1 00:00:09,890 --> 00:00:12,850 Welcome to the podcast of the White Church in Adelaide, South 2 00:00:12,850 --> 00:00:15,610 Australia. Well, it's great to have you 3 00:00:15,610 --> 00:00:19,010 guys here this morning. I really enjoyed, you know, 4 00:00:19,010 --> 00:00:21,930 Justin's message last week. I think he did a great job. 5 00:00:21,930 --> 00:00:24,010 I think it's more than just doing a good job. 6 00:00:24,010 --> 00:00:27,730 I think that God is speaking and you know, he was talking about 7 00:00:27,730 --> 00:00:33,400 how we can prepare ourselves to run and some of the ways he had 8 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:38,240 like 6 points for us to, to seek revelation on so that we can be 9 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,520 prepared to for the coming seasons that God's leading us 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:43,120 into as a church and as a people. 11 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:48,000 So one of the things that stuck with me out of that was this 12 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:53,080 point of knowing God. It's just like, oh, we're going 13 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,120 to talk about knowing God again. Of course we're going to talk 14 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,880 about knowing God again, you know, and something that Justin 15 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,240 did share last week was he said that, you know, not just knowing 16 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:07,320 God and how wonderful he is and how amazing saviour and all 17 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:11,280 these things, but knowing the things that God likes and in 18 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:13,680 knowing the things that God dislikes. 19 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,680 That's really important for us as a people following the Lord 20 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:22,120 to know what is pleasing to God and what isn't pleasing to God. 21 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:25,640 Isn't that true? Like I want my children to know 22 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:28,880 the things that bring me joy that I'm pleased about. 23 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,400 And I'll definitely want them to know the things that I want them 24 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,320 to stay away from, right? That's what a good parent does. 25 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:37,840 And I'm not, I'm not saying, hey, look at me, I'm a good 26 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:39,800 parent, but that's what good parents do. 27 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:44,640 They want their children to grow up and to be healthy and strong 28 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,400 and fruitful. And us in the church, we want 29 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,320 our children to grow up to be healthy in the Lord and, and to 30 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,360 run and to take the things that God's put in us. 31 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,200 We want our children to catch that and take it further and 32 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,160 beyond ourselves. And so, you know, to know God 33 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:03,640 and to know what he likes and what he doesn't like is just a 34 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,360 way that we can follow him, right? 35 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:10,080 Like if we don't know the things that are pleasing to the Lord 36 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:11,920 and the things that aren't pleasing to him, we're going to 37 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:15,160 have a hard time following him because we're, we're following 38 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:19,400 the Lord and he's guiding us and he's giving us steps to take. 39 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:21,840 And the Lord's never leading us astray. 40 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:24,760 He's never leading us in the wrong direction. 41 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:27,680 So his ways are always good. And those are the ways that we 42 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,960 want to follow. And I was thinking about, you 43 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:32,760 know, all of these things as I was preparing. 44 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:35,480 And I thought, I thought about where it all went wrong. 45 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:40,200 Where did it all go wrong in Genesis? 46 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,840 Where's Genesis three? Yeah, It's like that's where it 47 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,320 all fell apart. And like, you and I are living 48 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:50,320 in a world today that is a result of what happened there 49 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,400 and that those things haven't been changed yet. 50 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,120 Jesus has come and done a good work and changed us from the 51 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,800 inside out, but we're still living with the fool. 52 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,640 Can I just say that again? We're still living with the fool 53 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:06,040 guys. You know our bodies are going to 54 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,880 die one day, right? And I know that Jesus is 55 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,760 powerful and mighty and his will is for life and all those 56 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,600 things. But Jesus hasn't moved death out 57 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:17,560 of the way just yet. Can I just say that? 58 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:20,840 So we're still living with the fall, OK. 59 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:26,440 And so where it all went wrong in the Garden of Eden, God said 60 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:32,200 he, he, he, he, he said all of these trees, you can eat that 61 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:33,520 one. Just stay away from that one. 62 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,720 Don't eat that one, you know. And then there was 2 special 63 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,000 trees. There was the tree of life, and 64 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,720 there was the tree of the knowledge of and good and evil. 65 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:44,120 That one. Stay away from that one. 66 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,520 Don't eat that one. And I asked myself, I asked 67 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:49,600 myself this question. I'm going to ask all of us this 68 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,520 question. If you were Adam and Eve, 69 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,840 knowing all that you know now, knowing all that you know about 70 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,720 the things that have unfolded through the fallen, through sin, 71 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,960 and through God's word and through all of the Scripture 72 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,720 where he's leading his people and, and revealing himself and 73 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,160 all of those things. If you knew all of that and you 74 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,880 went back, would you eat from the tree? 75 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:21,680 I hope not, right? But this is an interesting thing 76 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,400 to ponder, right? So we're going to unpack that a 77 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,360 little. And so, you know, since the 78 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:32,880 fall, the pattern has been God speaking and people doing 79 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:38,760 something else. And it's been on repeat over and 80 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,280 over and over again. Like we, the church would just 81 00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:43,000 look at Israel and go, oh, what are they doing? 82 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,120 What about us? What are we doing? 83 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:49,040 You know, like, because God's speaking and we're doing 84 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,040 different things sometimes. So we don't get off the hook 85 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:56,000 here, guys, you know, But Genesis one, I'm just going to 86 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,440 read some verses here. Genesis one, verse 11, sorry, 87 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,880 I'm going to read verse 12. It says that the earth brought 88 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,960 forth grass, the herbs that yield seed according to its 89 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:12,640 kind, and the tree that yields fruit whose seed is in itself 90 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,880 according to its kind. So the key point out of that is 91 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:22,000 that that seed produces after its own kind what God made. 92 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:27,120 God put seed in it and it could only produce after its own kind. 93 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,160 And we read on when God created the animals, verse 21. 