God In Control?

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast, making Theology Central Good evening everyone. It is Tuesday, June the eleventh, twenty twenty four. It is currently nine fifteen pm Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. Now, have you ever been listening to a sermon and all of a sudden, the pastor says something and like you just immediately like, okay, stop it, stop it, time out, time. I don't care what is said after this? Wait a minute? What did he just say? Like you literally, like you're say, you're listening to it on your phone or a tablet or on a computer, and you just like pause. Now, if you're there in person, I don't know what you do. Maybe just that moment, all you can do is like, wait, what did he just say? What did he just say? And all you can think about is what he just said? And you may even have problems hearing what he's saying over the next two or three minutes because you can't get over what was just said. Now. Maybe sometimes if you're listening to it live two, three, four minutes later, they come in and correct it, and you realize that they just misspoke or they explain it, and you're like, okay, that makes sense, But initially you were just absolutely shocked. And sometimes when you're listening, say you know, on demand with a phone or a tablet, you just hit pause and you're like, wait

1:32 a minute, there's just no way, there's no way, there's no way they could have said that. So you may back it up, listen to it again, hit pause, going no, let me listen to that again, and you listen to it three or four times you're like, wait, that's what he said, and then you're like, okay, okay, and then you listen to the rest to find out if that's what they meant or if they just misspoke, or or they explain it. In either case, whether you're listening to it live or whether you're listening to it on demand, have you ever experienced one of those just like what the world was that? There's no way they just said that. Now. I don't know how many times that's happened to you. There's probably there. I would hate to say it. I think in some ways, if I'm being honest, I've had to experience that far more than I would that. I want to say, like I hate to say, that's happened, probably more than I want to even admit. Because what you would like to say is every time you listen to preaching, it's wonderful, it's great, it's edifying, it's amazing.

2:30 There's never any incorrect doctrine. You would like to be able to say that. But I think if you're honest with yourself, I guess it really depends on how many, how much, how much preaching you actually listen to, how many sermons you actually listen to. I think the more you listen to, the more you find yourself at times going whoa wait wait what was that? No way back that up back? No wait, what what was that? Well that happened to me today? Let me explain what was going on. I was going to have to go somewhere, so I grab my iPad, open up the sermon's two point oh app and I just immediately just started downloading, downloading, downloading, downloading, so that I would have it on my iPad so that I could listen wherever I was going. I could be like, you know, I'm gonna since I can't be here, I'm going to try to listen to as many sermons as I can to make good use of my time. So I started downloading sermons, and all of a sudden I stumbled upon a sermon that was a part of a series, and the series was entitled Preaching Conference twenty twenty four. Preaching Conference twenty twenty four.

3:37 Now I love. One of my favorite things about the sermon's two point oh app is I love whenever I see, oh, someone's doing a conference, either they're broadcasting it live or I stumble upon the conference and realize, oh, I missed it live. But here's all of the messages. Because sometimes in preaching conferences you can kind of see whether it's a preaching conference, Bible conference, any kind of conference, revival services. You sometimes kind of get an idea when the more you listen to what churches are emphasizing, Like if it's a youth conference, Oh that's okay, this is what the church thinks the youth in twenty twenty four needs to hear. Or if it's a men's conference, women's conference, whatever it is, you can kind of get a feel what that church or that particular denomination or that group really think is important.

4:25 So I love trying to listen to them. Now, I'm always I've always got a million other things that I want to do, need to do, so I don't always get around to them. But today I was like, oh, preaching conference, right, so let me give you all the information. This preaching conference was held by Bethel Baptist Church. So if you look up Bethel Baptist Church on the sermon's two point oh app the pastor of the church is doctor Rick Savage. It's located in Jackson, Tennessee, and it says welcome to our church. They have a kind of a welcome video, and then it says about us and the heart of Ma County, West Tennessee, you will find Bethel Baptist Church, a fundamental, independent, Bible believing Baptist church that has a desire to worship God and has a heart for people. Bethel Baptist Church is established in Jackson, Tennessee, nestled in the center of West Tennessee between Nashville and Memphis. Jackson and Madison County offer a beautiful landscape, abundance of recreational opportunities, and close proximity to great dining and shopping. Jackson is a vibrant city that serves as the retail hub for thirteen surrounding counties. Now, I have been somewhere around that area. I know.

5:38 I definitely have driven through that area and my trips to Tennessee in the past, so I probably have been somewhere near that area. But I don't know much about the church. So I'm like, Okay, Well, they're holding a preaching conference. So I clicked on the service preaching conference and I just started downloading the messages. The first one, well, starting from the top going down may actually the first one may have been the one at the bottom, but okay, starting at the top, the Praying Savior and Panicked Disciples, the Praying Savior and Panic Disciples from Mark six forty five to fifty two. Well, that sounds interesting, all right, What kept Jesus on the cross? All right, Mike Allison, all right, that could be interesting. The example of rehab Joshua chapter two by doctor Alton Bill. All Right. Next, the Great Importance of the Fear of God. The Great Importance of the Fear of God. And I'm like, oh, there it is. That's that's the one. I need to listen to. That one, because that's what we're spending all week about so I made sure I downloaded that one. But then the very next one is entitled God Is In by doctor Shelton Smith, and I'm like, oh, wait a minute. Shelton Smith. He's the editor of the sort of the Lord newspaper. Oh, he has a day a Monday through Friday podcast. It's about fifteen minutes long.

7:08 Okay, well, you know I'm a subscriber to the sort of the Lord newspaper. I listened to his podcast. Okay, hey, let you know what. I want to listen to the Great Importance of the Fear of God. But I'm going to be driving, so I'm now going to be able to take notes or anything, and that one would be perfect to do a review. So let me just go with God as In by doctor Shelton Smith, because he also does the next three The Marks of a Good Man but doctor Shelton Smith, Heart Probing Questions of Jesus, doctor Shelton Smith, and then a very good Man in a very bad World doctor Shelton Smith. And I'm like, wow, Okay, he preached a lot at this conference, so I'm like, okay, so let me just go to God Is In because that's the first one. If I'm starting at the top, coming, that's the first one that he preaches, at least in that order.

