Overview of Malachi

Amen.

Outside of knowing Jesus, my— and, uh, being married to my wife, it's a privilege and honor to be Camden's dad. And so we salute you. The father in me salutes the father in you. To all the dads, we have a special space. Why don't you take pictures after worship and, uh, to hang out with us a little bit and, uh, tell parts of your story. The next service will have a chance where you can record that as well. And so we're just grateful for you guys. And, uh, there's some, uh, special stuff we have outside as you leave. Um, if you get— if you catch it first. Um, but just to say thank you for being who you are, and we honor the journey you're on. We honor the man that you are and the man that you're becoming and the people that God is trusting you to raise. Friendship, one more time, give it up for all the brothers, all the fathers today. Happy Father's Day to you. We're starting a new series called Standing on Business. Somebody say, I'm standing.

I'm standing.

On business.

Amen.

And we're going to begin this series in the book of Malachi, and we're going to spend 9 months in Malachi, and I think you'll see a lot in this book. So, today what I want to do is give you an overview of the book of Malachi. And so, before I just jump right in, next week will be Malachi chapter 1, verses 1 through 5. Today I want to give an overview. I want to go through how the book is structured. I want to go through what the book means. I want to make sure you have a foundation for Malachi and then make sure that as you study it that you understand what you're reading. and grabbing ahold of it. And you'll get an email later today with the devotional that I wrote to help you walk through Malachi to apply it to your life. The biggest thing that we see in Malachi is that God's character does not change. God stands on business.

Yes.

Our issue is we don't often like God's character. And our problem is that we fight God's character and get frustrated when God does what God says God's going to do and he doesn't do it the way you want God to. God stands on business and a lot of us don't like the business he stands on. And so, before the end of this series, I pray to look at parts of our faith that are trying to manipulate God instead of trusting that when God says he wants all things well for you, he wants all things well for you.

Amen.

So, open your Bibles, Malachi chapter 1, and we're going to go through a couple of scriptures. I want to You can keep your seats. I want to navigate through and help you understand this. So here's a crazy thing, a couple things I want to give you. Malachi is set up like a court case. Malachi is set up like a court case, and God is bringing a case against the people of Israel. He has 7 cases he brings against the people of Israel, which is what structures the book of Malachi. I want to give you this also. Interestingly enough, as I was studying Malachi, I preached this book 3 different times in my career, something I missed the entire time. Malachi, we don't believe, was actually a person. Interesting. Malachi. Malachi means a messenger of God, message of God, which means a burden. We believe that Ezra might have written the book of Malachi. Nehemiah might have written the book of Malachi. Obadiah might have written the book of Malachi. Haggai, Zechariah. We don't know exactly who wrote it. And here's what makes that amazing. The book is so harsh to the people of Israel that no prophet really wanted to put their name on the book. This book was not written at the end of the story of Israel. It was written in transition. They're coming back from exile. It was written in transition. It's a transition book. So if you're thinking about your life and you're in transition between one season and another, a bad season and a fruitful season, a season where it seems like life was falling apart and God set you free from something and you're trying to build something new, building a business, building a life, this book is perfect for you. And oftentimes we segment the book of Malachi to Malachi chapter 3 about tithing. But let me tell you, the reason we have issues with tithing is we have issue with God's character, we have issue with our hearts, we have issue with God's community, we have issue with the way God works. And so, no, I'm not going to give to someone who I think owes me. And that's the book of Malachi for us. You're in transition. And so I want to take a look at our hearts today and take a look at this. So the book of Malachi, like I told you, it's 7 accusations that God has against the people of Israel. It's 7 times that God comes against the people. And it's interesting, so like here Malachi is giving giving us this book, we get this massa, this burden, this weight that's been held on the people of Israel. To give you context, Israel had been in exile. Babylon came in in 587 BC, destroyed Jerusalem, took the people, leveled the temple. Everything that gave them identity was gone. Persia rose. Cyrus issued a decree in 539 BC they could go home. And while they're going home, this is the book of Malachi. And the issue is, as they build this temple, as they get the scrolls, they hear the Word of God, Somewhere in all the movement of transition, all the work, the times they were sitting in their— they were singing a new song in a strange land, the times they were learning about the promises of God, while they had all the promises of God, their hearts went cold towards God. Scripture tells us the priests, the temple was running well. They were showing up, they were giving offerings, they were doing all this religious activity. The activity was intact, but their posture of their hearts were off. And scholars who study this, and this is my whole thesis for this whole series, the scholars who study this call this an ecology of disappointment. Exile's over, temple's rebuilt, the glory that God promised, the latter house is going to come. God gave them the new nations streaming to Zion, the new David was on the throne. Everything that God said was going to happen happened, but life was still hard. Persia was still in control. The economy was brutal. They had heavy taxation. They had land inequity. And the gap between the elite and the poor was widening. If that doesn't sound like America today—

