Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:00]:

Good to see you guys. I know it's, kind of a a I don't know anybody else. If my voice sounds a little more husky, I'm going to 2nd puberty. But, if not, it's also known as a little bit of a sniffling nose. But I noticed a few of us out there. I know there's all that going on, but I hope you're having a great day today. We had a great day here. There was a wedding here this morning.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:20]:

There was, like, a a groups that got organized to reach out to YouChallenge singed this morning. There were small groups that happening this morning. And then tonight, we get a chance to, worship, get to be in the word as well. So, do me a favor. Turn to your neighbor. Just says, aren't you glad God is a full god, that he does a he has a full life for you? Right? Set. God has a full life for you. And, you know, this morning, this evening, as we're gathering together, how many of you guys, watch and they were Netflix, guys.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:52]:

Any Netflix people? Do I have is that I guess there's other things now. I mean, not everybody's I'm watching Netflix. But sometimes, you know, when I see the new things pop up, there was a series that came up called The Pacific. I don't know anybody, watched that before. It's kinda like, the continuation of the band of brothers that like, what happened in World War 2, and and then they took a look at what happened in the Pacific with all the, marines scenes that those guys who conquered the Pacific, and it was a super different kind of a a situation. And I started watching it, the weak and, you know, just easy to get engrossed. And one of the things that it does is, you know, kinda character attracts 3 men in in their journey, you know, in the war. And, one of those guys when he first, comes on the scene, and he comes a little later than some of the other guys.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:41]:

So, there's these grizzled veterans, and then there's, like, the green, you know, fresh blood sad and, you know, just kinda idealistic and and all of that. And then he goes through his 1st battle, and, obviously, it's the kind of thing that, you know, makes your mouth dry. It's the kind of thing that would scare anybody. And and the lieutenant at the end of the battle at the end of the battle, he's trying to gather the new guys together and encourage them. And he says, hey. Basically, good job. Good job. You know, that kind of a thing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:12]:

And then the, the one of these characters that it's, tracing that, he says, you know? But to be honest, you know, sir, I I I was totally scared. I I was so afraid during during the during the battle, then everything was going on. And he says, son, son, there's there's only 2 kind of people who been through battle that aren't scared. They're either dead or liars. And and and, you know, that's he's saying, we're all scared, and then he goes on. And he says, we're all scared. And, you know, this aspect of of fears, to be honest, everybody has fears, but it's just gonna be what kind of fear do you have? And and the the scripture talks about a fear of the Lord as a healthy fear. Some of us have unhealthy fears.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:58]:

Right? There's all kind of phobias out there. There's agoraphobias. The the fear, you know, kind of, outdoor spaces. Right? There's xenophobia that you're scared of every other kind of people. Those kind of things are not necessarily healthy fears, but he says the fear of the Lord is a healthy fear, sometimes known as the awe of God. And so this evening, we're continuing the a series we started a couple weeks ago called Restoring Our Awe of God, which is based on the book, by the way, by John Bevere. John Bevere has a book called The Awe of God. If this series has been helpful to you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:03:33]:

I highly encourage you to, go out and purchase that book. It's a it's a great read. It's it's sort of still in a devotional level, so you could do this over a series of weeks and, 6 weeks, and it it could be a very powerful thing. And it would cement home a lot of the things that we're talking about. But what kind of fears do you have? You know? Sometimes we have to fear people. Sometimes we have the fear of failing. You can all kinds of fears. But he says that when you have the fear of the Lord, those other fears begin to fade.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:04]:

And so, the fact is all of us has something along those lines, that we're afraid of. But the fear of the lord is clean, it says. The fear of the Lord is healthy. And so I'm gonna read a scripture, and I'm gonna ask you guys to join me. And, it's the 1st scripture in your notes, this evening. And, I also if you guys are at home and, are participating as well, we're gonna also take communion this evening at the end of the message. And so, just give you guys a heads up. Go get a cracker or a juice or something to, something to eat, something to drink, as a symbol for the sacrifice of Jesus.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:41]:

That's gonna make, I think everything that we talk about tonight makes sense as well. And so but would you do me a favor? Let's stand. Reverence for God. Reverence for his word. And we're gonna be reading, Hebrews 12 I'm sorry. Hebrews 4 verses 12 and 13. And it says it like this. Let's read.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:05:01]:

For the lord the word of God is alive safe and powerful. It is sharper than 2 edged sword. Cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow, it exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. And nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is scared. Exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. And, you know, the scriptures talk about the fact that every person on the planet is gonna be accountable to their maker one day. In one day that we're gonna stand before him, and it can either be the greatest day of your life or the worst day of your existence.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:05:43]:

And so, obviously, God wants this to be a day of redemption for you, a day that that you you meet with joy, that you get to see the God that you've known and you've trusted and you sense, and that you will be able to hear his words that most some of us wanna hear those words. Enter into the joy of your master, be a good and faithful servant. Right? And that's what we desire clear to hear. But so often, the enemy wants to use that kind of a sense that we're stand before God, in the opposite set away to get us to to to fear, to get us to, to to dread, to get us to think that we're you know, it's something we ought to hide from. But God calls that day your day of redemption. The day that he says, everything that you've done, you'll know it was not in vain. Everything you've done to serve him to follow him, to honor him. He's gonna say you're gonna see that it all mattered to him.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:37]:

And so before you're seated, do me a favor, and turn to your neighbor and says, hey. Don't be afraid of meeting your your master. And then you can have a seat. Your master. Don't be afraid of meeting your master. And this aspect that god knows my heart, that god will call us to account for all of our life. And that it can separate the things that sometimes I'm thinking and and feeling and the the things it says between soul and spirit. And I don't know if you've ever, kind of wrestle.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:06]:

What is the difference between my soul and spirit? Because what is that? And and so often, we've talked about it in this way say that your soul is softened your, your your thoughts, your mind, your will, your emotions, and and those kind of Specs. And, everybody has a soul. Right? And it doesn't matter. Like, I I believe animals have souls. Right? That you can tell that animals can have can think. They might not think like you think. They might not think abstractly. They might not say, I wonder, you know, where I was.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:36]:

I don't know if they think in that that kind of a form. But there, you can tell there's intelligence. There's emotion. Right? There's definitely will. If you don't believe animals have wills because you don't have a cat if you have a dog, then sometimes you guys think, no. They they just do whatever I say. If you have a cat, you understand. They have a will.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:53]:

They they they do what they want. But, so but, you know, the The fact is that that it says that the animals have souls, but that there's a thing that he says is different, and that's you and I, is that we have a spirit. And and the spirit in you is the part that really connects with God, that makes you sense that. And so this is why the scriptures talk about the fact that that to to grow in your spirit, to to be strengthening your inner man, to be strengthened in the spirit that, as well as your soul. And so he says because that one day we'll be accountable for that. Now here's the thing, I think, that what the of god does this this evening, that we'll see his approval because of 3 things. The first saying is this, that the of god keeps me accountable before God. That if you wanna be approved by God, you gotta be accountable before God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:42]:

And so often that for many of us that maybe see if you've worked in the marketplace or you've worked in in government or you've worked in different places, that there's different responses senses to people in authority. Right? And that for some of us that, you know, I was talking to, one of my friends, recently, and, you know, we're talking about just sometimes what you see happen in the workplace that there's some guys that they come sin. And they, they they always they they they they get a job, but they cannot stay in a job. Right? And then they just keep they're like a restless spirit always from one thing to the next thing. And and, he was asking me about that, and I said, you know, there's obviously different reasons for that. Sometimes it's, you know, financial. Sometimes they don't know what their role is. Sometimes they don't know what the how they wired it up.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:29]:

But for many, it's like if they're in that same industry, they kinda know what they that is that they they they ought to be doing, but at the same time, they're just doing that. Sometimes, you know what one of those things are? It's like they don't they don't have a proper relationship with authority. So they're always looking, and they're always, it's kinda shade and moving around authority and and this aspect. And, you know, god says for us that we ought not to to to shutter and and and and be trembling and moving away from God's accountability, but we ought to be moving toward that. And one of the reasons is because when you make yourself accountable to God. It prevents you from kind of this natural thing that the the older you get, the more mature you become, the more, you become comfortable as a follower of Jesus, or you become more comfortable, in your occupation, more comfortable in your role in your family as a, if if you're a husband or a wife or you're a leader or what have you, it's this thing called entitlement. And being accountable also helps to prevent the spirit of entitlement from taking root. And the entitlement is the belief that we are inherently deserve privileges or special treatment, that we have rights to things, and and and that we ought sought to deserve certain kinds of things that, to be honest, we may or may not be entitled to.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:59]:

1 Christian writer in her late 20 said this. He said, my generation is notorious for attitudes of entitlement. We think we deserve more than we do, and when we we don't get it, our entitlement siren starts blaring. And when it does, we often act irrationally in a way that maybe looks foolish even from the outside. Right. I I don't know if you you guys have ever felt entitled. I'm sure all of us have felt entitled at different places. Sometimes you go, you know, size.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:26]:

It's what I I feel take it for granted. I I I'm not getting what I deserve. If you've ever been ship, and sometimes a relationship, you know, is not giving you what you want to to get, then maybe you're in in a place where there's a little bit of tension. Have you ever been in that place where you say, you you know you shouldn't say something? You guys ever been in relationship. You know you shouldn't say something, but just say it anyway. And the reason why you say it is why. Because you're so comfortable with the other person. Right? You guys ever been in that place? And then maybe you've thought to yourself.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:06]:

And I've been in this place where I've thought to myself, I shouldn't say it, but then I say, you know what your problem smiz. And then you know what I realized really quick? I shouldn't have said those words. Right? Those were and why why did I say that? Sad. Because, you know, the thing is that I you cannot just because it's your family, just because it's your friends, just because, it it's your spouse, just because it's your, purse your your the person you've been working with for so long that don't think that you are entitled to kinda strip away the sense of, of, decorum, to to strip away the sense of treating someone with respect. When you just say, hey. I don't need to I'm just gonna tell it like it is. You probably had that blow up in your face, right, and, had a long song discussion and maybe in different things. Because what I should have said was probably along the lines with, hey.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:03]:

You know, I really appreciate hate you. But can I say something? But what I think would make our relationship even better would probably they have been received much better. Right? But sometimes, you know, when you just feel like, hey. I could just say what I wanna say, because you know what? We're we're we're married. I can see just what it was because we we've been together for so long. I can say just whatever I wanna say because, you know, you you know how I am, and then we feel entitled sold to do that. Right? And and sometimes, I I I I've experienced that people can get Entitled with God. Right? That maybe especially if you you tend to kinda drift toward one aspect where you you feel like like it's like I've served God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:48]:

I've I've done what he's asked. I I I've lived the way that he's wanted me to live, and you have kind of a a entitlement to say that, to be honest, everything should go my way. Right? And and to be honest. That's kind of the contradiction of grace, right, that that you deserve these things. Grace that God gives us. God gives us a grace to serve him. God gives us a grace to to follow him. He gives us a grace to be honest so that I don't experience this sense of entitlement.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:22]:

You know, a while back a while back, I really was growing in kind of my capacities to serve. I I I've been a missionary. I've been a pastor. Went to seminary and, you know, came back home and all of these things. And I I felt the whisper of God come to me and say, Glenn, if I asked you to step out of the ministry, would you? And frankly, I just answered, and I said no. Now what I should have said was, lord, I don't know what you're asking really. I what I should have said is, lord, if you would lead me, seen. That I will follow you wherever you lead me, but what I did say was no.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:10]:

Right? And, you know, God has a way that when your you have the sense of entitlement. You know? It led me actually to a few years outside of the ministry. It led the then it's not because I don't think that God, you know, was angry at me. I don't think God was mad at me. I I I think God was trying to purify me because he saw something breeding in me that he says, you know, this is not gonna suit you well in the future. And so, you know, I learned how to to to serve God while I'm in the marketplace while I while I was a salesman, while I was, kind of, when I was working for the Chamber of Commerce, when I was working for, the funeral home, when I was working in a restaurant, when I was all of these things and and still preaching and still leading and still, doing discipleship, still doing all those things. And, you know, it it didn't matter to me because God was refining my heart. And it's in that place, I think, that sometimes God wants to deal with this sense of entitlement because what we can say is that that, to be honest, everything I have is is a gift from god.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:22]:

Everything I have is a is a gift from god. And and then what I should have said is that, you know, whatever I do, lord, whatever you have me to do, I wanna do it all for your honor and for your glory. And I wanna be thankful, right, to god the father. That's what it says in in Colossians. You guys have ever been in a place where you guys all go into a company together, and we get you know, you're all friends. Anybody been in that place? And then one of she gets promoted above your friends. You guys know what I'm talking about? And then sometimes what happens in those situations that your friends that you kinda been through the trenches with, that they that they you you guys have done everything together. The ones that you think that as you move to that position, that they will have your back and you will have their back.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:14]:

But sometimes what happens, there's a spirit of entitlement. My friend is the boss. So What? I could take a little longer on lunch. Right? I I can maybe cut a little corner. She'll cut me, or he'll cut me some slack. Right? Those kinds of I deserve a break. I worked so hard. We've been through this thing together.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:33]:

I have his back or she has my back or whatever it is, and we can take people for grand. That's that's entitlement. And and sometimes when you're in that place, you you have to say, you know, set. To be honest, we ought to kinda serve even more. Right? We we ought to not put our friends in uncomfortable situations, not put family member, in an uncomfortable situation. You know, like, there's been times that I've, gone to bat for people and got jobs. And when you get somebody a job, what do you you've what do you wanna check when your friends go to work? Hey. How's it going? Right? And maybe you ask your contact, like, who hired them.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:13]:

Hey. How how are they doing? Why is that? Because to be honest, in some sense, you put your name on the line. Right. In some sense, you you're going to bat for them, and so you want them to make sure that, hey, man. Can you make sure that you show up on time more do the thing or just be teachable. And and and I know it might be a different system, but let let this thing work together. And because you're you're gonna go to bat for them. And and so what you don't expect is that they not show up.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:42]:

Right? What you don't expect is that they they They don't listen. What you don't expect why? And because sometimes what happens is they can get so comfortable that people go to bat for them is to take advantage of that. That's entitlement. And and so sometimes we need to be mindful of that. We need to be careful of that. God says, I I don't want you to develop this because what happens is you start losing the awe and reverence of God. Jesus never said there would be no problems in life. Right? In fact, he said, in this life, we all have problems.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:17]:

Right? How many of you guys have can testify that in this life, you all everybody has problems? Okay. Hey. You guys are biblical. Cool. Right? Everybody has everybody has challenges at times. His promise is this, is that, but I have overcome the world. Right? Safe. So sometimes what happens if we're we're serving God, if there's a little bit of this legalistic aspect, I you know, if you do this, then I'll do this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:37]:

And if I do this. Thank god you gotta do this. And it's like, if something goes wrong, right, you you there's there's there's a hiccup in your in your workplace. There's a hiccup in your relationship. There's a hiccup somewhere, you know, that you're not advancing as as quickly as you thought. It's not it's not moving being in the pace that you thought. And some of us, we get so messed up out of that because, to be honest, if we're not careful, it's entitlement. Right? God, I I'm serving you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:05]:

It ought to go at this pace. God never said that at times. Right? He said that he would make the way for you. He said that that he would provide. Sometimes the way he'll provide that is by just his grace and mercy. And sometimes you'll be in those situations where he will change the situation, shin. And sometimes, what what he do, he will change you to the situation. Right? Because god doesn't on entitled people.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:31]:

You guys ever seen sometimes it like, the owner's son kind of a situation in in the company. You can have those who weren't through the ranks and are humble, and they just work. And then you can have those that are like, hey. You know who my father is? You know, that kind of a thing? And to be honest, it's kind of off putting, isn't it? And then god says this. You know what? In the same sense, in my family, in my kingdom, I want you to know that I love you. I am for you. I have a grace for you, but please don't walk in that spirit of entitlement as you represent Jesus Because he is for you, and he does love you, and he does care about you. He just doesn't want you to be can have a chip on your shoulder about it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:23]:

He doesn't want you to kinda say, hey. You know who my dad is? Kind of a kind of a situation. You know, in in Romans. It's not in your notes, but in Romans 14, he he talks about this aspect that even at times, people will not Kinda get along in the church. Now I I understand that that that that that's like a foreign experience for all of you. Right? Because you guys have all perfect relationships, ships, especially in the church. No. Right? But, I mean, to be honest, sometimes we don't understand people.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:54]:

We don't know why they do what they do, and, like, oh my gosh. I see this guy. He's he say he's Christian, but he smokes. And and, you know, like, some people, they come from that kind of a thing that, you know, I I I don't smoke. I don't drink. Right? I don't go with, you know, the people who do. Right? And then to be honest, you know that you can smoke when you and be a Christian. You can smoke and be a Christian.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:18]:

You just smell like you're closer to hell a little bit. But sometimes but, you know, like, soap. Right? No. I mean, you can smell it on people's clothes. Right? So you can smell on their hair. But you you know, that's it's not a sin that says that you cannot be a Christian or whatever. There's things along those lines that, to be honest, sometimes there's sometime maybe we solid a gray area where, that you can is this can a and a believer do this or not? Like, the the Bible never says that. To be honest, the Bible never says that you you cannot have a drink.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:50]:

The Bible never says that you cannot dance or whatever, but there's people and groups that sometimes will make rules, hard and fast rules, that if you're a believer, you cannot do this or you cannot do that. But the thing is that a wise person should know what they can and cannot do. Right? A wise person because to be honest, I I can have a drink, and that's it. I had a drink. And I have friends that if they take 1 drink, it is is a bad, bad picture because they cannot stop. Right? So, obviously, I will never have a drink with that person. Right? And you ought to know about yourself because if you don't know that about yourself, that you'll you'll get into problems. But we see this aspect in Romans 14 where he says, then why do you judge your brother and sisters, and why do you treat them with contempt? Because you say that they shouldn't be doing this or that person shouldn't be doing that or they shouldn't be doing these kinds of things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:50]:

He says, don't worry about it. Right? He's saying that he's saying, don't worry about it because it is written as surely as I live, says the lord. Every knee will bow before me, and every tongue will acknowledged. And then he says this, so then each of us will give an account of ourselves to god. And so he's saying later on, he says this, do not judge the servant of another because I I can make that person stand, and stand they will. And so he he kinda gives this aspect. But here's one of the things that we ought to understand is that the awe of God the awe of God sad. It's a powerful force in our life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:33]:

For many of us, we're we're very blessed by the love of God. If you're blessed by the love of God, would you raise him today. You bless my love. Right? Of course. Obviously. It's the love of God that draws us, but it's the awe of God that keeps us from evil. You see that if you love God, sometimes and you know the grace of God in your life, sometimes you get caught up in stuff that you shouldn't if you don't understand the awe of God, the fear of God. Because to be honest, that sometimes we get confused with this thing of salvation.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:09]:

Now, there are salvation doctrines. We've talked about it more like in a midweek setting before where there's this thing called justification that that when Jesus died in the cross that and you put your faith in him, this says he transferred you from the domain darkness into the kingdom of light. Right? And not only does he forgive you, but he credits hits you with this thing called the righteousness of God. In other words, when he sees you as a believer, he doesn't see you like, all the sins that you do. He knows them. He knows them, but he doesn't judge you by is in you. Yeah. That's called justification.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:54]:

And sometimes what we get confused is justification with this thing called sanctification. I know I'm using kind of big words or, you know, multisyllable words, but but sometimes what this is is confusing 2 things, positional righteousness and behavioral righteousness. You see, positional righteousness is this thing that in Jesus, yes, I am totally forgiven. Right? And and sometimes you might have heard past, present and future. Right? That that he's forgiven all your sin. Why is that? Because when he died for you, you weren't even born yet. Right? So all your sins were in the future. Right? So he dies for what you did before you were a believer.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:41]:

He dies for what you did now, and he died for what you will do in the future. And and so that's the justification, and then he credits you with righteousness. And so you have a positional righteousness. Let's say positional schistiness. Right? In Jesus, he says, it's like you're seated in heaven already, and God sees you righteous. But we all still. That that's not how you always behave. Right? Is that true? We don't always behave perfectly.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:11]:

And so. There is a a tension between positional righteousness and behavioral righteousness. And I wanna explain that because this will help us to understand why the awe of God will keep us from evil. There's a portion in the scriptures in Matthew 7 where it says this. And it might sound familiar. Right? Enter through let's say, enter through the narrow gate. Say narrow gate. Narrow gate.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:36]:

Right. The narrow gate. So that's the way that we ought to go. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it, but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Right? And so we hear this thing, and I I wanna use this, as some of you guys may be wondering, and somebody, forgot to put construction stuff up here. No. No. It's just that it's for my thing right snow.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:03]:

And so, sometimes we hear this the thing called like, there's a wide road. Right? There's a side road. And then let's just say this maybe this is a this is a narrow road. Right? There's a wide road and a narrow road. And so in the narrow narrow road, right, versus the wide road. He says, in this one, there are many who walk in this way, and this is what? The road to destruction. And said there's a different road here, which is narrow, but it says that's a narrow gate, but then it also says it's a narrow road. Right? Do you guys see that? So here's something that I didn't actually mean to draw that, so now I gotta take this out.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:47]:

But, so here's the thing, that when you're walking through this narrow gate, let's say there is this entrance strength. That on one hand, we understand that when God calls you, you're not perfect. Right? We all have problems. We slums. We all have issues. We all have things we struggle with, but he loves you, and he cares about you. Right? He paid the price for you. And so we enter into this process, but this road is not just narrow, it's narrowing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:16]:

Because in the beginning that to be honest, when you get, say you give yourself to Jesus and, you know, like, you walk down the road that if you just go to church, you go to church this sweet. You feel pretty good. Hey, man. I I at least went to church this week. Right? And so you you just feel like, oh, that's awesome. Now you know that sometimes maybe you have an old life. Right? You had old temptations. Right? So whatever it is, you fill in the blank right in that thing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:43]:

You know, like, it's like some of you, it's like, hey. You you you know, like, your dating life is what caused you to go off track. For some of us, it's it's, you know, it's the way you spend money. For some of us, it's what you watch online. What whatever the case, you fill in this thing, and you'll hit this place, and God will convict you. You'll read you'll know in the word to god that, hey. You know what? This is not healthy for me. And then you hit this point, and then you know what? You realize, I gotta also a different direction.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:12]:

Right? And so you start moving in this direction. And, you went to church, you read your bible, you prayed, you listened to a message, you you watched a sermon, whatever it is, you you feel pretty good about yourself till you come this way. And then and then you go here, and it's like you start realizing like, maybe, like, my friend when when I became a believer, I spoke like I wasn't a believer. I used different language than I use now. It was maybe more colorful than than it is. Right? You know, like, you know, like, it's not just g d it is, but it would be, you know, certain letters here and, certain right? So just I don't even hear it. But my friend would be like, what did you say? I said, oh, this this is good. He says, no.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:04]:

That's not what you said. You said this is effing good. Right? Something like that. I go, I didn't say that, but he said, no. You did. Said. You don't even hear it. Right? You don't even hear it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:13]:

And so then I felt a little bit convicted. And so I said, you know what? I better I better try work on that. Right? And then and and I was getting better and better. Now here's the thing. Right? So the road that over time, if if I'm not swearing and I'm not going out and, you know, drinking too much or going out and doing something stupid partying, then I would feel pretty good. Right? But, you know, the thing is that it's much easier to change the way you speak than it is your heart at times. Right? Than to be jealous, then to be envious, then to be prideful. You guys know what I'm talking about? See, certain behaviors are easier to change.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:00]:

And so on one hand, let's just say this. On the side of this road, there are ditches on both sides. On one side. We're gonna call this legalism. And on the other side, side. We'll call it lawlessness. And legalism will say, hey. I am good as long as I do the religious things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:34]:

I went to church. I read the Bible. Bull. I I didn't drink. I didn't swear. I didn't you know? I I was nice to a person that day. I wanted to get them, but I didn't. Right? Because I wanted to and your actions.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:49]:

And and so are those things good in general? Yeah. They're good. Right? It's not bad. But but there is this thing that you define your faith, your journey faith by doing good things. And so if I do good things, I went to church, I I gave, I served. I did whatever. Then you think that I'm right with God. I'm on the right path.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:17]:

And that sometimes they were gonna what Jesus said, it's like, you guys wash the outside of the cup, but inside, right, inside, it's it's filthy. Jesus kinda gives this illustration. Right? But on the outside, it looks good. And so on the if we're living for the outside and all the measurable we had. Sometimes we call that legalism. Right? And so god owes me at times. That make sense? Yeah. But on the other hand, on the some people will say, it it's not all that what you do, it's that god knows your heart.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:54]:

Right? That god knows your heart. You guys have you guys have heard that before? You have you ever said that before. God knows my heart. And so we say, but if in my heart, I intended to do something good even though I did something really bad, my heart was in the right place. You guys ever said that? Right? I think most of us, we we've said that. And then sometimes people will say, hey. You know, I I know that, you know, I I I I fell into some old thing, and I, you know, I say, I banged this person's car, and I just ran away, but god knows my heart. Right? The the right.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:34]:

So now we starting to get a little bit more like, oh, what? It was like I don't know. Is that right? You know? But people will say and I'll confess. I confess to God that I I banged that person's car. And you know what God has said might say to you? It's like, well, I'm glad that you confessed to me, but you gotta go tell that guy's car that you bang. That's the person you have to. Right? But he's saying, sometime, we won't do it. Why? Because god knows my heart. And then when we say that not my heart.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:00]:

It somehow justifies the fact that that we did things that we shouldn't have done. Right? Because god just he knows my heart. Sometimes that's what we say. I know I yelled, and I I took it out on this person, and I I just lost my temper, and I said, all this angry stuff, but god knows my heart because I really care about them. And so in some ways then, I don't feel like I gotta apologize or whatever it is. But what happens is if we just judge our heart, we start moving on the other side to lawlessness. Right? Because then you can get people her say, you know what? I know I'm, you know, I know that, hey. I owe this person some money, but I'm not gonna pay him because you know why? Because I I have a need.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:52]:

And and We say, god knows my heart. So he goes starts getting on this side lawlessness. Somebody says, I know that I I I shouldn't go out and, party all night and, you know, go crazy and, you know, kinda derail get derailed. But, hey. God knows my heart that I I still love him. Right? And so what we said is the love of God draws us close, but the fear of God keeps us from evil. You see, sometimes, If I don't realize I'm gonna have to stand before God and be accountable one day, then sometimes I just I just move into lawlessness success because god knows my heart. Whether I lie, cheat, steal, whatever it is, and I justify it fight because I know.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:39]:

God know god knows my heart. The narrow road keeps us away from either legalism or lawlessness. That when you understand the fear of the lord because he says this, it is a narrow road. And that when we walk within the confines of what god's instruction shin is, what he's calling us to do. We develop these points of conviction that we know that we should not transgress. Stress. And if we do, we make it right with God. If we do, we make it right with people.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:16]:

If we do, we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit. We repent before God. God says this, that there's a grace that covers you. There's a grace that covers you. Right? But what is the precursor? He says, says, confess your sins. Right? Confess your sins. Repent from those things. Why? Because Paul said later, he says, I'm concerned that when I come and visit you that some of you have not repented from your former sins.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:44]:

And you're still stuck either on this legalism or you're stuck in this lawlessness his side. And you're not walking the road of following Jesus. Does that make sense to anybody? And so how does the awe of god then help us to do this? Because one day, I stand. I'm gonna stand accountable for god. One day, if I don't repent, I'm gonna stand accountable for the way I treat my wife. You know? What I don't wanna have that conversation is, I don't wanna have a conversation where God tells me, why did you treat my daughter the way that you did when I called due to love her, but you abused her. I don't wanna have that conversation with god. And so I'll I'll respond accordingly.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:43]:

Does that make sense? Because one day, I'm gonna be accountable. One day, all of us will be accountable. And this is not for unbelievers. This is for believers and unbelievers, because everybody's gonna stand account, and we're gonna be accountable for the life that we lived. And this is what he's saying is that when I wanna honor God when I wanna honor God, then I won't justify my lawless sways or neither will I justify myself by all my behaviors. Because some people say this, it's like I did this thing, I'm right with God, or I I worship God in my heart, so I'm right with God. And which is it? You need both. You need both.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:30]:

It's not either or. Because if you do 1 or the other, you will move towards lawless, legalism on one end. And if you go the other way, you'll get into lawlessness on the other. When you see when you see the craziest things that are going on in some cities and and to be honest, I I've heard it happens in Hawaii too, where, let's say, somebody walks in, walk into the store. They just go shopping. They just don't pay for it. Right? They go shopping. They get all their stuff, and then they walk out.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:05]:

And they say, hey. It was the grace of God that provided for me. Right? That's that's lawlessness. It's not and what we see in our country is there's a great move towards lawlessness, Smith. But we cannot let the church become legalistic. We need the spirit of God to speak to us, to guide us along along the way. That in concert with the word of God so that we don't get stuck in legalism, neither do we embrace lawlessness, but that we walk in the right path with the right spirit. Because people will feel, if I am legalistic.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:44]:

I judge. I make these judgments, and I and it's it's a hard truth, and there's no grace. People can feel that. And many have left churches because of a legalistic term. But to be honest, if we're not careful and we just say it doesn't what you do because God died for you. He paid the price. We are preaching a gospel that would not be recognized by the people who first heard the gospel. Because he says as well that that you and I, that we need to be willing to change.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:20]:

We need to be willing to become more and more like Jesus. This is what it says in Ephesians 4/15. Let's read what it says. Ready? Begin. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. You see, over time, you and I, we ought to look more more like Jesus. We we ought to be more gracious. We ought to be more righteous.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:51]:

We ought to be more courageous. We ought to be, more faith filled. We ought to be, more, a sense of being able to to stand firm firm and and take our stand that we need to be able to, not count people's sins against them. I I'm not saying I'm there. I'm not saying I look just like Jesus. I got a long way to go. Anybody else got a long way to go? I got a long way to go. But he's saying, Over time, I should be changing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:42:24]:

And if I've never changed, something is wrong with this picture. Why? Because you will not experience a closeness with God unless you walk this road. It says it like this in James 4:8. Can we read that together? He says this. Come close to god, and god will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided sided between God and the world. You see, if he's if I follow what it says, what will happen if I I purify my heart, and so I step away from.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:08]:

I don't just bow on what those things do. If I say, I step away from the ways phase of the world. And I I follow God, and I wash not only my heart, but I wash my hands. I wash my behaviors, and I purify those things. He says, then, god, what, comes close to you. And and this aspect of revelation of God, this aspect of closeness with God becomes something then that we walk down and we experience on the narrow road. And over time, what happens is then we start looking a little bit more and more like Jesus. And so it's not one or the other.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:53]:

These are both successes, but we ought to be walking the road of truth and grace with love and kindness, with with justice and righteousness. We walk down this road. Will you walk it perfectly? No. You won't. I don't. But I ought to listen to the spirit as he convicts me And move away from whichever way of excess. Does that make sense? And as you and I do that, we start looking more and more like Jesus. As you and I do that, that we we start stepping away from evil.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:34]:

And why is that helpful? Why is this important? Because then the last point is this. Because the awe of god will help me to end very well. The awe of god, the fear of the lord will help me to end well. You know, Jesus tells the story when he comes, he says for his children, and the the servants still stand accountable before him. He gave them their different some task. He gave them their different resources to use. And he says that, you know, at the end, well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the Lord.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:15]:

Enter into the rest of your master. I think all of us desire one day to say, hey. Said that I did well. Right? How many don't all of us wanna end well? It's easy to start well. The hard part is it's it's not always easy to end well. But the fear of the lord is very helpful because what does it do? It says this in Psalm 112. Let's read what it says in Psalm 112. Ready? Let's read.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:48]:

Do I not have it? Oh, okay. I didn't put it in your notes, I guess. Sorry about that. So this is what it says in Psalm 112 verses 1, 3, and 6. He says, how joyful are those who fear the lord and delight in obeying his commands. Their good deeds will last forever. Right? And such people will not be overcome by evil. Those are those who are righteous will long be remembered.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:15]:

And you know what it's saying is this, that if you you are fearing the lord, then he says that's one of those ways that you get joy. Right? This the another thing it says, this is that your good deeds will last, and you'll not be overcome by evil because it is the love of God that draws you close, but it's the fear of the lord, that keeps you from evil. And he says this, so those who are righteous will long be remembered. Do you guys wanna have a good shelf life, a long shelf life. Right? You wanna have a long shelf life. You wanna end well, then fear the lord. And we said this last week, the last couple weeks. The fear of the Lord is not being afraid of God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:55]:

It is being reverent of God. It is being in awe of God. There are moments that we need to recognize his power. We recognize he's God, but that he does says, have a desire for us to walk with him and for us to leave our old life behind. So he says this, how joyful then. Isn't it joyful to kinda leave certain things behind that that used to trip you up? Isn't that a joyful time? You go like, oh, man. I'm so glad I I'm not stuck in that cycle. And sometimes it says this good deeds, it says they'll last forever and that you you won't be overcome by evil.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:36]:

Right? And there's a long shelf life. You know, I've used this book a number of times in different classes. And and sometimes in teaching at, Bible college, is a book called The making of a leader by a guy named J. Robert Clinton. And he studies in that the phases of development of a leader certain. And and and what he says is that, you know, there's these different phases that some of them is like where the some of the things about your life. You had no control over. Right? You had no control over where you were born.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:48:10]:

Right? You had no control over who are your parents. Right? You had no control over, what language you spoke. Right? You had no control over, whether you're a male or a female today. Well, that's a different thing, but sometimes but, like, we know, right, said that sovereignly speaking, those foundations, they were set. Then it sometimes there's people that you think, like, a, they they they had a raw end end of the deal. Guys like Moses, he was born a slave. Right? They were gonna kill him. And so he's a Jewish person sin.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:48:40]:

Born in Asia, destined to be killed, but it was in this moment that his parents, hit him. And they they put a wrist. They put him in a basket, and they send him down the river. And and then all of a sudden, who finds him? It's the the the the pharaoh's, daughter and so a princess in there. And so she raises him, and he's raised in the house of that's what's totally beyond Moses' control. You're sovereign. It was just a sovereign thing. And then there's different seasons and things that go on.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:11]:

But one of the things he says is that in the making of a leader, one of the things that we find is sometimes it's really hard to end well. And that the the the likelihood of ending poorly or getting derailed in life is more common than those who have ended well. And it doesn't matter if you look in the scriptures or you look, to be honest, probably in the marketplace, or sometimes you look maybe just around you that you might notice this as well. Saul, that he began well, a humble the first just King was humble. He couldn't believe on the favor of God in his life. He he was called to be king. He was just amazed until all of a sudden he got sucked up in this desire for power, and it it may cause him to not fear the lord, not reverence the lord, but he he loved power. And he did everything he could to keep power, and that ended poorly.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:11]:

And so God calls David on the the next scene. And David is known says what? A man after God's own heart. He writes a a a good portion of the Psalms. He's the most, kinda quoted king in in all of the Old Testament. So we see David, having this sense of kinda amazing thing. And then, unfortunately, the older he gets as a king, as he grows, he gets this sense of entitlement that whatever I see because I'm king, I can take what I want. And he ends up sleeping with his friend's wife. Right? So he commits adultery.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:47]:

Street. She gets pregnant. He has to hide it. He ends up killing his friend, justifying these things, that's lawlessness. Right? And then sin. It gets discovered. And although god forgives him, right, because he repents, god forgives him. It's good to be forgiven, but what we find is that it it wrecked havoc in his family, right, all the days of his life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:51:12]:

So there was just problems because of the the kind of a model that he presented. Right? And then he has a son. His name's Solomon. Wisest of all men. Has a heart for God sad that willing to do whatever. Right? Accumulated incredible wisdom and wealth and power even beyond his father David, And then he began to trust in his wisdom, and he doesn't he has this massive kind of going off the edge until later in his life, he comes back, and he understands the fear of the Lord is is the thing that will keep me from evil. And so you see that. And I remember even having conversations with my dad, about that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:51:59]:

Knowing that it was possible for me, you know, when I first was gonna go into the ministry, you know, my dad because I'm the 1st Christian in my family, there was no concept of serving God. Right? So my dad's thing is I as I'm graduating, I'm the 1st immediate child in our family to have a college education. And so my dad's desire was I would go and work. Right? And I would he was working on the Big Island sin because, you know, my grandfather had a business. He was working there that burned down, so he went and worked for his brother on the big island. And then he wanted me to work here and help take care of my mom. And then I told him I wanna go in the mission field, and and and he we wasn't a straight conversation. This is right.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:52:45]:

He wasn't happy. Right? And and the the reason is he couldn't understand. And and he was saying, Glenn, why don't you just do that part time? Go work and then serve God. And I said, I understand that that that makes sense. I think for the large part, that's what most times, that's what people do because we have to we're not called all into too vocational ministry. But I feel God is calling me that way. But you know what would would kill me, dad, is that that if at the day that I stand before god, he says, Glenn, this is what you have done, but this is what you could have done. I I would have so much regret.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:53:27]:

And, you know, when I said that to my dad, even though he wasn't a believer, even though he had them in stood in some level. And part of the reason why I thought that was because I read in the scriptures in first Corinthians chapter 3, And he says this in 1st Corinthians chapter 3. He says, for no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have, Jesus Christ. So Jesus Christ is the foundation. They say that Jesus is the foundation. Right? And he says anyone who builds on that foundation, anybody see. Who builds on our life on Jesus may use a variety of minerals, gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But done.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:54:09]:

Judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. Right? So you could do this thing where you use, imperishable material, the gold, the silver, precious stones. And he says when the fire comes, shh. It looks the same. Right? Why? Because it's imperishable material. But then he says this. But if you used, you know, string and you used a lint from your sock and you used the the paper that was I I tore soft from the thing, and I used a piece of wood that I I just a kind of a scrap wood. I just gave all the little scraps from my life, and I build on that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:54:50]:

He says, when the fire comes, what will happen? It'll be burned up. But then he says this. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer what? Great loss. Great loss. Is the builder on the foundation lost? Is he destined for judgment away from God? No. It says the builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through the wall of flames.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:55:31]:

In other words, you can live your life life still for you. Just do whatever you want. You could in some sense. But when when you stand before god, that life is just gonna go and then he says, Glenn, this is what you built, but this is what you could have built. And so he's saying, build your life with the things that last. Build your life on the foundation. Because when I stand before god, just like even this guy in the story that Paul is telling. I'm sure he's still grateful to be in heaven.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:56:11]:

Right? He's still grateful to be in heaven, but there come this point what he will say, but this is what you did with your life. And so this is why this is the road that Jesus describes. And so I think it doesn't take a whole lot, unfortunately, for some of us to think about leaders who have kind of blown out their lives on national television. National leaders or international leaders. I in the last few years, just been some who have, because of abuse of power, have not ended well. For some, kind of abuse of money situations and not done well. Some who tried to hide sexual misconduct and even thinking that it was a reward for their service because they had entitlement, and and they didn't end well at the end of their lives. And was it's been difficult for some of these people, well respected, some falling prey to substance abuse and moral failings stresses and strains of their life and their ministry.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:57:19]:

Right? But I can say this. When I started, not necessarily in the ministry, you. But when I started this church 24 years ago, when we were in Kapolei, there were, like, 7 churches that we were partnering with. And, I remember we did this large event in 2002. 7 of us churches. And we partnered together, and we did this, memorial for 9/11. And, and there were thousands of people who came to the high school. And it was a huge outreach, and there was a there's, like, a newspaper ad that we put on the thing, and it says, hey.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:57:59]:

Come to our house, awesome. We just all stood together. Right? And and we we stood together, and we just say, hey. Doesn't matter whose house you go to, but just coming to the house for for Easter or whatever it is, you know, for for Christmas or something like that. And and, you know, I I looked at that picture recently. And and there's out of the 7 of us, then there's only 2 of us who are still in the ministry that I know. Now some of them, you know, they they got older and they got sick. And one of those guys passed away, a godly man.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:58:36]:

I think he ended well. Unfortunately, just health wise, it was very difficult for him. There's there's some other guys that, to be honest, that their churches no longer exist. A 4 out of the 7 churches no longer 3 of of the 7 churches no longer exist. There's some who have just kinda moved in different things that have happened, but just even in these people that we started, that not everybody ends well. Because ending well, I think, requires in awe of god. And there have been some that have had some, kinda huge, kinda off the road and and have been able to come back again. And there's a grace for that, and there's a grace for that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:59:23]:

God has a grace for you. But I think if you were to do it over again, he would say, I wish I had had a greater fear of the lord in a different sprint season of my life, then I wouldn't have had to go down those roads. And I don't know about you, but I I have my own shortcomings and failings as well. You know? Mine, thankfully, is not the things that would put me in the news. Right? Like, safe because I took advantage of money or I I I did something inappropriate with a person or or you know, I I don't have those kind of things. But there's been times I've been fearful of what people thought. There's been times that because of that and then my greatest regret is is situations that have arise because I didn't stand and hold strong when I should have. But you know what it made me do? It made me grace grateful for the grace of God on my life, and I repented.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:00:21]:

And I said, you know what, God? I gotta fear you because when I fear you, then I can withstand, at times, the pressures from people, the pressures that maybe I put on myself, the pressures that different situations can have everybody has pressure in life. Right? Everybody has pressure in life. Here's the way that you stuff inside of you of equal force to withstand the pressure that's coming from the outside. Because if you don't have enough resource on the inside that's kinda trying to overflow your life. You get crushed by the pressure outside of you. That make sense? And so here's what I think God is saying at the same time. Right? So that that said. If you I hope that you have a long shelf life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:01:14]:

I hope you have longevity, in the faith. I hope you have a I hope that we all end well. You know? On the, at the wedding that we we did today, they wanted us to write wisdom. And, I I didn't know what my wife asked me. She said, can you write something on this thing? I was just thinking, hey. Congratulations shalations or whatever. I just was writing I was thinking she was asking me to write the card, and I was just writing. And she goes, no.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:01:43]:

No. No. It's supposed to be wisdom. Like, it's like words of wisdom for them. Like, I go, okay. I don't know. You just told me write something. So I just started writing different and, then I said this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:01:54]:

I just said, this is a word of wisdom. I said, just remember this. If you cross the finish line all by yourself, it's not a win unless you finish together, right, in marriage. Right? Like, I I don't wanna be like, I just finished all by myself, but I left my family or my wife behind. I I did not finish well. And here's my thing. When we cross the finish line, I want us all to cross together. Right? I don't want anybody left behind.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:02:35]:

And and I think that's when we finish well. And this is God's promise to us is that when we understand reverence and honor for God. It helps us because then we'll be accountable. Right? And we'll be accountable, and the and the love of God will will will draw us, but the fear of God will keep us from evil. Right? So then we'll think twice about some of those things. We'll put guardrails maybe in our life. Some of us need to put guardrails in our life so that we don't cross. What is a guardrail? It's not on the edge.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:03:07]:

A guardrail is something inside the edge. You don't wait till the edge, but you have an a barrier before the edge so that even if if you cross this thing, you still don't go over the edge. That makes sense? I think what happens is that we can run down the road. Whether the road is narrow or narrowing, we'll run down the road, but we'll do it together. And this is God's promise for that. Jude 124. Can we read that together? Let's read. Ready? Begin.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:03:43]:

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling. And to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only god, also our savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our lord before all ages, now, and forevermore. Amen. Right? So God can keep you from stumbling. But what he asks us, he he says this, learn to walk the narrow road. There is a grace to cover us, but don't use it as a excuse to just do all the things that you can see that we fall into legalism. Neither do we fall on the other side, and we just say, hey. You know, I know I just do all kind of stuff, but god knows my and then we fall into lawlessness.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:04:42]:

He says this, that when we have both truth and grace. Right? Because the the scripture often tells us not just grace, not just truth, but when we have grace and truth, Then we change and are transformed. If all I have is grace, like it doesn't matter what I due. I'll fall into lawlessness. If all I have is truth, it'll be hard. It'll be lifeless. It will be rigid, and people will kinda recoil a little because it's it's hard truth. There's just an edge to everything.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:05:28]:

But when grace and truth are married in reverence before God. He says, you'll go far. You look more and more like Jesus over time. None of us are perfect and none of us will be, but let us grow together up into the image of God. Because this is what he's saying. He'll hold you. He'll keep you from stumbling, to present you before his glorious presence without fault and joy. That's the positional part.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:06:05]:

To the only god, our savior, be glory, majesty, power, and authority. And when we follow his authority, and so we start making choices because we want his authority and accountability in our life. True. Jesus, our lord, before all ages, now and forevermore, you start getting the behavior. And you met those 2 together, then you get change. You get transformation. Little by little, we look more more like Jesus. That make sense? Let's bow our heads.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:06:37]:

We'll close in over to prayer. Father, I know for for some of us, this kind of a message, maybe it lays out a in a clear way, lord, that we need truth and we need grace. We just cannot only hold to one of those things. And sometimes, lord, we When we do, we end up losing in awe of you. If you're in in that place. Then maybe because you didn't understand the fear of the Lord, that god is your friend. He's he's gracious just and loving, and he loves you completely. But he really doesn't want you to to to do certain things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:07:36]:

Right? He doesn't want us to pray prayers like, forgive me, lord, for what I'm about to do, and just kinda say, hey. I just gonna do whatever I want. And there's some of us that maybe we're on the other sin. And we think, lord, I've served you. And, lord, I've sought you, and I know your word, and I pray, and I do all the godly things. And and because of that, lord, I I'm entitled. I'm entitled to stuff. Maybe you've let that arise in you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:08:14]:

Let's turn away from that. Because it's the grace of god in your life that we that we have what we have in our life. It's the grace of God in our life that he doesn't judge us by our sin, and we don't get what we deserve. We experience his mercy and that he holds us up. Father, I'm praying that right now, sound. As we come and we we understand the reverence and the fear of you, I thank you that helps us to walk in a way that we can have your approval, not just positionally, But by the way that we live and the way that we love and the way that we express our faith, and that, lord, that we'd be walking down the road that you want us to walk on. So father, I'm I'm asking for for some, I'm asking for just tremendous grace today and to open their eyes at how much grace is needed. And I thank you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:09:24]:

There is an abundance of grace for them. But, father, for some of us, we need truth that says we need to turn away from those things. We need to confess stem. We need to repent of them that waves of refreshment may come from the fresh presence of the lord. So I pray that you would cover your people. And here's the good news. If you've never been on the path, God's calling you to be on the path today. He's calling you, and he says, I have a grace for you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:09:58]:

It doesn't matter where you've been and what you've done, but he says, I loved you as you are, and my son came to die in your place. And if you recognize that, you know, you've tried to live and be your own god. Maybe you're like me. Size that you didn't do that great of a job as god. And some of us, as god, we tried to make ourselves happy. We tried to do all the things that we we just lived, that what we thought. And then, to be honest, maybe you've come to the place that's like, god. Maybe what you say is the truth and not just what I feel.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:10:42]:

And god's calling, and then there's a grace for you. All you gotta do is be willing to accept that. Be willing to turn from what you know is wrong. And this is what he says. There'll be waves punishment that will cover you. He loves you. He cares about you. He wants to pray a a very simple prayer if that's you today.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:11:01]:

Father that today I recognize I need you. Thank you for Jesus who died for my sin. I pray, lord, that he would come live inside me today. And, lord, that would you have a grace to cover them today? Because you died and rose again. Thank you that you came to pay the price. And, lord, would you set your seal on them important for your life into them and cover them today as they begin just this journey. And give them a hunger for you and a hunger for your word and bring them around people who can help them. In Jesus' name.