WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:05.040 Good morning. God bless all of you. It's good 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:08.660 to be in the house of God today, yes? Yes, praise 00:00:08.660 --> 00:00:17.800 the Lord. I was just a little unsure whether 00:00:17.800 --> 00:00:21.899 you were convinced. No, it is always good to 00:00:21.899 --> 00:00:26.710 be gathered together with the Lord as we... Seek 00:00:26.710 --> 00:00:29.190 to hear his voice and be ministered to by the 00:00:29.190 --> 00:00:33.009 Spirit of God. Amen. I am not Pastor Nathan. 00:00:33.909 --> 00:00:36.770 Just letting you know, I am not Pastor Nathan. 00:00:37.530 --> 00:00:41.409 I know. For those of you who don't know, I am 00:00:41.409 --> 00:00:46.030 Pastor Ron, and it is my joy and privilege to 00:00:46.030 --> 00:00:49.490 be with you this morning to see what the Lord 00:00:49.490 --> 00:00:52.729 has to say. Pastor Nathan is taking the opportunity 00:00:52.729 --> 00:00:56.689 this morning to go down the street. kind of visit 00:00:56.689 --> 00:00:59.850 with our ministry leaders and the kids down there. 00:01:00.009 --> 00:01:03.270 And that's always a blessing, I know, to him 00:01:03.270 --> 00:01:07.209 when he's able to do that. And so today he invited 00:01:07.209 --> 00:01:10.409 me to share with you some things that I believe 00:01:10.409 --> 00:01:13.709 that are on my heart that God has put there, 00:01:13.790 --> 00:01:17.409 and also to take this special opportunity because 00:01:17.409 --> 00:01:21.439 this coming Wednesday will be... launching our 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:24.519 new series, the Christian Walk Foundation Check 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:28.900 series, which I'm very excited about and a little 00:01:28.900 --> 00:01:32.120 terrified about at the same time. We'll talk 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:36.359 about that. And so this morning, I'm going to 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:41.379 be kind of sharing with you maybe the foundation 00:01:41.379 --> 00:01:45.280 of the foundation series and what it's all about. 00:01:46.590 --> 00:01:48.049 Some of the things that we're going to be discussing, 00:01:48.129 --> 00:01:49.849 and there will be a lot of things that we'll 00:01:49.849 --> 00:01:52.810 be discussing during that series that goes for 00:01:52.810 --> 00:01:58.950 several weeks, they bear some preamble, some 00:01:58.950 --> 00:02:01.730 explanation, so that you know where we're going 00:02:01.730 --> 00:02:06.030 and why, rather than just foisting it upon you 00:02:06.030 --> 00:02:10.009 to prepare you. And I think that that's appropriate, 00:02:10.169 --> 00:02:11.530 and I think that it's something that the Lord 00:02:11.530 --> 00:02:17.020 has given us opportunity to do today. We'll see 00:02:17.020 --> 00:02:21.659 what the Lord has to say about all of that. Our 00:02:21.659 --> 00:02:27.759 key verse and jumping off point is in the book 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:33.110 of Mark, Mark 10. chapter 10, verse 46 through 00:02:33.110 --> 00:02:37.229 51. We'll be going over that specifically again 00:02:37.229 --> 00:02:39.889 during the study. It's funny that I say it's 00:02:39.889 --> 00:02:41.750 our jumping off point because I actually don't 00:02:41.750 --> 00:02:44.949 get to it till the middle of the study, which 00:02:44.949 --> 00:02:48.770 I seem to do things like that a lot. But let 00:02:48.770 --> 00:02:50.789 me just set it up for you real quick so that 00:02:50.789 --> 00:02:53.610 when we get to it, you know where we're at. In 00:02:53.610 --> 00:02:59.719 Mark 10, You have Jesus going from place to place 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:02.860 in the region. He's teaching. He's with his disciples. 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:06.199 He's talking to the Pharisees. You know, he is 00:03:06.199 --> 00:03:11.479 expressing who he is, and that is the Son of 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:14.939 God. He is God. He is salvation. He's the Messiah. 00:03:15.460 --> 00:03:18.819 And in chapter 10, in this particular portion 00:03:18.819 --> 00:03:22.060 of Scripture, starting at verse 46, we find the 00:03:22.060 --> 00:03:26.120 story of the blind man Bartimaeus. And you may 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:29.780 recall this story. It's certainly something that 00:03:29.780 --> 00:03:32.900 has been read about, taught about. But when I 00:03:32.900 --> 00:03:36.080 was considering what to speak about this morning, 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:40.240 I think the Lord just caused it to jump out at 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:44.419 me. And I love that because that is, to me, just 00:03:44.419 --> 00:03:49.169 affirmation of the Spirit saying, hit me on the 00:03:49.169 --> 00:03:52.370 head going, pay attention, you know, and I appreciate 00:03:52.370 --> 00:03:56.729 when God does that. It makes it very clear, and 00:03:56.729 --> 00:04:00.770 there's something in this story that I want to 00:04:00.770 --> 00:04:04.009 point out as we intro and as we get ready, and 00:04:04.009 --> 00:04:08.289 that is in verse 50 and 51. When you get to the 00:04:08.289 --> 00:04:10.949 conclusion of the story, there are two things, 00:04:11.030 --> 00:04:14.110 two significant things that happen. In verse 00:04:14.110 --> 00:04:19.089 50, It says, and I think it'll be up on the screen, 00:04:19.209 --> 00:04:24.790 but I'll just paraphrase. Oh, maybe it's 51. 00:04:27.810 --> 00:04:32.089 Anyways, where Jesus says, Jesus says to Bartimaeus 00:04:32.089 --> 00:04:36.990 that he asked him the question, what is it that 00:04:36.990 --> 00:04:43.350 you want me to do for you? And Bartimaeus says, 00:04:43.449 --> 00:04:49.600 without... wasting a heartbeat. I want to see. 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:56.160 And as we go through the things that God is going 00:04:56.160 --> 00:05:01.040 to speak this morning through his own word, that 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:04.519 is my prayer. And that is what I hope your prayer 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:08.079 will be as we enter into this time before his 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:11.740 throne. And that is we come to the Lord and without... 00:05:12.170 --> 00:05:21.470 wasting a heartbeat, we say, God, I want to see. 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:28.889 So, as we prepare our hearts for what God has, 00:05:29.069 --> 00:05:31.370 as we prepare our hearts for a time of coming 00:05:31.370 --> 00:05:35.949 before His throne and worshiping the King, the 00:05:35.949 --> 00:05:39.329 one who is worthy of everything that we have. 00:05:40.430 --> 00:05:43.230 the one that we don't want to hold anything back, 00:05:43.449 --> 00:05:48.709 the one that we want to see. As we prepare our 00:05:48.709 --> 00:05:51.509 hearts for that in prayer right now, have these 00:05:51.509 --> 00:05:55.629 things on your mind. Be ready for the Spirit 00:05:55.629 --> 00:06:00.430 to work in this moment, to reveal Himself to 00:06:00.430 --> 00:06:03.889 you in this moment, that as you speak the name 00:06:03.889 --> 00:06:07.600 of Jesus and worship and praise, that you are 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:10.579 coming in spirit and truth before the throne 00:06:10.579 --> 00:06:16.480 right here and right now because he is worthy. 