WEBVTT

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Thank you. Praise the Lord for His mercy Praise

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the Lord for His love of the shadow of death.

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Your perfect love is casting out beams. And even

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when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of

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this life, I won't turn back. I know you are

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mine. was born. Sometimes it seems like the world

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is against you. You ever felt that way? Yeah.

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Yeah. Sure. Yeah. So, I have met people who blame

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everything on somebody else. It's kind of funny.

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I can be that kind of person. I got in the car

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and I bumped my cup that was sitting in the cup

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holder. And I shut the door behind myself, and

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the cup tipped over and began to spill. And I

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thought to myself, I think that's Sherry's fault.

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I'm not sure how, but somehow that's Sherry.

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No, no, that's not right. That's not Sherry.

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It's got to be Aaron's fault. No, it's not Aaron's.

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And then I went, wait a minute. I think, well,

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I bumped the cup, but I didn't bump the cup on

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purpose. So it basically came down to it seemed

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like it was nobody's fault. But I worked through

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several people first. You know what I'm saying?

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When Arden was younger, he was about 10 years

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old, he was going through the house, and we had

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a little table stand in our living room at that

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time, and he tripped over the stand, stubbed

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his toe, and he yelled at, I think it was Amalia,

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and he said, you made me stub my toe! And she

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said, how did I make you stub your toe? And Amalia

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was just the one to pick a fight with when she

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was younger, because we used to call her Little

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Miss Contrary. Arden has filled that role since

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there's always got to be one in our house. Anyway,

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he said, because you, the table, I don't know.

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In the moment when things are going wrong, we

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want to place blame. I get that. That's why we

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say things like, well, he or she didn't hold

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me up. He or she didn't hold up their end of

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the deal. He or she put that there. He or she

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caused that. Because we realize that it sometimes

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seems like everyone is against us. I want to

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say that these people who think that it's everyone

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else's fault has made their own problems, that

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they are paranoid. But it may be actually that

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they are kind of correct. Maybe more so than

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you might expect. Would you grab your Bibles

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and go with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Amen.

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It is God's Word. And it will speak to your heart

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today. I know that because He's already been

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speaking out of this passage of Scripture today

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before we got up here this morning. 2 Corinthians

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chapter 4. The target verses are 8 through 12,

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but we're going to read up to it so you understand

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the context. I won't do as much explaining until

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we get there. Therefore, since we have this ministry,

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as we receive mercy, we do not lose heart, but

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we have renounced the things hidden because of

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shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating

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the word of God, but by the manifestation of

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truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience

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in the sight of God. Okay, now that's a mouthful

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right there, wasn't it? That was a lot. Basically,

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they're saying we're going to give up worrying

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about this other stuff to be focused on what's

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really important. Because we've been given the

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ministry of reconciliation, telling people about

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Jesus and sharing the truth about God, because

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of that, we're going to give up all these other

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things and get ourselves focused. And because

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of what we show of the truth, then people will

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know to whom we belong. And even if our gospel

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is veiled, even if people don't understand what

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we're talking about or how we're trying to live,

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it's veiled to those who are perishing, in whose

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case the God of this world has blinded the minds

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of the unbelieving that they might not see the

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light of the gospel, the glory of Christ, who

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is the image of God. In other words, herein lies

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the biggest problem. People don't get us. They

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don't understand us. They can't fathom us because

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they don't understand Jesus and we are of Him.

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The problem is, Maybe some of us are not as much

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of Him as we should be, and so then we are a

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little better understood by them. That's a separate

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problem. But he's saying, be focused on this

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one thing that you're living for Christ, that

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you're delivering the message, and allow the

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message that you have to whom you belong and

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what you're doing to speak for you. And people

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who don't understand you then, well, it's because

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their minds have been blinded. Verse 5, For we

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do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as

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Lord. That's one of the problems I have. Even

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though I do support now inviting people to come

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to church so they can hear the teaching and that

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some people come in through the back door and

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all of that, I still have trouble with people

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who will only invite people to church because

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inviting people to church, if that's all you

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do, is not what we were called to do. In fact,

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if that's all you do, you probably didn't answer

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the call of Christ. Because our job is to invite

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people to Jesus, not to us or to our organization.

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We not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as

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Lord, and ourselves as your bondservants for

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Jesus' sake. In other words, we are slaves to

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God for Jesus' sake. For God and slaves to those

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who would yet hear. For God who said, Light shall

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shine out of the darkness is the one who has

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shown in our hearts to give the light of the

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knowledge of the glory of God in the face of

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Christ. 7. But we have this treasure in earthen

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vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the

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power may be of God and not from ourselves. And

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now we're heading into our target verses, but

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don't miss 7. We are stuck in bodies, he says.

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We have this treasure in earthen vessels that

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the surpassing greatness of the power may be

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of God, not from ourselves. If you had risen

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to be totally awesome, if you were an amazing,

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incredible creation, If you were rich and could

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buy everybody into church, and you could pay

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people $1 ,000 every time they come here on Sunday,

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you could buy everybody new cars, and they all

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come to our church because we're buying everybody

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new cars. If that was what was happening, then

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that would not be a testimony to God. But we

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have this treasure, this knowledge, this job,

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this salvation, we have all of that in earthen

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vessels, in messed up bodies, if you will, so

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that the surpassing greatness of power maybe

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of God and not from ourselves. And then it says,

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we are afflicted in every way. In other words,

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we are stricken. We are under attack. And notice

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that it's not just by disease or not just financially

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or not just by persecution, but in every way

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we are afflicted, but not crushed. They can punch

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us, but they aren't going to defeat us. They

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can hit us hard, but they aren't going to defeat

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us. We will not be crushed. We will remain. We

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are afflicted in every way, but we will remain.

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We are not crushed. We are perplexed. That means

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we can't figure it out. This is crazy. I'm baffled.

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I don't understand how I come to the end of my

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rope and I've got nothing left. I don't know

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what to do. Some years ago, and the Lord brought

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this back to mind, this morning as an illustration

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of this particular point that was closer to home.

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I shared an illustration. Once before when I

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preached this text about preparing for a marathon

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and what it would be like to prepare for an entire

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year and then the last half mile of the marathon

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people come running out of the trees smacking

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you with pillows to keep you from finishing the

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race. It was a funny illustration. This one's

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not funny. I got up on a Sunday morning. I got

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up at about 9 a .m. and I was headed to the church

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building. I wasn't picking anybody up. For a

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little over a year, I had a pain in my upper

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jaw that I hadn't told anybody about. I had a

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bad root canal done, and I went back to the same

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dentist, and he said, no, there's no reason you

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should have pain. And so I was just suffering

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with it. Didn't have the money to go see another

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dentist, or I thought I didn't. Didn't have a

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solution. So a little over a year, I'd had a

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pain, felt a little bit like the beginnings of

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a migraine, and it was right here right along

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my cheek. And every Sunday, I had preached with

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that pain. Every Sunday. I never told anybody

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about it. until toward the end when the Lord

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convicted me of it. I did tell people and they

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prayed and amazingly enough I got it resolved.

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The night before I had had my sermon done by

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Friday p .m. The night before the Lord had told

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me that that wasn't the sermon. He'd do it again.

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So I had gone to bed at about 4 a .m. after waking

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up three or four times laying on the floor in

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the most uncomfortable position I could find

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to try to stay awake to finish the new sermon.

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And I had finished it about 4 a .m. and crawled

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in bed and then got up. Got a shower and still

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felt dirty. You know what that's like. I was

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tired. It had been a long week. And all of those

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things, every single one of them had happened

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before. But on this particular morning, as I'm

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driving to preach, which is probably the thing

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I love to do most, is to work with God's people

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in some capacity, just to share the Word. I'm

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driving to do one of the things I love to do

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the most, but I'm in pain, tired, I still feel

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dirty. I know I have the sermon that God wanted

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me to preach, but it took me until 4 a .m. to

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do it, and I'm feeling particularly guilty because

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why on earth would I write the wrong sermon by

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Friday night and then have to write it again

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on Saturday and get done at 4 o 'clock in the

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morning on Sunday? What did I do wrong that I

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totally missed what it was that God wanted me

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to speak about? And so all of these things had

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happened before, but on that Sunday morning,

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as all of those things piled together and I reached

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the corner of... Navarre and East Broadway passing

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East Little Baptist Church, who was our sponsor,

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who had commissioned us to come and plant new

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heights. But there were some negative feelings

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by certain members, and that came to mind. At

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the moment, I felt as if I had no one to call

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and no one to talk to. And I almost turned my

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car right on Navarre instead of going down East

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Broadway toward... toward Star and Star and Main

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and Main Street and Main Street building, and

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I almost didn't show up to church that Sunday

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morning. Not because I had a pain in my jaw,

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because I've been like that for over a year.

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I've been preaching for over a year like that.

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Not because I was tired. I've been tired before.

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Not because I was gritty, sweaty, and my shower

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didn't help, because that's happened before.

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Not because I didn't have a moment to call, because

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that's happened before. But at a moment in time

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when you just can't see a way out, you can't

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figure the solution, you're perplexed, you're

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baffled, the question is nagging, why is it like

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this? And you don't hear an answer. But in that

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moment, as I was driving, I remembered something

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that a friend of mine said. He said, there is

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only one measure in this ministry. There is only

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one thing that you have to do to finish well.

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I said, people are always worried about that.

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I want to finish well. At the end, I want to

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be able to look back and say, I ran my life faithful.

