This sermon from Psalms 81 emphasizes the power and presence of God in the lives of believers, urging them to remember God's faithfulness and the secret place of thunder where God answers prayers. The message encourages believers to tap into the supernatural power of God within them, to seek boldness in sharing the Gospel, and to trust in God's ability to bring victory over all obstacles. The sermon calls for a deep reliance on God's strength and a commitment to glorifying His name in the earth.

Bless the Lord. Good morning. I trust you're ready for the Word of God this morning. I'd like to bring to you a message this morning from Psalm 81. If you'll turn there, please, and I've given it a title, Answers from the Secret Place of Thunder. Answers from the Secret Place of Thunder. Father, we thank you, Lord God Almighty, for the presence and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord, that your kingdom is advancing with power in this generation. Whether or not we can see it with the natural eye, we understand it in our hearts. You are in control of all things, and you are bringing everything to an expected end. Oh, Jesus Christ, Son of God, unlock the Scriptures this morning. Let every heart be filled with gladness. Help us to lay hold of the truth we're about to hear. God, help us not to be like those who just hear and never understand. Let the truth bring us to that place, O God, where you desire your church to be in this hour. Give me strength and wisdom to be able to speak this in a kind heart. And, Father, I thank you for this, Lord. I thank you, God, for the anointing. I thank you for your presence. I thank you, Lord, for the weight that you put upon your Word. Oh, Jesus, thank you, Lord. Thank you, God, for being life and breath to us, O God, in your precious name. Amen. Psalm 81, answers from the Secret Place of Thunder, starting at verse 1. Sing aloud unto God our strength. Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take a psalm. Bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp of the psaltery. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon in the time appointed on our solemn feast day. For this was a statute for Israel and a law of the God of Jacob. This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony when he went out throughout the land of Egypt, where I heard a language that I understood not. I removed his shoulder from the burden. His hands were delivered from the pots. Thou callest in trouble, and I delivered thee. I answered thee in the secret place of thunder. I proved thee at the waters of Meribah, Selah. Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee, O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me. There shall no strange god be in thee, neither shall thou worship any strange god. I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to my voice, and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lusts, and they walked in their own counsels. Oh, that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him, but their time should have endured forever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat and with honey out of the rock, should I have satisfied thee. Now this morning, I want you to imagine, if you will, somebody on their way to church this morning on the subway, and you had a briefcase beside you, and when you left the subway car, you picked up another briefcase accidentally. But the briefcase that you picked up and brought to church today was filled with enriched uranium. Now you would hold in your hand enough power to change a city. You could change it for good. Enriched uranium can power a reactor. It can bring light to an entire city. It can push an innumerable amount of nuclear submarines. Enriched uranium is certainly a commodity that many are seeking for in this generation. It can be used for good, and of course we understand if improperly used, it can be used for evil. Now many people today are carrying something equally as powerful in the spiritual realm, but most are unaware, as our imaginary friend is this morning, what they hold in their hand. You walked in here this morning, and how many of you are carrying your Bible? How many really understand what you've got in your hand? How many really know the power that is in this book? This is not just a historical record of God, this is the word of the living God. And not only do we hold it in our hands, but if we are wise, we have the word of God in our hearts. The scripture says that we might not sin against Him. Hebrews 11.3 says, ìThrough faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.î Now not only do we have God's word, but we have also the very God that spoke this word living within us. I think it's one of Satan's designs to keep that simple truth from ever getting into the hearts of God's people. Every once in a while there's a generation, a group, even an individual that lays hold of this truth. I have within me the God who spoke the universe into being out of nothing by the words of His mouth. There was darkness and it covered the entire cosmos as we know it today. And with four words, of course, in the English language we say, ìLet there be light.î Darkness gave away. Creation literally exploded out of His mouth and great good came and there was light. The stars were placed in the heavens, millions and billions of stars more than you and I could ever comprehend or understand by the word of His mouth. We have that very word of God, we have that full revelation of God in the scriptures, but we also have the God who spoke that word living within these human vessels. When you and I came to Christ it was not a concept about God, not a feeling about God, but actually the third person of God in the form of the Holy Spirit who came and took up residence inside of this physical temple. I always find it funny when somebody says, when we can feel His presence, ìGod is here.