Hymnsing Talk—Bernie Roossinck
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OK, let's ask for the word itself before we begin.
Gracious God and Father, what a joy it is to be able to be here tonight with so many dear friends and, uh, brethren and, uh, to be able to sing.
Of the goodness of God and, uh, Father, we ask for help. We, uh, know that there are a great many needs here. Uh, a great many.
Uh, stations of life and things that different ones are facing. And so Lord, we ask for, uh, a little encouragement from the word of God, we.
Ask this in a good deal of dependence.
And, uh, we do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Well, I, uh.
Uh, about a week ago. Those of you that know me know I like history. So a week ago at this very hour.
I was addressing him Sing in my own living room.
And so for those of you that were at that him sing, pardon me for, uh, some common thoughts, but, uh, I have on my heart a few things that I would like to share, uh, you know, and I, as I considered what to say.
I asked the Lord to.
To give me some encouragement, uh, for each one, you know, there are folks here that are excited and young. Good to be with your friends.
Uh, look forward to the conference. Here we are. And it's, uh, something we look forward to fellowship with their loved ones, right? And they're assuming in this room that, uh.
Uh, perhaps.
Are struggling a little bit with some challenges in their life. Maybe some loved one that you had that used to be here in this crowd isn't here tonight.
Maybe you're in college and you're feeling a little bit overwhelmed.
I can't imagine if that would be true.
But I went to college with Mark Allen and, uh, he and I taped up a text on the wall that said in Ecclesiastes of making a many books, there's no end and much study is the weariness of the flesh.
But anyway, we had a lot of lovely times together too. It didn't March so. But anyway, uh, what I have before me is confidence.
And I don't mind telling you that.
Probably the past 18 months have been.
Uh, I've had some difficulties in them and I'm not gonna get into all of what they are, but I want to share with you some things that have been very helpful to me in these past 18 months or so, and I hope that we can be encouraged by them. So let's first turn to the very middle verse of the Bible.
Sum 118 versus 8.
Now I have to confess to you young people. I haven't counted them up, but I have heard that this is the middle verse of the Bible.
Some 118 verse 8.
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in them.
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in Princess.
You know, brethren, uh.
How easy it is, especially you young people.
Kids, when you're when you're young, it's tempting to feel umm.
Uh, like you can do things without any help and I'm not speaking against, uh, you know, competency or being good at something, You know, maybe some of you can ski well or snowboard or play hockey and that's nice. Umm.
But on a deeper level, to have confidence in ourselves is a is a mistake. And here it says it's better to to have confidence in the ward than to put confidence in man trusting in the Lord. Confidence to me is not very good at definition. So I'll try this. The confidence is putting your trust in something.
It's anchoring yourself on something that's solid and here at the beginning.
00:05:06
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. You know there's another verse that says have no confidence in the flesh.
And so there are some things that we need to be careful of and not to put confidence in ourselves or in our ability to make the right choices, but our trust needs to be in the Lord.
And now?
Let's turn over to Proverbs 16.
14 Roberts 14 This is a verse that has been a very big encouragement to me in the last year.
And uh, those of you that are at our house last Friday night, I noticed that I I like this first so well that I cut it out on scroll. So I'm hung it on the wall. Here's what it says.
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence.
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge. You know, I, I know that there are, uh, folks here in this room that, uh, are facing challenges, real challenges, uh.
Umm, ailing parents, Uh, per.
Perhaps children that are wayward, uh, perhaps relationships that haven't turned out like you wanted them to, uh.
Umm, you know, it's easy to lose confidence.
But here we're told in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence. And I want to encourage you young people, especially put your confidence in the Lord. You know, there are, uh, it seems like there's so many things that want to, uh, derail us or want to overwhelm us. Umm.
And here it says.
Umm, his children still have a place of refuge. You know, that's so comforting to me, a place of refuge and.
It, uh, it reminds me of a a verse in Isaiah 32.
Just think I could quote it, but I'll turn to it to get it right. Isaiah 32.
In verse 2.
A man shall be as a hiding place from the wind.
Let me get to it here.
Isaiah 32 Two and a man shall be as in hiding place from the wind, and a covered from The Tempest.
As rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And who is that man? It's our beloved Lord Jesus.
A man shall be as in hiding place from the wind.
Recovered from The Tempest. So I've told the story before, but I'll tell it again because I mentioned I like history.
And uh, I know there are some Newfoundlanders in this room, so part in this story from Newfoundland 100 years ago this winter, there was a vessel of, of steamship called the s s Florazel.
And, uh, a good many years ago, I met the author of a book that wrote about that story. Her name is Cassie Brown.
And, uh, my mom knew that I liked that story, so she took me to the library and we met there. Cassie Brown. Anyway, that ship was a, uh, pretty good ship, probably the pride of Newfoundland's fleet, really. And it was used to, uh, go to the front, they called it for the seal hunt, but it was also used as a troop carrier in the First World War to take Newfoundland's men to.
Uh, Belgium and France to fight. But anyway, on this night in the end of February.
She was bound for Halifax.
