God Is So Good
Rev. Dr. Omar Williams Preached on 8/16/2026
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Summary
Rev. Dr. Omar Williams explores Psalm 34 to demonstrate that God's goodness is both an intimate experience in our darkest valleys and a call to a higher ethical standard in our daily lives.
Key points
- •God often delivers us through unconventional or 'insane' methods that the world might mock, but his rescue is complete.
- •True faith involves 'tasting' God's goodness in bitter or difficult circumstances before we can fully 'see' the beauty of his plan.
- •Experiencing God's goodness demands a response of ethics, specifically controlling our speech, rejecting half-truths, and actively pursuing 'Shalom' (wholeness).
- •When we feel broken and exhausted of our own strength, God is closest; he often waits for us to stop fighting in our own power before he intervenes.
- •Though a believer may be battered or scarred by life's trials, God promises to keep their 'bones' (their spiritual foundation and joy) intact.
Scripture
Faith
Worship
Authority
Character
Perseverance
Life application
This week, when you feel the urge to defend yourself or vent on social media during a conflict, practice 'holding your peace' and trust God to be your vindicator instead of trying to fight the battle in your own strength.
Reflection questions
- In what 'ops territory' or difficult situation do you currently feel caught lacking or unprepared?
- David faked insanity to escape Gath; are you willing to look 'crazy' to the world in order to follow God's strategy for your life?
- What does it mean for you to 'pursue peace' as an army pursues an enemy in your current relationships?
- Can you identify a time when God waited until you were completely 'broken' or out of options before he stepped in to rescue you?
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Full transcript
0:00and the [singing] bad.
0:00>> I'll praise you.
0:00>> I'll praise
0:03you.
0:05Whether [singing]
0:06happy,
0:07>> whe happy
0:09or sad,
0:11>> oh I praise [music] you
0:16>> in all that I go through [music]
0:18>> in all that I go through [singing]
0:26praise the words [singing] I do [music]
0:34and
0:37it [singing]
0:38all
0:40to you.
0:44>> Just give him a praise. [music]
0:47Give him a praise. Give him a praise.
0:50Hallelujah. [music]
0:52Hallelujah.
0:54Hallelujah.
0:56Hallelujah.
0:58Hallelujah.
1:00Hallelujah.
1:02Hallelujah. [music]
1:04Hallelujah.
1:08Hallelujah.
1:11Hallelujah.
1:13Hallelujah.
1:15Thank you, Jesus.
1:17Thank you, Jesus.
1:20Oh, thank you, Jesus. [music]
1:24Ah yes. Oh yes. I owe it all
1:29to you.
1:32Hallelujah.
1:35Hallelujah. Thank you Lord. Father we
1:37thank you now your very presence in this
1:40house.
1:42Praise is what we do.
1:46Praise is who we are.
1:49Good and great are who you are.
1:54Hallelujah.
1:57And so praise is who we are
2:00to reflect the good and the great of who
2:02you are and what you do.
2:06Thank you Lord for the experience of
2:07your goodness. Thank you for the word of
2:10the Lord that you'll share with us today
2:12for the work of transformation [music]
2:16formation
2:18that you will perform in our [music]
2:20lives today for your glory and our good.
2:24Speak to us now, Lord,
2:26until you [music] save and change lives
2:29for your glory.
2:31For to you belongs all the praise and
2:34the adoration.
2:37Hallelujah. In the name of Jesus, we
2:39pray.
2:41Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
2:46Yes.
2:48Yes. Yes.
2:51Hallelujah.
2:57Praise.
2:59Praise is what
3:01I
3:03do. [music]
3:06And
3:08I owe [singing] it all
3:13to you.
3:16Hallelujah.
3:19Hallelujah.
3:21Hallelujah.
3:25Yes. Let's just praise him. [music]
3:26Let's just praise him.
3:29Oh, I vow to praise you
3:33and the good and [music and singing] the
3:34bad
3:37because praise
3:40is [singing and music]
3:41what
3:43I do.
3:48and I owe [singing]
3:51it [music]
3:52all
3:54to you.
3:57Hallelujah.
3:59Hallelujah. The Lord bless you. You may
4:01be seated in the presence of our good
4:03and our gracious God.
4:07Why don't you put your hands together
4:08for our worship ministry,
4:11our musicians,
4:13our media.
4:15Amen. Amen. Thank God for you. Thank God
4:19for you. It is such an honor to be in
4:22the house of the Lord another time
4:25worshiping the Lord in the beauty of
4:26holiness. To my darling wife, Dr.
4:29Michelle, Lady Stewart, Pastor Chris,
4:32and Lady Leah, all of the leaders,
4:34saints, friends, I salute you in the
4:38mighty and the matchless name of Jesus
4:41Christ, our Lord. He's a good God.
4:45He is a good God.
4:47He is a good God. Amen. Amen. I I want
4:51to call your attention today. I want to
4:54call your attention. Please remember
4:55this week to pray for our seniors
4:58ministry. [music]
4:59Uh some members have already left and uh
5:03there are others who will be leaving
5:04tomorrow. So we we we prayed [music] in
5:07opening prayer but just remember them in
5:10our prayers this week as they go have
5:13fun.
5:15Amen. Right, Lady Miller, they're going
5:18to go have some fun.
5:20>> There is still a fire in their hearts.
5:23>> Amen.
5:26>> All right, Psalm chapter 34 is where we
5:29are today. And I want to call your
5:31attention to we'll start at verse 8 and
5:33of course we'll work our way through the
5:35psalm. [music] Gabby, so good to have
5:37you back from school. Uh yes. Amen.
5:41[laughter] Amen. Amen. And to all those
5:43who have come home, I I'd seen Oh, there
5:45they are on that side. Just wave your
5:47hand. Welcome back. It's good to have
5:50you. Welcome. It's good to have you
5:51back. Amen. In the house today. All
5:55right.
5:57Psalm chapter 34. I'll start at verse 8.
5:59It reads like this. Oh, taste and see
6:02that the Lord is good. Blessed is the
6:06man or the woman who trusts trust in
6:09him.
6:11I want to speak to us today as we
6:12continue our summer in the Psalm series.
6:14I want to speak to us today on this
6:15thought. God
6:18is so good. God is so good. Lady
6:23Allison, so good to have you back in the
6:25house. Amen. Good to see you. Just
6:28hiding away on the back there, but we
6:30still see you.
6:32God is so good.
6:35God is so good.
6:38Brave camera crews often visit
6:42gang-infested communities across the
6:45United States,
6:47documenting the experiences of young men
6:51and women engaged in gang culture.
6:56The common fear among those hardened
7:00gangsters
7:02was being caught lacking in ops
7:07territory.
7:09The translation for this is
7:12being found completely unprepared,
7:16offguard,
7:18or without protection in an area
7:20controlled or frequented by a rival
7:24gang.
7:26As I watched interviews with these
7:29gangsters, some spoke with sadness of
7:32family members and friends who lost
7:35their lives in that way.
7:38Others spoke with relief and gladness of
7:43their narrow escape from such a
7:45predicament. Some with nonfatal wounds,
7:49others because they were able to move
7:52fast enough or a gun jammed or the cops
7:56showed up or some ride or die came
7:59through and spared their lives. Well,
8:04David, the author of Psalm 34, was no
8:07gangster.
8:09He was a man of God.
8:12However, David has a testimony of being
8:16caught lacking in ops territory and
8:20narrowly escaping with his life.
8:25The story is documented in 1 Samuel
8:28chapters 21 and 22. While on the run
8:32from King Saul's jealous rage, out of
8:35food, out of options, and fearing for
8:40his life, David fled to the Philistine
8:43city of Gath.
8:45The problem was Gath was Goliath's
8:50hometown. You all remember Goliath,
8:52don't you? He was the giant that David
8:55had killed just a few years earlier.
8:59The bigger problem for David was that he
9:03showed up in Gath carrying the sword of
9:08Goliath
9:10that the priest aim him had given to
9:13him. Now of course as soon as David got
9:16into territory everybody recognized who
9:19he was. They recognized that he was the
9:22Philistine captain that the the Israel
9:25captain that had killed their champion
9:29Goliath. So they went and told the king,
9:31saying, quote, "Is not this David the
9:34king of the land? Did not they sing to
9:37one another in dances, Saul has slain
9:40his thousands and David his 10,00ands?"
9:45Things were not looking good for David.
9:48Recognizing that he was trapped in enemy
9:51territory and carrying their dead
9:54champion's weapon, David was gripped
9:57with fear and terror.
10:01He resorted to an extreme strategy. He
10:06decided to fake insanity. He began
10:09scratching frantically on the city gates
10:11and allowing his saliva to run down his
10:15beard. The Berean Study Bible commenced
10:18that in ancient Neareastern culture,
10:21insanity was often viewed with
10:24superstitious dread, and mad men were
10:27typically shunned or driven out rather
10:31than executed. The ploy worked.
10:34King Aimilec Akish was utterly disgusted
10:39and snapped at his servants. Quote,
10:41"Look, you see the man is insane. Why
10:44have you brought him to me? Do I lack
10:47mad men that you have brought this
10:49fellow to play the madman in my
10:52presence?" The king drove David away.
