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We pray this all in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Okay, we're in Matthew chapter number six. Look down at your Bibles at verse number 31. It says, therefore, take no thought, saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal 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 all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for tomorrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. And what I wanna preach on this morning is crossing the bridge when you get there. Crossing the bridge when you get there. Now here in Matthew chapter number six, we find the famous passage dealing with God's provision and the stipulations added to it. A lot of Christians have this passage memorized. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and these things shall be added unto you. And we think about that often, how in order for God to provide for us, in order for him to give us the things that we need, we need to make sure we put him first, right? We need to make sure we're in church, we need to make sure we're reading the Bible, that we're keeping sin out of our lives, in order for him to fulfill his promises to us regarding his protection, regarding his provision, regarding his blessing. And it reminds me of Philippians chapter four, you don't have to turn there. If you could though, go to 1 Samuel chapter 13. 1 Samuel chapter 13, the Bible says, be careful for nothing, but in all things by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God and the peace of God, the passive understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord. So obviously we see in Matthew chapter six that, if we want God to provide for our needs, you know, there's certain things we have to do. We have to seek righteousness, his righteous kingdom, we have to do the things of God, but sometimes we don't get the things that we need, or sometimes we don't get the things that we want, and we're left with a sense of anxiety, we're left with a sense of worry. Well at that point, we pray, we thank God, we supplicate, and the Bible says that the peace of God, the passive understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord. So what does God do? Well if he's not able, or if he's not willing to, should I say, you know, give us the things that we need or want, he still gives us peace to be able to deal with that lack, you understand? He gives us the tranquility to accept that cannot be changed, he gives us the ability to continue to serve him and live a life of joy and happiness and fulfillment, because we have peace. And it's a peace, the passive understanding, it's not a peace based upon him providing for us, right? It's not a peace based upon that which he provides for us, it's just the peace he gives us that we can't really understand, you understand? Because you know, we think of, well the only way for me to have peace is to fill this void. In order for me to have peace is to fill this need, but sometimes, you know, that's not gonna happen. Sometimes it's not gonna happen, period, or it's just not gonna happen yet. And at that point, God gives us that peace that passes understanding, and we're able to fulfill his will and live a fulfilled life and still be happy, okay? Still have joy in our life. And here in Matthew six, as I mentioned, is a little different. He says, take no thought therefore for the morrow. For the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. And he's saying, you know what, don't worry about tomorrow. Now, wouldn't you say that that's actually easier said than done? Right? You know, we can quote that, we can say that, we can tell other people that, but at the end of the day, it's actually a lot harder not to think about tomorrow and the trials of tomorrow, you know, it's a lot harder to do that than to actually put it into practice, okay? But here's the great thing is that whether you choose to think about it or not, it's still tomorrow. Tomorrow's still gonna take thought for the things of itself, you still can't change tomorrow, so it doesn't really matter whether you think about it or not, God's just telling you, don't do it because of the fact that if you can't change it, then you just can't change it. He says, sufficient unto the day, this is a very troubling verse, by the way. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Now, what does that mean when he says sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof? You know, having enough for today, and wondering what's gonna happen tomorrow, that's just part of life. That's the evil that we experience this side of eternity, not knowing what's gonna happen tomorrow, not knowing if we're gonna have sufficient for tomorrow, not knowing if we're gonna have enough for the coming week, that is the evil thereof, and it's not because God is evil, it's not because, you know, he's punishing us, it's just part of life, and sufficient unto the day is just the evil of living in this world, not knowing what's gonna happen tomorrow. Now, I like that song, I Know Who Holds Tomorrow. You guys heard that song before? It's a great song, I don't know if we have it in our hymn book, but it's a great song, and it's about God holding tomorrow. So as long as we're following the Lord, as long as we're walking with God, we know that he holds tomorrow, and regardless of what evil may befall us tomorrow, what misfortune may come upon us this coming week, as long as we are serving the Lord and following him, we know that he holds tomorrow, and all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. So a lot of anxieties and uneasiness that we experience in life are due to us worrying about that which we cannot control in the future, and that is the evil that we experience today, and we only have sufficient for today. Proverbs 16, 33 says this, "'The lot is cast into the lap, "'but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.'" Now, what are some things that people worry about? What are some things that we worry about? Let's talk about parents, for example. Parents, they think to themselves, well, man, I don't know what's gonna happen. This world is becoming so corrupt. This world is so evil, and I'm not gonna be here for long. What's gonna happen to this world and my children's generation? Well, if you can't really do anything about it, why worry about that? Now, obviously, we need to do our part, right? We need to raise up our children and the nurture and the admonition of the Lord, train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he shall not depart from