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:21.060 Amen. Let's pray. Father God, we thank you for 00:06:21.060 --> 00:06:22.740 this morning. We thank you for what you're going 00:06:22.740 --> 00:06:26.220 to accomplish. God, we are just earthen vessels 00:06:26.220 --> 00:06:29.459 and we have absolutely no place. The only thing 00:06:29.459 --> 00:06:34.600 that is true is that you have made a way for 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:38.279 your spirit to... be alive within us. And it 00:06:38.279 --> 00:06:41.139 is that spirit that bears witness to your glory 00:06:41.139 --> 00:06:43.379 and your greatness and your goodness and your 00:06:43.379 --> 00:06:47.759 kindness and your power and strength. You are 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:51.759 God and we are your people here to worship you, 00:06:51.879 --> 00:06:55.120 to lift up your name, to give thanks to you, 00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:58.579 the one who is worthy. You are the only one. 00:06:59.079 --> 00:07:01.759 who matters. So, Lord, hear our praise and hear 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:04.560 our worship and receive it like incense rising 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:08.620 before your altar and your throne. It is for 00:07:08.620 --> 00:07:13.040 you and you alone. Thank you, Lord. And it's 00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:17.879 in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, good morning 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:22.839 again. I am so blessed to be here with you today, 00:07:22.939 --> 00:07:26.759 to be able to come and to share with you the 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:29.610 things that God has put on my heart. because 00:07:29.610 --> 00:07:31.949 I believe these are things that he would like 00:07:31.949 --> 00:07:35.629 to have on your heart as well. You know, I'm 00:07:35.629 --> 00:07:40.149 both excited and a bit terrified at the thought 00:07:40.149 --> 00:07:42.930 of sharing this new series that we're starting 00:07:42.930 --> 00:07:48.370 on Wednesday called the Christian Walk Foundation 00:07:48.370 --> 00:08:03.180 Check Series. Let's see. Hold on a second. I 00:08:03.180 --> 00:08:07.040 think we're all right. And I'm thankful for Pastor 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:09.379 Nathan for giving me the opportunity to come 00:08:09.379 --> 00:08:12.800 and share with you this Sunday before we start 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:16.920 this series to kind of go over maybe what the 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:20.500 foundation of the foundation series is, so to 00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:25.959 speak. I'm excited because of what I believe 00:08:25.959 --> 00:08:30.060 that the Spirit has revealed or what the Spirit 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:33.019 will reveal to each of us. during the series 00:08:33.019 --> 00:08:36.700 because I think it'll be life -changing. I don't 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:41.600 just think that, I believe it. I believe it can 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:45.100 be life -changing, both in you as an individual 00:08:45.100 --> 00:08:50.759 and then by extension in us as a church. I'm 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:54.899 terrified because I think that this is the second 00:08:54.899 --> 00:08:59.879 time that I have said all that out loud. In the 00:08:59.879 --> 00:09:03.940 years that God has been working with me as an 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:09.120 adult to bring me to some, at least, level of 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:15.360 spiritual maturity, which I say laughing, he 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:20.960 does a lot of that in internal monologue, right? 00:09:21.419 --> 00:09:25.070 It's all up here. It's all in here. as we're 00:09:25.070 --> 00:09:28.250 going through different topics and discussions 00:09:28.250 --> 00:09:32.210 that I'm having with him about the state of my 00:09:32.210 --> 00:09:39.570 walk, the state of my heart when it comes to 00:09:39.570 --> 00:09:42.429 the things that he's called me to be and to do 00:09:42.429 --> 00:09:46.070 as a servant of the most high living God. Well, 00:09:46.250 --> 00:09:50.830 you may be asking, okay, that's fine, but why 00:09:50.830 --> 00:09:55.679 would you be terrified? of talking about these 00:09:55.679 --> 00:09:58.539 things and you know to be quite simple about 00:09:58.539 --> 00:10:06.139 it it's because today has finally arrived i've 00:10:06.139 --> 00:10:08.519 been going over all of this with the lord for 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:13.720 decades of my adult life decades where he's been 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:18.039 trying to speak and sometimes i've been willing 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:21.710 to listen but he's been taking the time with 00:10:21.710 --> 00:10:25.110 me so patiently, so tenderly to bring me to this 00:10:25.110 --> 00:10:28.529 place of working out what it is that he's trying 00:10:28.529 --> 00:10:31.330 to show me, working in my heart, showing me spiritual 00:10:31.330 --> 00:10:37.210 truth about my spiritual walk. And all that time 00:10:37.210 --> 00:10:41.730 is about to become very real, certainly for me, 00:10:41.850 --> 00:10:47.629 but I hope it is also going to become real for 00:10:47.629 --> 00:10:53.389 each of you. So, now we're going to pause for 00:10:53.389 --> 00:10:57.169 a public service announcement. We're going to 00:10:57.169 --> 00:11:00.809 pause for what I'm going to call a ginormous 00:11:00.809 --> 00:11:07.110 period of small print. Okay? A disclaimer, so 00:11:07.110 --> 00:11:09.549 to speak, and I think that it's important, so 00:11:09.549 --> 00:11:13.549 we're going to take this moment. You know, the 00:11:13.549 --> 00:11:16.370 life path that God has taken me on during my 00:11:16.370 --> 00:11:20.710 adult life has been full of hard lessons. That's 00:11:20.710 --> 00:11:23.850 true for all of us, I'm sure, but I can only 00:11:23.850 --> 00:11:26.909 deal with me. So I'm going to say yes, I've had 00:11:26.909 --> 00:11:31.409 many hard lessons that the Lord has brought me 00:11:31.409 --> 00:11:34.529 through. They've been challenging, sometimes 00:11:34.529 --> 00:11:39.029 humiliating, definitely. moments of brokenness, 00:11:39.029 --> 00:11:42.730 as a lot of you can attest to in your own lives. 00:11:43.230 --> 00:11:47.529 But you know, at the same time, there have been 00:11:47.529 --> 00:11:52.929 moments of beauty. Beauty because I know that 00:11:52.929 --> 00:11:56.330 on the other side of all of those lessons and 00:11:56.330 --> 00:11:59.330 the breakings and the moldings and the reshapings, 00:11:59.409 --> 00:12:04.200 God in His holiness and His utter kindness is 00:12:04.200 --> 00:12:07.539 waiting for me always on the other side with 00:12:07.539 --> 00:12:14.580 arms stretched wide and outstretched to receive 00:12:14.580 --> 00:12:21.120 this wretch of his son. While the lessons I needed 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:24.419 to learn were always different in some ways, 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:29.620 there seems to be a constant thread to each of 00:12:29.620 --> 00:12:32.200 them. You know, we never see that when we're 00:12:32.200 --> 00:12:35.139 in the middle of it. Right? We're too busy fighting 00:12:35.139 --> 00:12:38.200 against whatever it is that God is trying to 00:12:38.200 --> 00:12:41.620 teach us or reveal to us through His Spirit. 