Sunday Morning Worship Service

if you have your Bibles turn with me to uh the book of Psalms that's still still uh sinking in ACR that was like three in a row just like that um Psalm 126 and we're going to read uh verses 1- six and that get into God's word this morning I ask each and every one of us as we reflect upon our own lives we know that the path of faith is not always an an easy path and admittedly as I in Jess talked about hypocrisy it's a lot easier to get behind this microphone and preach about faith Faith at times than to step out in the everyday world and live by it uh with just complete transparency and it's our lives are often fraught with trials and tribulations and moments of profound despair in our family or ourselves personally we could face illness financial hardship relationship struggles either in a marital situation or could be something that is no fault of your own within your family where the conflict arises but that doesn't make the hurt uh sting any less it could be the weight of personal failures where shame begins to lift its head at different times in your life sometimes the burden as a combination of all of these different things that we deal with can come at us at once and we can find ourselves questioning our faith and wondering if hope still exists but I do believe through God's words overlooking the inadequacies of this speaker I believe that God's words wants to speak to those of you who are hurting today the those of you that might feel lost in the dark or maybe you have even given up on something that you've been relentlessly at one time praying for and my aspiration is to remind you of the truth of what God's word is to us and the scripture is that God is a god of restoration and that God is immutable and his promises are the same yesterday today and forever he's a god of second chances and he is a God who can do it again there's no uh diminishing return on God's mercy and Grace and on his healing power it's not something that runs out and I ask you as you reflect upon the trials of your life that at times it can seem that you find yourself in a cycle where you start to see the sun on the horizon in one situation only to be met with another Cloud coming your way wanding when there's going to be peace and soulless wondering when there's going to be that Victory where all of it is behind you a season of Despair that has no in our text today comes from the book of Psalms 126 and this is a Psalm a song A Hymn a praise of the asense these Psalms were sung by pilgrims as they journey to Jerusalem often After experiencing hardship or often After experiencing Exile and it was a testimony in their singing so we read this and and I would invite you to really follow along as we read this scripture and remember its context that it is a song it's a a testimony of a group of people who had been exiled for 70 years a whole generation and they find themselves leaving Babylon going back to their Homeland States when the Lord turned again the Captivity of Zion we were like them that dream it's too good to be true then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing then said they among the Heathen the Lord hath done great things for them they're rejoicing and shouting and even the Heathen the unbelievers could see by their demeanor and by their praise and worship that something great had happened in their life and they begin to continue in their song of Praise the Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad turn again our captivity God did it again oh Lord as the streams in the South that they that se in tears shall reap in Joy he that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall d doubtless come again with rejoicing they're going to go out sad they're going to go out in weariness they're going to go out where they have to uh when they sew their seed they're going to have to water it be with their own tears because there's no life and no water around but they're going to come back a different way bringing sheaves and harvest with them I want to preach to you from this topic this morning turn again our captivity turn again our captivity if you would put your Bibles down and let's close our eyes and let's pray over this word and pray a focused prayer over yourself at this time Heavenly Father we thank you God we thank you for the opportunity you have given us to assemble here together to study your word Lord as we look at this song God let us remember let it build our faith that what you did then is available to to us today that whatever we find oursel captive by in our life we know and you have we have faith that you can set and will set the captives free and break the chains and give us true freedom and liberty in your name we thank you and praise you in Jesus name we pray amen turn again our captivity this Psalm is talking about a specific as I mentioned historic event the return of the Israelites from their B Babylonian captivity for 70 long years they had been exiled from their Homeland and separated from their Temple and forced to live under the rule of a foreign power they had lost everything that had defined them as a nation they had lost their freedom they had lost their identity you can see this in the renaming of Shadrach meach and they had lost their identity and they had lost their sense of purpose the Babylonian captivity serves as a powerful metaphor for the struggles we face in our lives and when we looks at when we look at the type and shadows of sin in the Old Testament we know that when we talk about Egypt we talk about God delivering