The title of my sermon is simply this, the power of Psalm 34, the power of Psalm 34.
Psalm 34 is a chapter that I've been thinking of lately, and when I started as a new Christian,
I wanted to grow, I wanted to be a strong Christian, I wanted to get into it right away,
so I went up to my pastor and I started asking him, what should I start memorizing?
I want to start memorizing some scripture, what do you recommend, and he recommended
Psalms 1.
He's like, start memorizing Psalms 1, and I don't know how I did it, I'm still trying
to figure it out, but somehow I'm able to remember it even 15, 16 years later, and I'm
able to just quote it without even struggling.
I could do it while doing push-ups, I guess, while running, while holding the kid, throwing
the kid up in the air, I could do it if I wanted to, any time, any place, anywhere.
But as I thought about it, when I started getting these emails from 18, 19-year-olds,
and they're like, hey, I listened to Pastor Anderson, I just got saved, where should I
begin?
I know I need to read my Bible, but I also think I need to memorize some scripture, what
do you recommend I should start memorizing right off the go?
And when I thought about it, I thought about Psalms 34, because it has a lot of power,
you probably noticed it as they're reading it, if you read along, you probably saw some
scriptures that are like, wow, I need that, that's what I need to remember, who thought
that as they were seeing it?
And it's a very powerful chapter, and it's one thing that I highly recommend if you don't
have it memorized, start working on it, I'm like on verse number four, I can go for one
all the way to four without even trying, but let's look at Psalms 34, because I want to
be a blessing to you guys tonight, and I think this will help you, especially if you're a
new Christian, it'll help you to get your life straight as a new believer, if you're
not sure what to do, where to go, this will give you some tips on how to live the Christian
life, how to live a successful life so God can be on your side, let's take a look at
it really quickly, let's start with Psalms 34, verse one, it says this, I will 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 thereof, and be glad, oh magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
So why do I love Psalms 34?
Well, number one, and just to give you a heads up, Psalms 34 is not this amazing chapter
that has amazing prophecies or anything like that, it doesn't even have these amazing stories
or talks about anybody per se, but it does have a lot of power, and this is the one reason
that I love it is because it's a book that just reminds you, it just reminds you of things,
and you're like, oh yeah, oh yeah, it's not something that's going to really teach you
anything amazingly new, but it's just a reminder to everybody tonight, and that's what I'm
here to do.
My sermon is more like a reminder of things that are very important to God, things that
could even save you, save you from being destroyed, but let's take a look so you can see what
I mean.
So right off the go, what is Psalms 34 teaching someone?
Let's just say somebody just got saved, and they don't know what to do, they don't know
where to begin, well this helps them to realize something that's very important, and that's
blessing the Lord, blessing the Lord, and it says down here, I will bless the Lord at
all times, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, I don't want to read the other
two verses, but is that you?
Can you say that's me?
I want someone that's continually blessing the Lord with my mouth, could you say that
right now?
Could you say that today?
Could you say that yesterday?
Could you say that a month ago?
You know, am I a person that if somebody were to say, hey, would this be a person that blesses
the Lord at all times, would you consider this person to be somebody that blesses the
Lord at all times, or is this somebody who you barely even know, even praises the Lord
at all?
Now I don't want to like expose anybody, but you know, this is not a verse that's teaching
you that you should just be hallelujah, amen, every single hour, every single minute of
the day.
The reason I have to bring that up is because it was somebody who was, I guess we can call
him hyper-spiritual, and he was doing it at church, he was doing it outside of church,
he was doing it at work, and it was almost to the point where I believe he even lost
his jobs a few times, and people would say, look, what's the deal, well the Bible says
that everything has bread, praise the Lord, praise the Lord at all times, amen, so when
the boss would ask him something, hey, can you just sweep the floor, hallelujah, praise
the Lord, amen, I will.
You know, let's get it to that degree, you know, and it's like whoa, you know, it's like
hey, go talk to this customer, go talk to the customer, you know, hey, I just want to
know where this at, it's over there, let me show you really quickly, it's right down here
in this aisle, hallelujah, praise the Lord, he showed me how to get it there, you know,
so this individual, I believe last time I heard of him, he did lose his job, but at
least he got a perfect job, he ended up being a truck driver, now you can hallelujah, hey
man, praise the Lord all day long, you know, so God got him a perfect job for him, you
know, but this is not referring to just praising the Lord like every second, every day, that
would be great if he could, but physically we all know it's impossible, common sense,
that's not something you should be doing because if you do this at your job when you're getting
paid to maybe do cable or maybe do carpet or whatever the case may be, I'm not saying
enough to do it during your break, I'm not saying enough to do it during your lunch,
but hey, if you're getting paid to do a certain job and all you're trying to do is evangelize
in your own eyes and you're just hallelujah, amen, all day long, that's not what this verse
is talking about, what this is talking about if you have your Bibles, go to Job 120, go
to Job 120 while I talk about the other verses, it's great to praise the Lord and we should
be those people that can say, look, I'm going to strive to praise the Lord at all times,
but what does that get to mean by all times, I believe it's talking about the good times
and I believe it's talking about the bad times, it's very easy to praise the Lord, amen, things
are going well, praising him all day long, but what happens when bad things happen, what
happens when maybe what you wanted just isn't happening, whatever it may be, financial health
wise, who knows, what if things start going downhill, can it be said of you that you're
still praising the Lord, can you look at yourself in the mirror and say, look, I am just grateful
regardless of what happens, if you're right there in Job 120, I'll just go over verse
2 one more time where it says, my social maker boasts in the Lord, boasts in the Lord, the
humble shall hear thereof and be glad, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name
together and that's what church is going to help you do, exalt his name together, that's
one benefit of coming to church, you can't do this if you're just watching it on the
internet, who are you going to really exalt it with, you really cannot, but go ahead and
look at Job 120 and if you don't know about Job, you're maybe that new, well this is where
Job obviously is being tested by God because the devil, you know, God told the devil, have
you seen my servant Job, there's none like him on the earth, oh yeah, the only reason
he serves you is because you're blessing him, well you know, but go ahead and take everything
that he has, it's going to curse you through your face, well go ahead and do it, just don't
kill him, well let's start at verse number 20 where it says this, then Job arose and
rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground in worship and said naked