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:45.360 So we miss the point of it. But He's so gracious 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:47.840 and He's so kind that He leads us through these 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:50.440 things. And then once we get to the other side, 00:12:50.700 --> 00:12:54.259 He brings it to our minds and our hearts and 00:12:54.259 --> 00:12:57.799 our spirit. And He says, my son, my daughter, 00:12:57.940 --> 00:13:02.379 this was the point. And I have found this same 00:13:02.379 --> 00:13:06.440 point. come up again and again and again. And 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:09.539 here it is. During all of these things that have 00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:11.899 happened, all these hard lessons that I've had 00:13:11.899 --> 00:13:15.639 to learn, all these moments of, as I said, humility 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:21.039 and breaking and reshaping and all that, the 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:27.200 point often was that I needed to get to the place 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:32.379 of humility where I was willing to say, as David 00:13:32.379 --> 00:13:37.919 says in Psalm 139. Psalm 139 in verses 23 and 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:43.000 24, this is what David says. Search me, God, 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:50.440 and know my heart. Test me and know my concerns. 00:13:51.659 --> 00:13:56.559 See if there is any offensive or idolatrous way 00:13:56.559 --> 00:14:01.809 in me, and then lead me. In the everlasting way. 00:14:05.450 --> 00:14:08.950 You have to be humble to hear that. You have 00:14:08.950 --> 00:14:14.190 to be humble to do that. If your heart is not 00:14:14.190 --> 00:14:17.769 humble before the Lord, you will never ask for 00:14:17.769 --> 00:14:22.090 Him to search you. You will never ask to search 00:14:22.090 --> 00:14:28.250 yourself. Because you don't want to know. But 00:14:28.250 --> 00:14:31.759 we need to be humble. And we need to ask that 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:38.799 always. God, if there's anything, look, see it, 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:46.299 tell me, because it needs to be eradicated. That 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:50.240 is what He's calling us to. Now I'm going to 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:56.320 let you in on a little secret. I am not perfect. 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:07.620 Sorry. I know. It's a shock. I am not perfect. 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:12.139 And trust me, those who know me, well, they know 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:17.940 that truth very well. What I have within me, 00:15:17.980 --> 00:15:21.120 though, after all of these lessons that God has 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:23.799 brought me through in my adult life, is this 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:27.519 desire and this feeling of not wanting to dishonor 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:32.330 the King. And I am well acquainted with all my 00:15:32.330 --> 00:15:35.950 failings. So my prayer before the Lord is that 00:15:35.950 --> 00:15:39.330 I would remain in David's posture and stand humbly 00:15:39.330 --> 00:15:42.490 before him asking for him to continually search 00:15:42.490 --> 00:15:48.669 me, measure me, and bring to mind anything that 00:15:48.669 --> 00:15:51.750 is not of him so that I might grow and walk with 00:15:51.750 --> 00:15:56.289 him in his path everlasting. This is going to 00:15:56.289 --> 00:15:59.830 be the mode of operation for us during the entire 00:15:59.830 --> 00:16:03.830 Foundation Check series. We want to be in that 00:16:03.830 --> 00:16:09.490 same posture before the Lord. I'm going to be 00:16:09.490 --> 00:16:12.909 committed to doing this, and I'm asking and praying 00:16:12.909 --> 00:16:15.549 that you'll be willing to do the same with me. 00:16:17.149 --> 00:16:21.009 As many of you know who are into cars, and again, 00:16:21.149 --> 00:16:28.659 another... secret. I'm not a car guy. I mean, 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:32.259 I used to fix cars when I was, you know, 16, 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:36.419 but cars are very different today than they were 00:16:36.419 --> 00:16:39.980 back then, right? So today, forget it. It's going 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:42.659 to the shop. I'm not even going to look. But 00:16:42.659 --> 00:16:45.539 for those of you who are into cars, you know 00:16:45.539 --> 00:16:48.360 this well, and that is that checking under the 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:53.559 hood can get really harsh really fast. Right? 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:56.179 Any of you who have popped up the hood of your 00:16:56.179 --> 00:17:01.759 car, I mean, it is grimy and dirty and there 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:05.180 are problems there. Right? But you don't know 00:17:05.180 --> 00:17:07.859 that if you don't pop the hood. Right? I mean, 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:11.059 or the indicator light comes up. Right? Which 00:17:11.059 --> 00:17:16.079 is true for a lot of us. But popping up the hood 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:19.980 and looking under it. While it can be harsh, 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:22.099 and there can be harsh realities waiting for 00:17:22.099 --> 00:17:25.759 you there, even though the intention is pure, 00:17:25.980 --> 00:17:29.519 and the intention is to help get the engine run 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:33.319 as it was designed to run. But that doesn't change 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:36.220 the fact that there are harsh realities sitting 00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:39.200 there, sometimes under the hood. Well, you know 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:41.240 where I'm going with that. You know, many of 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:43.420 the topics that we'll be discussing and exploring 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:48.420 will be difficult to work through. But I'm asking 00:17:48.420 --> 00:17:52.819 you this, please continue to recognize with me 00:17:52.819 --> 00:17:56.720 that the church is made up of a broad swath of 00:17:56.720 --> 00:18:00.240 people. And these people are at different places 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:03.440 along their Christian walk. There are different 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:07.640 levels of experiences and maturity. There are 00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:09.720 different struggles. There are different needs. 00:18:10.119 --> 00:18:13.019 There are different failings, and there are different 00:18:13.019 --> 00:18:17.700 victories. This message today and the entire 00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:20.680 series that we'll be going through will possibly 00:18:20.680 --> 00:18:26.660 fire broadly like a two -barrel shotgun filled 00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:29.920 with buckshot. You know how that goes, right? 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:33.960 Buckshot goes everywhere, nothing gets hit, right? 00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:39.319 But it goes everywhere. At the same time, we're 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:42.059 going to experience the complete opposite, and 00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:45.019 that is... the truths and the questions that 00:18:45.019 --> 00:18:47.640 we're going to be talking about the issues and 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:51.279 the problems with our foundations sometimes those 00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:55.200 discussions will cut like a surgical knife so 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:58.079 we're going to get both spectrums in examining 00:18:58.079 --> 00:19:01.259 the christian walk is hard because the stakes 00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:08.130 are so high there is a high potential for great 00:19:08.130 --> 00:19:12.150 payoff, and the enemy is not interested in letting 00:19:12.150 --> 00:19:18.910 that happen. That payoff will be, and I say this 00:19:18.910 --> 00:19:24.509 emphatically, will be life -changing. But self 00:19:24.509 --> 00:19:28.190 -examination is a difficult thing to voluntarily 00:19:28.190 --> 00:19:31.329 put yourself through. There's no denying that. 