WEBVTT 00:00:02.220 --> 00:00:05.259 Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:07.660 want to thank you for joining us today, and we 00:00:07.660 --> 00:00:10.179 hope you find today's sermon impacting as you 00:00:10.179 --> 00:00:12.699 listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk. 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:15.919 To find service times and watch messages online, 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:20.100 see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now, 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:24.660 enjoy this week's message. I want to talk to 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:30.359 you this morning about Jesus' life and what his 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:35.750 ministry was about. We've been in a long series, 00:00:35.810 --> 00:00:38.570 and it's been a good series. Literally, we're 00:00:38.570 --> 00:00:40.429 about halfway through what the Lord has given 00:00:40.429 --> 00:00:42.929 me on this thing, but there's been various kind 00:00:42.929 --> 00:00:46.810 of themes that I feel like the Lord is highlighting 00:00:46.810 --> 00:00:50.609 on this theme of the Something More Church. And 00:00:50.609 --> 00:00:53.810 one of the keys to the Something More Church, 00:00:53.829 --> 00:00:59.409 for us to be a people that God, he loves all 00:00:59.409 --> 00:01:03.200 of his children. But he loves when people want 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:06.739 more of him. And actually not just want more 00:01:06.739 --> 00:01:11.680 of him for a selfish purpose. There is that. 00:01:12.350 --> 00:01:15.370 pulling and that desiring, those who hunger and 00:01:15.370 --> 00:01:17.590 thirst shall be filled and shall be satisfied. 00:01:17.769 --> 00:01:21.909 There is that reality that Jesus says in the 00:01:21.909 --> 00:01:24.530 gospels, especially in the beatitudes of what 00:01:24.530 --> 00:01:27.870 he's saying. If you hunger, you'll be filled. 00:01:28.150 --> 00:01:30.969 If you thirst, you'll be satisfied. There is 00:01:30.969 --> 00:01:34.650 that. But the primary weight of scripture, as 00:01:34.650 --> 00:01:39.400 you begin to look at the whole capacity of what 00:01:39.400 --> 00:01:43.599 God wrote, especially in, of course, we have 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:46.079 it from Genesis to Revelation, but especially 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:48.920 in the New Testament from Matthew to the book 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:53.620 of Revelation, is this idea that God is trying 00:01:53.620 --> 00:01:57.099 to get inside of us is that in our pursuit of 00:01:57.099 --> 00:02:01.140 him, in our in our hunger for him, in our searching 00:02:01.140 --> 00:02:05.439 for him and our desire. He said, those who ask, 00:02:05.579 --> 00:02:08.099 it shall be, what? It'll be given. Those who 00:02:08.099 --> 00:02:10.659 seek shall find. Those who knock, the door will 00:02:10.659 --> 00:02:14.099 be opened. And the reality is not just to bless 00:02:14.099 --> 00:02:18.439 you alone, but the blessing is meant to actually 00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:23.479 transfer. You receive part of it, but the blessing 00:02:23.479 --> 00:02:28.229 is also then giving it away. When we're talking 00:02:28.229 --> 00:02:31.550 about Easter being, and we celebrate it, here 00:02:31.550 --> 00:02:34.090 it's going to be on April 5th, that Easter's 00:02:34.090 --> 00:02:38.150 two weeks from now. It seems like we just had 00:02:38.150 --> 00:02:42.150 Christmas, but here we are at Easter. The whole 00:02:42.150 --> 00:02:47.569 pinnacle of the cross and the resurrection and 00:02:47.569 --> 00:02:52.330 the commissioning of Jesus to the disciples was 00:02:52.330 --> 00:02:58.789 what? To serve. To give life away, not just only 00:02:58.789 --> 00:03:02.550 to die and to give blood as the ultimate sacrifice, 00:03:02.750 --> 00:03:06.150 God's blood, only his blood could take away the 00:03:06.150 --> 00:03:09.449 sin of the world. That was done for us. Yes, 00:03:09.449 --> 00:03:12.530 the resurrection was done for us. Why? So we 00:03:12.530 --> 00:03:15.800 could have fellowship with a risen king. But 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:19.039 the Holy Spirit was given to us, what? To teach 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:21.960 us in all things and that we would now be a, 00:03:22.099 --> 00:03:24.740 if I could say this carefully, we would be now 00:03:24.740 --> 00:03:28.599 a channel receiving from the Lord and giving 00:03:28.599 --> 00:03:33.020 away his life continually. It is the essence 00:03:33.020 --> 00:03:36.840 of Christianity. If we miss that, we've missed 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:41.069 the very... biggest theme of all that Christ 00:03:41.069 --> 00:03:44.990 is trying to build in his church. He wants Christians 00:03:44.990 --> 00:03:50.229 who pursue him, love him, fellowship with him, 00:03:50.310 --> 00:03:54.750 receive from him, not just to become just fluffy, 00:03:54.810 --> 00:04:00.610 but to actually receive and to give it away. 00:04:01.330 --> 00:04:06.490 And the essence of that is We can call it, but 00:04:06.490 --> 00:04:14.509 it's this idea of being stewards of service. 00:04:17.029 --> 00:04:22.029 Servants. Greatest title of the scripture. Servant 00:04:22.029 --> 00:04:25.629 of the Lord. But there's a stewardship of being 00:04:25.629 --> 00:04:30.470 a servant. And Jesus understood what real ministry 00:04:30.470 --> 00:04:35.189 was. So much so that some of these major tests 00:04:35.189 --> 00:04:38.370 in his life, even in the three and a half years, 00:04:38.470 --> 00:04:42.410 the tests that came to Christ, Jesus was constantly 00:04:42.410 --> 00:04:47.889 reminding his team. Again, John 4, 34 says it 00:04:47.889 --> 00:04:52.370 this way. My food is to do the will of him who 00:04:52.370 --> 00:04:56.970 sent me and to finish his work. The primary and 00:04:56.970 --> 00:05:00.870 first heart of Jesus, who was our model of a 00:05:00.870 --> 00:05:04.790 perfect servant, was to find out what God's will 00:05:04.790 --> 00:05:09.069 was. He knew what it was. Us is to learn the 00:05:09.069 --> 00:05:12.129 will of God, like Jesus modeled how he lived 00:05:12.129 --> 00:05:15.050 the will of God, and then to do it. That's the 00:05:15.050 --> 00:05:17.750 key, right? So if we understand that the primary 00:05:17.750 --> 00:05:21.410 purpose of the will of God is that we would receive 00:05:21.410 --> 00:05:26.120 God. fellowship with God, love God, pursue him, 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:30.160 grow in him, mature in him, not just until we 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:32.399 get to a point then we say, okay, now we're ready. 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:37.199 No, along the way we are releasing that which 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:40.860 has come to us from the very source of life. 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:45.079 He'll release that source as we grow. Fact is, 00:05:45.100 --> 00:05:49.019 it is the releasing that is fertilizer to your 00:05:49.019 --> 00:05:54.769 growth. Because if you just try to wait until 00:05:54.769 --> 00:05:58.990 you have enough, you'll actually stunt your growth. 00:06:01.389 --> 00:06:05.769 Jesus did this, and we can put this on the slide. 00:06:05.850 --> 00:06:10.610 Jesus never passed the little day -to -day things 00:06:10.610 --> 00:06:16.189 for the big cross experience. As we're living 00:06:16.189 --> 00:06:19.189 here and we're barreling down in our calendar 00:06:19.189 --> 00:06:22.759 on... the cross and upon Easter and the resurrection. 00:06:24.540 --> 00:06:27.699 Notice that Jesus did not train the disciples 00:06:27.699 --> 00:06:36.519 to only focus on the cross. Fact is, if I take 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:40.720 the gospel side, now this is a great problem 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:44.079 in the body of Christ that people want to divide 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:47.379 the gospels and the New Testament church and 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:51.569 separate them. You cannot do that because the 00:06:51.569 --> 00:06:56.009 Holy Spirit was sent as the, if I could say it 00:06:56.009 --> 00:06:57.730 carefully, that's what the scriptures call it, 00:06:57.730 --> 00:07:01.110 the parakletos in the Greek, the one who is the 00:07:01.110 --> 00:07:07.149 other, the exact likeness of Christ, just another. 