1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,000 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Here you'll find practical, relevant, biblical information. 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:19,000 The Bible will be broken down verse by verse so that you get the full context of the scripture to better grow in your relationship with Jesus. 3 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:26,000 Good morning church, welcome to Sanctuary. Welcome to everybody streaming us online as well. 4 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:35,000 It's great to have you with us. Last week, definitely, I touched on a bit of a hard subject for a lot of people. 5 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:41,000 It's actually a subject for a lot of people and that's okay because we need to, right? 6 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:48,000 We can't just skip out on the things because they're hard. 7 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:53,000 This week though, we're going to lighten it up a little bit more. It's not going to be as hard. 8 00:00:53,000 --> 00:01:02,000 Christian life, it's already hard, isn't it? It's hard enough. 9 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:12,000 The way we respond to things as Christians, as believers, is definitely different from how other people, especially those in the world, respond. 10 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:19,000 There's a whirlwind of craziness around us. 11 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:25,000 You think about all the stuff that's going on, you have different areas that are up and up, people over the elections that are coming up, 12 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:36,000 and then you look at people who are, well, let's just say at this point they're suffering, where the hurricanes hit back east, not just one, but two, back to back, right? 13 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:44,000 I saw, I was seeing in the news, there's another storm out there that might be threatening the area as well. 14 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:54,000 The way certain people respond versus the way believers respond are totally different. 15 00:01:54,000 --> 00:02:01,000 Instead of panicking or stressing about certain things, I'm not saying that we don't because there's definitely certain things that we feel some angst about, right? 16 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:11,000 A little anxiety, but we still don't respond in the same way because we have a connection with the Father. 17 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:22,000 We pray, and when we pray and we exercise that connection, we have this peace about us, right? 18 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:28,000 It's an unexplainable peace. It's a little touch of hope. 19 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:34,000 As Philippians 4, 7 says, that's the Philippians chapter 4, verse 7, 20 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:41,000 and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 21 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:47,000 Well, what's that peace, right? Well, it's found in Jesus. It's found in our connection to Jesus. 22 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:51,000 It is that hope that comes with Jesus. 23 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:57,000 The way God sees peace, though, is very different from the world. 24 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:14,000 It's not this concept that's thrown out now of good vibes, good feelings, all that stuff where it's very much kind of goes inside crystals and all that. 25 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:19,000 It's just, oh, I'm going to send you vibes, really? How are you doing that? 26 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:23,000 Especially when you're hundreds of miles away. 27 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:28,000 It's not that mentality that says I'm not going to get pulled into a conflict or an argument. 28 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:32,000 Sometimes that hard talk needs to be had. That's just life. 29 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:38,000 The way God sees the world is very different. 30 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:47,000 It's that knowledge that comes from our trust in God. 31 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:54,000 The knowledge that we have, that connection with the way he sees things, 32 00:03:54,000 --> 00:04:04,000 it's very much that knowledge that comes from knowing that he's working all things for the good of his kingdom and ultimately our good. 33 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:08,000 It's not the small picture that we're focused on right in front of us. 34 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,000 It's the big picture, right? It's the long run. It's the long game. 35 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:24,000 It's that piece that we forget about because as humans, we're so focused on the here and now, not the what's to come. 36 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,000 God, he knows what's best for us in the long run. 37 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:36,000 It's that future at the table with Christ that we should all be focused on. 38 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:49,000 We find that peace and we're able to reflect on that hope best when we're working in accordance with God's will. 39 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:55,000 Even Jesus said, your will be done, not mine. 40 00:04:55,000 --> 00:05:01,000 We're very selfish creatures. We forget about that. It's not what we want. 41 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:06,000 It's what he wants. 42 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:16,000 You know, it's God, he says that peace into our hearts and our minds where we're working in accordance with what he wants for us. 43 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,000 When we pray and we ask, hey, what is it that you need me to do? 44 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:27,000 What is your will? When we're working in his will, we're praying in his will, you know, traffic jams, car troubles, 45 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:35,000 troubled relationships, dealing with difficult people or difficult situations in our lives and at work. 46 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:43,000 You know, even a simple phone call is my my lovely wife reminded me earlier this week when I was kind of like, haha, I was kind of dreading that call a little bit. 47 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,000 Right. 48 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:55,000 It's those things when we when we reflect, it's like, you know, Lord, Lord, be with me, guide me, guide my mind, guide my temperament, guide my words. 49 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:59,000 And things flow a lot better. 50 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:15,000 You know, just the other day, a good friend of mine who's dealing with end stage cancer made that decision to stop chemo and all of her various therapies and just go to comfort measures. 51 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:21,000 Now, for us as the friends and for her family, that's a hard decision. 52 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:25,000 We don't want to lose somebody that we care about. 53 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:32,000 However, for her, the Lord granted her peace. 54 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:39,000 To be as comfortable as possible in the time that she has left surrounded by her friends and her family. 55 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:44,000 Until he says it's time and calls her home. 56 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:48,000 And she has very much a piece of that. 57 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:58,000 That past that piece that surpasses all understanding, even for us, it's like, how can you be at peace with dying? 58 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,000 Because regardless of how prepared we think we are, none of us really wants to die. 59 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,000 Right. 60 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,000 If we were told, hey, you're dying tomorrow, would we be at peace with that? 61 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:09,000 No, not really. 62 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:13,000 Not without God. 63 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:18,000 You know that that piece is like no other. But where does it come from? 64 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:23,000 It's that precious gift that we receive in Jesus Christ. 65 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:29,000 Hope is what sets Christians apart from other people. 66 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Hope defined by the Oxford dictionary is a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing to happen. 67 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:46,000 A feeling of trust and the want for something to happen or be the case. 68 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:52,000 The Bible takes this a little further though. 69 00:07:52,000 --> 00:08:07,000 Biblical hope is the expectation with certainty that God will deliver on his promises and do all the things he said he'll do. 70 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:15,000 In other words, biblical hope is confidence expectation. 71 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:16,000 And that is a difference. 72 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:23,000 It's confidence because outside of biblical hope, there's no confidence in there. 73 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,000 It's like, oh, I hope. I don't know. 74 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:35,000 But when it comes to Jesus, we know beyond the shadow of a doubt, we know. 75 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:45,000 That's why we're able to rely on biblical hope and we're able to rely on God and Christ and find that peace in times of hardship. 