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See, and your face is all I see

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And your face is all I see

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Now we're into your mountain

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We must set the degree

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We come out strong-towered

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Shout out over me, when I'm born almighty

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I am the best in heat

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You are my strong-towered

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Mournful, sweat and bleed

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Name us to the police

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You are my strong-towered

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Shout out over me, when I'm born almighty

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I am the best in heat

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You are my strong-towered

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Mournful, sweat and bleed

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Name us to the police

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And your face is all I see

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We're gonna do the service, do the first workshop

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If you know children who want to sign up, especially Erin, Artie, or Katelyn, anybody who works with the kids

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Make sure they're getting their opportunity

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On there they can ask for a partial scholarship or a full scholarship

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If they can't afford their kit to make their car

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But we want to give them opportunity, if they can pay for it, it's $6 for the car kit

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Which comes with a block of wood and the parts to build it

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So that's getting rolling and the actual event is December 18th

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And I'm kind of excited about it

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Looks like it's going to be a lot of fun

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I intend to try to make a car

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I haven't done that in a real long time

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And so I think it's going to be fun

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I may make something that looks kind of like a car

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I don't know if it will roll fast or not

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Maybe it will be kind of cool looking, maybe it won't

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We'll see

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Alright, so everybody's welcome to do that and join in

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But if you're an adult and you're going to make a car and you can't race against the kids

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You're just going to be there for the showing off your skills

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Or being in a gooky contest or that kind of thing

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Okay?

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And then pray for Amalia and really the heart base

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Carson is now sick

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He's got the stuff that some other people had last weekend

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And so people apparently shared it around a little bit

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And so he's got it now

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And they're not here, obviously

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And those of you who helped with furniture, and that includes some folks online

47
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And there are people helping with furniture

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Both Lynn and James and Samantha have pretty much all the furniture they need

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The only thing that we know of that is still needed is

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Lynn still needs a microwave

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The kitchen also needs a microwave because the microwave in there stopped working

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So if you have an extra microwave sitting around that's in good order

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We can do that

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Also saw some used ones like cashmine had to use a microwave

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Somebody needs a microwave, they can buy one there

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But if you want to buy one there, donate to the church building

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You can do that

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Or to Lynn, she needs one too

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And then also Lynn needs silverware

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So they only have plastic silverware right now

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So she'd like to go and have actual silverware so she can wash it and reuse it

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And not have to keep

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Because plastic silverware doesn't last

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Okay?

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And so other than that, it's pretty well getting around

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Oh, I'm sorry

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And I want to mention Donovan still needs a twin size bed

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He's sleeping on that twin air mattress

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That was donated for a use for a while

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He's not like it

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He says, I can't do it, I sleepwalk

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She says, you do not sleepwalk

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I sleepwalk

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She says, he just doesn't want to sleep on the air mattress

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So he needs a bed

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So that's what I know is still going on

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So if you are still looking or shopping

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Those are the focus for right now, okay?

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And then there's one more thing I was going to say

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I'll pray for Brother Tony and Sister June

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Leaving Wednesday to go visit family in Mississippi

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And they will not be with us next Sunday

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So I'll pray for traveling overseas for them

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And then there are folks that have things going on

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That make it impossible or very difficult for them to be here

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And so that's, life has a tendency to interfere

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And we praise God that God does tend to work those things out

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Over the long run, if it's really what you want

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God will take care of it

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And so we pray for them without naming them

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That's okay, we'll pray for that, okay?

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Anybody else got something real quick on the announcement side?

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No

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All right, let's pray together

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And then we'll do a little more worshiping

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The awesome, powerful, holy, amazing God of the universe

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As he raises us to the highest of Jesus

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Father and Heather, you are that God

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You are the awesome, amazing, powerful God of the universe

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You are the only God

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It's not like there are really other gods

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There are things that people call God

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Things that people make out to be God

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They worship aspects of creation

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Rather than the Creator who created those

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Father, we give you all honor and glory and praise

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Asking you to draw out of us some kind of praise and worship today

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That will honor you the way you deserve

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Given where we've been, what we've done

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Even now, maybe where our minds, our hearts are, Lord

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It's hard for us to just unleash ourselves

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Open up and to let flow the praise that is written on the walls of our hearts

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About how awesome you are

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And so I'm asking you, Lord, to rebuke those things

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Rebuke the things that distract us, tempt us

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Cast out any evil spirit that may have brought into this room with us

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Lord, save me be gone

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Let this place be simply about you during this time

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This is your geography at all

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We know it's contested that the enemy would like to be in charge

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And we cannot

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And so Father, we confess to you

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Our tarrying with distractions

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Our yielding in some cases to temptation

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And that resulting in sin

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And we know, Lord, for those of us who are here today

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We know you through Jesus Christ

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It is not possible now to be unsaved

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And we're so grateful

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But for someone who might be here today who does not know you through Jesus

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They're not saved

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And yielding to those temptations then equals sin, equals death

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And Lord, we confess our weakness and our need for healing and salvation

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And we're grateful, thankful that your Son gives us

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Thank you for those of us who've had great blessings this week

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We've seen you at work powerfully

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We discovered you through your word or through prayer or through some event

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You took care of our needs

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Thank you, thank you, thank you

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I'm gonna ask you, Lord, to do just that

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I ask you to do that for those that are still on the way here

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We know there's at least one family on the way right now

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Just bring them safely here

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And Lord, we ask you to heal our hurt

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I ask you specifically, Lord, to heal Becca's back and to ease her pain

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I ask you specifically, Lord, to watch over Tony and June as they travel

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I ask you to be with those who are separated from us because of travel

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Or because of work or whatever it might be that's interfering with their ability to be here

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Especially sickness, Lord

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We know that you are powerfully able to heal

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You created it and you can rewrite it as you need to

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And so we ask you, Lord, to do just that

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That even now as we're praying

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Your presence would powerfully alter the circumstances of those amongst us

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And those who can't be amongst us who are suffering for whatever reason

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And lift them up to heal them

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To make them strong and able to do as you would have them to do

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And then Lord, as we worship you and learn from your word

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Help us reach new heights in Jesus today

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We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen

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I love you, yes, for a dwelling place

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Oh Lord Almighty

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Oh, my soul longs and even prays for you

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Oh, hear my heart, it's satisfied

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Within your presence

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I think beneath the shadow of your face

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Better is the one thing you're for

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Better is the one thing you're not

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Better is the one thing you're for

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Than that which I've found

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Better is the one thing you're for

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Better is the one thing you're not

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Better is the one thing you're for

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Than that which I've found

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Than that which I've found

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Oh, take my hand and guide the team

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To see your beauty

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To find you in the face of the people

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Oh, hear my heart, it's satisfied

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Within your presence

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I think beneath the shadow of your face

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Better in the one day in your house Better in the one day in your house

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Oh, you don't care anymore You're very far from my goal

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I've made the enemy Don't ever get to me

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I will grow new to you I will grow new to you

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Better is one day in your courts Better is one day in your house

187
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Better is one day in your courts Than thousands elsewhere

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Better is one day in your courts Better is one day in your house

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Better is one day in your courts Than thousands elsewhere

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Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your house

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Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your house

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It's a great self-sufficiency, it's a self-sufficiency

193
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You know what it means, you're forever on your feet

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And you'll never be blinded, you'll never be blinded, you'll never be blinded

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Whoa, it's better, whoa, better than life

196
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Whoa, don't mind the time, Jesus, you're a loving kindness, better than life

197
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Here in something thousand, up to thousand you won't bear, nothing in this world could ever measure or compare

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To your loving kindness, loving kindness, better than life

199
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All your ways are just so long, your trust is all you'll wait, God will lift your hands all over, gratitude and praise

200
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For your loving kindness, loving kindness, better than life

201
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Whoa, it's better, whoa, better than life

202
00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:26,800
Whoa, don't mind the time, Jesus, you're a loving kindness, better than life

203
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Jesus, with your loving kindness, is better than life itself, better than life itself

204
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Jesus, with your loving kindness, is better than life itself, better than life

205
00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:17,800
Whoa, it's better, whoa, better than life

206
00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:36,800
Whoa, don't mind the time, Jesus, you're a loving kindness, better than life

207
00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:48,800
Whoa, don't mind the time, Jesus, you're a loving kindness, better than life

208
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Whoa, it's better, whoa, better than life

209
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I can make it like that

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I can make it like that

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Alright, so I hope you've been reading your Bibles, I hope you've been praying, I've looked into the Lord, been inspired in some way

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It's interesting that when we talk about the word inspiration, if you trace it back through the word of the trance and inspiration, the Bible is talking about God reads

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So when you had that moment in time, you go, whoa, what was that? Pay attention to that, think about that, God is trying to get your attention

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And so maybe you've had that experience this week, or you've been reading and saw, man, that really speaks to me or something, and you'd like to share it with us now

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Who's got something? I've got something in my hand, but I'm not going to go first, I'm not going to hold it

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What did you see this week?

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I had an interesting thought this week, we've got a lot of stuff going on in our country right now, there's a divide in our nation

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And in Jesus' day it was the same thing, the Jews and Samaritans, they didn't like each other the way groups don't like each other in our country today

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There's a lot of animosity between them, Jesus told a parable about the good Samaritan

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And the thing that caught my attention, I don't remember anywhere in that parable where it says the Samaritan liked a Jewish man he found on the side of the road that was almost beat to death

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He may have not even liked, the Samaritan may have hated the Jews, may not have liked him at all

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And the Jew that was beaten on the road probably didn't like the Samaritan, he probably didn't even know the guy, they didn't know each other

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But he took care of him, he put him in the end, he paid for his medical expenses, all that kind of stuff

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There's somebody he didn't know, somebody he likely didn't like

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And the thing is, I don't remember ever God commanding us to like everybody, there's no biblical command to like everyone to be

226
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But we are commanded to love even our enemies, and this is what the Samaritans showed in the Tarot Balls, love for somebody that was potentially an enemy

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We try to make the Samaritan out to be some sort of saint, and he was probably just an average person like any of the rest of us

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And so he did the right thing, despite of who he met on the side of the road

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So if you beat somebody you think is your enemy or competitor or somebody you don't like, you don't have to like them

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But show them love, show them respect, like anybody, somebody you do care about

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And man, that's a good word, I think, in fact Jesus taught him that when he said love your enemies

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And we always kind of like try to distance ourselves from our enemies, I think, more than anything else

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But loving somebody is not about distancing yourself, he went on to do it

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He took a great risk in helping that man on the side of the road and great expense to himself

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But I found it really interesting, I always find interesting about that parable, Jesus tells that parable in response to the question, who is my neighbor?

236
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And then at the end of the parable he says, who was neighbor to the man who fell on the road?

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And they say, well the Samaritan was, reluctantly they say, they don't really want to say that, but they say well the Samaritan was

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And he says, go thou and do likewise, you go be like that

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And so when you were talking about groups that are divided against each other, it seems like the tendency in the world today is to look for reasons not to be someone else's neighbor

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So that's what they were doing, they said, well who can we dismiss? Who can we not worry about it if they're in trouble?

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Who can we let go if they're beaten up, laying on the side of the road, dying?

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So he doesn't have the right tag, he's not a member of the right party, you know, and that kind of thing

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It's also very interesting then that the Sadducees and the Pharisees, who were two of the primary parties in Jesus' day, were at each other's throats, constantly

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And they finally agreed on one thing, you know what it was?

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You do, don't you? They both hated Jesus, that's what they agreed on, they couldn't agree on anything

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In fact, at one point in time, Paul was in trouble with the Sanhedrin, and he said, well really what I stand here and be charged against, against me, is about resurrection after death

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That I believe in the resurrection after the death, and one of those groups believed in that and the other one didn't

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And the Sanhedrin, which was the ruling body of the Jews, began to bicker with each other, they were so frustrated, so angry about that topic

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They began to argue, and he sort of escaped that situation because they were arguing with each other because they knew that they didn't agree on that one belief

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They were adamantly against each other so much that they would have literally, I mean, given the option, they wouldn't kill each other probably because that would be overtly going against the commandments

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But they were so against each other, but when it came to Jesus, they finally agreed on something, which I submit to you was the one thing that was absolutely wrong

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Everyone was absolutely wrong. So we need to not be looking for what divides us, it's a very good word

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Instead we look for how we can stand up for those who we normally wouldn't care for maybe, that's a good word

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Alright, who else? Becca

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I would stand up if my back hurts

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You're alright

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It's fine, shut up

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So earlier this week I was driving to work and I was listening to the song, What If I Stumble by Mrs. Hoffman

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Yeah, I just listened to that song this week, I haven't heard it in 10 years and I just listened to it

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See, look at that, it works in serious ways

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But pretty much in that song he's just asking, what if I stumble, what if I fall, and he's pretty much talking about what if I mess up so bad that I can't be forgiven

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But that's the beauty of the Lord, like you can mess up a thousand times and he will forgive you no matter what

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And I just thought it was pretty cool to think about

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I'm definitely someone that's going to be a testament that I do mess up, I mess up all the time

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But it's good to know that I have someone to help that I can turn to if I need help or anything like that

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Amen, that's a good word

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I think there's an aspect of that too, talking about perception

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Like how will people perceive us if we stumble or fall too, I think there's a second verse in that song

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And the song basically says, you just stick with Jesus and he'll take care of you

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That's good, that's very very good

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Okay, anybody else?

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So I watched a movie and I've seen it a few times this time in that place

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It's called Sips Underground, it's a radar movie but I find it very hilarious

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Because there's one of the funny parts of the movie

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So it's highly not recommended but they're going to tell us all we need to know about it right now

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But there's a scene in the movie where the movie is basically about this group of people who face their death

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So they can go after even worse people that governments won't go after for various reasons

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So this group of people, that's what they do, they go after them

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And he asked the question in the movie, one of them asked the question, what's the best part about being dead?

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And they all say, well you get out of the mortgage, you don't have to worry about immigration and all this other stuff

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And then the leader of the group goes, no, you guys are missing it, the best part about being dead is the freedom

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So I thought about that for a while and I'm like, okay, well I can see

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Because you're essentially free to do whatever you want at that point if nobody knows you exist

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And I started thinking about it and I'm like, you know, when we die to Jesus, that's the best thing

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It isn't about getting released from sin, it isn't about all that other stuff that some people might think it is

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It's about the freedom, the freedom in knowing that your death is for a good cause

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And when I was thinking about it, I'm like, you know, that's a really interesting fact

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Because, factisms for example are us dying to our own self and being raised anew

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And that death is the freedom that we now have in Jesus

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And it is the best thing in the world, but so many people misunderstand it

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And they think it's about so many different other things and it's not

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That's a good word, and Paul talks about that obviously, there's no longer an obligation

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Because if Christ died for one, I'm sorry, if one died for all, then all died

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Jesus died for us and we recognized that substitutionary comment, we recognized he died for us, now we're free

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We no longer have those obligations to sin

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And Jesus actually taught while he was alive that whoever sins, sin is his master

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You may think you're getting away with something, but the truth is you're not getting away with something

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You know, as you sin, it comes to master in your life because you've got to cover it, you've got to deal with it

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You might do it again, the temptation will be stronger, easier to slip next time to do it

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And that's what sin is, and in fact he told them that was so true that the Jewish people were

301
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Roshan and John 8, and he told them that Abraham was not their father

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They said, Abraham's our father, no one's ever ruled over us, and he said, whoever sins, sin is their master

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You die, you get free, right? You die and you no longer have that master anymore

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Now even like if you have died in Christ and been born again, then even if you sin

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It's kind of what Beck was talking about, even if you sin, then you can repent and come back

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And even if I lie, I'm not a liar now, right? I was a liar before I got saved

307
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But even now, even if I lie, that doesn't make me a liar, it just makes me a Christian, born again believer

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Who's doing something stupid that I shouldn't be doing, it's a contradiction with who I am

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It doesn't become attached to me, and that's awesome

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I don't know what the word is for that in theology, but it's powerful

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Okay, so I have this journal, I wrote in it, I can't even kind of say approximately when

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Back in August, and I wrote this little comment, and it's in amongst all kinds of things that had nothing to do with it

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And I just happened to lump into it as I was looking through for something else

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And the quote is this, it comes from somebody else, and I didn't write down his name

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But the simple things of life itself will remind you that life is alive

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And I was thinking about that, and I said, okay, so what do you like? What do you like to do?

317
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And you'd say maybe you like ice cream, and you go get ice cream

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And for a moment while you're getting ice cream, there's this surge of energy, this good positive feeling

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Maybe you just like to spend money, and for a moment while you're spending money, there's this positive surge

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And that's why it's so addictive, right? All these things, sweet foods, money, drugs, sex, a lot of music

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Even can be that way for some folks, all kinds of things that you can go, oh, I need that good feeling

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And you chase after the good feeling, but in that moment when that's happening, those feelings will remind you that life is alive

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And for dead people who have not been born again in Christ, right? Because that's what it says

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We were once dead and our hearts fastened in the sense that's the Ephesians 2, we were like that

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And so for those people, that is the best taste of life, that is the best energy of life they're ever going to get

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They're like, for a moment they enjoy themselves, that's why you get thrill seekers, right?