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:35.019 So these are going to be my encouragements to 00:19:35.019 --> 00:19:37.940 each of you today as we go through what we're 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:40.740 going to be talking about today. And then also, 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.740 if you're willing to go on the journey with me 00:19:43.740 --> 00:19:51.000 through the series. One, not everything is going 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:56.819 to apply to you. Let me say that again. Not everything 00:19:56.819 --> 00:20:01.640 that we're going to be discussing applies to 00:20:01.640 --> 00:20:06.720 you. What I'm going to ask you to do is for you 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:11.220 to ask the Spirit to reveal to you where your 00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:15.660 personal foundation can be fixed. Again, search 00:20:15.660 --> 00:20:20.200 my heart. Reveal any wicked thing within me, 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:23.599 right? But not everything that we're going to 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:26.700 be talking about applies to you. Number two. 00:20:27.369 --> 00:20:30.710 I need you to remember that God is faithful and 00:20:30.710 --> 00:20:35.750 kind and rich in love and mercy. He'll pull you 00:20:35.750 --> 00:20:39.490 through any journey like this if your prayer 00:20:39.490 --> 00:20:44.309 is that He be glorified and draw you closer to 00:20:44.309 --> 00:20:52.150 Him. God is great in love and mercy. Remember 00:20:52.150 --> 00:20:58.940 that. Number three, remember that I am just like 00:20:58.940 --> 00:21:05.740 you. I'm a blind man in a pitch black room begging 00:21:05.740 --> 00:21:12.740 for a flashlight. I need this as much as anyone. 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:20.779 And my goal is not to judge or condemn. It is 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:25.519 to be used by the Spirit to bring light and understanding. 00:21:28.140 --> 00:21:34.160 That is my goal. And four, stick with me and 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:38.480 be open to any revelation from the Spirit about 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:42.299 the condition of your walk with the Lord. It'll 00:21:42.299 --> 00:21:45.440 be challenging and hard at times, but I promise 00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:49.019 you, I promise you, there will also be beauty, 00:21:49.140 --> 00:21:55.099 peace, joy, and rejoicing along the way. It may 00:21:55.099 --> 00:21:58.839 be hard when you're in the middle of it, Right? 00:21:59.059 --> 00:22:03.500 To see those things. And you may ask, halfway 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:07.359 through the series, but Ron, where is the beauty? 00:22:07.779 --> 00:22:13.400 Where is the joy? Where is the rejoicing? And 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:20.559 I'm telling you, it is coming. Similarly, in 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:23.019 today's message, I just want to tell you, it 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:26.460 may be difficult for you to hear at times. And 00:22:26.460 --> 00:22:30.319 though I pray otherwise, it may come off harshly. 00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:35.359 That is not my intent. But I do want to speak 00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:39.200 truth, and I don't want to hold back. As I said 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:43.059 in this whole disclaimer, just like the messages 00:22:43.059 --> 00:22:45.000 to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, 00:22:45.619 --> 00:22:48.359 the church is made up of a broad swath of people 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:51.839 at different places in their walk. Some of the 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:54.160 things I have to say today may apply to you. 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:58.259 Other things... may not apply to you. Some things 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:02.400 are going to speak to where you are today in 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:07.720 some way, and maybe some things don't. And then 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:11.000 maybe some things actually apply to you in the 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:14.660 past. The brush I'm painting with may seem broad 00:23:14.660 --> 00:23:18.859 at times, but again, I ask that you seek the 00:23:18.859 --> 00:23:22.039 Spirit and you ask Him to speak to you with the 00:23:22.039 --> 00:23:29.400 attitude of, search me. Oh God, I readily admit 00:23:29.400 --> 00:23:35.319 that I'm a poor tool for this job. Many times 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:43.119 I know I am too blunt of an instrument. My prayer 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:47.400 before I speak any word is that I don't place 00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:50.960 myself in the position of being the tool wielder. 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:54.619 Even the poorest tool, though, in the hands of 00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:59.019 the master accomplishes his work if it remembers 00:23:59.019 --> 00:24:04.259 to yield to the master's hand. That's what I 00:24:04.259 --> 00:24:14.809 want. So, here we go. There is a problem. The 00:24:14.809 --> 00:24:16.950 issue that I believe the Spirit has been working 00:24:16.950 --> 00:24:20.410 out with me for so long is this feeling and recognition 00:24:20.410 --> 00:24:23.609 that at different periods within my own life, 00:24:23.750 --> 00:24:25.630 and I know in the lives of many of my brothers 00:24:25.630 --> 00:24:28.390 and sisters in Christ, is that there's a feeling 00:24:28.390 --> 00:24:32.750 of lacking or something that is missing within 00:24:32.750 --> 00:24:36.450 our Christian walk, something that holds us back 00:24:36.450 --> 00:24:41.470 so often. So in praying and asking the Lord for 00:24:41.470 --> 00:24:44.410 wisdom in this, For quite some time, I've been 00:24:44.410 --> 00:24:48.190 trying to puzzle this out and put my finger on 00:24:48.190 --> 00:24:52.750 it. To put it into words has sometimes felt like 00:24:52.750 --> 00:24:57.690 grabbing at smoke, right? I think I can define 00:24:57.690 --> 00:25:00.930 it. I think I can understand it. I think I can 00:25:00.930 --> 00:25:04.369 see it, but it just slips right through my fingers. 00:25:05.430 --> 00:25:09.410 So what is this issue? What is this lacking feeling 00:25:09.410 --> 00:25:13.160 within many in the Christian body today? You 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:14.940 know, at this point, I would love to just run 00:25:14.940 --> 00:25:17.920 away and run right to Wednesday night, right? 00:25:18.619 --> 00:25:21.740 Believe it or not, even though Wednesday nights 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:26.259 are going to tackle what I will refer to as a 00:25:26.259 --> 00:25:30.660 giant iceberg of things, right? For me, there 00:25:30.660 --> 00:25:34.740 is safety in that, right? It's not so pointed. 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:38.819 I get to talk. I get to discuss. We get to explore. 