came out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return thither, the Lord gave and the Lord
has taken away, and what does it say right there, blessed be the name of the Lord, and
what does Psalm 34 once say, I will bless the Lord at all times, at all times, it's
easy when things are going good, thank you Lord, hallelujah, amen, praise the Lord, thank
you, thank you, thank you, thank you, but when bad things start happening, can you still
do the same, can you still remember that hey, it is good to bless the Lord, good or bad,
Job's a perfect example, that look, it went bad, his business, his friends, his children,
imagine that, his children, having to dig one out one by one, all ten of them, and imagine
having to bury them, and still being able to say blessed be the name of the Lord, that's
a perfect Christian, that's a mature Christian, he wasn't a hothead because look what it says
right there, and shaved his head, he didn't just like explode once bad things started
to happen, it takes a little bit of time to shave your head, now who's shaved their head
before, I have, it doesn't take five minutes, or ten minutes, especially when you have to
get the mirror and do the backside, right, right, did I get it all, and then when you
think you got it all, hey you missed a spot, ah, you're like ah, back to the mirror, but
it just shows that he was a perfect man, he held his peace, hey, he ended up just shaving
his head, I guess he felt he needed to do that, but he ended up blessing the Lord, and
that was probably as difficult as it gets, that's as difficult as it gets, you know,
but if you can, go to Jeremiah 9, go to Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 23, while you're going there,
I'm gonna read from 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 31, they said that according as it
is written, written where, in the Bible, Paul's obviously gonna quote something from the Bible,
that's where it is written usually refers to, he that glorieth, what does it mean to
glory, that's another way of, because you can say boasting, you know, because blessing
just means that you're exalting someone or something, you're kind of bragging about it,
you're glorying in it, and even right there in verse 2 where it says my soul shall make
her boast, boast in the Lord, that's like glorifying, or taking glory in the Lord, it
says as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord, well where is this
written at, this is from Jeremiah chapter 9, hopefully you're there, Jeremiah 9, 23,
this is what we should be glorying in, if we're gonna brag, if we're gonna boast, like
it says in verse number 2, my soul shall make her boast in the Lord, you know if we're gonna
bless the Lord at all times, we need to know exactly what to bless him about, and we shouldn't
be blessing him in the sense that we're bragging about what we've done or what we've done for
him, but let's take a look right here at Jeremiah 9, gives an idea of what we should be boasting
in or glorifying in, it says, thus say the Lord, so this is coming from the Lord specifically,
this is what he wants from every single one of us, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches,
but let him that glorieth or is boasting glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth
me that I am the Lord, which exercises loving kindness, judgment, righteousness in the earth,
for in these things I delight, saith the Lord, now it's a new Christian, I was even asking
A, how do you pray, how do you begin your prayer, and my pastor back in Northern California
says, look, the first thing I do is I adore God, he used an acronym that was the acronym
ACTS, A-C-T-S, and it would say the first thing I do is I want to spend at least five
minutes just adoring God, just thanking him, and here's some things to thank God for, his
loving kindness, his judgment, his righteousness, you know, his judgment is great, because if
he gave us what we deserve, guess where we would all be, and let's never forget that,
you're like, God, you know, I want this, I want that, what's up, why aren't you blessing
me, well, if he actually gave you what you deserve, you know, you kind of straighten
up a little bit and not cry about what you don't have and kind of realize, hey, I have
a lot from God already, you know, I'm lucky if he gives me more, you know, but just looking
at these verses, A, he's telling the wise guy, hey, you're wise, understand, but don't
get all crazy about that, don't get all glory and self-righteous over that, it tells the
guy that obviously has riches, A, yeah, you're rich, but that's nothing to glory about, you
know, if you're going to be excited and boasting and bragging about something, it should be
that you know the Bible very well, but that's not what the world would say, you know, especially
if your parents don't really understand what, you know, true success is, you know, finding
the will of God and doing it, you know, they'll say, hey, you know, my son is this guy, my
son makes this much money, my son does this, you know, what does your son do, well, my
son works for a church, you know, he knows the Bible, but I understand it's not like
making money, you know, it's not like making, you know, or it's not like he has a big education
or anything, so for us, you know, knowing the Lord, knowing the Bible very well, A,
that's something to get excited about, that's something to thank God, A, Lord, thank you
so much for giving us the wisdom or giving me the wisdom or whoever has wisdom, you know,
to know the Bible like I want to, and of course, a lot of us, you know, aim to know the Bible
very well and as you continue to please the Lord, A, he'll keep giving you wisdom because
it, you know, comes from him regardless of what other people may think, you know, but
if you have your Bible, go back to Psalms 34, 1, but I will warn you, if you're going
to be an individual that's blessing the Lord, that's praising the Lord, that's glorifying
the Lord, that's magnifying the Lord, especially in a group, especially with other people,
I'm just going to give you the heads up, you know, this could be you, this could be not,
you know, be careful to be the individual that kind of starts to hate the person that's
glorifying God, don't be the individual that hears somebody singing and you start to kind
of get a little cringey about it, don't be the individual, you know, when you see somebody
just new or maybe they just want to for some reason start singing out of nowhere, don't
be that individual that starts to kind of hate that, let me tell you why, you're right
there in Psalms 34, 1, 3, look at the verse in verse number 2 that says, my soul shall
make her boast in the Lord, it doesn't say that everyone that shall hear it will be glad,
what does it say, it says that the humble shall hear thereof and be glad, so why am
I making this point, the point is that, hey, there's going to be people that will be praising
the Lord, but if you're humble, you're going to enjoy that, so if you end up hearing somebody
singing or whistling or whatever the case may be, and you kind of get annoyed by it,
hey, that could be pride that's actually getting in there, so I want to just give the heads
up on that, also if you're the one glorifying, hey, it is what it is at work, you know, if
they're not humble, they're not going to like that, so just giving the heads up, hey, just
keep on praising the Lord, and if you've got your Bible, I want you to go to 2 Samuel
chapter number 6, while you're going to 2 Samuel chapter number 6, because I want to
give you a good example of somebody who's blessing the Lord, he's praising the Lord,
he's boasting in the Lord, he's glorying in the Lord, and someone else starts to despise
him, starts to despise this individual, so if you can make it to 2 Samuel chapter 6,
great, if not, I'm going to read from Proverbs 29, 27, it says this, the unjust man is an
abomination to the just, and he that is upright in the way is an abomination to who?
