WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:03.359 Hello, everybody. 2 00:00:03.480 --> 00:00:06.839 This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope with Rick Warren. I'm 3 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:10.599 really glad you're here. Today we're continuing our series from 4 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:14.480 Psalm twenty three called Living in the Goodness of God. 5 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:17.600 It's all about how God's goodness meets you right where 6 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:21.920 you are and brings hope even in difficult seasons. Today 7 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:25.239 we're diving into part one of a message called how 8 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:27.760 God Lifts Me Up When I'm worn down. 9 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:29.760 You take out your message notes. 10 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:34.679 Life can really wear you down so that you've got 11 00:00:34.719 --> 00:00:38.840 nothing left to give. And I'm sure that every one 12 00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:41.159 of you, at some point in your life could identify 13 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:46.719 with this anonymous prayer request that came in. I feel 14 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:50.359 like I'm in a war zone. It's just one battle 15 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:55.799 after another. I argue with my wife, I clash with 16 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:59.799 my kids over everything. I fight to keep my job, 17 00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:03.439 I struggle with our growing debt, and I'm losing the 18 00:01:03.479 --> 00:01:08.359 battle with my weight. And then there's the conflicts inside me. 19 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:13.920 I fight my own fears, when I battle with my 20 00:01:13.959 --> 00:01:18.640 anxieties and my temper, and I'm always fighting off depression. 21 00:01:20.519 --> 00:01:23.760 Sometimes I'm just fighting to keep my head above water, 22 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:32.840 and I'm just so tired. How does the goodness of God. 23 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:36.319 Help you when you feel like that, when you're in 24 00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:37.840 the battle and you're all beat up. 25 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:39.359 How does God lift you up. 26 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:43.439 When you're worn down? Not after the battle's over. I'm 27 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:45.719 talking about in the middle of the battle. Where do 28 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:49.280 you find the goodness of God? Now we've been in 29 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:52.400 this series for now. This is our eighth week on 30 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:55.640 living in the Goodness of God, and we're looking at 31 00:01:55.799 --> 00:01:59.079 Psalm twenty three, the most famous chapter in the entire Bible. 32 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:02.599 It's only six verses, but it gives us twelve pictures, 33 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:07.439 twelve expressions, twelve identifying factors of God's goodness in your life. 34 00:02:07.480 --> 00:02:10.919 How God is good to you, whether you're resting in 35 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:14.240 green pastures and by still waters, or whether you're in 36 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:17.520 the valley of the Shadow of death, or this week, 37 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:19.960 when you're facing an enemy, wherein you're in a battle, 38 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:24.080 a financial battle, a health battle, a relational battle, a 39 00:02:24.120 --> 00:02:27.840 battle for your own sanity. How does God show his 40 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:31.319 goodness in that kind of situation. Well, today we're in 41 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:34.680 verse five, and in verse five there are three more 42 00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:38.000 pictures of how God is good to you. We're only 43 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:39.199 going to look at one of them for the next 44 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:41.479 three weeks. We're gonna look, this is such a deep 45 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:45.439 passage and the metaphors are so full that we're taking 46 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:48.759 literally one phrase, not even one verse at a time, 47 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:51.360 one phrase at a time. And so we're gonna look 48 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:53.319 at the first phrase in Psalm five. It's at the 49 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:55.919 top of your excuse me, verse five, at the top 50 00:02:55.960 --> 00:03:01.800 of your outline, and it says this, you prepare a 51 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:07.479 banquet for me in front of my enemies. Pretty simple statement. 52 00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:10.439 You prepare a banquet for me in front of my enemies. 53 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:12.520 What in the world does that mean? I mean, this 54 00:03:12.759 --> 00:03:17.240 was written over three thousand years ago, so how can 55 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:17.879 it help. 56 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:23.199 You in the battles you have against your enemies this year? 57 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:27.400 Well, we're going to tear it apart first, word by word, 58 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:33.400 and to understand this metaphor, uh, you need to ask 59 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:37.080 four questions. We're going to ask what kind of banquet 60 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:40.400 is it? We're going to ask who are the enemies? 61 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:44.319 And then we need to ask what does this banquet symbolize? 