Thank you so much. I've enjoyed, as I mentioned, the fellowship and the song service. And as I was thinking about coming back here to Tyler, it's been, I think the last time that I was here was September of 2019 before COVID. So as I was traveling, I was thinking about some of the special blessings that I've had here at the Tyler Church. One of them was, I used to visit my parents in Pittsburgh just about an hour from here. And on one of the last trips that I had with my grandmother, my grandmother lived in my home for about eight years and was from West Texas. And I could tell that her health was declining rapidly the last month or so. And so I brought her back to Texas to visit her children and grandchildren, my cousins in West Texas. And on the way back, we stopped here and we came to church. And she was in a wheelchair, sat right over here, right next to Elder Stanley. And her mind had began to get a little bit confused and she spoke out a couple of times during the worship service. And Elder Stanley sort of settled her down. And we went home and that was the last time that I had the opportunity of being in church with my grandmother. My grandparents were a special blessing in my life. They were my connection to the church. They took me as a young child and I can remember as a little boy that probably I spoke out a number of times and hopefully my grandmother calmed me down. But that was a special time to be able to come to church one more time. went back home and then the Lord took her home just in a week or two after that. It was a special blessing. Remember another time that we came here that Elder Compton came and Elder Compton was over 100 years old at the time and he actually spoke, he preached here and he continued to be a blessing. After his wife passed away he moved in my home and And he was going to only stay two weeks and ended up staying two years until the Lord took him home. But in that last two years, he preached in 21 different churches in 17 different states from the age 100 to 102 and a half. And so he was a great inspiration, a great blessing. But when we were here, I remember that he enjoyed, we enjoyed visiting with Sister Rushing. She was Elder Pyle's mother-in-law, David Pyle's grandmother. She was up in her 90s. That was a special time to be able to visit with them as well. Remember one time we came to the Salt and Light Conference. I commend you all for the great work and effort that you put into bringing the young people together and continuing to do that and God blessing you in that effort. And remember witnessing how that God used the church here to bless the lives of so many young people. And I remember one special time was when Sister Lynn Piles Bruce, spoke and gave her testimony of how that God had sustained her through her years of struggle with cancer and how he had blessed her to continue on and to be a blessing and encouragement to others. I remember worshiping here with my parents and also with Brother Bobby and Sister Yvonne Evers and they would come to church here and we knew their family from up north in Maryland and it was always a blessing to get to visit with them as well. And then one of the special times that I remember was in September when we were here and Elder Zach Guest was here, Elder LaSere Bradley, he preached, Elder Sonny Piles preached and those were special, special blessings. I wanted to get to hear those men that had such an impact upon my life through the years and especially enjoyed getting to hear Elder Piles again. He had preached the message when, in 1975, when I, at 15 years of age, felt the desire to be baptized, and it was through a week-long series of meeting that Elder Sonny Piles was preaching. Those were special, special times. I can't help but tell you how much the ministers here were a blessing, Elder McAbella, Elder Stanley, the impact that Elder Stanley made on my life, the way that they worked together was such a blessing. But I felt like that I was Elder Stanley's best friend. And then I found out that everybody felt that way. I thought, what a blessing that he had of making everybody feel so special. And he did. And I appreciated his counsel through the years. I appreciated his positive, upbeat spirit. And it just blessed my life, and I I just was so blessed by knowing Elder Stanley and the impact that he and Sister Stanley had made on my life. I remember staying in their home and at night we'd have big bowls of hot fudge sundae, ice cream, and the next morning Sister Stanley would make this big breakfast that we had and enjoyed that so very much and the fellowship in their home. Had those special, special memories. They have made an impact upon my life and I'll always be forever thankful. I'll tell you first how this message came to me years ago, and I pray that it will be a blessing to you. It's out of Psalm chapter 61 verse 2, and it's only a portion of the verse right there, but I pray that this might be a blessing to you. In pastoring churches, you pray that God gives you a message that it will help somebody, that somehow it'll be a benefit and be a blessing. And one Saturday night, I had struggled throughout the week. I'd had great difficulty and went through a season of a little bit despair, a little bit discouragement. I'm not one that's prone