WEBVTT 00:00:07.750 --> 00:00:10.169 Thank you for listening to this message from 00:00:10.169 --> 00:00:31.170 LifeHouse Church. Before you sit down, turn to 00:00:31.170 --> 00:00:32.969 somebody, give them a high five. Tell them it's 00:00:32.969 --> 00:00:35.920 good to see you at LifeHouse. Come on. If you're 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:37.579 online, it's good to have you as well. You may 00:00:37.579 --> 00:00:46.500 be seated after that. Well, how many know this? 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:52.579 It only takes a little bit of something to change 00:00:52.579 --> 00:00:56.479 a whole bunch of something, right? Just a few 00:00:56.479 --> 00:01:03.399 drops of a little bit of something, of the little 00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:07.430 thing. will change everything. Y 'all are going 00:01:07.430 --> 00:01:09.629 to be distracted just watching that swirl, aren't 00:01:09.629 --> 00:01:13.909 you now? Just a little thing can change the entire 00:01:13.909 --> 00:01:16.829 thing. It really can. Just adding the one thing 00:01:16.829 --> 00:01:20.829 can change the sum total of everything. Putting 00:01:20.829 --> 00:01:24.810 the little thing in can actually make it a thing. 00:01:25.069 --> 00:01:27.189 Anybody ever have something become a thing in 00:01:27.189 --> 00:01:29.170 your life? Anybody know what I'm talking about? 00:01:29.469 --> 00:01:31.989 Just a little bit of the right thing, just a 00:01:31.989 --> 00:01:34.680 little bit of the wrong thing. can make a whole 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:38.680 different thing. And it's the little things that 00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:41.840 can mean really everything. It's true. Many years 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:43.859 ago, when I worked in the elevator industry, 00:01:44.060 --> 00:01:48.120 many, many, many years ago, I was actually, the 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:50.859 company that I worked for, they were called in, 00:01:50.900 --> 00:01:53.200 they were independently hired to come in and 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:55.959 investigate an elevator accident that took place. 00:01:56.099 --> 00:01:58.959 This took place at a warehouse in Western Pennsylvania, 00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:01.159 in the northern part of Western PA. And there 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:03.560 was a lawsuit that was pending because of this 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:06.540 accident took place. And I happened to be brought 00:02:06.540 --> 00:02:08.599 on as an expert witness to go and determine. 00:02:09.159 --> 00:02:12.240 why this accident took place. Apparently, one 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:15.479 of the employees went to open a manual elevator 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:18.599 door, a freight elevator door, and went to step 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:21.159 inside. And when they pulled the door open, they 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:23.419 stepped inside. There was a problem because the 00:02:23.419 --> 00:02:26.110 elevator wasn't there. They opened the door. 00:02:26.150 --> 00:02:29.389 They went down multiple stories, broke many bones. 00:02:29.770 --> 00:02:32.710 There was a lot of fall -related injuries that 00:02:32.710 --> 00:02:35.330 took place in their body. And at that time, I 00:02:35.330 --> 00:02:37.330 was serving as a master mechanic and a department 00:02:37.330 --> 00:02:39.889 head for the company that I was working for. 00:02:40.050 --> 00:02:42.069 And I got called in to do the investigation. 00:02:42.389 --> 00:02:44.750 And once I arrived, they took me into this little 00:02:44.750 --> 00:02:46.990 warehouse, this old warehouse, and they moved 00:02:46.990 --> 00:02:49.400 me back to this. corner where the elevator was 00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:52.460 at. It was poorly lit. There was this area, and 00:02:52.460 --> 00:02:55.060 it was a very old elevator. And it didn't take 00:02:55.060 --> 00:02:57.860 me long to figure out that when I got there and 00:02:57.860 --> 00:03:00.340 started looking at what took place, there was 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:04.539 one little tiny mechanism on the door interlocking 00:03:04.539 --> 00:03:08.960 system that was worn. It was worn just a little 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:11.520 bit. And I'm telling you, I don't know if you 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:14.669 can see my fingers, it was that much. that was 00:03:14.669 --> 00:03:18.129 worn away. And just with that little bit of wear, 00:03:18.310 --> 00:03:20.889 that little thing that took place, an employee 00:03:20.889 --> 00:03:24.250 came up, pulled the door open in that dimly lit 00:03:24.250 --> 00:03:27.610 area, plummeted down almost three stories, actually 00:03:27.610 --> 00:03:30.729 was three stories, hit the elevator pit and was 00:03:30.729 --> 00:03:33.150 injured. And that person's life changed forever 00:03:33.150 --> 00:03:37.490 because of just a little thing. A little thing 00:03:37.490 --> 00:03:40.310 can make the difference. A single word can change 00:03:40.310 --> 00:03:43.060 the course of your life. It can carve out a new 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:48.099 future for you. A simple word can take you or 00:03:48.099 --> 00:03:51.539 cause present difficulty beyond belief, right? 00:03:51.659 --> 00:03:55.000 One small repetitious change can mean all the 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:57.620 difference in going forward in my future. One 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:01.400 small repetitious change can change my path and 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:04.500 take me to a place I never wanted to go to. And 00:04:04.500 --> 00:04:09.270 Jesus taught us just how powerful the little 00:04:09.270 --> 00:04:12.289 thing can be in our lives. If you have your Bible 00:04:12.289 --> 00:04:13.889 this morning, I want you to turn to Luke chapter 00:04:13.889 --> 00:04:17.310 13. We are sliding out of the book of John. And 00:04:17.310 --> 00:04:19.509 this morning, I want to park in the book of Luke 00:04:19.509 --> 00:04:21.930 just for a little bit. Luke chapter 13, verse 00:04:21.930 --> 00:04:23.990 10. And as you go there, I'm going to pray over 00:04:23.990 --> 00:04:26.009 our ears to hear the word of God, our hearts 00:04:26.009 --> 00:04:27.689 to receive the word of God. And I'm going to 00:04:27.689 --> 00:04:30.029 pray over these invitations. We have these balls 00:04:30.029 --> 00:04:32.589 up here. This is the green. This is for you to 00:04:32.589 --> 00:04:35.089 invite. And this is the salvations that have 00:04:35.089 --> 00:04:37.129 taken place at LifeHouse. And you say, well, 00:04:37.170 --> 00:04:39.610 why pray over these? the same time. It is the 00:04:39.610 --> 00:04:41.870 word of God in your ears that lodges in your 00:04:41.870 --> 00:04:44.250 heart and in your mind that you share with someone 00:04:44.250 --> 00:04:46.350 else that's going to make the difference in somebody's 00:04:46.350 --> 00:04:48.920 life. Amen. inviting them into the kingdom. So 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:51.060 Father, thank you. God, as we look into your 00:04:51.060 --> 00:04:53.160 words, we turn to your word. God, I pray that 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:55.199 today, God, you would move in our hearts, our 00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:58.000 minds. God, that our ears would receive. God, 00:04:58.079 --> 00:04:59.699 that it would be written in the flesh of our 00:04:59.699 --> 00:05:02.420 hearts. And Lord, that it might change how we 00:05:02.420 --> 00:05:05.839 are, what we do, and what we speak to others. 