I Choose Worship | Martin Smith and Pastor Levi Lusko with Fresh Life Worship | Psalm 52:7-9 Good evening everybody. Come on. Who is excited to worship Jesus tonight. Uh we're so excited if you're joining in with us every location church online uh to be in a time of prayer, a time of seeking God, a time of of worshiping him. And through these days of prayer, which we're each morning getting up and and spending time just seeking God together, we're also spending time weekly just to we've expressly put it as an encounter night. And that's because the Bible says that we can draw near to God and know that he will draw near to us. So, we're promised an encounter. We're not like putting it out there in the hopes of like, well, we hope this happens. No, we we have promised that we can draw near to God uh with with a with a full heart of assurance in faith that when we seek him that we're going to find him and that he is not far from any one of us. And so God, we we have come to seek you. We've come to see you. We have come to sing to you, God. We love you. And we thank you that your word promises us that if you're lifted up Jesus, you will draw all people to yourself. And we know we normally think about lifting up Jesus as the cross and people being drawn to him as the lost coming to life in Christ when the gospel's preached. And we so thankful that that that's true. But we're also aware, Jesus, that you being lifted up and us being drawn to you is not just a promise for the lost, but it's a promise for the found. And we thank you that as we exalt you, as we lift you high, as we say that you deserve all glory, you deserve all praise, you deserve to be celebrated more than anyone else as our first love, as our highest God, as our true king and friend. as we lift you up not just in the crucifixion but in the glorification that you're due that you will draw all people draw us unto yourself Lord and you've called us to so many things that we're supposed to do for you and we need to do for you we want to do for you God but we say what Moses did if your presence doesn't come with us don't take us up from here don't send us on to do next week don't send us on to do what you call to do next month or next year. If your presence doesn't go, God, it'll it'll be in vain that we go to anything that we would seek to do. We want to see you. We want to see your glory. We know that worship doesn't start with singing. Worship starts with seeing. So, would you open the eyes of our hearts to see you? Would you receive these prayers? Would you receive this praise? Would you, as you look to and fro on the earth, see us here at Fresh Life this night, longing for you, declaring that you are the desire of all nations, and you're the fairest among 10,000. We love you, and we pray you'd receive this praise in Jesus name. In Jesus name. As we stand to worship and begin to sing, we're so excited to have joining our team tonight, our friend Martin Smith, who is here with us all the way from London, England. Martin is a gift to the body of Christ. If you're not familiar with his with his music and ministry, get ready. It is no exaggeration to say uh that God used Martin Smith to save my life. That's no joke at all. Uh, as a 14-year-old, I went through a really hard season. My parents' marriage was breaking up and there was just a really challenging time and there's a lot going on in my life and I began to struggle for the first time in my life with just suicidal ideiation. Just seeing and picturing my life, fearing like my life was going to come to an end. And there was no like desire to die. It was just like I couldn't stop feeling and fearing this foring sense of death. And one of the only things that God used to get me through that season was a worship track on a CD by Delirious that Martin was a part of for many, many years as they toured around the world. Um, and the song was called What a Friend I Found. And there was a multiple year period of my life where I couldn't go to sleep without that song on repeat as God used it to envelop me in a sanctuary of praise and safety and God's presence there. And I was able to lie down and sleep. And so, uh, Martin, I honor you. I love you. I'm so grateful for you. And we're so glad that you've come to be with us at Fresh Life. Um, and so Martin's going to I just told him we're going to turn the night over. We're so excited that he's leading with our team. And we honored everybody on the team serving here tonight on stage. Come on, let's thank God for him. And if you don't know all the songs, just let the words and the music, let God uh bring you to a place of safety and presence tonight. And there's space at the front if you want to be up front, if you want to, you know, get out of your seat and move around a little, be on your knees a little, be on your your feet. The cool thing about tonight is there's not another service to get in. There's not the normal. Uh so this is just a space that we're creating to to to spend this time with Jesus. And I love we got some kids in the room. We got some youth in the room. And uh just so grateful. So Jesus, would you would you would you ride in on your chariot of of cloud and thunder and would you minister to us here? We love you, God. in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. ((music playing)) Hey. Well, good evening everybody. Um, thank you so much for having me. Uh, my very very first time here at this church. So, I'm so happy about that. And uh I went for a walk in the mountains today. I didn't meet any bears, which is great. So I'm still alive. I've made it to tonight, which is amazing. But this crew are incredible. Thank you for all the learning the songs. And again, as Pastor Levi said, you're not going to get know everything tonight, but just pretend you're enjoying it. All right. Okay. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord. ((music playing)) In all the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry. These bones will sing. Great are you Lord. All the earth in all the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry. These bones will sing great are you. All the earth and all the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry. These bones will sing. Great are you, Lord. Yes, we agree. We agree. In all the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry. These bones will see. ((music playing)) Hey, it's your praise. It's your praise in our lives. So we pour out our praise. Pour out our praise. It's your praise in our love. So we pour out our praise to you. Oh it's your praise. You are love. So we pour out our praise. Call out our praise. It's your praise. You are love. So we call out our praise. Holy Lord. Great are you, Lord. Great. Great are you, Lord. Everybody sing. Sing. Great. Great. There is no one like you, Lord. There's no one like you, Lord. Singing great are you, Lord. Hey, singing great, great, Lord. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) So take off your sackcloth, shake off the ashes, put on your garment of praise. Here comes the oil, the oil of gladness. Put on your garments of praise. Put on your garment of praise. So put on your garment of praise. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Yeah, ((music playing)) the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is the strength of my heart and I'm singing my heart out again. You make me glad in the house of the Lord. And I'll praise you again and again. The joy of the Lord is laughing his presence. We are a people redeemed. Children of God, come sing to the Lord. Lift up your voices with me. Lift up your voicees in sing. ((music playing)) The joy of the Lord is the strength of my heart. And you sing my heart out again. You make me glad in the house of the Lord. And I'll praise you again and again. The joy of the Lord is the sound of deliverance. We are the ones who set free. People of God, come to the Lord. Lift up your voices with me. Lift up your voices and sing. Hey, the joy of the Lord is the strength of my heart. And you sing my heart out again. You make me glad in the house of the Lord and praise you again and again. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) So take off your sackcloth, shake off the ashes, put on your garment of praise. Here comes the oil, the oil of gladness. Put on your garment of praise. So take off your shirt, shake off the ashes, put on your gar of praise. Here comes the oil, the oil of gladness. Put on your garment of praise. Put on your garment of praise. So put on your garment of pray. ((music playing)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) Put on your camera with a train. ((music playing)) Hey. Hey. ((music playing)) Everybody. Okay. The joy of the Lord is my strength. It's carried me all of my days. No sorrow could steal what you gave. Cuz I'm going to come with the praise. Hey. Hey. ((music playing)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) The joy of the Lord is my strength. He carried me all of my days. My soul in the grave. So I put on a cover of pray. Hey. Hey. ((music playing)) is my sing. ((music playing)) to praise you again and again and again and again. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Did you feel the mountains tremble? Did you hear the oions roar? When the people rose to sing, oh Jesus Christ the r. Everybody shout. ((applause)) Everybody shout. ((applause)) Did you feel the people tremble? Did you hear the singers roar? When the lost begin to sing of Jesus Christ the saving one and we can see that God you're moving a mighty river through the nations and young and old will turn to Jesus. Flam the gates. Flam you heavenly gates. Pretend the way I found. ((applause)) Open up the doors. Open up the doors. And let the music play. Let the strings re bring your hope. Sometime bring your sweetness upon justice. ((music playing)) So do you feel the darkness tremble when all the saints join in one song and all the streams flow as one river to wash away your weight up. Let's sing that again. Do you feel? Do you feel the darkness tremble when all the saints join in one song and all the streams flow as one river to wash away our broken me? And here we see that God moving. The time of jubilee is coming when young and old return to Jesus. Flam the gates flam wide to heavenly gate. Prepare the way of our reason. Open up the door. Oh, the door sweet ((music playing)) dance upon injustice. We're going to dance for justice. Hey, hey, ((music playing)) hey. ((music playing)) ((applause)) So glances ((music playing)) and dance upon your skin. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Well, here we are as a church. Sing praises, God. Oh, we say yes, Lord. We say yes. ((music playing)) So we say yes Lord. Yes Lord. So we say yes Lord. Yes Lord. So we say yes Lord. Yes Lord. So we say yes Lord. Yeah. Can we sing that together? So we say yes. Yes Lord. In the morning. So we say >> yes Lord. Yes Lord. >> There is a river. ((music playing)) It flows from the throne of God. And everywhere this river flows. It brings life. Brings everything alive. Yeah. Oh, I want to dance in that river. It's going to give me fresh life. ((music playing)) It's going to give me fresh life. ((music playing)) Oh, wherever this river flows, it's going to give us fresh life. Oh, I want to dance in that river. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're going to dance in the river. Yeah. We're going to dance in the river. Yeah. We're going to dance in the river. Yeah. Come on. Come on. Come on. We're going to dance in the river. Yeah. We're going to dance in the river. We're in the river. Are you ready for the back to the front? ((music playing)) We're going to dance in the river. We're going to dance in the river. We're going to dance in the river. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Yeah. ((music playing)) Yes. We're waiting here for you. With our hands lifted higher in praise ((music playing)) and it's you we adore singing our way. Ooh, ((music playing)) we're just waiting here for you. For you. Faith can move the mountains. Let the mountains move. We come with expectation. We're waiting here for you. Waiting here for you. ((music playing)) You're the Lord of all creation. And still you know my heart, the author of salvation. You've loved us from the start. ((music playing)) Waiting here for you with our hands lifted higher in praise. In its youth we adore, we adore. Single ((music playing)) Lord. ((music playing)) You are everything you've promised. Your faithfulness is true. And we're desperate for your presence. All we need is you. ((music playing)) All we need is you. Waiting here for you. With our hands lifted high in praise. It is you we adore. We adore. We sing it ((music playing)) through. ((music playing)) Hallelujah. Oh my gosh. ((music playing)) Hallelujah. ((music playing)) Heat. ((music playing)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) No, she ((music playing)) waiting here. Yes, we're waiting here for you. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) You will see. ((music playing)) Yes, we're waiting here for you with our hands lifted high. in praise and it's you we adore singing all your life who ((music playing)) we're just waiting here for You ((music playing)) are no ((music playing)) waiting Here for you. ((music playing)) And my heart burns for you. And my heart burns for you. And my heart burns for you. In my heart thirst for you. N no no no la cuz you won't worthy of it all. You are worthy of it all. ((music playing)) For from you are all things and to you are all things. You deserve the glory. You are worthy cuz you are worthy of it all. You are worthy of it all. ((music playing)) For from you are all things and to you are all things. You deserve the glory. Do we agree on that tonight? Come on. Cuz you are worthy of it all. You are worthy of it all. from you. You are all you deserve ((music playing)) cuz you worthy. ((music playing)) You're worthy. ((music playing)) For from you are all things and to you are all things. You deserve glory. My heart in my heart ((music playing)) and my I ((music playing)) feel you. My heart burns for you. ((music playing)) Feel my heart. It burns for you. ((music playing)) For you. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) La. Woo. ((music playing)) Laal ((music playing)) Oh la ((music playing)) and we exalt you. We exalt you. We exalt you, oh Lord. ((music playing)) We exalt you. We exalt you. We exalt you. Oh, look. I don't know whether we got the words, but it doesn't matter, does it? Come on, let's lift our hands. Yes, we exalt. We exalt you. We exalt you. ((music playing)) Oh, this is what we were born to do. What we were born to do. him. We exalt you. Hey, we all ((music playing)) We enjoy ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Hey ((music playing)) you Jesus. Heat. Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) Oh. Oh. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) We exalt ((music playing)) you. We exalt you. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Peace. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) We all ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Hallelujah. Heat. ((music playing)) Heat. ((music playing)) Heat up ((music playing)) ((music playing)) here. Heat. ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) And he reigns. He reigns. He reigns over on all the earth. He reigns. He reigns. The only one true God. The only one who saves forever. He will reign. He reigns. He reigns over all the earth. He reigns. He reigns. The only one true God. The only one who saves forever. Jesus reigns. Ever. Jesus reigns. Ever Jesus reigns. ((music playing)) Holy is the Lord. Holy is the Lord seated on the throne. The train of his robe fills the temple. Worthy is your name. ((music playing)) Worthy is your name. ((music playing)) Let the heavens rejoice. Let the earth be glad. Sing among the nations. All God. ((music playing)) God reigns forever. Your kingom reign. ((music playing)) Oh God, I'll go praise. ((music playing)) Forever your king reign. ((music playing)) Worship and adore. ((music playing)) Oh Jesus we adore. heard me and was slain and risen from the grave. Hallelujah. ((music playing)) Hallelujah. Our God. Our God ((music playing)) forever. your kids away. Yes. Our God. ((music playing)) Our God forever. Your king. Our God. Yes. Forever ((music playing)) forever. Your king. He reigns. He reigns. He reigns over all the earth. He reigns. He reigns. The only one true God. The only one who saves forever. He will reign. He reigns. He reigns. Over all the earth. He reigns. He reigns. The only one true God. The only one who changes forever. Jesus reigns. He reigns. He reigns over all the earth. He reigns. He reigns. The only one true. The only one who Forever he ((music playing)) the only one should save forever. Jesus. Ever Jesus will be ((music playing)) find ((music playing)) mercy on us. Please, ((music playing)) our hope is in you. We believe it's true. God can save a nation. ((music playing)) Find us on our knees. ((music playing)) Have mercy on us, please. ((music playing)) Our hope is in you. We believe it's true. God can save the nations. ((music playing)) Yeah. ((music playing)) Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I'm going Gra ((music playing)) ((applause)) forever. Your name. ((music playing)) You are forever your ((music playing)) ((music playing)) forever. ((music playing)) God. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) your praise. Come on. You sh Heat. Heat. Heat. He wants to he over the earth. Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Ever Jesus way ((music playing)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) in the morning, 2 in the evening. You keep me dancing in every season. Whatever comes tomorrow, I've got your Why would I not sing of your praises even when troules come? Why would I not worship forever? Cuz I've seen the good you've done. And I'm not ashamed. I'm a sinner. Say shade. No, I'm not afraid anymore. What the world calls foolish. You come freom. No, I won't back anymore. Hey, I've got joy in the evening. In every season, whatever comes tomorrow, I've got joy. I'm letting go. I'm walk in your presence. Dance till the sun comes up. You make me strong. Whenever I praise you, Jesus, you fill my cup. And I'm not ashamed. I'm a sinner. Shame. No, I'm not afraid anymore. Well, the world goes through this. You call freedom. No, I want back anymore. Hey, I've got joy in my ((music playing)) You keep me dancing in every season, whatever comes tomorrow. I've got joy. ((music playing)) I've got joy in the sunshine. Joy in the rain. You keep me dancing again and again. Whatever comes tomorrow, I've got joy. Yeah. Got the joy. ((music playing)) Hey, we got the joy. I got joy, joy, joy down in my heart. I got joy, joy, joy down in my heart. I got joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Oh, there's plenty of space down the front if you want to come down. I got joy, joy, joy. ((music playing)) down in my heart. >> I got joy, joy, joy. >> Hallelujah. I got joy, joy, joy down in I got down. I got down in my joy in the morning. We give you this in every season. Whatever comes tomorrow, I joy. What if it comes tomorrow? I've got joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Got joy joy down in my heart. Got joy joy joy down in my heart. I got joy joy joy in my heart. I got joy joy. Oh, I goty joy joy. Hallelujah. Y ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I'm going to read from Isaiah 61 if that's all right. Isaiah 61. ((music playing)) Come on. We need a kick drum. Here we go. Give it up for Grayson. Yeah. ((music playing)) The spirit of the suffering Lord is upon me. ((applause)) For he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. Freedom for the captives, freedom for everyone. That's why we have the joy. ((music playing)) There's a crown of beauty. Stand to the ashes. Instead of sadness, there's a garment of praise. And there's a crown of beauty instead of the ashes. Here comes the oil for my sadness. Is there anybody here who can play the hole? Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) Okay. 128. Yeah. ((music playing)) Okay. Now, this is the point of the night that everyone at the back is like I don't want to do this. All right, but just for a minute, just put your arms around someone. Can you do that? Just pretend that you love them. Just We're going to jump together. Are you ready? I got joy, joy, joy down in my heart. I got joy, joy, joy down in my heart. I've got George down in my Hallelujah. I got George I got I got Are you ready? Here we go. One, two, one, two. I've got joy in the morning in every season. Whatever comes ((music playing)) everybody. ((music playing)) Hey, ((music playing)) the spirit of the story Lord is upon me. Whatever comes tomorrow. I've got joy, joy, joy down in my heart. I got joy, joy, joy down in my heart. I got joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Hallelujah. ((music playing)) Give him praise. Come on, give him praise. Give him praise. We love you, God. We worship you. Thank you for our crown. Thank you for a seat at your table. Thank you for your spirit. Thank you for calling us. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for dying for us on the cross. We love you, God. We give everything to you. Are you glad you came out to church tonight? What a joy. Hey, we're not done. I I just have a feeling we God's got more he's going to do tonight. I got I I have a feeling that we're a church wanting to go hard after God. Come on, let's be a church going hard after God. We're going to continue in worship and and see what God does. But and you can just stay right here. I I I just wanted for us to carve out some time to pray. Uh because I I hope you understand it's not like I'm a priest. You you have priest campus pastors. You got priests that you come to every week and it's hopefully they can give you a good blessing from God's word or give you a good blessing like you came to the the church to meet with a holy person, right? That's how sometimes how we think about it. You have to understand every single one of us are priests. God has made us a kingdom of priests to him. And and so he lives in us and we have a priestly ministry that we all get to do. And prayer is that priestly ministry. We have to do what Jesus did and get the cords together and flip over tables in our hearts so that his temple, our hearts could be a place of prayer for all nations. Right? So, it takes work and and that's why we're getting up early. That's why we're reminding ourselves so that hopefully all year long we remember the the priestly ministry that we get to we get to intercede before our father for the world that he loves. We get to say, "God, Dad, you promised That's prayer. Dad, you promise. Dad, you promise. And we're I just want to remind you of the the priestly ministry of of prayer. Thank you so much. Look at that. Get my Bible down on that and everything. It's it's it's beautiful. And I'm going to just give us space to pray. But but this is just remember the moment we're living in. It says in Hebrews 10, every priest stands ministering, this is Old Testament, daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices. The same sacrifice, another bull, another goat, another bull, another goat, just every year, year after year after year after year, repeatedly the same sacrifices. It can never take away sins. All it was was a temporary covering, a temporary placeholder until Jesus came. But this man, capital M, >> but this man, not some goat, not some bull, this man, the sinless, spotless lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. But this man, he's not showing up every year for another sacrifice. He's not coming to the cross again. He's not he's not every year