WEBVTT

00:00:01.320 --> 00:00:06.940
You wanna see Jesus? You wanna see him? You wanna

00:00:06.940 --> 00:03:27.509
see him? We come to that moment in time where

00:03:27.509 --> 00:03:30.849
we talk about how God has been at work. What

00:03:30.849 --> 00:03:34.110
have you seen of the Lord this last week? What

00:03:34.110 --> 00:03:36.689
scripture did you read? When did God say, hey,

00:03:36.729 --> 00:03:39.689
pay attention to that. That's important. That's

00:03:39.689 --> 00:03:42.770
something that you need to recognize as wisdom

00:03:42.770 --> 00:03:45.750
for me or something you need to respond to or

00:03:45.750 --> 00:03:49.419
whatever. This is our opportunity as a body to

00:03:49.419 --> 00:03:52.159
work together and say how God's been speaking

00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:54.460
to us and showing us during the last seven days

00:03:54.460 --> 00:03:57.120
since the last time we were here. And so, what

00:03:57.120 --> 00:03:59.219
have you seen? What have you heard from the Lord

00:03:59.219 --> 00:04:07.740
this week? Anybody? I got this book. It's kind

00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:09.919
of cool. I got it when I was going to my mom

00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:14.080
and dad's anniversary. And I went to church.

00:04:14.139 --> 00:04:16.839
It's like my other church, you know. in their

00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:20.500
town, and they just had this book, and I picked

00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:22.660
it up. It wasn't a book I bought, or I saw this

00:04:22.660 --> 00:04:24.279
was given to me, and it just felt like it was

00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:28.519
a gift from God. And it's called Paul David Trift.

00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:31.839
It's about parenting, the 14 gospel principles

00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:33.620
that can radically change your family. It is

00:04:33.620 --> 00:04:36.139
just absolutely amazing. And I saw I was going

00:04:36.139 --> 00:04:38.920
to read a couple things from it. There's one

00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:41.879
about grace, and what I thought was really cool,

00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:44.040
it talks about, you know, we have to part on.

00:04:44.350 --> 00:04:47.410
past grace that He died for transgressions. Then

00:04:47.410 --> 00:04:49.910
there's future grace when we go beyond, we'll

00:04:49.910 --> 00:04:53.089
be in heaven with Him. It was talking about present

00:04:53.089 --> 00:04:55.670
grace. It was talking about our inability. This

00:04:55.670 --> 00:04:59.050
is what it said. It says, inability doesn't mean

00:04:59.050 --> 00:05:00.970
that God has made a massive mistake by giving

00:05:00.970 --> 00:05:03.029
you children and somehow He's gotten the wrong

00:05:03.029 --> 00:05:05.389
address or your children would be better off

00:05:05.389 --> 00:05:07.949
elsewhere. Rather than your inability being the

00:05:07.949 --> 00:05:11.160
way of God's plan. It is part of His plan. He

00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:12.920
knows that parents who admit that they are inadequate

00:05:12.920 --> 00:05:16.000
and run to God make the best parents. You see,

00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:18.459
He doesn't ask you to be able. He asks you to

00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:20.680
be willing. If you're willing, He will meet you

00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:23.139
in your weakness and change you. And as He changes

00:05:23.139 --> 00:05:26.699
you, He will work good things through you into

00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:28.959
your hearts and the lives of your children. There's

00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:30.660
so much more about it. Right there is one other

00:05:30.660 --> 00:05:33.199
part of life. And if anyone wants to borrow this

00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:34.839
book, let me know. I'm actually going to hand

00:05:34.839 --> 00:05:37.480
out some money, but I also might get some copies

00:05:37.480 --> 00:05:39.540
too. Just let me know if you guys are interested.

00:05:40.379 --> 00:05:44.779
It says this. It says, God never calls us to

00:05:44.779 --> 00:05:47.600
a task without giving us what we need to do or

00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:50.180
what we need to do it. God never sends you in

00:05:50.180 --> 00:05:53.180
anything without going with you. He never tells

00:05:53.180 --> 00:05:54.899
you to do something without giving you what you

00:05:54.899 --> 00:05:57.079
need to do it. This is the story of the whole

00:05:57.079 --> 00:05:59.579
Bible. This is why God sent his son to earth.

00:05:59.860 --> 00:06:01.920
There is only one hero in the Bible. Every other

00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:04.750
character is flawed in some way. God is the hero

00:06:04.750 --> 00:06:07.209
of every story in the Bible. In fact, the Bible

00:06:07.209 --> 00:06:09.310
is not a collection of stories, but one big story

00:06:09.310 --> 00:06:11.949
with lots of chapters. It's the story of how

00:06:11.949 --> 00:06:14.350
God meets weak and failing people of this powerful

00:06:14.350 --> 00:06:19.310
race. Amen. Amen. What's one of my favorite sayings?

00:06:20.149 --> 00:06:23.069
God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the

00:06:23.069 --> 00:06:34.040
called. Amen. Anybody else? I was at the life

00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:37.360
station yesterday working, and Josh and Dan Rose,

00:06:37.639 --> 00:06:40.579
who's a professor, worked there as well. And

00:06:40.579 --> 00:06:42.600
Isaiah was on the road taking deliveries and

00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:46.079
happened to step into the lobby. It was the first

00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:50.180
time I was in the lobby all day. And we only

00:06:50.180 --> 00:06:52.040
run deliveries on Saturdays. We don't do pick

00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:54.420
-ups. So unless we have an appointment, I'm not

00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:55.740
in the lobby at all. So I hadn't been in the

00:06:55.740 --> 00:06:57.519
lobby all day. I just had it at the desk. And

00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:00.000
as I sat there, there was a rattling of the doorknob.

00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:02.220
Somebody was trying to get in. And I was like,

00:07:02.259 --> 00:07:04.980
oh, it's okay, you know, we don't do walk -ups

00:07:04.980 --> 00:07:07.740
on Saturday. And the Lord kind of provoked my

00:07:07.740 --> 00:07:10.639
heart. I better help him if I can. So as I walked

00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:13.500
the door, she already got in her car. You may

00:07:13.500 --> 00:07:15.560
or may not know me before I was saved. Just remember

00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:18.060
that I'm not, in talking to people that I don't

00:07:18.060 --> 00:07:19.879
know, I was never a person to push past barriers.

00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:24.459
Like, I was that guy who wouldn't risk anybody

00:07:24.459 --> 00:07:27.139
looking at me in a way, you know, thinking he's

00:07:27.139 --> 00:07:29.759
gone with me or bad with me or whatever. And

00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:31.180
so I got to the door, and she got in the car.

00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:33.720
I'm like, oh, no, she'll come back Monday. And

00:07:33.720 --> 00:07:36.439
then the Lord said, no. So I opened the door,

00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:38.300
and I walked out there. And she's in the car.

00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:39.920
She starts the car. She starts the car. I'm like,

00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:42.740
oh, no, it's too late now. I can't talk to her.

00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:45.620
It's too late now. And then I went up to the

00:07:45.620 --> 00:07:47.879
window that rolled down the passenger window,

00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:49.959
which was interesting, because it was warm. And

00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:51.500
if it hadn't been warm, the window probably wouldn't

00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:53.490
have been rolled down. I don't know, maybe she's

00:07:53.490 --> 00:07:55.050
like me and her AC doesn't work. But anyway,

00:07:55.250 --> 00:07:57.529
I walked up to the window and I said, was that

00:07:57.529 --> 00:07:59.310
you just at the door? And she said, yeah. And

00:07:59.310 --> 00:08:01.889
I said, do you need, did you need help? And she

00:08:01.889 --> 00:08:03.430
said, yeah. She said, I've been trying to get

00:08:03.430 --> 00:08:04.889
her all week, but I didn't make it. I was having

00:08:04.889 --> 00:08:08.290
some troubles and I was hoping to get food. And

00:08:08.290 --> 00:08:10.370
I said, well, turn the car off. Let's go. I'll

00:08:10.370 --> 00:08:11.910
take care of it. So go back to the life station.

00:08:12.389 --> 00:08:14.569
And the end of the story is really cool because

00:08:14.569 --> 00:08:16.769
she prays, while she's praying to accept Christ.

00:08:16.829 --> 00:08:19.250
But that was, well, that's really cool. That

00:08:19.250 --> 00:08:21.790
wasn't the point of what God said. You pay attention

00:08:21.790 --> 00:08:24.339
to that. It was as I was sitting at the desk

00:08:24.339 --> 00:08:27.079
and I was busy, I was sending texts, important

00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:30.120
texts, right? In fact, what was scary was after

00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:32.120
I did all that, I almost forgot to send one of

00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:33.860
the important texts that I needed to send, you

00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:35.919
know? So I was sending important texts and I'm

00:08:35.919 --> 00:08:38.240
saying, well, how importantly busy I was, and

00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:39.960
the Lord said, get up and go to the door. Then

00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:43.120
I'm like, well, she's there and she could come

00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:44.639
back on Monday. She's not supposed to come today

00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:46.740
anyway, so no big deal. I didn't know it was

00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:48.299
a woman. I didn't know who it was. The curtain

00:08:48.299 --> 00:08:51.360
clocked the door. And I would have in the past

00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:52.779
made that excuse. I would have said, no, it's

00:08:52.779 --> 00:08:54.179
no problem. I'm not going to do it. But the Lord

00:08:54.179 --> 00:08:56.100
said, do it. And then I get to the door and I

00:08:56.100 --> 00:08:57.340
saw her getting in the car. I'm like, oh, it's

00:08:57.340 --> 00:08:59.700
too late. No, guys, it's not too late. And I

00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:01.179
open the door and I walk outside. She starts

00:09:01.179 --> 00:09:03.200
the car. She's going to pull away. And I said,

00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:04.980
oh, it's too late. And the Lord said, no, it's

00:09:04.980 --> 00:09:07.879
not too late. And what the Lord said to me as

00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:10.320
I was walking back, before she ever wanted to

00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:12.000
pray, and I don't know, maybe it added confidence

00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:14.279
to my presentation or whatever, but before that

00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:15.960
ever happened, what the Lord said to me was,

00:09:16.059 --> 00:09:20.820
see, my people, are people who don't say it's

00:09:20.820 --> 00:09:24.299
too late, it's too hard, that there's a barrier,

00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:27.860
that there's a reason or an excuse to quit, to

00:09:27.860 --> 00:09:31.440
stop, to give in. My people don't do that. And

00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:34.399
I thought, you know what's really sad is as one

00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:36.720
of God's people, I have done that. And I think

00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:39.679
that the church at large has done that. And I

00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:42.120
think that's, God would just say, that's not

00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:44.879
who we're supposed to be. And I don't want to

00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:46.720
get into the sermon today because it really touched

00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:48.679
my heart and it may come up then, but I do want

00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:51.200
to say, I feel like God was saying to us, every

00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:53.840
time you think there is an excuse, every time

00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:56.539
you think there is a reason, that excuse or that

00:09:56.539 --> 00:10:00.440
reason is actually a prodding or an encouragement

00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:03.259
to do exactly what it is that God would have

00:10:03.259 --> 00:10:06.840
you do over top of that escape that you might

00:10:06.840 --> 00:10:08.639
have. Somebody said, well, I'm not going to do

00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:11.470
that. Because X, and as soon as you think X,

00:10:11.669 --> 00:10:13.710
you need to go, but that's exactly why I need

00:10:13.710 --> 00:10:15.769
to do it. I need to do it because God's people

00:10:15.769 --> 00:10:20.110
are a people that don't quit. They don't take

00:10:20.110 --> 00:10:23.190
the excuse. They don't back down. They go past

00:10:23.190 --> 00:10:26.330
the barriers. They reach people. They love people.

00:10:26.490 --> 00:10:30.970
We love the unlovable. Jesus prayed for those

00:10:30.970 --> 00:10:34.570
who were crucifying him while they were crucifying

00:10:34.570 --> 00:10:37.970
him. If that's the standard, I'm not sure how

00:10:37.970 --> 00:10:39.990
well we're living up to that standard, but I

00:10:39.990 --> 00:10:42.350
would just say we need to push past the barriers

00:10:42.350 --> 00:10:44.370
and love people and reach out and find people.

00:10:44.710 --> 00:10:47.269
And I think there's a spiritual awakening happening.

00:10:47.370 --> 00:10:50.350
I think there are people that are right now open

00:10:50.350 --> 00:10:53.570
to the discussions of God, open to the things

00:10:53.570 --> 00:10:56.149
of the Bible that have maybe not been in their

00:10:56.149 --> 00:10:58.350
whole lives. They might be 30, 40, 50, 60, 70

00:10:58.350 --> 00:11:00.710
years old, and right now they're going, no, what

00:11:00.710 --> 00:11:03.250
I'm seeing, what I'm feeling, what's going on,

00:11:03.370 --> 00:11:06.460
God is an answer. And they don't know whether

00:11:06.460 --> 00:11:08.379
God is the answer or not. And we need to show

00:11:08.379 --> 00:11:09.940
up and show them that he's the answer and ask

00:11:09.940 --> 00:11:12.519
them to believe him. And I think they will. And

00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:14.240
so I was very encouraged by that experience.

00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:18.539
And I think she was too. And I was hoping to

00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:21.480
see her here this morning. But who knows? So

00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:24.200
if you're watching, we're going to pray for you

00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:27.779
in a minute. And then we'll pray for ourselves

00:11:27.779 --> 00:11:31.299
to press past those barriers. As we transition

00:11:31.299 --> 00:11:32.840
to tithes and offerings. Is there anybody else

00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:34.720
that really needs to say something or really

00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:38.379
have something on your heart this morning? Okay.

00:11:38.519 --> 00:11:40.840
Well, let's pray together. I'm going to pray.

00:11:40.899 --> 00:11:43.460
I will name her in my prayer. Her name is Carmen.

00:11:43.779 --> 00:11:47.460
And then I'll also pray for our tithes and offerings.

00:11:47.559 --> 00:11:50.799
I'll also pray for a transition to the rest of

00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:53.279
our worship and the lesson and so on. You pray

00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:56.720
with me. Father in heaven, we come to you in

00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:01.379
unity. We come to you in equality. Not equality

00:12:01.379 --> 00:12:04.399
like we are the same individually, but equality

00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:07.120
like each of us is uniquely made in your image

00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:11.940
and each of us has the ability to be in relationship

00:12:11.940 --> 00:12:15.139
with you, an ability that you bestowed in us

00:12:15.139 --> 00:12:19.580
from the beginning of time and have brought to

00:12:19.580 --> 00:12:22.360
pass through your Son, Jesus Christ. We come

00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:25.600
to you in unity today. And we lift up this laundry

00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:28.779
list of things. We are under great pressures

00:12:28.779 --> 00:12:32.580
from a pandemic and political and civil unrest

00:12:32.580 --> 00:12:36.720
and a desperate need for wisdom to know how to

00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:39.299
do the right thing in this day. The thing that

00:12:39.299 --> 00:12:41.600
honors you. The thing that could bring people

00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:46.360
to you. Lord, we also ask that you forgive us

00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:48.620
when we failed you. Because if we are a people

00:12:48.620 --> 00:12:50.700
that presses past barriers, if we are a people

00:12:50.700 --> 00:12:53.059
that redeems everything we touch, if we are a

00:12:53.059 --> 00:12:55.919
people that brings the redemption word into lives

00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:58.840
so that people can figure out that God really

00:12:58.840 --> 00:13:00.840
loves them, that he wants a relationship with

00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:02.360
them, that he's paid for all of it, that he's

00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:04.879
made it possible, if we are that people, then

00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:06.539
we have not been that people the way we should

00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:09.340
have been. So we ask your forgiveness, Lord,

00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:10.840
and we're grateful that it is available through

00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:13.440
Jesus, your son. We pray very specifically for

00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:16.429
those. It's not a short list of those who committed

00:13:16.429 --> 00:13:18.230
to be here today, and we pray very specifically

00:13:18.230 --> 00:13:20.950
for Carmen, Lord. I'm quite certain that she

00:13:20.950 --> 00:13:23.049
would have had to have pressed past the barriers

00:13:23.049 --> 00:13:25.009
to be able to be here this morning, having just

00:13:25.009 --> 00:13:28.289
been born again yesterday. I would just ask you,

00:13:28.330 --> 00:13:30.750
Lord, that you would teach the babes in Christ

00:13:30.750 --> 00:13:33.470
how to crawl, how to crawl in your direction

00:13:33.470 --> 00:13:34.909
and the direction that you would take them. Where

00:13:34.909 --> 00:13:36.669
we are babes in Christ, we ask you to teach us

00:13:36.669 --> 00:13:39.250
how to crawl. We ask you to teach us how to eat

00:13:39.250 --> 00:13:42.309
so we can be fed, both physically and spiritually.

00:13:43.309 --> 00:13:45.950
Lord, that we can be healthy and strong. As we

00:13:45.950 --> 00:13:47.990
go into the latter portion of our worship, we

00:13:47.990 --> 00:13:51.710
ask you to help us lift up praises to you. We

00:13:51.710 --> 00:13:54.190
ask you to help us honor you with our tithes

00:13:54.190 --> 00:13:56.590
and offerings, which are really yours anyway.

00:13:57.129 --> 00:13:59.850
We ask you to help the teachers teach an amazing,

00:13:59.950 --> 00:14:04.490
power -packed, God -inspired lesson from the

00:14:04.490 --> 00:14:08.590
Bible. As Tony Tate just read, that story that

00:14:08.590 --> 00:14:13.179
really is all about you and every hero's... that

00:14:13.179 --> 00:14:17.059
anyone would look up to in scripture is not really

00:14:17.059 --> 00:14:19.279
a hero, they're just a people looking up to you.

00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:21.919
And that we would do that. And that we would

00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:23.659
put our eyes on the shepherd as we go to the

00:14:23.659 --> 00:14:26.600
word. And we would let you lead us and grow us

00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:31.080
individually and corporately. And we just ask

00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:33.700
you, Father, for your will to be done here on

00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:36.960
earth. Here in this place at least. Let us be

00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:40.159
planted firmly within the house of the Lord.

00:14:40.909 --> 00:14:43.909
and then flourish in the temples of our God.

00:14:44.190 --> 00:14:46.649
We pray all this in Jesus' precious name. Amen.