to be overcome with depression or despair, but this particular time I was struggling with it. I've always found that if I get a little bit discouraged, a little bit depressed, a little bit disheartened along the way, I can go to a nearby nursing home and start visiting people. And it's amazing how quick the Lord will pull me out of it. I can look for a shut-in, I can look for somebody that's not able to come to church and go and visit them and I want to go and encourage and help them but I tell you they turn around and help me. And that keeps me from being overcoming with despair and discouragement. But this particular Saturday night, I was looking for what the Lord would have me to bring to encourage people. And I myself was so discouraged and so despondent that I remember thinking to myself, how in the world can I go and be an encouragement to somebody else when I myself am so discouraged? And I was going through the Psalms and the Psalms oftentimes are a source of encouragement to me and an inspiration. And it started in Psalm chapter one and I began to read through the Psalms and I was just, it was about two o'clock in the morning. when my eyes landed on this verse and it just jumped off the page. Now, I don't know about you, but sometimes when I'm reading God's word and there's something that's meant just for me, or I feel like it's meant for me, it's almost as if it's highlighted in yellow. It just jumps off the page and you just know that it was there for you. Well, this verse was there for me at this time. I hope it will help you. I hope that you're not dealing with despair or discouragement, but if you ever do, I'm not wishing it on you, but if you ever do, if you're like me and you ever go through those seasons, I hope that this might help you along the way. Psalm 61 verse two. It's only a portion of the verse, but it's a powerful verse. When my heart is overwhelmed, is there anybody here that ever experiences an overwhelmed heart? I don't know about you, but I do. When my heart is overwhelmed, short verse, powerful message. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock. that is higher than I. Pray the Lord will bless us for a few minutes this morning. When my heart is overwhelmed, I'm going to highlight three different areas of why that we sometimes experience an overwhelmed heart, an overwhelmed heart. In Psalm chapter 51, David is relating his experience right here this is sometimes why we experience an overwhelmed it's not always why we experience it but this is sometimes why we experience it. Psalm chapter 51 David pins these verses down for us. Have mercy upon me O God this is when David was confronted by Nathan the prophet after he had had the experience and sinned with Bathsheba after he had had her husband, the life of her husband taken and here David was experiencing a distance from the Lord and he highlights it right here because of some choices that he had made. David says, have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Sometimes we experience an overwhelmed heart because of the transgressions that are in our life. Here, David was experiencing it right here. He says, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. David is experiencing right here in this chapter, David is relating and experiencing a repentant heart and a desire to be closer with God. He says, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest." And then David states his case and this is the case of all of us. He says, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. He comes down, he says, purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear the joy and the gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins and blot out mine iniquities." And then David says three verses right here that are really, really powerful. He says, create in me. He says, God, I need some help. I need some deliverance. He says, create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not the Holy Spirit from me. And then David says, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit. And then David says, when I learned this, he said, then I'm going to take this and I'm going to help other folks. He says, then I will teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee. David in this account right here. was experiencing an overwhelmed heart because of some choices that David had made. David had given in to the transgressions and the sin and sometimes it's our sin in our life that would create an overwhelmed heart. So when we experience an overwhelmed heart The first thing we ought to do is go to the Lord and say, Lord, is there something in my life that I need to repent from, that I need to withdraw from, that would draw me closer to you? Lord, I have a desire to have a close fellowship, a close walk with the Lord, and if I have an overwhelmed heart, that's at least what we ought to ask the Lord. Now that sometimes is the case, but it's not always the case. What else brings an overwhelmed heart? When we're young, at any age, the cares and the challenges of life sometimes bring an overwhelmed heart. For young people, it sometimes is the challenges that you face at school, it's the challenges that you face with peers, it's the experience you have of growing up and getting older that bring an overwhelmed heart. I