Hey, welcome to
Calvary Church at Home.
I'm Pastor Nate.
This is Pastor Mat.
We are so excited
to welcome you here
into our online
worship venue wherever
you're joining us from--
YouTube, Apple TV,
Roku, or our live site.
Whether you're by yourself
or with a watch party,
we are so excited
that you're here
and that we can worship
together as a family.
That's right.
And in times like this, we
need each other more than ever.
And even though we're not
together here in person,
you're not with us physically,
you're still with us in spirit.
And you know this, that the
church is not a building.
Isn't that right?
That's right.
We are the church.
You are the church.
But the way that we
do church is going
to look a little bit different.
So we want to tell
you about that
and what it's going to look
like during this season.
And we're going to be
streaming all of our services
during our normal
service times--
Wednesday night at 6:30 PM,
Saturday night at 6:30 PM,
and our three Sunday morning
services 8:00 AM, 9:45,
and 11:30 AM.
And you can join us on
YouTube or Roku or Apple TV.
But we would really love to
point you to our new web site
live.calvarynm.church because it
has the most resources for you.
In fact, we have
pastors and team members
that are online able to
chat with you right now
and pray with you.
In fact, there's a button in
the bottom right-hand corner
that says Live prayer.
And we would like for
you to click on that
and let us know how we
can be praying for you.
You can also read your
Bible and take notes
right on that web site.
Hey, one thing we're so excited
to launch as this is rapidly
moving-- we want to make sure
that you have enough fuel
to get you through the week.
And so starting
Monday, we're launching
a brand new weekly lineup.
Every weekday, Monday
through Friday,
you can have quality
content for your quarantine.
We have kids programs,
youth programs, worship,
best of teaching that
we've hand selected
that we think can
give you encouragement
through this entire process.
And we're also launching
a brand new program called
Table Talk with Skip and Lenya.
My mom and dad are going
to go live every day
at 2:00 PM answering your
questions, talking to you,
corresponding with you.
They're going to be live on
Instagram, live on Facebook.
And our entire
weekly lineup will be
at calvarynm.church/athome.
So you can go to that web site,
see what the weekly lineup is,
and join us throughout
the week so that you
can get some
encouragement to get you
through each and every tough
day that you're experiencing.
Yeah.
We're also introducing something
that we call watch parties.
We're here in a small group.
And we would encourage
you, if you're healthy,
to gather in groups
of 10 or less.
And now more than ever,
we need each other.
I said that earlier.
And we need a certain level,
I think, of human interaction,
that even though
we have to be kind
of in our homes
in smaller groups,
we can still be together.
And so you can
host a watch party
by inviting some of your
friends over, 10 or less people,
and worshipping with us.
Or you can join a
watch party near you.
And you can sign up
and find out more
at calvarynm.church/athome.
And we also want to see
how you're doing church
and when you gather together.
So please tag us
on social media.
Just tag us @calvaryabq.
We also want to be wise.
And so if you are part of
our at-risk population,
you're sick, we just
ask that you stay home.
Don't show up to a watch
party coughing up a lung.
Also, if you're elderly, you
have pre-existing conditions,
we encourage you to just
enjoy Calvary Church at Home
in the comfort of your
own home so that we
can make sure to keep you safe.
We really want to
make sure that we're
caring for our community in
this entire evolving situation.
And that's why we're launching
something called the Kindness
Campaign.
The coronavirus pandemic is
literally affecting everybody
across the entire globe.
And in the middle of all
the panic and the fear,
there is a lot of
meanness that we're
experienced in the
world-- people fighting
over toilet paper
in the shopping
malls and the supermarkets.
And so we think the world
needs a little bit of kindness
in the midst of all this chaos.
Yeah, that's right.
And there's three legs to
that Kindness Campaign.
There's three ways we're going
to show our city kindness.
First off, we, our
pastors and our staff,
are calling everyone
in our fellowship.
If we have your
contact information,
we are getting in contact
with you just to check in
and to pray for you and
see how you are doing.
We're also collecting
practical items
so that we can meet real needs--
paper products, hand sanitizers,
soaps, cold and flu medicine,
baby formula.
We've got a whole
list on our web site
calvarynm.church/athome.
And then you can drop
those items off curbside.
You don't have to
get out of your car.
You can drop them off
curbside at our Osuna
campus, our Westside campus,
and our Santa Fe campus
during normal business hours.
And then we're going
to take those supplies.
And we're going to deliver
them to the people that
are at risk and at home.
So we're taking phone
calls at 505-344-0880.
We're going to find
out what the needs are.
And we're going to deliver those
items to those people in need.
Right now, more than ever,
the world needs hope.
And we as a church
are not slowing down.
The way we're doing church
is looking differently,
but we are doing church.
And church isn't just about
a Bible study and worship.
Church is about getting in the
community and being the church.
And though our doors
are closed, we're
still doing so much
to bring you hope
and to bring you life from God's
word and hope to this city.
And so we ask that you would
consider partnering with us.
We can't do this on our own.
We want to meet the needs of
this city of our congregation,
but we need your help to do it.
So we want you to
partner with us
not just by dropping
off some of these items.
But you can also partner with
us by giving financially.
We believe that generosity
multiplies capacity.
And we can do a lot
more in this city
if you are partnered with us.
So if you're not already
set up for recurring giving,
or you want to give
a one-time gift,
you can click Give
in the top right
corner of the feed at
live.calvarynm.church.
Or you can text
CALVARYABQ to 77977.
Of course, you can
always give on our app
or by going to calvarynm.church
and giving that way as well.
