1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,420 Today, okay, the Lord put like a vision in my head, a stitch together, if you've ever 2 00:00:16,420 --> 00:00:20,340 seen those videos that kind of like are appended one onto the other, a stitched together vision 3 00:00:20,340 --> 00:00:24,720 of three instances which I was watching. 4 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:27,680 Two of them were young people, one of them was a mixed crowd of adults and young people 5 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:29,260 play tug of war. 6 00:00:29,260 --> 00:00:33,760 Now you've seen this, the big fat rope that's like about this big around and it's about 7 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:39,760 40 feet long and it's got the little ribbons and they pull with all their might and you 8 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:41,600 try to kind of match the sides. 9 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,360 And the truth is when you start to watch it, you really don't know who's going to win. 10 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,800 I mean, look at both sides and they're pretty evenly matched. 11 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:54,720 And I figured as I was watching these things in my mind's eye in preparation for the sermon 12 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:59,760 that the Lord was showing me that there are three factors essentially in who wins the 13 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,520 average game of tug of war. 14 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:07,960 Now obviously weight is a factor and so everybody wants the big guys and if you look at a team 15 00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:11,920 and it weighs 500 or a thousand pounds more than the other team, then you would thoroughly 16 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,240 expect that team to win. 17 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:19,260 Then muscle, strength, just downright strength is a big factor. 18 00:01:19,260 --> 00:01:23,520 So if you look at this team and say, well, like this team over here is definitely more 19 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:28,360 muscular, stronger, could pull or push or lift more than this team over here, then you 20 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,960 would expect this team over here to win. 21 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:34,800 But it was the third factor that God was really pointing out to me because as I was seeing 22 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:39,320 those kind of visions or remembering what those instances, in every case as the tug 23 00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:44,320 of war game went on, people's feet were slipping on the ground. 24 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:48,640 One of those cases that I remember specifically, some of the young adults who are in this room 25 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,520 were there and we were at an annual meeting for Northwest Hobbap Association and they 26 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:58,080 basically were having a tug of war contest and all of our young adults and teenagers 27 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:01,360 went in there and a few of our adults and RJ went in there and like that and they formed 28 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,840 a team and they were competing in the tug of war contest. 29 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,960 But it occurred that several of our young people were wearing what you might call the 30 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:10,640 wrong shoes. 31 00:02:10,640 --> 00:02:15,160 And so for example, Ricky, who's very strong and heavy and you really would expect them 32 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:20,360 to do really super well, his shoes were slipping on the grass pretty bad and so he really could 33 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,480 not bring to bear the strength that he possesses or the weight that he has. 34 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,480 At the same time, in all three of those cases, you could see people, they're doing everything 35 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:33,040 they can to clench down on that rope and their hands are slipping and the guy in the back 36 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,480 is wrapping the rope around him as he's the anchor and trying to make 100% sure he's 37 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:38,160 not going to lose it and so on. 38 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:43,080 And so what I realized that God was showing me as I was drilling down on those three instances, 39 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,200 two of which were, one of which was at Seneca Lake with the youth group and the other one 40 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:50,200 was Camp Buchanan and that one was at the annual meeting, is that God was showing me that it's 41 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:52,120 really about the grip. 42 00:02:52,120 --> 00:03:01,120 Now a man who can bench press 300 pounds probably is going to out pull a lady who can bench 43 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,520 press 80 every day of the week. 44 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,640 But if he can't grip the rope, that's not so. 45 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:11,480 If you put lard or if he's holding, his end is slippery in some way, he might be able 46 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,200 to bench press 300 pounds but he can't pull with his strength cuts, he's slipping or if 47 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:17,760 his shoes are slipping on the ground, that kind of thing. 48 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:22,760 So this sermon today then, which I think God pointed me to, is unique in a way. 49 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,560 In fact, if you've been sitting under my teaching for the last 20 years, you'll realize I've 50 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:31,480 never preached a sermon structured like this ever before, unless you maybe missed one somewhere 51 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:33,160 and it happened to be. 52 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:38,480 So I want you to bear in mind then that God is calling us in the keynote of God to get 53 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,540 a grip. 54 00:03:40,540 --> 00:03:47,480 So there is a word in the New Testament that means to take a good hold on something or 55 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:49,200 to take a good grip. 56 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:52,120 And you don't really care what the word is and probably nobody does in the Greek but 57 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:53,920 I'm going to say it just because I like the sound of it. 58 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,320 It's eulob ace. 59 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:03,360 And so three instances of this particular word that means to get a good grip occur and 60 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:04,560 I'm going to break them down for you. 61 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:06,800 We're not going to go there and read them, I'm just going to tell you the story real 62 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,180 quick but we are going to read from scripture before we're through. 63 00:04:10,180 --> 00:04:13,600 So the first one is the story of a man named Simeon. 64 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:15,560 Simeon was like a prophet. 65 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:20,120 He was serving in the temple of the Lord when Jesus was a baby and Mary and Joseph bring 66 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,480 Jesus to the temple and Simeon comes in. 67 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:29,960 Now God had promised Simeon that he would see the Messiah, the consolation of Israel, 68 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:34,800 the one who would save all people from their sins before he died and he comes in and he 69 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:38,640 blesses the baby and speaks to Mary and Joseph and so on. 70 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:45,160 The story is in Luke chapter 2 and in verse 25 Simeon is called a devout man. 71 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,120 Wouldn't you like to be called a devout man? 72 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:53,640 Now in proper English or simple English to be devout means that you're focused on or 73 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,360 all in for your faith or for something else. 74 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:01,120 For example if you're a devout watcher of football you make time in your schedule, you 75 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:04,540 set everything apart, etc. and you think football is really worth a lot. 76 00:05:04,540 --> 00:05:11,560 So Christians would want this word devout to be applied to us that is there and that 77 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,080 word is eulobes. 78 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:15,080 That's the word. 79 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:21,420 It means to take a grip well or to take something well, to have a firm hold on it. 80 00:05:21,420 --> 00:05:28,440 So Simeon's only qualification, the only thing that makes him eulobes or devout is that he 81 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:30,960 was looking for the consolation of Israel. 82 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,680 The text says he was looking for the consolation of Israel. 83 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:38,420 So you could say he was devout because he was still looking or because he was specifically 84 00:05:38,420 --> 00:05:39,920 looking for the consolation of Israel. 85 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,600 He was looking for the right thing. 86 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:47,440 So looking for the consolation of Israel then is what makes him devout. 87 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,880 Now go to Acts chapter 2 verse 5 and Acts chapter 2 verse 5 is the beginning of the 88 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:52,880 scene of Pentecost. 89 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:57,040 It's when the Holy Spirit is going to be poured out and from that moment on God's Holy Spirit 90 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,840 takes up residence in everybody that gets saved. 91 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:02,800 Everybody that believes in Jesus Christ as Lord means he tells you what to do when you 92 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:06,160 do it and Savior means he paid the price for your sins. 93 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:10,420 So in Acts chapter 2 this is what's happening. 94 00:06:10,420 --> 00:06:13,480 They are speaking tongues. 95 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,920 They are talking in languages that they do not know. 96 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:22,480 The people who are gathered in Jerusalem for the festival are called devout. 97 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:24,200 They are called eulobes. 98 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:29,560 That they have taken a grip, a good grip on something. 