Sunday Morning Worship Service
by Anthony McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1, Mark 6:50, Matthew 1:1, Psalms 23:4, Psalms 51:15, Mark 6:48-50

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/anthony-mccool--sunday-morning-worship-service-28
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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And if you have your Bibles, Ecclesiastes 3:1 and Mark 6:50. Ecclesiastes 3:1. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Mark chapter 6 verse 50. for they saw him. The disciples saw Jesus and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them and saith unto them, "Be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid." For a few moments this morning, I'd like to minister to you on the topic, be of good cheer in the season you are in. Let us pray one more time over this word this morning. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the outpouring of your spirit in this house. Lord, we thank you for what you've done. Lord, we thank you for the lives you've touched. Father, you know, every need that is in this place. And Lord, we ask you to step in as we've called out on your name, Jesus, to step in and intervene in every situation. We thank you and play praise you. And Lord, let our words be sensitive to your word that we put it into practice and let it build our faith. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. One only has to open their eyes to the masterpiece that God paints a new each year, especially living in beautiful East Tennessee. Amen. is a breathtaking moment when summer, drenched in all of its glory, begins to yield to the gentle embrace of autumn. And I'm a bit biased this morning as I believe that in East Tennessee, the fall just has a a special a specialness to it. In all its sunrrench glory, it begins to yield to the gentle embrace of autumn. It's a transition unlike any other. A symphony of change played out on the grand stage of nature. We can remember those sweltering days of over a 100 degree temperature and the vibrant greens of the summer in full bloom. Then almost imperceptibly at first a shift begins. The air grows crisp. The days grow shorter. The nights become cooler and then that is when the magic happens. The leaves begin to right before our eyes and sometimes without us even realizing it transform from emerald to gold, from ruby to russet. The trees become living tapestries ablaze with color. It's as if the very earth is putting on its most s magnificent garment before settling into a season of rest. And then we say it's football time. I almost had to edit that out if there would have been a few more minutes left in that game in Tennessee. You know, we say it is the harvest season, the time for coming together and being thankful before the impending cold. This annual transformation has captured the human imagination for centuries. Artists have immortalized it on canvas. Poets have woven it into verse. Musicians have set it to song. James Taylor said, "Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you've got to do is call and I'll Okay." Um, I should have picked a different one. The lyrics remind us that seasons are reliable, seasons are dependable, seasons everpresent, but indeed will change. In paintings, autumn represents decline and harvest. In literature, it symbolizes reflection and change. In movies, it's often marked as the turning point, a moment of reckoning. But these seasons are more than just metaphors. They are echoes of the seasons in our own lives and in our own spiritual journey. If we look to the word of God and seek a biblical example, one has to know look no further than David to see the full spectrum of human experience. The shepherd king, his story being etched throughout the scripture is a tapestry woven with threads of triumph and tragedy, faith and failure, love and loss. And we witness his meteoric rise from humble shepherd boy to national hero, felling Goliath with a stone and a prayer. We see his reign as king marked by both brilliant victories and also devastating missteps. We feel his soaring joy in worship, his profound grief in repentance, his unwavering trust in God's promises. And yet, despite his imperfections, despite the shadows that stained his life, David was called a man after God's own heart. This is not to excuse his sins, but to marvel at God's boundless grace. Even in his brokenness, you see where David remained faithful, teachable, and open to God's transforming power in every season of life he was in. His legacy extends far beyond his reign before it was from David's lineage that the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, would come. And when you open up the New Testament, Matthew 1 verse 1, the opening scripture, the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David. So we look at David not as a flawless ideal, but as a testament to God's unwavering love and his ability to use even the most flawed individuals to accomplish his divine purpose. For in David, we see a reflection of ourselves, a reminder that God's grace is sufficient in every single season. For as we first begin to look at David, we see this season of promise in his life as a young, passionate shepherd boy where I would invite you to read those verses leading up to when he stepped onto the battlefield to defeat Goliath. For before he ever stepped on the field with Goliath, we see his passion. We see his