was changing planes at one point at the airport in Atlanta, Georgia. And if you've ever been to the airport in Atlanta, Georgia, it's overwhelming to me. It's a huge airport, easy to get lost, easy to get turned around. I was changing planes and I had about an extra hour there in between flights. And as I was walking down the hall, someone called my name out. And I thought, who in the world would know me from the Atlanta airport? And it was a young man that I had known from Texas. I grew up in Texas. Since he was a baby, I'd rocked him in a rocker. I'd watched him and babysat him while his mom and dad went out on dates. And I hadn't seen him in a long time. But I'd known that he had grown up and he had a lot of challenges in his teenage years. And he had challenges with abuse, with different abuse, with drug and alcohol abuse. And so I had about an hour and he had about an hour he was changing planes there and we sat down and we had a cup of coffee and we visited and I hadn't seen him in a number of years and he began to tell me about the programs that he was going through and the progress that he had made and I told him I said highlight to me what you think it is that is your most challenging things that you face as a young person and he said the number one thing that got me on the wrong track was being with the wrong people. He said peer pressure was one of the greatest challenges that I faced. Scriptures tell us that evil communication corrupts good manners. Sometimes we think we're strong, sometimes we think we are stronger than the temptations and the struggles of sin, But as a young person, we can be very susceptible. He said that was my greatest challenge. Sometimes for young folks, peer pressure, the influence of others wanting to fit in, can be overwhelming. How do you handle it? How do you face it? It's the same way you face it when you get a little bit older. We are blessed and I'm so thankful for the young families that are here. We're blessed in our church to have young parents. And sometimes they share with us about the challenges of bringing up children and the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They begin to share with us the challenges that they face in raising their children. Get a little bit older than that and the cares of life just don't seem to go away. They seem to get a little bit larger as you get older. You get a little bit older and then all of a sudden you get to the age that your parents are having challenges when your parents are in their 80s and 90s and their health's beginning to fail. When you have your parents that are all around you and the challenges are coming and you think to yourself, how am I going to meet all these needs? How am I going to face all these challenges? It can become overwhelming. I've been approached within the last week of individuals that their work situation has changed. They're looking for new jobs, their job was ending, their job ceased and they had a family to provide for and all of a sudden it becomes overwhelming because maybe they're at a midlife or later in life and it's more difficult to find a job. I remember one of the things Elder Bradley said, it was good counsel, he said he was counseling somebody that needed a job and he said that, The young man was talking to him and he said, if you don't have a job, you have a full-time job looking for a job. And that's a pretty good way to approach it. And I'm reminded of Elder Compton. He shared this story, maybe here when he was here. He said when he grew up it was in the Depression and he said he needed a job and he said he He couldn't get a job because of the depression and people weren't hiring. And he said, I went to the job site of a construction site and I told the supervisor, he said, I needed a job and the supervisor said, we can't afford to hire anybody. And he said, I'm willing to work for you one week for free. in order to just see if I might qualify to get a job. Now, that's, I've never heard anybody say that, but if you need a job bad enough, you're willing to do some of those things. I'm kind of like old brother Ralph Chastain up in Indiana. He and his wife are corn farmers. He said, I never really had a hard time finding work. He says, work just seems to find me. So if you need a job, you got a full-time job looking for a job but when you get to midlife or later in years it can be overwhelming if your job ceases, it can be. And then you get to the latter years. Some folks refer to it as the golden years. That's not how Solomon describes it. Go to Ecclesiastes chapter 12 Solomon's description of those latter years is actually he describes it as the evil days and it just means all the different challenges that come your way. Generally that's the case when we reach the 80s and 90s and days like that we have lots of challenges. We had a sister in our church was such a blessing she was an inspiration to us just went home to be with the Lord a couple of years ago but she lived to be a hundred and four and a half And she had such a positive spirit, such a wonderful outlook. And I asked her, I said, Sister Perry, how is it? In fact, sometimes I would pick her up for church and she'd tell me, she said, I don't have a pain in my entire body. I mean, that's amazing to be 104 and to say that. But she was