00:15:14.220 --> 00:15:17.059
and sing with me on this song, partially because

00:15:17.059 --> 00:15:19.440
I am overcoming an asthma attack this morning,

00:15:19.480 --> 00:15:22.940
but also because this song really speaks to me

00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:26.100
with a message that is kind of an anthem for

00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:28.600
those particular moments when you are overcoming

00:15:28.600 --> 00:27:03.599
those barriers. or if this comes from the New

00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:07.359
Heights Fellowship Podcast website. August 9th,

00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:12.440
the transition. Two ways it won't work. If you

00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:15.400
have left the way, I'm not saying you'll lose

00:27:15.400 --> 00:27:17.359
your salvation, but you cannot go deeper, you

00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:19.460
cannot learn more, you cannot live the things

00:27:19.460 --> 00:27:23.259
that really free a person up in God. You cannot

00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:25.940
live on the other side of the transition if you've

00:27:25.940 --> 00:27:27.980
left the way because God's help is needed to

00:27:27.980 --> 00:27:30.680
make the transition every time we need to make

00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:35.450
the transition. Also, you can't do it or you

00:27:35.450 --> 00:27:37.910
won't do it if you're dull of hearing. You should

00:27:37.910 --> 00:27:39.849
be teachers, at least in the ministry of reconciliation,

00:27:40.029 --> 00:27:43.509
teaching the basic things of Christianity. Foundational

00:27:43.509 --> 00:27:49.230
Teachings, Part 1, August 16th. It does not have

00:27:49.230 --> 00:27:51.529
faith in Jesus above all as you're motivated

00:27:51.529 --> 00:27:54.250
for everything that you do. If you have not testified

00:27:54.250 --> 00:27:58.049
before people that you have been washed by Jesus

00:27:58.049 --> 00:27:59.849
and that you're living only for Him now through

00:27:59.849 --> 00:28:02.150
baptism and hopefully every day through the speaking

00:28:02.150 --> 00:28:04.190
of your mouth. If you have not practiced the

00:28:04.190 --> 00:28:06.490
laying on of hands and gone out and loved on

00:28:06.490 --> 00:28:08.849
people and touched them so that they can receive

00:28:08.849 --> 00:28:10.930
that which God has blessed you with, freely you

00:28:10.930 --> 00:28:17.490
have been given, freely you should give. If you

00:28:17.490 --> 00:28:19.690
have not thought daily about the fact that you

00:28:19.690 --> 00:28:21.970
are not going to die and stay dead, you are going

00:28:21.970 --> 00:28:24.589
to die and go to heaven if Jesus doesn't come

00:28:24.589 --> 00:28:29.789
again first. If you have not... you have been

00:28:29.789 --> 00:28:31.690
exempted from the eternal judgment, that you

00:28:31.690 --> 00:28:35.230
have escaped hell by the love of a living Savior,

00:28:35.710 --> 00:28:39.470
then the doctrine of Christ probably really doesn't

00:28:39.470 --> 00:28:42.450
make all that much sense to you. You're not ready

00:28:42.450 --> 00:28:45.309
to make a transition into deeper teaching and

00:28:45.309 --> 00:28:48.069
a better understanding. Thank you. A better understanding

00:28:48.069 --> 00:28:52.710
because you're still resisting the fundamental,

00:28:52.910 --> 00:28:55.829
the foundation. Your house is all jiggy -jaggy.

00:28:55.930 --> 00:28:57.930
And now if we try to go in, you're going to cheat

00:28:57.930 --> 00:28:59.759
because you're like, I don't know. He's talking

00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:02.420
about... You actually... You try to tell me that

00:29:02.420 --> 00:29:04.500
when I'm talking to somebody about Jesus, and

00:29:04.500 --> 00:29:06.559
I seem to be getting through to them, but...

00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:11.240
From August 23rd, The Foundational Teachings.

00:29:16.059 --> 00:29:19.680
Mark off or push away or have nothing to do with

00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:21.700
the other things that come in that aren't in

00:29:21.700 --> 00:29:24.400
line with the foundation. I'm asking you to do

00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:26.359
that because it's dangerous to be a Christian

00:29:26.359 --> 00:29:30.940
in this lifetime. a high priest forever from

00:29:30.940 --> 00:29:37.200
August 30th. You can only get to heaven by allowing

00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:43.259
Jesus to eternally intercede for you. First,

00:29:43.279 --> 00:29:48.619
with repentance from dead works, and onward through

00:29:48.619 --> 00:29:52.440
faith, fellowship with other believers, and putting

00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:57.019
behind the old, dead you, and living forward.

00:29:57.640 --> 00:30:01.759
Reaching for what God would have for you. He

00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:05.440
was a sufficient sacrifice. September 6, 2020.

00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:12.440
A necessary sacrifice. The New Deal. The New

00:30:12.440 --> 00:30:16.680
Testament. September 13, 2020. Let me not be

00:30:16.680 --> 00:30:18.420
downtrodden. Yes, I'll be surrounded by enemies,

00:30:18.539 --> 00:30:22.160
but I know from where my help comes. Yes, I will

00:30:22.160 --> 00:30:24.200
fall, but the righteous man falls and gets up

00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:30.589
again seven times. Take it! It's the best you're

00:30:30.589 --> 00:30:33.690
going to get! Lest you find yourself begging

00:30:33.690 --> 00:30:37.470
for a drip of water from a dead man who did take

00:30:37.470 --> 00:30:41.710
the deal. The judgment has already begun on September

00:30:41.710 --> 00:30:45.589
20th, 2020. They were supposed to go past the

00:30:45.589 --> 00:30:49.559
fines, the fees, everything. people out there

00:30:49.559 --> 00:30:51.500
today in order to be able to come to worship

00:30:51.500 --> 00:30:53.920
who are experiencing those same things in different

00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:55.460
formats. I understand they're experiencing the

00:30:55.460 --> 00:30:58.279
same things. And yet they know in their heart

00:30:58.279 --> 00:31:01.559
of hearts as we talked about last week, the new

00:31:01.559 --> 00:31:04.000
covenant is I will write my commands upon their

00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:06.759
heart and I'll put them in their mind. You know

00:31:06.759 --> 00:31:08.920
when you know what you're supposed to do. And

00:31:08.920 --> 00:31:11.140
you know where you're supposed to be if you're

00:31:11.140 --> 00:31:13.640
in a relationship with Christ. And when you stand

00:31:13.640 --> 00:31:16.680
before him and he says can you pay? You better

00:31:16.680 --> 00:31:21.240
be able to say no. But Jesus paid it all for

00:31:21.240 --> 00:31:25.220
me. And we don't shrink back. We live that today.

00:31:26.140 --> 00:31:29.940
And the confidence we have in Jesus, September

00:31:29.940 --> 00:31:39.819
27th, August 9th. And so then on the 27th, we

00:31:39.819 --> 00:31:41.660
talked about the confidence we have in Jesus.

00:31:41.700 --> 00:31:44.160
And we were reminded that confidence... in the

00:31:44.160 --> 00:31:47.259
biblical sense, does not simply mean the ability

00:31:47.259 --> 00:31:49.140
to press parents' barriers and do what we're

00:31:49.140 --> 00:31:51.900
supposed to do, but also that boldness, that

00:31:51.900 --> 00:31:54.839
desire to be seen, not to be seen for our own

00:31:54.839 --> 00:31:57.680
sake, to be seen to be able to point to our Savior,

00:31:57.779 --> 00:32:02.920
that we would be good at speaking up, speaking

00:32:02.920 --> 00:32:05.480
out, seeming different, so that we can then tell

00:32:05.480 --> 00:32:08.019
people about Jesus. And then last week, we talked

00:32:08.019 --> 00:32:11.180
about faith and the faraway finish line and continuing

00:32:11.180 --> 00:32:14.279
the course. So if you've been following that

00:32:14.279 --> 00:32:16.299
train of thought, and each one of those was just

00:32:16.299 --> 00:32:19.680
short excerpts, those were the actual me preaching,

00:32:19.799 --> 00:32:21.779
standing right here, recorded, and then kind

00:32:21.779 --> 00:32:24.319
of pulled out of those sermons. They're just

00:32:24.319 --> 00:32:26.220
to remind us where we've gone, where we've been,

00:32:26.279 --> 00:32:29.519
what we've been trying to do. So as we look at

00:32:29.519 --> 00:32:32.200
these texts today, you need to realize that we

00:32:32.200 --> 00:32:40.200
are long into, we're talking about the teachings

00:32:40.200 --> 00:32:44.119
that would, be part of what's after the transition.

00:32:44.660 --> 00:32:47.440
And so as we talk about these things, they can

00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:50.579
be offensive. They can not only be bothersome

00:32:50.579 --> 00:32:52.380
and call you to go somewhere that you would not

00:32:52.380 --> 00:32:54.220
normally want to go. It is these very things

00:32:54.220 --> 00:32:56.460
that we're talking about that have caused 19

00:32:56.460 --> 00:32:57.980
-year -olds to go, I want to be a missionary

00:32:57.980 --> 00:33:00.759
in Uganda and to give 40 years of their life.

00:33:01.210 --> 00:33:03.829
of their life telling people about Jesus. And

00:33:03.829 --> 00:33:05.390
if you're a parent, you might go, I don't want

00:33:05.390 --> 00:33:07.950
my 19 -year -old to do that. But it's these very

00:33:07.950 --> 00:33:10.509
teachings that have allowed parents to release

00:33:10.509 --> 00:33:13.069
their children into the mission field. It's these

00:33:13.069 --> 00:33:17.180
very teachings that... have taken people from,

00:33:17.259 --> 00:33:19.519
yes, I believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior

00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:22.559
and I'm beginning to live for him, to now I'm

00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:25.259
on the other side of some very difficult things

00:33:25.259 --> 00:33:27.579
or some very challenging things or some very

00:33:27.579 --> 00:33:30.319
big opportunities and maybe I made it, maybe

00:33:30.319 --> 00:33:32.059
I blew it, maybe I did what I was supposed to,

00:33:32.099 --> 00:33:35.579
maybe I didn't, and now we're past that sort

00:33:35.579 --> 00:33:39.099
of shallow water and we're actually living for

00:33:39.099 --> 00:33:41.559
God on a daily basis and making difficult decisions

00:33:41.559 --> 00:33:44.960
on what we're supposed to do. That's where we're

00:33:44.960 --> 00:33:48.200
now at as we look at this today. Last week, we

00:33:48.200 --> 00:33:49.859
talked about faith in a faraway finish line.

00:33:50.019 --> 00:33:52.079
This is the way it's going to be until Jesus

00:33:52.079 --> 00:33:55.720
comes again. So when people accept Jesus Christ

00:33:55.720 --> 00:33:57.799
as Lord and Savior, and they basically stay right

00:33:57.799 --> 00:34:00.539
there. They don't get outside their box. They

00:34:00.539 --> 00:34:02.799
don't reach out to worship. They don't reach

00:34:02.799 --> 00:34:04.480
out to give. They don't reach out to serve. They

00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:06.920
don't go the extra mile and push past things

00:34:06.920 --> 00:34:09.500
that would stop them from doing that. They just

00:34:09.500 --> 00:34:10.679
sort of stay in the shallow water. It doesn't

00:34:10.679 --> 00:34:13.139
mean they're not saved. We're not talking about

00:34:13.139 --> 00:34:15.099
shallow water now. So the message that I'm going

00:34:15.099 --> 00:34:17.619
to share with you today, understand that if you're

00:34:17.619 --> 00:34:19.179
still in the shallow water, you're going to find

00:34:19.179 --> 00:34:21.880
certain things offensive. There are things that

00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:24.059
you're going to go, I don't really care for that

00:34:24.059 --> 00:34:27.179
notion. But if you're willing to make the transition,

00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:28.719
then today could be the day that you make it.

00:34:28.739 --> 00:34:31.019
Or if you already made the transition, then you're

00:34:31.019 --> 00:34:32.820
going to go, yeah, this sort of makes sense to

00:34:32.820 --> 00:34:34.920
me. It's not a pat on the back per se, but it

00:34:34.920 --> 00:34:37.380
is an encouragement for me to understand that

00:34:37.380 --> 00:34:40.599
what God is doing in my life actually is this

00:34:40.599 --> 00:34:43.099
biblical picture. that we're looking at. And

00:34:43.099 --> 00:34:45.860
so today's title for the sermon, as you can see,

00:34:45.900 --> 00:34:48.719
is Straight and Strong. And the author of Hebrews

00:34:48.719 --> 00:34:51.840
would call us to that then after having made

00:34:51.840 --> 00:34:55.539
the transition. I want to share with you very

00:34:55.539 --> 00:34:57.800
briefly a simple illustration that I think will

00:34:57.800 --> 00:34:59.099
lead us to the text, and I'll ask you to keep

00:34:59.099 --> 00:35:04.380
it in mind as we read the 17 verses that we're

00:35:04.380 --> 00:35:11.550
going to read today. Our daughters, Brother Tony

00:35:11.550 --> 00:35:16.710
and I, Brother Tim was there, I believe. Anyway,

00:35:16.849 --> 00:35:18.150
it was in the early days of New Heights, and

00:35:18.150 --> 00:35:20.110
we had a father -daughter campout. And when we

00:35:20.110 --> 00:35:21.389
went on the campout, we decided we were going

00:35:21.389 --> 00:35:23.530
to really kind of live it up. And we walked all

00:35:23.530 --> 00:35:24.670
around the campground, did all kinds of cool

00:35:24.670 --> 00:35:28.250
things. We went canoeing and stuff. And one of

00:35:28.250 --> 00:35:29.730
the things we did was we rented three -wheel

00:35:29.730 --> 00:35:32.190
bikes. And I'm about to tell you this story.

00:35:32.230 --> 00:35:33.849
It's a little embarrassing, but it was a very,

00:35:33.889 --> 00:35:38.360
very formative story in my young Christian. Life

00:35:38.360 --> 00:35:39.960
as a pastor, anyway, because I was a mission

00:35:39.960 --> 00:35:42.219
pastor of New Heights at that time. So we rented

00:35:42.219 --> 00:35:43.920
three -wheel bikes, and the way those bikes work

00:35:43.920 --> 00:35:45.420
is there's a center wheel in the front, two wheels

00:35:45.420 --> 00:35:47.239
in the back, and then your seat is suspended

00:35:47.239 --> 00:35:50.860
between the wheels. You have handles, and the

00:35:50.860 --> 00:35:53.719
handles basically are for braking, but they're

00:35:53.719 --> 00:35:58.389
also for... to keep you from tipping. So you're

00:35:58.389 --> 00:36:00.789
sitting suspended in the seat. If you tip to

00:36:00.789 --> 00:36:02.309
the right, the bike turns to the right. If you

00:36:02.309 --> 00:36:03.829
tip to the left, the bike turns to the left.

00:36:03.889 --> 00:36:06.809
Then it's very, very agile. Very quick to turn.

00:36:06.869 --> 00:36:09.070
Turn a 90 degree turn at 10 mile an hour. Just

00:36:09.070 --> 00:36:12.449
like that. So we rented the bikes and we figured

00:36:12.449 --> 00:36:14.550
out how to use them. We started to go downhill.

00:36:15.110 --> 00:36:16.949
Brother Tony was walking along. He had decided

00:36:16.949 --> 00:36:18.590
not to rent one of the bikes, but he was walking

00:36:18.590 --> 00:36:21.860
along over there. I could see him walking. And

00:36:21.860 --> 00:36:23.460
I don't know if he witnessed the event. I don't

00:36:23.460 --> 00:36:24.780
remember if he witnessed the event or not, but

00:36:24.780 --> 00:36:26.980
he came right afterwards. And what happened was

00:36:26.980 --> 00:36:29.119
as I was going down the hill, the bike started

00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:31.519
to go a little bit to the right. And so I made

00:36:31.519 --> 00:36:34.599
a quick adjustment to get it back to center so

00:36:34.599 --> 00:36:36.300
I could go straight. And then when I did that,

00:36:36.340 --> 00:36:38.159
I over -adjusted and the bike went just a little

00:36:38.159 --> 00:36:40.059
bit to the left and then a little bit to the

00:36:40.059 --> 00:36:42.199
right. And every time I would try to adjust the

00:36:42.199 --> 00:36:44.260
bike and get it centered up again, the adjustment

00:36:44.260 --> 00:36:48.570
that I had to make was more radical. So I was

00:36:48.570 --> 00:36:50.889
swaying way further to the right. I had to adjust

00:36:50.889 --> 00:36:52.530
more back to the left, but I didn't hit the mark

00:36:52.530 --> 00:36:55.130
exactly. So then I went way to the left and it

00:36:55.130 --> 00:36:56.590
got worse and worse. And all of a sudden the

00:36:56.590 --> 00:36:58.909
bike just sort of went and flipped up into the

00:36:58.909 --> 00:37:01.630
air over the front wheel. And I went scattered

00:37:01.630 --> 00:37:04.070
on the gravel and I ground up my arm and tore

00:37:04.070 --> 00:37:06.670
my pant leg and whatever, or tore up my knee.

00:37:06.710 --> 00:37:09.590
I think I was wearing shorts and Tony come running

00:37:09.590 --> 00:37:12.369
over to see if I was okay. And I was okay, but

00:37:12.369 --> 00:37:14.449
I was pretty dinged up. And then I got back in

00:37:14.449 --> 00:37:16.010
the bike and I did it again and I didn't crash

00:37:16.010 --> 00:37:19.239
after that. I learned in that moment in time

00:37:19.239 --> 00:37:22.019
that making the adjustments that are necessary

00:37:22.019 --> 00:37:27.360
in our lives can lead us to making too radical

00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:30.079
of an adjustment, which then requires an adjustment

00:37:30.079 --> 00:37:32.760
which is even more radical than the last. I was

00:37:32.760 --> 00:37:38.840
watching a show on TV with Ariana and Sherry,

00:37:38.840 --> 00:37:40.760
and one of the characters was talking about how

00:37:40.760 --> 00:37:45.619
when you tell a lie, you then... tell even more

00:37:45.619 --> 00:37:47.840
lies to cover up that lie and you wind up having

00:37:47.840 --> 00:37:50.480
more and more grandness to your lies or more

00:37:50.480 --> 00:37:52.079
and more creativeness or more and more things

00:37:52.079 --> 00:37:54.539
to keep track of. And it's kind of like that.

00:37:54.760 --> 00:37:57.219
When you get off course just a little bit and

00:37:57.219 --> 00:38:00.300
then try to redirect to get back on course, you

00:38:00.300 --> 00:38:02.300
don't get back on course. You miss it by a little

00:38:02.300 --> 00:38:04.179
bit and then you have to redirect again. The

00:38:04.179 --> 00:38:06.239
hope would be that the redirections would get

00:38:06.239 --> 00:38:07.679
smaller and smaller until you're really on course,

00:38:07.800 --> 00:38:10.619
but it really never happens that way in practical

00:38:10.619 --> 00:38:14.010
living. You miss the mark and go, man, And how

00:38:14.010 --> 00:38:16.650
often do people go, like, now I've had three

00:38:16.650 --> 00:38:18.309
or four conversations with my boss at work, and

00:38:18.309 --> 00:38:21.389
that's it, I'm just going to quit. Or how often

00:38:21.389 --> 00:38:23.369
do people say, well, we just can't seem to be

00:38:23.369 --> 00:38:24.809
happy together, and say, that's it, I'm just

00:38:24.809 --> 00:38:27.170
going to get a divorce. And what has happened

00:38:27.170 --> 00:38:29.090
in that moment in time is there were so many

00:38:29.090 --> 00:38:31.469
minor adjustments, so many corrections attempted,

00:38:31.769 --> 00:38:34.650
that we finally said, that's enough corrections,

00:38:34.829 --> 00:38:38.349
and we blow it up. We toss the bike in the air,

00:38:38.489 --> 00:38:43.579
we bail out, and... there's no more corrections

00:38:43.579 --> 00:38:45.719
because the thing ceases to exist in the way

00:38:45.719 --> 00:38:48.440
that it did. I want you to bear that in mind

00:38:48.440 --> 00:38:51.139
then as we look at this text today. The first

00:38:51.139 --> 00:38:53.320
three verses we actually read last week, and

00:38:53.320 --> 00:38:54.760
they're just so good, we're going to read them

00:38:54.760 --> 00:38:56.940
again. So maybe you would give me an amen or

00:38:56.940 --> 00:38:59.820
who to holler or something as we dive into Hebrews

00:38:59.820 --> 00:39:03.840
chapter 12. Amen! Thank you for a few folks who

00:39:03.840 --> 00:39:06.380
are on board with me. That is just a psychological

00:39:06.380 --> 00:39:08.900
marking, a reminder that we are now turning it

00:39:08.900 --> 00:39:11.179
over to the text of God. Whatever I get right

00:39:11.179 --> 00:39:12.639
or don't get right, if we listen to the word

00:39:12.639 --> 00:39:14.800
of God, you can be changed. I can be changed.