10:55And David escaped to the cave of
10:57Adullan.
10:59David lived to tell the tale. until he
11:03did. He picked up his squill in the cave
11:07and wrote the poem that became Psalm 34.
11:10An owed to the pure goodness of God that
11:15saw him through at a time when he should
11:18have lost his life. By all measures,
11:22David should not have escaped Gath with
11:25his life, but God brought him through.
11:28All right. So, he opened the psalm with
11:32a fierce personal commitment to God. I
11:36will bless the Lord at all times. His
11:40praise shall continually be in my mouth.
11:43My soul shall make its boast in the
11:47Lord. The humble shall hear it and be
11:50glad. when he thought of the fact that
11:52God brought him out all right that he
11:55was alive only because of God's gracious
11:59intervention David decided I am
12:02dedicating the rest of my life just to
12:05bless the name of the Lord I'll BLESS
12:07HIM AT ALL TIMES GOOD TIMES OR BAD times
12:10I'll bless the name of the LORD AND IN
12:12FACT MY SOUL shall make her boast in THE
12:15LORD I'LL TALK ABOUT HIM AND THE HUMBLE
12:18shall hear it and be glad.
12:22By the time we get to verse three, David
12:24was not satisfied just to praise God all
12:27by himself because the goodness of God,
12:29as we said a few week last week, that
12:31the goodness of God is so pervasive that
12:35no one person can PRAISE GOD FOR ALL OF
12:39THE GOODNESS AND THE greatness that God
12:42is. So David says to the rag tag praise
12:45community he had around him and to us by
12:49EXTENSION HE SHOUTS OH MAGNIFY THE LORD
12:53WITH me and let us exalt his name
12:56together. David is saying you may not
12:59have met me but if you read my story if
13:02you read about how I ESCAPED YOU OUGHT
13:05TO MAGNIFY God with me. You ought to
13:07praise God. You ought to glorify God
13:10with me. and let us exalt his wonderful
13:13name together. Hallelujah. Sometimes,
13:17brothers and sisters, we can't wait just
13:19until God is good to us to worship him.
13:21Sometimes, uh, I I I've got to I've got
13:24to Marissa, I've got to learn how to
13:25worship God just because he was good to
13:28you. Because here's the deal. If we're
13:30in the same vicinity, the same church on
13:32the same pews and God is good to you, it
13:35means that God is in the neighborhood
13:37and it's only a matter of time before I
13:40experience his goodness as well. So, I'M
13:42GOING TO PRAISE GOD FOR THE BLESSING HE
13:45HAS DONE IN YOUR LIFE.
13:47Oh yes. He says, "Magnify the Lord with
13:52me. Broaden your perspective of the
13:55goodness of God and therefore let us
13:57exalt his name together." So he he he
14:00starts out in this after calling them to
14:02praise God by testifying of the
14:05experience of God's goodness. In verses
14:084 to 10, David shares his personal
14:11testimony. He shares his personal
14:13testimony verse 4 to7 of the goodness of
14:16God in his life of of how he was in a
14:20bad situation that fear had gotten a
14:23hold of him and God rescued him. And
14:25this is a reminder to us that we must
14:27always share our testimonies. Listen, we
14:29we may not have a testimony service. But
14:32the Bible didn't say to us have a
14:35testimony service. He didn't say to us
14:38testify in church. He said you must
14:40testify. Am I talking to anybody? THERE
14:42IS SOMEBODY at the house, somebody in
14:44the neighborhood, somebody at the job,
14:47somebody at the school, somebody in the
14:49mall who needs to hear your testimony.
14:52So, there may not be a testimony service
14:54at church, but can you TELL SOMEBODY ON
14:56THE JOB that God has been good to you?
14:59Am I talking to anybody here? C can you
15:01tell ANYBODY HOW GOD BROUGHT YOU OUT?
15:04ALL RIGHT. He opened his mouth and began
15:07to share his personal testimony. He
15:10emphasized it in verse four. He says, "I
15:12sought the Lord and he heard me and
15:15delivered me from all my fears." Now,
15:17this tripped me out a second here
15:19because this is David we're talking
15:21about. This is the giant slaying David
15:23who has killed his 10,000s. But David
15:27said, "God delivered me from all my
15:29fears." That is to say, David is
15:31confessing, "I had some fears. I I was
15:34terrified when I stood before King
15:37Aimilec Akish because those uh ancient
15:41kings did not play around when it came
15:43on to executing their enemies. He he
15:46felt real fear." And he is saying to us,
15:49he is challenging the modern hearers who
15:52have come up in a time of fake it till
15:55you make it. He is challenging those who
15:58believe that we're always blessed and
16:00and highly favored. He is saying
16:02sometimes even with the oil of anointing
16:05on you, even with a legacy of victory,
16:09there are circumstances you can find
16:12YOURSELF IN AND GOD IS WITH YOU, but you
16:15feel afraid. Has anybody ever felt
16:18afraid?
16:19>> He said, "I felt real fear." And and and
16:21and some of you, you might not you might
16:23not want to uh but but let me share my
16:25testimony. One time when I was a youth
16:27pastor in New York, I uh I sometimes I I
16:31I was on the blue card for for many of
16:33the young people in my youth ministry.
16:35That is to say, if the if the school
16:37could not get to the parents, they would
16:38call me. So, one time there was uh one
16:42of the young ladies who was sick. And so
16:44I got a call to go pick her up from
16:46school. So I drove to the school and I'm
16:48not going to lie, I didn't realize how
16:50tough that neck of the woods was, how
16:53tough that neighborhood was. And when I
16:55saw some of those guys walking up,
16:56Pastor Chris, the first thing I did was
16:58reach over to my left and went click,
17:01make sure my door is locked, my windows
17:03are up. And I know I'm not the only one
17:05around here because I know there are
17:07some of you WHO WHEN YOU'RE GOING
17:08THROUGH some places, you make sure that
17:10that door is LOCKED BECAUSE AND
17:12SOMETHING IN ME, I WON'T LIE, CAN I be
17:14honest? Something in me felt really
17:17afraid because those guys look hard.
17:19They could do some stuff to me.
17:23SOMETIMES WE do feel fear and we must
17:27not deny. Faith is not denying what you
17:30feel. Courage is not the absence of
17:33fear, but it is THE GOOD SENSE TO HAVE
17:35FAITH EVEN WHILE YOU FEEL AFRAID. So
17:39while DAVID WAS AFRAID, HE CALLED UPON
17:41THE NAME OF THE LORD. THAT'S WHAT MAKES
17:44THE DIFFERENCE. IT'S NOT that we DON'T
17:45FEAR, BUT IT'S THAT we know that we have
17:47a God that is near to us. And whenever
17:50I'm afraid, I can trust IN HIM. I CAN
17:53CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD.
17:57He called upon the name of the Lord. And
17:59David said, "The Lord heard me and
18:02delivered me. He he he delivered me."
18:05And and uh he he delivered me. And I I I
18:07thought about this. David says, "God
18:09delivered me." But but David, you you
18:12had to spit on your beard to get out of
18:14there. God delivered me. BUT BUT DAVID,
18:17YOU HAD TO ACT LIKE A MAD MAN. YOU HAD
18:19TO ACT LIKE A FOOL TO GET OUT OF THERE.
18:21BUT GOD DELIVERED ME. BUT BUT DAVID, YOU
18:23HAD TO BE SCRATCHING ON THE DOORS AND ON
18:26YOUR KNEES SCRATCHING ON THE DOORS TO
18:28GET OUT OF THERE. BUT GOD DELIVERED ME.
18:30WHAT are you saying, David? David is
18:32saying to us that not every deliverance
18:34of God will come out with you wielding
18:38the sword and having your foot on
18:40somebody's neck. Not every deliverance
18:43will will you will emerge from with with
18:46people singing your praises that you
18:48killed 10,000. Sometimes you will win
18:51the victory. You will be defeated while
18:53people are laughing at you saying, "Look
18:56at how crazy he looks. Look at how CRAZY
18:58SHE LOOKS." SOMETIMES YOU WILL BE
19:01delivered by God in A WAY THAT OTHERS
19:03will think you're crazy.
19:06You're crazy to let them talk to you
19:07that way and you not say anything.
19:10You're crazy to let that person do that
19:12to you and you just take it like that.
19:14You're You're crazy. You're crazy to not
19:16give them a piece of your mind. You must
19:19be crazy. Am I talking to anybody here?
19:21But there is a lot of us in this place
19:24that need to learn how just to keep OUR
19:27MOUTH CLOSED. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY?
19:29LET THEM LAUGH. LET THEM SAY WHAT THEY
19:31GOT TO SAY BECAUSE VERSE FIVE IS COMING
19:34UP TO EXPLAIN WHAT DAVID means in verse
19:36four. Verse five, David says, "They
19:39looked to him and were radiant and their
19:41faces were not ashamed." He's saying
19:43here that they were laughing at me. THEY
19:46RAN ME AWAY FROM GATH. LAUGHING AT ME
19:49SAYING, "LOOK AT HOW crazy he is. He
19:52said he was God's anointed, but look at
19:54him now. He killed our giant, but look
19:56at him now. He done lost his mind." Am I
19:59talking to anybody here? He He lost his
20:01mind. Look at what he is reduced to. But
20:04David said to himself, "While they were
20:07laughing at me, I was not ashamed." Why?
