WEBVTT

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So, Sowing separation and unraveling unity. This

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is clue number six. This is part six of the sermon

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series that we've been working through, which

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as yet no one has figured out the title or the

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text. So clue six of seven. So next week will

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be the last clue. And then Easter Sunday. You

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ain't got it. You ain't got it. All right. Romans

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16 verses 17 to 20. Thank you. Out of this. You

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will get the lightning point, I hope you'll take

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it with you, that the sower and the unraveler

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have no place in the community. The sower and

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the unraveler have no place in the community.

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Have you heard the story of the boy who cried

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wolf? I mean, have you really heard it? Did you

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know that some, a couple of decades ago, the

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story of the boy who cried wolf was adjusted

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to be somewhat politically correct? In the story

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of the boy who cried wolf, there is a boy who's

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up in the hills watching the sheep. He's been

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assigned there as a shepherd by the town. And

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he's a little nervous at first. And he says to

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himself, what happens if a wolf comes? What will

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I do? And the town says, if you face a wolf,

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you just cry and we'll come running. But a little

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while after he's watching the sheep, he begins

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to wonder. He's alone and lonely and bored. And

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just maybe I should test the system. And so he

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cries out, wolf, wolf. And they come a running.

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The town all grab their sticks and stones and

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come running up to the hills to fend off the

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wolf. come out in force. The boy feels pretty

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good about himself. And they say, oh, you go

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back to watching. There's no wolf. He said, well,

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I thought there was something. And they said,

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no, there was nothing. And they go back to town,

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and he goes back to watching. Sometime later,

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whether it be by mischievousness or whatever,

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he decides to cry out, wolf, wolf, again. And

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they come running to protect him and the sheep

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from the wolves. Their livelihood is at stake.

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But they arrive, and there is no wolf. In the

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third instance, he is by himself. And now he

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well knows that he's crossed the line, that he

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has done more than he probably should have already.

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But he did get kind of a kick out of it, seeing

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them all come running. And he's feeling a rush

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of power and whatever. And so he cries, wolf,

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wolf. And just as he cries, wolf, wolf, he notices

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a wolf's head pop up out of the bushes. And he's

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like, wolf, wolf, there really is a wolf, wolf,

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wolf. And he's yelling at the top of his lungs,

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wolf, wolf. And the people in the town do not

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come. And the original version of that story,

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the wolf rips him limb for limb and destroys

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that boy. And it is a story about not crying

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wolf, not lying, not. saying there's a problem

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when there isn't and so on. You know, you could

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use it a couple of different ways. But in the

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PC version of the story, the wolf simply takes

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a couple sheep, drives apart the flock, and chases

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the boy back down the hill. Children don't have

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a problem with justice. Innocence does not have

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a problem with justice. If a child does wrong,

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that child is expecting to be corrected. And

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if it's a severe wrong, they're expecting an

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extreme correction. They want to know. In fact,

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if you will not correct them severely when they

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have done an... a severe wrong as a parent, for

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example, then you run a very severe risk of them

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wondering whether or not you love them. There

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are lots of people whose parents are actively

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taking care of them on a regular basis, and they're

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growing up. than adults. And in the back of their

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minds, subconscious, they're wondering whether

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or not their parents love them because their

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parents do not discipline them when they do wrong.

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God, who loves us, always disciplines us when

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we do wrong, so say it's scripture. And if you

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want to be a parent like God, you'd have to discipline.

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Children do not have a problem with justice.

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Adults who have a problem with justice, because

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we want to get away with whatever it is. We don't

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want to face the ramifications for whatever it

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is. We want to think that we're crafty enough,

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tricky enough, or whatever, to be right in front

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of everyone. Presenting the face that we're presenting

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while over here on the side we're doing the things

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that we want to do. And as long as this is who

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you think I am, I can get away with that over

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there. Call it secret sins, if you will. That's

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called hypocrisy. And Jesus faced it often in

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his public ministry. In fact, he said, beware

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of hypocrisy in a couple of specific instances.

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Romans 16 is not about hypocrisy, but in some

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sense it is about people who are right in the

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midst. of the church doing something that just

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cannot be. And they're getting away with it.

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In fact, they look like every other believer.

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They even look like somebody who is doing the

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church a favor. And Paul writes very clearly

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to the Romans these verses. Romans 16, 17 to

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20. He says, Now I urge you, brethren, keep your

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eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances

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contrary to the teaching which you heard and

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turn away from them. So first of all, he's saying

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this is really important. Pay attention. Do what

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I'm about to say. tell you, brothers and sisters

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in Christ, and he says, eye on those who cause

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dissensions and hindrances. Now, I want to be

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very clear about something, and that is that

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as a Christian, it is not your job to keep your

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eye on other Christians. It is your job to keep

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your eye on the shepherd. And so the very thing

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that he is telling us to do here presents a possible

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contradiction, where Paul is saying, I want you

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to keep your eye on these other people who are

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in the church, other people in the church who

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are doing this certain set of things. I want

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you to keep your eye on them and deal with them

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this way. have nothing to do with that. But then

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he goes on to qualify it very shortly and says

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that it is dissensions and hindrances contrary

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to the teaching which you learn and turn away

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from them. So in other words, he's saying you're

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going to keep your eye on those people who are

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claiming to be Christians, claiming to be the

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church, but bringing about dissension and hindrances

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when the dissension and hindrances are contrary

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to the scripture, contrary to the doctrine, contrary

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to the thing you've been taught by God. See,

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we know in Matthew 18, Jesus says, when a brother

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sins against you, go and show him his fault between

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you and him. And if that doesn't work, and they're

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still in sin, or they don't repent, or they're

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still going the wrong way, then you bring one

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or two others into the conversation. So in order

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for that to be the case, we can't simply sweep

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under the rug everything that everyone does is

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wrong. Paul says, I did not say that you should

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judge the world. Of course I say that you should

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judge the church. But again, our job is not to

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have our eyes on other Christians. So before

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we are through, We will need to know how to discern

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when to pay attention to what somebody is doing.

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when to pay attention to the actions of that

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individual. And it's pretty clear in the text.

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Starting back from the top, he says, Now I urge

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you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause

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dissensions and hindrances. So first of all,

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the action is key. It's simple. It's straightforward

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as long as you understand the definitions of

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the words. So a dissension is a break between

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brothers or sisters in Christ. So when there's

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a person who's trying to cause a problem between

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other Christians, trying to get one person to

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step away from the intimacy of community, in

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the church that we are called to. That sounds

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like, hey, come over here. I want to talk to

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you for a second. Or, did you see what Bob did?

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Or, I got to tell you, man, I'm really hurting.

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I'm really struggling right now. I'm going through

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something I'm really struggling with and I'm

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praying about it. And you say, well, what is

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it? Let me pray with you. And you say, well,

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so -and -so did this to me and I just can't get

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over it. It looks like that. Because that person

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is trying to create dissension between person

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A and person B by consulting, supposedly by commiserating,

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supposedly by working with that person to pray

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over this thing. But we already have parameters

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in Matthew 18 for if a person has sinned against

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you, what do you do? You go and show them. Listen,

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I'm still really hurting. I went and tried to

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show that to them, what they had done wrong,

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and they just don't seem to care. So I'm still

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really going through something here. So I need

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you to commit. with me so now i want you to form

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an opinion with me about what that person did

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to me because they really hurt me they really

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caused a problem that's still sowing dissension

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because there is a second step to matthew 18

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where if you went to that person at first and

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showed them their fault and they still wouldn't

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listen then you go again with one or two others

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those one or two others then judge between you

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did that first person really do something that

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should be cutting you to the quick or are you

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being oversensitive that's what those one or

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two other people they provide a measure of safety

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community is the safety for community. And so

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a person who sows dissension or unravels unity

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between brothers or sisters in Christ is doing

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something that we must be warned of. The other

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part of it then is hindrances. Hindrances are

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when somebody puts something in your path. The

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same word is used as a stumbling block. In fact,

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it says that Jesus became a stumbling block to

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the Jews, and it's the same word. It's scandalized.

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It's the same word. So somebody's putting something

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in your path that makes it difficult for you

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to follow the Lord, that makes it difficult for

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you to be a godly person. Whatever that might

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be, that's a problem. If you have a believer

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in the church and they're making it harder for

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somebody to follow, then that's a problem. But

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it might not be sin per se. They might just have

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a certain preference. They're very stuck on a

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certain preference. And this person over here

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disagrees with that. And this person over here

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is now stumbling in their faith because they

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disagree. So what does scripture say? If you

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have a preference and it creates a stumbling

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block for somebody else, you need to be ready

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to give up your preference. So at the point that

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you don't give up your preference and it becomes

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a stumbling block for that other person, then

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it is sin. The problem is... discerning when

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that is. Who can figure out when somebody is,

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it's a preference or they say it's from the Lord?

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The carpeting's got to be black. I'm telling

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you, it's got to be black. No, it'll show stains.

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No, it's got to be black. I just can't get over

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the fact that he insists that the carpeting's

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got to be black. God has told me, I don't know

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why, God has told me the carpeting's got to be

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black. He says God told him the carpet. He's

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going to be like, no, we all got to listen to

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him now. Because now he said God said. So what

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do we know? Maybe he's telling the truth. But

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I just know that God is saying the carpet shouldn't

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be black. So who is going to make the decision?

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Is it going to be black or not black? No. But

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who makes the decision when two people are saying

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their preference is the correct one? Or even

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they're saying, it's not my preference, but God

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says. I want it, but God says. Definitely listen

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to them, right? But then somebody over here says,

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well, yeah, I don't want it either, but God says.

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this and it's not the same thing as person who

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is going to make that decision the bottom line

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is whoever's throwing up hindrances contrary

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to the teaching which you have learned he says

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turn away from I'll come back to the idea of

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turning away and what it exactly means in the

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points, but right now we're moving on to verse

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18. It says, For, or because, such men are slaves.

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People who sow dissension and unravel unity,

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great hindrances in the body, are slaves. They're

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slaves. Not of our Lord Jesus Christ, but of

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their own appetites. Jesus said, For whoever

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sins is slave to sin. And they become slaves,

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not of Jesus as we should be, but of their own

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appetites, what they want, their own desires.

