WEBVTT

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Not a big fan of horror movies, but I've seen

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a few in my day. There is a kind of classic horror

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movie scene. It doesn't appear in every horror

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movie or anything, but it is a sort of classic

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horror movie scene, or it can even be in a suspense

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movie or a mystery movie, where the person is

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in the shower. They're taking a shower and the

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water's falling down over them or whatever, and

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they hear a noise. We were actually watching

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a police show this week, Sherry and I, a couple

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days ago, and this scene took place, and I recognized

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it for what it was. A lady's in the shower, you

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go and see her head, and just like her shoulders

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were, nothing too risque or anything, and she

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heard a noise in the house. And then she slowly,

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she stood there and listened for a second and

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she slowly turned the shower off and went out

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to see what the noise was about or did she actually

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hear a noise or whatever. Maybe she was done

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with her shower, that kind of thing. And I told

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Sherry, oh no, if I'm in the shower and I'm supposed

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to be alone. And I hear a noise in the house.

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There's no calmness. I will rapidly react. I

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am moving toward the nearest weapon. I am checking

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what's going on. I am jumping out of the shower.

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I don't care if I'm buck naked. There's a mass

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murderer in there going to kill me. I am going

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out there to see what's going on. There's no,

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oh, I didn't actually hear anything. And the

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truth is, does that really happen? If you're

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in the shower and you're alone in the house and

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there is a noise in the house, unless you have

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a cat or a dog, you're not going like. Oh, was

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there actually a noise? Oh, it was probably just

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the cat, right? But if you don't have a cat or

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a dog and there's nobody else home, you're thinking,

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I'm in the shower, I'm alone, and there's somebody

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in my house, and I'm going to react. There's

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that moment at which you realize you've got to

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move to action or you've got to do something,

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or maybe you're going like, I'm in the shower

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and I have nothing and I'm in trouble, right?

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So I want to talk to you today about the moment

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at which glorifying is horrifying. It's that

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stunning, that scary moment in which we realize,

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oops, it may actually be too late. To do so,

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we're going to read a story from the Bible that

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comes from the book of Judges chapter one. Amen.

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Thank you. For those of you who are with me in

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it, we will now go and read from Judges chapter

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one. I felt like the Lord said we may be in Judges

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for a while. I have not confirmed with him as

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to whether or not we will preach through the

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book of Judges. It could be about time. We did

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Deuteronomy. We did Joshua. It would be fun.

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So maybe the Lord will have us do that. I don't

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actually know. We've done a number. Acts, Hebrews.

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There's a whole bunch of them. We've done the

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whole book. And we'll do more before we're through.

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But I don't know that the Lord is saying we're

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going to do the entire book of Judges. But I

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do know that we're going to do Judges chapter

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1 today. So because you were with us as we went

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through the book of Joshua, you know how that

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kind of ended. Joshua brought the Israelites

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into the promised land. led them in sort of under

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God's auspices, and they began to take over all

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the areas that God said they would take over,

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but they did not really finish the job. At the

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end of the story, Joshua told them to continue

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to be strong and courageous and trust in the

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Lord and follow him, and God would complete his

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plan. And then it comes to Judges chapter 1.

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This is right after, essentially, Joshua is no

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longer on the scene. And it says, Now it came

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about after the death of Joshua that the sons

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of Israel inquired of the Lord, saying, Who shall

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go up first for us against the Canaanites to

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fight against them? So we've got a couple of

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good things going on. First of all, they're inquiring

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of the Lord. That's what we want God's people

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to be doing. And they're asking them which tribe

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will go up and fight first. So it's good that

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they're not only asking what they should do,

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but how they should do it. And in verse 2 it

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says, And the Lord said, Judah shall go up. Behold,

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I have given the land into his hand. So God says,

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That's the tribe. It is the tribe of Judah. It

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was one of the biggest tribes. They would go

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up and conquer and fight the Canaanites in the

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league, if you will. Then Judah said to Simeon,

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his brother, come up with me into the territory,

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allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites.

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And I, in return, will go with you into the territory,

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allotted you. So Simeon went with them. Now,

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we know this is not literally Judah and Simeon,

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right? These are the, talk about the tribes.

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The tribe of Judah asked the tribe of Simeon.

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They are descendants of those two men, and the

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tribes are thus named. So, as I was reading this,

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I thought, this is sort of straying a little

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bit. Who will go up for us first to fight the

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Canaanites? Oh, Judah will go up first. Judah

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says, well, yeah, okay, but I don't want to go

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alone. So, Simeon, will you go with me? And then

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when it's your turn to go, I'll go with you?

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Oh, yeah, sure, we'll do that. Yes, they're doing

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what God told them to do, but they asked who

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would go first, and Judah was supposed to go

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first, and now it's not Judah that's going first,

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but Judah and Simeon. So it's not exactly, so

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I'm wondering, is this going to go a little wrong?

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Is there a little something that could go wrong

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here if they're going to go up? Before we go

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any further, let's talk briefly about the Canaanites.

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So the Canaanites are the people that were occupying

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the land of Canaan. It is the land that God said

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he would give to his people. And so they would

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be wiped out or kicked out. Those are their only

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options. They're no longer going to be allowed

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to live there. But we also know that there's

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been a prophecy that God will use the people

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of the descendants of the land as a distraction,

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as a way of tempting the Israelites while they're

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in the land. So we have a feeling that it's not

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going to quite go the way they might hope to

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totally eliminate them, even though that is what

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they've been commanded to do. So they're going

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to go up against the Canaanites. We now have

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Judah and Simeon going up. And so in verse 3

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again it says, And Judah said to Simeon his brother,

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Come up with me into the territory allotted me,

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that we may fight against the Canaanites. And

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in return I will go with you into the territory

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allotted you. So Simeon went with them. And Judah

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went up. And the Lord gave the Canaanites and

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the Perizzites into their hands. So when I see

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that, I'm thinking, okay, good. They didn't blow

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it. They didn't fall apart. Even though they

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asked Simeon to go up, they still, God gives

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them into the hands of Judah, of the tribe of

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Judah and the tribe of Simeon, as he originally

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promised he would. So it's still going okay,

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right? Simeon went with them, Judah went up,

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the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites

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into their hands, and they defeated 10 ,000 men

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at a place called Bezek. Verse 5 says, and they

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found Adonai Bezek in Bezek. So Adonai Bezek

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was the king. Over that entire region. And they

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fought against him and defeated the Canaanites

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and the Perizzites. So basically, the king is

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there. Huge battle. God does what he said. He

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gives victory to Judah and Simeon. Sounds great.

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Verse 6. But Adoni -Vezek fled. And they pursued

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him. And they caught him. And they cut off his

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thumbs and his toes. That's kind of yucky. He

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cut off his thumbs and his toes. And Adonai Bezek

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said, 70 kings with their thumbs and their big

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toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my

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table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.

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So they brought him to Jerusalem and he died

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there. And so before we go on any further, just

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a quick summary. They fought the battle. They

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found Adonai Bezek there and fought. He escaped.

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He flees. They hunt him down. They capture him.

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They cut off his thumbs and toes. Now, this had

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become a tradition of a sort or like a process.

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And the idea is if your big toes and your big

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thumbs are cut off, you can't what? What can't

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you do? Stand or grip anything. Can't stand or

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grip anything. So basically, you're going to

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kind of crawl around for the rest of your life.

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And you might stand like with a cane. You might

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balance yourself and stuff. But the bottom line

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is you're no longer a capable warrior. The king

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was humiliated. And he was made inconsequential

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as a military leader. He could no longer fight,

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and basically he could no longer command men.

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Which, on the one hand, doesn't sound terrible.

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But it was a tradition or a thing that had developed

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amongst the kings in that area to do to enemy

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kings so that they could never rise up again.

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Is it a thing that God ever ordained? No. God

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never commanded that they do anything like that.

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So what we see is we see the men of Judah and

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Simeon practicing the disarming and defeating

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of this king in a way that is the surrounding

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territory's way. Does that make sense? So while

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on the one hand, it looks like they have not

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failed, even though Judah asked Simeon to go

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up with them, which wasn't really necessary.

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God said, I will do it for Judah. Judah goes

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up, I'll take care of it. And he's like, well,

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I'll go up, but I want to go up. with somebody

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else. So Simeon, you go with me. So then they

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go up together, and then they still get the victory,

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which sounds good, but then immediately they

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punish the king by humiliating him and making

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him no longer capable in combat. By the way,

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what should they have done with the king? Based

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on the commands of God, what should have happened

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to him when they defeated him? They should have

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killed him, right? Those who stood against God's

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people, it was said that they would be wiped

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out. then there's nothing about humiliation.

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There's nothing about eliminating their ability

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to fight. There's nothing about scaring the other

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people. See, when you take a king's land and

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you cut off his thumbs and his toes, you scare

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all the other kings, all the other armies, and

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any of his men that might have been loyal to

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him that might later rise up in rebellion. Now

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they're terrified. Horror arises out of his persecution,

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about his humiliation, about his being defeated

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to the point that he can never rise again. Is

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there any reason for God's people to conduct

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that sort of behavior to scare the people that

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are around them? We know in the book of Joshua,

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what did the people think of the Israelites in

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the book of Joshua? They were terrified. They

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were terrified of the Israelites. Why were they

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terrified? Because they might come and cut off

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their king's toes? No, they were terrified because

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they were God's people. And so now we see them

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practicing this ritual, if you will, or this

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process against Adonai Bezek. as if they're going

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to somehow scare the people around them or humiliate

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the king or the kings. Adonai Bezek then observes

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what's been done to him and he says, So it has

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come to me as I did to 70 kings before me, taking

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their thumbs and big toes. So one might say the

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Israelites were used to bring about God's justice

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or wrath against Adonai Bezek. But at the same

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time, we see that the Israelites were doing what

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they never should have been doing in the first

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place. Verse 8 says, Then the sons of Judah fought

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against Jerusalem and captured it. That's a pretty

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big deal. Jerusalem will eventually be considered

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like the seat of God once the temple is built.

