1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,360 Well, many of you are well aware that we are not going to be 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:09,320 doing Bible study tonight. And this is not a a sermon 3 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:13,680 either, nor is this a political speech. 4 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,440 And I can tell you that upfront because what we experience as a 5 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:21,720 nation has no political solution. 6 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:25,320 This is not about left and right. 7 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:28,000 This is not about policies. This is not about narratives. 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:34,440 This is not about anything other than righteousness versus evil, 9 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:41,360 lightness and dark. And I'm speaking from my heart 10 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:44,280 tonight. I'm speaking from my heart. 11 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:49,080 And hopefully it will touch your heart because my concern with 12 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:55,280 everything else that is going on is the condition of the people 13 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,240 of God. Because there are a lot of 14 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,920 voices out there. There's a lot of emotion, 15 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,480 there's a lot of theories, there are a lot of clips. 16 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:10,200 Things are developing even as we are having this time together. 17 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:17,320 And the thing that really struck me, apart from the shocking 18 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:24,240 assassination of Charlie Kirk 2 days ago, was how many people 19 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:32,160 across the board really have vocalized the same sentiment 20 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,960 that they can't really make sense of how they are grieving 21 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:38,800 so deeply for someone that they never knew. 22 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:45,240 Now, there is an entire other side to this issue that would 23 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,320 point the finger at anybody who publicly grieves over this man 24 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:51,920 to say that you're being hypocritical. 25 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:53,960 There are other tragedies taking place in the world. 26 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:58,080 Why would you bring so much attention and vocalize so much 27 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:04,560 concern for an individual? You can't explain everything in 28 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:09,639 life and there are many tragedies in this world and 29 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:15,040 every life is precious. And sometimes when an event like 30 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:19,520 what transpired 2 days ago happens, you can't always put 31 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,120 language to why you feel the way you feel. 32 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:28,200 But I have been thinking about potential reasons why. 33 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:36,440 The first is that this man, Charlie Kirk, he was a household 34 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:40,600 name. Whether you love them or hated 35 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:45,080 him, agreed with him or disagree with him, most people knew him, 36 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:49,000 especially millennials and Gen. ZI don't have social media. 37 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,600 I haven't had personal accounts on social media for years, and I 38 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:55,480 still know who this man is because people send his clips. 39 00:02:56,640 --> 00:03:01,360 Inevitably, you see him on some kind of headline, and so people 40 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:09,640 are aware of who this man was. Second to that, he was 41 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,560 gruesomely murdered for the world to see. 42 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:18,600 We're not just heartbroken by the fact that a man in the prime 43 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:25,360 of his life was killed, leaving behind a wife and two kids. 44 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:32,960 The world witnessed in an uncensored way, the bullet of a 45 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:38,400 sniper rifle ripping through the throat of a man mid sentence on 46 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:42,440 a college campus. That's traumatic. 47 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:48,040 That is horror, and that is something that most people have 48 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:53,360 never seen in their lives. So there's that element. 49 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,200 Here's the third one, and this is especially relevant to us. 50 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,560 This man, Charlie Kirk, was a follower of Jesus Christ, a 51 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:09,200 bold, unashamed, passionate proclaimer of the truth. 52 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:13,880 I will be honest in saying that I did not follow this man 53 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:16,839 closely. I obviously knew of his name. 54 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:20,600 I've seen a couple of things, but because of what had 55 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:25,160 happened, I decided to just kind of catch up and see his most 56 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,560 known discussions, debate moments, I guess his 57 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:35,040 presentation of the truth. And refreshingly, unlike many 58 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:39,120 other pundits and people who have big platforms who kind of 59 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:44,000 just wear the Christian badge because they're moral or because 60 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:49,080 they want to just cling to some kind of worldview, I'm convinced 61 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,440 that this young man was a genuine follower of Christ. 62 00:04:52,840 --> 00:04:57,440 There's no denying it. And so we're we're heavy hearted 63 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:02,760 because a brother in the Lord first and foremost. 64 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:07,720 Beyond anything, I view this man as a disciple of Jesus Christ, 65 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:14,240 and he lost his life. And we know there's a hope 66 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,400 attached to our faith even in death. 67 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:21,560 But we can still feel this weight and we can still be sad, 68 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:28,280 and we can still come before God and ask questions. 