WEBVTT

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Thank you. Instead, we will be coming together

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for a family fellowship. Everyone is welcome.

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If you're here and you've been a son of my voice,

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you're welcome to come and join with us, and

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we'll be enjoying a kind of taco bar. If you

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haven't been hit up yet to bring something for

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the taco bar, or if you have some particular

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thing that you'd like to bring for that, then

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you go ahead and do that, and you can check with

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Sherry or Risha or me or just about anybody to

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make sure somebody else knows that you're bringing

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something, that you ain't already bringing something,

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okay? And if you didn't want to bring anything,

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that's okay, too. Just come and eat with us,

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and we'll have a good time. And we're also going

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to be playing games afterwards. We'll have card

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games and board games and some activities for

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the kids and that kind of thing. And that's Friday,

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so not Grand Prix Workshop this Friday. Amen.

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Okay, if you're a follower of Christ, think about

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when you were saved. That's kind of how this

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song goes. Think about that. Thank God as you

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sing this. As Amalia and Alicia were singing

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that song, my mind flashed back to us worshiping

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in Northwood High School in a classroom. And

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we could not get Amalia to get closer than about

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a foot to the microphone. And no microphone could

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we get hot enough that we could actually hear

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her singing, even though my omnidirectional microphone

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was barely picking her up. And she's like, I'm

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close enough. I'm close enough to the microphone.

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And praise the Lord, many days later. That has

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finally changed. Praise God for that. It's been

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years now, but it just really struck me in that

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moment. So we have a couple of pieces of business

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that we need to take care of right away before

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we get into the sermon because we're going to

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hit a topic today that was harsh for me. So the

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last time I took over about five hours to write

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my sermon for a Sunday was probably well over

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a year ago. And this sermon took me close to

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12 hours to write. And for a good part of that,

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I was in what I would call kind of like anguish,

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realizing that we are maybe claiming to be something

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that we are not. And we need to ask ourselves

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if that is the case. And then we need to make

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whatever adjustments are necessary. And that

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had to start with me. But the 12 hours that I

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spent... None of that was really me doing that.

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I still had to do that on top of the 12 hours.

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But I spent 12 hours studying. I spent four or

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five hours getting to the heart of the matter

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because I started with a misconception. I thought

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I had the title and kind of the point of the

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sermon. There's a mystery going on before you

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as these sermons are being preached now as we're

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leading up to Easter, which I'll explain in a

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moment. At least I'll give you another clue toward

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the mystery. So about four or five hours overcoming

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that misconception and getting to the text that

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we're going to use. And I thought, well, usually

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when I have the text, it's only about an hour

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or two after that, I'm good to go. And then it

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took another almost eight hours for me to get

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to what I'm going to bring you today. And the

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truth is, I think I could have spent about another

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five or six hours here and really honed it down

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to something a lot more smaller, maybe not so

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hard to chew, not so difficult to understand.

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So I'm going to try my best to deliver it to

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you. clearly. So the second thing then is this

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is part, as I said, of a mystery. I started playing

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a little game with you without telling you I

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was doing it. And so the clue for today's sermon

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is the phrase three of seven. Three of seven.

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Last week's clue was two of seven and I forgot

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to give it to you. So the clue for today's sermon

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is three of seven. So your goal over the next

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roughly month or so leading between now and Easter

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is to try to figure out what the heck am I talking

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about that I'm not talking about? Okay, that

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is the goal. What is it that I'm talking about

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that I'm not talking about? And your clue is

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three of seven. I will fair warn you, if you

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miss a sermon between now and then, completely

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miss it anyway, you could catch it online, you

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could listen to it on the podcast, but if you

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completely miss it, you will have a bit of a

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challenge getting to the bottom of the mystery.

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Okay, so today's clue is three of seven. Then

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we're just going to do a couple of quick things.

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One, we talked about a little bit during our

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inspirational moment. The first one is wisdom.

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I want to talk about wisdom very just kind of

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briefly, make sure we're all on the same page.

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Wisdom is knowing God's knowledge or God's route

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or God's path or God's understanding of a situation.

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and in theory gives you the ability to apply

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that or to tell someone else so that they can

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apply it. So for example, I learned when I was

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about three years old how to tie my shoes, and

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I thought I was like Superman because nobody

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else who was three years old could tie their

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shoes. And then I raised Alicia and Amalia, and

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Amalia started preschool, and she was three years

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old, just over three, and she was the only one

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in her school who could tie shoes. She spent

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almost her entire recess tying shoes. Rather

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than the teacher doing it, she would send everybody

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to Amalia. And I thought, you know, being three

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and knowing how to tie shoes maybe isn't such

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a good thing. Because she would have a 25 -minute

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recess and spend almost 20 minutes tying shoes.

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Because there were 25 kids in her class, and

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as soon as one would be tied, another one would

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be untied. So she was tying shoes constantly.

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And the rest of the time, she spent on the swing.

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So that was her whole recess, tying shoes and

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swinging. That being said, knowing how to tie

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shoes. and then being able to actually tie shoes

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seems like it's basically the same thing. And

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wisdom is like that. Knowing what you need to

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know and being in God's kingdom, God's ways,

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God's wisdom, God's knowledge, whatever you want

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to call it, and being able to kind of apply it,

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that's wisdom, generically speaking. Understanding

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is another thing. Understanding is kind of just

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what it implies. Standing under the knowledge.

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So you could have the wisdom and be able to apply

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it, but then not actually understand it. Because

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you're not standing under what you know. For

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example, using the illustration I just gave you,

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being able to tie shoes at three, I was thinking

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I was like Superman. And for a short time, I

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think Amalia was too, thinking she was Superwoman

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when she was three because everybody would come

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to her in need and she was fixing their problems

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constantly. So she's feeling like that too. But

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just a real quick second after that, you start

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thinking, well, you can see if I'm going to spend

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20 minutes a day tying shoes, I feel like I should

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be paid for that, right? Or at least get a bigger

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treat when we go to treat time, something like

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that. And so there is an understanding of how

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to tie shoes and what's going to result from

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tying shoes, and then there is standing under

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that knowledge, right? So she wasn't teaching

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anybody how to tie shoes because while she knew

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how to tie shoes, she couldn't get it across

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to anybody how to tie shoes because she didn't

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really understand how she was doing it. She couldn't

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stand under the knowledge of how to tie shoes.

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I couldn't stand under the knowledge of how to

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tie shoes, but I could tie shoes. See the difference?

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So if you can display God's wisdom in your choices,

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you might be wise. But if you can understand

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why you're doing what you're doing and apply

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that to what comes next, you might have understanding.

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There are two different things. Here we go. The

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text is relatively short, but we've got quite

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a bit of Bible between here and from when we're

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done. So grab your Bibles, if you would, and

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go with me to Proverbs 1. Amen. Thank you very

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much for joining in. I fully understand I'm a

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little bit weird, a little bit odd. And I appreciate

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that you joined me in my oddness because you're

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stuck with me. At least until you're not. So

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we're right in Proverbs chapter 1. And we're

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going to read verse 10. Yes, there we go. I found

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it on the page even. So it says this. It says,

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My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

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Or consent thou not, if you're reading the King

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James Version. So I want you to see something

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before we go any further, okay? So the first

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thing is, there are people in the world who do

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the wrong thing. Raise your hand if you've ever

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done the wrong thing. This is a participatory

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moment, so every hand should be up, okay? If

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not, you really need to address the fact that

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you have a lot of pride and arrogance, okay?

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Or you're just not really participating, which

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would be okay too. So what's a sinner? A sinner

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is a person who has done the wrong thing. And

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the fact is, and elsewhere we could read, that

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sinners have a tendency to kind of drag people

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along with them. That's the reality of it. We

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talk about peer pressure, and we mostly mean

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that in a negative context. People who are kind

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of like you about your age, about your skin color,

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about your social standing, whatever, have a

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way of pressuring you into doing what it is that

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you want to do. And then they'll say, wait for

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it, they'll say, well, it was your choice. You're

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an adult. You could choose to follow my example.

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You could choose to follow what I'm teaching

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you to do or not. It was your choice. Who does

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that sound like? Sounds like the devil. What

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the devil does is he leads you, entices you to

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do things that you should not do, and then when

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you do them, he lets you take the blame. He's

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already going to spend eternity in hell, separated

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from God forever. He's got nothing more to lose,

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so he may as well drag people down with him if

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he can. We are not meant to be like that, but

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the reality is that sinners often are like that.

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They have a tendency to entice people to get

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involved with what they do. But notice it does

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not say, Do not do those things. Do not follow.

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Do not mirror their actions. It says, do not

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consent. Because all it really takes for a sinner

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to drag you into their current situation, which

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is maybe on the way to hell, or it could be a

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Christian who's sinning and they're leading you

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to sin along with them, and so they're suffering

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a lack of joy in their salvation, a lack of feeling

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like God is in their life, and they're doing

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the things that... their flesh wants to do rather

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than what God wants. And either way, all you

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have to do is consent. Perhaps you've been talking

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with someone and someone will start talking about

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someone else. And you're like, well, I'm not

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going to join in this conversation. I'm not going

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to say anything. I'm just going to stand back

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and not say anything while they're gossiping

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or slandering that other person. I'm not going

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to take part. But you're still standing there.

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You don't mention the word gossip or slander.

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You don't say, hey, we should change the topic

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of conversation. You don't say, hey, I'm not

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going to listen to this. You just stand there

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while it's going on. You know what they call

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that in the criminal world? They call that being

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an accomplice. And what the writer of Proverbs,

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probably Solomon, is telling us is that we should

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not consent. Don't stand by and accept that that

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action is appropriate behavior when they're attempting

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to entice you into it. Even if you should say,

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I'm not going to go then and do what it is, you

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should still say, why? What is the difference?

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The difference is you're wise enough to know

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that the thing that they're trying to entice

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you is not appropriate. I'm not going to do that.

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But you don't have understanding because you

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don't have a way of delivering the knowledge

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that it's not appropriate and why it's not appropriate.

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See the difference? We pursue both wisdom and

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understanding not to get ahead of ourselves.

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It's not good enough to just say, I'm not going

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to consent. For example, it's not good enough

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to just say, I am not personally going to watch

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rated R movies or violent movies or movies that

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depict sex acts on my TV screen in my living

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room at home, or I'm not personally going to

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watch pornography. That is not good enough. You

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have to understand why that behavior is inappropriate.

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You have to stand under the fact that it's inappropriate

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and be able to explain to somebody else why you're

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not participatory in it and be able to say, I'm

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not going to send them my money in some other

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way. If Playboy magazine opens up a beneficial

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foundation that is doing something with its profits,

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let's say teaching children to read or whatever

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like that, that foundation is a separate entity,

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but all the money is coming from Playboy. I'm

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not going to go buy a subscription to Playboy

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magazine so the foundation can benefit. I'm not

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going to have anything to do with it. Because

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I understand not only am I not interested in

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participating in the thing that you're enticing

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me to do, I do not consent. Politically speaking,

00:22:55.170 --> 00:22:58.829
I do not consent to abortion. I don't consent.

00:22:59.769 --> 00:23:01.869
Therefore, when I go to the polls, unless the

00:23:01.869 --> 00:23:03.549
Lord specifically tells me otherwise, and I always

00:23:03.549 --> 00:23:05.150
vote what God tells me to do, I cannot vote for

00:23:05.150 --> 00:23:07.509
a candidate who supports abortion. I can't do

00:23:07.509 --> 00:23:09.569
it because I don't consent. Am I political? Am

00:23:09.569 --> 00:23:10.970
I trying to win you to political? No, I'm using

00:23:10.970 --> 00:23:13.650
it as an illustration. It's all I'm doing. You

00:23:13.650 --> 00:23:15.089
can think about the things that go on in your

00:23:15.089 --> 00:23:16.769
household, the things that you do, your family

00:23:16.769 --> 00:23:18.769
does, your church does, whatever, and you're

00:23:18.769 --> 00:23:21.349
going to find something that you can say, I'm

00:23:21.349 --> 00:23:26.259
consenting to it. I'm consenting to it. By saying

00:23:26.259 --> 00:23:28.779
nothing, I'm consenting to it. And if you're

00:23:28.779 --> 00:23:31.440
consenting to it, you have to realize this clearly

00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:34.759
says, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:39.859
Then skip to 15 and 16. And it says, my son,

00:23:40.019 --> 00:23:43.900
do not walk on the way with them. So we're continuing

00:23:43.900 --> 00:23:47.170
to talk about... And he gets into a much more

00:23:47.170 --> 00:23:49.769
wicked person than just a good person, like a

00:23:49.769 --> 00:23:51.569
follower of Christ who's doing a little bit of

00:23:51.569 --> 00:23:54.890
sin. He starts to talk about wickedness. And

00:23:54.890 --> 00:23:58.349
he says, do not walk on the way with them. In

00:23:58.349 --> 00:23:59.849
other words, don't go the path that they're traveling.

00:23:59.930 --> 00:24:03.309
He says, keep your feet from their path. There

00:24:03.309 --> 00:24:06.750
are many paths in life. One that we're called

00:24:06.750 --> 00:24:08.509
to, that's the highway of holiness. Again, not

00:24:08.509 --> 00:24:11.230
to get ahead of myself. there are many paths

00:24:11.230 --> 00:24:13.509
that you will wind up on. And I submit to you

00:24:13.509 --> 00:24:16.109
that if you are seen while on a path of wickedness,

00:24:16.190 --> 00:24:20.049
if you're seen in a bar buying rounds of drinks,

00:24:20.250 --> 00:24:23.690
then later, if you try to teach against drinking,

00:24:24.049 --> 00:24:27.250
it's not going to hold water. It's not going

00:24:27.250 --> 00:24:30.069
to work. If you're seen on a Sunday morning at

00:24:30.069 --> 00:24:34.049
noon on the golf course, and then later try to

00:24:34.049 --> 00:24:36.569
invite somebody to come to church on a Sunday

00:24:36.569 --> 00:24:38.869
at 1130, When they know that if you were going

00:24:38.869 --> 00:24:40.450
to do that, you wouldn't have been on the golf

00:24:40.450 --> 00:24:42.609
course at noon on a Sunday, then it's not going

00:24:42.609 --> 00:24:44.210
to hold water. They're going to be like, well,

00:24:44.230 --> 00:24:47.109
why do I even need to go? I'm not golfing this

00:24:47.109 --> 00:24:49.509
Sunday. I get that. I have a good reason not

00:24:49.509 --> 00:24:51.670
to go, but I can find some other good reason

00:24:51.670 --> 00:24:54.509
not to be there. And so what he's saying is you

00:24:54.509 --> 00:24:57.549
don't belong on the pathways that they're walking.