The wicked, so those that are upright, they're going to be an abomination to the wicked,
so if you end up hating somebody who's upright, hey, let's just face the fact, you're wicked,
got to get right with God, but let's look at this individual, who I believe is just
an example unto us, not to be, you know, this individual when other people are excited about
serving the Lord, they're blessing the Lord, glorifying the Lord, it says in 2 Samuel chapter
6, and as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michael's daughter looked through
a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, I wish I could have seen
that, I wonder what kind of dance he's doing, I'm not that type of a dancer, but if anybody
wants to come up here and give me an idea what you think he would have been dancing
like, I'll let you come up here for a few seconds, you know, but you got to be really
excited to be dancing, you know, you got to be a really exciting individual, I mean, you
have to be so excited that, I don't know, I mean, I don't know what would get you excited
to the point where you're dancing and you're leaping and you're, you know, glorifying the
Lord, but David was doing that, that's just how excited he was, you know, but was everybody
happy that he's happy?
No, they weren't, they were not, it says clearly right there in 2 Samuel chapter 6, it says
she, talking about his wife, despised him in her heart, why?
Because he operated in a way that is an abomination to the wicked, you know, but let's just not,
you know, get to that point ever and if you do end up seeing somebody praising the Lord,
blessing the Lord like Psalm 34 commands us to do, and let's just be careful not to get
envious or whatever it may be, despite, I know I've done it before where somebody's
all excited and I'm having a bad day, for some reason their music is just causing me
to have, you know, irritation in my ears, hey, I know at that point I'm wrong with the
Lord and I need to get right, you know, and maybe even join this man, like it says in
verse number 3, and magnify the Lord with him and exalt God's name together instead
of being all bitter and upset over this individual that's just happy that he's serving the Lord,
happy that he's blessing the Lord, hey, I might need to join him and partake him in
that.
So if you have your Bible, what I want you to do is go ahead and go, you know, just go
to Psalms 96, go to Psalms 96, so Psalms 34, what is it telling us to do?
To bless the Lord.
You just keep on blessing the Lord and one of the ways to bless him in Psalms 96 too
is to sing unto the Lord, it says, sing unto the Lord, bless his name, show his salvation
from day to day, if you can go ahead and meet me back in Psalms 34 for, you know, I'll just
read a few verses about praising the Lord or singing unto the Lord, Psalms 96 too is
the one I wanted to highlight, it says, sing unto the Lord, bless his name, so a way to
bless the Lord and exalt him is to sing unto the Lord, show forth his salvation from day
to day, Psalms 95, Psalms 9 and 11 says this, sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in
Zion, they glare among the people in his doings, Psalms 47, 6, sing praises to God, sing praises,
sing praises unto our God, sing praises, Psalms 92, 1, it is good, it is a good thing to give
thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High, James 4, 17, therefore
to him that knoweth to the good and doeth not, to him it is sin, why did I throw that
in there?
Because we see all these verses to sing, sing, sing, sing, sing unto the Lord, and what's
it say right there in Psalms 92, 1?
It is a good thing, a good thing to what?
Sing unto the Lord, so don't hate somebody who's singing unto the Lord, you know, just
because you don't like to sing, don't despise somebody else who doesn't, he's just trying
to obey the Lord, he's just trying to do what Psalms 34, 1 is teaching him, you know, what
is the danger of not singing unto the Lord?
Well, of course it is right there, to him that knoweth to the good and doeth not, to
him it is sin to become sin in your life, and what's the danger of that?
Well, Psalms 66, 18 says this, if I regard iniquity in my heart, this is David speaking,
the Lord will not hear me, so if you have iniquity in your heart, the Lord's not going
to hear you, so don't bother praying, when you're in trouble, don't bother praying, you
know, you don't want to sing unto the Lord, you're not in the mood, you don't feel like
it's your thing, well, if it's a good thing, like it says in Psalms 92, 1, it is a good
thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praise unto him, but you say, well, I
don't agree with that, hey, what you're causing is yourself to sin against the Lord, when
he commands us to sing to him, commands others to sing to him, so when you hear people singing,
hey, hopefully they're doing that with a willful heart, you know, but at the end of the day,
they're obeying God just by singing unto him, you know, and the music will change you if
you give it a chance, you know, but you have iniquity in your heart, that's something silly,
you know what, just, you know, forsake it and start singing unto the Lord where you
like it or not, maybe not every song is going to be your favorite song, but if I want to
start singing it, then I guarantee to put you in a good mood, key example this morning,
while I'm walking around, some of you guys might have seen me, I got a little upset,
you know, why?
Because I'm checking the AC and it's hot in here, who's hot?
Well, if you want to blame someone, blame me, because I made that thing somehow die,
so this morning before you guys showed up, it was working, so I put everything at 68
and for some reason it blew and it just cannot be put back together for some crazy reason,
so I emailed the manager, told him this thing, but I was upset, I was like, oh, man, I hate
it when people are hot, you know, I'm fed up with this, it seems like it always go off,
the management, hopefully he's not watching, kind of doesn't take us serious, you know,
but then the last song, who remembers what last song we sang, the last song this morning,
who remembers that, I'll tell you what it was, Singin' I Go, as soon as that started,
I changed, I did a total 180, you know, who was having a bad day, started singing that
song and then it completely changed you, there you go, one over there, and as soon as I heard
the music, I'm like, yes, Singin' I Go, along last road, Praising the Lord, Praising the
Lord, Singin' I Go, along last road, hey, it just got me in a good mood, but why, you
know, why, because I was obeying God, I think he just, you know, gave me love, joy, peace
and patience, and from that point on, it was like, oh, well, can't do anything but the
heat, you know, got peace, got joy about it, and just ended up moving on, so hey, be careful
having an iniquity in your heart, because the Lord will not hear you, and the reason
I say this could save you is because, look, if you're in trouble, you need the Lord, you
know, but when we have sinned in our hearts, it says that he will not hear us, and it's
very funny because I read this story, and I'll get into the other points in a second,
but this is a story that just kind of stuck in my head, there's a story of this Civil
War soldier who was just sneaking up on the enemy, I don't remember which side he was
on, but when I listened to his story, it just made me say, wow, I need to sing more, and
this is what happened, I guess he got up to the enemy, he was in the grass, and he put
his rifle, and one of the soldiers ended up going in front of him, and his goal was
to just shoot him as soon as he got a chance, so the soldier's just walking by him, and
he doesn't realize they have a sniper just right there in the grass, and for some reason
this guy just started singing, he just started singing, but he ended up singing to him, and
the guy that's right behind him, ready to shoot him in the head, heard the hymn, and
sure enough, it convicted him to the point where he just put his rifle down, because
that hymn that he was singing was a hymn that his mom used to sing to him when he was a
child, and he couldn't dare shoot this guy, and he put this guy from a killer mood into
a loving mood, and he let the guy live, and just ended up sneaking back into his company,
you know, but man, imagine if that guy didn't obey blessing the Lord and singing to the
Lord, who knows where his tombstone would be just now, you know, but that's why I love
Psalms 34, not just because of that, there's more powerful stuff coming up, you know, but
let's just quickly review, I love Psalms 34 because it reminds me personally to bless
the Lord, and I also love Psalms 34 because it reminds me to keep seeking the Lord, you
got the Bible right there in front of you, I told you to go to Psalms 34 for, it simply
says this, I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from not some of my fears,
all of my fears, every single one of them, they looked unto him and were lightened, and
their faces were not ashamed, this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved them
out of all his troubles, I mean, how would you like to get delivered from all your fears?
