WEBVTT 00:00:02.700 --> 00:00:08.560 Father, every time we stop and think about the 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:17.019 truth of your intervention, and even in the case 00:00:17.019 --> 00:00:24.699 of our sinful lives, the unwelcomed intrusion, 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:35.119 and yet you persist and ensure that mercy touches 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:38.219 the objects of your affection. As much as we 00:00:38.219 --> 00:00:41.640 don't deserve it, as much as we fall short even 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:48.119 now, we just are amazed that your patience is 00:00:48.119 --> 00:00:56.659 ever with us. Your mercy, your goodness, your 00:00:56.659 --> 00:00:59.939 wisdom and knowledge that you know what's best 00:00:59.939 --> 00:01:07.829 for us. and our understanding that we don't. 00:01:08.489 --> 00:01:14.189 Or there's always pain in a room full of fallen 00:01:14.189 --> 00:01:18.870 sinners, much of it in my case self -inflicted. 00:01:20.629 --> 00:01:23.209 And I'm just grateful for your forgiveness and 00:01:23.209 --> 00:01:28.109 for the knowledge to know that even those wounds 00:01:28.109 --> 00:01:33.420 and those pricks If grace is discovered, they 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:38.700 can turn me to you, flinging independence and 00:01:38.700 --> 00:01:44.920 comfort. Where oftentimes I'm not comforted by 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:49.040 you because I reject it and I know what it is 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:52.780 and I shrink back from it like a wounded animal. 00:01:55.080 --> 00:01:58.260 all of us carry around a persona and a projection 00:01:58.260 --> 00:02:00.920 and then we have the real person of the hidden 00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:05.180 heart. Only your spirit through your word can 00:02:05.180 --> 00:02:07.640 reach into those places and bring transformation 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:11.099 and worship. And so we're before you with the 00:02:11.099 --> 00:02:15.219 Word of God open in our hands expecting that 00:02:15.219 --> 00:02:19.960 because of how consistent you are and how faithful 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:24.370 you are. Even when we're faithless you are and 00:02:24.370 --> 00:02:30.810 always, always as you are, good, loving, powerful, 00:02:31.909 --> 00:02:36.310 able, wise. So reach into our hearts as we study 00:02:36.310 --> 00:02:40.330 your word together, and even through the foolishness 00:02:40.330 --> 00:02:45.729 of our teaching, may you edify our hearts and 00:02:45.729 --> 00:02:48.210 bring them closer to Christ, and may you exalt 00:02:48.210 --> 00:02:51.310 him not only in our eyes, but from the light 00:02:51.310 --> 00:02:53.530 of our testimony to those who are perishing, 00:02:53.550 --> 00:02:57.250 both to the Jew, first, and also to the Gentile. 00:02:58.270 --> 00:03:00.550 We pray for your people. We pray for this sad 00:03:00.550 --> 00:03:05.349 and fallen world. We pray for the clarity of 00:03:05.349 --> 00:03:09.949 the gospel to ring forth from our pulpit. We 00:03:09.949 --> 00:03:11.949 pray that the humility, meekness, and love of 00:03:11.949 --> 00:03:13.849 Christ would be the projection of our light, 00:03:13.870 --> 00:03:16.810 but that the substance of the knowledge of the 00:03:16.810 --> 00:03:20.460 gospel and the wrath of God abiding on sinful 00:03:20.460 --> 00:03:24.259 man and what that is and what that means that 00:03:24.259 --> 00:03:26.659 we would not shrink back from declaring the whole 00:03:26.659 --> 00:03:30.120 counsel of God. So we pray these things and we 00:03:30.120 --> 00:03:35.180 trust you for tonight in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, 00:03:35.939 --> 00:03:39.520 John chapter four, first John chapter four, excuse 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:56.900 me, first John chapter four. 1 John chapter 4 00:03:56.900 --> 00:03:59.439 verse 1. I'm just going to read a little bit. 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:02.960 The more reading we do, the more edifying the 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:08.020 message will be. Beloved, do not believe every 00:04:08.020 --> 00:04:13.120 spirit, but test the spirits. Paul elsewhere 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:17.759 tells the church to test everything. There's 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:21.480 to be no rest for the discernment of the church. 00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:28.560 Eyes open, head up. Test the spirits to see whether 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:33.120 they are from God. For many false prophets have 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:36.959 gone out into the world, the understatement of 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:42.740 Scripture. By this you know the Spirit of God. 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:47.420 Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has 00:04:47.420 --> 00:04:50.279 come in the flesh is from God and every spirit 00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:53.980 that does not confess Jesus is not come from 00:04:53.980 --> 00:04:58.389 God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist which 00:04:58.389 --> 00:05:01.509 you heard was coming and now is in the world 00:05:01.509 --> 00:05:06.329 already. Every false doctrine, every false spirit, 00:05:06.670 --> 00:05:12.209 every false presentation of mock Christianity 00:05:12.209 --> 00:05:21.350 dilutes, demeans, downplays, and hopefully from 00:05:21.350 --> 00:05:26.160 their side dismisses the power of the incarnation 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:31.740 of Christ, the unexpected nature of God becoming 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:42.139 man. When a person confesses Christ, it is not 00:05:42.139 --> 00:05:46.939 merely, obviously the meaning here can't be just 00:05:46.939 --> 00:05:52.060 a mouthing. Okay, I'm real because I'll say Jesus 00:05:52.060 --> 00:05:54.040 Christ came to the flesh. It cannot mean that. 00:05:54.579 --> 00:06:00.379 This verb here, it is soulish in the sense that 00:06:00.379 --> 00:06:04.480 it is a confession from the entirety of the person 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:07.259 agreeing with the truth and the veracity of what 00:06:07.259 --> 00:06:12.160 it is confessing. Just like in Romans, when Paul 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:15.100 said you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord. 00:06:15.769 --> 00:06:19.110 You can say that, right? And it would not be 00:06:19.110 --> 00:06:23.089 that biblical confession. It would not be that 00:06:23.089 --> 00:06:27.550 affirmation of your saying, he is Lord, therefore 00:06:27.550 --> 00:06:33.329 you are not Lord. The spirit of the demon or 00:06:33.329 --> 00:06:35.949 the spirit of Antichrist won't ever do that. 00:06:36.310 --> 00:06:38.389 They believe in the same way. They have faith. 00:06:38.850 --> 00:06:41.930 It's not a saving faith. Most of them were probably 00:06:41.930 --> 00:06:45.199 there and saw the crucifixion and witnessed the 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:48.459 resurrection. And so they believe it in terms 00:06:48.459 --> 00:06:50.920 of its historical veracity, but they don't believe 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:55.160 it. So confession is the same thing. The totality 00:06:55.160 --> 00:06:58.120 of agreement with the incarnation, the purpose, 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:01.980 and the person and work of Christ. And our gospel 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:09.920 goes astray when we veer off from those simple 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:15.279 realities. The underlying warning here is not 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:18.560 only for the necessity of our discernment to 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:22.899 keep our head up and our eyes open, but as it 00:07:22.899 --> 00:07:28.379 touches the intensity and intention of the enemy 00:07:28.379 --> 00:07:33.139 himself, he doesn't rest. He roars about like 00:07:33.139 --> 00:07:35.529 a... Prowse about like a roaring lion. I always 00:07:35.529 --> 00:07:37.670 get those words mixed up. He prowls about like 00:07:37.670 --> 00:07:41.370 a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. We 00:07:41.370 --> 00:07:43.970 talked about a couple of weeks ago in our, it 00:07:43.970 --> 00:07:46.949 was actually last Sunday about children in the 00:07:46.949 --> 00:07:49.730 church who have genuine saving faith and know 00:07:49.730 --> 00:07:56.129 God and how they are just as involved in the 00:07:56.129 --> 00:08:00.620 spiritual warfare as we are. And the enemy doesn't 00:08:00.620 --> 00:08:03.259 look at a child and say, okay, well, I'll apply 00:08:03.259 --> 00:08:05.779 a different set of rules because you're a child. 