WEBVTT 00:00:06.410 --> 00:00:15.390 Proverbs chapter 3. Proverbs chapter 3. That's 00:00:15.390 --> 00:00:17.269 in the middle of your Bible, close to the middle 00:00:17.269 --> 00:00:19.510 of your Bible. If you just plop it open, you're 00:00:19.510 --> 00:00:21.449 probably going to hit the Psalms. Just keep on 00:00:21.449 --> 00:00:26.230 turning a little further. Proverbs chapter 3. 00:00:26.289 --> 00:00:29.170 A lot of good wisdom and instruction in Proverbs. 00:00:29.289 --> 00:00:32.250 We looked. A couple of weeks ago, Proverbs chapter 00:00:32.250 --> 00:00:35.710 3, verses 5 and 6, I would guess that those are 00:00:35.710 --> 00:00:39.670 probably the most popular verses in Proverbs 00:00:39.670 --> 00:00:44.049 chapter 3, but there's a lot of really good instruction 00:00:44.049 --> 00:00:47.689 here that I thought it was worth us going back 00:00:47.689 --> 00:00:51.210 and looking at a couple of more verses. We're 00:00:51.210 --> 00:00:53.729 going to just look at two verses today. Proverbs 00:00:53.729 --> 00:01:00.000 chapter 3, verses 7 and 8. You'll notice if you 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:03.659 read the first 12 verses there of Proverbs chapter 00:01:03.659 --> 00:01:09.060 3, there's kind of a common theme. Each little 00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:11.840 two -verse section there in the 12 verses kind 00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:15.019 of could stand alone by itself. Each of these 00:01:15.019 --> 00:01:17.420 little two -verse sections, verses 1 and 2, 3 00:01:17.420 --> 00:01:21.060 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, and so on, they offer 00:01:21.060 --> 00:01:23.799 a command. We'll see a command at first, and 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:26.790 then we'll see... a consequence after that. And 00:01:26.790 --> 00:01:29.510 this is good instruction for us to listen to. 00:01:29.769 --> 00:01:32.030 That should not come as a surprise to us that 00:01:32.030 --> 00:01:33.950 God's Word is good instruction, but sometimes 00:01:33.950 --> 00:01:38.250 we need to be reminded of that. So we will look 00:01:38.250 --> 00:01:40.469 at these couple of verses today. We'll read them, 00:01:40.489 --> 00:01:44.109 then we'll pray and get started. Proverbs chapter 00:01:44.109 --> 00:01:49.969 3, verses 7 and 8. Don't consider yourself to 00:01:49.969 --> 00:01:54.140 be wise. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 00:01:54.700 --> 00:01:58.340 This will be healing for your body and strengthening 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:02.180 for your bones. Let's pray. God, we thank you 00:02:02.180 --> 00:02:05.099 for these two simple verses. We thank you for 00:02:05.099 --> 00:02:07.620 these commands that you give us. And I pray, 00:02:07.739 --> 00:02:11.159 God, that we would be men and women that follow 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:14.500 these commands. But maybe, dear Lord, we are 00:02:14.500 --> 00:02:17.060 not. Maybe if we look at these words today and 00:02:17.060 --> 00:02:20.229 think about these words. And pray over them today. 00:02:20.750 --> 00:02:24.150 Maybe we do not follow this command. So dear 00:02:24.150 --> 00:02:27.789 Lord, I pray that you would help us to examine 00:02:27.789 --> 00:02:31.409 ourselves today. Maybe we came into this room 00:02:31.409 --> 00:02:34.849 wise in our own eyes. And that's not a good place 00:02:34.849 --> 00:02:37.129 for us to be, dear Lord. But sometimes we get 00:02:37.129 --> 00:02:39.830 there. And I pray that you help us to be made 00:02:39.830 --> 00:02:43.509 aware of that, God. So God, I pray that in these 00:02:43.509 --> 00:02:45.370 next few minutes that your Holy Spirit would 00:02:45.370 --> 00:02:47.849 be among us. I pray that you would take away 00:02:47.849 --> 00:02:50.610 any fear or pride that's within me today, that 00:02:50.610 --> 00:02:52.650 I may faithfully preach and teach your word. 00:02:52.689 --> 00:02:56.590 Let your Holy Spirit speak to us through these 00:02:56.590 --> 00:02:59.270 words, dear Lord, and let your word have an impact 00:02:59.270 --> 00:03:02.370 in our hearts today. In Jesus' name I pray it. 00:03:02.810 --> 00:03:08.310 Amen. Now, the Bible is certainly full of verses. 00:03:09.129 --> 00:03:11.250 that if people would follow them, they would 00:03:11.250 --> 00:03:13.650 change the world. There are many verses in there 00:03:13.650 --> 00:03:16.229 that are life -changing, that are world -changing. 00:03:16.830 --> 00:03:19.169 And this is one of those verses that I would 00:03:19.169 --> 00:03:22.270 put on a list. If I were making a list of verses 00:03:22.270 --> 00:03:26.050 that would change our world, I would put this 00:03:26.050 --> 00:03:28.349 verse on the list. Now, I don't know about the 00:03:28.349 --> 00:03:31.530 rest of you guys, but I believe our world needs 00:03:31.530 --> 00:03:33.969 to be changed because I don't think our world 00:03:33.969 --> 00:03:37.469 is too good. I don't think killing in the streets 00:03:37.469 --> 00:03:40.590 and killing in other countries and wars and fighting 00:03:40.590 --> 00:03:43.569 and feuding and people hating each other and 00:03:43.569 --> 00:03:46.490 lying and cheating and stealing and being greedy 00:03:46.490 --> 00:03:49.830 and cheating on your spouse and all these things 00:03:49.830 --> 00:03:52.729 that we see running rampant in our world today. 00:03:52.909 --> 00:03:56.490 I don't think these things are good. I think 00:03:56.490 --> 00:03:58.789 our world would be much better off if it was... 00:03:59.069 --> 00:04:01.349 if it was different, if we did the opposites 00:04:01.349 --> 00:04:03.490 of those things, if we told the truth, and if 00:04:03.490 --> 00:04:05.969 we were men and women of honor and integrity, 00:04:06.370 --> 00:04:09.830 if we weren't greedy but we were giving, if we 00:04:09.830 --> 00:04:13.250 loved our neighbor as ourselves, if we cherished 00:04:13.250 --> 00:04:16.310 our husbands and wives, if we changed from the 00:04:16.310 --> 00:04:19.730 way that we so often see in our world, our world 00:04:19.730 --> 00:04:22.470 would be a much better place. And I think that 00:04:22.470 --> 00:04:26.199 this verse... It's a good verse for us to consider 00:04:26.199 --> 00:04:30.060 today because maybe, just maybe, there are some 00:04:30.060 --> 00:04:33.100 things in our life that need to change. Now, 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:35.079 it's easy for us to sit here and say, boy, the 00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:39.180 world needs to change. Well, we may not can change 00:04:39.180 --> 00:04:43.779 the world, but you can start working on yourself. 