WEBVTT 00:00:02.699 --> 00:00:05.320 Come up with a scripture verse that really stuck 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:08.259 out to you this week as you read. And we'll discuss 00:00:08.259 --> 00:00:11.519 it and hash it around and see really what it 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:17.300 means. And in March was my turn. And I was reading 00:00:17.300 --> 00:00:21.420 Ezekiel chapter 4. I usually don't get in the 00:00:21.420 --> 00:00:24.179 Old Testament because I get mixed up with this 00:00:24.179 --> 00:00:26.399 king and that king and Jeroboam and Fishbrain 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:29.179 and everything else. But I usually can get something 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:32.479 out of it. I get that nugget that God has served 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:36.439 for me. And I read this passage over and over 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:41.619 again. And I thought, there's something here. 00:00:41.780 --> 00:00:45.359 There's something here. I don't get involved 00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:48.500 in historical settings. Maybe I should. But I 00:00:48.500 --> 00:00:51.299 look for something simple. Because I was a kid 00:00:51.299 --> 00:00:54.100 teacher. And I always looked for something simple. 00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:57.789 Some strong biblical truth. that I could simply 00:00:57.789 --> 00:00:59.789 tell the kids and they could take home with them. 00:01:01.390 --> 00:01:05.709 And then I looked at my Bible, and sometime in 00:01:05.709 --> 00:01:09.209 the 37 years that I had that Bible, I wrote at 00:01:09.209 --> 00:01:15.090 the top, what will the Lord require of me? Wow. 00:01:16.650 --> 00:01:19.129 As we discussed, as the pastor said, you would 00:01:19.129 --> 00:01:21.870 be better to write in there, what would the Lord 00:01:21.870 --> 00:01:25.750 command me to do? And we had a discussion, and 00:01:25.750 --> 00:01:30.620 he won. And I realized he was right. If it was 00:01:30.620 --> 00:01:34.019 just a requirement, it doesn't mean I'd have 00:01:34.019 --> 00:01:37.299 to do it. You're required to finish so many classes 00:01:37.299 --> 00:01:39.939 in school, and sometimes you get a slide and 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:42.459 they let you by. But if it's a command, you have 00:01:42.459 --> 00:01:45.359 to do it. You have no choice. This is what God 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:47.540 asks you to do, and you have to do it, whether 00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:50.439 you like it or not. Whether you look foolish 00:01:50.439 --> 00:01:52.519 or not, you have to do it. This is what God said 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:54.719 you should do. And if you want to be a child 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:57.400 of his and follow him, you need to do it. And 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:02.959 this is what Ezekiel did. A foolish thing. He 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:05.439 was a man of God. Would he stoop to do something 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:08.099 like this, what God asked him to do? Yes, he 00:02:08.099 --> 00:02:13.259 would. And he did. A brief synopsis of what Ezekiel 00:02:13.259 --> 00:02:17.500 chapter 4 is. Ezekiel is now one of the captives 00:02:17.500 --> 00:02:20.960 of Babylon. And the people looked back to Jerusalem 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:22.520 and said, there's still hope there. We're going 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:25.219 to go back to Jerusalem, no problems. And God 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:27.099 said, I'm going to take Jerusalem away from them. 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:30.020 And the Chaldean army is going to come and take 00:02:30.020 --> 00:02:32.360 them. And they're going to be sieging the city. 00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:35.439 And the people are going to be having a famine 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:39.400 and all sorts of horrible things. And in the 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:41.740 end, they will know that I am God. They will 00:02:41.740 --> 00:02:43.759 know that they forsook me, as the scripture verse 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:48.659 says. What does it say? Consider then and realize 00:02:48.659 --> 00:02:52.280 how evil and bitter it is because you forsook 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:55.020 the Lord and have no awe of me and no respect 00:02:55.020 --> 00:02:57.599 for me, no reverence for me anymore, declares 00:02:57.599 --> 00:02:59.379 the Lord Almighty. And they have lost respect 00:02:59.379 --> 00:03:02.319 for God. And he was going to show them just who 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:05.939 he was, what kind of God he was. For the second 00:03:05.939 --> 00:03:07.960 service, I had brought my little puppet along. 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:09.900 I'm going to show the kids over there what actually 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:12.840 he was asked to do. Again, this is a man of God 00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:15.000 that was asked to do something by God which looked 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:17.939 so ridiculous and so foolish. And yet he did 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:21.000 it. He was asked to portray the siege of Jerusalem. 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:26.719 For 390 days, he was to lay on his side. And 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:28.560 then he was to turn the other direction, north 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:31.319 and then south, for Judah. And 40 days lay on 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:34.580 his side, bearing the sin of Judah. If you want 00:03:34.580 --> 00:03:36.460 to know the whole scope of the thing, you can 00:03:36.460 --> 00:03:39.400 look up Matthew Henry's commentary. It's about 00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:42.340 four pages of print that's that small. Or you 00:03:42.340 --> 00:03:44.419 can try to get it online. It's a little bit easier 00:03:44.419 --> 00:03:48.800 to read there. He was asked to take a clay tablet, 00:03:48.979 --> 00:03:51.780 picture on there Jerusalem. He was supposed to 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:54.419 set that there. He was then supposed to make 00:03:54.419 --> 