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They fought against Jerusalem and captured it,

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and they struck it with the edge of the sword,

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and they set the city on fire. You might think,

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well, that's kind of vengeful, but in reality,

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many of the cities, not all, but many of the

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cities that they captured that resisted them

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in a strong way were severely damaged, and the

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city was struck. So God is giving them victory

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after victory, even though they first go two

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instead of one, and they enact this ritual against

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Adonai Bezek that was unnecessary, but God gives

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them now victory over Jerusalem. Verse 9 says,

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And afterward the sons of Judah went down to

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fight against the Canaanites living in the hill

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countries. So they go into the lowlands around

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Jerusalem and south from there. into the Negev,

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in the lowlands. So Judah went against the Canaanites

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who lived in Hebron. Hebron's about 25 miles

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from Jerusalem, the famous home of Abraham and

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other some pretty famous fathers of the faith.

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The name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath Arba.

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And they struck Cheshire and Ahimon and Telmai.

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Okay, and so we can stop there for the purposes

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of today's lesson. Notice that in the finding

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of Adonai Bezek, this is where it all kind of

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starts to take a turn. In the finding of Adonai

00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:32.059
Bezek, what we actually find him doing is waiting

00:12:32.059 --> 00:12:36.299
in disobedience to God. When a person is found,

00:12:36.419 --> 00:12:39.139
you can find a person who's hiding. He wasn't.

00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:42.840
Or you can find a person who's waiting for you,

00:12:42.919 --> 00:12:45.899
and a variety of things in between. Adonai Bezek

00:12:45.899 --> 00:12:48.879
was waiting in disobedience. Do you remember

00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:52.580
when the Israelites were in Egypt? God kept them

00:12:52.580 --> 00:12:55.259
there for over 400 years for a reason. Do you

00:12:55.259 --> 00:12:59.620
remember why? Because the fullness of the sinfulness

00:12:59.620 --> 00:13:02.240
or the wickedness of the Canaanites had not yet

00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:05.200
reached full measure. That's why the Israelites

00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:08.019
were said they stayed in Egypt for that period

00:13:08.019 --> 00:13:10.659
of time. So that would include Adonai Bezek and

00:13:10.659 --> 00:13:13.779
kings like that had gone before him, the ones

00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:15.659
that he... personally cut off their fingers and

00:13:15.659 --> 00:13:18.960
toes, and probably his father or whoever he rebelled

00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:21.700
against to take his kingship, etc. All the kings

00:13:21.700 --> 00:13:24.840
of the Canaanites were waiting for their sin

00:13:24.840 --> 00:13:27.860
to be brought to full measure, and then the Israelites

00:13:27.860 --> 00:13:31.059
were due to come in and enact God's wrath against

00:13:31.059 --> 00:13:36.039
them. It might have been said of him until his

00:13:36.039 --> 00:13:39.899
day of defeat that he was powerful, that he was

00:13:39.899 --> 00:13:42.899
free. That he was getting good results. He was

00:13:42.899 --> 00:13:45.539
living wealthy, eating well, tons of money, conquering

00:13:45.539 --> 00:13:48.279
kingdoms, taking slaves. He was getting good

00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:52.720
results. No one would doubt on simple observation

00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:58.720
of Adonai Bezek that his way worked. He was successful.

00:13:59.940 --> 00:14:02.899
There are those like Adonai Bezek who are being

00:14:02.899 --> 00:14:05.820
retained for the day of their defeat in a manner

00:14:05.820 --> 00:14:10.669
glorifying unto the Lord even now. They practice

00:14:10.669 --> 00:14:14.470
customs of men alongside of exercising supposedly

00:14:14.470 --> 00:14:17.470
the power of God. But there is a predetermined

00:14:17.470 --> 00:14:21.070
outcome, and all of that, customs of men, the

00:14:21.070 --> 00:14:22.990
power of God, and that predetermined outcome

00:14:22.990 --> 00:14:27.490
come together to land Adonai Bezek in a horrible

00:14:27.490 --> 00:14:30.990
state. And then what is his response to his horrible

00:14:30.990 --> 00:14:34.409
state? He says, it has come upon me just as I

00:14:34.409 --> 00:14:39.769
did to so many others. Adoni Bezek saw the outcome

00:14:39.769 --> 00:14:43.289
which God had delivered as promised, not to Adoni

00:14:43.289 --> 00:14:45.509
Bezek. We don't know that God ever said to Adoni

00:14:45.509 --> 00:14:47.509
Bezek that you will suffer the same wrath that

00:14:47.509 --> 00:14:49.549
you have visited all the other people. But God

00:14:49.549 --> 00:14:52.610
promised it to God's people. And so God's people

00:14:52.610 --> 00:14:54.690
are just getting the promise that God has promised

00:14:54.690 --> 00:14:57.230
them, and Adoni Bezek is getting the justice

00:14:57.230 --> 00:15:01.470
that he in his own mind thinks he deserves. The

00:15:01.470 --> 00:15:05.490
promise... as reasonable or justice, served after

00:15:05.490 --> 00:15:08.389
he was given the same fate as the kings he had

00:15:08.389 --> 00:15:11.450
conquered. If you are standing against the Lord,

00:15:11.730 --> 00:15:16.149
the victory of your enemy is assured. Today,

00:15:16.490 --> 00:15:19.149
tomorrow, or when you stand before him, if you

00:15:19.149 --> 00:15:21.909
are standing against the Lord, the victory of

00:15:21.909 --> 00:15:26.690
your enemy is assured. Whatever demise God has

00:15:26.690 --> 00:15:30.289
pre -programmed into creation, Or whatever standard

00:15:30.289 --> 00:15:33.009
that you have created, or when you judge, you

00:15:33.009 --> 00:15:35.429
shall be judged accordingly. The Romans wanted

00:15:35.429 --> 00:15:37.889
by their conscience that they know that they

00:15:37.889 --> 00:15:39.409
are guilty because they make a law of their own

00:15:39.409 --> 00:15:42.730
conscience and then break that. So by whatever

00:15:42.730 --> 00:15:44.870
pre -programmed into creation God has done, or

00:15:44.870 --> 00:15:46.730
whatever standard that you have personally created,

00:15:46.990 --> 00:15:52.470
when that is wielded against you, will show that

00:15:52.470 --> 00:15:56.370
God... can defeat you not only by his power,

00:15:56.490 --> 00:15:59.730
but also deliver justice where previously there

00:15:59.730 --> 00:16:02.549
seemed to be no justice. Adonai Bezek brought

00:16:02.549 --> 00:16:05.830
down 70 kings and cut off their toes and their

00:16:05.830 --> 00:16:09.330
thumbs, and they ate scraps from his table. And

00:16:09.330 --> 00:16:11.309
you can imagine, he took all their wives and

00:16:11.309 --> 00:16:13.970
children as slaves, and the soldiers of their

00:16:13.970 --> 00:16:17.289
armies, he recouped wealth after wealth after

00:16:17.289 --> 00:16:20.490
wealth. There seemed to be no end to his mighty

00:16:20.490 --> 00:16:24.889
reign. But ultimately, there was. Just the same

00:16:24.889 --> 00:16:27.289
is true today. It is appointed for every man

00:16:27.289 --> 00:16:30.190
once to die and then the judgment. So no matter

00:16:30.190 --> 00:16:32.610
what people think they're getting away with,

00:16:32.690 --> 00:16:36.350
ultimately, they will answer for it. God is not

00:16:36.350 --> 00:16:39.370
mocked, Scripture says. In Romans 1, 18 through

00:16:39.370 --> 00:16:41.750
21, it says, For the wrath of God is revealed

00:16:41.750 --> 00:16:44.809
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness

00:16:44.809 --> 00:16:47.490
of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:50.200
Because that which is known about God is evident

00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:53.039
within them, for God made it evident to them.

00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:56.240
For since the creation of the world, his invisible

00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:58.740
attributes, his eternal power and divine nature

00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:01.580
have been clearly seen, being understood through

00:17:01.580 --> 00:17:03.539
what has been made, so that they are without

00:17:03.539 --> 00:17:07.500
excuse. They say, how does a tree grow out of

00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:11.480
rock? How are these things accomplished? How

00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:14.400
was DNA ever written? How do single -cell organisms

00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:17.740
become so complex that it's not possible that

00:17:17.740 --> 00:17:20.259
they evolved up from anything else? They had

00:17:20.259 --> 00:17:22.559
to be created in a state so complex that man

00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:25.799
can barely understand them, even now, after science

00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:29.880
has progressed so far. And the natural outpouring

00:17:29.880 --> 00:17:33.240
of that question should be, there is a God, and

00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:35.900
he's incredible. He's an incredible creator God

00:17:35.900 --> 00:17:38.339
with ultimate power, and I should recognize him.

00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:40.019
And what does that look like? I don't know. God,

00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:43.059
how do you want me to recognize you? And God

00:17:43.059 --> 00:17:49.220
reveals his son, Jesus Christ, as the way. But

00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:54.900
some suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Some

00:17:54.900 --> 00:17:57.059
experience the wrath of God as revealed from

00:17:57.059 --> 00:17:59.440
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.

00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:03.819
Verse 21, it said, for even though they knew

00:18:03.819 --> 00:18:08.000
God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks.