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And it says, Their smooth and flattering speech,

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they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

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So this is now a set of, it's telling us what

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they do. how they do it. Also notice it tells

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us to whom they do it, which is the unsuspecting.

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19. The report of your obedience has reached

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to all, so everyone has heard how you're following

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the Lord faithfully. Therefore, I am rejoicing

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over you, but I want you to be wise in what is

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good and innocent in what is evil. I'll come

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back on that in the points as well. It says then

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in verse 20, this is the great promise of this

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passage of scripture, the God of peace will soon

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crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our

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Lord Jesus be with you. Okay, so there are a

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few things I want you to see in this text that

00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:43.799
are huge. Remember, this is actually six of seven,

00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:45.679
part of a sermon series. So if you think back

00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:47.820
over past weeks and how it links together, all

00:14:47.820 --> 00:14:49.799
of those sermons are podcasts on our podcast.

00:14:49.960 --> 00:14:51.320
You can listen to the audio program. You can

00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:53.580
actually get a transcript. If you wanted to,

00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:55.299
you could copy and paste the transcript into

00:14:55.299 --> 00:14:57.990
one document. How to figure out what this sermon

00:14:57.990 --> 00:15:00.509
series is about. What are we talking about that

00:15:00.509 --> 00:15:02.710
we're not talking about? That's what we're looking

00:15:02.710 --> 00:15:04.570
for. And we will get there at the end. But if

00:15:04.570 --> 00:15:05.750
you can figure it out before we get there, what

00:15:05.750 --> 00:15:07.590
a cherished moment that will be. The first thing

00:15:07.590 --> 00:15:10.950
I want you to see is that if you, or I, if somebody

00:15:10.950 --> 00:15:13.590
becomes a faux mentor, that means that they're

00:15:13.590 --> 00:15:17.490
a creator or a starter of division, or a person

00:15:17.490 --> 00:15:20.250
who causes hindrances, then a few things are

00:15:20.250 --> 00:15:22.070
going to happen according to this passage of

00:15:22.070 --> 00:15:24.269
scripture. If you become a person who creates

00:15:24.269 --> 00:15:27.909
division, barriers between believers or one who

00:15:27.909 --> 00:15:30.190
causes hindrances in people's spiritual growth

00:15:30.190 --> 00:15:32.389
then a few things are going to happen first of

00:15:32.389 --> 00:15:35.250
all the devout faithful christians will see you

00:15:35.250 --> 00:15:37.740
they will know you for what you are doing. They

00:15:37.740 --> 00:15:40.559
are not unexpecting. The scripture says that

00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:43.240
there are those who expect these things to happen

00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:45.559
and there are those who do not expect them to

00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:47.919
happen. And these people will get their way in

00:15:47.919 --> 00:15:51.340
the lives of people who are not expecting someone

00:15:51.340 --> 00:15:54.259
to create division or someone to create hindrances.

00:15:54.440 --> 00:15:57.419
And so if only those people are going to be buffaloed?

00:15:57.759 --> 00:16:00.159
Then it stands to reason that those who are about

00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:02.820
faithful Christians would see you for what you

00:16:02.820 --> 00:16:04.720
are trying to do if you are trying to create

00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.299
division or hindrances. Notice that they will

00:16:07.299 --> 00:16:10.019
be identified then by their smooth and flattering

00:16:10.019 --> 00:16:12.240
speech. They know how to speak the Christian

00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:15.340
words. They know how to encourage people in just

00:16:15.340 --> 00:16:17.100
such a human way to make them feel better about

00:16:17.100 --> 00:16:19.220
it, to stroke their pride a little bit, comfort

00:16:19.220 --> 00:16:21.580
them in what it is that they do. And it's pretty

00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:24.659
clear that that flattering speech is to deceive

00:16:24.659 --> 00:16:27.769
the hearts of the unsuspecting. Has anyone ever

00:16:27.769 --> 00:16:30.529
told you anything good about yourself in order

00:16:30.529 --> 00:16:32.450
to get you to feel a certain way? Did they ever

00:16:32.450 --> 00:16:34.389
try to get you to do something after that fact

00:16:34.389 --> 00:16:35.950
that you shouldn't have? Has that ever happened?

00:16:36.049 --> 00:16:37.950
It has, hasn't it? It's happened to me too, many

00:16:37.950 --> 00:16:40.830
times in my life. And this is the truth. We want

00:16:40.830 --> 00:16:42.649
to feel good about ourselves. We want to feel

00:16:42.649 --> 00:16:44.389
like we're on the right road. Preaching doesn't

00:16:44.389 --> 00:16:46.330
always do that. The Word of God doesn't always

00:16:46.330 --> 00:16:48.309
do that. When you're failing at the Word of God

00:16:48.309 --> 00:16:49.590
and not doing what it is that God would have

00:16:49.590 --> 00:16:51.110
you to do, and you encounter that in the Word

00:16:51.110 --> 00:16:53.789
of God, you've got to wake up. and realize that

00:16:53.789 --> 00:16:55.690
God is calling you out of what you're doing into

00:16:55.690 --> 00:16:57.789
what you're supposed to be doing. So if someone

00:16:57.789 --> 00:16:59.610
comes to you with smooth and flattering speech,

00:16:59.730 --> 00:17:01.470
you might want to ask yourself, are they doing

00:17:01.470 --> 00:17:04.009
that to get control of my unsuspecting heart?

00:17:04.250 --> 00:17:07.250
Also, this is someone who makes it difficult

00:17:07.250 --> 00:17:09.829
to follow Jesus. If you hang around with somebody

00:17:09.829 --> 00:17:11.210
or somebody in the church, it doesn't matter

00:17:11.210 --> 00:17:13.329
if they have a title, if they've been your friend

00:17:13.329 --> 00:17:14.849
for a really long time, and they make it hard

00:17:14.849 --> 00:17:17.210
for you to follow Jesus, you're going to start

00:17:17.210 --> 00:17:20.670
to see them for what they are. And the believer,

00:17:20.809 --> 00:17:23.549
the faithful, devout Christian will say, I can't

00:17:23.549 --> 00:17:25.269
go that way. I can't sit around with you and

00:17:25.269 --> 00:17:27.569
talk about her. I can't sit around with you and

00:17:27.569 --> 00:17:29.930
accept. complaints about the way things are going.

00:17:30.089 --> 00:17:32.849
I can't do that. I'm not asleep here. I'm following

00:17:32.849 --> 00:17:35.990
Jesus. Jesus is clearly not leading me into this

00:17:35.990 --> 00:17:38.329
scandalous conversation. Jesus is clearly not

00:17:38.329 --> 00:17:41.730
leading me to walk away from this and sneak behind

00:17:41.730 --> 00:17:44.490
my parents' back or behind my boss's back or

00:17:44.490 --> 00:17:46.349
to take something that doesn't belong to me or

00:17:46.349 --> 00:17:48.230
to claim that I'm sick when I'm not so people

00:17:48.230 --> 00:17:50.910
will leave me alone. Or to act angry or frustrated

00:17:50.910 --> 00:17:52.950
when everyone around me has to be gentle and

00:17:52.950 --> 00:17:55.599
kind and merciful because I say something. because

00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:57.920
I am making them be nice to me. And if they're

00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:00.059
not handling me with kid gloves, then I'm going

00:18:00.059 --> 00:18:02.279
to blow up. There's a million ways to do it,

00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:04.519
but the bottom line is if someone is making it

00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:07.160
difficult for a devout, faithful Christian to

00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:09.319
follow Jesus, then that devout, faithful Christian

00:18:09.319 --> 00:18:11.720
is going to identify them and know what to do.

00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:13.500
What will they do? Well, the answer is followers

00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:16.259
of Christ, a fomentor of division, someone who

00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:18.619
causes hindrances, followers of Christ will turn

00:18:18.619 --> 00:18:20.559
away from you. Where you are supposed to find

00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:22.880
the height of community, where people are going

00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:27.210
to be honest, failings, they are not only authorized,

00:18:27.650 --> 00:18:32.450
but commanded by scripture to pull back the hindrances

00:18:32.450 --> 00:18:34.869
to their growth. Find your pulling back from

00:18:34.869 --> 00:18:38.170
you have to ask Have I become a person or a person

00:18:38.170 --> 00:18:41.049
who creates hindrances? When I'm supposed to

00:18:41.049 --> 00:18:42.650
be, and by the way, if you can foment division

00:18:42.650 --> 00:18:45.109
and talk like that and act like that, you probably

00:18:45.109 --> 00:18:46.890
could do just the opposite and create unity.

00:18:47.049 --> 00:18:49.470
If you can create hindrances to people's spiritual

00:18:49.470 --> 00:18:51.609
growth, you can probably identify those same

00:18:51.609 --> 00:18:53.430
hindrances and remove them so that people can

00:18:53.430 --> 00:18:56.049
spiritually grow. But this is a person who is

00:18:56.049 --> 00:18:59.349
choosing to foment division or create hindrances.

00:18:59.589 --> 00:19:01.490
They're doing it out of their own appetites,

00:19:01.509 --> 00:19:03.750
it says. If you become a fomenter of division

00:19:03.750 --> 00:19:06.089
or one who causes hindrances, If you make it

00:19:06.089 --> 00:19:08.309
difficult for people to follow Jesus, they will

00:19:08.309 --> 00:19:10.549
remain unified with the community. They will

00:19:10.549 --> 00:19:12.650
hang out with, they will talk with, they will

00:19:12.650 --> 00:19:14.690
work with, they will serve with, they will love

00:19:14.690 --> 00:19:17.190
with and love on and love others through people

00:19:17.190 --> 00:19:20.250
who are not creating dissension and hindrances.

