(upbeat music) Well, Good morning everyone. Welcome to worship and welcome to First Baptist Atlanta. It's great to see you this morning and we wanna welcome all those joining us online for our livestream service as well. It's so good to see you today as the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Let's stand together. I'm gonna lead us on this first verse and invite you to sing with us. Let this be a prayer to the Lord today. ♪ Let our praise be Your welcome ♪ ♪ Let our songs be a sign ♪ ♪ We are here for You, ♪ ♪ We are here for You ♪ ♪ Let Your breath come from heaven ♪ ♪ Fill our hearts with Your life ♪ ♪ We are here for You, ♪ ♪ We are here for You ♪ ♪ To You our hearts are open ♪ ♪ Nothing here is hidden ♪ ♪ You are our one desire ♪ ♪ You alone are holy ♪ ♪ Only You are worthy ♪ ♪ God, let Your fire fall down ♪ Sing with us now. ♪ Let our shout be Your anthem ♪ ♪ Your renown fill the skies ♪ ♪ We are here for You, ♪ ♪ We are here for You ♪ ♪ Let Your Word move in power ♪ ♪ Let what's dead come to life ♪ ♪ We are here for You, ♪ ♪ Yes we are ♪ ♪ We are here for You ♪ ♪ To You our hearts are open ♪ ♪ Nothing here is hidden ♪ ♪ You are our one desire ♪ ♪ You alone are holy ♪ ♪ Only You are worthy ♪ ♪ God, let Your fire fall down ♪ ♪ To You our hearts are open ♪ ♪ Nothing here is hidden ♪ ♪ You are our one desire ♪ ♪ You alone are holy ♪ ♪ Only You are worthy ♪ ♪ God, let Your fire fall down ♪ ♪ Let Your fire fall down ♪ ♪ We welcome You with praise ♪ ♪ We welcome You with praise ♪ ♪ Almighty God of love ♪ ♪ Be welcomed in this place ♪ ♪ We welcome You with praise ♪ ♪ We welcome You with praise ♪ ♪ Almighty God of love ♪ ♪ Be welcomed in this place ♪ ♪ Let every heart adore ♪ ♪ Let every soul awake ♪ ♪ Almighty God of love ♪ ♪ Be welcomed in this place ♪ ♪ We welcome You with praise ♪ ♪ We welcome You with praise ♪ ♪ Almighty God of love ♪ ♪ Be welcomed in this place ♪ ♪ Almighty God of love ♪ ♪ Be welcomed in this place ♪ ♪ Almighty God of love ♪ ♪ Be welcomed in this place ♪ Oh that's our prayer, be welcomed in this place Lord. Let's continue to worship as we sing this great hymn, "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing." (upbeat music) ♪ Come Thou fount of every blessing ♪ ♪ Tune my heart to sing Thy grace ♪ ♪ Streams of mercy never ceasing ♪ ♪ Call for songs of loudest praise ♪ ♪ Teach me some melodious sonnet ♪ ♪ Sung by flaming tongues above ♪ ♪ Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it ♪ ♪ Mount of Thy redeeming love ♪ ♪ Hitherto Thy love has blest me ♪ ♪ Thou hast brought me to this place ♪ ♪ And I know Thy hand will bring me ♪ ♪ Safely home by Thy good grace ♪ ♪ Jesus sought me when a stranger ♪ ♪ Wandering from the fold of God ♪ ♪ He to rescue from danger ♪ ♪ Bought me with His precious blood ♪ ♪ O, to grace how great a debtor ♪ ♪ Daily I'm constrained to be ♪ ♪ Let Thy goodness, like a fetter ♪ ♪ Bind my wandering heart to Thee ♪ ♪ Prone to wander, Lord I feel it ♪ ♪ Prone to leave the God I love ♪ ♪ Here's my heart, oh take and seal it ♪ ♪ Seal it for Thy courts above ♪ ♪ Here's my heart ♪ ♪ Oh take and seal it ♪ ♪ Seal it for Thy courts above ♪ (upbeat music) Oh give Him praise this morning. Aren't you thankful today for His keeping power, (audience clapping) for His saving grace. As we continue to worship the Lord, we put our attention on the God who is the great I Am. Let's sign together. (gentle music) ♪ I wanna be close, close to Your side ♪ ♪ So Heaven is real and death is a lie ♪ ♪ I wanna hear voices of angels above ♪ ♪ Singing as one ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, holy, holy ♪ ♪ God Almighty, the great I Am ♪ ♪ Who is worthy, none beside Thee ♪ ♪ God Almighty, He's great I Am ♪ ♪ I wanna be near, near to Your heart ♪ ♪ Loving the world, hating the dark ♪ ♪ I wanna see dry bones living again ♪ ♪ Singing as one ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, holy, holy, ♪ ♪ God Almighty, the great I Am ♪ ♪ Who is worthy, none beside Thee ♪ ♪ God Almighty, the great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The mountains shake before You ♪ ♪ The demons run and flee ♪ ♪ At the mention of Your name King of majesty ♪ ♪ There is no power in hell or any who can stand ♪ ♪ Before the power and the presence of the great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, holy, holy, ♪ ♪ God Almighty, He's the great I Am ♪ ♪ Who is worthy, none beside Thee ♪ ♪ God Almighty, He's the great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The mountains shake before You ♪ ♪ The demons run and flee ♪ ♪ At the mention of Your name, King of majesty ♪ ♪ There is no power in hell or any who can stand ♪ ♪ Before the power and the presence of the great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, holy, holy ♪ ♪ God Almighty, the great I Am ♪ ♪ Who is worthy, none beside Thee ♪ ♪ God Almighty, the great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ ♪ The great I Am ♪ Hallelujah. (audience clapping) You may be seated. He is the great I Am, Yes He is. He always has been, He always will be, and He is forever our eternal I AM. We're here to worship Him today. And I wanna just say how grateful I am to Pastor Matthew Slemp for coming back to First Baptist and leading us in worship. (audience applauding) We appreciate you so much. And he was with us for years and then he left. He turned on us and he went to another church for about five years and then he heard the call to come back. And he landed here on a Monday morning and he had six days to get everything back in place to open the church. He had tall marching orders and he has completely surpassed our expectation. (audience clapping) So, thank you, thank you. And the we are so grateful for these choir and orchestra members because they're up here and serving faithfully. (audience clapping) Well, congratulations to our class of 2021. And we have college graduates and high school graduates. And this morning, right after this service, I'll be going downstairs where I will speak to our