00:25:39.180 --> 00:25:43.490 It's a lot more fun. than today because today 00:25:43.490 --> 00:25:48.430 is something a bit more singular it's defining 00:25:48.430 --> 00:25:51.910 the root of the problem the whole reason why 00:25:51.910 --> 00:25:57.990 we're going to have this series so as i normally 00:25:57.990 --> 00:26:02.210 do i go before the lord when i'm when i'm preparing 00:26:02.210 --> 00:26:05.990 for a message like this and i ask him i said 00:26:05.990 --> 00:26:10.759 lord how do i take this massive iceberg and share 00:26:10.759 --> 00:26:14.839 it with your people to get it down to what you 00:26:14.839 --> 00:26:19.660 want to say to them today and the spirit is always 00:26:19.660 --> 00:26:23.920 faithful and he prompts start at the beginning 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:29.299 start with the with defining the foundation itself 00:26:30.829 --> 00:26:33.289 Any of you who have known me for any length of 00:26:33.289 --> 00:26:36.089 time or have heard me teach over the past couple 00:26:36.089 --> 00:26:39.009 years have heard me say the following statement. 00:26:40.569 --> 00:26:46.690 Quote, if we truly believed that God is who he 00:26:46.690 --> 00:26:51.049 says he is, our lives would be radically different. 00:26:52.470 --> 00:26:57.670 Let me say that again. If we truly believed that 00:26:57.670 --> 00:27:03.019 God is... who he says he is, our lives would 00:27:03.019 --> 00:27:10.099 be radically different. Well, that statement 00:27:10.099 --> 00:27:15.480 is harsh. And certainly a handful to deal with. 00:27:18.220 --> 00:27:21.759 And as we begin the series on Wednesday, we'll 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:25.599 be looking and discussing the ramifications and 00:27:25.599 --> 00:27:29.829 consequences. of such a heavy assertion. It is 00:27:29.829 --> 00:27:32.690 something to be dealt with. There is something 00:27:32.690 --> 00:27:35.710 in that statement and we'll be going over that 00:27:35.710 --> 00:27:42.069 statement in detail. But while that statement 00:27:42.069 --> 00:27:45.509 would be a great jumping off point and will be 00:27:45.509 --> 00:27:48.250 a great jumping off point for intentionally examining 00:27:48.250 --> 00:27:52.089 our Christian walks during the series, it doesn't 00:27:52.089 --> 00:27:56.039 quite define the problem. It doesn't define the 00:27:56.039 --> 00:27:59.880 foundation and the problem that many of us are 00:27:59.880 --> 00:28:02.359 experiencing or have experienced in our walk. 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:08.039 So, yeah, even though it's a heavy statement 00:28:08.039 --> 00:28:11.259 and it talks about a lot, it's not necessarily 00:28:11.259 --> 00:28:13.640 what the Lord is having me speak to you about 00:28:13.640 --> 00:28:17.720 today. So I had to ask again, Lord, if that's 00:28:17.720 --> 00:28:23.380 not it, then how do you want me to define the 00:28:23.380 --> 00:28:27.420 lack? that we're facing. And again, the Spirit 00:28:27.420 --> 00:28:32.099 is gracious, and He prompts. And He brought to 00:28:32.099 --> 00:28:36.680 my mind His own words of warning in the book 00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:39.920 of Revelation. So turn with me to Revelation 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:47.140 chapter 2. Revelation chapter 2. which specifically 00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:51.579 contains some of the letters to the seven churches. 00:28:51.740 --> 00:28:54.599 So if you've been at Hosanna for any length of 00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:58.180 time, you have benefited from great biblical 00:28:58.180 --> 00:29:01.240 teaching through the book of Revelation. So you 00:29:01.240 --> 00:29:03.859 understand what's going on here and what the 00:29:03.859 --> 00:29:07.000 purpose is of going through the letters of the 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:10.519 seven churches, right? The seven churches represented, 00:29:11.079 --> 00:29:15.559 I'm sorry, the seven churches were actually seven 00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:18.640 churches within the region there. And they were 00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:21.180 seven churches that were having seven different 00:29:21.180 --> 00:29:24.299 problems or seven different issues. And Jesus 00:29:24.299 --> 00:29:28.339 in the book of Revelation in chapter two is addressing 00:29:28.339 --> 00:29:31.440 each of those churches. He's telling them what 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:33.500 they're doing good and he's telling them where 00:29:33.500 --> 00:29:36.119 they're messing up, right? And then he tells 00:29:36.119 --> 00:29:38.920 them what to do about it or what the consequences 00:29:38.920 --> 00:29:41.920 are going to be. These were actual churches, 00:29:42.059 --> 00:29:45.240 right? The beauty of the Scripture and the beauty 00:29:45.240 --> 00:29:48.119 of God's Word is that God is giving us something 00:29:48.119 --> 00:29:51.500 that is living and applies beyond the specific 00:29:51.500 --> 00:29:55.380 many times. And so we're able to do that with 00:29:55.380 --> 00:29:59.099 this portion of Scripture in Revelation 2. We 00:29:59.099 --> 00:30:02.279 also know from study that these seven churches 00:30:02.279 --> 00:30:06.140 stand for seven church ages throughout history. 00:30:06.779 --> 00:30:09.539 There are church ages of suffering. There are 00:30:09.539 --> 00:30:13.900 church ages of faithfulness and brotherly love. 00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:16.579 There are church ages of so on and so forth, 00:30:16.619 --> 00:30:19.299 right? And you can see how those church ages 00:30:19.299 --> 00:30:22.460 have happened during segments of time. In addition 00:30:22.460 --> 00:30:27.079 to that, you see that there are seven types of 00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:30.980 churches that are always with us at any given 00:30:30.980 --> 00:30:34.019 time, not just singularly during a period, but 00:30:34.019 --> 00:30:38.039 they exist. all at the same time. And you see 00:30:38.039 --> 00:30:41.059 that even borne out today in different churches 00:30:41.059 --> 00:30:45.740 that are with us here, right? So you benefit 00:30:45.740 --> 00:30:49.039 from this also from a historical point, but we 00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:52.579 benefit also from a very personal point because 00:30:52.579 --> 00:30:56.400 we're also able to look at these churches and 00:30:56.400 --> 00:31:00.299 again say, God, am I exhibiting any of these 00:31:00.299 --> 00:31:04.109 issues that this church happened to have? And 00:31:04.109 --> 00:31:07.170 if so, I can look at it and I can say, thank 00:31:07.170 --> 00:31:10.029 you, God, because you're showing me where I am 00:31:10.029 --> 00:31:12.289 lacking and what's missing. You're showing me 00:31:12.289 --> 00:31:14.390 the repercussions of that, and you also show 00:31:14.390 --> 00:31:19.049 me how to move out of that as well. That's what's 00:31:19.049 --> 00:31:23.829 happening here in Revelation 2, verses 1 through 00:31:23.829 --> 00:31:27.890 5. He is speaking, Jesus is speaking to the church 00:31:27.890 --> 00:31:32.190 in Ephesus, right? So I'm going to begin with 00:31:32.190 --> 00:31:35.089 verse 2, and this is what it says, beginning 00:31:35.089 --> 00:31:37.930 with verse 2. Write to the angel of the church 00:31:37.930 --> 00:31:41.289 of Ephesus, thus says the one who holds the seven 00:31:41.289 --> 00:31:44.329 stars in his right hand and who walks among the 00:31:44.329 --> 00:31:47.569 seven golden lampstands. This is Jesus, right? 