WEBVTT 00:00:02.270 --> 00:00:05.269 Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We 00:00:05.269 --> 00:00:07.669 want to thank you for joining us today, and we 00:00:07.669 --> 00:00:10.169 hope you find today's sermon impacting as you 00:00:10.169 --> 00:00:12.689 listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk. 00:00:12.990 --> 00:00:15.929 To find service times and watch messages online, 00:00:16.210 --> 00:00:20.109 see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now, 00:00:20.149 --> 00:00:25.710 enjoy this week's message. Man, thank you, Life 00:00:25.710 --> 00:00:29.829 Bible Church. We met Pastor Brad and Jane last 00:00:29.829 --> 00:00:32.619 night, and they shared that with us. Saying thank 00:00:32.619 --> 00:00:34.679 you isn't really enough. I just told Ana Paula 00:00:34.679 --> 00:00:37.600 that that's a miracle to us. I mean, an answered 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:39.899 prayer, a miracle for our family, our church. 00:00:39.979 --> 00:00:42.219 And we will tell our children, if God gives us 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:43.759 grandchildren, we'll remember the faithfulness 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:45.380 of life, Bible, and your kindness. So thank you 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:47.340 so much. We love you. Love all of you. Thank 00:00:47.340 --> 00:00:49.799 you for your generosity. I'm just honored to 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:52.920 preach the word. And I mean, I obviously feel 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:55.060 undone by your kindness, but I just feel undone 00:00:55.060 --> 00:00:57.920 by God's presence. If you have your Bible, we'll 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:02.329 go to 2 Corinthians 9. We don't have a lot of 00:01:02.329 --> 00:01:09.030 time, but I can speak quickly. 2 Corinthians 00:01:09.030 --> 00:01:12.609 11, I'm sorry. Can we just pause our hearts and 00:01:12.609 --> 00:01:17.049 just honor the Lord quickly? I think you know 00:01:17.049 --> 00:01:53.519 this one. Hear your people sing. You are holy. 00:01:54.099 --> 00:02:04.079 You're the King of kings. So holy. You will always 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:49.120 be holy. In Mexico, we sing it like this. Te 00:02:49.120 --> 00:03:04.560 cantarán Oh Santo Rey de Reyes Tan Santo Tú siempre 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:18.139 serás Santo Santo por siempre Lord Jesus, you 00:03:18.139 --> 00:03:24.539 are wonderful. You are so holy. You are so beautiful. 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:27.979 You are so lovely, Lord. There is no one like 00:03:27.979 --> 00:03:31.639 you. Lord, we've sang it repeatedly this morning, 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:34.379 but Lord, we just remember, no matter who we 00:03:34.379 --> 00:03:37.240 are, no matter what you have called us to, Lord 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:41.620 Jesus, Lamb of God, you are worthy. You are worthy. 00:03:41.719 --> 00:03:45.879 You are worthy. Oh, desire of the nations, you 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:49.810 are worthy. You are worthy. You are worthy. Lord, 00:03:49.870 --> 00:03:52.750 that every nation and every tribe and every language 00:03:52.750 --> 00:03:55.409 and every people would know that there is a lamb 00:03:55.409 --> 00:03:59.229 that was slain for them. Oh, that every nation 00:03:59.229 --> 00:04:01.710 and tribe and tongue would know there is a lamb 00:04:01.710 --> 00:04:05.389 who was slaughtered for us. That there is an 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:08.490 Abba Father who loved the world enough to send 00:04:08.490 --> 00:04:12.650 His Son to die. Oh, Abba, that we could live 00:04:12.650 --> 00:04:15.629 in You, Lord Jesus, are the desire of the nations. 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:18.040 those who know it and those that don't know it 00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:21.139 yet. Lord, for those that have thriving churches 00:04:21.139 --> 00:04:23.759 and those who meet in secret, you are worthy 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:26.720 of their worship. Lord, for those that have the 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:28.660 scriptures and their language and those that 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:33.300 don't have it yet, you are worthy. Oh, Lord Jesus, 00:04:33.579 --> 00:04:36.779 you are gathering people from every nation and 00:04:36.779 --> 00:04:39.560 tribe and language and tongue. Thank you that 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:42.600 we get to be a part of it. Lord, if it's through 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:44.740 our praying, if it's through our giving, if it's 00:04:44.740 --> 00:04:47.720 through our going, Lamb of God, we just lay ourselves 00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:51.319 on the altar. I thank you for this house as I 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:53.920 just prayed for you. You are a house of prayer, 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:55.899 but I want to remind you it's for the nations. 