I mean, if I gave you a pen and paper and told you, hey, write down the top three biggest
fears that you have, you know, I don't know what they would be, but this person's saying,
hey, you seek the Lord, and they're not gonna happen, they're not gonna happen, here's a
few examples that I thought of, my children going astray, sometimes it gets to me, like,
man, I don't want these kids to go to the devil, I love him so much, you know, I'm not
like everybody else, it's like, man, they're a great blessing to me, and I fear sometimes
just because I'm thinking, man, I'm so weak, I need to get, you know, I need to step up
my game, read more, whatever, and try to be the best father I can, because I don't want
my kids to go astray, well, you know what, when I read what the Bible says, Proverbs
22, six, that if you train a child the way he should go, it says 20 years old, he will
not depart, he will not depart, and sometimes I want to let go of my little daughter, when
she does bad things, I just want to let her go and not give her her spanking, but you
know what's gonna happen if I don't spank her now?
It says in Proverbs 23, 14, thou shalt beat him with a rod, and shalt deliver herself
from hell.
So I gotta do it, girl, I gotta get behind you, and I gotta take care of business, okay?
And she's looking away, because she knows she does a little cry thing more than any
of them ever did.
I'm sorry, daddy, I was crying left and right, you know, but just me thinking of the thought
of my kids going astray, you know what, just focusing on what the Bible says, and continue
to seek the Lord, hey, I have nothing to worry about, and I just try to keep the basis, okay,
I'm going soul winning, I'm going to church three times a week, I'm doing my best to pray
and read my Bible every day, you know, I'm doing my best to work hard six days a week,
that's for labor, and try to obey the Bible as much as possible, I mean, just keeping
the basis, I think I'll be fine, and you know what, I try to do above and beyond more, like
preaching, which is very difficult, you know, just trying to keep myself from becoming just
an average employee, I want to be above and beyond average, so just giving my best to
God, and you know what he says, that he's going to deliver me from all my fears, every
single one of them.
But how about this one, that God won't provide, who's ever had those fears, that God will
not provide, it's like, God, I don't know, are you going to even provide, well, what
does it say in Psalms 34, four, seek the Lord, and he's going to deliver you from what?
Every single fear, all of your fears.
And if you got the Bible, just go ahead and go to Proverbs 10, 24, go to Proverbs 10,
24, well, I'll just read from Matthew, like I said, this is all reminding us of things
that we probably already read in the Bible, because I'm not going too far deep into any
direction, but I'm going to just read from Matthew, where it says, therefore I'll send
to you, take no thought for your life, what you should eat, and what you should drink,
nor yet for your body, what you should put on, it is not the life more than meat, and
the body than raiment, behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they
eat, nor gather into the barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them, are ye not much
better than they?
Which of you by taking thought cannot one cube it unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment, consider the leaves of the field, how they grow, they
toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these, wherefore if God so clothed the grass of the field,
which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe ye,
or yield little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat, what shall we drink, or what with
thought shall we be clothed?
For after all these things do the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knoweth that
ye have need of all these things, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness,
and what does Psalm 34 promise us?
That none of your fears are going to happen, none of them are going to happen, I'm not
saying you're not going to suffer, I'm not saying that, because those that live godly
in Christ shall suffer persecution, but whatever fears that obviously are fears in the sense
that hey I'm afraid that God's going to come down on me or whatever the case may be, God
says hey keep seeking me, you'll be fine, and I will provide, and it says right here
righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you, therefore no thought for tomorrow,
you know for tomorrow should take corner of itself, you know but what I want you guys
to see right there in Psalms 10, 24, is it says that the fear of the wicked, hey that
shall come upon them, but the desire of the righteous, that's going to be granted.
So keep seeking the Lord, keep trying to do what's right, and God will take care of you.
The Bible says in Psalms 84, 11, the Lord God is the sun and shield, the Lord will give
grace and glory, he says no good thing will he withhold, not from any Christian, but from
them that walk uprightly, so keep walking uprightly, keep seeking the Lord, keep coming
to church, keep reading your Bible, keep praying, keep going slow, I mean those are the basics
that we shall be doing, and you'll be fine, you'll be fine, there's other stuff that's
more advanced, but you know what at the bare minimum just keep the basics, and you'll win
in life, you'll go far in life, God will take care of you, and he'll make sure that he doesn't
allow you to miss any good thing, you know but when it comes to you know fears that people
may have, you know the one, the one that we just read, I'm sorry I should have gave
you the other thing that I was thinking of, was missing out, missing out on in life is
something that most people are afraid of when they're seeking the Lord or when they're serving
the Lord, they think oh I don't think I can go to church, I don't think I'll be a Baptist
because I'm afraid I'm going to miss out, it may not be the adults per se, but I know
the teenagers are the ones that are probably guilty of this more than anybody because they're
thinking oh you know what, I know that I should go here, go there, but I think that God will
make an exception for me and I can go a different route and succeed and be happy, why?
