1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,120 Good evening! 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,000 to see him through his heart. 3 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,000 Grace of the Lord, worthy of praise. 4 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,000 Grace of the Lord, worthy of praise. 5 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,000 Grace of the Lord, now lift up your voice. 6 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,000 Now lift up your voice. 7 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:56,000 Grace of the Lord. 8 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:04,000 Grace of the Lord. 9 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,000 I know the Lord is holy and just, 10 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,000 I stand where we trust him above. 11 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,000 I know the Lord is sweet, full and true, 12 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,000 I will see him through his heart. 13 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,000 When I am Lord, I love him for me, 14 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,000 Great are you Lord, worthy of praise. 15 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,000 Great are you Lord, I lift up my voice. 16 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,000 I lift up my voice. 17 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:42,000 Great are you Lord. 18 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:52,000 Great are you Lord. 19 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,000 Alright, alright, alright, whacked out simple stuff, 20 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,000 something simple, something basic. 21 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,000 I have some copies for some of your adults in the room who want to know more about what I'm talking about. 22 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,000 First I want to talk to you about the core values. 23 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,000 I'm going to talk to you about two things about the core values and that's it. 24 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,000 I'm not going to tell you what all the core values are. 25 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,000 These are on our website by the way, like I said there's paper copies here. 26 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,000 I've got like my eight copies of this, some adults that want to copy. 27 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,000 First thing I'm going to tell you is what a core value is. 28 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:26,000 A core value is like something that's at the middle that you value, 29 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,000 that you think is important, that you would not be you without. 30 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:35,000 So for example, if you think being honest is important, that could be one of your core values. 31 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,000 And if I'm not honest, I don't feel like me. 32 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:43,000 You think loving someone, loving being a loving person, 33 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:47,000 is if you're supposed to do that and you don't do that and you don't feel like you, 34 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,000 then we tell that's a core value for you. 35 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,000 So that's what a core value is. 36 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,000 Now I'm briefly going to tell you the story of how we pick these core values as a church. 37 00:02:55,000 --> 00:03:00,000 We were sitting in my living room, pretty much the entire core group, church, 38 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,000 about 20 some people all crammed in my living room sitting all around various places 39 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:07,000 and I think a couple of people were working in the kitchen bringing drinks back and forth, that kind of thing. 40 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,000 And we were trying to figure out what are the core values of our church. 41 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:14,000 What are the things the Bible teaches us that we would not want to give up, 42 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:18,000 that we would want to make, we would want to name as the core values of our church. 43 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:24,000 And we started with a list of about 100, and we started whittling them down, 44 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,000 and we got down to 12. 45 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,000 And we knew we had to get down to 10. 46 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:33,000 We couldn't do it unless we did 10. 47 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:39,000 And then two of them, we just kind of said, well, we're not sure about this. 48 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,000 Then we got down to 10, but 10 is still a lot. 49 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:47,000 And so then we were praying, my God, is this the 10? 50 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:48,000 Is this the 10 core values? 51 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,000 You think about it, I think you're pretty late, about 9, 10 o'clock, 52 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:55,000 kids got to go to school the next day, you know, and stuff, and we're praying. 53 00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:00,000 And Arden was there, and he's not in the room right now, and we won't go on talking about it. 54 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,000 And at that time he was like five. 55 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,000 And he was in there with us, and he'd been praying, 56 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,000 and he'd been pretty faithful with the whole thing continuing. 57 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:14,000 And he spoke up and he said, you know, it occurs to me that number seven is a lot like number eight, 58 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,000 and number nine is a lot like number 10, and so they're kind of the same thing. 59 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:21,000 And so, for example, truth and honesty, they're not exactly the same thing, 60 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,000 but they're very close to the same thing. 61 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,000 And he said, so couldn't we just lump those in together, 62 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,000 and then you would have eight instead of 10? 63 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:34,000 And as soon as he said that, everybody knew that God had spoken through that little boy, 64 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,000 that, you know, just some little kid that was in the room at the time. 65 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,000 And we're all like, that's right, that's true. 66 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,000 So that put us at eight. 67 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:48,000 Then Deacon Tony, at the time, he was not able to be in the room when we were having this conversation, 68 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,000 and he had been given all the information, 69 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,000 and he had been going back and forth with us on the phone and stuff like that. 70 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:59,000 And the next day he said, these two core values really speak to me. 71 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,000 They're really the kind of church that we are, really something we need to do. 72 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:07,000 And so then we came back to the church with the eight, and then also the two, 73 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,000 and the church took all ten. 74 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,000 So that's how we got to where we are right now in having these ten. 75 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:13,000 These are on our website. 76 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,000 All right, now I was just talking about you a moment ago. 77 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,000 You missed the story of how God spoke through you, 78 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,000 but you probably already know the story, so it's okay. 79 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:26,000 All right, so I'm going to give you guys, I guarantee you, unless you're on the website reading it. 80 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:30,000 So if you've never seen it and you want to see it, I've got a few extra. 81 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,000 Don't read it right now, I'm getting distracted by it. 82 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:37,000 I've got three left, everybody. 83 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,000 I'll just take people. 84 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,000 They're kind of going to the website for you today. 85 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,000 You can take this to your mom. 86 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,000 All right, I've got one left if anybody really wanted it. 87 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:49,000 All right, so we're going to pray together. 88 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:54,000 Then we've got one more song, and then we're going to release the children and their teachers. 89 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,000 And then we've got one song after that, and then we're going to the Bible. 90 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:58,000 I've got a worksheet. 91 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:02,000 It's kind of a fun, kind of hard to follow, and I'll try to make sure we don't get lost, 92 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:08,000 but pretty cool, simple, focused Bible study with a worksheet for a little fun, kind of almost like a little maze. 93 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:09,000 And so we'll do that. 94 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,000 So would you pray with me? 95 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:12,000 I'm going to lead. 96 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:13,000 We're all going to pray together. 97 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:14,000 Okay, let's do that. 98 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:25,000 Father in heaven, even right now, as voting is going on in the state of Ohio to determine one of the most crucial election questions, 99 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:31,000 or maybe two of the most crucial election questions that our state has seen about amending our Constitution, 100 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:37,000 even right now, people are trying to get into and from the voter booths that already voted, or they're rushing to get dinner. 101 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:44,000 Even right now, people are thinking about Thanksgiving around the corner, or school stuff. 102 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,000 And Northrop kids have been out of school the last couple of days. 103 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,000 A lot of kids are out of school today. 104 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Even as we're thinking about how to get bills paid, how to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas, 105 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:03,000 how to make sure we make the grade, how to make sure we get to work on time, we recognize this one fact. 106 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,000 That you've never missed a deadline. 107 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:07,000 You've never failed. 