WEBVTT

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I hear the bells are ringing loud and clear You

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can't help but love this time of year It's Christmas

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time and something in the air There's a little

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bit of heaven everywhere Thank you. Thank you.

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So also, because I can only hear about 60 % of

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my saying, I may speak about 40 % longer today

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to make sure I get it all in. I'm not going to

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do that. Who buzzed me? Somebody buzzed me? Okay.

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Anyway. All right. So have you heard of the saying,

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Johnny, come lately? The original saying, by

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the way, was Johnny newcom. The combination word

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newcom. And it's an old English saying. from

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over 200 years ago, became extremely popular

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just over 200 years ago. It's kind of controversial.

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It first appeared in 1808 in a series of satirical,

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politicized cartoons. So newspaper was huge then,

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all over Europe, really, and even the world.

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And these cartoons were published in the newspaper,

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and then they were so contentious. of sailors

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in the West Indies that the cartoonist was later

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convicted of libel. Now that probably wouldn't

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happen today, but the cartoons were so impactful

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and they were so rude about sailors who were

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Johnny Newcomb, meaning they had come to the

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regions that they were in and they were not part

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of winning. The war, they were not part of the

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military victory, and they would come in there,

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and they were basically just partying all the

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time, drinking it up, and not being very good

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sailors. So after the libel case, other satirists

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took up the torch and made follow -up pieces

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to kind of vindicate the guy who was being persecuted

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for his cartoons. And in 1812, a man named William

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Elms, which you don't need to remember that name,

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but some people do, obviously, created the etchings.

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which was just that, cartoons following the same

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idea of sailors who were not responsible for

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past victories but were getting all kind of credit

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for it and authority because of it. So the term

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rose in popularity in continued publications,

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but the cartoons then changed from political

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to just comical, and they poked a lot of fun

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at youthful sailors in general, specifically

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the ones spending more time carousing and drinking

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than doing their duty. for crown and country.

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Some notable ones include Thomas Rowlandson's

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The Military Adventures of Johnny Newcomb, there's

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that saying, which was published in 1815, and

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a poem by Alfred Burton in 1818, and John Milford's

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illustrated poem The Adventures of Johnny Newcomb,

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which came out in 1819, which actually satirized

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the original stuff. In 1839 then, so now we're

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less than 200 years ago, in a novel, The Adventures

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of Harry Franco, which is a pretty famous novel,

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a character says, but it's Johnny come lately,

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ain't it you? Thus changing the idiom for all

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history. And now in England and the United States

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of America, it's no longer Johnny Newcomb, that's

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gone. It's been gone since 1840, 41, and everybody

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says Johnny come lately. So a Johnny come lately

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person then is a person who gets the benefits,

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of those who went before, shows up on the scene,

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thinks they know a lot, maybe thinks that they're

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better even than the other people, and then sort

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of turns out to be not that. They don't really

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have the knowledge or don't really have what

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they're pretending to have. So I want you to

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bear that in mind then as we look at this text

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today, and we're going to look at the text specifically

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as it relates to us and Christianity and new

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Christians in particular. And so grab your Bibles,

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if you would, maybe give a little hoot or holler,

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amen. Got to be about 40 % louder today than

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normal. As we go to Luke chapter one. Amen. Thank

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you. I heard you. I did. I heard you. Okay. Good

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stuff. All right. So Luke chapter one, beginning

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in verse 46, it's just 11 verses. It'll go by

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fairly quickly. And I think the sermon will go

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by a little quickly today, but the points are

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poignant. They really affected me. And so I pray

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that they will affect you too. Verse 46, it says

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this, And Mary said, My soul exalts the Lord.

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So this is the occasion. Mary is now visiting

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Elizabeth. Now you remember from last week's

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sermon, we heard the angel Gabriel, and he kind

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of like said that she could know that God was

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going to, in part, know that God was going to

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do what he was saying he was going to do because

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of what God was already doing in Elizabeth's

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life. And so by this time, Elizabeth is six months

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pregnant after having been and she was probably

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not necessarily completely past child -rearing

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age, but her husband was past child -producing

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age, generally speaking, as was acceptable at

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that time. And so they were both pretty old.

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It was old for her to be having a baby, but not

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impossible. But it was pretty unheard of for

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him to be having a son. And so Mary goes to visit

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her, and Mary said, after Elizabeth says, the

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baby jumped in my womb, wow, you're the mother

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of the Son of God, and she's just like... dotes

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on Mary how awesome it is that God's doing what

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he's doing through Mary. Mary said, my soul exalts

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the Lord. To exalt something is to put up the

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Lord. To put the Lord up in the air as he is

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the only God. He is sovereign. He is powerful.

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He is mighty. He's the only one able. I submit

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to only God. When I was at Pizza Hut many years

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ago, during my last semester there, my last six

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months there, the manager came in and she pulled

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me in the walk -in because I had done something.

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that she considered to be an atrocity. And she

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was cussing me out in the walk -in. Our walk

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-in had glass doors on it, which faced the kitchen.

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And so if you can imagine working in the kitchen

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that day, it was like this. It was quiet. And

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then you open the walk -in and there's the manager

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going, spewing cuss words at the area manager,

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spewing cuss words at me. And then they quickly

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shut the door. They get what they need, quickly

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shut the door. It would go away from it. And

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then they open the door again, right? And so

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it wasn't done privately. It was done very publicly,

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even though it was done in the walk -in. And

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ultimately, I just kind of stood there and I

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was a Christian at that time. And she said, you

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know what your problem is? And I said, well,

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no, not actually, because I'm trying to figure

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out why you're yelling at me over something that

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I felt was the right thing to do. I said, but

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I suppose you're going to tell me. And she said,

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your problem is you're not afraid of me. And

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in that moment, I discovered something about

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myself as a young Christian. And that was that

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I had lost my fear of people and the things that

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people do. Now, I'm not saying that's necessarily

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a good thing. And I have been afraid at times

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since then. It was not necessarily a permanent

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thing. But in that moment, she was right. I was

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not afraid. And Mary is saying, my soul exalts

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the Lord. Only God. Only God could do this. Only

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God is the one. And that's what it means to exalt

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the Lord. To lose touch, if you will, with the

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ramifications of the events of your life in light

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of God's love. That he is what he is. And my

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spirit has rejoiced, she says, in God my Savior.

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The word there, Savior, is awesome because she

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realizes that the baby that is being born in

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her, that has been conceived in her, that she

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will get birth to, is her Savior. That is an

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incredible thought to realize that you're carrying

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the baby who will save your soul. And it's present

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tense. Verse 48. For he has had regard for the

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humble state of his bond slave. God had regard.

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for the state of Mary. And a bond slave, as I

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mentioned last week, is somebody who had committed

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themselves. They could be free, but they choose

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not to be free. And she chose to be a servant

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of God, and God has had regard for her state.

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For behold, from this time on, all generations

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will count me blessed. And is that not true?

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Every generation since the generation of Mary

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has known this name without fail. And we know

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it, and we propagate it throughout the earth.

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Not that she is part of the Trinity or not that

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she saves people or not that she is a priest

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or priestess or anything like that, but that

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she was the human being that God used to bring

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the Son of God into the world. Verse 48 then

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says, I want you to see those two words there.

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They are huge little words. Sometimes you're

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reading a scripture and you run into a word and

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you kind of might, that's like in another book,

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you might just kind of glance over it. But I

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want you to see these words. They are two small

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little words that are huge. Has done, past tense,

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has done. The mighty one has done great things

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for me. Would God yet do great things for her?

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Sure, but he had already done great things. And

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she said, and holy. is his name. And when you

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see that word holy in scripture, I want you to

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think of like completely different in a way that

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only God is different. And so when we say we

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want to be holy, we want to be different from

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the world around us. You cannot be holy if you

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are the same as the world around you, because

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holy means different, okay? So if you're the

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same as the world around you, you cannot be holy.

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We want to be different from the world around

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us, but in a way that God is different. So you

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can be different. There are people that go, I'm

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going to be different, right? I noticed this

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some years back when people started kind of joining

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the goth movement. I'm going to be different.

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I'm going to be goth so I can be different, right?

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And then somebody said, well, there's 12 million

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goth in America. Well, that's not very different,

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right? You're not really being different. You're

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trying to insult the people around you a little

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bit by being different and kind of make friction

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or whatever. But the reality is you're not different.

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You're joining a very large group. God is not

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like that. God is one. He is three in one, but

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he is one. And when we join him and become holy,

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it makes us different from the world. And we

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become different like other Christians are different

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if they're also doing the same thing. So it said,

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for the mighty one has done great things for

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me and holy is his name. And his mercy is upon

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generation and generation toward those who fear

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him. See, God had already been doing this. The

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fact that Jesus is coming then is not a new thing.

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It seems like a new thing, right? But the truth

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is God had been giving prophecy, teaching the

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salvation would be through a way that God would

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make. All the way back. This is not really a

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new thing in that regards. It's new in their

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day because they finally get to see it, but it's

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been waited for. God has already been doing this.

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His mercy, God's mercy has already been upon

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generation and generation toward those who fear

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him. He has done mighty deeds. There it is. There's

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those two words again. Has done. He has done

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mighty deeds with his arm. He has, now we've

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shrinked it down to one, has, there it is, past

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tense. He has scattered those who were proud

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in the thoughts of their heart. So she's saying,

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when people think they're all that in a bag of

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chips, God busts their bag of chips wide open.

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And so you'd be aware that when you start to

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think that you're arriving and you're somehow

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getting up, even in your family, if you're a

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husband, you're getting up over your wife or

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your kids, you're going to be in charge, or you're

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a mother, you're over top of your kids, your

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grandkids, right? Or you're in your ministry

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and it's going well, or you're called to be a

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pastor or a deacon or a Sunday school teacher.

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You'd be aware that if you start to think of

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yourself as all that in a bag of chips, God's

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going to scatter your chips. Because God has

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always been a one who scattered those who were

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proud in the thoughts of their heart. 52, he

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has brought down rulers from their thrones. See,

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it progressed like this throughout history, that

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the kings who ruled in their day had absolute

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authority. Absolute authority. And now you can

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watch, you can see this really well in the book

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of Daniel, where Daniel has the vision of the

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great statue. You watch as the authority of kings

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dissolved away. And the truth is, in the United

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States of America, we don't have a king, per

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se. We have a president. And the president has

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limited authority. And so even his executive

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orders, which are enacted on basically immediately,

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can be then challenged in court, can be dismissed

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by the Congress. So there aren't any kings like

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the kings once were. It used to be in feudal

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Europe that if a duke had a subject in their

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kingdom and a man and a woman wanted to get married,

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this is near and true. near and dear to some

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of us, right? If a man and a woman wanted to

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get married, that the Duke had first right to

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sleep with the woman before she could get married.