7:57 Most likely he started the conference at the bottom. And then and and what I don't know if there's any more of the conference going on. Maybe they only had a total of eight sermons. I don't know anything about the conference. So and some of these. Sometimes what I wish is for the churches that do conferences and you post them online, always have like the at the for the first message for the conference, have someone because I know a lot of times the recordings start with the person preaching, but have someone just you know, do a welcoming and have that recorded for your on demand sermon or so that you can explain here's this conference, here's this conference has been going on for five or ten years, here's the theme of this year's conference, or here's what we're hoping to accomplish, because the listeners can have a little bit more insight. If I don't have that, I just know, oh, it's a preaching conference. Was there a theme? Was it? Like?

8:50 What what was what was the goal? Like? So a lot of times that's kind of left out. But either way, I love when the conference is there because it gives me some insight. So I was all excited. Doctor Shelton Smith, God is in all right? Hit play? All right? So I hit play. I was driving down this kind of a just a normal kind of pedestrian street in the city of Abilene, and then I at first I kind of went under the underpass, thinking I was getting on the highway, and I ended up going getting on the highway going the wrong way. So then I had to take the next exit, go back around, and then find the actual turn to get on the freeway to go the right way back to my house. So it was when I finally got back on the kind of the access road to get back on the on ramp right when I was I think it was right when I was getting back off the freeway, back on the exit ramp, going back under to try to find the right way to get back on the on ramp going the right direction.

9:46 It's a really weird section of Abilene, Like it's all weird how you have to get on the freeway. You would have to see it to understand it. Even though I've lived here my whole life, I was still I still ended up going past where I needed to turn right, because where you think you would turn you you actually have to go the opposite direction. It's all weird, needless to say, I'm sitting there listening to this sermon like okay, okay, and then all of a sudden, Doctor Sheldon Smith says something and I'm like, wait, wh whoa wait wit he did not just say that? He and I immediately reached over hit the hit pause. I hit pause on the IPAE leave it right there. I don't want to hear anything else. I don't want to hear anything else because what I'm going to do is save this and then I'm gonna play it for everyone. Now, you if you were listening to the sermon when we get to the spot, it would be interesting to know if you would if you would have hit pause yourself, or if you would have just been like what or you would have just been like whatever and keep going. I don't know how you would have reacted. But I immediately hit stop. I'm like no, no, so But then I but then I thought, well, did I hear that right?

10:48 So about I don't know, five ten minutes ago. I backed it up and listened to I'm like, oh, that's what he said. There's no way he meant that. I know he didn't mean that he had to speak or he did. There's just no way. There's no way he could admit that. So here's what I'm doing. I'm starting it from the beginning. I'm going to play it up to the spot. Now, I'll probably you know, interrupt, offer my own thoughts right up till the spot where he says it. Then I'm gonna stop. See if it bothers you or if you would be concerned, maybe you wouldn't even be bothered or concerned. Then we're gonna find out what he meant. Is he going to explain it, Is he going to articulate, or is he is he going to say it again and then say it the correct way? Because look, there's a lot of times I'll get an email and someone say you said this at the seven minute mark, and I'll be like, wait what, and I'll go back and go, oh, oh no, what was I thinking? And then I'll keep listening like, yeah, okay, I did say that, and there's no excuse for that, But two minutes later I stated it again the correct way. So I do understand your concern, but I always I if I feel like if I catch myself. I always try to corrected.

12:00 But whenever you're speaking live, I mean, you can stumble over your words. I haven't in the beginning of this. You can start thinking you're gonna say this, and then you start get you kind of change your direction right in the middle. I mean, there's all kinds of things you can say. Sometimes you can say something is just completely theologically wrong and you didn't mean it that way. So I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn't really mean this and that he's going to correct it. Now. You may not. You may agree with maybe maybe maybe we find out he did not misspeak. This is what he really means. You may agree with him, that's perfectly okay. I'm going to hold on and disagree if he did. If he wasn't misspeaking, and that's what he really believes.

12:43 I hope the entire sermon then is dedicated to explaining his theilological position, because ladies and gentlemen, I have questions. Okay, but are you ready? Are you ready? So let's this is what we'll do. Well, pretend you're you're in the car with me. Okay, you're in the car with me, all right, I mean, it's it's got to be like a big car. It's gotta it's got to have a lot of room for everyone. Okay, So everyone's in there, okay, and all of the time I'm like, whoaoa pause, pause, and you're like no, no, no, everybody everybody in the back seat's like no, no, keep going. So we're gonna keep going, and we're gonna find out if I did I did I overreact, did I pause it when I shouldn't have, Or if I would have just listened a little bit longer, would it all be no big deal? Now? I just like to always when I'm listening to something, you know, my favorite thing is I don't like to listen to it just by my I mean, I'm sitting here in the studio listening to it by myself when I turn on the microphone and just listening to it with everyone else. Right. So again, I don't know if he agrees with what he said, if it was if it was misspeaked, if he misspoke, if he was just a mistake, if he's going to correct. I have no idea what's going to happen after it. So again, I know someone will I think so many people so misunderstand the sermon reviews. Anytime I do a review, we're always reviewing that which I have not heard. Now, the first part of this I have heard, and I've made that transparent.

14:09 Everything else I haven't heard. So if I'm critical of it, people can get mad at me. But I'm just listening to a sermon offering. It's so weird. People will email me and say you're being critical or they're being critical of me. I'm like, well, if you can be critical of me, why can't I be critical of someone else? So like, you can't criticize me being critical when you're being critical to me, because either being critical is wrong all the time, or is it right sometimes. The point is is whenever you listen to preaching, everyone makes some kind of judgment, whether you agree or disagree. Now you may disagree or you may agree. The thing is you're not attacking the person. You're attacking the concept. So here's how I'm going to state it. He's gonna make a comment.

14:52 I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, and so we're gonna listen to find out if that's what he really means or did he just simply miss me. And this turns into be nothing, but we'll find out together, so that'll be fun. If he does mean it, then I'm going to state it that's his hypotheses, and then we're going to take that hypothesis and then we will work on it. We'll work on it initially in my review in real time, I'll offer my possible critique, or maybe I just pose it as a question for you to figure out, and then we'll probably address it later on. So again, it's not even going to be about I mean, look, I've told everyone to subscribe to the Sort of the Lord.