00:08:06.819 --> 00:08:11.759 He's even more hungry to devour that tender child 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:17.379 in whom the love and faith of Christ rests. Little 00:08:17.379 --> 00:08:23.420 children, you are from God and have overcome 00:08:23.420 --> 00:08:26.959 them. This is one of the great verses of Scripture. 00:08:28.420 --> 00:08:31.759 For he who is in you is greater than he who is 00:08:31.759 --> 00:08:37.940 in the world." I don't feel that way a lot. And 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:40.159 so it can't have anything to do with how I feel. 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:44.179 It's a fact and a reality that if I had been 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:47.159 brought from death to life, from darkness into 00:08:47.159 --> 00:08:49.419 the light, and I'm inhabited by the Spirit of 00:08:49.419 --> 00:08:55.720 God and the person of Christ, this verse tells 00:08:55.720 --> 00:09:04.389 me that the victory and the overcomingness is 00:09:04.389 --> 00:09:09.090 present. Paul again referring to Paul he says 00:09:09.090 --> 00:09:13.549 what for sin shall not listen let's put pause 00:09:13.549 --> 00:09:17.149 here for sin shall not have dominion over you 00:09:17.149 --> 00:09:21.429 is that true in your life do you have dominion 00:09:21.429 --> 00:09:25.549 over sin Are you you stumble you follow you repent 00:09:25.549 --> 00:09:27.429 you get up you brush yourself off with the blood 00:09:27.429 --> 00:09:30.350 of Christ and you move on We all sin earlier 00:09:30.350 --> 00:09:32.370 in this book He says if you say you have no sin 00:09:32.370 --> 00:09:34.070 you lie and the truth's not in you But if you 00:09:34.070 --> 00:09:36.789 confess he's faithful and just forgive you and 00:09:36.789 --> 00:09:39.009 cleanse you of all and Christ not talking about 00:09:39.009 --> 00:09:42.330 a performance of perfection is talking about 00:09:42.330 --> 00:09:47.049 the core driving desire of your heart and the 00:09:47.049 --> 00:09:50.590 testimony of your life Are you living in victory 00:09:50.590 --> 00:09:53.470 over sin? Or have you stumbled into something 00:09:53.470 --> 00:09:56.210 that's got its tentacles around you and is pulling 00:09:56.210 --> 00:10:00.110 you under? If you have and you truly love the 00:10:00.110 --> 00:10:02.649 Lord, you need to reach out to somebody because 00:10:02.649 --> 00:10:04.929 most likely if it's gotten to that point, you're 00:10:04.929 --> 00:10:08.669 not going to get out of that by yourself. The 00:10:08.669 --> 00:10:12.690 man who isolates himself is not wise. He rages 00:10:12.690 --> 00:10:16.149 against all wise judgment. Reach out. First reach 00:10:16.149 --> 00:10:18.879 out to God, then reach out to... the godliest 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:24.759 person you know and ask for help but this verse 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:30.279 is true nonetheless and when he is in us he manifests 00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:33.100 himself in unexpected ways as far as the world 00:10:33.100 --> 00:10:35.740 the spirit of antichrist is concerned he manifests 00:10:35.740 --> 00:10:39.940 himself in weakness in meekness in humility came 00:10:39.940 --> 00:10:42.830 into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey washed 00:10:42.830 --> 00:10:45.549 the disciples feet. They tried to crown him as 00:10:45.549 --> 00:10:47.889 a king. He slipped out of their midst. He's not 00:10:47.889 --> 00:10:50.169 what you expect. He's not like what you expect. 00:10:50.190 --> 00:10:53.269 He's not like a person assuming this position 00:10:53.269 --> 00:10:56.450 of power in your life. He's antithetical to what 00:10:56.450 --> 00:11:00.629 we expect. That's why it's so important for you 00:11:00.629 --> 00:11:05.710 to experience this victory. You have to get into 00:11:05.710 --> 00:11:08.429 fellowship with him, which involves the confession 00:11:08.429 --> 00:11:10.970 of that weakness, the admittance of that need. 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:15.559 the ever -presentness of that dependence. As 00:11:15.559 --> 00:11:17.539 soon as you become self -sufficient you become 00:11:17.539 --> 00:11:20.600 like Saul and you start taking matters into your 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:27.620 own hands and you muck it all up. This life of 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:31.860 honoring Christ means living as he lived and 00:11:31.860 --> 00:11:37.779 he lived in a constant state of lowliness. Not 00:11:37.779 --> 00:11:40.580 afraid for people to see who he actually was. 00:11:41.070 --> 00:11:43.309 We're afraid of that because of the cracks in 00:11:43.309 --> 00:11:49.330 our own Yeah Right. No if you want to experience 00:11:49.330 --> 00:11:52.070 this let me just simplify this passage right 00:11:52.070 --> 00:11:55.529 here If you want to experience this victory in 00:11:55.529 --> 00:11:59.210 your life, it requires grace assisted and utter 00:11:59.210 --> 00:12:03.529 honesty and transparency on your part If you're 00:12:03.529 --> 00:12:08.590 projecting the polished performance of a successful 00:12:08.590 --> 00:12:13.080 Christian You're already out of step with what 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:17.399 he's like because he sees down deep into the 00:12:17.399 --> 00:12:21.580 crevices. And if he sees in you and what he sees 00:12:21.580 --> 00:12:23.700 in you and if you turn your head away from it 00:12:23.700 --> 00:12:25.639 because you don't like the way it looks, you 00:12:25.639 --> 00:12:30.169 can't get fixed. That victory is dependent upon 00:12:30.169 --> 00:12:32.629 walking as he walked. He didn't walk in sin, 00:12:32.669 --> 00:12:35.730 but he walked in utter humility, utter dependence, 00:12:36.029 --> 00:12:39.529 utter transparency, utter honesty, utter dependence 00:12:39.529 --> 00:12:41.730 on the Word of God. He didn't put up his dukes 00:12:41.730 --> 00:12:43.950 when Satan tempted him on the mountain. He spoke 00:12:43.950 --> 00:12:46.570 and said, what? This is what God's Word says. 00:12:47.470 --> 00:12:51.889 It's how you fight. I wonder how many of us would 00:12:51.889 --> 00:12:54.529 know exactly what passage of Scripture to refer 00:12:54.529 --> 00:12:59.309 to in that hour of temptation. You have to know 00:12:59.309 --> 00:13:01.409 what the Word of God says before you can use 00:13:01.409 --> 00:13:03.830 it the way it's intended to be used as a sword, 00:13:04.250 --> 00:13:11.350 as a weapon. But it always looks different. Spirit 00:13:11.350 --> 00:13:13.669 of Antichrist, they are from the world, therefore 00:13:13.669 --> 00:13:16.190 they speak from the world, and the world listens 00:13:16.190 --> 00:13:20.929 to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens 00:13:20.929 --> 00:13:24.110 to us. Whoever is not from God does not listen 00:13:24.110 --> 00:13:27.730 to us. by this we know the spirit there it is 00:13:27.730 --> 00:13:30.669 authenticity by this we know the spirit of truth 00:13:30.669 --> 00:13:32.929 and the spirit of error how do we know the spirit 00:13:32.929 --> 00:13:35.169 of truth is true how do we know the spirit of 00:13:35.169 --> 00:13:40.169 error it's not it's wrong it reeks of pride it 00:13:40.169 --> 00:13:45.470 reeks of self -exaltation it reeks of a temporary 00:13:45.470 --> 00:13:49.110 consequence it's the spirit of the world taught 00:13:49.110 --> 00:13:52.110 as somewhat in christian circles the spirit of 00:13:52.110 --> 00:13:55.620 the world is What real Christianity is all about 00:13:55.620 --> 00:13:58.360 is the here and now. Now Christianity does not 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:01.340 neglect the here and now, but quite frankly Christianity 00:14:01.340 --> 00:14:05.740 is about the now and the later. And it's really 00:14:05.740 --> 00:14:08.399 the whole edification process and sanctification 00:14:08.399 --> 00:14:10.860 process. If you're being sanctified, you're being 00:14:10.860 --> 00:14:13.960 progressively detached from your affection in 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:16.559 the world. the things that matter like money 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:20.340 and popularity and the people that are closest 00:14:20.340 --> 00:14:21.940 to you. It's not that they don't matter. It's 00:14:21.940 --> 00:14:25.399 not that having money is not important, but when 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:28.940 they are more important to you than what God 00:14:28.940 --> 00:14:31.940 thinks of you and your obedience to God to show 00:14:31.940 --> 00:14:35.240 your love for Christ, you're not living in victory. 