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That was the law. And so if he didn't want to,

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he didn't have to. But if a man and woman petitioned

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to be married, they had to petition to be married.

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If they petitioned to be married and they wanted

00:13:58.350 --> 00:14:00.389
to get married, then the Duke had first right

00:14:00.389 --> 00:14:02.409
to sleep with the woman before she could marry

00:14:02.409 --> 00:14:05.090
and sleep with her husband. That's the kind of

00:14:05.090 --> 00:14:07.649
authority that used to exist in monarchical reign.

00:14:07.730 --> 00:14:09.649
Now, the reason that was like that was because

00:14:09.649 --> 00:14:12.509
supposedly they were ordained of God to be the

00:14:12.509 --> 00:14:15.549
duke, right? That is messed up Christianity.

00:14:15.710 --> 00:14:17.509
That's not godly Christianity. That's not anything

00:14:17.509 --> 00:14:20.190
that's in the Bible. But that's what people sometimes

00:14:20.190 --> 00:14:23.710
do when the thoughts of their own minds start

00:14:23.710 --> 00:14:27.090
to think they know how they want it to go. God

00:14:27.090 --> 00:14:29.169
scattered those who were proud in their thoughts,

00:14:29.289 --> 00:14:31.789
and he brought down rulers from their thrones,

00:14:31.830 --> 00:14:36.070
and he has exalted those who are humble. And

00:14:36.070 --> 00:14:37.889
so if you're willing to recognize you need God

00:14:37.889 --> 00:14:40.590
to do something for you, if you need God and

00:14:40.590 --> 00:14:42.549
you need Jesus Christ, then you'd better humbly

00:14:42.549 --> 00:14:44.250
come for that, because what if God decides to

00:14:44.250 --> 00:14:46.970
say no? You say, well, God never says no. They

00:14:46.970 --> 00:14:49.549
said he doesn't say no. God never says no when

00:14:49.549 --> 00:14:52.200
the question is genuinely asked. When the question

00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:54.720
is humbly entreating him for salvation, if you

00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:57.000
ask God genuinely for salvation through Jesus

00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:00.399
Christ, he will not fail to spare you. He will

00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:02.580
not fail to send you to heaven instead of hell.

00:15:02.980 --> 00:15:05.500
That will happen. For God doesn't send anyone

00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:08.700
to hell. He allows people to go to hell who either

00:15:08.700 --> 00:15:11.200
A, don't want to go to heaven, or B, who will

00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:13.399
not humbly come to him and receive the free gift

00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:16.019
of salvation that he has already willingly paid

00:15:16.019 --> 00:15:20.480
for. God exalted, past tense, he has exalted

00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:23.740
those who were humble. He has filled the hungry

00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:28.899
with good things. He has sent away the rich empty

00:15:28.899 --> 00:15:31.100
-handed. Notice these are all past tense. And

00:15:31.100 --> 00:15:33.559
the tense that's used here is in the past and

00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:35.259
ongoing through the present into the future.

00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:37.360
So it's continuing to happen this way today.

00:15:37.620 --> 00:15:40.539
A couple of verses left. He was given help. He

00:15:40.539 --> 00:15:43.200
has given help. Has given, past tense, help.

00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:46.730
Given help to Israel, his servant. in remembrance

00:15:46.730 --> 00:15:50.110
of his mercy. God did not help Israel, his servant,

00:15:50.169 --> 00:15:52.169
because they were good. You look at the Old Testament,

00:15:52.250 --> 00:15:54.549
they did all kinds of wrong things, right? They

00:15:54.549 --> 00:15:56.049
do things right for a while and then drift into

00:15:56.049 --> 00:15:57.970
the wrong. And yet God continued to give them

00:15:57.970 --> 00:16:00.370
help. We looked at that a lot in the book of

00:16:00.370 --> 00:16:02.470
Judges where they would sin against God and then

00:16:02.470 --> 00:16:04.590
they would be oppressed because of the sin that

00:16:04.590 --> 00:16:06.509
they had. And then they would cry out to God,

00:16:06.570 --> 00:16:08.450
like, God, we can't survive if you don't help

00:16:08.450 --> 00:16:10.450
us. We humbly come to you. Please, God, we beg

00:16:10.450 --> 00:16:12.809
you, help us. And then God would help them, not

00:16:12.809 --> 00:16:14.330
because they deserved it, but because he was

00:16:14.330 --> 00:16:16.429
God. And that's what she's saying. He has given

00:16:16.429 --> 00:16:18.850
help to Israel, his servant, in remembrance of

00:16:18.850 --> 00:16:22.970
his mercy. And then 55 says, as he spoke to our

00:16:22.970 --> 00:16:25.669
fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever,

00:16:25.850 --> 00:16:29.370
it has always been that way. And God has always

00:16:29.370 --> 00:16:32.289
been making it clear. The effort is not new.

00:16:33.370 --> 00:16:35.769
56 simply says, and Mary stayed with her for

00:16:35.769 --> 00:16:37.730
about three months and then returned to her home.

00:16:38.009 --> 00:16:41.799
So this song, if you will, this teaching. is

00:16:41.799 --> 00:16:44.860
packed with, we could literally spend six months

00:16:44.860 --> 00:16:46.639
of breaking down each one of those little phrases.

00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:48.679
But there were a few things in here in particular

00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:50.639
that God really brought to mind to me to bring

00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:52.419
today. And the first one you already kind of

00:16:52.419 --> 00:16:55.059
got a hint of, and that is that God is already

00:16:55.059 --> 00:17:00.059
working. God is already working. Faith is this,

00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:02.580
the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction

00:17:02.580 --> 00:17:05.240
of things not seen. That's Hebrews 11, 1 and

00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:09.019
2. 2 actually says, for by it the men of God.

00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:12.980
gained approval. See, we believe God, we trust

00:17:12.980 --> 00:17:15.240
God, we know God, and we can do so willingly

00:17:15.240 --> 00:17:18.500
because God has already been doing. If you arrive

00:17:18.500 --> 00:17:20.339
in the moment in time and you begin to say to

00:17:20.339 --> 00:17:22.039
yourself, I don't know if God's doing anything,

00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:24.680
that's called doubt and you really shouldn't

00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:26.859
think that you have anything. Because God is

00:17:26.859 --> 00:17:29.720
always working. We'll get to that in a second.

00:17:29.859 --> 00:17:33.140
God is always working. God is already working

00:17:33.140 --> 00:17:36.519
on the plan. So the moment at which I walk forward

00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:38.559
down the aisle of East Toledo Baptist Church

00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:40.039
and stood in front of a room of people, which

00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:42.619
I could never do, and profess the name of Christ

00:17:42.619 --> 00:17:44.400
and request baptism and ask to join the church,

00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:46.619
all of which I could never have done in my flesh.

00:17:48.019 --> 00:17:49.960
If somebody had come to me and said, I'll give

00:17:49.960 --> 00:17:51.559
you a million dollars if you stand in front of

00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:53.839
East Toledo Baptist Church, I would have worked

00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:55.920
up to it and probably got there, but it would

00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:57.980
have taken a lot. That is not something I could

00:17:57.980 --> 00:17:59.259
have done. This sermon that I'm preaching to

00:17:59.259 --> 00:18:01.019
you now is not something I could have done as

00:18:01.019 --> 00:18:03.700
an unsaved person. The first sermon I ever preached

00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:06.640
was written out word for word, text, every word

00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:09.000
written out on the front and back of note cards.

00:18:09.339 --> 00:18:12.559
And I stood up and read those note cards, not

00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:14.220
preaching like I'm preaching now, not able to

00:18:14.220 --> 00:18:17.000
look anybody in the eye, not believing barely

00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:21.559
what I was saying, right? God is already working.

00:18:21.859 --> 00:18:25.019
And when I did those early steps of faith, God

00:18:25.019 --> 00:18:27.299
had been working on me getting saved, me transforming

00:18:27.299 --> 00:18:32.460
into who he was making me into for decades. The

00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:34.880
faint memories I have of going to Sunday school

00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:38.019
for five months when I was five years old. The

00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:41.400
young man who was 12 years old in my neighborhood

00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:43.519
who shared the gospel with me and I mocked him

00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:46.559
and persecuted him. When I went to the Lucas

00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:48.960
County Fair and a Lutheran man shared the gospel

00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:50.440
with me and I was ready to accept Christ and

00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:52.740
maybe I even did. But they thought you had to

00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:54.619
kneel to pray, that you're not allowed to stand

00:18:54.619 --> 00:18:56.380
to pray, the people at that tent did. And so

00:18:56.380 --> 00:18:58.319
he was trying to lead me back into the tent and

00:18:58.319 --> 00:18:59.900
kneel on cardboard so I could pray to accept

00:18:59.900 --> 00:19:01.359
Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And he said,

00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:02.740
you've got to do this right now. You've got to

00:19:02.740 --> 00:19:04.200
do it right now or you might lose it. And my

00:19:04.200 --> 00:19:05.700
brother was trying to drag me out to go with

00:19:05.700 --> 00:19:07.059
my parents who were saying if I didn't come right

00:19:07.059 --> 00:19:09.599
now, I was in trouble. And I gave in to my brother

00:19:09.599 --> 00:19:12.240
and left there and left that prayer and left

00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:14.559
that man who was sharing Christ and either never

00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:17.119
became a Christian or never grew at all. Because

00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:19.180
I was responding. I did believe in faith, but

00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:23.019
I wasn't doing anything. God is working already.

00:19:23.500 --> 00:19:25.680
So the hardship that you're currently facing

00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:29.319
today, God foresaw the hardship. The blessing

00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:31.980
that you're currently receiving today, God foresaw

00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:37.380
the blessing. And he was already at work on the

00:19:37.380 --> 00:19:39.799
resolution before you ever became aware of the

00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:41.940
problem or before you ever became aware of the

00:19:41.940 --> 00:19:45.579
need. And so really it's about us. submitting

00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:48.000
to the work that God's already doing. And we

00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:50.299
join him in doing that work. That's the key.

00:19:50.519 --> 00:19:53.500
So when life gets really hard and difficult all

00:19:53.500 --> 00:19:55.380
of a sudden, you don't stop going to worship.

00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:57.980
You don't stop praising God. You don't stop sharing

00:19:57.980 --> 00:20:00.420
the gospel. All of a sudden, wow, I can't believe

00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:02.180
God let this happen. I'm going to stick a pin

00:20:02.180 --> 00:20:04.240
in my faith and walk away for a couple of weeks.

00:20:04.299 --> 00:20:07.490
No, that's not how it works. Instead, in that

00:20:07.490 --> 00:20:09.650
moment, you have to say, God is already working.