00:39:15.619 --> 00:39:17.480
In fact, I already have been changed in the writing

00:39:17.480 --> 00:39:19.239
of this message, so I can guarantee that's true.

00:39:19.420 --> 00:39:21.480
Okay, so here we go. Hebrews 12 .1. Therefore,

00:39:21.579 --> 00:39:23.980
since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding

00:39:23.980 --> 00:39:26.980
us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and

00:39:26.980 --> 00:39:29.809
the sin which... So easily entangles us and let

00:39:29.809 --> 00:39:31.989
us run with endurance the race that is set before

00:39:31.989 --> 00:39:35.289
us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and

00:39:35.289 --> 00:39:37.570
perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before

00:39:37.570 --> 00:39:40.829
him endured the cross, despising the shame, and

00:39:40.829 --> 00:39:42.750
has sat down at the right hand of the throne

00:39:42.750 --> 00:39:44.710
of God. That's verses 1 and 2, but you'll notice

00:39:44.710 --> 00:39:47.210
it's all one sentence. Pretty powerful sentence

00:39:47.210 --> 00:39:49.269
at that. So basically the author of Hebrews is

00:39:49.269 --> 00:39:53.300
asking us to, since we now see and... Chapter

00:39:53.300 --> 00:39:56.039
11 was all about those quote -unquote heroes

00:39:56.039 --> 00:39:57.739
of the faith that we've already been reminded

00:39:57.739 --> 00:39:59.599
twice today since we've been here that those

00:39:59.599 --> 00:40:01.460
heroes of the faith are not the heroes, right?

00:40:01.519 --> 00:40:04.300
God is the hero. Jesus is the hero. Our God is

00:40:04.300 --> 00:40:06.539
the hero. The rest of us are sort of just kind

00:40:06.539 --> 00:40:09.559
of like satellites, if you will. And those people's

00:40:09.559 --> 00:40:11.940
lives revolved around God. They did amazing things.

00:40:12.139 --> 00:40:15.639
And as we see God doing those amazing things

00:40:15.639 --> 00:40:18.579
in a people that ran the race that way, we should

00:40:18.579 --> 00:40:22.119
be encouraged to win. run the race the same way

00:40:22.119 --> 00:40:25.940
with our eyes on Jesus. I'm reminded that how

00:40:25.940 --> 00:40:28.179
the sheep sort of follow out the shepherd and

00:40:28.179 --> 00:40:29.900
more often than not, the shepherd doesn't have

00:40:29.900 --> 00:40:32.039
to make a noise. They don't have to do anything

00:40:32.039 --> 00:40:34.239
really. They just walk ahead of the sheep and

00:40:34.239 --> 00:40:35.619
their sheep know them. And so the sheep just

00:40:35.619 --> 00:40:38.099
follow them and they keep their eyes on the shepherd.

00:40:38.159 --> 00:40:39.559
They don't get lost, but occasionally they'll

00:40:39.559 --> 00:40:41.840
get their eyes off on some water or a particular

00:40:41.840 --> 00:40:43.840
tuft of grass that looks interesting or other

00:40:43.840 --> 00:40:46.699
sheep or, or the sheep dog. And they'll start

00:40:46.699 --> 00:40:48.760
to sort of fade away and go in the wrong directions.

00:40:48.780 --> 00:40:50.159
But when they get their eyes on the shepherd,

00:40:50.219 --> 00:40:52.340
they can easily follow him and he will take them

00:40:52.340 --> 00:40:56.059
to green pastures. This is what the author of

00:40:56.059 --> 00:40:58.500
Hebrews is calling us to put your eyes where

00:40:58.500 --> 00:41:01.809
they belong. And stay on course. We have such

00:41:01.809 --> 00:41:04.670
a great cloud of witnesses showing us that that's

00:41:04.670 --> 00:41:06.889
the right thing to do. Verse 3 says, For consider

00:41:06.889 --> 00:41:10.590
him who has endured such hostility by sinners

00:41:10.590 --> 00:41:13.210
against himself so that you may not grow weary

00:41:13.210 --> 00:41:15.809
and lose heart. So the end of verse 2 and verse

00:41:15.809 --> 00:41:18.789
3 combines together to show us that we can consider

00:41:18.789 --> 00:41:22.690
Jesus and Jesus' suffering his sacrifice. Let's

00:41:22.690 --> 00:41:25.489
be realistic. Jesus endured what you and I would

00:41:25.489 --> 00:41:28.170
never want to endure in order to carry out the

00:41:28.170 --> 00:41:31.139
mission of God. Nobody here wants to be crucified.

00:41:31.480 --> 00:41:34.340
I submit to you, you could be dying from cancer

00:41:34.340 --> 00:41:38.119
in a vat of acid, burning alive your flesh, being

00:41:38.119 --> 00:41:40.079
removed off your skin, and you still would not

00:41:40.079 --> 00:41:42.519
want to be crucified. It doesn't matter because

00:41:42.519 --> 00:41:46.579
crucifixion is a long, painful, slow, it's like

00:41:46.579 --> 00:41:50.670
suffocating while bleeding, while... joints stretched

00:41:50.670 --> 00:41:53.530
out, filleted skin off your back, grinding it

00:41:53.530 --> 00:41:55.070
along the wood to be able to exhale so you can

00:41:55.070 --> 00:41:57.050
take another breath. It is a horrible experience.

00:41:57.250 --> 00:41:59.429
They invented the word excruciating for the pain

00:41:59.429 --> 00:42:03.210
of crucifixion because it is the only pain, the

00:42:03.210 --> 00:42:05.889
only thing that has pain like that. We would

00:42:05.889 --> 00:42:08.409
not want to go through what Jesus did in order

00:42:08.409 --> 00:42:10.690
to accomplish what Jesus accomplished. But Jesus

00:42:10.690 --> 00:42:13.650
did go through what he did in order to accomplish

00:42:13.650 --> 00:42:18.619
it. If our Savior, our Lord, our example, Jesus,

00:42:18.739 --> 00:42:20.820
can go through that to accomplish what God set

00:42:20.820 --> 00:42:23.199
before him, and we're not even asked to go through

00:42:23.199 --> 00:42:25.019
that, but we are probably asked to go through

00:42:25.019 --> 00:42:27.019
some things that we also might not like to go

00:42:27.019 --> 00:42:28.920
through. Basically, the author of Hebrews says,

00:42:29.119 --> 00:42:31.599
so keep your eyes fixed on him and realize that

00:42:31.599 --> 00:42:34.739
by his example, you can literally overcome whatever

00:42:34.739 --> 00:42:38.019
you are facing. You can go through there. You

00:42:38.019 --> 00:42:40.800
do not need to grow weary and lose heart because

00:42:40.800 --> 00:42:44.300
look at the example of Jesus. We have a cloud

00:42:44.300 --> 00:42:46.219
of witnesses of those who did not grow weary

00:42:46.219 --> 00:42:49.400
and lose heart. They also did not ever see Jesus

00:42:49.400 --> 00:42:55.400
in their lifetime. But we did see Jesus. We have

00:42:55.400 --> 00:42:59.079
known Jesus is real. We have seen in history

00:42:59.079 --> 00:43:01.059
that he lived, that he died, that he rose again,

00:43:01.280 --> 00:43:04.320
that he did amazing miracles. And we can look

00:43:04.320 --> 00:43:06.920
at his example and not grow weary and not lose

00:43:06.920 --> 00:43:10.019
heart, even if, God forbid, we should. be required

00:43:10.019 --> 00:43:13.320
to be crucified. Verse 4. You have not yet resisted

00:43:13.320 --> 00:43:15.500
to the point of shedding blood in your striving

00:43:15.500 --> 00:43:18.199
against sin. So we take this from the back to

00:43:18.199 --> 00:43:19.880
the front. First of all, sin is when you don't

00:43:19.880 --> 00:43:22.360
do what God wants you to do or when you do what

00:43:22.360 --> 00:43:23.920
God doesn't want you to do. That's sin. It's

00:43:23.920 --> 00:43:26.599
simple. And basically, he's simply saying you

00:43:26.599 --> 00:43:29.079
have not put in that kind of effort. The kind

00:43:29.079 --> 00:43:31.260
of effort that Jesus put in on the cross, you

00:43:31.260 --> 00:43:33.360
have not put in that kind of effort. You have

00:43:33.360 --> 00:43:35.780
not even bled. Literally, not even bled to avoid

00:43:35.780 --> 00:43:38.559
sin. Now, most of us have bled. and most of us

00:43:38.559 --> 00:43:41.219
have avoided sin, and most of us have done sin.

00:43:41.360 --> 00:43:44.679
But in order for this statement to not be true

00:43:44.679 --> 00:43:48.139
of us, we would have to have bled specifically

00:43:48.139 --> 00:43:51.940
not to sin. So you would have to literally put

00:43:51.940 --> 00:43:56.719
yourself in the way of the hazards of life and

00:43:56.719 --> 00:43:59.940
suffer in order to not sin. So in order to not

00:43:59.940 --> 00:44:02.619
lie, you have to actually take a punch. In order

00:44:02.619 --> 00:44:04.239
to not steal, you might have had to actually

00:44:04.239 --> 00:44:09.980
go without, starve, or bleed, specifically, because

00:44:09.980 --> 00:44:12.900
you weren't willing to take it yourself. He says,

00:44:12.920 --> 00:44:15.139
you have not resisted to the point of shedding

00:44:15.139 --> 00:44:17.420
blood in your striving against sin, and you have

00:44:17.420 --> 00:44:19.500
forgotten the exhortation which is addressed

00:44:19.500 --> 00:44:21.780
to you as sons. Notice that and in there, it's

00:44:21.780 --> 00:44:24.780
really important. He says, you have not strived

00:44:24.780 --> 00:44:27.139
against sin so strongly that you have bled or

00:44:27.139 --> 00:44:29.500
truly suffered. That's what the author first

00:44:29.500 --> 00:44:31.920
says. And then says, and you have forgotten,

00:44:32.019 --> 00:44:33.559
in the midst of all this, you have forgotten

00:44:33.559 --> 00:44:35.219
the exhortation, which is the encouragement,

00:44:35.320 --> 00:44:37.440
the thing that you need to understand, which

00:44:37.440 --> 00:44:41.340
is addressed to you as sons. My son, do not regard

00:44:41.340 --> 00:44:44.079
lightly the discipline of the Lord. nor faint

00:44:44.079 --> 00:44:46.440
when you are reproved by him. That means corrected

00:44:46.440 --> 00:44:48.619
or punished to go in the right direction. For

00:44:48.619 --> 00:44:52.119
those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, and

00:44:52.119 --> 00:44:56.019
he scourges every son whom he receives. And so

00:44:56.019 --> 00:44:58.739
what the author of Hebrews is reminding us is

00:44:58.739 --> 00:45:02.199
that there is no Christian journey. There is

00:45:02.199 --> 00:45:05.840
no following of Christ. There is no going God's

00:45:05.840 --> 00:45:08.880
way for you that does not go through difficulty.

00:45:09.920 --> 00:45:12.119
even to the point he uses the imagery of being

00:45:12.119 --> 00:45:15.019
scourged, which is whipped, filleted, literally

00:45:15.019 --> 00:45:17.260
have the skin whipped off your body. It doesn't

00:45:17.260 --> 00:45:18.539
mean that everybody is going to be literally

00:45:18.539 --> 00:45:20.840
whipped, but he means we are going to go through

00:45:20.840 --> 00:45:23.199
difficulty. And that's where you can find it

00:45:23.199 --> 00:45:24.239
all throughout the Bible. It's not what we're

00:45:24.239 --> 00:45:25.579
going to talk about, but you can find all throughout

00:45:25.579 --> 00:45:28.159
the Bible, the principle of suffering with the

00:45:28.159 --> 00:45:31.239
Savior. And they praised God that they were found

00:45:31.239 --> 00:45:35.219
worthy, Acts 4, to suffer the way Jesus had suffered.

00:45:35.929 --> 00:45:40.090
There is no Christian life without difficulty.

00:45:40.349 --> 00:45:43.030
There is no Christian life without suffering.

00:45:43.070 --> 00:45:44.909
I'm going to submit to you that there is no Christian

00:45:44.909 --> 00:45:47.090
life. If you live your whole life, there is no

00:45:47.090 --> 00:45:49.210
Christian life. Hear me now, this is important.

00:45:49.449 --> 00:45:53.329
There is no following Jesus lest you are willing

00:45:53.329 --> 00:45:58.590
to bleed to avoid sinning against God. If your

00:45:58.590 --> 00:46:03.039
Christianity is tiresome to you, If the compulsion

00:46:03.039 --> 00:46:07.840
to do what is right exhausts you. If your desires

00:46:07.840 --> 00:46:11.820
overtake the desire of your heart to serve God,

00:46:11.940 --> 00:46:15.400
if you're more concerned about whatever it is

00:46:15.400 --> 00:46:17.320
that's in your life that's entertaining you or

00:46:17.320 --> 00:46:20.320
bothering you or blessing you or showing you

00:46:20.320 --> 00:46:23.519
or showing up for you, if you're more concerned

00:46:23.519 --> 00:46:26.840
about any one of those things than your legitimate

00:46:26.840 --> 00:46:29.480
following of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,

00:46:29.619 --> 00:46:36.030
then you're probably not following Jesus. Because

00:46:36.030 --> 00:46:40.369
there is no Christian life that does not go through,

00:46:40.650 --> 00:46:43.329
and I'm going to say it this way, that does not

00:46:43.329 --> 00:46:47.110
go through things that are more difficult, more

00:46:47.110 --> 00:46:51.170
trying, and more dangerous than any normal individual

00:46:51.170 --> 00:46:56.030
would ever put themselves in line for. The imagery

00:46:56.030 --> 00:46:59.550
here is that you actually could, Jesus said it

00:46:59.550 --> 00:47:01.849
himself, take up your cross daily. That doesn't

00:47:01.849 --> 00:47:03.369
mean that you have to bear your own burdens.

00:47:04.339 --> 00:47:06.940
Right? It doesn't mean that at all because Christ

00:47:06.940 --> 00:47:08.760
bears our burdens. So that's not at all what

00:47:08.760 --> 00:47:11.280
he was talking about. He's talking about actual

00:47:11.280 --> 00:47:13.980
crucifixion and suffering. So he's saying you

00:47:13.980 --> 00:47:16.719
have to be willing, right? Deny yourself, take

00:47:16.719 --> 00:47:18.139
up your cross daily and follow me. You'd have

00:47:18.139 --> 00:47:21.820
to be willing to literally be crucified. You're

00:47:21.820 --> 00:47:23.619
willing, not that you should have to do it, but

00:47:23.619 --> 00:47:28.480
you're willing every day. That's what Jesus calls

00:47:28.480 --> 00:47:33.699
being a follower of Jesus. Understand. It's a

00:47:33.699 --> 00:47:35.199
little deeper and a little more difficult to

00:47:35.199 --> 00:47:37.599
swallow than the, hey, if you believe in Jesus,

00:47:37.699 --> 00:47:40.219
you'll be saved and go to heaven. For God so

00:47:40.219 --> 00:47:41.820
loved the world he sent his only begotten son

00:47:41.820 --> 00:47:43.280
that whosoever believes in him shall not perish

00:47:43.280 --> 00:47:45.440
but have eternal life. You just need to believe

00:47:45.440 --> 00:47:47.179
in Jesus. That's all you need to do and you'll

00:47:47.179 --> 00:47:50.219
get to heaven. And I am not in any way saying

00:47:50.219 --> 00:47:53.760
that that's not true. Every bit of scripture

00:47:53.760 --> 00:47:55.800
is true. We understand faith as a fundamental

00:47:55.800 --> 00:47:58.300
teaching and grace delivers salvation through

00:47:58.300 --> 00:48:00.699
that faith. We understand that as a fundamental

00:48:00.699 --> 00:48:02.519
teaching. You cannot dismiss the fundamental

00:48:02.519 --> 00:48:05.239
teachings. But the fundamental teachings of Jesus

00:48:05.239 --> 00:48:08.519
do not inherently lead a person to accept and

00:48:08.519 --> 00:48:10.800
understand this deeper teaching, which is that

00:48:10.800 --> 00:48:13.880
you don't get from where you are to where you

00:48:13.880 --> 00:48:16.340
want to go. Where you are is not all that great.

00:48:16.440 --> 00:48:19.139
Where you want to go is everything great. And

00:48:19.139 --> 00:48:21.500
between here and there is a lot of places where

00:48:21.500 --> 00:48:27.179
it's way worse than not all that great. This

00:48:27.179 --> 00:48:33.000
is the cost we count. But the problem is, remember

00:48:33.000 --> 00:48:36.619
earlier on in Hebrews, y 'all ought to be teachers

00:48:36.619 --> 00:48:39.940
by now. So we're going to leave behind the fundamental

00:48:39.940 --> 00:48:41.820
teachings and go into something a little bit

00:48:41.820 --> 00:48:44.420
deeper. But the truth is, you really just want

00:48:44.420 --> 00:48:46.460
the milk. You want the easy stuff. That's what

00:48:46.460 --> 00:48:48.219
he's saying. These people that he was writing

00:48:48.219 --> 00:48:49.940
to, he was saying, you're at that place where

00:48:49.940 --> 00:48:53.130
you just want the easy stuff. Now I'm a follower

00:48:53.130 --> 00:48:55.170
of Jesus, so now my finances are going to line

00:48:55.170 --> 00:48:56.610
up. Now my relationships are all going to be

00:48:56.610 --> 00:48:58.590
good. I'll always have the right thing to say,

00:48:58.690 --> 00:49:00.090
and they'll always say good things to me, and

00:49:00.090 --> 00:49:03.230
we'll all just be peachy keen, as my friend Tim

00:49:03.230 --> 00:49:08.170
likes to say. But that is not the Christianity

00:49:08.170 --> 00:49:11.090
that Jesus is talking about. You want to be peachy

00:49:11.090 --> 00:49:13.269
keen? I'll tell you how to do it. You want to

00:49:13.269 --> 00:49:16.309
always be okay? I'll tell you how to do it. Get

00:49:16.309 --> 00:49:19.210
saved. Believe in Jesus. Don't leave that out

00:49:19.210 --> 00:49:21.510
because there is an eternity. in which you will

00:49:21.510 --> 00:49:26.090
not be okay without that. But after believing

00:49:26.090 --> 00:49:29.489
in Jesus, stay in the shallow water. Don't try

00:49:29.489 --> 00:49:32.090
to go deeper. Don't actually try to do anything

00:49:32.090 --> 00:49:34.829
for yourself in heaven or let God reward any

00:49:34.829 --> 00:49:39.389
of your... Just understand that I just give myself

00:49:39.389 --> 00:49:42.489
into a laundry list of bad deeds and I'll try

00:49:42.489 --> 00:49:44.409
to be better, but I just know I'm going to fail.

