Streamed Live on September 12, 2021 Virtual Worship Experience GIVE.. https://giv.li/qe4w8m

oh praise the lord everybody [Music] [Music] i'm oh [Music] um is [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] what happened [Music] calm down is [Music] [Music] is oh [Music] me [Music] is [Music] [Music] he's working on me he's working on me i'm so glad [Music] i'm so glad [Music] striving to do my best i can't say that i passed each and every test but i got a mind of mine to live i'm so glad [Music] he's working on me oh i'm so glad [Applause] [Music] cast the first stone [Music] keeping myself right i can't worry about you i gotta give an account for my life he's working on me he's working on me oh i'm so glad [Music] me [Music] [Applause] [Music] good morning park church family friends all of our guests everyone who decided to join us for virtual worship this morning we're so glad that you're here we're so glad that you decided to be with us in the virtual space today listen this is the day that the lord has made and it's our choice to rejoice and be glad in it listen the world can give us so many reasons why we shouldn't rejoice the world can give us so many reasons why you know we should stay depressed or we should stay sad or in a hurt state or in a broken state but this is the day that the lord has made and he made this day for us listen he graced us to get up and go again he graced us to get up and try it again his new mercies today told me that i can get up and forget what happened yesterday but today i can start all over again i think somebody needs to hear that today today is your day to get up and do it again you can go ahead and put that in the chat i'm going to do it again i'm going to try it again i'm going to come to god again we should rejoice in this day that should be exciting for somebody that should be some exciting news for somebody today because this is an exciting time in the body of christ not just in the church not just in my life or your life but this is an exciting time in the body of christ anytime the lord allows us another day to see another day we should get excited about what that day is gonna bring doesn't matter what your situation looks like doesn't matter what your situation feels like but the fact that you are still here the fact that you are still breathing is a reason for us to rejoice in this day and i'm excited about it i pray that you are excited about it too listen so many reasons for us to be excited uh another reason for us to be excited is because we are beginning to start again the study life of the church so all of our studies are beginning to begin again our women our youth our singles of backing our young adults they are back and most of all our wednesday night corporate bible study is back so we want to see you whatever virtual platform you decide to join us on we want to see you on wednesday this wednesday at 7 00 p.m so that we can hear a word from god i know i need a word from the god in the middle of the week and so i believe that you need a word from god in the middle of the week too so join us on wednesday starting this wednesday as we start back with our virtual bible study listen to get the information about the book that we're studying or to get the information about everything that's going on go to our website theparkministries.org and you can get all of that information there listen speaking of websites i know you've gone already to check out the new website right i know you've gone to to check out how the fresh look that we have the new look that we have on our website if you have not go ahead to the parkministries.org and check out our new website it's easy to navigate it looks new it looks fresh it gives us a great look as a congregation so i urge you to go check out our website when you get an opportunity to do so this is also an exciting time because we embark in what we call our anniversary season as in august we celebrated 17 years at the park church south charlotte and then we're going to celebrate our independence anniversary and then later on we're going to celebrate our church-wide anniversary but in the month of september there's a special anniversary that i want us all to be aware of and that we can all participate in does anybody know what that special anniversary does anybody know what that special anniversary is it is 31 years of god's faithfulness as he has given us bishop claude richard alexander jr somebody should get excited about 31 years of god's faithfulness we get to celebrate the jewel that god has blessed us with in the person of bishop claude richard alexander jr and you have all month long to celebrate we have all month to to celebrate to give our shout outs we can give our shout outs uh you can share stories on social media any of our social media platforms that you choose to do so uh you can do that so share your stories uh share your favorite moments share your pictures all of that throughout all of our social media make sure that you use the hashtag tpc bishop31 and that's how we will all get to see uh what you said and what you wrote all of your well wishes for 31 years of god's faithfulness to our pastor so on any of our social media platforms you can start today you don't have to wait until the end of the month when we culminate but you can actually start today and share your memory uh share your uh favorite moment with our pastor using the hashtag again tpc bishop 31 now uh speaking of share have you taken a moment to share this broadcast somebody needs to hear a word from the lord and it all depends on your share so take a moment to share the gospel with somebody else take a moment to say you know what i don't want to keep all of this to myself you know the the same joy that i feel as i participate in worship i want somebody else to feel that joy as well so take a moment to share you can share on our facebook platform you can start a watch party on facebook you can share the uh the experience through our youtube channel the park church one you can also share on our website theparkministries.org as we have live worship happening right now on our website we even have a mobile app so for those of you who are on the go use the mobile app but however you decide to share just make sure that we get the gospel out to as many people as we possibly can i believe this is one of the easiest ways for us to evangelize with the click of a button we can evangelize to someone else we can let them know how good god is we can let them know no matter what situation they may find themselves in god still loves you and there's a word that god has to share with each and every one of you so do me a favor and make sure that you share that make sure that you share that make sure that you get somebody in so that we can get ready to worship um have you postured yourself for worship and i don't necessarily mean how you're sitting or how you're standing but where is your heart right now as we get ready to go into a time of worship have you postured your heart have you opened your heart have you opened your mind so that god can speak to you in this time we want to hear a word from the lord and i believe if we open our hearts and if we open our minds regardless of where we are physically we might not be in the sanctuary but god can speak to you in your living room god can speak to you in your kitchen god can speak to you in your bedroom even driving in your car the lord can speak to you make sure you keep your hands on the wheel but god can speak to you even in your car and so we want to get our time ready so that god can speak to us because i believe that he has something to say just for you i believe he has something to say just for me i i don't want us to just watch a worship experience i want us to engage in a time of worship and so do you know what that means if we engage in a time of worship i mean i know we get comfortable and you sitting on your couch or you might be sitting at your table eating breakfast you may even be laying in the bed and i've been guilty of doing that too but what i want you to do get up off of the couch if you're in the bed get up out of the bed if you're sitting at the table pull away from the table just for a second so that we can engage in a time of worship i don't want the tv or the computer screen to talk to you i want you to engage in a time where we can speak to god and god can speak to us so let's get ourselves ready let's get ourselves postured so that we can engage in a time of worship go ahead and and begin now you can begin now and said god i'm ready god i want you to speak to me god i want to hear from you god i need to know what it is that you have to say to me and so let us go ahead and get ready for our time of worship now let us go into our time of worship praise the lord family praise the lord visitors peace and friends come on in join us in worship as we declare that our god is worthy to be praised hallelujah beautiful is the praise of the upright well we rose this morning to give our god glory so somebody ought to shout out to god with the voice [Applause] [Music] i oh [Music] [Music] i will hallelujah [Music] crazy [Music] [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] it goes like this [Music] say hey [Music] hallelujah [Applause] [Music] [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] god is praise you god [Music] i can't stop crazy [Music] glory to your name jesus glory hallelujah for your faithfulness yes lord for your worthiness god we thank you god we honor you father hallelujah [Music] we