Sunday Evening Worship Service

I believe God can do something in this house tonight. >> Do you believe that? >> Do you believe that? Keep that same spirit as you make your way back to your seats and you could be seated. Thank you praise team and musicians and choir for ushering us into the presence of God and setting the atmosphere. And as Pastor Whitley spoke about this morning, we uh reap the harvest of the prayers that go forth beyond uh before this service. And what a tremendous word we heard uh this morning from Pastor Whitley as we talk about simply Jesus. He made a statement this morning. You can't praise your way out of everything. Everything can't be emotion uh driven. That's not to discount praise or worship one at all. But he said some things you got to know your way out of. Some things you got to study. Some things you've got to get locked in on and your faith built up on his word for when trials come that I be not moved, I be not shaken. And Pastor Whitley, thank you uh for that tremendous sermon as we talk about the gospel in our lives. And make that statement about simply Jesus. And this is somewhat my attempt towards this similar thought that we've been preaching about as Pastor Whitley spoke about this morning. all the way back at camp meeting. Uh it just seems so such harmony from service to service. Pastor Dean and then uh Pastor George Acres ministered to us at anniversary service and just laid out such beautiful theology, such a a beautiful foundation that we build our hope in and our understanding in to navigate in the day today. and of course the tremendous Bible teaching of Bishop Mcool and preaching of Pastor Mark Mccco. I'm just I'm I'm grateful for what God is doing in our church. If you have your Bibles, turn with me. Going to read two passages of scripture. Nah chapter 1 verse 7 and Hebrews 6:19. Nah chapter 1 verse 7 and Hebrews 6:19. I want to give honor tonight to my my lovely wife. There are so many things that I wouldn't so many things is an understatement. I would not be able to do uh what I do without her and the care she gives for our our children and helps me and I try to help her, but she helps me a lot more than I'm able to do that for her. Uh but uh I love her so much and I I can never express my gratitude to know we're not in a fight or anything. I'm making up for it. I That's a pretty good idea for I'll write put that down. No. Uh but I I love her so much. Nahome chapter 1 verse 7. The Lord is good. Everybody say good. >> We're done. No. A stronghold in the day of trouble. And he knoweth them that trust in him. Hebrews 6:19, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enterth into that within the veil." I want to preach to you for a few moments tonight on the topic, an anchor for the soul. An anchor for the soul. Can we bow our heads at this time and just right where you're seated, let's pray over this sermon. Heavenly Father, we thank you tonight. Lord, we thank you for the opportunity that you have given us to assemble here together to lift up your name. Lord, I thank you for every song that has been sung, every hand that has been raised, every prayer and petition that has gone up. Lord, leading us up to your word, Lord, overlook the inadequacies of the speaker tonight, but Lord, let your word be revealed. We thank you and we praise you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And amen. An anchor for the soul. When you walk along the docks or see a great vessel out at sea, there is one tool that has not changed through the centuries of progress and that is the anchor. And we have one of those this evening thanks to brother Jason Huff. Hope make sure you get that put back on before you before you go back out. Ships today are marvels of engineering, outfitted with GPS and radar engines powerful enough to move mountains of steel through the water. Yet when the waves rise and the winds howl, none of those advances can hold a ship in place. The sailors still rely on the oldest, simplest instrument of all, the anchor. It may not look like much compared to the technology that surrounds it, but when the storm ranges, it is the anchor that keeps the ship steady. It keeps the ship secure and it keeps the ship safe from drifting off into destruction. It's striking the irony that amid satellites and sonar and computerized navigation, the anchor, an ancient simple tool of iron, remains indispensable. With all of our progress, ships still depend on it in storms. Likewise, in life's tempest, the simplest faith in Christ studies us more than all modern advancements combined. For Hebrews uses this imagery, we have this hope, an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Throughout my academic career, the majority of my writing has centered on presenting research. My dissertation in particular more closely resembles a textbook. It seems almost as though one would need to insert a coloring page or word search to entice anyone to actually read it was a joke. Driven by a desire to explore the art of storytelling, I would say I embarked on a journey, a quest to seek out famous writers, knowing and trying to see what it is they use to build the dynamics of a good story. How did they develop their characters? What made so many people want to get their hands on a particular book and read it throughout the ages to the extent that movies would be derived from it and they would be talked about and they would be studied in classrooms. I started with American literary icons F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway seeking to understand their character development, the key elements of their storylines, and as I mentioned, the overall dynamics of their works. And while reading a biography on Himmingway, I was struck by a particular strategy and a philosophy that utterly surprised me and completely placed all of my expectations and everything that I assumed about his writing on its head. For Ernest Himmingway was a master of what is called a minimalist pros. He believed that the key to overcoming writer's block or crafting a compelling character lay in the discovery of one true sentence, a simple sentence for which everything else would be built from. This is not a sentence adorned with flowery language or elaborate descriptions. This is a sentence stripped bare and built of words distilled to their pure, unvarnished