1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,560 Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located in 2 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:17,320 beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship Ministries with 3 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:22,840 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism, discipleship, and 4 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:28,360 church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church and other sermons from 5 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:33,080 throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bickford and I will be your host for this podcast. 6 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,880 I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing to you and bring you closer 7 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:51,400 to God. Hello and welcome back to the Potter's House podcast. My name is David Bickford and I 8 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:57,720 am the pastor here in Salmon Arm. So today's message is entitled, Your Whole Heart, The Rest 9 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:04,520 Will Come in Time. So we have a quote here from John Wesley, is your heart whole with God, full of 10 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:11,720 love and zeal, to set up his kingdom on earth? Do you continually remind those under your care that 11 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:20,840 the one rational end of all our studies is to know, love, and serve the only true God and Jesus Christ 12 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:27,080 whom he has sent? So again that comes from John Wesley. So the text that we're going to be using 13 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:32,520 today as our jumping off point is Deuteronomy 6 verses 5 through 9 if you want to turn there. 14 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:39,320 And as you do, I want to bring to your attention some screen time ideas or percentages 15 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:46,120 of the amount of time people are using screen time and how it's changed from 2018 to 2021 when this 16 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:57,240 survey was conducted. So in 2018 you had people who were spending 17 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:06,040 quite a bit of their time on the screen still today. So you had 38% of people in 2018 18 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:12,200 spending less than two hours of their day on screen time. You had 35% of people spending 19 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:18,920 two to four hours per day of their screen time and 27% spending more than four hours. 20 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:25,960 So you probably can guess but this has changed considerably in just the few years between 2018 21 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:34,520 and 2021 but now you see things actually flip in large parts. So now it's 28% of people 22 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:44,440 spend less than two hours. That's up or down from 38%. The 35% of people still spend two to four 23 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:53,000 hours of time. That holds steady but here's the problem. 37% are spending more than four hours per 24 00:02:53,000 --> 00:03:03,160 day which is up from the 27% in 2018. So everybody is spending more time on their devices, more time 25 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:08,680 focusing on something else and maybe let's be honest, maybe you're spending some of that time 26 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:15,560 in the Word of God. Maybe you're spending some of it focused on furthering the Kingdom of God. I know 27 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:20,680 that my daughter has taken over some of the responsibilities of the Instagram page for our 28 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:27,880 church and some of the video stuff. So she's on her phone more now for the church than she was 29 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:36,280 before which is great and it's a blessing but oftentimes that's not the case. So what does 30 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:40,920 that all mean? What are we going to look at here today? What are we focusing on? Let's look to our 31 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:47,000 text in Deuteronomy 6, 5 through 9. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all 32 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:53,000 your soul and with all your might and these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 33 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:58,600 You shall teach them diligently to your children. You shall talk of them when you sit in your house 34 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:04,200 and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise you shall bind them as signs on 35 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:09,960 your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts 36 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:16,120 of your house and on your gates. Let's pray. Dear Lord God, I pray that this message will impact 37 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:23,320 people's lives, that people will turn to your word, that they will inscribe that word upon their 38 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:29,640 hearts. It will be their identity in you in Christ Jesus, that they will make their life 39 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:38,440 focused on you in Jesus name we pray. Amen. So this is an important topic about focus 40 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:43,400 and we want to like take a look and think about how we're living our lives today because we're in a 41 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:47,960 very difficult time in history. There's a lot of stuff happening, a lot of stuff happening very 42 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:55,080 fast politically, you know socially and we need to recognize that these changes are happening so 43 00:04:55,080 --> 00:05:01,560 fast and how they can be very distracting to us as Christians. We need to focus in on what's 44 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:07,880 important though keeping God as our focus, keeping our Savior as our focus as we move forward. So 45 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:14,440 here I found this fun illustration called the Fairhaven Camp Duncan and Dave. If you've ever 46 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:19,640 been to Camp Fairhaven you've probably met Duncan. Duncan is not a person, he's a dog. 47 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:25,480 He belongs to Dave who is currently one of the directors of the camp. I've never seen a dog quite 