99 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:33,160 They have come to Jerusalem to worship God and they are there and they begin to hear 100 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:37,160 them speaking in their own tongues even though they are from all over the world. 101 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:44,300 Their only qualification for being devout is they ask the question what does this mean? 102 00:06:44,300 --> 00:06:46,560 They say what does this mean? 103 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:47,560 We come from all over the world. 104 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:48,560 We can't even talk to each other. 105 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,520 We don't share the same language except maybe if we all try to talk in Koine Greek which 106 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:54,600 was like a merchant tongue. 107 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,160 And so they say we can't even understand each other hardly but they are speaking and we 108 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,880 can all hear them even though we can't understand each other because we all speak different 109 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:04,600 languages and they said what does this mean? 110 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,760 Then in Acts chapter 8 verse 2 in chapter 8 of Acts Stephen is stoned. 111 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:14,760 He tells the story of how now the Jewish people have stoned their own Messiah. 112 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,960 How they have killed Jesus who was the son of God, God of the flesh. 113 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:25,640 And he is stoned there and this is where Paul is standing by at this time called Saul. 114 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:28,920 He is standing by and he is holding the cloaks of those who are stoning Stephen. 115 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,800 And it says a great persecution breaks out on the land. 116 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:37,640 But at that time there were some devout, you laveis, there were some men who came and took 117 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:43,720 Stephen's body and they buried him and their only qualifications for being called devout 118 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:47,620 here are that they buried him and they lamented Stephen. 119 00:07:47,620 --> 00:07:54,020 Now notice that they lamented Stephen while this huge persecution was breaking out. 120 00:07:54,020 --> 00:07:58,280 So as Christian men or women we ask ourselves what do we need to do to be called devout 121 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:07,320 and from these standards, from these examples what we need to do is ask the right questions. 122 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:08,480 What's your calling? 123 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:10,800 What is God giving you to do? 124 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:11,800 What am I supposed to do? 125 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:16,080 And then if you get the answer live it out and if you don't keep asking. 126 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:18,280 That's basically it. 127 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,080 What are we supposed to do? 128 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:22,000 What are we supposed to be in this lifetime? 129 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:27,720 And if a person continually asks that question and lives it out, the answer if they get an 130 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:32,240 answer or lives out the question if they're stuck there, then they could be called devout 131 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:34,280 based on these examples. 132 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:35,880 What is God like? 133 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:38,920 How do we glorify God? 134 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:45,040 How do we take a good grip on these questions and their answers so that God can apply our 135 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:49,720 weight and our strength to the task that God has given us? 136 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:53,520 Because you can be the strongest person in the room but not able to lift because you 137 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:54,600 don't have a grip. 138 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:58,240 You can be the smartest person in the room but not able to figure out the problem because 139 00:08:58,240 --> 00:08:59,660 you don't have a grip. 140 00:08:59,660 --> 00:09:03,280 So the question is how do we get a grip? 141 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:08,400 And in fact the scripture is calling us to get a grip. 142 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:10,280 Three easy points. 143 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:14,720 The first one is don't get stuck on the wrong question. 144 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:21,720 So I was watching a show on TV and on this show they were asking questions of God. 145 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:26,360 The show is called An Interview with God. 146 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:27,360 It's available on Netflix. 147 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:30,760 If you like it, if you think you would like it, I would definitely recommend it. 148 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:31,760 It's rated PG. 149 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:35,360 There's no violence, no nudity, no bad language, no nothing like that. 150 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:37,360 And it's about a reporter who's struggling in his faith. 151 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:38,960 He is a Christian man by his own profession. 152 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:40,720 He gets a chance to interview God. 153 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:42,240 I recommend it. 154 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:48,120 In that story there's a moment in time in which God says you're asking me all the wrong 155 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:49,520 questions. 156 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:50,520 And this is the problem. 157 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:55,560 People ask the question, what is the meaning of life? 158 00:09:55,560 --> 00:10:00,120 Or how do I live happy? 159 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:04,040 If you get stuck in the wrong questions you have a problem. 160 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:07,000 In the Bible we're going to read from Romans chapter 10. 161 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,560 Can somebody say amen? 162 00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:10,560 Amen. 163 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:11,560 Alright. 164 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:12,560 Amen. 165 00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:13,560 Thank you Jesus. 166 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:14,560 It's not my word, it's God's word. 167 00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:16,120 And so we're going to read from Romans chapter 10. 168 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:21,240 And Paul is talking to the church at Rome and he is explaining this piece, what I'm 169 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:24,640 talking to you about, not getting stuck on the wrong question. 170 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:28,720 And then he even goes on to talk about kind of what we should do instead. 171 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:33,180 So Romans 10 beginning in verse 1 says this, brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer 172 00:10:33,180 --> 00:10:35,240 to God for them is for their salvation. 173 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:38,880 He's talking about the Jewish people who had not accepted Jesus. 174 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:42,320 He really wanted to see them get saved and he was one himself. 175 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:47,440 Verse 2, for I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God but not in accordance 176 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:48,440 with knowledge. 177 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,600 In other words, they had a passion to follow God. 178 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:56,080 They loved God, wanted to do what God wanted to do, but they couldn't get a grip. 179 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:57,080 They couldn't do it. 180 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:58,080 They never got traction. 181 00:10:58,080 --> 00:10:59,080 They were never doing it. 182 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,280 So much so that they would kill Jesus when he came. 183 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:05,800 Verse 3, for not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did 184 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:07,880 not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 185 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,600 In other words, they didn't do it the way God wanted it done. 186 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:14,880 Verse 4, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 187 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:18,520 You no longer have to become righteous by following the rules is what he's saying. 188 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:22,880 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall 189 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:24,160 live by that righteousness. 190 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:29,160 In other words, you will succeed, live, go to heaven based on how perfectly follow the 191 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:33,320 law if you're following the law to become righteous, which by the way, you will fail, 192 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:35,220 which means you will not go to heaven. 193 00:11:35,220 --> 00:11:38,040 That's what Romans 3.23 reminds us because we all fail. 194 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:39,040 We all make mistakes. 195 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:40,040 We all have sin. 196 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:41,840 So he's saying that would be the way. 197 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:45,360 Moses tells us if you follow the law, follow it perfectly, you'll get righteousness that 198 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:48,760 way and you'll live by that righteousness. 199 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:54,000 Verse 6 says, but the righteousness based on faith speaks thus, do not say in your heart 200 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:55,760 who will ascend into heaven. 201 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:56,760 That is to bring Christ down. 202 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,380 See, there is a question and he's saying don't do that. 203 00:11:59,380 --> 00:12:04,080 Don't get stuck on the question who will ascend into heaven. 204 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,080 Seven, or who will descend into the abyss? 