WEBVTT 00:00:01.620 --> 00:00:07.000 Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:09.900 designed to uplift and strengthen you in your 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:14.140 walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until 00:00:14.140 --> 00:00:18.160 the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:24.219 right in. We're going to continue with our teaching 00:00:24.219 --> 00:00:27.719 on standing fast in the faith. Standing fast 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:29.120 in the faith. The last time I taught I think 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:32.520 was April. I didn't finish off certain parts 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:37.259 and I think we have some parts to tidy up on. 00:00:39.020 --> 00:00:43.200 And our key text is from 1 Corinthians 16 verse 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:48.000 13. 1 Corinthians 16 verse 13, it says, Watch, 00:00:48.539 --> 00:00:53.579 stand fast in the fate. Be brave, be strong. 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:58.820 Watch, stand fast in the fate. Be brave, be strong. 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:01.859 We're going to be looking at being brave. That's 00:01:01.859 --> 00:01:03.000 from the New King James. We're going to be looking 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:05.859 at being brave. We're going to look at being 00:01:05.859 --> 00:01:08.480 brave. And I want to just recap for the sake 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:10.859 of those that are joining us, because this is 00:01:10.859 --> 00:01:13.980 part seven of the teaching. This is part seven 00:01:13.980 --> 00:01:20.159 of the teaching. And Apostle Paul in this first 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:23.760 letter to the Church in Corinth ends with this 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:29.140 series of commands. And you may not notice it, 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:33.599 but these four different commands are military 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:37.680 order. They are military terms. They are military 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:41.400 terms to watch, to be at alert, to stand, to 00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:44.500 be on guard. The NLT will say to be on guard. 00:01:45.180 --> 00:01:48.140 And you know, it's military. That's a very military 00:01:48.140 --> 00:01:50.909 terminology, to be on guard. If you're a civilian, 00:01:51.049 --> 00:01:53.510 you just move around about your entire day, except 00:01:53.510 --> 00:01:56.109 if you have some people that are military conscious, 00:01:56.189 --> 00:01:57.430 they're always looking around. It depends on 00:01:57.430 --> 00:01:59.269 where you grew up from. You're always looking, 00:01:59.329 --> 00:02:03.109 even when there's nothing. And you watch. Standing 00:02:03.109 --> 00:02:06.409 fast is also a military term. Be brave is also 00:02:06.409 --> 00:02:09.169 a military term. Be strong is a military term. 00:02:09.289 --> 00:02:11.430 And these words are what you would use for people 00:02:11.430 --> 00:02:14.090 in the military or even athletes. We are having 00:02:14.090 --> 00:02:17.750 the World Cup and a lot of things are happening. 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:20.039 Some people are losing, some people are winning, 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:23.360 some people are drawing. And notice that there's 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:25.599 a mindset that the athletes go into the game 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:28.020 house, listen to someone talk about how they 00:02:28.020 --> 00:02:31.340 interview the athletes and they ask them certain 00:02:31.340 --> 00:02:35.620 things. And the athletes, even though it's scary, 00:02:36.099 --> 00:02:40.080 they try not to communicate fear. They try not 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:41.919 to communicate fear. They will tell you, they 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:43.860 will say things like, it's exciting. They're 00:02:43.860 --> 00:02:46.400 looking forward to their tournament, they're 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:47.759 looking forward to the game, they're looking 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:49.819 forward to this. The athletes don't communicate 00:02:49.819 --> 00:02:52.539 fear because that in itself puts you at a point 00:02:52.539 --> 00:02:55.879 of disadvantage. It will undermine all your preparation. 00:02:56.659 --> 00:02:59.719 Because the moment you have a mindset of losing, 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:03.219 you have already started to lose. Those of us 00:03:03.219 --> 00:03:05.680 that are students, if you say, I'm going to fail 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:08.500 for this exam, even with all the preparation 00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:12.300 you did, you're going to make mistakes. because 00:03:12.300 --> 00:03:16.319 you have put yourself in a situation where you 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:20.319 are panicking. And what Apostle Paul is doing 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:23.780 in this command and this charge to the church 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:27.780 is bringing the attention to how it is important 00:03:27.780 --> 00:03:33.039 for them to guard whatever it is that they have 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:36.759 received, to stand fast in the faith and the 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:39.020 doctrine that they have received, also to be 00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:41.860 brave. to be brave. And there's something about 00:03:41.860 --> 00:03:44.120 being brave that doesn't keep you, you don't, 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:47.719 you're not quiet. You're not quiet. You're not 00:03:47.719 --> 00:03:49.860 quiet. And there's a stance, even though when 00:03:49.860 --> 00:03:53.060 you, when a person is brave, it's seen in their 00:03:53.060 --> 00:03:56.599 actions. It's seen in how they act. And even 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:59.080 a strong person is seen now. All of those things 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:02.180 are very key ingredient for success, very key 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:04.560 ingredient for doing anything at all. And what 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:08.759 I want to do is for the purpose of just touching 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:10.979 on the things that we've looked at. I want us 00:04:10.979 --> 00:04:15.000 to just see how the book itself starts off. We 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:18.639 see in the Corinthians, the first Corinthians, 00:04:18.699 --> 00:04:22.439 we see in the first chapter. Apostle Paul starts 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:25.720 by first and foremost the introduction, the usual 00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:29.120 introduction, and then he thanks God. And then 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:33.959 when you come down to the 10th verse of that 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:36.279 particular chapter, you see him already starting 00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:40.860 to address issues that was going on, issues of 00:04:40.860 --> 00:04:43.879 division. And basically the aim of writing this 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:46.839 letter is to be able to address certain things 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:49.540 that is going on in the church, be able to correct 00:04:49.540 --> 00:04:51.699 certain things that are happening. And it's very 00:04:51.699 --> 00:04:54.519 important that we understand that when things 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:58.959 are going south, we have to be bold enough. We 00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:02.240 have to be brave to speak truth. We have to be 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:05.620 brave to come back to the foundations to the 00:05:05.620 --> 00:05:08.139 basics because when people don't understand in 00:05:08.139 --> 00:05:10.680 the root of all the problems are going on here 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:13.399 is because people are not watching people are 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:15.899 not standing fast in what they believe people 00:05:15.899 --> 00:05:19.100 are not brave enough in the positive sense because 00:05:19.100 --> 00:05:22.319 you can see people brave doing evil and people 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:25.560 are not strong in the Lord people are not holding 00:05:25.560 --> 00:05:27.300 on to the truth that they have received and that's 00:05:27.300 --> 00:05:32.319 why he starts off by admonishing them. He appeals 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:35.459 to them. He pleads with them. He pleads with 00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:38.000 them. He says this division thing should stop. 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:41.879 Because at the heart of it is the one God that 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:44.120 we're serving. At the heart of it is what have 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:48.000 you like why are we having to do this? Praise 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:51.399 God. Why are we having to be addressing this? 00:05:51.600 --> 00:05:55.600 This should not be happening if you really know 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:57.420 the truth and you're holding on to the truth. 