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Welcome, good morning, good morning, good morning.

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We are here to worship the Lord Jesus Christ.

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We are here to reach new heights in Jesus.

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This morning, and I think everyone, but especially this morning,

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we need to be grateful that we have the opportunity to gather,

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grateful that we have the opportunity to look to the Lord here in these words.

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We're going to pray together, and then we'll worship a little bit more.

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It's real quick to tell you that tomorrow night, the softball team will be playing,

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and they'll be missing some key opponents, several, a couple of youths that are going to camp

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with me tomorrow and myself.

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And so, hey, make sure you come out and cheer them on.

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The game starts at 9. They'll be showing up at 8.30 to warm up,

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and it will be the first softball game for new heights under the lights in five and a half years.

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Ooh, and under the lights at Railway.

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That's pretty impressive. It's a big deal.

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A lot of the half years ago during COVID, pre-COVID, 2019 was the last time we played.

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So, praise God we've got the opportunity to do that,

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and to come and support the team.

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And you guys, play your hearts out, okay?

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Give them the best you got and have fun.

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That's what it's really all about.

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We stayed and watched the games last weekend.

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There's so many players on their team that have a really good attitude,

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and they're having fun, and some of them have never played softball before,

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and they're striking out missing the ball, and it's really, really just for fun.

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I'm not sure if we'll ever get that again.

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Next year we may come back, we might get all excited and go,

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why don't you come ahead and really, you know, be frustrated if they're not doing well or whatever,

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but so far it's just been, everybody's been a really good sport for us,

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so great job for that.

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And that's our hope, right? This was all done with the Lord, by God.

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And so that's my, I'm going to pray for the campers who are going.

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We have a number of them in this room, and boys and girls going to Camp Light Change.

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Starting tomorrow morning, we'll be back Friday afternoon.

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So I'm going to pray for us and then let's pray for you.

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Father in heaven, you know, Lord, even as we are fortunate to be able to get out of here this morning,

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that there are those who are in the hospital, on a ventilator,

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some of them are dearly beloved to us.

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We know that there are those who are struggling with their health, physical, mental, and even spiritual.

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Lord, we know that there are those who were forced to work today,

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or feel like they were forced to work today, or who have wandered.

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We know that there are those who didn't even know the value of worshiping you today, didn't understand.

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There are also those who are joining us online right now

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because they didn't feel they could be here in person for whatever reason.

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And I think one of the ladies that's in California who wants to be a non-resident member of the United States,

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I just pray for her that she's with us now online,

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that she knows that we love her even though we don't know her, and that we want to bless her.

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Father, I thank you for our Fourth of July celebrations and all that's gone on over the last few days.

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And we celebrate what you have done in our country, that you have made our country able.

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I look back at the Declaration of Independence and I'm reminded that everybody that signed that document

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was a deacon or a pastor except for one.

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And that's pretty incredible.

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And so the church has always been instrumental in providing the freedom for our country,

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men who believe in you, who believe in doing the right thing,

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women who believe in you, who believe in doing the right thing,

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standing up for freedom, standing up for inalienable rights in your place and in humans.

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And we ask the Lord that you would bless our country today, that you're facing some real challenges.

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And while we may be mid-flight, there is definitely turbulence.

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So we just pray, Lord, that you'll be in charge of it all.

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That you decide who will be every leader and that you will remind us to support and pray for every leader.

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And recognize that from every police officer who is newest on the job to the President of the United States,

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from every soldier, every Marine, every naval officer or ensign or corporal private,

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anywhere in any part of our military, Lord, we pray that you will bless them today,

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because they're standing up for even, let's be realistic, they're standing up for our ability to do this.

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Now we know that you could preserve it for us.

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You have preserved it for us through the darkest times in the church's history

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when we were under great persecution and even the government was against the church and the church survived.

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And your word has always survived.

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And so we know, Lord, that you are above the fight that we talked about last week.

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You are the only true aid and we turn to you for aid in this hour,

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even though we're really blessed or really are, there are challenges.

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We pray that you'll weigh in, that you'll do what only you can do.

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And right now in this moment that means we pray that you will help us worship you.

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You help us give you first place.

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You help us focus on you.

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And we have young people in the room and they have you patient with us

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and we just pray the word that they would realize that this is all about you.

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And that they would maybe watch the word, just sing along.

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I know that Tyler and Zayden, for example, they're young and energetic

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and you just need to know that their parents and their grandparents

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and their brothers and sisters, Christ, are gathering in this room to put you first.

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Wherever we might be distracted, we ask you to focus us.

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Propel us forward by your good grace.

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Wherever we might be hurting, we ask you to heal us and take this time for yourself.

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We pray it all in Jesus' name. Amen.

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We sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.

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we sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.

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The battle belongs to the Lord.

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We sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.

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It comes that moment in time in our services where if you have been following the Lord for the last seven days, I hope you have,

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then you've probably been hearing from God, you've probably been seeing something, maybe you go, hey, pay attention to that.

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Maybe you've been somewhere, experienced something, maybe read something in the Bible and you've come ready to share it.

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What do you got?

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I also want to give you a chance to think for a second.

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Last night we had the great opportunity to go out to Woodville, Ohio and go to the fireworks.

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And due to the quarries getting a good spot down front, we were literally sitting on the front line

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and the fireworks were going up overhead. It was bright. At one point it was so bright, the whole sky was lit up.

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It was like daylight basically.

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As we got home last night, I was thinking about it, praying about some of the experiences that we had had during that time.

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I was thinking about these things, the Lord showed me.

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So one was, we were having fireworks this way. So a lot of times you know when you're having fireworks this way, there's always the grand finale.

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The grand finale is a big boom. It's when all the stuff goes off at one time and there's a whole bunch of things happening,

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maybe multiple directions, whatever.

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And I think everybody's kind of anticipating it for two reasons.

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One, you're anticipating it because it's the big part, right? You're excited to see what that's going to look like.

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And also you're kind of anticipating it because it's the end.

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And then after that it's time to go home or go on to doing whatever else you're doing.

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And during the fireworks last time, there were two times, at least maybe three times,

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that I thought they were beginning the grand finale and they were actually still going on.

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So then last night as I was at home and this morning, I was thinking about it,

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I was thinking about how we're all waiting for a particular event to take place, anything of God.

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And you could call it the grand finale. It is the next coming of Jesus, right?

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It's when Jesus Christ comes back again.

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So we're all kind of waiting on that because that's going to be the moment in which we no longer have to suffer,

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we no longer have to yearn for things, our desires are dealt with, no more tears, no more sorrow,

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no more mourning, no more pain.

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It's all going to be good from the moment Jesus takes us from that point on,

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all of what we might call the bad side of life all gone.

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So we're excited about that, which is the end, right?

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It's kind of exciting what the end is.

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And it's going to be really cool to see it.

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But at the same time when Jesus comes again, that's the end of people getting saved.

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That's the end of the show.

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And everybody's going home.

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And if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, that means we're going home to what He has prepared for us.

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And if you're not a follower of Jesus Christ, that means you're going home to somewhere you wish you weren't, or an eternity.

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And so there is a bit of sorrow that goes along with the end of the show because nobody gets saved after that.

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That's it, it's settled.

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God's heart is that too.

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The difference between God's heart and our heart is that we're looking for that grand finale with just a hint of sorrow,

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but kind of quite a bit of joy, you know, because it's going to be really good for us,

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but a little bit of sorrow because people are not going to get saved.

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Whereas I think God is kind of the other way.

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God is a little sorrow that we're suffering now.

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It is sad that we're suffering now, but He's delaying because He wants to see every possible person come to Jesus.

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And that's why the Bible says, He is not slow when some man comes slow, but for the occasion with us that all men might come to repentance.

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And so I was thinking about that in regards to the grand finale.

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Also, I was thinking about how, another thought came to mind about how since pretty much Jesus came, right,

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people have been thinking, in fact this has come up a couple of times recently in my studies, how people thought, we must be getting close.

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I have a new friend of mine that I met about a month ago and I met him again a night before last in the grocery store.

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We stood in the grocery store witnessing to one another for like about 25 minutes and then we prayed together.

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And I'm sure it was quite the sight for everybody walking through the grocery store.

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And people were hearing bits of our conversation, everything, which I'm sure was pretty cool because you're kind of like preaching back and forth a little bit.

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And anyway, and so he's into end time stuff.

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Like he's watching the prophecies and he says a lot of these prophecies have unfolded and they're getting kind of pretty close to Jesus coming again.

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There really isn't much, if anything, left that has to happen before Jesus comes again.

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And he's pretty excited about that because he thinks it's pretty much over.

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And I try to explain to him, I say, you know, realize in every generation people have felt that way, like this could be it, this could be it, this could be it.

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And talk about like we had a pandemic and we had, you know, we have wars and earthquakes and tornadoes and all these terrible things that have happened.

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Bad things that have happened in the last 10 years.

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And people are like, the earth has never seen anything like that before in such a short period of time.

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And that's just not true. That's just not true.

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We were talking about great grandma, we're going to see great grandma and Ariana was realizing how long great grandma had been alive.

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She was alive when World War II was happening.

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And people that were alive when World War II was happening, they saw the war, what they would call the war to end all wars, which of course it was not really.

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We wish it had been, but they saw it firsthand and the terrible effects of it.

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And during World War II, it got to the point where like the American war machine was so geared up that they could produce a battle cruiser, a sailing cruiser, cannons, guns, a cruise, everything for the Navy in roughly three days.

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Build it from the ground up in roughly three days.

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That's crazy to think about that.

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It was huge, bigger than three times, four times your house.

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Right.

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And so it was a completely different era and people were living in that era and had some of them had experienced the flu epidemic that killed 20% of the US population at the time or whatever that number was, huge number.

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And all those things that happened, everybody for sure Jesus is coming back right now.

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Soon, gotta be soon, right?

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And yet here we are 100 years later, or as you talk about World War II, 80 years later, and he didn't come back.

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So I think every generation starts saying this is it, this is the grand finale, here it comes, we're there now, just be faithful, just be faithful.

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And I submit to you that our job is to be faithful, regardless of how close we think we are to Jesus coming back again.