00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:11.019
But they became futile in their speculations

00:18:11.019 --> 00:18:13.680
and their foolish heart was darkened. And down

00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:15.759
in verse 23, it says, and exchanged the glory

00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:18.380
of the incorruptible God for an image in the

00:18:18.380 --> 00:18:21.140
form of corruptible man and of birds and four

00:18:21.140 --> 00:18:23.220
-footed animals and crawling creatures. Basically,

00:18:23.220 --> 00:18:25.240
they began to worship the creation rather than

00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:28.319
the creator. That's what the people of Canaan

00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:31.470
did, including Adonai Bezek. They worshipped

00:18:31.470 --> 00:18:33.890
a false god who was probably a demon named Molech

00:18:33.890 --> 00:18:36.670
that required them to burn their firstborn child

00:18:36.670 --> 00:18:40.730
in the fire alive. And they did it by the thousands,

00:18:40.950 --> 00:18:44.509
by the tens of thousands, possibly by the hundreds

00:18:44.509 --> 00:18:48.470
of thousands of firstborn children born. That

00:18:48.470 --> 00:18:52.750
kind of sucked, wouldn't it, Nat? My brother

00:18:52.750 --> 00:18:55.869
would think it would suck too. If we were still

00:18:55.869 --> 00:18:59.500
living in a society like the Canaanites, We'd

00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:02.140
be burning our firstborn children to fire, at

00:19:02.140 --> 00:19:03.900
least a large percentage of us would be. Some

00:19:03.900 --> 00:19:05.660
would be worshiping other false gods that had

00:19:05.660 --> 00:19:10.299
slightly less demanding rituals. You could worship

00:19:10.299 --> 00:19:12.759
Asherah, for example. There, when you want the

00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:14.460
rain to come so your crops are ready, you just

00:19:14.460 --> 00:19:16.259
go sleep with the prostitutes at the temple.

00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:18.799
That religion would kind of suck, wouldn't it,

00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:21.339
Alicia? Her husband was running off to the temple

00:19:21.339 --> 00:19:23.279
all the time to sleep with the prostitutes so

00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:26.869
he could get more cars at work. And that's the

00:19:26.869 --> 00:19:29.490
unrighteousness that had become commonplace in

00:19:29.490 --> 00:19:32.589
the Canaanites. And so then God said, I'm going

00:19:32.589 --> 00:19:35.230
to send my people in and justice will be dealt.

00:19:35.309 --> 00:19:37.430
But he didn't send them in to deal justice. He

00:19:37.430 --> 00:19:39.809
just reserved the promises that he promised to

00:19:39.809 --> 00:19:43.109
his people until such time as it was time to

00:19:43.109 --> 00:19:46.170
ultimately deal justice. That's what actually

00:19:46.170 --> 00:19:51.170
happened. And so the rituals that they had bought

00:19:51.170 --> 00:19:53.549
into, the processes and systems that they had

00:19:53.549 --> 00:19:56.009
built, the standards that they had judged, the

00:19:56.009 --> 00:19:58.549
power of God that they had called upon day after

00:19:58.549 --> 00:20:01.589
day, and God's justice all combined to bring

00:20:01.589 --> 00:20:04.849
it down on their heads. So I ask you, when is

00:20:04.849 --> 00:20:09.369
glorifying horrifying? Galatians 6, 7 through

00:20:09.369 --> 00:20:12.369
10 says this, Do not be deceived. God is not

00:20:12.369 --> 00:20:14.890
mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will

00:20:14.890 --> 00:20:17.769
also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh

00:20:17.769 --> 00:20:21.750
will reap from the flesh corruption, but the

00:20:21.750 --> 00:20:23.990
one who sows to the Spirit will reap from the

00:20:23.990 --> 00:20:26.670
Spirit, eternal life. Let us not lose heart in

00:20:26.670 --> 00:20:29.049
doing good, for in due time we will reap if we

00:20:29.049 --> 00:20:32.210
do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity,

00:20:32.369 --> 00:20:34.369
let us do good to all people, and especially

00:20:34.369 --> 00:20:37.509
to those who are of the household of faith. Now

00:20:37.509 --> 00:20:40.170
that doesn't sound horrifying to me. It sounds

00:20:40.170 --> 00:20:42.950
like a call to action. And I submit to you that

00:20:42.950 --> 00:20:45.710
it's not the horror that we are seeking out today.

00:20:46.190 --> 00:20:50.650
It's not the horror that we think God makes out

00:20:50.650 --> 00:20:55.140
of glorifying in certain cases. When Jesus was

00:20:55.140 --> 00:20:57.960
being arrested, he looked at Peter. He had told

00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:00.059
Peter to make sure he had access to a sword.

00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:04.079
And so naturally, as Jesus was being arrested,

00:21:04.140 --> 00:21:05.900
Peter thought that's the time to use that there

00:21:05.900 --> 00:21:08.279
sword. And he whipped it out and he cut off the

00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:11.759
high priest's servant's ear. Jesus said, no,

00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:16.680
no, put away your sword. For whosoever lives

00:21:16.680 --> 00:21:20.700
by the sword shall die by the sword. And so now

00:21:20.700 --> 00:21:23.640
we see that there is the possibility while living

00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:26.079
amongst men to live the way men live, to even

00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:28.359
have the right to do so, and to do so, and when

00:21:28.359 --> 00:21:31.660
doing so, to put yourself in the position where

00:21:31.660 --> 00:21:34.160
you will now die by the very thing that makes

00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:37.279
you successful. And so often it has happened

00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:40.640
that a man is strong and his strength ruins him

00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:44.240
for life. Another man is intelligent and his

00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:47.849
intelligence ruins him for life. The very good

00:21:47.849 --> 00:21:50.009
things about us, the things that we bring to

00:21:50.009 --> 00:21:52.769
the table then, that we trust in, that we place

00:21:52.769 --> 00:21:56.650
our hope in, those very things we begin to adapt

00:21:56.650 --> 00:21:58.450
and say, well, that's just the way I am. That's

00:21:58.450 --> 00:22:00.150
just who I am. That's just what I can do. I can

00:22:00.150 --> 00:22:02.609
go so far and I can't go any further. And none

00:22:02.609 --> 00:22:05.549
of that is actually true. You were created to

00:22:05.549 --> 00:22:09.250
be in the image of the living God. But if you

00:22:09.250 --> 00:22:11.210
choose to live by the sword, you shall also die

00:22:11.210 --> 00:22:14.769
by the sword, Jesus said. And all the while we

00:22:14.769 --> 00:22:17.579
know that God is not mocked. A man will get,

00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:21.599
will reap what he sows. 2 Corinthians 1 .20 says

00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:24.220
this, In this confidence, I intended at first

00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:26.000
to come to you. So this is Paul writing to the

00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:27.440
church of Corinth, and he's telling them that

00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:29.259
he planned to come to the church of Corinth.

00:22:30.259 --> 00:22:33.839
He says, I did so, so that you might twice receive

00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:36.859
a blessing, that is to pass your way into Macedonia,

00:22:36.940 --> 00:22:39.160
and again from Macedonia to come to you, by you

00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:43.160
to be helped on my journey to Judea. Therefore,

00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:46.319
I was not vacillating what I intended. to do

00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:48.779
this, was I? In other words, I wanted to come

00:22:48.779 --> 00:22:50.980
to visit you in Corinth and then for you to help

00:22:50.980 --> 00:22:52.900
me on to Macedonia and then me back to Corinth

00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:54.279
and you had to help me on to Judea. That was

00:22:54.279 --> 00:22:57.500
my plan, but it didn't happen. I didn't do what

00:22:57.500 --> 00:22:59.279
I thought I was going to do, what I desired to

00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:01.279
do. And it happens that people don't always get

00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:03.619
to do what they want to do. But he says, I wasn't

00:23:03.619 --> 00:23:05.980
vacillating, was I, when I intended to do this?

00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:07.880
In other words, I wasn't saying I was going to

00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:09.859
do one thing and doing another. There was no

00:23:09.859 --> 00:23:12.599
hypocrisy in it. I wasn't ordaining. I wasn't

00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:14.799
saying with my mouth what God was going to do,

00:23:14.819 --> 00:23:17.480
that God had that plan. I was just saying, that's

00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:19.319
what I really long to do. I want to come to Corinth

00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:20.960
and then on to Macedonia and then back to Corinth

00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:23.220
and on to Judea. That's my plan. I want to do

00:23:23.220 --> 00:23:28.619
it, but it didn't work out. So he's saying, Realize

00:23:28.619 --> 00:23:30.539
I wasn't saying I was going to do one thing and

00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:32.539
then another. And so often we do that. We make

00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:34.779
a plan and it doesn't work out. And the plan

00:23:34.779 --> 00:23:37.839
that we made was outside God's will. Are we vacillating

00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:39.880
when that happens? That's the question. He said,

00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:42.359
I was not vacillating when I intended to do this.

00:23:42.420 --> 00:23:45.640
Was I? Or what I purpose. Do I purpose according

00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:47.119
to the flesh? In other words, when I made that

00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:49.200
plan, did I decide just what my body wanted?

00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:51.660
Did I decide what my desires wanted? Or was I

00:23:51.660 --> 00:23:54.380
actually making that plan trying to make it in

00:23:54.380 --> 00:23:59.119
line with what God wanted? So that with me there

00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:02.519
be yes, yes, and no, no at the same time. But

00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:05.740
as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes

00:24:05.740 --> 00:24:09.319
and no. For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who

00:24:09.319 --> 00:24:12.720
was preached among you by us, by me and Silvanus

00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:17.720
and Timothy, was not yes and no, but is yes in

00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:21.339
him. For as many as are the promises of God in

00:24:21.339 --> 00:24:25.240
him, they are yes. Therefore, also through him

00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:28.440
is our amen to the glory of God through us. In

00:24:28.440 --> 00:24:31.819
other words, because God's answers are yes in

00:24:31.819 --> 00:24:36.640
the promises through Christ, therefore, we amen

00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:39.660
to God. We give glory to God. And we are able

00:24:39.660 --> 00:24:42.059
to do that because of what he does. And then

00:24:42.059 --> 00:24:43.519
we do that because it is the right thing to do

00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:46.220
in response to what he does. Verse 21 says, Now

00:24:46.220 --> 00:24:51.000
he who establishes us with you in Christ and

00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:53.890
anointed us is God. In other words, the one who

00:24:53.890 --> 00:24:55.589
chose us, the one who filled us with his Holy

00:24:55.589 --> 00:24:58.769
Spirit, that is God. And he did it with us together.