20:10Because I was not looking at them. I WAS
20:13LOOKING AT WHAT GOD WAS DOING. AM I
20:14TALKING TO ANYBODY? BECAUSE SOMETIMES UH
20:17WHEN YOU KEEP YOUR QUIET AND PEOPLE
20:19THINK YOU A FOOL, YOU know the bigger
20:22picture. YOU KNOW WHAT GOD IS GETTING
20:23READY TO DO. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY IN
20:26THIS PLACE? YOU KNOW WHAT GOD IS GETTING
20:28READY TO DO. YOU KNOW THE DELIVERANCE
20:30because some years later, these same
20:33people who laughed at David when they
20:35RAN HIM AWAY AS A MAD MAN WOULD BOW TO
20:39DAVID WHEN HE BECAME THE conquering king
20:42of Israel. Lean in for a second. LET
20:44THEM LAUGH IF THEY WANT TO. LET THEM
20:46TALK IF THEY WANT TO. YOU DON'T NEED TO
20:48TELL ANYBODY a piece of your mind. You
20:51don't need to QUARREL WITH ANYBODY. YOU
20:53LET THEM LAUGH BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT
20:55WHEN GOD GETS READY TO VINDICATE AND TO
20:59ELEVATE, THE SAME PEOPLE WHO LAUGH AT
21:01YOU TODAY WILL BE BOWING DOWN TO YOU
21:03TOMORROW. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY HERE?
21:05SO THEY LOOKED AT HIM AND THEIR FACES
21:07WERE LIGHTENED. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY?
21:09EVEN WHEN THEY THINK YOU'RE CRAZY, TALK
21:11ABOUT YOU, LET THE LIGHT OF GOD SHINE
21:13UPON YOU. LET THE COUNTENANCE OF THE
21:15LORD AND HIS GLORY BE SEEN IN YOUR LIFE.
21:19Somebody shout glory in this place.
21:22>> Not ashamed or disappointed. Then verse
21:24six, he refers to himself as this poor
21:27man. This poor man cried and the Lord
21:29heard him and saved him out of all his
21:32trouble. This poor man, David is saying
21:33to us that not that he was
21:35povertystricken, not that he didn't have
21:37money or wealth, but he is describing
21:39himself as poor, humbled in the presence
21:42of God. Brothers and sisters, there is a
21:44place for humility. Sometimes humility
21:48is the best way to fight back.
21:52Sometimes humility, humbling yourself
21:55before God is the best way to fight
21:58back. Why? Because I hear God saying
22:00that I resist the proud. I I literally
22:04fight against the proud but I give grace
22:07to the humble. THE THE PROUD I WILL
22:10debase but I will exalt THE HUMBLE. AM I
22:12TALKING TO ANYBODY? HUMBLE YOURSELF.
22:15TAKE the low road AND LET GOD FIGHT YOUR
22:19BATTLE. THIS BATTLE IS NOT YOURS. IT IS
22:23THE LORD. AND THERE ARE TOO MANY OF US
22:26WHO ARE BUSY TRYING TO FIGHT WHEN GOD
22:29SAID, "IF YOU JUST HOLD YOUR PEACE, if
22:31you JUST KEEP QUIET, IF YOU JUST TAKE
22:33YOUR HAND OFF OF THIS, I WILL FIGHT FOR
22:36YOU."
22:38OH, I feel the Holy Ghost here. Poor man
22:42cried and the Lord heard him. Verse
22:43seven, he says, "The angel of the Lord
22:46encamps round about those who fear him
22:49and delivers them." The angel of the
22:52Lord encamps. That is to say, this is a
22:54military term. It means that God
22:56literally comes in and pitches a camp.
22:59God literally surrounds his people.
23:02They're laughing at David, but they
23:04don't see that there is a battalion of
23:06angels around him. THEY THEY THEY ARE
23:09TALKING ABOUT YOU, but they don't see
23:11that there is a battalion. Listen, God
23:14doesn't mind people talking about you.
23:16He doesn't mind your ego being bruised
23:18every now and then. In fact, I think a
23:19lot of our egos need to be bruised a
23:21little bit. Too much arrogance, too much
23:23pride. SO, SO, SO GOD SAYS, "IF THEY, IF
23:26ALL THEY'RE doing is talking about you,
23:27laughing at you, that's all right. You
23:29hold your peace. I've got you
23:31surrounded." Now, if they try to touch
23:33you, that is a whole different matter
23:36because they are going to have to COME
23:37THROUGH THE ANGELIC ARMY. And can I tell
23:40you that in one night, God used one
23:44angel to destroy
23:47186,000
23:48ASSYRIAN SOLDIERS WHO HAD SURROUNDED THE
23:51CITY OF JERUSALEM. Lean in FOR A SECOND.
23:53I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU THIS. THE LORD SAID
23:56IF THEY'RE TALKING, IF ALL THEY'RE DOING
23:58IS TALKING, just you can you can go
24:00THROUGH THAT. I I CAN TOUGHEN YOU UP TO
24:02DEAL with that. But if they touch a
24:03button, am I talking to anybody here? IF
24:06THEY JUST TRY TO LAY HANDS ON YOU, WHEN
24:09THE ENEMY COMES IN LIKE A FLOOD, THEN
24:11THE SPIRIT OF GOD WILL LIFT THE
24:13STANDARD. The standard was a small flag
24:17that was raised when the general decided
24:20to launch into warfare. WHAT GOD IS
24:22SAYING IS, I JUST HAVE THE angels just
24:26around you. They're just standing AROUND
24:27YOU. BUT IF THAT ENEMY WERE TO EVER TO
24:30TRY TO DO YOU SOMETHING, I RAISE THAT
24:33STANDARD AND I'LL FIGHT FOR YOU. AM I
24:35TALKING TO ANYBODY? YOU JUST NEED TO
24:37HOLD YOUR PEACE. THEY DON'T SEE IT WHEN
24:40THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT YOU ON THE JOB,
24:42BUT YOU GOT A HOST OF ANGELS AROUND YOU
24:44ANY TIME OF THE DAY. AM I TALKING TO
24:46ANYBODY HERE? I SAID THE ANGELS OF THE
24:49LORD AND CAN'T RUN ABOUT THEM THAT FEAR
24:51HIM.
24:53Oh God. Uh David said, "This is so
24:55beautiful that this is my testimony, but
24:57I'm going to issue to you an
24:59experiential challenge." Verses 8 to 10,
25:01he says, "I want you to have the
25:03experience of God for yourself." But but
25:07he knows something. So he says in VERSE
25:098, "OH, TASTE AND see that the Lord is
25:12good." Tyamu,
25:15the Hebrew word for taste, is literally
25:19a very personal,
25:22internal,
25:25intimate experience of something.
25:28Tasting something means you've got to
25:30bring it right up close to you, put it
25:33into your mouth so you can taste it.
25:37Seeing something is a distant sense. You
25:40can SEE SOMETHING A FAR OFF. DAVID SAID,
25:43"If you will really perceive the
25:46goodness of God, YOU'VE GOT TO TASTE IT,
25:49THEN SEE IT." NOW, HOLD ON, DAVID,
25:51because something is wrong with that.
25:53Cuz for me, I don't like tasting
25:56anything I haven't seen.
25:58In fact, in my logic, I want to see it
26:02first. I want to smell it first and then
26:06if it smells and looks palatable, then
26:09I'll taste it. David say, "Not so with
26:11God." Hallelujah. YOU CAN'T SEE THE
26:15GOODNESS OF GOD UNLESS YOU taste it.
26:18Why? Because the situations in which we
26:21SEE THE GOODNESS OF GOD, they're often
26:24not the the prettiest of situation.
26:26SOMETIMES THEY'RE UGLY. SOMETIMES
26:29THEY'RE HIDEOUS. MY GOD, IF THE LORD
26:32WERE TO ALLOW YOU to see some things
26:34that would give YOU THE GREAT REVELATION
26:37OF GOD, YOU WOULD NEVER GO INTO IT. BUT
26:40GOD SAID, "I JUST WANT YOU TO TRUST ME.
26:42I want you to trust me to taste it. I
26:44want TO PUT A BLINDFOLD ON YOU. AND I
26:46WANT TO BRING YOU TO SOME THINGS THAT
26:48THEY MAY TASTE BITTER. THEY MAY TASTE
26:50SOUR. THEY MAY BE UGLY. THEY MAY, AS
26:53YOUNG PEOPLE WOULD SAY, THEY MAY BE
26:54GHETTO. BUT HERE IS THE DEAL. WHEN YOU
26:56COME OUT OF THIS, YOU SEE HOW GOOD GOD
26:59IS. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY? IS THERE
27:01ANYBODY IN THIS PLACE?" YOU WOULD NOT
27:03have chosen the illness in your body.