truth. Nothing else centered around it to hopefully elevate it or perfume it up, if you will. All of that was removed to get down to the simple bare truth. This one true sentence is the bedrock, he said, um, on which everything else would be built. And I couldn't help in the realm of faith, this concept resonates deeply. There are times when we wrestle with doubts. There are times when we wrestle with the complexities of life. And other times we wrestle and grapple with understanding God. The Himmingway approach suggests a place to begin again. We start therefore with a single irrefutable truth. And for the purpose of this sermon, I would present to you that one true sentence of the gospel, the bedrock of our faith, stripped of any pageantry, stripped of any descriptions that would hopefully we would put to perhaps make a word even more elevated in our minds. But I present to you this statement. Three simple words. God is good. >> That's it. No qualifications, no caveats, no conditions. Three words, a simple declarative statement that tells the essence of the divine. Why this sentence? Because from this foundational truth, everything else about God flows. If God is truly, inherently, and unreservedly good, then everything he does, everything he is must align with that goodness. This isn't some naive optimism. It's a radical claim about the nature of reality. The challenge, of course, is to hold on to this truth in a face of a world that often seems to contradict it. Suffering, injustice, and pain can cloud our mind and cloud our perception of God's goodness. The power of one true sentence lies in its unwavering simplicity. And Hemingway's approach, however, demands that we resist the hedge of God is good. But it's in the simplicity. It's a stake in the ground. It's an anchor in a swirling sea of uncertainty. And sometimes it can even become a stumbling block. If we accept that God is good, if that is where our faith is built, then we must deal with its implications. If he's good, then his power is used for good. His justice is rooted in goodness. His love is an expression of goodness. and even in his silence in times of difficulty. These must be understood through the lens of goodness. Consider the implications for understanding God as a healer. If God is good, then he is inclined to alleviate suffering. Healing isn't just a random act of divine intervention. It's a manifestation of God's inherent goodness. It's his desire to restore wholeness. Similarly, if God is good, then he is a deliverer. He doesn't stand idle by when his children are oppressed or enslaved. His goodness compels him to act, to break chains, to set captives free. What of miracles? If God is good, then the limitations of the natural world are refrained. He can and does intervene in extraordinary ways, not to show off his power, but to demonstrate his love and compassion. Because why? God is good. God is good. Miracles are not disruptions of the natural order. They are glimpses into the deeper reality >> of God's goodness at work. one true sentence on one true sentence. God is good. It's it's not a theological cliche. It's a revolutionary statement. It's an invitation to see the world in our lives through a different lens. It's a challenge to trust in God's goodness even when we do not understand his ways or understand the catastrophes of our lives. It's an assertion that despite appearances, goodness will ultimately prevail. So I invite you tonight, let this one true sentence be the foundation upon which you build your understanding of God. Let it be the anchor that holds you steady in a time of storm. Let it be the lens for which you interpret every single experience, every single challenge, every single blessing. Because if you truly understand that God is good, then you know everything there is to know. Is God a healer? The answer to that is yes, because he's good. Is God able to provide? The answer to that is yes, because God is good. What about suffering? What about justice? What about God >> being able to move in my situation? Is he able to do that? >> Yes. Why? >> God is good. Oh, in our humanity and in our our intellect, we want to write out a a long apology of this is why and because of this and I've got to give some explanation for God. God is good. But we like Peter when he stepped out of the boat, took the walk of faith on the water, when he he took his eyes off Jesus, we too can take our eyes off the goodness of God and can drift off into that sea of uncertainty. My first point would be the siren song of distractions. In Homer's Odyssey, the sirens embodied a dangerous distraction. Their enchanting songs promised wisdom and pleasure, and it lured sailors to abandon their course and crash upon the rocks. Odicius, aware of their peril, plugged his crew's ears with with with wax and bound himself to the mast. They symbolize the temptations and the that divert hearts and minds from safe passage. And it remind us the deadly consequences that can take place when we get distracted by the wrong things. We're bombarded with distractions. And I think every single person under the sound of my voice, we've preached sermons on it before. And I'm not going to go into statistics about how we're bombarded with so much information, so much marketing, the cares of life, social media, news cycles, works demands, and personal obligations that all compete and vive for our attention. And these distractions are not inherently evil, but they can subtly shift our focus away from God. and they can lead us to not to get our eyes off of God's goodness. And all of these factors mixed together in the in in every single life, they can have us just drifting away. In the open ocean, even the slightest current or wind can cause a vessel to drift far from its intended course. And without an anchor, a ship may wander aimlessly pulled by the forces beyond control. And this, we've all had these feelings before where the cares of life and all of these things vying for our attention. We just feel like we're drifting away. And then something takes place. And it's difficult for me to reconcile and remember the goodness of God. Challenges, overwhelmed and troubles. Number two, the life is full of challenges. And all of these things are subsequent and they kind of build up one on one another. The uh financial struggles or health issues