69 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,920 Here's the last thing I'll say before I open up some 70 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:37,040 scriptures. What happened to this man was 71 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:42,920 not only a physical attack. I am totally persuaded that it 72 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,720 was an assault on everything that he stood for. 73 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:51,520 And what he stood for includes the gospel that you and I 74 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:58,160 believe in and a ferocious, loving commitment to 75 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:05,200 righteousness. So that's that's potentially why 76 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:13,120 we feel the way we feel. And it's only been what, 2 days? 77 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,200 And knowing that we weren't going to do Bible study tonight, 78 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:22,880 I want to just share with you 3 main thoughts that have been 79 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:27,360 rewinding in my mind. And hopefully these thoughts 80 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,640 based on Scripture will provide some kind of clarity and courage 81 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:39,840 for you as it did for me. So the first thing that I can't 82 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:48,680 seem to stop playing in my mind is how what had happened very 83 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:52,360 much revealed the depths of wickedness in our society. 84 00:06:55,880 --> 00:07:01,080 The murder was brutal. I found out about it while I was 85 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:06,520 at the gym on Wednesday afternoon, and shortly after I 86 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:10,640 received the clip, the raw clip of him being killed. 87 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:16,160 And shortly after that, because I'm not on social media, I 88 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:23,920 received screenshots of comments of people who celebrated the 89 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:27,240 assassination. And some of the things that 90 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:31,400 stood out to me were how people were even. 91 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,120 I'm saying this for a reason. You'll see in a moment people 92 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:43,280 were even putting gift emojis beside their comments, rejoicing 93 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:47,320 of this man's public slaughter. Do you know where my mind 94 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:49,440 immediately went when I saw those comments? 95 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:52,240 The Book of Revelation, Chapter 11. 96 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:55,200 I want you to see this with me. It's amazing how this book, 97 00:07:55,200 --> 00:08:01,440 Revelation, is so timely for us as a church and how relevant it 98 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:06,600 is even for tragedies like what we're experiencing today. 99 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:11,320 Revelation 11 is primarily about these two mysterious figures 100 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:16,720 known as the Two Witnesses. I'm not going to get into an 101 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,160 interpretation or an explanation of who these figures are. 102 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:24,040 I just want you to see what they will do and how the world will 103 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:27,920 respond to their ministry. Let's begin in verse 4, 104 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:31,680 Revelation 11. These are the 2 olive trees and 105 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,799 the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 106 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:38,760 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and 107 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,440 consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this 108 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:44,280 is how he is doomed to be killed. 109 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,320 They have the power to shut the sky that no rain may fall during 110 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:51,560 the days of their prophesying, and they have the power over the 111 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:54,280 waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with 112 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:58,120 every kind of plague as often as they desire. 113 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:00,440 Now pause. These are unusual messengers of 114 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:02,440 God. We'll be endowed with a certain 115 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:07,360 level of authority and ability unlike any other time, unless 116 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,280 you really go back to the Old Testament and we're dealing with 117 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:12,640 a tribulation period in this chapter. 118 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,440 So this makes sense. This is a unique moment in 119 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:18,720 history where God will empower these unique servants to 120 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,800 accomplish something before the end of all things. 121 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:26,280 Look at verse 7. And when they had finished their 122 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:30,520 testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will 123 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:34,680 make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their 124 00:09:34,680 --> 00:09:38,200 dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is 125 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,240 symbolically. That symbolically is called 126 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:43,880 Sodom in Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 127 00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:48,160 For 3 1/2 days, some of the peoples and tribes and languages 128 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:52,360 and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let 129 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:54,680 them be placed in a tomb. Pause again. 130 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:55,920 I wonder how that's going to happen. 131 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:00,320 How is every peoples of all tribes, languages and nations 132 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:05,560 going to be able to gaze at 2 bodies in one location at the 133 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:07,800 same time? I think you know the answer. 134 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,160 Verse 10. And those who dwell on the earth 135 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:19,320 will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presence, 136 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:24,040 because these two prophets had been a torment to those who 137 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:28,280 dwell on the earth. That's immediately where my mind 138 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:34,880 went when I saw those heinous, despicable comments about the 139 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:42,080 assassination of a father, a husband, and an innocent man in 140 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:44,000 the Tribulation period, when these two witnesses will be 141 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,560 killed and will not even receive the honor of having their bodies 142 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:50,680 respected. Laying there on the streets for 143 00:10:50,680 --> 00:10:55,720 a few days, people will actually be celebrating to the point of 144 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:57,680 buying presents and giving it to others. 