00:07:08.709 --> 00:07:13.319 That's why God sent the another. to build what 00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:17.259 the son could do in three and a half years with 00:07:17.259 --> 00:07:20.279 his blood being made in the image of man, the 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:22.860 Holy Spirit would now take the very same power, 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:26.079 authority that the son did and now build the 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:30.360 work that the king had paid for. So to separate 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:34.220 the two is to actually say that the Holy Spirit 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:39.129 is less than Jesus. The reason I'm preaching 00:07:39.129 --> 00:07:41.129 this this morning is because there is a great 00:07:41.129 --> 00:07:43.870 divide in the body of Christ that wants to highlight, 00:07:44.009 --> 00:07:46.670 well, we only do what Jesus is. No, you only 00:07:46.670 --> 00:07:49.230 do what the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have 00:07:49.230 --> 00:07:53.389 actually decided is the whole gospel. You don't 00:07:53.389 --> 00:07:57.790 just divide out a Jesus only. That leaves you 00:07:57.790 --> 00:08:01.670 cutting out half of the purpose of what the Father 00:08:01.670 --> 00:08:04.870 intended through the Holy Spirit. You are actually 00:08:04.870 --> 00:08:09.149 living. You are living in an era that God is 00:08:09.149 --> 00:08:13.029 still working and building and doing. And shame 00:08:13.029 --> 00:08:16.410 on us for trying to get back to something that 00:08:16.410 --> 00:08:19.290 had only a shelf life of three and a half years 00:08:19.290 --> 00:08:21.930 when the Holy Spirit would actually build something 00:08:21.930 --> 00:08:25.149 for over 2 ,000 plus years that was waiting for 00:08:25.149 --> 00:08:30.250 the return of Christ. So I said all that and 00:08:30.250 --> 00:08:35.139 that's my introduction. So here we go. To understand 00:08:35.139 --> 00:08:38.820 this though, Jesus would not let the disciples 00:08:38.820 --> 00:08:47.340 focus on the cross. You think about that. They 00:08:47.340 --> 00:08:51.360 focused on the cross after the fact. They did 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:54.460 not focus on the cross in the three and a half 00:08:54.460 --> 00:08:57.580 years. Why? Because they couldn't even understand 00:08:57.580 --> 00:09:03.620 it. How many times did Jesus say, and the Son 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:06.080 of Man shall be given into hands and shall be 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:08.259 betrayed and shall be killed and they will spit 00:09:08.259 --> 00:09:19.700 on. Literally, just over and over and over, they 00:09:19.700 --> 00:09:24.700 missed it. Why? Because their thinking, now please, 00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:27.559 this is where I'm going this morning. Their thinking 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:34.940 kept them. From receiving fresh revelation. The 00:09:34.940 --> 00:09:39.720 program of their mind. And their expectation 00:09:39.720 --> 00:09:45.080 of what God would do for them. Kept them from 00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:49.259 embracing the now presence of Jesus. And what 00:09:49.259 --> 00:09:53.559 he was trying to bring as revelation. And can 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:56.720 I just say this carefully. It is like this with 00:09:56.720 --> 00:10:02.350 us. Why? Because we can focus so much on what 00:10:02.350 --> 00:10:05.769 we want to do, where we want to go, what we're 00:10:05.769 --> 00:10:08.509 building, what the vision for the future is, 00:10:08.649 --> 00:10:12.629 that you miss right in front of you what God 00:10:12.629 --> 00:10:18.850 is trying to actually change and do in you. This 00:10:18.850 --> 00:10:26.210 morning, as I was in and out of sleep and got 00:10:26.210 --> 00:10:32.250 up to do the... and went back to bed. It was 00:10:32.250 --> 00:10:36.429 about, I looked at the scriptures. I didn't look 00:10:36.429 --> 00:10:39.830 at them. I looked at the clock. It was 2 .41. 00:10:41.009 --> 00:10:45.610 I laid down again. My alarm was set for 4 .40 00:10:45.610 --> 00:10:51.350 to get up. And somewhere between 2 .40 and 4 00:10:51.350 --> 00:10:54.950 .40, I had where the Lord began to speak to me. 00:10:56.049 --> 00:11:00.409 And this morning, he began to show me I was in 00:11:00.409 --> 00:11:04.330 this I don't even think it was a dream really 00:11:04.330 --> 00:11:08.950 it was part dream and part I was there I was 00:11:08.950 --> 00:11:13.429 I was in real time not just thinking about other 00:11:13.429 --> 00:11:16.169 people or seeing other situations but the Lord 00:11:16.169 --> 00:11:21.889 reminds us I want you to focus on your feet I 00:11:21.889 --> 00:11:25.490 want you to focus on your feet and I remember 00:11:25.490 --> 00:11:29.549 saying in the The encounter that I had this morning. 00:11:30.289 --> 00:11:33.529 God, your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light 00:11:33.529 --> 00:11:36.269 unto my path. I began to quote some scriptures. 00:11:36.289 --> 00:11:39.350 How blessed are the feet of those that bring 00:11:39.350 --> 00:11:41.370 the good news. And immediately when the Lord 00:11:41.370 --> 00:11:43.990 shows me something, my first response is, what 00:11:43.990 --> 00:11:46.830 are the scriptures I know about that? What have 00:11:46.830 --> 00:11:50.149 I hid in my heart? Before I go look anything 00:11:50.149 --> 00:11:52.210 up, I didn't come out of that sleep. I just, 00:11:52.289 --> 00:11:55.129 I was quoting it. I could feel it inside of me 00:11:55.129 --> 00:11:57.450 quoting it. And I began to think about feet. 00:11:57.549 --> 00:12:00.720 No, my feet, you've given me. David said, you've 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:04.179 given me hinds feet that I can navigate the terrain. 00:12:04.759 --> 00:12:07.200 And as I began to quote some of those scriptures, 00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:10.639 I felt like the Lord said, yes, but your feet 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:18.399 are right where your next steps are. Focus on 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:26.259 your next steps. And I knew what I was, I had 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:29.909 prepared preaching. for this weekend and it goes 00:12:29.909 --> 00:12:32.789 right with, obviously the Lord knows he's the 00:12:32.789 --> 00:12:37.389 greatest teacher of all. Many times we can be 00:12:37.389 --> 00:12:41.470 so focused on what's out there that we don't 00:12:41.470 --> 00:12:43.690 actually look for what's right in front of us. 00:12:43.710 --> 00:12:45.549 Now what's right in front of us can be traps. 00:12:47.429 --> 00:12:49.669 What's right in front of us, that's where snares 00:12:49.669 --> 00:12:52.230 are. So when you don't look in front of you and 00:12:52.230 --> 00:12:57.659 you don't see tripwires, you don't see, or things 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:01.440 that you can twist or fall or fall into. You 00:13:01.440 --> 00:13:04.179 don't see camouflaged things. Why? Because I'm 00:13:04.179 --> 00:13:07.279 not looking down. Now, I'm not saying we focus 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:11.940 down, but you have to do both. You have to be 00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:15.779 able to look down and clearly and also out clearly. 00:13:16.419 --> 00:13:19.100 And sometimes as people, when we get into... 00:13:20.319 --> 00:13:23.700 or we get into hardship and we look at things, 00:13:23.779 --> 00:13:27.299 we spend so much time focusing on when it changes 00:13:27.299 --> 00:13:29.899 and what will happen when that happens. And that's 00:13:29.899 --> 00:13:34.980 good. But we're not maybe sometimes focused on, 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:38.059 Lord, what are you wanting me to get now? What 00:13:38.059 --> 00:13:42.820 is this season trying to do now? How does it 00:13:42.820 --> 00:13:46.779 implement and affect my walk now? Where are my 00:13:46.779 --> 00:13:51.019 feet standing now? How close to the edge am I? 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:55.200 Am I on solid ground? Are my feet planted securely? 