00:19:20.450 --> 00:19:23.009
They will turn away from you. The truth is that

00:19:23.009 --> 00:19:25.490
fomentors promise community, but that kind of

00:19:25.490 --> 00:19:27.670
community turns up empty. Has anybody ever said

00:19:27.670 --> 00:19:30.250
to you, you know, I need your help. Please, let

00:19:30.250 --> 00:19:32.509
me talk to you about this. I need your encouragement

00:19:32.509 --> 00:19:34.349
or whatever. And then you get talking with them

00:19:34.349 --> 00:19:35.990
and you find out. they have a problem. But the

00:19:35.990 --> 00:19:39.329
problem is they want you to themselves. We're

00:19:39.329 --> 00:19:41.650
going to step away from the group. They're calling

00:19:41.650 --> 00:19:43.230
the herd. They're going to pull somebody away.

00:19:43.640 --> 00:19:45.420
in the group. If somebody has to pull you away

00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:47.680
from the group, I had young people, young people,

00:19:47.779 --> 00:19:49.500
I didn't ask to use this illustration so I won't

00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:51.240
tell who the person was, but yesterday at the

00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:52.500
Grand Prix, there was somebody on their phone,

00:19:52.619 --> 00:19:54.140
and there was a text that wasn't necessarily

00:19:54.140 --> 00:19:56.220
appropriate. And I said, and they were showing

00:19:56.220 --> 00:19:57.920
it to a friend, but they were being careful that

00:19:57.920 --> 00:19:59.599
nobody else, I said, if it's probably like that,

00:19:59.660 --> 00:20:01.660
it's probably nothing. You delete it and repent,

00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:03.740
okay? You want nothing to do with that. Somebody

00:20:03.740 --> 00:20:06.000
was trying to pull you away from where you're

00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:08.359
supposed to be. And if you're doing that, you

00:20:08.359 --> 00:20:09.880
have to turn away from it. They're promising

00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:13.410
a certain kind of community. Every boy who chased

00:20:13.410 --> 00:20:15.710
after them was looking for a kind of community,

00:20:15.849 --> 00:20:18.210
a fulfilling of an appetite, of an unseemly kind

00:20:18.210 --> 00:20:20.769
of love. Mentors promise community, but that

00:20:20.769 --> 00:20:22.789
community ends up empty, and in the worst, it

00:20:22.789 --> 00:20:25.009
goes straight to hell. Ultimately, that's where

00:20:25.009 --> 00:20:27.210
it winds up at. When mentors have chosen the

00:20:27.210 --> 00:20:29.950
wrong side, and they want to entice other believers

00:20:29.950 --> 00:20:31.849
to choose that side with them, who does that

00:20:31.849 --> 00:20:33.970
sound like? Or would -be believers to do this,

00:20:34.009 --> 00:20:36.650
and who causes hindrances, they want you to come

00:20:36.650 --> 00:20:38.569
and... What they're doing. Because the pastor,

00:20:38.630 --> 00:20:41.269
well, he doesn't understand us. Or mom or dad,

00:20:41.309 --> 00:20:43.029
they don't know. They're bad. They don't have

00:20:43.029 --> 00:20:45.470
the right rules. Or your dad is a jerk. You don't

00:20:45.470 --> 00:20:47.609
have to listen to what he says. And so on. So

00:20:47.609 --> 00:20:49.589
there's an entire group of believers or would

00:20:49.589 --> 00:20:51.049
-be believers to do the same thing that they

00:20:51.049 --> 00:20:53.410
are, to move into it. Cheap of the shepherd,

00:20:53.670 --> 00:20:56.390
hear the shepherd's voice and ignore all other

00:20:56.390 --> 00:20:58.950
voices. Even when it's somebody in the church.

00:20:59.210 --> 00:21:02.140
Even if it would be me. Voice does not align

00:21:02.140 --> 00:21:04.980
with God. You have a responsibility as a Christian

00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:07.519
to recognize it for what it is and to pull back

00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:10.119
and do not allow it to manipulate you. Now, I'm

00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:13.460
not saying to abuse or mistreat. I'm not authorizing

00:21:13.460 --> 00:21:15.539
if you say, well, I'm a faithful Christian, but

00:21:15.539 --> 00:21:17.099
I see this person over here struggling to suddenly

00:21:17.099 --> 00:21:18.700
go, oh, I'm not going to have nothing to do with

00:21:18.700 --> 00:21:21.180
them, right? I'm not authorizing abuse or mistreatment.

00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:25.880
Just the faithful will to do what is right. not

00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:28.720
giving into the enticement to that false community.

00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:31.880
A dozen times, naming no names, a dozen times

00:21:31.880 --> 00:21:34.539
I've sat in my own living room and said, okay,

00:21:34.660 --> 00:21:36.700
we're going to change the topic of conversation

00:21:36.700 --> 00:21:39.799
now. Nothing meant, I'm not mad, but what we're

00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:42.319
talking about has verged onto gossip, and I've

00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:43.880
said, we're not going to do that now. And you

00:21:43.880 --> 00:21:46.039
have to be ready, right? What did the verses

00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:49.039
that we read two weeks ago say, right? Do not

00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:51.759
give in to enticement. Do not allow enticement

00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:54.079
to be in your presence. Don't willfully allow

00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:55.859
it to continue to persist. You're enticing me

00:21:55.859 --> 00:21:57.339
to do what's wrong. I'm not going to do it, and

00:21:57.339 --> 00:21:58.500
I'm not going to listen to it. You're going to

00:21:58.500 --> 00:22:00.859
need to stop now. Stop urging me to do what's

00:22:00.859 --> 00:22:02.920
wrong. You can say to them like Jesus said to

00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:05.359
Peter, get these. in me satan now you know who

00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:08.279
the tactic is the enticement right and so i'm

00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:10.660
not saying abuse them or mistreat them jesus

00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:12.579
didn't stop loving him because he said get them

00:22:12.579 --> 00:22:14.400
behind me satan what he was telling was i'm not

00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:15.839
going to be enticed and i'm not going to allow

00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:18.059
you to sit there to entice me to not die on the

00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:20.519
cross it's not going to happen followers of christ

00:22:20.519 --> 00:22:22.460
will turn away which is to say they will continue

00:22:22.460 --> 00:22:24.759
to follow jesus and they will recognize that

00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:27.130
that dissension that tactic of dissension or

00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:29.470
that hindrance as something that is contrary

00:22:29.470 --> 00:22:32.269
to god's word god's effort holy spirit work in

00:22:32.269 --> 00:22:34.210
me and they'll say no i want nothing to do with

00:22:34.210 --> 00:22:35.650
it the next thing to see in the scripture here

00:22:35.650 --> 00:22:38.710
as paul says is to be wise in good and innocent

00:22:38.710 --> 00:22:41.369
and evil to be wise and good and innocent and

00:22:41.369 --> 00:22:44.809
evil remember that avoiding the evil is about

00:22:45.230 --> 00:22:48.170
not being enticed to the evil. It's not just

00:22:48.170 --> 00:22:50.109
somebody comes and says, somebody says to me,

00:22:50.130 --> 00:22:52.369
for example, hey, did you see what Bob or Sally

00:22:52.369 --> 00:22:53.910
did? And we're going to talk about them for a

00:22:53.910 --> 00:22:55.990
minute. And it's that kind of conspiratorial

00:22:55.990 --> 00:22:57.750
tone. We're going to talk about them. And you're

00:22:57.750 --> 00:23:00.029
like. That's gossip. No, I don't want to have

00:23:00.029 --> 00:23:02.609
that conversation. It should also be, just understand,

00:23:02.690 --> 00:23:04.450
if you go somewhere else and have that conversation,

00:23:04.650 --> 00:23:06.890
it's still gossip, right? You're asking me to

00:23:06.890 --> 00:23:08.089
get into gossip with you, and I'm not going to

00:23:08.089 --> 00:23:10.029
do that. I'm just using gossip as an illustration.

00:23:10.410 --> 00:23:12.250
You could have a family member who lies to you,

00:23:12.289 --> 00:23:14.509
and you're like, man, that's rough. I don't like

00:23:14.509 --> 00:23:16.710
it. He or she lies to me on a frequent basis,

00:23:16.910 --> 00:23:18.809
right? I'm not going to let them lie to me. I'm

00:23:18.809 --> 00:23:20.170
not going to let them pull the wool over my eyes.

00:23:20.190 --> 00:23:21.650
I'm not going to respond to their lies anymore.

00:23:21.769 --> 00:23:24.009
I'm going to be stern. I'm going to be solid.

00:23:24.190 --> 00:23:25.369
I'm going to follow the Lord no matter what.

00:23:25.369 --> 00:23:26.829
No matter what their lies are, I'm going to follow

00:23:26.829 --> 00:23:28.920
the Lord. But if you let them just keep on going

00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:31.519
on lying over and over and over again, just keep

00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:33.599
stretching the lie, you're leaving the enticement

00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:36.460
in your presence. It's still there, right? And

00:23:36.460 --> 00:23:38.779
there's no fixing it. So when someone's stuck

00:23:38.779 --> 00:23:40.519
in sin, they're a slave to sin. Do you believe

00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:42.819
in slavery? Would you personally own a slave?

00:23:43.019 --> 00:23:45.220
I hope not. I don't believe in slavery. We're

00:23:45.220 --> 00:23:47.180
supposed to be free in Christ. And so when you

00:23:47.180 --> 00:23:48.660
encounter a slave, you have a responsibility.

00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:50.480
And if they're coming into your life bringing

00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:52.319
an enticement, then that's what they are. They're

00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:54.859
a slave. And you need to free that slave. That's

00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:56.680
at all possible. And so you don't just get to

00:23:56.680 --> 00:23:59.119
go, okay, I'm just not going to listen. I'm not

00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:01.339
going to believe his or her lies. You have a

00:24:01.339 --> 00:24:04.500
responsibility to confront gently, lovingly,

00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:07.740
by biblical standards, that lie every time it

00:24:07.740 --> 00:24:09.720
comes up. Like, I'm sorry, but I don't really

00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:11.359
believe what you're saying right now. I'm not

00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:13.920
calling you a liar, but there's no factual evidence.

00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:15.339
There's no proof here. There's no reason for

00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:16.759
me to believe what you're saying. And they're

00:24:16.759 --> 00:24:18.539
going to be upset. Yes, they're going to be upset.