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So if he's coming back while you're still alive, you darn well better be faithful.

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And if he's not coming back while you're still alive, you darn well better be faithful.

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Because we all die and we all have to answer for after we die.

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And then the last thing along this kind of plot line that all came out of this last night was we were watching as the fireworks were unfolding.

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And as they got to the grand finale there was a certain firework that was just about a minute or two before the grand finale, it was the first time that it went off.

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It was one of those bright white ones that just went boom, and that's all it does, right? It's like an explosion.

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What's that?

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What?

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It's like a flashbang, kind of like that. And so they didn't do that throughout the whole thing, it didn't happen.

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Until just about a couple of minutes before the grand finale you saw one, and maybe then like one more, and then in the grand finale there was a fungible.

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And if you knew what you were looking for, if you knew that, that's how it was set up, then when that first one went off you were like, okay, here it comes, we're getting close now.

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That next one went off, we're getting close now. And when they started going off, bang, bang, bang, bang, you'd know that was it, right?

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And so the Bible says that we all know that when Jesus comes again it will be as of evening and night.

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So many people will be caught off guard, just as they were in Noah's day, they'll be doing all kinds of things.

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Eating, making, marrying, singing against God in a million ways, all those kinds of things, and they'll be taken off guard.

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But the Bible also says that we will not be taken off guard.

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The faithful will not be taken off guard, we will not be surprised when it comes.

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You're like, wait a minute, I thought everyone would be surprised.

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No, this is Jesus, before he comes you will know he's coming.

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We'll not be like, oh no, he's coming, if you're a Christian.

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We know what to look for, we know the way things will go right in those last moments, and the Spirit is in us.

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And you're going to be like, it might be two o'clock in the afternoon, it's about time to eat lunch, clean up, do the dishes, and all of a sudden the Spirit says,

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He's coming now. It's right now, it's right here, it's right now, and this super energy can't explain why, it's super excited, it's coming right now, and then Jesus comes again.

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Right, the Bible says you will know, even though he comes to keep us alive for so many, you will know.

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And I thought about it, if we had only been able to know the way they set that up, with those flashbangs going on, we're a little before the grand finale, we would have known.

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So these are the kind of things, I think about it, it could just be my work of mind, but God is always speaking to us in creative ways.

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I also think, like, so when we were out there, there were three church families that happened to wind up out there all at the same time,

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and we were all kind of like in different places, and then two were together, and then all three were together in one place, and we all kind of watched together,

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and we had a neat experience, but had we not been aware of each other, and we both advised to the Macorians, so they've been going for, what, three years or whatever,

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I've been going since I was 10, eight, ten years old, so four years I've been going there, which means they were, before we ever met them, they were there,

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and there's tons of people there. Your family could be there and you wouldn't even know it, right?

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And so the church pulling together is a great imagery as well. And so, okay, there's some. Arden?

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I was going to read some of your song lyrics.

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Okay.

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It's a song, it's called Action from Gaffi.

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Okay.

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It says, it's been a while since we've talked, and that means since we've really talked.

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I've been living life saved, it's been causing this distance from you, but now I know it's my fault.

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You said you draw near to me if I draw near to you, and the kingdom, and seek the kingdom first to find a clearer view.

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I need less of me and more of you.

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It was, I was looking for the light, you never left my side, you were my oxygen, I can't live without you, and I apologize for all the times I've done you.

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Wow. So, something that I thought about when I was reading that is how we start living for God, and we kind of just set sail and go for it,

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but then after a while we just stay stagnant, and I think, at least this is my opinion, when we get stagnant is when it's the most dangerous,

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because we know what we're doing, and we know, like even if you're doing things that are Godly things, if you remain stagnant it gets dangerous,

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because then after a while it becomes just routine, and I know a lot of people have that problem in ministries, they do it for so long it just starts becoming routine,

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and that's not how we're meant to be, we're meant to always be seeking God, always be seeking the direction,

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and we have to sometimes, it gets a little dangerous when we do that, because when we do that God might call us away from what we're currently doing to do something else,

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and a lot of people don't want to do that, they want to continue doing what they've been doing for so long, instead of seeking the kingdom and moving forward,

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so we have to remember that we can't remain stagnant when we are, we have to constantly be seeking God, and understand that He is always with us,

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He has never left us, He's never going to leave us, if you call on Him, He is literally by your side every day.

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I remember when I first was called to preach, and I thought, you know, preach now, then, whatever, and then I remember thinking, okay, now,

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I thought, who am I going to call on these pastors, and I remember thinking, just tell me I can preach a sermon every week,

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and how does he, how does he, Pastor Black, my pastor, how do you do that?

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I can preach a sermon every week, and not like get cored, and just like realistically that's the thing, and not get like worn down, not, you know,

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and that, for me now, I can honestly say, that is the only part of ministry that like I'm still bewildered by, like I just like it fresh, day one,

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every time I sit down to write a sermon, like somebody, I've seen this before, I don't know where this is going, I'm like, oh yuck, I'm not looking for this again,

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I'm not really going to go through this again, and I have to turn that over to God, and listen to the Lord, like He said, and realize He is there,

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and you know what He's doing, but when it comes to like studying the Word, or sermon writing, I'm like, every time, it's new, it's fresh, it's exciting,

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I'm like, wow, I know, and I'll read stuff that I've read that chapter a hundred times before, and I'll go, what, that's in there, that's crazy,

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because God, it's just like that, He's constantly refreshing us, and renewing us, a strong word of encouragement there, too,

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stay in the course, do what God would have you to do, and you'll never run out of energy, fuel, excitement, passion to serve the Lord.

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The tough days, and then God shows up and helps, there only, a whoosh, he's kicking the pants like an afterburner, you know,

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like yes, God was there for me, and then after that, we're faithful again, good word, anybody else for quick?

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All right, yes Ms. Karen.

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I'm just grateful, and I know it's this year, I believe in me, and I thank God for that, thank you always, I've been doing my bit, I work daily, I'm just grateful.

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Amen, we're so grateful you're here, praise God, you can work.

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Today is my daughter's sixties-something birthday, she's the one who grew me up, Christian, and helped me a lot in my faith, so I just pray for her, have a birthday.

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Seventies-something birthday, we're going to pray together this time, I ask, Brother Tony Tate, would you lead us in this prayer, we'll pray along with you.

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Sure, we're just going to stay with you this time, we're going to pray for this moment, my brother said day one, I love that, it's like day one every day, God it's not day one, you're every day, you're always been God, you've always been glorious,

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and I just thank you for that, God, we've just had that conversation today, you're eternal, you're ever-present, but you're eternal, you've already seen the future, you already know the future,

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you proclaim the future, you've proclaimed all the prophecies of your son, your son knew that you would fulfill all the prophecies, but here you are, ever-present here in 2024.

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Because of that, I just pray that you are with us, with everybody here today, not even after church, but out there, the Lord in the battle of the Lords, you're with us before we even go where we're supposed to go.

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We thank you that you have conquered all sin, conquered all evil, and in Christ we have victorious love and mercy through your Holy Spirit.

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That's a good preaching, but it's good because it's true.

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And so God, I just pray for the words that we spoke with you, you're a pastor, the message to be declared through our music, as well as in the kids' church,

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and in the tidings of our friends, God, it is a blessing to give, but it is also a blessing because we know that it's all yours, and you give it to us exponentially.

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We thank you, Jesus.

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Thank you.

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Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a world like me.

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My heart was lost, but now I found, Was mine, but now I see.

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Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my spirit healing.

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How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first gleaned.

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My chains I wore, I've been set free, My God, my Savior, has ransomed me.

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And like a flood, as my sea rains, I'm ending love, amazing grace.

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The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secure.

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He will my shield and portion be, As long as I endure.

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My chains I wore, I've been set free, My God, my Savior, has ransomed me.

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As the sea rains, I'm ending love, amazing grace. My chains I wore, I've been set free.

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My God, my Savior, has ransomed me. And like a flood, as my sea rains, I'm ending love, amazing grace.

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And as the sun shines, the sun for me to shine.

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My God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine.

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Will be forever mine.

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You are forever mine.

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Praise the Lord. We have been working through Second Chronicles, The Life of Asa, chapters 14, 15, and 16.

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And last week we spent some time talking about preflight checks. In fact, we talked about how easy it would be, how common it might be for a person to get stuck in the preflight checks and to never take off and truly live with God.

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What would that look like? Well, it would look very much like a life lived for God because you would be seeking the Lord.

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The Bible says if you seek the Lord, He rewards those who seek Him. And we saw that in the life of Asa.

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Asa began to seek the Lord and we saw that the Lord rewarded him with peace and rest for the kingdom.

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But we also saw that the chronicler talked about a different equation, a different way, in fact, that it actually works, which is when someone seeks the Lord, the Lord reveals Himself to them.

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And so the end of chapter 14 sounded something like this. They also struck down those who owned livestock and they carried away large numbers of sheep and camels.

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Then they returned to Jerusalem. So a great victory had taken place. A great battle was greatly victorious as the Lord helped them and they conquered the enemies of the Lord's people and restored peace to the Lord's people and to the Lord's lands.

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However, we had noticed that there was nothing of the Lord revealing Himself to Asa by that point in time.

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I'll ruin this part of the story for you. In what we're going to read today, the Lord is indeed going to reveal Himself to Asa.

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And so the flight is about to begin. The preflight checks, if you will, are about to end.

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The steps taken to follow the Lord, cutting out the high places, cutting out the pillars and the messy stuff that was all of false worship, cutting all of that out.

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If you could say repenting and turning, at least repenting of those things, turning away from those things and maybe turning to seeking the Lord, that is where we have been to this point and now something new.

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So grab your Bibles if you would, maybe give me a little hoot, a holler or a moan as we go to 2 Chronicles chapter 15.

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Thank you for being with me today as we explore this text. Here we go. 2 Chronicles chapter 15 beginning verse 1 says,

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Now the Spirit of God, and my Bible beautifully capitalizes Spirit and God there telling us that this is the Holy Spirit.

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Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded and he went out to meet Asa and said to him,

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Listen to me Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, the Lord is with you when you are with Him.