108 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:09,000 Keep a promise. 109 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:16,000 You are a sovereign God and powerful and capable, and you are intervening in the lives of men. 110 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:25,000 The truth is, as sad as it is, our nation, society in general, according to your word, bound to drift in the wrong direction. 111 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:30,000 Even it says that many will fall away listening to the doctrine of demons. 112 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,000 That's a terrible thing. 113 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:37,000 That's not because you're not in charge, but there is an open rebellion against you. 114 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:48,000 And Lord, we are grateful that even amidst that, amidst that rebellion and the trouble and the problems and all the worries and the efforts and the concerns, 115 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,000 that we know we belong to you. 116 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:57,000 There may be somebody in this room, Lord, that does not know you, that has not chosen you and the chosen body of you. 117 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:05,000 We believe they may be chosen by you and they're not willing to shoot you back before they leave this place, that they would sell that matter. 118 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:12,000 As we go to the Word later, we pray that we'll learn something, learn something about what it means to be doing the right thing. 119 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,000 And why we know we can't. 120 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:19,000 As the kids go to their lesson, we pray that the Sherri's got a powerful, fun word for them. 121 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:23,000 They're walking out of there saying, well, that was cool. 122 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,000 Good to be with. Good to learn about God. 123 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:35,000 As we sing these next two songs, we pray that the notes will strike, the voices will uplift, and as we sing in that last song, 124 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,000 we know that you are worthy of glory. 125 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,000 Let us shine a light on you right here, right now. 126 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:56,000 Music 127 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:19,000 Night and night will laugh unto my feet and a cry unto my death. 128 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:30,000 When I feel afraid and think of lost my way, still not there right beside me. 129 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:45,000 Nothing will harm me as long as you are near, leading me into the end. 130 00:09:45,000 --> 00:10:08,000 Night and night will laugh unto my feet and a cry unto my death. 131 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:20,000 I will never let you unlove for me when yet my heart forever is wandering. 132 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:34,000 Jesus be my life and one into your soul and I will love you unto the end. 133 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:46,000 Night and night will laugh unto my feet and a cry unto my death. 134 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:59,000 Night and night will laugh unto my feet and a cry unto my death. 135 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:04,000 Music 136 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,000 Good-bye children, go be good. 137 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:15,000 Walk, learn, and enjoy. 138 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:29,000 Music 139 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:47,000 Faith, we move the mountain, let the mountains move. We come with expectation, waiting here for you. 140 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:55,000 Waiting here for you. 141 00:11:55,000 --> 00:12:14,000 You're the Lord of all creation and still you know my heart. You're the author of salvation. You come from the start. 142 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:29,000 Waiting here for you. With the help of his eyes in praise. 143 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:44,000 With the help of his eyes in praise. 144 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:55,000 Music 145 00:12:55,000 --> 00:13:14,000 You are everything he promised. Faithfulness is true and we're desperate for your presence. All we need is you. 146 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:29,000 Waiting here for you. With the help of his eyes in praise. 147 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:48,000 With the help of his eyes in praise. All we need is you. We adore, singing Hallelujah. 148 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:59,000 Waiting here for you. The Lord is here with you. We're singing Hallelujah. 149 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:22,000 Singing Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 150 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:37,000 Waiting here for you. With the help of his eyes in praise. 151 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:56,000 With the help of his eyes in praise. All we need is you. We adore, singing Hallelujah. 152 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:11,000 Waiting here for you. With the help of his eyes in praise. 153 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:30,000 With the help of his eyes in praise. All we need is you. We adore, singing Hallelujah. 154 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:55,000 Music 155 00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:18,000 Okay, that's nice. I didn't bring along the answers so that'll be fine. It's all good. I know the answers. We'll be fine. 156 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:29,000 The pen cup is not up here. Hi Trina. She's got the pen cup. Okay, that's all good. 157 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:36,000 Hey, while she's passing out the worksheets, while Josh and Alicia are passing out the worksheets, do we need more? 158 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:45,000 Do we not have enough? Oh, she's got more. We're good. Okay, while they're finishing that up, I just want to share with you something that the Lord touched my heart while I was standing there. 159 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:56,000 That song that we just sang where it says, with our hands lifted high, and it says that multiple times, and then eventually it says, with our hands lifted high in praise. 160 00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:07,000 There is a word in the Hebrew talking about worship where you lift your hands in praise to God like this. 161 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:16,000 There is a different word where you lift your hands in praise to God like this. This is, we need you. We need your help. Fill us Lord. 162 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:23,000 This is that kind of thing. We praise God and we're asking for help. This is, we recognize you Lord, you're holy and glorious and awesome. 163 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:27,000 It's kind of like the sign for surrender. We surrender you're an awesome God. 164 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:33,000 If you see people raising their hand in worship and they know that, you'll actually see them on the praise song. 165 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:40,000 If we're praising God, you'll see them, they'll have their hands like this and people think, well, they just turned their hands over because their arms are getting tired. 166 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:45,000 But if it's like this is praise God, we recognize how awesome he is and this is God fill me up, give me help. 167 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:53,000 There is a difference and I didn't make it up. That comes from the Hebrew words for worship in the Old Testament, especially in Psalms. 168 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:59,000 We've got two main passages of scripture that we're going to look at this evening. 169 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:06,000 And so if you'll look on your page right there where it says start and it has a little face on the left hand side, 170 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:10,000 up above that, there's a little picture of the man is thinking about something. 171 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:20,000 And right above that, it says the empty box or empty line there is James. We're going to the book of James and it's chapter four. 172 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:27,000 And then after the colon goes 13. So it's James 413. That's where we're starting at today. 173 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:34,000 And so if you've got a Bible and you want to turn to James chapter four verses 13 and following, you can do that. 174 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:42,000 Praise the Lord. This is God's word. OK. And we will go 13 through 17. 175 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:48,000 And then if you'll notice down on the right hand side down there in the box, it says the abbreviation for Ephesians. 176 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,000 And I wrote the kind of like a just a little quick summary of those verses in the box for you. 177 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:58,000 So at that time, you'll need your Bibles to go to Ephesians chapter two. OK. 178 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:04,000 And then there's at least one other reference on the page as well. All right. 179 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:08,000 This can put me to the test because I made this worksheet, but I left the one that I put the answers in in the office. 180 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:12,000 So as long as I remember all the answers will be in great shape. All right. 181 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:19,000 So we're starting right there in the middle, James 413. OK. And you see a man thinking there. 182 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:25,000 What does it look like he's thinking about in the picture? Some guys walking. 183 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:31,000 What is that on the right hand side? Anybody want to decipher my fancy drawing? 184 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:35,000 That's a town for an hour, a walled town. Right. OK. Good. 185 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:42,000 OK. So I'm going to read the passage of scripture verse by verse. 186 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:47,000 And we're going to work through the worksheet and see if we can get it to make sense. 187 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:52,000 And if not, you can blame it all on me because of the way I did it. That's all right. All right. 188 00:19:52,000 --> 00:20:05,000 So in James 413, it says, Come now, you who say today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. OK. 189 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:13,000 And so if you know, you see him thinking there, he's got it by going to the town. And so the blank is go. All right. 190 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:23,000 And I submit to you that a lot of times we get a look at you. No. Yes. That has the answers. 191 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:29,000 Well done. Or or you didn't trust me. One or the other. Which was it? 192 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:34,000 Oh, thank you very much. That's good. That's the right answer right there. That's my grandson. 193 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:44,000 OK. All right. So go goes in the first blank there and then it says there's a plus sign and there's an hourglass. That's my kind of drawing of an hourglass. 194 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:49,000 And it says work and spend goes under that under the hourglass spend. 