always upbeat, always positive. And I said to her one day, I said, how is it that you can be so upbeat and so positive all the time? She said, I start my day every day thanking the Lord for all the blessings of life. And she said, I pray that he'll bless my mind to get in the right direction, to have a thankful heart. And she said, if my mind gets in the right direction early on in the beginning of the day, she said, you know, it affects the rest of my day. She was such a blessing, all except one time. I picked her up on, it was my 50th birthday, and I picked her up and I was on my way to church, and she was over 100 and I was just turned 50. It made me feel so young to take folks that are twice your age to church when you're 50 years old. And I was still struggling with turning 50. And on the way home, she said, I've got a birthday present for you, if you want it, I'm happy to give it to you. And I said, sure, what is it? She said, well, I'm still struggling with turning 50 in my own mind. She said, I have an extra burial plot, and I'm willing to give it to you. And you know, I didn't respond the way she expected me to, and I didn't take it. And now I wish I had. She was a great blessing, such a great encouragement, a real blessing. But sometimes we experience an overwhelmed heart just simply because of the cares of life, the challenges of life that we experience that come our way. And that brings about an overwhelmed heart. And then sometimes it's not the result of sin in our life. It's not the result of maybe the cares and challenges of life. Sometimes we experience an overwhelmed heart because God tries our faith. God allows something to come in our life that we have absolutely no control over, that we can't change, that we can't do anything to make it better, that God brings about or allows an experience to come in our life to try our faith. Maybe for ourself, Maybe for the benefit of others, but maybe for the glory of God. We had a precious sister in our church. She was such a blessing. She lived to be almost 100 years of age. Wonderful, faithful sister. She outlived all three of her children. I can't imagine that. Before she passed away, I actually had the funeral for one of her grandchildren. God allowed that trial to come in her life. I can't understand, I don't know the reason why, but God allowed it. Sometimes God tries our faith like he did Abraham with his son Isaac. When he told Abraham to go and offer his son Isaac, from our perspective it's hard to understand, it's hard to relate, it's hard to understand that, yet we can see the faithfulness of Abraham, how that God held Abraham up and God made a way of escape. And oftentimes God does that. So sometimes the trials come in our life because maybe there's sin in our life that we need to repent from. Sometimes the trials come in our life because of just the cares of life and the challenges of life. And sometimes they come in our life because God allows it to try our faith and to strengthen our faith. But in all cases, in all cases, in everything in our life that would bring about an overwhelmed spirit, there's a place of refuge for each one of us. When my heart is overwhelmed, I'm so glad that's not the end of the verse. That's only a part of the verse. When my heart is overwhelmed, the rest of the verse is the solution. When we experience an overwhelmed heart, he says, lead me to the rock. Sometimes I can't even go myself. Lord, would you take me there? Would you lead me? Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. What is that rock that he's referring to right there? 1 Corinthians chapter 10 we're told that the rock that was in the wilderness that the children of Israel drank from as Moses smote the rock he tells us that this rock he says, and they all did drink from the same spiritual drink for they drank from that spiritual rock and that followed him and he says and that rock was Christ so what he's talking about in Psalm chapter 61 verse 2 when my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I that rock is Jesus Christ I'm so glad that somebody called out the song this morning my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness and the chorus of the song on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand. That's where we take our trials and our burdens and our difficulties to is to Jesus Christ. Now I don't know about you but sometimes I take my burdens to the Lord and then I pick them back up again. I don't know if anybody else does that. You take your burdens and your trials to the Lord, and then rather than leave them there, we pick them back up. We're to take our trials and burdens to the Lord, and then we're to leave them with the Lord. In 1 Peter chapter 5, I love this portion of scripture right here. 