Finish_Strong_1.2025.09.21

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the Bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the Bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show notes and download the blank insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there will be a link to the episode website@beholdingbibletruth.com and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode in the gap and standing, standing up here leading our folks.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:52

And Jimmy, thank you as well for being willing to stand up as well and bring God's word to our people. Really appreciate it. Appreciate it. Allow me to go away. Cannot be. So the idea of vacation, learned long ago, is to be on vacation, which means to disconnect from business. So that for the time and when I first started doing that, for the first two or three days, you're kind of winding down. And then first the last two or three days, you kind of wind me back up, you know.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:25

So we're that really disconnecting from business, disconnecting from all the projects at home that need to get done and all that stuff. And normally you disconnect from the family, but we brought them with us so we weren't able to disconnect from that and to disconnect from the world in terms of current what's going on, what's happening. And that is always something that I rarely have a problem with just because I limit my access to all of that stuff. But during vacation there was impossible to do that because there was a number of certainly national events that occurred that would never have made their way through. But the assassination of Charlie Kirk really got through and really shook everybody on vacation. No matter where you are politically, what be thought of them. I just knew his name. I knew I never heard him speak, didn't know what his message was.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:23

I just knew he was a podcaster. That's about all I knew about him. So I just wondered, what are you feeling right now? Right now? What are you feeling right now? Word, phrase. What are you feeling about it? Sad. All right, now let's share some sad. For sure. Sad. Yeah, for sure.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:44

Sad. But think about it, how, how does it make you feel? Because I think it raised certainly emotions and then it raises questions. So how are you feeling? Sad. Yeah, for sure. Angry, confused, and Spectre. How many knew Charlie Kirk before the news? I mean, it was sort of the first time that you'd heard of him and knew of him. So interesting about Path Nav. I mean, even though if you didn't know anything about him, it shook your world.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:21

Just rocky cold, even though you didn't know anything about him. So no matter whether you knew him or not, it was shocking for sure. And I think it impacted everyone. Now it kind of sweeps across here and a couple of thoughts is, no matter whether you knew him or not, you'll go through grieving. It's good to understand the grieving process. So whether. Whether we're talking about what happened to C.J. or we're talking about happened to Charlie Kirk, we have so many questions, don't we? Why did that happen? What happened? I mean, all of those questions come up and I started to think about that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:54

I think one of the things that's most shocking is we get down to the real question, which is if that could happen to Charlie Kirk, then it could happen to me. Now, none of that specifically, but if God would allow that with Charlie Kirk, will he allow that with me? And I thought the real. The real thing in all of this is can I trust God? It's really the thing. Can I trust. Can I trust him? And can I trust him when I don't really understand can I trust him? Which is an introduction to a series that I wanted to do and I've done before, which is how do we finish strong? Because at the end of the day, Charlie also reminds us, teach us to number out days for our. His days were ordained when as yet, there was one. Right? You go through the same questions. Well, how come we had only that many? And I.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:45

I don't know. But teach us the number of days, because we don't know. It could be this afternoon, it could be tomorrow, it could be 30 years, 20 years, it doesn't really matter. But how do we finish, have this sort of finish strong? Does that make sense? So certainly, I think in all of this, as I think about this, right then you have a place where you process your emotions. I think, you know, and we don't want to be like Charlie. It's not be like Charlie. It's be like God has called you to be. And you can say, well, Charlie did this.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:15

Well, that's not me. Or Charlie did this. Well, that's not me. The fact is, Charlie was Charlie her. He was doing what God had called him to do, the ministry that God had. And he did boldly and courageously in that sense. Yes. Paul.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:28

Paul was unapologetic and he was bold. Right. So I would say it's be who you are and so be who God has called you to be. Right. We can learn lessons from him. Well, we can take, you know, courage in the fact that God is using us. Right. So I want to hint, what are the.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:45

The keys? Over the next. I think we're going to do six sessions on finishing strong, because that's what it's about, isn't it? How do we finish strong? And certainly the message from Charlie is to be like turnip and finish and strong because you don't know. We have today. That's what we have. We have today. We have today. So I put on there, to finish strong, you have to be anchored in two core things, and that is the sovereignty and the providence of Almighty God. The sovereignty and the providence of Almighty God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:17