00:24:59.130 --> 00:25:02.089
And then in 22, it says, and this text ends here,

00:25:02.230 --> 00:25:05.589
who also sealed us. That means he put up a wall

00:25:05.589 --> 00:25:08.170
around our hearts. He made us safe in the world

00:25:08.170 --> 00:25:11.150
and gave us the Spirit, that's God's Holy Spirit,

00:25:11.309 --> 00:25:13.470
in our hearts as a pledge. Now, I read those

00:25:13.470 --> 00:25:17.009
verses this week, Tuesday morning. I think it

00:25:17.009 --> 00:25:20.029
was. And I wrote a devotional out of those verses,

00:25:20.089 --> 00:25:22.569
and as I did it, I was prayerful, I was listening

00:25:22.569 --> 00:25:24.549
to the Holy Spirit, and I thought like word for

00:25:24.549 --> 00:25:26.609
word almost that God was giving to me. And it

00:25:26.609 --> 00:25:32.470
says this, God does not vacillate. God's yes

00:25:32.470 --> 00:25:35.309
is yes and his no is no. God's promises never

00:25:35.309 --> 00:25:38.210
fail to come true, and he always says the truth.

00:25:39.309 --> 00:25:43.190
What God has promised, he will accomplish. When

00:25:43.190 --> 00:25:45.710
life tries to box God in or to keep him from

00:25:45.710 --> 00:25:49.579
his goals, God can destroy all opposition. When

00:25:49.579 --> 00:25:51.980
that opposition is the most powerful beings in

00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:55.059
the universe other than God, he can reserve them

00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:57.539
for punishment while carrying out a plan that

00:25:57.539 --> 00:26:00.619
fully meets his goals and all the while leave

00:26:00.619 --> 00:26:02.799
them deceived thinking they are somehow going

00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:07.400
to eat out a victory. Even they may think they

00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:09.400
are still alive and struggling when in truth

00:26:09.400 --> 00:26:11.759
they are dead and their outcome is already determined.

00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:14.779
God will keep his promises through Christ no

00:26:14.779 --> 00:26:17.839
matter what. He has not said yes and left any

00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:21.160
possibility of no. If you have prayed to Jesus

00:26:21.160 --> 00:26:23.519
Christ as Lord and Savior, you said, Jesus be

00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:27.220
my Lord, Jesus be my Savior, then he has saved

00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:30.660
you. The first act of faith is for you to realize,

00:26:30.900 --> 00:26:33.640
regardless of how you feel, that the God of heaven

00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:37.319
never breaks his promises. Seeing God's nature

00:26:37.319 --> 00:26:40.299
in this way, realizing that God is like that.

00:26:40.440 --> 00:26:42.859
He does not vacillate. Not sometimes yes, sometimes

00:26:42.859 --> 00:26:46.460
no. Always yes in Christ. Seeing God's nature

00:26:46.460 --> 00:26:50.980
in that way brings us to a complete and hearty

00:26:50.980 --> 00:26:55.339
amen. It is an amen to the glory of God, which

00:26:55.339 --> 00:26:58.660
glory flows through us. It is also an amazing

00:26:58.660 --> 00:27:01.240
thing that God is able to draw that amen from

00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:04.319
the hearts, mouths, and minds of humans, even

00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:06.119
after they have been dead in their trespasses

00:27:06.119 --> 00:27:10.319
and sins. What a dirty man I was for the Lord

00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:14.200
to use me to bring a glorious amen to him. For

00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:17.279
this, To be possible, a man would need a fresh

00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:19.839
start. That makes perfect sense at times. It

00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:22.519
makes sense when the garbage has become too restrictive

00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:24.559
or even when the blessings have become too invasive.

00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:27.859
Sometimes starting over is the only course of

00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:31.220
action to achieve the correct end goal. That

00:27:31.220 --> 00:27:34.460
being said, if we have had that one start over

00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:38.640
that equals salvation, we ought to seek to bring

00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:41.900
our lives in line with that reality. We do this.

00:27:42.460 --> 00:27:46.819
By removing vacillation ourselves. Do you understand

00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:49.740
what I'm saying? Let your yes be yes and your

00:27:49.740 --> 00:27:53.319
no be no. Let nothing stop you from doing what

00:27:53.319 --> 00:27:55.480
it is that God has purposed to do through you.

00:27:56.880 --> 00:28:02.039
We burn might, could, should, maybe, possibly,

00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:05.640
hopefully. And we learn to spend ourselves completely,

00:28:05.960 --> 00:28:08.220
utterly, totally, thoroughly, faithfully, and

00:28:08.220 --> 00:28:11.309
without reservation. all the while driven by

00:28:11.309 --> 00:28:13.490
the fact that there is no shadow of turning with

00:28:13.490 --> 00:28:16.490
him, and there should not be with us in him.

00:28:17.250 --> 00:28:20.269
Unmet desires or uncompleted plans are not necessarily

00:28:20.269 --> 00:28:23.190
concocted in the flesh, nor are they unfinished

00:28:23.190 --> 00:28:25.450
simply because they weren't the will of the Lord.

00:28:26.109 --> 00:28:28.289
Longing to do something for the Lord that God

00:28:28.289 --> 00:28:32.549
wants done, but the timing is not right or the

00:28:32.549 --> 00:28:36.109
success just doesn't come into being, does not

00:28:36.109 --> 00:28:39.539
equal vacillating. If a few things remain true,

00:28:39.779 --> 00:28:42.960
the faithful Christian must have, as their greatest

00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:46.579
heart's desire, a longing for God and his plans

00:28:46.579 --> 00:28:50.779
to be fulfilled. They must replace whatever lost

00:28:50.779 --> 00:28:53.880
steps, whatever didn't turn out right, whatever

00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:55.579
didn't do what you thought it was going to do,

00:28:55.660 --> 00:28:59.039
with faithful, arduous, disciplined, aggressive

00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:02.099
service to the Lord, and his presence must be

00:29:02.099 --> 00:29:05.359
daily given the highest priority. If we cannot

00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:08.509
do something that we believe, He would want us

00:29:08.509 --> 00:29:12.849
to do? Having the mind of Christ, we will find

00:29:12.849 --> 00:29:15.609
ourselves comforted as we pursue our relationship

00:29:15.609 --> 00:29:18.470
with him and practice total commitment. It makes

00:29:18.470 --> 00:29:22.630
so much sense that it almost seems like it should

00:29:22.630 --> 00:29:26.529
be without saying. We were dead in our trespasses

00:29:26.529 --> 00:29:29.630
and sins and born again in new life to be lived

00:29:29.630 --> 00:29:32.029
in him and for him and by him and through him.

00:29:32.150 --> 00:29:34.670
And anything else will result in the world's

00:29:34.670 --> 00:29:37.319
method of progress which is given. and takes

00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:41.299
which is given hate and includes vacillation.

00:29:41.640 --> 00:29:45.299
To put it another way, you no longer live for

00:29:45.299 --> 00:29:47.220
yourselves but for the one who died for you.

00:29:48.420 --> 00:29:51.559
There is no vacillation in him. Up the ante.

00:29:51.779 --> 00:29:54.960
Go all in. It's not that it is the only road

00:29:54.960 --> 00:29:58.119
to victory, but it is. It's not that we fare

00:29:58.119 --> 00:30:01.170
better on that road, though we shall. We live

00:30:01.170 --> 00:30:03.730
this way because this is the light and the light

00:30:03.730 --> 00:30:06.910
that is in us. We win this way because we have

00:30:06.910 --> 00:30:11.049
already won. And if needed, we die this way because

00:30:11.049 --> 00:30:14.009
we already have a greater light beyond any that

00:30:14.009 --> 00:30:20.210
we can lose in this service. Until we know this

00:30:20.210 --> 00:30:24.029
and walk in it, we are either making our journey

00:30:24.029 --> 00:30:26.970
more difficult or walking the wrong journey altogether.

00:30:28.339 --> 00:30:32.420
We live no longer for ourselves. It's like Corinthians

00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:34.259
5 says this way. The love of Christ controls

00:30:34.259 --> 00:30:36.660
us, having concluded this, that one died for

00:30:36.660 --> 00:30:39.880
all, therefore all died. And he died for all,

00:30:39.980 --> 00:30:42.960
so that they who live might no longer live for

00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:46.079
themselves, but for him who died and rose again

00:30:46.079 --> 00:30:49.380
on their behalf. So let's break down the lightning

00:30:49.380 --> 00:30:51.759
point for a second, shall we? The lightning point

00:30:51.759 --> 00:30:53.819
was the proof is in the pudding, coming to the

00:30:53.819 --> 00:30:56.839
conclusion. The proof is in the pudding. Time

00:30:56.839 --> 00:31:00.809
will tell. And you had to be there or not. So

00:31:00.809 --> 00:31:02.269
let's take it from back to front. Anybody ever

00:31:02.269 --> 00:31:04.509
tell you a joke? And I just had this happen to

00:31:04.509 --> 00:31:06.069
me. Ariana told me about a funny instance that

00:31:06.069 --> 00:31:07.349
happened to her and Nova while they were at the

00:31:07.349 --> 00:31:09.210
Challenger Center on their field trip. And she's

00:31:09.210 --> 00:31:12.109
laughing hysterically. It didn't strike me as

00:31:12.109 --> 00:31:14.829
funny at all. And she didn't say it because she's

00:31:14.829 --> 00:31:17.130
probably never heard it. But then they say, you

00:31:17.130 --> 00:31:21.049
had to be there. No, you didn't. You didn't have

00:31:21.049 --> 00:31:25.619
to be there when Adonis Bezek was canceled. He

00:31:25.619 --> 00:31:27.900
didn't have to be there when Judah and Simeon

00:31:27.900 --> 00:31:30.039
started to stray into doing the things that the

00:31:30.039 --> 00:31:33.440
world does to make sure that they got God's will

00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:37.279
done in their own lives. He didn't have to be

