WEBVTT

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We are continuing our series through the book

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of Judges today, and so what I'm about to read

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you really needs no further introduction, and

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yet you'll get one. After I read it, we're going

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to have to break it down a little bit because

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it is one of those verses in the Bible that theologians

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argue over a lot. There is a lot of debate. I'm

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not going to give it to you today. If you care

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enough to go digging into that and try to figure

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it out, there is a lot there you can find. I

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can even recommend some sources for you, that

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kind of thing. But I will give you the synopsis

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of the debate before we are through. So we are

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in the book of Judges, chapter 3. Thank you for

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those of you who are in the middle of the house

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and have a little breath for Judges chapter 3.

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It is verse 31. We ended in 30 and it said, So

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Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel,

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and the land was at rest for 80 years. And then

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it says, Now after him came Shamgar, the son

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of Anath, who struck and killed 600 Philistines

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with an ox goad. And he also saved Israel. An

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ox goad is basically a prod. That's meant to

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keep the oxen moving when they're pulling the

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plow or whatever heavy load. And Shamdar took

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up an ox goad and used it probably like a sword

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or a club or a rod and killed 600 Philistines

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who had become the military oppressors along

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the edge, at least in certain areas of Israel.

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Now, here's where it gets sticky. Because this

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is the only verse in the history recording where

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Shamgar is mentioned. But if you'll fast forward

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in your Bible a little bit to chapter 5, which

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we'll get there eventually, but today we're just

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going to read a couple of verses. In chapter

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5, the judge Deborah, who is the first female

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judge and really one of the first really powerful

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females prominent in the kingdom in general.

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In chapter 5, Deborah writes a song, or a poem,

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or we would probably perceive it as a poem, but

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it was really a song. And it says, in verse 6,

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In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath. Okay,

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so now we're talking about that same guy. So

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we're going to get a little bit more about that

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guy that the writer of the book of Judges told

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us nothing about. But he does tell us about Deborah's

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song, which talks about the days in which Shamgar

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lived. It says, In the days of Shamgar, the son

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of Anath, in the days of Jael, the roads were

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deserted, and travelers went by roundabout ways.

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The peasantry came to an end. They came to an

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end in Israel. And then it says, until I, Deborah,

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arose, until I arose a mother in Israel. So in

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other words, those days lead right up to when

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Deborah comes on the scene as a judge. Now, this

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is where the debate begins. So the debate begins

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because at the end of verse 30, it says there

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was 80 years of peace or rest for the land. And

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then in verse 31, it says Shamgar, the son of

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Anath, who struck and killed 600 Philistines

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with an ox goad, he also saved Israel. Sounds

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like not very peaceful, right? That doesn't sound

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restful. So the whole thing of Shamgar seems

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like it takes place after the 80 years. But then

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when you read what Deborah writes in verse 6,

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it says, in the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath,

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in the days of Jael, the roads were deserted

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and travelers went by roundabout ways. Also,

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it does not really sound like days of peace and

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rest. In fact, this terminology of the roads

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being deserted and travels going about roundabout

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ways reoccurs throughout history, not only here,

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but in many places where essentially a land is

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being constantly hit by raiders. So what they're

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saying is the borders of Israel were not sound,

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and people were coming from all over the place

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to raid the land, so when people would travel

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from place to place, they avoided the roads.

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So I don't know if you know this about medieval

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and previous roads, but they were built, and

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it's like this in our area, by the way, it's

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not a coincidence, they were built on high places.

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So if you drive in the country, you'll notice

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that the road sits up, like parallel with the

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second floor, almost, of many of the houses.

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If you're driving, you look over there, you're

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not looking at porch level. The roads are built

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up high. Why? Because this is a swamp. And it

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brings us up to a level where the road can be

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passable always. There are ditches on both sides.

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And the dirt from those ditches was used to construct

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the road. And if you knew how the construction

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was done when they built these roads in this

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area, there are logs laid side by side by side.

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If you go along a road and all of a sudden the

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road goes like that, it's because one of the

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logs under the road decomposed. We have one of

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those in my neighborhood for the first 20 years

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of my life. And you go down the road, you go

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25 mile an hour, and then there was a spot where

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a log had decomposed underneath, and the road

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literally dropped two feet and then came back

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up again. And so when everybody got there, they'd

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slow down, right? There was like a reverse speed

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bump. Slow down. And go again, right? And now

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it's gone because they fixed it. They patched

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it, all right? So now everybody just speeds down

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the road, 25, 35 mile an hour, whatever. The

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point is, the roads are the high places in the

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open area. And if you're on the high place, what

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does that tell you? So from five miles away,

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people can see you traveling on the high places.

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So they're sitting in their living room or working

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in the fields or whatever and they see people

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traveling on the high places and they say, hey,

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let's get Bob and Tom and Sal and let's get our

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swords and let's go attack these people traveling

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on the road and they take whatever, right? And

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there were people traveling in the land, brigands

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and bandits and whatever that came from Philistine

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and wherever else, right? And they would see

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people traveling on the high place from miles

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and miles away. And you say, well, but they couldn't

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get there in time, right? Except travel was very

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slow. Even wagons moved at barely better than

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walking pace. And so to go from one horizon to

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the other, and you have to basically cross about

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half the distance of the horizon to be really

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out of view, right? So to go from one end of

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the horizon to the other would take most of a

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day or half a day. And so they would say, oh,

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there's somebody crossing on the road up there.

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They'd go get their friends together. They had

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plenty of time to rally. They'd get on horseback

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or run. And they would catch up to them before

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nightfall, and they would raid them. And so it

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became normal for the people to stay off the

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roads. And this has happened many times throughout

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history. And so when people want to travel from

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town to town, whatever, they would go off the

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roads, through the backwoods, in the ditches,

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etc., and make it safely to the other town. So

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this is a historical... This is not rest in the

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land. So then they begin to debate when she is

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talking about... Shamgar, the son of Anak, is

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she talking about a judge that rose up after

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Gideon? I'm sorry, after Ehud. But then it says,

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now after him came. So it sounds like it's after,

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right? So the bottom line is there is some debate.

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People even think that Jael, the name Jael, is

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not referred to the famous Jael that we'll encounter

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next chapter in the book of Judges. And even

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though it says it's Jael the wife of, which is

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the same person from that account, you say, no,

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that's a different name. So Jael might have been

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the knightly name taken by another judge, either

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Ehud or Shamgar. And so we're talking about Shamgar

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and Jael in this, and it's somebody that existed

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in that period of time. And then there's even

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debate that he was a judge of Israel, even though

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it says that he was the savior. But here it says

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he saved Israel, and not in every case do we

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get that formula for the judges. So the bottom

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line is just one verse, major debate around it.

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Who was he? Was he a knight called Jael? Was

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he just Shamgar? Did he arise during the time

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of Ehud while Ehud was ruling and along the border?

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They didn't wipe out the Philistines, so did

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he rise? And they had skirmishes and stuff, and

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he managed to pull an ox goat and kill 600. So

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you pick which theory you like the best. But

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here's what's fact. This is what we know. Shamgar

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existed. May have gone by another name. We don't

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know. But he existed. He killed 600 men with

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Philistines with an ox goad. We know that. He

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came on the scene after Ehud came on the scene.

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Maybe Ehud was still alive. Maybe he wasn't.

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We don't know. But he was still alive after Ehud

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was alive. So either during those 80 years or

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after he was fighting the Philistines. And then

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we know that while he was living, the roads were

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deserted and travelers went by roundabout ways.

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So whether Ehud was still reigning at that time

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or not, we know that while Shamgar was there,

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and even though he had defeated 600 Philistines

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with an ox code and was a very powerful man in

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the Lord, even though that was true, we know

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that the travelers were going by roundabout ways.

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We know further that the peasantry came to an

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end. Now, the word there is just a little tricky

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the way it's worded, but it basically means they

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stopped being what they were supposed to be.

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They stopped doing what they were supposed to

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do. That's it. They didn't cease to exist. It's

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not like everybody came middle class and above,

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because then you just shipped it all down, and

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the middle class would be the peasantry, right?

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So it wasn't that he made everybody wealthy.

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It was that they ceased to have the effect they

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were supposed to have. And then it says, until

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I, Deborah, arose. So it lasted all the way from

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whenever Shamgar came on the scene, possibly

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during Ehud, all the way to when Deborah comes

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on the scene. You follow? That's what we actually

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know. So in there, then, is something that God

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can teach us a really big deal. The first thing

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I want you to see is that minor things often

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frame or illustrate larger things. I'm going

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to give you a couple of examples from poetry.

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Is there a poet in the house? Does somebody like

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poetry? I love poetry. I wouldn't say I'm good

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at writing poetry. Raise your hand if you love

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poetry. Okay, we've got a few. Okay, all right.

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I'm glad. I'm not the only one. But I'm not really

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a poet, although some have said so. I can make

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word rhyme, but it doesn't really sound like

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poetry. Okay? So these are examples from poetry.

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So here's an example from a poem by Walt Whitman,

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a famous poet. It's called, Oh Me, Oh Life. He

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says, That you are here, that life exists and

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identity, that the powerful play goes on and

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you may contribute a verse. The metaphor is a

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verse, right? It's a verse in a poem. That's

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what he's talking about. It's a small thing,

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a verse, a single verse in a poem. But with the

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bigger idea, he's talking about a person's contribution

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to the vast narrative of human existence. Someday

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you're going to be gone. But in your lifetime,

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you may have the opportunity to communicate a

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number of verses, Walt Whitman would say. You

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could make a difference. You could be remembered

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for something you did and certainly remembered

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in someone's life. I remember people who have

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gone to be with the Lord now and saying things

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that they said and did that affected me. So he's

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saying a small thing for a big thing. Then, by

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Emily Dickinson, Hope is the thing with feathers.