And so the real question, I think, in the midst of this, right, if we, if we sort of dig below the feelings, is, well, wait a minute, can I trust God? Can you trust God? Because if he lets that happen to Charlie, will he let that happen or something like that to happen? Right? And so we're constantly struck, I always call it, with the devouts, you know, yeah, God is sovereign and providential. But what about. What about Charlie? What about, right? We're. We come to grips with, react. These things that are happening in life that seem to counter the fact. So it's absolutely critical to me that we're anchored in this. We're anchored in it if you want to go for the long term. And so I put on, you must run to the core.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:09

You must run to the core. This I know for sure, the farther you get out of the. Away from this I know for sure. The more you get confused, the more there are questions, the more you're uncertain, right? This I know for sure. And in the center of this is, this is God. This is who he is, this is what he says, and this is what he does. This is who he is, what he says and what he does. Because all of us, if you think about it, we're trying to bring those circles together.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:47

Who I am, what I say, what I do. So there's some sort of integrity with God. He is absolutely integral, right? There's an unbreakable circle. Who he is, what he says, what he does, always is sake. God has absolute integrity. That's what integrity is. Who I am, what I say, what I do, right? They should match. He has absolute integrity.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:13

So you have to run to the core. And I thought about this. In Psalm 73, the Psalmist is saying, wait a minute. When I look around, evil people seem to get a break. Like, what's up with that? That's what they're saying. Evil people seem to prosper. They don't seem to have the same trouble. It's all of that, right? What is going on? So he said, my feet came close to stumbling.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:40

Why? I didn't understand it. I was envious. This isn't fair. This isn't right. And how come that's the case? When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome. If you're not troubled, you're not tuned in. This is troublesome. Like, what's going on, Lord? Then he said, until.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:04

Until what? Came into your sanctuary. I came into your sanctuary. I came into your sanctuary. What's happening in the sanctuary? God's on his throne. Ever and always, eternally. Right? Ever and always. So I put down there. Your view of God will shape how you live.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:26

Of course. So here's the question he asked, right? Even back in Isaiah. He says, to whom will you like me? That I should be his equal? And who's speaking? The Holy One, the Holy Way. Yahweh, King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He's asking, so who do you liken me to? What's your view of me? What do you think about who I am, what I say, what I do? To whom then will you liken me? So I put on, here. Here are common ones. And you'd say, cosmic watchmaker. What's the cosmic watchmaker do? Wound up the clock.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:19

Let it go once in a while. If it's broken, I'll step in and fix it. Right? Kind of distant. Set the world in motion. There it goes. Or loving, but limited. Not powerful enough to stop evil in the world. Or a kind grandfather.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:36

Wilford Ringley, Right? Kind grandfather. I'd love to help, but, you know, people are doing all sorts of stuff. Or lastly, the absolute day. Who actively ordains and brings to pass everything that takes place in heaven and on earth? Who actively ordains and brings to pass. Well, this is a little bit like the gray squirrel question. Hey, Johnny. What's the gray squirrel? Lives in a tree. Johnny's in Sunday school.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:11

He says, it sounds like a squirrel to me. But I know the answer is Jesus. So we know what the answer is. Oh, he's the king. The question is in my mind and in my heart. Is he really king? And I don't mean my King. That's a separate question. But king of the universe, King of all time, King of everything that exists.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:32

That's the question. And all of these pictures, right, flood into how we think, don't they? Because we see stuff in the world and we start thinking, was God really is he really can be really. So we want to see what those are. Only when God is the absolute, K and I remind you, and he is. And only then can you stand firm and finish strong in an evil world. Am I right? If you're not deeply rooted, angry, foundationally, solidly put into his sovereignty and his providence. It's. It's hard to stand firm.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:13

It's hard to stand firm. So let's talk about the somber rain tea of Almighty God. Sovereignty of almighty God. Love how it sits in the middle of that reign. The sovereignty of God declares of. Sovereignty of God declared. If you've been in class for a while, right, Martha, you know, this comes up often because to me, if you don't get this right, everything else is confusing. Everything else is confusing.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:51

This is at the center. This is the core of who God is. If I don't get this right, I'm totally confused because the further you get from that, it seems like, well, that's why we limp I not by sign the sovereignty of God declare God reigns. God reigns. What does that mean? He reigns. He's on the throne. He's on the throne. Always, in all places, at all times.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:24