205 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,320 That is to bring Christ up from the dead. 206 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:11,260 Don't get stuck on that question. 207 00:12:11,260 --> 00:12:12,320 What does it say? 208 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:15,460 The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart. 209 00:12:15,460 --> 00:12:17,800 That is the word of faith, which we are preaching. 210 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:22,660 So in other words, he says, get a grip on that which we are preaching to you. 211 00:12:22,660 --> 00:12:26,480 That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, which means he tells you what to 212 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:31,480 do and you do it and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall 213 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:32,520 be saved. 214 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:37,040 Verse 10, for with the heart man believes resulting in righteousness and with the mouth 215 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:40,440 he confesses resulting in salvation. 216 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:46,040 For the scripture says, whoever believes in him will not be disappointed. 217 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:49,120 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. 218 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:55,520 For the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon him. 219 00:12:55,520 --> 00:13:00,040 For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. 220 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:04,840 Now because this is true, listen to it, because this is true, the woman who was running from 221 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:09,560 the tsunami and could have ran to the mosque or could have ran to the Christian church 222 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:12,640 and the Christian church was on the low ground and everyone was, even people didn't believe 223 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:15,920 in Allah were running to the mosque because it was on the high ground and potentially 224 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:20,500 the only hope of being saved from the tsunami which was flooding the land 20 feet high. 225 00:13:20,500 --> 00:13:24,520 When God told her and she said, I know Allah will not save me and she said, I believe the 226 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:25,760 Christian God might. 227 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:32,480 So she prayed not believing in God, she said, God if you're real, save me and I'll serve 228 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:34,040 you for the rest of my life. 229 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,960 Now what kind of knowledge did she have about God? 230 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:38,880 What kind of knowledge, what faith did she have? 231 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:39,880 How much did she learn? 232 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:41,560 How much Bible had she read? 233 00:13:41,560 --> 00:13:42,560 Next to nothing. 234 00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:43,680 How much weight did she have? 235 00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:44,680 Very little. 236 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:46,000 How much strength did she have? 237 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,000 Very little, but just enough to know she didn't want to die from the flood. 238 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,560 She reached out to God and said, God if you'll save me I'll serve you for the rest of my 239 00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:52,560 life. 240 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:56,120 And God said back to her, run to the Christian church building. 241 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,320 So she ran to the Christian church building which was on the low ground which when the 242 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:04,800 tsunami hit did not flood and she survived and has spent the 20 years after that, 15 243 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,240 years after that, whatever it's been, serving God for the rest of her life because the Christian 244 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:14,700 God says, you don't need big weight or big strength or big brains to figure this out. 245 00:14:14,700 --> 00:14:16,480 You just need to get a grip. 246 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:21,080 Don't get stuck in the wrong questions, but listen to what God is saying and then put 247 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:24,160 whatever it is you know of God into practice. 248 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:28,600 Now don't hear me saying that you can just then go, oh okay fine I know this one little 249 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,640 bit I believe in Jesus so now I don't need to worship God, I don't need to serve God, 250 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,400 I don't need to go to church, I don't need to do all of these things. 251 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:36,520 That is a falsehood. 252 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:37,520 That is wrong. 253 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:43,000 When you let the truth of God take up residence in you, you get a grip and here's the blessing, 254 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:47,320 you get more strength and more weight every day in the kingdom of God. 255 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:48,520 That's how it actually works. 256 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:54,680 Paul is saying don't get stuck on the wrong questions, get a grip on the answer, but notice 257 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:57,440 it's get a grip on the answer even when it's hard. 258 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:01,680 So here's our second point, get a grip on the answer. 259 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:06,680 You get a grip on the answer because you will be saved and then you can be the bearer of 260 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:08,460 the good news. 261 00:15:08,460 --> 00:15:09,840 So we get a grip on the answer. 262 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:13,760 I submit to you, if you were asking the question, who may ascend to heaven? 263 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:15,880 The answer is me, you. 264 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:17,240 We may ascend to heaven. 265 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:18,240 How? 266 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:19,240 Jesus Christ. 267 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,760 Get a grip on the answer. 268 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:26,360 And then knowing that answer, we can go and share it, but getting a grip on the answer, 269 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:31,360 we become bearers of that good news even when it's hard. 270 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:34,680 Devout men get a grip and live accordingly. 271 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:36,400 Remember those men who buried Stephen? 272 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:39,700 They had exactly one qualification that made them devout. 273 00:15:39,700 --> 00:15:43,680 One qualification that the Bible would say that they had gotten a grip on the truth of 274 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:47,480 God and it was that they went and buried Stephen. 275 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:48,480 Anybody could have done that. 276 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:49,720 And that they lamented him. 277 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:51,240 Anybody could have done that. 278 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:52,480 So what was it? 279 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:57,680 It was that they buried Stephen and lamented him while the temple servants were going around 280 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:03,000 and getting anybody who showed any signs whatsoever of being a Christian and persecuting them 281 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:08,440 many times unto death, taking their lands, throwing them in jail, rocking up their children, 282 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:09,720 selling their children in the slavery. 283 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:14,280 They were doing all of these things to Christians and at that time these men came and got Stephen's 284 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,800 body and they buried it and they lamented him, which is a very clear sign that they 285 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:21,800 cared about him, which is a very clear sign they might be Christians, which could have 286 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:23,760 gotten them taken out. 287 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:29,680 So while the persecution was going on, they became bearers of what they knew to be true. 288 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:34,480 They let their strength and their grip affect the life around them. 289 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:37,560 They took Stephen, they buried him and they lamented him. 290 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:40,700 This brings us already to our conclusion, but we're not done. 291 00:16:40,700 --> 00:16:45,240 By any means, the conclusion is devastating if you're not a follower of Jesus in earnest 292 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,080 and potentially life giving for you. 293 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:53,680 And if you are a follower of Jesus, the conclusion is how to get a grip. 294 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:58,800 There are two other words that are translated, could potentially be translated devout in 295 00:16:58,800 --> 00:16:59,800 the New Testament. 296 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:04,440 And the King James translates all of them as devout and they are in a way devout, but 297 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,400 in a way they're not. 298 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:14,640 And NASB translates three of the occurrences not as devout, but as God fearing. 299 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:15,800 And I'll explain that in a minute. 300 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:20,720 So first of all, these two other words, they don't mean to take hold of something, to get 301 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:21,840 a good grip. 302 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:28,160 They mean either properly revering something, to revere something is to love and fear it, 303 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:31,960 so it's properly revering something or just revering something. 304 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:33,080 That's what the two other words mean. 305 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:34,760 So you see the difference, right? 