27:05But when you were ill, you saw that GOD
27:07IS A HEALER. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY
27:08HERE? YOU WOULD never have chosen TO
27:10LOSE YOUR JOB. BUT SINCE YOU'VE LOST A
27:12JOB, GOD'S BEEN TAKING CARE OF YOU EVERY
27:14DAY. HE'S PAID YOUR BILLS. HE'S HAD FOOD
27:17ON YOUR TABLE. HE HAS PEOPLE BUYING YOU
27:19CLOTHES. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY?
27:22SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOT TO TASTE AND SEE
27:24THAT THE LORD IS GOOD.
27:27I'M GLAD FOR THE DAYS WHEN GOD PUT THE
27:30BLINDFOLD ON ME and just brought me into
27:33things that I would not have chosen to
27:35be in. MY GOD. BUT WHEN I GOT IN IT AND
27:39I BEGAN TO TASTE IT, I CAME OUT SAYING,
27:42I SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD. I SEE
27:44THAT GOD. IT'S LIKE ANDRE CROUCH SAYING,
27:46"BUT now I thank God for the mountains
27:50and I thank GOD FOR THE VALLEYS AND I
27:53THANK HIM FOR THE STORMS THAT HE HAS
27:55BROUGHT ME THROUGH. FOR IF I NEVER HAD A
27:58PROBLEM, I WOULD NEVER KNOW THAT GOD
28:01COULD SOLVE THEM. I WOULD NOT KNOW WHAT
28:04FAITH IN HIS WORD CAN DO." IS THERE
28:06ANYBODY WANT TO LIFT YOUR HAND IN THE
28:07HOUSE AND THANK GOD RIGHT NOW? THANK YOU
28:10THAT YOU LET ME TASTE SOME THINGS THAT I
28:13DID NOT SEE, BUT I COME OUT OF IT SAYING
28:16HOW GOOD YOU ARE. HOW GREAT GOD IS IN MY
28:20LIFE.
28:22HALLELUJAH.
28:23God is so good. Hallelujah. He is so
28:27good to me. My God. And in verses 9 and
28:299 to 10, he points out to them. He said
28:32to them, "Listen, you can allow, you can
28:34trust yourself to taste and see because
28:37God has given you a guarantee that those
28:39who fear him will never lack anything.
28:42He'll never allow, you will COME UP
28:44SHORT, NO MATTER HOW BAD THE EXPERIENCE
28:46IS." HERE IS the deal. You will NOT LACK
28:49ANYTHING. YOU WILL NOT LOSE ANYTHING.
28:51WHY? FOR THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD. I
28:55SHALL NOT WANT. NO MATTER WHAT I'M IN,
28:58WHETHER IT'S A GREEN PASTURES or I'm
29:00walking THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW
29:02OF DEATH, WHATEVER THE EXPERIENCE IS, I
29:05WON'T LOSE ANYTHING. I WON'T LACK
29:07ANYTHING. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, I
29:09WON'T MISS WHAT GOD HAS FOR ME. WHY?
29:10BECAUSE I'M UNDER THE HAND OF the
29:12shepherd. Is there anybody in this house
29:13that believe that tonight? THAT AS LONG
29:15AS YOU'RE UNDER THE HAND OF GOD, NO
29:17MATTER WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO WALK THROUGH,
29:19IF YOU JUST TRUST GOD, IF YOU JUST KEEP
29:22ON BELIEVING IN GOD, THAT HE IS ALWAYS
29:25WITH YOU, HE'LL GET YOU THERE ALL RIGHT
29:27AND ON TIME. SOMEBODY SHOUT ON TIME.
29:31>> He's an ontime God. Yes, he is. He He
29:34may not come when you want him, but
29:37he'll be THERE RIGHT ON TIME. AND THEN
29:39THEY HAVE A MIX OF THAT. THEY SAY HE MAY
29:41NOT COME WHEN YOU WANT HIM, BUT YOU'LL
29:43STILL WANT HIM WHENEVER HE COMES. AM I
29:45TALKING TO ANYBODY? WHENEVER YOU COME, I
29:47STILL WANT THE BLESSING. WHENEVER YOU
29:48COME, I STILL WANT THE DELIVERANCE.
29:50WHENEVER YOU COME THROUGH FOR ME, I
29:52STILL WANT IT.
29:54HALLELUJAH.
29:56HALLELUJAH. He's a good God. David moves
29:59in verses 11 to 14. He moves, he
30:02transitions from talking about the
30:04experience of God's goodness to the
30:07ethics of God's goodness. Because you
30:09see, brothers and sisters, it is the
30:11will of God that those who have
30:13experienced his goodness must live the
30:17ethics of his goodness.
30:20And and and this is the po the point of
30:21departure. Often times with some aspects
30:25of our apostolic theology,
30:28we want to live in the realms of
30:32experience.
30:33We always want to be experiencing the
30:36grandeur of God. Every morning we get up
30:39pursuing miracles, signs, wonders.
30:44Maybe we have been fooled by the writing
30:46of the book of Acts, not realizing that
30:51the first seven chapters of Acts covers
30:55at least 10 years of church history.
30:58That [snorts] is to say though you read
31:00chapter one and there was a miracle and
31:02chapter two there was a miracle chapter
31:033 there was a miracle it didn't mean it
31:04happened the next day sometimes it was
31:07years in between lean in for a second
31:10when THE MIRACLES AND THE EXPERIENCES
31:12ARE NOT AROUND God is saying I WANT TO
31:16FORM SOMETHING in you that you will LIVE
31:21GOOD FOR THE GOOD GOD EVEN WHEN YOU
31:23CAN'T SEE AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY EVEN
31:25WHEN THE PRAYERS ARE NOT YET ANSWERED
31:27AND THE MIRACLE IS NOT SEEN
31:28[clears throat] AND THE SIGN IS NOT
31:30APPARENT. I WANT YOU TO LIVE FOR THE
31:32LORD. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY? WHEN THE
31:34THUNDER IS NOT ROLLING AND ALL THERE IS
31:36IS A STILL SMALL VOICE. CAN YOU LIVE FOR
31:39THE good God?
31:41>> Because the idea of worship is that our
31:45lifestyle is the greatest form of
31:48worship that we can give TO GOD FOR THE
31:51GOODNESS of who God is. When David said,
31:54"I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL
31:58TIMES." HE'S NOT SAYING THAT EVERY
32:00moment of the day my mouth is open and
32:02praising God. NO, HE'S SAYING, "YES, I
32:04OPEN MY MOUTH TO PRAISE HIM, BUT MY LIFE
32:06HAS GOT TO BE THE very the very PLACE
32:09WHERE THE WORSHIP OF GOD EMANATES."
32:12So he began to teach the goodness of the
32:15Lord. And teaching is very important for
32:18spiritual formation. And he calls him.
32:20He says, "Come, oh children, listen to
32:22me and I will teach you." Brothers and
32:25sisters, you got to hear this. Spiritual
32:27formation is what God want for us. He
32:30wants to form the character of God in
32:33all those who worship him. You will hear
32:36him saying to the children of Israel
32:37over and over, "Be ye holy." Why? FOR I
32:44AM HOLY.
32:46Be he merciful for I am merciful. He is
32:51saying to the worshippers when you come
32:53to worship me every experience of
32:57worship must change and form THE
33:00CHARACTER OF GOD IN YOU. So when you
33:02leave the experience you go to live in
33:05the ethic. Am I TALKING TO ANYBODY? WHEN
33:07YOU LEAVE CHURCH TODAY, HE'S SAYING WHEN
33:09YOU GO HOME THIS WEEK, I NEED YOU TO
33:12LIVE OUT MY GOODNESS IN YOUR LIFE.
33:17There is and the only way for this to
33:19happen is through teaching teaching the
33:22word of God. He points out in verses 11
33:24to 14 what the good God
33:28look like. What what what does it look
33:30like to live a good life that is
33:32God-fearing? If you desire good, if you
33:35want to see many days of worshiping the
33:37Lord, he says, "There are a few things I
33:39need you to do. Number one, keep your
33:41tongue from evil."
33:45You see, when we truly fear God, we
33:48become acutely aware of God's presence
33:51around us. And so, does anybody remember
33:54those days when when people would be
33:56just out there? Can I say it again?
33:58They'd just be out there cutting up,
34:00acting a fool. And and then the pastor
34:03would come around them and and they
34:06just, "Oh, the pastor's coming. People
34:07start taking out their little thing from
34:09their mouth and hiding it behind their
34:10back. Those who had the little blue
34:12Gideon Bible in their back pocket, just
34:14start pulling it out. THEY THEY THEY
34:15THEY CHANGE THEIR POSTURE. THEY THEY
34:17WANT TO LOOK REVEREND because the pastor
34:20is around. Oh, it's not so anymore now."
34:24Boy, they'll they'll they'll tell you
34:26the words right in your face.
34:31IT'S IT'S THAT IT'S THAT THAT'S THE KIND
34:32OF BEHAVIOR DAVID is saying. I if YOU
34:34KNOW THAT GOD IS ALWAYS AROUND YOU, IF
34:39you fear him, if you're aware of his
34:40presence, then you manage your mouth cuz
34:43you know he's always watching you.
34:45>> That is to say, you don't speak evil.