The Lord shall reign rounder and ever give praise to our God, you who sponsor. It's you who fear him. So this is in right, this is the end. The end of the end, Right? In Revelation it talks about this. The great and the small give praise to him. What do they say? Hallelujah. For he reigns. He reigns.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:46

He reminds us from the beginning of the end. He reigns. He reigns. The Lord, our God, the Almighty. He reigns. He reigns. And they are giving praise to him, those who fear him, the small and the great. And there was a voice that says of a great multitude.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:08

What's the biggest crowd you've ever been in? Even 100,000. Yeah. Football game, kind of 100,000. We would go, anybody go to the gathering of men. Yeah, the Gathering man was around 65, 000 singing, you know, praise to God. 65000 man and Detroit Superdome or wherever that was. Right. Well, here there will be myriads of myriads.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:34

How many is that? A lot? It's millions. Imagine looking in every direction and not being able to see the end of believers. And they're all saying the same thing. The Lord, our God, the Almighty, reigns. And when they're saying it, they're saying it in rejoicing. That our God reigns. That he reigns. He sits upon the throne.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:00

That our God reigns. And secondly, that God is free to do as he pleases. He is free. Which means he can't be pushed in the corner. He can't be coerced, he can't be bribed. He can't be bought. You know, we live in a world where it's easy to see that just about everyone is not afraid. They are boss bribe coors push into a corner.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:24

There's Christ, right? He does that. He. He does what he pleases. The nations are going to say, hey, where's your God? Our God is in the heavens and he does as he pleases. He does what he pleases. I'm God and there is no one like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, from ancient times, things which have not been done, saying, my purpose will be established. I will accomplish some of my goodwill, Paul.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:56

All of my goodwill. Truly I have spoken. Truly I will bring it to pass. Surely I will do it. Blessed and praise the Most High. His dominion is an everlasting dominion. His kingdom from generation to generation. I love this.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:13

He said all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. But he does according to his will. And no one can ward off his hand or say to him, hey, what has thou done right? So he reminds us his sovereignty. He is holy, just and good. He's gracious and merciful. Slow to anger and great in loving kindness. Loving kindness is tested. It's covenant love.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:50

It's unwavering love. The unwavering love of Almighty God. It is the love that he has set upon his people. He saw an anger great in hesed. Yahweh is good to all. And you watch this. His mercies over some of his works. All of his work.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:14

Lord is righteous in all his ways, kind in all his. He is righteous in all his ways. All the things he does is righteous in all his ways. Righteous, kind in all his deeds. He predestined us to adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the. I love this. The kind intention of his will. Okay, Condescension of His will until his intention is kind.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:53

He has a kind intent to all that he does. God is worthy of all honor, glory and praise. All honor. All glory. All praise now to the King. Eternal, immortal, invisible. The only God. The honor and glory forever and ever.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:18

Forever and Adam forever and Adam. The glory, majesty, dominion and Authority. I love this. He says, okay, here's where he should be glorified, honored, have dominion and glory. Before all time, eternity pass. And now and forever, just in case you missed, like before all time and now forever. Right. So always, ever and always.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:49

So the sovereignty of God declared is He's. He reigns, he's free, he's holy, just and good and he's worthy. That's the sovereignty. In other words, he's in charge. He's the king. There's nothing outside of his authority, his dominion. Right. So what's this old time word mean? The providence of God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:16

The providence of God, Fine. Providence of God defined. Well, Westminster Shorter Catechism says his most holy, wise and powerful. Two verbs. Preserving and governing all this creatures and all his. All their actions. John Calvin said by an erroneous opinion, beast, that all things happen, fortuitously happen by chance. The true doctrine of providence has not only been obscured, but almost buried.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:57

All events whatsoever are governed by the secret counsel of God. Someone which not secret, but ultimately much of it is secret if known only to him, in other words. So let's think about the providence of God. Display. How does he display his providence? Well, over creation for sure. By the word of the Lord. The heavens were made by the breath of his mouth, all their hosts. He gathers the waters of the sea together in a heap.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:32

He lays up the deeps in storehouses. It's his, he says, who makes lightning for the rain, who brings forth the wind from his treasuries. I sit at the beach, I love it because the ocean stops. You know why it stops? It says in the Old Testament, God says no further. He just says no further and then tries to explain it. Well, it's the moon. It's gravity. No, that's an explanation of it that just describes it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:03