00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:20.980
But if someday they stop lying, someday they

00:24:20.980 --> 00:24:23.640
turn that part of them that needs whatever it

00:24:23.640 --> 00:24:25.450
is that they're... getting from lying over to

00:24:25.450 --> 00:24:27.710
Christ, they're going to experience true freedom.

00:24:27.849 --> 00:24:30.309
And until you keep calling it out, calling out

00:24:30.309 --> 00:24:31.869
the unfaithful, it's in a loving way, calling

00:24:31.869 --> 00:24:34.130
out the unfaithfulness, it's just going to continue.

00:24:34.329 --> 00:24:36.930
Remember that avoiding the evil is about, first

00:24:36.930 --> 00:24:39.450
of all, not being enticed, not just not participating,

00:24:39.470 --> 00:24:41.410
but not being enticed. There is no tolerance

00:24:41.410 --> 00:24:43.269
building. Have you ever heard the word, and I

00:24:43.269 --> 00:24:46.670
might mispronounce this actually, mithridatism?

00:24:46.829 --> 00:24:48.890
Artem probably has. You know it? No? It's a weird

00:24:48.890 --> 00:24:51.470
word. It's based on a guy named... Mithras something.

00:24:51.609 --> 00:24:55.509
He was a Roman guy. And he taught his body to

00:24:55.509 --> 00:24:58.569
process poisons. So he took some poisons that

00:24:58.569 --> 00:25:00.109
you could do this with, and he consumed little

00:25:00.109 --> 00:25:01.609
bits of them over a long period of time. And

00:25:01.609 --> 00:25:03.589
ultimately, he became immune. His liver began

00:25:03.589 --> 00:25:05.529
to produce the right enzymes. Doctors think he

00:25:05.529 --> 00:25:08.269
became immune to the poison. And then somebody

00:25:08.269 --> 00:25:09.710
tried to kill him with one of the poisons that

00:25:09.710 --> 00:25:11.349
he was immune to, and he didn't die. And so now

00:25:11.349 --> 00:25:13.089
everybody thought he was immortal, right? He

00:25:13.089 --> 00:25:17.190
gained a great power out of not being able to

00:25:17.190 --> 00:25:19.470
be poisoned by certain poisons. Becoming aware

00:25:19.470 --> 00:25:21.430
of evil, it's no good for you. It's not good

00:25:21.430 --> 00:25:23.730
for me. The best thing we can do, Paul says,

00:25:23.910 --> 00:25:26.210
is be innocent of evil. You don't want to know.

00:25:26.369 --> 00:25:28.789
You don't need to go further and find out. You

00:25:28.789 --> 00:25:30.690
don't need to ask, did somebody do something

00:25:30.690 --> 00:25:32.750
wrong? You ask, did somebody do something wrong?

00:25:33.109 --> 00:25:35.609
You're literally promoting the gossip. You're

00:25:35.609 --> 00:25:38.190
asking for slander. Why are you upset? Careful.

00:25:38.430 --> 00:25:40.269
Why are you upset? Oh, because so -and -so did.

00:25:40.349 --> 00:25:42.250
You're literally asking for, is there something

00:25:42.250 --> 00:25:44.769
I can do for you? Is there some way I can pray

00:25:44.769 --> 00:25:46.410
for you? Those are good questions to ask when

00:25:46.410 --> 00:25:48.109
somebody's upset. But if you say, well, why are

00:25:48.109 --> 00:25:49.940
you upset? you upset and somebody did something,

00:25:50.039 --> 00:25:51.220
the first thing they're going to do is tell you

00:25:51.220 --> 00:25:53.240
what that person did. And maybe all they're going

00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:55.619
to do then is adjust to what happened and they'll

00:25:55.619 --> 00:25:57.160
get over it. They'll be fine. They'll submit

00:25:57.160 --> 00:25:58.680
it to Christ. They'll move on. Everything will

00:25:58.680 --> 00:26:00.900
be fine. But in the meantime, you've led them

00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:03.380
to gossip, led them to slander. So be careful

00:26:03.380 --> 00:26:06.559
about seeking out the evil as if you are some

00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:08.680
kind of paladin or defender, great defender of

00:26:08.680 --> 00:26:10.400
the faith. You're going to find out all the evil

00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:12.380
that's in the world and squash it yourself. It's

00:26:12.380 --> 00:26:14.890
not your job. Your job is not to crush evil.

00:26:15.089 --> 00:26:17.490
Your job is to be good. And we overcome evil

00:26:17.490 --> 00:26:20.230
with good. Remember that avoiding evil is about

00:26:20.230 --> 00:26:22.490
not being enticed, not just not participating.

00:26:22.789 --> 00:26:24.890
Next, he says, be wise and good and innocent

00:26:24.890 --> 00:26:27.589
in evil. And he's telling us to delve into God's

00:26:27.589 --> 00:26:30.650
word, to become keepers and doers of God's word.

00:26:30.789 --> 00:26:34.799
We have the ultimate. The Holy Spirit deciphering

00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:36.759
this word so that we can understand it and it

00:26:36.759 --> 00:26:39.279
can work in our daily lives. He can tell you

00:26:39.279 --> 00:26:41.480
how to dress yourself. He can tell you how to

00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:43.519
feed yourself. He can tell you what jobs to take

00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:44.880
and what jobs not to take and when to switch

00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:46.759
jobs and when not to switch jobs. And we have

00:26:46.759 --> 00:26:49.019
to seek out his will for our lives. We pray,

00:26:49.140 --> 00:26:51.980
Lord, your will be done, not my will. Your kingdom

00:26:51.980 --> 00:26:54.259
come here on the earth and your will be done

00:26:54.259 --> 00:26:56.200
here on the earth as it is in heaven. That's

00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:59.299
our daily desire. And the only way to get there

00:26:59.299 --> 00:27:02.660
is to daily desire, delve into. work at it effort

00:27:02.660 --> 00:27:05.539
in but the truth is we're we're kind of distracted

00:27:05.539 --> 00:27:07.539
you know there's a lot of good things in this

00:27:07.539 --> 00:27:09.299
life and we don't want to miss out on the opportunity

00:27:09.299 --> 00:27:11.099
to consume with some of those other good things

00:27:11.099 --> 00:27:12.880
and so the word doesn't become the greatest priority

00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:16.480
and we become not so innocent of evil and not

00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:18.880
so wise unto good and then along comes somebody

00:27:18.880 --> 00:27:21.460
who's throws dissension or throws up a hindrance

00:27:21.460 --> 00:27:24.220
and because we're not so innocent of evil we

00:27:24.220 --> 00:27:26.240
know about evil then they say well did you know

00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:29.099
we're like oh yeah i know that yeah i hear what

00:27:29.099 --> 00:27:30.900
you're saying yeah i bet he did do that yeah

00:27:30.900 --> 00:27:34.359
or we're not so wise unto good and they say hey

00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:35.799
step over here let me talk to you for a second

00:27:35.799 --> 00:27:37.720
and instead of us going that's not really something

00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:41.299
i want to do It's got to be a godly conversation.

00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:45.380
Instead of us doing that, we bow our head down,

00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:48.740
perk our ear, because we are not innocent of

00:27:48.740 --> 00:27:51.119
evil. We're not wise unto good, because we're

00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:52.839
not delving into the word, because we're not

00:27:52.839 --> 00:27:54.880
keepers of the word and doers of the word. Be

00:27:54.880 --> 00:27:57.319
wise and good and innocent of evil. Be willing

00:27:57.319 --> 00:28:00.519
to not know more about the evils that go on.

00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:03.319
In fact, it said this way. It said, it's shameful

00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:05.660
even to speak of the things that go on behind

00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:07.619
closed doors. You know what the main problem

00:28:07.619 --> 00:28:10.480
with TV, social media, and everything is? Is

00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:12.579
that everybody is seeing what nobody should be

00:28:12.579 --> 00:28:15.299
seeing. Everybody has easy access. Anybody in

00:28:15.299 --> 00:28:17.859
this room that has social media or a browser

00:28:17.859 --> 00:28:20.519
like Google can right now type the right words

00:28:20.519 --> 00:28:23.380
into Google on their phone and see a girl half

00:28:23.380 --> 00:28:25.440
naked. It will not take you two minutes. But

00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:28.119
should you ever, you can read streaming foul

00:28:28.119 --> 00:28:31.099
language posted by a variety of... of popular

00:28:31.099 --> 00:28:34.019
stars, your favorite comedian, your favorite

00:28:34.019 --> 00:28:37.640
actor from a movie, you can get all of that on

00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:40.039
your phone in less than 90 seconds. But should

00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:43.569
anyone ever? When the FCC was at its strongest,

00:28:43.869 --> 00:28:46.690
Leave it to Beaver was fined $50, and that was

00:28:46.690 --> 00:28:48.569
a lot of money back then, for showing a toilet

00:28:48.569 --> 00:28:51.130
on TV. It was not a dirty toilet. It was not

00:28:51.130 --> 00:28:53.329
a toilet being used. It was not a toilet that

00:28:53.329 --> 00:28:56.089
had been used. In fact, they purposely said when

00:28:56.089 --> 00:28:57.950
they put it in the scene, they said, we installed

00:28:57.950 --> 00:29:01.490
a brand new toilet that no one has ever sat on,

00:29:01.730 --> 00:29:03.309
and then they showed it on TV, and they were

00:29:03.309 --> 00:29:06.670
fined $50. Right now, Google it, you'll find

00:29:06.670 --> 00:29:09.269
1 ,000 people sitting on the toilet, as you can

00:29:09.269 --> 00:29:11.880
see. guaranteed 60 seconds it only takes 60 seconds

00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:15.559
people are involved in affected by a lack of

00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:18.839
innocence because the world wants you to have

00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:22.640
a lack of innocence because the enemy has a tactic

00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:25.559
to create dissension. Don't kid yourself. The

00:29:25.559 --> 00:29:28.299
greatest enemy, the enemy that will destroy the

00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:32.059
church is Satan and a lack of innocence. He is

00:29:32.059 --> 00:29:35.039
going to use that tactic to pull at the hearts

00:29:35.039 --> 00:29:37.140
of the next generation and the next and the next.