00:03:56.639 batting ramps going around it to show that the 00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:58.699 city was going to be under siege. He was supposed 00:03:58.699 --> 00:04:02.099 to put an iron pot there to show that God's iron 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:05.000 hand was going to be upon them. He was then supposed 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:08.120 to take so much food, a portion of lentils and 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:10.539 wheat, and he was supposed to ration his food 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:13.599 every day. He was also to take like a quart of 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:16.930 water. and drink that at appointed times. That 00:04:16.930 --> 00:04:18.569 was to show the people there would be a famine 00:04:18.569 --> 00:04:23.009 coming. God laid out the entire thing to show 00:04:23.009 --> 00:04:27.329 the people what was going to happen. But I looked 00:04:27.329 --> 00:04:30.550 at that. This is a man of God who speaks for 00:04:30.550 --> 00:04:34.410 God and says, thus the sovereign Lord says this. 00:04:34.629 --> 00:04:36.550 And now he's supposed to do something like this? 00:04:37.389 --> 00:04:40.850 Is this the same man that spoke so powerful for 00:04:40.850 --> 00:04:44.699 God? Yes. Because God commanded him to do this. 00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:47.899 And there was no questions asked. He did it. 00:04:48.699 --> 00:04:53.300 Because that's what God asked him to do. And 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:56.500 that's when I asked myself, what would God ask 00:04:56.500 --> 00:05:00.420 me to do? And when I say, that's too foolish. 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:03.660 I can't do that, God. I can't do that before 00:05:03.660 --> 00:05:07.339 the congregation, make a fool of myself. What 00:05:07.339 --> 00:05:10.720 did God do for you? He left the glory of heaven. 00:05:11.310 --> 00:05:14.370 with angels declaring his glory and praise 24 00:05:14.370 --> 00:05:18.889 hours a day, saying, Holy, holy, holy is the 00:05:18.889 --> 00:05:23.170 Lord God Almighty. And he came down here to this 00:05:23.170 --> 00:05:29.790 forsaken place and died for his enemies, people 00:05:29.790 --> 00:05:33.329 that didn't even care about him. That was pretty 00:05:33.329 --> 00:05:38.189 foolish, wasn't it? But not in God's eyes. So 00:05:38.189 --> 00:05:40.009 if he asked me to do something foolish for him, 00:05:40.170 --> 00:05:45.730 is it really foolish? Is it really foolish? I've 00:05:45.730 --> 00:05:49.449 done some crazy things at junior church. Some 00:05:49.449 --> 00:05:52.470 crazy things. I think Sue thought I was crazy 00:05:52.470 --> 00:05:57.850 most of the time. The one time I said, how can 00:05:57.850 --> 00:06:02.730 I explain to them about the people breaking through 00:06:02.730 --> 00:06:06.879 the roof and lowering that man on the mat? Well, 00:06:06.939 --> 00:06:10.000 he came up with an answer. Because in my mind, 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:11.519 I was thinking, I remember when I heard this 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:14.019 story. How can they break through a slate roof 00:06:14.019 --> 00:06:17.600 that's like this and lower some guy down? Every 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:20.319 roof and slate in him was slate with a high pitch. 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:22.060 How are these guys getting up in that roof and 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:25.180 breaking through the slate? So I did something 00:06:25.180 --> 00:06:29.439 foolish. I made a little cardboard box of a building 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:32.540 with the stairs going up the side like it was 00:06:32.540 --> 00:06:36.269 in Jerusalem and a flat roof. And straw on top. 00:06:36.569 --> 00:06:38.110 Most adults would have probably thought that 00:06:38.110 --> 00:06:41.529 was stupid and foolish. But the kids understand. 00:06:41.850 --> 00:06:45.329 They understood what that scripture meant. How 00:06:45.329 --> 00:06:49.389 those guys could take their sickened friend on 00:06:49.389 --> 00:06:52.050 a mat and go up on the roof and break through 00:06:52.050 --> 00:06:55.550 the roof and lower him down. Sometimes we do 00:06:55.550 --> 00:06:58.449 foolish things. But if that's what God asks us 00:06:58.449 --> 00:07:03.189 to do, do it. I said a year ago about me going 00:07:03.189 --> 00:07:07.629 to the nursing home and I was supposed to have 00:07:07.629 --> 00:07:11.089 a message for these old people, which I'm old 00:07:11.089 --> 00:07:15.569 now. They couldn't hear, they couldn't see. And 00:07:15.569 --> 00:07:18.790 I did the walls of Jericho falling down with 00:07:18.790 --> 00:07:24.069 tin plates and wooden spoons and we blew a gazoo. 00:07:25.490 --> 00:07:28.290 It was foolish because those people laughed. 00:07:29.129 --> 00:07:34.329 And they said, I got it. I got it. I think Todd 00:07:34.329 --> 00:07:36.209 was the one that came over there in Faith Hall 00:07:36.209 --> 00:07:38.949 and straightened me out. I did the same thing 00:07:38.949 --> 00:07:41.170 for the kids one day, trying to explain to them 00:07:41.170 --> 00:07:43.910 about believing in God when he asked you to do 00:07:43.910 --> 00:07:47.810 something. And we had cardboard boxes piled up. 00:07:48.569 --> 00:07:50.810 And some of them had a string attached to them. 00:07:50.889 --> 00:07:54.689 And we marched around and stomped our feet. And 00:07:54.689 --> 00:07:57.069 then the kazoos came. And then they shouted. 00:07:58.250 --> 00:08:00.089 And I think the shots would have got him upstairs 00:08:00.089 --> 00:08:02.730 in Faith Hall because Todd came down and said, 00:08:02.810 --> 00:08:06.329 what is going on down here? And I said, the walls 00:08:06.329 --> 00:08:09.350 of Jericho just fell down. It's all over. No 00:08:09.350 --> 00:08:13.649 biggie. But see, the kids could see. It was foolish. 00:08:13.750 --> 00:08:16.189 Yes, it was foolish. But I'm a fool for Christ. 00:08:16.829 --> 00:08:19.889 And the kids could see that this man who is a 00:08:19.889 --> 00:08:24.829 military genius believed God's plan was better 00:08:24.829 --> 00:08:28.120 than his plan of attack. And the people probably 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:29.879 thought it was foolish as they marched around. 00:08:30.379 --> 00:08:33.440 But when they shouted and the walls came down, 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:36.139 it wasn't foolish, was it? What would happen 00:08:36.139 --> 00:08:40.039 if he hadn't obeyed God's command? But he did. 