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:59.360 You already know it. You've already been doing 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:01.220 it, but I just even believe in this season, God 00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:03.959 is just increasing. Life Bible, your influence 00:05:03.959 --> 00:05:06.899 in the nations, God is increasing. Even as you've 00:05:06.899 --> 00:05:09.180 been that house of prayer from generation to 00:05:09.180 --> 00:05:11.620 generation, I believe even in this season, God 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:15.079 is unlocking nations. Had to see before even, 00:05:15.160 --> 00:05:17.079 I just think it's prophetic. There are so many 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:19.680 missionaries in this room and people from different 00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:24.699 countries and languages and regions. So God, 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:27.379 thank you that a beautiful church in Harrisburg, 00:05:27.459 --> 00:05:29.879 Oregon is making a global impact. I just thank 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:33.480 you for this house. I thank you for this people. 00:05:36.459 --> 00:05:40.740 But Lord Jesus, above all else, be exalted in 00:05:40.740 --> 00:05:48.480 us. Lord, I thank you that for 25 years, Life 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:50.899 Bible has kept you at the center. You've been 00:05:50.899 --> 00:05:54.360 the one thing. Lord, I pray for 25 more that 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:59.259 we would not get distracted. Lord, I pray, like 00:05:59.259 --> 00:06:02.339 Mary, I thank you this has been a house, like 00:06:02.339 --> 00:06:05.939 Mary, that for 25 years they've sat at your feet 00:06:05.939 --> 00:06:09.699 exalting you. But Lord, those storms come and 00:06:09.699 --> 00:06:12.120 distractions come and criticism comes and all 00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:15.680 the things. Come our way, I pray that Lord Jesus, 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:18.259 for the next 25, they would just keep sitting 00:06:18.259 --> 00:06:23.759 at your feet, honoring you, exalting you. I was 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:26.639 just praying for you as a house. I just felt 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:29.759 something for you that I've maybe prayed over 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:32.740 people but never felt over a house. And that 00:06:32.740 --> 00:06:35.180 woman broke that jar, that alabaster jar on the 00:06:35.180 --> 00:06:39.199 feet of Jesus. And people criticized and people 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:40.980 had all their opinions about what they thought 00:06:40.980 --> 00:06:45.399 should have happened. But Jesus said, she has 00:06:45.399 --> 00:06:50.500 done a beautiful thing to me. I just thought 00:06:50.500 --> 00:06:52.160 the Lord, as I was praying for you, just say 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:54.519 this house, not just individuals, but corporately, 00:06:54.579 --> 00:06:58.300 they have done a beautiful thing to me. They 00:06:58.300 --> 00:07:00.540 have honored me. They have anointed me. They 00:07:00.540 --> 00:07:02.620 have blessed me. They have lifted me up. They 00:07:02.620 --> 00:07:05.339 have exalted me. And I just honor you, Life Bible. 00:07:05.420 --> 00:07:08.500 You are just this bright, shining light. What 00:07:08.500 --> 00:07:11.160 you have, our country needs. What you have, the 00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:13.339 nations of the earth need. But I believe more 00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:15.639 than anything, the Lord is pleased with you. 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:18.660 The Lord delights over this house. I was praying 00:07:18.660 --> 00:07:21.019 for you this morning. I just felt God singing 00:07:21.019 --> 00:07:24.019 and dancing and celebrating and rejoicing over 00:07:24.019 --> 00:07:26.439 you. Just let the Lord speak over you. This is 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:29.060 a house not just where He responds to worship, 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:32.019 but where He delights to dwell. That you have 00:07:32.019 --> 00:07:34.910 built Him. Even just like Jesus would go back 00:07:34.910 --> 00:07:37.310 night after night after night. He could have 00:07:37.310 --> 00:07:39.790 gone anywhere, but he said, I'm going to Bethany 00:07:39.790 --> 00:07:42.790 because they've built me a resting place. All 00:07:42.790 --> 00:07:45.129 the presence and the glory of God rests here 00:07:45.129 --> 00:07:48.490 because he delights to. He's so excited and joyful 00:07:48.490 --> 00:07:51.730 to dwell in your midst. So I thank you for this 00:07:51.730 --> 00:07:55.089 house and this people. I pray a blessing in your 00:07:55.089 --> 00:08:02.079 favor. In Jesus name. Amen. If you don't stop 00:08:02.079 --> 00:08:03.399 playing, I'm never going to start preaching. 00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:08.439 Thank you, Pastor Jackie. I think I prayed a 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:10.060 big part of my message. I just want to share 00:08:10.060 --> 00:08:13.120 something very simple with you. I don't necessarily 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:14.879 think for most of you in this room, this is going 00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:18.279 to be a lot of new revelation, but I do pray 00:08:18.279 --> 00:08:20.500 that it is encouraging and strengthening and 00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:23.259 prophetic for your faith. As I prayed, I just 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:25.199 felt the Lord remind me of this verse. It's one 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:27.959 of my favorites in the whole Bible. It says this. 00:08:28.379 --> 00:08:32.200 In 2 Corinthians 11, verses 2 through 3. I'm 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:33.879 reading in the ESV. I think they have it up there. 00:08:34.440 --> 00:08:36.440 The Apostle Paul is writing to the church at 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:40.080 Corinth. And he says, I feel a divine jealousy 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:43.940 for you since I betrothed you to one husband. 