94 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:33,360 I'm just going to read a couple of points. 95 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,200 You don't have to go here, but it says again, it's the same 96 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:40,400 thing according to their own kind, God created these animals 97 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:45,200 and told them to be fruitful and multiply, but they could only be 98 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,480 fruitful and multiply after their own kind. 99 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:53,600 You know, like a a bear can't have a elephant calf. 100 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:57,200 It's just it's just not, not the way that God structured this 101 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,400 right? So only after their own kind. 102 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,840 And if we pick up together in Genesis one verse 27, I'll just 103 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:09,440 read all of this. It says that so God created man 104 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,680 in his own image, in the image of God. 105 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,920 He created him male and female. He created them. 106 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:21,600 Then God blessed them and God said be fruitful and multiply, 107 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,280 fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion. 108 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:34,680 So God puts a seed in mankind and it's a good seed, you know, 109 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:39,200 for God to create mankind in his own image and then tell them go 110 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:45,040 be fruitful and multiply. God's wanting himself to go and 111 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,560 fill the earth. God's glory would fill and cover 112 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,880 the earth God made after his, his in his own likeness. 113 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:58,640 And he said, go reproduce this seed, good seed that, and fill 114 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:00,760 and subdue the earth. This is God's plan. 115 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:05,800 God wants to be glorified in you and I as people. 116 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:09,880 This is not like he hasn't got a new plan now with the church. 117 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:14,840 That's the plan God wants to put Himself in US and for us to be 118 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:19,920 fruitful and to multiply. So I'm just going to look at the 119 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:23,280 command that God gave Adam and Eve in Genesis 2. 120 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:29,280 In verse 16 He says, and the Lord God commanded the man 121 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:33,360 saying of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but 122 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:36,360 of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not 123 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:40,000 eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. 124 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:46,920 So the all knowing God, the creator of all things is telling 125 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:51,880 them the truth. He's giving them knowledge, he's 126 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:55,120 giving them wisdom, understanding. 127 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:58,600 He's saying don't eat from that tree. 128 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:03,200 You will die. Eat, eat of all of these other 129 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:08,000 trees. Be fruitful, you know, multiply, 130 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,600 enjoy. Let's do this together. 131 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,960 Just don't eat of that thing because all of this will change. 132 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:19,960 This is a good God giving good promises and saying good truth. 133 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:25,160 So he's giving them knowledge and the knowledge is what's 134 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,720 right and what's wrong. He's saying what you have here 135 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:32,159 is great, these ones here good, right? 136 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,919 Choose those that one here wrong, evil. 137 00:08:35,919 --> 00:08:37,280 Don't do it. Do you see? 138 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:42,520 God is revealing good and evil. And so Adam and Eve has a choice 139 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:45,720 to make now. And So what is the choice that 140 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:50,040 Adam and Eve had to make? They could either trust and 141 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:55,640 believe God was right or that God was wrong. 142 00:08:56,280 --> 00:09:01,240 So or that you know they could, they could either trust what God 143 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:09,240 was saying as true and right, or they could just they themselves 144 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:13,640 could decide what was right. Do you see the picture? 145 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:19,600 Trust God, follow him, do what he's asking, do what he's saying 146 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,480 for the good or make up your own mind. 147 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:25,960 You decide what's right and wrong. 148 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:33,120 And so it's interesting because the tree is called the knowledge 149 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:37,080 of good and evil. So God's giving them a choice to 150 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:39,880 either trust him for what's right and wrong, for what's good 151 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:44,480 and evil, or eat that tree and find out for yourself. 152 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:50,440 Right? And the thing with going to the 153 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,040 tree for the knowledge of good and evil is you are going 154 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,680 somewhere other than God. You've got, you're going to go, 155 00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:00,480 you're going to turn away from God and you're going to go 156 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:02,240 looking for something for yourself. 157 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:06,560 And so you've, you've just decided that God himself, the 158 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:09,640 creator of all things, the one that put you in this garden 159 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:14,600 here, that he doesn't know what he's talking about, that what he 160 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:16,680 says is right and wrong is invalid. 161 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:19,800 I'll go find out for myself. He could be wrong so that we 162 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:21,200 better find out. Do you see what I'm saying? 163 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:23,160 There's there's no trust in the Lord in this. 164 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:28,560 And so Eve does this, she eats from the from the fruit, but she 165 00:10:28,560 --> 00:10:33,080 has some help, right? So Satan's there twisting God's 166 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:38,200 word. So in Genesis 3 verse 5, it says 167 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:43,560 this is what Satan says to Eve. He says for God, I'll put in the 168 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:45,880 King James Version here. So just bear with this, right? 169 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:50,560 For God doth know that in the day that ye eat thereof, then 170 00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:54,680 the eye, your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as God's 171 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:59,160 knowing good and evil. Now Satan doesn't exactly lie 172 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:05,520 here, not blatantly, but he always twists the truth and 173 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,200 highlights things that aren't to be highlighted. 174 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:10,680 Right. And I'm going to come back to 175 00:11:10,680 --> 00:11:14,880 that in a second, but catch Eve's response just before she 176 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:19,640 eats of this of this tree of the fruit in verse 6. 