15:33 I tell last summer we reviewed the sort of the Lord conference. We'll probably do the same thing this year. I'm telling everyone to go find this preaching conference on the summer stood part oh app and listen to all of it. By no means am I telling you not to listen. I'm just saying that, hey, this he's put forth, put forth hypotheses. At least I'm gonna well, I'm going to assume first that he misspoke. Then if I find out that he didn't, then that's hishypotheses, and then we'll challenge the hypothesis, will criticize the hypothesis. We will criticize the doctrinal position without criticizing the person. All right, that seems like, I don't know why that's a car Why is that controversial? People have been doing that for the as you someone writes a book, you read the book, you agree or disagree with the hypotheses, you disagree with their thesis, you challenge it. That's what we do. We've been doing it in theology since the beginning of theology.

16:29 It's all in the Bible. This person states this, Well, if that person is a false teacher, and now that's a person's a false prophet, this is a false priest, this is truth, this is falsehood. That's what happens. So I don't know why that's controversial. But if I feel like now I have to explain myself one hundred and fifty different ways to because I don't know, I think it's well. Put it this way. It should be clear to anyone who actually listens to this podcast exactly what I'm doing. Sadly, some people don't seem to understand that. All right, but let's forget all of it. Those people who don't like it, they can go find something else to listen to. There's a million of other options. Please enjoy yourself. If you can't find the podcast to your liking, by all means, I'm serious, email me and I'll help you find the one that will make you happy. Right, No use being unhappy with me.

17:15 Go find someone else will make you happy. All right, You're not stuck with me. You've got options. Okay, So but for everyone else, are you ready thinking capsion? We're going to be in Psalm seventy seven, so you may want to open your bibles. Here we go. This was preached or this was at least published on I think June the third, twenty twenty four. Again from Preaching Conference twenty twenty four Bethel Baptist Church. Look it up, Preaching Conference twenty twenty four. I've given you the name of the people preaching, in the name of the sermons. You should be able to find it. And look, you want to make one of the sermons you want to make a priority the great importance of the fear of God, I mean, helps you fulfill one of the assignments I gave you for our fear of the Lord focus this week. So right there you get to hear a part of the conference, and you get to hear a sermon that relates to our topic. It's a win win, Okay. In the meantime, this is extra content free of charge, right because you know how I charge for all of our content. I'm joking. All right, here we go. Are you ready? Let's enjoy? Thank you, Thank you, ellis so very very much nicely done. Take your Bible please and turn to Psalm number seventy seven. Psalm number seventy seven is my text tonight. I appreciate all the hospitality that's been extended to me, as has always been the case through the years when I've been here at Pastor's invitation, and certainly he

18:51 and Miss Debbie have kept me taken care of. They've put some goodies and had the goodies put in the room, so I had a lot of health food work with and some of it was healthy. Uh and uh. And at the same time he's fed me well, kept me, kept me fed. And I appreciate all of that so very very much, and appreciate the friendship of all of you. God bless you for coming. A good bunch of you were here yesterday and uh and the crowd looks pretty good tonight as well, and so thank you for coming. It's my joy and privilege to be able to preach with Brother Allison once in a while. And uh, I told them, Brother Allison. I think Betty's probably made this clear to you, but she's in fact, she's watching where the camera is. Uh.

19:37 But she she my wife has said over and over again among her favorites. In fact, one of her big favorites is brother Allison and uh. And I understand that because I love to hear him as well. Now, I did have one little problem. Pastor last night made that peanut butter and jelly uh introduction type thing, And I'm setting over here saying to myself, which am I? You know, I was trying to figure out where I fit into that equation. Now, if anyone finds the message where there's the peanut butter jelly introduction and uh, doctor Shelton Smith's trying to figure out which one was he peanut butter or jelly, if I can say it correctly, I'm interested in that introduction which which sermon has the peanut, peanut butter and jelly introduction? And what was that peanut butter and jelly introduction? About?

20:36 What was the point of that introduction? And is he making an illustration that we're either peanut butter or jelly like? Is that? What does that even mean? I've got to find it. I haven't had a chance today to look it up. But if you find it first, they let me know. Just just send me a summary. The peanut butter and jelly illustration is this and this this is what determines if you're peanut butter, and this determines of your joke. Was it something to be humorous? Was it something funny? Was it a joke or was it something spiritual? Now, and a lot of conferences you're you're kind of you know that people follow a template. If you listen to conference speaking right, you always open up with thank you for your hospitality, thank you to everyone here. It's been amazing. You've all been wonderful, You've been great. You do that, you endear yourself to the audience and to the people who you know invited you there because you want to. You want to do that so you'll be invited back to more conferences. Okay, I mean, come on, there is a little bit of a selfish motivation to do that. Typically you then start with a joke to break the ice and kind of get everyone laughing and feeling comfortable, and because you're the guest speaker, and then you'll launch into your message. Now some forego those pleasant trees and just jump right in. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. I'm just saying it's a template that's there. But I'm interested. Peanut, butter and jelly. What is what is that introduction?

21:56 Someone's got to find it. Someone's got to You've you've got to find it before me. So let me know. Are here we go And I don't know. I think I'm afraid to ask. But anyway, anyway, that was clever and I liked it. But anyway, anyway, Psalm seventy seven. I'm gonna get up and get going here, and brother Allison will be along in a few minutes, and you're gonna love what he does as well, Psalm seventy seven. And I'm gonna read a good little bit of this here because I want you to get the picture. Top of the chapter, Verse one, I cried unto God with my voice, even into God with my voice, and He gave ear unto me. In the day of my trouble, I sought the Lord. My sore ran in the night and ceased.

22:42 Not my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God and was troubled. I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Now that's an interesting phrase right there. Now he does mention this. I just jumped out at me today because when I was listening to it, I was in the car. And that's always the difficulty when you're in a car. You can't sometimes be looking at the text. But right there that Psalm seventy seven, verse three, I remembered God and was troubled. I remembered God and was troubled.