195 00:20:49,000 --> 00:21:00,000 I chose spend particularly because notice it says that they will be there for a year and it says they will work and buy and sell what they're going to trade. 196 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:08,000 OK. And people do a lot of spending. You don't only spend money contrary to what people think. And there's all things as time is money. 197 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:16,000 And so spending money and time are the two primary ways we think about spending. But if you understand that is by no means the limit. 198 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:22,000 We spend a lot of other things other than time and money. Those two things are kind of like the big ones. 199 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,000 Or maybe you spend time, you spend it in a variety of different ways or whatever. 200 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:30,000 But the bottom line is they would spend their work and they would spend their time there. 201 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:35,000 And then over to the right it says that they that would equal profit. 202 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:43,000 So they're what they have said is that if they go and spend time and work there they will achieve profit. 203 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,000 Anybody ever do that? Have you ever done that? If we work hard we'll make money. Right. 204 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:55,000 That's kind of like the capitalistic society way isn't it? 205 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:05,000 I'm going to even raid my candy stash. OK. I guess I'm going to pull out some pizzi rolls to throw at teenagers in a minute. 206 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:11,000 All right. So we've got the person who says that, come now, pay attention, look here. 207 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:20,000 Let's get this straight in verse 13 says come now you who say today or tomorrow we shall go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. 208 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:25,000 Fourteen says yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. 209 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:30,000 You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 210 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:35,000 And so the author James of the book of James is saying this is what you think. 211 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:40,000 But now follow the arrow down. OK. We're going down and around to the left. 212 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:46,000 There's our life as a vapor. It just comes and goes. Right. 213 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:50,000 Now we think people live 50 years. We think that's a long time. 214 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,000 But the truth is 50 years is not really very long. Right. 215 00:22:53,000 --> 00:23:00,000 It's long when you're living it. But then when you get to the end of it you think that's not really all that long. Right. 216 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:05,000 If you live a hundred years, the time you get to a hundred years might think I lived a long time. 217 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:10,000 But you would think the person who died at 50 died way too young. Right. 218 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:15,000 So we have a different perception of time. Bottom line is that life is like a vapor. 219 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:22,000 Because life is like a vapor and it just goes away, the author says that we should do something different. 220 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:27,000 We go back to the text for a second. It says yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. 221 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:30,000 You're just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 222 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:37,000 Verse 15 says instead you ought to say if the Lord wills we shall live and also do this or that. 223 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:43,000 Okay. So the blanks on the right next to the equal sign is if the Lord wills. 224 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:50,000 Now if there is one thing in all of scripture that I could say that you could do to help yourself on a daily basis, 225 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:56,000 it would be to install those four words in your thought process in every way. 226 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:00,000 If you say I'll be there at four o'clock you should think if the Lord wills. 227 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,000 I think I'll have cake instead of meat for lunch if the Lord wills. 228 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:08,000 I'll tell the truth. I'll lie if the Lord wills. Right. 229 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,000 Which one of those is the will of the Lord? The truth. Right. 230 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:16,000 And so if you could instill if the Lord wills in your life you would do well. 231 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:23,000 So basically realize that 13 through 15 what we have so far is he's saying what they're doing is wrong. 232 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:27,000 Did you catch it? They're saying you can't do that. 233 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:32,000 You can't say if I go there and I spend my time and work out that'll equal profit. 234 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:37,000 That is not the right way to look at life. That is a mistake. 235 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,000 Because your life is just a vapor. 236 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:45,000 So if you say I'm going to do that and we'll come back a little bit more on this when we go the other direction. 237 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:49,000 If you say you're going to do that you're missing the fact if the Lord wills. 238 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:55,000 Any one of us could die in a car accident on the way home from this Bible study. 239 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:58,000 Right. Now God forbid that that would happen. 240 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:04,000 But if it did happen at least you spent the last hour you know an hour out of the last hour and 15 minutes of your life studying the Bible. 241 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:09,000 You know something. But the bottom line is anything can happen from our perspective. 242 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,000 God knows what's going to happen. That's why we say if the Lord wills. 243 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:16,000 Follow the arrow down to the left. 244 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:19,000 And this is in the same verse that we just read. 245 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:24,000 And it says notice it says live plus. 246 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:32,000 And then the first little blank under the plus sign is do the blank down to the left is this and the blank over to the other side of or is that. 247 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:36,000 So it's do this or that. 248 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:39,000 Guys pause for a second. 249 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:44,000 Nicole what do you got under the hourglass. 250 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,000 OK. Nice catch. 251 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:51,000 So we're training up future softball players and we do this and catching all this stuff. 252 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,000 All right. Very good. Let's see. 253 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,000 Karina you write notes. 254 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,000 What do you got under the pile of money. 255 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,000 All right. Coming at you. 256 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,000 It was a pretty bad throw. 257 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:06,000 OK. So there's where we're at. 258 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:08,000 We're following it down. 259 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:10,000 But here's what I want you to realize. 260 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:15,000 Most people who study this passage scripture or look at this this is what they do. 261 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:16,000 Your life is like a vapor. 262 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:23,000 So you should say if the Lord wills we'll go there and do this or that. 263 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,000 That's how most people think of this passage of scripture. 264 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,000 The guys are saying they're going to go and spend their time in there and make profit. 265 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:34,000 And he says no you should say if the Lord wills I'll go there spend my time and make profit. 266 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:40,000 That's how people try to interpret this verse. But when they do that what's missing. 267 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:45,000 If you say no you should say if the Lord wills go there work and make profit. 268 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:48,000 What part of it's missing. 269 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:49,000 It's in big capital letters. 270 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:52,000 Well three of them are capital. 271 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:54,000 The other one's just big. 272 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:56,000 It's live. 273 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:58,000 You realize that your life is like a vapor. 274 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:05,000 The first thing you have to realize is if God doesn't say so you don't keep living. 275 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,000 Physically speaking we only continue as long as God wants us to. 276 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:14,000 You can take that to the extreme and say as long as I'm in the will of the Lord I'm invulnerable. 277 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:15,000 And that's true. 278 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:20,000 As long as God has something for you to do next Wednesday you'll be here until next Wednesday. 279 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:21,000 You can't die from cancer. 280 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:24,000 You couldn't jump off a cliff. 281 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:31,000 If God wants you to do something next Wednesday and he says that's going to happen you're going to be here to do that no matter what. 282 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,000 You say no no God will never take away anyone's free will. 283 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:35,000 That's not true. 284 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,000 The Bible does not say that. 285 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,000 God gives free will so people can be saved. 286 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:40,000 That's true. 287 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:41,000 Every person inherently has it. 288 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,000 It's been subjected to sin and evil. 289 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,000 We make bad choices. 290 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,000 You gave up your free will as a sinner. 291 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:48,000 You already gave that up. 292 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,000 You already got roped into sin and addiction and whatever you were doing. 