there not [Music] e e e oh you did [Applause] e e for [Music] good morning church so good to be here with you this morning if you can hear my voice go ahead and make your way into the sanctuary as you're able would you stand with me as we prepare to worship our King as we've been watching the last few weeks the Nations come together to compete it's a good reminder to know that the Lord is the Lord Over All Nations he's Sovereign over everything that's going on and it's our privilege to come before him this morning and praise him let's pray together Heavenly Father we thank you for providing us with this space to come and meet you today Lord that though you are the Lord over all the nations you care about each and every one of us this morning Lord prepare our hearts to receive your word as we come before you and [Music] praise would you sing this chorus with me you are the Lord the famous One famous one great is your name in all the Earth the heavens declare your glorious glorious PR your Fame beyond the Earth [Music] all you've done all you've done and yet to do with breath I praising you [Music] desti every heart you are God you are L [Music] God you are Lord name is is praise your name is [Applause] heav glorious glorious [Music] is to me [Music] on Morning Star the Morning Star is shining through it's ey is watching you feel my nature and mirales you are beautiful you are beautiful morning morning star is shining [Music] is watching you Ral by nature and miracles you are beautiful you are beautiful you are the Lord the name is wor name is wor your name [Music] is heav you glorious glorious your you Lord you you are Lord name is name is Lord your name [Music] is declare glorious glorious is your baby of the Earth he [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] you are the is one is one great is your name all the heav declare you glorious glorious [Music] [Music] were waiting without hope and without so from Heaven you came running there was Mercy in your eyes to fulfill the law and Prophets to a virgin came the word from the Throne of endless glory to [Music] a praise the father praise the son PR the [Music] God of [Music] Glory for to the King of [Music] Kings to re the kingdom come and to reconcile the lost to redeem the whole creation you did not despise the cross for even in yourself you s to the other side knowing this was our Salvation Jesus for my sake you die [Music] praise the father praise the St praise the spirit three in one God of Glory mesty will praise for to the King of Kings [Music] [Music] all Heaven breath till the stor was mov for good for the lamb had conquered death and the devs from their tombs and the angels stood all for the souls of all who come to the father are restored and the Church of Christ was born then the spirit in the flame now the star trth the shall not shall not F by his love his days in hisory of my every for the Lord of Jesus Christ who is resurrected [Music] me praise the father praise [Music] the pra [Music] the word god of Glory Majesty praise forever to the king of King PR praise the father pra the son praise the spirit and World God of Glory mesty Oh Praise forever to the King of Kings Oh Praise forever to the King of Kings oh praise for to the King of [Music] Kings oh praise the name of Lord our god oh praise His name forever more forless days we will seeing your prise oh Lord Oh Lord our god oh Lord Oh Lord God oh Lord we lift your name up so that you're the king of kings and Lord of lords that you would send your son to come for us so that we could have connection and relationship with you Lord we thank you we praise you and we give you all the honor all the glory all the power and all the praise be to your name and your name alone and as a church together we say amen amen so good to see you we have time now if you want to turn to someone maybe you don't know get to know them share with what share what the Lord's doing in your life with them [Applause] w [Applause] you you [Music] [Applause] well once again good morning reality once again good morning reality Ventura we're so thankful and excited to gather together uh if you're new if this is your first time a very warm welcome to you we are so glad that you are joining with us we continue our worship now through our giving worship does not end when we stop singing singing is one way in which we worship God we also worship god with the whole of our lives including the resources that he's given to us we invest back into the ministry of the church now for those of you who are visiting with us today please do not feel obligated to give but if this is your home church we have the opportunity and privilege to give back to respond to God's generosity towards us by investing in the ministry of this church and what a season to invest as we prepare for our big move uh to the new building in a couple of months and all that that represents the different Ministry opportunities uh that we have right now what a time to invest but ultimately we give because it's a reflection of the god who's given everything for us in the gospel it's an act of worship amen now practically there are several ways to do that uh you can go online and give reality ventura.ca you can give using the church Center app the app that we use for most of what's happening in the life of the church uh if you have a gift with you today you can give it uh in one of the give boxes out in the lobby or you can send an oldfashioned check with a memo line and everything to 1954 goodye Avenue um but in all of this we remember and reflect the radical generosity of God um also by way of reminder we have our weekly prayer groups now these are not groups that we as a staff team organize for you rather these weekly prayer groups are something that we encourage you to organize for yourselves it's as simple as finding two or three or four other people this week and getting together to pray simple as that now to help your time together we've provided an online guide that shows how you can use your time as you pray together um even giving you scripture references to pray through you can find all of that at reality ventura.ca groups so find a few people this week and get together pick a place pick a time and pray with them um now it's a it's a special Sunday we've got a lot but first just a few quick announcements first uh Community groups are an essential part of our church we gather together here on Sundays and we also gather together in the middle of the week uh in community groups to go deeper in relationship and in the study of God's word and in prayer Community groups are going to begin again soon but we need new leaders if you're interested in starting a new group leading a group hosting a group we're having a very simple interest meeting today right after this service upstairs you're not committing to anything yet you're just learning about it though God May indeed prompt you and call you uh in that interest meeting um it's about 15 minutes or so you can just learn a little bit about what that means what that entails uh if you want to take the next step so if you're interested in starting a community group leading a community group hosting a group go upstairs right after the service for about 15 minutes to hear more uh second this is exciting the the fall Women's Bible study the big uh epic Women's Bible study that happens every fall begins next month so all the women in the church you are invited to be a part of this six week bible study through the Old Testament book of habach this is going to be such a pivotal study for the women of our church who will learn through this book what it means to wrestle with God amid life's disappointments so that you might trust him deeper what a timely study this will be you do have to register so we're inviting all of you uh to go online or use the church Center app to register there are several options there's the Wednesday night study and then there's a Thursday morning study um Kelly and the team want to make this as accessible as possible to the women in the church so you can choose from either the Wednesday night option or the Thursday morning study so go to the church Center app go to our website to learn more to register you do have to register you can learn more about child care options all that information is available for you but this isn't just a save the date this is a start registering now because the numbers get quite full so that's