thank you god for your presence god you deserve it god for your faithful for your righteous god hallelujah [Music] i call you holy your name is holy you are so holy to me everybody [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] me is [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] we love you hallelujah [Music] is [Applause] nobody like the lord nobody like the [Music] hallelujah he's a mighty god mighty [Music] oh god we thank you hallelujah glory lord hallelujah [Music] [Music] man [Music] and that's why we gather today we come together whether it's physical or virtual but we gather today to praise the one who's holy to praise the one who's mighty to praise the one who's faithful to praise the one who's loving to praise the one who's kind to praise the one who graces us with new mercies every morning that's why we come today and if you can't think of any of those adjectives of how to describe who i'm talking about you know the name jesus jesus is the name that we came to lift up jesus is the name that we came to worship jesus is the name above all other names and at the name of jesus everything is gonna bow every tongue is gonna confess that he is lord i know you know the name jesus you can go ahead and type that in the chat today we come to lift up the name of jesus we come to give jesus praise we come to give jesus glory hallelujah hallelujah great and mighty is our god he's a great god he's a mighty god he's a loving god he's a caring god he's all of that and then some i can't even think of all the words to describe who he is and how he is but jesus covers it all jesus covers all of it and we can go to that jesus in prayer today because we know that he's a prayer answering savior and we can make our petitions known unto him and so today we are praying for those among us who are grieving the loss of loved ones we're praying for yvette rayford cobb and robert cobb in the loss of their grandson we're praying for don and lawanda walker and family and the loss of don's cousin we're also praying for winnie wilkes in the loss of her mother and today this week we're going to continue to pray for our congregational needs that means whatever it is that you need the lord to do for you however it is that you need the lord to come through for you we want to agree with you in prayer and so you can go ahead and type that in the chat now whatever that prayer request is however you want god to come through for you whatever it is that you want god to do on your behalf we want to pray with you we want to pray for you and so we want you to go ahead and put that in the chat even now we're also praying for a situation that happened just recently in our city where uh over 100 rounds were shot into a house killing a three-year-old and injuring others and so we're praying for that situation we're praying against gun violence and any other type of gang-related violence we're praying for that we're also praying for the youth that were involved and we're praying for our youth today for the pressures that they may face in regards to that so let's now go to the lord in prayer [Music] god we want to take a moment just to say thank you thank you god for being faithful thank you god for being righteous thank you god for being holy thank you for just being god god we thank you for being a comforter and god we pray even now god that you bestow your comfort on those who are mourning and grieving the loss of loved ones god we pray even now for our city god and for all of those who were involved in the most recent shooting in our city god the victims as well as the young people who committed the crime god we pray against any increased crime in our city and around our world god we pray for your supernatural protection against evil crimes and against violence god we pray even now god that you will reveal yourself to all of those young people oh god we pray even now god that they will accept the truth of the love that you have for them god we pray even now god for a personal encounter that they will make with jesus that will change the trajectory of their lives god we pray now for the safety of everyone of every household in every community god we pray for the wisdom of our spiritual leaders as well as our community leaders that they can come together god to make decisions god that will help to end the violence that we have in our city and around our communities for every need in the chat oh god we lift it up to you we look to you to be the healer to be the comforter to be the savior to be the provider to be all that you said that you were gonna be to be all that we need you to be god we look to you and we leave it all in your hands may we be comforted in knowing god that you are sovereign and we trust you with it all and it's in the name of jesus that we pray amen amen come on if you believe that just type amen in the chat amen settles it amen says it is so and it is done in jesus name all right we welcome all of you today welcome welcome welcome welcome our guests all of our returning worshipers if you are a first time guest i just want you to type first time in the chat if you type first time in the chat there's somebody that's going to show you some love they're going to show you some virtual love because we are so excited that you decided to join us today for worship with all of the virtual platforms that are out there you decided to join us for worship today and we are grateful that you're here and we pray that god will meet you at your point of need any time throughout this worship experience so we're thankful that you're here today i do have a few announcements that i want to share with you before we continue in our worship experience the women's ministry has a great opportunity that all women can participate in as an alternative to the women's retreat this year and in an effort to stay safe and healthy the women's ministry will host a virtual motivational morning session on saturday september 18th and that's from 9 a.m to 10 30 a.m this is an opportunity to come for some fun for some fellowship and a great faith boost as you enjoy tara brown and reverend dr nicole martin donations are also being accepted via the park church giblify for support of this ministry event this is open to all women and will be available on the zoom platform and the zoom id for that day is eight six five nine eight five five seven five nine seven again that zoom number is eight six five nine eight 9855-7597 calling all of our singles it's time again for the singles virtual brunch uh we'll gather virtually for another christ over culture conversation and you don't want to miss out on this one join the singles ministry next sunday september 19th at 1pm so grab your graphic t-shirt invite some friends bring your virtual brunch and join us for a conversation on the topic of forgiveness and you can get registration information by going to or by emailing singles ministry at upbc.org again email singles ministry at upbc.org also some of our scholarship recipients have taken a moment to say thank you to those who have contributed to any scholarships that were given out on our graduation sunday in june and so we all have an opportunity to read some of those thank you notes by going to our website you can find them at the bottom of the home page and it says thank you reflections from our 2021 graduates so please take a moment to view those comments view those reflections view those thank you notes we praise god for all of our graduates and our scholarship recipients we're so proud of them and we can't wait to see how god is going to continue to move in their lives as they continue to learn and grow it's also it's because of you it's because of how you give and how you sow that those scholarships or some of those scholarships were able to be given out to those recipients and we are getting ready to go into a time of giving in just a minute and as we prepare for time of giving let's prepare our hearts and our minds and seek the lord on how it is he would have us to give what it is that he would have us to sow but before we get to our offering we want to take a moment to go to the park news so that we can see what's happening here at the park and be in the know with everything that's going on so now let us go to the park news [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] good morning and welcome to the park church online i'm michelle king and i'm delighted that you chose to worship with us this morning here at the park church we get excited about every opportunity to point someone to christ and our prayer is today that you will experience the love of christ in a unique way [Applause] now let's get started with our morning announcements this wednesday september the 15th our virtual corporate bible study returns and we are coming back with a study that is essential for all of us as we seek to be the church that looks more like christ our bishop will walk us through the book emotionally healthy discipleship moving from shallow christianity to deep transformation by peter cesaro in fact let's hear more about the study from the author now check this out a number of cascading crises have revealed the shallowness of our discipleship in our churches it's actually exposed it things like the pandemic or the polarization politically divisions happening in our churches where we're unable to have even healthy loving conversations within the church itself the social unrest around racial divisions in our country that have also come into the church as well the economic setbacks and upheavals