76 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,000 We're going to go into this a little bit deeper though. 77 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:51,000 Let's all open up our Bibles and our Bible apps. 78 00:08:51,000 --> 00:09:00,000 Let's turn to 1 Peter chapter 3 verses 13 through 17. 79 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:09,000 So 1 Peter chapter 3 verses 13 through 17. 80 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:21,000 The word says, And he who will harm you, if you become followers of what is good. 81 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:30,000 But even if you should suffer the righteousness for righteousness sake, you are blessed and do not be afraid of their threats nor be troubled. 82 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:43,000 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asked you a reason for the hope that is in you. 83 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:55,000 With meekness and fear, having a good conscience that when they defame you as evil doers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be shamed. 84 00:09:55,000 --> 00:10:07,000 For it is better if it is the will of God to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 85 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:10,000 So we're going to go through this little piece by piece. 86 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,000 It's going to bring me to my first point. 87 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,000 God has your back. 88 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,000 God has all of our back. 89 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:25,000 When we're looking here in verse 13, who can harm you if you're a follower of good, right? 90 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:29,000 We're saying if you're a follower of God. 91 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:35,000 Romans chapter 8 verses 31 through 33, the word puts it like this. 92 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:41,000 When then shall we say to these things, if God is for us, who can be against us? 93 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:50,000 Who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all? 94 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:54,000 How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 95 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:58,000 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? 96 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:03,000 It is God who justifies. 97 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:09,000 Now God, he made the sacrifice in Christ for us. 98 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:14,000 He put it all on the line for us. 99 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:21,000 He separated a piece of himself for us. 100 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:31,000 He went through pain, torture, humiliation for us. 101 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:36,000 So who can stand up to the creator, the maker of all things, 102 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:43,000 who's willing to allow his own blood to flow to cover us and to cover our sins? 103 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,000 Nobody. 104 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,000 Nobody has the power to do that. 105 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:50,000 Nobody has the power to take the king off from high. 106 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,000 There is no one higher. 107 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:54,000 There is no one stronger. 108 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:58,000 So when it comes to knowing who has our back and who has our best interest, 109 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:03,000 who's going to go to bat for us when we need it the most? 110 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,000 I know that my father Brooks might have friends in low places, 111 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,000 but I've got a father in the highest. 112 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,000 Plain and simple. 113 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,000 I know who has me. 114 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:21,000 And no matter what comes, at the end of it all, I know it's going to be okay. 115 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:29,000 Regardless of what pain and what suffering is to come, I know it's going to be okay. 116 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:33,000 I know that that ransom was made, that ransom was paid, 117 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:39,000 so that we, you and I, and everybody else out there who chooses to accept that gift, 118 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:44,000 can be reconnected with God. 119 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:51,000 To have that peace, to have that hope, 120 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:55,000 to have that relationship through Jesus. 121 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:57,000 It's not enough just to know. 122 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:02,000 We have to have a relationship. 123 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:04,000 And it doesn't get any better than that. 124 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,000 That's the best relationship right there. 125 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,000 A relationship with the Almighty. 126 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:11,000 Who can top that? 127 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:13,000 There is no trump card for that. 128 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,000 Not one. 129 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,000 You know, it comes down to, what's that? 130 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,000 The president's calling? 131 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:22,000 Tell him to pound sand. 132 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,000 I've got more important things to do. 133 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,000 I've got an appointment with the highest. 134 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,000 There's nobody that's going to come before that. 135 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,000 I don't care what party they're in. 136 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,000 He's coming first. 137 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:40,000 That chance to sit at the table with him is going to come first every time. 138 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:45,000 That chance to sit and talk with him about anything is going to come first. 139 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:50,000 That chance to sit there and praise. 140 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:54,000 You know, for us as believers, being able to sit at the table, 141 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:58,000 this is like the groupies that travel and follow bands. 142 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:02,000 They want that VIP ticket, sit up in the front, like, ah! 143 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:03,000 Right? 144 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,000 And they're pumped, they're excited, like, I get to go backstage. 145 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:07,000 I'm going to meet him. 146 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:08,000 I'm going to get an autograph. 147 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:12,000 I'm going to have him sign my shirt. 148 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:13,000 No. 149 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,000 I'm going to go sit at the table with Jesus. 150 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:20,000 Because he's already signed my heart. 151 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,000 We respond different. 152 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:30,000 Coming into verse 14, with all this said, doesn't mean we're going to be on easy street. 153 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:37,000 It's not going to be all candies and roses and nice things, right? 154 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:41,000 In fact, that's not even a promise God has made us. 155 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:45,000 As a matter of fact, throughout the Bible, it says exactly the opposite. 156 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,000 Jesus himself said the opposite. 157 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:53,000 He said life is going to be tough. 158 00:14:53,000 --> 00:15:03,000 And the fact of knowing what is to come and being a follower of Jesus actually makes it harder. 159 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,000 You know, that question is asked, would you rather know the past or the future? 160 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,000 And most people are going to say, I want to know the future. 161 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:09,000 Well, guess what? 162 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:12,000 We have the Bible. We know the future. 163 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:16,000 We know what's to come. 164 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,000 It's really hard. 165 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,000 Especially not knowing the time that's going to come. 166 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:30,000 Yet as we go through day by day, week by week, century by century, we see more and more prophecies fulfilled all the time. 167 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:36,000 We see more and more science coming all the time. 168 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:45,000 In John chapter 15 verses 18 through 25, so John 15 verses 18 through 25, Jesus said, 169 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:52,000 If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. 170 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:57,000 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. 