00:05:06.019 --> 00:05:08.120 And God, we pray over the invitations that have 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:10.980 gone out. Lord, for those to come to church, 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.420 those to come to know you. And God, we praise 00:05:13.420 --> 00:05:15.519 you and give you glory for the salvations that 00:05:15.519 --> 00:05:17.959 have already taken place. And we thank you in 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:21.300 the matchless name of your son, Jesus. Amen and 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:24.759 amen. Luke chapter 13, verse 10, and it says 00:05:24.759 --> 00:05:28.420 this. Now he, it's talking about Jesus, was teaching 00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:30.800 in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:32.740 behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of 00:05:32.740 --> 00:05:36.800 infirmity 18 years and was bent over and could 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:41.379 in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:43.779 her, he called to her and said to her, woman, 00:05:43.959 --> 00:05:47.500 you are loosed from your infirmity. And he laid 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:50.480 his hands on her and immediately she was made 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.180 straight and glorified God. And the ruler of 00:05:54.180 --> 00:05:56.699 the synagogue answered with indignation because 00:05:56.699 --> 00:05:59.839 Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. And he said 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:02.139 to the crowd, there are six days in which men 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:04.259 ought to work. Therefore, come and be healed 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:07.420 on them and not on the Sabbath day. Then the 00:06:07.420 --> 00:06:10.839 Lord Jesus answered him and said, hypocrite. 00:06:11.209 --> 00:06:13.629 Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose 00:06:13.629 --> 00:06:16.430 his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead 00:06:16.430 --> 00:06:19.230 it away to the water? So ought not this woman, 00:06:19.269 --> 00:06:21.629 being a daughter of Abraham, who Satan has bound, 00:06:21.730 --> 00:06:25.089 think of it, for 18 years, be loosed from this 00:06:25.089 --> 00:06:27.649 bond on the Sabbath? And when he said these things, 00:06:27.709 --> 00:06:31.170 all his adversaries were put to shame, and all 00:06:31.170 --> 00:06:34.110 the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things 00:06:34.110 --> 00:06:37.579 that were done by him. This is the front story 00:06:37.579 --> 00:06:40.420 before we get to the little thing. This is the 00:06:40.420 --> 00:06:44.660 story that Jesus unfolds or takes place before 00:06:44.660 --> 00:06:46.720 we get to what Jesus is going to talk about with 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:49.699 the little things. Jesus is preaching. He's teaching 00:06:49.699 --> 00:06:53.620 in the synagogue. And what happens is he sees 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:58.370 a woman who comes in who is bent over. She's 00:06:58.370 --> 00:07:01.329 had an infirmity. She's had a sickness. There's 00:07:01.329 --> 00:07:03.449 some kind of degeneration that's taking place 00:07:03.449 --> 00:07:06.110 maybe in her spine. We don't know. The word of 00:07:06.110 --> 00:07:08.689 God doesn't really tell us. But she is bent over. 00:07:08.769 --> 00:07:12.790 And for 18 years, she's been in this condition. 00:07:13.589 --> 00:07:16.069 I saw these kind of things in the hometown where 00:07:16.069 --> 00:07:19.329 I grew up. I grew up in western PA in a small 00:07:19.329 --> 00:07:22.310 town where it was coal country. And it was miners 00:07:22.310 --> 00:07:24.790 and steel workers that primarily worked there 00:07:24.790 --> 00:07:28.600 when I was young. And I remember seeing old timers, 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:31.079 old timers when I was a kid. It's probably my 00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:34.220 age now, right? But they were old timers and 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:37.100 they had worked in the mines, these small mines, 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:40.120 and they were bent over. They would walk down 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:43.300 the street like this from being in the mines 00:07:43.300 --> 00:07:46.459 for so long. And it was heartbreaking to see. 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:50.240 Jesus sees her, stops in the middle of his teaching, 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:53.319 stops in the middle of his message. He interrupts 00:07:53.319 --> 00:07:56.500 himself. He lays hands on this woman and heals 00:07:56.500 --> 00:07:58.540 her. She stands up straight for the first time 00:07:58.540 --> 00:08:01.519 in 18 years. And what are the rulers, right? 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:03.980 The religious leaders of the synagogue do? These 00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:06.899 holy men who are in a holy establishment, do 00:08:06.899 --> 00:08:09.699 they celebrate? Do they get excited? Do they 00:08:09.699 --> 00:08:15.139 praise God? No, they complain. Jesus, you worked 00:08:15.139 --> 00:08:18.660 on the Sabbath day. Jesus was not out building 00:08:18.660 --> 00:08:21.259 a house. He was not carrying a load of wood. 00:08:21.379 --> 00:08:24.319 He did not open a business. He wasn't working 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:27.319 at a factory. He didn't clock in. He wasn't breaking 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:31.379 the Mosaic law. He laid hands on a woman who 00:08:31.379 --> 00:08:34.259 had been crippled and in this debilitating condition 00:08:34.259 --> 00:08:37.940 and heals her. And Jesus begins to rebuke these 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:41.580 guys, right? He calls them hypocrite. How many 00:08:41.580 --> 00:08:43.039 of you just like want to say something sometimes? 00:08:43.340 --> 00:08:46.919 Jesus just would, right? Hypocrite, right? And 00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:50.440 he says, any of you, any one of you, if you had 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:54.039 your donkey or your ox, you would loose it on 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:56.360 the Sabbath and lead it to get drink or get it 00:08:56.360 --> 00:08:58.779 to food, right? And you don't want me to lead 00:08:58.779 --> 00:09:01.980 this woman to healing? And once he straightens 00:09:01.980 --> 00:09:04.980 out these leaders, once he exposes their shame, 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:08.899 once he unfolds all this and the crowd rejoices 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:12.440 with this woman, Jesus immediately launches into 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:16.519 two small parables about the little things. It 00:09:16.519 --> 00:09:19.879 matters where things are in scripture. In Luke 00:09:19.879 --> 00:09:22.379 13, 18, the very next verse, it says, then he 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:25.080 said, what is the kingdom of God like? And what 00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:27.539 shall I compare it? It's like a mustard seed. 00:09:27.860 --> 00:09:30.799 Say mustard seed. How many of you have ever seen 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:33.490 a mustard seed? They are a tiny, tiny little 00:09:33.490 --> 00:09:35.990 thing, right? It's like a mustard seed, which 00:09:35.990 --> 00:09:38.450 a man took and put in his garden. And he grew 00:09:38.450 --> 00:09:40.990 and became a large tree. And the birds of the 00:09:40.990 --> 00:09:43.649 air nested in its branches. And again, he said 00:09:43.649 --> 00:09:45.929 to him, to what shall I liken the kingdom of 00:09:45.929 --> 00:09:48.129 God? He said, it's like leaven, which a woman 00:09:48.129 --> 00:09:51.190 took and hid in three measures of meal till it 00:09:51.190 --> 00:09:55.289 was all leavened. Jesus immediately speaks about 00:09:55.289 --> 00:09:57.870 the little things. He starts talking about some 00:09:57.870 --> 00:10:00.590 small things. And you got to ask yourself the 00:10:00.590 --> 00:10:03.990 question, why in this moment, when this is all 00:10:03.990 --> 00:10:06.809 taking place, when this woman gets healed, why 00:10:06.809 --> 00:10:10.620 would Jesus go right into this? Why would he 00:10:10.620 --> 00:10:13.620 say this, right? Because Jesus is teaching this 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:16.879 crowd that it is the little thing that can make 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:19.679 enormous difference in your life. It is the little 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:21.360 thing that will change the whole bunch of something 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:25.299 in you. It is the tiny seed that's put into the 00:10:25.299 --> 00:10:27.259 ground of your heart that will grow into something 00:10:27.259 --> 00:10:30.299 massive. It is the little leaven that is placed 00:10:30.299 --> 00:10:33.460 inside of you that will infect the entire lump. 