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I ran strong. I was good. I did right. I saw

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some people say, I want to finish well. I want

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to say, I raised my kids good. I raised my grandkids

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good. You know, whatever. I didn't wind up with

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a ton of debt to leave my spouse, or she's got

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a place to live, or he'll be fine. I want to

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think I finished well. And he said, there is

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just exactly one, just one standard in the entire

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Bible on finishing well. And I thought, okay,

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I heard his voice speaking, and I thought it

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was me remembering what he had said. And he said,

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it's faithfulness. And so then I asked him, because

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I'm not stupid, you say there's just one measure,

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I want to know the parameters. I said, so what

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does that mean? You say there's just one measure,

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faithfulness. And he said, here's what you have

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to do. Just be found doing what it is that God

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wants you to do. Just be found doing that until

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the end. And so if I turn my car right on Navarre

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and I don't go and preach the word at New Heights

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that Sunday morning, then that's not faithfulness.

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That's not me doing what I knew God had called

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me to do. That's just the opposite. That's me

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choosing not to do what God had called me to

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do. And so whatever else is messed up, no matter

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how bad my jaw hurts, I don't have anybody to

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call, I'm sweaty, gritty, nasty, I've been up

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late, I can't do this, I feel, I can't fathom

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in my brain how I could possibly, whatever that,

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all of that amounts to, all I have to do is be

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found faithful doing the one thing that God called

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me to do and that's where I'm at. I'm perplexed

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to the point that I'm just about not to do that.

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And the next thing I know, my car is pulling

00:32:02.119 --> 00:32:04.599
into the parking lot at 613 Main Street, actually

00:32:04.599 --> 00:32:05.960
across the street to the bank where I always

00:32:05.960 --> 00:32:10.099
used to park. And during the first worship song,

00:32:10.359 --> 00:32:13.779
the very first song, the end of the first verse,

00:32:14.019 --> 00:32:20.880
I could have swore I heard God laughing. Not

00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:23.039
laughing because I had been distressed. Not laughing

00:32:23.039 --> 00:32:26.400
because I had almost not done what I was supposed

00:32:26.400 --> 00:32:28.880
to do. Not laughing because of my hardship. but

00:32:28.880 --> 00:32:32.900
laughing because just as he did with Job, he

00:32:32.900 --> 00:32:37.140
could say, have you considered my servant, Daniel,

00:32:37.299 --> 00:32:42.740
who is still found doing what it is that he's

00:32:42.740 --> 00:32:45.799
supposed to be doing, even though you did all

00:32:45.799 --> 00:32:51.420
of this to stop him. Perplexed, but not despairing.

00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:54.960
When a Christian cries out and says, I'm at that

00:32:54.960 --> 00:33:00.170
point where I don't understand, They're not despairing.

00:33:01.289 --> 00:33:03.990
They're expressing. Expressing their emotions.

00:33:04.089 --> 00:33:07.049
Expressing their situation. Now, when a non -Christian

00:33:07.049 --> 00:33:09.250
cries out, and they say at that point that they

00:33:09.250 --> 00:33:12.369
don't understand, they're despairing probably

00:33:12.369 --> 00:33:14.049
because there's no hope in that situation. What

00:33:14.049 --> 00:33:16.450
is the hope in that situation? If I die here

00:33:16.450 --> 00:33:18.829
today, what is the hope? What will happen? What

00:33:18.829 --> 00:33:21.349
good could come out of it? Well, for them, nothing.

00:33:22.910 --> 00:33:25.559
And they are perplexed and despairing. But a

00:33:25.559 --> 00:33:28.220
Christian who is perplexed is not despairing.

00:33:30.700 --> 00:33:34.420
Persecuted. You're persecuted. Beaten up and

00:33:34.420 --> 00:33:37.200
attacked, not just because you're in an earthen

00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:40.279
vessel, but because you're a Christian. To be

00:33:40.279 --> 00:33:41.880
persecuted is to be attacked because you're a

00:33:41.880 --> 00:33:43.559
Christian. See, I could have, the night before,

00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:45.700
I could have said, well, pardon my language,

00:33:45.779 --> 00:33:47.900
but I could have said, well, screw it. This sermon's

00:33:47.900 --> 00:33:51.160
done. I'm not staying up until 4 a .m. So I'm

00:33:51.160 --> 00:33:54.480
tired at 9 or 10 or whatever it was driving to

00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:58.559
Main Street primarily because when I found out

00:33:58.559 --> 00:34:00.079
from the Lord I was not supposed to preach one

00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:02.299
message, I said, fine, then we'll preach the

00:34:02.299 --> 00:34:03.720
message that you say we're supposed to preach

00:34:03.720 --> 00:34:07.519
and I'll stay up until it's done. And I could

00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:10.119
have maybe tried to pry my eyes up with toothpicks

00:34:10.119 --> 00:34:11.940
except I learned on Tom and Jerry years ago that

00:34:11.940 --> 00:34:14.059
doesn't actually work. So I fell asleep and I

00:34:14.059 --> 00:34:15.659
woke up and I fell asleep and I woke up and I

00:34:15.659 --> 00:34:17.460
stayed in the most uncomfortable position until

00:34:17.460 --> 00:34:21.269
I had it done. Why? Because I am a follower of

00:34:21.269 --> 00:34:23.670
the Lord God. Because I do what God wants me

00:34:23.670 --> 00:34:28.610
to do. I am suffering because God does what God

00:34:28.610 --> 00:34:34.130
does. He allows us to be His representative.

00:34:34.869 --> 00:34:37.809
He allows us to have this treasure in earthen

00:34:37.809 --> 00:34:44.289
vessels. And He does not forsake us. Persecuted,

00:34:44.289 --> 00:34:47.469
but not forsaken. He doesn't leave us alone in

00:34:47.469 --> 00:34:49.800
the midst of that struggle. He doesn't miraculously

00:34:49.800 --> 00:34:53.039
fix it all. And you can be irritated with him

00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:55.139
if you want because he doesn't miraculously fix

00:34:55.139 --> 00:34:56.800
it all. But I think that you'll find it didn't

00:34:56.800 --> 00:34:59.619
work out so well in the psalmist's lives. They

00:34:59.619 --> 00:35:01.599
were irritated to God. They cried out to God.

00:35:01.639 --> 00:35:05.360
How dare you profit the false prophets? How dare

00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:07.559
you benefit the false prophets? How dare you

00:35:07.559 --> 00:35:09.760
bless the evil? Why did the evil rise up and

00:35:09.760 --> 00:35:11.519
become strong and the wicked seem to be doing

00:35:11.519 --> 00:35:16.579
well and your servant is falling apart? And every

00:35:16.579 --> 00:35:19.380
time they come back to, but merciful is the Lord.

00:35:21.019 --> 00:35:24.340
Thank you God for saving me when I clearly don't

00:35:24.340 --> 00:35:27.539
deserve it still. Every time they come back to

00:35:27.539 --> 00:35:29.679
repentance, recognizing, yes, they are persecuted.

00:35:29.860 --> 00:35:33.280
Yes, they are perplexed. Yes, they are afflicted

00:35:33.280 --> 00:35:37.559
in every way, but they are not crushed. They

00:35:37.559 --> 00:35:43.780
are not forsaken. They are not despairing. And

00:35:43.780 --> 00:35:45.559
if they are crying out despairing, then I submit

00:35:45.559 --> 00:35:47.039
to you again, it was because they didn't have

00:35:47.039 --> 00:35:49.739
faith. And they repent and turn to God again

00:35:49.739 --> 00:35:52.500
to bolster their faith. And then it says, struck

00:35:52.500 --> 00:35:55.360
down, but not destroyed. Now the context of this

00:35:55.360 --> 00:35:56.980
phrase, struck down, I need you to understand

00:35:56.980 --> 00:36:00.619
very clearly. This is the end of a dream. This

00:36:00.619 --> 00:36:02.400
is not, well, I thought I was going to get to

00:36:02.400 --> 00:36:03.579
buy that new car and now I've got to wait an

00:36:03.579 --> 00:36:05.659
extra 15 days. This is not, I thought I was going

00:36:05.659 --> 00:36:07.380
to get to pay my rent on time, but now I've got

00:36:07.380 --> 00:36:09.559
to make the grace period at best. This is not,

00:36:09.619 --> 00:36:11.920
I thought I was going to have that relationship,

00:36:12.059 --> 00:36:14.119
but now that person has fallen in love with somebody

00:36:14.119 --> 00:36:18.099
else. This is the end of a dream. This is the

00:36:18.099 --> 00:36:21.619
end of hope of all good things in life. This

00:36:21.619 --> 00:36:24.880
is the end knowing that the best you might have,

00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:27.059
the best thing that could happen to you is to

00:36:27.059 --> 00:36:29.500
die now because you've been crucified and you're

00:36:29.500 --> 00:36:31.039
in ultimate pain and you'll never come down from

00:36:31.039 --> 00:36:35.079
this cross alive. And he says, struck down like

00:36:35.079 --> 00:36:38.480
that, the end of a dream, the end of all human

00:36:38.480 --> 00:36:47.219
hope. But he says, struck down like that, but

00:36:50.820 --> 00:36:53.159
not, I lost my spot, I'll find it once again,

00:36:53.280 --> 00:37:00.320
struck down, but not destroyed. Oh, now that's

00:37:00.320 --> 00:37:03.199
interesting, isn't it? What's the hope? The hope

00:37:03.199 --> 00:37:06.599
is after this flesh is gone, after you evacuate

00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:11.500
this tent, you get a new, living, resurrected

00:37:11.500 --> 00:37:14.070
body. You say, well, this isn't working right.