23:23 When does your remembrance of God? When does your memory of God make you troubled? What does it mean by troubled? Is there a different translation? So Psalm seventy seven to three. Like if I was listening to this sermon and I was there, I was in the church, I was like this preaching conference, I would immediately wrote Psalm seventy seven three, and I would have put a question mark, and I would have written something really fast like look up later, research later, study later, what is going on here? How why is he trouble? I would have just I would have put a quick note, I wanna started looking any cross references up or looking anything else up because I want to get back to listening. But I wanted I would want to put something down on paper as fast as I could so that I could remember that is fascinating to me. Like I remembered God and I was troubled. Not I remembered God and I found peace. I remember God and I was comforted. I remembered God and I was happy. Now I remembered God and I was troubled. Like, now is that? Is there something with the Hebrew there? Now I'm looking at the new King James.

24:29 He's reading the King James. So those are the thing my other Well, we could look it up, but then we're gonna get we're gonna get off site. That we're gonna get off track, right or I'm gonna get off track. You're just following wherever I go, So I guess you wouldn't technically be off track. Well, you would be following me off into the wilderness somewhere who knows, and we'd fall off the edge of a cliff. We got to stay focused because we got to get to that point in the sermon where I was like, I'm driving the car and I'm like pause, pause, stop it, stop it right here, stop it right here, right Well, it'll be interesting if you know when when I paused it it we could put money down. Can you predict when I was listening to this sermon exactly when I hit pause, because I was like, wait, what did he just say? And then you got that sala word, which basically said says, consider this, or think of that, Thou holdest mine eyes waking.

25:19 I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I've considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I called a remembrance my song in the night. I commune with mine own heart and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off? Forever? Will he be favorable? No more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? Doth his promise fail? Forevermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? All nine of these verses are really kind of a litany of complaints, statements of doubt, hesitation. I mean, things are going haywire.

26:04 You know what's going on here? Basically, it's what he's what he's asking. Verse ten and I said, this is my infirmity, but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord. Surely I will remember thy work, thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, old God is in the sanctuary. Who is so great a god as our God. Thou art the God that doest wonders. Thou hast declared thy strength among the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people. The sons of Jacob and Joseph Saylah the word.

26:47 The waters saw thee old God. The waters saw thee They were afraid. The depths also were troubled. The clouds poured out our water. The skies sent out a sound thine eras also went abroad. The voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven. The lightnings lightened the world. The earth trembled and shook. Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. Now, let us thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Now five times in that chapter a little preposition in I in is just kind of tucked in there and not without significance. And let me illustrate it like this. Okay, so five times we have the word in n I in. Let's see if we can find them, all right, I cry, Now, hang on, he's using the King James. Right, I'm using the new King James.

27:56 Let me grab a King James. Here we go. I got one right here, all right. Let me let me open up the Psalm seventy seven. Let's see if we can find them. All right. He says that this is not without significance, that this is a significant, a significant thing, that this is used five times. In fact, he's going to build his whole SERMONI it's called God is in I in right, So he's building his whole sermon on the five times that this is used. All right. So this, this is fascinating to me. Now, when I was driving the car, I didn't have a chance to look right there when it was reading it. I was trying to look because I knew this part, because I heard this part. So but this is not where I stopped it.

28:37 This is not where I stopped it. I just when I was driving the car, I'm like, oh, I'm gonna have to go home and look those up. So now let's look them up. Are you ready? Here we go. So I cried under God with my voice, even under God with my voice, and he gave ear and to me. All right, So we don't have any in verse one, verse two. In the day of my trouble, I sought the Lord, So there's use of inn, but it's not talking about God. Is in just as in the day of my trouble. But all right, So there's in. I sought the Lord. My sore ran in the night, whether it's in the night. So in the day and in the night, there's twice. So in the day of my trouble, I sought the Lord. My sore ran in the night, and cease not my soul refused to be comforted. So it's used twice in verse two. One in the day of my trouble and in the night. Number So let's go to verse three. I remembered God and was troubled. I complained at my spirit, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Thou holdest mine eyes walking waking. I'm sorry, I am so troubled that I cannot speak I have So we don't have it. So hang on, we don't have it. In verse one, we don't have it. In verse three, we don't have it. In verse four, I have considered the days of all the years of age, we don't have it. In verse five reade correctly, I've considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I called or rememberan to my song in the night. All right.

30:07 So there's the third use of inn in the day, in the night, and then in the night is repeated again. Uh in verse six, So there's three times I commune with my own heart and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off forever? And will he be favorable? No more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? Doth his promise fell forever? More? A right? So we don't we don't have it in those verses verse nine, hath God for hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he? And anger shut up tender mercies. There's the fourth one, all right, So let's go through these verse two, in the day of my trouble in the night, then we have the next one is in verse six, in the night. So we have in the day of trouble in the night, in the night, and now we have in anger hath he in anger? All right, So let's go through them again. Verse Let's see, let's count these, or let's put these down in the day of my trouble. There's number one in the night, number two, and the number three is in the night, and verse six, and then in anger is number four. So we just need one more. We need one more.

31:25 And I said, this is my infirmity, this is verse ten. But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord. Surely, I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of thy work and talk of thy doings. Thy way, Oh, God is in the sanctuary. There's number five, all right, And I don't see anymore. Oh wait, verse nineteen. In the sea, there's in the sea, in great waters, so I know I see more, all right, So that's that would be seven.

32:07 So I see seven times, not five times, but none of them. Our way is in the sea. Okay, God's way is in the sea, and thy paths in the great waters. I guess that could refer to Inn. But the whole sermon is called God is in. God is. He's gonna build his entire illustration on this concept that God is in and he's barred. It seems to be taking that. He says five times, and saw him seventy seven inn is used. All right, let's let him build that out. I'm I'm a little perplexed now now I'm a little confused. I'm a little confused here. I'm a little confused here, but you can and if I missed one, I apologize, but I don't want to go too long on that. Let's let him build this out. He's going to start by trying to explain the significance of in by giving us an illustration.