church's high school graduating seniors and their families. And I'm gonna speak to them between the second and third services. So it'll be a busy morning but I can't wait to see them. We serve a five star Ritz Carlton ESC brunch that they have down there and let them know that they're special to us and always will be. Now a little update on Stan Cottrell. You've been praying for Stan, the running man. And I talked with him late last night and he just ran through death valley, and he's coming into Albuquerque this week, 78 years old. And last night, a pastor asked him to preach, to speak at a Saturday night service and he did it. So everywhere he goes, he's sharing the gospel, sharing Christ with all of these secular media who are following him. And I'll keep you updated from week to week on how he's doing. Well, I just wanna know, are you glad to be here today? Are you thankful to be here? (audience applauding) And let me ask you this. Are we glad to have our livestream family with us today? Would let them know it? (audience clapping) Absolutely, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father we are so thankful that we feel a sense of anticipation here today. We know that You don't gather us in vain, but You gather us with a purpose. And that we may have selected some songs and You've helped me put a sermon together but You have something specific to say to every person in this room and to every person watching. Only You know what every person is feeling, going through, every trial they're facing. And we're asking the Holy Spirit just to take the seed of Your precious Word and scatter it across the fields. Knowing that it's going to find the resting place in every hungry heart. And where there's a heart that needs to be softened we pray that Your Spirit will do that. Oh God, where there is someone who needs to take a step closer to You, may they hear Your voice and see Your outstretched arms. And if there's someone watching or in this room who does not know Jesus, we're praying that the Holy Spirit will show them that Jesus is too awesome to miss. We all need Jesus. Lord as we gather in the peace and safety of Atlanta, Georgia our hearts go out to the Holy Land today and we pray for the peace of Israel. You told us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray for our President and our leaders, understanding that it's a precarious situation but also that there will be advisors speaking into the decisions that are being made. That we must forever be a friend of Israel. We also pray for Palestinians and we know that among the Palestinians, there are Christian communities. We pray for their protection as well. And we pray for our missionaries who are serving in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East, ministering to those who have no faith, ministering those among the Muslim faith. And for those missionaries who are encouraging the Christians to remain strong and vigilant. We balance our love for Israel with our understanding that you love all people and that you want all people to be saved. So, our prayer Lord is for wisdom among those in high places, but specifically for peace in your land. We pray today that there'll be peace in this room. Peace in every heart and whatever is hindering that, that You'll remove it, take it away and say peace be still to every storm that is raging in any heart in this room or watching online. We will be careful to praise You for all that You do in Jesus name, Amen. (upbeat music) ♪ So many times I've questioned certain circumstances ♪ ♪ Things I could not understand ♪ ♪ Many times in trials weakness blurs my vision ♪ ♪ That's when my frustration gets so out of hand ♪ ♪ Oh, but then I am reminded that I've never been forsaken ♪ ♪ That I've never had to stand one test alone ♪ ♪ Then I look at all the victories ♪ ♪ And the spirit rises up in me ♪ ♪ And its through the fire my weakness is made strong ♪ ♪ He never promised that the cross would not get heavy ♪ ♪ And the hills would not be hard to climb ♪ ♪ He never offered our victories without fighting ♪ ♪ But He said help would always come in time ♪ ♪ Just remember when you're standing ♪ ♪ In the valley of decision ♪ ♪ And the adversary says "Give in" ♪ ♪ Just hold on ♪ ♪ My God will show up, Yes He will ♪ ♪ And He will take you through the fire again ♪ ♪ I know within myself that I would surely perish ♪ ♪ But if I trust the hand of God, ♪ ♪ I know he'll shield the flames again, again ♪ ♪ He never promised that the cross would not get heavy ♪ ♪ And the hill would not be hard to climb ♪ ♪ He never offered our victories without fighting ♪ ♪ But He said help would always come in time ♪ ♪ Just remember when you're standing ♪ ♪ In the valley of decision ♪ ♪ And the adversary says "Give in" ♪ ♪ Just hold on ♪ ♪ My God will show up, yes He will ♪ ♪ And He will take you through the fire again ♪ ♪ Just remember ♪ ♪ Just remember when you're standing ♪ ♪ In the valley of decision ♪ ♪ And the adversary says "Give in" ♪ ♪ Just hold on ♪ ♪ Our Lord will show up, yes He will ♪ ♪ And He will take you through the fire again ♪ ♪ Just hold on ♪ ♪ My God will show up ♪ ♪ And He will take you through the fire again ♪ ♪ Again and again ♪ ♪ Through the fire again ♪ (audience clapping) (upbeat music) You and I are not the first generation of people to be plagued by worry and anxiety. Sometimes we feel like we are, especially when you look at what we've been through for the past more than a year now. And then we have other things that add to it just when we're emerging from a pandemic and hackers take over a pipeline, and there's a rush on gas and we go into another panic. And I was in the grocery store at the end of this past week and I saw a woman had paper products stacked as high as she was in her shopping cart. (audience laughing) And I thought, wait a minute, I thought the shortage was on fuel, not on paper supplies. And, but in her mind, one thing leads to another. And why not? Because if the trucks can't deliver the paper goods because