306 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:39,880 You can revere God, I love God and I fear God, but I don't got a grip. 307 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:43,120 There are people living in their houses that don't go to church, don't serve, don't give, 308 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:45,440 don't work in the kingdom, don't do anything for God. 309 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:48,500 And they will say, I love God, I know I'm going to have one when I die because I love 310 00:17:48,500 --> 00:17:52,400 God and He loves me back and at least half of that is true. 311 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:56,560 God does love everybody, but whether or not you love Him back, if you love Him, you'll 312 00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:57,720 follow His commands. 313 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:00,160 That's what it says. 314 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:05,160 And so there's a question about this person who says they love God, but if they love God 315 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,920 and fear God, you'd think they would get rolling, right? 316 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:11,840 You'd think, well, if I don't do something here with what I know to be true, that could 317 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:13,200 be a problem. 318 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:18,720 So these two words are properly revering, like revering in a good way or just revering. 319 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:19,720 That's what they are. 320 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:23,000 The first three instances, I'm going to explain to you basically, all right? 321 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,000 So the first man was Cornelius. 322 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,280 Cornelius was called a devout man. 323 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:32,680 Now it literally says right in the text in Acts 10-2 that he was called a devout man 324 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:37,520 because he feared God, he gave a lot, a lot of money, property, everything. 325 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:42,500 So he feared God and he gave a lot and he prayed to God continually. 326 00:18:42,500 --> 00:18:44,680 And for that he was called a devout man. 327 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:50,360 Now a little bit later in that same chapter, there is a soldier who serves Cornelius and 328 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:52,120 he is called a devout man. 329 00:18:52,120 --> 00:18:57,180 Now there is only one qualification that this man is given that he was called devout. 330 00:18:57,180 --> 00:19:00,800 And it was that he was always there. 331 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:01,800 He was always there. 332 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:06,100 He was always following around Cornelius, able to be used, willing to do whatever. 333 00:19:06,100 --> 00:19:10,320 We have a thing in the kingdom of God where people say, I'll do whatever is needed. 334 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:12,440 And then you call on them and they're busy. 335 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:13,440 Or maybe they're not. 336 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:15,360 They actually do step up and they'll do whatever is needed. 337 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:20,200 You can be considered devout based on that one verse if you'll just literally, not just 338 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:23,300 figure it out, like say I'll do whatever is needed, but you'll actually do whatever is 339 00:19:23,300 --> 00:19:24,300 needed. 340 00:19:24,300 --> 00:19:28,040 And you say I'll do whatever is needed and they say, will you scrub the grout in the 341 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:30,200 bathroom with a toothbrush, it's going to take about five hours. 342 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:32,840 You're like, yep, I said I'll do whatever is needed, I'll do it. 343 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:35,680 Will you clean the toilets, make sure that's all done? 344 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:36,680 Yeah, I'll do it. 345 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:37,680 I said I'll do it. 346 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:40,040 Will you pick up all of this garbage? 347 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,840 It's going to take about 10, 12 hours, clean up the whole neighborhood and garbage. 348 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:43,840 Yep, I'll do it. 349 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:44,840 I said I'll do anything. 350 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:45,840 I'll do it. 351 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:47,160 And the list just goes on and on. 352 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:49,620 But people say I'll do whatever. 353 00:19:49,620 --> 00:19:50,680 Will they actually do whatever? 354 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:54,360 Well, according to this guy, this guy was called devout because he was always there. 355 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:58,280 Not a devout because he was a follower of God necessarily, because he was always there 356 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:01,040 with Cornelius doing whatever was needed. 357 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:03,360 Paul called Ananias. 358 00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:09,080 So Paul, blinded on the road, goes into town and this guy Ananias comes to save him. 359 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:13,840 Now way later in chapter 22, Paul is giving the summary of the story and he says that 360 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:18,320 Ananias was devout by the standard of the law. 361 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:26,800 Now all three occurrences here are the word that means devout in a good way or God fearing. 362 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:28,960 So revering. 363 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:36,060 These three men are given the title of devout as if they were properly revering. 364 00:20:36,060 --> 00:20:41,040 So what I'm saying is, that was Acts 22, 11 to 13 by the way, what I'm saying is that 365 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:49,480 this measure of devoutness, God fearing, properly revering is always measured by faith based 366 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:50,480 works. 367 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:54,840 Do you believe and what does your belief lead you to do about it? 368 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:55,880 That's the question. 369 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:57,360 Now there are three other instances. 370 00:20:57,360 --> 00:21:00,400 Alright, I'm going to give you the basic summaries of them. 371 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:09,760 Now these ones are just revering, not revering like in a good way necessarily, that little 372 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:15,040 piece that makes it good revering or correct revering is left off. 373 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:16,640 It's just revering. 374 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:21,160 Those three I just mentioned to you, they were all also translated devout. 375 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:26,200 Now we've got this one is not translated devout in the NASB, it's translated God fearing every 376 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:27,640 time and here they are. 377 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,960 The first one is in Acts 13, 50. 378 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:36,120 Obviously Paul is preaching and it says that the others came in, the Jews came in and stirred 379 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:40,960 up the devout and it put an end to the preaching of the gospel. 380 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:42,840 Do you hear me? 381 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:46,800 Paul was preaching the truth that the Gentiles could be saved, telling the truth about Jesus, 382 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:50,360 the people he saved and God fearers, people who said they believed in God, said that they 383 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:55,400 loved God, rose up and stopped him, stopped the people. 384 00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:01,880 So here are God fearers if you will, devout people who get stirred up and they stand in 385 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:04,320 the way of kingdom progress. 386 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:07,960 Acts 17, 1-4, here it is again. 387 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:13,080 Now this is getting into Athens and Paul is preaching and there were those there who believed 388 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:18,080 in God, they feared God, they supposedly revered but there were very few in number. 389 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:21,200 But there were those there who had a lot of questions as well. 390 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:24,520 And so the God fearers were divided. 391 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:28,240 He preached the gospel, some of them said yeah, let's hear this. 392 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:29,360 What are you talking about here? 393 00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:32,140 I want to know what this is about, this sounds like it might be right. 394 00:22:32,140 --> 00:22:35,880 And some of them said we want nothing to do with this and they mocked him. 395 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:40,880 So the God fearers were divided, the gospel was delivered, there were those who said they 396 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:43,980 loved and feared God and they were divided. 397 00:22:43,980 --> 00:22:46,960 Some stood for the gospel and some stood against it. 398 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:52,600 Then in Acts 17, 16-32 we see the God fearers divided again. 399 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:56,800 Now this is where he's actually at the Areopagus and he's telling the story and he tells the 400 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:03,600 story and he talks about how devoted they are, how fearful and reverent they are. 401 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:08,520 And then some of them go, oh wow, this is truth, this is something we really need to 402 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:09,600 drill down on. 403 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:13,880 And some of them go, what is this fool talking about, resurrection. 404 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:17,800 And so the gospel is delivered and they're divided. 405 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:24,120 So the crux of the problem here is found clearly displayed in the words of that first described 406 00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:25,920 devout man that I mentioned. 407 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:27,280 What was his name? 408 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:29,760 The first one today that I mentioned. 409 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:30,760 Say it again. 410 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:31,760 Close. 411 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:32,760 Simeon, right? 412 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:36,040 It's Simeon, the prophet. 413 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:38,680 So somebody got a grip, right? 