beginning next month register today and uh thirdly uh but not lastly we're having a bit of a British Invasion here at reality ventur who would have thought Ventura County would have like this British Invasion we have a guest speaker from London today we have a guest speaker from London next week and we're also going to hear an update this morning about our huge UK trip but first next Sunday night you do not want to miss this event it's called the surprising Rebirth of belief in God a good friend named Justin briely who's a Christian thinker he's an author he's a preacher um he's known in the UK for hosting a a radio show called unbelievable where he would uh debate with or have conversations with um a lot of atheists and people who challenge the Christian faith as well as interviews with Christian theologians and thinkers he's been doing this for a long time and despite the odds despite what you read about in the media who would prophesy if you will that you know faith is waning and secularism is rising Justin brle believes we're actually seeing a surprising Rebirth of belief in God in the most unexpected Ed places from surprising conversion testimonies of well-known secular thinkers to celebrities he thinks we're quietly seeing behind the scenes Whispers of Revival you are not going to want to miss this he started this podcast with just a handful of listeners as and it's gotten so popular that right now the surprising Rebirth of belief in God podcast has half a million listeners it's so good um I've convinced our staff to listen to it it's so well done and Justin is here in California doing a little mini tour so next Sunday evening it's free but you do have to register he's going to talk about what that means why he believes this is the case if you're a Christian you will be equipped and encouraged to you're not going to see any of this on CNN or Fox News let me tell you that okay you will be encouraged and equipped if you're not a Christian if you have friends who are skeptic go about Christianity or want to know more this is a great opportunity to bring a friend who's not yet a Christian do not miss it next Sunday night Justin is also going to be preaching in our morning Services about how the church can engage with secular culture a sermon from the book of Acts so that's next Sunday part of the British Invasion but the second part of the British Invasion of Ventura county is this morning we are going to hear a report and testimonies from our over two week trip where we took over 60 people from our church uh including almost 40 teenagers and we went to London we went to Paris yes during the opening of the Olympics and we went to Cornwall which is in the southwest part of England we did Street evangelism we did service friends you were praying you were financially supporting and we're glad to report that the trip was absolutely incredible and to tell you more about that I'm going to invite up Billy Hunter and a few of our teenagers who went on the trip to tell you more about what the Lord did yes praise God thank you thank you Tim and church first of all thank you so much for your support um your prayers your words of encouragement um the financial support allowing us to just do you know Bonkers burrito you know uh fundraisers and bake sales in the LOB and begging and pleading um for for support uh the fruit of this trip is the kind of fruit that you could never possibly understand fully at one time um we got to experience and encounter things uh personally and as a group uh that were way off the charts in terms of our expectations um and it was just absolutely incredible we were in Europe for more than two weeks and we started in London and went to Paris came back to London and then went to Cornwall which uh if you know anything about the UK that should sound funny to you because that's like saying you know we went to Chicago New York LA and then we went to oxar right like like it's like a farming Comm sheep we saw many sheep um but Cornwall is a destination where people in the UK families in the UK will come in holiday and so there's this free to attend Christian festival and we we got to um our church actually ran the kids ministry program at the festival had about 300 kids that we got to minister to and play with and just bring California craziness to their uh slightly more rigid uh culture uh especially when it comes to kids and just had an absolute blast and so to talk about yeah praise [Applause] God so um we we did Street evangelism uh in London on the very first leg of the trip we did Street evangelism and Outreach in Paris in a large Park um and we're we just wanted to come and share some testimonies from the trip and um we did debriefs every night on the trip just as a youth team just to talk about what we experienced and to help the Holy Spirit process some of our experiences and so it's something that could latch on to something that we could use to help build our character to help us grow in our faith and to give us the boldness to grow as a follower of Jesus and so one of the ways we did that because our group was so big we had at one point we had like 44 people on the youth team we had kids from the UK that joined us we had uh someone who was part of reality youth back when she was a teenager and then was a youth leader now lives in France she joined us as a leader as well um it was an incredible team of people that we had but because there are so many of them during our times of debrief often we would do our debriefs where you would just share one two or maybe three words to encapsulate like what you experienced or uh something that you saw or an impression that the God has given you in light of what we experienced and so in that spirit I was going to ask these guys to share one two or three words that help Describe the impact that the UK and Paris trip has had on you so we'll start with uh let's start with Lily because she's got the mic um I think Pro is this okay um I think probably the main word for the trip for me was Joy I think that was just something I really experienced in a whole new way on this trip um another one was Unity our team really came together in really cool ways and the third one was probably power because I really saw God move so and salana has become ill and doesn't isn't speaking now I think we should let her talk okay hi okay that's that's enough from salana thank you Lily for encouraging that it's a good friend right there well what are what are three words or one two or three words that that help sort of describe your experience and the impact that this trip had on you yeah um I'll say the first word that comes to mind the most like one part of the that I just remember straight to my head is Paris and London and it was dark spiritually dark um but the second word would probably be hopeful Like There's Hope and um just talking to the people there on the streets you know there's definitely hope they're interested um my third would be Community right on awesome so let's start with Lily we'll have Lily answer a question um during our Outreach the first Outreach we did in London we were in a part of London kind of the burough or the area of London called Islington specifically in this neighborhood that they call Angel and uh while in Angel uh Lily had this experience and I was wondering if you would share with the church that experience as you were sharing the hope of Jesus on the streets in Islington yeah um Street evangelism so that was kind of scary for me because we just go up to random people and we're like oh he could ask you a question and then we'd say um Do You Believe In Hope and so I got lots of rejections um I got to talk to some people but I had one really cool experience um I saw this woman she was standing on a corner and she was just like not Crossing she was just staring across the street and I felt God being like go talk to her and I was like h i don't she's past me I don't really want to talk to her um and then God was like no go talk to her so I walked up to her um and I was like oh could I ask you a question she's like yeah do you believe in Hope and she just started to cry and she didn't say anything she started to cry and she was like shaking and so I started I was like this is some something's going on in this situation so I started to pray inside and I asked her um like what's going on in your life right now where do you put your hope and she said I have no hope right