determination. We see his exuberance speaking of him waking up early in the morning, running to the battle, giving honor to those that were ahead of him. But he was anointed by Samuel as the future king, marking him for this divine purpose. And we see him as a young man, demonstrating unwavering faith and courage, going on then to defeat Goliath, relying on God's power in the midst of that battle. those those very famous and empowering words that the enemy comes to me with a sword and a shield. The enemy comes to me with the weapons of this world, but I come to the enemy with a higher power on my side. And we point to that and look at the triumphs in our lives when we faced our own Goliaths, when we faced our own giants. And we approach them not with the reasoning or logical understanding of this world, but knowing we have a God who fights on our behalf. And we see that through this season of promise with David, that God's able to equip those that are overlooked to do mighty things through him. We see him in a season of service where he was a harpist and a warrior. That's quite the juxiposition, right? Um uh one minute I'm on the battlefield, the next minute I'm uh serenating the king with a harp. But it appears that whatever David was called to do, he was going to do it with excellence. And he served King Saul faithfully, using his musical talents to soothe Saul's troubled spirit. And David began to achieve military success and he gained popularity which led to Saul's jealousy. But that emphasized the importance in this season of David's life of serving others with the gifts that we have and maintaining humility in our success. But this service in this season of promised would transition into a season of waiting for once he was anointed to be king. It was around 10 years before he actually became king. And many of those years he spent running for his life. I preached a few weeks back about him having to act mad and act crazy trying to survive. He endured years of persecution and hardship as Saul sought to kill him. At at one point in David's life, he was being celebrated. The he cut the giant's head off and they wrote songs about how he had killed his 10,000s and he had his own military victories. He was a warrior and a harpist and had military victories and it was it was time in his mind to be king. But now he's running for his life. He maintained integrity though by refusing to harm Saul. And he learned patience and he learned resilience while waiting for God's timing to be fulfilled. Eventually, he would become king. And there was a season of kingship. And he united the federation of Israel, becoming king over Judah, uniting all of the tribes. And this led to many military victories, expanding the nation's territory, securing its borders. It established Jerusalem as the capital, and he brought the ark of the covenant to the city. And we know that story as he's bringing the ark. Even in his military success, even now as king, he would bring the ark a few steps and then he would worship and he would give God praise. He had not yet let it go to his head. How talented he was. But we see him in this season of still giving God praise. But then there would be a season of sin and we encounter a dark chapter in David's life. For the Bible tells us in a season when the kings would go to war, David stayed back. In a season where he should have been out with his men fighting, David stayed back. And while David stayed back, he lusted over a woman bathing, probably knowing exactly where he needed to go. Many archaeologists and historians point to that where David's chambers would have been, it would have been elevated looking over the city. And when a in a time in a season when the kings went to war, David went to a place of temptation. And through this lust, he took another man's wife. And then David attempted to cover his sin by first inviting Uriah, Beth Sheeba's husband, to come back and be with her. So there would be a deception, thinking that Beth Sheba was pregnant from Uriah. But Uriah wouldn't come back from war. He said, "How can I leave my men out here fighting?" So David next committed treason and the conspired the unthinkable. He put a plot to have Uriah sent to the head of the army where there would be intense fighting and battle. And when the time was right, the army would pull back, sealing Uriah's fate. How horrible the king, King David. You see these prior se seasons leading up to this point, this season of sin, the dark chapter in his life. David had every resource available at that time. could have had everything he wanted. And still after that moment, he thinks now with his royal garb that he has covered his wrongdoing. But God sends a prophet Nathan unto him and begins to tell him a story. Tell him a story about a poor man who had one lamb. Oh, and it meant everything to him. And then he told continue to tell that a rich man who had many lambs took that poor man's lamb. David so callous in his heart to the suffering and and death of war to the extent that he would conspire to have one of his best generals and by all accounts his most loyal general who wouldn't even leave his men behind. David would would be so apt and quick to have him killed. The blood of men, even his own, really didn't get his attention too much. But the prophet of God began to relate a story to this king and his kingly garb up around his throne, surrounded by all of the eccentric and lavish decor