Because they're afraid by going the right route, by doing what they know they ought
to do, they're afraid that they're going to miss out when the Bible makes it very clear
that you will miss out but you're going to miss out on good things, if you start living
a wicked life like it says right there in Proverbs 10 24 it says the fear of the wicked,
hey it shall come upon him, so if any Christian, doesn't matter if they're a teenager or not,
hey you start living a wicked life, those fears that you think you know or those fears
that you don't want to come to pass, they will come to pass, they will happen, you know
if you live a wicked life, if you stop seeking the Lord, if you give up on the Christian
life quote unquote, you know these fears that you got, they will come upon you, but if you
keep doing what's right, and I know it's not hard, that's what the Bible says to endure
hardness, the Bible promises that hey the desires of the righteous, God will grant those,
he will grant those desires and you're not going to miss out on life, another thing that
people fear that's mostly pastors is the church not growing, it's like oh I'm afraid my church
is not going to grow, but Matthew 16 18 says this, and I say unto thee thou art Peter and
upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it, so God says I will build my church, I will, you know and it doesn't even matter
if it doesn't grow, maybe there's a pastor and his church is small, look if you're doing
what's right, that's just a vice, but I don't think he's going to stay small, I think if
you're growing, hey God's going to allow you to have people to help them grow and the church
will be bigger, but what happens when pastors start to fear, they hold back on doctrine,
they don't want to get interviewed and go on record saying that yeah the Bible teaches
homosexuality you know it's a sin and homosexuals should be put to death, they're afraid to
go on record, they'll say it oh yeah but I don't want to be on camera, you know and what
else do they do, they compromise on the music, what else do they do, they compromise on the
clothing standards, whatever the case may be, you know, but here's the thing, if you
do what's right, God says hey I'll take care of you, your fears are not going to come to
pass, it says hearken to me ye that fall after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord, look
unto the rock where ye are thrown into the hole of the pit when ye are digged, Ezra 7
says this, for Ezra has prepared his heart to seek the love of the Lord and to do it,
so I guess I'll throw the disclaimer in there, you know what, seeking the Lord is not enough
per se if you're not going to do it, if you're not going to do it, how many of you guys have
heard people say yeah you know what, I've heard the Bible say X, Y, and Z, but I still
haven't figured it out for myself, in other words the post trip rapture, pastors have
been pastoring for 30 years, 40 years, like Jack Trever pastoring for 40 years or whatever,
if he read his Bible once a year for the last 40 years, he read over 40 times, don't you
think he would have figured it out by now, but I think the reason why God doesn't allow
them if he's even saved, because sometimes I doubt salvation, I mean I wonder if he's
even saved, but I think that even if a pastor does want to seek the truth, I don't think
God's going to give it to them if they're not going to preach it, if they're not going
to do it, why should God give you, and this is how they get stuck on pre-trip, this is
how they get stuck on other things, like oh I believe homosexuals can be saved, I don't
think God gives up on anybody, why, because they're not going to preach the truth, so
why should God even give it to them, so part of seeking the Lord is hey I'm going to do
it Lord, hey I'm going to seek you, whatever the Bible says, I'm going to do it, and that's
what God means when it says to seek him, not like well I want to know what it means, but
you know what, I don't think I'm going to change, I think I'm just too far into it,
no, if you, like Ezra, seek the law of the Lord, hey that you're going to do it, and
to teach to Israel, but pastors aren't looking at it that way, it's like oh man I kind of
see where Pastor Anderson is going with this, yeah I kind of see his big points on the post-trip,
you know what, yeah you know what, I need to study it out, they study it out for a year
or two years and then come back, and it's like well I still don't know, I'm not fully
convinced, yeah because even if you knew the truth you're not going to teach it, you're
not going to teach it to Israel, so why should God even give you the confidence that hey,
you're wrong and the post-trip is correct, you know, but that's the kind of stuff that
we need to start thinking about, it's like hey am I truly seeking the Lord, you know,
because if you are, then the promise is that none of your fears are going to come to pass,
he says he's going to deliver you from all your troubles and all your fears, and that's
why I love Psalms 34, because that's a good reminder that hey, keep seeking the Lord,
when it starts getting tough, three times a week, church three times a week, really,
so when in 110 degree heat, one, two, three hours, whatever, is it really worth it, well
what does it say, it says it's really really worth it because guess what, all the fears
that we have in our hearts, God will just keep those things away, you know, but let's
just quickly review, Psalms 34, I love it because it reminds me to bless the Lord, seek
the Lord, and it reminds me to fear the Lord, and that's something that we just can't get
enough of, if you have your Bibles, I want you to go to Matthew 10, 28, when you go to
Matthew 10, 28, I'm going to read from Psalms 34, 7, that says this, the angel of the Lord
and cap is run about them that fear him, that fear him, that's a good reminder of fearing
God, hey you want protection, you want God's angel to camp around you, it's time to fear
the Lord, and God's going to deliver you if you put your fear in him, that's what it says
in Psalms 34, 7, it says in taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man
that trusteth in him, oh fear the Lord, ye his saints, for there is no want, goes back
to what he said in Psalms 34, 4, for there is no want, in other words, you're not lacking,
there is no want to them that fear him, the young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but
they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing, come ye children, hearken unto
me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord, and that's what I want to do as a faithful,
I guess you could say teacher of God's word, I want to quickly teach you the fear of the
Lord, because that's very important, and you can never hear too much about the fear of
the Lord, why, because look what it says right there, it says you'll have protection, those
that fear the Lord, the angel of the Lord is going to camp around them, it says right
here that you're not going to want anything if you fear the Lord, now of course you are
going to miss out in the Christian life if you're fearing the Lord, seeking the Lord,
but you're going to miss out on bad things, that's what people don't realize, you're
going to miss out on bad things, but people think the opposite, oh if I serve the Lord
I'm going to miss out on all this good stuff that the world has to offer, there's nothing
the world has to offer that's good that God's going to keep away from you, if you're
fearing him, he's going to make sure you get it if it's something good for you, you
know, but as you turn to Matthew 10, 28, I'm going to read from Jeremiah 5, 22 to give
you the clearest scripture I believe as to what God means when he says to fear him, because
some people may ask, well what do you mean God wants you to fear him, what exactly do
you mean by that, well I'll just tell you simply what I believe fear means, fear means
just fear, fear, being afraid, and I get that from Jeremiah 5, 22, being afraid of what?
Being afraid that if you cross the line, God will punish you, being afraid that if you
commit certain sins or any sin, God will chastise, that fear is enough to keep you away from
committing sin, and that's what we want to have is a clean life that's free of sin,
but it says in Jeremiah 5, 22, fear ye not me, saith the Lord, so he's saying hey, don't
you guys fear me, so he's talking to the nation saying look, don't you guys fear me, what
exactly does he want them to do, it says fear ye not me, saith the Lord, will ye not tremble
at my presence, tremble at my presence, when I see this verse, what I think of, you know
I'm going old school, is the first drastic part, who's ever seen that, I mean when I
think of this verse, I think of the part where that girl has, is it jello in her spoon, who
knows what I'm talking about, jello in her spoon, and all of a sudden they're like eating,
having a good time, and all of a sudden she starts like shaking the spoon or whatever,
because there's a raptor right behind her, and she starts like shaking and shaking and
whatever the case, who knows what I'm talking about, I don't know, but that's what I believe
it means when it means tremble, to be afraid to the point where hey, if I commit a sin,
I cannot do this, God will come down, that's enough to keep you from doing it, that's
fear in God right there, because that's what Jeremiah says, it says here ye not me, will
ye not tremble at my presence, which I place as sand for the bound of the sea by a pressure
of the debris, that I cannot pass it, and though the waves are off, toss themselves,
yet can they not prevail, though they roar, yet can they not pass over it, you're there
in Matthew 10 28, Jesus Christ told us very clearly, hey don't be afraid of man, you should
be afraid of me, it says fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body, where?