that we're experiencing and then of course the recurring scandals of leaders that is not something new but is happening on a on a speed and a level that we've not seen in a very long time so all leadership really is is high level discipleship so if we want to address scandals of leaders for example we've got to address discipleship in the church and emotionally healthy discipleship is about getting deep beneath the surface in people's lives so jesus can transform them actually emotionally or discipleship is about integrity it's about congruence about being the same person on the inside that we present to others on the outside that who we are is more important than what we do so emotionally healthy discipleship equips us with an understanding first of all what it means to be a christian and it gives us a larger theology and a perspective that equips us to handle the different crises that come our way so for example we learn a theology of grief and loss and from psalms and books like lamentation so we're able to enter other people's sadnesses because we enter our own and we realize god works invisibly in and through them and then we understand for example that there are seasons in the christian life there are falls when things are decaying there's winters which are difficult there's springs in their summers and so we're discerning what's jesus saying what season are we in and then we seek to cooperate with god in that season and we do the hard work for example of breaking the power of our past and do something called genograms and looking back at our family of origin and our cultures going back three to four generations so that we can break the things that hinder us from living as new communities and the new family of jesus in the church and in emotionally of the discipleship we become sensitive and aware of what we often call the false self that that part of us that wants to compare ourselves to other people or live for the approval of other people or attaches itself to a status or a title or a position or being popular rather than seeking to be true to who god has uniquely made us to be you don't want to miss a moment of this study as our bishop guides us through this life-changing study we will even have an opportunity to break out into small groups during this time to grow together and sharpen each other this is going to be a pivotal time in the life of the park church so make sure you purchase your book today by visiting christianbook.com or amazon.com today if you purchase via amazon make sure you choose the amazon smile and select the park ministries as your organization to contribute to i can't wait to start this study in fact i have already purchased my book and have started reading so that i am prepared for wednesday i look forward to seeing you wednesday night at 7 pm as we grow in the word of god together [Music] the park church has been invited to join project outpour for an upcoming day of service event this saturday september the 18th from 10 until three volunteers are needed to assist in various areas including mobile showers clothing closet serving food managing sign ups for services learning lab haircuts and more donations of gently worn sneakers and work type boots for men and women are needed as well as hair care products for black and brown hair all donations must be received by september the 16th at our baby's fort and independence campuses professional grooming service providers are also needed to sign up visit our website and click the link under our events on our home page or for more details email minister kim morrison at kmorrison upbc.org park family for 31 years we have been blessed by the leadership of our pastor bishop claude richard alexander jr 1990 where were you in september of 1990 did you know then that you would be impacted by a man who has committed his life to the studying of god's word could you have imagined then what you would learn from such a wise and humble man of god and how much you would grow under his leadership well today we will listen to someone who had a role in the decision of reverend claude richard alexander becoming the pastor of university park baptist church take a look my first impression of bishop coming to the park was that wow this man can preach i was just so excited once i heard his initial sermon which was in the candidacy phase and i said he's the one everybody else got to come up to this level when i first met him which was the night before he actually preached i thought he's young and of course a lot of people have heard the story about how we were looking for someone who was 35 and had pastored for a certain amount of time and all those criteria so i thought okay he's young but i didn't know exactly how young so before he was to preach i went to the chair chairman of the deacon board and i said how old is this man and he told me and i was like oh that's young but once he stood up and preached after the service i went back to the deacon the chairman of the deacon board and said he could be 10. if he can preach to me like that then he's the one so i knew as far as something that he would bring that he was going to bring the word and that's what we needed in order to live our lives the way christ wants us to live them and that has played out this whole 31 years i've seen him grow in his teaching the way he explains it to us when he's teaching and relates to the people i've seen him grow in his vision of expansion we knew that he had ideas my husband was on the um deca board and we knew that he had ideas but i've seen him go beyond what we would have dreamed of and the expansion of the church the church not only just the buildings and the sights that we have and the number of people that we have but he has grown in as he has grown in his exposure to other people he has exposed us to other people and other opportunities to serve the lord so uh and and as a man as a father a husband you know he was single when he came i've just seen him grow so much i i would not be surprised at how god expands this ministry we already say that it's global and truly it is uh and during the pandemic i think it's become even more so so um you know it's just ready to see what god is going to do in these coming years you know following god you can't always see the step that he tells you to make and i appreciate the fact that bishop alexander is a person who follows god for that step not knowing what that step is going to lead to wow thank you so much dr covington bishop alexander i just want you to know that i appreciate you for so many reasons i appreciate what you have poured into my family i appreciate your humor your humbleness your kindness and sir despite your national and even international notoriety there is nothing disingenuous about you congregationally we know that you love and support us and you want nothing but the very best for us bishop alexander we love and appreciate you you give us the very best and you deserve the very best happy anniversary sir now park family throughout the month of september we will share our love for our pastor in various ways you can take a photo and post it on social media and make sure to tag us by using tpc bishop 31 we will also have an opportunity to show some love in person as we will have a drive by on saturday september the 25th from 5 to 7 p.m at our independence location drive through and show some love to our pastor on that day then on sunday september the 26th we will culminate all that god has been able to do with pastor and people during our sunday morning worship experience where we will have the pleasure of collectively being a blessing to our bishop by sowing a seed into a life well deserving of double honor park family let's make sure the world knows how proud we are to be led by this awesome man of god for 31 years well that's all we have for this edition of the park news i want to encourage you again to be prepared for wednesday night's bible study and all of the opportunities we have to grow here at the park it's now time to give and i look forward to worshiping god with you as we give unto him until next time let's continue moving forward god bless you [Music] what a legacy that's been created and we look forward to all that god is going to continue to do as we move forward as he moves us forward because of the blessing that he's placed in our church bishop claude richard alexander jr park family let's thank god for the blessing that is bishop claude richard alexander jr he is such a blessing to us he's a blessing to my life and i know you all can attest to the fact that he's been a blessing to your lives as well listen another way that we get to show gratitude to god now is in our time of giving and so it is time for us to give it's time for us to return the tithe which is 10 of all of our income it's time for us to give an offer and that goes above and beyond the tithe also we sow a seed into what we call faith for it in action and if you've been uh trekking with us any amount of time you see what the seeds of faith have been doing from faith forward in action and how god has blessed us to be a blessing to others and so we want to participate in this time of giving and and and giving is not the intermission segment of the worship experience giving is just as much worship as the praise and worship that we just saw giving as just as much of worship as everything else that we do in the worship experience so when we give we worship god when we give we please god when we give we get to watch god act on our behalf and i know somebody