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:47.339 Now, it's going to take the help of God for any 00:04:47.339 --> 00:04:50.180 true change to come in your heart. That's going 00:04:50.180 --> 00:04:53.579 to come from the Lord, but you do have some say 00:04:53.579 --> 00:04:56.540 in your life and whether you're going to seek 00:04:56.540 --> 00:04:58.439 the Lord and whether you're going to allow him 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:01.720 to make that change. And maybe there are not 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:05.139 just some problems in the world around you. Maybe 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:08.860 you are the problem in some way. Maybe some of 00:05:08.860 --> 00:05:11.879 your problems stem from your own heart and your 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:16.180 own attitude and your own sinfulness. What does 00:05:16.180 --> 00:05:20.819 the scripture say? Do not consider yourself to 00:05:20.819 --> 00:05:23.600 be wise. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:26.740 Now, I think that verse right there is a good 00:05:26.740 --> 00:05:32.660 verse. Do not consider yourself to be wise. Do 00:05:32.660 --> 00:05:36.720 we ever do that? Do we ever consider ourselves 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:40.579 to be wise? What does that mean? It means that 00:05:40.579 --> 00:05:42.459 you think you know it all, that you've got it 00:05:42.459 --> 00:05:46.100 figured out. That you're doing everything right, 00:05:46.220 --> 00:05:48.199 that you're good, that you're fine, that your 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:50.600 way is the right way and that everybody else's 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:53.360 way is wrong. And you don't need to listen to 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:56.699 what anybody else says because you are wise in 00:05:56.699 --> 00:06:00.439 your own eyes. You have determined that you know 00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:05.399 everything. And we really begin to see this type 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:08.079 of wisdom flourish in a person when they turn 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:11.839 about 13. That's when that type of wisdom really 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:15.220 begins to flourish. And some of, well, all of 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:17.220 you in here just about have experienced that 00:06:17.220 --> 00:06:19.459 time. Some of you are in the midst of your greatest 00:06:19.459 --> 00:06:22.980 wisdom ever, or so you think. Now, I remember 00:06:22.980 --> 00:06:27.560 when I was first getting into the ministry, Brother 00:06:27.560 --> 00:06:29.579 Ernie was so good and he was so humble and he 00:06:29.579 --> 00:06:31.759 was so wise, but I was still young enough that 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:34.060 I failed to realize that. And there were a lot 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:36.620 of things that I thought, man, he's just, he's 00:06:36.620 --> 00:06:39.189 old -fashioned. I just, there's a... there's 00:06:39.189 --> 00:06:40.629 some better way I'd have done that different. 00:06:40.829 --> 00:06:43.009 Because I was 30, so I pretty much at that point 00:06:43.009 --> 00:06:45.029 from 13 to 30, I'd learned everything there was 00:06:45.029 --> 00:06:48.069 to learn, right? But now that I've been in ministry 00:06:48.069 --> 00:06:52.410 for a bunch of years, now I think, you know what? 00:06:52.470 --> 00:06:55.970 He wasn't as old -fashioned as I thought he was. 00:06:56.350 --> 00:06:59.870 You know what I call him now? Wise. Because there 00:06:59.870 --> 00:07:02.269 were some things that I thought, boy, this would 00:07:02.269 --> 00:07:05.230 be a better way to do it. And now I do some things 00:07:05.230 --> 00:07:07.209 the way he did it. Because I said, you know what, 00:07:07.290 --> 00:07:09.050 I guess he did know what he was talking about. 00:07:10.410 --> 00:07:12.689 Now you guys probably never had any occasion 00:07:12.689 --> 00:07:16.149 like that where you were wise in your own eyes. 00:07:16.209 --> 00:07:20.170 I remember about three years ago, another example, 00:07:20.329 --> 00:07:24.009 I needed to buy a lawnmower. And I had a wise 00:07:24.009 --> 00:07:26.689 man who was real wise about lawnmowers and stuff. 00:07:27.449 --> 00:07:29.389 And he told me, he said, you need to go. He told 00:07:29.389 --> 00:07:32.490 me what lawnmower to get. And I, being wise in 00:07:32.490 --> 00:07:34.750 my own eyes, I said, I ain't getting that lawnmower 00:07:34.750 --> 00:07:36.670 because that's too expensive, and a cheaper one 00:07:36.670 --> 00:07:38.329 will do just as good, and I'm going to get the 00:07:38.329 --> 00:07:40.209 cheap one. And he said, you're going to regret 00:07:40.209 --> 00:07:41.990 it if you get that cheap one. And I said, well, 00:07:42.209 --> 00:07:45.910 it'll be fine. It'll be fine. And so I went and 00:07:45.910 --> 00:07:47.970 got the cheap one, and I cut grass with it twice, 00:07:47.970 --> 00:07:50.529 and both times I cut grass with it, it tore up. 00:07:51.250 --> 00:07:53.490 And I took it back, and I got the one that he 00:07:53.490 --> 00:07:56.209 said I should have get to start with. Turns out 00:07:56.209 --> 00:07:58.250 there was a little wisdom there, but I was too 00:07:58.250 --> 00:08:02.709 wise in my own eyes to listen to anybody else. 00:08:03.370 --> 00:08:06.250 When we're too wise in our own eyes, we're also 00:08:06.250 --> 00:08:09.329 too wise to listen to the Lord. And that's a 00:08:09.329 --> 00:08:11.949 big problem, I think, with a lot of people in 00:08:11.949 --> 00:08:15.689 our world today. Because if you know everything, 00:08:16.029 --> 00:08:19.449 and as humanity, as humans, if we're able to 00:08:19.449 --> 00:08:22.350 do everything, then there's no need for a God. 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:26.879 Why do we need a God? And so there are a lot 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:29.560 of people that have become wise in their own 00:08:29.560 --> 00:08:33.940 eyes. And as a result, they do not fear the Lord 00:08:33.940 --> 00:08:37.539 as the scripture says. So there's good command 00:08:37.539 --> 00:08:42.799 here. Don't consider yourself to be wise. Well, 00:08:42.820 --> 00:08:44.620 we see that throughout the scriptures. We see 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:48.899 the same thing in Romans. In Romans chapter 1 00:08:48.899 --> 00:08:52.659 verse 22. Paul talking here says, claiming to 00:08:52.659 --> 00:08:56.919 be wise, they became fools. Now in the context 00:08:56.919 --> 00:08:59.500 of what he was saying, he said, look, God should 00:08:59.500 --> 00:09:01.980 have been evident to all that if we just look 00:09:01.980 --> 00:09:04.480 around that it should be obvious to us just through 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:07.340 creation and the world and all that we see that 00:09:07.340 --> 00:09:11.019 there's got to be a creator. And everybody is 00:09:11.019 --> 00:09:14.720 without excuse. But there were some who rejected 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:17.570 God. And they thought that they were wise. They 00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:22.129 had become wise in their own eyes. But the scripture 00:09:22.129 --> 00:09:27.309 says, claiming to be wise, they became fools. 