62 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:47.319 And then we need to ask what's on the menu. 63 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:51.039 So let's get right into it. First, what kind of 64 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.560 banquet is this? Well, again, let's just take it apart 65 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:56.840 word by word. He starts off by saying you prepare 66 00:03:56.840 --> 00:03:58.919 a banquet for me in front of my enemies. You 67 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:02.240 the word you means God. He's talking about God. So 68 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:05.439 write this down. Five things we know. God is the host. 69 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:09.479 God is the host of this banquet. So whatever we're 70 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:12.680 going to look at today, it's God's idea. 71 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:14.439 He is the host. 72 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:17.920 And can you imagine the honor of getting imitation in 73 00:04:17.959 --> 00:04:20.759 the mail where God says I'm inviting you to my banquet. 74 00:04:20.759 --> 00:04:23.959 You'd be on an a list. You probably wouldn't even 75 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:24.720 go to bed tonight. 76 00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:28.040 You'd stay up, taking a couple of showers, getting a haircut, 77 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:30.399 whatever you can do, find new clothes, so you'd be 78 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:33.040 ready for a banquet that God has invited. 79 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:34.439 You too, because he's the host. 80 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:38.720 Then it says you prepare, And what that means is 81 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:42.000 this is well prepared. This is well planned. Write that down. 82 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:44.920 This is not a spontaneous banquet. It's not off the cuff. 83 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:46.759 It's not like, hey, let's go down to the beach 84 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:51.120 right now. God has put forethought into us. This is planned, 85 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:53.720 it is prepared. It's not of the spur of the 86 00:04:53.759 --> 00:04:57.279 moment decision. Now, I want to tell you that the 87 00:04:57.279 --> 00:05:00.519 word banquet in a lot of translations is actually in 88 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:04.120 Hebrew the word table, and King James version says, you 89 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:07.120 prepare a table for me. But it's not just any table. 90 00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:09.920 The Hebrew word here's the word shu khan, and shul 91 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:13.959 kan literally means the king's table. When he says I 92 00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:16.360 prepare a table for you a banquet, he's not talking 93 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:20.560 about a TV dinner tray. He's not talking about a 94 00:05:20.600 --> 00:05:24.079 for mica dinette in your kitchen. He's not talking about 95 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:26.399 a folding table a judas. This is one of those 96 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:29.079 really long tables you see in a castle, in a 97 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:33.199 medieval castle that's long holds, you know, fifty one hundred people. 98 00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:37.079 It's the king's table, it's the queen's table. This word 99 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:39.639 in the Bible is used almost always referred to a 100 00:05:39.720 --> 00:05:43.920 king's table, or it is referred to the table of showbred. 101 00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:45.240 In the temple. So it's a special. 102 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:49.360 It's a sacred table that you're being invited to, and 103 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:52.480 it is well planned, it's all laid out, it's big, heavy, 104 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:54.959 and it's got the king's feast on it. He says, 105 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:58.839 you prepare a banquet. The next phrase is for me. 106 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.199 Here's what you need to write down. You're the guest 107 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:04.000 of honor. So write this down. I am the guest 108 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:07.519 of honor. This is not a banquet for somebody else 109 00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:11.759 that you're being invited to attend. This is a banquet 110 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:16.680 that is really just for you. It's you and the king. 111 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:20.439 You're the guest of honor. You're the big cheese, You're 112 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:21.079 the big deal. 113 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:23.839 And so it is for you. You. 114 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:27.639 I am the guest of honor. You prepare a banquet 115 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:30.759 for me, And it says in front of here's the 116 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:35.800 next phrase. It's a public banquet, not private. People are 117 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:39.560 gonna watch you eat with a king. People are gonna 118 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:42.959 watch it is public, it's not in secret. God wants 119 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:47.079 to see you honored, and God wants everybody to see 120 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:50.879 you being honored. So this banquet we're gonna look at 121 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:53.839 today is for you, and it's to be in public. 122 00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:56.920 It's not a secret event. It's in front of. And 123 00:06:56.959 --> 00:06:59.519 then the last phrase, which is the catch in front 124 00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:03.480 of my enemies. Oh no, that's a twist. I might say, 125 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:05.600 thank God to say I'm gonna prepare a banquet for 126 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:09.319 you and your friends. Now he says, I'm gonna pare 127 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:12.279 a banquet just for you, but all of your enemies 128 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:16.000 are gonna watch us eat together. What in the world 129 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:19.560 does that mean. It means that it's on a battlefield. 130 00:07:20.040 --> 00:07:20.959 Write this down. 131 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:24.959 The banquet is on a battlefield. This is a. 132 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:28.600 Banquet not just when good times are going in your life. 133 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:30.040 It's when you're under attack. 