it. We need to instill biblical faith into their lives and exemplify what a godly marriage is, what a godly mother is, what a godly father is, get him into church, teach him consistency. We need to do all those things, but at the end of the day, why worry about what's gonna take place in the future if he can't do anything about it? And let me just give you a reality check here. It's not gonna get any better. You know, if you're wondering what's gonna happen in the future, I'll just tell you, it's bad. It's really bad. Everything's gonna be bad in the future. The future is very bad. It's gonna be worse than what it is today. What? I thought, no, it's gonna be bad. Why should I sugarcoat anything and tell you, no, it's gonna get better. No, it's not. Revelation, Antichrist, New World Order, Mark of the Beast, Christians dying. It's only gonna get worse. But why worry about that? In fact, why don't you think about further into the future of something called the millennial reign, of something called the rapture, of something called the new heaven and the new earth, which is actually far greater. But parents have a tendency to worry about, man, what's gonna happen in the generation of my children? And I've been there before. I get there from time to time. You know, when I see the wickedness of this world and the evil reprobates of this world and their agenda, and I think of my children, I worry sometimes. But why should I take thought for tomorrow? Because tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient into the days the evil thereof. I have my children now. I can teach them now. I can train them now. I can love them now. These are the things that people often worry about. Or how about this? I don't know if I should spank my child, right? People worry about that. What if they call CPS on me or something like that if I spank my child? Sufficient into the days the evil thereof. How about this? Let's get a little more practical here. How about so-any? I don't wanna go so-any because if I go so-any, what if someone recognizes that I'm part of this church or something like that and they know this church? What's gonna happen? You might get chased or something, I don't know. You might get threatened or something, I don't know. You might get surrounded, I don't know. But you know what? You might not. Or how about this? You know, what if someone asked me a question that I don't know? Well, here's some advice. Why don't you cross that bridge when you get there? Amen. You know, what if I go there and someone, some reprobate just comes at me and they start trying to threaten me? Why don't you just cross that bridge when you get there? Amen. That's what you're supposed to do. What if the generation to come with my children, why don't you just cross that bridge when you get there? How about this? Have you ever find a spouse in this church? For you single men, single ladies. Well, why don't you just cross that bridge when you get there? Why don't you just prepare now? Why don't you prepare to be a husband today, prepare to be a wife today, prepare for marriage today and don't take thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Cross the bridge once you get there. Now, let me just say this is that I'm not advocating for procrastination either. Don't misunderstand me and say, well, yeah, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. That's where I'm not gonna get a job. I'm not gonna go soul winning. I'm not gonna do anything because sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. I'm just gonna take thought for today and take care of today. Well, obviously, there has to be a balance in the way we think about these things, right? If we have the opportunity to prepare for certain things that we should prepare, amen? The horses are prepared against the day of battle but safety is of the Lord. That's what the Bible says. We're supposed to prepare our hearts to seek the Lord, prepare ourselves for trials and tribulations. You know, there's certain things that we have to prepare for and it's not something that we can leave for tomorrow. There's certain things that require our immediate attention today. And if you have the power, the authority and the ability to take care of those things today, then do it. Don't procrastinate. I'm talking about things that are kind of outside of your area of jurisdiction or outside of your ability to do anything about, outside of your authority. You need to cross that bridge when you get there. Now, what does that mean? Well, when we say crossing the bridge when you get there, the bridge is referring to like a problem, a situation, an event, something that's causing you to lose sleep, something that's causing you anxiety and worry and care and it's just kind of eating you up. It's cumbering you in your Christian life. And here's the word of advice for today. Simply this, don't worry about it until you get there. That's right. If there's nothing you can do about this situation, then don't worry about it until you get to that point. Because if you can't do anything about it today, maybe God will enable you tomorrow with the right type of things and the right type of qualities and resources to deal with that situation. And just let me say this, a situation can change overnight, folks. Overnight. A situation and an event can change overnight. You see it over and over again in the Bible. I've seen it in my personal life. How about this? You know, I remember when Pastor Burzins came to preach. Why are you laughing? He came to preach for us. And I'm like, all right, you know, I'm gonna prepare a sermon for Sunday morning. You know, we got a soul winning. And then what happened overnight? A bomb happened overnight. Right? And it just completely changed overnight. And that was the last time we ever met in that building. Things just change overnight. For good and for bad, right? But let me say this, is that when things change, you know, don't think that situations catch God off guard. Right, like, oh, God's like, oh man, I didn't expect that. I'm with you, Bruce. That was completely out of left field. Let me see what kind of blessings I got in my file here. Let me see what I have to work with here. I mean, we obviously understand that God doesn't operate that way. So what happens is, you know, when things catch you off guard or things change overnight, God kind of modifies life in order to help you through that time still. He'll provide the resources. He'll provide the people. He'll provide that which is necessary in order to take care of that. So you're thinking about a future