of that day. And the prophet of God struck David's heart. And that king and all of his costly array was taken back to when he was a young boy defending sheep. And the prophet of God knew that if he could convict his heart, if he could take him back to that oh so humble beginning of that lamb that he would so quickly go after a lion, that lamb that whatever predator would come or that would be his resume before Saul that this giant is no match for for me because anything that comes to harm my flock, I'll go after it and defeat it and kill it. But the prophet of God struck and pierced right into the heart of David, saying, "You, David, are the man." David had become enraged, wanting death for that rich man. And God's word, the prophet of God, Nathan said, "You are that man, David." And David in this moment said, "I have sinned against the Lord." And David's repentance was genuine and heartfelt. He acknowledged his guilt and sought God's forgiveness. God forgave David's sin, but the consequence remained. The child was born to Beth Sheba, but became ill and died. And David mourned, and he fasted, pleading with God to spare the child, but to no avail. But there would be a transition out of even this darkest of season. And it would not be the final chapter in David's life. For there would be a season of renewal. There would be a time when the mourning and the grieving was over where he went in and comforted Beth Sheeba again and she bore Solomon, the one who would go to build the temple. Solomon representing a blessing still yet to come even after the wicked deeds. that showed the new beginnings and restoration are possible through God's grace even after significant failures. The life of David with its peaks and its very low valleys is a mirror reflecting our own journeys. Seasons of promise bursting with potential. Seasons of service where we just pour out our gifts. Seasons of waiting. Seasons of frustration and of uncertainty where all patience is our only companion. Seasons of triumph when we taste the sweetness of victory. And yes, even those shadowed seasons when we stumble and when temptation whispers and we find ourselves lost out in the wilderness of our own making. The question this morning isn't if we will experience these seasons, but the question is how will we navigate them? Will we recognize God's hand in our times of promise? Will we serve him in these victorious moments with humility and grace? Can we trust his timing when the waiting feels unbearable? And most importantly, when we inevitably fall, will we have the courage to confess? Will we have the courage to repent and turn back to the one who offers us unwavering forgiveness? And our relentless pursuit for more. What do you want? More? more success, more possessions, more experiences. We often find ourselves rushing through the present, longing for a future that never quite arrives. How often do we fail to appreciate the beauty, the lessons, the preciousness of the very season that we are positioned in right this very moment. We live in a world that glorifies busyness, that equates activity with worth. We're constantly bombarded with messages telling us to strive, to achieve, to make the most of every moment. But in all this striving, are we truly living? Are we truly present with the people we love? In the places we are and in these seasons that we're called to embrace, are our minds which compete with so many other things? Are they focused into the things that really matter? I recently heard a grandmother share a sentiment that struck me to the core. She said, "If I could go back to any time in my life, it would be to when all of my family was under one roof." She said, "Yes, I was tired to the bone. Certainly, there were messes messes almost in every corner. And trust me, the house was loud. But those were the best times. She said, "Unfortunately, I didn't realize it at the time, but if I could tell a young mother, a young father, a young family, and take every single moment in, the Sunday dinners filled with laughter and lively conversation, the birthday celebrations brimming with joy, the Christmases sparkling with wonder and love. These little moments, the seemingly insignificant interactions that in retrospect become the cornerstone of our memories, the scraped knees, the bedtime stories, the whispered secrets, the shared dreams. Kelly shared a meme with me on the way to church. No, that's not where I get all my sermons from. memes. She said, "I've got to be," she said, "I must be" The The meme said, "I must be leaving my children with their grandparents for way too much for my daughter just told someone when asked how old she was, I'll be nine this year if the Lord grants me one more year." Oh, but what a blessing it is to have a grandparent. I feel especially blessed today because my children's greatgrandparents get to keep them. And I would implore each and every one of you in this season that you're in, whatever the season, to take special advantage, to take special notice on this day. And I I know you do and I know you think of it, but just take extra notice today because if the good Lord allows it, I'll be nine years old this year. These are the moments that define the seasons of our lives. But as I mentioned and I reiterate at the introduction, seasons change and they change fast. Children grow up, they move away, they start their own families. Loved ones pass on, leaving a void that can never