Sunday Morning Worship | Prescription for a Pandemic | 5.24.20

hello I'm Alex and Ava Howard and we are a whole CBM I am Beckford Wilhite and I am OCD am important identity and I know CDF media hi I'm Laurie Moseley I went to a real high and I am OCD yeah my name is Ricky Lewis and I am oh CBL high on Thomas Wolsey serves an immediate ministry and I am OCD elder Robison media manager I am I'm VIN Harris folks of Barbour fellowships media director it's been a privilege and honor to still be able to bring you ministry each and every week just know we miss you and we cannot wait to see your gift enjoy the service god bless you I'm Ben Harris and I am OCD [Music] [Music] you heard it right June 7th to the 10th Sunday Monday Tuesday and Wednesday we have virtual VBS coming to you let you to grab your cousins grab your friends we're giving away scholarships we're giving away door - we're giving away so much more and every night there's gonna be some good worship every night realize some good food so make sure you are tuned in June 7th through the 10th Facebook line and YouTube cause it's going down let's get most things that we can rectify ourselves we don't put in a heavy duty cry for the definition it may be a temporary inconvenience but if we can tweak it and twist it and fix it way it doesn't get heavyweight attention but when it is something that is beyond our human capacity to navigate to fix to reverse it becomes a very serious thing in our lives one of the questions that we often ask is why God are you allowing me or us to go through this this impossible situation impossible because I don't know how to solve it I don't know how to fix it and I don't know how to change when God allows you to go into a crisis scenario set of circumstances we can not fix his typically in the profit of giving you and me a new fresh different or deeper experience of his reality God wants to reveal himself in a way we have never seen it we see the crisis and the crisis is real emotions are real if you're afraid you're afraid you don't deny it and pretend it's not there but don't stay Phil when you should move forward because you could be delaying but deliverance [Music] welcome everyone to our worship experience this morning both OC bf members and members of the body of Christ from all over the world we're excited to worship with you we're excited to hear the word together so that we can execute it and we're excited to commune with you remember as always get your communion ready get your bread get your crackers your juice your water because we're gonna commune together as well I'm excited to worship so let's get started right now [Music] Oh [Music] we're faithfully grateful and our roles in your seat Torii Hunter x-rays [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes [Music] Savage [Music] [Music] my god he rolls and conquered [Music] the whole world see singing for the glory of the reason [Music] [Applause] we're singing of the reason you sing with us we sing together [Music] that's it he briefs me on the Risen teeth Jesus Christ [Music] we're singing [Music] he can't come out mighty to save [Music] salvation and hero [Music] that's like that again [Music] interesting [Music] [Music] [Music] everybody if you believe it learn it through shop whichever is insane coming prison risen king in the lorry honor and praise my body shop hallelujah right there in your seat hallelujah we've come into sync arise O God and take your place hallelujah give God praise one more time [Music] and if you know anyone to the sing along with us [Music] yes ma'am and take your place let your kingdom be established Oh Ancient of Days father you are good and your mercy endureth forever do you believe that sleep with us this morning Oh God and take your rightful place we approach guests thought I knew you but you are good to all generations [Music] and take your place we are standing on your family so work better than the just shall live by faith and your mercy [Music] we say take your place we have come to give you Chloe we have come to give you grapes father / because cubed good Marcie [Music] you are good so good [Music] so gun you believe that [Music] merci real good still good stop real good steal food so good [Music] good in the midst of trial good real good real good real good Jesus breathe breathe breathe so good real good good film Joran [Applause] thank you Jesus we give you glory God yes Lord in the midst of trials and in the midst of adversity we have two options we can either exalt or magnify the problem or we can exalt magnify the true and living God so this morning right where you are I want to encourage you let your hearts song be father no matter what I'm facing no matter what I'm dealing with no matter how I feel I make the conscious decision I have the presence of mind to acknowledge you to exalt or magnify enlarge you in the midst of whatever I'm going through [Music] because you are good and you are you are God we sing to the Father [Music] [Music] let's sing that together you say his shoes in the midst of trouble [Music] father I will answer you I want to invite you right there at UC to sing that one more time with us [Music] you are your hiding place my safe I say rich refuge my treasure Lord you want my friend annoying [Music] Oh [Music] I see that one more time together I will exalt [Music] Jesus sweet Jesus we [Music] in the midst of the flood in the