1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:03,560 Good. All right, let's go to Part 4 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:06,640 and let's turn over to Ephesians chapter 5. 3 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,800 I don't intend to be real long tonight just because there is 4 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,760 not, you know, a lot of these we've already covered, but let 5 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:17,360 me give you a couple announcements while you're 6 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:19,320 turning over there to Ephesians chapter 5. 7 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:25,160 We have just a reminder about the Papa John's gift cards and 8 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:29,040 if you could share those. We've already put that up on the 9 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,600 church Facebook page and if you can share those with people, we 10 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:36,000 actually, I've mentioned this I think on Sunday, but we have the 11 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,120 capability to pay for those online. 12 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:43,440 And so if you have somebody that that you know, lives a little 13 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:46,760 farther away or doesn't go to church here but wants to pay for 14 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:48,920 one, then we can certainly give you 1. 15 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,520 You can either take it to them or send it to them or whatever, 16 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:53,480 but they can pay for that online too. 17 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:56,360 So just to make sure you take advantage of those. 18 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:01,800 And then, oh, I meant to mention this because Miss Vicki brought 19 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:06,120 up a good point. Just make sure that especially 20 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:10,040 especially on Wednesday nights, but when you leave to make sure 21 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,520 that everything is cleaned up off the floor, you know that 22 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:15,880 you've taken your stuff off the pews and everything else for the 23 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:17,280 people who are coming in to clean. 24 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,600 She mentioned that when we had our cleaning meeting and I keep 25 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:25,480 forgetting to, to announce that. So clean up those things around 26 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,320 your view and, and it really does help too. 27 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:30,680 If you you know, if you grab your bulletin and it doesn't, 28 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:32,920 it's not going to bother me if you throw it away because I know 29 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,480 you, you get one every week. So if you can throw that away 30 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,320 when you leave, I mean, anything that you can do to clean up your 31 00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:41,800 area that that just helps when people come back through and 32 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,600 clean. So make sure you pull those out. 33 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,160 And then just a couple things that we have for the rest of 34 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,000 this week. Friday morning we have the men's 35 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,440 prayer meeting. I'll send out a text for that on 36 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,520 on Thursday to remind you lift on Friday morning as well at 37 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:58,400 10:30. And then Saturday is a family 38 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:00,120 Saturday. So we don't have any outreach 39 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:05,280 that day, but we will do our men's Zoom prayer meeting that 40 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,240 night. And I'll send out a reminder for 41 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:12,320 that too, just to reminds you that we have it in an hour or so 42 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:17,440 after we get close to that. So all right, Ephesians chapter 43 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:24,320 5 and these are the last four principles, if you will, of of 44 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:26,560 Christian growth and spiritual victory. 45 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,800 And the the ones that we've looked at so far, abiding in 46 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:33,600 Christ, putting off the old man and putting on the new, 47 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:37,520 confessing sin, pressing toward the mark and then last week 48 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,240 devouring the word, protecting the word, separation from the 49 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,480 world, separation from false teachers. 50 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:48,480 And so really three tonight, the 4th 1 is abiding in Christ, 51 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:52,760 which we'll, we'll talk about that again, why he mentioned it 52 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,800 first and last. But there's really three that we 53 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:58,960 want to talk about tonight. And, and really the main one 54 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,120 that I'm going to focus on is being filled with the Spirit. 55 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,280 That is a principle of Christian growth and spiritual victory. 56 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:07,360 And there's five principles that go along with that. 57 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,320 So let's read Ephesians chapter 5 and verse #18 the Bible says, 58 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:16,600 and be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled 59 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:19,840 with the Spirit. And of course, that's a very 60 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,520 important passage there. And so we're going to talk about 61 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:24,240 those different things. So spiritual victory in the 62 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:28,400 Christian life is through surrender to and yielding to the 63 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:32,400 indwelling Holy Spirit. Now I think the Pentecostals 64 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:37,720 probably especially have really hijacked this idea of being 65 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:40,640 filled with the Spirit and made it be something that it never 66 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,080 was intended, made it be something that the Bible doesn't 67 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:49,600 certainly doesn't back up, especially the to the extent to 68 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:52,640 which they've taken it. But I also think that for a lot 69 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,320 of Christians, we don't take advantage enough of the Holy 70 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:57,920 Spirit indwelling in us. So couple things here. 71 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,840 Number one, being filled with the Spirit means to be under the 72 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,560 Spirit's control. And of course, we're talking 73 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,440 about Ephesians 518 be not drunk with wine. 74 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:08,360 We're in his excess. And I think it's kind of funny 75 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,040 where the cloud is almost like having a conversation with 76 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,200 himself in this paragraph. But he says as a man is under 77 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:16,839 the control of wine when he's drunk, so the believer is under 78 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:19,079 of the spirit's control when he's filled with the spirit. 79 00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:21,800 It is only in this one sense that being filled with the 80 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:23,520 spirit is like into being drunk with wine. 81 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:26,960 Then he almost changes and he says actually being filled with 82 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:29,240 the spirit is not like into being drunk with wine. 83 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:31,680 It's contrasted to being drunk with wine. 84 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:34,520 And that's exactly what it is. Don't be drunk with wine, be 85 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,480 filled with the spirit. It's, it's, it's the, it's kind 86 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,840 of the opposite of that, right? But but it could look the same 87 00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:42,600 way, right? When somebody is drunk, when 88 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,320 somebody is under the influence, right? 89 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,240 That's what we say. You're under the influence of 90 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:48,400 alcohol. Why do you say that? 91 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,520 Because you are completely under the influence of whatever that 92 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,080 you, whatever you're drinking or smoking, right? 93 00:04:54,080 --> 00:05:00,880 You're under that influence. It is, it is not predicting, but 94 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,760 it is, what's the word I'm thinking of your behavior. 95 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,040 It is, it is dictating your behavior. 96 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:09,600 Maybe I should say that it's, it's, it's almost telling you 97 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:13,600 what to think or, or not think, you know, and, and by the way, 98 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,040 that's one of the reasons why alcohol is wrong, right? 99 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:19,400 A lot of people say, well, if you just have a little sip of it 100 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:21,760 here and there or just one beer, you know, you're not really 101 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:23,200 drunk. That's OK. 102 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,520 Well, number one, you had to start somewhere because I can 103 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:28,480 promise you, I've never had a drink in my life. 104 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,600 I can promise you if I drank 1 beer, I'd probably be under the 105 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:36,200 influence, right? If I smoked 1, you know, one 106 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:40,360 joint of weed, I would be under the influence right now. 107 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:43,600 It doesn't take all that long to where you can get used to that, 108 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:45,920 right? And, and, and you can handle one 109 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,320 beer and not be drunk, but you had to be drunk at some point to 110 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:52,080 get to that point where you could handle it, right? 111 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:55,760 I, I had a guy and I won't even tell you what the relation is, 112 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,720 but I had a guy that told me one time he every time I saw him, he 113 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:00,680 had a beer in his hand every time I saw him. 114 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:06,080 And he said, you've never seen me drunk, though I always have a 115 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:09,360 beer, but you've never seen me drunk as he's, you know, eyes 116 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:11,720 are all floating around in his head and everything else. 117 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,000 He thought he wasn't drunk, but he was right. 