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:00.639 Like you're not leaving out your identity. Praise 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:02.959 God you're not leaving out your identity and 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:05.980 he continues to tell them and I and I think we 00:06:05.980 --> 00:06:08.459 started this teaching by When we started in the 00:06:08.459 --> 00:06:12.339 first part we say paying attention One very key 00:06:12.339 --> 00:06:14.779 thing that guarantees that you don't miss out 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:17.279 on anything is when you are listening when you 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:21.860 are attentive and That's why he says watch right 00:06:21.860 --> 00:06:27.180 watch be at a lot because if you This if you 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:31.350 snooze you lose You will miss out on important 00:06:31.350 --> 00:06:35.069 details if you look out and come. Like the players 00:06:35.069 --> 00:06:37.490 that are playing in their sports. The moment 00:06:37.490 --> 00:06:42.189 a player decides to daydream, when he comes back, 00:06:44.069 --> 00:06:46.269 other players will just be looking at him. Because 00:06:46.269 --> 00:06:51.300 you can't be, your goal is the ball. and the 00:06:51.300 --> 00:06:53.759 people that are around you, you should not miss 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:57.060 out. And it's in everything for success, for 00:06:57.060 --> 00:07:00.040 you to succeed, even in the work of ministry, 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:03.319 you have to pay attention. But we're in the world 00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:06.240 and in a place where people just are looking 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:08.959 at you, but they're not listening. And it's very 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:11.819 important that, and even in the things he's communicating, 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:14.399 he's saying that it's important, right? And then 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:17.550 he goes down to even the... whole idea of standing 00:07:17.550 --> 00:07:19.110 fast in the faith. Notice that there's something 00:07:19.110 --> 00:07:21.149 that's been handed to them. They want to keep 00:07:21.149 --> 00:07:23.329 holding on to that thing. And that is where you 00:07:23.329 --> 00:07:27.290 see Him taking time to teach. To teach. He takes 00:07:27.290 --> 00:07:30.350 time to teach. To teach. Even His letters, you 00:07:30.350 --> 00:07:34.490 see Him communicating truth again and again and 00:07:34.490 --> 00:07:38.410 again to remind them of their reality. To remind 00:07:38.410 --> 00:07:41.470 them of their identity. To remind them. He keeps 00:07:41.470 --> 00:07:43.829 doing that. Keeps doing that. Warning them of 00:07:43.829 --> 00:07:47.750 the dangers of of the different thing he addresses. 00:07:47.910 --> 00:07:49.509 I think in the last teachings we talked about 00:07:49.509 --> 00:07:51.829 that division, right? We talked about division. 00:07:52.110 --> 00:07:55.370 We talked about even the different, the false 00:07:55.370 --> 00:07:58.069 teachings. The false teachings. And I want us 00:07:58.069 --> 00:08:01.290 to see that. Let's start from there in 15. 1 00:08:01.290 --> 00:08:04.850 Corinthians 15 verse 1. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 00:08:04.850 --> 00:08:10.089 1. It says, lest anyone, 1 Corinthians 15 verse 00:08:10.089 --> 00:08:15.029 1, not 1, 15. It says, moreover brethren, I declare 00:08:15.029 --> 00:08:20.910 to you the gospel which I preach to you. I declare 00:08:20.910 --> 00:08:23.290 to you the gospel which I preach to you, which 00:08:23.290 --> 00:08:27.410 also you have received, and in which you stand." 00:08:27.410 --> 00:08:30.490 See that word again, in which you stand. He declares 00:08:30.490 --> 00:08:32.990 to them the gospel that has been preached to 00:08:32.990 --> 00:08:35.929 them. If you see the second chapter, it says, 00:08:38.850 --> 00:08:43.470 by which also you are saved. If you hold fast 00:08:43.470 --> 00:08:47.250 to the word which I preach to you, unless you 00:08:47.250 --> 00:08:50.009 believed in vain. Three now, you see where he 00:08:50.009 --> 00:08:53.009 talks about it being delivered. Say, for I delivered 00:08:53.009 --> 00:08:56.549 to you, first of all, in the NLT says most importantly, 00:08:56.870 --> 00:09:00.330 most importantly, that which I have also received, 00:09:01.370 --> 00:09:04.929 that Christ died for our sins according to the 00:09:04.929 --> 00:09:07.409 scriptures. Let's look at four. It says, and 00:09:07.409 --> 00:09:11.269 that he was buried. and that he rose again on 00:09:11.269 --> 00:09:13.169 the third day according to the scriptures. Stop 00:09:13.169 --> 00:09:18.429 there. He's laying a foundation to address a 00:09:18.429 --> 00:09:21.929 certain issue. Because some people had come around 00:09:21.929 --> 00:09:25.570 to say, why do they believe in the resurrection 00:09:25.570 --> 00:09:28.889 of the dead? Why do they believe in it? And noted 00:09:28.889 --> 00:09:32.750 at the root of that is if you don't believe in 00:09:32.750 --> 00:09:34.210 the resurrection of the dead, which is what he 00:09:34.210 --> 00:09:36.889 starts the chapter because this chapter goes 00:09:36.889 --> 00:09:40.419 down to eight. This chapter goes down from 1 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:45.419 to 58 58 he starts to because it's very important 00:09:45.419 --> 00:09:49.899 and he takes his time to talk and Explain why 00:09:49.899 --> 00:09:52.399 if you hold on to that doctrine, we're gonna 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:55.440 look at that We are gonna do just a big bit of 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:58.860 a recap if you hold on to that doctrine that 00:09:58.860 --> 00:10:02.860 false doctrine You are undermining the truth 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:08.019 Praise God means that if you swallow a lie the 00:10:08.989 --> 00:10:11.549 The consequence is that you will be leaving a 00:10:11.549 --> 00:10:15.470 lie and walking in a lie. And that's why He challenges 00:10:15.470 --> 00:10:18.169 them. Say, look, this thing was passed to you, 00:10:18.350 --> 00:10:21.009 except if you're saying it is in vain, but if 00:10:21.009 --> 00:10:23.529 you had received this that was passed to you, 00:10:23.730 --> 00:10:26.509 then walk in it. Then walk in it. Don't allow 00:10:26.509 --> 00:10:29.169 somebody to lie to you. Don't allow somebody 00:10:29.169 --> 00:10:33.169 to lie to you. Praise God. And when a day and 00:10:33.169 --> 00:10:35.990 an age where... a lot of people are peddling 00:10:35.990 --> 00:10:39.429 lies and if you're not careful you will swallow 00:10:39.429 --> 00:10:41.529 a lie and leave with the consequence of that 00:10:41.529 --> 00:10:45.370 lie. Praise God. And he establishes that and 00:10:45.370 --> 00:10:49.049 he goes on and on and on and on till he explains 00:10:49.049 --> 00:10:50.509 and first and foremost he establishes the fact 00:10:50.509 --> 00:10:54.009 that Christ resurrected. Right? Which is what 00:10:54.009 --> 00:10:56.690 he starts to build here. Christ resurrected and 00:10:56.690 --> 00:10:59.789 if he did resurrect means that anyone that believes 00:11:00.410 --> 00:11:02.789 in Him will also be resurrected. They will not 00:11:02.789 --> 00:11:05.110 die. And that's why He uses the word. They're 00:11:05.110 --> 00:11:08.490 very careful. You see the word sleep. He used 00:11:08.490 --> 00:11:11.450 the word sleep to communicate death because when 00:11:11.450 --> 00:11:14.289 we hear death, we feel everyone here will say 00:11:14.289 --> 00:11:16.549 this person is normal. But there's something, 00:11:17.129 --> 00:11:19.549 because of the hope that we have, because of 00:11:19.549 --> 00:11:21.990 the hope that we have, we understand that death 00:11:21.990 --> 00:11:24.799 is not the end of the story. But it's the beginning 00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:27.100 of something better. Praise God. But it paves 00:11:27.100 --> 00:11:28.639 way for the beginning, for something better. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:32.940 Praise God. And we see that in the verse 58 of 00:11:32.940 --> 00:11:35.919 this same chapter, he concludes with a dear four. 00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:40.779 He says, dear four, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:46.460 immovable, always abounding in the walk of the 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:50.059 Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain 00:11:50.059 --> 00:11:53.100 in the Lord. Praise God. Knowing that your labor 00:11:53.100 --> 00:11:55.700 is not in vain in the Lord because certain things 00:11:55.700 --> 00:12:01.659 will come to fight against or oppose or oppose 00:12:01.659 --> 00:12:04.279 the truth that you have received. You oppose 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:06.220 the truth that you are holding on to. Certain 00:12:06.220 --> 00:12:09.419 things will oppose it, but you have a responsibility 00:12:09.419 --> 00:12:12.500 to contend. Right? You have a responsibility 00:12:12.500 --> 00:12:16.200 to contend. Some other translation will say defend 00:12:16.200 --> 00:12:19.970 the faith. Because if you're holding on to something, 00:12:20.950 --> 00:12:24.009 you know that someone really wants what you have 00:12:24.009 --> 00:12:26.769 if it's something of value. Praise God. You have 00:12:26.769 --> 00:12:30.769 to defend it. You have to hold it like your life 00:12:30.769 --> 00:12:32.970 depends on it. And it says, stand fast, which 00:12:32.970 --> 00:12:35.929 is on our translation, we'll say be strong. Right? 00:12:36.649 --> 00:12:39.090 Immovable, always abounding. What we should be 00:12:39.090 --> 00:12:41.909 abounding in is the walk. And there's a walk. 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:44.759 Praise God. There's a walk to be done. I was 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:46.879 very grateful to God for that, brother, because 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:49.580 there's walk. There are people that need to hear 00:12:49.580 --> 00:12:52.559 the gospel, right? There are people in your family 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:56.679 that need to be strong, to hold on, to keep. 00:12:56.899 --> 00:12:59.179 There are a lot of lies that will put people 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:01.500 at a point of disadvantage when they have a lot 00:13:01.500 --> 00:13:04.720 to be grateful for, a lot to be thankful for, 00:13:04.940 --> 00:13:08.879 a lot to live for. Praise God. We have a lot 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.720 to live for. We have a lot to do and we want 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:14.610 to stay in that place of doing the work. It says, 00:13:14.629 --> 00:13:17.049 immovable, always abounding in the work of the 00:13:17.049 --> 00:13:20.509 Lord. And all of this statement goes to prove 00:13:20.509 --> 00:13:23.649 that there will be oppositions. There will be 00:13:23.649 --> 00:13:26.830 oppositions. Hence the need for bravery. Hence 00:13:26.830 --> 00:13:29.750 the need to be brave. Hence the need to contend. 00:13:30.009 --> 00:13:33.970 I want us to see in Jude, and we will see this 00:13:33.970 --> 00:13:37.710 in Jude 1 verse 3. I want us to see that even 00:13:37.710 --> 00:13:42.039 the Apostle Peter also addresses individuals 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:45.480 that will come to peddle false doctrines, false 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:49.379 teachings. In Jude 2, it does the same. Peter 00:13:49.379 --> 00:13:53.240 in 2 Peter verse 2 starts and talks, devotes 00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:55.440 a whole chapter to tell you how this is very 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:58.100 important. He dedicates a whole chapter to talking 00:13:58.100 --> 00:14:00.179 and teaching about people that peddle false teachings. 