out there says i need god to act on my behalf i need god to show up for me and so giving is a time for us to show just to show god that he is lord over our lives and so there's several ways that you can give during this time you can give using the givealifi app simply select the park church and follow the quick instructions there you can text to give that text number is 704-271-9007 if you're on our website you can give there just simply click the give online icon that's right there on the website if you choose to use bill pay you can give using the bill pay option uh just make sure that you direct all of your bill paid donations to 6029 betty's ford road but a god that's been so faithful to us let's take a moment now to show him our faithfulness to him as we give let us go to the lord in prayer god we take this moment just to say thank you god thank you for being the giver of all things god and in this moment we give back to you god your word says that uh we should give honor to you with the first fruits of our wealth and so god we pray that you accept our tithe god we pray that you accept our offering as a gift of worship to you god help us to give freely help us to give sacrificially help us to give cheerfully toward the work of the kingdom may our gifts be acceptable to you it's in the name of jesus that we do pray amen amen let us now take a moment to give unto the lord um [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] they say this mountain can't be full they say these chains will never break [Music] but they don't know you like we do there is power in your name [Music] [Applause] we've heard that there is no way through we've heard the tide will never change they haven't seen what you can do there is power in your name so much [Music] [Music] and we believe that we believe foreign [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Applause] [Music] there is so much [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] hey [Music] oh [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] i believe you said it is [Music] it is [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] shall we [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] there are those who can testify having found themselves in one of those categories dealing with what was unmovable [Music] dealing with what was unbreakable facing what was literally believed to be impossible and yet there is a god who's been able to move the unmovable and break the unbreakable and do the impossible there there are so many who are able to say i've seen god work a miracle as a matter of fact not just that you've seen god work a miracle but that you are a very miracle of god and therefore you know what god can do you are standing on what god can do you you are literally breathing what god can do and therefore you are one who still believes and you know that god has the final saying when you know god has the final say things settle in your spirit because you begin to say god said it and it is settled in my spirit i believe it i don't know who i'm talking to right now but but you know that god has the final say and there is a settling that is occurring in your spirit right now and you are able to say god said it and i believe it and because god said it and i believe it i know that i will see it for myself that that's why that's why you're not gonna faint that's why you're not gonna grow weary because you believe that you're gonna see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living and that word in you is telling you to wait on the lord and be of good courage and and know that god will strengthen your heart and he will do just what he said you said it yes yes yes [Music] yes i yes lord it is god you said it over your children god said it over your body god said it in your marriage god said it in your career god said it is [Music] father we thank you [Music] for you being the god who moves the unmovable breaks what we thought to be unbreakable [Music] you do what others say is impossible [Music] god if we had not experienced it in our own lives but god so many of us have our our testimonies to that very fact so father we thank you [Music] and god there is someone watching listening needing you to move needing you to break needing you to perform needing you to work a miracle in god we bring our faith in connection with theirs [Music] and it's no longer them saying i believe but oh god together we're saying we believe we believe you have the final say we believe everything that you say you will do and so father in the name of jesus we thank you right now for what you are doing what you are moving what you are breaking down what you are bringing what you are closing what you are opening we thank you right now father [Music] now god you have our attention what's on your mind what's on your agenda what you desire our eyes are on you our ears are open our hearts are sensitive right now god bring us into atonement draw somebody to jesus [Music] advance your kingdom [Music] bring glory and honor to your own name we pray this god in the name of jesus and for his sake amen amen amen that is the god that we serve [Music] and it is the god in whom we believe we greet every one of you in the name of our lord and savior jesus christ it is indeed good to be together good to be with you wherever you are and however you are it is a it is a privilege it is a joy for us to be together in the lord we're certainly looking forward to our kickoff of our bible study this week pete's gazero he is no stranger to us we have been blessed by his earlier works and he has taken it further and we're going to go further and we certainly are looking forward to how the lord works within us the days in which we we live our serious days and we can ill afford to be shallow in our discipleship and faith it is a call for us to be deeper to be fuller to be more and so we are we are certainly looking forward to that to that opportunity and what god does with us i am i am grateful for for raynette covington and the tribute that she made and the words of of michelle they they all bring bring life life to me certainly those individuals who who saw me when i literally was a kid and were willing to take a chance on god and therefore take a chance on this kid and see me become a grown-up uh a grown man with with kids now in college and graduate who would who would ever thought back then for those times they sure do go by fast and the lord has blessed bless the ride so we thank and praise god for for it all i want to turn our attention to psalm 46 and as we are as we are starting as i came to came to church i i saw people going on their way to their to their temple it's it's bank of america stadium and and the football season is has kicked off has kicked off has kicked off so let me make my let me make my super bowl prediction right now i'm making my super bowl prediction right now i believe that i believe that it is highly possible that we will see a repeat of last year's super bowl with the kansas city chiefs and the tampa bay buccaneers that that that that that's what i'm putting out there and and so we'll just see we'll just see what what happens i will not be surprised if that is that psalm 46 psalm 46 the new king james version reads as follows god is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble therefore we will not fear even though the earth be removed though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea though its waters roar and be troubled though the mountains shake with its swelling there is a river whose stream shall make glad the city of god the holy place of the tabernacle of the most high god is in the midst of her she shall not be moved god shall help her just at the break of dawn the nation's rage the kingdoms were moved he uttered his voice the earth melted the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our refuge come behold the works of the lord who has made desolations in the earth he makes wars to cease to the end of the earth he breaks the bow and cuts the spear into he turn burns the chariot in the fire be still and know that i am god i will be exalted among the nations i will be exalted in the earth the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our refuge i want to deal with today remembering 9 11 20 years later remembering 9 11 20 years later yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of our nation being terrorized and attacked it's been 20 years that parents have missed children children have grown up without parents husbands been without wives wives without their husbands siblings and aunts uncles cousins nieces and nephews all gone friends neighbors co-workers have been been gone one one could not help but but note on yesterday as the names were read in alphabetical order how many families were impacted generationally by that loss but 20 years have passed the memories of that day are so vivid and fresh that it seems as if it was only yesterday no adult can forget where he or she was when the unthinkable happened in new york city washington dc and shanksville pennsylvania the speed of the episodes was so swift that all three occurred between the time of my leaving home to the time of my arriving here at batey's ford road on that day phone call after phone call came wondering where i was if i was on a plane worried slowly we began to absorb the absolute horror and terror of the moment many of us had relatives in new york and washington dc my brother was in route to a meeting scheduled at one of the towers could not reach