171 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:05,000 Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 172 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:11,000 Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. 173 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:15,000 And if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. 174 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,000 If they kept my word, they would keep yours also. 175 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:27,000 But these things they will do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know him who sent me. 176 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:32,000 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. 177 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:37,000 But now they have no excuse for their sin. 178 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:41,000 He who hates me hates my father also. 179 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:47,000 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin. 180 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:53,000 But now they have seen and also hated both me and my father. 181 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:59,000 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled, which is written in their law. 182 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:03,000 But Jesus hated me without a cause. 183 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:07,000 He's kind of a rebel without a cause. 184 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,000 Pastor Mike made a comment about an old movie earlier. 185 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:12,000 There we go. 186 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,000 Little James Dean there, right? 187 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,000 But no, Jesus really was. 188 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:20,000 He went against the norms to a certain extent. 189 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:26,000 But it's to help set that example and bring us in line with what the Lord wants for us. 190 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:36,000 We know, especially based off of what Jesus said here, life is going to be full of obstacles and hardships. 191 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:41,000 And there's going to be a lot of ups and a lot of downs. 192 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:44,000 There's going to be a lot thrown at us, right? 193 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:48,000 Those are spiritual attacks especially. 194 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:55,000 And it's going to make it hard to keep sight of what's important. 195 00:17:55,000 --> 00:18:02,000 You know, each of us is like that sailor up in the crow's nest sitting with the eyepiece looking out for land, right? 196 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:11,000 When that fog and those storms and everything roll in, it gets real hard, especially when there's no lighthouse to be seen. 197 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:16,000 Jesus is our lighthouse. 198 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,000 Yet it's a struggle that we all take on. 199 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:31,000 It is a struggle that we all accept and know is going to be a part of our life as believers because we know what is to come. 200 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:35,000 There's going to... 201 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:36,000 It's going to get to the point of pain. 202 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,000 It's going to hurt. 203 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,000 Jesus knew. 204 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:40,000 He knew the pain. 205 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,000 He knew the torment. 206 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:52,000 He knew the fear, which is why we see in Luke 22 when he's on Mount of Olives, right? 207 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:53,000 Mount of Olives. 208 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:54,000 He experienced that fear. 209 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:55,000 He knew what was coming at him. 210 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,000 He knew that it was right around the corner, hours away. 211 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,000 He didn't want it to be so. 212 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,000 But he knew what was right. 213 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:08,000 He knew what he needed to do, doing the right thing for the right reason. 214 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,000 He knew what was expected of him. 215 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:16,000 He knew what was expected of us because we have the Bible, because we have the Word of God. 216 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,000 Now, he didn't want to go through this. 217 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,000 Who would? 218 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:22,000 You wouldn't? 219 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:23,000 I wouldn't. 220 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:27,000 Who wants to get nailed to a tree? 221 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:34,000 But he knew. 222 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,000 He knew what was coming to pass. 223 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,000 Just as we know what's coming as we get closer and closer. 224 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:45,000 And we see more of what the Word has warned us about. 225 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:51,000 More of what the Word has told us to prepare for. 226 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:56,000 And we get to see it with our very eyes. 227 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:05,000 But as believers, whereas the rest of the world is seeing chaos and it's filled with doubt and fear, 228 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:08,000 we get to remain calm. 229 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:15,000 We have that peace inside because we have that hope that Jesus brought to each and every one of us. 230 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:21,000 And when the dust settles, we know where we're going to stand. 231 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:25,000 Just as we know where we stand right now. 232 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:30,000 Which brings me to our next point. 233 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:36,000 What's your answer for having hope? 234 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:42,000 What's your answer for having hope? 235 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:46,000 So coming to 1 Peter chapter 3 verses 15 and 16. 236 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,000 I'm not going to read them again. 237 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:49,000 Don't worry. 238 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,000 I already read them once. 239 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,000 You know, as believers, we're not to be fearful. 240 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:59,000 We're not to get caught up in all this nonsense of the world. 241 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:07,000 We're not to be afraid of fear mongering that the media and all these people, these supposed, you know, 242 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:12,000 these trying to think of it, I'll just say entertainers. 243 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,000 You know, you got all these people on YouTube and all, I can't think of the term for it. 244 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:17,000 But you know what I'm saying. 245 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:24,000 You know, you have all these people that get caught up in it and they like to spin it and spin it this way and spin it this way with the what ifs and all that. 246 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:29,000 What if what we're really being told is this and you know, you need to get some that try to put a little bit of the word in there and they put a spin on it. 247 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:30,000 What's that called? 248 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:31,000 Let me see here. 249 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:32,000 Oh, yeah. 250 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:33,000 Satan did it. 251 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:34,000 It's called a lie. 252 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:35,000 Right. 253 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:39,000 Because they feed on all these little things. 254 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:44,000 And Jesus told us we're not to get caught up in all this nonsense. 255 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:48,000 Instead, we're to keep our eye on the ball. 256 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:55,000 In other words, keep our eye on Jesus. 257 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:01,000 You know, it's basically what it's telling us is we all need to go into that that back office that we all have. 258 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:02,000 It's called our heart. 259 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:03,000 Right. 260 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:10,000 We need to go find that big filing cabinet that's been sitting there in the back collecting all sorts of dust. 261 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,000 And we're going to open that sucker up and we're going to rummage through it. 262 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:27,000 We're going to find all these old files, the hate, the malice, the discontent, all the stuff that the world tells us that we need to do and gives us a big to do list so big that we actually have files for it. 263 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,000 Right. 