Go with me back to Proverbs chapter three. Proverbs three, and let's read verses five and six again. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. I have something that I want to say tonight. I have something that I believe has been laid on my heart to say tonight, but I have struggled with how to say it. I have very much struggled with how to say this. Let me just talk for a minute, and then we'll see if the Lord will make sense of this, if it will all come together and the Lord will make, I'm begging the Lord to make sense of it in the moment.

I pray he will make this message clear to each one of you. The longer that I live, I believe, I believe in my heart, the more real the Lord is becoming to me. I believe this. I hope this is the case. I want this to be the case. I pray this is the case. I really pray that this is the case. For the longest time, when I was younger, I grew up hearing about God's eternal sovereignty. This is what I heard growing up. I heard about God's eternal sovereignty. I heard about God's eternal purpose.

I heard about everything that he has ordered and set in stone before the foundation of the world. Everything that is our Lord ordered it and set it in stone before the foundation of the world and everything that he ordered and set in stone will come to pass exactly as he said it would come to pass.

I grew up hearing that he does not change. He does not change. Known unto him were all his works from the beginning, and they're set in stone. He predestinated all things. A lot of people don't understand that. They don't want to hear that, but he did. He predestinated all things. He has already purposed everything that will come to pass. Everything. He has already established who will be saved and who will not. He's already established it. Not one soul that he did not elect will be saved. If he did not elect the soul, the soul will not be saved. And not one soul that he did elect will be lost.

It's done. It is done with God. It's all done. It's all finished. It is complete. It's perfect. There's nothing to be improved on. What he's purposed to do, that's what he will do. People pray to him, you know, kind of hoping they'll change his mind. And just shift him a little bit, however they're kind of hoping that things will go. Whatever he purposed to do, that's what he will do. Whatever he said, that's what will be done. There is no shadow of turning with him.

Now that's what I grew up hearing. And every bit of that is so. Every bit of that is so. I had a head knowledge of things that were so. I had a head knowledge of things that were so. But even though I had a correct head knowledge concerning God, I don't believe that I had a correct heart knowledge concerning God. And it's because I only viewed him in a very distant, disconnected, doctrinal, matter-of-fact way. And this is where many people go wrong. You almost develop the attitude of, then why pray?

He's gonna do whatever he's purposed to do. Why witness? Does that make sense? Why anything? You know, if it's that, if it's just that dogmatic, if it's that... I believe there are many people who understand what I'm talking about and almost have this view, the same view that I had of him. I believed these doctrinal truths concerning him, but I believed them from afar. I don't know if that makes sense, but this is the best way I know to put it in words. I believe these things concerning him, but I believed them from afar.

I've told you before that for the longest time, I viewed the Lord as the Lincoln Memorial statue. That's how I viewed God. I am God, I change not, everything is set in stone. I am seated on my throne forever. Even though that's true, that's true. But even though that's true, at some point it started to become real to me that this sovereign God became a man. At some point, it started to become real to me that this ordered and sure, set in stone, just and holy God purposed to become a man. And he did that. He predestinated all things for the purpose of joining himself into a living union with his people. A living union. I'm making a lot of sense to me right now. I don't know if I am to anybody else, but I'm getting it. Because I have many years in my mind of confusion and wake up calls that are coming to me.

But our Lord predestinated. He purposed everything that is for the purpose of joining himself into a living union with his people, not just a ordered, purposed, unchangeable union. but a living, loving, speaking, smiling, interactive union. This is what it is to really start to get a hold of Christ. This is what it is to really start to get a hold of Christ, to see God's will and God's purpose and God's glory in Christ. Our Lord has spoken. Our Lord has spoken and therefore he speaks to the hearts of all of his people.

Our Lord chose before the foundation of the world who he would love way back then. And therefore he loves them right now and cares for them right now. Our Lord predestinated, he predetermined the path of every one of his people. And therefore he leads each one of them down that path every step of the way.

God became a man to live for his people and to die for his people and to put away the sins of his elect people. He came to reveal himself to his people. And He came to reveal the truth of these things to His people. And if He has revealed Himself to us and revealed the truth of these things to us, then it means we have a living union with Him. That's what it means. We have an interactive union with Him. And we can go to Him. And He will be there for us. And He will hear us. And He will help us. Some of you may have some idea, may have some understanding of what I'm talking about.

This difference from going from believing God is God, to believing God is my God. Not only is God the God seated on His throne, high and lifted up, but He's my approachable God. in Christ, in what he's provided for me in Christ. That's what he sovereignly predetermined to do for us. Now, here's the point I'm trying to make. Our God made himself to be a man for us.

And we can look to him. We can go to him. And we can trust him. We can trust him. We can look to this man. We can actually look to this man because a body was prepared for him. God is spirit. They that worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth. But he is the only begotten image of the God, this spiritual Godhead. And we can look to him.

We can go to this man. We can trust this man. There is a real man who is our help. Sometimes when we need help, we go to a man. Sometimes we go to a woman. I'm not speaking in gender. Sometimes we go to a human. Well, there is a man, there is a man who is our help. He is our only help. His name is Jesus Christ. His name is our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Turn with me over to Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45, verse 20, it says, Assemble yourselves and come. Draw near together ye that are escaped of the nations. They have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image and pray unto a God that cannot save. Tell ye and bring them near. Yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the Lord, and there is no God else beside me, a just God and a Savior? There is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is none else.

