When God Does, and When He Doesn't  |  Rev. Tim Hammond
by Tim Hammond
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Acts 12:1-19, John 21, Isaiah 57:1-2, Psalm 34:1-8, Job 1:21, Job 2:10, Hebrews 13:15

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/tim-hammond--when-god-does-and-when-he-doesn-t
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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I want to tell somebody tonight you may not be going through a life-threatening thing but you may be going through a faith threatening thing and I don't mean to belittle someone who's going through a sickness that could take your life but when it comes to our eternity our eternal destination if you're going through something that's challenging your faith you need to treat it like the doctor just gave you a death notice because if we don't have our faith we can't please God if we don't have our faith that some of us are going through some things that we don't understand and we hardly wrap our mind around but I'm here to tell you and I don't think it's coincidental that I'd be here tonight but I want to hear I'm here to tell you God never makes a mistake we've been going through some things at home over the past five or six months I call my father and all to run a few things by him and we were closing out the conversation he says son don't you ever forget God never makes a mistake I'm gonna allow you to stay seated because I'm gonna read Acts chapter 12 and here's my title for tonight and I pray the Holy Ghost just reaches in and does a work that only only he can do my title tonight is when God does and when he doesn't when God does and when he doesn't Acts chapter 12 now about that time Herod the King stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church and he killed James the brother of John with a sword because he saw it pleased the Jews he proceeded further to take Peter also then were the days of unleavened bread and when they and when he had apprehended him he put him in prison delivered him to four quadrants of soldiers to keep him intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people Peter therefore was kept in prison here we are the prayer was made without ceasing to the church unto God for him and when Herod would have brought him forth the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains I'm already preaching now and the keepers before the door kept the door or kept the prison and behold the angel the Lord came upon him and a light shine in the prison smoke Peter on the side and raised him up saying arise quickly and his chains fell off from his hands thank God for a prayin church are you following this Harrod has killed James the brother of John because he thought it pleased or saw that it pleased the people he took Peter and incarcerated him and he's got him bound with chains and he's he's being kept by the prison guards and but the Bible says that prayer was made without ceasing other church under God for him when Herod would have brought him forth the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers how do you sleep when you know you're about to die I'll tell you why Peter sleeping between these soldiers and you'll notice here in the moment he's really comfortable but the reason Peter is sleeping the reason he's not worried is the last chapter of the Gospel of John Jesus looks at Peter and says when you're old that's when you don't die so Peters like I'm not old so I don't know what plan you've got but this is not going to take me out I wish some of you could remember when God spoke to you the first time I wish some of us could remember when God reached down and gave you a word were like what was just saying we're you know that you know that you know that you heard from the Lord and if you could pick that word back up what you're going through right now would be a cakewalk because every time the enemy tries to attack us it does not mean that he's going to be successful let's hear the word of God carefully no weapon formed against us shall prosper it didn't say it wouldn't be formed it just said it wouldn't prosper every time the devil comes he's not gonna win because if you and I've got a word from the Lord you need to know that you know that you know that hey I'm in this situation I don't know what the outcome is I don't know what God's up to but this cannot be my demise because before he ascended on high he said I wouldn't die until I was old and since I'm not old I don't know why I'm going through it but it may be rough but I'm gonna go ahead and go through it somebody needs to remember what God told you years ago and you need to leave this house knowing that if God said it he'll do it and if he spoke it he will bring it to pass God is not a man that he should lie or the son of man that he should repent I want you to know if God said it you can bank on that hallelujah hallelujah so Peters sleeping some of you just need to rest in God the 90-pound would change the keepers before the door kept the prison verse 7 but holdings of the Lord came in the life shine in the prison he smoked Peter on the side raised him up saying arise quickly in his chains fell off from his hands the angel said unto Him here's what I want you know how comfortable he was gird thyself bind on thy sandals I mean he's gotten comfortable can you get that this guy's robe off got his shoes off Herod's wanting to kill him and Peter's relaxing he's sleeping I mean there's there anything more annoying then then for your adversary to look at you and say I'm gonna take you out okay I'm gonna take a nap I mean every time the devil talks you and I must be reminded of who he is come on lean in he's a liar and he is the father of