48 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:32,040 like Duncan. I've never seen a dog so devoted to his master. If Dave is in the camp office Duncan 49 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:37,720 will stand just outside the office door and stare at him. Doesn't matter if Dave is in there for 50 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:44,680 three hours, Duncan is content to stare for three hours. Duncan follows Dave everywhere. Once when 51 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:49,560 Dave ended up on the opposite side of the lake from Duncan, Duncan didn't wait for Dave to come 52 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:56,120 get him. He swam all the way across the lake to get back to Dave. If I open the door of my car and 53 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:00,120 Dave opened the door of his truck I have no doubt which view is going to be the best. 54 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:06,680 If I stood there and called him by name I still have no doubt which vehicle he would get in. 55 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:12,360 And if I stood there and called him by name while holding a doggy treat for him there is absolutely 56 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:19,080 no doubt in my mind that he would still get in Dave's truck instead of my car. This is devotion 57 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:24,760 pure and simple and in Deuteronomy 6.5 we are told that we should be wholeheartedly devoted to God. 58 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:31,000 We should have the same love and devotion that Duncan has toward Dave. For us there should be 59 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:37,960 no one else who steals our attention and devotion for God. But how often does Satan hold out a 60 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:47,800 doggy treat of temptation to me or you and say here you go come on but I have no qualms about 61 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:54,760 getting on board with him. I wanted to be so devoted to God that when Satan tries to get my 62 00:06:54,760 --> 00:07:01,160 attention I don't want to even stop and consider the possibility of betraying God. Amen. In John 63 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:07,480 3 16 through 17 this is my favorite scripture one of them of course and it's really because of verse 64 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:12,680 17 that it's my favorite. It says for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever 65 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:18,040 believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world 66 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:25,800 to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. So as we join in 67 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:32,040 looking into the word of God this morning we want to focus in on why does God pick the misfits the 68 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:38,040 outcasts in the hyper focused. Throughout the entirety of the Bible we see a trend the trend 69 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:43,880 is that God's choice for oddballs and rejects and misfits. This permeates the Old and New Testament 70 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:48,760 after the fall of man being cast out of the garden it became clear that many of the earthshakers in 71 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:54,200 the kingdom of God were characters they were not perfect but they had one thing in common they 72 00:07:54,200 --> 00:08:01,960 strove to give their whole heart to God. The story of Noah gives us this beautiful picture of a man 73 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:07,560 and his family building the temple of God. The story of Noah is a story of a man and his family 74 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:14,600 building this massive ship far away from the oceans and the sea. How crazy of a man this must 75 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:22,840 have been to have such faith to start a project of this type. Then he went on for building this 76 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:28,040 this project for years and years while dealing with the mockery and the ridicule of his community. 77 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:36,600 Are we strong enough to stand up to the mockery of our community? As we labor here as a pioneer 78 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:42,040 work here in Salmon Arm it can be tough sometimes to think about when you're when people go oh well 79 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:46,120 you're a church how many people are you running what are you doing how's it going and you go well 80 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:51,800 it's tough because we're looking for people who are going to be converts to Christ who are going 81 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:59,640 to allow Jesus Christ to impact their life to see them change to see them set free from the bondage 82 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:05,800 of their sin. We strive not to be like a religious church or try to steal people from other churches 83 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,640 if you're part of another church thank you for listening to the podcast it means a lot 84 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:17,400 but I'd really like to see you dive in and become more involved in the church you're planted with 85 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:21,960 because I do believe as our fellowship teaches and I believe as well in myself 86 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:28,920 that God has an address for your destiny and so if you've been planted somewhere you should allow 87 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:37,800 God to water and cultivate you there and you should put that focus into building a life with 88 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:43,720 Jesus Christ with where you've been planted. That being said we know things happen you know I'm 89 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:49,080 I'm in Salmon Arm British Columbia and I wouldn't have thought that I would have ended up here myself 90 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:55,880 you know years ago but God does amazing things if we give him our heart and our life so just like Noah 91 00:09:55,880 --> 00:10:00,520 are you going to be strong enough though to build where you've been planted? 