him for some time and the not knowing was unbearable we were paralyzed by the chaos confusion disbelief despair shock and sorrow we shuddered at the inconceivable choice and many had to make between being consumed by flames or jumping to their deaths as the minutes passed in the hours we began to get some reports of the brutality of the terrorists and the bravery of the passengers and crew we were taken aback by the hideousness of the terrorists and yet encouraged by the immense heroism displayed in the air as well as what we saw on the ground part of the disequilibrium that we felt was the destruction of the veneer of american invincibility as a nation we were awakened to the fact of how vulnerable we were and yet still are the sites were specifically chosen to strike at the very heart of what we count dear military superiority commercial dominance and political power the temples of money and power were leveled and pierced life as we knew it would never be the same innocence naivety blind trust were replaced by fear suspicion anxiety and worry privacy was compromised to the patriot act and freedom of movement was curbed just think a whole generation has grown up under tsa never knowing the freedom of meeting loved ones at the gate of their arrival or being able to drive up to the airport and shop at one of the stores and then go back to your home men and women galvanized by a mixture of duty to country and desire for revenge enlisted into the military courageously fought sadly many died or were severely wounded in the quest to remove the taliban from power in afghanistan bring osama bin laden to justice to unseat saddam hussein and yes to halt isis's hegemony in the persian gulf the removal of troops u.s citizens and afghani assistants has been a cause for much reflection about our 20-year military involvement and response it's not mine to talk about that but it is mine to just share some reflections i believe that these 20 years have involved a recognition of a level of evil and depth of hatred within parts of the world against which we must forthrightly contend and withstand but god has also issued a call for america to be humble before him to be humble before the world is a call to reflect upon how american policies and actions and associations have engendered animosity of people and nations it's a call to repent of the atrocities that we've perpetrated and to which we've turned a blind eye a call to return and reach towards our highest ideals and a call to find our security in god it's a call for christians to come to the aid and defense of our muslim brothers and sisters against islamophobia radicalized and aberrant elements are found in many religions white christian nationalism is an error as an aberrant and radicalized form of christianity radical islam is no more reason for fear of muslims than white christian nationalism is of reason for fear of christians we must stand with our brothers and sisters as i thought about the call to find our security in god was brought to a passage familiar to many of us emerged out of a time of chaos and confusion for god's people they were under siege by the king of assyria named sennacherib the background is contained in second kings 19 second chronicles 32 and isaiah 37. having run roughshod over many nations sennecarib set his eyes on judah laying siege to nearby lakish he moves towards jerusalem sending word in advance saying thus says seneca rib king of assyria and what do you trust that you remain under siege in jerusalem does not hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by first saying the lord our god will deliver us from the hand of the king of assyria has not the same hezekiah taking away the high places and his altars and commanded judah and jerusalem saying you shall worship before one altar and burn incense on it do you not know what i and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people from my hand that your god should be able to deliver you from my hand now therefore do not let hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like this and do not believe him for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers how much less will your god deliver you from by hand he also wrote letters to revile the lord god of israel and to speak against him saying as the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand so the god of hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand hezekiah having heard this his initial response was far from courageous tearing his clothes he sends word to isaiah in isaiah 37 3 he says this is a day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy for the children have come to birth but there is no strength to bring them forth it may be that the lord your god will hear the words of rapshaka whom his master the king of assyria has sent to reproach the living god and will rebuke the words which the lord your god has heard therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left the king is calling on the prophet to call on the name of the lord and in isaiah 37 5 isaiah sent words of assurance saying thus says the lord do not be afraid of the words which we have heard with which the servants of the king of assyria have blasphemed me surely i will send my spirit upon him and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land and i will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land they said to him thus says hezekiah this this is a day of trouble isaiah says do not be afraid but he says this further therefore thus says the lord concerning the king of assyria he shall not come into this city nor shoot an arrow there nor come before it with shield nor build the siege mound against it by the way that he came by the same shall he return and he shall not come into this city says the lord for i will defend this city to save it for my own sake and for my servant david's sake sure enough the angel of the lord went into the assyrian camp and killed the 185 thousand soldiers causing sennacherib and the survivors to return and remain in nineveh until seneca rip was assassinated it is out of this experience that hezekiah composes psalm 46 having come through the chaos and confusion the fear and the threat he and judah sing a song reflecting upon their experience with god and i believe that the content of their reflection is appropriate for our reflection as well the very first two words say it all god is just that emerging from a moment of national challenge chaos and confusion hezekiah declares god is and by declaring that god is he puts everything else within that frame because friends we find our security in the person of god being all encompassing we find our security in the person of god being all encompassing the realities of sennacherib and assyria are framed by the reality of god they are but god is hezekiah and judah's survival their emergence their coming through is is summed up by those two words god is mr necarib having taunted them asking the question in what do you trust and declaring that hezekiah's god will not deliver you from my head hezekiah and judah come out on the other side saying god is they are because god is they survived because god is they made it through because god is and my brothers and sisters as we stand now 20 years later our being alive is by the person of god our security our survival our are making it through is because god is and we are because god is the reality of god is an all-encompassing source of security that's why when moses and quiet about god's name on the back side of the mountain when god told him i want you to go tell pharaoh let my people go and moses moses knowing the egyptian hierarchy in terms of in terms of their their their deities and and the various names which talk about the sphere of influence that each one has moses said now now when i go down there what name shall i say sent me who are you and and what's the what's the locust and and span of of your power and and god just simply said tell them i am i i am that that i am moses all that moses needed to know was that god is that's it by knowing that god is moses knew everything that he needed to know in the face of pharaoh god is in the face of the egyptian host god is in the face of the red sea god is all that he needed to know is that god is i am that i am and i believe that there are some people who know that that you are because god is that you've come through because god is you survive because god is you've held it together because god is in the presence of enemies god is in the presence of disease god is in the presence of tragedy and catastrophe god is the all-encompassing nature of the person of god is is a source of security because god is all that god is all the time i am that i am means also i am what i was and i will be what i have noticed notice notice notice that hezekiah does not say god was our refuge he says god is our refuge my my friends anything that has a shelf life is not worthy of being the source of your security because sooner or later it will enter the category of was was anything that has a shelf life will enter the category of was god is the only one who is who still is and will always be and because of that god brings his business into every situation who god still is kept hezekiah and judah from entering the was a category they still are because god is can i help somebody what has kept you from entering the was category is because god is the diagnosis could have put you in the was category the accident could have put you in the was category the addiction could