00:24:57.829 --> 00:25:01.950
Keep your feet from their path. Verse 16 then

00:25:01.950 --> 00:25:06.690
says, for their feet run to evil. And they are

00:25:06.690 --> 00:25:10.269
quick to shed blood. So basically, talking about

00:25:10.269 --> 00:25:12.029
the wicked person, or a person who does not know

00:25:12.029 --> 00:25:14.170
God, or a person who does not recognize God in

00:25:14.170 --> 00:25:17.509
his authority, how easy it is for them to do

00:25:17.509 --> 00:25:22.069
wrong. And we don't want to be like that. I'm

00:25:22.069 --> 00:25:24.430
going to go on then and read now Proverbs 2,

00:25:24.549 --> 00:25:27.130
verses 1 through 20. Before I do that, I need

00:25:27.130 --> 00:25:30.470
you to ascend to a certain opinion with me. If

00:25:30.470 --> 00:25:31.869
we're going to get to where we're trying to get

00:25:31.869 --> 00:25:34.740
to today, we have to agree on one point. And

00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:39.380
that is that life consists of many turns. And

00:25:39.380 --> 00:25:42.000
by a turn, I mean a choice. Where you go one

00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:45.759
direction or another. Or maybe one of seven directions.

00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:49.339
Or maybe one of a hundred. You graduate high

00:25:49.339 --> 00:25:51.559
school, do you go to college? Do you get a job?

00:25:51.720 --> 00:25:55.319
Do you work at your job? Do you go and do a trade?

00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:58.579
Become a plumber or electrician? Do you get married?

00:25:58.619 --> 00:26:00.359
Do you not get married? Do you have kids? Do

00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:02.359
you not have kids? On what particular day do

00:26:02.359 --> 00:26:04.480
you attempt to have kids? What particular day

00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:06.680
do you cook at home? When do you eat out? Can

00:26:06.680 --> 00:26:10.079
we agree, I'm looking at eyes now, can we agree

00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:13.140
that life consists of many turns? Do we agree

00:26:13.140 --> 00:26:15.099
with that? I'm looking for somebody who does

00:26:15.099 --> 00:26:17.599
not agree. I'm going to call you out if you do

00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:19.640
not agree. Are we okay? Do we agree that life

00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:22.859
consists of many turns? All right. So I think

00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:24.380
we've got 100 % agreement, at least all of those

00:26:24.380 --> 00:26:26.759
who are looking at me. Now that being said, I

00:26:26.759 --> 00:26:29.039
want you to listen to Proverbs 20. I'm not going

00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:31.559
to break, I'm sorry, 2, 1 through 20. I'm not

00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:32.859
going to break down every verse. It says, My

00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:35.559
son, if you will receive my words and treasure

00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:39.140
my commandments within you, make your ear attentive

00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:42.279
to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding.

00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:45.519
For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice

00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:48.079
for understanding. If you seek her as silver

00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:51.049
and search for her as for hidden treasures. So

00:26:51.049 --> 00:26:52.990
in other words, if you'll spend your life searching

00:26:52.990 --> 00:26:56.250
out wisdom and understanding, then you will discern

00:26:56.250 --> 00:26:59.130
the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge

00:26:59.130 --> 00:27:03.009
of God. For the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth

00:27:03.009 --> 00:27:05.930
come knowledge and understanding. He stores up

00:27:05.930 --> 00:27:08.730
sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield

00:27:08.730 --> 00:27:11.890
to those who walk in integrity. We'll stop after

00:27:11.890 --> 00:27:13.589
that verse and explain the word integrity for

00:27:13.589 --> 00:27:15.750
a second. The word integrity has the same root

00:27:15.750 --> 00:27:18.470
as the word integer. An integer is a whole number.

00:27:19.039 --> 00:27:21.799
A person has integrity when their wholeness,

00:27:21.799 --> 00:27:25.099
all that they are, is the same through and through.

00:27:25.220 --> 00:27:27.880
It surrounds one key point. And in the world

00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:29.700
right now, people are trying to build their integrity

00:27:29.700 --> 00:27:32.099
on all kinds of things. And it's respectable,

00:27:32.299 --> 00:27:34.880
right? If you always show up to work on time,

00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:37.500
give a hard day's work, draw your paycheck, maybe

00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:39.519
do a little extra at the end of the day, they

00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:41.180
will think you have integrity and they will pay

00:27:41.180 --> 00:27:44.559
you well. Okay? Maybe you're all about the money.

00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:45.920
You just want the money. You're looking for the

00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:47.460
promotion. You're wanting them to think good

00:27:47.460 --> 00:27:49.059
things of you, whatever. So you're building the

00:27:49.059 --> 00:27:51.019
integrity of your life on one of those things

00:27:51.019 --> 00:27:53.059
and they will pay you well. That's a reality.

00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:56.240
But that is not integrity that lasts for an eternity.

00:27:56.420 --> 00:27:59.519
That is integrity that lasts for a season. If

00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:03.420
you get a boss who's a dirtbag, who maybe sexually

00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:05.880
harasses you or talks bad about you behind your

00:28:05.880 --> 00:28:08.380
back constantly or maybe shaves your hours slightly,

00:28:08.500 --> 00:28:11.099
pretty soon you'll not be showing up on work.

00:28:12.079 --> 00:28:14.339
to work on time. You'll not be doing the extra

00:28:14.339 --> 00:28:16.339
work. You'll not be going the extra mile. And

00:28:16.339 --> 00:28:18.480
you'll justify that by saying he's a dirtbag

00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:23.000
or she's a dirtbag. Okay. Because the money is

00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:25.400
not enough. It's not enough to make you put up

00:28:25.400 --> 00:28:29.400
with what you're going through now. So an integer

00:28:29.400 --> 00:28:31.240
is a whole number. A person who has integrity

00:28:31.240 --> 00:28:34.440
is their whole being. All that they are centered

00:28:34.440 --> 00:28:36.539
around something that guides and directs them.

00:28:36.599 --> 00:28:38.839
It will last. All that we are now related to

00:28:38.839 --> 00:28:40.940
something that will last. I submit to you that

00:28:40.940 --> 00:28:43.839
our something is Jesus Christ. And he will last

00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:46.519
for an eternity. I'll read that verse again so

00:28:46.519 --> 00:28:48.960
we understand the context. He stores up sound

00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:51.740
wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those

00:28:51.740 --> 00:28:54.799
who walk in integrity. Guarding the paths of

00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:58.220
justice. and he preserves the way of his godly

00:28:58.220 --> 00:29:00.680
ones. Then you will discern righteousness and

00:29:00.680 --> 00:29:03.240
justice and equity. Discern means you'll figure

00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:04.859
it out. You'll be able to tell one from the other.

00:29:04.920 --> 00:29:07.859
Righteous and justice and equity and every good

00:29:07.859 --> 00:29:10.140
course. By the way, equity just means what's

00:29:10.140 --> 00:29:14.500
right in that circumstance. For wisdom will enter

00:29:14.500 --> 00:29:16.660
your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to

00:29:16.660 --> 00:29:19.700
your soul. Discretion will guard you. Understanding

00:29:19.700 --> 00:29:23.559
will watch over you to deliver you from the...

00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:26.640
way of evil from the man who speaks perverse

00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:30.299
things, from those who lead the paths of uprightness

00:29:30.299 --> 00:29:32.559
to walk in the ways of darkness. Now here we

00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:34.599
got the guy, so now we're talking about people

00:29:34.599 --> 00:29:37.500
who, remember Proverbs 1, they let themselves

00:29:37.500 --> 00:29:40.579
be enticed or they consent, and now we're saying

00:29:40.579 --> 00:29:42.640
that the seekers of wisdom and understanding

00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:46.799
will be protected from people like that. You

00:29:46.799 --> 00:29:48.920
understand? So in other words, if you follow

00:29:48.920 --> 00:29:51.140
the Lord in the way that this person is calling

00:29:51.140 --> 00:29:53.539
you to do so, you will be protected from people

00:29:53.539 --> 00:29:56.279
who allow themselves to be enticed or who consent

00:29:56.279 --> 00:30:00.000
to those actions. So we need protection from

00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:02.859
them? When maybe right now we actually are them?

00:30:03.339 --> 00:30:06.980
That's interesting. 12 says, to deliver you from

00:30:06.980 --> 00:30:09.579
the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse

00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:12.299
things. from those who leave the paths of uprightness

00:30:12.299 --> 00:30:14.900
to walk in the ways of darkness, who delight

00:30:14.900 --> 00:30:17.480
in doing evil and rejoice in the perversity of

00:30:17.480 --> 00:30:21.259
evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious

00:30:21.259 --> 00:30:23.799
in their ways, to deliver you from the strange

00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:26.480
woman, from the adulteress who flatters with

00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:29.079
her words, that leaves the companion of her youth

00:30:29.079 --> 00:30:31.660
and forgets the covenant of her God, for her

00:30:31.660 --> 00:30:34.500
house sinks down to death and her tracks lead

00:30:34.500 --> 00:30:38.579
to the dead. None who go to her return again.

00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:42.319
nor do they reach the paths of life. So you will

00:30:42.319 --> 00:30:45.960
walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths

00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:49.640
of the righteous. The sermon title for today

00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:53.819
is Absolutely, separate syllable. I hope that

00:30:53.819 --> 00:30:56.039
made it up there, did it? It did. The dash is

00:30:56.039 --> 00:30:57.660
between the E and the L. There you see it now.

00:30:58.420 --> 00:31:03.900
Absolutely avoid overly agile adjusting. Wow.

00:31:04.680 --> 00:31:06.960
Absolutely avoid overly agile adjusting. Where's

00:31:06.960 --> 00:31:10.880
our tongue twister people? To avoid overly agile

00:31:10.880 --> 00:31:13.640
adjusting is to realize there are many turns

00:31:13.640 --> 00:31:19.420
in life, right? And you can very easily too quickly

00:31:19.420 --> 00:31:24.019
adjust. The fact is humans are capable of adjusting.

00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:26.000
We figured out what the problem is. When I was

00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:30.039
playing junior high football, I could turn on

00:31:30.039 --> 00:31:32.460
a dime. And because I could turn on a dime and

00:31:32.460 --> 00:31:34.480
the people trying to tackle me couldn't, I was

00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:37.480
all over the place. To run 50 yards, I would

00:31:37.480 --> 00:31:40.599
probably run 120 yards. But I'd make 50 yards.

00:31:41.720 --> 00:32:18.369
Right? Hold on one second. It is very possible

00:32:18.369 --> 00:32:22.130
then to make a too quick turn, to be enticed

00:32:22.130 --> 00:32:24.289
off the course of action, to be on the way that

00:32:24.289 --> 00:32:28.769
is not appropriate for God. Two reasons most

00:32:28.769 --> 00:32:30.970
people adjust to something not in God's plan.

00:32:31.190 --> 00:32:34.049
Are you with me? Two reasons why most people

00:32:34.049 --> 00:32:36.430
adjust to something. So you can be following

00:32:36.430 --> 00:32:38.490
the Lord with all your strength, following the

00:32:38.490 --> 00:32:40.309
Lord with all the wisdom that you currently have,

00:32:40.430 --> 00:32:42.029
following the Lord with all your learning in

00:32:42.029 --> 00:32:44.160
the Bible. currently have. And one of these two

00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:46.559
reasons will lead you to do something that is

00:32:46.559 --> 00:32:52.720
not God's will. The first one is simple. Agreement.

00:32:53.059 --> 00:32:56.140
We agree with the plan. We agree with the turn.

00:32:56.180 --> 00:32:58.640
It makes sense to us. This looks like the right

00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:03.519
thing to do. It appears this offers better outcomes.

00:33:05.240 --> 00:33:07.380
This happens to everybody who ever has to make

00:33:07.380 --> 00:33:09.140
a decision between working and going to church.

00:33:09.779 --> 00:33:11.650
Every time. I'm going to go to work, I'm going

00:33:11.650 --> 00:33:14.349
to get a payday. I'm going to go to church, what

00:33:14.349 --> 00:33:18.329
do I get? Right? And you go, well, providentially

00:33:18.329 --> 00:33:21.369
hindered, God gave me a job that requires me

00:33:21.369 --> 00:33:22.970
to work instead of being in worship today. So,

00:33:23.029 --> 00:33:26.109
that's what I'm going to do. It appears to offer

00:33:26.109 --> 00:33:32.990
better outcomes. Or, it avoids danger. This happens

00:33:32.990 --> 00:33:35.789
to everybody who refuses to talk about Jesus

00:33:35.789 --> 00:33:37.829
because they're afraid they'll be persecuted.

00:33:39.069 --> 00:33:41.039
I'm going to get away with this one. This is

00:33:41.039 --> 00:33:43.339
too much for me. I'm not going to risk whatever.

00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:48.980
It conserves resources for other pursuits. Well,

00:33:49.059 --> 00:33:51.059
you know, God wants me to serve in this way.

00:33:51.160 --> 00:33:54.079
God wants me to study the Word and to preach.

00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:57.319
So I don't have time for this other thing over

00:33:57.319 --> 00:34:00.019
here that in the back of my mind and in my heart

00:34:00.019 --> 00:34:02.880
I know God wants me to do because I've got to

00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:04.599
conserve my resources to do the thing that God

00:34:04.599 --> 00:34:07.039
wants me to do. When you're conserving your resources

00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:09.690
to do one thing that God wants you to do, At

00:34:09.690 --> 00:34:11.530
the same time, then, dismissing another thing

00:34:11.530 --> 00:34:15.670
that God wants you to do, that's not God. That's

00:34:15.670 --> 00:34:18.010
you. Because if you check your accounts, you'll

00:34:18.010 --> 00:34:19.809
find that you are completely capable of doing

00:34:19.809 --> 00:34:21.929
everything that God wants you to do and wait

00:34:21.929 --> 00:34:23.929
for it, everything else that God wants you to

00:34:23.929 --> 00:34:25.969
do. You have all the resources necessary to do

00:34:25.969 --> 00:34:27.969
that. When you don't have enough resources to

00:34:27.969 --> 00:34:29.469
do the thing that God's calling you to do, whatever

00:34:29.469 --> 00:34:31.670
it is, if it's 7th on the list or 50th on the

00:34:31.670 --> 00:34:33.550
list, if God is calling you to do it, if you

00:34:33.550 --> 00:34:35.829
don't have the resources, it's you that's causing

00:34:35.829 --> 00:34:43.550
the lack of resources, not God. Quick returns.

00:34:45.110 --> 00:34:47.230
I'm going to get something out of this. Right?

00:34:47.289 --> 00:34:50.110
Right now, if I do this, this will be the result.

00:34:50.630 --> 00:34:53.809
And I want it. I want that result. It'll come

00:34:53.809 --> 00:34:56.809
back fast. Following God, I might be patient

00:34:56.809 --> 00:34:59.610
and eventually achieve that which God is ending

00:34:59.610 --> 00:35:00.969
me towards. It's going to be great. Heaven's

00:35:00.969 --> 00:35:02.550
going to be awesome. But this is going to be

00:35:02.550 --> 00:35:05.329
like heaven on earth. This is going to be great

00:35:05.329 --> 00:35:12.090
right now. Right? It's a misinterpretation of

00:35:12.090 --> 00:35:15.050
God's will. I think this thing is God's will

00:35:15.050 --> 00:35:17.110
for me to go and do that. It's easy enough to

00:35:17.110 --> 00:35:19.429
look at something and go, this looks good. God

00:35:19.429 --> 00:35:22.230
wants to bless me. God wants to take care of

00:35:22.230 --> 00:35:25.070
me. God wants to provide for me. So this looks

00:35:25.070 --> 00:35:29.849
like it does that, so I can do that, right? And

00:35:29.849 --> 00:35:32.170
it's easy enough to misinterpret God's will if

00:35:32.170 --> 00:35:35.630
you don't have understanding. A messianic complex.