problem or a future event with your current resources, with your current situation, with your current problems. You're not taking into account that something's gonna be added to you later on to deal with that situation. You're gonna mature in the next couple years or months or whatever. Your mentality's gonna change in the next couple years or months or whatever it may be. Things change overnight, okay? So that's why it's important to deal with the situation now if you can, but if you can't, then cross that bridge when you get there. Now let me talk about how people deal with the bridge, okay? Let me talk about how I've dealt with the bridge. And I haven't always done it the right way. Number one, they try to cross it too soon. So number one, the way people deal with the bridge is that they often try to cross it too soon, okay? They try to take matters into their own hands and preemptively fix the problem too soon. And so they make a premature decision that can often have devastating consequences. Now let's look at an example of this. Let's look at Saul's example in 1 Samuel chapter 13. Verse number six says here, When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, for the people were distressed, then the people did hide themselves in the caves and in thickets and in rocks and in high places and in pits. And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal and all the people following him trembling. And he tarried seven days according to the set time that Samuel had appointed. But Samuel came not to Gilgal and the people were scattered from him. So he's getting a little worried here. Samuel had said, I'm gonna come in seven days and when he comes, he's gonna be able to offer those sacrifices, be in obedience to God and therefore have God's blessing on the army so we can continue to go forward and win the Lord's battles, et cetera. But he didn't come at the appointed time. He was a little late, okay. He says in verse number nine, And Saul said, bring me hither a burnt offering to me and peace offerings, and he offered the burnt offering. So let me let you know this. He wasn't allowed to do that. He's a king, he's not a priest, he's not the Levite. This is a very great transgression on Saul's part. He's doing the right thing the wrong way. You understand? And let me just say this, this is a side point here. It's never right to do wrong to do right. It's never right to do wrong to do right. Saul said, well, I wanna offer a burnt offering. It's not like he's offering to some false god, right? He's not committing idolatry. He's not doing something super wicked where, you know, oh, I just wanna offer this burnt offering because I wanna just, you know, not win this battle or not fight against the enemies of the Lord. He's kind of doing it for the right reason, so to speak. But it's not his place. Samuel said, I'll be there in seven days. He came not at the time appointed. So what does Saul do? He takes matters into his own hands. Look what it says in verse 10. And it came to pass that as soon as he had made an end of offering, the burnt offering, behold, look what it says, Samuel came. Oh, man. So it's like as soon as he finished doing it, then Samuel comes to the door. You know what that tells me? If Saul would've just waited just a little longer. If he would've just waited just a little longer. And what I've often noticed in the Christian life is that Christians will make hasty decisions and as soon as they're done making that hasty decision, the answer to prayer was like right around the corner. Was right around the corner. You know, sometimes you pray for something, you pray and you pray and you pray and what happens? God doesn't come at the time appointed. He doesn't answer the prayer at the time appointed and sometimes Christians take matters into their own hands, they force themselves, they disobey God and then they suffer the consequences because of it. I mean, think about this, think about Achan, for example. You know, Achan, when they went into the Canaan land, to the land of promise, the promised land, what happened? God said, look, all these lands are for you, you guys are gonna take it over but the first one, though, belongs to me. So you go into Jericho, you're gonna see all these goods and cattle, don't touch it, that belongs to me, it's the accursed thing. So the first one's supposed to be God's, right? Don't touch it, it's not yours, don't touch the gold, don't touch the silver, don't touch any of the materials or the goods, that belongs to me. Afterwards, you can have everything else. What happens? Achan goes in, he sees that Gucci garment, that, what's a nice brand, what? Jordan's. Jordan's. Sees the Jordan's, you know, he sees the, what's like a Gucci-type brand? Louis Vuitton, oh, something, Louis Vuitton, what else? Armani, is that even a thing still? Dolce & Gabbana, right, did I pronounce that correctly? I'm getting kind of uncomfortable here, man, people are like. He sees all the, it's the Babylonian garment, that's before Dolce & Gabbana, okay? And he sees it and he's just like, man, this is fresh. And you know, the treasures are there, and what does he do? He takes it, and he hides it under the earth. Think about this. I mean, a garment is supposed to be worn, folks. What does he do? He hides, he buries it, so it's all dirty. So he steals his garment, he takes the gold and the silver, whatever, he hides it, the accursed thing, he's not even able to enjoy it. Right? And what happens? Well, the consequences were devastating. Because what happened was Israel went to go fight against Ai, and they got their butts whooped really bad. Joshua was like, man, are we now right with God? And he's kind of mourning, and God just tells him, and I'm paraphrasing here, he's like, get up, stop mourning. There's sin in the camp. There's the accursed thing in the camp, go take care of it. He goes to Achan, God reveals to him that it's Achan, and he shows him the goods, and what happens? Achan and his family are stoned, they're killed, and it's not a happy ending for them. But then thereafter, what happens? Then God says, all right, now go into this city, and then everything that's there you can take. So if he would've just waited for a couple more chapters, if Achan would've just waited for a couple more chapters, he could've had what he wanted. He could've had the Dolce & Gabbana. He could've had the Armani, whatever. He could've had the Jordans, Maury. He could've had the Air Force Nikes, or whatever. The Yeezys, ugliest pair of shoes you ever see in your life. He could've had all those goods. But