00:37:14.090 --> 00:37:15.849
I can't do what I want to do. I can't figure

00:37:15.849 --> 00:37:18.309
it out. Your brain isn't good enough to contemplate

00:37:18.309 --> 00:37:20.389
all the things of God. Your body isn't strong

00:37:20.389 --> 00:37:22.329
enough to do all the things that you've been

00:37:22.329 --> 00:37:25.489
given to do. Your creativity doesn't go long

00:37:25.489 --> 00:37:28.250
enough to figure out the answers to all the problems

00:37:28.250 --> 00:37:31.159
that you will face. All of these things are meant

00:37:31.159 --> 00:37:33.360
to come up short because at the end of the coming

00:37:33.360 --> 00:37:35.719
up short comes the fishing around for God and

00:37:35.719 --> 00:37:37.480
people grope around for God and they encounter

00:37:37.480 --> 00:37:39.880
God and then they're saved. And that's why we're

00:37:39.880 --> 00:37:42.079
designed in earthen vessels so that your earthen

00:37:42.079 --> 00:37:44.880
vessel could lead you to a need for a better

00:37:44.880 --> 00:37:49.789
one. And when you're struck... and about to die,

00:37:50.010 --> 00:37:52.670
then it will be that either you will realize

00:37:52.670 --> 00:37:54.849
now I will come into the presence of the Lord

00:37:54.849 --> 00:37:57.489
or now I have lived my life in such a way that

00:37:57.489 --> 00:37:59.150
I will not come into the presence of the Lord.

00:37:59.250 --> 00:38:01.590
And the atheist screams and howls as he goes

00:38:01.590 --> 00:38:05.530
into an eternity separated from God. And the

00:38:05.530 --> 00:38:08.989
Christian rejoices and sings and praises God

00:38:08.989 --> 00:38:11.530
for the good of his life and that which he had

00:38:11.530 --> 00:38:15.989
and that which he's about to have. Struck down

00:38:15.989 --> 00:38:19.309
but not destroyed. always carrying about in the

00:38:19.309 --> 00:38:22.469
body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus

00:38:22.469 --> 00:38:24.969
also may be manifested in our body. See, as we

00:38:24.969 --> 00:38:28.750
live, we have that shortcoming. Jesus died. Don't

00:38:28.750 --> 00:38:30.469
you understand? The Son of God died. I know we

00:38:30.469 --> 00:38:32.309
say it all the time like it's no big deal, but

00:38:32.309 --> 00:38:36.110
it's a really big deal. God himself took on human

00:38:36.110 --> 00:38:41.090
form so that he could die. He died. Now, this

00:38:41.090 --> 00:38:44.030
teaching is so significant and so powerful that

00:38:44.030 --> 00:38:46.150
one of the primary oppositions to Christianity,

00:38:46.309 --> 00:38:48.269
those who would hunt down and kill Christians,

00:38:48.329 --> 00:38:50.969
don't kid yourself, the book says kill infidels,

00:38:51.050 --> 00:38:53.409
right? Even the peace -loving ones still say

00:38:53.409 --> 00:38:55.710
kill infidels because it's in the book, right?

00:38:55.789 --> 00:38:57.590
They just don't actively do it because they believe

00:38:57.590 --> 00:39:00.329
that Allah will commission some folks to do that,

00:39:00.429 --> 00:39:03.840
right? One of the greatest oppositions, one of

00:39:03.840 --> 00:39:06.179
the next largest religions on the face of the

00:39:06.179 --> 00:39:08.320
planet, if you would call Christianity a religion,

00:39:08.420 --> 00:39:09.900
it really isn't. It's a relationship with Christ.

00:39:10.099 --> 00:39:13.159
But culturally speaking, they call it a religion.

00:39:13.179 --> 00:39:16.980
One of the next largest says that Jesus did not

00:39:16.980 --> 00:39:19.380
die on the cross. It's one of the main tenets

00:39:19.380 --> 00:39:21.239
of their belief. They say he did not die. Rather,

00:39:21.559 --> 00:39:23.980
that he was transported out of his body and that

00:39:23.980 --> 00:39:26.380
Judas was transported into his body so he could

00:39:26.380 --> 00:39:28.719
suffer because only he should suffer that way,

00:39:28.739 --> 00:39:32.599
being the betrayer of Christ. That's not in the

00:39:32.599 --> 00:39:35.360
Bible. It's in no teaching anywhere that makes

00:39:35.360 --> 00:39:37.219
any real sense. And I'm not trying to slaughter

00:39:37.219 --> 00:39:38.760
somebody else's religion. I just don't frankly

00:39:38.760 --> 00:39:41.079
care. The bottom line is Jesus Christ lived,

00:39:41.340 --> 00:39:44.659
and He died, and He rose again. And if you take

00:39:44.659 --> 00:39:47.440
the death out of it, the sacrifice of Christ

00:39:47.440 --> 00:39:51.920
becomes something less. And if you take your

00:39:51.920 --> 00:39:54.880
daily death out of your living for Christ, your

00:39:54.880 --> 00:39:57.659
sacrifice becomes something less. To whom have

00:39:57.659 --> 00:40:00.780
you sworn allegiance? To a God that created everything?

00:40:00.980 --> 00:40:06.780
Sure. But to a God that willingly died? Yes.

00:40:08.099 --> 00:40:12.960
And you'd be smart to, if called upon, be ready

00:40:12.960 --> 00:40:18.659
to willingly die. And smart to daily choose against

00:40:18.659 --> 00:40:23.019
your own wishes, against your own physical, emotional,

00:40:23.440 --> 00:40:27.239
and psychological desires, so that you are dying

00:40:27.239 --> 00:40:32.360
daily. denying yourself and taking up your cross

00:40:32.360 --> 00:40:37.659
and following after Him. Half of what we're mourning

00:40:37.659 --> 00:40:40.860
the loss of, half of the affliction, half of

00:40:40.860 --> 00:40:44.360
the perplexity is in that we can't have what

00:40:44.360 --> 00:40:46.679
we perceive to be the good things that other

00:40:46.679 --> 00:40:50.360
people have. Why can't I be that healthy, that

00:40:50.360 --> 00:40:53.460
strong, that rich? Why can't I be that happy,

00:40:53.579 --> 00:40:57.619
that emotionally successful? That's psychologically

00:40:57.619 --> 00:41:02.360
stable. We see people in a short window of their

00:41:02.360 --> 00:41:04.559
lifespan. If you have seen me every opportunity

00:41:04.559 --> 00:41:06.880
that you had opportunity, you have still seen

00:41:06.880 --> 00:41:10.300
me less than 10 % of my life. It doesn't matter

00:41:10.300 --> 00:41:11.880
if we've spent hours and hours and hours together.

00:41:11.900 --> 00:41:15.099
Maybe less than 1 % of my life you know me. And

00:41:15.099 --> 00:41:17.099
you could say, well, why does he get that and

00:41:17.099 --> 00:41:22.000
I don't? You don't know me. God knows me. The

00:41:22.000 --> 00:41:26.659
truth is, the old adage, The bigger they are,

00:41:26.679 --> 00:41:30.579
the harder they fall. How many rock stars commit

00:41:30.579 --> 00:41:33.139
drug suicide in hotels that you never heard of?

00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:37.340
And what do they have? Millions and millions

00:41:37.340 --> 00:41:38.940
and millions of dollars. So if you're fussing

00:41:38.940 --> 00:41:41.960
over money, if money's your thing, if you had

00:41:41.960 --> 00:41:46.119
it, what would you have? You say, but I would

00:41:46.119 --> 00:41:52.710
never fall into those traps. We carry about in

00:41:52.710 --> 00:41:55.449
this body, in our body, the dying of the Lord

00:41:55.449 --> 00:41:58.949
Jesus, always remembering by our earthen vessels,

00:41:59.110 --> 00:42:01.090
by our current struggles, by our difficulty,

00:42:01.210 --> 00:42:04.309
by our shortcomings, that the life of Jesus also

00:42:04.309 --> 00:42:07.550
may be manifested in our body. For we who live

00:42:07.550 --> 00:42:09.750
are constantly being delivered over to death

00:42:09.750 --> 00:42:13.230
for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also

00:42:13.230 --> 00:42:16.130
may be manifested in our mortal flesh. First

00:42:16.130 --> 00:42:18.489
of all, I want you to notice the tenses of the

00:42:18.489 --> 00:42:21.110
verbs there. For we who live are constantly.

00:42:21.210 --> 00:42:23.289
That means it began at a certain point in time

00:42:23.289 --> 00:42:25.530
and it never stopped. And we do the best we can

00:42:25.530 --> 00:42:27.909
in English to carry that out. We say we are constantly.

00:42:28.489 --> 00:42:32.349
So this word means that at a certain time, God

00:42:32.349 --> 00:42:34.929
authored it, that it began and it will never

00:42:34.929 --> 00:42:39.510
stop, that Christians are being delivered over

00:42:39.510 --> 00:42:42.469
to death for Jesus' sake. Now notice it says

00:42:42.469 --> 00:42:44.309
it began and it will never stop. And I know you

00:42:44.309 --> 00:42:47.710
and I, we may not know anybody who has been persecuted

00:42:47.710 --> 00:42:50.420
unto death. But there are many countries in the

00:42:50.420 --> 00:42:53.039
world where it is still completely illegal to

00:42:53.039 --> 00:42:54.699
talk about Jesus and they're persecuted over

00:42:54.699 --> 00:42:58.760
to death even today. But I submit to you that

00:42:58.760 --> 00:43:02.699
this verse, like all Scripture, still completely

00:43:02.699 --> 00:43:05.880
applies to us. What is it that you feel when

00:43:05.880 --> 00:43:07.940
you lose the job? You feel a certain taste of

00:43:07.940 --> 00:43:11.360
death. What is it you feel when your relationship

00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:13.019
is struggling and you think, well, they don't

00:43:13.019 --> 00:43:15.550
love me anymore? Clearly that's so... And now

00:43:15.550 --> 00:43:17.329
I'm broken about that. I don't know what to do

00:43:17.329 --> 00:43:19.489
about that. It's the end of a dream. You feel

00:43:19.489 --> 00:43:22.909
a taste of death. What is it that you're doing

00:43:22.909 --> 00:43:26.409
when you're saying to yourself, man, I planned

00:43:26.409 --> 00:43:28.289
it all out. I knew this was going to work. I

00:43:28.289 --> 00:43:30.670
had the money laid aside. I had the time set

00:43:30.670 --> 00:43:33.110
out. I put myself in the right place. I organized

00:43:33.110 --> 00:43:36.010
it. I told everyone. And now the dream is gone.

