time right now, there's a couple things that we I want you to know first, right? For, for my congregation, for or for Christians listening to this elsewhere, rely upon God in the same way that the psalmist relies upon God. Right after he says, you have treated me well, he says again, teach me good judgment and discernment because I rely on you. Let us have that same reliance on God. Not just the reliance for our financial and health and other physical well being, not just reliance on the hope of salvation, but even on reliance on the day to day actions that we take, the day to day actions in our discernment and judgment and what is wrong and what is wrong and reliance on him to keep his word fresh in us.

Let us remain abide in him and him in us. And then for anyone listening to this who either does not know Christ or does, but you are suffering, you are in affliction right now I just want look at this psalm, read it, read it through its entirety and we will get through its entirety as we go about this. Read some of the other psalms of David and then read the New Testament. God promises not that this life will be easy, not that we will, that we will get to coast once we know Him. But he does promise us a hope of a future, a hope of a future without pain and suffering and sorrow and sickness and death.

And that is the hope that we hold on to and that we know because we've experienced. And I invite you, right? Especially if you're, you're sitting here right now and you are suffering and you do have life problems and you do have troubles. I ask you to step into this, step into this hope that we have. In order to do it, you must first admit that you are a sinner.

Even the psalmist here has admitted that and has seeing to that. He says that without God he cannot do that which is right. So we have to admit that we are fallible and that we need God in order to do what's right. But even more than that, that we need God to make us right. And a belief that God really did come down here that he really did live and die and resurrect from the grave and to confess him as our Lord and Savior.

And if you are ready to do that, I invite you to follow along with me. At the end of our service here, we're gonna. We'll. We'll confess those things to God and we'll ask him into our life. And we're asking for that hope.

Immediately after service we will partake of our communion. So I invite everyone who is here to stay and participate with us. And then as a finder reminder, final reminder, we will not be having service next week. This Wednesday I will be in court and. And please everyone be praying for what is going on.

Let's pray. Father, thank you for this time. Thank you Lord, that you give to us hope and peace and strength through your word during times of trial and tribulation. Thank you Lord, for being in our rock and our shield.

Father, I pray that we will have that reliance upon you. And Father, we admit we are sinners and can't say we're so. And we admit, Lord, that your ways are not our ways. And we need you to make us right. We believe, Lord Jesus, that you came to down here.

That you lived and died and rose again. And we confess you as our God and king. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.