34:48You you don't cuss everybody out. You
34:52don't go around giving everybody a piece
34:54of your mind. There's a lot of us in
34:56this house who have cussed our way out
34:59of a good job that would have been ours
35:01if you just LEARNED HOW TO SHUSH YOUR
35:03MOUTH AND LET THE BOSS THINK HE WON. AM
35:06I TALKING TO ANYBODY THERE? THERE IS A
35:08LOT OF US IN HERE WHO HAVE USED YOUR
35:10MOUTH TO CUT YOUR WAY OUT OF WHAT WOULD
35:12HAVE BEEN A GOOD RELATIONSHIP, a good
35:14ministry, BUT YOU JUST TALK TOO MUCH.
35:16YOU NEED to learn how to shush your
35:18mouth sometimes. Lord, I almost said
35:21kibble your lips.
35:27Notice this. David never spoke evil of
35:31Saul.
35:33Even when they stole David, kill him
35:36because he's trying to kill you. David
35:37says, "I can't do this. He's the Lord's
35:40anointed." Brothers and sisters, we must
35:42understand this that the people that we
35:46talk about, THAT WE DOG OUT, THAT THEY
35:49ARE GOD'S IMAGEBEARERS.
35:52AND WHEN YOU CUSS THEM OUT, GOD IS
35:54SAYING, "I TAKE IT PERSONAL." AM I
35:55TALKING TO ANYBODY HERE? LEARN HOW TO
35:58KEEP YOUR MOUTH FROM SAYING ALL THE
36:00THINGS YOU WANT TO SAY. SOMEBODY NEED TO
36:02PUT A LITTLE CONTROL ON YOUR MOUTH. OH,
36:05can I lean in for a second into this
36:07year? Just Just enjoy this year. I don't
36:09even know if I have the strength to to
36:10to go any higher than this today. I I
36:13think I gave it all this weekend and
36:15this morning.
36:19There are some of us who it might not be
36:23a verbal diarrhea that we get,
36:26but we quickly get on social media.
36:30>> You have a private argument
36:33WITH SOMEBODY IN YOUR HOUSE
36:36and you've gone on on on on on social
36:39media to talk about it and they're
36:41sitting right beside you, somebody in
36:44your church. Am I talking to anybody
36:46here? Leaning your husband and wife who
36:48who YOU DOG YOUR SPOUSE OUT TO YOUR
36:51FAMILY members and then you and your
36:55hubby or your WIFE FIX THINGS UP, BUT
36:58YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS CAN'T GET OVER WHAT
37:01YOU'RE AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY? THE
37:03BIBLE SAID, "KEEP YOUR MOUTH FROM
37:06TALKING EVIL."
37:08>> OH, I feel like preaching in here.
37:11>> Hallelujah. And it goes on to say in
37:1413b, so keep your mouth from seeking
37:16evil, keep your lips from deceit and
37:19lies. Stop telling the halftruths.
37:23I'm sharing with the congregation this
37:24morning. I know something about telling
37:27halftruths. I know something about just
37:30get leaving the house late for work.
37:35And I was so happy when I ran into a car
37:38accident on the bridge. When I got to
37:40work, I told him, "I was late this
37:42morning because there was an accident on
37:44the bridge." Now, the accident made me
37:48later, but I would have been late
37:50anyhow. Sometime we do that. WE WE TELL
37:53SOMETHING THAT really happened, BUT WE
37:55TELL IT TO DECEIVE. THE LORD SAID, "NOT
37:58EVEN THE HALFTRUTH." BECAUSE HALFTRUTH
38:00IS A WHOLE LIE.
38:03>> It's It's hard. Can Can we tell the
38:05truth? Can we be honest in here? It It's
38:07hard to not speak evil. It is hard TO
38:10NOT TELL LIES. IT IS HARD TO NOT be
38:12deceptive. And that is why we might need
38:14to pray the prayer of Psalm 41 and:3.
38:17Set a guard, oh Lord, over my mouth.
38:20Keep watch over the doors of my lips. I
38:23NEED GOD TO HELP ME CONTROL MY SPEECH
38:26CUZ I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF WITH THIS
38:29mouth of mine.
38:33>> Turn away from sin and do good. The
38:36transformed life is both turning away
38:39from something evil and turning towards
38:42something good. He says, "Turn away from
38:44evil and do good." And you may ask, "But
38:46but what is what is good?" Micah
38:48explains to us, "He has told you mortal
38:50one, what is good?" Micah 6:8, "And what
38:53does the Lord require of you but to do
38:55justice, to love kindness, and to walk
38:57humbly with your God?" If you want to
39:00know the good thing to do in any
39:02situation, go to the word of God because
39:05God's word will always give you the
39:07principles that you must apply in the
39:11various circumstances of our lives.
39:15Lastly, he said actively seek and pursue
39:18peace. This this this this is deep here
39:20because seek is the word bakash.
39:23Pursue rather is the word bakash. Seek
39:25is the word raff. and and both words uh
39:29mean to eagerly search for something. It
39:32means to pursue peace like an army runs
39:37after its archeneemy. It means that
39:40peace is often times elusive. It is
39:44harder to be at peace than it is to be
39:47at war. Can anybody testify? Oh yeah.
39:51Because you know you you know you had to
39:54some sometime you got to bite your
39:55tongue to stay at peace. The words want
39:59to flow out and it's easy to just let
40:01them flow out but you know what it's
40:02going to do to the peace. And so you got
40:04to bite that tongue because you're
40:06trying TO PURSUE PEACE. THAT'S WHAT THE
40:08LORD IS SAYING. HE'S SAYING SOMETIMES
40:10you've got to go out OF YOUR WAY.
40:12SOMETIMES YOU'VE GOT TO GIVE UP YOUR
40:14RIGHT. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY?
40:16SOMETIMES YOU GOT TO LET THEM THINK
40:18YOU'RE CRAZY, THAT YOU ARE LOSING SO
40:20THAT YOU CAN KEEP THE PEACE. BUT IF YOU
40:23HOLD YOUR PEACE, GOD IS GOING TO FIGHT
40:25YOUR BATTLE. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY?
40:27CAN ANYBODY TESTIFY IN HERE THAT I HELD
40:29MY PEACE, BUT GOD CAME THROUGH AND
40:32VINDICATED ME?
40:35>> OH, I feel the Holy Ghost here. If it is
40:39possible, as much as it depends on you,
40:42live peacefully with all people. live
40:45peacefully. There's there's a deeper
40:46level of this because this word peace is
40:48shalom. It means not just the absence of
40:51conflict but a wholeness of life. David
40:53is saying I want to pursue a certain
40:56wholeness of life. I want to be whole.
40:58Why David? Because if I am whole then my
41:01relationships will be whole. If I am
41:04whole, my ministry will be whole. There
41:06is a lot of us who only took half of us
41:09into the marriage.
41:15Uh-huh.
41:16And we say he's the better half or the
41:18better half or we take the half of us
41:20into.
41:22BUT IF I CAN BE COMPLETE AND whole in
41:26whatever I go into, every friendship,
41:28EVERY RELATIONSHIP, EVERY MINISTRY
41:30OPPORTUNITY, HERE IS THE DEAL. NO MATTER
41:33WHAT COMES, THERE'LL BE WHOLENESS IN MY
41:36LIFE AND EVERYWHERE AROUND ME BECAUSE
41:38I'M WHOLE. I'M RUNNING AFTER WHOLENESS
41:40THIS WEEK. AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY HERE?
41:42I WANT TO BE WHOLE. HEAL EVERYTHING IN
41:44ME, GOD. IS THERE ANYBODY WANT TO LIFT
41:46YOUR HAND IN THE HOUSE AND SAY, GOD,
41:47EVERYTHING IN ME THAT IS NOT WHOLE,
41:49EVERY EMOTION, EVERY THOUGHT THAT IS
41:51DAMAGED, THAT IS BROKEN, I NEED YOU TO
41:54MAKE ME WHOLE SO THAT MY MINISTRY, MY
41:57LIFE, MY MARRIAGE, MY FAMILY, MY CHURCH
42:00CAN FEEL WHOLE CUZ I AM WHOLE IN YOUR
42:03PRESENCE.
42:04>> OH, I feel God's spirit in here. Let me
42:07close the sermon here. He talks about
42:09testifying of the experience of God's
42:12goodness. He taught on the ethics of
42:15God's goodness. But now he tells us
42:17trust in the eternality of God's
42:20goodness. Verses 15 to 22 he says trust
42:23in the eternity of God's goodness.
42:25Because you see sometimes those who
42:29don't believe like you do may seem to
42:31prosper.
42:33They may look like they are getting away
42:35with it. And that's the hardest thing.
