WEBVTT

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You're the king, oh my god God the Son, the Son

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of God, who came to earth, took on flesh as a

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man, became 100 % human and 100 % God at the

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same time, walked a sinless life, died a sinner's

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death, buried in a sinner's tomb, but could not

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be held back and rather rose again on the third

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day. We're talking about that king, that one

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who holds the key of David, who opens and no

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one will shut and who shuts. He says, I know

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your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an

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open door which no one can shut. Because you

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have a little power, and have followed my word,

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and have not denied my name. Before I go any

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further, let me say that that could be a description

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for us, couldn't it? We have a little power.

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The truth is, God has bestowed in us the ability

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to do some things, to make a difference, to speak

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into existence certain things and what's necessary

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to destroy. To do certain things. Our righteous

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acts, which were as filthy rags, have now become

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Something that glorifies the God of heaven. And

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you can choose to do the right thing where previously

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you might have chosen to do the wrong thing.

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Or nothing. Sometimes it's even worse. But our

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allegiances are to the God of heaven. And because

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of that, we are a people who might be described

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as having a little power. We are a people who

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might be described as having followed God's word.

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You'll notice that the preaching that comes out

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of this pulpit every Sunday is always based on

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the Bible. It is always just what the Word of

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God says. Now, someone might stand before churches,

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perhaps the world over, and they might make sermons

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like, here's point one, two, three, and it might

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teach you how to be a better person. It might

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teach you how to make better decisions, how to

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be better scheduling, how to do politics better,

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or medical better, or nutrition better, or whatever.

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And throughout that 30 to 40 minute time, you

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might never hear a script like that. but it might

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make you a better person it might make you more

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able to function in the world, but not draw you

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closer to the Lord. We are a people of the word.

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We are a people who preach God's words. When

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you go to the Sunday school classes and the kids

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are there, you'll notice that their lessons are

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always based 100 % wholly upon God's word. And

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so, we have to be described as a people who have

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followed his word. Also, we follow his word in

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that we know how we are going to be saved. We

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know how we're going to lead this life and one

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day arrive at heaven. It's not going to be accomplished

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by the good... the things that you do. Can you

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store up treasures for yourself in heaven? Sure

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you can, that's what Jesus says is possible,

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but it's not going to get you there. If there

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was some way that you could store up treasures

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for yourself in heaven without knowing the Lord

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Jesus Christ, you'd be storing up treasures for

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somebody else, because you can't get there except

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through Jesus. And it is by Jesus, who is the

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living word of God, who spoke the truth, his

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gospel, the truth of Jesus. There it is the power

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for all men to be saved, first the Jews and the

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Gentiles. Thank you for that latter part, right?

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We are Gentiles. We have followed the Word of

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God, and have not denied His name. I hope you

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can sit here today and say, I am a person who

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has not denied the name of Jesus. Now, caution

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here, because we can deny the name of Jesus a

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little bit by our silence. We can deny the name

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of Jesus when we're talking about things that

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Jesus would not have us talking about, even though

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we don't mention Jesus at all. We say we want

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to do that, we want to do this, I think this

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is about you, so and so said that about me, the

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gossip, the slander, etc. Be careful, our speech,

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our actions, deny the Lord, and that makes Him

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ashamed of us. And Jesus said, if you deny Him

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before men, I'll be denied, I'll be not denying

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you before my Father who is in heaven. That's

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what Jesus said. So we ought not, and I think

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we are not, a people who have denied Jesus. If

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you're here today and you have denied Jesus,

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let me encourage you right now to accept Jesus

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Christ as your Lord and Savior in earnest. And

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do not go out amongst your friends. Do not go

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out amongst your co -workers. Do not go out in

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the streets. Don't go home. Don't go anywhere

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without wearing Jesus like the supreme armor

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that He is. Without Jesus in your without Jesus

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in your actions, without Jesus in your choices.

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Because we are a people who have not denied the

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Word. And so this could have been written to

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us, as it was written to the Church of Philadelphia,

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as a people with a door before them, open, which

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no one could shut, a people with a little power,

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a people who followed His Word, and a people

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who would not deny His name. Down in verse 12

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then, he says, God, and the name of the city

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of my God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down

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out of heaven from my God, and my new name, the

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one who has an ear, letting hear what the Spirit

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says to the churches." Jesus understands, having

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come and lived as a man, he understands that

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day in and day out there are difficulties, day

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in and day out there are temptations, day in

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and day out there are pains. We have illnesses,

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we have lack, we have struggles, people say things

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to us that hurt, we make mistakes, people make

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mistakes all around us, and sometimes mistake

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is a very gentle word to say that we are butt

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-headed and the people around us are butt -headed.

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Jesus is very familiar with the experience of

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living this life in the form of a man Because

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of that he says we must overcome We've been given

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the task to continue despite all those difficulties

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and the truth is you could mean you could fill

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books volumes of books people face before, during,

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and after these lifetimes. And our task then

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becomes to overcome. To stay the course, to be

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a people of the word who have a little power,

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notice that we have set before us a door that

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is open that no one will shut. If you have a

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door that is open that no one will shut, what

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is left to be done? If the door is already open

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and no one can shut it, what is left to be done?

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And will there be people and things that can't

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shut the door? If somebody wants you to not go

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through this door... They can't shut it and lock

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it to keep it from going through. All they can

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do is bodily stand in the way. Block the door.

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Gang up, attack you, try to sap your strength,

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whatever to keep you from going through the door.

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The door is open and it cannot be shut. And the

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things of this world are going to try to keep

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us from going through the door. The door, of

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course, is Jesus, the way to heaven. And we're

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going to go through the door and nothing is going

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to stop us. And in that pursuit, Jesus gave us

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this remembrance that we would take of the Lord's

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Supper and never forget that the great payment

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has been paid. That the door would be open and

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that no one would die. Don't only take the Lord's

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Supper to remember that the door is open and

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no one can shut it, right? Because Jesus, he

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suffered to open the door. He suffered to become

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the way. He suffered to pay the price for sin.

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And in paying the price for sins, there was great

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suffering. And the truth is, if you will look

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at it this way, you will understand it this way,

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the church that lives today suffers also the

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same as Jesus did. So that others may come. So

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that others may know that the door is open. So

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that others may experience salvation. And you

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can't save anybody, and I can't save anybody.

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We know who can, and the price is already paid.

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So if you're here today and you've not accepted

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Jesus Christ as Lord, that means he tells you

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what to do when you do it, and a Savior that

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means he paid the price for your sin, then do

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that right now while I'm talking. There's no

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special prayer. You can, if you think of one.

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I could give you one, but it isn't a prayer.

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It's just a rapid mission. Jesus has right people.

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And having done so, then, we've practiced the

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Lord's Supper to remember that our task is given

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to overcome. Not to open the door. You can't.

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It's done. It's open and staying open. That's

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done. But to overcome anything, everything, all

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things. Sometimes it feels like all things at

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once, right? And we take the Lord's Supper to

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never forget that the door is open and the real

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sacrifice has already been done. You and I were

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not holy. We were not right. We had sin. All

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that sin falls short of the word of God. But

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Jesus' righteousness is enough to get the job

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done. And it will never fail. You will just embrace

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it and overcome. To that end, today, we will

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take the Lord sufferer to remember to sacrifice

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it and be overcome. That is everything. I ask

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that you get on board. Sherry and Holly, would

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you help Sherry prepare the table? As we think

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of your Lord's Supper today, the first thing

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that we will take of is the unleavened bread,

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which will represent the broken body of Jesus.

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Sometimes our bodies are broken. Sometimes we're

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still walking around when they're broken, right?

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So I would ask you today to remember those that

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you know of, some of whom are in this room. These

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bodies are not what they would like them to be.

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And then healing. And he's eight. I'm going to

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ask you to remember them. Keep him there, and

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when you ask him, bless him hungry. Lord, thank

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you for this day. Thank you for, you know, the

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gathering here and your worship together through

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your spirit of moving and unto you. for us when

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we meet this place today. Craig, you blessed

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us with some bread we're about to take. Help

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us to remember its purpose. Remember the sacrifice

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that your son made for us. A body that grew up

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around you. You'll distribute the bread. Yet,

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we've received a piece of unleavened bread. We'll

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all have one in a second. This bread will represent

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for us until Jesus comes again. This broken body

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was given for us. It is unleavened, not because

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leaven represents sin, but because it is likely

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that the bread that they used that first night.

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On that night, Jesus was arrested and said, this

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is my body, which is broken for you to take and

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remember it so you can eat it. Even Tony, would

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you ask the blessing upon the Jews? Father, the

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Lord, thank you for this. Lord, it's kind of

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where we can remember him now, because we really

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took on him to see how unworthy we are to do

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this. But Lord, you made it worthy. You made

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us worthy. Sacrifice all you gave. This juice

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represents the blood of Jesus that was spilled

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for us consider have you ever been cut paper

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cut in your knees right Jesus had not one cut

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but hundreds or maybe thousands night before

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you the rest of Jesus praying prayed so hard

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he knew what he was going to face great so hard

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But as he sweated, he started to sweat blood,

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which is an actual thing that happens when they're

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under great duress. The truth is, when I hear

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that story, I realize I've never been under great

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duress. Never like that. And so not only did

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he bleed the night before when he was praying,

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but then on the day of, they whipped him. And

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he had not a hundred, but thousands, probably,

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of cuts. And then they crucified him. They nailed

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him to the cross. And so you can imagine, have

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you ever got a sliver? He just didn't get a sliver.

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He got a great big spike. His pain was so terrible

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that in the English language, they created a

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word for it. The word is cruciating. your toe

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or when you're going through difficulty you think

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well that's excruciating it really isn't the

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word excruciating means pain of the cross so

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the next time you're hurting remember that somebody

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hurt for you in a way that we cannot hurt and

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that payment was paid and we will see you you

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will take care of on that night Jesus took up

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the juice and this is my blood poured out for

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you until I come again do this and remember this

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occasion the juice is sweet so is the blood of

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Jesus because we need his help day in and day

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out we need his help to overcome the door is

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open and we can go through we will go through

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in time and we can send people through it with

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the help of Jesus. We'll pray briefly and then

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we're going to worship the God who arranged this

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for us. Father in heaven, in your power, by your

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word, knowing that the door is open, we choose

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to overcome. It is not that we choose things

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to overcome. We're not going to select from the

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bad things of this world, pick them off one by

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one and overcome them. We're not going to select

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certain difficulties for ourselves and pick them

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against ourselves who have victories and say,

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hey, look at me, I overcame. No, we choose to

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overcome. We choose to overcome. in your strength,

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in your power, by your might, by your governance,

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because you are you, and we are yours. We choose

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to overcome. We choose to overcome not because

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we would want to, not because our desires are

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that we can be found strong, having had victories,

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that we can get praise, that we get trophies,

00:15:14.370 --> 00:15:17.429
or check marks, or A pluses. We choose to overcome

00:15:17.429 --> 00:15:19.590
because you have said that that is the task we

00:15:19.590 --> 00:15:21.690
are given. We submit our lives to you, and we

00:15:21.690 --> 00:15:24.190
choose to overcome by your power, by your word,

00:15:24.289 --> 00:15:26.590
by your governance. You be Lord and lead us through,

00:15:26.649 --> 00:15:28.570
and we trust you with it. And all God's people

00:15:28.570 --> 00:15:31.149
said, Amen. Thank you very much. Let us worship

00:15:31.149 --> 00:19:21.609
the Lord. With songs of deliverance Whenever

00:19:21.609 --> 00:19:33.390
I am afraid I will trust in you I will trust

00:19:33.390 --> 00:22:36.029
in you Let the weak say I'm sorry Let's go! We

00:22:36.029 --> 00:22:38.329
have been working, hold on, we have been working

00:22:38.329 --> 00:22:42.619
through the book of Judges have seen God do amazing

00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:44.279
things. Now this this book was written a long

00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:47.019
time ago and the amazing things that God did

00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:51.519
happened a long time ago and we also see a cycle

00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:54.220
of sin that's already occurring. That is to say

00:22:54.220 --> 00:22:57.960
God does amazing things and then God's people,

00:22:58.279 --> 00:23:00.519
once God does the amazing things, God's people

00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:04.839
sort of drift into idolatry. Now Gideon plays

00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:09.210
a key role in that he has really won a of the

00:23:09.210 --> 00:23:13.890
last really good, honorable judges. After this,

00:23:14.609 --> 00:23:16.670
we see good people, don't get me wrong, but there's

00:23:16.670 --> 00:23:19.049
always sort of a mix. They're always sort of

00:23:19.049 --> 00:23:21.849
like, ah, I'm kinda for God, ah, I'm kinda not.

