LOOK UP

[00:00:00] Believing that that is sin and that is wrong, but recognizing that in the day and the time that we live in, that that's happening around us. And I believe there's one of two things that the believers can respond to. But I believe, brothers and sisters, if we really believe the Bible and believe that the things that were foretold in the Old Testament about Christ coming the first time, and then believe what Christ said and did when he walked on this earth and believe that what Christ said about future events [00:00:34] and we see some of these being fulfilled now shouldn't we as believers instead of saying oh my, all this stuff that's happening around the world I just can't believe it, I just can't believe the Lord lets this evil prevail I can't believe this Instead of having that, shouldn't we be on the other side as believers and we should be saying, soon and very soon our Redeemer is coming. Shouldn't we be living a life that's an example to the world instead of worrying about the ups and downs of the stock markets or the ups and downs of the grain markets or the ups and downs of all the stuff and the stuff, stuff, stuff that's going on. [00:01:14] Shouldn't we as believers be bringing forth something positive in a world that is full of negative. Give. Shouldn't we as believers be saying, yes, we are living for something beyond this world because there's a man, a God-man that came, and his name was Jesus, to make a difference for all of us. So, brothers and sisters, as I have seen many things around and taking place and experienced things in my life, maybe it's something to do with the older I get, but I believe it's also something to do with the season and the time that we live in. [00:01:47] Because I've been different times blessed by the Holy Word of God And this verse, the last of that, of that title, look up, your redemption draws near But with that, I believe that there are people, as believers, that sometimes face some dire things It can be financial, some of you are facing some financial things Maybe there's uncertainties of your job, maybe you've lost your job Some of you are facing some really serious health issues Maybe there's some relationship issues in your families or extended families. [00:02:21] I could go on and on. So I believe that all of us at one time or another, we face things in our lives that we can just simply this morning, I'll just identify those as situation. Because your situation may be different than the person sitting either in front or in back of you, but it still is a situation where it may be really serious for you. So I say to you this morning, I trust that the power of God will touch you this morning, that His Holy Word will touch you, and His Holy Spirit will touch you, that you will leave these doors, different than you came in, saying, look, we should be living a life that's excited for Jesus Christ. [00:02:56] We should be living a life that is a testimony of the radiance of the Gospel of Christ. So I say to you, look up! Look up! By the way, boys and girls, if you can't think of something to write down, if there's something that I say, Just draw a picture, okay? Where's Monica? Is that alright if they draw some pictures? Because sometimes I tell kids in church, you know, it helps them sometimes pay attention when they draw some pictures. So, draw a picture. Maybe it's something of looking up. And there's maybe a few people we can look at this morning that will remind you in the Bible. [00:03:28] Because you know what? We can go to the Bible and we can find so many things that are yet relevant for us today. Though it's been written so many years ago, it's still alive. It's for us today. I'm going to read these verses from Luke chapter 21, verse 10 through verse 28, but there's a few of the verses that I want to just focus on this morning. And this is, of course, Jesus talking. Luke chapter 21, verse 10. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilence, and fearful sights, and great signs shall there be from heaven. [00:04:07] But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate before what you shall answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gain, say, nor resist. And you shall be betrayed both by parents and brethren and kinfolk and friends, and some of you they shall cause to be put to death. and you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake [00:04:38] but there shall not a hair on your head perish in your patience possess ye your souls and when you see Jerusalem come past with armies then know that the desolation thereof is nigh then let them that are in the Judea flee to the mountains let them which are in the midst of it depart out let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto for these be the days of vengeance and all things which are written may be fulfilled but woe to them that are with trials and to them that give suck in those days for there shall be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people [00:05:10] and they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all nations and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled and there shall be signs in the sun and the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring men's hearts failing them for fear for looking after those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, lift up your heads, for your redemption draw nigh. [00:05:43] That's as far as I've chosen to read. The message Bible says, and then, and then you will see the Son of Man