Amen.

I don't know what does. And in this ecology, the people developed what I want to suggest is a theology of disappointment. God promised something God had not delivered on, and therefore God is a liar. Because disappointment, y'all, has a theology. And Israel's theology had become the lens they had used to read God. It's interesting. I want you to think about this. I have a phone, my iPhone, and I have a screen protector. I do a lot of my content for my TikTok on my iPhone. And it was a couple of months ago, I'm sitting here and I'm like, my image, my videos are getting real blurry. And I'm like, oh, I swear I just bought this phone and all this stuff. And so Courtney said, did anything get under your screen protector? I said, nah, it's just I paid all this money for the screen protector, bought this brand new phone, yet my images and my pictures were really blurry on my selfie camera. And she said, Justin, maybe if you take the screen protector off, you'll make sure the camera's not broken. Now, I was ready to go buy a new phone, 'cause I'm like, I just bought this phone and my camera is blurry, only to find out that something had gotten under the screen protector that made every image I made blurry.

Wow.

Phone was fine. My lens was dirty. Mm-hmm. And I was about to throw away the whole phone when I needed to clean the lens.

Okay?

For many of you, you've thrown away your faith because your lens of God has been dirty.

Mm.

Loss, death, grief, a prayer that didn't get answered, a season of silence. And now you made a theological conclusion that God is a liar to you because simply your lens of God is dirty. And Malachi's God trying to clean that lens, 'cause in a world of people People that have seen God work, now they're disappointed. I want you to see the questions. So you have your Bibles, go to Malachi chapter 1, verse number 2. I want you to see here. Here are the questions that God asks the people and the engagement that God gives them. I want you to see how we're going to structure this series. So go to Malachi chapter 1, verse number 2. I want you to underline this. I want you to highlight this. And I want you to see how we're going to— the map for this series, how we're going to preach it, ask you 4 questions, and we'll get ready to go. So look at question number 1, Malachi chapter 1, verse 2. Underline this. Highlight this. Hold on to this. This is the mirror that God is giving us. The first question that God asks them, God says, I have loved you, Malachi 1:2. But they ask, how have you loved us?

Why?

Here's our version of this text. God, do you actually care about me? Because it seems like you don't from where I'm standing. This is what this text is saying. This is the first question we're gonna wrestle with next week. God says, I loved you, but we say back to God, how? And where have you in your life said that to God? You say you love me, but do you actually care? I want you to go down to verse number 6, Malachi chapter 1, verse 6, and I want you to see the second question that we get asked in this text. Malachi chapter 1, verse 6, underline, highlight this. A son honors his father and a servant his master. If I'm a father, where's the honor due me? Here's our version. God, why are you checking me right now? Because I showed up, I did what you told me to do, and why am I not blessed?

Yes.

Why don't you go over to Malachi chapter 2, verse number 14. I'm going to challenge your faith in this series because I want us to grow up in our faith in this series. Malachi chapter 2, verse number 14. Malachi 2, verse number 14 says these words, you ask, why does the Lord no longer accept my offering? Here's our version, what I believe we say in our world today. God, how much does faithfulness actually cost? Because it's getting too expensive for me. How much does following you actually cost? Because you're getting really expensive. Go down to verse number 17. I want you to see this. Go down to verse number 17. Underline, highlight. This is the roadmap of our series. Go to verse number 17.