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:36.120 He's not just having to talk about gardening 00:10:36.120 --> 00:10:38.919 or baking of these things. He's using it as an 00:10:38.919 --> 00:10:41.980 analogy. He's talking about a spiritual law that's 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:44.399 in place. Just kind of like laws of nature are, 00:10:44.580 --> 00:10:46.659 so are their spiritual laws. And he's talking 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:50.360 about it. It's the little thing, just one drop 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:54.519 of something. Something deposited into my head, 00:10:54.679 --> 00:10:57.080 something deposited into my heart, something 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:00.419 that drops into my soul can change all of me. 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:05.409 It really can. One drop of dye, right, changes 00:11:05.409 --> 00:11:10.509 it all. A little something will change your lump, 00:11:10.730 --> 00:11:13.669 all right? Look at your neighbor right now. You've 00:11:13.669 --> 00:11:16.090 been waiting all day to do this. Say, hey there, 00:11:16.129 --> 00:11:19.690 lumpy. Come on, hey there, lumpy. Tell them a 00:11:19.690 --> 00:11:23.149 little leaven will change your lump, okay? Tell 00:11:23.149 --> 00:11:26.110 them, right? A little leaven's gonna change your 00:11:26.110 --> 00:11:30.250 lump. It will. A little yeast in the dough. will 00:11:30.250 --> 00:11:33.090 make the bread rise. A little seed in the ground, 00:11:33.190 --> 00:11:35.950 it's going to grow into something inside of you. 00:11:35.990 --> 00:11:38.490 A little pride, a little jealousy, a little hatred, 00:11:38.690 --> 00:11:41.370 a little sin will infect the entire thing, right? 00:11:41.490 --> 00:11:43.710 A little of the kingdom of God injected into 00:11:43.710 --> 00:11:46.409 your spirit, into your soul will begin to transform 00:11:46.409 --> 00:11:49.490 life into you. Your light will begin to come 00:11:49.490 --> 00:11:51.870 into you. A little bit of something is going 00:11:51.870 --> 00:11:56.490 to change everything. It really will. My grandmother, 00:11:57.259 --> 00:11:59.799 Used to make the fluffiest bread on the planet. 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:02.500 I'm sorry if your grandma did, but my grandma 00:12:02.500 --> 00:12:06.500 was better, okay? She just was, all right? She 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:09.100 made the greatest bread on the planet. And she 00:12:09.100 --> 00:12:11.659 did it like every grandmother before her. She 00:12:11.659 --> 00:12:14.220 put yeast in the dough. And I remember my grandmother, 00:12:14.379 --> 00:12:16.340 even though she had arthritis in her hands, she'd 00:12:16.340 --> 00:12:18.460 be working that dough with her fingers, and she'd 00:12:18.460 --> 00:12:19.960 be rolling, and I don't even know what all she 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:21.399 did. I didn't even care. I was just getting ready 00:12:21.399 --> 00:12:23.799 to eat it, right? And she was working that yeast, 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:26.019 and she was working the dough. And then she'd 00:12:26.019 --> 00:12:28.500 put it into a pan, and she'd go find a warm spot, 00:12:28.620 --> 00:12:30.840 sometimes in a window with the sunshine, somewhere 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:33.279 maybe near an oven that was on. Somewhere where 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:34.940 it was a little bit warm. and that thing would 00:12:34.940 --> 00:12:39.200 begin to rise. It'd begin to expand, right? It 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:41.279 would magically transform, and it would bake. 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:45.559 And then when she'd put it in the oven and bake 00:12:45.559 --> 00:12:47.559 it for just the right amount of time and bring 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:50.620 it out, it was warm. Y 'all getting hungry? I'm 00:12:50.620 --> 00:12:54.460 getting hungry. And we smothered butter all over 00:12:54.460 --> 00:13:00.659 that thing, right? It was a thing. Just the smallest 00:13:00.659 --> 00:13:05.090 amount of yeast. would transform that lump. It 00:13:05.090 --> 00:13:08.529 would grow, it would expand. The religious leaders 00:13:08.529 --> 00:13:11.590 that Jesus put to shame, as he taught and as 00:13:11.590 --> 00:13:14.250 he healed and he called hypocrites, it was the 00:13:14.250 --> 00:13:17.899 little thing that infected their soul. A little 00:13:17.899 --> 00:13:20.659 sin. We don't know if it was selfishness. We 00:13:20.659 --> 00:13:22.720 don't know if it was pride, if it was jealousy 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:25.179 of Jesus. We know that was the case in some other 00:13:25.179 --> 00:13:27.919 places, right? Somewhere along the way, the thing 00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:30.720 that consumed the lump began to push out to the 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:33.139 surface. And instead of the love of God shining 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:35.179 forth for this woman that was healed, there was 00:13:35.179 --> 00:13:38.519 no compassion, right? Compassion was gone for 00:13:38.519 --> 00:13:41.539 this woman. A woman bent over, walking in, bent 00:13:41.539 --> 00:13:44.659 over for 18 years. Zero compassion. They probably 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:46.940 didn't even see her. It removed every bit of 00:13:46.940 --> 00:13:50.580 empathy that might have been within their selves. 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:53.779 Nothing was there. They didn't even see her. 00:13:54.039 --> 00:13:59.100 And I'm in trouble if the enemy drops a little 00:13:59.100 --> 00:14:01.879 something in my spirit and robs me of that kind 00:14:01.879 --> 00:14:05.120 of compassion. I'm in trouble when I can't see 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:08.240 people anymore because it's one thing that the 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:11.740 enemy dropped into my spirit and my spirit started 00:14:11.740 --> 00:14:14.580 to go dark. I started to get to it. That's what 00:14:14.580 --> 00:14:17.039 happened to these guys. That's how it works with 00:14:17.039 --> 00:14:19.500 you. That's how it works with me. One drop of 00:14:19.500 --> 00:14:24.320 jealousy jacks all of you up. One smidge of smug 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:27.240 pride in your life will harden all of you, not 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:29.580 just a piece of you. A little bit of hatred, 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:32.639 and it gets disseminated, will inflame every 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:36.860 ounce of your being. It will inflame it. It is 00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:40.899 the little thing. And Proverbs 4 .23 says this. 00:14:41.370 --> 00:14:44.950 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines 00:14:44.950 --> 00:14:48.750 the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk. 00:14:48.970 --> 00:14:51.909 Stay away from corrupt speech. Look ahead and 00:14:51.909 --> 00:14:54.909 fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out 00:14:54.909 --> 00:14:58.190 a straight path for your feet. Stay on a safe 00:14:58.190 --> 00:15:02.149 path. Don't get sidetracked. Get your feet, right? 