00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:40.859
there when they found him in wickedness and iniquity

00:31:40.859 --> 00:31:45.579
after 430 years suffering as a nation, held back

00:31:45.579 --> 00:31:48.119
while he stored up wrath for himself and all

00:31:48.119 --> 00:31:50.240
the kings before him did the same. You don't

00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:54.480
have to be there to know. God keeps his promises

00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:56.099
and he's going to do what he said he's going

00:31:56.099 --> 00:31:58.559
to do. And your only option is to get on board

00:31:58.559 --> 00:32:01.279
or to get hurt in the process. That's the bottom

00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:04.519
line. You didn't have to be there. Time will

00:32:04.519 --> 00:32:07.759
tell. Well, you know, time will tell means we're

00:32:07.759 --> 00:32:10.039
going to enact this plan. We think it's a good

00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:12.940
plan and time will tell. The results that we

00:32:12.940 --> 00:32:14.680
get will determine whether or not it's right

00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:21.049
or not, right? No. No, because Adonai Bezek had

00:32:21.049 --> 00:32:25.109
years, decades as a king, cutting off toes, cutting

00:32:25.109 --> 00:32:28.630
off thumbs, years of wealth and slaves and ruling

00:32:28.630 --> 00:32:30.490
a whole region of the most prosperous region

00:32:30.490 --> 00:32:32.670
of the world. And God allowed him to do that.

00:32:32.690 --> 00:32:34.910
And he remained in wickedness during that time

00:32:34.910 --> 00:32:37.009
and ultimately suffered the justice so that he

00:32:37.009 --> 00:32:39.849
would say, as I did to 70 kings, so rightfully

00:32:39.849 --> 00:32:41.750
has been done to me. And he suffered until he

00:32:41.750 --> 00:32:47.490
died. So it's not. It's not. Time will tell.

00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:50.779
because you could suffer up to the moment of

00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:53.380
your death. If it was time, we tell, then we

00:32:53.380 --> 00:32:55.019
have to assume that all martyrs were actually

00:32:55.019 --> 00:32:56.680
unsaved, right? They were burned at the stake,

00:32:56.799 --> 00:32:58.680
drawn in court, killed, run through with spears,

00:32:58.740 --> 00:33:01.960
etc., etc., crucified upside down. But if we

00:33:01.960 --> 00:33:03.599
said time will tell, we'd say, man, that sucked.

00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:07.539
They had a horrible end. So clearly their plan

00:33:07.539 --> 00:33:09.980
was bad. Clearly God did not take care of them,

00:33:10.059 --> 00:33:11.920
so they must have all been heretics, right? Every

00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:14.309
martyr who ever died in the faith. Though God

00:33:14.309 --> 00:33:15.589
miraculously healed through them, and people

00:33:15.589 --> 00:33:17.849
got saved, and they started the church, and thousands

00:33:17.849 --> 00:33:20.009
or tens of thousands got saved, it didn't end

00:33:20.009 --> 00:33:22.490
well for them. I'm here to tell you today that

00:33:22.490 --> 00:33:24.809
if you trust God and go all in for God, then

00:33:24.809 --> 00:33:26.390
by the world's standard, by your own standard,

00:33:26.430 --> 00:33:28.329
by your own desires, it may not end well for

00:33:28.329 --> 00:33:34.630
you. Which is great comfort. Because if you do

00:33:34.630 --> 00:33:38.170
that, it won't end for you at all. Your heart

00:33:38.170 --> 00:33:39.589
will stop beating, your brain will stop waiting,

00:33:39.609 --> 00:33:41.650
you'll stop breathing. But you'll be in heaven

00:33:41.650 --> 00:33:44.859
for an eternity. that does not end. And that's

00:33:44.859 --> 00:33:47.059
not just ending well. That's just not ending

00:33:47.059 --> 00:33:54.480
at all. So it's not. Time will tell. And that

00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:56.400
leaves the saying, the proof is in the pudding.

00:33:56.720 --> 00:33:58.279
Now this is an interesting saying because it

00:33:58.279 --> 00:34:03.940
began over 600 years ago and it has warped over

00:34:03.940 --> 00:34:06.940
that period of time. It used to be about the

00:34:06.940 --> 00:34:09.679
pudding because the idea was The proof is in

00:34:09.679 --> 00:34:11.440
the eating of the pudding, and they just kind

00:34:11.440 --> 00:34:13.179
of dropped out the middle phrase. Pudding used

00:34:13.179 --> 00:34:15.920
to be a meat substance, a lot of times prepared

00:34:15.920 --> 00:34:17.920
when not a lot of other food was available. And

00:34:17.920 --> 00:34:19.719
they'd take the leftover meat and junk, and they'd

00:34:19.719 --> 00:34:21.480
boil it down to make a slop out of it, and then

00:34:21.480 --> 00:34:23.019
they'd put some other stuff with it, and then

00:34:23.019 --> 00:34:25.460
they'd put it inside a fashioned skin, and then

00:34:25.460 --> 00:34:27.900
they would boil that until it becomes what you

00:34:27.900 --> 00:34:29.699
and I might think of chocolate pudding, or whatever

00:34:29.699 --> 00:34:32.619
color, gray or brown or whatever, usually gray,

00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:35.510
right? And then they would say, well... Did it

00:34:35.510 --> 00:34:37.769
work? Did we get something that's edible? Well,

00:34:37.829 --> 00:34:40.429
the proof is in the eating of the pudding. That's

00:34:40.429 --> 00:34:42.449
where the saying comes from. And so the idea

00:34:42.449 --> 00:34:45.309
is when you eat the pudding, you'll know whether

00:34:45.309 --> 00:34:47.630
or not the process of making the pudding and

00:34:47.630 --> 00:34:49.190
putting all the stuff, the seasonings and the

00:34:49.190 --> 00:34:52.090
yuck that normally you would never touch to eat

00:34:52.090 --> 00:34:54.250
in there made something edible or not. If you

00:34:54.250 --> 00:34:55.530
ever want to see this, by the way, you can watch

00:34:55.530 --> 00:34:56.809
the movie Master and Commander. It's a great

00:34:56.809 --> 00:34:59.929
scene in which he makes the Galapagos Islands

00:34:59.929 --> 00:35:03.110
out of pudding, which is a meat pudding. It's

00:35:03.110 --> 00:35:05.710
actually very realistic. Bottom line is this.

00:35:06.710 --> 00:35:09.409
The proof is not in the pudding. Because it's

00:35:09.409 --> 00:35:12.849
not in the eating. It's not in the tasting. It's

00:35:12.849 --> 00:35:14.449
not going to be what you taste or what you feel

00:35:14.449 --> 00:35:16.650
or what you think or what you reason or anything

00:35:16.650 --> 00:35:20.289
of this lifetime. The proof is in God. God alone

00:35:20.289 --> 00:35:22.889
is God. And when he says it, that settles it.

00:35:22.909 --> 00:35:25.329
It's done and over. So if you run your life by

00:35:25.329 --> 00:35:27.210
reason, congratulations, tons of other people

00:35:27.210 --> 00:35:29.730
do that. If you have excuses, if you have arguments,

00:35:29.889 --> 00:35:31.690
if you have processes, if you have steps that

00:35:31.690 --> 00:35:33.250
you go through that makes you a better person,

00:35:33.349 --> 00:35:36.329
congratulations, tons of people do that. Most

00:35:36.329 --> 00:35:38.849
of the world's religions have rules and steps

00:35:38.849 --> 00:35:40.809
and things you have to do to get closer to God.

00:35:40.949 --> 00:35:42.690
If that's how you live your Christianity, congratulations,

00:35:43.250 --> 00:35:44.929
you live in the way they live, it's not going

00:35:44.929 --> 00:35:47.650
to take you to heaven. It won't get you there

00:35:47.650 --> 00:35:49.530
because you'll never get to be holy enough. Even

00:35:49.530 --> 00:35:51.409
if you practice what's called true religion,

00:35:51.570 --> 00:35:57.250
that alone is not going to save you. I say to

00:35:57.250 --> 00:36:00.530
you that there are many Christians who have reformed

00:36:00.530 --> 00:36:03.170
hearts, hearts that know God, hearts that are

00:36:03.170 --> 00:36:05.030
theoretically sealed and contain the Holy Spirit,

00:36:05.190 --> 00:36:07.809
hearts that are not going to be invaded by the

00:36:07.809 --> 00:36:11.849
evils of this world, yet they are halfway in

00:36:11.849 --> 00:36:14.210
the kingdom of God according to their choices.

00:36:15.050 --> 00:36:17.949
Their day -in and day -out living puts them halfway.

00:36:18.110 --> 00:36:20.010
I wrote this a long time before any conversation

00:36:20.010 --> 00:36:24.369
I had with anybody today, just FYI. The bottom

00:36:24.369 --> 00:36:29.110
line is, if you live that way, you've got a real

00:36:29.110 --> 00:36:32.210
problem. Maybe, according to the Bible, they

00:36:32.210 --> 00:36:36.369
will face a serious overturning, a shocking moment,

00:36:36.650 --> 00:36:40.420
a jumping out of the... The shower to face a

00:36:40.420 --> 00:36:42.539
man with a sharp knife stabbing you 54 times

00:36:42.539 --> 00:36:44.880
moment. A horrible moment, like being burned

00:36:44.880 --> 00:36:48.679
alive. They will face a horrible, serious overturning

00:36:48.679 --> 00:36:50.980
before they are through. By all accounts, they

00:36:50.980 --> 00:36:53.880
are doing as well or better than anyone else.

00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:56.699
They're living with the Lord a little. Maybe

00:36:56.699 --> 00:36:59.019
tithing, maybe not. They're giving, they're serving.