00:20:09.769 --> 00:20:11.970
I am going to join God in the work that he's

00:20:11.970 --> 00:20:13.849
doing. I do that by praise. I do it by service.

00:20:13.950 --> 00:20:17.029
I do it by sharing the gospel. This is the great

00:20:17.029 --> 00:20:19.369
work of God, that souls are still getting saved

00:20:19.369 --> 00:20:22.470
today. God yearns for one thing, and that is

00:20:22.470 --> 00:20:24.869
a right relationship with mankind. He already

00:20:24.869 --> 00:20:26.650
paid the tab. It's like if you showed up at the

00:20:26.650 --> 00:20:28.430
restaurant and you're debating, you're looking

00:20:28.430 --> 00:20:29.650
at the menu and you're debating, like, I think

00:20:29.650 --> 00:20:31.289
I'll have a salad today. I've been trying to

00:20:31.289 --> 00:20:33.500
eat healthy. But I got to get about a pound of

00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:34.980
meat on the salad because that's what really

00:20:34.980 --> 00:20:37.039
makes it taste good. But that's not really healthy.

00:20:37.140 --> 00:20:40.079
But it does sound good. It's $13 .99. And if

00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:42.460
you walked up to the table and the waitress said,

00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:44.299
what would you like to eat? And you said, I'll

00:20:44.299 --> 00:20:46.779
take the $13 .99 salad that's full of meat because

00:20:46.779 --> 00:20:49.119
I'm trying to eat healthy. And she said, okay.

00:20:49.380 --> 00:20:51.259
And she did a little spin around and set it down

00:20:51.259 --> 00:20:53.119
on the table in front of you. There it is. Like

00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:54.640
as if she already knew what you were going to

00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:56.000
order. God already knows what you're going to

00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:58.059
order. God's already in the kitchen cooking it

00:20:58.059 --> 00:21:00.619
up. He's got it all planned. You're debating

00:21:00.619 --> 00:21:02.799
on what to pick off the menu and the cook is

00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:04.480
already prepared and it's already on the way

00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:07.680
to the table. And as long as you stay there and

00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:09.500
debate, the arrival of the food remains because

00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:11.740
he's waiting for you to say, I'll take the salad.

00:21:13.259 --> 00:21:15.900
He's waiting for you to humbly become part of

00:21:15.900 --> 00:21:19.059
the team. Faith is this. It's the channel that

00:21:19.059 --> 00:21:21.240
we open to be saved. We believe in things that

00:21:21.240 --> 00:21:23.920
we don't yet have, and yet we know that God wants

00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:26.119
them for us, has promised them for us, and therefore

00:21:26.119 --> 00:21:28.779
we get them. You open the channel. It's like

00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:30.859
a giant straw the size of your head, and you

00:21:30.859 --> 00:21:32.920
slip it over your head, and it goes all the way

00:21:32.920 --> 00:21:34.579
to the throne of God, and there is the Holy Spirit

00:21:34.579 --> 00:21:36.700
poured down into you every day, and more than

00:21:36.700 --> 00:21:41.019
you can possibly ever hope for. Faith is the

00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:42.740
assurance of things hoped for, the conviction

00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:46.059
of things not seen. For by it, the men of old

00:21:46.059 --> 00:21:48.440
gained approval. And then a little later in that

00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:50.079
chapter, just a few verses later, it says, and

00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:52.440
without faith, it is impossible to please God.

00:21:54.339 --> 00:21:57.480
It is impossible to please him. For he who comes

00:21:57.480 --> 00:22:00.359
to God must believe that he is, that God is,

00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:03.380
and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

00:22:04.180 --> 00:22:08.240
God is already at work. And every time you black

00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:10.500
him out, every time you redact him from the file

00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:12.500
that tells the story of your current conviction,

00:22:13.079 --> 00:22:16.819
Every time you do that, you're trying to cut

00:22:16.819 --> 00:22:19.960
off the channel between you and God. That's how

00:22:19.960 --> 00:22:22.079
your sin throws up a barrier. And as a saved

00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:26.240
person, that should not be possible. We lie sometimes,

00:22:26.380 --> 00:22:29.579
but we don't become a liar. The truth is we should

00:22:29.579 --> 00:22:32.160
never lie because God is already at work. And

00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:34.160
the moment that we lie, we're not doing the work

00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:35.839
of God. We're doing the opposite of what God

00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:37.599
would have us to do. So we're declining the good

00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:40.240
things that God is offering us. Are you ready

00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:43.720
today to stop declining? The work that God is

00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:48.339
already doing in your life. God is already working,

00:22:48.579 --> 00:22:52.880
Mary is basically saying. So God's sovereignty

00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:58.680
is unquestionable. God is in control. He is completely

00:22:58.680 --> 00:23:00.799
in control. He made it all from the beginning.

00:23:00.839 --> 00:23:04.359
You know who knows how to read DNA? Well, God

00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:06.740
does because he's the one who wrote it, right?

00:23:06.880 --> 00:23:08.920
I might go try to read Spanish and I'm like,

00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:12.569
you know, 8 % proficient or something. But if

00:23:12.569 --> 00:23:15.670
I wrote the DNA myself from scratch, made up

00:23:15.670 --> 00:23:17.190
the characters and put it all together, then

00:23:17.190 --> 00:23:19.529
I would be able to read it. And mankind is struggling

00:23:19.529 --> 00:23:23.650
to adapt to the science that God built into creation.

00:23:24.049 --> 00:23:27.589
And he was there. In fact, Jesus was there and

00:23:27.589 --> 00:23:29.450
nothing was made except that which was made through

00:23:29.450 --> 00:23:33.490
him. Why? Because God's sovereignty is unquestionable.

00:23:35.289 --> 00:23:39.829
He's got it under control. When I was at Great

00:23:39.829 --> 00:23:42.160
Lakes and toward the very end, I had about, I

00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:44.480
had really about a year worth of college left

00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:48.140
to finish my Bible college degree, and that was

00:23:48.140 --> 00:23:51.170
at 12 to 15 hours a semester. And that was going

00:23:51.170 --> 00:23:53.630
to be hard because God had moved us back to Perrysburg.

00:23:53.710 --> 00:23:55.569
We were living down here in Perrysburg. And let

00:23:55.569 --> 00:23:57.769
me tell you, that 126 miles sometimes became

00:23:57.769 --> 00:23:59.769
like a trip to the dentist, like an hour and

00:23:59.769 --> 00:24:01.490
a half, two hour long trip to the dentist. It

00:24:01.490 --> 00:24:03.349
was hard. There were times where I would get

00:24:03.349 --> 00:24:05.509
out of the car and I would go in the living room.

00:24:05.710 --> 00:24:07.190
Sherry was already in bed sleeping. I was getting

00:24:07.190 --> 00:24:08.390
home at two o 'clock in the morning or whatever.

00:24:08.509 --> 00:24:10.309
And I would put the key in a lock, would open

00:24:10.309 --> 00:24:12.250
the door. Sometimes I would leave my keys in

00:24:12.250 --> 00:24:14.650
the door and I would literally crawl into the

00:24:14.650 --> 00:24:16.549
apartment and fall asleep on the floor just inside

00:24:16.549 --> 00:24:20.200
the door. But I believed that God was already

00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:22.619
doing the work. He was preparing me for the ministry.

00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:24.519
He was preparing me for what he was going to

00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:27.259
do. And it was only a couple of times. A couple

00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:28.660
of times at 4 or 5 o 'clock in the morning, she

00:24:28.660 --> 00:24:30.059
would get up and she'd go looking for me, find

00:24:30.059 --> 00:24:31.700
me sleeping on the floor, and she would help

00:24:31.700 --> 00:24:35.099
me get up off the floor and get me to bed. because

00:24:35.099 --> 00:24:37.420
I had driven the two hours after sitting in the

00:24:37.420 --> 00:24:39.160
three -hour class, after driving the two hours,

00:24:39.220 --> 00:24:41.440
after working an eight -hour day, and I was done.

00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:43.500
I was spent, but I was trusting in God to do

00:24:43.500 --> 00:24:44.900
something. And you're like, well, that doesn't

00:24:44.900 --> 00:24:46.799
make any sense. And the truth is, it probably

00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:49.880
doesn't make any sense. And then when I realized

00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:51.440
that God was doing it, I began to trust him.

00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:53.640
I shifted my life around, and I made a priority

00:24:53.640 --> 00:24:55.779
of the Bible college, as I had done at the first,

00:24:55.920 --> 00:25:00.900
and it became God's work. At which time they

00:25:00.900 --> 00:25:02.519
came on and they said, well, we know you're going

00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:05.200
to have to be here sometimes until really late,

00:25:05.259 --> 00:25:08.559
so we'll give you a free dorm room for a year.

00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:11.279
So if you're here late, you can just sleep here,

00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:13.140
get up and go to class in the morning, and then

00:25:13.140 --> 00:25:15.220
drive home. Now, I didn't really want to do that

00:25:15.220 --> 00:25:16.839
because I didn't want to be away from home, and

00:25:16.839 --> 00:25:19.339
so I never put anything in there. I never even

00:25:19.339 --> 00:25:21.559
left my toothbrush there. There was a blanket,

00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:23.400
which was left from the person before me, and

00:25:23.400 --> 00:25:25.079
a half a roll of toilet paper, which I used up

00:25:25.079 --> 00:25:26.559
in two semesters. That tells you how many times

00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:29.640
I went to the bathroom there. But they gave me

00:25:29.640 --> 00:25:31.440
a free dorm room. And then they never gave me

00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:33.119
a key. And then I broke into the dorm because

00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:34.579
they told me I could because they couldn't find

00:25:34.579 --> 00:25:36.920
the key. And so then I proceeded to, every time

00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:38.660
I went to stay in my dorm room, break into the

00:25:38.660 --> 00:25:40.339
dorm room. And in a year, they never gave me

00:25:40.339 --> 00:25:42.519
a key. But that's one of the nice things about

00:25:42.519 --> 00:25:44.319
being an apartment complex maintenance guy from

00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:46.559
way back is you can break into places. And so

00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:48.980
I did that. I remember the first night, 3 o 'clock

00:25:48.980 --> 00:25:50.220
in the morning, looking at my trunk going, how

00:25:50.220 --> 00:25:52.740
am I going to break into this dorm room? And

00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:55.650
finding pieces. And I found a little gap gauge

00:25:55.650 --> 00:25:57.950
set, which I probably had. I actually got it.

00:25:57.970 --> 00:26:00.190
Ron's not here today, probably not feeling well.

