Grace Under Pressure

Well, we want to welcome everybody today here in San Diego, as well as those that are on the streaming, and those that may be hearing this message in the weeks, months, and sometimes the years to come. Some of you remember that years ago, and getting to be many years ago, I used to write a column called, This is the Way.

I wrote that for 15 years, and about 140 columns later, I decided that I needed to have a new window to be able to express some of the things that are in the Bible. And that's why today I write the column titled, Follow Me.

But this is going to be kind of a, This is the Way kind of message, because this is the way we would take an individual that's out in the world that may not know what we may know, that may not be being called, as we have been called at this time. But there is something for us to take note of, and never to underestimate and or forgo the individual that God might be utilizing to teach us something about our walk with Jesus Christ, and before God our Father. So this is going to kind of be, for those of you that used to read that, this is going to kind of be a, This is the Way. We're going to grab a situation out of currently what's going on and make it very real for us. But before I actually talk about that individual, I'm going to kind of lay a foundation about where we are going, because we're going to go back about 150 years, and we're going to talk about a gentleman whose name was Paganini.

Some of you have perhaps heard of Paganini before. He was an Italian composer and a master violinist. And he was starting up in that field, and he, like some men and other human beings, he had a desire, and we might say that he had somewhat of an ego, that he wanted to be on stage, and that as he came up on that stage, and to be in a major opera house, that the audience there would just stand up instantaneously and give him a novation that just roared. So finally he had his opportunity. And the opportunity was that he came out, and he had a violin with him, and he was about to begin. And then all of a sudden, as he drew back the bow, he had a pit emotion, just a gut reaction, because he recognized what had happened. He, on going out, he had picked up the wrong instrument. It was not his violin. It was another violin, not of the same quality. And so there, in that moment, all of a sudden, as he felt that terror, he said, in his mind, and in his head, he said, play with what you've got. Play with what you've got. So he drew back his bow, and he began to play. And he asked that even in this instrument, something might happen that would make a difference for the gift of music. As Paganini maximized what he had, the audience did rise with that unique bow, that unfamiliar instrument. It was a violin, but he put everything into that, and the audience did rise. Ovation after ovation after ovation.

Later on, he said, before tonight, I always thought that the music came from my violin. Tonight, I realize that the music comes from me. It's interesting that there was a lady, her name was Mary Morze, who authored a book, bringing out this example. And she commented in her book, and I comment to you, quoting her, she said, often we have thought that our miracle comes from the world, when the truth is that the only miracle that's real must come through us.

From that place in us where the Spirit of God truly resides. Bottom line, if you want to take a note, the music is in us. My message is simply this, with that as a foundation, leading me to the specific purpose statement, assembly this, grace under pressure. Grace under pressure. And it'll build upon what Mr. Butler brought us as we go through life as to what we do with what God has given us. Now, I went back to the 19th century for this example, but I'd like to share something that just happened a couple of weeks ago that struck me. Kind of in that this is the way where I'm looking for people out in the world. And with everything going on after, after, well, does politics ever stop anymore? But everything that's been going on the last couple of years with getting ready for elections and the election. And then everybody was, you know, we come up to, you know, the inaugural, then we realize all these other things that have been happening with the plane crashes. You know, just so much coming at us, you know, especially with the technology of today and all of that. And I'm going to draw upon an example that was there. Now, how many of you were able to watch the inauguration? Can I ask a question? How many of you saw the inauguration? Okay, you may want to go back to this example. It's on YouTube. So what happened is everybody got sat. There were speeches. They were in the capital Rotunda, probably hundreds, if not thousands of people, maybe a couple thousand, because it was so bitter cold out in Washington at that time and things were going on. And finally, they introduced one of the performers to come up and to sing, America the Beautiful. And some of you, I've never seen it otherwise, but a country singer named Carrie Underwood. If you're familiar with Carrie, you're down home. I can see you're nodding. Is that one of your... Okay, she's nodding. Okay, so that... Anyway, they asked Carrie Underwood to come up, and she was just going to simply sing. Now, if you think if there is anything that is well-run, it's going to be an inaugural. It's going to go boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Some of you saw that, so you know what happened. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And so Carrie gets up there, otherwise known as Mrs. Underwood, and that Carrie gets up there, and she's going to... There's two different choirs. I think one is from the Navy. I think the other is from the Army, Glee Clubs, and they're going to be joining in. That is the plan, and she is up there. And all of a sudden you hear this, for those that heard it, there's just like one note of music. Dead. After that.