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That's why you, you know, travelers who travel all the time, and want to travel all the time, they're always looking for everything that people go after

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That's the best they're going to get. For us, we now have life gifted to us by Christ after He died with us

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And we gave our lives over so that now we can live for Him, and in so doing, now everything, even bad things

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Right? So like, I'll never forget, this is years ago now, but the night that Sherry and I came home

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We found out that her grandfather had passed away, Becky Mack's grandfather passed away this week, by the way, so we gave prayer for her

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But we found out, and we just sat together and cried

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Now not broken or destroyed, you know, whatever we described, because He was a big deal to us

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He was a great man, we loved Him, and yeah, you know, His issues and whatever He got

335
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He truly got saved probably about six months before He died by His profession

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But the point is, we just have, and that sorrow, that experience, had a life to it

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It had something good to it, you know, I remember

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Tons of bad things, whether you're getting cussed out or yelled at or whatever

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And those experiences now, they have a hint of life to it

340
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But how do you think it feels when you're dead, and the good things of life, you do that taste of life

341
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But the bad things of life remind you that you're dead

342
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It's hopeless, you know, you're drained

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And that's why people will do really foolish things, they'll hurt people or hurt themselves or say things that hurt people or whatever

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After experiencing something bad, because they're there, they're in that moment recognizing that they're dead

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But if they don't know Christ, they don't know what that's like

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And if you do know Christ, then if you start to act like that after something bad happens

347
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You go, wait a minute, no, no, wait a minute, I shouldn't be like that, you know

348
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And hopefully you turn back to Christ and He refills and He brings great joy

349
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:06,800
But it's the simple, just that it exists, the simple things of life, the little pleasures

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You see all kinds of things about it, the internet, all over the world, in books

351
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The little pleasures of life are everything, you hear the saying, stop and smell the roses

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The smell of a rose is a beautiful thing, the color of a rose is a beautiful thing

353
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Everything but getting pricked by a thorn about a rose is a beautiful thing, literally

354
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And so stop and smell it, enjoy it, it's all about enjoyment

355
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But the truth is, even the bad stuff, when you're a Christian, even the bad stuff can be like that

356
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If you get your head in the right place and you realize that Jesus is working through that to do something amazing

357
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When you're dead, everything just reminds you that you're dead

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When you're alive in Christ, everything, even the bad stuff, can be a source of joy

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As you realize God is going to overcome this, God is going to use this for my benefit

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Anyway, I thought I would share that with you

361
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Deacon Tony Brister, would you pray for us as we transfer, do a little more worship

362
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Don't forget, by the way, the Christmas offering, 100% goes to International Missions, is underway

363
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There are envelopes up here if you want to get an envelope, we've got about 15 left

364
00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:18,800
Put a little whatever in that, and in the month of December we will look at this prayer of God

365
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But if you want it now, you can pray for folks who are serving around the globe, sharing the gospel

366
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Deacon Tony

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The Father, Lord, thank you for this day, thank you for that we are just a small part of your church

368
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Just around the world, just a small little church, we're joining in unison

369
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They're all over the world, they're gathered worshiping you today

370
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So thank you for that, thank you for those that came, we're here for a reason

371
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We're from different homes, from different parts of the city

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You brought us together for this moment, we just ask the Lord to come amongst us

373
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Let us hear what you have to say, let us help us, the Lord, be focused on you

374
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We have a pastor as he's, a little biblical, a Christian of your word

375
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And the Lord, we will get something from that

376
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Thank the Lord for these experiences we've shared, inspirations

377
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Thank you Lord that you are always there, thank you for Jesus that's our advocate to you Father

378
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To go between where we are, as Deacon Tony put it, we are all our school of x

379
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And we thank the Lord that you forgive us

380
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And we just ask the Lord to be with us at the service today

381
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As we pass the offering plate, we will be able to tie it, we will be able to offer it

382
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The Lord thank you that you can do that, thank you that everything you have given us

383
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Is all a blessing from you, we ask the Lord just a blessing of the portion that we give back

384
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So just ask the Lord to be with us today, and we stand on credit

385
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Remember to receive the offering plate into your hand and pass it to the next person

386
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So that it's the same as if we all gave, all the 10

387
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Thank you

388
00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:13,800
Thank you

389
00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:43,800
Oh

390
00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:13,800
Oh

391
00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:43,800
Oh

392
00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:13,800
Oh

393
00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:17,800
Oh

394
00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:28,800
Oh

395
00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:34,800
Oh

396
00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:38,800
Oh

397
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I'm always young and always a man You are here before the world began

398
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I'm a man by all things known Above all pros

399
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I'm a man by all wonders The world has ever known

400
00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:17,800
I'm a man by all worlds The treasures of the earth

401
00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:25,800
There's no way to measure what you're worth

402
00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:32,800
Lose your power, lay behind the stone

403
00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:39,800
Live the dark, you can't be held alone

404
00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:50,800
By the rules, trample on the ground You took the fall

405
00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:57,800
By the peace, you are alone

406
00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:08,800
By the rules, trample on the ground You took the fall

407
00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:16,800
By the peace, you are alone

408
00:38:38,800 --> 00:39:00,800
So leave me now Under your wing

409
00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:12,800
Come on in With big, almighty hands

410
00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:18,800
When the ocean's wide and the island's in a bar

411
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I will soar with you above the storm

412
00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:31,800
Father, you are leading over the flood

413
00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:42,800
I will be still and know you are gone

414
00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:54,800
But rest my soul In Christ alone

415
00:39:54,800 --> 00:40:03,800
No one is bound In quiet days and trust

416
00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:09,800
When the ocean's wide and the island's in a bar

417
00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:15,800
I will soar with you above the storm

418
00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:21,800
Father, you are leading over the flood

419
00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:26,800
I will be still and know you are gone

420
00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:32,800
But rest my soul In quiet days and trust

421
00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:37,800
When the ocean's wide and the island's in a bar

422
00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:43,800
I will soar with you above the storm

423
00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:48,800
Father, you are leading over the flood

424
00:40:48,800 --> 00:41:04,800
I will be still and know you are gone

425
00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:09,800
But rest my soul In Christ alone

426
00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:19,800
No one is bound In quiet days and trust

427
00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:24,800
When the ocean's wide and the island's in a bar

428
00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:30,800
I will soar with you above the storm

429
00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:35,800
Father, you are leading over the flood

430
00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:41,800
I will be still and know you are gone

431
00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:46,800
But rest my soul In quiet days and trust

432
00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:51,800
When the ocean's wide and the island's in a bar

433
00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:57,800
I will soar with you above the storm

434
00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:03,800
I will be still and know you are gone

435
00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:30,800
Not very happy

436
00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:32,800
No, I'm just seeing the first three

437
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:37,800
And now Pastor Hamilton, inspirational dance

438
00:42:37,800 --> 00:43:04,800
And now Pastor Hamilton, inspirational dance

439
00:43:04,800 --> 00:43:29,800
Lances and whoppers, sons and daughters

440
00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:35,800
Hear that the throne, the grace

441
00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:42,800
Losers and winners, sages and sinners

442
00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:48,800
One day we'll see His face

443
00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:55,800
And we're all bound now

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00:43:55,800 --> 00:44:02,800
Kings will surrender their crowns

445
00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:09,800
And worship Jesus

446
00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:16,800
For He is the Lord of fair in love

447
00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:33,800
He is the Lord of love

448
00:44:33,800 --> 00:44:50,800
Summer and winter, mountains and rivers

449
00:44:50,800 --> 00:45:03,800
A friend to the weak, forever His love will reign

450
00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:07,800
And we're all bound now

451
00:45:07,800 --> 00:45:13,800
Kings will surrender their crowns

452
00:45:13,800 --> 00:45:20,800
And worship Jesus

453
00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:26,800
For He is the Lord of fair in love

454
00:45:26,800 --> 00:45:33,800
He is the Lord of love

455
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:54,800
I am the one, Lord of all

456
00:45:54,800 --> 00:46:01,800
And we're all bound now

457
00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:06,800
Kings will surrender their crowns

458
00:46:06,800 --> 00:46:28,800
And worship Jesus

459
00:46:28,800 --> 00:46:35,800
For He is the Lord of fair in love

460
00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:55,800
He is the Lord of God

461
00:46:55,800 --> 00:47:13,800
The ins and outs of uncleanness

462
00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:41,800
So before we get started, I just want to kind of share with you as adults in the room and we'll make sure the kids are in the meeting in the classrooms get it as well.

463
00:47:41,800 --> 00:47:49,800
Next week's service will be a thankfulness service. So we focus around the theme of thankfulness or thanking God.

464
00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:58,800
And so if you could bring something next week to share, and it could be anything at all on the theme of thankfulness, it could simply be a psalm reading.

465
00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:02,800
If you want to read a psalm, it don't matter if we have a couple people read the same psalm or something like that.

466
00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:06,800
But anything you would like to share concerning thankfulness, that would be ideal.

467
00:48:06,800 --> 00:48:14,800
I will prepare a short sermon because I am thankful for the opportunity to preach and that God uses me to do this.

468
00:48:14,800 --> 00:48:18,800
But we are the focus is the bodies going to have the opportunity to be thankful.

469
00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:22,800
So hopefully we'll have that built into next week's service.

470
00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:26,800
All right. Back on task.

471
00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:34,800
So last week we were we were in the book of Matthew, Chapter 15, and we stopped short of verse 15.

472
00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:40,800
And that 14, it said, if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.

473
00:48:40,800 --> 00:48:43,800
And that took us to the end of the sermon or the end of the message.

474
00:48:43,800 --> 00:48:45,800
I felt like God was bringing last week.

475
00:48:45,800 --> 00:48:52,800
And I said, maybe next week we will start in verse 15 and we will talk about because Peter then goes and asks him to explain what had happened.

476
00:48:52,800 --> 00:48:54,800
And I said, maybe we'll do that.

477
00:48:54,800 --> 00:49:02,800
And I began to write over this week a sermon series, which I now believe that God will have me do after Thanksgiving, entitled How to Make the Naysayers Right.

478
00:49:02,800 --> 00:49:05,800
And I got the first sermon in that series pretty well written.

479
00:49:05,800 --> 00:49:07,800
It was about 90 percent done.

480
00:49:07,800 --> 00:49:13,800
And the Lord said to me, Nope, we're going to go to Matthew 15, 15, as we had talked about possibly doing.

481
00:49:13,800 --> 00:49:15,800
And now that's that's where we're going.

482
00:49:15,800 --> 00:49:20,800
So maybe give me a little hoot or a holler and go with me to Matthew 15, 15.

483
00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:23,800
But Miss Chris is watching us online right now.

484
00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:26,800
She's hooting or hollering in her apartment.

485
00:49:26,800 --> 00:49:29,800
She might still be hooting or hollering because you know, hoots or hollers once when she's here.

486
00:49:29,800 --> 00:49:33,800
But when she's there, you know, there's nobody else. So she could do it much as she wants.

487
00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:36,800
All right. Matthew 15, 15.

488
00:49:36,800 --> 00:49:41,800
I'm going to jump right into the text and then I will do a little introductory thing before we go to the points.

489
00:49:41,800 --> 00:49:43,800
OK, so that's the structure of the day.

490
00:49:43,800 --> 00:49:47,800
First, the text, then a little introductory and then the points and then the conclusion.

491
00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:50,800
15, 15 through 15, 20.

492
00:49:50,800 --> 00:49:58,800
And Peter, you know who he was, disciple of Jesus, followed Jesus around, answered and said to him, explain the parable to us.

493
00:49:58,800 --> 00:50:05,800
Now, I would be remiss if I didn't mention to you that that verse right there is translated a little bit differently depending on which translation you have.

494
00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:07,800
There's a couple of them in here.

495
00:50:07,800 --> 00:50:17,800
The reason why that's true, because there's a confusion about what Jesus is being asked to explain.

496
00:50:17,800 --> 00:50:21,800
So there really is no parable per se, right?

497
00:50:21,800 --> 00:50:29,800
The two things that kind of come before it, one is where he says, and if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.

498
00:50:29,800 --> 00:50:33,800
But pretty much everybody agrees that's not what he's asking about.

499
00:50:33,800 --> 00:50:43,800
What he's asking about was what incited all of the problems with the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the scribes and so on who did not like what Jesus had said, what they were getting upset about.

500
00:50:43,800 --> 00:50:46,800
And that is what Jesus goes on to explain.

501
00:50:46,800 --> 00:50:59,800
And so whatever Peter's heart was, whatever he said, whatever he asked exactly what did he mean when he said explain the parable, Jesus explains to him the statement that incited the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

502
00:50:59,800 --> 00:51:03,800
It got them so upset. That's what he's going to go on to explain to him.

503
00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:11,800
So it's happened recently in our lives, we've seen it a few times, where you pray one thing and God seems to give you something different than what you prayed for.

504
00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:19,800
Sherry was flying back from Delaware on Wednesday and racing to the airport to catch her airplane and she said, Oh God, please, please let me make my flight.

505
00:51:19,800 --> 00:51:23,800
I don't want to be stuck here in Delaware for overnight or something.

506
00:51:23,800 --> 00:51:29,800
And she got to the gate and she missed the flight in Delaware.

507
00:51:29,800 --> 00:51:33,800
But there was a lady there and she said, What is your home destination?

508
00:51:33,800 --> 00:51:41,800
Her first flight was going to fly her first to New York City and then home to Detroit and then she'd have to drive home.

509
00:51:41,800 --> 00:51:43,800
And she said, My end destination is Detroit.

510
00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:47,800
And the lady said, Oh, well, the next flight leaving out of this gate is going to Detroit.

511
00:51:47,800 --> 00:51:49,800
And the flight captain or whatever happened to be there.

512
00:51:49,800 --> 00:51:51,800
Can you get her on that flight?

513
00:51:51,800 --> 00:51:52,800
He said, Well, yes, I can do that.

514
00:51:52,800 --> 00:51:53,800
And he got her on that flight.

515
00:51:53,800 --> 00:51:57,800
And then not only that, she said, I don't like to sit against the window, kind of cramped in there.

516
00:51:57,800 --> 00:52:01,800
She gets a little claustrophobic and she's all kind of stuck in there and amongst people.

517
00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:08,800
And he gave her a good seat with nobody next to her and plenty of room, not first class, but next best thing.

518
00:52:08,800 --> 00:52:15,800
And so while she's praying to get on the flight, God did not answer that prayer, but answered the prayer.

519
00:52:15,800 --> 00:52:17,800
What she really wanted was she wanted to get home.

520
00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:19,800
And he flew her directly to Detroit.

521
00:52:19,800 --> 00:52:23,800
And then she drove home and she got home about an hour and an hour to an hour and a half sooner than she would have.

522
00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:26,800
And she didn't have to go through New York City Airport Airport.

523
00:52:26,800 --> 00:52:29,800
So whatever Peter was asking Jesus is the whole point.

524
00:52:29,800 --> 00:52:35,800
Whatever Peter was asking Jesus, what Jesus goes on to explain to him is what really is important to us.

525
00:52:35,800 --> 00:52:42,800
So different translators there have explained the parable to us or another one says explain the saying to us or

526
00:52:42,800 --> 00:52:48,800
explain what is meant by the saying, things like that, depending on what translation you have.

527
00:52:48,800 --> 00:52:53,800
The most literal way to say it from the Greek over to the English is explain the parable to us.

528
00:52:53,800 --> 00:52:57,800
But technically, it's not a parable.

529
00:52:57,800 --> 00:53:03,800
Verse 16 says, And he said, Are you still lacking in understanding also?

530
00:53:03,800 --> 00:53:08,800
So Jesus now very strongly scolds Peter.

531
00:53:08,800 --> 00:53:12,800
There's a word here, which again, this is translated a little bit differently depending on your translation.

532
00:53:12,800 --> 00:53:15,800
There's a word here that is a sunetas.

533
00:53:15,800 --> 00:53:22,800
And basically the a means not and the sunetas means understanding or intelligent.

534
00:53:22,800 --> 00:53:27,800
So what Jesus basically asked Jesus or Peter is, Are you still stupid?

535
00:53:27,800 --> 00:53:31,800
Are you still understand? Are you still without understanding or without intelligence?

536
00:53:31,800 --> 00:53:34,800
Are you basically asking, Are you still dumb?

537
00:53:34,800 --> 00:53:38,800
You know, that's a pretty harsh if you translate it directly, that's a pretty harsh saying.

538
00:53:38,800 --> 00:53:44,800
So are you still lacking in understanding also means they didn't get it.

539
00:53:44,800 --> 00:53:47,800
Do you also not get it? And what's the difference between Peter and the guys who didn't get it?

540
00:53:47,800 --> 00:53:50,800
Well, Peter's a disciple of Jesus. He's with Jesus. He's learning from Jesus.

541
00:53:50,800 --> 00:53:55,800
He's being taught by Jesus. Jesus has explained him lots of other things, right?

542
00:53:55,800 --> 00:53:59,800
He says, Are you still lacking in understanding also?

543
00:53:59,800 --> 00:54:05,800
17. Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?

544
00:54:05,800 --> 00:54:09,800
OK, so now this is going back to the saying again that really offended them.

545
00:54:09,800 --> 00:54:15,800
They asked, Why don't your disciples wash their ceremonially wash their hands before they eat, which is part of our tradition.

546
00:54:15,800 --> 00:54:17,800
And he challenged them about their tradition and basically said,

547
00:54:17,800 --> 00:54:22,800
Well, you teach in tradition, you're not living the law of God. You're not living for God.

548
00:54:22,800 --> 00:54:28,800
Your heart is far from me. Your lips say, Yeah, Jesus, or yeah, not Jesus, but yeah, God and God's teachings.

549
00:54:28,800 --> 00:54:33,800
But your heart is not for God. And he really kind of smacked them around a little bit, called them hypocrites.

550
00:54:33,800 --> 00:54:43,800
OK, and then that all came out of the fact that he was saying that they transgress the commands of God in order to follow their traditions.

551
00:54:43,800 --> 00:54:47,800
And then now he's going to explain the original saying.

552
00:54:47,800 --> 00:54:51,800
Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?

553
00:54:51,800 --> 00:54:54,800
And again, there might be slight slight changes in translation there.

554
00:54:54,800 --> 00:54:57,800
But basically, it's the process of digestion, right?

555
00:54:57,800 --> 00:55:06,800
But he says, The things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart and those defile the man.

556
00:55:06,800 --> 00:55:12,800
So that word there defiling is uncleanness. It means not being able to be used by God.

557
00:55:12,800 --> 00:55:19,800
So in other words, simply put, there are things that you can say, there are things that can come out of your mouth,

558
00:55:19,800 --> 00:55:25,800
because they must originate in a heart that is not godly, not in a godly place.

559
00:55:25,800 --> 00:55:30,800
They then make you unable to be used by God.

560
00:55:30,800 --> 00:55:37,800
An example of this might be, for example, that you hurt somebody with your words out of malice, anger.

561
00:55:37,800 --> 00:55:42,800
It could be slander, gossip. It could be they hurt you and it's revenge.

562
00:55:42,800 --> 00:55:48,800
Right. And then you try and go and sing worship to God and nothing really has happened in between.

563
00:55:48,800 --> 00:55:52,800
And just plainly put, God will not take those words of worship from you.

564
00:55:52,800 --> 00:55:58,800
You have made yourself unclean. Now, there is an easy solution for uncleanness, right?