have put you in the laws category the foolish choice you made could have put you in the walls category the intention of the enemy could have put you in the walls category the reason why you still are is because god still is god god god still is somebody somebody is thinking about a an image just flash before your face of what could have and should have put you in the was category but because god is you still you still are you still are there there are three aspects of god's of god's being that hezekiah lives he says god is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble the word for refuge speaks to taking shelter from a rainstorm or taking shelter from danger in high heels shelter from a rainstorm taking shelter from danger in high heels a helpless defender would seek safety in the heights of rocks that that that's why the psalmist says when when my soul is overwhelmed lead me to a rock that's higher than i yeah yes yes high high heels god god god is a place of cover in storms and struggle you can dwell secure in god's ability to shield you and to shelter you god is both keeper and coverer he covers you from and is able to keep you away from and keep it away from you and what god doesn't keep away god keeps you in and god keeps you through my friend in the midst of vulnerability when when you feel exposed and open and subject to attack god is a refuge god is a coverer god is a keeper god is both shield and secure god god god god can insulate you from the storm and then isolate you in a high place that keeps you away from from the danger that might harm you but god is also strength and the word strength speaks to the power to prevail and to be firm you may recall hezekiah's message to isaiah after hearing seneca ribs threats saying this day is a day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy for the children have come to birth but there is no strength to bring them forth the image the image that that hezekiah uses is is that of a woman who who has carried a what is within her for nine months to the water has broken it and it's time for the baby to be born but there's no strength to push right right at right at the brink of of birth there's no power to be able to push what what an arresting image at the very at the very point where where life should should be breaking thought there's no power to bring it into reality hezekiah says i he has no no strength that's on the front side but now now that god has shown himself hezekiah says god is not just refuge but god is his strength when he had no power to prevail god was prevailing power when he had no strength and was subject to being shaken god was the strength that made him firm god god is strength psalm 62 11 god has spoken once twice i have heard this that power belongs to god psalm 61 3 he is a strong tower against the enemy psalm 144 blessed be the lord my my strength psalm 27 the lord is the strength of my life somebody can testify right now god has been your strength when you had no strength when you were faint and were weary when you felt your feet slipping and and your soul giving way god was your strength god held you fast and god made you firm god steady your steps god tighten your grip god toughened your stance therefore you prevailed i'm talking to some people who can who can attest when there was no strength and and when you needed to push and there was no power there god was your strength and and i want to let somebody know you may feel weak you may feel vulnerable you may feel exposed but brother my brother my sister god can be your strength god god god god will not just give you strength but god will be your strength he'll be the strength to get out of bed he'll be the strength to try again he'll be the strength to take the net he will be your strength refuge and strength but hezekiah goes further by speaking of god being a very present help in trouble now of course we're prone to add one word to that two words very present in the time in the time of trouble but no very present help in trouble god is a very present help god is mentioned in terms of support that word present refers i found it interesting that that word present refers to finding reaching arriving finding reaching arriving in the specific instance of hezekiah the word for help speaks to military assistance in time of trouble threat and attack in the time of trouble god god found them god reached them god aided them god supported them friends in the presence of trouble god is a very present help and the word for very alludes to muchness force abundance exceedingly in other words hezekiah saying god is much more present than the trouble god is abundantly present god is exceptionally present god is exceedingly present god god finds us god locates us god and god brings all of who he is and what he has to bear upon our situation he comes with all of the aid that is necessary he comes as el shaddai the strong breasted god the god who is more than enough this god is totally sufficient he's absolutely able he's up to the task for whatever is needed in hezekiah and judah's case god dispatched one angel a single angel took out 185 000 people god is very present much more prison than anything that is against you that's why david says he prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies he anoints my head with oil and my cup runs over he's much more present than anything else he found the hebrew boys in the furnace and kept the fire from burning them god send an angel to daniel in the lion's eye and shut the lion's mouth the disciples would tell you that jesus found them rowing hard against the red sea and the winds that threatened to take their lives and was greater than the storm he is our very prison help in trouble as our very present help for that lets us know we are never lost to god my friend you are never lost to god even when you may you may have lost yourself you're never lost to god he sees us everywhere that we go why because he is everywhere that we go we whether can i go from your presence whether can i flee from your spirit if i ascend into the heavens thou art there if i make my bed in hell thou wilt therefore take the wings of the morning and and go to the other most parts of the earth even there shall your hand lead me and your right hand she's everywhere that we go in fact he's there before we get there he's there before our enemies are there he he's there when we arrive and he is most there he's more than who's there he's greater than what's there he is everything and has everything necessary for whatever the trouble is i'm talking to somebody right now who can testify that in every battle the lord has shown up with who he needed to be and what he needed to have in every trial he's shown up with who he's needed to be and what he's needed to have in every storm and every difficulty he's been much present and he's been most sufficient a very present help in trouble with the knowledge of all the all-encompassing person of god hezekiah concludes therefore we will not fear even though the earth be removed will the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea though as waters roar and be troubled though the mountains shake with its swelling and then he pauses because the all-encompassing person of god as creator refuge strength and helper creates a security that informs how hezekiah will respond to future crises that's why he says we will not fear he will not be given to apprehension and anxiety in the presence of certain circumstances that that may come his way he won't be terrified or demoralized by the very real threats that may approach him he speaks of the earth being removed indicating change and perishing mountains being carried away representing things that should be firm no longer being dependable waters roaring symbolizing agitation unrest turbulence confusing noises chaotic clamoring all of which can disrupt disquiet and disturb but he says we will not fear it will dwell secure because of what verse 4 reads there is a river whose dreams shall make glad the city of god the holy place of the tabernacle of the most high god is in the midst of her and she shall not be moved god shall help her just at the break of dawn my friends we find our security not just in the all-encompassing person of god but we find our security in the uplifting and steadying presence uplifting and steadying presence of god do you see it in the midst of all of the trouble agitation and disruption that hezekiah describes hezekiah says there is an even flow of a river now now now if you know anything about jerusalem and the topography of jerusalem you you'll know that there is no river jerusalem sits atop a a hill and there is no body of water that sins that that brings water down in terms of a river the river to which hezekiah refers is an unseen body of water with jerusalem sitting atop a rocky hill with there being no no rivers no no lakes that that brought river that brought water there there was a natural stream outside of jerusalem called gehan whose water hezekiah diverted through an aqueduct that brought water to a reservoir inside of jerusalem's walls the spring was completely covered so that the assyrians had no knowledge of it because anybody knowing knowing knowing of battle planning one of the things that that you want to do especially back then is that you wanted to cut off their water supply but because this supply of water was not above the ground lord have mercy it was under the ground unseen i had no knowledge of it hezekiah speaks of this river and god being in the midst