and relationship conflicts and global crisis can leave us overwhelmed and questioning God's goodness. It's easy to become fixated on the problems. Number three, the intimidation of theology. Moving word this properly, taking our eyes off the simplicity of God's goodness. Studying the Bible can be intimidating. complex layers of theology, historical context, symbolism, systematic theology, biblical theology, historical theology, practical theology, God's sovereignty, salvation, esquetology, apocalyptic speculation, esquetology, which deals with the end times, final judgment, the ultimate hope in Christ's return. Is it Greek or Hebrew? Is it ancient Aramaic? What's the translation? What's the interpretation? At times we can feel inadequate or confused. And this is certainly not me saying we we should roll up our sleeves and get into his word. Yet when life feels heavy, when bills pile up, when sickness lingers, when grief won't loosen its grip, all of these things just can swirl around us. One time me and Pastor Whitley were having a deep philosophical theological conversation. I'll just put it like that. And I guess we were really impressing one another with our knowledge. And I think it was uh Bishop Roland Baker from Michigan came up to us and said, "Boys, when you're when you're praying with the saint of God by their bedside when they're in trouble, they're not going to care about your esquetology in that situation." And of course, we laughed. But it's a very true statement. And all of these things can compound in the sea of uncertainty. It's essential to remember the core message of the gospel is simple. Simply Jesus. God is good and he loves us. And that's not a copout or yeah, I don't have to say that to you or a compromise for enriching yourself in God's word, but you don't need to be a theologian or speak multiple ancient languages to grasp this fundamental truth. Number four, reconciling suffering with God's goodness. Perhaps the greatest challenge to believing in God's goodness is reconciling it with the existence of suffering. If God is good, why does he allow pain? If God is good, why is there injustice? If God is good, why does evil exist? We've seen so recently the rise of political and social violence in the United States. And that certainly further complicates the lens through which we see the world. In recent months, events such as Minnesota lawmakers murdered in their own home, a woman gruesomely slain on a train, this all bookended and in the middle of school shooting after school shooting, all to the nation rattling assassination of Charlie Kirk. And this has certainly shaken us deeply. These horrific acts leave us unsettled to say the least, especially considering where they occurred. One instance, the safety of a home, public transportation. One school shooting took place in a student worship service and the next the center of a college campus where Charlie Kirk sat speaking openly about the issues of the day where he often also shared his faith with Jesus about Jesus Christ with anyone who would listen. The idea that someone in our society, a society whose very foundation is built upon the thought of open public discourse, could be slain for simply expressing their views can create profound confusion and doubt. And all of these things just take place right before our eyes on our screens. And the image of someone violently silenced for their beliefs certainly place us further out into that sea of uncertainty, grasping for answers, confusion, uncertainty, anger, frustration, helplessness, a myriad of emotions re. And this is all while you're dealing with the other things that I mentioned before. while your next swipe is some meme that's meant to make you laugh. You see the graphic gruesomeness all while your toddler tugs your toddler tugs you for a snack or while you're still carrying the stress of a busy workday and your mind just simply ask the question what is happening and it's tempting to ask how can a good God allow such hatred and violence to occur. It's tempting to qualify our statement as I mentioned earlier to add statements of like God is good but my wife showed me a quote earlier upon the assassination of her husband. Erica Kirk made the statement. She said, "Our God, you guys, our God is so good. So incredibly good." If she can say that out after the circumstances of her life, what a testimony that is to myself for whatever that may happen that regardless, I stay anchored to the statement and the truth that God is good. >> And I would ask you, let God's goodness be revealed in those who stand in the public square engaging in dialogue with people they mis disagree with. all in hope of improving communities, cities, and our nation. I had the the privilege of praying a few months ago over a county commission meeting, and I don't know if you know this or not, but pro all of those county commissioners don't see eye to eye on everything. And when I got done praying, there's a theater seating behind me that begin to fill up. And you could see that there were some people ready to ask some questions about their viewpoints. Keep in mind these county commissioners work other jobs and they were getting ready to spend a few hours hashing out everything from road conditions to there should be a stoplight here or this place should get funding here. Let God's goodness be revealed in the individuals that come together, that don't see eye to eye on every single issue, but are working towards peace and for a greater good. Let God's goodness be revealed when danger strikes, and others rush to safety. There are men and women who run toward the need. Paramedics press through the chaos. Doctors and nurses labor through exhaustion. officers. Their training is to step and go toward the dangerous uncertainty. All for the sake of lives, not their own. In such courage, we behold a reflection of God's goodness. For the love that sacrifices self for the sake of another is love born of him. Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers made the famous statement that forever sticks with me. When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say, "Look for the helpers." Their boldness, those who go towards, is a living testimony that truth is worth defending and people are worth saving. Through their service, we glimpse the heart of Christ for a trembling world.