177 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:23,000 She says so when the IT says so. When the woman saw that the tree 178 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:27,360 was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and the 179 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:32,400 tree was desirable to make one wise, she took of the fruit and 180 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:36,120 ate it. So she seeks knowledge in the 181 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,000 wrong place. God had already given her 182 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,880 knowledge, and God, you know as he walked with him when in the 183 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,680 garden, He would have continued to give them wisdom and 184 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:48,680 understanding and leading and guiding. 185 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:51,400 But she chose to take that for herself. 186 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:55,840 And again, it was just from another place that wasn't from 187 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,360 God's mouth. And so then Adam eats of of the 188 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:04,560 fruit as well, and the seed enters mankind's heart, the seed 189 00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:09,360 from this tree, as we've read, the seed enters their hearts. 190 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:12,320 And what is this seed? What's a seed of death? 191 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:18,480 It will produce death. And every person is born with 192 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:23,400 this seed from that point after. But this is a this is a seed of 193 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:28,640 self seeking. This is a seed to know good and 194 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:31,600 evil for yourself, that you would judge what is right and 195 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:33,480 wrong. That's the seed that is in here. 196 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:39,040 And it's from within ourselves, that seed, when you think about 197 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:44,280 it, that seed to that we would want to decide what's right, 198 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:47,360 what's wrong, what I can do, what I shouldn't do. 199 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:50,800 This is attitude in people. That's just like, don't tell me 200 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,120 what to do. Who are you to tell me what to 201 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:55,360 do? People say this in the church, 202 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:59,040 like, what do you, you can't tell me what to do, right? 203 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,080 There's a that, that there. That's the seed. 204 00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:06,000 That's the I I'm my own king. I'm my own boss. 205 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:08,960 You can't tell me what to do. I am yielded to no one, to 206 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:12,040 nothing. And that's that seed in the 207 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:15,800 heart of men is the reason why our world is in such a mess 208 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:18,840 today. This is the reason why people 209 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:23,200 could believe things that are so ludicrous because they've just 210 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,920 gone so far away from God's truth. 211 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,640 The truth and truth has just become whatever they think it 212 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,000 should be. Have a look around in our world 213 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,800 at the moment. Like we read here that God made 214 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,040 them man and woman. That's up for grabs now. 215 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:41,800 Do you see how crazy things have gone? 216 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:48,200 So that's the seed that is in our hearts that we're born with. 217 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:57,560 And so, so there, there was a relationship severed when 218 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,800 mankind decided that we could decide what's right and wrong. 219 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:04,720 We'll find out for ourselves. We won't trust the Lord and His 220 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:07,280 word. There was a relationship severed 221 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:11,040 between man and God. God wanted to walk with mankind 222 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:14,240 in the garden and in the cool of the day, and he wanted to tell 223 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:18,560 them the truth. He wanted to be the one to 224 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:21,360 reveal truth and give them knowledge and lead them in the 225 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:23,440 paths of righteousness and all of these things. 226 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:26,440 And that's always been God's desire that because that desire 227 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:29,960 has never changed, but that relationship has been severed. 228 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,360 So God wouldn't continue to walk with them anymore. 229 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:37,960 He drives them out from the from the garden. 230 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:41,920 That's that's brutal. That means that now because of 231 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:46,120 our choice to decide what's right and wrong, God takes a 232 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:49,280 step back and goes, I'm not going to walk with you. 233 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:52,280 Then if you want to decide, go and decide. 234 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:57,720 That's a very scary thing. And we can see where that's LED, 235 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:02,000 right? And so I said that Satan didn't 236 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:03,640 exactly lie. I'm going to get back to that 237 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:07,360 now. Genesis 3 verse 5 For God doth 238 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,360 know that in the day that you eat thereof, then your eyes 239 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:16,720 shall be opened and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 240 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,320 So that's what Satan said. You'll be like God, you'll be 241 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:22,760 gods, you'll be able to judge, you'll be able to know good and 242 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:25,440 evil, you'll be able to make a a choice what's right and wrong. 243 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,760 And God actually confirms this strangely, strangely enough. 244 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,640 So after the fall and after the curse, listen to what God says 245 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:39,240 Genesis 3 verse 22. He says then the Lord God said, 246 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:44,560 behold, man has become one of us to know good and evil. 247 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:48,160 And now unless he put his hand out and take from the tree of 248 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:52,600 life and live forever. Therefore the Lord God sent him 249 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,720 out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground in which he was 250 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:59,480 taken and he drove the man out and he placed cherubim at the 251 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,800 east of the garden of Eden, a flaming sword which turned every 252 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:05,800 way to guard the way to the tree of life. 253 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:09,360 Do you see what happens? God says, OK, they've become 254 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:12,640 like us. They will decide what's right 255 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,800 and wrong now. And he goes, but not in my 256 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:19,680 house, right? So he closes the gate and he 257 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,800 says off you go. Then go and do that over there, 258 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,920 you know, because that's not going to be taking place in my 259 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:30,800 presence because I'm the Lord and I only stand for truth. 260 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:35,040 I do not allow liars to to be in my midst. 261 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:37,720 I don't allow these things to be in my house. 262 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:40,360 You know, the Garden of Eden is like God's house. 263 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:44,240 He made it perfect and he made people in his image. 264 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:49,720 And it was like as soon as they turned from him, out you go. 265 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:52,400 Then you can't be with me anymore, right? 