midst of the fire the midst of the pain I will solve you you are here's the consolation this morning to be Karcher with me hey though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death she I will let's say that one more time you want to assure you this morning because you're with me father we give you glory we thank you eat you are a very present help in the time of trouble veto [Music] I will not fear [Music] Papa you are a hiding place a my sacred my treasure [Music] Frenchie yes Jesus holy moly ah honey my sacred my treasure you are our God [Music] sore [Music] [Music] right there when you listen say this this thing that champ one more time say old father when we don't have words to articulate our situation you know our hearts desire you know us better than we know ourselves [Music] help us to make this thing see I [Applause] say that again I will not you right there where you are I will not no matter what's going on around I I will we sing it as a collective body we say father because you are with us and you are for us you've already granted us victory [Music] I'm excited now because it's time to give it's time for us to do what we've been called to do both in our time talents and right now our treasures to all the OSI bf members that are here locally you know how to give you can go to the church website Oh CBF church org slash give or you can go to the OSI bf app right now and give you can also text o CB F two seven nine seven nine seven nine do it right now text o CB F two seven nine seven nine seven nine if you're not a member of our church but you're joining us today we want to make sure you keep your local church as strong as possible so make sure your tithing and being obedient to your church so that they can say strong but if you want to bless our church because we're feeding you today you can also text o CB F to seven nine seven nine seven nine or you can also mail your check both for members and non-members you can mail your check to o CB f at 18:08 West camp wisdom Road Dallas Texas seven five two three to do it right now as we go to a previously recorded worship experience let's go [Music] didn't I conquer this last year tell me you wanna miss cuz I feel that it's coming back up again must be something I ate some songs some show something the devil wants to extend the game free throws we needed ends he wants to make the sequel cuz if he has another chance he feels like he can take my joy my peace my faith see the devil he learns from your mistakes even if you don't that's how it keeps you inside [Music] side [Music] but I'm not coming inside [Music] [Music] this will end like I wanted to I've where the enemy will have to lose I can see I'm a different fighter now and I have got to thing cuz his joy as my stress see the jail we learn it's a mistake when I am sorry Oh [Music] but I'm not going [Music] so long [Music] [Music] to me and [Music] kill him in the show [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] energy [Music] [Music] [Music] to break all these to break all this to break on me generational [Music] [Music] [Applause] when you're sick and you can't fix it yourself wear over-the-counter medication just won't do you go to the doctor and what you want the doctor to do is you want the doctor to write a prescription or often that is what they do to resolve your physical pain and physical problem you take that prescription to the pharmacy you give it to the pharmacist they fill it you take the medicine home and you begin the healing process because of a prescription that was written by a qualified person that you took to resolve your medical hurt pain and discomfort well I'm sure you agree with me that this virus has been no joke Korona is not playing around it's this invisible invasion that we're all having to deal with and it has caused quite a bit of pain medical pain physical pain emotional pain relational pain economic pain political pain I mean it's just been painful and you know everybody is looking for a resolution looking for a prescription that will work well today I want to talk to you about a prescription for our pandemic but not only our collective pandemic but your pandemic the things that are eating at your life in this environment there's been a lot of pain abuse neglect rejection frustration on so many different levels but there is a prescription that if we begin to use particularly those of us who are in relationship with God and if we take this prescription seriously we can begin to see some resolve to not only the the medical issue that we all are dealing with but it's repercussions throughout our lives our families and our broader society God the great position has a prescription for the big pandemic and for your pandemic it's found in Isaiah 58 verses 1 to 12 there are three ingredients to this prescription three three medications if you will that if you take it it'll begin a process of healing in your life and in your world God's people were facing a crisis and by the way the reason that the world is facing a crisis is because we are facing a crisis and until God can't get can tell God can get his people right don't expect them to get the world right he starts off by saying that the people were religious they were crying aloud verse one says and they were raising their voices like a trumpet day they made all the right words god we want to know your ways they said all the right things