00:23:22.549 --> 00:23:25.150
But Gideon, in the early part, yes he questioned

00:23:25.150 --> 00:23:28.009
God, but once he was sure that it was God that

00:23:28.009 --> 00:23:29.890
was calling him to do amazing things, everything

00:23:29.890 --> 00:23:32.089
they did, even up to the point at which we read

00:23:32.089 --> 00:23:34.589
a few weeks back, a couple weeks back, he said,

00:23:34.710 --> 00:23:37.890
no, the Lord will rule over us. But then we saw...

00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:41.940
His family head into decline in worshiping the

00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:45.680
Ephod last week, and we talked briefly about

00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:50.799
how we ourselves sometimes construct traps like

00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:53.460
that. How he had, even though he had just said,

00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:55.500
I'm gonna serve God only, God alone is gonna

00:23:55.500 --> 00:23:57.980
be Lord, he had gone on to construct a sort of

00:23:57.980 --> 00:24:01.099
a trap for him and his family. Because there

00:24:01.099 --> 00:24:04.099
is this spiral or this sort of down into sin

00:24:04.099 --> 00:24:06.099
that keeps happening after God does amazing things,

00:24:06.339 --> 00:24:09.450
we are led to wonder. is part of the human state

00:24:09.450 --> 00:24:12.650
of existence, part of who we are, a tendency

00:24:12.650 --> 00:24:15.950
to spiral down into sin whenever God is not doing

00:24:15.950 --> 00:24:18.069
something amazing. And I'm gonna show you today,

00:24:18.130 --> 00:24:20.930
and it'll go by fairly quickly, and I sometimes

00:24:20.930 --> 00:24:22.430
say that and it doesn't go by fairly quickly,

00:24:22.529 --> 00:24:24.130
but I actually did practice a little bit so I'm

00:24:24.130 --> 00:24:25.329
pretty sure it's gonna go by fairly quickly,

00:24:26.009 --> 00:24:28.630
the number one thing, the number one problem

00:24:28.630 --> 00:24:31.910
why people, after God does amazing things, why

00:24:31.910 --> 00:24:33.990
people spiral down into sin. And you can already

00:24:33.990 --> 00:24:36.720
sort of see it maybe in the title. But give me

00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:39.220
a little hoot, a holler, amen, as we go to Judges

00:24:39.220 --> 00:24:42.519
chapter 8 for the last time. Amen! Alright, praise

00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:44.039
the Lord. Thank you for those of you who are

00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:46.859
in that with me. We will today read the remainder

00:24:46.859 --> 00:24:49.420
of Judges chapter 8. So beginning next week,

00:24:49.579 --> 00:24:52.400
we will be into chapter 9. So this is Judges

00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:55.640
chapter 8 beginning in verse 28. Now we read

00:24:55.640 --> 00:25:01.579
28 last week as an understanding as to why they

00:25:01.579 --> 00:25:05.079
might have persisted with the trap of the ephod.

00:25:05.210 --> 00:25:07.849
Because they saw that things were still pretty

00:25:07.849 --> 00:25:10.210
good, right? They still had peace. And so while

00:25:10.210 --> 00:25:12.450
they were, quote unquote, worshipping the Ifad,

00:25:12.529 --> 00:25:14.569
bowing down to it, threatening each other with

00:25:14.569 --> 00:25:16.390
it, things like that, while they were doing all

00:25:16.390 --> 00:25:18.529
of that... they still had peace. And so this

00:25:18.529 --> 00:25:19.990
is what happens. When people make this trap for

00:25:19.990 --> 00:25:21.769
themselves, they get stuck away from doing what

00:25:21.769 --> 00:25:23.890
God would want them to do, stuck away from having

00:25:23.890 --> 00:25:25.670
right relationship with God, even though they

00:25:25.670 --> 00:25:27.650
maybe were saved, even it happens. And then they

00:25:27.650 --> 00:25:29.769
go to heaven when they die and realize, oh, I

00:25:29.769 --> 00:25:31.430
wasted all this time stuck in the trap. And the

00:25:31.430 --> 00:25:33.890
reason was because things seem to be going okay.

00:25:34.109 --> 00:25:36.329
So I submit to you, don't forget, as we read

00:25:36.329 --> 00:25:38.990
this first verse, that just because things may

00:25:38.990 --> 00:25:41.910
seem to be going okay, does not mean that you're

00:25:41.910 --> 00:25:44.430
not A, trapped or B, suffering from the same

00:25:44.430 --> 00:25:46.750
thing that we're about to look at. So B, discerning.

00:25:46.849 --> 00:25:49.309
Pay attention. Examine your life. Listen to God

00:25:49.309 --> 00:25:50.890
and what he has to say. Whether I get it right

00:25:50.890 --> 00:25:52.890
or wrong or not, listen to the Lord, okay? Judges

00:25:52.890 --> 00:25:55.130
chapter 8 beginning in verse 28 says, So Midian

00:25:55.130 --> 00:25:57.829
was subdued before the sons of Israel and they

00:25:57.829 --> 00:26:00.210
did not lift up their heads anymore and the land

00:26:00.210 --> 00:26:03.349
was undisturbed for 40 years in the days of Gideon.

00:26:03.410 --> 00:26:05.750
So here we have it. Things are going pretty much

00:26:05.750 --> 00:26:07.529
okay. Now we already know they're worshiping

00:26:07.529 --> 00:26:09.829
and messing around with the ephod and his whole

00:26:09.829 --> 00:26:12.009
family is in a trap. This is what it says, verse

00:26:12.009 --> 00:26:16.329
29. Then Jerubbal, Jerubbal. The son of Joe Ash

00:26:16.329 --> 00:26:18.970
went and lived in his own house. So he left Joe

00:26:18.970 --> 00:26:21.450
Ash's house. He moved out of his dad's compound.

00:26:21.569 --> 00:26:24.009
So it was very, very common for families to have

00:26:24.009 --> 00:26:26.930
essentially a compound, right? So grown sons

00:26:26.930 --> 00:26:28.769
did not grow up and just go build a house somewhere.

00:26:29.069 --> 00:26:31.789
First of all, building a house was a huge project,

00:26:32.150 --> 00:26:34.029
extremely expensive, great deal of labor, and

00:26:34.029 --> 00:26:35.250
even if you got all your brothers and all your

00:26:35.250 --> 00:26:37.230
uncles and everybody to do that, right, it could

00:26:37.230 --> 00:26:40.329
take a really long time and expose you to a lot

00:26:40.329 --> 00:26:42.779
of hardship. And so a lot of times they might

00:26:42.779 --> 00:26:44.019
build a, if they're gonna build a house, they

00:26:44.019 --> 00:26:46.259
build it right next to dad's house or on the

00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:48.200
complex, right? Or they just put on a wing, you

00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:49.640
know, that kind of thing. It's just kind of like,

00:26:50.039 --> 00:26:51.680
or put up more tents if they were living in tents,

00:26:51.740 --> 00:26:54.890
that kind of thing. So Jerbal, the son of Joash,

00:26:55.089 --> 00:26:58.109
went and lived in his own house. So now he's

00:26:58.109 --> 00:27:00.569
sort of the head of his part of the family. He's

00:27:00.569 --> 00:27:02.150
stepped out from underneath his dad. Now, before

00:27:02.150 --> 00:27:03.970
I go any further, I want you to remember that

00:27:03.970 --> 00:27:06.470
he was part of his dad's family when his whole

00:27:06.470 --> 00:27:09.130
story began. And God gave him a job to do, which

00:27:09.130 --> 00:27:12.069
was to attack, to stand up against idols in the

00:27:12.069 --> 00:27:14.109
community, in their community. And he did that.

00:27:14.170 --> 00:27:16.130
And then when the people came and challenged

00:27:16.130 --> 00:27:17.349
him and said, bring him out, we're gonna kill

00:27:17.349 --> 00:27:20.710
him, because he burnt the idols, right? He destroyed

00:27:20.710 --> 00:27:23.859
our objects of worship. It was Joe Ash that said,

00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:26.220
now hold up a second, if he did that, can Vaal

00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:28.980
not defend himself? Can your false idol not stand

00:27:28.980 --> 00:27:31.440
up for himself? Won't your false idol take care

00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:34.099
of him then? He said no, but if he did this for

00:27:34.099 --> 00:27:36.299
God, then you need to fear the Lord, right? And

00:27:36.299 --> 00:27:39.180
they left Jeroboam Gideon alone. And that started

00:27:39.180 --> 00:27:42.400
his journey. So Joash provided key protection

00:27:42.400 --> 00:27:45.180
for him at a key moment in time in his life when

00:27:45.180 --> 00:27:47.740
he was stepping out for God. And I submit to

00:27:47.740 --> 00:27:49.779
you, if you're a parent in the room, or an older

00:27:49.779 --> 00:27:51.940
sibling, or a mentor, or you care about a younger

00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:54.460
person, you realize that is a big part of your

00:27:54.460 --> 00:27:57.339
role. To provide key protection for them as they

00:27:57.339 --> 00:27:59.440
step out. They cannot serve God the way serve

00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:01.940
God. No two people can ever do it exactly alike,

00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:04.200
right? They must be who God is making them to

00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:06.420
be and serve God kind of in their way, the way

00:28:06.420 --> 00:28:07.960
that God would have them, right? Now there's

00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:09.279
certain things like should you worship, should

00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:11.380
you give, should you serve, should you practice

00:28:11.380 --> 00:28:13.000
spiritual gifts and spiritual disciplines? Those

00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:14.599
things are commanded by Scripture. I'm not talking

00:28:14.599 --> 00:28:17.059
about that. I'm talking about personality. Every

00:28:17.059 --> 00:28:19.759
personality, every story written into the life

00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:21.839
of every person is a little different and we

00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:24.079
as adults have a responsibility to protect the

00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:27.000
upcoming generation. But here, Jerobal has stepped

00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:29.339
out. Now, I wonder sometimes whether he stepped

00:28:29.339 --> 00:28:31.500
out because of the Ephod, right? Because he and

00:28:31.500 --> 00:28:33.299
his offspring are getting into worship in the

00:28:33.299 --> 00:28:35.240
Ephod. Maybe Joash wasn't really into that. We

00:28:35.240 --> 00:28:37.359
don't really know. But the bottom line is he's

00:28:37.359 --> 00:28:39.700
now running his own household. Verse 30 says,

00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:43.920
Gideon had, listen to this, 70 sons. 70 sons

00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:46.599
who were his direct descendants for he had many

00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:49.279
wives. Another example of an amazing blessing

00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:51.950
of God. coming out of some kind of bad decisions,

00:28:52.230 --> 00:28:54.750
really, God did not even then ordain that man

00:28:54.750 --> 00:28:56.589
would have more than one wife. That's never been

00:28:56.589 --> 00:28:58.589
true in Scripture. And so all the times that

00:28:58.589 --> 00:29:00.650
you've seen men do that, and they usually do

00:29:00.650 --> 00:29:03.990
it coming out of great prominence. Having more

00:29:03.990 --> 00:29:06.130
than one wife is expensive. Having enough wives

00:29:06.130 --> 00:29:08.910
to have 70 sons and to raise 70 sons is hugely

00:29:08.910 --> 00:29:11.009
expensive. But remember, he got really wealthy

00:29:11.009 --> 00:29:13.390
after they gave him all that stuff, right? And

00:29:13.390 --> 00:29:16.170
so he's a very wealthy man and now has 70 direct

00:29:16.170 --> 00:29:18.289
descendants. And so those 70 direct descendants,

00:29:18.309 --> 00:29:21.099
in a sense, are for him to lead them toward God

00:29:21.099 --> 00:29:23.619
and he's not they're leading them toward the

00:29:23.619 --> 00:29:26.039
ephod so things are not good in that way 31 says

00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:29.460
and his concubine who was in Shechem also born

00:29:29.630 --> 00:29:32.390
bore him a son and he named him Abimelech. Now

00:29:32.390 --> 00:29:34.769
this character Abimelech will become hugely important

00:29:34.769 --> 00:29:36.769
starting next week as we look at the next text

00:29:36.769 --> 00:29:38.470
in chapter 9. He's going to be like the main

00:29:38.470 --> 00:29:40.349
guy for a second, okay? So we're not going to

00:29:40.349 --> 00:29:41.750
drill down heavily on him because we'll do that

00:29:41.750 --> 00:29:44.430
next week. So Abimelech is born, verse 32, and

00:29:44.430 --> 00:29:47.750
it says, and Gideon the son of Joash died at

00:29:47.750 --> 00:29:50.730
a good old age and was buried in the tomb of

00:29:50.730 --> 00:29:54.410
his father Joash in Ofra of the Abiezrites, okay?