now um I'm totally alone in the world and I have no one who cares about me nobody that I care about and I've been trying to kill myself and so I was freaking out and I was like I've never been in this situation before and so I was like praying and asking God to give me words because I know that I couldn't have responded well in that situation without him and so I started to talk to her and share the gospel with her and explain that um like with Jesus in your life you will never be alone and um his love is all that we need and he'll give you meaning and purpose in your life um and I was praying for her and sharing the gospel for her and we were laying hands on her and Billy saw us um praying for her and he texted to my dad and it's 4:00 a.m. in the states and my dad texts back and he's like yeah I'm praying for Lily um and so there was just a lot of prayer going into that situation and so I brought her over to our little table and I gave her a Bible and I was showing her Bible verses um that talk about God's love for us um and I was praying for her and she was crying the whole time and then I was like is Jesus something you want in your life and she was like yeah it really is and so I don't remember any sort of Sinner prayer I don't know what the right words were but um obviously it's just like repeat after me and she prayed and accepted Jesus and Jesus in the Kingdom now so yeah praise God so good so stretching um so salana who cannot speak uh sent me the response to the question I had sent her and the question was I was going to ask salana to share how she saw our group of teenagers change as the trip progressed she made some very insightful just God gave her a really insightful perspective on that throughout the trip and um really was the right person to answer that question and so being kind she typed this up for me and I will read in the voice of salana Warren I'm not GNA try to impersonate you don't worry okay as long as I've been in youth group it has been incredibly clicky we all got along but on Wednesday nights and at camps we sort of stayed in our friend groups and never talk to anyone else it's always been something that bothered me because division in the church even if it's just typical teenager Dynamics it's how the enemy Works to weaken us but we were never quite sure what to do about it this trip however was completely the opposite I personally talked to every single person on the trip and had very meaningful conversations with several of them people who I haven't really talked to before we shared our testimonies with the group as well which required a courage and a willingness to be vulnerable that was encouraged by the obvious work of the Holy Spirit in our team uniting Us by the end of Creation Fest one leader who is joining us late and doesn't regularly attend youth group commented during our debrief that she thought it was awesome how we were how we were not clicky if you had told me a month ago that an outside Observer unprompted was going to call our youth group not clicky I would have been so surprised and encouraged and that is what happened within the context of all striving to serve God and rejoicing in his presence all the awkward teenage social dynamics totally dissolved and our team became a real picture of the community of God we were able to serve together laugh together work together and travel together as one body by the grace of God guys that's teenagers y'all that's that's a miracle so thank you salana now um finally just end with Will um again based on some of the uh just the Insight that he had and and his willingness to share some of his uh personal testimony about what the Lord was doing in his life throughout the trip during our times of debrief I was wondering well if you would share how you felt the Lord growing your faith and giving you strength and courage as the trip progressed yeah absolutely so it was kind of like baby steps um when we landed in London did some uh touring I did a lot of praying but like situations street but even through that like I was this like sense of purpose like what it's like France being in um we this park and it was dark like I said it was cloudy raining and these people and it was just so so ening I like I'll pray for you but I'm not going to like like I don't exchange just at the park I there's just like a new sense of like just on Mission and that's like I'm like dude why am I even here so just being with the yam team I they were like hey you should go talk to him like this one guy way over there back and you know there's a big crowd of people in front of like the person with the microphone they're just sitting fire back there and I was like okay so I'm like just walk over I'm like hey man up you know English like I do and I didn't we didn't like get deep but I was like able to talk with him and I was just like are you over here man you know like come join the group you know and I invited him and then from there it was just like it was just rad just to see like who were just walking by and sticking around listening to the message to the good news was just really powerful um and then the last part of Tri Cornwall was just like um being called up as a leader um just really stepping up to the plate and being able to serve these kids I'm just a group leader of like 15 kids so I had to just pray for God to give me like strength and energy because I was eating the same English breakfast and morning just their salty bacon which is ham not even bacon but it's still good and I still ate it and I was still happy with a leathery mouth just kidding um it but the joy I had like I could have complained so much on that trip so much went wrong so much like so much un like so so uncomfortable so tired so annoyed with people um but through it all you know just staying just staying on Mission and just remembering my purpose of what I'm doing it's like God sees it and there's a plan in everything you do and it was just so awesome just being a part of his plan right on all right there's so there's so much more that we experien on the trip I wish we had you know time to do a slideshow and tell you but thank you so much and as the Lord would put it on your heart continue to pray for these teenagers young adults that have had this encounter with the Holy Spirit like being out where God is engaged in the work that the Lord desires that everyone would come to know him that everyone would be saved and um man the Harvest is ripe in Europe right now and so uh be praying about how the Lord uh would be leading these teenagers and young adults in their next steps of faith and be praying about how the Lord might be calling you to come on a future missions trip as we go um as a church so thank you very much one of the opportunities our team both the youth team and the adult teams had was to join reality Church London and it's a very important time to do so because reality Church London is going through a a transition uh as many of you know uh my family and I we moved to London in the year 2015 to plant reality Church London and we lived there and got the church started for 5 years before moving here to uh Ventura this man Bean mialou uh took over my place he's originally from Tim Keller's Church in New York City uh he moved to London and he's been pastoring there but in the last 6 months or so God opened up the opportunity for him and his family to go back to New York to take the leadership role at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York city so he got Tim Keller's job which is crazy um but through that transition we really prayed like Lord we need the right person and through a lot of prayer and like you know the whole process uh we believe God's brought us just like the best person um and he's actually here with us today and his name is Mike son so I'm going to invite Mike to the stage would you welcome him to the stage he's going to be here today to uh preach to us but Mike just by way of introduction um you unlike me and bean are not from the United States of America that is correct as my accent gives away um I have Korean parents South Korean parents um but I was born and raised in London and have been there my whole life uh love the city I know I know you love the city as well um but I love the city and it's such a privilege to be able to serve there so yeah and you were always in Ministry God kind of gave you a little plot twist in your vocational path yeah that's right um