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:51.059 Now, why, why, why would Ezekiel obey that what 00:08:51.059 --> 00:08:53.559 seemed like a foolish thing to do? That has to 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:58.299 do with our other scripture. The people had no 00:08:58.299 --> 00:09:02.279 awe for him anymore. They had forgotten who God 00:09:02.279 --> 00:09:08.059 was, his magnitude, his grace, his power. They 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:10.860 had forgotten all that. Ezekiel chapter 1. In 00:09:10.860 --> 00:09:12.659 the thirteenth year and the fourth month of the 00:09:12.659 --> 00:09:14.639 fifth day, when I was among the exiles in the 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:17.860 Heber River, the heavens were opened, and I saw 00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:20.759 visions of God. And on the fifth month, it was 00:09:20.759 --> 00:09:23.000 the fifth year, and there goes all this business 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:27.330 which I got lost in. I looked. And I saw a windstorm 00:09:27.330 --> 00:09:29.809 coming out of the north, an immense cloud with 00:09:29.809 --> 00:09:31.710 flashing lightning and surrounded by a brilliant 00:09:31.710 --> 00:09:34.570 light. The center of the fire looked like glowing 00:09:34.570 --> 00:09:37.370 metal, and in the fire was what looked like four 00:09:37.370 --> 00:09:39.889 living creatures. The appearance of their form 00:09:39.889 --> 00:09:42.049 was that of a man, but each had four faces and 00:09:42.049 --> 00:09:44.590 four wings. Their legs were straight, their feet 00:09:44.590 --> 00:09:48.570 were, and so on and so on. God gave him an awe 00:09:48.570 --> 00:09:52.309 moment where he saw the power of God and who 00:09:52.309 --> 00:09:56.980 God was. And that's why when God asked him to 00:09:56.980 --> 00:09:59.899 do something that seemed foolish, it wasn't foolish. 00:10:01.019 --> 00:10:06.379 This was God asking him to do this. Chapter 2, 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:08.779 Ezekiel's call. He said to me, Son of man, stand 00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:12.019 up on your feet and I will speak to you. And 00:10:12.019 --> 00:10:14.080 as he spoke, the Spirit came on me and raised 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:16.419 me to my feet and I heard him speaking to me. 00:10:16.460 --> 00:10:19.120 He said, Son of man. I am sending you to the 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:21.879 Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:24.120 against me. They and their fathers have been 00:10:24.120 --> 00:10:27.299 in revolt against me to this very day. The people 00:10:27.299 --> 00:10:29.460 to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. 00:10:29.639 --> 00:10:31.980 Say to them, this is what the sovereign Lord 00:10:31.980 --> 00:10:34.799 says. And whether they listen or fail to listen, 00:10:34.980 --> 00:10:38.100 for they are a rebellious house, they will know 00:10:38.100 --> 00:10:40.799 that a prophet has been among them. And you, 00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:42.919 son of man, do not be afraid of them or their 00:10:42.919 --> 00:10:45.759 words. Do not be afraid, though the briars and 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:48.309 thorns are all around you. and live among you. 00:10:48.350 --> 00:10:50.809 Do not be afraid, or what they will do to you, 00:10:50.929 --> 00:10:56.710 I will be with you. That's why we can do what 00:10:56.710 --> 00:11:01.330 the world thinks is foolish, because God doesn't 00:11:01.330 --> 00:11:03.950 think it's foolish. And this is what I command 00:11:03.950 --> 00:11:08.149 you to do. And if you do it, you are doing the 00:11:08.149 --> 00:11:10.769 commands of God, and he will be with you, and 00:11:10.769 --> 00:11:13.309 he will protect you, and he will keep you. We 00:11:13.309 --> 00:11:18.460 today have lost the awe of God. I have lost the 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:21.080 awe of God many times. When I run out of the 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:24.419 house in the morning to do something, and I haven't 00:11:24.419 --> 00:11:29.139 prayed, and I haven't read my Bible, I've lost 00:11:29.139 --> 00:11:33.139 the awe of God. I haven't put him first before 00:11:33.139 --> 00:11:36.500 anything else in my life. Yes, I can say I'm 00:11:36.500 --> 00:11:41.139 busy, I have to do this, but I've lost that awe 00:11:41.139 --> 00:11:44.120 of him, that he is the first thing in the morning 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:48.700 that I should think of. Nothing else. So are 00:11:48.700 --> 00:11:52.440 we all guilty of it? Yes, we are. How do we get 00:11:52.440 --> 00:11:55.379 that awe back? Just by taking time to just sit. 00:11:57.059 --> 00:12:01.100 Get off our cell phones. The kids get off their 00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:04.000 tablets. And remember, there's more to life than 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:11.679 that. It's God. He's the number one thing. When 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:16.450 I met Sue 53 years ago and a half, Did I have 00:12:16.450 --> 00:12:23.210 an awe of her? She's a keeper. Why haven't I 00:12:23.210 --> 00:12:29.289 lost that awe of her in 53 years? Because constantly 00:12:29.289 --> 00:12:33.850 I remind myself, she is my wife. She is the one 00:12:33.850 --> 00:12:37.250 God's given to me. And that's what keeps us all 00:12:37.250 --> 00:12:41.570 going. Something special between us. If there's 00:12:41.570 --> 00:12:45.029 that something special between you and God, then 00:12:45.029 --> 00:12:49.649 you won't lose the awe of God. And when you do 00:12:49.649 --> 00:12:51.649 run out of the house and don't read or pray in 00:12:51.649 --> 00:12:54.750 the morning, you're going to feel it and say, 00:12:54.870 --> 00:12:59.210 I've lost it this morning. I'm sorry, Lord. I've 00:12:59.210 --> 00:13:02.529 lost that respect for you. You were waiting for 00:13:02.529 --> 00:13:04.570 me to come and talk to you. You were waiting 00:13:04.570 --> 00:13:06.370 for me to come and read your word and learn of 00:13:06.370 --> 00:13:10.309 you, and I missed it. And we ask for forgiveness, 00:13:10.409 --> 00:13:14.070 and he is a gracious God. and forgives us our 00:13:14.070 --> 00:13:17.330 sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness 00:13:17.330 --> 00:13:21.950 and restores that awe of him that we have. And 00:13:21.950 --> 00:13:25.129 that's what it's all about. That's how some people 00:13:25.129 --> 00:13:28.049 can go through their entire life and calamity 00:13:28.049 --> 00:13:30.789 and problems and trials come their way and they're 00:13:30.789 --> 00:13:34.090 still a solid rock because they still remember 00:13:34.090 --> 00:13:36.490 who's in control of their life. God is. They're 00:13:36.490 --> 00:13:42.539 not. Okay? So that's our first person. I just 00:13:42.539 --> 00:13:45.279 picked another person. Well, I'll tell you what, 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:47.740 I'm like teaching kids. I'm going to jump around. 