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:45.519 Oh, that could be another message right here. 00:08:45.580 --> 00:08:47.700 It's so good. We're not going to go there. To 00:08:47.700 --> 00:08:50.480 present you as a, and here's a key word, pure 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:55.659 virgin to Christ. But I'm afraid. that as the 00:08:55.659 --> 00:08:59.000 serpent deceived Eve by his coming, your thoughts 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:01.879 will be led astray. And here's what I want to 00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:05.039 focus on. Two simple words. He said, I'm afraid. 00:09:05.340 --> 00:09:07.440 He said, I presented you as a pure virgin to 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:11.220 Christ. I gave you like a wedding ceremony to 00:09:11.220 --> 00:09:13.940 your husband, which was Christ, holy, pure, and 00:09:13.940 --> 00:09:17.299 spotless. But he says the enemy's strategy, his 00:09:17.299 --> 00:09:21.700 scheme is to get you to stray from a sincere 00:09:21.700 --> 00:09:26.970 and a pure full devotion to Christ. My prayer 00:09:26.970 --> 00:09:28.889 this morning, again, I didn't even know this 00:09:28.889 --> 00:09:32.470 was your 25 -year anniversary next month. I wish 00:09:32.470 --> 00:09:34.129 I was here for your worship night. That sounds 00:09:34.129 --> 00:09:37.629 awesome. I hear you're recording some songs. 00:09:37.710 --> 00:09:41.549 Send them our way. But I didn't even read. They 00:09:41.549 --> 00:09:43.330 give us a beautiful, like, history of your church. 00:09:43.350 --> 00:09:44.870 I didn't want to read it because if I prophesied, 00:09:44.909 --> 00:09:46.909 I just didn't want to know anything. But I just, 00:09:46.909 --> 00:09:49.029 again, want to encourage you. I believe for 25 00:09:49.029 --> 00:09:51.850 years as a church, you've been this. When I think, 00:09:51.909 --> 00:09:54.470 honestly, I've been all over the world. I mean 00:09:54.470 --> 00:09:56.789 this with all my heart. My wife could confirm. 00:09:57.049 --> 00:09:59.330 If someone asked me, what church do you think 00:09:59.330 --> 00:10:02.409 of when you think of pure, sincere, undivided 00:10:02.409 --> 00:10:04.409 devotion to the Lord? I would say Life Bible 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:06.289 Church in Harrisburg, Oregon. That's honest. 00:10:06.570 --> 00:10:08.789 That's from my heart. Now, you can disagree with 00:10:08.789 --> 00:10:16.669 me. You shouldn't. I'm right. But I just want, 00:10:16.750 --> 00:10:18.990 I believe, to encourage you. This is, I believe 00:10:18.990 --> 00:10:21.110 with all my heart, who you've been. But I want 00:10:21.110 --> 00:10:24.629 to encourage you. Stay the course. Keep a sincere 00:10:24.629 --> 00:10:31.149 and a pure devotion to Jesus. I believe we see 00:10:31.149 --> 00:10:34.350 in scripture, this is the call in both Old and 00:10:34.350 --> 00:10:37.309 New Testaments, is that God is always calling 00:10:37.309 --> 00:10:41.330 his people to this pure, holy, sincere devotion. 00:10:41.370 --> 00:10:44.750 I just read it to you. I'm going to focus on 00:10:44.750 --> 00:10:47.940 this verse in a moment. We see, obviously, I'm 00:10:47.940 --> 00:10:49.960 sure you're aware in Revelation chapter three, 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:53.019 that the Lord is displeased when his people lost 00:10:53.019 --> 00:10:57.059 what? Their first love. Again, he's saying you're 00:10:57.059 --> 00:11:00.000 doing everything. I think there's a danger for 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:02.799 us as Christians, like especially us as leaders 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:05.980 and pastors, we can do religion on autopilot. 00:11:06.620 --> 00:11:09.019 right? We can do church. We know when to lift 00:11:09.019 --> 00:11:10.840 our hands, when to sing, when to dance, when 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:12.899 to shout, when to do the things. And the Lord 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:15.279 told that church revelation, you're doing everything 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:18.019 right externally. But he said, I have this against 00:11:18.019 --> 00:11:21.120 you. You've lost. He really said, not your fidelity, 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:24.919 not your faithfulness, not your obedience. He 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:28.460 said, I'm upset because you lost your first love. 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:32.340 You lost that purity and sincerity of devotion. 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:35.539 Now, these words in the Greek, I'm a Greek nerd. 00:11:35.659 --> 00:11:40.039 I'm sorry. This first word is sincere. It's apiplotos 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:45.000 in the Greek, and it means this inmost deep sincerity 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:49.559 from the inside. It means something that I love 00:11:49.559 --> 00:11:51.419 from the BDAG, which is one of the best Greek 00:11:51.419 --> 00:11:54.779 dictionaries. It says it's a simple goodness 00:11:54.779 --> 00:11:58.679 which gives itself without reserve, without strings 00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:04.559 attached. It's an honest, sincere heart. What 00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:07.220 Paul is calling them to is, I gave you to Christ 00:12:07.220 --> 00:12:09.779 like a pure bride to a husband who says, Lord, 00:12:09.820 --> 00:12:13.299 I will give you myself. I will give you my heart 00:12:13.299 --> 00:12:16.139 and my soul. I don't expect anything in return. 