Thriving Through Life's Ups & Downs

Well good morning my name is René another one of the pastors here at Twin Lakes Church and this morning is celebration weekend for our David series. Now I want to give you a sneak peek next weekend we start a little two week series that we call Thanksgiving and that's what we're going to be talking about very appropriately in that series both gratitude and generosity those are two keys to living a fulfilling life but this weekend we are going to celebrate what God has been doing here over the last two and a half months.

If you are just joining us for the very first time this weekend personally I think you picked a great weekend to check out Twin Lakes because you're going to hear the heartbeat of this church. Here's what this is all about we've been studying David's life in the books of first and second Samuel in the Bible as in the David who slew Goliath and became the famous King David who wrote the Psalms and today as we wrap up this series we want to celebrate what God has done because God has been amazing as always.

I ask people to email me or post on social media the ways God has moved in their lives or in their small groups and I've been alternating between laughing and crying all week reading these emails and just overflowing with thanks to God. So here's what we're going to do this morning it's a little bit different today I want to first give an overview of what God's been doing here this fall and then dive into three themes that I noticed came up again and again in your comments.

One thing we did that was totally new for us eight different churches came together to do this series simultaneously from seven completely different unrelated denominations. As I said when we started the series we got everything from the frozen choses of the Holy Rollers so it's been quite a variety so fun and we've gotten great response this is from community Presbyterian Church in Danville thank you for inviting us to join you.

Dozens of people have come to Christ at our church during this series praise God it's been energizing to know we're linking arms across the bay and beyond and I love the two and here at Twin Lakes Church I was super encouraged to see literally hundreds and hundreds of people in small groups one group emailed me if there was a contest for best small group ours would totally win.

We have supported each other through heartbreak and joys and another group wrote our group couldn't be more diverse wide age range wide career range but the most exciting thing is some had never studied the Bible and were spiritual seekers whereas others had extensive knowledge of the Bible and it all worked from the first night we've shared prayers a bond has formed so if you were in a small group and a bond has formed and you'd like to continue we have all kinds of resource suggestions for you at our website TLC org slash small groups.

We have just made this decision ready for this starting in 2020 every week you're going to see small group discussion questions with your sermon notes each week online and in your bulletin so if you want to continue your small group you can have a small group discussion group about what you've learned in your sermon that week but all these small group leaders and hosts worked so hard opening their homes and leading these groups this fall let's put our hands together and thank them thank you hosts and thank you small group leaders you guys were awesome it just reached a new level this fall.

Another very cool thing was that most of the small groups also did service projects together like several groups put together gift bags for all the staff at Aptos junior high school and one of the teachers wrote this it's kind of sad being in public education you rarely hear any thank you and so this gift bag was an incredible encouragement I can't express my gratitude enough thank you thank you thank you.

Other groups assembled hygiene bags for people who are homeless with people who are homeless had a great time working side by side another group collected new socks and underwear for boys and girls in the hopes closet project several groups brought in hundreds of pajamas for project pajamas providing new jammies for kids who are often taken out of their homes because there's danger there and they have nothing with them.

Other groups collected new clothes for people at Janice recovery center others put together baby shower gifts for the single pregnant women in our embrace grace support group other groups helped out of the Monterey Bay therapeutic horsemanship center painting and cleaning and repairing and I could go on and on and on but what I want you to understand is that all these people that we helped were so grateful and gave glory to God and were grateful to people who were representing Jesus Christ and that's why we do these things.

Let me show you just one video that says it all Valley Church is United is an organization in the San Lorenzo Valley that helps feed hundreds of people every month on a very tiny budget my friend Lynn Robinson former mayor of Santa Cruz is now in charge there well I was talking to Lynn the other day and she mentioned that their commercial freezer is on its last legs but they can't afford a new one they cost several thousand dollars so their whole holiday food distribution frozen chickens and everything else was at risk so we a group of us were able to put together funds to cover the entire amount and wrote a check.

Now Lynn didn't know that when my wife Lori and I visited the other day watch this because this wasn't failing at all breakdown but I'm a little leery now because if we were to lose this one this is our mainstay freezer you know and that always looked at the miracles that would happen for Valley churches and I'm standing on her shoulders I'm going to pay that how do I go about figuring out how are we gonna replace this I love that you use the term miracles looking for another miracle do you believe in miracles well that's how we it's the miracles of the community.