welcomed in grand style, a glorious welcome. When all these start to happen, up and be on your feet, stand tall, lift your heads high, help is on the way. This morning, whatever your personal situation is, I have to say to you, my brothers and sisters, no matter how dire it may seem, no matter how small it may seem, help is on the way. And that help is through the power of the Holy Spirit and through the power of the name, Jesus Christ. [00:06:17] He is still on the throne. He is still ruling today, even though we see all this stuff happening. But then we look at Scripture, you see, it starts us preparing. And later on, a few verses after that, it talks about, well, you see the crops are, you know, they're coming up, and I paraphrase this a wee bit, you see the leaves budding out, you know it's springtime. Well, I believe that God wants us to give wisdom also in discerning the times and the seasons. Now, I'm not here this morning to tell you that I know any idea of when he's coming back. And there have been many people in the past, and even now, talking about Jesus is going to come back at such and such a time. [00:06:54] Brothers and sisters, don't be worried about that. Don't even concern yourself with that. Because immediately, the authority of the scripture this morning says that no one knows, not even the Son. And I am so sometimes burdened by this that so many believers come up with these, I should say it this way, that there are people, because I'm not sure I want to call them believers, they come up with these ideas of when Christ is coming back, They come up with these schemes and these plans and it's sad that so many so-called believers listen to them or read their books or get involved in some of the things they're talking about because you've got to do this, you've got to do this, you've got to prepare. [00:07:36] Here's what I have to say this morning. What I'm talking about is that only one being knows and that is God Almighty when he's going to send his son Jesus because the Bible says he doesn't even know. And I'm not so much this morning wanting to share about details of, you know, what will transpire and all of that, but to say this, that, you know, according to Scripture, yeah, I believe that, what I believe according to Scripture, there's some things that need to transpire before Christ comes back again. But at the same time, I say, God is God, and when He says it's time to bring His Son, Jesus, to get the bride, He's going to do it. [00:08:09] He's going to do it. It doesn't matter if it's pre or all or whenever. Whatever, what does matter is that my heart and my soul and my body is subjected under the grace of Almighty God, that I am free, living under the grace of God, so that I'm ready whenever it is, be it morning, noon, or night. You know, we sometimes sing songs about the expectations of the glories of heaven. Do we even have any idea? Yeah, we have some ideas and we can use our imagination, but I believe that our wildest, can I use this term, wildest imagination cannot describe what we will see, what we will face, what we will experience in the glories of heaven. [00:08:51] What will it be like? Most importantly, it will be fellowshipping with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Maybe I'm all wrong in this, but I believe that when that time comes, when I am in the presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus, the first thing I want to do is thank Him. He has given me the greatest gift of all, and that is that I have the right to live for Him while on this earth, and the right to live with Him for all eternity, fellowshipping and glorifying Him. [00:09:24] What will we be doing? Oh, some people say it may be boring. I don't believe there will be one second of boredom in heaven. Amen? Why? Because we'll be fellowshipping together and we'll be worshiping and glorifying our Lord and Savior. He lists a number of things that are going to be taking place, that are taking place. And you know, today there's a lot of sign watching, if I can use that terminology, that people are looking for signs and wondering when he's going to be exactly. It's not so much that, it's that we are ready, that we are looking up. But I believe that as time continues to get closer and closer to that time that this great cosmos of the world that God has created, there will be groanings going on because the Bible talks about that. [00:10:01] And today there's signs and wonders, you might say, because of earthquakes, storms, too much rain, not enough rain. Why is all of that? I believe it's simply a sign that the earth is even getting ready for the glories of heaven to open up and Christ to come back. And sometimes I like to imagine that Jesus is sitting there at the right hand of Almighty God and he's looking, can I go get my bride? And he says, no, not yet, soon, not yet. Well, I really, you know, because, hey, I hope you don't mind, right? [00:10:35] Here's a young couple just got married not too long ago. I can maybe use them as a little example. You know, as Daniel was waiting in anticipation for his bride, the closer it got, maybe if you interject this, some of you that have been married 40, 50 years still remember the day or two before your wedding day, right? With anticipation waiting. And as the time got closer and closer, excitement welled up. And then the day came. As a matter of fact, counting first maybe weeks and then days and then hours, anticipation build up for that day, and then the day arrives, the moment arrives, that