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:19.879 I don't want to gain anything from this. That's 00:12:19.879 --> 00:12:22.720 sincerity. This other word is purity. Again, 00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:24.480 we know this word, it can be translated purity 00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:27.379 or chastity or integrity. It means there's no 00:12:27.379 --> 00:12:30.309 mixture. What I love about this is I think, again, 00:12:30.330 --> 00:12:33.230 as Christians, it is possible to be pure and 00:12:33.230 --> 00:12:36.830 not be sincere. And what I mean by that, that 00:12:36.830 --> 00:12:40.269 is what false religion or legalism is. It says, 00:12:40.389 --> 00:12:43.730 Lord, I'm obeying the rules. I'm doing the right 00:12:43.730 --> 00:12:46.070 stuff. It's possible to be a missionary and go 00:12:46.070 --> 00:12:49.850 to the nations with bad motives. And you're good 00:12:49.850 --> 00:12:52.409 Bible -trained Christians. You know this. God 00:12:52.409 --> 00:12:56.649 really cares about motive. It's possible, Paul 00:12:56.649 --> 00:12:58.889 says, to give your body to be burned and sell 00:12:58.889 --> 00:13:01.389 everything that you have and do it without a 00:13:01.389 --> 00:13:03.710 pure motive. But I love that Paul's saying, he's 00:13:03.710 --> 00:13:06.009 saying it's not that God just wants an offering 00:13:06.009 --> 00:13:08.970 that's unstained in purity. He wants one that's 00:13:08.970 --> 00:13:12.830 real. He wants one that's authentic and that 00:13:12.830 --> 00:13:16.429 is genuine. Again, I believe all throughout scripture, 00:13:16.570 --> 00:13:19.169 this has been God's desire. You know this, what 00:13:19.169 --> 00:13:21.889 is it? Psalm 25. It's saying the ones who can 00:13:21.889 --> 00:13:23.289 ascend the hill of the Lord, it's those with 00:13:23.289 --> 00:13:25.909 clean hands, which would be purity, but then 00:13:25.909 --> 00:13:28.990 pure hearts. It's not just I haven't done wrong, 00:13:29.210 --> 00:13:31.789 God, but from the inside out, I'm offering you 00:13:31.789 --> 00:13:35.429 something that's sincere. This is what the Lord 00:13:35.429 --> 00:13:39.269 called us and commanded us to do. I'm fascinated. 00:13:39.450 --> 00:13:41.830 You know this, the great commandment that Jesus 00:13:41.830 --> 00:13:44.970 repeated in the New Testament comes from the 00:13:44.970 --> 00:13:47.620 Shema in the Old Testament. And what fascinates 00:13:47.620 --> 00:13:51.320 me is I think God would say, you shall obey me 00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:54.259 with all your heart. Or I thought he might say, 00:13:54.299 --> 00:13:57.299 you shall serve me with all your heart. That's 00:13:57.299 --> 00:14:01.000 not what he said. We see cover to cover in this 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:03.759 book. What has our creator been after? He wants 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:06.740 our love. I believe he knows. He says, no, you 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:09.120 shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:12.419 your soul, your mind, and all your strength. 00:14:13.289 --> 00:14:15.830 I think God knows if he gets our love, then he 00:14:15.830 --> 00:14:19.029 gets our obedience too. Because it is possible 00:14:19.029 --> 00:14:22.509 to obey the Lord without loving him. It is possible 00:14:22.509 --> 00:14:25.029 to serve the Lord without loving him. But if 00:14:25.029 --> 00:14:28.269 you love him, you will serve him. If we love 00:14:28.269 --> 00:14:30.169 him, we will obey him. I know you know this. 00:14:30.210 --> 00:14:31.970 You're like, come on, man. This is basic stuff. 00:14:32.149 --> 00:14:36.450 We're from Life Bible Church. We know this. John 00:14:36.450 --> 00:14:39.769 Wesley says, always remember the essence of Christian 00:14:39.769 --> 00:14:45.740 holiness. Simplicity. impurity, one design, one 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:51.240 desire, entire devotion to God. I'm not asking 00:14:51.240 --> 00:14:53.879 much of you. All I'm asking is entire devotion 00:14:53.879 --> 00:14:59.179 to God. What we see, this is the command. These 00:14:59.179 --> 00:15:01.799 are verses that maybe some people are afraid 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:03.919 of. I'm not because it's scripture. Jesus said, 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:07.220 if you love anyone else more than you love me, 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:09.980 then you are not worthy of me. He says, you love 00:15:09.980 --> 00:15:12.320 father or mother more than me. You're not worthy 00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:17.120 of me. I love my daughter. I love this baby that's 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:20.600 in my wife's womb a lot. But I have to wrestle 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:24.379 with inspired scripture that came from the mouth 00:15:24.379 --> 00:15:26.519 of Christ. You love son or daughter more than 00:15:26.519 --> 00:15:29.200 me. You are not worthy of me. Whoever does not 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:32.080 take his cross and follow me is not worthy of 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:35.450 me. You know, we sat with a couple of, ah, maybe 00:15:35.450 --> 00:15:37.850 a year ago, and this man stood up, put his finger 00:15:37.850 --> 00:15:40.830 in my face and said, you're a wicked, evil man 00:15:40.830 --> 00:15:43.029 for taking your wife and children to the mission 00:15:43.029 --> 00:15:45.470 field. He said, you're gonna take them to a dangerous 00:15:45.470 --> 00:15:47.230 place and endanger their lives. He said, you're 00:15:47.230 --> 00:15:49.870 an evil, wicked man. And I said, I don't, maybe 00:15:49.870 --> 00:15:53.210 that's your opinion of me. Yes, I will do anything 00:15:53.210 --> 00:15:55.169 to protect my family, but there is an allegiance 00:15:55.169 --> 00:15:57.610 that I have that's even deeper to any human on 00:15:57.610 --> 00:16:00.269 earth, which is I owe allegiance to Christ. We 00:16:00.269 --> 00:16:05.960 owe allegiance to Christ. Again. I got to speed 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:11.600 up. In 1 Corinthians 16, 22, again, this confronts 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:15.980 us. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:19.120 be accursed. And I look at that. Can I just preach? 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:22.460 Is that okay, Pastor Brad? Honestly, and this 00:16:22.460 --> 00:16:24.720 is not true for you, but it's true in the world. 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:27.639 Sometimes I go, how are there so many Christians 00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:32.019 who don't love God? Maybe I'm being too excited. 00:16:32.059 --> 00:16:35.659 That's how I feel. Like, I am a doctor nerd, 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:38.700 but I'm also extroverted, okay? Like, I come 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:42.320 to church, and I'm like, where's the zeal? Where's 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:45.940 the fire? Where's the passion? I know you have 00:16:45.940 --> 00:16:51.039 it. And Paul says, if you don't love him, he 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:53.460 said, then you're not worthy of him. Again, not 00:16:53.460 --> 00:16:56.220 let him who doesn't obey, we must obey. Jesus 00:16:56.220 --> 00:16:57.539 said, if you don't obey, the wrath of the Son 00:16:57.539 --> 00:17:00.720 rests on you. But he said, it's about loving 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:04.000 him. Oh, go read the whole context, the Apostle 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:07.460 Paul, 2 Timothy 4. He's talking about this race 00:17:07.460 --> 00:17:10.640 that he's run, but then he talks about this beautiful 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:14.599 crown of glory that we're gonna get. And you 00:17:14.599 --> 00:17:16.720 go, what do I have to do to get this beautiful 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:19.140 crown of glory? He says, it's gonna be given 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:20.700 to him. And you're like, okay, well, you're the 00:17:20.700 --> 00:17:23.380 Apostle Paul. But then he says, it will be given 00:17:23.380 --> 00:17:30.269 to all who have loved my appearing. Again, this 00:17:30.269 --> 00:17:33.049 cord runs all throughout scripture. What God 00:17:33.049 --> 00:17:36.890 desires from us is a sincere and pure love and 00:17:36.890 --> 00:17:39.490 devotion that everything that we do, all of our 00:17:39.490 --> 00:17:42.630 obedience, all of our sacrifice, all of our serving, 00:17:42.690 --> 00:17:45.690 all of our working just flows from this place 00:17:45.690 --> 00:17:49.029 of sincere and pure devotion. I got to speed 00:17:49.029 --> 00:17:51.269 up. What do we see the danger? The devil and 00:17:51.269 --> 00:17:54.619 his cunning deception. So if this is God's desire, 00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:56.299 then the devil knows where to attack us. Like 00:17:56.299 --> 00:17:59.000 the apostle Paul said, I fear for you that the 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:01.539 devil's gonna lead you astray from sincere and 00:18:01.539 --> 00:18:05.579 pure devotion. In Matthew chapter 24, when the 00:18:05.579 --> 00:18:07.799 Lord talks about all of those that will fall 00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:10.299 away in the end times, again, what does he say 00:18:10.299 --> 00:18:12.660 about them? What is one of the markers that they've 00:18:12.660 --> 00:18:18.029 fallen away? Their love has grown cold. Not just 00:18:18.029 --> 00:18:20.269 their obedience, not just their fidelity. He's 00:18:20.269 --> 00:18:22.549 saying, the one of the ways I know they're falling 00:18:22.549 --> 00:18:26.569 away is because they stopped loving me. Similarly, 00:18:26.710 --> 00:18:30.269 2 Thessalonians 2, 9 -10 is talking about those 00:18:30.269 --> 00:18:32.869 who have fallen from the faith and walked away. 00:18:32.930 --> 00:18:35.789 It says, because they refused. They didn't refuse 00:18:35.789 --> 00:18:38.569 to believe the truth. They didn't refuse to know 00:18:38.569 --> 00:18:41.390 it. It says, they refused to love the truth. 00:18:42.539 --> 00:18:45.339 Again, what do we see? From Genesis 1 to Revelation 00:18:45.339 --> 00:18:49.200 chapter 22, God's desire has always been for 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:52.839 a loving and intimate relationship with his people 00:18:52.839 --> 00:18:57.599 marked by pure and sincere devotion. This is 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:01.279 God's design, right? I'm not a philosopher, but 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:03.980 I often think about and ponder like, Lord, why 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:07.859 are we here? Like what truly, truly, truly is 00:19:07.859 --> 00:19:10.680 the meaning of this one short little life that 00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:13.329 we have? And we see in scripture when you boil 00:19:13.329 --> 00:19:15.589 it down, I love the Westminster Shorter Catechism. 