00:49:44.860 --> 00:49:46.860
I'll try to be strong, but I just know I'll always

00:49:46.860 --> 00:49:48.599
make mistakes. I'll try to understand, but I'm

00:49:48.599 --> 00:49:49.900
not going to read the Bible and actually dig

00:49:49.900 --> 00:49:51.880
into it and see what it says because that's going

00:49:51.880 --> 00:49:54.019
to just make it harder. Don't do any of that.

00:49:54.079 --> 00:49:58.219
Don't go deeper. Become dull of hearing. And

00:49:58.219 --> 00:50:01.800
as a dull of hearing person, your life can be

00:50:01.800 --> 00:50:04.599
pretty good because you won't hear the doorknobs

00:50:04.599 --> 00:50:07.300
rattle. You won't hear the people that are crying

00:50:07.300 --> 00:50:09.260
out in pain and suffering and have an empty soul

00:50:09.260 --> 00:50:11.559
and need God. And you won't have to go to minister

00:50:11.559 --> 00:50:12.900
to them and you won't have to tell them about

00:50:12.900 --> 00:50:14.460
Jesus because you won't hear it because you're

00:50:14.460 --> 00:50:18.659
dull of hearing. That's how you live a life that's

00:50:18.659 --> 00:50:22.320
always going to be like that. It isn't actually

00:50:22.320 --> 00:50:23.659
always going to be like that, is it? There will

00:50:23.659 --> 00:50:26.179
still be suffering. But you, in your dullness,

00:50:26.280 --> 00:50:28.059
will think, you know, this is just the way it

00:50:28.059 --> 00:50:29.860
is. And this is what lost people do all the time.

00:50:29.900 --> 00:50:33.059
They do it every day. They justify the difficulties

00:50:33.059 --> 00:50:36.369
that they're going through. Because everybody

00:50:36.369 --> 00:50:39.309
goes through them. They justify the loneliness

00:50:39.309 --> 00:50:41.090
that they're experiencing, the aching heart that

00:50:41.090 --> 00:50:43.769
they have, the open wound that's in their soul,

00:50:43.949 --> 00:50:46.349
because everybody has that. This is just the

00:50:46.349 --> 00:50:49.570
human condition. And they accept it for what

00:50:49.570 --> 00:50:52.530
it is. And so then they don't accept Jesus Christ.

00:50:52.789 --> 00:50:54.510
And then some people do accept Jesus Christ,

00:50:54.590 --> 00:50:57.150
and then they do the same thing. They make excuses,

00:50:57.309 --> 00:50:59.530
they come up with reasons why it's just got to

00:50:59.530 --> 00:51:03.839
be this way. Now I'm not saying that... They're

00:51:03.839 --> 00:51:05.800
saying that people who have accepted Jesus Christ

00:51:05.800 --> 00:51:07.119
and are staying in the shallow water are saying,

00:51:07.119 --> 00:51:08.320
well, I'm not going to do anything for the Lord.

00:51:08.400 --> 00:51:09.800
Usually they do. They usually think they're going

00:51:09.800 --> 00:51:11.579
to do something for Jesus. Like, I think I know

00:51:11.579 --> 00:51:12.960
what God wants me to do. And they go about doing

00:51:12.960 --> 00:51:15.440
it. But they do that thing to the exclusion of

00:51:15.440 --> 00:51:17.079
the thing that they actually should be doing

00:51:17.079 --> 00:51:22.699
for God. It's very easy to do. The enemy has

00:51:22.699 --> 00:51:26.159
perfected it over the last 10 ,000 years or so.

00:51:26.800 --> 00:51:29.280
The world has woven it deeply into everyone's

00:51:29.280 --> 00:51:32.159
lives. And it used to be there was no social

00:51:32.159 --> 00:51:34.579
media, no cell phones, no TV or whatever. And

00:51:34.579 --> 00:51:37.360
people actually talked to people. And the discourse

00:51:37.360 --> 00:51:40.139
that took place between people was the world

00:51:40.139 --> 00:51:44.219
saying, you don't need that Jesus stuff. And

00:51:44.219 --> 00:51:46.400
actual people in the kingdom saying, but actually

00:51:46.400 --> 00:51:49.360
you do need that Jesus stuff. And the battle

00:51:49.360 --> 00:51:52.099
is the same today, just different terrain features.

00:51:53.300 --> 00:51:55.639
They had come to the place where they had forgotten

00:51:55.639 --> 00:51:58.940
the exhortation. Where God says, if you are truly

00:51:58.940 --> 00:52:04.340
following me, it will be difficult at times.

00:52:04.559 --> 00:52:07.679
And you will push through. You will be victorious,

00:52:07.900 --> 00:52:11.099
but you will pay. Victories are not won without

00:52:11.099 --> 00:52:14.340
sacrifices. Victories are not won without casualties.

00:52:14.840 --> 00:52:17.599
Victories are not won without pain and suffering.

00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:20.380
Yes, Jesus has won the ultimate victory. Yes,

00:52:20.519 --> 00:52:22.579
you're on the way to heaven. But your development,

00:52:22.699 --> 00:52:24.519
your growth, your discipleship in Christ, your

00:52:24.519 --> 00:52:26.400
ability to lead others to him, your ability to

00:52:26.400 --> 00:52:28.619
do the deeper things that he has led you to do,

00:52:28.679 --> 00:52:31.599
that he is preparing you for. There is a greater

00:52:31.599 --> 00:52:34.860
future in suffering for Jesus while at the same

00:52:34.860 --> 00:52:37.280
time advancing the kingdom of God and building

00:52:37.280 --> 00:52:40.800
relationship between God and men than there is

00:52:40.800 --> 00:52:42.000
in just going, well, I'm just going to take it

00:52:42.000 --> 00:52:45.860
easy. And we are called not to just take it easy.

00:52:46.539 --> 00:52:49.219
But to expect this discipline, to expect to be

00:52:49.219 --> 00:52:52.320
reproved, to expect the scourging. Because it

00:52:52.320 --> 00:52:54.960
says, he scourges every son whom he receives.

00:52:55.820 --> 00:52:59.139
Verse 7 says, it is for discipline that you endure.

00:53:00.739 --> 00:53:03.880
God deals with you as with sons. But what son

00:53:03.880 --> 00:53:05.579
is there whom his father does not discipline?

00:53:06.480 --> 00:53:09.300
But if you are without discipline, of which all

00:53:09.300 --> 00:53:11.980
have become partakers, then you are illegitimate

00:53:11.980 --> 00:53:14.840
children and not sons. You see, so if you are

00:53:14.840 --> 00:53:18.079
without discipline, Of which all have become

00:53:18.079 --> 00:53:20.900
takers. So what is he saying? How is somebody

00:53:20.900 --> 00:53:22.699
who has become a partaker of discipline going

00:53:22.699 --> 00:53:25.360
to be also without discipline? They've got to

00:53:25.360 --> 00:53:28.760
be ignorant. It's happening, but they don't realize

00:53:28.760 --> 00:53:31.719
it. Or they have to be dull of hearing. It's

00:53:31.719 --> 00:53:33.400
happening, but they don't want to realize it.

00:53:34.159 --> 00:53:36.699
Or they've got to be off the way. So they accept

00:53:36.699 --> 00:53:38.219
Jesus Christ as their Savior. They believe, but

00:53:38.219 --> 00:53:39.559
then now after they believe, they say, well,

00:53:39.579 --> 00:53:41.059
I'm going to not do really the things that God

00:53:41.059 --> 00:53:43.239
wants me to do. So they're off the way. So God

00:53:43.239 --> 00:53:44.579
is not making it evident to them. They're still

00:53:44.579 --> 00:53:47.300
facing the discipline. He says, but then you

00:53:47.300 --> 00:53:50.619
are illegitimate children and not sons. So it's

00:53:50.619 --> 00:53:53.059
truly dangerous to not accept Jesus Christ as

00:53:53.059 --> 00:53:55.519
Lord in the first place because you're probably

00:53:55.519 --> 00:53:58.539
not saved then. So those who accept Jesus only

00:53:58.539 --> 00:54:00.800
as Savior and not Lord, they're not actually

00:54:00.800 --> 00:54:04.480
saved. They're illegitimate sons. But those who

00:54:04.480 --> 00:54:07.219
accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, but then forget

00:54:07.219 --> 00:54:11.239
the exhortation which is addressed to you as

00:54:11.239 --> 00:54:14.900
sons, verses 5 and 6, they... will not grow,

00:54:15.099 --> 00:54:16.860
they will not push past, they will not, in the

00:54:16.860 --> 00:54:20.039
deep teachings of Christ, flourish and take deep

00:54:20.039 --> 00:54:24.639
roots in the kingdom of God. Verse 8 says, But

00:54:24.639 --> 00:54:26.719
if you are without discipline, of which all have

00:54:26.719 --> 00:54:28.920
become partakers, then you are illegitimate children

00:54:28.920 --> 00:54:30.860
and not sons. We're going to talk about discipline

00:54:30.860 --> 00:54:34.480
in the points. Verse 9, Furthermore, we had earthly

00:54:34.480 --> 00:54:36.980
fathers to discipline us and we respected them.

00:54:37.000 --> 00:54:39.380
Shall we not much rather be subject to the father

00:54:39.380 --> 00:54:42.340
of spirits and live? In other words, if you realize

00:54:42.340 --> 00:54:44.320
that your father, whether he got it all right

00:54:44.320 --> 00:54:47.059
or all wrong or whatever, but he was trying his

00:54:47.059 --> 00:54:49.940
best and you respect him for making an effort,

00:54:50.079 --> 00:54:52.460
you wouldn't be here without your father, your

00:54:52.460 --> 00:54:55.760
human father. And if you respect that, then ought

00:54:55.760 --> 00:54:58.429
you not all that much more? Be subject to the

00:54:58.429 --> 00:55:00.110
father of spirits and live because he actually

00:55:00.110 --> 00:55:02.190
knows how to be a good dad. He actually knows

00:55:02.190 --> 00:55:03.869
how to provide. He knows all the future will

00:55:03.869 --> 00:55:05.650
bring. He knows all the barriers you'll face.

00:55:05.710 --> 00:55:08.070
Should we not be subject to him and live? For

00:55:08.070 --> 00:55:10.010
they disciplined us for a short time, as seems

00:55:10.010 --> 00:55:12.590
best to them, but he disciplines us for our good,

00:55:12.750 --> 00:55:15.750
that we may share his holiness. Ultimately, that

00:55:15.750 --> 00:55:19.230
is the goal. Holiness, set apartness, sanctified,

00:55:19.289 --> 00:55:22.250
complete in Christ, away from the world's...

00:55:23.079 --> 00:55:25.300
Tender ministrations to drag us off course. Verse

00:55:25.300 --> 00:55:28.139
11. All discipline for the moment seems not to

00:55:28.139 --> 00:55:30.119
be joyous. Nobody likes being disciplined. I

00:55:30.119 --> 00:55:31.519
get that. You don't want to go through difficulties.

00:55:31.599 --> 00:55:32.780
When I tell you you're going to, you don't want

00:55:32.780 --> 00:55:35.420
to hear that. But it's a reality and to prepare

00:55:35.420 --> 00:55:37.539
for a reality is better than to be blindsided

00:55:37.539 --> 00:55:41.579
by it. All discipline for the moment seems not

00:55:41.579 --> 00:55:44.159
to be joyous but sorrowful. Yet to those who

00:55:44.159 --> 00:55:46.159
have been trained by it, afterwards it yields

00:55:46.159 --> 00:55:49.280
the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Do you hear

00:55:49.280 --> 00:55:52.099
that? All discipline, the bad stuff that we're

00:55:52.099 --> 00:55:55.260
talking about going through as Christians, afterwards

00:55:55.260 --> 00:55:58.699
it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

00:55:59.900 --> 00:56:03.119
You know where peace is found? Peace is found

00:56:03.119 --> 00:56:06.099
in righteousness. There's been a lot of wars

00:56:06.099 --> 00:56:08.139
over the years and one side wins over the other.

00:56:08.320 --> 00:56:10.280
And the side that wins gets to write the history

00:56:10.280 --> 00:56:12.400
about how the war was fought, why it was started,

00:56:12.500 --> 00:56:15.500
etc. It may not be true and for a generation

00:56:15.500 --> 00:56:17.519
or three they know it's not true, but the side

00:56:17.519 --> 00:56:19.239
that wins the war gets to write the history.

00:56:20.460 --> 00:56:23.340
Hear me now. Righteousness will win the war.

00:56:24.420 --> 00:56:26.280
And ultimately you will be found to either be

00:56:26.280 --> 00:56:31.900
right or not. And in that, there is great peace.

00:56:32.900 --> 00:56:37.920
The righteousness of him bestowed upon us by

00:56:37.920 --> 00:56:40.000
Jesus Christ and living out of that righteousness

00:56:40.000 --> 00:56:42.159
in that there is great peace. Even in the midst

00:56:42.159 --> 00:56:44.539
of great trials, even burned alive, even shredded

00:56:44.539 --> 00:56:48.289
by lions. And even if, you know, you lose a job

00:56:48.289 --> 00:56:50.150
or you don't get a compliment that you wanted

00:56:50.150 --> 00:56:51.969
or your relationship is a little rough because

00:56:51.969 --> 00:56:53.210
you're trying to put God first and the other

00:56:53.210 --> 00:56:57.630
person isn't. Because that peaceful fruit of

00:56:57.630 --> 00:56:59.750
righteousness is what we desire, he then says

00:56:59.750 --> 00:57:02.710
in verse 12, Therefore, strengthen the hands

00:57:02.710 --> 00:57:05.769
that are weak and the knees that are feeble and

00:57:05.769 --> 00:57:08.730
make straight paths for your feet so that the

00:57:08.730 --> 00:57:11.329
limb which is lame may not be put out of joint

00:57:11.329 --> 00:57:14.699
but rather be healed. God understands that you're

00:57:14.699 --> 00:57:17.179
messed up, I'm messed up, right? God knows that

00:57:17.179 --> 00:57:20.900
we are but dust. But God asks this of you, that

00:57:20.900 --> 00:57:22.820
in the moment of your question, in the moment

00:57:22.820 --> 00:57:24.719
of your trial, in the moment of your difficulty,

00:57:24.760 --> 00:57:27.219
in the moment of your decision, that you would

00:57:27.219 --> 00:57:30.760
step up, that you would be strong, that you would

00:57:30.760 --> 00:57:33.739
take what you have and put it into the mix. So

00:57:33.739 --> 00:57:37.079
often people go, oh, I'm struggling in my finances.

00:57:37.800 --> 00:57:39.840
But they don't take 100 % of their money and

00:57:39.840 --> 00:57:43.550
put it under God's care. They go, I'm struggling

00:57:43.550 --> 00:57:46.250
in my relationship. But they don't put their

00:57:46.250 --> 00:57:48.389
mouth, their attitudes, the way they treat the

00:57:48.389 --> 00:57:51.969
other person in God's charge and do it God's

00:57:51.969 --> 00:57:56.929
way. So it doesn't get the healing and the peace

00:57:56.929 --> 00:58:03.130
that righteousness brings. Back to 12 real quick.

00:58:03.349 --> 00:58:05.889
Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak

00:58:05.889 --> 00:58:08.130
and the knees that are feeble. Step up. Be strong.

00:58:08.230 --> 00:58:12.190
Do whatever you can with whatever you have. To

00:58:12.190 --> 00:58:15.329
what? Make straight paths for your feet. So that

00:58:15.329 --> 00:58:17.250
the limb, which is lame, that part of you that's

00:58:17.250 --> 00:58:19.010
messed up, whatever it is, may not be put out

00:58:19.010 --> 00:58:21.789
of joint, but rather be healed. Verse 14, and

00:58:21.789 --> 00:58:23.869
we're almost there. Pursue peace with all men

00:58:23.869 --> 00:58:26.789
and the sanctification, that means the holiness

00:58:26.789 --> 00:58:29.030
or being set apartness, the sanctedness, if you

00:58:29.030 --> 00:58:32.170
will, without which no one will see the Lord.

00:58:32.389 --> 00:58:36.829
Hold on. Pursue peace with all men and the sanctification

00:58:36.829 --> 00:58:39.309
without which no one will see the Lord. In other

00:58:39.309 --> 00:58:43.519
words, if you are not different. if you are not

00:58:43.519 --> 00:58:47.559
breaking out of the mold of the world, if you

00:58:47.559 --> 00:58:54.019
are not made clean and useful by God, you will

00:58:54.019 --> 00:58:55.619
not see God. Now, it doesn't mean you won't literally

00:58:55.619 --> 00:58:57.059
stand before him in judgment. It means you will

00:58:57.059 --> 00:58:59.980
not spend your life with him in eternity and

00:58:59.980 --> 00:59:04.420
you will not recognize him at work today. It'll

00:59:04.420 --> 00:59:06.480
come and go. There'll be times where he gets

00:59:06.480 --> 00:59:09.119
your attention. But you'll be so often going,

00:59:09.179 --> 00:59:11.559
I didn't see that. I didn't realize. I didn't

00:59:11.559 --> 00:59:13.460
know. Oh, I made a mistake. Oh, I should have.

00:59:13.480 --> 00:59:17.519
Oh, why not do this? Oh, no, it's too late to

00:59:17.519 --> 00:59:20.219
do that now. I should have listened. I should

00:59:20.219 --> 00:59:23.159
have done what God wanted me to do. Verse 15.

00:59:23.739 --> 00:59:26.480
See to it that no one comes short of the grace

00:59:26.480 --> 00:59:30.139
of God, that no root of bitterness springing

00:59:30.139 --> 00:59:33.780
up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.

00:59:33.800 --> 00:59:36.179
Defiled means made useless or made unclean to

00:59:36.179 --> 00:59:39.670
God. 16. That there be no immoral or godless

00:59:39.670 --> 00:59:42.329
person like Esau. And this, here it comes, in

00:59:42.329 --> 00:59:44.730
case you thought just how important this passage

00:59:44.730 --> 00:59:46.489
of Scripture is and how much emphasis we need

00:59:46.489 --> 00:59:48.750
to put on it. Listen to how this ends, going

00:59:48.750 --> 00:59:51.170
16, 17. Back to the beginning of 16. It says

00:59:51.170 --> 00:59:53.789
that there be no immoral or godless person like

00:59:53.789 --> 00:59:57.250
Esau who sold his own birthright for a single

00:59:57.250 --> 01:00:00.889
meal. For you know that even afterwards when

01:00:00.889 --> 01:00:04.690
he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected.

01:00:06.380 --> 01:00:11.119
For he found no place for repentance, though

01:00:11.119 --> 01:00:15.300
he sought for it with tears. Now the story of

01:00:15.300 --> 01:00:18.079
Esau is that indeed he was the favored one of

01:00:18.079 --> 01:00:22.039
God. He was the older child. He was the one who

01:00:22.039 --> 01:00:24.840
should have, by all rights, received everything.