Can I tell you something? I actually timed it. How long she was up there. And I can kind of feel for this, having always spoken from a stage all my life, some of you sometimes have witnessed me not going to the right scripture all at once. Or where is that thing anyway? You've never thought that about me, right? Especially like the announcement period that we just had. Whoa! It means you're going to pray for me more. So what happens is that, when that happens and any speaker will tell you that, and you know all the eyes are on you, and they're thinking, what's going on? Do you know what a minute thirty-eight seconds is like? It's, let's see. And just, normally I can find the scripture if I've missed it within about maybe ten or fifteen seconds. And in that, anybody that speaks know this when you're up here, it seems like eternity. Eternity.

We're now going to be silent for a minute thirty-eight seconds. No, no, I don't want to pressure your conversion making this go too long. It's a sermon. A minute thirty-eight seconds is a long time. Finally, you look at the YouTube, and what happens is that the master man, the guy that's put this together, is walking down the aisle. And right then, as she's walking down after a minute and thirty-eight seconds, knowing nothing is happening, and the lady is just like this, she's not, she's not beating her gums, as he's saying in an expression. She's not going, oh, come on, give me a break. You know, hello? Do you know what you're doing to me? I've got millions of people watching me in the nation, and probably millions around, and I'm stuck like a duck in a pond.

So the guy's coming towards her, kind of stops right there, about twenty feet out, and the lady says this, I got this. I got this. That was her words. I got this.

And she says, then to the audience, will you all join me? You know the words.

Very interesting. Very interesting. And at the end of that, which really impressed me with this, is that she kind of went like this, rather than look what, you know, not that, you know, talking about human nature, you know, not look what I did, me, me, me, me. She went like this to the audience. She was thanking them for having joined in.

But it started with one individual. You know, it's one thing to take a stand on a podium or on a stage.

It's another thing to keep on standing when things aren't quite working out.

And so I kind of want to build upon that again about grace, because in a sense, there was a general, not theological, but there is a grace to what she did.

A grace, especially when the pressure is on with millions of people watching. And she didn't complain once.

And in that, she brought the audience in, an amazing what one person can do to bring down the volume, what one person can do to spread light and make things happen for others.

But it's not just Carrie. It can be each and every one of us. As something comes up in life that we do not expect, a lot of what happens to each and every one of us every day is nothing that we expect.

And sometimes there is the unexpected that comes upon us. And I want to talk about that. A question.

What may we learn from this incident viewed by so many? Now, more, because you need to see that. We may not be a celebrity. You say, well, this is show biz. And, you know, the show must go on.

And there's a certain truth to that. And we may not be a well-known celebrity, but we are known by God. And we're a child of our Heavenly Father. And we are a disciple of Jesus Christ. My question to you right now is simply this. What's happening in your life that you haven't planned for?

As much of life is simply that. How are you dealing with what's coming your way? And it could be a number of items. It could be job. It could be thinking of your children, Kim.

It could be marriage. It could be health. It could be dealing with your adult children. It could be dealing with your teenage grandchildren. It could be with whatever you think about it. Where do you fit into that specter? I'd like to share a thought with you, quoting Shakespeare, which probably, other than the Bible itself, the King James Bible, is probably a font of wisdom, at least human wisdom and notation of the existence down here below. Shakespeare, have any of you ever seen the play As You Like It? or maybe the movie? In that he said, All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They all have their entrances and their exits.