It doesn't describe who's behind it. He just said the ocean will go no further. I just think that's so cool. The waves just keep rolling in. I look at, you know, the tide will come in a little bit, go up, you know. He's proven it over circumstances. First of all, chance. He says the lot is cast into the lab.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:27

But underline every decision is from the Lord. When they replaced Judith, when they replaced Judas, how they. How'd they be? They prayed and they cast lots. Pray and they cast lots. Why? God is sovereign over that. He's also sovereign over calamity. The one forming light and creating darkness, causing well being and creating calamity. I'm the Lord who does all of these.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:59

You can write down. Amos 3, 6 in there says, if calamity comes upon a city, this has not the Lord done it. So, right to the left of that. Because the word can literally be translated calamity for evil. Right? Calamity. To say thing is evil. So it's really important to put down physical evil, if you will. Not moral, not moral, evil, physical.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:31

In other words, the physical consequences for moral evil. God created physical consequences. When the world valley, there were physical consequences. That would be calamity with light. There is light and truth and right and warmth and understanding. What is the opposite of that? No light. That is darkness. Without God you have darkness, right? The same thing.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:00

Without his peace, without his prosperity, without his shalom. What is that? It's calamity. It's calamity. God is behind that. He says in Luke, where Jesus. They said to Jesus that when the tower fell, were these people more evil than other people? In other words, was there calamity upon them? Right. Kind of seemingly general calamity with this specific judgment for how wicked they were. Jesus said, do you suppose that these 18 on whom the towering Siloam fell and killed them were worse than others, Worse than the culprits? He said, in all of Jerusalem, he said, I tell you no.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:38

But unless you repent. So calamity is not only the consequence of sin. God is at the same time using it to say, repent, repent, repent. Because if calamity occurs, we should be asking the question, where is that from? Right. So he is sovereign over creation. He's sovereign over circumstances. He's sovereign over rulers, which means national, international, local. So what did say to Nebuchadnezzar? The Most High is the ruler over the realm of mankind, and he bestows it on whomever he wishes.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:18

Nebuchadnezzar forgot that. He said, go out there for seven years, eat grass at the end of seven years, he said. I looked up and he said, inside returned to me. Inside returned to me. But even in that time when he was teaching Nebuchadnezzar, think about this. The king of Babylon is like nutcase. He's eating grass over there. What do you think you're an enemy of Nebuchadnezzar? What would you do? How did he not lose his kingdom in seven years? Yes, God was showing.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:54

By the way, you're in that. You're in that case out there. I'm still preserving because I bestow it on whomever I wish at the end of the day. Yeah, but at the end of the day, God's Putting in. He lifts up one, he puts down another and he says in there, I make the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, scarcely have they been sown, scarcely has her stock taken root in the earth. But he merely blows on them and they wither. The wind carries them away.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:23

Like Chad when God said enough for Alexander the Great. He just moved across the entire known world at the time. And all of a sudden it just stopped. If you looked at history, it just stopped. And God said, well done. You're done. You're done. God is sovereign and providential over rulers.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:41

And here's the, here is the, here's the, the difficult one over evil intentions and actions. This is the hard one. We look back in 50 Genesis 50 he says to Joseph, says to his brothers, you meant purpose. Did right you look this she bore evil brothers. Weren't thinking, hey, it's any good for Joseph, right? You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. Say saint. Verb. Same verb.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:23

Same intention. Their intention was evil. God's intention was good. Is that true in Charlie Kirk's case? Yeah. This is a specific. Not like CJ who passed away from a disease. This is a specific evil intent. Evil intent.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:41

God meant it for good. Well, he gives us the. The ultimate picture of this with his son, this man, Lord Jesus, delivered over by the predetermined plan. Predetermined plan. And ah, foreknowledge of God knew it, planned it unans of the cross. For truly in the city that were gathered against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the gentiles and people of Israel who put him to death. Yes, yes. He's saying yes.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:21

All these yet to do what? Whatever your hand and your purpose predestined to occur. How does that work? I don't know, but it works. That's his working. That's his working. He shows us clearly in, in the case of his Son. So critical clarification. God is sovereign over evil, yet he himself is never evil. He's never evil.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:56

He's not the author of evil. Instead of sovereign over it, Luther would say Satan is God's 80. In other words, he's using him. He's using him. God is light. And underline this. In him there is no darkness at all, ever and birth. God cannot act evilly himself where he's good and undo evil, but he uses evil instruments.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:32