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:52.299 I just decided to jump back to page 7 or 8, whatever 00:13:52.299 --> 00:13:55.759 it is. A true story about somebody that did something 00:13:55.759 --> 00:13:59.399 totally ridiculous. And the family thought that 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:03.639 she was having a nervous breakdown. Marty was 00:14:03.639 --> 00:14:08.080 her name. A seasoned missionary in Africa for 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:14.100 probably 21, 27 years. We knew Marty. One day 00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:16.259 in her devotions, God said, I want you to leave 00:14:16.259 --> 00:14:20.980 the field and go back home. Now, if you picture 00:14:20.980 --> 00:14:23.759 this, she's a missionary in Africa for 21 years. 00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:26.820 She is content there. She has a vibrant ministry. 00:14:27.879 --> 00:14:30.159 And God one day says, I want you to go home. 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:33.340 Leave the field and go home. And the next time 00:14:33.340 --> 00:14:35.600 she prayed, God said, leave the field and go 00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:39.220 home. Finally, she called her mission board because 00:14:39.220 --> 00:14:42.759 she felt so uneasy being in the field, which 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:48.320 she hadn't felt that way in 28 years. She calls 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:50.299 her mission board to give her temporary furlough. 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:54.840 She comes home not knowing anything, still puzzled. 00:14:54.899 --> 00:14:58.120 Lord, what is going on? She goes to some mission 00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:01.539 meetings, tries to understand, tries to get to 00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:04.120 her supporting churches and lets them know, I 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:06.669 don't know what's going on. And then comes Reverend 00:15:06.669 --> 00:15:12.090 Stringfield, a missionary in Africa for 28 years. 00:15:13.629 --> 00:15:18.090 He lost his wife in Africa. A simple blood clot. 00:15:18.730 --> 00:15:23.309 Took her to the hospital and she died. Four children. 00:15:25.210 --> 00:15:28.870 They were one of God's servants. Left in Africa 00:15:28.870 --> 00:15:34.330 with four kids. He started four churches, a trade 00:15:34.330 --> 00:15:38.480 school. He went through two coup attempts in 00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:45.600 Kenya. One time, he was simply hiding. They hid 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:48.740 him in one of the churches in the bush because 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:51.799 any white person was killed on the spot. Why 00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:53.720 would a man that goes through all this have to 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:56.320 also lose his wife? Did he understand it? No. 00:15:57.080 --> 00:15:59.460 Oh, and then there's the end of cleansing, too, 00:15:59.639 --> 00:16:04.759 where they're killing other tribes. My aunt said, 00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:09.779 pray for Larry. There's a lot of people in Africa. 00:16:10.860 --> 00:16:15.220 They got two miles away from where he was, and 00:16:15.220 --> 00:16:18.440 they turned and went a different direction. Larry 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:20.740 comes home. He stayed there for probably six 00:16:20.740 --> 00:16:24.399 months after his wife died. You've got to understand, 00:16:24.700 --> 00:16:27.700 you can't just leave. You have four churches 00:16:27.700 --> 00:16:31.679 you're serving. What do you do? You have to sell 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:34.049 your furniture or give it to somebody else? You 00:16:34.049 --> 00:16:37.850 have to raise support to come home. Finally, 00:16:37.889 --> 00:16:39.629 the mission board said, come home. You've got 00:16:39.629 --> 00:16:41.570 to get out of there. You've got to come home. 00:16:41.649 --> 00:16:46.649 He came home. He went to mission meetings, tried 00:16:46.649 --> 00:16:49.990 to let his churches know what's going on. And 00:16:49.990 --> 00:16:55.309 then guess what? One mission meeting, as Larry 00:16:55.309 --> 00:17:01.649 walked through the door, Marty said to her, that's... 00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:07.000 I brought you home. That is your husband. You 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:10.900 will marry him, and the both of you will go back 00:17:10.900 --> 00:17:15.000 to Africa and complete his work. Is God still 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:18.819 alive today? Is God still an awesome God today? 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:23.480 Larry had no ministry without Michelle, his wife. 00:17:23.900 --> 00:17:26.299 She did the prayer letters. She took care of 00:17:26.299 --> 00:17:28.180 the kids. She homeschooled. She did everything. 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:31.690 He was the minister. They went out to the churches, 00:17:31.910 --> 00:17:35.869 went out in the bush. But he was lost, totally 00:17:35.869 --> 00:17:39.210 lost, and his ministry was worthless without 00:17:39.210 --> 00:17:44.289 his wife, who was his partner. And God said, 00:17:44.349 --> 00:17:47.289 I'm not done with you yet, Larry. You're going 00:17:47.289 --> 00:17:51.130 back to Africa. And Marty is going to be your 00:17:51.130 --> 00:17:54.190 wife and go with you. She gave up her ministry 00:17:54.190 --> 00:17:59.230 of 28 years, a successful ministry on her own. 00:18:00.370 --> 00:18:04.329 Why? Was it foolish? Not in her eyes. Because 00:18:04.329 --> 00:18:08.329 God said, this is what I want you to do. She 00:18:08.329 --> 00:18:11.990 had an awe for God that overseeded all her personal 00:18:11.990 --> 00:18:17.329 feelings, all her personal ambitions. That's 00:18:17.329 --> 00:18:23.549 recognizing who God is. When we met her, what 00:18:23.549 --> 00:18:29.740 a woman. What a godly woman. And they went back. 00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:33.440 And then the kicker, Larry, had a heart attack 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:37.920 and died. And she's left with four kids that 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:41.119 told her outright, you will never be our mother. 