00:09:28.830 --> 00:09:31.950 And as you read on a little further, man, that 00:09:31.950 --> 00:09:35.450 leads to some bad stuff happening. He begins 00:09:35.450 --> 00:09:38.110 to point out that homosexuality is running rampant 00:09:38.110 --> 00:09:41.129 among them and all of these sexual perversions 00:09:41.129 --> 00:09:45.610 and all of this horrible sinfulness came. Because 00:09:45.610 --> 00:09:47.669 they didn't have a need for God, because they 00:09:47.669 --> 00:09:50.190 rejected God, because they were wise in their 00:09:50.190 --> 00:09:53.850 own eyes, when in reality they were fools and 00:09:53.850 --> 00:09:56.570 their foolishness was leading to their destruction. 00:09:57.370 --> 00:10:00.370 Now he wrote that in Romans chapter 1. That was 00:10:00.370 --> 00:10:04.090 a long time ago. But guess what? Humanity ain't 00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:07.330 got no better. As long as there are human beings, 00:10:07.409 --> 00:10:11.559 there will be people who reject God's word. there 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:14.019 will be people who reject the wisdom of God, 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:18.179 that is Jesus Christ. And as a result of that, 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:22.539 they're living in foolishness that leads to their 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:27.840 destruction. Paul talks about even people that 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:30.179 are professing to be Christian teachers in 2 00:10:30.179 --> 00:10:33.200 Corinthians chapter 10. He says that there are 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:36.519 some who are judging themselves by themselves. 00:10:37.289 --> 00:10:39.769 They're comparing themselves to themselves, and 00:10:39.769 --> 00:10:42.309 therefore they conclude that they are all right. 00:10:43.269 --> 00:10:46.830 Now, we can't judge ourselves by ourselves. You 00:10:46.830 --> 00:10:48.809 can't just sit there and make a list of the things 00:10:48.809 --> 00:10:50.809 and you say, okay, I think this is good and this 00:10:50.809 --> 00:10:52.509 is bad and this is good and this is bad, and 00:10:52.509 --> 00:10:54.889 as long as I do these things, I'm going to be 00:10:54.889 --> 00:10:57.570 okay. We're not the one who gets to make the 00:10:57.570 --> 00:10:59.990 list. We're not the one who gets to set the standards. 00:11:00.769 --> 00:11:02.870 And that's what was going on in Paul's situation. 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:05.419 He said, look, there were some who had set a 00:11:05.419 --> 00:11:08.279 human standard and they were living by that standard. 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:10.580 And therefore, he says, they were commending 00:11:10.580 --> 00:11:13.519 themselves as saying, hey, we've made it. We're 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:18.259 as good as we need to be. Because they had become 00:11:18.259 --> 00:11:25.820 wise in their own eyes. So what about us? Are 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:29.139 there ever situations in our life that we become 00:11:29.139 --> 00:11:34.049 wise in our own eyes? Maybe some of them are 00:11:34.049 --> 00:11:38.230 not as significant like buying a lawnmower. Maybe 00:11:38.230 --> 00:11:42.409 there are other times in our life where we consider 00:11:42.409 --> 00:11:44.649 ourselves to be wise and we end up living in 00:11:44.649 --> 00:11:48.129 foolishness. We consider ourselves to be wise 00:11:48.129 --> 00:11:50.889 and we reject the wisdom of someone else that 00:11:50.889 --> 00:11:53.549 may be for our benefit. We reject the wisdom 00:11:53.549 --> 00:11:59.529 of God's Word. I suspect we all do it at some 00:11:59.529 --> 00:12:03.000 point. I expect if anybody in here has ever been 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:04.379 to the doctor, you've done it because you go 00:12:04.379 --> 00:12:05.899 to the doctor and the doctor says what's going 00:12:05.899 --> 00:12:07.240 on and you say, oh, you don't know what he's 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:09.679 talking about because obviously you know more 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:11.879 than the doctor, right? I mean, he only went 00:12:11.879 --> 00:12:14.960 to school for 10 years and practiced for 50 years 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:17.019 and so when he tells you what's wrong, well, 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:19.379 you looked on your phone so obviously you're 00:12:19.379 --> 00:12:22.460 an expert now. And so we become wise in our own 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:26.399 eyes in a lot of areas. And that's part of the 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:28.419 problem with our world today, and that's part 00:12:28.419 --> 00:12:31.539 of our struggles maybe, is that we become proud 00:12:31.539 --> 00:12:36.019 because we know it all. But what does the proverb 00:12:36.019 --> 00:12:40.399 say? Don't become wise in your own eyes. Don't 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:45.019 consider yourself wise. Fear the Lord and turn 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:50.879 away from evil. Now, it's sad to say that... 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:53.840 I don't know that there are a lot of people in 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:57.399 our world today that fear the Lord. It's pretty 00:12:57.399 --> 00:12:59.240 obvious that there are a lot of people that do 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:02.360 not fear the Lord. Because people would not do 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:04.279 half the things that they do if they feared the 00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:10.480 Lord. And maybe, sadly, that's even true for 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:15.120 Christians. Maybe we say we fear the Lord. Maybe 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:17.299 there's some level of fear we have of the Lord. 