00:35:35.849 --> 00:35:39.059
You know what a messianic complex is? A messianic

00:35:39.059 --> 00:35:40.980
complex is that moment in time in which you think

00:35:40.980 --> 00:35:45.219
that it's your job to die like Jesus did. It's

00:35:45.219 --> 00:35:48.000
your job to give up everything you want and everything

00:35:48.000 --> 00:35:51.340
you are, sacrifice your life or your time or

00:35:51.340 --> 00:35:54.400
your resources, just like Jesus did. Guess what?

00:35:55.179 --> 00:35:57.940
Not your job. It's not your job. If there ever

00:35:57.940 --> 00:35:59.519
comes a moment in time in which you have to take

00:35:59.519 --> 00:36:00.940
a bullet from the Lord, you'll know that moment

00:36:00.940 --> 00:36:03.360
when it comes. And if you're orchestrating that

00:36:03.360 --> 00:36:07.280
now, you're blowing it. If you're suffering on

00:36:07.280 --> 00:36:12.099
purpose, that's not God, that's you. You understand?

00:36:12.500 --> 00:36:15.179
But it's super easy to make that turn when we

00:36:15.179 --> 00:36:17.820
start thinking that we are like Jesus. Hold on

00:36:17.820 --> 00:36:19.579
one second. I want to say something very clearly

00:36:19.579 --> 00:36:22.460
that we all should already know. You are not

00:36:22.460 --> 00:36:25.980
like Jesus. I am not like Jesus. Do we want to

00:36:25.980 --> 00:36:28.219
be? Are we growing to be? Are we getting to be,

00:36:28.260 --> 00:36:29.960
hopefully, if you're following the Lord, pursuing

00:36:29.960 --> 00:36:32.099
wisdom and understanding, a little bit more every

00:36:32.099 --> 00:36:35.139
day like Jesus? Yes. But are you close? I mean,

00:36:35.179 --> 00:36:36.980
is it like you're about to cross the finish line?

00:36:37.079 --> 00:36:39.039
Tomorrow you're going to be just like Jesus?

00:36:39.260 --> 00:36:41.239
No, not going to happen. That's not going to

00:36:41.239 --> 00:36:42.980
happen. You're not going to be just like Jesus

00:36:42.980 --> 00:36:44.940
in this lifetime. You're going to get a little

00:36:44.940 --> 00:36:46.860
closer, a little closer, or maybe sometimes a

00:36:46.860 --> 00:36:48.639
lot closer, but you're never going to really

00:36:48.639 --> 00:36:54.519
be close to being like Jesus. We perceive that

00:36:54.519 --> 00:36:56.820
we have unique insight. I know something that

00:36:56.820 --> 00:36:59.599
nobody else knows. I can get away with something.

00:36:59.639 --> 00:37:01.480
I can do something behind everybody else's back.

00:37:01.869 --> 00:37:04.110
Or I know exactly how to do this thing and nobody

00:37:04.110 --> 00:37:06.429
else knows it like me. And they always say, if

00:37:06.429 --> 00:37:08.170
you want something done right, do it yourself.

00:37:08.889 --> 00:37:11.849
Right? So I have this perfect perception. Nobody

00:37:11.849 --> 00:37:13.929
else quite has the understanding that I have.

00:37:14.550 --> 00:37:17.909
All of that is just pride and arrogance. As I

00:37:17.909 --> 00:37:19.650
stand before you today, I'm preaching the sermon

00:37:19.650 --> 00:37:21.530
that the Lord gave me. And you want to know what?

00:37:22.829 --> 00:37:25.289
If I was giving myself a sermon writing grade,

00:37:25.510 --> 00:37:29.570
I'd give it a C. As far as how well the sermon

00:37:29.570 --> 00:37:32.139
is written, I'd give it a C. After 12 hours,

00:37:32.380 --> 00:37:35.079
at least two of those spent in tears and several

00:37:35.079 --> 00:37:38.760
of them spent in sweat, I'd give it a C. But

00:37:38.760 --> 00:37:40.440
I also know that by the time we're done here

00:37:40.440 --> 00:37:42.320
today, you will have exactly what you need from

00:37:42.320 --> 00:37:43.860
the Lord because you don't get that from me.

00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:46.039
You don't get it from me. You don't get it from

00:37:46.039 --> 00:37:48.400
my process. You don't even get it from my Bible

00:37:48.400 --> 00:37:50.340
reading. You don't get it from anything that

00:37:50.340 --> 00:37:52.900
I do. You get that from the Lord. And if it wasn't

00:37:52.900 --> 00:37:55.400
like that, I couldn't be a pastor. I don't have

00:37:55.400 --> 00:37:59.119
any unique insight. I worked 12 hours to be able

00:37:59.119 --> 00:38:01.900
to say what I'm saying before you now. That's

00:38:01.900 --> 00:38:03.960
not unique insight. If you had worked 12 hours,

00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:05.440
you probably would have something to say too.

00:38:06.099 --> 00:38:07.900
Maybe several somethings. I could probably write

00:38:07.900 --> 00:38:13.780
six sermons in 12 hours. Perceiving that you

00:38:13.780 --> 00:38:15.380
have unique insight will lead you to take in

00:38:15.380 --> 00:38:17.199
a turn that is not in the Lord's will if you're

00:38:17.199 --> 00:38:20.880
not careful. The persistence of temptation, it

00:38:20.880 --> 00:38:24.619
just keeps coming. Just keeps coming. Yep, I

00:38:24.619 --> 00:38:26.159
just keep getting distracted. It keeps coming

00:38:26.159 --> 00:38:28.059
after me. I keep thinking. I've got it in my

00:38:28.059 --> 00:38:30.539
flesh, in myself, in my mind. I think, well,

00:38:30.639 --> 00:38:32.440
this could work. No, I'm not going to do it.

00:38:32.460 --> 00:38:34.679
I put it off 20 times, 30 times, 40 times, and

00:38:34.679 --> 00:38:39.199
finally I'm going to just do it. Poor self -esteem.

00:38:40.480 --> 00:38:42.780
I know that we know that we're not like Jesus,

00:38:42.880 --> 00:38:45.059
but you also have to realize you're not like

00:38:45.059 --> 00:38:49.079
the world. You're so far above anybody that doesn't

00:38:49.079 --> 00:38:52.420
know Jesus, right? John Vaps is a pretty cool

00:38:52.420 --> 00:38:55.570
guy, right? John the Baptist is amazing. Thousands

00:38:55.570 --> 00:38:57.489
of people walked up and downhill over broken

00:38:57.489 --> 00:38:59.690
terrain every day to hear him be baptized. Hundreds

00:38:59.690 --> 00:39:01.570
or thousands of people in the River Jordan. Pretty

00:39:01.570 --> 00:39:04.010
cool guy, right? Do you know that Jesus said

00:39:04.010 --> 00:39:09.309
about him that greater is every one of us individually

00:39:09.309 --> 00:39:14.730
than he was? In fact, he even said that if we

00:39:14.730 --> 00:39:16.550
would believe and trust God, call on his name

00:39:16.550 --> 00:39:17.610
and believe that we have what we have, we'll

00:39:17.610 --> 00:39:23.369
do greater things than Jesus did. you're pretty

00:39:23.369 --> 00:39:25.809
incredible. And if you've got poor self -esteem,

00:39:25.849 --> 00:39:27.530
if you're trying to look better, act better,

00:39:27.610 --> 00:39:29.750
think better, feel better, so you can put yourself

00:39:29.750 --> 00:39:32.449
up there, you can be okay because you have poor

00:39:32.449 --> 00:39:35.090
self -esteem, then something's wrong. Your eyes

00:39:35.090 --> 00:39:37.409
should be on Jesus, not on you. You don't have

00:39:37.409 --> 00:39:39.429
to spend all this time judging yourself as like

00:39:39.429 --> 00:39:40.869
you're worthless or something like that. That's

00:39:40.869 --> 00:39:43.849
a big waste. But that poor self -esteem then

00:39:43.849 --> 00:39:45.789
will lead you because you'll find somebody, a

00:39:45.789 --> 00:39:48.409
sinner, who will entice you, who will say, you

00:39:48.409 --> 00:39:50.929
can feel better, look better, be better, be richer.

00:39:51.550 --> 00:39:53.349
You can get rid of your health problems. All

00:39:53.349 --> 00:39:54.989
these things are available to you if you'll just

00:39:54.989 --> 00:39:58.110
take this turn that I'm offering you. And that

00:39:58.110 --> 00:40:01.889
turn leads you onto a way that sinners walk.

00:40:03.269 --> 00:40:05.949
We have short memory of blessings. If you are

00:40:05.949 --> 00:40:08.449
saved, you remember a minimum of one moment in

00:40:08.449 --> 00:40:10.210
time in which the God of heaven did something

00:40:10.210 --> 00:40:14.269
absolutely incredible. And if you've never seen

00:40:14.269 --> 00:40:16.150
any other miracles, I think you probably have.

00:40:16.250 --> 00:40:19.510
If you didn't know it, I'm sorry. If you've never

00:40:19.510 --> 00:40:21.389
seen any other miracles, then you had at least

00:40:21.389 --> 00:40:23.550
a minimum of one miracle. You had a showing up

00:40:23.550 --> 00:40:25.349
of the Holy Spirit where you were transformed

00:40:25.349 --> 00:40:27.789
and you said, from now on, this is me and Jesus.

00:40:28.469 --> 00:40:30.090
A thing that previous to that you never would

00:40:30.090 --> 00:40:32.789
have done. With this Holy Spirit in you and that

00:40:32.789 --> 00:40:34.909
feeling, there's no way that we should have a

00:40:34.909 --> 00:40:37.949
short memory of that. In sports, you make a play,

00:40:38.010 --> 00:40:40.610
you blow up, you foolishly trip on the basketball

00:40:40.610 --> 00:40:42.829
court, or you run the wrong way and score a touchdown

00:40:42.829 --> 00:40:45.150
for the other team. Something really dumb, right?

00:40:45.670 --> 00:40:47.530
You're supposed to have a short memory. You forget

00:40:47.530 --> 00:40:49.090
that. Get back out there because if you can score

00:40:49.090 --> 00:40:50.389
one the wrong way for the other team, you can

00:40:50.389 --> 00:40:52.690
score one or two or three for your team going

00:40:52.690 --> 00:40:55.929
the right way. And you're supposed to have a

00:40:55.929 --> 00:40:57.789
short memory. But in the kingdom, we don't have

00:40:57.789 --> 00:41:00.750
a short memory. We look at that moment. There

00:41:00.750 --> 00:41:02.849
are two moments in time at which you must never

00:41:02.849 --> 00:41:05.150
forget. You should guard everything and guide

00:41:05.150 --> 00:41:06.610
everything in your life by these two moments.

00:41:06.690 --> 00:41:08.230
And one of them was when you got saved and the

00:41:08.230 --> 00:41:10.730
other one is when you walk into heaven. And one

00:41:10.730 --> 00:41:12.570
of them you can see and personally experienced.

00:41:13.050 --> 00:41:15.460
And the other... You can only believe it in faith

00:41:15.460 --> 00:41:18.639
because it's not yet realized. But it's real.

00:41:20.280 --> 00:41:22.920
And people forget the memory of the blessings

00:41:22.920 --> 00:41:24.599
of the amazing thing of God when you prayed and

00:41:24.599 --> 00:41:25.980
someone was healed, when you prayed and your

00:41:25.980 --> 00:41:28.699
soul was saved, etc. Don't forget that because

00:41:28.699 --> 00:41:30.659
the moment you start to walk onto that other

00:41:30.659 --> 00:41:32.480
path, you should realize, hey, I'm walking away

00:41:32.480 --> 00:41:36.980
from that. And the last one is very convicting.

00:41:37.760 --> 00:41:41.539
A feeling of peace about the turn. How many times

00:41:41.539 --> 00:41:43.179
have you ever had somebody, I've been praying

00:41:43.179 --> 00:41:44.780
about it, I've been talking to the Lord about

00:41:44.780 --> 00:41:46.440
this thing that I'm going to do, and I have a

00:41:46.440 --> 00:41:49.579
feeling of peace. I submit to you that by the

00:41:49.579 --> 00:41:51.320
time you have to pray about something so that

00:41:51.320 --> 00:41:52.679
you can have a feeling of peace, you already

00:41:52.679 --> 00:41:55.679
have considerable reservations. You have questions

00:41:55.679 --> 00:41:57.320
as to whether that's the right course or not.

00:41:58.599 --> 00:42:01.119
And there is a process in the Bible, one of those

00:42:01.119 --> 00:42:03.199
parts is prayer, but it's not the only prayer.

00:42:03.539 --> 00:42:06.619
But you say, well, I prayed and God is authorizing

00:42:06.619 --> 00:42:09.599
this in me because I have unique insight. Wait,

00:42:09.639 --> 00:42:12.019
that was on the list, wasn't it? Well, I prayed

00:42:12.019 --> 00:42:13.559
and I know this is what God wants me to do because

00:42:13.559 --> 00:42:15.559
I can see it's going to turn out. I can see how

00:42:15.559 --> 00:42:17.159
God is going to use this for his glory. Something

00:42:17.159 --> 00:42:19.639
amazing is going to happen. Wait, that's quick

00:42:19.639 --> 00:42:25.539
returns. I can see how by doing this, God's setting

00:42:25.539 --> 00:42:27.739
me up to be successful in this other area of

00:42:27.739 --> 00:42:30.539
ministry over here. That's conserving resources

00:42:30.539 --> 00:42:33.610
for other pursuits. And the list goes on. So

00:42:33.610 --> 00:42:35.829
we need to be careful as we're looking at these

00:42:35.829 --> 00:42:38.369
turns that we don't come into agreement with

00:42:38.369 --> 00:42:39.989
that person who's trying to entice us and go

00:42:39.989 --> 00:42:42.849
the wrong way, which we could very easily do

00:42:42.849 --> 00:42:44.769
because you can see that all of those things,

00:42:44.849 --> 00:42:46.510
none of those things are nuts. They're not insanity.

00:42:47.530 --> 00:42:49.929
They're not inherently evil, right? Quick returns,

00:42:50.050 --> 00:42:51.389
that's good. You go to McDonald's, you give them

00:42:51.389 --> 00:42:53.010
the money, they give you the food, you're driving

00:42:53.010 --> 00:42:55.949
on, you're eating your Big Mac. Yay! That's not

00:42:55.949 --> 00:42:58.269
a bad thing, except McDonald's might be actually

00:42:58.269 --> 00:43:01.079
bad for you. Probably, but that's another thing

00:43:01.079 --> 00:43:02.480
altogether. There's nothing really wrong with

00:43:02.480 --> 00:43:04.480
quick returns inherently, but it's when it's

00:43:04.480 --> 00:43:06.420
quick returns in your own strength, quick returns

00:43:06.420 --> 00:43:08.340
outside his wisdom or understanding, when it's

00:43:08.340 --> 00:43:10.260
quick returns that leads you to be enticed or

00:43:10.260 --> 00:43:14.260
to consent. That was the first one. So the first

00:43:14.260 --> 00:43:16.239
one is the problem is you may actually agree

00:43:16.239 --> 00:43:19.280
for one of those or other reasons, you may actually

00:43:19.280 --> 00:43:22.679
agree that this turn is an appropriate turn to

00:43:22.679 --> 00:43:24.699
take off the course that God has laid out for

00:43:24.699 --> 00:43:28.269
you onto a course that sinners would tread. The

00:43:28.269 --> 00:43:31.829
second one is what I call antagonistic alignments.