42:38The hardest thing when somebody does you
42:40wrong,
42:42but they look blessed and you feel
42:44trotten upon. You feel like you're seven
42:47miles of bad road, but they look like a
42:49FREEWAY THAT'S PROSPER. AM I TALKING TO
42:51anybody here? THEY THEY ARE DOGGING YOU
42:53OUT AND THEY SEEM TO BE THE ones getting
42:55the promotion. They seem to be the one
42:58landing all the blessings that you think
43:00you should have gotten. David said, "You
43:02just trust God because God is always up
43:05to something." And the work of God is
43:08both timebased and eternal. God is
43:11always up to something. HE SAYS GOD IS
43:14LOOKING, God's face is turned towards
43:17the righteous and the evil. God is
43:19seeing everything that is going on
43:21around you. He says that the eyes of the
43:23Lord are upon the righteous. There is
43:25the word again we talked about last week
43:27the aen the sight of God the the
43:29watchful care of God. HE'S SAYING THAT
43:32GOD IS ALWAYS SEEING everything you're
43:35going through. And you may say but God
43:37HOW COMES YOU'RE SEEING WHAT I'M GOING
43:39THROUGH but you're taking so long to
43:41deliver me out of it. I need you to know
43:44this brothers and sisters that sometimes
43:46he's just waiting. He's just waiting for
43:49you to be broken. Am I talking to
43:51anybody in this place? Oh God. When we
43:54jump down, when we jump down, the Bible
43:56says in verse 17 and 18 that the
43:58righteous, God favors the righteous. The
44:00righteous cries out and the Lord hears
44:02them and delivers them out of ALL THEIR
44:05TROUBLES. GOD is near to those who have
44:08a broken heart and saves such as have A
44:11CONTRITE SPIRIT. AM I TALKING TO
44:13ANYBODY? The word broken and contrite
44:15here, it figures something that is
44:17plowder to dust. It is when you feel
44:20like you are trotten ON THE GROUND. YOU
44:22ARE YOU ARE DOWNTRODDEN and you are so
44:24crushed and you are so broken and you
44:27feel like you can never rise from this
44:29AND YOU'VE LET GO. AM I TALKING TO
44:32ANYBODY HERE? YOU HAVE LET GO OF
44:33SOMETIME EVEN ALL HOPES AND THINGS ARE
44:36GOING TO WORK OUT WELL FOR YOU. GOD SAYS
44:38IT'S WHEN YOU GET THERE THAT I NEED YOU
44:41TO KNOW THAT I AM YOUR REFUGE AND your
44:43strength.
44:45I am your very present Come on
44:46musicians. Let's let's go home here. I
44:48AM YOUR VERY PRESENT HELP WHEN YOU FEEL
44:51LIKE YOU ARE IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE.
44:54WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN'T MAKE IT
44:55OUT. DO I HAVE ANYBODY HERE? IS THERE
44:57ANYBODY IN THIS HOUSE THAT HAS EVER BEEN
45:00TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU FEEL SO BROKEN,
45:03SO BUSTED AND SO DISGUSTED. YOU FEEL
45:07LIKE EVERYBODY IS PROSPERING, BUT YOU
45:10ARE NOT AND YOU'RE NOT MAKING IT. BUT
45:13WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN'T CRY OUT TO
45:15ANYBODY ELSE, THAT'S WHEN YOU CALL ON
45:18THE NAME OF THE LORD. DO I HAVE A
45:20WITNESS IN THE HOUSE? AND WHEN YOU CALL
45:22ON GOD, HE COMES THROUGH TO YOUR RESCUE.
45:25CAN ANYBODY TESTIFY IN HERE? DOES
45:27ANYBODY HAVE THAT TESTIMONY IN HERE THAT
45:30GOD HAS A WAY OF COMING THROUGH WHEN ALL
45:34ALTERNATIVES ARE GONE? WHEN ALL HELP IS
45:37EXHAUSTED, GOD COME COMES THROUGH AND
45:41PULLS YOU OUT.
45:44Somebody shout glory in this place. They
45:47tell me the story of a man who got in
45:50trouble trying to swim in deep watersh.
45:53And while he was out there, THERE WAS
45:56THE LIFEGUARD STANDING ON THE SHORE AND
45:59WATCHING HIM, TRYING TO GET HIS WAY OUT
46:02OF TROUBLE. AND they said the lifeguard
46:04watched the man. He He watched him as he
46:07struggled. He, you know, they say you go
46:08down about three times before you drown.
46:11He watched him go down the FIRST TIME
46:14AND HE CAME BACK up with his arms
46:15flailing and his legs kicking. He he
46:18WATCHED HIM GO DOWN THE SECOND TIME AND
46:20SOMEBODY SAID, "GO IN AND GET HIM." BUT
46:22HE WAITED. He waited and he waited until
46:25the man went DOWN FOR THE LAST TIME and
46:28they thought the man WAS ABOUT TO DROWN.
46:30THEN THE LIFEGUARD JUMPED IN THERE, swam
46:34over to him, and pulled HIM OUT ALIVE.
46:38THEY SAID TO HIM, "WHY DID YOU WAIT SO
46:41LONG?" He said, "If I had gone in the
46:44first time, HE WOULD HAVE PULLED US BOTH
46:47DOWN. BUT I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL HIS
46:50STRENGTH GAVE OUT. I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL
46:53HE STOPPED TRYING. I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL
46:56HE STOPPED KICKING and screaming. Lean
46:58in FOR A SECOND. I HEAR GOD SAYING THAT
47:02YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING WHY I'M TAKING SO
47:05LONG TO COME THROUGH, BUT I'M WAITING
47:08UNTIL YOU STOP TRYING TO FIGHT YOUR OWN
47:10BATTLE.
47:13I SAID, I'M WAITING UNTIL YOU STOP
47:15TRYING TO KICK EVERYBODY. I'M WAITING
47:19UNTIL [snorts] YOU STOP TRYING TO GIVE
47:20EVERYBODY A PIECE OF YOUR MIND. I'M
47:23WAITING UNTIL YOU RECOGNIZE THAT THE
47:27BATTLE IT IS NOT YOURS BUT IT IS THE
47:30LORD. I'M WAITING UNTIL YOU HOLD YOUR
47:34PEACE. WHY DON'T YOU SLAP SOMEBODY HIGH
47:37FIVE AND SAY neighbor hold your peace.
47:41[snorts] STOP TELLING EVERYBODY. STOP
47:43GOSSIPING TO EVERYBODY. STOP CRITICIZING
47:46TO EVERYBODY. HOLD YOUR PEACE. STOP
47:49TRYING TO FIGHT THE BATTLE ON YOUR OWN.
47:52HOLD YOUR PEACE. STOP POSTING ON SOCIAL
47:55MEDIA. HOLD [screaming] YOUR PEACE.
47:58[music] Hold your peace AND LET THE LORD
48:02FIGHT YOUR BATTLE AND HE WILL COME.
48:06IS THERE ANYBODY WHO CAN TESTIFY THAT HE
48:09WILL COME TO YOUR RESCUE? IS THERE
48:12ANYBODY IN HERE WHO HAS A TESTIMONY THAT
48:15I WAITED ON THE LORD? I waited AND I
48:19WAITED AND I WAITED. I waited TILL I
48:22FELT LIKE GIVING UP. I WAITED TILL I
48:24FELT LIKE THROWING IN THE TOWEL. BUT
48:27WHEN I WAITED TO THE POINT WHERE
48:29EVERYBODY THOUGHT THAT NOTHING WOULD
48:31HAVE HAPPENED, GOD
48:34CAME THROUGH FOR ME AND PULL ME OUT. ALL
48:38RIGHT. I'M HERE [snorts] TODAY BECAUSE
48:41GOD KEPT ME THROUGH A HARD TIME. I'M
48:44HERE TODAY BECAUSE GOD PULLED ME OUT
48:48WHEN EVERYBODY GAVE UP. IF YOU WAIT ON
48:51HIM, HE'LL PULL YOU OUT. ALL RIGHT,
48:53SOMEBODY SHOUT WAIT.
48:57Somebody shout wait on the Lord.
48:59[snorts] FOR THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE
49:02LORD, THEY SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH.
49:07THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH [snorts] WINGS
49:09LIKE EAGLES. THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE
49:13WEARY. THEY SHALL WALK AND THEY WILL NOT
49:17FAINT. WAIT ON HIM. WAIT [snorts] ON
49:21HIM. WAIT ON THE LORD. [music]
49:25Somebody shout wait on him. Somebody
49:28shout wait on him. OH, LET ME CLOSE THIS
49:31THING HERE. He said in verses 19 to 20,
49:34many are the afflictions of the
49:37righteous, but the Lord delivers HIM OUT
49:40OF THEM ALL. I'VE HAD TROUBLES AND
49:42TRIALS, BUT GOD DELIVER ME OUT OF THEM
49:45ALL. MY GOD, I FEEL LIKE PREACHING THIS
49:47IN HERE. IS THERE ANYBODY THAT'S BEEN
49:49AFFLICTED, BUT GOD DELIVERED YOU? WELL,
49:52THE FACT THAT I'M STANDING HERE TODAY IS
49:55BECAUSE GOD DELIVERED ME OUT OF THEM
49:57ALL. I'VE HAD SOME BATTLES, BUT GOD
50:00DELIVERED ME OUT OF THEM ALL. I'VE HAD
50:03SOME GOOD DAYS AND SOME BAD DAYS. I'VE
50:05HAD SOME HILLS TO CLIMB, BUT GOD
50:09HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO ME. HE HAS BROUGHT
50:12ME OUT.