293 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,000 You already gave your free will up. 294 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,000 Then God can give it back to you. 295 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,000 If he doesn't give it back to you you don't got it. 296 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,000 That's the bottom line. 297 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:03,000 People who don't get saved they don't get saved because they don't have free will to make the choice. 298 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,000 Then they hear God. 299 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:06,000 God says look you can get saved. 300 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,000 You can do this. 301 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:08,000 You can turn your life over to me. 302 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:11,000 And they start to think well maybe I can. 303 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:17,000 And they don't have the free will to necessarily decide what they're going to wear or where they're going to go or what they're going to do or what they're going to buy. 304 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,000 But in that moment they have the free will to choose Christ. 305 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:22,000 To accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 306 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:26,000 Then having done so then they're filled with free will. 307 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:30,000 And as long as they're in the will of the Lord they will continue to live. 308 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:35,000 Physically speaking your heart will keep beating as long as God says so and not one second more. 309 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,000 It doesn't matter what your cause of death is going to be. 310 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:40,000 That's what is said. 311 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,000 If the Lord wills. 312 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,000 Go back to the verse. 313 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:46,000 Don't miss this because a lot of people do. 314 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:49,000 You ought to say if the Lord wills. 315 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,000 The first three words are we shall live. 316 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,000 If the Lord wills we shall live. 317 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:58,000 And do this or that. 318 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,000 Not just we shall do this or that. 319 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,000 But we shall live and do this or that. 320 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,000 So if God is in charge of whether or not you live or not. 321 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:09,000 Then fundamentally any plans you make for your life are wasted if God says no. 322 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:11,000 That's why he's saying what he's saying. 323 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:14,000 Then there's the this or that. 324 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:16,000 Well what this or that? 325 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:20,000 Right because we can decide to do all kinds of things can't we? 326 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:22,000 So then can we just say well we're going to go there. 327 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:26,000 Spend our time and effort and make some investments whatever and make a profit. 328 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,000 And we can do that right. 329 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:32,000 If the Lord wills we can do that. 330 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,000 That make sense? 331 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,000 But if he doesn't you could go there. 332 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:37,000 Spend all your time and effort. 333 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,000 Do all that traveling carry all your stuff. 334 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,000 Get there and not make a profit. 335 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,000 And tons and tons and tons of people do that. 336 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:47,000 Because they are functioning outside the will of the Lord. 337 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,000 Whether they realize it or not. 338 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:52,000 Okay so we've already gone as far as 15. 339 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,000 And we're following now you notice whether you live or do this or that. 340 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,000 Both of those two things lead you over here to the right. 341 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:00,000 And it's James 4.17. 342 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,000 So we'll read through from 15 and 16. 343 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,000 We're going to read it now. 344 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,000 But we're really going to hit it when we go to the top. 345 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:10,000 Okay instead you ought to say if the Lord wills we shall live and also do this or that. 346 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:14,000 16 says but as it is you boast in your arrogance. 347 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:16,000 All such boasting is evil. 348 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:18,000 Okay we'll come back to that in a minute. 349 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:26,000 17 says therefore to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it to him it is sin. 350 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,000 If you live because God says so do the right thing. 351 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,000 If you do this or that because it is the will of the Lord. 352 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:34,000 Then whatever you choose to do that will be the right thing. 353 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,000 Because you're doing it because it's the will of the Lord. 354 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:40,000 And in the four blanks right there is do the right thing. 355 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:41,000 Exclamation point. 356 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:42,000 Do the right thing. 357 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:43,000 Very simple. 358 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:49,000 Okay. 359 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:56,000 So in the middle of the page where it says life and it has a big curly Q and it says equals if the Lord wills. 360 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:59,000 Natalie what did you write in those four blanks? 361 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,000 Very good. 362 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:02,000 Coming over. 363 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:03,000 Oh that's bad. 364 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,000 Somebody grab that. 365 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,000 Way out of bounds. 366 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:08,000 Come on you can't get it. 367 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:10,000 It's a tootsie roll. 368 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:11,000 Oh my goodness. 369 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:13,000 I'm going to throw it over there. 370 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:14,000 That is a bad one. 371 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:15,000 Get one behind you. 372 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:16,000 You're going to have to do it. 373 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:18,000 I can't warm up my arm. 374 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:19,000 My arm is very stiff. 375 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:20,000 Okay. 376 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:22,000 Do the right thing. 377 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:26,000 Now if you look on the bottom here there's some implied truths. 378 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,000 In what we just read there's some things that we should know. 379 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:29,000 Number one. 380 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,000 You can know what to do. 381 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:38,000 If it says for the one who knows what to do what's good to do and doesn't do it to him it is sin then what is implied? 382 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,000 You can know what to do. 383 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:41,000 Right. 384 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:47,000 Otherwise it wouldn't make any sense to say if you know what to do and you don't do it because you can't know what to do. 385 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:48,000 That doesn't make any sense. 386 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:50,000 So you can know what to do. 387 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,000 People can know the right thing. 388 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:53,000 Know what God wants. 389 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:59,000 They can say if the Lord wills then I'm going to do this and I can see God clearly does not will this so I'm not going to do it. 390 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:00,000 You can know what to do. 391 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,000 In fact you do know some. 392 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,000 Nobody knows everything. 393 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:09,000 Nobody is required or asked to know everything even about your own life. 394 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:13,000 You don't know for sure if there will be heavy fog on Thursday and school will be canceled. 395 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:14,000 Right. 396 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:18,000 You don't know for sure if there will be a fire at Norplas and it won't open on time on your next ship. 397 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:21,000 You don't really know all of those things for sure. 398 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:25,000 All you know is what you actually know and you do know some things. 399 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,000 You know some choices that you can make that are right. 400 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:32,000 So the next time you're talking with somebody you can choose to tell them what you will get them to think. 401 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,000 What you want them to think. 402 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,000 You can tell them a little gossip. 403 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:36,000 You can tell them a little slander. 404 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:38,000 You can lie a little bit. 405 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:39,000 Right. 406 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:44,000 Or you can talk about something that isn't important to hide something that is or whatever. 407 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:47,000 But you know those are not the right things. 408 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:48,000 Right. 409 00:32:48,000 --> 00:33:00,000 So you could get into slipping a little beer in your schedule in between work or classes or at a meal. 410 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:01,000 Right. 411 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:04,000 And then it becomes a little more and a little more and a little more. 412 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:05,000 And you might not get addicted. 