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:41.580 Be honest with God. That's the message of the 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:44.919 first part of this chapter. Be honest. Be truthful. 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:48.379 If you haven't given your life to Christ, don't 00:14:48.379 --> 00:14:51.220 act like you have. Give your life to Christ. 00:14:51.419 --> 00:14:54.779 Ask Him for that grace. Ask Him for that... Don't 00:14:54.779 --> 00:14:56.419 worry about that. Just pull it out. Turn it off. 00:14:56.559 --> 00:15:00.980 We're not doing any big old deal here. If you 00:15:00.980 --> 00:15:06.019 have not given your life to Christ, if He does 00:15:06.019 --> 00:15:09.970 not sit on the throne of your heart, If your 00:15:09.970 --> 00:15:14.509 old man which you lived for you is not dead, 00:15:14.710 --> 00:15:17.029 if you did not come to Christ and come to the 00:15:17.029 --> 00:15:19.970 cross and offer your life to him and he took 00:15:19.970 --> 00:15:22.330 it, he didn't take it and clean it up, he took 00:15:22.330 --> 00:15:24.450 it and did what it deserved and he crucified 00:15:24.450 --> 00:15:28.509 it with himself. That's what repentance is. Repentance 00:15:28.509 --> 00:15:32.409 is the end of your life for yourself. The end 00:15:32.409 --> 00:15:35.710 of your life for you. And there is no sort of 00:15:35.710 --> 00:15:40.919 almost there in that. situation. It's all or 00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:44.039 nothing. Listen, you're either dead and allowed 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:45.940 in Christ or you're not and you're allowed in 00:15:45.940 --> 00:15:49.899 Adam. Salvation is not like sanctification. It's 00:15:49.899 --> 00:15:54.080 not progressive. It doesn't creep up on you. 00:15:54.299 --> 00:15:56.220 Now there are things that happen in the process 00:15:56.220 --> 00:15:58.659 of being drawn by God, convicted of sin, knowing 00:15:58.659 --> 00:16:00.700 the burden of your selfishness, seeing the effect 00:16:00.700 --> 00:16:02.940 of it in your life and those around you, seeing 00:16:02.940 --> 00:16:04.960 the end of it in the consequences of the wrath 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:08.059 of God, but at the end of that process you come 00:16:08.059 --> 00:16:13.679 to a death. That's where we've erred in our gospel 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:16.740 in modern terms. We don't call the sinner to 00:16:16.740 --> 00:16:21.480 death. That's true repentance. You're calling 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:24.139 the sinner to death. You're saying to the sinner, 00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:28.500 repentance is you turning away from a life of 00:16:28.500 --> 00:16:31.440 self -rule and self -absorption. That's what 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:34.360 true repentance is. That's why it confesses Christ 00:16:34.360 --> 00:16:37.679 as Lord because it denies you as Lord from that 00:16:37.679 --> 00:16:45.500 point forward. 1 John 4. Now if that's happened, 00:16:46.090 --> 00:16:54.210 If that's genuine and true, as the preacher, 00:16:54.529 --> 00:16:58.110 you often want to say, I really don't want to 00:16:58.110 --> 00:17:00.330 move on from that because you don't want to leave 00:17:00.330 --> 00:17:04.369 one soul behind. That's still military adage, 00:17:04.529 --> 00:17:08.730 don't leave anybody behind. You're always aware 00:17:08.730 --> 00:17:12.049 of when you're presenting such sobering and... 00:17:12.109 --> 00:17:15.009 I'm telling you there's nobody in this room probably 00:17:15.009 --> 00:17:17.230 that's more fascinated and interested in the 00:17:17.230 --> 00:17:21.190 doctrines of sanctification. I mean how to put 00:17:21.190 --> 00:17:24.190 off the old man, renew your mind, how to go into 00:17:24.190 --> 00:17:27.130 the scriptures and dig out that issue and sort 00:17:27.130 --> 00:17:28.990 it out in terms of your obedience and what you 00:17:28.990 --> 00:17:31.109 have to change in your life, how you draw into 00:17:31.109 --> 00:17:33.549 the local church body for that comfort and fellowship 00:17:33.549 --> 00:17:35.990 around you, how that's so important, how the 00:17:35.990 --> 00:17:39.970 light of the church is pushed out as the body 00:17:39.970 --> 00:17:43.670 and membership goes into one another. I'm totally, 00:17:43.910 --> 00:17:49.470 I'm like, I'm down with that. But I'm telling 00:17:49.470 --> 00:17:53.369 you, getting out of this world intact in one 00:17:53.369 --> 00:17:56.690 sense is more important than that. You follow 00:17:56.690 --> 00:18:00.490 what I'm saying is, if you absorb a whole bunch 00:18:00.490 --> 00:18:02.789 of doctrine about sanctification and you miss 00:18:02.789 --> 00:18:06.609 the most important thing, which was your life 00:18:06.609 --> 00:18:10.750 being hidden with Christ and God? What good is 00:18:10.750 --> 00:18:19.470 sanctification to you then? Salvation is the 00:18:19.470 --> 00:18:21.809 harbinger of everything that comes after it, 00:18:22.109 --> 00:18:24.769 and what we do in the professing church is we 00:18:24.769 --> 00:18:28.730 move into sanctification very quickly. We just 00:18:28.730 --> 00:18:31.759 assume Because people are around and they're 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:33.680 saying certain things and they're acting a certain 00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:41.380 way we assume Salvation is present I'm telling 00:18:41.380 --> 00:18:43.559 you I've been doing this a long time I've been 00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:46.759 talking to a lot of people for a long time and 00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:49.599 a Great majority of the time that I'm dealing 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:51.720 with people with struggles and issues in their 00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:54.160 life It's because they have not really given 00:18:54.160 --> 00:19:00.349 their life to Christ They say Lord Lord Well, 00:19:00.450 --> 00:19:04.769 it's not true. And so examine yourself to see 00:19:04.769 --> 00:19:08.349 if you be in the faith, or has this spirit of 00:19:08.349 --> 00:19:12.069 antichrist and the subtlety of presenting you 00:19:12.069 --> 00:19:14.089 with the possibility of putting one foot in the 00:19:14.089 --> 00:19:15.990 world and one foot in the church, has it got 00:19:15.990 --> 00:19:18.670 you and got you satisfied and complacent? But 00:19:18.670 --> 00:19:22.349 you're okay. Don't leave here tonight until you've 00:19:22.349 --> 00:19:30.799 sort that. But if you have, beloved, Let us love 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:36.200 one another. For love is from God. And whoever 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:40.440 loves has been born of God and knows God. And 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:43.400 anyone who does not love does not know God because 00:19:43.400 --> 00:19:51.440 God is love. You see what he's doing there? He's 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:56.259 basically saying the same thing. True love is 00:19:56.259 --> 00:20:01.029 the absent absence of self -concern. True love 00:20:01.029 --> 00:20:04.650 is the obsession with the other person for their 00:20:04.650 --> 00:20:08.990 good and benefit and it requires you to reject 00:20:08.990 --> 00:20:15.910 any piece of the pie. True love is the utter 00:20:15.910 --> 00:20:18.289 death to self. It's the same thing. It's the 00:20:18.289 --> 00:20:21.210 same cross. When you properly love someone else, 00:20:21.309 --> 00:20:23.509 there's a death involved, there's a pain involved, 00:20:23.809 --> 00:20:25.890 there's a sacrifice involved, there's an action 00:20:25.890 --> 00:20:28.569 involved, and normally our human emotions are 00:20:28.569 --> 00:20:31.509 not in concert with that. Maybe a lot of us, 00:20:31.549 --> 00:20:35.029 some of us, a few of us, maybe when we were getting 00:20:35.029 --> 00:20:37.730 ready at home and driving over, maybe we didn't 00:20:37.730 --> 00:20:40.779 want to be here. That's an emotional predilection. 00:20:40.859 --> 00:20:44.500 That's an emotional feeling. That's something 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:47.259 that you put to death and you go ahead and you 00:20:47.259 --> 00:20:49.579 come anyway. You don't think about how you feel. 