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:22.409 Maybe even among Christians. We don't really 00:13:22.409 --> 00:13:26.629 fear the Lord as we should. In our considering 00:13:26.629 --> 00:13:28.950 ourselves to be wise, we've determined, well, 00:13:29.289 --> 00:13:32.970 I know God's Word says this, but that was way 00:13:32.970 --> 00:13:35.110 back in the day. That's old -fashioned, those 00:13:35.110 --> 00:13:38.769 commands. God really didn't mean that. He's really 00:13:38.769 --> 00:13:42.870 okay if I do this. Because if I do that other 00:13:42.870 --> 00:13:45.090 thing and live according to His commands, that's 00:13:45.090 --> 00:13:47.169 going to make me unhappy. And one thing God does 00:13:47.169 --> 00:13:49.730 not want is for me to be unhappy. I just know 00:13:49.730 --> 00:13:53.620 God does not want that. So therefore, I'm just 00:13:53.620 --> 00:13:57.559 going to live in this sin because we don't fear 00:13:57.559 --> 00:14:01.860 the Lord and keep His commands. It's easy for 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:05.200 us to test how much we fear the Lord. You can 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:07.759 test how much you fear the Lord by seeing how 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:10.159 long it takes you to repent of the sin you're 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:14.399 living in. If you keep sinning and keep sinning 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:18.299 and don't repent, then guess what? You don't 00:14:18.299 --> 00:14:21.830 fear the Lord very much. When we fear the Lord 00:14:21.830 --> 00:14:24.509 and we read his words and it really convicts 00:14:24.509 --> 00:14:27.110 us and the Holy Spirit convicts us, there needs 00:14:27.110 --> 00:14:29.389 to be something in us that says, okay, God, I 00:14:29.389 --> 00:14:31.750 have done wrong and I know I've done wrong. And 00:14:31.750 --> 00:14:34.309 God, I struggle with this and I want to struggle 00:14:34.309 --> 00:14:37.389 with this, so God, would you forgive me? If we 00:14:37.389 --> 00:14:39.370 really fear the Lord, there's got to be some 00:14:39.370 --> 00:14:44.019 point where that dictates our actions. If we 00:14:44.019 --> 00:14:46.240 really fear the Lord and we know the Lord doesn't 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:48.340 want us to do something and that temptation comes, 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:50.820 there has to be some times in our life that we 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:53.980 just say, golly, I can't do this thing I want 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:56.159 to do. I can't say this thing I want to say. 00:14:56.220 --> 00:15:00.360 I can't respond in this way. There's times when 00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:04.360 it'd be so easy to snap back at somebody. Those 00:15:04.360 --> 00:15:06.399 times where the money's on the table that you 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:09.019 could just slide it in your pocket and nobody 00:15:09.019 --> 00:15:13.049 would see. Those temptations that are ever before 00:15:13.049 --> 00:15:17.570 us, we all have them. And if we really fear the 00:15:17.570 --> 00:15:21.169 Lord, then, man, we think twice about those things. 00:15:21.269 --> 00:15:24.429 It's not that we don't sin. Sadly, we do. It'd 00:15:24.429 --> 00:15:27.629 be great if we had that kind of fear of the Lord, 00:15:27.690 --> 00:15:30.909 and we should strive for that. We should have 00:15:30.909 --> 00:15:33.870 a fear of the Lord that should dictate our actions 00:15:33.870 --> 00:15:37.330 and cause us to want to follow the commands of 00:15:37.330 --> 00:15:42.210 God. But we don't see a lot of fear of God in 00:15:42.210 --> 00:15:47.210 our world today. And maybe it needs to start 00:15:47.210 --> 00:15:52.330 with those who are God's people. Maybe God's 00:15:52.330 --> 00:15:54.210 people are living in a way that we've become 00:15:54.210 --> 00:15:58.149 lazy and that we've become okay with sin and 00:15:58.149 --> 00:16:03.169 we begin to justify it in our own minds and we 00:16:03.169 --> 00:16:05.649 begin to turn a blind eye to others who are living 00:16:05.649 --> 00:16:10.139 in sin. expecting them to do the same for us. 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:13.840 I won't call out what you're doing if you don't 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:16.240 call out what I'm doing. Besides, what we're 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:20.679 doing is not really the bad stuff, but what that 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:24.059 shows in our life and in our heart is that maybe 00:16:24.059 --> 00:16:27.600 we don't fear God. Man, if we were a nation, 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:30.539 if we were a people, if we were a world of people 00:16:30.539 --> 00:16:33.659 that feared God, things would be so much different. 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:37.159 People wouldn't lie and cheat and steal and kill. 00:16:39.309 --> 00:16:43.470 But people do those things because they've rejected 00:16:43.470 --> 00:16:49.009 God and they don't fear God. Don't consider yourself 00:16:49.009 --> 00:16:52.330 to be wise. Fear the Lord and turn away from 00:16:52.330 --> 00:16:56.429 evil. There's the command. Don't consider yourself 00:16:56.429 --> 00:16:59.450 to be wise. Fear the Lord and turn away from 00:16:59.450 --> 00:17:02.629 evil. That is good instruction. That is pretty 00:17:02.629 --> 00:17:05.500 simple instruction. It's not like most scripture. 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:07.960 It's easy to read something. It's hard to carry 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:10.460 it out. But that's our command in this passage. 00:17:10.839 --> 00:17:14.779 Okay, so we have to check ourselves. Have I considered 00:17:14.779 --> 00:17:18.720 myself to be wise in some way? Maybe it's in 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:21.680 the ways of God's word and his commands. Maybe 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:25.000 it's just some normal task in my life. Maybe 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:27.960 there's some pride there that's really hindering 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:31.190 me. Maybe I need to humble myself a little bit. 00:17:31.269 --> 00:17:33.150 Maybe there's some things going on that God's 00:17:33.150 --> 00:17:35.470 revealed to you today, or maybe you need to pray 00:17:35.470 --> 00:17:37.890 over these verses and say, okay, God, help me 00:17:37.890 --> 00:17:40.269 to see the areas maybe where I have become wise 00:17:40.269 --> 00:17:44.390 in my own eyes. Do you fear the Lord? Maybe you 00:17:44.390 --> 00:17:48.049 do. Praise God. Do you keep his commands? If 00:17:48.049 --> 00:17:50.869 you do, okay, there's a pretty good chance you 00:17:50.869 --> 00:17:53.509 fear him. If you don't, maybe you don't really 00:17:53.509 --> 00:17:59.769 fear the Lord. Fear the Lord. And turn away from 00:17:59.769 --> 00:18:03.769 evil. That's the hard part. Because there are 00:18:03.769 --> 00:18:06.650 so many things that feel so good to us. Oh, they 00:18:06.650 --> 00:18:10.009 are good. They are tempting. But they are evil. 00:18:10.730 --> 00:18:14.509 They are evil. And they are hard for us to turn 00:18:14.509 --> 00:18:17.470 away from. Now, everybody in here, your temptations 00:18:17.470 --> 00:18:20.430 are all different. And I've said this before. 