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And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him. But if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

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So in other words, God had been with them to this point because they had been seeking Him.

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But the Holy Spirit through the prophet is saying there is something more. There is an action of God that must take place.

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And we call that grace. And the Bible says you are saved by grace through faith.

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So you begin to believe in the Lord and pursue the Lord and God's grace saves you.

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And God delivers the free gift of flight for our terminology that we are using today as you begin to walk in Him and with Him and He in you and with you.

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The prophet was reminding them of that equation. The chronicler does so in a couple of other places.

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But here is enough as we know the Holy Spirit of God has spoken through this man to say, He will let you find Him.

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And for many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. So this is still the prophet speaking.

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But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel and they sought Him and He let them find Him.

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In other words, you have already seen it work this way. This is how it works.

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It is not just as easy as you seek the Lord and you cut some things out that you are not supposed to be doing and now God is with you.

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And although that does happen, God rewards those who are just. God rewards those who are kind.

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God rewards those who are good even in this lifetime.

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The psalmist writes, had I not believed I would see the glory of the Lord in this lifetime, I would have lost hope.

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I am paraphrasing of course. But the bottom line is you can readily expect that if you do the right things, right things will occur out of the mouth of the Lord for you.

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But that being said, something more is yet needed.

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So for many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law.

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Most theologians believe he is referring essentially to the book of Judges.

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And if you know that story at all, you know that they spiral down into sin and then they repented and a judge came and led them and they began to spiral up into holiness as long as the judge was alive.

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Then the judge died off and they spiral down into sin again.

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But if you also know the story, then you know each time they spiral down into sin, it got worse and worse.

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They got further and further from the ideal of the Lord and how they were supposed to be living.

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So they became a people without a teaching priest and without law.

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But in their distress then they would turn to the Lord God of Israel and they sought him and he let them find him.

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And in those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.

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And the nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.

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But you be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.

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That's what Asa was told by the prophet, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

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Verse 8 says, Now when Asa heard these words and the prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke,

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he took courage and he removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin

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and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim.

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He then restored the altar of the Lord which was in front of the porch of the Lord.

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And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who resided with them,

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for many had defected to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

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Verse 10, So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign

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and they sacrificed to the Lord that day seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the spoil they had brought.

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And they entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul.

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Now listen to me, this is hugely important.

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This covenant is a masterful step. It's even called on by God.

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Jesus says, If you will profess the name of the Lord Jesus Christ before men,

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then Jesus will profess your name before God.

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And so God expects you to speak up about who you are, what you're doing, who you're after, who you're following, who you stand for.

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You cannot live as a shadow in the light.

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You must rather live as the light in the light.

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And so the idea was that they made this covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul.

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They made a verbal covenant, a promise, a continuing plan, an oath.

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Verse 13, And then they said, And whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel shall be put to death,

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whether small or great, man or woman.

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Now that sounds really harsh, especially in a day when not everybody is following the Lord.

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And so there could be quite a few folks who fall on that particular law.

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But actually, if you go back further into the Old Testament, the Old Testament law that they were given,

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that was always supposed to be the way of it.

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That was always supposed to be the way of it.

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If they're in their midst and trying to lead someone to worship false idols, they were supposed to be put to death.

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Now, we don't do that.

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And there are reasons why we don't do that. We don't believe that.

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But we can understand that if you sin against God and you don't repent and turn back to God,

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then by all rights there is a break in your relationship with God.

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You need to repent and turn back to God.

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And their break, they did not want to spread throughout the kingdom.

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There was no Holy Spirit living in men in this day.

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So when the Holy Spirit lives in a person, seals, regenerates and seals their heart,

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even if they sin, they do not become the sin.

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But when a person is not regenerated and sealed, they become the sin, essentially.

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They're not just a transgressor, but they are the transgression.

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And they will lead others to follow their example.

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And so that was the danger.

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And so they were reverting, if you will, back to the law that the Lord had laid out for them,

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which was that if there were those who would not seek the Lord God of Israel,

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then they should be put to death, whether they be man or woman.

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Notice it does not say child. It does say small or great.

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That is believed to be speaking of their social status, of their learning, of their wealth.

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It doesn't matter where you come from.

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Once you are old enough to understand, you are responsible for yourself.

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Your parents cannot protect you.

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Once you are old enough, you are responsible for yourself.

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And in this case, they would be put to death.

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Now verse 14, moreover, they made an oath to the Lord with a loud voice,

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with shouting, with trumpets, with horns.

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This became quite the thing.

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This is really a big thing. Not only 700, 7000, not only a covenant,

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not only a promise to kill those who would not follow the covenant,

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but on top of that we've got shouting and trumpets and horns.

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This is a really big deal.

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It says, and all Judah rejoiced concerning the oath,

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for they had sworn with their whole heart, and it sought him earnestly.

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Wait for it. Here comes the flashbang.

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It's right now.

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And he let them find him.

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So they sought him and they went through this.

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It's a pretty ornate process, right?

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Quite a bit going on here, trumpets and all that.

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And they rejoiced.

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They had sought him earnestly.

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And it says, and he let them find him.

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So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

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So now the flight has begun.

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I submit to you, we looked at the free flight checks.

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We got to the end of the free flight check.

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You're at the end of the list.

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And he said, okay, I believe the plane is ready to fly.

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I believe we can take off now.

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These are the steps we're going to do.

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We're going to do all this and we're going to hit the throttle

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and we're going to go.

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We're going to go with God and we're never going to look back.

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And anybody who does look back, they deserve the death that they will get.

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Here we go.

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00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:11,000
We're going to fly.

389
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:12,000
And they fly.

390
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,000
And God makes it happen.

391
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:18,000
And now they are living literally with the Lord, verse 16.

392
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:24,000
And he also removed Makkah, the mother of King Asa, from the position of queen mother

393
00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:28,000
because she had made a horrid image as an asherah.

394
00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:35,000
And Asa cut down her horrid image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Hidran.

395
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,000
That's verse 16.

396
00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:42,000
So notice the very next thing after the plane takes off,

397
00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:49,000
the queen mother worshiping a false idol in the king's house, right?

398
00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:53,000
In fact, historians tell us that at one point in time,

399
00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:58,000
no king would be named in the line unless he was known to be a child

400
00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:02,000
or a grandchild or a great grandchild of this woman.

401
00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:06,000
This woman, she was all that.

402
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:09,000
And literally everybody's looking to her.

403
00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:15,000
And yet, bless you, she worshiped this false god.

404
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:23,000
And Asa went and cut down her idol, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Hidran.

405
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:25,000
17.

406
00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:27,000
But the high places were not removed from Israel.

407
00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:31,000
Nevertheless, Asa's heart was blameless all his days.

408
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:33,000
So there were those out there who didn't quite get it.

409
00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:37,000
There were still places you could go and have unauthorized worship of God

410
00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:40,000
and maybe even false gods.

411
00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:43,000
But Asa's heart was blameless all his days.

412
00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:45,000
Verse 18, we're almost done with the text.

413
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:50,000
And he brought into the house of God the dedicated things of his father

414
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:55,000
and his own dedicated things, silver and gold and utensils.

415
00:40:55,000 --> 00:41:01,000
And there was no more war until the 35th year of Asa's reign.

416
00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:04,000
So what we have developing here is a people,

417
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:06,000
and in particular we're following the story of Asa.

418
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:08,000
Now we could look a lot at the people of Israel.

419
00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:11,000
We might actually resonate with them more, and I'll point that out at a certain point.

420
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:15,000
But the bottom line is we have a people who have been through the pre-flight checks.

421
00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:21,000
They've looked at everything, and now they're taking off with the Lord.

422
00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:23,000
It's interesting.

423
00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:27,000
I'm reminded of a show, I don't know if you've ever seen it or not.

424
00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:29,000
It's a detective show called Monk.

425
00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:34,000
And the main character is this goofy dude who has all these psychological problems

426
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:37,000
after his wife died who he loved, and he was a police detective,

427
00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:41,000
and then he had all these psychological problems, and now he's just a consultant.

428
00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:43,000
But he's really good at solving mysteries.

429
00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:50,000
And there's a particular episode in which Monk has to fly with his assistant some distance.

430
00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:54,000
And there's a scene where he's standing at the airport, and the mystery is over,

431
00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:56,000
and it's pretty much the end of the scene.

432
00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:59,000
He's standing at the airport, and he watches this commercial airliner take off

433
00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:01,000
and fly into the distance.

434
00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:05,000
And he says, it just doesn't make any sense.

435
00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:08,000
The funny thing is that scene when I first saw it, I thought, you know,

436
00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:14,000
that is kind of weird, those big giant commercial airliners made, I mean, they weigh bunches, right?

437
00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:16,000
Big, huge planes.

438
00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:24,000
And I get it that there are jets, but like, it doesn't matter how fast you fly a rock, for example.

439
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:28,000
It does eventually fall out of the sky, and that plane is a lot like a rock,

440
00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:30,000
and I started thinking it was a little weird, and then it just kind of dismissed it,

441
00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:33,000
and it didn't affect me anymore.

442
00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:35,000
And then I was writing this sermon, and the scene popped in my head,

443
00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:40,000
and so I Googled a little bit about airplane flight.

444
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:46,000
Did you know that in 2024, Tommy probably knows this because he did aeronautical training,

445
00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:52,000
did you know that in 2024, no one can explain why a plane flies?

446
00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:55,000
As we live right now today, and we think, well, I've flown in a commercial airliner,

447
00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:58,000
I've been overseas, whatever, you got in it, and it flew you there, and it did,

448
00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:02,000
and you know it did because you arrived there, and then you flew back, and you're here, right?

449
00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:04,000
Or you see them in the sky all the time, you know they fly,

450
00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:07,000
but you do know that all the best scientists who have ever lived,

451
00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:11,000
no one can explain why an airplane flies, why it works.

452
00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:13,000
Now, I can tell you the best theories that there are,

453
00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:16,000
and I'm going to do that just briefly at a certain point in here,

454
00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:18,000
so you'll hold on for that in a moment,

455
00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:24,000
but the bottom line is no one can explain why an airplane flies.