instead, what happened? He forced himself, he made a hasty decision, he crossed the bridge too soon, and he suffered the consequences because of it. Let's keep reading here. It says in verse number 10, and it came to pass that as soon as he had made an end offering, behold, Samuel came, and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him, and Samuel said, what has thou done? And Saul said, because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest now within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash, therefore said I, the Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and have not made supplication unto the Lord, I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. So he's coming up with all these reasonable excuses as to why he did what he did. The Philistines are here, look at everything, you said you were gonna come at this time, you didn't. I mean, this is all against me. But here's the thing, Saul, if you would've just obeyed the Lord, even though Samuel came late, even though the Philistines were surrounding him round about, God could've still done something with that. Because God blesses what? Obedience, folks. God will completely alter a situation in your favor as long as you're obedient to the Lord. Doesn't matter how difficult that situation may be. Doesn't matter if the Philistines were at his doorstep, folks, doesn't matter if Samuel would've came 10 days later, 20 days later, if Saul would've just obeyed the Lord, God could've just altered that situation to favor Saul. But what happened, what does he say? I forced myself, I wanted to fix the situation. What is he really saying? I crossed the bridge preemptively, prematurely. Verse 13, and Samuel said to Saul, thou hast done foolishly. Now when you look this up in the Hebrew word, the Hebrew word there, let me just translate what it means. That was stupid. That's what the Hebrew means. What he's basically saying is like, that was a stupid move. That was stupid, Saul. Now why was it stupid? Well look what it says. Thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee, for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. And of course, later on we see he takes the kingdom of God from him and he gives it to someone who is better than him, which is David. So think about this, you think of David as being, man, I mean, he's the man of the Old Testament, he's the picture of Jesus Christ. He's the second king, obviously, of Israel, but a lot of people recognize David, right, as basically an Old Testament representation of Jesus Christ. So what did Saul forfeit? That. What did Saul forfeit? Not just the kingdom, but the privilege to exemplify and represent Jesus Christ of the New Testament because of his disobedience, because he what? Forced himself, because he crossed the bridge too soon. Instead of waiting for Samuel to get there, Saul forced himself to offer the burnt offerings. What's the lesson there? Don't make hasty decisions during an emotionally imbalanced time and difficult situation. Don't do it. Oh man, it's just not going good for me. I'm gonna move today. I'm gonna move across the country. I'm just gonna leave right now, across the country. I'm leaving because the situation's too bad. I just can't handle it. Don't force yourself. Chill out. Calm down. Go eat a burger. Go to Cain's. Get some fellowship in. Go take a nap. You're being emotional right now. I mean, wouldn't you say all of us get to a point emotional like that, where we just wanna make a hasty decision and say, I'm done. I can't do this anymore. I can't. I'm just gonna, I'm gonna move. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna leave the country. They're gonna bring me the vaccines. And then they make this hasty decision. And here's the thing. It's not because they're bad people. It's because they're just being emotional. They're fearful. They see the bridge. And they're like, I'm just gonna cross the bridge right now. And here's the thing. The outcome that they're looking for, they're gonna get. But they're gonna get it a lot worse. And they don't understand all the factors and elements that tie into that situation. Don't force yourself during an emotional time or a difficult situation, folks. And this is one thing that I feel like I constantly need to teach our church because this is something that my pastor constantly taught me, constantly taught his church, and that's this. Never make a decision when your decision maker is broken. Never try to make a major decision in your life when your decision maker is broken. How do I know if my decision maker is broken? Well, are you reading the Bible? Are you walking in the Spirit? Are you in church? Are you right with God? No? Okay, then that's not a time to make any major decisions. Because the major decision that you're making is in the flesh, and the flesh is against you, folks. The flesh does not have your best interest in mind. The flesh wants to destroy you. The flesh wants to fulfill its own desires and lust. And it's foolish and it's stupid. The old you, let me just tell you, this is really offensive, it's stupid. Yeah, I said it. And so is mine. Because it's void, stupid means it's void of knowledge. And the Bible says that the carnal mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So the old man, the flesh is not subject, is not able to comprehend the Bible, spiritual things. We comprehend it spiritually, folks. You don't know my situation. Your situation is the same situation that any other person has faced throughout biblical times up until this point and hereafter. Someone else has been to that bridge that you're at. Someone else has had that bridge. Someone else has crossed that bridge. Well, who? Saul? He forced himself and look what happened to him. How do people deal with the bridge? They try to cross it too soon. They try to cross it too soon. They suffer the consequences because of it. It's never good. Go to Genesis chapter 16, if you will, Genesis chapter 16. How do people deal with the bridge? They try to cross it too soon. Don't be hasty in your decisions. And look, folks, this is why it's good to have a local New Testament church to go to. And not just to have a local New Testament church, it's good to build friendships and relationships in the local New Testament church. You know, because then you have brethren around you that can exhort you and kind of help you make the right decisions. Yeah, I'm thinking about, I'm thinking about doing X, Y, and Z. And you talk to a person who's filled with the Spirit. They're walking with God. They discern that and say, you