like here's another here's God just just just be be nice to them one more year. Not not this man. >> Someone say not this man. >> Not this man. >> This man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins his life. That was all that was needed. The righteousness of God in your place. He strapped himself into your electric chair. He put his head through the hole of the guillotine. That blade was meant to come for your head. once and after he had offered his sacrifice for sins forever. Do you hear me? How long is your sins paid for? >> Forever. One sacrifice paid for forever. Effective forever. Afterward, he sat down at the right hand of God where he's right now waiting until his enemies are made his foottool. For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. That's you. You're being sanctified. You're a mess. >> So am I. >> We're a long ways away from holy. a long ways away from totally there. And yet God says you're perfected forever. >> When God sees you righteousness-wise, perfected forever, he'll never change his mind. You're being sanctified because you're a mess, but perfect forever in his sight. And the Holy Spirit also bore witness to us after he had said before, "This is my covenant I'm going to make with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds I will write them. Then he adds, "Their sins and lawless deeds that you're so hung up about, so worried about, I'll forget them forever. I will recall them to mine no more." He has chosen forever to put your sins behind his back and never look at them again. They're not recalled to mine with them with a with an intention to judge because he already judged him once forever. Never happening. Not this man. Not not not next year. It's not Groundhog's Day on the cross. Forever sins paid for. Therefore, someone say, "Therefore." >> Having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us through the veil, that is his flesh, having a high priest. So, he's the high priest forever over the house of God. We who are priests and kings called to follow the high priest. this man. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. For he who promised us is faithful. Be a good spot for an amen. >> And let's consider one another to stir to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching. So we don't have to worry about like how are we doing? Are we all right? Are we cleaned up? Like that's already taken care of by Jesus. Now as priests, we get to stand before him interceding for the rest of the world. >> So let's do some interceding. >> Let's pray. >> And we don't have to wonder how to pray. Jesus said in this manner, you ought to pray. Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil because praise God, yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. All right. So, let's just take a moment. If you want to kneel, if you want to sit, I think there's something really good about kneeling, if you're physically able and you want to because it reminds us with humility to boldly enter the throne of grace. So let's now just for a moment lift up our voices and call him dad and praise him for being a good father. Come on, lift up your voice, church. Lift up your voice every location. Come on in in Pollson and in Whitefish and in Great Falls and in Salt Lake and in Teton. Come on church online, just praise him. Say, "Father, Father, Father, you are in heaven. We're here on earth." Come on, lift up your voice and pray. >> Come on, exalt him. >> Tell him how good he is. He >> is king forever. ((music playing)) I know it's out of order, but let's not confess our sins to him. God, we are undone. We know you hid our sins behind your back. but they're in front of our face. So, we want to get them right. Not because we think you're going to judge us, Lord. Because we we want relationally to have a wholeness with you. Come on. Let's confess our sins of lust and pride, of hatred and unforgiveness, of bitterness and fear, of insecurity, the fear of man, of our need to control things, of how selfish we can be, of how small I can be, of how much I want to I want to worry and be anxious and and stress and white knuckle and hold on to things. Come on, confess your sin to him. It's forgiven forever. But he knows it and you know it. And when you agree with him that it's wrong and you hate it and you repent from it, he can heal you. Oh Lord, let there be a fear of you that would fall upon us. >> Not that we'd be scared of you. You've already proven your love forever. But that we would we would be so in awe of you, God. that we would hate our sin >> because of how much it cost you to purchase us to yourself. >> Lord, you said we could ask for bread. If we could ask for bread, we can ask for the salvation of our neighbor. We can ask for our child to to have an encounter with you that would mark them forever. We could ask for you to save an anxious generation from the jaws of death and destruction and suicide and secularism. We we can ask if we can ask for bread, we can ask for revival in our high schools, Lord. If we can ask for bread, we can ask for our our next door neighbors to come to know you. If we can ask for bread, we can ask for boldness to share our faith with people that we've talked to a hundred times but never told the gospel to even though we told them about a stupid restaurant or or a TV show, we haven't told them about the most important thing. >> Thank you that we can bring our requests to you, God. And so we bring them to you now, God. Come on, lift up your voice for the people who don't know Christ in your life and ask the Lord to save them >> and ask him to send you and to be a part of that process to invite them to church to tell them what Jesus has done to give your testimony. Come on, ask for the miracles that you need in your body. Ask for the the healing of of a loved one who who needs the touch of God on their lives. You said we can ask for bread. So Lord, we can ask for for anything. >> Come on. I ask for let's