118 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:16,960 And and that's, I mean, that's that's exactly what happens when 119 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,560 somebody is under the influence. And so we're, we're saying the 120 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:22,120 same thing here. Be not drunk with wine, wearing 121 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,520 his excess, but be filled with the spirit, be under the 122 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:28,280 influence of the spirit. Now, some charismatics teach 123 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:32,520 that spirit filling is to be drunk with the spirit, right? 124 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:38,040 What happens when somebody's drunk, complete loss of control. 125 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,760 They're stumbling around, they're slurring their speech, 126 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,080 they're doing crazy things, right? 127 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:45,920 Why do, why do people say that or, or why is that like a 128 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,040 colloquial expression? Hold my beer, right? 129 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:51,760 Because you're about ready to do something really stupid, right? 130 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,240 And that's what, and, and, and that's the reason why people use 131 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,640 that as an expression, because that's what happens when you're 132 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,160 under the influence. Trey acts like he's been there 133 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:02,680 before or something, but I don't know, maybe you said that once 134 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:05,000 or twice. I don't know, but hopefully not. 135 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,960 But anyway, let's let's go over to Acts chapter 2 because I want 136 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:13,320 to contrast this very sharply with with what Paul is saying 137 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:15,760 here. I'm sorry, not Paul, but Peter. 138 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,920 Well, actually, Paul wrote the book of Acts that this is about 139 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:21,480 Peter, though, and Peter was actually the one speaking so. 140 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,480 But this is what happens, right, when somebody is under the 141 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:28,720 influence of alcohol. And that's what the charismatics 142 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,280 act like, OK, We should be under the control or under the 143 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,200 influence of the Holy Spirit the same way that somebody's under 144 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:36,680 the influence of alcohol. You have no control over it. 145 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,840 So the individual falls down and laughs and acts like a drunk. 146 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:42,680 But this is ridiculous and unscriptural. 147 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,080 When the disciples were filled with the Spirit on the day of 148 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:48,120 Pentecost, Peter plainly stated that they were not drunk. 149 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:52,720 Acts chapter 2 and verse #15 For these are not drunken as you 150 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:55,400 suppose, seeing it is about the third hour of the day. 151 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:58,360 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. 152 00:07:58,360 --> 00:07:59,840 That shall come to pass in the last day. 153 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:01,960 I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh. 154 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:04,560 Your sons and daughters shall prophecy, Your young men shall 155 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:06,480 see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. 156 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,840 He's quoting, he's quoting the book of Joel, but basically he's 157 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:12,760 saying, he's saying they're not under the influence the same way 158 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:14,800 that somebody would be under the influence of alcohol. 159 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,720 They're not stumbling around and falling on the ground and 160 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:21,080 laughing hysterically, which I think I mentioned this, you 161 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,040 know, maybe last week, maybe the week before and we were talking 162 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:27,040 about it, but they have, there's been a lot of laughing revivals 163 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:31,000 or barking revivals, which it literally just just saying that 164 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,679 sounds ridiculous. But that's exactly just rolling 165 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,440 around on the floor laughing hysterically because we're under 166 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,240 the power and under the influence of the Holy Spirit. 167 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:41,799 I mean, and, and the same way that somebody does that when 168 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:43,360 they're drunk, we're under the influence. 169 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:47,760 Those things are all made-up. They're made-up, they're put on, 170 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:49,840 right? I mean, even even when it comes 171 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:52,080 to speaking in tongues and everything else, somebody who is 172 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:55,320 really honest about that knows that the very first time they 173 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:57,920 spoke in tongues, they did it on purpose, right? 174 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,880 And maybe they've gotten so comfortable with it now that it 175 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,520 just comes on them and they start speaking in tongues. 176 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:05,960 But it's the same thing with with alcohol, right? 177 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:08,880 You had to make yourself drink it the first time you took it. 178 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:10,840 I can't even stand the smell of it. 179 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:12,520 I don't know how anybody drinks alcohol. 180 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:14,560 This smell is enough to keep me away from it. 181 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:17,720 But you had to. You know what I've heard from a 182 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:22,080 lot of people who drink and who are, you know, who like beer and 183 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:23,240 everything else. A lot of them say it's an 184 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:25,840 acquired taste. You have to make yourself like 185 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:27,760 it, right? And I think it's exactly the 186 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:31,160 same thing that happens with the speaking in tongues crowd, 187 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:33,120 right? You have to make yourself speak 188 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:35,120 in tongues to the point where you're comfortable enough with 189 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,200 it. I, I was reading a book that 190 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,800 somebody was writing about this idea and, and one of the reasons 191 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,440 why they came to the conclusion that speaking in tongues was 192 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,280 wrong. He said, you know which, which 193 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:49,480 again, it just goes completely against the Bible. 194 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:53,320 The evidence of salvation is being able to speak in tongues. 195 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:56,600 So you can get saved. But if you go 2345 years until 196 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:58,640 you actually speak in tongues, you're not saved until you've 197 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,320 spoken in tongues because that's the evidence of salvation, 198 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:02,880 right? That's, I mean, it's just, it's 199 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,120 just ludicrous compared to the, to the, to the Bible and 200 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,040 actually what tongues in the Bible is. 201 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:12,480 But this guy said, I was in a Pentecostal church and I wanted 202 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:15,080 so badly to speak in tongues because I thought that was the 203 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:17,760 evidence of the Holy Spirit and I wanted that. 204 00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:21,160 And he said I was with one of my friends and, and we were both 205 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:22,960 kind of in the same, you know, in the same boat. 206 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:26,680 And, and finally he told me we were on our way to church and he 207 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:28,360 said, I'm going to speak in tongues tonight. 208 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:32,040 I said, sure enough, he got up in the service and he started 209 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:34,640 speaking in tongues. He said that didn't, that wasn't 210 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:38,280 something that just happened. He finally decided this is the 211 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:40,840 night that I'm going to do it. And he made himself speak in 212 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:42,680 tongues and he said that was it for me. 213 00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:46,640 I realized that it was all fake. There was nothing to it and I 214 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:48,320 got out of it as quickly as I could. 215 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:52,000 But that's what happens with some of these things is that, 216 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:55,320 you know, it's not falling around, stumbling on the ground, 217 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:58,200 laughing, barking like dogs and doing all these other kind of 218 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,440 things where you just have no control over your body because 219 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:03,200 you're under the power of the Holy Spirit. 220 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:08,880 No, to be spirit filled simply means to yield to God's control. 221 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:11,120 And you can underline this in your book because I think this 222 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,560 is this is this is kind of bringing everything together. 223 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,200 To be filled with the Spirit simply means to yield to God's 224 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:21,240 control in my life. That means to die to self will 225 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:23,320 and self desire and to live for Christ. 