know, that's not a really good idea. I'm thinking about getting a job at a bar. I heard they make really good tips. You know, I'm not gonna touch it, though. I'll try not to look at it because I know the Bible's against it. You know, but they make really good money and I'm struggling financially. You tell that to a brother, brother's gonna be like, yeah, that's pretty stupid. It's probably not a good idea. You know, you should sit that one out completely, permanently, okay? And look, don't be afraid to get advice in our church. Some people are afraid to get advice, but you know why? Because they know that the people are gonna tell them what they don't want to hear. But isn't that what advice is for, is to give us the truth? It's not to tell us what we want to hear. You know, when the Bible says in a multitude of counselors there is safety, he's not saying go to different people until you get the answer you want. I don't like that answer. Let me go talk to brother Huyck instead. Huyck gives him an answer, thanks. Let me go talk to him as friends, just give me a bow. Let me go talk to brother Eric about it. Who can give me the answer I just want to hear? A multitude of counselors is just referring to the fact that there's different people in our church, for example, that are experienced in different parts of life that you can go to. Got a medical doctor here, got someone who works as an electrician, as you know, whatever, and you can go to these different people who are experienced and strong in these areas. This is your cabinet of counselors, so to speak. You have your pastor, you have your parents, you have young, godly men who are working, who are in your same situation. That's what that's talking about. But get advice before you make a decision. What's another way that people deal with the bridge? They pick an alternative bridge. They see that bridge and they're like, heck no. I do not want to cross that bridge. Let's just pick a little wussier bridge. Let me just go to a different bridge, something that's more palatable for me to take care of here. So they kind of come up with their own solution, basically, right? Look at Genesis 16, let's look at an example of this. Of course, Abraham is given the promise that he's gonna bring forth a son, Isaac, his promised child, but you know, Abraham and Isaac, they're getting kind of old. All right, I'm sorry, Abraham and Sarah, they're getting kind of old, right? I'm getting kind of old, apparently, too. Abraham and Sarah are getting kind of old, and they haven't even had one child, and God's over here telling them, hey, your children are gonna be like the sand of the sea, I mean, for multitude, you're gonna be the father of faith and all these things, and he's like, I haven't even had one. I haven't even had one yet. So they're getting to a point where they're just like, I don't know about this bridge, I think we're just gonna have to take care of it on ourselves, and just choose an alternative route. Look what it says in verse number one. Now Sarai, Abraham's wife, bear him no children, and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar, and Sarai said unto Abraham, behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. First of all, Sarai, the Lord's the one who promised you that you're gonna bear. Don't just go on making stuff up here. You're making stuff up. You're being a little emotional. The Lord hath restrained, what do you mean? God is not a man that he should lie. If he said he's gonna do it, he's gonna do it. The Lord hath restrained me from bearing. I pray thee, go in unto my maid. It may be that I may obtain children by her, and Abraham hearken to the voice of Sarai. So what's going on here? She's like, I got a plan. God's bridge, a little too far, we're getting old, here's a bridge, her name is Hagar. Go in, marry Hagar, and then you can have children, and we can just fulfill the promise that way. Weird. I mean, think about the marriage problems there. That's a major marital issue right there. So they're coming up with their own bridge, they're coming up with their own plan. And Sarai, Abraham's wife, took Hagar, her maid, the Egyptian, and after Abraham had dwelt 10 years in the land of Canaan and gave her to her husband, Abraham, to be his wife, and he went in unto Hagar and she conceived, and when she saw that she was conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes, and Sarai said unto Abraham, my wrong be upon thee. Don't you notice that when someone makes a bad decision, at the end of that decision, they realize how bad it really was? But it takes the fulfillment of that bad decision to recognize how bad it is. Hey, be wise, folks. Recognize how bad the decision would be before you make the decision, not when it's already been done. You make the decision, it's like, oh man, that was stupid. Yeah, but now you gotta fix this situation. Now you got a bad, bad, bad event, bad situation on your hands. Why don't you think about the consequences and the outcome of that decision prior to making it. Let your imagination run wild. Oh man, if I do this, then this can happen, and this can, yeah, I'm not gonna do that. I'm not gonna come up, I'm not gonna fulfill that, I'm not gonna do that, that's a bad decision to make. It says, my wrong be upon thee, I have given my maiden to thy bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. The Lord judged between me and thee, and Abraham said unto Sarai, behold thy maid is in thine hand, do to her as it pleaseth thee. He's like, look, just fix the situation, all right? I did what you told me to do. Well, that's the first problem, Abraham. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face. Now, what was the outcome of the situation, Ishmael? And who does Ishmael represent? Unsaved Jews, right? So now you, yeah, thanks, Abraham. Because now we have these unsaved Jews who they picture as being the adversaries of believers. So he created this negative picture because of his bad decision, because of her bad decision. Why, because they made their own bridge. Don't make your own bridge. Don't think that your ability to make your own bridge is superior to what God is able to do. It's superior to the situation that God can fix in the future. And a lot of people do this sometimes. They just come up with their own solution. Well, you know, if you carry the Y here and you do this situation, this right, if we can just manipulate this situation this way, I think we can make it work. No, why don't you just serve God instead? Why don't you serve God, read the Bible, you know, love the Lord, win souls, have your family in church, do that which is pleasing unto the Lord and leave the outcome up to God. Instead of trying to fix the situation yourself. Instead of trying to make your own bridge that's gonna fall apart anyways. Because as soon as you start crossing that bridge that you made, you're gonna realize you're not an engineer. You're gonna get halfway through that bridge, it's gonna collapse on you, and you're gonna say, that sucked. That was a bad idea. But by that time, it's too late. It's too late. They tried to cross the bridge, they knew it was coming, but they tried too soon. They just wanted to get it over with and it wasn't gonna happen. Go to Matthew 26 if you would, Matthew 26. This is the attitude we should have, we're looking at verse 39. It says, he went a little further, referring to Jesus, and fell on his face and prayed, saying, oh my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. What does he talk about, that bridge? If it be possible. So, isn't it natural to just kind of not wanna cross the bridge? Isn't it possible, isn't it natural to just not wanna go through that situation, not have to face it? It is, right? I mean, Jesus himself said, let this cup pass from me. I don't wanna experience this. Right, that's what he's saying. And you know what, a lot of people just stop right there. Let this cup pass from me, in fact, I will make sure it doesn't pass. I'll make sure that it does pass. I'll create my own bridge. But, he goes on to say, nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou will. Look folks, there's nothing wrong with you feeling contrary to God's word, or contrary to God's will, and expressing that to the Lord. And say, Lord, I don't wanna go through this. I have a hard time submitting to my husband. I have a hard time loving my wife. I don't think this is right. I have a hard time in this situation. I'm angry about this. I'm upset, I'm depressed, I'm discouraged, I'm angry. Lord, I hate this situation. But you gotta make sure you follow it up with, but nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou will. There's nothing wrong with pouring out your heart like water into the Lord, and just telling him how you really feel. Don't think you have to get all King James on God when you're in prayer or something. People think they need to get all King James on God and just, oh Lord, your will is so perfect, and whatever it is that you want. No, just be honest with God. Just tell him, this situation's bad and I hate it, and I don't wanna go through this. I'm very angry at this situation. I'm angry at my husband, I'm angry at my wife, I'm upset with my children right now, I'm upset with my job, I'm just upset. I feel like this is not working in my favor, Lord. And you know what? May I say this? You could even tell the Lord that you're upset at him sometimes, because that happens sometimes, folks. I don't wanna say that. Well, if you're upset with God, he already knows it. Right? If you're upset with God, he already knows that you are. So this is what you do. Lord, I'm upset with you and I'm sorry about that. This is my flesh. My flesh is weak and I'm upset and I'm just being emotional and I know I'm going through a tough time and I'm sorry about that, Lord. Help me. See, it's better to just get honest with the Lord and just tell him exactly how you feel, but as long as you follow it up with, nevertheless though, not my will but thine be done. Because at that point, you're showing the Lord, this is who I really am, but at the end of the day, deep down inside, I wanna do your will. And I'm gonna make sure that I do your will. Regardless of how bitter that cup really is. John 18, eight says, Jesus answered, I've told you that I am he, if therefore you seek me, let these go their way, that the same might be fulfilled, which he spake of them, which thou gavest me. Have I lost none? Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and smote the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into thy sheath, the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? And this is something that sometimes we just need to tell ourselves. When it's bitter and you don't wanna drink it, you say, well, you know what? God gave me this cup, should I just not drink it? God gave me this bridge, shouldn't I just cross it? God gave me this situation, shouldn't I just deal with it? Don't pour it out, drink it. Sometimes people choose an alternative route, an alternative bridge, and there's often consequences that come with that. This is not what God originally intended for you. Go to 1 Samuel chapter 26. 1 Samuel chapter 26, how do people deal with the bridge? They cross it too soon. They choose an alternative bridge, something that they think would be better, shorter, not as strenuous, not as hard, not as bitter. It'll fix the situation faster. Or sometimes, number three, they just avoid the bridge altogether. Like, I'm not gonna make my own bridge, I'm just not even gonna go through any bridge. I'm just gonna stay on this side. I'm just gonna go ahead and avoid the situation altogether. I'd just rather not deal with it. But here's the thing, folks, that's not reality. We have to deal with problems. We have to deal with problems, you know, and we have to deal with a difficult situation. We gotta face it, we gotta confront it. We have to deal with a difficult marriage. We have to deal with difficult children. We have to deal with a difficult boss or job or health situation. You just have to deal with it. It's just a reality. Don't run away from your problems. Just face them head on. I don't like conflict. You need to start liking conflict, though. Because conflict is just a part of life. There is a time in my life that I didn't like conflict, I don't like confrontation, but after a while, when you do it over and over again, it's like, let's do it. Let's just fix the situation right now. You mad at me, Maury? What's up? Heard you talking trash, Maury? Let's just deal with it right now. Because then you deal with it and then the time passes, wounds are healed, you cross that bridge, and it's over with. Whereas other people, they're just bitter at someone and they just remain bitter towards them and they never cross the bridge of reconciliation for years and years and years and years. Just cross it. Some people just avoid the bridge just altogether. Now, what's an example? Well, David's an example of this. Obviously, we understand that Saul tried to kill David on multiple occasions, right? Trying to kill David. But here's the thing. David was an anointed king. God's hand was on