WEBVTT 00:00:07.690 --> 00:00:10.169 Thank you for listening to this message from 00:00:10.169 --> 00:00:38.789 Lifehouse Church. up front. It's just incredible 00:00:38.789 --> 00:00:41.270 hearing the voices come up, and it's amazing. 00:00:41.710 --> 00:00:45.250 And it's awesome to be in this new space. But 00:00:45.250 --> 00:00:47.869 listen, we're here to meet the Lord, right? As 00:00:47.869 --> 00:00:49.369 much as we love the building, some of you are 00:00:49.369 --> 00:00:51.409 getting used to it already. Some of you got your 00:00:51.409 --> 00:00:53.310 pew. Just raise your hand if you got your pew 00:00:53.310 --> 00:00:56.509 now. You got it all figured out, and we've got 00:00:56.509 --> 00:01:00.979 that all situated. We're here to come and meet 00:01:00.979 --> 00:01:03.420 Jesus. And I hope you're doing that every time 00:01:03.420 --> 00:01:05.239 you walk in the doors, every time you come into 00:01:05.239 --> 00:01:07.379 the house of the Lord. You're just feeling God's 00:01:07.379 --> 00:01:09.140 presence. You're connecting with him because 00:01:09.140 --> 00:01:11.780 that's what you're here for. Amen? Amen. It's 00:01:11.780 --> 00:01:15.640 true. Well, listen, for about a month now, other 00:01:15.640 --> 00:01:18.200 than one gathering, for about a month, I've been 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:21.079 preaching about change. And we've been really 00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:23.879 digging into God's word and taking a look at 00:01:23.879 --> 00:01:27.280 some of the coping mechanisms that God gives 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:30.560 us for change. And hopefully I've been answering 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:32.579 some questions. This is going to be the last 00:01:32.579 --> 00:01:36.040 message in this series. You know, how do we biblically 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:38.900 navigate change? Because I'm going to know you 00:01:38.900 --> 00:01:41.700 cannot do it biblically, right? You can do it 00:01:41.700 --> 00:01:45.319 in our own flesh, in our own way. And, you know, 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:47.340 we've tried to answer some questions. And really, 00:01:47.420 --> 00:01:49.060 hopefully, we've given you some tools along the 00:01:49.060 --> 00:01:51.000 way if you've been in some of these messages. 00:01:51.219 --> 00:01:52.859 You know, one of the things that we learned is 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:56.019 that we lament the loss, but we look to Jesus 00:01:56.019 --> 00:01:58.920 in the change. You can't deny that there's loss 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:01.340 and change. Anytime you change something, you're 00:02:01.340 --> 00:02:03.439 going to lose something. It's just a fact of 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:07.000 life. It's a fact of change. But the key is to 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:08.759 keep your eyes on Jesus. That's what we learned 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:11.539 in the first week. Secondly, we want to make 00:02:11.539 --> 00:02:13.520 sure that our minds are on the right thing during 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:16.199 the change. Because what your mind is thinking 00:02:16.199 --> 00:02:19.400 on is what you'll become on the other side of 00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:22.400 the change. And last week we learned that it's 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:25.300 very important for you to Sabbath with Jesus. 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:28.340 Say Sabbath. You need to Sabbath with Jesus. 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:30.960 It's a must in the middle of the change. It's 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:33.620 why God commanded us to do it. Because it's God 00:02:33.620 --> 00:02:36.560 who provides us, when we Sabbath with him, the 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:38.979 joy, right, and our strength. That's what the 00:02:38.979 --> 00:02:41.240 scriptures tell us. So today I want to give you 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:44.659 the last one in change in this series. Now listen, 00:02:44.699 --> 00:02:46.840 we could go a lot longer. We could spend probably 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:49.599 a couple months, really, at least talking about 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:51.819 change. But I want to give you the last one that 00:02:51.819 --> 00:02:54.060 I'm going to give you today. And it's this. It's 00:02:54.060 --> 00:02:58.580 prepare for temptation. into change. Prepare 00:02:58.580 --> 00:03:00.659 for temptation. Turn to somebody right now and 00:03:00.659 --> 00:03:02.500 tell them you're going to be tempted. Just go 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:03.979 ahead. Tell them you're going to be tempted. 00:03:04.180 --> 00:03:06.479 You're going to be tempted, all right? You're 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:08.800 going to be tempted. There's something about 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:11.419 being in the shift. There's something about getting 00:03:11.419 --> 00:03:13.780 into change. There's something about things that 00:03:13.780 --> 00:03:16.740 are unsettling underneath of us that leads us 00:03:16.740 --> 00:03:20.939 to be tempted more and to give us the higher 00:03:20.939 --> 00:03:25.599 possibility of stepping into sin. It's that unsettling, 00:03:25.620 --> 00:03:28.979 it's that movement, right? It's that unfamiliarity 00:03:28.979 --> 00:03:33.620 that seems to move us towards. And Satan knows 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:37.080 this. He comes in and attacks with schemes and 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:39.939 plans when you're in the middle of change because 00:03:39.939 --> 00:03:43.360 he knows it's the unfamiliarity, right? It's 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:46.479 the time that we're unsettled that we can move 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:49.919 towards or slide towards or get tempted to sin. 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:52.960 How many of you ever had a change take place 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:56.489 in your life and you got angry about it? How 00:03:56.489 --> 00:03:58.750 many happened that today on the way to church, 00:03:58.870 --> 00:04:01.129 right? You got angry. How many of you can have 00:04:01.129 --> 00:04:02.889 righteous anger and you can have unrighteous 00:04:02.889 --> 00:04:05.550 anger, right? You can have a righteous anger 00:04:05.550 --> 00:04:07.710 where you don't sin, and then I've heard people 00:04:07.710 --> 00:04:10.169 who have unrighteous anger, right? Sounds completely 00:04:10.169 --> 00:04:13.050 different. You can have it. There's this temptation 00:04:13.050 --> 00:04:15.569 when change takes place. Sometimes people get 00:04:15.569 --> 00:04:17.889 depressed in the middle of change, and they start 00:04:17.889 --> 00:04:20.430 coping in all kind of unhealthy manners, right? 00:04:20.550 --> 00:04:24.009 We can engage in this desperate activity in the 00:04:24.009 --> 00:04:26.490 change because we don't don't want to change. 00:04:26.750 --> 00:04:29.329 We want everything to stay the same. So we'll 00:04:29.329 --> 00:04:31.529 engage in things that we would never engage before. 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:35.360 And Satan will turn up the heat. He'll raise 00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:38.839 the temperature. And he'll do this right in front 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:41.439 of you while you're in the middle of change. 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:44.100 Because he knows this. It's in the middle of 00:04:44.100 --> 00:04:47.120 the change that we're emotionally a little weaker. 