565
00:55:58,800 --> 00:56:01,800
But it's easy because somebody else did a lot of work.

566
00:56:01,800 --> 00:56:07,800
It's not easy because we don't have to do any work or because we've already done the work.

567
00:56:07,800 --> 00:56:11,800
But it's easy because Jesus did a lot of work to get that solution.

568
00:56:11,800 --> 00:56:13,800
And we'll talk about that later.

569
00:56:13,800 --> 00:56:17,800
Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?

570
00:56:17,800 --> 00:56:22,800
But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart and those defile the man.

571
00:56:22,800 --> 00:56:30,800
Realize the goal, if not what's actually already true, is for your regenerated heart.

572
00:56:30,800 --> 00:56:37,800
The newly created part in you, reborn in Christ, to control your mouth.

573
00:56:37,800 --> 00:56:44,800
That is the goal at least. And when that goal is not fulfilled,

574
00:56:44,800 --> 00:56:52,800
then you will speak from your own flesh, your own irritation, your things that are not godly.

575
00:56:52,800 --> 00:56:55,800
And those things too will take up root in your heart.

576
00:56:55,800 --> 00:57:01,800
Verse 19, he says, for out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,

577
00:57:01,800 --> 00:57:05,800
fornications, thefts, false witness, and slanders.

578
00:57:05,800 --> 00:57:08,800
Now, Mark tells the same story that we're reading here.

579
00:57:08,800 --> 00:57:15,800
And Mark puts this list in different order and he actually adds some things, which tells us two things.

580
00:57:15,800 --> 00:57:21,800
First of all, remember that the book of Matthew was written largely to Jewish people.

581
00:57:21,800 --> 00:57:25,800
So there were the Jews who did not necessarily understand Jesus.

582
00:57:25,800 --> 00:57:33,800
They weren't buying into Jesus. Matthew is sort of a polemic or an argument for why Jesus was the Jewish Messiah,

583
00:57:33,800 --> 00:57:35,800
how they could know that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

584
00:57:35,800 --> 00:57:41,800
And Matthew has a stronger than most Jewish background, stronger than most of the disciples.

585
00:57:41,800 --> 00:57:46,800
So he has rearranged these in the order of the Ten Commandments.

586
00:57:46,800 --> 00:57:49,800
So they would have had the Ten Commandments memorized.

587
00:57:49,800 --> 00:57:51,800
He had the Ten Commandments memorized.

588
00:57:51,800 --> 00:57:58,800
And it doesn't matter the order in the Greek when a person says the order doesn't matter unless they are trying to emphasize something.

589
00:57:58,800 --> 00:58:01,800
And clearly all of these things are bad.

590
00:58:01,800 --> 00:58:07,800
So he's rearranged them in the order of the Ten Commandments, which is the way that a Jewish audience would have expected them to be.

591
00:58:07,800 --> 00:58:10,800
Why would you list them in a different order than the Ten Commandments?

592
00:58:10,800 --> 00:58:13,800
We're going to list sins, you'd list them in the order of the Ten Commandments.

593
00:58:13,800 --> 00:58:20,800
The second reason or second thing that we can learn out of that is that it really doesn't matter what's on the list, does it?

594
00:58:20,800 --> 00:58:24,800
I mean, it does, but it doesn't. All the things on the list are evil. They are wickedness.

595
00:58:24,800 --> 00:58:28,800
They are things against God. For example, murder is on the list.

596
00:58:28,800 --> 00:58:36,800
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that if you've had hatred in your heart towards your brother or anger,

597
00:58:36,800 --> 00:58:40,800
either one, in your heart towards your brother, that that is the same as murder.

598
00:58:40,800 --> 00:58:48,800
So it doesn't matter that anger in your heart toward your brother is not on the list because murder is the same.

599
00:58:48,800 --> 00:58:55,800
Also, if you go to James 2, you know that whosoever keepeth the whole law and yet offends in one point, he is guilty of all.

600
00:58:55,800 --> 00:59:03,800
And so it could have just been murder on the list or it could have just been adulteries on the list or just fornications on the list.

601
00:59:03,800 --> 00:59:09,800
And if you're a fornicator, which means if you're using sex in an improper way, then you are literally breaking the law.

602
00:59:09,800 --> 00:59:13,800
And in becoming a law breaker, you are guilty of the entire law.

603
00:59:13,800 --> 00:59:18,800
We have to stop judging one sin as worse than another as far as it comes to salvation.

604
00:59:18,800 --> 00:59:24,800
They are all equally bad. We've got people out there who say they're living for the Lord Jesus Christ, but their pet sin is OK.

605
00:59:24,800 --> 00:59:29,800
God's forgiving that. But then when it comes to somebody else sinning against them or sinning in their presence, that's not OK.

606
00:59:29,800 --> 00:59:36,800
And they get all up in arms about it. You're going to get up in arms about something, get up in arms about the thing that you're doing that you should not be doing.

607
00:59:36,800 --> 00:59:41,800
The chiefest of all sinners for me is me. Right.

608
00:59:41,800 --> 00:59:47,800
Paul said that my sin is chief of all sins for you. Your sin is chief of all sins. Right.

609
00:59:47,800 --> 00:59:54,800
Jesus said it this way. Why would you try to remove the speck from your brother's eye without first removing the beam from your own eye?

610
00:59:54,800 --> 00:59:57,800
Right. That's paraphrased, but you get the gist of it.

611
00:59:57,800 --> 01:00:05,800
Deal with what you're dealing with, because those things come out of an evil heart and you don't want an evil heart because it'll take you where you don't want to wind up.

612
01:00:05,800 --> 01:00:08,800
So he says out of the heart comes these evil thoughts.

613
01:00:08,800 --> 01:00:14,800
We'll come back to that phrase in a second. Murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and slanders. Right.

614
01:00:14,800 --> 01:00:16,800
Out of the heart. Do we know what all those things are?

615
01:00:16,800 --> 01:00:19,800
Know what it is when you murder somebody, including you be angry. Right.

616
01:00:19,800 --> 01:00:26,800
Adultery involves when there is a marriage relationship and sex is misused outside that marriage relationship somehow.

617
01:00:26,800 --> 01:00:31,800
Fornications is any misuse of sex whatsoever. That would include pornography.

618
01:00:31,800 --> 01:00:36,800
It would include, I'm checking the room, that would include masturbation. It would include anything like that. Right.

619
01:00:36,800 --> 01:00:43,800
Any misuse of sex. Fornications. Thefts. Stealing. Taking something that doesn't belong to you. Stealing time. Right.

620
01:00:43,800 --> 01:00:48,800
Tricking somebody into giving something that they wouldn't otherwise give. That's all thefts.

621
01:00:48,800 --> 01:00:53,800
False witness is perjury, but it also means speaking untrue facts about others.

622
01:00:53,800 --> 01:00:56,800
And then slanders. Speaking something bad about someone.

623
01:00:56,800 --> 01:01:01,800
Notice there can be a difference. You could say something good about someone that isn't true. That's a false witness.

624
01:01:01,800 --> 01:01:08,800
Even if it's good. You say something bad about something, even if it's true, it's a slanderer. Right.

625
01:01:08,800 --> 01:01:13,800
You don't have a reason to say, if that person is a saved being, they are a holy heaven dignitary.

626
01:01:13,800 --> 01:01:17,800
They are going to heaven one day and you're talking bad about them?

627
01:01:17,800 --> 01:01:20,800
You got a problem because you're going to answer to God for that.

628
01:01:20,800 --> 01:01:24,800
So be careful talking to others bad about others even if it's true. Right.

629
01:01:24,800 --> 01:01:27,800
Now that restriction does not exist between married couples.

630
01:01:27,800 --> 01:01:31,800
If you want to sit down with your wife, talk about frustrations you're having with somebody else,

631
01:01:31,800 --> 01:01:35,800
that is not gossip or slander because you're considered one being.

632
01:01:35,800 --> 01:01:38,800
But other than that, you should not be talking to your kids, your friends, whatever.

633
01:01:38,800 --> 01:01:39,800
You should not be spreading stories.

634
01:01:39,800 --> 01:01:43,800
Now during prayer requests, we talk about what we're going to pray for,

635
01:01:43,800 --> 01:01:48,800
but if your heart is in the right place, that's not gossip. Right.

636
01:01:48,800 --> 01:01:52,800
But if your heart's all about, hey, let's talk about who did what bad and they're having this problem,

637
01:01:52,800 --> 01:01:55,800
and yeah, they get what they deserve, that's your heart, that's just gossip.

638
01:01:55,800 --> 01:01:57,800
It's not prayer requests. Right.

639
01:01:57,800 --> 01:01:59,800
So bottom line is, all these things.

640
01:01:59,800 --> 01:02:04,800
Now back up for one second to the idea of evil thoughts.

641
01:02:04,800 --> 01:02:09,800
Strange on the list, isn't it? Doesn't fit the Ten Commandments.

642
01:02:09,800 --> 01:02:12,800
Doesn't show up a lot in Scripture at all. Right.

643
01:02:12,800 --> 01:02:17,800
They're there. It's there, but it's not a ton. Jesus doesn't talk about evil thoughts a ton.

644
01:02:17,800 --> 01:02:21,800
The idea of evil thoughts then, in the way this is written in the original language,

645
01:02:21,800 --> 01:02:24,800
is that these evil thoughts foster all of these other things.

646
01:02:24,800 --> 01:02:28,800
So what Jesus is saying is there is a natural progression or a flow.

647
01:02:28,800 --> 01:02:33,800
From the wickedness of your heart flows evil thoughts that then translate into,

648
01:02:33,800 --> 01:02:37,800
and he gives us some examples, but any wicked behavior. Right.

649
01:02:37,800 --> 01:02:44,800
So he has given us the chain reaction of how bad things, how you do, how I do bad things.

650
01:02:44,800 --> 01:02:48,800
Starts with a wickedness in your heart, goes through your mind and forms an evil thought,

651
01:02:48,800 --> 01:02:50,800
which you then act on.

652
01:02:50,800 --> 01:02:56,800
Anybody here ever have an evil thought that you didn't act on? Absolutely. Right.

653
01:02:56,800 --> 01:03:01,800
Happens all the time. I've had evil thoughts about suicide, I've had evil thoughts about murder,

654
01:03:01,800 --> 01:03:04,800
I've had evil thoughts about stealing, I've had evil thoughts about lying,

655
01:03:04,800 --> 01:03:09,800
and I'd love to say that all of those things only happened before I was saved, but that isn't true.

656
01:03:09,800 --> 01:03:12,800
Evil thoughts happen. Okay. Now there's a difference.

657
01:03:12,800 --> 01:03:16,800
So anger in your heart toward your brother is another thing, isn't it?

658
01:03:16,800 --> 01:03:20,800
It's not an evil thought. It says anger in your heart toward your brother. Right.

659
01:03:20,800 --> 01:03:23,800
So there's a wickedness in your heart that translates into an evil thought,

660
01:03:23,800 --> 01:03:25,800
and then you go and carry it out.

661
01:03:25,800 --> 01:03:28,800
So I think I might go murder him. I'm really mad at him. I want to hurt him somehow.

662
01:03:28,800 --> 01:03:30,800
I want to get back at him. At least slash his tires or say something nasty about him.

663
01:03:30,800 --> 01:03:34,800
Something. Post something on social media. Something. The guy's really upset me.

664
01:03:34,800 --> 01:03:37,800
The wickedness of your heart is moved to be evil thoughts.

665
01:03:37,800 --> 01:03:42,800
Now when you carry that out, then it becomes the named sinful actions from the Ten Commandments and other places.

666
01:03:42,800 --> 01:03:45,800
Right. But if you get as far as the wickedness of your heart

667
01:03:45,800 --> 01:03:48,800
brings it up to evil thoughts and you stop there,

668
01:03:48,800 --> 01:03:53,800
you still have a real problem because there shouldn't be wickedness in your heart at all

669
01:03:53,800 --> 01:03:55,800
that's generating that evil thought. Right.

670
01:03:55,800 --> 01:03:59,800
Not if you're saved, not if you're born again, not if you have a regenerated heart.

671
01:03:59,800 --> 01:04:04,800
So the goal then, the battle, if you will, is in the mind

672
01:04:04,800 --> 01:04:07,800
from hopefully your regenerated heart, not your wicked heart. Right.

673
01:04:07,800 --> 01:04:10,800
Now you can have a regenerated heart. You have that thought.

674
01:04:10,800 --> 01:04:12,800
And you go, that's stupid. I don't know why I even thought that.

675
01:04:12,800 --> 01:04:14,800
That's happened to me a number of times. I've gone, oh, I just had a weird thought.

676
01:04:14,800 --> 01:04:17,800
That's a weird thought. Like I would never think that.

677
01:04:17,800 --> 01:04:20,800
And it didn't come out of my heart because I know that's not my heart.

678
01:04:20,800 --> 01:04:22,800
And so then I just can dismiss it. Right.

679
01:04:22,800 --> 01:04:26,800
And my heart is too strong to even give that thought a place.

680
01:04:26,800 --> 01:04:30,800
And it's disconnected. And then that's usually an evil spirit to get inside for a second.

681
01:04:30,800 --> 01:04:32,800
That's usually an evil spirit that put that in your head.

682
01:04:32,800 --> 01:04:35,800
And this is how you can know when evil spirits are putting thoughts in your head.

683
01:04:35,800 --> 01:04:37,800
Because it's disconnected from your heart.

684
01:04:37,800 --> 01:04:40,800
But when you have wickedness in your heart and it moves to your head,

685
01:04:40,800 --> 01:04:42,800
it starts becoming a thought.

686
01:04:42,800 --> 01:04:45,800
The greatest defense you have is already lost.

687
01:04:45,800 --> 01:04:47,800
Because it's attached to your heart.

688
01:04:47,800 --> 01:04:49,800
So Jesus is explaining how that works.

689
01:04:49,800 --> 01:04:52,800
And then he says, so when that stuff proceeds out of your mouth,

690
01:04:52,800 --> 01:04:56,800
and you can even say, and many theologians think that he was basically saying this,

691
01:04:56,800 --> 01:05:00,800
that your actions then will not be wicked and evil,

692
01:05:00,800 --> 01:05:05,800
because you have already breached every safety line that there was.

693
01:05:05,800 --> 01:05:07,800
Your heart was wicked, generated a wicked thought.

694
01:05:07,800 --> 01:05:09,800
Your thought was wicked.

695
01:05:09,800 --> 01:05:12,800
And then you start to think, well, I know the law. I'm not going to do that.

696
01:05:12,800 --> 01:05:15,800
Instead of in your mind going, well, I know the law. I'm not going to do that.

697
01:05:15,800 --> 01:05:17,800
Instead of in your mind going, well, I know the teachings of Christ.

698
01:05:17,800 --> 01:05:19,800
I'm not going to do that. I'm going to shut that down right now.

699
01:05:19,800 --> 01:05:21,800
Instead of using your mind to stop that,

700
01:05:21,800 --> 01:05:25,800
you then allowed it to flow out and you said something or did something

701
01:05:25,800 --> 01:05:27,800
you should not have done.

702
01:05:27,800 --> 01:05:30,800
And when that happens, the action,

703
01:05:30,800 --> 01:05:35,800
Jesus is saying that action then makes us unclean.

704
01:05:35,800 --> 01:05:38,800
It makes you unusable by God.

705
01:05:38,800 --> 01:05:43,800
Even the issue, sin is just like the wages of sin is death.

706
01:05:43,800 --> 01:05:47,800
But sin is so bad, spreads, affects everybody, etc.

707
01:05:47,800 --> 01:05:50,800
We always kind of belittle it a little bit, but it's so bad.

708
01:05:50,800 --> 01:05:54,800
If you sin willfully out of a mind that formulated that thought

709
01:05:54,800 --> 01:05:57,800
out of a heart that had an anchor of wickedness in it,

710
01:05:57,800 --> 01:06:01,800
you become unclean, unusable by God.

711
01:06:01,800 --> 01:06:03,800
That's what Jesus is saying.

712
01:06:03,800 --> 01:06:05,800
And truth is, they should have already known it.

713
01:06:05,800 --> 01:06:08,800
And that's why Jesus said, what, you still don't get this?

714
01:06:08,800 --> 01:06:11,800
Alright, then we've got just verse 20.

715
01:06:11,800 --> 01:06:15,800
These are the things which defile the man, he says.

716
01:06:15,800 --> 01:06:17,800
These are the things which defile the man.

717
01:06:17,800 --> 01:06:23,800
But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.

718
01:06:23,800 --> 01:06:27,800
To eat with washed hands was the tradition that they had put in place.

719
01:06:27,800 --> 01:06:29,800
Is it a bad thing to wash your hands before you eat?

720
01:06:29,800 --> 01:06:32,800
No, it's actually a good thing, right? It's good for your health, whatever.

721
01:06:32,800 --> 01:06:34,800
But it was the tradition that they had put in place.

722
01:06:34,800 --> 01:06:37,800
They saw lots of things that were designed to protect them in Scripture.

723
01:06:37,800 --> 01:06:44,800
They then added the tradition of ceremonially washing your hands before you eat.

724
01:06:44,800 --> 01:06:48,800
And then they said, well, if we must ceremonially wash our hands before we eat,

725
01:06:48,800 --> 01:06:52,800
then eating with unwashed hands must make a person unclean toward God.

726
01:06:52,800 --> 01:06:54,800
And Jesus says, no!

727
01:06:54,800 --> 01:06:56,800
Let me say it simply.

728
01:06:56,800 --> 01:07:01,800
No matter what tradition you start, no matter what rules you set for yourself,

729
01:07:01,800 --> 01:07:04,800
if you break those rules or traditions,

730
01:07:04,800 --> 01:07:09,800
they will not affect your relationship with God in the least.

731
01:07:09,800 --> 01:07:13,800
You cannot create a road that God is not master of.

732
01:07:13,800 --> 01:07:15,800
It is not possible.

733
01:07:15,800 --> 01:07:18,800
But people are doing that all over the world still to this day,

734
01:07:18,800 --> 01:07:23,800
teaching the traditions of men in contrast to the commands of God.

735
01:07:23,800 --> 01:07:27,800
I would say don't. Don't do it. Don't set rules that are just...