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:59.659 Am I walking in a path that's pleasing you? Are 00:13:59.659 --> 00:14:04.399 my feet... girded with the gospel of peace with 00:14:04.399 --> 00:14:08.419 a message and with the stability to walk in any 00:14:08.419 --> 00:14:11.620 terrain all of those things speak to the now 00:14:11.620 --> 00:14:15.480 moment when that's what Jesus was trying to help 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:19.379 the disciples do he knew he would give them the 00:14:19.379 --> 00:14:22.960 message That they would carry after his death 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:25.580 and resurrection. In fact, it's so much so that 00:14:25.580 --> 00:14:27.820 he would say that you wait until you're endued 00:14:27.820 --> 00:14:29.759 with power. Because I'm not going to let you 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:33.519 carry this message without the partnership of 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:36.840 the Holy Spirit in your next level. But I'm trying 00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:40.019 to teach you something, disciples. What is the 00:14:40.019 --> 00:14:45.740 Lord transforming and changing your now? Sometimes 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:48.860 we've got to dive into that and say, okay, Lord. 00:14:49.370 --> 00:14:53.250 Where am I standing? How am I walking? Are my 00:14:53.250 --> 00:14:56.250 feet secure? And do I see what's right before 00:14:56.250 --> 00:14:59.570 me? And not just what's right before me in the 00:14:59.570 --> 00:15:02.970 natural, but am I asking the question, what are 00:15:02.970 --> 00:15:08.090 you doing in me now? Don't let me bypass what 00:15:08.090 --> 00:15:12.470 you're doing now. That was the classic case of 00:15:12.470 --> 00:15:18.679 the religious. The religious in Jesus' day, constantly 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:23.720 took the words of Jesus and filtered them into 00:15:23.720 --> 00:15:29.919 their thoughts of how God should do things. They 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:34.679 could not allow Jesus' words to penetrate them 00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:41.509 in the now. That's on us. You see, every one 00:15:41.509 --> 00:15:43.850 of us has a grid. Every one of us has a framework. 00:15:44.029 --> 00:15:46.990 Every one of us has a perspective. We have a 00:15:46.990 --> 00:15:50.450 collective in our own lives of experiences of 00:15:50.450 --> 00:15:53.929 awesomeness and also the hurts of failure and 00:15:53.929 --> 00:15:57.769 sufferings. And many times we can develop a grid 00:15:57.769 --> 00:16:02.169 that actually isn't fully biblical. It's partial 00:16:02.169 --> 00:16:06.330 biblical. And the goal of the Holy Spirit is 00:16:06.330 --> 00:16:09.730 to actually make you a well -rounded person. 00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:13.279 To actually that you would be formed in the, 00:16:13.299 --> 00:16:16.179 if I could say this like the gospel, Ephesians 00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:19.940 says that the multifaceted grace of God would 00:16:19.940 --> 00:16:24.320 come to you. Multifaceted meaning what? It means 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:31.059 the many colored spectrum of that grace. So when 00:16:31.059 --> 00:16:34.559 you break, when you break. light apart, you're 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:39.259 going to have what? The multicolored facets of 00:16:39.259 --> 00:16:43.919 why we see that rainbow. You begin to see those 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:47.580 different hues of color. But yet it all comes 00:16:47.580 --> 00:16:52.059 from one light. The whole point of the color 00:16:52.059 --> 00:16:55.919 is to bring the multifaceted of what's in that 00:16:55.919 --> 00:17:00.399 purity so that your eyes can see the covenantal 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:04.579 promise of all that God had promised. same principle 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:07.619 is true in your thinking and in your processing 00:17:07.619 --> 00:17:10.460 of what God is doing in your life from giving 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:13.619 you vision and giving you prophetic words of 00:17:13.619 --> 00:17:16.880 what to call in and what to believe for you have 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:20.160 to have that multifaceted but you can't leave 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:23.549 what's right in front of you either And you've 00:17:23.549 --> 00:17:26.210 got to bring and allow the Spirit of God to bring 00:17:26.210 --> 00:17:30.930 all of that truth in his word, truth in the fellowship 00:17:30.930 --> 00:17:34.549 of the Holy Spirit. Bring that in and allow God 00:17:34.549 --> 00:17:39.329 to form you in your now. So that's why we can 00:17:39.329 --> 00:17:42.670 say Jesus never bypassed the little day -to -day 00:17:42.670 --> 00:17:46.289 things for the big cross experience. He was training 00:17:46.289 --> 00:17:53.359 the disciples to what? To embrace each day. Each 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:56.039 day, I mean, we know the scripture. Remember 00:17:56.039 --> 00:18:00.099 what he says on the Sermon on the Mount? Don't 00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:03.579 borrow trouble. Tomorrow, don't even think about 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:08.900 tomorrow. Today has enough trouble for itself. 00:18:09.539 --> 00:18:12.380 How many have found that Jesus is true on that 00:18:12.380 --> 00:18:17.900 one? Right? I mean, don't borrow in anxiousness 00:18:17.900 --> 00:18:23.920 what trouble is gonna look like out there. Deal 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:27.119 with the grace of God, your attitude, your mindset, 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:32.019 the truth of his word forming you and how you're 00:18:32.019 --> 00:18:36.880 responding right now. In fact, Carrie is writing 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:41.559 notes for Troy right now. This is a scripture 00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:44.200 for my husband. Hallelujah. No, I'm just messing 00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:50.660 with you. True, see? Come on. The reality is 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:56.059 we have to recognize, God, what are you wanting 00:18:56.059 --> 00:18:59.759 to take away and what are you wanting to add 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:05.339 in my now? Jesus' perspective of being a servant 00:19:05.339 --> 00:19:09.680 embraced all ranges of sacrifice because Jesus 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:13.519 embraced the will of the Father as primary because 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:17.920 pleasing the Father Was more important. Please 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:20.720 hear me say this. Pleasing the father was more 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:26.920 important. Than individual sacrifices. Often 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:32.779 times. We can. Make the mistake. Depending on 00:19:32.779 --> 00:19:35.380 our level of giving. Or depending on something. 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:38.559 That we've sacrificed with our time. Or even 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:41.140 when we had to give love. Where it was really 00:19:41.140 --> 00:19:45.930 tough to give love. we can focus on that sacrifice 00:19:45.930 --> 00:19:49.589 and make that the pinnacle, okay, we gave that 00:19:49.589 --> 00:19:53.450 to you, Lord, instead of, was that pleasing to 00:19:53.450 --> 00:19:59.529 you, Father? That mindset of living with the 00:19:59.529 --> 00:20:04.109 filter in our hearts of I want to please him. 00:20:05.529 --> 00:20:07.829 Yes, I'm going to live with the other side of 00:20:07.829 --> 00:20:11.529 the thing saying, I do, he loves me. He loves 00:20:11.529 --> 00:20:14.690 me so much that he's given grace to cover me 00:20:14.690 --> 00:20:18.750 and I don't need to think that I could ever be 00:20:18.750 --> 00:20:23.930 out of his will or ever be out of his power to 00:20:23.930 --> 00:20:27.450 love me. I have to embrace that at the same time 00:20:27.450 --> 00:20:30.130 as I also have a mindset that says, but I also 00:20:30.130 --> 00:20:34.210 wanna be pleasing to you. I know that you love 00:20:34.210 --> 00:20:36.990 me. I'm believing that you love me. I choose 00:20:36.990 --> 00:20:39.710 to believe that I've been adopted and I'm in 00:20:39.710 --> 00:20:43.609 Christ. That is a truth, but so is the other 00:20:43.609 --> 00:20:46.859 side. Just like. Believing and calling those 00:20:46.859 --> 00:20:49.359 things that I'm promises and I believe for is 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:52.880 a truth. So dealing with my now is a truth. That's 00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:56.160 the beauty of a balanced Christian life. It is 00:20:56.160 --> 00:21:00.140 understanding who I am in Christ, believing what 00:21:00.140 --> 00:21:02.920 God has done for me, the power of his forgiveness, 00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:06.299 the power of a new creation, and then also now 00:21:06.299 --> 00:21:09.839 walking in partnership where he's given me also 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:14.700 responsibility. And if I'm going to grow in Christ 00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:21.220 and become, instead of just a child in God, but 00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:24.740 a actual son or daughter in God, I've got to 00:21:24.740 --> 00:21:27.900 allow this choice process of following him to 00:21:27.900 --> 00:21:32.019 deepen. Because we all, once we get saved, become 00:21:32.019 --> 00:21:39.519 children. The development happens between child 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:44.819 in Christ and daughter or son mature in Christ. 