us from Egypt delivering us from sin Egypt being a type and Shadow of sin that God delivers us from and when we look at Babylon the very first Daniel 1 and one when we look at Babylon it says King Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it and Babylon can represent the type and Shadow of sin or type and Shadow of captivity that comes to us right where we're at right on a church pew right when you were seemingly doing everything you felt like you should be doing and in our hum Humanity at times we want to uh ask these questions of when something happens to us how am I deserving of this or I did X Y and Z and this is why this is happening to me and we try to place our human understanding on the con of life when at times things happen to us because we're human sometimes things are a consequence of sin and sometimes things are a consequence of being in this world and you do not have seemingly control over it so Babylon can represent what takes us captive while we're in Jerusalem while we're in his house and like the Israelites we too can find ourself in captivity held prisoner by circumstances beyond our control trapped as I mentioned by our own choices or weighed down by the sins of others and the sins of this world there could be many different forms of captivity in your life it could be the Captivity of loss still grieving and grieving the loss of a loved one the pain being unbearable and the future seeming Bleak as everything has changed since that moment and you feel like you are in captivity to your sorrow unable to escape the clutches of grief the Captivity of addiction a Relentless enemy that has taken hold on your life and you can feel trapped in a cycle of destructive Behavior trapped in making positive advancements only to be brought right back down and this can take such a toll on your identity in your actions and take such a toll on your self-esteem and your confidence and then feeling like you were making so much progress only to now feel as I failed and you might feel as if you're unable to break free from the chains it could be the Captivity of broken relationships marriages that have fallen apart or marriages that are having a great deal of turmoil friendships that have been shattered families torn asunder and as I mentioned at the beginning let me reiterate it it could be something that is no fault of your own and you're the one that's taken the weight on of the family trying to keep peace and trying to hold everyone together and even though you're the one that's putting in all of the effort and you're the one that's trying to mend the relationships and you're the one who is being unjustly treated by family member or friend ex or whoever it is it doesn't make it feel any less as if you are captivity because of your love and care it could be the Captivity of financial hardships not knowing how you're going to pay the next invoice that comes your way the Captivity of in uncertainty a state of waiting and at times you can get into a state where you're you're ready to face the obstacle you're ready to face the enemy but the enemy is faceless and the time is in question and you don't know what the next step is and it can just hold you back on you wanting to progress and do the things that you feel God has called you to do and last Lastly lastly the most captive is the Captivity of sin those secret battles you fight in the darkness those habits and desires that separate you from God's covenant relationship and tries to pull you away from God and you can be trapped by sin and make yourself or get you into a state of being where you feel unworthy to receive God's love and grace but whatever form of captivity whatever form that captivity has in your life the feeling is the same there's a sense of hopelessness a belief at times that things will never get better there's still a longing for Freedom the second verse of this passage said we were like them that dream they had lived with their captivity for so long and now King Cyrus was putting out a decree to allow the Jews to go back to Jerusalem and their freedom and their Liberation was being given to them but they had lived with it for so long that it was almost incomprehensible it was unbelievable to even hear or entertain the fact that I can go back home there's going to be freedom in this instance uh maybe they had to question one another did you interpret this the same way I did is it too good to be true to know that I am now able to take some steps in my life to get back to my home to get back where God called me to be to release myself from this captivity the psalmist said when the Lord turned again the Captivity of Zion we were like them that dream the return was so sudden so unexpected so miraculous that it felt like an illusion they could hardly believe that it was real many commentaries that you look at show that uh that it they were so overwhelmed that it was difficult to process but it wasn't a dream it was a reality God was intervening in their lives in a dramatic and unexpected way and he had broken the chains of captivity and he had set them free free and I came to Proclaim to you this morning that whatever captivity that is in your life currently you might have been living with it for a long time your prayers might have begin to diminish over a certain duration of time and you've become to accept the fact that this is never going to happen the way that I dreamed it would happen there is never going to be Restoration in this situation and I've given up on even entertaining the thought and the words that are exiting