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:49.060 We might be mentally a little weaker because 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:51.500 of all the change. We might even be physically 00:04:51.500 --> 00:04:55.060 weaker in the change. And this is when he comes 00:04:55.060 --> 00:04:59.360 at us to tempt us to sin. It's the unfamiliar 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:02.879 environment that can get us. off of our game 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:05.259 that can move us in a different place. It's where 00:05:05.259 --> 00:05:08.259 our heads and our hearts and actions can begin 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:11.240 to drift. I want you to think about it this way. 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:14.040 Think about it like this. Where are you more 00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:19.040 likely to get off track? On a familiar path that 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:22.819 you walk all the time or in an unfamiliar path, 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:26.430 right? If you're walking the same trail, you're 00:05:26.430 --> 00:05:28.550 out on the Appalachian Trail, you walk the same 00:05:28.550 --> 00:05:31.829 piece of Appalachian Trail every single day, 00:05:31.949 --> 00:05:34.470 you know all the turns, you know where you're 00:05:34.470 --> 00:05:36.089 going to trip, you know where you could twist 00:05:36.089 --> 00:05:38.449 your ankle, you know all those kind of things. 00:05:38.529 --> 00:05:41.629 But it's when you get in the unfamiliar is where 00:05:41.629 --> 00:05:44.410 you can start to get tripped up, right? It's 00:05:44.410 --> 00:05:48.740 where the path can get weird. Willie Robertson, 00:05:48.740 --> 00:05:50.680 how many know who Willie Robertson is? Come on, 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:52.720 if you're a Duck Dynasty fan, here we go. All 00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:56.079 right, in the TV series Duck Dynasty, Willie 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:58.759 Robertson, he wrote a book called Godspeller. 00:05:58.980 --> 00:06:02.420 In the book Godspeller, he tells this story about 00:06:02.420 --> 00:06:05.060 the river that's close to their home. And there's 00:06:05.060 --> 00:06:08.279 a bend in the river close to where he grew up. 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:10.899 And he said him and his brothers, they used to 00:06:10.899 --> 00:06:14.060 just sit and wait by that riverbank. for people 00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:16.399 who were new coming up to fish in that river. 00:06:16.519 --> 00:06:18.540 And the reason they would stay by that bend in 00:06:18.540 --> 00:06:20.639 the river is because most people who were fishing 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:23.220 came up through there in these deep bottom boats, 00:06:23.339 --> 00:06:25.540 and they didn't realize that there was all kind 00:06:25.540 --> 00:06:28.319 of snags, right? I mean, what a snag is. There's 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:31.800 wood and rocks, and it was all cluttered up right 00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:34.360 underneath the surface of the water around this 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:36.500 corner. So him and his brothers would wait, and 00:06:36.500 --> 00:06:39.060 he said, inevitably, these guys would come up 00:06:39.060 --> 00:06:41.079 in their new bass boats. They'd come around the 00:06:41.079 --> 00:06:44.360 bend, and they'd take that. corner and cut it 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:46.540 in close and they will get caught on the rocks 00:06:46.540 --> 00:06:48.839 and on the snags and they of course will come 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:51.040 by and say hey do you need some help for a small 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:54.160 fee we will pull you out come on that's brilliant 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:58.560 all right it's in the unfamiliar waters right 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.459 in the bends that we don't know about that we 00:07:01.459 --> 00:07:06.589 can get caught up We can snag. There's potholes. 00:07:06.790 --> 00:07:09.209 There's snags. There's pits that we can fall 00:07:09.209 --> 00:07:13.089 into. And Satan capitalizes on this in the middle 00:07:13.089 --> 00:07:16.370 of change. He loves to capitalize on it. And 00:07:16.370 --> 00:07:18.310 you've got to understand, he'll come after you 00:07:18.310 --> 00:07:21.490 to do this. As a matter of fact, know that he 00:07:21.490 --> 00:07:24.069 will because he was bold enough to do this with 00:07:24.069 --> 00:07:28.410 Jesus himself. God's son. When Jesus was just 00:07:28.410 --> 00:07:31.370 about to make a major change in his life at age 00:07:31.370 --> 00:07:35.810 30, slide into his public ministry, right? Satan 00:07:35.810 --> 00:07:38.910 came running with temptations and laid them right 00:07:38.910 --> 00:07:43.410 before Jesus. And if Satan is bold enough to 00:07:43.410 --> 00:07:47.170 bring temptation to Jesus, God's son, he'll do 00:07:47.170 --> 00:07:49.740 it to you. He'll do it to me. And listen, I'm 00:07:49.740 --> 00:07:51.860 not trying to get you shook up this morning, 00:07:51.939 --> 00:07:54.360 but I will tell you, I'm here to warn you that 00:07:54.360 --> 00:07:56.480 this is going to take place. This is one of Satan's 00:07:56.480 --> 00:07:58.379 tactics. So this morning, if you've got your 00:07:58.379 --> 00:08:00.000 Bibles, I want you to slide into the book of 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:02.000 Matthew. We're just going to start there. We're 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:03.600 going to jump around a little bit. You can go 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:06.319 to Matthew chapter 13. If you got your notebooks, 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:08.160 how many brought your notebooks? Raise your hand. 00:08:08.259 --> 00:08:10.819 Come on. I love it. All right. Bring your notebooks 00:08:10.819 --> 00:08:12.800 because, listen, your memory is not near as good 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:14.899 as you think it is. All right. God might speak 00:08:14.899 --> 00:08:17.800 to you. Turn your Bible to Matthew chapter 13. 00:08:18.100 --> 00:08:20.660 And things are about to change in Jesus' life. 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:22.839 As we're coming up to this portion of Scripture, 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:26.620 Jesus is on the cusp of launching his public 00:08:26.620 --> 00:08:29.759 ministry. And he'll go about teaching and preaching 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.620 publicly. He'll have disciples with him. He'll 00:08:32.620 --> 00:08:34.539 heal others. He'll start preaching about the 00:08:34.539 --> 00:08:37.440 kingdom. of God. But before he does this in his 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:39.980 public ministry, he does something interesting. 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:44.120 He doesn't just launch into ministry. He actually 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:47.279 goes to see somebody named John. It has to be 00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:50.700 John the Baptist, who is in the wilderness preaching 00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:53.759 and teaching the kingdom of God. And actually 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:55.700 he's teaching and preaching about a Messiah coming. 00:08:55.919 --> 00:08:59.649 And Jesus, who is the Messiah, goes out to see 00:08:59.649 --> 00:09:03.129 John, not just to hear his message, but to be 00:09:03.129 --> 00:09:07.590 baptized himself. Baptized by water, right? Now, 00:09:07.610 --> 00:09:11.649 how many of you know Jesus never calls us to 00:09:11.649 --> 00:09:15.210 do what he's not already done? Amen? Jesus goes 00:09:15.210 --> 00:09:17.590 and gets baptized in water. We're getting ready 00:09:17.590 --> 00:09:19.549 just by the way. In a few weeks, we're going 00:09:19.549 --> 00:09:22.769 to have baptism here at LifeHouse. And if you've 00:09:22.769 --> 00:09:25.289 not been baptized, if you've been saved, you're 00:09:25.289 --> 00:09:26.889 following Jesus and you're interested in getting 00:09:26.889 --> 00:09:30.730 baptized, water baptized, we would love to get 00:09:30.730 --> 00:09:32.590 you engaged in that, talk with you about that. 00:09:32.669 --> 00:09:34.409 And you can go ahead and sign up for that. That 00:09:34.409 --> 00:09:36.450 was a shameless plug right there. All right, 00:09:36.470 --> 00:09:40.399 for baptism. But Jesus goes to John the Baptist 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:44.299 to be baptized. And John the Baptist almost doesn't 00:09:44.299 --> 00:09:46.919 know what to do with this. Because Jesus is the 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:50.659 Messiah. And he's almost beside himself. And 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:53.039 that's where we're at in Matthew 3, 13. It says 00:09:53.039 --> 00:09:55.659 this. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at 00:09:55.659 --> 00:09:58.320 the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:00.840 to prevent him, saying, I need to be baptized 00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:05.159 by you, and you're coming to me. But Jesus answered 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:08.460 and said to him, Permit it to be so now, for 00:10:08.460 --> 00:10:10.740 thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all the 00:10:10.740 --> 00:10:13.299 righteousness. And he allowed him, and then he 00:10:13.299 --> 00:10:16.299 was baptized. When he was being baptized, Jesus 00:10:16.299 --> 00:10:19.159 came up immediately from the water, and behold, 00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:21.639 the heavens were opened to him. And he saw the 00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:24.559 Spirit of God descending like a dove, alighting 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:27.480 upon him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, 00:10:27.539 --> 00:10:31.059 saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 00:10:31.059 --> 00:10:36.070 well pleased. Jesus is about to launch into a 00:10:36.070 --> 00:10:40.850 major shift in his ministry. A change comes into 00:10:40.850 --> 00:10:43.610 his life, right? A three -year journey is about 00:10:43.610 --> 00:10:46.490 to ensue where he would travel and he would preach 00:10:46.490 --> 00:10:48.970 and he would teach and he would heal. A three 00:10:48.970 --> 00:10:51.889 -year journey where he would be opposed by religious 00:10:51.889 --> 00:10:54.730 leaders who would be after him literally to take 00:10:54.730 --> 00:10:57.559 his life. A journey that would lead to the cross, 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:01.379 right? And the grave and the resurrection. A 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:04.299 journey where 12 men would train with him among 00:11:04.299 --> 00:11:07.179 others. In particular, who would carry the message 00:11:07.179 --> 00:11:09.679 once Jesus was gone and would raise from the 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:12.080 grave and go to his father. A journey that would 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:15.779 open the veil, literally chair the veil in the 00:11:15.779 --> 00:11:19.740 temple and make access for us to go in and meet 00:11:19.740 --> 00:11:24.659 with God. And before this... At Jesus' water 00:11:24.659 --> 00:11:28.259 baptism, all this is about to shift, and you 00:11:28.259 --> 00:11:32.340 can see at his baptism, the Holy Spirit descends 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:34.299 on him like a dove. This is a place where you 00:11:34.299 --> 00:11:36.720 see the Trinity in Scripture, right? The Holy 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:39.840 Spirit descends upon him like a dove, and the 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:44.139 Father speaks audibly. Probably nobody in this 00:11:44.139 --> 00:11:46.580 house has ever heard God speak audibly. He speaks 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:49.379 audibly and says, this is my son in whom I am 00:11:49.379 --> 00:11:53.340 well pleased. The father, the son, and his spirit, 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:57.100 a home, home place. And it is immediately after 00:11:57.100 --> 00:11:59.659 this incredible revelation, after the launch 00:11:59.659 --> 00:12:02.879 of Jesus into his ministry, right? That Jesus 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:05.620 is led into the desert, into the wilderness to 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:08.799 meet the father. But scripture says that he would 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:13.639 be led there by the Holy Spirit to be. Say tempted. 00:12:14.820 --> 00:12:17.700 Matthew 4 .1 says this. When Jesus was led up 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:19.840 by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:26.740 by the devil. Listen, I said it earlier. If the 00:12:26.740 --> 00:12:29.639 devil will tempt Jesus, he will tempt you, right? 00:12:30.580 --> 00:12:33.840 I'm not sure if we realize this or not, but a 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:36.659 lot of times the devil will come to us when we're 00:12:36.659 --> 00:12:40.169 in the wilderness of life. When we're in a dry 00:12:40.169 --> 00:12:43.169 place, when we're in a desert place in life, 00:12:43.350 --> 00:12:45.690 he will come and he will come to tempt us to 00:12:45.690 --> 00:12:48.710 sin. It's in the wilderness where we get weak. 00:12:48.850 --> 00:12:51.529 It's where we get weary. It's where we get tired, 00:12:51.690 --> 00:12:54.710 right? It's where he can lure us away from God 00:12:54.710 --> 00:12:58.570 the easiest. And we will be tempted to sin. And 00:12:58.570 --> 00:13:01.470 I'm not saying you will sin. Temptation is the 00:13:01.470 --> 00:13:04.950 opportunity to sin. I'm simply saying that temptation 00:13:04.950 --> 00:13:09.389 will come in the change. But it is also in the 00:13:09.389 --> 00:13:12.190 wilderness of change that you will have the potential 00:13:12.190 --> 00:13:16.990 to meet and hear God the clearest. Exodus chapter 00:13:16.990 --> 00:13:21.049 3, before I go any further with the story of 00:13:21.049 --> 00:13:23.690 Jesus and the temptation, in Exodus chapter 3, 00:13:23.789 --> 00:13:27.049 it tells us a story about Moses in the midst 00:13:27.049 --> 00:13:30.149 of the desert. He's on the backside of the desert, 00:13:30.269 --> 00:13:34.289 and he comes across this bush that's burning, 00:13:34.409 --> 00:13:37.960 but it's not being consumed. And he pulls aside 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:41.899 to go see this bush that's burning. And the Word 00:13:41.899 --> 00:13:44.580 of God tells us that God begins to speak to him 00:13:44.580 --> 00:13:47.200 in this desert place, in this wilderness, out 00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:48.899 of the burning bush. How many of you know that 00:13:48.899 --> 00:13:51.679 would get your attention in a big hurry? It would 00:13:51.679 --> 00:13:53.759 get my attention. Listen, if you had a bush burning 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:56.340 in your backyard this afternoon, and you walked 00:13:56.340 --> 00:13:58.259 out there, and it wasn't getting consumed, and 00:13:58.259 --> 00:14:00.120 all of a sudden God spoke to you, how many of 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:02.379 you know that would be something? Amen? That 00:14:02.379 --> 00:14:05.029 would be something, right? So Moses, he's on 00:14:05.029 --> 00:14:08.610 the backside. And Moses doesn't know it yet, 00:14:08.669 --> 00:14:10.909 but he's about to have a colossal change in his 00:14:10.909 --> 00:14:13.629 life. Because God speaks to him in this burning 00:14:13.629 --> 00:14:16.970 bush and says, I know you've been out herding 00:14:16.970 --> 00:14:18.590 sheep. You've been hiding out in the backside 00:14:18.590 --> 00:14:21.450 of the desert for 40 years. I want you to go 00:14:21.450 --> 00:14:24.250 back to Egypt where he came from, and I want 00:14:24.250 --> 00:14:28.149 you to bring a nation of people out. And I want 00:14:28.149 --> 00:14:30.490 you to bring them out of slavery, and I want 00:14:30.490 --> 00:14:33.769 you to lead them. And Moses is there, and he's 00:14:33.769 --> 00:14:37.090 listening to God, and he