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Hope is the thing with feathers that perches

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in the soul. So the thing with feathers is just

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a bird, right? It's a robin, a chickadee, a sparrow,

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something like that. But it's symbolic of hope.

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A delicate, uplifting, and persistent, despite

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hardship, hope. So a small thing representing

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a very large thing. The road not taken, one of

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my favorite poems by Robert Frost. He says, two

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roads diverged in a yellow wood. The metaphor

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he's using is two roads. And we've all seen intersections,

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right? And usually three, four roads. Not a big

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deal. A fork in the wood doesn't seem outside

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our understanding. It's just two roads diverging

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in a wood. Diverging means moving in separate

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directions. He uses this to represent life choices

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and their consequences, which is what the poem

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is largely about. One more. To the virgins to

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make much of time by Robert Herrick. Gather ye

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rosebuds while you may. The metaphor is rosebuds,

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flowers, right? What's it representing? Youth

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and opportunity. Brief and fading. Just a little

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bit. If you're young in this room, you understand

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you have youth and opportunity. Some of us are

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going like, yeah, that was a while ago. But still,

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even where you are now, to a 90 -year -old, you

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have youth and opportunity. So small things often

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represent big things. And that's what's going

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on here in this story. The staying home or traveling

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in secret. Even the unwillingness to plant and

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harvest. They weren't even growing crops. The

00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:43.779
peasantry had ceased to do what the peasantry

00:12:43.779 --> 00:12:45.539
does. So they were no longer planting and harvesting

00:12:45.539 --> 00:12:48.779
crops. These things make a statement about the

00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:52.340
predicament of God's people in that day. They

00:12:52.340 --> 00:12:55.139
were defeated. They were enduring a period of

00:12:55.139 --> 00:12:58.480
struggle until a savior would arise. They had

00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:01.100
become too poor and defeated to do their own

00:13:01.100 --> 00:13:04.440
work. The work that God had given them to do.

00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:08.299
Victory is in the preparation and application

00:13:08.299 --> 00:13:11.860
of the tactics that God has given us, not getting

00:13:11.860 --> 00:13:16.340
better at avoiding conflict. Jesus said, I have

00:13:16.340 --> 00:13:18.820
not come to bring peace on the earth, but to

00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:24.440
bring a sword. So, as we look at this story,

00:13:24.539 --> 00:13:26.539
I want you to realize that there were God's people

00:13:26.539 --> 00:13:30.379
in the promised land in every city. In every

00:13:30.379 --> 00:13:31.940
city that God's people had already conquered

00:13:31.940 --> 00:13:34.779
in just the previous couple of generations. And

00:13:34.779 --> 00:13:38.200
yet, God's people, the peasantry, and really

00:13:38.200 --> 00:13:41.279
at every level, were failing to do what it was

00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:45.190
that God had called them to do. Instead, they

00:13:45.190 --> 00:13:47.929
were languishing in sin and wickedness and following

00:13:47.929 --> 00:13:51.090
false gods, and many of them were not. Not everyone

00:13:51.090 --> 00:13:53.009
was following false gods. Some of them were still

00:13:53.009 --> 00:13:55.210
following God. They were waiting for a savior.

00:13:57.570 --> 00:14:00.690
I want to share with you an illustration from

00:14:00.690 --> 00:14:03.029
the War of the Roses. Anybody know this? It's

00:14:03.029 --> 00:14:07.090
from England, 1400s. A civil war began between

00:14:07.090 --> 00:14:08.990
the House of Lancaster, which was called the

00:14:08.990 --> 00:14:10.730
Red Rose, and the House of York, which was called

00:14:10.730 --> 00:14:13.250
the White Rose. For control of the English...

00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:20.779
throne. It lasted from 1455 to 1487. Born January

00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:25.860
28, 1457, Henry Tudor lived. He was born in Pembroke

00:14:25.860 --> 00:14:30.059
Castle in Wales. His lineage was he was the son

00:14:30.059 --> 00:14:33.340
of Edmund Tudor and Lady Marriott Margaret Beaufort,

00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:36.419
making him a Lancaster heir through the Beaufort

00:14:36.419 --> 00:14:39.539
line, the descendants of John of Gaunt, son of

00:14:39.539 --> 00:14:42.769
Edward III. After the Lancastrians lost power,

00:14:42.990 --> 00:14:45.909
Henry and his uncle, Jasper Tudor, fled England

00:14:45.909 --> 00:14:49.789
in 1471. So the family was being wiped out. All

00:14:49.789 --> 00:14:51.850
their family members were being killed. And he

00:14:51.850 --> 00:14:55.990
and his uncle fled England in 1471. He was 14

00:14:55.990 --> 00:15:01.769
years old. The Yorkist, Edward IV, regained his

00:15:01.769 --> 00:15:05.149
throne. They spent most of the next 14 years

00:15:05.149 --> 00:15:07.950
in exile in Brittany under protection of Duke

00:15:07.950 --> 00:15:12.059
Francis II. But in 1483, King Edward IV died,

00:15:12.299 --> 00:15:16.240
and his young son, Edward V, disappeared, likely

00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:19.240
murdered, allowing Richard III, Edward's fourth

00:15:19.240 --> 00:15:21.259
brother, to take the throne. Richard III's rule

00:15:21.259 --> 00:15:25.600
was deeply unpopular. Rumors of murder and usurpation

00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:28.240
stirred public support for Henry. So now Henry's

00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:34.980
in exile, right? He can't become king. And rumors

00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:38.639
start to circulate that the king, a savior, might

00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:41.840
return. But he's been in exile for 14 years.

00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:45.000
So Henry sailed from France and landed in Wales

00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:47.960
in August of 1485 with a small force around 2

00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:51.240
,000 troops, nowhere near enough to take the

00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:54.159
throne. He gathered support as he marched through

00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:57.720
Wales and England, and on August 22, 1485, Henry

00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:01.679
met Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:04.720
Richard was killed in battle. Henry was declared

00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:08.350
King Henry VII on the battlefield. crowned king

00:16:08.350 --> 00:16:12.509
October 30th, 1485. In January 1486, Henry married

00:16:12.509 --> 00:16:15.789
Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, uniting

00:16:15.789 --> 00:16:18.370
the feuding houses of Lancaster and York. This

00:16:18.370 --> 00:16:21.649
is the end of the War of the Roses. The marriage

00:16:21.649 --> 00:16:23.970
symbolically ended the War of the Roses and began

00:16:23.970 --> 00:16:30.710
the Tudor dynasty, which ruled until 1603. Some

00:16:30.710 --> 00:16:32.730
people, and you may be one of them, I might be

00:16:32.730 --> 00:16:35.529
one of them, act as if we are kings in hiding.

00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:38.940
I'm asking you today, and the Lord is asking

00:16:38.940 --> 00:16:42.840
all of us today, to figure out our status. There

00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:45.580
is a worldly time for guerrilla warfare, a time

00:16:45.580 --> 00:16:48.700
when boldly facing the enemy only increases casualties.

00:16:48.860 --> 00:16:51.759
Think about the Vietnam War. Think about the

00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:54.000
French and Indian War. There is a time when going

00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.860
out to boldly face the enemy only increases casualties.

00:16:57.240 --> 00:16:59.820
But martyrs of the Christian faith know that

00:16:59.820 --> 00:17:03.279
the time has come and gone for heirs of Jesus.

00:17:03.899 --> 00:17:07.000
Our enemies are not flesh and blood, but demons,

00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:09.079
evil spirits, the world system, and our only

00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:12.759
fleshly desires and ultimate victories over these

00:17:12.759 --> 00:17:16.460
things cannot be accomplished by hiding from

00:17:16.460 --> 00:17:20.440
them or their effects in others. You must come

00:17:20.440 --> 00:17:25.079
out. You must step out. Rather, our victory is

00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:29.789
an accomplishment... I'm sorry. Is it in... becoming

00:17:29.789 --> 00:17:32.069
impenetrable by so wielding the sword of the

00:17:32.069 --> 00:17:34.029
Spirit, which is the word of God, and sharing

00:17:34.029 --> 00:17:36.029
the gospel of peace between man and God that

00:17:36.029 --> 00:17:39.410
humans may come to Christ. You've got to do the

00:17:39.410 --> 00:17:42.630
work. We must not disappear from the world even

00:17:42.630 --> 00:17:46.410
for a time. Drug dealers come to Christ. Sex

00:17:46.410 --> 00:17:49.670
addicts come to Christ. Dark and vile humans

00:17:49.670 --> 00:17:52.410
in which there is seemingly no renewable trait

00:17:52.410 --> 00:17:55.529
come to Christ. They come and become sons of

00:17:55.529 --> 00:17:58.980
light. And it seems that the more they have known

00:17:58.980 --> 00:18:01.859
their own wickedness, the more they relish the

00:18:01.859 --> 00:18:04.980
proffered salvation and even are willing to share

00:18:04.980 --> 00:18:08.140
it despite threats of the enemy toward their

00:18:08.140 --> 00:18:11.960
well -being. Why is it that only the truly wicked

00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:16.119
who come to Christ seem to stay the course? Why

00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:18.220
is it that the drug dealers who come to Christ

00:18:18.220 --> 00:18:20.920
will go and tell everybody about the fact that

00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:24.440
they are saved? Was your sin not bad enough to

00:18:24.440 --> 00:18:27.799
put you in hell? It sure was. And being saved

00:18:27.799 --> 00:18:29.460
from that sin that would have put you in hell

00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:31.559
is not bad enough that now you can live in the

00:18:31.559 --> 00:18:33.900
light and tell everyone about the Savior that

00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:42.039
saved you? We are not kings hiding behind the

00:18:42.039 --> 00:18:44.500
scenes waiting to come on the scene. We have

00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:48.279
a king and he is already on the scene. The war

00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:51.619
between Jesus and Satan in some sense is already

00:18:51.619 --> 00:18:56.440
ended. The victory is determined. And yet, Christians

00:18:56.440 --> 00:19:02.200
act as kings who are in hiding. Some people act

00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:06.380
as defeated peasants. They've ceased kingdom

00:19:06.380 --> 00:19:10.119
work. And if they need to travel, go on vacation,

00:19:10.359 --> 00:19:14.119
go to the store, whatever, they do so incognito.