Hey, we know that we covered
a lot of new information.
So we just want to reiterate
that web site one more
time so you can find
out all about everything
we just talked about.
It's calvarynm.church/athome.
But we here are now going
to start worshipping.
We're all going to
stand up on our feet.
We're going to ask that
you stand up on your feet,
that you sing loud.
Let your neighbors know about
the God that you're singing to.
We are going to raise all
of our voices as one voice
all across our nation right now.
Amen.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
We're so glad you
decided to join us.
Fear doesn't stand a chance
in the presence of the King.
Amen?
[APPLAUSE]
Come on.
(SINGING) When darkness
tries to roll over my bones,
when sorrow comes to
steal the joy I own,
when brokenness and pain is
all I know, I won't be shaken.
No, I won't be shaken.
Sing it out.
My fear.
My fear,
'Cause my fear
doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
My fear doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
My fear doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
Shame no longer has
a place to hide.
I am not a captive to the lies.
I'm not afraid to
leave my past behind.
No, I won't be shaken.
No, I won't be shaken.
'Cause my fear
doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
My fear doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
My fear doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
Yeah, there's power.
There's power that can
break off every chain.
There's power that
can empty out a grave.
Oh, there's resurrection
power that can save.
There's power in your name.
There's power in your name.
Oh, there's power that
can break off every chain.
Oh, there's power that
can empty out a grave.
Yes, there's resurrection
power that can save.
There's power in your name.
There's power in your name.
'Cause my fear
doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
My fear doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
My fear doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
Oh, no, I'm standing
in your love.
My fear doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
My fear doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
My fear doesn't stand a chance
when I stand in your love.
Oh, I'm standing in your love.
I'm standing on the rock.
Oh, I'm standing in your love.
Yeah.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you, Jesus.
God, just remind us in
times of doubt, in fear,
you're all that we need.
You're still enough
for us, Jesus.
Jesus Christ.
(SINGING) Oh, Christ is my
reward and all my devotion.
Now there's nothing in this
world that could ever satisfy.
Through every trial,
my soul will sing.
No turning back.
I've been set free.
Christ is enough for me.
Oh, Christ is enough for me.
Everything I need is in you.
Yes, everything I need.
Oh, Christ my all in all.
My joy and my salvation.
And this hope.
And this hope will never fail.
Heaven is our home.
Through every storm
my soul will sing.
Jesus is here.
To God be the glory.
Christ is enough for me.
Christ is enough for me.
Everything I need is in you.
Oh, everything I need.
Oh.
'Cause you're enough for us.
You're still enough.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
No turning back.
Because I have decided
to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
No turning back.
The cross before me,
the world behind me.
No turning back.
No turning back.
The cross before me,
the world behind me.
No turning back.
No turning back.
Oh, Christ is enough.
Christ is enough for me.
Christ is enough for me.
Everything I need is in you.
Oh, everything I need is enough.
Oh, Christ is enough for me.
Christ is enough for me.
Everything I need is in you.
Oh, everything I need.
I've decided.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
No turning back.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
No turning back.
The cross before me,
the world behind me.
No turning back.
No turning back.
The cross before me,
the world behind me.
No turning back.
No turning back.
[APPLAUSE]
Yes, God.
Yes, Jesus.
Thank you, Father.
We can do nothing
without You, God.
May You rise up
inside of us, Jesus.
Thank you, Father.
I just give it all to Him as we
sing these verses and choruses
out.
Trust You, Jesus.
(SINGING) The head that
once was crowned with thorns
is crowned with glory now.
The Savior knelt
to wash our feet.
Now at His feet we bow.
The one who wore our sin and
shame now robed in majesty.
The radiance of perfect love
now shines for all to see.
Your name, your name is victory.
And all praise will
rise to Christ our King.
Your name, your name is victory.
And all praise will
rise to Christ our King.
Yeah.
Yes, Jesus.
(SINGING) And the fear that
held us now gives way to Him
who is our peace.
His final breath upon the
cross is now alive in me.
Amen.
And your name, your
name is victory.
And all praise will
rise to Christ our King.
Your name, your name is victory.
And all praise will
rise to Christ our King.
Yes.
By His spirit we will rise.
Amen?
By His spirit, we will overcome.
(SINGING) By your spirit, I will
rise from the ashes of defeat.
The resurrected king
is resurrecting me.
In your name, I come alive
to declare your victory.
The resurrected king
is resurrecting me.
By your spirit I will rise
from the ashes of defeat.
The resurrected king
is resurrecting me.
In your name, I come alive
to declare your victory.
The resurrected king
is resurrecting me.
By your spirit, I will rise
from the ashes of defeat.
Amen.
The resurrected king
is resurrecting me.
In your name, I come alive
to declare your victory.
The resurrected king
is resurrecting me.
Is resurrecting me.
(SINGING) And death
could not hold you.
The veil torn before you.
You silence the boat
of sin and grave.
The heavens are roaring
the praise of your glory,
for you are raised
to life again.
You have no rival.
You have no equal.
Now and forever God you reign.
Yours is the kingdom.
Yours is the glory.
Yours is the name
above all name.
Oh yes.
Death could not hold you.
The veil tore before you.
You silence the boat
of sin and grave.
The heavens are roaring
the praise of your glory.
For you are raised
to life again.
Come on, sing it out.
You have no rival.
You have no equal.
Now and forever God you reign.
'Cause yours is the kingdom.
Yours is the glory.
Yours is the name
above all names.
By your spirit, I will rise
from the ashes of defeat.