gets tempted right while 00:14:37.090 --> 00:14:41.090 God's speaking to him to ignore God or to reject 00:14:41.090 --> 00:14:43.570 God. That's what sin is, right? It's rejecting 00:14:43.570 --> 00:14:46.830 what God says, and he starts making excuses up. 00:14:46.990 --> 00:14:48.610 How many of you know we make excuses when we 00:14:48.610 --> 00:14:50.889 don't want to do something? He's like, God, I 00:14:50.889 --> 00:14:55.090 don't speak very well. I can't go do this. God's 00:14:55.090 --> 00:14:58.929 speaking to him in a burning bush. And God gets 00:14:58.929 --> 00:15:02.610 upset with him. He gets angry with him. He chastises 00:15:02.610 --> 00:15:06.049 him. It's in the wilderness that you're going 00:15:06.049 --> 00:15:08.929 to be tempted to reject what God's saying. It 00:15:08.929 --> 00:15:11.830 really is. It's in that place where you're going 00:15:11.830 --> 00:15:15.009 to start making an excuse. But it is also in 00:15:15.009 --> 00:15:17.490 that place where you're going to hear God. He's 00:15:17.490 --> 00:15:21.350 going to speak to you, and it may be very clear, 00:15:21.570 --> 00:15:24.539 right? You're going to get tempted there. You're 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:25.820 going to get tempted to go another direction. 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:28.539 You're going to get tempted to sin. But it is 00:15:28.539 --> 00:15:31.580 that place where you have the potential to hear 00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:34.700 God declares. If you're in the wilderness this 00:15:34.700 --> 00:15:36.500 morning, if you're in the middle of some kind 00:15:36.500 --> 00:15:39.399 of change in your life, something's shifting, 00:15:39.580 --> 00:15:42.759 and you're maybe in a place of isolation, maybe 00:15:42.759 --> 00:15:45.279 you're in a place of desolation, maybe you can't 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:47.500 see a green thing in front of you. Everything 00:15:47.500 --> 00:15:50.740 looks dusty. Everything looks kind of dried up, 00:15:50.740 --> 00:15:53.840 right? I'm here to tell you, get ready. Get ready, 00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:56.179 because one of two things can happen, or actually 00:15:56.179 --> 00:15:58.159 two things can happen. One, the enemy's going 00:15:58.159 --> 00:15:59.720 to come. He's going to tempt you to go the other 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:01.879 direction from God. Just count on it, right? 00:16:02.100 --> 00:16:04.379 He's going to tempt you to sin. But the other 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:07.879 thing to get ready for is that it is the place 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:12.279 of the desert many times that we hear God. the 00:16:12.279 --> 00:16:15.100 clearest. It's many times in the desert we hear 00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:18.059 Him the loudest. It's in that quiet place. So 00:16:18.059 --> 00:16:19.960 if you're in the middle of change, get ready, 00:16:20.059 --> 00:16:21.960 because breakthrough might be on the other side, 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:24.480 right? Amen? How many of you know when God shows 00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:26.779 up and speaks, breakthrough's on the other side 00:16:26.779 --> 00:16:29.980 of something, right? Well, Jesus is in the desert, 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:33.080 led by the Holy Spirit. And the Word of God says 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:35.649 that He's going to be tempted by God. And as 00:16:35.649 --> 00:16:38.809 soon as he finishes a season of fasting and prayer, 00:16:39.049 --> 00:16:41.309 the Word of God says for 40 days and for 40 nights 00:16:41.309 --> 00:16:43.750 he prays. And he seeks God because he's going 00:16:43.750 --> 00:16:47.789 to launch into this ministry. No food, no water. 00:16:48.110 --> 00:16:52.470 He's tempted. Matthew 4 .2 says this, And when 00:16:52.470 --> 00:16:54.970 he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights afterward, 00:16:55.070 --> 00:16:57.490 he was hungry. Now when the tempter came to him, 00:16:57.549 --> 00:17:00.470 he said, If you are the Son of God, command these 00:17:00.470 --> 00:17:02.919 stones to become bread. But he answered and said, 00:17:03.019 --> 00:17:05.460 It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, 00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:07.299 but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth 00:17:07.299 --> 00:17:10.759 of God. And the devil took him into the holy 00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:13.980 city, set him on a pinnacle of the temple. And 00:17:13.980 --> 00:17:16.440 he said to him, If you're the son of God, throw 00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:20.740 yourself down. For it is written, He shall give 00:17:20.740 --> 00:17:23.599 his angels charge over you, and in their hands 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:26.140 they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot 00:17:26.140 --> 00:17:29.299 against the stone. Jesus said to him, It is written 00:17:29.299 --> 00:17:31.160 again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. 00:17:31.549 --> 00:17:33.849 Again, the devil took him up into an exceedingly 00:17:33.849 --> 00:17:36.210 high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms 00:17:36.210 --> 00:17:38.690 of the world and their glory. And he said to 00:17:38.690 --> 00:17:41.890 him, all these things I will give you if you 00:17:41.890 --> 00:17:44.269 will fall down and worship me. And Jesus said 00:17:44.269 --> 00:17:46.410 to him, away with you, Satan, for it is written, 00:17:46.430 --> 00:17:48.970 you shall worship the Lord your God and him only 00:17:48.970 --> 00:17:51.650 shall you serve. Then the devil left him and 00:17:51.650 --> 00:17:56.269 behold, angels came and ministered to him. Jesus 00:17:56.269 --> 00:17:59.509 is in the wilderness of change. He's doing a 00:17:59.509 --> 00:18:03.910 very spiritual thing. 40 days of fasting. 40 00:18:03.910 --> 00:18:06.930 days. How many of you know some of you think 00:18:06.930 --> 00:18:08.789 you're fasting if you don't have food for four 00:18:08.789 --> 00:18:13.109 hours? Come on. I don't know what it is. If you're 00:18:13.109 --> 00:18:15.190 not fasting, you can go without food for four 00:18:15.190 --> 00:18:17.029 hours. It's no problem. You say you're going 00:18:17.029 --> 00:18:19.549 to fast for spiritual reasons. Four hours is 00:18:19.549 --> 00:18:22.670 like 400 years, right? All you can think about 00:18:22.670 --> 00:18:27.430 is food, right? But Jesus, he's fasting for 40 00:18:27.430 --> 00:18:32.089 days. And the enemy comes, and you can see how 00:18:32.089 --> 00:18:35.730 Satan slides in to place a temptation. Jesus 00:18:35.730 --> 00:18:40.049 is physically weak. He needs food. He's on the 00:18:40.049 --> 00:18:43.910 verge of starvation at this point. And Satan 00:18:43.910 --> 00:18:49.730 comes with a physical need or want. Food, because 00:18:49.730 --> 00:18:53.549 he's fast. Place a craving, a desire in front 00:18:53.549 --> 00:18:56.559 of him. I've done complete fasts for a few days. 00:18:56.680 --> 00:18:59.720 I've done extended fasts, which are partial fasts, 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:02.299 for long periods of time. And I can tell you 00:19:02.299 --> 00:19:05.720 temptation is a very real thing, right? I remember 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:07.660 being on a partial fast for an extended period 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:09.819 of time, and I remember somebody coming in with 00:19:09.819 --> 00:19:14.559 a big juicy burger with fries. Can you smell 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:20.380 it? There was temptation. There was desire there, 00:19:20.619 --> 00:19:25.279 right? And I could smell it in my nostrils. Some 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:27.720 of you are already at lunch mode right now, okay? 