00:15:02.250 --> 00:15:07.429 Keep your feet from following evil. He starts 00:15:07.429 --> 00:15:10.899 off with guard your heart. Guard your heart from 00:15:10.899 --> 00:15:14.899 the little things that will mess you up. Avoid 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:18.500 the perverse conversation. How many of you have 00:15:18.500 --> 00:15:21.299 ever got into a conversation and by the end of 00:15:21.299 --> 00:15:23.580 it, you knew it was perverse? I'm not saying 00:15:23.580 --> 00:15:26.500 perverted, perverse. You get into a conversation 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:29.299 and it just goes south, right? It ends up into 00:15:29.299 --> 00:15:32.279 gossip. It ends up into this, you know, just... 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:35.139 You know, somehow you started off right here. 00:15:35.259 --> 00:15:36.899 And by the end of the conversation, you talked 00:15:36.899 --> 00:15:39.799 about everybody in a negative way. You just run 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:42.200 everybody into the ground. And he starts to head 00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:45.980 into a perverse direction. And it begins to get 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:48.559 within you. You don't walk away refreshed. You 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:51.120 don't walk away, you know, better in the kingdom 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:53.919 of God. You're just angry when you walk away. 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:56.080 And I'm not talking about truth. I'm talking 00:15:56.080 --> 00:15:59.419 about perverse things. It says, man, avoid the 00:15:59.419 --> 00:16:01.799 perverse conversation. The word of God says, 00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:04.960 look straight. ahead. Sometimes glancing at the 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:08.259 little thing for too long is going to mess you 00:16:08.259 --> 00:16:11.559 up. It's going to get in your spirit. You got 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:13.480 to think about what you're looking at. You got 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:15.600 to think about where your eyes are fixed on. 00:16:15.740 --> 00:16:18.340 Look straight ahead. It seems like, and I'm not 00:16:18.340 --> 00:16:20.659 telling you to be paranoid. I don't ever believe 00:16:20.659 --> 00:16:22.639 in that. I don't believe, paranoid is fear, fear 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.840 -based thing. God never calls us to be fearful, 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:28.000 right? But we should think about what we're looking 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:29.820 at. When we look at the little thing that we 00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:32.279 know can mess us up, you need to turn your eyes 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:34.559 and get away. We need to be intentional. Say 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:37.559 intentional. That's way different from paranoid. 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:40.340 You need to be intentional. The word of God says, 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:43.960 mark out a straight path. Figure out ahead of 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:47.299 time if you're going to walk near the little 00:16:47.299 --> 00:16:50.960 thing that's going to mess up your lump. Figure 00:16:50.960 --> 00:16:55.820 it out ahead of time. Map it out. GPS your life 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:58.659 before you start walking down a path of life. 00:16:59.319 --> 00:17:01.399 Most of the time when we're walking through life 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:04.200 and we're just taking it as it comes, right? 00:17:04.339 --> 00:17:06.619 We didn't think about where we're going. We didn't 00:17:06.619 --> 00:17:08.460 think about what we're going to look at. We didn't 00:17:08.460 --> 00:17:10.160 think about what we're going to say, what we're 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:11.839 going to do, all the little things that can come 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:13.720 in and affect me. We're just going to cruise 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:16.099 and thank you, Jesus. We'll just hit it as we 00:17:16.099 --> 00:17:19.099 go. Sometimes you need to map it out. How many 00:17:19.099 --> 00:17:22.059 know if you don't map it out, you get lost? Amen. 00:17:22.650 --> 00:17:24.369 Come on. There wasn't one man in the house raised 00:17:24.369 --> 00:17:28.589 his hand. Not one. Right? It's you two guys. 00:17:28.809 --> 00:17:32.549 All right? If you don't map it out, think about 00:17:32.549 --> 00:17:34.569 what you're going to say. Think about what you're 00:17:34.569 --> 00:17:36.349 going to look at. Think about the environment 00:17:36.349 --> 00:17:38.849 you're walking into and what it's going to mean 00:17:38.849 --> 00:17:42.829 to you. Map that thing out. And the last part 00:17:42.829 --> 00:17:44.410 of that scripture said, don't get sidetracked 00:17:44.410 --> 00:17:47.690 with the little things. If Satan cannot take 00:17:47.690 --> 00:17:50.109 you down with a frontal assault, do you know 00:17:50.109 --> 00:17:52.890 what he'll do? He'll get you sidetracked with 00:17:52.890 --> 00:17:56.089 the little things. He'll get you messed up in 00:17:56.089 --> 00:17:58.210 the little things, and the enemy will take out 00:17:58.210 --> 00:18:02.710 your feet. You're the lump. I hate to break it 00:18:02.710 --> 00:18:05.849 to you today. And it's the little thing that'll 00:18:05.849 --> 00:18:10.289 take you out, lumpy. I'm the lump. It's the little 00:18:10.289 --> 00:18:14.170 thing that's going to take me out. God has always... 00:18:14.619 --> 00:18:16.799 been serious about removing the leaven from the 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:18.940 lumps, the little thing. You can go back to the 00:18:18.940 --> 00:18:21.980 book of Exodus. In Exodus 12, verse 14, it says, 00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:25.799 So this shall be to you a memorial, and you shall 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:27.759 keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:30.119 generations. You shall keep it as a feast, as 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:33.369 of an everlasting ordinance. Seven days you shall 00:18:33.369 --> 00:18:35.970 eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you shall 00:18:35.970 --> 00:18:38.470 remove the leaven from your houses. For whoever 00:18:38.470 --> 00:18:41.069 eats leavened bread from the first day until 00:18:41.069 --> 00:18:43.309 the seventh day, that person shall be cut off 00:18:43.309 --> 00:18:45.130 from Israel. How many know that's pretty serious, 00:18:45.210 --> 00:18:47.210 right? That's what the word of God says. On the 00:18:47.210 --> 00:18:48.970 first day, there will be a holy convocation. 00:18:49.190 --> 00:18:51.670 On the seventh day, there shall be a holy convocation 00:18:51.670 --> 00:18:54.150 for you. No manner of work shall be done on them, 00:18:54.230 --> 00:18:57.170 but that which everyone must eat and only may 00:18:57.170 --> 00:18:59.829 be prepared for you. So you shall observe the 00:18:59.829 --> 00:19:02.940 feast of unleavened bread. This feast actually 00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:06.400 crossed over with Passover. They happened almost 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:09.400 simultaneously. For on the same day, I will have 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:11.779 brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. 00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:13.859 Therefore you shall observe that day throughout 00:19:13.859 --> 00:19:16.539 your generations for an everlasting ordinance. 