be truly filled. The opportunities we have today to connect, to cherish, to create lasting memories may not be there tomorrow. I urge you on this Sunday first and foremost not to let the busyness of life rob you of the joy in this present season. Embrace it, savor it, learn from it. We must put our technology down at times and look in the eyes of the people that we love. Be present. Be grateful. Let us not rush through them but embrace them. For in the end, it is these moments, these seasons that will define our lives and shape our legacies. The great singer, songwriter, preacher Lewis Hera pinned the words, which would have been a more appropriate song that this church could recite a lot better than James Taylor. I'm not only going to make it, but >> Oh, yeah. That was a that was a lot better. Should have just went straight to that. It's our relationships that truly define us. It's our relationships that anchor us amidst the storms of life. Our connection with God is our very anchor. And God works through you. He works through people. The blessings of our family, the blessings of our friends, the blessings of our church family and our community. These are the treasures that sustain us and give us the meaning in every single season. They're not just pleasant additions to our lives. They're vital. They offer support when we're weak. And as children of God, that's what we should do and strive to do with our words. their wisdom when we're lost. Are we building those who up who are going through tough times? Or are we adding words of sarcasm or doubt? Are we offering love when people feel alone? If we took the stand this morning as bishops earlier, I wouldn't perjure yourself. And when life storms cloud our vision, these relationships can recalibrate our focus, reminding us of what truly matters. The Bible says, "Iron sharpenth iron." There can be nothing more impactful than the empowering word from a family member or from a friend. It can have such a measured response far much greater than something you could obtain from a leadership book or which which are great. But from an author who doesn't know you, but somebody that knows you and believes in you can have just an endless amount of effect. But through every trial and every triumph, David's unwavering relationship with God sustained him. It's the bedrock of his lies, the source of his strength. And in every season, whether rejoicing in victory or repenting in sorrow, David poured out his heart in heartfelt praise. And that's why he was referred to as the man after God's own heart. Whether he was down in the valley or up on top of the mountain, he was going to acknowledge God and give God praise. It was a testament to his enduring love and devotion to the Almighty. His praise was his lifeline, connecting him to the divine in every single moment. For in the season of promise, he stepped onto the battlefield and said, "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion, and from the paw of the bear, will certainly deliver me from the hand of this Philistine in his season of service." He said, "The Lord lives and blessed be my rock and exalted be the God of my salvation." In the season of waiting, David said, "I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and staff, they comfort me." In the season of kingship, as I mentioned earlier, it says, "And David danced before the Lord with all his might when he was the king of the throne, reestablishing the capital to Jerusalem, uniting all of the tribes of Israel together, making it the most powerful it had ever been." He did not fail to acknowledge God. But as the ark was brought to Jerusalem, he would take so many steps and say, "Even though I'm king, I'm going to give God praise. Even though I'm king, I'm going to rejoice. [Applause] >> And even in the season of sin, there was a penitence plea. David's praise even in this dark chapter of his life was not silenced but it was transformed. Psalms 51:15 there was a plea for restoration. He said, "Oh Lord, open my lips that my mouth may declare your praise." He was grieved and >> and at the darkest place of his life, but he knew that true praise could only come from a heart cleansed and forgiven. And then in his season of renewal, there was a legacy of praise that would continue to go forth that would echo on past the book of Psalms that would extend on through the Davidic bloodline all the way to Matthew 1:1 to the coming of the Messiah, the son of David, Jesus Christ. And then it tells us in Acts that David's tomb was a landmark in Jerusalem. And above it, the upper room is where the Holy Ghost would fall down. The very air above the place he was buried was changed and heaven touched earth. It's as if David's spirit of praise lingered in the very stones of Jerusalem, paving the way for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. David's life teaches us that praise is not just for the good times, though we should praise him in the good times, but it was for all times. Sometimes praise is going to be what we would define as very exuberant joy and beautiful words exiting our lips with our hands lifted high and a smile on our face. And we're leaping and sometimes running. And sometimes praise is going to be when I'm in my very lowest valley. God, nothing right now feels appropriate to come out, but would you open my lips? Praise being transformed into something different. And not by some prophetic imagination this