ask for protection. Lord, we don't want to be delivered into evil, but we want to be steered clear of it. God, guide our feet away from sin, God. Guide our sin away. Guide our feet away from from from things that aren't bad. They're just a distraction. Lord, protect us from wasting our lives. We put the blood of Jesus over our homes and over our our vehicles and over this church, God, over our marriage vows. Come on now. Just let the spirit guide you in prayer. Let the spirit guide you in your priestly ministry of praying. Trust him as he's leading you. You might not have any idea of what the situation is. Just call it to him with a groaning that can't even be uttered in your words. He might be using you to pray for a situation on the other side of the world. For a member of a of a persecuted church in a country you don't even know about. Just trust him and call out to him. Come on now. Tell him his kingdom is coming. >> Tell him that he deserves all the glory, >> all the praise, >> all the honor, >> forever in Jesus name. What a joy to pray with you priest. You look good. priestly ministry looks good on you. >> I just wanted to just encourage us encourages us in the word. You can you can stand, you can sit, whatever you whatever is most comfortable for you. It's not going to be a long sermon. I just got a devotional thought that God gave me to give to you and it's from Psalm chapter 52. It says this. I I was telling one of my kids this week, the cool thing about the Psalms is that in the rest of the scripture, God speaks to you, but through the Psalms, God speaks for you. When you read the Psalms, it unjams your words because these words become your words. So, we listen to God through his word, but in the Psalms, we we we we get our lines. God speaks for you and you you read these and then it opens up your other words. So, here's what David said. Psalm 52:7. Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened himself in his wickedness. Here is the man who didn't make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened himself in his wickedness. ((music playing)) But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. >> I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. >> I will praise you forever because you've done it. And in the presence of your saints, I will wait on your name for it is good. I just want to encourage you for a moment with the thought, I am a green olive tree in the house of God. Do you receive it in Jesus name? Can you say, "I'm a green olive tree. I'm a green olive tree." Come on, say to your neighbor, "I'm a green olive tree." Now say, "I don't know what that means, but it sounds good." Psalm 52 had a context it was written in and that context was betrayal and grief and pain and confusion. Have you ever felt any of those things? Well, here is Psalm 52. God speaking for you, giving you a script to speak in those days of betrayal and grief and confusion and hurt. David had gone to Knob on the run from Saul. He had been anointed but not yet crowned. 20-year gap between anointing and coronation. And in the meantime, his father-in-law tried to kill him six times. And you know what he did? He went to church. It's a pretty good plan. He went to where the ark was. He went to where the priests were. He went to where the house of God was. And he didn't know how and he didn't know why, but he went there. And Jesus tells us it's okay that a himc the priest broke some rules in order to feed him and keep him alive. Gave him bread. It wasn't even for him. Gave him a sword even though he shouldn't have. And the whole deal was kind of sketchy and wild and frenzied. And David's just on the run. And because he went to Knob and was helped out by his friend Aimilec the priest, Aim himc and 84 other priests were slaughtered by a man named Dog who was just in it for what he could get out of it. And Saul said, "I'll give you money. I'll make you rich. I'll give you authority." That's how he led. David had nothing to give. All he had was an anointing on his life. But it happened to be that every time he turned around, there were people coming to join him, people coming to follow him. I don't I don't know how this is all going to work. I have nothing to offer you but difficulty and and sacrifice. And yet every time he turned around, there's just more people behind him. Saul couldn't get loyalty, so he's always using the stick and he was always using the carrot. He said, "I'll give you titles. I'll give you money." So dog said, "I'll do whatever you want." He said, "I want you to cut down these priests who who harbored my enemy." None of Saul's men would do that. They're like, "That's pretty screwed up stuff to be killing priests." And dog said, "I'll do it." and he lifted up his hand and murdered in cold blood not just 85 priests but also their wives and their children and their pets and their animals. And on the day that word reached David this had happened, he wrote Psalm 52. His response to the pain and to the hurt and to the confusion and the grief was to say that is what happens to a man who trusts in his wickedness and only cares about money. But I am an olive tree in the house of my God. I'm going to worship him forever. I want to give you five. Just jot them down. Five confessions and then I'm going to give you my title. Normally I give you my title beginning. I'm going to give it to you at the end. Five confessions and then my title. If you're a green olive tree, number one, if you're a green olive tree in the house of God, you can thrive in really brutal circumstances. Olive trees, unlike many other trees, can grow in rocks. They can grow in soil. They can grow when it's hot. They can grow when it's cold. They can grow where there's rot. They can grow where there's disease. They can grow where there's been a fire. They can grow when they are uh literally like anything. they they can just keep growing and growing and growing. And that's why David was saying, "It doesn't