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:31.480 I could smell it. And that's what the enemy does. 00:19:31.859 --> 00:19:34.759 It's in the wilderness of change that Satan will 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:39.039 play on your desires. He will lay it in front 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:43.380 of you, right? Whatever you desire. It could 00:19:43.380 --> 00:19:46.779 be a juicy burger or a fast. But it might be 00:19:46.779 --> 00:19:49.640 that you need security, right? You need to feel 00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:53.099 stability. You'll do anything to get some comfort 00:19:53.099 --> 00:19:55.759 in your life. You'll do anything to escape the 00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:58.099 present circumstance that you're in. It could 00:19:58.099 --> 00:20:00.660 be that he'll lay a lust in front of you that 00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:03.859 you battle with, or something even that you need 00:20:03.859 --> 00:20:07.839 in your life. He'll use whatever you desire to 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:13.099 lure you away from God's plan. He did it with 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:16.630 Jesus. Bet you're hungry, Jesus. You know, if 00:20:16.630 --> 00:20:20.049 you are who you really say you are, I bet you 00:20:20.049 --> 00:20:21.869 could turn these stones right into bread, right? 00:20:23.029 --> 00:20:26.390 Come on. That's what Satan did to them. And here's 00:20:26.390 --> 00:20:28.390 the thing. Jesus could have turned those stones 00:20:28.390 --> 00:20:31.509 into bread. In the Word of God, he took bread, 00:20:31.670 --> 00:20:33.730 he broke it and multiplied it and fed thousands 00:20:33.730 --> 00:20:36.049 of people just a little bit of bread. And honestly, 00:20:36.269 --> 00:20:38.769 it wouldn't even have been a sin for him in normal 00:20:38.769 --> 00:20:40.569 circumstances just to turn those stones into 00:20:40.569 --> 00:20:44.329 bread. But because Satan tried to play on his 00:20:44.329 --> 00:20:47.529 pride, he tried to stir up pride in Jesus. If 00:20:47.529 --> 00:20:51.250 you are who you say you are, right? And desire. 00:20:51.549 --> 00:20:55.589 And Jesus knew that if he did this, he would 00:20:55.589 --> 00:20:57.690 do it for the wrong purposes and the wrong reason, 00:20:57.710 --> 00:20:59.289 and it would be sin. It would be against God's 00:20:59.289 --> 00:21:02.250 plan. And he refuses. He answered him, right? 00:21:02.309 --> 00:21:04.269 He said, man shall not live by bread alone, but 00:21:04.269 --> 00:21:05.789 by every word that proceeds out of the mouth 00:21:05.789 --> 00:21:08.569 of God. He did not let desire and the change 00:21:08.569 --> 00:21:13.559 drag him towards the sin. And that's how it works 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:15.420 in the wilderness. The enemy's going to bring 00:21:15.420 --> 00:21:18.299 that to you, right? And if you don't succumb 00:21:18.299 --> 00:21:20.740 the first time to the temptation, he'll change 00:21:20.740 --> 00:21:23.579 his tactics. That's what Satan does. He'll come 00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:25.859 at you a different way. He'll come at you a different 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:27.740 angle. The Word of God says that Satan comes 00:21:27.740 --> 00:21:29.859 like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 00:21:30.019 --> 00:21:32.799 He'll come just barking out something else, roaring 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:35.720 something else in your ear, right? And that's 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:37.799 exactly what he did with Jesus. All right, well, 00:21:37.859 --> 00:21:40.000 let's just see if there is any pride in Jesus' 00:21:40.099 --> 00:21:42.359 heart. Maybe there's something down deep. And 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:44.240 he comes again. He says, he takes him to the 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:46.359 holy city, sets him on a pinnacle of the temple, 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:49.059 and says to him, again, if you're a son of God, 00:21:49.140 --> 00:21:51.740 right, throw yourself down. You know the angels 00:21:51.740 --> 00:21:53.700 are going to come. You know your heavenly father 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:56.119 is going to rescue you, right? And the word of 00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:58.019 God tells us that. And the devil says, come on, 00:21:58.099 --> 00:22:01.960 Jesus. Show me what you got. Use your authority. 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:06.289 Come on, give us a show. Just do it. You know 00:22:06.289 --> 00:22:10.150 you'll want to. The Father's going to catch you. 00:22:10.950 --> 00:22:14.190 Pride in me. Look at me, right? That kind of 00:22:14.190 --> 00:22:16.930 thing. And Jesus said to him, it's written again, 00:22:17.049 --> 00:22:19.569 you shall not tempt the Lord your God. He comes 00:22:19.569 --> 00:22:21.990 with the word of God. It is in the wilderness 00:22:21.990 --> 00:22:24.670 of change that the devil is going to tempt you. 00:22:24.910 --> 00:22:28.029 It is. Satan strikes out two times and comes 00:22:28.029 --> 00:22:31.069 a third time. And this time he shows them. He 00:22:31.069 --> 00:22:33.069 takes them up to an exceedingly high mountain. 00:22:33.230 --> 00:22:35.289 And he sets them up. And he's looking across 00:22:35.289 --> 00:22:37.630 the kingdoms of the world and all the glory. 00:22:37.710 --> 00:22:39.970 And he says, all these things I'll give to you, 00:22:39.990 --> 00:22:44.670 Jesus, if you just bow down and worship me. Do 00:22:44.670 --> 00:22:47.289 you know the most bizarre thing about this temptation? 00:22:48.309 --> 00:22:50.549 It's that Satan was trying to give Jesus something 00:22:50.549 --> 00:22:53.309 that wasn't his to give. Satan was trying to 00:22:53.309 --> 00:22:55.890 tempt Jesus with something that's not his to 00:22:55.890 --> 00:22:58.940 give in the first place. Right? Just come on, 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:01.980 Jesus, bow down, and you can have it all. Psalm 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:04.480 24, verse 1 says, The earth is the Lord's, and 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:07.339 all its fullness, the world and those who dwell 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:09.819 therein, for he has founded it upon the seas 00:23:09.819 --> 00:23:12.279 and established it upon the waters. The Father 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:15.519 God already owns it all, right? And Satan comes, 00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:18.240 and this is what Satan will do. He'll lie to 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:22.779 you. He will tell you a lie to pull you in. He'll 00:23:22.779 --> 00:23:26.259 pull you in and try to tell you a lie in the 00:23:26.259 --> 00:23:28.640 middle of the change, change that's going on 00:23:28.640 --> 00:23:31.619 in your life. And Jesus, when all these temptations 00:23:31.619 --> 00:23:33.700 come, he doesn't beat his chest and say, do you 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:36.279 know who I am? Do you know the authority that 00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:39.819 I have? He doesn't do any of that, right? And 00:23:39.819 --> 00:23:42.539 the wilderness has changed. He doesn't rely on 00:23:42.539 --> 00:23:45.180 conventional wisdom. He doesn't get focused on 00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:47.079 his circumstance. He doesn't do any of those 00:23:47.079 --> 00:23:50.180 things. He starts applying God's word to every 00:23:50.180 --> 00:23:54.259 single thing that is thrown at him. Can I tell 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:56.380 you this? When you get in the middle of the temptation, 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:58.500 when you're in the middle of the change, when 00:23:58.500 --> 00:24:01.359 the enemy's coming at you, don't beat your chest. 