00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:49.660 And this is the great divide. Because churches 00:21:49.660 --> 00:21:52.500 are usually built, and I say this carefully, 00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:56.539 on one or two of those, one or the other position. 00:21:57.960 --> 00:22:01.960 You'll find it. They'll either focus all toward 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:04.809 just... Everybody's just gotta know that Papa 00:22:04.809 --> 00:22:07.450 loves them and Daddy loves them and they're in 00:22:07.450 --> 00:22:09.769 and they adopt it. And they focus on that and 00:22:09.769 --> 00:22:13.650 that's only where they stay. Or they focus on 00:22:13.650 --> 00:22:17.910 the other and it's only maturity and your choice 00:22:17.910 --> 00:22:20.829 and that. And there is a balance of the two. 00:22:21.589 --> 00:22:23.890 Because why? It's in the scriptures. The balance 00:22:23.890 --> 00:22:26.269 is in the scriptures. We preach the balance of 00:22:26.269 --> 00:22:29.450 it, okay? And so Jesus said, my food is to do 00:22:29.450 --> 00:22:31.960 the will of. of him who sent me and to finish 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:35.779 his work. And yet Jesus never bypassed the little 00:22:35.779 --> 00:22:39.259 things for the big cross experience. Because 00:22:39.259 --> 00:22:42.319 why? Pleasing the father was more important to 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:45.220 him than the individual sacrifice. Listen to 00:22:45.220 --> 00:22:48.440 what Hebrews 10, five through seven says. He 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:51.839 quotes this. Jesus is quoting this from the Old 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:55.019 Testament. The book of Hebrews picks it up. Sacrifice 00:22:55.019 --> 00:22:59.000 and offerings you have not desired. but a body 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:04.920 you have prepared for me. So that verse is talking 00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:08.500 specifically about Jesus. Now we can get truth 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:13.279 out of it, but he fulfilled it. A body God prepared 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:17.079 for him. And then I said, as the prophet was 00:23:17.079 --> 00:23:19.859 prophesying and declaring it of the one who would 00:23:19.859 --> 00:23:23.970 have that. who the body was prepared for. Behold, 00:23:23.970 --> 00:23:29.990 I have come to do your will, O God. What is the 00:23:29.990 --> 00:23:31.930 scripture highlighting? He's highlighting that 00:23:31.930 --> 00:23:35.710 the fact that God had determined to send Jesus 00:23:35.710 --> 00:23:39.630 would be born of a virgin, that the word of God, 00:23:39.710 --> 00:23:42.450 as it says in the gospel of John, the word who 00:23:42.450 --> 00:23:46.089 was God, who was with God, would now find himself. 00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:51.740 In as word being wrapped in flesh and blood for 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:55.539 the purpose of what? Not just for the offering 00:23:55.539 --> 00:23:59.299 and the sacrifice that he was born to do, but 00:23:59.299 --> 00:24:05.019 to what? To do your will. So that's why Jesus 00:24:05.019 --> 00:24:09.200 didn't live only with the big cross experience. 00:24:09.779 --> 00:24:13.779 He balanced it knowing he came to the earth to 00:24:13.779 --> 00:24:18.259 die. But he balanced it with what? I live to 00:24:18.259 --> 00:24:22.640 please the Father. And if the Son of Man, who 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:27.039 was on purpose, was sent to be the only begotten 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:30.019 Son and the only sacrifice, knowing that his 00:24:30.019 --> 00:24:33.200 whole purpose was to die, could take those 33 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:37.240 and a half years and focus not just on the cross, 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:40.859 it was always on his mind, but to live every 00:24:40.859 --> 00:24:43.519 moment pleasing to the Father, that ought to 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:48.539 tell us something. Hmm. How about 1 Peter 4, 00:24:48.619 --> 00:24:55.829 7? Through, I don't know, 10. Peter writes it 00:24:55.829 --> 00:25:00.529 this way. And the end of all things is at hand. 00:25:01.950 --> 00:25:04.230 You'd have thought he was watching the news right 00:25:04.230 --> 00:25:10.329 now. Right? The end of all things is at hand. 00:25:10.490 --> 00:25:13.329 And you ready? Here's what he says when the end 00:25:13.329 --> 00:25:21.309 is near. Be self -controlled. and sober -minded 00:25:21.309 --> 00:25:28.910 for the sake of your prayers. I wasn't gonna 00:25:28.910 --> 00:25:33.549 go here this morning, but in prayer, the Lord 00:25:33.549 --> 00:25:36.029 started speaking to me in pre -service prayer 00:25:36.029 --> 00:25:40.089 about this. He said, I want you to teach them 00:25:40.089 --> 00:25:44.289 about the connection. Notice he said, be self 00:25:44.289 --> 00:25:49.539 -controlled and sober -minded for the sake of 00:25:49.539 --> 00:25:56.019 your prayers. Can I just meddle a little bit 00:25:56.019 --> 00:26:00.460 this way? I'm going to, thank you. Being sober 00:26:00.460 --> 00:26:03.940 -minded and self -controlled for the sake of 00:26:03.940 --> 00:26:07.079 your prayers. Do you understand what he's saying 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:11.640 here? That you can actually, if you're not self 00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:18.200 -controlled, meaning being able to Have rain 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:23.220 on your emotions and sober -minded being what? 00:26:23.339 --> 00:26:28.640 Being able to think using godly wisdom and scriptures, 00:26:28.759 --> 00:26:34.240 your prayers can go off the rails when end -time 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:38.619 things begin to happen. Let me say that again. 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:44.630 In the last days, what? The end time is at hand. 00:26:44.710 --> 00:26:47.789 The last days are all the end. Peter says it 00:26:47.789 --> 00:26:49.349 even better. He doesn't say last days are end 00:26:49.349 --> 00:26:53.109 time. He says the end of all things. He just 00:26:53.109 --> 00:26:56.029 kind of gets right to it and says, I am calling 00:26:56.029 --> 00:26:59.630 the very end of it. This is snip. This is done. 00:27:00.910 --> 00:27:05.029 Now, because of that, be self -controlled and 00:27:05.029 --> 00:27:07.789 sober -minded for the sake of your prayers. Do 00:27:07.789 --> 00:27:11.910 you realize that you can pray amiss? You can 00:27:11.910 --> 00:27:15.470 be fervent. You can be passionate. And you can 00:27:15.470 --> 00:27:19.049 absolutely, because of not being sober -minded, 00:27:19.230 --> 00:27:26.329 pray and it actually not reach or touch anything 00:27:26.329 --> 00:27:30.750 in heaven that would release a response. Why? 00:27:31.480 --> 00:27:35.759 Because your mind was not anchored in the scriptures 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:39.460 and in wisdom of what God has already written, 00:27:39.539 --> 00:27:46.140 you allowed the circumstance of the day to overwhelm 00:27:46.140 --> 00:27:49.279 you and you began to pray. Now, listen, I love, 00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:52.079 I picked on Troy, I'm gonna just bless him right 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:56.079 now. I love Troy's praying. Why? Because I know 00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:59.630 where he came from. And I know what God has done. 00:27:59.829 --> 00:28:02.829 And I love the passion that God has put because 00:28:02.829 --> 00:28:06.630 he's seen God answer prayers. So we're not talking 00:28:06.630 --> 00:28:09.670 about adjusting Troy here. I'm not talking about 00:28:09.670 --> 00:28:14.470 you. What I'm talking about is when you allow 00:28:14.470 --> 00:28:23.509 outside things to shape your prayers. We could 00:28:23.509 --> 00:28:28.000 look at this scenario right now. The Strait of 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:31.940 Hormuz and with U .S. and Iran and the Middle 00:28:31.940 --> 00:28:36.380 East and China and Russia, North Korea, and those 00:28:36.380 --> 00:28:41.000 who give themselves to news all the time, I'm 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:48.980 telling you right now, you have a double thing 00:28:48.980 --> 00:28:54.099 to fight through. Why? Because the bombardment 00:28:54.099 --> 00:28:59.000 of the information actually begins to work against 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:03.720 you in your prayers. Now I'm not saying, are 00:29:03.720 --> 00:29:05.819 you saying that we're just to be like mushrooms? 