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 7 says, casting all your care upon him for he careth for you. So the way that we handle an overwhelmed heart no matter what it is in our life we take it to the Lord and we leave it there. He says, casting not some of your cares, but he says, casting all of your care upon the Lord. And then the good news is, he doesn't end the verse there. He says, casting all of your cares upon the Lord. And he says, for the good news is, he cares for you. Now that's good news, it is. I was called to the hospital to visit a dear brother in our church that was struggling with his overcoming surgery. He had had surgery, he had lung cancer, he was dealing with it. And he was in the hospital and he was so weak that I couldn't understand what he was saying. Brother Maurice Cook, he was so weak. His sons were there. And he was trying to say something and I couldn't understand what he was saying. And so I asked his sons, the sons were gathered there around the bed as I was there and we were in the hospital room and he was so overwhelmed with the affliction that he was dealing with right there that he simply said, do you think that God has forgotten about me? You ever experienced that? Does God know? Does He care? Has He forgotten about me? I said, Brother Cook, I said, God can't forget about you. I said, His promises are just as sure today. He's told us that He has you engraved in the palm of His hand. He can't forget about you. He knows what you're experiencing. He knows what you're dealing with. He knows what you're going through right now. And I said, God has promised that He will never leave you or forsake you. And then I heard what He said. He said, that sounds so good. You know, sometimes we just need to be reminded of the promises of God. God has given us these promises to be with us and to sustain us and to help us and sometimes we just simply need to be reminded of the promises of God. There's a song that we sing. Love this song. Was thinking about it this morning. It says, Does Jesus care when my heart is pained? too deeply from earth or song. As the burdens press, as the cares distress, and the way grows weary and long. I'll read verses two and four and then the chorus. Does Jesus care when my way is dark with a nameless dread or fear? As the daylight fades into deep night shades, Does he care enough to be near? Verse four. Does Jesus care when I said goodbye to the dearest on earth to me? When my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks, is it ought to him? Does he care? And then the chorus goes like this. Oh, yes, he cares. I know he cares. His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary and the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares. He cares. Does Jesus care? Absolutely He cares. He certainly does. In, I love the book of Romans, It's such a blessing, it emphasizes so much the doctrines of God's sovereign grace. The book of Romans, here's how the Apostle Paul describes it. He says, what shall we say then to these things? If God before us, who can be against us? Now, The things that he's talking about right there are specifically five things that are just hallmarks of the faith that we embrace as believers of sovereign grace. He tells us that he foreknew us and he foreknew us from before the foundation of the world. He tells us that he predestinated us and that he called us and then he justified us and that he glorifies us and we are as if in a glorified state. And he says, What shall we say to these things? These things that he's talking about right there. He's saying that they work together for our good. Sometimes our mind, when we're going through an overwhelmed spirit, it helps us to be reminded of where we are in Christ. That he knew you from before the foundation of the world. That your name was written in the Lamb's book of life from before the world was. And that you are his and that you were chosen in Christ. that Jesus Christ redeemed you and that he paid the price on Calvary's cross and that he's coming back for you to take you to be with him in glory. He says, what shall we say to these things? He says, here's what you say. He says, if God be for us, who can be against us? You know, it helps to know that God cares and that God is for us. You may not feel like anybody else in the whole world is for you. But you can know one thing, you can know that God is for you. God is for you. He says, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? One dear sister, she was in her 80s, dear, dear sister. She told me, she said, Brother Stephen, she said, God did not give me, she says, when I look back upon my life, God did not give me all my wants, but God gave me all my needs. Everything that I stood in need of. When I look back on my life, God provided it. God gave that to me. That's exactly what he says. God will give us freely all things. That's all things that we stand in need of. He says, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. He says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? And then he highlights different things right here. He says, shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword. He says, in all these things, I like how he says this right here. He says, in all of these things that might separate us, that we might think would separate us from the love of God. He says, in all of these things, He doesn't say that we're just about conquerors, we're almost conquerors. He says in all of these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Did you know that's where you stand? That is your state in Christ. You are more than conquerors through him that loved us. And then Paul said, I'm persuaded of something right here. And the reason he says this is because he wants you and I to be persuaded of this as well. He says, I'm persuaded, I want you to be persuaded. It'll help you when you get overwhelmed. He says, for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, She'll be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. There's nothing that's going to separate you from the love of Christ. There's nothing you can think of that you could add to that list. He covers everything right there that nothing's going to separate you from the love of God in Christ. He is for us. He is for us. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, here's another scripture that will help you if you ever get overwhelmed. This is what keeps you from pitching in the towel. This is what keeps you from giving up. This is what keeps you from becoming so overwhelmed that you can't move forward and endure it right here. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, love this portion of scripture right here. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts. I think that's a wonderful description of the Spirit of God dwelling within our hearts. He says, for God, who created the heavens and the earth, who commanded the light out of nowhere, the light to shine out of darkness. He says that he, God, who is all powerful, who is all sovereign, that he hath reached down and he hath shined in our hearts. That life giving voice, that spiritual voice. He said, God has reached down, shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And then he refers to it. It's not something that is without merit. It's one of the greatest blessings that you have in your life. With that spiritual life comes the ability to believe. With that spiritual life, you have faith. With that spiritual life, you have hope in Christ. You have a love of Jesus Christ. And here's how he describes it. He's shined in our hearts. And then here's how he describes it. But we have this treasure. He refers to that light that he shines in our hearts. He refers to it as this treasure. He says we have this treasure in earthen vessels. That's what keeps us from becoming overwhelmed, overcoming with despair. He says for we have this treasure in earthen vessels. that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Your strength in overcoming discouragement, despair, and overwhelmed heart is not in yourself, but it's in the Lord. It's in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only place that I can point you towards. That's the only place that I can get strength when I face seasons of despair is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, shine that in our heart. And he says, as a result, we may be troubled on every side, but we're not distressed. We may be perplexed. Anybody ever get perplexed? Don't know which way to go, don't know what the answer is, don't know what the solution is. I've had situations in the church that I pastor, I've had situations that come up in my life that I did not know what the solution was. You ever been perplexed? What keeps you from pitching in the towel? I'll tell you one time and you might try this. I had about 10 things that I was struggling with that I just needed some direction and some help from, from the Lord, and I did not see a way through, a way out, some of the challenges that I was facing. So I actually took a notepad and I wrote them down. I write down lots of stuff, stuff that I can't remember. The older you get, the more you write down, and sometimes you forget even where you wrote it down. But I wrote these things down. And then a month later, I went back and I looked at the list. And do you know, I began to check them off and God had delivered me from every single one of those things that at that time that I wrote it, it was overwhelming. It's amazing how God makes a way out of no way. You ever get perplexed? He said, I'm perplexed, but not in despair. He said, I'm persecuted, but I'm not forsaken. I'm cast down, but not destroyed. Cast down, but not destroyed. We have this treasure in earthen vessels. I love the next one. This one is just one of my favorites. There's two points in this verse that I hope will be a blessing to you. Second Corinthians chapter one. Second Corinthians chapter one. Blessed be God, even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. In the midst of our trials, in the midst of our challenges, we need to be reminded that God is the Father of all mercy and that he is the God of all comfort. You may be saying, well, brother Stephen, you just don't know the trial that I'm experiencing in my life right now. I may not, but I do know this. There are two promises in this verse right here. And if God hasn't delivered you from the trial that you're experiencing right here, he has given two promises that you can cling to and you can hold to right here. He says, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and the God of all comfort. It's interesting. He says the God of all comfort. He says, and here's the first promise, who comforted us in all our tribulations. So yours is not an exception. If you've got a struggle or trial you're dealing with, God is your solution. He comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort with we ourselves are comforted of God. What does that mean? Here's the promise you can hold to and you can claim this. The challenge or the difficulty that you're experiencing