of it god is both the ruler of the river and god is the river itself god is the unseen and unfailing presence that gives life jeremiah calls god the fountain of living waters unseen by adversaries god is the unfailing presence that gives and sustains and refreshes and restores life it is god's presence that makes glad the city it is in the presence of god that there is fullness of joy and at his right hand there are pleasures forevermore david testifies in first chronicles 16 27 glory and honor or in his presence strength and gladness are in his place psalm 30 verse 11 you have turned my morning into dancing you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness psalm 105 43 and he has brought forth his people with joy and his chosen with gladness i'm talking to somebody who knows about god's uplifting presence god being the river whose streams have made you glad he's been the one who sustained you in the midst of the challenge who has kept you vibrant who's maintained the vitality of life who's restored your joy who's literally made you glad and you can testify at times he's been unseen by even you but here is the shout when he's unseen he's still unfailing lord have mercy when you cannot see him he still is the god that does not fail in his presence he's been in the midst unfelt sometimes but he's been unfailing sometimes unheard but god has been unfairly god has been in the midst i'm talking to somebody who can testify he's been present to carry he's been present to live he's been present to bear he's been present to hear he's been present to comfort and it's his presence that has stabilized you with god being in the midst of the city hezekiah says god is in the midst of her she shall not be moved god shall help her just at the break of dawn i wish you i wish you were reading and listening carefully well the earth may be removed mountains be carried into the midst of the sea waters roar and are troubled those who have god in the midst shall not be moved oh lord lord lord again mount mountains mountains being carried earth being removed waters roaring and troubling but but those who have god in the midst of her shall not be moved they they shall not be swayed they shall not be moved out of place why because none of those can uproot the god who is in the midst none of those can shake the god who is in the midst and it is god's presence that brings stability and steadiness it is god who makes you as sure-footed as a deer and puts you on high places it is god who secures and upholds that causes you not to be moved god's presence often unseen but unfailing steadies and stabilizes you he was unseen but unfailing in that meeting keeping you steady it was unseen but unfailing when the doctor shared the diagnosis keeping you calm he was unseen but unfailing holding you together when you received the worst news about your child about your parent about your spouse about your sibling when everything was giving way and breaking down and falling apart god said you would not be moved lord have mercy things external to you may move but god says because i'm in the midst you will not be moved i believe i'm talking to somebody who knows it baffled onlookers and even surprised you how god's presence held you together causing you not to be moved not to lose it not to fall apart not to give way with what was lost with who was taken away with what was done with who left you you've been able to stand because the presence of god declared you will not be moved yeah yeah yes stuff may leave you people may forsake you but you will not be moved somebody is feeling something right now because you know what could have should have and would have uprooted you broken you destroyed you did not because the presence of god said you will not be moved you may you may hurt but you won't be moved you may be disappointed but you won't be moved you may be depressed but you won't be moved you may cry every day for a whole lot of days but you will not be moved and i'm talking to somebody right now i know i know things have shifted on you i know that things have disappointed you but god is in the midst and you may not feel him but he is unfailing and he says to you you will not be moved you will not be moved but there's something else about this security in god hezekiah sings god is in the midst of her she shall not be moved god shall help her just at the break of dawn the nation's rage the kingdoms removed he uttered his voice the earth melted the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our refuge come behold the works of the lord who is made desolations in the earth he makes wars to cease to the end of the earth he breaks the bow and cuts the spear into he burns the chariot in the fire be still and know that i am god i will be exalted among the nations i will be exalted in the earth the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our refuge my friends we find our security thirdly in the promises and proclamations from god uh through isaiah god promised that seneca rib would not enter into jerusalem and that god would defend it to save it that night god sent an angel who destroyed 185 soldiers prompting sennecarib to flee jerusalem and judah the next day the next day hezekiah and jude awaken to see the bodies of dead assyrian soldiers strewn across the fields and as hell and as hezekiah reflected upon that he wrote the words god shall help her just at the break of dawn you see friends the god whose presence steadies and holds together is also the god whose presence signals the dawning of a new day god is one whose help ushers the dawning of a new day while hezekiah and judah was asleep the angel of the lord was fighting that night and when hezekiah and judah awakened they awakened to god having already fought the battle god having already given them the victory it was a new day you do remember that on the seventh day at the break of dawn joshua and israel marched around the wall seven times blue with the trumpet shouted a great shout and the walls came tumbling down it was a new day our god is a brick of dawn god our god is a god whose help ushers the dawning of a new day i i i could go further in the old testament but can i leap frog to the new testament you remember that friday when all hope was lost when darkness seemed to rain that friday when jesus took our sins and and faced our death that friday when hell launched his worst and god seemed to be most unseen so far removed did it seem that god was that even jesus himself cried my god my god why hast thou forsaken me but god was in the midst he he was unseen but he was unfailing unheard but he was unfailing unfelt but he was unfailing because there at calvary god was unfailing in his purposes unfailing it is love for all of us and yes unfailing in his power yes as jesus felt the darkness between the sixth and the ninth hour having taken on the sins of us all he was literally bearing our grief and carrying our sorrow god was unfailing in his purposes and then after jesus died on that friday and remained entombed on that saturday there came the break of dawn sunday morning and the offer was an early sunday morning god raised jesus from the dead and a new day was dawned out later on that evening in the upper room jesus appears in the midst of the disciples and the bible says then were the disciples glad for they saw the lord it was the evening but it was the break of dawn for them because our god is a god who brings the dawning of a new day and i'm so glad that through jesus god brings forth the dawning of a new day if anyone be in christ he or she is a new creature all things have passed away and because all things become brand new he is the dawning of a new day and because of him we can find our security in the person of god we can find it in the presence of god we can find it in the promise and proclamation of god here the proclamation and promise he makes wars to cease he breaks the bowl and cuts the spear but then there's this word be still and know that i am god i will be exalted in the earth i will be exalted among the nations in the midst of what comes your way just be still and know that i am god be still that is be at ease he says chill out if you will hold yourself together and know that i am god and he says know that i will be exalted among the nations and i'll be exalted in all of the earth in other words i might be unseen for a while but i will be seen sooner or later and between the time of being unseen and being seen i will be the unfailing god i will be the god that holds you together i'll be the god who supplies your need i'll be the god who makes you strong i'll be the god who guides your life i'm talking to somebody who can testify between the time of unseen and my seeing him the lord has been unfailing he woke you up every day kept you every day provided for you every day until you saw the glory of the lord until you saw him high and lifted up he was unfailing in his provision unfailing in his protection unfailing in his being god in your life hallelujah that is the god that we serve that is the god in whom we find our security he is the god who covers us and who puts us in a high place that god is the god about whom we're able to say you are my refuge [Music] in you i trust you are my fortress in you i trust he he he allows you to say i won't dread the terror by night because i got angels all around me lord have mercy i i got i got angels bearing me up lest i dash my foot against the stone [Music] hallelujah and the good thing is lord have mercy if i can't see them my enemy can't