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:52.240 In fact, oftentimes when you go against your 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:54.900 feelings, the sacrifice is greater and the honor 00:20:54.900 --> 00:20:58.359 to Christ is more glorifying. Because you were 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:00.299 presented with the temptation of doing what you 00:21:00.299 --> 00:21:02.339 wanted to do and you did what God wanted you 00:21:02.339 --> 00:21:06.539 to do and you showed up. That was love to God. 00:21:06.779 --> 00:21:09.200 That was love to you. That was love to you. That 00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:11.720 was love to me. That was love all around. And 00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:13.700 if you don't love like that, if that's not the 00:21:13.700 --> 00:21:17.039 driving force of your life, go back and examine 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:20.859 your salvation. But listen to this. God puts 00:21:20.859 --> 00:21:25.420 that Spirit by Christ and His Holy Spirit into 00:21:25.420 --> 00:21:30.880 every regenerate heart. It's there. It resonates 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:33.359 with, that's what the whole book of 1st John 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:36.900 is basically saying that a Christian is a new 00:21:36.900 --> 00:21:40.039 creation and he's utterly opposite from and different 00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:45.180 to that which he was. Right? And what this is 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:47.819 also saying by implication is that no one in 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:50.960 the world, listen to this, shout this from the 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:53.579 housetops, all you hear about is love, love, 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:55.920 love in the world. Nobody in the world knows 00:21:55.920 --> 00:22:00.019 what love is. Because they're still living for 00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:03.380 themselves and you can't know what love is until 00:22:03.380 --> 00:22:08.279 you die and you're raised with Christ. How do 00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:10.619 we know God loved us? That's what he's gonna 00:22:10.619 --> 00:22:14.500 say. This is love that God sent his only Son 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:18.559 into the world. He died. That's what love is. 00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:21.380 Love is sacrifice. Love is giving yourself up 00:22:21.380 --> 00:22:23.859 for the other person. Love is putting your emotions 00:22:23.859 --> 00:22:26.119 on the cross and doing what is right because 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:28.059 it is right and you want to do it and you find 00:22:28.059 --> 00:22:30.539 the grace and you beg God for the grace to do 00:22:30.539 --> 00:22:32.980 what is right and it's not just now and it's 00:22:32.980 --> 00:22:37.779 not just tonight. It's forever. That desire is 00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:40.240 seeded in your heart and it will only grow if 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:43.420 you cultivate it. Don't kill it with neglect. 00:22:44.590 --> 00:22:54.309 Don't kill it with neglect. For this is love. 00:22:54.390 --> 00:22:59.309 It was manifest among us that God sent His only 00:22:59.309 --> 00:23:02.049 Son into the world so that we might live through 00:23:02.049 --> 00:23:06.509 Him. In this is love. Not that we love God, but 00:23:06.509 --> 00:23:10.650 that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation 00:23:10.650 --> 00:23:14.859 for our sins. We can only love Him. and I can 00:23:14.859 --> 00:23:18.700 only love you and you can only love one another 00:23:18.700 --> 00:23:26.519 because God loved you enough to kill you. Right? 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:31.440 I mean that's so well illustrated. Abraham loved 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:34.400 Isaac beyond anyone's ability to comprehend it 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:36.759 because he was willing to show his love for God 00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:40.960 is superior to his affection for Isaac and he 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:46.579 had to be stopped. Well, God's hand was not stayed 00:23:46.579 --> 00:23:51.799 and that's how much he loved you. Imagine him 00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:54.099 asking you to do that with your most beloved 00:23:54.099 --> 00:23:58.680 person and him not stopping and saying, now I 00:23:58.680 --> 00:24:04.019 know that you fear me. It was proven to the point 00:24:04.019 --> 00:24:09.210 of bloodshed. Everything that is related to love 00:24:09.210 --> 00:24:11.210 in the Bible, everything that is related to love 00:24:11.210 --> 00:24:12.950 in the universe and everything that is related 00:24:12.950 --> 00:24:14.970 to love in your life will involve the cross. 00:24:14.990 --> 00:24:18.930 It will involve sacrifice. It will involve bloodshed. 00:24:19.089 --> 00:24:24.710 Maybe not literal, maybe literal. In my personal 00:24:24.710 --> 00:24:26.369 opinion, you can take this out of the tape if 00:24:26.369 --> 00:24:29.089 you want to tape. People in here don't even know 00:24:29.089 --> 00:24:35.470 what a tape is. We're heading that way. We're 00:24:35.470 --> 00:24:41.559 heading that way. We are ahead for a time where 00:24:41.559 --> 00:24:44.579 your loyalty to Christ may cost you your life. 00:24:44.779 --> 00:24:47.079 And it is that way in most parts of the world. 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:53.940 Why are we so special that we wouldn't? Love 00:24:53.940 --> 00:24:58.900 is pain. Anybody who tells you anything different 00:24:58.900 --> 00:25:02.980 is selling something. That's a quote from a movie. 00:25:07.590 --> 00:25:12.650 Beloved. If God so loved us, we also ought to 00:25:12.650 --> 00:25:15.410 love one another. That's verse 11. Now, think 00:25:15.410 --> 00:25:19.150 about it. Basically, he's asking a little from 00:25:19.150 --> 00:25:22.730 a lot. In other words, your life is hidden with 00:25:22.730 --> 00:25:25.150 Christ in God. Your eternal destiny is secure. 00:25:26.580 --> 00:25:29.220 performance of grace is perfectly provisioned 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:31.480 in the Word of God. You have everything you need. 00:25:31.700 --> 00:25:33.619 God will bring the circumstances into your life 00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:36.579 that will bring fruit from it, even against your 00:25:36.579 --> 00:25:39.640 will at times, most of the time. He's perfectly 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:43.519 surrounded you and inhabited you with the total 00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:47.559 sufficiency of Himself, and He did all of that 00:25:47.559 --> 00:25:50.160 because He was willing to endure the torture 00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:55.240 and murder of His beloved Son. Now he's asking 00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:57.380 you to love somebody else who's not perfect like 00:25:57.380 --> 00:26:02.680 you. But we chafed at that. We compare ourselves 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:04.940 to one another. We don't like this person, or 00:26:04.940 --> 00:26:06.779 we don't like that group, or we don't like that 00:26:06.779 --> 00:26:09.720 person, or whatever the case may be. And that's 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:12.079 too much for me, Lord. Wait a minute, you don't 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:17.420 understand this verse. What if God took that 00:26:17.420 --> 00:26:21.849 tact with you? where he based his affection toward 00:26:21.849 --> 00:26:24.950 you and his sacrifice for you on your performance 00:26:24.950 --> 00:26:28.869 and your worthiness. You in trouble. Yes, you 00:26:28.869 --> 00:26:36.849 are. Big trouble. But he didn't. For if God so 00:26:36.849 --> 00:26:40.849 loved us... First part of the message, be honest. 00:26:40.930 --> 00:26:43.630 Stop beating around the bush. Face your heart, 00:26:43.690 --> 00:26:46.609 face your God, be honest. If you're still alive 00:26:46.609 --> 00:26:48.890 in Adam and you're still on the throne and you're 00:26:48.890 --> 00:26:51.650 secretly and subtly calling the shots, repent. 00:26:51.710 --> 00:26:53.930 Come down from the throne and submit yourself 00:26:53.930 --> 00:26:56.130 to the cross of Christ, where you can mercifully 00:26:56.130 --> 00:26:58.309 die and actually be born and bear some fruit 00:26:58.309 --> 00:27:05.369 and usefulness in this life. Secondly, from that 00:27:05.369 --> 00:27:08.049 point forward, you're just simply being asked 00:27:08.049 --> 00:27:12.779 to imitate that pattern in your own life. And 00:27:12.779 --> 00:27:16.539 we get, listen, and the biggest thing, one of 00:27:16.539 --> 00:27:19.539 the biggest things in this culture. is we just 00:27:19.539 --> 00:27:21.460 have, and I know you've heard us a million times, 00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:24.059 but we have so much and for the most part until 00:27:24.059 --> 00:27:26.880 disease or some accident or something like that 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:29.920 comes into our life, we're just inoculated and 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:34.140 inundated with comfort and convenience and softness. 