264 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,000 All this big stuff. 265 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:34,000 These receipts, these empty I.O.U.s from the world, those empty promises. 266 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:39,000 And we're going to take all this stuff and we're going to take it out and we're going to take it over here. 267 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:45,000 It's that nice dumpster we like to call the garbage can or file 13 and we're going to throw it all in there. 268 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,000 Because what do we do? 269 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:51,000 We have all this space and that space is not reserved for all this junk. 270 00:22:51,000 --> 00:23:00,000 That space is reserved for Jesus to come into our lives, for the Holy Spirit to come into our lives. 271 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:05,000 And what the Holy Spirit does is he comes in and he starts ordering it. 272 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:09,000 He puts the little tabs on there with the little labels. 273 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:10,000 Right. 274 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:24,000 Maybe color code things, but he takes the system and he makes it make sense and he puts things in there like grace, mercy, conviction, forgiveness, love. 275 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:27,000 Hope. 276 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:32,000 Hopes in there. 277 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:37,000 Now we have a whole new system in place out with the old and with the new. 278 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,000 Really in with the Almighty. 279 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:48,000 It's different because instead of getting caught up with this, we're not caught up with this and our life changes. 280 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:49,000 We're not who we used to be. 281 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:50,000 Right. 282 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:55,000 The word tells us we're new creatures. 283 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:58,000 So all that that stuff is gone. 284 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:05,000 All the all the chaos has now been tidied up and now we have peace. 285 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:09,000 It's Jesus in control. 286 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:11,000 It's not us. 287 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:15,000 We've taken all of our stuff out, put it to the side. 288 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:20,000 We've given Jesus charge over that heart, over that cabinet. 289 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:25,000 Right. 290 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:33,000 And when he's in control of everything and we recognize it and we start seeing his plan, even if it's a little is peace. 291 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:34,000 It puts us at ease. 292 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:38,000 It helps us to relax. 293 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:42,000 Because no longer. 294 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:46,000 Is it us trying to control things? 295 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:55,000 It's not on me. 296 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:58,000 My battery's just died. 297 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:27,000 Hold on a second. 298 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:40,000 There it goes. 299 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,000 Now we have power. 300 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:43,000 Batteries died. 301 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:44,000 There we go. 302 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:45,000 OK. 303 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,000 We're live again. 304 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:48,000 It's a lie. 305 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:49,000 It's a lie. 306 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:50,000 This is the right month to make that joke. 307 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:55,000 Right. 308 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:56,000 That's right. 309 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:57,000 I'm not dressed up as a bunny. 310 00:25:57,000 --> 00:25:58,000 I'm not dressed up as a bunny. 311 00:25:58,000 --> 00:25:59,000 I've dressed up as a bunny once in my life. 312 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:03,000 I was about this tall. 313 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:08,000 I don't have the knees to support that anymore. 314 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:12,000 So as I was saying, it's nice for us because we're no longer in control. 315 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,000 We've given up that control. 316 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,000 We've handed it all over to Christ. 317 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,000 Now he's in control. 318 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,000 He's the one who's driving the ship. 319 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,000 Right. 320 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:24,000 He's got the car. 321 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:25,000 He's kicked back. 322 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,000 He's not just kidding. 323 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:28,000 But he's driving us. 324 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:29,000 Right. 325 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,000 He's the one who's in control and it helps us to relax because you know what? 326 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:36,000 The burden to make those decisions is no longer on us. 327 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:40,000 For us, it's just, Lord, what do you need? 328 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,000 What will you have of me? 329 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:45,000 Your will be done. 330 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,000 And it brings us peace. 331 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:51,000 It brings us into alignment with his will. 332 00:26:51,000 --> 00:27:04,000 And regardless of what people say or do, ultimately, when you get these people who are going to talk trash about you, and they will, there's always somebody. 333 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:12,000 It might even be someone you consider a friend, but there's always going to be somebody, a coworker, anybody. 334 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,000 Because the enemy is always at play. 335 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:21,000 And the enemy is always lurking around that corner, too, looking for that weak link, that place that he could attack. 336 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:28,000 There's always going to be someone out there talking trash, trying to slander you, trying to paint you in a bad light. 337 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,000 It might even be yourself. 338 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:32,000 Yeah, that's true. 339 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:33,000 It could be yourself. 340 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:34,000 You're right. 341 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,000 It could be yourself. 342 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:40,000 Because sometimes we are quite often, I shouldn't even say sometimes, quite often we are our own worst enemy, right? 343 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,000 We like to put ourselves down. 344 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,000 We're like, aren't you not good enough? 345 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,000 Yeah, you are. 346 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:53,000 You might see yourself as a nobody, but God sees you as a somebody. 347 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:59,000 See, this is one of those areas, it's one of those stumbling blocks that trips up a lot of Christians, a lot of believers. 348 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,000 And there's a few reasons for it. 349 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,000 All right. 350 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,000 And it comes down to the different points of view. 351 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:13,000 Because there's many who like to think that they need to take their faith and their hope, and it's something very private, right? 352 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,000 It's just between them and Jesus. 353 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,000 Jesus knows my heart. 354 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:18,000 No, no, no, I'm not going to get caught. 355 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:19,000 I don't want to argue about it. 356 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:20,000 I don't want to fight. 357 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:22,000 No, it's just mine. 358 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:24,000 It's just mine. 359 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:26,000 Right? 360 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,000 And we all know people who are like that. 361 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,000 They kind of bottle it up and hold it inside. 362 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:33,000 It's like, no, it's just mine. 363 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,000 You stay over there. 364 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,000 Stay on your side of the street. 365 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:48,000 You know, they hold on to the faith that they have or the hope that they have, and they treat it like golem, right? 