see them either lord have mercy if i can't see what they're up to my adversary can't see what they're up to but i know this i know that god is working on my behalf and then and that god who says i will be exalted he tells me you'll see me soon oh lord have mercy i'm talking to somebody right now i want you to hear this god is saying you'll see me soon hallelujah oh yes yes yes yes yes i know you're wondering god where are you with my child god is saying you'll see me soon i know i know you've been fretting over that situation on the job but god is saying you'll see me soon you'll see me soon you'll see me soon you'll see me soon you'll see me rising you'll see me working you'll see me making you'll see me turning you'll see me you will see me [Music] oh hallelujah oh hallelujah the angels all around me so [Music] you are my refuge you are my refuge this is what i want you to know this is what i want you singing this week you are my refugee [Music] and you are [Music] fortress [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] hallelujah [Music] oh yes you will you will oh [Music] i got angels [Applause] this is the confidence of the saints [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] see trust you foreign oh you bring my strong tower [Music] is [Music] hallelujah [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] when i call you [Music] you will yes you will oh [Music] i'll trust you jesus [Music] oh [Music] lord is your shadows [Music] [Music] all around hallelujah [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] father in you we put our trust not in horses not in chariots hallelujah [Music] not in people not even in ourselves in you o lord do we put our trust hallelujah we thank you god that you are a strong tower [Music] the righteous are able to run in us we thank you god that you cover us with your feathers and it's under your wings and we're able to trust and in the time of trouble you'll hide us in your pavilion in the secret place of your tabernacle you're able to hide as the sun doesn't smite us by day nor the moon and stars by night thank you god that you are the god who preserves our going outs and our coming in [Music] thank you god that when all around us gives way you still are our hope you still are our stay we thank you god that you put a word over every life you're in the midst and you're telling somebody right now you shall not be moved thank you right now god for somebody it's been kind of turbulent it's been a little choppy but you're telling them right now you shall not be moved that you are still the anchor for their souls you are still their glory and you are still the lifter of their heads thank you right now god [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh god we hear you say and you're gonna see me soon [Music] just at the brink of dawn [Music] so father we trust you to hold we trust you to keep we trust you to cover we trust you to hide we trust you to preserve we trust you to protect we trust you to heal we trust you to deliver [Music] now father will you save somebody will you rescue somebody will you redeem somebody god will you draw somebody to jesus god will you convince somebody of your love for them such that you sent your son jesus into the world to take on their sins to die for their sins and then god you raise jesus from the dead and he's alive forever god will you call somebody right now to fall in love with jesus [Music] there's somebody watching and and you've had to keep watching because god has kept on speaking to you glory glory god has arrested your attention because he not only wanted you to hear a word he wanted you to accept a reality he wanted you to come to know him in a personal and very real way he wants you to know the love that he has for you and the life that he desires for you through his son jesus i want to lead you to jesus the privacy of your own heart i'd have you pray this prayer god i come to you in the name of jesus [Music] i thank you for loving me i thank you for letting me be alive i thank you for speaking to me i hear you i hear you i hear you i hear you i hear you speak of of your love i hear you speak of the gap between me and you due to sin and yet you are unfailing in your purpose unconditional in your love so father i'm coming to you right now not knowing a whole lot but i know that you're speaking to me not having a whole lot of knowledge but i but i know what i know i know you're speaking to me i know i i know that i need you i know that i desire you and god i believe that you've made a way for me through jesus [Music] so father i'm coming to you confessing my sin saying to you that i'm sorry asking you for forgiveness i'm coming confessing with my mouth that jesus is lord hallelujah i'm coming believing in my heart that you raised jesus from the dead so god will you take me will you fill me with your spirit will you make me into the person that you know i can be jesus jesus will you make this a new day will for your cause dawn to break in my life [Music] father right now by faith i'm declaring salvation has come to me [Music] because i believed on the name of your son jesus who is the christ in his name that i pray and for his sake amen if you pray that prayer this is a new day for you dawn is breaking in your life we want to thank god for what he's done for you if that's you if you accepted jesus will you just put will you just post in that in that chat feature i accepted jesus there's some information we want to give you about this new life that you have in jesus will you just give us your email address there there are people who were praying for you before you logged on awaiting your decision we want to give you information about this new life and right now i'm going to thank god about the decision that you've made father in the name of jesus thank you for a brother thank you for a sister having come to you through jesus christ thank you god for your having received him and now god for your having saved them father will you pull them close will you hold them tightly will you let them feel your love and hear your voice and walk in your way god for who they are and for who they will be by the working of their head are working of your hand upon their lives we thank you right now we pray this in the name of jesus and for his sake amen amen there are those of you who are saved you've accepted jesus but you're but you're not connected to a church the lord is saying in this stage of your life he wants you connected to a body he wants you connected to some people who are traveling the same way that you are he wants you in fellowship with other believers yes even if it's virtually he wants you under the covering of a pastor we would love to be that church i'd love to be your pastor and if that's you minister gathers is now going to tell you how that can happen we praise god for that powerful word from our pastor we give god praise for the word that he shared with us in a world where things and people fail me all the time i'm grateful that i get to come into a relationship with someone who i know will never fail me regardless of what is going on he will never fail me and if that's you you say i want to have that relationship you prayed the prayer with bishop alexander there's a link in the chat that we want you to fill out so that we can connect with you so that we can help to remind you that you are not alone in this walk we can help to remind you that the god that you chose today is a unfailing god [Music] and also if you said i want to connect with the park church and membership there's a link in the chat for you to select that link so that you can join us in membership we want to come alongside you to join you in that process as well get you started with our new members class get you started on your way to serving in ministry here at the park church so if that's you you can select that link as well you can always go to our website and hit the connect button and you can fill out the forms there for salvation or for membership at any time but we want to connect with you don't forget we start our corporate bible study this wednesday so wednesday at 7 pm we want to see you in the virtual space as we start our corporate time of bible study together listen be encouraged by the message that was preached today you will not be moved because god is in the midst and he is unfailing and that's encouragement to me so i pray that that is encouragement to you as well we will see him soon we will see him soon let's turn it back over to bishop alexander as he gives his final words and the benediction [Music] yes my solid rock [Music] [Music] my solid [Music] [Music] [Music] i can lean on you yeah [Music] foundation my [Music] the love of god and the communion of the holy spirit be with us all amen [Music] and righteousness you when my heart is overwhelmed [Music] that's higher than i when my heart is overwhelmed my prairies lead [Music] [Music] that's higher than now [Music] come on sing you on my phone [Music] come on sing it to the lawyers [Music] my [Music] trust in your promises jesus my [Music] hallelujah foundations [Music] i can lean on your [Music] my [Music] lead me to the rock that's higher than i [Music] that's higher than [Music] come on leave it at home lift your hands to the lord [Music] hallelujah [Music] [Music] you

Channel: TheParkChurch1

Views: 2,299

Rating: 4.9230771 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: EMadjbZgH4s

Length: 146min 38sec (8798 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 12 2021