The Sermon I will Say Of The Lord by David McGee
Jan 03, 2016
I will Say Of The Lord (33:55)
Referenced Scriptures: Psalm 91:2; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; James 3:4
Audio
Click To View Notes & Scriptures
-
The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
Psalm 91:2
2) I will say of Yahweh, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust."
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
11) Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God; and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences.
12) For we are not commending ourselves to you again, but speak as giving you occasion of boasting on our behalf, that you may have something to answer those who boast in appearance, and not in heart.
13) For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. Or if we are of sober mind, it is for you.
14) For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died.
15) He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again.
16) Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more.
17) Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, they have become new.
18) But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19) namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20) We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21) For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
James 3:4
4) Behold, the ships also, though they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, are yet turned about by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires.
The WEB Bible is provided by Public Domain.
Click To View The Sermon's Machine Transcription
This is a machine transcript of the sermon. It won't be completely accurate of what's said in the sermon.
So as I mentioned. When we were beginning what is your expectation for the New Year. I don't fully I mean. I don't go along with New Years resolutions. Unless you really mean them. And that we resolve to take care of them and that. With prayer and. Well. If you want to create and. We are creatures of habit. If you want to create a habit. You have to do. What the. Whatever your resolution is you have to do it three times a day for twenty eight days. People say that's what's what. That's what the experts say. That will create new habits. So therefore if you want to change something. You have got to make an effort. You can't give up something. Without putting something in place of it. You can't give something up without. It's like. Well you know you had this have to replace you have to you know we have to put something in that spot. That we're going to that we're. We're taking away from so. Anyhow back to expectation. Now. What you expect. Is generally what you will run into we mentioned that in our Sunday school lesson and. The church began you know. If you're not expecting an exit on the interstate. You're going to drive by it. But if you have an expectation you're to be constantly looking forward. And I think that gives us the expectations in our hearts and I. I like the. Analogy. Whenever. Mary goes to Martha. And tells her and Martha is expected with John the Baptist and. Mary walks in to meet. Martha and says. You know greets her and Martha is the baby. John the Baptist leaps within her womb. You know. It's like the baby came to life. When when the promise. Messiah. Came to meet her. While I think in our lives that there are things that come to life inside of us when certain promises and. Certain expectations are. Our stated. You know we believe that this is for me this is for my life. No matter how difficult it may seem or how impossible it may seem. There is this expectation there's a stirring. Inside of us so. What is your expectation anyone have an expectation. That you want to share this. You expect to get older he is OK. And every second. What's that if the Year of Jubilee. You know you know what the year Jubilee is. It's a fifty years and. What happens in the year of jubilee slaves' debts everything is cancelled and we start out at zero. I like that you know that if you were in property. In Israel. Didn't belong to the nation of Israel. It belonged to families. And be along to tribes. And if. In that fifty years. Families found themselves in hardship. They may have sold their property. They may have not been able to pay their debts. Their children or they themselves could be taken as slaves. But when the year fifty or the fifty year. Jubilee came. All that's work settled. All slaves were set free. They would go back to their homes and they would go back and. You've been living in my house too long get out. You know. Because everything was set back to its original owners. So. has a set us free and. All bets are cancelled and. All were set free and it's kind of like that with our relationship with Jesus Christ that. All of our sins are forgiven and we start out. Fresh in the new. So that's Christ as the figure of the Year of Jubilee. So I think a. What else. Expectations and a one. Yes yes. I expect to finish their. Dissertation. What else. Anybody else. You know. As. What is it. Anything else. Yes. Leadership in our country. Yes. Leadership for our country. Our neighborhoods. Our communities our state and our country. Leadership. Name is OK. Anything else. Going once twice. Yes. A new friend. But that it's. Expect to make new friends. And human. And I expect. Next year at this time our church will be full. Yeah. Amen. Thank you for that. And that's and that's not you know that the pins a lot on us too because people will generally come to a place where they know people. So that means that all of us are going to be influential in building the Kingdom of . And it isn't about numbers it's about increasing 's kingdom. So I'm grateful for that anyone else. Don't anybody you know yes. Into great grandchildren. OK. Going to. That's for sure OK. I got two on the way. OK. So there is an expectation there. Two ladies are expectant. So I wouldn't talk about that is an expectation is that when a woman is expecting a child. It means that the child's already there. It just hasn't reached the time of birth. While whenever we have an expectation for a new year. We are conceiving a promise. In our minds and in our hearts. And that when that conception takes place. There is a time of preparation then there's a time of birth. So whenever we set an expectation in motion. We are talking about conceiving an idea. That will birth. In our lives. That's what the expectation is and. You know. Well our Scriptures today is Psalm ninety one two. And the le of our message is I will say of the Lord. Psalm ninety one two. I will say of the Lord. Now. He may have noticed