00:27:34.779 --> 00:27:38.539 Softness, comfort and convenience does not breed 00:27:38.539 --> 00:27:42.079 normally a good soldier. You have to lean into 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:45.539 the difficulties of your life and the hard relationships 00:27:45.539 --> 00:27:48.440 of your life. You have to lean purposely into 00:27:48.440 --> 00:27:51.279 them not only for the glory of Christ and for 00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:52.839 the benefit of the person that you're loving 00:27:52.839 --> 00:27:56.079 but for your own training because we are as soft 00:27:56.079 --> 00:28:08.180 as cake. That's the wrong way to put that. At 00:28:08.180 --> 00:28:11.119 the moment of crises I'm going to need great 00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:16.240 help and deliverance and mercy. to be the kind 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:22.680 of soldier that God wants me to be. No one has 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:30.200 ever seen God. You know what that means, don't 00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:32.000 you? You know the obvious implications of that. 00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:35.259 Any manifestation that any human being in the 00:28:35.259 --> 00:28:37.640 history of the world has ever seen like a burning 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:40.519 bush is some kind of manifestation of Christ. 00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:44.339 The person of Christ is the one who is to be 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:47.819 seen. No one has ever seen God at any time. No 00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:50.539 one has any clue of what the Father looks like 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:55.680 on this earth. That's a major shape, right? Which 00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:57.920 tells you, you know, the scholars try to divide 00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:01.000 up the oftenies in the Old Testament. Is it a 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:03.619 theophany or a Christophany? Well, it's always 00:29:03.619 --> 00:29:05.279 a Christophany, because if you see something, 00:29:05.319 --> 00:29:09.160 it's not the Father. Because no one has ever 00:29:09.160 --> 00:29:15.180 seen God at any time. I think that's right, but 00:29:15.180 --> 00:29:19.299 if we love one another, this verse says He is 00:29:19.299 --> 00:29:22.259 seen. How is He seen? Because others see Christ 00:29:22.259 --> 00:29:25.019 in us. That's how He's, it's the same pattern. 00:29:25.079 --> 00:29:27.339 It's just like the Old Testament. If somebody 00:29:27.339 --> 00:29:30.380 sees something of redeeming value in your life, 00:29:30.680 --> 00:29:33.680 God has enabled you to get out of the way and 00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:36.460 He has put Christ in their vision. And it always 00:29:36.460 --> 00:29:42.410 looks like humility and patience. Kindness. Let 00:29:42.410 --> 00:29:49.950 me say it. Overcoming evil with good. You know, 00:29:50.190 --> 00:29:52.369 that's what children do. Children overcome evil 00:29:52.369 --> 00:29:57.410 with evil. Adults know to overcome evil with 00:29:57.410 --> 00:30:01.430 good. When I was a child, I thought like a child, 00:30:01.529 --> 00:30:04.630 I reasoned like a child. But when I became a 00:30:04.630 --> 00:30:09.750 man, I put away childish things. That means when 00:30:09.750 --> 00:30:14.109 you are faced with evil, you know that the mature 00:30:14.109 --> 00:30:17.309 thing, when that person flips you the bird, cuts 00:30:17.309 --> 00:30:21.089 you off in traffic, or whatever, you know that 00:30:21.089 --> 00:30:24.869 to respond in like manner and overcome evil with 00:30:24.869 --> 00:30:30.589 evil, you are being childish. That's immaturity 00:30:30.589 --> 00:30:38.839 personified. Let me be clear. I've been a child 00:30:38.839 --> 00:30:44.160 as a man on many occasions, right? But if we 00:30:44.160 --> 00:30:46.500 don't put the standard out there, and my wife 00:30:46.500 --> 00:30:49.299 talks about this all the time, and not all the 00:30:49.299 --> 00:30:51.359 time, but enough to where I've tried to learn 00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:54.160 it from her. And I think I'll pass this on to 00:30:54.160 --> 00:30:56.279 y 'all. What we do in regard to principles of 00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:59.079 our faith, we kind of want to pull the standard 00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:02.559 down where we can reach it naturally. Let the 00:31:02.559 --> 00:31:07.869 standard stay where it is, and you, You're never 00:31:07.869 --> 00:31:10.390 gonna be able to reach it, but if you stretch 00:31:10.390 --> 00:31:12.609 everything you've got, you know that great analogy 00:31:12.609 --> 00:31:16.130 where if two men race to the end of the pier 00:31:16.130 --> 00:31:18.910 to see which one can jump from the end of the 00:31:18.910 --> 00:31:26.130 pier to Ireland? Well, that's irrelevant. One 00:31:26.130 --> 00:31:28.049 of them might go three feet further off the end 00:31:28.049 --> 00:31:30.210 of the pier. Nobody's gaining on Ireland. Well, 00:31:30.210 --> 00:31:33.289 that's the standard of God's word. But suddenly 00:31:33.289 --> 00:31:35.769 in grace and by the spirit of the miraculous 00:31:35.769 --> 00:31:38.710 presence of Christ in your life if you see overcoming 00:31:38.710 --> 00:31:40.890 evil with good and the standard of the law is 00:31:40.890 --> 00:31:43.089 holy and righteous and good and you want to meet 00:31:43.089 --> 00:31:45.269 it because of what Christ did for you you run 00:31:45.269 --> 00:31:47.690 and jump off that pier and you expect to fall 00:31:47.690 --> 00:31:50.930 like you normally would but all of a sudden Whoa, 00:31:51.009 --> 00:31:54.009 what's happening here? I'm on my way to Ireland 00:31:54.009 --> 00:31:58.769 You know what happened when that actually happened 00:31:58.769 --> 00:32:03.299 in a kind of a literal sense when Peter saw the 00:32:03.299 --> 00:32:06.559 Lord out on the water he was like oh I responded 00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:09.920 he told me to come I come and he starts and he's 00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:12.799 walking on water right he is walking on water 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:15.839 just imagine he's putting his foot down on h2o 00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:18.019 and it's not sinking and then he heard the howl 00:32:18.019 --> 00:32:20.000 of the wind and he looked around he saw the waves 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.180 and he took his eyes off the Lord and natural 00:32:24.180 --> 00:32:29.539 law took over just reach for the standard jump 00:32:29.539 --> 00:32:34.690 just jump man It's an adventure. I mean, you're 00:32:34.690 --> 00:32:39.450 gonna die anyway. Right? You're gonna die? I'm 00:32:39.450 --> 00:32:45.349 gonna die? I'm saying, Lord, I'll take that dying 00:32:45.349 --> 00:32:47.950 in my sleep deal, you know? But that, you're 00:32:47.950 --> 00:32:53.230 nobody. Hardly anybody gets that. Death is usually 00:32:53.230 --> 00:32:55.769 messy and painful, even more so if you have to 00:32:55.769 --> 00:33:01.529 live through old age. It's just death. It's a 00:33:01.529 --> 00:33:04.569 brief, it's a brief, you're here just like for 00:33:04.569 --> 00:33:06.809 this little bit. I don't care if you're 30 something, 00:33:06.910 --> 00:33:09.589 20 something or in your teens, the amount of 00:33:09.589 --> 00:33:12.750 time you got left is like that opposite comparison 00:33:12.750 --> 00:33:14.990 of the end of that period of Ireland. And no 00:33:14.990 --> 00:33:19.309 matter how long it is, it's that far. And you're 00:33:19.309 --> 00:33:23.029 gonna be standing before your creator, giving 00:33:23.029 --> 00:33:28.660 an answer for the deeds done in the body. What's 00:33:28.660 --> 00:33:38.019 it gonna be? Man, this may be the most verses 00:33:38.019 --> 00:33:41.079 I've ever given you. By this we know that we 00:33:41.079 --> 00:33:45.980 abide in Him. Live a supernatural life. Be honest 00:33:45.980 --> 00:33:50.160 about your soul and then live a supernatural 00:33:50.160 --> 00:33:56.299 life. That means give yourself away. Give yourself 00:33:56.299 --> 00:33:58.779 away entirely. Stop holding on to your life in 00:33:58.779 --> 00:34:01.119 this world, or some vestige of it, or something 00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:03.119 you hope to get out of it, and just let it go. 