00:18:20.490 --> 00:18:24.140 I'll say it again. It's so easy to look at somebody 00:18:24.140 --> 00:18:26.559 else's temptation and say, I don't know why they 00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:29.740 just don't stop that. Well, stop for a second 00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:33.420 and think about your temptation and say, well, 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:35.640 why don't you just stop that? I don't know why 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:38.059 they don't just stop drinking. They just don't 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:41.480 drink anymore. Well, I don't know why you don't 00:18:41.480 --> 00:18:43.380 stop drinking coffee or why you don't stop eating 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:45.640 donuts or why you don't stop smoking cigarettes 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:48.059 or why you don't quit doing the things that you 00:18:48.059 --> 00:18:51.750 do. We all have these temptations. We all have 00:18:51.750 --> 00:18:54.650 these things that may not always be good for 00:18:54.650 --> 00:18:57.630 us. Why don't we just quit them? Because our 00:18:57.630 --> 00:19:01.130 vices are not that easy to quit. I mean, I know 00:19:01.130 --> 00:19:04.849 because my natural practitioner has told me how 00:19:04.849 --> 00:19:09.390 bad sugars are. I know how bad they are. I know 00:19:09.390 --> 00:19:12.490 the effects of those things. But guess what I 00:19:12.490 --> 00:19:15.069 still do? You know what I did last night right 00:19:15.069 --> 00:19:17.890 before I got into bed? I opened me a brand new 00:19:17.890 --> 00:19:21.819 pack of fudge -dipped Oreos. And a coffee with 00:19:21.819 --> 00:19:23.720 two spoonfuls of sugar and ate it right before 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:26.680 I went to bed. Now, I know that that's not good 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:28.099 for me, so y 'all are saying, well, why don't 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:32.920 you just stop? Because it tastes good. It tastes 00:19:32.920 --> 00:19:36.799 good. I like it. And so every day, I say, well, 00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:39.140 I'm not going to eat any more sweets. And guess 00:19:39.140 --> 00:19:42.359 what I do the next day? I go to the store and 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:45.220 I buy some fudge -dipped Oreos, a pack of Kit 00:19:45.220 --> 00:19:51.579 Kats, whatever it is. Scripture says we need 00:19:51.579 --> 00:19:55.119 to flee from evil. But oftentimes the evil, the 00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:57.099 things that aren't good for us, that aren't healthy 00:19:57.099 --> 00:20:01.059 for us, are not that easy to flee from. We are 00:20:01.059 --> 00:20:04.240 like a bug being drawn to one of those lights. 00:20:04.339 --> 00:20:06.279 Man, it's just sucking us in like a tractor beam. 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:09.640 And so it really takes us seeking God and saying, 00:20:09.700 --> 00:20:13.460 okay, God, deliver me from evil. Lead me not 00:20:13.460 --> 00:20:15.859 into temptation, but deliver me from the evil 00:20:15.859 --> 00:20:18.400 one, dear Lord. I don't want to give in to it, 00:20:18.440 --> 00:20:21.700 but I got news for you. Or I think, I'm young, 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:24.420 I don't know. But I think that as long as we 00:20:24.420 --> 00:20:27.019 live, that temptations will ever be before us. 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:29.839 I don't think we'll ever get to a point that 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:32.099 we will outgrow that. That we'll just, like, 00:20:32.119 --> 00:20:34.779 okay, I'm 75, no more temptations. Nope, I don't 00:20:34.779 --> 00:20:38.460 think it works that way. And so there's always 00:20:38.460 --> 00:20:42.539 that temptation before us. But man, there's good 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:46.279 instruction here to flee from evil. So we need 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:49.369 to pray, God, help me to flee from evil. Dear 00:20:49.369 --> 00:20:51.450 Lord, I know these things are bad, but God, these 00:20:51.450 --> 00:20:54.490 temptations are strong. I don't want to do these 00:20:54.490 --> 00:20:57.950 things, and sometimes our flesh is stronger than 00:20:57.950 --> 00:21:00.529 our spirit. Paul talks about that in Romans. 00:21:01.029 --> 00:21:03.829 It's reality. Sometimes there are things that 00:21:03.829 --> 00:21:06.529 we know that we shouldn't do, that we don't want 00:21:06.529 --> 00:21:08.609 to do. It's like a war waging within us, and 00:21:08.609 --> 00:21:13.069 sometimes our flesh wins. Well, praise the Lord 00:21:13.069 --> 00:21:14.849 that there is forgiveness. We don't want to just 00:21:14.849 --> 00:21:17.250 continue to live in sin willy -nilly, but... 00:21:17.549 --> 00:21:19.769 But God knows that we're going to fail, and even 00:21:19.769 --> 00:21:23.990 when we do fail, there is forgiveness in that. 00:21:25.930 --> 00:21:28.410 So maybe this is good instruction for us today. 00:21:30.029 --> 00:21:34.109 Maybe you have been fleeing from evil, but maybe 00:21:34.109 --> 00:21:37.650 you've just been running right into it. Sometimes 00:21:37.650 --> 00:21:40.049 we just get so caught up in our sin and our stress 00:21:40.049 --> 00:21:43.190 and our whatever it is, our addictions, and we 00:21:43.190 --> 00:21:45.680 just run into that evil and we just come... running 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:48.119 back into it and running back into it and running 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:52.019 back into it. And maybe we just need to pause 00:21:52.019 --> 00:21:54.980 today and say, okay, God, I'm tired of running 00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:58.200 into evil. I want to flee from it. Well, if we 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:00.359 would just do these things, these three commands 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:04.420 that we see here, don't consider yourself to 00:22:04.420 --> 00:22:08.599 be wise, fear the Lord, turn away from evil. 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:12.839 How much better would our life be? How much better 00:22:12.839 --> 00:22:16.720 would our world be? Those are the commands that 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:21.160 we see in this particular couple of verses. Listen 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:22.940 to what the next verse says. Listen to what the 00:22:22.940 --> 00:22:27.220 consequence is. This will be healing for your 00:22:27.220 --> 00:22:33.700 body and strengthening for your bones. Now, I 00:22:33.700 --> 00:22:36.319 don't think, I think it's a symbolic language. 