In hell, and who is the one that can destroy body and soul in hell?
Jesus Christ, God is exactly right, but it's not just being afraid of God that shows you
how to fear the Lord, it's also hating evil, it's also hating it, I'll just read from Proverbs
8 13, famous verse, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride, arrogance, and the evil
way, and the froward mouth do I hate, Proverbs 23 17 says this, lend not thy heart and be
sinners, but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long, and I know that's something
difficult to do, but right here you see that hey, fearing God means that you're afraid
of him, that he's going to come down on you, when you sin you can kind of look at your
fear level and realize it was low when I committed that sin, but how we get to fear the Lord
to the point where we depart from sin, I'll get into that in a second, you know but I
like how Psalms 34 reminds us to fear the Lord, fear the Lord, you know it's a good
thing to fear the Lord, and of course do a quick test of yourself, hey do I hate evil,
do I hate pride, do I hate arrogance, do I hate the evil way, hey then you have the fear
of the Lord in you, and the good thing about the fear of the Lord is it's going to prolong
your life, but see Psalms 34 talks about fearing the Lord, but I just want to go over some
benefits of fearing the Lord really quickly, because I know it's just me hammering you
guys, hey fear the Lord, fear the Lord, make sure you're fearing God to the point where
you tremble, you know just at the thought of sin against him, or realizing yeah I do
hate you know prideful people, I do hate homosexuals, I do hate you know whatever sin, adultery,
fornication, you name it, you know by you hating it, that is showing that you do have
the fear of the Lord, you know but also not just that, here are some benefits like I said
before that the angel of the Lord, he kept it around them, hey those that fear him and
he will deliver them, it's like having a guardian angel, you fear God, God will protect you,
he'll have that angel and kept it around you so you don't have to fear men, you don't have
to fear anyone, you know by you fearing God, men will in a sense fear you, and you see
it in the Bible, you know when children of Israel started fearing God, these nations
started to fear them, and they would run away and sometimes they didn't even fight them
because the Lord put the fear of death in them and it just took off, but I'll just read
if you can go to Deuteronomy chapter 31, I'll just read really quickly some verses on the
fear of the Lord, the benefits of fearing the Lord, one is that the angel of the Lord
will cap around you, protect you, another reminder is that the fear of the Lord, you
know there's not going to be anything like the Bible says, for there's no one to them
that fear him, the young lions do lack self-hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want
any good thing, Proverbs 10 27 reminds us that a fear in the Lord, you know departing
from sin, God will prolong our days, the fear of the Lord prolongs our days, but the years
of the wicked shall be shortened, Luke 1 50 says this, and his mercy is on them that fear
him from generation to generation, so another plus of fear in the Lord, his mercy is going
to be upon you, you know Proverbs 16 says this, by mercy and truth then he can get his
portion by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil, and people want to say how can
I get rid of sin, well the way you want to depart from evil, if you're right there in
Psalms 31 10 is to get the fear of the Lord in you and the Bible commands us to be not
wise in our own eyes to fear the Lord and depart from evil, but one way that we can
start building that fear of God, that fear of the Lord, you know it says right here is
by what you guys doing now, coming to church, hearing, preaching, hearing, heart, preaching,
you know that will cause you to have the fear of the Lord in you, how do we know it consists
right here, in Psalms 31 10, and Moses commanded him saying at the end of every seven years
in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, when all Israel's
come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shall
read this law before all Israel in their hearing, gather the people together, men and women
and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may fear, and that they
may learn, and they may learn and fear the Lord your God, and assert to do all words
of this law, so what is Moses saying, get the people together, read them the law, that's
going to cause them to fear, men, women, and children, that's going to cause them to fear,
so the people that don't go to church, all they do is read the Bible, they don't listen
to any preaching, they can't have that fear of the Lord that's going to keep God from
a lot of bad things that happen to them, you know you need to have preaching that will
increase your fear of the Lord, because Pastor Anderson is not just going to come up here
and tell us good things, he's going to tell us things that are going to rebuke us and
even scare us to get right with God and stop certain sins so he can continue to bless us,
and if we don't have this hard preaching, what will happen is just by reading your Bible,
it'll be a while before you may get to parts that are scary in the Bible, because one thing
that's going to put the fear of God in you is listening to hard preaching, listening
to your preaching, but not just that, also reading your Bible, I'll just quickly read
from Deuteronomy 17, it talks about the kings, Moses is giving instructions to the children
of Israel saying hey, if you're going to have a king, it'll benefit him to do this, and
this is what he wanted him to do, and it shall be when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom
that he shall write him a copy of this law and a book out of that which is before the
priests, the Levites, and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days
of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord, so reading the Bible is going to help
you to fear the Lord, listening to hard preaching is going to help you to fear the Lord, and
what's the benefit of that?
Well, God made it very clear that your fears, if you seek the Lord, if you fear him, it'll
prolong your days, God's going to make sure he takes care of you, because you're going
to be doing what's right, God is almost forced to bless you if you're living a righteous
life, you know, but Psalms 34 is one of the books that I love, because it does remind
us to fear the Lord a lot, but once again, let me just quickly review, Psalms 34 just
reminds us to bless the Lord, it reminds us to seek the Lord, to fear the Lord, and one
of the things that I like to be reminded of, because I believe that this is something that
everybody should be reminded of, but I like being reminded of, Psalms 34 reminds you to
just watch your mouth, watch what you say, so if I'm a new believer, if I'm going to
tell a new believer, hey, this is what we should work on, you need to work on seeking
the Lord, you know, reading the Bible, seeing what he wants, seeing what commandments he
has out there, and doing your best to obey him, and not just that, but also thanking
God, being grateful to God, blessing the Lord, that's something that everybody should be
doing, new, or if you've been a Christian for a while, obviously fearing the Lord, seeking
the Lord, but also watching your mouth, go ahead and look at Psalms 34, go ahead and
look at Psalms 34, 12, it says this, what man is he that desires life and love it many
days that he may seek good?