145 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:02,080 Aren't you happy we got rid of these guys? 146 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:06,280 Notice here that it says these two prophets at the end of verse 147 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,400 10 had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 148 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,080 Isn't that remarkable? The preaching and the 149 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:16,800 prophesying of these two witnesses will be torture to the 150 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:18,800 inhabitants of the earth during the Tribulation period. 151 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:25,880 It will literally torment them. For those who love darkness, 152 00:11:26,560 --> 00:11:31,360 truth is torturous. It is unbearable. 153 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:39,600 It deserves the relief expressed through killing someone in order 154 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:45,360 to silence them. What we witnessed 2 days ago, in 155 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:52,040 my opinion, is a very strong reminder of where we're headed 156 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:58,760 as a people in this world, as a nation. 157 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:07,160 So that's what stood out to me. As shocking as it is on your 158 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:09,160 social media platforms, the things that you're seeing in 159 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:11,120 people's stories and what they're posting. 160 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:16,760 The Bible already prepared us and telling us very 161 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:22,360 descriptively how people will respond to truth speakers as we 162 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:26,000 approach the end of time. So don't be too surprised. 163 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:31,280 And this also tells me that what we saw two days ago isn't the 164 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:38,200 last of it. I know it can be defined and 165 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:41,640 deemed as a historical thing, but it's not the last of it. 166 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,680 Because Revelation tells us that it's going to at least happen to 167 00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:51,080 two other more witnesses. The second thing that has been 168 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:58,800 swirling in my thoughts, and I know it's very easy to become 169 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:02,080 sensational after something like what we saw two days ago. 170 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:06,640 It's very easy to speak from your emotions, to be clouded in 171 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:12,680 your judgement. And I don't want to do that, but 172 00:13:12,680 --> 00:13:15,280 I will say this because I believe it's true. 173 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:21,240 This is a wake up call to Christians that we live in a 174 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:31,160 different America now. We are a people who believe in 175 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,880 truth and we are people who've been commissioned by God to 176 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:39,400 speak the truth. The means by which somebody is 177 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:43,960 saved is through the word Roman, Romans highlights through the 178 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:48,720 preaching of the word. We are not like some religions 179 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,040 that want to just remain to ourselves and are not interested 180 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:54,200 in other people coming to know what we believe in. 181 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:59,080 No, we are the opposite. God has kept us on this earth to 182 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:03,000 go out and to win other people to the saving knowledge of Jesus 183 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:11,000 Christ. And we're living in a day where 184 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:16,120 there is a growing movement that says if you don't agree with 185 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:19,000 what we believe, you deserve to be killed. 186 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:24,960 And you're thinking to yourself, well, it was 1 gunman. 187 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:28,520 And I'm here to remind you of the people who celebrated it. 188 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:41,480 There is an entire culture, there is an entire movement that 189 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:46,040 is gaining momentum, that is becoming more bold, that is 190 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:52,640 unafraid, that are willing to even die to silence those who 191 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:58,120 speak the truth. So here's what I want to remind 192 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:01,760 you of, not to instill more fear in you, but to be honest with 193 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:08,360 you. We are living in an America that 194 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:12,480 is advancing and moving towards a reality in which you will pay 195 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:16,440 a price for what you believe in. Are you willing to pay that 196 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:22,520 price? Cultural Christianity in the 197 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:29,080 West is rapidly evaporating. It's disappearing before our 198 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:33,120 eyes. What you and I saw again 2 days 199 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:37,400 ago wasn't the assassination of a young evangelist in a Middle 200 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:43,000 Eastern country or under a communist regime. 201 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:50,640 It was on a college campus through an organization that 202 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:55,560 fostered discourse and dialogue for ideas to be exchanged 203 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:58,760 freely. Passionately, yes, but freely. 204 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:05,920 And the leader of that organization was killed. 205 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:15,120 Because, again, we're seeing the rise of an ideology that says, 206 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:20,640 unless you remain silent or agree with us, you don't deserve 207 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:22,960 to speak. You don't deserve to live. 208 00:16:28,630 --> 00:16:33,030 You've heard it many times from this pulpit that America is not 209 00:16:33,030 --> 00:16:37,630 exempt from persecution, that America is changing. 