my lips and putting the applicability of this scripture in the context of your situation might seem kind of foolish but you're here this morning I believe because you have hope I believe because you have faith I believe because you have great expectation and the unchanging Promises of God and I Pro claim to you this morning that the same God we read about during the Babylonian during the during the Jews being released from Babylonian captivity is the same God that you serve today okay he is still in the business of Performing Miracles he can still turn your mour into dancing he can still bring light into the darkness it said then was their mouth and our mouth as they sing this song on their Ascent back to their Homeland they're singing and they're rejoicing and this dream had come a reality I can imagine as they're they're kind of maybe looking over their shoulder like is this really happening is this really taken place we've been here for an entire generation we've been here for 70 years uh is this really happened is this really the moment that we've been hoping for that we are free from this captivity free from this oppression and we're now heading back home to Jerusalem I imagine as Babylon got smaller and smaller as they got closer to their Homeland that they begin started to to rejoice and begin to shout and begin to dance we're going back home we're going back home hey kids I I know that your grandparents are the only ones that could really ever describe it to you because they were the ones that were taken captive and we're now a few Generations in but we're going back home we're we're going back home oh and it says the Heathen and and those that didn't even believe in the one true God saw the people and because of their rejoicing because of them praising because of them giving worship to God out in the middle of a desert he said God has done something amazing for them you talk about a sermon you talk about preaching there worship out in the midst of the desert on their way home taking steps to their freedom was one of the greatest sermons that was ever preached the Lord hath done great things for them maybe they're intoxicated uh we see this on the day of Pentecost as well uh uh men and Brethren they're not drunk as you suppose it's too early in the morning for that which you start thinking was he saying if you come back later they might be no that's that's not what he's saying but he they were so joyous that it it didn't make sense to the everyday normal behavior but just by seeing that those people looked on knowing that God had done something great their Joy was so profound that it could not be contained it overflowed with laughter and stong and their testimony their Declaration of God's faithfulness reached even the ear of the Heathen the nonbelievers do you see that we have an amazing ministry here at First Apostolic church called be free this is led up by uh brother Ryan sister Stacy uh George and there is they have a promo video that they made they've got they meet on midweek uh and they have classes coming up and I saw that and I said I that that's a fantastic sermon so if you allow me I'm going to we're going to play that right now because I I want you I want you to see and when I saw this I read this verse of scripture last Sunday night uh during the Sunday night service and when I saw that referee video it was like God just put it just put it together you talk about a sermon you talk about a a testimony and I'll shut up and go ahead and play Joey I know that you you've benefited from from be free and so tell me a little bit about how be free has impacted your life be free has been a true blessing in my life the one thing that's really just stood out is testify you know uh my testimony is is pretty long and um be Frey has taught me how to shorten that in the aspect of being able to share with others what all God has done for me and I must say that uh I am a living breathing walking talking Miracle you know like God has showed up and showed out in my life and that's awesome and I think what makes in my opinion what makes be free so awesome is is it's not just myself or or Sean or Brandon just giving a lesson and and having an audience but what makes that class so successful is having people kind of interact and give what they've gone through because the fact of the matter is a lot of us have gone through the very same things and so I think that's so wonderful to know that we have all gone through stuff and so by sharing our testimonies we can get we can get energized and get motivated from hearing other people who have come through those things you know I think that's I think that's a vital part of the class it doesn't matter if you're way up here the religious realm way down here where you don't even know what religion is uh dysfunction in families is um is pretty high out you know living an everyday life uh had to De with anger I had to counsel some people that had anger issues you know and so I feel like this class is really going to bring out a lot of situ reality life uh situations everybody deals with every day what we have done is we have come up with really 30 different topics that we feel like are needed and and essential in this day and age we actually we have fun back there you know we're we're loose and and and what's I think what's most awesome about it is we always say what happens and be free stays and be free if we don't have uh trust and we can't trust each other back there and know that we're not just leaving that classroom and And discussing whatever has been