50:14>> [snorts]
50:14>> ALL RIGHT, SOMEBODY SHOUT ALL RIGHT.
50:16[screaming]
50:19Shout all right. [music]
50:22He keepeth
50:24ALL HIS BONES. GOD keeps his bones. Not
50:28[snorts] one of them is broken. NOW I
50:30KNOW THAT PROPHETICALLY. This is
50:33referring to Jesus who was THE LAMB OF
50:35GOD SLAIN FOR US. Not one bone IN HIS
50:39BODY WAS BROKEN. He was scourged, but
50:42not a bone was broken.
50:45THEY PLUCKED THE HEARID OFF HIS FACE,
50:47BUT NO BONE WAS BROKEN. MY GOD. THEY
50:50SPAT ON HIM, BUT NO BONE WAS BROKEN.
50:54THEY DROVE SPIKES IN HIS HAND AND IN HIS
50:57FEET, but no bones are broken. THEY
50:59DROVE A SPEAR THROUGH HIS SIDE, BUT NO
51:02BONE WAS BROKEN. And early THE SUNDAY
51:06MORNING, HE GOT UP with power IN HIS
51:10HAND. I FEEL LIKE PREACHING IN HERE.
51:13WELL, DAVID SAID, "I HAVE BEEN BATTERED,
51:17BUT [snorts] THEY DIDN'T BREAK MY BONES.
51:19I'VE BEEN SCARRED, BUT THEY DIDN'T BREAK
51:22MY BONES. I'VE BEEN LIED ON, BUT MY
51:25BONES ARE NOT BROKEN. I FEEL LIKE
51:28PREACHING HERE." WELL, THE BONES ARE
51:31WHAT MAKES ME STAND UPRIGHT. THE BONES
51:34ARE WHAT MAKE ME JUMP AND SHOUT. THE
51:37BONES ARE WHAT MAKE ME RUN AROUND. SO,
51:39HERE IS THE DEAL. IS THERE ANYBODY IN
51:42THIS HOUSE? YOU'VE BEEN TALKED ABOUT.
51:45YOU'VE BEEN LIED ON. YOU'VE BEEN SPAT
51:48UPON. YOU'VE BEEN CRITICIZED. YOU'VE
51:51BEEN CRUCIFIED. YOU'VE BEEN SCARRED AND
51:54BROKEN. BUT YOUR BONES ARE INTACT. IS
51:57THERE ANYBODY IN HERE? RAISE YOUR HAND
52:00IN THIS. Lift your feet in here and say,
52:03"I still got my bone.
52:06I still GOT CLAPPING IN MY HANDS. I
52:09still got RUNNING IN MY FEET. ALL MY
52:12BONES ARE HERE. DO I HAVE A WITNESS IN
52:14THE HOUSE? SO I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT
52:18all times and his praise
52:23shall
52:24continually be in my mouth."
52:29GRAB A NEIGHBOR BY THE HAND. [snorts]
52:31HOLD A NEIGHBOR BY THE HAND. HOLD
52:33SOMEBODY BY THE HAND AND SAY,
52:36"NEIGHBOR." OH, MAGNIFY
52:39THE [snorts] LORD WITH ME CUZ I GOT MY
52:42BONES. DO YOU GOT YOUR BONES? CAN YOU
52:45STILL MOVE YOUR HANDS? CAN YOU STILL
52:48LEAP? Can you still run?
52:51[screaming]
52:53I still
52:56Oh, glory. I STILL GOT JOY. I STILL GOT
53:00PEACE. I STILL GOT LIFE. I still got it.
53:05[music]
53:08Hallelujah.
53:10Hallelujah.
53:11HALLELUJAH. I STILL GOT MY BONES. I SAID
53:15I STILL GOT MY BONES. I'VE BEEN TALKED
53:17ABOUT, BUT MY BONES ARE STILL HERE. YOU
53:21CAN'T STOP ME WHILE YOU'RE TALKING. I'LL
53:24JUST BE WALKING CUZ MY BONES ARE STILL
53:27INTACT. I FEEL THE HOLY GHOST IN HERE
53:30BECAUSE God [screaming]
53:33has been GOOD TO ME. GOD HAS BEEN GOOD
53:36TO ME. GOD HAS BEEN GOOD to me. God has
53:41been good. [screaming]
53:44[music]
53:45Oh.
53:47Oh.
53:50OH.
53:52HE'S BEEN GOOD.
53:54HE'S BEEN GOOD. HE'S GOOD.
53:58HE IS GOOD. [screaming]
54:00HE IS GOOD. BLESS THE LORD.
54:04OH MY SOUL AND EVERYTHING. [music]
54:11WOO!
54:14EVERYTHING THAT IS WITHIN ME, BLESS HIS
54:18HOLY [screaming] NAME.
54:20Take 30 seconds RIGHT HERE. TAKE 30
54:22SECONDS. Just feel yourself. Come on.
54:26[music] Take 30 seconds. Check yourself.
54:28God, I feel you here. I still have my
54:31bones. I'm still standing.
54:35I'm still here. Now, bless his name.
54:39BLESS HIS NAME. [screaming]
54:41BLESS HIS NAME. HE IS GOOD.
54:53He is good.
54:57>> [music]
55:01[music]
55:03>> He is good.
55:05He is good. [music] He is good. He is
55:09good.
55:11Taste and see that the Lord is good.
55:15blessed.
55:19[music]
55:24As I close the altar here, as I close
55:27and open the altar, David said, "Don't
55:31worry about the evil because God has a
55:33plan for them."
55:34He said that God in verses 19 and 20, he
55:38says God is going to let them verses
55:40verses 21 and 22, he says God is going
55:43TO LET THEM DIE OF THEIR OWN EVIL. THE
55:47VERY THINGS THEY'RE PLANNING FOR YOU,
55:49I'MMA TURN IT BACK ON THEM. I FEEL LIKE
55:51PREACHING HERE, the trap THEY WERE
55:53LAYING FOR YOU, I'M GOING TO LET IT
55:55BACKFIRE ON THEM. AND IN THE long run,
55:58they will be condemned. THE EARTH WILL
56:01NOT REMEMBER THEM, but the meek shall
56:03inherit the earth. The righteous shall
56:05inherit the earth. And he said, I will
56:08redeem you for ever. Somebody shout,
56:11forever. Somebody shout, he's going to
56:14redeem me forever. That is to say, when
56:16God gets ready, hallelujah, he's going
56:18to redeem me. He's going to set ME FREE.
56:21HE'S GOING TO GIVE ME A BLESSING THAT
56:24LASTS FOREVER. I'LL BE BLESSED on the
56:27job, blessed in the school, blessed in
56:30the field, blessed when I come, blessed
56:33when I go, blessed in my church, BLESSED
56:35WHEN I DIE, BLESSED IN THE RESURRECTION,
56:38BLESSED WHEN I STAND BEFORE THE THRONE.
56:40HALLELUJAH. BLESSED THROUGH ALL
56:43[screaming] ETERNITY.
56:46Paul put this away as I close and I open
56:47the altar here. There is therefore now
56:51no condemnation. Hallelujah. To those
56:53who are in Christ Jesus. who do not walk
56:56according to the flesh, but according to
56:59the spirit, FOR THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF
57:02LIFE IN CHRIST Jesus has made me free
57:06from the law of sin and death. Brothers
57:07and sisters, let them talk if they want
57:10to. You just keep on walking. You just
57:13KEEP ON PRAISING GOD. YOU keep on
57:16blessing his holy name.
57:18>> For he's a good God and he's got a great
57:20plan for his people. I want to open the
57:22altar today to somebody who who just
57:25need the good God. You just need the
57:27good God
57:28>> to put this good spirit inside your
57:30heart. Come on. Come on. The altar is
57:32open for you today. Come on. Somebody
57:34whom like David may be feeling just a
57:36little bit afraid. You might be feeling
57:38just a little bit afraid of something
57:40that has come upon you.
57:42>> A little bit of fear has crept in your
57:44heart.
57:45>> David said, "WE ALL feel fear,
57:49>> but can you come and cry out to the
57:50Lord? Can you come and seek the Lord
57:52today? Come on,
57:53>> the altar is open for you today.
57:56>> If you need God to fill you with his
57:58good Holy Spirit or you need God to
58:02deliver you or WHILE YOU'RE IN A SEASON
58:03OF WAITING,
58:05>> you just need to be reminded that God's
58:07angels are surrounding you. I open this
58:09altar to you today to come and pray.
58:10[music] Come on. Come on. Come on. Come
58:12on. Come on. Hallelujah.
58:15The enemy will not prevail because your
58:18God is too good. He is so good. He will
58:21not let you fall. He'll not let you
58:23down. Think about this. Underneath us
58:25are his everlasting [music]
58:29arms.
58:30Come on. Praise singers. Really lift
58:32that song while we open the altar today.
58:34Somebody. Come on. Come on.
58:38>> Yes. [music and singing]
58:45>> His holy [singing]
58:47is [music] holy.
58:49Yes. His holy his holy name.
58:54[music]
58:55Hallelujah. Yes. Thank you for coming. I
58:58will
59:01>> bless the Lord.
59:01>> Bless [music] the Lord.