lies the first time you see in the scripture he's lying and the last time you are gonna hear from it he's still gonna be talking and none of it is true the devil can take you out on his best day because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world you just gotta know what God has told you and rest in that fact the brothers got his shoes off got his coat off and he's sleeping so that's the angel has to turn a light on you can look back at verse 7 it did say he shook him and said he smote him I don't know what you know mean things smoke means but he hit him gird thyself buying on by sandals and he and he he saith unto Him cast thy garment about thee and follow me he went out followed him wish not that it was true which was done by the angel but thought he saw this I want to tell you if he'll trust God he can take you through things that don't even seem real he's in there and Jackie thinks he's dreaming about deliverance but it's really happening I want you to know if you've dreamed about overcoming God could be turning that dream into a reality if you just trust him well praise God thought he saw a vision and when they were past the 1st and 2nd Ward they came into the iron gate that leader into the city I love this which open to them of his own accord and they went out passed on through one Street and forth with the angel departed from him so the angel comes in smites him got a light on don't wake anybody up God's got a light that only works for you God's got a light your enemy can't see he's got a light on change her fallen making noise the prisoners are asleep but God's man's putting his coat on putting his shoes on and he's walking out they get by the first door the second door then they get to the last door it's an iron gate and God is so good at deliverance that he can use people and things because the Bible said when they got to the gate it just opened of its own accord that gate had never done that before and it hasn't done it since you know why because they never had Peter in that prison because God said he's not gonna die he's not old enough to die I'm not through with him and so he's got everything working I don't know why I have favorite work because God's opening the gates hallelujah open to their own accord they went out and passed on through the stream forth with the angel departed from him and when Peter was come to himself he said now I know of a surety that the Lord has sent his angel has delivered me out of hand of Herod and from all the expectations of the people of the Jews and when he had considered when he had considered the thing he came to the house of Mary the mother of John whose surname was mark where many were gathered together praying you know this story they angel leaves Peter wakes up kind of comes to himself and he decides to go over to John Mark's mother's house where there's a prayer meeting going on they've been praying without ceasing are you following me he goes over there he's so excited and as and as Peter knocked at the door of the gate a damsel came to and to harken named Rhoda and went and when she knew Peters voice oh your to know the voice of what you're praying for I'll just leave that right there and and when she saw Peter wish he knew Peter's voice she opened not the gate for gladness but crying out loud honey don't don't run from the answer but ran in told how Peter stood before the gate they said unto her thou art mad why do you want to give such a spiritual answer after you've been praying so long thou art mad but she she constantly affirmed that that he was even so then said they it is his angel I mean that's the prayer meeting we can't believe that God would bring the man but we believe he's got an angel God to bring anytime you'd rather seen the angel then pastor anytime you'd rather see pastors angel that's what they said I don't know what you're hearing but it can't be Peter we've been praying for that but it can't be how we've been believing for that but that can't be happening but but but sure nothing is and when they said unto her thou art mad but she constantly affirmed they said this is an angel but Peter continued knocking and when they had opened the door and saw him they were astonished and he beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of prison and he said go show these things under James and to the Brethren and and he departed and went into another city go show this to Jan because the pastor the Jerusalem church was James the half-brother of Jesus said go show this to James to the Brethren and he departed and went to another place now as soon as it was day there was no small stir among the soldiers what was become a Peter because when they all wake up shoes are gone coach gone chains laying on the floor doors open and nobody knows and when Herod had sought for him and found him not he examined the keepers and commanded they should be put to death and he went down from Judea to sister rear and their abode that's good stuff in it what amazes me about Acts chapter 12 is I've just read one through runt 1 1 through 19 and you can go on and read a little later maybe not while I'm trying to preach but read a little later how Herod blasphemes and dies but the Word of God grew and it's multiplied but I've read 1 through 1 through 19 and I've read 3 through 19 and we rejoiced over over the fact that God did it's easy to rejoice when God did it's easy to be excited that if God said it you'll do it if he's spoken he'll bring it to pass just just like what we've done for the past 10 or 15 minutes it's great to preach it's great to hear it's great to experience the testimonies of when God does but the amazing thing about Acts chapter 12 is the first two verses is when God