00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:39.660
People are not walking away from the Lord because

00:29:39.660 --> 00:29:42.200
they're stupid. They're walking in the... the

00:29:42.200 --> 00:29:44.279
Lord because they have selected a certain version

00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:47.980
of wisdom, and it is not the wisdom unto goodness.

00:29:48.079 --> 00:29:51.019
It is the wisdom unto a knowledge of evil. It

00:29:51.019 --> 00:29:52.500
goes back to the very beginning, a knowledge

00:29:52.500 --> 00:29:54.920
of good and evil, right? Before they ate, they

00:29:54.920 --> 00:29:56.859
had only a knowledge of good. I wouldn't call

00:29:56.859 --> 00:29:58.839
them wise. They were still under construction.

00:29:59.059 --> 00:30:00.500
You know what I'm saying? But they were wise

00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:02.880
unto good, innocent of evil. And then they had

00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:04.480
the knowledge of good and evil. Why did they

00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:06.079
need the knowledge of evil? They didn't need

00:30:06.079 --> 00:30:08.299
it, and you don't need it. You say, but I could

00:30:08.299 --> 00:30:10.220
be walking down the street someday, and some

00:30:10.220 --> 00:30:12.160
criminal would come. do something to me because

00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:14.920
I'm not being wary or watchful or careful because

00:30:14.920 --> 00:30:16.740
I don't understand that there are mass murderers

00:30:16.740 --> 00:30:18.680
out there that take 35 people a year and take

00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:21.099
them off and kill them in a closet, right? You

00:30:21.099 --> 00:30:22.960
don't need to understand that. By the way, if

00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:24.680
a mass murderer comes against you on the street

00:30:24.680 --> 00:30:27.259
in broad daylight, odds are you're going down

00:30:27.259 --> 00:30:29.140
because they're probably going to come from behind

00:30:29.140 --> 00:30:31.480
a bush or a wall or off a roof or whatever. And

00:30:31.480 --> 00:30:33.339
what are you going to do about it? How much time

00:30:33.339 --> 00:30:34.680
are you going to spend? How much of your brain

00:30:34.680 --> 00:30:35.980
power, your soul power are you going to spend

00:30:35.980 --> 00:30:38.660
knowing the tactics of evil so you can possibly

00:30:38.660 --> 00:30:41.920
defend FYI? If you know the tactics of evil so

00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:43.660
that you can possibly defend, you have lost your

00:30:43.660 --> 00:30:46.119
defense. Because your defense is not knowing

00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:47.759
the tactics of evil and being able to defend.

00:30:47.900 --> 00:30:51.920
Your defense is, wait for it, being wise unto

00:30:51.920 --> 00:30:54.740
good. That's your defense. Being willing to know

00:30:54.740 --> 00:30:58.720
more about the evils that go on, it's shameful

00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:00.859
even to speak of the things that go on behind

00:31:00.859 --> 00:31:04.079
the scenes. Let it go. It's enough. Let God start

00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:05.960
blanking that stuff out of your head and get

00:31:05.960 --> 00:31:07.500
focused on the things that you should be focused

00:31:07.500 --> 00:31:09.599
on. The next thing in here, and this is the great

00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:12.220
blessing, is that the God of peace will crush

00:31:12.220 --> 00:31:14.279
the enemies of his people. Do you understand?

00:31:14.740 --> 00:31:16.779
We're kind of in that season where we're moving

00:31:16.779 --> 00:31:18.619
toward the crucifixion. And the crucifixion and

00:31:18.619 --> 00:31:20.519
resurrection, they are mighty works of God, are

00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:23.099
they not? That God the Father sent God the Son.

00:31:23.240 --> 00:31:25.460
That God the Son lived a sinless life. That God

00:31:25.460 --> 00:31:27.420
the Son was crucified on a cross, which is a

00:31:27.420 --> 00:31:29.440
sinner's death, to pay for sins for all mankind.

00:31:29.559 --> 00:31:31.660
That is a mighty work that no one else could

00:31:31.660 --> 00:31:34.359
do. No one else. Then he comes back to life on

00:31:34.359 --> 00:31:37.339
the third day. That is a mighty work. that no

00:31:37.339 --> 00:31:40.240
one else could do. God alone can put life where

00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:42.200
there was death. That is amazing. But you know

00:31:42.200 --> 00:31:44.880
what we sometimes forget? That the crucifixion

00:31:44.880 --> 00:31:47.920
and the resurrection not only proves God's superiority

00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:52.400
and power, but notice he did it right in front

00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:56.240
of Satan. He even overcame Satan so that Satan

00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:59.009
and his agents were complicit. in making the

00:31:59.009 --> 00:32:02.529
sacrifice to pay for all sins, that very being

00:32:02.529 --> 00:32:04.230
that Christians have been just foolish enough

00:32:04.230 --> 00:32:06.390
to be afraid of because he knows the word better

00:32:06.390 --> 00:32:08.210
than we do, if you don't count the Holy Spirit,

00:32:08.390 --> 00:32:10.809
because he's done many acts and had millennia

00:32:10.809 --> 00:32:12.349
to scheme against us and we've only been alive

00:32:12.349 --> 00:32:15.529
for decades, that very being that we fear when

00:32:15.529 --> 00:32:18.329
we're not smart enough not to, God used him.

00:32:18.529 --> 00:32:22.890
God tricked the deceiver. God made the situation.

00:32:23.420 --> 00:32:25.339
Do you think Satan knew what he was doing when

00:32:25.339 --> 00:32:27.299
he crucified Jesus? Not that he physically crucified

00:32:27.299 --> 00:32:29.779
him, but his agents worked in that? Because they

00:32:29.779 --> 00:32:32.960
did. He tempted Jesus three times after he came

00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:34.799
out of the wilderness. He offered him the whole

00:32:34.799 --> 00:32:37.259
world to get him to stop. And Jesus said no.

00:32:37.380 --> 00:32:39.980
And Satan had to say, this guy is not like anybody

00:32:39.980 --> 00:32:41.940
else. Now, did he know he was the son of God?

00:32:42.019 --> 00:32:43.279
We don't really know that for sure. But we know

00:32:43.279 --> 00:32:46.259
he didn't. He's got to say he's not like anybody

00:32:46.259 --> 00:32:49.339
else. And then his solution is what? Now. Lies,

00:32:49.339 --> 00:32:52.440
accusations, mock trial, crucifying. Let's just

00:32:52.440 --> 00:32:54.740
get rid of this guy. Never a thought in his head

00:32:54.740 --> 00:32:56.259
that he could just come back from the death.

00:32:56.420 --> 00:32:57.779
Have you ever seen The Lion, the Witch, and the

00:32:57.779 --> 00:33:00.420
Wardrobe by C .S. Lewis? And it's great movie

00:33:00.420 --> 00:33:03.140
series, really. All the books are great. I've

00:33:03.140 --> 00:33:05.220
not seen all the movies, but they did make BBC,

00:33:05.559 --> 00:33:07.799
British Broadcasting, whatever that C stands

00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:10.720
for, made all the books into movies. And in one

00:33:10.720 --> 00:33:13.529
portion of that... One of the guys is a betrayer.

00:33:13.529 --> 00:33:16.210
He's a liar, Edmund. And he's in the captivity

00:33:16.210 --> 00:33:18.170
of the queen. And they go and they rescue him.

00:33:18.250 --> 00:33:19.809
And now he's back with his friends, with Aslan.

00:33:19.990 --> 00:33:21.349
And the queen comes and says, you can't have

00:33:21.349 --> 00:33:23.309
him. He's a betrayer. He belongs to me. I'm going

00:33:23.309 --> 00:33:25.269
to kill him. Worthy of death. The wages of sin

00:33:25.269 --> 00:33:26.529
is death. She doesn't use those exact words,

00:33:26.549 --> 00:33:28.369
but that's it. He should die. And Aslan says,

00:33:28.490 --> 00:33:30.720
she's right. Turn him over. So they turn Edmund

00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:33.019
over to the witch to be killed when she's ready.

00:33:33.140 --> 00:33:34.980
Then Aslan goes into private conference with

00:33:34.980 --> 00:33:36.900
the witch and he says, take me instead. So now

00:33:36.900 --> 00:33:39.000
Aslan is taken by the witch. And they go up in

00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:41.819
a midnight ceremony in a kind of scary scene.

00:33:42.099 --> 00:33:45.140
And she sacrifices Aslan in the C .S. Lewis stories

00:33:45.140 --> 00:33:47.539
for the son of God. After all is said and done,

00:33:47.680 --> 00:33:49.579
they go, he comes back to life. And he says,

00:33:49.700 --> 00:33:51.900
if the witch had only known the true meaning

00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:54.359
of what is written in the deep end. that if one

00:33:54.359 --> 00:33:56.799
who is innocent should give his life for one

00:33:56.799 --> 00:33:59.420
who is a liar, then time and death and all would

00:33:59.420 --> 00:34:01.599
be turned backwards and life comes out of death.

00:34:01.720 --> 00:34:04.099
You see, Satan knows the word better than any

00:34:04.099 --> 00:34:06.759
living human being without the help of the Holy

00:34:06.759 --> 00:34:10.219
Spirit. And even so, he was tricked by God. He

00:34:10.219 --> 00:34:12.880
was pantsed in public in front of all mankind.