00:29:54.529 --> 00:29:56.670
So we know that he wasn't ostracized, he wasn't

00:29:56.670 --> 00:29:58.250
kicked out of the house, so he wouldn't have

00:29:58.250 --> 00:29:59.980
been allowed to be buried. in his father's tomb.

00:30:00.059 --> 00:30:01.660
So he still had a good relationship with his

00:30:01.660 --> 00:30:03.920
dad and he died at a good old age. That sounds

00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:06.180
pretty good, right? He lived a long time and

00:30:06.180 --> 00:30:09.579
they had 40 years of peace under his judgeship,

00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:12.460
if you will. Now verse 33. Then it came about

00:30:12.460 --> 00:30:17.059
as soon as Gideon was dead. Like that. Gideon's

00:30:17.059 --> 00:30:19.099
out. Here it comes. It's like the light switch

00:30:19.099 --> 00:30:21.859
is on. God's man no longer leading. Here we go.

00:30:22.019 --> 00:30:26.099
That the sons of Israel again committed infidelity

00:30:26.099 --> 00:30:29.799
with the Baals. That is to say They devoted themselves

00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:33.119
to false gods that they had previously had. The

00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:35.839
term Baal literally means Lord. And so what they

00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:41.460
had was false lords, other gods. And they began

00:30:41.460 --> 00:30:43.359
to worship them. They began to give to them.

00:30:43.400 --> 00:30:44.619
They began to participate with them. They had

00:30:44.619 --> 00:30:46.220
all kinds of rituals and things that they would

00:30:46.220 --> 00:30:48.079
do. And the Baals had all different kinds of

00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:51.000
names. And so we have Israel breaking down in

00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:52.980
all these little regions and maybe even the same

00:30:52.980 --> 00:30:55.380
town going seven different ways, worshiping these

00:30:55.380 --> 00:30:57.940
false gods. And when did it start? immediately

00:30:57.940 --> 00:31:00.869
on the deck. Gideon. It says that the sons of

00:31:00.869 --> 00:31:03.250
Israel again committed infidelity with the Baals

00:31:03.250 --> 00:31:06.789
and made Baal -Bareth their God. So Baal -Bareth

00:31:06.789 --> 00:31:09.250
became the kind of primary one. Now I'm not saying

00:31:09.250 --> 00:31:11.410
that they might have even thought the Baal -Bareth

00:31:11.410 --> 00:31:13.549
was Yahweh. They might have confused that. Or

00:31:13.549 --> 00:31:15.710
they had them alongside. Maybe they still worshiped

00:31:15.710 --> 00:31:18.150
Yahweh. But the bottom line is they were worshiping

00:31:18.150 --> 00:31:20.849
Baal -Bareth, which was wrong. Now 34. So the

00:31:20.849 --> 00:31:24.150
sons of Israel, and this is key, did not remember

00:31:24.150 --> 00:31:26.930
the Lord their God, who had saved them from the

00:31:26.930 --> 00:31:29.809
hands of all their enemies on every side. So

00:31:29.809 --> 00:31:31.630
we'll break that down more in a second. The bottom

00:31:31.630 --> 00:31:33.490
line is as they're getting into worshiping this

00:31:33.490 --> 00:31:35.589
false god, you could say this, what has this

00:31:35.589 --> 00:31:37.279
false god ever done for them? And the answer

00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:39.640
would be, nothing. He's never done anything.

00:31:39.859 --> 00:31:41.240
Somebody might say he's done, they might have

00:31:41.240 --> 00:31:42.779
stories that are going on, people are telling

00:31:42.779 --> 00:31:44.799
tales, right? But he's never done anything because

00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:47.180
he's not real, or at best, he's a demon, right?

00:31:47.180 --> 00:31:49.259
That's the best possibility. So they're not worshiping

00:31:49.259 --> 00:31:51.220
a non -living creature, they at least could be

00:31:51.220 --> 00:31:53.119
worshiping a demon, right? But the bottom line

00:31:53.119 --> 00:31:55.059
is, Baal Barath never did a good thing for them

00:31:55.059 --> 00:31:57.000
ever, but God, the God of the universe, not only

00:31:57.000 --> 00:31:58.559
created everything, set everything up, brought

00:31:58.559 --> 00:32:00.220
them to the promised land, part of the Red Sea,

00:32:00.279 --> 00:32:02.599
part of the Jordan, rain rocks down on their

00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:04.480
enemies in the days of Joshua so they could win

00:32:04.480 --> 00:32:06.809
battles and get them over with, it was taking

00:32:06.809 --> 00:32:09.190
days to defeat tens of thousands, hundreds of

00:32:09.190 --> 00:32:10.589
thousands of enemies and kick them out of the

00:32:10.589 --> 00:32:12.349
promised land so they could claim it. God did

00:32:12.349 --> 00:32:15.150
all of that, stood up in all of the earlier judges

00:32:15.150 --> 00:32:18.750
and now in Gideon and they are essentially failing

00:32:18.750 --> 00:32:20.730
to remember it all. And I'll break down with

00:32:20.730 --> 00:32:22.809
that phrase right there, failing to remember

00:32:22.809 --> 00:32:25.109
means in a second. Verse 35 then, last verse

00:32:25.109 --> 00:32:33.640
of the chapter says, that he had done for Israel.

00:32:33.960 --> 00:32:36.839
So, they basically begin, they're moving toward

00:32:36.839 --> 00:32:39.619
dismissing the significance of Gideon's household,

00:32:39.740 --> 00:32:41.599
even though he was blessed of God, led of God,

00:32:41.779 --> 00:32:44.519
served God, saved them by God's power, told them

00:32:44.519 --> 00:32:46.500
that only God would reign over them, all of that,

00:32:46.559 --> 00:32:48.839
he did all that for them. Now, all of a sudden,

00:32:49.099 --> 00:32:50.500
they're essentially dismissing him. Now, it's

00:32:50.500 --> 00:32:52.839
hard to dismiss a man who has 70 sons. So, his

00:32:52.839 --> 00:32:55.460
70 sons were surely applying some of their influence.

00:32:55.559 --> 00:32:58.079
We'll see that in the next chapter, okay? So,

00:32:58.099 --> 00:33:00.700
that's our text for today. So let's first talk

00:33:00.700 --> 00:33:03.059
about unforgotten type things. Have you ever

00:33:03.059 --> 00:33:05.420
gone to leave the house and you don't know exactly

00:33:05.420 --> 00:33:07.779
where your keys are? Where did I put my keys?

00:33:08.059 --> 00:33:10.339
Right? So we deal with those kinds of things

00:33:10.339 --> 00:33:12.799
by always putting our keys in a certain coat

00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:15.279
pocket, always putting them on the hook or on

00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:17.299
a tray or somewhere we know where they're at.

00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:20.279
And those who do not or cannot discipline themselves

00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:22.299
to always put it somewhere where they know they're

00:33:22.299 --> 00:33:25.759
at may go a substantial length of time and not

00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:27.970
not know where their keys are. And then suddenly,

00:33:28.210 --> 00:33:29.769
they don't know where their keys are, and they

00:33:29.769 --> 00:33:32.210
wind up searching them at a time that's inconvenient,

00:33:32.269 --> 00:33:34.450
and so on. Have you ever left the house and didn't

00:33:34.450 --> 00:33:36.930
take your lunch? Or your homework? Those are

00:33:36.930 --> 00:33:39.089
forgotten things. They're things that you were

00:33:39.089 --> 00:33:41.369
planning on doing, you had them in mind, and

00:33:41.369 --> 00:33:43.230
then, you know, there was just too many variables

00:33:43.230 --> 00:33:45.190
to manage right then at that second, you know?

00:33:45.569 --> 00:33:47.690
Or you close up, I used to do this at pizza night,

00:33:47.890 --> 00:33:49.630
count the deposit, put it in the bag, and then

00:33:49.630 --> 00:33:51.289
forget to put the deposit slip in, and now I've

00:33:51.289 --> 00:33:53.009
closed up the bag, right? And I'm thinking to

00:33:53.009 --> 00:33:55.250
myself, can I disturb the bag in the least smallest

00:33:55.250 --> 00:33:56.970
amount to possibly get that deposit? slip in

00:33:56.970 --> 00:33:59.109
there and how many times I do a deposit several

00:33:59.109 --> 00:34:02.789
times a week for years and yet occasionally even

00:34:02.789 --> 00:34:04.369
though I had the process down I knew it like

00:34:04.369 --> 00:34:05.769
the back of my hand occasionally I would forget

00:34:05.769 --> 00:34:07.589
to put the deposit slip in those are forgotten

00:34:07.589 --> 00:34:09.909
things the things that get kind of lost in the

00:34:09.909 --> 00:34:12.969
wash right it's going on and you suddenly go,

00:34:13.010 --> 00:34:15.409
oh wait, I was gonna do that. I've had that happen

00:34:15.409 --> 00:34:17.610
where I had a very important thing that I was

00:34:17.610 --> 00:34:20.210
planning on doing today and it was the most important

00:34:20.210 --> 00:34:22.090
thing. It was scheduled at two o 'clock and I

00:34:22.090 --> 00:34:24.550
was gonna do it and I brought everything with

00:34:24.550 --> 00:34:26.389
me that I needed for it. I had all the plans

00:34:26.389 --> 00:34:28.610
set at two o 'clock and then all of a sudden

00:34:28.610 --> 00:34:30.630
it's two o 'clock and I'm not where I'm supposed

00:34:30.630 --> 00:34:32.369
to be. I'm 10 minutes away. I'm going like, oh

00:34:32.369 --> 00:34:33.949
crud, it's two o 'clock. I'm supposed to be there

00:34:33.949 --> 00:34:36.630
right now. I was excited about this. This was

00:34:36.630 --> 00:34:38.170
the best thing that was gonna happen to me today.