doesn't and and it's amazing to me because the layout of it is the first two verses says verse one says now about that time Herod the King stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church and he killed James the brother of John with the sword and that's all we get because that's all dr. Luke felt to give to James death but then he gives verse after verse after verse about Peters dilemma and Peter's deliverance and angels and prayer meetings that work who were excited about that but the first two verses is when God doesn't in fact Peter's miracle of God doing it is set up by God not coming through he grabs James and he cuts his head off and when he sees that please as the people he grabs Peter and wants to do the same thing to him Peter is in jail because Herod wants to kill him because killing James was so pleasing to the people here's what I see while Peter is being incarcerated being visited by an angel having gates open of their own accord got a prayer meeting where the whole church is praying John the beloved is over here at a grave bearing his brother not right jon's over here planning a funeral seeing what songs are going to sing john's over here because see this is the James and John this is the Peter James and John that they're a part of the twelve but there's so much more than that these are the three this Peter James and John these are the three that get to go in when everybody else has to stay outside they go in where the girl is sick or as dying or his day these are the three where even when he prays he leaves this group Binodini brings these three a little further it's these three it's Peter James and John go to the mountain of Transfiguration and leave everybody else at the base of the mountain with a demoniac but they're up there and it's Peter James and John and they see Moses and Elijah and Jesus is that James it's that James that God didn't come through for it's that James that becomes a martyr it's that James that died pastor heaven never written an epistle that James with when Herod cut his head off everything James had seen with John and Peter died James and John are the sons of thunder Johnsbury in half his thunder what do you do when God doesn't what do you do when God takes your thunder what do you do when God takes that person that's been your companion what do you what do you do when when God doesn't hear the prayers of the church what do you do when while there's a prayer meeting going over here to try to get Peter out of prison John's over here taking care of Jesus his mother it says Mary I'll be right back I got to go collect James's body cuz here it just cut his head off I'll take care of you but let me go bury my brother because Jesus didn't answer we walk with Him we thought if anybody would outlive the rest it'd be us three but here it is James will never write James will never work miracles James end of ends up being that person that they'll use messages and use him as a subject that's the wing you pray and God doesn't chapter 12 proves it to us 2 vs. 2 God not doing it cuz we don't know what to do Luke didn't even know how to talk about James died he just said Herod took his head beheaded him I don't even know what to say all I can say is it's the James that was the brother of John cuz I don't know what to say when God doesn't do God's stuff what do you do when you have a plan and it doesn't come together what do you do when you when you have when you have grand things that that is has been on the agenda of your life and then all of a sudden God doesn't heal and God doesn't come through and he doesn't make a way where there seems to be no way what do you do because Peters walking with angels Oh mr. wishy-washy up and down cut people's ears off and just he's walking with angels then crying out loud he's got the keys then he's the most unstable one of us and that's God thinking he's walking with angels whole church is praying for him it's just cloud the cloud the cloud the cloud the cloud John's over here and I don't think it I don't think it just happenstance that he's called a beloved because I want to tell you some people can handle loss some people can now we understand when we go through things when the Bible talks about when we are tried and tested that we are - we are to consider how blessed we are that our faith would be tested and God would trust us with a test Dorcas and I visited with a senior lady in our church several years ago and I went dogs and I went to minister to her and when we left I was my mind was blown by her faith she said pastor I was asking God why and I want to tell you the lady has quite a history of faithfulness and and has has had every reason to throw in the towel and give up but now she's dealing with a physical ailment and she laid there in that bed and she said I was praying before you got here and I was talking to God and I said God why and I caught myself she said I was about to say God why me and I caught myself and said why not me what makes me any different than the person in the next room what makes me any different than every other child of God or every other human for that matter what makes me any different Peter goes on and we know what he does but we also know that John he got over God not coming through because he goes on to write his gospel brother whitey he writes his epistles and then he was on the Isle of Patmos by self and he said I'm here by myself but here's what he writes and I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day and John is the one who gives us the revelation it's the one who didn't get bitter when God did that like God we only have revelation because John left his bitterness at the tomb of his brother and said if I'm going to