that in the last month or so we've been talking about you remember the sheets of paper. And the ball and the bag. And you said. And so what we were doing is looking at the Scriptures and. Even if you haven't put them in the bag. We need to quote them we need to pray them we need to look at them. you said. Well. I will save the Lord this is Psalm ninety one two. I will serve the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress. My in him will I trust. So we are saying of the Lord. He is my refuge. He is my fortress. In him will I trust. So that we have this shelter. We have this place of security. And we have this place of strength. That's in Christ. And I I liken it to the point that. Over and over again in the Scriptures tells us to say. To speak. Now. I don't go along with the idea if you speak it and you have it in your voice is the voice of . But I do. You know I do believe that we have an expectation. We say what we believe. We say what we think we say why we anti te. You know. This year was horrible and I think there will be worse. You know. I didn't die last year so I think I will this year. I mean you know. Yep and there are people like that you know I go one foot in the grave and one on the banana peel. You know so there are people who Fink. About failure. There are people who are anti ting. Failure. There are people who believe that. Doesn't matter what happens in the in the in the economy they themselves are going to be found at the bottom of the bowl. I mean you know it's just like. There is this depressing. This lack of. Well there's not a lack of anti tion. There's this lack of faith that they anti te something going wrong. They look for the failures. Well. And you know what. Every one of. Every one of us will experience some loss some failure this this year. It's impossible. You have just lost another second of your life. But we are anti ting the next. So how we see it and how we look at it determines our response. So if we can say of the Lord He is my refuge he is my strength. We can say of the Lord that he shall supply all of our needs and these are. These are common Scriptures I think I quote. Hundreds or thousands of times a year. I will say of the Lord that He is my refuge and my strength. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You see there is an expectation that is able to do what we can't. OK. There is an expectation that will help us. Accomplish what he feels what he has given us. This. Quickening in our spirit. Then he will help us to accomplish that. That whenever we work at a law and look at our life we look at what's coming in front of us. And we think about how difficult it is. That's OK. It's all right to see the difficulty. But it's also important that we see. The provision that will help me do this. will give me the strength the wisdom the understanding to accomplish this. does not want us to fail. But so if we fail it's only part of the learning process for our next success. That's not positive thinking that is 's word on it. You know positive thinking is. If I change the way I think I can change my world. And it does and does happen. Remotely and whatever. But when. I remember years ago. Rhonda attended a graduate cl and. An individual. One of the professors. Talked about. Basically about mind over matter and how that if you think. It was a time in which I think and grow rich and. A couple of other books wrote about thinking and your whole mindset. And one of the professors. That she was at was talking about this. And how that this individual was all excited about how their world and everything was changing. And how positive things were and how good things were and. You know when they finished a cl and. I think she had this professor again. Maybe six months or a year or two later. And the professor was extremely depressed and discouraged because something very tragic had happened in their life. And it had destroyed. That whole concept of thinking. You see what happens to us. Whenever we have our faith in Christ. It never destroys us. Because 's Word cannot be destroyed. Got what puts in our hearts and lives. Can't be cancelled out. We cannot cancel. 's love for us. We can shut the door on it and not receive it. But that doesn't mean it goes away. We can say I'm not going to go there. It doesn't mean that doesn't have a. There for us to be blessed. You see. So there are these things in front of us as we as we think about the Word of and we think about how much loves us and we think about the price that Jesus paid for our salvation. He who knew no sin became sin for us. Why would want to do all of that. Only for us to run around in defeat and discouraged and. You know the sky is falling in the world is coming to an end it's out of control in these crazy. Politicians are destroying our world and just. No one can destroy our world. is in charge. And they are only going to fulfill it. So therefore. While they may be destroying I'm going to be look for to build it. He's going to build. He is going to do he is going to accomplish. And that. Your old men shall dream dreams in your young men show see visions in the women will prophecy. Prophesied in. You know all these the the prophet talks about that and. What's going on is in the time that this was written. There were no equal rights ladies. That you were property. It is the it is a Christian is that Christian philosophy. The christian. Not philosophy the Christian way of belief that elevated women to a to a position of equality. And men are not above that the man is the head of the house but that doesn't mean that the woman is the servant. All right. Somebody has to be refined and we're responsible for the decisions. And it's always his fault. Right. That's it. It's is always his fault. That's very biblical and. Well anyhow. You know mind set down to you. I mean you know I've been preaching up there for thirty five thirty six years. Might as well change it. You know. Here I sit. Now. And. When it's too full and he can't see me. Maybe I'll move up there I don't know when we'll see. So. I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress. My in him will I trust in You are my refuge This is a Message Bible you're my refuge I trust in you. And I am safe. When I think of the. Situations of life. Where we. Where is it that we don't feel safe. Where in life. Do we feel that it's out of control. Sometimes we you know. We have this. Sometimes I have this panic. Whatever. I called a disorder but then you'd think preachers disorderly. Whatever. But it's been gone for a long time haven't for a long time and. Once in awhile the. Creep up and. Panic is that. You just wake up and you're just totally afraid. You know you said the wrong thing you did the wrong thing my gosh they don't like you. You know. World's going to come to an end. is for sake in you and your life is over. Just a small panic. You know it's just a small panic. You know. And that everything is wrong with life and. You know everything is wrong with life and everything is specially wrong with me and. You know and the reason that this happened is because you're no good you know. There is a song like that you're no good you're no good you're no good. And then I heard another one what made me think of that and that at the restaurant this morning. It's too late baby now it's too late. And then I thought of you know good you know good you know good you know. So. Those are the things that we can play over and over again in our mind in the challenge for us is that we have to let them go. They don't rule our hearts in our lives they don't rule our thinking. 