413 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:06,000 You say I'm not going to get addicted. 414 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:07,000 Right. 415 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:12,000 But you know the right thing and you're accountable for the right thing. 416 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:17,000 The verse said for him who knows what to do and does not do it that is sin. 417 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:19,000 And sin breaks your fellowship with God. 418 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:20,000 And sin is basically evil. 419 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:21,000 It's not what we want. 420 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:22,000 It's not what we want to do. 421 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:24,000 You know some things that are wrong. 422 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:28,000 And if whatever you're thinking about doing you know it's wrong. 423 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:30,000 You have a responsibility to not do it. 424 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:35,000 If you're thinking about doing something that is right then you have a responsibility to do that thing even if it's hard. 425 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:36,000 And that brings me to the next one. 426 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:39,000 You can do the right thing. 427 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:40,000 You're a human being. 428 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:42,000 You can go oh I think I should take the garbage out. 429 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:43,000 No I don't want to. 430 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:45,000 I'm just watching 15 more minutes TV. 431 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:53,000 And if you know that taking the garbage out would be the right thing and you choose to watch 15 more minutes of TV instead that's sin. 432 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,000 Simple as it is. 433 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,000 You can do the right thing. 434 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,000 To go no I don't want to do the right thing. 435 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:01,000 At least you're being a little bit honest. 436 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:02,000 Right. 437 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:08,000 With yourself to say I'm not going to do the right thing even though I know I can and I should and I know what it is. 438 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:11,000 You can choose between this or that. 439 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:14,000 The right thing or the wrong thing. 440 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:18,000 Now in the case of we're going to go here work some and try to yield a profit. 441 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:21,000 Is that a wrong thing. 442 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:25,000 No they really weren't talking about doing a wrong thing necessarily right. 443 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:31,000 They had a problem and their problem was because they had an attitude about it. 444 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:34,000 They thought I can do it because I say I can do it. 445 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:38,000 It's nothing to do with God not because God wills not because what God wants or whatever. 446 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:46,000 So you'll notice that there's an arrow that goes up the side of the page there to the box where we're going to look at Ephesians 2. 447 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:50,000 But before we look at Ephesians 2 you'll notice that the arrow comes down to the top to the box. 448 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:53,000 So we've got to do the whole top third of the page yet. 449 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:55,000 Go back to the money. 450 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,000 See the money. 451 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:00,000 Follow the arrow up around to the left. 452 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:05,000 And you're going to see a group of five blanks all up there. 453 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:07,000 And I'm going to read the verse again. 454 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:11,000 Verse 16 says, But as it is you boast in your arrogance. 455 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:15,000 All such boasting is evil. 456 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,000 All such boasting is evil or all such boasts are evil. 457 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:25,000 If you have a different translation a couple different translations there as a matter of fact. 458 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:28,000 16 James 5 16. 459 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,000 But as as it is you boast in your arrogance. 460 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,000 All such boasting is evil. 461 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:36,000 So that's what goes evil or all such boasts are evil whichever way you like to write it's fine. 462 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:39,000 Okay. 463 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,000 So immediately when my mind reads that I know one of them. 464 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,000 You know what one of them is right. 465 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:49,000 It's that we're going to go over there and work and make and spend our time and make a profit. 466 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:53,000 That he said that's you boast. 467 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:56,000 He said but as it is you boast in your arrogance. 468 00:35:56,000 --> 00:36:01,000 So that's boasting because they weren't saying if the Lord so wills that's boasting. 469 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:06,000 But I'm immediately asking myself what other kind of boasts are evil. 470 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:07,000 Right. 471 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:11,000 That's what it says is all such boasting is evil. 472 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,000 All boasting like that. 473 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:14,000 Go ahead. 474 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:22,000 Boasting is kind of like bragging or putting yourself out there in arrogance thinking you're all that in a bag of chips or you're good or whatever. 475 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:26,000 And so we're going to have some examples of what this boast boast might be like. 476 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,000 And I've got those listed out there for you. 477 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:31,000 Now I am not all knowing. 478 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:32,000 I am not perfect. 479 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:34,000 I do not have everything listed here. 480 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:35,000 Okay. 481 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:45,000 So you know in your own life what these things represent and you may have invented what you perceive to be whole new ways of doing exactly what we're talking about. 482 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:52,000 The first one is when a human being says I will regardless of their knowledge of God. 483 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:56,000 I.e. I will sleep in rather than going to worship. 484 00:36:56,000 --> 00:37:00,000 I will not study my Bible today because I don't feel like it. 485 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:04,000 I will not tell them the truth because they'll get mad at me. 486 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:05,000 Whatever. 487 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:08,000 If you say I will regardless of whether it is the will of God or not. 488 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,000 Regardless of what you know about God. 489 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:15,000 That is maybe the supreme boasting and arrogance against God. 490 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:17,000 That is what the devil did. 491 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:18,000 He said I will. 492 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:20,000 That is what Eve did. 493 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:21,000 She said I will. 494 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:22,000 I'll take that. 495 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,000 I'm going to take this fruit even though God told me not to take the fruit. 496 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:28,000 I'm going to do it anyway because it looks good to eat which they all did. 497 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,000 And this one looks good for knowledge and wisdom. 498 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,000 And so she went further with it and she took it. 499 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,000 She said I will regardless of what God said. 500 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:36,000 I will. 501 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:39,000 And that is probably the supreme level of boasting. 502 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,000 Especially if you already know you're doing it. 503 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:42,000 Number two. 504 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:44,000 I will for profit. 505 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:53,000 So in other words God says do things his way and you say well yeah this is not expressly against God but it's not really for God either. 506 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:56,000 But I see it's going to profit me so I will. 507 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:59,000 I'll work extra hours. 508 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:00,000 Whatever. 509 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:02,000 You know what God wants you to do. 510 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:03,000 I'll stay up late. 511 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:12,000 I will stay up late because I'll get to watch more TV or because I will spend time with these friends that I know are not going to influence on me. 512 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:15,000 Because it makes me feel good to be around them. 513 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:17,000 Because they'll help me out. 514 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:21,000 I will do what my boss tells me to do even though it's a sin. 515 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:23,000 He tells me to lie on the invoice. 516 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:25,000 I will lie on the invoice because he's going to take care of me. 517 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:26,000 I'm going to get the schedule I want. 518 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,000 I'm going to get the money that I want. 519 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:36,000 Anything that you would do for profit runs the risk of being a boast that is evil because it's not about profit. 520 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:38,000 Life is not about profit. 521 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,000 Life is about what God would will. 522 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:42,000 Back to the middle again. 523 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:43,000 I will for profit. 