I remember years ago, in Ambassador College my freshman year, we had a speech instructor. His name was Mr. Tom Hall. Maybe some of you might remember Mr. Tom Hall. But Mr. Hall always put it this way, that when we speak and when we communicate with people, we are known by our entrances and exits.

People will not always remember everything that is in between, so there's going to be no quiz about what I'm speaking about today, but that simply this, entrances and exits. Now, the reason I'm giving this is to be practical, a little bit based upon what was given by Mr. Butler earlier, with these things that come in. How do we deal with them?

What is our entrance and what is our exit? And starting right with me, mine have, Susan can tell you, mine have not always been perfect in life.

But we grow in grace and knowledge. And how do we enter when there is pressure? And how do we exhibit grace that has been given to us from above and share that with others when challenges, when incidents happen, when things tear at us. And we want to go back to what, as Jim was mentioning, natural rather than what comes to above and be able to change the atmosphere and be a light.

Because again, it's not only noticed by people down here below, but God the Father and Jesus Christ and the heavenly host are all watching what we're doing down here below. Join me if you would in Esther as we begin to open the Scripture. In the book of Esther, I want to make a comment here.

Esther, Esther. See, I found that Scripture, and it didn't take me one minute and thirty-eight seconds.

But in Esther, and picking up the thought in chapter four, verse thirteen, and it's very well known. But again, I want you to think about this.

Not about Paganini, he is dead. Not about Carrie Underwood, that event is over for her.

But for you and I, as the world is a stage and the people that we come into contact with, starting with our wives, starting with our children, starting with our neighbors, starting with our co-workers, starting with our fellow students, starting with our members. Notice what it says.

Of course, this was 2,600 years ago spoken. But I have a question for you, and those that are listening online, and those that will hear this and the few.

All of us, having received the election of God the Father above to be His child, have in that sense come into the kingdom experience.

We're not talking about Persia. We're talking about becoming rooted and grounded and seasoned in the kingdom of heaven.

That we walk and we talk and have an impact in a different way than we did before God began to call us here and now.

And what is interesting is that join me if you would in 1 Corinthians 1.

In 1 Corinthians 1, and picking up the thought here in about verse 26.

Notice what it says here.

Let me put it this way. What God is telling us going back to the story of Paganini, are you going to notice this? Follow along here below and be a witness that there is a God above. Let me put it this way. What God is telling us, going back to the story of Paganini, are you with me? He's taken a lesser bow. And it sends a lesser instrument when you think of everybody that he could have called with all the intellect and all of this and all of that and the charisma and the personality and the celebrities.

And God said, no, no, I'm going to select these individuals because when I begin to work with them, they're going to become a different instrument. They're no longer going to be that lesser bow that you're going to draw — oh, no. What's — uh-oh. You know, I don't know. We've all had oh-oh moments. Am I the only one? Know how you say Hebrew and oh-oh?

Oh-oh. It's just one language. You go, oh-oh. You know, as we used to say — I was down the other day with Susan. I showed her where — when we visited April, where Stephanie lives right now. We're about three miles from one of the houses I grew up in. I used to have a dairy, and when you walk in the dairy and spring across the field, you have oh-oh moments.

I will not go any further. You go, oh-oh. And the reason I'm giving you this message today is simply this. Life is what's happening that we haven't planned for. And we have come to find, more than ever, that it rains on the just and on the unjust. I say that, Susan, I haven't been Pasadenaans. And grieving — grieving for what has happened to those people up in Altadena and in Pasadena. Grieving for the people over in the Palisades. Grieving for the people 60 or so that just died in that horrific, plain accent.

Grieving for the young kid and family and the pilots that were taking him back after going through medication and whatever it was and going back. And in one second, all we have is the moment. Life is what's happening that we haven't planned for. So we have to plan to understand today what grace looks like under pressure. And I will put this down, this Hebrew word, and not buckle. Bad things happen to good people. You say, well, how do you know that, Robin? Because I've read the book. I understand the gospel. Jesus Christ, the worst thing that he ever suffered in his life was be perfect.