morning, but by the rule of numbers, I would imagine across this congregation that each and every one of you can identify with a particular season in your life that you're in. It might be a season of promise, a season of waiting, a season of service. It could be a season of sin, a season of hardship that you're now trying to find your way out of. and the songs that once exited your lips and the beautiful praise that once surrounded your body carrying God's promise you now find it and your prayer difficult in your prayer is God could could you just allow something to come out musicians come there's a profound truth woven into the fabric of scripture a truth that brings comfort and hope of every season of life. God promises to meet us where we are. He doesn't wait for us to reach a certain level of perfection to um for us to to emerge from our struggles. He enters the messiness of our reality offering his presence, his power, and his unwavering love. As I go back to our key text in Mark 6 verse 40 48-50, it says, "And he saw them toiling and rowing, Jesus seeing his disciples, for the wind was contrary unto them, and it was about the fourth watch of the night. And about this fourth watch of the night, he cometh unto them walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out. For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid. The Bible says it was the fourth watch of the night. The Jewish time system would divide the night watch into three different divisions, but they later adopted the Roman division of four three hours a piece. And supposing that would have began at 6:00 p.m. You do the math, it would have been about 3 to 4 a.m. as the disciples found themselves, it says 25 to 30 furlongs out into the lake, which they would have only have rode about 3 to three and a half miles in about seven or eight hours time. They must have been exhausted. They must have been hungry. And by doing so, this lake, which was about seven miles at its broadest point, they would have been out in the middle of the lake far far away from any place as far as possible to get back. So, what does that mean? They were out in the middle as far to get back as they could. It was the middle of the night. They had been out there all night. It was dark. They were hungry. It was storming. The waves were crashing. But it says, "And he saw them. God coming to this earth is Jesus Christ. Just like the prophet Nathan was able to get David's attention by using the metaphor of the lamb of something. He had been so hard-hearted with the the death of humanity and the killing and the war that that no longer got his attention. He was so desensitized that it it took a lamb to get his attention. Now, as God would manifest himself in flesh, becoming the sinless lamb, it was something we could see, feel, understand him enduring the same hardship and pain as we do. And every miracle that you read about, it says if there were so many, there's not enough that couldn't have even been documented. Every miracle that we read about is just a glimpse just for us to understand God's character. And we read that he saw them just waiting for the opportunity. What do we read that David wrote? The God of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps. And we see Jesus, his disciples, as far out as they could be in the absolute middle of the night. He said, "Finally, I just if I if I can just get in their vicinity, he's just he's just waiting to do something." He said, "Then they cried out." So then he intervened and he said, "Be of good cheer. It is I." We serve a God who is watching and he's waiting. And your middle of the night season, in your dark and stormy season, in your season of famine, he's he's he's waiting. Stand with me. waiting to intervene. Chad Boycus, CEO, wrote a series of articles about managing being a CEO of a large company and also being a father. He relayed a story that said a father was took his young son out and his son was going to move a heavy stone. Well, the son began to try to lift that stone and he couldn't lift it. And he tried again. And he tried again. And that young man just couldn't lift that son. His dad standing there watching asked him, "Son, are you using all your might? Are you using everything you've got, every resource you've got to move that stone? Yes, Father, but it's just too heavy. The father replied, "No, you haven't, son, because I've been standing here watching you this entire time, and not one time have you asked for my help." I want you to know that we serve a God this morning. It says, "And he saw them. He's watching down on you. His eye is on the sparrow. He knows every trouble. He knows the circumstance. He knows the season. and whatever season you find yourself in, he's just waiting. He's waiting for you to ask >> for help. >> So, my invitation for you this morning, as you came to the house of God, I would ask what your motivation was for coming this morning. Maybe you're a young child and you got drugged out of bed. I don't know. Maybe it's by habit, by ritual. Maybe there's those times in your life where there's great expectation coming and you know there's times where man it's Sunday morning and uh I made it. Hey, whatever the case, it don't matter. Unless you're here against your will, then we don't want to do that. But whatever the case is, you made it into the house of God. And I would invite you this morning, whatever season that you identify with, whatever things