be what God's called me to be I gotta be okay come on leave me in when he's God see we only like to talk about him being God when angels are coming and when provision is being made but you got to also understand that when things don't work out the way you thought it should you got to remember that's you oh not God and he is and you have to be able to pray still I will steal when God does and win car desert I have to be willing to my bitterness and my indifference and my selfish pride aside and say God I don't know why you didn't heal my brother he saw what I saw he felt what I felt but he will never be able to tell his story because you didn't come through you know what will help us with pastors message this morning I leaned over and told Chad and Zack and I don't mean to say that disrespectfully but I said in order for us to get better the conversation has to start with us thinking we might be wrong we can fix any relationship if we go in thinking I could be wrong pastors it doesn't matter how you and I see things differently doesn't matter what may come and what may go if you and I when we sit down at the table if both of us have the mindset I could be wrong but if I go in and I'm just like a bull in a china shop I'm right they're wrong if you're not careful you'll take that all the way to the throne of heaven and you'll be standing in the presence of God saying god I thought but you got to know your Bible our thoughts are not his thoughts and his ways are night I was see see you think if your loved one dies God didn't heal them but when God looks at it he said there's always been two options I can either heal them and leave them here are healing and take them because in the eyes of God is healing either way if I heal him here you're gonna get to keep them but if I heal him and take him with me they gonna have a new body god I don't want you to take him I want you to leave him with family he said there's only two options thanks family and family see we get selfish because we want them we forget that there's family on the other side that would love see we see things so differently and we see things through that blessing Trinity of me my and I I want this I want that it must be this way and if it's not this way God's not fair and God's not right let me tell you God's never been fair but he's always just somebody needs to hear this preacher tonight you need to lean in and hear me I'm almost done hear me clearly God doesn't owe us anything come on Lee didn't hear me God does it oh you are me anything he's already given His only Son he's already given his life it's time for us to start giving back and you gotta be okay we God does and when he does not but God if you stop yourself right there and answer your prayer he's God know who you're talking to he's the Alpha and the Omega he's the beginning in the end he's the first in the last he's the author and the finisher of our faith that means he's the originator the perfecter of our faith but if you would just understand he's God you want to tell me why next door to where I live right now is the man with the most face I've ever seen of any one human being in my life who's now losing his memory and can't see and the mother with Alzheimer's and I know people you know some of them in our area that are claimed to be preachers and have lived horrible lives come on now I'm just being transparent because I want to help you I'm not worried about preaching a pretty message I want somebody to get deliverance tonight and they're walking around with perfect health no morals don't care have used the pulpit for their own gain they're walking around in perfect health I've got a mom and dad who's give themselves to the kingdom and he grieves when we can't get the TV to work so he can he can't see it but so he can just hear the message coming from the church I can't tell you how many times I've walked in there and checked on him and walked out I had to walk my way right into a church service and have to bill somebody's faith I'm saying God are you listening do you even know what's going on down here but see if I get locked up in that bitterness there's no revelation there's no direction there's somewhere we have to be willing to just let God be you want to tell me why you want to tell me why just as the work in Ireland is turning the curve and everybody that's been there comes back and says you will not believe what Scott and Pam are doing in that community you'll not believe how the Strongs are being a blessing in Ireland and how they've taken that work and it's turned the corner you want to tell me why why I can't sir what come on Scott strong to where he'd have to come home and those people beg in God to heal their pastor and there's folks at home and all around the world saying God what are you doing why can't it run so well and it looks like everything is just where it's supposed to be there are right for revival anything that something comes and God Kenny Kenny heal Scott strong absolutely Willie I don't have an answer when they ask no I don't know what to say I don't know how to explain you could help yourself and you could help your pastor if you would stop trying to get them to explain everything you're going through it's just but the beauty for us as believers we have a God to help us with what we're struggling to help us cope with I don't I don't know what you're dealing with I'm just gonna go ahead and preach all right Isaiah 57 2-1 the righteous perish and no man lay at the heart and merciful men are taken away now I'm considering that the righteous has taken away from the evil to come instead of John getting bitter at that tomb of James John had read Isaiah he says maybe God took him because there may be