Think that one through. And yet he suffered. Of course, he knew, in a sense, what was going to happen. But bad things happen to good people. And we need to be prepared for that. You know, right now, we're going through this study on prophecy. Are you with me? We're going through the study of prophecy.

We're looking at the book of Daniel. We're looking at the book of Revelation. And sometimes people want to figure this out and figure that out and figure this out and figure that out and have it all figured out. And then hand it to God. What I do know right now is that you and I are instruments of prophecy. Have you ever thought about it that way?

Did you know that you were prophecy come true? Jesus, on that night of nights, the night that he was being with the disciples before he was taken, was praying and said he was praying for those — he was prophesying in that prayer that he was praying for those that would learn from those men. And we have learned from those men 2,100 years later by reading their epistles and being called today for a purpose, to rise above what comes our way and to have grace under pressure. So what happens to us when, like Carrie Underwood in that inaugural performance, what happens to us when the plug is pulled?

What happens? The bottom line is simply this. And I need to be careful in saying this, because there are certain things that I have not been through that you have been through, and there are certain things that I've been through that you haven't been through. But God allows these interruptions, and they will come again. Things that maybe I am not prepared for necessarily in the moment, to learn from it. Why?

Why? So that you and I can become complete in Christ and get it. We never really understand somebody until we have swum in the same waters as they have. I've explained that, I think, before messaging here that the older I get — I tried to stand still, but I'm still getting older — is simply this. There are times, there are experiences that I can be empathetic with, but there are some experiences that I can only be sympathetic with.

I, at times, can be sympathetic. I need to know the difference, especially when I'm, as a pastor and as a fellow Christian, communicating with people. I can say, oh, I know I've been where you are. No, no, no. I have not always been where some of you have been in your life with some of the things you've been through.

I can understand it intellectually. I can have feeling. I can come along somebody, but I need to be careful what I say. There are other things where I have been inside the goldfish bowl, not on the outside looking in. And God does want us to close you up to those goldfish bowls with people that are going through things. Absolutely. But sometimes I find a little bit like Jim was saying about words. Sometimes, thinking you're giving encouragement, you're not, because sometimes the thoughtless are rarely worthless.

And so sometimes, in these circumstances, it's just better to be present, to hug, and to look up, and remember that there is a God. I'm just sharing this with spiritual realism. I speak personally that having seen what happened in Pasadena, Altadena, knowing that some of our own members have lost their homes up there along with other Church of God members, not just people that are in the neighborhood, I think God is trying to knock on our door and giving us some spiritual realism.

And remember that it does rain on the just and on the unjust. And that even as the people of God, we are, like ancient Israel, going to go through certain of the plagues before God would set a hedge about us for His purpose and His glory. And I think that makes a realization of how important now every moment is after seeing fires, after having heard about people in airplanes.

Susan and I just, was it a year ago, Susie, that we were going down the Potomac, landing at Reagan? So you know that watery highway that leads you down in front of you that have been ever in D.C., the Potomac, Reagan National is right on the other side of D.C., right on the Virginia shore. And to think that you've actually been down there, it kind of makes it real. I'd like to share a thought with you.

I've done it before and quoted this person, but Viktor Frankl. Viktor Frankl was an Austrian Jew who was a psychologist who survived Auschwitz. And I want you to think this through for a moment. Think about Paganini, think about Kerry Underwood, and then let's put ourselves in there as well.

And again, we're only looking at the goldfish carefully because of Auschwitz and just how incredible, horrible that was. But he's basically talking about how was anybody able to survive that pressure, which is incredible. Frankl said this. This was written in search, Man's Search for Meaning, about 1946-47. Everything can be taken from a man or a woman, but one thing. And it is the last of human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.

Not only to walk into a situation, but to stand, and to keep on standing. He goes on to mention this in another quote out of his book. Between stimulus and response, there's a space.

Doesn't always last one minute and 38 seconds. It might be five seconds. It might be longer.