And, uh, then to New York.
And, uh, it was a stormy night and, uh, she slipped her lines and set sail down the South Shore of the Avalon Peninsula and, uh, it was pretty bad, pretty rough.
And there was some ice on the go, so they really couldn't, uh, they used to pull what's called the log.
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Uh, to tell how fast they were going? Well, you couldn't do that when the ice was on. So anyway, eventually they steamed out of the ice and the captain was pretty sure that he had rounded tape brace.
So he gave the order to call her off to the West and head for Halifax. Well, he hadn't rounded the tape race and umm, they saw some white and they thought it was ice.
But it was actually, uh, waves breaking on a reef, so they drove that ship.
Onto a reef full speed and there she was stricken and the seas were big enough where they just carried right over the ship and she was stuck. You know, you're reading Acts 27 about the four. The four part of the ship was fast and the hinder part was broken off exactly the same. And there were 34 survivors in that boat.
And they got into a little.
Steel shack, the only thing that wasn't swept overboard called the Marconi House and for two days they were in that little 8 by 10 shack, 34 people and the seas just washed over again and again.
What we have in this first year, a man shall be a covered from The Tempest. Ever feel like in your life if I see you young people that, uh, the waves are just washing over your ship and you're in trouble?
And here we have a man shall be a covering from The Tempest, and that's what we have in our Savior, the Lord Jesus beautiful.
Protection that we have hiding place from the wind. Yeah, The other day it was a really windy day. I had to work outside, man, it was cold. I was glad to get back in my truck.
Umm, the shadow of a great rock and a weary land. That's what our Lord Jesus is. You know what?
I just want to encourage you put your confidence in the Lord.
Umm, if you don't mind if I check my notes brother and I, I apologize for being nervous.
Umm, I did jot down a few things I wanted to, to say here. Let's turn to Hebrews chapter 4. Umm, and this is Speaking of our Savior. You know, the Lord Jesus walked through this world and he went to the cross and he died, uh, to settle the question of our sin. But you know, there were a lot of things that happened in his life that weren't necessary.
To take care of your sins.
Did the Lord have to be tired?
Trip to take care of Sims.
No. Did the Lord have to be thirsty?
To wash your sins away, no.
Why did he do it?
I think we have the answer in Hebrews 4 and verse 14 says seeing we have a great high priest that has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. Let us hold fast our profession where we have not at high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities or within all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. And you know I believe the word Jesus went through some of those things so that he could identify with you.
In your circumstances.
Umm, and I find that to be encouraging. You know, the Lord knew what it was to be lonely. You knew what it was to be overwhelmed in a human sense. You knew what it was to feel hunger and thirst. And, uh, I find that that beautiful, uh, reminder that the Lord did that so that he could, uh, identify and that he could be a sympathetic high priest.
And so I just wanna encourage you in that.
Umm.
Turn to Isaiah 26.
And verse 3.
Now we'll keep him in perfect peace.
Whose mind is stayed on day because he trusted in me.
Your confidence in your life. You know what a stay is. Who can I? Who can I? What's a stay? If you're on a sailboat, what would a stay be? We need John Rusick here. If you refer to it in the wrong word, he would certainly correct you. That's not what it is. It's all the stay.
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A stay is a table or a, uh, rope that goes up from the side of the hall to the mask that holds it tight, keeps the clock in place. And if that breaks, that's catastrophic to that ship. That mass is certainly to come down. And here it says that I will keep him in perfect peace. His mind has stayed on the fixture. Thoughts on the Lord Jesus?
And, uh, you know.
What, what we, how people long for peace in their lives? Uh.
So important, anchor yourself on the Lord Jesus. Let's turn to, uh, Philippians chapter 4. And this is a verse that I find has been a tremendous help to me throughout my whole life. But uh, just read verses 6 and seven. Be careful for nothing. And I pardon, pardon me, brethren, if I paraphrase this first few words. Don't be anxious about anything.
But in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving.
Let your requests be made known unto God and the God of peace.
And the peace of God, sorry, which passeth all understanding. So keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
You want that peace in your life.
I do here, the Lord says, don't be anxious.
Let's go to the Lord in prayer, with prayer, with Thanksgiving. Let our requests be made known unto God. You know, it's, uh, it's so important to get on your knees and ask the Lord for help, for guidance, for direction. The Lord wants to provide that for you. You know, it's uh, umm, it's difficult to struggle through a problem and not know.
Umm, what the result might be? Uh, it's hard to.
Yeah, we, we fear, naturally speaking, what we don't know, right? Umm. So I'll tell you a story that happened to me this week.
Umm, we're on the verge of planting crops. Very busy right now.
And, uh, Tuesday morning my operations manager got a call from the Greenville hospital, said your wife has been in a car accident, She got a broken leg and we're taking her to Grand Rapids.
So I told them go.
Well, we got down there.
Turns out it was a little more than a broken leg.
22 broken bones.
16 ribs? I didn't even know you had 16 ribs.
Well, how many ribs do you have?
24.