00:34:38.329 --> 00:34:40.730
I was all prepared for it. Those are forgotten

00:34:40.730 --> 00:34:43.349
things. We know what forgotten things are. Let

00:34:43.349 --> 00:34:45.670
me tell you that when it says that they did not

00:34:45.670 --> 00:34:48.070
remember God and what God had done, that is not

00:34:48.070 --> 00:34:50.190
what it's talking about. So when you get real

00:34:50.190 --> 00:34:53.150
busy and you forget God in your calculations,

00:34:53.349 --> 00:34:55.010
that's not what it's talking about. There is

00:34:55.010 --> 00:34:57.369
no excuse for that because what it's actually

00:34:57.369 --> 00:35:01.230
talking about is not bringing it to mind, is

00:35:01.230 --> 00:35:03.989
intentionally letting it go. Forgetting is not...

00:35:04.469 --> 00:35:07.690
misplacing a thought in this context, it's displacing

00:35:07.690 --> 00:35:10.150
a priority. If you went to the doctor next week

00:35:10.150 --> 00:35:12.230
and you were prescribed a medicine and they told

00:35:12.230 --> 00:35:14.449
you that if you ever miss the medicine for three

00:35:14.449 --> 00:35:17.289
days in a row, you will die. You're now committed

00:35:17.289 --> 00:35:18.789
to that medicine for the rest of your life. If

00:35:18.789 --> 00:35:20.389
you ever miss it for three days in a row, you

00:35:20.389 --> 00:35:22.710
will die. You might miss it for two, but come

00:35:22.710 --> 00:35:24.889
the third day, it's going to become a pretty

00:35:24.889 --> 00:35:27.469
high priority. And remembering God is like that,

00:35:27.650 --> 00:35:29.849
and that's what it was for them. It was God who

00:35:29.849 --> 00:35:31.670
had done all of the incredible things that God

00:35:31.670 --> 00:35:33.969
had done, no one else. Gideon did not defeat

00:35:33.969 --> 00:35:36.889
the army of tens of thousands of Midianites with

00:35:36.889 --> 00:35:40.369
300 men by some great tactic or in his own might.

00:35:40.789 --> 00:35:43.909
God was sure to whittle down the size of the

00:35:43.909 --> 00:35:46.469
army to a size that there was no possible way

00:35:46.469 --> 00:35:48.869
that anybody could question that it was anybody

00:35:48.869 --> 00:35:52.090
but God. And so now this is a people that had

00:35:52.090 --> 00:35:55.050
begun to willfully bring to mind not the blessings,

00:35:55.190 --> 00:35:58.050
not the things that God has done. They are displacing

00:35:58.050 --> 00:36:01.250
a priority, not misplacing a thought. The results

00:36:01.250 --> 00:36:04.369
of forgetting are if you forget something, you

00:36:04.369 --> 00:36:06.489
can't do whatever it was. If you're supposed

00:36:06.489 --> 00:36:07.909
to be somewhere two o 'clock and you forget to

00:36:07.909 --> 00:36:09.530
be there, well, you can't do whatever that was.

00:36:09.550 --> 00:36:11.050
You're just not there. It doesn't happen. If

00:36:11.050 --> 00:36:13.210
you leave your car keys on the back of a shelf

00:36:13.210 --> 00:36:15.369
somewhere and you search the house and you can't

00:36:15.369 --> 00:36:17.269
find them, you're going to either have to hotwire

00:36:17.269 --> 00:36:20.039
your car or find another way. Because you have

00:36:20.039 --> 00:36:22.159
lost your keys. They're not just forgotten. They're

00:36:22.159 --> 00:36:24.219
lost. You forgot that you put them there. They

00:36:24.219 --> 00:36:25.519
didn't get there by themselves. They didn't grow

00:36:25.519 --> 00:36:27.360
legs and sneak to the back of the shelf on their

00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:29.239
own. You put them there. You forgot that you

00:36:29.239 --> 00:36:31.500
put them there. That is misplacing a thought.

00:36:31.719 --> 00:36:34.420
But no one here goes, oh, I'm going to go home

00:36:34.420 --> 00:36:37.619
and intentionally lose my car keys. That is displacing

00:36:37.619 --> 00:36:40.039
a priority. If I lose my car keys tonight, I

00:36:40.039 --> 00:36:42.159
won't have to go to work tomorrow. That isn't

00:36:42.159 --> 00:36:44.130
even true, by the way. But sometimes we lie to

00:36:44.130 --> 00:36:45.849
ourselves and say things like that. We might

00:36:45.849 --> 00:36:48.130
even tell somebody, well, I'm sorry I'm late,

00:36:48.130 --> 00:36:50.150
I lost my car keys when that isn't even true.

00:36:50.309 --> 00:36:52.550
Because we displaced the priority of being there,

00:36:52.829 --> 00:36:54.449
doing what we're supposed to be doing, and on

00:36:54.449 --> 00:36:56.789
time. This is not about misplacing a thought.

00:36:56.989 --> 00:36:58.769
The Israelites didn't do that. What they did

00:36:58.769 --> 00:37:01.550
was they displaced a priority. When you forget,

00:37:01.769 --> 00:37:03.730
you misplace a thought. When you intentionally

00:37:03.730 --> 00:37:06.449
do not recall something to mind, you displace

00:37:06.449 --> 00:37:08.849
a priority. When you forget God, you're making

00:37:08.849 --> 00:37:12.329
an active choice not to go back for God because

00:37:12.329 --> 00:37:14.650
you don't recognize that you need God. I submit

00:37:14.650 --> 00:37:16.750
to you that those who do not recognize that they

00:37:16.750 --> 00:37:18.710
need God are standing under the wrath of God.

00:37:18.789 --> 00:37:21.690
Ephesians 2 says, we were by nature objects of

00:37:21.690 --> 00:37:23.690
wrath, and we are meant to be no longer. But

00:37:23.690 --> 00:37:25.369
if you can be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ,

00:37:25.389 --> 00:37:27.909
if you can be a supposed Christian and forget

00:37:27.909 --> 00:37:30.670
that you need God, you have a problem. And that

00:37:30.670 --> 00:37:33.030
problem is going to snowball out of control until

00:37:33.030 --> 00:37:35.070
either A, you find out you're not actually Christian

00:37:35.070 --> 00:37:37.829
and roll tumbling into hell for eternity, or

00:37:37.829 --> 00:37:40.130
until you repent and turn back to the Lord and

00:37:40.130 --> 00:37:42.690
put your priority where it belongs. Let me say

00:37:42.690 --> 00:37:46.329
this plainly. Do not forget what God has done.

00:37:46.510 --> 00:37:49.869
When it all comes flooding back in, people who

00:37:49.869 --> 00:37:52.190
have left God out will realize that they have

00:37:52.190 --> 00:37:54.829
nothing that matters for eternity. The worst

00:37:54.829 --> 00:37:57.050
of it is that people are sometimes swept up.

00:37:57.210 --> 00:37:58.989
Whole families and communities are sometimes

00:37:58.989 --> 00:38:01.570
swept up. And they manage to live that way and

00:38:01.570 --> 00:38:04.750
can spend their whole lives and not realize who

00:38:04.750 --> 00:38:07.550
they have been leaving out until it is too late.

00:38:07.670 --> 00:38:10.489
And they will cry out, Lord, Lord, but we healed

00:38:10.489 --> 00:38:13.250
in your name. We prophesied. And he will say,

00:38:13.429 --> 00:38:15.210
get away from me, I never knew you. I didn't

00:38:15.210 --> 00:38:17.449
make that up. Those are the words of Jesus in

00:38:17.449 --> 00:38:22.429
Matthew 7. And we come already then to our conclusion.

00:38:22.510 --> 00:38:25.909
It's a good one. It's a doozy. It is two -fold.

00:38:26.309 --> 00:38:30.909
First of all, it is how. How do you not forget?

00:38:31.349 --> 00:38:35.090
How do you not displace the priority of remembering

00:38:35.090 --> 00:38:37.789
the blessings of God, the things that God has

00:38:37.789 --> 00:38:41.840
done? It begins like this. Practice active remembrance.

00:38:42.059 --> 00:38:44.260
Practice active remembrance. That is to say,

00:38:44.840 --> 00:38:47.699
do things that will intentionally call to mind

00:38:47.699 --> 00:38:51.239
the blessings that God has already made obvious.

00:38:51.519 --> 00:38:53.619
This is part of that. We're reading about the

00:38:53.619 --> 00:38:56.000
blessings here. There's a big old book about

00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:58.840
it. Read your Bible and take it, study it, memorize

00:38:58.840 --> 00:39:01.139
it, meditate on it. You can get those kinds of

00:39:01.139 --> 00:39:02.960
blessings. But the truth is, if you're here today

00:39:02.960 --> 00:39:05.139
as a saved Christian, if you've experienced God

00:39:05.139 --> 00:39:06.900
personally, if you've had the Holy Spirit come

00:39:06.900 --> 00:39:09.400
and take up residence when He did that, You experienced

00:39:09.400 --> 00:39:11.059
a blessing. A blessing that you are not worthy

00:39:11.059 --> 00:39:14.400
of. It's not. a just blessing, not until you

00:39:14.400 --> 00:39:16.400
realize that Jesus paid for it with his very

00:39:16.400 --> 00:39:18.139
own life. He took the penalty. The penalty's

00:39:18.139 --> 00:39:20.300
been taken. It's just in that sense. But as far

00:39:20.300 --> 00:39:22.340
as what I did, it wasn't just that I should receive

00:39:22.340 --> 00:39:24.820
salvation. It was grace. Did I desperately need

00:39:24.820 --> 00:39:27.039
it? Absolutely. But it was grace. It was giving

00:39:27.039 --> 00:39:29.539
to me that which I did not deserve. And so if

00:39:29.539 --> 00:39:32.519
you experienced salvation, then you must practice

00:39:32.519 --> 00:39:34.780
active remembrance of your salvation. If you

00:39:34.780 --> 00:39:37.179
have experienced a financial blessing, money

00:39:37.179 --> 00:39:39.820
showed up. You practice active remembrance of

00:39:39.820 --> 00:39:41.219
the money that showed up. If you experienced

00:39:41.219 --> 00:39:43.110
a blessing, blessing of healing or sometimes

00:39:43.110 --> 00:39:45.909
the blessings that we like to overlook, which

00:39:45.909 --> 00:39:48.550
is like perseverance, overcoming, being attacked,

00:39:48.789 --> 00:39:51.210
healing from a great psychological or emotional

00:39:51.210 --> 00:39:53.869
hurt, still going after the going could have

00:39:53.869 --> 00:39:55.909
been drained completely out of you. Those kinds

00:39:55.909 --> 00:39:58.630
of blessings. Practice active remembrance for

00:39:58.630 --> 00:40:00.369
every kind of blessing. So the Bible says that

00:40:00.369 --> 00:40:03.230
we're to use an Ebenezer. You know what an Ebenezer

00:40:03.230 --> 00:40:06.949
is? An Ebenezer is a tangible reminder of what

00:40:06.949 --> 00:40:09.269
God has done. The term comes from 1 Samuel 7

00:40:09.269 --> 00:40:25.489
-12 and there, in 1 Samuel 7 -12, How do you

00:40:25.489 --> 00:40:28.489
set up an Ebenezer for the thing that God has

00:40:28.489 --> 00:40:32.010
done in your life? Well, the command is so important

00:40:32.010 --> 00:40:34.550
that you not forget what God has done, that the

00:40:34.550 --> 00:40:37.429
more important it is for you to remember, the

00:40:37.429 --> 00:40:39.789
more you must pitch yourself to do it. Correct?

00:40:39.969 --> 00:40:42.900
So in other words, What will you stop at to make

00:40:42.900 --> 00:40:45.519
sure that the thing that God did is not forgotten?