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:11.059 Is the church just a room of mushrooms, you know, 00:29:11.079 --> 00:29:20.220 in the dark and fed some type of manure? No. 00:29:21.099 --> 00:29:23.819 No, that is not the nature of the church. Should 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:27.259 you be informed? Yes. But the question is, if 00:29:27.259 --> 00:29:31.059 you're spending more time in being informed than 00:29:31.059 --> 00:29:34.619 you are of having fellowship with the Holy Spirit 00:29:34.619 --> 00:29:38.039 and allowing him to dictate and set where your 00:29:38.039 --> 00:29:41.180 heart is, you're actually fighting a double warfare 00:29:41.180 --> 00:29:45.299 because you did it to yourself. Are you doing 00:29:45.299 --> 00:29:51.150 okay? Sober minded. What does sober mind mean? 00:29:51.210 --> 00:29:55.269 It means, why does all the New Testament constantly 00:29:55.269 --> 00:29:59.230 talk about be awake, be sober, be alert? Why? 00:29:59.410 --> 00:30:03.329 Because he tells us that at a night season, people 00:30:03.329 --> 00:30:09.269 get drunk in the night season. Now, you are a 00:30:09.269 --> 00:30:11.750 complete alcoholic if you're drinking during 00:30:11.750 --> 00:30:15.829 the day and the night. Because that's what alcoholics 00:30:15.829 --> 00:30:21.799 do, right? But he was saying something in a spiritual 00:30:21.799 --> 00:30:25.660 understanding about a night season. A night season 00:30:25.660 --> 00:30:30.059 doesn't just mean that it's dark outside in the 00:30:30.059 --> 00:30:35.000 natural. It means when darkness begins to encroach 00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:38.000 on the face of the earth, you are to be what? 00:30:38.180 --> 00:30:42.740 Awake and sober. Why? Because darkness has an 00:30:42.740 --> 00:30:50.009 intoxicating power to it. Darkness always has, 00:30:50.130 --> 00:30:53.650 now that doesn't mean darkness as in things are 00:30:53.650 --> 00:30:57.309 coming to you to get you to be weird and devilish 00:30:57.309 --> 00:31:01.809 and demonic. Right? That's not what he's saying, 00:31:01.890 --> 00:31:04.349 Chloe. He's not saying the enemy comes and says, 00:31:04.450 --> 00:31:08.369 come follow me. For I have powers that you do 00:31:08.369 --> 00:31:13.049 not know. That's not what he's saying. He's saying 00:31:13.049 --> 00:31:17.940 that when darkness has its day, And the Bible 00:31:17.940 --> 00:31:21.220 says that it will grow worse and worse until 00:31:21.220 --> 00:31:24.619 the day of the Lord. That in each segment of 00:31:24.619 --> 00:31:28.759 when darkness grows worse, it has an intoxicating 00:31:28.759 --> 00:31:32.490 effect. elixir that comes with it. What is the 00:31:32.490 --> 00:31:37.170 intoxicating elixir? To consume your mind and 00:31:37.170 --> 00:31:41.670 your emotion to begin to live under the mindset 00:31:41.670 --> 00:31:45.769 of how you survive and how you take care of self, 00:31:46.009 --> 00:31:50.150 which leads you to what? The elixir of now grabbing 00:31:50.150 --> 00:31:52.690 something that he will present eventually called 00:31:52.690 --> 00:31:57.240 the mark. Why? Because you've been drinking the 00:31:57.240 --> 00:32:01.319 elixir that you won't be prepared, that you won't 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:04.079 have enough. You've been listening to the mindset 00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:07.200 of what's happening over the world, and it's 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:09.920 drawing you to a place of saying, I can't live 00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:16.180 without this. Surely God will forgive me. You 00:32:16.180 --> 00:32:18.480 see, we're not connecting it. We're not being 00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:21.559 spiritual people. Understanding when Jesus was 00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:24.839 talking about dark, he's always talking about 00:32:24.839 --> 00:32:29.200 a season of power and encroachment on the light. 00:32:31.779 --> 00:32:35.539 And so why does he say be sober? Be alert. Why? 00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:38.839 Because sobriety means you've fought correctly. 00:32:41.680 --> 00:32:43.740 Just like in the natural, when you're sober, 00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:50.099 you drive correctly. Well, most of you do. What 00:32:50.099 --> 00:32:52.279 do you mean drive correctly? It means what? You 00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:59.579 recognize signals and signs. You see things in 00:32:59.579 --> 00:33:04.480 advance before they happen. You become, in essence, 00:33:04.579 --> 00:33:07.920 can I say this carefully? You become prophetically 00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:13.119 reactionary. Because you're seeing where that 00:33:13.119 --> 00:33:15.960 line of sight and trajectory will take that person 00:33:15.960 --> 00:33:19.180 and you respond to steer out of it or slow down 00:33:19.180 --> 00:33:23.720 or move to the side. That's what Jesus was getting 00:33:23.720 --> 00:33:28.660 to spiritually. That when you're taking wisdom 00:33:28.660 --> 00:33:32.740 from the dark, it begins to remove your reaction 00:33:32.740 --> 00:33:39.039 times. When darkness comes, your prayers now. 00:33:39.769 --> 00:33:42.609 aren't actually garnering strength. Why? Because 00:33:42.609 --> 00:33:46.430 you're not praying in faith. You pray in anxiety. 00:33:47.170 --> 00:33:51.789 You pray in fear. You pray from a place of, God, 00:33:51.849 --> 00:33:55.410 I don't know if he can do it. And those prayers 00:33:55.410 --> 00:33:59.089 never move to the atmosphere of breakthrough. 00:33:59.250 --> 00:34:02.450 Are they heard? Yes. But he can't respond to 00:34:02.450 --> 00:34:12.090 those. He tells us he can't. Would you like me 00:34:12.090 --> 00:34:19.070 to travel some more? You see, the point being, 00:34:19.150 --> 00:34:23.969 when he says, be self -controlled and sober -minded, 00:34:24.110 --> 00:34:27.210 it's never about your passion. The fact is, he 00:34:27.210 --> 00:34:31.110 wants you to roar. Who you are, let your faith 00:34:31.110 --> 00:34:34.809 and your response to him roar. However that looks 00:34:34.809 --> 00:34:41.809 like. Okay? For the sake of your prayers. knowing 00:34:41.809 --> 00:34:44.949 that he actually has you. Please hear me say 00:34:44.949 --> 00:34:48.809 this. He actually has you here so that you would 00:34:48.809 --> 00:34:52.929 grow in Christ. You've been born in such a time 00:34:52.929 --> 00:34:56.469 as this, in this generation, to actually pray 00:34:56.469 --> 00:35:01.989 the will of the Father, the partnership of the 00:35:01.989 --> 00:35:05.590 Holy Spirit, that the will of God would be done 00:35:05.590 --> 00:35:10.389 on the earth through your faith. prayers, every 00:35:10.389 --> 00:35:14.110 single one of us. When you read the context of 00:35:14.110 --> 00:35:17.010 this, he says, for we've all been given a measure 00:35:17.010 --> 00:35:20.250 of grace, meaning he's connecting it to the fact 00:35:20.250 --> 00:35:24.150 that not one of us is outside of this God -given 00:35:24.150 --> 00:35:28.480 commission. So we have to be sober minded. We 00:35:28.480 --> 00:35:30.980 have to think clearly. We have to think what 00:35:30.980 --> 00:35:34.420 is the truth. We have to actually use a filter 00:35:34.420 --> 00:35:38.960 for our now instead of allowing our now to override 00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:42.559 us and just start praying things out there that 00:35:42.559 --> 00:35:47.320 sometimes need to be prayed right now. Okay? 00:35:48.159 --> 00:35:57.630 And I'm going to be careful here. Kind of. Some 00:35:57.630 --> 00:36:02.269 of us need to be praying for protection, for 00:36:02.269 --> 00:36:06.949 salvations, for America, for Iranian citizens 00:36:06.949 --> 00:36:12.630 now. We don't just pick up and pray only, oh 00:36:12.630 --> 00:36:18.170 God, save Israel and come quickly. That is not 00:36:18.170 --> 00:36:24.030 being sober minded. It's not. You should be doing 00:36:24.030 --> 00:36:31.210 both. But to put, and I have heard this, there's 00:36:31.210 --> 00:36:36.090 nothing worse probably than me having hours of 00:36:36.090 --> 00:36:41.489 travel and listening to some of the El Caca on 00:36:41.489 --> 00:36:50.230 the Christian internet. It is poison. The mind, 00:36:50.289 --> 00:36:54.409 the stuff that half over, I'm just being generous. 