matter what I go through. It doesn't matter what I face. It doesn't matter what difficulty there is. I am a green olive tree in the house of my God. I can thrive even in really brutal circumstances. Second confession you can make if you're an olive tree in the house of God, planted in the house of God. Nothing God gives me or does through me defines me. Distinct from dog who just did what he did for money, just did what he did for position and because that was how he that was how he saw himself. He was defined by what he could do. David who had all the promises of God of what God would do through him one day knew it was a mistake to define himself based on what he would do or what God did because those things can come and those things can go. You can have a season where God's really using you, where you're really feeling and where you're really just everything you do touch it almost turns to gold. And you can have seasons where that that does not is not the case. Where it's just you're confused. You don't know where is God? Why am I running? What's your plan? When is this going to end? And he said, I'm going to look to God to make me green. Everyone's looking to something to make them green. Do egge dog looked to green to make him green. He looked to get him paid to making it rain to make him green. David said, "What is going to make me green is being in God's house, trusting in his mercy, praising your name forever. That's what I'm looking to." So, what you do through me, what you do for me, what you promise to me, none of those things are going to be how I see me, what what what's going to make me me is you. You >> your love for me that you give me is going to define me. That can ne Do you see? Do you see young people? That can never be taken away from me. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, God's love can never be taken from you. So define yourself. See your self-identity based on on what cannot be taken away. Otherwise, you're building on sand instead of on rock. Third confession, no matter the season, there's something I can contribute. No matter the season, there's something I can contribute. What color olive tree was David in the house of God? >> Green. >> He was green. But what about when it's not harvest time? What about when it's not summer? He said, "I'm going to be still green." >> Did you know that an olive tree isn't evergreen? It's evergreen. It doesn't It doesn't do the fall thing. It's like, "Nah, I'll just be green." Everyone is like, "I'm red now." And I'm now I'm naked. And he's like, "No, not me. The olive tree is like green. When I'm up, I'm green. When I'm down, I'm green." And in every season, an olive tree has something to contribute. Even when it's not producing olives, it still can give shade from the sun. In every season, there's something it can contribute. And so can we in Jesus' name >> in just like David, everyone who was in debt, everyone who is disconcerted, everyone who was depressed, they flock to him. And praise God when people who are hurting, when people who are weary, when people who are struggling come to us, come on. In every season, we can offer some. In every season, we can give the comfort that we've received. David says, "All I got is a cave to sleep on and promise of God to stand on, but I'll share with you what's mine. What's been given, I can give." And we can, too. No matter what we feel like we have or don't have, we can serve in Jesus' name. Some of the most difficult moments I've served God in have been the most important and I've been the most powerful. When I feel like I have nothing to give, those are the times that God does what only he can do. And he can do the supernatural. Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord. and I can contribute and you can contribute as an olive tree in God's house in every season. The fourth confession is my eye is on legacy and eternity. My eye is on legacy and eternity. Of all of the plants that God could have chosen to be a picture of flourishing, he picked the olive tree. Did you know that the oldest living plant on planet Earth is an olive tree? It's estimated that it's between 4 and 5,000 years old. It's somewhere near Bethlehem. I think we have a photograph of it. This thing, it was on the earth when Abraham was alive, guys. And that's because olive trees just like the Energizer Bunny. I know you don't get that. You don't understand that. Just keeps on going, right? And so when you plant an olive tree, you're doing it not just for your kids and not just for your kids kids, not just your kids kids. You're doing it for the generation coming that needs to know the Lord. Come on. My eye is on eternity. My heart is set on legacy. I want to reach those in Jesus name. David wrote this song. It's touching us now thousands of years later. His eye was on legacy and eternity. I also just got to mention that the sword that David got when he went to knob was Goliath's sword >> that he used to cut Goliath's head off. What you fight through in one season will be waiting for you in another season. He was able to receive it back from God because he gave it to God in a previous day. Amen, somebody. That's a pretty good little thought. ((applause)) Suffering serves God's purpose. >> We never know why. We don't understand the brutality of the things that God allows and doesn't allow and what happens and what we're going through and all of this seem crazy. David's grieving a Hima and him. He's feeling responsibility for going there and all the different things. But he had to believe. What you need to believe is that in God's hands suffering will serve his purpose. And if you want proof, I offer to you Isaiah 11:1, maybe the most powerful picture of the cross anywhere that God will bring a root out of the stump of Jesse. What does that mean? Olive trees have this funny feature where if you cut them down, they can grow a brand new plant out of the stump. You cut it down and a new little sprout will