00:43:36.110 --> 00:43:38.489
It's gone. It failed. It's a taste of death.

00:43:39.309 --> 00:43:43.570
It's all a taste of death. So you have a choice.

00:43:44.239 --> 00:43:46.820
It could be a taste of your death, the eternity

00:43:46.820 --> 00:43:48.960
that you have spent separated with God, or a

00:43:48.960 --> 00:43:51.579
taste of His death, and not spend an eternity

00:43:51.579 --> 00:43:56.480
separated from God. We who live are constantly

00:43:56.480 --> 00:43:58.579
being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake,

00:43:58.679 --> 00:44:01.000
that the life of Jesus also may be manifested

00:44:01.000 --> 00:44:04.920
in our mortal flesh. This is why we can say we

00:44:04.920 --> 00:44:08.960
have rejoicing and great joy when there are tribulations

00:44:08.960 --> 00:44:12.670
and trials. James 1. Because as you experience

00:44:12.670 --> 00:44:15.409
the tribulations and trials of this life, you're

00:44:15.409 --> 00:44:19.550
getting a taste of the death of Jesus, who, by

00:44:19.550 --> 00:44:21.809
the way, also had a resurrection. And if you

00:44:21.809 --> 00:44:24.530
can get just a taste of His death, you can get

00:44:24.530 --> 00:44:29.670
a feast of His resurrection. And one more verse,

00:44:29.849 --> 00:44:37.110
12. So death works in us, but life in you. Now

00:44:37.110 --> 00:44:40.469
this is Paul writing to... the Corinthians and

00:44:40.469 --> 00:44:45.809
the Corinthian church. And he's saying, death

00:44:45.809 --> 00:44:49.110
is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

00:44:49.590 --> 00:44:52.090
And so he wasn't saying that they would not experience

00:44:52.090 --> 00:44:54.869
these difficulties if they were practicing the

00:44:54.869 --> 00:45:00.409
ministry of reconciliation. Surely they consumed

00:45:00.409 --> 00:45:05.429
that verse. They digested it. They pulled it

00:45:05.429 --> 00:45:06.949
apart. They tried to figure out, well, if life

00:45:06.949 --> 00:45:09.530
is working in Paul, Or if death is working in

00:45:09.530 --> 00:45:12.949
Paul, shouldn't death be working in us too? And

00:45:12.949 --> 00:45:15.449
they began to look for where they were different

00:45:15.449 --> 00:45:19.869
from Paul as he followed Jesus. And Paul said,

00:45:19.929 --> 00:45:23.530
as I follow Jesus, follow me. If you've been

00:45:23.530 --> 00:45:27.329
transformed in Jesus' image, even in the least,

00:45:27.369 --> 00:45:30.030
if you've been saved and born again, then you

00:45:30.030 --> 00:45:31.909
need to understand that there is an insidious

00:45:31.909 --> 00:45:36.909
plan afoot. Everyone that's on the side of evil,

00:45:37.710 --> 00:45:40.289
And I can be very general about that because

00:45:40.289 --> 00:45:45.250
the Bible says, be not overcome by evil, but

00:45:45.250 --> 00:45:48.090
overcome evil with good. It's a key verse of

00:45:48.090 --> 00:45:50.690
the Life Station. The Bible says, pray this way.

00:45:52.769 --> 00:45:55.889
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from

00:45:55.889 --> 00:46:01.369
the evil. It's singular evil. And some want to

00:46:01.369 --> 00:46:03.190
say it's masculine, but the truth is it's neuter.

00:46:03.309 --> 00:46:05.469
So they say, it's evil means Satan, right? He's

00:46:05.469 --> 00:46:07.500
just talking about deliver us from Satan. Satan

00:46:07.500 --> 00:46:10.179
is just one being. He's not omnipresent. He's

00:46:10.179 --> 00:46:12.539
not omniscient. He's just one being. He has complete

00:46:12.539 --> 00:46:16.659
weaknesses. He may be stronger than you because

00:46:16.659 --> 00:46:18.559
he knows the scripture better or whatever, but

00:46:18.559 --> 00:46:20.260
he's not stronger than God in you. He that is

00:46:20.260 --> 00:46:21.619
in you is greater than he that is in the world,

00:46:21.679 --> 00:46:23.900
which means he's stronger than Satan. I'm not

00:46:23.900 --> 00:46:25.099
talking about that. I'm talking about the evil.

00:46:25.440 --> 00:46:27.320
Evil, which includes Satan. It includes demons.

00:46:27.400 --> 00:46:29.500
It includes evil spirits. It includes all people

00:46:29.500 --> 00:46:31.719
who are working on the side of evil. And let's

00:46:31.719 --> 00:46:34.179
get right down to it. It includes your flesh.

00:46:34.940 --> 00:46:38.079
The you that doesn't honor God with your choices.

00:46:38.679 --> 00:46:42.219
So who is it that's plotting against you? Who

00:46:42.219 --> 00:46:45.219
is it that has tried to encroach upon you from

00:46:45.219 --> 00:46:47.480
every angle? It's everyone on the side of evil,

00:46:47.579 --> 00:46:50.880
including... The you that doesn't recognize God

00:46:50.880 --> 00:46:52.880
in first place. Now that's really a problem because

00:46:52.880 --> 00:46:55.139
so many people say they have such a struggle

00:46:55.139 --> 00:46:57.119
of recognizing God in first place, even Christians.

00:46:57.199 --> 00:46:59.039
I have such a struggle of letting God be in charge.

00:46:59.179 --> 00:47:01.039
I submit to you, if you're not letting God be

00:47:01.039 --> 00:47:03.360
in charge, then you are against you and you have

00:47:03.360 --> 00:47:05.500
no greater enemy than you against you unless

00:47:05.500 --> 00:47:09.480
it's God against you. And God is against, listen

00:47:09.480 --> 00:47:12.679
closely, God is against the you that's against

00:47:12.679 --> 00:47:16.300
you. Did you catch that? God is against the you

00:47:16.300 --> 00:47:18.400
that's against you. So if you're against yourself,

00:47:18.719 --> 00:47:20.840
then God is against you. But He's against the

00:47:20.840 --> 00:47:22.800
you that's against you. So which you are you

00:47:22.800 --> 00:47:28.300
for? If God is against the you that's against

00:47:28.300 --> 00:47:32.099
you, you need to be for the you that's against

00:47:32.099 --> 00:47:34.139
the you that's against you. And how do you win

00:47:34.139 --> 00:47:39.039
that fight? Put God first. Jesus Christ earned

00:47:39.039 --> 00:47:41.679
our salvation. Jesus Christ made us able to be

00:47:41.679 --> 00:47:45.739
born again. Jesus Christ also created all things,

00:47:45.840 --> 00:47:50.320
was present at the creation, also causes all

00:47:50.320 --> 00:47:53.820
things to consist. And it was God that orchestrated

00:47:53.820 --> 00:47:55.639
the boundaries of our living that we might be

00:47:55.639 --> 00:47:58.000
at this place where in our earthen vessels we

00:47:58.000 --> 00:48:00.639
might cry out for something greater. You just

00:48:00.639 --> 00:48:04.239
cannot, you just are not able to transcend the

00:48:04.239 --> 00:48:06.840
boundaries of that which you were created as.

00:48:08.300 --> 00:48:11.000
Can you be better? Sure. Can you do more? Sure.

00:48:11.099 --> 00:48:14.210
Can you grow? Can you have education? Invest

00:48:14.210 --> 00:48:16.670
and plan for a bigger future? Sure, you can do

00:48:16.670 --> 00:48:19.030
all of those things. But all the resources that

00:48:19.030 --> 00:48:22.230
are at your disposal, that are not specifically

00:48:22.230 --> 00:48:25.409
from God, gifted to you by God, recognized as

00:48:25.409 --> 00:48:28.389
from God, and your use of them is not authored

00:48:28.389 --> 00:48:31.409
by God, all the rest of the resources that you

00:48:31.409 --> 00:48:33.230
try, they're all subject to your earthen vessel

00:48:33.230 --> 00:48:35.650
limitations. How smart are you? Smart as your

00:48:35.650 --> 00:48:38.329
brain will work. How strong are you? Strong as

00:48:38.329 --> 00:48:41.380
your muscles will go. If you worked out a lot

00:48:41.380 --> 00:48:42.420
when you were young, you probably have bigger

00:48:42.420 --> 00:48:44.880
muscles than the rest of us. Take some human

00:48:44.880 --> 00:48:47.019
growth hormone. Get even bigger muscles. Is it

00:48:47.019 --> 00:48:48.619
good for you? No, probably not, but you can do

00:48:48.619 --> 00:48:52.760
it. Right? You can stretch the boundaries of

00:48:52.760 --> 00:48:56.199
your earthen vessel, but you can never reach

00:48:56.199 --> 00:48:59.079
with it into the spiritual realm. You can never

00:48:59.079 --> 00:49:04.969
reach eternal life. The fact is that self -definition

00:49:04.969 --> 00:49:07.329
creates space. Remember that margin that I talked

00:49:07.329 --> 00:49:10.809
about? You have to know who you are. You have

00:49:10.809 --> 00:49:13.429
to set some rules for yourself and these rules

00:49:13.429 --> 00:49:16.130
must be in line with God. If you are a child

00:49:16.130 --> 00:49:18.610
of God, then you should act like a child of God.