00:34:12.980 --> 00:34:16.030
He was pantsed in public. public by God and God's

00:34:16.030 --> 00:34:18.630
still doing it today. Satan's still running around

00:34:18.630 --> 00:34:20.989
with his pants down every time he jumps up in

00:34:20.989 --> 00:34:23.429
a believer's life because God's got him right

00:34:23.429 --> 00:34:25.829
where he wants him. To crush an enemy is more

00:34:25.829 --> 00:34:28.489
than to defeat an enemy. It does not say to defeat

00:34:28.489 --> 00:34:29.469
an enemy. There's a word for that. It doesn't

00:34:29.469 --> 00:34:32.710
say that. It says the God of peace will crush

00:34:32.710 --> 00:34:36.550
Satan beneath their feet, whose feet the church's

00:34:36.550 --> 00:34:39.349
feet our feet the church's feet a worthy opponent

00:34:39.349 --> 00:34:41.710
might be spared like you're in combat and you

00:34:41.710 --> 00:34:43.090
win the fight and they surrender throw up their

00:34:43.090 --> 00:34:44.409
drop their arms throw up their arm you might

00:34:44.409 --> 00:34:46.269
spare them right in the olden day they'd be taken

00:34:46.269 --> 00:34:48.030
into slavery in your country or whatever and

00:34:48.030 --> 00:34:50.610
sold for money or to somebody not because they

00:34:50.610 --> 00:34:53.679
were Bad, but they lost in combat, so their life

00:34:53.679 --> 00:34:56.079
is forfeit. A worthy opponent might be spared.

00:34:56.260 --> 00:34:58.659
But what happens when they are beyond redemption?

00:34:58.780 --> 00:35:00.460
When you're fighting somebody that is not worth

00:35:00.460 --> 00:35:02.280
saving? That's a really scary thought, isn't

00:35:02.280 --> 00:35:04.980
it? What happens when your enemy cannot be saved?

00:35:05.219 --> 00:35:08.019
Who would you trust with the decision to decide

00:35:08.019 --> 00:35:10.519
when somebody can be saved and when they can't?

00:35:10.519 --> 00:35:12.880
Only God. Only God. I don't want that decision.

00:35:13.309 --> 00:35:15.550
That is a scary thought alone, and we're not

00:35:15.550 --> 00:35:17.329
supposed to. That's what it says in Judge Not

00:35:17.329 --> 00:35:19.829
Lest You Be Judged. God alone should have such

00:35:19.829 --> 00:35:23.110
authority, but this is what he says of those

00:35:23.110 --> 00:35:26.710
who stay the course. Do not side with the fomenter

00:35:26.710 --> 00:35:29.869
of dissension and the ones causing hindrances.

00:35:29.969 --> 00:35:34.170
And if you do not side with the fomenter of dissension

00:35:34.170 --> 00:35:37.690
and the one causing hindrances, God will crush

00:35:37.690 --> 00:35:42.050
Satan beneath your feet. That brings us to our

00:35:42.050 --> 00:35:43.849
conclusion. There are provisions for dealing

00:35:43.849 --> 00:35:45.570
with disagreement. There had better be, because

00:35:45.570 --> 00:35:47.230
as long as there are humans, there will be disagreement.

00:35:47.489 --> 00:35:49.070
There are provisions for dealing with disagreement.

00:35:49.210 --> 00:35:51.469
There are methods of demonstrating love, even

00:35:51.469 --> 00:35:53.489
though we are each unique and different. In this

00:35:53.489 --> 00:35:56.570
room, as many people as are in this room are

00:35:56.570 --> 00:35:58.570
that many different types of personalities. Don't

00:35:58.570 --> 00:36:01.929
let sociologists or psychologists or philosophers

00:36:01.929 --> 00:36:04.050
tell you that you can lump people into small

00:36:04.050 --> 00:36:06.469
groups and that there are five or six groups

00:36:06.469 --> 00:36:07.750
that covers everybody, because it's just not

00:36:07.750 --> 00:36:09.670
true. There are as many types of personalities,

00:36:10.050 --> 00:36:12.150
psychologies, etc., as there are people. people

00:36:12.150 --> 00:36:14.150
in this room, and yet we're able to work together,

00:36:14.289 --> 00:36:16.170
and yet we're able to serve and love one another.

00:36:16.329 --> 00:36:17.849
People who would never have known each other

00:36:17.849 --> 00:36:19.989
and in general would not tolerate each other,

00:36:20.050 --> 00:36:22.510
say, very well in the workforce if it were not

00:36:22.510 --> 00:36:24.929
for Christ or in the community, right? But here

00:36:24.929 --> 00:36:27.409
we are, called by Christ to be the church, and

00:36:27.409 --> 00:36:29.949
there is a way of demonstrating love even though

00:36:29.949 --> 00:36:32.230
we are each unique and different, even though

00:36:32.230 --> 00:36:34.929
we offend or have failings in our efforts at

00:36:34.929 --> 00:36:37.150
biblical community. There's Matthew 18 accountability,

00:36:37.389 --> 00:36:39.469
which I already talked about. There's reconciliation.

00:36:40.079 --> 00:36:41.639
Two believers come together and work it out,

00:36:41.659 --> 00:36:43.179
come to peace, commit the whole thing to Christ,

00:36:43.260 --> 00:36:45.840
repent, and move on. There is a biblical definition

00:36:45.840 --> 00:36:48.840
of love, which we have studied ad nauseum. We

00:36:48.840 --> 00:36:51.360
have been over it for months, what it means to

00:36:51.360 --> 00:36:53.480
love, what it means to be loved, what's not included

00:36:53.480 --> 00:36:55.559
in love. And yet, even though all of that...

00:36:55.789 --> 00:36:58.670
Do some find occasion to argue persuasively that

00:36:58.670 --> 00:37:00.849
someone else in the church is an error? Hear

00:37:00.849 --> 00:37:04.030
me. This is not the way. Understand? Arguing

00:37:04.030 --> 00:37:05.809
persuasively that someone else did something

00:37:05.809 --> 00:37:09.969
wrong is not the way. It's not included. Just

00:37:09.969 --> 00:37:12.070
in the steps of Matthew 18, show me in Matthew

00:37:12.070 --> 00:37:15.190
18, one goes, one takes one to two, they call

00:37:15.190 --> 00:37:18.250
him before, show me in there where is the person

00:37:18.250 --> 00:37:21.090
who was sinned against going to rally a crowd,

00:37:21.289 --> 00:37:24.289
to talk to somebody, to get advice first. Your

00:37:24.289 --> 00:37:27.599
advice is done. it's done if somebody sins against

00:37:27.599 --> 00:37:30.800
you go them and show them their sin between you

00:37:30.800 --> 00:37:33.480
and them black and white you don't get advice

00:37:33.480 --> 00:37:35.139
you don't talk to somebody you don't ask for

00:37:35.139 --> 00:37:36.599
comfort you don't ask for somebody to hold your

00:37:36.599 --> 00:37:41.219
hand just do what you are told to do conveying

00:37:41.219 --> 00:37:43.119
persuasively that someone else in the church

00:37:43.119 --> 00:37:46.340
is in error is not the way. There are provisions

00:37:46.340 --> 00:37:49.000
for bringing people who are slaves to sin, he

00:37:49.000 --> 00:37:51.260
who sins is a slave to sin, into biblical community.

00:37:51.579 --> 00:37:55.539
These involve a great amount application of the

00:37:55.539 --> 00:37:59.500
gospel truth and Jesus' grace, as well as repentance

00:37:59.500 --> 00:38:01.900
and trust by the individual previously not at

00:38:01.900 --> 00:38:05.239
peace with God. And yet, some so -called Christians

00:38:05.239 --> 00:38:07.860
are satisfied with their own self -righteous

00:38:07.860 --> 00:38:10.219
indignation, looking down their noses at a lost

00:38:10.219 --> 00:38:12.420
and dying world, doing ignorant and desperate

00:38:12.420 --> 00:38:14.659
things. My dad used to say, even though he was

00:38:14.659 --> 00:38:16.119
a backslidden Christian the whole time I was

00:38:16.119 --> 00:38:19.260
growing up, he didn't get saved until I was 30.

00:38:19.679 --> 00:38:22.360
I was about 30, 32, something like that. My dad

00:38:22.360 --> 00:38:24.719
used to say, poor people do. What poor people

00:38:24.719 --> 00:38:26.840
do. Poor people act like poor people. So you

00:38:26.840 --> 00:38:28.539
see, we'd be driving down the road and somebody's

00:38:28.539 --> 00:38:29.539
driving down the road with their bumper duct

00:38:29.539 --> 00:38:31.280
taped on their car. And you say, yeah, poor people

00:38:31.280 --> 00:38:32.739
do what they got to do. Poor people act like

00:38:32.739 --> 00:38:34.539
poor people. And they shouldn't be judged for

00:38:34.539 --> 00:38:36.039
it. It's just what they do. Listen to me. Lost

00:38:36.039 --> 00:38:37.760
people act like lost people. People who do not

00:38:37.760 --> 00:38:39.800
know Jesus act like they don't know Jesus. They

00:38:39.800 --> 00:38:41.480
may even say that they do know Jesus. But if

00:38:41.480 --> 00:38:42.980
they act like they don't know Jesus, then you

00:38:42.980 --> 00:38:45.179
assume they don't know Jesus and share the gospel.

00:38:45.400 --> 00:38:47.739
You tell them the truth about Jesus and the availability,

00:38:47.880 --> 00:38:51.320
again, of grace from Jesus. To sit there and

00:38:51.320 --> 00:38:53.519
look at the way the world is going and condemn.

00:38:53.579 --> 00:38:57.420
the world. That's not us. Jesus loved the world.

00:38:57.539 --> 00:38:59.719
He did not come to condemn the world, John 3,

00:38:59.880 --> 00:39:02.000
but rather they are condemned already by what

00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:04.179
they do with the Son of God. And if we go around

00:39:04.179 --> 00:39:07.260
condemning them, if we say bad things about them

00:39:07.260 --> 00:39:09.659
or whatever, are they going to be somehow more

00:39:09.659 --> 00:39:12.619
condemned? If you're mad at them because they

00:39:12.619 --> 00:39:14.639
did something you stole from you, hurt you, persecuted

00:39:14.639 --> 00:39:15.900
you, whatever, are they going to somehow be more?