736
01:07:27,800 --> 01:07:32,800
So we have, for example, I'm just going to be real plain with you for a moment.

737
01:07:32,800 --> 01:07:35,800
If you're in this room and you're a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ,

738
01:07:35,800 --> 01:07:38,800
I am quite certain that by now you know that reading your Bible,

739
01:07:38,800 --> 01:07:42,800
praying, and spending time with God is an important discipline.

740
01:07:42,800 --> 01:07:44,800
Actually, it's several important disciplines, right?

741
01:07:44,800 --> 01:07:47,800
I know you know that's important.

742
01:07:47,800 --> 01:07:50,800
I also know if you're a parent in the room, for example,

743
01:07:50,800 --> 01:07:55,800
that you know your child cleaning up their toys after they play is important.

744
01:07:55,800 --> 01:07:57,800
Or doing their household chores is important.

745
01:07:57,800 --> 01:07:59,800
Or doing their schoolwork is important.

746
01:07:59,800 --> 01:08:01,800
Those are important things, right?

747
01:08:01,800 --> 01:08:03,800
And what will happen is this.

748
01:08:03,800 --> 01:08:07,800
Parents will go, get your room cleaned up!

749
01:08:07,800 --> 01:08:09,800
I said get your room cleaned up!

750
01:08:09,800 --> 01:08:12,800
Get your room cleaned up or I'm going to whip your butt.

751
01:08:12,800 --> 01:08:14,800
Get your room cleaned up or you're going to be grounded for a week.

752
01:08:14,800 --> 01:08:17,800
Get your room cleaned up or no more electronics, right?

753
01:08:17,800 --> 01:08:21,800
We've got all the punishments in place for all the things that our kids are supposed to do.

754
01:08:21,800 --> 01:08:24,800
And you could apply these very same things to yourself if you don't have kids.

755
01:08:24,800 --> 01:08:26,800
We have all the set rules.

756
01:08:26,800 --> 01:08:29,800
I'm not going to do that if this, right?

757
01:08:29,800 --> 01:08:31,800
Where are those things for Bible reading?

758
01:08:31,800 --> 01:08:35,800
Where are those things for Scripture memorization?

759
01:08:35,800 --> 01:08:39,800
Where are those things for worshiping God?

760
01:08:39,800 --> 01:08:44,800
Why don't we say you will worship God, at least for our believer children, right?

761
01:08:44,800 --> 01:08:48,800
I get it. If your child doesn't know God, then you might be a little bit harsh erode.

762
01:08:48,800 --> 01:08:50,800
But at least for those who are claiming the name of Christ,

763
01:08:50,800 --> 01:08:54,800
where are the rules to punish for that?

764
01:08:54,800 --> 01:08:58,800
You do understand that if it's a command of God that God has said spend time with me,

765
01:08:58,800 --> 01:09:01,800
if it's a command of God that God has said spend time in my word,

766
01:09:01,800 --> 01:09:05,800
that God our Father will punish us if we do not do what He commanded us to do.

767
01:09:05,800 --> 01:09:10,800
God will not punish you for not cleaning your room.

768
01:09:10,800 --> 01:09:16,800
You say, but James 4.17 says, for him that knoweth to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

769
01:09:16,800 --> 01:09:20,800
And your parents told you to do that, so now you're not honoring and obeying your parents.

770
01:09:20,800 --> 01:09:28,800
Congratulations. You are now playing the exact game that the Jews were playing with the Ten Commandments.

771
01:09:28,800 --> 01:09:33,800
Is it wrong if a parent tells a child they have to clean their room and the child doesn't do it?

772
01:09:33,800 --> 01:09:36,800
Are they not honoring and obeying? Yes. They're not honoring and obeying their parents. Yes.

773
01:09:36,800 --> 01:09:41,800
But it is no more significant in any way, shape, or form than the commands that Jesus

774
01:09:41,800 --> 01:09:45,800
and the teaching that Jesus gave us while He was alive that we are supposed to be learning from Jesus

775
01:09:45,800 --> 01:09:54,800
daily. Stop coming up with 41 things that we have to do and let's get right down to what it is that we're supposed to do in Christ.

776
01:09:54,800 --> 01:10:01,800
And those are the important things. But everybody gets so worked up, right?

777
01:10:01,800 --> 01:10:07,800
The guy that cuts you off in the expressway that might just bring you to road rage, drop it. Forget it.

778
01:10:07,800 --> 01:10:13,800
He could be an idiot. He could be rushing to the hospital because his wife's having a baby.

779
01:10:13,800 --> 01:10:18,800
It doesn't matter what the reason are. Just drop it. Put away from you all anger and malice.

780
01:10:18,800 --> 01:10:22,800
Put it away. Drop it.

781
01:10:22,800 --> 01:10:26,800
Realize that what the world needs is Jesus.

782
01:10:26,800 --> 01:10:31,800
Take Him with you everywhere you go. And every time you see somebody, I'm going to say it plainly this way,

783
01:10:31,800 --> 01:10:37,800
every time you see somebody who's acting like a Sunnis believer or a Sunnis non-believer,

784
01:10:37,800 --> 01:10:41,800
then you bring Jesus into the circumstances and teach them what that's supposed to be like.

785
01:10:41,800 --> 01:10:45,800
You know, you're going through some of what you're going through because you're not honoring God.

786
01:10:45,800 --> 01:10:50,800
Do you know God? Yes, I do. Do you believe in Jesus? Yes, I do. Have you had a born again moment?

787
01:10:50,800 --> 01:10:52,800
Well, have you read John chapter 3? Do you know what that says?

788
01:10:52,800 --> 01:10:55,800
There was a moment in time when you were lying in the sand where you began to live for Jesus and Jesus alone.

789
01:10:55,800 --> 01:10:58,800
Oh, no, I've never done that. Would you like to? We can do that right now.

790
01:10:58,800 --> 01:11:02,800
Oh, yes, I've done that. OK, well, then I see you saying, yes, you've done it. You're living for Jesus.

791
01:11:02,800 --> 01:11:06,800
But I see that you're following some kind of teachings other than what Jesus teaches.

792
01:11:06,800 --> 01:11:10,800
You've got some rules. What are you reading in the Bible?

793
01:11:10,800 --> 01:11:15,800
Oh, I don't really read my Bible much, but I did one day last week. What? OK.

794
01:11:15,800 --> 01:11:19,800
So you clean your house, you wash your dishes, you do your laundry, you pick everything up,

795
01:11:19,800 --> 01:11:24,800
you encourage your family member, you spend time, you watch TV, you do all of those things,

796
01:11:24,800 --> 01:11:31,800
but you don't read your Bible, the very words of life, the story of creation, God's history.

797
01:11:31,800 --> 01:11:36,800
We have the very same hypocrisy in us sometimes that they had in them.

798
01:11:36,800 --> 01:11:44,800
And Jesus was pointing that out. And Peter, God bless him, was trying to understand.

799
01:11:44,800 --> 01:11:47,800
And Jesus' immediate response was, do you not understand?

800
01:11:47,800 --> 01:11:51,800
And then that brings us into then our points for the day.

801
01:11:51,800 --> 01:11:59,800
The first point that I want you to see in there that really hit me hard was that Jesus expects you, me,

802
01:11:59,800 --> 01:12:06,800
He expects us to learn and grow and understand Scripture.

803
01:12:06,800 --> 01:12:10,800
There are people in this world who are in their 20s.

804
01:12:10,800 --> 01:12:16,800
They have autism, serious learning disability, something like that.

805
01:12:16,800 --> 01:12:21,800
They struggle with reading. I ministered to a woman at the Life Station this week

806
01:12:21,800 --> 01:12:26,800
who cannot read at a third grade reading level. She cannot do it.

807
01:12:26,800 --> 01:12:30,800
She has dyslexia, which was never diagnosed when she was in school,

808
01:12:30,800 --> 01:12:35,800
and they just kept letting her go on and on and on, and she never learned to read proper.

809
01:12:35,800 --> 01:12:39,800
She can't read her Bible. She can't read one of my books,

810
01:12:39,800 --> 01:12:41,800
which there's a chapter in there that speaks to exactly what she's going through,

811
01:12:41,800 --> 01:12:45,800
and I was hoping she could read it, and eventually I will read it to her.

812
01:12:45,800 --> 01:12:48,800
If it comes to that, if I continue to minister to her, I will read it to her myself,

813
01:12:48,800 --> 01:12:52,800
or I will just explain to her what it says. You don't have to be able to read.

814
01:12:52,800 --> 01:13:01,800
Hang on. Even if you cannot read, Jesus expects you to learn and to grow

815
01:13:01,800 --> 01:13:09,800
and to understand His teachings. Do you not understand that when the New Testament was written,

816
01:13:09,800 --> 01:13:18,800
Jesus was already dead, risen, started the church, and gone to heaven?

817
01:13:18,800 --> 01:13:24,800
Peter is here being chastised while Jesus is alive.

818
01:13:24,800 --> 01:13:31,800
Peter does not have the Holy Spirit of God. He's not sealed, regenerated.

819
01:13:31,800 --> 01:13:39,800
He's not born again. He has not become a Christian like you and I,

820
01:13:39,800 --> 01:13:48,800
and Jesus expects him to learn the teachings of Jesus, to grow in them, and to apply them.

821
01:13:48,800 --> 01:13:56,800
When I was in Bible college, one of the classes that I took was basic sermon writing,

822
01:13:56,800 --> 01:14:02,800
and my teacher taught me for the very first time OIA,

823
01:14:02,800 --> 01:14:05,800
and I used it at East Lido when I was teaching in the youth group.

824
01:14:05,800 --> 01:14:10,800
I've used it for every sermon I've ever written since then. I've used it without exception.

825
01:14:10,800 --> 01:14:15,800
And the O is observation. You read it. What does it say?

826
01:14:15,800 --> 01:14:20,800
The I is interpretation. You look at it. You take the parts of it, if necessary,

827
01:14:20,800 --> 01:14:23,800
words, phrases that are in there. What does it mean?

828
01:14:23,800 --> 01:14:29,800
And the A is application. What am I going to do about it?

829
01:14:29,800 --> 01:14:38,800
And Jesus was saying, as a follower of Jesus, I expect you to get the interpretation

830
01:14:38,800 --> 01:14:44,800
and to apply what my teachings are. Interpretation and application.

831
01:14:44,800 --> 01:14:47,800
Listen, anybody can read it. So you read it and it says,

832
01:14:47,800 --> 01:14:50,800
And Peter answered and said to him, Explain the parable to us.

833
01:14:50,800 --> 01:14:56,800
What just happened? Observation. Peter answered, said to Jesus,

834
01:14:56,800 --> 01:14:59,800
Explain the parable to us. Okay, I know what it says.

835
01:14:59,800 --> 01:15:02,800
Observation is done. Now what does it mean?

836
01:15:02,800 --> 01:15:08,800
What is a parable? Who is Peter? Who is him?

837
01:15:08,800 --> 01:15:12,800
Right? Okay, now I know what it means.

838
01:15:12,800 --> 01:15:16,800
Now what does it say? What am I supposed to do about it?

839
01:15:16,800 --> 01:15:22,800
And Jesus is expecting you and expecting me to spend our time in the I and the A.

840
01:15:22,800 --> 01:15:26,800
Let's figure out what he's telling us to do and do it.

841
01:15:26,800 --> 01:15:31,800
It's understanding his teachings. What does it mean to understand?

842
01:15:31,800 --> 01:15:35,800
To stand under. I get it. I understand what you're saying.

843
01:15:35,800 --> 01:15:38,800
Okay, now if I say I get it and I understand what you're saying,

844
01:15:38,800 --> 01:15:41,800
and I'm not saying it with some kind of cynicism or being rude,

845
01:15:41,800 --> 01:15:43,800
then I mean I'm going to take it into account.

846
01:15:43,800 --> 01:15:46,800
If somebody says to me, We've got to be there by two o'clock.

847
01:15:46,800 --> 01:15:51,800
And I said, Okay, I understand. And then at one o'clock I'm going,

848
01:15:51,800 --> 01:15:53,800
and at one thirty I'm going, Doesn't matter.

849
01:15:53,800 --> 01:15:56,800
I know we're supposed to be there by two o'clock. I don't really care.

850
01:15:56,800 --> 01:15:58,800
Twenty-five minute drive. Now it's a quarter to two.

851
01:15:58,800 --> 01:16:00,800
I was supposed to be there by two o'clock. I don't really care.

852
01:16:00,800 --> 01:16:03,800
I have not understood what they said.

853
01:16:03,800 --> 01:16:05,800
You say, But you could be exercising your authority.

854
01:16:05,800 --> 01:16:07,800
You can do that to Jesus. You can do that to his word.

855
01:16:07,800 --> 01:16:12,800
If you understand what Jesus' word is, then you will stand under what Jesus' word is.

856
01:16:12,800 --> 01:16:16,800
And that's what Jesus was expecting from Peter, and it's what he expects from us.

857
01:16:16,800 --> 01:16:20,800
If you have a hard time reading the Bible, get it in audio and listen to it

858
01:16:20,800 --> 01:16:24,800
four times as often as you would normally read it.

859
01:16:24,800 --> 01:16:30,800
Because the retention for listening is one quarter what it is for reading it

860
01:16:30,800 --> 01:16:33,800
and actually drilling down on it in your eyes.

861
01:16:33,800 --> 01:16:36,800
So listen to it four times as often as you would normally read it,

862
01:16:36,800 --> 01:16:37,800
and eventually you will get it.

863
01:16:37,800 --> 01:16:42,800
Arianna lays down at bed every night, and every night she plays a,

864
01:16:42,800 --> 01:16:46,800
we play a Bible CD, but we read her devotional with her and pray with her,

865
01:16:46,800 --> 01:16:48,800
and then if there's time left in her reading time,

866
01:16:48,800 --> 01:16:50,800
then we read a little something else or whatever, and then we turn the Bible stories on,

867
01:16:50,800 --> 01:16:54,800
and she lays there and goes to sleep to the Bible stories every night.

868
01:16:54,800 --> 01:16:58,800
Now they're not literally scripture, but they're the stories of the Bible told.

869
01:16:58,800 --> 01:17:02,800
The other day we're talking, you'll like this, I think it'll tickle you a little bit,

870
01:17:02,800 --> 01:17:06,800
and we're talking about it, and she said, Oh, that's like that story

871
01:17:06,800 --> 01:17:11,800
where the three guys went in the furnace, and they went in there,

872
01:17:11,800 --> 01:17:14,800
and there was another guy in there.

873
01:17:14,800 --> 01:17:18,800
I think he might have been Jesus, but he was definitely like a son of God,

874
01:17:18,800 --> 01:17:21,800
at least an angel. He was at least an angel.

875
01:17:21,800 --> 01:17:25,800
And I said, and can you tell me any more about that?

876
01:17:25,800 --> 01:17:29,800
And she said the one guy's name was Shadrach,

877
01:17:29,800 --> 01:17:34,800
and the other guy's name was something like Mesuch, or something like that,

878
01:17:34,800 --> 01:17:38,800
and the last guy's name was Abed, something.

879
01:17:38,800 --> 01:17:41,800
And I'm like, Shadrach, Mesuch, and Abednego.

880
01:17:41,800 --> 01:17:44,800
She's getting it because she's listening to it.

881
01:17:44,800 --> 01:17:47,800
Her reading level is not third grade, but she's listening to it over and over and over again.

882
01:17:47,800 --> 01:17:50,800
I would encourage you to do the same if you have trouble reading it.

883
01:17:50,800 --> 01:17:54,800
And then it doesn't stop there. I said, So what does that story say?

884
01:17:54,800 --> 01:17:58,800
And she said, Well, they trusted God. They would not bow down to that false God.

885
01:17:58,800 --> 01:18:02,800
And because of that, they got thrown in the furnace, and because they trusted God,

886
01:18:02,800 --> 01:18:04,800
God took care of them.

887
01:18:04,800 --> 01:18:07,800
And I said, So what are you going to do about that then? What should we do about that?

888
01:18:07,800 --> 01:18:11,800
And she said, Well, we just got to trust God with everything.

889
01:18:11,800 --> 01:18:14,800
It's OIA.

890
01:18:14,800 --> 01:18:16,800
Some of the stories, you know what they say,

891
01:18:16,800 --> 01:18:19,800
but you're not stopping to think about what they really mean,

892
01:18:19,800 --> 01:18:23,800
and you're not putting into application what you're supposed to do.

893
01:18:23,800 --> 01:18:29,800
Jesus expects you and I to do that. We are supposed to do that.

894
01:18:29,800 --> 01:18:33,800
In fact, Paul teaches it very clearly in a couple of different ways,

895
01:18:33,800 --> 01:18:38,800
and one of them is that we are to be diligent to show ourselves approved

896
01:18:38,800 --> 01:18:42,800
for workmen who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God.

897
01:18:42,800 --> 01:18:48,800
Can you sit down with your Bible and read it and be told by God what you are supposed to do,

898
01:18:48,800 --> 01:18:51,800
the kind of person you are supposed to be, and then go and do and be that?

899
01:18:51,800 --> 01:18:55,800
If so, my friend, you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

900
01:18:55,800 --> 01:19:01,800
And if not, then you are at best a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ who would say to you,

901
01:19:01,800 --> 01:19:05,800
Are you in a sunnitas? You still don't get it?

902
01:19:05,800 --> 01:19:09,800
After I saved you, after I paid for all your sins, I made you born again,

903
01:19:09,800 --> 01:19:11,800
gave you a regenerated heart, you still don't get it?

904
01:19:11,800 --> 01:19:14,800
You still don't take my Word, read it, understand it,

905
01:19:14,800 --> 01:19:17,800
and put it into practice in your life and the lives of anybody under your control

906
01:19:17,800 --> 01:19:18,800
or anybody under your suggestion?

907
01:19:18,800 --> 01:19:22,800
You still aren't managing yourself and your courts around you in a God-honoring way?

908
01:19:22,800 --> 01:19:26,800
That's the way it still is?

909
01:19:26,800 --> 01:19:29,800
And Jesus expects that not to be the way it is.

910
01:19:29,800 --> 01:19:36,800
So read, so study, so figure out what it means and put it into practice.