a test down the road that would cause him to lose his faith as this is not his will that any should perish it could be that God took him while he was ready to Mike or God took him while he was ready lest he could just live his life out and get somewhere down here and lose his faith and then lose his soul because contrary to popular belief Jesus didn't come to make you happy he came to make us holy he didn't come to give you stuff he came to give you life and not just life here but you should have abundant life here but he came to give us eternal life and when we don't understand why God does what God does you just gotta believe his word and say God you know better than I do you know the end from you see it all see God has never here or there he's present so you're worried about the bar and he's already there he's standing there that's the reason he's saying today is the day of salvation do what you need to do right now don't wait till next week don't wait don't wait for another counseling session don't wait there get to have another conversation if that person is here tonight don't wait till next week go ahead and make it right right now because God is pulling and God is pleased and he god is back and you say God why do I feel this God says because I see tomorrow I'm already in your tomorrow I'm already in your future I just got to believe I just got to believe that if God chooses to take someone look at that you got it enough dears on the back wall the righteous Pearce no man lays it to the heart I'd rather be bitter than considered God's got a plan bigger than me you know all it takes to go from bitter to better has change one letter right you take the eye out and put it in if you take the eye out all your stuff you'll get over bitter slip you a knee in there and make it about everybody else and you'll get better you start seeing things differently you start seeing things I just want to tell you here's what we're going to do because you're gonna read all through your New Testament James is not there but Peter writes about the mountain of Transfiguration and I believe pastor when he was writing he said we were told not to talk about this but now it's been some time I'm alright about it you better know in the back of his mind he remembered it was me John James I believe what it is right now he said always so James was here I wish he could see everything God's done I wish he could see how he's turned the then-known world upside down with just us handful that he hand-picked I wish he could see it but it couldn't get bitter over what James had missed because he had to go and celebrate what God was doing you want you answer here it is and this might be a time to rejoice Psalms 34 and 1 are you ready I will bless the Lord come on in I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth what do you do when God does I'm gonna bless the Lord when he does but what are you gonna do when he doesn't I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth I'm gonna bless the Lord I'm gonna lift him up when God comes through I'm gonna shout but when he does it I'm gonna steal honor heal as the Lord of my life I'm still gonna bless his name I will not charge God foolishly just because I don't understand come on we'll read it you can stand or sit that's up to you I'll bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth my soul shall make her boast in the Lord the humble shall hear their rather than be glad come on o magnify the Lord with me let us exalt his name together come on we can make him any bigger than he already is but we can make him bigger in our eyes come on open the eyes of our heart Lord God let us see that you're in control of absolutely everything o magnify the Lord with me o magnify the Lord with me can I tell you we would have never got the revelation had John got bitter at that - of his brother I'm just asking you could it be that what you're going through is the test to see if you can handle what God's got for you on down the road there could be greater things on down the road but if you can't be faithful when God does it come through how can God trust you see being tested is about God saying I may have something I want to put in your hands but I need to know can you trust me I'm hardly ever worried about folks we've got tools laying around the church I'm not worried about the folks brother chad has got a truck full of tools I'm worried about the folks who don't have any yes because that lack but let me tell you when you can take someone through lack and they prove themselves to be trustworthy when they had every opportunity to take advantage that somebody God can use o magnify the Lord with me let us exalt his name I sought the Lord he heard me he delivered me out of all my fears come on health he didn't say he was going to live you from all the things he's just go take the fear out of it I just got to believe that when John got the message that James had been killed something rose up inside of him but there's something settled him down and said hey I've got this you just do what you're supposed to do you just be a Christian you just let the Holy Ghost work I didn't give you this just so you can shout on Sunday night and we love the shadows Sunday night but let me tell you the Holy Ghost is really when Mundy slaps you in the face and when TC slaps you in the face and when we see slaps you and Thursday and Friday and Saturday and that's when you need the Holy Ghost thank God you can shout thank God you can speak in tongues but we need the Holy Ghost the work when we don't know why God's doing we need the Holy Ghost to work when we don't understand God because if you don't understand and if you don't allow the Holy Ghost to work you'll