Do you know who the only souls are who will look unto him? It's the souls who have been given eyes to look. It's the souls who have been given life to look. Looking unto him is not the cause of salvation. It is the evidence of salvation. But here's the point I want to make. If he has saved us and given us spiritual life and given spiritual eyes to us, we can look to him. We can look to him. Our God made himself to be a man so we could look to him. Turn with me over to Matthew 11. Matthew 11, verse 25.

At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight, All things are delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Our Lord said, Father, I thank thee because you did the choosing and you did the revealing because that's what it pleased you to do. And because of that, my people can come to me.

Coming to Christ is not the cause of salvation. It is the evidence of salvation. It's only the evidence. But if he has saved us and if he has given a spiritual life and if he has given a spiritual legs. We can come to him. We can come to him. Our God made himself to be a man so we could come to him. He made himself to be a man so he could bear our inequities and die on our cross, the cross he made to be his own. He made himself to be a man so he could stand as us. This is why he made himself to be a man. It's so he could stand as us, for us, and with us. Because he loves us. How could he love us? Only in Christ. Why would he love us? I do not know.

But he put us in Christ, and for Christ's sake, he loves. I love how the beginning of the book of Exodus says that the Lord struck fear into Moses, saying, from a burning fire, I am that I am. And then in the end of the book, in the end of the book of Exodus, it says the Lord stood and spoke with Moses face to face as a man speaketh with his friend. That's amazing, isn't it? God has provided himself to be a man for us.

If I could summarize this message in one sentence, it would be come see a man. Come see a man in reality, not in creed, not in doctrine. In reality. Come see a man. God has provided himself to be a man for us, and we can look to him, we can go to him, and we can trust him. We can trust him. Trust this man. This is what I want to say to myself. This is what I want to say to all of us. Trust this man. Go to this man. Look to this man. Trust Him. Go with me back to Proverbs 3. Verse five says, trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Trust Him.

Everything that He is doing, He purposed to do it. That is so. Everything that He's doing, He predetermined to do it. Every road that He is leading you down, He predestinated that road for you. Everything concerning him, everything concerning you, everything concerning life is ordered. Ensure. Why are you going down the path you're going? It was ordered for you to go down that path. I don't think it's a very good path.

Then look to him. Then go to him. Cry out to him. It's all been ordered and made sure by the sovereign, almighty, all-knowing, all-controlling God. Trust Him. And again, I'm speaking to myself. I am speaking to myself. Trust Him. Trust this man. Trust this man. Rely on this man. Cast your all on this man. This is the only man you can. He's the only one. If we trust He gave us the ability to trust. And therefore, if he has given us the ability to trust, we can trust him.

Verse five says, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. We say, I don't understand. I don't understand what he's doing. That's okay. Just trust him. Just trust Him. Trust what He's doing. Whether we understand it or not, just trust what He's doing. Hold your place right here and turn over to Psalm 37. Psalm 37 verse 3 it says, Trust in the Lord and do good. What is doing good? Trusting in the Lord. That's doing good. Verse 3 says, Trust in the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord.

I may, I've already titled this message, but I may title it, I may change it and title it A Message for Gabe Stoniker. This would be the best thing Gabe Stoniker could do. Commit your whole way to the Lord. Turn it all over to the Lord. It's already in His hands. Acknowledge Him in that. Verse 5 says, Commit thy way unto the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Trust Him. Trust that He's doing all things. Trust that He's doing all things well. Trust that He's doing all things for the purpose of bringing eternal good to His people.

Flip back over to Proverbs 3. Verse 5 says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. I'm almost finished. But just turn here with me, hold your place, and go to Jeremiah 9. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. Jeremiah 9, verse 23.

Jeremiah 9, verse 23, it says, Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might. Let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me.

That I am the Lord, which exercise love and kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, saith the Lord. That's so good, isn't it? That's so good. Flip back to Proverbs 3. Verse 5 says, trust in the Lord with all thine heart. and lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him."

Turn to him, look to him, cry out to him. I want to just in bold letters put Gabe Stoniker in front of that and then every single name in this room. Look to him. I do, I do look to him. I mean really look to him. Trust him. Oh, I do, I do. I mean really trust him. really cry out to him. Oh, I know he's sovereign and I know he's got it all in his hands and it's all under control from a distance over there, but I'm dealing with some things right here. Oh Lord.

Verse six says, in all thy ways, acknowledge him, acknowledge him. And he shall not, he might, Not, well, I mean, you may hear from him or you may not hear from him because he's over there somewhere set in stone. Not you won't hear from him because he's too high and holy and you're too sinful and you're not important enough for his time. No. He said, if you are caused to acknowledge me, I will direct your path.

He shall. He shall direct your path. Does anybody need direction? I do. Look to Him. Go to Him. Trust Him. Trust this man. Trust this man. Oh, may this man, Jesus Christ be made real and living and alive to you, to us. And you say, well, what if I don't end up trusting him? What if I don't? I'm a miserable, wretched center, and I don't really trust myself to trust him. Well, we're not trusting in ourselves to trust him. We're trusting him. We're not looking to ourselves to look to Him. We're looking to Him. We're not looking to our faith. We're looking to Him.

Scripture says, if we believe not, He said He would still abide faithful. I didn't believe in the first place. He abided faithful by giving me faith in the first place. And every time I come to that realization where I say, Lord, increase my faith, he's the one who gives it again and gives it again. My whole life is spent believing not, believing not. Believe on the Lord and thou shalt be saved.

He has to do that too. Trust him. Look to him. We're looking to him, aren't we? May God give us the ability to trust him, truly trust him. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, laying not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he'll direct your path.