92 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,800 It's it you know even though you might be mocked you might be ridiculed 93 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:12,840 for standing upon the word of Jesus Christ standing upon your faith in God. 94 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:19,800 We can look at this story and we can move it into our day and age yeah as I've kind of done a little 95 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:25,160 bit but when we think about the oddities of life we can think about oddities in the sense of the 96 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:31,160 secular world like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Henry Ford, Nikola Tesla and many others who were 97 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:36,920 committed innovators and they gave their entire life to their what their vision of their heart was 98 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:41,720 but how much more powerful would it be if these men gave their life to Jesus Christ? 99 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:47,480 You know a lot of people have turned to Elon Musk lately because he's come out in 100 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:52,760 in huge support of free speech he's expended unbelievable amounts of money 101 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:59,480 to secure free speech in the digital world and we're very thankful for that if you're a free 102 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:06,680 a free speaker if you believe in and the freedom of speech is an idea that's integral to a strong 103 00:11:06,680 --> 00:11:14,520 democracy and I do believe that but how much more powerful would it be if Elon gave his life to 104 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:18,120 Christ if Steve Jobs before he passed would have given his life to Christ? 105 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:24,120 It takes men like this though to push societies forward but we also see it takes men like that 106 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:32,040 in the kingdom of God to move nations closer to a relationship with Jesus Christ to move to move 107 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:36,040 people to repentance and ultimately what we hope for which is revival. 108 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:41,240 Now when we go back to the word of God we see this thread continued though 109 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:48,120 we have the faith of our father Abraham as we venture into that storyline we have Jacob and 110 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:52,680 Joseph and Moses and Judges and King David the prophets Mary and Joseph. 111 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:59,720 God works through these outcasts these oddballs if you will and he works with them 112 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:06,360 because he knows that their faith is going to going to allow them to follow through 113 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:12,040 they're going to be willing to preach unashamed of the gospel and rise above their humble beginnings 114 00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:18,360 and fully serve our Savior. In Romans 12 16 it says live in harmony with one another do not be 115 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:25,320 haughty but associate with the lowly never be wise in your own sight. In Matthew 10 13 it says 116 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:31,640 or Matthew 9 verses 10 to 13 it says and Jesus reclined at the table of the house of the 117 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:36,360 house and behold many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his 118 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:43,400 disciples and when the Pharisees saw this they said to the disciples why does your teacher eat 119 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:48,920 with tax collectors and sinners but when he heard and he said those who are well have no need of 120 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:55,160 physicians but those who are sick go and learn what this means I desire mercy and not sacrifice 121 00:12:55,160 --> 00:13:02,360 for I came not to call the righteous but the sinners. God has this weird way 122 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:09,800 of picking his first string and it's very different than what we oftentimes would pick 123 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:14,680 as our first string and that's my first point this you know this evening or this morning 124 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:21,000 whenever you're listening. Imagine you're having a conversation with Jacob explaining to him 125 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:26,680 your God to the polytheistic pagans that are around you. Most of the world at this period of time 126 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:31,880 worshiped many gods carried idols with them everywhere. Now if you ask Jacob to explain 127 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:37,000 his God you can picture him saying I don't carry an idol for my God for he is spirit and invisible 128 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:42,440 to man except that time when I wrestled him and he broke my hip and changed my name to Israel. 129 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:48,600 How crazy does it sound in context of the time that you're in the church and you're in the 130 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:54,040 church and yourself and your brother and brother is nagyonir for you? How crazy does it sound in 131 00:13:54,040 --> 00:14:01,160 context of the time but how much more crazy does it sound to our ears today? Joseph is similar when 132 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:05,960 he came when you consider his dream of ruling over his brothers and his father Jacob or Israel. 133 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:11,880 It was it was so out there that his father rebuked him and he and he was such a reject 134 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:17,960 or a misfit that his brothers sold him into slavery. This didn't stop Joseph though he clung 135 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:23,960 He clung to it even in his dire circumstances. 136 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:31,960 And eventually he rose to be the salvation not only of his people but of the Kingdom of Egypt. 137 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:35,960 When he became the second most powerful person in the Kingdom of Egypt. 138 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:44,960 So we look at Noah, we look at Jacob and Joseph, but we haven't even scratched the surface of God's first string. 139 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:50,960 You have the story of Moses. You know I met my God in a fiery shrub. 140 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:58,960 In the book of Exodus we're introduced to Moses given up by his mother and by God's hand he was adopted into the Pharaoh's house. 141 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:01,960 He was raised as a prince but became an outlaw and a murderer. 