00:26:00.369 --> 00:26:02.750
But anyway, I got it from Ron's house because

00:26:02.750 --> 00:26:04.230
we renovated Ron's house, and there was a little

00:26:04.230 --> 00:26:05.950
gap gauge set there, and I just spin it open

00:26:05.950 --> 00:26:07.549
with little metal gap gauges, and I used that

00:26:07.549 --> 00:26:09.710
to pop the lock on the window and reach inside

00:26:09.710 --> 00:26:12.309
and open the door, and that's how I got in. The

00:26:12.309 --> 00:26:15.910
point is, God already foresaw all that, and God

00:26:15.910 --> 00:26:18.349
is in charge. When it come to the end of that

00:26:18.349 --> 00:26:21.029
semester, of that first semester, I really had

00:26:21.029 --> 00:26:23.789
two semesters left. and they gave me the dorm

00:26:23.789 --> 00:26:25.750
room, and they said, I don't know how you're

00:26:25.750 --> 00:26:28.069
going to get your degree from here. So you have

00:26:28.069 --> 00:26:30.069
a class. You have to take Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,

00:26:30.269 --> 00:26:32.029
Thursday, 9 a .m. You have to be there every

00:26:32.029 --> 00:26:33.849
time, 9 a .m. I'm like, I can't be here four

00:26:33.849 --> 00:26:36.009
days a week. I'll be away from my family. I can't

00:26:36.009 --> 00:26:38.549
do that. I have a new son. I can't do that. And

00:26:38.549 --> 00:26:40.730
they said, well, if you can't take that class,

00:26:40.809 --> 00:26:42.230
you can't get your degree. And I said, well,

00:26:42.349 --> 00:26:45.410
I know God's going to make a way. Somehow God's

00:26:45.410 --> 00:26:48.529
going to make a way. He said, search every college.

00:26:48.630 --> 00:26:50.990
I searched every Christian college, probably.

00:26:51.549 --> 00:26:53.410
You know, because I was looking at those early

00:26:53.410 --> 00:26:55.049
days of online classes. I was thinking I might

00:26:55.049 --> 00:26:56.849
take it online. I probably searched a thousand

00:26:56.849 --> 00:26:59.289
Christian colleges, and nobody offered the class

00:26:59.289 --> 00:27:02.089
that was necessary. And I'm praying, and God

00:27:02.089 --> 00:27:03.849
was telling me, I'm going to make it work. I'm

00:27:03.849 --> 00:27:06.430
going to make it work. And I was, okay. So I

00:27:06.430 --> 00:27:08.589
went back on campus the next, and I didn't sign

00:27:08.589 --> 00:27:11.009
up for the class. It was four days a week. And

00:27:11.009 --> 00:27:13.450
I go back on campus the next time on that. It

00:27:13.450 --> 00:27:14.730
was the beginning of the semester with the other

00:27:14.730 --> 00:27:16.390
classes I had signed up for, and the professor

00:27:16.390 --> 00:27:18.920
came and got me, and he said, I owe you an apology.

00:27:19.140 --> 00:27:20.579
You told me God was going to work it out. I said,

00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:22.279
what are you talking about? First he pulled me

00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:23.859
in his office. I thought I was in trouble. Then

00:27:23.859 --> 00:27:25.200
I got in there and he said, I owe you an apology.

00:27:25.480 --> 00:27:27.059
I said, what are you talking about? And he said,

00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:29.420
when the professors came together, so 23 professors

00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:32.460
teach that class, and about 19 of them showed

00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:34.460
up for the meeting, and he said two -thirds of

00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:36.920
them came in with one thought on their mind that

00:27:36.920 --> 00:27:38.259
they were going to restructure the class and

00:27:38.259 --> 00:27:41.009
get it down to two days a week. And you told

00:27:41.009 --> 00:27:42.670
me that God was going to take care of it, and

00:27:42.670 --> 00:27:45.990
I didn't believe you. God is sovereign. If he

00:27:45.990 --> 00:27:48.309
gives you a job to do, he'll see you through.

00:27:48.670 --> 00:27:51.289
He'll provide the resources. He'll make it work

00:27:51.289 --> 00:27:53.750
out. And you say, but I look back at my life,

00:27:53.769 --> 00:27:55.829
and it hasn't always worked out. It hasn't always

00:27:55.829 --> 00:27:58.369
been. The truth is, it has always worked out.

00:27:59.069 --> 00:28:02.079
You're still here. You have an opportunity if

00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:03.640
you haven't already. Except Jesus Christ is your

00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:05.440
Lord and Savior. You're hearing the gospel clearly

00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:07.220
preached. It's being explained to you. You're

00:28:07.220 --> 00:28:09.619
getting the word of God. You are exactly where

00:28:09.619 --> 00:28:12.279
God wants you to be right now in this moment.

00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:19.039
It has worked out. God is sovereign. His sovereignty

00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:20.980
is unquestionable. And then that brings us to

00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:24.599
the third point. And it is a pair of D's. It's

00:28:24.599 --> 00:28:27.559
one danger and one diligence. One danger and

00:28:27.559 --> 00:28:30.339
one diligence. I don't often alliterate. I almost

00:28:30.339 --> 00:28:31.960
did this one because I just like that so much.

00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:34.759
One danger and one diligence. So here's what

00:28:34.759 --> 00:28:37.420
happens. You become a Christian, a follower of

00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:39.180
God, or maybe a churchgoer. Some people become

00:28:39.180 --> 00:28:40.460
a churchgoer and they don't actually accept Jesus

00:28:40.460 --> 00:28:43.039
Christ as Lord and Savior. And you begin to think

00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:45.859
a certain sort of way, enjoying the blessings

00:28:45.859 --> 00:28:48.940
of that. You've come on the scene. Just so you

00:28:48.940 --> 00:28:51.819
know, just side note, the chairs that you're

00:28:51.819 --> 00:28:53.680
sitting in here were provided by a miracle of

00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:56.380
God. The carpet in this room was provided by

00:28:56.380 --> 00:28:58.940
a miracle of God. I'll tell you the story if

00:28:58.940 --> 00:29:00.579
you want it, but there's no less than a miracle.

00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:02.859
This building, a miracle of God. The electricity

00:29:02.859 --> 00:29:04.680
that's running the lights right now, a miracle

00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:06.539
of God. The water that's in the bathroom for

00:29:06.539 --> 00:29:09.019
you to wash your hands or flush the urinal or

00:29:09.019 --> 00:29:12.039
whatever, a miracle. So you're coming into this

00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:14.480
after all of those miracles were already done.

00:29:14.599 --> 00:29:16.319
The fact that I'm standing here preaching today,

00:29:16.460 --> 00:29:18.880
a miracle of God. There are people in this room

00:29:18.880 --> 00:29:20.859
today that say that their being here, they know

00:29:20.859 --> 00:29:23.289
for a fact. A miracle of God, okay? So we're

00:29:23.289 --> 00:29:25.630
coming on the scene after God has already been

00:29:25.630 --> 00:29:27.470
working, doing some amazing things, all the things

00:29:27.470 --> 00:29:28.890
that he's done in your life to bring you to this

00:29:28.890 --> 00:29:31.289
moment, right? So we get there and we start to

00:29:31.289 --> 00:29:33.269
think that we know the answer to certain difficult

00:29:33.269 --> 00:29:35.109
questions. I know how this is going to turn out.

00:29:35.150 --> 00:29:36.710
I know what God's going to do. I know what that

00:29:36.710 --> 00:29:39.730
verse means. I know what scripture says about

00:29:39.730 --> 00:29:43.759
this topic. Maybe even we're a little baffled

00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:46.500
when we see others who don't quite get it, when

00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:47.920
there's something they don't understand. They

00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:50.460
don't know how to forgive. Holly and I had a

00:29:50.460 --> 00:29:52.839
conversation with a member of the youth group

00:29:52.839 --> 00:29:55.579
on Tuesday, and he was explaining to me how he

00:29:55.579 --> 00:29:57.500
was working on forgiving, and Holly and I were

00:29:57.500 --> 00:29:58.779
trying to explain to him that's not how that

00:29:58.779 --> 00:30:01.000
actually works. And at the end of the conversation,

00:30:01.160 --> 00:30:03.299
he walked away, and he was sure in himself that

00:30:03.299 --> 00:30:04.980
he understood how it works, and we know how it

00:30:04.980 --> 00:30:07.140
works as a survival. We weren't able to convince

00:30:07.140 --> 00:30:09.579
him. That's fine. Can't do anything about it.

00:30:09.619 --> 00:30:12.400
But he's a Johnny -come -lately. He's on the

00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:14.240
scene thinking he knows how that works, and it's

00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:17.880
not. The Bible says, and the Bible is right.

00:30:18.299 --> 00:30:21.259
Maybe even we're behind a little bit, baffled

00:30:21.259 --> 00:30:23.799
why someone else doesn't understand what we clearly

00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:27.180
know. We've decided, essentially, that we are

00:30:27.180 --> 00:30:31.079
suddenly qualified. And that is problematic,

00:30:31.319 --> 00:30:35.910
because you are not qualified. Because you are

00:30:35.910 --> 00:30:38.329
not qualified, it is problematic for you to decide

00:30:38.329 --> 00:30:41.730
that you are qualified. In 1 Corinthians 4, 7,

00:30:41.829 --> 00:30:43.970
really the chapter 4 there, I won't go there

00:30:43.970 --> 00:30:45.410
and read it right now for the interest of time,

00:30:45.509 --> 00:30:47.410
but basically Paul is reminding the Corinthians

00:30:47.410 --> 00:30:51.250
that they did not do it. You didn't do it. If

00:30:51.250 --> 00:30:53.589
you got everything that you got from God, why

00:30:53.589 --> 00:30:55.049
do you act as if you didn't get it from God?

00:30:56.369 --> 00:30:58.869
If your salvation was provided to you by a Savior

00:30:58.869 --> 00:31:01.329
who died on a cross, why would you act today

00:31:01.329 --> 00:31:03.980
as if yesterday you saved yourself somehow? Or

00:31:03.980 --> 00:31:05.700
that you did something right or good and that

00:31:05.700 --> 00:31:07.259
you deserve something? Why would you look at

00:31:07.259 --> 00:31:08.920
God and say, I did what I was supposed to do,

00:31:08.980 --> 00:31:10.599
God. Now you do what you're supposed to do, God.