414 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:45,960 What I'm saying is in Luke chapter 2, Simeon is described as devout, I already told you 415 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:50,880 that, but listen to what Simeon then says as a devout man to Mary and Joseph and I'm 416 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:58,720 going to go there and read verses 33 to 35. 417 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:02,640 So this is the occasion of Jesus' dedication. 418 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:09,920 So we're in Luke chapter 2 and it's 33 to 35 and it says, and his father and mother 419 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,260 were amazed at the things that were being said about him. 420 00:24:13,260 --> 00:24:17,880 So Mary and Joseph were amazed at what was being said about Joseph, 34. 421 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:24,800 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, behold, this child is appointed 422 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:32,760 for the fall and rise of many in Israel and for a sign to be opposed and a sword will 423 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:41,320 pierce even your own soul to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. 424 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:46,560 Simeon said that when Jesus came, when Jesus became clear, when the truth was made evident, 425 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:51,080 when the gospel was delivered, it would divide the God-fearers. 426 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:57,640 It would divide those who could be called devout from those who actually were devout. 427 00:24:57,640 --> 00:24:58,840 You follow? 428 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,880 You've got to get a grip. 429 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:07,080 If you're not in it yet, jump in right now and understand, you've got to get a grip. 430 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:10,840 The part of you that wants to fight for what's right, that gets mad when things don't go 431 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:14,880 the way you think they should, that part that wants to stand up and make things around you 432 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:19,680 better can chafe against Jesus as the sacrificial lamb. 433 00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:25,120 Or you can get a grip on the real Jesus who was the lion of Judah and the lamb of God, 434 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:30,400 our Lord who was present at the creation and indeed nothing that was made was made unless 435 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:36,820 it was made through him, chose to take on the form of a suffering servant. 436 00:25:36,820 --> 00:25:43,480 And when he desires it, so must we. 437 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:48,840 The part of you that aches and suffers now and yearns for redemption, oh, I can't stand 438 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:49,840 this anymore. 439 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:51,640 Oh, I just don't know why my life is this way. 440 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:54,480 Oh, I can't do it. 441 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:56,200 We yearn for redemption. 442 00:25:56,200 --> 00:26:01,240 That part of us can chafe against the fact that Jesus, God in the flesh, begged God the 443 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:05,360 Father for another way and no other way was forthcoming. 444 00:26:05,360 --> 00:26:11,080 Or you can get a grip on the fact that justice demands the payment of a price and there is 445 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:15,280 no remissions of sin without the spilling of blood. 446 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:20,680 Jesus died, indeed had to die to pay for sins. 447 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:22,600 You and I could not. 448 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:28,080 If you start paying for your sins, you will pay them for an eternity. 449 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:34,560 But Jesus paid for sins which he could do because he didn't have any sin. 450 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:37,080 And sin is that bad. 451 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:43,400 That little white lie that you told, that sin is that bad. 452 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,280 It doesn't just cover your butt. 453 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:48,360 It doesn't just get you where you're trying to get to or make you feel better, make somebody 454 00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:51,840 else feel better or you don't cause a conflict between you and them or all of those other 455 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:56,880 things that a little white lie might try to accomplish. 456 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:01,880 What it actually does is it dismisses the God of the universe. 457 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:04,480 It says, I know God wants me to get a grip. 458 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:06,200 I know God wants me to be good. 459 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:09,000 I know God wants to take care of everything and be in charge. 460 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:10,720 I know he's on the throne. 461 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:15,320 But just this one time for the sake of convenience, I'm going to forget all of that and just tell 462 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:17,160 this lie. 463 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:24,240 Sin is that bad and salvation is that good that the God of the universe would take on 464 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:35,960 flesh and die on a cross because sin demands the payment of a price when it comes up against 465 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:37,480 justice. 466 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:44,200 You can chafe against the call of God to come apart from this world, to leave behind things 467 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:50,840 of this world that you like that connect with you in some way, that your eyes continually 468 00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:57,080 veer off to, that your flesh wants, that fills you so you don't feel that attention deficit 469 00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:58,800 disorder kicking in. 470 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:03,240 You can chafe against the call of God to come apart from this world and to instead walk 471 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:08,720 with him and for him, but you really need to get a grip on the fact that the here and 472 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:12,800 now really continues to exist for just one reason. 473 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:18,020 And that is so that people can grope around for him and finding him, realize that he was 474 00:28:18,020 --> 00:28:21,280 not so far away ever. 475 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:23,400 And we can get a grip. 476 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:24,720 You can put it down. 477 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:25,960 You can put it away. 478 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:27,440 You can say no thank you. 479 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:28,440 You can walk away. 480 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:30,780 You can lock yourself in the closet while you pray. 481 00:28:30,780 --> 00:28:31,960 You can get a grip. 482 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,320 You can do whatever is necessary. 483 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:41,360 But some so-called devout people will be offended by the same Jesus whose name became the name 484 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:46,560 under heaven given among men by which they must be saved. 485 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:52,000 They will instead be defiding, coming to the point of alleged God fearing and good works. 486 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:54,160 They will refuse to go any further. 487 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,140 Ask yourself, is that you? 488 00:28:56,140 --> 00:29:02,080 They will latch onto a certain question or a certain excuse to not put all that they 489 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:03,280 are on the line. 490 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:04,280 I'm too busy. 491 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:05,760 I have too much work to do. 492 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:07,000 I'm unavailable. 493 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:08,320 Why should I have to do it? 494 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:09,860 Someone else will take care of it. 495 00:29:09,860 --> 00:29:11,040 But what about this doctrine? 496 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:12,080 What about that verse? 497 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:13,080 What does it say there? 498 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:14,080 What does that exactly mean? 499 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:17,560 I'm still struggling with knock it off. 500 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:20,620 That's all an attempt to keep from actually getting a grip. 501 00:29:20,620 --> 00:29:24,780 And no matter how heavy you are in the kingdom or how strong you are in the kingdom, if you 502 00:29:24,780 --> 00:29:31,480 stay there and don't get a grip, you'll never be used for what God can use you for. 503 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:36,460 In failing to get a grip, they will destined themselves for the get away from me I never 504 00:29:36,460 --> 00:29:40,080 knew you crowd instead of the well done good and faithful servant crowd. 505 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:44,280 Now in many cases all the while, they will be saying I'm definitely in the well done 506 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:47,960 good and faithful servant crowd because I spend my time considering the most important 507 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:49,160 things in life. 508 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:50,460 I give some of my time. 509 00:29:50,460 --> 00:29:51,600 I give some of my money. 510 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:56,760 I give some of my sweat, blood and tears and they will say I'm going to make it in for 511 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:57,760 sure. 512 00:29:57,760 --> 00:29:58,920 I'll be okay. 513 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:02,680 Jesus loves me and I'm devout. 514 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,400 But are you devout, revering? 515 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:09,360 Or are you devout, revering correctly? 516 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:12,800 Or are you devout, you've gotten a grip? 517 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:14,640 You understand. 518 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:16,360 Will you get a grip today? 519 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:18,000 That is the question. 