00:40:45.760 --> 00:40:48.260
What will you stop at to make sure that it is

00:40:48.260 --> 00:40:50.119
called to mind whenever you might be tempted

00:40:50.119 --> 00:40:51.639
to do something you shouldn't do, whenever you

00:40:51.639 --> 00:40:53.619
might fall away, whenever you might relax in

00:40:53.619 --> 00:40:55.780
your diligence at serving and pursuing the Lord,

00:40:55.960 --> 00:40:58.079
whenever you might stop practicing spiritual

00:40:58.079 --> 00:41:00.519
gifts, whenever you might stop practicing spiritual

00:41:00.519 --> 00:41:02.679
disciplines, whenever you might stop being faithful

00:41:02.679 --> 00:41:04.940
to what God has called you to, there needs to

00:41:04.940 --> 00:41:07.889
be something there. So when I need to get up

00:41:07.889 --> 00:41:09.769
at a certain time these days, it's been a couple

00:41:09.769 --> 00:41:11.670
years now, I just tell myself when I'm laying

00:41:11.670 --> 00:41:13.210
down to go to bed, I gotta get up at seven, gotta

00:41:13.210 --> 00:41:14.869
get up at seven, gotta get up at seven. And I

00:41:14.869 --> 00:41:17.010
usually wake up at about five to five, not an

00:41:17.010 --> 00:41:18.969
alarm. But when I have an 8 a .m. appointment

00:41:18.969 --> 00:41:21.969
and I can't miss it, I set an alarm. Even though

00:41:21.969 --> 00:41:23.940
I don't really need an alarm to get up. Because

00:41:23.940 --> 00:41:25.320
I don't know, I might get sick in the middle

00:41:25.320 --> 00:41:27.059
of the night or I might be extra tired or I might

00:41:27.059 --> 00:41:28.219
get sore in the middle of the night or something.

00:41:28.239 --> 00:41:30.260
So I might not make aid if I don't set an alarm.

00:41:30.280 --> 00:41:32.880
So I set an alarm. It's a very simple thing to

00:41:32.880 --> 00:41:34.960
do really. So I'm saying to you that you could

00:41:34.960 --> 00:41:37.139
set an alarm. You could set an alarm on your

00:41:37.139 --> 00:41:38.579
phone for a certain time every day where you

00:41:38.579 --> 00:41:41.019
have a spare time and at that moment in time

00:41:41.019 --> 00:41:44.360
be reminded to meditate, to think deeply, ask

00:41:44.360 --> 00:41:47.420
yourself questions about one certain blessing

00:41:47.420 --> 00:41:51.360
of God or a sect or a list. You could get a journal,

00:41:51.679 --> 00:41:53.860
set a clock. 8 p .m. every night. I'm usually

00:41:53.860 --> 00:41:56.199
home by that. Every night it goes off and I whip

00:41:56.199 --> 00:41:58.900
open my journal and I read the blessings of God

00:41:58.900 --> 00:42:00.440
that I have written there. And every time a new

00:42:00.440 --> 00:42:02.699
one occurs, I write it there. It's not even that

00:42:02.699 --> 00:42:04.519
hard. It's not that difficult. When you're gonna

00:42:04.519 --> 00:42:07.659
have a test, you study. So, okay, I wanna do

00:42:07.659 --> 00:42:09.260
a good job on the test. It's a topic I really

00:42:09.260 --> 00:42:10.840
know. I'm pretty good. I'm getting a great grade

00:42:10.840 --> 00:42:12.360
in the class, but I really need a good grade

00:42:12.360 --> 00:42:14.329
on this test. So what do I do? I study. So you

00:42:14.329 --> 00:42:16.789
could study. You could make a point of studying

00:42:16.789 --> 00:42:18.369
the blessings. But you shouldn't just study the

00:42:18.369 --> 00:42:20.190
blessings. These are the blessings that we have

00:42:20.190 --> 00:42:21.909
received. But you shouldn't just study these

00:42:21.909 --> 00:42:24.510
blessings, the blessings in your life, your salvation,

00:42:24.730 --> 00:42:26.650
your experience, your parents if they were a

00:42:26.650 --> 00:42:28.329
blessing, your money if it was a blessing, your

00:42:28.329 --> 00:42:30.230
health if it was a blessing, your difficulty

00:42:30.230 --> 00:42:32.409
when it was a blessing, etc. etc. etc. So you

00:42:32.409 --> 00:42:35.150
go through the blessings and study them. If you

00:42:35.150 --> 00:42:37.789
don't want to forget them, you study them. Or...

00:42:37.519 --> 00:42:39.900
Tell a friend and ask your friend to always remind

00:42:39.900 --> 00:42:41.440
you every time it looks like, by the way, this

00:42:41.440 --> 00:42:43.539
is one of the principles of AA that people use,

00:42:43.679 --> 00:42:45.639
right? You have a sponsor. You tell your sponsor,

00:42:45.860 --> 00:42:47.639
whenever I look like I'm drifting, tell me these

00:42:47.639 --> 00:42:49.420
things. Talk to me about this. This is what will

00:42:49.420 --> 00:42:51.260
help me. And you use it when they need it and

00:42:51.260 --> 00:42:53.400
they use it when you need it. And you work together

00:42:53.400 --> 00:42:56.360
to be brought to remembrance, right? You get

00:42:56.360 --> 00:42:59.840
a chip 30 days sober. The chip is an Ebenezer.

00:43:00.079 --> 00:43:01.739
Now, people don't use it that way a lot of times,

00:43:01.780 --> 00:43:03.500
right? It's just like a trinket. Maybe it's proof

00:43:03.500 --> 00:43:05.440
that you're doing well and people listen to you

00:43:05.440 --> 00:43:07.420
more because, oh, he's sober for 30 days, things

00:43:07.420 --> 00:43:09.519
like that. But it's an Ebenezer meant to not

00:43:09.519 --> 00:43:12.239
forget. In faith force, they put stickers for

00:43:12.239 --> 00:43:14.960
verses on the wall. It's an Ebenezer, right?

00:43:14.960 --> 00:43:16.860
To remember that they memorized the verses. It's

00:43:16.860 --> 00:43:18.280
a great thing to be allowed to come to church.

00:43:18.320 --> 00:43:19.639
A great thing to be allowed to study the Bible.

00:43:19.659 --> 00:43:21.320
It's a great thing to memorize verses. And it's

00:43:21.320 --> 00:43:22.960
a great thing to not forget that you have done

00:43:22.960 --> 00:43:25.400
so. The list goes on. The bottom line is you

00:43:25.400 --> 00:43:27.699
can set up an Ebenezer. You can set up a step.

00:43:27.800 --> 00:43:30.239
There was, I read a story about a man. He was

00:43:30.239 --> 00:43:32.039
in his early 20s and was struggling for money.

00:43:32.139 --> 00:43:33.800
Family, money was really tight. They were just

00:43:33.800 --> 00:43:36.019
getting by. The hot water tank went out, blew

00:43:36.019 --> 00:43:38.139
all over the floor. Some of us have been there,

00:43:38.440 --> 00:43:40.800
right? Water and silt everywhere. They cleaned

00:43:40.800 --> 00:43:42.519
it all up. They didn't pay to clean it up. They

00:43:42.519 --> 00:43:44.699
cleaned it all up. They have no hot water. The

00:43:44.699 --> 00:43:46.079
water tank's junk. They're not gonna have any

00:43:46.079 --> 00:43:47.820
hot water. You really can't fix it at that point.

00:43:47.940 --> 00:43:49.559
The lining is bad. The bottom's rusted. It's

00:43:49.559 --> 00:43:51.829
junk. Right? And he and his wife were sitting

00:43:51.829 --> 00:43:53.969
late at the table. The kids are in bed begging

00:43:53.969 --> 00:43:55.670
God. They're begging God, saying, Lord, we don't

00:43:55.670 --> 00:43:57.070
know what to do. What are we going to do? You

00:43:57.070 --> 00:43:58.889
know, we can't live anywhere else. We've got

00:43:58.889 --> 00:44:02.329
no hot water. $450 shows up miraculously. And

00:44:02.329 --> 00:44:05.090
that's awesome that you can pray and ask God

00:44:05.090 --> 00:44:06.750
for help and have something like that happen.

00:44:06.769 --> 00:44:08.869
And so they got a new hot water tank. And then

00:44:08.869 --> 00:44:11.030
as soon as the hot water tank was really was

00:44:11.030 --> 00:44:13.190
before, as soon as the money was there, he went

00:44:13.190 --> 00:44:15.110
and searched through the house and found a permanent

00:44:15.110 --> 00:44:17.550
marker, a permanent marker. And he wrote on the

00:44:17.550 --> 00:44:20.090
door jam of the kitchen, the date he wrote. And

00:44:20.090 --> 00:44:22.869
he wrote, God sent $450 for a hot water heater

00:44:22.869 --> 00:44:24.829
when we had no idea where it was going to come

00:44:24.829 --> 00:44:26.269
from. And he wrote it there with a permanent

00:44:26.269 --> 00:44:28.769
marker. Fast forward 15 years. The kids are in

00:44:28.769 --> 00:44:31.869
their teenage years, finding their own way, hopefully

00:44:31.869 --> 00:44:34.869
to God, through God, by God, and professing Christians.

00:44:35.630 --> 00:44:37.650
All of a sudden, he's in a situation at work

00:44:37.650 --> 00:44:39.769
where he's probably going to lose his job. And

00:44:39.769 --> 00:44:41.650
he comes home and he's really stressed. It's

00:44:41.650 --> 00:44:42.849
really been bad. It looks like the company is

00:44:42.849 --> 00:44:43.590
going to close. He's probably not going to have

00:44:43.590 --> 00:44:45.449
a job. And he's worked there for 20 years. What's

00:44:45.449 --> 00:44:47.389
he going to do? And he walks in and his wife

00:44:47.389 --> 00:44:49.190
snaps at him about he forgot. take the garbage

00:44:49.190 --> 00:44:52.269
out and everything that is needed for an earthquake

00:44:52.269 --> 00:44:54.489
and a tornado in that house right there it is

00:44:54.489 --> 00:44:57.650
all right there sitting at the kitchen table

00:44:57.650 --> 00:45:01.090
he looks up and there it is written on the wall

00:45:01.090 --> 00:45:03.769
it says when the hot water tank goes out God

00:45:03.769 --> 00:45:06.610
is faithful to appear and he realizes that if

00:45:06.610 --> 00:45:09.130
they close the company and the job goes away

00:45:09.130 --> 00:45:11.170
they don't matter all that much because there's

00:45:11.170 --> 00:45:13.820
another job there's another way. And God will

00:45:13.820 --> 00:45:16.119
demonstrate what that way is. And the one thing

00:45:16.119 --> 00:45:18.139
that he could do, the one thing that he could

00:45:18.139 --> 00:45:20.699
do to possibly blow that up, to make it unlikely

00:45:20.699 --> 00:45:23.860
that God will intervene and do the right thing

00:45:23.860 --> 00:45:27.119
is to not bring to mind what God has done before.

00:45:27.199 --> 00:45:28.820
He looks up and there it is written in permanent.

00:45:28.820 --> 00:45:30.960
It's pretty faded, 15 years, but it's there written

00:45:30.960 --> 00:45:33.019
in permanent marker on the wall. And he says,

00:45:33.179 --> 00:45:35.119
no, we're going to trust God. And he gets up

00:45:35.119 --> 00:45:37.000
and he goes in the kitchen and gives his wife

00:45:37.000 --> 00:45:38.940
a hug and a kiss. And he apologizes, forget and

00:45:38.940 --> 00:45:40.500
take the garbage out because he did forget to

00:45:40.500 --> 00:45:42.599
take the garbage out. takes it out with joy in

00:45:42.599 --> 00:45:44.420
his heart. What did that? Just like we talked

00:45:44.420 --> 00:45:46.260
about at the Lord's Supper, the door is open.

