Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:00]:

Hey. This evening, you know, as we're continuing our series called, restoring the awe of God. The awe of God is the beginning of wisdom, it says, and it leads to life. It's the fear of the Lord that that's clean. It says the fear of the Lord that brings joy. And so, be I wanna restart, though, by saying that God wants us to have in awe of him to have the fear of the lord, but he doesn't want us to be afraid of God. I think we need to, restate that. You know, he doesn't want us to be afraid of him in such a way that it we distance ourself from him, and, you know, because this is a common thing and and that people can get those things confused.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:38]:

A man named Francis, be struggled with this, and, he struggled with this for, because he understood kinda growing up in the church. He understood that, god was holy. He understood the fear of the lord, and it what it led to him to experience, though, was kind of a despair. It led him to, experience a sense of, feeling not good enough. It led him to, kind of be in a place of actually, depression, kind of a clinical depression. He he started losing his health till he understood about the goodness of God and understood about the love of God that helped him to put the fear of God in perspective. When the scripture says god is love, that he said it like this. He said, we must fear god because of love, be not love God out of fear.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:34]:

That we must fear God because of love, not love God out of fear. Beep. And this is Saint Francis de Sales, and, he lived in the 1500. Now, you know, when it talks about this aspect of the love of God that, you know, we know that we're dearly loved by God, and we need to be reminded at times. In first John 4910, in the NIV, it says it like this. Let's read together. Let's stand in, reverence for God, reverence for his word. Let's rejoice in what he says about us as well.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:06]:

This is what it says. Let's read. Ready? Begin. This is how God showed his love among us. Be he sent his 1 and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love. Be not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Be and we see this aspect that God is love.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:34]:

And the more that we see him and the more that we understand that that it would it be would it sink down into your soul? And and so this this evening, before you're seated, just turn to your neighbor who says, aren't you glad God loves you? And then you can have a seat. Yeah. You know, a while back a while back, I was on the North Shore, with Rica, and we were just enjoying a day off. And like most good days for for me. Starts out with a nice cup of coffee, and we're out in sure go out to a nice coffee shop out there, and we were there. And then after that, I don't know if you guys know, of course, tons of art galleries and tons of art shops. And then so we went into this one place, and I saw this little sculpture of a dolphin that was just, kinda sitting on a sitting on a, a a presentation thing. It was just it wasn't that big and, carved out of, like, I don't know what kind of a wood it was, but it's pretty cool.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:03:38]:

And and I'm Not really an art guy, but then when I picked it up, I go, hey. This must this looks pretty cool. I can picture it, like, putting it on the table, you know, somewhere putting it on my desk, be somewhere among all the papers. No. But, but then I picked it up, and I think, what what can this be like? If if it's if it's, like, 60 dollars or $70. I'll I'll ask my wife that if I can get it. And then I looked at it, and I go up, oh, 395. Never mind.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:05]:

Right. You know, I don't know if you guys have ever been in that kind of a place that you get shocked that I don't know if you guys I'm not an art person. So, you know, when I see that kind of a price, I'm be I'm really stunned. And so I don't know if you've ever done that, took a look at some photos, took a look at some, paintings, took a look at different things, and then you see the price behind it that sometimes it's it it shocked me. And and so I I just was looking on some of those, they're kinda well known artworks. Reason. As a result, I was just thinking about that today. And and so I I looked upon this 1 painting, and and and this is, the painting.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:44]:

And, this is a nice painting. Right? But to be honest, does it seem like it's like like the masters? Does it seem like Does it seem like I can buy this at Ross somewhere? You know what I think? Kinda kinda the extra the little I don't know whatever it is, the print or whatever it but this is actually called Chop Suey by Edward Hopper, this painting. And, and it was auctioned off about 5 years ago, and and it's sold for $91,900,000. Yeah. It so for 91.9 do what if you were to look at that and say, what's the price tag in this in the store? If you well, I don't know what you would be thinking, but I don't know Anybody would be thinking $91,900,000. Right? And and then afterwards, I think this is a an iconic painting. I think that I've seen this painting before or maybe it's just photos I've seen, but of, of Marilyn Monroe. And, it's looks like something that you might see in the average bachelor pad someplace, you know, from a few years ago.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:05:56]:

But what beauty. And and if this was a poster, I'd say, oh, what is it? Like, $60 or $70 or whatever it is. And this was sold Last year, it is a painting by Andy Warhol, was sold for A $195,000,000. Right? So I don't know about you guys, but when I see this, I do not think $195,000,000. I might not even think at $95. Right? So and that's why I'm not, in the art world. Now art dealer bought it. And and, you know, art dealers, people who traffic in this stuff, often they know the price of things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:37]:

And, And, you know, frankly, I wouldn't have paid you know, even if I had money like Elon Musk, I probably wouldn't have bought this for $195,000,000. So, Just kind of on principle. But, you know, so often, the world gets confused about the value of things and the value of people. In fact, Luke 16/15 says that what people value highly is often detestable in God's sight. And so that for us, the the biggest price that if you were to place it, On on on an item should always be less, I think, than the value of a human being. Right? And and yet we see people paying exorbitant amounts for a painting, and and, you know, it might have been, you know, captured something. It might have some sense of brilliance, but, you know, every human being captures something of the dynamic of the image of God, and there is a brilliance. And regardless of, accomplishment regardless of, education, regardless of background, re regardless of, a talent that that every person you know, if you look at that person who's next to you, that they're made in the image of God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:54]:

That that there is something of the dynamic of God, and this is how we know our value. In these instances, princess. Like in that artwork, you know, I, you know, I don't know what they would have put on in a price tag. I'm sure they don't actually put a price tag in a piece of, art like that. But the thing is that maybe if they had a card, you know, below it, that what would it save? I I don't think anybody would have put, look, really, A $195,000,000 on that. But but we know that something's value is not determined just by an arbitrary number, but it's what someone is willing to pay for it. And in those instances, people were willing to pay, and This is how you know your value, and the love of God that God has for you is by what he was willing to pay for you. And it says in 1st Corinthians, 620 says, for God bought you with a high price.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:53]:

To be honest, the highest price. Right? And this is how we know the value that this is what he said, that he would give his life. He would send his son, and that if you want to know your value here today to God. If you want to know your value, there is an objective measure, and the objective measure is what is God willing to pay. Beep and he was willing to pay for his own life for your life. And then if you want to know, Does God love you? Yes. If you wanna know he values you, yes. And this is what he's saying, literally.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:27]:

I would rather die than for you to be separated from me. Right? That is your value. That is the value of every person on the face of the planet. And yet at the same time, our culture gets that so wrong. And the value of human life, right, and the value of a child in in its smothers womb on the value of, you know, people's lives in terms of things that disasters that can happen that we don't be Sometimes understand the world doesn't get it, but but in God's economy, he loves you and paid the highest price for you. Right? Now, and I just thought that as we start, as we talk about the awe of God, that we need to be reminded of that. Because sometimes if not, maybe we we will get caught up in some of the language, and and it's easy to become afraid of God when versus having loving God, fearing God out of love rather than loving God out of fear as DeSales said. But, you know, growing up, my parents used to watch, a bunch of Japanese dramas, And I didn't really understand Japanese.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:40]:

I still don't know a whole lot. I depend on, subtitles or my wife, which She she hates translating for me when we want shows sometimes. But, but, you know, one of the shows that my my parents it's a old show. I remember it's like Toyama no Kinsan. Anybody know that show? It's a it's a samurai show. Right? And it's not like the kind. There's different ones. My dad always liked the kinda historical dramas and fictionalized shows of the times.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:09]:

And, on On the surface, it was this kind of a ronin, which you call a a masterless samurai who would wandering around the countryside, and and he just kinda get to know people. He would go to the restaurant, and he would eat. He would meet people, and he inevitably would meet some kind of a poor person, or he would inevitably meet somebody who was getting some problems that he he might be, oppressed by a government official or somebody who had power or some kind of a corrupt system, and and it seemed like the guy who his he was befriending, there was nothing he would could do. But toward the end of the show Toward the end of the show, the the guy who was a corrupt official would be called into the presence of, of the shogun, and he would have met these people. He would have confronted them earlier, this Toyama no Kinsan, that this character, But then they were to go into the presence of the shogun, the one who would rule over all of Japan. And and often the person that he had befriended would be there as well. And then they would be thinking, like, what are you doing here to this guy who was kind of, this ronin type of person, this master of the samurai. What are you doing? Because I'm here to meet the the the shogun.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:28]:

And then at some point in the show, he would always then be cover his shoulder to be to to show this royal tattoo that was the crest that would show that he himself was the shogun kinda that would disguise himself and walk among the average people, and and in the middle of that would kind of befriend the defenseless and defend them. Right? And and at that moment all because this is Japanese show. They're all bow down on the ground. Right? Because, oh my god. It's like a shogunate. We didn't know, and, you know, they're apologetic, and they're all of these things. And and in some ways in Some ways, I wonder if that's not a good picture of what God did through Jesus. That that the king of the universe Then, like, many stories in many cultures would would dress up in human form, this god, And walk among people.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:34]:

And often among the most common of people in the common of situations, bending them and thinking him simply to be a kind man, but truly veiled, covered in flesh was really the living God. And the gospel of John starts out by saying thing. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. And then it goes on, and he says that That the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son who came from the father full of grace and truth. And it's at that point that we see this not we don't see this part, but we see the glory of God in Jesus by his heart for people, by his correct expression of the love of God, but we do see the dynamic of power. We do see miracles. We do see healings, but he was still in the form form of a man who would go to the cross. So we don't see this unveiling yet.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:46]:

Where we see this unveiling, though, is we see it very clearly in the book of Revelations. And in acts Last week, we talked about in acts 242 in this one passage that the early church that devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching into fellowship, into prayer, and to the breaking of bread, and it talks about all of these things. And why is that? Because although the stories of Jesus beast who walked the earth and who who taught and who healed and who cast out demons and who explained the ways of God was not simply a kind man and a teacher, but that they explained that he was so much more. He wasn't just the son of God. He was God the son. And then we find in revelation we find in revelation, this kind of a new expression this new expression that we hadn't seen about Jesus generally in the gospels that we see that the awe of God reveals God to us in this Galatian 19 verses 11 to 13. And he says this, I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse whose rider is faithful and true. And with justice, he judges and wages war.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:11]:

And what does it say? This is what it's saying. This is let's read this together. That, verse 13 12. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. And he has a name written on him that no one knows, but he himself. He is dressed in a robe, dipped in blood, and his name is what? The word of God. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. And that then we beheld his glory as the only begotten son of God who is closed in flesh.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:58]:

And here we see the unfolding of his crest to see that he is not simply the son of God or a son of God, but the son of God and God the son. And so we see this awe, and and and the early church talked about just the awe of God. Now when you understand the book of Revelation. Sometimes if I were to say it's like, hey. Have you ever read the book of Revelation or let's talk about the book of Revelation, then, I I I can understand some hesitancy on the part of many believers. It's not usually the 1st book that most of us read when we wanna just do a devotion and we want comfort or what have you. Right? It's it's something that many times, to be honest, I know people steer away from, but you know that the early church didn't see the book of Revelation as scary. You know what they saw it as? As comforting.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:55]:

They saw it as It's something that taught them that God was in control, that the Roman government wasn't in control, that the the the the events of the world were out of control, but all of these things that that, to be honest, it wasn't spooky to read, but it brought a perspective. It it corrected them at times, be But it was a comfort because they saw Jesus for who he truly is. Not just the Lord of the church, not just the son of God, but God the son. And he wasn't just some gentle pushover who would return without power or authority, but he returns, he says, to judge the world, and that God truly was in control even when it didn't look like it. Right? And so when we wanna understand the fear of the Lord and we wanna understand and restore awe of God. We do need to be reminded that we are loved and valued so deeply by God, But but when we see the awe of God, that it should peel away some of the things about who God is. Right? That he's he is the judge. And one day, all men will stand account before the judge, both believer and unbeliever alike.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:20]:

Right? And that there is no one on the face of the planet that will one day stand before God and tell him, you know, hey, God. You know, I I once you know, I was, at a we were having a family dinner once, and my uncle, who wasn't a believer he wasn't a bad guy by any stretch of the imagination, but I just didn't like the way he kinda he was talking. He knew I was a in a Christian, and I was serving the Lord, and I was involved in a ministry and and all that. And he said, hey. Hey, go tell the man upstairs. Beast. I said hi, and and just kind of like that. It's like and he's smiling kinda like you know, kind of basically mocking in a in a little way.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:00]:

And I said, oh, uncle. I talked to him, and he said, he don't know you. No. But, you know, that kind of a thing. So, and I just was trying to be wise because he was kinda getting wise with me, and we just kinda laughed. But he was shocked at first. Right? But I think this aspect of, You know, understanding some kind of reverence because God is not just the big man upstairs. He's just not, You know? The the the whatever people can say, but he's the living God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:30]:

And and I think that we need to understand the the fact that when we see the pictures of God revealing himself, It's not simply, wow. Oh, that was cool. You know? It wasn't just, hey. Say hi to the big man upstairs. In, the book of Isaiah, it talks about this one moment where, the prophet Isaiah has this vision of heaven, and it and it talks about that he saw the Lord high and exalted and seated in his heavenly throne, and it talks about how the angels were around him and that there was a, a kind of a heavenly host around him. And then in Isaiah 5, it says this from verse 3. He says, and they were calling to one another, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty. The whole earth is filled with his glory.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:34]:

And you know when the the scriptures repeat holy, holy, holy, this aspect here that it's that this repetition that the common repetition that if you wanted to have an emphasis, would be to be repeat something once, to to say it twice. So we see Jesus say, truly what? Truly, I see to you. So he's making an emphasis. And why do they do that? Because there was no, like, bold letters banks or, you know, any of that. So this is how they would show emphasis. There wasn't underlinings. So this is how they would have an They would they would repeat. And so the double repetition was a sign of emphasis.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:20]:

Jesus saying, man, I am telling you the truth when he would say truly, truly, I say to you. But, you know, when it comes to God's holiness, it's the only time that you see it repeated 3 times. Holy, holy, holy is the lord god almighty. And and the the emphasis that there's nobody like God. Right? The whole earth, he says, is filled with his glory. At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and the threshold shook, and the temple was be filled with smoke. And what is Isaiah's response when he sees that? Well, tell the old man upstairs and it's not like that. Right? What does he say? Woe to me, I cried.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:15]:

I am ruined, he says. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. And my eyes have seen the king, the Lord God almighty. The Lord almighty. Now and I'm gonna guess before the vision, if we were to ask Isaiah how he saw himself, Probably his first words wouldn't be, I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. In other words, I live you know what? I I'm I'm not that great. I I'm, I tell lies. I I am not holy, and I live among a horrible pew.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:57]:

He might have had some sense that our nation has fallen. He might have been a person, I think, that he had a heart for God, but but something happens that when you see God, you see yourself more clearly. I know how many people I've talked to that before they were believers, basically, we used to think, I'm not that bad. You know? I'm kind of, you know, at at least this is the thing that we would say what at least and you fill in the blank. At least I don't do whatever. Right? And then you fill in that. At least I'm not like the guys who are going out and committing crimes. I'm not at least I'm not the guy who going out cheating on my wife and doing all these things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:34]:

At least I'm not the guy, and then you can say whatever it is that you want to say. But but then when we start to grow in the Lord, the common the most common thing I hear is the more I get to know God, the more I see I not as good as I thought I was. I don't know if you've ever experienced that. If you have, I think that's the normal response, and that is a healthy response That when we understand who God is and what the standard is and what God is like, that when we do this, that when there was this revelation revelation unfiltered, unveiled, and that now just fully in his presence open. In light of that, Isaiah says, oh my gosh. I didn't understand how big, how awesome God is. And to be honest, there's a part he says, it scares me. There's a part of this that shows me how unworthy I am to be in.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:45]:

I don't know about you, but you know when God has shown himself to me, you know what I've never felt? Oh, Better than everybody else. Nobody else had this revelation. I've never felt that. In fact, I feel the opposite. That when God has revealed himself to me, often, I feel maybe not to the same degree as as Isaiah, but there's in this sense of humility, and it's like, oh my gosh. How unworthy I am to represent him. On my own, I cannot. Unless unless Jesus had chosen me, unless he had washed me From my sin.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:33]:

Unless he had died for me, there is no way I could have done this. You know, when we were in Israel a few years back and Randy in April and a few others, we were there that we went to this place called the Wailing Wall. You guys see the pictures maybe of that. I see videos. And Laurie and Clarence, I know they've been there, and and and it's supposedly the remnants to the temple of the Lord. And it's it's not really even the temple, but it's like the outer wall to the temple. And it is the most holy site in modern Judaism because it is their soul connection to the the to the temple of, of of God that that started first David's preparation and Solomon's, building of the 1st temple and the rebuilding and of the the 2nd rebuilding, and the 3rd rebuilding till it was conquered and destroyed. And and, when Jesus said that you see this, how beautiful this is, and he says, believe me, not one stone will be upon another.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:40]:

So this is their only connection to the holiest sight in Israel. And so this it's highly revered. And you see, there's just lines of people there praying, and and and So often you see these orthodox guys dressed in the black clothes and the the long beards. Yeah. I don't know if that familiar with the white shirt that they have, and And they're they're kind of rocking back and forth. And and the reason why they they do that is so they can stand for a longer period of time, and that they say that when they stand at the wall, like, you're not supposed to show, like, your back to the temple. And and so that they don't want to be kind of, like, you know, sifting ground and doing all this thing, and then somehow inadvertently turned their back on God. So they do this thing where they kind of rock back and forth when they pray, And we went there to pray.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:38]:

And and what they would do is they would write their prayers on a little piece of paper, and what you could do is you stick that in the little crevices, in the temple, in the, in the temple wall, and And then it's like giving your prayer to God. And I remember standing at that place and remembering the God as he was revealed in the old testament, that apart from Jesus and and I I just as I stood there and before prayed. And before I put my little piece of paper in the wall, I put my hand on the the wall, and I said, lord god, I know if not For the blood of Jesus. For me to do this, I could have been struck dead because in me, There's nothing good in me. There's nothing that merits for me to be able to just enter your presence. I felt In the sense of that place and that history, when when we read how God moved in power and split the Red Sea, and he did all of these miracles that's, like, apart from the the blood of Jesus, I wouldn't have made it, and it humbled me. It it shows me myself, and I might speak differently than I used to when I before I became a believer, and I might not have some skills today that I didn't have when when I was just a young guy. And I might, You know, do different things, and I I and maybe I've lived a life that is much better than I would have ever imagined, but I still need the grace of God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:25]:

I I'm I'm not just Saved and perfect in heaven. I am also being saved. I don't know about you guys. You know, you're if you know Jesus, there's 2 aspects to that. God says that the moment you put your faith in him that you're saved, But to be honest, you still need to be delivered and still need to be carried through things today, don't you? You still need grace Today, don't you? You still need his presence today, don't you? And first Corinthians tells us, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those of us who what? Are being saved. That we're still we be still needing to be saved. It is the power of God. Even though you've been saved from your old life, even though you've been called out of your old ways.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:23]:

Even though you've been called out of the world, you're still being saved. Right? We're still in this process. Right. At least I am. I I I acknowledge that. So, you know, the thing is when the more you see God, you're going to just see, oh my gosh. How much farther I have to go? How much more? How awesome God is in, And to be honest, no matter how long I am apart from the grace of Jesus, I would never would have been able to stand in this presence. Every once in a while, when I Talk to somebody says that when I get before God, when I stand before God, I'm gonna ask him, where were you in the holocaust? How in the world like, I've seen people say that God is an immoral God, that God is a and because of these things, and I'm gonna man, and I'm gonna make God answer me.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:18]:

And you can say that you can say that now, But when you stand before God, there will be no word that will be uttered. I believe that those guys, but they may say, woe unto me for I did not know the glory. Right? And so we understand that the revelation of God ought to show us ourselves more clearly. Because if not, we tend to compare ourselves to other people. Right? Well, at least I'm not like that person, and you fill in the blank. Right? At least at least I'm not mean. At least I'm not as, you know, crude. At least I'm not as dirty.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:04]:

Whatever the thing is that you you you say, and and so maybe we think that, okay. You know? I I tend to follow the 10 commandments, and and we think, oh, that's the highest epitome of the no. The 10 commandments is not the highest epitome of of moral behavior. It's the base. It's the foundation for, like a kind of a civil society. Right? That somebody that, yes, we acknowledge God, and we don't make idols, and that we we don't do these things, but the other parts is that we don't murder. We don't lie. We don't, you know, take what doesn't belong to us.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:41]:

We don't covet our neighbors. That's the thing. It's not it's not the highest thing. It's kind of a baseline. Right? And and so sometimes people act like, you know, hey. I I follow the 10 commandments or whatever. It's like and that's the highest no. It's not.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:58]:

It's just that's just the base because what God wants us to do is continue to grow, and what this means is he wants us to learn how to hate what he hates and love what he loves. Because there are things that, to be honest, I I I didn't see a big problem before I became a believer. I didn't see a big problem about lying being because I felt like everybody lied. And I would see these stories, and I remember even hearing the story about, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego somehow, I don't know, if I saw a movie or what it was or somebody told me this story. But, you know, when it says, just bow down before, before the image, and then they said, I'm not going to bow down. You know what I thought is that, man, not no. If I was in that position, I would just bow down and say, god, I don't really mean it, you know. Like, because that's how I I I would just do whatever I need to to save my skin.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:03]:

Right? But, you know, as I've grown, I see that there is something. It's like, well, when God says that he doesn't be want people to lie. Right? He it says that he says to fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate pride and arrogance and evil behavior and perverse speech. He doesn't want me to be just living like that. Just say, nah. Just say whatever be like say and then just say, I'm sorry. You know, I I knew how to be politically correct.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:36]:

I knew how to get what I needed and get what I wanted, but God said, no. That's not what I need you to do. I need you to be changed be and transformed on the inside. To fear the Lord is to hate evil. To be honest, you know, what what do you watch? What kind of shows do you watch? What kind of movies do you watch? If we're not be If I'm not careful, you know what I end up doing? I end up being sympathetic to evil in some of the shows that I watch. Like, I watched the show called breaking bad. I was talking about it a long time ago. I feel bad for Walter White.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:15]:

I I want him to live a little bit, like but it was evil, And I I feel sympathetic. No. I mean, yeah. Sure. There's grace for somebody whoever repents, but but this is the thing. Thing. It's like, if I'm not careful, then I ought to be against the things God's against. Then I need to be growing in that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:39]:

Pride, arrogance, says evil behavior, perverse speech. God want us to hate what he hates. But does God hate people? No. Very clearly. Right? He loves people. He calls us out of the world. Does he love everything people do? Absolutely not. Right? And that is the biggest failure of those who want to somehow talk about the love of God in such a way that That that wants to make the door so open in the church, is this is what this is what my Jesus I don't know about you, but my Jesus would never say that this person is wrong.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:21]:

If your Jesus would never say anything you do is wrong, then your Jesus Is not this Jesus? Because this Jesus said go and sin no more. Right? Because this Jesus didn't die because somebody had a different idea of what they should do. He died for sin. Right? And he came to redeem people. And so here's the thing. God loves everybody. He just obviously, he doesn't endorse everything that they do. Right? And that's why he made redemption possible.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:01]:

Our culture wants to normalize sin, and what we need to say is that we need to turn back to what is normal. The way God designed us. The way God made us. And so we're instructed, beat. He says in 1st Thessalonians 1st Thessalonians 4 says this. We instruct you how to live in order to please God as in fact, you are now living. So let's just say that phrase, please God. Please God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:31]:

Please God. He says, I want need to learn how to please God. As in fact, you're not living. Hey. You guys doing a great job, what you're saying. Now we ask you and urge you in the lord Jesus to do this more be And this is what he's saying that there is a tension that that, yes, in Jesus, we are saved, but we are still what? Being be saved and that that in Christ Jesus that we are made righteous, it says, in a and then we're seated somehow in a heavenly realm in in heaven, and that you cannot please God any more than what Jesus has done for you on on a positional that who you are in Christ, but we also know, Sid, our status in Christ is that, but how I live Will often determine how pleased God is with me by my behavior. I don't know if you've ever been like that where, You know, we've had this conversation with our kids at different seasons in their life and that we've told them, Hey. You know what? No matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter what choices you make, I want guys to know.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:53]:

And we tell my son or tell my daughter that we're gonna love you no matter what. Right? That we're not gonna abandon you. We're not gonna but then at the same time, there has been at certain times A discussion. But if you want to keep going in a wrong direction, there might come a time where you cannot live in this house. That makes sense? Because although we love them, How pleasing they are is very different because it's based on their behavior. And and so we see there's just there's just tension. That even in the gospel, we see this. Even in the scriptures, we see this, That we're pleasing in Christ, but our behavior, our lives would determine in some sense how pleased.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:54]:

Now all that God wants us to do is just kinda learn his way to become more and more like him. Right? Be And and that is the whole kind of a series of transformation that we go through, in this life to become more and more like Jesus. We call that sometimes sanctification, Call that spiritual transformation. Right? Maybe coming this aspect of becoming more like Jesus. He wants you to become more and more like him. Right? So do me a favor. Just turn your neighbor and says, god wants you to become more and more like Jesus. Will you be perfect in this life? No.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:28]:

You will never be perfect in this life, but does that mean we shouldn't try? No. Right. And that means that we want to still please the Lord. Now There's a a a sometimes, again, the the thing that I I I've heard is that God is different in the old testament than it is in the new testament. Right. And the thing is that sometimes where God gets scary in the old testament happens in probably, places like this that that In in the old testament, in the book of Exodus, that Aaron's sons became high priests not high priest, but they became priests before the Lord. And they would be responsible to maintain in the tabernacle. They were responsible to, maintain this fire in the presence of Lord that was never to go out.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:42:14]:

And then it says that one day, basically, they didn't do their job, and the fire went out, And then they came before them, and it uses the term. It says that they presented strange fire. Now we don't really know exactly what that is that what they did. But but in other words, 1, they failed in their role. They didn't keep the thing in. But the other thing is it it kinda just gives this it it doesn't mean that they took that it was in a in a pagan idol place or it it doesn't necessarily mean that, but I think what it It does say in some sense is they knew that they just treated like, we just got to start the fire at the minimum. They would have thought like, That is gonna make the fire, and they didn't follow the prescribed order. And then it says they died in the presence of the Lord.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:07]:

It's like they were burned somehow in the middle of that. They were consumed by fire. Now when you hear a story like that, this is sometimes a part where people say, woah. Like, they say, God is like an angry God In the Old Testament. No. But he's the same God in the New Testament. And I don't think it's because God was angry. I think it's because the way that they acted, the way that they approach God, they went in being uncovered.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:43]:

You guys ever I I've never been. I mean, I used to drive by a nuclear power place in, In California, when sometimes we'd go to the beach straight next to the road going, right past San Clemente called a place called San I don't know if you guys looks like just round balls, couple of them, but right along the beach. And I used to drive past that, and I was just thinking, They have this nuclear power plants right next to the freeway, right next to a surfing spot, but real close to this beautiful town, San Clemente. But, you know, the thing is that if you were to go behind go to that place, and let's just say you go to the the reactor building, on one side, you're perfectly safe on the outside because it's lined with concrete. It's lined with lead. It's lined with all of these materials to absorb all of these things, to protect you from it. But if you to just barge in and say, hey. I can go anywhere I want, and you just walk into that room, what would happen? You would die quite soon if in the middle of all of its thing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:57]:

In in some sense, I think when people treat the things of God, like, without a covering, this is what they did, without a covering, without treating it like common. Nah. We just go in, and we just do what we want. We do what we need to do. I think this is what happens. And so they brought jeopardy on themselves. And and so we see this aspect that God says this in Leviticus 10:3. And so among those who approach me, I will be proved holy in the sight of all the people, and I will be honored.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:32]:

But is this just an old testament story, or do we see an analog even in the new testament? In the new testament, we see this aspect as well, and we find this in the book of Acts chapter 5. And in the book of Acts Chapter 5, it's it's a time when the church has been growing, and it's been an amazing season. And and thousands of people and people are being, experiencing healing, and the worship is awesome, and the teaching of the apostles, and the fellowship. And people are getting together in small groups, and their meeting says in the temple, and they're meeting in house to house, and it it's just revival. It's just an awakening time, and there is great sense of of people that if there was a need that says that people were selling their homes or selling property, and then they were be kind of meeting the needs of each other, and and it was just it was an amazing season. And then it says, In the in the next chapter, in chapter 5, it says now a man named Ananias together with his wife, Zaphira, Also sold a piece of property. Now when it says also sold because previous to this, it says there was a man named Barnabas who sold a piece of property, and then he gave all of his all the proceeds for the work of the ministry. And and so now Ananas and Saphira seem to see what Barnabas does and things like, woah, man.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:07]:

Look at him. Like, people think, wow. That's amazing. So they said so they also sold a piece of property. And with his wife's full knowledge, he kept back a part of the money for himself, But brought it the brought the rest and put it at the apostle's feet. And then Peter said, Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and kept for yourself some of the money you have received for the land. Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not just you have not lied just to human beings, to God. And when Ananias heard this, he fell down and died, and great fear sees all who had heard what happened.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:58]:

And that story goes on and says in a few minutes later, after they carry out, Ananias from the meeting. It says that his wife comes in, and then the the the apostles ask her, did you sell a piece of property and such and such a price. And she goes, yeah. And and he says and then you gave the whole money to the church. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's what we did.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:48:21]:

We want to give everything to church, and he says at the same time, why have you, like your husband, conspired to lie to God? You're not blind to me, and it says she dies, and she falls to the ground. Now I don't know if you ever you guys heard this before. Right? In in the book of Acts, in the new testament. Now this is what he says he says, the result of this was great fear. Verse 11 says this, great fear sees the whole church and all who heard about these events. Now can we just say what happened? Why were they struck down in the middle of this? Was it because they, you know, they, they didn't give enough? No. Right? It had nothing to do with the fact of about how much they gave you. By the way, when we take offering at the end, nobody can get struck down.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:23]:

I tell you that God is pleased with that offering. K? But but what does he he makes great pains to say, look. You don't need to do this. Right? Like, if when you sold a property, that's your money. That's not a problem. That this belongs to you. You can do with it like you wish. Right? But what was the problem? The problem was they were pretending To be like the other guy, Barnabas, in chapter 4, who when he sold the property, he gave everything.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:57]:

So was this. They didn't want to be godly. They wanted to be seen as godly. They want to just kinda honor the Lord with the giving. They wanted to see that they were everybody to see that they were generous. They wanted everybody to think that they were you know what? Maybe they were in competition with Barnabas in some sense. Maybe Barnabas is a new kid in town, and he's like, oh my Like, hey. We used to be the big givers in the church, and then who knows what the dynamic is? But the thing is that But it's the fact that in the beginning of the church, this is what God said.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:40]:

We cannot we cannot have This kind of a spirit that just says it doesn't matter what the heart as long as what we do is has a benefit. Because in some sense, maybe Ananias and Sapphira, their gift would have inspired other giving. And then maybe that's how they justify the thing. It's like, oh, you know, like but if we just say that we're giving the whole thing, then other people, maybe they'll give. Maybe that's why they gave to after Barnabas gave. But here's the problem with that. Jesus said it like this. Don't you know a little leaven leavens the whole loaf? Right? And and it's like the this aspect of leaven is yeast.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:51:28]:

It's it's often a picture of sin. And he's saying that at the beginning of the church, breach we if we just say, nah, just it doesn't matter. We're just gonna do whatever. Like, Everybody should be happy. Doesn't matter if it's like what what's going on. Doesn't matter if I lie about it. Doesn't matter I know I'm gonna look godly in the process, but they wanted to, Again, not be godly, not be changed, not be transformed. They just wanted to be seen as godly.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:51:59]:

And I think this is the part where God says, sometimes motives matter. Right? And and so if they had given a portion and they said, This is the portion that we can give. You know what? I think God would have been pleased. They gave be if they gave the tithe, if they gave the God would have been pleased because they would have been honest in it. They would have be given it freely. They would have been not pretending in the midst of that. And so this is what I think the scripture is saying. It's it's not simply that the of God reveals us, but God also wants us to respond to him and his holiness.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:52:55]:

And just that if you're in process like I'm in process, it's okay to be in process. Yeah. It's it's okay to be in this place, but he just says, just be honest before God. In Philippians 2 In Philippians 2, it says this. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, But now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His gold good purposes. Our salvation is not simply worked out In the love and the grace of God. That's an important part.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:53:55]:

The love and the grace of God. You know, that's it says that to to keep it it's good, Jude says, to be to be renewed and strengthened in the grace of God, but that's not what it's saying in this place. It's saying there's a place for that. There's a need for that. We need to be renewed in the grace of God. But in this place, it says to be renewed, to work out your salvation with fear, and then there's an elevation, it says, with trembling. And because what that word trembling means is to be to be trembling from fear terror or profound reverence and respect or dread, and that it's in those moments that we have to work out this life before God, knowing the grace of God. But let's not pretend that God is like a kind old man who can't remember all all the mistakes that you made.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:55:03]:

He knows everything. He says that this is what he wants us to do. Just just confess it to him. Right? Just be honest before him, and just admit that, boy, I still need the grace of God today. How many of you guys need the grace of God today? Right. And there is more than enough grace. There is more than enough grace for whatever it is that you go through right now. There's more than enough grace.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:55:29]:

He just says this. Let's not fall into pretending. Now Is this a common experience? What happened to Ananias and Sapphire. No. It's not a common experience. Somebody said this once. He said, if there was more people that happened like be Ananias and Sapphira. More consequences like that in the church, there would be less sinning in the church.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:56:01]:

Right? This is my this is my take on that. If the same thing happened to Ananias and Sapphira be Happened in every church. There would be empty churches in every place because everybody would have been killed. Because none of us are perfect. Right? But I believe that what happens in this place Is to give us a lesson and instruction. Says this to be honest, this is what this is apart from the hand of Jesus. You know, the same thing that that required judgment in the old testament and required says, that's the same thing that's that's called for. And he said, just bring it before the cross.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:56:54]:

Just bring it before the just bring it before Jesus, and he he'll have a grace to cover us. Be You and I will make mistakes in life. You never have to cover you. You never have to pretend you never make a mistake. In fact, it's the exact opposite. Right? It's the exact opposite. The people of God ought to be the most honest That we still need the grace of God. Right? Because, you know, I don't pretend like I'm perfect.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:57:29]:

Be. And I I know that you guys don't either. It's just saying it's just saying this. The awe of God calls us to not pretend. There's some people that they wanna pretend certain passages in the bible Don't exist. I would much rather claim that I don't always live and follow, be That I make my mistakes. I'm short. I would much rather claim that I failed, And there's a grace to cover me than to pretend like I never did anything And then stand to full account for it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:58:14]:

That makes sense? And this allows us to be. I think live under that tension of the love and the grace of God on one hand And the holiness of God on the other. Because the more I see God in all of his holiness, I see him for who he is. I see myself for who I am, and it makes me want to respond To all that he is. That make sense? As imperfectly as I presented that be today. I hope that you feel safe in the presence of God that when we come and lay ourselves before him. Jesus said this. I don't delight to extinguish a smoldering wick Or a bruised reed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:59:15]:

He says he won't break it. It's the exact opposite. There's a grace and mercy in Jesus. But we understand that he's also the holy god and the righteous god. And that is why we need grace, and that is why we need his covering. So let's be Give him the honor and the glory he deserves. And then he says this, then grace can flow. Let's bow our heads.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:59:52]:

Father, sometimes it's easy to wanna skip over certain sections in the scripture and pretend like it doesn't matter because Jesus went to the cross. Lord, rather than living that way, what you're calling us to say is that, lord, we need to be be subject to the whole counsel of God. And when we see these portions, Lord, they protect us because we won't start living like be the world, and we won't start mimicking the world and and wanting to be loved and the and the the honor of God and to make God more like us Rather than for us to start changing and become more like him. And, father, in those areas where At times, we wanted just the approval of the world or in those places where we've kind of fallen, and we just have pretended to have it all together. If there's a place like that, would you just bring that before the Lord today? And would you receive that there is a grace that covers that When you bring it before him. Father, we are grateful that you have paid the price. We're grateful that we are saved, But we confess that we are still needing to be saved, and we are still being saved. We still need the grace of God to cover us.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:01:59]:

And, lord, we wanna agree with your word rather than agree with the world's ways. It says, father, we fail. I be Thank you. There is a grace to cover us and a mercy to cover us. But help us to see you. Be Help us to follow you. Help us to be changed and transformed. That, lord, that when we honor you and when we see your word, and we see you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:02:30]:

We're thankful we get a better idea of who you are. We know you more clearly. But, father, thank you that we get to be honest with ourselves in those moments. We're simply not be as good as we thought we were than before we came before him. Would you cover your people? Because we wanna grow in the reverence and the awe of God. With their heads bowed, eyes closed. If you haven't said best to Jesus. Yet, you know, one day, since we're gonna stand before him, and it can be the moment of your greatest joy.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:03:17]:

Or to be honest, it can be one of the greatest dread. God's preferred outcome Is it be your greatest joy? And he says this. All we do then is we say we take his hand of friendship. We say, Jesus, that when you died, thank you that you died for me. That, lord, we confess that we need him be and that we confess that we want him. You know, prayer very simple prayer if that's you today. Would you know there is a grace that God god has for you if you would only receive it. And this prayer might be simple like this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:04:01]:

Dear god, I need you today. Sometimes I think I don't need you, but today, I recognize I do. Thank you that Jesus died in my place. I wanna receive him as my savior and lord. Be Would you come live inside me today? Would you cleanse me and forgive me? I thank you for the mercy and grace in Christ. Help me to grow as your child to become more and more like you. And though I will fail in many ways, help me to grow, to become all that you want me to be as your child. In Jesus' name, God's people say Amen.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:04:58]:

Amen. Hey. Let's say congratulations to those folk. God bless you guys. Thanks for joining us today.