David. God was protecting David, right? And we see that throughout his life, that the Lord was with David. I mean, it's such an inspirational story of David going through so much trial and tribulation in the midst of people trying to kill him, in the midst of his mentor trying to kill him, and yet God delivered him every single time. Look at chapter 26, verse 21. Of course, we see Saul sleeping. David has an opportunity to smite his enemy. You know, David's mighty men, they're just like, just let me smite him once and I won't smite him again. I'll take care of him for you. You know, he's just like, I'll handle him for you and we don't have to worry about this whole situation. But what was that guy doing? He was making his alternative bridge, right? But then, you know, David has mercy on him. And then we see this going back and forth here, verse 21 says, then said Saul, I have sinned, returned my son David, for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have erred exceedingly. And David answered and said, behold the king's spear, and let one of the young men come over and fetch it. The Lord rented to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord delivered thee into mine hand today, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed. And behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by thine eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. Then Saul said to David, blessed be thou my son David, thou shall both do great things, and also shall still prevail. So David went on his way and Saul returned to his place and to live happily ever after. Is that what happened? So what do we see? Saul said, I'm not gonna chase you anymore. You spared me, you showed mercy to me, I'm not gonna chase you anymore. We're good, peace, we're good to go, right? Look at 27, verse one. And David said in his, what, heart. Gotta be careful when you talk to yourself. You gotta make sure that the person talking to yourself is the right person, it's the new man, not the old one. David said in his heart, I shall now, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. What is he saying? This guy's gonna kill me one day. Really David, cause like God basically delivered you every single time that he tried. Really David, cause aren't you like anointed king? Aren't you supposed to be the next king? Doesn't God already have a plan for you? I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. After this whole thing, you're blessed and you're good to go. He turns around and says in his heart, I'm gonna die one day by this guy. And in his way of thinking, because he's in the flesh, what does he do? A hasty decision. There's nothing better, is there really nothing better David? There's nothing better for me than I should speedily escape into the land of the what? Philistines. Oh you mean the land of your enemies? And Saul shall despair of me to seek me anymore in any coast of Israel, so shall I escape out of his hand. Oh what a great idea David. Just go to the land of your enemies, give yourself over to them and Saul won't even chase you anymore. Oh man, you're smart. What is he doing? He's avoiding the bridge altogether. See what he should have said is this, well I'll just cross that bridge when it gets there or if he comes at me again, I know God's gonna deliver me again. Doesn't matter how close it gets or how many spears he chucks or how many men he sends against me, I'll just cross that bridge when we get there. I know God's favor's on my life, I know God's hand is on my life, we'll just cross that bridge when we get there. Instead he says, you know I'm just gonna avoid this whole thing altogether, I'm just gonna go to the land of the Philistines. And that way Saul will never find me. Look at verse two, and David arose and he passed over with 600 men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Mayoch, king of Gath. By the way, when you make a decision like this, you think you're just affecting your life, no you actually affect the people around you as well. Because we see that he passed over with 600 men. So when you make a bad decision, you actually take your family with you. Right, right. Hey man, when you make a hasty decision like that, you take your wife with you. You take your children with you. Well what if I don't have a family? You take people with you no matter who they are because there's always someone watching you. There's always someone who respects you, there's always someone who looks up to you, there's always someone who is influenced by you, and you will take them with you. Well it's only one, but isn't one enough? It's only one person that looks up to me, one is enough. So don't think, well if I ruin my life, it's okay, it's just my life. Yeah, hold on a second, first of all it's not your life. Second of all, there's other lives that look towards your life. So if you decide to go to the land of the Philistines because you're too scared to deal with Saul in the future, you don't want to cross that bridge, you just want to avoid it altogether, 600 men will go with you. But you know, if you want to say you have no influence over people, okay how about this, how about the 600 people you could have gotten saved, but will no longer get saved because you went to the land of the Philistines? How about the 600 people that you would have influenced, the 600 souls that would have been pulled out of hell, that would have gone with you or stayed with you if you would have just stayed in God's will. Think about that. Verse three, and David dwelt at Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, man. Even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelites, Abigail the Carmelites and Nabal's wife. And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath and he sought no more again for him. And David said unto Achish, if I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country that I may dwell there, for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day, whereof Ziklag pertaineth him to the kings of Judah unto this day. And look what it says here, in the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. He was outside of God's will for a full year and four months. He was in the land of the Philistines, his enemies, for a full year and four months. Why? Because he wanted to just avoid the bridge altogether. Folks, don't avoid problems, don't run from problems, just face them head on. And if the problem doesn't present itself today, then first of all, it might just be your imagination. You ever thought about that? You know that big boogie monster that you're so scared