142 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:06,960 Fleeing into the wilderness after being rebuked by his own Hebrew brothers. 143 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:12,960 He stayed in a desert, found a wife and became a shepherd. He probably thought his life was over. 144 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:19,960 Much of us think that our life is over when you get past 20 or when you get past 30 or get past 40. 145 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:25,960 But how much of our life is in the hands of God when we give our faith to God? 146 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:29,960 How much can he do with what's left of your life? 147 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:34,960 But it was here in the backside of the desert that he encountered the burning bush. 148 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:42,960 In the depths of his obscurity he met with God and he was led back to free his people from the rule of Egypt. 149 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:48,960 Moses was called out of the shadows and he remained an oddity even to those he served. 150 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,960 It was clear that God was with him but regardless he was still isolated. 151 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:57,960 King David was the lion slayer, the giant destroyer, but he was a sinner. 152 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:02,960 But even more than that, he had a heart after God. 153 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:07,960 This is my most favorite person in the Bible is King David. 154 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:12,960 I think my next favorite would have to be our apostle, the apostle of the Gentiles, Paul. 155 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:20,960 But King David, yes I know that the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit are the primaries of the Bible, 156 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:29,960 but the story of King David shows us how we can serve God in humility despite our own failings. 157 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,960 David was taken from the fields. 158 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:38,960 His own dad overlooked him when the prophet Samuel asked to see the sons of Jesse. 159 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:46,960 He was the son who rose up for Israel and defeated Goliath and his reward was to be hated by the king, by King Saul. 160 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:56,960 Hiding and running from Saul until Saul's death, King David was in these dire circumstances. 161 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:02,960 But once coronated as king, he succumbed to temptation that gets so many men. 162 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:11,960 He became an adulterer. He conspired to kill in order to hide his sin, kill the husband, his friend, the husband of Bathsheba. 163 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:18,960 It is through all of this though in David's ups and downs we see how we can still come to the Lord and be forgiven. 164 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:24,960 David's life was very different, but he is noted in the Bible as a man after God's heart. 165 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:32,960 His ultimate claim to fame is not his nobility, his royalty, but rather that he was a servant of the Lord. 166 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:38,960 Then we have the prophets, Elijah, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, John the Baptist, who goes on and on. 167 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:45,960 But in the calling of Elijah in 1 Kings 19, we see in verses 19 through 21 this story. 168 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:54,960 So he departed from there and found Elisha, the son of Shaphat, who was the plowing with 12 yoke of oxen in front of him. 169 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,960 And he was with the 12th. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 170 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:04,960 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, Let me kiss my father, my mother, and then I will follow you. 171 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,960 And he said to him, Go back again, for what have I done to you? 172 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:15,960 And he returned from the following or from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrifice them and ate the boiled, 173 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:22,960 ate or sacrifice them and boiled their flesh with the yolks of the ox oxen and gave it to the people and they ate. 174 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,960 Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him. What a crazy idea. 175 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,960 So you have to understand this in context of our day to day. 176 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,960 This would be like you're like, let's say you're a taxi driver. 177 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:39,960 You own your own cab or you own your own Uber or whatever. You're a driver. 178 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:50,960 Some guy who you know to be like a prophet of the Lord, but he comes and he casts his cloak upon you, which means, Hey, man, you're going to be my successor. 179 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:56,960 You know it's an honor, but you go to him and say, Hey, let me close off my business. 180 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:58,960 Let me do what I need to do. 181 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:03,960 And he says, Go do what you need to do. I didn't I didn't do anything to you. 182 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:15,960 So your response, your your faithful, godly responses that you just sell the car for whatever it's worth right there to someone on the street and you go and you follow Elijah. 183 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:17,960 What an oddity. 184 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:29,960 This amount of faith and Jeremiah one five it says, before I formed you in the womb I knew you and before you were born I consecrated you, I appointed you a prophet to the nations. 185 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:34,960 These people like you know God knows all of us in the womb. 186 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:45,960 But to be formed and consecrated it set aside as a prophet and Jeremiah had such a tremendously challenging your life and ministry. 