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:48.220 But when Marty got cancer and she was dying, 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:52.920 the kids called us and said, pray for our mom, 00:18:52.940 --> 00:18:58.440 our mom, not our stepmom. He said, pray for our 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:02.599 mom because we know she's dying and we miss her 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:08.099 so much already. What God did in that family. 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:12.359 See, this is what people don't see outside there. 00:19:12.859 --> 00:19:16.240 They don't see the awe of God, how he orchestrates 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:18.640 things, how he plans things, how he works things 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:25.779 out. We should. I'm just fortunate because my 00:19:25.779 --> 00:19:29.019 aunt was a missionary, and we have all the stories 00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:31.579 that she used to tell us about missionaries and 00:19:31.579 --> 00:19:34.019 how they would see God move and act, and most 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:36.839 people don't see that. They don't see what's 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:39.779 happening out there, where God is moving and 00:19:39.779 --> 00:19:42.960 shaping and how he's leading people and directing 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:48.079 people. That's a real -life case of how a woman 00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:51.779 said, God said this is what I should do, and 00:19:51.779 --> 00:19:55.819 I'm going to do it. Simple faith, just walking 00:19:55.819 --> 00:20:00.440 out, not knowing what was going to happen. I 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:02.279 wasn't planning on going there, but that's where 00:20:02.279 --> 00:20:04.259 I went. It's just like teaching junior church. 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:07.240 One kid would do something, and I'd just go in 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:09.460 a whole different direction, and that's where 00:20:09.460 --> 00:20:13.640 I wound up. We're going to look at the last person 00:20:13.640 --> 00:20:21.700 here. This person had an awe for God, knew who 00:20:21.700 --> 00:20:26.039 God was. It's Job. He not only prayed for himself, 00:20:26.180 --> 00:20:28.519 but he just sacrificed for his kids constantly 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:30.740 to make sure that they weren't going astray. 00:20:32.220 --> 00:20:35.140 And then Job has everything taken away from him. 00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:39.819 It doesn't say he complained, but he kind of 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:43.799 sat and sulked a little bit, wondered what God 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:46.839 was doing, what was happening in his life. And 00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:49.859 then again, we go back to this verse. How evil 00:20:49.859 --> 00:20:51.859 and bitter it is when we forsake the Lord, we 00:20:51.859 --> 00:20:54.900 turn away from him, we abandon him. And I think 00:20:54.900 --> 00:20:59.500 probably Job at this point of breaking had probably 00:20:59.500 --> 00:21:04.519 thought of abandoning God too. As his wife said, 00:21:04.579 --> 00:21:07.660 why don't you just curse God and die? Get it 00:21:07.660 --> 00:21:10.640 over with. Just curse God and die. He's left 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:15.460 you. And then we come to Job chapter 38, 39, 00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:20.240 40, and 41. God gives Job another awe moment 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:24.480 to put things back in proper perspective. In 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:27.039 Job 38 .1, it says, Then the Lord answered Job 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:31.079 out of a storm. In verse 2, Who is this that 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:33.559 darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? 00:21:33.960 --> 00:21:38.500 Verse 3, Brace yourself like a man, and I'm about 00:21:38.500 --> 00:21:42.240 to question you. I think if God said that to 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:43.940 me, brace yourself like a man, I'm going to start 00:21:43.940 --> 00:21:47.900 questioning you. I think I'd get attention. And 00:21:47.900 --> 00:21:55.140 then God has four whole chapters where he tells 00:21:55.140 --> 00:22:01.119 Job just who I am. And Job has an awe moment. 00:22:03.700 --> 00:22:06.640 Job 38 .11, concerning the sea, I said, this 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:08.619 far will you come, and you shall come no further. 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:12.980 Here it is where your prodness halts. Job 38 00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:15.539 .12, have you ever given orders to the morning? 00:22:16.170 --> 00:22:19.069 Job 38 .22, have you entered the storehouse of 00:22:19.069 --> 00:22:23.329 the snow? Job 38 .14, were you there when I laid 00:22:23.329 --> 00:22:27.069 the foundations of the earth? Job 38 .35, do 00:22:27.069 --> 00:22:30.490 you send lightning bolts on their way? Job 39 00:22:30.490 --> 00:22:34.309 .27, does the eagle soar at your command? Job 00:22:34.309 --> 00:22:39.950 49, do you have an arm like God's? And can you 00:22:39.950 --> 00:22:46.569 make thunder like him? The awe of God. Hits Job 00:22:46.569 --> 00:22:52.849 again. Chapter 42, Job replies to the Lord. Surely 00:22:52.849 --> 00:22:55.930 I spoke of things I did not understand, things 00:22:55.930 --> 00:23:00.490 too wonderful for me. And in verse 5, my ears 00:23:00.490 --> 00:23:05.390 had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. 00:23:05.950 --> 00:23:10.349 That's his moment. I really know now who you 00:23:10.349 --> 00:23:13.430 are. And whatever you ask me to do, I will do. 00:23:13.529 --> 00:23:15.410 Whatever I go through for you, I will go through 00:23:15.410 --> 00:23:19.650 for you. Because you are God, and there is none 00:23:19.650 --> 00:23:24.069 like you. See, that's the difference. Is he real 00:23:24.069 --> 00:23:28.789 to us, or is he just real once in a while? He 00:23:28.789 --> 00:23:31.369 wants to be real all the time, not just once 00:23:31.369 --> 00:23:34.670 in a while. Fear God and keep his commandments. 