210 00:16:40,550 --> 00:16:47,550 And personally, I'm concerned that even Christians that we may 211 00:16:47,550 --> 00:16:51,710 know of are still asleep. They're not getting it. 212 00:16:51,710 --> 00:16:55,040 They're not seeing it. They're they're still caught up 213 00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:01,160 in this life. Let me remind you of 2 verses 214 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:07,480 that you know very well. In John 15, Jesus told us 215 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,960 something that relates to this thought. 216 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:19,359 Verse 18 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before 217 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:26,520 it hated you. To us, it seems inconceivable, 218 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:33,640 unthinkable that we could be hated, that we have evolved. 219 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:38,360 Surely we have evolved with all the massacres and all the civil 220 00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:42,720 wars and all the craziness. We we've surely learned our 221 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:46,280 lesson and we can accommodate and we can respectfully 222 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:52,840 disagree. No, Jesus prepares his people 223 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:59,440 for all time to be hated. And one of the ways in which you 224 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,320 can console yourself according to this verse is that if you are 225 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:10,040 hated, remember that they hated Jesus, the perfect one, the 226 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,720 sinless 1, the most loving and gracious one. 227 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:22,960 They hated Him and if you live for him, what makes you think 228 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:24,200 they're not going to hate you and me? 229 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:30,800 Now, another thing that really irked me with a little 230 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:32,720 information that I received, because again, I'm not on these 231 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:39,480 platforms are the comments of supposed Christians professing 232 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:42,840 Christians who are biblically illiterate. 233 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:52,960 And I have no idea how to interpret life and events and 234 00:18:52,960 --> 00:19:00,360 tragedies the way the Bible calls us to, who don't even have 235 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:04,000 the basic grasp of what it means to be a follower of Christ. 236 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:13,480 What I mean by that there are so many people who have verses in 237 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:19,480 their profiles and claim to be followers of Christ who think 238 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:21,680 that Christians should never call out sin. 239 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:25,760 Who think that Christians should never go out to the public 240 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:30,800 square and confront unbelievers in the rebellion in their 241 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,800 darkness. Who think that the most loving 242 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:38,040 thing to do is to keep your faith to yourself and just 243 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,120 preach the gospel. Don't, don't discuss issues. 244 00:19:41,120 --> 00:19:47,440 Don't, don't, don't highlight any kind of movement or 245 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,520 ideology. Just keep your mouth shut, sing 246 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:55,000 your songs, listen to your sermons, live in sin and just do 247 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,280 your thing. Can I ask you a question? 248 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:00,400 Why did they hate Jesus? Why? 249 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,000 Come on, why did they hate him? Can I tell you why? 250 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:08,840 John 77 That's why. The Lord Jesus tells us why the 251 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:17,040 world hated Him. The world cannot hate you, but 252 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:21,680 it hates me because I testify about it that its works are 253 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:26,840 evil. I don't know what your version 254 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:31,080 of Jesus is, but the one in the Bible shows me that the Lord 255 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:36,320 Jesus testified to the world that its works were evil. 256 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:41,720 He confronted sin. He pointed out iniquity. 257 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:50,680 He charged people to repent, even the woman who was caught in 258 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:57,560 adultery, which nominal Christians love to quote in 259 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:00,480 defense of their unbiblical understanding of what it means 260 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:06,440 to preach the gospel. Yes, Jesus did say he was 261 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:08,520 without sin. Let him cast the first stone. 262 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:13,800 Yes, if there was anybody who was worthy to cast a stone, it 263 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:15,880 was Christ himself because he was without sin. 264 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:20,200 But the same Jesus who said that also looked at this woman and 265 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:28,080 says now go and sin no more. So many Christians out there are 266 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:32,240 preaching half a gospel, not the true gospel. 267 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:41,640 And believers, I want to look at you in the eye from my heart and 268 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:49,840 remind you that we are advancing in a nation, in a culture that 269 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:55,720 will try to do what it can to keep you from speaking the 270 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,240 truth, even if it means to lose your life. 271 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:05,520 Think about it. I never thought in my short life 272 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,520 the church at large will be having discussions of having 273 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:11,800 armed security for their services. 274 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:16,920 We're in America. What is this? 275 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:23,400 Where are we? People fled their nations to 276 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:28,560 come to this country so that they can enjoy the right of 277 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:33,440 being able to speak out. Oh, how that is quickly 278 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:43,400 changing. So we have just been reminded 279 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:52,840 that you can even be somebody who encourages dialogue and 280 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:54,280 there are people who don't even want that. 281 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:57,480 Be prepared. Christians. 