00:19:14.119 --> 00:19:16.740
So no one can know. They don't wear Christian

00:19:16.740 --> 00:19:19.259
t -shirts. They don't talk about Jesus. They

00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:22.559
don't wear crosses openly. Right? They travel

00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:26.940
incognito. Figure out your status. People praise

00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:31.900
God for prosperity. We come to church and we

00:19:31.900 --> 00:19:34.160
thank God for money. We thank God for cars. We

00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:36.200
thank God for health. We thank God for all kinds

00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:38.599
of blessing. Pretty much everyone who believes

00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:41.279
that God is real praises God when they get gifts

00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:45.240
from God. But God's gifts are his lordship. That

00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:46.839
means he tells you what to do and you do it.

00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:49.599
His presence. That means he is with you through

00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:51.759
his Holy Spirit all day long, every day. His

00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:54.029
spiritual gifts. That means He empowers you to

00:19:54.029 --> 00:19:55.650
do things that you could not previously have

00:19:55.650 --> 00:19:58.190
done in the kingdom, in the church, for the church,

00:19:58.289 --> 00:19:59.769
for God's people, and for the future kingdom.

00:20:00.529 --> 00:20:03.990
It is His granted armor, His adoption as sons

00:20:03.990 --> 00:20:07.089
and daughters, His imputed righteousness. That

00:20:07.089 --> 00:20:10.329
means it's His righteousness put on us. Every

00:20:10.329 --> 00:20:16.029
good gift comes from God, James says. But, but,

00:20:16.069 --> 00:20:20.069
be aware that gifts you think are worth a lot

00:20:20.410 --> 00:20:22.789
in the world may only serve to distract you from

00:20:22.789 --> 00:20:26.869
the kingdom. If you like your cell phone, if

00:20:26.869 --> 00:20:29.109
you like your electronics, if you like your job,

00:20:29.289 --> 00:20:32.009
if you like your friends and family, your boyfriend,

00:20:32.230 --> 00:20:35.549
your girlfriend, even if you like the way we

00:20:35.549 --> 00:20:39.069
worship, or even if you like your Bible, realize

00:20:39.069 --> 00:20:41.609
that all of those things are of this world to

00:20:41.609 --> 00:20:43.470
some extent. I understand that the Bible is the

00:20:43.470 --> 00:20:45.289
inspired word of God and I'm not detracting anything

00:20:45.289 --> 00:20:48.279
from that. But your limited knowledge of the

00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:51.920
Bible is not the living Word of God. Jesus is

00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:54.819
the living Word of God. And He is the one that

00:20:54.819 --> 00:20:59.319
we walk with day in and day out. If you are waiting

00:20:59.319 --> 00:21:02.180
for wealth or health or a promotion or a position

00:21:02.180 --> 00:21:06.460
or an education or a relationship or a solution

00:21:06.460 --> 00:21:10.500
to begin to serve the Lord, to begin to get busy

00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:12.480
and really pour yourself into that which God

00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:17.690
is doing. then you have no understanding of what

00:21:17.690 --> 00:21:22.230
wealth really is. There was a young lady who

00:21:22.230 --> 00:21:24.849
came to our youth group, Madhouse, back when

00:21:24.849 --> 00:21:26.369
we were doing Madhouse on Friday nights in 2018

00:21:26.369 --> 00:21:31.309
or so. She was 16. She was just about to get

00:21:31.309 --> 00:21:34.190
her driver's license. And at Madhouse, we shared

00:21:34.190 --> 00:21:37.430
the gospel, told her about Jesus, and she accepted

00:21:37.430 --> 00:21:39.509
Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and openly

00:21:39.509 --> 00:21:41.950
admitted so. She said, I believe. She raised

00:21:41.950 --> 00:21:43.250
her hand. She told me afterwards she believed.

00:21:44.060 --> 00:21:47.119
But she lived real far away. She lived too far

00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:48.500
away to pick her up at the church band because

00:21:48.500 --> 00:21:50.400
it was about a 25 minute drive out in the country.

00:21:51.019 --> 00:21:53.799
And so I couldn't do that. I was picking up 10,

00:21:53.960 --> 00:21:56.200
sometimes 20, sometimes 30 kids from that house

00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:58.460
on a Friday night. And I couldn't drive to get

00:21:58.460 --> 00:22:00.259
one student. I couldn't drive 25, 30 minutes

00:22:00.259 --> 00:22:03.000
out of the way. But I told her, I said, we will

00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:06.279
get you there. We will get you there somehow,

00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:08.720
some way. Someone will come and pick you up.

00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:10.940
And she asked her parents, and her parents told

00:22:10.940 --> 00:22:12.960
her no. They didn't want her to just ride with

00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:14.079
anybody. They didn't want her riding with me,

00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:16.279
really. They didn't want her coming in all the

00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:18.579
way up into town, East Toledo, 25, 30 minutes

00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:21.200
to come to Madhouse. And that's all it really

00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:23.140
was about. I was trying to get her to come to

00:22:23.140 --> 00:22:24.599
church, begin to worship to the Lord, and her

00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:27.880
parents told her no. And for two months, she

00:22:27.880 --> 00:22:31.680
babysat, made money, slaved away. She got her...

00:22:32.090 --> 00:22:33.750
driver's license, and then she bought a car,

00:22:33.869 --> 00:22:36.230
a used car, a nice one, in fact. I think she

00:22:36.230 --> 00:22:38.269
got a loan, like co -signed with her parents

00:22:38.269 --> 00:22:40.390
or whatever, like 17 or whatever, and bought

00:22:40.390 --> 00:22:41.910
the car. Maybe her parents just took it out.

00:22:42.470 --> 00:22:46.710
Anyway, I was texting back and forth with her

00:22:46.710 --> 00:22:47.950
trying to get her to come to church, and she

00:22:47.950 --> 00:22:49.970
didn't come. And she had gotten her car, and

00:22:49.970 --> 00:22:52.430
she had it for about two days. I think it was

00:22:52.430 --> 00:22:54.150
the first time that she'd ever gone anywhere.

00:22:54.230 --> 00:22:56.910
She was driving to Walmart, coming from out in

00:22:56.910 --> 00:23:01.579
the country, driving into Walmart. She stopped

00:23:01.579 --> 00:23:05.700
at a four -way stop, proceeded on into the intersection

00:23:05.700 --> 00:23:08.539
after the four -way stop, a pickup truck coming

00:23:08.539 --> 00:23:12.640
at a 90 -degree angle, T -boned her car and killed

00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:17.720
her instead. Now I guarantee you that she's in

00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:21.539
heaven saying, either A, I'm so glad I spent

00:23:21.539 --> 00:23:23.980
that last two and a half months of my life serving

00:23:23.980 --> 00:23:27.990
the Lord Jesus Christ, or B, I wish I had. one

00:23:27.990 --> 00:23:29.470
or the other. Now, we don't have any regrets

00:23:29.470 --> 00:23:31.329
in heaven. God wipes away our tears. He's going

00:23:31.329 --> 00:23:33.950
to take care of our sorrow, etc. But the point

00:23:33.950 --> 00:23:35.789
is, on the way in, you're going to be asking

00:23:35.789 --> 00:23:38.509
yourself, did I serve the Lord? And you don't

00:23:38.509 --> 00:23:40.049
want to be saying, no, but I got a good education.

00:23:40.289 --> 00:23:42.529
No, but I got a good job. No, but I got a good

00:23:42.529 --> 00:23:44.430
relationship. No, but I raised some good kids.

00:23:44.569 --> 00:23:48.210
You don't want to say that. You want to be understanding

00:23:48.210 --> 00:23:51.569
your status, working hard to accumulate worldly

00:23:51.569 --> 00:23:54.130
trappings and finer fare, could be turning your

00:23:54.130 --> 00:23:56.779
nose up. at the greatest blessings of God that

00:23:56.779 --> 00:23:59.640
you have been offered, you have one moment today.

00:23:59.960 --> 00:24:02.619
But if you have one moment today, and that moment

00:24:02.619 --> 00:24:05.640
is washed over, missed out on, because instead

00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:07.019
of doing what you're supposed to be doing for

00:24:07.019 --> 00:24:09.440
the Lord in that one moment, you are watching

00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:15.640
your phone, watching TV, playing, romanticizing

00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:18.400
about your significant other, whatever. Now I'm

00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:20.380
not saying all of those things we know, Galatians

00:24:20.380 --> 00:24:22.019
says all of those things are given to us to enjoy.

00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:25.220
What I am saying is it's very easy to come into

00:24:25.220 --> 00:24:27.160
a place where we turn our nose up at the good

00:24:27.160 --> 00:24:30.779
thing that God is offering us and instead desire

00:24:30.779 --> 00:24:33.519
the things that the world is saying make us successful.