get better they look under him and we're lying and their faces were not ashamed come on now we're almost done this poor man cried and the Lord hurt him and saved him out of all his troubles exact size you know where I'm at but let me tell you it would be more trouble if I walk out of Papua and Granny's house with bitterness then what their sickness is did you follow that if I walk kind of there and get bitter and indifferent and she stopped preaching to God's a healer there's people that God's going to heal but if I get lost back here when God didn't there's people that God will miss out on healing because no one told them I just did an installation for a pastor locally yesterday and one of the tragedies tragedies of the Old Testament is Elijah did seven miracles Elijah did 14 and he stopped gheh hazeh his servant pursued the wrong things with too much zeal King joash pursued the right things without enough zeal if I'm doing my math seven twice double seven is fourteen if someone would have gotten Elijah's double portion there's 28 miracles that should have happened that's not in your Bible because somebody got lost in stuff and the other one got lost with entitlement he thought he was already a king so he didn't need a prophets anointing gheh haze' wanted possessions more than he wanted the anointing and Elijah dies a little bit bitter because nobody took his mantle what are you going through that really couldn't even be about you what are you going through that it may have nothing to do with you whatsoever it's just God saying I'm gonna walk you through this to see if I can trust you and if I can't trust you I've got a group over here that I'm gonna use you I've never seen the society this thing songs about using us and didn't complain when God does he saved me out of all my troubles the age of the Lord I'm sorry in campus roundabout film that fear him and delivered him I want you to know I don't need to be and I'm sorry to be so personal tonight not even know this wave would come homie I don't need to be delivered from my parents sickness if God gives me strength I will take care of them or either make sure that somebody does what I need to be delivered from it's my whole mind that's why I need angels right there to encounter out about me and deliver me from saying God why because I don't understand why why Oh tasted see that the Lord is good are you ready now blessed is the man that trusteth in him o taste and see o magnify come on ours you could get that we're almost Oh magnify the Lord with me o taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is that man that trusteth in him I can't go to it and talk about it because I don't want to intrude on your time but Joe 1 and 20 through 22 he says in verse 21 the Lord gave and the LORD hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord job 2 and kid says that we can't expect blessings from the Lord and not expect some things that don't go our way and the Bible said in all of this he did not sin with his lips nor charge God foolishly and I want to tell you Jove and his wife and I preached to you about that before but they they attended a funeral that had ten caskets an old sister Joe who was walking about she loves every one of them equal Joe was trying to console her she says this just quit if we quit what do we do because he was God that blessed us I don't know when I felt oh no he's too strong to reach me it was God that blessed us and if God had to give it to us we wouldn't have had it to lose that's the most powerful thing I've said all night because they once we get things from God we think they're ours and when you make it yours you stop giving glory to God and when God decides to take it away you get upset with God and God says what's the problem it's always been mine I just let you use it it doesn't matter if it was a job it doesn't matter if it was a vocation it doesn't matter if it was a gift or a talent or a calling or a child or it all came from God if God decides to take it back you and I have to get to the place where we lift up his name and bless him no matter what you say I don't understand this I'm telling you when job's friends came they tried to find sin and I believe with everything within me pastor the reason they tried to find sin is because they could not understand his allegiance there's got to be something wrong with you you can't lose everything you can't go sit down at a table that has 12 place settings and 10 of them be empty and you be okay with God you've got to have sin in your life but so job just stays steady and you get to the end of his book and it doesn't even talk about what he lost it says when Jobe prayed for his friends he said friend I'm sorry you don't understand how I'm walking through this but it's God and I'm just gonna pray for you that the Lord doesn't ever take you through anything like this that you can declare his goodness before yes to try you and then God just start spicy had had he had he cursed God we would never have even read the book of Job do you follow that the book of Job is depressing until you get to the last ten verses but because somebody held on said no harvest I have no idea when how many times he walked by those twelve grave sites place flowers there talked about all their different personalities but they walked away and said but you know God's good how do you do that preacher that's just that's just so but I know God never makes a mistake and my last scripture is Hebrews 13:15 by him therefore let us offer pastors already tested the sacrifice of praise to God continually and in case you're confused about what God's after he says that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name you and I when God doesn't