524 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,000 I will if I can. 525 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,000 Now that one doesn't sound too bad. 526 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:50,000 In fact I asked a guy to come and help me one day. 527 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:53,000 He said I'll be there at 2 o'clock if I can. 528 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:58,000 When you say I will if I can that is basically evil. 529 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:00,000 That's boasting. 530 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:07,000 If you think it's what God wants you to do then you say I will if the Lord wills. 531 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:17,000 He said to me, this is what he actually said, he texted me, he said I will if the Lord wills and I can. 532 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:18,000 That's what he said. 533 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,000 I said well if the Lord wills you can. 534 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:24,000 You don't need to add that qualifier. 535 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:26,000 If you make it about whether you're able or not. 536 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:28,000 Let me just ask a real quick story question. 537 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:35,000 Is there anybody in this room that's ever done anything because God made them able that otherwise they don't think they would have been able to do? 538 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,000 I see some hands. 539 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:38,000 Some people are listening. 540 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:39,000 I see more popping up. 541 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:40,000 Hands are popping up all over the place. 542 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:45,000 So if you say I will if I can that's not the qualifier. 543 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:47,000 That really has almost nothing to do with it. 544 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:48,000 God says do it, you do it. 545 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:53,000 If you can't, God forbid if you can't, he told you to do it so there's only two possibilities. 546 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:59,000 He's going to make you able or in failing essentially to do it he's going to benefit you somehow. 547 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:06,000 So you're going to try, fail and still wind up in the positive because he told you to. 548 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:09,000 So I will if I can is a matter of boasting. 549 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:11,000 I can, so I will. 550 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:12,000 So I'm able. 551 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:15,000 I realize I have opportunity here. 552 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:16,000 The money's on the counter. 553 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:18,000 No one will ever know if I pick it up. 554 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:22,000 No teachers around, no other workers around, no cameras here. 555 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:24,000 I'm strong enough. 556 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:29,000 For example, I know I can stay up until one and still get up at six for work. 557 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:32,000 I've done it many times before so I'm going to do that. 558 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,000 No reason, no particular reason. 559 00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:38,000 I just want to and I can so I will. 560 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:41,000 But is it what God wills? 561 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:43,000 And it might be. 562 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:48,000 I've had God have me go out at two, three in the morning when I had to be to work at six. 563 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:49,000 Because it was something I had to do. 564 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:50,000 He wanted me to do. 565 00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:53,000 It was an emergency, go to the hospital, whatever. 566 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:55,000 And if that's what he wants me to do, fine. 567 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:58,000 And now the truth is I would have said I can't do that. 568 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:02,000 But he said I say do it and then so I did it. 569 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:06,000 So if you say I can, so I will, that's a form of boasting. 570 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:08,000 If you say I want, so I will. 571 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:11,000 And this is where it starts to get kind of real close to home if you think about it. 572 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:13,000 I want, so I will. 573 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:15,000 In other words, I want more money. 574 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:16,000 I want a better TV. 575 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:18,000 I want a promotion. 576 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:19,000 I want a paycheck. 577 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:21,000 I want praise, whatever. 578 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:24,000 If you let those be the motivators as to why you do something. 579 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:27,000 So you say I want, so I will. 580 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:29,000 That's boasting. 581 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:30,000 That's boasting. 582 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:36,000 Because what you want, frankly, and that's kind of painful to say, is kind of irrelevant. 583 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:42,000 The truth is your wants are badly marred by what your flesh wants. 584 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:43,000 So you're constantly sorting out. 585 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:44,000 You probably already know this. 586 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:45,000 I want this. 587 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,000 I want an extra piece of cake. 588 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:48,000 I want to stay up too late. 589 00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:49,000 But I know it's not really good for me. 590 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:54,000 So you're fighting back and forth between what you want and what you want all the time. 591 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:56,000 So you already know that's messed up. 592 00:41:56,000 --> 00:42:02,000 So for you to say I want, so I will is for you to choose one set of wants, something that you want, 593 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:04,000 over something else that you might want. 594 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:07,000 I want to do what God wants me to do. 595 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:11,000 But when I'm tempted to do what he doesn't want me to do, I certainly can't go with those wants. 596 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,000 I have to go with what God wants me to do. 597 00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:20,000 So when you say I want, so I will, that's boasting. 598 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:25,000 Then it's what's best for me slash us. 599 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:30,000 So now I see we have this opportunity and I think it's what's best for me. 600 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:34,000 Some years ago, Sherry and I had an opportunity, we were planting new heights at the time. 601 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:38,000 This was about 2014, 2012, something like that. 602 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:43,000 And Sherry received a job offer in Georgia. 603 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:46,000 And I was like, I don't know for sure. 604 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:48,000 And we were trying to say it's what the Lord wills. 605 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:50,000 If it's what the Lord wills, it's a significant pay increase. 606 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:55,000 And we move and swarmer near my parents, a lot of positive things about it. 607 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:57,000 And it seemed like it was what's best for us. 608 00:42:57,000 --> 00:42:58,000 That's what we started thinking. 609 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:01,000 But we knew enough to say, no God, whatever you want, whatever you want. 610 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:03,000 Went down there, they offered me a church. 611 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,000 There was a church planter guy, he said, I'll offer you a church. 612 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:09,000 Get you a building, get you set up, here's money, we'll pay your salary the first couple of years. 613 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:11,000 It's all taken care of. 614 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:14,000 So it sure seemed like what's best for us. 615 00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:16,000 We started thinking, this might be it. 616 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:17,000 Maybe this is what God wants us to do. 617 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:19,000 We're prayerfully considering it. 618 00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:22,000 So then we were down, they paid for us to stay in a hotel for a weekend. 619 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:25,000 On Saturday we were supposed to start looking for a house to live in. 620 00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:29,000 We'd be moving away from our family up here, from our current kids. 621 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:32,000 We had Jason at that time, right? 622 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:35,000 Whatever year it actually was, Jason was alive. 623 00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:38,000 And we started thinking, this might be what's best for us. 624 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:42,000 And then Friday afternoon, about 1 o'clock, they called Sherry and they said, we lost the contract. 625 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:44,000 Your job down here is no good anymore. 626 00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:46,000 So don't panic. 627 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:50,000 We're going to talk tomorrow morning, but don't bother looking for houses because you ain't moving to Atlanta. 628 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:53,000 We're like, oh no, she already gave up her job in Toledo. 629 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:55,000 What are we going to do? 630 00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:57,000 She doesn't have a job back home to go back to. 631 00:43:57,000 --> 00:44:00,000 Now that she doesn't have a job in Atlanta, what are we going to do? 632 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:02,000 And the next morning they called her and they said, well, here's what we're going to do. 633 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:04,000 We have a restructure in our entire company. 634 00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:07,000 You can work out of your home in Northwood, which is right over here where we live. 635 00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:12,000 You can work out of your home and we're going to pay you to do basically the same job we were going to move to Atlanta to do, 636 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:14,000 except we're going to work right from where you are. 637 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:16,000 So now you're not going to move. 638 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:21,000 So we have to stay with New Heights, stay with our family, stay local, stay in the same house, all that kind of thing. 