59:04>> Oh my soul.
59:05>> Oh my soul. [singing]
59:09>> And all
59:10>> and all that [music]
59:13>> is within me. blesses
59:17>> his holy
59:19[music]
59:23>> this wonderful [singing]
59:26[music]
59:32[music]
59:37my soul
59:38>> my soul
59:41>> and everything and all
59:44that [singing] is [music] within me.
59:48Bless his
59:52[music and singing]
59:53holy name.
59:57Holiness.
59:59[music]
60:02God is so good. [singing and music]
60:05God
60:07is so good. [singing]
60:11>> He's so good. [music] God God is so
60:17good. [singing]
60:21>> God
60:23is so good. [singing]
60:26Bless his holy [music]
60:33[singing]
60:35[music]
60:37name.
60:40Sing it again. God is so good. Oh,
60:43[music] God
60:45[singing] is so good.
60:50[music]
60:51>> God
60:52[singing]
60:53is so good.
60:57>> He's so good. God,
61:00he [singing] is so good. Come on, let's
61:04bless [music and singing] his holy
61:11[music]
61:13Holy name.
61:16>> He has done great things.
61:18[singing and music]
61:21>> He has done great [music and singing]
61:25things.
61:26>> So many great things.
61:28>> He has done great things.
61:34[music]
61:34>> So many great things. He has [singing]
61:37done great things. [music]
61:41Bless as
61:43[singing]
61:47[music]
61:51[singing]
61:54>> he [music] has done great things.
61:57>> He has done great things. [singing]
62:02[music]
62:05>> He has done great things.
62:09[singing and music]
62:13He has done great things.
62:18Bless [music] his home. [singing]
62:26[music]
62:30>> Bless the Lord. Bless the Lord.
62:32[music and singing]
62:33>> I will bless the Lord.
62:37[singing]
62:37>> Oh my soul. [music]
62:39>> Oh my soul.
62:41and everything. [singing]
62:43>> Everything that [music] is within
62:47>> this is holy [singing]
62:49is holy
62:53[music]
62:55holy [singing]
62:57name.
63:02>> I will bless thee, oh Lord. [singing]
63:08I will bless you, oh Lord. [singing]
63:13Yes. [music]
63:14With a heart of thanksgiving, [singing]
63:18[music]
63:20I will bless thee, oh Lord.
63:24I will bless thee. I will bless thee,
63:27[music and singing] oh Lord.
63:30I will bless thee.
63:31>> I will bless thee, oh Lord. [singing]
63:35[music]
63:37With a heart of thanksgiving,
63:42>> I will [music and singing] see. Oh Lord,
63:46>> with my hands [music] lifted with my
63:48hands lifted up
63:52[music and singing] and my mouth fil my
63:54mouth filled with praise
63:58>> with the heart of
63:59>> with the heart of [music and singing]
64:01thanksgiving.
64:05I will bless [singing] thee, oh Lord,
64:09>> with my hands lift.
64:11>> With my hands lifted [music]
64:12up,
64:14[singing]
64:16my mouth [music]
64:20>> with a heart of [singing]
64:22>> with a heart of thanks.
64:25[music]
64:25>> Yes, sir. [singing]
64:27>> Oh, I bless thee, oh Lord.
64:31[music]
64:31>> I will bless thee. I [singing] will
64:33bless thee, oh Lord.
64:37>> I will bless thee.
64:38>> I will bless [singing] thee, oh Lord,
64:42[music]
64:42>> with a heart of thank.
64:44>> With a [singing] heart of thankless
64:50bless, oh Lord.
64:57>> Praise [singing]
64:58him.
65:01Praise him.
65:04Praise him.
65:08Praise him. Yes,
65:12Jesus. [music and singing]
65:15Bless the Savior.
65:19[music] He's worthy to be [singing]
65:23praised.
65:26>> Praise him.
65:27>> Praise him.
65:30>> [music]
65:30>> Praise [singing] him.
65:34>> Praise him.
65:37>> Praise [music and singing] him.
65:38>> Praise him.
65:40>> Come Jesus.
65:42>> Jesus. [singing]
65:44>> Blessed Savior.
65:45>> Blessed Savior. [music]
65:49>> He's worthy to be [music and singing]
65:53praised.
65:54>> From the rising.
65:56From the rising
65:58of the sun.
66:01>> Yes.
66:03>> Until the go [music and singing] down of
66:07thirst.
66:12>> Jesus. [music]
66:13>> Yes. Jesus is worthy.
66:18[music] He's worthy to be praised.
66:24Praise [music]
66:26him. Praise him.
66:29>> Praise him.
66:30>> Praise him.
66:33>> Praise him.
66:34>> Praise him. Oh, praise him. [music]
66:40>> Jesus.
66:41>> Jesus. [singing]
66:43>> Blessed.
66:44>> Blessed.
66:48>> He's worthy to be praised.
66:52>> From the rising [music] From the
66:55[singing] rising of the sun.
66:59>> Oh yes.
67:02Until the town.
67:06[music and singing]
67:10>> Jesus.
67:13Jesus [music] is worthy.
67:17So worthy to be [music]
67:21praised.
67:24Praise him. [singing and music]
67:28Praise him. Sing [music]
67:33him.
67:35>> Praise him. [music and singing]
67:37>> Shout Jesus.
67:39>> Jesus.
67:42>> Blessed [music]
67:44[singing]
67:45Jesus.
67:49[music]
67:50>> Glory. Glory. Glory, [singing]
67:53>> glory,
67:55>> yeah,
67:56>> glory, [music]
67:57>> glory
67:59>> in glory,
68:01>> glory. [singing]
68:02>> We give you glory.
68:03>> Give him glory,
68:06[music]
68:06>> son Jesus. [singing]
68:08>> Jesus
68:09blessed.
68:10>> Blessed Savior. [music]
68:14>> He's worthy to [singing]
68:17be. [music]
68:18God is all
68:22God is. [music]
68:25>> Yes, he is
68:28my salvation.
68:31[singing and music]
68:35A strong.
68:39[music]
68:40Yes, he is.
68:43[singing]
68:45Praise him.
68:48[music]
68:48>> Praise him one more time. Praise him.
68:50>> Praise him.
68:51>> This is it right here. Praise him.
68:53>> Praise [singing] him.
68:55>> Praise him.
68:57>> Praise him.
68:59>> Praise him.
69:01>> Praise [music] him.
69:02>> Jesus.
69:04Jesus.
69:07>> Bless our Savior. [singing]
69:11He's worthy to [music]
69:14be praised. [singing]
69:18>> Clap your hands and open your mouth and
69:20praise him one last [music] time today.
69:23Thank you, Jesus.
69:25Thank you, Jesus.
69:29Thank you, Jesus.
69:31Thank you, Jesus.
69:34[music] Heads bowed, eyes closed.
69:35Father, in the name of Jesus,
69:38>> we thank you for the privilege that is
69:40ours,
69:42the opportunity that is ours
69:45to taste you,
69:47to taste you in the bitter realities of
69:49life, to taste you in things that seem
69:52sour,
69:54to taste you in things that seem
69:56unpleasant,
69:57but to emerge from circumstances seeing
70:01the goodness of the Lord that we may put
70:03our trust in you and strive to live your
70:07ethics in this world. I pray God that
70:10you'll strengthen your people today.
70:13>> Those who are going through a tough time
70:16who are currently tasting the bitter
70:18grapes of this life. Ah God,
70:21I pray for strength and endurance to get
70:24through it, Lord, by any means
70:25necessary.
70:27In the same way you gave David a
70:29strategy to work through the difficult
70:31situation, I pray he'll give to every
70:34member under the sound of my voice
70:36>> in this place and in virtual world.
70:39[music]
70:40I pray he'll give them the strategy,
70:41Lord, they need this week
70:43>> to work through the challenges that
70:45they'll face [snorts] for God. Your plan
70:48is for them to come out of it and to
70:51testify like David did of the goodness
70:53of the Lord in the land of the living
70:55that somebody may know that God is a
70:58good God and come to put their trust in
71:00you beyond just experiencing you. I pray
71:03that the ethics of your character
71:05[music] will become our ethics. We'll
71:08keep our mouth from evil. We'll keep our
71:11mouth from lies by the help of the Lord.
71:13We'll turn from evil and do good. We'll
71:15seek peace and run after it. so our
71:18lives can behold a testimony reflecting
71:21the complete work of God in our lives.
71:24Do it now for your people. Bless us now
71:26as we go from this place. Let your
71:28blessings surround us all this week. May
71:30we remember that your angels encamp on
71:33about us getting ready to deliver. If
71:35anytime anybody try to touch your
71:37people, I thank you now in Jesus name we
71:41pray and everybody say amen.
71:44>> If you could [music] just raise those
71:45right hands all across this building.
71:47Hallelujah.
71:47>> Hallelujah.
71:49>> The Lord bless you and keep you. The
71:52Lord make his face shine upon you and be
71:54gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his
71:58countenance upon you and give you peace.
72:01Peace. Peace. Go in the peace of the
72:03Lord. We love you. Have a great week.
72:05Have an overcoming week. Have a blessed
72:07week. You are the head.