00:45:46.380 --> 00:45:48.920
You've already seen and received blessings. Take

00:45:48.920 --> 00:45:52.280
steps. Go the extra mile. Do everything you have

00:45:52.280 --> 00:45:55.320
to to be sure that you never fail. I'm not talking

00:45:55.320 --> 00:45:57.219
about forget. I'm talking about failing. You

00:45:57.219 --> 00:46:00.059
never fail to bring to mind the blessings that

00:46:00.059 --> 00:46:02.280
God has delivered. The context the Israelites

00:46:02.280 --> 00:46:05.380
had just repented and seen God miraculously defeat

00:46:05.380 --> 00:46:08.280
the Philistines. Samuel knew that human memory

00:46:08.280 --> 00:46:11.480
is short and hearts are prone to want... He didn't

00:46:11.480 --> 00:46:13.860
just say thank you. He hauled a massive rock

00:46:13.860 --> 00:46:15.900
to the middle of the field so that I imagine

00:46:15.900 --> 00:46:17.420
he had a whole bunch of guys and it took him

00:46:17.420 --> 00:46:20.880
days, right? So that every time someone walked

00:46:20.880 --> 00:46:24.559
by that rock They were forced to remember God's

00:46:24.559 --> 00:46:26.239
intervention. This is where I have been shamed

00:46:26.239 --> 00:46:27.920
over the years, because I thought to myself,

00:46:27.960 --> 00:46:29.639
I really should be a better journaler, right?

00:46:29.679 --> 00:46:31.880
I really should keep records. God has done amazing

00:46:31.880 --> 00:46:33.900
things in life. Our church, our family, my family,

00:46:34.059 --> 00:46:36.800
my kids, many of your families, amazing miracles.

00:46:36.840 --> 00:46:38.719
And I can't go, you remember when God did that?

00:46:38.800 --> 00:46:39.980
You remember when God did that? Oh, I can do

00:46:39.980 --> 00:46:41.760
that, right? That's very recent. But I can, yeah,

00:46:41.900 --> 00:46:43.760
remember when God did that? Well, we're working

00:46:43.760 --> 00:46:46.820
on it, right? But I can't get them all. I can't

00:46:46.820 --> 00:46:48.320
do them all because I didn't journal them all.

00:46:48.480 --> 00:46:49.940
But here's what I can do. Here's what's cool.

00:46:50.019 --> 00:46:51.460
You don't have to know the date. You don't have

00:46:51.460 --> 00:46:53.019
to know the time. You just have to know that

00:46:53.019 --> 00:46:55.119
God did the miracle. You just know that God did

00:46:55.119 --> 00:46:56.860
send the blessing. Sometimes it doesn't even

00:46:56.860 --> 00:46:59.380
seem miraculous, but God sent the blessing. And

00:46:59.380 --> 00:47:01.980
to be sure, I would say to you, don't get wrapped

00:47:01.980 --> 00:47:04.179
up in anything else that you're doing until you've

00:47:04.179 --> 00:47:06.500
created an action plan by which whenever you

00:47:06.500 --> 00:47:08.400
realize there is a blessing, you will set up

00:47:08.400 --> 00:47:11.760
an Ebenezer and never forget to call to mind

00:47:11.760 --> 00:47:14.420
what God has done. Do you want God to do incredible?

00:47:14.320 --> 00:47:16.780
things in your life? Well, sure you do. Do you

00:47:16.780 --> 00:47:19.219
want great blessings? Well, sure you do. Sometimes

00:47:19.219 --> 00:47:21.300
the blessing is the purpose, the power, the provision

00:47:21.300 --> 00:47:23.900
to go forward. God is good and he'll send it,

00:47:24.039 --> 00:47:26.340
but he meant he means for you to not forget it,

00:47:26.380 --> 00:47:28.659
but more than that, he means for you to take

00:47:28.659 --> 00:47:31.300
steps to always call it to mind. Also, we're

00:47:31.300 --> 00:47:33.360
given the mandate to teach the next generation.

00:47:33.639 --> 00:47:36.800
The Israelites forgot. because the faith wasn't

00:47:36.800 --> 00:47:39.260
passed down effectively. Are you hearing me?

00:47:39.400 --> 00:47:41.019
Is everyone listening? Tommy, are you with me?

00:47:41.119 --> 00:47:43.659
I know you are. Ricky, are you with me? The Israelites

00:47:43.659 --> 00:47:47.599
wound up in trouble. His seventy sons were worshipping

00:47:47.599 --> 00:47:51.139
the Ephod and the false god because their dad

00:47:51.139 --> 00:47:54.519
did not make sure that they received the first

00:47:54.519 --> 00:47:57.360
-hand knowledge of what God has done. If you

00:47:57.360 --> 00:47:59.280
have had God work in your heart to the point

00:47:59.280 --> 00:48:01.920
of your salvation, how could you ever not make

00:48:01.920 --> 00:48:05.400
every single day? about making sure that your

00:48:05.400 --> 00:48:07.880
kids know that God did that miracle. If you have

00:48:07.880 --> 00:48:10.199
been given or received the blessing of your house,

00:48:10.440 --> 00:48:13.460
your wife, your family, your job, your finances,

00:48:13.619 --> 00:48:15.760
your spiritual gifts, your spiritual discipline

00:48:15.760 --> 00:48:17.420
of reading the Bible, knowing what it is, this

00:48:17.420 --> 00:48:19.719
church, being here, the worship when you sing

00:48:19.719 --> 00:48:21.780
and you feel the Holy Spirit moving you and then

00:48:21.780 --> 00:48:23.639
the others in the room, if you have received

00:48:23.639 --> 00:48:26.679
that, how could you not make your relationship

00:48:26.679 --> 00:48:30.139
with your sons, with your daughters always about

00:48:30.139 --> 00:48:32.480
being sure that they know? Now, you can't save

00:48:32.480 --> 00:48:35.530
them. You can't make them make a decision. You

00:48:35.530 --> 00:48:39.030
can't make them behave, let alone make them make

00:48:39.030 --> 00:48:41.730
a decision. You can teach them how. You can encourage

00:48:41.730 --> 00:48:43.730
them. You can discipline them. Sometimes you

00:48:43.730 --> 00:48:47.010
can even trick them. But you darn well better

00:48:47.010 --> 00:48:50.750
make sure that you're displaying the truth of

00:48:50.750 --> 00:48:53.190
the blessings of God so that they can see it.

00:48:53.429 --> 00:48:57.210
Your life, your house, your job, everywhere you

00:48:57.210 --> 00:48:59.809
go should be like a museum where people cannot...

00:48:59.840 --> 00:49:02.960
come in without seeing the trappings of the Lord

00:49:02.960 --> 00:49:06.039
God. And that's not just for them. It's also

00:49:06.039 --> 00:49:09.480
for you. Because as you are constantly teaching

00:49:09.480 --> 00:49:11.699
them the blessings that God has done, you will

00:49:11.699 --> 00:49:15.320
be constantly, wait for it, calling to mind the

00:49:15.320 --> 00:49:18.300
blessing that God has done. And it will become

00:49:18.300 --> 00:49:21.940
normal for you to think about what God has done,

00:49:22.159 --> 00:49:24.039
rather than to think about... the lust of the

00:49:24.039 --> 00:49:25.679
flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of

00:49:25.679 --> 00:49:28.039
life, which are still part of who we are until

00:49:28.039 --> 00:49:31.300
we go to be with Him. I know you want more. Literally,

00:49:31.480 --> 00:49:34.480
everyone does. And we want more in response,

00:49:34.559 --> 00:49:36.940
hopefully, to what the Lord has sent. We want

00:49:36.940 --> 00:49:40.139
more under God. God's way. We're not trying to

00:49:40.139 --> 00:49:42.199
steal it. We're not trying to lie to get it.

00:49:42.340 --> 00:49:44.079
We're not trying to be tricky or manipulative

00:49:44.079 --> 00:49:46.760
or hiding things. And if you are, repent now

00:49:46.760 --> 00:49:48.780
because you're crossing God and it ain't going

00:49:48.780 --> 00:49:51.139
to be pretty in the long run. So we do it God's

00:49:51.139 --> 00:49:53.639
way. But the truth is, we want more. The question

00:49:53.639 --> 00:49:56.219
is, are you going to be more a person who wants

00:49:56.219 --> 00:49:59.539
more, or more a person who recognizes the blessings

00:49:59.539 --> 00:50:01.380
that they have received from God? And if you

00:50:01.380 --> 00:50:04.440
are constantly, consistently concerned about

00:50:04.440 --> 00:50:08.199
teaching the next generation what God has done

00:50:08.199 --> 00:50:10.780
for yourself, you're more likely to stand firm.

00:50:10.900 --> 00:50:13.190
For them... they're more likely to be saved.

00:50:13.329 --> 00:50:15.250
You need to understand, we need to understand

00:50:15.250 --> 00:50:18.010
that it's not our kids or the teenagers that

00:50:18.010 --> 00:50:20.329
are sitting in the pew here, or I guess we have

00:50:20.329 --> 00:50:22.789
chairs, in the chairs here today, right, that

00:50:22.789 --> 00:50:24.849
are at stake. It's our grandchildren and our

00:50:24.849 --> 00:50:27.070
great grandchildren and our great great grandchildren

00:50:27.070 --> 00:50:29.030
who we may never see. You understand? If you

00:50:29.030 --> 00:50:31.070
don't pass the gospel clearly, if you don't pass

00:50:31.070 --> 00:50:32.829
the miracles and blessings of God clearly down

00:50:32.829 --> 00:50:35.309
to the next generation, who will pass it to your

00:50:35.309 --> 00:50:36.889
great great grandchildren? And there's one thing

00:50:36.889 --> 00:50:38.849
that I've learned about grandchildren is it's

00:50:38.849 --> 00:50:40.929
super easy to love them even when they're stupid.

00:50:40.940 --> 00:50:43.579
hurtful, whatever, it's super easy to go, man,

00:50:43.800 --> 00:50:45.980
they're awesome. And you can really realistically

00:50:45.980 --> 00:50:48.400
feel the same way about your great -great grandchildren

00:50:48.400 --> 00:50:51.659
and you know they need to hear about God. You

00:50:51.659 --> 00:50:53.280
may or may not feel that way about your neighbor

00:50:53.280 --> 00:50:55.320
all the time or the people you work with or bump

00:50:55.320 --> 00:50:57.139
into on the street, but you should be able to

00:50:57.139 --> 00:50:58.760
feel that way about your great -great grandchildren

00:50:58.760 --> 00:51:03.409
and they are at stake. It's required that we

00:51:03.409 --> 00:51:06.769
are active in passing down effectively. We must

00:51:06.769 --> 00:51:11.010
speak of God's work even when life is easy, going

00:51:11.010 --> 00:51:13.289
okay. We have to say, well, we don't really seem

00:51:13.289 --> 00:51:15.429
to need a miracle from God today. But let me

00:51:15.429 --> 00:51:17.170
tell you about all the ones we've already received.

00:51:17.250 --> 00:51:18.750
Let me tell you about all the blessings that

00:51:18.750 --> 00:51:20.650
happened when I was a kid, when I was a teenager,

00:51:20.690 --> 00:51:23.110
when I was a young adult, when I was in my 40s

00:51:23.110 --> 00:51:25.349
and your brother or sister were teenagers, when

00:51:25.349 --> 00:51:27.769
I worked at my old job. Let me tell you about

00:51:27.769 --> 00:51:30.230
what God has done. And when you teach it, you

00:51:30.230 --> 00:51:33.150
will embrace it. and you will fail to displace,

00:51:33.250 --> 00:51:34.809
which is what you don't want to do. The Bible

00:51:34.809 --> 00:51:36.670
says this, and these words that I command you

00:51:36.670 --> 00:51:38.590
today shall be on your heart. You shall teach

00:51:38.590 --> 00:51:40.429
them diligently to your children, shall talk

00:51:40.429 --> 00:51:42.210
of them when you sit in your house, and when

00:51:42.210 --> 00:51:44.230
you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and

00:51:44.230 --> 00:51:46.849
when you rise. The key here is that faith is

00:51:46.849 --> 00:51:49.969
not a Sunday -only subject. Some people struggle

00:51:49.969 --> 00:51:51.869
to be in worship on Sunday. That's a fact. I

00:51:51.869 --> 00:51:53.389
submit to you that those who struggle to be in

00:51:53.389 --> 00:51:56.110
worship on Sunday either A, have major barriers

00:51:56.110 --> 00:51:57.989
that God has not provided a way yet for them

00:51:57.989 --> 00:52:00.590
to overcome, or B, have their priorities. out

00:52:00.590 --> 00:52:02.710
of whack. Because the truth is, there are ways.