It says simply this, keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile, depart
from evil, and do good, seek peace, and pursue it, Proverbs 13, 3 says this, he that keepeth
his mouth, keepeth his life, but he that openeth white his lips, shall have destruction.
I'll just read from Psalms, or from James 3, if you can go to Psalms 34, 15, I'll read
from James 3, it says this, even so the tongue is a little member of both of great things,
behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth, and a tongue is a fire, a word of iniquity,
so is the tongue among our members that it defileth the whole body, and set us on fire
the course of nature, and then set on fire of hell.
The tongue is something that can cause you to send somebody to hell if you're not careful.
What do I mean by that?
I just heard something, I believe it was on YouTube, where somebody was asking advice,
he was saying, look, this guy got in my face, he was calling me names, he was saying bad
things to me, you know, I guess he was some bum or something, and he's saying all these
bad things to me, and I'm there with my wife and my kids, and I just kind of stayed quiet
until the guy just said what he needed to say, and then he ended up leaving, but it
got me so mad, it got me so mad that I went home, I dropped off my wife, I dropped off
my kids, and I went looking for that guy, I went looking for that guy, you know, and
the thing is, this is a police officer as well, and he has a handgun, and he's going
to go look for this guy, well, I don't know if this guy that was supposedly talking trash
was saved or not, but let's just say he wasn't, in the high chance he probably wasn't, well
let's just say this guy ended up just finding them, saying something stupid to him, and
sure enough, the cop has to defend himself, takes his gun out of his shoes, this guy,
but where did he send him? He sent him straight to hell, why? Because his cop couldn't control
his mouth, he's like, I felt like I had to go find this guy, because what am I teaching
my kid? What am I teaching my son? I want to teach him never to back down, never to
take any crap, well is that what the Bible teaches? No, it says that we should pursue
peace, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God, but this
guy thought it was a good idea to go find him, lucky enough he didn't find him, but
see, let's just say the guy was saved, imagine what would have happened if he would have
just confronted this guy, hey, hey, you want to finish our conversation, buddy? You know
what you want to finish what you said, now that my wife and kids are around? That guy
probably would have just stepped up and took him on it, and sure enough, because he was
a hothead, he probably would have took his gun and shot him dead, then he's going to
have to get his gun taken away, then he's probably going to get arrested, then he's
probably going to get sued, all for what? Because he couldn't control what? His mouth.
He couldn't control his mouth. He just had to go back and tell him, tell him off. He
couldn't just let it go. But that's not what the Bible wants us to do. It says, hey,
keep that tongue from evil and that lips from speaking guile, you know, depart from evil
and do good, seek peace, how are you going to seek it? Well, with your mouth is one way
to seek it, you know, by telling, hey, I'm sorry, hey, I apologize, I didn't see you,
you know what, I didn't mean it, you go ahead and go, I'm totally sorry, and just let it
go and go home and enjoy the rest of the night with your wife and kids, not just go drop
off your wife and your kid and go after this guy, try to find him because you want to finish
the job. That's not how it works, you know, but the Bible says right here, hey, they said
on fire, hell, speak not evil one of another brother and he that speaketh evil of his brother
and judges his brother speaketh evil of the law and judges the law, but if thou judge
the law, thou are not a doer of the law, but a judge. And this is one thing that I like
to constantly remind myself, be careful what I say, you know, because things can come out
and it's not that I want them to be hurtful, but if I'm not careful, if I don't watch
what I say, I can say something that could offend another brother, because of course
the tongue is something that's very hard to control, but at the end of the day, I mean,
we are responsible for everything we say and do, but I like this verse because it keeps
reminding me, hey, keep your tongue from evil, hey, watch what you're saying, hey, speak the
truth, don't speak guile, and that's a great reminder that I like to have every single day,
and this is why I like turning to Psalm 34 because I know it's in there and it's kind of
one thing that maybe some people don't like to admit, but if you kind of think about it,
we all have a tendency to say things that we shouldn't say, whether it's something intentional
as far as hurting someone or unintentional, we just got to learn to just watch what we say,
and that's why I like it, and there's all these warnings about the tongue. Psalm 34
14 says this, depart from your good, seek peace and pursue it, and one way to pursue peace is
with your words, just try to calm the situation and not be hot-headed, and I'm almost wrapping
it up. Tell me, is it 7 30 already? All right, well, I'll just wrap it up. Psalm 34 15,
so what I have so far is that I like Psalm 34 because it reminds me to bless the Lord,
it reminds me to seek the Lord, it reminds me to fear the Lord, it reminds me to wash my mouth,
and it just reminds me and it gives me peace to know that God is watching. You're right there in
Psalm 34 15, the Bible says this, the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open
unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them to do evil, to cut off the remembrance of
them from the earth. The righteous cry and the Lord hearth and delivers them out of all their
troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that of a broken heart and save it such as be of a contrite
spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivered them out of them all. He
keepeth all his bones, now one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate
the righteous shall be desolate, and the Lord redeemeth his servants, and none of them that
trust in him shall be desolate. If you can, just go to Proverbs 16 17. Proverbs 16 17.
Sometimes I feel like, man, is God really out there? Sometimes I feel like, Lord, I don't know,
am I doing something wrong? Sometimes I feel like, God, you know, please just help me out here, you
know, I wish I could hear him audibly, but I don't really need that because you got these promises
right here that says that the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. They're not upon everyone,
they're upon the righteous, which is another thing to be, you know, aware of, hey, am I being righteous?
You know, am I doing what's right? Am I doing what's pleasing the Lord in his sight, not my sight?
And if that's you, and if you look in the mirror and say, look, I know I'm not perfect, I'm sure I
have some secret thoughts somewhere, but Lord, if I don't, if there's something I'm doing wrong,
reveal it to me. Just try to be as righteous, as right with God as possible, and if you can look in
the mirror and say, yeah, I'm doing everything I possibly can, then just have the peace that, hey,
the ears are open unto your cry. The eyes of the Lord are upon you, and his ears are open
onto your cry. I'm sure Pastor Anderson prayed a few times, Lord, what's going on? I'm sick,
I have this pain. I don't want Brother Segura to preach tonight, I need to get up there, you know.