you have need of, my plea is, why not step forward to this altar, and just simply ask for help? Say, "God, I've tried to do things my way for a little bit, or I've I tried one time and I neglected this prayer that I have, but could I be so transparent and and make it so simple that says, "Hey, you're here. Why not? What's it going to hurt if you step forward and say, "God, I need you to show up in this season of my life right now. God, I I need you to intervene right now. God, the praise don't is not just flowing out like it once did. Don't take that as an indication that God has left you. It's just a season and he's going to transform that praise and it's going to look a little bit different. You might not be leaping. You might not be jumping. You might not be clapping your hands, but you might be on your knees saying, "God, would you let a praise come out of my lips right now? I'm in the darkest season of my life, but let let it be known that seasons don't last forever." And also, hear me on this. Hear me on this right here. One of the most significant portions of that scripture, David was mourning. David was grieving. He had ashes on him. But there came a point. [Music] God's done what he's decided to do. I've made the mistake. But now this grieving process is over. And it says he got up, brushed himself off, went and washed his face, and then he went with Bath Sheba. And there there was another promise. There was more blessing. But in the midst of this transition of a season, some of the servants and some of those around David be to question him and say, "How could you go do that? Your son is dead. How could you go do that? Look what you did." David didn't let those people keep him from what God wanted to do through him still. He didn't let those people's voices influencing him from going to have that blessing of Solomon. Sometimes in the transition of seasons, people are not going to understand how you're able to transition out of that grieving process into the promise that God has for you. And that's okay. Don't let him keep you down. Because the point is people don't have to understand. The only thing that you need to do is whatever season of life you're in, you need to be able to have a relationship with God to say, "God, I know you're never going to leave me. I know you're never going to forsake me. Lord, in this low season, let a praise come out. Lord, in this high season, I'm going to dance every few steps as I bring your promises into my life. Even in this season of waiting, even in this season of frustration, oh, you're my shepherd. You're my shepherd. And I know you are with me. I'm going to walk. I'm going to run. I'm going to praise. I'm going to leap. I'm going to get on my knees that time. Whatever the case, you need to give God praise in the season that you're in. >> Oh Lord, you deserve. Oh Lord, you deserve all my praisees. Oh Lord, you deserve me. You deserve all my praisees. Oh Lord, you deserve. Oh Lord, you deserve all my praisees. Oh Lord, you deserve. Only you deserve all my praise. Cuz [Music] when I think of all you've done, when I think of all you brought me through, when I think about your love, I can never say enough. When I think of all you've done. When I think of all you brought me through. When I think about your love, I can never say enough. When I think of all you done. When I think of all you brought me through. When I think about your love, I can never say nothing you for the ways that you have made for the price that you have paid for your mercies every day. That's why I owe you praise for the ways that you have for the price that you see for your mercies every day. That's why I owe you for the ways that you have made for the price that you have paid. for your mercies every day. That's why I owe you. >> As we close this morning, I want to invite every single one of you to lock arms together. Lock arms together as one united force. As I mentioned, God works through his people. Some of the greatest sermons you could ever hear is by somebody with a testimony, somebody offering words of encouragement to someone else going through a tough time. Could we pray this morning with locked arms? Let's pray right now. Heavenly Father, you are not divided. Neither are we this morning. Lord, we acknowledge that across this house there's a diversity of different seasons in the place. seasons of promise and seasons of waiting, seasons of sin, seasons also of renewal. Lord, whatever the season may be, Lord, we're determined to have a relationship with you. And Father, by this Lord, let your light be manifest through us with our actions, with our words, Lord, that we may be a witness to someone who might be at a low season in their life. Lord, in every season of my life, whether I'm on top of the mountain or I'm down in the valley, I am determined in my heart to give you the praise. It's what sustains us. It's what anchors us. Lord, we thank you and praise you for what you're doing in this season. And we know that all things worked for your good. We know what the enemy went for evil, you're going to transform it for your good. Lord, we thank you and we praise you. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Would you give the Lord a hand clap of praise [Music] and take advantage of the season you're in? You are dismissed in the name of Jesus. Shake hands and be friendly, as we say. And looking forward to our service this evening. God bless you.