he comes into the front and stands there with anticipation, waiting for the bride. [00:11:24] What's the focus on those moments just before the bride comes in? What's the focus? The focus for a wee bit is on the groom, right? But doesn't the focus that day really take focus on the bride? And the groom is standing in the front and all of a sudden I've had the privilege as a pastor to be able to watch and observe And many times I make it a focus Because sometimes I do like everybody else I focus on things that are going on I like to focus on the groom and watch his body language even change from the back When his bride comes in the door [00:11:55] You know first here comes a beautiful young woman who comes in Another one, another one And then the one, and only one, here she comes, walking up the aisle. A feeling that I can't really describe. But think about this, wasn't Jesus a man with like passions as we? So I don't believe it's too far-fetched, you can correct me if I'm wrong, okay? But I believe that Jesus has enough of his humanity yet to really, in anticipation, look forward for his bride to come. [00:12:33] Okay, now, think about this. He's there waiting for you and for me, and that time's coming soon. That's why he's telling the church today, look up! It's coming soon! But what does a bride do in preparation for meeting the groom? Oh, I think probably more preparation than the groom does, because the bride wants to look like perfect that day, and her mom and her sisters and her family and the other ladies around her, boy, they're making sure everything is just perfect, you know, in anticipation for that day. [00:13:08] See, I'm sharing this, brothers and sisters, that I believe that you and I, as believers, should become more excited than we are of living for Jesus instead of just saying, well, all this hum-dum, this stuff out there. I can tell you, rest assured, that Danny wasn't worried about the harvesters that were going down in Texas. I think they were probably still in the harvest. He wasn't worried about them the day before or the day of. He wasn't worried about that stuff. He wouldn't worry about thinking about those machines that all the mechanical things that could go wrong and wouldn't go wrong and did go wrong. [00:13:39] What was he thinking about? His bride. I believe that Jesus Christ today is thinking about you and me as the bride of Christ. Shouldn't we be living as a bride that is just in anticipation, ready for the return of Christ? So whatever your face and whatever your situation is, look up. Don't focus on the situation, but focus on lifting up Jesus. Jesus, because he is the author and the finisher of our faith. Jesus assured his disciples that there's things going to transpire, but he says, look up, look up. [00:14:14] Oh, there's so many uncertainties. Just a few headlines that have been very recent. Big budget, big hurdles. States and cities far overspending of the stimulus. Obama vows to battle lobbies on reform efforts. Here's the economy promoting family sides. That was a new word, by the way. Sadly, what it is, instead of suicide, it's families, or fathers, or leaders in homes, killing the whole family, then themselves. Expert alarm by the recent string of family killings. [00:14:46] One dead after severe storms raked the Midwest. Two Florida police deputies fatally shot suspect killed. Shooting on Hampton University campus injures three. And the economic warfare that we're facing is a real threat. Body of a girl, three, found in the river after grandpa told the family to watch the 6 o'clock news. Just today, in a couple minutes time, Fox News Online. That's just today. Mother kills her four-year-old son and then commits suicide. [00:15:20] Police charge a man with six murders in two cities. San Diego mayor on California budget crisis. U.S. can't fight terror alone. Stimulus mystery money. Same-sex couples seek immigration benefits. I read all of those because, you know what, there's a degree of things that I get excited about. Because when I read those things, I look at this scripture that I just read this morning and other scriptures that have to do with the second coming of Christ. These are real doomsday scenarios. And by the way, listen to this. How realistic are doomsday scenarios? [00:15:52] That wasn't me saying that. That was on secular news. No, I'll say all that. Here we go down again a little bit. Now let's forget about that. Let's just forget about that season. But let's use that as a sign that Jesus is coming back soon and that he is still in control. Newsweek said this, there's a world of trouble out there. Oh boy, they don't know what that means to me. Let me tell you what that means to me. There's a world of trouble out there. [00:16:24] There's a world of trouble out there. How much trouble is out there? There's one for you boys and girls. How much trouble is out there? It says the world of trouble out there. Out there. Did you hear me, brother, sister? Out there. Not in here. And when I say in, you're in the church. Or not in here. The world of trouble is out there. Let's keep it out there where it belongs. [00:16:54] Not in here. Even to a degree, I'm going to say this, out there, because it talks about our heart, sometimes the out there can start in here, and it will, okay? Don't let it go from out there to in here. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Why? Because there's a mansion over yonder. So, brothers and sisters, if we focus on lifting up Christ and encouraging each other, we can keep the trouble out there and not in here or in here. [00:17:28] Amen? Brothers and sisters, listen. I believe that there's a day coming, and maybe sooner than we think, that the body of Christ will not worry. The people in church will not worry about Susie, what kind of dress she has on, or Joe, what kind of clothes he has, or a new tractor, or a new car. The focus won't be on those peripheral things, but it'll be on sustaining our faith in Christ, because our faith is going to be tested and tried. [00:18:00] But look out when it comes, because our redemption is coming close, it's near, and I believe today it's nearer than further, if I can use that as kind of crude English there. But what I mean by that, I believe the day is approaching, and fast approaching, brothers and sisters, when the sky will burst forth. What are we going to do on that day? Or I could ask you this question. What if now, somehow, in a supernatural way, you would know that Jesus is going to come back Friday morning? What would you do different from Monday through Thursday? Would you live your life different? Can it be bold enough to say that if a person is completely surrendered and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ right now, [00:18:39] they would do a whole lot different? You know, sometimes people do get the news that, you know, you've got three weeks or you've got two months to live because of cancer, because of sickness of some kind. Many times those people focus on something different. Wouldn't it be much better if we as believers, don't we have the right and the privilege, the opportunity to live our life in such a way that we can be free from sin and death? And that we can live a life that's filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and that we can be subjected under the power of Almighty God. and we can be an encouragement to those and we can walk around with our heads lifted up, not in pride, but simply our heads lifted up, meaning that we're not always looking down and worried about the things of this life, but that we're looking up to Jesus, to Jesus. [00:19:20] You know, I'm not going to have time, but I've got, I've got just, I'm just going to refer to my, I'm trusting most of us on the sound of my voice this morning, know these stories. The one is Genesis chapter 32, where Jacob had now lived his life and had done some things that he shouldn't have, and there was a fractured relationship between his brother Esau. And now it's many years later, and here he is, now bringing his family, he's going to meet his brother. He's not sure how his brother is going to respond to him, he's a little worried. You see, I'm referring to this as a man that was facing the unknown. [00:19:51] We, to a degree, are facing the unknown, and yet we have a greater assurance than he did because we are serving someone that we know how is going to receive us. But I want to refer to this as Jacob had a situation. So maybe if you were here this morning, you have a situation. You need to be encouraged by the Holy Spirit this morning and by the power of God. Okay, here he comes. He comes in the evening and takes his family across the brook called Jabbok. He takes them across there, and I'm not sure what happened or how this evening started, but there was a man that met up with him there. [00:20:22] There he wrestled, and he wrestled, and he wrestled. I'm not sure if all of a sudden there he was in the dark, and there was a man, and there they were. He, in fear of something, grabbed this man, and this man grabbed back, and they started wrestling. He sensed that there was a higher power there. There was something there in this man. He said, no, you can't let me go until you bless me. Why did he bless him? By having his hip get out of socket, simply as a sign of God. But I want to go back to this. He was on the other side of the river called Jabbok. [00:20:53] It means a pouring out or a wrestling, a wrestling with God. Maybe your situation, you are at a point where you need to simply pour yourself out of that situation and let the Holy Spirit and the power of God take you so you lift up your eyes, you look up to Jesus because He's the only one that has an answer for you. He then, his name was then changed to a God wrestler because he wrestled with God. So maybe you're in a situation where you have been wrestling with yourself. [00:21:26] And now it's time for you to simply wrestle with God. The reason I say that is because God is going to be on the winning side. That means your flesh will be crucified. Be encouraged, brothers and sisters, to look up to Jesus. Another one, we can look at Elijah. Remember Elijah did great exploits for God in 1 Kings 17. He did these great exploits. These prophets of Baal, they came. They said, oh, we're going to show a miracle. But he, in a simple two-verse sentence, prayed simply to God, and God moved. Great victory that day. [00:21:58] What happened? He faced a situation that a woman, Jezebel, was going to get rid of him. What did he do? He fled. And of all things, there he is being taken care of by God, and then God gives him a real situation. He drives up the roof. What? He's a man of God. Why would he be out there all by himself? Yet his faith ended up being in God. Was it not? He said, I'm the only one. [00:22:29] Yet God still provided for him, though it was maybe a little bit, but it was enough, was it not? Maybe you're expecting too much to an extreme. Maybe you're expecting too much in your situation. But I'm telling