00:43:31.829 --> 00:43:33.550
And this is a real problem because you have carrying

00:43:33.550 --> 00:43:35.389
around with you, right now you are carrying around

00:43:35.389 --> 00:43:38.489
with you the largest battery that you personally

00:43:38.489 --> 00:43:42.590
will probably ever lift. And it's full of desire.

00:43:43.789 --> 00:43:48.010
And it is your body. Your flesh has desires.

00:43:48.130 --> 00:43:51.280
It has wants. It has needs. Just don't eat for

00:43:51.280 --> 00:43:53.320
a few days and actually feel what real hunger

00:43:53.320 --> 00:43:55.360
feels like. And we're all like, oh, it's four

00:43:55.360 --> 00:43:56.480
o 'clock and I haven't eaten anything today.

00:43:56.500 --> 00:44:00.239
I'm terribly hungry. No, you're not, right? What's

00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:02.159
happening is the fat cells in your body and your

00:44:02.159 --> 00:44:04.659
parasites and whatever are crying out to eat.

00:44:04.719 --> 00:44:06.039
But the truth is people don't get hungry when

00:44:06.039 --> 00:44:07.900
they don't eat for six or eight hours. That's

00:44:07.900 --> 00:44:10.340
just not the math of it. People get hungry when

00:44:10.340 --> 00:44:13.380
they don't eat for a couple of days. But we don't

00:44:13.380 --> 00:44:15.360
know that in America. So we think the first thing

00:44:15.360 --> 00:44:18.380
is hunger. Understand? So what I'm saying to

00:44:18.380 --> 00:44:22.250
you is this. We have in us the capability of

00:44:22.250 --> 00:44:25.510
antagonistic alignments where we start to think

00:44:25.510 --> 00:44:28.630
that this other way is a way, even though it's

00:44:28.630 --> 00:44:30.550
contrary to what God says. So first of all, this

00:44:30.550 --> 00:44:33.250
is the list. I'll go quickly. First one is carpe

00:44:33.250 --> 00:44:37.210
diem. Seize the day. Do it right now. Isn't that

00:44:37.210 --> 00:44:39.489
exciting? If I seize the day and do it right

00:44:39.489 --> 00:44:46.130
now, I feel powerful. If I can buy it, if I have

00:44:46.130 --> 00:44:47.690
the money in my bank and I can buy it and nobody

00:44:47.690 --> 00:44:50.650
can tell me no, that's power. If it's midnight

00:44:50.650 --> 00:44:52.789
and I can choose to stay up and watch one more

00:44:52.789 --> 00:44:56.210
episode, that's power because I can choose. If

00:44:56.210 --> 00:44:58.210
somebody says something or does something and

00:44:58.210 --> 00:45:01.349
I choose whether or not to rebuke them, that's

00:45:01.349 --> 00:45:04.449
power. And so we think by seizing the day, by

00:45:04.449 --> 00:45:08.269
making something happen, we're doing something

00:45:08.269 --> 00:45:10.190
good. But in actuality, we're doing something

00:45:10.190 --> 00:45:14.340
antagonistic to God. There is a rush. A quickness,

00:45:14.440 --> 00:45:17.840
a sneaky rush, a sinful rush, a desire to do

00:45:17.840 --> 00:45:19.780
something even though it's a bad thing. And we

00:45:19.780 --> 00:45:22.139
get a rush out of our heart beats fast. Our lungs

00:45:22.139 --> 00:45:24.119
process more oxygen because we're doing something.

00:45:24.179 --> 00:45:26.079
We know we could get caught. We know we're not

00:45:26.079 --> 00:45:30.340
doing something right and so on. We think there's

00:45:30.340 --> 00:45:33.280
no downside. Well, I can do whatever I want to

00:45:33.280 --> 00:45:35.039
do because there's no downside at all. There's

00:45:35.039 --> 00:45:36.699
nothing bad that could come out of this. You

00:45:36.699 --> 00:45:38.360
understand? There's nothing bad that could come

00:45:38.360 --> 00:45:44.650
out of this. And so we go for it. This thing

00:45:44.650 --> 00:45:47.630
is faster. This thing provides me with community.

00:45:47.730 --> 00:45:50.170
I need somebody to love on me. I need encouragement.

00:45:50.610 --> 00:45:53.110
I need relationship. This thing provides me with

00:45:53.110 --> 00:45:55.769
community. You get surrounded by a gang of thieves.

00:45:56.269 --> 00:45:59.329
Most gangs, by the way, run off a family mentality.

00:45:59.369 --> 00:46:01.150
You get jumped in and after that you're a brother

00:46:01.150 --> 00:46:04.190
or a sister. And if somebody says something kind

00:46:04.190 --> 00:46:07.869
of snotty to you, they get beat. Any little thing

00:46:07.869 --> 00:46:10.170
that they would do to upset you. They get beat.

00:46:10.309 --> 00:46:12.409
The family protects its own. And so they're using

00:46:12.409 --> 00:46:14.750
community to draw people into a wicked path.

00:46:14.889 --> 00:46:17.570
And we start thinking community. We need simplicity.

00:46:18.269 --> 00:46:20.730
We don't want to think. It's too complex. It's

00:46:20.730 --> 00:46:22.030
too hard for me to figure out what the right

00:46:22.030 --> 00:46:23.969
thing to do here is. I don't want to process

00:46:23.969 --> 00:46:26.789
it. I just want to go. It's like, why is life

00:46:26.789 --> 00:46:28.269
always so stressful that I always have to do

00:46:28.269 --> 00:46:31.289
the right thing? Or revenge. Somebody hurt us

00:46:31.289 --> 00:46:34.170
and we're going to teach them a lesson. Or anger,

00:46:34.289 --> 00:46:36.369
undirected. I have this emotive energy to do

00:46:36.369 --> 00:46:37.949
something about it, so now I'm yelling, screaming,

00:46:38.210 --> 00:46:40.030
breaking things, whatever. All of those are off

00:46:40.030 --> 00:46:42.190
the course that God has laid out for us. Misplaced

00:46:42.190 --> 00:46:45.690
loyalty. So we think, I am for this person, my

00:46:45.690 --> 00:46:47.150
brother, my sister, my friend, my boyfriend,

00:46:47.250 --> 00:46:49.010
my girlfriend. When they do something wrong,

00:46:49.250 --> 00:46:53.929
I'm not going to tell anyone what they did. You

00:46:53.929 --> 00:46:56.309
follow? So I know they did something wrong, but

00:46:56.309 --> 00:47:00.230
I'm not going to out them, no matter what, because

00:47:00.230 --> 00:47:03.920
I am loyal to them. That's misplaced loyalty.

00:47:04.199 --> 00:47:06.900
It's ungodly action. And we make it out to be

00:47:06.900 --> 00:47:08.760
like that's a good thing. Because you get called

00:47:08.760 --> 00:47:11.860
a tattletale if somebody tells when somebody

00:47:11.860 --> 00:47:14.119
else did something wrong. Do you know how many

00:47:14.119 --> 00:47:16.239
rapes have gone unprocessed because no one would

00:47:16.239 --> 00:47:18.639
talk? Do you know how many murders have never

00:47:18.639 --> 00:47:21.059
been caught? How many drug dealers continue to

00:47:21.059 --> 00:47:23.519
push drugs on kids under the age of 12 because

00:47:23.519 --> 00:47:25.280
nobody in their neighborhood will say anything?

00:47:27.719 --> 00:47:30.760
That's all misplaced loyalty at best. Corrupt

00:47:30.760 --> 00:47:33.159
love. Boyfriends and girlfriends say they're

00:47:33.159 --> 00:47:36.219
going to do whatever. And we know that real love

00:47:36.219 --> 00:47:38.760
does not act unseemly. That was in 1 Corinthians

00:47:38.760 --> 00:47:41.500
13. We studied it heartily. So we get this idea.

00:47:41.599 --> 00:47:43.119
Well, I love so -and -so and they want to do

00:47:43.119 --> 00:47:45.000
it. In my early Christian days, we had a Bible

00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:47.639
study. And there was a woman there. And the question

00:47:47.639 --> 00:47:48.940
came up in the Bible study. What would you do

00:47:48.940 --> 00:47:52.099
if your husband of 20 years told you to help

00:47:52.099 --> 00:47:55.119
him rob a bank? And she said, well, I'd do it.

00:47:55.360 --> 00:47:57.119
Because the Bible says submit to your husband.

00:47:57.920 --> 00:48:01.010
And a huge debate broke out. Like, are we really

00:48:01.010 --> 00:48:03.809
debating this? About whether or not if your husband

00:48:03.809 --> 00:48:06.050
told you to rob a bank, you would do it? The

00:48:06.050 --> 00:48:07.730
moment your husband tells you to rob a bank,

00:48:07.769 --> 00:48:11.170
he has ceased to be your husband. You understand?

00:48:11.389 --> 00:48:14.929
Because a husband does not drag a woman into

00:48:14.929 --> 00:48:18.170
evil. A boyfriend or a girlfriend does not drag

00:48:18.170 --> 00:48:20.289
their significant other into evil. That's unseemly.

00:48:20.289 --> 00:48:22.650
That's corrupt love at best. That's the best

00:48:22.650 --> 00:48:27.449
it is. The truth is, it's actually hate. A lack

00:48:27.449 --> 00:48:29.909
of understanding. I just don't know and I don't

00:48:29.909 --> 00:48:32.170
want to or I do know like I got the wisdom I

00:48:32.170 --> 00:48:34.550
know that lying is wrong but I think I might

00:48:34.550 --> 00:48:36.349
get away with this time or I might get good results

00:48:36.349 --> 00:48:38.690
this time or it might be different now and so

00:48:38.690 --> 00:48:40.250
on and so on. It's a lack of understanding being

00:48:40.250 --> 00:48:43.550
able to submit to what you know. Giving in to

00:48:43.550 --> 00:48:46.110
human nature. People say well everybody does

00:48:46.110 --> 00:48:49.250
it so if everybody does it it can't be wrong

00:48:49.250 --> 00:48:54.320
for me. Or Keeping up with the Joneses. Somebody

00:48:54.320 --> 00:48:56.179
else did it and they got a good result. So I'm

00:48:56.179 --> 00:48:57.639
going to do what they did to get the same result.

00:48:57.860 --> 00:49:01.820
Facebook memes are all about that. Reels, right?

00:49:02.000 --> 00:49:04.400
Here's 75 different guys want to teach you how

00:49:04.400 --> 00:49:06.079
to start your own website, start your own business,

00:49:06.159 --> 00:49:09.300
buy this supplement and be healthy and so on.

00:49:09.679 --> 00:49:12.719
Because they all say it's all taking care of

00:49:12.719 --> 00:49:16.079
everything. The bottom line is there are two

00:49:16.079 --> 00:49:18.730
essential groups and you might find more. that

00:49:18.730 --> 00:49:20.150
the Lord really led me to look at. And the first

00:49:20.150 --> 00:49:22.369
one is that we will actually leave the road that

00:49:22.369 --> 00:49:23.710
God has laid out for us because, number one,

00:49:23.750 --> 00:49:27.690
we agree. We need a solution for that. We cannot

00:49:27.690 --> 00:49:30.969
agree with what wicked people are enticing us

00:49:30.969 --> 00:49:33.510
to do. We cannot consent to wickedness in our

00:49:33.510 --> 00:49:36.349
presence. We cannot do it. If you're a follower

00:49:36.349 --> 00:49:38.630
of Jesus Christ, you cannot do it. And therefore,

00:49:38.730 --> 00:49:42.269
we need a solution. And secondly, we may actually

00:49:42.269 --> 00:49:44.210
have antagonistic alignments. We may live in

00:49:44.210 --> 00:49:46.599
our flesh, in our mind, in our own... ways that

00:49:46.599 --> 00:49:48.360
we're doing things or others are enticing us

00:49:48.360 --> 00:49:49.960
to do things. We may do them even though they

00:49:49.960 --> 00:49:52.440
are contrary to God. If these things would lead

00:49:52.440 --> 00:49:53.920
us to do things that are contrary to God, then

00:49:53.920 --> 00:49:57.139
we know we need a solution. We need a solution.

00:49:57.980 --> 00:50:00.960
Proverbs 4 says this, listen my sons to the instructions

00:50:00.960 --> 00:50:03.280
of a father and pay attention so that you may

00:50:03.280 --> 00:50:05.940
gain understanding. Hear that? Listen to the

00:50:05.940 --> 00:50:07.699
instruction of the father and then pay attention

00:50:07.699 --> 00:50:10.280
so that you may gain understanding. For I give

00:50:10.280 --> 00:50:13.639
you good teaching. Do not abandon my instruction.

00:50:15.019 --> 00:50:17.219
When I was a son to my father, tender and the

00:50:17.219 --> 00:50:19.619
only son in the sight of my mother, he taught

00:50:19.619 --> 00:50:21.960
me and said to me, let your heart take hold of

00:50:21.960 --> 00:50:25.159
my words. Keep my commandments and live. Acquire

00:50:25.159 --> 00:50:28.820
wisdom. Acquire understanding. Do not forget

00:50:28.820 --> 00:50:31.000
nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do

00:50:31.000 --> 00:50:34.360
not abandon her and she will guard you. Love

00:50:34.360 --> 00:50:36.619
her and she will watch over you. The beginning

00:50:36.619 --> 00:50:41.500
of wisdom is acquire wisdom. And with all your

00:50:41.500 --> 00:50:46.059
possessions, acquire understanding. Prize her

00:50:46.059 --> 00:50:49.119
and she will exalt you. She will honor you if

00:50:49.119 --> 00:50:51.320
you embrace her. She will place on your head

00:50:51.320 --> 00:50:54.179
a garland of grace. She will present you with

00:50:54.179 --> 00:50:57.679
a crown of beauty. Listen, my son, and accept

00:50:57.679 --> 00:50:59.579
my sayings and the years of your life will be

00:50:59.579 --> 00:51:02.099
many. I have instructed you in the way of wisdom

00:51:02.099 --> 00:51:05.420
and I have led you in upright paths. When you

00:51:05.420 --> 00:51:07.639
walk, your steps will not be hampered and if

00:51:07.639 --> 00:51:10.440
you run, you will not stumble. Take hold of instruction.

00:51:10.719 --> 00:51:13.619
Do not let go. Guard her for she is your life.

00:51:14.409 --> 00:51:16.530
Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not

00:51:16.530 --> 00:51:18.690
proceed in the way of evil people. Avoid it.

00:51:18.710 --> 00:51:21.670
Do not pass by it. Turn away from it and pass

00:51:21.670 --> 00:51:24.630
on. For they cannot sleep unless they do evil

00:51:24.630 --> 00:51:26.769
and they are robbed of sleep unless they make

00:51:26.769 --> 00:51:29.489
someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness

00:51:29.489 --> 00:51:32.849
and drink the wine of violence. But the path

00:51:32.849 --> 00:51:34.909
of righteous is like the light of the dawn. This

00:51:34.909 --> 00:51:36.789
is the path that we want to be on. It's like

00:51:36.789 --> 00:51:39.210
the light of the dawn that shines brighter and

00:51:39.210 --> 00:51:41.829
brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked

00:51:41.829 --> 00:51:44.679
is like darkness. They do not know over what

00:51:44.679 --> 00:51:48.659
they stumble. My son, pay attention to my words.