come through it's a sacrifice of praise and you can't sit with your arms folded and your lips locked and give God the sacrifice of praise but I don't understand that's what I'm preaching when we don't understand you still come in and say he's still good and he's still God I don't know why he did what he did but we'll understand it better by and by the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name continue standing let me say this and I'll I'll get out of here good lord a priest an hour sometimes like more that is more in that okay you have to be okay when things are not complete you have to be okay when things are not perfect if you don't believe that it's in the first two chapters of your Bible God stepped out spoke things into existence and passed through at the end of the first day he was not finished he said that's good wasn't finished he said that's good I don't know what he did but he stepped back and came back the second day and he created some more he wasn't finished but he said that's good and all through the creation at the end of the day he wasn't finished that's good sometimes you have to be satisfied with knowing you've done all you could with the time you had and the talents you have to get done what you can get done he gets to the end he says that's very good it may not be very good yet but you got to be okay some of you can help your marriages if you could stop thinking that you're perfect and they're imperfect and just know that it's all a process none of us have arrived I don't know what this is a lot of folks said well I've got it all figured out you don't even know your Bible and I love you because the Bible says it does not yet appear what we shall we don't even know what God's got in store it does not yet appear what we shall be how do you know you're done you don't even know what you're really after but he says when when he appears we don't see it and we're gonna we're gonna know we're gonna know I don't even know how to close this you've been so kind of stand I just wonder if you're here and you've heard the Lord talk to you tonight would you just step out of your seat make your way to this front and let God do for you only what he can do cuz you're gonna go through seasons when God does and you're gonna go through seasons when God does it but you gotta say I will bless the Lord at all times his praise his praise his praise shall continually continually being downtown I will bless the Lord come all you need to lift your voice I will offer him the sacrifice of praise continually that is the fruit of our lips giving praise to his name are they shut down a lot of things in my life but I will not shut my voice I will not lock my lips as long as I've got a voice I will bless his name at all times Oh tasted see o taste and see oh magnify the Lord with me god never makes a mistake god never makes a mistake come on come on come on come on you don't always hear it in the whirlwind you don't always hear never Thunder sometimes it's just a steel steel small boys still I will trust you still I will believe some of your going through seasons you think God is already exiting the building I'm telling you God's right there he's a very present help in time of trouble he said I'll never leave you I'll never forsake you I'll go with you all the way to the I will not leave you comfortless come on he's here right now your past is about to come but God's here ash is about to come and lead you to the end of this tonight but God's here this would be a perfect time for somebody to pray not my will but thy will be done not my wheel what God does God doesn't come on all across this building lifted here's as high as you can lift them now let your voices I'll burn to God the sacrifice of praise come o sir it's been a while since you raised your voice in the sanctuary come on babe it's been a while since you really raised your voice yeah they're gonna sing it play but let your voice be louder because some of you don't know what God's up to but just remember he's God he's God he's God come on that's it the Mohawks doing it right there come on that's it sir come on student come on young person it's been a while you don't know what God's doing with your life you don't know what direction they're going but God's got it all mapped out for you if you just be led by the spirit let the Holy Ghost work for him hallelujah let me tell you something only I'll leave you to pray Friday morning in Mississippi Paul Patterson's wife was in the hotel room with her friend 48 years old Paul's wife was grew up with my youngest brother-in-law Brent Paul did his wife's 48 years old the reason they're in a motel room together is because they're getting up early to go to a princess within in a prison and when her friend goes to wake her up she's not living past away in that hotel room just before brother Jobs get ready to go minister in a prison explain that to me God God go get somebody that's not doing anything if you need a list of people to take I can give you one can I be that open with you but why I take somebody who's got their clothes PI took time off work and are going in to minister to women in a prison Wow so Paul and their six children we're gonna be without a mother because God decided to be God and do something we don't understand so what are you dealing with what are you coping with what is it that causes you to lock your arms and lock your lips and say well if God cared Fred if you don't know God cares by now he'll never be able to do anything to convince you if there's not enough in that word to convince you he's not gonna be able to send anything else to let you know he's really up I wish we lift our voices one more time it's a sacrifice of praise