of? It might just be a figment of your imagination, it may just never happen. And most of the time, that's what it is. You're scared of something that's not even real, that is never gonna happen, it's never gonna come to fruition, it's never gonna manifest itself ever. David, he wasn't gonna chase you anymore. Go to Hebrews 12 and we're done. This is the reason why Peter denied the Lord. He was afraid of the bridge of persecution. So what did he do, he denied him thrice. I know not the man. Why, because he's afraid, he sees what Jesus is going through, and he denies him, he denies him, he denies him, because he's afraid, so he just avoided it altogether. To the point where he just started cursing. And he was ashamed because of it. How do people deal with the bridge? They try to cross it too soon. They choose an alternative bridge, they avoid it altogether. And lastly, there's that select group that they just cross it when the road leads to it. And this is the one that you should do. Cross the bridge when you get to it. And more specifically, cross the bridge when the road you're on leads you to it. What does that mean? Don't worry about it until it comes. Don't worry about that situation until it comes. I like what Job said, okay? Job said in Job 13 verse 15, "'Though he slay me.'" Yeah, well, I trust him. "'But I will maintain my own ways before him.'" He says, if that bridge just collapses on me when I cross and it's just really bad for me at the end, I'm still gonna cross it. If that situation, that outcome is not in my favor, I'm still gonna trust him. If it doesn't turn out in my favor, if I end up just, you know, it ends up destroying my life, then so be it. I'm just gonna go ahead and cross it and maintain my ways before him no matter what. This is the attitude that we need to have. Because here's the thing, what you're worried about is how you're gonna benefit from this bridge. But what you really should be thinking about is, am I doing God's will, though? Am I doing God's will? Don't worry about how it's gonna affect you, your finances, your family, how it's gonna affect X, Y, and Z. Why don't you just worry about are you doing God's will? Because that's what's the most important thing. And you know what, if your life falls apart, which it won't, but if your life falls apart but you're doing God's will, you succeeded. You succeeded. Job said, if I die doing this, I'm still gonna do it. I'm still gonna trust him. If it turns on me and I get destroyed and I burn up and I just don't even get to do the things that I wanted to do, so be it. So be it. And it's often these people who have this attitude that actually get exceedingly abundantly above all that they can ask or think. I mean, isn't that what happened to Job? He's like, I'll die doing this. He didn't even die. He said, though he slay me, he was never slain. Right? He's like, I'm willing to just get destroyed, be slain. Whatever happens, it never happened to him. And in fact, God just basically gave him more than what he deserved or even thought about. That's typically how it works. But what you have to have is the mentality of, you know what, who cares what happens to me? Who am I? Who am I? Who cares about my life? Who cares about what happens to me? What's important is the Lord. What's important is his will. What's important is that I fulfill his will. And if I die in the process, so be it, because I'm not the Lord, I'm just a servant, you know what, I'm a pawn. And if he's willing to sacrifice me for the greater good, for his purpose, for his will, then so be it. Because it's not about me. It's not about my pleasure. It's not about my wants or my desires. It's about the Lord. And you know what happens when you have that thought and you have that motive? God says, all right, I was just testing you. Here you go. You're just like, really? It's like Abraham when he was about to sacrifice Isaac. He's like, I was just testing you. Because I want to see what you really care about. You love your son more than me? You love your life more than me? Hey, do you love your life more than the Lord? The attitude should be, forget my life. I will lose my life. And what does the Bible say? Those who lose their life, the same shall what? Find it. Those who lose their life will find it. What do I have to do? Cross the bridge and leave the outcome unto God. Look at Hebrews 12, verse one. Wherefore seeing we are also compassed about what so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus crossed the bridge. And because he crossed the bridge, he became the bridge. He's always been the bridge, but he solidified being the bridge between the reconciliation of man and man, and he came back to God because he crossed the bridge, no matter how difficult that situation was. What's the sermon today? Live life today, read your Bible today, train your children today, love your wives today, love your spouse today, love the brethren today. Be in church today, do God's will today. Don't let tomorrow's worries rob you of today's blessing. Just enjoy today. Prepare as best as you can, believe the outcome to God. Don't worry about the bridge, because here's the thing, as long as the Lord is with you, he's gonna cross the bridge with you. So regardless of what the outcome is on the other side, as long as you know that the Lord is with you, who cares what the outcome is? But here's the thing, cross the bridge when you get there. Don't spend endless nights thinking about what's gonna happen, what's gonna take place. Just cross it once you get there and serve God today. Amen? Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Father, we thank you so much for your word, and Lord, thank you for the examples in the Bible, Lord. The bridge is scary sometimes, and our imaginations can often run wild with the possibilities of a negative outcome that doesn't favor us. But the reality is is that you're omniscient, and you know elements that are not even involved in the situation now, but will be later on. Situations can change drastically. And even when we look at the factors of our situation today, and think, well, there's no possible good outcome to this, honestly, that's not even true. Because for a Christian, there's always a great outcome. There's always a great result as long as we're serving you. And I pray, Lord, that you give us the wisdom, the strength, and the strength, Lord, and just to be spirit-filled, to be able to cross this bridge of difficulty when we get there. Help us today, Lord. We love you so much, and we thank you. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.