456
00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:30,000
Couple of factors, the first we see in this story as Asa is taking off,

457
00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:34,000
we see thrust or propulsion, something has to happen.

458
00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:38,000
Asa was already cutting out the idol worship in the kingdom,

459
00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:41,000
he was seeking the Lord, that was providing the thrust,

460
00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:46,000
and then the prophet comes and says, that alone is not enough,

461
00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:52,000
you literally will not be saved unless the Lord God from heaven says it so.

462
00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:55,000
Do you understand? Are you with me, Natalie? Are you with me, Charlie?

463
00:43:55,000 --> 00:44:01,000
Are you with me, Carrie? If God does not say you're saved, you're not saved.

464
00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:05,000
That's what the prophet said. If God doesn't do it, it ain't done.

465
00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:08,000
I don't care if you pray to prayer, I love that you pray to prayer, that's wonderful,

466
00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:10,000
but God doesn't do it, it ain't done.

467
00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:13,000
You repent and turn from your sins, right?

468
00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:17,000
You stop doing all the things wrong that you think could be wrong.

469
00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:20,000
That's propulsion, that's thrust, things have changed,

470
00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:25,000
but if God doesn't do it, it's not done.

471
00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:29,000
Asa was moving forward toward a flight with the Lord,

472
00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:33,000
but it was painfully obvious that he was not actually on a journey with God,

473
00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:36,000
he was just on a journey seeking God.

474
00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:40,000
He was stuck up through chapter 14 in the preflight checks,

475
00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:43,000
and we talked about that last week, and I challenge you, don't do it.

476
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:46,000
Don't allow yourself to be stuck in the preflight checks.

477
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:50,000
So what happened? What was different? What did they do?

478
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:54,000
There was a moment, a line in the sand drawn, a step that they took,

479
00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:59,000
and they said, yes, we are propelled forward, we are moving forward toward a moment in time

480
00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:03,000
in which we will be relying completely on God for our sustenance,

481
00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:08,000
in which God alone will be in charge of it, God will be my Lord, God will be the one.

482
00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:12,000
And we will do it as a people, and they had this huge covenantal ceremony,

483
00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:14,000
for us that might be the invitation.

484
00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:18,000
Or it might be you praying out loud in a grocery store, and everybody around you can hear you.

485
00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:21,000
Or you might be with your family, and somebody explains the Gospel,

486
00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:24,000
and you're accepting Christ, but your brother, sister, father, or mother are sitting right there,

487
00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:27,000
and they're not. Somebody else is not, but you are.

488
00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:31,000
It might be right now during this service you realize, I have been seeking the Lord,

489
00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:37,000
I have been pursuing Him, but I'm not really walking with Him, the flight has not yet begun,

490
00:45:37,000 --> 00:45:42,000
I've got the thrust, the propulsion, I've felt the power of the Lord to give me peace and rest,

491
00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:45,000
but I've not truly turned my life over to the Lord.

492
00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:47,000
Now they had to have trumpets, they had to have sacrifices,

493
00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:53,000
they had to have an amazing, powerful thing that really marked that moment in time for us.

494
00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:57,000
Guess what? We're living on the other side of God's version of that.

495
00:45:57,000 --> 00:46:01,000
Jesus Christ died on the cross. I understand you weren't personally there to see it,

496
00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:03,000
but you better believe that was a big day.

497
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:07,000
There was darkness when there shouldn't have been, there was walking dead when they shouldn't have been,

498
00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:15,000
there was essentially prophecy or a declaration that He was the Son of God by a Gentile soldier who was standing by.

499
00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:21,000
He died like nobody else died. He rose again on the third day.

500
00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:26,000
And so that is that moment. It already exists, it's already happened,

501
00:46:26,000 --> 00:46:31,000
and everybody living on this side of that moment, as Paul tells us in Acts 17,

502
00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:38,000
God requires you to repent, change everything, and let now God be your source of propulsion.

503
00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:41,000
Where previously your source of propulsion was seeking the Lord.

504
00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:45,000
I want peace, everybody wants peace. I want rest, everybody wants rest.

505
00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:50,000
I want my finances to go well, everybody wants that. I want a good spouse, everybody wants that.

506
00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:53,000
I want a good job, I want food on my table, we all want that.

507
00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:58,000
And I see that here's the way I can get it. I can seek God, and in seeking God, those things are added unto me.

508
00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:04,000
And the fact is, that's true. Not only for Christians, but non-Christians as well.

509
00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:08,000
I know people who would tell you flat out that they're not a Christian.

510
00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:13,000
They said, no, I'm not a Christian. So you're not a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ?

511
00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:18,000
And they said, well, not in the way that you mean. But they tied.

512
00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:23,000
They tied to a local church because it's just the right thing to do in their own mind's eye.

513
00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:27,000
And their finances are in pretty good shape.

514
00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:32,000
I remember I was witnessing to a woman over here, I'll never forget it, over here on Greenwood.

515
00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:35,000
And she told me, no, I'm not a Christian. I said, do you go to church? No, I don't go to church.

516
00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:40,000
Are you the church? No, I'm not the church. Are you a follower of Jesus? No, I'm not a follower of Jesus.

517
00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:47,000
But she said, but our family is always tied. My great grandparents tied, my grandparents tied, my mom tied, and I tied.

518
00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:52,000
And looking at her house on that street, I bet you, if you drove over there right now, she hadn't passed away during COVID.

519
00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:56,000
She was an older woman, I don't know. If you drive down that street, it is the nicest house on the street.

520
00:47:56,000 --> 00:48:00,000
It looks like a little castle right there amongst all of those other houses.

521
00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:06,000
Her lawn was immaculate. She paid somebody. It's made of stone. She's got stuff in her yard. It's a beautiful place.

522
00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:13,000
And she attributes it all to tithing. She's just got the propulsion, but the propulsion is not the Lord.

523
00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:23,000
You've got to trade all your good works, all that you've ever done to this point in time for the salvation that God has for you.

524
00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:29,000
Then there will be works that arise out of that salvation. But you've got to stop working first.

525
00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:35,000
You've got to turn it all over to God first. And they had this huge ceremony. We have the crucifixion.

526
00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:41,000
In the thrust and the propulsion, if it's real, it's got to be strong.

527
00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:49,000
If you're stuck in the preflight checks and you've not actually taken off and the engines are firing, this is what probably happens.

528
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:55,000
I'm reading my Bible, but now I'm kind of not reading my Bible for a while. I'm going to church, but now I'm kind of not going to church.

529
00:48:55,000 --> 00:49:01,000
I'm worshiping, I'm serving, I'm giving, but now I'm kind of not. There's a good excuse, but now I'm kind of not.

530
00:49:01,000 --> 00:49:08,000
Any time there's a good excuse. I've known people who have a culture in their life, a good excuse is enough to not do what God would have them to do.

531
00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:17,000
That is not somebody who is flying in the Lord. That is somebody who has a powerful propulsion seeking the Lord, and it kind of runs out.

532
00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:25,000
The fuel isn't enough. Or they hit a bump in the road and they're off course and they will not now. It's not working anyway.

533
00:49:25,000 --> 00:49:33,000
The woman who said, I just hate God because he murdered my husband. So you know there is a God. Yes, you claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

534
00:49:33,000 --> 00:49:37,000
Yes, but my husband died in his 50s, and that's just not right. I'm angry with God.

535
00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:47,000
That woman was moving forward by the propulsion that she had, probably seeking the Lord, but there is a serious question as to whether or not she was saved.

536
00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:54,000
The gospel was explained to her. When the gospel is explained to me and I'm in sin, my sin comes to the surface.

537
00:49:54,000 --> 00:50:01,000
When I'm not right and I hear Jesus, I go, wait, I'm not right. That's my first thing. I'm off course. I'm not right.

538
00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:08,000
And I want to repent. That's my Jesus. Look what he did for me. How can I ever possibly, willingly not be right again?

539
00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:14,000
Now that I know I'm not right, I immediately want to get back on course, get back in the air, get back to flying with Jesus.

540
00:50:14,000 --> 00:50:23,000
This thrust and this propulsion, it must be strong. And I submit to you, it was strong in Asa because he was cutting stuff out all over the kingdom.

541
00:50:23,000 --> 00:50:32,000
He was changing things all over the kingdom. He was dedicating himself and his armies and the pursuit of the country.

542
00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:38,000
He even prayed, if you'll recall, in chapter 14, we know that only you are outside the battle and you can help.

543
00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:44,000
And we kind of digested it a little bit to realize he said, you can help the strong or the weak, either one.

544
00:50:44,000 --> 00:50:51,000
We are the weak and we need your strength. And God gave them the victory. He was propelled. He was thrust forward.

545
00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:59,000
He was strong in his desire, but he was not turning it over to God.

546
00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:10,000
And then he got to that moment at which he made this covenant and he said, OK, beyond this line there is only me and God, or otherwise I may as well not be.

547
00:51:10,000 --> 00:51:15,000
That's what he said because you realize that edict that he passed, that applied to Asa.

548
00:51:15,000 --> 00:51:22,000
If Asa was found to not be following God months later, it would be perfectly right for the lords of the land to kill him.

549
00:51:22,000 --> 00:51:30,000
All those, it said, big or small, kings or paupers. So it applied to him.

550
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:37,000
So he said, I must follow the Lord and if I'm not found to be following the Lord, I may as well not be going forward.

551
00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:46,000
I must surrender my life, not my kingship, but my life. It's me with Jesus for us or me with God for him or me not at all.

552
00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:53,000
That's what he said. That's what they all said. Man, that thrust, that propulsion is strong.

553
00:51:53,000 --> 00:52:00,000
But also you realize then out of that, that when you truly turn yourself over to the Lord, it will change everything.

554
00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:04,000
I've given the illustration a couple of times. I'll give it again now.

555
00:52:04,000 --> 00:52:09,000
When I was getting saved, I finally got courageous enough to tell my wife that I thought I wanted to become a Christian.

556
00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:14,000
I told her, I'm driving at the first curve down the road going to BG on the Portage River.