282 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:01,760 Here's the last thing that I want to say. 283 00:23:10,230 --> 00:23:11,750 Tomorrow's not promise for any of us. 284 00:23:14,230 --> 00:23:16,230 And I was sharing with Pastor Bennett before the service. 285 00:23:16,230 --> 00:23:24,160 How I I briefly looked at the final clip of Charlie Kirk on 286 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:26,800 his channel before he was murdered. 287 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,360 And it was so interesting to hear him to, to speak about the 288 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:36,760 event in Utah as you and I would any ordinary weekend. 289 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:41,640 So we're going to be going to Utah and this is the the start 290 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,520 of our tour and just talking about it. 291 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:48,800 I'm sure thinking that he was going to have a successful 292 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:52,360 event, go home to his children, to his wife, maybe talk to him 293 00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:55,640 on the phone if he was away, go to sleep and wake up to see 294 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,200 another day. And instead, mid sentence, he 295 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:04,800 was shot in the throat. Tomorrow is not promised. 296 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,560 This was a man who again, in the prime of his life, had so much 297 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:12,320 to live, had so much ahead of him, was promised such a bright 298 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:18,840 future, was commended and celebrated by so many, and the 299 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:23,480 Lord Jesus took him home. The sovereignty of God is a 300 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:29,160 strange thing, really is. It was only some months ago 301 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:33,280 where somebody tried to assassinate the president and he 302 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:39,040 grazed his ear. And then you have this young 31 303 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:45,640 year old man who was shot in a place that, humanly speaking, is 304 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:50,800 impossible to recover from. Why did God allow one and not 305 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:53,600 the other? I don't have answers. 306 00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:58,320 I can speculate, but if there's anything that I do know, it's 307 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:01,520 this. Tomorrow's not promised. 308 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:09,800 So should that cause us to live anxiously and obsessively in a 309 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:14,600 negative way, where you do all that you can to try to protect 310 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,360 your life? Yeah, There are natural means 311 00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:22,280 and there are common sense methods to enjoy life and to 312 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:24,200 protect ourselves from danger and harm. 313 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:27,360 But. But I don't think that's what 314 00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:28,560 we're supposed to take from this. 315 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:36,880 If anything, we should be reminded that though death is 316 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:41,080 very much possible at any point, we have no reason to fear it. 317 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:46,200 Not one. Let me remind you of a verse 318 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:49,720 that I brought up, I believe last Sunday or the Sunday before 319 00:25:49,720 --> 00:26:01,700 from Revelation yet again in chapter 14, in verse 13. 320 00:26:07,650 --> 00:26:10,810 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this, Blessed are 321 00:26:10,810 --> 00:26:13,370 the dead who die in the Lord from now on. 322 00:26:13,890 --> 00:26:18,810 Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their 323 00:26:18,810 --> 00:26:22,000 laborers, for their deeds follow them. 324 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:27,920 Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. 325 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:37,280 There's a lot of fear and I decided to venture out and 326 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:41,360 listen to other high profile names trying to make sense of 327 00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:46,600 what happened, trying to give some kind of hope or answers for 328 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:54,680 how this nation can move forward to no avail, No success, no, no 329 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:59,600 tangible, helpful, concrete solutions. 330 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:04,760 But let me say this, the safest place for you in this crazy 331 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:11,440 world is to be in Jesus. That's the safest to be in the 332 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:17,120 Lord, to be close to the Lord. Death is coming for all of us, 333 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:23,560 and for some of us it might be earlier than what's commonly 334 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:25,760 experienced. So be it. 335 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,480 Here's my charge to you. Live a meaningful life. 336 00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:36,520 Live for the gospel cause. Live for the glory of God. 337 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:43,720 Don't waste your life. Don't go out. 338 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:51,760 Don't exit with no deeds following you, with no 339 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:58,160 testimony, with no ministry, with no witness. 340 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:06,360 What a shame that would be. I'm not saying that means you 341 00:28:06,360 --> 00:28:08,400 have to have this big organization or you have to be 342 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:16,720 in full time ministry. What I am saying, though, is one 343 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:21,000 of my prayers, and it was our prayer many ways on Wednesday 344 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,440 night when we came together as a church, which was so moving. 345 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:28,960 Is that one of the redeemable elements of what happened in 346 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:32,880 this horrible tragedy is that it would wake up lukewarm 347 00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:39,440 Christians because we have too many of them distracted, 348 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:45,480 vacillating, carnal, worldly Christians? 349 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,400 Let me tell you something. If we keep going in this 350 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:54,000 direction as a nation, you won't survive what's coming. 