00:39:16.039 --> 00:39:18.039
Do you think a person is going to more go to

00:39:18.039 --> 00:39:19.980
hell because they persecuted you? Because they

00:39:19.980 --> 00:39:21.780
did something you don't like? No, you can only

00:39:21.780 --> 00:39:23.500
go to hell once for eternity. That's it. That's

00:39:23.500 --> 00:39:25.940
all it is. There's no worse punishment. So if

00:39:25.940 --> 00:39:28.500
you go around condemning them, how bad they are

00:39:28.500 --> 00:39:30.139
and the bad things they do, that's not going

00:39:30.139 --> 00:39:32.639
to make it any worse. Indeed, we should do just

00:39:32.639 --> 00:39:34.400
the opposite. You should go around and every

00:39:34.400 --> 00:39:36.440
time someone sins against you, wait for it, you

00:39:36.440 --> 00:39:39.119
should forgive them. Pronounce them verbally.

00:39:39.239 --> 00:39:42.239
I forgive you. In the name of Jesus Christ, I

00:39:42.239 --> 00:39:44.059
forgive you for what you've done to me. The hurt

00:39:44.059 --> 00:39:45.719
that you've caused me, I forgive you. I declare

00:39:45.719 --> 00:39:48.079
you forgiven by the Lord. Now, if their heart

00:39:48.079 --> 00:39:49.360
doesn't change, they're not going to be saved.

00:39:49.460 --> 00:39:51.420
You can't make a person be saved. But if their

00:39:51.420 --> 00:39:53.619
heart changes at some point in time, then that

00:39:53.619 --> 00:39:57.389
sin could be eternally forgiven. We are a pronouncer

00:39:57.389 --> 00:40:00.690
of forgiveness. That's what the church is. We

00:40:00.690 --> 00:40:02.489
are the body of Christ. Christ came not to condemn,

00:40:02.630 --> 00:40:04.690
nor do we. So stop looking at the world and going,

00:40:04.789 --> 00:40:07.329
oh my gosh, I can't believe what they're doing

00:40:07.329 --> 00:40:09.389
and condemning them. and start delivering the

00:40:09.389 --> 00:40:11.510
gospel so that instead of acting out of their

00:40:11.510 --> 00:40:14.929
desperation and ignorance, they can act out of

00:40:14.929 --> 00:40:17.769
a relationship with Jesus. I could go on, but

00:40:17.769 --> 00:40:20.750
what I'm getting at is this. If you aren't armed

00:40:20.750 --> 00:40:23.789
to detect someone who foments division in the

00:40:23.789 --> 00:40:26.090
community or brings about hindrances, then you

00:40:26.090 --> 00:40:28.989
risk becoming one yourself. Either because they

00:40:28.989 --> 00:40:30.789
are inviting you to go and talk, or they are

00:40:30.789 --> 00:40:32.489
inviting you to go and do, inviting you into

00:40:32.489 --> 00:40:34.900
another kind of community, or... Because you're

00:40:34.900 --> 00:40:36.960
just not armed and somebody hurts you. And so

00:40:36.960 --> 00:40:39.179
then you, out of your own appetites, do what

00:40:39.179 --> 00:40:41.619
makes logical sense, what makes reasonable sense.

00:40:41.800 --> 00:40:44.420
You get mad. You say things. You do things. And

00:40:44.420 --> 00:40:47.619
those things then become traps. And you are enslaved

00:40:47.619 --> 00:40:51.599
by your sin. And beware. If you do, real Christians

00:40:51.599 --> 00:40:54.559
will cling to community. They will recognize

00:40:54.559 --> 00:40:58.460
your efforts as fruitless. You will go that road

00:40:58.460 --> 00:41:01.539
alone. Be fair warned. You don't want to do it.

00:41:01.599 --> 00:41:03.579
You're not creative. You're created to be in

00:41:03.579 --> 00:41:06.119
relationship with God, relationship with other

00:41:06.119 --> 00:41:08.699
believers, and to be the church. You will lose

00:41:08.699 --> 00:41:12.019
the great promise of this passage, which is that

00:41:12.019 --> 00:41:15.139
the God of peace will soon place Satan under

00:41:15.139 --> 00:41:17.900
the feet of those who watch out and proceed by

00:41:17.900 --> 00:41:20.480
God's way. Do you want to be plagued by Satan

00:41:20.480 --> 00:41:22.519
and his schemes and his efforts and evil spirits

00:41:22.519 --> 00:41:24.760
and your own flesh for your whole life? Do you

00:41:24.760 --> 00:41:27.099
honestly want to keep going through the trials

00:41:27.099 --> 00:41:28.880
and temptations and enticements? Do you want

00:41:28.880 --> 00:41:30.360
to keep doing that for your whole life? Some

00:41:30.360 --> 00:41:32.820
of you are young. Being Satan, like, do you want

00:41:32.820 --> 00:41:34.320
to follow Jesus your whole life? You could live

00:41:34.320 --> 00:41:35.820
for another 100 years. Haley, you could live

00:41:35.820 --> 00:41:38.159
for 100 years. It's possible. And you said you're

00:41:38.159 --> 00:41:39.500
going to follow Jesus. Are you sure you want

00:41:39.500 --> 00:41:41.579
to do that? You really want to follow Jesus for

00:41:41.579 --> 00:41:43.980
100 years? That's a long time. Big investment

00:41:43.980 --> 00:41:46.400
for such a young person to know and be so sure.

00:41:46.619 --> 00:41:48.480
But the same is true on the other side of the

00:41:48.480 --> 00:41:50.820
fence. Do you want to be trapped, struggling

00:41:50.820 --> 00:41:54.000
with evil spirits and flesh and Satan's stupid

00:41:54.000 --> 00:41:56.769
schemes? trying to win you over, create dissension,

00:41:56.829 --> 00:41:58.630
pull you away from the church, mess with your

00:41:58.630 --> 00:42:00.610
community and your unity, and put hindrances

00:42:00.610 --> 00:42:02.510
in your path of spirit? Do you want to mess with

00:42:02.510 --> 00:42:04.030
that for your whole life? Or do you want to get

00:42:04.030 --> 00:42:06.289
in line, follow God, stay in community, and let

00:42:06.289 --> 00:42:09.320
God do the work under your feet? Well, B sounds

00:42:09.320 --> 00:42:10.940
like the right plan to me. A few illustrations

00:42:10.940 --> 00:42:13.320
and then I'll be closed. First one is this. A

00:42:13.320 --> 00:42:15.119
woman called me on the phone. She's a member

00:42:15.119 --> 00:42:17.280
of the church. She called me about another woman

00:42:17.280 --> 00:42:19.900
in the church who she had heard had gossiped

00:42:19.900 --> 00:42:22.099
about her. An alarm went off. I was like, wait

00:42:22.099 --> 00:42:23.699
a minute. Let me make sure I get this straight.

00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:26.440
You're calling me. That's what I said. You're

00:42:26.440 --> 00:42:30.199
calling me to gossip about her because she gossiped

00:42:30.199 --> 00:42:33.519
about you. No, I'm telling you. I'm like tattling.

00:42:33.599 --> 00:42:35.519
I'm a tattletale. Okay, fine. But I'm not a gossip.

00:42:35.739 --> 00:42:37.260
So what am I going to do about it? It's not my

00:42:37.260 --> 00:42:39.780
job. Matthew 18 says you are supposed to be going

00:42:39.780 --> 00:42:41.920
to talk to her. She had to talk to the woman

00:42:41.920 --> 00:42:44.440
first because, quote, she didn't want to cause

00:42:44.440 --> 00:42:46.500
trouble. Oh, that's very sober. That's very nice.

00:42:46.679 --> 00:42:48.139
I'm so glad she didn't want to cause trouble.

00:42:48.159 --> 00:42:50.119
I submit to you what we really know what happened.

00:42:50.199 --> 00:42:52.619
She called me to cause trouble, but not trouble

00:42:52.619 --> 00:42:54.570
for her. Trouble for that other person. So we're

00:42:54.570 --> 00:42:56.170
going to have a new community. So we're going

00:42:56.170 --> 00:42:58.050
to have a church now with Pastor Dan and Church

00:42:58.050 --> 00:42:59.989
Member A. But Church Member B, we've got to get

00:42:59.989 --> 00:43:02.789
rid of that one. Clearly bad. See? A woman called

00:43:02.789 --> 00:43:04.849
me. No, I'm sorry. This was done in person. Insisted

00:43:04.849 --> 00:43:07.690
that she would never return to worship at our

00:43:07.690 --> 00:43:11.050
church as long as another woman, both are married

00:43:11.050 --> 00:43:13.989
women, mature adults, as long as another woman

00:43:13.989 --> 00:43:16.949
who had offended her was attending our church.

00:43:17.130 --> 00:43:19.829
Years later, the woman that she complained about

00:43:19.829 --> 00:43:22.389
had left the church. And the first woman still

00:43:22.389 --> 00:43:24.440
never came back. In the meantime, I talked to

00:43:24.440 --> 00:43:25.699
the first woman. The woman was complaining about

00:43:25.699 --> 00:43:26.820
the other one about three times. She said, well,

00:43:26.840 --> 00:43:28.360
if she leaves, I'll be back. If she leaves, I'll

00:43:28.360 --> 00:43:29.840
be back. If she leaves, I'll be back. What was

00:43:29.840 --> 00:43:32.679
she doing? She was sowing dissension. She was

00:43:32.679 --> 00:43:34.980
unraveling units. She was trying to get me or

00:43:34.980 --> 00:43:37.000
the church or whoever to respond to that person.