And the resurrected
king is resurrecting me.
In your name, I come alive
to declare your victory.
The resurrected king
is resurrecting me.
By your spirit, I will rise
from the ashes of defeat.
The resurrected king
is resurrecting me.
In your name, I come alive
to declare your victory.
The resurrected king
is resurrecting me.
Yes.
Is resurrecting me.
Amen, come on.
(SINGING) Oh yes.
Yes, Jesus, we are alive
because of you, God.
Yes, God.
(SINGING) The tomb where
soldiers watched in vain
was borrowed for three days.
His body there would not remain.
How come?
Because our God has
robbed the grave.
Our God has robbed the grave.
Oh yes, we thank you
God, we thank you, God.
Oh yes, king of kings,
Lord of lords, yeah.
And your name, your
name is victory.
And all praise will
rise to Christ our king.
Your name, your name is victory.
And all praise will
rise to Christ our king.
Yes.
Oh, because of you.
Oh, because of you, Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
No turning back.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
No turning back.
Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Father.
We give you praise.
And Father, we pray that our
trust would be in you, that we
would trust you with all of
our heart, that we would not
lean on our own understanding,
and that in all of our ways,
we would acknowledge
you, God, that you would
make our path straight, Jesus.
We give everything to you.
We surrender it all to
you, and we thank you.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Thank you for
worshipping with us.
Well, here we are.
We made it once again.
We're so glad you joined
us for this weekend worship
at Calvary.
We're doing it a little bit
differently, as you can tell.
But I'll tell you what.
Hearing these songs that we've
been singing, the familiar
songs, and seeing Drew and
Tamara, hearing their voices
just lighten my heart.
Whether we're coming to you on
screen or you're here publicly
and we could hug you, we're
just glad you joined us.
And we believe and trust that
God is going to lift your heart
and draw you closer to him.
I've said this
before, but this 2020,
this year has been
really strange for me,
because I've been in the
hospital for three surgeries,
and I couldn't wait to
get out and hug people
that had been praying for me.
And only to find out
there's a coronavirus,
and I can't hug people.
So again, I just can't wait
till we get together again.
I just want you
to think of that.
Keep that thought in
your head, in your heart,
that one day this is
going to be through.
We're going to be
getting back together,
and we're going
to be enjoying one
another's fellowship
real time once again.
Well, grab your Bible, wherever
you are, in your homes,
on your device, here
on the platform,
and turn to the book
of Psalms, Psalm 27.
Psalm 27.
Any crisis brings anxiety.
And an international crisis
brings a heightened anxiety.
Your life lately has not
been what it normally is,
and you are thinking now
differently about life than you
have thought in the past.
When you're talking to
someone now, thoughts like,
"am I far enough away
from this person?"
Those thoughts are
dominating your mind.
When a package comes to your
house, you're wondering,
should I clean it off?
Should I disinfect it?
Should I open it?
You are second guessing
your life like never before.
You are thinking about
grocery shopping,
hugging your kids, family
life way differently than ever
before.
That's called stress.
That's anxiety.
Those are things that
we are living with now
in this new normal for a while.
One counselor, one therapist,
said the coronavirus anxiety
is running so high that all
my therapy patients want
help coping.
That is why when
you get on Google
or when you get on Instagram
or whatever platform,
you're noticing these little
messages about precautions,
coping, how to deal with it.
You're always being
reminded of it.
So let me just say it's
normal to be afraid.
It's normal to be fearful.
It's natural to do that.
But we're not called
to natural living.
As Christians, we are
called to a higher
plane of supernatural living.
And God does want
us to live there.
We can address what
we're dealing with,
but we can move beyond it.
Well, that is why we
go to the scriptures,
because there is no
better place to take
our cues for supernatural
living than the word of God.
And of all the places
in the word of God,
I think Psalms is
one of the best
places, because so
many of the Psalms
reflect our actual experiences.
Whether David or Asaph or the
sons of Korah wrote that Psalm,
we often resort to the Psalms
because we read it and go,
well, that's exactly
what I'm feeling
or that's exactly
what I'm dealing with.
So in Psalm 27,
and by the way, I'm
going to be looking at this
more devotionally, more
applicationally, not
just exegetically,
though I'll go
there, but not much.
I really want to apply
these things to our lives.
Psalm 27 is a time
of national crisis.
We don't know exactly
what is going on,
but we know it's a time
of national crisis,
because the language in
the Psalm reflects that.
But it's also a time
of personal crisis
for the author of the Psalm,
none other than David.
Now, here's where it
gets a little dicey.
David had so many
crises in his life
that it's hard to pick which
one he was going through.
He was hated by his family.
He was hunted by Saul.
He was chased down by Goliath.
He was attacked by
the Philistines.
There was a civil crisis
going on at several times
during his reign.
His son Absalom
rebelled against him.
So take your pick.
It's hard to know exactly
what he was going through,
but he was going
through something
that affected him personally
and his country nationally.
We know that because of some
of the words in this Psalm,
words like wicked, enemies,
foes, the army, war,
false witnesses, and
breathing out violence.
So there's some kind of warfare
going on in David's life
that he is going
through, writing about.
And what I find interesting
as I read through the Psalm
is that it's the same language
that experts are using
regarding the coronavirus.
I hear them saying we're
at war with this thing.
We're going to win this war.
They're talking about an
invisible enemy that we have.
So Psalm 27 is very
applicable to what
we are all in this world
right now dealing with.
But here's the great news.
Though the Psalm has those words
in it, it has other words in it
like strength, confident,
beauty, sing, salvation,
and goodness.