00:24:35.539 --> 00:24:38.539
Don't choose the bitter rations that became the

00:24:38.539 --> 00:24:42.059
undoing of Satan himself. To have much and be

00:24:42.059 --> 00:24:46.619
nothing leads to unbridled desire to be that

00:24:46.619 --> 00:24:49.880
which you cannot be. You cannot be king in the

00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:52.579
kingdom of the enemy. You can't do it. Nor can

00:24:52.579 --> 00:24:55.900
you be king in the kingdom of God. You cannot

00:24:55.900 --> 00:24:58.119
be king in the kingdom of the enemy or in the

00:24:58.119 --> 00:25:02.140
kingdom of God. And if you want it, you want

00:25:02.140 --> 00:25:03.640
another promotion, you want a little bit more

00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:06.680
of this or that or the other, you will fall short.

00:25:07.119 --> 00:25:09.359
And you'll wind up trading everything that God

00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:11.940
truly values and has blessed you with for everything

00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:15.319
that you cannot have. Historically, this leads

00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:18.220
to a vacuous nothingness that sucks up resources

00:25:18.220 --> 00:25:22.329
and can swallow even light. without being itself

00:25:22.329 --> 00:25:25.309
enlightened. And the gospel is preached, and

00:25:25.309 --> 00:25:28.210
sermons are preached and taught. And the Bible

00:25:28.210 --> 00:25:30.269
is available to us day in, day out, but just

00:25:30.269 --> 00:25:33.589
gathers a slight layer of dust on the shelf.

00:25:34.210 --> 00:25:36.990
And we become vacuous, desiring that which the

00:25:36.990 --> 00:25:39.029
kingdom desires, desiring that which Satan himself

00:25:39.029 --> 00:25:42.970
fought for and lost. Understand, you can be a

00:25:42.970 --> 00:25:46.529
peasant in the enemy kingdom if you want. That

00:25:46.529 --> 00:25:49.259
role is open and available to you. You can be

00:25:49.259 --> 00:25:53.119
a peasant in Satan's kingdom today. But there

00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:56.900
are no peasants in God's kingdom. There are only

00:25:56.900 --> 00:26:00.859
heirs and joint heirs. In being born again, you

00:26:00.859 --> 00:26:04.519
are no longer a peasant, but rather a child of

00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:09.960
God. A lot of people think that Christianity

00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:12.799
is about quiet suffering and struggling while

00:26:12.799 --> 00:26:21.240
awaiting a Savior. Remember the verses that we

00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:27.619
read in Judges. Remember that in the War of the

00:26:27.619 --> 00:26:30.900
Roses, there were allies all throughout England

00:26:30.900 --> 00:26:34.240
awaiting his arrival, hoping to partner with

00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:36.700
him, hoping to join his army. There were women

00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:38.539
hoping their husbands and their sons and their

00:26:38.539 --> 00:26:40.480
brothers would join the army of the rightful

00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:43.700
king. They were all awaiting a savior, but couldn't

00:26:43.700 --> 00:26:46.279
do anything about that wicked king that sat on

00:26:46.279 --> 00:26:48.279
the throne. And that's what it's like in the

00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:52.559
enemy kingdom. If you are willing to be a peasant

00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:54.839
in the enemy kingdom, then you will forever be

00:26:54.839 --> 00:26:57.259
hoping that a savior will come and overthrow

00:26:57.259 --> 00:27:00.259
the evil and wicked king you suffer under. But

00:27:00.259 --> 00:27:03.119
that is not where we are. We are not struggling

00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:05.599
while awaiting a savior. Some people think they

00:27:05.599 --> 00:27:08.220
are quietly engaged in this struggle, like fighting

00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:10.539
their own spiritual battle while awaiting the

00:27:10.539 --> 00:27:12.420
savior. I need you to figure out your status

00:27:12.420 --> 00:27:16.079
today. The Bible says we are to stand and stand

00:27:16.079 --> 00:27:18.140
publicly. Are you familiar at all with Ephesians

00:27:18.140 --> 00:27:20.019
6 .12? That's where it says we wrestle not with

00:27:20.019 --> 00:27:22.319
flesh and blood. And he goes into giving us a

00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:24.799
list of that which we wrestle. I was doing a

00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:29.720
devotional discipline, whatever you want to call

00:27:29.720 --> 00:27:32.119
it, a lesson, a plan in the Bible app, and I

00:27:32.119 --> 00:27:33.880
discovered where they were talking about Ephesians

00:27:33.880 --> 00:27:35.900
6 .12, and he says that the word there is pros,

00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:40.299
and it means up close and personal. So he's talking

00:27:40.299 --> 00:27:42.259
about wrestling, talking about being caught in

00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:44.319
the fight, like the guy's got his arms all over

00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:46.759
you, right? He's got his bicep on your crotch

00:27:46.759 --> 00:27:48.960
and his hand on your face. I mean, this is what

00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:53.359
it means, wrestling. And people have this idea

00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:56.119
that that's a quiet, private struggle, and it's

00:27:56.119 --> 00:27:59.700
not like that. The Bible says that we are to

00:27:59.700 --> 00:28:02.299
stand, but it also says that we are to stand

00:28:02.299 --> 00:28:04.910
publicly. People have the idea that wrestling

00:28:04.910 --> 00:28:07.529
with this enemy is a thing done privately, like

00:28:07.529 --> 00:28:09.329
you're the only one who knows about your secret

00:28:09.329 --> 00:28:11.230
sins. It's just not like that. Listen, about

00:28:11.230 --> 00:28:13.369
your secret sins, God knows them. The Holy Spirit

00:28:13.369 --> 00:28:14.829
knows them. He's trying to live in you while

00:28:14.829 --> 00:28:16.369
you're doing them, and that's really hard for

00:28:16.369 --> 00:28:19.289
him. Jesus knows them. Demons and evil spirits

00:28:19.289 --> 00:28:20.990
know them because they just pop in and out of

00:28:20.990 --> 00:28:22.529
the room. In fact, they come every time you're

00:28:22.529 --> 00:28:24.890
involved in your secret sin to see because that's

00:28:24.890 --> 00:28:26.849
like a nice warm bath to them or inviting them

00:28:26.849 --> 00:28:29.269
over for a beer. And they pop in to see, and

00:28:29.269 --> 00:28:31.359
then they come and they go. And they know, the

00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:33.660
enemy kingdom all knows about your secret sin.

00:28:33.819 --> 00:28:35.940
And you know about it, and you know that it's

00:28:35.940 --> 00:28:38.980
not honoring the Lord. You think this is a thing

00:28:38.980 --> 00:28:41.680
done privately? It is exposed to the entire spiritual

00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:45.799
kingdom. So people have the idea that wrestling

00:28:45.799 --> 00:28:48.240
with the enemy is a thing done privately, only

00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:51.960
out of necessity, or in your own backyard, or

00:28:51.960 --> 00:28:54.799
in your living room. No, Acts 1 .8, Matthew 28,

00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:57.559
19 -20, and it just goes on and on. All send

00:28:57.559 --> 00:29:00.549
us out. Baptism as an ordinance where we say

00:29:00.549 --> 00:29:02.390
in front of everybody, I'm now living for the

00:29:02.390 --> 00:29:04.289
Lord. This is no longer my private struggle.

00:29:04.549 --> 00:29:07.470
I am putting away the old me and walking in the

00:29:07.470 --> 00:29:09.789
strength of Christ in the new me. That's why

00:29:09.789 --> 00:29:12.349
he gave us baptism, to testify to our changed

00:29:12.349 --> 00:29:14.950
self. The word church in the original language

00:29:14.950 --> 00:29:17.869
being called out assembly of God's people. We

00:29:17.869 --> 00:29:19.470
are the church. If you've become the church,

00:29:19.529 --> 00:29:21.369
you are called out. That means you're no longer

00:29:21.369 --> 00:29:23.650
in there, no longer private, no longer in the

00:29:23.650 --> 00:29:25.509
dark, no longer part of the crowd, but called

00:29:25.509 --> 00:29:30.980
out assembly of believers. The difference between

00:29:30.980 --> 00:29:33.839
the betrayal of Peter and Judas. Peter betrayed

00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:36.539
Jesus. Judas betrayed Jesus. Peter repented,

00:29:36.539 --> 00:29:38.059
came back to Christ, and became the leader in

00:29:38.059 --> 00:29:40.339
the New Testament church. Jesus went away in

00:29:40.339 --> 00:29:42.640
sorrow, realized how stupid he was, hung himself,

00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:45.680
and fell down in a field so that his guts poured

00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:54.759
out. Are you like Peter? A bold, saved, former

00:29:54.759 --> 00:29:57.599
betrayer of Jesus? Or are you like Judas, a depressed,

00:29:57.880 --> 00:30:00.799
anxious, self -loathing disciple of Jesus according

00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:06.460
to the world? But maybe you're just a so -called

00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:09.039
disciple of Jesus. You say you're a disciple

00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:11.279
of Jesus, but Jesus actually knows differently.

00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:14.259
And you say that your weaknesses as a Christian,

00:30:14.299 --> 00:30:16.559
the times that you're failing God, are because...