00:31:11.039 --> 00:31:12.539
How did you shake your finger at the God of the

00:31:12.539 --> 00:31:15.680
universe? How could you do that? It was because

00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:18.180
you start to think that you did something. And

00:31:18.180 --> 00:31:19.980
the truth is you are doing things. God makes

00:31:19.980 --> 00:31:21.859
you able to miraculously intervene, to share

00:31:21.859 --> 00:31:24.160
the gospel, to be kind, to be gracious, to serve,

00:31:24.279 --> 00:31:26.960
to give. You are doing things. But the things

00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:29.619
that you are doing, first two points of the sermon,

00:31:29.720 --> 00:31:32.079
right? They are part of the work that God was

00:31:32.079 --> 00:31:36.960
already doing. I came home from work and from

00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:38.819
the office and I was running a little late and

00:31:38.819 --> 00:31:41.559
my beautiful wife was in the kitchen and she

00:31:41.559 --> 00:31:44.680
also had worked a hard day and she was making

00:31:44.680 --> 00:31:47.940
me dinner. And I went and I put my coat up and

00:31:47.940 --> 00:31:52.740
I put my bag up and I put my gloves where I hoped

00:31:52.740 --> 00:31:55.380
I would find them again later and all those kinds

00:31:55.380 --> 00:31:57.200
of things. And I went in the kitchen and I started

00:31:57.200 --> 00:31:59.480
helping out however I could. Now, there were

00:31:59.480 --> 00:32:01.720
things about the way that she was making dinner

00:32:01.720 --> 00:32:03.880
would not have been the way I would have made

00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:06.440
the dinner. We don't cook the same. We're not

00:32:06.440 --> 00:32:07.980
the same person when it comes to cooking in the

00:32:07.980 --> 00:32:10.460
kitchen. We do use a lot of the same spices and

00:32:10.460 --> 00:32:12.359
have a lot of the same flavors, but there are

00:32:12.359 --> 00:32:14.220
things that were different. Do you think that

00:32:14.220 --> 00:32:16.700
I went over there and took over the stove and

00:32:16.700 --> 00:32:18.759
said, okay, now you're cooking these, but you're

00:32:18.759 --> 00:32:20.339
cooking them different than I would cook them.

00:32:20.400 --> 00:32:22.380
So we're just going to pitch these out and put

00:32:22.380 --> 00:32:25.380
on some more. Or we're going to back this down

00:32:25.380 --> 00:32:27.180
to a low heat, cook it for another 15 minutes.

00:32:27.200 --> 00:32:29.039
You can go rest. I'll take care of it. I'll make

00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:30.579
dinner because you're not making it the way I

00:32:30.579 --> 00:32:31.960
want to make it. Is that how we would do it?

00:32:32.039 --> 00:32:33.980
No, that's not what you do. When you join the

00:32:33.980 --> 00:32:36.099
effort that's already underway, you think of

00:32:36.099 --> 00:32:39.259
how you can be useful, how you can plug in and

00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:42.660
just make it the way it's going, right? You're

00:32:42.660 --> 00:32:44.319
taking care of this. Let me help you take care

00:32:44.319 --> 00:32:47.200
of this, right? Or if you can't plug into making

00:32:47.200 --> 00:32:49.140
dinner, then you get your butt out of the way

00:32:49.140 --> 00:32:50.900
and let them do it and go take the garbage out.

00:32:51.230 --> 00:32:54.230
or wash a few dishes, or pick up the living room

00:32:54.230 --> 00:32:56.049
or something, some other useful thing that's

00:32:56.049 --> 00:32:58.309
part of the overall process while the other person

00:32:58.309 --> 00:33:00.309
is there doing the work that they're doing. You

00:33:00.309 --> 00:33:02.069
don't go in and take over the work that's being

00:33:02.069 --> 00:33:03.809
done. If I walked over there right now and took

00:33:03.809 --> 00:33:05.650
Josh's crochet and started crocheting for him,

00:33:05.710 --> 00:33:07.569
you know how many stitches I could put in? Zero.

00:33:07.710 --> 00:33:10.869
If Josh taught me four or five hours, I would

00:33:10.869 --> 00:33:13.289
still never deign to go over and take over his

00:33:13.289 --> 00:33:15.930
crochet and do it for him because he's awesome

00:33:15.930 --> 00:33:17.869
at that, and I'll probably never be like that.

00:33:18.480 --> 00:33:21.039
Right? And you're sitting in this room thinking

00:33:21.039 --> 00:33:23.359
you've got gifts. And you do. You've got abilities.

00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:25.099
And you do. You spend time in spiritual disciplines.

00:33:25.180 --> 00:33:30.559
And that's true. But you ain't God. I'm not God.

00:33:30.960 --> 00:33:34.359
God has been working at this since he said, let

00:33:34.359 --> 00:33:37.619
there be. And we're going to show up now at this

00:33:37.619 --> 00:33:39.720
late date as a Johnny come lately and say, well,

00:33:39.759 --> 00:33:43.779
God, let me tell you how it should be. You don't

00:33:43.779 --> 00:33:46.460
know how it should be. You won't know. If God

00:33:46.460 --> 00:33:48.180
shows you his mind, and that's what it says,

00:33:48.319 --> 00:33:50.440
1 Corinthians 2, that we learn the mind of Christ

00:33:50.440 --> 00:33:52.539
and you begin to follow him, when you do, you

00:33:52.539 --> 00:33:54.880
will begin to get a window into a complicated

00:33:54.880 --> 00:33:59.099
existence that is so much more than you can even

00:33:59.099 --> 00:34:01.539
begin to fathom. You're going to go, as Ergen

00:34:01.539 --> 00:34:04.299
Kanner used to say in his class down at Liberty,

00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:07.200
he used to say, the more I know, the more I know

00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:09.789
that I don't know anything. And that's what God

00:34:09.789 --> 00:34:13.389
is going to show you. He is at work. He is sovereign.

00:34:13.510 --> 00:34:16.690
And the fact is, you didn't do it. And then at

00:34:16.690 --> 00:34:18.989
the same time, and this is a great blessing,

00:34:19.050 --> 00:34:22.409
in Psalms 127 it says this, it is vain for you

00:34:22.409 --> 00:34:24.849
to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the

00:34:24.849 --> 00:34:27.409
bread of painful labors, for he gives to his

00:34:27.409 --> 00:34:30.170
beloved even in his sleep. And this is the truth.

00:34:30.610 --> 00:34:33.530
If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ,

00:34:33.869 --> 00:34:39.219
and if you stop working, Stop serving, stop doing,

00:34:39.320 --> 00:34:42.179
stop giving anything in the kingdom. And you

00:34:42.179 --> 00:34:45.139
just keep recognizing him as God and Jesus as

00:34:45.139 --> 00:34:46.900
your Lord and Savior, but don't do anything.

00:34:47.320 --> 00:34:50.599
You will still inherit heaven. Now you're going

00:34:50.599 --> 00:34:52.380
to miss out on a lot of great opportunities to

00:34:52.380 --> 00:34:54.639
be part of the work. You may not see it, your

00:34:54.639 --> 00:34:56.900
family, loved ones, souls in your neighborhood,

00:34:57.099 --> 00:35:00.559
whatever, saved. You may not be able to share

00:35:00.559 --> 00:35:02.980
the gospel and have that great feeling that,

00:35:03.019 --> 00:35:04.840
hey, that person just became a celestial being.

00:35:05.449 --> 00:35:07.130
It's going to heaven for an eternity because

00:35:07.130 --> 00:35:10.269
God used me. But don't say because I shared,

00:35:10.369 --> 00:35:12.829
because it isn't. Right? There's nobody on this

00:35:12.829 --> 00:35:14.469
earth who ever got saved by another person sharing

00:35:14.469 --> 00:35:17.329
that God couldn't use somebody else. You've already

00:35:17.329 --> 00:35:18.750
missed, if you're a Christian, you've probably

00:35:18.750 --> 00:35:20.650
already missed more opportunities to save the

00:35:20.650 --> 00:35:23.710
guy that's saying, what must I do to be saved?

00:35:23.889 --> 00:35:28.960
Then you know. God is saving people. It's vain

00:35:28.960 --> 00:35:30.780
for us to think that our efforts, if we just

00:35:30.780 --> 00:35:33.480
try a little harder, if we just do a little better,

00:35:33.619 --> 00:35:35.059
if we push a little more, that we're going to

00:35:35.059 --> 00:35:38.000
make the kingdom of God collectively all that

00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:41.900
much better. God is in charge. The cook is already

00:35:41.900 --> 00:35:45.119
cooking. The order is already in. It's already

00:35:45.119 --> 00:35:47.860
on the way. Jesus is coming again. And when He

00:35:47.860 --> 00:35:51.369
comes again, our main job... is to be grateful,

00:35:51.489 --> 00:35:54.590
to be welcoming, to be humble. And if you become

00:35:54.590 --> 00:35:56.750
a Johnny -come -lately and think that you've

00:35:56.750 --> 00:35:58.449
got it all together, you're the better looking,

00:35:58.550 --> 00:36:01.269
better, stronger, more capable, you know, you

00:36:01.269 --> 00:36:03.349
can tell. Let me answer that for you. If that

00:36:03.349 --> 00:36:05.429
becomes you, then when Jesus comes again, what

00:36:05.429 --> 00:36:09.289
if he comes in a form of somebody who doesn't

00:36:09.289 --> 00:36:11.769
quite seem to have it all together on the surface?

00:36:12.550 --> 00:36:14.050
And you're going to walk up to Jesus and say,

00:36:14.050 --> 00:36:16.449
let me tell you, Jesus, clearly you need to fix

00:36:16.449 --> 00:36:18.989
this, this, and this about you. I can see that

00:36:18.989 --> 00:36:21.400
right now. And how many preachers will stand

00:36:21.400 --> 00:36:22.659
up and do that? How many Sunday school teachers

00:36:22.659 --> 00:36:24.440
are trying to fix everybody? How many mothers

00:36:24.440 --> 00:36:26.320
and fathers and brothers and cousins and sons

00:36:26.320 --> 00:36:28.659
want to tell their family how they should live?

00:36:28.760 --> 00:36:31.260
The reality is you may be preaching what the

00:36:31.260 --> 00:36:33.300
Bible says to somebody who's already saved and

00:36:33.300 --> 00:36:34.360
they're not getting it. They're in the midst

00:36:34.360 --> 00:36:36.500
of their struggle. They're still kind of sloppy,

00:36:36.619 --> 00:36:39.079
kind of bearing the smoke of their past life.

00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:43.400
But they're saved. And you've become a Johnny

00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:44.940
-come -lately telling them what they must do

00:36:44.940 --> 00:36:48.099
and what they must be as if you had saved them.