they don't have fuel, then go ahead and stock up. I thought it was very selfish of her to stock up. And so, I went and grabbed me a few packages myself. (audience laughing) But what I'm saying to you is this, that we did not invent anxiety. People who have lived throughout time in memorial have struggled with worry. Have had anxious thoughts and have even grown despondent over not knowing what the future holds. And I think you'll agree with me anxiety is in the air. It's a part of our future, by the way, it's already been programmed, there's no taking it out. We just have to decide whether we're going to be part of the furor, part of the frenzy. Are we going to allow it to swallow us up? Or are we going to have something that will anchor us, something that will stabilize us in the midst of chaos and panic? Oh, there is more to come. I'm not the prophet or a son of one, but I'm telling you we haven't seen anything yet compared to what I think the future will bring us. And what you and I know is that we do have something that stabilizes us. We can be different. There is solid ground that we're standing on and is our faith in God. And I wanna talk to you about faith that stabilizes. Faith that stabilizes. And I want you to open to that Old Testament prophet Jeremiah 17 as we talk about faith that stabilizes. And if you have a copy of the Bible, you can turn there. If you don't have a copy of the Bible with you the verses will be up on the screen and you can read along in just a moment. But we know that Jeremiah was God's messenger to the Jewish people. And it was in the days leading up to the invasion by Nebuchadnezzar and the wicked Babylonian empire. And they would plunder the inhabitants of Judah, the Southern kingdom, or the Jewish people, as we would call them. And this invasion and the subsequent deportation of Jewish people in several migrations, where they would be ripped from their homes and from their holy city. And they would become prisoners in exile in a foreign country. It would forever altered the consciousness of the Jewish people. It would forever alter the course of history. And it is this moment in history, this time of exile, where the Babylonians took them from their homeland that is the dividing line for how we understand the timing of the Old Testament books of prophecy. If you take a timeline, you can plug the prophetic books of the Old Testament along the timeline based on whether those profits ministered prior to the exile, during the time of exile or after the exile. Pre-exilic, exilic, and post exilic, that's how you divide the prophets. And Jeremiah was ministering to, preaching to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah. And although he was calling them back to God and he was God's very mouthpiece often saying with other prophets, "Thus, sayeth the Lord," and quoting Almighty God word for word. The sentence was already rendered and the people were going to be judged. And so, this is the context out of which I'm lifting chapter 17. I think it's always important to look at the context and in spite of how contextually bound this message is, I think you'll see that what God had to say to His people transcends that context and is applicable to us today, given our situation. So, he contrasts those who trust in mankind versus God and those who trust exclusively in God and not man. And that's where we will begin in verse five. Jeremiah 17:5, he quotes, "Thus says the Lord, cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength. Whose heart departs from the Lord for he shall be like a shrub in the desert and shall not see when good comes but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness in a salty land which is not inhabited." Now, if you have something to write with. I hope you'll take notes today, or on your phone, or your tablet, whatever you've got. Because I feel so impressed to share this message and the points out of this passage. And we'll eventually take in the other verses down to verse 10, but just to get us started, I want you to consider this first point. And that is that misplaced trust is a setup for failure. It's a setup for failure when we misplace our trust. And he's speaking here in these first verses we read about placing our trust in human beings, in human innovation, in human ingenuity, in human creature activity, in whatever resources humans deliver for us. He says cursed is the person who places his trust, banks all his hopes in what mankind can offer. You are inviting yourself to experience crushing disappointment. He speaks about man trusting in man. That's when we trust in people, instead of God. He spoke about making flesh your strength. And that means relying on your resources rather than what God provides. And then he summed it all up by speaking about, in the last part of verse five, the one whose heart departs from the Lord. And that's really what has happened when we are trusting in people instead of God, our heart has departed. Now, I want you to remember that when Jeremiah is sharing these words, he's sharing them with Jewish people who are the descendants of Abraham, the recipients of the law of Moses, the stewards of God's promises. They are the covenant people of God. They've got a lot that they're responsible for because they've heard the truth, they know the truth, their family's imparted to them the truth. And of course their city, their holy city is God's centerpiece on planet earth. Where God's presence dwelt above all other places in the world, His presence dwelled there in the temple which is about to be destroyed not long after these words were preached. And the reason I'm mentioning this is because he's speaking to people who have known who God is, who've known the truths of God's Word but they have departed. There's a difference between someone who has never heard about God, someone who's never been exposed to the Bible, exposed to the truth, versus those who've been exposed to it, who've heard about it, who've been raised in it, and choose