Part II of the sermon series entitled “Closer”

Synopsis of July 14^th sermon

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, D.Min.

Psalm 42:1-5, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” 4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”

      I.          Introduction

1. Everyone comes to a point where their appetite changes.
2. Sometimes you can get exposed to a different type of food and suddenly your appetite changes. As a result, you now desire greater food and now you won’t except things below what you know is possible to obtain.
   1. For example, if a woman meets a King that treats here like a Queen, she will no longer accept
3. Psalm 34:8 (NKJV) says ⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord isgood; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! – When you taste of the goodness of God, nothing else satisfies you. Today we are privileged to eaves drop on the Psalmist. In the scripture we see that the Psalmist loans to be back into relationship with God.
4. The writer is in a dark place, the place of
5. He is taunted by those that used to go with him into the temple. They don’t understand his season.
6. It is one thing to walk with those that don’t know, but it’s another thing if it is people that is supposed to know you, yet can’t understand you and your situation.
7. For the believer, he or she is like the deer is panting for the water. He now needs refreshing. The writer uses this illustration to illustrate how he longs for God.

    II.          Desire for the Living God

A.    What I run to can keep me alive

1. This is a time to run to God. Water represents source. The body can’t live without water and in the same manner, the soul can’t live without the presence of God.

2. John 4:14 (NKJV) says ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
   • When God gives us fulfillment, we will no longer have need of anything.
3. Some people are thirsty, and they think they can go around on just a drip instead of a drink.
   • With all the hell you are dealing with, a sip ain’t going to get it!
4. The Lord doesn’t need you being thirsty.

B.     Thirst for what’s real will lead to being filled

1. You can’t expect people to quench your thirst. We think people can fulfill it for us and they blow it every time.
2. Both the Husband and the Wife go out to work these days. They leave full, but we come back empty.
3. Only God can fill you up. When you walk through life whole, you don’t wait for people to fill you. You are are already
4. In this day and time, we think tangible stuff makes us fulfilled.
5. How odd it is to use the word “drip” to define our stuff. If it is just a drip, then you still end up
6. It’s not the things that money can buy, it’s the things that money can’t buy. If I focus on the things that money can’t buy, then if I lose everything I have, I won’t lose my mind, because I know where my fulfillment comes from.
7. God will give to you in a way where you won’t need again. You are about to embark on a season where you won’t need for anything. When God becomes our fulfillment, we don’t have wants, because we are connected to the source.
8. Have you come to place where you think it doesn’t make sense?

  III.          Dealing with Distress Led to Remembrance

A.    Your enemies desire to see you defeated

1. It is important to know what your enemy is up to. Your friend-enemies have one goal, they want to steal from you. Stealing from you can also be taking years off your life.
   1. Remember the Psalmist was being ridiculed by people who use to run with him.
2. Why do our so-called friends try to condemn us? Know that God will cover you.
3. Psalm 27:5  (NKJV) ⁵ For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.- Remember the times God hid your issues from others?
   1. Know that some flashbacks you have will free you?
4. If you ever calm the chaos long enough you will come to this place. Philippians 4:8-9  (NKJV) ^{says 8} Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things arelovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.- You got to learn how to think yourself out of a dark place.

5. Your mind will play tricks on you. You got to arrest those thoughts and think yourself When we do this, you mute the noise behind you.
6. We think like we think. We have to think like we are trying to think ourselves out of this dark place. If you think, you will thank! In other words, if you are thinking right, it will eventually bring you to a point of thanking God!

 IV.          Decision to Lift Up Praise

A.    Encourage yourself to escape it

1. One of the things the enemy wants to do is to get you to isolate yourself. Get your own party hat and encourage yourself.
2. If you care about what others think, you will always be their prisoner – las Tzu . Caring too much about what others think will have you asking questions like: What wrong with me? Why am I looking like this?
3. Stop allowing the hell you are going through be inside you.

B.     Look like He lifted you out of it

Start looking like you’ve been lifted out of it. Now how do we do this?

1. By running after darkness is over. Once the storm is over, we ought to give God praise for all that he has done for us!
2. Declare that I may get discouraged, but I will never disconnect. I will not let my situation change my relationship with the one that can change my situation.
3. Know that when you lift Him up, he will lift you up!