01:00:25.840 --> 01:00:28.559
Except God wanted to use Jacob. In fact, later

01:00:28.559 --> 01:00:31.059
elsewhere it says, you know, Jacob I love, Esau

01:00:31.059 --> 01:00:35.840
I hate. Esau sold his birthright, came in out

01:00:35.840 --> 01:00:39.300
of the field, and sold his birthright to his

01:00:39.300 --> 01:00:44.019
brother for a bowl of hot soup. He disrespected

01:00:44.019 --> 01:00:47.139
the gift that he had, not knowing exactly how

01:00:47.139 --> 01:00:49.099
awesome it was probably, and I think we're in

01:00:49.099 --> 01:00:51.400
that place too. He disrespected the gift that

01:00:51.400 --> 01:00:54.019
he had and gave it away for a bowl of soup. He

01:00:54.019 --> 01:00:56.340
said, what good does my birthright do? I'm so

01:00:56.340 --> 01:01:00.929
hungry, I could die. Maybe he was three days,

01:01:00.989 --> 01:01:02.710
five days, seven days. He was in the field for

01:01:02.710 --> 01:01:04.449
a number of days hunting and it didn't go well.

01:01:04.590 --> 01:01:06.949
So he was really hungry. And he's like, I'm going

01:01:06.949 --> 01:01:09.769
to sell my birthright for a bowl of soup. And

01:01:09.769 --> 01:01:11.869
then when his father is on his deathbed and he

01:01:11.869 --> 01:01:14.469
goes in and after Jacob has stolen also his blessings,

01:01:14.530 --> 01:01:15.989
or he got his birthright then and then later

01:01:15.989 --> 01:01:17.949
kind of Jacob sort of stole the blessing. He

01:01:17.949 --> 01:01:20.989
goes in and his father says, there's nothing

01:01:20.989 --> 01:01:25.789
for you. There's nothing left. I gave it all

01:01:25.789 --> 01:01:30.909
to your brother. And it was right that it should

01:01:30.909 --> 01:01:36.989
be so because Esau did not respect what had been

01:01:36.989 --> 01:01:42.869
done, who he was, what was coming to him. You

01:01:42.869 --> 01:01:45.230
remember last week we talked about the future.

01:01:46.010 --> 01:01:48.610
Because we see a future with God, we build the

01:01:48.610 --> 01:01:54.199
future moment into our lives today. Your future

01:01:54.199 --> 01:01:57.179
hinges on whether or not you're going to do today

01:01:57.179 --> 01:02:00.139
what it is that God wants you to do today. Whether

01:02:00.139 --> 01:02:01.940
or not you're going to be today the person that

01:02:01.940 --> 01:02:03.920
God wants you to be today. Your future hinges

01:02:03.920 --> 01:02:08.420
on that. You've heard the people talk about money

01:02:08.420 --> 01:02:10.199
and stuff and they say, you know, do you drink

01:02:10.199 --> 01:02:11.500
coffee? Yeah. How much money do you spend on

01:02:11.500 --> 01:02:14.159
coffee a week? Well, I spend $4 when I go get

01:02:14.159 --> 01:02:15.739
a coffee because, you know, I've got to get the

01:02:15.739 --> 01:02:18.539
fancy ones. And I spend those $4 four times a

01:02:18.539 --> 01:02:21.000
week. And so you do the math. And so, well, four

01:02:21.000 --> 01:02:24.380
times a week, $4 for coffee, that's $16. Times

01:02:24.380 --> 01:02:27.940
52 weeks out of the year, you get up there. And

01:02:27.940 --> 01:02:29.239
the person's like, well, I can't pay my rent

01:02:29.239 --> 01:02:30.460
this month. Well, let's see if you stop drinking

01:02:30.460 --> 01:02:32.780
coffee, you'd have the money. Well, I can't buy

01:02:32.780 --> 01:02:34.280
a used car. If you stop drinking coffee in two

01:02:34.280 --> 01:02:35.960
years, you'd have enough money to buy a fairly

01:02:35.960 --> 01:02:41.099
nice used car for coffee money. But when you're

01:02:41.099 --> 01:02:43.739
buying the coffee, or when you're buying the

01:02:43.739 --> 01:02:47.019
fast food, or you're buying the games, or you're

01:02:47.019 --> 01:02:49.889
buying the entertainment, or you're buying a

01:02:49.889 --> 01:02:54.550
streaming service, or you're buying nicer clothes

01:02:54.550 --> 01:02:56.650
when you already have clothes, or you're buying

01:02:56.650 --> 01:02:58.949
a nicer car when you already have a car, or you're

01:02:58.949 --> 01:03:01.250
saving for retirement or whatever, you're doing

01:03:01.250 --> 01:03:03.590
all those things and you're like, this is working,

01:03:03.630 --> 01:03:08.610
this is great, I'm getting what I want. Realize

01:03:08.610 --> 01:03:11.610
that what you're doing right now is determining

01:03:11.610 --> 01:03:16.809
what's going to happen there. And don't say to

01:03:16.809 --> 01:03:19.280
yourself, That in that moment in time, if I have

01:03:19.280 --> 01:03:20.840
not done what's right, I'll go to God and I'll

01:03:20.840 --> 01:03:23.539
say, oh, I'm so sorry, God. And God will forgive

01:03:23.539 --> 01:03:27.460
me and remove the consequences of my unwillingness

01:03:27.460 --> 01:03:31.940
to spend today building my eternity. Now, Jesus

01:03:31.940 --> 01:03:34.360
is preparing a place for you. He says, I go prepare

01:03:34.360 --> 01:03:35.860
a place for you. And if I prepare a place for

01:03:35.860 --> 01:03:37.380
you, I will come and then I will take you to

01:03:37.380 --> 01:03:38.739
be there with me. And I'm not saying that's not

01:03:38.739 --> 01:03:43.380
going to happen. But there is a desire by the

01:03:43.380 --> 01:03:44.760
Lord, is what we're reading in this text, for

01:03:44.760 --> 01:03:48.289
you to be participant today. in the building

01:03:48.289 --> 01:03:50.849
of the kingdom of God, which ultimately is the

01:03:50.849 --> 01:03:52.909
city that God is building in heaven for you.

01:03:54.309 --> 01:03:56.730
Alright, so there's three kind of key, very important

01:03:56.730 --> 01:04:00.989
things that I want you to see in here. The first

01:04:00.989 --> 01:04:03.070
one is I want to ask you, and it's a rhetorical

01:04:03.070 --> 01:04:04.429
question, you don't have to answer me, but you

01:04:04.429 --> 01:04:06.469
can definitely think about it in your head, and

01:04:06.469 --> 01:04:09.690
that is, how can you be too smart for your own

01:04:09.690 --> 01:04:14.929
good? The writers, the writer and the readers

01:04:14.929 --> 01:04:18.489
of Hebrew had a, A context in which they're talking.

01:04:19.809 --> 01:04:21.929
This is a Christian book written by a Christian

01:04:21.929 --> 01:04:24.329
individual, man or woman, to a Christian folk.

01:04:24.949 --> 01:04:29.170
And we are talking in that context today. If

01:04:29.170 --> 01:04:31.050
you would claim the name of Jesus Christ, and

01:04:31.050 --> 01:04:32.989
you would say, I believe that Jesus Christ is

01:04:32.989 --> 01:04:34.409
the Son of God, that he died on the cross for

01:04:34.409 --> 01:04:37.849
my sins, that means he's your Savior. And you

01:04:37.849 --> 01:04:40.210
say, I believe in him as Lord, I believe he was

01:04:40.210 --> 01:04:43.030
the Son of God in the flesh, and God the Son

01:04:43.030 --> 01:04:45.170
in the flesh, so I believe he has the right as

01:04:45.170 --> 01:04:47.150
creator of the universe to... Order my life.

01:04:47.230 --> 01:04:49.230
Tell me what to do and I'll do it. So he's Lord.

01:04:49.309 --> 01:04:51.269
So he's Savior and he's Lord. And you believe

01:04:51.269 --> 01:04:54.150
that God raised him from the dead? And you have

01:04:54.150 --> 01:04:55.730
believed that in your heart and confessed it

01:04:55.730 --> 01:05:00.550
with your mouth? Then you are saved. And if you

01:05:00.550 --> 01:05:02.730
would repent of any dullness of hearing or any

01:05:02.730 --> 01:05:06.730
being off the way, you can understand this teaching

01:05:06.730 --> 01:05:08.829
just as the author of Hebrews knew they could

01:05:08.829 --> 01:05:11.150
understand it. It could have been written to

01:05:11.150 --> 01:05:15.670
us today. How can you be too smart for your own

01:05:15.670 --> 01:05:20.690
good? As humans, we've become pretty good at

01:05:20.690 --> 01:05:22.690
avoiding suffering, at avoiding difficulties,

01:05:22.730 --> 01:05:26.789
seeing, developing problems. Problem starts to

01:05:26.789 --> 01:05:28.289
develop, it's not going the way I like it, and

01:05:28.289 --> 01:05:32.329
I think, how can I avoid that difficulty? And

01:05:32.329 --> 01:05:35.130
everyone in this room is pretty smart. And so

01:05:35.130 --> 01:05:38.050
we say, well, if the difficulty is... Car breaks

01:05:38.050 --> 01:05:39.750
down on the side of the expressway because I

01:05:39.750 --> 01:05:42.170
got a flat tire. And I don't want to have to

01:05:42.170 --> 01:05:44.090
call a tow truck. Then I'm going to need a spare

01:05:44.090 --> 01:05:47.510
and a jack. And I need to make sure they work.

01:05:48.110 --> 01:05:49.849
And I probably ought to make sure my lug nuts

01:05:49.849 --> 01:05:52.469
are not seized on there because I might not be

01:05:52.469 --> 01:05:54.610
strong enough to do that. So periodically get

01:05:54.610 --> 01:05:56.329
your tires rotated, things like that. And then

01:05:56.329 --> 01:05:58.269
you get a flat tire on the side of the expressway.

01:05:58.309 --> 01:05:59.909
And you go digging in the trunk, hopefully not

01:05:59.909 --> 01:06:01.809
buried under too much stuff. And you pull the

01:06:01.809 --> 01:06:03.690
tire and the jack out. And you take the old tire

01:06:03.690 --> 01:06:05.130
off. You put the new tire on. And then you're

01:06:05.130 --> 01:06:07.699
back on the road and you go. Because we can see

01:06:07.699 --> 01:06:10.159
some problems developing and we can take the

01:06:10.159 --> 01:06:14.579
necessary actions to avoid them. Hear me. Some

01:06:14.579 --> 01:06:17.980
problems that are developing, they're not developing

01:06:17.980 --> 01:06:21.739
so that you can avoid them. They're developing

01:06:21.739 --> 01:06:24.699
so that you can walk boldly into them in the

01:06:24.699 --> 01:06:26.639
confidence that we talked about two weeks ago

01:06:26.639 --> 01:06:33.400
and bring Christ into that scenario. And if you're

01:06:33.400 --> 01:06:35.139
doing what it is that God would have you to do,

01:06:35.559 --> 01:06:37.960
More often than not, if you're not dull appearing,

01:06:38.079 --> 01:06:40.059
and you're not off the way, and you're literally

01:06:40.059 --> 01:06:42.420
walking out your salvation, more often than not,

01:06:42.460 --> 01:06:44.559
you're going to be in the midst of that trial,

01:06:44.619 --> 01:06:46.320
in the midst of that difficulty, or suffering

01:06:46.320 --> 01:06:49.239
in that very dangerous place, before you even

01:06:49.239 --> 01:06:52.719
know it. I remember when we were back over on

01:06:52.719 --> 01:06:54.440
Main Street on Friday, and I was having trouble.

01:06:54.539 --> 01:06:55.920
I'm having the same trouble that I'm having now,

01:06:56.019 --> 01:06:58.079
making visits and trying to talk to people about

01:06:58.079 --> 01:07:02.840
Jesus. And I decided on Friday nights, instead

01:07:02.840 --> 01:07:05.039
of going to game night, every other week, they

01:07:05.039 --> 01:07:06.260
were game night every week, but every other week

01:07:06.260 --> 01:07:08.079
I decided instead of going there, I would go

01:07:08.079 --> 01:07:10.059
out on the north end over by our church plant

01:07:10.059 --> 01:07:11.900
at that time and I would knock on doors starting

01:07:11.900 --> 01:07:14.820
about 7 o 'clock. And then fall came and it was

01:07:14.820 --> 01:07:16.980
getting dark about 7, 7 .30 and I was knocking

01:07:16.980 --> 01:07:20.019
on doors after dark and I was trying to share

01:07:20.019 --> 01:07:21.539
the gospel, trying to talk to people about Jesus,

01:07:21.579 --> 01:07:23.980
trying to invite them to come to worship, come

01:07:23.980 --> 01:07:26.579
to the Lord and so on. And I did that for like

01:07:26.579 --> 01:07:30.099
six months. The end of which it was so dark by

01:07:30.099 --> 01:07:34.710
like 5 .30. that I was starting after dark. And

01:07:34.710 --> 01:07:36.570
I had trouble finding house numbers. I had trouble

01:07:36.570 --> 01:07:38.550
seeing on porches that didn't have porch lights

01:07:38.550 --> 01:07:41.070
and so on. And the Lord sort of led me to do

01:07:41.070 --> 01:07:43.429
things differently. And I started doing the visitation

01:07:43.429 --> 01:07:45.349
when it was lighter out, whatever. Afterwards,

01:07:45.349 --> 01:07:47.750
I talked to our church planner, Rick Morris,

01:07:47.989 --> 01:07:50.250
and I told him what I'd been doing. And Rick

01:07:50.250 --> 01:07:53.369
is a big guy. He's very physically fit. He works

01:07:53.369 --> 01:07:55.269
out literally like every day, five days a week.

01:07:55.289 --> 01:07:56.889
And he has a personal trainer ministry and all

01:07:56.889 --> 01:08:00.369
this. And he's had some health concerns in the

01:08:00.369 --> 01:08:02.170
past. That's a big thing. Rick spent over 20

01:08:02.170 --> 01:08:04.530
years in prison. He got saved out of drug dealing.

01:08:04.690 --> 01:08:06.989
He's a pretty rough -looking guy. And I told

01:08:06.989 --> 01:08:08.510
him, I said, I was going out on Friday nights

01:08:08.510 --> 01:08:10.929
every other week for six months, and I was knocking

01:08:10.929 --> 01:08:14.889
on doors over there. And he went like this. And

01:08:14.889 --> 01:08:17.750
I said, what? He said, let me get this straight.

01:08:18.050 --> 01:08:21.189
He said, like, off Galena, the north end, you

01:08:21.189 --> 01:08:22.890
were over there knocking on doors? I said, yeah.

01:08:23.250 --> 01:08:26.029
And he said, dude, white men don't go to that

01:08:26.029 --> 01:08:28.250
part of town after dark. And I said, what are

01:08:28.250 --> 01:08:31.289
you talking about? And he said, especially not

01:08:31.289 --> 01:08:34.550
white men who look like you. And I was like,

01:08:34.630 --> 01:08:37.630
wait a minute, what does that mean? What do I

01:08:37.630 --> 01:08:40.789
look like exactly? He goes, you know, kind of

01:08:40.789 --> 01:08:45.069
frail. And I'm like, what? I mean, like, I swear

01:08:45.069 --> 01:08:46.810
I ate my vegetables when I was a kid. I don't

01:08:46.810 --> 01:08:48.729
know why this happened to me. But anyway, the

01:08:48.729 --> 01:08:52.069
point is, he's like, you don't do that. They

01:08:52.069 --> 01:08:53.890
will literally, people will shoot you from the

01:08:53.890 --> 01:08:55.409
window of their house and you won't know which

01:08:55.409 --> 01:08:57.630
house shot you. And no one will be convicted.

01:08:57.909 --> 01:09:01.350
And I'm like, well, that didn't happen. If you're

01:09:01.350 --> 01:09:03.770
walking in the confidence in Christ that we talked

01:09:03.770 --> 01:09:05.909
about last week, you will suddenly find yourself

01:09:05.909 --> 01:09:09.750
in a difficult spot. You will suddenly find yourself

01:09:09.750 --> 01:09:12.210
outside your box so far that you can't find the

01:09:12.210 --> 01:09:14.869
box anymore. You'll go, what happened to that

01:09:14.869 --> 01:09:18.750
box? Where did it go? I was feeling more comfortable

01:09:18.750 --> 01:09:20.970
there. I tucked my little binky in there and

01:09:20.970 --> 01:09:23.720
I haven't seen it in months. And that's where

01:09:23.720 --> 01:09:25.359
you'll live your life. You'll live your life

01:09:25.359 --> 01:09:28.159
outside the box so far that you're like, I'm

01:09:28.159 --> 01:09:29.579
a little freaked, but at the same time, I'm a

01:09:29.579 --> 01:09:33.500
little super, this is awesome. And that's what

01:09:33.500 --> 01:09:37.260
we're being called to in Christianity. But we're

01:09:37.260 --> 01:09:41.340
so smart, we've figured out so many ways to justify

01:09:41.340 --> 01:09:43.579
the various excuses that answer the questions

01:09:43.579 --> 01:09:46.220
that might arise, so many ways to plot the path

01:09:46.220 --> 01:09:50.420
around the quagmire that is the world, that is...

01:09:50.810 --> 01:09:54.069
So many ways to not share Jesus. So many ways

01:09:54.069 --> 01:09:56.210
to not bring Jesus into the conversation. So

01:09:56.210 --> 01:09:58.489
many ways to not make an illustration about faith.

01:09:58.649 --> 01:10:01.369
So many ways to not mention a Bible verse. We're

01:10:01.369 --> 01:10:03.970
busy not memorizing verses in case we would accidentally

01:10:03.970 --> 01:10:08.550
slip one into conversation. We don't want anybody

01:10:08.550 --> 01:10:11.210
to know, and we're really good about that, because

01:10:11.210 --> 01:10:13.310
if we were out there telling people about Jesus

01:10:13.310 --> 01:10:14.869
all the time, here's what's going to happen.

01:10:14.970 --> 01:10:17.680
You're going to run into more people. That don't

01:10:17.680 --> 01:10:19.420
want to hear about it. They get mad at you for

01:10:19.420 --> 01:10:21.399
bringing it up. That say nasty things. You're

01:10:21.399 --> 01:10:22.920
going to surround yourself with people who use

01:10:22.920 --> 01:10:24.859
vulgarity in every sentence. And you don't even

01:10:24.859 --> 01:10:26.439
like to hear that anymore because you've been

01:10:26.439 --> 01:10:28.560
cleansed from that. You're going to find yourself

01:10:28.560 --> 01:10:31.199
persecuted and you're going to have to persevere.

01:10:31.319 --> 01:10:34.439
And guess what? That's literally Christianity.

01:10:36.140 --> 01:10:38.060
Yes, the cool thing is this is also Christianity.