134 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:33.759 The king says, during the battle, I'm gonna come and 135 00:07:33.839 --> 00:07:36.839 throw a banquet for you, and all of your enemies 136 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:40.519 are gonna watch me, honor you, bless you, and have 137 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:41.639 peace with you. 138 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:45.480 So that's what the banquet is. Now. 139 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:50.399 The second question is who's the enemy? And I could 140 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:52.160 go into this, This could be a whole sermon. We've 141 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:55.120 talked about it before. I'm just gonna give you the 142 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:57.160 fill ins. I've written some verses there. I'm not gonna 143 00:07:57.199 --> 00:07:59.079 even teach on these because I don't want to spend 144 00:07:59.079 --> 00:08:01.040 most of the time on it. But the Bible says 145 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:04.399 you have three enemies. They are the world, the flesh, 146 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:06.560 and the devil. You might write these down. The first 147 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:11.199 enemy you have is the world around me. The world 148 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:13.959 around me, and I've given you some Bible verses there 149 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:14.480 to look. 150 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:15.959 The world is in. 151 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:20.519 Opposition to God because it worships itself, not God. And 152 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:23.720 the world around you, is always coming after you, always, 153 00:08:24.199 --> 00:08:28.199 you know, criticizing you, always not understanding you. If you've 154 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:30.680 ever been picked on, if you've ever been put down, 155 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:34.279 if you've ever had injustice or bias or racialism or 156 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:39.039 prejudice or overlooked because of your gender. That's the world 157 00:08:39.080 --> 00:08:43.399 around you. The second enemy you have is Satan is 158 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:46.720 against me. The world is around me, and the second 159 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:50.039 is Satan is against me. And again I don't have 160 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:52.720 time to go into all of this, but God says 161 00:08:53.159 --> 00:08:57.039 that Satan is real and that he wants to defeat you. 162 00:08:58.120 --> 00:09:00.399 God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. 163 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:02.919 Satan hates you and has a terrible plan for your life. 164 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:05.679 And the Bible says that God Satan wants to kill you. 165 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:11.200 Satan wants to destroy you. Satan wants to defeat you. Why, well, 166 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:14.240 he didn't even care about you. The only reason Satan 167 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:18.600 hates you is because God loves you. That's why you're 168 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:21.840 the enemy of Satan. Because God loves you, and Satan 169 00:09:21.879 --> 00:09:26.360 hates anything and anyone God loves. Because God loves you greatly, 170 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:30.159 Satan hates you. Satan wants to hurt you and destroy 171 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:33.039 you because he thinks that will hurt God. If you 172 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:36.039 wanted to get at me, get my children and my grandchildren, 173 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:39.000 you would hurt me the most that way. So you've 174 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:41.519 got the world around you, You've got Satan against you. 175 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:43.559 But then the third enemy, and this is the biggest 176 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:47.679 one of all, is my old nature inside me. That's 177 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:51.320 your third enemy, your old nature inside you. And the 178 00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:54.320 older you get, the more you're gonna learn that your 179 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:59.720 biggest enemy is you. And you don't always do the 180 00:09:59.799 --> 00:10:03.120 right things that you intend to do. You have good intentions. 181 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:06.440 Paul wrote an entire chapter about this in Roman seven. 182 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:08.399 He says, the things I want to do, I end 183 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:10.000 up not doing, and the things that I know are 184 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:11.759 bad for me, I end up doing. I'm in this 185 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:16.480 battle constantly, and that's the third enemy against you. Now, 186 00:10:16.519 --> 00:10:19.279 he says, in the presence of my enemies, I do 187 00:10:19.480 --> 00:10:25.559 a banquet. What does this banquet symbolize, Well, it symbolizes 188 00:10:25.639 --> 00:10:30.360 two things. In the Bible, a banquet almost always represents 189 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:30.840 two things. 190 00:10:30.840 --> 00:10:31.559 Write these down. 191 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:39.159 First, God wants and welcomes fellowship with me. That's the 192 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:42.480 first thing that this banquet says. That God wants to 193 00:10:42.519 --> 00:10:46.840 hang out with you. He wants and he welcomes. 