00:49:18.969 --> 00:49:21.969
This includes rules, convictions, your best understanding

00:49:21.969 --> 00:49:25.360
of who God desires you to be. See this illustrated

00:49:25.360 --> 00:49:27.480
beautifully by the Israelites as they came into

00:49:27.480 --> 00:49:29.579
the promised land, surrounded by other people

00:49:29.579 --> 00:49:31.760
and their gods. And by the way, who put the other

00:49:31.760 --> 00:49:33.599
people there? God did. Who put the other gods

00:49:33.599 --> 00:49:37.880
there? You want to say it wasn't God. But I want

00:49:37.880 --> 00:49:41.280
you to be real careful about that. Because there

00:49:41.280 --> 00:49:47.320
was a son who sinned against his father. And

00:49:47.320 --> 00:49:51.000
one of his sons was cursed. And you know what

00:49:51.000 --> 00:49:55.440
he was cursed to be? He was cursed to be the

00:49:55.440 --> 00:49:57.719
progenitor, the creator, the beginner, the father

00:49:57.719 --> 00:50:01.519
of the people who would always live around Israel,

00:50:01.719 --> 00:50:06.920
the descendants of the righteous, faithful followers

00:50:06.920 --> 00:50:10.519
of God, would always live around them, always

00:50:10.519 --> 00:50:13.360
be a distraction, always be a temptation, always

00:50:13.360 --> 00:50:15.360
be worshiping false gods. Now, who created the

00:50:15.360 --> 00:50:20.219
false gods? Well, God authored the curse that

00:50:20.219 --> 00:50:22.730
originated the people. that would worship the

00:50:22.730 --> 00:50:24.849
false gods. And if God authored the curse before

00:50:24.849 --> 00:50:26.809
the people created the false gods, but He said,

00:50:26.849 --> 00:50:28.789
you will do this, you will always be there around

00:50:28.789 --> 00:50:32.530
Israel, be a temptation and a distraction, then

00:50:32.530 --> 00:50:35.369
I will submit to you, God authored the false

00:50:35.369 --> 00:50:39.809
gods. He also authored the rain. Not before Noah's

00:50:39.809 --> 00:50:43.110
day, but He created the rain. Which means He

00:50:43.110 --> 00:50:47.730
created the flood. God created a lot of the things

00:50:47.730 --> 00:50:49.949
in the world that we perceive as bad when they

00:50:49.949 --> 00:50:53.550
come against us. God gave every human being the

00:50:53.550 --> 00:50:55.090
ability to create and destroy with their mouths.

00:50:55.130 --> 00:50:57.150
And so when someone says something to you and

00:50:57.150 --> 00:50:59.809
it cuts you so deep that you can't hardly stand

00:50:59.809 --> 00:51:01.090
it, you feel like you're just going to bleed

00:51:01.090 --> 00:51:05.489
inside, it was God that gave them that kind of

00:51:05.489 --> 00:51:10.130
power. And God can free you from it. He can take

00:51:10.130 --> 00:51:11.969
you away from your fears. He can take you away

00:51:11.969 --> 00:51:15.829
from your destructive tendencies that sides with

00:51:15.829 --> 00:51:17.769
them and says, yeah, I really am a bad person,

00:51:17.789 --> 00:51:19.929
or yeah, I really deserve that. He can take you

00:51:19.929 --> 00:51:22.409
away from all of that. By making you born again.

00:51:22.510 --> 00:51:25.050
But the bottom line is. It was God that set that

00:51:25.050 --> 00:51:30.829
all up. And the Israelites needed self -definition.

00:51:30.989 --> 00:51:34.050
So God gave them a set of rules. And a mission

00:51:34.050 --> 00:51:36.110
to do. They were supposed to lead all the world

00:51:36.110 --> 00:51:38.269
back to God. And warnings about the consequences.

00:51:38.309 --> 00:51:44.050
Should they fail. And they did. And so they got

00:51:44.050 --> 00:51:46.250
the consequences. Big surprise. Because God always

00:51:46.250 --> 00:51:53.170
keeps his promises. When the plot of the enemy

00:51:53.170 --> 00:51:58.929
has invaded all that we are, media, family. So

00:51:58.929 --> 00:52:00.690
we've got parents who are trying to make up rules

00:52:00.690 --> 00:52:04.869
about how their kids should survive and live

00:52:04.869 --> 00:52:06.309
and what they should have to do and what they

00:52:06.309 --> 00:52:07.989
shouldn't have to do and what happens if they

00:52:07.989 --> 00:52:09.769
don't do what they're supposed to do. And none

00:52:09.769 --> 00:52:11.590
of it's godly or biblical. None of it's laid

00:52:11.590 --> 00:52:12.909
out by the Lord. So we have all these rules.

00:52:13.949 --> 00:52:16.010
People have laid out rules, but we don't know

00:52:16.010 --> 00:52:18.170
what Scripture says anymore as a nation, as a

00:52:18.170 --> 00:52:20.480
people, as families. We're making all this stuff

00:52:20.480 --> 00:52:23.119
up because the world, the plot of the enemy has

00:52:23.119 --> 00:52:26.340
invaded and the child feels perplexed, cornered,

00:52:26.340 --> 00:52:27.480
they don't know what to do, they don't know how

00:52:27.480 --> 00:52:29.460
to be healthy, and their self -esteem is crushed

00:52:29.460 --> 00:52:31.000
and they grow up to be the same kind of parent.

00:52:35.699 --> 00:52:37.900
Because this plot has invaded our media, it has

00:52:37.900 --> 00:52:40.420
invaded our families, it's in others' actions,

00:52:40.679 --> 00:52:43.280
it's in our own time management and the way we've

00:52:43.280 --> 00:52:45.539
been programmed to manage our time. That really

00:52:45.539 --> 00:52:47.539
all of your time management is about making enough

00:52:47.539 --> 00:52:49.000
room so you can have a little entertainment and

00:52:49.000 --> 00:52:50.739
fun, right? That's what it's all about. We work

00:52:50.739 --> 00:52:52.920
so we can pay our bills so we can go out. We

00:52:52.920 --> 00:52:54.679
work so we pay our bills so we can go on a trip.

00:52:54.719 --> 00:52:57.539
We work so we pay our bills so we can live large.

00:52:58.480 --> 00:53:02.400
That is not the standard that God set. That is

00:53:02.400 --> 00:53:06.500
not what time management is for. It's even invaded

00:53:06.500 --> 00:53:08.980
our own choices. Clearly, it's going to take

00:53:08.980 --> 00:53:13.800
more than simple efforts to overcome this plot.

00:53:14.920 --> 00:53:17.920
That has literally been hatched by, unleashed

00:53:17.920 --> 00:53:21.840
by, and inhabits everyone and everything that

00:53:21.840 --> 00:53:26.480
surrounds us. Notice that the mission is the

00:53:26.480 --> 00:53:29.599
way out. The rules that God sets are how you

00:53:29.599 --> 00:53:31.960
survive. It's the definition of faithfulness.

00:53:32.019 --> 00:53:33.679
It's what you've got when you've got nothing

00:53:33.679 --> 00:53:36.380
else. That's the rules. But the mission is the

00:53:36.380 --> 00:53:38.960
way out. You follow? So we say, I'm going to...

00:53:39.670 --> 00:53:42.969
Not lie, not steal, not whatever. All of that

00:53:42.969 --> 00:53:45.389
will be nothing more than another affliction

00:53:45.389 --> 00:53:47.469
because the world does that. So they will steal

00:53:47.469 --> 00:53:49.530
from you, but you can't steal from them. And

00:53:49.530 --> 00:53:51.809
you can't hate them back or get vengeance against

00:53:51.809 --> 00:53:53.690
them for stealing from you. So you will be disciplining

00:53:53.690 --> 00:53:55.829
yourself to be the right kind of a person and

00:53:55.829 --> 00:53:59.210
you will be found faithful being who you're supposed

00:53:59.210 --> 00:54:02.989
to be in Christ. But the mission is the way out

00:54:02.989 --> 00:54:05.880
of that place. The way out is to figure out what

00:54:05.880 --> 00:54:08.059
it is based on that that I'm supposed to be doing.

00:54:08.119 --> 00:54:10.099
Where do we start at? The ministry of reconciliation.

00:54:10.860 --> 00:54:12.960
You know why we're suffering for not enough people

00:54:12.960 --> 00:54:14.840
to depend on? You know why you're suffering for

00:54:14.840 --> 00:54:17.199
not enough resources in the kingdom of God? We're

00:54:17.199 --> 00:54:19.199
suffering for those things because the resources

00:54:19.199 --> 00:54:26.820
are in the harvest. God's people are not evangelistic.