to walk away despite all that they have been given the privilege of knowing. And that is exactly the description of these Jewish people. They had walked away from what they knew. And He says, cursed. Can you say cursed? Cursed. Trusting in God brings a blessing. Trusting in man brings a curse. God is speaking here, "Cursed is the one who trusts in man." And He compares the person who is trusting exclusively in other human beings to a scrubby shrub like a Dwarf Juniper that is forced to grow within rocky crevices in the wilderness, in the desert. And He says about this shrub that is growing in the desert in rocky places, that this person shall not see when good comes. Now I'm reading it to you right out of verse number six. will not see when good comes. That doesn't mean that good won't come. It just means that someone who is trusting in man instead of God won't recognize when good comes. They won't be able to enjoy it when good comes. Oh, in the years of my life, not only the people that I have met firsthand but the people that I've read about like celebrities who have been given much, who have earned much, who are living the life, the Instagram influencers who are traveling all over the world. I'm assuming that they're living off of their own incomes and not borrowed money. But here's what is so tragic. How many people have been blessed and prospered but are miserable, because their trust is not in God. You see, whatever you've got, if you know God gave it to you, you are relishing it as an act of worship. You're saying, oh God, thank you for what You've given me, thank you for how You've blessed me. I know all of this comes from Your hand and I give You praise for it. And I know You can take it away at any moment but thank you God that I've got today to enjoy it. There's a difference between that person and the one who does not recognize that what he has, what she has comes from God. That person is a scrubby shrub growing in a crevice in the desert, this is what God says. Not only that, but he shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness. This is a life that's going to be empty and barren. And did you see the last part of verse six says, "Growing out in a salty land, which is uninhabited." And when I was reading this and all I could think about was the salty condition surrounding the dead sea with which Jeremiah would have been familiar. And do you wanna know why they call it the dead sea? 'Cause nothing's growing out there. It's nothing but rock and dirt and crevices and withering heat. And he's saying that's the person who's trusting in other people instead of trusting in God. You have no source, you're out in the desert. It's a life without meaning or purpose. But again, these are people he's preaching to who have known who God is but who have walked away from Him. See, there's a danger in knowing who God is and turning your back on God. There's a danger in having the heritage of having been raised in a Christian environment. And so many of these kids grew up in Christian homes and their parents weren't perfect. And so, they don't want anything else to do with Christianity. Oh, because Christianity requires perfection. I see how it goes. So, we find this statistic that I've never been able to escape from and it's not changing any, in fact, it's getting worse. That for the past 30 years statistics tell us that 80% of all young people who grow up in a church, in a Christian Bible preaching church, 80% of them after high school graduation depart from church not to return. I think about this every year. That I'm gonna do what I'm doing after this service, going and speaking to them. And you line them up and you count them off, if they bear out the statistics that nationwide is true. Eight out of every 10 leave the church not to return. And you say, well, they're all kinds of things that we can blame for that and people we can blame for that. Maybe it's the church's fault, maybe there's fault to be owned by the parent. But here's the thing. Once a young person is grown, that young person is responsible for their choices. (audience responding) For what they've been exposed to and what they do with it. The Bible says to whom much is given much is required. And so, there are a few things to remember about what someone does when they depart from the Lord. When you're departing from the Lord, it removes us from His protection. Because when you are living in the will of God, bad things will still happen but not without God's permission. God gives you protection when you're in His will. To depart from Him means you are walking away from that. And God reserves the right to remove His hand of protection. Not only that, but departing from the Lord disqualifies us from His promises. Now there are some blessings that God gives us just because He's good and just because He's as gracious. but there are other blessings, and I know you agree with me on this. There are other blessings that are reserved for those who believe His promises. And when we depart from God we are disqualifying ourselves because we are not believing and standing on His promises. And His promises are reserved for those who walk by faith. Who trust Him, who obey Him. And not only that, but departing from the Lord, sad to say it subjects us to His punishment. The Bible says whom God loves He chastens. And so, you don't just walk away from God and God sit there and say, well, go on and have it your way. God loves us too much to let us walk away without some form of loving, redemptive chastisement. And some of you in this room could give a testimony. Oh I know you could, where you have gotten away from God, you've wandered away from God. I don't know, you might've taken two steps, you might've spent 10 years in a far and barren place but you knew that you were under the chastising hand of God. Because when you depart from God it subjects you to His punishment. And that is exactly what was going to happen to the people Jeremiah was preaching to. For instance, we