so I grew up in a Christian home but I wasn't I was pretty rebellious actually until um final years of University studied which is hard for me to Imagine by the way when you tell me your rebellious stories I'm like oh just knowing Mike I'm like wow really no I was I was bad um let's not get into that no yeah we don't need to get it but yeah then I studied economics and I ended up going to finance so worked for two American firms actually I worked for Bloomberg initially and then Morgan Stanley um but during my years at Morgan Stanley as I kind of delved into God's word more as I learned more about who God is I started want to share more of his word more than stuff about Finance um and so I understand yeah totally right um so slowly I I kind of shifted away and then I started praying through it with my parents my family and they said and my friends and they said look why don't you explore Ministry full time uh so I prayed about it and then I made the leap and um haven't turned back and and here I am I never planned it but that's what God do yeah praise God God called you now Mike's been serving Faithfully well you actually helped plant another church called The Globe Church uh just south of the river in London um your wife and your three kids you guys have been a part of the globe church and you've been recently on staff there for six years uh totally yeah yeah um so Mike's one of the two main pastors there but as the opportunity came up to take the lead Pastor position at our church reality Church London it was so clear to us that Mike was just the right guy for it and by the grace of God both he and his wife you know they felt God calling them to it and the globe Church very like-minded Church they were willing to release you um so Mike actually starts at reality Church London in a couple of weeks which is crazy so we get to hear him first but Mike um what are you excited about in taking up the role and how can we be praying for you and for reality Church London in the season as you the new lead Pastor yeah uh we'd love your prayers um as you heard just a moment ago like London spiritually quite dark although as Justin brle is going to say you know there are glimpses of is is it on the cusp of seeing Christianity just explode and we want to be a part of that we want to lean into that and and see God at work um through reality Church London and um by God's grace he's used Tim and Lindsay and then ban and and Michelle to to really get things up and running at at RCL and we just want to just carry on the work the good work that God has been um doing through through different pastors and families um so you could really pray for this Mo this period of transition that that we as a family would really lean lean into it and um really just serve this church and love this church and love London and see London really um reached with Jesus and the gospel um and in that particularly pray for the transition for RCL um for real Unity real Oneness of heart and mind and for me to come in and uh and be really United with the elders and the staff team so I can serve them well so that we can serve the city as best possible for the glory of Jesus so be great if you could pray those things amen Mike we're we're thankful you're here to serve us so Mike's going to bring the word if you have a Bible turn to Psalm 146 Mike we're so thankful you're here bring the word of God to us [Applause] thanks great yeah as Tim said um Psalm 146 and as you turn there just want to say thank you for the warm welcome um I preached at the in early in the morning as well and we feel so loved just by the reality family and it's such a joy and privilege to be able to join you even though we're across the pond in London um yeah we we want to keep this relationship going which is is so terrific um but yeah Psalm 146 um Psalm 146 so let me read it and then I'll pray and then we'll we'll dive straight in Praise the Lord praise the Lord my soul I will will praise the Lord all my life I will sing praise to my God as long as I live do not put your trust in princes in human beings who cannot save when their Spirit departs they return to the ground on that very day their plans come to nothing blessed are those whose help is the god of Jacob whose hope is in the Lord their God he is the maker of heaven and Earth the sea and everything in them he remains faithful forever he upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry the Lord sets prisoners free the Lord gives sight to the blind the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down the lord loves the righteous the Lord Watches Over The Foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the Widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked the Lord reigns forever your God o Zion for all generations praise the Lord let me lead us in a word of prayer as we dive in to God's word father please calm our hearts now may your spirit come and reveal and illuminate your word to us may you speak to us through Psalm 146 and may it fuel us to praise you for who you are our great God our great Lord Our Hope and our help we pray this in Jesus name amen amen now it's great to be here um to have a short interview with Tim so you get to know a little bit about me and our family um and I want to tell you something else about me too I love food I love trying different types of food so as I headed out to California um there were many people in the UK and Beyond who kept saying to me you've got to try In-N-Out Burgers my sister she lives in Korea and she was like you you've got to go to In and Out Burger one of the elders toyan I think who was here recently from RCL he was saying the same thing as some with some a lot of my friends at the globe church you've got to try in and out they were full of Praise about the burgers and the fries they were beaming just they're drooling thinking about it and to be fair I'd been to California about 10 years ago it's been a long time I'd had it back then but I forgotten what it was like and as I was listening to these people telling me and praising in and out it made me want to really try it so when I arrived in ventur I get to the place where I'm staying at what do I see right across the street is In-N-Out burger and then Tim comes to greet me and he's like hey you hungry what should we let's get something to eat do you want to try In-N-Out Burger I'm like the Lord is answering my prayers and all the prayers of my friends around me and man the double double and the fries is good but here's the thing about praise praise comes because your heart is full something or someone has brought to you Joy and satisfaction it has impacted and influenced you to the point that your emotions have been moved to Joy that is why you praise but praise has an added effect it doesn't just impact you but it impacts those around you as you tell people about your experience about what you've tasted and seen it makes others who are listening in want to get in on the action well Psalm 146 is a Psalm of praise a praise that sings praise to and about God do you see how it starts in verse one praise the Lord praise the Lord my soul praise that word literally is hallelujah hallelujah means praise the Lord hallelujah hallelujah my soul but here's the thing do you notice it's not just praise for a moment not just when We Gather on a Sunday or when you're listening to your Christian playlist on your way to work and then you turn it off and you jump out of the car no this is a Psalm that calls us to praise continually verse two I will praise the Lord all my life I will sing praise to my God as long as I live the psalm calls us to praise God day after day after day and you know what as we praise as reality venturer Praises God in your places of work in your neighborhoods in your communities all the days of your lives as we do that back in London as we go across the city into the places of influence praising God it should have an effect where people around us will by God's grace want to get in on the action and say why do you praise like that why do you live like that I want to have some of that that is a hope for us this morning that as we spend time looking at Psalm 146 that it would bring us to praise God and it would bring others to praise him with us but as we begin I I got to say I I understand not everybody will be feeling this way this morning you know some of us would have walked in here feeling pretty wearied and