911
01:19:36,800 --> 01:19:42,800
Second thing then is, and this has come back to me time and time and time again through Scripture,

912
01:19:42,800 --> 01:19:46,800
how wickedness infects.

913
01:19:46,800 --> 01:19:53,800
So I would assume, I would hope by this time that everyone has seen the process

914
01:19:53,800 --> 01:19:57,800
or maybe experienced a firsthand of washing dishes.

915
01:19:57,800 --> 01:20:00,800
So this is what we have in our minds.

916
01:20:00,800 --> 01:20:07,800
So I'm going to ask you, Ron, when you go to your sink or get ready to put dishes in the dishwasher,

917
01:20:07,800 --> 01:20:12,800
and you're going to put them in the dishwasher, why do you do that?

918
01:20:12,800 --> 01:20:17,800
Because they're dirty? Why are they dirty?

919
01:20:17,800 --> 01:20:20,800
How?

920
01:20:20,800 --> 01:20:26,800
Okay, so if that is actually true, and that's the way we mostly think about it,

921
01:20:26,800 --> 01:20:31,800
we put the food on the plates and that makes it dirty, right?

922
01:20:31,800 --> 01:20:37,800
Then we're all eating off of dirty plates, right?

923
01:20:37,800 --> 01:20:41,800
Because we put the food on it, that made it dirty?

924
01:20:41,800 --> 01:20:43,800
It's not the food that makes it dirty, right?

925
01:20:43,800 --> 01:20:48,800
Then you eat the food off, it's what's left.

926
01:20:48,800 --> 01:20:50,800
It's what's left that makes it dirty.

927
01:20:50,800 --> 01:20:53,800
Because you don't want to eat, let's say, spaghetti off a plate

928
01:20:53,800 --> 01:20:56,800
and then put it on the counter and it's got the sauce and kind of, you know,

929
01:20:56,800 --> 01:20:58,800
like concrete on there, you know what I'm saying?

930
01:20:58,800 --> 01:21:01,800
And then the very next day go and eat your mac and cheese off that same plate

931
01:21:01,800 --> 01:21:03,800
without having to wash it first.

932
01:21:03,800 --> 01:21:06,800
Because now you're going to get leftover yucky spaghetti sauce,

933
01:21:06,800 --> 01:21:09,800
bits of it, just bits of it, because a lot of it will still stay on a plate,

934
01:21:09,800 --> 01:21:12,800
and plus bacteria and germs and stuff.

935
01:21:12,800 --> 01:21:16,800
It's the leftover stuff that actually makes the plate dirty, right?

936
01:21:16,800 --> 01:21:19,800
That's why we wash it. We think it's because we put stuff in it.

937
01:21:19,800 --> 01:21:23,800
It doesn't matter if you have a bucket and you put leaves and twigs

938
01:21:23,800 --> 01:21:26,800
and dirt in the bucket.

939
01:21:26,800 --> 01:21:28,800
Bucket's just doing its job.

940
01:21:28,800 --> 01:21:31,800
Then you dump all that out, there's going to be some residual in there.

941
01:21:31,800 --> 01:21:34,800
And if you don't wash it off, then later you can put water in the bucket.

942
01:21:34,800 --> 01:21:38,800
What's going to happen to the water? It's going to get dirty, right?

943
01:21:38,800 --> 01:21:45,800
Jesus was saying, while we think it's what goes in that makes it dirty,

944
01:21:45,800 --> 01:21:49,800
actually it's what comes out that makes it dirty.

945
01:21:49,800 --> 01:21:55,800
Is there anybody here who has ever either on TV or in a movie seen a murder?

946
01:21:55,800 --> 01:21:58,800
Anybody? Solomus, right?

947
01:21:58,800 --> 01:22:03,800
Some show, something probably, or at least a violent attack against somebody, right?

948
01:22:03,800 --> 01:22:06,800
Did that make you unclean?

949
01:22:06,800 --> 01:22:12,800
Did you become a sinner because you saw somebody fictitiously get murdered on TV?

950
01:22:12,800 --> 01:22:18,800
No. Jesus was explaining to us that it is not the stuff that comes at us

951
01:22:18,800 --> 01:22:20,800
that makes us unclean.

952
01:22:20,800 --> 01:22:22,800
It's the stuff that comes out of us.

953
01:22:22,800 --> 01:22:26,800
Now there is an old saying that says, garbage in and garbage out.

954
01:22:26,800 --> 01:22:30,800
So if you take a lot of stuff in that is inappropriate,

955
01:22:30,800 --> 01:22:33,800
so you watch a bunch of movies that have nastiness in them,

956
01:22:33,800 --> 01:22:37,800
you read stories that have explicit details that are nasty,

957
01:22:37,800 --> 01:22:40,800
or you have a conversation with people, you listen to a lot of people

958
01:22:40,800 --> 01:22:44,800
talking to you about stuff that you probably shouldn't be hearing, things like that,

959
01:22:44,800 --> 01:22:48,800
then it's entirely possible at some point in time that you will embrace some of that

960
01:22:48,800 --> 01:22:52,800
or be affected by some of that and you will begin to spew it back out.

961
01:22:52,800 --> 01:22:55,800
That will be how you behave.

962
01:22:55,800 --> 01:22:57,800
I've seen that play out in my life years and years.

963
01:22:57,800 --> 01:23:01,800
And, by the way, that then also happens when you put out wickedness.

964
01:23:01,800 --> 01:23:05,800
Not only does it make you unclean, but then when you put out that same wickedness,

965
01:23:05,800 --> 01:23:09,800
then your audience, people are looking to you for leadership or guidance,

966
01:23:09,800 --> 01:23:11,800
and they do what you do.

967
01:23:11,800 --> 01:23:13,800
They go, oh, well, he's doing it.

968
01:23:13,800 --> 01:23:17,800
He's the one who's teaching me about what it means to be X

969
01:23:17,800 --> 01:23:21,800
or what I should do in X situation, and now I've seen him do it this way,

970
01:23:21,800 --> 01:23:24,800
so now I'm going to do it that way.

971
01:23:24,800 --> 01:23:28,800
But back on wickedness and facts for a moment,

972
01:23:28,800 --> 01:23:36,800
there is a method that Jesus gave us to deal with the stuff that comes into us.

973
01:23:36,800 --> 01:23:40,800
The Holy Spirit says, God says, He sealed your heart.

974
01:23:40,800 --> 01:23:43,800
What do you think He sealed it from?

975
01:23:43,800 --> 01:23:46,800
He sealed it from the ministrations of the world.

976
01:23:46,800 --> 01:23:48,800
He sealed it from the wickedness that comes against you

977
01:23:48,800 --> 01:23:52,800
and the things that get into your mind that probably shouldn't be there.

978
01:23:52,800 --> 01:23:56,800
And your heart is sealed by the Holy Spirit for the final day of redemption.

979
01:23:56,800 --> 01:23:59,800
That's why it's sealed, because it's going to be under attack

980
01:23:59,800 --> 01:24:03,800
as long as it's on this earth, because it is uniquely different now

981
01:24:03,800 --> 01:24:05,800
than everything else in creation.

982
01:24:05,800 --> 01:24:11,800
A human heart regenerated by God has more in common with the Garden of Eden

983
01:24:11,800 --> 01:24:14,800
than it does anything in Toledo.

984
01:24:14,800 --> 01:24:19,800
And it's totally unique and different, and it's going to be assailed.

985
01:24:19,800 --> 01:24:26,800
And then what it should be doing is putting out something to deal with the assailment,

986
01:24:26,800 --> 01:24:30,800
the attack against it, and therein lies the spiritual disciplines.

987
01:24:30,800 --> 01:24:33,800
Feed your heart the good stuff of God.

988
01:24:33,800 --> 01:24:37,800
Read and pray and worship and serve and give.

989
01:24:37,800 --> 01:24:44,800
Set up a barrier of good works and your passion around your heart.

990
01:24:44,800 --> 01:24:47,800
Now, don't set rules yourself and make them as important as Scripture,

991
01:24:47,800 --> 01:24:50,800
but really delve into the things of Scripture,

992
01:24:50,800 --> 01:24:52,800
the things that God is giving you to do,

993
01:24:52,800 --> 01:24:55,800
and then when that stuff comes against you, you're going to see the contrast.

994
01:24:55,800 --> 01:25:00,800
So if you can manage just a few times, just a few times, to love your enemy,

995
01:25:00,800 --> 01:25:04,800
just a few times to come back with a gentle word when somebody is mean to you,

996
01:25:04,800 --> 01:25:08,800
just a few times, just manage it a few times, and then see the results of that,

997
01:25:08,800 --> 01:25:11,800
the effect that it has on you and the effect that it has on them and the situation.

998
01:25:11,800 --> 01:25:15,800
A gentle word turns away wrath. That's an observation. That's a reality.

999
01:25:15,800 --> 01:25:20,800
So when somebody comes to you with opposition, you come back with them with a gentle word,

1000
01:25:20,800 --> 01:25:22,800
and it'll pretty well fizzle.

1001
01:25:22,800 --> 01:25:27,800
There are a few exceptions where the person will be insulted because you behaved nice toward them,

1002
01:25:27,800 --> 01:25:32,800
and if you're picked on because of that or they come against you because of that,

1003
01:25:32,800 --> 01:25:34,800
then God will take care of you.

1004
01:25:34,800 --> 01:25:37,800
But the bottom line is you come back with a gentle word when wrath has come against you,

1005
01:25:37,800 --> 01:25:41,800
do that just a few times, and then you're going to realize how you feel,

1006
01:25:41,800 --> 01:25:44,800
how the situation changes, the effect of that.

1007
01:25:44,800 --> 01:25:48,800
You're going to get an attaboy and a clap on the back in fulfillment from God,

1008
01:25:48,800 --> 01:25:50,800
if God goes, yep, that was the thing I wanted you to do,

1009
01:25:50,800 --> 01:25:54,800
Holy Spirit is going to leap inside you and say, yes, we're building fruit of patience

1010
01:25:54,800 --> 01:26:01,800
and steadfastness and faith, and then you're never going to go back.

1011
01:26:01,800 --> 01:26:06,800
But you have to build those things. You have to practice those things.

1012
01:26:06,800 --> 01:26:08,800
I talk to people all the time about reading the Bible.

1013
01:26:08,800 --> 01:26:11,800
I'm probably as guilty as anybody.

1014
01:26:11,800 --> 01:26:14,800
I'm better at listening to my Bible on U version while I'm driving

1015
01:26:14,800 --> 01:26:17,800
than I am at sitting down and reading my Bible.

1016
01:26:17,800 --> 01:26:20,800
And I'm just being transparent.

1017
01:26:20,800 --> 01:26:24,800
But the bottom line is I know the fruit of this,

1018
01:26:24,800 --> 01:26:29,800
which is why I always make sure and try to listen to it if I don't read it.

1019
01:26:29,800 --> 01:26:31,800
But we need to be doing it.

1020
01:26:31,800 --> 01:26:36,800
And when we do that and we see the benefits of that,

1021
01:26:36,800 --> 01:26:41,800
then we latch onto it, it becomes part of who we are, it becomes part of our armor.

1022
01:26:41,800 --> 01:26:46,800
And I won't go there, but you should hear undertones of Ephesians 6

1023
01:26:46,800 --> 01:26:48,800
as we're talking about it.

1024
01:26:48,800 --> 01:26:51,800
Our heart, our building right now as we sit here,

1025
01:26:51,800 --> 01:26:53,800
as an illustration, our building right now as we sit here

1026
01:26:53,800 --> 01:26:57,800
needs what's called a backflow preventer.

1027
01:26:57,800 --> 01:27:00,800
That plus a pipe repair, it's going to be $5,000.

1028
01:27:00,800 --> 01:27:02,800
We haven't figured out how we're going to pay for it yet.

1029
01:27:02,800 --> 01:27:06,800
Still working on that, see if we can get any bids cheaper, that kind of thing.

1030
01:27:06,800 --> 01:27:10,800
And if we don't, we're going to pay $5,000 to get a backflow preventer.

1031
01:27:10,800 --> 01:27:13,800
Well, a backflow preventer, what it does is it makes it so that the water

1032
01:27:13,800 --> 01:27:16,800
in your building cannot flow back into the city.

1033
01:27:16,800 --> 01:27:20,800
So if you get stuff in your water, your pipes are defective or something,

1034
01:27:20,800 --> 01:27:23,800
that kind of thing, then no matter what, if the city water shuts off,

1035
01:27:23,800 --> 01:27:25,800
that's the only way it would happen is if the city water shuts off,

1036
01:27:25,800 --> 01:27:30,800
then your water in your building could flow back into the city water supply

1037
01:27:30,800 --> 01:27:33,800
and then somebody in our neighborhood could be drinking our stuff.

1038
01:27:33,800 --> 01:27:35,800
It's called a backflow preventer.

1039
01:27:35,800 --> 01:27:39,800
Well, your heart has a backflow preventer built into it.

1040
01:27:39,800 --> 01:27:45,800
God's Holy Spirit and the cleanness of your heart has a natural backflow preventer

1041
01:27:45,800 --> 01:27:50,800
and it is the spiritual disciplines that God, that Jesus Christ Himself gave us.

1042
01:27:50,800 --> 01:27:53,800
That's how you're going to stop it.

1043
01:27:53,800 --> 01:27:57,800
When a wicked thought crops up in your head and you've been reading your Bible,

1044
01:27:57,800 --> 01:27:59,800
you're going to have a Bible verse and you're going to go,

1045
01:27:59,800 --> 01:28:03,800
listen, it says this in Matthew 16 or whatever, I know this.

1046
01:28:03,800 --> 01:28:07,800
In Ephesians 2 it says this, James 2 it says this, I know what it says.

1047
01:28:07,800 --> 01:28:10,800
And so then you give that to your heart and your heart will feed off of that and say,

1048
01:28:10,800 --> 01:28:12,800
yes, you're right, boom, that thought's gone.

1049
01:28:12,800 --> 01:28:15,800
We're going to do that because we know to whom we belong.

1050
01:28:15,800 --> 01:28:18,800
That's your backflow preventer.

1051
01:28:18,800 --> 01:28:23,800
Unfortunately, because we absorb a certain amount of bad things and whatever,

1052
01:28:23,800 --> 01:28:26,800
our hearts may generate some wicked thoughts.

1053
01:28:26,800 --> 01:28:32,800
And if they do, our heart needs to be empowered to squish those wicked thoughts

1054
01:28:32,800 --> 01:28:36,800
before they get into our heads and create the actual evil thoughts in us.

1055
01:28:36,800 --> 01:28:39,800
And if that doesn't happen and you get an evil thought,

1056
01:28:39,800 --> 01:28:42,800
then mentally your brain has to be activated, Romans 12,

1057
01:28:42,800 --> 01:28:47,800
has to be activated, prepared to know that that thought is not approved by God

1058
01:28:47,800 --> 01:28:48,800
and to put an end to it.

1059
01:28:48,800 --> 01:28:53,800
How are you going to get those things if you do not practice the spiritual disciplines to get there?

1060
01:28:53,800 --> 01:28:56,800
Wickedness infects. It's like this.

1061
01:28:56,800 --> 01:29:00,800
Once you say it and do it, your brain already hatched it, your heart already endorsed it,

1062
01:29:00,800 --> 01:29:03,800
and now you are useless to God.

1063
01:29:03,800 --> 01:29:09,800
Repent and turn to Jesus and put it away.

1064
01:29:09,800 --> 01:29:13,800
Then the last thing, which ties beautifully in with the backflow preventer,

1065
01:29:13,800 --> 01:29:17,800
is that we are not to be polluted by the world.

1066
01:29:17,800 --> 01:29:23,800
Jesus was not saying that anything that happens around us

1067
01:29:23,800 --> 01:29:26,800
is not going to be any kind of a problem,

1068
01:29:26,800 --> 01:29:30,800
that we can not potentially struggle because of it or do what's wrong because of it.

1069
01:29:30,800 --> 01:29:37,800
We're supposed to be using Jesus's methods, following his teachings, and different.

1070
01:29:37,800 --> 01:29:44,800
People have been literally martyred because they would not renounce the name of Jesus.

1071
01:29:44,800 --> 01:29:47,800
And you may be, or I may be as well.

1072
01:29:47,800 --> 01:29:51,800
So he wasn't saying that the world cannot do anything to us.

1073
01:29:51,800 --> 01:29:57,800
He wasn't saying that the world cannot try to stop us from being what we're supposed to be, etc.

1074
01:29:57,800 --> 01:30:01,800
Rather, he was saying that if you are following me,

1075
01:30:01,800 --> 01:30:04,800
then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

1076
01:30:04,800 --> 01:30:07,800
And you will be able to do what's right.

1077
01:30:07,800 --> 01:30:12,800
James, the brother of Jesus, wrote a book, several chapters,

1078
01:30:12,800 --> 01:30:14,800
and you can go there if you want to follow along.

1079
01:30:14,800 --> 01:30:17,800
We're going to read a little section from there, and we're getting to the conclusion.

1080
01:30:17,800 --> 01:30:21,800
James 1, beginning in 25.

1081
01:30:21,800 --> 01:30:27,800
The one who looks intently at the perfect law of liberty and abides by it.

1082
01:30:27,800 --> 01:30:29,800
Okay, wait a minute. What did he just say?

1083
01:30:29,800 --> 01:30:32,800
Look at it, understand it, do it.

1084
01:30:32,800 --> 01:30:34,800
That's what Jesus was expecting from us.

1085
01:30:34,800 --> 01:30:37,800
The law of liberty and abides by it.

1086
01:30:37,800 --> 01:30:41,800
Not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer,

1087
01:30:41,800 --> 01:30:45,800
don't just listen, but put it into practice.

1088
01:30:45,800 --> 01:30:48,800
This man shall be blessed in what he does.

1089
01:30:48,800 --> 01:30:52,800
God will speak well and make good things happen for the person who does that.

1090
01:30:52,800 --> 01:30:57,800
Observe it, understand it, stand under it, live what you've heard.

1091
01:30:57,800 --> 01:31:00,800
If anyone thinks himself to be religious,

1092
01:31:00,800 --> 01:31:05,800
and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart,

1093
01:31:05,800 --> 01:31:08,800
this man's religion is worthless.