17.

You've wearied the Lord with your words, and you say, how have we wearied him by saying everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and he delights in them, or by asking, where is the God of justice? Here's our version of the same question: God, do you see what's going on down here? Because it doesn't look like you do. When I see people call our former First Lady a man, What am I supposed to tell my daughter when I see the president have a UFC fight in algae in a reflecting pool and spend millions upon millions of dollars for that, but I can't afford gas? God, do you see what's going on down here? Come on, Pastor. Because it doesn't seem like you see what's going on down here. Go to Malachi chapter 3, verse 8. Malachi chapter 3. I want you to underline. I want you to highlight these. I want you to see the roadmap because these are the questions, the court case God has for the people of Israel. Go to Malachi chapter 3, verse 8. Will a man rob God? Yet you're robbing me. But you say, God, what? How have we robbed you?

God, please.

I put this song on the video if you guys ever listen to the song on TikTok. Where am I scamming? And so Malachi 3, verse 8. God, you want my money in this economy? Do you know how much money is in my account or what's not in my account right now? And you're telling me I've robbed you? God, I ain't got nothing to give to you. Go to Malachi chapter 3, verse number 13. Underline, highlight these. I don't have to ask you, but I'm sure many of us have asked a lot of these questions of God in our faith walk. Look at Malachi 3:13. Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord, but you say, how have we spoken against you? Our version: God, I didn't mean it, but I said it. I have not said anything against you though, right? And go to verse number 14. You've said it is vain to serve God. What is the profit of keeping his charge or walking as mourning before the Lord of hosts? God, I've been trying. I've been faithful, but I still feel like I'm losing.

Yes.

These are 7 moments where Israel looked at God and said, God, you are not who you say you are. And each time, here's the good news, the grace. If I were trying to shout you today, God stood on business and answered every one of their insulting questions. This is grace that keeps talking. God's grace does not quit on you when you've quit on God. I wish I had somebody in the building who could shout right there. If I hoot that and howled that, that was a back-arching, braid-tossing, 2 laps around the church shout. God's grace does not quit on you when you've quit on God. quit on you when you've quit on God.

Right.

God loves you so much that when you've asked him insulting questions to his character, he kept on talking. Many of you can't have a conversation and somebody says one of these questions to you and you give them the grace of a conversation. I can't. But God says you insulted him 7 times over And he kept on talking. Thank you, Pastor Lester. So as I wrestle with this text, and before I just wanted to jump into Malachi chapter 1, I want to conclude here. I want to ask you some questions because I believe this text, this book is going to challenge us into some deep places of our hearts. And I believe the Malachi runs deeper than the questions that we are asking God. God invites the questions of our faith because the perception of God has been distorted by disappointment. The vision that many of us have had of God has gone blurry, whether 'Cause some of you have not seen God the same since divorce. Like, everyone just— you have not seen God the same since you lost your mother. You've not seen God the same since you moved because your lens is dirty.

Right.

The colors are off. You got a dirty lens. In the book of Malachi, God's saying, hold on, I have not changed. Because Exodus and covenant and rebuilding the temple and moving across the country and having fathers fail you and having people fail you and unmet expectations, all these things have happened. And if you keep looking at me through a dirty lens, you'll keep talking about me the wrong way. And that's why your prayer time is not evolved, because you're looking at God through the wrong lens. Lost betrayal, a prayer that went nowhere, things that stretched you. And if we're going to see ourselves well, you've got to see God well. So here's my first question. I want to ask you 4 questions this morning to center your hearts on this series. Number 1, here's the first question: what have you decided that God owes you?

Mm-hmm.

Most people sit in church and be like, oh, what? My God, God doesn't owe me anything. I owe him my praise. Well then, why don't you give it to him? Life happened, promotion came, marriage didn't survive, a child went against what you wanted to do, your dream for that you had for a decade didn't happen, something shifted, your body failed failed you, and after everything you've done for God, after all the church service you came to, all the faithfulness, you're looking at God and saying, God, I deserve better than what you gave me. You know what you have against God? You have a debt ledger.