266 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:58,880 And so Adam and Eve found out first hand that what they did 267 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:02,760 was evil, didn't they? They realized, oh gosh, we have 268 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:07,040 made a mistake here because now we're tilling the ground by the 269 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:09,359 sweat of our brow. Now things are hard now. 270 00:17:09,839 --> 00:17:12,560 Now the earth is producing thorns and thistles. 271 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:18,720 Things are bad now, you know, so they realized, so now they have 272 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:20,720 this problem. They're cast out from the 273 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:25,119 presence of God. They can't take freely from the 274 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:30,960 tree of, of life, right? And they can't put that God's 275 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:36,080 seed in them any longer. The seed of life to live and to 276 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:39,680 have perfect, to live in perfect creation. 277 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:44,680 The seeds been taken away, but worse than that, this is the 278 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,960 worse than that. They can't be directed by the 279 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:52,280 Lord. They can't follow him anymore. 280 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:58,400 That that there the fool that there that God has had to remove 281 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:00,200 himself from people when he can't. 282 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:02,720 He won't lead them anymore. That's the worst thing that 283 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:05,480 could ever happen to anyone. That's it. 284 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:08,200 To be separated from God. That's what hell is, isn't it? 285 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:10,760 To be separated from him that he wouldn't be leading you. 286 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:14,360 He wouldn't be, you know, teaching you and and and helping 287 00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:16,680 you. That's the worst of it. 288 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,720 You know, not that they had to like work hard now and not that 289 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:24,280 they're going to die and you know, it's just that God's not 290 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:32,680 there anymore. I hope you guys grasp the the 291 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:37,600 amazing God who's made a way for us to know him through Jesus, 292 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,760 that he would put his spirit in US. 293 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:42,560 I don't think we realized this. See, I'm trying to help us to 294 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:48,760 understand that that Jesus has fixed the biggest problem in on 295 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:51,920 in history. They're being separated from the 296 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:54,360 Lord. He's made a way for the Spirit 297 00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:56,800 of God to come and live back in US, that we would be alive 298 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:00,880 again, that we would be able to to, to eat and have the seed 299 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,560 back in US. Yeah. 300 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:06,800 So this is the pattern of Scripture all the way through 301 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:11,840 God coming to save his people with his word, giving them 302 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:14,040 direction, showing them what's right and wrong. 303 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:16,280 This is like, read the Scripture, guys. 304 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:19,800 This is what God's about. After the fall and after they 305 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,640 cast out, what does God do? God starts to make a way for him 306 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:25,920 to teach them, for him to lead them. 307 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,720 So he raises, you know, Abraham and it goes down the line and I 308 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:31,000 can't get into all of the things. 309 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,360 Just read and and open your eyes and see it. 310 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:38,400 But God raises up the Israelites, a nation to know 311 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,960 him, to be led by him, to have his word. 312 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,920 That's a very special thing. This is why Israel is a special 313 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:51,360 nation, because God's with them, because God chose them to show 314 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:54,200 them the way. That's amazing. 315 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:59,200 This is like God dealing with the curse in people in humanity. 316 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:04,960 God wants to show them what's right and wrong, but people just 317 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:07,720 consistently through the Scripture, as I said, just 318 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:11,320 constantly fall out of God's will and just come up with their 319 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:13,360 own ideas and their own way of doing things. 320 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:16,400 And it never ends well. It's always like the Garden of 321 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,920 Eden all over again. God has to separate himself 322 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:20,280 from. And then when we start again, 323 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,200 God raises someone up. He draws it near to do you see 324 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:24,360 what I'm saying? It's over. 325 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:28,800 And over, you know, I'm reading this morning in my reading, I'm 326 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:30,200 like, Oh my gosh, I've just sorted out again. 327 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:33,000 It's in, I was reading in Exodus. 328 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:37,960 And this is like when Moses goes up the mountain to get the 10 329 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,720 commandments and Aaron's down there and they come to him and 330 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:43,360 say, oh, we don't know what happened to that dude. 331 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:46,360 Like maybe we should just worship God the way that we want 332 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:48,520 it. You see, like God's given 333 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:51,080 various specific instructions. This is how you're going to 334 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:53,160 worship me. Oh, well, he's not around 335 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:55,200 anymore. Let's OK, guys, let's just make 336 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,600 ourselves a calf and let's worship the Lord, right? 337 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:02,520 We'll just do like, whatever we think is right or wrong, we'll 338 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:04,480 just do that. And God will be happy with that. 339 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:08,480 No, he won't. You know, Moses comes down the 340 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,600 mountain. What does he do? 341 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:12,400 What? What was he coming back with? 342 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:15,760 What was Moses coming back down the mountain with? 343 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:18,840 He's got the word of God. He's like, oh, these, these 344 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:20,960 people have been faithful. These people have been waiting. 345 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:23,920 I've gone up to get the word of God where God's going to speak 346 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:25,320 to his people and lead his people. 347 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:28,080 No, I just missed it. So what does Moses do? 348 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:31,040 He he shatters it. He throws it on the ground. 349 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:33,720 He's like, well, hey, if you want to choose what's right or 350 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:37,200 wrong, then we'll just we'll, this can just be destroyed then 351 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:40,280 not for you. Do you see Moses as righteous 352 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:42,600 anger? It's just like, well, you don't 353 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,600 deserve the word of God then if you're just going to do your own 354 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:49,440 thing and not be patient and wait for the word of God, fine, 355 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:51,920 do your own thing and it ends bad. 356 00:21:52,120 --> 00:21:55,720 It's just it's just terrible. But it's funny because you read 357 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,440 on and let me just read this here for us. 358 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:04,200 This is verse sorry, chapter 33. This is just after all of this 359 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:09,640 happens and the Lord says, for, for I will not, not go up in 360 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,400 your midst anymore. And he said, and this is what 361 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:15,080 this is what it says in 33 verse 7. 