00:19:16.779 --> 00:19:19.859 God gives an ordinance to Israel. This is back 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:22.480 in the Old Testament. back when he brought him 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:24.440 out of slavery. And he tells him, I want you 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:26.859 to observe seven days where you don't eat any 00:19:26.859 --> 00:19:29.019 bread that has leaven in it. You're going to 00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:30.500 take out all the leaven. It's going to be all 00:19:30.500 --> 00:19:32.920 flatbread, right? It's going to be matzah is 00:19:32.920 --> 00:19:35.759 what the terminology is used. It'll be matzah. 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:37.819 And you want to do, and I want you to do this 00:19:37.819 --> 00:19:39.900 for a couple of reasons. God said, I want you 00:19:39.900 --> 00:19:41.880 to do this because first of all, I want you to 00:19:41.880 --> 00:19:44.809 remember that I brought you out of slavery. When 00:19:44.809 --> 00:19:48.650 Israel had to leave and flee from Egypt, it was 00:19:48.650 --> 00:19:51.170 such a quick thing that took place, they didn't 00:19:51.170 --> 00:19:53.630 even have time to put leaven in the bread and 00:19:53.630 --> 00:19:57.630 let it rise. They needed to bake on the fly because 00:19:57.630 --> 00:19:59.890 they were leaving slavery. They were getting 00:19:59.890 --> 00:20:04.210 out. Secondly, the Bible says that yeast is like 00:20:04.210 --> 00:20:08.029 leaven, or leaven is yeast, and it causes fermentation 00:20:08.029 --> 00:20:10.710 and spreads rapidly throughout the bunch. Because 00:20:10.710 --> 00:20:12.890 of this, it is frequently used to illustrate 00:20:12.890 --> 00:20:17.299 sin. sin or malice. God was saying, get all this 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:20.039 sin. It was symbolic, right? Every year they 00:20:20.039 --> 00:20:22.519 would have the feast of unleavened bread. Get 00:20:22.519 --> 00:20:25.380 all the yeast out of the house. How many know 00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:28.440 this is the temple of the Lord? Get all the yeast 00:20:28.440 --> 00:20:31.819 out of the house, right? Get it out of your food. 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:36.680 And third, It was looked at as purity. When they 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:38.720 set up the temple, they would bring unleavened 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:41.880 bread in as a representation of purity and sin 00:20:41.880 --> 00:20:45.299 that was removed. God has always been serious 00:20:45.299 --> 00:20:49.930 about the little thing that we let in. Remove 00:20:49.930 --> 00:20:52.569 the little thing that will rot your soul. Remove 00:20:52.569 --> 00:20:55.930 the little thing that will shift your gaze right 00:20:55.930 --> 00:20:58.829 from Jesus to something else. Remove the little 00:20:58.829 --> 00:21:01.609 thing that will pull on your heart. Remove the 00:21:01.609 --> 00:21:04.950 little thing that will change your lump. Not 00:21:04.950 --> 00:21:10.490 for the better. Come on, amen? Remove the little 00:21:10.490 --> 00:21:14.309 thing. Now you might be thinking, Pastor, you've 00:21:14.309 --> 00:21:19.279 hit that pretty hard. Okay, we get it. But how 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:22.519 do I do that? How do I keep the little thing 00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:25.339 out of my lump? What's that look like? How do 00:21:25.339 --> 00:21:27.940 I keep the leaven out of my lump? How do I keep 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:31.079 the little things that can mess up my life, that 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:34.180 can mess up all of me? Well, Jesus said it in 00:21:34.180 --> 00:21:35.519 the passage that I read. I'm going to reread 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:38.819 Luke 13, 18. He says, then he said, what is the 00:21:38.819 --> 00:21:41.220 kingdom of God like? And what shall I compare 00:21:41.220 --> 00:21:44.390 it to? It's like a mustard seed. which a man 00:21:44.390 --> 00:21:46.109 took and put in his garden and it grew and it 00:21:46.109 --> 00:21:48.250 became a large tree and the birds of the air 00:21:48.250 --> 00:21:51.289 nested in its branches. You want to keep the 00:21:51.289 --> 00:21:55.690 lump pure? You want to keep it right? This process 00:21:55.690 --> 00:21:58.309 works both ways. Be careful what you're putting 00:21:58.309 --> 00:22:01.029 in, right? Keep the sin out. But the other side 00:22:01.029 --> 00:22:03.650 of this is put in the mustard seed of heaven. 00:22:03.789 --> 00:22:07.049 Put in the mustard seed of God, and it'll produce 00:22:07.049 --> 00:22:09.670 the right things in your spirit and in your heart. 00:22:09.769 --> 00:22:13.509 It works both ways, right? It flips both ways. 00:22:13.589 --> 00:22:17.670 If you add a little heaven instead of yeast to 00:22:17.670 --> 00:22:21.230 the lump, You're gonna produce trees of righteousness. 00:22:21.529 --> 00:22:26.289 It works both directions. If I can give you a 00:22:26.289 --> 00:22:28.750 picture of what I'm talking about here and maybe 00:22:28.750 --> 00:22:31.890 how to see this, you're either gonna add a little 00:22:31.890 --> 00:22:35.029 bit of heaven into your life and into your heart, 00:22:35.109 --> 00:22:37.789 or you're gonna add a little bit of hell to your 00:22:37.789 --> 00:22:40.549 lump, okay? It's gonna be a little bit of heaven 00:22:40.549 --> 00:22:43.390 or it's gonna be a little bit of hell, whatever 00:22:43.390 --> 00:22:46.769 you're bringing in, one of the two. When I was 00:22:46.769 --> 00:22:49.420 growing up, They preached a lot about heaven 00:22:49.420 --> 00:22:51.900 and hell in church, actually on a regular basis. 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:54.559 I heard one person say they attended a Catholic 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:58.720 school, and one of the nuns taught on heaven 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:01.619 and hell like she lived there, okay? And I think 00:23:01.619 --> 00:23:05.000 they were referring to hell, all right? Heaven's 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.700 a real place. It really is. It's where God dwells. 00:23:07.819 --> 00:23:10.779 And hell is a real place as well. These are not 00:23:10.779 --> 00:23:13.319 metaphoric destinations that it talks about in 00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:16.180 scripture, right? These are real locations. These 00:23:16.180 --> 00:23:17.960 are things that we have to consider after this 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:21.400 life. And why did they preach on heaven and hell 00:23:21.400 --> 00:23:23.920 so often when I was a kid? Because they realized 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:26.160 that all of life is a heaven and hell issue. 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:28.900 I don't know if you realize it, but at the end 00:23:28.900 --> 00:23:31.990 of all this. Everything we got going on, when 00:23:31.990 --> 00:23:34.549 you draw your last breath, there's one or two 00:23:34.549 --> 00:23:37.130 destinations you're going to land in. One's either 00:23:37.130 --> 00:23:39.809 going to be heaven or the other is hell. And 00:23:39.809 --> 00:23:41.470 this time that we're spending on this earth, 00:23:41.549 --> 00:23:45.109 whether God gives you 50, 60, 70, 30, 80 years, 00:23:45.250 --> 00:23:48.109 whatever it is, 90 years, is infinitesimal compared 00:23:48.109 --> 00:23:50.009 to all of eternity. It's going to look like a 00:23:50.009 --> 00:23:52.950 small dot. And the rest is a heaven and hell 00:23:52.950 --> 00:23:57.210 thing, right? So every time you're going to look 00:23:57.210 --> 00:23:58.930 at the little thing that's going to come into 00:23:58.930 --> 00:24:02.450 your lump, you need to ask yourself, is this 00:24:02.450 --> 00:24:05.509 a little heaven thing coming in? Or is this a 00:24:05.509 --> 00:24:08.490 little bit of hell coming into my life? I know 00:24:08.490 --> 00:24:10.809 that sounds terribly simple, but it's terribly 00:24:10.809 --> 00:24:14.869 clear, right? It's effective in filtering out. 00:24:15.349 --> 00:24:19.410 What am I letting in? You know, what am I planting 00:24:19.410 --> 00:24:23.480 into my life? What is this turning me towards? 