began reading in verse five of chapter 17, but in verse three of chapter 17, God told His people, "I'm going to turn over your wealth and all of your treasures as plunder." One of God's signs of judgment is economic devastation. Now, that's how God gets your attention, when He gets His hand on that money, ain't that right? (audience responding) Nothing you own your knees like having no money in your bank account and not being able to even make the minimum payment on those seven credit cards. May God help anybody who's got seven. But God says that part of His punishment is you're gonna have to turn over what you have as plunder to the enemy in interest. Then in verse number four, He says, you will, even on your own of yourself, "let go of your inheritance that I gave you". This is God talking. "And I will make you serve your enemies in the land which you do not know," that was going to happen when the Babylonians invaded them, "For you have kindled a fire in My anger which will burn forever." So, He says here, "You are going to have to serve your enemies." This is a sign of God, removing His hand of protection. Listen, I know America is not Israel. I know that we can't read the United States of America into the promises made to Israel, it's one of the biggest mistakes people make when they interpret the Old Testament promises. The Old Testament promises were to Israel not to the U.S of A. However, it's the same God, and the same laws, and the same principles. And when He says, "When you walk away from Me," and think about how much exposure our country has had to God, to the gospel preaching message, to evangelism, to churches across this country. Churches on every street corner in major cities. Many of them empty now. Because we've walked away, we've walked away. And when He says, "I'm gonna give what you have to the enemies, and I'm gonna cause you to serve your enemies." That's happening to us today. Now, I know we're a land of immigrants. This is not a political statement but it is tragic how our country, both political parties don't think it's about current leadership or the past President, they've been messing with that border for years, and years, and years. And when you mess with the border you are messing with people's lives. You are saying, come on, come on, you get here, children are sent, unaccompanied minors, come, we don't know what to do with them. Send them back, hold them in Mexico. You send the signal, come on, no build the wall, go back. Somebody's gonna answer for all of this vacillating policy that causes these precious people to give up everything they've got to try to get here because of the messaging. And yet we know that through the years, politicians from both sides have turned that into a porous border that has allowed fentanyl, and opioids, and all kinds of illicit substances, and sex traffickers, and terrorists to permeate our country through an un-secure border. God says I'm gonna cause you to serve your enemies. (audience responding) I do not blame people from countries for what their governments do, that's ridiculous, any more than we should be blamed as citizens for the bad things our nation has perpetrated. But I will tell you this, the virus that has crippled our world was mismanaged by the nation in which it originated. It was lied about, it was covered up, and it brought our world to a standstill and we have ended up serving our enemies for the last year plus. We've been in bondage. Don't tell me we've not been in bondage when churches have been closed, schools have been closed. (audience applauding) We're walking around with these masks on, and listen I'm not disparaging mask. I still wear a mask out of courtesy, and out of safety. I'm not arguing, I'm just saying, first you were not gonna need one, now you're gonna need one, and now all of a sudden you can go without one but, the messages are all inconsistent, who knows? But I will tell you, we know where it came from. And God says, when I remove My hand of protection you will serve your enemies. Where did the hacking of the colonial pipeline originate? In a country that is a hostile superpower to this country. We can't assign it to their government but we have pinpointed it. Our intelligence has pinpointed it to Russia. And they all of a sudden sabotage the system, encrypt the data, and send you an email, and say, pay up if you want us to give you the code to unlock all of this. And through to 2020, it intensified. Eastern Europe and Russia hacking of essential systems. And guess what? Oh, they're not gonna pay to get the gas flowing. They sure did pay, they paid, and it's flowing, and a lucrative enterprise. And God says, "When you turn your back on Me, I will lift My hand from you." And what we just saw, listen, what we just saw with the pipeline, do you realize how vulnerable this country's energy grid is? How vulnerable all of our infrastructure, of our utilities are? How vulnerable all of our economic data is. Do you realize what happened to the colonial pipelines that caused lines to form around gas stations and people to go buy toilet paper again? Do you realize all of that stuff is a harbinger. It's just a little sampling of what we're going to face in the future. (audience responding) Because you cannot expect to depart from God and God to keep His hand on you of protection. He's not gonna do it. That was just point number one. (audience laughing) But here's the second thing. Faith in God is our life line in hard times. Faith in God is our lifeline in hard times. This message from God to His people, it's about hardships they're about to face some of which they earned. Some of which is reaping what they've sown, oh yes. But what He says to them transcends their situation and is true for God's people through all it. We've read about cursed is the man, cursed is the one who trusts in humans and not God. But then He shifts the focus in verse seven. He says, "But blessed." Say, blessed. Blessed. "Blessed is the man who trusts