He's like, he's rusty, et cetera, et cetera, but you know what? I don't think Pastor's going to
have a hard time believing that he's a righteous man, you know. I'm sure he can look at himself
and be like, look, Lord, I'm doing everything I possibly can. Heal me, make me feel better,
you know, but I can't tell you God's will all the time, but we know for a fact that if you're a
righteous person, his eyes are upon you. Sometimes you feel like you're abandoned. I'm sure Pastor
is like, man, I don't know, Lord, are you out there? I don't know, it's like this pain, get it
away. You know, I've been praying for so long, get out of me. I'm sure his kids prayed, his wife
prayed, but sometimes God just lets it go a little bit longer for whatever reason, but rest assured,
if you're a righteous person tonight, if you can say, look, I believe I am, then take this to the
bank. God is there. God is there. That's why I like Psalms 34. It reminds me God is there,
but I'm having a bad day. Are you there? Yeah, he's there. I'm doing everything I can. If anything,
it's reminding me to get right or die trying, because guess what? That's what's going to matter
at the end. That's what I'm going to get him to bless me, and it says the face of the Lord is
against them to do evil. So of course, you don't have to worry about your enemies. God's right
there watching. He's there. He's seeing everything. These people that are plotting behind your back,
don't worry about it. God is going to take care of those individuals, and if you do cry, the
righteous cry, and the Lord hear it, hey, he's going to hear you. And if you have troubles in
your life today, and everybody will eventually, you know, things are going to come, trouble is
going to come, rest assured that it says right there that he's going to deliver you, not out of
some, out of all of them. All your troubles, all your troubles, just from those few verses,
and it says the Lord is nigh unto them that have a broken heart. You're sad today? Hey, God is there.
He's not answering me. He will sooner or later, and we'll see some verses to remind you of that.
It says very clearly, broken heart, be a humble person. It says save it such to be of a contrite
spirit, those that are sorry for the bad things that they've done. God loves that, and he's there.
He's there, and it continues by saying many of the afflictions of the righteous, they're going
to suffer. See, this is not just an oh, this is all positive sermon. No, it almost ends on a
positive slash negative note, and it continues by saying this, many of the afflictions of the
righteous, but the Lord delivered them, or delivered him out of them all. He keepeth all
his bones, not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the righteous,
hey, they'll be desolate, they will be destroyed. Don't worry about these evil, wicked people,
whether it's on the internet or on the news, whatever the case may be. Hey, God's watching,
he's seeing things. You, instead of worrying about this individual, spend all your energy,
as much as you can, on doing what's right, because that's what matters the most.
Don't waste your time on just, you know, what they're doing. Waste time on what you need to do,
and what you need to do is just get in the Word, serve God, go to church, pray for people,
you know, whatever the Bible tells you to do, you know, do it. That's what your main energy should
be, not on what you read on Facebook, or what you heard in the news article, or what you saw
in the news. That stuff shouldn't bother you. What your energy should be focused on,
it's just what it says right here, you know, being contrite spirit, being right with God,
he's going to keep your bones, not one of them is going to be broken. Evil shall slay the wicked,
they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants,
and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. You know, so I'll finish it up with
this. Psalms 15 one says, Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy
hill? He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness and speaketh the truth in his
heart. He, there we go again, he that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his
neighbor, nor taketh up his reproach against his neighbor, and whose eyes avow a person in
his contempt, but he honoreth them that what? Fear the Lord. He that swears to his own hurt
and changes not. He that put enough money to usury, nor take a reward against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved. We sing it, but do you believe it?
We sing it, what, almost every month? But do you believe this song? Psalms 34 reminds us,
hey, just keep doing what's right, watch what you're saying, keep the fear going,
you know, keep the fear out there, because that's going to help you to live a righteous life.
That's what Proverbs 16 17 says, the highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He that keep
it this way, preserve it his soul. And once again, the last part is, of course, you know,
Psalms 34 is reminding us that God is there, and just more verses to remind you of that,
that in John 14, 14 says this, if you should ask anything in my name, I will do it if, if you love
me, keep my commandments. So there, there's the catch. It's not just that God's going to answer
everybody. He's going to answer those that love him and are keeping his commandments.
And whatsoever we ask, we receive by him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that
are pleasing in his sight. And there's more stuff that Psalms 34 covers that I didn't mention,
like being humble, you know, but once again, let's just finish with review. You know,
what I love about Psalms 34 is that it reminds us to bless the Lord. It keeps reminding us to
keep seeking the Lord, keep seeking his commandments, keep doing what's right.
It reminds us of the importance of fearing him, being afraid of him, respecting him to the point
where we know that he can hurt us if he wants us to, and also to remember to watch what you say,
watch that mouth, control that mouth. And lastly, number five, it reminds us that God is watching.
And who can repeat all those? If I were to just put you up here, who can repeat all five?
Who wants to do it? The point is not to remember all these five. Here's the main point. The point
is that, hey, going through hard times, hey, sad, hey, depressed, hey, starting to doubt,
hey, starting to get sinful. You know what? Psalms 34, get to it ASAP. Start reading it.
New believer, where do I begin to become a good Christian? Psalms 34, hit it, start memorizing it,
get to it ASAP. It's going to help you out. This is nothing more than just to let you guys know
there is a chapter in case you don't have one. Some of you guys may have one. You may have a
go-to chapter when things are going tough, when I'm starting to get a little sinful,
a little backslidden. You may have that go-to chapter. Well, great. And if you need more,
highly recommend this one. Those of you that are new, not really sure where to begin,
why should I start wasting my time on memorizing? I highly recommend Psalms 34. You guys saw it.
I just about bored your brains for an hour just showing you there's a lot of stuff in Psalms 34.
But the whole goal was just to let you know there's a lot of stuff in there that will help
you out. And you don't have to memorize every single point that I just gave. Just realize it's
there. It will help you. Turn to it if you need it. It will help you right away. Let's pray.
They've got to thank you so much for all that you've done for every single person here, Father.
We just want to bless you with the music that's about to come up. And Lord, just help them to
remember that Psalms 34 is there if they need it there, God. And for anybody that's new and
has no idea where to begin, Psalms 34 is a good place to start there, Father, that can help them
to get their life straight right away and to start building some faith in you to realize that you are
there and that we should fear you. And it's okay to be afraid of you there, God. We should be
afraid of you that you can come down on us at any time if you cross the line with you. We should
have that fear and respect at all times there, Father. All day is how you want it to be. And I
thank you so much for what you've done for this church. And Lord, we ask you to continue to bless
us and bless everyone here. Keep them safe as they go home tonight. Bless them for their faithfulness
and ask you for all this for your honor and glory. In Jesus' name, amen.