00:51:48.840 --> 00:51:51.300
Incline your ear to my sayings. They are not

00:51:51.300 --> 00:51:54.579
to escape from your sight. Keep them in the midst

00:51:54.579 --> 00:51:56.900
of your heart. For they are life to those who

00:51:56.900 --> 00:52:00.099
find them and healing to all their body. Watch

00:52:00.099 --> 00:52:03.019
over your heart with all diligence. For from

00:52:03.019 --> 00:52:06.199
it flow the springs of life. Rid yourself of

00:52:06.199 --> 00:52:08.639
a deceitful mouth and keep devious speech far

00:52:08.639 --> 00:52:11.980
from you. Let your eyes look. directly ahead,

00:52:12.219 --> 00:52:15.239
and let your gaze be fixed straight in front

00:52:15.239 --> 00:52:17.900
of you. Watch the path of your feet, and all

00:52:17.900 --> 00:52:20.820
your ways will be established. Do not turn to

00:52:20.820 --> 00:52:23.980
the right or to the left. Turn your foot from

00:52:23.980 --> 00:52:27.199
evil. That last verse, do not turn to the right

00:52:27.199 --> 00:52:29.860
or to the left. Turn your foot from evil, is

00:52:29.860 --> 00:52:33.519
the key verse to what we are talking about today.

00:52:35.340 --> 00:52:39.800
Everyone turns. Life is full of turns. But the

00:52:39.800 --> 00:52:44.889
Bible says, Do not turn to the right or to the

00:52:44.889 --> 00:52:54.130
left. Turn your foot from evil. Psalm 97 .10

00:52:54.130 --> 00:52:57.550
says this. It says, You that love the Lord hate

00:52:57.550 --> 00:53:02.469
evil. The highway of holiness has two boundaries,

00:53:02.530 --> 00:53:06.510
essentially, speaking in three dimensions. They

00:53:06.510 --> 00:53:10.989
are this. God as our shield and wisdom. and the

00:53:10.989 --> 00:53:14.230
pursuit of understanding as our course. You ever

00:53:14.230 --> 00:53:17.409
wondered in the family of God, if God is our

00:53:17.409 --> 00:53:21.730
father, who is our mother? You ever think about

00:53:21.730 --> 00:53:24.530
that? If God is our father, who is our mother?

00:53:24.989 --> 00:53:26.730
And you might say, maybe the Holy Spirit. No,

00:53:26.849 --> 00:53:29.250
the Holy Spirit is our father. God the Father,

00:53:29.349 --> 00:53:33.389
God the Son. God the Holy Spirit, that's our

00:53:33.389 --> 00:53:38.030
father. He is our father. So, who is our mother?

00:53:38.559 --> 00:53:40.679
And the writer of Proverbs is telling you that

00:53:40.679 --> 00:53:44.760
your mother is the pursuit of wisdom and understanding.

00:53:45.159 --> 00:53:48.659
Now, this is cool because my mother and my father

00:53:48.659 --> 00:53:50.880
taught me some pretty valuable lessons when I

00:53:50.880 --> 00:53:53.880
was growing up. My dad was quiet, reserved. He

00:53:53.880 --> 00:53:56.320
was an honest man, a hard worker. He was a professing

00:53:56.320 --> 00:53:58.019
Christian from the time he was about 12 years

00:53:58.019 --> 00:54:00.159
old, but backslidden from the time he was 17

00:54:00.159 --> 00:54:03.840
to the time that he was 58, 59, something like

00:54:03.840 --> 00:54:06.820
that. And so it wasn't anything about God. But

00:54:06.820 --> 00:54:10.000
there was some integrity in him. But he was always

00:54:10.000 --> 00:54:13.460
distant from me. He didn't make time for me.

00:54:13.500 --> 00:54:14.980
He didn't play with me and stuff. Like I would

00:54:14.980 --> 00:54:16.320
ask him if he didn't have anything else going

00:54:16.320 --> 00:54:18.059
on and we might throw the ball in the side yard.

00:54:18.079 --> 00:54:19.440
But that's about the only thing we ever did together.

00:54:19.679 --> 00:54:21.900
We went places and traveled and stuff like that.

00:54:22.039 --> 00:54:24.019
If I asked him to help on a project, if I could

00:54:24.019 --> 00:54:25.579
be of help, he would let me help. That kind of

00:54:25.579 --> 00:54:30.239
thing. My mother was always for me. She wasn't

00:54:30.239 --> 00:54:32.300
even a Christian. She didn't know the Lord. She

00:54:32.300 --> 00:54:33.940
didn't get saved until she was 56 years old.

00:54:34.360 --> 00:54:36.719
And she would entice me to do things that I shouldn't

00:54:36.719 --> 00:54:38.559
do. She taught me to lie as I was growing up

00:54:38.559 --> 00:54:40.760
and it took a couple, two and a half years after

00:54:40.760 --> 00:54:42.760
I got saved for me to break free from the bondage

00:54:42.760 --> 00:54:47.360
of that. But she was sweet on me. She provided

00:54:47.360 --> 00:54:49.860
for me. She was there. She protected me against

00:54:49.860 --> 00:54:52.019
when a bigger kid and I were fighting, she would

00:54:52.019 --> 00:54:53.880
protect me against them. And then if I would

00:54:53.880 --> 00:54:55.420
get in trouble because some kid would pick a

00:54:55.420 --> 00:54:56.659
fight with me and then I'd beat him up, which

00:54:56.659 --> 00:54:58.539
was an unfortunate common circumstance from the

00:54:58.539 --> 00:55:00.079
time I was about like fourth grade to the time

00:55:00.079 --> 00:55:04.030
I was about eighth grade. And then their mom

00:55:04.030 --> 00:55:05.989
would come complaining to me after he started

00:55:05.989 --> 00:55:07.750
the fight, and I would win the fight, and then

00:55:07.750 --> 00:55:09.230
she'd come complaining, and my mom would say,

00:55:09.250 --> 00:55:14.170
get a lawyer. She was with me all the time. And

00:55:14.170 --> 00:55:16.650
the pursuit of wisdom and understanding is like

00:55:16.650 --> 00:55:19.469
that for us. In fact, the Bible says that the

00:55:19.469 --> 00:55:21.550
Holy Spirit is the one, He is the one, who makes

00:55:21.550 --> 00:55:23.710
us able to understand the Word of God. And out

00:55:23.710 --> 00:55:26.030
of that, we should gain wisdom and understanding

00:55:26.030 --> 00:55:28.210
as He teaches us all things that Jesus taught

00:55:28.210 --> 00:55:37.179
us. So we are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

00:55:37.559 --> 00:55:41.179
Jesus said, who do you say that I am? You better

00:55:41.179 --> 00:55:42.920
be able to say he's the son of God, God in the

00:55:42.920 --> 00:55:46.239
flesh who lived and died for your sins and now

00:55:46.239 --> 00:55:49.260
leads you every single day. Jesus said, would

00:55:49.260 --> 00:55:51.539
you go away from me then after these tough teachings

00:55:51.539 --> 00:55:53.159
and so many people left me? And he said, no,

00:55:53.159 --> 00:55:56.159
how could I? How could we go away from you? You

00:55:56.159 --> 00:55:59.239
have the words of life. So you come to Jesus.

00:56:00.360 --> 00:56:03.699
and to the word of God and to Jesus' church who

00:56:03.699 --> 00:56:08.179
is the body of Christ. David wrote, Thy word

00:56:08.179 --> 00:56:10.380
have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against

00:56:10.380 --> 00:56:13.840
thee. So we take in the word of God so that we

00:56:13.840 --> 00:56:16.360
cannot be enticed, so we cannot veer off like

00:56:16.360 --> 00:56:19.619
what we're talking about. Jesus himself was tempted

00:56:19.619 --> 00:56:22.840
and every time presents back with the word of

00:56:22.840 --> 00:56:25.599
God and stands up against those temptations.

00:56:26.659 --> 00:56:29.980
Paul gives a great argument. in front of Herod,

00:56:30.000 --> 00:56:34.260
why Jesus is who he said he was, and Herod said,

00:56:34.440 --> 00:56:37.599
what would you want today? That even I would

00:56:37.599 --> 00:56:41.019
become a Christian? We should be able to stand

00:56:41.019 --> 00:56:43.239
up for what we know is right, and at every turn,

00:56:43.460 --> 00:56:46.639
stay on the highway of holiness and do what it

00:56:46.639 --> 00:56:50.440
is that God would have us to do. Here's the question.

00:56:52.420 --> 00:56:58.059
What do you know? What do you know? That's knowledge.

00:56:58.599 --> 00:57:00.519
And if it's knowledge of God, then it's wisdom.

00:57:01.380 --> 00:57:04.960
And then out of that, the question that follows

00:57:04.960 --> 00:57:09.119
is, how does what you know affect your steadfastness?

00:57:09.460 --> 00:57:11.860
Your ability to stay on the right course and

00:57:11.860 --> 00:57:14.099
do the right thing. Are you letting what you

00:57:14.099 --> 00:57:17.019
have learned about God affect your day -to -day

00:57:17.019 --> 00:57:21.000
choices? Do you understand it? Can you not only

00:57:21.000 --> 00:57:23.940
do the right thing, but know why you are doing

00:57:23.940 --> 00:57:26.000
the right thing and explain doing the right thing

00:57:26.000 --> 00:57:28.579
to someone else? And you say, well, sometimes

00:57:28.579 --> 00:57:31.079
I can and sometimes I can't. And that's exactly

00:57:31.079 --> 00:57:33.360
where you're supposed to be, but pressing forward

00:57:33.360 --> 00:57:36.219
always to gain more wisdom and understanding.

00:57:36.900 --> 00:57:40.219
That's the pathway. That's the solution. And

00:57:40.219 --> 00:57:43.380
if we are doing that, then we will arrive ultimately

00:57:43.380 --> 00:57:45.579
at the destination that God has laid out for

00:57:45.579 --> 00:57:48.400
us. Romans 12 says that by the renewing of our

00:57:48.400 --> 00:57:50.079
mind, we will eventually be able to test and

00:57:50.079 --> 00:57:52.519
approve what is the good and perfect will of

00:57:52.519 --> 00:57:55.119
God. Do you want to know what God wants you to

00:57:55.119 --> 00:57:59.239
do? then you should be pursuing wisdom and understanding

00:57:59.239 --> 00:58:02.000
constantly. Is this starting to become convicting?

00:58:02.619 --> 00:58:05.780
Because it was for me. And I've been to Bible

00:58:05.780 --> 00:58:12.659
college and seminary. Ephesians 6 says, and after

00:58:12.659 --> 00:58:16.179
everything, in the day of evil and after everything,

00:58:16.239 --> 00:58:19.320
to still be standing. So you've still got to

00:58:19.320 --> 00:58:22.110
be staying the course. The Word of God speaks

00:58:22.110 --> 00:58:24.550
again and again about being calm in the face

00:58:24.550 --> 00:58:26.789
of distraction, in the face of struggles and

00:58:26.789 --> 00:58:29.650
a lack of peace and anxiety. Psalm 27 .1 says,

00:58:29.769 --> 00:58:32.070
The Lord is my light and my salvation, so why

00:58:32.070 --> 00:58:35.090
should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress protecting

00:58:35.090 --> 00:58:38.969
me from danger, so why should I tremble? Are

00:58:38.969 --> 00:58:41.389
you afraid? If you're afraid, I submit to you,

00:58:41.429 --> 00:58:44.050
it's because you're so used to this turn, turn,

00:58:44.269 --> 00:58:47.110
turn thing, and you've been on and off the path

00:58:47.110 --> 00:58:49.409
of uprightness. You've been doing things without

00:58:49.409 --> 00:58:52.750
really knowing why you're doing them. And that

00:58:52.750 --> 00:58:54.469
makes you wonder if something you're going to

00:58:54.469 --> 00:58:56.670
do is going to disqualify you somehow or is going

00:58:56.670 --> 00:58:58.250
to take you out of the picture so you can't really

00:58:58.250 --> 00:58:59.969
be the person, the man or the woman that God

00:58:59.969 --> 00:59:02.449
wants you to be. That would be the only reason

00:59:02.449 --> 00:59:05.989
to be afraid. But if the Lord is your light and

00:59:05.989 --> 00:59:07.869
your salvation, then why would you ever be afraid?

00:59:09.289 --> 00:59:21.570
Proverbs 3 says this, Did you catch that? Length

00:59:21.570 --> 00:59:27.050
of days? Years of life? And peace? Do not let

00:59:27.050 --> 00:59:29.909
kindness and truth leave you. Bind them around

00:59:29.909 --> 00:59:31.809
your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart

00:59:31.809 --> 00:59:34.170
so you will find favor and good repute in the

00:59:34.170 --> 00:59:37.190
sight of God and man. Favor and good repute in

00:59:37.190 --> 00:59:40.699
the sight of God and man? Holy moly. And what

00:59:40.699 --> 00:59:43.619
are we supposed to do to get this? Pursue wisdom

00:59:43.619 --> 00:59:45.780
and understanding. That's what we have to do.

00:59:45.880 --> 00:59:48.340
From wherever you are, pushing ever forward,

00:59:48.420 --> 00:59:50.099
staying on the highway, the best you know, not

00:59:50.099 --> 00:59:52.699
enticed or consenting to those who would lead

00:59:52.699 --> 00:59:55.420
you off. Rather, just pushing forward. What's

00:59:55.420 --> 00:59:57.760
your progress? What speed do you have to travel?

00:59:58.059 --> 01:00:00.380
Do you have to get the light speed on this? No.

01:00:00.840 --> 01:00:02.639
What if it's a crawl? What if it's a creeping?

01:00:02.880 --> 01:00:05.000
What if it's inch by inch like an inchworm? Like

01:00:05.000 --> 01:00:07.110
a snail? Would that be good enough? Yes. Yes,

01:00:07.130 --> 01:00:08.769
it would, because it's about the posture and

01:00:08.769 --> 01:00:11.769
the direction, not about the speed. In fact,

01:00:11.849 --> 01:00:13.909
when you start to think you've got a lot of speed,

01:00:14.050 --> 01:00:16.769
you may be in danger of falling into the idea

01:00:16.769 --> 01:00:19.590
of thinking you're the only one who has a certain

01:00:19.590 --> 01:00:21.750
enlightenment, which could lead you off the path.

01:00:22.590 --> 01:00:25.449
It is just about pursuing wisdom and understanding.

01:00:25.949 --> 01:00:28.429
Five says, trust in the Lord with all your heart.