you, brother, sister, whatever your situation is, look up. Lift up your heads, look up, because there is something coming for you. In verse 13 of our scripture text that we read this morning, And it shall turn to you for a testimony. What's going to turn to you for a testimony? Your life will turn into a testimony. [00:23:00] He says, Settle it, therefore, in your hearts. And he's talking here, he's talking about not worrying about what to say, how you're going to respond to that. And I believe for us today, we can settle it. We must have it settled in our hearts that we are going to live for the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We must settle in our hearts that God is still in control, though there's turmoil and chaos out there. That we're still going to remember that we're going to keep our focus on Jesus. So whatever your focus has been, lift it up, turn it around, lift it up, look up to Jesus. Then we can fast forward through the Old Testament into the New Testament. [00:23:34] In the book of Acts, Jesus told his disciples, you shall receive power. Then in Acts chapter 2, they were waiting for what? Did they know what they were waiting for? The power of the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost. And they were empowered with the power that you and I have today. And that power took them beyond the things that transpired. And we could say that soon after that, that Stephen faced something. He was willing. Thank you for coming to see your souls. [00:24:08] There are many different meanings that could be here, but what I want to encourage you this morning is that sometimes in your situation, you have to be patient because God is coming. But keep looking up because redemption is coming in whatever your situation may be. John 3, verse 14, it says, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. In John chapter 12, Jesus said, If I, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me. You see, brothers and sisters, when we live our lives and we're down and blue and discouraged and talking about all the stuff that's out there, [00:24:44] what are we doing to Jesus who lives within us, to the world out there? Are we lifting him up? I believe when we face those situations and we stay positive And we continue to glorify God We are in a sense lifting up Jesus so that people see Jesus and not us What did he say? If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to you guys Or to believers, or to the church To who? Jesus [00:25:14] Jesus said if I be lifted up How are we going to lift up Jesus if we're walking around We must look up. Whatever your situation, brother, sister, look up. Because if you're, maybe you are. Maybe you are, I mean, maybe you're right down and you're just down, down, down. You can't go down any further. If I want to look at something, what do I got to do? I got to look up, right? Maybe you feel like that. [00:25:48] You're just down at the bottom. Look up. Look up. One last story from the Bible. Peter. Remember the story about Peter. What did Peter do? Boys and girls, tell me. What did Peter do when he saw Jesus walking on the water? What did he do? Let me tell me. One of you boys and girls, tell me. What did Peter do when he saw Jesus walking on the water? They were out on the ship, and they saw Jesus walking on the water, and they thought it was a ghost, and they talked to him, and Peter said, Jesus, if it's you, [00:26:20] What did he do? Somebody tell me? Boys and girls, somebody tell me. He did? Jesus walked on the water. How could he walk on the water? Was it frozen? Was there ice there? There wasn't ice there because there was a boat there. Well, was it just shallow water? No, it wasn't shallow water because they had the ship there. What did Jesus tell Peter? Come on. Come on out. He did, didn't he? [00:26:54] Peter, the other guys probably said, Peter, you're crazy. You can't do that, that's Jesus. You can't walk on the water. Jesus told me, I'm going. See ya. I want to go. He's looking at Jesus, and he's walking on the water. What did he do? What happened next? He doubted. I think he doubted first, then he looked down. What did he do? He looked at his situation, didn't he? [00:27:26] Ooh, my situation ain't so good anymore. What happened? Down he goes. Where did he look? Down? I'm making a point here. Where did Peter, what did he have to look for? You know, when we were goggles, we can go underwater, we look quite a ways, but just the natural eyesight of the human when he's underwater, he can't really see very clear, very far. So if he was going to be underwater, he wouldn't have seen far, right? What choice did Peter have to look? Where did he look? Up. Maybe you feel like your situation, you're just drowning in your situation. [00:28:05] Peter was drowning in his situation, wasn't he? Peter was a man that, you know, he accomplished a lot for the kingdom. But there he is, sinking, going down. But he says, he's the same. Jesus hesitated and said, you big dummy, if you'd have kept looking at me, you wouldn't be in that situation. [00:28:39] You can swim, you're a fisherman, I'm going to the boat, see ya. No, he didn't do that. He said, Peter, I know your situation. Look up to me and I'll pull you up. Now, did he say, get back in the boat? The Bible doesn't say, but I think it's what he did. He pulled him up. Peter, look, your situation was pretty dire. [00:29:10] Yeah, the waves are bad out here. But look, I'm with you. We're going to go back. Now look, walk. I don't think he carried him. Situations