194 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:47.840 Fellowship with you. 195 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:50.120 This is one of the most amazing truths in the 196 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:52.919 universe that God, who created the whole thing, wants to 197 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:55.360 know me, wants to know you. God wants to be 198 00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:58.039 your friend. God wants you to be his friend. God 199 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:00.960 wants to fellowship. He wants to eat together. Let's go 200 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:05.480 get something to eat. That is an amazing truth that 201 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:10.279 in the Bible, a banquet almost always represents fellowship. You 202 00:11:10.360 --> 00:11:12.360 know that when you want a fellowship with so many days, 203 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:14.759 say let's go get some to eat. You have somebody 204 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:17.799 over to your house. That's fellowship. When God throws a 205 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:20.519 banquet for you, he's saying I want to hang out 206 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:24.679 with you. I want you to understand how much I 207 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:28.639 love you. And he wants to show how you are 208 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:31.240 welcomed by him, how you are wanted by him, and 209 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:34.399 he wants to do it. Listen, when you're under attack, 210 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:39.720 to encourage you in the presence of your enemies, when 211 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:42.440 everybody else is coming against you, God says, I want 212 00:11:42.440 --> 00:11:44.879 to throw a party for you. I want to have 213 00:11:44.919 --> 00:11:49.440 a banquet for you. Psalm Verse chapter five, verse eleven 214 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:53.600 says this you welcome us with open arms talking about God. 215 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:57.000 When we run to for cover to you. 216 00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:59.080 In other words, you're in a battle and you need 217 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:02.000 a little protection, and you run to God. God says, 218 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:05.279 I welcome you with open arms. I love this in 219 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:08.240 the message paraphrase some five eleven, you welcome us with 220 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:11.519 open arms when we run for cover to you. Let 221 00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:17.200 the party last all night. Stand guard over our celebration. 222 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:19.559 God says, I know you're in the heat of the 223 00:12:19.559 --> 00:12:21.960 battle right now. You're fighting for your job. You're fighting 224 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:24.639 for your health, you're fighting for your sanity, you're fighting 225 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:26.480 for your dignity while the. 226 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:27.200 Battle's going on. 227 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:29.480 Hang on, I want to throw a banquet for you, 228 00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:34.720 just a little encouragement here. Now it's a party in 229 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:38.080 a combat zone. It's a banquet in a battlefield. 230 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:41.360 Now. I want you to use your imaginations to imagine 231 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:43.279 this scene. Go back to like. 232 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:48.320 Robinhood, days of knights and vassals and kings and courts, 233 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:53.600 and imagine a giant medieval battle and there's two mountains 234 00:12:53.639 --> 00:12:56.480 and this team a over here, and team be over here. 235 00:12:56.840 --> 00:12:58.840 You're on the good side, and this is the bad side. 236 00:12:58.919 --> 00:13:00.240 These are the evil people. 237 00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:03.639 And that the enemies have come out and the soldiers 238 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:07.000 have come out to fight this battle, And just imagine 239 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:11.039 that you are a soldier on the front line in 240 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:14.919 a medieval battle and you're out there and you're fighting hard, 241 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:18.120 and you're working hard, and the enemy's coming against you. 242 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:22.480 It's a heated battle, and you're tired, and you're sweaty, 243 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:26.879 you probably got some blood on you, and you're scared, 244 00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:31.799 and you're hungry, and all of a sudden, word comes 245 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:36.519 up without explanation, and a superior officer pulls you off 246 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:39.960 the front line. You're going, I don't know what's going on, 247 00:13:40.039 --> 00:13:41.759 but I'm glad to get off the front line because 248 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:44.240 this is a hot and heavy battle. And the superior 249 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:47.480 officer pulls you out of the battle and you start 250 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:52.120 walking back, and then about one thousand yards back off 251 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:56.039 the front of the battle, you see this giant banquet 252 00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:00.519 tent has been erected with all the turrets and the flags, 253 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:03.519 and it looks like a circus tent, a big tent, 254 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:06.559 and you go, what's going on? And as you start 255 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:11.000 walking toward that banquet tent, you realize and there's a 256 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:14.759 full feast there. You realize that the king has showed up. 257 00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:20.559 The King of the Empire has shown up. And when 258 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:24.879 you walk into that tent. There is the King's table, 259 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:30.320 and it's seventy five feet or fifty feet long, and 260 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:32.679 it's heavy in what is somehow they figured out a 261 00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:35.360 way to get it out of a castle and transport 262 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:37.000 it directly to the battlefield. 263 00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:39.399 And this is the king's table. 