366 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:49,000 Exactly. 367 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,000 Oh, my precious. 368 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,000 Kill it. 369 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:54,000 Mine. 370 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,000 Mine. 371 00:28:56,000 --> 00:29:04,000 It's like someone's going to try to steal it or damage it, rip it away from them, tarnish it in some way, right? 372 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:08,000 They got to keep it boxed up in hell, and they got to spit-shine it, you know? 373 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:15,000 Get those special cloths and just rub it down. 374 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:18,000 You know, that ring for golem is how people treat this. 375 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,000 You know, it's their precious. 376 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:26,000 And they turn it into an idol of its own. 377 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,000 They have to hide it away from everybody. 378 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:32,000 Others think they have to be obnoxious and boisterous about it. 379 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:37,000 They come in, and they're yelling, and they're loud, and they're proud, right? 380 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,000 They're up in your face. 381 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,000 How are you doing? 382 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:42,000 Do you believe in Jesus? 383 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:43,000 I believe in Jesus. 384 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,000 Oh, but you know what? 385 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:49,000 I'm going to be loud, and I'm going to be obnoxious. 386 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:53,000 I'm going to see you have something that I just don't like about you. 387 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,000 Maybe it's that shirt you're wearing. 388 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,000 You have an ear pierced. 389 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:04,000 Maybe it's that music you're listening to in your car on the way into the parking lot. 390 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:10,000 You know, oh, you're homeless. 391 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,000 These are the people, you know, they're loud, they're obnoxious. 392 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:17,000 They want to conform everybody to that cookie-cutter mold that they believe that they fit in. 393 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:23,000 And then they tell them, you're going to hell, you're going to hell, you're going to hell, you're all going to hell. 394 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:28,000 But I'm not, because you all understand it is I'm perfect. 395 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:32,000 I'm great. 396 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:37,000 They turn themselves into an idol. 397 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:38,000 They start falling short. 398 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:45,000 They start falling shy real quick, right? 399 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:50,000 They have to yell and sing it on the mountain for everyone to see. 400 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:55,000 You know, another way of saying it, it's kind of like that drunk, you know, those drunks that go into the I love you mode. 401 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:59,000 They want to hang on everybody and, you know, get in your face. 402 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:05,000 You're like, man, I wish you brushed your teeth. 403 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:12,000 That drunk that's lost control of their faculties and doesn't even know it, these guys are drunk on themselves. 404 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:16,000 Instead, the truth is, like most things, you have this side, you have this side. 405 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:24,000 Usually the truth is kind of right here in the middle, right in that little area, right? 406 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:32,000 Because we need to have an answer and we need to be ready to share it when it's asked of us. 407 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:41,000 Our lives, our choices, our kingdom perspective, the reason we do things the way we do, believe the things that we believe. 408 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:50,000 We have to be gentle and loving when we do it, though. 409 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:55,000 We have to be gentle and loving and we have to share our testimony. 410 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,000 And that's really what's being asked here. 411 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:08,000 When it says that when the word tells us to have an answer ready to have an explanation available. 412 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:14,000 It's saying be prepared to give your testimony. 413 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:16,000 That's really it. Don't over read into it. 414 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:21,000 Don't overthink it like, oh, well, I had this time and I had that. 415 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:25,000 Oh, and then there was this and then the Bible says this, this, this, this. 416 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:28,000 No, what is your testimony? 417 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:33,000 What has Jesus done for you in your life specifically? 418 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:36,000 Because that is what's giving you hope. 419 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:41,000 And that's what you need to be ready to share. 420 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,000 You know, it's not just who Christ is. 421 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:48,000 It's not just what the word says. 422 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:57,000 But what has happened and how we're better people for it, how it's changed us. 423 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:04,000 We need to position ourselves so that not only when we're spoken to, but when we're observed by others at a distance, 424 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:06,000 because there are other people who will not engage with you. 425 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:13,000 They're just watching from a distance, waiting to see how you're going to trip up next. 426 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:17,000 So as believers, it's not just an onstage offstage. 427 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:19,000 It is our very lives. 428 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:27,000 When people hear us talking, when they see us doing things, they know, hey, this guy's different. 429 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:31,000 You have all these people over here and maybe what they're doing is OK. 430 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:40,000 But this guy is separate from the rest. 431 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:50,000 You know, it's when we're seen, when we're heard, and that hope that's in us, that light that's in us is more easily seen by others. 432 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:53,000 And that light, that's the Holy Spirit, right? 433 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:54,000 That's the Holy Spirit in us. 434 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:59,000 They might not even recognize it because they don't know him yet. 435 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:05,000 It's like, what's that different? What is that shining, that light, that joy that comes from them? 436 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:16,000 When I'm around them, they make the room light up and everything just seems, and it's refreshing. 437 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:23,000 And it's on us to make sure that the hope that the Holy Spirit's brought us, it's not covered up. 438 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,000 It's not, oh, my precious. 439 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:27,000 It's let out to shine. 440 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,000 It's like Superman ripping open his shirt, that big S coming out, right? 441 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:33,000 So that is supposed to be a hope. 442 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:35,000 Holy Spirit, help for others to see. 443 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,000 Let it shine. 444 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:41,000 So the word says, let your light shine before others, right? 445 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:45,000 We've heard this. 446 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:50,000 Let that light shine so others can see Christ in you. 447 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:59,000 Because when they see Christ in you, that's when they can come to know him, when you share your testimony. 448 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:01,000 Say, oh, that sounds like a good dude. 449 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:02,000 I need to know more about him. 450 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:06,000 I'd like to meet him, right? 451 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,000 Going into verse 16, you know, I already hinted on this a little bit ago. 452 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,000 I hit it just a little bit. 453 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:14,000 People are still going to talk trash. 