00:19:15.589 --> 00:19:18.589 It says that you and I, the chief end of man, 00:19:18.690 --> 00:19:22.849 the reason for our existence is to glorify God 00:19:22.849 --> 00:19:26.130 and enjoy him forever. That the only reason we 00:19:26.130 --> 00:19:28.289 exist, yes, I'm a missionary and you should do 00:19:28.289 --> 00:19:31.589 mission. But you know what? I'm unemployed in 00:19:31.589 --> 00:19:35.009 heaven. There's no more worship leaders. You 00:19:35.009 --> 00:19:40.990 gotta, you have a job security. I love mission, 00:19:41.109 --> 00:19:43.789 but mission is done for the sake of glorifying 00:19:43.789 --> 00:19:47.769 Christ. Right? I love serving. I love all these 00:19:47.769 --> 00:19:50.250 things. Yes, we sit at his feet. He always says, 00:19:50.269 --> 00:19:52.329 get up and go serve me, but the order is always 00:19:52.329 --> 00:19:55.809 important to him. So the Garden of Eden, God 00:19:55.809 --> 00:19:58.569 is reaching out to Adam and Eve, but they are 00:19:58.569 --> 00:20:01.569 deceived by the serpent away from pure and sincere 00:20:01.569 --> 00:20:05.140 devotion. What happens? God pursues. He says 00:20:05.140 --> 00:20:08.259 he pursues Israel. He woos her like a husband 00:20:08.259 --> 00:20:11.299 to a bride. And what happens? It says they are 00:20:11.299 --> 00:20:13.819 deceived. They leave that and they worship the 00:20:13.819 --> 00:20:17.779 calf instead of Christ. I'm gonna skip this section. 00:20:18.059 --> 00:20:20.579 I could give you so many examples from scripture 00:20:20.579 --> 00:20:24.299 where over and over and over, God in his grace 00:20:24.299 --> 00:20:27.519 and his mercy reaches out to us saying, all I 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:32.089 want from you is to know you. is intimacy with 00:20:32.089 --> 00:20:36.569 you. God's eternal desire. You know, I teach 00:20:36.569 --> 00:20:38.730 systematic theology and we always get to the 00:20:38.730 --> 00:20:41.109 part where I say, you know what? God didn't have 00:20:41.109 --> 00:20:45.049 to create us. We were not a necessity to God. 00:20:45.710 --> 00:20:49.430 There was so much love between Father, Son, and 00:20:49.430 --> 00:20:52.529 Spirit that they said, what an idea. What a good 00:20:52.529 --> 00:20:54.609 idea if we would create humankind. It's not that 00:20:54.609 --> 00:20:57.150 we need them. They don't actually meet any needs 00:20:57.150 --> 00:20:59.829 to us, but so that we could shower this love 00:20:59.829 --> 00:21:03.049 on them and we could know them and enjoy them. 00:21:03.990 --> 00:21:07.549 This has been God's desire. So as we prepare 00:21:07.549 --> 00:21:10.529 to close, the worship team joins me. What's the 00:21:10.529 --> 00:21:13.440 call this morning? This call is that you and 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:17.619 I would give our lives to pursue Christ, to give 00:21:17.619 --> 00:21:20.579 ourselves to honor him, to glorify and to magnify 00:21:20.579 --> 00:21:23.579 him, but with this, with pure and sincere devotion. 00:21:24.660 --> 00:21:28.000 Right? I'm calling us once again, maybe for some 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:32.000 of us in this room, this is new. Maybe you guys 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:34.000 want to experience that. And I would encourage 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:36.440 you this morning, we're going to pray. We're 00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:39.200 going to ask that God would light that fire of 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:42.170 first love. But brothers and sisters, here's 00:21:42.170 --> 00:21:44.430 what I know. I know that the longer we serve 00:21:44.430 --> 00:21:46.730 Christ, I think there's so many temptations. 00:21:47.349 --> 00:21:50.750 Maybe it's disappointments. Maybe it's discouragements. 00:21:50.750 --> 00:21:52.890 Maybe it's getting offended at God that he doesn't 00:21:52.890 --> 00:21:55.690 act or move or work like we want him to do. Maybe 00:21:55.690 --> 00:21:58.009 it's God not working according to our expectations. 00:21:59.289 --> 00:22:01.369 Maybe it's distractions. We see in scripture 00:22:01.369 --> 00:22:04.490 it could be the deceitfulness of riches, the 00:22:04.490 --> 00:22:07.759 cares of this life. There's a reason that God 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:10.420 commanded us and charged us to guard our hearts 00:22:10.420 --> 00:22:12.440 above all else for out of the flow of the issues 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:15.000 of our life. Because he knows that the enemy 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:18.519 is coming to pull us and distract us from this 00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:23.079 pure and sincere devotion. You know, this really 00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:27.859 is the gospel. We see 1 John 4, 19, that we love 00:22:27.859 --> 00:22:32.220 him because he first loved us. I think if we 00:22:32.220 --> 00:22:36.289 ever get this backwards, we've missed it. It's 00:22:36.289 --> 00:22:38.589 saying, God, it's not that I, we know this, this 00:22:38.589 --> 00:22:42.670 is basic stuff that I, if I do enough good, if 00:22:42.670 --> 00:22:44.549 I work hard enough, I'm gonna get your love. 00:22:44.609 --> 00:22:47.309 The gospel always reminds us that it starts in 00:22:47.309 --> 00:22:49.910 his effort. That while we were still lost, but 00:22:49.910 --> 00:22:55.309 we are far away off, he loved us. Again, like 00:22:55.309 --> 00:22:57.230 I said, this is the order of the gospel that 00:22:57.230 --> 00:23:01.549 everything we do for Jesus flows from our love 00:23:01.549 --> 00:23:06.420 for Jesus. I know this is a church that labors 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:09.319 for the sake of Christ and that labors for the 00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:12.259 sake of the gospel. But again, I think this is 00:23:12.259 --> 00:23:15.839 so important is that we keep this order that's 00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:18.859 saying, Lord, it's this first love that burns 00:23:18.859 --> 00:23:21.720 in my heart. You know, God, for me personally, 00:23:21.819 --> 00:23:23.319 in our example, Lord, the reason we're going 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:24.980 to the nations at the end of the day, it's not 00:23:24.980 --> 00:23:27.339 to prove anything. Like, yes, it's to obey you. 00:23:27.380 --> 00:23:28.920 Yes, it's to obey the Great Commission. Yes, 00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:31.059 it's to obey the call that we have. But deep, 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:33.809 deep, deep, deep down, it's saying, Lord, You 00:23:33.809 --> 00:23:36.589 have done so much for us. You've been so faithful 00:23:36.589 --> 00:23:39.569 to us. How could we not respond with obedience? 