00:36:48.460 --> 00:36:50.079
Or you had saved yourself or you had somehow

00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:53.539
arrived by some grand choice of your own. No,

00:36:53.539 --> 00:36:58.539
those things are not fact. The fact is God did

00:36:58.539 --> 00:37:00.920
it. And when you go to them, you go to them in

00:37:00.920 --> 00:37:03.760
love and kindness and mercy and show grace. And

00:37:03.760 --> 00:37:06.699
yes, I am not saying that we should overlook

00:37:06.699 --> 00:37:11.820
sin where the Bible says it's sin. But what I

00:37:11.820 --> 00:37:16.239
am saying is you have joined a mission that is

00:37:16.239 --> 00:37:20.659
already underway. Jesus was healing on the Sabbath

00:37:20.659 --> 00:37:22.480
and they began to persecute him for that reason.

00:37:22.619 --> 00:37:30.300
It says in John. Don't hold me to that one because

00:37:30.300 --> 00:37:32.119
I didn't put the reference down. For this reason,

00:37:32.159 --> 00:37:34.820
the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he was

00:37:34.820 --> 00:37:37.000
doing these things on a Sabbath and he answered

00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:39.539
them and said, my father is working until now

00:37:39.539 --> 00:37:42.119
and I myself am working. Boy, if you could say

00:37:42.119 --> 00:37:43.559
that, if I could say that, we would be getting

00:37:43.559 --> 00:37:46.659
it right. My father has been working until now.

00:37:47.530 --> 00:37:51.710
So you will find me working. I may not get it

00:37:51.710 --> 00:37:55.230
always right. I do have to rest. I have to manage

00:37:55.230 --> 00:37:56.809
my nutrition. I have to take care of my body.

00:37:56.909 --> 00:37:59.150
I have to cleanse my mind, focus on the pure.

00:37:59.630 --> 00:38:02.690
I have to do the right things to be used of God

00:38:02.690 --> 00:38:05.349
the way I want to be. But the bottom line is,

00:38:05.449 --> 00:38:08.070
my father is working until now, and I myself

00:38:08.070 --> 00:38:11.809
am working as part of that effort. You joined

00:38:11.809 --> 00:38:13.889
a mission already underway. You have become one

00:38:13.889 --> 00:38:17.000
very important but very small part. Let's be

00:38:17.000 --> 00:38:20.380
realistic about who we are. The greatest evangelist

00:38:20.380 --> 00:38:22.940
who's out there right now, who every city they

00:38:22.940 --> 00:38:28.500
go to draws a crowd of 20 ,000, is a tiny part

00:38:28.500 --> 00:38:31.300
of the effort of what God is doing. At best.

00:38:31.320 --> 00:38:35.400
And the reality is, may not be part at all. Depends

00:38:35.400 --> 00:38:37.699
on the message. I know some that preach what

00:38:37.699 --> 00:38:40.260
sounds like an evangelistic message. It sounds

00:38:40.260 --> 00:38:42.079
like the gospel, but if you listen closely, it

00:38:42.079 --> 00:38:44.619
isn't the gospel. And they draw 20 ,000 people.

00:38:45.079 --> 00:38:46.619
And some of the people that are in the audience

00:38:46.619 --> 00:38:49.340
that are listening to them are getting saved

00:38:49.340 --> 00:38:51.199
because they're getting it from the Bible, getting

00:38:51.199 --> 00:38:52.599
it from the Holy Spirit. God is saving them,

00:38:52.599 --> 00:38:54.380
using that person to save them. And at the end

00:38:54.380 --> 00:38:56.559
of the road, they will find themselves wanting

00:38:56.559 --> 00:38:58.800
because they're not preaching the gospel. They're

00:38:58.800 --> 00:39:00.539
not preaching what the Bible says. They have

00:39:00.539 --> 00:39:05.219
not preached the sovereignty of God. So we have

00:39:05.219 --> 00:39:08.739
become one very important but very small part

00:39:08.739 --> 00:39:12.159
of his effort. We have no greater importance

00:39:12.159 --> 00:39:15.059
nor lesser importance than another. Assuming

00:39:15.059 --> 00:39:16.780
you are found faithful with that which God has

00:39:16.780 --> 00:39:18.960
given you to do. Ephesians 4 says this, Therefore

00:39:18.960 --> 00:39:21.739
I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk

00:39:21.739 --> 00:39:24.320
in a manner worthy of the calling with which

00:39:24.320 --> 00:39:27.380
you have been called. This is Ephesians 4, verse

00:39:27.380 --> 00:39:30.239
1. Now too, with all humility and gentleness,

00:39:30.320 --> 00:39:32.280
with patience, showing tolerance for one another

00:39:32.280 --> 00:39:33.920
in love. What are we supposed to be doing in

00:39:33.920 --> 00:39:35.519
the church? What kind of church are we supposed

00:39:35.519 --> 00:39:37.110
to be doing? That's what we're supposed to be

00:39:37.110 --> 00:39:38.949
showing, tolerance for one another and love.

00:39:39.150 --> 00:39:41.889
Being diligent to preserve the unity. Here's

00:39:41.889 --> 00:39:44.130
what's most important, that we are unified in

00:39:44.130 --> 00:39:46.849
the Lord. If I am with God, you may not like

00:39:46.849 --> 00:39:49.630
a lot of things about me, but you can't be against

00:39:49.630 --> 00:39:52.429
me. Because if you are against me, you will be

00:39:52.429 --> 00:39:54.190
against God, because I am with God. That's the

00:39:54.190 --> 00:39:58.489
math of it. Verse 4 says, There is one body,

00:39:58.510 --> 00:40:01.190
one spirit, just as also you were called in one

00:40:01.190 --> 00:40:05.239
hope of your calling. down to six, says, one

00:40:05.239 --> 00:40:07.880
God, one Father, who is over all and through

00:40:07.880 --> 00:40:10.239
all and in all. But to each one of us, grace

00:40:10.239 --> 00:40:12.019
was given according to the measure of Christ's

00:40:12.019 --> 00:40:14.619
gift. Verse eight now, therefore it says, when

00:40:14.619 --> 00:40:17.300
he ascended on high, he led captive, a host of

00:40:17.300 --> 00:40:20.079
captives, and he gave gifts to men. See, God's

00:40:20.079 --> 00:40:22.820
been doing this all along. Verse 11 says, and

00:40:22.820 --> 00:40:25.039
he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some

00:40:25.039 --> 00:40:26.659
as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers

00:40:26.659 --> 00:40:28.360
for the equipping of the saints, for the work

00:40:28.360 --> 00:40:31.099
of the service. to build the building up of the

00:40:31.099 --> 00:40:33.400
body of Christ until we all attain to the unity

00:40:33.400 --> 00:40:35.679
of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of

00:40:35.679 --> 00:40:38.679
God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature

00:40:38.679 --> 00:40:41.019
which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Notice,

00:40:41.139 --> 00:40:43.860
it's a process we're working to attain that place.

00:40:44.099 --> 00:40:46.639
As a result, we are no longer to be like children

00:40:46.639 --> 00:40:48.820
tossed here and there by waves and carried about

00:40:48.820 --> 00:40:51.800
by every wind of doctrine. Let me be real clear.

00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:54.320
You know what a wind of doctrine is? It's an

00:40:54.320 --> 00:40:57.500
idea that you think is right. You read the scripture.

00:40:57.659 --> 00:40:59.619
You think you got it. I nailed this now. I know

00:40:59.619 --> 00:41:02.699
this now. And then you go and act on it. Now,

00:41:02.739 --> 00:41:06.619
sometimes it's right. And you should. When it's

00:41:06.619 --> 00:41:08.599
clear in scripture and God is convicting you

00:41:08.599 --> 00:41:11.519
of it, you should do that. But sometimes people

00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:14.239
pick one out. I had a guy in my room at Super

00:41:14.239 --> 00:41:17.099
Summer when I went two summers ago. And he had

00:41:17.099 --> 00:41:19.099
a doctrine that he was hammering home. And he

00:41:19.099 --> 00:41:20.699
kept talking to me about it here and there and

00:41:20.699 --> 00:41:22.260
whatever. And it was just wrong. It was the wrong

00:41:22.260 --> 00:41:25.619
doctrine. He wasn't right. Now, he wasn't. He

00:41:25.619 --> 00:41:29.059
wasn't wrong because the words didn't say it,

00:41:29.099 --> 00:41:31.880
but he was wrong because he found one place where

00:41:31.880 --> 00:41:33.280
the words said it, and there were five other

00:41:33.280 --> 00:41:35.300
places that refined that to make us understand

00:41:35.300 --> 00:41:37.840
what it actually meant. And he was just on that

00:41:37.840 --> 00:41:39.659
one. He was on that one wind of doctrine. He

00:41:39.659 --> 00:41:41.139
was following it, and he was pushing on me and

00:41:41.139 --> 00:41:44.039
everybody else who would listen. And we could

00:41:44.039 --> 00:41:45.940
be like that if we were a Johnny -come -lately.

00:41:46.460 --> 00:41:48.420
As a result, we are no longer children tossed

00:41:48.420 --> 00:41:50.420
here and there by waves and carried about by

00:41:50.420 --> 00:41:52.300
every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of man,

00:41:52.380 --> 00:41:56.530
by craftiness and deceitful scheming. No, just

00:41:56.530 --> 00:42:00.010
no. 15, but speaking the truth in love, we are

00:42:00.010 --> 00:42:03.110
to grow up in all aspects into him who is the

00:42:03.110 --> 00:42:05.909
head. Submit yourself to Jesus Christ is what

00:42:05.909 --> 00:42:08.409
he's saying. He says, even Christ. And verse

00:42:08.409 --> 00:42:11.230
16 then says, from whom the whole body being

00:42:11.230 --> 00:42:13.989
fitted and held together by what every joint

00:42:13.989 --> 00:42:17.150
supplies. In other words, each one of us doing

00:42:17.150 --> 00:42:19.650
what we're called to, which is different probably

00:42:19.650 --> 00:42:22.690
from each other one of us. according to the proper

00:42:22.690 --> 00:42:26.070
working of each individual part, causing the

00:42:26.070 --> 00:42:27.929
growth of the body for the building up of itself

00:42:27.929 --> 00:42:31.869
in love. The thing that God is doing is too mighty.