So what that means is
Psalm 27 gives to us what
the believer's life is to be
marked by in a time of crisis.
And I'm going to give
to you five things that
should mark your life.
I hope you're taking notes,
because your homework
is going to be to use Psalm
27 as your own personal prayer
points.
We need this psalm.
Because as malls are closing
and stores are closing
and restaurants have closed
and theaters have closed,
we're feeling very
uncertain about the future.
We need sure steps
in uncertain times.
And this Psalm gives it to us.
So the first step to
take in uncertain times
is the step of vigilance.
That just simply means
being alert, being aware.
We observe what's
going on around us.
In verse 2 of this
Psalm, David says,
"when the wicked came against
me to eat up my flesh."
He's noticing this
happening in real time.
In verse 3, he says, "though
an army may encamp against me."
So all of that to say
that David was aware, not
ignorant, of the threat that
was going on around him.
He was aware that he lived in
a world filled with wickedness,
wicked people, enemies, and
he lived in a dangerous world.
There were life threatening
circumstances in David's life
when he wrote this.
So here's where
we find ourselves.
It's not that we have
a lack of information.
We know what's
going on around us.
In fact, we've all become
amateur experts the last 10
days.
We know words we never
heard of before and now
we're talking about COVID-19 and
talking about infection rates.
And like, who did that before?
So it's not that we
lack the information.
There's an overload
of information.
We have to be very
careful where we
are getting our sources from.
We do have to be aware
of the potential danger.
Most everybody is.
And let me drill down
a little bit into that.
Knowing the potential
danger that is ongoing,
that has really shaken
some people's faith
to the very core.
It's as if people
are saying, oh yeah,
I notice that this is
going on around me,
but I also noticed God isn't
doing anything to stop it.
So the big question
in many people's minds
is the age old
question that comes up
every time something
happens out of our control.
How can a good and loving God
allow evil like this to happen?
It's the same question
asked on September 11, 2001.
It was the same question
asked in World War
II when people stood in front
of Nazi concentration camps.
How can God allow
evil to happen?
And so many conclude
there must be no God.
If God is all powerful and all
loving, this could not happen.
So where is He?
Here's the answer.
Right in the middle of it.
God is right in
the middle of this.
Not only did He see this coming
and not only can he control it.
He's in the middle of it.
What do I mean by that?
Well, Christianity
is built on the life
of a man who suffered and died.
Think of the very
worst things that
could happened to any
human being in terms
of pain, suffering, humiliation,
and Jesus went through that.
In fact, we talk about
that all the time.
So we live in a fallen world.
Ever since that fall, the fall
of man, there has been sin,
there has been violence,
there has been corruption,
and there has been pain.
And the Bible speaks about that.
The Bible speaks about
things like earthquakes,
lightning that cause fires.
It talks about destroying winds.
The Bible, of course,
speaks about the flood
and other floods.
These are a part
of Biblical history
as well as history in general.
So the Christian is
not naive about this.
We don't close our
eyes to the fact
that there is evil in our world.
We know that Jesus said that
God causes the sun and the rain
to fall on the just
and the unjust alike.
Job, who suffered
horrible things,
including the death of his
family, he understood that.
He said, "the Lord gives
and the Lord takes away.
Blessed be the
name of the Lord."
So any thinking Christian
is not naive about this.
Any thinking Christian knows
that God doesn't automatically
immune us from tragedy, doesn't
always heal us miraculously.
It was Chuck Colson
a few years back
who said it is
absurd for Christians
to expect a miraculous
answer to every need,
from curing ingrown toenails
to finding parking places.
This only leads to
faith in miracles
instead of faith in God.
So dear Christian brother or
sister, does God calm storms?
Yes, he does.
We've seen Him do that in
our own personal lives,
as well as the
pages of scripture.
But most often, He calms us
in the midst of the storm.
And that's what I
am praying for you.
You're going through it.
We're all going through it.
Stay calm.
In the name of Jesus,
you can do this,
and He can calm your
nerves and give you faith.
But the Biblical perspective
is one of vigilance.
We are aware.
We are alert.
Evil is real.
There are many reasons
for evil that exist.
But one day, one
day, God is going
to eradicate all
evil from this world
so that it will not exist
perpetually into eternity.
Know that.
You say, what do you mean
there's reasons for evil?
Oh yes.
I can't answer why every
evil thing happens,
but I can answer why there
is evil in the world.
Number one, there
is the activity
of a super being called Satan.
We have a super
God, but He created
a being that is a super being
with a free will called Satan
who wreaks havoc in this world.
He rebelled at some point
in the eternity past,
and we are still feeling the
repercussions of that today.
So that's number one.
Number two, rebellion
in man's heart.
When Adam chose and the world
fell, that is the fall of man,
and God cursed this
earth, by the way.
God pronounced a curse on
the ground, on planet Earth.
Adam had choice, and we
are simply replications,
reproductions of Adam and Eve.
So fallen people
hurt other people.
And that's moral evil.
That happens.
So there's a super
being, there's
fallen people who
hurt other people.
But then number three, we
have freedom of choice.
We can choose to say yes to God.
We can choose to obey.
We can choose to rebel.
God didn't make people robots.
He allows them lots of
latitude in His sovereignty
and in His grace to
make a lot of choices,
some good, some bad.
Number four, there
is natural law.
And because God
cursed the Earth,
there are natural
laws that happened.
I remember when Katrina
happened and people
said, "how can a God of love
allow Katrina to happen?"