Well we talked to some people and here's a checkable no are you serious yeah do I believe in miracles a miracle is right oh my gosh you have no idea what this means at this time of the year it takes away all the worry about if we were to get more turkeys or more something and this goes out we don't have to worry about it.

Hey would you just put your hands together and thank all the people thank everybody here who served in these acts of kindness projects people are giving thanks to you but thanks to God as well just amazing so that's kind of an overview of what I mean that's just the tip of the iceberg of what's been happening around here for the last two and a half months.

Now let's look back over David's life and see what we've learned grab your message notes in your bulletins and let's talk about thriving through life's ups and downs because David obviously had incredible ups and downs and failures and setbacks in his life but through it all he was able to get back on his feet again every single time.

When I read the literally hundreds of emails and posts that you guys sent to me it seemed to me like almost all the comments I heard about the series fell into these three categories three truths that people saw in David's story about thriving through life's ups and downs and we all need to hear this right because life is full of ups and downs your life and my life and life is not just ups and ups in our emotions in our relationships in our marriage our health our careers our finances our walk with God there's gonna be ups and downs sometimes we're gonna get it right sometimes not so much and David's life shows that in high definition.

So here's our key verse today and Isaiah 55:3 I love this God says come to me with your ears wide open listen and you will find life I will make an everlasting covenant with you I will give you all the unfailing love that I promised to David see how I used him to display my power among the peoples.

David wasn't in the Bible so that we could be impressed with David God says David's whole mixed up crazy life was in the Bible not that he's a great moral example because he's not it's in the Bible so that we can see how God displays his power in the life of kind of an archetypal human being David's far from the ideal human right but he is sort of the classic human David lived all the ups and downs and all the mistakes and all the triumphs that a person could seemingly have at full intensity he's sort of the Bible's classic example of what it looks like for human beings to be in a covenant relationship with God by God's grace he's very flawed yet he's chosen to receive God's grace so that God can be glorified and not David.

You see this coming out in three themes in David's life that show how God works and how you and I can thrive through life's ups and downs as we respond to his grace so jot these down the first principle is this always remember who I am always remember who you are you could call this the principle of identification David had a keen sense of his own identity right he'd been a nobody that nobody knew and then God told the Prophet Samuel this is the one anoint him and David never forgot it I'm chosen Wow I have a purpose given by God.

The very first time we hear David speak in the Bible he says to Goliath you come against me with sword and spear and javelin but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty that means I've been given a mission from God I've been chosen and throughout the rest of his life he sees himself as chosen by God beloved by God he says this to God show me the wonders of your great love keep me as the apple of your eye man that's pretty bold to say to God God I know I'm the I'm the apple of your eye right and yet this is good that David sees himself that way because it's true.

At the end of his life he's still saying it God shows unfailing kindness to his anointed to me David and his descendants forever what he's saying here this is this is the last song he ever wrote that we looked at last weekend he's saying no matter how my life may seem messed up at times and no matter how I may have messed up at times I know this God has made a covenant with me based on his grace he has his chosen me but before I could ever earn it he chose me.

Now here's the really exciting part the Bible says the same exact thing is true of you I mean I go into a lot more detail in the book but here's just one short verse that summarizes it all from 1 Thessalonians 1:4 for we know brothers and sisters loved by God that he has what say it chosen you you are chosen you are God's beloved you have a covenant with God just like David.

Watch the screen for a second because so many of you emailed me about this I love this one David's ongoing belief that God delighted in him reminds me years ago pastor Kraft used to ask me from time to time do you know why God created you and I would say tell me again and he would say to be the object of his blessing and he was right.

Somebody else wrote thanks René for my rock I keep feeling the weight of that reminder in my pocket he chose me and I love this one this is so powerful this has given me the courage to give up my addiction that the Lord and I have been disagreeing on for 30 years but watch this knowing that I'm still beloved anointed and called gives me the want to give it up and that is powerful.