00:36:59.420 --> 00:37:01.980
They speak about God, talk about how good he

00:37:01.980 --> 00:37:03.760
is to them, how good it is to be in church, how

00:37:03.760 --> 00:37:07.239
much they enjoy their time, etc. But by biblical

00:37:07.239 --> 00:37:09.219
standards, they are securing their victories

00:37:09.219 --> 00:37:13.780
by hedging their bets, retaining. So our relationship

00:37:13.780 --> 00:37:16.579
stays good because we take time away from God

00:37:16.579 --> 00:37:19.280
together to build it. Or our finances stay good

00:37:19.280 --> 00:37:21.440
because, yes, we tithe, but we're always careful

00:37:21.440 --> 00:37:24.260
not to give until it hurts because we might not

00:37:24.260 --> 00:37:27.579
have enough funds down the road. Or we're raising

00:37:27.579 --> 00:37:30.400
our kids in the Lord. We're going to have a child

00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:32.679
dedication and commit in front of the whole church.

00:37:32.739 --> 00:37:34.019
We're going to raise our kids in the Lord. But

00:37:34.019 --> 00:37:38.440
when it comes time, that our kids want something

00:37:38.440 --> 00:37:41.679
for Christmas and that's what they need in order

00:37:41.679 --> 00:37:43.000
to be sure that we love them, then we're going

00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:44.860
to move heaven and earth to make sure they get

00:37:44.860 --> 00:37:46.519
the things that they need for Christmas so that

00:37:46.519 --> 00:37:47.900
they know that we love them. Or they can do the

00:37:47.900 --> 00:37:49.860
things that they want to do or what we think

00:37:49.860 --> 00:37:51.539
will make them healthy. We're going to make sure,

00:37:51.599 --> 00:37:53.780
even though it takes us away from what it is

00:37:53.780 --> 00:37:56.519
that God has called us to. By all accounts, people

00:37:56.519 --> 00:37:59.449
are doing well enough. Better than out there

00:37:59.449 --> 00:38:01.530
in the world. They feel comfortable. Their marriage

00:38:01.530 --> 00:38:03.269
might be lasting. Their relationship might be

00:38:03.269 --> 00:38:05.389
good. They're not blowing up, maybe, or some

00:38:05.389 --> 00:38:07.269
of them still are blowing up or whatever. They

00:38:07.269 --> 00:38:09.030
have faults, but they say, oh, those are just

00:38:09.030 --> 00:38:12.010
my traits. That's just like the things I'm still

00:38:12.010 --> 00:38:13.510
fighting with, the things that are still sinning

00:38:13.510 --> 00:38:16.150
about. But I really am living for the Lord. But

00:38:16.150 --> 00:38:17.909
by biblical standards, they're securing their

00:38:17.909 --> 00:38:20.369
victories by kind of hedging their bets. They

00:38:20.369 --> 00:38:21.809
don't go unless they can take somebody along

00:38:21.809 --> 00:38:23.730
with them that can do a better job. They don't

00:38:23.730 --> 00:38:26.230
give unless it doesn't hurt too much and so on.

00:38:26.750 --> 00:38:29.869
In the Psalms of Mary and Zechariah, prophesying

00:38:29.869 --> 00:38:32.650
the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist respectfully,

00:38:33.150 --> 00:38:37.769
Mary's Magnificat, Zechariah's Benedictus they

00:38:37.769 --> 00:38:40.730
call it, those Psalms prominently feature the

00:38:40.730 --> 00:38:44.150
theme of reversal, highlighting God's action

00:38:44.150 --> 00:38:47.250
in overturning the established order and uplifting

00:38:47.250 --> 00:38:51.610
the humble. Mary sings of God raising the humble,

00:38:51.650 --> 00:38:53.909
bringing down the mighty, while Zechariah prophecies

00:38:53.909 --> 00:38:55.989
the restoration of God's people and the rescue

00:38:55.989 --> 00:38:59.050
of the oppressed. The reversal is a core element

00:38:59.050 --> 00:39:02.590
of God's redemptive plan, showcasing his favor

00:39:02.590 --> 00:39:05.570
toward those who trust in him. And the word says

00:39:05.570 --> 00:39:08.809
that in the end of the day, every tongue will

00:39:08.809 --> 00:39:13.469
confess, every knee shall bow, not just some,

00:39:13.690 --> 00:39:18.150
not just those who believe. But those who to

00:39:18.150 --> 00:39:21.710
bow is a horrifying thought. It's a terrible

00:39:21.710 --> 00:39:25.090
thing to think of. But wait, because those people

00:39:25.090 --> 00:39:27.309
to whom it is a horrifying thing to think that

00:39:27.309 --> 00:39:29.489
they would bow, do they think about that now?

00:39:30.269 --> 00:39:32.610
Do the wicked think about the fact that someday

00:39:32.610 --> 00:39:36.750
they will have to bow? Do the murderers of this

00:39:36.750 --> 00:39:40.369
world think about God at all? Most of them know.

00:39:40.920 --> 00:39:42.639
They don't care, or they know they're opposite

00:39:42.639 --> 00:39:44.519
God, and they think somehow they're going to,

00:39:44.519 --> 00:39:46.280
as I mentioned before, eke out some kind of a

00:39:46.280 --> 00:39:48.000
victory, or maybe someday they'll deal with it,

00:39:48.059 --> 00:39:50.139
and they're not worried about it. So the horror

00:39:50.139 --> 00:39:52.739
that I'm describing is not a horror for those

00:39:52.739 --> 00:39:55.159
who are truly wicked and will not follow God.

00:39:55.360 --> 00:39:58.300
It is a horror for those who say they love the

00:39:58.300 --> 00:40:01.980
Lord, have known the Lord, and have not followed

00:40:01.980 --> 00:40:06.079
Him with all that they are, to be 80 % or 90

00:40:06.079 --> 00:40:10.139
% in. And 10 % of the time, in ultimate horror.

00:40:10.670 --> 00:40:13.190
Because when God glorifies himself, there will

00:40:13.190 --> 00:40:17.250
be an upheaval that will wake up. I just seen

00:40:17.250 --> 00:40:20.230
a video of a meme on Facebook about 10 days ago.

00:40:20.369 --> 00:40:23.849
And there's a church bus, and it's driving down

00:40:23.849 --> 00:40:26.110
the road. And there's all these kids on it. There

00:40:26.110 --> 00:40:28.090
are young kids on the church bus. And all of

00:40:28.090 --> 00:40:29.769
a sudden, there's a flash, and all the kids are

00:40:29.769 --> 00:40:31.969
missing. And the bus driver screeches to a halt.

00:40:32.030 --> 00:40:33.989
They look, where did all the kids go? Right?

00:40:34.070 --> 00:40:36.369
There's a church all singing praises, and then

00:40:36.369 --> 00:40:38.010
all of a sudden, like a third of the church just

00:40:38.010 --> 00:40:40.150
disappears. Now, that's not how that's going

00:40:40.150 --> 00:40:41.989
to happen. Right? It's not going to be suddenly

00:40:41.989 --> 00:40:43.309
there are people missing from the world. That's

00:40:43.309 --> 00:40:45.369
not what the Bible teaches. But it's a poetic

00:40:45.369 --> 00:40:47.889
example of what it's going to be like if a third

00:40:47.889 --> 00:40:49.610
of the people who profess to be Christian are

00:40:49.610 --> 00:40:51.369
saved, and the other two -thirds who are not

00:40:51.369 --> 00:40:54.889
sold out for Jesus face a terrible upheaval they

00:40:54.889 --> 00:40:56.989
thought they were in. They realize, wait, I never

00:40:56.989 --> 00:40:59.730
really surrendered my life to the Lord. It's

00:40:59.730 --> 00:41:01.809
never been about me living for Him. It's always

00:41:01.809 --> 00:41:04.699
been about me getting The benefits of me living

00:41:04.699 --> 00:41:10.000
for him. And the Bible requires the former, not

00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:14.579
the latter. He died for you. And if he didn't

00:41:14.579 --> 00:41:18.400
die for you, you're not alive. Because we were

00:41:18.400 --> 00:41:21.139
dead in our trespasses and sins. Not only that,

00:41:21.179 --> 00:41:23.639
if he didn't die for you, you're still an object

00:41:23.639 --> 00:41:26.519
of wrath, Ephesians 2. We were objects of wrath.

00:41:27.219 --> 00:41:29.900
Which means God is opposing you. And where do

00:41:29.900 --> 00:41:34.659
we start? Those who oppose God, their enemy will

00:41:34.659 --> 00:41:37.800
always defeat them. That's where we started at.

00:41:38.880 --> 00:41:41.380
Even so that Adonai Besik, who had his terrible

00:41:41.380 --> 00:41:44.199
upheaval and knew that all he had left was crawling

00:41:44.199 --> 00:41:46.260
around under the table for scraps with no fingers,

00:41:46.440 --> 00:41:48.840
or no thumbs and no big toes, at least maybe

00:41:48.840 --> 00:41:51.920
no toes at all, under the table until he died,

00:41:52.000 --> 00:41:54.500
and that's all he had left. Think of who he was.

00:41:55.199 --> 00:41:58.679
He was the Donald Trump of the region. He was

00:41:58.679 --> 00:42:03.719
the... Name your favorite billionaire. But more,

00:42:03.980 --> 00:42:06.019
because he not only owned billions of dollars,

00:42:06.139 --> 00:42:11.639
he owned tens of thousands of people. Lives.

00:42:13.360 --> 00:42:16.119
Nobody took a breath unless Adonai Bezek said

00:42:16.119 --> 00:42:20.880
it was okay. But one day after they found him,

00:42:20.960 --> 00:42:23.940
one day after his mighty upheaval, he was under

00:42:23.940 --> 00:42:26.900
the table with no thumbs or toes, eating scraps,

00:42:27.099 --> 00:42:29.159
whatever they would toss him, like a dog or worse.

