FAC Quarantine with Zach Hammond

I'll take you this evening to psalms chapter 23 a familiar passage maybe you've sat down on the couch maybe you are just watching on your phone and you don't have your Bible with you you could quote this with me even if you don't have your Bible if you've been around church any amount of time if you've lived in this area and been around just maybe you were in a coffee shop or you were in a restaurant you probably would have seen this on the wall somewhere maybe painted or post it as a picture and it's a very popular song written by David and we see starting in verse number one we'll go all through verse number six says the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want he maketh me to lie down in green pastures he leadeth me beside the still waters he restores my soul he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake and yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I'll fear no evil for thou art with me and thy rod and thy staff they comfort me they'll prepare us the table before me in the presence of my enemy thou anointest my head with oil my cup runneth over surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever why don't you wherever you're at right now just lift your hands close your eyes and let's pray that God would speak to us this evening God we love you though we think we're so thankful at this time to be able to go to your word to be able to share a time even though it's through the web together in your word god I pray that it would fall on good ground tonight God that we would prepare our hearts that we would clear our minds of all distractions Lord and that you would speak through my mouth God and that you would anoint your your word this evening that we would grow in you as the body of Christ in Jesus name we pray and everybody say Amen together on the other side of that screen it's crazy how times change we value what we used to have sometimes and the old saying goes you don't know what you had until it's gone and that can be said for a lot of things over the past few weeks I know that talking to many different people and many different situations I know just a hobby of mine I grew up playing sports and watching sports and those sorts of things I've seen all kinds of different means and different things thrown up by different people that they don't know how to live without tuning into SportsCenter in the evening after their days settled down and maybe ma'am you're used to going to a certain place to do a little shopping each week or maybe you're even uncomfortable going to the grocery store and you're sending somebody to get those things for you or your door dashing all of a sudden all your food and you haven't left the house and you're really getting to know those people that that you live with and only see for certain hours of the day now you're confined there with them all kind of things have changed and I begin to think of just a time in my life where now it has changed especially for young people we talked about this a little bit a few weeks ago in strong tower students as we with our strong tower students as we gathered but it's like in daycare when we were growing up I used to do any and everything my parents had a daycare there at the church in Georgia where I grew up and and I used to do any and everything to get out of nap time I would come up with excuses I would go clean I would go sneak here I would hang out with this person to go work or do anything to get out of nap time because I didn't want to take a nap I would go sit in the office I would go do whatever I had to do to not have to lay down and and and sleep with all the other kids but how things change right because a lot of times now I'll be trying to get a hold of a young person mid-afternoon or I hear it from young young people all the time and maybe even some older of sense that man I'd love to just take a nap I don't know what I'd do without my Sunday afternoon nap if I don't get me a nap been out about I'm seven or eight o'clock rolls around I turned into a different person how the times change them you wish you could have that nap back on many days that you got during that day care time and and I I looked at this scripture here that the psalmist wrote and he says that he maketh me to lie down the keyword there that we want to focus on for this evening is he makes me lie down in the rest of this passage we don't see quite the same cadence we don't seem quite the same wording he leads me but I have to follow he anoints me he restores me he does so many things but we find here in the beginning of this passage that he's not asking or suggested or telleth or advised it but he maketh me to lie down life is sometimes whether we realize it or not not all about activity and work and go and go and serve and push and run and move and be on the go but nature itself teaches us the necessity of inactivity that as even we just came through in during a time of what we call winter void of growth and vegetation and a few long long months of here in the beautiful smoky mountains of where the leaves fall often there is no fruit on the tree and the winner is however not a mistake it's a time that we know living as humanity in our world that seasons must come and seasons must go and what the tree is at rest it is not a lost time but it is a time where it must revitalize and it's preparing for new growth here as the spring comes and things begin to bud and things begin to grow sometimes we have to have a time where we lay down we lay dormant sometimes it's happened in people's live we see it in Scripture it happens by affliction it happens by sickness it happens by death sometimes death comes knocking on your door trouble comes knocking on your door the scripture says that in this world you will have trouble you will have tribulation but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world it's going to come to your door affliction and pain and heartache and trouble times that you didn't see we're coming that you didn't expect that Cove in nineteen and this virus would spread and all of a sudden students should be at home instead of here with your class you would be parents there with your your your family or stuck senior Saint there it's your home not being able to do the things that you wanted to do vacations have been put off all kinds of parties and gatherings and events we know of weddings that had to be put off and we know that weddings that had to be cut down of number and size things that have been planned for months all of a sudden put on pause because God sometimes needs us as now not just the church not just the United States of America but the world to say hey hold on let's lie down here for a second let's slow down here for a second even the largest industries such as Apple shuts down stores malls