32:58 And well, you can tell me if this illustration seems to fit the way the word end is used. And so I'm seventy seven. I'm a little confused, but let's see if we can find it. A number of years ago, while I was a pastor in Maryland, we had a young doctor, a medical doctor, showed up on Sunday and his family and getting acquainted with him and the lobby. On the way out, I said to him, if it'd be acceptable to them, I'd like to stop by and see them sometime. He said, come buy my office. And I said, well, you're a busy physician, I said, is that good? He said, I will make time. He said you tell them when you come in, and he said, I'll post my office. They'll be expecting you. So I on a day that week, I think might have been a Tuesday or something. I went by and I had three questions that I raised. When I walked in, I said to the receptionist, I said, is the doctor in? Then I said she said yes, and I said, well is he available? Yes? And then I said, well may I see him? So you can see how he's building the illustration.

34:15 Is the doctor in? Is he available? And can I see him? Keep those three down right? But is the doctor in? Is he available? And can I see him? What he's going to do? He's gonna now flip that over to God? Is God in? Is he available? And can I see him? All right? So, but the doctor is in? God is in? The doctor is in? God is in. You can see where this is going to go. I mean, I'm kind of jumping the gun a little bit, But now does that fit Psalm seventy seven with the word in his Psalm seventy seven? Is God is in? God is available and you can see him? Now? I think this is a clever I think this is a clever opening illustration and there's a part of me that really likes it. I just don't know if I can it's got in? Is he available? And can I see him? Do I derive that from Psalm seventy seven? Maybe you can't. I'm gonna now this, this is not where I pause the sermon, right, So this this is just me now listening to it again, going hmm, there's okay, just trying to get as much from this as possible. All right. This is you know, whenever you listen to a sermon, you want to get as much from it as possible. Even if you disagree with every bit of it, you still want to get as much from it as possible. So all right that like I almost want to like if I was in a hermonuticts class, I would tell, all right, class, here's what we're gonna do.

35:38 All right. And so I'm seventy seven. We have the word in ie in it's used. I think we found seven. I think maybe seven times seven or eight times? All right, And what I'm what I want you to do is I'm gonna give you an opening sermon illustration. This guy worked, this doctor visited at church. The pastor is like, hey, can I stop by and see you like, come by my office. So when when the doctor, when the pastor this doctor visited the church, the pastor is like, hey, can I visit you? The doctor said, come by my office. So when the pastor arrived at the doctor's office, he said, is the doctor in? Is he available? And can I see him? In this sermon, the pastor uses this as an illustration of God that God is in, He's available and we can see him. Can you derive that from the text of Psalm seventy seven? And I would just then give that to the class and then leave and say, okay, guys, I'm back. Now after about an hour two hours, what did you find? What did you find? Let's see what he does with this.

36:42 But this is clearly the direction he's going. I know, I'm kind of jumping the gun a little bit there, but here we go. Yes, now, all of that was contingent upon the fact that the doctor was in. Had he not been there, I mean I could have chatted all day long, I could have waited all day long, and yet there would have been no exchange of conversation. Nothing would have been accomplished. Now, for whether it be me, the doctor or one of you we can't be everywhere, we can't do it all because we've got limits. But when I ask those same questions in reference to God, it's a different matter. When I asked the question is God in? Yes, he's in, night or day He's in, I asked the second question is he available? Oh? Yes, He's always available, And then the question is may I see him?

37:40 Will he talk to me? Do I have access to him? That's a pretty interesting opening illustration. I could probably do with something with that. Is God in? Is God in? God is in? Is he in? God is in? Yes? Is he available? And do I have access to him? Can I see him? All? Right? Now, I think it's more about you know, obviously we cannot see him, but do I have access to him? Okay? All right? Well, I could probably look some scriptures it's God in or I could probably find some scriptures saying God is in, He is, He is, forever, he was, is and will forever be. I could probably find some scriptures about the existence of God. God is in? Is God in? Yes? God is in? Is he available? Right? Okay? Well? Is he available?

38:30 I could probably find some scriptures. Do I have access to him? Will I have access to him? Through Jesus Christ. I probably could use those three points. And now I could come back to maybe a Bible study class as ic class. Here's these three concepts. Find scriptures that support each one. So if you want a little Bible study exercise, go find the scriptures that would say God is in that would somehow support that concept. Is he available? Is God available? And can we see him? Or do we have access to him? Find those scriptures. So maybe we could do something with that. But now we're getting really close to the point where so at this point I'm just listening. I'm driving. Yeah, I'm listening.

39:13 Okay, And now this is where I almost wreck the car. It's coming up really soon. Here we go, and not only are all the questions answerable with yes, but the interesting thing is he's really been expecting us. I mean, after all, in these days where you and I live, with all of the violence and all of the societal upheaval and expressions of hatred and cheating and all kinds of things to discourage us and alarming things going on, I mean, the question has to be raised. I mean, can we can we in these days? Can we be Christians like Christians ought to be? Can we have revival in these times. I mean, what about soul winning? What about all these things that are laid out in the Bible for us? Is all of that doable in twenty twenty four in the United States of America? Is it possible? Now I've read this chapter and I discover some things. Number One, I discover that God was in history.

40:23 That God was in history. All right, that I can see that, like if you're using Psalm seventy seven to say God was in history. I started really focusing on the word in that whenever I open the Old Testament, God is in history. That okay, wait, we can verify that in the beginning God. God was in the beginning. God was in the garden. God was in the situation with God was here, and God was here. God shows up over and over and over God is it? Okay? All right, I can do something with that. All right. So far, that's actually a great point. God is in history. Okay, all right? He said that's number one. All right. Now I'm gonna, i know, trying to stop this and cutting him off, but I'm just trying to work our way through this. So just listen carefully because he's going to say the next thing really quick. You look back, look to the days of the past, and God was there. Now, God does not control everything. That's where I almost wrecked the car. God does not control everything. There are things God doesn't control. Now I'm I am saying that