362 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:20,080 It says Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, 363 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:24,160 right? And everyone who sought the Lord 364 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,600 went to the Tabernacle of meeting, which was outside the 365 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:29,960 camp. What is the picture that we're 366 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:34,600 reading here? God is separating himself. 367 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,760 People decide that they're going to do things their own way. 368 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:42,280 God goes, all right, fine, but I'm separating myself because I 369 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:46,440 won't be a part of this. You will see this over and over 370 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:48,600 again in the Scriptures. This is what God does. 371 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:51,640 God won't stand for unrighteousness. 372 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:56,400 How much more in his church, God's, how much more in the in 373 00:22:56,400 --> 00:23:02,000 the body of Christ? God is not pleased with 374 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,480 unrighteousness. God is not pleased with us doing 375 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:07,520 things the way that we think we should do it. 376 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:12,600 We have a very specific road map for life, how we conduct 377 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:16,040 ourselves, how we treat one another, how we serve the Lord 378 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:19,760 in the House of God. We have to do things His way. 379 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:24,360 God hasn't changed his mind about the seriousness of His 380 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:28,560 word. Can I say that I hope this is 381 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:35,960 getting our attention, guys. So the Bible is like a lifeline 382 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:41,440 to us, right? It's like to eat from the words 383 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:44,080 of this is like to eat from the tree of life. 384 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:48,600 Again, this is God's word. This is where life is. 385 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:54,240 Jesus says I am the word we're partake of of the seed of God. 386 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:58,360 Jesus even says in in Luke 8 verse 11, this is what he says 387 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:00,640 about the word. He said this is the parable of 388 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:01,520 the soul. All right. 389 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,840 Jesus says the seed is the word of God. 390 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:11,360 The word of God is seed. That means that when you partake 391 00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:16,760 of it, read it, know it, absorb it, chew on it, live it out, it 392 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:20,320 produces something in us. It produces fruit. 393 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:23,760 It produces good fruit. Amen. 394 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:29,800 And and just further down in in Luke 8 here it says, but the but 395 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:33,600 the ones that fall on the good ground or the good soil of their 396 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:38,160 hearts, the seed that falls on the good ground of those having 397 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:43,800 heard the word with a noble and a good heart, keep it and bear 398 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:47,120 fruit. Catch this next bit with 399 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:51,880 patience. With patience, that means that 400 00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:55,560 if things don't go the way that we think they should, like for 401 00:24:56,120 --> 00:24:58,800 Aaron and the Israelites, where's this Moses? 402 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:00,960 Why is this taking so long? Oh, let's just get on with it. 403 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:05,000 Patience, trusting the Lord for what he says. 404 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,480 If you haven't seen it yet, patience, faith. 405 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:12,840 If it's written, it's true. If it's written, it will come to 406 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:14,960 pass. You can, you can take it to the 407 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,200 bank. You know this word is true. 408 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:22,360 Have patience, trust the Lord, speak his Lord and and wait on 409 00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:24,320 him. Wait on him patiently. 410 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,360 So Satan is still twisting the word of God today. 411 00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:33,080 I hope you realize that. Do you know where he's doing it? 412 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:38,320 In churches? Think about it like the word of 413 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:40,320 God's not really being preached anywhere else. 414 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,400 So where's Satan twisting the word of God? 415 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:45,840 That's a scary thought, isn't it? 416 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:51,840 And not just Satan. We twist the Word of God in the 417 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:55,120 same way that, you know, Eve added to the word of God And, 418 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:58,240 and, you know, we say things that are out of context 419 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:00,400 sometimes we can twist the Word of God. 420 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:03,200 You know, we've got to be careful with the Word of God. 421 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,240 We've got to handle the Word of God carefully. 422 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:13,080 One of the biggest twistings of Scripture that I just run into 423 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:19,960 all the time in relating to God's Word is that for you are 424 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:22,160 not under law, you're under grace. 425 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:27,000 You are not under law. This thing's just this heavy, 426 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,120 weighty law that you're no longer under. 427 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:33,000 You're under grace. Be free, just do whatever you 428 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,400 want. God has forgiven you. 429 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:40,280 That is not what that's saying. For you are not under law, but 430 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:43,400 you're under grace. You know, we would use that out 431 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,920 of I see that used out of context all the time. 432 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:49,160 What about like, you know, one example. 433 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:52,880 And please, if anyway, I'm just going to say it, if we teach 434 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,520 tithing, right, we teach the word of God. 435 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:58,680 The word of God teaches tithing, whether you like it or not, it's 436 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:01,720 in it, right? It's a pattern. 437 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:04,160 It's it's in scripture. It's good. 438 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:07,280 God's word is good. He says if you tithe, you'll 439 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:08,360 reap harvest. It's good. 440 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:10,200 That's good seed that you'd be selling, right? 441 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:16,440 So I hear people, you know, that just don't want to be generous 442 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,160 with their money. They just want to keep 443 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:21,720 everything for themselves. They just go, well, I'm not 444 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:24,080 under law. I'm under grace. 445 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:27,200 I don't have to tithe. That's law, right? 