187 00:19:45,960 --> 00:20:00,960 Ezekiel three 17 the son of man. I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel whenever you hear the word from my mouth you shall give them a warning for me and then and later on in 26 through 27, and I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you 188 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:17,960 shall be mute and unable to approve them for they are rebellious house. But when I speak with you I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, thus says the Lord God, he who will hear, let him hear, he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse for they are rebellious house 189 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:33,960 so here we have the prophet the mighty prophet Ezekiel who had this interesting, you know difficulty in his ministry is that whenever he wasn't prophesying his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth for he talked to you like this. 190 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,960 What an odd, what an odd thing. 191 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:38,960 But God uses this. 192 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:48,960 He uses this because these men have their entire heart their entire life focused in on their faithful service to the Lord. 193 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:52,960 God shows us through the Old Testament that he is sufficient. 194 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,960 When we focus on him we will be fulfilled. 195 00:20:55,960 --> 00:21:01,960 This is hard for us to comprehend because we all want to feel connected to those around us. 196 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:11,960 The reality is that there is a choice. Will you seek the fulfillment of your heart in the world or will you find your fulfillment in the Father. 197 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:18,960 All of the Old Testament examples show us men who choose God above all else. 198 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:30,960 They are all heroes of our faith but off but too often today, we discount their sacrifice and make excuses for only a half hearted following of our God. 199 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:38,960 The other question I used in the very beginning about screen time, how much of your screen time is dedicated to the Lord. 200 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:48,960 If we look at this as simply just an act of tithe, part of your tithe, are you giving at least 10% of your screen time to the Lord. 201 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:56,960 How much of your time is sacrificial in service of your Savior. 202 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:09,960 It's a powerful idea in that if you are not spending enough time in the word of God, if you are not spending enough time focusing on the things of God, are you really sacrificing, are you really giving the fullness of your tithe. 203 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:14,960 Or are you just tithing with your finances and you think that's good enough. 204 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:19,960 But God tells us that he prefers obedience over sacrifice. 205 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:26,960 How much more can you show your obedience by giving him your attention. 206 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,960 So let's look next to Jesus in the second string picks. 207 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:38,960 And we start off with John the Baptist in Matthew 3 verses 1 through 6 reads, In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. 208 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:51,960 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, for this is he who is spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord, make his path straight. 209 00:22:51,960 --> 00:23:13,960 When John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist and his food was locusts and wild honey, then Jerusalem and all of Judea and all by the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan confessing their sin. 210 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:22,960 The idea of John the Baptist out there in the middle of nowhere, building a church based off of repentance. How much more is that needed today. 211 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:37,960 You know as we labor and toil to build a church here in Sam and are, and a lot of our other pioneer works I was just preaching and hope. A few days ago, hope BC, one of our fellowship churches, it was a tremendous opportunity as a blessing and I, I think pastor Dean 212 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:44,960 was the one that was letting me come. 213 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:59,960 But the reality is that it doesn't take flashy lights it doesn't take the best song service or the best technology. What it takes is the word of God, and the preaching of the word of God. 214 00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:03,960 The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 215 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:12,960 This is what sets apart, john the Baptist. This is why he was able to prepare the way for our Lord Jesus Christ. 216 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:27,960 And so the wind go for for that or from that, knowing that Jesus comes and gets baptized by john the Baptist and then we see him picking his disciples, and who are the first people that he picks. 217 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:40,960 He doesn't pick royalty. He doesn't pick rock stars, we're always looking and you know politicians always like to use rock stars or actors to to give them their, you know, 218 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:46,960 to pick them for whatever they're running for office the endorsement that's the word I was looking for. 219 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:58,960 I was looking for endorsements from, you know, the rock Dwayne the Rock Johnson, or, you know, from Taylor Swift who she gonna endorse all this kind of silly garbage, because what did Jesus do. 220 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:11,960 Jesus didn't care about the Pharisees and the Sadducees or the kings and the royalty or any of this stuff no he went to Simon Peter, son of Jonas, a fisherman with a bad attitude. 221 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:20,960 He was an impetuous man he was emotional and always spoke whatever was on his mind and he was horrendously impulsive. 222 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:24,960 And then his brother, Andrew. 223 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:40,960 These men were not the cream of the crop and society if you will they were fishermen, they were looked down upon like the dregs you know we, you know we think about you know in society today they tried to tell us for years and years and years 224 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:45,960 to go to college you have to do all these things that they're going to make you know be successful in life. 225 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:55,960 And then by saying that they diminish the greater impact that the tradesmen the craftsman and our society, bring to the table. 