01:10:38.659 --> 01:10:41.199
It's cool. We listen to the word, we worship,

01:10:41.279 --> 01:10:43.380
we sing songs together, we serve one another,

01:10:43.479 --> 01:10:45.600
we show up when one another is in need, we give

01:10:45.600 --> 01:10:47.960
money, and then that money is used to get the

01:10:47.960 --> 01:10:50.140
gospel throughout the whole world and also right

01:10:50.140 --> 01:10:52.680
here and to buy groceries for people who are

01:10:52.680 --> 01:10:54.640
hungry. So you can come to your church. Are you

01:10:54.640 --> 01:10:56.739
running to somebody that doesn't have food? You

01:10:56.739 --> 01:10:58.380
come to your church and you talk to Jamie and

01:10:58.380 --> 01:11:01.279
I guarantee that person will eat within an hour

01:11:01.279 --> 01:11:03.619
of her hearing that there's no food in that house.

01:11:03.859 --> 01:11:06.479
I guarantee it. We don't have to wonder about

01:11:06.479 --> 01:11:09.699
that because our church shows up. That's what

01:11:09.699 --> 01:11:13.420
we do. Yet, when we go out there alone, when

01:11:13.420 --> 01:11:15.939
we go out there with a brother, it's not our

01:11:15.939 --> 01:11:20.239
go -to to go to Jesus. Because there's trouble.

01:11:21.380 --> 01:11:27.399
Because this life in Jesus is hard. And we're

01:11:27.399 --> 01:11:30.500
smart. And we're too smart to let it be hard.

01:11:32.340 --> 01:11:34.460
We have just a little bit of money in the bank,

01:11:34.479 --> 01:11:36.060
just enough to make sure that things are going

01:11:36.060 --> 01:11:39.020
to be taken care of. So we're too smart to give

01:11:39.020 --> 01:11:41.579
until it hurts. Except that's the New Testament

01:11:41.579 --> 01:11:45.159
example of giving. We have enough time to rest,

01:11:45.239 --> 01:11:46.899
enough time to eat right, enough time to spend

01:11:46.899 --> 01:11:48.380
a little time with our family, enough time to

01:11:48.380 --> 01:11:51.359
do a little bit of ministry. And we've got a

01:11:51.359 --> 01:11:55.359
half -decent balance being established. And we're

01:11:55.359 --> 01:11:57.399
too smart to surrender our entertainment time,

01:11:57.520 --> 01:12:01.380
to surrender our relaxation, to get up an extra

01:12:01.380 --> 01:12:03.680
hour and a half early knowing that at the end

01:12:03.680 --> 01:12:04.979
of the workday we're going to be very tired to

01:12:04.979 --> 01:12:08.720
spend a little time with the Lord. to pray, to

01:12:08.720 --> 01:12:13.220
be in His Word. We're too smart to when we wake

01:12:13.220 --> 01:12:15.060
up at 4 o 'clock in the morning not knowing why

01:12:15.060 --> 01:12:16.859
we woke up to get up and sit up and turn on the

01:12:16.859 --> 01:12:19.000
light or get a flashlight or whatever to pull

01:12:19.000 --> 01:12:20.720
on our glasses and whip out our Bible and start

01:12:20.720 --> 01:12:22.739
reading. Oh no, because we know we'll be tired

01:12:22.739 --> 01:12:24.479
the next day so we go right back to sleep if

01:12:24.479 --> 01:12:27.680
we can. And if not, we lay there and rest. It's

01:12:27.680 --> 01:12:32.079
not about God. This is what God says. I'm not

01:12:32.079 --> 01:12:33.380
going to flip through these passages but I just

01:12:33.380 --> 01:12:36.149
want to share a few. on this topic with you.

01:12:36.289 --> 01:12:38.949
In Job 5 .13, it says, He captures the wise by

01:12:38.949 --> 01:12:41.949
their own shrewdness, and the advice of the cunning

01:12:41.949 --> 01:12:46.310
is quickly thwarted. You're smart. God's smarter.

01:12:48.609 --> 01:12:50.909
1 Corinthians 3 .19 says, For the wisdom of this

01:12:50.909 --> 01:12:52.850
world is foolishness before God, for it is written,

01:12:52.949 --> 01:12:55.649
He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness.

01:12:56.510 --> 01:12:59.170
Luke 20 .23, Jesus is actually involved, and

01:12:59.170 --> 01:13:02.449
it says, He detected their trickery and said

01:13:02.449 --> 01:13:05.359
to them, Show me a denarius. Whose likeness does

01:13:05.359 --> 01:13:07.420
it have? They said Caesar's. Then render unto

01:13:07.420 --> 01:13:09.220
Caesar the things that are Caesar's and render

01:13:09.220 --> 01:13:11.600
to God the things that are God's. I ask you,

01:13:11.619 --> 01:13:14.899
by the way, where do you find God's likeness?

01:13:15.960 --> 01:13:18.060
Created in his image, right? To represent him.

01:13:18.500 --> 01:13:21.600
So go ahead, render your taxes. And then give

01:13:21.600 --> 01:13:24.140
literally everything else to God. All that you

01:13:24.140 --> 01:13:27.840
are. That's surely not how they interpreted it.

01:13:27.880 --> 01:13:29.239
They were too smart to interpret it that way.

01:13:30.539 --> 01:13:33.800
2 Corinthians 4 .2 But we have renounced the

01:13:33.800 --> 01:13:36.000
things hidden because of shame, not walking in

01:13:36.000 --> 01:13:38.500
craftiness or adulterating the word of God. This

01:13:38.500 --> 01:13:40.659
is maybe one of the worst sins that Christians

01:13:40.659 --> 01:13:42.819
get into. They take the word of God and they

01:13:42.819 --> 01:13:44.640
misinterpret it to be the way that they like

01:13:44.640 --> 01:13:47.439
it. They'll even take out this it's going to

01:13:47.439 --> 01:13:49.659
be hard message that the author of Hebrews clearly

01:13:49.659 --> 01:13:52.479
put in there and they'll say, no, it's going

01:13:52.479 --> 01:13:55.420
to be easy because I said so. Because here God

01:13:55.420 --> 01:13:57.239
says I'll always be with you even unto the end

01:13:57.239 --> 01:13:59.079
of the age. So obviously it's going to be easy.

01:13:59.260 --> 01:14:01.439
I'll turn everything out for your good. So obviously

01:14:01.439 --> 01:14:04.119
it's going to be easy, right? So they'll make

01:14:04.119 --> 01:14:08.039
it out to be an easy instead of a challenging

01:14:08.039 --> 01:14:15.899
passage, course, life. He says, but we have...

01:14:16.109 --> 01:14:18.350
renounced the things hidden because of shame,

01:14:18.449 --> 01:14:20.409
not walking in craftiness or adulterating the

01:14:20.409 --> 01:14:22.550
word of God, but by the manifestation of truth,

01:14:22.710 --> 01:14:24.569
commending ourselves. That means putting ourselves

01:14:24.569 --> 01:14:26.510
up. Remember that confidence? It means showing

01:14:26.510 --> 01:14:29.550
yourself to every man's conscience in the sight

01:14:29.550 --> 01:14:31.729
of God. Every man's, not just Christians. You

01:14:31.729 --> 01:14:33.369
don't just get to teach the lessons of Christ

01:14:33.369 --> 01:14:35.529
in Sunday school on your one time a month. You

01:14:35.529 --> 01:14:37.010
don't get to teach the lessons of Christ when

01:14:37.010 --> 01:14:38.590
you stand up in the pulpit. You don't get to

01:14:38.590 --> 01:14:40.489
just do it during an inspirational moment or

01:14:40.489 --> 01:14:43.470
while you're singing a praise song that is the

01:14:43.470 --> 01:14:45.130
song that's going to drive home the point for

01:14:45.130 --> 01:14:48.210
you. not just then, but every day, in every man's

01:14:48.210 --> 01:14:49.729
conscience, we commend ourselves so that they

01:14:49.729 --> 01:14:52.210
can see us, so that we can point to God, and

01:14:52.210 --> 01:14:54.329
all this is done in the sight of God. Ephesians

01:14:54.329 --> 01:14:57.810
4, 14 says, As a result, we are no longer children

01:14:57.810 --> 01:15:01.069
to be, we are no longer to be children tossed

01:15:01.069 --> 01:15:02.970
here and there by waves and carried about by

01:15:02.970 --> 01:15:05.329
every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men,

01:15:05.489 --> 01:15:07.770
by craftiness and deceitful scheming. By the

01:15:07.770 --> 01:15:09.689
way, that passage is talking about the results

01:15:09.689 --> 01:15:11.609
of being the church and together and working

01:15:11.609 --> 01:15:14.199
together in ministry. and acting out the rules

01:15:14.199 --> 01:15:17.800
that we each have. Because we do that, we are

01:15:17.800 --> 01:15:19.500
no longer to be children tossed here and there

01:15:19.500 --> 01:15:21.680
by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine

01:15:21.680 --> 01:15:24.659
by the trickery of men. And you can put smartness

01:15:24.659 --> 01:15:27.460
or craftiness in there if you wanted to, where

01:15:27.460 --> 01:15:30.579
it says trickery, by craftiness and deceitful

01:15:30.579 --> 01:15:35.439
scheming. No, no. Stop it. The games you're playing,

01:15:35.600 --> 01:15:39.100
trying to make an end run around what's right,

01:15:39.159 --> 01:15:41.260
trying to avoid suffering and difficulty, stop.

01:15:42.960 --> 01:15:46.140
God will catch you in it. And if he catches you

01:15:46.140 --> 01:15:48.680
in it, you just may get the consequences for

01:15:48.680 --> 01:15:51.739
it. And you'll be defiled, which means not usable

01:15:51.739 --> 01:15:56.279
by him. And if you never were clean, because

01:15:56.279 --> 01:15:58.260
you hadn't accepted him as Lord and Savior and

01:15:58.260 --> 01:15:59.680
believed that God raised him from the dead, both

01:15:59.680 --> 01:16:01.399
in your heart and by your profession of faith,

01:16:01.439 --> 01:16:03.680
by your mouth, then you'll never make it into

01:16:03.680 --> 01:16:08.720
heaven. But if you did accept Jesus and then

01:16:08.720 --> 01:16:10.819
live like that, You're never going to make it

01:16:10.819 --> 01:16:12.359
into the deeper teachings. You're dull of hearing

01:16:12.359 --> 01:16:15.279
or off the way. And then amidst the deeper teachings,

01:16:15.380 --> 01:16:17.180
when the difficulties come, you're going to wonder

01:16:17.180 --> 01:16:19.460
for sure, am I saved? It shouldn't be like this.

01:16:20.579 --> 01:16:24.420
Second thing in there to see then is how to understand

01:16:24.420 --> 01:16:28.119
and interpret the bumps in the road. Now, obviously,

01:16:28.180 --> 01:16:30.880
this passage of Scripture is not fully conclusive

01:16:30.880 --> 01:16:32.720
on every difficulty you're ever going to face.

01:16:33.279 --> 01:16:35.720
It simply says that God sends a lot of difficulty

01:16:35.720 --> 01:16:38.640
and that through that difficulty that God sends,

01:16:39.100 --> 01:16:42.239
It is so that we endure. He deals with us as

01:16:42.239 --> 01:16:45.819
sons, and we receive the peace that righteousness

01:16:45.819 --> 01:16:49.340
brings. How to understand bumps in the roads.

01:16:49.439 --> 01:16:52.560
Well, bumps in the roads could be chastisements.

01:16:53.119 --> 01:16:56.680
It's corrections. It could be punishments. It

01:16:56.680 --> 01:16:58.819
could be consequences. It could be the groaning

01:16:58.819 --> 01:17:01.659
of creation. It could just simply be time and

01:17:01.659 --> 01:17:04.100
chance happen to all men, like it says in Ecclesiastes

01:17:04.100 --> 01:17:08.220
9. Regardless of what the source of difficulty

01:17:08.220 --> 01:17:11.239
is, there's really just one answer, right? I

01:17:11.239 --> 01:17:12.500
hope you know that. If you're a Christian, you

01:17:12.500 --> 01:17:14.439
should know that. Regardless of what the source

01:17:14.439 --> 01:17:15.859
of difficulty is, there's just one answer, and

01:17:15.859 --> 01:17:18.979
that is repent and turn unto the Lord. You say,

01:17:19.000 --> 01:17:20.680
but if somebody's persecuting me and I'm getting

01:17:20.680 --> 01:17:23.720
hurt, why should I repent? Because the experience

01:17:23.720 --> 01:17:29.039
of being persecuted is a challenging one. You

01:17:29.039 --> 01:17:31.439
could develop psychological issues. You could

01:17:31.439 --> 01:17:33.399
develop emotional struggles. You could develop

01:17:33.399 --> 01:17:35.729
spiritual struggles. And for all of that, there

01:17:35.729 --> 01:17:38.510
is only one solution. Turn to the Lord. It doesn't

01:17:38.510 --> 01:17:39.869
matter whether you did it to somebody else or

01:17:39.869 --> 01:17:41.590
somebody else did it to you. Your response is

01:17:41.590 --> 01:17:44.949
the same. Turn again to the Lord. Lord, I've

01:17:44.949 --> 01:17:46.489
been through some difficulty. Now teach me out

01:17:46.489 --> 01:17:49.850
of this. The author of Hebrews says it this way.

01:17:49.909 --> 01:17:52.970
He says, in the midst of those difficulties or

01:17:52.970 --> 01:17:59.489
trials, I want you to shore up. Get a grip. Get

01:17:59.489 --> 01:18:03.670
firm. Get strong. push back and do the things

01:18:03.670 --> 01:18:06.930
that God would have you to do. We do that so

01:18:06.930 --> 01:18:08.930
that no root of bitterness would develop, so

01:18:08.930 --> 01:18:10.789
that no person will become an immoral person

01:18:10.789 --> 01:18:13.949
like Esau. If you are not willing to step up

01:18:13.949 --> 01:18:15.489
and be strong and do the things that God would

01:18:15.489 --> 01:18:17.029
have you to do in the midst of those trials,

01:18:17.149 --> 01:18:20.670
you run the risk of going a different way. And

01:18:20.670 --> 01:18:22.590
if you go a different way, that goes a different

01:18:22.590 --> 01:18:26.550
place. Very briefly, I'm going to read an excerpt

01:18:26.550 --> 01:18:28.949
from a book so we can just understand this word.

01:18:30.409 --> 01:18:32.550
There are differences between punishment, discipline,

01:18:32.729 --> 01:18:37.630
and consequences. Punishment is condemning. It

01:18:37.630 --> 01:18:39.890
says, you did wrong, now you've got to pay the

01:18:39.890 --> 01:18:42.109
price. It is about the person who committed the

01:18:42.109 --> 01:18:46.210
crime or the sin. Jesus took our punishment on

01:18:46.210 --> 01:18:48.810
the cross, so ultimately, as Christians, we no

01:18:48.810 --> 01:18:52.430
longer receive punishments for our sin, not corporately,

01:18:52.550 --> 01:18:59.850
now, or in heaven. Right? After death. The punishment

01:18:59.850 --> 01:19:04.510
is taken care of. Discipline is correcting. It

01:19:04.510 --> 01:19:06.649
says, you shouldn't have done that. Now, in the

01:19:06.649 --> 01:19:09.250
future, you're going to do this instead. Right?

01:19:09.529 --> 01:19:13.710
It's like conviction, but it's actual steps taken.

01:19:13.810 --> 01:19:18.260
So, you stole, and God... brings it out that

01:19:18.260 --> 01:19:20.560
you stole. Maybe you go to jail. That's actually

01:19:20.560 --> 01:19:23.539
consequences then would be going to jail. Or

01:19:23.539 --> 01:19:25.439
maybe people don't trust you now. That's consequences.

01:19:25.800 --> 01:19:28.039
Or you feel pain. That's consequences. Or you

01:19:28.039 --> 01:19:30.619
feel guilt. God doesn't use guilt, by the way.

01:19:30.659 --> 01:19:32.539
That can be consequences of doing something wrong.

01:19:32.680 --> 01:19:36.239
But God doesn't do that. God convicts. God says,

01:19:36.260 --> 01:19:39.380
there's no punishment, but there's definitely

01:19:39.380 --> 01:19:43.039
discipline. And if there is no discipline, there

01:19:43.039 --> 01:19:48.539
is no salvation. And then, He says that we have

01:19:48.539 --> 01:19:52.279
all become partakers of that discipline. So if

01:19:52.279 --> 01:19:53.739
you think that God's not going to discipline

01:19:53.739 --> 01:19:58.960
you when you do something wrong, your only hope

01:19:58.960 --> 01:20:01.960
that that's actually true is if you don't actually

01:20:01.960 --> 01:20:03.420
belong to God. And I don't think that's what

01:20:03.420 --> 01:20:06.479
you want. Now, punishment and discipline are

01:20:06.479 --> 01:20:08.319
two different things, right? Punishment is correction.

01:20:08.439 --> 01:20:11.220
Punishment is about making the person who did

01:20:11.220 --> 01:20:14.239
something wrong pay for their debt. They stole,

01:20:14.399 --> 01:20:18.479
they pay back, they broke, they fix. They borrowed

01:20:18.479 --> 01:20:22.119
and didn't return, they replace. A child lies,

01:20:22.460 --> 01:20:25.859
they get a spanking. It's a punishment, but if

01:20:25.859 --> 01:20:28.359
it's only a punishment, then it's not good parenting.

01:20:29.539 --> 01:20:32.239
Because it really should be discipline. They

01:20:32.239 --> 01:20:35.479
get the spanking, and they're told with the spanking

01:20:35.479 --> 01:20:38.000
that they can do what they need to do in the

01:20:38.000 --> 01:20:40.720
future. That the reason they got spanked was

01:20:40.720 --> 01:20:43.039
because they are better than that. They are a

01:20:43.039 --> 01:20:45.220
better person. They can do better. They don't

01:20:45.220 --> 01:20:47.359
have to do that. They don't have to be like that.

01:20:47.399 --> 01:20:49.119
And they're told about the damaging consequences

01:20:49.119 --> 01:20:52.000
of continuing to be like that. So if punishment

01:20:52.000 --> 01:20:55.739
is only discipline, then it has no value. I'm

01:20:55.739 --> 01:20:57.619
sorry, if discipline is only punishment, then

01:20:57.619 --> 01:21:00.039
it has no value. But if discipline builds a future

01:21:00.039 --> 01:21:02.680
person better, then it has value. And that's

01:21:02.680 --> 01:21:04.439
what God is doing for us. He says, get a grip.