the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when the heat comes but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought nor will cease from yielding fruit." Now, let me ask you a question, does verse number eight remind you of another passage? (audience responding) But which one? Psalm 1. Psalm 1:3 says about the one who meditates in the word of God, he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season. Whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper. So, they're almost identical, really, when you look at them. Jeremiah 17:8, Psalm 1:3, the tree planted by the river water. One is the one who meditates in God's Word day and night. The other is he who trusts in God and not in circumstances, people, or experience, or feeling, but trusts in God alone. And he compares that person to a tree. And God says about that tree, that the leaf will stay green no matter how hot is the sun gets. That's what He said in verse eight, He said "Its leaf will be green." And He said, it's because of where the tree was planted, because of it's planted by the rivers of water, the water is flowing. So the heat can bear down. And the little scrubby shrub out in the crevices is withering and dying, but the tree by the river river is still thriving no matter how hot it is in the desert. The tree has a source, and you have a source, and I have a source. Jesus is our river of water. And He says, here it will continue yielding its fruit even when the other trees are withering and dying. Not only will its leaves stay green, but there will be sweet ripened fruit hanging from its branches. And I wanna look back at what He says about this tree. In verse eight, He says, "And that tree," comparing it to a person, "Will not be anxious in the year of, what? "In the year of drought." So, the leaves stay green in the heat and the tree is not anxious during the drought, heat and drought. And metaphorically speaking heat and drought refer to adversity in human life. And the question is all of us know what it's like to be in the heat. And I don't just mean on a hot August day in Georgia, I'm talking about when the heat is turned up in your life's experience. Drought, what is a drought? It's a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall leading to a shortage of water. Drought isn't something that happens one day, drought is something that is the result of a prolonged period of time. And so, if you were to think about the fact that he's talking here about people, he's using the tree and the shrub to illustrate it, but he's talking about people, all of us in this room and watching online know what it's like to go through a season of drought. And it is a season. I mean, we all have a day where it's bad day, and you know what I mean. The two cheeseburger combo at McDonald's can help us with that. (audience laughing) Or the Chick-fil-A combo meal. Or a good steak, or an ice cream cone, or a good cup of coffee. All of us know what it's like to have a bad day and something can make it better. We're talking about a season. And how many of you've walked through weeks and weeks where it seemed like you were parched, and dry, and withering away. It can be a time of financial hardship. When no matter how applications you submit online, not one of them calls you back. And when the one does, it's not promising. Or a time of loneliness, or a time where you're going through a sense that you've been abandoned by people. Or a time where you've been coping with pain, and instead of it getting better, chiropractor can't help you, the medications aren't helping. And you wonder how much longer do I have to live with this? A time when you're being opposed by people. People are coming against you. An extended season of depression in your life. And you just wish you could get a happy fix somehow. And something will make you feel better for the moment. And then that dark cloud starts to set in again. Our droughts are times of emptiness and times of confusion. And these are things, dear people, that I go through and I'm the preacher. And somebody says, years ago this man told me, before I came here and that's the truth. He said, "You are way too transparent in the pulpit. And when you share all of the struggles that you have it kind of cheapens your credibility and people, if I bring a visitor to church and you're up there having one of your cathartic moments they're gonna think our pastor is a headcase." (audience laughing) He said that to me. You just got to love the encouragement that flows from some Christian. (audience laughing) But you know what? I don't care who thinks I'm a headcase. I'll tell you what I am, I'm real. This is just who I am. (audience clapping) I don't need to play act, pretend, put on a mask, but I'm telling you, I go through droughts in my life. I go through seasons of my life where I say, dear God, how much more, dear God, I don't understand this. This happens and yet this still happens. I don't understand why someone can get away, or do this, or do this, or treat me this way. All of us have those things. I'm going through it now with just what's happened in the pandemic. And I try to make sense of it. And I've got to have a word up here on a Sunday morning. And sometimes I'll be on a Saturday night and I'll be saying, oh dear Jesus, you're gonna have to help me tomorrow. You're gonna have to help me tomorrow Jesus, because I'm just as confused as a lot of the people I'm trying to help. Oh, come on. You need to know we're in this together here, we're in this together. (audience clapping) But it is in those times of drought that He says if you are planted by the rivers of water you've got a source that will renew you, a source that will replenish you. And that's why these times of drought can be a friend because when we've tried every other source of refreshment and renewal, we come up empty. But when we keep pressing through, we realize it's only down here that we find the help we need. When we're down on our face before God. That's where it comes from. It's from Jesus. (audience applauding) We are the tree planted by the river of water. King David in Israel, he was going through a time of personal drought in His life. Don't you love David. I think he was bipolar maybe, I don't know. (audience laughing) Really, he's manic one day, "Oh God a day in Your sanctuary is better than a thousand days with the wicked." And he's like, "Dear Lord, dear Lord, dear Lord, why have You forsaken me when all these people are against me." Well, which is it, you love being in the temple or you're ready to jump off the cliff. And he would say, yes. (audience laughing) He said in Psalm 63, "O God, You are my God, early will I seek You. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You." Where? "In a dry and thirsty land. Where there is, what? (audience responding)