and on top of that they fasted fast it is where you are giving up a craving in the physical to gain something in the spiritual fasting is where you give up food or some other material physical satisfaction and delight for a period of time and replace it with deep heartfelt communication with the Living God fasting is saying that the spiritual Trump's the physical and as bad as the physical is I need the spiritual to invade it now we've said it many times remember that if all you see is what you see you do not see all there is to be seen everything physical and visible is always preceded by something invisible and spiritual so if you want to properly address the physical visible you must first address the invisible spiritual so these people who are struggling had a religious vanilla on them but yet they had a problem because they say it in verse three we fasted but we don't see you doing anything we've humbled ourselves but nothing is happening why isn't this working why aren't we seeing more changes in our lives and in our families and our communities and why aren't we seeing the supernatural address the natural well that's where verse four comes in this is the first part of the prescription by the way we hold you fast for contentions strife and with the wicked fist you do not fast like you do today to make your voices heard on high it is a fast this which I choose a day for a man to humble themselves it is for bowing one's head like a reed and for spreading out the sack cloth and ashes as a bed will you call this a fast even an acceptable day to the Lord the point is you can go through religious exercise and it goes nowhere you can speak Christianese you can go to church and it doesn't go anywhere why because the people wanted God to intervene without them changing their ways verse one talks about their transgression they weren't willing to align their lives in obedience to God while they carried on their religious activity being religious has a fulfillment about it it can thicken it can satisfy you I'm gonna make a confession right now for breakfast today I had doughnuts I love doughnuts they have to be put in the oven for about or the microwave for about 15 seconds let them let the sugar melt just a little bit be warm and and those donuts just melt in your mouth I love the the problem is while they are sweet to the taste they offer no nutritional value there their non beneficial that's what religion is it can be sweet the sermon can be sweet the singing can be sweet the fellowship can be sweet but it can be sugar placebo it doesn't offer you anything that changes you it just makes you feel okay where you are in fact religion can camouflage righteousness you can be religious while not being serious about dealing with the areas in our lives that block God from breaking through to us until there is the pursuit of righteousness I don't mean perfection nobody can be perfect but the pursuit of God meaning repentance where we are unrighteous then you cannot expect the prescription to work everybody wants God to bless us to Bless America the Blessed the world why we don't bless him that's backwards Christian soldiers he says the first thing you've got to do is you got to take me seriously you've got to humble yourself before me that is pursuing a relationship with me and a righteous life before me if you're not pursuing a relationship and you're not pursuing a righteous life you aren't pursuing God no matter how terrified you've become no matter how many services you go to no matter how much Bible reading you do no much how fasting how much fast and you do no much help but matter how much praying you do it won't go anywhere because you're not doing the fast that he chooses you're doing the fast that you choose so all the spiritual sacrificing that does not pursue a relationship and the pursuit of a righteous lifestyle coming out of that relationship is a waste of time because God says that's not what I'm asking for you're giving me what you want me to have you ever have people in your life and they they're giving you what they want they're not giving you what you need require or requested you know when a baby is breached in its mother's womb it's turned the wrong way and so a delivery and deliverance of that baby through the womb is problematic because it's not turned right and so doctors will often go in the womb and turn the baby's head down so it's faced in the right position because when it's in the right position it's ready for delivery well you may be in labor right now I may be in labor of culture is certainly in labor but our heads turn the right way are we breached are we just are we just going through the spiritual motions without the pursuit of relationship in fact they really didn't want to hear what God had to say they just wanted to give him enough religion to make him satisfied you know a lot of people won't get on the scale and the reason why they won't get on the scale is because they don't want to see what the truth is they don't want to see what reality is so they they somehow feel better by not getting on the scale well a lot of people don't want to be confronted by their unrighteousness by our unrighteousness by our rejection of God in government our rejection of God in education our rejection of God in business our rejection of God in economics our rejection of God in the definition of humanity in the definition of marriage