00:30:16.910 --> 00:30:18.730
You have this private struggle. You have issues

00:30:18.730 --> 00:30:20.609
that nobody else has ever had that you're going

00:30:20.609 --> 00:30:21.910
through. A lot of people have had them, but they're

00:30:21.910 --> 00:30:24.250
really what's stopping you, etc. But the Bible

00:30:24.250 --> 00:30:28.130
says that you are in wrestling boldly, openly,

00:30:28.269 --> 00:30:32.349
publicly in wrestling. Greek athletes in the

00:30:32.349 --> 00:30:39.329
Olympics competed in the nude. In a place called,

00:30:39.529 --> 00:30:42.089
in a practice called gymnas, which is where we

00:30:42.089 --> 00:30:45.970
now get our word gymnasium from. They would strip

00:30:45.970 --> 00:30:50.470
buck naked, oil their bodies down, and the wrestlers,

00:30:50.470 --> 00:30:53.910
at least, would coat themselves in a fine layer

00:30:53.910 --> 00:30:56.730
of sand for grip so the other wrestler could

00:30:56.730 --> 00:30:59.109
grip them and also to protect themselves from

00:30:59.109 --> 00:31:02.710
injury. Wrestling, which was called Palais, was

00:31:02.710 --> 00:31:04.950
one of the oldest Olympic forms introduced in

00:31:04.950 --> 00:31:09.289
708 BCE as part of the Pentathlon. Matches took

00:31:09.289 --> 00:31:12.089
place in a sand -covered arena called the palaestra.

00:31:12.450 --> 00:31:14.450
Wrestlers were oiled, sometimes dusted, with

00:31:14.450 --> 00:31:16.650
fine sand to improve grip and reduce injury.

00:31:16.970 --> 00:31:19.650
Consider that the demons you will encounter do

00:31:19.650 --> 00:31:23.250
not care how you are dressed. They do not care

00:31:23.250 --> 00:31:26.730
about the balance of your checkbook. If you had

00:31:26.730 --> 00:31:30.089
a good weekend vacation or a tough time on the

00:31:30.089 --> 00:31:34.170
job or at class, they would strip you bare and

00:31:34.170 --> 00:31:40.569
drag you into the sand. It is he that is in you,

00:31:40.650 --> 00:31:43.009
if Jesus is indeed in you, that is completely

00:31:43.009 --> 00:31:45.950
mightier than they. It is Jesus that makes a

00:31:45.950 --> 00:31:48.410
man or a woman a mighty warrior in the spiritual

00:31:48.410 --> 00:31:51.630
realms. Man was created with the ability to conquer

00:31:51.630 --> 00:31:54.549
over spiritual enemies. Read Psalm 8. But surrendered

00:31:54.549 --> 00:32:02.130
it to live a life of a king in hiding. Think

00:32:02.130 --> 00:32:05.009
about the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were given

00:32:05.009 --> 00:32:06.789
the job to rule the garden and ultimately to

00:32:06.789 --> 00:32:11.250
subdue how far? The province, right? The peninsula?

00:32:11.490 --> 00:32:14.210
The continent? No, to subdue the whole earth.

00:32:14.630 --> 00:32:18.210
They were born kings. And then they took for

00:32:18.210 --> 00:32:20.609
themselves what it was that they thought that

00:32:20.609 --> 00:32:22.130
they wanted. They were tempted. They took for

00:32:22.130 --> 00:32:23.309
themselves what it was that they thought that

00:32:23.309 --> 00:32:25.849
they wanted. They distrusted God and became kings

00:32:25.849 --> 00:32:27.809
in hiding. Then God came into the garden. They

00:32:27.809 --> 00:32:30.430
were naked, but they weren't wrestling. They

00:32:30.430 --> 00:32:33.329
were naked, but they weren't public. They were

00:32:33.329 --> 00:32:39.019
hiding in the bushes. And ever since then, people

00:32:39.019 --> 00:32:42.640
instead of boldly publicly wrestling for what

00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:45.599
God wants, have been hiding like kings in hiding.

00:32:45.740 --> 00:32:49.220
Have been quitting the work like peasants when

00:32:49.220 --> 00:32:52.359
they are actually adopted sons and daughters.

00:32:55.680 --> 00:33:03.920
Not now. Not today. Not 2025. Not July 6th and

00:33:03.920 --> 00:33:07.269
no day going forward. Figure out your status.

00:33:08.289 --> 00:33:10.269
When I became a young Christian, I was attending

00:33:10.269 --> 00:33:14.130
East Little Baptist Church. Within weeks, my

00:33:14.130 --> 00:33:17.289
wife joined. She got saved. She joined the new

00:33:17.289 --> 00:33:18.950
membership class and they mentioned in that class

00:33:18.950 --> 00:33:20.630
that they needed a 5th and 6th grade Sunday school

00:33:20.630 --> 00:33:24.369
teacher. I was like, oh no. Not me. I'm not teaching

00:33:24.369 --> 00:33:26.390
Sunday school. I can't teach anybody anything.

00:33:26.470 --> 00:33:28.829
I don't even know anything. I can't teach anybody

00:33:28.829 --> 00:33:31.029
anything. I'm not doing that. And she said, I'll

00:33:31.029 --> 00:33:33.099
take care of it. I'll do all the teaching. You

00:33:33.099 --> 00:33:34.759
just be there in case I need you to back me up

00:33:34.759 --> 00:33:38.000
or something, you know? And I said, no, no, I

00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:40.480
don't think that's a good idea. We could pray

00:33:40.480 --> 00:33:42.079
about it. I said, we could pray about it. So

00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:44.359
come the invitation, she grabbed me by my elbow.

00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:46.619
Sometimes now my elbow still hurts in the same

00:33:46.619 --> 00:33:48.339
spot where she grabbed me, I kid you not. She

00:33:48.339 --> 00:33:49.859
grabbed me by my elbow and she said, let's go

00:33:49.859 --> 00:33:52.619
tell them that we'll teach that class. And I

00:33:52.619 --> 00:33:54.440
said, first of all, I said, no, I don't want

00:33:54.440 --> 00:33:56.400
to teach that class. Secondly, I said, we'll

00:33:56.400 --> 00:33:58.619
pray about it, not we'll go tell them at the

00:33:58.619 --> 00:33:59.960
invitation that we're going to teach the class.

00:34:00.380 --> 00:34:02.460
And so she pulled right here, and it was like

00:34:02.460 --> 00:34:04.079
I had a choice. Either I was going to go forward

00:34:04.079 --> 00:34:05.839
with her to say that we'll teach the class, or

00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:07.539
I could lose the lower part of my arm from my

00:34:07.539 --> 00:34:09.840
elbow down. It was like that. And so I went forward,

00:34:09.900 --> 00:34:12.539
and we said, okay, we'll teach the class. And

00:34:12.539 --> 00:34:15.599
I was so petrified. She stood there, and I stood

00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:17.400
kind of just a little bit back. My left shoulder

00:34:17.400 --> 00:34:19.840
was behind her right shoulder, so that I had

00:34:19.840 --> 00:34:21.619
some protection from the crowd of people who

00:34:21.619 --> 00:34:23.619
loved me and wanted to see me serving Jesus and

00:34:23.619 --> 00:34:27.139
teaching the Sunday school class. So a few weeks

00:34:27.139 --> 00:34:29.039
later was going to be our time to first teach

00:34:29.039 --> 00:34:30.420
a Sunday school class. And I'm like, this will

00:34:30.420 --> 00:34:31.719
be great. She'll teach a class. I'm going to

00:34:31.719 --> 00:34:33.000
stand in the corner and pretend I'm not in the

00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:36.760
room. But that morning at 9 a .m., Bob O 'Hara

00:34:36.760 --> 00:34:39.239
called the house. The house phone rang back in

00:34:39.239 --> 00:34:41.420
the day. Pick up the house phone. He said, I

00:34:41.420 --> 00:34:43.039
just wanted to touch base with you guys. I know

00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:44.500
you're supposed to start teaching a Sunday school

00:34:44.500 --> 00:34:47.940
class today. And Sherry's talking to him on the

00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:51.679
phone. And he said, you know, you can't teach

00:34:51.679 --> 00:34:53.769
the Sunday school class today. She prepared.

00:34:54.030 --> 00:34:55.670
She'd read the book or whatever, I think, or

00:34:55.670 --> 00:34:57.610
at least got the book anyway. I don't think we

00:34:57.610 --> 00:35:01.809
read it very much back then. And he said, he's

00:35:01.809 --> 00:35:03.869
saying, I can't teach Sunday school class today.

00:35:03.969 --> 00:35:05.289
And right away I got mad. I'm like, don't tell

00:35:05.289 --> 00:35:07.130
my wife she can't teach Sunday school class today.

00:35:07.210 --> 00:35:08.969
Church said she could teach Sunday school. You

00:35:08.969 --> 00:35:10.730
can't tell my wife what she can't do. And I'm

00:35:10.730 --> 00:35:13.469
getting my crow up and I'm going to get up there

00:35:13.469 --> 00:35:16.210
and I'll fix it. I'll get on the phone and I'll

00:35:16.210 --> 00:35:19.829
tell him. And she said, he said, I have to finish

00:35:19.829 --> 00:35:21.829
the new membership class before I can start teaching.

00:35:22.300 --> 00:35:23.679
And so then I'm thinking, okay, well, that'll

00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:24.840
be all right. A couple more weeks, you'll be

00:35:24.840 --> 00:35:25.800
in the new membership class, then we'll start

00:35:25.800 --> 00:35:27.619
teaching the Sunday school class in a few weeks.

00:35:28.480 --> 00:35:30.320
And then he said, well, Dan will have to teach

00:35:30.320 --> 00:35:31.940
the Sunday school class for the first couple

00:35:31.940 --> 00:35:33.539
of weeks, and then you can join him, and you

00:35:33.539 --> 00:35:37.480
guys can teach together after that. And my heart

00:35:37.480 --> 00:35:41.300
liked to explode in my chest. No, no, no, I'm

00:35:41.300 --> 00:35:43.119
just the guy standing in the corner. I'm not

00:35:43.119 --> 00:35:46.289
the guy teaching the class. And she said, okay,

00:35:46.530 --> 00:35:48.349
he'll take care of it, and hung up the phone.