"No water" So, I have looked for You in the sanctuary to see Your power and Your glory. And then he had some people that were hot on his trail trying to kill him. In Psalm 1:43, he says, "The enemy has persecuted my soul. He's crushed my life to the ground. He's made me to dwell in darkness, in caves like those who've been long dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me. My heart within me is distressed. I remember the days of old, I meditate on all Your works, I'm muse on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You my soul longs for You like a thirsty land." If you've ever seen dried parched soil, it's got cracks all throughout it. And it's like that soil with all of its cracked surfaces is reaching up to the heavens saying rain on me please, saturate my parched earth. And David said, "That's how I approach God sometimes." I'm empty, I'm dry, I'm parched, but God, You alone can refresh me. You alone can renew my spirit. And ladies and gentlemen, He alone can. And this is why when we turn to other substitutes to find the satisfaction that only God can give us, we will always set ourselves up for disappointment. Because nobody can do for you what Jesus can do for you, nobody. When we trust in God, He'll sustain us, He'll empower us and He will use us. And you know what bearing fruit means? It means that you're bearing fruit that others can pick. It means that God will use you to bless others even when you are in your own time of drought. And this is the thing about it. There have been times when I, through the years, going back to being 22 years old when I became a pastor. There have been times when I had no clue what I would say when I would stand up and preach. I've been to seminary studying all week, cramming for the finals, commuting three hours each way to go to this little country church I did, and I would stay up till four in the morning trying to get something to preach. And I would walk in there and they'd be 45 people out there, 55 people out there. And I'd say, dear God, this wasn't worth anybody's time. You give the invitation and here comes 30 of them down on the altar, shedding tears, hugging on each other. Stand over here at the door, "Pastor that was the greatest sermon, oh God used that sermon." And I'm like, really? (audience laughing) 'Cause about three hours ago I didn't know what I was gonna say. And that's what God is telling you. When you're planted by the river water, you may feel worn out, empty, used up, dried out, but God is still bearing fruit through you even when you're at your lowest point. Even when you think you've got nothing left to give that spirit of the living God is flowing through you because you're His child. Well, here's the last point. We got to land this plane, land this plane. You ready for it? Yes. Anxiety is the lie that God is not in charge. That's what anxiety is. It is the lie that God is not in charge. Think about it. Now I'm gonna just wanna ask you 10, 30 people and all of these precious livestream viewers. Is God in charge? (audience responding) Then why would we be anxious? Let me ask you. This is God all powerful? (audience responding) Then why would we ever have anxiety? Has God promised to take care of us? (audience responding) Why would we ever worry? Has God not told us, "I will supply all of your needs according to My riches and glory through Christ Jesus? (audience responding) Yes, He has. Is God bigger than our enemies? (audience responding) Has God sealed us with the Holy Spirit of promise? (audience responding) Can God take care of your family that you worry about? (audience responding) Yes He can. And the question is then, why would we ever allow anxiety to swallow us up? Look back in verse number eight. He said, "The one who trusts in God is gonna be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river." And look at what it says about that tree. "It will not fear when the heat comes and it will not be anxious." It won't fear and it won't be anxious, "In the year of drought, nor will it cease from." Now, look, he's talking about a tree. This is just the illustration. But I sure would like to be like that tree. A tree doesn't say, "I'm scared it's hot outside". No, a tree just stands there. A tree doesn't say, "Oh no, it hadn't rained in a long time. I'm really, really fretting the outcome." No, a tree just waits for it to rain. And He says, we need to be like the tree. Not afraid, and not gripped with anxiety but just standing, trusting, waiting, believing. Because here's what God knows, anxiety is the opposite of peace, do you realize that? It's either one of the other, it's not both. There's no such thing as anxious peace or peaceful anxiety. (audience laughing) They're mutually exclusive terms. You either have peace or you have anxiety. You have anxiety or you have peace, but you can't have both. I want peace. I'll tell you something else that's so dangerous about anxiety, it alters our judgment. How many of us have made decisions we regret because we acted in fear. We made a decision when we were in one of those droughts. Instead of relying on God's wisdom we acted impulsively or we were persuaded by someone else when God's wisdom