520 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:21,400 Will you take Jesus exactly as he is? 521 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,440 Will you surrender to his will for your life? 522 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:29,200 A scene from the movie Bruce Almighty which I've watched a couple of times and you have 523 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:33,520 to be careful to either watch it edited for TV or just kind of really keep your guard 524 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:37,120 up because it's got quite a bit of vulgarity in it language wise. 525 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:41,080 But there's a scene where he's been acting as God for quite a while and eventually he 526 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:43,160 realizes he just can't do it. 527 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,080 He can't, he doesn't know how to do it. 528 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:49,280 He just, with all the power and all the knowledge that he has he still can't do it. 529 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:53,160 He's screwing up the world and he's walking down the street and he kneels down on the 530 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:56,600 road in the rain and I'm not going to get the words exactly but basically puts his hands 531 00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:59,760 up and he says, okay God, I give up. 532 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:03,440 He says, I surrender to your will. 533 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:04,720 Your will be done. 534 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:09,320 And it starts to get light where he is and right after that, somebody knows the movie, 535 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:10,320 what happens? 536 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:14,080 He gets hit by a truck. 537 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:19,240 And then when he sees God, God says, you can't kneel down and pray in the rain on the street 538 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:23,640 on the expressway without getting hit by a truck. 539 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:30,440 But in that moment at which he was getting a grip, he said, okay, I surrender my will 540 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:33,920 for my life and I want to do instead what you want me to do. 541 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:38,480 Listen to me, I'm just telling you plainly, this is the very decision that Christians 542 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:41,640 make that gets them saved. 543 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:46,480 Which means if you came to the altar or you prayed in a coffee shop or somewhere, you 544 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:51,760 said, I'm accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and in that moment you didn't get 545 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:55,920 a grip, nothing actually happened. 546 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:59,080 You said words. 547 00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:02,440 Even if you were very careful to make 100% sure that you were ready, even if you were 548 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:06,280 very careful to say, but when I do this, I'm going to be all in, I'm going to do it. 549 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:12,040 Or if at times you were all in and then not all in, whatever, all of that might be true. 550 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:15,600 Those people that Jesus said, get away from me, I never knew you before that, they claimed 551 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:20,640 that they had cast out demons and healed in the name of Jesus. 552 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:22,360 And Jesus did not correct them. 553 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:23,760 He didn't say, no you didn't. 554 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:26,680 Say, yeah you did it, but not in my name. 555 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:28,760 He didn't do that. 556 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:33,280 What he said was, get away from me, I never knew you. 557 00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:35,480 They didn't get a grip. 558 00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:38,840 We've got to get a grip. 559 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:45,040 This division, because this division is reality, you may have been here before. 560 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:50,280 You may have been in this moment in time and before, where you were thinking, I don't know, 561 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:52,880 have I, am I really, whatever. 562 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:57,000 As long as you're going, I don't know, have I really, whatever, listen, you probably have 563 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:58,660 it. 564 00:32:58,660 --> 00:33:01,120 You may be revering, right? 565 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:09,520 I recognize I should, or you may be good revering, I'm going to act on what I know to be true, 566 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:12,800 but are you, get a grip. 567 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:21,640 Are you taking hold of that for which you were taken hold of, as Paul says in Philippians. 568 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:23,620 And that's what we're called to. 569 00:33:23,620 --> 00:33:28,560 You must get a grip on the risen Savior and the ramifications of His saving grace, and 570 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:30,080 you must do it now. 571 00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:35,760 Now here's the great blessing and the final thought. 572 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:43,600 When you get a grip on what this means, Jesus gets a grip on you. 573 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:49,760 Now that's important, because Jesus never quits, Jesus never loses, Jesus never runs 574 00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:50,760 out of strength. 575 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:55,920 If there is anybody with weight in the kingdom of God, it's Jesus. 576 00:33:55,920 --> 00:34:01,680 And God said, Jesus said that God had told him that no one would slip from His hand. 577 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:06,680 If Jesus has got you, you're in, and if He doesn't, you aren't. 578 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:08,960 It doesn't matter how firm your grip is. 579 00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:12,080 I have known men who had theological degrees. 580 00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:16,520 We won't know this side of heaven, but you know how many pastors and deacons, let me 581 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:22,640 clarify what that means, men who were recognized by others as called by God, ordained to be 582 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:27,720 pastors, men who were recognized by others as called by God to be deacons. 583 00:34:27,720 --> 00:34:33,160 You know how many men who were pastors or deacons realized they hadn't gotten a grip? 584 00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:38,080 Well, I don't know either, but I know many who have. 585 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:39,800 It's time to get a grip. 586 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:47,680 It's time to realize that the ramifications of what Jesus did can take all that you are, 587 00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:51,920 all your weight and all your strength and put it into application in the kingdom of 588 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:52,920 God. 589 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:54,240 And you're like, I don't know, I'm not that smart. 590 00:34:54,240 --> 00:34:58,840 It doesn't matter because the not that smart man, which if there was anybody in this room, 591 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:02,120 I don't agree, by the way, I think you're all pretty smart, but that being said, if 592 00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:06,720 you say I'm not that smart, the not that smart man who gets a grip will pull harder and do 593 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:10,200 more than the very smart man who doesn't have a grip. 594 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:13,640 The very smart man who doesn't have a grip probably has an excuse why he's not even on 595 00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:16,640 the rope because he doesn't want to pull. 596 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:17,640 He doesn't want to work. 597 00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:18,640 He doesn't have to. 598 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:21,440 He'll be the guy on the sidelines going, come on, pull. 599 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:23,560 You got this. 600 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:26,720 And when he loses, he'll say, well, they should have pulled harder. 601 00:35:26,720 --> 00:35:30,480 I told them what to do. 602 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:32,680 That's not getting a grip. 603 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:37,240 You can even tell others how to get a grip and they may get saved and get a grip and 604 00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:41,500 actually start following Jesus while you yourself have no grip. 605 00:35:41,500 --> 00:35:45,740 And the problem is if down the road, if Jesus doesn't have a grip on you and that happens 606 00:35:45,740 --> 00:35:49,520 when you first get a grip on this truth, if Jesus doesn't have a grip on you, then somewhere 607 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:52,600 down the road, you will walk away. 608 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:56,680 I have seen men that I personally, before I even knew anything about this, would have 609 00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:59,200 called devout. 610 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:00,960 Walk away. 611 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:06,160 Men who serve Jesus by their own profession, day in, day out. 612 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:09,000 Do you know Billy Grant probably heard that name? 613 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,440 He preached probably to more people than anybody in the world has ever preached, with the possible 614 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:17,000 exception of some folks who now have done a lot over the last 20 years over in Africa 615 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:19,940 and stuff and they get really big crowds and so they might be catching up to him. 616 00:36:19,940 --> 00:36:24,200 But he preached to more societies and more people than anybody. 617 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:30,120 After all that was happening, Billy Graham's right hand man, the guy who traveled with 618 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:37,560 him, saw all those people getting saved, preached himself and supposedly led tens of thousands 619 00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:40,640 of people to Christ himself. 620 00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:47,840 He now to this day declares he is an atheist. 621 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:50,400 I get it. 622 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:55,120 It's a lot to say I want, but I'm willing to submit my wants. 