226 00:25:55,960 --> 00:26:04,960 I don't think of Jesus came on the scene today that he picked people from universities No, I think that he would pick people from the trades. 227 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:13,960 Rough, raw, people that are, you know, builders that understand hardship. 228 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:19,960 Then next up he picks James and John the sons of Zebedee. 229 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:23,960 These men were powerful men. 230 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:28,960 James was the first of the apostles to be martyred. 231 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:40,960 He was the only one that's actually recorded in the Bible from the apostles in Acts 12 to these are powerful mental they're called the sons of thunder. 232 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,960 So they're brawlers in their own right. 233 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:49,960 And then we come to Judas Thaddeus now I think that it's pretty interesting. 234 00:26:49,960 --> 00:27:00,960 This is Jude or Lebiah's he was the son of Alpheus or or Cleophas and Mary he lived in Galilee, and he was a brother of James the younger. 235 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:13,960 He is also called Judas the zealot. So like Simon, who we will talk about in a minute he was an intense violent nationalist with the dream of world power domination by God's chosen people. 236 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:27,960 So today we think of you know you might hear the derogatory term used against Jews called the Zionists and stuff like that well this is kind of what the zealots were like back in that time, not that I believe fully in the, in the slander against the 237 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:43,960 government today. You know there's there's definitely, you know, bad people in any group. And I don't mean to, you know, downplay any of that, but we want to focus in on this today so he was a zealot so he was like a Jewish nationalist that wanted to 238 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,960 overthrow the government. 239 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:58,960 And then we also come to like the next level of the disciples the lesser knowns if you will there's just less more info less information about them but Philip. 240 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:08,960 And then you have Bartholomew or Nathaniel who's true is your Israelite and whom there's nothing false that's all we know about these two. 241 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:17,960 And James also called James the less was the son of Altheus and Mary he was also the brother of Jude, which we touched on lived in Galilee. 242 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:30,960 And unlike James the greater he's one of the most obscure of the apostles, and then we come to the distributed that is this, sorry the disreputable apostles. 243 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:38,960 And then we have Matthew also known as Levi son of Altheus who lived in Capernaum. He was a tax collector. 244 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:44,960 One of the most despised people in Jewish culture at the time. 245 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:51,960 After all he made his living off the backs of his Jewish brothers for the for the Roman Empire. 246 00:28:51,960 --> 00:29:03,960 And then we have Thomas often referred to as doubting Thomas living, he lived in Galilee. He was known to be a pessimist and a bewildered man, a man who couldn't believe until he had seen it with his own eyes. 247 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:09,960 And we have the other zealots I'm in the zealot. It was a canine I who lived in Galilee. 248 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:13,960 And he's also one of the lesser known disciples in the Bible. 249 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:24,960 And his name was only mentioned three times in the Bible so we don't know about him except that he was a zealot zealots for these fanatical Jewish nationalists I already talked about. 250 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:30,960 They were crazed with their hatred for the Romans and this is who Jesus called to for his disciples. 251 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:33,960 These men are who he called. 252 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:37,960 But we can't leave out the last of the disciples right. 253 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:41,960 The betrayer. 254 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:43,960 Judas Iscariot. 255 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:50,960 The interesting thing about Judas Iscariot is that he was considered to be good with money. 256 00:29:50,960 --> 00:30:03,960 And he was designated the treasurer of the group so we get this picture of Judas as being the only person educated the only person with, you know, some savvy or some, you know, upbringing. 257 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:15,960 And we know from John 12 verses four through six that he was also completely untrustworthy. He was a covetous man who sought the recognition of the governor. 258 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:21,960 He betrayed Jesus with a kiss into the hands of the enemy for 30 pieces of silver. 259 00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:26,960 So why is it that we get this picture of Jesus Christ with his disciples. 260 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:30,960 Later to become apostles all but one. 261 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:35,960 The one that the world would say is the most qualified. 262 00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:43,960 But in reality was the one to most quickly betray our Lord and Savior. 263 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:50,960 So in the end we come to my final point which is the third string pick or picks the least likely apostle. 264 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:54,960 And so I already mentioned how King David's my favorite Bible character. 265 00:30:54,960 --> 00:31:01,960 But a very very close second is the special apostleship of Paul or Saul. 266 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:08,960 This is the office given to the man who is the apostle for the Gentiles. 267 00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:12,960 He had a very public ministry of Jesus. 268 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:16,960 And he stands as a witness for the grace of God. 269 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:22,960 The apostle to the Gentiles it is this very unique purpose that we find in our brother Paul. 270 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:26,960 He wasn't part of the 12 even when they replaced Judas. 