00:42:32.329 --> 00:42:35.449
It is too much to be contained in the life of

00:42:35.449 --> 00:42:38.489
one individual, even for a moment, even at the

00:42:38.489 --> 00:42:41.429
moment of your salvation. Do you know that it

00:42:41.429 --> 00:42:45.010
is highly likely that at the exact same moment,

00:42:45.070 --> 00:42:47.150
to the minute that you got saved, somebody else

00:42:47.150 --> 00:42:50.030
somewhere got saved? It's almost certain because

00:42:50.030 --> 00:42:52.090
people are getting saved across the world and

00:42:52.090 --> 00:42:53.769
there are billions of people in the world. The

00:42:53.769 --> 00:42:55.570
odds are good that somebody got saved at the

00:42:55.570 --> 00:42:58.630
same exact moment that you did. But if it was,

00:42:58.630 --> 00:43:01.969
if the gospel, if kingdom work could be contained

00:43:01.969 --> 00:43:04.329
in one moment, it would surely be in that moment

00:43:04.329 --> 00:43:06.750
when your soul was saved, made eternal, and you

00:43:06.750 --> 00:43:09.090
became a celestial being who are given a calling

00:43:09.090 --> 00:43:11.150
and work to do in the kingdom. Surely that would

00:43:11.150 --> 00:43:13.449
be enough. But then somewhere else at the same

00:43:13.449 --> 00:43:15.230
moment, surely that would be enough. And if there

00:43:15.230 --> 00:43:17.030
were five people, if there was ever a moment

00:43:17.030 --> 00:43:19.610
where a thousand got saved all in the same moment,

00:43:19.750 --> 00:43:21.809
well, there was, wasn't there? It was Pentecost.

00:43:21.829 --> 00:43:24.550
That was thousands. All got saved. That would

00:43:24.550 --> 00:43:26.690
surely be enough, right? That was all the work

00:43:26.690 --> 00:43:29.130
of what God was doing at that time, right? No.

00:43:29.409 --> 00:43:33.429
The work of God is far too much to be contained

00:43:33.429 --> 00:43:38.860
in the lives of one person. And when you look

00:43:38.860 --> 00:43:41.260
down on others or distance yourself because you

00:43:41.260 --> 00:43:43.719
think, quote, you know better or you know enough

00:43:43.719 --> 00:43:46.219
or because they won't listen anyway, then you

00:43:46.219 --> 00:43:48.860
have assumed the role of God. And let us not

00:43:48.860 --> 00:43:51.900
kid ourselves. When we play God, we have actually

00:43:51.900 --> 00:43:55.619
taken on the tactics of Satan, who from the beginning

00:43:55.619 --> 00:43:57.960
thought he could be like God and tempted man

00:43:57.960 --> 00:44:01.260
to do the same thing. Your eyes should not be

00:44:01.260 --> 00:44:03.659
looking at somebody else and saying, I don't

00:44:03.659 --> 00:44:05.820
think they're quite there. Here's the reality.

00:44:06.329 --> 00:44:08.090
If they're still on earth, they're not quite

00:44:08.090 --> 00:44:09.909
there. If you want to find weaknesses, you'll

00:44:09.909 --> 00:44:12.130
find them. You can find them in me. I've got

00:44:12.130 --> 00:44:13.969
plenty. If you want, I'll list some of them for

00:44:13.969 --> 00:44:15.489
you. Then you can save yourself the trouble.

00:44:15.690 --> 00:44:17.530
But if you want to be a Johnny -come -lately

00:44:17.530 --> 00:44:20.210
looking at me and saying, as long as I'm better

00:44:20.210 --> 00:44:22.010
than Pastor Dan, I'll make it in, guess what?

00:44:22.309 --> 00:44:25.250
That's not the way it works. You're not going

00:44:25.250 --> 00:44:27.369
to make it in or do better, have a better life,

00:44:27.409 --> 00:44:29.449
more prosperous, more success, or save more people

00:44:29.449 --> 00:44:31.750
because you're better than me. That's not how

00:44:31.750 --> 00:44:36.030
that works. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus is the

00:44:36.030 --> 00:44:38.190
one who died, created it all, and then when there

00:44:38.190 --> 00:44:41.510
was no mediator, came. And now we get saved by

00:44:41.510 --> 00:44:43.829
the name of Jesus because there is no other name

00:44:43.829 --> 00:44:47.230
given among men under heaven by which we must

00:44:47.230 --> 00:44:50.050
be saved. His is the holy and mighty name. He

00:44:50.050 --> 00:44:53.880
is the holy and mighty God. And we are at best

00:44:53.880 --> 00:44:56.980
allowed, if we come humbly, allowed to join in

00:44:56.980 --> 00:44:59.840
what he is trying to do. By no means am I suggesting

00:44:59.840 --> 00:45:02.219
that we should look the other way, ignoring actions

00:45:02.219 --> 00:45:04.840
in the lives of believers that are clearly sin,

00:45:05.039 --> 00:45:07.219
according to scripture and according to conviction.

00:45:07.400 --> 00:45:10.219
Just the opposite. Hauling back these believers

00:45:10.219 --> 00:45:12.320
from the brink of disaster is part of the great

00:45:12.320 --> 00:45:15.480
work of God that we are called to as the church.

00:45:15.619 --> 00:45:17.679
And there are processes by which we do that.

00:45:17.800 --> 00:45:20.179
But one of those processes is not sitting back

00:45:20.179 --> 00:45:22.500
and kind of chuckling to yourself and seeing

00:45:22.500 --> 00:45:24.219
how they're paying for the price of their sin.

00:45:24.900 --> 00:45:27.900
Oh, see, I knew that was sin if they did that.

00:45:28.039 --> 00:45:30.360
God, yeah, God's sovereign and he's punishing

00:45:30.360 --> 00:45:32.019
them for what he did. That's not part of the

00:45:32.019 --> 00:45:34.110
process. That's not part of that. I'm going to

00:45:34.110 --> 00:45:36.030
go over here and talk to Bob about what Sally

00:45:36.030 --> 00:45:38.510
did because I need to be comforted in my feelings

00:45:38.510 --> 00:45:41.429
because, you know, Sally hurt me. So I'm going

00:45:41.429 --> 00:45:43.969
to make her pay. That's not part of the process.

00:45:44.230 --> 00:45:45.849
I'm going to walk away, not talk to anybody.

00:45:45.849 --> 00:45:47.969
I'm not going to say a word. Nobody knows like

00:45:47.969 --> 00:45:50.150
I know. I know better than anybody else how this

00:45:50.150 --> 00:45:51.929
should be done. I'm the only one. And I'm not

00:45:51.929 --> 00:45:53.610
going to help anybody learn it. And I'm just

00:45:53.610 --> 00:45:55.329
going to sit back and let them all struggle and

00:45:55.329 --> 00:45:59.670
fail. That's not part of the process. God didn't

00:45:59.670 --> 00:46:02.809
do it, and God has the rights. He knows he is

00:46:02.809 --> 00:46:04.809
sovereign. He has the power. And when there was

00:46:04.809 --> 00:46:06.530
nobody who could clean up their own mess, when

00:46:06.530 --> 00:46:08.150
there was nobody who could stop their mouth from

00:46:08.150 --> 00:46:09.889
spewing venom, when there was nobody who could

00:46:09.889 --> 00:46:12.269
stop their will from deciding to try to be like

00:46:12.269 --> 00:46:16.690
him outside the gospel, he came in the flesh.

00:46:16.750 --> 00:46:19.449
He took on flesh, lived a sinless life, and then

00:46:19.449 --> 00:46:22.059
died a sinner's death. And he was crucified.

00:46:22.139 --> 00:46:24.400
And in the midst of his crucifixion, for crying

00:46:24.400 --> 00:46:27.139
out loud, while he was literally suffocating

00:46:27.139 --> 00:46:30.039
and bleeding out at the same time, he cried,

00:46:30.119 --> 00:46:32.139
forgive them for they know not what they do.

00:46:32.980 --> 00:46:35.679
But a Johnny come lately will say, well, I'm

00:46:35.679 --> 00:46:38.920
in. God did this in me. What God's doing in me

00:46:38.920 --> 00:46:40.519
is mighty. I've got the right things to say.

00:46:40.539 --> 00:46:42.159
I'm going to say, I'm going to tell you. I'm

00:46:42.159 --> 00:46:43.840
going to know better than you. And if you won't

00:46:43.840 --> 00:46:45.239
listen to me, I'm just going to let you go. You'll

00:46:45.239 --> 00:46:47.659
figure it out. You'll find out as you start to

00:46:47.659 --> 00:46:51.820
pay for your mistakes. That's not it. That is

00:46:51.820 --> 00:46:57.300
not what God has called us to. But when we became

00:46:57.300 --> 00:47:00.119
part of the kingdom, all old things passed away.

00:47:01.219 --> 00:47:04.659
Your history. That's a tough one. How do I let

00:47:04.659 --> 00:47:06.579
my history go in favor of following the Lord?

00:47:09.559 --> 00:47:12.719
Your family culture. That's a tough one. This

00:47:12.719 --> 00:47:15.079
is the way we do things. This is how we think.

00:47:15.099 --> 00:47:16.900
This is how we act. This is how we make the potatoes

00:47:16.900 --> 00:47:21.650
around here. Right? Whatever. That all passed

00:47:21.650 --> 00:47:25.369
away. It says all old things passed away. Personal

00:47:25.369 --> 00:47:28.789
opinions, pet peeves. Oh, I hate it when he does

00:47:28.789 --> 00:47:31.449
that. I hate it when they do that. All old things

00:47:31.449 --> 00:47:34.210
passed. Bad habits. Irritation over the habits

00:47:34.210 --> 00:47:36.269
of others that we do not agree with. Feelings

00:47:36.269 --> 00:47:38.969
about music choices, hobbies, sports, customs

00:47:38.969 --> 00:47:41.349
of dress, and more. These things were meant to

00:47:41.349 --> 00:47:44.090
be set aside so that we could be fixated on the

00:47:44.090 --> 00:47:46.349
mission, so that we can love one another. Can't

00:47:46.349 --> 00:47:48.530
we see that allowing our differences to divide

00:47:48.530 --> 00:47:52.750
us makes us less? And to accomplish the mission

00:47:52.750 --> 00:47:57.590
that God has given us, we cannot allow our differences

00:47:57.590 --> 00:48:02.130
to make us less. Rather, whatever difference

00:48:02.130 --> 00:48:06.110
that God has woven into the tapestry that He

00:48:06.110 --> 00:48:08.610
has chosen to use, those things should be opportunities

00:48:08.610 --> 00:48:11.989
to unite us. And if they can't be, then they

00:48:11.989 --> 00:48:16.050
should go away. If you have a hobby, a recreation,

00:48:16.369 --> 00:48:18.849
a talent, a skill, an acting experience, and

00:48:18.849 --> 00:48:21.289
it cannot be used for the glory of God, then

00:48:21.289 --> 00:48:25.389
you should let it go. There is no time for that

00:48:25.389 --> 00:48:28.829
because our God is already working and we are

00:48:28.829 --> 00:48:30.469
joining him in the work that he is doing and

00:48:30.469 --> 00:48:33.769
we don't have time to be busy doing some other

00:48:33.769 --> 00:48:36.210
form of work. That brings us to our conclusion.

00:48:37.429 --> 00:48:40.690
Fear the Lord. Fear the Lord and be found faithful.