In that space is our power. And when I thought about that, the Holy Spirit, the very power of God, to draw upon that, to choose our response. He goes on to say, in our response lies our growth and our freedom. 1 Peter 3 and verse 15 speaks to that space. Join me if you would, please. Always see the music is in me. That's the point. Always be ready to speak of the hope that lies therein. How many of you remember that from Spokesman's Club? Can I see a show of hands here? I didn't see any ladies' hands go up. That means you weren't in Spokesman's Club. Good. Always be ready. Always be ready to speak of the hope that lies in. But notice that the great qualifier is this. Are you with me? The great with meekness, with humility, and with fear. That means reverence and respect, recognizing that we are not on our own with humility, that it's not about us, but that as God uses us in our speaking or in our sometimes, and I mentioned this recently in a message. I don't know if it was here or there. Sometimes, just showing up, just being present and standing your ground and being with somebody speaks volumes. I think of that sometimes with some of our ladies here, Bertha and Mrs. Helmouth and others that are not feeling well, and yet they show up. It speaks volumes. You may not be with Carrie Underwood on a stage in the rotunda, but just being here shares with us the importance and the respect that you have for God that you would want to show up and to be here. We never want to underestimate that. That is so very, very important.

Join me if you go into 1 Corinthians 3.

I have some good news for you. 1 Corinthians 3 is glued into my Bible.

And notice what it says here.

According to the grace of God—well, let's start in verse 10. According to the grace of God, the grace of God were not alone. We have been touched from on high, which was given to me as a wise master builder. I have laid the foundation and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. So there is, I can say, warning to get your attention. I could say an admonition because it's actually a kind of word saying, God is lovingly prepare us for what's going to happen in the future. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now, if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones, wood, hay, and straw, each one's work will become clear. For the day will declare it. The day will declare it because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test each one's work of what sort it is. What's being said here is we look at our analogy that I've been trying to draw upon. Going back to Paganini, Carrie Underwood, celebrities of this world. But to recognize it's that came to them, and as things were crumbling around them, they came to understand that the music is not in the instrument, but the music is in us.

But it just doesn't get there by happenstance, which I'm going to be bringing out in a moment.

Join me if you would for a moment in Jeremiah 12 and verse 5. In Jeremiah 12 and verse 5, doesn't just happen, but again here's another admonition for you and I to take deeply. Notice what it says here. If you have run with a horseman and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with the horses?

Hmm. God is telling us, in a sense, we have to be in shape. We have to exercise.

And it's not just always waiting for some cataclysmic, gigantic thing in the future, but day by day. As how I deal with Susan, how she deals with me.

In This is One plus one equals two, and sometimes it's hard to get there, but our one plus one, we bring actually more and we grow to three. But it takes, and I know a lot of you that have been married knows that it takes a journey. I'm laughing. A journey? Susan's smiling. That's good. It's a journey to get there. We have to do our heart work. We have to do our homework. When you're in the office, when you're at school, when you're dealing with your neighbors. Every incident for such a time as now, the kingdom has come. The kingdom of God in us. Philippians 3 and verse 20, our citizenship is in heaven. So what do we do about this?

Let me just sort out number one, Zachariah 4 and verse 6.

Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit. We need to draw upon that. We need to know how to use that.

Philippians 4 and verse 13, I don't have to turn to these. I can do all things through Christ in me.

And sometimes what happens is when things come up, this is the power plate. You might want to look up here. We're grabbing here and we're grabbing there and we're going for this spiritual screwdriver and we're going for this spiritual hammer and we're going for this spiritual chainsaw. And we're out here, but if you're a believer and you understand what the Scripture says, it's in here.