I don't know if I can read this next one without crying listen to this one our embrace grace group is a Bible study and support group aimed at giving single and pregnant women hope empowerment and love through the gospel we want them to know they also are chosen and they're beloved so this past week we did what we call a princess day a special day of pampering where our women are made to feel like princesses daughters of the high king we have their makeup professionally done their newborn pics taken by TLC member Lindsay wiser and then a beautiful dinner followed a bittersweet bistro where an anonymous diner picked up our entire check complete surprise we were all stunned.

Now listen to this one of our girls asked why would anyone do that for us and I said probably because they see you the way Jesus sees you and the way we see amazing brave women raising new life man there is power when you remember who you are you're the apple of God's eye God delights in you you are chosen and beloved David believed it and that's why he was able to.

Our second point there refuse to give up David refused to give up through the ups and downs and you too don't give up don't give up on that marriage don't give up on that child don't give up on that ministry a miracle could be just around the corner.

Now you might say okay René but what if it's already over in some area the marriage didn't work we got a divorce the healing prayers were we're not answered with a yes and there was never there was never a healing or some other area still don't give up don't give up on life if David's life shows anything it's that God can use even your hurts even your pain even your wounds even your failures for great things this is the principle of redemption God can redeem anything in your life for good even your own stupid moves and even bad things done to you.

I mentioned in the chasing David book trouble is not a sign that you are out of God's will and failure is not a sign that you are out of God's grace and here's why this is so important to understand I saw a recent survey that was out in August listen to this it discovered the two main reasons that people are likely to leave the faith now why do you think those two reasons are the two top reasons that Christians like you and me presumably would say I'm not gonna come to church anymore not gonna study the Bible and more I tried it it doesn't work you think it's because they went to college and heard an atheist scientist argue against their faith that's that's not one of the top two reasons.

Here they are they leave the faith when they hit tough times or when they have a recurring habit or sin in their lives that they feel is inconsistent with following Christ in other words when bad things happen to them or when they do bad things that's when people tend to bail so do you see how important David's life is David's life shows in you know living high-def color that when bad things happen to you as they happen to him a lot and when you do bad things as he did a lot God still loves you still chooses you still calls you beloved.

I mean let's recap in 60 seconds of some of the things that David went through ready to fight Goliath's with when he's about 15 don't be ridiculous Saul replied you're only a boy maybe like David you have your critics right now Saul hurled his spear at David maybe there's domestic violence abusive authorities in your life Saul hunted him day after day maybe the key phrase there for you is day after day you can totally relate the battle is being waged daily on some field in your life and it's wearing you down and you want to give up.

David's own men began to talk of stoning him and the amazing thing there is now it's who it's David's own people maybe there's low morale right now in your own family or among your own friends it feels like everybody's turning against you the war lasted a long time and again the key there is long time maybe the battle for your kids or the battle against some temptation or the battle for your marriage has been lasting a long time.

Then of course in his 50s David commits adultery he sends a man to his death maybe like David you failed morally and then in his 60s David said my own son is trying to kill me maybe you're facing the rebellion of your own children then there was a famine for three successive years maybe you're looking at some kind of an economic disaster a famine of work a famine of getting clients getting customers once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel once again maybe old enemies old patterns keep coming back to haunt you.

What I'm saying is David went through so much no no one would have blamed it if he just kind of packed it in but think of what he would have missed I mean his lineage produced the Messiah Jesus and all the Psalms that he wrote during all these ups and downs have inspired billions of people including you they never would have been written.

You know this this whole thing might have been the theme that people emailed me most about this week person after person told me things like this as I entered the darkest time in my life it was a revelation to hear it's not a cave it's a tunnel so keep moving forward don't give up one woman wrote and I just cried when I read this one about 42 years ago I had an abortion and I was never able to forgive myself until now 42 years little did I know that God was leading me through this series to my own healing God showed me he truly has a plan for me.

I never thought I could be used or that I was worthy to even serve in any way that Venice you said through David's story God has shown me how loved and forgiven I am I gotta tell you this this theme was in so many emails that I just want to say something loud and clear here from David's story and it's this God still has a plan for you I don't care what you've done I don't care what failures you've had in your life God still has a plan for you let me repeat it again God still has a plan for you.