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:04.960 You know, we always talk about the difference 00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:09.059 between a dime by a Chinese water torture and 00:34:09.059 --> 00:34:11.079 a guillotine. What would you rather have? Just 00:34:11.079 --> 00:34:18.139 get it over with. Just get it over with. That 00:34:18.139 --> 00:34:21.579 waterboarding thing, man. Whoa. You know it does, 00:34:21.719 --> 00:34:24.219 right? It gives you the sensation that you're 00:34:24.219 --> 00:34:26.920 drowning. but you can't drown because you're 00:34:26.920 --> 00:34:31.340 getting air. It's rough. Who wants to die? And 00:34:31.340 --> 00:34:33.460 if you water towards somebody long enough, it'll 00:34:33.460 --> 00:34:37.139 probably kill them. That's the licensed U .S. 00:34:37.260 --> 00:34:40.099 method of torture. That's what we can do. And 00:34:40.099 --> 00:34:42.480 really, like, there's lots of things more merciful 00:34:42.480 --> 00:34:45.599 than that. Give me that guillotine. Just go ahead 00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:48.179 and, you know, I always say the barbed wire fence, 00:34:48.199 --> 00:34:51.139 you know, don't mess around with it. Just pick 00:34:51.139 --> 00:34:55.360 it up. Bail the barbed wire. There's probably 00:34:55.360 --> 00:34:58.000 something in your life, some relationship, some 00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:03.219 sin, some habit, some something that does not 00:35:03.219 --> 00:35:07.119 belong to Christ. That's what you need to focus 00:35:07.119 --> 00:35:13.380 on right now. By this we know that we abided 00:35:13.380 --> 00:35:17.599 Him because He has given us His Spirit, and we 00:35:17.599 --> 00:35:20.739 have seen and testify that the Father has sent 00:35:20.739 --> 00:35:24.800 His Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever 00:35:24.800 --> 00:35:27.000 confesses, back to that idea again, that Jesus 00:35:27.000 --> 00:35:29.760 is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in 00:35:29.760 --> 00:35:33.559 God, so we have now come to know and to believe 00:35:33.559 --> 00:35:37.420 the love that God has for us. That's the proof 00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:45.840 of it. God is love. I mean, think if he were 00:35:45.840 --> 00:35:50.099 anything else or not all of that. We'd be in 00:35:50.099 --> 00:35:57.039 some serious trouble. But he is totally love. 00:35:58.420 --> 00:36:01.000 Whatever the depth and mystery of love is in 00:36:01.000 --> 00:36:04.380 terms of giving oneself away, that's what and 00:36:04.380 --> 00:36:08.440 who God is. That's what you lean into in the 00:36:08.440 --> 00:36:11.980 dark. You know what's best, Lord. I don't comprehend 00:36:11.980 --> 00:36:14.719 this. I don't understand this. I don't understand 00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:16.880 how I'm going to cope with this pain, this loss, 00:36:17.039 --> 00:36:19.159 this grief, this difficulty, whatever it is. 00:36:19.159 --> 00:36:21.739 We've all been there in those moments where we 00:36:21.739 --> 00:36:24.119 feel like our faith is non -existent and we almost 00:36:24.119 --> 00:36:27.119 feel like lost people again because of our unbelief. 00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:30.820 Well that's when you reach out the most. That's 00:36:30.820 --> 00:36:33.599 when, that's when the faith is, that's when, 00:36:33.780 --> 00:36:36.860 if you've been born of God, it will be there. 00:36:38.179 --> 00:36:41.099 I can't tell you how many times I've gone into 00:36:41.099 --> 00:36:44.679 so many different situations I've said to myself 00:36:44.679 --> 00:36:47.340 in my heart. I do not have what it takes for 00:36:47.340 --> 00:36:52.500 this right here. I Have never not been met by 00:36:52.500 --> 00:36:58.000 God ever Ever and I mean I have said I'm not 00:36:58.000 --> 00:36:59.880 I mean, I've even said, you know, I'm not doing 00:36:59.880 --> 00:37:07.300 it I'm not doing this. I Can't do this Greater 00:37:07.300 --> 00:37:13.340 is he who's in you He walks with me He's with 00:37:13.340 --> 00:37:16.500 me. He never will leave me. And I'll just say, 00:37:16.519 --> 00:37:19.400 Lord, what this means in this situation right 00:37:19.400 --> 00:37:23.420 here is you just got to reach in and do something 00:37:23.420 --> 00:37:26.719 that I just can't even conceive of. And He always 00:37:26.719 --> 00:37:30.519 does. That's the kind of life He's inviting you 00:37:30.519 --> 00:37:35.000 to. Instead of this life of waffling and unbelief 00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:38.699 and inconsistency and really how cruel that is, 00:37:38.800 --> 00:37:41.039 not only to yourself but to those around you, 00:37:41.159 --> 00:37:43.639 procrastination, spiritually speaking, is like 00:37:43.639 --> 00:37:47.539 the most miserable condition to live in. When 00:37:47.539 --> 00:37:49.760 you know God would have you do something, say 00:37:49.760 --> 00:37:51.579 something, or be something to somebody else or 00:37:51.579 --> 00:37:55.739 in a situation, and you procrastinate, I know 00:37:55.739 --> 00:37:57.519 that if you belong to the Lord, he brings some 00:37:57.519 --> 00:37:59.559 serious chastisement into that, and usually it's 00:37:59.559 --> 00:38:03.679 in the form of misery. And it's not pleasant. 00:38:07.360 --> 00:38:09.559 All of the promises of God in Christ are yes 00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:12.320 and amen. He will never not be to you what He 00:38:12.320 --> 00:38:14.679 says He will be to you in the moment if you turn 00:38:14.679 --> 00:38:16.880 to Him and if you trust Him. It may not look 00:38:16.880 --> 00:38:18.960 like, sound like, and be like what you expected, 00:38:19.300 --> 00:38:21.559 but if you turn to Him in genuine faith because 00:38:21.559 --> 00:38:23.719 you love Him and you've given your life away 00:38:23.719 --> 00:38:25.960 to Him initially and you're willing to come to 00:38:25.960 --> 00:38:27.719 Him for the help that you need to do that now, 00:38:27.820 --> 00:38:35.929 He promises. He promises, no temptation has overcome 00:38:35.929 --> 00:38:39.510 you except that which is common to man, but with 00:38:39.510 --> 00:38:42.369 every temptation he will not allow that. He will 00:38:42.369 --> 00:38:46.590 provide for you a way, a way of escape, a way 00:38:46.590 --> 00:38:49.909 through. Usually in trial, difficulty, grief, 00:38:50.050 --> 00:38:52.829 and hardship the way in the situation is not 00:38:52.829 --> 00:38:58.360 around it but through it. Stop trying to go around 00:38:58.360 --> 00:39:02.440 it. Stop trying to circumvent. Because you know 00:39:02.440 --> 00:39:04.659 what happens when you get around that trial, 00:39:05.260 --> 00:39:07.559 you come out on the other side, you look up and 00:39:07.559 --> 00:39:12.420 there it is again. Go ahead and learn the lesson. 00:39:12.960 --> 00:39:16.519 At least have some variety in your life. Change 00:39:16.519 --> 00:39:19.219 up the trials. Because until you go through it 00:39:19.219 --> 00:39:22.039 with the Lord and learn from it what he has for 00:39:22.039 --> 00:39:24.599 you to learn, you're going to have to go over 00:39:24.599 --> 00:39:31.800 and over again. Shake it off, man. Go lean into 00:39:31.800 --> 00:39:35.300 that cross and pick it up. And a lot of this 00:39:35.300 --> 00:39:37.260 is predicated on the fact that we're spiritually 00:39:37.260 --> 00:39:40.260 lazy, spiritually soft. We don't spend a genuine 00:39:40.260 --> 00:39:43.199 authentic time pouring our hearts to God, out 00:39:43.199 --> 00:39:47.159 to God in prayer. We don't genuinely go to the 00:39:47.159 --> 00:39:50.019 Word of God with the eagerness and the thirst 00:39:50.019 --> 00:39:52.639 and the hunger that is necessary to get out of 00:39:52.639 --> 00:39:55.719 the Word of God what's intended. We're just soft, 00:39:56.039 --> 00:39:59.199 man. Give it to me at the drive -thru, Linda. 00:39:59.940 --> 00:40:02.940 I went through the drive -thru after church today. 00:40:04.139 --> 00:40:07.360 There were three cars in front of me, and I was 00:40:07.360 --> 00:40:11.420 there for 30 minutes. The drive -thru wasn't 00:40:11.420 --> 00:40:16.760 quick, and I was so patient. I was so cool under 00:40:16.760 --> 00:40:19.539 pressure. I was so, I was, I can use this time 00:40:19.539 --> 00:40:22.880 for the Lord. No, I was impatient, you know? 00:40:23.599 --> 00:40:28.380 I expect now. You said now, I'm gonna hold you 00:40:28.380 --> 00:40:30.519 to that. And I'm sitting there thinking, what 00:40:30.519 --> 00:40:33.179 can I say to the woman at the window to let her 00:40:33.179 --> 00:40:36.420 know that they're not living up to my standard 00:40:36.420 --> 00:40:39.539 here? And I do come here almost every Sunday. 