00:42:30.860 --> 00:42:33.980
That's the kind of upheaval God's Word says is

00:42:33.980 --> 00:42:37.440
coming when Jesus comes again and he is glorified.

00:42:37.699 --> 00:42:40.199
That's why Jesus says in Matthew 7, Not everyone

00:42:40.199 --> 00:42:42.099
who says unto me, Lord, Lord, what can I do in

00:42:42.099 --> 00:42:43.500
heaven but the one who follows the commands of

00:42:43.500 --> 00:42:46.739
my Father? Glorifying becomes horrifying today,

00:42:46.860 --> 00:42:50.679
not for those like Adonai Bezod, was before they

00:42:50.679 --> 00:42:53.960
took him down, but for those who know. when their

00:42:53.960 --> 00:42:56.820
hearts, in their hearts, that God will be glorified

00:42:56.820 --> 00:42:59.300
in the end, and they know the promises of God,

00:42:59.480 --> 00:43:02.000
that people who humbly serve him and live their

00:43:02.000 --> 00:43:05.440
lives for him, the one who died for them, they

00:43:05.440 --> 00:43:07.719
will have that great victory. They know that,

00:43:07.820 --> 00:43:10.500
and they cannot count themselves as part of that

00:43:10.500 --> 00:43:13.579
number because they are not living that way.

00:43:14.699 --> 00:43:19.820
Anything else, anyone else, will experience a

00:43:19.820 --> 00:43:25.679
great disturbing turnaround. That was never in

00:43:25.679 --> 00:43:30.880
doubt. Not even before, while Israel was still

00:43:30.880 --> 00:43:34.860
in Egypt. It was always going to be true. God

00:43:34.860 --> 00:43:37.239
has never lost control, never suffered a defeat,

00:43:37.480 --> 00:43:40.460
and that their apparent victory was a little

00:43:40.460 --> 00:43:43.079
more than a misinterpretation of the same facts

00:43:43.079 --> 00:43:46.219
that held them in place awaiting his perfect

00:43:46.219 --> 00:43:48.320
timing to deal justice. You get that? It's complex.

00:43:50.039 --> 00:43:53.320
Day after day after day, Adonai Beset got out

00:43:53.320 --> 00:43:57.599
of bed and said, I'm doing okay. And his wives,

00:43:57.739 --> 00:44:02.300
his children, his siblings, even his higher -up

00:44:02.300 --> 00:44:06.099
slaves got out of bed day after day saying, I'm

00:44:06.099 --> 00:44:08.440
doing okay. I'm doing pretty good for myself.

00:44:08.880 --> 00:44:11.199
If I want to buy a Fortune 500 country tomorrow,

00:44:11.320 --> 00:44:14.460
I'll probably just do it. If I want to... Have

00:44:14.460 --> 00:44:17.059
four or five or 50 other wives and pay them each

00:44:17.059 --> 00:44:18.480
a million dollars a month after I sleep with

00:44:18.480 --> 00:44:21.199
them for a while. I'll just do it. Who's going

00:44:21.199 --> 00:44:24.460
to stop me? I've got it all. And that was his

00:44:24.460 --> 00:44:27.440
thought every single day until the people of

00:44:27.440 --> 00:44:30.000
God came in to deal with the promise of God.

00:44:30.420 --> 00:44:32.900
Until the people of God came in because time

00:44:32.900 --> 00:44:36.159
had come for justice to be served. Look at the

00:44:36.159 --> 00:44:38.139
injustices of this world and ache over them.

00:44:38.429 --> 00:44:41.090
but in no way, shape, or form ever take part

00:44:41.090 --> 00:44:42.869
in them. If you're a follower of the Lord Jesus

00:44:42.869 --> 00:44:44.710
Christ, you say, I'll have nothing to do with

00:44:44.710 --> 00:44:47.710
that. No matter how good it looks, no matter

00:44:47.710 --> 00:44:49.750
how it seems to fulfill the way of the Lord,

00:44:49.829 --> 00:44:51.969
I will not invite a brother to go up with me

00:44:51.969 --> 00:44:54.650
when it is my job to do it, unless it is my job

00:44:54.650 --> 00:44:57.989
also to invite him. I'm not going to have somebody

00:44:57.989 --> 00:45:00.250
else do it for me when I should be doing it.

00:45:00.570 --> 00:45:02.269
I'm going to do what it is that God would have

00:45:02.269 --> 00:45:05.630
me to do. I will not await God's perfect timing

00:45:05.630 --> 00:45:07.530
and justice when he glorifies himself and they

00:45:07.530 --> 00:45:09.849
come and they scream, Hallelujah to the Lord

00:45:09.849 --> 00:45:13.050
Jesus Christ. Look at all he did in all these

00:45:13.050 --> 00:45:15.329
people. And when they say in all these people,

00:45:15.349 --> 00:45:19.309
look at all he did. I'm standing over here. I

00:45:19.309 --> 00:45:21.989
will not allow that to be so. The light and the

00:45:21.989 --> 00:45:24.730
life that is in me that is in Jesus must be delivered

00:45:24.730 --> 00:45:29.010
into every environment I enter into. And the

00:45:29.010 --> 00:45:31.989
Israelites went and they found him. And they

00:45:31.989 --> 00:45:36.800
fought him. And he fled. And then they humiliated

00:45:36.800 --> 00:45:40.179
him, took away his power, just as he had done

00:45:40.179 --> 00:45:42.739
to so many people before. And this all happened

00:45:42.739 --> 00:45:46.480
because God decided, because God promised, because

00:45:46.480 --> 00:45:48.980
God ordered, and it was so. And it will be the

00:45:48.980 --> 00:45:52.980
same way when Jesus comes again. Now, if you're

00:45:52.980 --> 00:45:54.900
saved, I'm not talking about losing your salvation.

00:45:55.689 --> 00:45:57.489
But I'm here to tell you today that if you're

00:45:57.489 --> 00:45:59.789
saved and you're adding on to things in the world,

00:45:59.809 --> 00:46:01.809
that your success can be found in I get to do

00:46:01.809 --> 00:46:03.610
this, I get to do that, I get to have this, I

00:46:03.610 --> 00:46:05.670
get to have that. I want to take this time away

00:46:05.670 --> 00:46:07.849
from what God is making me so that I can enjoy

00:46:07.849 --> 00:46:10.110
or so that I can accomplish it. Even if it accomplishes

00:46:10.110 --> 00:46:12.670
something, you can say, you can be called a pastor

00:46:12.670 --> 00:46:14.550
and say, I'm not going to pastor right now. God's

00:46:14.550 --> 00:46:15.809
calling me to do that, but I'm not going to do

00:46:15.809 --> 00:46:17.989
that. I'm going to go to seminary first. But

00:46:17.989 --> 00:46:19.809
if God calls you today to pastor and you go to

00:46:19.809 --> 00:46:23.320
seminary first, You are using a process or a

00:46:23.320 --> 00:46:25.840
system to achieve the will of God while not actually

00:46:25.840 --> 00:46:28.880
achieving the will of God. Say, well, my loved

00:46:28.880 --> 00:46:31.059
one's sick. I know God has got me to do this,

00:46:31.099 --> 00:46:32.199
but I'm going to stay home and take care of my

00:46:32.199 --> 00:46:33.880
loved one specifically and not do that which

00:46:33.880 --> 00:46:37.119
God has called me to do. You've got a problem.

00:46:37.920 --> 00:46:39.619
Because yes, God has called you to take care

00:46:39.619 --> 00:46:42.000
of your family, but God is telling you to do

00:46:42.000 --> 00:46:45.260
this now. You've got to figure out how do you

00:46:45.260 --> 00:46:49.579
do both. That's your job. Not how do you do...

00:46:49.849 --> 00:46:52.469
the world and also do the kingdom. But how do

00:46:52.469 --> 00:46:56.309
you follow God and also follow God? And the answer

00:46:56.309 --> 00:47:00.630
is, you die if necessary. That's what the Bible

00:47:00.630 --> 00:47:03.530
has called us to. We just got a little comfortable

00:47:03.530 --> 00:47:06.590
in our flesh thinking we don't have to die because

00:47:06.590 --> 00:47:08.829
Jesus said those who are his true followers will

00:47:08.829 --> 00:47:10.590
not actually see death. And that's the truth

00:47:10.590 --> 00:47:12.869
of it. And if you actually physically die for

00:47:12.869 --> 00:47:15.090
him, you will not know that death. I guarantee

00:47:15.090 --> 00:47:16.809
you, you will translate immediately to heaven

00:47:16.809 --> 00:47:18.829
and the suffering of it will be forever gone.

00:47:20.809 --> 00:47:23.230
So what has God promised? God has promised a

00:47:23.230 --> 00:47:26.329
return. Jesus is coming back again. He has promised

00:47:26.329 --> 00:47:30.369
his presence now in us as believers. He has promised

00:47:30.369 --> 00:47:33.110
his faithfulness to reward those who seek him

00:47:33.110 --> 00:47:37.989
and live for him on a daily basis. We see this

00:47:37.989 --> 00:47:40.949
in the New Testament. There's one particular

00:47:40.949 --> 00:47:44.949
moment in time. Jesus goes to cast demons out

00:47:44.949 --> 00:47:48.250
of a... It's actually a person that the disciples

00:47:48.250 --> 00:47:52.059
failed to cast demons on. And the demons recognized

00:47:52.059 --> 00:47:57.199
Jesus. They recognized him. And you can only

00:47:57.199 --> 00:48:00.199
say that the word isn't there, but the emotion

00:48:00.199 --> 00:48:03.820
that they were feeling was horror. And they said,

00:48:03.940 --> 00:48:07.260
have you come to, this is how we know, torment

00:48:07.260 --> 00:48:11.320
us before the day? Are you sitting here today

00:48:11.320 --> 00:48:14.280
thinking, man, this sermon, if I really would

00:48:14.280 --> 00:48:17.650
do this, it's tormenting me. It's really messing

00:48:17.650 --> 00:48:19.449
with my head because what if I really do take

00:48:19.449 --> 00:48:21.170
all that money that's in my savings account,

00:48:21.210 --> 00:48:23.329
all that time that's in my schedule, 168 hours

00:48:23.329 --> 00:48:25.230
a week, all that strength that's in my muscles,

00:48:25.309 --> 00:48:28.010
all the tension that's left in me, all the ability,

00:48:28.130 --> 00:48:30.349
all the reason, all that. If I put all that on

00:48:30.349 --> 00:48:32.309
the table and I really do use that all for God,

00:48:32.429 --> 00:48:35.250
and people are like, oh, somebody needs 100 bucks.