454 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:15,000 It's just a fact. 455 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,000 That's life. 456 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:29,000 And the closer the enemy sees you getting to Jesus, the more he's going to do, the more attacks are going to be made, and the more garbage is going to be said about you and what you're doing. 457 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:31,000 He's going to try to slander you. 458 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:32,000 He's going to try to tarnish you. 459 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:38,000 He's going to try to dim that light that shines from you. 460 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:44,000 He doesn't want other people to come to Christ. 461 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:55,000 The fact is, the more Christlike you become in your life, the harder your life is going to become because the enemy is going to step up those attacks. 462 00:35:55,000 --> 00:36:02,000 And he's going to use all the tools that are available to him, nonbelievers and fallen angels alike. 463 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:09,000 So not only are you fighting a battle in the spiritual realm, but you're fighting it in the physical. 464 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,000 He's going to take those pot shots at you. 465 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,000 But here's the thing. 466 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:31,000 When you live Christlike, when you do the right thing for the right reason and you let his light shine, it becomes harder and harder and harder for the enemy to attack you and to keep that pressure on. 467 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:33,000 And do you know why? 468 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:35,000 Anybody? 469 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:39,000 Because you're no longer giving him the ammo he needs. 470 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:45,000 He can't sit there like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme for whatever movie it is, like, right there, right there, right there. 471 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,000 Look, look, look. 472 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:48,000 You're not giving that to him anymore. 473 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:51,000 So he can't use it against you. 474 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:59,000 You just made his work that much harder and his that much easier. 475 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:08,000 As long as you're doing the right thing for the right reason, the lies that are spun, spin nowhere. 476 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:25,000 They're out there and they're no longer seen with any kind of merit because eventually as people get to know you and they see what you're doing, all those lies and that nonsense that's being said, it very much turns into the boy who cried wolf. 477 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:29,000 And what happened with the boy who cried wolf? 478 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:31,000 That's right. 479 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:39,000 If you're not familiar with the story, the little boy, little shepherd, he went out and he kept crying wolf, wolf, wolf, getting all these people to come to his flock to make it easier for him to do his job. 480 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:40,000 Right? 481 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:43,000 He's kind of lazy that way, getting everybody else to do the work for him. 482 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:46,000 And he did this so many times that eventually people stopped coming. 483 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:52,000 They stopped believing him because they knew he was a liar. 484 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:56,000 He burnt every bridge that he had. 485 00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:01,000 He turned away every potential friend that he had. 486 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:12,000 So when the wolf did come, he fell victim. 487 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:17,000 When you're not giving things to the enemy, he can't do anything. 488 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:20,000 When all you're throwing out there is love and the hope of Christ. 489 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:22,000 The good things, the right things. 490 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,000 Guess what? 491 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:26,000 The time comes for help. 492 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,000 He'll be there. 493 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:37,000 And everybody he sees you and knows you and knows the light that's within you, they'll be there. 494 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:38,000 So stand tall. 495 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:42,000 Take the hits when they come because they're going to come. 496 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:45,000 And it's going to get easier and easier because the enemy is going to get worn down. 497 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:46,000 Right? 498 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:48,000 We've seen this in boxing matches. 499 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:50,000 You get a guy and he just stands back and he takes the beating. 500 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,000 Rocky takes the beating. 501 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,000 Eventually it gets easier because this guy is worn down. 502 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:59,000 And for us it gets even easier because eventually it gets to a point where we're not even feeling the hits anymore 503 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:03,000 because the armor of God is what's taking the impact. 504 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:08,000 That armor of God is impacting us. 505 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:12,000 So as long as you remain in the light of Christ doing the right thing for the right reason, 506 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:17,000 you're going to be beyond reproach. 507 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:21,000 Jesus is going to take care of us. 508 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:27,000 And we're going to be the ones that he uses to set that example for others to follow. 509 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:34,000 And when we follow Christ, of course, we're covered in his blood for the Father to see. 510 00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:38,000 We have that hope that comes from forgiveness. 511 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:39,000 Which brings me to my last point. 512 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:40,000 We're going in. 513 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:41,000 We're heading for home here, guys. 514 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,000 I promise. 515 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,000 Choose God or the world. 516 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:47,000 Blah, blah, blah. 517 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:48,000 Getting tongue tied there. 518 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:54,000 Choose God or the world. 519 00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:57,000 There's going to be times things are going to happen. 520 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:02,000 We're going to question our faith, sometimes to the point that when good things come about, 521 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:04,000 we're just waiting for that other shoe to drop. 522 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:06,000 It seems pretty good. 523 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:07,000 Something's going to happen. 524 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:08,000 Something's off. 525 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:09,000 I just don't see it yet. 526 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:10,000 I don't know what it is. 527 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:13,000 But that other shoe is going to drop. 528 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:19,000 And we're going to talk to what we said earlier about being our own worst enemy, right? 529 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:25,000 And when this happens, we let things like doubt take hold. 530 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:28,000 This is very much like Gideon. 531 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:35,000 When we go back to the book of Judges, Gideon was that reluctant leader, right? 532 00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:40,000 So much bad had happened. 533 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:43,000 And so many of the Israelites, they were on the run for their lives. 534 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:48,000 They were basically living in caves, you know, taking care of the wheat behind different barriers, 535 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:53,000 trying to keep out of sight, out of sight, out of mind, right? 536 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:58,000 And they'd been beaten down for a long, long time. 537 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:04,000 So when the angel came and appeared to Gideon and said, hey, this blessing is here. 538 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,000 You're going to go when you're going to do this. 539 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:14,000 And you guys are going to be able to come out of hiding and you're going to be back up here. 540 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:15,000 He was filled with doubt. 541 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:16,000 He didn't believe. 542 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:17,000 He was like, really? 543 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,000 I don't know. 544 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:26,000 So much to the point he had to ask for proof because he didn't believe that this is actually an angel from the Lord, right? 