00:40:41.260 --> 00:40:46.300 And so I got up to the window, kindly. What's 00:40:46.300 --> 00:40:47.719 going on in there? And you know what it was, 00:40:47.920 --> 00:40:50.929 it was all this door dash poop. The restaurant 00:40:50.929 --> 00:40:53.230 was empty, but I saw like a thousand door dash 00:40:53.230 --> 00:41:01.610 bags No story I get up to the window And that'll 00:41:01.610 --> 00:41:09.829 be nine dollars and 32 cents Thank you Thank 00:41:09.829 --> 00:41:13.590 you You're faced with that child now. My wife 00:41:13.590 --> 00:41:15.110 knows is she sitting there. Why are you telling 00:41:15.110 --> 00:41:16.630 them that? Why don't you tell her the thousand 00:41:16.630 --> 00:41:21.289 times you told her what you really? The one time, 00:41:21.469 --> 00:41:23.909 right? The one time I actually told her. I mean, 00:41:23.969 --> 00:41:26.909 I'm totally capable of saying, hey, what's going 00:41:26.909 --> 00:41:30.829 on in there? This is supposed to be fast food 00:41:30.829 --> 00:41:35.590 and it's not happening well enough for me versus 00:41:35.590 --> 00:41:38.550 what if that person's having a rough day and 00:41:38.550 --> 00:41:40.809 they're doing everything they possibly can to 00:41:40.809 --> 00:41:43.030 get you your food as soon as they possibly can 00:41:43.030 --> 00:41:46.230 and it's just out of their control and you're 00:41:46.230 --> 00:41:50.530 the last straw. That sends into the depths of 00:41:50.530 --> 00:41:54.550 depression and self -loathing it and and in cruel 00:41:54.550 --> 00:42:00.170 you're cruel Don't be cruel Be cruel be patient. 00:42:01.369 --> 00:42:05.050 I Didn't necessarily use the 20 minutes in between 00:42:05.050 --> 00:42:07.650 the time I thought Ten minutes had passed that 00:42:07.650 --> 00:42:10.429 I should be out of there. I didn't use it for 00:42:10.429 --> 00:42:15.699 prayer I had said it kind of just sit there and 00:42:15.699 --> 00:42:17.739 make up my mind what I was going to say when 00:42:17.739 --> 00:42:24.820 I got to that window. Man, the violence that 00:42:24.820 --> 00:42:33.019 I wanted to spew. For that, imagine some poor 00:42:33.019 --> 00:42:37.920 soul in that, this is drive -through 101, imagine 00:42:37.920 --> 00:42:43.420 that poor soul making $12 an hour, working her 00:42:43.420 --> 00:42:48.400 fingers to the bone. and some goofus doofus gulagag 00:42:48.400 --> 00:42:51.639 like me comes up and tells her she's just not 00:42:51.639 --> 00:42:56.260 living up to my standard and just crush her. 00:42:56.639 --> 00:43:02.639 We do that to each other. We do that. Don't do 00:43:02.639 --> 00:43:10.360 that. Be not like me. Thank God for my wife. 00:43:10.840 --> 00:43:12.929 She's not in the car with me all the time. She 00:43:12.929 --> 00:43:14.829 wasn't in the car with me today. I asked her 00:43:14.829 --> 00:43:19.210 to go. I would have probably failed because I 00:43:19.210 --> 00:43:24.409 would have felt her looking at me and saying 00:43:24.409 --> 00:43:25.789 things like, well, what are you going to do, 00:43:26.349 --> 00:43:31.489 Jesus? I told you that's what she calls me when 00:43:31.489 --> 00:43:35.929 I'm being the exact opposite, right? When I get 00:43:35.929 --> 00:44:05.969 called Jesus, Jesus, I... That's the strong part 00:44:05.969 --> 00:44:09.230 of that verse. Not that you're abiding in God, 00:44:09.349 --> 00:44:12.840 but that He's abiding in you. I'm kind of corny 00:44:12.840 --> 00:44:14.780 and tacky, but I really love that little picture 00:44:14.780 --> 00:44:17.300 of the footsteps in the sand because it's a perfect 00:44:17.300 --> 00:44:19.559 illustration. Where the guy complains and said, 00:44:19.579 --> 00:44:21.199 Lord, you left me. He said, no, I'm scared of 00:44:21.199 --> 00:44:24.760 you. That's great. That's a great illustration. 00:44:29.099 --> 00:44:33.340 Listen to this. There is no fear in love. That's 00:44:33.340 --> 00:44:36.670 what awaits you. if you pick up the cross, if 00:44:36.670 --> 00:44:39.150 you consider the other person more important 00:44:39.150 --> 00:44:41.489 than yourself, if you're willing to lean into 00:44:41.489 --> 00:44:43.730 the circumstances of God's choosing, because 00:44:43.730 --> 00:44:46.670 that's the situation that he wants you to please 00:44:46.670 --> 00:44:49.650 him in, and you have the confidence that your 00:44:49.650 --> 00:44:52.570 obedience is shaky, but you're all in. This is 00:44:52.570 --> 00:44:56.809 where you want to go. Do you realize the miraculous 00:44:56.809 --> 00:45:00.889 and supernatural courage that you can have? It's 00:45:00.889 --> 00:45:04.269 phenomenal. I'm the biggest coward in the world. 00:45:04.650 --> 00:45:07.110 If I'm in a situation where I'm being confronted 00:45:07.110 --> 00:45:11.949 or whatever and I've done something wrong, I'm 00:45:11.949 --> 00:45:16.250 white, a coward. In difference to the fact that 00:45:16.250 --> 00:45:18.929 when you're in the situation and in your heart's 00:45:18.929 --> 00:45:22.050 cry and prayer, God help me, I love you, I don't 00:45:22.050 --> 00:45:24.190 want to disappoint you here, please give me the 00:45:24.190 --> 00:45:26.170 scriptures that are pertinent to this situation 00:45:26.170 --> 00:45:28.829 and help me to love you in this situation that 00:45:28.829 --> 00:45:31.190 I find very difficult for myself but I know it's 00:45:31.190 --> 00:45:33.630 not difficult for you and all of a sudden this 00:45:33.679 --> 00:45:39.880 This courage that's inexplicable is there. There 00:45:39.880 --> 00:45:44.500 is, that's what that verse says, there's no fear 00:45:44.500 --> 00:45:49.480 in love. Imagine ladies not having fear about 00:45:49.480 --> 00:45:51.440 your children, about your future, about your 00:45:51.440 --> 00:45:56.820 money, about your health, about getting old. 00:45:57.539 --> 00:46:04.369 Zero fear. Don't bring the standard down. That's 00:46:04.369 --> 00:46:07.269 the standard. There's no fear in love. Perfect 00:46:07.269 --> 00:46:11.710 love casts out all fear. First his love for you, 00:46:12.110 --> 00:46:15.489 then the reciprocated love that grace gives, 00:46:15.750 --> 00:46:19.150 and your love to him. That's not a place to be 00:46:19.150 --> 00:46:22.769 afraid. That's not, let me rephrase that, that's 00:46:22.769 --> 00:46:24.650 not a place where you're going to be afraid when 00:46:24.650 --> 00:46:27.489 you're in that mindset. Greater is he who's in 00:46:27.489 --> 00:46:30.489 you than he who's in the world. My grace is sufficient 00:46:30.489 --> 00:46:33.590 for you. My power is perfected in your weakness. 00:46:34.289 --> 00:46:37.769 I'd rather boast in my infirmity and my weakness 00:46:37.769 --> 00:46:40.190 so that the power of God might rest upon me. 00:46:40.190 --> 00:46:44.469 A person who's in power is not afraid. Even if 00:46:44.469 --> 00:46:47.670 it looks like they don't fit the bill of what 00:46:47.670 --> 00:46:51.949 power is supposed to look like. But I'd rather 00:46:51.949 --> 00:46:54.889 laugh at what people think about me than be really 00:46:54.889 --> 00:47:01.170 afraid. Life is fearful. My granddad told me 00:47:01.170 --> 00:47:03.250 they were rolling him in and I'd never see him 00:47:03.250 --> 00:47:08.489 again. And he said to me, Brucey, he said, life 00:47:08.489 --> 00:47:19.369 is hard, even when it's easy. I was like, man, 00:47:19.969 --> 00:47:23.590 I'm glad I was here. Because that's true. This 00:47:23.590 --> 00:47:29.050 world is just a vortex of pressure. It's already 00:47:29.050 --> 00:47:33.130 condemned. You know that, right? Judgment has 00:47:33.130 --> 00:47:36.570 been passed. John MacArthur used to say it's 00:47:36.570 --> 00:47:43.889 disposable. It's like a diaper. It's coming to 00:47:43.889 --> 00:47:50.630 an end. I hope y 'all are getting the point. 00:47:51.949 --> 00:47:59.090 Such as it is. There is no fear in love. People 00:47:59.090 --> 00:48:00.769 used to get in arguments when we were at school 00:48:00.769 --> 00:48:05.250 about what's the put on of fear. All you got 00:48:05.250 --> 00:48:08.369 to do is just pursue the love of this passage 00:48:08.369 --> 00:48:13.230 and it'll take care of itself. They said no, 00:48:13.369 --> 00:48:19.840 the put on of fear is fate. Not in this case 00:48:19.840 --> 00:48:22.860 right here, the point that He is making is that 00:48:22.860 --> 00:48:25.900 your fear can be alleviated as you give yourself 00:48:25.900 --> 00:48:28.480 away to God and to others, no matter how painful 00:48:28.480 --> 00:48:32.400 and scary that might look. That's the way through. 