î I always think, of course Heís here, I brought Him with me. Heís not outside of me, Heís inside of me. Heís with me everywhere I go, everywhere I am God is. Heís with me in a crowd of people like today and Heís with me when Iím all alone in my apartment. Heís with me everywhere I go. God is with me. The power of God is with me. Now enriched uranium can be transported in a seemingly frail container and we carry this infinitely greater power inside these frail bodies. Itís an amazing thing that God would allow that perfection of His presence, the power of His character, God, that He would come and take up residence in a frail vessel. When you think of the power of enriched uranium and the fact that you can carry it in a briefcase, it seems almost inappropriate, doesnít it? It should be something majestic because this has the power, literally, to devour cities and perhaps even, with the technology today, perhaps even greater than that. And yet it can be carried in a frail vessel. Iím just sharing this so that you and I can come to an understanding that we have something within us infinitely more powerful than anything that can be created by science in this world. And itís carried inside of you and me. These frail vessels. We are the church of Jesus Christ. We are the temple where God dwells. We are, the scripture says, the restrainer. Thatís the power of the Holy Spirit at work through His church. We are that force for good in the world. We are, as Christ said, the light of the world. We are commanded. 2 Corinthians 4, 6, Paul says, ìFor God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power might be of God and not of us.î No wonder if we have such a thing as a crown when we get to heaven. No wonder it will immediately come off our heads and be thrown at His feet when we finally see this infinite distance between a holy God and this frail container that Heís chosen to come and abide with. When we finally understand the mercy, the bridge that God made through His Son Jesus Christ, the humility of God to come and dwell with you and dwell with me. Now can you imagine the briefcase of our imaginary friend this morning, if it could talk, saying, ìIím not worthy. Iím not worthy because of the inferiority of my construction. Somehow I believe that that which I carry within me is rendered powerless.î And many Christian people come to the same conclusion that we look in the mirror, we see our frailty, we know our frame as it is, and even though we mentally acknowledge the power of God, somehow we believe that the frailty of our frame renders the power of God within us powerless. But nothing could be further from the truth, folks. Thatís why Paul the Apostle said, ìWhen Iím weak, then Iím strong.î Itís not in our strength, itís in our weakness that the glory of God is made manifest. Itís in you and I recognizing. Itís not about us, itís about Him within us. Thatís our testimony. Itís not about how I found out six or seven steps to be holy, itís about how the one within me, in spite of my frailty, has manifested His own character, His own nature is being manifested in me and through me. But we are prone, we are frail in a sense, and we somehow believe, and the devil would have it that way, that the church of Jesus Christ just continuously believes that somehow the frailty of this vessel will stop God from being God in us. Now Iím talking about the honest, the dishonest Christian. Thereís a truth to that. The character of Christ will be obscured, the power of God will be, through unbelief and wrong practice, it will become hidden. If our gospel be hidden, Paul said, itís hidden to those that are lost. Psalm 78 and verse 19 and 20 says it this way, ìYea, they speak against God. They said, ìCan God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, He spilt the rock that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. But can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for His people?î And itís the dilemma that many of us face today. In your heart thereís this nagging question, ìCan God really do something here?î Now if youíre honest today, you feel that way. Almost everybody does from time to time. You and I are just so aware of our frailties. And we look in the mirror and we look yesterday and see that maybe it wasnít the best day of testimony. And we can come to the wrong conclusion that God is not able to do something. And we say in our hearts, ìCan God really do something here?î We know what He has done, but can He do anything more? I look in my heart and I see a wilderness. I see barrenness. I see emptiness. I know what Iím supposed to be, but I canít help but wonder, ìIs it possible that God can spread a table of truth here? Is it possible that I can partake of this and I can actually grow in this grace and grow in this knowledge of the Word of God? Can my life really become what God is destined it to be?î I only see a wilderness. This is a dilemma quite often of young people too who want to serve God. Iím speaking to somebody here this morning who really want to serve God, but your focus is wrong. Youíre focusing on the container. Youíre not focusing on what is within that container. Thereís incredible mercy inside of you. Thereís incredible power. Thereís grace beyond anything your natural mind can ever comprehend. Thereís a victory thatís already been won. You donít have to win it. Itís been won. All you have to do is put out your hand and take it. What a tragedy for so many who will soon appear before the throne of Christ and find out for the first time perhaps what their lives could have been. How if that within us had been properly understood? How many people could have been saved from darkness if we would have fully understood what God could have done? Now Iím not talking about heaven and hell here today. Iím talking this morning to saints of God. Iím talking about you and I getting to the throne of God. And thatís the one thing I donít want to happen in my life. I donít want to get to the throne of God just before entering into an eternity with Christ and have Him in a sense just open a corridor of understanding and saying, ìPastor, this is what your life could have been. Had you embraced me by faith. Had you fully walked in the path I had before you. Had you refused to see anything as impossible. Had you let go of your own reasoning and your own thinking and your own way of feeling that things should have to work out in your life and just embrace the plan that I had for you.