Yet the city that it destroyed
was built under sea level
with walls they knew couldn't
protect category four storms.
And the storm came.
So when we defy natural
laws, expect evil to happen.
If I try to defy
the law of gravity
by jumping off a building, it's
not going to be a good outcome.
If I walk in the
middle of a freeway
when oncoming traffic,
not a good outcome.
So I can't defy
laws put in place.
And as a Christian,
I can't apply
this crazy, quick fix of
saying, I bind this evil
in the name of Jesus.
Because evil is going
to happen, because we
live in a fallen world.
So we need vigilance.
We need to be aware.
We need to be alert.
Now, having said that, we
certainly cannot stop with
being alert.
We can't stop with
being vigilant.
We can't stop with being
aware, because if you
stop at the information, the
information will kill you.
It'll crush you.
If all you're doing is going on
your Twitter feed and news feed
and that's all you're doing,
you're just going to give up.
So the second step after
vigilance is confidence.
Now, watch what David
does in this Psalm.
"The Lord is my light
and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the
strength of my life.
Of whom shall I be afraid?"
In verse three he says, "Though
an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear.
Though war should rise against
me," look at this language,
"in this I will be confident."
You see how he in
the same verse talks
about fear and confidence?
There is fear,
but I'm confident.
I'm not going to be afraid.
Now, fear is the most
typical emotion in a crisis.
That's why soldiers are
trained to harness it.
That's why police
and firefighters
are trained to harness it.
They're trained to take
their fear and channel it.
David does the same thing
but in a theological manner.
David here is being
theologically logical.
He's thinking through
the implications
of an all powerful
God who is sovereign,
yet he lives in a
world filled with evil.
So he is being
theologically logical.
And he's saying, since
the Lord is my light
and since the Lord is
my salvation, that's
why I'm not going to fear.
In other words,
if there is a God
and if that God is as the
Bible declares Him to be,
I need to be more afraid of Him
than what's going on around me.
And isn't that exactly
what Jesus said?
He said, do not fear those who
kill the body but cannot kill
the soul, but rather fear Him
who is able to destroy both
body and soul in hell.
So if there is any fear
here, it should be,
what is God going
to do with my life,
and what am I going
to do with this God?
That's what we need
to be thinking of.
See, I don't have to be afraid
of an enemy that is unseen.
I have a friend that is unseen.
The Lord.
He is my light and my salvation.
Now, I love the fact that David
said the Lord is my light,
because one thing we all know
about darkness, when it gets
dark, when the
shadows come at night
and we have to turn on the
little lights in our house,
darkness usually
accentuates people's fear.
That's when our imaginations
come out of the closet
and get all wonky
and weird on us.
We start imagining weird things.
The what ifs come out at night.
What if this happens?
What if that happens?
We're always dealing
with those scenarios.
So the Lord is my light.
Now, in the Bible,
light physically
speaks of the glory of God.
Light is always pure and
brilliant in quality.
So it speaks of God's glory.
Morally, light speaks
of the holiness of God.
He is always pure morally.
He has a spotless character.
Intellectually, light speaks
of the knowledge of God.
So think of all
those implications.
The Lord is my light.
Think of it physically,
morally, intellectually.
God knows everything.
So He is omniscient.
I love in Exodus Chapter
3, the children of Israel
are facing an affliction.
And God said, "I have seen
the affliction of my people.
I have heard their groans, and
I am come down to deliver them."
That's the light of God.
That's the light
he's speaking of.
So you can't see God,
but God can see you.
God sees right where you're at.
Because He can see you,
you can live confidently.
I was reading about, the
Impala, the African Impala.
You can go to the zoo,
probably just about any zoo,
and see an Impala.
What you may not know is you're
looking over that little fence
and looking at the Impala.
That little three
foot high fence
that keeps that Impala in.
Did you know an Impala
can jump 10 feet high?
And when he jumps
10 feet high, he
can cover a ground of about
30 feet in that 10 foot jump.
Yet a three foot fence
keeps him contained.
You want to know why?
It's because an
Impala will not jump
if he can't see where his
feet are going to land.
That means this creature lives
completely by sight and not
by faith.
What does the Bible
say about us creatures?
We live by faith
and not by sight.
We can jump in the dark
because God is light.
That's where we can trust,
because of who He is.
So the first step is vigilance.
We're aware.
We gotta know what's going on.
We have to take precautions.
But confidence.
The Lord is my light.
Whom shall I fear?
The third sure step in uncertain
times is the step of reverence.
Worship.
We need to pause after
realizing who God is to worship.
In verse 4, he says, "One thing
I have desired of the Lord
and that will I seek, that I may
dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life, to
behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
For in the time of trouble, He
shall hide me in His pavilion.
In the secret place of His
tabernacle, He shall hide me.
He shall set me
high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be
lifted up above my enemies
all around me.
Therefore, I will
offer sacrifices of joy
in his tabernacle.
I will sing, yes, I will
sing praises to the Lord.
Hear, Oh Lord, when
I cry with my voice.
Have mercy upon
me and answer me."
Here's what I love about the
way David crafts this Psalm.
It's as if he's saying,
when trouble overwhelms me,
I'm going to let God
overwhelm my trouble.
I'm going to bring God
so near in my worship
that I'm going to be
overwhelmed by him
and let God
overwhelm my trouble.
Think of Job.
We've talked about him
already in this study.
We all know about him.
But we also know
about Job's wife.
She was overwhelmed by the
sorrow happening to her husband
and in her own family,
the loss of her children.