01:00:28.510 --> 01:00:31.829
Do not lean on your own understanding. See, we

01:00:31.829 --> 01:00:33.829
could have the wisdom, start to do the things

01:00:33.829 --> 01:00:35.969
that God has called us to do, and not have the

01:00:35.969 --> 01:00:38.579
understanding. leaning on our own understanding

01:00:38.579 --> 01:00:42.539
of those things, he says, don't do that. He says,

01:00:42.599 --> 01:00:45.320
instead, in all your ways, acknowledge him and

01:00:45.320 --> 01:00:47.900
he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise

01:00:47.900 --> 01:00:49.599
in your own eyes. In other words, not wisdom

01:00:49.599 --> 01:00:51.599
by your own standards, but by God's. Fear the

01:00:51.599 --> 01:00:54.000
Lord and turn away from evil. And it will be

01:00:54.000 --> 01:00:55.840
healing to your body and refreshment to your

01:00:55.840 --> 01:00:58.420
bones. Holy cow! Do you realize the list of stuff

01:00:58.420 --> 01:01:01.239
that's here promised? That's here observed by

01:01:01.239 --> 01:01:05.210
Solomon? It was a lot. It was everything that

01:01:05.210 --> 01:01:07.969
anyone could ever want, including now healing

01:01:07.969 --> 01:01:10.630
to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor

01:01:10.630 --> 01:01:12.710
the Lord from your wealth and from the first

01:01:12.710 --> 01:01:15.210
of all your produce. That's tithing and offering.

01:01:15.289 --> 01:01:16.769
Honor him with all your money. That's tithing

01:01:16.769 --> 01:01:19.190
and offering. And he says, and so your barns

01:01:19.190 --> 01:01:21.090
will be filled with plenty and your vats will

01:01:21.090 --> 01:01:24.989
overflow with new wine. My son, do not reject

01:01:24.989 --> 01:01:27.809
the discipline of the Lord or loathe his reproof.

01:01:27.829 --> 01:01:29.610
In other words, when God corrects you, don't

01:01:29.610 --> 01:01:32.010
get upset about that. Don't despise it. Don't

01:01:32.010 --> 01:01:36.349
push back. For whom the Lord loves, He reproves,

01:01:36.349 --> 01:01:39.210
even as a father corrects the son in whom he

01:01:39.210 --> 01:01:43.730
delights. Did you catch that? I don't stand up

01:01:43.730 --> 01:01:45.630
here and preach a hard word out of the Bible

01:01:45.630 --> 01:01:49.070
because I'm mad at you or because I hate you.

01:01:49.809 --> 01:01:52.110
I'm trying to deliver unto you that which God

01:01:52.110 --> 01:01:53.670
has delivered to me so we can do something about

01:01:53.670 --> 01:01:57.650
it together. God loves you. Ty, your dad has

01:01:57.650 --> 01:02:00.929
never punished you because he hates you. You

01:02:00.929 --> 01:02:03.219
understand? Haley, you've never been grounded

01:02:03.219 --> 01:02:05.559
or got your phone taken away once because your

01:02:05.559 --> 01:02:08.860
parents don't love you. Alex, Pastor Dan never

01:02:08.860 --> 01:02:10.300
called you out in the hallway because he didn't

01:02:10.300 --> 01:02:14.179
love you or hated you. You understand? If someone

01:02:14.179 --> 01:02:16.659
will rebuke you, it means they care enough to

01:02:16.659 --> 01:02:20.469
do so. And that's what he's saying. God cares

01:02:20.469 --> 01:02:22.809
enough to do that for us. Isaiah 41 says it this

01:02:22.809 --> 01:02:25.349
way. He says, You whom I have taken from the

01:02:25.349 --> 01:02:27.550
ends of the earth. That'd be us. Yay! There we

01:02:27.550 --> 01:02:29.530
are in scripture. And called from its remotest

01:02:29.530 --> 01:02:31.909
parts and said to you, You are my servant. I

01:02:31.909 --> 01:02:34.070
have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not

01:02:34.070 --> 01:02:36.190
fear for I am with you. Do not anxiously look

01:02:36.190 --> 01:02:38.710
about you for I am your God. I will strengthen

01:02:38.710 --> 01:02:40.829
you. Surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold

01:02:40.829 --> 01:02:43.789
you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all

01:02:43.789 --> 01:02:45.869
those who are angered at you will be shamed and

01:02:45.869 --> 01:02:48.019
dishonored. Those who contend with you will be

01:02:48.019 --> 01:02:49.840
as nothing and will perish. Do you understand

01:02:49.840 --> 01:02:52.300
the promises that God is saying? If you will

01:02:52.300 --> 01:02:54.159
live your life this way in the fear of the Lord

01:02:54.159 --> 01:02:56.900
and pursuit of wisdom and understanding, God

01:02:56.900 --> 01:03:00.400
is saying that he will shame those who have dishonored

01:03:00.400 --> 01:03:04.280
you. He will contend with them. They will be

01:03:04.280 --> 01:03:07.280
as nothing and will perish. He says, you will

01:03:07.280 --> 01:03:09.219
seek those who quarrel with you, but will not

01:03:09.219 --> 01:03:11.719
find them. Those who war with you will be as

01:03:11.719 --> 01:03:14.829
nothing and non -existent. For I am the Lord

01:03:14.829 --> 01:03:17.449
your God who upholds your right hand, who says

01:03:17.449 --> 01:03:20.150
to you, do not fear, I will help you. Do not

01:03:20.150 --> 01:03:23.610
fear, you worm Jacob, that's Israel. He says,

01:03:23.650 --> 01:03:26.710
you men of Israel, which these promises can carry

01:03:26.710 --> 01:03:28.469
right over to the church as we have been grafted

01:03:28.469 --> 01:03:31.349
into Israel. And he says, I will help you, declares

01:03:31.349 --> 01:03:34.110
the Lord. And your Redeemer is the Holy One of

01:03:34.110 --> 01:03:36.289
Israel. Do you not understand that the God of

01:03:36.289 --> 01:03:38.090
heaven who created everything, died on the cross

01:03:38.090 --> 01:03:41.269
for you, now owns you, leads you daily? And you

01:03:41.269 --> 01:03:43.590
would give in to agreeing with sinners over what

01:03:43.590 --> 01:03:45.670
the right thing to do is? Or you would give in

01:03:45.670 --> 01:03:47.809
to your antagonistic approach of getting your

01:03:47.809 --> 01:03:50.349
own way that goes contrary to the one who made

01:03:50.349 --> 01:03:53.170
the universe and died for you? That doesn't make

01:03:53.170 --> 01:03:56.210
any sense. That's just dumb. You may as well

01:03:56.210 --> 01:03:58.210
head butt a semi at 90 mile an hour in opposite

01:03:58.210 --> 01:04:00.989
directions. You're running against God. Why would

01:04:00.989 --> 01:04:02.889
you ever give in to the enticement of sinners?

01:04:02.969 --> 01:04:04.889
Why would you ever consent to what's going on

01:04:04.889 --> 01:04:07.250
around you that is sin? Why would you not always

01:04:07.250 --> 01:04:09.829
pursue wisdom and understanding if these are

01:04:09.829 --> 01:04:11.769
the observations of how it works when people

01:04:11.769 --> 01:04:15.769
do that? Then Jesus said, Come to me, all of

01:04:15.769 --> 01:04:18.110
you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and

01:04:18.110 --> 01:04:20.710
I will give you rest. I am leaving you with a

01:04:20.710 --> 01:04:23.030
gift, peace of mind and heart, and the peace

01:04:23.030 --> 01:04:26.639
I give you is a gift the world cannot give. So

01:04:26.639 --> 01:04:28.860
don't be troubled or afraid. Don't worry about

01:04:28.860 --> 01:04:30.960
anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell

01:04:30.960 --> 01:04:34.099
God what you need and thank Him for all He has

01:04:34.099 --> 01:04:36.460
done. Then you will experience God's peace which

01:04:36.460 --> 01:04:39.179
exceeds anything we can understand. His peace

01:04:39.179 --> 01:04:41.480
will guard your hearts and minds as you live

01:04:41.480 --> 01:04:44.800
in Christ Jesus. That last was Paul in Philippians

01:04:44.800 --> 01:04:48.739
4. Paul writes to Timothy, For God has not given

01:04:48.739 --> 01:04:56.480
us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power,

01:04:56.639 --> 01:04:59.840
love, and self -discipline. Stay the course.

01:05:00.480 --> 01:05:03.340
And what is the course? Pursue wisdom and understanding.

01:05:04.579 --> 01:05:08.780
Psalm 119, which is all about the Bible. It's

01:05:08.780 --> 01:05:11.039
all about... The importance of staying on God's

01:05:11.039 --> 01:05:13.260
path, walking in His law and seeking Him with

01:05:13.260 --> 01:05:15.099
the whole heart. And here's a few verses from

01:05:15.099 --> 01:05:17.579
there. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who

01:05:17.579 --> 01:05:20.679
walk in the law of the Lord. Thou hast commanded

01:05:20.679 --> 01:05:23.480
us to keep thy precepts diligently. That means

01:05:23.480 --> 01:05:24.920
we were going to work hard to do what God has

01:05:24.920 --> 01:05:27.440
told us to do. Oh, that my ways were directed

01:05:27.440 --> 01:05:30.880
to keep thy statutes. I will praise thee with

01:05:30.880 --> 01:05:33.760
uprightness of heart when I shall have learned

01:05:33.760 --> 01:05:36.900
thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes

01:05:36.900 --> 01:05:41.219
and forsake Oh, forsake me not utterly. It's

01:05:41.219 --> 01:05:43.280
a prayer to God. I will keep what God told me

01:05:43.280 --> 01:05:45.900
to do. Please, Lord, don't give me up. Colossians

01:05:45.900 --> 01:05:48.199
2, as therefore you receive Christ Jesus the

01:05:48.199 --> 01:05:50.380
Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in

01:05:50.380 --> 01:05:52.320
Him, and established in the faith as you have

01:05:52.320 --> 01:05:55.380
been taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Let your

01:05:55.380 --> 01:05:58.340
eyes look straight ahead and fix your gaze directly

01:05:58.340 --> 01:06:01.340
before you. Ponder the path of your feet and

01:06:01.340 --> 01:06:04.059
be sure that all your ways are good. Do not turn

01:06:04.059 --> 01:06:06.619
to the right or to the left. Keep your foot from

01:06:06.619 --> 01:06:10.690
evil. We read that. I press on toward the goal

01:06:10.690 --> 01:06:12.809
to win the prize for which God has called me

01:06:12.809 --> 01:06:16.050
heavenward. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the

01:06:16.050 --> 01:06:17.469
author and perfecter of our faith, who for the

01:06:17.469 --> 01:06:19.710
joy set before him endured the cross, despising

01:06:19.710 --> 01:06:21.150
the shame, sat down at the right hand of the

01:06:21.150 --> 01:06:25.650
throne of God. In your patience, possess your

01:06:25.650 --> 01:06:30.050
souls. To him who overcomes, I will let him sit

01:06:30.050 --> 01:06:31.969
on my throne with me as my father has let me

01:06:31.969 --> 01:06:35.329
sit on his throne with him. Well done, good and

01:06:35.329 --> 01:06:39.159
faithful servant, Matthew 25. I know in whom

01:06:39.159 --> 01:06:41.059
I have trusted, I believe is able to keep unto

01:06:41.059 --> 01:06:43.019
that day that which I have entrusted to him,

01:06:43.119 --> 01:06:45.840
2 Timothy. Because we know the terror of the

01:06:45.840 --> 01:06:50.500
Lord, we persuade men, 2 Corinthians 5. So I

01:06:50.500 --> 01:06:57.400
ask you this. Will you walk in the way of good

01:06:57.400 --> 01:07:03.340
men and keep to the path of the righteous? That's

01:07:03.340 --> 01:07:07.119
Proverbs 4 .20, which we read. Two efforts will

01:07:07.119 --> 01:07:09.980
make this so. Two things that you must do, that

01:07:09.980 --> 01:07:13.300
I must do, that we must do as a community, as

01:07:13.300 --> 01:07:16.400
the church, as the world. And they sound simple.

01:07:17.980 --> 01:07:20.179
But I know in practice they are not always simple.

01:07:20.820 --> 01:07:23.019
But they are doable in the Lord. And the first

01:07:23.019 --> 01:07:27.639
one is trust in the Lord. Trust in the Lord.

01:07:29.059 --> 01:07:32.679
He'll get his part right. Trust in the Lord.

01:07:33.239 --> 01:07:38.329
He'll get his part right. You don't have to do

01:07:38.329 --> 01:07:42.630
it for him. Trust him. He'll get his part right.

01:07:44.289 --> 01:07:46.670
If you don't trust him, if you can't trust him,

01:07:46.690 --> 01:07:48.909
if you have not trusted him, then you're not

01:07:48.909 --> 01:07:55.269
saved. Jesus Christ came to die on the cross

01:07:55.269 --> 01:07:59.889
for your sins, to pay for your sins. And whosoever

01:07:59.889 --> 01:08:01.670
believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting

01:08:01.670 --> 01:08:06.610
life means you must trust him. Trust God. And

01:08:06.610 --> 01:08:08.230
if you're getting out of bed some days, and some

01:08:08.230 --> 01:08:11.869
days you trust him and some days you don't, something's

01:08:11.869 --> 01:08:14.969
wrong. And I submit to you, we now know what's

01:08:14.969 --> 01:08:17.350
wrong. If some days you get out of bed trusting

01:08:17.350 --> 01:08:19.170
God and some days you don't, or some hours you

01:08:19.170 --> 01:08:21.010
trust him and some days you don't, we now know

01:08:21.010 --> 01:08:27.170
what's wrong. What's wrong is we're missing the

01:08:27.170 --> 01:08:31.829
pursuit of our life. The one thing. The other

01:08:31.829 --> 01:08:34.569
thing of the two. The two efforts that are absolutely

01:08:34.569 --> 01:08:38.090
necessary. that other one is missing in your

01:08:38.090 --> 01:08:40.090
life. If sometimes you trust him and sometimes

01:08:40.090 --> 01:08:42.170
you don't, the other one is missing. And what

01:08:42.170 --> 01:08:45.090
is it? Well, now you know, don't you? The purpose

01:08:45.090 --> 01:08:47.609
of your life is to seek wisdom and understanding.

01:08:48.229 --> 01:08:52.189
The highway of holiness has one gas pedal, one

01:08:52.189 --> 01:08:54.930
shifter stick, one chariot that will carry you

01:08:54.930 --> 01:08:59.850
forward. And it is seeking his wisdom and understanding.

01:09:01.210 --> 01:09:07.779
And we come to the conclusion. Church organization

01:09:07.779 --> 01:09:14.239
is a God -giving coping mechanism. The truth

01:09:14.239 --> 01:09:16.399
is, based on this, what did we just say? The

01:09:16.399 --> 01:09:17.840
two things you must do, you must trust in the

01:09:17.840 --> 01:09:21.020
Lord. You must trust in the Lord. He'll get his

01:09:21.020 --> 01:09:24.800
part right. And you must spend your life in the

01:09:24.800 --> 01:09:28.199
pursuit of wisdom and understanding. Those are

01:09:28.199 --> 01:09:31.420
the two things. Everything I read, every bit

01:09:31.420 --> 01:09:33.380
of it says you'll get everything you could ever

01:09:33.380 --> 01:09:36.920
really want. If you spend your life in the pursuit

01:09:36.920 --> 01:09:40.939
of wisdom and understanding and trust the Lord.

01:09:44.640 --> 01:09:47.659
But that would mean that we all have to go to

01:09:47.659 --> 01:09:51.500
Bible college. We all have to go to seminary.