41:54 he had Clearly he's just he just misspoke it. Clearly, he just I mean, there's no way he believes God isn't in control of everything. Now, maybe he does, but I'm gonna at least give him the benefit of the doubt because typically, as Christians, we believe God is sovereign, he is in control of all things. Now now I know for some we don't like that because if God is in control of all things, that raises some serious questions about the bad things that happen. So maybe if you say God is not in control of all things, then you get God off the hook. Hey, hey, this happens, Well, God is not in control of that. God is not in control of that. But if God is not in control of it, then is God God? Can you be God and not in control? If those things that God does not control, are they then not a God in and of themselves? And why doesn't God control them? Because he just chooses not to control, well, how many things has God chosen not to control? Now, for you, let's just throw this out as a philological question. Does it make it easier for you to believe God is in control of all things? Or does that lead you to some major philosophical problems that you just cannot handle? Or does it make you feel better that God is it in control of all things? Or does that lead you to philosophical problems that you can't handle. Do you believe God is

43:25 in control of all things? And if so, how do you handle the philosophical problems that's going to or arise from that position? Or do you believe God is not in control of all things? And how do you handle the philosophical problems that arise from that position? What position are you in? Are you on the side of God is in control of all things and this is how I handle the philosophical problems? Or are you on team God is not in control of all things and this is how you handle those problems? Which one are you on? Now? I'm gonna go with the idea that I just don't think there's no way. There's no way he means that right, God is not in control of all things? Just if God can't control, if God is not in control of all things, what would be the point of even praying? Like I would need a list of all the things God doesn't control, and then there's no point in praying. Right, If God doesn't have control, can he do anything about it? And he said, well, he could do something about it, but he just chooses not to do something about it. Well, if God chosen not to do certain things in these areas he's not controlling, then there's no point in praying about that, which would make it a lot easier to limit what you're praying about.

44:37 Hey, guys, no, no, no, no, no, I know it's Wednesday night prayer meeting. Don't pray about those things. God is not in control of those things, nor is he going to exercise control over those things until a specific time. Well, then there's no point in praying about it, right, I mean, if you think about it, if you believe that man's will is the ultimate determinate, the ultimate thing that determines whether someone is going to be saved or not. It is the individual's will, and God does not control that will, and he allows that will to be truly free, then there's no point in praying for someone's salvation, because if God is gonna get involved in trying to get someone saved, then he's he's he's placing influence upon their will. That's not a free will. You got to if that will is free, you got to let them choose, right, you can't have God getting involved in it, right, He's got to respect that free will. So is God in control or not in control?

45:36 That cut me off guard. That's where I had paused. I have not heard a second after that. I immediately just stopped the car. I didn't stop the car. I pause and just kept driving and just kept driving. Finally got on the right highway, drove got home. I'm like, okay, and then I had a million things to do and then it's be Yeah, it's been crazy all day. So I have not had a chance to listen to the rest, and I work forty five minutes. I think we should just stop and you go figure it out. No, No, I've got to hear a little bit more to at least determine is he Is he going to clarify this in any way, shape or form. I think we're going to know in the next few minutes. Right, So all right, So there we go. God is in history. God does not control all things, and he does not cause everything that goes on he does.

46:27 God does not control all things, and he does not cause all things to occur. So he's literal sod. This seems to me that he's doubling down, he's not correcting it. Hey, God does not control all things and he does not cause all things. Now this would go greatly against say, the London Baptist Confession of Faith. If you read the chapters on God's eternal decrees, God's providence. I think you can look up those chapters in the London Baptist Confession of Faith sixteen eighty nine. The same you should be able to find the same chapters in the Westminster Confession of You can look at them. Now you may be on the team that God does not control and God does not cause all things. God does not control, God does not cause. So you're removing God greatly from what's happening. Now that may work for you philosophically, I can understand. Look, there's a part of me that can understand this. Look you look around at the world. Obviously it makes it. It may make it a little easier from a thiological perspective, we go, well, obviously God is not controlling all things. The world seems out of control. This has happened, this has happened, or this happened to me. That God obviously is not in control. And clearly God did not cause these horrible things to happen. So I'm going to remove God from it. But if you remove God from it, where are you left.

47:39 What are the implications of saying God is not in control and God does not cause all things? What are the implications? Because if God doesn't cause all things, he still has to be somehow involved. Unless you're now going to say God does not know all things. But in the beginning God, if he knows all things, well, then in a roundabout way, he knows exactly what's going to happen. So he's in control because if he allows it to happen, he's in control all right. Now, See, if you say he's not in control, then it's not that he just doesn't allow it, allows it. He doesn't have any control. That would be really confusing.

48:22 And he doesn't cause all things. But if he knew before he created what was going to happen, he created the very things that's going to cause it to happen. Then in some ways you still have to bring it back to God. Right, let's see where this goes. But he has, with premeditation and purpose, said an ultimate course for this world. That and it's going to come out the way he said it's going to come out. Okay, wait a minute, everything is going to turn out the way he wants it to turn out. But he doesn't control all things, and he doesn't cause all things. With pre meditation, he said, everything on course, and it's gonna turn out the way he wants it to turn out.

49:07 Yet he doesn't control all things, and he doesn't cause all things. Well, if he doesn't cause all things, how is it going to turn out the way he wants it to turn out unless he's controlling and causing. How can you say, on one hand, God does not control and God does not cause, but he premeditated set everything on course to turn out just the way he wants it to turn out. How can it turn out the way he wants to turn out unless he's controlling and causing. That's the most I am so baffled by this. I am I am okay, No, I'm glad I stopped the car I'm glad to stop the car because I probably would have wrecked it at that point. I don't. I don't. I don't even know, because now I'm just now I don't get it. So God doesn't cause. God doesn't control, God doesn't cause all things. But yet he with pre meditation, set everything on course to end up exactly the way he ended he wants it to end up. Is it going to end up just by chance? By luck? Just oh, look at that. It just worked out the way I wanted to. I didn't. I didn't control it, and I didn't cause it. The how does it end up the way God wants it? If he's not controlling and he's not causing. The King's hand is in the heart of the is in the hand of the Lord.