00:48:41.630 --> 00:48:47.670
But never become today's expert. Never become

00:48:47.670 --> 00:48:51.099
the only one speaking. Or the one who's speaking

00:48:51.099 --> 00:48:53.880
loudest? Because if you're the only one speaking

00:48:53.880 --> 00:48:56.960
and the one who's speaking loudest, you're just

00:48:56.960 --> 00:49:00.000
wrong. You say, no, that can't be because I'll

00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:01.739
be talking about being honest or I'll be talking

00:49:01.739 --> 00:49:03.780
about being good or I'll be talking about working

00:49:03.780 --> 00:49:05.760
hard. And that's a message that God is delivering,

00:49:05.880 --> 00:49:11.679
right? You think God is like 24 hours a day convicting

00:49:11.679 --> 00:49:16.239
people to do the specific things that you want

00:49:16.239 --> 00:49:19.280
them to do? Or to not do the specific things

00:49:19.280 --> 00:49:21.940
that you don't want them to do? All conviction

00:49:21.940 --> 00:49:24.639
about sin has a purpose, right? What is the purpose?

00:49:25.480 --> 00:49:30.480
To lead to Jesus Christ. And so God says, you've

00:49:30.480 --> 00:49:34.440
sinned. They feel like they need to confess.

00:49:34.519 --> 00:49:36.719
They feel a burden. I'm convicted. The Holy Spirit

00:49:36.719 --> 00:49:39.800
convicts all men of their sin. That's true. And

00:49:39.800 --> 00:49:42.309
then... While they're being convicted and what

00:49:42.309 --> 00:49:44.610
they need to hear is about the love of Jesus

00:49:44.610 --> 00:49:46.429
and the salvation that's available. They're being

00:49:46.429 --> 00:49:48.230
convicted of their sin. Like, I really need to

00:49:48.230 --> 00:49:51.489
do something. What can I do? I'm stuck in a place

00:49:51.489 --> 00:49:53.010
where I don't feel like there's anything I can

00:49:53.010 --> 00:49:54.809
do to get past the wrongs that I have done. What

00:49:54.809 --> 00:49:56.769
can I do? And you come right in there and say,

00:49:56.909 --> 00:50:00.690
yeah, you're such a liar. You lied to me. You

00:50:00.690 --> 00:50:02.550
lied to me five times. I know you lied to me.

00:50:02.610 --> 00:50:03.769
And they're going, what can I do? What can I

00:50:03.769 --> 00:50:05.869
do? And you're going, you're just a liar. You're

00:50:05.869 --> 00:50:07.789
stuck a liar. You've got to stop lying. Stop

00:50:07.789 --> 00:50:09.190
lying. That's what you've got to do. And they're

00:50:09.190 --> 00:50:10.929
like, but I tried that. It doesn't work. What

00:50:10.929 --> 00:50:13.250
can I do? And you're like, oh, and by the way,

00:50:13.329 --> 00:50:15.329
you didn't show up on time. That's my pet peeve.

00:50:15.329 --> 00:50:16.949
I hate it when you don't show up on time. That

00:50:16.949 --> 00:50:20.630
drives me. I can't control my schedule. I don't

00:50:20.630 --> 00:50:23.210
know what to do. I'm hopeless. I'm stuck. I can't

00:50:23.210 --> 00:50:26.110
break out. How can I be a better person? I tried.

00:50:26.409 --> 00:50:28.710
I tried self -help. I went to the groups. I watched

00:50:28.710 --> 00:50:30.750
the videos. I called the people who know. I did

00:50:30.750 --> 00:50:32.230
all of these things. What can I do? And you're

00:50:32.230 --> 00:50:34.969
like, you're no good. You're late. You're dirty.

00:50:35.110 --> 00:50:38.829
You're scummy. You're wrong. Did Johnny come

00:50:38.829 --> 00:50:44.030
lately? You were all those things. And the truth

00:50:44.030 --> 00:50:47.869
is, you are all those things in your flesh. You're

00:50:47.869 --> 00:50:50.570
only better now because you encountered the living

00:50:50.570 --> 00:50:53.309
Christ and he lifted you up out of the pit of

00:50:53.309 --> 00:50:57.050
muck. And if that's how you got better, then

00:50:57.050 --> 00:50:58.550
when you come into somebody's life and they're

00:50:58.550 --> 00:51:01.849
screwing it up, the very first thing out of your

00:51:01.849 --> 00:51:08.630
mouth is there is a name. There is a name given

00:51:08.630 --> 00:51:11.969
among heaven, among men, under heaven, by which

00:51:11.969 --> 00:51:16.030
we must be saved. And it is Jesus Christ. Start

00:51:16.030 --> 00:51:18.239
there. Don't start by telling them how to be

00:51:18.239 --> 00:51:20.360
better or do better, not in the church or in

00:51:20.360 --> 00:51:24.900
the world. Start with Jesus. Because if by some

00:51:24.900 --> 00:51:26.800
chance they're at that moment of conviction and

00:51:26.800 --> 00:51:28.420
they're ready to latch on and in their heart

00:51:28.420 --> 00:51:32.340
is a question, what must I do to be saved? You

00:51:32.340 --> 00:51:34.239
telling them how screwed up they are is not going

00:51:34.239 --> 00:51:37.440
to solve that problem. You pointing them to a

00:51:37.440 --> 00:51:40.519
self -help group or counselor, not going to solve

00:51:40.519 --> 00:51:45.320
that problem. You bringing them to Jesus. solves

00:51:45.320 --> 00:51:47.300
the problem, even though they may still continue

00:51:47.300 --> 00:51:48.780
to do some of the things that they shouldn't

00:51:48.780 --> 00:51:55.539
do. Weeks, years, or their whole life. But ultimately,

00:51:55.719 --> 00:51:59.719
the work that God has always been doing will

00:51:59.719 --> 00:52:06.239
get done. Try to be blunt but kind, practical

00:52:06.239 --> 00:52:09.300
but humble, speaking the gospel in the context

00:52:09.300 --> 00:52:12.429
that they can understand it. but not in your

00:52:12.429 --> 00:52:16.849
own creativity or for your own purposes. God

00:52:16.849 --> 00:52:21.050
has been at this forever, and we are blessed

00:52:21.050 --> 00:52:24.130
to join him in it. We join in the effort to invite

00:52:24.130 --> 00:52:27.969
a world that is lost and dying and going to hell

00:52:27.969 --> 00:52:33.530
to a Savior who has been resurrected and now

00:52:33.530 --> 00:52:36.130
stands at the right hand of the Father. It is

00:52:36.130 --> 00:52:38.849
said that we will do even greater things than

00:52:38.849 --> 00:52:41.510
Jesus did in his lifetime. And looking at the

00:52:41.510 --> 00:52:43.630
condition of our world, plagued in its own sin,

00:52:43.730 --> 00:52:46.030
enraptured by temptation, we can see that the

00:52:46.030 --> 00:52:48.769
work of the gospel of freeing souls is perhaps

00:52:48.769 --> 00:52:51.710
a much greater work. When you share that Jesus,

00:52:51.829 --> 00:52:53.429
that person, ask them to get saved, you will

00:52:53.429 --> 00:52:55.530
be literally going to war against their social

00:52:55.530 --> 00:52:58.409
media experience, against their family breaking,

00:52:58.690 --> 00:53:01.570
against their lost loved ones experience, against

00:53:01.570 --> 00:53:03.389
their lost jobs experience. You will literally

00:53:03.389 --> 00:53:06.610
be bringing Jesus into the battle that he is

00:53:06.610 --> 00:53:10.380
going to win. against everything that they've

00:53:10.380 --> 00:53:14.300
been through. That's a pretty big work. But it's

00:53:14.300 --> 00:53:15.900
not a work that you're going to do. It's a work

00:53:15.900 --> 00:53:18.880
that Jesus is going to do. The enemy had two

00:53:18.880 --> 00:53:21.900
millennia, that's 2 ,000 years, to perfect his

00:53:21.900 --> 00:53:25.210
tactics. This is yet another reason why if we

00:53:25.210 --> 00:53:27.610
come into this effort hoping for more modern

00:53:27.610 --> 00:53:29.949
tactics, we can do it better, use electronics

00:53:29.949 --> 00:53:32.190
better, get the word out better with electronics,

00:53:32.449 --> 00:53:34.409
we're hoping that they're going to win the day,

00:53:34.510 --> 00:53:37.510
we will be outmatched. Because when someone was

00:53:37.510 --> 00:53:40.670
thinking about inventing the internet, there's

00:53:40.670 --> 00:53:42.409
a very good chance they were consulting the devil

00:53:42.409 --> 00:53:48.170
on how to do it. This is yet another reason why

00:53:48.170 --> 00:53:50.800
if we come into the effort... hoping for modern

00:53:50.800 --> 00:53:53.079
tactics to win the day, we will be outmatched.

00:53:53.219 --> 00:53:56.900
At the same time, traditional tactics were equally

00:53:56.900 --> 00:53:59.579
effective or ineffective in the primary day of

00:53:59.579 --> 00:54:00.739
their application. We say, well, we're going

00:54:00.739 --> 00:54:03.280
to sing only from the hymnal or only certain

00:54:03.280 --> 00:54:06.480
kinds of music, right? Or we're not going to

00:54:06.480 --> 00:54:08.940
text. We're not going to have a social media

00:54:08.940 --> 00:54:10.880
presence. I'm not saying you have to do those

00:54:10.880 --> 00:54:14.019
things. What I'm saying is... You can't rebel

00:54:14.019 --> 00:54:16.380
against the modern tactics nor adopt the modern

00:54:16.380 --> 00:54:18.719
tactics solely because the tactics themselves,

00:54:19.000 --> 00:54:22.199
outside application by God, the Father, and his

00:54:22.199 --> 00:54:27.900
Son, Jesus Christ, are worthless. They mean nothing.

00:54:28.440 --> 00:54:30.900
And so if you are a rebel against modern tactics

00:54:30.900 --> 00:54:33.380
and talking about the old ways, you're missing

00:54:33.380 --> 00:54:35.610
the boat. And if you are a rebel against the

00:54:35.610 --> 00:54:37.050
old ways and say, we've got to adapt, we've got

00:54:37.050 --> 00:54:38.829
to become new, you're also missing the abode.

00:54:38.989 --> 00:54:41.289
The answer is not going back to the old ways

00:54:41.289 --> 00:54:43.289
or better application of the new ways. The answer

00:54:43.289 --> 00:54:47.030
is joining God in what he is doing, however he

00:54:47.030 --> 00:54:50.349
has led us to do it. You say this, who? Me? No,

00:54:50.409 --> 00:54:50.849
not me.