00:36:54.909 --> 00:36:59.909 are conservative with half. Some of the so -called 00:36:59.909 --> 00:37:04.349 fake prophecies, fake revelations, fake everything 00:37:04.349 --> 00:37:08.269 that moves you to something that doesn't make 00:37:08.269 --> 00:37:12.369 a hill of beads of difference to nothing that's 00:37:12.369 --> 00:37:25.579 mobilizing you to your now. Sober minded. Self 00:37:25.579 --> 00:37:29.800 -controlled. You understand that when you give 00:37:29.800 --> 00:37:31.800 yourself, I'm going to say this carefully again 00:37:31.800 --> 00:37:36.199 too. When you give yourself to all the things 00:37:36.199 --> 00:37:38.840 that are only out there, that's what you attract. 00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:42.260 And you have no filters to actually rein it in. 00:37:43.119 --> 00:37:45.940 And you get deceived by thinking you're giving 00:37:45.940 --> 00:37:48.179 revelation and all you're giving is opinion. 00:37:48.519 --> 00:37:50.579 God dealt with that in the Old Testament with 00:37:50.579 --> 00:37:52.440 the prophets. I have a dream, I have a dream, 00:37:52.539 --> 00:37:54.280 I have a dream. He said there's gonna come a 00:37:54.280 --> 00:37:56.699 time when nobody's gonna have a dream and anybody 00:37:56.699 --> 00:38:00.599 that says it will get absolutely executed. Why? 00:38:00.760 --> 00:38:03.000 Because they prophesy out of their own soul. 00:38:04.099 --> 00:38:06.679 If you're gonna prophesy and you're gonna give 00:38:06.679 --> 00:38:09.760 what God has given, it better actually build 00:38:09.760 --> 00:38:13.489 the church. And it better actually be connected 00:38:13.489 --> 00:38:17.050 to something that's bringing salvation to people. 00:38:17.130 --> 00:38:24.570 What God is doing now. And then I'll enter this 00:38:24.570 --> 00:38:26.710 because I'm getting fired up. And above all, 00:38:26.889 --> 00:38:33.969 keep loving one another earnestly. See, he knew 00:38:33.969 --> 00:38:38.070 I was going to preach it this way. Before you 00:38:38.070 --> 00:38:42.469 get so fired up on this, understand that in this 00:38:42.469 --> 00:38:46.030 process of living soberly and self -controlled, 00:38:46.190 --> 00:38:52.050 it does not allow you to put off the main yoke 00:38:52.050 --> 00:38:58.010 of following Christ, which is what? Love. Above 00:38:58.010 --> 00:39:03.050 all. Can we say that? Almost everybody. And one 00:39:03.050 --> 00:39:08.579 more time. And? Above all. Meaning all the admonition, 00:39:08.619 --> 00:39:11.639 all the warning, all the instruction, all the 00:39:11.639 --> 00:39:18.980 truth. Keep loving one another earnestly. Now 00:39:18.980 --> 00:39:34.539 that word. That word earnestly. is used in the 00:39:34.539 --> 00:39:38.400 ESV. The word in the New King Jimmy is the word 00:39:38.400 --> 00:39:45.800 fervently. Now, let me read all of verse eight. 00:39:45.840 --> 00:39:50.460 It says, above all, keep loving one another earnestly. 00:39:50.519 --> 00:39:52.820 New King James, keep loving one another fervently 00:39:52.820 --> 00:39:57.579 since love covers a multitude of sin. I'm gonna 00:39:57.579 --> 00:40:01.239 stop there before verse nine. Earnestly and fervently. 00:40:02.090 --> 00:40:07.570 are used, that word in the Greek, are used in 00:40:07.570 --> 00:40:12.590 three major scriptures. I'm gonna give you a 00:40:12.590 --> 00:40:14.670 couple of them this morning because of time. 00:40:15.269 --> 00:40:19.909 Acts 12, verse five. These are not on your notes, 00:40:19.969 --> 00:40:23.269 but if you wanna find it, you can. Acts 12, verse 00:40:23.269 --> 00:40:29.809 five. Listen to how it's said. So Peter was kept 00:40:29.809 --> 00:40:36.610 in prison. But earnest prayer or fervent prayer 00:40:36.610 --> 00:40:45.010 was made for him to God by the church. Same word 00:40:45.010 --> 00:40:52.429 that Peter uses in 1 Peter 4, 8, that love one 00:40:52.429 --> 00:40:56.250 another should be fervently or earnestly for 00:40:56.250 --> 00:41:02.070 all people above all. That word is used with 00:41:02.070 --> 00:41:06.530 Peter in prison. Now in order to understand the 00:41:06.530 --> 00:41:14.829 context of this was what happened. Herod had 00:41:14.829 --> 00:41:19.010 reached out just prior to Acts 12 and had killed 00:41:19.010 --> 00:41:23.409 James, the Lord's brother, right? The apostle 00:41:23.409 --> 00:41:29.329 James. Killed him. We don't hear anything about 00:41:29.329 --> 00:41:33.530 in the scriptures about the church interceding. 00:41:33.530 --> 00:41:37.190 It was almost like when you read it, now this 00:41:37.190 --> 00:41:40.610 is my filter, so I'm at least saying that caveat. 00:41:40.690 --> 00:41:45.690 My filter is there is no building up. There's 00:41:45.690 --> 00:41:48.630 no commentary afterwards. The only commentary 00:41:48.630 --> 00:41:52.480 afterwards is when Peter, because it's... It 00:41:52.480 --> 00:41:55.199 says that Herod saw that it pleased the Jews. 00:41:55.380 --> 00:41:59.219 He put Peter in prison also planning to execute 00:41:59.219 --> 00:42:02.500 him. All of a sudden, the Holy Spirit writes 00:42:02.500 --> 00:42:06.900 in Acts that the church made earnest prayer for 00:42:06.900 --> 00:42:10.619 him. So what happened? Now we could spend a lot 00:42:10.619 --> 00:42:12.159 of time on this because this, go ahead and put 00:42:12.159 --> 00:42:16.099 it up there. Because this verse is so pivotal. 00:42:16.730 --> 00:42:20.349 For the atmosphere. Why? Because after the gospel 00:42:20.349 --> 00:42:23.929 had come and they had broke through the barriers 00:42:23.929 --> 00:42:32.130 of race. Not only from the gospel being to Jews, 00:42:32.210 --> 00:42:35.050 but now Cornelius had happened in Acts chapter 00:42:35.050 --> 00:42:39.230 10. And we'd had the gospel going to Samaria 00:42:39.230 --> 00:42:44.550 in Acts chapter 8. So you've got Jerusalem, Judea, 00:42:44.610 --> 00:42:48.599 Samaria. And now the uttermost parts of the earth 00:42:48.599 --> 00:42:53.079 representing Cornelius, an Italian military person 00:42:53.079 --> 00:42:56.260 getting visited by the angel of God. And Peter 00:42:56.260 --> 00:43:00.139 comes. And shares the gospel. And before he even 00:43:00.139 --> 00:43:03.099 closes. The Holy Spirit falls. And they all get 00:43:03.099 --> 00:43:05.860 filled with the Spirit. And the word that the 00:43:05.860 --> 00:43:09.539 scripture uses. They receive what we did. Meaning 00:43:09.539 --> 00:43:12.039 there was no difference. Between what they got. 00:43:12.239 --> 00:43:15.420 At Acts chapter 2. Than what they got there. 00:43:16.559 --> 00:43:20.659 Acts chapter 10. And now we are two chapters 00:43:20.659 --> 00:43:24.199 past the gospel going into the Gentiles, into 00:43:24.199 --> 00:43:28.380 the known world. And all what? Nations, kindreds, 00:43:28.380 --> 00:43:32.000 tongues, tribes are being affected. And what 00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:35.960 happens? Herod, through the prompting of the 00:43:35.960 --> 00:43:39.539 enemy. began to reach out and persecute, not 00:43:39.539 --> 00:43:41.519 just persecution, because persecution had been 00:43:41.519 --> 00:43:43.719 happening where they were fleeing to other places. 00:43:43.800 --> 00:43:47.199 Now persecution coming with real execution to 00:43:47.199 --> 00:43:50.360 take out the leadership and the government of 00:43:50.360 --> 00:43:54.440 the church of the apostolic team. The church 00:43:54.440 --> 00:44:00.840 was not prepared for that. They weren't prepared. 00:44:01.179 --> 00:44:02.980 And I don't want to spend a bunch of time on 00:44:02.980 --> 00:44:05.519 that, but they weren't. It was only when the 00:44:05.519 --> 00:44:09.440 second one, had actually been arrested, that 00:44:09.440 --> 00:44:14.480 it says this root word, that you let love be 00:44:14.480 --> 00:44:16.699 earnestly for all people, as Peter's saying. 00:44:16.840 --> 00:44:19.719 Why? Because Peter was a, why this is so important? 