00:31:48.430 --> 00:31:53.869 Jesus says to the church, I know your works, 00:31:53.930 --> 00:31:57.829 your labor, and your endurance, and that you 00:31:57.829 --> 00:32:01.089 cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested 00:32:01.089 --> 00:32:03.609 those who call themselves apostles and are not, 00:32:03.730 --> 00:32:07.930 and you have found them to be liars. I know that 00:32:07.930 --> 00:32:10.349 you have persevered and endured hardships for 00:32:10.349 --> 00:32:14.630 the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary, 00:32:14.829 --> 00:32:20.369 but I have this one thing against you. You have 00:32:20.369 --> 00:32:24.089 abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, 00:32:24.170 --> 00:32:28.630 then, how far you have fallen. Repent. and do 00:32:28.630 --> 00:32:33.349 the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will 00:32:33.349 --> 00:32:36.170 come to you, and I will remove your lampstand 00:32:36.170 --> 00:32:42.990 from its place, unless you repent. I like looking 00:32:42.990 --> 00:32:46.789 in other versions, as you know, to see is there 00:32:46.789 --> 00:32:50.549 more to this that we can get out of these words. 00:32:51.819 --> 00:32:57.440 This is how verse 4 is rendered in the Amplified 00:32:57.440 --> 00:33:00.799 Bible. In the Amplified Bible, verse 4 says this, 00:33:01.059 --> 00:33:04.900 But I have this one charge to make against you, 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:09.700 that you have left or abandoned the love that 00:33:09.700 --> 00:33:13.940 you had at first. You deserted me, your first 00:33:13.940 --> 00:33:19.319 love. I think it's significant. That a further 00:33:19.319 --> 00:33:23.839 definition or a further translation of some of 00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:26.640 the exact wording that's being used names who 00:33:26.640 --> 00:33:29.839 that first love is. That first love is Jesus. 00:33:32.079 --> 00:33:37.960 It's not just a feeling, it's the person. Those 00:33:37.960 --> 00:33:45.799 words are heavy. You have left or abandoned. 00:33:46.569 --> 00:33:50.190 the love that you had at first. You have deserted 00:33:50.190 --> 00:33:57.869 me, your first love. Heavy. And so were the consequences. 00:33:58.809 --> 00:34:02.769 The consequences in verse 5 say, again, remember 00:34:02.769 --> 00:34:06.210 then how you have fallen. Repent and do the works 00:34:06.210 --> 00:34:09.429 that you did at first. Otherwise, if you don't 00:34:09.429 --> 00:34:12.909 do that, I will come to you and remove your lampstand 00:34:12.909 --> 00:34:18.639 from its place unless you repent. The beautiful 00:34:18.639 --> 00:34:23.440 part, as I said, is that God lays out the remedy 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:28.539 plainly and clearly. Remember how far you have 00:34:28.539 --> 00:34:33.199 fallen, repent, and do the works you did at first. 00:34:34.679 --> 00:34:36.679 Now, some of you may be sitting there going, 00:34:36.900 --> 00:34:44.659 but Ron, surely Jesus is not talking about me. 00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:51.559 I serve here in my congregation and in my community. 00:34:52.280 --> 00:34:56.119 I'm plugged in. I give offerings in his house, 00:34:56.280 --> 00:35:04.260 etc., etc., etc. And to you I say, yes, I know. 00:35:05.820 --> 00:35:08.239 And the Lord knew those things too when he was 00:35:08.239 --> 00:35:11.719 talking to the church of Ephesus. He plainly 00:35:11.719 --> 00:35:17.309 states in verse 2, I know your works. I know 00:35:17.309 --> 00:35:22.389 your labors, and I know your endurance. He's 00:35:22.389 --> 00:35:26.369 not condemning them at all for their works and 00:35:26.369 --> 00:35:29.210 labors and endurance. It's quite the opposite. 00:35:30.210 --> 00:35:36.289 He's recognizing them. What he's pointing out 00:35:36.289 --> 00:35:39.130 is that despite all the good things they're doing, 00:35:39.329 --> 00:35:43.650 there is something lacking, something that's 00:35:43.650 --> 00:35:48.679 off. All these actions and activities and sacrifices, 00:35:48.980 --> 00:35:52.340 they're all meaningless when they're done without 00:35:52.340 --> 00:35:56.000 their preeminent focus being their first love, 00:35:56.260 --> 00:36:02.880 Jesus. He's calling them to examine and see if 00:36:02.880 --> 00:36:06.480 their love and relationship with Him is still 00:36:06.480 --> 00:36:11.460 the primary desire rather than the works that 00:36:11.460 --> 00:36:15.679 should simply be the natural outgrowth. of that 00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:18.900 relationship with Him. You understand what I'm 00:36:18.900 --> 00:36:22.880 saying? Is that if He is the preeminent one, 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:28.460 if He is the reason for it all, then all the 00:36:28.460 --> 00:36:31.300 works and all the good things that we do, those 00:36:31.300 --> 00:36:34.780 are just natural. Those will just come, right? 00:36:34.900 --> 00:36:38.719 They're an outgrowth, a byproduct of your relationship 00:36:38.719 --> 00:36:42.380 and love for Him. But the opposite can also be 00:36:42.380 --> 00:36:45.309 true, and that's the warning. You can do all 00:36:45.309 --> 00:36:51.570 these good things and still not have Jesus as 00:36:51.570 --> 00:36:55.050 your primary focus and reason for doing all those 00:36:55.050 --> 00:37:00.429 things. The lack and the problem for us is when 00:37:00.429 --> 00:37:03.230 we've forgotten, or for many, when we are forgetting 00:37:03.230 --> 00:37:06.869 our first love, even in the midst of doing all 00:37:06.869 --> 00:37:10.389 the things. The heartbreaking truth is that all 00:37:10.389 --> 00:37:13.840 those good actions will eventually fall. to the 00:37:13.840 --> 00:37:17.579 wayside without remembering to keep your first 00:37:17.579 --> 00:37:21.440 love, Jesus, preeminent. Without him being the 00:37:21.440 --> 00:37:25.559 foundation and the reason, you will get disillusionment, 00:37:25.579 --> 00:37:29.039 you will get dissatisfaction, you will get frustration, 00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:33.400 and the loss and purpose will eventually set 00:37:33.400 --> 00:37:37.860 in. And because this is such a foundational issue 00:37:37.860 --> 00:37:42.989 in the Christian walk, remember, The body is 00:37:42.989 --> 00:37:46.610 a large swath of people. So I'm not just talking 00:37:46.610 --> 00:37:50.650 to Christians who have been in their relationship 00:37:50.650 --> 00:37:53.670 with the Lord for a very long time. These same 00:37:53.670 --> 00:37:58.510 things can happen with a new Christian, and we 00:37:58.510 --> 00:38:01.630 see the same things with our own children. Those 00:38:01.630 --> 00:38:05.110 children who have grown up in the church, both 00:38:05.110 --> 00:38:08.469 a new Christian and our children, suffer from 00:38:08.469 --> 00:38:12.849 this same problem. Right? In essence, another 00:38:12.849 --> 00:38:15.710 way of putting it is the dethroning of the Lord. 00:38:19.110 --> 00:38:21.110 Here's some stats. Just want to throw them at 00:38:21.110 --> 00:38:24.670 you. They're disturbing. They're disturbing because 00:38:24.670 --> 00:38:29.530 they're true. Within the last five years, the 00:38:29.530 --> 00:38:32.190 Barna group Those of you who don't know who the 00:38:32.190 --> 00:38:35.269 Barna Group is, it's an organization that collects 00:38:35.269 --> 00:38:37.389 all kinds of data. In this case, the Barna Group 00:38:37.389 --> 00:38:41.769 specifically collects religious or Christian 00:38:41.769 --> 00:38:44.550 data questions. How many Christians have done 00:38:44.550 --> 00:38:46.590 X? What is the percentage of Christians have 00:38:46.590 --> 00:38:49.210 done whatever? They accumulate all this information, 00:38:49.389 --> 00:38:52.510 and then they disseminate it out for our knowledge 00:38:52.510 --> 00:38:54.269 so that we know what's going on in the world 00:38:54.269 --> 00:38:57.510 around us. So within the last five years, the 00:38:57.510 --> 00:39:04.289 Barna Group reported that over 60 60 % of young 00:39:04.289 --> 00:39:07.909 people raised in the church leave it before adulthood. 