00:35:48.469 --> 00:35:50.269
And I'm like, call him back, call him back. No,

00:35:50.409 --> 00:35:52.449
that's not right. That's not the way this is

00:35:52.449 --> 00:35:55.329
supposed to go. And from that moment on, I went

00:35:55.329 --> 00:35:57.389
into the class. I taught the class. Yes, I was

00:35:57.389 --> 00:36:00.210
terrified. Yes, I taught what was in the book.

00:36:00.329 --> 00:36:01.909
Half the time, I didn't know what it meant. I

00:36:01.909 --> 00:36:04.150
mean, like, I had to process it as I was teaching

00:36:04.150 --> 00:36:06.289
it, and I did it. And they listened, and everybody

00:36:06.289 --> 00:36:07.789
in the class knew the Bible better than me. It

00:36:07.789 --> 00:36:10.150
was five kids, all church kids. They'd all been

00:36:10.150 --> 00:36:12.210
in church since they were in nursery, except

00:36:12.210 --> 00:36:15.139
for one. And she'd been there a good five, six

00:36:15.139 --> 00:36:16.940
years by now. And so they all knew it better

00:36:16.940 --> 00:36:18.659
than I did. And I'm teaching a class and finally

00:36:18.659 --> 00:36:21.079
Sherry joined me. And then, thank God, I was

00:36:21.079 --> 00:36:23.179
able to kind of retreat back into the shadows

00:36:23.179 --> 00:36:25.019
a little bit. But by then I'd been teaching and

00:36:25.019 --> 00:36:26.940
they were looking to me. So they would ask a

00:36:26.940 --> 00:36:28.380
question. Instead of asking her, they would ask

00:36:28.380 --> 00:36:30.139
me. And so then I would have to answer. And so

00:36:30.139 --> 00:36:31.980
I'm getting pushed into the light. I'm out on

00:36:31.980 --> 00:36:34.300
the road. I'm being seen, right? I'm being attacked

00:36:34.300 --> 00:36:36.800
at every turn because I don't want to do it anyway.

00:36:38.360 --> 00:36:40.380
And we proceeded to teach that Sunday school

00:36:40.380 --> 00:36:43.099
class for two years. Now, we taught it a lot

00:36:43.099 --> 00:36:44.719
longer than that, but two years later, something

00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:47.739
happened that marked a change, and we're moving

00:36:47.739 --> 00:36:52.019
into the conclusion here. So in the Sunday school

00:36:52.019 --> 00:36:53.719
class, occasionally they would have the gospel.

00:36:54.039 --> 00:36:55.519
Now, most of the time they would have the gospel.

00:36:55.519 --> 00:36:57.239
We didn't teach the gospel in the Sunday school

00:36:57.239 --> 00:36:59.059
class because all those kids knew it better than

00:36:59.059 --> 00:37:00.400
we did, and they'd been in there since they were

00:37:00.400 --> 00:37:03.300
in diapers. So we didn't ever really teach the

00:37:03.300 --> 00:37:06.360
gospel in Sunday school class. And I would go

00:37:06.360 --> 00:37:08.559
around all the time thinking I was a Christian,

00:37:08.619 --> 00:37:11.219
and I was praying for God to have his will in

00:37:11.219 --> 00:37:14.750
my life. And I would go places and have the opportunity

00:37:14.750 --> 00:37:16.389
to talk to people about things that I thought

00:37:16.389 --> 00:37:19.730
were important and never mention Jesus. Ever.

00:37:19.889 --> 00:37:22.369
I never preached Jesus, Jesus talked about Jesus,

00:37:22.510 --> 00:37:24.289
never went out and said Jesus. I never said the

00:37:24.289 --> 00:37:26.530
name of Jesus outside either the church, building,

00:37:26.809 --> 00:37:32.090
or my home. Ever. Not to my parents, not to my

00:37:32.090 --> 00:37:34.780
friends. Not on my job. I didn't tell the people

00:37:34.780 --> 00:37:36.360
at my job that I'd become a Christian. For two

00:37:36.360 --> 00:37:38.440
years I was teaching Sunday school class and

00:37:38.440 --> 00:37:40.880
I would never mention the name of Jesus outside

00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:44.639
either the Sunday school class or at my home.

00:37:44.860 --> 00:37:46.539
And Sherry and I talked about it frequently as

00:37:46.539 --> 00:37:47.659
we were trying to figure out because before we

00:37:47.659 --> 00:37:49.539
got saved we were a horrible husband and wife.

00:37:49.619 --> 00:37:51.500
We were not good to each other. The truth is

00:37:51.500 --> 00:37:54.300
if she didn't kill me or I didn't kill her we'd

00:37:54.300 --> 00:37:55.840
have probably ended in divorce which is more

00:37:55.840 --> 00:37:57.460
likely because we were pretty docile in that

00:37:57.460 --> 00:38:02.840
regard. Two years. And then there was a block

00:38:02.840 --> 00:38:07.760
party coming up at the church. And they wanted

00:38:07.760 --> 00:38:10.699
us to help flyer and promote and ask for people

00:38:10.699 --> 00:38:13.440
to come. Well, I fancied myself a Christian.

00:38:13.920 --> 00:38:16.000
So we went out and asked a lot of people to come

00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:18.099
to the block party. And a lot of people came.

00:38:18.300 --> 00:38:20.239
It was on the parking lot. We set up the snow

00:38:20.239 --> 00:38:22.639
cone, the cotton candy, the popcorn, the moon

00:38:22.639 --> 00:38:25.460
bounce. It was on the parking lot. And there

00:38:25.460 --> 00:38:28.039
was probably 150, 200 people on the parking lot.

00:38:28.329 --> 00:38:31.369
All strangers, pretty much. It was probably 30

00:38:31.369 --> 00:38:32.730
of us from the church serving, and everybody

00:38:32.730 --> 00:38:36.369
else was a stranger. And I'm assisting in every

00:38:36.369 --> 00:38:38.389
way I can, Pastor Don Black. I'm assisting him

00:38:38.389 --> 00:38:41.349
in every way I can. And then he takes the microphone,

00:38:41.610 --> 00:38:44.650
and he begins to share the gospel, the ABCs of

00:38:44.650 --> 00:38:46.730
salvation, which say, admit that you are a sinner.

00:38:46.789 --> 00:38:48.969
Understand that you need a savior. B, believe

00:38:48.969 --> 00:38:50.769
that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your

00:38:50.769 --> 00:38:53.070
sins, and that God rose him from the dead. C,

00:38:53.210 --> 00:38:54.969
commit yourself to follow him for the rest of

00:38:54.969 --> 00:38:56.469
your life. It's very simple, ABCs of salvation.

00:38:57.019 --> 00:38:59.760
And as he spoke into the microphone, and he said,

00:39:01.639 --> 00:39:05.980
A. It's like that. Nothing fantastic. Nothing

00:39:05.980 --> 00:39:14.300
glamorous. Not flashy. Not loud. Just A. A is

00:39:14.300 --> 00:39:19.099
for admit. And as he spoke, my head of its own

00:39:19.099 --> 00:39:22.500
volition went down. Now as I'm sitting there,

00:39:22.519 --> 00:39:24.800
I'm talking with Christ in my heart. I'm saying

00:39:24.800 --> 00:39:30.510
to God, Why is my head down? And God said, because

00:39:30.510 --> 00:39:33.309
you're ashamed of the gospel. Because you do

00:39:33.309 --> 00:39:35.610
not understand your status in the kingdom of

00:39:35.610 --> 00:39:39.289
God. That you are a child of the king. That this

00:39:39.289 --> 00:39:41.409
message that is being delivered could make any

00:39:41.409 --> 00:39:43.690
one of these perfect strangers, some of whom

00:39:43.690 --> 00:39:45.690
may be the wickedest people that you have ever

00:39:45.690 --> 00:39:48.210
met in your life, and they could turn into a

00:39:48.210 --> 00:39:50.329
child of the king right now, and you're ashamed

00:39:50.329 --> 00:39:52.829
of the message. And then there was a little voice

00:39:52.829 --> 00:39:55.059
off the side that said, it's okay. Everyone will

00:39:55.059 --> 00:39:57.880
just think you're praying. Don't lift your head

00:39:57.880 --> 00:39:59.300
up now, because if you lift your head up now,

00:39:59.519 --> 00:40:03.260
they'll think you're done praying. And I didn't

00:40:03.260 --> 00:40:06.800
know which voice to listen to. Was I a king in

00:40:06.800 --> 00:40:09.119
hiding waiting for a savior? Was I a peasant

00:40:09.119 --> 00:40:10.699
who had ceased from the labors of the kingdom

00:40:10.699 --> 00:40:14.079
of God? I didn't even know who I was in Christ.

00:40:14.280 --> 00:40:16.920
And I said, God, I don't want to be like this.