's Word in 's spirit. You see. We have a new position. We have a new position. We are covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ. We are forgiven we are His child. We have a new position in our life. Now. In that new position. Are we going to let go of some of the old habits. We got to lead goes the old sins we've got to let go of the old way of thinking. We've got to let go of the fears and the. The know Goodson it's too late and it's you know. We have to let go of those things. Because that's not what 's word tells us. 's Word declares to us that he IS THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. 's word. Declares to wast that he would. That he goes to prepare a place for us. You know he is he's gone to prepare a place for us. That where he is we will be one day. Whether we die or whether the rapture comes. We're going to get there. And it's all OK. I'm safe. In the knowledge of 's word. Well. In second Corinthians Chapter five. Verse eleven. It says. Since then we know all that since then. We know what it is to fear the Lord. Now Paul is the author of this. Second granting step to five. Second Corinthians and. Since then we know what it is to fear the Lord. Paul knows what it is. To fear the Lord. Now the fear that he is talking about is. It's a it's on a couple of different levels. Remember he saw all of Tarsus. Coming to Damascus. On the Road to Damascus. To persecute the church and kill the Christians and throw them in jail and haul them all back to Jerusalem. While on this road he meets. Jesus. OK. He is not to the ground. Voice from heaven speaks to him. Saul Saul why do you persecute me. And he's blind. By the great light and. So he knows what it is to fear . So he realizes this is Christ. Christ Jesus. Reveals to him who he is. So Paul then goes to Damascus and he's blind and he waits there. He's waiting for someone to come and pray for him. But he doesn't know when all you know is is that he is very blind. And he's very vulnerable. And everything that he has dedicated his life to is wrong. So all these people that he threw in prison. Is going to get him for it. Is going to make him accountable for the death of Stephen. Stood by and watched him. Held the coats of the people who stone Stephen. So Paul knows what it is to fear the Lord. And then. The the WHO IS IT COMES a pray for me and eyes and eyes comes and. tells him to go and pray for him and he prays for many can see. He knows what it is to fear the Lord. Because now he has experienced. The grace and the mercy of . That fear. Now. That was the fear of going to get me to the fear of reverence and admiration. And all. And grace and mercy. He now knows that fear of being set free from all of his failures. Paul is the one who writes. Forgetting those things which are behind I press on toward the mark of the prize of the higher calling of in Christ Jesus. Forgetting the things which are behind. Paul has to let go of his previous life. He has to let go of his previous failures and sins. All of which he was destroying the believers in Christ. And he has to let that go. And believe in the the. Grace and the mercy of . So in our lives. That's why I will say of the Lord. He is my refuge. And my fortress. My in him will I trust. That's why we have to say that's why we have to believe that our sins are forgiven. Our failures. Are no longer failures. They're learning experiences. They're never going to be used. Against us. has forgiven them. And you see we are covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ and. By the covering of Christ means that we are washed in the blood of the Lamb. That there that which was. It would be like. Here is all this stuff written on this page. And when Christ forgives us. He just doesn't erase it it gives us a new page. And he gives us a new page. That we start out with a clean slate. So our forgiveness is so complete that. There is no trace of what was wrong. What sin was no trace of that left in our soul. The only place there is a trace of it is in our minds. And that's why we will say that has forgiven me. And every time we are reminded of our past in our failures. We need to remind ourselves of our future. We need to remind ourselves that we have a future in Christ and Christ has gone before us to prepare the way. He is making a way for us. He has he has. He is giving us the strength to to live and to do the will of . He is giving us so I will say of the Lord that. I need to speak to myself and say. . This is me. ME THIS IS GOD. And I will live in fear of meaning that I reverence him because he has forgiven me. Of all of my sins. He has a plan and a purpose. So then so is saved in. We know that some since. I can't read. Since then. We know. It is the fear the Lord. We try to persuade. Others. So our message is not about ourselves our message is about Christ and His forgiveness. What we are is playing to . What we are is playing to . The next section says. I hope it is also plain to your conscience it see knows us inside and out. He knows our thoughts he knows our intentions. He knows he knows what we're going to do before we do it. But we still make that choice. knows every sin. OK go back to whatever will say. I was sixteen. And. Well maybe twelve. Well maybe I was eight I don't remember when I asked Christ into my life. Somewhere along the line maybe I was too. I don't know. My. My family says I would go down the. Follow my grandfather down the aisle to the altar you know. So you know. I don't know but somewhere along in that span of time. I gave my life to Christ and. But Jesus knew. Every sin that I would ever commit in my entire life and never stopped loving me to forgive me at that moment of time in my life. OK. So every