639 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:24,000 That's what was best for us. 640 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:27,000 But we didn't even know that was possible. 641 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:29,000 You see what I'm saying? 642 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:32,000 So if we had gone, yeah, Atlanta, yay, woo, right? 643 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:34,000 No. 644 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:36,000 We'd have been boasting against God. 645 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:40,000 And then the last one is hope that drives you. 646 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:43,000 And you start thinking, it's just got to be, right? 647 00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:45,000 This is painful. 648 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:49,000 But even, let's say, if you have a disease, 649 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:53,000 and you start thinking God just has to miraculously heal me, right? 650 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:57,000 Or you have a loved one who's very sick and God just has to save them. 651 00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:00,000 He has to make it so that they don't die. 652 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:05,000 Or you have a relationship that's broken between you and somebody else, and you're like God just has to bring them around. 653 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:07,000 It just has to be. 654 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:08,000 I have to have that. 655 00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:13,000 You start thinking, man, I don't think I can survive if I can't have that. 656 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:16,000 And that's all boasting. 657 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:19,000 Because none of that's true. 658 00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:24,000 There are people serving the Lord who have been through worse than you or I have yet seen. 659 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:26,000 And they survived it. 660 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:29,000 And they're living it better after. 661 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:32,000 Just think about Job for a second, if you would. 662 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:34,000 Job lost everything. 663 00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:39,000 He got down to where he was sitting in a pile of ashes, scraping the sores on his skin with a pot shard. 664 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:41,000 The only thing he had left was a wipe. 665 00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:44,000 And she came up to him and said, just curse God and die already, Job. 666 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:46,000 And Job said, no. 667 00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:48,000 The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. 668 00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:52,000 Basically, he said, if the Lord wills, I'll die. 669 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:55,000 And if he won't, if he doesn't will, I'll live. 670 00:45:55,000 --> 00:46:03,000 And then he turned out and he got back everything he had lost 12 times over or whatever, ridiculously blessed in this world. 671 00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:08,000 So the bottom line is, you get to that moment where you think, I so want it. 672 00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:09,000 I need it. 673 00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:11,000 Lord, I can't do this unless you do it. 674 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:12,000 You have to do it. 675 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:15,000 And like God's got to do it or otherwise I'm not going to believe in you, God. 676 00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:18,000 Or God's got to do it or I'm going to do it myself or I'm going to work it out somehow. 677 00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:19,000 It's just got to happen. 678 00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:24,000 And hope begins to drive you forward to the point you say it's just got to be. 679 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:25,000 That is boasting. 680 00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:29,000 And according to this text, all such boasting is evil. 681 00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:32,000 And that evil then is sin. 682 00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:35,000 And then you follow the arrow down for victory. 683 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:36,000 You get victory coming out from two sides. 684 00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:40,000 The bottom was that we can know what to do. 685 00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:42,000 You do know some things to do. 686 00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:44,000 You can do the right thing and you can choose. 687 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:45,000 You follow the arrow up to the box. 688 00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:51,000 The top is all of this is boasting and we have had those things. 689 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:53,000 We have done those things and we follow the victory to the box. 690 00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:58,000 And then we're going to look at Ephesians chapter 2. 691 00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:02,000 So if you've got your Bible and you want to flip there, you can. 692 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:04,000 I did not write the verses. 693 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:09,000 I wrote the references and then just a little bit of a key of what you'll need to remember when you look at this worksheet later 694 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:17,000 and what I'll need to remember when I look at it later. 695 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:19,000 Fold it over. 696 00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:24,000 So Ephesians 2.1 says, And you were dead in your trespasses and sins. 697 00:47:24,000 --> 00:47:27,000 Elsewhere in the Bible says the wages of sin is death. 698 00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:29,000 So we were dead in our trespasses and sins. 699 00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:34,000 So somebody in your own words tell me what that means. 700 00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:35,000 Jason? 701 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:41,000 Okay, good. 702 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:44,000 Okay, so because we became a sinner, we're separated from God. 703 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:48,000 Okay, so does a dead person have choices? 704 00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:50,000 Anybody ever seen a dead person? 705 00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:52,000 Did they have any choices? 706 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:54,000 No, that's right. 707 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:56,000 What? 708 00:47:56,000 --> 00:47:58,000 Didn't ask him? 709 00:47:58,000 --> 00:48:04,000 Yeah, I had one time when I was relatively young Christian that I went to a funeral and prayed for the person to come back to life and they didn't. 710 00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:07,000 So that's that. 711 00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:12,000 But anyway, yeah, so dead people got no choices. 712 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:14,000 You were dead in your trespasses and sins. 713 00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:16,000 You were separated from God and you had no choices. 714 00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:18,000 That's who you were. 715 00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:24,000 Notice that that sentence for the English people in the room is written in the past tense. 716 00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:30,000 If you are saved, then you are no longer dead in your trespasses and sins. 717 00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:32,000 You are now, wait for it, alive. 718 00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:34,000 And who can decide who's alive? 719 00:48:34,000 --> 00:48:35,000 God, right? 720 00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:36,000 That's what we just got there. 721 00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:37,000 Your life is like a vapor. 722 00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:40,000 If the Lord so wills, live. 723 00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:42,000 That's what it says. 724 00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:45,000 And so you were dead in your trespasses and sins. 725 00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:47,000 You had no choices. 726 00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:49,000 Ephesians, skip down to verse five. 727 00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:52,000 Ephesians 2, five then. 728 00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:58,000 The whole passage is really good and I really recommend you read the whole thing, but in the interest of time, we're kind of, we're picking on nuggets. 729 00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:00,000 Okay, so verse four. 730 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:08,000 But God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, that's his motivation, even when we were dead in our transgressions, 731 00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:12,000 when we're stuck in the wrong thing, transgressions when you do something wrong, right? 732 00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:20,000 Even though we were stuck in our transgressions, dead, not really alive, he made us alive together with Christ. 733 00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:22,000 You see that? 734 00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:28,000 So you were dead and stuck, God made you alive with Christ. 735 00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:38,000 Then seven says, in order that in the ages to come, he might show the riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 736 00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:43,000 So in other words, God did that so that he could show what? 737 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:44,000 Show what? 738 00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:46,000 The riches of his grace. 739 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:49,000 When he gives you something that you don't deserve, that's called grace. 740 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:51,000 And God was showing off the riches of his grace. 741 00:49:51,000 --> 00:49:53,000 And that's what we're supposed to be doing now. 742 00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:56,000 We should be living to show off the riches of his grace. 743 00:49:56,000 --> 00:50:01,000 Then nine says, not as a result of works that no one should boast. 744 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:03,000 So let me rephrase it this way. 745 00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:06,000 It is not a result of doing the right thing. 746 00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:09,000 You can know what to do. 747 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:10,000 You do know some things. 748 00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:15,000 You can do the right thing and you can choose to do the right thing as opposed to the wrong thing. 749 00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:20,000 But often, if you're dead in your trespasses and sins, you will not choose to do the right thing. 