How does he do that? I don't know. He does. He does. God's sovereignty does not absolve Man's guilt. Every person is still morally responsible. And then, in case there's any confusion, he said his purpose. Who works all things over all things after the counsel of his will. How many find this disturbing? There's parts of you you should say, it's kind of disturbing, but I don't totally understand.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:04

I don't know what you're doing. But see, you have to understand. If you flip it the other way. Let's flip it the other way. God is not sovereign over all things. Evil is working and he just can't do anything about it. So that's where you go. Go the other direction.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:19

Say, okay, yes, God is not sovereign over all things. Therefore, evil is happening from man and nobody could. God can't do anything about it. He'd love to, but he can't. What would that mean? Evil would reign forever. There'd never be consummation of the ages. There'd never be the eradication of evil once and for all. You think about it, right? And so what does that mean? God purposes, God plans, God allows it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:49

God. So we use all the verbs to try and figure it out. Like God didn't purpose it, so we must have just allowed it, right? So we say, well, God allows it. Well, if God allows it, it means he didn't do something. So all those words are for you and I to kind of get comfortable with the fact that God was sovereign over the assassination of Charlie Kerr and he purposed it from eternity past. I don't understand how that works. I don't understand how it works. I just had to stand in it, standing his goodness and his sovereignty.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:27

Because the other is okay. He's not sovereign over it, which means somebody could pull the trigger anytime and take your life, my life, anybody's life, right? Maybe nature takes me. God doesn't know. So if you go to the other side of it and say, which is a better answer? I'm a sovereign and has providence over us, right? He says over all things, and he causes all things to work together. He just reminds us that he's in it and he's working. He's working, working, working. To my son, he said, unless a grain of wheat, Jesus said, it falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. If it dies, it bears much fruit.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:13

Much fruit. He said, christ is in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones. What? How about. How about brokenheartedness? How about widow? How about orphan? How about all of that? Fatherless, How? I don't know. But he's the God of the widow and the orphan. I can't explain it to you other than I can explain it. He's good and he's at work. He's good and he's at work.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:46

So there we are. So I. I get it. I know. I hear it. Stuck and struck, you know. Right. I'm here in there.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:59

Like, you know, some of you may be first time you hear this, some multiple times, you go like, okay, I think I know the answer, but I got a lot of questions. Right. I'm still uncertain. So we're going to. We'll dig even deeper in this as we go through here. Because to me, this is the only way we finish strong. Strong. It's the only way to finish strong.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:18

The only way we stand courageous. The only way we endure to the end. It's the only way we stand firm. It's the only way. If this isn't true, then you're on your own. Right? So here's a couple of things I put. Often you won't understand. Not sometimes, but often you won't understand.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:39

Why is that? Well, because he says, as high as the heavens are above the earth, my ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. They're 19 billion light years higher than you. Is it likely that you will understand? No. So I put on that you're. You're called to trust, not to understand. He's not calling us to approve. He's not asking you to understand.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:16

He's not saying so what do you think? Right. He's not. He's not calling you even to necessarily to defend him in the world. He's fine to do that. You don't have to fix everybody's misconception. You just have to deal with your own. You just have to deal with your own. But we're not called.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:38

We're not called. So he says in Isaiah 40. So the people were saying, hey, Lord, my way hidden from you. What about the justice do me see, at the end of the day, that's it, right? Charlie Kirk. All the stuff in the world we say, wait a minute, what about what's happening in my lives? This doesn't seem right. This doesn't seem fair. I don't make. It doesn't make sense.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:04

I don't get it. That's what they were saying, hey, I don't get it. So he says to them, hey, why do you say, my way is hidden from the Lord, the justice do me escapes the notice of my God. Then he asked him the question. So God has question for a Question, took it as God, I question. He says, let me ask you a question. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth, he, first of all, he doesn't become weary. It's not that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:41

He ran out of energy. Oh, he's tired. This is too much for him. You know, he's resting, right? He didn't. He didn't tweak his knee. He's. He's still. Right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:53

So he's saying, either you're saying, I don't have the ability. I'm not able. He says, I don't become weird, right? I don't become words. And he says, and his understanding is inscrutable. In other words, we're not called to put God in his ways under a microscope, test him out and determine whether he's real or valid or true. His understanding is beyond our scrutiny. So if you run his ways through your head, guess what? You're going to be left with the questions. I don't get it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:33