557
00:52:14,000 --> 00:52:20,000
Haley, are you with me? I told my wife, I said, I want to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

558
00:52:20,000 --> 00:52:25,000
She said, what does that even mean? I said, I don't know, but I know this.

559
00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:31,000
It's going to change everything. Hear me now. Suck that bad boy up.

560
00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:36,000
It hasn't changed everything. It hasn't happened.

561
00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:41,000
Jesus' propulsion is very much like your propulsion to find him.

562
00:52:41,000 --> 00:52:44,000
It's very much like your propulsion to live a better life.

563
00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:49,000
It's very much like your propulsion to do a better job because you're fearful of what might happen if you don't.

564
00:52:49,000 --> 00:52:55,000
But it is not the same. The propulsion that is knowing Christ will take you into flight.

565
00:52:55,000 --> 00:52:58,000
It is the grace of God. It is absolutely necessary for salvation.

566
00:52:58,000 --> 00:53:03,000
And if you don't have it, then you don't have it.

567
00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:08,000
That's why it's so important for us to go out and reach out to anyone who might be out there.

568
00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:11,000
Because there could be so many seekers who do not know the Lord.

569
00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:13,000
They are literally seeking, getting out of bed every morning.

570
00:53:13,000 --> 00:53:15,000
Well, I wish I could be a Christian. I want to be a Christian.

571
00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:18,000
I like the man who walked in the front door of the life station the one day.

572
00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:21,000
And he stepped in the door and we were actually closed like five minutes after.

573
00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:23,000
And I said, I can help you with groceries if you need it.

574
00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:29,000
I said, but can I help you? And he said, I'm not here for groceries.

575
00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:33,000
And I said, okay, how can I help you? And he said, what must I do to be saved?

576
00:53:33,000 --> 00:53:36,000
Just like that. There are so many people out there.

577
00:53:36,000 --> 00:53:41,000
Listen to me. You know somebody in your circle, on your job, at your school, your kids' school, whatever.

578
00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:46,000
You know somebody that if somebody would just tell them about Jesus and what it means to be saved,

579
00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:49,000
just tell them that seeking God is not enough.

580
00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:54,000
Wanting to be good is not enough, but God must do an act of grace in your life.

581
00:53:54,000 --> 00:53:59,000
And I can tell you how to get there. Just draw a line in the sand and be so desperate for His presence

582
00:53:59,000 --> 00:54:06,000
that beyond that line you would actually say, beyond this line, it's me and Jesus or not me at all.

583
00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:10,000
You can't say that about Jesus. When you're lost, that's exactly what you're saying about Jesus.

584
00:54:10,000 --> 00:54:13,000
Don't care about Jesus. Don't care if you even exist. Don't worry about that.

585
00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:15,000
Don't seek Jesus, whatever, when you're lost.

586
00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:19,000
But when you're seeking Jesus, you don't want to say that. You want it to be true.

587
00:54:19,000 --> 00:54:23,000
You want to be a follower. Maybe you just don't know how exactly.

588
00:54:23,000 --> 00:54:27,000
And somebody comes in and they tell you the basic truth and you say, beyond this line,

589
00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:31,000
it's me and Jesus or me not at all.

590
00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:38,000
And in that moment, for them anyway, Jesus, God, did exactly what they were designed,

591
00:54:38,000 --> 00:54:40,000
what they were wanting to do.

592
00:54:40,000 --> 00:54:44,000
They received grace and flight. They found lift.

593
00:54:44,000 --> 00:54:50,000
If finding God was a work of man, if you could search around for Him and find Him,

594
00:54:50,000 --> 00:54:54,000
then some people would do it out of all the wrong reasons.

595
00:54:54,000 --> 00:54:58,000
Some people would think, well, this works, so I'm just going to do it.

596
00:54:58,000 --> 00:55:05,000
And the Bible says that God orchestrates your life so that you may turn and search for Him.

597
00:55:05,000 --> 00:55:10,000
And having found Him, realize He was never far away in the first place.

598
00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:15,000
This morning I was searching for my car keys, or my church keys.

599
00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:18,000
I searched several places several times and never found them.

600
00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:23,000
I drove to church in the church van and didn't find them.

601
00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:27,000
I got here and I'm like, where's the recorder? I need to start the recorder for the podcast

602
00:55:27,000 --> 00:55:30,000
so we can put the podcast out later. I'm like, where is that at?

603
00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:34,000
Looked at my church bag. There's a recorder. Right where the recorder was.

604
00:55:34,000 --> 00:55:39,000
Church keys. I had them with me the whole time, but I couldn't see them.

605
00:55:39,000 --> 00:55:46,000
God loves you. That propulsion to seek God, once you realize God is real and anything about Him,

606
00:55:46,000 --> 00:55:49,000
you're going to desire Him. And then you're going to begin to seek Him.

607
00:55:49,000 --> 00:55:53,000
And some people are mistaken that seeking for Christianity, I understand that.

608
00:55:53,000 --> 00:55:56,000
We are not seeking God. If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ,

609
00:55:56,000 --> 00:56:03,000
He has revealed Himself to you and your position with Him is now safe and eternal.

610
00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:07,000
You have begun the flight. Now Asa had begun the flight.

611
00:56:07,000 --> 00:56:10,000
Let's talk just briefly about how the flight got started.

612
00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:14,000
It got started. There was already propulsion and power.

613
00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:17,000
There was thrust. He was moving forward seeking God.

614
00:56:17,000 --> 00:56:21,000
But God in His grace provided the lift. I told you we were going to talk about lift briefly.

615
00:56:21,000 --> 00:56:24,000
So here are the best theories about why a plane works.

616
00:56:24,000 --> 00:56:28,000
And none of them are exactly correct. They even all know this and admit it.

617
00:56:28,000 --> 00:56:31,000
There was a man named Bernoulli. Bernoulli has a theory.

618
00:56:31,000 --> 00:56:38,000
He says that when air moves over a curved surface on the top of the wing and along the flat surface on the bottom of the wing,

619
00:56:38,000 --> 00:56:43,000
the air moving on the top moves faster because it has to fill in a partial vacuum and it has to come down off the wing.

620
00:56:43,000 --> 00:56:47,000
Because it moves faster, air pressure is less on the top of the wing.

621
00:56:47,000 --> 00:56:52,000
So the plane is sucked up into the air pressure that is left and that's why it flies.

622
00:56:52,000 --> 00:56:59,000
But since then, by the way, Bernoulli wrote that theory before planes were ever invented.

623
00:56:59,000 --> 00:57:06,000
Interesting. He looked at birds and things like that. Right? And whatever. Say it again.

624
00:57:06,000 --> 00:57:10,000
Yeah, so long time before flight. Okay?

625
00:57:10,000 --> 00:57:16,000
But it doesn't actually work. The theory doesn't work because they can't explain why, first of all, that actually happens.

626
00:57:16,000 --> 00:57:21,000
They also know that in some cases that doesn't happen. And they also know that planes can fly upside down.

627
00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:25,000
So if you're flying a plane upside down and the low pressure is on the top of the wing,

628
00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:31,000
because it's the surface of the wing that creates that, it has nothing to do with that, then by all rights the plane should naturally go down.

629
00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:36,000
But it doesn't. Doesn't make any sense. So Bernoulli couldn't explain it.

630
00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:40,000
So then they use Newton's law. So when Newton's law makes sense, this makes more sense,

631
00:57:40,000 --> 00:57:44,000
the wing pushes down on the air as it's flying, the propulsion of the plane force pushes down on the air.

632
00:57:44,000 --> 00:57:52,000
Because it pushes down on the air, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It pushes up on the wing and the plane goes up because the plane is pushing down.

633
00:57:52,000 --> 00:57:57,000
Except that doesn't actually make any sense, does it? Because why would it ever start going up in the first place?

634
00:57:57,000 --> 00:58:03,000
And then it starts going up. And then they realize that that doesn't explain why there is low pressure.

635
00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:07,000
That theory doesn't explain why there is low pressure on top of the wing either.

636
00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:12,000
Newton also lived and died long before planes were invented.

637
00:58:12,000 --> 00:58:18,000
So since then there have been some very other people, interesting people, who have tried to take this on.

638
00:58:18,000 --> 00:58:24,000
And the bottom line is nobody can come up with a conclusive theory why the plane flies.

639
00:58:24,000 --> 00:58:29,000
You'll love this because it's poetic. It's beautiful and it's poetic.

640
00:58:29,000 --> 00:58:33,000
This is the best theory we currently have.

641
00:58:33,000 --> 00:58:38,000
When the plane flies, the vacuum is created. We don't really know why.

642
00:58:38,000 --> 00:58:42,000
We assume it has something to do with the fact that forces are pushing up on the wing from below.

643
00:58:42,000 --> 00:58:47,000
But if you didn't have both theories working, they know the plane would not fly.

644
00:58:47,000 --> 00:58:55,000
So the propulsion happens, those two things happen, and the plane flies, but it doesn't make any sense.

645
00:58:55,000 --> 00:59:00,000
It is directly related to thrust.

646
00:59:00,000 --> 00:59:04,000
Now apply that to the topic of the day.

647
00:59:04,000 --> 00:59:08,000
Asa could have drove his plane around on the ground forever.

648
00:59:08,000 --> 00:59:12,000
He could have followed the Lord, seeking after the Lord forever.

649
00:59:12,000 --> 00:59:17,000
And he would have received peace and rest and benefits to his household. And you can do that too.

650
00:59:17,000 --> 00:59:21,000
If that's what you want to do, you can do it. And it would be a pretty good life for you.

651
00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:26,000
If you seek the Lord, peace and rest and benefits to your household will pretty much abound.

652
00:59:26,000 --> 00:59:29,000
If you spend your whole life seeking him.

653
00:59:29,000 --> 00:59:33,000
But if you earnestly seek him, if you truly desire him, if there's a line in the sand for you to say,

654
00:59:33,000 --> 00:59:36,000
beyond this line, if not God, then no me.

655
00:59:36,000 --> 00:59:46,000
If you would do that, then God will deliver by his grace, flight unexplained. Flight impossible.

656
00:59:46,000 --> 00:59:56,000
But as we saw in the text, even though that is so, there will come moments in time at which that flight will be challenged.