00:14:00.940 --> 00:14:05.679 In Jude 1 -3, we see that it says, Beloved, where 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:09.299 I was very diligent to write to you, concerning 00:14:09.299 --> 00:14:12.519 our common salvation. I found it necessary to 00:14:12.519 --> 00:14:16.460 write to you, exalting you to contend earnestly 00:14:16.460 --> 00:14:22.460 for the faith which was once for all delivered 00:14:22.460 --> 00:14:27.379 to the saints." No, no, no. Go to the second 00:14:27.379 --> 00:14:34.960 verse. That's four. Jude one verse four. Jude. 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:45.000 Okay, it says, for certain men have crept in 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:47.899 unnoticed. It says, for certain men have crept 00:14:47.899 --> 00:14:51.879 in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out, we 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:53.980 discussed this in the cell, their actions is 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:55.980 what placed them in that position. Who long ago 00:14:55.980 --> 00:14:59.779 were marked out for condemnation, ungodly men, 00:15:00.259 --> 00:15:04.399 who turn the grace of God into lewdness and deny 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:09.440 the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:11.899 So notice that there's the characteristics of 00:15:11.899 --> 00:15:15.340 these people. I think the NLT will say they warmed 00:15:15.340 --> 00:15:20.759 from underneath the snorkel. And these people, 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:24.080 they are taking their time to infiltrate, taking 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:26.840 their time to lie, taking their time to do all 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:30.759 manner of things. I think I heard a minister 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:34.940 in the UK one time talking about how a certain 00:15:34.940 --> 00:15:39.000 cult group was infiltrating the churches around 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:41.879 and they were teaching things like, it's okay 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:44.820 to lie if you're going to get away from trouble. 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:46.559 It's okay. They were just teaching all manner 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:49.700 of things and teaching that it's okay to split 00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:53.240 the church. It's not a problem. In fact, they 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:54.820 would go to the school and say there were divisions. 00:15:55.159 --> 00:15:57.679 That's not today. Divisions started. It was just 00:15:57.679 --> 00:16:01.179 communicating all manner of things. And if anyone 00:16:01.179 --> 00:16:07.870 is not holding fast or standing fast. Yes, you'll 00:16:07.870 --> 00:16:09.730 be saved, but you'll be in another direction. 00:16:10.070 --> 00:16:12.570 And as we have been taught, it's not a problem 00:16:12.570 --> 00:16:14.830 for you to, because the devil knows that you 00:16:14.830 --> 00:16:18.950 are already saved, right? But if he can only 00:16:18.950 --> 00:16:22.230 get you to live in error, to live in what is 00:16:22.230 --> 00:16:26.070 not your identity, it's kind of a partial win 00:16:26.070 --> 00:16:31.169 for him. So you want to ensure that you are studious, 00:16:31.570 --> 00:16:35.779 you know what his word for You put yourself on 00:16:35.779 --> 00:16:39.159 the way you'll be taught and learn. Because learning 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:44.179 is important for growth. Nobody grows mentally. 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:46.879 Nobody grows. There's no growth that happens 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:48.940 without any form of learning. If you want to 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:51.639 be trained, you have to learn. Training happens 00:16:51.639 --> 00:16:53.480 by learning. And that's why Apple Support takes 00:16:53.480 --> 00:16:56.759 its time to address the false teachings, the 00:16:56.759 --> 00:16:59.139 false doctrine. And I want us to see something. 00:16:59.299 --> 00:17:01.740 I think I had done this before, but it's... something 00:17:01.740 --> 00:17:04.279 that is important and worth mentioning. The reason 00:17:04.279 --> 00:17:07.599 why, because the Bible that we have is in English 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:10.039 language, and we'll see that when we come to 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:12.859 the text, the key passage, which is, be brave. 00:17:13.400 --> 00:17:15.059 I'm doing all of that just to get us to that 00:17:15.059 --> 00:17:20.039 point. The reason why we go into the use of Greek 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:23.339 words, Hebrew words, is because our Bible that 00:17:23.339 --> 00:17:25.039 we have in our hands is in English language. 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:29.980 And you can miss the richness of what has been 00:17:29.980 --> 00:17:33.630 said if you don't go back to it and see. Because 00:17:33.630 --> 00:17:36.529 in our text or when we read our Bibles, we'll 00:17:36.529 --> 00:17:40.809 see doctrine and teaching. And that one or those 00:17:40.809 --> 00:17:45.490 words used interchangeably can mean three different 00:17:45.490 --> 00:17:48.029 Greek words. It can mean three different Greek 00:17:48.029 --> 00:17:49.829 words and it can communicate, depending on the 00:17:49.829 --> 00:17:52.950 context, something different. Praise God. Something 00:17:52.950 --> 00:17:57.509 different. And we'll see the first of them, which 00:17:57.509 --> 00:18:00.049 is the first of my words I'm talking about is 00:18:00.049 --> 00:18:04.569 doctrine, or teaching. Doctrine or teaching. 00:18:05.329 --> 00:18:08.650 Doctrine or teaching. And one of the words is 00:18:08.650 --> 00:18:15.250 Didache. One of the words is Didache. D -I -D 00:18:15.250 --> 00:18:23.490 -A -C -H -E. D -I -D -A -C -H -E. And this word 00:18:23.490 --> 00:18:28.990 means the content of the teaching or what is 00:18:28.990 --> 00:18:32.210 being taught. The content of the teaching or 00:18:32.210 --> 00:18:35.730 what has been taught. The content of the teaching 00:18:35.730 --> 00:18:37.930 or what has been taught or the truth that has 00:18:37.930 --> 00:18:40.670 been passed down. The content of the teaching 00:18:40.670 --> 00:18:42.849 or what has been taught or the truth that has 00:18:42.849 --> 00:18:46.369 been passed down. And in the gospels, you will 00:18:46.369 --> 00:18:49.009 see where this is used to qualify the teaching. 00:18:49.490 --> 00:18:52.170 And teaching is very important because if nothing 00:18:52.170 --> 00:18:54.210 is passed down, then we have nothing to hold 00:18:54.210 --> 00:18:57.230 on to. Nothing to hold on to and people will 00:18:57.230 --> 00:18:59.210 have nothing to learn because the people that 00:18:59.210 --> 00:19:02.029 are listening Should and are always expected 00:19:02.029 --> 00:19:04.190 to be learning Should and are always expected 00:19:04.190 --> 00:19:06.450 to be learning and the gospel will see a couple 00:19:06.450 --> 00:19:08.410 of times where this is used for Jesus Christ 00:19:08.410 --> 00:19:12.970 in Matthew 7 28 in Matthew 7 28 we see that it 00:19:12.970 --> 00:19:17.950 says and so it was when Jesus had ended these 00:19:17.950 --> 00:19:21.509 sayings, the people were astonished at his teaching. 00:19:21.789 --> 00:19:24.369 The people were astonished at his teaching, meaning 00:19:24.369 --> 00:19:27.369 that when he taught, there was something about 00:19:27.369 --> 00:19:29.250 the way he taught. There was something about 00:19:29.250 --> 00:19:31.710 the teachings that was coming forth from his 00:19:31.710 --> 00:19:37.230 mouth. In Matthew 22, 33, we see again, it says, 00:19:37.369 --> 00:19:39.890 and the multitude heard this, and they were astonished 00:19:39.890 --> 00:19:42.579 at his teaching. They were astonished at his 00:19:42.579 --> 00:19:44.960 teaching. And then also we'll see another Greek 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:48.900 word, the second one, which is Didascalia. The 00:19:48.900 --> 00:19:52.779 second Greek word is Didascalia. D -I -D -A. 00:19:52.859 --> 00:19:59.960 They sound alike. D -I -D -A -S -K -A -L -I -A. 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:09.220 D -I -D -A -S -K -A -L -I -A. And this one is 00:20:09.309 --> 00:20:13.650 The activity of teaching or learning speaks about 00:20:13.650 --> 00:20:16.630 the process of instruction. The activity of teaching 00:20:16.630 --> 00:20:19.529 or learning and speaks of the process of instructions. 00:20:19.730 --> 00:20:24.730 And sometimes it can be used to communicate content 00:20:24.730 --> 00:20:28.170 like the other one did here. Sometimes it can 00:20:28.170 --> 00:20:30.950 be used and this one was used mostly by the Apostle 00:20:30.950 --> 00:20:33.069 Paul. It was used mostly by the Apostle Paul 00:20:33.069 --> 00:20:37.329 and he's the one that wrote the book, the main 00:20:37.329 --> 00:20:41.079 book that we're looking at. And Paul will use 00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:44.259 it extensively, especially in Timothy, we use 00:20:44.259 --> 00:20:47.660 it extensively on how to teach, how to protect 00:20:47.660 --> 00:20:50.700 and preserve sound doctrine. He uses it a lot. 00:20:50.980 --> 00:20:54.180 And we'll see the first use of it in 2 Timothy 00:20:54.180 --> 00:20:59.799 4. 2 Timothy 4, we'll look at 2 to 5. 2 Timothy 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:03.180 4, 2 to 5, and we'll see how the 2 even appears 00:21:03.180 --> 00:21:07.500 in this. 2 Timothy 2 to 5. So preach the word 00:21:07.740 --> 00:21:11.619 Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:15.660 rebuke, exalt with all long -suffering and teaching. 00:21:15.740 --> 00:21:20.539 The teaching there is Didache. It says, for the 00:21:20.539 --> 00:21:24.539 time will come when they will not endure sound 00:21:24.539 --> 00:21:28.039 doctrine. Sound doctrine there is Didascalia. 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:30.279 Sound doctrine. The time will come when they 00:21:30.279 --> 00:21:32.920 will not endure sound doctrine. But according 00:21:32.920 --> 00:21:36.539 to their own desires, because of because they 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:40.440 have itching ears they will heap up for themselves 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:45.079 teachers and they will turn their ears away from 00:21:45.079 --> 00:21:53.039 the truth and be turned aside to fables but you 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:55.819 be watchful in all things praise god it says 00:21:55.819 --> 00:22:00.099 but you be watchful in all things but you be 00:22:00.099 --> 00:22:04.400 watchful in all things endure afflictions Do 00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:08.319 the work of an evangelist fulfill your ministry 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:10.700 fulfill your ministry So we'll see and there 00:22:10.700 --> 00:22:12.700 are many other instances where he uses that But 00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:15.259 I just want us to just do this quickly and then 00:22:15.259 --> 00:22:18.839 go to the third one. The third one is hetero 00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:22.359 didascaleo The third one is hetero didascaleo 00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:37.660 hetero H E T E R O D I D A S K -A -L -E -O. Very 00:22:37.660 --> 00:22:40.380 similar to the Daskalia, but the Daskalia with 00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:44.660 the hetero in front of it. And this is to teach 00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:48.380 something other than what is correct. Teach something 00:22:48.380 --> 00:22:50.859 other than the truth or deviate from the truth. 