00:23:36.049 --> 00:23:38.789 One of my most favorite verses, Romans 1, 12, 00:23:38.809 --> 00:23:42.319 1 and 2. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:44.200 the view of God's mercy, that you offer your 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:47.420 body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing 00:23:47.420 --> 00:23:50.660 to God, which is your reasonable service. That's 00:23:50.660 --> 00:23:53.759 our duty. What is the duty of man? To serve God, 00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:56.519 to please him, to glorify him. It's not about 00:23:56.519 --> 00:24:01.160 us. It's about him. About one day him saying 00:24:01.160 --> 00:24:03.539 to us, well done, my good and faithful servant. 00:24:04.380 --> 00:24:08.940 Enter into eternal joy. And any foolishness, 00:24:09.450 --> 00:24:13.430 and any craziness, and any people, verbal abuse, 00:24:13.430 --> 00:24:16.529 or physical abuse, whatever we take, for the 00:24:16.529 --> 00:24:21.069 name of Jesus, will be like a snap, a fleeting 00:24:21.069 --> 00:24:24.849 moment, when we see Jesus and bask in his presence. 00:24:26.170 --> 00:24:28.890 I just want to conclude with five points here. 00:24:29.369 --> 00:24:31.390 The pastor always says you need three points. 00:24:31.450 --> 00:24:37.049 I got five, so I guess I'm doing good. What does 00:24:37.049 --> 00:24:43.539 God expect of me? Number one is devotion. Daniel 00:24:43.539 --> 00:24:48.500 3, verses 16 to 18. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:51.799 replied to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar. They addressed 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:54.619 him as king. We do not need to defend ourselves 00:24:54.619 --> 00:24:57.599 before you in this matter. If we are thrown in 00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:00.240 the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:02.900 to save us from it, and he will rescue us from 00:25:02.900 --> 00:25:06.960 your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:09.930 want you to know, O king, We will not serve you 00:25:09.930 --> 00:25:14.049 or your gods or the image you have set up. We 00:25:14.049 --> 00:25:18.269 worship the God and God alone. He expects devotion 00:25:18.269 --> 00:25:23.650 from us. Total devotion, even to the point of 00:25:23.650 --> 00:25:27.009 death. And there are many Christians today, which 00:25:27.009 --> 00:25:30.150 we don't hear about, that are facing death each 00:25:30.150 --> 00:25:32.910 and every day because of their devotion to Jesus 00:25:32.910 --> 00:25:35.849 Christ. And they don't care what will happen 00:25:35.849 --> 00:25:38.599 to them. They're being martyred. because of their 00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:41.460 faith in Jesus, because maybe the underground 00:25:41.460 --> 00:25:44.519 church is raided, or because someone finds a 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:47.059 scripture verse hidden somewhere in their house 00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:50.359 and they are murdered because of it. Devotion 00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:54.559 to Jesus, regardless of the circumstances. The 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:57.160 second thing he wants from us is consistency. 00:25:58.099 --> 00:26:01.940 Daniel 6, 10 -11. Now when Daniel learned that 00:26:01.940 --> 00:26:04.359 the decree had been published, he went home to 00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:06.680 his upstairs room where the windows opened toward 00:26:06.680 --> 00:26:09.279 Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down 00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:11.359 on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God, 00:26:11.539 --> 00:26:16.140 just as he had always done before. Consistency. 00:26:18.400 --> 00:26:20.720 I don't care what laws are going to be made that 00:26:20.720 --> 00:26:23.460 I can't pray, I'm going to pray, because that's 00:26:23.460 --> 00:26:26.680 what I do. My God's expecting me to come to that 00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:28.900 window and pray three times a day, and I will 00:26:28.900 --> 00:26:32.269 do it. Consistency of worship, consistency of 00:26:32.269 --> 00:26:35.609 praise to God, consistency in our devotions. 00:26:35.910 --> 00:26:39.650 That's why I get upset when I run out of the 00:26:39.650 --> 00:26:42.789 house and say I'm too busy to read this morning. 00:26:43.809 --> 00:26:49.509 I'm not consistently in the Word. And then a 00:26:49.509 --> 00:26:51.650 third point. He wants us to be a friend of the 00:26:51.650 --> 00:26:54.589 bridegroom. I'm going to jump over to John 3. 00:26:54.730 --> 00:26:57.029 I like that one better. It says, To this John 00:26:57.029 --> 00:27:00.640 replied, A man can only receive what is given 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:03.279 him from heaven. You yourselves can test for 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:06.000 that. I said, I am not the Christ, but I am sent 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:08.259 ahead of him. The bride belongs to the bridegroom. 00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:10.960 The friend who attends to the bridegroom waits 00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:14.240 and listens for him and is full of glory, or 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:17.380 full of joy, excuse me. When he hears the bridegroom's 00:27:17.380 --> 00:27:21.279 voice, that's the intimacy. The joy is mine and 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:24.180 is not complete. He must become greater and I 00:27:24.180 --> 00:27:28.069 must become less. Jesus wants us to be a friend 00:27:28.069 --> 00:27:32.430 of the bridegroom, a friend that never ever seeks 00:27:32.430 --> 00:27:35.170 glory for himself, but points everything to God. 00:27:36.490 --> 00:27:39.630 Everything should be pointed to the master and 00:27:39.630 --> 00:27:42.450 not to us. Whatever we do for him, it should 00:27:42.450 --> 00:27:47.849 not be about us. It should be about him. And 00:27:47.849 --> 00:27:51.769 lastly, two more. The greatest commandment, Mark 00:27:51.769 --> 00:27:55.039 12, 28. One of the teachers of the law came and 00:27:55.039 --> 00:27:57.000 heard them debating, noticing that Jesus had 00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:00.079 given them a good answer. He asked him, of all 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:01.859 the commandments, which is the most important? 