Ooh.

And whether you know it or not, every time life didn't go the way you wanted it to, you've been— God's been running up debt to you. Think about a credit card statement. You got a balance, you keep charging, the minimum payment keeps climbing, and at some point you stop opening the statement.

Yes.

Because at some point you stop opening your Bible.

Amen.

You avoid the conversation because you got a tab with God, and the gap between what God should be giving you and the gap what God actually is giving you is getting wider. And so it's easier for me to ignore opening the envelope than it is to have a conversation. Because when God becomes the debtor in your mind, your hands close to everything he's giving you. Because you don't go ask broke people for money because you know they don't have it. And for many of you, the reason when you come to worship and you don't want to give God praise is because you think God doesn't have it anymore. So you come to church with your arms crossed because God's got to pay you something. You go to work with your arms crossed. You go to the job interview with your arms crossed because what can God give me? He didn't give me mercy this time. He didn't give me a job this time. He didn't give me a man this time because I'm looking at my debt ledger and saying, God, what what you gonna do. And here's what I want you to understand: vague resentment is hard to heal. Specific resentment, God can work with. Where do you resent God, and have you had a conversation? I know that's hard to hear. Like, what? I don't resent God. No, you do. That's why when we say, I surrender all, you sing, I surrender some, because you resent what God has not done for you, because you feel God owes you. What have you decided God owes you. Number 2, here's the second piece. What— second question I want to ask you, I really want you to wrestle with these. I'm not trying to beat you up, but I really want you to wrestle with these. Number 2, what am I using as evidence that God does not care? What am I using as evidence as God does not care? Every person in this room who's been through something, whether you prayed and you've waited, you believed, And then saw the worst things happen, you've built a case against God. And maybe you haven't said it. You haven't been in your kitchen and said out loud, like, God, I got a legal case against you. But you've collected evidence and you got exhibits. Like Exhibit A, God, here's the prayer I prayed that you didn't answer.

My Lord.

Exhibit B, God, here's the relationship I believed you for that fell apart anyway. Exhibit C, God, this is the healthcare crisis I had that I've taken a lot of pills for, but you just won't remove.

Right.

God, exhibit D. Here's the moment that, God, you showed up for somebody else, but you didn't show up for me. And you won't admit it, but you got a case against God. So every time somebody says God is good, in the back of your mind, you got a file of 20 things that say God isn't. Because you've delivered a verdict in worship, and all you come here to do is look for confirmation. That's why you don't like seeing other people blessed. That's why you hate altar calls, because you've already got a verdict about God. So every sermon we preach, you're looking for ways to cherry-pick through it because you're mad at God. Every worship song is never good enough for you because every worship song always points to a good God and you think he's a bad God. Every moment someone says something that sounds like hope, you are sitting in the jury box with the case already decided.

That's right.

and you've already concluded your decision. You know why? Because you are frustrated with God's will. So I want you to open that case back up, because let me tell you this, on a real tip, God has more evidence against you. On a real tip, God got a whole lot more evidence that's real against you.

Let me know the truth.

He's got more evidence about his goodness that you don't wanna grab ahold onto.

Yes.

Every exhibit you have, God's got responses. And here's how much he loves you. He will sit there and engage every exhibit.

Oof.

I'll tell you, rejection is God's protection. I'll tell you, I kept you from 3 things you didn't need to see. You didn't like that I didn't let you go to that job interview I protected you from the accident that was coming down the way. God says, you don't understand every exhibit you've got. I've got a response to it.

Amen.

Number 3, number 3, here's a question I want to raise to you. I'm almost done. Where have I confused God's character with somebody else's behavior? I want to be really careful with this statement. A lot of you are carrying wounds that have been inflicted in the name of the Lord.

Mm-hmm.