sometimes, yeah, Jesus may carry us. I think he took Peter right back to the boat, said, look, Peter, keep walking, keep on walking, we're going to be all right. Just look up, back in the boat they get. Is your situation about ready to drown you? Look up. The only way you can look is up, and that's to Jesus. And if you're here this morning and you've just been floating along, you might say, I say look up. [00:29:42] Because Jesus says, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to me. Who's going to lift up Jesus? Is the world going to lift up Jesus or are they going to put him down, right? Who's going to lift up Jesus? In your situation, who's going to lift up Jesus? Yeah, maybe you need another brother, maybe another sister to help you. But the church is called today in the turmoil that the world is in, the church together, you and I together are to lift up Jesus. [00:30:17] Are we lifting him up when we are facing a situation and we're all discouraged? We're all going to face situations. You are not immune to situations. Okay? But don't let your situation drown you. Look up. Don't focus on the world's trouble. You can't do anything about it anyhow. Look up. Keep your focus on Jesus. Jesus, look up and don't worry about the things you can't change. Look up even if you've lost your job but don't know what you're going to do next. Look up. Jesus knows your situation. [00:30:48] Look up because Jesus' return could be sooner than later. Look up. Keep Jesus lifted up and you will be lifted up because Jesus is in you and he's in me and you are in Jesus. It was like, what? How simple is that? Brothers and sisters, all what I told you, don't forget this. If Jesus is lifted up, who's going to lift him up today? [00:31:18] Isn't it true that you and I are going to lift him up? If I'm in a situation and I must look up and then I lift up Jesus, will he not then take me out of my situation or help me through my situation, I should say? It's like it did Peter. He helped Jesus. He helped Peter walk right back to the ship, to the safety of the ship. If you and I as believers lift up Jesus, if we continue to lift him up, we can give each other encouragement no matter what we're facing. And as we face things together, we're in it together, but Jesus knows exactly the details of your situation. [00:31:51] And he has already a plan. The number one step of that plan is lift up Jesus, and he in turn will lift you up. What's your situation this morning? So dire that you feel like, ugh. Be encouraged because Jesus is still on the throne. When he's off the throne, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, he'll be back here getting the church completely out of the situation. [00:32:22] I don't know what you're facing this morning. You do. I trust this morning you have been blessed and encouraged by the Holy Spirit and by God. Just remember this thing. Lift up Jesus, and when you lift him up, you will then be lifted up. If you need some encouragement, talk to a brother or sister and say, My situation is pretty dire. I don't know if I'll make it, but you will make it. I'm telling you, you will make it. Because Jesus is in control. Do you hear an amen? Your situation He is. I'd like to invite you to stand if you would, please. If your situation is in such a situation, let me put it this way, [00:33:01] You need to talk to somebody? Please, I encourage you, talk to somebody. And to you as a brother and sister, somebody comes and talks to you, give them encouragement. You might say, I don't know what to tell them. Give them encouragement. Together, you can lift up Jesus. I'd like to have you bow your heads. In just a moment, if you would like to have a special prayer, just raise your hand up, and we will just pray a special way that God would help you deal with your situation. Anyone here? I see your hands. God's blessings to you. Blessings to you. By doing that, you're simply saying, Lord Jesus, I commit this situation to you. Let us pray. [00:33:35] Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, we thank you this morning that you are in control. God, we know that there are times in life when we face situations that seem so dire. And where in the midst of it, it's hard for us sometimes to just be completely surrendered to you. Father, for those that have raised their hands, first of all, I pray that they would be completely surrendered to you and your will. Lord Jesus I pray you would speak to them now that they would have the courage to lift up you Lord Jesus and Lord Jesus when you are lifted up you will help every situation big or small [00:34:07] Father I pray you bring encouragement to the body of believers right here at Calvary Chapel that each individual would be blessed by your holy word and God that you would be lifted up Lord we choose today to lift you up Lord Jesus to lift you up high and holy and Father we bless you that you are still in control Father, we would breathe encouragement upon the body that no matter what situation we face, Lord, that you would bring encouragement that we together could encourage each other and Father, give us wisdom and discernment when we see someone that's discouraged that we would encourage them with a word [00:34:39] or with an action or simply a touch, Lord to bring encouragement and blessing God bless us this day so we can bless you and God, I pray you would help us to lift up Jesus because you are the author of the finish of our faith in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray and the church says