1094
01:31:08,800 --> 01:31:13,800
So you can say you're following God, but if you keep spewing venom,

1095
01:31:13,800 --> 01:31:15,800
keep saying things that are not right,

1096
01:31:15,800 --> 01:31:18,800
that's coming out of evil thoughts of your mind.

1097
01:31:18,800 --> 01:31:21,800
You can't really say anything without thinking it first.

1098
01:31:21,800 --> 01:31:24,800
It may be simultaneous at best, but it just flows out,

1099
01:31:24,800 --> 01:31:28,800
and that's coming from your heart.

1100
01:31:28,800 --> 01:31:31,800
This man's religion, or religion is how a person comes to God,

1101
01:31:31,800 --> 01:31:35,800
or how they think they're coming to God, is worthless.

1102
01:31:35,800 --> 01:31:37,800
Then he goes on to define, he says,

1103
01:31:37,800 --> 01:31:42,800
this is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father.

1104
01:31:42,800 --> 01:31:47,800
So this is what God wants you to do, to visit orphans and widows in their distress.

1105
01:31:47,800 --> 01:31:52,800
In other words, put into practice the love of God that he has taught you,

1106
01:31:52,800 --> 01:31:59,800
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

1107
01:31:59,800 --> 01:32:02,800
Which means, exercising your back blow,

1108
01:32:02,800 --> 01:32:07,800
prevent your spiritual discipline to stop the stuff of the world from infecting you.

1109
01:32:07,800 --> 01:32:09,800
Wickedness infects.

1110
01:32:09,800 --> 01:32:13,800
Nobody put anything out there that would infect you unless they first perceived it,

1111
01:32:13,800 --> 01:32:15,800
conceived of it in an evil heart,

1112
01:32:15,800 --> 01:32:19,800
translated it to an evil thought, and then put it out there.

1113
01:32:19,800 --> 01:32:22,800
So the things that people are doing that God would say are wickedness,

1114
01:32:22,800 --> 01:32:26,800
they're not just somebody's flippant idea of what will be entertaining.

1115
01:32:26,800 --> 01:32:30,800
Those movies, horror movies, things like that, where people have to saw off their arm,

1116
01:32:30,800 --> 01:32:33,800
that's not just somebody's, this will be fun, we'll just try this.

1117
01:32:33,800 --> 01:32:36,800
Everybody knows it's not really real, it'll just be fun.

1118
01:32:36,800 --> 01:32:39,800
It'll freak people out, they'll go watch it because it's exciting, whatever.

1119
01:32:39,800 --> 01:32:41,800
It's not just somebody's flippant idea.

1120
01:32:41,800 --> 01:32:45,800
It's not just some nifty thing that someone created.

1121
01:32:45,800 --> 01:32:49,800
It came via an evil thought, via a wicked heart.

1122
01:32:49,800 --> 01:32:54,800
Now you can say, no, no, they don't mean for me to sin, nobody thinks I'm actually going to,

1123
01:32:54,800 --> 01:32:56,800
you can say whatever you want.

1124
01:32:56,800 --> 01:32:59,800
But the bottom line is, if you don't do the work inside you,

1125
01:32:59,800 --> 01:33:02,800
then when you experience the wickedness that comes out of somebody else's hearts,

1126
01:33:02,800 --> 01:33:06,800
through their evil thoughts and out into the world, you too will be infected.

1127
01:33:06,800 --> 01:33:08,800
That's the bottom line.

1128
01:33:08,800 --> 01:33:10,800
People want to see the movie, The Passion of Christ.

1129
01:33:10,800 --> 01:33:15,800
Did you know that there was a woman who had a heart attack and died

1130
01:33:15,800 --> 01:33:18,800
watching Jesus be crucified during the watching of The Passion of Christ?

1131
01:33:18,800 --> 01:33:20,800
In a movie theater.

1132
01:33:20,800 --> 01:33:25,800
She was so moved emotionally, so affected internally by this crucifixion of Jesus,

1133
01:33:25,800 --> 01:33:28,800
that she had a heart attack and died in the movie theater.

1134
01:33:28,800 --> 01:33:31,800
The movie theater cleared out, she just didn't get up and go.

1135
01:33:31,800 --> 01:33:32,800
She went by herself.

1136
01:33:32,800 --> 01:33:35,800
They found her in her seat, dead.

1137
01:33:35,800 --> 01:33:42,800
There were people who had all kinds of, just that, now, that's the crucifixion of Jesus.

1138
01:33:42,800 --> 01:33:47,800
Which was, by the way, arisen out of a wicked heart, became an evil thought,

1139
01:33:47,800 --> 01:33:49,800
and it was more than one person's evil thought,

1140
01:33:49,800 --> 01:33:52,800
and many of them cried, crucify him, crucify him, and they crucified him.

1141
01:33:52,800 --> 01:33:54,800
And people watched it, and it affected them.

1142
01:33:54,800 --> 01:33:56,800
And you're going to go one of two ways.

1143
01:33:56,800 --> 01:33:59,800
You're going to watch something and say, that's the wickedness and evil that I do not want.

1144
01:33:59,800 --> 01:34:01,800
That is the opposite of who I am in Christ.

1145
01:34:01,800 --> 01:34:02,800
I do not want that.

1146
01:34:02,800 --> 01:34:06,800
And you're going to throw up the barriers, the holy armor that God has given you,

1147
01:34:06,800 --> 01:34:08,800
the spiritual disciplines, that which you have learned.

1148
01:34:08,800 --> 01:34:10,800
You're going to throw that up and say, I am not going to be a part of that.

1149
01:34:10,800 --> 01:34:12,800
I'm not going to aggrandize it.

1150
01:34:12,800 --> 01:34:13,800
I'm not going to glorify it.

1151
01:34:13,800 --> 01:34:15,800
I'm not going to declare its value.

1152
01:34:15,800 --> 01:34:17,800
I'm not going to be a part of that.

1153
01:34:17,800 --> 01:34:20,800
Or, you can say, I'm okay.

1154
01:34:20,800 --> 01:34:22,800
And just sort of shirk it off.

1155
01:34:22,800 --> 01:34:24,800
Right? It's going to be fine.

1156
01:34:24,800 --> 01:34:26,800
Is this some thought somebody had?

1157
01:34:26,800 --> 01:34:29,800
Just for fun things, it's not meant to be anything like that.

1158
01:34:29,800 --> 01:34:34,800
No. It is a wicked thought that arose out of some wicked person's heart,

1159
01:34:34,800 --> 01:34:39,800
their wicked heart, became an evil thought, and now is out there.

1160
01:34:39,800 --> 01:34:44,800
And you're going to absorb it if you're not prepared to make sure you don't.

1161
01:34:44,800 --> 01:34:46,800
Someone is going to cuss you out.

1162
01:34:46,800 --> 01:34:50,800
Before you're done, someone may take a swing at you or a pop shot at you.

1163
01:34:50,800 --> 01:34:53,800
There's a young lady, a professor of the Christian, walking her dog in East Toledo,

1164
01:34:53,800 --> 01:34:55,800
and somebody shot her in the arm with a BB gun.

1165
01:34:55,800 --> 01:34:57,800
She had to go to the emergency room and remove the BB out.

1166
01:34:57,800 --> 01:34:59,800
You'd just be walking down the street one day.

1167
01:34:59,800 --> 01:35:01,800
You're not doing anything, not bothering anybody, just walking down the street.

1168
01:35:01,800 --> 01:35:03,800
And somebody, nobody knows who did it, shoots you with a BB gun.

1169
01:35:03,800 --> 01:35:04,800
Now you've got a BB in your heart.

1170
01:35:04,800 --> 01:35:06,800
Somebody is going to hurt you.

1171
01:35:06,800 --> 01:35:10,800
And when that happens, the armor is going to have to protect your heart.

1172
01:35:10,800 --> 01:35:12,800
You're going to have to know to whom you belong,

1173
01:35:12,800 --> 01:35:17,800
and that God can use even that for your good.

1174
01:35:17,800 --> 01:35:20,800
And that brings us to our conclusion then.

1175
01:35:20,800 --> 01:35:21,800
I'll recap the points briefly.

1176
01:35:21,800 --> 01:35:24,800
Number one, Jesus expects you to learn and grow, to understand,

1177
01:35:24,800 --> 01:35:27,800
which means to interpret and apply His teachings.

1178
01:35:27,800 --> 01:35:29,800
Number two, wickedness infects.

1179
01:35:29,800 --> 01:35:32,800
And you have a backwash preventer, a backflow preventer,

1180
01:35:32,800 --> 01:35:35,800
in the spiritual disciplines to protect your heart,

1181
01:35:35,800 --> 01:35:38,800
to make sure that you're not infected by someone else's wickedness,

1182
01:35:38,800 --> 01:35:42,800
and to make sure that you aren't a part of the wickedness,

1183
01:35:42,800 --> 01:35:44,800
that things don't come out of your heart, that flow through your mind,

1184
01:35:44,800 --> 01:35:48,800
evil thoughts, and become wickedness that will infect other people.

1185
01:35:48,800 --> 01:35:52,800
And then lastly, we are not to be polluted by the world.

1186
01:35:52,800 --> 01:35:57,800
Jesus was not saying that just because your hands are not,

1187
01:35:57,800 --> 01:36:00,800
don't have to be ceremonially cleansed before you eat,

1188
01:36:00,800 --> 01:36:02,800
doesn't mean you shouldn't wash your hands.

1189
01:36:02,800 --> 01:36:06,800
And if you don't wash your hands, that means you're spiritually unclean.

1190
01:36:06,800 --> 01:36:09,800
But He's saying, don't be polluted by the world.

1191
01:36:09,800 --> 01:36:13,800
Realize that all wickedness arises from a patch, at least,

1192
01:36:13,800 --> 01:36:15,800
of a wicked heart through evil thoughts.

1193
01:36:15,800 --> 01:36:18,800
And don't think, oh, it's just for fun, because it isn't like that.

1194
01:36:18,800 --> 01:36:22,800
It came from a wicked place, and it can infect others.

1195
01:36:22,800 --> 01:36:24,800
And then the conclusion is this.

1196
01:36:24,800 --> 01:36:30,800
Jesus was asking His disciples to work and do as a disciple.

1197
01:36:30,800 --> 01:36:33,800
And He's asking us the same.

1198
01:36:33,800 --> 01:36:36,800
The truth is, the work of God is so much.

1199
01:36:36,800 --> 01:36:41,800
Sharing the gospel, it's so important, and yet, just,

1200
01:36:41,800 --> 01:36:44,800
if you tried to share the gospel in one day with all the people

1201
01:36:44,800 --> 01:36:46,800
that you're supposed to share the gospel with in your life,

1202
01:36:46,800 --> 01:36:48,800
it's impossible, you wouldn't be able to do it.

1203
01:36:48,800 --> 01:36:50,800
Even if God sent them all to your door,

1204
01:36:50,800 --> 01:36:52,800
the number of people that you're supposed to share the truth with

1205
01:36:52,800 --> 01:36:56,800
about Jesus would line up around your block and into the next city.

1206
01:36:56,800 --> 01:36:58,800
Because we have a job to do.

1207
01:36:58,800 --> 01:37:02,800
We're supposed to go everybody, everywhere, and teach the commands of Jesus.

1208
01:37:02,800 --> 01:37:05,800
Teach them all things as I have commanded you,

1209
01:37:05,800 --> 01:37:07,800
as part of Matthew 28, the Great Commission.

1210
01:37:07,800 --> 01:37:10,800
And how are you going to teach them all things He has commanded you

1211
01:37:10,800 --> 01:37:13,800
if you're not willing to study and learn and do the work

1212
01:37:13,800 --> 01:37:16,800
to know all the things He has commanded you?

1213
01:37:16,800 --> 01:37:18,800
And how are you going to teach them all things He has commanded you

1214
01:37:18,800 --> 01:37:23,800
if you're not living out the things that He has commanded you?

1215
01:37:23,800 --> 01:37:26,800
And how are you going to live them out if you don't figure out what they mean

1216
01:37:26,800 --> 01:37:28,800
and apply them in your life?

1217
01:37:28,800 --> 01:37:33,800
People's souls literally are at stake.

1218
01:37:33,800 --> 01:37:36,800
Walk out and do as a disciple.

1219
01:37:36,800 --> 01:37:38,800
Sounds easy on the surface.

1220
01:37:38,800 --> 01:37:40,800
I read what Jesus told me to do.

1221
01:37:40,800 --> 01:37:42,800
I interpret it best I understand it.

1222
01:37:42,800 --> 01:37:44,800
Ask for your best understanding with Holy Spirit help.

1223
01:37:44,800 --> 01:37:46,800
That's all you're asked for.

1224
01:37:46,800 --> 01:37:47,800
And then you put it into application.

1225
01:37:47,800 --> 01:37:48,800
That makes sense.

1226
01:37:48,800 --> 01:37:50,800
Except I want you to look for just a moment about some examples in our society.

1227
01:37:50,800 --> 01:37:52,800
What do you think about the YMCA?

1228
01:37:52,800 --> 01:37:58,800
YMCA started well over 100 years ago in London.

1229
01:37:58,800 --> 01:38:00,800
Spread throughout the city.

1230
01:38:00,800 --> 01:38:02,800
They had a high level of unemployment.

1231
01:38:02,800 --> 01:38:05,800
And somebody was looking for a safe place for young men to go.

1232
01:38:05,800 --> 01:38:08,800
Get them off the street because they were standing on street corners all over the place.

1233
01:38:08,800 --> 01:38:10,800
And get them things to do and places to sleep.

1234
01:38:10,800 --> 01:38:12,800
And like that, that was the idea.

1235
01:38:12,800 --> 01:38:14,800
A bunch of businessmen, bankers, etc. got together and they started the YMCA.

1236
01:38:14,800 --> 01:38:16,800
And it began to spread throughout London.

1237
01:38:16,800 --> 01:38:18,800
Now it's all over the world.

1238
01:38:18,800 --> 01:38:21,800
Somewhere along the lines they lost their Christian identity.

1239
01:38:21,800 --> 01:38:25,800
Mostly for money probably because they were partners with a lot of people.

1240
01:38:25,800 --> 01:38:29,800
And just about 15 years ago the YMCA started an initiative.

1241
01:38:29,800 --> 01:38:33,800
They hired a YMCA Christian initiative person in every city.

1242
01:38:33,800 --> 01:38:39,800
Millions and millions of dollars being spent to quote, put the C back in YMCA.

1243
01:38:39,800 --> 01:38:41,800
Put Christ back in YMCA.

1244
01:38:41,800 --> 01:38:44,800
It stands for Young Men's Christian Association.

1245
01:38:44,800 --> 01:38:45,800
That's what it stands for.

1246
01:38:45,800 --> 01:38:47,800
And they realized they had walked away from Jesus.

1247
01:38:47,800 --> 01:38:49,800
All the good they were doing.

1248
01:38:49,800 --> 01:38:50,800
They walked away from Jesus.

1249
01:38:50,800 --> 01:38:55,800
Boy Scouts of America started as a young men's club, boys club, trail club.

1250
01:38:55,800 --> 01:38:57,800
In Christian churches.

1251
01:38:57,800 --> 01:38:58,800
Became huge.

1252
01:38:58,800 --> 01:39:04,800
Just recently voted that transgender and homosexual leadership, including marriages, etc.

1253
01:39:04,800 --> 01:39:05,800
All could be leaders.

1254
01:39:05,800 --> 01:39:07,800
They combined the male and female.

1255
01:39:07,800 --> 01:39:10,800
And they are basically saying there's no longer a gender identity.

1256
01:39:10,800 --> 01:39:13,800
And so then there's this thing called trail club that's been started up.

1257
01:39:13,800 --> 01:39:14,800
Which is a Christian based.

1258
01:39:14,800 --> 01:39:16,800
Basically does the same thing as boys club.

1259
01:39:16,800 --> 01:39:22,800
And in six years they now have 30,000 members or something like that.

1260
01:39:22,800 --> 01:39:26,800
It's growing like wildfire because they're still attached to Christian values.

1261
01:39:26,800 --> 01:39:30,800
That boys club has walked away from their Christian start.

1262
01:39:30,800 --> 01:39:32,800
Their biblical start.

1263
01:39:32,800 --> 01:39:35,800
You say, but those thoughts, those thoughts, people just have those thoughts.

1264
01:39:35,800 --> 01:39:37,800
They just, that's how they were made.

1265
01:39:37,800 --> 01:39:38,800
That's the way it is.

1266
01:39:38,800 --> 01:39:40,800
And we shouldn't stand up against them.

1267
01:39:40,800 --> 01:39:43,800
I can only tell you what the Bible says, what it means, and what we're supposed to do about it.

1268
01:39:43,800 --> 01:39:44,800
That's all I can tell you.

1269
01:39:44,800 --> 01:39:45,800
Beyond that, you have to decide.

1270
01:39:45,800 --> 01:39:47,800
Do you believe that's what it means?

1271
01:39:47,800 --> 01:39:49,800
Do you believe that's what you're supposed to do?

1272
01:39:49,800 --> 01:39:51,800
That's all we can do.

1273
01:39:51,800 --> 01:39:56,800
And there are people that look at this, and I'm one of them, and say that that way won't work.

1274
01:39:56,800 --> 01:39:57,800
Jesus has a way.

1275
01:39:57,800 --> 01:39:59,800
We gotta go Jesus' way.

1276
01:39:59,800 --> 01:40:02,800
And there are other people that go, well, our way is just about as good.

1277
01:40:02,800 --> 01:40:04,800
Right?

1278
01:40:04,800 --> 01:40:06,800
And it just goes on and on.

1279
01:40:06,800 --> 01:40:08,800
People have lost a habitat for humanity.

1280
01:40:08,800 --> 01:40:10,800
Started as a bunch of churches, a mission organization.

1281
01:40:10,800 --> 01:40:15,800
It got together, and they were gonna Christian build houses, volunteer Christian sources and whatever.

1282
01:40:15,800 --> 01:40:17,800
Then they got lots of volunteers from other sources.

1283
01:40:17,800 --> 01:40:22,800
People rose up in their organization, and they became essentially a non-Christian organization.

1284
01:40:22,800 --> 01:40:24,800
Still doing a lot of great work.