Someone who misused authority, excluded instead of welcome, weaponizing scripture, somebody who used religion to control you instead of free you. And somewhere in the aftermath of all of that, you merged the person that harmed you with God, and you don't know how to keep it separate. So, when you think about God, you feel a sinner. You know, I like paint and I was— the teens were here painting a couple weeks ago. And when you mix 2 paints together, you put the red in, you put a color in, you put another color in. So, unless you put red in and put white in— sorry, you put pink in and put green in. I'm sorry. Because I'm sorry about red and white. So, you put 2 colors in and a color comes out.

Yes.

Because you can't find the original colors anymore once you mix 2 colors together. The original color is in there, but you can't separate the color by looking at it. The issue for many of us is you blended people with a good God, and your perception has changed. So, when someone harmed you or someone did something against you, you've equated God with the Amen. So the person who hurts you or misused you is not God. The person who betrayed you is not God. The church who did something to you is not God. The parent who quoted scripture to you as a weapon is not God. The religion that was used to control you is not God. God is not them. And you've got to let that land, because seeing yourself well starts with seeing God clearly, and you cannot do one without the other. You cannot see God accurately looking at him through the lens of somebody else's sin.

That's right.

When you look at God, you're looking at God. You're not looking at somebody else's face. But for many of you, when we talk about God, you see your father, and that kills you because you think abandonment immediately. When you talk about God, you see your mother, and you see abuse, and that kills you. When we talk about God, you see your boss, and that— Malachi is separating the work of God from the work of people. God says, I give grace to sinners, but I don't need grace because I'm the grace giver. I want you to stop looking at God through the lens of somebody else's face. And then lastly, here's my last question. What would it mean for you if God is exactly who God says he is?

Amen.

This is it.

I want you to really think, if God is really who God says he is— see, most of the resistance we have towards God about what happens, like, if God says who— if If God is who God says he is, if God is good, if God is just, if God loves me, if God's plans for me are good, then you've got to release the lies you've been telling about God. We don't like that. You've got to— if God is who God says he is, you've got to release the narrative that God is against you, and you don't like that, 'cause you like being the victim.

That's right.

Or you like being the villain. Because if God is good, you've got to stop telling yourself that God is bad. If God is just, You got to stop telling yourself that all things don't work together.

If God loves you, you can't say that God hates you. But you like saying God doesn't like you because that gives you something to put in your group chat, that gives you something to be mad at a pastor about, that gives you some— a reason not to stand for praise and worship, that gives you a reason not to celebrate other volunteers, that gives you a reason not to read your Bible. Because I've got to tell myself the lie that God is not who God says he is. And this is one of the hardest shifts that you have Because you have let your wounds become your identity, that the thing that happened to you has defined you. So you are not— you are not your name. You are divorce. You are not your name. You are loss. You are betrayal. You are the season that failed. You are the failed entrepreneur. You are the one who lost their job. Instead of, if God is for me, everything that's been taken from me has been for me.

Amen.

My good.

Why?

Because God is good, not some of the time, but all the time. And I know I'm breaking some things in you because no, you think that God hates you. God can't stand you. God doesn't know where you are. But if you give yourself permission to say that God, you are good in every season, that means what hurt me was to help me, and God will heal me no matter where I am. What if you gave yourself permission to say that? Give yourself permission to trust that God is who God says God is.

I want you to think about how GPS works. I was in Oakland and I was at— I was in Oakland, I was teaching this week. I was at the church and I wanted some Jersey Mike's. I knew there's a new Jersey Mike's across the way. I just couldn't remember how to get there. All the construction by there because they put another Costco. So I'm sitting there like, cool, I want Jersey Mike's. I love a good Jersey Mike's sub. Courtney makes fun of me. I love a good deli sandwich. I will travel 45 minutes for a good deli sandwich. And I'm sitting here like, I want a good deli sandwich, and nobody does it better right now than Jersey Mike's. Y'all who go to Subway don't know Jesus, because Jersey Mike's is amazing. Like, the Mike's Way with some mayonnaise is just amazing. I get 11. The sandwich I get ain't even on the menu. That's how much I know Jersey Mike's. Like, I've been to Jersey to Jersey Mike's. Anyway, so I put in the GPS, I'm like, Jersey Mike's, 5 minutes away. So I put in my GPS how to get there because I was trying to run the construction. And so I sit there and I put it in and it had me 45 minutes away. I said, how? I'm at the church. But I didn't click the button that said let it find where I am right now. So it had me starting in Oakland to get to Jersey Mike's across the street because I didn't give it my current location.