657
00:59:56,000 --> 01:00:05,000
Because this flight is ultimately a work of God, as God reveals himself to those genuinely seeking him,

658
01:00:05,000 --> 01:00:08,000
wrong motivations are not possible.

659
01:00:08,000 --> 01:00:16,000
So if you're truly flying with God as Asa was, you can't be doing it now because you just wanted to be blessed.

660
01:00:16,000 --> 01:00:18,000
Because you were just seeking peace.

661
01:00:18,000 --> 01:00:23,000
So you see those bulletin boards that says you need peace, Jesus has peace for you.

662
01:00:23,000 --> 01:00:28,000
If you go to Jesus just to get peace, you're not going to be saved.

663
01:00:28,000 --> 01:00:31,000
If you go to Jesus just to be helped, you're not going to be saved.

664
01:00:31,000 --> 01:00:35,000
If you go to Jesus just for the Holy Spirit or just for spiritual gifts, it's not going to work.

665
01:00:35,000 --> 01:00:42,000
You may seek God, but if you don't come to a moment in time at which you draw a line in the sand and say it's me and God or not me at all.

666
01:00:42,000 --> 01:00:51,000
If you don't do that, then grace doesn't enter in. If grace doesn't enter in, there's no flight.

667
01:00:51,000 --> 01:00:56,000
And then comes turbulence. Let's assume for a moment that you actually do get airborne.

668
01:00:56,000 --> 01:00:58,000
Don't really know why I'm doing it. It's working.

669
01:00:58,000 --> 01:01:03,000
Pull the stick back, put the thrust up, let the brakes off, set the flaps accordingly.

670
01:01:03,000 --> 01:01:07,000
I'm in the air. I'm flying. It's working. I don't know why it works.

671
01:01:07,000 --> 01:01:09,000
No pilot on the face of the planet knows why it works.

672
01:01:09,000 --> 01:01:12,000
No aeronautical engineer knows why it works.

673
01:01:12,000 --> 01:01:17,000
Though many have tried, mostly they just say all this comes together and it just works.

674
01:01:17,000 --> 01:01:23,000
Right? But then comes turbulence. You must.

675
01:01:23,000 --> 01:01:28,000
If you're able, in the moment that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior in earnest,

676
01:01:28,000 --> 01:01:34,000
to decide beyond this it's me and Jesus or me and God or me not at all,

677
01:01:34,000 --> 01:01:37,000
then you should be able to handle turbulence.

678
01:01:37,000 --> 01:01:42,000
And look at what Asa's turbulence was in the story.

679
01:01:42,000 --> 01:01:48,000
He was forced to choose God over convenience or relationships.

680
01:01:48,000 --> 01:01:56,000
The Queen Mother, who essentially put him on the throne, that's a reality,

681
01:01:56,000 --> 01:01:59,000
was worshipping a false God.

682
01:01:59,000 --> 01:02:05,000
And they said, anybody, notice by the way it doesn't actually say in the text that they put her to death.

683
01:02:05,000 --> 01:02:11,000
That shows how much power she actually had.

684
01:02:11,000 --> 01:02:16,000
But he had to stop it. He had to say, no, not in my house.

685
01:02:16,000 --> 01:02:25,000
Men, women who don't have men, young people, teenagers, you've got to say, no, not in my house.

686
01:02:25,000 --> 01:02:31,000
You've got to say, no, not in my house.

687
01:02:31,000 --> 01:02:37,000
You've got to draw a line in the sand and say, beyond this it's me and Jesus or me not at all.

688
01:02:37,000 --> 01:02:42,000
And from that moment on you say, here we do it this way.

689
01:02:42,000 --> 01:02:46,000
I have a number of young grandchildren. They come and visit my house.

690
01:02:46,000 --> 01:02:50,000
Their parents have certain policies that I don't necessarily agree with.

691
01:02:50,000 --> 01:02:53,000
And they know as much what they are.

692
01:02:53,000 --> 01:02:57,000
And when they come to my house, they're not allowed to do those things.

693
01:02:57,000 --> 01:03:00,000
They're not sins. They're not sinful things.

694
01:03:00,000 --> 01:03:02,000
At least I can't think of one that is.

695
01:03:02,000 --> 01:03:04,000
But we just don't do it that way in our house.

696
01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:08,000
And so when they come to my house, we don't do it that way in my house.

697
01:03:08,000 --> 01:03:13,000
Multiply that times a thousand and you'll get close to what God is talking about.

698
01:03:13,000 --> 01:03:16,000
You say, bristers don't do it that way.

699
01:03:16,000 --> 01:03:19,000
Max don't do it that way.

700
01:03:19,000 --> 01:03:22,000
Stevenson's don't do it that way.

701
01:03:22,000 --> 01:03:24,000
McCrory's, we don't do it that way.

702
01:03:24,000 --> 01:03:26,000
And the list goes on.

703
01:03:26,000 --> 01:03:30,000
We all ought to be able to say, we do things the way God would have us do things

704
01:03:30,000 --> 01:03:34,000
because we are on the other side of a line at which we say,

705
01:03:34,000 --> 01:03:39,000
either it's me and Jesus flying or I'm out.

706
01:03:39,000 --> 01:03:41,000
That's it.

707
01:03:41,000 --> 01:03:46,000
And you're going to run into time where it's convenient.

708
01:03:46,000 --> 01:03:49,000
For example, at our house we pray before meals.

709
01:03:49,000 --> 01:03:51,000
If we don't pray, we don't eat.

710
01:03:51,000 --> 01:03:54,000
Kids come over. They start eating while we're praying.

711
01:03:54,000 --> 01:03:56,000
They wait until after one warning.

712
01:03:56,000 --> 01:03:58,000
They wait until everyone else is done eating.

713
01:03:58,000 --> 01:04:00,000
Then I'll pray with them again.

714
01:04:00,000 --> 01:04:01,000
Then they can eat.

715
01:04:01,000 --> 01:04:05,000
That's not right. You're making a small child wait an extra 15 minutes to eat their dinner.

716
01:04:05,000 --> 01:04:07,000
I didn't make them wait an extra 15 minutes.

717
01:04:07,000 --> 01:04:10,000
They chose to wait an extra 15 minutes because they already knew what was going to happen.

718
01:04:10,000 --> 01:04:12,000
So they chose to do it.

719
01:04:12,000 --> 01:04:14,000
We pray before we eat.

720
01:04:14,000 --> 01:04:16,000
Do you have to do that if you don't pray before you eat?

721
01:04:16,000 --> 01:04:18,000
Is this a sin? No.

722
01:04:18,000 --> 01:04:20,000
It's not a sin.

723
01:04:20,000 --> 01:04:24,000
But in our house, that's one way we choose to recognize and honor God.

724
01:04:24,000 --> 01:04:26,000
And you ought to have things like that.

725
01:04:26,000 --> 01:04:28,000
You might say, well, it's legalistic. You're being legalistic.

726
01:04:28,000 --> 01:04:30,000
No, I didn't say they're going to hell.

727
01:04:30,000 --> 01:04:32,000
I didn't say they can never eat again.

728
01:04:32,000 --> 01:04:34,000
I didn't take them out in the yard and stone them, by the way,

729
01:04:34,000 --> 01:04:39,000
which was the Old Testament punishment for a child that was disobedient to his parents.

730
01:04:39,000 --> 01:04:42,000
They would take them out and stone them.

731
01:04:42,000 --> 01:04:47,000
Because they knew from the time they could walk that they were supposed to honor and obey their parents.

732
01:04:47,000 --> 01:04:49,000
Now we don't do that.

733
01:04:49,000 --> 01:04:55,000
Because we've received grace, we realize we are sinners that deserve stoning a long time ago ourselves.

734
01:04:55,000 --> 01:04:58,000
And so we ought not be stoning anybody.

735
01:04:58,000 --> 01:05:03,000
But at the same time, you choose God over convenience.

736
01:05:03,000 --> 01:05:06,000
You choose God over relationships.

737
01:05:06,000 --> 01:05:08,000
You choose God over money.

738
01:05:08,000 --> 01:05:10,000
The list goes on.

739
01:05:10,000 --> 01:05:13,000
So when he encountered turbulence, what did he do?

740
01:05:13,000 --> 01:05:15,000
He chose God.

741
01:05:15,000 --> 01:05:17,000
He burnt very publicly.

742
01:05:17,000 --> 01:05:20,000
I think it's interesting because he does this very, very publicly.

743
01:05:20,000 --> 01:05:26,000
It's not like he just goes, you know, Grandma, you can't do that.

744
01:05:26,000 --> 01:05:28,000
We just made this huge covenant all across the country.

745
01:05:28,000 --> 01:05:30,000
You're really causing me a PR scandal.

746
01:05:30,000 --> 01:05:31,000
You can't do that, Grandma.

747
01:05:31,000 --> 01:05:34,000
So I'm just going to take this out and take it out of the backyard.

748
01:05:34,000 --> 01:05:35,000
We'll get rid of it.

749
01:05:35,000 --> 01:05:37,000
We'll bury it. We'll burn it, whatever, in the backyard.

750
01:05:37,000 --> 01:05:39,000
No one has to know that you did this or whatever.

751
01:05:39,000 --> 01:05:40,000
No. He took it out.

752
01:05:40,000 --> 01:05:41,000
He crushed it.

753
01:05:41,000 --> 01:05:47,000
He burned it very publicly out there where everybody could see it in the place where false idols were almost always destroyed.

754
01:05:47,000 --> 01:05:53,000
So everybody knew exactly what it was.

755
01:05:53,000 --> 01:06:03,000
Realize that sometimes these moments of turbulence, they feel like a test of faith.

756
01:06:03,000 --> 01:06:10,000
Something happens and you feel like, I want to believe and continue to follow the Lord after this event that I've gone through that is really rough.

757
01:06:10,000 --> 01:06:19,000
Divorce, lost a job, health, relationships, somebody hurt me, or I was romantically involved with somebody, now they're gone.

758
01:06:19,000 --> 01:06:23,000
My mother, who loved the Lord, died.