50:17 And you'd have to just study the nation of Israel a little bit to see that God has purpose there and he has effected that every step of the way. Wait, God has the king's heart in his hand. Just consider the nation of visual He affected it. We wait a minute, So does he does he? Does he control? And does he cause? That sounds like causation? That that sounds like he's causing something. Right, That sounds like he's controlling something. So I don't get it. How can God not be controlling everything and not causing everything? Yet you're the immediately go into he has the king's heart in his hand, and he's influencing what happened. And if you and I here in the United States, if we look around, we have to acknowledge we have been blessed of God. Beyond calculation, we have been blessed. Now I look into the pages of history and I see very clearly God was in for Moses, he was in for Joshua. He was God controlling and causing in the life of Moses and Joshua, or those were the areas where He was controlling and was causing. But there's other areas he doesn't control or cause. Can we only say God caused and controlled what

51:50 we read in scripture and everything else, we have no idea of God's causing it. If God is in control, and if we don't know if God is causing or in control, then there's really no point in praying. Hey, God, I'm praying about this. I have no idea If you're in control of this, and I don't even know if you're causing it or not causing it. I don't know. I guess I could still pray about it. I guess he was in for Elijah, he was in for John the Baptist, he was in for Isaiah, he was in for Paul. We get a little closer to home, he was in for Moody, he was in for John Rice. And he's in for us. He's here, and yes, we can see him very clearly in history. Now you look at verses twelve and thirteen, and that tells me that God is in today as well. He said, I will meditate of all thy work and talk of thy doings. Sounds to me like present tense stuff. God is in today that had been present tense stuff for the Psalmist. I will meditate also of all thy work and talk of thy doings. That sounds present tense to the one writing the psalm. I don't know how yet. Okay, all right, okay, But I'm still trying to figure out. God is not in controlling, doesn't cause all things. Yet God premeditated everything to come out a

53:22 certain way, and it's going to work out that way. And God was in with this person, this person, this person, this person. But was he controlling and causing or was he just passively watching. Hey, this is the day the Lord has made. Bible tells us today. If you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Folks, Revivals lack revivals ought to be, are not relics of the past. They're not today. The power of God's available today. Victory can be had. I mean we don't. We don't have to live in the throes of defeat. We don't have to, you know, have our chin hang into our shoelaces every hour of the day or night. Do we have victory because of us and we pull it off? Or do we have victory of God? And if God is one causing the victory, is he causing it? Is he controlling it?

54:25 But God is not in control and God doesn't cause all things to happen. Is that just our our like, Hey, something bad happened. God was not in control and God did not cause it. But God can intervene. I don't all right, God is in heaven. God is still in today and available to us when we need him, when we want him, whenever we need to have his presence with us. Not only that, but verse fourteen tells me that God is in very powerful way, says thou art the God that do us wonders. And that word wonders is it's like miracles.

55:08 It's like God demonstrating himself in a powerful kind of a way, in a supernatural kind of a way. You know, we get all enamored with atomic power and some of the things that go on with that stuff. Every time I get on a get on an airplane. I mean, you know, I have flown and flown and flown and flown over the years, many many, many hundreds and hundreds of flights, and I'm telling you every time, I can't help it. Every time I get on an airplane, whether it's a seven thirty seven, which what I found most of the time, or something else, and they put one hundred and seventy five people in that thing or more and bigger planes, and all of them with luggage, oh my mind, luggage baggage. I mean, people are dragging so much stuff onto the plane. I mean, we got to have one of this and two of that and gotta take it with us. And I'm the same way, you got all of that weight, they pull that thing back, and I mean any number of times I've said, is this thing gonna fly?

56:15 You know? But I studied just a little bit and I figured out, I mean, you you put the throttle to that thing, it doesn't have any choice. It's got to fly. And just the theory of the philosophy of aerodynamics, it's it's got to fly. But sometimes when that thing's heavily loaded and it's it's picking up speed and it's up to one hundred miles an hour and one hundred and eighty miles an hour and whatever to take off, and all of once that thing starts going and lumbering up you know all my I mean I mean that that. I mean, we're enamored with that. I just can't imagine that we could get that heavy thing up there. And I'm even more amazed they can get on the ground safely. But I'm telling you that, like a lot of the things, is a gift of God.

57:02 It's a gift from God to us. So it's a gift of God. So God is not in control. God does not cause all things, but he gives gifts to bring about all things. But then wouldn't he not be the ultimate cause of those things? Like if God is giving gifts to men so that we can develop flight. Then God would be the ultimate cause for flight, because He's the one who gave the gift for man to be able to develop that. So is that not God causing it? I am so confused, Like when you tell everyone God does not control all things and God does not cause all things. I would feel that the rest of the sermon would need to be all about what God does not cause and what God does not control, and then what God God does cause, and what God does control and all of it. I mean it lays the power of God into our lap. I mean this whole world and the way it functions.

58:14 I mean absolutely testimony to the Almighty God is in. He's in today, and he's in in a powerful way. So wait, everything about the planet and all thing around us, that's God. So God is causing it or controlling it? Does God control everything to keep the planet operating? I don't understand what does God not cause or control? Then, like on one end, God does not control everything, caused all things, but it sounds like everything else is God, God, God, God. God. At thirteenth verse says that he's in the sanctuary. Well in the Old Testament, he was in in a place New Testament era. He's in the believer, He's in us. We're never alone, folks. I mean, the heat may be on, but we're never alone. We may have critics, but we're never alone. We may not be able to pay a rent, but the but we're never alone. We may not be feeling well, but we're not alone. If we are born again, the spirit of the God comes to dwell in us, live within us. God is in. He's right there, dark of the night, light of the day. He's in when he's on the sanctuary. We are the sanctuary. We're occupied, We're inhabited.