God dwells with us. God dwells in us. And yet sometimes you want to go outward and look on a shelf and look for a tool when we would need to recognize that that spirit is in us, the same spirit that went through crucifixion and has risen and is exalted. And he in the Father's Spirit, Romans 8, 10 through 12, dwell in us. Isn't there a song about looking for love in all of the wrong places? I don't listen to a lot of country music, try to refrain. But anyway, I like it. There's a point of that. We're looking for God's love. And that love is also the as with baptism, but we've also got to continue to be reading His Word as it says in Isaiah 30, 21. You can jot that down. This is the way. Walk you in it. This is the way. Walk you in it. Maybe what we need to do is we need a and I'm getting older. My hearing starting to go. You can just ask Susan is is simply this. Maybe we need to we've been around so long in this way of life. Maybe we need to turn up our hearing aids and hear what God is saying rather than what we think He is saying. Sometimes anymore, I'm in a house. I don't do real well with background noise. Neither do I really do well with Susan saying something in one room and I'm in another room. So I say, honey, I'll come. I'm in. I usually come, don't I? Here are the PowerPoint Susan. I do come because I want to hear every word that Susan is saying. And so I will come. But sooner or later, I'm gonna have to get a hearing aid to be able to turn up the hearing aid. Lance, are you listening? Remember what I talked about in the announcements? And that means we have to go deeper and we have to get into the book. The bottom line is simply this I like to share with you in all seriousness. Let's grasp that we don't find our values in the trial. We do not find our values in trial. You take them in the trial with you. Take them in with you. And sometimes we can come up dry and God doesn't want us to come dry. And even as we've done that, I want to share something. Even as we do that, there are things that are going to happen in this life that are just going to impact us.

And as it says in Ephesians 6, having done everything, having a relationship with God, and then what is allowed to come into our life can overwhelm us.

It's like a tsunami. And some of you have been in that tsunami. I've been in floods in my life, but I have not hit a tsunami yet, metaphorically speaking. And having done everything just to stand. Join me if you would in 2 Timothy 2. In 2 Timothy 2. Paul is talking in Timothy, talking to him about the aspect that you don't get something for nothing. He begins by, and Victor, you may know this first because I remember your sermon about the Christian athlete, is that he uses three analogies. He uses the analogy of the soldier, the soldier in his training.

He then goes on to talking about the athlete and the athlete in his training as they would go to the Olympics. It didn't just happen. And then he talked about the farmer. He talked about how the farmer has to seed. He has to be out there. You know how farming is. They're out there morning, noon, and night. They're out there in the hot. They're out in the cold. You have to seed. You have to watch over the crop. You have to watch the bugs. You have to watch do this, do that, do this, do that. And then there's that moment of timing and a harvest that you, it just has to come. It's that peak season where we redeem the time. There's only so much time to bring it in. So you have the athlete. You have the soldier. You have the farmer. And in that sense, having done everything to stand, as Paul would bring out later on in his writings, having done everything to stand, that we need to do this and to be able to seed this.

How do we continue to stand? Join me if you would in Psalms 119.

1 verse 173. Psalms 119 verse 173. Notice what it says, Let your hand become a help, for I have chosen your precepts. You make a choice. Stay with me back to our psychologist friend in search for meaning.

This is important. I hope you'll really take this with the challenges that are going to be coming.

There is stimulus and there is a response.

Hopefully a godly response. And between the stimulus and the response, there is a space.

And it is that space. I don't know how to make it clearer. There is stimulus. Something comes at you like a punch. Like Paganini, what in the world? Oh no. I've got to go out.

This is going to be a big moment. And it might be my ending.

Carrie Underwood on stage. A great opportunity to, as an American, to get up where all of Americans are at this point. Wherever she might be. I don't know. But anyway, she's going to sing America the Beautiful to bring people together. What a wonderful opportunity when you think about it. Because, you know, some people say, oh, why are you doing that? Why are you, you know, won't get into it. But anyway, that. And then here's your moment. As Christians, every moment is our moment as to whether or not our reflexes are going to be that of our carnal nature, as Mr. Butler was bringing out to us, or to be godlike. We can study about prophecy. Darris and Scott and I can give classes to you till the cows come home. We can do it every other week, probably for two more years. And that is interesting. But what is most important is what you and I are doing today. Today is our day. Today is God's day. Today is the day that we want Jesus Christ to be living in us. To be reflecting Him rather than just merely ourselves.

Psalm 119. Join me if you would there for a second, please. Psalm 119.