closed down the industries that we're thriving just weeks ago have been made to lie down even in green pastures we are our economy everything around seem to be booming seem to be thriving we had all kinds of top numbers that we've touched some of the greatest numbers and the greatest peaks that we've seen in years but now all of a sudden we need to just lie down which means no matter what it looks like around us no matter what we've had scheduled what sports season it is how much money we're making at the time what tests what accomplishment what things were going on in our life God says you just need to lie down there's an extreme change that comes in a person when they are forced by something outside of their will to do something they didn't plan on doing we've been made to lie down here in our world there's some things that happen when we're made to lie down it strips us of our self and our pride it humbles us it puts us in a place of regard there's equality and those who are made to lie down if you think about it when we lay down everybody becomes the same I don't know if you realize it or not but every church in America just got the same size every church in America just got the size of your home place when I look across there's no big churches right now there's no big gatherings right now there's no shots of thousands of people even if I walk out right now there's no comparing yourself among yourself you're not being peer pressured into doing something it's just you whoever's in your home and pretty much this you and God everybody becomes equal nobody's taller nobody's being able to look across and it's a humbling experience when we lie down it puts us in a place where we have to be honest with ourselves that it gives us a new perspective you see life in a totally new way over the past couple weeks you begin to gain appreciation for simple pleasures it's soft in your hearts it's maybe open blinded eyes and areas you're seeing your family in a new light we see miracles and and wonders that now all of a sudden that we really don't we're not able to take responsibility before because this position then produces so many questions why what who Lord what are you trying to tell me we've got to focus on what God's telling us and what God's speaking to us and what God's doing rather than us just trying to get through this time it's a yielding position many people get here and they get to a place where they say I'll do anything to get up growing up in a pastor's home I've stood with my my grandfather instead with my father and my father-in-law many different ones over the years and seen where people will make dying confessions or they'll say if pastor of if the Lord will just heal me I'll never miss a day of church in my life if the Lord will just heal me I'll get my life back right with God if the Lord have just healed me I'll make it right with my family if the Lord will heal me I'll do anything to get up because it puts you in a position where you begin to see things correctly it's a position of promise valve's covenants dedications it's a position of reverence it's a position of resolves that if I get down on one knee I am submitting myself to you if I if I lower myself it's a position of examination it brings the past into focus it calls us to review to research our life instead of sometimes standing next to each other and comparing ourselves and getting so caught up in the moment we could be made to lie down and put things into perspective I know sometimes it can be a lonely position you feel like where you're at right now you feel secluded I need the connection I know some of you have that personality you just need to be with somebody and doing something at all times well I want to challenge you that this is a testing position for you because it's not all about what everybody thinks it's not all about the approval of other people but if you can get the approval of God where you're at right now your covenant with God and your covenant man works together and I believe that if we get right with God and we get our eyes fixed on God and we set our eyes on on the heals to which our help comes from that I believe that everything else will work out I believe that Kovan night team is gonna work itself out I believe that our relationship with others are going to work out church families pastors that are out there that are worried about your congregation worried about your building worried about that note that you need to pay off let's lift our eyes to the heels from which our help comes from and let the Lord take care of the rest I believe with faith right now that God is speaking comfort he's speaking hope he's speaking alive to a situation because he's caused you to see things correctly 2nd Timothy chapter 4 and verse number 5 says but watch down in all things Durer affliction do the work of an evangelist make full proof of thy ministry right now make full proof of your ministry find out who you are because here's the thing that I am worried some of during this time as humanity seems to fail the test when made to lie down I I can't stress it to you enough of what the psalmist is saying the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want for he maketh me to lie down in green pastures he's talking about the sheep and the shepherd there's three things when it comes to a shepherd success of causing the Sheep to lie down number one is the flock has to be full if the flocks not full they're going to wonder number two is there can't be any friction among the flock if there's friction among the flock they'll scatter they'll separate they'll distance themselves from the rest of the flock and ultimately from the shepherd and number three is there has to be no fear we have to eliminate all fear these sheep are defenseless they have no way of defending themselves other than to run to scatter to wonder so if there's any of the three elements the Sheep will not lie down no matter if it's in green pastures if you've led you beside the still waters they're not going to lie down unless there's three things that's been removed then the Shepherd finds success and causing the Sheep to lie down so in this time where we've been made to lie down we must remove fear we must remove friction and we must remain full you say well how do I do that we must stay in God's Word his scripture said is the bread of life that we have to stay full of his word we're going to be encouraged would be spoke to you so I can't hear God's voice well you can every single day by opening up the Word of God if you've got any friction among you and whether it be a family member or a brother a sister somebody in the church somebody on your workplace your job make it right today make it right call them ask for forgiveness make sure there's nothing in your heart against anybody there can't be