Doesn't make sense to me. How is there good in this? How are you at work? What's going to happen? Right? All of that. We're all left with that, right? I just remind myself, oh, you're not calling me to understand, calling me to trust you. And in order to do that, you must come into his sanctuary and run to the core and worship his sovereignty in providence. Worship his sovereignty and providence. That's where, like, whenever you go, there you go. That's where Joe went. Blessed is he.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:18

Blessed is he. That's what we're left with. He hasn't changed. He's still on his throne. He's still sovereign. He's still good. So in those moments, I gotta run to the sanctuary because I will not understand. And he said, my feet came close to stumbling when I tried to figure this out on my own.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:35

So I run to the gourb. Next thing I put, you can trust, because Almighty God is for you. He's for me. Really? Yeah. God is for us, not against us. God is against the evil in the world. You don't want to be there. That is for us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:07

Let me ask the question. He did not. He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all. Then he asked this question, the greatest rhetorical question in Scripture. How will he not also with him, freely give you all things? If God did not spare his Son, delivered him up for us all, how would he hold anything back? Is what he's saying, is there anything I won't Give you? I sent my son. Is there anything greater than that? Why would I withhold anything from you? And then I love this. The Lord will accomplish what concerns me. Your faithfulness, O Lord, is everlasting.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:52

Yeah, but I doubt, don't I? I don't really trust that. So when's the psalmist cry out, do not, do not, do not. Do not abandon the work of your hands. Think they feel like that sometimes? So I love that he confirms, lord, you will accomplish what concerns me. You are faithful. But hey, by the way, don't abandon me. Don't abandon the work of your hands. Isn't that great? That's us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:20

That's us. We confirm it and we're left with the doubt. But don't abandon the work of your hands. Don't abandon. So our guts big enough to hear your questions, to hear your concerns, to hear your doubts, to hear your frustrations, Bring them into the sanctuary and talk with your friends. You can go on social media, you do all that stuff, you're not going to get the real deal. You're going to get people's opinions. You go to the God of the universe and he's going to say, you did not spare his own son.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:54

How will I know? I'll swith and freely give you all things good. My mercies are all over all my works, you know, so you can trust, because God is for you. And you can trust that Almighty, because Almighty God is with you. For you, but he's with you. You know, ever in school, I was always in the out group, you know, if you ever got near the, the in group, you'd say, I'm with them. I'm with him. Right? I'm. I'm with him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:33

He said he's, he's got open, right? He says, cease driving and no, no what? A man of God, the Lord of hosts is with you. The God who, who, who is king of the angelic armies, The God who created all things by the word of his power, upholds all things by the word of his power. Right. He is the, the king of the armies of heaven. He is for you and he is with you. So he's saying, right front to the poor, run to the poor, rent of the poor. Who he is, what he says, what he does. All right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:07

Write down an insight from Finish Strong, which is really being anchored in the sovereignty and providence of Almighty God. Who has a question? Comment? Insight. It's a good word. Yeah. We just don't know if he comes early, it would change things. Yeah, we're struggling Together. We're struggling together. And if you're not struggling, you're not his.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:45

I mean, it's just. That's part of the deal. Yeah, that's a good setup, Roger, because next week is the mystery of Providence. When you come back here, that's what we're going to dive into and dig into, because it is a mystery in some sense. Right. But it is a glorious mystery. Is a glorious mystery that hopefully, once you understand, you will embrace it and it will give you deep, deep assurance and deep confidence that we can walk through in this fallen world, that God is the Lord of the world. This is my father's house.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:16

Great Him. This is my father's house. Right. He, our God reigns. The end of days. At the beginning of days, all days, our God reigns. He created the days. It will sum up the days.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:28

Right. And in and through it all, our God reigns. Our God reigns. Amen to that. Amen to that. Well, you close us in prayer, please. May our sovereign and providential God, may He bless you, may he keep you. May he caused his face to shine upon you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:43

May he lift up his countenance and grant you his shalom deep in your soul that you can walk with the security that God is for you. And God is to you with Him. Lord bless you and keep you. Amen. Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the Bible, in His son, Jesus Christ. Until next time. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:13

May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time. May God bless you and keep you.