00:23:40.789 --> 00:23:43.589 Right? Obedience becomes very easy when we're 00:23:43.589 --> 00:23:46.809 living from first love. Like sacrificial living 00:23:46.809 --> 00:23:49.250 or giving. Living for God becomes quite easy. 00:23:49.309 --> 00:23:51.089 Honestly, I think it's one of the secrets to 00:23:51.089 --> 00:23:53.369 the Christian life. I think that's one of the 00:23:53.369 --> 00:23:56.470 secrets to the light yoke and the easy burden. 00:23:56.730 --> 00:23:58.910 Is it's really, really, really hard when you're 00:23:58.910 --> 00:24:01.049 just doing stuff for God out of a dry heart. 00:24:01.710 --> 00:24:04.250 But I promise you, when we say, when we keep 00:24:04.250 --> 00:24:06.349 ourselves, the scripture says, in the love of 00:24:06.349 --> 00:24:09.349 God, you say, Lord, I've been so loved. When 00:24:09.349 --> 00:24:12.750 I think about the gospel, honestly, I was lost. 00:24:12.890 --> 00:24:15.849 I was broken. I was a sinner going to hell on 00:24:15.849 --> 00:24:19.109 the front pew of our church. But Christ, in his 00:24:19.109 --> 00:24:23.289 mercy, as we know, died for us. And he rescued 00:24:23.289 --> 00:24:27.569 us. And he saved us. And as we meditate on his 00:24:27.569 --> 00:24:32.250 kindness and his goodness, As we experience Christ's 00:24:32.250 --> 00:24:37.390 great love, how could it not compel us to say, 00:24:37.410 --> 00:24:42.950 Lord, I'll do anything. I'll go anywhere. There's 00:24:42.950 --> 00:24:45.650 no sacrifice too great, no price too high to 00:24:45.650 --> 00:24:48.410 pay. There's no place too far to go. There's 00:24:48.410 --> 00:24:52.000 nothing I wouldn't do. Like that woman with that 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:54.779 alabaster jar that says, Lord, I've seen, I've 00:24:54.779 --> 00:24:58.279 tasted, I've seen, I've experienced that this 00:24:58.279 --> 00:25:01.519 that once was my treasure now is nothing compared 00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:05.299 to you. I think about the apostle Paul in Philippians 00:25:05.299 --> 00:25:08.380 chapter three. If you read that, the first half 00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:10.960 of like verses one through six, he's celebrating 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:14.000 all of his achievements. All the really great 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:15.980 accolades and things that he had. And then he 00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:18.900 comes to verse 7. And he says, everything I once 00:25:18.900 --> 00:25:22.380 thought was gain. Right? Everything I thought 00:25:22.380 --> 00:25:25.200 was meaningful to me. He says, all of it is loss. 00:25:25.859 --> 00:25:28.880 All of it is rubbish. Do you know what that word 00:25:28.880 --> 00:25:31.220 really is in the Greek? I'm too embarrassed to 00:25:31.220 --> 00:25:37.519 say it. It's like a potty word. I'm not going 00:25:37.519 --> 00:25:39.059 to tell him, Pastor, about our meeting this morning. 00:25:41.609 --> 00:25:44.170 The word he uses in the Greek, he says, everything 00:25:44.170 --> 00:25:46.549 that this world, and I want to just preach for 00:25:46.549 --> 00:25:49.430 the last two minutes. This world gives us so 00:25:49.430 --> 00:25:52.369 many promises that these prizes and these accolades 00:25:52.369 --> 00:25:55.170 and these things matter. Paul had all of them. 00:25:55.650 --> 00:25:58.670 And Paul says, I now look at all those things 00:25:58.670 --> 00:26:01.109 in the word. He says, it's literally done to 00:26:01.109 --> 00:26:04.150 me now. He says, because I have tasted and seen 00:26:04.150 --> 00:26:06.630 there is a treasure who is greater, who is better. 00:26:11.469 --> 00:26:14.009 Jesus Christ. I just want to encourage this church 00:26:14.009 --> 00:26:17.150 that we never forget he's the prize, not what 00:26:17.150 --> 00:26:20.849 he does for us. Not his blessings, not his healings, 00:26:20.849 --> 00:26:23.230 not his miracles. I love those things. He's the 00:26:23.230 --> 00:26:26.769 prize. And I often tell Lord, if you never did 00:26:26.769 --> 00:26:28.789 one more miracle, never one more healing, if 00:26:28.789 --> 00:26:31.069 I never got one more blessing, it wouldn't matter 00:26:31.069 --> 00:26:34.069 because you're the prize. You are the reward, 00:26:34.289 --> 00:26:36.609 the exceedingly great reward. You are the treasure. 00:26:38.399 --> 00:26:40.819 Matthew 13, one of my favorite parables, verse 00:26:40.819 --> 00:26:44.440 44, it's the man that says, I will gladly with 00:26:44.440 --> 00:26:49.000 joy sell everything because I've found a treasure. 00:26:50.519 --> 00:26:54.279 Found a treasure. You know, my missionary heroes 00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:57.200 are called the Moravians, that you've heard of 00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:02.720 them. And in their day, they would pack all their, 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:04.880 sure you know this, pack all their items oftentimes 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.470 in their coffins. and leave everything behind. 