00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:05.059 Don't try to go on just your willpower and your 00:24:05.059 --> 00:24:08.359 knowledge and your experience. Don't try to rely 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:10.660 on all those things. When the enemy's coming 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:14.819 at you, you stand on the word of God. You fight 00:24:14.819 --> 00:24:17.400 back with the word of God, right? Because anything 00:24:17.400 --> 00:24:20.259 else you use, it's like bringing a knife to a 00:24:20.259 --> 00:24:24.089 gunfight. It really is. Look, the Word of God 00:24:24.089 --> 00:24:27.990 is your sword. It is your offensive weapon. You 00:24:27.990 --> 00:24:30.390 need to pull out the Word of God. You need to 00:24:30.390 --> 00:24:32.549 beat Satan half to death with the Word of God. 00:24:32.569 --> 00:24:35.349 Amen? I'll never tell you to beat anybody else 00:24:35.349 --> 00:24:37.980 half to death other than Satan. You can go ahead 00:24:37.980 --> 00:24:39.579 and beat him half to death with the Word of God. 00:24:39.660 --> 00:24:42.039 You just keep throwing the Word of God at him. 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:44.200 You keep believing in the Word of God, and you 00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:47.079 will crush his head. He will flee. The Word of 00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:49.119 God says if you resist the enemy, right, if you 00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:51.960 resist the devil, he must flee. This is how you 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:54.599 resist him. It doesn't matter what he brings 00:24:54.599 --> 00:24:56.539 up from your past. It doesn't matter what you 00:24:56.539 --> 00:24:58.599 came from. It doesn't matter what your circumstance 00:24:58.599 --> 00:25:03.420 is. Listen, this applies to you. If you are following 00:25:03.420 --> 00:25:07.000 Jesus, use the Word of God. And you can stop 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:10.279 the enemy, right? It's true. Worship team, if 00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:11.799 you'd come and make your way up to the front. 00:25:13.380 --> 00:25:17.220 Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights and was tempted. 00:25:18.779 --> 00:25:23.480 40 days and 40 nights. Huge change on the horizon. 00:25:24.259 --> 00:25:27.839 But I can tell you this. It does not have to 00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:31.819 be a big, intense change in your life for the 00:25:31.819 --> 00:25:35.319 enemy to come in and try to rob you. You can 00:25:35.319 --> 00:25:38.240 go to the book of Genesis chapter 25, and you 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:41.119 can read a story about two brothers, Esau and 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:46.279 Jacob. And Esau, Esau's the older, Jacob's the 00:25:46.279 --> 00:25:48.740 younger. They're twins, but Esau was born first. 00:25:49.299 --> 00:25:55.299 And Esau has a wilderness moment, not a journey. 00:25:55.700 --> 00:25:58.299 He's not in a desert. He's not in a hard place 00:25:58.299 --> 00:26:01.519 in life, right? He has a wilderness moment, and 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:05.569 he barely qualifies as that. And temptation gets 00:26:05.569 --> 00:26:09.930 in front of him, and he caves. He fails. He sins 00:26:09.930 --> 00:26:14.009 in this. See, God's covenant started off with 00:26:14.009 --> 00:26:17.470 Abraham, who was their grandfather. And that 00:26:17.470 --> 00:26:20.589 covenant slides down to Isaac, Abraham's son. 00:26:20.890 --> 00:26:25.029 And Isaac marries this woman named Rebekah. And 00:26:25.029 --> 00:26:29.410 Rebekah and Isaac have these twin boys named 00:26:29.410 --> 00:26:33.900 Esau and Jacob. And Esau is the firstborn of 00:26:33.900 --> 00:26:36.140 these two. And you've got to understand something. 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:39.940 In Jewish time, the firstborn had a birthright. 00:26:40.299 --> 00:26:43.000 There was something special about being the firstborn 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:45.880 boy in the family. And here were some of the 00:26:45.880 --> 00:26:48.000 things that were beneficial about that. One, 00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:49.859 they got a double portion of the inheritance. 00:26:50.279 --> 00:26:52.980 And that was a big deal because Isaac was wealthy. 00:26:53.470 --> 00:26:55.710 He would get a double inheritance. But it was 00:26:55.710 --> 00:26:59.269 also his job, the one who received the birthright, 00:26:59.349 --> 00:27:02.569 to care for the family. It was his job to make 00:27:02.569 --> 00:27:05.150 sure that the family line would continue. It 00:27:05.150 --> 00:27:08.210 was the responsibility of the one who had the 00:27:08.210 --> 00:27:11.650 birthright to carry on the family name and to 00:27:11.650 --> 00:27:14.130 make sure that all of the family were well. And 00:27:14.130 --> 00:27:18.720 this was entrusted to Esau. And in a moment of 00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:22.960 weakness and temptation, he sells his birthright 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:29.980 for a bowl of soup. Soup. Say soup. It sounds 00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:34.779 ridiculous, right? But he does. In a moment, 00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:37.500 wilderness moment. And I'm going to read this 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:39.980 portion of scripture real quickly for you. It's 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:43.740 in Genesis 25, 27. It starts, so the boys grew. 00:27:44.590 --> 00:27:47.190 And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the 00:27:47.190 --> 00:27:49.349 field, but Jacob was a mob man dwelling in tents. 00:27:49.869 --> 00:27:52.910 And Isaac, right, dad, loved Esau because he 00:27:52.910 --> 00:27:54.950 ate of his game, of the food that he hunted. 00:27:55.109 --> 00:27:58.130 But Rebekah loved Jacob, and now Jacob cooked 00:27:58.130 --> 00:27:59.710 his stew. I think Jacob just spent a lot of time 00:27:59.710 --> 00:28:02.130 in the kitchen, right, with mom, right? And they 00:28:02.130 --> 00:28:05.890 kind of had this family, I don't want to call 00:28:05.890 --> 00:28:08.450 it a sibling rivalry thing going on. And Esau 00:28:08.450 --> 00:28:11.769 came in from the field and was weary. How many 00:28:11.769 --> 00:28:13.609 of you got weary this week? How many got tired 00:28:13.609 --> 00:28:17.029 before bed? Raise your hand. That's all of you, 00:28:17.069 --> 00:28:21.670 by the way. Okay. All right. You got weary. How 00:28:21.670 --> 00:28:23.049 many of you know that's not a desert, that's 00:28:23.049 --> 00:28:26.049 not a wilderness, that's life? Right? That's 00:28:26.049 --> 00:28:30.309 a moment of wilderness for you. I'm really tired. 00:28:30.410 --> 00:28:32.859 I need to go to sleep. All right. He came in 00:28:32.859 --> 00:28:35.779 from the hunt and he was weary. And Esau said 00:28:35.779 --> 00:28:37.920 to Jacob, please feed me with the same red stew 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:40.519 for I am weary. Therefore, his name is called 00:28:40.519 --> 00:28:43.420 Edom. But Jacob said, sell me your birthright 00:28:43.420 --> 00:28:45.700 as of this day. His brother takes advantage. 00:28:46.299 --> 00:28:48.259 He's like, yeah, I'll give you some stew. Give 00:28:48.259 --> 00:28:51.819 me your birthright. Now, this is an idiotic idea. 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:56.359 Esau, this is his brother. How many know he should 00:28:56.359 --> 00:28:57.980 have punched him, put him in a headlock and he'll 00:28:57.980 --> 00:29:00.759 eat him. So he gave him some soup, right? He 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:05.799 should have. That's not what happens. Esau, the 00:29:05.799 --> 00:29:08.859 drama queen, all right, says, look, I'm about 00:29:08.859 --> 00:29:13.380 to die. No, he was just tired. He was hungry. 00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:17.200 So what is my birthright to me? Then Jacob said, 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:20.119 Swear to me as of this day. So he swore to him 00:29:20.119 --> 00:29:23.779 and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave 00:29:23.779 --> 00:29:27.440 Esau bread and stew of lentils. And he ate and 00:29:27.440 --> 00:29:32.000 drank a rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:37.579 his birthright. A perceived moment of wilderness. 