would have led us to do differently. Anxiety can alter the soundness of your reasoning. You know, something else about anxiety. It's like a piece of Velcro, it likes to latch on. It just finds a way to stick to you. Am I right or not? (audience responding) You can be feeling good one morning and all it takes is a phone call, a text message, an email, or just turning the news on. And all of a sudden you've got a burden for the rest of the day. And it's eating you up on the inside, I need a witness right here, right now. (audience responding) It likes to latch on. And I found this anonymous proverb that says, "Not everything that weighs you down is yours to carry." Not everything that weighs you down is yours to carry. So, if it's not mine to carry, what is it mine to do with? Well, the Bible answers that in first Peter 5:7 where it says, "Casting all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you." If God didn't intend you to carry it that He intended you to cast it off. And He's standing there with able arms, strong and mighty arms. And there is no burden, anxiety, fear, concern, doubt, question that you cast upon Him that He's not strong enough to carry. Something else, anxiety can be a sign of judgment. Do you remember the story of king Saul, he was the first king of Israel. He turned his back on God. And when he turned his back on God, God used an evil spirit to torment him. In 1st Samuel 16:14, it says the spirit of the Lord had left Saul and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled Saul with depression and fear. And this is one of the things that troubles me. As Saul did he push the Holy Spirit out of his life, and God says, then what you've done is you've created a vacuum for an unholy spirit. And God actually summoned that unholy spirit to be a troubling spirit as a form of judgment. And I really believe that's what we're sentencing our next generation to, to be honest with you. We're putting phones in their hands, and filth in their hearts. And God says that we're going to reap future adult generations gripped with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and a total misunderstanding about the purpose of life. The troubling spirit is a judgment for rejecting the Holy Spirit. And then I'll tell you this and I'll close. One form of anxiety is built upon the lie that people get away with evil. And I'll be honest with you. There are times when that plagues me. When you see people getting away with stuff or so it seems. And in the last verses of this passage we're going to read. God says through Jeremiah, "The heart is deceitful above all things, it's desperately wicked who can know it. I the Lord search the heart, I test the mind." Look what God says. "And I will give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings." Now does it say that or not? (audience responding) And this tells me that God lets nobody get away with anything. And it's only because we're under the mercy shield of the shed blood of Jesus that you and I can stand before God without fear because we know we have been sheltered from His wrath through the cross of Jesus Christ. But for everybody else, there will be a long day of reckoning when they stand before the judgment of God. And what I'm telling you is when you get anxious over who's getting away with what, you remember what I'm telling you today from Jeremiah 17, nobody ever gets away with anything because there's a holy God who is on His throne in heaven. And everybody, say, everybody. (audience responding) Everybody will stand before Him one day. Now suppose you're sitting in this room or watching and you are saying, "I need Jesus." You know what we would all say? We would say, yes you do, we all need Him. And as I think about the future and all the things I feel we're gonna face one day. Maybe tomorrow morning, we'll wake up, and every problem will have disappeared and I'll be proven wrong. But I can tell you you'll still need Jesus. Because you need Jesus not just to get you through this life but you need Jesus to get you to the world to come. You need Jesus to make you right with God by forgiving of your sins. And there's a number that is on the screen there. And for those of you right here in front of me, or those watching, we want you to text the name Jesus to that number. If you would like someone to help you take steps toward pursuing a relationship with Jesus. How to make your relationship with God what it needs to be. We're gonna help you with that. And if you wanna talk on the phone we can just text or email back and forth. Whatever your preference, we'll adapt. We just wanna get the conversation started. And there may be some of you watching and you have a prayer need, send it to that. We're faithful to pray over the needs that you send into us. So, we're gonna have a word of prayer and I'm gonna ask everybody to bow your heads in this room. And I want you to think about anyone who's here or watching who needs Jesus Christ, who needs to be saved. And would you join me right now in asking the Holy Spirit to draw them to Jesus. Heavenly Father, we pray the Holy Spirit will draw people to Jesus. People who are dry and broken like that shrub in the wilderness. They feel that they're empty, they're on borrowed time. Help them to know there is life, and hope, and strength in Jesus Christ. And for those who may not feel that they're on empty, they feel like their life seems good right now, help them to understand life is not good until it's good with God. And I asked the Holy Spirit to draw them to Jesus today. And we thank you for letting us talk about this passage of Scripture. Cursed is the man who trusts in men, but blessed is the man, blessed is the woman, whose trust is in God. In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you so much for being in church today. Thank you to all of our viewers and I hope no matter what comes your way, don't let anxiety latch on, cast it on the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you. (piano music)