01:09:52.939 --> 01:09:56.380
We all have to go on to the mission field. We

01:09:56.380 --> 01:10:00.539
all have to spend hours every week, 10, 15, 20,

01:10:00.640 --> 01:10:04.180
whatever it takes you, writing lessons and sermons.

01:10:04.930 --> 01:10:07.369
And then, on top of that, we all have to be present

01:10:07.369 --> 01:10:09.970
at the presentation of every one of those lessons

01:10:09.970 --> 01:10:13.329
and sermons. There are 168 hours in a week, and

01:10:13.329 --> 01:10:15.750
you sleep for 56 of it. If you sleep 8 hours

01:10:15.750 --> 01:10:17.270
a night, some of us can't get 8 hours a night.

01:10:17.649 --> 01:10:20.310
But if you sleep 8 hours a night, 8 times 7 is

01:10:20.310 --> 01:10:24.829
56. That leaves 113 hours. And by all rights,

01:10:24.850 --> 01:10:28.850
then, the two things you must certainly do, every

01:10:28.850 --> 01:10:31.369
hour, every minute of every hour, every second

01:10:31.369 --> 01:10:35.960
of every minute, Of the 113 hours are trust the

01:10:35.960 --> 01:10:39.060
Lord and pursue wisdom and knowledge, wisdom

01:10:39.060 --> 01:10:41.720
and understanding. Right? That's what we just

01:10:41.720 --> 01:10:43.420
read. It's all scriptural. I'm not making it

01:10:43.420 --> 01:10:46.939
up. You heard all those verses I read. Trust

01:10:46.939 --> 01:10:48.720
the Lord and pursue wisdom and understanding.

01:10:49.020 --> 01:10:51.279
Okay, but then where does working a 40 -hour

01:10:51.279 --> 01:10:57.199
work week come in? Where does washing the clothes

01:10:57.199 --> 01:11:02.760
come in? Where does eating? buying or cooking

01:11:02.760 --> 01:11:05.340
your food come in? Where does taking care of

01:11:05.340 --> 01:11:08.920
your loved ones come in? So what God has done

01:11:08.920 --> 01:11:11.880
is God has ordained a structure, an organism,

01:11:12.039 --> 01:11:14.260
if you will, and given certain people inside

01:11:14.260 --> 01:11:18.859
that organism certain jobs. Since we can't all

01:11:18.859 --> 01:11:20.880
spend 5 to 20 hours a week studying scripture

01:11:20.880 --> 01:11:22.939
and writing lessons, we can't all go to Bible

01:11:22.939 --> 01:11:25.159
college and seminary, and that was never going

01:11:25.159 --> 01:11:26.680
to be an efficient way to operate the kingdom

01:11:26.680 --> 01:11:29.539
of God. God gave pastors and teachers and preachers.

01:11:30.090 --> 01:11:32.109
And servants in the church to do that very thing.

01:11:37.569 --> 01:11:40.550
If you are called to that route. Then you will

01:11:40.550 --> 01:11:43.010
probably have to do those things. So that you

01:11:43.010 --> 01:11:46.569
can facilitate others. Pursuit of wisdom and

01:11:46.569 --> 01:11:52.729
understanding. Subtle steps away from the Lord.

01:11:55.789 --> 01:11:59.109
Business conducted. Tiredness. Reasonableness.

01:12:00.030 --> 01:12:02.470
Doesn't matter why you get there, subtle steps

01:12:02.470 --> 01:12:04.310
away from the Lord are still just that, steps

01:12:04.310 --> 01:12:11.710
away from the Lord. The pastor's best or the

01:12:11.710 --> 01:12:13.710
teacher's best will never be quite good enough.

01:12:15.510 --> 01:12:19.930
It may be a little bit long or it might not incorporate

01:12:19.930 --> 01:12:23.350
humor enough or enough popular references or

01:12:23.350 --> 01:12:27.210
too many popular references. It might not use

01:12:27.210 --> 01:12:29.409
the exact verses that you would have chose to

01:12:29.409 --> 01:12:35.670
use. But none of that was included in the two

01:12:35.670 --> 01:12:38.130
-part action plan that we have that yields all

01:12:38.130 --> 01:12:41.829
those promises. Simply trust in the Lord. He'll

01:12:41.829 --> 01:12:45.750
get his part right and live in pursuit of wisdom

01:12:45.750 --> 01:12:49.729
and understanding. That's your job. So if you

01:12:49.729 --> 01:12:52.789
walk away from the sermon and a week later or

01:12:52.789 --> 01:12:55.750
a month later, you can't trace back anything

01:12:55.750 --> 01:12:58.689
that you're doing differently. any strength that

01:12:58.689 --> 01:13:00.789
you might have to anything that you heard preached

01:13:00.789 --> 01:13:02.609
here, then there's a substantial possibility

01:13:02.609 --> 01:13:04.649
that God's not in my preaching and you should

01:13:04.649 --> 01:13:10.109
probably go somewhere else. I would. If I were

01:13:10.109 --> 01:13:12.329
you and I was sitting here Sunday after Sunday

01:13:12.329 --> 01:13:14.350
and I wasn't hearing from the Lord when the pastor

01:13:14.350 --> 01:13:17.149
speaks, when I wasn't feeling the Spirit move

01:13:17.149 --> 01:13:19.729
in me when the worship plays, I'd go somewhere

01:13:19.729 --> 01:13:21.850
else. May as well just go to the first church

01:13:21.850 --> 01:13:23.369
of Satan. I hear they have really good services.

01:13:23.510 --> 01:13:24.869
Or a universal church over there. You don't have

01:13:24.869 --> 01:13:26.029
to do anything. You go to heaven no matter what.

01:13:27.529 --> 01:13:32.430
He's getting the same thing out of it. The truth

01:13:32.430 --> 01:13:35.689
is, we are here as a church to reach new heights

01:13:35.689 --> 01:13:39.409
in Jesus, which is to say, we are trusting the

01:13:39.409 --> 01:13:42.670
Lord and pursuing wisdom and understanding. It

01:13:42.670 --> 01:13:44.569
is not good enough for you to just know what

01:13:44.569 --> 01:13:46.510
I said or what the Bible said or what the verses

01:13:46.510 --> 01:13:48.590
say. It's not even good enough for you to just

01:13:48.590 --> 01:13:51.829
know what they mean. That's wisdom. But it's

01:13:51.829 --> 01:13:53.970
the pursuit of wisdom and understanding. You

01:13:53.970 --> 01:13:56.279
have to know... how you know, what you know,

01:13:56.399 --> 01:13:58.079
how you can use what you know, when it might

01:13:58.079 --> 01:14:00.359
come in handy, how you can teach it to others,

01:14:00.460 --> 01:14:02.039
that's understanding. You have to stand under

01:14:02.039 --> 01:14:04.319
what you've learned. There is more work to be

01:14:04.319 --> 01:14:06.439
done than just showing up on Sunday morning.

01:14:07.880 --> 01:14:09.460
There's more work to be done than just showing

01:14:09.460 --> 01:14:11.779
up on Tuesday night. Or just showing up on Sunday

01:14:11.779 --> 01:14:13.979
morning and Tuesday night. But here we live in

01:14:13.979 --> 01:14:17.359
a day where we are allowing business and tiredness

01:14:17.359 --> 01:14:19.869
and... All of these other things, reasonableness,

01:14:19.970 --> 01:14:22.210
logical steps that we might need to take in our

01:14:22.210 --> 01:14:24.510
lives to get to where we think we're going, to

01:14:24.510 --> 01:14:26.550
interfere with our ability to study the word

01:14:26.550 --> 01:14:28.569
of God, to spend time in worship together, to

01:14:28.569 --> 01:14:31.310
live in community as a church. And I know this

01:14:31.310 --> 01:14:32.770
might sound self -serving, but I don't mean it

01:14:32.770 --> 01:14:34.590
to. And to hear the preaching of the pastor.

01:14:34.670 --> 01:14:36.189
I've already given you authorization to go somewhere

01:14:36.189 --> 01:14:38.010
else if you think that's better for you. But

01:14:38.010 --> 01:14:41.970
to not be here on a Sunday. And especially when,

01:14:42.010 --> 01:14:43.569
like, if you're not here because you're sick,

01:14:43.649 --> 01:14:45.310
you could just watch it online or listen to the

01:14:45.310 --> 01:14:47.329
podcast and not get what comes out of every single

01:14:47.329 --> 01:14:50.949
sermon. That's on you. It's not on me and it's

01:14:50.949 --> 01:14:53.750
not on God. If you're on your phone and you're

01:14:53.750 --> 01:14:55.909
only getting 80 % of what I'm saying, then you're

01:14:55.909 --> 01:15:00.470
20 % a sinner. You're consenting to 20 % loss

01:15:00.470 --> 01:15:04.470
of information. Willingly. Just the same as if

01:15:04.470 --> 01:15:05.810
you had your earbuds in and they were turned

01:15:05.810 --> 01:15:11.729
down. It's the same thing. Whatever comes of

01:15:11.729 --> 01:15:14.350
us being together in community and working like

01:15:14.350 --> 01:15:17.149
this to pursue wisdom and understanding at the

01:15:17.149 --> 01:15:19.550
end of a hard -fought battle after the pastor

01:15:19.550 --> 01:15:22.310
spent hours or after the pastor spent time in

01:15:22.310 --> 01:15:25.310
the Word trying to figure out a battle that now

01:15:25.310 --> 01:15:28.880
you don't have to fight. If you are willing to

01:15:28.880 --> 01:15:31.279
prioritize gaining wisdom and understanding,

01:15:31.520 --> 01:15:33.859
you won't get wrapped up in the human element.

01:15:33.939 --> 01:15:35.840
You won't have to worry about, oh, so -and -so

01:15:35.840 --> 01:15:37.819
did, so -and -so said, I don't like the drama,

01:15:37.899 --> 01:15:39.640
I don't like what's going on, I don't like what

01:15:39.640 --> 01:15:42.840
they seem to stand for, or I don't like what

01:15:42.840 --> 01:15:45.579
he did last week. You won't have to get wrapped

01:15:45.579 --> 01:15:47.159
up in any of that because your purpose of being

01:15:47.159 --> 01:15:48.979
in the church will be pursuing wisdom and understanding

01:15:48.979 --> 01:15:51.630
and you won't have time for it. You came here

01:15:51.630 --> 01:15:53.430
to hear the sermon, you're taking notes, you're

01:15:53.430 --> 01:15:54.869
studying, you're praying, you're thinking about

01:15:54.869 --> 01:15:56.649
what is it God wants to do with my life. You

01:15:56.649 --> 01:15:59.229
know, I preached a sermon just over a month ago

01:15:59.229 --> 01:16:04.869
now about dreams. And after I preached that sermon,

01:16:05.069 --> 01:16:07.949
beginning the next day, I have written a dream

01:16:07.949 --> 01:16:11.170
journal, the first thing after my Bible study,

01:16:11.310 --> 01:16:13.489
every single morning, every single day, without

01:16:13.489 --> 01:16:15.569
fail. Now, a couple times all I have is just

01:16:15.569 --> 01:16:16.770
like a little jot note because I don't remember

01:16:16.770 --> 01:16:19.550
much, but I have a dream journal. Now, so I did

01:16:19.550 --> 01:16:21.859
it. Is there anybody else who started a dream

01:16:21.859 --> 01:16:23.739
journal? Is there anybody else who went home

01:16:23.739 --> 01:16:25.380
after that sermon and prayed, God, if there's

01:16:25.380 --> 01:16:27.000
something you want me to see tonight while I'm

01:16:27.000 --> 01:16:29.680
sleeping, I'm open to that. Speak to me. Go ahead.

01:16:30.220 --> 01:16:31.659
Is there something you want me to remember in

01:16:31.659 --> 01:16:33.659
the morning? Because what I told you is that

01:16:33.659 --> 01:16:35.699
you cannot afford to waste the seven hours you

01:16:35.699 --> 01:16:37.159
were sleeping not listening to the Lord. You

01:16:37.159 --> 01:16:40.100
can't do it. It says in Joel 2 that God will

01:16:40.100 --> 01:16:43.140
speak through dreams. It says that in the Word

01:16:43.140 --> 01:16:45.739
of God. You're not dreaming? Like, I'm dreaming,

01:16:45.739 --> 01:16:47.689
but I don't remember anything? Have you prayed

01:16:47.689 --> 01:16:49.550
and asked God to show you what out of your dreams

01:16:49.550 --> 01:16:52.010
you might need to take? Now, I'm not saying every

01:16:52.010 --> 01:16:54.609
single sermon is for every single person in the

01:16:54.609 --> 01:16:58.770
same way. But you have to come here and to Tuesday

01:16:58.770 --> 01:17:00.989
night Bible study, and I could just put a period

01:17:00.989 --> 01:17:03.270
there, right? You have to come here and to Tuesday

01:17:03.270 --> 01:17:04.989
night Bible study and to the men's study if you're

01:17:04.989 --> 01:17:06.550
a man and to the women's study if you're a woman

01:17:06.550 --> 01:17:10.090
and to the adult study if you're an adult to

01:17:10.090 --> 01:17:13.130
learn everything that you possibly can learn.

01:17:13.310 --> 01:17:15.810
You're like, but I'm too busy. So check yourself

01:17:15.810 --> 01:17:18.069
and figure out, because the reality is as simple,

01:17:18.109 --> 01:17:20.250
this is the math of it. If you don't come here

01:17:20.250 --> 01:17:22.350
and do it where it's highly efficient, if you

01:17:22.350 --> 01:17:23.710
don't come here and do it where somebody's already

01:17:23.710 --> 01:17:27.149
spent hours digesting it for you and pour it

01:17:27.149 --> 01:17:28.989
out to you, pour their heart and soul out to

01:17:28.989 --> 01:17:31.090
you, if you don't do that, then you're going

01:17:31.090 --> 01:17:35.729
to have to do the work yourself. I spent 12 hours.

01:17:35.810 --> 01:17:37.270
If you walk away from this sermon and you get

01:17:37.270 --> 01:17:39.770
nothing, you're committed to spending 12 hours.

01:17:42.189 --> 01:17:43.670
Unless you're better than me, you can do it in

01:17:43.670 --> 01:17:46.770
six. Go for it. Do it in six. You understand

01:17:46.770 --> 01:17:49.649
what I'm saying? You will see things off the

01:17:49.649 --> 01:17:52.989
highway for what they are. Enticements to turn

01:17:52.989 --> 01:17:55.029
from trusting in the Lord and pursuing wisdom

01:17:55.029 --> 01:17:57.090
and understanding. That's all they are. No matter

01:17:57.090 --> 01:17:59.770
how good a thing is, if it interferes with your

01:17:59.770 --> 01:18:01.449
trust in the Lord and your pursuit of wisdom

01:18:01.449 --> 01:18:04.829
and understanding, then it is just an enticement.