And she was so
overwhelmed by it,
you know what she said,
curse God and die.
That's was what she
said to her husband.
Curse God, dude, and just die.
But fake news, I like that.
But what I love is how Job
was so overwhelmed by God
because he said, it says
he fell to his knees,
and he worshipped God.
Now, we have the same choice.
And I'm noticing how
people are making choices.
If I look at Twitter and
I'm looking at the feeds,
I get prominent
Christian leaders,
and I watch the hundreds
of people that respond.
Many of them respond
to this by cursing God,
while others respond
by calling on God.
And you can see in reading
that the emotions that are
behind that.
So trials have a tendency
to move us toward God
or move us away from God.
I was making phone calls this
week to people in our church,
some who are elderly,
some who are sick,
and just to hear
the words of faith,
not fear was so encouraging.
Some of you that I talked to,
you have such a love for God
and trust in Him, and
you're not fearful of this.
You're going to go
into the future.
And some are facing
terminal illness.
I spoke to a young lady who
has a few weeks to live.
But she had such a
joy in her heart,
surrounded by her family,
filled with faith.
It so encouraged
me that you can let
God overwhelm your problems.
That's what David does.
He assesses the danger,
he expresses confidence,
and he worships God.
Many years ago when
there was another crisis
in the world called
World War II and London
was being bombed by the
Nazis, one church hung a sign
out front that said, "if
your knees are knocking,
kneel on them."
I love that.
Be moved in the right direction.
Be moved in prayer.
And that's where
David's at here.
He says, "there's one thing
I have desired of the Lord,
and that I will seek.
To dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of my life."
Notice how emphatic David is.
He is so focused.
He has a single minded
passion of pursuing God.
It's like he's looking for
God in the scope of his rifle
and he's going to hone
in and 0 in on him
alone in pursuing him alone.
We've learned one
overarching truth
in this trial
called coronavirus,
and that is life
is unpredictable.
It's unpredictable.
No one saw this coming.
Maybe a few people predicted
it as an outside chance,
but no one saw this
coming like it came.
Which means long before
the crisis happens,
you and I need to
be prepared for it.
David was prepared before
the battle actually hit
by his time of
prayer with the Lord.
Whether you were
prepared or not,
you can prepare quickly right
now, Cliff Notes preparation,
by letting your life daily be
filled with worship and prayer.
Jesus said this.
Men ought always to
pray and not to faint.
So ask yourself, and then move
on from this, but ask yourself,
typically in my life, has
prayer been a first response
or a last resort?
A lot of people say it's
a last resort, honestly.
And maybe you're praying
now like you've never
prayed before.
Good.
And let that continue
after the crisis ends.
But I want you to
notice something
before we move on
to the next point.
That is in verse 4, he
talks about beholding
the beauty of the Lord.
One thing I've desired of
the Lord, that will I seek.
That I may dwell in
the house of the Lord
all the days of my life to
behold the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
I know a lot of us are beholding
a lot of ugly things happening.
We're beholding the news
as the death toll rises.
We're beholding Netflix.
Some of us are binge
watching like never before.
Or Amazon Prime movie channel.
You need to take time
honestly to behold
the beauty of the Lord.
Go outside on these
beautiful spring days
and look at the leaves
turning green again
and life coming back
into our environment.
The birds that are singing.
Somebody sent me a
tweet today of the birds
outside singing
and not worrying,
based on our last lesson.
Do that.
Behold the beauty of the Lord.
So vigilance,
confidence, reverence.
The next step is obedience.
Obedience.
Yep.
There's no excuse
for not obeying God.
Verse 8 tells us,
"When you said,
'seek my face,' my heart said
to you, 'Your face, Lord,
I will seek.'" Look at
what he prays in verse 11.
"Teach me your way."
That's an obedient heart.
"Teach me your way,
oh Lord, and lead me
in a smooth path
because of my enemies."
Notice how quick
David's response is.
As soon as you said
seek my face, I said,
OK, I'm going to seek your face.
Now, here's a question.
How did the Lord say
to David, seek my face?
Could be that he just audibly
said, hey, David, seek my face.
Or, and this is what
I think, probably
through the present distress
he was experiencing.
The enemies, the war,
the vitriolic language
that he heard.
Being surrounded in
whatever situation
he was, he probably
heard the Lord
nudging him through the
experience to seek his face.
So it's as if David,
and this is what
I believe is the heart here,
it's as if David is saying,
this crisis has amplified God's
voice better than ever before.
Now, think about that.
Because trouble amplifies
both the reality
that we are in a fallen world
but also amplifies our need
to keep our priorities.
You've all heard this,
I know, many times.
C.S. Lewis' famous quote.
He said, God whispers
to us in our pleasures.
He shouts to us in our pain.
Pain is God's megaphone
to rouse a deaf world.
So what has God been
shouting to us lately?
Well, I can think
of a few things.
Number one, the brevity of life.
Life is short.
There's only one
thing guaranteed
for all living creatures.
Death.
We're all going to die.
Could be a traffic accident.
Could be a heart
attack when we're 104.
It could be next week.
The brevity of life.
And as we see the
death toll rising,
I think it's a good
thing to be reminded
of the brevity of life.
Number two, God
might be shouting
to us of misplaced priorities.
Up until this time,
this country has
bragged about its great economy,
bragged about its strength.
We are brought to our knees.
We're in a place
of humility now.
And another thing
God may be shouting
is the reality of
heaven and hell.
And maybe you're not
really right with God.
Maybe you haven't received
Christ as your Lord and Savior.