00:52:02.969 --> 00:52:04.750
You get everywhere else you gotta be. You get

00:52:04.750 --> 00:52:06.489
to your doctor's appointments. You get to the

00:52:06.489 --> 00:52:09.409
grocery store. There are ways, right? And so

00:52:09.409 --> 00:52:13.409
the question is, is your faith a 24 -7 experience?

00:52:13.630 --> 00:52:15.909
Or is it super good while we're all singing and

00:52:15.909 --> 00:52:18.250
listening to our awesome praise band play and

00:52:18.250 --> 00:52:20.769
maybe kind of lame on Thursday nights at 7? This

00:52:20.769 --> 00:52:24.030
faith is meant to be a lifestyle integrated into

00:52:24.030 --> 00:52:27.389
the mundane rhythms of living. You should always

00:52:27.389 --> 00:52:31.150
pray before you eat! Because the next meal may

00:52:31.150 --> 00:52:33.389
not be coming unless you did that. In fact, you

00:52:33.389 --> 00:52:36.489
should probably be praying over every bite. There's

00:52:36.489 --> 00:52:39.090
an Ebenezer for you. Decide right now, I won't

00:52:39.090 --> 00:52:40.829
take another bite of food ever in my life without

00:52:40.829 --> 00:52:42.170
remembering something good that God has done

00:52:42.170 --> 00:52:44.139
for me. And every time you take a bite. Thank

00:52:44.139 --> 00:52:46.579
God is so good. God saved my soul. God told me

00:52:46.579 --> 00:52:48.539
about Jesus. God parted the Red Sea. God parted

00:52:48.539 --> 00:52:50.380
the Jordan. You don't need food as much as you

00:52:50.380 --> 00:52:53.579
need God. You don't. Because someday all the

00:52:53.579 --> 00:52:55.619
heavenly food will be available without limit.

00:52:55.880 --> 00:52:57.219
Taste them better than anything you ever tasted.

00:52:57.500 --> 00:53:00.079
Best southern barbecue is one one thousandth

00:53:00.079 --> 00:53:01.400
as good as what you'll get in heaven. Maybe you

00:53:01.400 --> 00:53:04.079
should remember God in the mundane rhythms. Eating

00:53:04.079 --> 00:53:06.000
and walking and sleep. That's what we are called

00:53:06.000 --> 00:53:08.000
to. We will not hide them from their children,

00:53:08.039 --> 00:53:10.380
but tell to the coming generation the glorious

00:53:10.380 --> 00:53:13.760
deeds of the Lord and His might. sit down at

00:53:13.760 --> 00:53:16.119
home or wherever you are, if you're on the job

00:53:16.119 --> 00:53:17.139
and you can get somebody to listen to you or

00:53:17.139 --> 00:53:18.519
at school, get somebody to listen to you, sit

00:53:18.519 --> 00:53:21.539
down wherever you are and recount the glorious

00:53:21.539 --> 00:53:24.039
deeds of the Lord to anyone who will listen,

00:53:24.139 --> 00:53:26.199
moms and dads especially, but anyone who will

00:53:26.199 --> 00:53:28.920
listen. Psalm 78 says, and the wonders that He

00:53:28.920 --> 00:53:30.980
has done so that the next generation might know

00:53:30.980 --> 00:53:33.980
them, the children yet unborn, and arise and

00:53:33.980 --> 00:53:36.099
tell them to their children. You see? We are

00:53:36.099 --> 00:53:38.360
creating a people, we are a people creating a

00:53:38.360 --> 00:53:40.340
people who will deliver the message. And the

00:53:40.340 --> 00:53:42.219
problem is, as a people who are creating a people

00:53:42.219 --> 00:53:43.840
who will deliver the message, I'm afraid we're

00:53:43.840 --> 00:53:45.519
kind of failing to deliver the message. Because

00:53:45.519 --> 00:53:47.619
we have displaced the priority. Not because we've

00:53:47.619 --> 00:53:48.840
forgotten, because I don't think you forgot.

00:53:49.159 --> 00:53:51.039
I think you just got other priorities. And that's

00:53:51.039 --> 00:53:53.179
what they did. And it's how they forgot the blessings

00:53:53.179 --> 00:53:55.800
of the Lord. And it's how they wound up worshipping

00:53:55.800 --> 00:53:58.380
a false god. The highlights, the four generation

00:53:58.380 --> 00:54:00.980
vision. That's the whole point. We're not just

00:54:00.980 --> 00:54:03.480
teaching our kids. How many times do you have

00:54:03.480 --> 00:54:05.860
to tell a kid a story that's, say, two paragraphs

00:54:05.860 --> 00:54:07.639
long in order for them to be able to tell it

00:54:07.639 --> 00:54:09.559
back and not get it wrong? We went to the store.

00:54:09.639 --> 00:54:11.619
We bought these five items. We got there around

00:54:11.619 --> 00:54:14.670
noon. We got done by 12, 20. We took your mother's

00:54:14.670 --> 00:54:16.469
car, or we took your friend's car, whatever.

00:54:16.789 --> 00:54:20.269
It's gray. We went to Myers. Seven to 10 facts.

00:54:20.630 --> 00:54:22.010
Wait until the next day, ask them to tell the

00:54:22.010 --> 00:54:23.929
story back to you. I went to the store in mom's

00:54:23.929 --> 00:54:25.829
car and bought a few things. No, I want you to

00:54:25.829 --> 00:54:27.780
know more than that. once you give me the details.

00:54:28.000 --> 00:54:29.460
How many times do you have to tell a story in

00:54:29.460 --> 00:54:31.179
order for them to get the details right? Tell

00:54:31.179 --> 00:54:33.780
the stories. Tell them over and over again. One

00:54:33.780 --> 00:54:34.900
of the things we noticed when we started planting

00:54:34.900 --> 00:54:36.539
this church, the kids come to Sunday School,

00:54:36.599 --> 00:54:38.119
you know what they knew? They didn't know Moses.

00:54:38.199 --> 00:54:40.280
They didn't know Noah. They don't know the people

00:54:40.280 --> 00:54:42.159
of the Bible. Many of them didn't know the name

00:54:42.159 --> 00:54:44.340
of Adam and Eve. And so they do a lot of that

00:54:44.340 --> 00:54:46.119
and say, well, you'll tell the story of Adam

00:54:46.119 --> 00:54:48.280
and Eve. Like every year in Sunday School, yeah.

00:54:48.380 --> 00:54:50.039
If we could tell it every week, we would. But

00:54:50.039 --> 00:54:52.500
there are other stories. You need to tell the

00:54:52.500 --> 00:54:56.559
stories so people can relay the stories. marathon

00:54:56.559 --> 00:55:00.050
race. One runner runs 26 miles and a four by

00:55:00.050 --> 00:55:03.110
four race, one runner runs 400 yards, passes

00:55:03.110 --> 00:55:05.250
the baton to the next runner 400 yards, passes

00:55:05.250 --> 00:55:06.809
the baton to the next runner, that's 400 yards

00:55:06.809 --> 00:55:08.590
around the track, right? So this is what I think's

00:55:08.590 --> 00:55:10.250
happening, we're racing around the track, we're

00:55:10.250 --> 00:55:12.190
coming to the baton handoff, we're gonna tell

00:55:12.190 --> 00:55:14.329
everybody we possibly can about the things of

00:55:14.329 --> 00:55:18.090
God, and then the handoff's not going well. The

00:55:18.090 --> 00:55:20.030
baton's on the ground, I pick it up, but I had

00:55:20.030 --> 00:55:21.590
it to start with, so I pick it up, now I've got

00:55:21.590 --> 00:55:23.849
the baton, now I'm now in front of the person

00:55:23.849 --> 00:55:25.510
I'm supposed to be handing the baton off, so

00:55:25.510 --> 00:55:27.110
I'm like, come on, come on, come on, come on,

00:55:27.130 --> 00:55:28.750
you gotta go, and they're running up and they

00:55:28.750 --> 00:55:32.110
can't quite, Forget it! I'll run the next 400

00:55:32.110 --> 00:55:34.710
myself. So now I'm running 800 of the 400 and

00:55:34.710 --> 00:55:36.130
then I get to the end of the race and the judge

00:55:36.130 --> 00:55:38.050
says that is not how the races run. Your team

00:55:38.050 --> 00:55:40.150
is disqualified. This is the place in which we

00:55:40.150 --> 00:55:42.030
live. It is our responsibility having received

00:55:42.030 --> 00:55:44.590
the blessings of God to not only never forget

00:55:44.590 --> 00:55:46.329
to call them to mind, hence the Ebenezer, but

00:55:46.329 --> 00:55:48.769
also to tell the story so that others can take

00:55:48.769 --> 00:55:50.590
the baton and tell it. You should tell your kids

00:55:50.590 --> 00:55:52.329
so they can tell the kids they know. You should

00:55:52.329 --> 00:55:53.989
tell your co -workers so they can tell other

00:55:53.989 --> 00:55:56.449
people at home and so on. And Paul and Silas

00:55:56.449 --> 00:55:57.650
were in the jail, singing in the middle of the

00:55:57.650 --> 00:55:59.329
night, and the jailer come rushing in after the

00:55:59.329 --> 00:56:00.690
earthquake and it was dark and he was gonna kill

00:56:00.690 --> 00:56:02.230
himself. They said, don't kill yourself, we're

00:56:02.230 --> 00:56:04.449
all still here. And he said, what must I do to

00:56:04.449 --> 00:56:07.469
be saved? And they said back to him, repent and

00:56:07.469 --> 00:56:10.010
be baptized and, who knows the next part, repent

00:56:10.010 --> 00:56:14.139
and be baptized and you will be saved. And? You

00:56:14.139 --> 00:56:16.000
and your whole household. I hate to say it but

00:56:16.000 --> 00:56:17.539
it sounds very much like to me the scripture

00:56:17.539 --> 00:56:19.539
is saying if you are a follower Lord Jesus Christ

00:56:19.539 --> 00:56:21.699
and you will not deliver the truth of the blessings

00:56:21.699 --> 00:56:24.059
of God to the next generation to the next generation

00:56:24.059 --> 00:56:26.400
of Christians to anyone that you can get to listen

00:56:26.400 --> 00:56:28.699
and maybe you're not really following Jesus because

00:56:28.699 --> 00:56:31.179
he said to a guy who hadn't yet been saved repent

00:56:31.179 --> 00:56:33.420
and be baptized and you will be saved you and

00:56:33.420 --> 00:56:36.019
your whole household now you cannot make them

00:56:36.019 --> 00:56:38.639
get saved but you can sure deliver the truth

00:56:38.639 --> 00:56:40.340
and ask the question I said it was a two -part

00:56:40.340 --> 00:56:42.300
conclusion this is the other one it shorts this

00:56:42.300 --> 00:56:44.380
there is a reason why there is an underlying

00:56:44.380 --> 00:56:47.019
reason why because if you don't recount the blessings

00:56:47.019 --> 00:56:49.460
if you don't think about what you could not do

00:56:49.460 --> 00:56:51.980
that God did if you don't set up the Ebeneezers

00:56:51.980 --> 00:56:54.099
so that they're constantly reminding you about

00:56:54.099 --> 00:56:56.659
what God did that you could not do if you don't

00:56:56.659 --> 00:56:58.960
tell the next generation so that people start

00:56:58.960 --> 00:57:01.500
to tell it back to you people start to model

00:57:01.500 --> 00:57:04.210
it If you don't do that, then it's just possible

00:57:04.210 --> 00:57:06.590
that you could actually be the God of your life.