00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:26.099 Is this turning me towards life and light and 00:24:26.099 --> 00:24:28.700 Christ? Or is this leading me towards torment 00:24:28.700 --> 00:24:34.319 and the father of all lies? Right? We like to 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:37.940 play in the gray. We like to think it's not that 00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:41.019 black and white. But at the end of all of it, 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:44.279 it really is that black and white. There's no 00:24:44.279 --> 00:24:47.880 final destination of gray out ahead of us. You're 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:50.059 not going to die one day, draw your last breath, 00:24:50.140 --> 00:24:52.200 and land on some fence that's somewhere in the 00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:54.460 middle of heaven and hell. Not going to happen, 00:24:54.559 --> 00:24:56.500 right? There's not a gray fence out there you're 00:24:56.500 --> 00:24:58.240 going to land on like, hope I fall on the right 00:24:58.240 --> 00:25:02.779 side. Hope this all works out. It's two distinct 00:25:02.779 --> 00:25:06.380 destinations. And it's the little thing that 00:25:06.380 --> 00:25:08.039 we let into our life that's either going to be 00:25:08.039 --> 00:25:10.299 a pro -heaven thing or the little thing that 00:25:10.299 --> 00:25:11.700 we're going to let into our life that's a pro 00:25:11.700 --> 00:25:15.420 -hell thing or vice versa, one of the two. It's 00:25:15.420 --> 00:25:18.259 a filter. It's a way to filter what's coming 00:25:18.259 --> 00:25:22.119 in. Filters are screens. that are given to us 00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:23.880 to sort things out. If you're going to filter 00:25:23.880 --> 00:25:26.859 something, right? If you got a colander or a 00:25:26.859 --> 00:25:28.819 filter that you use in the kitchen, you pour 00:25:28.819 --> 00:25:30.380 stuff through and you want the good stuff to 00:25:30.380 --> 00:25:32.500 go through and you get all the junk or vice versa, 00:25:32.619 --> 00:25:35.240 right? You either filter out, if it gets macaroni, 00:25:35.240 --> 00:25:37.680 you pour it in and you wash out all the impurities 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:40.740 that go out the bottom, all the macaroni sludge, 00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:42.579 I call it, will go out the bottom and then you 00:25:42.579 --> 00:25:45.019 got the macaroni or vice versa. You might want 00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:47.059 to filter out the garbage and let the liquid 00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:49.759 go through. So you just use the liquid, but there's 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:51.950 a filter. that takes place. They do the same 00:25:51.950 --> 00:25:55.269 thing in car engines. You get your oil changed, 00:25:55.430 --> 00:25:57.589 and you go get your filter changed, and in that 00:25:57.589 --> 00:25:59.950 filter, what happens is it takes out all the 00:25:59.950 --> 00:26:03.109 contaminants in your oil, right? Anything that's 00:26:03.109 --> 00:26:05.549 going to cause destruction to your engine so 00:26:05.549 --> 00:26:07.289 you don't come back to the dealer and you got 00:26:07.289 --> 00:26:10.269 a $6 ,000 repair, all right? Are there any mechanics 00:26:10.269 --> 00:26:11.730 in the house that are going to look at it? Come 00:26:11.730 --> 00:26:13.829 on, bring it on, right? Phil, I see you back 00:26:13.829 --> 00:26:18.009 there, brother. All right? You know, and it'll 00:26:18.009 --> 00:26:21.819 wreak havoc. But the filter also lets the oil 00:26:21.819 --> 00:26:26.000 through. And the oil is what keeps your engine 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:28.380 running. You know, I looked this up just a little 00:26:28.380 --> 00:26:31.980 bit, and I was going to try to impress you. There's 00:26:31.980 --> 00:26:33.720 this thing in oil that actually goes through 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:35.319 the filter. It's part of the oil. It's called 00:26:35.319 --> 00:26:39.140 ZDDP. Put that name up on the board. Can anybody 00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:43.420 pronounce that for me? Thank God. I couldn't 00:26:43.420 --> 00:26:48.349 either, okay? It is the primary anti -wear additive 00:26:48.349 --> 00:26:51.130 in motor oil. It chemically bonds to the metal 00:26:51.130 --> 00:26:53.690 surfaces under high pressure, creating a microscopic 00:26:53.690 --> 00:26:57.410 sacrificial layer that prevents metal -to -metal 00:26:57.410 --> 00:27:01.140 friction. It's the little thing that keeps your 00:27:01.140 --> 00:27:03.859 engine running like a kitten, man, just purring 00:27:03.859 --> 00:27:07.160 down the road. It's the heaven that you, when 00:27:07.160 --> 00:27:09.000 you're driving in your car, gets you to where 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:11.599 you need to go. It's the little bit of heaven 00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:13.759 that gets through the filter, right? And all 00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:17.559 the junk gets filtered out. It's really, that's 00:27:17.559 --> 00:27:20.160 what we're talking about here. Let me take you 00:27:20.160 --> 00:27:22.259 to Matthew's account of what Jesus said. Because 00:27:22.259 --> 00:27:25.240 Jesus actually, right, the gospels or synoptic 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:28.079 gospels all wrote these things down. A lot of 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:30.680 the things the same that Jesus spoke. But there's 00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:32.940 something in Matthew's gospel that we want to 00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:35.640 add in here. It says in Matthew 13, 31, another 00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:37.960 parable he put forth them saying, kingdom of 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:39.900 heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took 00:27:39.900 --> 00:27:42.059 and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least 00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:44.549 of all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater 00:27:44.549 --> 00:27:46.849 than all the herbs and it becomes a tree so that 00:27:46.849 --> 00:27:48.809 the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. 00:27:49.329 --> 00:27:51.950 Another parable he spoke to him, the kingdom 00:27:51.950 --> 00:27:54.630 of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took 00:27:54.630 --> 00:27:57.269 and hid in three measures of meal till it was 00:27:57.269 --> 00:28:00.069 all leavened. All these things Jesus spoke to 00:28:00.069 --> 00:28:01.930 the multitude in parables and without a parable, 00:28:01.950 --> 00:28:04.730 he did not speak to them. They might be fulfilled 00:28:04.730 --> 00:28:08.430 what she's spoken to the prophet saying. I will 00:28:08.430 --> 00:28:12.009 open my mouth in parables. Now catch this. I 00:28:12.009 --> 00:28:15.349 will utter things kept secret from the foundation 00:28:15.349 --> 00:28:19.450 of the world. When you read these parables of 00:28:19.450 --> 00:28:23.490 Jesus, there are secrets in them that are kept 00:28:23.490 --> 00:28:27.690 from the foundation of the world. Jesus was telling 00:28:27.690 --> 00:28:30.970 a secret when he told these parables. It's the 00:28:30.970 --> 00:28:34.230 little things that'll get you. It is the little 00:28:34.230 --> 00:28:37.789 things, right? The little hellish thing that 00:28:37.789 --> 00:28:42.829 will infect the entire lump. It is the tiniest 00:28:42.829 --> 00:28:47.470 heavenly seed that will produce growth and strength 00:28:47.470 --> 00:28:53.930 and power and godliness in your life. Be militant, 00:28:53.930 --> 00:28:57.990 militant about the things, the little things 00:28:57.990 --> 00:29:02.009 that come into your lump. Be militant. Be militant 00:29:02.009 --> 00:29:04.789 as you look at things. Be militant as you scroll 00:29:04.789 --> 00:29:08.279 social media. I don't know if you know this or 00:29:08.279 --> 00:29:10.500 not, but I read this this week. When you scroll 00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:14.099 social media, right? We all do it, right? We 00:29:14.099 --> 00:29:17.700 just stare at our phones, right? The glow. Or 00:29:17.700 --> 00:29:19.140 if you're really good, you just do it with your 00:29:19.140 --> 00:29:21.400 thumb and look out of one eye. Pretend you're 00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:23.779 listening to somebody. But I don't know if you 00:29:23.779 --> 00:29:26.259 know this or not, but your brain has the capability. 