Umm, 2 vertebrae broken in the back of the neck. The doctor told him they fused those. On Tuesday night. The doctor told him I'd never do this surgery on this vertebrae. These people are always dead.
So I went down there last night to the hospital and, uh, sat with my friend Pat there and he had a pretty good front on.
Pretty clear that his situation is bleak.
And so I I I asked him, can I pray with you?
Yes, he says. Please do.
And immediately all that facade was gone. He sat there weeping.
That we fear what we don't know.
And it's.
The Lord Jesus that can give us that peace, that, uh, that we, that we need in our lives. Umm.
That confidence Umm.
It's, it's, it's a difficult thing for us a lot of times, you know, grieving the loss of a, of a husband or a wife or a grandpa or grandma or, you know, decisions get made in their lives. I'll, I'll speak for my own family, you know, uh, mom and Bethany's decision to end the bookstore, very, very difficult decision to make and a good many tears set over that.
What to do, what to do and the last day?
Umm, my mom sent me a picture of the.
Uh, empty room and the locked door.
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And she was upset. You know when it feels like you're cutting a string, that tells you to that.
And the Lord gave me this verse, and, and Isaiah 55 my word shall uh, not return unto me void, uh, uh, it will accomplish what I send it out to do. And then it says, they shall go out with peace.
And be filled with joy, you know, and the, and the Lord has things in our lives for us to do. And let's not be overwhelmed. You know, for 45 years, the word of God went out in that bookstore. And, uh, I just thank the Lord of the many, many times that people come in and say, you know.
I got saved. You didn't know this 20 years ago. I got saved at the gospel 10th The Lord spoke to my soul and so.
Things like that though, are stressful and they're difficult in their lives, but let's be encouraged that the Lord is in control. You know it's umm.
I was, I was saying just a minute ago, we fear what we don't know. You know, the apostle Paul could say, and Timothy, uh, I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I committed unto him against that day. And so Paul could say, I know what the end result is.
Are we, are we going through turmoil in our lives? Yes. We need not be cast down here. We, we know the ends. We know what the final story is, the final chapter.
Uh, God knows what he's doing. And so I wanna encourage us to, uh, trust. And, uh, the last verse I'll share is, uh, Hebrews 10. Really enjoyed this verse a lot.
And I know this is special to a good many folks in this room, but I'll read it. Hebrews, 1035.
Cast not away, therefore thy confidence.
Which has great recompensive reward.
We have need of patients that after he had done the will of God, you might receive the promise. We had a little while, and he that shall come will come.
And we'll met Terry.
Well, brethren.
Don't castaway your confidence.
Your confidence is placed in the Lord Jesus and.
Here we can say, cast that away, therefore thy confidence, which has great recompense of reward, that means you young men, Here that means.
Umm, a recompense is a prize, if you will. A payment, a reward. God values us, putting our faith and trust in them, even though sometimes we can't see the end of the road. You know, when we leave here and go back to the hotel, are your headlights gonna shine all the way from here to there? No, they're not.
You're only gonna see about 200 yards. That's it.
And we trust as we go, the light goes on a bit further, right, a bit further and it'll presently here you are at the hotel. The light didn't shine all the way from here to there. But we go on and trust and we don't castaway our confidence, brethren. And and it's so valuable, especially in these days when there's so much.
Uh, against us, if you will. And I hope I'm not depressing everybody. Umm, I do joy for some of the young people, you know, I look at your faces and you're eager and anxious and confident and be confident in the Lord fear the Lord is strong confidence and you know.
It says here the just in closing a little while and he that shall come, will come and will not tarry. You look forward to that day when the Lord Jesus steps out of heaven is where and he says.
Arise.
Come away and we're gone. Be with the Lord in an instant, and the Lord is coming. And so let us go on in confidence and find that peace of God that passes all understanding.
Well, I hope this has been an encouragement to you. And, uh, I value especially young people. Be confident in the Lord, trust him, find refuge in him. Don't find your refuge in all that other junk that promises peace. There's no peace except in the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let's close in prayer.
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Our loving God and Father, we pray that.
We would find our confidence.
In the Lord Jesus.
Our Father we know, with thy heart is for us.
We pray for these young people.
And children here in this room, Lord, we pray that they would anchor themselves.
On the rock, the Lord Jesus Christ. For those of us that are a bit older, Lord, we pray that we would turn to Thee in times of stream and find that security and that peace that we need.
Lord, we know from Thy word that Thou art willing and able to go along in it with us. Go together, Lord, help us to walk in night paths. Trustee and everything.
And we do look forward to the moment that we'll be called out of this world to be forever with thee.
The Lord, we ask for help and blessing for the rest of the evening. We give thanks for the snacks here, uh, that we have laid out here. And again we give thanks in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Would it be all right to sing one more song? Have we got time, Jason?
Sing, I tell you, it's a real joy to sing together. I love singing and uh, I'd like us to sing #94.
Where it may have crossed and falls within half water still together.
And then if we move across and automatically.
I'll come get home.
A Thai baht, lovely to go out of life while I need it and I have seen blah blah blah. And I don't know for her sightseeing. That's right.