î All the power of heaven was there for you. And that power if it could have been released could have brought light into cities. It could have brought light into neighborhoods. It could have brought light into homes. It could have brought light into prisons. It could have brought light into foreign countries. If you had understood who is in you and what I desired to do through you. If you had understood who is in you. I donít know about you but I donít want to get there and have that be in any measure my testimony. I want to get there and the Lord say, ìWell done. I spoke and you followed it. I opened it and you walked through it. I told you it could be done and you believed me.î You see I am just a frail vessel but it is not about me folks. It is about the power of God within me. It is not about you. It is about the power of God within you. Psalm 81 that we started with today verses 13 to 16. The Lord says, ìOh that my people had hearkened to me and Israel had walked in my ways. Oh that you had listened. Oh that you had heard. My brother, my sister, oh that you could hear, that you could know. I believe in my heart that you and I are on the threshold of eternity now. We might be living in the last moments of time. I donít know how you want to finish but I want to finish with the glory of God in my soul. I want to finish as a vessel that is bringing light and hope to people who sit in darkness. I want this power of God within this vessel to be manifested for good and for God and for His glory. I donít want to fail and fall in unbelief as the children of Israel did in the wilderness when they tempted God and they said, ìI donít know. I know what God has done but I donít know if God can do anything more in my life.î I donít want to fall there. I donít want to fail there. The scripture says in the New Testament that all these things that happen to them happen for examples to us on whom the ends of the world have come. That we should not follow in the same manner an example of unbelief. Oh that they had hearkened to me and Israel had walked in my ways. Hereís what the Lord says He would have done. He says, ìI would have soon subdued their enemies. I would have given you personal victory.î The Lord said, ìIf youíd walked with me everything that you fight against youíd finally come to the understanding that I conquered it on the cross 2,000 years ago. When I said it was finished, it was finished. The reign of sin and hell and death was over. Youíve entered into a victory through what was won for you and I on that cross. I would have subdued your enemies. I would have subdued those thoughts that keep coming to your mind every day reminding you of your past and present past failure, your present weakness.î The Lord said, ìI would have subdued those things. I would have given you power to tread them underfoot where they belong and to take every thought into captivity to the obedience of Jesus Christ. I would have turned my hand against your adversaries.î In other words, I would have given you power over everything that opposes you. Not just those fears within but the fighting without as well. Every enemy, every demonic spirit, every power of evil, everything, everything that says you canít. I would have told you you can because Iím with you and I would have given you power over those things that oppose you. ìThe haters of the Lord,î verse 15, ìshould have submitted themselves unto Him.î The Lord says, ìI would give you inroads into darkness. Those who today have an inner despising of God Almighty, I would have brought you right into the center of that camp. And because of the glory of God in your life they would have bent the knee.î Now you think thatís impossible but itís not impossible, folks. I remind you that Peter with all of his human effort failed and went out and wept bitterly. When he came back and was filled with the Holy Spirit of Almighty God on the day of Pentecost, he stood up and he preached with an authority. And heís preaching to people who are haters of God, folks. They have been among that crowd that were just yelling, ìCrucify Him! Crucify Him!î just days before. But Peter was walking in the ways of God. He was tarrying, he was waiting until God filled his mouth. And when he knew God was with him he stood in the strength of the Holy Spirit and he began to speak. And the haters of God submitted themselves unto Him. The haters of God bent their knee. Three thousand that day bent their knee and said, ìWhat must we do to be saved?î Verse 16 he said, ìI would have fed you with the finest of the wheat and with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied you. I would have given you the finest of spiritual nourishment. I would have unlocked this book to you and every line, every chapter would have become a virtual feast. Nothing would be impossible anymore. You begin to realize this is a living book and the power of it belongs to those who belong to God. And with honey out of the rock I would have satisfied you. I would have given you continued strength. I would have given you the sweetness of vision and victory even in the most difficult of places. Not just water out of the rock but honey out of the rock this time. I would have taken you to a place that even the hardest battle produces sweetness in your spirit. It would taste good to those that love God. In Proverbs I believe it says, ìEven the bitter things are sweet.î Back in Psalm 81 in the beginning again he says, ìWorship me for what Iíve already done in your life and stop focusing on what you donít have. Sing aloud,î he says, ìto God our strength. Make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob. Take a psalm, bring the timbrel, the pleasant harp and the psaltery. Blow the trumpet in the new moon in the time appointed on our solemn feast day. This was a statute for Israel and a law to the God of Jacob. This he ordained to Joseph for a testimony when he went up throughout the land of Egypt where I heard a language that I understood not.î The Lord says, ìDonít focus on what you donít have but start thanking me for what you have.