1285
01:40:24,800 --> 01:40:25,800
Don't get run.

1286
01:40:25,800 --> 01:40:26,800
They give away free houses to people who need houses.

1287
01:40:26,800 --> 01:40:27,800
It's awesome.

1288
01:40:27,800 --> 01:40:28,800
Build them from scratch.

1289
01:40:28,800 --> 01:40:29,800
It's really awesome work.

1290
01:40:29,800 --> 01:40:30,800
But they're not doing it for God anymore.

1291
01:40:30,800 --> 01:40:31,800
God is not in the picture.

1292
01:40:31,800 --> 01:40:33,800
It's not a Christian organization.

1293
01:40:33,800 --> 01:40:36,800
So you can take any organization, and the truth is, I think this.

1294
01:40:36,800 --> 01:40:40,800
If you'd sell it over into the hands of Satan, you could probably make it huge.

1295
01:40:40,800 --> 01:40:44,800
If you take one wicked thought that people will resonate with, you could probably make it huge.

1296
01:40:44,800 --> 01:40:47,800
I was sitting at the life station with a young man.

1297
01:40:47,800 --> 01:40:48,800
Oh, no, he's not young.

1298
01:40:48,800 --> 01:40:49,800
I take it back.

1299
01:40:49,800 --> 01:40:50,800
He's probably like in his early 60s.

1300
01:40:50,800 --> 01:40:53,800
And he said, I used to hate Rush Limbaugh.

1301
01:40:53,800 --> 01:40:55,800
He said, I used to hate him.

1302
01:40:55,800 --> 01:40:58,800
Said I couldn't stand him, but I listened to him because I hated him.

1303
01:40:58,800 --> 01:41:02,800
And I would sit and I would think about how stupid he was and all the things he was saying and like that.

1304
01:41:02,800 --> 01:41:03,800
I'm not a fan of Rush Limbaugh, by the way.

1305
01:41:03,800 --> 01:41:07,800
I think he was over the top on a lot of topics, but I think he was right about some things.

1306
01:41:07,800 --> 01:41:13,800
On the bottom line, he said, now I realize that all the things that I heard from him were accurate,

1307
01:41:13,800 --> 01:41:19,800
including this man who's sitting in the front of the life station is telling me, now I'm a racist.

1308
01:41:19,800 --> 01:41:21,800
I actually think it's the right way to go.

1309
01:41:21,800 --> 01:41:24,800
I'm like, no, that is not the right way to go.

1310
01:41:24,800 --> 01:41:26,800
I told him flat out, I said, you cannot let hatred get ahold of your heart.

1311
01:41:26,800 --> 01:41:27,800
He said, well, that's the problem.

1312
01:41:27,800 --> 01:41:28,800
That's the mistake I've made.

1313
01:41:28,800 --> 01:41:30,800
I've pretty much already done that.

1314
01:41:30,800 --> 01:41:34,800
I've bought into that teaching and I've pretty much already gone there and I can't stop now.

1315
01:41:34,800 --> 01:41:35,800
And I said, you need to be born again.

1316
01:41:35,800 --> 01:41:36,800
You need to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1317
01:41:36,800 --> 01:41:38,800
That's the only way you're going to get free.

1318
01:41:38,800 --> 01:41:40,800
And he did not accept Christ before he left the building.

1319
01:41:40,800 --> 01:41:45,800
And the bottom line is he went out slaving away under hatred of people that are just ordinary human beings

1320
01:41:45,800 --> 01:41:47,800
because he bought into one.

1321
01:41:47,800 --> 01:41:49,800
What he perceives, I'm not even saying it's right.

1322
01:41:49,800 --> 01:41:56,800
I don't know if Rush Limbaugh was racist or not, but he perceives that to be a teaching of a man who died.

1323
01:41:56,800 --> 01:41:58,800
And he took it and he sucked it in.

1324
01:41:58,800 --> 01:42:00,800
And he began to hate people.

1325
01:42:00,800 --> 01:42:03,800
And it's easy enough to do that.

1326
01:42:03,800 --> 01:42:09,800
Be careful because the wicked thoughts that come out of people will infect and they will change who you are

1327
01:42:09,800 --> 01:42:12,800
if you don't have your armor on, if you're not ready.

1328
01:42:12,800 --> 01:42:13,800
A lot of people are just all talk.

1329
01:42:13,800 --> 01:42:15,800
I love Jesus and I want to serve the Lord.

1330
01:42:15,800 --> 01:42:17,800
How many Christians have you known in your life?

1331
01:42:17,800 --> 01:42:20,800
And I'm going to be really transparent and blunt with you for a moment.

1332
01:42:20,800 --> 01:42:22,800
We've got a few in this room right now.

1333
01:42:22,800 --> 01:42:23,800
You love Jesus.

1334
01:42:23,800 --> 01:42:31,800
How much work do you intentionally do to spread the gospel, to share Jesus, to worship, to enact your spiritual gift inside the body?

1335
01:42:31,800 --> 01:42:35,800
How much work do you actually do seven days a week, 24 hours?

1336
01:42:35,800 --> 01:42:47,800
Jesus, for whatever part of three years, never had a home, roamed around, often had nothing to eat, was attacked daily in the streets.

1337
01:42:47,800 --> 01:42:50,800
They tried to kill him multiple times, but they couldn't until it was time.

1338
01:42:50,800 --> 01:43:01,800
And then ultimately he was crucified on the cross, whipped within an inch of his life, his bare, bloody muscles on his back stripped every time he pushed himself up so he could exhale to take another breath.

1339
01:43:01,800 --> 01:43:03,800
A crown of thorns embedded in his brow.

1340
01:43:03,800 --> 01:43:07,800
And you can't be troubled to work seven days a week for Jesus?

1341
01:43:07,800 --> 01:43:15,800
If that's true, then you better ask yourself, Jesus died for you, but have you let it stand?

1342
01:43:15,800 --> 01:43:25,800
Have you died to self in our not? He died for all so that all died and that all may now live for him.

1343
01:43:25,800 --> 01:43:26,800
In 2 Corinthians 5.

1344
01:43:26,800 --> 01:43:32,800
We now live for Jesus, not for your family, not for your hobbies, not for anything that's in your life.

1345
01:43:32,800 --> 01:43:34,800
You don't live for any of that.

1346
01:43:34,800 --> 01:43:37,800
The best food you ever had, I can't wait to have that again.

1347
01:43:37,800 --> 01:43:38,800
No, you don't live for that.

1348
01:43:38,800 --> 01:43:41,800
You live for Jesus if you live at all.

1349
01:43:41,800 --> 01:43:46,800
Some people are all talk.

1350
01:43:46,800 --> 01:43:49,800
And then there's people who are work.

1351
01:43:49,800 --> 01:43:50,800
I mean, they work.

1352
01:43:50,800 --> 01:43:52,800
They're working like nobody else is working.

1353
01:43:52,800 --> 01:43:54,800
But their work is not for the Lord.

1354
01:43:54,800 --> 01:43:59,800
They're working a ton of hours at their job, making a ton of money or whatever.

1355
01:43:59,800 --> 01:44:01,800
But they don't tell anybody about Jesus.

1356
01:44:01,800 --> 01:44:02,800
They don't serve.

1357
01:44:02,800 --> 01:44:03,800
They don't give.

1358
01:44:03,800 --> 01:44:04,800
They don't surrender.

1359
01:44:04,800 --> 01:44:05,800
They're not in the word.

1360
01:44:05,800 --> 01:44:06,800
They're not praying.

1361
01:44:06,800 --> 01:44:07,800
They're not worshiping God except on Sunday mornings.

1362
01:44:07,800 --> 01:44:10,800
And they don't even sing when we sing or in some other church.

1363
01:44:10,800 --> 01:44:11,800
It's true across the world.

1364
01:44:11,800 --> 01:44:13,800
There's a ton of people working their butts off.

1365
01:44:13,800 --> 01:44:15,800
Habitat for humanity.

1366
01:44:15,800 --> 01:44:20,800
Boy Scouts, right?

1367
01:44:20,800 --> 01:44:21,800
YMCA.

1368
01:44:21,800 --> 01:44:22,800
They're all working their butts off.

1369
01:44:22,800 --> 01:44:27,800
Billions of dollars spent every year to provide a home for people who don't have a home.

1370
01:44:27,800 --> 01:44:31,800
To provide food, to provide a place they can come and swim and shower and clean up and learn about Jesus.

1371
01:44:31,800 --> 01:44:34,800
Except there's no learning about Jesus in it because there's no Jesus in it.

1372
01:44:34,800 --> 01:44:38,800
Because even though they've spent hundreds of millions of dollars recently, they released this topic and said,

1373
01:44:38,800 --> 01:44:43,800
this statement and said, well, we've been trying to put the C back in YMCA.

1374
01:44:43,800 --> 01:44:47,800
But we're not making much progress.

1375
01:44:47,800 --> 01:44:54,800
Because if you leave Jesus out, the only person that can put Jesus in is Jesus.

1376
01:44:54,800 --> 01:44:57,800
You can't make a plan to do it.

1377
01:44:57,800 --> 01:45:01,800
You can't spend money to do it.

1378
01:45:01,800 --> 01:45:03,800
Remember this was a topic of uncleanness, right?

1379
01:45:03,800 --> 01:45:07,800
If you go back in Leviticus, you'll read, now this is my final illustration.

1380
01:45:07,800 --> 01:45:12,800
I think a topic of uncleanness.

1381
01:45:12,800 --> 01:45:17,800
If a woman was on her period, she was considered to be unclean.

1382
01:45:17,800 --> 01:45:20,800
She could not go to temple and worship God.

1383
01:45:20,800 --> 01:45:25,800
Before you think that was such a terrible thing, you know, for them it was a lot about health and stuff.

1384
01:45:25,800 --> 01:45:28,800
They didn't have a lot of ways to deal with it.

1385
01:45:28,800 --> 01:45:30,800
And that was what God had said.

1386
01:45:30,800 --> 01:45:33,800
But most women didn't have their period most of the time because they were pregnant most of the time.

1387
01:45:33,800 --> 01:45:35,800
Because there was no such thing as birth control.

1388
01:45:35,800 --> 01:45:37,800
You're married, you have sex, you're pregnant.

1389
01:45:37,800 --> 01:45:40,800
So you're pregnant most of the year around, right?

1390
01:45:40,800 --> 01:45:44,800
That's how it works. So you don't have a period while you're pregnant.

1391
01:45:44,800 --> 01:45:50,800
A woman is bleeding, she's unclean, based on Leviticus.

1392
01:45:50,800 --> 01:45:55,800
Do you remember a story where Jesus is walking amongst a crowd and he's going to heal a little girl?

1393
01:45:55,800 --> 01:46:00,800
And a woman who's had an issue of blood, she's bleeding, she's been bleeding for 15 years.

1394
01:46:00,800 --> 01:46:02,800
If anybody's unclean from bleeding, it's her.

1395
01:46:02,800 --> 01:46:04,800
She tried everything to stop it, she can't.

1396
01:46:04,800 --> 01:46:08,800
She sneaks up behind Jesus and she touches his robe.

1397
01:46:08,800 --> 01:46:15,800
Because she says in her heart, if I could just touch his robe, I believe I'd be healed.

1398
01:46:15,800 --> 01:46:17,800
And what happened?

1399
01:46:17,800 --> 01:46:19,800
She was healed.

1400
01:46:19,800 --> 01:46:21,800
And Jesus turned around and said, hey, somebody touched me.

1401
01:46:21,800 --> 01:46:23,800
The disciples are like, what the heck, everybody's touching us.

1402
01:46:23,800 --> 01:46:25,800
We're in this huge crowd of people, there's no room to move.

1403
01:46:25,800 --> 01:46:27,800
No social distancing here.

1404
01:46:27,800 --> 01:46:31,800
And she says, no, somebody touched me.

1405
01:46:31,800 --> 01:46:33,800
And she fell down on her knees in front of Jesus.

1406
01:46:33,800 --> 01:46:35,800
She says, I'm sorry, my lord.

1407
01:46:35,800 --> 01:46:39,800
I thought to myself, if I could just touch the hem of his garment, I could be healed.

1408
01:46:39,800 --> 01:46:41,800
And she was healed.

1409
01:46:41,800 --> 01:46:44,800
And he said, your faith has healed you.

1410
01:46:44,800 --> 01:46:47,800
She was unclean.

1411
01:46:47,800 --> 01:46:49,800
How do you get unclean?

1412
01:46:49,800 --> 01:46:52,800
Just touch Jesus.

1413
01:46:52,800 --> 01:46:55,800
Just go to Jesus.

1414
01:46:55,800 --> 01:46:58,800
Just let Jesus be the one.

1415
01:46:58,800 --> 01:47:00,800
Let him be in charge.

1416
01:47:00,800 --> 01:47:02,800
So you said something you shouldn't have said, it came out of an evil thought,

1417
01:47:02,800 --> 01:47:04,800
it came out of your head, it came out of a wicked spot in your heart.

1418
01:47:04,800 --> 01:47:07,800
Repent, turn to Jesus.

1419
01:47:07,800 --> 01:47:09,800
You don't need anybody, just you and Jesus.

1420
01:47:09,800 --> 01:47:12,800
Just go, Jesus, I screwed up.

1421
01:47:12,800 --> 01:47:15,800
Spare me.

1422
01:47:15,800 --> 01:47:17,800
Forgive me.

1423
01:47:17,800 --> 01:47:19,800
Heal me.

1424
01:47:19,800 --> 01:47:21,800
Translate me.

1425
01:47:21,800 --> 01:47:25,800
Transform me into my future me.

1426
01:47:25,800 --> 01:47:28,800
Jesus.

1427
01:47:28,800 --> 01:47:31,800
By the way, in that story,

1428
01:47:31,800 --> 01:47:34,800
you've got to already be guessing what's missing.

1429
01:47:34,800 --> 01:47:39,800
She's at an issue of blood, and she confessed she had an issue of blood for 15 years.

1430
01:47:39,800 --> 01:47:41,800
And she touched Jesus.

1431
01:47:41,800 --> 01:47:43,800
Where's the uncleanness?

1432
01:47:43,800 --> 01:47:47,800
Because what it actually says about a woman who has an issue of blood is that anybody touches her

1433
01:47:47,800 --> 01:47:51,800
while she has an issue of blood, they also become unclean.

1434
01:47:51,800 --> 01:47:52,800
Right?

1435
01:47:52,800 --> 01:47:53,800
Infected.

1436
01:47:53,800 --> 01:47:57,800
Because wickedness infects, uncleanness infects.

1437
01:47:57,800 --> 01:47:59,800
As an example, she touched Jesus.

1438
01:47:59,800 --> 01:48:04,800
Shouldn't he have become unclean?

1439
01:48:04,800 --> 01:48:06,800
But he didn't.

1440
01:48:06,800 --> 01:48:07,800
And this is what he said.

1441
01:48:07,800 --> 01:48:12,800
He said, I felt the power flow out of me.

1442
01:48:12,800 --> 01:48:15,800
You have a backflow preventer.

1443
01:48:15,800 --> 01:48:17,800
You have the armor of God.

1444
01:48:17,800 --> 01:48:21,800
You have your spiritual disciplines and your time spent with the Lord to protect you.

1445
01:48:21,800 --> 01:48:26,800
And you just might get to the place where something will try to touch you.

1446
01:48:26,800 --> 01:48:31,800
And instead of it affecting you, you affect it.

1447
01:48:31,800 --> 01:48:34,800
That's what Jesus wants from us.

1448
01:48:34,800 --> 01:48:40,800
The ins and outs of uncleanness is there's uncleanness everywhere.

1449
01:48:40,800 --> 01:48:45,800
And our job is to clean it up.

1450
01:48:45,800 --> 01:48:50,800
Let Jesus make your heart new.

1451
01:48:50,800 --> 01:48:54,800
Let your thoughts, if when they are evil or wicked, let them die.

1452
01:48:54,800 --> 01:48:59,800
But when they are godly, act on them and do what it is that you know he wants you to do.

1453
01:48:59,800 --> 01:49:07,800
And if you say, I don't know what he wants me to do, then spend time with Jesus until you do.

1454
01:49:07,800 --> 01:49:15,800
Because he is expecting you to no longer be an asunetos, but rather to be a disciple of the Lord.

1455
01:49:15,800 --> 01:49:18,800
Now we preach a sermon and we learn.

1456
01:49:18,800 --> 01:49:21,800
And you can go out from here and you can be affected by this scripture or not.

1457
01:49:21,800 --> 01:49:22,800
Your choice.

1458
01:49:22,800 --> 01:49:30,800
But I suggest that you think about what it means and apply it to your life.

1459
01:49:30,800 --> 01:49:34,800
And don't look back.

1460
01:49:34,800 --> 01:49:37,800
At this time I'm going to ask the praise team to come forward.

1461
01:49:37,800 --> 01:49:39,800
And we're going to sing a little song.

1462
01:49:39,800 --> 01:49:49,800
Our praise team is extremely light right now.

1463
01:49:49,800 --> 01:49:53,800
But we're ready.

1464
01:49:53,800 --> 01:49:56,800
So we're going to sing together and close out our service today.

1465
01:49:56,800 --> 01:50:01,800
But I'm asking you, I'm asking you for a commitment to follow Jesus, number one.

1466
01:50:01,800 --> 01:50:07,800
And in following Jesus to realize that Jesus expects you to learn and grow and apply his teachings.

1467
01:50:07,800 --> 01:50:08,800
Number two.

1468
01:50:08,800 --> 01:50:15,800
To realize that you may be affected by things in the world, but you cannot allow yourself to be internally affected.

1469
01:50:15,800 --> 01:50:20,800
To make that happen, you need to exercise spiritual disciplines to put on your armor, to be ready.

1470
01:50:20,800 --> 01:50:24,800
So when it tries to affect you, you will not let it.

1471
01:50:24,800 --> 01:50:26,800
And rather you will affect it.

1472
01:50:26,800 --> 01:50:27,800
That's why I'm asking you.

1473
01:50:27,800 --> 01:50:30,800
And if you make any one of those commitments, maybe you would say, you need this to be my home church.

1474
01:50:30,800 --> 01:50:34,800
If you don't already have a home church, you'd say, I need to follow the Lord in the way that I'm supposed to.