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:38.960 I don't think he's necessarily speaking just 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:42.299 physically here. Not to say that there's not 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:44.720 some physical benefit that occurs when we change 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:47.259 our lifestyle. I mean, if we're fleeing the evil 00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:49.240 and we're proud and we're living for ourself 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:51.579 and we're living on the edge and we're doing 00:22:51.579 --> 00:22:54.400 all these evil things, then it does have an effect 00:22:54.400 --> 00:22:58.460 on us physically. It will affect us. And so certainly 00:22:58.460 --> 00:23:01.339 following the commands of God and trying to live 00:23:01.339 --> 00:23:04.039 right is going to affect you positively physically 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:07.259 in some ways, but I think that this is symbolic 00:23:07.259 --> 00:23:11.180 of something much deeper. I think the healing 00:23:11.180 --> 00:23:13.940 that's being spoken of here is not just, okay, 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:16.740 you're going to just feel better in your body. 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:20.140 I think he's saying your whole inner being, everything 00:23:20.140 --> 00:23:24.559 within you, your soul, your whole, who you are, 00:23:24.859 --> 00:23:27.259 there's going to be a sense of healing and a 00:23:27.259 --> 00:23:30.180 sense of peace that's going to come when you 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:34.039 live for the Lord. My translation says this will 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:36.119 be healing for your body. Some of your translations 00:23:36.119 --> 00:23:38.660 say this will be healing for your navel, which 00:23:38.660 --> 00:23:41.799 is kind of a weird thing to say. Like, what is 00:23:41.799 --> 00:23:43.319 he talking about there? That's what makes me 00:23:43.319 --> 00:23:46.039 think he's not specifically saying, okay, there's 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:47.799 a problem with your navel, and if you do these 00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:49.700 things, that's going to be healed. I think it's 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:53.400 symbolic language. It's the center of you. It's 00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:56.980 the center of life. You're in your mother's womb. 00:23:57.140 --> 00:23:59.339 You're right there at the navel. It's who you 00:23:59.339 --> 00:24:02.200 are. It's your life. There's going to be healing 00:24:02.200 --> 00:24:04.819 for your life if you would follow the commands 00:24:04.819 --> 00:24:08.079 of God. Now, the opposite is also true. It doesn't 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:11.519 say it, but the opposite is true. That if we 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:14.660 do consider ourselves to be wise, if we don't 00:24:14.660 --> 00:24:17.660 fear the Lord and we do run to evil, then it's 00:24:17.660 --> 00:24:20.220 going to bring just all kind of troubles in our 00:24:20.220 --> 00:24:22.339 life. It's going to bring all kind of anguish 00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:25.759 in our life. It's going to destroy us inwardly. 00:24:26.039 --> 00:24:28.240 I mean, we're not going to get any rest. We're 00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:31.460 just not going to get any peace. And that's why 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:34.920 he gives this command. And maybe some of us, 00:24:34.940 --> 00:24:36.579 if we're honest, we look at this and we say, 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:39.859 yeah, I have been wise in my own eyes. And I 00:24:39.859 --> 00:24:42.079 have not feared the Lord the way I should. And 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:45.839 I have run to evil way quicker and way more often 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:47.940 than I should have. And I don't want to do that 00:24:47.940 --> 00:24:51.240 anymore. Well, praise the Lord. If we see words 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:55.140 like this, God's word, and they convict us, then 00:24:55.140 --> 00:24:58.359 let's do what they say. And ask God to help us 00:24:58.359 --> 00:25:01.240 to do what they say. Because that's what we really 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:03.940 need is healing for our bodies, is healing for 00:25:03.940 --> 00:25:09.619 our souls. The scripture says of Jesus, the coming 00:25:09.619 --> 00:25:13.400 Messiah in Isaiah, that by his wounds we are 00:25:13.400 --> 00:25:17.279 healed. Not just in a physical sense. Yeah, God 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:19.519 heals us sometimes physically. We pray for people, 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:22.160 and man, God has done miracles. We've seen people 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:24.400 that the doctor said there's no chance, and you 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:26.640 pray for them, and they're healed. And there's 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:28.019 people the doctor says, oh, they're not going 00:25:28.019 --> 00:25:31.359 to make it another week. And 40 years later, 00:25:31.460 --> 00:25:34.539 they're still going strong. We've seen God work, 00:25:34.579 --> 00:25:36.720 and we've seen physical healing. That certainly 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:40.059 is something that God does, but he heals us in 00:25:40.059 --> 00:25:43.819 so much deeper of a way. That when Jesus Christ 00:25:43.819 --> 00:25:45.980 came, he didn't just come so we could say, okay, 00:25:46.019 --> 00:25:48.480 God, you know, heal my toe. It hurts. I stumped 00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:51.920 it. He came so that he could heal our sinfulness. 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:56.039 So that we could be washed as white as snow. 00:25:56.059 --> 00:25:59.339 If we would just seek him, if we would call out 00:25:59.339 --> 00:26:04.519 to him, that he'd bring healing to us. Maybe 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:07.039 there's some of you today that are sitting in 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:09.480 this room or some of you that are watching online. 