burdened perhaps filled with sorrow some of us were 50/50 as you parked your car in the parking lot as you call it over here and as you walked up to the front door you might have been thinking do I just go home or do I stay even as a pastor I've got to say there are days when I find it hard to find joy and praise because that is what life can do to us but you see in verse one praise the Lord praise the Lord my soul the psalm is speaks this praise to their very soul to ignite their soul towards praise let me tell you if you're feeling that way this morning you're not here by accident God intended for you to be here so that you might hear and speak to you through these words given to us so that we might sing this Psalm together to our Souls so that it might be a balb to our wounds and that it would remind us yet again of who God is so that even on those days with dark skies we may cry out this Psalm to our souls to move us towards Praise of God and so we need to spend some time digging into this Psalm to see how it teaches us to praise God in this way so that we can praise God all the days of our lives and I want to frame it in three in three things with three things that this Psalm teaches us first what not to do then what to do and then what this means for us so firstly what does this sh show us about what not to do well look at verse three do not put your trust in princes in human beings who cannot save who do you think of when you think of princes see back in the UK we have a royal family there are a couple of princes well one of them is over here actually let's not talk about that um but you see princes are those with highest and influence they are of nobility when prins come in everybody stops and they notice them they look up to them see in our culture we could contextualize that and say those people the sort of princes we have today are influential leaders in business in politics in healthcare these are people who have New York Times Best Sellers for the younger generation among us we actually call people like that influences millions of people watch them watch them eat watch them do stuff watch them watching other things it shapes us to live and want to live the way they live see in a world that is more connected than ever before there are a million and one princes out there vying for our attention giving us advice on this is the way you should live your life this is what you need to do to make those decisions so the crunch question that the psalm teaches us and ask us is this who are we looking up to who give us hope and Direction and meaning where do our minds W to when we need help who do they go to who do we listen to for direction and guidance in our lives I thought about a way to diagnose this is to ask this question are there people in our lives that we say if only or if I just about if I just know that person if I just have that person in my life if someone would just only just introduce me to that person then my life will be set if I just read that book that this person has written or get some training with that person over there that will sort me out for good if I could just follow this person here that will set me on the on the road to fulfillment and success see who do we feel is missing in our lives or think that I need to keep that person in my life then I'll be okay who might be that person or persons in your life whether they are people close to you or people who are famous now let me be clear I'm not saying we completely disengage and ignore everything they say in God's grace they will say some good things some helpful things at times but the Timeless advice that Psalm 146 teaches us is this no matter how great that person seems no matter how smart they are how polished they are no matter how many followers they have we cannot build our lives upon people we cannot entrust ourselves to to others to be our foundation because they are finite human beings are finite as a kid growing up I used to look up to my dad I still do but I used to look up to my dad a lot because I thought he was perfect and Invincible at everything he was an Army Air Force pilot he is built like a rock but the older he got and the more I grew up I started to realize that Dad isn't perfect that he does make mistakes and as he's got even older I'm now spending more time looking after him he's still an amazing person I have so much respect for him but the reality is my dad is limited I hate to admit it but I know that's going to be the same for my kids Actually I don't even know if they see me as perfect or Invincible they probably don't they're only 5 three and one but they still look at me go Dad what are you doing the thing is I think deep down we we know this we know that human beings are finite you read recent books on leadership and there are more and more chapters now talking about leaders who need to be vulnerable who need to admit their mistakes because we understand that we are limited and finite and the psalm takes us to the climax of human limitation in verse four do you see where it says when their Spirit departs they return to the ground on that very day their plans come to nothing see our fin finess as human beings is epitomized by the reality that we are all Mortal that our days are numbered there is a play of words here in this Psalm the word for man and for ground in the Hebrew Adam and Adama they're really similar it's an echo of Genesis 3:19 where it says from dust we come to dust we return that is the fate of humanity see sometimes we look at Celebrities and business gurus and we think oh they are Untouchable they've got these body they they look so great and Prim and they've got these dietitians and personal trainers they seem to just keep going and going and going you watch the Olympics and you look at these athletes they're so strong and so fast they take the human bodies to the extreme and yet you know what Usain Bolt is not as fast as he once was there's a new champion on the Block every celebrity every prince every noble every influencer cannot escape the reality that we are finite and Mort Madonna Kylie they aren't at the top anymore now it's Tay if you're a Swifty fan or Ariana Grande whichever way you go and in a few years it will be somebody else see all those great plans that they have their moments of Glory are shortlived they will ultimately come to nothing and return to dust so why do we entrust ourselves our lives to other human beings let me try and illustrate this for a moment with a I don't know let's see if this picture Works imagine there's a big massive ditch and let's just Chuck a 100 rabbits in there okay so there are these real little rabbits that bobbing around some are taller than others some can jump a little bit higher than others and there all these rabbits sit there going oh wow you can jump really high and oh wow you're really tall but what's the problem none of them can get out of the ditch see that is what we are like some of us can jump high than others some of us are a little bit taller than others but we are all in the same ditch we cannot save ourselves from the realities of our limitations our weaknesses and our mortality let alone save other people but why do we keep doing this why do we find it so easy so natural to entrust ourselves to princes and other human beings for guidance and hope and meaning was because I think it reflects something that that sits deep down in the human heart that we believe life will be better without God that we believe we can do it all alone that we believe human beings are enough that is the Crux of atheism that has been the LIE we have believed ever since the days of creation many of you will be familiar with this story when God first created he created all things in Perfection it was so good he cre created Adam and Eve the first human beings and placed them in the garden to have freedom to enjoy all of God's goodness and his Beauty and God's desire was that they would enjoy a time with him that they would trust him lean upon him because God is good and in that picture of trust God said look don't eat from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil because that is not going to be good for you that is going to lead to death he's always wanted us to trust him to know that he is always there for us he is for us and he and he wants what's good for us but what happens see when human beings see that fruit it is so pleasing to the eye not because there