00:40:17.400 --> 00:40:19.159
I don't want the gospel to be this thing that

00:40:19.159 --> 00:40:21.480
I just try to drag out every time I'm naked and

00:40:21.480 --> 00:40:23.980
alone with the enemy and he sees right through

00:40:23.980 --> 00:40:27.579
me and I'm being ripped to shreds. I want to

00:40:27.579 --> 00:40:30.480
be as a child of the king. And so I said that

00:40:30.480 --> 00:40:33.380
day, I said, I am a child of the king. Jesus

00:40:33.380 --> 00:40:35.340
is my Lord. I want you to think that and maybe

00:40:35.340 --> 00:40:36.639
say that right where you're sitting today. I

00:40:36.639 --> 00:40:40.039
am a child of the king. Jesus is my Lord. My

00:40:40.039 --> 00:40:43.579
true wealth is stored up in heaven. My blessings

00:40:43.579 --> 00:40:46.639
are meant for the kingdom advance. I am not waiting

00:40:46.639 --> 00:40:49.599
or working for the wealth or status of this world,

00:40:49.639 --> 00:40:52.480
but walking as an heir and storing up treasures

00:40:52.480 --> 00:40:56.599
in heaven. When this life is done, Jesus will

00:40:56.599 --> 00:40:59.000
bring me home to relish the great victory already

00:40:59.000 --> 00:41:01.099
prepared for those who are following him now.

00:41:01.280 --> 00:41:05.079
I will show up now. I will live boldly now. I

00:41:05.079 --> 00:41:07.679
will rebuke the enemy, trusting he is already

00:41:07.679 --> 00:41:10.360
defeated, and I will do it now. I will share

00:41:10.360 --> 00:41:13.000
the gospel with any who will listen, and I will

00:41:13.000 --> 00:41:16.199
not prejudge. Who those people might be. And

00:41:16.199 --> 00:41:18.500
that's probably our worst weakness. Because we

00:41:18.500 --> 00:41:21.159
think, oh, they don't want to hear it. And that's

00:41:21.159 --> 00:41:23.099
why I didn't share it in my Sunday school class

00:41:23.099 --> 00:41:25.219
for two years. Because they don't want to hear

00:41:25.219 --> 00:41:26.960
it. Because by their profession, they were already

00:41:26.960 --> 00:41:29.059
saved. I later found out that a minimum of one

00:41:29.059 --> 00:41:31.719
of them, not only that two years, but for another

00:41:31.719 --> 00:41:34.360
four years, would slave away and finally give

00:41:34.360 --> 00:41:36.840
his life to Christ as an 18 -year -old young

00:41:36.840 --> 00:41:40.090
man. After I had taught him in Sunday school

00:41:40.090 --> 00:41:42.389
for six years, because he moved up into youth

00:41:42.389 --> 00:41:44.610
and I moved up into youth. For six years I had

00:41:44.610 --> 00:41:47.150
taught him what the Bible says. And at 18 he

00:41:47.150 --> 00:41:49.110
would finally say, I never gave my life to the

00:41:49.110 --> 00:41:52.530
Lord and now I want to. And his Sunday school

00:41:52.530 --> 00:41:55.389
teacher never taught it to him for the first

00:41:55.389 --> 00:41:59.800
two years plus. What I'm saying to you is you

00:41:59.800 --> 00:42:01.980
are a child of the king and you have a message

00:42:01.980 --> 00:42:05.800
that turns people into a child of the king. And

00:42:05.800 --> 00:42:07.780
Paul says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel

00:42:07.780 --> 00:42:10.539
of Christ, for it is the power of salvation unto

00:42:10.539 --> 00:42:13.320
all that believe, the Jew first and then the

00:42:13.320 --> 00:42:19.400
Gentile. And that's us, baby. Say, I will be

00:42:19.400 --> 00:42:23.239
seen and I will be seen as a child, a loyal child

00:42:23.239 --> 00:42:29.030
of the king. One from popular culture. There's

00:42:29.030 --> 00:42:31.590
a show called Star Trek. Most of us know it.

00:42:31.650 --> 00:42:35.130
You may or may not have watched it. Then there

00:42:35.130 --> 00:42:40.050
was a role -playing game called Star Trek. I

00:42:40.050 --> 00:42:41.670
played it a little bit back in the day. There

00:42:41.670 --> 00:42:49.210
was a card game called Star Trek. Famous. The

00:42:49.210 --> 00:42:54.150
mission of the Starship Enterprise, the five

00:42:54.150 --> 00:42:58.139
-year mission, was to boldly go. Where no one

00:42:58.139 --> 00:43:00.539
has ever gone before. And that was the mission

00:43:00.539 --> 00:43:02.019
in the card game. And that was the mission in

00:43:02.019 --> 00:43:04.480
the role -playing game, was to boldly go where

00:43:04.480 --> 00:43:09.159
no one has ever gone before. But in the role

00:43:09.159 --> 00:43:10.500
-playing game, there was this little paragraph

00:43:10.500 --> 00:43:13.039
hearkening back to the movie. And it said that

00:43:13.039 --> 00:43:17.019
the five -year mission was five years of boredom

00:43:17.019 --> 00:43:22.860
and five years of excitement. I'm sorry, five

00:43:22.860 --> 00:43:24.699
minutes of excitement. Five years of boredom.

00:43:25.659 --> 00:43:28.880
And five minutes of excitement. Boldly going

00:43:28.880 --> 00:43:32.219
where no one has ever gone before. Day after

00:43:32.219 --> 00:43:34.719
day after day after day. And then one minute

00:43:34.719 --> 00:43:38.199
facing an alien race. Facing off with the Klingons.

00:43:38.340 --> 00:43:40.599
Whatever. Turns into five minutes. Turns into

00:43:40.599 --> 00:43:42.219
ten minutes. And maybe it's the end of your ship.

00:43:43.440 --> 00:43:46.880
Five years traveling. Nothing's happening. I

00:43:46.880 --> 00:43:50.159
get up. Take my quick shower. Whatever their

00:43:50.159 --> 00:43:53.079
fancy showers were. Eat some breakfast. Pair

00:43:53.079 --> 00:43:55.039
it in the food replicator or whatever in the

00:43:55.039 --> 00:43:57.639
cafeteria if it's an older Star Trek. And then

00:43:57.639 --> 00:44:02.920
go to work at my station. Push the right buttons.

00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:05.659
Work for eight, ten hours, whatever. Occasionally

00:44:05.659 --> 00:44:08.260
get replaced. Got to do training to keep my skills

00:44:08.260 --> 00:44:10.760
up. Day in, day out, nothing's happening. Day

00:44:10.760 --> 00:44:12.559
in, day out, nothing's happening. And then suddenly

00:44:12.559 --> 00:44:16.579
there's a Klingon vessel. What is it called?

00:44:16.639 --> 00:44:19.719
A bird of prey on the big screen. And we could

00:44:19.719 --> 00:44:22.519
all die right now. Or the captain has just triggered

00:44:22.519 --> 00:44:24.780
the self -destruct and we're going to blow up

00:44:24.780 --> 00:44:26.980
the Enterprise to take with us these horrible

00:44:26.980 --> 00:44:34.159
enemies that are out there. See? Five years of

00:44:34.159 --> 00:44:40.940
boredom for five minutes of excitement. But that's

00:44:40.940 --> 00:44:44.880
not the life that we've been called to. In fact,

00:44:44.900 --> 00:44:47.840
if you will go where Jesus is taking you to,

00:44:47.980 --> 00:44:51.989
you may know conflict daily. You will wrestle

00:44:51.989 --> 00:44:56.409
naked in one sense, but you will wrestle with

00:44:56.409 --> 00:45:00.670
the enemy daily. Notice our lightning point.

00:45:00.849 --> 00:45:07.050
It says that safe from view is not safe for you.

00:45:07.949 --> 00:45:10.130
Jesus said it this way, and I'm finishing up.

00:45:10.670 --> 00:45:13.210
Matthew 10, 34 -38 says, Do not think that I

00:45:13.210 --> 00:45:15.309
came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come

00:45:15.309 --> 00:45:18.550
to bring peace but a sword. came to set a man

00:45:18.550 --> 00:45:20.510
against his father and a daughter against her

00:45:20.510 --> 00:45:22.489
mother and a daughter -in -law against her mother

00:45:22.489 --> 00:45:25.190
-in -law and a man's enemies will be the members

00:45:25.190 --> 00:45:27.809
of his household. He who loves father or mother

00:45:27.809 --> 00:45:30.769
more than me is not worthy of me and he who loves

00:45:30.769 --> 00:45:32.510
son or daughter more than me is not worthy of

00:45:32.510 --> 00:45:36.510
me and he who does not take his cross and follow

00:45:36.510 --> 00:45:41.539
after me is not worthy of me. You cannot... be

00:45:41.539 --> 00:45:44.440
a peasant in the kingdom of God. You cannot go

00:45:44.440 --> 00:45:47.480
home and struggle in your own living room or

00:45:47.480 --> 00:45:51.099
backyard or privately to wrestle demons and evil

00:45:51.099 --> 00:45:53.920
spirits or wicked flesh or the world system.

00:45:54.179 --> 00:45:58.820
That is not Christianity. You must boldly stand.

00:45:59.059 --> 00:46:02.159
You have to go where God is taking you to and

00:46:02.159 --> 00:46:05.699
be who God is making you to be for Christ or

00:46:05.699 --> 00:46:10.130
realize that you are living like a peasant. who's

00:46:10.130 --> 00:46:12.909
given up his labor, or a king in hiding awaiting

00:46:12.909 --> 00:46:15.449
a savior. The problem is that savior has already

00:46:15.449 --> 00:46:17.690
come. Who is the savior that you are waiting

00:46:17.690 --> 00:46:22.550
for? If Jesus has already come, and you're waiting

00:46:22.550 --> 00:46:24.489
for somebody to save you from your depression,

00:46:24.590 --> 00:46:27.829
your anxiety, your poverty, your own wickedness,

00:46:27.949 --> 00:46:31.429
your lust, your anger, your hatred, your lies,

00:46:31.570 --> 00:46:33.289
if you're waiting for somebody to save you from

00:46:33.289 --> 00:46:38.199
that, who is going to do it? Who is it? If not

00:46:38.199 --> 00:46:41.739
Jesus, then who? And Jesus said, and he who does

00:46:41.739 --> 00:46:43.940
not take his cross and follow after me is not

00:46:43.940 --> 00:46:46.199
worthy of me. And if you're not worthy of Jesus,

00:46:46.500 --> 00:46:49.039
you can have the enemy kingdom. You can even

00:46:49.039 --> 00:46:52.219
be a peasant therein, but you cannot be a child

00:46:52.219 --> 00:46:56.960
of the king. And he was saying to them all, this

00:46:56.960 --> 00:46:59.579
is from Luke 9, he was saying to them all, if

00:46:59.579 --> 00:47:02.159
anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny

00:47:02.159 --> 00:47:04.380
himself and take up his cross daily and follow

00:47:04.380 --> 00:47:07.710
me. Whoever wishes to be saved, I'm sorry, for

00:47:07.710 --> 00:47:09.969
whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.