545 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:28,000 He was so caught up. 546 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:29,000 He had faith. 547 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:31,000 It was very little. 548 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:36,000 His hope pretty much grounded out at that point. 549 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:37,000 He needed a sign. 550 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:41,000 So he asked for a sign. 551 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:46,000 And that's very much how we get when this happens. 552 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:55,000 This is one of those points in our lives where we should, you know, I'd encourage you, you know, we should all reflect on Matthew 14. 553 00:41:55,000 --> 00:42:01,000 Matthew 14, this is when the disciples were out in the boat, right? 554 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:02,000 Jesus, he did a little bit of reprieve. 555 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:08,000 He just go out and later on he comes out walking on the water and I go, it's a ghost. 556 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:12,000 Peter says, if it's really you, tell me to come and walk to you. 557 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:13,000 He says, come out, right? 558 00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:16,000 I'm paraphrasing, of course, times for times sake. 559 00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:18,000 He tells him, come on out. 560 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:19,000 Because he asked for proof. 561 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:23,000 He had doubt, right? 562 00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:26,000 Very much, you know, the way of the world, what we see, what we hear. 563 00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:33,000 So when we see something that's spiritual, something otherworldly, especially, we're really doubtful. 564 00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:36,000 Really doubtful. 565 00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:37,000 So Peter asked for proof. 566 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:40,000 He says, come on out. 567 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,000 Two things happen here. 568 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:44,000 First, he had faith. 569 00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:46,000 He's like, I know that voice. 570 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:47,000 He's telling me to come in. 571 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:48,000 I'm going to be OK. 572 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:54,000 He steps out of that boat and he starts walking on the water. 573 00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:58,000 It's a miracle, right? 574 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:01,000 As I checked, none of us here are walking on water just like that. 575 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:05,000 I know if I step out of a boat, I'm going to bloop, which is OK, because I really like the water. 576 00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:10,000 I really like to swim. 577 00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:12,000 But he had faith. 578 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:16,000 He was focused on Jesus. 579 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:22,000 And he had that faith that comes from knowing Jesus says to do something, you're going to be able to do it. 580 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:24,000 It's going to come through. 581 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:27,000 It's going to be delivered. 582 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:29,000 But then what happened next? 583 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:36,000 Number two, his focus shifted just a little bit, right? 584 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:37,000 He took his eyes off the ball. 585 00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:39,000 He took his eyes off of Jesus. 586 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:45,000 And instead, he started focusing on the world, what was going on around him. 587 00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:46,000 The winds were picking up. 588 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:51,000 A storm was coming in. 589 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:57,000 That's a trap we all fall into on what happened at this point. 590 00:43:57,000 --> 00:44:01,000 He did exactly like you and I do. 591 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:02,000 He dropped out of that water. 592 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:06,000 Lord, see, right? 593 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:11,000 And Jesus like, you little thief, come here, you moron. 594 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:13,000 Let me help you up. 595 00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:14,000 You're stupid. 596 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:20,000 OK, no, I didn't really say it like that. 597 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:21,000 But you know what I'm saying? 598 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:23,000 It was as he was little faith. 599 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:24,000 Really? 600 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:25,000 You lack faith. 601 00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:26,000 That's why you fell. 602 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:27,000 And why did he lack faith? 603 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:33,000 Because he started focusing on the storm, the things that he knew of, the worldly things. 604 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:36,000 That doubt and that fear crept into his heart. 605 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:39,000 He opened up that filing cabinet and said, I'm just letting Jesus man it. 606 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:40,000 He's like, you know what? 607 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:43,000 We should probably just stick this little file in there to him. 608 00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:44,000 Things went wrong. 609 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:47,000 He derailed. 610 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:55,000 Had he kept his eyes on Jesus, that little doubt, that little fear would have been squashed like a bug. 611 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:57,000 Just done. 612 00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:02,000 And he'd have been able to go out there and just make that beeline and walk straight to him. 613 00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:05,000 Right? 614 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:06,000 But he didn't. 615 00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:08,000 And that's what you and I do. 616 00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:13,000 So what everybody on this world does, we take our eyes off. 617 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:23,000 Instead of doing what we're told to do, focusing on what we're supposed to be focused on, we pay attention and we start listening to what the enemy is saying. 618 00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:29,000 And where Jesus is talking to us in a gentle whisper, gently and lovingly. 619 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:31,000 The enemy is yelling at us, hey, guess what? 620 00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:32,000 You're going to fall, dummy. 621 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:33,000 You're not good enough. 622 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:34,000 You're not Jesus. 623 00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:35,000 You can't do that. 624 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:39,000 You're going to drown. 625 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:46,000 And that's what we hear in our focus on that instead. 626 00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:50,000 If only we kept our eyes on Jesus, right? 627 00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:53,000 Now, you've probably heard this in a number of ways. 628 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:55,000 Choose your heart. 629 00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:57,000 Being okay is hard. 630 00:45:57,000 --> 00:45:59,000 Being the best is hard. 631 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:00,000 Being weak is hard. 632 00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:01,000 Being strong is hard. 633 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:03,000 Choose your heart. 634 00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:04,000 Being in shape is hard. 635 00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:05,000 Being weak is hard. 636 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:06,000 Being out of shape is hard. 637 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:07,000 Being fit is hard. 638 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:09,000 Being lazy is hard. 639 00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:10,000 Being disciplined is hard. 640 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:12,000 Choose your heart. 641 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:16,000 Going through life without Christ is hard. 642 00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:20,000 Going through life with Christ is hard. 643 00:46:20,000 --> 00:46:24,000 Choose your heart. 644 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:35,000 The difference is when we choose to live with Christ instead of living on our own, we have hope. 645 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:39,000 First Peter chapter 2 verses 18 through 21. 646 00:46:39,000 --> 00:46:43,000 So First Peter chapter 2 verses 18 through 21, the word says, 647 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:53,000 Servants be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and Gentile, but also to the harsh. 