00:39:09.409 --> 00:39:16.269 60%. In their 2019 study, Lifeway Research estimated 00:39:16.269 --> 00:39:20.630 that 66 % of those attending church as teens 00:39:20.630 --> 00:39:26.030 will stop for a year or more when they are between 00:39:26.030 --> 00:39:33.599 18 and 22. 66%. And both organizations report 00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:37.280 that rates of departure between the years of 00:39:37.280 --> 00:39:45.199 18 and 22 can be as high as 75%. Do you think 00:39:45.199 --> 00:39:51.760 we have a problem? I believe we do. The same 00:39:51.760 --> 00:39:53.980 thing can be true for new believers as our teens, 00:39:54.199 --> 00:39:57.840 right? The grounding is not there. If the foundation 00:39:57.840 --> 00:40:01.880 stone of Jesus is not properly set, they will 00:40:01.880 --> 00:40:07.199 exhibit the same problem after time, right? As 00:40:07.199 --> 00:40:10.280 new believers in Christ, we often fly high on 00:40:10.280 --> 00:40:12.940 the emotion or the newness of the relationship. 00:40:13.239 --> 00:40:17.900 But over time, if there is only the emotion of 00:40:17.900 --> 00:40:21.670 it, or the work and activities that go with our 00:40:21.670 --> 00:40:25.090 walk, none of these can bear up the relationship 00:40:25.090 --> 00:40:30.929 by itself. Only Jesus as the foundation can hold 00:40:30.929 --> 00:40:37.349 the house up. Only Jesus. We can fill our time 00:40:37.349 --> 00:40:41.269 with works, community time, serving in the church, 00:40:41.530 --> 00:40:45.130 etc. But without Jesus at the heart of it all, 00:40:45.309 --> 00:40:49.699 it will eventually fail. and wither. This brings 00:40:49.699 --> 00:40:55.719 to my remembrance Proverbs 29 verse 18. 29 18 00:40:55.719 --> 00:40:59.039 Proverbs says, and I'm reading from the Amplified 00:40:59.039 --> 00:41:03.300 Bible again, where there is no vision, no redemptive 00:41:03.300 --> 00:41:09.079 revelation of God, the people perish. Again, 00:41:09.179 --> 00:41:12.860 where there is no vision, no redemptive revelation 00:41:12.860 --> 00:41:20.030 of God, the people perish. Now, I recognize all 00:41:20.030 --> 00:41:25.789 the stated reasons and reasons for disengagement 00:41:25.789 --> 00:41:28.690 by our young people or new believers or even 00:41:28.690 --> 00:41:33.989 old believers, for that matter. They can be varied 00:41:33.989 --> 00:41:38.130 and both general and specific in their nature. 00:41:38.550 --> 00:41:42.989 I believe that the root cause is as stated in 00:41:42.989 --> 00:41:46.429 Revelation 2. They have abandoned their first 00:41:46.429 --> 00:41:51.130 love, and the lack then can be stated as follows. 00:41:51.789 --> 00:41:58.050 They lack an enduring, living, breathing, daily 00:41:58.050 --> 00:42:03.289 recognition of who God is. Let me say that again. 00:42:03.670 --> 00:42:10.210 They lack an enduring, living, breathing, daily 00:42:10.210 --> 00:42:17.559 recognition of who God is. If this first foundation 00:42:17.559 --> 00:42:21.539 stone isn't set properly, the Christian walk 00:42:21.539 --> 00:42:27.539 will suffer terribly and become an unbearable 00:42:27.539 --> 00:42:32.840 thing. So, what are our first steps? What are 00:42:32.840 --> 00:42:34.760 our first steps in making sure our first foundation 00:42:34.760 --> 00:42:39.239 stone is set in place? How do we check and correct 00:42:39.239 --> 00:42:43.380 our first foundation stone? You know, as we've 00:42:43.380 --> 00:42:46.159 said, and we keep coming back to Revelation 2 00:42:46.159 --> 00:42:49.519 verse 4 said, remember how far you have fallen, 00:42:49.679 --> 00:42:56.000 repent, and do the first works. God is beautiful, 00:42:56.159 --> 00:42:59.340 isn't he? He just tells you right out. This is 00:42:59.340 --> 00:43:01.139 how you check it, and this is how you fix it. 00:43:02.579 --> 00:43:08.079 In John 14, 23, John 14, 23 says this to us, 00:43:08.119 --> 00:43:12.739 and Jesus is speaking. Verse 23, he says, Jesus 00:43:12.739 --> 00:43:17.539 answered, If anyone loves me, he will keep my 00:43:17.539 --> 00:43:23.440 word. My Father will love him, and we will come 00:43:23.440 --> 00:43:31.460 to him and make our home in him. If anyone loves 00:43:31.460 --> 00:43:39.630 me, what will we do? We will keep his word. Then 00:43:39.630 --> 00:43:43.130 His Father will love us, and they will come to 00:43:43.130 --> 00:43:48.590 us and make their home in us. As I said in the 00:43:48.590 --> 00:43:53.289 introduction, our key verse is in Mark 10, Mark 00:43:53.289 --> 00:43:56.670 10, 46 through 51. If you go ahead and turn there, 00:43:56.789 --> 00:43:59.750 we're going to go ahead and just read that entire 00:43:59.750 --> 00:44:02.789 section just to get full context of what's going 00:44:02.789 --> 00:44:05.809 on. And as I said, this is the story of the blind 00:44:05.809 --> 00:44:10.289 man, Bartimaeus. who is healed by Jesus. So here 00:44:10.289 --> 00:44:13.550 is actually what happened, starting with verse 00:44:13.550 --> 00:44:19.210 46. It says, they came to Jericho, they meaning 00:44:19.210 --> 00:44:22.449 Jesus and his disciples, right? They came to 00:44:22.449 --> 00:44:26.329 Jericho, and as he was leaving Jericho with his 00:44:26.329 --> 00:44:30.030 disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus, the 00:44:30.030 --> 00:44:35.090 son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by 00:44:35.090 --> 00:44:38.599 the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of 00:44:38.599 --> 00:44:42.699 Nazareth, he began to cry out, Jesus, Son of 00:44:42.699 --> 00:44:47.840 David, have mercy on me. And many who were there 00:44:47.840 --> 00:44:51.139 warned him to be quiet. But he was crying out 00:44:51.139 --> 00:44:56.099 all the more, have mercy on me, Son of David. 00:44:57.079 --> 00:45:04.019 Well, Jesus stopped and said, call him. So they 00:45:04.019 --> 00:45:06.260 called the blind man. They said to him, have 00:45:06.260 --> 00:45:11.719 courage. Get up. He's calling you. And this is 00:45:11.719 --> 00:45:15.780 what Bartimaeus did, the blind beggar, sitting 00:45:15.780 --> 00:45:19.320 at the side of the road. It says, he threw off 00:45:19.320 --> 00:45:27.239 his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. Verse 00:45:27.239 --> 00:45:32.260 51, then Jesus answered him, what do you want 00:45:32.260 --> 00:45:40.559 me to do for you? Bartimaeus answered, Rabboni, 00:45:40.659 --> 00:45:48.860 my Lord. The blind man said to him, I want to 00:45:48.860 --> 00:45:55.679 see. I love these stories of Jesus healing people. 00:45:55.840 --> 00:45:58.739 There is at least one other story that we've 00:45:58.739 --> 00:46:01.500 talked about before on a Sunday morning, and 00:46:01.500 --> 00:46:06.969 that is at the pool of Bethsaida, right? where 00:46:06.969 --> 00:46:10.090 Jesus does the same exact thing. It's obvious 00:46:10.090 --> 00:46:13.250 that the person who's there needs to be healed 00:46:13.250 --> 00:46:16.050 of something, right? And it's not even just obvious 00:46:16.050 --> 00:46:18.150 that he needs to be healed. It's obvious what 00:46:18.150 --> 00:46:20.969 they need to be healed of. And yet, what does 00:46:20.969 --> 00:46:26.409 Jesus do? He asks them, what do you want me to 00:46:26.409 --> 00:46:34.590 do? I love the Lord because in asking that question, 00:46:35.119 --> 00:46:40.659 It shows me that the physical thing isn't always 00:46:40.659 --> 00:46:48.119 the whole thing. Bartimaeus may be blind, but 00:46:48.119 --> 00:46:52.619 when we say that he's blind, what is that blindness? 