failure of our life. Can never be held against us because is going to forgive us. He is for he has forgiven doesn't mean well. You know . This is one of the teachings back in the in the time of Christ was that. If really gets in thought time of Christ time of Paul in the possibles. If 's gets such a kick out of forgiving us why don't we just send the whole lot more. Yes. And you know. It didn't work. We're not trying to commit ourselves to good policy I'm not trying to make you make myself something to you again. I'm not I'm not trying to build myself up in your eyes. But there are people and this is Paul in this section here is talking about. There are people who really destroy us and they're really coming against us and Paul is telling them. That's not what I was. That's not who I am. And you need to straighten up. And we're going to verse ten. So from now on real regard no one from a worldly point of view. Every experience that I have in my life. Can I find something positive about it. Can I find something positive about people. Can I find something good. Because we're searching for the good. Think what the Bible says think on the things that are lovely there are true and of a good report. There be any virtue be any praise think on these things. Well you know . If they would be the all those things I would think about them but they're not any of those. Because we haven't seen that right. So while we start looking for it. Why don't we start looking for the good that is in people's lives and. Be appreciative. And also to be good to look at the good that is in our life. And the good that we do. And then. You know. If we haven't done everything good that we've done then start doing good. So we need to regard we don't regard anyone from a worldly point of view it's like. You have a divine ministry. You have a ministry from . To yourself and to others. Because created you in His image in his likeness. And he is birthed in you his spirit. His birth and you eternal life. So therefore you cannot say. This is a bunch of garbage. You know it isn't. created us for a purpose. And because we haven't reached that purpose. Because we haven't been looking for our exit. We have been looking for exit. Though we once regarded Christ in this way. People used to. People thought of Jesus as a crucified failure. Cursed is the man hangs on the tree. You know. They thought of Jesus as a guy who Blue's ministry and. You know it just ended up dead and. He was a failure. But we don't do that any longer than verse seventeen Therefore if anyone is in Christ. The new creation has come. So when we are in Christ we are a new creation in Christ we have a new beginning. Every day is a new day in Christ. Every promise. Is a promise from Christ. Into our life. We are. We are a new creation. The old has gone the new is here. So what does the new person look like. That's where we look at the Scriptures. That's where we look at what we say. That's where we look at what we think what we say and what you do. What we think. Think on these things which are lovely and pure of a good report. What you say. And word out of your mouth cannot accomplish. Nearly anything near a word from your mouth this is what it says a word from your mouth can create or it can destroy. So what you think. What you say what you do. And your actions speak so. Your actions speak so loud I can't. Can't hear what you're saying. So we're looking at what we think what we say and what we do. Do we do with the purpose of serving . So. The old has gone the new is here. All this is from . All of this is from but has given to us a new life a new purpose. A new mind a new heart. He just did a transplant all through us. You know. He's given us a new direction he's given us life that is eternal. So all of these things are part of what is keep renovating keep building and keep renewing and keep strengthening. We are saved from our sins but that's just the beginning. Now we're beginning to change the thoughts and the patterns and the expectations. Expectations that I say that. That I said that before. What do you expect. So what is our expectation of how is going to touch my life. In such a way. It's going to be a almost unbelievable. What makes it unbelievable. My like a fav. What makes. He who has begun a good work in you will accomplish it. wants to accomplish what he already has started. So wants to do things in and through us now. It doesn't mean that I have to move to Africa. It needs that I need to change my heart. Change my mind. Change my voice. Not to be higher or lower change what I say. How I expect I expect ation change your expect or. You know. Made it made you know put your expect are out there I'm expecting good things. And as we expect these things. is going to bring to life. That. Or inside of us will be quick and. Like this is it. This is what is going to happen. And you know the devil the first thing the devil will do is say. You shouldn't have that. You. You don't need that. If you get that. That's not from that's just you. Why would the devil be insolvent so upset with us getting something and being supplied with all the good want to be. Because he knows that once you start expecting. And it starts happening. Your expect is going to get going you know you going to start believing in here and start receiving and then you're going to start giving. And then you start believing in expecting and. If I can do this to think about it. And you see if we can stay. Dormant. Stagnant. In our relationship with and get to heaven. You know. The devil's already lost us to heaven. Now if we can just lose our effectiveness. Lose our ministry lose our words that we keep them inside. Then he has seemingly stop. But you know what. If the devil knew everything. He would have never had Jesus crucified. OK. So the devil doesn't know what 's plans are for your life. But he knows what you say. He knows what your temptations are. He knows that and so he will continue to bring those things up. And if you resist. The devil he will flee from you. And the voice of the Book of Revelation says they overcame him. Meaning the evil one. By the blood of the Lamb. And the word. Of their testimony. So we can overcome evil. By what we say. It is the blood of Christ. And it is the word that we testify. So I will say of the Lord and. We looked at last week. I will say of the Lord your tongue. Is a writer as it as the writer is to a ship. So is your tongue to your life. That's why. What we say is so important. So we want to say the right things for the right reason. Our tongue. Is what a spark is to a flame. Our tongue. Is as a bit. Is to the horse's mouth. By our words. We can