00:54:27.519 --> 00:54:30.019
We're not winning people to Christ. Why? Because

00:54:30.019 --> 00:54:32.380
we're on station keeping. Because we see we're

00:54:32.380 --> 00:54:35.630
under assault. It's coming from every physical

00:54:35.630 --> 00:54:39.909
angle that we can see. In our money, in our time,

00:54:40.090 --> 00:54:44.489
in our praises are lacking, or our insults are

00:54:44.489 --> 00:54:47.469
coming, or our resources are short, or our food's

00:54:47.469 --> 00:54:49.650
not good, or our health's not... In every physical

00:54:49.650 --> 00:54:51.710
way that we can see, we are assailed, we are

00:54:51.710 --> 00:54:56.449
surrounded. And we're perplexed at how that can

00:54:56.449 --> 00:54:59.670
be. And our dreams are being crushed because

00:54:59.670 --> 00:55:04.480
they were physical. But the mission is the way

00:55:04.480 --> 00:55:09.440
out because it's spiritual. It comes with death

00:55:09.440 --> 00:55:12.039
overcome so that even if you should actually

00:55:12.039 --> 00:55:14.760
really get to the end and somebody puts a gun

00:55:14.760 --> 00:55:16.760
to your head or really get to the end and you're

00:55:16.760 --> 00:55:18.980
tied to a stake and the wood is lit or really

00:55:18.980 --> 00:55:20.960
get to the end and you're crucified, there's

00:55:20.960 --> 00:55:23.900
still a way out because death is overcome. We

00:55:23.900 --> 00:55:28.000
serve a risen Savior. It comes with dying, dying

00:55:28.000 --> 00:55:32.050
to self as long as we are in the flesh. Our flesh

00:55:32.050 --> 00:55:36.070
must die and our spirit must be embraced and

00:55:36.070 --> 00:55:38.809
strong in Christ. Dying at the hands of evil,

00:55:38.929 --> 00:55:42.429
but only our bodies can ever die anyway. Dying

00:55:42.429 --> 00:55:45.449
as testimony to His power due to His empowering

00:55:45.449 --> 00:55:49.889
us to transcend our limitations. And we can truly

00:55:49.889 --> 00:55:53.150
say, as that 80's song used to say, nothing going

00:55:53.150 --> 00:55:56.900
to break in my stride. Because the mission is

00:55:56.900 --> 00:55:59.300
the way out of the spot. You ask yourself, what

00:55:59.300 --> 00:56:02.219
do I do when I feel cornered? What do I do when

00:56:02.219 --> 00:56:04.519
I feel like I have nothing? You pour yourself

00:56:04.519 --> 00:56:07.039
into the mission of God. Don't you want to be

00:56:07.039 --> 00:56:09.480
like Stephen who just said to them when they

00:56:09.480 --> 00:56:11.840
accosted him on the temple, he just said, well,

00:56:11.980 --> 00:56:13.980
this is our history as a nation. It ends with

00:56:13.980 --> 00:56:16.639
you killing Jesus on the cross. And they stoned

00:56:16.639 --> 00:56:18.360
him to death. And when they stoned him to death

00:56:18.360 --> 00:56:20.659
with nowhere to run and no life left in his limbs

00:56:20.659 --> 00:56:22.739
and he had nothing left, he looked up and saw

00:56:22.739 --> 00:56:27.210
Jesus in heaven. When you really have nowhere,

00:56:27.269 --> 00:56:29.909
nothing left, don't you want to look up and see

00:56:29.909 --> 00:56:32.150
Jesus in heaven and then leave this life and

00:56:32.150 --> 00:56:34.550
go immediately to be by His side? The ultimate

00:56:34.550 --> 00:56:37.710
victory of the plot would be to get you to play

00:56:37.710 --> 00:56:39.750
along with the plot. That's what it's all about.

00:56:39.829 --> 00:56:42.210
The world is all about that. To get you to fall

00:56:42.210 --> 00:56:44.610
into sin, to find some way, to veto through,

00:56:44.690 --> 00:56:47.710
to pretend that you're a God -loving, God -sharing,

00:56:47.909 --> 00:56:50.289
praising, Bible -reading, whatever Christian.

00:56:50.369 --> 00:56:52.369
Just play along with that, but do it some other

00:56:52.369 --> 00:56:56.750
way. Or, to fight specific aspects of the plot.

00:56:56.829 --> 00:56:58.449
I don't want this to happen. I'm going to pile.

00:56:58.570 --> 00:56:59.769
I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen. I'm

00:56:59.769 --> 00:57:01.570
going to make sure that I don't do that or they

00:57:01.570 --> 00:57:03.210
don't do that to me anymore. I'm going to stop

00:57:03.210 --> 00:57:05.510
them. Whatever. I'm going to fight some aspect

00:57:05.510 --> 00:57:07.230
of the plot. I'm not going to allow myself to

00:57:07.230 --> 00:57:10.329
suffer or I'm not going to allow myself to spend

00:57:10.329 --> 00:57:12.150
too much time on it. I'm going to protect my

00:57:12.150 --> 00:57:16.929
family time at the cost of serving Jesus. Whatever.

00:57:17.269 --> 00:57:21.389
We fight specific aspects of the plot. To completely

00:57:21.389 --> 00:57:23.329
ignore the plot and to realize that, hey, everything

00:57:23.329 --> 00:57:25.269
is peachy keen fine, so it doesn't matter how

00:57:25.269 --> 00:57:26.989
bad things get for me, but everything is fine.

00:57:27.130 --> 00:57:28.309
I'm just going to say I'm fine no matter what.

00:57:28.329 --> 00:57:29.630
I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. Yeah, I'm dying,

00:57:29.710 --> 00:57:32.170
but I'm fine. Yeah, I'm crushed, but I'm fine.

00:57:32.889 --> 00:57:34.969
Yeah, I'm basically destroyed, but I'm fine.

00:57:35.130 --> 00:57:38.349
I'm fine. And the Bible says live in the light.

00:57:38.449 --> 00:57:41.190
It means don't ignore the plot. You have to realize

00:57:41.190 --> 00:57:45.670
He's coming for you. You understand? Not Satan.

00:57:46.199 --> 00:57:49.119
but His plots, His schemes. He's coming for you.

00:57:49.239 --> 00:57:51.699
He wants you to be with the wrong people at the

00:57:51.699 --> 00:57:55.239
wrong time so you'll do the wrong thing. He wants

00:57:55.239 --> 00:57:57.460
you to withdraw and hold back your resources

00:57:57.460 --> 00:58:01.099
so that they will never be His resources, God's

00:58:01.099 --> 00:58:03.420
resources, so that you'll have some resources

00:58:03.420 --> 00:58:05.000
and you'll be able to treasure and go, oh, at

00:58:05.000 --> 00:58:06.659
least I'll be able to retire at my old age. And

00:58:06.659 --> 00:58:08.780
God says, you fool. Your life will be taken from

00:58:08.780 --> 00:58:12.559
you today. Then what will you have? The parables

00:58:12.559 --> 00:58:15.670
of Jesus make it clear. That the foolishness

00:58:15.670 --> 00:58:19.610
on our part would be to either A, sin, meaning

00:58:19.610 --> 00:58:22.730
to take part in the plot, B, fight specific aspects

00:58:22.730 --> 00:58:24.849
of the plot, to fight back against specific things

00:58:24.849 --> 00:58:26.550
that are coming against us, rather than fighting

00:58:26.550 --> 00:58:30.130
for the mission, which is the way out. That we

00:58:30.130 --> 00:58:33.090
would ignore the plot and let it go on. Just

00:58:33.090 --> 00:58:34.809
saying, we're fine no matter what, but not be

00:58:34.809 --> 00:58:42.530
on mission. Or that we would make excuses. Excuses

00:58:42.530 --> 00:58:44.690
are advertisements for the victory of the plot.

00:58:45.030 --> 00:58:48.329
I can't do this because I'm not available to

00:58:48.329 --> 00:58:52.389
do that because while I was going to, but, or

00:58:52.389 --> 00:58:56.989
you see what had happened was, right? An excuse

00:58:56.989 --> 00:58:59.969
is an advertisement for the victory of the plot.

00:59:00.110 --> 00:59:05.599
You don't need excuses. What you need to do is

00:59:05.599 --> 00:59:07.739
make all your commitments in Christ, in God.

00:59:07.880 --> 00:59:09.400
Make your commitments in Christ, in God. You

00:59:09.400 --> 00:59:11.280
say, I'll put God first. I'll put Christ first.

00:59:11.639 --> 00:59:13.519
You make all of your commitments in God. Don't

00:59:13.519 --> 00:59:14.900
make your commitments in anything that are not

00:59:14.900 --> 00:59:17.099
in God. And then if you make your commitment

00:59:17.099 --> 00:59:19.579
in God and you say, God, I will be there. I will

00:59:19.579 --> 00:59:21.380
do Bible study. I will do worship. I will lead.

00:59:21.460 --> 00:59:23.599
I will serve. I will witness. I will share. I

00:59:23.599 --> 00:59:25.860
will do whatever. I will spend myself at your

00:59:25.860 --> 00:59:29.760
cause. Then you spend yourself at His cause.

00:59:30.280 --> 00:59:33.099
And die trying. And if you die, ain't no earthly

00:59:33.099 --> 00:59:35.440
person would ever say, well, he died trying to

00:59:35.440 --> 00:59:38.860
share Christ with that man. He sucked. He sucked.

00:59:38.900 --> 00:59:42.219
He was a terrible Christian. No way. He couldn't

00:59:42.219 --> 00:59:43.639
even share Christ with that guy. He died trying

00:59:43.639 --> 00:59:45.380
to do it. No one's going to say that. And if

00:59:45.380 --> 00:59:46.900
they do, they're not followers of the Lord Jesus

00:59:46.900 --> 00:59:48.840
Christ. And you don't care what they say anyway.