226 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:27,280 It's bringing my will under his will. 227 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:30,840 That's what being, that's what having the power of the Holy 228 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:32,880 Spirit, that's what being filled with the Spirit means. 229 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:36,800 My will is brought under his will, right? 230 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:38,920 It's exactly what happens. OK, if you want to talk about, 231 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:41,520 if you want to use that, that illustration of being drunk, 232 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:44,360 right? My will is under the will of 233 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:46,760 that alcohol because I don't have control over it anymore, 234 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:48,920 right, right. And, and the same thing. 235 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:51,440 Don't, don't be drunk with wine, wherein is excess. 236 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:54,880 Be filled with the Spirit. Your will become subservient to 237 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:57,000 God's will. And exactly what he says means 238 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,800 to start each day by surrendering myself to the Lord 239 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,320 for that day. And then as choices come my way, 240 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,120 I choose to do God's real will rather than my own. 241 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,760 When the believer does that, God gives him spiritual strength and 242 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,440 wisdom and guidance. That's walking in the Spirit. 243 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:13,960 That is being filled with the Spirit, right? 244 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,640 And and that's exactly what Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 245 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:20,520 #18 is talking about. Now we continue on with that and 246 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:22,600 you can go back over to Ephesians chapter 5 if you 247 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:25,400 turned away from it already. But #2 to be filled with the 248 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:28,000 Spirit is not a one time act or an experience. 249 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:32,320 It's a process, right? And again, it's kind of the same 250 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:33,840 thing. I got filled the Spirit. 251 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:36,360 I spoke in tongues tonight, right? 252 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:38,000 I spoke in tongues for the first time. 253 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:39,720 That was evidence of being filled. 254 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,640 And you know, no, it's not, it's not an experience, it's not 255 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:45,160 something that that happens to you. 256 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:48,160 It's a process. So the verb in Ephesians chapter 257 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:50,800 5 and verse 18 and be not drunk with wine where it is excess, 258 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:55,320 but be filled with the spirit. That verb is in the continuous 259 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:57,560 tense. And again, this is where 260 00:12:57,560 --> 00:13:00,120 studying comes in. You have to go back into, you 261 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:03,320 know, go into strong skin coordinates and look at what 262 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:05,800 word is being used and look at the tense that that word is 263 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:08,000 being that that word is being used in. 264 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,360 But but be filled with the Spirit is in the continuous 265 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:13,280 tense. It's not a matter of achieving a 266 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:15,160 state of perfection. It's a matter of growing in the 267 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,080 grace and knowledge of the Lord. The believer must not get 268 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,480 discouraged when he sins. He can be filled with the Spirit 269 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:23,080 anew by confessing his sins and by yielding to the Spirit's 270 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,040 leadership and control, right, which is why the Bible says and 271 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:28,560 grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto 272 00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:30,440 the day of redemption. You can grieve the Spirit, 273 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:32,160 right? You can sin to the point where 274 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,920 you are grieving him. Well, how do you get that back? 275 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:37,400 You confess that sin. You get it right With Him. 276 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,920 You can be filled right now. The Holy Spirit indwells you at 277 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:45,040 salvation, and once he indwells you, he's not going to unindwell 278 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:46,600 you because he's sealed you, right. 279 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:48,520 The Holy Spirit lives inside of you. 280 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,040 But to be filled with the Spirit is exactly what we're talking 281 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:53,920 about here. That is something that that we 282 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,280 have to, we have to do every day. 283 00:13:56,280 --> 00:14:01,800 We have to allow Him to to fill us every day, especially if 284 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:03,520 we've sinned. And we need to get those things 285 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:05,800 right with God and He can fill us anew and we can have that 286 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:09,200 power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit #3 287 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:10,640 then. And we're that right there in 288 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:13,960 Ephesians chapter 5, verse #19 says speaking to yourselves in 289 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:18,000 psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody 290 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,040 in your hearts to the Lord. Well, how do we know that those 291 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:23,400 things go hand in hand? Because punctuation matters, 292 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:27,520 right in the end of verse #18 is not a period, it's a semi colon. 293 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:30,680 So he's continually talking about this, right? 294 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:34,400 Be not drunk with wine, wearing his excess, but be filled with 295 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,440 the Spirit speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns 296 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:39,680 and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to 297 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:41,720 the Lord. And it continues on because 298 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:44,040 that's another semi colon there. But this is the Third Point. 299 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:46,480 Observe that being filled with the Spirit is associated with 300 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:50,720 singing spiritual songs. There is power in psalms and 301 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:53,760 hymns and spiritual songs. In Ephesians chapter 5, Paul 302 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:59,600 describes that that called associated, sorry, the singing 303 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:01,520 of spiritual songs are being filled with the Holy Spirit. 304 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:05,040 You think about in first Samuel chapter 16 and verse 23. 305 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:06,560 And we don't have to go back there and look at it because 306 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,920 most of you know the story. But Saul's spirit was troubled 307 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,040 and David came in and played the heart for him and it calmed his 308 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:17,680 spirit, right? The just as David songs calmed 309 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:19,840 the troubled king. Spiritual songs can feed, 310 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:22,920 encourage the believers, feed and encourage the believers. 311 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:24,760 Newman. So it's a good practice to 312 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:27,560 memorize hymns and spiritual songs so that they can be used 313 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:29,920 when trials come. Which, by the way, that's one of 314 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,040 the reasons why, you know, I know we have we have a nursery. 315 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:35,480 But that's one of the reasons why I want our kids in here 316 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:39,120 during the song service, you pick up on those, they pick up 317 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:41,840 on those things you do too, but they pick up on those things 318 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:43,360 from the time that they're little kids. 319 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:46,560 That's why from the from before our kids were born, we were 320 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:49,960 playing music for them at night. And every night when they go to 321 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:51,960 bed, they listen to music, right? 322 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,560 It's, it's, it's those things are, are things that they go to 323 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:57,160 sleep to because it's music that they're listening to that's 324 00:15:57,160 --> 00:15:59,440 helping them to, to memorize those things. 325 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,040 And why do you think that, that most of our young kids, when 326 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:04,920 they, when we get in here and sing a song, they can sing at 327 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:07,240 least the chorus from memory. And a lot of times, a lot of 328 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:09,920 the, the verses from memory. How does that happen? 329 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:12,440 Because you sing them over and over and over and you hear them 330 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:14,760 played over and over and over, right. 331 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,760 And, and music is very powerful. You don't even have to listen to 332 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:20,360 that very many times for it to be burned into your memory, 333 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:23,600 right? You can, as you can walk into 334 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:26,200 Wawa and you can hear a song playing and you don't even know 335 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:28,800 who's singing or where it came from, but you're singing phrases 336 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,280 along with it because you heard it somewhere, right? 337 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:35,520 Music is very, very powerful. So if we're going to use music 338 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:39,600 in a powerful way, it should be music that is pleasing to the 339 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:41,360 Lord. It should be music that is 340 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,160 feeding our spirit, not the other way around. 