00:48:32.599 --> 00:48:36.619 See that? Doesn't look like a way through. That's 00:48:36.619 --> 00:48:39.960 the way through. What is it? It's a narrow way, 00:48:40.280 --> 00:48:43.750 lit. Doesn't matter how skinny it is these turned 00:48:43.750 --> 00:48:46.929 all some was gone turned all the lights out in 00:48:46.929 --> 00:48:49.110 this room You ever seen that like in a movie 00:48:49.110 --> 00:48:53.309 theater those little reflector lights? Then right 00:48:53.309 --> 00:48:59.429 straight down the middle Do you love God or do 00:48:59.429 --> 00:49:03.110 you love you Do you love God or do you love you 00:49:03.110 --> 00:49:06.510 and I mean in a total sense who has the reins 00:49:06.510 --> 00:49:12.820 him or you? You know the other pastor at our 00:49:12.820 --> 00:49:16.739 church gave a sermon one time and he talked about 00:49:16.739 --> 00:49:21.539 how Saul started so well and he he was really 00:49:21.539 --> 00:49:23.559 humble when they went to anointing king he was 00:49:23.559 --> 00:49:27.179 hiding remember that and he was the tallest best 00:49:27.179 --> 00:49:29.960 -looking strongest dude and about a time it gets 00:49:29.960 --> 00:49:32.760 to his downfall that all that's gone to his head 00:49:32.760 --> 00:49:36.500 and and he And God has been very clear to him 00:49:36.500 --> 00:49:39.320 about what obedience and love in the situation 00:49:39.320 --> 00:49:43.360 he's in are, and he takes matters back into his 00:49:43.360 --> 00:49:46.420 own hands. That's what fear will, that's the 00:49:46.420 --> 00:49:48.780 impulse of fear right there. In your circumstance, 00:49:49.199 --> 00:49:52.320 the impulse of fear, when it grips you, is you 00:49:52.320 --> 00:49:57.039 want to take back over. You can do it better 00:49:57.039 --> 00:50:08.099 than God can. Fear has to do with punishment 00:50:08.099 --> 00:50:13.119 and whoever fears Just take this to heart Whoever 00:50:13.119 --> 00:50:16.219 fears has not been perfected in love your love 00:50:16.219 --> 00:50:19.099 is falling short if you're living a life of anxiety 00:50:19.099 --> 00:50:23.039 and fear It's not figuring out some spiritual 00:50:23.039 --> 00:50:26.019 gimmick and formula. It's not the newest and 00:50:26.019 --> 00:50:30.039 latest book It's nothing like that. It's simply 00:50:30.039 --> 00:50:32.820 you're loving you more than you're loving God, 00:50:33.159 --> 00:50:34.780 and you're loving you more than you're loving 00:50:34.780 --> 00:50:40.280 somebody else. Call me simple. That's what it 00:50:40.280 --> 00:50:43.639 is. That's, my friends, what the Word of God 00:50:43.639 --> 00:50:53.909 says. Let me read that again. has not been perfected 00:50:53.909 --> 00:50:56.530 in love. Wherever that fear shows up, it's a 00:50:56.530 --> 00:51:00.630 love problem. That's a good thing to remember, 00:51:00.690 --> 00:51:05.489 isn't it? When you're afraid, it's either a misunderstanding 00:51:05.489 --> 00:51:09.849 or a misapplication of love itself. That's why 00:51:09.849 --> 00:51:13.190 Paul in Ephesians chapter 3 verses 14 through 00:51:13.190 --> 00:51:17.530 21 basically says in that prayer, nothing else 00:51:17.530 --> 00:51:26.030 matters. This is the most important think. If 00:51:26.030 --> 00:51:30.829 anyone says I love God and hates his brother, 00:51:31.789 --> 00:51:34.469 he is a liar. And basically John is saying if 00:51:34.469 --> 00:51:37.909 you choose for yourself in any given circumstance, 00:51:38.269 --> 00:51:41.929 you hate your brother. It's like when you withhold 00:51:41.929 --> 00:51:45.050 discipline from a child, the scriptures say that 00:51:45.050 --> 00:51:48.389 you hate that child because proactive obedience 00:51:48.389 --> 00:51:54.429 has a axiom to it. Lacking it is hatred. That's 00:51:54.429 --> 00:51:56.829 what he's saying here. John's not ignorant. He 00:51:56.829 --> 00:52:01.730 knows that as soon as it's more about you and 00:52:01.730 --> 00:52:05.070 man, how can I help you? How can I serve you? 00:52:05.070 --> 00:52:07.190 What can we do for you? And then all of a sudden 00:52:07.190 --> 00:52:09.750 the cross of what that actually means comes to 00:52:09.750 --> 00:52:12.110 bear in your life and you don't really like it. 00:52:12.110 --> 00:52:16.130 And you start trying to find ways out of it because 00:52:16.130 --> 00:52:24.019 real love costs. We are always talking about 00:52:24.019 --> 00:52:26.639 what it means to be a slave of Christ and a slave 00:52:26.639 --> 00:52:31.940 to others. And then we adopted the biblical attitude 00:52:31.940 --> 00:52:35.940 and we give ourselves in slavery to someone and 00:52:35.940 --> 00:52:38.900 they actually treat us like a slave. How dare 00:52:38.900 --> 00:52:46.329 they? Isn't that true David? So true! You say, 00:52:46.369 --> 00:52:49.090 oh, this concept of slavery is so romantic and 00:52:49.090 --> 00:52:51.510 so biblical. And we were so fired up about it, 00:52:51.670 --> 00:52:54.150 it solved so many problems. Let me just be your 00:52:54.150 --> 00:52:55.989 slave. And then they say, all right, come here, 00:52:56.110 --> 00:52:58.510 do this. Whoa, hey, wait a minute. I didn't know 00:52:58.510 --> 00:53:05.530 it was going to take this so literally. That's 00:53:05.530 --> 00:53:08.639 what he went through. He was under no illusions 00:53:08.639 --> 00:53:10.719 that when he set aside the prophet as a deity 00:53:10.719 --> 00:53:12.900 in heaven and came down to become a slave your 00:53:12.900 --> 00:53:15.420 slave and a slave of all men he was he didn't 00:53:15.420 --> 00:53:17.719 think that they were going to be crowning him 00:53:17.719 --> 00:53:19.980 lord of all he knew what was happening he was 00:53:19.980 --> 00:53:24.440 very familiar with Isaiah man known that but 00:53:24.440 --> 00:53:27.019 he grew up reading Isaiah it's ironic that's 00:53:27.019 --> 00:53:31.960 the first passage we see him you know he's in 00:53:31.960 --> 00:53:36.170 the first book we see him he's He knew this. 00:53:36.369 --> 00:53:37.969 He learned this. I think he learned this. I was 00:53:37.969 --> 00:53:39.289 trying to have him know that in heaven before 00:53:39.289 --> 00:53:41.710 he came up with a sentence. He didn't even know 00:53:41.710 --> 00:53:45.329 what that was like. But I believe... Let's finish 00:53:45.329 --> 00:53:49.090 with Pastor Bruce's opinion. I believe he learned 00:53:49.090 --> 00:53:52.610 the scriptures just like you did. Sweat and blood 00:53:52.610 --> 00:53:56.670 and tears and candlelight. I believe he had to 00:53:56.670 --> 00:53:59.909 read it. He didn't get a circuit or shortcut 00:53:59.909 --> 00:54:02.929 and use his divine nature. That's the kenosis. 00:54:03.789 --> 00:54:06.750 He bailed himself from certain knowledge that 00:54:06.750 --> 00:54:10.710 the revealed word of God had and he made himself 00:54:10.710 --> 00:54:16.090 a man of the book. I believe that's a good opinion, 00:54:16.489 --> 00:54:20.210 but nonetheless, the mysteries of the incarnation 00:54:20.210 --> 00:54:26.110 shall remain closed until disclosed. He's a liar. 00:54:26.599 --> 00:54:29.739 For whoever does not love his brother whom he 00:54:29.739 --> 00:54:35.900 has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 00:54:36.619 --> 00:54:41.280 I love it when Jesus affirms our faith near the 00:54:41.280 --> 00:54:44.639 end. And he says, blessed are you. You believe 00:54:44.639 --> 00:54:47.739 because you were here and you saw it all take 00:54:47.739 --> 00:54:51.199 place. There's a sense in which we are more blessed 00:54:51.199 --> 00:54:53.500 because we didn't see it happen. We read about 00:54:53.500 --> 00:54:58.829 it and believed it. Amen. That's strong, isn't 00:54:58.829 --> 00:55:17.949 it? Really strong. That's a mural. And this commandment 00:55:17.949 --> 00:55:27.659 we have from him. Whoever loves God must also 00:55:27.659 --> 00:55:36.039 love his brother and not to step down without 00:55:36.039 --> 00:55:41.659 what my granddad said is right. It's hard. It's 00:55:41.659 --> 00:55:46.659 hard. And most of us are not under any physical 00:55:46.659 --> 00:55:50.619 pressure. I mean the things that we're dealing 00:55:50.619 --> 00:55:54.559 with in most of our lives, and I'm not dismissing 00:55:55.230 --> 00:55:57.730 your pain, and I know you're not dismissing mine. 00:55:57.789 --> 00:56:03.110 We all have our hidden darkness, don't we? So 00:56:03.110 --> 00:56:08.190 it's hard, but you have not yet resisted sin 00:56:08.190 --> 00:56:13.110 to the point of bloodshed. Go and do right. Be 00:56:13.110 --> 00:56:17.570 God's people. Father, thank you for this chapter. 00:56:19.769 --> 00:56:23.949 Have a good faithfulness. God, thank you for 00:56:23.949 --> 00:56:28.789 forgiving me, for giving us our sins. Please 00:56:28.789 --> 00:56:32.929 help us to draw near to you, to really lean into 00:56:32.929 --> 00:56:37.269 the fellowship of the saints in this body. It's 00:56:37.269 --> 00:56:40.010 not about size and numbers, it's about substance 00:56:40.010 --> 00:56:43.969 and presence, truth. And we've been given the 00:56:43.969 --> 00:56:48.309 truth. What a responsibility and privilege that 00:56:48.309 --> 00:56:52.780 is. Help us not to shrink back in our testimony. 00:56:54.639 --> 00:56:57.000 Help us to not be complacent and satisfied with 00:56:57.000 --> 00:57:00.699 where we are. Help us to be true, authentic, 00:57:00.820 --> 00:57:05.039 and honest with you. We trust you in Jesus name. 00:57:05.280 --> 00:57:05.280 Amen.