446 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:32,000 And, and you could go on and on and on with the commands of the 447 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,160 Lord. What I want to do that. 448 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:38,360 So I'm under grace, you know, I'm not under the law. 449 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:41,080 I'm under grace. That was just there, but we're 450 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:47,600 here. So if I'm under grace and not 451 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:52,160 under law, and I can just do whatever I think's right, does 452 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:54,640 that mean that God's always happy with the choices that I 453 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,920 make? Of course he's not. 454 00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:03,000 Does that mean that God is willing to bless me if I'm 455 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:08,400 living contrary to his word? No, Sorry, guys. 456 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:14,840 Like it's just not true, you know, we can't just go because 457 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:18,480 I'm saved, because the Lord's died for me and because I've 458 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:21,560 received salvation, and because I've come from death to life and 459 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:25,120 He's put His Spirit in me, that now the Lord is forced just to 460 00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:26,920 bless whatever I've touched my hands to. 461 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:33,400 It's just not true. God does not bless things that 462 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:35,720 are contrary to His Word. It's just not what He does. 463 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:42,320 He can't, He won't. So let me just read you this. 464 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:45,360 I'm no longer under law, but under grace. 465 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:48,360 Let's just have try and grab a bit of the context here, right? 466 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:51,480 Romans 6, verse 13. I'm just going to read a few 467 00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:53,160 scriptures. You tell me what this is talking 468 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,960 about, and do not protect. Present your members as 469 00:28:56,960 --> 00:29:01,800 instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves 470 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:06,320 to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as 471 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,240 instruments of righteousness to God. 472 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:14,160 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under 473 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,920 law, but under grace. What then? 474 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,600 Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? 475 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,320 Certainly not. Do not. 476 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:27,240 Do not know that whom you present yourselves slaves to 477 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,520 obey. You are the one slave whom you 478 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:36,600 obey, whether sin leading to death or obedience leading to 479 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:40,800 righteousness. Right, like this is talking 480 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:44,520 about obedience and righteousness and not living in 481 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:48,920 sin and choosing righteousness and not unrighteousness. 482 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:52,560 How on earth are you and I are going to understand 483 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:56,680 righteousness and unrighteousness without the word 484 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,280 of God? How? 485 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:03,760 Tell me because without the word of God, you know what we're left 486 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:07,320 with? We are left with our own 487 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:09,920 understanding of what is right and wrong. 488 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:14,640 We are straight back to the the beginning where all of this fell 489 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:20,080 apart because God spoke and gave his word and gave truth and we 490 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:22,000 decided that we would make our own truth. 491 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:25,760 Amen. It's important, guys. 492 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:31,600 Gosh, I could just go on and on. Hey, I'm just, I'm going to skip 493 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:35,440 some things because it's just like it's over and over and over 494 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,840 again in the scripture. So how do you draw near to God? 495 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:44,960 How do we draw near to him? Obedience. 496 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:48,480 Oh, it's what did you say? Yeah. 497 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:53,960 Humble humility, Right. God's way, doing things his way. 498 00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:59,720 You know, I think that we've been deceived into thinking that 499 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:03,120 drawing near to God is just crying out to him and saying, 500 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:06,040 Lord, help me, Lord, come and fill us. 501 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:10,360 You know, like, like the drawing near to God would just be in a 502 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:13,480 meeting where the the music's really getting you pumped up and 503 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:16,800 you can just go, come, Lord, fill this place, you know, like 504 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:20,560 that that's drawing near to God. And there's a sense of that with 505 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:23,360 when you're crying out of your heart that you're hungry for him 506 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:26,640 and you want him, right? So this is kind of true. 507 00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:32,360 But drawing near to God, we draw near to him through his word, we 508 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:37,080 draw near to him through obeying him, through following him. 509 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:43,520 Jesus said, follow me, right? He said, come, my yoke is easy. 510 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,440 You know what a yoke is? It's something that is put on 511 00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:51,680 you so that you you're like where we become bond servants to 512 00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:53,440 Christ. We don't like saying that, do 513 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:57,400 we? Servants, bond servants like 514 00:31:57,400 --> 00:31:59,400 that. The Lord would put his yoke on 515 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:01,680 me and I'd just do what he tells me to do. 516 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:05,080 Oh my gosh. You know, like it's been so 517 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:11,040 twisted that that sounds like, you know, it sounds like what 518 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:13,560 sounds like what Satan was sort of saying in the garden, that 519 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:17,880 this is what freedom looks like. No, freedom looks like putting 520 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:21,960 the yoke of God on you and submitting, being humble and 521 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:24,120 following him. That's what true freedom looks 522 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:27,600 like, guys. And so you can draw near to God. 523 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:31,600 We should draw near to God. But it's through knowing his 524 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:35,480 ways and following him together. It's the primary way that God 525 00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:39,480 speaks through his word. And you might be saying, yeah, 526 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:42,120 yeah, I know all this. Like I've been in church my 527 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:43,080 whole life. I've heard it all. 528 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:46,720 I've heard it all. I've heard all this, but I 529 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:48,960 started with, you know, I asked us this question. 530 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:52,640 I said if you were in the garden, if you were Adam and Eve 531 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:56,160 and you knew everything that you knew right now, would you eat 532 00:32:56,160 --> 00:33:01,040 from the tree? We say no, but do we still live 533 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:04,080 contrary to the Word of God sometimes, right? 