341 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,040 So it's a good practice to memorize hymns and spiritual 342 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:49,920 songs so they can be used when trials come, right? 343 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:51,920 Right. There are so many songs that we 344 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:55,320 can sing that that, you know, his eyes on the Sparrow. 345 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,720 Brother George just sang that one on Sunday, right? 346 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,680 You get into a difficult spot. And man, God's watching the 347 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:02,320 sparrows. That's it. 348 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:04,240 That's a song that brings encouragement. 349 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,440 All right, there's a lot of a lot of times when we need songs. 350 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,480 He he mentioned this a godly woman told me that she went once 351 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,040 went through a hard trial during what she found it difficult to 352 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,760 pray or read her Bible, but she kept singing a simple spiritual 353 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:19,200 song over and over and the Lord gave her the victory. 354 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:22,920 And so that is one of the principles of victory in your 355 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:24,720 Christian life. And this I mean, he's he's 356 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:28,200 mentioning this year, but many of you that I've sat down with 357 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:30,320 that said, hey, I'm this is something that I'm struggling 358 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:31,280 with. What can I do? 359 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:37,800 Well, number one, you've got to replace that sin with something, 360 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:39,880 right? You, you can say, well, I'm not 361 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:41,520 going to do that anymore. Let's just say you have a 362 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:43,560 problem with listening to the wrong kind of music. 363 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:46,480 OK, well, I'm not going to listen to that wrong music 364 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:48,400 anymore. I'm going to get rid of it. 365 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:49,720 I'm not going to listen to it anymore. 366 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:54,600 Well, music is very powerful and we are musical beings, right? 367 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,680 So you can't just say I'm not going to listen to that. 368 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:59,360 You've got to replace it with something else, right? 369 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:00,440 Right. But here's another. 370 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:02,560 This is another principle of victory in your life when you're 371 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:04,640 struggling with something. I mean, it could be anything. 372 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,080 It could be a thought life. It could be, it could be an 373 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:08,960 issue with anger. It could be anything. 374 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:12,040 You get a song that really sticks in your mind. 375 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,720 And whenever you're tempted to look at the wrong things or 376 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,320 whenever you're tempted to listen to the wrong things, or 377 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:21,640 whenever you're tempted to get angry, you pull up that song and 378 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:26,560 you sing that song in your head. You have it as your go to. 379 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,080 It's got to be, you got to have, you can't just think, OK, all I 380 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:32,640 need to think of a song, it's probably not going to happen, 381 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:34,320 right? You have that song ready. 382 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:37,080 It's the song that you sing every time you face whatever 383 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:39,400 temptation that happens to be, right? 384 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:41,200 It could be the old Rugged Cross. 385 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:42,920 I mean, it could be, it could be anything. 386 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:46,520 It could be any song, right? But have that song ready, have 387 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:49,600 that song prepared so that when you face that temptation, you 388 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:54,320 can overcome by singing that song, whatever it happens to be 389 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:57,480 versus do the same thing. But but music is such a powerful 390 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,800 thing that many times when you sing a song, it's a lot easier 391 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,960 to to sing sometimes than it is a quote, especially when you're 392 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:07,400 in a, in a frame of mind. That's not great, right? 393 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:10,720 But this is also why then, OK, let's, let's let's go on to the 394 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:13,280 next page because this is this is a continuation of that same 395 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:15,960 thing. It's wise to build a library of 396 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:18,840 good sacred music and listen to it as as you have the 397 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:22,040 opportunity, personal music player in the car, in the home, 398 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:23,760 wherever it happens to be, right? 399 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:26,960 It's very difficult. It's very difficult for you to 400 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:29,400 do things that go against God's word when you're listening to 401 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:33,640 sacred music right here, you're listening to a song about the 402 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:35,720 old rugged Cross and you're sitting at your computer looking 403 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:38,720 at something that you shouldn't be looking at, right? 404 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:40,320 Most people are not going to do that. 405 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:43,560 You go turn the music off 1st and then you continue watching 406 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:47,280 what you're watching or you're just not going to do it right. 407 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:49,960 That's why it's, that's why it's so important to, to have those 408 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:52,880 things playing all the time as you have an opportunity to do 409 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:55,280 it. And, and you know, we have, we 410 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:59,720 have a huge library of music because before we, we have a 411 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:03,040 church Spotify playlist. And that's what plays before and 412 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,360 after church, which by the way, you can go on there Spotify, the 413 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:09,800 free Spotify account, you can still get to the church playlist 414 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,320 and there's hundreds of songs in that playlist. 415 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:16,720 But we used to, we, we have a huge library of songs that we 416 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,920 used to play just on the computers before the before 417 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,000 church. We had one giant playlist of all 418 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,320 of those songs that just played through the computer. 419 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:27,000 If you need some music, you can get music. 420 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,480 We have music in the bookstore. We have, we have, we have the, 421 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:32,880 the, like I said, the church Spotify playlist. 422 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:36,240 There's no excuse for you to not have good, godly, sacred music 423 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,920 playing all the time, right? But I'll tell you what happens 424 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:42,720 is people just replace it with whatever, right? 425 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:44,760 They'll, they'll, they don't have any problem putting. 426 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:48,440 I was going to say the name of a radio station, but I can't even 427 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:49,920 think of 1. I don't, I don't, I don't listen 428 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:53,160 to the, to the radio stations. But you know, the country music 429 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,360 station. Well, it's the easiest thing. 430 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:59,520 Just click on it and listen to that in the car, right? 431 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:01,880 I need to listen to something. So I'll just, I'll just go to 432 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,040 that and listen to it or, you know, have the TV on at home and 433 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:07,960 it's just constantly playing. Put some godly music on and let 434 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,840 that play right. That's what we have playing most 435 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:13,680 of the time in our house. Music is constantly playing in 436 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,080 our house because it, it adds to the atmosphere of everything, 437 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:19,480 calms everything down. It's, you know, many times we 438 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:21,920 already know the songs and we're singing along with the songs 439 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:25,240 and, and it and it, and it calms your spirit and, and that's what 440 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:28,280 it's designed to do. Speaking to yourselves in psalms 441 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:30,920 and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in 442 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,280 your hearts to the Lord. It's a great quote here. 443 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:36,080 And this comes from a book How to lose a child before he is 444 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:38,680 five years old. And I just, I just mentioned 445 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:40,640 that I just preached on that not too long ago. 446 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:42,600 In fact, I think Sunday night I brought it up. 447 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:49,160 But you know, your teenagers are, are pretty much who they're 448 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,320 going to be by the time they're 567 years old. 449 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:53,920 So how do you lose a kid before he's five years old? 450 00:21:54,120 --> 00:21:56,200 Well, this is, that's obviously the whole book that he's 451 00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:58,640 writing. But this is this is a quote from 452 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:02,240 that worldly music produces A worldly environment and creates 453 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:05,160 worldly attitudes. On the other hand, you can 454 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,440 program temperament and stability and peace and 455 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:09,760 quietness in your home. If you get good sacred Christian 456 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:13,200 music, You can play Bible stories in a room where a little 457 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,960 baby is sleeping and you're programming Bible stories into 458 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:17,800 his little mind. Now that's the thing. 