00:44:19.840 --> 00:44:24.980 Peter was the direct recipient of that word, 00:44:25.099 --> 00:44:29.519 earnest. As he's writing to the church. churches 00:44:29.519 --> 00:44:33.599 that he oversees in Galatia and Pontia and some 00:44:33.599 --> 00:44:36.860 of those places. He says in 1 Peter 4, 8, and 00:44:36.860 --> 00:44:41.480 above all, let love be earnestly made for all 00:44:41.480 --> 00:44:45.280 people. That same earnest prayer he experienced 00:44:45.280 --> 00:44:50.179 by the church that was made up of all people 00:44:50.179 --> 00:44:53.780 at that point. It wasn't just his family. It 00:44:53.780 --> 00:44:57.630 wasn't just his Jewish cousins. It was now made 00:44:57.630 --> 00:45:00.809 up of every person. We know in Acts chapter two, 00:45:00.929 --> 00:45:04.289 they came from 17 different districts that they 00:45:04.289 --> 00:45:06.769 came to celebrate on the day of Pentecost. But 00:45:06.769 --> 00:45:09.650 by the time we get to Cornelius, the gospel had 00:45:09.650 --> 00:45:13.909 gone to every, it was going to every known part 00:45:13.909 --> 00:45:16.489 of the world. It was starting to reach in. And 00:45:16.489 --> 00:45:19.230 that earnest prayer is what he focused on. That 00:45:19.230 --> 00:45:23.230 word earnestly and fervently, they prayed for 00:45:23.230 --> 00:45:26.599 Peter. And in the earnest part of it, God did 00:45:26.599 --> 00:45:32.579 what? Sent supernatural help where no person, 00:45:32.639 --> 00:45:37.320 hear me say this, no person could get in to rescue, 00:45:37.440 --> 00:45:43.969 God rescued. where he's chained on all, think 00:45:43.969 --> 00:45:47.329 of it, chained on all four sides by four soldiers 00:45:47.329 --> 00:45:51.050 in a cell, guards outside the cell as well, and 00:45:51.050 --> 00:45:54.130 gates to the city. Talks about three or four 00:45:54.130 --> 00:45:58.530 different layers of captivity that Peter was 00:45:58.530 --> 00:46:02.389 in, that death was certain for Peter, except 00:46:02.389 --> 00:46:09.360 earnest, that word, fervent prayer. Now, Peter 00:46:09.360 --> 00:46:12.880 takes that same fervency in prayer and he puts 00:46:12.880 --> 00:46:16.360 it now down to the reality of church. And he 00:46:16.360 --> 00:46:26.139 says now, earnestly love. Yikes! Above all. Above 00:46:26.139 --> 00:46:29.940 your eschatology. Above what your filters are. 00:46:30.019 --> 00:46:31.780 Above what you think. Above your preferences. 00:46:31.980 --> 00:46:35.380 Above what your gifting is. Above all. What is 00:46:35.380 --> 00:46:38.719 that word earnest? Well, the root word of earnestly 00:46:38.719 --> 00:46:44.400 is a Greek word that Jesus used often in his 00:46:44.400 --> 00:46:51.400 healing ministry. The word ektenio. Ek means 00:46:51.400 --> 00:46:59.539 out. Tenio means what? To stretch out. It's what 00:46:59.539 --> 00:47:03.679 Jesus spoke in Matthew and Mark. To the leper 00:47:03.679 --> 00:47:07.280 that came to him. Lord, I know that if you're 00:47:07.280 --> 00:47:09.340 willing, you can heal me. What did Jesus say? 00:47:10.460 --> 00:47:15.179 Tenio. Ectenio your hand. And he stretched it 00:47:15.179 --> 00:47:21.079 out and he was made whole. It was not just partially 00:47:21.079 --> 00:47:28.079 try to do something. It was not just do your 00:47:28.079 --> 00:47:32.219 best, child. There were times Jesus went. And 00:47:32.219 --> 00:47:35.000 he did it all. There were other times, and there 00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:37.940 is a lot of scriptures that use this. He required 00:47:37.940 --> 00:47:43.039 what? The stretching out of something in order 00:47:43.039 --> 00:47:47.059 to release heaven. It's the same word. I'm gonna 00:47:47.059 --> 00:47:50.079 pick up another one. It's the same word that 00:47:50.079 --> 00:47:54.960 is used in the Garden of Gethsemane. And Jesus 00:47:54.960 --> 00:48:03.960 kneeled and prayed earnestly. And his brow opened 00:48:03.960 --> 00:48:08.500 and drops of blood like sweat fell to the ground. 00:48:08.559 --> 00:48:14.139 It was only on what? The earnestness of the prayer. 00:48:16.719 --> 00:48:20.940 What was the earnestness meaning? It meant there 00:48:20.940 --> 00:48:28.780 was no more place in which effort, participation. 00:48:31.369 --> 00:48:36.710 Could not be measured. It was all in. It was 00:48:36.710 --> 00:48:41.570 all in. When Jesus stretched out his faith and 00:48:41.570 --> 00:48:46.530 his heart in Gethsemane, there was no place for 00:48:46.530 --> 00:48:51.550 any reservation. He was earnestly in prayer asking 00:48:51.550 --> 00:48:54.610 the father to take it. He had stretched out. 00:48:54.690 --> 00:48:57.730 Now listen, they would stretch him out for the 00:48:57.730 --> 00:49:02.710 whip. and for the cross. But before he ever got 00:49:02.710 --> 00:49:04.889 stretched there, and that's why this is so important, 00:49:05.010 --> 00:49:09.309 before he was ever stretched there, he was stretched 00:49:09.309 --> 00:49:14.489 spiritually in his prayer. He went to the mat 00:49:14.489 --> 00:49:19.309 earnestly stretched out. And when Peter uses 00:49:19.309 --> 00:49:21.289 this word, it's the same word, and I could give 00:49:21.289 --> 00:49:24.309 you a couple more, but Luke 24, 44, that was 00:49:24.309 --> 00:49:28.889 the issue. And being in agony, Jesus prayed more. 00:49:29.449 --> 00:49:32.869 The fact that the scriptures tells us there is 00:49:32.869 --> 00:49:37.309 a level to his earnesty gives us an understanding 00:49:37.309 --> 00:49:40.730 that there was no more room to stretch out spiritually. 00:49:44.989 --> 00:49:51.449 Stretch out. Put forth. Jesus stretched out his 00:49:51.449 --> 00:49:55.050 hand and healed the man's leprosy. Jesus said 00:49:55.050 --> 00:49:57.510 to the man, stretch out your hand and it was 00:49:57.510 --> 00:49:59.809 restored. Why am I spending so much time and 00:49:59.809 --> 00:50:02.210 we're gonna end right here? Because I think it's 00:50:02.210 --> 00:50:04.969 important that we stop here and we just take 00:50:04.969 --> 00:50:13.829 a moment. The apostle Paul was getting ready 00:50:13.829 --> 00:50:17.869 after being, now listen, after being storm tossed. 00:50:19.090 --> 00:50:22.769 14 days without food or night, where the Bible 00:50:22.769 --> 00:50:25.510 records in the book of Acts that all the men 00:50:25.510 --> 00:50:28.829 had lost their hope of surviving. Remember, that's 00:50:28.829 --> 00:50:31.329 what it says, on their way to try to get to Rome 00:50:31.329 --> 00:50:33.710 because they didn't listen to him. They listened 00:50:33.710 --> 00:50:36.610 to the ship's owner. They were being driven by 00:50:36.610 --> 00:50:40.230 a wind they had not seen. Now listen, to be driven 00:50:40.230 --> 00:50:46.170 and not seen by land or sky for 14 days, Paul 00:50:46.170 --> 00:50:49.539 has what? An angel of the Lord. That was his 00:50:49.539 --> 00:50:53.940 testimony to the men. Folks, I love how the apostle 00:50:53.940 --> 00:50:56.440 says this. It gives me great hope. You should 00:50:56.440 --> 00:50:58.500 have listened to me. That's his first words. 00:50:59.239 --> 00:51:02.659 That's his first words. You should have listened 00:51:02.659 --> 00:51:07.699 to me. But the angel of the Lord, of the God 00:51:07.699 --> 00:51:14.219 I serve, stood beside me this night. He says 00:51:14.219 --> 00:51:18.440 that all of our lives, he's granted me, notice, 00:51:18.699 --> 00:51:27.480 he's granted me all of our lives. How many? 276. 00:51:28.840 --> 00:51:35.380 What did earnest prayer do? It granted in a now 00:51:35.380 --> 00:51:38.940 season, Paul being, oh my goodness, Paul being 00:51:38.940 --> 00:51:43.840 sober minded. Paul, not allowing despair that 00:51:43.840 --> 00:51:48.619 was on every other atmosphere of 275 other people, 00:51:48.679 --> 00:51:51.760 recognizing that they were going to die and were 00:51:51.760 --> 00:51:54.500 declaring they were going to die, earnest prayer 00:51:54.500 --> 00:51:57.119 was made. And in the midst of being stretched 00:51:57.119 --> 00:52:00.719 out in prayer, God sends an angel. And that angel 00:52:00.719 --> 00:52:05.480 says, Paul, the Lord has heard your prayer. 276 00:52:05.480 --> 00:52:09.480 will be granted to you and there will be no loss 00:52:09.480 --> 00:52:16.519 of. life. Why? Because Paul had to stretch down 00:52:16.519 --> 00:52:19.599 even though he knew going to Rome was a dense 00:52:19.599 --> 00:52:23.340 sentence for himself. He refused to go out and 00:52:23.340 --> 00:52:26.679 think about what his tomorrows were. He began 00:52:26.679 --> 00:52:30.159 to intercede for what was right in front of him 00:52:30.159 --> 00:52:36.239 there. And it was to love what God loved. Because 00:52:36.239 --> 00:52:42.000 275 people would have gone to hell had he not 00:52:42.000 --> 00:52:45.099 been willing to be stretched out and look at 00:52:45.099 --> 00:52:48.239 his feet of where he was on the deck of a ship 00:52:48.239 --> 00:52:54.539 that was storm -tossed. The atmosphere was horrific. 00:52:55.219 --> 00:52:57.760 They hadn't eaten or drank and they had called 00:52:57.760 --> 00:53:00.760 out to every god. The Bible says they'd called 00:53:00.760 --> 00:53:04.400 out to their gods and that was beyond hope. Paul 00:53:04.400 --> 00:53:09.429 stayed what? Sober -minded. And self -controlled. 00:53:10.289 --> 00:53:14.570 In prayer. And in his love for what God loved. 