1475
01:50:34,800 --> 01:50:38,800
Or you'd say, I need to be baptized, whatever it might be.

1476
01:50:38,800 --> 01:50:41,800
You're making a decision for Christ, then you come.

1477
01:50:41,800 --> 01:50:43,800
As we sing.

1478
01:50:43,800 --> 01:50:45,800
Are we ready?

1479
01:50:45,800 --> 01:50:47,800
I have decided.

1480
01:50:53,800 --> 01:50:54,800
Okay.

1481
01:50:54,800 --> 01:50:57,800
So if you're able to do so, would you stand?

1482
01:50:57,800 --> 01:51:00,800
Beck will totally understand if you don't stand.

1483
01:51:00,800 --> 01:51:02,800
But you need me to come back there.

1484
01:51:02,800 --> 01:51:04,800
If you just let me know, I'll come back there.

1485
01:51:04,800 --> 01:51:06,800
But the rest of us, let's sing this song.

1486
01:51:06,800 --> 01:51:12,800
But if you respond, let the Lord know that you hear him and you're ready to do what he asks you.

1487
01:51:12,800 --> 01:51:18,800
I have decided to follow Jesus.

1488
01:51:18,800 --> 01:51:24,800
I have decided to follow Jesus.

1489
01:51:24,800 --> 01:51:31,800
I have decided to follow Jesus.

1490
01:51:31,800 --> 01:51:34,800
No turning back.

1491
01:51:34,800 --> 01:51:38,800
No turning back.

1492
01:51:38,800 --> 01:51:55,800
No none go with me, I still will follow.

1493
01:51:55,800 --> 01:52:01,800
No turning back.

1494
01:52:01,800 --> 01:52:07,800
No turning back.

1495
01:52:07,800 --> 01:52:13,800
My cross thou carry, till I see Jesus.

1496
01:52:13,800 --> 01:52:15,800
My cross thou carry.

1497
01:52:15,800 --> 01:52:19,800
If you're here, you know you've not given your heart to the Lord.

1498
01:52:19,800 --> 01:52:21,800
You've not turned your life over.

1499
01:52:21,800 --> 01:52:23,800
God called on the sand and said, this be God.

1500
01:52:23,800 --> 01:52:26,800
Make me born again, change me, make me new.

1501
01:52:26,800 --> 01:52:28,800
I'll live and rest my life.

1502
01:52:28,800 --> 01:52:32,800
If you've not done that, then you do that right now in a second.

1503
01:52:32,800 --> 01:52:35,800
If you have done that, but you know you've not been

1504
01:52:35,800 --> 01:52:38,800
learning the meaning of and applying His Word,

1505
01:52:38,800 --> 01:52:41,800
not been following the teachings of Jesus,

1506
01:52:41,800 --> 01:52:43,800
then you repent and turn to Him.

1507
01:52:43,800 --> 01:52:47,800
You say, okay, Jesus is the most important thing to me.

1508
01:52:47,800 --> 01:52:50,800
I'm not going to follow when He tells me to do so.

1509
01:52:50,800 --> 01:52:52,800
You make that decision publicly.

1510
01:52:52,800 --> 01:52:56,800
Maybe you're here today saying, I need to be baptized as He commanded.

1511
01:52:56,800 --> 01:52:58,800
I need to join the church.

1512
01:52:58,800 --> 01:53:01,800
Or I need help doing this thing that I know God called me to do.

1513
01:53:01,800 --> 01:53:05,800
Whatever it might be, you respond on this next verse.

1514
01:53:05,800 --> 01:53:13,800
I have decided to follow Jesus.

1515
01:53:13,800 --> 01:53:19,800
I have decided to follow Jesus.

1516
01:53:19,800 --> 01:53:25,800
I have decided to follow Jesus.

1517
01:53:25,800 --> 01:53:32,800
No turning back.

1518
01:53:32,800 --> 01:53:34,800
We're going to sing one more.

1519
01:53:34,800 --> 01:53:36,800
Make this your prayer to God today.

1520
01:53:36,800 --> 01:53:39,800
This verse, your prayer, my prayer, if you can't sing it, say it.

1521
01:53:39,800 --> 01:53:44,800
Though none go with me, I still will follow.

1522
01:53:44,800 --> 01:53:50,800
Though none go with me, I still will follow.

1523
01:53:50,800 --> 01:53:56,800
Though none go with me, I still will follow.

1524
01:53:56,800 --> 01:54:03,800
No turning back.

1525
01:54:03,800 --> 01:54:07,800
Dear those of us in this house, I would encourage you to take very seriously

1526
01:54:07,800 --> 01:54:13,800
the call of Jesus for us to learn His teachings

1527
01:54:13,800 --> 01:54:16,800
and to apply them in our lives.

1528
01:54:16,800 --> 01:54:22,800
He is not asking you to go to me or to somebody else.

1529
01:54:22,800 --> 01:54:24,800
He's asking you to go to Him.

1530
01:54:24,800 --> 01:54:27,800
That means you need to read, you need to study, you need to listen,

1531
01:54:27,800 --> 01:54:31,800
you need to do whatever you need to do to get the teachings of Jesus,

1532
01:54:31,800 --> 01:54:34,800
understand them, and stand under them.

1533
01:54:34,800 --> 01:54:36,800
That's what we're called on.

1534
01:54:36,800 --> 01:54:40,800
And then realize that as we live on this life, we will experience wickedness.

1535
01:54:40,800 --> 01:54:43,800
It is our goal not to generate any.

1536
01:54:43,800 --> 01:54:45,800
And you will be made unclean if you do.

1537
01:54:45,800 --> 01:54:48,800
So when you realize that, we're still going through this phase with Arianna

1538
01:54:48,800 --> 01:54:52,800
where she'll go, oh, there was this time about two months ago

1539
01:54:52,800 --> 01:54:55,800
where I did this, and she'll tell us one of the things that she did

1540
01:54:55,800 --> 01:54:56,800
that she shouldn't have done.

1541
01:54:56,800 --> 01:54:58,800
And she'll say, I feel bad about that.

1542
01:54:58,800 --> 01:55:02,800
And then we talk about she's given it over to Jesus, and she's moving on,

1543
01:55:02,800 --> 01:55:05,800
and she's not going to do it again, and occasionally she's had to make it right.

1544
01:55:05,800 --> 01:55:07,800
So God may do that with you.

1545
01:55:07,800 --> 01:55:10,800
He may show you something that you have done that was wrong

1546
01:55:10,800 --> 01:55:12,800
or failed to do that you should have done.

1547
01:55:12,800 --> 01:55:15,800
And then you repent of that, turn back to the Lord,

1548
01:55:15,800 --> 01:55:19,800
let him cleanse you of all unrighteousness like he is just and faithful to do.

1549
01:55:19,800 --> 01:55:24,800
And then if there is something on earth that you need to make it right,

1550
01:55:24,800 --> 01:55:26,800
then you make it right.

1551
01:55:26,800 --> 01:55:28,800
You fix it, right?

1552
01:55:28,800 --> 01:55:29,800
If you stole something, you give it back.

1553
01:55:29,800 --> 01:55:31,800
If you hurt somebody with your words, you go and apologize

1554
01:55:31,800 --> 01:55:32,800
and ask them for their forgiveness.

1555
01:55:32,800 --> 01:55:35,800
Whether they give it or not, it's the right thing to do.

1556
01:55:35,800 --> 01:55:37,800
If there's somebody who hurt you and you've not forgiven them

1557
01:55:37,800 --> 01:55:40,800
and you realize that you forgive them, it's the right thing to do.

1558
01:55:40,800 --> 01:55:42,800
It's what God would have us to do.

1559
01:55:42,800 --> 01:55:44,800
What Jesus has commanded us to do.

1560
01:55:44,800 --> 01:55:46,800
In fact, Jesus said, you cannot forgive, you cannot be forgiven.

1561
01:55:46,800 --> 01:55:50,800
So you need to do that lest you are in danger of hell fire.

1562
01:55:50,800 --> 01:55:53,800
It's very realistic, right?

1563
01:55:53,800 --> 01:55:56,800
So I encourage you to go and live the commands of Jesus.

1564
01:55:56,800 --> 01:55:58,800
That's what it means to be the church.

1565
01:55:58,800 --> 01:56:02,800
And what it means to reach new heights in Jesus is to know a little more

1566
01:56:02,800 --> 01:56:04,800
and apply a little more consistently.

1567
01:56:04,800 --> 01:56:07,800
I would say every day, and I don't know that even I hit that goal,

1568
01:56:07,800 --> 01:56:10,800
I think we need to try every day and know a little more

1569
01:56:10,800 --> 01:56:13,800
and apply a little more and grow.

1570
01:56:13,800 --> 01:56:16,800
And the reality is, if you don't do that,

1571
01:56:16,800 --> 01:56:20,800
you will still find things to fill your life.

1572
01:56:20,800 --> 01:56:23,800
And some of them will probably be wickedness.

1573
01:56:23,800 --> 01:56:24,800
They will probably be wrong.

1574
01:56:24,800 --> 01:56:26,800
If you don't fill your life with Jesus,

1575
01:56:26,800 --> 01:56:28,800
if you don't pursue the Lord in all things,

1576
01:56:28,800 --> 01:56:31,800
then you will still find plenty of things to fill your life.

1577
01:56:31,800 --> 01:56:33,800
And they will tire you out.

1578
01:56:33,800 --> 01:56:36,800
And eventually, to some extent, you will choose them over Christ.

1579
01:56:36,800 --> 01:56:38,800
That's just the reality of it.

1580
01:56:38,800 --> 01:56:40,800
Because you added them to your life, and you love them,

1581
01:56:40,800 --> 01:56:43,800
and you care about them, and you thought it was the right thing to do,

1582
01:56:43,800 --> 01:56:45,800
and you thought God wanted you to do, and whatever.

1583
01:56:45,800 --> 01:56:48,800
And if you eventually do that, that's when it truly becomes a wickedness,

1584
01:56:48,800 --> 01:56:50,800
when you choose them over God.

1585
01:56:50,800 --> 01:56:54,800
And then you have to turn back to the Lord and put it away.

1586
01:56:54,800 --> 01:56:56,800
And it doesn't mean you can't be there,

1587
01:56:56,800 --> 01:57:01,800
but nothing can be there that's going to allow wickedness into your heart.

1588
01:57:01,800 --> 01:57:03,800
So we're going to pray in closing at this time.

1589
01:57:03,800 --> 01:57:05,800
I do want to remind you of the Grand Prix,

1590
01:57:05,800 --> 01:57:07,800
those prayer requests that were listed earlier.

1591
01:57:07,800 --> 01:57:10,800
I remind you of the Christmas offerings going on.

1592
01:57:10,800 --> 01:57:13,800
I remind you next Sunday, I'm asking you,

1593
01:57:13,800 --> 01:57:15,800
if you're going to be on the Brother Tony Institute,

1594
01:57:15,800 --> 01:57:17,800
or not going to be here, if you're going to be here,

1595
01:57:17,800 --> 01:57:22,800
to bring something to contribute to the service in the way of thankfulness.

1596
01:57:22,800 --> 01:57:24,800
If you can't think of anything else,

1597
01:57:24,800 --> 01:57:28,800
bring a thankful heart and participate in all that we do.

1598
01:57:28,800 --> 01:57:31,800
But if you can make something, write something,

1599
01:57:31,800 --> 01:57:33,800
if you're not going to be here, if you're online,

1600
01:57:33,800 --> 01:57:35,800
Chris is online, a couple others, you're not going to be here,

1601
01:57:35,800 --> 01:57:38,800
send it, send it with somebody, send it online,

1602
01:57:38,800 --> 01:57:40,800
post it on the Facebook page, whatever.

1603
01:57:40,800 --> 01:57:43,800
We want to show our thankfulness that it is a thankfulness service,

1604
01:57:43,800 --> 01:57:44,800
that's what it's all about.

1605
01:57:44,800 --> 01:57:47,800
Remember to participate throughout the week in that.

1606
01:57:47,800 --> 01:57:50,800
Old school hand turkeys.

1607
01:57:50,800 --> 01:57:51,800
Old school hand turkeys.

1608
01:57:51,800 --> 01:57:53,800
You can always tell you the old school hand turkeys.

1609
01:57:53,800 --> 01:57:56,800
And write on each finger something you're thankful for,

1610
01:57:56,800 --> 01:57:58,800
or each hand, or both,

1611
01:57:58,800 --> 01:58:00,800
it depends on how many turkeys you want to make.

1612
01:58:00,800 --> 01:58:03,800
Alright, so we're going to pray in closing.

1613
01:58:03,800 --> 01:58:06,800
I'm going to ask Brother Josh Mitchell to pray in just a second.

1614
01:58:06,800 --> 01:58:08,800
Does anybody have a specific request or concerns on this

1615
01:58:08,800 --> 01:58:10,800
in your heart that you need to say before we pray?

1616
01:58:10,800 --> 01:58:11,800
Last chance.

1617
01:58:11,800 --> 01:58:12,800
Dad.

1618
01:58:12,800 --> 01:58:13,800
Yes.

1619
01:58:13,800 --> 01:58:17,800
Just pray for RJ's mom, she started a new treatment yesterday for her RA.

1620
01:58:17,800 --> 01:58:19,800
Hopefully it works, because it's getting worse, not better.

1621
01:58:19,800 --> 01:58:21,800
Yes, okay.

1622
01:58:21,800 --> 01:58:24,800
Actually, we're going to tell you this, not know if Rod knows this,

1623
01:58:24,800 --> 01:58:27,800
but my Aunt Sue, at the hospital recently, she had a heart attack.

1624
01:58:27,800 --> 01:58:30,800
She had a stent put in, and my Uncle Roger had a 95% blockage,

1625
01:58:30,800 --> 01:58:32,800
and he had that stent put in.

1626
01:58:32,800 --> 01:58:35,800
Wow, so Sue and Roger both, they're not too far apart in age,

1627
01:58:35,800 --> 01:58:37,800
or she's a baby, isn't she?

1628
01:58:37,800 --> 01:58:41,800
No, David was the baby, Sue's the oldest, and then Roger.

1629
01:58:41,800 --> 01:58:45,800
Okay, so both had heart issues, and both got stents put in, wow.

1630
01:58:45,800 --> 01:58:47,800
That's crazy.

1631
01:58:47,800 --> 01:58:49,800
We'll be praying for that.

1632
01:58:49,800 --> 01:58:50,800
Any others?

1633
01:58:50,800 --> 01:58:53,800
Just remember Becky's family,

1634
01:58:53,800 --> 01:58:56,800
her grandmother's taking this especially hard.

1635
01:58:56,800 --> 01:59:00,800
They were together for 60 plus years or something like that.

1636
01:59:00,800 --> 01:59:02,800
Wow.

1637
01:59:02,800 --> 01:59:06,800
I can't remember her grandmother's name, we just always call her Grandma.

1638
01:59:06,800 --> 01:59:08,800
That's okay. Becky's Grandma, we got it.

1639
01:59:08,800 --> 01:59:13,800
But she's taking this especially hard, because the family is fighting.

1640
01:59:13,800 --> 01:59:14,800
Oh, jeez.

1641
01:59:14,800 --> 01:59:19,800
It is a terrible situation right now with the family, fighting over money and stuff.

1642
01:59:19,800 --> 01:59:22,800
Yep, and see how the wickedness just gets right in there, that's crazy.

1643
01:59:22,800 --> 01:59:25,800
Yep, yep, yep, and that's bad.

1644
01:59:25,800 --> 01:59:29,800
I had an aunt and an uncle who were married for over 60 years,

1645
01:59:29,800 --> 01:59:33,800
and they really did knock that off, because she needs to be comforted a little bit in this time.

1646
01:59:33,800 --> 01:59:38,800
My uncle passed away, and my aunt died, and on her death certificate,

1647
01:59:38,800 --> 01:59:42,800
the official reason for death was broken heart.

1648
01:59:42,800 --> 01:59:45,800
She died of a broken heart about eight months after.

1649
01:59:45,800 --> 01:59:50,800
So they really knocked that off, and we pray that God gets there, cuts out the strike,

1650
01:59:50,800 --> 01:59:52,800
and that they can pull together as a family tomorrow.

1651
01:59:52,800 --> 01:59:55,800
Becky's been doing that, she's been trying to help in that regard,

1652
01:59:55,800 --> 02:00:00,800
because she's been over there every day, cleaning the house, taking care of her grandma and stuff.

1653
02:00:00,800 --> 02:00:05,800
But it's hard on her too.

1654
02:00:05,800 --> 02:00:08,800
Sure, absolutely. So pray for Becky as she ministers to them.

1655
02:00:08,800 --> 02:00:10,800
And Lynn, did you have something?

1656
02:00:10,800 --> 02:00:15,800
My mom is not doing well, she needs to go to the hospital, she's having joint problems.

1657
02:00:15,800 --> 02:00:18,800
Okay, absolutely.

1658
02:00:18,800 --> 02:00:19,800
What's your mom's first name?

1659
02:00:19,800 --> 02:00:20,800
Teresa.

1660
02:00:20,800 --> 02:00:22,800
Teresa. Mom's first name is Teresa.

1661
02:00:22,800 --> 02:00:26,800
Okay, all right, Josh, would you pray for us then as we close?

1662
02:00:26,800 --> 02:00:28,800
Dear Father, thank you for bringing us all here today.

1663
02:00:28,800 --> 02:00:33,800
We came here to worship you, the Creator, God of the universe.

1664
02:00:33,800 --> 02:00:43,800
And we confess that we don't always come up to where you want us to be.

1665
02:00:43,800 --> 02:00:51,800
Every one of us in here can think of something that we lack in, that we need to build up to you.

1666
02:00:51,800 --> 02:00:56,800
We thank you for being the Creator God and being in our lives.

1667
02:00:56,800 --> 02:01:00,800
We just ask, especially since I've already forgotten all the prayer requests,

1668
02:01:00,800 --> 02:01:04,800
but you know what they are, and you will hand them in your way.

1669
02:01:04,800 --> 02:01:07,800
I thank you, Lord, I pray in the spirit of Jesus' name, Amen.

1670
02:01:07,800 --> 02:01:17,800
Amen. Thank you very much, go you there for, and be the church.