459 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:21,680 And I said that we we've done that from from before Jackson 460 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:24,320 was born. We were playing music knowing 461 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:26,280 that they can hear it even inside the womb. 462 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:29,040 But from the time that they were babies, they, they, they don't 463 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,360 necessarily understand everything that's being said in 464 00:22:32,360 --> 00:22:36,680 a patch the pirate, right? When they're six months old, but 465 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:38,600 they're going to sleep listening to it. 466 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,320 They're going to sleep listening to to that music because it's, 467 00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:44,520 it's just, they're going to get it and they pick it up. 468 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,520 And, and, and I mean, it's certainly better than feeding 469 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,000 them the world's music from that early age, right? 470 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:52,600 Gives them an appetite for those things said. 471 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:55,640 You can play Bible stories in a room where a little baby is 472 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:57,880 sleeping and you're programming Bible stories in his little 473 00:22:57,880 --> 00:22:59,680 mind. Kids don't have to learn things 474 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,480 formally. You just put it there and 475 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:05,720 they're like a blotter. They absorb it, put soothing, 476 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,640 Christ honoring, soul stirring Christian music on and just let 477 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,040 it play in your home and you're programming something of 478 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:14,520 security and tranquility and peace into the children's 479 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:16,680 hearts. And that's exactly what it is. 480 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,680 Why? That's why I don't want to get 481 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:21,440 into it all again when it comes to the music. 482 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:25,040 But that's why it's so important that you, that you listen to the 483 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,400 right kind of godly music, not just in your home, but what you 484 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,760 listen to, right? We must warn against the carnal 485 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:33,320 Christian music that's popular today. 486 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:35,520 The Bible says we must sing spiritual songs. 487 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:37,680 That's the opposite of worldly songs. 488 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:41,400 Spiritual music is the opposite of music that feeds the flesh. 489 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:46,640 Well, I mean, that's that's what makes rock music so enticing, 490 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,520 right? I mean, you want to tell me that 491 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:52,880 that that's not affecting a little kid, right? 492 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,320 The kid can barely walk and he's standing up on the couch and 493 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:58,960 some song comes on that has a beat in it, and he's doing this 494 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:01,240 to it, right? Nobody had to teach him how to 495 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:04,080 do that, right? It's because it's music that 496 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:08,000 feeds the flesh. And if you try to take the 497 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,800 world's music and put some Christian words to it, you're 498 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:12,480 just feeding the flesh. That's all you're doing. 499 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:14,320 It's not feeding the spirit, it's feeding the flesh. 500 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:17,560 Spiritual music is the opposite of music that feeds the flesh. 501 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:20,240 It's the opposite of the world's party music. 502 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:23,120 I've already seen that God forbids us to associate with the 503 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:26,680 evil things of the world. First John 215 through 17 love 504 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,360 not the world, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride 505 00:24:29,360 --> 00:24:31,400 of life. They're not of the Father, It's 506 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,720 of the world, right? That's that is what most music 507 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:36,800 today is. So you have to be intentional 508 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:40,120 about making sure that you're playing good, godly Christ, 509 00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:43,160 honoring music in your home and in your car and everywhere else 510 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:46,560 that you're at. So to go back to that point, 511 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,080 being filled with the Spirit is associated with singing 512 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:50,640 spiritual songs. Number 4. 513 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:52,960 Then being filled with the Spirit is associated with giving 514 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:54,760 thanks to God. And that's what I said. 515 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:58,680 Verse #20 is a continuation of verse #19 It's got a semi colon 516 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:01,080 there. If we have critical complaining 517 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,440 attitudes, I'm not filled with the Spirit because he's grieved 518 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,160 by those things, right? You go back to Ephesians chapter 519 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:09,240 4, Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. 520 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:12,240 Verse 30, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and 521 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:13,680 evil speaking. That all has to do with your 522 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,480 attitude, right? It all has to do with, with, 523 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,320 with your temperament. You can't be filled with the 524 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:21,080 Spirit when you have a complaining attitude. 525 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:23,800 You can't be filled with the Spirit when you have a, a bitter 526 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:26,160 spirit. Because he's grieved by those 527 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:27,720 things. And he says that get rid of 528 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:30,080 those things. That's part of putting off the 529 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:31,760 old man and putting on the new man. 530 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,880 That's, that's part of what that's all about #5 Then being 531 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:36,760 filled with the spirit is associated with godly 532 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:39,080 relationships. And again, I don't want to take 533 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:42,200 the time to go through all of this, but it talks about the 534 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:46,480 order in the home, the husband, the wife, the kids, right? 535 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,080 The husband is the head of the home. 536 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:52,480 God put that husband there in that leadership position. 537 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:56,400 He put the wife in the submission submission, the 538 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:59,240 submissive submission, however you want to say it, position, 539 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:02,560 right, to be a help to her husband. 540 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,400 And then he put the kids under the husband and the wife because 541 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,160 he said they should obey their parents. 542 00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:10,800 And that's the only way that the home works, right? 543 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:12,880 You can't. You can't have a wife who is 544 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:15,680 trying to lead the home and tell me that she is under the control 545 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,960 of the Holy Spirit because you were literally going exactly 546 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,520 against what the Bible says. Your role is, right? 547 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,040 You can't have a kid who's rebellious against their parents 548 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,480 and then tell me that he's filled with the Spirit because 549 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:32,720 he's going exactly against the role that was given to him as a 550 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:35,280 child. You can't tell me that a husband 551 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,920 is filled with the Holy Spirit if he won't take the leadership 552 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:42,400 role in the home, right? Well, you know, I mean, I defer 553 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:43,880 to my wife on a lot of those things. 554 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:46,160 You can't be filled with the Spirit because you're not doing 555 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:48,600 what God wants you to do. You're not taking those godly 556 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:51,040 leadership roles. And so to be filled with the 557 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:53,840 Spirit requires obeying him. And He wants us to treat one 558 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:57,080 another in a godly manner. And again, same thing. 559 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:59,040 Spirit filled wives submit to their husbands. 560 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,080 Spirit filled husbands love their wives. 561 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:03,440 Spirit filled children obey and honor their parents. 562 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,720 Spirit filled fathers, here's a big one. 563 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:09,040 Do not provoke their children to wrath, right? 564 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:11,880 You can't be filled with the spirit if you're not bringing 565 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:14,600 your children up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord, 566 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,120 if you're provoking your children to wrath, right? 567 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:20,360 Spirit filled servants are obedient to their masters. 