heal or we can destroy. By our words. We can help. Or we can hurt. We can build an expectation. By what we say. And so that's why I want to have an expectation. I want to have an expectation. And expectation that. For good and expectation that is going to work in my life. is going to work in the diff. In the in the things that I think are failures are not so good. is going to do a work in my life. And he's going to continue that work. Until he returns. So don't get off course and look for the exit. And expect to do something. Expect to do the good. Expect to give you the strength. Expect to help you accomplish the task that's before you. When I am weakest. I find my greatest strength and then. So I will say of the Lord. I will save the Lord. While I say. Psalm ninety one two I will save the Lord He is my refuge. He is my fortress. My in him will I trust a man. Let's stand.So as I mentioned. When we were beginning what is your expectation for the New Year. I don't fully I mean. I don't go along with New Years resolutions. Unless you really mean them. And that we resolve to take care of them and that. With prayer and. Well. If you want to create and. We are creatures of habit. If you want to create a habit. You have to do. What the. Whatever your resolution is you have to do it three times a day for twenty eight days. People say that's what's what. That's what the experts say. That will create new habits. So therefore if you want to change something. You have got to make an effort. You can't give up something. Without putting something in place of it. You can't give something up without. It's like. Well you know you had this have to replace you have to you know we have to put something in that spot. That we're going to that we're. We're taking away from so. Anyhow back to expectation. Now. What you expect. Is generally what you will run into we mentioned that in our Sunday school lesson and. The church began you know. If you're not expecting an exit on the interstate. You're going to drive by it. But if you have an expectation you're to be constantly looking forward. And I think that gives us the expectations in our hearts and I. I like the. Analogy. Whenever. Mary goes to Martha. And tells her and Martha is expected with John the Baptist and. Mary walks in to meet. Martha and says. You know greets her and Martha is the baby. John the Baptist leaps within her womb. You know. It's like the baby came to life. When when the promise. Messiah. Came to meet her. While I think in our lives that there are things that come to life inside of us when certain promises and. Certain expectations are. Our stated. You know we believe that this is for me this is for my life. No matter how difficult it may seem or how impossible it may seem. There is this expectation there's a stirring. Inside of us so. What is your expectation anyone have an expectation. That you want to share this. You expect to get older he is OK. And every second. What's that if the Year of Jubilee. You know you know what the year Jubilee is. It's a fifty years and. What happens in the year of jubilee slaves' debts everything is cancelled and we start out at zero. I like that you know that if you were in property. In Israel. Didn't belong to the nation of Israel. It belonged to families. And be along to tribes. And if. In that fifty years. Families found themselves in hardship. They may have sold their property. They may have not been able to pay their debts. Their children or they themselves could be taken as slaves. But when the year fifty or the fifty year. Jubilee came. All that's work settled. All slaves were set free. They would go back to their homes and they would go back and. You've been living in my house too long get out. You know. Because everything was set back to its original owners. So. has a set us free and. All bets are cancelled and. All were set free and it's kind of like that with our relationship with Jesus Christ that. All of our sins are forgiven and we start out. Fresh in the new. So that's Christ as the figure of the Year of Jubilee. So I think a. What else. Expectations and a one. Yes yes. I expect to finish their. Dissertation. What else. Anybody else. You know. As. What is it. Anything else. Yes. Leadership in our country. Yes. Leadership for our country. Our neighborhoods. Our communities our state and our country. Leadership. Name is OK. Anything else. Going once twice. Yes. A new friend. But that it's. Expect to make new friends. And human. And I expect. Next year at this time our church will be full. Yeah. Amen. Thank you for that. And that's and that's not you know that the pins a lot on us too because people will generally come to a place where they know people. So that means that all of us are going to be influential in building the Kingdom of . And it isn't about numbers it's about increasing 's kingdom. So I'm grateful for that anyone else. Don't anybody you know yes. Into great grandchildren. OK. Going to. That's for sure OK. I got two on the way. OK. So there is an expectation there. Two ladies are expectant. So I wouldn't talk about that is an expectation is that when a woman is expecting a child. It means that the child's already there. It just hasn't reached the time of birth. While whenever we have an expectation for a new year. We are conceiving a promise. In our minds and in our hearts. And that when that conception takes place. There is a time of preparation then there's a time of birth. So whenever we set an expectation in motion. We are talking about conceiving an idea. That will birth. In our lives. That's what the expectation is and. You know. Well our Scriptures today is Psalm ninety one two. And the le of our message is I will say of the Lord. Psalm ninety one two. I will say of the Lord. Now. He may have noticed that in the last month or so we've been talking about you remember the sheets of paper. And the ball and the bag. And you said. And so what we were doing is looking at the Scriptures and. Even if you haven't put them in the bag. We need to quote them we need to pray them we need to look at them. you said. Well. I will save the Lord this is Psalm ninety one two. I will serve the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress. My in him will I trust. So we are saying of the Lord. He is my refuge. He is my fortress. In him will I trust. So that we have this shelter. We have this place of security. And we have this place of strength. That's in Christ. And I I liken it to the point that. Over and over again in the Scriptures tells us to say. To speak. Now. I don't go along with the idea if you speak it and you have it in your voice is the voice of . But I do. You