shoot up out of it. You burn it down, a brand new plant will come out of it. Tell me that's not the cross where Jesus Christ was taken out. He was cut down, but new life has come. Resurrection power has come. And that means in our lives too, we can stand strong on the fact that God can bring good out of the horrible things that we endure. Come on, let's just choose to trust him. Let's just choose to believe he's got a plan. I'm an olive tree in the house of God. And what are we going to do? Here's the title of my message. No matter what we're facing today, no matter what we're facing at any point in our lives, we can declare, "I choose worship. I choose to exalt. I choose to sing. I choose to pray. I'm going to worship my way through my grief. I'm going to worship my way through middle school. I'm going to worship my way through high school. I don't know when God's plans are going to come to pass. I don't know when the dreams are going to come to pass. I don't know why you're allowing this, God, but I'm going to choose to worship you forever and ever. And I will still be bearing fruit in old age. So, we thank you, God. We love you, God. We worship you, God. Thank you that we can be planted in your house and flourish in your courts like green olive trees. So we choose worship. We choose to praise you in Jesus name. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) You're the most important person here and I live to love you more and more. You're the most important person's here and I live to love you more and more. There's no one like Jesus. ((music playing)) No one like you. Beautiful Jesus, perfect and true. There's no one like Jesus. ((music playing)) The Father's delight. I simply adore you. love of my life. You're the most important person here ((music playing)) and I live to love you more than more. ((music playing)) You're the most important person here ((music playing)) and I live to love you more and more. ((music playing)) There's no one like Jesus, ((music playing)) no one like you. I bow in your presence. ((music playing)) My heart is renewed. ((music playing)) Your name is majestic. You light up the room. It's easy to praise someone when there's someone is you. You're the most important person here. ((music playing)) And I live to love you more and more. You're the most important person here and I live to love you more and more. ((music playing)) You're la ((applause)) ((music playing)) you're Laoo ((music playing)) la. ((music playing)) You're the most important person here. ((music playing)) And I live to love you more and more. ((music playing)) Heat. ((music playing)) Heat. ((music playing)) Woo! ((music playing)) You deserve the appro. ((music playing)) You deserve the appro. ((music playing)) Great is your name. All the fame and the glory forever be yours. And there's no one like Jesus. You deserve ((music playing)) you're the most important person. Jesus and I live to love you and I must ((music playing)) love you. You deserve You deserve You deserve is your name. ((music playing)) Fing for ((music playing)) my Jesus. You're almost in ((music playing)) and I live to ((music playing)) You're the most important person and I live to love you more. ((music playing)) No one like Jesus. ((music playing)) No one like you. Beautiful Jesus. ((music playing)) Perfect and true. There's no one like Jesus. ((music playing)) The father's delight. I simply adore you. Love of my life. Yes, I simply adore you. Love of my life. Oh, I simply adore you. Love of my life. Can we lift our hands, people? Come on. I simply adore. We sing it about Jesus. Come on. Love of my life, King of Kings. Oh, I simply adore. Oh, never mind. Don't let us go. I simply ((music playing)) ((music playing)) You deserve my friend. You deserve great. All the fing ((music playing)) you deserve. There's no one in there like Jesus. ((applause)) You deserve ((music playing)) and there's no one like Jesus. You deserve ((music playing)) praise God. Praise God for what we got to be part of. Come on. Praise God. Praise God. We're here. What an incredible night. Thank you, God, for that. Thank you, Martin. Martin, thank you. We honor you. We are so grateful. Thank you for leading us in worship. Um, thank you, Pastor Levi, for helping us to choose worship. I'm so excited for our church, for all of us as we carry this with us. Um what a special special night. We're grateful for all of you being here. Couple quick things before we go. First of all, I want to let you know that uh Martin has some resources here in the atrium. And so uh on your way out, check out that what he's got. We'd love to uh show him some love and and take some of that with you. Uh so make sure you're checking that out. Also, if you're new to this or if you weren't aware, every weekday morning, we've been coming together as a church at 6:30 a.m. to pray together on Zoom. It's been absolutely amazing. This is our second week into it. We got one more week ahead of us. So, uh we would love it if you would join us. I think the information is there on the screen. Um the website is freshlife.urch/p prayer. So, if you don't, uh scan the QR code QR code freshlife.urch/per, church/p prayer. We would love to have you join us in prayer tomorrow morning as we continue this spirit of worship. And then this Sunday, uh we're having our regular gatherings, continuing in the best of both worlds. Such a powerful series. We would love to have you join us. If you're here from another local church, thank you for being here. It's really an honor to get to worship with you. Um it's a special thing when the Capitol C church comes together and worships and we honor you and uh but if you don't have a church, we'd love to have you come to church on Sunday. So hope to see you there. And uh to our online community that's joining in, we love you guys. Thank you for being here. Uh what a special special night together. Uh we love y'all. Have a great night. ((music playing)) ((music playing))