No matter what the book of Proverbs says though a righteous man falls seven times he rises again I like that verse even the good guys fail every one of us makes mistakes every one of us gets discouraged gets defeated sins that's called being human just get back in the game.

What if David had said you know what I blew it that time I defected to the Philistines for 16 months so forget it God could never use me again I'm worthless it's so stupid he became king after that fall what if he had said I committed adultery with Bathsheba and all the consequences I may as well run away and hide he had 20 years some of his most productive years as king after that and his repentance after that instead he said to God I repent and I'm going to get back on track Lord restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.

I love that he says frankly God I'm not even that willing to change so so make me want to in other words his redemption is all by God's grace he says I'm really powerless to change myself so God change me.

Somebody else wrote I loved how David always came back to God I learned a lot about David but more about God his mercy his grace his abounding love for us amazing in spite of what David did and what we have done that's exactly right so don't bench yourself don't give up look at David's last words instructions to Solomon and 1 Chronicles 28:20 he says be strong and courageous and do the work don't be afraid or discouraged for the Lord God my God is with you he will not fail you or forsake you he will see to it that all the work related to the temple of the Lord is finished correctly.

He's saying Solomon your main job here is to build the temple and I know God will be with you the whole time this there's gonna be tough at times but don't give up I have seen this to be true in my own life.

Now before we move on to point three look I asked myself how does David's instruction to Solomon in this verse apply to our church right now what what is the work that we have to do that we should not be discouraged about well in an echo of this scripture the Apostle Paul says to all of us and I'm gonna put Galatians 6:9–10 on screen and I'd love for us all to read this out loud together all right let me hear you so let's not get tired of doing what is good at just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up therefore whenever we have the opportunity we should do good to everyone especially those in the family of faith.

Here's how I think this applies to you and me in just two weeks from today the weekend before Thanksgiving it'll be time for our food drive offering and here's the thing for the last seven or eight years probably we have done this every single year so what keeps me up at night sometimes is I worry that you and I will get tired of doing what is good that it'll just start to become wallpaper it'll just start to become routine but there's nothing routine about feeding the hungry.

Everybody knows the cost of living around here is skyrocketed so many people are one paycheck from eviction and we can help them stretch their dollar further at our people's pantry we give away free groceries every Wednesday most of it comes from the food bank and of course this is something that is right in the center of the heart of Jesus Christ who said at the last judgment he is going to say to people come into my kingdom prepared for you because when I was hungry you fed me and I love the scene it's almost humorous the Bible describes the people talking to themselves going did you when did you ever did you ever see him hungry I never saw Jesus hungry ever never I don't know what he's talking about and Jesus is going to say whenever you fed one of the least of these it was like you were feeding me and man if that is not a reason to give ourselves a hundred percent of this I don't know what is.

So along with David I want to ask you don't be discouraged don't give up give yourself fully to the work and please pray about how you can help sacrificially let's not get tired of doing what is good because it's the heart of Christ and there's a great reward.

And then finally in David's life we see this realize that God is always active David expected God to be actively working in his life for the best at all times can you have that conviction no matter what challenges you're facing this email was very touching I've had memory issues for the last couple years good news is no brain tumor however is it dementia Alzheimer's I've been paralyzed by fear this series made a tremendous difference to me God has never failed me yet I'm 74 like most people I've had many ups and downs thank you for reminding me God is faithful God has a plan I have my rock.

No matter what you're facing you can trust that God is going to work it together ultimately for good you could call this the principle of expectation God is going to work through my life even in the darkest times even if it ends in death.

Let's track this in David's life right out of the gate as a teenager he says watch this the Lord who rescued me from the paw the line of the paw the bear will rescue me from the paw of this Philistine you don't say might he says he will and then in the middle of his life when Saul is chasing him around David says I trust in God so why should I be afraid what can mere mortals do to me and listen this isn't in your notes but I personally believe that it was at the end of his life looking back that David wrote these familiar words from Psalm 23 even when I walk through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid for you are there close beside me.