00:29:39.799 --> 00:29:43.039 I'm super hungry. I'm going to die. Anybody ever 00:29:43.039 --> 00:29:47.549 say that? I'm going to die. Right there, I appreciate 00:29:47.549 --> 00:29:52.269 the honesty. He's like, yeah, I said it. Desire 00:29:52.269 --> 00:29:56.809 for food, and he sells out. And he sins. He gives 00:29:56.809 --> 00:29:58.869 away everything that God would have placed in 00:29:58.869 --> 00:30:04.329 his hands for a bowl of soup. How many of us 00:30:04.329 --> 00:30:06.150 have the potential to do stupid things in the 00:30:06.150 --> 00:30:10.369 wilderness of change? We really do. All of us, 00:30:10.369 --> 00:30:16.000 right? I'm going to ask you to stand. It's in 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:18.920 the wilderness of change that we're tempted to 00:30:18.920 --> 00:30:22.720 sin. And it's also in the wilderness of change 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:25.660 where I will hear God the loudest and the clearest. 00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:30.380 Have the potential to. Jesus heard from the Father 00:30:30.380 --> 00:30:32.619 when he was in the wilderness, right? Right before 00:30:32.619 --> 00:30:34.180 he went into the wilderness and when he was in 00:30:34.180 --> 00:30:38.180 the wilderness. Moses heard from the Lord in 00:30:38.180 --> 00:30:40.440 the wilderness at the burning bush. He heard. 00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:44.079 And I can tell you about a man named Elijah. 00:30:44.940 --> 00:30:47.940 who was running from a king, King Ahab and his 00:30:47.940 --> 00:30:50.960 wife Jezebel, who were out to kill him. And Elijah, 00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:55.720 the prophet, an amazing prophet, ends up in wilderness. 00:30:56.339 --> 00:30:58.859 And he's actually sulking underneath a tree. 00:30:59.500 --> 00:31:03.220 And he wants to die. He is so distraught by being 00:31:03.220 --> 00:31:06.980 chased by this king and his wife that he wants 00:31:06.980 --> 00:31:09.519 to die. He asks God to kill him. He asks God 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:12.220 to kill him. That's how distraught he is. Tempted 00:31:12.220 --> 00:31:16.240 to quit, right? Call it God. And God comes to 00:31:16.240 --> 00:31:19.619 Elijah and he speaks so clearly to him. It says 00:31:19.619 --> 00:31:22.599 this in 1 Kings 19, 12. Then he said, go out 00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:24.759 and stand on the mountain before the Lord. He's 00:31:24.759 --> 00:31:27.059 talking to Elijah. And behold, the Lord passed 00:31:27.059 --> 00:31:29.819 by. And a great and strong wind tore into the 00:31:29.819 --> 00:31:32.619 mountains and broke the rocks into pieces before 00:31:32.619 --> 00:31:38.279 the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. And 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:40.940 after the wind, an earthquake. But the Lord was 00:31:40.940 --> 00:31:43.410 not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, 00:31:43.529 --> 00:31:46.589 a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. And 00:31:46.589 --> 00:31:52.329 after a fire, a still, small voice. So it was 00:31:52.329 --> 00:31:55.589 when Elijah heard it, he's in the wilderness, 00:31:55.970 --> 00:31:59.269 that he wrapped his face in his mantle and he 00:31:59.269 --> 00:32:01.089 went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. 00:32:01.390 --> 00:32:04.329 And suddenly a voice came to him and said, What 00:32:04.329 --> 00:32:08.349 are you doing here, Elijah? What are you doing 00:32:08.349 --> 00:32:13.849 here? God sends Elijah back. Elijah goes and 00:32:13.849 --> 00:32:16.089 does what a prophet does. He goes and anoints 00:32:16.089 --> 00:32:21.150 several after this. It is in the wilderness that 00:32:21.150 --> 00:32:23.890 you will be tempted to sin, but it is in the 00:32:23.890 --> 00:32:26.990 wilderness where you will hear God the clearest 00:32:26.990 --> 00:32:29.450 if you're looking for him, if you're listening 00:32:29.450 --> 00:32:32.190 for him. And it may be in the earthquake, it 00:32:32.190 --> 00:32:34.329 might be in the wind, it might be in the fire, 00:32:34.450 --> 00:32:37.450 but many, many times it's in a still, small voice 00:32:37.450 --> 00:32:41.759 that God speaks. in that quiet place. So here's 00:32:41.759 --> 00:32:45.740 what we're going to do this morning. I have no 00:32:45.740 --> 00:32:48.759 doubt whatsoever. Holy Spirit's been prompting 00:32:48.759 --> 00:32:50.319 me the whole time I was prepping this message 00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:52.640 that there are people here that are facing change 00:32:52.640 --> 00:32:55.500 right now. And it could be small, it could be 00:32:55.500 --> 00:32:57.799 medium, it could be large, but you got change 00:32:57.799 --> 00:32:59.759 happening right now. And here's what I want us 00:32:59.759 --> 00:33:02.140 to do. If that's you, and as I'm speaking this, 00:33:02.259 --> 00:33:04.619 the Holy Spirit's tapping on your heart right 00:33:04.619 --> 00:33:06.420 now. If He's tapping, don't ignore Him. Okay? 00:33:06.680 --> 00:33:09.180 You're about to step into change. It's right 00:33:09.180 --> 00:33:11.299 before you. Or you're in the middle of change. 00:33:12.140 --> 00:33:16.839 I want everybody to slide out of the pews, out 00:33:16.839 --> 00:33:20.339 into the aisleways. And if you're the one, all 00:33:20.339 --> 00:33:22.660 right, or the 10 or the 15, and I think there's 00:33:22.660 --> 00:33:24.859 going to be many that are facing this, I want 00:33:24.859 --> 00:33:26.119 you to come to the front because I need to tell 00:33:26.119 --> 00:33:28.319 you something. God gave me something to speak 00:33:28.319 --> 00:33:29.920 to you. All right? And I'm going to pray over 00:33:29.920 --> 00:33:31.670 you. So if that's you, just make your way out 00:33:31.670 --> 00:33:33.990 right now. Everybody, I want everybody to slide 00:33:33.990 --> 00:33:35.329 out because it's too hard to get out of the queues 00:33:35.329 --> 00:33:37.809 without everybody getting out. Slide out, get 00:33:37.809 --> 00:33:40.410 into the aisle. But if that's you, if there's 00:33:40.410 --> 00:33:42.650 change coming, make your way to the front. The 00:33:42.650 --> 00:33:44.250 others are going to come up and pray behind you, 00:33:44.309 --> 00:33:46.470 but I need you to move first. If you've got change 00:33:46.470 --> 00:33:49.369 going on, slide up to the front. Just come up, 00:33:49.390 --> 00:33:51.309 make your way up through. Come on, I knew it. 00:33:51.369 --> 00:33:53.309 Come on. I actually didn't know what the Holy 00:33:53.309 --> 00:33:59.640 Spirit knew. Make your way up. Make your way 00:33:59.640 --> 00:34:02.359 up. Just stretch out across. Move up close. If 00:34:02.359 --> 00:34:04.440 you would, move up close and stretch out. So 00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:06.880 all those who are coming up. If you got change 00:34:06.880 --> 00:34:08.500 going on, look. Come on, look at the response. 00:34:08.940 --> 00:34:10.579 Slide up a little. Move up just a little bit 00:34:10.579 --> 00:34:12.840 so they can get in behind you. Just go ahead 00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:15.420 and stretch out the whole way across here. Stretch 00:34:15.420 --> 00:34:17.820 out this way too, if you would. Make your way 00:34:17.820 --> 00:34:19.500 down this way. Because I want people to come 00:34:19.500 --> 00:34:24.679 in behind and pray. Make your way. There's a 00:34:24.679 --> 00:34:27.730 room over here. Get up to the front. You got 00:34:27.730 --> 00:34:31.550 change going on. All right, the rest of you that 00:34:31.550 --> 00:34:33.769 want to pray, I want you to slide up. You can 00:34:33.769 --> 00:34:35.730 pray where you're at if you want. You can make 00:34:35.730 --> 00:34:37.530 your way up, slide in behind, pray with some 00:34:37.530 --> 00:34:43.590 people if you're comfortable. All right, guys, 00:34:43.610 --> 00:34:45.250 keep music down just a little bit if we could, 00:34:45.409 --> 00:34:49.570 because I want you to hear this. God took me 00:34:49.570 --> 00:34:51.949 to the scripture for you, and here's what we're 00:34:51.949 --> 00:34:52.829 going to do. We're going to do something very 00:34:52.829 --> 00:34:56.469 specific. You're going to ask for wisdom and 00:34:56.469 --> 00:35:00.159 to change. James 1 .5 says this, If any of you 00:35:00.159 --> 00:35:03.659 lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to 00:35:03.659 --> 00:35:06.440 all liberally, without reproach, and it will 00:35:06.440 --> 00:35:09.519 be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with 00:35:09.519 --> 00:35:11.780 no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave 00:35:11.780 --> 00:35:14.099 of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For 00:35:14.099 --> 00:35:15.800 let not that man suppose that he will receive 00:35:15.800 --> 00:35:17.380 anything from the Lord. He is double -minded 00:35:17.380 --> 00:35:20.159 and unstable in all his ways. So here's the thing 00:35:20.159 --> 00:35:21.400 that we have to do when we're going to come and 00:35:21.400 --> 00:35:23.619 ask God for something. First, we've got to establish 00:35:23.619 --> 00:35:25.000 that we've got faith that He's going to answer. 