759
01:06:23,000 --> 01:06:27,000
My friend, who testified to me about Christ, walked away from the Lord.

760
01:06:27,000 --> 01:06:33,000
I lost my job because of cuts or I was accused of criminal activity when I didn't do it.

761
01:06:33,000 --> 01:06:37,000
Or some guy went down the street cussing me out when I really didn't do anything wrong.

762
01:06:37,000 --> 01:06:40,000
All of these things feel like a test of faith.

763
01:06:40,000 --> 01:06:43,000
But let me say this very plainly.

764
01:06:43,000 --> 01:06:46,000
Let me say this very simply.

765
01:06:46,000 --> 01:06:53,000
It's not a test of faith because faith is the one thing that cannot be arrested.

766
01:06:53,000 --> 01:06:56,000
It can never be taken away from you.

767
01:06:56,000 --> 01:06:58,000
It can never be stopped.

768
01:06:58,000 --> 01:07:00,000
Your life can be ended.

769
01:07:00,000 --> 01:07:03,000
Your heart can be broken and you might have a hard time getting out of bed the next day.

770
01:07:03,000 --> 01:07:05,000
Your life can be ended.

771
01:07:05,000 --> 01:07:14,000
But your faith, if it's real, if you're flying with Jesus, can never be ended.

772
01:07:14,000 --> 01:07:19,000
Perhaps it's more a test of the way things look.

773
01:07:19,000 --> 01:07:23,000
It looks like you're flying with Jesus.

774
01:07:23,000 --> 01:07:26,000
Are you really flying with Jesus?

775
01:07:26,000 --> 01:07:32,000
Or is this opportunity that's come along just good enough to entice you?

776
01:07:32,000 --> 01:07:38,000
Are you dividing your loyalties between God and something that you enjoy or something that you think you need?

777
01:07:38,000 --> 01:07:41,000
It's a test of appearances.

778
01:07:41,000 --> 01:07:44,000
It's still hard sometimes.

779
01:07:44,000 --> 01:07:51,000
But there really are no options whether or not to stay the course, whether or not to continue to fly with Jesus.

780
01:07:51,000 --> 01:07:55,000
Really only options of how it will be accomplished.

781
01:07:55,000 --> 01:08:00,000
Here we see it must be accomplished decisively, forcefully, publicly.

782
01:08:00,000 --> 01:08:04,000
Mind you, he was a king.

783
01:08:04,000 --> 01:08:10,000
So if he made that covenant amongst everybody and everybody knew and trumpets blew and sacrifices took place and everything,

784
01:08:10,000 --> 01:08:17,000
and then she did what she did and nothing was done, he would have been leading the whole country in the wrong direction.

785
01:08:17,000 --> 01:08:26,000
And so you might, someone might arguably say he only did it decisively, forcefully, publicly, because those are the methods of a king.

786
01:08:26,000 --> 01:08:31,000
Why do you think they call Jesus king of kings and lord of lords?

787
01:08:31,000 --> 01:08:36,000
Because in your own life under Christ, you are the king, you are the queen.

788
01:08:36,000 --> 01:08:49,000
You are the one who must make a decision now empowered by God, gifted by God, sealed and regenerated for eternity, being a wielder of the keys to the kingdom.

789
01:08:49,000 --> 01:08:51,000
You are the one.

790
01:08:51,000 --> 01:09:02,000
So the decision to stay the course, to walk out your faith should indeed be decisive, forceful, and when necessary, public.

791
01:09:02,000 --> 01:09:08,000
Remember that the scripture says, Jesus tells a parable in the book of Luke about a faithful servant,

792
01:09:08,000 --> 01:09:14,000
and he basically says that to whom much is given from him, much will be expected.

793
01:09:14,000 --> 01:09:17,000
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, what have you been given?

794
01:09:17,000 --> 01:09:28,000
If you are a seeker of God, you've probably been given peace, rest, maybe some financial boons, relationship boons, health boons, you're still able to do things, right?

795
01:09:28,000 --> 01:09:36,000
But if you are a follower of God, if you're literally flying with the Lord, what have you been given?

796
01:09:36,000 --> 01:09:42,000
He said that all things have been given to us.

797
01:09:42,000 --> 01:09:43,000
All things.

798
01:09:43,000 --> 01:09:47,000
The keys of the kingdom, whatever you bind on the earth shall have already been bound in heaven,

799
01:09:47,000 --> 01:09:54,000
and whatever you loose on the earth shall already been loosed in heaven, is the best translation of those verses.

800
01:09:54,000 --> 01:10:02,000
God has given you much, and if he's given you that much, then whenever turbulence occurs and something seeks to divert you off course,

801
01:10:02,000 --> 01:10:08,000
whether it be temptation, distraction, lust of the eyes, lust of flesh, pride of life, all present with us to this day,

802
01:10:08,000 --> 01:10:16,000
you should decisively and forcefully and publicly deal with that turbulence.

803
01:10:16,000 --> 01:10:18,000
That brings us to our conclusion.

804
01:10:18,000 --> 01:10:22,000
There is great success available through the preflight checks.

805
01:10:22,000 --> 01:10:23,000
We saw that last week.

806
01:10:23,000 --> 01:10:29,000
But the greater success is in finding God, who literally does all of the work in finding him.

807
01:10:29,000 --> 01:10:37,000
You seek him and pursue him, and then he shows up and exposes himself as he moves into your heart.

808
01:10:37,000 --> 01:10:43,000
There is a great challenge still, because even having known the Lord, a man might well have divided allegiances.

809
01:10:43,000 --> 01:10:49,000
There's family, there's money and income and earning and relationships of all kinds.

810
01:10:49,000 --> 01:10:52,000
A person might have divided allegiances.

811
01:10:52,000 --> 01:10:58,000
I submit to you, if you are considering truly coming to Lord Jesus, if you're considering beginning a flight with Jesus,

812
01:10:58,000 --> 01:11:06,000
I submit to you that you decide right now what you will do if your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your boss, your friends,

813
01:11:06,000 --> 01:11:14,000
the people you play with, the people you run with, the people you hang with, if they decide not to fly, what will you do?

814
01:11:14,000 --> 01:11:17,000
Will you fly anyway?

815
01:11:17,000 --> 01:11:23,000
Because if you cannot say that, then I submit to you, you're not at a point in a line in the sand.

816
01:11:23,000 --> 01:11:29,000
And if you think you're getting saved while thinking, but if my wife doesn't go or my friend doesn't go or my boyfriend or girlfriend doesn't go

817
01:11:29,000 --> 01:11:35,000
or my money doesn't go or I can't do or I can't have or I want but can't fulfill my wants or whatever,

818
01:11:35,000 --> 01:11:39,000
if people are going to make me feel bad or persecute me, if those are lines that you would draw,

819
01:11:39,000 --> 01:11:44,000
then you're not at a line that says beyond this line it's me and Jesus or me not at all.

820
01:11:44,000 --> 01:11:50,000
You're at a line that says it's me and Jesus or Jesus not at all.

821
01:11:50,000 --> 01:11:57,000
And that's no salvation. That's no flight. That's no takeoff.

822
01:11:57,000 --> 01:12:08,000
Let's assume for a moment that you have taken off, then when you encounter the turbulence, you can trust.

823
01:12:08,000 --> 01:12:15,000
I've been on a number of commercial aircraft flights and also flew, I personally flew a single engine plane in a storm where visibility was zero

824
01:12:15,000 --> 01:12:19,000
and we had to use MLS to be able to find the airport.

825
01:12:19,000 --> 01:12:22,000
And the plane was bouncing all over the place.

826
01:12:22,000 --> 01:12:27,000
I submit to you, I was not a saved Christian. I had no idea why planes fly.

827
01:12:27,000 --> 01:12:33,000
And the truth is, I didn't know that they didn't know. I just assumed somebody knew that why planes fly.

828
01:12:33,000 --> 01:12:39,000
And it was flying. And there was like 2,000 feet between me and the ground.

829
01:12:39,000 --> 01:12:43,000
So even if it started to dip, I had a long way before I would hit anything.

830
01:12:43,000 --> 01:12:52,000
I felt perfectly comfortable and safe. I felt that even though the plane was doing this, I was going to be fine.

831
01:12:52,000 --> 01:12:58,000
I was coming back from a trip to Dallas-Fort Worth area and there was a young woman on the plane.

832
01:12:58,000 --> 01:13:04,000
I did not ask her so I won't share the name. She was a stewardess. She'd been on a lot of flights.

833
01:13:04,000 --> 01:13:08,000
And she also probably did not know that they don't know why for sure planes fly.

834
01:13:08,000 --> 01:13:13,000
And we were sitting in the back and in the very back, I was in the very back, you know, sometimes you get those flights.

835
01:13:13,000 --> 01:13:18,000
I didn't want to pay for my seat assignments. I was in like 34D, right? I'm in the back, back of this plane.

836
01:13:18,000 --> 01:13:23,000
And in between my, there was the row and then there was another seat, was a fold down seat.

837
01:13:23,000 --> 01:13:32,000
And the turbulence hit and the plane's bouncing all over the place. And this vibrate like, and we're like, this thing could literally fall apart.

838
01:13:32,000 --> 01:13:37,000
I didn't think it was going to fall out of the sky, but if it started to fall apart, I figured that was bad.

839
01:13:37,000 --> 01:13:42,000
And I'm just saying, I said, Lord, you know, you got this, whatever, you know, whatever it's going to be, it's all in your hands.

840
01:13:42,000 --> 01:13:48,000
Well, the stewardess came and she sat down next to me. So she's like literally three inches away.

841
01:13:48,000 --> 01:13:55,000
Pretty girl, probably early twenties and looked like she had a lot to live for, healthy, bright eyed.

842
01:13:55,000 --> 01:14:03,000
But when she sat down, she was terrified. Her eyes were vacant. She was like, this is it. I'm going to die.

843
01:14:03,000 --> 01:14:11,000
And I thought, man, she's really scared. And I said, I thought she might be having a panic attack.

844
01:14:11,000 --> 01:14:14,000
She might have blood sugar issues. She might have a heart attack. I said, are you OK?