You know that's the constant life is ups and downs but the constant is God is always there through it all now watch how he concludes Psalm 23 you honor me by anointing my head with oil there it is again I'm anointed I'm chosen my cup overflows with blessings surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me and the Hebrew word there is used for for chasing for for running after like even when I go astray like some sheep you're gonna come running after me not with your hammer but with your goodness and with your mercy all the days of my life and then I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

David totally expected good times and bad God's gonna be right there God's gonna be active so let me ask you a question what are you expecting God to do in your life are you always kind of expecting disaster expecting the other shoe to drop expecting judgment and catastrophe or are you really expecting that the goodness of God is going to run after you pursue you find you every day?

When we expect great things we're gonna move in that direction this isn't name it and claim it televangelist stuff you know expect God to do great things in your life and it's gonna magically happen we don't make great things happen God does in his time and in his will but when we expect that he will act what happens is we put ourselves in a position to see and receive those blessings does that make sense?

Every single day God has blessings for you and every single day God has opportunities for you that you won't even notice unless your eyes are open for them that makes sense Liz Bishop is a woman who attends here at Twin Lakes Church and for years she was on our staff and one day I had preached a message on on this topic and she printed out a sign that had two words on it eager expectation and she put the sign above the door that that goes from our break room outside of the big wide world so that all of us if we're leaving our office we had to see that sign eager expectation and it was such a great reminder for me personally not to go through life like this just thinking of my to-do list and thinking of kind of the next thing I had to do but to go through life like this seeing the blessings and seeing the opportunities that are all around me.

Now look back over your notes which one of these keys from David's life as we wrap up the series do you need to focus on you can have a great life you can get back on track again God will do great things God wants to use you you say no René not somebody like me one of the things I've loved most about this series is this the Bible paints David like he really was sins and all sometimes he gets it right sometimes he gets it wrong he's just a real human in order to show God's powerful grace.

There's a hero in David's story but it's not David it's God God is so gracious to him even though he doesn't deserve it and this goes all the way back to the very beginning of first Samuel do you remember how we started this series when we looked at how Hannah was dedicating Samuel in the temple and she sang a song of dedication with this line the Lord raises the poor from the dust lifts the needy from the dump he has them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor and that's exactly what he did for David he anoints this undeserving unknown inexperienced person and that's what he does for you too.

Hannah song reminds me of a similar song sung almost a thousand years later by Mary the mother of Jesus famously when she's expecting she goes to visit her relative Elizabeth who's also expecting a baby and she sings the what's called the Magnificat and one of the lines sounds like she's paraphrasing Hannah he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble he has filled the hungry with good things not only David story but the Bible's story is about God choosing to show grace to people who are the least likely the least deserving the unworthy the unloved the left out of the leftovers do you sometimes feel like that?

Well Mary and Hannah and David would say God's grace is here for you you don't have to qualify you just have to receive it. Now I'm gonna ask Trent Smith to come back on stage and as sort of a closing illustration for this series to play a song that I think summarizes David's very raw and very real life so well and I think I hope we'll summarize your outlook too.

I was trying to think of one line to summarize David's faith and I think it's this the bottom line trust in God's sovereign grace God is sovereign he's in control and he's a God of grace so trust in him through all of life's ups and downs and now as we close the series let this song that summarizes David's life so well bring you to a place of worship and gratitude.

There are days of taking more than I can give and there are choices that I've made that I wouldn't make again I've had my share of laughter of tears and troubled times this has been the story of my life cuz I have won and I have lost I got it right sometimes but sometimes I didn't know life's been a journey I've seen joy I've seen regret oh and you've been my God through all of it.

Let's pray together now your heads with me with your heads bound and your eyes closed would you think for a moment about your own journey the ways in which your life parallels David's the ups the downs the triumphs the high points and the low points and would you just say God thank you for your unfailing love through all of it.

If you ever doubt here today with everybody's eyes still closed if you ever doubt that God can still use you that God loves you God's power is shown through David's life to the people's as God said he is exhibit a that it's never over the God still has a plan for you because God works through his sovereign and if today you're here and you're not sure if you have made the decision to receive that grace to say I trust in the son of David Jesus Christ as my Lord and as my Savior he will lift the poor out of the ash heap and I need to be lifted up by right now just in your heart say Lord I receive your grace I receive your powerful forgiveness and pardon and new life God help me to live a life of gratitude for that in Jesus name Amen.