623 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:59,280 I think I need, because listen, sometimes he may ask you to suffer, I think I need, but 624 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:01,440 I'm willing to submit my needs. 625 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:05,880 But it is exactly what the Gospel says, because what did Jesus do? 626 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:06,880 Did he want to die? 627 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:09,320 Did he want to go to the cross? 628 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:11,000 Did he want to be crucified? 629 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:13,340 Did he want to be whipped within an inch of his life? 630 00:37:13,340 --> 00:37:15,520 This is the Gospel you're called to. 631 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:17,720 Is this day whom you will serve? 632 00:37:17,720 --> 00:37:23,480 A risen Savior who can go through that and come out into eternity, born again, and you 633 00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:26,160 can do the same? 634 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:31,520 Or a feel-good God that will make you feel good every time you go to church on Sunday 635 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:33,720 and you'll be like, yeah, doing my part. 636 00:37:33,720 --> 00:37:36,400 And you might get to the point where you're tithing. 637 00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:40,720 And get this, you might even get to the point where you cast a demon out of somebody in 638 00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:42,440 the name of Jesus. 639 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:46,040 Or pray for somebody's healing, go like, I prayed for them and they were miraculously 640 00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:47,040 healed. 641 00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:48,040 Yay, me! 642 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:49,040 I'm following God. 643 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:54,400 I'm devout, because God is doing miracles for me, and in me, and around me, and by me. 644 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:56,400 God is using me. 645 00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:59,760 And all the while, no grip. 646 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:06,640 Well, if you have no grip, then He's not holding you. 647 00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:12,080 If you have no grip and He's not holding you, then eventually He'll slip. 648 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:14,880 I should say, eventually, you'll slip. 649 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:21,120 And when you slip, you'll lose that great battle of tug-of-war on the other side of 650 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:26,000 which is Satan, demons, and evil spirits, and the world system, and everything else, 651 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:30,160 and you'll be pulled across that line right into an eternal abyss. 652 00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:33,720 In the meantime, you've got time. 653 00:38:33,720 --> 00:38:36,240 You've got time to wrestle with questions. 654 00:38:36,240 --> 00:38:39,760 You've got time to find answers. 655 00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:41,760 But don't think you have forever. 656 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:43,080 You may have tomorrow. 657 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:44,080 You may not. 658 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:46,440 You've got time right now. 659 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:48,440 Will you get a grip? 660 00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:52,240 Will you say, okay, Jesus, I'll take you just as you are. 661 00:38:52,240 --> 00:38:55,280 I'll live for you just the best I possibly can. 662 00:38:55,280 --> 00:39:00,840 I'll let my old life fall behind, and you show me the way ahead. 663 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:03,040 You be the way ahead. 664 00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:04,320 That's what it means to follow Jesus. 665 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:07,880 We're going to have an invitation at this time, which means the praise team is going 666 00:39:07,880 --> 00:39:11,880 to lead us in a song, and then we're going to decide. 667 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:12,880 You're going to decide. 668 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:13,880 And if you decide, you can honestly decide, look, I already got a grip. 669 00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:14,880 I already knew this was the Jesus that I was following, but I had to do it. 670 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:15,880 And then I wanted to do it. 671 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:16,880 I needed to do it. 672 00:39:16,880 --> 00:39:17,880 I had to do it. 673 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:18,880 If that's you, then you pray that others in this room will make that decision. 674 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:19,880 If on the other hand, you say, you know, like, I've been up and down. 675 00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:20,880 I've been questioning. 676 00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:21,880 I've been wondering. 677 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:22,880 What if I ask them? 678 00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:23,880 What if that happens? 679 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:24,880 What if, what if, what if? 680 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:25,880 I'm not going to show up. 681 00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:26,880 I'm not going to show up. 682 00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:27,880 I'm not going to show up. 683 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:28,880 I'm not going to show up. 684 00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:37,880 I'm not going to show up. 685 00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:48,880 I'm not going to show up. 686 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:59,880 I'm not going to show up. 687 00:39:59,880 --> 00:40:08,880 I'm not going to show up. 688 00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:19,880 I'm not going to show up. 689 00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:28,880 I'm not going to show up. 690 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:39,880 I'm not going to show up. 691 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:56,880 I'm not going to show up. 692 00:40:56,880 --> 00:41:11,880 I'm not going to show up. 693 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:26,880 I'm not going to show up. 694 00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:39,880 I'm not going to show up. 695 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:46,880 I'm not going to show up. 696 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:54,880 I'm not going to show up. 697 00:41:54,880 --> 00:42:07,880 I'm not going to show up. 698 00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:14,880 I'm not going to show up. 699 00:42:14,880 --> 00:42:29,880 I'm not going to show up. 700 00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:41,880 I'm not going to show up. 701 00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:54,880 I'm not going to show up. 702 00:42:54,880 --> 00:43:06,880 I'm not going to show up. 703 00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:19,880 I'm not going to show up. 704 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:26,880 I'm not going to show up. 705 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:34,880 I'm not going to show up. 706 00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:46,880 I'm not going to show up. 707 00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:54,880 I'm not going to show up. 708 00:43:54,880 --> 00:44:00,880 I'm not going to show up. 709 00:44:00,880 --> 00:44:04,840 you can probably do some research, but people started thinking that the word 710 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:10,440 believe means to think something is true and that just isn't so. To believe 711 00:44:10,440 --> 00:44:15,800 something is to let it affect you pretty much at every level, right? It becomes 712 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:20,200 almost subconscious or unconscious as you rely on that truth. Somebody tells you 713 00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:24,480 something and you take it as the truth and don't even think about it and then a 714 00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:28,520 few weeks later you make your decisions including that truth that they told you 715 00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:35,040 that's so damaging about gossip for example or reminiscing over things and 716 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:40,520 you don't get the facts quite right or whatever is you can take that truth and 717 00:44:40,520 --> 00:44:44,640 take it as part of who you are in your decision-making process and it can be 718 00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:48,600 very damaging in the future. For example if you heard that somebody said 719 00:44:48,600 --> 00:44:52,440 something and it just wasn't true then two weeks later you're operating on 720 00:44:52,440 --> 00:44:55,240 to the fact that they said it and it wasn't even true. You might be expecting 721 00:44:55,240 --> 00:44:57,680 them to be somewhere, expecting them to be a certain kind of person and they're 722 00:44:57,680 --> 00:45:01,720 not, whatever, because you heard that they said it that's why gossip is so damaging. 723 00:45:01,720 --> 00:45:09,520 One of the reasons to believe is to let it affect you in every way is to get a 724 00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:17,000 grip. I didn't pick the song and she had already picked the song before the 725 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:25,400 message was completed and God does that. God is reaching to us all the time. If 726 00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:30,600 you were dangling over a cliff about to fall 500 yards, literally anybody that 727 00:45:30,600 --> 00:45:35,680 extended you a hand you would reach out and get a grip and God is extending your 728 00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:41,160 hand. Will you reach out and get a grip? Take a hold on him. The woman who was 729 00:45:41,160 --> 00:45:45,760 following Jesus, they were all walking to go heal a young girl or whatever and 730 00:45:45,760 --> 00:45:50,600 she followed him and she said, I just touched the robe of Jesus, I was healed. And she did and she was. 731 00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:54,880 She didn't even get a grip. She just reached out and just touched him for a moment and 732 00:45:54,880 --> 00:45:57,880 Jesus said, who touched me? And the crowd of people said, who touched me? I felt power 733 00:45:57,880 --> 00:46:01,560 going, something happened. And then she was able to share and she said, well I did 734 00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:05,920 this all these years. I've been dealing with an issue of blood and now I know I'm 735 00:46:05,920 --> 00:46:10,880 healed and praise God. And she got saved because she was just, it's just all over. It's a 736 00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:17,280 get a grip theology. Read your Bible, study it, understand God wants you. In Acts 17 737 00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:22,240 you grope around to find him. If you were searching for your keys in the dark and 738 00:46:22,240 --> 00:46:26,720 you felt something that felt like your teeth, you'd grab it. He is the solution. 