00:53:15.030 --> 00:53:20.369 People. To serve them. To love them above all. 00:53:21.690 --> 00:53:24.010 Would you just take a moment. Allow the spirit 00:53:24.010 --> 00:53:32.769 of God. Maybe just close your eyes. Just not 00:53:32.769 --> 00:53:36.230 looking around. Maybe not moving. We got a little 00:53:36.230 --> 00:53:51.980 time. Lord, am I living sober -minded? Am I living 00:53:51.980 --> 00:53:57.000 self -controlled? That doesn't mean not having 00:53:57.000 --> 00:53:59.900 fun. That doesn't mean not being in joy. It means 00:53:59.900 --> 00:54:05.260 I'm living the fruit of the Spirit. Self -control 00:54:05.260 --> 00:54:09.239 is the fruit of the Spirit. I'm not allowing 00:54:09.239 --> 00:54:17.489 fear. panic, anxiety, worry, terror to dominate 00:54:17.489 --> 00:54:25.230 my prayers. I'm not holding the elixir of current 00:54:25.230 --> 00:54:31.070 events and constantly consuming them that moves 00:54:31.070 --> 00:54:35.369 my prayer from being sober -minded, awake and 00:54:35.369 --> 00:54:39.150 alert to actually under the influence of something 00:54:39.150 --> 00:54:43.400 that's trying to Draft on my Christianity and 00:54:43.400 --> 00:54:48.480 try to pull me off target. And I'm asking this 00:54:48.480 --> 00:54:54.369 morning, Holy Spirit, as you are doing. What 00:54:54.369 --> 00:54:56.690 only you can do. You know the thoughts. You know 00:54:56.690 --> 00:54:59.730 the motives. You know the intent of every heart 00:54:59.730 --> 00:55:02.809 and every mind. Lord, I'm only a preacher, a 00:55:02.809 --> 00:55:05.769 messenger of what you put in my mouth. But God, 00:55:05.849 --> 00:55:09.010 it is you who holds the hearts. It is you who 00:55:09.010 --> 00:55:11.789 knows the thoughts and the minds. And I'm asking 00:55:11.789 --> 00:55:14.289 now, Holy Spirit, you would begin to reveal that 00:55:14.289 --> 00:55:18.340 to them. Lord, uncover any place where there's 00:55:18.340 --> 00:55:22.579 been, Lord, a darkness. Lord, that elixir of 00:55:22.579 --> 00:55:25.880 drunkenness. Lord, of spirit. Lord, where I've 00:55:25.880 --> 00:55:29.840 been intoxicated by the world, its pull, its 00:55:29.840 --> 00:55:34.239 fear, its scare tactics. Lord, speak to me and 00:55:34.239 --> 00:55:39.360 allow my mind to get sober now. Allow my spirit 00:55:39.360 --> 00:55:44.019 to receive a sobering now according to the beautiful, 00:55:45.039 --> 00:55:50.219 truth, and the brilliance of your power, holiness, 00:55:50.420 --> 00:55:57.340 righteousness, and love. You're better than any 00:55:57.340 --> 00:56:01.260 pot of coffee. You're better than any form of 00:56:01.260 --> 00:56:04.659 awakening. You are the one who awakens my heart. 00:56:04.800 --> 00:56:08.420 You are the one who awakens me to truth and understanding. 00:56:09.289 --> 00:56:12.349 And I'm asking now in the name of Jesus, Holy 00:56:12.349 --> 00:56:16.489 Spirit, you'll begin to deal a work in us and 00:56:16.489 --> 00:56:20.570 in this church. Lord, that we would become sober 00:56:20.570 --> 00:56:22.829 -minded and we become self -controlled people 00:56:22.829 --> 00:56:27.289 in the midst of the last day generation or generations. 00:56:27.590 --> 00:56:31.250 And that above all, at being sober and being 00:56:31.250 --> 00:56:34.250 self -controlled, praying prayers, Lord, that 00:56:34.250 --> 00:56:36.949 are in concordance with your will. And Lord, 00:56:37.659 --> 00:56:44.219 Above all, being people who will love without 00:56:44.219 --> 00:56:47.480 keeping records of wrong. Who will love humanity. 00:56:47.519 --> 00:56:52.619 Who will see how God loves. Send the truth and 00:56:52.619 --> 00:56:57.019 send grace. And above all, honoring, loving, 00:56:57.139 --> 00:57:01.059 and doing everything we need to do to not be 00:57:01.059 --> 00:57:05.780 out of joint with one another. but living a life 00:57:05.780 --> 00:57:11.420 of love from the Father running through us, to 00:57:11.420 --> 00:57:14.920 us and through us and to people and back to you. 00:57:18.059 --> 00:57:24.860 If you're here this morning, Holy Spirit is working 00:57:24.860 --> 00:57:29.679 even in our midst. If you've not surrendered 00:57:29.679 --> 00:57:34.099 your life to Jesus Christ, You've not made him 00:57:34.099 --> 00:57:40.500 the only king of your heart. Savior. That term 00:57:40.500 --> 00:57:43.639 means he paid a price. What we're going to be 00:57:43.639 --> 00:57:46.039 talking about, we talk about it hopefully every 00:57:46.039 --> 00:57:50.880 Sunday, is the power of his cross and his resurrected 00:57:50.880 --> 00:57:55.559 life. He's alive, but he had to die because of 00:57:55.559 --> 00:58:01.920 your and I's sin. And he welcomes you. He didn't 00:58:01.920 --> 00:58:05.059 die. to punish you. He actually died to liberate 00:58:05.059 --> 00:58:08.980 you. He died so that he could have fellowship 00:58:08.980 --> 00:58:12.559 and loving fellowship with you and grow you and 00:58:12.559 --> 00:58:16.659 strengthen you. You would become a full grown 00:58:16.659 --> 00:58:22.739 member of the body of Christ. Having bypassed 00:58:22.739 --> 00:58:26.139 now, as the scripture says, though we die, yet 00:58:26.139 --> 00:58:29.539 shall we live. Living and ruling and reigning 00:58:29.539 --> 00:58:34.559 with Jesus Christ. If you don't know him, The 00:58:34.559 --> 00:58:39.239 cross is still open. The way Jesus said of himself 00:58:39.239 --> 00:58:42.820 in John 14, I am the way, the truth, and the 00:58:42.820 --> 00:58:46.500 life. No person comes to the Father but by me. 00:58:46.579 --> 00:58:51.739 That way is still open. And he's inviting whosoever 00:58:51.739 --> 00:58:55.119 will. That's what the scripture says. Whosoever 00:58:55.119 --> 00:58:58.510 believes in him shall not. perish, but have everlasting 00:58:58.510 --> 00:59:01.449 life. If that's you this morning, and you would 00:59:01.449 --> 00:59:03.909 welcome Christ into your heart, you'd actually 00:59:03.909 --> 00:59:08.289 say, I choose to have Jesus Christ not only save 00:59:08.289 --> 00:59:11.130 me, but come and fill me that I might live for 00:59:11.130 --> 00:59:13.170 him. Would you just lift your hand just right 00:59:13.170 --> 00:59:14.610 where you're at? I'm going to have somebody come 00:59:14.610 --> 00:59:16.329 pray with you. Just right where you are. Say, 00:59:16.409 --> 00:59:18.889 Pastor, that's me. I don't know him, but I want 00:59:18.889 --> 00:59:21.289 to know him, and I want to give my life to Christ. 00:59:21.409 --> 00:59:23.809 Just all over the building. Yes, right here. 00:59:24.269 --> 00:59:31.969 Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else? Thank you. 00:59:32.050 --> 00:59:35.829 Thank you. We're coming to meet you. Thank you. 00:59:38.909 --> 00:59:41.690 All right. Pastor Scott is going to pray with 00:59:41.690 --> 00:59:47.469 you. God bless you, buddy. Proud of you. If you're 00:59:47.469 --> 00:59:49.849 here this morning, you say, you know what? I 00:59:49.849 --> 00:59:55.219 needed this word. God is. admonishing me, not 00:59:55.219 --> 00:59:58.260 just, I need to love above all else, but I need 00:59:58.260 --> 01:00:02.440 to live soberly. I need to not be carried away 01:00:02.440 --> 01:00:06.260 with the elixir of the world that it comes to 01:00:06.260 --> 01:00:09.460 bring panic and fear. How many would say, this 01:00:09.460 --> 01:00:11.699 is right where I was at today and I need Jesus 01:00:11.699 --> 01:00:15.380 to help me. Anybody? All right, just me and you. 01:00:15.539 --> 01:00:18.079 All right, a few of us, a few of us. All right. 01:00:18.619 --> 01:00:20.219 Would you just, if that's you, would you just 01:00:20.219 --> 01:00:24.200 lift your hand? I'm gonna pray for us. Yeah. 01:00:24.200 --> 01:00:27.579 Father, I thank you now. Lord, you see every 01:00:27.579 --> 01:00:31.099 hand, every heart. I'm asking now that you would 01:00:31.099 --> 01:00:35.679 bring courage and strength from heaven. Lord, 01:00:35.820 --> 01:00:39.260 in that earnestness and in that fervency would 01:00:39.260 --> 01:00:43.300 be released a strength to hold on to who you 01:00:43.300 --> 01:00:47.150 are. in the scriptures. Hold on to who you are 01:00:47.150 --> 01:00:49.989 in our fellowship and walk with you, that we 01:00:49.989 --> 01:00:53.730 would not be carried away by fear or anxiousness, 01:00:53.730 --> 01:00:58.170 Lord, or any report. Jesus, you said it in Matthew 01:00:58.170 --> 01:01:01.869 24, there will be rumors of wars and there will 01:01:01.869 --> 01:01:05.190 be wars from tribes and kingdoms and nations, 01:01:05.210 --> 01:01:09.170 but the end is not yet. Lord, you're asking for 01:01:09.170 --> 01:01:14.349 us to partner in sobriety, and in self -controlled, 01:01:14.469 --> 01:01:18.949 fervent prayers that you would have a harvest 01:01:18.949 --> 01:01:23.110 that belongs only to you. The reaping of souls, 01:01:23.309 --> 01:01:26.489 the building of church for your glory and your 01:01:26.489 --> 01:01:52.690 namesake. In Jesus' name, amen. If you are in 01:01:52.690 --> 01:01:55.510 need of prayer, send us a text message at 541 01:01:55.510 --> 01:02:00.389 -625 -1365. We would love to pray with you.