00:57:06.670 --> 00:57:08.730
If you can intentionally displace the priority

00:57:08.730 --> 00:57:11.710
of telling people the stories, setting up the

00:57:11.710 --> 00:57:13.630
Ebeneezers, and never forgetting the things that

00:57:13.630 --> 00:57:15.829
God did that only God can do, if you can intentionally

00:57:15.829 --> 00:57:18.230
displace that priority, then you can yourself

00:57:18.230 --> 00:57:21.849
instead say, I did it. I am. The people around

00:57:21.849 --> 00:57:24.469
me won't listen to me about Jesus anyway, so

00:57:24.469 --> 00:57:27.230
I'm saved because I follow God, I professed,

00:57:27.230 --> 00:57:29.650
and I prayed. But when it's not I saved, I professed,

00:57:29.650 --> 00:57:32.079
and I prayed, it's God's... saved me by grace

00:57:32.079 --> 00:57:34.280
when I did not deserve it, then you will get

00:57:34.280 --> 00:57:36.099
out of bed in the morning and say, I'm gonna

00:57:36.099 --> 00:57:38.079
set up the Ebenezers. I'm gonna tell everybody

00:57:38.079 --> 00:57:40.019
who will listen, I'm gonna remember that God

00:57:40.019 --> 00:57:41.900
did for me what I could not do for myself, not

00:57:41.900 --> 00:57:44.440
just a $450 hot water heater, but salvation.

00:57:44.519 --> 00:57:46.639
I submit to you that the Roman centurion who

00:57:46.639 --> 00:57:49.039
watched Jesus suffer the way he suffered on the

00:57:49.039 --> 00:57:50.800
cross looked up and said, this man was the son

00:57:50.800 --> 00:57:52.519
of God. Now he wasn't saying he was saved, he

00:57:52.519 --> 00:57:54.159
was professing Christ, he didn't even know what

00:57:54.159 --> 00:57:55.800
he was looking at or what he was experiencing,

00:57:55.920 --> 00:57:58.340
but that experience that he went through of knowing,

00:57:58.420 --> 00:58:01.059
seeing Jesus die on the cross, a different way

00:58:01.059 --> 00:58:03.440
than anyone he had ever seen die on the cross

00:58:03.440 --> 00:58:05.760
had told him that Jesus was the son of God. And

00:58:05.760 --> 00:58:08.260
if you have encountered my Jesus, if you encountered

00:58:08.260 --> 00:58:10.579
the Jesus, if you encountered the God of heaven

00:58:10.579 --> 00:58:14.380
in Jesus as Jesus, then you're never gonna get

00:58:14.380 --> 00:58:16.079
confused about who's in control of your life.

00:58:16.199 --> 00:58:17.980
And the next time you start to do something that

00:58:17.980 --> 00:58:20.260
you shouldn't do, you just remember, if you call

00:58:20.260 --> 00:58:22.239
to mind, I'm about to do this, I'm pretty sure

00:58:22.239 --> 00:58:24.099
God wouldn't want me to do this. It may be sin,

00:58:24.099 --> 00:58:26.059
it may not be sin, but I think I'm gonna do it

00:58:26.059 --> 00:58:27.800
regardless. Not really worried about what God

00:58:27.800 --> 00:58:29.440
wants here right this moment, I'm gonna do it.

00:58:29.519 --> 00:58:31.280
And there comes that Ebenezer, something on the

00:58:31.280 --> 00:58:33.219
wall, something you read, something you locked

00:58:33.219 --> 00:58:35.579
in place. You won't forget. And you say, ah,

00:58:35.599 --> 00:58:39.000
but if I do this, and I forget, and I intentionally

00:58:39.000 --> 00:58:41.099
choose not to do what God is calling me to do

00:58:41.099 --> 00:58:44.420
here in this moment, won't I be at least spitting

00:58:44.420 --> 00:58:47.280
on all the things that God already did? Won't

00:58:47.280 --> 00:58:49.300
I be at least telling God that the next time

00:58:49.300 --> 00:58:50.780
my hot water tank goes out, I don't actually

00:58:50.780 --> 00:58:52.880
need the free form? Won't I at least be telling

00:58:52.880 --> 00:58:54.679
God the next time my car breaks, I don't actually

00:58:54.679 --> 00:58:56.619
need a miraculous intervention? Won't I at least

00:58:56.619 --> 00:58:58.480
be telling God that the next time somebody's

00:58:58.480 --> 00:59:00.869
bad - me, talking about me, slandering me, hurting

00:59:00.869 --> 00:59:03.349
me, whatever, that I don't actually need his

00:59:03.349 --> 00:59:05.349
power to be sustained. And then if you just think

00:59:05.349 --> 00:59:07.809
for a moment in that second, here's me without

00:59:07.809 --> 00:59:11.250
God, here's me with God, you'll always choose,

00:59:11.349 --> 00:59:14.030
here's me with God. So I want you to go and set

00:59:14.030 --> 00:59:15.909
up your Ebenezers. Things that will remind you

00:59:15.909 --> 00:59:17.769
of the blessings of the Lord. I want you to go

00:59:17.769 --> 00:59:20.530
and share the truth of what God has done that

00:59:20.530 --> 00:59:22.670
you are aware of. We proclaim what we have seen

00:59:22.670 --> 00:59:25.250
and heard. Tell everyone that you possibly can

00:59:25.250 --> 00:59:26.829
about the blessings of the Lord. And if they

00:59:26.829 --> 00:59:28.750
say, well I don't really believe in God and you

00:59:28.750 --> 00:59:32.849
say I don't care I mean I want you to but I'm

00:59:32.849 --> 00:59:35.690
not upset I don't I don't hate you I'm not against

00:59:35.690 --> 00:59:38.090
you believe don't believe whatever in fact here's

00:59:38.090 --> 00:59:39.690
the amazing thing Jesus died on the cross so

00:59:39.690 --> 00:59:41.400
that you can choose to believe or not In fact,

00:59:41.519 --> 00:59:42.699
if he hadn't died at the cross, you wouldn't

00:59:42.699 --> 00:59:44.579
have the choice of believing. So he gave you

00:59:44.579 --> 00:59:46.239
the choice. He died so you can have the choice.

00:59:46.300 --> 00:59:47.679
Now you have the choice. You choose not to. It's

00:59:47.679 --> 00:59:49.480
okay. He died so you can have the choice. I'm

00:59:49.480 --> 00:59:51.280
cool with that. But I'm going to tell you, nonetheless,

00:59:51.460 --> 00:59:52.980
the things that God has done. That's as much

00:59:52.980 --> 00:59:54.760
for me as it is for you. So if you really don't

00:59:54.760 --> 00:59:56.400
want to hear it, right? So this is the thing.

00:59:56.460 --> 00:59:58.760
We should never really have to cut anybody out

00:59:58.760 --> 01:00:01.780
of our lives that's a kind of acidic experience.

01:00:01.840 --> 01:00:04.079
Bad for us. Because if they don't want to hear

01:00:04.079 --> 01:00:06.360
about the things of God... They'll just walk

01:00:06.360 --> 01:00:08.420
away from you. They might take a swing at you,

01:00:08.440 --> 01:00:10.599
right? They might take a swing at you to get

01:00:10.599 --> 01:00:12.360
you to shut up. But the next time somebody comes

01:00:12.360 --> 01:00:13.840
after you, tell them about the things of God.

01:00:14.019 --> 01:00:15.780
You're being bad. You're being stupid. You're

01:00:15.780 --> 01:00:18.480
doing the wrong thing. F this. F that. Take the

01:00:18.480 --> 01:00:19.760
Lord's name in vain. I'm going to get them to

01:00:19.760 --> 01:00:21.440
stop no matter what it takes. No. Just tell them

01:00:21.440 --> 01:00:22.800
about the good things of God. Tell them about

01:00:22.800 --> 01:00:24.500
what God has done. In the meantime, set some

01:00:24.500 --> 01:00:26.139
Ebeneezers up for yourself so you're always calling

01:00:26.139 --> 01:00:28.340
it to mind and tell everyone you possibly can.

01:00:28.500 --> 01:00:30.400
And realize that sometimes the things that we

01:00:30.400 --> 01:00:34.210
have to endure, we endure only because... He's

01:00:34.210 --> 01:00:36.570
there and He makes it possible. And if you've

01:00:36.570 --> 01:00:39.690
ever made it past a point in your life, I say

01:00:39.690 --> 01:00:42.070
this is the thing, when I was at the altar to

01:00:42.070 --> 01:00:43.989
accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, this

01:00:43.989 --> 01:00:45.909
was the thing I knew for sure. I could not go

01:00:45.909 --> 01:00:48.909
on, not for one minute more without God. I couldn't

01:00:48.909 --> 01:00:50.530
do it. And if you have reached the point where

01:00:50.530 --> 01:00:52.349
you cannot go on for one minute more without

01:00:52.349 --> 01:00:56.550
God, then you don't fail to bring Him to mind.

01:00:56.630 --> 01:01:00.650
Or otherwise... You will, family will, everybody

01:01:00.650 --> 01:01:02.150
in your circle, everybody in your course that

01:01:02.150 --> 01:01:04.090
you could possibly affect will fail to bring

01:01:04.090 --> 01:01:06.170
God to mind. Or they'll get saved another way

01:01:06.170 --> 01:01:07.369
and they'll start bringing Him to mind to you.

01:01:07.369 --> 01:01:08.769
You might have somebody like that in your life

01:01:08.769 --> 01:01:10.449
that brings Him to mind and you should. Ariana

01:01:10.449 --> 01:01:12.710
does it and I love it. Some of my kids do it

01:01:12.710 --> 01:01:14.550
and I love it. Some of you do it and I love it.

01:01:14.550 --> 01:01:16.550
But we all ought to do it. It's this time I ask

01:01:16.550 --> 01:01:18.389
the praise team to come forward and lead us in

01:01:18.389 --> 01:01:20.110
our final hymn. If you're here today and you

01:01:20.110 --> 01:01:22.090
realize that you have failed to bring to mind

01:01:22.090 --> 01:01:24.889
the great blessings of the Lord. Whether you

01:01:24.889 --> 01:01:27.250
did it because you wanted to escape God's position

01:01:27.250 --> 01:01:29.239
in your life. Or you did it for some other reason.

01:01:29.519 --> 01:01:31.639
Laziness. Whatever. No guilt. You don't get to

01:01:31.639 --> 01:01:34.039
play that game. You decide today that God is

01:01:34.039 --> 01:01:35.739
the one who gave the glory for the great thing

01:01:35.739 --> 01:01:37.239
that happened. This I know. When she comes again,

01:01:37.360 --> 01:01:39.079
there will be those who give God the glory for

01:01:39.079 --> 01:01:40.280
the great thing that happened. And they will

01:01:40.280 --> 01:01:42.619
have seen those who so let their light shine.

01:01:42.739 --> 01:01:44.500
That's the reason. I say let so let our light

01:01:44.500 --> 01:01:46.320
shine by saying nothing ever needs our telling

01:01:46.320 --> 01:01:48.420
stories. Never fail in bringing the truth. Stand

01:01:48.420 --> 01:01:50.159
with me and sing this song and we'll give God

01:01:50.159 --> 01:01:51.780
the glory. If it's touching your heart today

01:01:51.780 --> 01:01:53.039
and you have some kind of a decision you need

01:01:53.039 --> 01:01:54.260
to make, you go ahead and make that decision.

01:02:10.320 --> 01:02:26.480
Come on, we're laying it all down again. I need

01:02:26.480 --> 01:02:35.420
love No one else will do