And let's take a look here for a second.

Let's start with verse 10. With my whole heart I have sought you. Oh, let me not wander from your commandments. Now notice verse 11. Notice verse 11. Your word, I love this verse, your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Remember the farmer? The farmer has got to what? Seed. It doesn't just happen like Brigadoon coming up every hundred years in the midst. You have to do something. You have to do the hard work. You have to give God your time. You've got to plant it in there, for we don't know the moment of the battle that is going to come in our lives. And it has to be the Lord's battle. Just as much as David took those five stones from that brook in that valley of Illah, he didn't go towards Goliath empty, did he? So he had to do his hard work. He had to do his homework. He had to pick up those stones. And yet even as he did his part, he told Goliath, he said, hey you buddy, you're going down. You, the big one. I'm talking to you because you have defied the God of Israel. You're coming down. And the battle is the Lord's. But he wants us to come along and partner with him in that.

That's why we've got to do the homework. We've got to do the seating. How's this work? Remember Jesus in the wilderness? And Satan came at him at a humanly weak moment. He'd been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. This was time to pick off. This is it. I got some. Boom. And he came at Jesus Christ in the wilderness just like he came at Adam and Eve.

Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life.

What was shown in the good of evil, in the tree of good and evil, was matched by what the adversary tempted our Savior about.

The lamb won. The dragon went down on that one. And it's going to happen again. We're going to be talking about that in our prophecy classes. And to recognize, so the three things I'd like to share with you—and you can go over Matthew for yourself. Just jot down Matthew for the three things that Jesus kept on saying. Each time he was challenged, it—I love it—it is written.

Second challenge, it is written. Number three, it is written.

He's out in the desert, in the Judean wilderness.

And he showed something that I'm trying to share with me and you today is simply this. The music has got to be inside of us. This is an instrument and a beautiful and wonderful God-given instrument. But like a Paganini, or like a carry-underwood, in a moment that really, you got to be kidding this. I can't believe this is happening to me.

I'm watching—oh, I'm all right. Okay.

They thought this very—you almost had a carry-underwood moment. I almost had one. I thought the sound was going to go out. That shows you the sermon needs to be over here in a moment.

So we need to do that. The melody. This is an instrument. These are words.

When we call ourselves a Christian, we're dealing with one another, we're dealing with family members, we're dealing with this. Where do people see us? Just simply as people that bear an instrument? Or is the melody—is the joy? I didn't say the happiness, but the joy. Difference.

Happiness is when happy things, good things, are happening. Joy is understanding that there is a moment beyond what we are experiencing now, and we are not alone. That there is a purpose that is being worked out here below. And then how do we respond? Things are going to come out of sometimes that we're not ready for. Join me if you would in Nehemiah. In the book of Nehemiah, we're going to go about five minutes in Nehemiah 2. This is one of my favorite verses in all of scripture. Have you ever talked to somebody? You know, we use this expression about people that might not be real fast. You say, I don't know if they can walk and chew gum at the same time. Am I the only one that is—I've never used that on anybody. No. But have you heard that expression before? Well, look at what it says in Nehemiah 2. I'm going to share something with everyone coming at you. And you don't have to be limited with God's Spirit in us.

Is to look at the example of Nehemiah. Here he is. He is the cupbearer to Cyrus. Cyrus is a typology of the beast. He's over the kingdom of Persia that stretches from the western side of what was then India all the way up to Thrace, which is up in northeast Greece today. And it came to pass in the month of Nisan in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes when wine was before him. This is Artaxerxes. That's a sub-king to Cyrus. That I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. And then therefore the king said to me, Why is your face sad since you aren't sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart. So I became dreadfully afraid.

Here is what we call the big guy. Type of the beast.

Man over Babylon. Yeah, over the Persian Empire at that time, not Babylon. Pardon me.

Then notice what it said. And then he comes back with wisdom, and he said, O king, may the king live forever. That's always a good way to start a conversation with your boss. Try that on Monday, okay? But notice what it said. May the king live forever.