You need to be ready.
You need to be ready.
So because of the
overwhelming nature of crisis,
we usually tend to be
reactive rather than obedient.
And we're limited
into what we can do.
The Bible says we
should gather together.
We can't do that.
We can't sing together.
We can't fellowship
in close proximity.
And so being isolated and
doing church like this sort of
drives some people to being
paralyzed by the problem.
We're glued to our TV.
We're looking for
information from Earth
rather than transformation
from heaven.
We just want the information.
No, let the Lord transform us
individually and as a church.
And maybe God is shouting out
to you, hey, seek my face.
And your response
and mine should be,
your face, Lord, will I seek.
We're faced with
choices every day.
And when there's a
pandemic like this,
we're also faced with what do
we do about people around us.
Because usually in a crisis,
we tend to just think
about ourselves and our family.
John Calvin, who faced
epidemics of disease
as well as Martin Luther,
whom I quoted last weekend,
John Calvin said,
duty must not be
neglected, no more
in an epidemic
disease than in war or fire.
So times like this
demonstrate our trust
in God and our promises
that God has made.
Really, this is a time to
enjoy the peace of God that
passes all understanding.
That's a promise.
We should be enjoying
that and looking out
for those most vulnerable
and how we can help.
I hope you join this
kindness campaign.
We want to bless the city during
a time when they feel blasted.
We want to be a
blessing to them.
We want to be a blessing to you.
So vigilance, confidence,
reverence, obedience.
Those are four sure steps to
take when life seems uncertain.
Let me give you a final
one, and that is expectant.
Expectant.
In verse 13, he said, "I
would have lost heart.
I would have lost heart
unless I had believed
that I would see the
goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living."
I remember reading that
verse as a young believer,
and that impacted me.
I was driving in a car.
I shouldn't have
been doing this,
but I had my Bible open
while I was driving.
I was on a freeway.
I was going up to
give a Bible study,
but I was going through
a very difficult time.
And I glanced down at my
seat, and I saw that verse,
and I decided since I had
about 30 minutes to drive,
I'm going to commit
that to memory.
It's such a powerful verse.
I would have lost heart
unless, and here's
why I won't lose
heart, I believed,
I expected that I would
see the goodness of God
in the land of the living.
Now, I wonder as
I read Psalm 27,
is David writing
this to his audience
or is he speaking
this to himself?
I think he might have been
writing this to himself.
And I remember my
dad used to say
that he talked to
himself because he'd
like to hear a wise man speak.
And so that was sort
of his excuse to do it.
David inspired by
the Lord, I think,
is writing this to himself.
And it's not uncommon.
In the book of Psalms, he
does this not infrequently.
For example, in Psalm 62, David
said, "my soul wait silently
for God alone.
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock
and salvation.
He is my defense.
I shall not be moved."
So he talks to himself
in both of these Psalms.
And he's saying that
is my expectation.
Not only am I noticing
what's going on around me
and not only am I
trusting in the Lord,
but I am expecting God to
do something through this.
I'm expecting good things.
I have a future beyond today.
So let me ask you this.
Have you really entrusted
this time to Him?
This is historic, man.
I'm not saying it's an
awesome, wonderful thing,
but this is something that
for generations people
are going to look back on.
Is your expectation from Him?
Are you expecting
Him to do something?
Do you expect to see
God's goodness displayed
in the midst of this chaos?
Here's my suggestion.
Here's the homework assignment.
Take Psalm 27.
And I just barely touched
on some of these truths.
There are so many other ones.
But use it as a prayer template.
Not only this weekend,
but in the coming week.
Let's all decide we're going
to be unified by common prayer.
And all of us in this
fellowship, those of you who
are watching in
your watch parties,
we're going to take Psalm 27.
And this week, we're going
to pray through this Psalm.
Pray through these five
aspects in your group meetings
this week.
Call a friend and over the phone
pray through these five things
in your own words and
give God the glory.
Nothing ticks Satan off more
than people who trust God
and pray to God.
I want to tick Satan off.
I really do.
You know the old
adage that says Satan
trembles when he sees the
weakest saint upon his knees?
Let's get on our
knees this week.
Let's pray Psalm 27.
So let me recap it.
Let me take all
that we just said
and give a few
fine points on it.
Number one, know
there is a God, and He
cares for you passionately.
And the God who cares for
you knows what suffering
is like personally.
He knows what it's like
to sacrifice His Son.
His Son knows what it's like to
have nails driven through Him.
You are speaking
to a suffering God.
He relates to your suffering.
He was at all points tempted
like we are yet without sin.
So know there's a God
and you're speaking
to a God who has suffered.
Number two, perseverance.
It's not over in a week.
It's not over in two weeks.
It may not be over in a month.
Perseverance and prayer
is better than panic.
This will not last forever.
When it's all done, we're going
to look back and sort of figure
out why God allowed this.
We can answer those
questions later on.
But while we're going through
it, be a Christian through it.
Be your best self
through this time.
Get raised up to
supernatural living.
It's natural to
fear, but you and I
are called to
supernatural living.
Third and finally,
consider the claims
of Christ, the personal
claims of Christ.
He said, I am the way,
the truth, and life.
He said, I am the only
way to the Father.
He made very exclusive
claims that if you've not
done it before, you need to
consider the claims of Christ
who not only made those
claims but suffered
and rose from the dead.
One of the greatest proofs
of the existence of God
is the Resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
We believe He is still alive.
If you doubt that, I challenge
you to commit your life to Him
and see if He won't
meet you where you are
and change you forever.
