Amen. Thank you, Dr. Scoville. What a great opportunity you and I have to rehearse in our hearts and minds that wonderful, wonderful name of Jesus. And as our minds race to consider that glorious, divine thought, our minds probably would race back to the moment when we accepted that wonderful name, that wonderful Savior into our hearts by His grace, by His mercy, by His love that we're not able to comprehend, and yet He chose to love us. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Dr. Scovel, so very much. Well, it's a joy for me today to look into the hearts, so to speak, of those scattered all over this nation and some around the world who are not able to be with us here on the property, but you're with us in heart as we are with you. And so, as we look into the Word of God for the next few moments, then we're just enjoying the opportunity of counseling, coming alongside those who have an ambition to be used of God some way every day. Those who have the ambition to grow in the Lord some way every day. And with that in mind, as I think about this student, I've already had three classes this morning. So in my mind, I can see, well, this one's seated over here, and that one over there, and that one over there, and this one half asleep, and that one wide awake. But wherever you are, and whatever you've been doing this morning, it's just a joy to be with you. So we're going to turn to a text here in just a moment, but before we get there, I'm gonna invite your attention to the book of 2 Samuel. And this is in reference to the celebrated king of Israel, even to this day, that one who has been professed and embraced as being the greatest king in the history of Israel, and obviously that's King David. This is the last chapter of chapter number 23 of 2 Samuel. And the Bible says it like this, and just kind of going quickly on this, it says, now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel said. Okay, so he is saying this is what the Lord's laid on my heart. I'm about to go into eternity. And I want to say to Solomon, I want to say to these who are around me, I want to tell you what the Lord's message is for you as leaders of the nation of Israel. And as I have the privilege of approaching these this morning, young men, young ladies, maybe some of us not quite so young, but I have the joy of saying to these who are going to be leaders, maybe God's called you to be a pastor or a youth pastor. Maybe God's called you into the music ministry or into the educational ministry of young children. Whatever vocation God's called you to be involved in, maybe it's to be a stay-at-home mom. What a ministry that is! Oh, my goodness, that's of eternal proportions! But whatever ministry it is, no doubt, no doubt, as I know you and I'm praising God for many of you, and most of you, and all of you, is that you will be a leader in one facet or another and some in a celebrated, in other words, held up, not because of your mental acumen or your physical resources or your connections, but because of the grace of God allowing you to go through the crucible of difficulty and he's allowing you to be watched so others can see what Christ can do in them as they're watching you biblically live out the circumstance that others would say, my goodness, I would be bitter, I would be, And then others perhaps elevated to a place of the richness of God's blessings. They're coming down like, oh, like rain on a summer spring afternoon, or a summer afternoon, a spring afternoon, and the drops are just all around. And the blessings are that way. And others can look and say, why, do you not know that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? So when you and I look at this passage of Scripture today, and he is saying, here's what the King David was saying to those who would be leaders, and I would say to the students of Ambassador Baptist College and perhaps other faculty members and others joining alongside as well, these are the last words of David. Now we're just going to stay here for a moment because we need to get to our text, and time is going to be away from us in a hurry. But here's the advice that he said. Now he said a number of things, but here's how he started it. He said, the Spirit of the Lord, capital S there, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord spake by me and His word was in my tongue. Okay, now we better pay attention to this then. The God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spake to me." Can you imagine their ears are perking up at this? Their attention, King David is about to go into eternity. And he is telling us that the Holy Spirit is moving on him, that the God, the rock of Israel is saying to him to say to them, those who would be leaders, that ruleth over men must be just." That has the idea of righteous. If you're going to be a ruler over individuals in a school, rulers over individuals, so to speak, in a ministry, you must be righteous. And doing so, what's going to be the governor on that is it says, ruling in the fear of God. I wish we had time to go into all that, but we don't. But the next phrase is the one that captures my heart, and it says this. And he, the one who is a leader, we could say she here too, in some aspects, and he shall be the light of the morning. Oh, what does that mean? When the sun rises. So in the morning, he's gonna be like early morning light, when the sun rises. And then he gives this commentary. Even a morning without clouds. Have you ever been alongside someone who is terminally ill? Or someone who has significant handicaps? Oftentimes, the night times are the times of