00:48:35.389 --> 00:48:36.530
And I'm like, oh, not 100 bucks. I'm going to

00:48:36.530 --> 00:48:38.989
save it for a rainy day. Just do what it is.

00:48:39.050 --> 00:48:42.530
If God says give it, just give it. If God says

00:48:42.530 --> 00:48:44.349
go and serve, just go and serve. If God says

00:48:44.349 --> 00:48:45.969
tell this person about Jesus, just do that. Whatever

00:48:45.969 --> 00:48:48.750
God says to do, it is word. And you know it's

00:48:48.750 --> 00:48:51.789
him. Just totally, totally put yourself out there

00:48:51.789 --> 00:48:54.030
in every possible way. Even die if necessary

00:48:54.030 --> 00:48:56.789
for the Lord. Man, that's torment to even think

00:48:56.789 --> 00:48:59.469
about that. If that's where you're at, you need

00:48:59.469 --> 00:49:02.409
to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And

00:49:02.409 --> 00:49:05.389
put the old you behind as only God can do. And

00:49:05.389 --> 00:49:07.630
truly live for the Lord as we're called to. He

00:49:07.630 --> 00:49:13.719
died for us. While we were yet sinners, we didn't

00:49:13.719 --> 00:49:18.519
deserve nothing. If you're sitting here today

00:49:18.519 --> 00:49:20.119
thinking you don't deserve nothing, you were

00:49:20.119 --> 00:49:23.219
created in the image of God and you can be free.

00:49:23.440 --> 00:49:26.159
And you're not free to then sample and taste

00:49:26.159 --> 00:49:28.840
and use the things of the world. You are not

00:49:28.840 --> 00:49:33.960
of this world. You're free to spend every day

00:49:33.960 --> 00:49:38.920
fully committed to the God of heavens. storing

00:49:38.920 --> 00:49:40.860
up treasure where they really belong and can

00:49:40.860 --> 00:49:44.380
last. That's what the word has called us to.

00:49:47.360 --> 00:49:50.900
I think 300 years before Adonai Bezek went down,

00:49:51.059 --> 00:49:55.099
some king in Canaan, faced with the Israelites,

00:49:55.360 --> 00:50:00.199
might have said, whoa, hold up. God's people

00:50:00.199 --> 00:50:02.699
are coming here to kick our butts? No, no, no,

00:50:02.699 --> 00:50:04.880
no, we're also followers of God. We've not quite

00:50:04.880 --> 00:50:07.099
been doing it right. We know we've been doing

00:50:07.099 --> 00:50:08.639
things we shouldn't do, but we're repenting now.

00:50:09.420 --> 00:50:12.159
We see God's wrath coming against us. We're repenting

00:50:12.159 --> 00:50:14.800
now. And God said, no, we will not have that.

00:50:16.079 --> 00:50:18.119
They have my testimony. They have all creation

00:50:18.119 --> 00:50:21.920
testifying to the glory of God. They have the

00:50:21.920 --> 00:50:23.500
teachings of the ancestors. These are descendants,

00:50:23.880 --> 00:50:25.980
just the same as the Israelites are descendants.

00:50:26.099 --> 00:50:27.119
They are descendants. They're from a different

00:50:27.119 --> 00:50:29.460
line, but they go all the way back to Adam. They

00:50:29.460 --> 00:50:31.719
have the teachings. We're just going to let them

00:50:31.719 --> 00:50:34.199
go. I'm going to keep saying to them, turn to

00:50:34.199 --> 00:50:36.219
me, turn to me, turn to me. And they're going

00:50:36.219 --> 00:50:38.400
to keep refusing to totally live for me, to totally

00:50:38.400 --> 00:50:41.239
turn to me. And then in 400 years, and he didn't

00:50:41.239 --> 00:50:43.239
say it was 400 at that time, but in that number

00:50:43.239 --> 00:50:45.599
of years, it turned out to be 400 years, when

00:50:45.599 --> 00:50:48.699
they have stood up for themselves, then the promises

00:50:48.699 --> 00:50:51.500
of God will be fulfilled. And out there in the

00:50:51.500 --> 00:50:52.840
world right now, an awful lot of people claim

00:50:52.840 --> 00:50:56.639
to be Christians. It's an awful lot. I just saw

00:50:56.639 --> 00:51:01.849
a poll that said fully 75%. Of the world's population.

00:51:02.150 --> 00:51:03.469
I don't agree with that. I don't think you do

00:51:03.469 --> 00:51:05.710
either. But the poll said 75 % of the world's

00:51:05.710 --> 00:51:07.130
population claim to be Christian and believe

00:51:07.130 --> 00:51:13.010
in God. 75%. That's nuts. I see what's going

00:51:13.010 --> 00:51:14.670
on. You see what's going on. But do you know

00:51:14.670 --> 00:51:17.789
that if you went to the child molester that lives

00:51:17.789 --> 00:51:19.710
on your street, stop by and just talk to him

00:51:19.710 --> 00:51:21.730
and say, hey, I got the flyer. I just want you

00:51:21.730 --> 00:51:23.510
to know, I know you're here. I don't have anything

00:51:23.510 --> 00:51:25.190
against you. I'm a Christian. I don't believe

00:51:25.190 --> 00:51:27.710
we know what they might say. They just might

00:51:27.710 --> 00:51:33.440
say, oh yeah, I'm a Christian too. And if you

00:51:33.440 --> 00:51:36.480
stop a bar fight Friday night, go into a bar

00:51:36.480 --> 00:51:39.940
fight, you guys fight and break it up, talk to

00:51:39.940 --> 00:51:43.139
them, you know what they might say? They might

00:51:43.139 --> 00:51:47.019
both say they're Christians too. A Christian

00:51:47.019 --> 00:51:50.400
is a person who lives their life for the one

00:51:50.400 --> 00:51:53.360
who died for them. And if you're not doing that,

00:51:53.500 --> 00:51:56.000
there is a great upheaval coming at some point

00:51:56.000 --> 00:51:59.039
in time. And I wish that all Christians everywhere

00:51:59.039 --> 00:52:05.929
could know that. Always. believe they can because

00:52:05.929 --> 00:52:09.369
it's in the Lord. This time I'll ask the praise

00:52:09.369 --> 00:52:10.989
team to come forward and lead us in our closing

00:52:10.989 --> 00:52:13.469
hymn. If you're here today and something that's

00:52:13.469 --> 00:52:15.530
been said or something the Holy Spirit is saying

00:52:15.530 --> 00:52:16.969
and you've touched your life and you know you

00:52:16.969 --> 00:52:18.989
need to make a change, then you make your change

00:52:18.989 --> 00:52:20.449
public. You can do it. Stand right where you

00:52:20.449 --> 00:52:21.690
are. There's no special steps. You've got to

00:52:21.690 --> 00:52:23.150
walk. I remember when I could hardly walk the

00:52:23.150 --> 00:52:26.190
farther road. You don't have to walk the farther

00:52:26.190 --> 00:52:28.409
road. We don't have a very big room in that sense.

00:52:28.590 --> 00:52:31.719
So you can raise your hand. You say, I got a

00:52:31.719 --> 00:52:33.619
word I got to say. The Lord is really pushing

00:52:33.619 --> 00:52:37.400
my heart on this matter. And then you tell us

00:52:37.400 --> 00:52:41.599
what it is, and we'll pray for you. And if you're

00:52:41.599 --> 00:52:43.880
trusting in the Lord Jesus today, we can pronounce

00:52:43.880 --> 00:52:48.619
you forgiven, because that's a job we have. If

00:52:48.619 --> 00:52:51.460
you know there's something you're choosing, even

00:52:51.460 --> 00:52:55.579
if it's a method to achieve God's will, and you're

00:52:55.579 --> 00:52:57.280
doing that, and it's not what God has called

00:52:57.280 --> 00:53:00.840
you to, then you repent. You repent today and

00:53:00.840 --> 00:53:02.159
turn to the Lord. I want you to turn away from

00:53:02.159 --> 00:53:05.000
all your sins, just as you did when you were

00:53:05.000 --> 00:53:07.260
saved, or if this is the first time, just as

00:53:07.260 --> 00:53:08.659
you're doing right now, because that's what it

00:53:08.659 --> 00:53:10.880
means to be saved. Return from all your sins

00:53:10.880 --> 00:53:16.619
and turn to God alone. The Lord help us. As we

00:53:16.619 --> 00:53:18.760
sing this song, would you all stand with me and

00:53:18.760 --> 00:54:02.750
sing? those three little letters A -L -L I will

00:54:02.750 --> 00:54:11.230
ever love and trust Him in His presence daily

00:54:41.280 --> 00:54:45.960
There is no other name given among men under

00:54:45.960 --> 00:54:48.820
heaven by which we must be saved. Only Jesus.

00:54:52.110 --> 00:54:56.849
If it was Paul, we could live like Paul. If it

00:54:56.849 --> 00:55:00.889
was John, we could live like John. If it was

00:55:00.889 --> 00:55:04.590
Judah, we could live like Judah. But it's Jesus.

00:55:05.130 --> 00:55:07.090
Because it's Jesus, we live like Jesus.