Amen.

That was so good. I don't care what none of y'all say. That was— because for many of you, you and God have the wrong starting point.

Yeah.

So that's why everything takes forever. You got all the twists and turns because you're starting in your trauma and not in his grace.

Yes.

You have a much shorter— you have a much shorter journey when you trust God, but because you did not give him where you are, It's now miscalculated how long it's going to take.

Absolutely.

And so you're taking the long way home instead of trusting that grace will make it a lot shorter. And so for many of you, your whole faith walk has always been climbing the rough side of the mountain instead of moving it, because that's what God says he'll do. Your whole faith walk has been you swimming in water that you need to be walking on.

Mm-hmm.

Or maybe you're drowning in water you should be walking on. What would happen if God is who God says he is? So what's the solution? Well, Malachi 3:7 is the entire turning point of the book, and I'm finished. Malachi 3:7 asks this question. Israel asked God, God, if we did all of this, how shall we return? How shall we return? Here's the good news. No matter how far we are, no matter how wounded you are, no matter how frustrated you are with God, there's no masterclass you gotta take, there's no 12-step framework, there's nobody you gotta go with, there's nobody you gotta sleep with. God says, if you want to return to me, return.

Hallelujah.

Turn around and see that I have not changed. And trust me. So my questions to you before we go today, and I'll send you a devotional tonight: where— what have you decided God owes you? What are you using as evidence that God does not care? Where have you confused God's character with someone's behavior? And what would it mean for you if God is exactly who God says God is? Lay hands on yourself, and I want you to repeat after me. Say, God, I don't have it all figured out. I'm willing to see you clearly, and I trust you do all things well. In Jesus' name. Every head is bowed, every eye is closed. Asking the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, What are you saying to me?

So good.

I want you to sit for a second.

To me. Whoa, Lord, you are good. You've been so good. Lord, you are good. You've been better than good. I can't praise you enough. I owe you my life. Can't praise you enough, even if I tried, 'cause you've been so good, God.

You've been so good.

Yes, you've been.

God, I thank you that you are who you said you are. And God, for those of us who are wounded soldiers on this battlefield, we've got weapons against you instead of our enemies. God, we've got weapons against each other instead of our enemies. We've got weapons God, even against ourselves instead of against our enemies. Father, forgive us for the times that we've misused your word and stopped trusting it. Forgive us for the folded-armed worship we've given you. Forgive us, God, for not being in your word because we don't like something that you've said. Thank you that you love us so much to call out the things in us. Thank you that you love us so much to not let us go back to what you set us free from. Thank you, God, that you love us so much that you do all things well. So God, I thank you that you are good. I thank you that you are kind. I thank you that you are consistent. I thank you that you are just. I thank you that you are real. I thank you that you don't know how to lie. I need some worshipers. I'm ready to go, but I need some folk in the building that can say, you know what, God, I'm shifting my heart's posture. God, I thank you that even in sickness you've been good.

I thank you, God, that even in pain you've been good. I thank you, God, that even in loss you've been good. I thank you, God, that when I lost my job, I didn't miss a meal. Ah, I thank you, God, that when I lost my mind, you gave it back to me. I thank you, God, that when my marriage got hard, you gave me peace in my mind. I thank you, Father, that when my children went crazy, you gave me grace to lead them.

I need some honest people in the building.

That can help me close this service and just tell God, thank you that you've been consistent. Thank you that your character has not changed. Thank you that your character has been consistent. So Father, we honor you today that you are a just God and that in spite of all of our questions, in spite of our frustration, in spite of our negativity, you have not changed. And so God, since you have not changed, we will change. So Father, right now before I leave this place, I change my heart's posture to tell you thank you. Thank you for another day's journey. Thank you for waking me up this morning. Thank you for starting me on my way. Thank you for restoring my mind, restoring my peace, healing my body. Thank you, God.