271 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,960 He isn't one of the 12. 272 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:33,960 He's the 13th apostle. 273 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,960 And we can see that I. 274 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:46,960 They said he was accepted by the 12 apostles as someone sharing their tasks and responsibilities in second Peter 315. 275 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:51,960 But what makes him so interesting is that Paul was a former persecutor of Christians. 276 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:58,960 And countering Jesus through the blinding light that met him on the road to Damascus. 277 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:03,960 So one day he's holding the coats of men who are stoning. 278 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:10,960 Stefan the Saint as he witnessed to the crowd about Jesus. 279 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:13,960 So he is condoning the murder of a Christian. 280 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:21,960 And then when he's traveling he encounters this life changing interaction with Jesus Christ. 281 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:28,960 By the grace of God and the good news of Jesus Christ he comes face to face with our Lord. 282 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:32,960 So he's considered the apostle for those that don't belong to the tribe of Israel. 283 00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:35,960 So now you have this kosher. 284 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:37,960 Trained educated. 285 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:39,960 Jew. 286 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:45,960 And his mission is now to go and preach the gospel to the Gentiles. 287 00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:48,960 What a crazy idea. 288 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:51,960 He's a Pharisee. 289 00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:54,960 Here he is an educated. 290 00:32:54,960 --> 00:33:03,960 You know raised within the political sphere of the ruling or the elite class of Jewish society. 291 00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:04,960 And what does he get? 292 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:06,960 What does God do? 293 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:15,960 He makes him the apostle to us the Gentiles the people that are not from the tribes of Israel. 294 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:17,960 What an amazing mystery. 295 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:20,960 What a powerful testimony. 296 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,960 Paul was the least likely to be called by Jesus. 297 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:30,960 But regardless he came face to face with our Savior and that meeting left Paul blind and all of his beliefs shaken. 298 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:42,960 This led to his powerful conversion and he moved from persecutor and killer of Christians to one of the most devout and important preachers of all the gospel. 299 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:52,960 As the apostle of the Gentiles it was Paul that we have the most to thank for his ministry and bringing the good news to the Gentile world. 300 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:59,960 And his challenging of even Peter to live according to the words of Jesus Christ and the mission of Christ. 301 00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:01,960 So where do we stand today? 302 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:04,960 Well we are the oddballs and the misfits. 303 00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:11,960 Many more of Jesus' followers were thieves, prostitutes, Gentiles and others that society deemed unworthy. 304 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:16,960 The key of all this is that we are never beyond redemption and salvation. 305 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:26,960 I was having a conversation with a friend the other day and you know he works in fire services for like a fire hall. 306 00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:35,960 And there were some seminary students that came and he was just really remarking at how good these boys were and you know how diligent they worked and how polite they were. 307 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:46,960 And I was like that's great. These are Christian kids raised in Christianity and they obviously were the cream of the crop because they want to be in the fire service and it's very good. 308 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:50,960 But what I pushed my friend on I said you want to know something that's even more amazing? 309 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:59,960 Is if you ever met a sinner radically saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ. 310 00:34:59,960 --> 00:35:04,960 We have our pastors in Russia. We have our our fellowship churches all throughout the world. 311 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:12,960 But I use Russia as an example. I use some of our churches in the southern United States or the southwest rather where we have gang members. 312 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:17,960 Rough tough gang members, Russian gang members, Latino gang members. 313 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:24,960 I've known personally of at least two people that previous to coming to Christ had been shot in the face. 314 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:27,960 No joke, shot in the face. 315 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:32,960 I don't mean to sound like Joseph Biden by saying no joke, but it's no joke. 316 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:34,960 They were shot in the face. 317 00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:42,960 And luckily they survived in the grace of God was able to come into their lives and now they are powerful preachers. 318 00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:47,960 We have drug addicts. We have all these people who God reached in and pulled them out of the mire. 319 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:52,960 And now they are a force for Christ. 320 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:54,960 That's what we're lacking in today's church. 321 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:58,960 Largely is these powerful, powerful men. 322 00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:09,960 I'm looking for the next generation of people that are out there right now that are sinners that God is going to be able to put his hand on and change them. 323 00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:17,960 And that powerful conversion is going to be able to change their life, just like it changed Paul's. 324 00:36:17,960 --> 00:36:23,960 So that is why even when it's the we look at it being the end times, we're called to push forward. 