00:43:37.219 --> 00:43:39.719
But what happened to them happened on a job across

00:43:39.719 --> 00:43:41.860
town. It wasn't here. It wasn't in the church

00:43:41.860 --> 00:43:43.500
building. It wasn't at an event. It wasn't all

00:43:43.500 --> 00:43:45.400
family fellowship, whatever. It wasn't even over

00:43:45.400 --> 00:43:48.420
between them on a job across town. If that has

00:43:48.420 --> 00:43:51.159
nothing to do with me, there's nothing more under

00:43:51.159 --> 00:43:53.039
the sun that has nothing to do with that. And

00:43:53.039 --> 00:43:55.320
yet, I get the report that she won't be back

00:43:55.320 --> 00:43:57.480
unless that other person is gone. That's a person

00:43:57.480 --> 00:44:00.219
sowing dissension. A man in his anger says mean

00:44:00.219 --> 00:44:02.820
things about the foolish ways that the world

00:44:02.820 --> 00:44:05.320
acts and seems to find some peace in it. Like

00:44:05.320 --> 00:44:07.139
every time he complains, gets upset about the

00:44:07.139 --> 00:44:09.179
dumb things that people are doing, he seems to

00:44:09.179 --> 00:44:11.340
have some peace. But at the same time, that same

00:44:11.340 --> 00:44:13.280
man would openly admit that he's not sharing

00:44:13.280 --> 00:44:15.260
the gospel with lost people. Hear me now when

00:44:15.260 --> 00:44:17.940
I say, the last time an idiot cut you off on

00:44:17.940 --> 00:44:19.880
purpose in traffic or flipped you off out his

00:44:19.880 --> 00:44:23.099
window or posted a half -nude picture, Because

00:44:23.099 --> 00:44:24.840
if we were sharing the gospel, people would be

00:44:24.840 --> 00:44:26.360
getting saved and they would know, they would

00:44:26.360 --> 00:44:28.739
at least have a choice. We are culpable if we

00:44:28.739 --> 00:44:30.940
don't share the gospel. And every time you snort,

00:44:31.000 --> 00:44:33.460
and that's what the word disgusted in the Greek

00:44:33.460 --> 00:44:35.280
means, to snort out your nose like this. Every

00:44:35.280 --> 00:44:36.840
time you do that, you're disgusted at what the

00:44:36.840 --> 00:44:38.980
world is doing. You need to realize they're doing

00:44:38.980 --> 00:44:41.019
it because nobody told them how to be saved or

00:44:41.019 --> 00:44:42.940
because God didn't call them to be saved. In

00:44:42.940 --> 00:44:44.679
other ways, is it their fault then? If nobody

00:44:44.679 --> 00:44:46.659
told them how to be saved or God didn't yet call

00:44:46.659 --> 00:44:48.179
them to be saved, then they're just doing what

00:44:48.179 --> 00:44:50.019
lost people do and lost people do what lost people

00:44:50.019 --> 00:44:51.760
do and you need to get on doing what saved people

00:44:51.760 --> 00:44:54.199
do. Church member, me to understand claiming

00:44:54.199 --> 00:44:56.599
they have no problem with me i haven't done anything

00:44:56.599 --> 00:44:59.179
wrong but they just can't get over how so and

00:44:59.179 --> 00:45:00.920
so another church member did something wrong

00:45:00.920 --> 00:45:03.219
the church member is professing to be deeply

00:45:03.219 --> 00:45:06.340
hurt and states that they are unable to do anything

00:45:06.340 --> 00:45:08.340
about their hurt there's nothing they can do

00:45:08.340 --> 00:45:10.780
to get over it asked about the offense the offense

00:45:10.780 --> 00:45:13.619
seems relatively minor though in a certain manner

00:45:13.619 --> 00:45:17.199
if you look at it just a certain way Now you

00:45:17.199 --> 00:45:19.260
see it, don't you? It's pretty obvious, isn't

00:45:19.260 --> 00:45:21.599
it? Good people responding to the world's way

00:45:21.599 --> 00:45:23.820
of doing things, responding to appetites in themselves

00:45:23.820 --> 00:45:25.420
to feel better about themselves or better about

00:45:25.420 --> 00:45:27.739
the situation, bringing dissension, bringing

00:45:27.739 --> 00:45:30.539
hindrances. A church member says that they would

00:45:30.539 --> 00:45:33.179
just rather walk away than be involved in any

00:45:33.179 --> 00:45:35.920
more drama or stress through relationship. According

00:45:35.920 --> 00:45:37.900
to their account, they did not do anything to

00:45:37.900 --> 00:45:39.860
cause the dissension and they don't want to be

00:45:39.860 --> 00:45:42.760
involved in it at all. But at the same time,

00:45:42.780 --> 00:45:44.500
they are prepared to walk away from the unity

00:45:44.500 --> 00:45:46.539
with the church. They have responded to someone

00:45:46.539 --> 00:45:48.599
who was sowing dissension, and now what? Become

00:45:48.599 --> 00:45:50.099
themselves someone who was sowing dissension.

00:45:50.199 --> 00:45:51.900
That's how it works. I propose an alternative

00:45:51.900 --> 00:45:53.780
solution, and I think it's Paul's solution. Do

00:45:53.780 --> 00:45:56.780
not be enticed into dissension, nor fall into

00:45:56.780 --> 00:45:59.360
creating dissension. Do not remain in the presence

00:45:59.360 --> 00:46:01.920
of those who are causing hindrances, but also

00:46:01.920 --> 00:46:06.280
never give up community for the sake of the offense.

00:46:06.860 --> 00:46:09.960
or to achieve a simulation of peace. Simulation

00:46:09.960 --> 00:46:12.300
of peace? Peace is not not fighting. That's what

00:46:12.300 --> 00:46:15.179
the world thinks peace is. Peace is not not fighting.

00:46:15.280 --> 00:46:18.460
Peace is no turbulence in here, no matter what

00:46:18.460 --> 00:46:21.280
you face. That's peace. Making a peace treaty

00:46:21.280 --> 00:46:23.840
between two countries that hate each other is

00:46:23.840 --> 00:46:26.119
not worth the paper it's written on, because

00:46:26.119 --> 00:46:30.139
they'll fight again. Stay in. Go to battle for

00:46:30.139 --> 00:46:33.539
community and await the promised victory. God

00:46:33.539 --> 00:46:36.369
promised victory. Stand together. as the church

00:46:36.369 --> 00:46:40.469
and love one another in a God -given, God -led,

00:46:40.650 --> 00:46:44.510
and God -recognizing way. And the next time someone

00:46:44.510 --> 00:46:48.610
comes to you as a fomentor of some kind of lack

00:46:48.610 --> 00:46:51.869
of community, unraveling unity, sowing dissension,

00:46:52.030 --> 00:46:54.150
you say, I'll have nothing to do with that. I

00:46:54.150 --> 00:46:55.670
don't want to know what so -and -so did wrong.

00:46:55.829 --> 00:46:58.639
The wrong is that I would know. Have you followed

00:46:58.639 --> 00:47:00.820
Matthew 18 accountability? When the one or two

00:47:00.820 --> 00:47:03.320
go with, they don't even have to know why they're

00:47:03.320 --> 00:47:05.000
going. I need to do Matthew 18 accountability

00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:07.480
with Brother Tim, and I have to do about it myself.

00:47:07.840 --> 00:47:09.900
So Arden and Ron, can you meet with me and Brother

00:47:09.900 --> 00:47:11.599
Tim on Saturday? What are we talking about? We

00:47:11.599 --> 00:47:12.719
don't need to know what we're talking about.

00:47:12.800 --> 00:47:14.340
It's a Matthew 18 accountability conversation.

00:47:14.460 --> 00:47:16.460
Can you go or not? Well, I can go. Well, I can't

00:47:16.460 --> 00:47:18.639
go. Okay, well, Tommy, can you go? That's my

00:47:18.639 --> 00:47:20.159
dad. I don't want to go. Natalie, can you go?

00:47:20.380 --> 00:47:22.420
Yeah, I guess. It's really outside my wheelhouse,

00:47:22.460 --> 00:47:23.960
but I'll do whatever you need me to do. Then

00:47:23.960 --> 00:47:25.940
we go and we talk it out. Brother Tim says he

00:47:25.940 --> 00:47:27.780
doesn't think it's sin. I say, I think it is

00:47:27.780 --> 00:47:29.980
sin. And Arden and Natalie have to decide between

00:47:29.980 --> 00:47:31.780
the two of us. And they will say, you know what,

00:47:31.840 --> 00:47:33.840
I'm sorry, this is sin. It needs to stop. Brother

00:47:33.840 --> 00:47:35.420
Tim, you've got to stop. Brother Tim says, okay,

00:47:35.599 --> 00:47:38.159
well, I didn't realize. I see that now, looking

00:47:38.159 --> 00:47:39.940
at Scripture, hearing from other believers. I'm

00:47:39.940 --> 00:47:41.860
repentant of this sin. I will not do it again.

00:47:41.980 --> 00:47:45.179
And it stops. That, my friends, is love. Arden,

00:47:45.179 --> 00:47:46.500
I've got to talk to Brother Tim on Saturday.

00:47:46.519 --> 00:47:48.519
I'm really hurting over this, man. I already

00:47:48.519 --> 00:47:50.960
tried talking to him. He's doing this, and is

00:47:50.960 --> 00:47:52.480
there anything you think I could do to get through?

00:47:52.519 --> 00:47:53.780
Let me tell you what he did. You give me some

00:47:53.780 --> 00:47:56.860
advice. That is sowing dissension. It's not godly,

00:47:56.860 --> 00:47:59.079
and it does not have God's power, and it makes

00:47:59.079 --> 00:48:02.320
us a church without the promise of God to crush

00:48:02.320 --> 00:48:06.099
Satan under our feet. And I want it. I want that.

00:48:06.409 --> 00:48:09.329
promise. I want to be free in Christ the way

00:48:09.329 --> 00:48:11.530
Christ said I can be. Don't you want it? Arm

00:48:11.530 --> 00:48:13.969
yourself to know the tactics of someone who is

00:48:13.969 --> 00:48:16.530
sowing dissension or causing hindrances and say,

00:48:16.670 --> 00:48:19.010
not me, not me. I'll not have any part of it.

00:48:19.110 --> 00:48:22.349
Prepare yourself to need to do Matthew 18 accountability

00:48:22.349 --> 00:48:24.929
with somebody who has done something wrong, a

00:48:24.929 --> 00:48:26.909
sin that you've become aware of, and go to them,

00:48:26.949 --> 00:48:29.230
just you, and say, hey, this is what I feel.

00:48:29.289 --> 00:48:30.429
This is what I think. What do you got to say

00:48:30.429 --> 00:48:33.170
about that? They'll probably say, holy cow, I

00:48:33.170 --> 00:48:35.869
did not realize. I'm so sorry. I do want to follow

00:48:35.869 --> 00:48:38.150
Jesus. And then the two of you can be in the

00:48:38.150 --> 00:48:38.289
church.