01:21:04.840 --> 01:21:08.539
Remember Jacob. Remember Moses on his knees pleading

01:21:08.539 --> 01:21:11.760
with God for his people. Remember Abraham courageously

01:21:11.760 --> 01:21:13.920
bartering with God to save Sodom. If only there'd

01:21:13.920 --> 01:21:15.979
be some righteous men found there. Remember David

01:21:15.979 --> 01:21:18.840
writing the words, You make me lie down by still

01:21:18.840 --> 01:21:21.220
waters, anoint my head with oil, fill my cup,

01:21:21.340 --> 01:21:23.100
prepare a table in the presence of my enemies,

01:21:23.279 --> 01:21:26.840
and more. Remember the second mighty man of David

01:21:26.840 --> 01:21:31.979
who was abandoned in the face of the enemy. It

01:21:31.979 --> 01:21:34.600
says, And after him was Eliezer the son of Dodo

01:21:34.600 --> 01:21:38.130
the Ahohite. One of the three mighty men with

01:21:38.130 --> 01:21:40.210
David, when they defiled the Philistines who

01:21:40.210 --> 01:21:41.770
were gathered there to battle, the men of Israel

01:21:41.770 --> 01:21:44.369
had withdrawn. He arose and struck the Philistines

01:21:44.369 --> 01:21:46.569
until his hand was weary and clung to the sword

01:21:46.569 --> 01:21:49.430
or froze to his sword. And the Lord brought about

01:21:49.430 --> 01:21:51.270
a great victory that day and the people returned

01:21:51.270 --> 01:21:54.010
after him to strip the slain. And they had to

01:21:54.010 --> 01:21:56.170
pry his sword out of his hand because in the

01:21:56.170 --> 01:21:57.789
midst of that, when it was just him against all

01:21:57.789 --> 01:22:00.909
of them, he fought and every time he thought

01:22:00.909 --> 01:22:03.310
he might stop fighting, he gripped his sword

01:22:03.310 --> 01:22:06.640
tighter. It isn't easy to live here on earth.

01:22:06.819 --> 01:22:08.920
It hasn't been since Adam sinned against God.

01:22:09.060 --> 01:22:11.500
All the reasons would take a lifetime to understand

01:22:11.500 --> 01:22:13.739
and then probably wouldn't be transferable wisdom

01:22:13.739 --> 01:22:15.600
because your reasons are not somebody else's

01:22:15.600 --> 01:22:19.000
reasons. But the responses God desires are simple.

01:22:19.079 --> 01:22:22.979
So simple it becomes painful. Get a grip and

01:22:22.979 --> 01:22:25.239
do what God would have you to do. There will

01:22:25.239 --> 01:22:27.939
always be a reason. You're that smart. You will

01:22:27.939 --> 01:22:30.479
always come up with some way to waffle, some

01:22:30.479 --> 01:22:32.600
way to back down, some way to slip through, some

01:22:32.600 --> 01:22:36.220
way to avoid the trial. There will always be

01:22:36.220 --> 01:22:41.100
a reason if you are the kind of person who will

01:22:41.100 --> 01:22:47.199
tolerate a reason. And as Christians, we are

01:22:47.199 --> 01:22:49.899
asked to be the kind of people who will not tolerate

01:22:49.899 --> 01:22:54.279
a reason. When we are asked to stop doing what

01:22:54.279 --> 01:22:56.579
God would have us to do, we already know our

01:22:56.579 --> 01:22:59.560
answer. It is no. When we are asked to start

01:22:59.560 --> 01:23:01.260
doing something that God would not have us to

01:23:01.260 --> 01:23:04.479
do, we already know our answer. It is no. And

01:23:04.479 --> 01:23:07.140
exactly how far do you resist? You resist until

01:23:07.140 --> 01:23:13.920
you bleed. Even die. That's the cloud of witnesses

01:23:13.920 --> 01:23:17.420
that we have. They all died awaiting the promise

01:23:17.420 --> 01:23:19.119
of God and were never able to see it in their

01:23:19.119 --> 01:23:23.000
lifetime. And that for us, so that we could be

01:23:23.000 --> 01:23:25.960
included in receiving the promise with them.

01:23:27.369 --> 01:23:30.010
But if you brook no opposition, if you will cast

01:23:30.010 --> 01:23:32.170
out the enemy at the first rearing of his ugly

01:23:32.170 --> 01:23:35.090
head, you will win the day and be the person

01:23:35.090 --> 01:23:38.069
that God has made you to be a little more each

01:23:38.069 --> 01:23:41.550
day, and sometimes in leaps and bounds. The author

01:23:41.550 --> 01:23:43.850
of Hebrews wrote, and we read, all discipline

01:23:43.850 --> 01:23:46.310
for the moment seems not to be joyful but sorrowful,

01:23:46.369 --> 01:23:49.270
yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards

01:23:49.270 --> 01:23:51.829
it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

01:23:54.029 --> 01:23:56.609
But four to five hundred years earlier than the

01:23:56.609 --> 01:23:59.510
author of Hebrews, the prophet Malachi wrote

01:23:59.510 --> 01:24:01.930
this. He says, but for you who fear my name,

01:24:02.029 --> 01:24:05.149
the sun, S -U -N, not talking about Jesus, the

01:24:05.149 --> 01:24:08.470
sun of righteousness will rise with healing in

01:24:08.470 --> 01:24:10.510
its wings and you will go forth and skip about

01:24:10.510 --> 01:24:14.489
like calves from the stall. The road to righteousness

01:24:14.489 --> 01:24:17.409
is a road that runs past discipline and correction

01:24:17.409 --> 01:24:24.500
when and where it's necessary. Usually. Always.

01:24:25.640 --> 01:24:30.140
But it leads to not just righteousness, but healing.

01:24:31.619 --> 01:24:33.439
Healing lives in the shadow of righteousness.

01:24:34.699 --> 01:24:36.479
The things that you want, that you're trying

01:24:36.479 --> 01:24:38.300
to get for yourself, the avoiding difficulty

01:24:38.300 --> 01:24:40.439
and troubles, there won't be any difficulty and

01:24:40.439 --> 01:24:43.939
troubles in heaven. You're clamming up, you're

01:24:43.939 --> 01:24:46.659
building up armor to not be sad, to not allow

01:24:46.659 --> 01:24:48.819
your compassion button to be pushed so you don't

01:24:48.819 --> 01:24:50.520
struggle for the people that are around you.

01:24:51.899 --> 01:24:55.119
There's none of that in heaven. And we're either

01:24:55.119 --> 01:24:59.279
on a journey there or we're not. And if we are,

01:24:59.479 --> 01:25:02.199
we need to realize that this earth is full of

01:25:02.199 --> 01:25:03.899
suffering and we're meant to do something about

01:25:03.899 --> 01:25:07.539
it. Most of the programs from the New Deal we

01:25:07.539 --> 01:25:09.619
only have because the church didn't show up and

01:25:09.619 --> 01:25:12.479
make sure everyone was fed and clothed and working

01:25:12.479 --> 01:25:15.399
and whatever. The church didn't do it, so the

01:25:15.399 --> 01:25:18.739
government stepped in and did it. To the tune

01:25:18.739 --> 01:25:21.390
of trillions of dollars. And now the church is

01:25:21.390 --> 01:25:23.449
too weak to do it. And that brings us to our

01:25:23.449 --> 01:25:27.630
last point. The author of Hebrews talks about

01:25:27.630 --> 01:25:32.890
one, quote, turn back, unquote, too far. One

01:25:32.890 --> 01:25:36.689
turn back too far. And the author of Hebrews

01:25:36.689 --> 01:25:39.909
implies that the next one could be that one.

01:25:41.130 --> 01:25:44.689
The next time you sin against God, being a willing

01:25:44.689 --> 01:25:46.189
participant in that which you're not supposed

01:25:46.189 --> 01:25:52.239
to do, the next time you, find an excuse not

01:25:52.239 --> 01:25:55.500
to do what God would have you to do because I'll

01:25:55.500 --> 01:25:57.100
bleed or because I'll suffer or because I'll

01:25:57.100 --> 01:25:58.779
go without or because I won't get what I want

01:25:58.779 --> 01:26:00.479
or because my kids will be in danger or because

01:26:00.479 --> 01:26:02.920
my house will be in danger or because my finances

01:26:02.920 --> 01:26:07.100
won't go long enough to buy certain things that

01:26:07.100 --> 01:26:11.180
I'm looking to buy now or down the road or whatever.

01:26:11.359 --> 01:26:14.020
Whatever your excuses are, you say, well, no

01:26:14.020 --> 01:26:17.899
one should have to do that. And it's perfectly

01:26:17.899 --> 01:26:20.920
reasonable to go to a place where you're going

01:26:20.920 --> 01:26:22.579
to have to then turn back and say, okay, God,

01:26:22.659 --> 01:26:23.819
I'm sorry I didn't do what I was supposed to

01:26:23.819 --> 01:26:26.800
do. But the author of Hebrews talks about one

01:26:26.800 --> 01:26:30.100
turn back too far. There is a moment in time

01:26:30.100 --> 01:26:32.880
at which you do what it is that you know you

01:26:32.880 --> 01:26:35.060
shouldn't do, and then you try to repent and

01:26:35.060 --> 01:26:37.659
turn back to God. And the author of Hebrews is

01:26:37.659 --> 01:26:39.239
talking about a time at which God will say no.

01:26:40.939 --> 01:26:43.850
I'm done with you. I have tried again and again

01:26:43.850 --> 01:26:45.949
and again to get you to give again and again

01:26:45.949 --> 01:26:47.609
and again to get you to serve again and again

01:26:47.609 --> 01:26:49.470
and again to get you to speak up. I have sent

01:26:49.470 --> 01:26:51.510
people who were thirsty in their soul for me

01:26:51.510 --> 01:26:53.810
who I'd call unto myself and all you had to do

01:26:53.810 --> 01:26:55.649
was bring up the name of Jesus and they would

01:26:55.649 --> 01:26:57.810
ask you questions about Christianity and you

01:26:57.810 --> 01:27:00.350
had literally nothing to say. I'm done with you.

01:27:02.550 --> 01:27:06.329
Malachi, they were chastised by God because their

01:27:06.329 --> 01:27:11.369
tears were raining down on the altar. God is

01:27:11.369 --> 01:27:15.130
not going to put up with this lack of Christianity

01:27:15.130 --> 01:27:20.069
in Christians forever. You've got to do what

01:27:20.069 --> 01:27:22.010
God wants you to do and you've got to not do

01:27:22.010 --> 01:27:23.449
what God doesn't want you to do and you're going

01:27:23.449 --> 01:27:25.409
to have to make those decisions. This is not

01:27:25.409 --> 01:27:28.109
me. This is the author of Hebrews. But I wholly

01:27:28.109 --> 01:27:32.090
agree and I am deathly afraid that I would ever

01:27:32.090 --> 01:27:34.670
go to the point of one turn back too many and

01:27:34.670 --> 01:27:36.880
then come back to God and say, okay God. I'm

01:27:36.880 --> 01:27:39.119
sorry. Please bless my life. Please lead me.

01:27:39.140 --> 01:27:40.800
Please guide me. Please show me what to do. Please

01:27:40.800 --> 01:27:44.340
talk to me like you used to do. Please... Lead

01:27:44.340 --> 01:27:46.420
me into the situations that will be difficult

01:27:46.420 --> 01:27:48.640
so I can be the light and be the confident person

01:27:48.640 --> 01:27:50.699
there that I'm supposed to be. Like you said,

01:27:50.800 --> 01:27:52.319
I should in the first place. And God's going

01:27:52.319 --> 01:27:54.239
to say, no, I said, and you didn't. And I said,

01:27:54.380 --> 01:27:55.560
and you didn't. And I don't know if it's going

01:27:55.560 --> 01:27:57.260
to be one strike, three strikes, 50 strikes,

01:27:57.359 --> 01:27:59.539
or 100 strikes. And I'm not talking about losing

01:27:59.539 --> 01:28:01.840
your salvation. I'm talking about being in the

01:28:01.840 --> 01:28:03.840
deeper teachings of God and understanding what

01:28:03.840 --> 01:28:05.939
God is about and hearing God's voice and walking

01:28:05.939 --> 01:28:09.180
out Christianity. And God says, it's okay. You

01:28:09.180 --> 01:28:11.760
don't have to do it anymore. I got somebody else

01:28:11.760 --> 01:28:13.789
or we just won't let it be done. Because I'm

01:28:13.789 --> 01:28:16.729
sick and tired of asking you and you say no to

01:28:16.729 --> 01:28:20.329
me. That's what the author of Hebrews is talking

01:28:20.329 --> 01:28:22.909
about when he says, remember Esau? Here's a guy

01:28:22.909 --> 01:28:25.670
who had virtually everything. A big, ruddy, mighty

01:28:25.670 --> 01:28:28.229
warrior, a successful hunter. And he had his

01:28:28.229 --> 01:28:31.210
father's favor. And he was due to get the blessing

01:28:31.210 --> 01:28:34.069
and the birthright. But he gave it up. He gave

01:28:34.069 --> 01:28:36.710
it up. And always for a reason that made sense

01:28:36.710 --> 01:28:41.470
at the time. But then when he went to get some

01:28:41.470 --> 01:28:44.949
portion from his father, he got nothing. There

01:28:44.949 --> 01:28:47.470
was no room left for him to receive a blessing

01:28:47.470 --> 01:28:50.170
or a birthright. That's what the author of Hebrews

01:28:50.170 --> 01:28:54.529
is talking about. There is one turn back too

01:28:54.529 --> 01:28:56.649
far. I was driving through the city of London.

01:28:56.829 --> 01:28:58.949
These thoughts came back to me this week as I

01:28:58.949 --> 01:29:00.409
was helping Isaiah learn how to drive a stick

01:29:00.409 --> 01:29:04.149
shift. And I remembered very... my time driving

01:29:04.149 --> 01:29:05.989
in London, and I had to drive a left -handed

01:29:05.989 --> 01:29:07.529
stick shift instead of a right -handed stick

01:29:07.529 --> 01:29:09.069
shift. The shifters are normally over here in

01:29:09.069 --> 01:29:10.529
American cars, and you drive on the right side

01:29:10.529 --> 01:29:12.489
of the road, and the traffic's kind of over there.

01:29:12.630 --> 01:29:15.789
And over in London, the shifter was on the left

01:29:15.789 --> 01:29:17.750
-hand side, and I kept trying to shift the door

01:29:17.750 --> 01:29:19.430
handle, and it didn't work, so I had to shift

01:29:19.430 --> 01:29:21.310
the shifter on the left -hand side, and it was

01:29:21.310 --> 01:29:23.369
very confusing to me. And we were driving, we

01:29:23.369 --> 01:29:25.569
were going out along the coastline when Sherry

01:29:25.569 --> 01:29:27.210
and I were there for our 25th wedding anniversary,

01:29:27.550 --> 01:29:29.590
and as we were driving out of the city, we got

01:29:29.590 --> 01:29:32.270
in this horrible traffic jam, and it was... We

01:29:32.270 --> 01:29:34.310
were moving about 5 to 10 miles per hour bumper

01:29:34.310 --> 01:29:37.109
to bumper for 45 minutes. And if you know, that's

01:29:37.109 --> 01:29:38.689
the worst time to be driving a stick shift because

01:29:38.689 --> 01:29:40.510
you're constantly first gear. You've got to match

01:29:40.510 --> 01:29:42.090
the clutch and the gas and get going again. And

01:29:42.090 --> 01:29:43.310
then you've got to stop and get going again.

01:29:43.390 --> 01:29:44.829
And you've got to stop and get going again. And

01:29:44.829 --> 01:29:46.930
it was like that for 45 minutes. I was literally

01:29:46.930 --> 01:29:49.869
stopping every 15 seconds for 45 minutes. My

01:29:49.869 --> 01:29:52.710
legs, my thighs were burning. My arms were burning.

01:29:52.789 --> 01:29:54.250
But we needed to get out of town. And it was

01:29:54.250 --> 01:29:55.510
only going to get worse because it was the first

01:29:55.510 --> 01:29:56.949
part of rush hour. So we knew we might not even

01:29:56.949 --> 01:29:59.220
get out of town if we didn't do it. And then

01:29:59.220 --> 01:30:01.039
we're following the GPS, which was built into

01:30:01.039 --> 01:30:03.859
the car. And the GPS says turn left. And I look

01:30:03.859 --> 01:30:06.000
left. And the only thing that looks like left

01:30:06.000 --> 01:30:09.100
is like a driveway with cars parked on both sides.

01:30:09.220 --> 01:30:11.939
And there was enough room to get our car down

01:30:11.939 --> 01:30:14.800
the driveway. with about an inch or maybe two

01:30:14.800 --> 01:30:16.520
on either side of the car. And I thought, that

01:30:16.520 --> 01:30:18.979
can't be right. That doesn't even look like a

01:30:18.979 --> 01:30:21.079
road. And it said, turn left there. And so I

01:30:21.079 --> 01:30:22.760
said, it's got to be coming up. You know, sometimes

01:30:22.760 --> 01:30:25.380
GPS says 1 ,000 feet. And like in 500 feet, I'm

01:30:25.380 --> 01:30:27.779
looking for the road. And 600 feet, I'm looking

01:30:27.779 --> 01:30:29.300
for the road. And I'm starting by 1 ,000 feet.

01:30:29.359 --> 01:30:30.479
I'm thinking, I don't think the road's coming.

01:30:30.619 --> 01:30:32.579
And then there it is, right? So it's because

01:30:32.579 --> 01:30:34.279
I don't have a good estimate of how far away

01:30:34.279 --> 01:30:36.159
that 1 ,000 feet is. So I'm thinking, that can't

01:30:36.159 --> 01:30:38.569
be right. And I didn't turn left on that tiny

01:30:38.569 --> 01:30:40.449
little road that I thought was a driveway with

01:30:40.449 --> 01:30:42.149
cars parked up on both sides and barely enough

01:30:42.149 --> 01:30:43.409
room to get through. And I didn't turn left.

01:30:44.750 --> 01:30:47.710
That's why we were in a traffic jam for 45 minutes.

01:30:47.729 --> 01:30:50.189
Because after failing to turn left there, there

01:30:50.189 --> 01:30:53.470
was literally not another left turn for over

01:30:53.470 --> 01:30:55.350
three miles. There was nowhere to turn. It was

01:30:55.350 --> 01:30:57.739
a university. and there were buildings lining

01:30:57.739 --> 01:30:59.859
the road, and there was nowhere to turn left.

01:31:00.199 --> 01:31:02.899
Sometimes, if you don't turn when you spoke to

01:31:02.899 --> 01:31:05.260
turn, there ain't going to be a way to turn for

01:31:05.260 --> 01:31:08.579
a long time, maybe ever. And God is saying, you

01:31:08.579 --> 01:31:14.399
may go one turn back too far. This message is

01:31:14.399 --> 01:31:17.659
not for people who are lost. For lost people,

01:31:17.819 --> 01:31:21.159
there's no... If they haven't turned back, they

01:31:21.159 --> 01:31:22.779
haven't turned back. If they haven't accepted

01:31:22.779 --> 01:31:24.140
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they haven't.

01:31:24.140 --> 01:31:26.060
And that's always available to them until they

01:31:26.060 --> 01:31:29.199
die. Right? Jesus is always entreating them,

01:31:29.260 --> 01:31:30.619
always pulling them, but once they die, then

01:31:30.619 --> 01:31:32.699
it's hell for an eternity and I can't do anything

01:31:32.699 --> 01:31:35.020
about that. That's not anybody's fault, but the

01:31:35.020 --> 01:31:37.880
choice that they've made. This is for Christians.

01:31:38.359 --> 01:31:40.079
This is for people who are following the Lord

01:31:40.079 --> 01:31:42.119
and then you do what you're not supposed to do

01:31:42.119 --> 01:31:46.199
and you go, oh, again. What if you go one turn

01:31:46.199 --> 01:31:50.060
back too far? What if you go, oh, again, and

01:31:50.060 --> 01:31:52.359
then you go, But God, please. And God says, no,

01:31:52.460 --> 01:31:55.319
it's all right. Don't worry about it. I really

01:31:55.319 --> 01:31:57.699
have nothing left for you. I've tried to give

01:31:57.699 --> 01:31:59.180
you all these blessings and you wouldn't take

01:31:59.180 --> 01:32:00.600
them. I've tried to give you all this power and

01:32:00.600 --> 01:32:02.899
authority and working of me in your life and

01:32:02.899 --> 01:32:05.239
you wouldn't take them. You're one turn back

01:32:05.239 --> 01:32:09.380
too far. God's not holding back his blessings.