î Take a moment, think back. What would you be without the Lord? Some of you would be dead and in hell without God today. People were here, you were addicted to violence. Others were addicted to pornography. You were addicted to a lying tongue. Some would have committed suicide by now were it not for the Lord. Arenít you another person than you once were? You look back in those old family pictures and doesnít it scare you when you see that old face back there? You say in your heart, ìMy God, how could I have ever been a person like that? Thank you Lord that youíve delivered me.î This is what the psalmist is saying. Get out the guitars. Get out the trumpets. Get out the cymbals. Get out. Get out and start worshipping God. If you and I forget where Heís brought us from then we lose heart for where He wants to take us. Itís important to remember folks. Itís important. Oh thank God. Oh thank God. Oh thank God. Oh thank God. Oh thank God. Oh thank God. I think we can strike up the band right now. I think we can shout and clap and praise and give God glory in this house. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. My God, my God, my God I praise you. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Glory, glory, glory, glory, glory. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Thank you Lord. Thank you mighty God. We give you praise and glory. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. My God, my God, my God, my God, my God. My God we give you praise. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Were it not for the Lord Iíd still be in the hospital waiting room somewhere suffering from panic attacks. Pastor William still be on the F train somewhere through in town. I don't know where the rest you'd be, but thanks be to God we're here today. Thanks be to God. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, glory, glory, glory, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, let God arise as enemies be scattered. Praise God. Let God arise. Let's sing it. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, glory, glory, glory, glory, glory, glory. You wouldn't mind being seated just for a moment? I'll only be a moment so. Praise God. Psalm 81 verse 9. The psalmist said there shall no strange God be in thee. Neither shalt thou worship any strange God. In other words, don't turn to another Jesus than the one that you knew when you came to Calvary. Don't turn to other sources of fading strength. No other God. No other way through. No other reason to live. No other power that lasts not only through time but into eternity. Verses 6 and 7. I removed his shoulder from the burden. His hands were delivered from the pots. You called to me in trouble and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Now remember, he says, the psalm means pause and think about this. Remember how I delivered you when you called to me. Remember, remember that I was faithful to you and your struggle, your trial, your frailty, your failing. Remember I covered you. I empowered you and called you and I embraced you and I set you free from everything that wanted to destroy you. From all of the burdens of your heart, I set you free and I answered you with power. That's the secret place of thunder. I answered you with power that no one can see with the natural eye. They can't hear it with the natural ear and they can't understand it with the natural mind. Do you remember people said to you, how did this happen in your life? Where did it come from? And you can say like David, I called out to the Lord in my distress and there's a secret place of power that normal men, natural men don't know anything about. When you and I think about thunder, we think about power, we think about something being unleashed in the heavens as it is and there's a natural thunder but there's a secret place of thunder, the scripture says. I answered you, he said, from that secret place, that place of power that comes from God alone, that place that delivers. Listen, let me just read to you what David the psalmist said in Psalm 18. Now in Psalm 18, David said, I called on the Lord because the sorrows of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid, hell was all around me and there were, death seemed to be everywhere and it stopped me from going where I felt my life should go and in my distress, I called to the Lord and he heard me out of his temple and my cry came before him even into his ears. Verse 13 says, the Lord thundered in the heavens and the highest gave his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out his arrows and scattered them. That's his enemies. He shot out lightnings and discomfited them. Then the channels of water were seen, that the foundation of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. He sent from above, he took me, drew me out of many waters, that means the places of confusion. He took me out, he uttered his voice in the heavens and things began to dissipate around me. He delivered me from my strong enemy and from them which hated me for they were too strong for me. He took me out of many places of confusion. He took me out, he uttered his voice in the heavens and things began to dissipate around me. He delivered me from my strong enemy and from them which hated me for they were too strong for me. He took me out of many places of confusion. He took me out of many places of confusion. He took me out of many places of confusion. He took me out of many places of confusion. He took me out of many places of confusion. He took me out of Powers were gone from me. They. They prevented me to, that means they stopped me from going forward in the day of my committee. But the Lord was my state. He brought me forth also into a large place. He delivered me because he delighted in me. He delivered me because he delighted in me, folks. I believe that you and I are living at a time when you win, we need to call out again to that secret place of thunder, for lack of a better way of saying it, that presence and power of God that cannot be seen with the natural eye, cannot be understood necessarily with the natural ear, but it comes by faith. When I know that God has made me promises and He's not a man who can lie, I know that everything in this book is true. I know He's given me power over serpents and scorpions and all the power of the enemy. I know that every tongue that rises against me, I have the right to condemn it. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. I know that I shall be taken from strength to strength and image to image, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I know He has a purpose and plan for my life and no power of hell, no angels, no powers, no principalities, no walls, no gates, no valleys, no mountains, nothing can stop what God has destined to do in the life of His children. Nothing can stop it, folks. In spite of the frailty of these vessels, nothing can stop the power of God because it's not about me, it's about Him. It's about His glory. It's about His power being manifested in the earth. It's about His gospel going in where only God can go because the darkness is so thick that only God can go there now. You and I need to pray like they did in the book of Acts chapter 4. Again, don't turn there, please, for time's sake. I'm just going to read it to you. All of the earth seemed to be gathered in their minds against the gospel of Jesus Christ at that time. And the scripture says in verse 23, and being let go, Peter and John were arrested. They were threatened. There was an anti-Christ spirit that was starting to form in the places where they were living. And being let go, they went to their own company and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. When they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, you are God. You made heaven and the earth and the sea and all that in them is. Who by the mouth of your servant David has said, why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were gathered together. That sounds to me like everybody. That sounds like a social revolution against the ways and the means of God. Everybody now. And this is just a frail group of people. They don't have political power. They don't have an army behind them. Folks, they don't have the religious system backing them of that day. They're just a frail group of people. They're ordinary fishermen like you and me. Ordinary people that God has touched. Ordinary men and women. And they got together one more time because they knew there was a secret place that nobody in the world understood but those who belong to God. And they said now they're going to do whatever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. In other words, they knew that God is in control of everything. They can't go any farther than God said they could go. They can't do any more than God said they could do. They can't exact any more. They can't do any more. Everything is in the hand of God and they knew this in their hearts. And they said now Lord behold their threatenings and grant to thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word. By stretching forth your hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spoke the word of God with boldness. They were answered from the secret place of thunder. Do you think maybe, do you think maybe it's time again? Do you think it might be time that ordinary people just go into the prayer closet one more time, put away all the how-to books, just have a yard sale. Just get rid of all of them. Only book you need is this one. Just keep this one. And go into the prayer closet and pray like this, Lord Jesus Christ it's midnight and it's dark and there are strangers and they need food and I don't have enough to give them but I know you do. And I'm not leaving until you give me what I need to feed them. Jesus said I want you to pray that way. I want you to pray that way. I want you to ask and it shall be given you. I want you to seek and you shall find. I want you to knock and it shall be opened to you. Folks if ever there was an hour to be the church, it's this hour we're living in now. If ever there was a time for the supernatural, it's now. It's this moment we're living in in history. There's not time for a hundred more conferences folks. There's not time to listen to 10,000 more tapes. Folks it's time to go into the prayer closet and let God himself answer you. Let God himself empower you. Let God himself take you where only he can take you. Let him put within you the power of heaven. Don't be concerned about the frailty of the vessel. Lord is well able to glorify his own name through anybody that says Lord use me. Don't let people live in darkness when you have the light of the world inside of you folks. Don't let that presence of God be contained in these earthly vessels. And that's the cry of my heart lately and I hope it's the cry of yours. Jesus Christ fill me with your spirit. Jesus Christ give me a heart of faith. Jesus help me to let go of all of my dreams, my image of myself, my plans and ambitions. Let me live for one reason only that you might be glorified in the earth. I don't want to get to heaven and find out what my life could have been. I'd like to find out now and walk in it. And that's the cry of your heart. I'm going to give an altar call here in the main sanctuary. It means an altar call is just simply you're coming to the front of this sanctuary to basically say I'm in agreement with this and I yield my life to it and I'm asking Lord Jesus what I've heard today. I don't fully get it all but it has burned something into my heart. I want your power in my life. I want to make a difference in my generation. Help me God. Help me God. Help me God to acknowledge who you are within me. In the annex you could step up between the screens. In the main sanctuary as we stand in a moment just make your way to the front of this church. We're going to worship for about 10 minutes or so then we're going to pray together. Let's stand please if you will. Don't let unbelief stop you today. Move against unbelief. Just move away from unbelief. Leave it behind you. I don't care what I feel. I don't care what anybody says. God is able to use my life. God is able and he will. I'm going to call out to him and trust him for the power. Lord we've heard your word. Give us in our time a testimony and a word that cannot be resisted. Give us victory over our enemies and power oh God to see a multitude of souls brought out of darkness and into the life and light of Jesus Christ. And Lord for this we give you the praise, we give you the honor, and we give you the glory because yours is the kingdom, yours is the power, and yours is the glory now and forever. Father we thank you, we bless you in Jesus' mighty name. Hallelujah. Thank you Lord. Thank you Father.