739 00:46:26,720 --> 00:46:32,080 He is everything. And if you reach around and feel something that might save you, 740 00:46:32,080 --> 00:46:34,840 something that might take you into eternity, something that might make you strong, 741 00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:38,600 something that might gift you, something that might inhabit you with the Holy Spirit of 742 00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:42,200 God, that might seal you forever, overcome every difficulty, even though you will 743 00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:48,040 have to go through difficulty, but he'll be with you, why would you not grab on? 744 00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:54,680 Why would you want to let others think you have grabbed on when you haven't? If 745 00:46:54,680 --> 00:46:58,360 you're still groping, then let's be transparent. I'm still groping. I want to 746 00:46:58,360 --> 00:47:04,920 get a grip. I'm going to get a grip. And when I get a grip, he's going to have a grip on me. 747 00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:09,400 Believe and never be the same. Okay. 748 00:47:09,400 --> 00:47:18,720 So one thing I want to thank God for is this is a gripping church. And I'm not 749 00:47:18,720 --> 00:47:22,640 saying anybody doesn't want to, but you can reach out to any of us. I will reach 750 00:47:22,640 --> 00:47:27,800 out to you. I want to grip you. I want to share things with you. Don't ever be afraid to 751 00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:32,360 ask me how come they didn't talk to you. I want to share my testimony, but be very 752 00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:37,040 quick. Everybody knows my story. They should know. It's a very heartbroken story. 753 00:47:37,040 --> 00:47:42,520 They had a horrible story. It's not like I go home and I just woe is me. Just 754 00:47:42,520 --> 00:47:48,680 heartbroken all my life. All I know is a lot of heartbreak. But God always being 755 00:47:48,680 --> 00:47:54,360 good in people in my life and the love that I find in others. And you know, it's 756 00:47:54,360 --> 00:48:00,240 always going to be there. And I just wanted to share something last night. And 757 00:48:00,240 --> 00:48:05,560 once again, I also want to share testimony. It wasn't for people here for 758 00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:10,480 three years. I've been here probably four. I get my ears mixed up. But if it wasn't 759 00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:15,640 for people here, I wouldn't be gripping back on God again. And it really is not 760 00:48:15,640 --> 00:48:19,840 just here, but there are gripping churches. And God is always, you know, giving 761 00:48:19,840 --> 00:48:24,480 us gripping moments. It's always God. But this is a place where you can get your 762 00:48:24,480 --> 00:48:29,160 grip back. I want to give people a chance to encourage you. You can do that. But 763 00:48:29,160 --> 00:48:34,240 last night I was praying with Dan. And it doesn't have to be Dan. I'm just saying God 764 00:48:34,240 --> 00:48:38,800 just sometimes lets me go call Dan. And I prayed with him in the downtown, the 765 00:48:38,800 --> 00:48:43,560 library. And I just remember saying like, God wants me here. And just the things 766 00:48:43,560 --> 00:48:49,040 that I thought that could not happen. I will never sit here and ever say it's 767 00:48:49,040 --> 00:48:53,040 okay to get a divorce or separation. I'm just saying that this is something that 768 00:48:53,040 --> 00:48:57,160 God is involved no matter what. You know, whether it's ignorance, mistakes, I don't 769 00:48:57,160 --> 00:49:01,640 know. But it happened. And it was like, well I get to see my kids. Well I'd be 770 00:49:01,640 --> 00:49:07,200 able to be the way that God wants me for my kids. And I continually just see God 771 00:49:07,200 --> 00:49:12,160 involved in those moments. I was at the library of my daughter Naomi. And to you 772 00:49:12,160 --> 00:49:16,320 it might mean nothing, but it meant a lot to me. And it already expands from today. 773 00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:21,560 But last night my daughter was downstairs. We were at the downtown, like the big one, 774 00:49:21,560 --> 00:49:25,840 where I was upstairs, she was downstairs. I was like, I didn't get to see my daughter. I was hanging up with my kids. 775 00:49:25,840 --> 00:49:32,600 And I was like, I need to go see her. And my ex, she was like, she's fine. 776 00:49:32,600 --> 00:49:35,600 She's just down there hanging out with her cousin. I go, no, but I feel like I'm 777 00:49:35,600 --> 00:49:39,080 supposed to go see her. Like, I've been saying hi to her. And you know, maybe she just 778 00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:42,680 wants me to let her know I love her because I do. And I just like, you know what, I'm 779 00:49:42,680 --> 00:49:45,680 gonna go down there. I just feel like I'm supposed to go down there. And that was, when I went 780 00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:50,400 down there, it was, she was having a hard time trying to check out this book at 781 00:49:50,400 --> 00:49:55,320 the library. She forgot her address. She just had a hard time. And she looked up 782 00:49:55,320 --> 00:49:59,840 and she's like, dad, you're here. She's like, I was actually hoping somebody would 783 00:49:59,840 --> 00:50:03,840 come down here and help me out with this. And I was gonna let her know. And she 784 00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:08,000 knows we have this connection and it will never go away. That's God's grip. And 785 00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:13,440 the connection that we have is that I can share God with her. I said, I felt like 786 00:50:13,440 --> 00:50:18,040 I was, God told me to come down and see you. And she won't say it like me. But she 787 00:50:18,040 --> 00:50:21,920 was like, yeah, I know. This is so cool. We kind of shared this moment where, like, God 788 00:50:21,920 --> 00:50:26,080 was telling me to come down to see you because you needed me and it was perfect. 789 00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:30,560 And because of that, and I did some of my sons too. I could share more, but you 790 00:50:30,560 --> 00:50:34,760 guys want to hear some really cool stories of the testimonies I had. But because of 791 00:50:34,760 --> 00:50:41,720 that, today, my daughter, you know, I didn't coerce her. I didn't move her to it. 792 00:50:41,720 --> 00:50:46,280 She shared a scripture verse with me today in the text. And it was exactly a verse 793 00:50:46,280 --> 00:50:49,680 that I shared something. I said, I can't wait to share back to you what God 794 00:50:49,680 --> 00:50:54,880 sent to me through that. And I was like, that connection has still spurned off. The 795 00:50:54,880 --> 00:51:00,760 Bible even says, and I think it is, to try, it's Hebrews, it's either three, four, 796 00:51:00,760 --> 00:51:06,840 or five. But it says, spurn each other on to good works. And because I spurned her 797 00:51:06,840 --> 00:51:11,840 on to good works, she spurned back. But spurned is like, you, like, you know, 798 00:51:11,840 --> 00:51:17,720 like, spurn, like, you can do this pushing, like, just one, like embers, like, burning it up. 799 00:51:17,720 --> 00:51:22,600 She burned it back to me, this verse. And she said, you're welcome. And it also 800 00:51:22,600 --> 00:51:27,080 shows her that God is showing something to her as well. And the reason I shared 801 00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:31,040 this, and I'll be real quick and right this moment, is that I'm not asking anybody to 802 00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:37,600 do what I do. Just be who you are in Jesus. It don't matter if you, like, take notes 803 00:51:37,600 --> 00:51:43,000 and do what I do. It was just that the connection was that God had a grip on us. 804 00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:47,320 And the connection was that God has grip on everyone that's, like you said, 805 00:51:47,320 --> 00:51:51,360 like, what the Word says. And it was for Jesus we couldn't grip if we wanted to. 806 00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:56,680 But then we can grip on. Then we can continue on. And how bad it is, or how 807 00:51:56,680 --> 00:52:01,360 ugly it is sometimes, and I know ugly now. And maybe I've known ugly all my life. I 808 00:52:01,360 --> 00:52:06,920 don't really matter. Because even if I know ugly, that beautiful, awesome, holy 809 00:52:06,920 --> 00:52:12,120 righteous God was in the middle of it all. And I am thankful for that every day. 810 00:52:12,120 --> 00:52:18,240 So I just finished with this. It's GRIP ON. We have brothers and sisters, you know, 811 00:52:18,240 --> 00:52:21,560 just reach out to them. Sometimes, you know, I'm just saying I will reach out. I 812 00:52:21,560 --> 00:52:24,360 can't speak for everybody else. But I'm reaching out right now. And you talk to 813 00:52:24,360 --> 00:52:28,120 someone, share, please come to me. I would love to talk to you and share with you a 814 00:52:28,120 --> 00:52:31,720 way that you can get a grip on things, a way that you can think about things. But 815 00:52:31,720 --> 00:52:36,080 you could talk to anybody here. I thank God for everybody here. 816 00:52:36,080 --> 00:52:42,720 Listen to this list of songs that was chosen for today. Rain, all bow down, forever we 817 00:52:42,720 --> 00:52:49,520 sing hallelujah, and hold arms and pray. Father in heaven, we praise you for being at 818 00:52:49,520 --> 00:52:54,560 work in this service. Being at work in our body. Being at work in each one of us who 819 00:52:54,560 --> 00:53:00,160 have yearned for this kind of relationship with you even before we knew 820 00:53:00,160 --> 00:53:05,200 it was possible. And some of us remember very clearly, just not that long ago, 821 00:53:05,200 --> 00:53:10,560 groping around in the dark, hoping for something, for someone. And some of us 822 00:53:10,560 --> 00:53:18,240 accepted Christ decades ago. And we've been up and down maybe, or maybe there 823 00:53:18,240 --> 00:53:21,200 might be somebody in the room says, you know, since I accepted Christ over 20 years ago, 824 00:53:21,200 --> 00:53:24,880 I've been up the whole time. I've been gripping on and trying to do and trying 825 00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:29,560 to let him reign, be who he is, and praise God. We have a diverse set of 826 00:53:29,560 --> 00:53:34,320 people in amongst such a small group of us. And compared to the world's 827 00:53:34,320 --> 00:53:40,400 Christians at large, we hope that there are millions. So Father, we are so 828 00:53:40,400 --> 00:53:45,000 grateful that you take the time to act in us to work, to do these miracles. We do 829 00:53:45,000 --> 00:53:50,840 ask you Lord to reign. We do ask to hold on to us. We do ask you to continue to 830 00:53:50,840 --> 00:53:56,280 show us your grace and mercy. We ask you Lord to bless our time of baptism in the 831 00:53:56,280 --> 00:53:59,080 Lord's Supper, which we have next coming around one after another. We're so 832 00:53:59,080 --> 00:54:10,080 grateful for these things that teach us to remind us that you are doing today. 833 00:54:10,080 --> 00:54:16,880 And we praise you for it in Jesus name, amen. Thank you very much. So they are 834 00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:21,520 getting ready for baptizing. And so you've got to worship until we're ready. 835 00:54:21,520 --> 00:54:41,520 The kids will be coming back in. 836 00:55:21,520 --> 00:55:41,520 I am a power quickly fading, in today and on tomorrow. 837 00:55:41,520 --> 00:55:53,520 The waves touch the ocean, the pain will end now. It's still you, you'll be me when I'm falling. 838 00:55:53,520 --> 00:56:19,520 Lord you press me when I'm falling, and you pull me from the hell. I am yours. 839 00:56:19,520 --> 00:56:28,520 Oh I'm mine.