00:22:51.579 --> 00:22:53.500 teach something other than the truth or deviate 00:22:53.500 --> 00:22:55.900 from the truth. And the hetero there means different 00:22:55.900 --> 00:22:59.019 than the dascalio there means to teach. So you 00:22:59.019 --> 00:23:01.019 are teaching something different, something other 00:23:01.019 --> 00:23:04.000 than the truth. And the two places where this 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:07.039 appears is in the book of Timothy where I think 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:11.140 Apostle Paul is the one that uses that. In 1 00:23:11.140 --> 00:23:24.400 Timothy 1 verse 3 says, charge some that they 00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:28.079 teach no other doctrine that they teach no other 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:30.880 doctrine that that they teach no other doctrine 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:34.579 is the hetero didascaleo so that whole phrase 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:37.819 is the hetero didascaleo so it's a compound word 00:23:37.819 --> 00:23:42.339 and notice that it's one word explaining a phrase 00:23:42.339 --> 00:23:44.519 just one word qualifying and that's to tell you 00:23:44.519 --> 00:23:46.380 the richness of these languages and that's why 00:23:46.380 --> 00:23:49.599 you have different translation or different interpretations 00:23:50.200 --> 00:23:52.579 of the Bible, and I will get to that. We will 00:23:52.579 --> 00:23:57.619 see that very soon. In 1 Timothy 6 verse 3, he 00:23:57.619 --> 00:24:02.980 says, If anyone teaches otherwise, that teaches 00:24:02.980 --> 00:24:06.660 otherwise is hetero didascaleo, that teaches 00:24:06.660 --> 00:24:09.099 otherwise is hetero didascaleo, and does not 00:24:09.099 --> 00:24:11.599 consent to wholesome words, that is the truth, 00:24:11.980 --> 00:24:15.880 even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. And 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:19.740 to the doctrine, doctrine dna didascaleo, which 00:24:20.470 --> 00:24:24.670 accords with godliness. So we see him bringing 00:24:24.670 --> 00:24:26.670 our attention to the fact that you can have people 00:24:26.670 --> 00:24:29.349 teach other things and if you are saying all 00:24:29.349 --> 00:24:31.549 of that it means that we should be careful of 00:24:31.549 --> 00:24:33.529 what it is that we are entertaining or listening 00:24:33.529 --> 00:24:41.009 to and we cannot we cannot effectively know what 00:24:41.009 --> 00:24:44.730 is false if we don't know the truth because to 00:24:44.730 --> 00:24:46.730 anybody that doesn't know the truth everything 00:24:46.730 --> 00:24:51.029 is truth. Praise God. Everything is true. Hence 00:24:51.029 --> 00:24:54.190 the need. And we charged us on the church. We 00:24:54.190 --> 00:24:56.589 said, okay, the church, we're doing a canonical, 00:24:56.890 --> 00:24:59.230 right? And we're reading the books. We're reading 00:24:59.230 --> 00:25:02.089 the books in the Bible and we have started from 00:25:02.089 --> 00:25:05.430 January. And in the cell, we're like, where are 00:25:05.430 --> 00:25:07.829 we now? Some people are still in Job. Some people 00:25:07.829 --> 00:25:09.910 are somewhere in Genesis. Some people are somewhere 00:25:09.910 --> 00:25:12.410 around, somewhere, somewhere. We're in the book 00:25:12.410 --> 00:25:14.910 of Psalms. We're in the book of Psalms and we 00:25:14.910 --> 00:25:16.930 have been... moving and moving and moving. And 00:25:16.930 --> 00:25:19.849 Psalms is a lengthy book, praise God! And you 00:25:19.849 --> 00:25:23.490 don't want to look back and give up. So, you 00:25:23.490 --> 00:25:27.269 want to continue and today was five, I think 00:25:27.269 --> 00:25:29.589 the beginning of Psalms, we were introduced into 00:25:29.589 --> 00:25:32.990 Psalms with eight chapters, eight whole chapters. 00:25:33.109 --> 00:25:35.250 I think some people are doing one, two, three 00:25:35.250 --> 00:25:37.789 and all of a sudden, ha! Eight chapters! So, 00:25:37.930 --> 00:25:39.910 that is the journey we have to take to get to 00:25:39.910 --> 00:25:41.690 the promised land at the end of the year. Praise 00:25:41.690 --> 00:25:44.430 God. And you want to stay consistent. You want 00:25:44.430 --> 00:25:49.589 to keep at it. I think for the first year, if 00:25:49.589 --> 00:25:51.349 it's your first time, you struggle. But once 00:25:51.349 --> 00:25:53.589 you get used to the routine, it's very important 00:25:53.589 --> 00:25:55.950 that we discipline ourselves. It's a discipline. 00:25:56.029 --> 00:25:58.809 It's a discipline that we have to and we... And 00:25:58.809 --> 00:26:01.650 if you're struggling, don't struggle in silence. 00:26:01.710 --> 00:26:03.890 Don't wait until we ask you before we discover 00:26:03.890 --> 00:26:05.630 that you have fallen somewhere along the way. 00:26:06.029 --> 00:26:07.990 We want to carry everybody along. We want everybody 00:26:07.990 --> 00:26:10.049 to be carried along. So, choose to be carried 00:26:10.049 --> 00:26:13.069 along. So, we see that Apostle Paul does all 00:26:13.069 --> 00:26:18.009 of this. Or, Apostle Paul takes his time and 00:26:18.009 --> 00:26:21.430 energy explaining, teaching, ensuring that people 00:26:21.430 --> 00:26:23.990 don't fall by the wayside. People don't enter 00:26:23.990 --> 00:26:27.109 into error. And in the book of Corinthians, he 00:26:27.079 --> 00:26:29.819 takes his time to address several issues. We 00:26:29.819 --> 00:26:31.579 talked about the first, which is the fact that 00:26:31.579 --> 00:26:33.240 people are looking at division. Somebody says, 00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:34.740 I'm for this person. The other person says, I'm 00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:37.039 for that person. We see all of those things. 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:39.980 It doesn't help the work go forward. If you're 00:26:39.980 --> 00:26:42.319 doing, if you're solving problems in the house, 00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:44.400 you cannot solve problems outside. You cannot 00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:46.839 go and meet people's needs outside. You are always 00:26:46.839 --> 00:26:49.019 resolving one issue or the other issue in the 00:26:49.019 --> 00:26:51.299 house. It doesn't help the work move forward. 00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:54.559 And then we see him addressing even issues around, 00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:57.680 because with false doctrine was one. Divisions 00:26:57.680 --> 00:27:00.220 was another. We see him addressing issues around 00:27:00.220 --> 00:27:04.039 temptation from the surrounding cultures. Temptation 00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:06.420 from the surrounding cultures. So we see that 00:27:06.420 --> 00:27:08.319 around the culture, there's always this constant 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:11.880 pressure. And even in this day and age, we have 00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:14.319 the same thing because we are in the same world. 00:27:14.579 --> 00:27:16.759 So there's always a pressure for one thing or 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:19.660 the other. And yet system, they had different 00:27:19.660 --> 00:27:23.200 idols. They had different idols. They have the 00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:25.680 whole thing of sexual immorality. That was a 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:28.079 big thing. in the city and it's still a big thing 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:30.720 today in the world that we're living in. And 00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:33.339 hence the charge to stand fast, hence the charge 00:27:33.339 --> 00:27:36.799 to watch, to stand fast, to be brave and be strong 00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:41.779 because it takes boldness. You have to be bold 00:27:41.779 --> 00:27:46.720 to stand. In fact, you have to watch first and 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:50.450 foremost to be able to... be standing on something, 00:27:50.529 --> 00:27:52.109 right? You have to be watching what people are 00:27:52.109 --> 00:27:54.289 saying and you want to always be checking what 00:27:54.289 --> 00:27:56.029 exactly it is they're doing. You want to be very 00:27:56.029 --> 00:27:59.109 conscious of that. And in 1 Corinthians 10, 14, 00:27:59.369 --> 00:28:03.829 he says, therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 00:28:04.950 --> 00:28:07.170 Here you have the proof that he was addressing. 00:28:07.269 --> 00:28:12.789 See, flee from idolatry. He says, flee, flee. 00:28:12.849 --> 00:28:17.329 That word there to flee is fugle. Sounds like 00:28:17.329 --> 00:28:25.450 fugle. Fugo is P -H -E -U -G -O. Fugo. P -H -E 00:28:25.450 --> 00:28:29.430 -U -G -O. And the word there means to run away. 00:28:29.730 --> 00:28:32.269 I think everybody knows that the flea means to 00:28:32.269 --> 00:28:35.930 run away. And it can be literal. It can be figurative. 00:28:36.410 --> 00:28:39.230 And by implication, it means to shun. It means 00:28:39.230 --> 00:28:42.089 you can look away, right? When somebody does 00:28:42.089 --> 00:28:45.730 something in it, just look away. And the analogy 00:28:45.730 --> 00:28:49.180 also means to vanish. The flea. Like you saw 00:28:49.180 --> 00:28:50.759 somebody and you did not see the person again. 00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:53.920 I think animation helps our imagination. You 00:28:53.920 --> 00:28:57.119 don't see them again. So you want to have that 00:28:57.119 --> 00:28:59.420 mindset, escape. You want to always have that 00:28:59.420 --> 00:29:02.460 mindset of, when I'm faced with something as 00:29:02.460 --> 00:29:05.900 an error, don't entertain it. Don't entertain 00:29:05.900 --> 00:29:08.599 it. Don't entertain it. I'm saying it again, 00:29:08.640 --> 00:29:11.599 don't entertain it. Because the moment you entertain, 00:29:11.740 --> 00:29:13.559 I think our lead pastor was teaching us, the 00:29:13.559 --> 00:29:16.819 moment you start entertaining, something you're 00:29:16.819 --> 00:29:19.819 giving them audience and the words will take 00:29:19.819 --> 00:29:23.440 root and before you know it you they have you 00:29:23.440 --> 00:29:25.160 it's like if you don't want to buy something 00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:27.400 i think those of us that do market when you're 00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:29.160 somebody's trying to sell you something you know 00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:31.660 if you say i don't need it and you hush them 00:29:31.660 --> 00:29:33.640 you know that would be the end of it but some 00:29:33.640 --> 00:29:35.740 people are persistent they will keep coming at 00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:39.000 you but if you listen and listen and listen a 00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:40.759 part of you will say i think i need this thing 00:29:40.759 --> 00:29:44.000 and then you will give into it but At first, 00:29:44.359 --> 00:29:46.519 your first response was the actual response because 00:29:46.519 --> 00:29:48.680 you actually didn't need it. But because you 00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:52.559 entertained the whole talk, it now got to a place. 