00:26:10.970 --> 00:26:14.250 And man, you just, you feel sick, spiritually 00:26:14.250 --> 00:26:17.930 sick. Same way you do if you eat too much sugar 00:26:17.930 --> 00:26:20.349 and the things that your natural practitioner 00:26:20.349 --> 00:26:22.630 tells you not to eat. You feel it in your body 00:26:22.630 --> 00:26:26.089 and we feel it in our spirit. When we don't follow 00:26:26.089 --> 00:26:29.349 the commands of God's word, we feel it in our 00:26:29.349 --> 00:26:34.049 spirit. We feel unhealthy. And what we do in 00:26:34.049 --> 00:26:36.990 the real world is we don't actually want to do 00:26:36.990 --> 00:26:39.009 anything about it. So we just go to the doctor 00:26:39.009 --> 00:26:41.349 and say, could you just give me a pill? I don't 00:26:41.349 --> 00:26:43.750 actually want to change my lifestyle. I just 00:26:43.750 --> 00:26:46.309 want to do the same horrible things I've been 00:26:46.309 --> 00:26:48.730 doing. Could you just give me a pill so that 00:26:48.730 --> 00:26:51.769 I can just keep doing this junk? And they do, 00:26:51.930 --> 00:26:53.450 and then that pill makes us feel bad. And then 00:26:53.450 --> 00:26:54.509 we say, well, could you just give me another 00:26:54.509 --> 00:27:00.970 pill? But that's not healing us. And the only 00:27:00.970 --> 00:27:03.789 way that we can be healed is through Jesus Christ. 00:27:05.109 --> 00:27:07.450 That's the only way spiritually we can be healed. 00:27:07.549 --> 00:27:11.200 There's no easy way out. It's not like, oh, I'm 00:27:11.200 --> 00:27:13.200 going to keep doing all these evil things, and 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:14.819 I'm going to keep going to church, and I'll put 00:27:14.819 --> 00:27:16.779 a little extra money in the plate, and I'll sing 00:27:16.779 --> 00:27:19.900 in the choir, and these things are just going 00:27:19.900 --> 00:27:22.220 to make me feel good enough that I can keep doing 00:27:22.220 --> 00:27:26.640 the evil, and I'll just keep getting by. But 00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:30.339 there's no healing in that. We feel it in our 00:27:30.339 --> 00:27:33.440 soul. We feel that burden and that pain, and 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:39.329 we just feel spiritually sick. But the cure to 00:27:39.329 --> 00:27:44.289 that is Jesus Christ. That's God's wisdom. Don't 00:27:44.289 --> 00:27:46.609 consider yourself to be wise. What does Scripture 00:27:46.609 --> 00:27:49.210 say that wisdom is? Jesus Christ and the cross 00:27:49.210 --> 00:27:53.990 crucified and resurrected. That's wisdom. That's 00:27:53.990 --> 00:27:57.329 healing. That's healing for our bones, it says. 00:27:57.490 --> 00:28:01.490 That's healing to our core. That's the kind of 00:28:01.490 --> 00:28:05.190 healing some of you need today. You're just tired 00:28:05.190 --> 00:28:07.170 of being sick. You're tired of being worn down. 00:28:07.309 --> 00:28:09.009 You're tired of being burdened. You're tired 00:28:09.009 --> 00:28:13.670 of giving in to the sin. You're tired. And you 00:28:13.670 --> 00:28:15.410 just want to be restored. You want to be made 00:28:15.410 --> 00:28:17.230 new. You want to be made whole. You need to be 00:28:17.230 --> 00:28:19.630 healed. And you can be made healed if you follow 00:28:19.630 --> 00:28:23.769 the commands of God. The command, don't consider 00:28:23.769 --> 00:28:27.430 yourself to be wise. Fear the Lord and flee from 00:28:27.430 --> 00:28:31.029 evil. We follow that command. The consequence, 00:28:31.529 --> 00:28:36.589 God's going to bring healing. to you. We see 00:28:36.589 --> 00:28:38.309 God talk about this throughout scripture that 00:28:38.309 --> 00:28:41.269 he wants to bring healing to his people. Sometimes 00:28:41.269 --> 00:28:44.549 we see it in a very physical sense. Sometimes 00:28:44.549 --> 00:28:46.930 we physically see it. We see it a lot. Old Testament, 00:28:47.029 --> 00:28:50.769 New Testament, God healing people. But the kind 00:28:50.769 --> 00:28:52.890 of healing that God really desires to do in your 00:28:52.890 --> 00:28:56.410 life is so much deeper than that. If you would 00:28:56.410 --> 00:29:01.579 only seek out and call on him today. If we as 00:29:01.579 --> 00:29:03.599 Christians would seek God and call on him today, 00:29:03.740 --> 00:29:08.500 if people in our world would seek him and call 00:29:08.500 --> 00:29:12.940 out to him today, there'd be healing in our land. 00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:19.299 We see in 2 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles 7, verse 00:29:19.299 --> 00:29:24.759 14, God says here, if my people who are called 00:29:24.759 --> 00:29:28.359 by my name, will humble themselves and pray and 00:29:28.359 --> 00:29:30.680 seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, 00:29:31.019 --> 00:29:35.099 then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive 00:29:35.099 --> 00:29:42.019 their sin and I will heal their land. Man, do 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:44.079 we got some lands in our world that need to be 00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:47.519 healed today? We got some lands that need to 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:51.079 be healed today. But notice who this verse is 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:54.359 to. He doesn't just say if all the people of 00:29:54.359 --> 00:29:56.720 the planet would call out to me, which, man, 00:29:56.799 --> 00:29:58.559 maybe they will. That'd be great. God certainly 00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:02.160 would be glad to see that happen. But where does 00:30:02.160 --> 00:30:06.660 it start? He says, if my people who are called 00:30:06.660 --> 00:30:11.460 by my name. It starts with you and I that are 00:30:11.460 --> 00:30:15.200 Christians. Those of us who have trusted in Jesus 00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:20.309 Christ. It starts with us. It starts with us 00:30:20.309 --> 00:30:22.650 recognizing if we become wise in our own eyes 00:30:22.650 --> 00:30:24.250 and we've stopped fearing the Lord because Lord 00:30:24.250 --> 00:30:27.049 knows that God's people Israel did that a lot 00:30:27.049 --> 00:30:29.769 of times. Man, they considered their self to 00:30:29.769 --> 00:30:32.869 be wise a lot. God delivered them out of Egypt. 00:30:32.990 --> 00:30:35.049 Man, it was all good. They were slaves for a 00:30:35.049 --> 00:30:37.390 long time. He delivered them out. And how wise 00:30:37.390 --> 00:30:39.190 were they? They were so wise that as soon as 00:30:39.190 --> 00:30:42.170 they got out, they said, hey, let's make a God. 00:30:42.309 --> 00:30:44.890 The God that got us out of Egypt, let's make 00:30:44.890 --> 00:30:46.569 it with all the gold that we got. That's how 00:30:46.569 --> 00:30:50.640 wise they were. They didn't have any fear for 00:30:50.640 --> 00:30:53.880 God. And man, they suffered a lot of bad consequences 00:30:53.880 --> 00:30:56.480 because they did consider themselves to be wise 00:30:56.480 --> 00:31:00.119 and they didn't fear the Lord. Man, God was still 00:31:00.119 --> 00:31:03.240 patient with them and God was still commanding 00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:06.279 them. Even in 2 Chronicles, he was still saying, 00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:09.680 boy, if my people who are called by my name would 00:31:09.680 --> 00:31:13.279 seek me, I'd forgive their sins and I'd heal 00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:18.029 their land. I thank God. It's still the same 00:31:18.029 --> 00:31:21.430 God today. I know this verse was to Israel back 00:31:21.430 --> 00:31:25.950 in the day. I get that. But I think people today, 00:31:26.049 --> 00:31:28.329 who are God's people, if they would call out 00:31:28.329 --> 00:31:32.230 to him, he still heals our prayers. He still 00:31:32.230 --> 00:31:36.210 forgives our sins. And he still brings healing 00:31:36.210 --> 00:31:40.529 to our bodies, to our souls. One more scripture. 