648 00:46:53,000 --> 00:47:02,000 For it is commendable if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering, wrongfully. 649 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:08,000 For what credit is it if you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently. 650 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:16,000 But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 651 00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:32,000 For to you, excuse me, for to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his footsteps. 652 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:36,000 James chapter 1 verses 2 through 4, the word says, 653 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:45,000 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 654 00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:52,000 That patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing. 655 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:58,000 We're going to be tempted. We're going to have to go through trials. We're going to have to go through tribulations. 656 00:47:58,000 --> 00:48:02,000 We're going to be tested. 657 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:07,000 And it's in these moments that our character is being tested, right? 658 00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:17,000 It's being molded all the rest of time. It's in these small fleeting moments that seem huge that we're being tested. 659 00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:23,000 Right? A lot of people say it's in these moments that they can't hear God. 660 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:27,000 The old saying goes the teacher is often quiet during a test. 661 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:30,000 Right? 662 00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:33,000 It's seeing how we're going to react under pressure. 663 00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:39,000 It's searching for our weaknesses so we know what we need to work on next. 664 00:48:39,000 --> 00:48:44,000 You know, in the Marine Corps, we have a leadership principle, know yourself and seek self improvement. 665 00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:47,000 And very much comes from this. 666 00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:56,000 Because we all have weaknesses and as we strengthen up in other areas, we develop weaknesses in others. 667 00:48:56,000 --> 00:49:06,000 And it's better for us as believers to have this happen because it helps us to grow and it helps us to grow in our relationship with Jesus. 668 00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:15,000 For us as believers, it's better for us to go through this so that we learn to be vulnerable. 669 00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:19,000 So that we suffer. 670 00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:23,000 And not wear a mask like we're some kind of superhero. 671 00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:27,000 Because we're not. 672 00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:33,000 We do this so that when others look at us, they can see where our strength ultimately comes from. 673 00:49:33,000 --> 00:49:35,000 And it's not us ourselves. 674 00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:37,000 It's Christ. 675 00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:45,000 It's the Holy Spirit in us building us up and giving us strength, giving us that supernatural strength that we on ourselves cannot have. 676 00:49:45,000 --> 00:49:52,000 That we ourselves do not wield. 677 00:49:52,000 --> 00:50:04,000 And ultimately when they see it, and we're able to point the light to him, they see his glory and they recognize it's his light. 678 00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:08,000 And all of us are attracted to the light. 679 00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:14,000 It lights our pathway. Who wants to walk into a dark room? Nobody. Who wants to walk into a room that's lit? Everybody. 680 00:50:14,000 --> 00:50:21,000 And that's what that does. The light reflects off of us to shine them down the path that they need to go to so they can come into that relationship. 681 00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:26,000 Coming to know Christ, it's our homework here on earth. 682 00:50:26,000 --> 00:50:31,000 You think about it, nobody goes into a new class and just knows everything. 683 00:50:31,000 --> 00:50:40,000 I don't care how nerdy they are and how smooth it seems to come to them when they're up at the board solving problems or answering questions. 684 00:50:40,000 --> 00:50:46,000 Nobody comes into a new job and just knows it all. Everybody's trained. 685 00:50:46,000 --> 00:50:49,000 Everybody has homework. 686 00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:58,000 And coming to know Christ is our homework here. Starting that relationship and learning how to develop it here. 687 00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:03,000 Relationships start as strangers, but they don't stay that way. 688 00:51:03,000 --> 00:51:10,000 Everybody comes to Christ as a stranger, but nobody stays that way. Well, if you believe. 689 00:51:10,000 --> 00:51:13,000 And that is the key component. If you believe. 690 00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:24,000 When you have that hope that's formed inside of you, when you accept that gift. 691 00:51:24,000 --> 00:51:31,000 And as we we know Christ and we learn and we know that others need to come to him before it's too late. 692 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:39,000 That's when we personally accept. Taking on the mission of the Great Commission. 693 00:51:39,000 --> 00:51:44,000 Something I'll go into in a later time. We don't have time for it. If you have questions about what that is, come see me. 694 00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:49,000 But the Great Commission, going out sharing the gospel with the world for others to come to know him. 695 00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:56,000 Said it's hard to go through life without Christ. It's hard to go with it. Choose. 696 00:51:56,000 --> 00:52:00,000 Lukewarm isn't an option. 697 00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:05,000 It's fall is going to be as hard as life is. It's going to be fall. 698 00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:13,000 It's getting really tongue tied today. It's going to be far harder for those who don't know Christ when they go stand before him. 699 00:52:13,000 --> 00:52:20,000 And he says, Be gone. I don't even know you. Right. 700 00:52:20,000 --> 00:52:25,000 So it's important that you make your choice. 701 00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:30,000 You ask yourself, are you willing to give up the world's empty promises and IOUs for Jesus? 702 00:52:30,000 --> 00:52:35,000 Or do you place more value in the world? 703 00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:40,000 How big is your hope and how strong is your faith? 704 00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:44,000 Have an answer for it all. Let us pray. 705 00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:51,000 Lord, we know that it was painful for Jesus to come and walk your earth, to see and feel our pain, 706 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:57,000 and ultimately take the cross for each and every one of us to reunite with you. 707 00:52:57,000 --> 00:53:04,000 We thank you for taking on a debt we couldn't afford and paying it as we would never be able to do it on our own. 708 00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:12,000 We thank you for the hope that you've given us and your promises, both those that are fulfilled and those that you've yet to fulfill because we know you will. 709 00:53:12,000 --> 00:53:17,000 We ask that you refresh daily and help us where we falter. 710 00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:23,000 You promised that you would always be with us and guide our steps and give us the words to explain our hope when called upon. 711 00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:32,000 And we're so thankful as we know that this isn't a one-time promise that you fulfill, but something that you do daily. 712 00:53:32,000 --> 00:53:38,000 We ask that we never forget it, that we never take this gift for granted. 713 00:53:38,000 --> 00:53:50,000 We ask that you remind us that it's our duty as believers to serve and by doing, shine your light for all others to see in a dark world. 714 00:53:50,000 --> 00:54:04,000 A firm reminder that no one, not a single person is alone in their suffering and that you're always there and you're always loving us through thick and through thin. 715 00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:08,000 And all of us people say amen and amen. 716 00:54:08,000 --> 00:54:17,000 Let's go ahead and stand for the benediction. 717 00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:27,000 The Lord bless thee and keep thee. 718 00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:41,000 The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee and be gracious unto thee. 719 00:54:41,000 --> 00:54:57,000 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. 720 00:54:57,000 --> 00:55:07,000 May the God of hope fill you all with joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope and the power of the Holy Spirit. 721 00:55:07,000 --> 00:55:12,000 Remember you are loved and you are blessed. Now go and be the church. 722 00:55:12,000 --> 00:55:17,000 Thank you all for joining us here today at Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. 723 00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:24,000 Please like, subscribe and share our podcast on any platform it is that you tune into us on. 724 00:55:24,000 --> 00:55:31,000 If you do have any questions, any prayer requests, or would like to know more about our ministry, 725 00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:41,000 you can find us on our website at BeTheLightSanctuary.org or on Facebook at BeTheLightSanctuary. 726 00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:46,000 You can also find how to contact us there, whether it's direct message or email. 727 00:55:46,000 --> 00:56:01,000 We look forward to hearing from you all. God bless.