568 00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:22,680 Spirit filled masters treat their servants justly. 569 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:24,720 I don't. I mean, we could talk all night 570 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:26,840 about just that fifth point right there. 571 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:29,880 But the whole point being is being filled with the Spirit is 572 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:31,880 associated with godly relationships. 573 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:36,200 So it's very plain, right? It's, it's right there in 574 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,400 Ephesians chapter 5 and and really 5. 575 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:41,520 And I guess you could go into into chapter 6, but being filled 576 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:44,200 with the spirit means to be under the Spirit's control. 577 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:47,040 To be filled with the Spirit is not a one time act or 578 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:48,360 experience. It's a process. 579 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:50,920 Being filled with the Spirit is associated with singing 580 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:52,720 spiritual songs. It's associated with giving 581 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:55,280 thanks, and it's associated with godly relationships. 582 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,960 All of those things are are part of being filled with the Spirit 583 00:27:58,200 --> 00:27:59,760 and that's how you grow as a Christian. 584 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:02,440 That's how you have victory in your spiritual life. 585 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:05,920 You want to go forward for Christ instead of like like a 586 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:10,120 canoe going up, up, upstream and stopping and going backwards. 587 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:11,600 That's what you're, that's what you're doing. 588 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:13,480 If you're not filled with the Spirit, you cannot have 589 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,120 spiritual victory in your life if you do not have the power of 590 00:28:16,120 --> 00:28:19,760 the Holy Spirit to do that. So that brings us then to the 591 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:23,040 second one for tonight #10 I guess you would say it is 592 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:26,480 establishing godly habits. And this is, boy, this is huge. 593 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:27,920 Let's let's go over to Luke chapter 4. 594 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:31,000 This is our text verse for this point. 595 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:36,920 But I've, I've talked about this quite a lot in different 596 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:40,000 contexts and with different things, but Luke chapter 4 and 597 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:46,640 verse #16 this is talking about Jesus, obviously. 598 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:49,680 And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. 599 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:55,320 And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the 600 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:58,120 Sabbath day and stood up for, to read. 601 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:01,040 I've been in that synagogue in Nazareth and I've seen, I can, 602 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:02,600 I'm picturing in my head right now. 603 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:05,760 But Jesus grew up in Nazareth. You know why he, you know why he 604 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:07,080 did that when he went back there? 605 00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:10,560 Because it was a habit. He was going to be in the 606 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:13,640 synagogue and he was going to be reading the Scriptures, right? 607 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:17,880 Our lives are busy, and it's essential to establish godly 608 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,400 habits so that God is not crowded out. 609 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:24,160 We should establish a habit of daily Bible reading and 610 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:28,080 intercessory prayer, a habit of faithful church attendance, a 611 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:31,840 habit of participating in organized evangelism, a habit of 612 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:34,440 spending time with our families, and many such things. 613 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,240 And I'll, and that's what I'll say, you know, when you give 614 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:40,960 yourself a way out, you will always find it, right? 615 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,120 Well, I'll go to visitation on Saturday. 616 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:45,960 If I don't have anything else going on, guess what's going to 617 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:47,840 happen? You're going to find something 618 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:50,880 else that's going on. And you might make it out once 619 00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:53,320 or twice, but you're going to find something else that go if 620 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,760 you don't give yourself, look, I was, I was thinking about this, 621 00:29:56,760 --> 00:30:01,000 this idea this afternoon. If you're trying to lose weight 622 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:03,720 and you give yourself an option to cheat, guess what you're 623 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:08,680 going to do? You're going to cheat, right? 624 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:13,240 Well, I just, I'm trying to lose weight, so I'm trying to stay 625 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:18,200 away from cake, right? But if a piece jumps in front of 626 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:20,680 me, I guess I'll probably eat it, right? 627 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,760 Guess how many pieces are going to jump in front of you a lot 628 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:26,760 because you gave yourself a way out, right? 629 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:30,320 If you say, all right, no more, no more sugar, I'm trying to 630 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:33,400 lose weight. Well, then, then it becomes a 631 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:37,040 lot easier to say no because I said none, not just stay away 632 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:38,240 from it, right? Right. 633 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:41,320 If you give yourself the option, you're always going to take the 634 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:44,520 option, right? Same thing with church Sunday 635 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:46,360 night. You know, a lot of times things 636 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:49,000 come up on Sunday afternoons and I can't quite make it there. 637 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:51,600 Wednesday night's probably even a better. 638 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:55,120 You know, people have an excuse for Wednesday nights. 639 00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:57,760 Even more often. If you give yourself the option, 640 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:01,360 you're going to find a way to take the option, right? 641 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:03,880 If it's a habit, well, we're going to be there Sunday 642 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:05,240 morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. 643 00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:06,720 We're going to be there for visitation. 644 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:11,720 I'm going to read my Bible. So other things have to go to 645 00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:14,480 make these things happen, right? Then guess what? 646 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:17,840 You will find a way to make those things happen. 647 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:19,880 And the truth is, you'll probably find a way to do the 648 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:24,920 other things too, right? God, God wants you to do those 649 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:27,360 things. God, when I say those things, 650 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:29,440 I'm talking about going to church, reading your Bible, 651 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:31,360 having a prayer time. God wants you to do those 652 00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:34,720 things, all right? So if you do those things, then 653 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:36,880 he'll probably work it out so you can do the other things that 654 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:40,520 you want to do as well. I don't think there's ever been 655 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:45,040 a time in growing up I didn't have the the option and now I 656 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:46,640 don't have the option because I'm the pastor. 657 00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:48,960 But there's never been a time where I've said, I wonder if I'm 658 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:51,600 going to go to church today, right? 659 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:53,640 Because it's never been an option. 660 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:57,800 It is always I'm going to church today, right? 661 00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:00,200 There's never been a thought in my mind. 662 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,440 Well, I wonder if I'm going to show up to go on visitation or 663 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:08,640 do do the outreach today because it's what we do, right? 664 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:13,240 And yes, I'm the pastor, but I mean, I can find excuses to get 665 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,600 around it and not be there, but I understand the importance of 666 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:19,120 it and, and we need to be there, right? 667 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:22,800 Bible reading. Is there a is there an excuse? 668 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:28,120 Well, I just if, if I get busy and I can't read, then I guess 669 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:31,280 that's what goes today. All right, No, get put a 670 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:34,880 checklist, have a checklist and make sure you check it off every 671 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:38,760 single day and you're not going to miss it, right? 672 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:41,440 Do you ever say, well, today was a little bit busy? 673 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:44,560 I guess I'm not going to brush my teeth today, right? 674 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:48,080 Hopefully you don't. All right, well, today was a 675 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:49,680 little bit busy. I guess I'm going to walk out 676 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:52,240 without combing my hair. Oh, you get in front of the 677 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:54,520 mirror and you make sure you look exactly the way that you 678 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:56,080 want to look and everything else, right. 