00:29:52.579 --> 00:29:54.660 That's why you don't entertain certain things. 00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:57.119 Because you know that this is error, you don't 00:29:57.119 --> 00:29:59.519 even give attention to it. You don't give attention 00:29:59.519 --> 00:30:02.019 to it. Very important, you don't give attention 00:30:02.019 --> 00:30:05.359 to it. And we see that retreating, sometimes 00:30:05.359 --> 00:30:08.039 when we say retreating, we say, oh, it's not 00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:12.079 brave to retreat. Notice that even in the military, 00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:15.900 there are strategies that involve retreating 00:30:15.900 --> 00:30:19.400 so that you can be able to win. Right? Retreating 00:30:19.400 --> 00:30:22.279 looks like defeat. It looks at the go you like 00:30:22.279 --> 00:30:25.000 why they're running away. They're lost. Right? 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:27.839 But we see even in scripture a strategy that 00:30:27.839 --> 00:30:29.740 was employed in Georgia by the children of Israel 00:30:29.740 --> 00:30:32.880 against the benjamite. In fact, the children 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:35.299 of Israel had lost a couple of times to the benjamite. 00:30:35.740 --> 00:30:38.039 And because they had lost, they had to come up 00:30:38.039 --> 00:30:41.299 with a plan. And they came up with a plan to 00:30:41.299 --> 00:30:44.210 retreat. And then the benjamats will think that 00:30:44.210 --> 00:30:46.450 we're winning as before. And for some of us will 00:30:46.450 --> 00:30:49.390 think like, oh, I've done this before. It's nothing. 00:30:50.130 --> 00:30:53.109 And then you almost will entertain something 00:30:53.109 --> 00:30:54.769 you shouldn't even entertain in the first place. 00:30:55.589 --> 00:30:58.369 And the result is that you'll be, because what 00:30:58.369 --> 00:30:59.910 had happened is that when they say, oh, this 00:30:59.910 --> 00:31:01.490 power retreating, then there was a smoke. You 00:31:01.490 --> 00:31:03.769 can read that in judges 20. I don't want to go 00:31:03.769 --> 00:31:07.069 into more details, but notice that. Fleeing from 00:31:07.069 --> 00:31:09.009 a situation or running away from a situation 00:31:09.009 --> 00:31:11.609 is not a sign of weakness. It's you trying to 00:31:11.609 --> 00:31:13.609 preserve yourself because you know this is error. 00:31:14.829 --> 00:31:17.769 Praise God. And we need to come to the consciousness 00:31:17.769 --> 00:31:20.349 of the fact that, you know, sometimes some people, 00:31:20.490 --> 00:31:22.049 you're just full of yourself. You think that 00:31:22.049 --> 00:31:25.490 I can handle. I can handle it. I can handle it. 00:31:25.890 --> 00:31:30.829 And we see in contrast the three Hebrew boys 00:31:30.829 --> 00:31:34.890 in Daniel 3. In Daniel 3, we see the three Hebrew 00:31:34.890 --> 00:31:39.730 boys, and I want us to just look at Daniel 3, 00:31:39.730 --> 00:31:43.529 12 and 16. We'll come back to this at some point 00:31:43.529 --> 00:31:45.089 in time in the teaching, but I just want us to 00:31:45.089 --> 00:32:05.740 look at this. to do to you they do not serve 00:32:05.740 --> 00:32:09.420 your gods or worship the golden image which you 00:32:09.420 --> 00:32:13.500 have set let's go just jump to 16 let's just 00:32:13.500 --> 00:32:16.259 leave it at 16 just jump to 16 and he's saying 00:32:16.259 --> 00:32:18.740 that these people don't have a regard because 00:32:18.740 --> 00:32:22.819 they they had grown up and been trained to serve 00:32:22.819 --> 00:32:25.960 the only god the living god and then now someone 00:32:25.960 --> 00:32:28.509 presents to them an idol and says they should 00:32:28.509 --> 00:32:29.930 worship the idol, they should bow down to the 00:32:29.930 --> 00:32:31.869 idol. And we see that this resolve didn't start 00:32:31.869 --> 00:32:33.950 here. In the first chapter of this book, you 00:32:33.950 --> 00:32:37.089 see that they made a resolve to not do certain 00:32:37.089 --> 00:32:41.609 things contrary to the God that they serve. Anything 00:32:41.609 --> 00:32:44.549 you want to do, if you don't make a resolve, 00:32:45.829 --> 00:32:48.109 if you don't make a resolve, you are setting 00:32:48.109 --> 00:32:51.670 up yourself for anything that comes. In anything 00:32:51.670 --> 00:32:54.920 you want to do. If you say, I resolve, that I 00:32:54.920 --> 00:32:57.539 will serve God, I resolve that I will fear Him, 00:32:57.640 --> 00:32:59.960 I resolve that I will do His will, that is a 00:32:59.960 --> 00:33:02.119 resolve that will determine how far you will 00:33:02.119 --> 00:33:06.019 go with that. But once you do otherwise or say 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:09.059 anything goes, nobody makes any progress with 00:33:09.059 --> 00:33:11.940 anything goes. Anything goes will mean that you 00:33:11.940 --> 00:33:15.119 will do a lot of work but no results. Praise 00:33:15.119 --> 00:33:17.039 God. You'll do a lot of work and no result and 00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:20.819 this is a resolve that this man had made. And 00:33:20.819 --> 00:33:23.480 we know them, or they are properly known as Shadrach, 00:33:23.500 --> 00:33:25.640 Meshach, and Abednego, but their Hebrew names 00:33:25.640 --> 00:33:29.099 are Hananeah, Meshael, and Zechariah. The names 00:33:29.099 --> 00:33:30.940 that we see or the names that we know them for 00:33:30.940 --> 00:33:32.559 are the names, the Babylonian names, the names 00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:35.579 that were given to them. And this man spoke boldly. 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:38.440 We see them speaking boldly. They didn't just 00:33:38.440 --> 00:33:41.500 act, they spoke. And what we're going to be seeing 00:33:41.500 --> 00:33:45.960 in this teaching is that bravery comes from a 00:33:45.960 --> 00:33:49.740 place of decision. Bravery comes from a place 00:33:49.740 --> 00:33:53.119 of decision, but bravery also has the place of 00:33:53.119 --> 00:33:56.259 action. And boldness is where we see bravery 00:33:56.259 --> 00:34:00.019 manifest in your speaking. Boldness is where 00:34:00.019 --> 00:34:03.539 we see bravery manifest in your speaking. Boldness 00:34:03.539 --> 00:34:05.259 is where we see bravery manifest in your speaking. 00:34:05.740 --> 00:34:08.840 And we see Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered 00:34:08.840 --> 00:34:11.219 and said to the king, that's when the king told 00:34:11.219 --> 00:34:13.960 them, he says, Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need 00:34:13.960 --> 00:34:17.480 to answer you in this matter. They were challenged. 00:34:17.579 --> 00:34:18.920 They were said, okay, why don't you want to bow 00:34:18.920 --> 00:34:21.619 down to this? So they had now take a stand. It 00:34:21.619 --> 00:34:25.579 will look like, you know, they acknowledge the 00:34:25.579 --> 00:34:32.619 fact that yes, they are faulted, but they don't 00:34:32.619 --> 00:34:35.960 want to even engage. And we know the story. We 00:34:35.960 --> 00:34:39.460 see how God delivered them. And here is a picture 00:34:39.460 --> 00:34:43.880 of bravery. Here's a picture of bravery. You 00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:47.280 have what you believe. and you stand for it. 00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:50.079 You have what you believe, you hold on to it 00:34:50.079 --> 00:34:55.260 and you stand for it against all odds. Against 00:34:55.260 --> 00:34:57.840 all odds. And anytime I think of this story, 00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:03.760 what I see is that all the people that bow down 00:35:03.760 --> 00:35:09.179 to the image, we don't hear of them. Right? We 00:35:09.179 --> 00:35:10.900 only hear of the people that did something different. 00:35:11.000 --> 00:35:12.980 It's the same thing with people that protest. 00:35:13.260 --> 00:35:16.199 or people that do anybody that fights you the 00:35:16.199 --> 00:35:18.860 people because it's you're fighting against something 00:35:18.860 --> 00:35:21.400 you're fighting against a regime or something 00:35:21.400 --> 00:35:25.320 that is going wrong and you do that It costs 00:35:25.320 --> 00:35:28.159 you it's not comfortable It's not comfortable 00:35:28.159 --> 00:35:31.139 to do what they did and nobody should convince 00:35:31.139 --> 00:35:32.800 you to think that if it's not comfortable then 00:35:32.800 --> 00:35:36.920 it's not good Praise god because we can get to 00:35:36.920 --> 00:35:38.500 that point where we think that if something is 00:35:38.500 --> 00:35:41.340 not comfortable if something is not convenient 00:35:41.340 --> 00:35:50.260 then I was just given. And Apostle Paul, the 00:35:50.260 --> 00:35:53.079 one thing I came here because he encourages to 00:35:53.079 --> 00:35:55.440 flee. But we see these people not just fleeing, 00:35:55.679 --> 00:35:58.539 there's a mindset. They stood because they will 00:35:58.539 --> 00:36:00.360 be bowing down to something they don't believe 00:36:00.360 --> 00:36:02.380 in. And if they don't believe in it, they don't 00:36:02.380 --> 00:36:05.079 bow, they are not going to bow down to it. And 00:36:05.079 --> 00:36:07.420 the image is an image that Nebuchadnezzar had 00:36:07.420 --> 00:36:09.869 made. It's something that a man had made. I think 00:36:09.869 --> 00:36:13.710 I saw something yesterday. I can't remember. 