know I do believe that we have an expectation. We say what we believe. We say what we think we say why we anti te. You know. This year was horrible and I think there will be worse. You know. I didn't die last year so I think I will this year. I mean you know. Yep and there are people like that you know I go one foot in the grave and one on the banana peel. You know so there are people who Fink. About failure. There are people who are anti ting. Failure. There are people who believe that. Doesn't matter what happens in the in the in the economy they themselves are going to be found at the bottom of the bowl. I mean you know it's just like. There is this depressing. This lack of. Well there's not a lack of anti tion. There's this lack of faith that they anti te something going wrong. They look for the failures. Well. And you know what. Every one of. Every one of us will experience some loss some failure this this year. It's impossible. You have just lost another second of your life. But we are anti ting the next. So how we see it and how we look at it determines our response. So if we can say of the Lord He is my refuge he is my strength. We can say of the Lord that he shall supply all of our needs and these are. These are common Scriptures I think I quote. Hundreds or thousands of times a year. I will say of the Lord that He is my refuge and my strength. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You see there is an expectation that is able to do what we can't. OK. There is an expectation that will help us. Accomplish what he feels what he has given us. This. Quickening in our spirit. Then he will help us to accomplish that. That whenever we work at a law and look at our life we look at what's coming in front of us. And we think about how difficult it is. That's OK. It's all right to see the difficulty. But it's also important that we see. The provision that will help me do this. will give me the strength the wisdom the understanding to accomplish this. does not want us to fail. But so if we fail it's only part of the learning process for our next success. That's not positive thinking that is 's word on it. You know positive thinking is. If I change the way I think I can change my world. And it does and does happen. Remotely and whatever. But when. I remember years ago. Rhonda attended a graduate cl and. An individual. One of the professors. Talked about. Basically about mind over matter and how that if you think. It was a time in which I think and grow rich and. A couple of other books wrote about thinking and your whole mindset. And one of the professors. That she was at was talking about this. And how that this individual was all excited about how their world and everything was changing. And how positive things were and how good things were and. You know when they finished a cl and. I think she had this professor again. Maybe six months or a year or two later. And the professor was extremely depressed and discouraged because something very tragic had happened in their life. And it had destroyed. That whole concept of thinking. You see what happens to us. Whenever we have our faith in Christ. It never destroys us. Because 's Word cannot be destroyed. Got what puts in our hearts and lives. Can't be cancelled out. We cannot cancel. 's love for us. We can shut the door on it and not receive it. But that doesn't mean it goes away. We can say I'm not going to go there. It doesn't mean that doesn't have a. There for us to be blessed. You see. So there are these things in front of us as we as we think about the Word of and we think about how much loves us and we think about the price that Jesus paid for our salvation. He who knew no sin became sin for us. Why would want to do all of that. Only for us to run around in defeat and discouraged and. You know the sky is falling in the world is coming to an end it's out of control in these crazy. Politicians are destroying our world and just. No one can destroy our world. is in charge. And they are only going to fulfill it. So therefore. While they may be destroying I'm going to be look for to build it. He's going to build. He is going to do he is going to accomplish. And that. Your old men shall dream dreams in your young men show see visions in the women will prophecy. Prophesied in. You know all these the the prophet talks about that and. What's going on is in the time that this was written. There were no equal rights ladies. That you were property. It is the it is a Christian is that Christian philosophy. The christian. Not philosophy the Christian way of belief that elevated women to a to a position of equality. And men are not above that the man is the head of the house but that doesn't mean that the woman is the servant. All right. Somebody has to be refined and we're responsible for the decisions. And it's always his fault. Right. That's it. It's is always his fault. That's very biblical and. Well anyhow. You know mind set down to you. I mean you know I've been preaching up there for thirty five thirty six years. Might as well change it. You know. Here I sit. Now. And. When it's too full and he can't see me. Maybe I'll move up there I don't know when we'll see. So. I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress. My in him will I trust in You are my refuge This is a Message Bible you're my refuge I trust in you. And I am safe. When I think of the. Situations of life. Where we. Where is it that we don't feel safe. Where in life. Do we feel that it's out of control. Sometimes we you know. We have this. Sometimes I have this panic. Whatever. I called a disorder but then you'd think preachers disorderly. Whatever. But it's been gone for a long time haven't for a long time and. Once in awhile the. Creep up and. Panic is that. You just wake up and you're just totally afraid. You know you said the wrong thing you did the wrong thing my gosh they don't like you. You know. World's going to come to an end. is for sake in you and your life is over. Just a small panic. You know it's just a small panic. You know. And that everything is wrong with life and. You know everything is wrong with life and everything is specially wrong with me and. You know and the reason that this happened is because you're no good you know. There is a song like that you're no good you're no good you're no good. And then I heard another one what made me think of that and that at the restaurant this morning. It's too late baby now it's too late. And then I thought of you know good you know good you know good you know. So. Those are the things that we can play over and over again in our mind in the challenge for us is that we have to let them go. They don't rule our hearts in our lives they don't rule our thinking. 