00:46:52.760 --> 00:46:56.579 And certainly when I'm talking about me, am I 00:46:56.579 --> 00:46:58.980 a blind man? Well, I've already admitted that. 00:46:59.519 --> 00:47:03.039 I'm a blind man in a pitch black room begging 00:47:03.039 --> 00:47:08.320 for a flashlight. But Jesus asks because he wants 00:47:08.320 --> 00:47:11.519 to hear it, and I think that he wants them to 00:47:11.519 --> 00:47:14.460 get the cog in their head moving, that this is 00:47:14.460 --> 00:47:18.800 about more than the physical healing. The same 00:47:18.800 --> 00:47:23.019 thing happens when he's asking us, why are you 00:47:23.019 --> 00:47:26.880 coming to me? What is it that I can do for you? 00:47:28.420 --> 00:47:33.880 He wants you to confess it, right? I love that. 00:47:35.369 --> 00:47:38.809 And then his reply, I think, is a reply that 00:47:38.809 --> 00:47:44.250 we should all be echoing all the time. What do 00:47:44.250 --> 00:47:53.070 we want? Lord, we want to see. This is the state 00:47:53.070 --> 00:47:56.250 that we're going to begin this series in. Let 00:47:56.250 --> 00:47:58.829 me explain it to you. We're going to begin this 00:47:58.829 --> 00:48:01.489 series in this state of mind. We're going to 00:48:01.489 --> 00:48:06.289 come as a people sensing the lack. We're going 00:48:06.289 --> 00:48:10.489 to be recognizing that we may be in many ways 00:48:10.489 --> 00:48:15.789 abandoning our first love. We're going to be 00:48:15.789 --> 00:48:20.130 in this attitude of repentance. And we're going 00:48:20.130 --> 00:48:23.730 to be humble, blind people crying out to God, 00:48:23.829 --> 00:48:29.090 Lord, I want to see. I want to see where I'm 00:48:29.090 --> 00:48:34.079 lacking. Search my heart. I want to see. If there 00:48:34.079 --> 00:48:36.940 is sin in my life, and what is it? I want to 00:48:36.940 --> 00:48:40.860 see how to move closer to you and how to live 00:48:40.860 --> 00:48:45.760 according to your word. Above all, I want to 00:48:45.760 --> 00:48:54.599 see you. I want to see you like Moses when he 00:48:54.599 --> 00:48:59.090 saw the barest glimpse of... of your afterglow 00:48:59.090 --> 00:49:02.230 as you sheltered him in the hollow of the rock 00:49:02.230 --> 00:49:08.469 while you passed by him. I believe that the smallest 00:49:08.469 --> 00:49:16.449 revelation of you will transform my life. For 00:49:16.449 --> 00:49:20.070 the blind man in Mark chapter 10, healing only 00:49:20.070 --> 00:49:23.750 came from Jesus. Did you see anybody else stepping 00:49:23.750 --> 00:49:26.260 up? to heal this man? No. All they did was tell 00:49:26.260 --> 00:49:30.639 him to be quiet. Jesus is the only one who could 00:49:30.639 --> 00:49:37.139 heal him. In the same way, the revelation of 00:49:37.139 --> 00:49:43.599 who God is, it comes to us, yes, but only from 00:49:43.599 --> 00:49:50.099 God. Turn with me to the book of Matthew. In 00:49:50.099 --> 00:49:54.119 Matthew chapter 16, verses 13 through 20, This 00:49:54.119 --> 00:49:56.280 is a story, again, that you're all familiar with, 00:49:56.380 --> 00:50:00.119 and that is the story of when Jesus is asking 00:50:00.119 --> 00:50:04.360 his disciples, who do people say that I am, right? 00:50:04.900 --> 00:50:09.460 So in Matthew 16, verse 13, it says, when Jesus 00:50:09.460 --> 00:50:12.659 came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked 00:50:12.659 --> 00:50:15.679 his disciples, who do people say the Son of Man 00:50:15.679 --> 00:50:20.139 is? They replied, some say John the Baptist, 00:50:20.500 --> 00:50:25.889 others Elijah. Still others, Jeremiah or one 00:50:25.889 --> 00:50:33.150 of the prophets. But you, he asked them, who 00:50:33.150 --> 00:50:39.929 do you say that I am? And then Simon Peter gets 00:50:39.929 --> 00:50:47.269 up and he answers, you are the Messiah, the Son 00:50:47.269 --> 00:50:54.840 of the living God. Jesus responded, blessed are 00:50:54.840 --> 00:50:58.599 you, Simon, son of Jonah, because flesh and blood 00:50:58.599 --> 00:51:03.079 did not reveal this to you, but my Father in 00:51:03.079 --> 00:51:06.920 heaven. Just like all the things in our salvation 00:51:06.920 --> 00:51:11.760 and new life story, it all comes by him, it all 00:51:11.760 --> 00:51:14.820 comes from him, and it all comes through him 00:51:14.820 --> 00:51:19.519 for one singular purpose, and that is his glory. 00:51:22.409 --> 00:51:28.369 So, I'm excited. Let's begin this new journey 00:51:28.369 --> 00:51:33.769 called today by asking the one true God, the 00:51:33.769 --> 00:51:38.889 most holy one, to reveal to us the cornerstone, 00:51:39.030 --> 00:51:44.190 the primary foundation stone of our Christian 00:51:44.190 --> 00:51:48.829 walk, so that we might rightly know Him, be continually 00:51:48.829 --> 00:51:54.039 undone, by the mere essence of His glory and 00:51:54.039 --> 00:52:00.179 desire to walk with Him daily. This is where 00:52:00.179 --> 00:52:03.219 we're going to begin, right? So I hope to see 00:52:03.219 --> 00:52:08.739 you all on Wednesday. Let's pray. Father, we 00:52:08.739 --> 00:52:17.639 are both excited and a little fearful to be in 00:52:17.639 --> 00:52:22.360 this discussion. of fixing the foundation that 00:52:22.360 --> 00:52:24.659 is before us, the foundation of our Christian 00:52:24.659 --> 00:52:29.360 walk. It takes examining who we are, but ultimately, 00:52:29.480 --> 00:52:34.920 God, we have to lean on you and your examination 00:52:34.920 --> 00:52:39.179 and your revelation to us of what needs to be 00:52:39.179 --> 00:52:45.019 repaired. As David said, God, we yield to you. 00:52:45.099 --> 00:52:49.300 Search us. Know us. If there is any wicked thing 00:52:49.300 --> 00:52:55.960 in us, reveal it to us. Lord, we want to walk 00:52:55.960 --> 00:53:01.559 with you the path of life everlasting. You are 00:53:01.559 --> 00:53:05.179 so gracious, so kind, so merciful, so loving 00:53:05.179 --> 00:53:09.559 that you have given us this time, this opportunity 00:53:09.559 --> 00:53:15.570 to set this foundation right. And the reason 00:53:15.570 --> 00:53:18.670 why it needs to be set right is because everything 00:53:18.670 --> 00:53:23.769 that happens after that flows from the foundation 00:53:23.769 --> 00:53:29.510 being you. If it's not, everything is meaningless. 00:53:30.590 --> 00:53:35.349 But if it is of you, then it has purpose and 00:53:35.349 --> 00:53:38.789 reason. And that is the glorification of God 00:53:38.789 --> 00:53:42.440 Almighty. Lord, that is how we want to live our 00:53:42.440 --> 00:53:44.179 lives. That's how we want to move through our 00:53:44.179 --> 00:53:47.179 Christian life. We want that to be the reason 00:53:47.179 --> 00:53:51.000 for serving you, for meeting the needs of others, 00:53:51.139 --> 00:53:54.239 for reaching out, for even serving in your house, 00:53:54.360 --> 00:53:56.679 God, those tasks that you have us do, whether 00:53:56.679 --> 00:54:00.219 it be greeting people or serving communion or 00:54:00.219 --> 00:54:02.440 being part of the offering team or being part 00:54:02.440 --> 00:54:05.280 of the worship team. God, if the reason that 00:54:05.280 --> 00:54:08.980 we do these things isn't you, then they mean 00:54:08.980 --> 00:54:14.739 nothing. But if the reason that we do these things 00:54:14.739 --> 00:54:20.679 is for your glory, then they are like sweet aroma 00:54:20.679 --> 00:54:23.159 before your throne. They are worship, and that 00:54:23.159 --> 00:54:26.340 is what you have created us for, is to worship 00:54:26.340 --> 00:54:31.079 you, to honor you, to reflect you to a world 00:54:31.079 --> 00:54:33.440 so that we might share with them the goodness 00:54:33.440 --> 00:54:36.760 and the love of a God who gave his life for us, 00:54:36.900 --> 00:54:40.239 who shed his blood for us so that your blood 00:54:40.239 --> 00:54:44.099 would cover. our sin, that we can be forgiven, 00:54:44.239 --> 00:54:48.039 and then we can then walk in the newness of new 00:54:48.039 --> 00:54:52.219 life in Christ Jesus, that we might be saved 00:54:52.219 --> 00:54:56.699 and redeemed, that we might be with you forever 00:54:56.699 --> 00:55:03.300 and ever and ever. God, we thank you. Speak to 00:55:03.300 --> 00:55:08.440 us. Reveal yourself to us. Search us, that we 00:55:08.440 --> 00:55:12.559 might know you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.