said um then that class really is not doing anybody any good and so I I my main focus and and and U concern is that it is a safe environment for people to share like like you mentioned we all go through different things in life and it's not all just drugs and alcohol or anything of that nature I mean depression anxiety been a good thing for me to experience and and learn from you've you've you invested yourself into the class you have spoken out you've given your testimony you know which is so God has done so much and I want to see that from in other people you know what I mean that's that's the that's the big thing that I don't want to be I don't want to be the only poster child I mean you know I want to see other people's posters up on the wall of success you know and and this is be free isly a good way to go about that every single person has a testimony every single one and we can benefit from from sharing those testimonies and even if people don't feel necessarily that this class is is for them I would hope that they would keep in mind maybe somebody that they know that they could invite and say you know what I understand that you're going through grief or you're struggling with um you a certain addiction or you just don't have enough joy in your life I just want most of all I want people to know that there is a class at fac that is there to support and a community there to build around people to help them not only just grow in God and that's our first and foremost Mission but to grow in life brother Joey is your is your mouth filled with laughter do you have a song when I see that I I can't help but think there's probably some people in his life that see him now and think man what happened to that guy I I wasn't really ever interest in church much and I didn't really have a lot of faith in God much but when I see what he's done for brother Joey there might have been times when is this really happening am am I really taking a step for I I don't know if this could even real but there's I got news for you today that whatever you're going through look right there just look right there he's still performing Miracles he can still deliver you from your captivity praise team musicians come he's going to put a song in your mouth where every single individual around you is going to know that God has done something amazing in your life and they the the word of God continues to go on he said turn turn again our captivity the unknowing need for Grace it says turn again our captivity oh Lord as the streams in the South the Israelites recognized their freedom was not a one-time event but an ongoing process we must recognize that we need God's grace every single day yes we're going to have experience of breakthrough and experience of Victory but you are not not immune to God's struggle immune to the struggles of this world and God's grace is for you every single day and you must pray that prayer especially today by whatever has you held captive to say turn again turn again our captivity and Deliver Us from the forces that seek to enslave us this phrase as the streams of the South is a reference to the Arid desert region of ngev and seasonal streams would suddenly fill water after a rainfall in the abundance of a desert because as you make your journey as you go on your journey we're going to see this passage take place in your life it says they that seow in tears shall reap in Joy he that goeth forth and weep keepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless without a doubt come again with rejoicing this is a promise stay with me just for a second this is a promise of a future reward for those who preserve and persevere in faith amidst whatever your emotions are telling you amidst whatever your struggle is telling you if you'll stay faithful God promises to deliver you and even in the mid of your suffering even when you're making steps forward you're going to find yourself in an arid region and he said even if you have to plant your seeds this is what this is saying even if you have to water your seeds with the tears that are flowing out of your sorrow if you'll put in the work if you'll stay faithful there's going to be a time where there's a holy ghost string just come flowing right in the midst of that desert and it's going to come up over that seed of Faith it's going to come over all that toiling that you've been doing and all that prayer that you've been uh participating in and all of the sudden there's going to be a great harvest out in the middle of your desert there's going to be chains broken there's going to be Freedom had and God is going to move for you in the midst of your darkest place he said ask God God to restore the fortunes ask God to bless you like the streams of ngev the streams that flow through the desert the psalm encourages people to plant seeds even if it's your tears that you have to have to water them with stand with me and it Psalm conveys the idea that God will never ever forget his promise and his grace and his Mercy is greater than any captivity that is Tak taken place in your life and so it leads us up to this point what's my next step for ultimate restoration what's my next step to leaving Babylon behind and getting freedom from that captivity I hear you saying it and I want to believe it but I'm still at I'm still at verse two I'm still like that person that just dreams about it take a place I'm a little hesitant I'm a little hesitant to even entertain the thought because I don't want to get my hopes up I would tell you right now get your hopes up get your hopes