00:31:42.009 --> 00:31:45.029 Jeremiah chapter 17, verse 14. Listen to this 00:31:45.029 --> 00:31:51.480 prayer. Of Jeremiah. Heal me Lord. And I will 00:31:51.480 --> 00:31:56.400 be healed. Save me and I will be saved. For you. 00:31:57.079 --> 00:32:02.019 Are my praise. What a simple. Simple prayer. 00:32:02.140 --> 00:32:05.559 Maybe that needs to be our prayer today. Jeremiah 00:32:05.559 --> 00:32:08.319 boy. He was right up in the middle of it. God's 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:13.420 people were. Pretty bad. He's telling them God's 00:32:13.420 --> 00:32:19.099 word. But in the midst of that, Jeremiah takes 00:32:19.099 --> 00:32:22.099 this moment not to say, God, all these people 00:32:22.099 --> 00:32:25.200 around me are bad. Our world is bad. It's falling 00:32:25.200 --> 00:32:28.240 apart because of all these evil people. In the 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:30.380 midst of all that he's saying, he takes a moment 00:32:30.380 --> 00:32:34.940 in this verse and he says, heal me, Lord, and 00:32:34.940 --> 00:32:40.599 I will be healed. Save me, Lord. Maybe that needs 00:32:40.599 --> 00:32:45.049 to be our prayer today. Maybe there's some repentance 00:32:45.049 --> 00:32:48.990 that needs to take place today. Maybe today God 00:32:48.990 --> 00:32:52.049 has humbled us through his word. We say, oh man, 00:32:52.170 --> 00:32:54.750 I've considered myself to be wise for far too 00:32:54.750 --> 00:32:57.670 long. And God, I haven't feared you. But God, 00:32:57.710 --> 00:33:00.009 I repent. I humble myself before you, dear Lord. 00:33:00.109 --> 00:33:05.069 I stand in fear in your presence, God. And God, 00:33:05.150 --> 00:33:08.390 I don't want to flee from you anymore and run 00:33:08.390 --> 00:33:11.269 to evil. God, I want to flee from evil and run 00:33:11.269 --> 00:33:15.180 to you. And the scripture says that if we would 00:33:15.180 --> 00:33:19.619 do that, God will bring healing to us. Let's 00:33:19.619 --> 00:33:22.779 pray. God, we thank you for these words. We thank 00:33:22.779 --> 00:33:26.079 you for this command today. We thank you for 00:33:26.079 --> 00:33:28.039 the beautiful promise that accompanies it, dear 00:33:28.039 --> 00:33:30.920 Lord. That if we would seek you and humble ourselves 00:33:30.920 --> 00:33:35.099 before you, dear Lord, and run to you, God, that 00:33:35.099 --> 00:33:39.740 we would experience healing in our lives. Dear 00:33:39.740 --> 00:33:42.119 Lord, maybe there's some today and... And they 00:33:42.119 --> 00:33:45.400 have rejected you. They have heard about you. 00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:48.759 And they have just totally rejected your word, 00:33:48.839 --> 00:33:50.740 the truth of your word. And they have rejected 00:33:50.740 --> 00:33:53.380 Jesus Christ. They have considered themselves 00:33:53.380 --> 00:33:56.039 to be wise in their own eyes, dear Lord. They 00:33:56.039 --> 00:33:58.900 have never seen a need for you or even acknowledged 00:33:58.900 --> 00:34:02.819 your existence. But God, maybe there was something 00:34:02.819 --> 00:34:05.559 in your word today. Maybe in some way your Holy 00:34:05.559 --> 00:34:11.469 Spirit has pricked them. And God, maybe you're 00:34:11.469 --> 00:34:14.949 working in their heart right now. I pray, dear 00:34:14.949 --> 00:34:16.570 Lord, that they would repent, that they would 00:34:16.570 --> 00:34:18.389 turn from their sin, that they would ask you 00:34:18.389 --> 00:34:21.510 to forgive them now, dear Lord. That they would 00:34:21.510 --> 00:34:24.369 know that the only wisdom that there is in this 00:34:24.369 --> 00:34:27.449 world is Jesus Christ. That's the only wisdom 00:34:27.449 --> 00:34:29.989 that's going to give them peace and deliverance, 00:34:29.989 --> 00:34:33.469 dear Lord. So I pray, God, that you would help 00:34:33.469 --> 00:34:35.809 that person to humble themselves before you today. 00:34:36.949 --> 00:34:40.760 Follow Jesus Christ. God, maybe there are some 00:34:40.760 --> 00:34:43.300 in this room today and they're yours and they 00:34:43.300 --> 00:34:46.920 have trusted you. But maybe they're just in a 00:34:46.920 --> 00:34:50.920 bad spot in their life. And maybe they have become 00:34:50.920 --> 00:34:54.239 a little proud, dear Lord. And they have really 00:34:54.239 --> 00:34:57.739 taught themselves to be wise. And man, they have 00:34:57.739 --> 00:35:02.440 stumbled because of it. Maybe, dear Lord, there 00:35:02.440 --> 00:35:05.780 are some of us in here and we just have not really 00:35:05.780 --> 00:35:09.500 feared you. We just... have made you into something 00:35:09.500 --> 00:35:11.699 that Scripture says you're not, dear Lord. We've 00:35:11.699 --> 00:35:14.300 kind of tried to make and mold you into the God 00:35:14.300 --> 00:35:18.719 we want you to be. But God, we have to read your 00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:20.800 word and what it says is what it means and what 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:23.000 it says is what is true, dear Lord. And what 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:27.320 it says of you is true, God. So forgive us if 00:35:27.320 --> 00:35:30.360 we have not feared you and humbled ourselves 00:35:30.360 --> 00:35:33.639 before you. God, maybe there are some that have 00:35:33.639 --> 00:35:37.099 really been struggling with with evil, with temptation, 00:35:37.340 --> 00:35:41.780 with that sinful desire in their life. God, maybe 00:35:41.780 --> 00:35:44.920 they've just been running to it too many times. 00:35:46.199 --> 00:35:48.480 I pray, God, today that you would help them just 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:50.719 to stop running, to just turn around and run 00:35:50.719 --> 00:35:52.340 the other direction, dear Lord, that they would 00:35:52.340 --> 00:35:56.920 run toward you. God, I pray for healing today. 00:35:59.099 --> 00:36:02.480 There are some, dear Lord, And in their spirit, 00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:04.820 they are just sick and they are tired and they 00:36:04.820 --> 00:36:08.920 are worn out. I pray, God, today that they would 00:36:08.920 --> 00:36:10.480 just humble themselves before you, that they 00:36:10.480 --> 00:36:12.320 would seek you, that they would call out to you. 00:36:15.400 --> 00:36:18.760 That they would find healing in their souls today. 00:36:19.900 --> 00:36:21.840 That they would find healing in their hearts 00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:26.559 today. And I ask these things in Jesus' name. 00:36:27.059 --> 00:36:27.460 Amen.