00:29:26.579 --> 00:29:30.920 In 10 to 15 milliseconds, you can pick up images. 00:29:32.199 --> 00:29:35.039 Okay? MIT studied this. They actually came up 00:29:35.039 --> 00:29:38.700 with the number 13. So in 13 thousandths of a 00:29:38.700 --> 00:29:42.440 second, your mind can see an image, process it, 00:29:42.500 --> 00:29:46.160 and internalize that image. In 13 thousandths 00:29:46.160 --> 00:29:48.299 of a second. So I want you to do something, just 00:29:48.299 --> 00:29:50.700 so you get a little hold on this, about the little 00:29:50.700 --> 00:29:52.619 things that come into your life. I want you to 00:29:52.619 --> 00:29:57.339 say this with me. 1 ,001. Ready? 1 ,001. That 00:29:57.339 --> 00:30:01.849 was one second. Say it again. 1 ,001. Over seven 00:30:01.849 --> 00:30:05.690 images in that amount of time, you can process 00:30:05.690 --> 00:30:10.470 in your brain the little thing. Seven images 00:30:10.470 --> 00:30:15.109 while you're scrolling. In 1 ,001, actually a 00:30:15.109 --> 00:30:18.230 little more than seven, your brain will process. 00:30:18.839 --> 00:30:23.279 We are bombarded with little things. It's either 00:30:23.279 --> 00:30:24.960 going to be yeast or it's going to be heavenly 00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:27.500 seed. And I know I've been on social media a 00:30:27.500 --> 00:30:29.119 lot of times. There's a lot of yeast on there, 00:30:29.180 --> 00:30:31.079 man. All right? There's a lot of sinful stuff 00:30:31.079 --> 00:30:32.380 on there. And you're saying, are you against 00:30:32.380 --> 00:30:34.160 social media? No, I'm saying you need to pay 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:35.920 attention to all the little things that are coming 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:37.940 into your head. You've got to pay attention to 00:30:37.940 --> 00:30:39.920 what you're processing. You've got to be intentional 00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:42.279 in what you're looking at, right? Worship team, 00:30:42.359 --> 00:30:46.470 if you'd come. I love this quote by Bruce Barton. 00:30:46.490 --> 00:30:50.009 Bruce Barton was a politician way from the past, 00:30:50.029 --> 00:30:52.730 but he said this. Sometimes when I consider what 00:30:52.730 --> 00:30:54.930 tremendous consequences come from little things, 00:30:55.069 --> 00:30:58.430 I'm tempted to think there are no little things. 00:30:59.349 --> 00:31:03.789 All right? The men that Jesus called hypocrites 00:31:03.789 --> 00:31:06.650 ignored the little things that crept into their 00:31:06.650 --> 00:31:10.109 spirit. They were left with no compassion. They 00:31:10.109 --> 00:31:12.509 were left with no joy for healing, no empathy, 00:31:12.650 --> 00:31:16.190 no recognition of God's handiwork and what God 00:31:16.190 --> 00:31:19.950 was doing. What will you leave with this morning? 00:31:20.430 --> 00:31:25.710 What have the little things done to you? I believe, 00:31:25.809 --> 00:31:27.589 I'm a big believer in this. I'm a big believer 00:31:27.589 --> 00:31:30.809 that the gospel should have handlebars. And let 00:31:30.809 --> 00:31:33.470 me explain that. You should be able to grab a 00:31:33.470 --> 00:31:37.170 hold of it and ride whatever you hear. It should 00:31:37.170 --> 00:31:40.839 work in your life, amen? the gospel. And this 00:31:40.839 --> 00:31:44.859 morning, I want to really give you some practical 00:31:44.859 --> 00:31:48.240 steps that you can take with you. And if you're 00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:49.960 taking notes, just keep taking notes yet. We're 00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:51.599 getting ready to close, but you need to hear 00:31:51.599 --> 00:31:54.059 what I'm saying. What are some practical steps 00:31:54.059 --> 00:31:56.259 to make sure that I got the right little things 00:31:56.259 --> 00:31:59.180 coming in and not the wrong things? First of 00:31:59.180 --> 00:32:00.900 all, I got to ask myself the question and be 00:32:00.900 --> 00:32:02.799 honest, is this a little bit of heaven or is 00:32:02.799 --> 00:32:04.440 this a little bit of hell? And the little thing 00:32:04.440 --> 00:32:07.119 that's coming towards me or I'm walking towards. 00:32:07.939 --> 00:32:10.480 Don't fool yourself. Do not lie to yourself, 00:32:10.700 --> 00:32:14.000 right? Pornography is a bit of hell. Be honest. 00:32:14.339 --> 00:32:16.000 If you've got a problem and you're struggling 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:18.099 with pornography, go find somebody that can help 00:32:18.099 --> 00:32:20.420 you walk out of that. Help you with that addiction 00:32:20.420 --> 00:32:23.039 because it will eat you up. It will consume you, 00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:26.380 right? Gossip, social media, toxic relationships, 00:32:26.799 --> 00:32:29.259 you know, these are things. You've got to start 00:32:29.259 --> 00:32:31.099 being honest with yourself. These are these little 00:32:31.099 --> 00:32:33.180 things in my life. Are these good or are they 00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:36.900 not good? Or are we planting seeds of heaven? 00:32:37.390 --> 00:32:40.910 right? Bible study, groups, man, church, Christian 00:32:40.910 --> 00:32:44.069 friends, anywhere you can. You're hearing worship 00:32:44.069 --> 00:32:46.269 music, a little bit of heaven getting dropped 00:32:46.269 --> 00:32:49.509 in your spirit. Be militant. That's number one. 00:32:50.109 --> 00:32:52.630 Ask yourself the question. Number two is this. 00:32:52.910 --> 00:32:55.609 Consult the one who's an expert in picking out 00:32:55.609 --> 00:32:57.430 the little bit of heaven and hell in our lives. 00:32:58.230 --> 00:33:00.190 You want to wade through what you think is the 00:33:00.190 --> 00:33:02.450 gray? You need to get the Holy Spirit involved. 00:33:02.829 --> 00:33:06.029 We are not experts at picking out the little 00:33:06.029 --> 00:33:07.569 thing. I don't know if you know that or not. 00:33:07.750 --> 00:33:10.190 John 14, 25 says, these things I have spoken 00:33:10.190 --> 00:33:12.470 to you while being present with you, but the 00:33:12.470 --> 00:33:14.190 helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will 00:33:14.190 --> 00:33:17.430 send in my name, he will teach you all things 00:33:17.430 --> 00:33:20.210 and bring to your remembrance all things that 00:33:20.210 --> 00:33:23.630 I said to you. Peace I leave with you, my peace 00:33:23.630 --> 00:33:26.009 I give to you, not as the world gives, but what 00:33:26.009 --> 00:33:32.069 I give to you. Holy Spirit is the helper. We're 00:33:32.069 --> 00:33:34.710 not always so good. at picking out what is heaven 00:33:34.710 --> 00:33:37.170 and hell in our lives, right? Young people, I 00:33:37.170 --> 00:33:39.210 want you to hear me. I want you to listen to 00:33:39.210 --> 00:33:41.730 me right now. That guy or that girl standing 00:33:41.730 --> 00:33:44.130 in front of you that you think you want to date 00:33:44.130 --> 00:33:47.950 could be a little bit of heaven, could be a little 00:33:47.950 --> 00:33:51.589 bit of, I think you get the point by now. Right? 