01:32:10.819 --> 01:32:14.100
Take what God's offering or there may be no room

01:32:14.100 --> 01:32:16.659
for repentance. And receiving blessings when

01:32:16.659 --> 01:32:19.159
you finally reluctantly decide to honestly come

01:32:19.159 --> 01:32:21.319
to God, there may not be any room to do that.

01:32:22.979 --> 01:32:25.539
The lesson learned here today, for anybody who's

01:32:25.539 --> 01:32:27.739
not saved, of course, is don't wait. You can

01:32:27.739 --> 01:32:29.359
wait if you want to, as long as Jesus doesn't

01:32:29.359 --> 01:32:31.680
come again first, or you don't die. You're only

01:32:31.680 --> 01:32:34.319
missing out on the great blessings of God in

01:32:34.319 --> 01:32:36.020
your life, on the great healing and forgiveness

01:32:36.020 --> 01:32:38.500
of sin and peace that comes out of His righteousness.

01:32:38.760 --> 01:32:40.500
You're only missing out on all that, and you

01:32:40.500 --> 01:32:41.880
didn't have it yesterday, so if you don't have

01:32:41.880 --> 01:32:44.600
it today, you can still wait. Unless Jesus comes

01:32:44.600 --> 01:32:46.520
again, or unless you die, then you're in trouble.

01:32:47.260 --> 01:32:50.699
Right? But as for Christians, there's no waiting.

01:32:51.560 --> 01:32:56.619
All in for Jesus right now. Because that's where

01:32:56.619 --> 01:32:58.079
all the blessings are. It's where the righteousness,

01:32:58.159 --> 01:33:02.920
the power, the growth, the ability to do the

01:33:02.920 --> 01:33:04.819
things that God would have you to do. The peace

01:33:04.819 --> 01:33:08.399
and healing that comes from righteousness. Don't

01:33:08.399 --> 01:33:10.899
go to the place later where you want to say,

01:33:10.939 --> 01:33:15.500
oh, I should have got a grip. I should have strengthened

01:33:15.500 --> 01:33:20.199
my weak knees and lifted my weary arms and just

01:33:20.199 --> 01:33:24.920
done in truth what I was called to do. I'll review

01:33:24.920 --> 01:33:26.319
very briefly and then we're in the conclusion,

01:33:26.439 --> 01:33:30.119
which is short. Number one, let me just say it

01:33:30.119 --> 01:33:32.100
this way. Don't be too smart for your own good.

01:33:33.119 --> 01:33:35.300
Dismiss the excuses and the scheming and the

01:33:35.300 --> 01:33:40.420
trickery. Dismiss all the reasons that arise

01:33:40.420 --> 01:33:43.039
to not do what it is that God would have you

01:33:43.039 --> 01:33:46.960
to do. Number two, understand that the bumps

01:33:46.960 --> 01:33:48.600
in the road can come from all kinds of places,

01:33:48.659 --> 01:33:51.439
but the simple solution is to repent and turn

01:33:51.439 --> 01:33:55.180
to the Lord. God disciplines us. He doesn't punish

01:33:55.180 --> 01:33:57.979
us. And then also, I think there are consequences

01:33:57.979 --> 01:34:00.720
that we sometimes face the consequences for our

01:34:00.720 --> 01:34:03.000
sin, and sometimes God miraculously alleviates

01:34:03.000 --> 01:34:07.739
those consequences for our sin. But if there

01:34:07.739 --> 01:34:10.399
is no discipline, then there is no relationship.

01:34:11.880 --> 01:34:16.140
And don't go one turn back too far. Because this

01:34:16.140 --> 01:34:18.659
life that the author of Hebrews is talking about

01:34:18.659 --> 01:34:22.020
is us living in the kingdom of God, advancing

01:34:22.020 --> 01:34:25.399
the kingdom of God, filled with his power. Knowing

01:34:25.399 --> 01:34:27.319
that he who is in us is greater than he that

01:34:27.319 --> 01:34:31.880
is in the world. It's everything. It's everything.

01:34:32.939 --> 01:34:36.119
And we come to the conclusion. There will always

01:34:36.119 --> 01:34:38.399
be an excuse or an adjustment if you look for

01:34:38.399 --> 01:34:42.050
it. The fact is that you are just that smart.

01:34:42.130 --> 01:34:44.050
Created in the image of God, you can both create

01:34:44.050 --> 01:34:46.449
and destroy. You can encourage and tear down.

01:34:47.729 --> 01:34:52.010
You're just that smart. God wants you to get

01:34:52.010 --> 01:34:55.710
strong and go straight. He wants you to do things

01:34:55.710 --> 01:34:57.909
the best possible way, a way that is good for

01:34:57.909 --> 01:35:01.590
you and right by him. By the book, living for

01:35:01.590 --> 01:35:04.850
the one who died for you, not for the you that

01:35:04.850 --> 01:35:11.310
died. Or he died for all. Then all died. So that

01:35:11.310 --> 01:35:13.890
those who live may now live for the one who died

01:35:13.890 --> 01:35:18.829
for them rather than for themselves. But don't

01:35:18.829 --> 01:35:22.170
forget the bike. Because in this deep water,

01:35:22.289 --> 01:35:26.350
after the transition, you can choke on this meat

01:35:26.350 --> 01:35:29.189
if you want to. And you can continue making minor

01:35:29.189 --> 01:35:32.229
adjustments and try to avoid the effects of what

01:35:32.229 --> 01:35:36.029
we're talking about here today. And eventually

01:35:36.029 --> 01:35:38.050
the bike will explode out from underneath of

01:35:38.050 --> 01:35:41.880
you. You'll blow up your relationship one final

01:35:41.880 --> 01:35:43.420
time and say, I just can't deal with it. I'm

01:35:43.420 --> 01:35:46.380
just done. Or you'll blow up your job or you'll

01:35:46.380 --> 01:35:50.100
blow up your money or you'll blow up your reputation

01:35:50.100 --> 01:35:55.279
because that's easier. Bailing out is easier.

01:35:56.100 --> 01:36:00.420
It's less painful. But if you take that craftiness,

01:36:00.479 --> 01:36:02.460
that same craftiness that allows you to make

01:36:02.460 --> 01:36:06.600
excuses and kind of cut corners, make yourself

01:36:06.600 --> 01:36:11.399
feel better in other ways, And instead, pit it

01:36:11.399 --> 01:36:14.579
to figuring out who you are in Christ and what

01:36:14.579 --> 01:36:15.920
it is that God wants you to do. And what does

01:36:15.920 --> 01:36:18.000
that verse mean? And how do I apply it? How do

01:36:18.000 --> 01:36:19.859
I become that person? How do I find room in my

01:36:19.859 --> 01:36:22.260
schedule to read my Bible and to pray and to

01:36:22.260 --> 01:36:25.460
share with anybody who will listen? If you'll

01:36:25.460 --> 01:36:28.659
use that same creative craftiness that you might

01:36:28.659 --> 01:36:32.539
be using to circumvent the struggles, if you'll

01:36:32.539 --> 01:36:40.609
use that instead to live for God, Imagine the

01:36:40.609 --> 01:36:43.989
power in that alone. But then he's going to take

01:36:43.989 --> 01:36:46.250
that craftiness and he's going to regenerate

01:36:46.250 --> 01:36:48.930
it. It's being used now for something that doesn't

01:36:48.930 --> 01:36:50.329
honor him. He's going to regenerate it. He's

01:36:50.329 --> 01:36:52.449
going to make it holy. And you will come to the

01:36:52.449 --> 01:36:54.649
point like when Saul was first unleashed to be

01:36:54.649 --> 01:36:57.470
king of Israel before he became actually coronated.

01:36:58.729 --> 01:37:02.010
And Samuel said, just go and do whatever your

01:37:02.010 --> 01:37:05.109
hand finds to do. Say whatever your mouth finds

01:37:05.109 --> 01:37:08.739
to say. And Saul, who would be the king and who

01:37:08.739 --> 01:37:11.260
would eventually be disowned by his nation and

01:37:11.260 --> 01:37:13.979
the priesthood for all of his sins later. That

01:37:13.979 --> 01:37:17.020
day, he prophesied on behalf of God and everyone

01:37:17.020 --> 01:37:18.539
listened. Everybody knew that he was speaking

01:37:18.539 --> 01:37:20.319
for God. That day, he was so filled with the

01:37:20.319 --> 01:37:21.520
power of the Holy Spirit because he could do

01:37:21.520 --> 01:37:26.020
anything, he was unleashed. But then he turned

01:37:26.020 --> 01:37:27.520
from God and he turned back and he turned from

01:37:27.520 --> 01:37:28.899
God and he turned back and he turned from God

01:37:28.899 --> 01:37:31.340
and he turned back until finally, he got to a

01:37:31.340 --> 01:37:34.779
place where he was one turn back too far. Don't

01:37:34.779 --> 01:37:38.479
be there. Don't go there. Turn back to God this

01:37:38.479 --> 01:37:42.220
time. As long as it's not one turn back too far,

01:37:42.399 --> 01:37:46.460
unleash His power in your life. Let Him do what

01:37:46.460 --> 01:37:51.079
He would do. And I'm sad to say, but not really,

01:37:51.220 --> 01:37:56.539
that it might hurt at times. But out of that

01:37:56.539 --> 01:38:01.079
pain comes righteousness. And out of that righteousness

01:38:01.079 --> 01:38:06.149
comes a healing like we have never known. God

01:38:06.149 --> 01:38:09.050
help us. I'm going to pray for you briefly and

01:38:09.050 --> 01:38:11.329
then we're going to have a song of close and

01:38:11.329 --> 01:38:14.189
impatience that close our service today. I want

01:38:14.189 --> 01:38:17.789
to be completely transparent. In my human self,

01:38:18.069 --> 01:38:23.130
I am a coward. In Christ there is great courage

01:38:23.130 --> 01:38:26.170
and confidence. I may have lost the mistake we've

01:38:26.170 --> 01:38:28.789
all made. I've had to turn back to God a whole

01:38:28.789 --> 01:38:32.430
bunch of times. I'm not saying you're going to

01:38:32.430 --> 01:38:37.779
get it perfectly. What I am saying is that God

01:38:37.779 --> 01:38:40.880
has a perfect plan. If you turn to him, you'll

01:38:40.880 --> 01:38:44.739
begin to unleash it in your life. My story is

01:38:44.739 --> 01:38:48.060
the author of what the Hebrews has inspired in

01:38:48.060 --> 01:38:50.079
the Holy Spirit of God. It's God himself who

01:38:50.079 --> 01:38:52.979
has inspired. God in heaven helped us this day.

01:38:53.699 --> 01:38:57.300
In a day when we are surrounded by people and

01:38:57.300 --> 01:38:59.539
we live in a city where the nearest neighbor

01:38:59.539 --> 01:39:03.239
is not very far away at all. It's our neighbors.

01:39:03.949 --> 01:39:08.090
our co -workers, our fellow students, the lady

01:39:08.090 --> 01:39:12.270
at the grocery store, the restaurant, the supply

01:39:12.270 --> 01:39:15.029
store, walking the other way on the sidewalk.

01:39:16.390 --> 01:39:20.989
They all need you. The same as we do. Lord, I

01:39:20.989 --> 01:39:23.470
believe that New Heights Fellowship Baptist Church

01:39:23.470 --> 01:39:26.189
of East Toledo, that this people here, you are

01:39:26.189 --> 01:39:30.310
calling us to be a light, to be a city on a hill,

01:39:30.489 --> 01:39:34.069
to be outreaching, to be sharing the gospel,

01:39:34.310 --> 01:39:37.189
to be loving our neighbors and our family members

01:39:37.189 --> 01:39:39.369
who don't already know you or who haven't gone

01:39:39.369 --> 01:39:44.149
deeper in the faith. It is both terrifying and

01:39:44.149 --> 01:39:48.489
at the same time a truly joyous thing. They're

01:39:48.489 --> 01:39:55.010
small. But Paul is just one man. David is one

01:39:55.010 --> 01:39:59.130
man. John, Peter, they weren't even good men.

01:39:59.390 --> 01:40:03.829
None of them. Not even me. Lord, help us be that

01:40:03.829 --> 01:40:06.869
which you're calling us to be. Help us shore

01:40:06.869 --> 01:40:11.130
up our weak knees, not be afraid of outcomes

01:40:11.130 --> 01:40:14.250
that we can't control, but to submit those outcomes

01:40:14.250 --> 01:40:16.449
back into your hand. If you want to take us out

01:40:16.449 --> 01:40:20.409
of this world, come be with you. Truth is, I'm

01:40:20.409 --> 01:40:23.729
pretty excited about that day. Sure, I'll miss

01:40:23.729 --> 01:40:26.989
lots of things that I foresee coming, but I'm

01:40:26.989 --> 01:40:28.930
asking you to teach me, and I think we all might

01:40:28.930 --> 01:40:31.619
be doing the same. At least there are others

01:40:31.619 --> 01:40:34.500
in this room who certainly are. Teach me how

01:40:34.500 --> 01:40:37.920
to endure. Stop using my craftiness to try to

01:40:37.920 --> 01:40:41.159
dodge my responsibilities. Teach me how to be

01:40:41.159 --> 01:40:45.479
clean and right. Be truly healed and set free.

01:40:46.119 --> 01:40:49.640
Jesus, take the throne of my life. Be my Lord.

01:40:50.020 --> 01:40:52.619
Show me what to do. When I don't understand it,

01:40:52.640 --> 01:40:54.079
you want to put me right in the midst of it and

01:40:54.079 --> 01:40:56.140
me all of a sudden go, whoa, where am I at right

01:40:56.140 --> 01:40:59.569
now? just had me doing the right thing in that

01:40:59.569 --> 01:41:03.449
time? Would there be somebody here who would

01:41:03.449 --> 01:41:06.170
not submit their life to Jesus Christ? Or would

01:41:06.170 --> 01:41:07.609
there be somebody here who needs to make this

01:41:07.609 --> 01:41:09.210
their home church for the first time ever? Would

01:41:09.210 --> 01:41:10.609
there be somebody here who needs to be baptized?

01:41:11.149 --> 01:41:13.430
Would there be somebody here who needs to start

01:41:13.430 --> 01:41:15.590
a ministry? They realize they know what it is

01:41:15.590 --> 01:41:17.689
that God wants them to do. They know how to serve.

01:41:18.250 --> 01:41:19.989
Maybe they're being called to knock on the doors

01:41:19.989 --> 01:41:22.670
around their house to volunteer themselves with

01:41:22.670 --> 01:41:25.170
prayer or service or to tell somebody where they

01:41:25.170 --> 01:41:28.430
work. or to put something that's eating up their

01:41:28.430 --> 01:41:32.310
time, or eating up their resources, it should

01:41:32.310 --> 01:41:34.010
be used for you to put that out of their life

01:41:34.010 --> 01:41:37.350
completely. And Lord, help us to turn to you

01:41:37.350 --> 01:41:42.710
today and receive in us that completion that

01:41:42.710 --> 01:41:46.449
only you can offer. That we would be saved, that

01:41:46.449 --> 01:41:49.050
we would be widely open to your work in every

01:41:49.050 --> 01:41:52.090
area of our life, and we would face the difficulties

01:41:52.090 --> 01:41:57.539
with you as our Lord. Savior, and as our protector,

01:41:57.859 --> 01:42:02.180
and as our commander, and as our father. In Jesus'

01:42:02.359 --> 01:42:04.319
name. Amen. That's a great thing to come forward.

01:42:04.539 --> 01:42:06.659
Lead us in the singing of this last hymn. If

01:42:06.659 --> 01:42:08.100
you're comfortable and able to do so, would you

01:42:08.100 --> 01:42:10.979
stand as we sing? And give God all the glory.

01:43:59.760 --> 01:44:03.380
That cross is crucifixion. That cross is suffering.

01:44:03.800 --> 01:44:07.119
We say this would be it. Whatever you take us

01:44:07.119 --> 01:44:13.119
for, whatever we go through, no turning back.

01:44:17.920 --> 01:44:51.949
Last verse. We're done singing. Does anyone have

01:44:51.949 --> 01:44:54.130
a comment or a statement or a question before

01:44:54.130 --> 01:44:58.869
we pray in closing? Alright, I'm going to ask

01:44:58.869 --> 01:45:01.369
Brother Ron Mack. Would you close us in prayer

01:45:01.369 --> 01:45:08.189
today? Father, you are so good. Lord, I wish

01:45:08.189 --> 01:45:14.149
that we could be better for you. God, I come

01:45:14.149 --> 01:45:18.270
to you now praying for this body. that you would

01:45:18.270 --> 01:45:22.149
show us your way every day, regardless of the

01:45:22.149 --> 01:45:24.590
decisions that we make. Lord, I pray that you

01:45:24.590 --> 01:45:29.210
would continue to carry with us, that we would

01:45:29.210 --> 01:45:33.710
be given that time to come to you in proper.

01:45:34.250 --> 01:45:38.109
And Lord, I pray that all people on this earth

01:45:38.109 --> 01:45:40.670
would come to that decision, come to know you.

01:45:41.050 --> 01:45:45.170
But Lord, I know there's a time coming that you're

01:45:45.170 --> 01:45:47.460
going to have to draw the line. And that you

01:45:47.460 --> 01:45:51.479
will have to send your son to this world to come

01:45:51.479 --> 01:45:55.079
again and to claim his church. Lord, there will

01:45:55.079 --> 01:45:56.859
be a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth that

01:45:56.859 --> 01:46:01.720
day. And I'm sorry, but Lord, help us to love

01:46:01.720 --> 01:46:07.680
you and to show you to the masses, to the people.

01:46:07.840 --> 01:46:13.239
And just help us to follow you and to tell others

01:46:13.239 --> 01:46:16.550
about you. Father, bless this day. Thank you

01:46:16.550 --> 01:46:19.430
for this message. Thank you for our pastor and

01:46:19.430 --> 01:46:22.770
his family. Lord, they work so hard. Thank you

01:46:22.770 --> 01:46:26.609
for all those that do the ministry that you set

01:46:26.609 --> 01:46:32.149
before them, Lord. I pray that you will be with

01:46:32.149 --> 01:46:34.770
each and every individual person and family in

01:46:34.770 --> 01:46:37.670
this room. All those that are online watching,

01:46:37.829 --> 01:46:41.409
Lord, represented, I pray for them as well, that

01:46:41.409 --> 01:46:43.609
you will protect us, that you'll heal us, that

01:46:43.609 --> 01:46:46.600
you'll keep us safe. And that you'll bring us

01:46:46.600 --> 01:46:50.260
back together again, Lord, in the appropriate

01:46:50.260 --> 01:46:53.859
time to worship you and to see your will done.

01:46:54.359 --> 01:46:55.800
In Jesus' name, amen.