325 00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:28,960 We are meant to recognize the time and continually move forward with the purpose of Christ. 326 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:31,960 We are called to preach to every living creature. 327 00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:35,960 You can't shut down when you're fearful or when you feel unworthy. 328 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:42,960 It is Christ in you that empowers us, empowers you and will work through you. 329 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:58,960 So we have to remember all of these outcasts misfits and understand that God loves all of us and is often the most unlikely people that God chooses for the highest and most impactful ministries 330 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:05,960 like Moses in the wilderness or David in the fields, God chooses those who will give their heart to him. 331 00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:12,960 Judas Iscariot had all of the training and skills, but he refused to give Jesus his heart. 332 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:18,960 And it was here where he became willing to betray our Savior. 333 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:28,960 Jesus chooses us and he's chosen you to and Ephesians to eight through 10 for by grace, you have been saved through faith. 334 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:30,960 And this is not your own doing. 335 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:35,960 It is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. 336 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:44,960 For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 337 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:50,960 So in closing, it is time to give Jesus your heart, give him your heart fully. 338 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:53,960 And all of the rest will come in time. 339 00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:57,960 He will strengthen you. He will help you. He will lift you up. 340 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:00,960 He knows that it is not easy. 341 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:06,960 He knows that there are times when we falter, but he will be there to pick you up again. 342 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:14,960 Give him your heart because he has already given you his life as a sacrifice that you might be saved. 343 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:24,960 If I could have every head bowed, every eye closed, wherever you are, if it's safe, I just want to quickly take a moment to close this message off. 344 00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:28,960 If you haven't given your life to Jesus Christ, now's the time. 345 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:31,960 There's no time but like right now. 346 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:34,960 Don't let a moment go by. 347 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:44,960 If you know that this message is spoken to you and it's hit you in your heart and you want to signify that you it's time and you know it, you can do that. 348 00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:47,960 Raise your hand. I can't see it, but God sees it. 349 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:49,960 Raise your hand. Don't wait. 350 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:51,960 Raise your hand. 351 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:54,960 If you rose your hand and you meant that I want you to repeat after me. 352 00:38:54,960 --> 00:38:56,960 Dear Lord God. 353 00:38:56,960 --> 00:39:04,960 I know that you sent your son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins, and I know that I'm a sinner. 354 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:11,960 I repent and turn away from my sin, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. 355 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:17,960 And I thank you for the salvation that comes through grace and grace alone. 356 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:20,960 In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 357 00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:28,960 If you pray that prayer, then your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. You meant that. 358 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:33,960 And it's a powerful thing and I want to commend you for it and I ask you to reach out. 359 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:37,960 Let me know you prayed that prayer. I want to pray for you. 360 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:39,960 I want to help you. 361 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:44,960 If you're in Sam and Arm, please come to church because a podcast is just a podcast. 362 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:54,960 But coming to church and being part of the body of Christ is really what God wants you to do to have that real world fellowship with other believers. 363 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:59,960 So with that, I want to thank you all for listening to this message today. 364 00:39:59,960 --> 00:40:01,960 And I want to welcome you back next time. 365 00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:08,960 And in the meantime, I hope that you'll subscribe, like and share this podcast. 366 00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:19,960 I'm going to be trying to change things up. I promised you guys before that I'm going to put up some other conference sermons from a you know from some bonus ones from this last conference. 367 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:34,960 And then I'm going to also put some up from earlier conferences, just so that there's always something for you to listen to so that you can carve off that tithe of your time to listening to and diving into the Word of God. 368 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:39,960 Because God wants to help you and he wants your focus to be on him so that he can speak into your life. 369 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:47,960 So again, thank you for listening. God bless and I can't wait for you to come back next time. 370 00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:51,960 Thank you for listening to the P.H.S.A. Potter's House Sam and Arm podcast. 371 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:56,960 Be sure to follow us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore Sam and Arm to keep up to date on what we're doing. 372 00:40:56,960 --> 00:41:11,960 Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize your life.