's Word in 's spirit. You see. We have a new position. We have a new position. We are covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ. We are forgiven we are His child. We have a new position in our life. Now. In that new position. Are we going to let go of some of the old habits. We got to lead goes the old sins we've got to let go of the old way of thinking. We've got to let go of the fears and the. The know Goodson it's too late and it's you know. We have to let go of those things. Because that's not what 's word tells us. 's Word declares to us that he IS THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. 's word. Declares to wast that he would. That he goes to prepare a place for us. You know he is he's gone to prepare a place for us. That where he is we will be one day. Whether we die or whether the rapture comes. We're going to get there. And it's all OK. I'm safe. In the knowledge of 's word. Well. In second Corinthians Chapter five. Verse eleven. It says. Since then we know all that since then. We know what it is to fear the Lord. Now Paul is the author of this. Second granting step to five. Second Corinthians and. Since then we know what it is to fear the Lord. Paul knows what it is. To fear the Lord. Now the fear that he is talking about is. It's a it's on a couple of different levels. Remember he saw all of Tarsus. Coming to Damascus. On the Road to Damascus. To persecute the church and kill the Christians and throw them in jail and haul them all back to Jerusalem. While on this road he meets. Jesus. OK. He is not to the ground. Voice from heaven speaks to him. Saul Saul why do you persecute me. And he's blind. By the great light and. So he knows what it is to fear . So he realizes this is Christ. Christ Jesus. Reveals to him who he is. So Paul then goes to Damascus and he's blind and he waits there. He's waiting for someone to come and pray for him. But he doesn't know when all you know is is that he is very blind. And he's very vulnerable. And everything that he has dedicated his life to is wrong. So all these people that he threw in prison. Is going to get him for it. Is going to make him accountable for the death of Stephen. Stood by and watched him. Held the coats of the people who stone Stephen. So Paul knows what it is to fear the Lord. And then. The the WHO IS IT COMES a pray for me and eyes and eyes comes and. tells him to go and pray for him and he prays for many can see. He knows what it is to fear the Lord. Because now he has experienced. The grace and the mercy of . That fear. Now. That was the fear of going to get me to the fear of reverence and admiration. And all. And grace and mercy. He now knows that fear of being set free from all of his failures. Paul is the one who writes. Forgetting those things which are behind I press on toward the mark of the prize of the higher calling of in Christ Jesus. Forgetting the things which are behind. Paul has to let go of his previous life. He has to let go of his previous failures and sins. All of which he was destroying the believers in Christ. And he has to let that go. And believe in the the. Grace and the mercy of . So in our lives. That's why I will say of the Lord. He is my refuge. And my fortress. My in him will I trust. That's why we have to say that's why we have to believe that our sins are forgiven. Our failures. Are no longer failures. They're learning experiences. They're never going to be used. Against us. has forgiven them. And you see we are covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ and. By the covering of Christ means that we are washed in the blood of the Lamb. That there that which was. It would be like. Here is all this stuff written on this page. And when Christ forgives us. He just doesn't erase it it gives us a new page. And he gives us a new page. That we start out with a clean slate. So our forgiveness is so complete that. There is no trace of what was wrong. What sin was no trace of that left in our soul. The only place there is a trace of it is in our minds. And that's why we will say that has forgiven me. And every time we are reminded of our past in our failures. We need to remind ourselves of our future. We need to remind ourselves that we have a future in Christ and Christ has gone before us to prepare the way. He is making a way for us. He has he has. He is giving us the strength to to live and to do the will of . He is giving us so I will say of the Lord that. I need to speak to myself and say. . This is me. ME THIS IS GOD. And I will live in fear of meaning that I reverence him because he has forgiven me. Of all of my sins. He has a plan and a purpose. So then so is saved in. We know that some since. I can't read. Since then. We know. It is the fear the Lord. We try to persuade. Others. So our message is not about ourselves our message is about Christ and His forgiveness. What we are is playing to . What we are is playing to . The next section says. I hope it is also plain to your conscience it see knows us inside and out. He knows our thoughts he knows our intentions. He knows he knows what we're going to do before we do it. But we still make that choice. knows every sin. OK go back to whatever will say. I was sixteen. And. Well maybe twelve. Well maybe I was eight I don't remember when I asked Christ into my life. Somewhere along the line maybe I was too. I don't know. My. My family says I would go down the. Follow my grandfather down the aisle to the altar you know. So you know. I don't know but somewhere along in that span of time. I gave my life to Christ and. But Jesus knew. Every sin that I would ever commit in my entire life and never stopped loving me to forgive me at that moment of time in my life. OK. So every failure of our life. Can never be held against us because is going to forgive us. He is for he has forgiven doesn't mean well. You know . This is one of the teachings back in the in the time of Christ was that. If really gets in thought time of Christ time of Paul in the possibles. If 's gets such a kick out of forgiving us why don't we just send the whole lot more. Yes. And you know. It didn't work. We're not trying to commit ourselves to good policy I'm not trying to make you make myself something to you again. I'm not I'm not trying to build myself up in your eyes. But there are people and this is Paul in this section here is talking about. There are people who really destroy us and they're really coming against us and Paul is telling them. That's not what I was. That's not who I am. And you need to straighten up. And we're going to verse ten. So from now on real regard