So once again, there's only one
thing certain about your life,
and that is you're going to die.
Have you come to grips
with your own mortality,
and are you ready to meet God?
If you're not, I want you to
get ready right now, right where
you are.
If you've had a walk that's
sort of been in and out
and sort of
superficially Christian,
you need to come to Him.
Surrender your life to Him.
And if you've not done that but
you're seeing this happen, know
that one day, if it's
not this, one day you're
going to leave this Earth.
Are you ready to meet God?
Here's how you can get ready.
God gave a solution to
the fall of humanity.
He sent His Son into a
fallen world broken by sin,
broken by pain,
broken by poverty,
broken by disease to take
punishment and suffering
and death and then conquer
death so that anybody
who trusts in Him would be
promised everlasting life,
life beyond this life.
Really a great life with no
pain, no suffering, no tears.
It doesn't come automatically.
You have to say yes to Him.
If you've never done that, I'm
going to lead you in a prayer,
and I want you to pray
this from your heart.
It's just a simple
prayer of faith to Him.
So right where you are, just
say, Lord, I know I'm a sinner.
Please forgive me.
I believe that you sent Jesus
Christ into this broken world
to die for me and to
rise again from the dead.
I turn from my sin.
I repent.
I want to leave it behind.
And I turn to Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior.
I want to follow him.
I want your peace I want
to experience your love.
And yes, I want to
experience your joy,
even during this time.
And so I give you my life.
I make Jesus the
King of my life.
And I want to know what it is to
follow you today and every day.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Now, if you prayed that prayer,
if you're on that format
that we announced
to you, there's
going to be a pastor
you can connect with.
We want to send you something.
We want to tell you what it's
like to follow Jesus today
and every day.
Life can be great in
the midst of what's
going on that's not so great.
It can be yours.
And I pray you experience it.
I truly do.
We're going to be praying
for you this week.
We want to reach out to you.
We want to know what
you're going through
so we can connect.
Even though we can't
hug you personally,
know that we can't wait
for the day when we can.
And we love you in Jesus' name.
God bless you.
Amen.
Would you stand
and sing with us?
One more time, we're going to
close in an anthem of faith.
You're going to sing it out.
I have decided.
(SINGING) Yes, I have
decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
No turning back.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
No turning back.
The cross.
The cross before me,
the world behind me.
No turning back.
No turning back.
The cross before me,
the world behind me.
No turning back.
No turning back.
Amen.
Amen.
What a phenomenal time we just
had at Calvary Church at home.
Hey, if God spoke into your
life and you said that prayer
and accepted Jesus Christ into
your life, wherever you're
watching, if you're
watching on Apple TV
right now, if you're watching
on Roku, if you're watching
on YouTube, on your
cellular phone,
you can go to
calvarynm.church and click
a button that says Know God.
And then you can
submit your decision.
And we're going to have
one of our team members
contact you this week.
We want to send you
a Bible in the mail.
We want to get
information to you.
We want to make sure that you
get discipled, that you begin
to grow in your walk with God.
So make sure to go
to calvarynm.church.
Click Know God and then
submit your decision
so we know who you are.
Also, if you're watching online
at calvarynm.church right now,
you can click up at the top.
There's a little
hamburger button
and a little pop down menu.
And you can look at some
discussion questions.
Man, we've got a lot of
great meat from this message
this weekend, and we think
that we should discuss what
God is doing within our lives.
So make sure to click
those discussion questions.
I know personally for me,
I want to be Job this week,
not Job's wife.
Can I get an amen?
I want to be obedient to
what God is calling me to do.
And one of the ways that we
can be obedient in this crisis
is Pastor Skip did a
phenomenal job talking about
that this is God's megaphone.
And this is where the
rubber meets the road.
This is where it put
feet to our faith.
It's easy to be obedient
to God in the good times.
It takes true faith
to be obedient to God
in the hard times.
And maybe that step
of obedience for you
is giving of your
financial gifts
to what God has
called you to do.
God promises a special
blessing upon the lives
of those who give obediently
in accordance to what
God has called them to do.
Again, we mentioned it
before at the beginning.
But if this broadcast has
ministered to you and you want
to partner with us so
we can keep doing this,
so we can keep spreading the
message of hope all across
the world, so we can keep
doing things kindness campaign,
so we as the church can be
the church in the crisis that
we're facing, you can give
online at calvarynm.church/give
or you can text
CALVARYABQ to 77977.
But please partner
with us financially
to make the biggest impact
that we can in this crisis.
Yeah, and we're looking
forward to providing you
with more resources,
more content
throughout the weekdays.
And one of the things that
we're providing on the weekends
is for your kids.
And you can go to the same
website that we've been saying
over and over and over as
calvarynm.church/athome.
And we have resources
for your family
so that your kids can watch a
program that our kids team put
together with skits and songs.
And it's going to be
such a great time.
Again, that is
calvarynm.church/athome.
And then finally,
before we leave,
we want to remind you
of our weekly lineup.
Church doesn't have to end now.
It can happen every
day of the week.
So throughout the week, again,
go to calvarynm.church/athome.
You can see our weekly lineup.
We've got kids programs, youth
programs, a worship hour.
We've got table talk
live with Skip and Lenya
every single weekday at 2:00
PM Mountain Standard time.
So make sure to join us
and get that dose of hope
that you need to get
through the week.
But we love you guys.
We can't wait to see
you this Wednesday
and then again this weekend
at Calvary Church At Home.
God bless you guys.
We hope you have
a great weekend.
[APPLAUSE]