534 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:08,280 Do I still put aside God's word and his command and just go in 535 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,320 this direction because it's what it feels right to me? 536 00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:13,640 Do you know what that is? That is eating from the tree of 537 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:18,120 knowledge of good and evil? So I'm scared, I'm like, if I 538 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:21,640 get put back in that garden again, I might mess this up, 539 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:26,840 right? Thank God that Jesus sent his 540 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:32,640 Son. There is only one righteous and 541 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:37,760 holy and pure. There is only one that is only 542 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:40,560 about the Father's will. Jesus. 543 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:43,680 That's it. The only reason that you and I 544 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:49,040 are saved, can come back to the Father, can come and hear the 545 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:52,000 truth of the word of God, can be led by him again. 546 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:58,240 It's because Jesus lived a perfect life and laid it down on 547 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:01,960 the cross for you and I. That's it, that's it. 548 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,400 And so I don't think I could do it. 549 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:09,920 I think if you put me back in the garden before long I think 550 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:14,520 I'd mess it up. I don't want to like I, I, you 551 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:16,159 know, like, because we all see her and goes, of course we 552 00:34:16,159 --> 00:34:17,360 wouldn't eat the tree. Really. 553 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:21,040 What about 1000 years later? Like, you know, you're not going 554 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:22,840 to make a mistake. You're not going to do something 555 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:24,480 that the word of God doesn't tell you to do. 556 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:26,440 Do you see what I'm saying? We're in trouble, guys. 557 00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:30,920 But Jesus, thank you, Lord. Oh my gosh. 558 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:35,000 That's why we that's why we hold him so high. 559 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:39,920 That's why we seek him with all of our might because he is the 560 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:43,520 one that did that went before us, and he is the one that has 561 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:47,080 the words of life, only Him. Amen. 562 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:56,800 So, you know, like I'm just, I'm imploring us as a church to go 563 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:59,600 after these things. We got to live for something 564 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:03,280 bigger than ourselves. You know, the church matters, 565 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:07,760 guys. It's like it's God's plan for 566 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:12,120 salvation across this earth. And the part that you and I play 567 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:16,680 on it matters in it. But you know, the part that we 568 00:35:16,680 --> 00:35:21,880 play is, is obedience and willingness to turn from our own 569 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:24,720 ways and seek the Lord for his ways. 570 00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:31,800 And you know, there's a reason why this church is called the 571 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:36,560 Way Church. We want to find out God's 572 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:40,000 direction. We want to find out the way that 573 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:44,600 he's leading us for our lives and for the church. 574 00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:47,680 That's it. It's a pretty simple equation, 575 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:49,600 isn't it? What do you want us to do, God? 576 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:52,480 I want you to follow me. I want you to drop everything. 577 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:54,640 I want you to leave it all behind. 578 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:57,480 I want you to come get behind me. 579 00:35:57,480 --> 00:36:02,360 Come follow me. You know, And so I think about 580 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:04,520 our lives. I'm, I'm bringing this to a 581 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:09,080 close now and I think because I've been thinking about this 582 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:14,200 stuff a lot and you know, how I go about living my life, how I 583 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:19,000 parent the sort of husband that I am, the sort of leader that I 584 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:20,640 am here. All of these things. 585 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:23,880 You got to consider the life that you live. 586 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:27,000 You got to consider the things that you give yourself to. 587 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:32,800 And it's not enough just to go. I think I'm in the will of God 588 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,400 in this, you know, God's OK with that or whatever. 589 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:40,320 We've got to find out what this says, you know, and this is what 590 00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:43,280 we're, we as a church want to do when we gather together in our 591 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:46,520 community groups, when we gather together as men, when we gather 592 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:49,160 together, you know, on Sundays and when we're together 593 00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:51,480 one-on-one, stuff like that, you know what we want to talk about. 594 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:57,880 What does the word of God teach? What is applicable to our lives? 595 00:36:59,960 --> 00:37:04,080 Because you know, there's areas in all of our lives that we 596 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:05,840 haven't considered God's will in. 597 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:08,520 We're just going through the motions. 598 00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:11,280 We've just made a choice that this thing that I'm involved in 599 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:13,840 is OK. Have you asked him? 600 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:20,400 Have you gone digging and saying, Lord, is this a good 601 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:24,880 thing for me to be a part of? Is this a good character trait 602 00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:28,040 for me to have? If this is this a good 603 00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:31,800 representation of your heart in this thing, you got to go 604 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:35,600 looking. It's like if you don't know what 605 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,240 the word of God says, how could you, how could the seed get in? 606 00:37:39,240 --> 00:37:42,480 How could you reproduce? How could you see the fruit of 607 00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:45,680 God in your life? We got to we got to pick up the 608 00:37:45,680 --> 00:37:47,880 pace. I think we got to be more 609 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:51,160 diligent in asking each other what, you know, what are the 610 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:52,360 things that we're struggling with? 611 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:54,280 What are what are the things that God's saying? 612 00:37:55,240 --> 00:37:59,560 You know what's what's going on in your life and have a 613 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:01,640 conversation and talk and then just go cool. 614 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:04,760 All right, Wonder what the word of God says about that, right? 615 00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:07,000 Always I wonder what the word of God says about that. 616 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:08,920 Oh, you guys are having some problems in your marriage. 617 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:11,000 I wonder what the word of God says about that. 618 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:13,240 You guys are going to get married next year. 619 00:38:13,240 --> 00:38:15,760 I wonder what the word of God says about that, right? 620 00:38:16,240 --> 00:38:18,760 For all things. I'm having some health issues at 621 00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:19,840 the moment. I'm struggling. 622 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:21,680 I wonder what the word of God says about that. 623 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:24,960 I'm I'm struggling financially. I don't have a lot of money. 624 00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:27,440 I wonder what the word gods. I'm just, it's just, you 625 00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:29,840 wouldn't run out of things, right? 