any friction among the flock and most of all in these trying times we must remove all fear we've got to get that spirit of fear of thinking that something's going to come and attack us or something's going to come after us and we've got it in our hearts that we want to to wonder or stray from the the only thing that is truly certain right now and that is that God is God that he's not going to fill us that he is the only hope that we have he's the only thing certain in these uncertain times and so we must if we're going to to make it through this time we can't be full of fear we can't have friction with one another and we must remain full of God's Word so when we let God be God lying down is not a forceful thing when we are full when we are without friction and we are without fear it's easy to lie down the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want you may have some things you want but when it comes to God he says you'll never be left wanting Paul said and my God will supply every need according to his riches in glory and I don't know about you but there's nothing that I need that God don't have in other words you might think that you want some things or you might see sometimes through your fleshly eyes that you think you need something but all I need is what he's got for me and we see constantly that in Scripture we see constantly through the Word of God that everything I need he has if you the scripture says who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much the more as your heavenly Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask I challenge you this evening gather your family in if you're troubled if you feel like that you're in need of something call upon his name pray about it rather than just talking about it pray about it rather than just worrying about it stay full of God's Word because everything you need he's got we can stay full and it makes it easy to lie down but we've also got to be without friction he leadeth me beside the still waters he restoreth my soul he leads me down a path of righteousness for his name's sake because if we focus on who we're following it eliminates friction keep your eyes on Jesus stop looking around stop comparing ourselves among ourselves and if we focus on the shepherd if we focus on God during these times it's going to be easy to lay down and the last without fear as you as you know we got fear it's easy to flee it's easy to run it's easy to run from God without fear scripture says yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me I don't know about you but that comforts me to know that yea though I walk through a valley yea though I walk through a moment that's uncertain right now I walk through a time where I don't know if I'm gonna get it or I don't know if I'm not gonna get it but I know that our world is being affected that I walk through the valley of the shadow of death and and he is with me and he comforts me and his rod and their staff I believe right now that there's believers whether you have it or you don't have it whether your world's been shaken or your world's been rocked or it has it been yet that I believe that there's a rod I believe that there's a staff in the midst of your problem that is protecting you that's pushing back the things that sure may be worried about so right now find comfort in the shepherd don't have fear his rod and this staff they comfort you but here's the problem here's the thing that I worry so much in this time I've seen it everywhere I've even seen it on Billboard's and I've seen it posted and posted hosted and mentioned and mentioned and mentioned faith over fear faith over fear faith over fear and I am all about that but there's just a few a handful of scriptures that talk about that spirit of fear and anxiety and worry but my when we examine the scriptures how many scriptures are written how many words are written that says fear the Lord Old Testament to New Testament so let's be careful during these times that we don't remove the right kind of fear because the that fear is the beginning of knowledge in that same rod that drives me that same rod that corrects me if I lose the fear of God I immediately take on the spirit of fear it cannot protect you if it is not prodding you so if we remove the wrong type of fear and right now I believe that more than ever before we have a spirit of rebellion on not just our teenagers and not just our students but on our world because they don't fear anybody or anything I believe that the fear of God has left the building more than the church is outside the building I believe we live in a world that is without fear of anything we better have the fear of God in our lives if we want the rod of protection we must have the rod of prodding and know that if we fear the Shepherd if we respect the Shepherd you're not gonna listen to anybody you don't fear you're not gonna reverence anybody you don't fear so yes you're gonna be full of the spirit of fear if you don't have a god-fearing reverence inside of you so I challenge you this evening get on your knees reverence God put him in a place so that he could put you in a place understand who God is in your life and have a fear of God yeah we've removed fear all right we've got churches that haven't mentioned hail in the years we've got people who don't want to talk about Hell they don't want to talk about the wrath of God they don't want to talk about that fear they want to remove fear and ultimately we've tried we keep trying to remove anxiety in that spirit of fear but that's period of fears never going to go until we have the reverence and the fear of God we've got to be full of his word we've got to be full of his spirit but we've got to be without friction among one another most of all during these times yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will have no fear because his rod and his staff they comfort me now anointest my head with oil surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life I don't know about you but you may feel like oh well I'm worried on every side you get the rod and the staff in front of you and you got surely goodness and mercy following up and then taking up the rear you got it on every side of you that if you will just know that He is God and He is your shepherd you don't have to worry about anything I've got protection on every side and it's a good good protection it's like none other it's never going to leave us it's never going to forsake us Psalms chapter 63 and verse number 6 since I remember the upon my bed Jonah 2 and verse number two says I cried by reason of affliction I've seen many people for whatever reason and now it seems like the whole world has been put on our backs where we see more than ever before the true perception of what's what's reality and what really matters I've gotten text