845
01:14:14,000 --> 01:14:23,000
And she said, I'm terrified. And the guy on the other side of her, who I had been witnessing to earlier in the flight, he said, I'm terrified too.

846
01:14:23,000 --> 01:14:29,000
And that was supposed to help. Right. And she was terrified. And I said, do you want to pray?

847
01:14:29,000 --> 01:14:37,000
And she said, anything, anything, anything. And I said, well, first, let's make sure we know who we're praying to.

848
01:14:37,000 --> 01:14:41,000
And I shared the gospel, simple gospel, what it meant to be saved.

849
01:14:41,000 --> 01:14:46,000
And I said, you know, the plane could crash. But odds are the plane's not going to crash.

850
01:14:46,000 --> 01:14:49,000
So it's not about whether you're going to survive right now or not.

851
01:14:49,000 --> 01:14:51,000
It's about whether you're going to live for Jesus for the rest of your life.

852
01:14:51,000 --> 01:14:55,000
Are you walking with the Lord beyond this point? From now on, it's you and Jesus.

853
01:14:55,000 --> 01:15:03,000
Before I ever wrote this sermon, before I ever understood what I'm teaching you today, I said, I'm asking you, from now on, is it you and Jesus?

854
01:15:03,000 --> 01:15:07,000
And she said, yes. And so first, we prayed to be saved.

855
01:15:07,000 --> 01:15:14,000
And she prayed to I led and she prayed after me to be saved. And the guy next to me, the guy next to her, I did not pray to be saved.

856
01:15:14,000 --> 01:15:18,000
And he wasn't too happy that she was praying to be saved. And but she did.

857
01:15:18,000 --> 01:15:26,000
And then and then immediately we prayed that the turbulence would calm down, the plane would land safely and everything would be OK.

858
01:15:26,000 --> 01:15:33,000
And ironically, the guy next to her who was mad that she was praying to get saved, joined us in that prayer and actually verbalized some of those words.

859
01:15:33,000 --> 01:15:37,000
He wanted to get home safe. He just didn't want to be a follower of Jesus. You understand what I'm saying?

860
01:15:37,000 --> 01:15:42,000
OK, I still have her as a friend on Facebook to this day.

861
01:15:42,000 --> 01:15:48,000
And last time I checked, which was probably a few weeks ago, she's still living for the Lord.

862
01:15:48,000 --> 01:15:54,000
The turbulence, sometimes if you're just seeking God, it's to make you think I'm just seeking God.

863
01:15:54,000 --> 01:15:57,000
I'm not truly flying with the Lord. And sometimes if you're truly flying with the Lord,

864
01:15:57,000 --> 01:16:08,000
it is to determine whether or not you actually are flying.

865
01:16:08,000 --> 01:16:14,000
Maybe some of us are still not flying. Maybe some of us are still in the preflight checks and you need to repent of that today and say,

866
01:16:14,000 --> 01:16:21,000
OK, Jesus, beyond here, it's me and you or not me at all.

867
01:16:21,000 --> 01:16:26,000
Maybe some of us are flying, but we realize we have divided loyalties or things that you're wrapped up in,

868
01:16:26,000 --> 01:16:36,000
things that excite you or bother you. Maybe your temper is your divided loyalty.

869
01:16:36,000 --> 01:16:41,000
The wrath or anger of man will never bring about the righteousness of God.

870
01:16:41,000 --> 01:16:45,000
Maybe your finances or your relationships.

871
01:16:45,000 --> 01:16:49,000
If you realize you have divided loyalties, then you can reasonably realize you're seeking the Lord

872
01:16:49,000 --> 01:16:56,000
and you need to draw a line in the sand and say, beyond this, it's me and Jesus or not me at all.

873
01:16:56,000 --> 01:17:01,000
And the word says that whosoever calls upon the Lord, and you better believe that's what it means when it says calls upon the Lord,

874
01:17:01,000 --> 01:17:05,000
it doesn't just mean, hey, Jesus, please save me because I might crash an airplane and I don't want to go to hell.

875
01:17:05,000 --> 01:17:09,000
Hey, Jesus, please save me because I'm not having a very good time right now. I'd rather feel better about life.

876
01:17:09,000 --> 01:17:14,000
That's not calling on the name of the Lord. Calling on the name of the Lord is exactly what we're describing.

877
01:17:14,000 --> 01:17:21,000
Lying in the sand beyond this, it's me and Jesus or not me at all.

878
01:17:21,000 --> 01:17:25,000
Maybe the turbulence that you've been experiencing recently, the difficulty that you've been going through,

879
01:17:25,000 --> 01:17:31,000
has indicated to you your actual motivations. You just wanted it to go well.

880
01:17:31,000 --> 01:17:35,000
That's what your salvation was all about, just wanting it to go well.

881
01:17:35,000 --> 01:17:39,000
And now you realize that's not really salvation at all.

882
01:17:39,000 --> 01:17:47,000
If you're not right, absolutely keep seeking Him if that's all you really want to do.

883
01:17:47,000 --> 01:17:55,000
But if you are interested in really being right, then make a list right now in your head of all the things you value.

884
01:17:55,000 --> 01:17:58,000
It's a short list. It doesn't have to be super long. You can generic it.

885
01:17:58,000 --> 01:18:03,000
Like, I like sports. I like money. I like people. I like fun. I like recreation.

886
01:18:03,000 --> 01:18:07,000
I don't have to name all of the individual things. Right?

887
01:18:07,000 --> 01:18:11,000
All the things that you hate. Oh, I hate it when I lose my temper. I hate it when I lose my car keys.

888
01:18:11,000 --> 01:18:14,000
I hate it when people cuss me out. I hate it.

889
01:18:14,000 --> 01:18:19,000
It doesn't have to be too specific. It can be general. I hate it when people hurt me.

890
01:18:19,000 --> 01:18:26,000
And then take all of those things and realize you have to release them to Jesus

891
01:18:26,000 --> 01:18:31,000
so that He can show you now how you're going to have to deal with each one of those things.

892
01:18:31,000 --> 01:18:33,000
And some of them are going to have to go away completely.

893
01:18:33,000 --> 01:18:39,000
And others of them have to be repurposed. A man's temper, which can be out of control at times,

894
01:18:39,000 --> 01:18:44,000
needs to be repurposed to wrath. Violent opposition against injustice.

895
01:18:44,000 --> 01:18:51,000
Wrath. Not anger, but wrath. We stand up for what's right. We do what's right. We be right.

896
01:18:51,000 --> 01:18:54,000
And you need that strength. And you can't get rid of it completely.

897
01:18:54,000 --> 01:18:58,000
But you can put away from yourself anger and wrath that's not godly.

898
01:18:58,000 --> 01:19:05,000
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.

899
01:19:05,000 --> 01:19:09,000
And one of the things is His presence.

900
01:19:09,000 --> 01:19:13,000
Do you want God more than anything else? I think you probably do.

901
01:19:13,000 --> 01:19:16,000
And that's probably partly why you're here.

902
01:19:16,000 --> 01:19:22,000
Are you flying with God? Or is there propulsion, real motivation to do it?

903
01:19:22,000 --> 01:19:27,000
Completion of pre-flight checks, but no actual flight.

904
01:19:27,000 --> 01:19:33,000
Despite how long it looks like you've been trying, or how much other people think it's true,

905
01:19:33,000 --> 01:19:42,000
will you fly with Him from here through turbulence, through challenges of all kinds,

906
01:19:42,000 --> 01:19:48,000
knowing that He is the one who provided your salvation and He is the one who will take you through?

907
01:19:48,000 --> 01:19:56,000
You can trust Him. Why does God save us? No scientist can explain that either.

908
01:19:56,000 --> 01:20:02,000
The Bible explains it very clearly. He saves us because He loves us.

909
01:20:02,000 --> 01:20:05,000
He saves us because He created us for a relationship with Him.

910
01:20:05,000 --> 01:20:09,000
He saves us because He's right.

911
01:20:09,000 --> 01:20:14,000
Do we deserve it? No, otherwise it wouldn't be great. So we don't deserve it.

912
01:20:14,000 --> 01:20:17,000
But He does it. Let Him do it for you.

913
01:20:17,000 --> 01:20:21,000
I'll ask the praise team to come forward at this time and lead us in our final hymn.

914
01:20:21,000 --> 01:20:24,000
If you're here today, you realize that you need to repent of your divided,

915
01:20:24,000 --> 01:20:27,000
loyal people all around you. Let this be your day.

916
01:20:27,000 --> 01:20:31,000
Your day to say, okay, it's me and Jesus going forward.

917
01:20:31,000 --> 01:20:36,000
I know it's hard to let it all go. If you've been seeking Him and doing pretty well,

918
01:20:36,000 --> 01:20:40,000
that makes it even harder. But you can.

919
01:20:40,000 --> 01:20:47,000
And then once the flight has begun, expect turbulence, expect difficulty, but also expect success.

920
01:20:47,000 --> 01:20:52,000
Expect the flight to continue because your faith cannot be undone.

921
01:20:52,000 --> 01:20:54,000
It can't be touched. The world cannot touch it.

922
01:20:54,000 --> 01:20:58,000
People say, I lost the faith. No, you didn't. If you lost the faith, you never had the faith.

923
01:20:58,000 --> 01:21:03,000
This faith is not elusible. It's anchored by the salvation that Jesus provides.

924
01:21:03,000 --> 01:21:06,000
And it's not going anywhere. Praise God.

925
01:21:06,000 --> 01:21:09,000
All right, we'll just end and sing the song with me.

926
01:21:09,000 --> 01:21:14,000
And then as we sing, if you're making some decision for Christ today or if God has spoken to your heart in some way,

927
01:21:14,000 --> 01:21:17,000
then you just come. We'll talk together briefly.

928
01:21:17,000 --> 01:21:22,000
We'll pray together briefly and share your decision with everybody else. Go online now.

929
01:21:22,000 --> 01:21:26,000
If you're online, post something and you're going to continue to pray with Jesus.

930
01:21:26,000 --> 01:21:39,000
We believe and we are never the same.

931
01:21:39,000 --> 01:21:48,000
Amen.