was something inherent in the fruit but because of that deep desire in our hearts that temptation to gain wisdom and be like God to take his place to user him that moment revealed the rebellious heart that said I don't need God we can do better without him with just ourselves we just need one another see God had warned that such Rebellion would lead to finiteness to Brokenness to pain that would climax in death and that is exactly what we see ever since that first Rebellion you look around the world you look around this city you will see that Brokenness around us you will see oppression and affliction you will see deceit and hurt and lies you will encounter tense broken relationships and we see that limitation most clearly in the reality that all of us face of our mortality and that is supposed to be a reminder of that deepest divide that we will ever face of the great Chasm that we live in because of our Rebellion with God and if we stay in that place we will it will leave us separated from him permanently into eternity in a place that is without God's presence and his goodness in a place of torment and of emptiness that is the ditch that we are all in and you know what human princes as influential as they can be in the eyes of the world can never save us from that reality but that is why we praise God because God does not leave us in that state he doesn't leave us to princes who cannot save he doesn't leave us to figure out our own ways but he makes a way himself which leads us to the second thing that the psalm shows of what to do look at verse 5 blessed are those whose help is the god of Jacob whose hope is in the Lord their God what are we to do we are to find our help and our hope in God if you ever seen one of those Majestic trees like a a classic British oak tree or a pine tree or a palm tree as you see a lot in California you know there those trees are in incredible they are tall they are Majestic full of greenery and leaves but for their trees to get there they need to have roots that go deep the bigger the tree the deeper The Roots it's an image of Psalm 1 how the whole book of Psalms starts of a tree whose leaf leaves do not wither who yields fruit constantly see that is a picture of what it means to be blessed as it says in verse 5 we sometimes translate that word as being happy or being deeply satis IED and joyful see we when we think of blessedness we often think of the result what do we see what are the leaves and the fruits that we see but a hugely important part of blessedness is the deep rootedness that we need when you are blessed it means that nothing can really rock you or shake you because your foundations are solid see big trees like that can get battered by the wind and rain but because their roots are so secure they stand firm it's like that with us when we're blessed our hearts our position our place is secure see no amount of sorrow or grief or pain can move you from where you are now sure it will affect the way you feel it will affect your mood and the way you think but blessedness being blessed means your foundation is firm that is why we find Christians often so full of joy so full of Praise even though there are tears and hardships in their lives I think when you define being blessed in that sort of way I reckon whether you call yourself a Christian or not I think everyone would love to have some of that and so where do we find such blessedness Psalm 146 makes it clear you can only find it in one place with one person blessed are those whose help is the god of Jacob whose hope is in the Lord their God trusting in human beings in princes will never lead to security it will never ultimately satisfy instead it will often lead to disappointment in the end it will lead us to feel empty and unblessed but when our foundation of trust is in the god of Jacob in the Lord Yahweh the god of the Bible when we build our life upon the god of scripture that is where we find blessing that is where we find immovable assured Joy so the key question then becomes who is this God then what is he like and the psalmist the psalm bursts into a list of characteristics about this great God here are the reasons to build your foundation upon him and him alone see verse six he is the maker of heaven and Earth the sea and everything in them he remains faithful forever here is a simple truth and reality God is Creator he is the maker of all things you know what human beings we make some incredible things we've got to admit that we' human beings made the pyramids and the Great Wall of China the Stonehenge skyscrapers people all over the world travel around to see these sites and go wow and take selfies and photos about them here's the distinctive human beings always need something else to create something out of whether we have bricks and mortar or wood or Electronics or Lego we cannot create out of nothing but God he can in the beginning there was nothing it was an empty abyss and there God speaks creation into being in Psalm 8 describes how God is the one who placed the Sun Moon Moon and Stars in the Sky with his fingers Psalm 19 reminds us that the sky the heavens the clouds declare the glory of God see God is the one who made the the angler fish right in the depths of the bottom of the ocean he's the one who made the Bal Eagle who flies and rules the skies he's the one who made the lion the king of the jungle he's the one who made tiny Amber that we cannot see with a naked eye so when you stand on the shorelines of of wonderful sunny California which you're so used to some days I urge you just to pause and go wow God made that that is who God is he made the beauty of Nature and the animals and the sea creatures that you see even the rattlesnakes that you find in the Hills up that way seeing creation should make us stop and praise God because they remind us of something that no other human being can ever do that God creates out of nothing and that includes us God created you and I he's the one who gives us breath and life verse six then goes on and shows us the second thing that he remains faithful forever God is a god of faith and Truth he never breaks his promises he never lies he cannot lie we see that throughout scripture if you trace the story of the Bible you will see time and time again god making promises to his people and never once does he fail to keep them unlike human princes who so often fail God never fails he is faithful but then I this is what I love about this Psalm this Mighty Creator God who is so faithful is then full of compassion let me read from verse 7 onwards he upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry the Lord sets prisoners free the Lord gives sight to the blind the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down the lord loves the righteous the Lord Watches Over The Foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the Widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked as I told you before we live in a world of mess as a result of the Rebellion the first Rebellion that we did against God we live in a world filled with Hunger we live in a world that struck with physical and mental illness a world filled with oppression and abuse a world filled with people who are so often bowed down who feel crushed and weary but do you see the compassion of God God doesn't leave us in that state he is for the oppressed he is for the prisoners he's for the blind he's for the bowed down and the hungry God seeks out to save and rescue people in a world that is filled with Brokenness and mess as a result of our Rebellion do you know how we can know that so clearly how we can know that he cares for us that much this is The Wonder of the Gospel that the Creator God would step into this world in the form of Flesh as a man Jesus see for every other human prince who has come and failed us Jesus comes as the ever faithful one who never fails us and you watch Jesus's life and you read about it as he walks this Earth what does he do he shares this exact compassion for his people he opens the eyes of the blind like he does for bartus he gives food to the hungry when he feeds the 5,000 he upholds the Cs of the oppressed like those being crushed by the Pharisees he frees prisoners gripped by Satan and sin like the man among the tombs he lifts up those who are bowed down like the Samaritan women at the well and all of these things were pointing to Jesus who had come to rescue his people once and for all