00:36:14.030 --> 00:36:15.769 The person was asking me, like, why do you wear 00:36:15.769 --> 00:36:19.750 this? He said he wears it for protection. So 00:36:19.750 --> 00:36:22.909 he was like, you wear it for protection. Is it 00:36:22.909 --> 00:36:24.469 not something that a man made that you're wearing 00:36:24.469 --> 00:36:27.269 for protection? He says, okay, what if you lose 00:36:27.269 --> 00:36:30.630 it? Say you buy another one. As you buy another 00:36:30.630 --> 00:36:32.949 one and to keep protecting yourself. He says, 00:36:33.110 --> 00:36:37.219 I believe God to protect me. That's basically 00:36:37.219 --> 00:36:39.019 what I believe. I don't believe the thing that 00:36:39.019 --> 00:36:41.199 God created will create something that will protect 00:36:41.199 --> 00:36:44.960 me. And that understanding is what should tailor, 00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:48.039 because the problem is that we sometimes say 00:36:48.039 --> 00:36:51.659 we trust God in our words, but in our actions, 00:36:51.900 --> 00:36:56.360 we do otherwise. We do otherwise. And it's very 00:36:56.360 --> 00:36:59.659 practical. It's very practical. As we're going 00:36:59.659 --> 00:37:02.460 to look at this thing called being brave, we'll 00:37:02.460 --> 00:37:04.659 see something. I was thinking about it, I said, 00:37:07.019 --> 00:37:12.460 If someone That you know or let's let's make 00:37:12.460 --> 00:37:15.739 it yeah if a friend that you know that is rich 00:37:15.739 --> 00:37:18.659 Tells you to do something that requires a lot 00:37:18.659 --> 00:37:21.800 of money He tells you to do something request 00:37:21.800 --> 00:37:25.500 a little Because you have knowledge of one singular 00:37:25.500 --> 00:37:28.519 fact that that person has the money to fund it 00:37:28.519 --> 00:37:30.760 and he's the one that Instructed you to do it. 00:37:30.860 --> 00:37:33.039 You know that you're not you're not you're not 00:37:33.039 --> 00:37:36.800 be afraid I think I was telling my wife, I said, 00:37:37.159 --> 00:37:39.400 the best thing to say is just go to your cars 00:37:39.400 --> 00:37:43.480 and say you will buy the place. You know, as 00:37:43.480 --> 00:37:46.519 damning as that will be, buy up a place of some, 00:37:46.639 --> 00:37:48.699 like, you will go there because you know who 00:37:48.699 --> 00:37:52.139 instructed you. Right? You will go there and 00:37:52.139 --> 00:37:54.119 you will, in fact, you might not have anything 00:37:54.119 --> 00:37:56.800 on you. But the way you enter that place and 00:37:56.800 --> 00:37:59.880 say, you guys are going to be my new staff, you 00:37:59.880 --> 00:38:01.699 start talking to them with some kind of audacity. 00:38:02.699 --> 00:38:05.699 because you know something that probably the 00:38:05.699 --> 00:38:07.760 people around that you're talking to don't know. 00:38:07.980 --> 00:38:10.860 Praise God! And when we say that for someone, 00:38:10.900 --> 00:38:14.019 even when you say, okay, your father, your Eddie 00:38:14.019 --> 00:38:15.400 father, because you know what your Eddie father 00:38:15.400 --> 00:38:18.300 is capable of doing, when he says, okay, start 00:38:18.300 --> 00:38:20.139 looking for an admission to come to North Cyprus, 00:38:20.380 --> 00:38:22.800 you know you will go ahead. But if there's nothing, 00:38:22.820 --> 00:38:24.719 you know that there's no, there's a place where 00:38:24.719 --> 00:38:28.400 you say, let's just do it just to respect, but 00:38:28.400 --> 00:38:30.039 you know that there's no, there's no going to 00:38:30.039 --> 00:38:31.909 come, nothing's going to come out. Because you 00:38:31.909 --> 00:38:34.289 know what, or you believe that for Him to tell 00:38:34.289 --> 00:38:35.409 you, you know that something's going to come 00:38:35.409 --> 00:38:38.670 out of it. Praise God. How much more Heavenly 00:38:38.670 --> 00:38:42.670 Father? And then He tells you to trust Him. And 00:38:42.670 --> 00:38:45.170 we'll see that as a team, a very consistent team 00:38:45.170 --> 00:38:49.269 that are anchored on our, we are able to trust 00:38:49.269 --> 00:38:52.550 Him because He's true to His Word. We're able 00:38:52.550 --> 00:38:56.989 to trust Him because He has never broken or failed 00:38:56.989 --> 00:38:59.429 to keep His promise. We're able to trust Him 00:38:59.429 --> 00:39:02.760 because When He says something, He backs it up 00:39:02.760 --> 00:39:05.480 with actions. When He says something, He backs 00:39:05.480 --> 00:39:10.960 it up with actions. And we see this because it's 00:39:10.960 --> 00:39:14.019 easy for you to make something an idol because 00:39:14.019 --> 00:39:15.539 you feel like you're getting some results from 00:39:15.539 --> 00:39:17.820 that thing. But I want you to know something 00:39:17.820 --> 00:39:21.820 that anything you place above God is what qualifies 00:39:21.820 --> 00:39:25.940 as an idol. Anything you place above God, anything 00:39:25.940 --> 00:39:32.969 that you are willing to trade for God, You are 00:39:32.969 --> 00:39:36.349 in the grip of that thing and it takes that place 00:39:36.349 --> 00:39:41.349 of an idol. It's an idol. Because for them, in 00:39:41.349 --> 00:39:44.150 their age, it's them bowing to something as an 00:39:44.150 --> 00:39:47.730 idol. But in this day and age, we can easily 00:39:47.730 --> 00:39:52.449 trade God for people. We do it. We just easily 00:39:52.449 --> 00:39:57.650 shift and put God in that place. Which communicates 00:39:57.650 --> 00:40:06.900 lack of trust? in God. And we see when you are 00:40:06.900 --> 00:40:11.800 faced with a difficulty and you resort to other 00:40:11.800 --> 00:40:15.280 things to find your way out rather than God, 00:40:16.039 --> 00:40:18.219 someone says you don't run to the throne, you 00:40:18.219 --> 00:40:21.539 run to the phone. When you resort to other things, 00:40:21.679 --> 00:40:24.880 we're not saying that it's bad too, but we're 00:40:24.880 --> 00:40:27.250 saying that What is your stance? What is your 00:40:27.250 --> 00:40:29.750 posture? Are you already in panic mode? We read 00:40:29.750 --> 00:40:34.070 Philippians 4 verse 4. Are you worrying? Is anxiety 00:40:34.070 --> 00:40:37.690 the motivation of your action? Is anxiety why 00:40:37.690 --> 00:40:39.510 you're picking up that phone to call and then 00:40:39.510 --> 00:40:41.349 you transfer the panic to the other person at 00:40:41.349 --> 00:40:45.309 the other line? Is that what is motivating your 00:40:45.309 --> 00:40:49.170 stance or your decision? And very importantly, 00:40:50.469 --> 00:40:55.150 if you are finding the words You are making up 00:40:55.150 --> 00:40:59.449 things to defend that thing and it's not the 00:40:59.449 --> 00:41:03.929 gospel. It's an idol. Praise God! Somebody is 00:41:03.929 --> 00:41:05.369 telling you that these things, you say, you are 00:41:05.369 --> 00:41:08.030 defending with your life. It's not the gospel 00:41:08.030 --> 00:41:09.929 you are defending. It's that particular thing. 00:41:10.369 --> 00:41:15.670 That thing is obviously an idol. And in 2 Timothy 00:41:15.670 --> 00:41:19.989 2 verse 22, Apostle Paul writing to Timothy, 00:41:20.010 --> 00:41:28.630 he says, Flee also, youthful, lost. It says, 00:41:28.949 --> 00:41:33.429 but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace. 00:41:34.550 --> 00:41:38.610 It says, with those who call on the Lord out 00:41:38.610 --> 00:41:42.190 of a pure heart. It says, pursue. Say, but pursue. 00:41:42.630 --> 00:41:45.849 Say, flee, but pursue. We are instructed to flee, 00:41:46.030 --> 00:41:47.550 but there's something that we're instructed to 00:41:47.550 --> 00:41:49.829 pursue. So the challenge to us is, what are you 00:41:49.829 --> 00:41:52.860 pursuing? Are you pursuing learning? Are you 00:41:52.860 --> 00:41:55.760 pursuing knowing God? Are you pursuing loving 00:41:55.760 --> 00:41:58.199 God? Are you pursuing? What are you pursuing? 00:41:58.840 --> 00:42:01.260 In James the book that we're asked to read in 00:42:01.260 --> 00:42:02.500 this month the book that we're instructed to 00:42:02.500 --> 00:42:03.760 read the book that we should have been should 00:42:03.760 --> 00:42:07.539 be reading James 4 verse 7 it says therefore 00:42:07.539 --> 00:42:11.500 submit to God Resist the devil and he will flee 00:42:11.500 --> 00:42:14.579 from you Meaning that there's a stance that you 00:42:14.579 --> 00:42:16.639 take there's a boldness. There's a strength that 00:42:16.639 --> 00:42:20.400 you that the Lord supplies that makes you Pitch 00:42:20.400 --> 00:42:22.400 in the place of advantage where you have an authority 00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:25.300 over the enemy. Praise God. You're not the only 00:42:25.300 --> 00:42:28.820 we are not you're not fleeing Right, you're not 00:42:28.820 --> 00:42:31.500 always fleeing. You are taking the stands and 00:42:31.500 --> 00:42:36.079 you are declaring and then let's look at What 00:42:36.079 --> 00:42:40.940 Apostle Paul Brings to attention in that watch 00:42:40.940 --> 00:42:43.559 We stand for the business. Let's go back to our 00:42:43.559 --> 00:42:48.880 key scripture in 1st Corinthians 6 13 And we're 00:42:48.880 --> 00:42:52.159 looking at the word brave, be brave. And when 00:42:52.159 --> 00:42:56.480 we see be, be, I think it uses be brave and be 00:42:56.480 --> 00:43:00.159 strong. Being brave and being strong is not, 00:43:01.760 --> 00:43:08.199 you are instructed to be who you are. What you 00:43:08.199 --> 00:43:10.900 are is what you are instructed to be. You're 00:43:10.900 --> 00:43:14.210 not, nobody's, they're not giving you. Because 00:43:14.210 --> 00:43:17.650 you have a union with God, that is what should 00:43:17.650 --> 00:43:22.650 show forth. And it's not about saying, no, I'm 00:43:22.650 --> 00:43:26.349 naturally quiet or I'm naturally bold. It's not 00:43:26.349 --> 00:43:29.090 about your temperament. It's not about your temperament. 00:43:29.989 --> 00:43:34.030 It's something that you have because you have 00:43:34.030 --> 00:43:37.710 the Lord as your God. Praise God. And we'll see 00:43:37.710 --> 00:43:41.059 that tied to His presence with us. His presence 00:43:41.059 --> 00:43:42.800 with us. We'll see that tied to His presence 00:43:42.800 --> 00:43:49.679 with us. So, the B -Brave is the Greek word and 00:43:49.679 --> 00:43:54.360 the Greek word and Andrizomai. That's Andrizomai 00:43:54.360 --> 00:44:01.139 is A -N -D -R -I -Z -O -M -A -I. A -N -D -R -I 00:44:01.139 --> 00:44:03.579 -Z -O -D -O -M -A -I. It means to act like a 00:44:03.579 --> 00:44:07.960 man. To act like a man. To act like a man. To 00:44:07.960 --> 00:44:11.440 show yourself courageous. to show yourself courageous, 00:44:11.960 --> 00:44:16.679 to conduct yourselves valiantly. To conduct yourselves 00:44:16.679 --> 00:44:18.820 valiantly. And I told us that this is a military 00:44:18.820 --> 00:44:23.960 word. And when the soldiers hear this, they are 00:44:23.960 --> 00:44:28.639 like, they are lats. Men be brave. They are at 00:44:28.639 --> 00:44:30.500 a stand, they are at a stand because they know 00:44:30.500 --> 00:44:33.019 that they are ready for action. They are ready 00:44:33.019 --> 00:44:36.539 because that is very important. Because any form 00:44:36.539 --> 00:44:43.659 of cowardice is a loss. is a loss. And the different 00:44:43.659 --> 00:44:46.619 translations word this word I think I've never 00:44:46.619 --> 00:44:49.420 seen I think a word that has varying like this 00:44:49.420 --> 00:44:52.179 word. So because in English language it captures 00:44:52.179 --> 00:44:56.820 because of the culture and the Greek language 00:44:56.820 --> 00:45:00.320 in English language it's because of how English 00:45:00.320 --> 00:45:03.260 language is you see several words being used 00:45:03.260 --> 00:45:05.960 to communicate this word. So in the ESV you see 00:45:05.960 --> 00:45:09.559 it as act like men in the esv if your bible is 00:45:09.559 --> 00:45:12.179 an esv you say this translations interpreter 00:45:12.179 --> 00:45:16.980 you see act like men esv and then in the niv 00:45:16.980 --> 00:45:20.800 you see be courageous in the niv you see it as 00:45:20.800 --> 00:45:24.320 be courageous and in the footnote of the nlt 00:45:24.320 --> 00:45:26.960 because the nlt also uses be