and family we do not want divine interference in our and righteousness we just want to be made comfortable says that's not the fast that I choose so all the religiosity that you come up with is not addressing your camouflaging and it won't bring about the very thing that you're asking so the first thing that you've got to do is pursue a relationship with the Living God on his terms manifested in a increasingly righteous lifestyle that is your living to please him based on what he says not based on what you think what your mama thought what your daddy said or what the culture says well that leads us to the second prescription and the second prescription reads like this verse six says is this not the fast which I choose to loosen the bonds of wickedness to undo the bands of the yoke and to let the oppressed go free to break every yoke is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and to bring the homeless poor into your house when you see the nekkid to cover him and not hide yourself from your own flesh he says the second thing you was do if you want to be healed yourself will get to you in a moment I'd forgotten you but what he says is that you must minister terribly to others now let's get this kind of ministry straight this kind of ministry that ministers to others means that you're not a selfish saint that you're not just thinking about three people me myself and I but that even in your pain struggle and stress you are willing to minister to somebody else who's worse off than you and trust me I don't care what your status is there is somebody worse off than you you've already heard me declare Luke 6:38 give and it will be given to you whatever you need give to somebody else so that it can boomerang back to you he says the major sin was how they were treating other people you can't treat other people any kind of way some kind of way and expect God to heal your wounds he says I want you to minister terribly and responsibly because charity must be done responsibly the Bible says but to help people who need your help particularly those who are in the same situation that you're in Paul says in the first chapter second Corinthians to comfort others with we're in the comfort that you are being comforted in other words help somebody else where you need help God says if you want a prescription for your own healing there must be reaching out and he talks about the hungry and the homeless and the naked he's talking about ministering to others so let's get sherry straight biblical charity is where you serve the need of somebody else without expecting anything in return okay you're not asking for a quid pro quo you're not asking for something in return that's called business you know I'm gonna do this let's cut this deal you'll do that this for that it's business no he's talked about ministry now servanthood and everybody has been called to be a servant if you name the name of Jesus Christ you've been called to be a servant how how good are you serving who else have you helped recently yes I know we've been quarantined for a while but the prescription says no you better reach out to somebody else you're lonely reach out to somebody else you know who's lonely you hungry give food at whatever level you can to somebody else who needs food you're struggling with employment make a contact for somebody else who needs an opportunity that they qualify for that you may not they can come in a million different ways but you're seeing yourself as a servant it's amazing how many people when charges are open don't go to worship service they go to worship selfish they go to find out what God wants to say to them how God wants to teach them how God wants to encourage them and they'll do that for days months and years and never serve in a ministry never help anybody else he says no if you are unwilling to be a servant then you can't cry out to me and your crisis to be served by me remember it's more blessed to give than to receive why is it more blessing because that is the way to receive the way to receive is by being a giver and yes that includes money but it includes time and talents as well because people can write checks or give dollars as an excuse not to be involved it's why we tell our church members when they hand out the act of kindness cards they'll just they'll just do a good deed but pray with the person and share the good news of the gospel with the person because you're caring about people not just fulfilling a program that's also why wherever you serve serve with your heart in it your heart and your hands word and deed let people know wherever you are serving that you care about them and that you're not just fulfilling a job description he says if you want to see me then I need you to serve somebody else it reminds me of the lady who the lady who went to the mailbox one day and she saw a letter in the mailbox and said I'm coming to your home tonight for dinner and underneath it said signed Jesus Wow Jesus is coming to my house for dinner so she wanted to make preparations on her way to the store she ran by a hungry family and she paused for a moment found out what they needed and gave them something to eat and she came out of the store because you remember she's getting things for Jesus she ran across a homeless man without a coat she went back in and got the homeless man a coat she went home because guess what Jesus is coming for dinner