00:47:10.050 --> 00:47:12.429
But whoever loses his life for my sake, he is

00:47:12.429 --> 00:47:15.429
the one who will save it. For what is a man profited

00:47:15.429 --> 00:47:18.369
if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits

00:47:18.369 --> 00:47:20.869
himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and my

00:47:20.869 --> 00:47:23.349
words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him

00:47:23.349 --> 00:47:25.769
when he comes in his glory and the glory of the

00:47:25.769 --> 00:47:28.730
Father and the holy angels. Know your status.

00:47:29.289 --> 00:47:32.710
If you are ashamed to live boldly for Jesus Christ,

00:47:33.210 --> 00:47:35.289
In front of everybody. In front of anybody who

00:47:35.289 --> 00:47:37.530
would say, oh, I don't believe that. I think

00:47:37.530 --> 00:47:39.869
you're a fool. I think you're not learned enough.

00:47:40.170 --> 00:47:42.570
You didn't read this book or that book. You just

00:47:42.570 --> 00:47:45.269
don't know. You can't do what you say you can

00:47:45.269 --> 00:47:47.210
do. See how you didn't do what you were supposed

00:47:47.210 --> 00:47:49.550
to do. They call out your weaknesses or your

00:47:49.550 --> 00:47:52.289
faults. If you cannot live boldly for Jesus in

00:47:52.289 --> 00:47:56.130
front of anybody who is looking, then how do

00:47:56.130 --> 00:47:58.190
you expect Jesus when he comes to say, that one

00:47:58.190 --> 00:48:04.590
is mine? Know your status. The byways, the sneaky

00:48:04.590 --> 00:48:07.789
ways, the hiding out, the going around way, those

00:48:07.789 --> 00:48:10.449
ways are no longer safe for you. We are children

00:48:10.449 --> 00:48:13.210
of the king. We do not hide our face. We do not

00:48:13.210 --> 00:48:15.809
cower from conflict or fail to stand publicly

00:48:15.809 --> 00:48:18.289
for what the Lord has ordained. In fact, it is

00:48:18.289 --> 00:48:24.090
not safe for us. It's not safe for us to fancy

00:48:24.090 --> 00:48:26.769
ourselves kings in hiding, defeated peasants,

00:48:26.769 --> 00:48:30.300
or private wrestlers. To bring the power of the

00:48:30.300 --> 00:48:32.420
King to bear on your life, you must live in the

00:48:32.420 --> 00:48:35.179
light and become a public figure, identifying

00:48:35.179 --> 00:48:38.800
with Jesus in all environments, at all opportunities,

00:48:38.940 --> 00:48:43.239
and live or die completely by His preference.

00:48:43.920 --> 00:48:50.440
And so we shall. We could see yet in the lifetime

00:48:50.440 --> 00:48:52.519
of many people in this room a great persecution

00:48:52.519 --> 00:48:56.440
break out against the church. And you may be

00:48:56.440 --> 00:48:58.500
sitting in your living room. Holding your car

00:48:58.500 --> 00:49:00.840
keys in your hand, thinking about whether you

00:49:00.840 --> 00:49:02.599
will walk out the door, start your car, and drive

00:49:02.599 --> 00:49:05.119
to church knowing that out there in the world,

00:49:05.199 --> 00:49:07.920
Christians are being killed for their faith.

00:49:09.639 --> 00:49:12.420
You may have to decide whether to come and play

00:49:12.420 --> 00:49:14.460
your instrument, sing your song, listen to the

00:49:14.460 --> 00:49:19.219
preacher preach, when you don't feel fully safe

00:49:19.219 --> 00:49:21.239
that the security guards at the door of the church

00:49:21.239 --> 00:49:22.920
building that are meant to keep away that persecution

00:49:22.920 --> 00:49:26.800
will stop it before it enters. We are living

00:49:26.800 --> 00:49:29.019
in a day where such things occur, but only occur

00:49:29.019 --> 00:49:32.800
randomly, it seems, in the U .S. But the time

00:49:32.800 --> 00:49:36.219
may come when you will need to be able to serve

00:49:36.219 --> 00:49:38.860
Jesus in the way that God has called you to serve

00:49:38.860 --> 00:49:43.679
Jesus, despite threats against your life, against

00:49:43.679 --> 00:49:47.519
your family, against your finances, against your

00:49:47.519 --> 00:49:51.460
prosperity. If you cannot rightfully say right

00:49:51.460 --> 00:49:55.559
now that you desire in that day to serve, Nonetheless,

00:49:55.880 --> 00:49:59.719
then I question whether you believe in a Christianity

00:49:59.719 --> 00:50:07.320
that is a king waiting for a savior or a peasant

00:50:07.320 --> 00:50:10.599
willing not to do the work of the kingdom or

00:50:10.599 --> 00:50:14.099
a private wrestler who thinks that, yeah, they're

00:50:14.099 --> 00:50:17.219
struggling away following Jesus, but they don't

00:50:17.219 --> 00:50:23.559
want it to be a public faith. They've seen you

00:50:23.559 --> 00:50:30.239
naked. They've seen you at your worst. Now let

00:50:30.239 --> 00:50:34.920
them see you at your best. Boldly living for

00:50:34.920 --> 00:50:40.119
Jesus. The byways are no longer safe ways. It's

00:50:40.119 --> 00:50:42.400
no longer in Christ safe to sneak around and

00:50:42.400 --> 00:50:44.500
avoid people knowing you are who you really say

00:50:44.500 --> 00:50:49.860
you are. You are who Jesus has made you. Be born

00:50:49.860 --> 00:50:54.329
again and never look back. For as an heir, To

00:50:54.329 --> 00:50:56.530
the king, this fallen world does not compare

00:50:56.530 --> 00:51:00.369
with what he has in store. No matter how much

00:51:00.369 --> 00:51:02.949
you want it, how much you want the things that

00:51:02.949 --> 00:51:05.869
you can't have, all wanting them is going to

00:51:05.869 --> 00:51:09.570
do is turn you into a vacuous hole in which light

00:51:09.570 --> 00:51:14.289
cannot even shine. Decide today and say, no,

00:51:14.429 --> 00:51:17.170
no. There are many good things in this world

00:51:17.170 --> 00:51:19.030
and if they come my way by the grace of God,

00:51:19.090 --> 00:51:20.989
if he delivers them to me by the grace of God,

00:51:21.070 --> 00:51:25.139
I will use them all. for the Lord. But if I never

00:51:25.139 --> 00:51:28.440
have them, if I never receive one of those things

00:51:28.440 --> 00:51:30.019
or one or more of those things that I think I

00:51:30.019 --> 00:51:32.340
would like to have, it's okay. Because the lust

00:51:32.340 --> 00:51:34.179
of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride

00:51:34.179 --> 00:51:37.519
of life, they will not rule me. I have just one

00:51:37.519 --> 00:51:42.099
ruler who is the Lord. I ask the praise team

00:51:42.099 --> 00:51:43.820
to come forward at this time and lead us in our

00:51:43.820 --> 00:51:46.820
final song. If you have realized that you have

00:51:46.820 --> 00:51:50.500
become a person who is either a king in hiding

00:51:50.500 --> 00:51:53.739
awaiting a savior, Or a peasant not doing the

00:51:53.739 --> 00:51:56.440
work of the kingdom when there are no peasants

00:51:56.440 --> 00:52:01.519
in God's kingdom. Or struggling privately rather

00:52:01.519 --> 00:52:05.000
than openly boldly speaking out for Jesus and

00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:08.039
living accordingly. You realize, you think back

00:52:08.039 --> 00:52:11.920
how Christianity can go. I'm telling you today,

00:52:12.079 --> 00:52:15.599
it cannot go that way. Your private struggles,

00:52:15.920 --> 00:52:20.099
they will never avail you because Jesus is not

00:52:20.099 --> 00:52:23.269
just in you. He's in every Christian. He's in

00:52:23.269 --> 00:52:25.730
the church. And the church body is his body.

00:52:25.889 --> 00:52:27.489
And when the church steps up to do something

00:52:27.489 --> 00:52:30.570
in your life, it'll get done. And if you do it

00:52:30.570 --> 00:52:32.210
as part of the church, it'll get done. And if

00:52:32.210 --> 00:52:35.010
you do it wrestling privately alone, it'll never

00:52:35.010 --> 00:52:37.190
get done. You'll be wrestling privately alone

00:52:37.190 --> 00:52:41.469
until you go home. Is that what you want? Just

00:52:41.469 --> 00:52:43.369
stand with me and sing this song and let's commit

00:52:43.369 --> 00:52:46.530
all that we are that we will only serve you wherever

00:52:46.530 --> 00:52:47.150
you go.