courageous in the 00:45:26.960 --> 00:45:30.440 footnote you also see be men be men is a good 00:45:30.440 --> 00:45:33.980 thing that is father's day you say be men Amen! 00:45:34.619 --> 00:45:36.960 And we also celebrate the women too as well, 00:45:37.219 --> 00:45:39.860 because we will not be here if not for our mothers, 00:45:40.340 --> 00:45:42.639 we will not be standing if not for our wives 00:45:42.639 --> 00:45:46.960 and our friends around. We thank God for, even 00:45:46.960 --> 00:45:49.480 though you have every other day, like we almost 00:45:49.480 --> 00:45:52.579 feel left out, but we don't even know if we don't 00:45:52.579 --> 00:45:56.119 celebrate it as much. It says be men. Then in 00:45:56.119 --> 00:46:01.423 the King James version, it says quite like... 00:46:02.289 --> 00:46:04.590 Is it quite you like a man or quit you like a 00:46:04.590 --> 00:46:07.530 man, right? Quit you like a man. Quit you like 00:46:07.530 --> 00:46:10.090 men. Sorry, quit you like men. That's the new 00:46:10.090 --> 00:46:13.929 King James. It says, yeah, I'd like men. I was 00:46:13.929 --> 00:46:15.170 looking at it, I was like, thank God for the 00:46:15.170 --> 00:46:17.750 other translations. Then the new King James says, 00:46:17.909 --> 00:46:22.650 be brave. Be brave. So we'll see that the nuance 00:46:22.650 --> 00:46:24.670 of all of this, and we say this one is just, 00:46:24.889 --> 00:46:28.929 it's act like, like you have a nature that you 00:46:28.929 --> 00:46:33.199 are showing, right? Even when a woman does something 00:46:33.199 --> 00:46:37.679 like a man does, there is a characteristic that 00:46:37.679 --> 00:46:39.699 is expected from you and a characteristic that 00:46:39.699 --> 00:46:42.300 is there in you. Praise God! There is a characteristic 00:46:42.300 --> 00:46:44.579 that is there in you. It says, conduct yourselves 00:46:44.579 --> 00:46:46.880 valiantly, which is what the expectation is. 00:46:47.380 --> 00:46:49.860 You are conducting yourself valiantly. You are 00:46:49.860 --> 00:46:52.440 conducting yourself valiantly and it is very 00:46:52.440 --> 00:46:56.010 important that we see that... Fear is the biggest 00:46:56.010 --> 00:46:59.030 thing that silences or cripples, as in, fear 00:46:59.030 --> 00:47:01.449 does more damage to a believer than persecution. 00:47:03.090 --> 00:47:05.989 Fear does more damage to a believer than persecution. 00:47:06.230 --> 00:47:08.070 Think of all the things that you would have done 00:47:08.070 --> 00:47:11.510 that you didn't do because you were afraid. Think 00:47:11.510 --> 00:47:14.070 of all the things that you had, in fact, you 00:47:14.070 --> 00:47:16.110 had said, I will do this, and you didn't do it 00:47:16.110 --> 00:47:18.030 because you are, it's not even persecution now. 00:47:19.130 --> 00:47:21.889 Because the fear of persecution is still the 00:47:21.889 --> 00:47:26.150 fear, it's still fear. So this fear and the devil 00:47:26.150 --> 00:47:29.630 does in mind because the defeat is already like 00:47:29.630 --> 00:47:31.889 if you're having a debate the defeat is already 00:47:31.889 --> 00:47:34.829 because when he closes your mouth to speak that's 00:47:34.829 --> 00:47:37.570 the defeat because your inability to speak because 00:47:37.570 --> 00:47:40.789 you're afraid cripples you. Some of us are like 00:47:40.789 --> 00:47:42.809 you're so scared that you can't even talk you're 00:47:42.809 --> 00:47:44.590 so scared that you can't even say the words and 00:47:44.590 --> 00:47:48.469 that's how crippling fear can be and it has a 00:47:48.469 --> 00:47:52.590 grip has a grip and that's why he says Apostle 00:47:52.590 --> 00:47:54.929 Paul did not just say, he did not end his letter 00:47:54.929 --> 00:47:58.269 saying, let's be all things to all men. He didn't 00:47:58.269 --> 00:48:00.949 end it in that way. He didn't say, let's be agreeable. 00:48:01.690 --> 00:48:04.389 He didn't say, let's be agreeable. But he says, 00:48:04.789 --> 00:48:09.250 be brave. Praise God. He says, be brave because 00:48:09.250 --> 00:48:13.380 being courageous is not optional. Being courageous 00:48:13.380 --> 00:48:15.380 is not an add -on. It's not something you add 00:48:15.380 --> 00:48:18.139 to the list. Being courageous is not something 00:48:18.139 --> 00:48:19.559 you add to the list in your Christian life or 00:48:19.559 --> 00:48:22.239 your Christian work. Being courageous is what 00:48:22.239 --> 00:48:26.320 is as a result of your union with God. Praise 00:48:26.320 --> 00:48:30.960 God. And it's a necessity for the work. It's 00:48:30.960 --> 00:48:33.420 a necessity for the work. Being courageous is 00:48:33.420 --> 00:48:36.340 a necessity for the work. Being brave is a necessity 00:48:36.340 --> 00:48:39.639 for the work. It says, because you are not saved 00:48:39.639 --> 00:48:43.519 to be a coward. You're not safe to to always 00:48:43.519 --> 00:48:45.980 be behind and some of us we make that excuse 00:48:45.980 --> 00:48:48.420 of oh, that's the way I am That's the way I do 00:48:48.420 --> 00:48:54.179 things. I don't I I as I say this but when I 00:48:54.179 --> 00:48:57.019 say this now because Yeah, most people I think 00:48:57.019 --> 00:49:00.820 you if you you know me now I think I think I 00:49:00.820 --> 00:49:02.860 think we lived with we lived with some of the 00:49:02.860 --> 00:49:06.019 pastors I by nature even though my wife I told 00:49:06.019 --> 00:49:08.659 me I should stop saying I'm a shy person. I said 00:49:09.230 --> 00:49:11.730 I still feel like sometimes I have a tendency 00:49:11.730 --> 00:49:16.030 to be shy, right? But when the need arises, you 00:49:16.030 --> 00:49:18.789 have to be brave, right? You have to be brave. 00:49:19.210 --> 00:49:21.349 Standing before people to talk is not the easiest 00:49:21.349 --> 00:49:24.389 thing to do. But because you have to do it, you 00:49:24.389 --> 00:49:28.409 have to be brave. Because nobody is going to 00:49:28.409 --> 00:49:35.469 hear you when you are... Praise God. You have 00:49:35.469 --> 00:49:38.059 to be brave, you have to... Open your mouth and 00:49:38.059 --> 00:49:41.000 boldly declare what it is you're saying because 00:49:41.000 --> 00:49:43.619 it's necessary for the work and the commission 00:49:43.619 --> 00:49:46.179 demands it. What we are commissioned to do is 00:49:46.179 --> 00:49:49.119 to go out. It demands courage. So when you go 00:49:49.119 --> 00:49:54.219 out, you forget what your temperament is. Forget 00:49:54.219 --> 00:49:56.480 what your temperament is. Forget what your temperament 00:49:56.480 --> 00:49:58.340 is. In fact, when you've been doing it for long, 00:49:58.360 --> 00:50:01.199 you will not even remember you have that as part 00:50:01.199 --> 00:50:03.119 of the temperament. People will not believe because 00:50:03.119 --> 00:50:07.980 when I say like, no, you don't look like a But 00:50:07.980 --> 00:50:10.199 we're not born like this. Praise God. And that's 00:50:10.199 --> 00:50:14.780 the things that God does in us. People that know 00:50:14.780 --> 00:50:18.840 us now can't relate with what they know of us 00:50:18.840 --> 00:50:22.539 from before. Praise God. Because you have to 00:50:22.539 --> 00:50:26.139 come out. You have to come out. And as Apostle 00:50:26.139 --> 00:50:28.579 Paul started off, he says you want to be alert. 00:50:29.400 --> 00:50:32.139 Yeah, you want to hold on to the doctrine. You 00:50:32.139 --> 00:50:34.239 want to be brave. You want to... There has to 00:50:34.239 --> 00:50:36.380 be... You have to be active. You know, when we 00:50:36.380 --> 00:50:38.719 talk about active, active means a lot of things 00:50:38.719 --> 00:50:41.860 to a lot of people. Praise God. But active here 00:50:41.860 --> 00:50:44.199 means that there's an active courage to face 00:50:44.199 --> 00:50:46.579 opposition, right? And then there's a strength 00:50:46.579 --> 00:50:49.320 and enduring power because the strength we're 00:50:49.320 --> 00:50:52.000 talking about is not physical strength. In fact, 00:50:52.320 --> 00:50:54.300 the bravery we're talking about is not the bravery 00:50:54.300 --> 00:50:58.559 and I would have loved us, but let's just go 00:50:58.559 --> 00:51:01.989 a little bit further. Because one thing is anchored 00:51:01.989 --> 00:51:04.030 on the other and what Apple support does is that 00:51:04.030 --> 00:51:06.389 he puts it layer and layer. You see how important 00:51:06.389 --> 00:51:10.110 everything he says layers on itself. You see 00:51:10.110 --> 00:51:13.150 because if you're not standing fast, if you're 00:51:13.150 --> 00:51:15.789 not standing, if you cannot stand fast, it'll 00:51:15.789 --> 00:51:17.789 be hard for you to watch. Like the watching will 00:51:17.789 --> 00:51:20.730 be difficult. If you're not brave, you will not 00:51:20.829 --> 00:51:22.909 have anything to stand on like you will not have 00:51:22.909 --> 00:51:25.809 use because we're going to see a person that's 00:51:25.809 --> 00:51:28.269 not brave is spineless. That's what we say in 00:51:28.269 --> 00:51:30.610 English. The person doesn't have spine and we 00:51:30.610 --> 00:51:32.909 will see in the teaching that being courageous 00:51:32.909 --> 00:51:37.969 is contagious. I think a famous preacher that 00:51:37.969 --> 00:51:41.889 is now late talks about how it says the same 00:51:41.889 --> 00:51:45.150 thing being courageous as being contagious because 00:51:45.150 --> 00:51:47.630 when you're around brave people you tend to like 00:51:47.630 --> 00:51:50.349 yeah we can do this and Apostle Paul himself 00:51:50.699 --> 00:51:52.920 He declares this I think in Philippians 1 verse 00:51:52.920 --> 00:51:55.980 14. He says, because of what he's going through, 00:51:56.239 --> 00:51:58.900 other people are confident in preaching the gospel. 00:51:59.460 --> 00:52:01.079 Because of the fact that he's in chains and they're 00:52:01.079 --> 00:52:03.559 seeing him go through this thing and still stand 00:52:03.559 --> 00:52:07.559 fast. It's motivating them to do it. They don't 00:52:07.559 --> 00:52:10.199 have any excuse. They don't have any excuse. 00:52:10.280 --> 00:52:13.099 I saw a video of someone with cerebral palsy. 00:52:13.389 --> 00:52:15.650 And if you know what that condition is, it's 00:52:15.650 --> 00:52:17.929 difficult for you to speak. And the person is 00:52:17.929 --> 00:52:20.750 preaching, and then at the end it says, if I'm 00:52:20.750 --> 00:52:24.809 doing it, what excuse do you have? Because you 00:52:24.809 --> 00:52:27.210 are able to speak clearly, you're able to talk, 00:52:27.389 --> 00:52:31.010 sometimes you're afraid, but regardless, this 00:52:31.010 --> 00:52:34.809 man says you don't have any excuse. Praise God. 00:52:35.789 --> 00:52:39.489 And what God calls us to is bravery. And I wanted 00:52:39.489 --> 00:52:43.000 us to see, or let's just see this. Let's see 00:52:43.000 --> 00:52:46.119 Joshua. Let's look at Joshua. Joshua 1 verse 00:52:46.119 --> 00:52:50.539 9. And because this command is important, this 00:52:50.539 --> 00:52:54.340 command is very important. This command is very, 00:52:54.340 --> 00:52:57.699 very important. We see how it is repeated again 00:52:57.699 --> 00:53:00.760 and again from Deuteronomy into the book of Joshua. 