and she went home she saw a note on the door and the note on the door said thank you thank you for providing me a meal and a coat signed Jesus you see the way you show Jesus that you love him is how better off your neighbor is because you love it the way you show Jesus that you are serious and not just religious is because your ministry minded with a heart that cares for others we live in a dog-eat-dog world we live in a me myself in our society but I'd like to suggest to you that the prescription for this pandemic to get God to intervene in our affairs all of them including including the virus yeah because the the plagues don't escape God's hand we see that all over the scripture he says I'll heal the plan when you heal the plague when you're operating by my plan and I know that doesn't look like the two of connected but they're very connected and so first of all there must be the pursuit of righteousness out of a relationship secondly of all there must be the service to others and then I know this is the one you're waiting for and then then after you've done the first part righteousness the second part servanthood then you come to verse 8 then your light will break out like the dawn mmm and your recovery will speedy spring speedily spring forward and your righteousness will go before you the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard then you will call and the Lord will answer you will cry and he will say Here I am if you remove the yoke from your midst the thing holding you back the pointing of the finger and speaking of wickedness and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire afflicted when your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and give strength to your loins and your bones and you will be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail those were among you will rebuild the ancient ruins you will rise up the old foundations and you will be called repairers of the breach the restorer of the streets in which you dwell our streets are in trouble aren't they we've got injustice taking place insensitivity taking place unrighteousness taking place we've got calamity and divorce calamity and abuse and then we have on top of that all this medical stuff the streets are in trouble you've got conflict between police and citizens between Democrats and Republicans between black and whites often between male and female the streets are in trouble but he says if you want me to take care of the street if you want me to join you in your predicament then you'll have to do this my way you know in baseball you don't start off at third-base that's not where you start in baseball you just can't come up to bat and then run left down to third base it doesn't work that way no if you want to get home you got to go in another direction see a lot of us want to start on third base so that all we got to do is one thing and go home no no you got to go to first second in third man you can come home well first base is where you remove the bond of wickedness he says that is where you identify sin in your life you acknowledge that it is sin and then you repent of it let me define repentance repentance is the internal determination and decision turn from sin repentance is the internal determination and decision to turn from sin now how do you know your internal is real how do you know that you really mean it he says because you'll show fruit of repentance you can talk about an apple tree all day long but until you see some apples you're not convinced you can talk about a pantry all you want but until you see some pears it's not convincing no matter what's happening underneath the ground until you see something it has not demonstrated itself to be real so anybody can talk a good game amen praise the Lord hallelujah God is good all the time all the time God is good but he says no you must loosen the bonds of wickedness you must identify and we all must do that from pulpit deep you and we must repent with fruit of repentance where we demonstrate to God and as necessary others that we're serious about our faith and then he says then you must minister to others you must serve others you must come alongside of others and then he gives a whole litany a whole list of benefits that will accrue when you get to third base when you get to number three the third part of the description he says your darkness will become light in other words God will meet you in your confusion because when things are dark you can't see things clearly and I'm there a lot of decisions that we have to make today do we go back to school do we keep schools closed do we go out to work do we not go out to work but what about my age and and propensity to the illness and what how far do I go you know we got all these decisions to make in terms of the collective but we also have all these decisions to make regarding ourselves and things get dark Jesus says God says in his word I will turn your darkness into light that is I'm gonna clear up things for you I'm gonna replace your hopelessness with hope he says when you do this I will begin to work in you to bring soul satisfaction I'll bring harmony and peace where you have chaos and calamity he says not only that but I love this you will rebuild the ancient ruins you know we're not looking at evolution of society we're looking at the devolution of society we going down here we're not going up hill I don't care