message and phone call after phone call from students that used to attend this church students that used to attend this school hey brother Hammond some of them said hey coach hey could could could we set up a Bible study after all this is over yesterday afternoon we had somebody baptized in Jesus name refill filled with the baptism the Holy Ghost stirs there's people that are seeing now more than ever before because they've been made to lie down and all of a sudden their perception has changed look at this with me John five we find the Pool of Bethesda 38 years he was laid by that pool he lived in the Brotherhood of the blind the halt and the withered he lived in fear loneliness promises of hopelessness and question after question after question but one day we see recorded in Scripture he says rise take up your bed and walk five times in Scripture that phrase is recorded rise take up your bed and walk and that day he took up his bed to walk so I closed this evening to give you those words rise because you're gonna rise whether you see the light at the end of the tunnel right now I believe that God's calling us sounds a lot like take up that cross and follow me but he's saying rise take up thy bed and walk he's saying come and follow me because when you take up your bed you're gonna need this bed again because trouble is not over trouble is going to come again but here's the powerful thing for a Christian I've got this bed just like I've got a cross and I know that no matter what I go through he's already overcome it no matter what I go through he's already taking care of it and I've got hope not because of my past but more because of my future and I know that no matter what I'm going through that I'm gonna make it through and I've read the back of the book and I've got a bed to remind me that he brought me out of darkness into this marvelous life he took on a cross of shame and guilt and sickness and all the things that were going to be rid of when we walked through the gates of heaven yes I lay down to repent I lay down to rejoice because I know he died for me he's already been through suffering he's already been through all the things that I'm dealing with right now of guilt and shame and condemnation that things that want to come and hover over me at the in the evening time where I try to rest and I try to lie down but I'm telling you today it don't have to be a forceful thing you don't have to feel forced into lying down this evening it can be an easy thing we've just got to remember when I had nothing remember when I was a nobody some of you need to tonight you need to find an altar you say well brother ham and I'm not at church I can't get to that altar no and altars where you make it Abraham made it in the mountains they made it in the wilderness you set up an altar right there on that couch you set up an altar right there in that living room and you let your children you let your wife you let your family you're a young person you get down in front of your parents right now and you build an altar before the Lord and you remember that if it wasn't for God you remember right now as he puts you on your face in the mid of Kovan 19 that if it wasn't for God is without God that I am nothing that I am lost that I am a sinner set on path on pace and set on a path for hell that I've got to see what God's trying to allow me to see during this time what a sight it would have been in the eyes of heaven he says that he rejoices over one sinner that repenteth know that they're all of heaven begins to rejoice that all of heaven goes crazy we truly want to see tonight what the church looks like is I believe right now if we could all get down on our knees and it's not me but you not me because God made us but because God got God's filled us with something and we removed all friction and we're without fear because we we've got a rod and a staff and we've got a shepherd who's gone before us and it's mercy and goodness or following us and we understand the night there more than ever before that dust I came from and a dust I'm going to return so understand this evening I warn you under the sound of the voice of the Lord this evening as you sit in your home or you sit behind a screen that there's coming a day and you better believe if his word is forever settled in the promises of God and yes and amen that if he's done all the things he's done for you and he's fulfilled those promises and he's fulfilled those prophecies that he's coming back and he's coming back very soon and from dust you came and to dust you shall return one day you've made your bed and you're going to lay in it so I challenge you tonight get down before God get down before God find an altar and let him be with you during this time where he's made us to lie down I wish you'd bow your heads and if you would I know you say well pastor that we're brother brother Hammond that's that's awkward student pastor that's that's awkward young person I challenge you I don't know if you're you're in your car I don't know if you're in your bedroom I don't know where you're at but if you get down on your knees before God right now and allow God to speak to you you say well I don't really know what to say I've got so many things going through my mind I've got so many worries I've got so many thoughts I challenge you just to be steel and to let him be a shepherd I challenge you to let him just remove all fear and let his presence sweep into that room God right now in the name of Jesus I pray God over Fabri family God over every person that is watching on the other side of that screen god I pray that if ever before if there's ever a time where we need you we need you right now in this country god I believe that the church is going to rise in this moment God through social media God through being able to video in our anointed tech team that's upstairs is streaming this god I pray right now that you would loose God that you would deliver that you would take oh god fear and anxiety out of homes god I pray that somebody's watching right now that is quarantined to their home because they have kovat 19:00 that the blood that flowed from your side's there from the from the stripes of your back it would speak right now in the name of Jesus I pray healing over the state of Tennessee in the name of Jesus I pray healing God over Oh God the United States of America over every continent I pray that you would heal Oh God laundry God for your glory God so that so that we could see God your power manifested God once again it's not by our might God it's not by our power but it's by your spirit let the Lord touch you right now in your home I pray that he spoke to you but don't let it be a forceful thing to be made to lie down he maketh me to lie down in green pastures god bless you this evening we love you we're praying for you