00:59:49.159 --> 00:59:51.099
What we're going to do is we're going to celebrate

00:59:51.099 --> 00:59:55.599
the fact that you died trying to do exactly what

00:59:55.599 --> 00:59:59.610
you said you would do. But we're too busy. The

00:59:59.610 --> 01:00:02.010
world will solicit all kinds of commitments from

01:00:02.010 --> 01:00:04.010
you. We're too busy honoring the commitments

01:00:04.010 --> 01:00:06.010
that the world has asked us for. And we say,

01:00:06.050 --> 01:00:08.349
oh, you know, we should be nice. We have to be

01:00:08.349 --> 01:00:10.070
gentle and kind and patient. I have to be all

01:00:10.070 --> 01:00:11.650
those things. And through the spirits, they come

01:00:11.650 --> 01:00:13.269
and they say, will you come and do this? And

01:00:13.269 --> 01:00:15.070
you say, well, yeah, I'll take care of that for

01:00:15.070 --> 01:00:17.710
you. Because that's the nice, loving, kind thing

01:00:17.710 --> 01:00:19.610
to do. Oh, you think Satan isn't going to pull

01:00:19.610 --> 01:00:22.010
your heartstrings and ask you for compassion?

01:00:22.780 --> 01:00:24.679
I submit to you, if he stood before you with

01:00:24.679 --> 01:00:26.280
a flaming sword about to drive it through your

01:00:26.280 --> 01:00:28.360
heart, you might say, you know, you are a follower

01:00:28.360 --> 01:00:31.340
of Jesus. You are supposed to be peaceful and

01:00:31.340 --> 01:00:34.079
kind, compassionate. Don't you rebuke me. I don't

01:00:34.079 --> 01:00:36.420
want to be. Please don't rebuke me. Please let

01:00:36.420 --> 01:00:38.380
me put this sword through your heart. You know,

01:00:38.420 --> 01:00:40.360
you really should because you love God. You really

01:00:40.360 --> 01:00:43.420
should do that. And you would go, well, no, you're

01:00:43.420 --> 01:00:45.000
an idiot. Get out of here. That's a flaming sword.

01:00:45.079 --> 01:00:46.539
Don't put it through my heart. Be gone and don't

01:00:46.539 --> 01:00:49.059
ever return. Wouldn't you or would you? Because

01:00:49.059 --> 01:00:50.900
when the world comes knocking, they're just as

01:00:50.900 --> 01:00:53.730
deadly an enemy. When the world comes requesting

01:00:53.730 --> 01:00:56.449
and the world is just as deadly an enemy, when

01:00:56.449 --> 01:00:58.889
your flesh asks you for something and it's just

01:00:58.889 --> 01:01:02.369
as deadly an enemy, how fast are you to rebuke

01:01:02.369 --> 01:01:08.230
those requests? You see, sometimes when we look

01:01:08.230 --> 01:01:12.510
up and we're totally surrounded, it's because

01:01:12.510 --> 01:01:15.929
we left things in our life. We allowed things

01:01:15.929 --> 01:01:20.360
to come in that never should have been. And if

01:01:20.360 --> 01:01:22.260
nothing's going to break my stride, then nobody

01:01:22.260 --> 01:01:25.119
that can't run just as fast as me is going to

01:01:25.119 --> 01:01:30.360
catch me. And that's where we live. That's where

01:01:30.360 --> 01:01:33.139
our freedom is. I am free in the Lord Jesus Christ.

01:01:33.519 --> 01:01:35.860
And I can run mightily forward doing what...

01:01:35.860 --> 01:01:38.400
When I say to you that you are safe in Christ,

01:01:38.500 --> 01:01:40.400
when the Bible says to you that you are safe

01:01:40.400 --> 01:01:43.719
in Christ, I want you to hear this very carefully.

01:01:45.159 --> 01:01:47.099
When I say to you, or the Bible says to you,

01:01:47.159 --> 01:01:48.940
or God says to you that you are safe in Christ,

01:01:49.239 --> 01:01:51.659
When the Bible says to you that nothing can separate

01:01:51.659 --> 01:01:53.880
you from the love of Christ, it means if you

01:01:53.880 --> 01:01:56.460
are running with Christ, doing what Christ would

01:01:56.460 --> 01:01:59.880
have you to do, nothing and no one can stop you

01:01:59.880 --> 01:02:02.659
or take you out. Could you wind up bankrupt?

01:02:02.840 --> 01:02:05.940
Sure. Could you wind up sick? Sure. Could you

01:02:05.940 --> 01:02:08.460
wind up with broken relationships? Sure. Could

01:02:08.460 --> 01:02:10.340
you be perplexed and not understand how you wound

01:02:10.340 --> 01:02:13.099
up where you are? Sure. But the bottom line is,

01:02:13.219 --> 01:02:15.699
nothing and no one can take you out because the

01:02:15.699 --> 01:02:19.679
mission itself, go ye therefore, And make disciples

01:02:19.679 --> 01:02:24.139
of all nations. The mission itself. You shall

01:02:24.139 --> 01:02:27.239
be my witnesses. The mission itself. This command

01:02:27.239 --> 01:02:29.960
I give you. Love one another. The mission itself

01:02:29.960 --> 01:02:34.300
is the way out. And it crosses all physical barriers.

01:02:34.639 --> 01:02:40.260
It crushes all opposition. And you run spiritually.

01:02:41.699 --> 01:02:45.800
Not physically. But you run spiritually in victory.

01:02:46.360 --> 01:02:48.510
Overcoming. But here is what I see. I'm coming

01:02:48.510 --> 01:02:54.130
to my conclusion. Here's what I see. We claim

01:02:54.130 --> 01:02:55.710
the name of Jesus because we don't want to be

01:02:55.710 --> 01:02:58.409
lost. We claim the name of Jesus because we don't

01:02:58.409 --> 01:03:00.690
want to go to hell. We claim the name of Jesus

01:03:00.690 --> 01:03:04.309
because we don't want to truly suffer. But the

01:03:04.309 --> 01:03:09.690
fact remains. We've just claimed the name of

01:03:09.690 --> 01:03:14.809
Jesus for the benefits. And we have no way out.

01:03:15.650 --> 01:03:18.559
There's no way out. And then when we arrive at

01:03:18.559 --> 01:03:20.760
that moment in time where all of the world and

01:03:20.760 --> 01:03:22.800
all of the people and ourselves and everything

01:03:22.800 --> 01:03:24.679
is working against us and we look up and we're

01:03:24.679 --> 01:03:27.579
perplexed and we can't understand it, we're crying

01:03:27.579 --> 01:03:29.699
out in despair because we only accepted Jesus

01:03:29.699 --> 01:03:35.760
because we thought He was the way out. Jesus

01:03:35.760 --> 01:03:38.480
is the way to heaven. He is the way to live.

01:03:39.079 --> 01:03:41.000
If Jesus is the way to heaven and He is the way

01:03:41.000 --> 01:03:42.880
to live, He is the way, the haras, the way. He

01:03:42.880 --> 01:03:45.539
is the method, the choices, the direction, the

01:03:45.539 --> 01:03:48.539
pathway. He is the steps you take. What steps

01:03:48.539 --> 01:03:50.900
did He take? He did only that which He saw the

01:03:50.900 --> 01:03:53.920
Father doing. He went to the cross and died so

01:03:53.920 --> 01:03:56.360
that mankind could be free. He told everyone.

01:03:56.780 --> 01:04:00.199
He loved and served as He went. The mission is

01:04:00.199 --> 01:04:02.840
the way out. It's the way that Jesus got to heaven.

01:04:03.840 --> 01:04:05.900
If you're busy worried about the things of the

01:04:05.900 --> 01:04:08.849
world, If things of the world loom large in your

01:04:08.849 --> 01:04:11.489
eyes, you better refocus your eyes on the Savior

01:04:11.489 --> 01:04:14.289
because you were made to relate to God. You were

01:04:14.289 --> 01:04:17.150
made to figure out who you are. So many people

01:04:17.150 --> 01:04:20.289
searching for themselves feel hemmed in, forced

01:04:20.289 --> 01:04:22.110
to be something they were never meant to be.

01:04:22.230 --> 01:04:24.909
They spend their time asking why instead of doing

01:04:24.909 --> 01:04:27.650
something about it. They refuse to give up their

01:04:27.650 --> 01:04:30.030
rights even though they have lost their rights

01:04:30.030 --> 01:04:32.070
long ago. You lost your rights when you were

01:04:32.070 --> 01:04:39.250
born into a human body. We live in an earthly

01:04:39.250 --> 01:04:45.050
tabernacle with a taste of His death that we

01:04:45.050 --> 01:04:48.130
might have a feast of His life. We are surrounded.

01:04:48.190 --> 01:04:52.750
I know the text said that we're not truly trapped

01:04:52.750 --> 01:04:54.909
in. I've told you the way out is the mission.

01:04:55.170 --> 01:04:57.289
But elsewhere in the Bible, Hebrews 12, it says

01:04:57.289 --> 01:05:03.409
that we are actually surrounded by a horde of

01:05:03.409 --> 01:05:09.219
witnesses. In our church are those who have responded

01:05:09.219 --> 01:05:13.679
to God's commands, not knowing the outcome, and

01:05:13.679 --> 01:05:18.460
God is blessed. Once upon a time, our family

01:05:18.460 --> 01:05:21.420
was so deep in debt and we thought we had two

01:05:21.420 --> 01:05:24.519
houses going into foreclosure. We had a job between

01:05:24.519 --> 01:05:26.019
us, between the two of us. We did have a job.

01:05:26.320 --> 01:05:28.679
$300 a week unemployment, which sounds like a

01:05:28.679 --> 01:05:29.880
lot of money, but it isn't when you've got two

01:05:29.880 --> 01:05:32.300
houses going into foreclosure and $30 ,000, soon

01:05:32.300 --> 01:05:36.480
to be $90 ,000 worth of credit card debt. And

01:05:36.480 --> 01:05:38.940
we responded to the call of God and God eliminated

01:05:38.940 --> 01:05:41.820
all of those problems and has taken care of us

01:05:41.820 --> 01:05:43.719
ever since. Not that we haven't had other problems.