in an overwhelmed heart, God has the ability to comfort you and to hold you up but he tells us right here. He says God not only gives you enough comfort to endure the challenge that you endure but he says that he gives you enough comfort that he gives you an extra amount that you then can go and help somebody else. You can take the comfort that God has given you and then you can go and help somebody else. Isn't it amazing how it works how that when you've got a particular need or struggle in your life if you can talk to somebody that's been there and that God has blessed them to experience what you've experienced somehow you can relate just a little bit better and you can get strength from them. It's also amazing that you can take the comfort that God's given you and then you can go and you can minister to someone else. I'll share this experience I've mentioned this dear sister so many times she was such a blessing to me sister Perry that went home to be with the Lord when she was in her 80s she fell and she She broke her leg and it didn't heal. She was diabetic. It didn't heal. So she ended up in her 80s getting a prosthesis and she walked and she was active and she never let it get her down and she never complained about it until she went home to be with the Lord. She just made the best of it. And the doctor saw the attitude that she had in overcoming this in her 80s. And so he would call her and he would say, Mrs. Perry, I've got somebody in the hospital, a young person that's about to lose an arm or about to lose a leg. Would you go up and talk to him and would you encourage them? And she would go in her 80s and 90s and she'd say, I'm going to leave the cane or the walker out the door and she'd walk in there. and she would talk to somebody that was less than half her age and she would tell them, I've overcome this, I've learned how to deal with it, I've learned how to live my life and go on and you can too. Isn't it amazing how that if you can talk to somebody that's been where you are, how that it's a great blessing. That's the fulfillment of this verse right here. He says, I'm going to give you enough comfort to endure the challenges that you have to experience and I'm going to give you enough comfort that you then can go and help somebody else. Now there's a second promise right here. You may say, Brother Stephen, I don't, you just have no idea how big my challenge is. Isn't it amazing how that Our challenge is always the biggest one. I don't bet you, but mine's bigger than yours. My trial, my burden, my challenge is bigger than yours. And I may think that yours is probably bigger than mine, but at the time, that's how I feel. Well, here's the second part of this verse that is for you. If your trial is bigger, if you got the biggest trial, then you can claim this verse right here. He says, for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, your trial, your difficulty, your burden. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so also our consolation aboundeth, also aboundeth by Christ. What does that mean? That means if you have a bigger burden than I have, if you have a bigger trial than I have, you've got the promise that you're gonna have a bigger degree of consolation than I'm gonna have. Because your trial, your burden is gonna be matched or exceeded by the consolation of Christ. He says right here, for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so also the consolation aboundeth by Christ. Your burden, your trial may be the biggest, but you're also gonna experience the most consolation in Christ because his consolation is there for you. Now, those are things that helped me. We went through, I'm not gonna dwell on it, we went through a very, very, very difficult time like you all did through the season of dealing with the challenges of COVID. We're in health care, take care of elderly folks. It was so hard. I thought it would last a month. It lasted over three years. Very, very difficult time. Very difficult time. I'll end with just a couple of more verses right here, and I pray this will be an encouragement to you in some small way. You may be thinking, well, Brother Stephen, I claim those promises that God's going to be with me, that he's going to help me, he's going to sustain me, hold me up. I believe that he is. But I've got some trials and some burdens in my life that I just haven't been delivered from. Now, God is sovereign and God can deliver you from the burdens and trials. He certainly can. This verse right here, when I first read it, I was a little bit perplexed, but I think I know what it means and I'll share it with you. Psalm 34 verse 19 says this, just one verse here. Many are the afflictions of the righteous. It just simply means that God's people have lots of challenges in life. but then he says something here that I was a little bit perplexed about it. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. And I thought, I know folks that have had trials that they've not experienced deliverance from. And this verse says that They're gonna be delivered out of all of them. He says, many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. God is sovereign, God has all power, God is in control, and God can, if he chooses, to deliver you. When I go to the hospital to pray for folks, I pray that if God's merciful, that he'll bless the physicians that he blesses us with, and that he'll bless with a measure of healing. But God doesn't always bless. in healing the way that we think or that we would desire that he would. But he says right here, many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord deliver them out of them all. God is able to deliver. God has the power to do it, but God is also sovereign. He is. And when I first read this, I thought, how do I understand this? And then all of a sudden I realized, Many are the afflictions of the righteous. God's people have challenges here in this life. We experience many deliverances here in this life. That's how we become, that we're not overwhelmed with despair and discouragement. We can lean on those promises that whether God chooses to deliver us, that he's promised to sustain us. There's another part of this right here. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. God may choose to deliver us here in this life, but whether he chooses to deliver us here in this life or whether he chooses to deliver us from the trials and difficulties that we experience in this life, he will ultimately always deliver us from all trials when he takes us home to be with him in glory. There's not a single trial that you're going to take with you to heaven. There's not a single burden that you're going to take with you when you go to heaven. When you go into heaven's world, you're going to leave those trials and burdens and difficulties behind. So God may choose to deliver you here. If he doesn't, he's promised to sustain you and hold you up. But he's ultimately chosen to deliver us all in heaven. I love this portion of scripture. First Corinthians chapter 15 talks about the change that's coming. He talks about this change that this body is sown in dishonor. It's raised in glory. It's sown in weakness. It's raised in power. It's sown a natural body, but it's raised a spiritual body. And Paul says, I don't understand all this, but it just gets better and better. He says, He says, this body that we have all these challenges with, we lay it down, but there's a change that's coming. And he says, and here it is. He says, it's a mystery, but he says, here it is. He says, behold, I show you a mystery. He says, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. Aren't you glad and aren't you looking forward? to that change that's coming. The songwriter says, what a day that will be. We used to have a brother that every Sunday he'd want us to sing, what a day that will be. He was looking forward to that change coming. He says, in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, the trump shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. We're ultimately going to all be delivered from the afflictions of this life when that change comes forth. He says, for this corruptible will put on incorruption, this mortal will put on immortality. He comes on down. He says, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. I love this verse right here. But thanks be to God, you are in a glorified state because of what Jesus Christ has done for you. but he says there is a day coming that we're going to experience something that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ that loved us he says but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory I don't know who called out the song victory in Jesus but I love it I tell you the songs this morning they were fitting to the message. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness and victory in Jesus. Here he says, but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You are victorious. You stand victorious because of what Jesus Christ has done for you. He's going to come back and he's going to take us home to glory. He's going to change us. We're not going to have any of the trials and the burdens and challenges of life. Until then, he's given us the promises to sustain us and help us along the way. It's all because of Jesus Christ. When my heart is overwhelmed, I don't wish it on you, but if it ever becomes that you have an overwhelmed heart, cry to the Lord. to lead you to the rock that is higher than I. I love Philippians chapter four, verse 13 says, I can do not some things. I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. Jesus Christ is your strength, your hope, he is your all in all and he will help you and he will hold you up and he will sustain you no matter what you experience here in this life. I deal with a lot of people that have terrible health issues. I deal with a lot of folks that have discouragement along the way, lots of struggles in life. I'm telling you the solution in every case. is nothing less, but then Jesus Christ. He is our hope. He is our rock. He is our all in all. If we look to ourself, we're going to be disappointed. If we look to others, we'll be disappointed. If we look to Jesus Christ, we will never, ever be disappointed. He cares. He knows. He will sustain us. He will hold us up. He is our strength. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock, which is Jesus Christ, which, by the way, is higher than I." That's where we're to look. Set our affection not on things of this world, but on things above. Thank you for your good attention. May God bless you.