679 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:57,840 That's that's the thing that gets me too. 680 00:32:57,840 --> 00:32:59,880 You see people walking around and they look like they just 681 00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:02,040 woke up. You know, their hair's all they 682 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:04,920 they did that in the mirror and they look exactly like they want 683 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,720 to look. You know, they want that sloppy 684 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:11,240 just woke up look and they probably got stuff in their hair 685 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:14,280 making it look that way. You know, people look exactly 686 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:16,000 how they want to look, as goofy as they look. 687 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,040 Sometimes they look exactly the way that they want to. 688 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:19,560 Because you're going to do those things, right? 689 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:21,840 It's a habit and that's what I'm saying. 690 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:25,240 These things, establishing these godly habits are things that 691 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:27,680 we've got to you've, we've got to do those. 692 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:31,360 So it doesn't mean that we only think of God and only serve God 693 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:33,280 during special times in the day and week. 694 00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:35,800 We're to pray without ceasing. That's that's what 1st 695 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:39,240 Thessalonians 517 says, to always have a conscience void of 696 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:42,920 offense toward God, to always a bound in the work of the Lord to 697 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:46,120 give thanks always, to be ready always to give a testimony for 698 00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:49,160 Christ. So, and it's not all right, got 699 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:50,360 my Bible reading done for the day. 700 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:52,800 I don't have to think about God anymore, right? 701 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:57,400 Or you know, I had it on my list that I was going to, you know, 702 00:33:57,440 --> 00:33:59,360 give a track, one track of the day. 703 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:00,520 And I already gave my track today. 704 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:01,840 So I don't have to do that anymore. 705 00:34:02,120 --> 00:34:04,520 You know, there's things that we do constantly, but we have to be 706 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:08,159 aware too, lest our spiritual habits become mere routine, lest 707 00:34:08,159 --> 00:34:11,320 our form becomes formality. We keep our spiritual habits 708 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:13,199 fresh by staying in fellowship with Christ. 709 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:16,239 When you have the fellowship in with Christ that you should 710 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:19,320 have, then it's not just aw, man, I got to read my Bible 711 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:20,679 today. Stink. 712 00:34:20,679 --> 00:34:22,400 I don't, man. I don't have time for that, 713 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:24,840 Right? No, you, you, you want to. 714 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:26,480 You'll make time for those things. 715 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:30,120 Aw, man, it's Sunday again. I don't have time for church 716 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:31,760 today. Whatever. 717 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:34,199 I guess I'll go. All right, man. 718 00:34:34,199 --> 00:34:37,960 Wednesday night again, man. Visitation again. 719 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:43,280 Special meetings again, right? It's, it's it when it's, when 720 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:46,560 it's stemming out of a, out of a relationship with Christ and out 721 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:48,360 of a desire for fellowship with him. 722 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:51,400 You don't see it that way, right? 723 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:54,199 You don't see it that way. You're looking forward to that 724 00:34:54,199 --> 00:34:57,240 opportunity. And I know, I mean, that's why I 725 00:34:57,240 --> 00:35:00,240 try to be very conscious of your time, right? 726 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:03,280 I, I sit around all week waiting for Sunday to roll around. 727 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:07,480 So I don't have anything going on, but I know you do, right? 728 00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:10,280 So I try to think about that. And when we have, when we have, 729 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:13,720 you know, full weeks and busy weeks and things, that's how I 730 00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:15,520 try to put the calendar together, right? 731 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:18,200 I try to put the calendar together where we have a family 732 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:20,800 Saturday after we've had a really busy week. 733 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,160 So you have time to spend with your family because that's 734 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:26,560 important too, right? And if all you ever do is spend 735 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:29,800 all of your time at church and no time with your family, your, 736 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:32,520 your kids are going to grow up and they're not going to live 737 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:34,440 for the Lord. And then you're going to be left 738 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:38,320 holding the bag, right? So there is a balance, but 739 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:41,280 that's my job is to find that balance, right, and make sure 740 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:43,960 that that you have the family time that you need to have and 741 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:47,640 to make sure that, you know, we're not overdoing, which I 742 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:50,360 don't even know if you can, but not overdoing the time that you 743 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:53,360 spend at church. But that The thing is when you 744 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:56,200 have that fellowship with God, you want to be together with his 745 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:57,680 people. You want to be in his house. 746 00:35:57,680 --> 00:35:59,160 You want to know more of his word. 747 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:01,120 You want to have more time and pray. 748 00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:03,400 You want to have more prayer meetings, right? 749 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:05,600 That's that's what happens when you, when you have that 750 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:08,360 fellowship with God. So how do you keep, how do you 751 00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:10,960 keep, you know, your Bible reading from just being 752 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:12,840 something that, well, I got to do this again today. 753 00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:15,040 Let me get this done real quick so I can go on and finish 754 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:17,240 everything else. You have that fellowship with 755 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:20,480 him, right? Remember when you were dating? 756 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:25,200 It wasn't like, oh man, she's waiting for me again. 757 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:27,760 I got to go spend time with her so I can get that done today. 758 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:31,120 No, you're like, let me get everything else done so I can go 759 00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:34,760 spend time with her, right? Oh, man, I got to, I got to 760 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:37,360 brush my teeth so I can go spend time with her. 761 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:39,560 Oh, man, I got to do that so I can go spend time with her, 762 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:41,000 right? That's, that's how it was. 763 00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:43,600 And and that's how your relationship with Christ ought 764 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:46,080 to be. Oh, man, I got to go to work. 765 00:36:46,680 --> 00:36:48,520 All right, Well, let me go do that real quick and then I can 766 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:50,160 go to church. You know that. 767 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:51,800 I mean, that's the way that it should be in our lives. 768 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:54,800 So establishing those godly habits and then this one is 769 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:57,360 very, very simple, but also profound as well. 770 00:36:57,360 --> 00:37:01,520 Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1 and 2 verses that are very 771 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:07,320 familiar to us, but really carry a lot of weight if you take him 772 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:09,360 to heart. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse #1 773 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:11,680 Wherefore seeing we also are compass about was so great a 774 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:13,960 cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight 775 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:17,040 and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with 776 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:18,640 patience the race that is set before us. 777 00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:23,040 And then verse #2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher 778 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:26,200 of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured 779 00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:29,720 the cross, despising the shame in a set down at the right hand 780 00:37:29,720 --> 00:37:32,360 of the throne of God. So keeping our eyes on Christ, 781 00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:35,520 we must keep our eyes on Christ. He will never fail us. 782 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:38,560 He's never going to offend us. The believer stumbles when he 783 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:42,160 gets his eyes off Christ and on to anything else such as his own 784 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:46,360 sin, the world, difficulties in life, or other people. 785 00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:49,000 Those who have their eyes on Christ and are serving Him with 786 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:52,800 an undivided heart don't stumble when they see other believers 787 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:55,400 commit sins or otherwise do things that offend. 788 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:57,360 And I think this is a great example. 789 00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:00,800 When I was reading through this this this thought came to my 790 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:02,960 mind before I even finished reading his example. 791 00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:06,120 But when churches have troubles, it soon becomes evident which of 792 00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:07,880 the members are truly walking with Christ. 793 00:38:08,240 --> 00:38:10,560 They continue to walk with Him regardless of what happens. 794 00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:15,040 But those who are looking at man and following man become 795 00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:18,120 discouraged and even quit when someone or something offends 796 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:19,240 them, right? Right. 797 00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:22,000 It just proves that your eyes were on something other than 798 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:25,200 Christ. If you can get offended and it 799 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:29,480 makes you quit, your eyes were not on Christ, it was on people. 