May the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my father's tombs, lies waste and its gates are burnt with fire? Then the king said to me, What do you request? This is now—I want to share something with you, San Diego, and those that are listening. This is one of the great verses of the Bible. He's being confronted by the master of the known world in the West. Then the king said to me, What do you request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

And I said to the king, If it pleases the king, and it goes on. And he speaks about his people.

Here's the bottom line. Nehemiah could walk, I don't know if he was chewing gum, but he had an issue, and he could pray at the same time.

It didn't have to be all of Psalms 119, if you get what I mean, if you know Psalms 119, longest chapter in the Bible. Sometimes the most effective prayer is the guy that's hanging upside down in a well. And just one word, help. And he needed help. He needed wisdom. It could have cost his life. He needed wisdom to share his position. How often do we use that kind of wisdom or that kind of help to pray as a situation comes up to a moment that we weren't necessarily prepared for, but he was prepared for that moment because he knew where from whence his help comes.

And my help comes from the Lord. Pray more, worry less, know that we're not alone, know that we're known for our entrances and our exits in every facet of life that we enter.

And be aware of that. Join me if you would in James 1 verse 4.

In the book of James, notice what it says. Actually, we'll pick it up in verse 2. My brethren counted all joy when, not if, but when, that's really important, you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect, complete, lacking nothing.

And the patience that you need may be more than one minute and 38 seconds, because this is going to be something that's going to take up more heart work, more homework, that's going to come your way this year in your life. And it says, but let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven, tossed by the wind.

For let that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, but he is a double-minded man. The Greek is almost referring to like he got two heads, like two drivers. Does that kind of work on the i-15 down here to have two drivers, two hands on the wheel? I don't think so. And I understand that. Final verse, Isaiah 40 verse 31.

Wherever you are at today, I want to let you know that our father above, you may not be a celebrity on this earth, but you're a child of his.

And he says that he knows the sparrow that falls from the tree and lights to the ground.

He knows where we're at. He knows what we're going through. He wants to buckle up with us.

He loves us. You say, well, how do I know that he loves? Well, he gave his son for us, that we might even return to that type of Eden that we're experiencing now as children of his.

It says, but those who wait on the Lord. I have a question for you. Here, PowerPoint, here's Carrie Underwood. Wonder if as soon as we think this through, or Paganini, or you, this coming week, or maybe what you're going through, wonder if Paganini had left the stage as soon as he looked at his bow. Wonder if Carrie Underwood had, once she heard that squawk, you know, squawk, go, you know.

But she stood aground. She stayed on stage. And then the whole audience joined her based upon her invitation. And then the kids that were in the two choirs are singing up. It became a moment. It was an episode. Presence standing up and bringing God into it. And knowing your purpose in marriage, knowing your purpose as a parent, as a grandparent, as an employee, as a citizen of the United States, as a citizen of the kingdom of God, hold your ground. Know that there's a purpose being worked out here below. It comes in moments. It comes in the training. It does not happen overnight, but it does come. And to recognize simply this, God knows how long it's going to be.

Recognize this, that so often we think that one plus one equals two.

And it all comes together all at once.

Cause and effect. But God has a different way of counting.

And that's why he says, let patience have its perfect work. At times, perhaps when I was younger, I thought there was more of an immediacy. I do this, so God's got to do that. You ever been on that one with me? No, I do this. God does this. I love God. God will love me. I keep the commandments. Therefore, God's got to keep me. I believe the Sabbath. So that means this. It's almost like I'm on a spiritual percussion instrument. One plus one does equal two. But sometimes the two is deferred to allow patience to have its perfect work. I'm speaking personally on that.

The Dutch, of which I'm part Dutch, have an old proverb. It simply says, God doesn't pay weekly, but he does pay in the end. Let us learn lessons from those that we can learn lessons from.

Let's understand that we need to have grace under pressure.

Because that then means that we understand totally and fully ultimately what grace is about.

And may I conclude with this? This is the way. Walk you in it.