it was all of those things was pointing to God's great plan God's great plan that would never fail his great plan for Jesus to Walk to Calvary and to go and die on a cross for his people that was always the plan of God from day one that he would come as Jesus Christ to rescue his people once and for all where he would take the place of you and I he faced a death that we should all be facing our mortality for our Rebellion against God with that desire to cut God out of our lives death is what we deserved and at the cross at that moment Jesus says no I'm going to pay the penalty for our sin and it's at that moment that our eyes will be opened where we we will be lifted up from feeling crushed and oppressed where we would be set free from the prison of sin and death where we would now know of the blessing of God our help and our hope that is the only time in history where the plans of a man would go beyond on the grave because the tomb is now empty salvation is complete because of Jesus see in verse 10 the Lord reigns forever your God o Zion for all generations see Jesus rose from the death from the grave the only human being who has ever done so and he now reigns forever on the throne praise God and you know what the crazi thing is this is the promise of God that one day his people will reign with Jesus on that day those trusting in Christ will be finally and fully free from oppression from Hunger from pain from loneliness and we will reign with him you read that and you think I don't deserve this we don't deserve this but that is how much God loves us that is God's Mighty power his faithfulness his compassion wrapped into one and it's all found in Jesus who came who died who rose again to show us the way Hallelujah let me close just to think what does this mean for us then how do we take this truth these truths into our lives just two things to consider the first is this remember that first point don't trust in princes and human beings who are you trusting right now in your life if you're not a Christian here this morning you are so so welcome I'm so glad you're here but let me tell you don't put your trust in human beings don't put your trust in influences of this of this world because they cannot save you they cannot give you hope they will return to just dust just like you and I but put your trust in Jesus who lives and Reigns today because he came for you to show you how he is your help and your hope how he came to raise you up to free you from your Rebellion from the fangs of death and say today you can be blessed see at the cross Jesus cried out it is finished and God as we've said already is ever faithful which means when you put your trust in Christ then it is finished salvation is yours you are forgiven and you can now live under God's blessing in that security if you're a Christian here this morning then we need to consider are there people people in our lives that we lean upon and seek for help that we build our lives upon as our foundation it is so tempting to do that that's our heart disposition even for me as a pastor I find myself often looking and thinking I just need to know that other pastor and it'll be okay my ministry will go fine but Psalm 146 says no God is our only foundation he created us he's ever faithful he's compassionate he's the one who is Our Hope and our help the second thing I'd love us to consider is this let's live like Jesus did let's show the same compassion look with me at verse 8 again end of verse 8 it says the lord loves the righteous the Lord Watches Over The Foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the Widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked see if you're trusting in Jesus today that means we now live in his righteousness as those forgiven it means now we are called citizens of God's King Kingdom and we should live in that way we should live like Christ seeking out his righteousness which means we live as Psalm 146 calls us to we draw near to others with Christ's compassion we go to the rich and the poor in and across Ventura we go to those from different backgrounds and ethnicities we draw near to them as Jesus does so that they might know of God's of of God's goodness and his greatness that so that they might come to praise him like we do a particular challenge for us I think in London as well as in here over here in Ventura is to look out particularly for those who are different from us it's so easy to find seek compassion for those who are similar to us but are there others on the margins of society that we need to look out for those who are genuinely hungry and oppressed those who are orphans and widows single moms life is hard for those who are blind and less able-bodied who who are those people in our communities that we can draw near to and show Christ compassion to you at the cross Jesus reversed the Deep effects of sin and Brokenness in the world and when he returns that's going to be fully restored but as we wait for that day he calls us as a church to join him in reflecting his love and compassion to the world so that others might praise him like we do Psalm 146 it calls us to praise God so let us not trust in humans and in princes but let us build our lives upon God our great hope and our help let us build our lives upon God who came to rescue Us in his great compassion and may that bring us to praise Hallelujah to him and I pray that that would compel us to live for him now to show that same compassion that he shown us to those around us in our communities in this city so that others across this city might come to know and praise our Mighty faithful and compassionate God With Us to his praise and glory amen amen let me lead us in a prayer um as we close our time father we pray to you now as a God the maker of heaven and Earth father we pray to you now knowing that you have made all things that you have given us life and breath you made us and father we confess that in our hearts we too often want to cut you out of our Liv lives and live for ourselves trusting in other things father forgive us for that heart instead father bring us to you to see your great mercy your great compassion upon us through Jesus Christ to know that he came he died for our sake to pay that penalty for our sin and our rebellion and may we know through Jesus Christ the hope that we have of New Life in him may we know of that blessed life that you promise of being secure and deeply rooted in Christ Jesus and in him alone and through that would that bring us to praise you and as we praise you would it bring us to call upon others in this city to come to praise you with us as we point others to the glory of Jesus and we pray this in his name amen well brothers and sisters we now have an opportunity to respond through song through prayer through communion these aren't there to to earn us God's favor but it's a response to the experience of God's favor that we have through Jesus so I invite you to respond in different ways up at the front we have communion here on the stage the bread and the cup they are symbols of Jesus his body and blood that he sheded on the cross for our forgiveness for our rebellion and perhaps before you come and receive it's right for you to confess and say you know what I need to turn from those princes those humans that I'm putting my trust in those other things I'm putting my trust in to say no Jesus you die for me I trust in you you are my rock you are my foundation and as you come and you take and receive the body and blood you're saying yes I'm saying no to those princes and I'm saying yes to Jesus perhaps that's the right way to respond for you today for others it may be the Prayer Ministry who are available here to your right and your left wearing The Prayer Ministry lanyards they'd love to pray with you you know if you're not a Christian here this morning but you're hearing God's call and God's cry to come to him come to them and pray with them they would love to pray with you and say look listen to God's call for you he's waiting he's inviting you come forward for others of us we may be wearied and burdened we might might desire to sing praise but we're finding it so hard these brothers and sisters would love to pray with you to remind you once again of God's Great compassion for for you his glory and might come and pray with them and watch how the spirit would work in your lives and let's respond as the music team leads us in wor leads us in