800 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:36,040 If somebody that's in a position of leadership fails and falls 801 00:38:36,240 --> 00:38:39,040 and it causes you to quit, then your eyes were on the wrong 802 00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:41,200 thing. Your eyes were on that man and 803 00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:44,720 not on Christ, right? And and that's why I've said, 804 00:38:44,720 --> 00:38:47,920 I've said this many times, if something happens and I am no 805 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:51,040 longer the pastor of this church, it should continue on as 806 00:38:51,040 --> 00:38:54,760 if I was not even here. Yes, you need leadership and 807 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:57,520 yes, you should bring another pastor in that that has the same 808 00:38:57,520 --> 00:38:59,520 goals and the same desires and everything else. 809 00:38:59,760 --> 00:39:02,000 But your eyes are not on me. They're on Christ. 810 00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:06,360 And if I was gone tomorrow, this church should continue on 811 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:08,720 exactly the same way that it is right now. 812 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:12,040 Or your eyes are on the wrong thing, right? 813 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:14,760 Your eyes should be on Christ. And if your eyes are on Christ, 814 00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:17,520 and it doesn't matter what other people do, it doesn't matter 815 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:22,640 what other people say. It doesn't matter what, what you 816 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:26,160 know, what other people in Christianity do, your eyes 817 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:28,240 should be on Christ. And if they're on Christ, then 818 00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:30,880 keep them there and keep going, right? 819 00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:32,440 It's, it should be as simple as that. 820 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:35,600 And then the last thing is abiding in Christ. 821 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:39,480 And let's go over to Matthew Chapter 11 says we started with 822 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:42,120 this point and we'll end with it because the most important thing 823 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:45,320 the believer can do to grow spiritually and to have victory 824 00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:50,040 is to walk in fellowship with the Lord and to trust Him at all 825 00:39:50,040 --> 00:39:51,800 times. And so again, I'm not going to 826 00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:54,760 take long on this because we did spend a decent amount of time on 827 00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:58,600 it a few weeks ago when it was our point #1 But Matthew Chapter 828 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:02,120 11 and verse #28 come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy 829 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:06,640 laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn 830 00:40:06,640 --> 00:40:09,240 of me. For I am meek and lowly in 831 00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:11,320 heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls. 832 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:15,080 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 833 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:18,800 The Christian life is a personal relationship with Christ, the 834 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:21,720 eternal Son of God. It's a matter of receiving him 835 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:24,440 and serving him and learning of him. 836 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:27,720 That is the essence of true Christianity, and it is the way 837 00:40:27,720 --> 00:40:31,680 of spiritual growth and victory. And honestly, the rest of 838 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:33,640 everything that we're going to talk about really is all 839 00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:35,360 principles of spiritual growth and victory. 840 00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:37,920 The next thing that we're moving on to is talking about prayer. 841 00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:41,640 You cannot have spiritual growth and, and, and our Christian 842 00:40:41,640 --> 00:40:43,880 growth and spiritual victory without prayer. 843 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:47,240 And it moves into the Bible and, and, and again, it's a principle 844 00:40:47,240 --> 00:40:51,440 that we already talked about, but you know, faith, you know, 845 00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:54,080 so many other things, the armor of God, a lot of these things 846 00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:55,800 are all things that we're going to be talking about as we go 847 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:57,280 forward. But you cannot have those 848 00:40:57,280 --> 00:40:59,080 things. You can't have spiritual growth 849 00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:01,040 and you can't, you can't have Christian growth. 850 00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:03,600 You can't have spiritual victory in your life without these 851 00:41:03,600 --> 00:41:05,400 elements. And so to have these four 852 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:09,120 lessons where you have 12 things right there, 11 if you want to, 853 00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:12,680 if you want to be technical, but 11 things that you have that can 854 00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:16,600 help you to have growth in your spiritual walk with Christ, to 855 00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:20,400 have victory in your daily life. Man, if, if we could focus on 856 00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:24,480 those things right there, you could get out of any rut that 857 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:27,200 you're in spiritually, you can get past any sin that you're 858 00:41:27,200 --> 00:41:29,480 dealing with. You can get you can, you can 859 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:32,880 move forward for Christ, You can accomplish a lot for him. 860 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:35,040 If you, if we could just get a hold of these principles. 861 00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:38,360 They're, they're great principles and not the least of 862 00:41:38,360 --> 00:41:40,400 which is just keeping our eyes on Christ. 863 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:43,000 If your eyes on Christ, you don't have time for the world, 864 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:46,080 you don't have time for the world's music, you don't have 865 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:47,400 time for the world's entertainment. 866 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:52,800 If your eyes are on Christ, boy, seeing Him in His glory makes 867 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:57,000 everything else look so worthless, right? 868 00:41:57,760 --> 00:42:03,160 The things of earth will go strangely dim in the light of 869 00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:05,680 His glory and grace. What do you think that means 870 00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:09,200 when you're looking at Christ? Everything else just loses all 871 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:12,880 the luster, right? The commercials and the 872 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:15,360 billboards and all of those things that people have out 873 00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:18,800 there to try to distract us and try to get us, you know, going 874 00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:21,880 off after the, after the gold and the glitter and all those 875 00:42:21,880 --> 00:42:23,920 things. When you see Christ for who he 876 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:30,240 really is, the, the things that the world has to offer, you can 877 00:42:30,240 --> 00:42:33,840 tell it's fake, right? The same way that, that if you 878 00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:37,280 find fool's gold, right, some kid might be like, oh, look at 879 00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:38,400 that. It's gold. 880 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:41,520 And you're like, man, it's fake. It can tell the real thing 881 00:42:41,520 --> 00:42:45,400 versus the fake thing, right? And that's exactly what it looks 882 00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:49,160 like when you're when you put the world up to Christ, when 883 00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:52,920 your eyes are on Christ, you can tell it's fake and it doesn't, 884 00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:56,120 you don't get excited about it, right? 885 00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:58,280 Oh, that's cool. All right, I might say that 886 00:42:58,280 --> 00:42:59,320 about some of the things in the world. 887 00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:02,040 Oh, that's cool. But it, it's just so, it's so 888 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:05,160 pale in comparison to Christ that you don't get excited about 889 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:08,040 it, right? Because it doesn't, it doesn't 890 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:10,800 have any value. And that's exactly the way that 891 00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:11,840 we ought to look at these things. 892 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,240 These are principles that that are going to give our Christian 893 00:43:14,240 --> 00:43:16,680 life the value that it needs to keep going for him. 894 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:21,400 You keep your eyes on Christ and you'll find out that everything 895 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:24,400 else just doesn't have the same luster that maybe it used to 896 00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:27,960 have or maybe that it does now. Get rid of all those things, put 897 00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:30,240 your eyes on him and just keep going forward, and you'll find 898 00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:34,400 out that he's a whole lot more worth living for than everything 899 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:36,960 else that most people live their lives for. 900 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:39,840 So we're going to continue on with this next week. 901 00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:43,240 Actually, I mentioned this already, but I'll be in Belize 902 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:45,120 for the mats, going to preach for us next week. 903 00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:53,440 And so you come out here and egg him on, if you catch my drift. 904 00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:57,720 But anyway, no, I'm sure it'll be a blessing and you know 905 00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:01,160 you'll be here for it. So let's pray and then we'll 906 00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:03,440 sing our song. Father, again, we thank you so 907 00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:05,560 much for your goodness to us. Thank you for an opportunity 908 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:06,960 that we have to be in your house tonight. 909 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:10,160 Thank you for these principles. God, may you help us all to live 910 00:44:10,160 --> 00:44:13,280 our lives in, in the victory through Christ. 911 00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:16,760 And may we all continue to move forward in the same direction 912 00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:20,160 with the desire for the heavenly things and not the things that 913 00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:22,720 are earthly and temporal. And God, I pray that you'd help 914 00:44:22,720 --> 00:44:24,240 us to be witnesses for you as well. 915 00:44:24,240 --> 00:44:27,080 Thank you again for all you do for us in Jesus name, Amen.