no one from a worldly point of view. Every experience that I have in my life. Can I find something positive about it. Can I find something positive about people. Can I find something good. Because we're searching for the good. Think what the Bible says think on the things that are lovely there are true and of a good report. There be any virtue be any praise think on these things. Well you know . If they would be the all those things I would think about them but they're not any of those. Because we haven't seen that right. So while we start looking for it. Why don't we start looking for the good that is in people's lives and. Be appreciative. And also to be good to look at the good that is in our life. And the good that we do. And then. You know. If we haven't done everything good that we've done then start doing good. So we need to regard we don't regard anyone from a worldly point of view it's like. You have a divine ministry. You have a ministry from . To yourself and to others. Because created you in His image in his likeness. And he is birthed in you his spirit. His birth and you eternal life. So therefore you cannot say. This is a bunch of garbage. You know it isn't. created us for a purpose. And because we haven't reached that purpose. Because we haven't been looking for our exit. We have been looking for exit. Though we once regarded Christ in this way. People used to. People thought of Jesus as a crucified failure. Cursed is the man hangs on the tree. You know. They thought of Jesus as a guy who Blue's ministry and. You know it just ended up dead and. He was a failure. But we don't do that any longer than verse seventeen Therefore if anyone is in Christ. The new creation has come. So when we are in Christ we are a new creation in Christ we have a new beginning. Every day is a new day in Christ. Every promise. Is a promise from Christ. Into our life. We are. We are a new creation. The old has gone the new is here. So what does the new person look like. That's where we look at the Scriptures. That's where we look at what we say. That's where we look at what we think what we say and what you do. What we think. Think on these things which are lovely and pure of a good report. What you say. And word out of your mouth cannot accomplish. Nearly anything near a word from your mouth this is what it says a word from your mouth can create or it can destroy. So what you think. What you say what you do. And your actions speak so. Your actions speak so loud I can't. Can't hear what you're saying. So we're looking at what we think what we say and what we do. Do we do with the purpose of serving . So. The old has gone the new is here. All this is from . All of this is from but has given to us a new life a new purpose. A new mind a new heart. He just did a transplant all through us. You know. He's given us a new direction he's given us life that is eternal. So all of these things are part of what is keep renovating keep building and keep renewing and keep strengthening. We are saved from our sins but that's just the beginning. Now we're beginning to change the thoughts and the patterns and the expectations. Expectations that I say that. That I said that before. What do you expect. So what is our expectation of how is going to touch my life. In such a way. It's going to be a almost unbelievable. What makes it unbelievable. My like a fav. What makes. He who has begun a good work in you will accomplish it. wants to accomplish what he already has started. So wants to do things in and through us now. It doesn't mean that I have to move to Africa. It needs that I need to change my heart. Change my mind. Change my voice. Not to be higher or lower change what I say. How I expect I expect ation change your expect or. You know. Made it made you know put your expect are out there I'm expecting good things. And as we expect these things. is going to bring to life. That. Or inside of us will be quick and. Like this is it. This is what is going to happen. And you know the devil the first thing the devil will do is say. You shouldn't have that. You. You don't need that. If you get that. That's not from that's just you. Why would the devil be insolvent so upset with us getting something and being supplied with all the good want to be. Because he knows that once you start expecting. And it starts happening. Your expect is going to get going you know you going to start believing in here and start receiving and then you're going to start giving. And then you start believing in expecting and. If I can do this to think about it. And you see if we can stay. Dormant. Stagnant. In our relationship with and get to heaven. You know. The devil's already lost us to heaven. Now if we can just lose our effectiveness. Lose our ministry lose our words that we keep them inside. Then he has seemingly stop. But you know what. If the devil knew everything. He would have never had Jesus crucified. OK. So the devil doesn't know what 's plans are for your life. But he knows what you say. He knows what your temptations are. He knows that and so he will continue to bring those things up. And if you resist. The devil he will flee from you. And the voice of the Book of Revelation says they overcame him. Meaning the evil one. By the blood of the Lamb. And the word. Of their testimony. So we can overcome evil. By what we say. It is the blood of Christ. And it is the word that we testify. So I will say of the Lord and. We looked at last week. I will say of the Lord your tongue. Is a writer as it as the writer is to a ship. So is your tongue to your life. That's why. What we say is so important. So we want to say the right things for the right reason. Our tongue. Is what a spark is to a flame. Our tongue. Is as a bit. Is to the horse's mouth. By our words. We can heal or we can destroy. By our words. We can help. Or we can hurt. We can build an expectation. By what we say. And so that's why I want to have an expectation. I want to have an expectation. And expectation that. For good and expectation that is going to work in my life. is going to work in the diff. In the in the things that I think are failures are not so good. is going to do a work in my life. And he's going to continue that work. Until he returns. So don't get off course and look for the exit. And expect to do something. Expect to do the good. Expect to give you the strength. Expect to help you accomplish the task that's before you. When I am weakest. I find my greatest strength and then. So I will say of the Lord. I will save the Lord. While I say. Psalm ninety one two I will save the Lord He is my refuge. He is my fortress. My in him will I trust a man. Let's stand.