59:40 You know, I think about some of the some of the times, you know, quite a number of years ago now, when Bett and I walked out of the denominational group that we were attached to to become independent Baptists. We walked out on the street with nobody in this crowd at that point who knew us. And the people in the other crowd were kicking us as we went. And I walked out with a house payment and car payments and two kids and the dog defeed. And you say, what's the deal? God was in. God was in, He saw us through he got us through God. So God doesn't control all things. God doesn't cause all things, but he jumped in and helped cause and control let us out, and God us in where we needed to be. God has helped us all along the way. I think about so many many times when God has just let himself be known. It's like, hey, you're not alone, buddy, just hanging there. Sometimes, you know, things maybe get a little cross ways and you start looking at something before you open your mouth and say something you ought not to say, or something pops within your viewfinder, and it's like, you know, rather than then looking at things you ought not to look

1:01:10 at, you remind that somebody living inside of you. You're not alone. God is there, and it reminds you. It strengthens you. It enabled you to make the turns that you need to make and look away or not pay attention to whatever is happening. Not only that, but verse fifteen tells me that God is in and mighty to save that. Fifteenth verse says thou hast with thine arm redeemed. Thy people, listen, I'm telling you, you know, we guys, we guys win. You know, we like to flex our muscle a little bit. You know, my grandchildren come around and grab me by the arm, and I look at them, I say, hey, don't hurt yourself. Don't hurt yourself when they grab hold of that. You know, it's got to be that kind of a story and a joke. You know now that if I walk up and have one of them by their arm, they'll say that to me. Smart kids. But anyway, you know, I mean, we talk about our little dab of strength, and it's nothing compared to what God does when he finds a sinner.

1:02:15 And I mean it doesn't have to be somebody who's down in the dregs of life. It can be some little boy just nine or ten years of age, and as we would say, I mean still in the in the emergence from innocence, but nonetheless a sinner. None the less, we children have a state of innocence, but yet still a sinner. If you're a sinner, you can't be innocent. This must be the age of accountability concept. I am. I'm not even as baffled by that. I'm still confused by God does not control everything. God does not cause all everything, but he's having God involved in everything. So I don't understand and when God finds the sinner. Now is God the one doing the saving or it would have to be us or unless because if you say God controls and causes salvation, well, then now you're following. Well, then they would have to go move towards a reformed understanding of salvation. You'd have to reform. You would have to move to a monogistic understanding of salvation. And clearly, I know they believe in a synergistic type. Clearly I know they do. As somebody that needs to be saved, well, a little boy or a little girl, or some grown man a woman, whether it be somebody who's in a position of high power or somebody who's walking the streets without a dime to their name. It does not matter. God is able. God is mighty to save those who come to him. God is able. But does God do

1:03:51 it or does man do it? Like God does not control all things, he doesn't cause all things. But does he control and cause salvation? Or no? Jesus came to get center saved. Our job is to get center saved. I mean we're commanded to go after sinners. It's the heartbeat of God to get folks to the savior. All through the Bible, we see it God making the appeal to folks to come to the Savior. I mean, what an unchanging mandate we have in these days when so many churches are getting off the rails, so many churches are heading off in some accommodation of the woke culture, some accommodation to whatever the polls demand. Our mandate has not changed. I mean, we still have that command to go after folks, reach folks. You say, what folks, All folks, If they're breathing, we need to be after them. Amen. God says he is in and his mighty arm is able to redeem. Now I'm gonna stop right there because we're at sixty four minutes. Please look up the rest of that sermon. There's probably about ten minutes of it left. Maybe God is in, doctor Shelton Smith. You can find it on the sermon's two point zero app But I'm going to leave you with kind of the question if you are you on the team that says, are you on the philological side that says God is in control of all things and God causes all things either directly or

1:05:23 indirectly, utilizing secondary cause. Again, you can read the Westminster Confessional London Baptist Confession of Faith, and you can see look at the chapters on God's decrees and God's providence. So are you on the side that says God controls all things and causes all things? Or are you on the side that says God does not control all things and God does not cause all things. First determine which side you are on, and then I want you to ask yourself what philosophical problems, theological problems do you face on the basis of the side that you have chosen. Now, look, side has its problems. If you say God controls all things and causes all things, well you do you got to see some problems right now. I understand the Westminster in London Baptist and try to say, well, God uses secondary causes, so God is not the direct cause. So like, well there's sin or death or this, Well God doesn't directly cause it, but he uses satan or he does that. Okay, well then but God is the one who created satan.

1:06:24 So that to me is just kind of like a semantics game we play. But the bottom line is, you do realize it's going to lead you to some philosophical problems. If God controls all things and causes all things. There's a lot of horrible things that happen every single day in this world and has happened throughout the history of humankind. Where was God? Why would God do this? That's a reasonable question and challenge. If you say God does not control all things, he does not cause all things, well, now you've got We'll wait a minute. If God is not in control and God is not causing it, then these things are operating independently of God. Then is God God? If there are things running around independent of him, He's not sovereign, He's not I mean, what what do you call something that's outside of the control of God? That just seems to raise all kinds of pride?

1:07:13 And then if God is not in control of all things or cause all things, then what can Then God is limited in what he can do because he doesn't control that, he's not causing that. So then what how can When can God step in or not step in? If those things are outside of his control, then God can interject or he would be controlling that. That leaves all kinds of questions about the even the existence of God. Is there more than one God? There's all kinds of problems with that. So there you have it. God is in doctor Shelton Smith. His hypothesis is God is not in charge of all things or God. Yeah, God is not in charge of all things, and God does not cause all things.

1:08:04 God is not in control, I should say, of all things, and he does not cause all things using his words, that's his hypothesis. He does not articulate his hypotheses. He doesn't explain it, he doesn't defend it, he doesn't justify it. In fact, the rest of the sermon seems to almost contradict what he said. But that's irrelevant. It's not It's no longer about doctor Shelton Smith. It's no longer about that preaching conference. I want you to go listen to that preaching conference. I subscribe to doctor Shelton Smith's podcast. We would obviously have a disagreement here, but it's not about him. It's not about him. It's about this concept. Is God in control? And does God cause all things? Is he control of all things? And does he cause all things? Look, there's there's there. These sides cannot both be right. There can only be one that's right. God is either in control and causes or God is not in control and doesn't cause and then you have to deal with the philosophy fallout of that. I would love to get your thoughts. You can email me news if at yahoo dot com. That's the news I f at yahoo dot com. Please look up that message. God is in. But doctor Shelton Smith, please listen to the rest of it. If there's something there that you're like, oh, you missed it. He completely explains at the end, then let me know.

1:09:20 Let me know asap, Let me know asap. Okay, let me know. All right, Thanks for listening everyone, Have a good night. God bless