I wish I had somebody in the building. Thank you for my marriage, my wife, my husband, my child, my job, my resources.

Thank you for my wisdom.

I need some honest people in the building. Thank you for the college I went to.

Thank you for the job that rejected me.

God, I thank you that you have been good in every door you've opened, every door you've closed, every opportunity you've given, every opportunity you've taken. God, I thank you that you are good. I need like 50 of y'all in the building that can help me close this service and open up your mouth where you are and say, God, I thank you that you are good. Y'all can go stand up all over this building Let's close worship together. I need somebody in the building. In spite of my pain, in spite of my frustration, in spite of what I'm dealing with, God, you're good. And God, you're good. So God, raise the standard of my faith. Raise the standard of my faith to align with what you've said in Jesus' name. Somebody say hallelujah. Somebody say thank you, Jesus. Now somebody give God the best praise you've got because he's good. He's good. He's good. He's good. Oh, he's good. God bless you.

Hallelujah.

Right to everybody. You've been so good.

You've been so good. Hallelujah.

You've been so good.

You came through so much for me.

Somebody bless the Lord like you mean it. Come on, somebody bless him like you mean it. Come on, somebody bless him like you mean it. Come on, come on, bless him like you mean it. Come on, bless him because he's opened doors. Bless him. The Lord is in his holy temple. Come on, somebody bless him like you mean it. Bless him for his Bless him for his character. Come on, bless him for his consistency. Bless him for his honesty. Bless him for his truth-telling.

Bless him because from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same sun, the Lord is good. The Lord is good. The Lord is good. The Lord is good. The Lord is good.

If you don't know Jesus, stop by the connection table. If baptism is your next step, We would love to baptize you on next Sunday.

Don't let this moment leave you.

If baptism is your next step, let us know at the connection table. If you're looking for a church home, let us know at the connection table as you exit. And for everybody in the building who know he's good, it's 10:04. I'm gonna give you to 10:05. Can we just raise the roof in the building? Come on, raise the roof.

God, we thank you.

God, we honor you.

Come on, 30 more seconds. Come on. God, we thank you.

Come on, come on, release Come on, come on, come on.

Open up your mouth, clap your hands, all ye people.

I feel glory. Clap your hands, all ye people.

Come on and shout unto God with a voice of triumph. I sought the Lord and he heard my cry.

I sought the Lord and he heard my cry.

So enter into his gates with thanksgiving and come into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless his name.

Why?

Because the Lord is good. The Lord is good.

The Lord is good.

The Lord is good.

Hallelujah. The Lord is good.

Have a wonderful week. We'll see you next Sunday. Happy Father's Day. The Lord is good.

Come on, hug—

go find somebody, hug them as you exit. Tell them, God has been good to me. Come on, hug somebody. Tell them, God has been good to me. God has been good to me.

God has been good to me.

So good to me.

You're a good, good Father. That's who you are. That's who you are. That's who you are. And I'm loved by you. It's who I am. God, it's who I am. It's who I am. You're a good God.

It's who you are. It's who you are.

It's who you are. It's who you are.

And I'm loved by you.

It's who I am.

Yeah, it's who I am. Who I am.

Glory to God.

Who you are. Who you are.

Who you are.

Who you are. In my life. It's who you are. And I'm loved by you. Who I am. Who I am. Who I am.

Who I am.

Who I am. Who I am. Who you are, and I'm loved by you. Who I am, who I am, who I am, who I am, who I am. You're good, good God. Who you are, who you are, who you are, who you are, who you are, and I'm loved by you. Who I am, who I am, who I am, who I am, who I am, who I am. You're a good, good God. It's who you are. It's who you are. It's who you are. And I'm loved by you. It's who I am. It's who I am. It's who I am. It's who I am. It's who I am.