00:28:02.380 --> 00:28:05.759 The most important one, answered Jesus, is, Hear, 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:09.380 O Israel, the Lord our God is one. Love the Lord 00:28:09.380 --> 00:28:12.119 your God with all your heart, with all your soul, 00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:15.359 with all your mind, and with all your strength. 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:18.039 The second is this, love your neighbor as yourself. 00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:22.289 There is no greater commandment than these. It's 00:28:22.289 --> 00:28:25.289 a pretty complete list. What God requires of 00:28:25.289 --> 00:28:29.849 us is our heart, our soul, our mind, our strength, 00:28:29.990 --> 00:28:36.410 our life. It's not for the faint at heart. It's 00:28:36.410 --> 00:28:39.769 for those that truly are disciples that want 00:28:39.769 --> 00:28:44.109 to be in it for the end game and want to be right 00:28:44.109 --> 00:28:48.349 there on the firing line at the end to hear that 00:28:48.349 --> 00:28:51.750 word, well done. I'm not my own. I've been bought 00:28:51.750 --> 00:28:55.849 with a price. We keep forgetting that. We think 00:28:55.849 --> 00:28:57.769 it's all about us. It's not about us. It's about 00:28:57.769 --> 00:29:01.490 him, what he's done for us, and what one day 00:29:01.490 --> 00:29:05.289 he will reveal to us. And lastly, the fifth thing 00:29:05.289 --> 00:29:07.769 that I think is required of us is an intimate 00:29:07.769 --> 00:29:12.490 walk with him daily. Micah 6, the Lord's case 00:29:12.490 --> 00:29:16.710 against Israel. He showed you, O man, what is 00:29:16.710 --> 00:29:19.430 good, and what does the Lord require of you? 00:29:20.430 --> 00:29:24.130 To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly 00:29:24.130 --> 00:29:27.369 with your God. An intimate walk with him daily. 00:29:28.569 --> 00:29:31.049 Remember, he said, I know my sheep and my sheep 00:29:31.049 --> 00:29:34.190 know me. When I talk to them, they know it's 00:29:34.190 --> 00:29:42.230 me. And they will answer me. It's not a prideful 00:29:42.230 --> 00:29:46.470 that, yeah, God talks to me. It's a humbling 00:29:46.470 --> 00:29:51.450 experience when I ask him. What do you want me 00:29:51.450 --> 00:29:53.549 to talk about? I don't have anything to say. 00:29:53.750 --> 00:29:56.309 And then week by week, he gives me something. 00:29:56.930 --> 00:29:58.410 And I wake up in the middle of the night and 00:29:58.410 --> 00:30:00.390 there's something else. And then there's something 00:30:00.390 --> 00:30:05.670 else. And then I got eight pages. I don't know 00:30:05.670 --> 00:30:07.430 where the eight pages came from, except it came 00:30:07.430 --> 00:30:12.490 from him talking to me in here somewhere. It's 00:30:12.490 --> 00:30:15.589 a humbling, humbling experience when he does 00:30:15.589 --> 00:30:18.369 that. It's not a prideful thing. It's not a haughty 00:30:18.369 --> 00:30:21.700 thing. It's humbling. I mentioned my aunt was 00:30:21.700 --> 00:30:24.619 a missionary in Toledo, Iowa, and she and her 00:30:24.619 --> 00:30:28.259 partner, Geneva DeBoard, ran Grace Gospel Mission. 00:30:28.779 --> 00:30:30.579 And they had a banquet one time, and they were 00:30:30.579 --> 00:30:32.299 trying to raise more support for the mission. 00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:34.700 It was a mission for disadvantaged kids. They 00:30:34.700 --> 00:30:38.160 had close to 100 kids. And she asked the one 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:41.599 person who was on the board, would you come and 00:30:41.599 --> 00:30:44.480 speak that night at the mission? She said this 00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:48.539 man was a humble man, not proud. would do anything 00:30:48.539 --> 00:30:50.599 for the mission. If they had a problem with the 00:30:50.599 --> 00:30:52.640 furnace, he was a businessman. He would come, 00:30:52.779 --> 00:30:54.940 take off his suit, and work on the furnace and 00:30:54.940 --> 00:30:59.880 everything. And when she asked him this, would 00:30:59.880 --> 00:31:03.319 you come and speak at the banquet for us? He 00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:05.799 simply looked at her and said. He didn't say, 00:31:05.900 --> 00:31:08.380 well, I'm going to pray about it, Ellen, and 00:31:08.380 --> 00:31:10.420 see what the Lord would want me to do, and then 00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:12.960 I'll get back to you in a week or two, and we'll 00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:16.180 work it out. That would have been haughty, proud. 00:31:16.539 --> 00:31:18.940 Look at me. I'm a business person. I'm on the 00:31:18.940 --> 00:31:20.480 board here, and you're asking me to do this. 00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:24.819 He looked at her and said, I will talk to my 00:31:24.819 --> 00:31:27.559 father tonight, and I'll have an answer by tomorrow 00:31:27.559 --> 00:31:33.099 morning for you. That's the awe of God. That 00:31:33.099 --> 00:31:38.180 close. I will talk to my father tonight, and 00:31:38.180 --> 00:31:41.000 I'll have an answer for you tomorrow. You see, 00:31:41.039 --> 00:31:44.329 that's what we're missing today. It's not whether 00:31:44.329 --> 00:31:47.529 it's a contemporary service or a traditional 00:31:47.529 --> 00:31:51.470 service, whether it is a guitar or a band. It's 00:31:51.470 --> 00:31:53.509 not whether it's a big, beautiful building or 00:31:53.509 --> 00:31:55.049 you're meeting in a hut somewhere in Africa. 00:31:56.950 --> 00:32:00.869 It's God. It's about him, not about us or our 00:32:00.869 --> 00:32:03.829 circumstances. And when we catch a glimpse of 00:32:03.829 --> 00:32:08.109 that, that's what keeps us going. It's him, not 00:32:08.109 --> 00:32:12.289 me. It's God, not me. What Alan told us that. 00:32:12.829 --> 00:32:16.190 The hair just stood up in the back of my neck 00:32:16.190 --> 00:32:20.789 that this man was so humble and simply said, 00:32:20.869 --> 00:32:24.930 I'll talk to my father tonight. Like we would 00:32:24.930 --> 00:32:28.390 talk to my dad or my mom. It was that much of 00:32:28.390 --> 00:32:31.849 a relationship. We fall so short. I fall so short. 