264 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:43.600 Only the fancy people, the nobleman, get to eat at 265 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:46.919 this table. And you walk in there and the table 266 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:53.120 is decked out with all your favorite foods, comfort food. Now, 267 00:14:53.159 --> 00:14:55.120 when you're in the middle of a battle, nothing tastes 268 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:58.600 as good as coming home to some comfort food. And 269 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:00.720 you walk in there and this table it's covered, and 270 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:04.360 it's just you and the king, just the two of you. 271 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:04.799 That's it. 272 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:09.240 And all this food and around the tent have been 273 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:14.799 stationed about five hundred maybe seven hundred guards, so there's 274 00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:17.559 no way the enemy's getting in here. But the tent 275 00:15:17.639 --> 00:15:19.799 flaps her up and everybody can see what's going on. 276 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:23.919 It's not hidden, it's public. Everybody sees that the king 277 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:27.200 has called you out of battle, brought you back to 278 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:30.519 this giant banqueting tent, put on the feast of your 279 00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:33.519 favorite food, and it's just you and the king, and 280 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:37.480 everybody sees it and then the King says to you 281 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:39.559 in a loving voice, this. 282 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:40.080 Is all for you. 283 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:44.559 I made this for you, I planned it for you, 284 00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:48.759 and I just wanted to hang out with you. I 285 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:52.279 love you, I miss you, and I want to affirm 286 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:55.120 you publicly in front of both of these armies. And 287 00:15:55.159 --> 00:15:59.799 I want you to eat all you want. And you're unhurried, unworried, 288 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:02.200 protected here. There's no way the enemy can get to you, 289 00:16:04.279 --> 00:16:07.000 and I just want to affirm you and have some 290 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:11.320 fellowship with you. You think you're in a dream world. You know, 291 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:15.080 how does the king even know me? I'm just I'm 292 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:19.919 just a servant. I'm just I'm just a soldier. And 293 00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:23.759 then so everybody knows what's going on, the King orders 294 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:27.120 erected a giant banner outside with your name on it, 295 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:33.039 and the banner says this I love and it has 296 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:38.519 your name and sign the king, so everybody knows what's 297 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:42.080 going on. This is a personal recognition, a personal act 298 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:46.960 of love. I love you your name, and I am 299 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:53.200 proud of them. What I just described you is exactly 300 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:58.840 what God is talking about doing for you. You prepare a 301 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:02.480 banquet for me in the presence of my enemies. I'm 302 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:04.880 the guest of honor. You're the guest of honor. It's 303 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:06.640 not for anybody else. It's not like you get to 304 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:10.759 look on it's not like you're a wedding crasher and 305 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:13.680 you just came in to get some food. No, this 306 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:17.720 banquet is in your honor, and the banner clearly says, 307 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:21.799 because it's got your name on it, this is what 308 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:24.960 God wants to do for you in the battle of 309 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:27.039 your life. Look at this verse up here on the screen. 310 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:32.559 Song of Solomon says this. He brings me to his 311 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:40.960 banquet table, and his banner over me is love. You 312 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:43.599 may have never thought that God was proud of you, 313 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:47.519 But if you're a child of God, your heavenly Father 314 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:50.720 is proud of you, and he loves you, and he 315 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:53.799 brings you to his banqueting table, and his banner over 316 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:56.759 you his love. He wants your whole enemies to know 317 00:17:57.240 --> 00:17:59.920 how much He, the King. 318 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:00.440 Loves you. 319 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:06.720 Now go back to this picture. The enemy are fighting 320 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:09.240 and they see this going on, and all of a 321 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:13.240 sudden they just stop the battle. And both sides are 322 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:16.839 looking at this event taking place up here on the hill. 323 00:18:17.400 --> 00:18:21.079 Because it's public, it's not secret, and the enemy is 324 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:24.960 absolutely dumb struck by the scene. They all stop fighting 325 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:28.640 and they just stare and they go, are you kidding me? 326 00:18:29.960 --> 00:18:32.839 The King picked that one guy and brought him out, 327 00:18:33.079 --> 00:18:33.960 and they just stare. 328 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:38.839 You know. I have learned personally. 329 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:44.319 That when God wants to bless your life, there is 330 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:50.079 nothing the critics can do about it. When God wants 331 00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:55.519 to bless your life. They may spite you, they may 332 00:18:55.640 --> 00:18:58.720 slamm to you, they may ignore you, they may ridicule you, 333 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:02.200 they may libel you, they may say all kinds of 334 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:05.559 mean things about you, but they can't stop God's blessing. 