00:35:26.039 --> 00:35:29.340 He's with you in the change. All right? It may 00:35:29.340 --> 00:35:31.559 show up like a burning bush moment. It might 00:35:31.559 --> 00:35:33.820 be a still small voice that you hear. He might 00:35:33.820 --> 00:35:35.920 speak in an earthquake. But I'm here to tell 00:35:35.920 --> 00:35:38.920 you, regardless of where you come from, if you're 00:35:38.920 --> 00:35:42.519 trusting in him, he wants to speak to you. He 00:35:42.519 --> 00:35:45.380 wants to speak to you. He wants to come in and 00:35:45.380 --> 00:35:48.480 tell you what's next or lead you and guide you 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:49.920 in the next step. That's what he wants to do. 00:35:50.280 --> 00:35:53.159 But you got to believe on him first. And then 00:35:53.159 --> 00:35:55.980 second, all you got to do is ask. I mean, we 00:35:55.980 --> 00:35:57.659 don't get something sometimes because we just 00:35:57.659 --> 00:36:00.480 don't bother asking. My grandkids get stuff from 00:36:00.480 --> 00:36:03.599 me all the time because they come and ask. I'm 00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:07.039 like, sure. You want the car? Take it. You know, 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:11.840 they ask. That's how our father is. You've got 00:36:11.840 --> 00:36:16.119 to ask him. I know he knows, but he wants you 00:36:16.119 --> 00:36:20.219 to ask. So you've got to believe. Listen, if 00:36:20.219 --> 00:36:22.800 you believe and you ask, you're going to hear 00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:25.719 from God. You will hear from God. It might not 00:36:25.719 --> 00:36:27.280 be in this moment. It might be in this moment. 00:36:27.480 --> 00:36:30.019 But I'm telling you, sometime in the very near 00:36:30.019 --> 00:36:32.340 future, you're going to hear from God. He spoke 00:36:32.340 --> 00:36:36.320 this clearly to me this morning. Clearly. You 00:36:36.320 --> 00:36:38.880 ready? Those of you who are back there, you need 00:36:38.880 --> 00:36:40.699 to be praying for those who are up here. Because 00:36:40.699 --> 00:36:42.059 next time, it might be you in the middle of the 00:36:42.059 --> 00:36:45.400 change. Amen? Let's bow our heads. Lord, you 00:36:45.400 --> 00:36:47.659 see each person in God who responded this morning. 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:51.260 And God, we come here today in faith. God, we 00:36:51.260 --> 00:36:54.289 don't come on our own. power. Lord, we don't 00:36:54.289 --> 00:36:56.610 come with our own wisdom. We don't come, Lord, 00:36:56.630 --> 00:36:59.230 in our own knowledge. God, we don't come, Lord, 00:36:59.309 --> 00:37:01.530 in any kind of authority or strength outside 00:37:01.530 --> 00:37:04.010 of you. So, Lord, we come this morning just looking 00:37:04.010 --> 00:37:07.010 to you. We just come asking and saying in our 00:37:07.010 --> 00:37:09.289 hearts and lives that we believe that you're 00:37:09.289 --> 00:37:11.110 with us in the middle of this change, that you 00:37:11.110 --> 00:37:13.150 have the next step, that you're going to keep 00:37:13.150 --> 00:37:15.190 me from temptation. God, you're going to keep 00:37:15.190 --> 00:37:17.949 me from straying the wrong direction or rebelling 00:37:17.949 --> 00:37:20.429 against you and walking the wrong way. Lord, 00:37:20.550 --> 00:37:23.639 we give this to you right now. God, I, Lord, 00:37:23.739 --> 00:37:26.920 I'm asking you. I'm asking you. I'm speaking 00:37:26.920 --> 00:37:31.559 this. Give me wisdom in this change. Keep me 00:37:31.559 --> 00:37:35.019 from sin. Keep me from rebelling against you. 00:37:35.099 --> 00:37:38.920 Keep me from making excuses. Keep me from looking 00:37:38.920 --> 00:37:41.199 at things and desiring things that are going 00:37:41.199 --> 00:37:44.159 to be of no benefit in my life. God, right now, 00:37:44.280 --> 00:37:48.760 God, right now, in Jesus' name, help me in the 00:37:48.760 --> 00:37:52.170 change. Give me godly wisdom. Wisdom that is 00:37:52.170 --> 00:37:56.230 from above and not from below. In Jesus' name 00:37:56.230 --> 00:38:00.010 I pray this. Amen and amen. Now here's what I 00:38:00.010 --> 00:38:01.250 want you to do. I want you to give him a hand. 00:38:01.610 --> 00:38:05.809 You've got to thank him ahead of time. That's 00:38:05.809 --> 00:38:10.550 faith. You know when you thank God ahead of time, 00:38:10.590 --> 00:38:12.329 that's faith in what God's already going to do 00:38:12.329 --> 00:38:16.190 in your life. God always meets faith. I'm going 00:38:16.190 --> 00:38:18.730 to say that until the day I die. You step forward 00:38:18.730 --> 00:38:20.250 in faith, he's going to meet you right there. 00:38:20.269 --> 00:38:24.389 Amen? All right? It's true. We're going to pray 00:38:24.389 --> 00:38:25.989 one more prayer. I want you to bow your heads 00:38:25.989 --> 00:38:28.329 one more time. And this is for anybody in the 00:38:28.329 --> 00:38:30.349 house. If you don't know Jesus as Lord and Savior, 00:38:30.550 --> 00:38:33.630 you can't today. You came to the right place. 00:38:33.690 --> 00:38:37.230 It's no accident that you're here. If you don't 00:38:37.230 --> 00:38:39.630 know Jesus as Lord, if you're not walking with 00:38:39.630 --> 00:38:42.489 Him, if you're not hearing His voice, and you 00:38:42.489 --> 00:38:45.349 want to come in relationship with a God who will 00:38:45.349 --> 00:38:48.260 walk with you through all of eternity, Jesus 00:38:48.260 --> 00:38:50.960 paid an enormous price. He went to a cross. He 00:38:50.960 --> 00:38:53.559 spilled his blood. He died. He went into a grave 00:38:53.559 --> 00:38:56.039 and he rose three days later. And that's significant 00:38:56.039 --> 00:38:59.079 because he paid the penalty for your sin. He 00:38:59.079 --> 00:39:02.420 paid the penalty and the price for all your unrighteousness. 00:39:02.440 --> 00:39:04.780 And you've got to get righteous. And the only 00:39:04.780 --> 00:39:07.340 way to do that, to get to God, is through the 00:39:07.340 --> 00:39:11.079 blood of Jesus Christ. So all you have to do 00:39:11.079 --> 00:39:13.679 this morning, if that's you, is to admit in your 00:39:13.679 --> 00:39:16.690 heart, not to me, but to him in prayer. Confess 00:39:16.690 --> 00:39:19.909 to him that he is Lord, that you want him as 00:39:19.909 --> 00:39:22.010 Savior and Lord of your life, and you want to 00:39:22.010 --> 00:39:23.969 be in relationship with him. All you have to 00:39:23.969 --> 00:39:26.469 do is admit that you are a sinner, because we're 00:39:26.469 --> 00:39:30.010 all sinners, every one of us, and that I need 00:39:30.010 --> 00:39:33.630 a Savior. Just let him know that. I want a Savior. 00:39:34.230 --> 00:39:36.289 Jesus, I know that's you, and I want you to come 00:39:36.289 --> 00:39:40.030 into my life today. Forgive me of my sin. Wash 00:39:40.030 --> 00:39:42.210 me clean, because I want to walk with you. I 00:39:42.210 --> 00:39:44.889 want to talk with you. God, I want to be where 00:39:44.889 --> 00:39:51.000 you're at. In this life and in the next. In Jesus' 00:39:51.119 --> 00:40:13.269 name I pray this. Amen. and you would like to 00:40:13.269 --> 00:40:16.530 partner with us as we love God, love people every 00:40:16.530 --> 00:40:16.829 day,