great turmoil. The rolling around in the bed, and the tossing to and fro, and perhaps giving up on having sleep. It's just away from them. And so, in those dark hours, they walk. They may watch, get into the kitchen, and maybe get a drink of water, or perhaps go over and sit in a Kleiner. Maybe that'll provide some relief. But when the morning light begins to make its way through the windowpane, and they arouse out of kind of slumbering, but they arise and they, oh, it's morning now. Isn't that the way it is oftentimes when we're ill of heart or ill of mind? And the morning comes. Well, the morning comes and he's saying, here, wait a minute, the man of God, the one who's gonna be a leader, the one who is, he is to be righteous, and he's ruling in the fear of God. but he also, in an everyday way, with the people who are following that leadership, he used to be like a morning, the sun coming up, and a morning without clouds. Have you ever been around someone? And I mean from the get-go, it seems like they're predisposed to having a, well, the sun may be out today, but I bet it's gonna rain before the day's over. Or, the sun's out today, but I got so much work to do, I wish it was night. As they say out in Texas, why, that kind of a guy would complain if you hung him with a new rope. Well, it's just, there are some folks like that. And He is saying, here, wait a minute, God, the Rock of Israel, He's saying, if you're going to be a leader, young person, when you get your degree, when you get your diploma, when you're out and you have the privilege of having others follow you, even as you follow Christ, it's to be like that morning without clouds. but he doesn't stop there, he gives another aspect to it, and then we're gonna go to the message, as we have time. It says this, if he is the morning and the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds, and then he says this, as the tender grass springing up out of the earth by clear shining, Have you ever looked recently, or have you looked recently at new grass? New grass is oftentimes a little light, lighter in its shade, at least it's my understanding of it, as I've seen grass that I've sown here recently. And it's a little bit of a lighter shade. And when it has the raindrops on it, it just becomes significant that, oh, we have new grass coming up now. And it's different than the darker grass. And that's showing that there's new growth. Those who have the privilege of leading, they're not to walk around with the cares of the world. Yes, they may shoulder the responsibilities of the challenges, even as our president does for this school, and our president of our nation does for his people. But it shouldn't be, as we're trusting in a sovereign God who loves us infinitely and eternally, and is capable of filling out His sovereignty, because He not only has the right to rule, He has the ability to rule, But it says here that the template for our attitude is even to be none other than the Son of God and the Lord Jesus that Dr. Scovel sang about so well just a few moments ago. But in our lives, we are to be so walking after the Spirit and not after the flesh and desiring, passionate about being conformed to the image of Christ that we say, dear Lord, I want to be just like you. And that takes us to the text. And that text will take us to the book of Psalms, chapter 143 and verse 8. And the title of this message, what's left of it, the title of this message is Joy in the Morning. Joy in the Morning. Now this is not putting a happy face on a tough time. It's not the power of positive thinking. It is not that at all. But we have a credible, legitimate, awesome opportunity to have joy in the morning. One verse is all we'll look at, all time allows. The truth is, the quality of this verse would rightfully be allocated to many more hours of study and of preaching, but this morning we have but a moment. He says here, this is in Psalm chapter 143, verse number 8. Now, there is a series of things to listen to, and so I'm going to, and I'll invite you to do that as you read along with me. Let's read it together. Psalm 143, verse 8, and the Bible says it like this. Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning. And then he tells us why. For in thee do I trust. And then he follows it up with another prayer. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk. And then he tells us why. For I lift up my soul unto thee. We could call it a sympathetic relationship. We could just call it an intimate relationship. But there's three words here that are working cooperatively, one with the other. And it's the three words that begin with the word lovingkindness. You see it there after a few words. Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness. But then there's another word, a few words down from that, and it is the word trust. And if you go just a little bit further down in the text, you're gonna find the word know. My goodness. He says, "'Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning, for in thee do I trust. "'Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto thee.'" Let's take those three words and just look at them in this way as we part company here in just a moment. I pray that it'll just, oh, it'll just saturate like a good marinade on maybe a good steak. And it just soaks in and it stays with you and its lingering influence throughout this day will cause you to remember, wait a minute, he says, the psalmist, David, who in 2 Samuel said, I want to tell you how leaders ought to be. Well, the template is God. Notice what he says. Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness. Why? Because lovingkindness is the herald of trust. I said there's three words here that are working in a companion style. And so loving kindness, the loving kindness is the herald. Do you know what a herald is? It's not a guy's name. Well, maybe it is, but spelled differently. But this herald is one that is like the bugler standing on the outskirts of Jerusalem there upon the wall. And they want an assembly to come. So he'd get that trumpet and he'd go, well, maybe that's not a trumpet sound, but nonetheless. Sorry about that, brother. But the trumpet sound, and that trumpet was to signify that there is to be an assembly, a gathering in. Psalmist David said, Lord, cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning. That's not something that just, oh, when I'm going along the way and I hit some bad circumstances, Lord, oh my goodness, I need to know your loving kindness. I know John 3.16, and I know 1 John 3.10, and I know 4.10, and I know these other passages of scripture that here it is loved, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. I know your, no, this is the kind of intimate fellowship that we have with Christ on a daily basis. And he is saying, Lord, cause me. Lord, I want to put myself in the setting, but unless you cause me to be able to hear thy lovingkindness. How does that happen? Well, he tells us in the chapter. Notice, if you will, in verse number one, he talks about thy faithfulness. Down in verse number five, he says, I remember the days of old. Listen to this. He says, I meditate on all thy works. And then he follows that up with the commentary, I muse. on the work of thy hands. Oh. So as he approaches that sacred time and sacred place in the morning, as he is saying, Lord, cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning, he has already prefaced it by remembering what God has already done. And he is musing, he is meditating, he's allowing it to marinate in his heart, the great works of his hands, so that he's heralding out that message of trust to his heart. Because trust also has a relationship with knowledge. Trust is the guarantor of knowledge. My son is a dentist and he has a trust in those who have taught him the dentistry profession. As he's doing oral surgery, it's not just going on the internet and saying, oops, I gotta do surgery tomorrow, I guess I better find out what I'm doing. No, he has had a trust in those in dental school and after dental school that have taught him the various skills. And when you and I, in the morning, we are saying, Lord, cause me to know the lovingkindness, to hear thy lovingkindness. That is a herald. It is blowing the trumpet. It is coming before the Lord and saying, Lord, I want to know how to trust you. And it is gathering together my thoughts in my heart. because trust is the guarantor of knowledge. It is putting that trust into the knowledge that I've received from someone that it is accurate. And King David is saying, Lord, when I wanna know the paths that I'm to take, as you say in the word, as I am to know that I'm to walk after the spirit and not after the flesh, it is thy word and thy ways that is going to champion the causes that you would have me to do this day. He says, cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning. And you say, well preacher, what about in the evening time? What about in those times when I'm rolling around in the bed in agony because of neuropathy or whatever it is? And I would say, dear friend, when it's those times, and you don't have the time to muse, you don't have the time to meditate, and maybe you're like, oh, Peter, as he's walking on the water, and he gets his eyes off the Lord, and he gets them on the waves, and he feels the wind, and he's about to sink, and he's just said, Lord, save me. He didn't have time to do the rest. He just said, Lord, save me. Embedded in that prayer is His guaranteed understanding of the sovereignty and ability and love of God. And Jesus didn't just say, rise up, thy waves and walk. But the Bible says in the account of Matthew, the Bible says He stretched immediately. Jesus stretched out His hand. And dear friend, when you and I are in the concourses of life, And the waves are there and the wind is there. And maybe it is in the morning hours that we find ourselves. Maybe it's in the late hours. But if you and I have regularly been in those morning hours and said, Lord, I want to hear thy loving kindness, because I know that you said, for in thee do I trust and cause me to know the way wherein I should walk. And then he says, For I lift up my soul unto thee. He wasn't in a pleasant setting. He had enemies all around him. We won't go into it, but the text, the context of this is not one of pleasure, but one of challenge, one of difficulty, one of enemies all around him. And yet King David, having meditated in the morning on the Lord, He knew his loving kindness would be there to herald the way to the trust that he had to go through what he did that day in the presence of his enemies so that he would know to go to the right, go to the left. This is the way, walk thou in it. As you and I finish the message of the hour, I pray that you and I will counter many blessings and name them one by one and allow those countings to be the foretaste of that divine appointment with God in the morning. And you and I, indeed, having done that, will hear his loving kindness. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the privilege of opening Thy Word, we pray that it will speak to our hearts and our lives will be changed. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.