00:32:32.549 --> 00:32:35.750 I was reminded that about 3 in the morning that 00:32:35.750 --> 00:32:40.500 I have to tell you that. Because I forgot how 00:32:40.500 --> 00:32:43.000 much of an impact that had made on my life when 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:46.039 this man was so humble and yet was so close to 00:32:46.039 --> 00:32:49.660 God. The closer we get to God, the more humble 00:32:49.660 --> 00:32:53.519 we get. What, I will bring the prod down and 00:32:53.519 --> 00:32:56.779 I will elevate the simple? That's what he says. 00:32:58.039 --> 00:33:01.539 I will make the foolish things wise and the wise 00:33:01.539 --> 00:33:05.460 foolish. We serve a great God. We forget that. 00:33:06.759 --> 00:33:10.680 We get so involved with our own lives, our own 00:33:10.680 --> 00:33:15.140 problems, and he understands. He understands 00:33:15.140 --> 00:33:17.559 we get a bad medical report, and it's going to 00:33:17.559 --> 00:33:21.079 weigh on us. We lose our job, it's going to weigh 00:33:21.079 --> 00:33:24.539 on us. He understands all that, but he understands 00:33:24.539 --> 00:33:31.539 that we're his, and he wants us to be obedient 00:33:31.539 --> 00:33:35.829 to him and to love him. That's what he asked 00:33:35.829 --> 00:33:41.450 of us. It's not really a big thing. I mess up 00:33:41.450 --> 00:33:44.730 a lot. Have I always kept the commandments? No 00:33:44.730 --> 00:33:47.450 way. Ask the pastor. He'll be glad to share with 00:33:47.450 --> 00:33:55.630 you. It'll be all worthwhile one day when we 00:33:55.630 --> 00:34:00.789 stand before him. We have no idea what it will 00:34:00.789 --> 00:34:03.970 be like. If he had told us what heaven was like 00:34:03.970 --> 00:34:09.389 to be with him, we'd be so homesick. We'd want 00:34:09.389 --> 00:34:13.489 to leave tomorrow or this afternoon. And that's 00:34:13.489 --> 00:34:22.650 what we forget. Do you imagine heaven? Let's 00:34:22.650 --> 00:34:28.210 remember to keep that all alive in us. That every 00:34:28.210 --> 00:34:32.519 time we think of Jesus, we smile. Every time 00:34:32.519 --> 00:34:34.659 we think of what he's done for us, we praise 00:34:34.659 --> 00:34:38.619 him. And even when the bad things come, we thank 00:34:38.619 --> 00:34:40.440 him that he's still there with us right by our 00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:43.219 side. And that's what helps us get through it. 00:34:45.039 --> 00:34:47.679 We need to get the awe of God back in churches 00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:51.760 in America. They're too busy just making people 00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:55.420 feel good and going home and, oh yeah, I put 00:34:55.420 --> 00:35:00.199 my time in. I worship God for an hour. Now it's 00:35:00.199 --> 00:35:03.710 my time. We have to really remind ourselves that 00:35:03.710 --> 00:35:08.389 every day is God's time. He's waiting for you 00:35:08.389 --> 00:35:11.349 to talk to him. He's waiting for you to sup with 00:35:11.349 --> 00:35:15.030 him, commune with him, and to show him to a world 00:35:15.030 --> 00:35:18.250 that is dying. We might be the only Bible that 00:35:18.250 --> 00:35:21.190 people see in our actions and our deeds around 00:35:21.190 --> 00:35:25.570 people. When I worked at the one nursery, they'd 00:35:25.570 --> 00:35:30.460 say, Oh, sorry, Lanny. Sorry we swore. I said, 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:31.900 you're not offending me, you're offending my 00:35:31.900 --> 00:35:37.280 God. And they said, ooh. Yeah, that's more serious 00:35:37.280 --> 00:35:40.239 than offending me. Now I put it in a thought, 00:35:40.300 --> 00:35:45.159 the fact that they're disgracing or offending 00:35:45.159 --> 00:35:48.420 a God, their God, who wants to be their God. 00:35:53.039 --> 00:35:55.760 That's all I have. That's all he's given me. 00:35:56.780 --> 00:35:58.719 I can't add anything because if I add anything, 00:35:58.940 --> 00:36:04.239 it would be my words, not his words. And the 00:36:04.239 --> 00:36:09.179 prophets never, ever added anything because they 00:36:09.179 --> 00:36:12.619 knew if it wasn't 100 % prophecy, they'd be stoned 00:36:12.619 --> 00:36:20.000 to death. So help us as we converse with people, 00:36:20.119 --> 00:36:23.400 meet people, present Christ truly as he should 00:36:23.400 --> 00:36:26.889 be, guard ourselves. that we don't fly off the 00:36:26.889 --> 00:36:29.789 handle, say something we shouldn't say, act in 00:36:29.789 --> 00:36:33.530 a way we shouldn't act. That's what he commands 00:36:33.530 --> 00:36:36.230 us to do. If you want to really look at the commands, 00:36:36.530 --> 00:36:43.949 Romans chapter 12, 13, 14, and 15 is filled with 00:36:43.949 --> 00:36:47.030 hundreds of commands. I've been reading my Bible 00:36:47.030 --> 00:36:49.909 for years, and I just read over them. I looked 00:36:49.909 --> 00:36:52.590 at one of the commentaries, and it said, look 00:36:52.590 --> 00:36:56.550 up the commands of God. the four chapters, wow, 00:36:56.730 --> 00:36:59.130 there's a lot there. It's one after another. 00:36:59.469 --> 00:37:03.309 Do this, do this, do this, do this. So we have 00:37:03.309 --> 00:37:05.690 a long way to go yet to learn about God and what 00:37:05.690 --> 00:37:09.809 he wants from us. But he understands, and he'll 00:37:09.809 --> 00:37:12.030 help us each and every day doing more and more 00:37:12.030 --> 00:37:17.090 like him as we journey with him. Let's pray. 00:37:18.690 --> 00:37:21.050 Father, again, we thank you so much for your 00:37:21.050 --> 00:37:26.159 word. That is what we have as prophets. You have 00:37:26.159 --> 00:37:30.659 spoken, and you have commanded many things. And 00:37:30.659 --> 00:37:36.039 forgive us, Father. We do get so busy, so concerned 00:37:36.039 --> 00:37:38.599 with things in our everyday lives, and you understand 00:37:38.599 --> 00:37:41.659 that. We worry about inflation. We worry about 00:37:41.659 --> 00:37:44.039 wars. We worry about sickness. We worry about 00:37:44.039 --> 00:37:47.980 catastrophes coming. But help us to remember 00:37:47.980 --> 00:37:53.110 who we serve. What shall separate us from the 00:37:53.110 --> 00:37:56.309 love of God? Nothing. No principalities, no demons, 00:37:56.590 --> 00:38:00.110 no hardships, no sorrows, no trials. Nothing 00:38:00.110 --> 00:38:03.829 will separate me from the love of God. We thank 00:38:03.829 --> 00:38:06.449 you for that today. We thank you for reminding 00:38:06.449 --> 00:38:11.190 me of how I need to rekindle that awe of you, 00:38:11.369 --> 00:38:14.570 that respect of you, that honor of you, that 00:38:14.570 --> 00:38:17.789 appreciation of you, and all that you did for 00:38:17.789 --> 00:38:21.969 me on the cross at Calvary. Thank you and praise 00:38:21.969 --> 00:38:25.250 you. I pray and hope, Father, that you were lifted 00:38:25.250 --> 00:38:28.030 up and glorified today and that we take something 00:38:28.030 --> 00:38:30.949 home with us that we can use and cherish for 00:38:30.949 --> 00:38:33.530 the weeks ahead. And I thank you for that in 00:38:33.530 --> 00:38:35.230 Christ's name. Amen.