01:18:04.970 --> 01:18:07.670
Not only must you resist it, but you cannot consent

01:18:07.670 --> 01:18:10.590
to it. We must live, work, bathe ourselves, clean

01:18:10.590 --> 01:18:14.770
our houses, take care of our loved ones. And

01:18:14.770 --> 01:18:19.770
God, God has given us provisions in all of those

01:18:19.770 --> 01:18:24.189
areas so that not every one of us has to spend

01:18:24.189 --> 01:18:27.029
long hours in a classroom and get a degree specifically

01:18:27.029 --> 01:18:31.130
in Bible digesting. Or to get one concept and

01:18:31.130 --> 01:18:33.029
thereby ignore our God -given responsibilities.

01:18:36.189 --> 01:18:38.989
If you're not doing those things, then it is

01:18:38.989 --> 01:18:44.140
not of His will you took a turn. If you are not

01:18:44.140 --> 01:18:47.420
either A, present at every opportunity to learn

01:18:47.420 --> 01:18:50.340
and grow in wisdom and understanding, or B, replacing

01:18:50.340 --> 01:18:52.439
that with something else that achieves the same

01:18:52.439 --> 01:18:55.300
goal that God has set for you, then that's not

01:18:55.300 --> 01:19:00.720
God's fault. It's yours. A couple of illustrations

01:19:00.720 --> 01:19:04.220
and then we'll be through. First one's a gas

01:19:04.220 --> 01:19:08.579
tank. Most of us have driven a car. Most cars

01:19:08.579 --> 01:19:10.100
have a gas tank. Some of the young people have

01:19:10.100 --> 01:19:12.489
not, but you've ridden in a car. Haley, you've

01:19:12.489 --> 01:19:15.010
ridden in a car, haven't you? Yep. You ever see

01:19:15.010 --> 01:19:18.449
the gas gauge? Yep. They all got them. Did you

01:19:18.449 --> 01:19:22.270
know that gas gauges are absolutely unnecessary?

01:19:23.550 --> 01:19:26.750
You don't need a gas gauge at all. I've had two

01:19:26.750 --> 01:19:28.789
cars that had a broken gas gauge that would not

01:19:28.789 --> 01:19:29.989
tell you how much gas they had. And you know

01:19:29.989 --> 01:19:31.909
what? While I was driving both of those cars,

01:19:32.010 --> 01:19:35.510
I never once ran out of gas. I had two cars with

01:19:35.510 --> 01:19:37.510
gas gauges that did not work. And while I was

01:19:37.510 --> 01:19:39.250
driving them, I never ran out of gas. Now ask

01:19:39.250 --> 01:19:40.909
me how many times I've ran out of gas in cars

01:19:40.909 --> 01:19:45.310
that have gas gauges. So do you need a gas gauge?

01:19:45.689 --> 01:19:49.750
About eight. I used to be the guy. Sherry would

01:19:49.750 --> 01:19:50.770
pick on me all the time because I'd be calling

01:19:50.770 --> 01:19:52.470
her. I ran out of gas. I'm on Woodville Road.

01:19:53.090 --> 01:19:57.949
Again? Gas gauges are worthless. They have no

01:19:57.949 --> 01:19:59.789
need whatsoever. You know why people use a gas

01:19:59.789 --> 01:20:01.810
gauge? They use it because it's convenient. You

01:20:01.810 --> 01:20:03.470
put it on the car because otherwise you have

01:20:03.470 --> 01:20:05.470
to remember when you bought gas last. Oh, gosh.

01:20:06.470 --> 01:20:09.210
You have to waste a whole 14 tiny molecules in

01:20:09.210 --> 01:20:10.930
your brain remembering when you brought gas last.

01:20:11.810 --> 01:20:13.750
With a cell phone, store all the contacts. Now

01:20:13.750 --> 01:20:15.590
I can't remember anybody's phone number. We're

01:20:15.590 --> 01:20:17.489
slowly letting our brains just die off. We don't

01:20:17.489 --> 01:20:19.989
need it. Don't need your brain. Yes, you do.

01:20:21.289 --> 01:20:23.050
Yes, you do. Eat eggs. It's good for your cholesterol

01:20:23.050 --> 01:20:25.949
level. You need a brain. And you should be able

01:20:25.949 --> 01:20:27.409
to remember the last time you brought gas. And

01:20:27.409 --> 01:20:28.909
if it's been a couple weeks, stop and get some

01:20:28.909 --> 01:20:32.050
for crying out loud. Do you know that if you

01:20:32.050 --> 01:20:35.739
would just... Here you go. I'm shaming myself

01:20:35.739 --> 01:20:40.159
a little bit here. So I know when my car is low

01:20:40.159 --> 01:20:44.140
on gas, the little light comes on, and then I

01:20:44.140 --> 01:20:46.579
keep right on driving it. Because it's not out

01:20:46.579 --> 01:20:48.460
of gas yet, that's what the light says. It says

01:20:48.460 --> 01:20:50.779
it's not out of gas yet. It says mostly out of

01:20:50.779 --> 01:20:53.939
gas, but not yet. And since they put those lights

01:20:53.939 --> 01:20:55.579
on there, admittedly, I have only run out of

01:20:55.579 --> 01:20:59.119
gas once. And you're laughing at me, because

01:20:59.119 --> 01:21:00.300
you shouldn't run out of gas. If the light comes

01:21:00.300 --> 01:21:03.329
on, you're stopping at gas, right? But you know

01:21:03.329 --> 01:21:05.409
how many times I have gotten gas in the rain?

01:21:06.750 --> 01:21:10.590
Now why that? 60 miles left. It does not rain

01:21:10.590 --> 01:21:12.590
the whole time, unless you're on the road, like

01:21:12.590 --> 01:21:14.630
on the expressway, driving somewhere. It does

01:21:14.630 --> 01:21:16.350
not rain the whole time, the whole 60 miles.

01:21:16.789 --> 01:21:19.010
So anytime in the 60 miles left, when they get

01:21:19.010 --> 01:21:20.409
whatever it is, when the gas light comes on,

01:21:20.470 --> 01:21:22.390
you could get the rain. While the sun is shining,

01:21:22.510 --> 01:21:24.710
at a gas station that has a roof over it. Most

01:21:24.710 --> 01:21:26.789
of them do, but not all of them. When it's not

01:21:26.789 --> 01:21:29.069
so stinking cold outside. But I've gotten gas.

01:21:29.529 --> 01:21:32.090
At the coldest possible times, like it's warm

01:21:32.090 --> 01:21:33.649
in the afternoon, but I've got to get gas at

01:21:33.649 --> 01:21:35.789
5 a .m. because I drove it until there's next

01:21:35.789 --> 01:21:37.810
to nothing in the tank and I can't call Sherry

01:21:37.810 --> 01:21:41.090
again, so I've got to buy the gas. See what we're

01:21:41.090 --> 01:21:44.090
doing? If you would just do this, if you would

01:21:44.090 --> 01:21:47.390
just say, I'm going to stop and get gas on my

01:21:47.390 --> 01:21:49.609
way to church or on my way home from church every

01:21:49.609 --> 01:21:53.810
Tuesday, your gas tank would be filled three

01:21:53.810 --> 01:21:56.270
to four days of the week and the last couple

01:21:56.270 --> 01:21:58.159
of days of the week. It starts to get lower,

01:21:58.239 --> 01:21:59.899
but it'd never probably go under half a tank

01:21:59.899 --> 01:22:02.279
unless you drove a ton of miles. And how much

01:22:02.279 --> 01:22:04.920
work is it to remember I just get gas every Wednesday

01:22:04.920 --> 01:22:07.899
or every Thursday or every Sunday or whatever?

01:22:08.520 --> 01:22:15.100
None. But because we have a gas gauge, we put

01:22:15.100 --> 01:22:17.319
it off, and then we pump the gas in the rain.

01:22:18.479 --> 01:22:20.739
Right? If you went to go get gas on the way home

01:22:20.739 --> 01:22:22.920
from church on Tuesday night, and it was pouring

01:22:22.920 --> 01:22:26.079
down rain, icy cold, You'd know I can drive for

01:22:26.079 --> 01:22:29.180
another week if I have to because I got gas last

01:22:29.180 --> 01:22:31.640
Tuesday. Or I'll just put it off until tomorrow

01:22:31.640 --> 01:22:34.859
morning when it's not raining. But that's not

01:22:34.859 --> 01:22:38.340
what we're doing. This is an opportunity, the

01:22:38.340 --> 01:22:40.340
preaching is an opportunity to get a filling

01:22:40.340 --> 01:22:44.380
of his word and a spirit -led teaching. I don't

01:22:44.380 --> 01:22:45.979
mean to say that everything I ever say is spirit

01:22:45.979 --> 01:22:48.359
-led because that's not true. But everything

01:22:48.359 --> 01:22:52.930
you hear can be. Everything you hear in this

01:22:52.930 --> 01:22:55.729
room can be. Every song can be. Every prayer

01:22:55.729 --> 01:23:00.989
can be. If your posture is pursuing wisdom and

01:23:00.989 --> 01:23:03.770
understanding, you'll be able to tell when there's

01:23:03.770 --> 01:23:06.649
enticement not to listen to, and when there's

01:23:06.649 --> 01:23:09.369
enticement not to consent to, and you'll be able

01:23:09.369 --> 01:23:14.170
to stand for the Lord in the day of evil. Wisdom

01:23:14.170 --> 01:23:19.960
is more than knowing. It is application. It's

01:23:19.960 --> 01:23:21.920
not just knowledge, it's knowing what to do,

01:23:22.039 --> 01:23:23.880
what God would have you do, and so on. It's the

01:23:23.880 --> 01:23:28.079
ability to do it. But understanding is a different

01:23:28.079 --> 01:23:31.560
thing altogether. It's knowing why you know it,

01:23:31.640 --> 01:23:35.600
what the results are likely to be, what the outcome

01:23:35.600 --> 01:23:37.819
is going to be, how to teach others that same

01:23:37.819 --> 01:23:41.720
thing. And we must pursue wisdom and understanding

01:23:41.720 --> 01:23:45.399
in every way we possibly can. We must stand under

01:23:45.399 --> 01:23:49.409
what we know, and wisdom and together, Wisdom

01:23:49.409 --> 01:23:51.789
and understanding together form the pursuit that

01:23:51.789 --> 01:23:57.989
godly men and women must elevate above all other

01:23:57.989 --> 01:24:03.109
pursuits. If you do not elevate the pursuit of

01:24:03.109 --> 01:24:06.210
wisdom and understanding above all other pursuits,

01:24:06.329 --> 01:24:10.170
then you will be dismissing all of those observable

01:24:10.170 --> 01:24:13.630
promises that we read. Some of them straight

01:24:13.630 --> 01:24:18.520
out of the mouth of Jesus. If we do elevate them

01:24:18.520 --> 01:24:22.140
above all other pursuits, it will result in a

01:24:22.140 --> 01:24:27.260
course of godly daily living as we gain more

01:24:27.260 --> 01:24:30.420
wisdom and understanding. I am asking you to

01:24:30.420 --> 01:24:34.659
ask yourself, are you committed to the pursuit

01:24:34.659 --> 01:24:37.279
of wisdom and understanding? Or are you just

01:24:37.279 --> 01:24:40.039
using this road of goodness, this road of uprightness

01:24:40.039 --> 01:24:43.060
for God's protection as long as he'll give it,

01:24:43.100 --> 01:24:44.520
and then when it seems to be falling through,

01:24:44.659 --> 01:24:46.699
doesn't seem to be working out, whatever, you'll

01:24:46.699 --> 01:24:50.420
just cope the best you can. All those promises

01:24:50.420 --> 01:24:53.140
we read surround trusting the Lord he'll get

01:24:53.140 --> 01:24:56.899
his part right and living a life in pursuit of

01:24:56.899 --> 01:25:01.079
wisdom and understanding. When we had that inspirational

01:25:01.079 --> 01:25:05.819
moment, I was encouraged by the Holy Spirit,

01:25:06.000 --> 01:25:09.479
but I really wasn't encouraged by the activity

01:25:09.479 --> 01:25:13.979
because we had several kinds of people in the

01:25:13.979 --> 01:25:17.399
room. And one of those kinds of people were people

01:25:17.399 --> 01:25:22.539
that could have answered and did not. They didn't

01:25:22.539 --> 01:25:26.239
speak up. They couldn't bring themselves to restate

01:25:26.239 --> 01:25:28.479
in their own words the same thing that we were

01:25:28.479 --> 01:25:35.100
reading. That's discouraging to a pastor. Secondly,

01:25:35.260 --> 01:25:37.340
there was another kind of person in the room

01:25:37.340 --> 01:25:38.800
who was like, well, I kind of know what it means,

01:25:38.859 --> 01:25:41.760
but I can't explain it. I've heard those verses.

01:25:42.079 --> 01:25:43.819
Some of you probably had those verses memorized.

01:25:44.470 --> 01:25:47.210
You're like, I get that. I know that. I do that.

01:25:47.829 --> 01:25:50.390
But still couldn't just simply restate it in

01:25:50.390 --> 01:25:52.770
their own words or would not. One or the other.

01:25:53.489 --> 01:25:56.609
That's discouraging. This is a church about reaching

01:25:56.609 --> 01:26:00.310
new heights in Jesus. Let's decide that everything

01:26:00.310 --> 01:26:03.289
we do going forward is going to be about pursuing

01:26:03.289 --> 01:26:06.310
wisdom and understanding while we trust the Lord

01:26:06.310 --> 01:26:09.010
for it. That's the kind of church we want to

01:26:09.010 --> 01:26:11.750
be. And as we go to this invitation, if that's

01:26:11.750 --> 01:26:13.529
not the kind of person that you have been, I'm

01:26:13.529 --> 01:26:17.750
asking you to repent. You're going to gain a

01:26:17.750 --> 01:26:19.930
lot of knowledge in your lifetime, a lot of knowledge.

01:26:20.710 --> 01:26:22.609
And none of that knowledge is going to see you

01:26:22.609 --> 01:26:24.909
through to heaven. None of that knowledge is

01:26:24.909 --> 01:26:26.810
going to give you all those other promises and

01:26:26.810 --> 01:26:29.289
blessings. But wisdom, that's godly knowledge,

01:26:29.449 --> 01:26:32.109
applied to your circumstances and understanding,

01:26:32.430 --> 01:26:35.409
that's the ability to stand under what you now

01:26:35.409 --> 01:26:40.119
know. Those things will give you. All that other

01:26:40.119 --> 01:26:42.840
stuff that we read, all those promises of Jesus

01:26:42.840 --> 01:26:48.760
and of Solomon, of Paul. And by the way, I narrowed

01:26:48.760 --> 01:26:52.840
that list substantially. See why I'm so convicted?

01:26:53.680 --> 01:26:56.899
If all the Bible from beginning to end is about

01:26:56.899 --> 01:26:58.859
trusting the Lord and redemption through Jesus

01:26:58.859 --> 01:27:03.260
Christ, Jesus said, live your life in pursuit

01:27:03.260 --> 01:27:06.819
of wisdom and understanding. I'll ask the praise

01:27:06.819 --> 01:27:09.380
team to come forward at this time. If you're

01:27:09.380 --> 01:27:11.000
here today, while I've been preaching, you realize

01:27:11.000 --> 01:27:13.560
I'm not actually saved. I really haven't trusted

01:27:13.560 --> 01:27:15.600
the Lord for my salvation. I've submitted my

01:27:15.600 --> 01:27:17.560
life in His hands. I can't count the moment in

01:27:17.560 --> 01:27:18.720
time in which I was born again.