750 00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:22,000 You will not choose at all. 751 00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:27,000 You'll just kind of go along and do whatever comes naturally, which is not good if you're dead in your trespasses and sins. 752 00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:32,000 But if God has made you alive with Christ so that he could show the riches of his grace, 753 00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:35,000 remember that you're not saved by your work. 754 00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:37,000 So you're not saved by doing the right thing. 755 00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:39,000 You can and you should. 756 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:41,000 And if you don't, that's sin. 757 00:50:41,000 --> 00:50:43,000 But you're not saved by doing the right thing. 758 00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:45,000 And then that brings us to verse 10. 759 00:50:45,000 --> 00:50:47,000 For we are his workmanship. 760 00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:49,000 He made us. 761 00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:50,000 Let's go back and finish nine. 762 00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:51,000 I apologize. 763 00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:54,000 Not as a result of works that no one should boast. 764 00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:55,000 Catch that? 765 00:50:55,000 --> 00:50:57,000 So that no one should boast. 766 00:50:57,000 --> 00:51:03,000 What if somebody said, well, let's go there and work hard and for profit we'll take going to heaven when we die. 767 00:51:03,000 --> 00:51:06,000 Can't do it. 768 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:08,000 No matter how hard you work. 769 00:51:08,000 --> 00:51:12,000 If you have sin, which you do, all have sin and fall short of the glory of God, 770 00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:17,000 then you can't go to heaven when you die unless God brings you to life because you're trapped in your trespasses and sins. 771 00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:19,000 You're dead in your trespasses and sins. 772 00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:21,000 Okay. So then God brings you to life. 773 00:51:21,000 --> 00:51:23,000 Past tense you were dead. 774 00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:29,000 Now he made you alive with Christ so that he could show we are not saved by our works or choosing the right thing. 775 00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:35,000 But then it says in 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for what? 776 00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:42,000 For good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 777 00:51:42,000 --> 00:51:48,000 In other words, he set up the good works in advance so that we can live that way. 778 00:51:48,000 --> 00:51:52,000 So where does choosing the right thing come in? 779 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:56,000 What benefit is it to you to choose the right thing? 780 00:51:56,000 --> 00:52:03,000 If you get out of bed tomorrow morning and go, I'm going to do the right thing every choice I get today, what benefit is that to you? 781 00:52:03,000 --> 00:52:06,000 It's evil if you don't. 782 00:52:06,000 --> 00:52:11,000 But lots of people do evil and it seems like they're still walking around, still breathing, still doing stuff. 783 00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:18,000 So what benefit is it to you if you do the right thing each time you get opportunity? 784 00:52:18,000 --> 00:52:20,000 Drawing yourself closer to God. 785 00:52:20,000 --> 00:52:22,000 Okay. Beautiful. That's one. 786 00:52:22,000 --> 00:52:24,000 Drawing yourself closer to God. 787 00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:29,000 So as we do what God would have us to do, we are essentially choosing to walk with him. 788 00:52:29,000 --> 00:52:35,000 If Jesus is in you and you go to a brothel, at the very least he's closing his eyes. 789 00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:36,000 You understand what I'm saying? 790 00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:38,000 He does not want to be there. 791 00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:44,000 If Jesus is in you and you lie to your best friend, at the very least he's stopping his ears. 792 00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:46,000 Jesus does not want to be there. 793 00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:47,000 You're making him uncomfortable. 794 00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:55,000 And so when you do the right thing, which you can do, you know what to do, you know some things anyway, you can do the right thing and you can choose. 795 00:52:55,000 --> 00:53:01,000 It's like further inviting him in, further saying, yes, me and you together, right? 796 00:53:01,000 --> 00:53:05,000 Ultimately, you just make the decision this way. 797 00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:08,000 If the Lord wills, I will live and do this or that. 798 00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:11,000 And you choose to do the right thing. 799 00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:17,000 That's the math of the Kingdom of God. 800 00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:22,000 So if someone says to you, do I have to do the right thing to be saved? 801 00:53:22,000 --> 00:53:24,000 What's your answer? 802 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:30,000 Okay. What right thing? 803 00:53:31,000 --> 00:53:33,000 Tell the truth? 804 00:53:33,000 --> 00:53:35,000 Do I have to tell the truth to be saved? 805 00:53:36,000 --> 00:53:38,000 How about getting out of bed on time? 806 00:53:38,000 --> 00:53:40,000 Do they have to get out of bed on time to be saved? 807 00:53:40,000 --> 00:53:43,000 So what right thing do they have to do to be saved? 808 00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:44,000 Say it again. 809 00:53:44,000 --> 00:53:45,000 Okay, yeah. 810 00:53:45,000 --> 00:53:46,000 Accept Jesus as Lord. 811 00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:49,000 That means you do what he tells you to do and you do it the best of your current ability. 812 00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:51,000 And Savior, he paid the price for your sin. 813 00:53:51,000 --> 00:53:53,000 You have to be a follower of Jesus. 814 00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:56,000 Now, being a follower of Jesus, do you have to get it right all the time? 815 00:53:56,000 --> 00:53:58,000 Do you always have to do the right thing? 816 00:53:58,000 --> 00:53:59,000 No. 817 00:53:59,000 --> 00:54:04,000 No, because it's not by works so that no one will boast. 818 00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:07,000 Because if it was by works, then someone will say, 819 00:54:07,000 --> 00:54:10,000 well, I'm going to go work hard and I'm going to go to heaven when I'm done. 820 00:54:10,000 --> 00:54:12,000 But you can't do that. 821 00:54:12,000 --> 00:54:16,000 God took that possibility away because it's by grace through faith that we're saved. 822 00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:17,000 We believe in Jesus. 823 00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:20,000 We trust in the way that God has made and we get saved. 824 00:54:20,000 --> 00:54:23,000 But know that you can know what to do. 825 00:54:23,000 --> 00:54:28,000 You do know some things and you can do the right thing and you can choose to do the right thing. 826 00:54:28,000 --> 00:54:35,000 And you should because God basically saved you to show the riches of His grace, 827 00:54:35,000 --> 00:54:40,000 to show how powerful it is when a person is saved and chooses to do the right thing. 828 00:54:40,000 --> 00:54:45,000 I can't tell you how many times I've been in a situation where I'm going to do the right thing or the wrong thing. 829 00:54:45,000 --> 00:54:46,000 And the wrong thing is not that wrong. 830 00:54:46,000 --> 00:54:47,000 You know what I'm saying? 831 00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:48,000 It's really not that bad. 832 00:54:48,000 --> 00:54:51,000 But I know what God wants me to do, but the wrong thing is not that wrong. 833 00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:54,000 I mean, it's not really even, I mean, there's not even named in the Bible. 834 00:54:54,000 --> 00:54:55,000 Like it doesn't say it's a sin. 835 00:54:55,000 --> 00:54:58,000 So I can do either one, right? 836 00:54:58,000 --> 00:55:00,000 But I know the right thing I'm supposed to do. 837 00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:04,000 And I know that James 4.17 says, if I know the right thing to do and I don't do it to me, that's sin. 838 00:55:04,000 --> 00:55:09,000 Even though the Bible doesn't say it's sin, specifically, I now know I'm not supposed to do it. 839 00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:10,000 I know I'm supposed to do something different. 840 00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:13,000 So I got to do that or it's sin. 841 00:55:13,000 --> 00:55:17,000 So I might say to myself, well, I can. 842 00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:20,000 So I will. 843 00:55:20,000 --> 00:55:23,000 But that's boasting and it's evil. 844 00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:27,000 And as a Christian, I should not, right? 845 00:55:27,000 --> 00:55:29,000 Because I'm following Jesus. 846 00:55:29,000 --> 00:55:33,000 And when I choose not to, then I'm in that same situation. 847 00:55:33,000 --> 00:55:35,000 I choose not to do the wrong thing and I choose to do the right thing. 848 00:55:35,000 --> 00:55:45,000 Afterwards, in my spirit, I get that attaboy that says, yeah, see, it's me and you. 849 00:55:45,000 --> 00:55:46,000 It's me and you. 850 00:55:46,000 --> 00:55:48,000 And we're going the distance. 851 00:55:48,000 --> 00:55:53,000 And that's that confirmation from Jesus because you did the right thing. 852 00:55:53,000 --> 00:55:55,000 And that concludes our worksheet. 853 00:55:55,000 --> 00:55:57,000 Are there any questions? 854 00:55:57,000 --> 00:56:00,000 And then we're going to pray together. 855 00:56:00,000 --> 00:56:03,000 Going once. 856 00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:05,000 Going twice. 857 00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:06,000 All right. 858 00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:07,000 Well, let's pray together. 859 00:56:07,000 --> 00:56:11,000 And then I would encourage you, if you want to take this worksheet, you can. 860 00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:17,000 I did it this way on purpose and made it kind of like a maze, make it kind of fun to follow and that kind of thing. 861 00:56:17,000 --> 00:56:21,000 But the logic is there in James 4. 862 00:56:21,000 --> 00:56:24,000 It's backed up by what's in Ephesians 2. 863 00:56:24,000 --> 00:56:37,000 And when you're dealing with somebody and they come up to you and say, you can't be a Christian because I saw you do this wrong, you can now explain to them everything they need to know to truly be saved. 864 00:56:37,000 --> 00:56:43,000 And it is not Trina is a good person or RJ is a good person, Dan is a good person. 865 00:56:43,000 --> 00:56:45,000 They don't need to know that to be saved. 866 00:56:45,000 --> 00:56:49,000 However, in seeing the good that you do, they could give God glory. 867 00:56:49,000 --> 00:56:51,000 By the way, what does glory mean? 868 00:56:51,000 --> 00:56:53,000 Anybody know the definition of that word before we pray? 869 00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:55,000 We sang it. 870 00:56:55,000 --> 00:56:57,000 Yeah, kinda. 871 00:56:57,000 --> 00:56:59,000 So look at this way. 872 00:56:59,000 --> 00:57:03,000 It comes from a word that would be like doxa in the Greek. 873 00:57:03,000 --> 00:57:09,000 And it means to shine a light on or to lift up in the light, to lift up in the light. 874 00:57:09,000 --> 00:57:11,000 So when we glory God, we give God glory. 875 00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:13,000 We're shining a light on God. 876 00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:16,000 And you can do that by making the right choices and you are able. 877 00:57:16,000 --> 00:57:44,000 Alright, let's pray together.