what the economy looks like I don't care what the you know prognosticators that saying we going downhill as a community of people the conflicts the strife the rebellion all of this the the redefinition is we-we-we going south god allows crises he allows calamities he allows them to drive us to our knees to Humble us so that we become B began to recognize that we got to do this thing his way there must be a radical return to God on his terms and when there is this radical return to God on his terms they will see God radically invade our circumstances our situations our lives and this starts with the church it starts with Christians we want to start pointing at the white house where we can't even get straight our house when we have illegitimate divisions along lines that God never never would authorize he will prepare your broken life your broken home and our broken nation if we will be broken before him stripped of our independence and self-sufficiency you know in April 15th well not true in 2020 but normally on April 15th that's tax day and when you do your taxes you hope to get back something that was given you want to get something back don't just want to pay in you want to get something back and one of the things that determines your tax rate or tax income what you will get back is what you served you know charitable giving what you gave in terms of dollars we want to return based on our kindness well God gives a return based on our service he says then you will see God work on your behalf you know when a person goes to jail or finds a crime one of the things that they they hope to get his community service instead of being locked up and oftentimes depending upon what the crime was that was committed the judge will give them a certain amount of hours of community service in lieu of either a fine or in lieu of jail time or maybe both they say let's do some community service and through your community service or reduce your sentence maybe you feel like like a sentenced you maybe you're that single parent you feel like you've been sentenced to aloneness maybe you're that abandoned child and you feel like you've been sentenced to life without guidance maybe you're that man and you've been sentenced than not being able to be identified for the person you were created to be maybe you're that person who feels lost and you feel sentenced about what your destiny will you ever realize it well God is allowing community service if you get right with him become a servant to others then he will meet you in your place and when those three things happen together you will have taken the prescription even in this pandemic for your healing and if enough of us do it for the healing of our land I think it's only appropriate that as we take communion today we think about these three things I want to challenge you to enter a time of fasting if you haven't already well you give up a meal or you give up your favorite TV show and you spend some concentrated time on your knees on your face before God where you confess to him every area that you are aware of where you fail with an internal determination to turn and then you do something that validates what you just decided so that it doesn't just wind up being a feeling for the moment but an action taking you and hold in the direction find somebody to serve in an appropriate way given the context of our situation now and then tell god what you need from him I want you to do that I want you to spend a moment with God so that we can see God in vain your life and our circumstances and he's bring healing to the streets including the street that you Jesus died to bring us back into fellowship with God that's why he died to reconcile us with the Father his body was broken and that's what the bread is all about his body broken when you chew it up he was chewed up for you give him thanks now as we eat in remembrance of him you without the shedding of blood there's no remission of sin God has determined that for sin to be forgiven blood has to be shed shed and so what he did was shed his own blood and the second member of the Trinity Jesus Christ so you could be forgiven and restored and then used in all his party package and return to your purpose you know the good thing about getting right with God he can hit a bull's eye with a Crooked Stick so I don't care how messed up you been God can still hit the target for your life if you give him your life it's all because of the blood shall we drink in remembrance of him [Music] father we thank you for the privilege of worshiping you and giving you the glory to your name receive your people as we take the prescription in the midst of our pandemic it was great being able to worship once again this Sunday morning and we're hoping that we take that word that prescription during this pandemic so that we can use it to actually serve his purposes it's time for us to execute now that we've heard we don't want to just be hearers of the word that delude ourselves we want to be doers of the word so it's time to do it even in the midst of a pandemic we can't wait to worship with you again next week once again o CBF you too o CBF Facebook or you can go to our website can't wait to see you next week [Music] you

Channel: Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship

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Length: 61min 18sec (3678 seconds)

Published: Sun May 24 2020