00:33:53.069 --> 00:33:56.490 We can't see the future. I cannot look into somebody's 00:33:56.490 --> 00:33:59.230 heart, neither can you. You might think you know 00:33:59.230 --> 00:34:02.630 their heart. You need the Holy Spirit active 00:34:02.630 --> 00:34:05.029 in your life. You need to be walking in the Spirit 00:34:05.029 --> 00:34:06.990 so you don't fulfill the lust of the flesh. That's 00:34:06.990 --> 00:34:09.349 what the Word of God says. You need to walk. 00:34:09.469 --> 00:34:11.769 You got to have the Holy Spirit listening. You 00:34:11.769 --> 00:34:13.730 got to be listening for His voice. You got to 00:34:13.730 --> 00:34:17.170 be calling on God so that you can, so He'll tell 00:34:17.170 --> 00:34:20.289 you. Man, there's the written Word of God and 00:34:20.289 --> 00:34:22.389 then there's the revelated Word of God that's 00:34:22.389 --> 00:34:24.630 going to come into your life. And He'll let you 00:34:24.630 --> 00:34:27.030 know. He'll teach us. The Word of God says He'll 00:34:27.030 --> 00:34:31.179 teach you all things. Revelation. He'll teach 00:34:31.179 --> 00:34:34.000 it to you. It's practical step number two. Do 00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:37.880 not do this on your own. You will fail. Don't 00:34:37.880 --> 00:34:40.860 do it on your own. And then the third one. You've 00:34:40.860 --> 00:34:42.579 been wondering all service, what's this for over 00:34:42.579 --> 00:34:48.380 here, right? Third one. And the final one. Worship 00:34:48.380 --> 00:34:52.460 team, you can begin to play. Third one. Put a 00:34:52.460 --> 00:34:59.050 little more of that in there. The blood of Christ. 00:35:00.550 --> 00:35:02.969 1 John 1 .5 says, this is the message which we 00:35:02.969 --> 00:35:04.550 have heard from him and declare to you that God 00:35:04.550 --> 00:35:07.170 is light and in him is no darkness at all. If 00:35:07.170 --> 00:35:10.210 we say we have fellowship with him and walk in 00:35:10.210 --> 00:35:12.030 darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 00:35:12.829 --> 00:35:15.150 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the 00:35:15.150 --> 00:35:18.309 light, we have fellowship with one another and 00:35:18.309 --> 00:35:21.710 the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses 00:35:21.710 --> 00:35:26.329 us from all sin. We need to apply the blood of 00:35:26.329 --> 00:35:31.659 Christ. to the little things in our lives. The 00:35:31.659 --> 00:35:34.599 little things that are messed up, right? I learned 00:35:34.599 --> 00:35:38.880 a long time ago, I cannot clean myself up. That 00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:40.659 is above my pay grade. I don't know if you know, 00:35:40.739 --> 00:35:43.739 it's above your pay grade. I cannot clean myself 00:35:43.739 --> 00:35:47.599 up. I can't do it. The little thing that's messed 00:35:47.599 --> 00:35:49.860 up, the little thing that's down there hidden 00:35:49.860 --> 00:35:51.760 somewhere, and I think it's not affecting the 00:35:51.760 --> 00:35:56.980 whole, and it really is, I need him. And it is 00:35:56.980 --> 00:36:01.119 the blood of Christ that washes us clean. It 00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:03.739 is only the blood of Christ that will remove 00:36:03.739 --> 00:36:07.280 it from your life. You will gravitate back. You 00:36:07.280 --> 00:36:11.019 will want to slide back and grab a hold of. You 00:36:11.019 --> 00:36:13.860 need the blood of Christ. You need the Holy Spirit. 00:36:13.940 --> 00:36:17.420 And you need to tell yourself the truth about 00:36:17.420 --> 00:36:21.940 the little things. Because the enemy will mess 00:36:21.940 --> 00:36:29.239 you up with the little things. We all see an 00:36:29.239 --> 00:36:32.260 attack coming, right? If somebody ran in through 00:36:32.260 --> 00:36:34.619 those back doors right now and they were carrying 00:36:34.619 --> 00:36:36.659 a machete and they were running and screaming 00:36:36.659 --> 00:36:38.840 down the aisle, I would be running that way, 00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:41.300 okay? Because they're probably coming for me. 00:36:42.199 --> 00:36:46.340 I can see that. But it's the word that somebody 00:36:46.340 --> 00:36:49.500 speaks when they walk by you that you either 00:36:49.500 --> 00:36:53.219 bring it into your soul and your spirit or you 00:36:53.219 --> 00:36:57.380 reject it. They can lodge in there and change 00:36:57.380 --> 00:36:59.880 everything. Amen? It's true. Church, if you'd 00:36:59.880 --> 00:37:04.699 stand. So I'm going to put the last slide up 00:37:04.699 --> 00:37:10.539 there. Ask yourself. Ask yourself. The little 00:37:10.539 --> 00:37:12.239 things. Is this a little heaven coming into my 00:37:12.239 --> 00:37:14.219 life, or is this a little hell right in front 00:37:14.219 --> 00:37:19.480 of me? Consult Holy Spirit. Ask Him. What is 00:37:19.480 --> 00:37:22.599 this before me? What is this? It looks gray to 00:37:22.599 --> 00:37:26.280 me. I'm not sure. I don't know what it is. I'm 00:37:26.280 --> 00:37:31.519 not sure what they are. Ask them. And apply the 00:37:31.519 --> 00:37:35.360 blood of Christ on a regular basis to all the 00:37:35.360 --> 00:37:38.579 little things in your life. Get clean of the 00:37:38.579 --> 00:37:41.480 mess. And if you're struggling with that, can 00:37:41.480 --> 00:37:43.460 I tell you something, church? He brings us together 00:37:43.460 --> 00:37:46.239 in the body of Christ. We all struggle with sin. 00:37:47.280 --> 00:37:49.400 Different sins, different people, different sins. 00:37:49.820 --> 00:37:53.510 The struggle is real. Until we get rid of this 00:37:53.510 --> 00:37:55.710 flesh one day and we're in heaven with God, there's 00:37:55.710 --> 00:37:57.530 going to be struggle. If you're struggling with 00:37:57.530 --> 00:38:00.750 something, find someone, a mature believer that 00:38:00.750 --> 00:38:03.429 you can connect with and begin to help you walk 00:38:03.429 --> 00:38:07.909 through that. You can get free. You don't have 00:38:07.909 --> 00:38:11.110 to bow to the little thing that keeps getting 00:38:11.110 --> 00:38:15.030 you over and over again. You don't. Otherwise, 00:38:15.190 --> 00:38:17.010 the blood of Christ wouldn't be effective, right? 00:38:17.369 --> 00:38:21.309 But I'm telling you, it is. You can get free. 00:38:22.199 --> 00:38:27.619 You can get free. You can get clean. So here's 00:38:27.619 --> 00:38:28.579 what we're going to do. We haven't done this 00:38:28.579 --> 00:38:31.420 in a while. And if you're new, just stand real 00:38:31.420 --> 00:38:33.440 still and keep your head down and pretend nothing 00:38:33.440 --> 00:38:36.940 else is going on. But I want you to get in little 00:38:36.940 --> 00:38:39.519 groups and begin to pray. And here's why. Because 00:38:39.519 --> 00:38:42.460 all of us deal with the little thing. All of 00:38:42.460 --> 00:38:44.739 us got those little things, right? So what you 00:38:44.739 --> 00:38:46.300 do, just find a couple people you might know, 00:38:46.380 --> 00:38:48.119 you might not know. I'm not going to ask you 00:38:48.119 --> 00:38:49.400 to do anything weird. We're just going to pray 00:38:49.400 --> 00:38:51.570 together. Go ahead and just get in a circle right 00:38:51.570 --> 00:38:55.409 now. Circle up somewhere. It can be a square 00:38:55.409 --> 00:39:10.949 or circle. And I want you, I just want you to 00:39:10.949 --> 00:39:14.130 pray for one another. We all need to be aware. 00:39:14.710 --> 00:39:17.690 Of the little thing. We all need to be vigilant 00:39:17.690 --> 00:39:19.289 about the little things. So I just want you to 00:39:19.289 --> 00:39:21.329 begin. I want you to pray for now. If you want 00:39:21.329 --> 00:39:23.230 to, you can talk about the little things. You 00:39:23.230 --> 00:39:25.150 can talk about the things that get you. And then 00:39:25.150 --> 00:39:26.949 somebody can pray specifically. But however you 00:39:26.949 --> 00:39:29.030 want to do it. Maybe I guarantee you in your 00:39:29.030 --> 00:39:31.250 group somewhere, somebody's got, somebody likes 00:39:31.250 --> 00:39:32.670 to pray out loud. Just go ahead and let them 00:39:32.670 --> 00:39:35.610 do that. If you don't, that's okay. Father, we 00:39:35.610 --> 00:39:37.230 thank you. God, I thank you. God, as they pray 00:39:37.230 --> 00:39:39.369 right now, I pray that your hand would be upon 00:39:39.369 --> 00:39:41.849 them, Lord. God, and direct them in Jesus' name. 00:39:41.929 --> 00:39:53.980 Come on, worship team. message from Lifehouse 00:39:53.980 --> 00:39:57.380 Church. We pray that you were impacted powerfully 00:39:57.380 --> 00:40:00.159 by this message. If you have been personally 00:40:00.159 --> 00:40:02.719 affected by our ministry and you would like to 00:40:02.719 --> 00:40:06.019 partner with us as we love God, love people every 00:40:06.019 --> 00:40:07.960 day, visit our website at