worship there are carpets here at the front where you can come you can kneel you can stand and lift your hands you can sit and pray let's worship and respond in whatever way that will help us to refocus on Christ let's respond in these various ways now [Music] [Music] I lean not on my own understanding my life is in the hands of the maker of hell I lean not on my own understanding my life is in the hands of the maker of hell [Music] I lean not on my own understanding my life is in the hands of the maker of heaven I lean not on my own understanding my life is in the hands of the maker of heaven oh I give it all to you God trusting that you make something betiful out of me I give it all to you God trusting that you'll make something beatiful out of me [Music] not on my own [Music] understanding my life is in the hands of the maker of heaven oh I lean not on my own understanding my life is in the hands oh the maker of heaven and I give it all to you God trusting that you'll make something beautyful out of me I give it all to you God trusting that you'll make something Bey full out of me I give it all I give it all to you God trusting that you're make something beautiful out of me oh I give it hold to you God trusting that your make something beautiful out of [Music] [Music] me friends the essence and the Heart of every sin ultimately lies with who we trust every sin is simply us saying I trust something more than God I trust something more than the maker of the Universe I trust my own [Music] ability I trust the voice of someone [Music] else I trust in the pleasures of this life this morning we can confess we can repent by letting go of those things by releasing them and by trusting in the only one who is truly worthy of our trust the only one who can truly Lift us out of the pit the only one who can give us life forever more we're going to sing this lyric that says I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open it's a visual picture of a life of surrender a life not spent clutching to the things of this world but reaching for the one who can save let's confess As we sing it together I will clim this mountain with my hands wide open I will clim this mountain with my hands wide open I will clim this mountain with my hands whyde open I will clim this mountain with my hands wide open I will clap this m mountain with my hands wide open I will clock this mountain with my ex why hoping I will climb this mountain with my ex wide open I will clim this mountain there nothing I hold on to there's nothing I hold on to there's nothing I Hold On To All I need is you there nothing I hold on to there nothing I hold on to there nothing I Hold On To All I need is you there's nothing I hold on to there's nothing I hold on to there's nothing I hold on to all I need is you there's nothing I hold on to there's nothing I hold on to there's nothing I Hold On To All I need is [Music] you oh I give it all to you Jesus oh my Str oh my [Music] Str nothing I hold on there nothing I hold on there's nothing I hold on all I need is you you there's nothing I hold on to nothing I hold on to there nothing I Hold On To All I need is you it's nothing I hold on it's nothing I hold on it's nothing I Hold On To All I need is you there nothing I hold on to there nothing I hold on there nothing I Hold On To All I need is you and I know that I can trust you I know that I can trust you I know that I can trust you all I need is you I know that I can trust you I know that I can trust you I know that I can trust you all I need is [Music] you all I need is you [Music] on Christ the soul rock all the ground sinking all other ground is sinking on Christ the soul rock all sink all of the ground is sinking on Christ the Rock the ground sinking of the ground is sinking [Music] God of creation there at the start for the beginning of [Music] time with no point of refence you spoke to the dark and fleshed Out The Wonder of life and as you speak 100 billion galaxies are born in the vapor of your breath the planets for if the stars were made to worship so I I can see heart in everything you make every burning star signify of GRA if creation sings You Praises so will I so will I [Music] and God of your promise you don't speak in vain still empty allive [Music] oil for once you have spoken all Nature and Science follow the sound of your voice [Music] and as you speak 100 billion Creatures cast your breath abounding in pursuit of what you said if it all reveals your nature so will [Music] I I can see hard in everything you say every pain in sky can be serve your grace if creation still OBS you so will I so will I [Music] so will [Music] I so will I the stars were made to worship so will I if the mountains bow in reverence so will I [Music] if the O Roar your gra so will [Music] I for if everything exists to lift you high so it I if the wind goes where you sending so it I if the rocks cry out is silence so will I [Music] if the of all our praise is still fall [Music] sh then will sink 100 billion oh oh oh oh god of Salvation you chased down my heart all of my failure and pride [Music] on a hill you create the light of the world abandoned in darkness to [Music] die and as you speak 100 billion failes [Music] disappear where you like lost your life so I could find it here if you love the grave behind you so will I I can see hard in everything you've done every part design in a work of our C love if you fin show surrender so will I I can see your heart in billions different ways every precious one a child you di to stay if you gave your Li to love them so will I like you again 100 billion times but one me could amount your de you're the one who never leaves the one behind you're the one who never leaves the one behind you're the one one who never leaves the [Music] one so I sing [Music] wor yes you are [Music] worth King of Kings Lord of Lord you are [Music] worthy [Music] worthy yes you are [Music] worthy King of Kings Lord of lords I worship you can we lift our voices sing we exalt thee oh we exal the we [Music] ex we EXO oh oh Lord oh we exalt we [Music] ex we [Music] ex we ex all oh oh [Music] My Hope Is buil My Hope Is buil on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness I did not trust the sweetest [Music] thing but ho just in Jesus name my hope is f on nothing less then Jesus di in righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest flame but holy just in Jesus name oh Christ Alone Oh Christ Alone gr Stone weak made strong in the saor love and through the storm he isise Lord Lord of [Music] [Music] all when darkness seems to hide his face I rest on his unchanging Grace in every high and stormy G my anchor holds within the veil my anchor holds within the veil oh Christ Alone Oh Christ the alone Corner Stone weak made strong in savior's love to the stor he is Lord Oh Lord of all oh Lord [Music] oh Christ Alone [Music] Cornerstone weak made strong in the savior's love through the S he is Lord oh Lord [Music] [Music] when he shall come with trumpet sound oh may I then in him be found just in his rightousness alone for this to stand Before the Throne let's sing when he shall come again when he shall come with trumpet sound oh may I then in him be found dress in his rightousness alone for all this to you s Before the [Music] Throne only you you are worthy oh only you are [Music] worthy oh Christ Alone [Music] Cornerstone weak May strong in the Savior Love is good the strong he is Lord Oh Lord Oh Praise the name of the Lord Our God and oh praise His name forever more for in this days we will sing your praise oh Lord Oh Lord our god oh Lord Oh Lord our god oh Lord Oh Lord Our God yes you are the Lord our God God you alone God are worthy of our praise and this morning we just ask that you would send us out as a people of praise God that you would send us out of this place and into our week into our jobs into our classrooms into the streets With Praise on our lips May our praise be a testimony may it testify to a world that is so broken who longs to be made made whole in the way only you can make us whole Lord I just pray God that as we praise you with our words and with our lives that people would see they would notice that they would find you as well we thank you Lord we give this time to you we worship you and all God's people who agreed said [Music] amen amen church so good to be with you this morning God bless you have a wonderful Sunday we'll see you next week was done