01:05:44.460 --> 01:05:46.639
We always get more problems. There's always more

01:05:46.639 --> 01:05:48.719
problems. He's provided us with a home, a career

01:05:48.719 --> 01:05:51.719
for my wife. Sherry's job requires a master's

01:05:51.719 --> 01:05:56.780
degree. She hasn't had a day of college. God

01:05:56.780 --> 01:06:00.539
set that up. It doesn't happen otherwise. We're

01:06:00.539 --> 01:06:02.260
surrounded by a church full of people who love

01:06:02.260 --> 01:06:05.019
me and love my wife. And by the grace of God,

01:06:05.099 --> 01:06:09.400
you accept me as your pastor, most of you. And

01:06:09.400 --> 01:06:11.679
God chooses to speak through me on a Sunday morning,

01:06:11.820 --> 01:06:14.679
even though I know for a fact that I have no

01:06:14.679 --> 01:06:18.059
public speaker. And I am scared literally every

01:06:18.059 --> 01:06:20.380
time I step up to share the word, whether it's

01:06:20.380 --> 01:06:22.380
at the life station or here, it doesn't matter,

01:06:22.500 --> 01:06:25.000
that if I blow it, I will lead somebody to hell

01:06:25.000 --> 01:06:28.960
rather than to heaven. And yet I do what God

01:06:28.960 --> 01:06:30.940
has intended for me to do. I mean, I guess I

01:06:30.940 --> 01:06:34.650
do. There are those here who choose to serve

01:06:34.650 --> 01:06:36.610
God with their whole heart, even though some

01:06:36.610 --> 01:06:39.070
days they don't feel like it. They do not respond

01:06:39.070 --> 01:06:40.789
with emotion, they respond with eyes of faith.

01:06:40.869 --> 01:06:43.630
They faithfully give back of that which God has

01:06:43.630 --> 01:06:46.469
blessed them with, time, money, other resources,

01:06:46.730 --> 01:06:48.130
whatever they can get their hands on, frankly.

01:06:48.590 --> 01:06:51.030
They believe God for what He has said. They,

01:06:51.289 --> 01:06:54.590
like I'm trying to be, are just simple enough

01:06:54.590 --> 01:06:57.409
to believe. The plain language of Scripture that

01:06:57.409 --> 01:06:59.929
God has provided, God will provide, and God will

01:06:59.929 --> 01:07:02.550
always provide. The question is, surrounded by

01:07:02.550 --> 01:07:05.690
such a great cloud of witnesses, will we personally

01:07:05.690 --> 01:07:09.230
respond and use the mission that God has given

01:07:09.230 --> 01:07:13.010
us as our way out? Where do you stand today?

01:07:15.010 --> 01:07:17.949
Have you lived as if you are a victim? Are your

01:07:17.949 --> 01:07:20.130
eyes on the opposition or are they on the road

01:07:20.130 --> 01:07:22.630
ahead? Are you prepared to live as the victor

01:07:22.630 --> 01:07:25.500
that God has made you? No matter what the cost?

01:07:30.300 --> 01:07:32.340
Even if victory doesn't look like victory in

01:07:32.340 --> 01:07:34.760
your finances, even if victory doesn't look like

01:07:34.760 --> 01:07:36.760
victory in your marriage, even if victory doesn't

01:07:36.760 --> 01:07:39.559
look like victory in your health, even if victory

01:07:39.559 --> 01:07:46.059
looks like death or suffering, trial after trial

01:07:46.059 --> 01:07:48.840
after trial, are you prepared to be victorious

01:07:48.840 --> 01:07:52.280
even if victory isn't what you would make it?

01:07:55.779 --> 01:07:59.260
Maybe it's just too simple. Is it that we see

01:07:59.260 --> 01:08:01.619
the encroaching hordes and simply cannot believe

01:08:01.619 --> 01:08:05.320
that simple and faithful obedience and trusting

01:08:05.320 --> 01:08:12.460
Him will be enough? When they're screaming in

01:08:12.460 --> 01:08:15.340
your face. When they're waving their weapons.

01:08:16.760 --> 01:08:20.039
When they're taking your stuff. When they're

01:08:20.039 --> 01:08:21.840
looking down on you or talking about you behind

01:08:21.840 --> 01:08:25.140
your back. You thought they were your friend.

01:08:25.819 --> 01:08:30.000
You thought that was your family. When they were

01:08:30.000 --> 01:08:31.720
doing everything in their power to bring you

01:08:31.720 --> 01:08:34.539
low, those that you thought were responsible

01:08:34.539 --> 01:08:38.399
to lift you up, that doesn't look like victory

01:08:38.399 --> 01:08:43.699
by worldly standards. But if you are on the mission

01:08:43.699 --> 01:08:49.180
of Jesus, it is exactly that. And I stop at the

01:08:49.180 --> 01:08:59.989
red light. Perplexed. Baffled. How I had become

01:08:59.989 --> 01:09:03.069
my own enemy. Just trying to do what God wanted

01:09:03.069 --> 01:09:06.250
me to do and I had become my own enemy. The thoughts

01:09:06.250 --> 01:09:08.270
in my head were of how weak and how stupid I

01:09:08.270 --> 01:09:10.729
must be to be completely wrong and to give up

01:09:10.729 --> 01:09:14.750
my night's sleep and to spend 20, 30 hours preparing

01:09:14.750 --> 01:09:16.329
a sermon that takes a half an hour to preach.

01:09:19.760 --> 01:09:21.460
The other things I said weren't really true,

01:09:21.520 --> 01:09:23.319
but I'm going to say them anyway. To people who

01:09:23.319 --> 01:09:26.279
don't really listen, who won't really live for

01:09:26.279 --> 01:09:29.199
Christ, who won't really be unleashed, who will

01:09:29.199 --> 01:09:31.760
never find the path of victory. You see how the

01:09:31.760 --> 01:09:34.880
enemy works? Like dominoes, they fall. Suddenly

01:09:34.880 --> 01:09:37.460
I was surrounded. Suddenly I was almost destroyed.

01:09:38.199 --> 01:09:45.020
Suddenly I almost turned right. But then suddenly,

01:09:47.500 --> 01:09:49.479
I drove a block with my right turn signal on,

01:09:49.600 --> 01:09:53.520
and then a few more feet, and when I turned left

01:09:53.520 --> 01:09:58.340
on star, I think it went off. God is asking you

01:09:58.340 --> 01:10:04.859
for one thing, that you be found faithful, and

01:10:04.859 --> 01:10:08.039
the more you endure, the more you overcome, the

01:10:08.039 --> 01:10:11.039
more difficulty you face, the harder it is, the

01:10:11.039 --> 01:10:13.680
more you can identify the enemies who are against

01:10:13.680 --> 01:10:17.539
you, and still, Go forward in the mission of

01:10:17.539 --> 01:10:24.479
Christ. The more likely you are to be found faithful.

01:10:26.340 --> 01:10:32.039
Don't give up. Don't give in. You want to fight?

01:10:32.880 --> 01:10:35.600
Let's fight. I want you to start thinking about

01:10:35.600 --> 01:10:37.239
the demons and evil spirits that are affecting

01:10:37.239 --> 01:10:39.720
you and others around you. I want you to start

01:10:39.720 --> 01:10:41.859
thinking about the temptations that literally

01:10:41.859 --> 01:10:45.420
everyone faces. No one is immune. Stop thinking

01:10:45.420 --> 01:10:47.920
that they are better off than you. You cannot

01:10:47.920 --> 01:10:51.760
measure success in this life by the standards

01:10:51.760 --> 01:10:55.319
that the world sets. It doesn't matter if they're

01:10:55.319 --> 01:10:57.520
Christian people doing the best they can to teach

01:10:57.520 --> 01:10:59.699
people the best they know how about money. You

01:10:59.699 --> 01:11:02.800
cannot measure success in this life in the way

01:11:02.800 --> 01:11:05.340
you handle your money. You cannot measure success

01:11:05.340 --> 01:11:10.560
in this life in the successes of others. You

01:11:10.560 --> 01:11:13.350
can only measure success in this life About whether

01:11:13.350 --> 01:11:15.770
you are completely and totally committed to the

01:11:15.770 --> 01:11:18.909
mission of God. Because when all else fails,

01:11:19.289 --> 01:11:24.909
it is the way out. And I submit to you, Jesus

01:11:24.909 --> 01:11:27.949
knew it. He didn't find it. He just stayed on

01:11:27.949 --> 01:11:33.149
it. And he left. And he left us here with the

01:11:33.149 --> 01:11:35.989
comforter of the Holy Spirit. God's Holy Spirit

01:11:35.989 --> 01:11:39.350
coming into us as long as we're saved. With the

01:11:39.350 --> 01:11:41.810
mission. of teaching the remission of sins, the

01:11:41.810 --> 01:11:44.390
washing away of sins, the regeneration that happens

01:11:44.390 --> 01:11:46.289
when you ask for forgiveness from God through

01:11:46.289 --> 01:11:49.109
Jesus Christ, with the ability to be born again,

01:11:49.130 --> 01:11:52.329
again and again, and to face the same challenges

01:11:52.329 --> 01:11:57.510
as He faced with the same way out. If you have

01:11:57.510 --> 01:12:00.989
not accepted Jesus Christ this way, I'm asking

01:12:00.989 --> 01:12:02.609
you today to stop playing games.