00:53:01.099 --> 00:53:04.000 And this command in this book of Joshua is coming 00:53:04.000 --> 00:53:08.159 from God Himself. He says, Have I not commanded 00:53:08.159 --> 00:53:10.909 you? Joshua 1 .9, Havanah had commanded you, 00:53:11.130 --> 00:53:15.250 be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid. 00:53:15.449 --> 00:53:18.010 You see anywhere it says courageous, you see 00:53:18.010 --> 00:53:22.210 most of the times you see do not be afraid. Because 00:53:22.210 --> 00:53:25.989 your fear can undermine, like the courage disappears, 00:53:26.409 --> 00:53:29.340 like there's no courage when there's fear. Those 00:53:29.340 --> 00:53:32.039 two things can't be there at the same time. It 00:53:32.039 --> 00:53:36.380 says, or be dismayed. For the Lord your God is 00:53:36.380 --> 00:53:40.239 with you everywhere you go. For the Lord your 00:53:40.239 --> 00:53:42.019 God is with you everywhere you go. There's a 00:53:42.019 --> 00:53:45.539 reason why you're not afraid. Because the Lord 00:53:45.539 --> 00:53:48.000 your God is with you everywhere you go and it's 00:53:48.000 --> 00:53:49.599 important that you see this. It's important that 00:53:49.599 --> 00:53:52.199 you know this. That the Lord your God is with 00:53:52.199 --> 00:53:57.079 you everywhere you go. And he repeats this again 00:53:57.079 --> 00:54:03.869 and again in Verse 6 says, Be strong and of good 00:54:03.869 --> 00:54:12.010 courage. For to this people you shall divide 00:54:12.010 --> 00:54:15.369 as an inheritance the land which I swore to their 00:54:15.369 --> 00:54:19.369 fathers to give you. 7 now says, Only be strong 00:54:19.369 --> 00:54:23.050 and very courageous that you may this observe 00:54:23.050 --> 00:54:29.690 to do according to all the law which Moses my 00:54:29.690 --> 00:54:33.429 servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to 00:54:33.429 --> 00:54:37.030 the right hand or the left. Notice that you're 00:54:37.030 --> 00:54:39.869 staying in what has been instructed, that you 00:54:39.869 --> 00:54:43.980 may prosper everywhere you go. This word, the 00:54:43.980 --> 00:54:48.820 word be strong means to be firm. The word courageous 00:54:48.820 --> 00:54:52.820 there means to not yield, to not yield, to not 00:54:52.820 --> 00:54:55.539 yield, to not be afraid, to not yield, to not 00:54:55.539 --> 00:54:58.460 be afraid. Bravery is a result of our reliance 00:54:58.460 --> 00:55:01.300 in God's strength. Bravery is a result of our 00:55:01.300 --> 00:55:04.840 dependence in God. Our trust in God is what helps 00:55:04.840 --> 00:55:07.420 us to stand fast. We don't look at our situation 00:55:07.420 --> 00:55:09.480 when we're brave. Because if we look at ourselves, 00:55:09.519 --> 00:55:11.019 we don't have any reason to be. What are you 00:55:11.019 --> 00:55:14.610 brave about? But when we say we are standing 00:55:14.610 --> 00:55:16.809 fast, when we say we're doing, we're doing that 00:55:16.809 --> 00:55:18.809 in the strength He supplies. We're doing that 00:55:18.809 --> 00:55:21.130 in the bravery that we have because we have Him. 00:55:22.289 --> 00:55:25.130 And all of this, you see it, because He has Him, 00:55:25.230 --> 00:55:27.969 He's brave. And all of it is anchored on the 00:55:27.969 --> 00:55:30.329 Word of the Lord to Him. We see the Word of the 00:55:30.329 --> 00:55:33.789 Lord come to Him in Deuteronomy 31. We see the 00:55:33.789 --> 00:55:36.010 Word of the Lord keeps coming and then even in 00:55:36.010 --> 00:55:40.380 Joshua, it tells Him. Be bold, be strong, right? 00:55:40.679 --> 00:55:44.920 Be strong, be courageous. Be strong, be courageous. 00:55:44.980 --> 00:55:47.739 Be strong, be courageous and when it keeps coming 00:55:47.739 --> 00:55:51.159 again and again and again and again is to make 00:55:51.159 --> 00:55:54.940 you see, make you know, make you express what... 00:55:54.940 --> 00:55:57.260 He can't be demanding from you what He has not 00:55:57.260 --> 00:55:59.780 given to you. God cannot be demanding from you 00:55:59.780 --> 00:56:02.559 what He has not given to you and He says it again 00:56:02.559 --> 00:56:05.739 and again that you will get it and our trust 00:56:05.739 --> 00:56:09.139 is in what the Lord has said. If the Lord says, 00:56:09.440 --> 00:56:12.440 you are my child, I believe it, I trust him and 00:56:12.440 --> 00:56:15.300 then I move around as his child. If the Lord 00:56:15.300 --> 00:56:17.880 says, I have healed you, I move around not as 00:56:17.880 --> 00:56:20.019 someone that is sick but as someone that is healed. 00:56:20.320 --> 00:56:23.380 If the Lord says, I have delivered you from all 00:56:23.380 --> 00:56:25.860 your trials, you move around like that. If the 00:56:25.860 --> 00:56:30.400 Lord says, you are sound, you are safe, I'm taking 00:56:30.400 --> 00:56:33.179 care of you, I'm providing for you in spite of 00:56:33.179 --> 00:56:35.579 the lack that you are looking at, you hold on 00:56:35.579 --> 00:56:38.780 to that word. You hold on to that word. You hold 00:56:38.780 --> 00:56:42.559 on to that word. And even in this season, I see 00:56:42.559 --> 00:56:44.440 that there are people that will be saying, oh, 00:56:44.539 --> 00:56:46.019 I don't think I'll be able to graduate because 00:56:46.019 --> 00:56:48.519 of this, because of that. If you have started 00:56:48.519 --> 00:56:50.739 it and the Lord says you'll finish it, hold on 00:56:50.739 --> 00:56:53.760 to that word. The question is, what is the word 00:56:53.760 --> 00:56:56.619 of God that you see from His word that, in fact, 00:56:56.739 --> 00:56:59.840 we will have times here when a prophetic word 00:56:59.840 --> 00:57:01.940 is given to you. Someone speaks to you and then 00:57:01.940 --> 00:57:06.349 you are doubting. Doubt will not help you. move 00:57:06.349 --> 00:57:09.030 forward, praise God. That will not help you move 00:57:09.030 --> 00:57:11.929 forward. And it's important that we hold on to 00:57:11.929 --> 00:57:14.289 the Word of God. We hold on to the Word of God. 00:57:14.289 --> 00:57:17.570 That is where bravery starts from. Bravery is 00:57:17.570 --> 00:57:20.510 not a function of your willpower. It's not willpower. 00:57:20.829 --> 00:57:22.429 You don't, you don't, you know, people can act 00:57:22.429 --> 00:57:24.570 brave. And I wanted, I wanted, if we had more 00:57:24.570 --> 00:57:27.829 time, but time is up. I wanted to show us how 00:57:27.829 --> 00:57:31.650 the Apostle Peter was very quick to carry, to 00:57:31.650 --> 00:57:34.670 bring out a sword and cut off someone's ear. 00:57:34.829 --> 00:57:36.989 But the same person, when they asked, do you 00:57:36.989 --> 00:57:39.750 know this man? He was very quick to say, I don't 00:57:39.750 --> 00:57:44.769 know, he even swore. Swore and it was just not 00:57:44.769 --> 00:57:48.809 fair. So, being brave to declare, to confess 00:57:48.809 --> 00:57:52.849 the Lord is not a function of Jim Jim, as they 00:57:52.849 --> 00:57:57.750 say in the Greek word. It's not a function of 00:57:57.750 --> 00:58:02.869 your ginger. It's a function of the knowledge 00:58:02.869 --> 00:58:05.349 you have of God. That is why knowledge is important, 00:58:05.530 --> 00:58:07.469 because you know God to be true to His Word. 00:58:07.610 --> 00:58:09.590 That is why you hold on to His Word. Praise God! 00:58:10.530 --> 00:58:14.949 I will close on this note. No matter what it 00:58:14.949 --> 00:58:18.010 is you're going through, no matter what the difficulty 00:58:18.010 --> 00:58:21.329 is, no matter what the circumstances are, hold 00:58:21.329 --> 00:58:28.030 on to the Lord. In Psalm 27 verse 14, we looked 00:58:28.030 --> 00:58:31.400 at it. David started a psalm by saying, the Lord 00:58:31.400 --> 00:58:34.539 is my light and salvation. In whom shall I be 00:58:34.539 --> 00:58:37.059 afraid? The Lord is the strength of my life. 00:58:37.400 --> 00:58:40.360 Of whom shall I be afraid? In the ending of the 00:58:40.360 --> 00:58:45.000 psalm, he says, wait on the Lord. Be of good 00:58:45.000 --> 00:58:49.739 courage. And he shall strengthen your heart. 00:58:50.699 --> 00:58:55.559 Wait, I say, on the Lord. Wait on the Lord. And 00:58:55.559 --> 00:58:58.800 for most of us, we think waiting is like doing 00:58:58.800 --> 00:59:02.019 nothing. Waiting is not doing nothing. As a student, 00:59:02.139 --> 00:59:04.400 if you are waiting for graduation, you are walking 00:59:04.400 --> 00:59:07.219 towards graduation. Even when you have graduated, 00:59:07.239 --> 00:59:09.480 you have done other things. You are making preparations 00:59:09.480 --> 00:59:11.739 to ensure that your graduation is smooth. You 00:59:11.739 --> 00:59:17.300 are able to do it and do it properly. I want 00:59:17.300 --> 00:59:20.460 you to just open your mouth and just thank God 00:59:20.460 --> 00:59:23.219 because you are seeing the strength of the Lord 00:59:23.219 --> 00:59:27.489 like never before. You are engaging. Your waiting 00:59:27.489 --> 00:59:30.690 involves prayer. Your waiting involves the word. 00:59:31.030 --> 00:59:34.369 Your waiting involves obedience to every word 00:59:34.369 --> 00:59:38.650 spoken. Your waiting involves trusting Him. Your 00:59:38.650 --> 00:59:41.010 waiting involves not wasting your time. It's 00:59:41.010 --> 00:59:43.989 not a season of waste. It's a season where you 00:59:43.989 --> 00:59:46.449 are refined. It's a season where you're strengthened. 00:59:46.889 --> 00:59:49.289 And even for those that are graduating, you're... 00:59:49.340 --> 00:59:52.179 Believing God for direction. You're waiting on 00:59:52.179 --> 00:59:55.900 the Lord is for direction. You're watching. You're 00:59:55.900 --> 00:59:58.480 at alert spiritually. You're at alert spiritually. 00:59:58.539 --> 01:00:00.420 You're sensing where the Lord is leading you 01:00:00.420 --> 01:00:03.360 to. There's no confusion. Tell yourself, I am 01:00:03.360 --> 01:00:05.159 not confused. I want you to declare this word, 01:00:05.159 --> 01:00:08.519 I am not confused. I am not confused. I can't 01:00:08.519 --> 01:00:11.460 hear us. I am not confused. I know God's plans 01:00:11.460 --> 01:00:15.519 and purpose for my life. I will wait on Him even 01:00:15.519 --> 01:00:18.400 when it doesn't feel like it. I will be of good 01:00:18.400 --> 01:00:23.440 courage. I will take courage. I will act courageously. 01:00:24.179 --> 01:00:28.099 I am courageous. I have the strength of the Lord. 01:00:28.860 --> 01:00:33.820 I am strong. When it doesn't make sense, I will 01:00:33.820 --> 01:00:38.039 still trust Him. Even when it makes sense, I 01:00:38.039 --> 01:00:42.820 trust Him. I will trust Him all days, always. 01:00:43.320 --> 01:00:48.369 I am not anxious. I am not anxious. I am not 01:00:48.369 --> 01:00:54.329 fearful. I am not afraid. I am not afraid. Because 01:00:54.329 --> 01:00:59.110 He is with me. Because He is in me. He is walking 01:00:59.110 --> 01:01:04.130 through me. We appreciate you being here today. 01:01:04.789 --> 01:01:06.869 We hope you carry this word with you throughout 01:01:06.869 --> 01:01:09.670 your week. Don't forget to check the show notes 01:01:09.670 --> 01:01:12.429 for additional insights. Stay connected with 01:01:12.429 --> 01:01:15.250 us through our website. or follow us on social 01:01:15.250 --> 01:01:18.730 media. If you were encouraged, share this message 01:01:18.730 --> 01:01:22.050 with someone you care about. Until next time, 01:01:22.389 --> 01:01:22.929 stay blessed.