up shortly after we would see a prophecy from Isaiah saying there would be one who would come and he would be specifically sent to set the captives free oh but there would be hundreds of years where this would be read aloud in worship there would be a man named Jesus who would step up into the synagogue and say the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted to preach Deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the Blind and set at Liberty them that are bruised to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and then it says as he closed the book that's what you need to hear now is the time is what he's saying and he gave it again to the minister and sat down and the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened to him and they begin to say unto them this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears I want you to know that this day the scripture is fulfilled and through the name of Jesus Christ you have a healing you have the ability to have your chains broken you have the ability to be released from the Captivity that holds your life so if the sun sets you free you will be free indeed Danny Livingston wrote the words of this song said he's still in the healing business he can still make the blind see my God he still listens he's more than a mystery oh he's revealed himself to us he died for our sins and he rose from the grave he's the same God that he was back then and if you believe you'll find he can do it again when it comes to the healing power in jesus' name some things never change I want you to know this morning that his Miracle working power has never changed his chain breaking power has never changed if you need to be released from the Captivity in your life I wouldn't wait another moment I would step forward right now and say God heal this relationship God heal my body God put the pieces back together oh I believe that there can be Restoration in this situation oh I I know it might seem foolish oh I I know that it might seem just like a dream but God I believe that you can do it right now and if you've got a testimony and if God's ever done something in your life you you better be the first one up here saying look what he did for me look what he did for me because he can do it for you destroying my enemies all fear and shame at the of Jesus setting me free weeping may for a night but joyes in the morning un of Glory his power is real it's not just a dream it's not just a dream it can take place for you today you came here today because you have hope you showed up today because you have faith why not try why not ask him say oh in the name of Jesus right now Break These Chains of captivity that are hold of my life oh right now in the name of Jesus put the pieces of my family back together if you haven't repented of your sins that's the first step right now say God I'm tired of this sinful way and his mercy and his grace when you apologize for the sins in your life he's going to wash it away tears you will in Joy tur your morning into what you tears you're Dan what you in tears you're going toap it Joy your morning what you tears [Music] morning tears morning [Music] tears [Music] Jesus tears you will in Joy turning your morning into your [Music] [Applause] [Music] morning say joy joy somebody get joy back in their life right now somebody get joy back in their life right now [Music] I wonder if somebody who God's done something for in their life I wonder if just by yourself You' lift your hands and if it if it's not good enough if he hasn't done something good enough then don't it don't but if he's done something good enough I wonder if you'd step out of your comfort zone for just a second and say God you've been so good to me oh I can't stand still oh I got to wave my hands to you Lord oh you've just done too much for me Lord I Thank you for what you've done in my life I thank you for what you've done in my family's life oh I thank you for bringing me out I thank you for restoring I thank you for healing my body oh and I believe it's a testimony for someone else oh it's not just a display of emotionalism but it's a conscien just understanding and an intellectual understanding that God's done so much for me that I just can't stay where I'm at I can't stay where I'm at I got to share it with somebody else [Music] yes danor into [Applause] [Music] into into [Music] joyy joy joy Jo Jo Jo Joy Jo Jo Jo Joy Jo Jo [Music] what you so in tears you will reap in Joy turning your morning into dancing what you so in tears you're going to re enjoy turning your morning into [Music] danar tears you're going to re Jo turning your morning into what you tears you will Joy tur your morning into Dan you tears [Music] tears Joy your morning into tears you will your [Music] morning tears you [Applause] [Music] willrow into Jo [Music] Jo Joy Jo Joy Jo Jo Joy Jo Jo Jo Joy Jo [Music] everybody say Joy say [Music] Joy that's so close to Joey I just got to give praise uh nothing like a good testimony makes you want to testify I hope you heard what brother Joey said that he didn't want to be the only poster child see when God brings Deliverance to your life you want everybody else to experience it you want everybody else to have the same deliverance and joy that Joey had now I don't mind tell you brother brother Stan sister marra we prayed a lot of prayers for that gentleman we prayed a lot of prayers for that lady right there we're seeing the fruits of prayer look don't ever stop praying don't ever stop believing God has Deliverance God has joy for you hallelujah