00:27:10.130 --> 00:27:11.990 And as they're sailing away, they would shout 00:27:11.990 --> 00:27:14.670 out. People think, how could you do it? Like, 00:27:14.670 --> 00:27:17.190 how could you? Gladly, they knew they were going 00:27:17.190 --> 00:27:18.309 to places in the world where there's so much 00:27:18.309 --> 00:27:20.130 sickness and death and disease that it wasn't 00:27:20.130 --> 00:27:21.690 if they would die for the gospel, just when. 00:27:22.210 --> 00:27:24.230 And so out of kindness, they pack in their own 00:27:24.230 --> 00:27:25.809 coffins so there's a place to bury them when 00:27:25.809 --> 00:27:27.950 they got there, after maybe a year, two, three 00:27:27.950 --> 00:27:30.869 of ministry. And as they sailed away, they would 00:27:30.869 --> 00:27:34.769 shout, may the lamb that was slain receive the 00:27:34.769 --> 00:27:41.230 reward. of his suffering. Because one day, I 00:27:41.230 --> 00:27:43.470 pray, Life Bible Church, that every one of you, 00:27:43.529 --> 00:27:47.329 that you do some amazing things for God. I want 00:27:47.329 --> 00:27:52.230 to. I want to try. But you know what? No matter 00:27:52.230 --> 00:27:55.089 what we do for him, if I could just be honest, 00:27:55.130 --> 00:27:57.369 something that grieves me in our country is that 00:27:57.369 --> 00:28:00.789 we've idolized stages and platforms and ministries. 00:28:01.579 --> 00:28:04.480 We've made such an idol of being something. And 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:06.119 I honestly, if I could just be honest, I think 00:28:06.119 --> 00:28:10.000 we use God as a means to our own end. Because 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:12.420 no matter what accolades we do for God, they're 00:28:12.420 --> 00:28:14.640 all going to go to one place. One day we'll take 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:16.519 our crowns and we'll just lay them at his nail 00:28:16.519 --> 00:28:21.000 -scarred feet. Because he's the prize and he's 00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:25.940 the treasure. And I just pray for us that we 00:28:25.940 --> 00:28:29.140 never lose it. I know you're a house that burns 00:28:29.140 --> 00:28:32.109 for him, that loves him. Like I said, I think 00:28:32.109 --> 00:28:34.069 this has been a house where for 25 years, you've 00:28:34.069 --> 00:28:35.630 been pure and sincere in your devotion. And I 00:28:35.630 --> 00:28:38.829 pray the next 25, even pure, even more sincere. 00:28:38.950 --> 00:28:41.210 I'm praying that for us. As we go to the mission 00:28:41.210 --> 00:28:44.150 field in six weeks, go back. We're just saying, 00:28:44.190 --> 00:28:46.730 Lord, like, yes, we want to see great things. 00:28:46.769 --> 00:28:48.130 Yes, we want to see revival. Yes, we have so 00:28:48.130 --> 00:28:50.089 many dreams and so many churches we want to plant 00:28:50.089 --> 00:28:51.589 and so many missionaries we want to send. But 00:28:51.589 --> 00:28:53.769 you know what? All of those things are a means 00:28:53.769 --> 00:28:56.109 to one end, which is Jesus. We want you honored. 00:28:56.329 --> 00:28:58.990 We want you glorified. Can I pray for us, church? 00:29:02.670 --> 00:29:04.750 Lord, I thank you for this beautiful house. I 00:29:04.750 --> 00:29:06.450 thank you for my brothers and my sisters here. 00:29:10.829 --> 00:29:14.349 And Lord, I pray that you would mark us with 00:29:14.349 --> 00:29:18.289 pure and sincere devotion for you. And we repent. 00:29:19.069 --> 00:29:21.230 And I'm the first one to say, I repent, Lord, 00:29:21.289 --> 00:29:24.009 for every time that I've grown distracted, maybe 00:29:24.009 --> 00:29:26.289 like Martha, anxious and troubled and distracted 00:29:26.289 --> 00:29:29.069 by so many things. And Lord, we just come back 00:29:29.069 --> 00:29:31.049 to you. We come back to your throne. We come 00:29:31.049 --> 00:29:33.549 back to the cross. And I just pray, Lord, that 00:29:33.549 --> 00:29:35.890 we would be a pure people, a sincere people, 00:29:35.990 --> 00:29:38.190 that, Lord, we could ascend the hill of the Lord 00:29:38.190 --> 00:29:40.630 with clean hands and pure hearts. And I pray 00:29:40.630 --> 00:29:43.190 that as we live and we labor for your gospel, 00:29:43.309 --> 00:29:45.950 as we live and we labor for your kingdom, Lord, 00:29:46.049 --> 00:29:48.630 as we abound in good works for your glory, that 00:29:48.630 --> 00:29:50.829 at the end of the day, they all would just be 00:29:50.829 --> 00:29:53.950 crowns laid at your feet. And Lord, I pray that 00:29:53.950 --> 00:29:56.089 just like those Moravians cried out, let it be 00:29:56.089 --> 00:29:58.789 written over our lives. That God, wherever you 00:29:58.789 --> 00:30:00.970 have called us to go, whatever you've called 00:30:00.970 --> 00:30:03.869 us to do, whatever our vocation or our calling, 00:30:03.890 --> 00:30:06.470 that Lord, what would be the banner over us is 00:30:06.470 --> 00:30:09.809 may Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that was slain, 00:30:09.829 --> 00:30:13.049 receive the reward of his suffering in our lives, 00:30:13.109 --> 00:30:15.470 in our families, in our marriages, in our children, 00:30:15.710 --> 00:30:18.269 in our workplaces, in our ministries, in everything 00:30:18.269 --> 00:30:21.269 that we are, God, that you would be honored and 00:30:21.269 --> 00:30:24.569 glorified. We love you, Lord Jesus. We bless 00:30:24.569 --> 00:30:31.119 you today. In Jesus' name. Thank you for taking 00:30:31.119 --> 00:30:34.119 the time to listen to this week's message. We 00:30:34.119 --> 00:30:36.519 are so grateful for those who tune in each week 00:30:36.519 --> 00:30:40.059 and have given generously to this ministry. If 00:30:40.059 --> 00:30:42.440 you would like to give click the link in the 00:30:42.440 --> 00:30:45.259 episode description below. You can also help 00:30:45.259 --> 00:30:47.640 us by subscribing to this podcast and sharing 00:30:47.640 --> 00:30:50.920 it with your friends and family. Lastly if you 00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:53.180 are in need of prayer send us a text message 00:30:53.180 --> 00:30:58.839 at 541 -625 -1365. We would love to pray with 00:30:58.839 --> 00:30:59.039 you.