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Pastor John Greene
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from Mount Pleasant, Texas
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will encourage us toward prayer.
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Good morning.
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It's great to be here.
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It's great to meet new brethren,
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new friends,
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people we will live
forever with in eternity.
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This is our family.
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It's great to meet
new family all the time.
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I want to, just very quickly,
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remind you of an experience
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of a man who was anointed king
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and yet he had not yet taken the throne.
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The sweet psalmist of Israel -
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a man after God's own heart;
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a man with like passions
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just like you and me.
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You know, for a time, he was pursued
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by King Saul,
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and he fled in fear.
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The particular instance I'm referring to
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is when he fled to Achish, King of Gath,
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to the land of the
Philistines out of fear.
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He fled in fear.
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And then, here is penned in Psalm 34 -
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here's the words of this man who fled
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to a pagan king out of fear.
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He says, "I will bless
the Lord at all times.
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His praise shall continually
be in my mouth.
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My soul shall make its boast in the Lord.
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The humble shall hear thereof and be glad.
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Oh magnify the Lord with me,
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and let us exalt His name together."
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Now isn't that puzzling?
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How did he get from full of fear to there?
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I'll bless the Lord at all times.
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Magnify the Lord with me.
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Let us exalt His name together.
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How in the world do you
get from there to there?
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Well, here's the key:
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Verse 4 of Psalm 34,
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"I sought the Lord and He heard me,
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and delivered me from all my fears."
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How often, beloved, do
we not seek the Lord?
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The Lord is saying, "Seek Me."
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"Seek Me. I will hear you."
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He said, "I sought the
Lord and He heard me."
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This was the God of Heaven who's saying,
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"I'll hear you."
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"I will hear you."
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So that's my admonition this morning.
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The Lord delivered David
from all his fears
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because he sought the Lord.
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The Lord delivered David from these fears
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because the Lord
delivered His Son to death
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for a man of like passions - David.
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Someone just like you and I.
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I love the Psalms.
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We see the highest highs
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that a person seeking
the Lord can attain to.
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We see the lowest lows too
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and everything in between.
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This is our brother David -
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a man of like, precious faith;
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a man of like passions.
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He sought the Lord,
and the Lord heard him.
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We're going to seek the Lord today,
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and as our brother last night
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so aptly and eloquently encouraged us,
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we have a loving Heavenly Father.
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We have a Father who bids us to come.
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Seek Him in prayer.
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He will hear you.
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He loves us.
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Don't be anxious about anything, but what?
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In everything, by prayer and supplication
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with thanksgiving,
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let your requests be made known unto God.
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And the God of peace -
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He will give you peace
beyond all understanding.
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In everything, give thanks, we're told.
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For this is the will of God
concerning you in Christ Jesus.
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Blessed be the name of the Lord,
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from this time forth and forevermore.
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What? From the rising of the sun
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until the going down of the same,
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the Lord's name is to be praised.
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So, again, I just want to focus
your attention real quickly.
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How did David get from there -
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full of fear, running for his life -
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do you remember what he did?
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He acted like a madman.
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He's drooling and acting
like a madman out of fear;
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completely acting out of character.
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And we don't know the exact circumstance,
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but at some point, He began to seek
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the Lord in prayer.
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And the Lord heard him,
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and then flowing out of his heart,
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he says I will bless the Lord
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at all times - even at this time.
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His praise shall continually
be in my mouth.
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My soul shall make her boast in the Lord.
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The humble - people like you -
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shall hear that and they will be glad.
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So, brethren, magnify the Lord with me.
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Let us exalt His name together.
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Let's seek the Lord and He will hear us
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and deliver us from every fear we have.
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Would you pray with me?
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Almighty God - our Heavenly Father,
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we come before You boldly
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because of the merits, the life,
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the Person, and the work
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of our dear Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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We approach You with confidence
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by a new and living way.
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That veil has been rent in two
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through the body of His flesh.
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We have a Great High Priest
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over the house of God -
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Jesus Christ the Righteous;
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an Advocate with the Father.
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Oh Lord, we come to You through Him.
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We pray that You would hear us
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because of Your Son.
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You are the high and lofty One
who inhabits eternity.
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Your name is holy,
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but You are pleased to dwell with those
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of a broken and contrite spirit;
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even those who tremble at Your law.
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So, Lord, we come that way.
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We come boldly to Your throne of grace
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knowing we can receive mercy and grace
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to help us in time of need.
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So would You be pleased today
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to magnify Your name?
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Exalt Your name, Your Son,
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that He may be lifted up in our hearts
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in these meetings,
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in our conversations.
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Oh, Lord, let us consider one another,
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how we can provoke one another
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to love You more,
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and to love one another more,
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and to do good works.
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Lord, we desire that all would come
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to the knowledge of the Savior.
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And we desire that we would
love You more today.
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Thank You, dear Lord,
for hearing our prayers.
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We ask in Christ's name,
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Amen.