626 00:38:30,720 --> 00:38:33,760 I wonder, like I wonder what short sort of food I should be 627 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:35,560 eating. I wonder what sort of lifestyle 628 00:38:35,560 --> 00:38:37,760 I should be living. I wonder what the word of God 629 00:38:37,760 --> 00:38:43,240 says. This has the answers to all of 630 00:38:43,240 --> 00:38:47,120 life's issues, you know, not just problems. 631 00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:51,760 This has the answers that contain the promises of God. 632 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:55,080 This is how you partake of the promises of God. 633 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:57,760 But it's not just a one-on-one thing. 634 00:38:57,760 --> 00:39:00,840 This is how we help each other. We've got to help each other, 635 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:03,720 guys. It's not the the days for us 636 00:39:03,720 --> 00:39:07,760 just to meet up and talk about football and talk about, you 637 00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:09,840 know, housework. I don't know what ladies talk 638 00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:14,400 about, but but you know, like honestly, especially in the 639 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:16,800 church, like if we're just standing around talking about 640 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:19,120 our work and you know, hey, how are you going? 641 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:20,640 Oh yeah. You know, I've just been not 642 00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:27,000 been working and it's been hard. And So what like, what does the 643 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:29,120 word of God say? Like how do we build each other 644 00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:30,720 up? How do we strengthen, strengthen 645 00:39:30,720 --> 00:39:33,120 each other? How can we ask questions of each 646 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:36,320 other that stir the word of God in US and through us because we 647 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:39,840 need to. So I am going to close here and 648 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:43,400 I'm just going to read Psalm one, the first of the Psalms. 649 00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:48,480 It's an amazing Psalm. Blessed is the man who walks not 650 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:52,520 in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of 651 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:58,360 sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is 652 00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:01,600 in the law of the Lord and his law. 653 00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:05,480 In his law he meditates day and night. 654 00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:12,400 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that 655 00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:17,000 bring forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall 656 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:20,400 never wither, and whether whatever he does, he shall 657 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,280 prosper. The ungodly are not so. 658 00:40:23,880 --> 00:40:26,920 But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 659 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:31,040 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor 660 00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:33,480 sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 661 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:38,320 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of 662 00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:42,120 the ungodly shall perish. Isn't that a beautiful picture? 663 00:40:42,520 --> 00:40:47,280 Like they we would be a tree planted on the waters and that 664 00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:51,200 our leaves would never wither and that there would be fruit, 665 00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,400 good fruit. See, the Lord knows what he's 666 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:56,200 doing. He knows what he's talking 667 00:40:56,200 --> 00:40:58,440 about. He knows that those that give 668 00:40:58,440 --> 00:41:02,320 themselves over wholeheartedly to the word of God and to his 669 00:41:02,320 --> 00:41:05,400 ways will prosper. That's it. 670 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:09,240 I hope we want to prosper. I hope that you've got it in 671 00:41:09,240 --> 00:41:13,280 your heart for this church to prosper, right? 672 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:17,000 Fruitfulness, for us to multiply, for us to see the hand 673 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:20,600 of God, for, you know, for the, for the neighbors and the 674 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:22,440 friends and the family around you. 675 00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:25,080 Do you want to see those people come to the Lord? 676 00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:29,600 Do you want to see fruitfulness? Well, then we need to get the 677 00:41:29,600 --> 00:41:33,040 seed in. That's for us personally, but 678 00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:36,160 more so for us as a people. We got to help each other grow. 679 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:39,200 Amen. Awesome. 680 00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:41,800 Let's just pray. Would you just stand with me? 681 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:47,160 I think like standing is a good thing in that we can respond to 682 00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:50,240 the Word of God. So when we're standing together 683 00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:55,000 here, what we're saying is we trust you, Lord. 684 00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:58,320 We believe that your word is true. 685 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:04,320 We want to follow you, Lord. And so that's a declaration that 686 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:08,080 we stand to our feet. So let's pray, Father, Lord, we 687 00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:12,400 thank you for who you are. We thank you, Lord, that your 688 00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:17,520 desire from the very beginning would be to lead us, to guide 689 00:42:17,520 --> 00:42:22,000 us, to grow us, for us to be fruitful, for us to multiply, 690 00:42:22,280 --> 00:42:24,600 for your glory, to fill this earth. 691 00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:28,720 And so we thank you today. We we stand here, expectant 692 00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:32,600 Lord, that you're going to reveal something of yourself to 693 00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:38,000 us, that there's areas even right now in this room, areas 694 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:42,360 that you will highlight for us. This is a way that you are 695 00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:45,680 walking away from me. I'm calling you back. 696 00:42:46,440 --> 00:42:50,600 So, Lord, we just yield to you as as Dudley reminded us, Lord, 697 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:56,520 we come humbly knowing that you are the only way that knows 698 00:42:56,520 --> 00:43:01,720 truth and life. And so we come to you, Lord 699 00:43:01,720 --> 00:43:03,520 Jesus, we honour you in this place. 700 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:07,200 We thank you, Lord, that if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be 701 00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:09,640 back, You know, into the Father's arms. 702 00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:12,240 That is what you've done that's brought us home. 703 00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:17,600 But salvation, Lord, is is to know you, is to come back into 704 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:20,400 your presence. But from that place, Lord, we 705 00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:23,120 want to be pleasing to you. We want to honour you, we want 706 00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:25,600 to follow you. We want to be transformed into 707 00:43:25,600 --> 00:43:28,520 your image. And we ask Holy Spirit in this 708 00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:33,360 place today that you would do what only you can do Convict us. 709 00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:36,680 Lord, ask for your deep conviction in our hearts that we 710 00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:39,120 wouldn't be able to get away from the things you were saying 711 00:43:39,120 --> 00:43:42,640 to us and that you would give us courage and strength. 712 00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:45,800 And even the peace Lord that we spoke about earlier. 713 00:43:45,800 --> 00:43:51,000 The Peace Lord, to be able to walk this out well and to enjoy 714 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:56,280 this wonderful life you've given us in Jesus mighty name, Amen. 715 00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:00,440 Thank you for joining us for today's message. 716 00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:03,320 For more information about The Way Church, please visit 717 00:44:03,320 --> 00:44:06,280 ourwebsite@thewaychurch.com dot AU. 718 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:07,600 Have a blessed day.