335 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:08.119 On your life. They just can't do it. 336 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:12.000 And that person at work who wants your job and 337 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:14.720 it's trying to push you aside. If God wants you 338 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:16.839 to have a job, doesn't matter what they want to do. 339 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:20.759 And if they are having a tough time with you 340 00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:23.480 getting over here in this area and they're trying to 341 00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:26.519 stop you, stop you. When God's blessing is on your 342 00:19:26.599 --> 00:19:31.559 life and God's banner over you is love, it doesn't matter. 343 00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:37.720 They cannot stop what God wants to do in your life. 344 00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:41.759 They are powerless against the King, and your enemies are dumbfounded. 345 00:19:42.119 --> 00:19:47.559 God loves to show the blessing of his people in 346 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:53.279 front of the enemy. Now today, let's talk about you 347 00:19:54.119 --> 00:19:56.519 in your battle. In the middle of your battle, God 348 00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:00.599 is inviting you to a banquet. I gonna explain it 349 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:02.720 in just a minute what that banquet is. But he's 350 00:20:02.759 --> 00:20:06.319 inviting you to a banquet. Job Chapter thirty six, verse 351 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:12.519 sixteen says this God is gently calling you from the 352 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:17.119 jaws of distress. What a picturesque phrase, from the jaws 353 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:21.680 of distress, to an open place of freedom where he 354 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:23.519 has set your. 355 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:25.400 Table full of the best food. 356 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:28.960 The same metaphor, Job's saying the exact same thing, David says, 357 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:32.400 saw Him twenty three says God. While you're in the 358 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:35.039 middle of the battles you're in right now, God is saying. 359 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:38.480 Hey, come over here, come over here. I've got a 360 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:40.160 banquet for you. He is. 361 00:20:40.359 --> 00:20:43.960 He is gently calling, He's wooing you like a lover. 362 00:20:44.200 --> 00:20:49.400 He's coaxing you. This is all done in love. Right now, 363 00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:55.079 God is tenderly calling you to his banquet. I highly 364 00:20:55.119 --> 00:20:59.079 recommend you accept the invitation once you understand what it means. 365 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:03.079 And he says, God is calling you from the jaws 366 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:07.279 of distress. Everybody remember the movie jaws duneto duntu dun too, 367 00:21:07.400 --> 00:21:10.720 don too. Yeah, I love this the jaws of distress. 368 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:13.759 Let me ask you, what's chewing on you right now? 369 00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:21.640 What's eating you up right now? What is it that's 370 00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:27.759 got you worried, anxious, fearful, and it's just gnawing, gnawing, gnawing. 371 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:31.359 You're you're stressed out about it. You are in the 372 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:36.079 jaws of distress. God said, hey, come on, you deserve 373 00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:40.039 a break today. Come over, I got a banquet for you. 374 00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:43.680 God is gently calling you from the jaws of distress 375 00:21:43.720 --> 00:21:45.880 to an open place of freedom where He has set 376 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:50.480 your table with the best food. And others may criticize you, 377 00:21:50.519 --> 00:21:55.640 attack you to mean you dismiss you, disregard you. The 378 00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:59.000 God wants to hang out with you. That's the first 379 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:02.119 thing this metaphor, I prepare a banquet for you means 380 00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:05.319 God wants to fellowship with you. And God wants to 381 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:07.920 feed you, to give you some new strength so you 382 00:22:07.960 --> 00:22:11.440 can get it back in that battle. You're tired and 383 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:13.759 you're about to fall over, and you need God's strength, 384 00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:16.359 and you need sustenance, and you need nourishment, and you 385 00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:18.759 need refreshment. He says, it's all there. It's all laid 386 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:21.480 out on the King's table, and I transported it right 387 00:22:21.480 --> 00:22:24.279 here to the battlefield for you. He says, I put 388 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:28.000 a lot of preparation in planning this, and I want 389 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:28.599 to honor you. 390 00:22:34.200 --> 00:22:36.319 What a great and timely message. 391 00:22:36.359 --> 00:22:36.720 Today. 392 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:39.720 Let's end our show with a closing thought from Pastor Rick. 393 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:42.519 If you've been blessed by this message today, here's what 394 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:46.279 I want you to do. Share it, Tell somebody about 395 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:48.440 it now. There's a lot of great ways you can 396 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:51.000 share daily hope. One of the easiest is by posting 397 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:55.680 it on social media on Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn 398 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:59.720 or Instagram. But you'll find a share button today next 399 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:03.920 to the message on my website Pastorick dot com. Don't 400 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:06.759 keep the good news to yourself. It's too good to 401 00:23:06.839 --> 00:23:09.720