351 00:28:56,560 --> 00:29:01,120 Your little faith, whatever it is, will shrivel up. 352 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,840 But it doesn't have to. It can thrive. 353 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:12,600 It can be strong. It can be bold. 354 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:20,440 It can be filled with the fragrance of Christ if what 355 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:23,400 happened doesn't bring you to your knees and make you think 356 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:28,240 about your mortality and make you think about how am I really 357 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:31,960 invested in this gospel? Am I really invested in serving 358 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:35,520 Christ? Or is he some peripheral thing? 359 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:41,120 Is he just something that I attach to my weekend? 360 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:52,040 I really hope that this tragedy will not produce what many 361 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:56,840 tragedies do. A burst of concern, a sobriety, 362 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:00,840 only for it to dissipate and for people to just go back to their 363 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:05,120 mundane, ineffective Christianity. 364 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:14,840 There's much more I can say. There's much more that can be 365 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:18,560 explained, at least attempted to be explained. 366 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:23,520 But let me say two things before we pray. 367 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:26,200 One, if you're here today and you don't know the Lord Jesus 368 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:29,760 Christ, I'm here to tell you without shame that He is the 369 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:32,960 truth. That He alone alone has the 370 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,680 answers for all the confusion and the chaos around us. 371 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:38,200 That you don't know life unless you know Him. 372 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:40,960 That you won't have eternal life unless you believe on Him. 373 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:46,040 To reject Him is to be rebellious. 374 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:51,080 To know of His gospel truth and to be indifferent towards it is 375 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:57,480 damning. I hope that you have been 376 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:03,040 awakened to the reality that no one in this world has an answer 377 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:07,080 to how to change the human heart. 378 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:17,200 God does, and it's in this word. You may have not been convinced 379 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:22,160 of the reality of God, but hopefully you are aware and you 380 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:29,800 can't deny the pervasive evil, the demonic work that is 381 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:32,520 manifesting right before our eyes. 382 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:38,080 You know, it's amazing. You have unbelievers who are 383 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:43,200 willing to call out and say what is really going on while so many 384 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:46,480 others are spineless in the church. 385 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:53,240 You have people who don't even believe in this gospel saying 386 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:57,240 that this is a spiritual war. You have unbelievers out there 387 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:04,200 saying that this is demonic. You have people who are standing 388 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:09,000 on a foundation that is weak, that is like sand, that offers 389 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,520 no true hope, and they are grabbing megaphones and they are 390 00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:15,280 projecting their ideas and their solutions. 391 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:21,640 And yet we have Christians who are still scared to give the 392 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,080 only message that can save this generation. 393 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:30,720 I hope you're more bold than ever. 394 00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:34,000 I hope you're more bold on your social media. 395 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:37,640 I hope you use what is taking place in our nation as an 396 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:41,760 opportunity to approach people who are hurting, who are 397 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:45,440 desperate for answers, though they may not admit it, and to 398 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:49,840 step into their lives to give them the hope of Jesus Christ. 399 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,960 If you don't give them a solution, Satan will give them a 400 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:56,480 false one, and it'll just bring them into deeper deception. 401 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:01,640 If I am not willing to do that, then what are we really here 402 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:06,600 for? And so if you're an unbeliever 403 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:10,920 here, I adjure you to truly repent, to bend your knee, to 404 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:13,480 surrender to the One who is sovereign over all these things. 405 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:20,960 And believer, I exhort you from a place of love to really take 406 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:28,840 your faith seriously and to ask God to use you every day and to 407 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:33,160 stay close to the Lord every day, to live with an eternal 408 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:36,800 perspective because tomorrow's not promised. 409 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:56,030 Father, we ask, oh Lord, how we need you. 410 00:33:56,030 --> 00:34:03,610 In these times. It's very difficult for us to 411 00:34:03,610 --> 00:34:08,489 just turn off our cell phones and to not hear what's 412 00:34:08,489 --> 00:34:13,080 happening, to not look for updates. 413 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:16,960 But Laura, we understand that that can also be a trap where we 414 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:21,719 can get sucked into an endless cycle of commentary and 415 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:31,360 conspiracy theories and criticism and a culture war that 416 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:33,280 can take us away from our true purpose. 417 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:38,560 So we pray that you would use this brief service to reorient 418 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:43,480 us and to put weight on our ankles so that we can stay firm 419 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:47,600 where we're supposed to be. So Lord, give us divine wisdom, 420 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:53,360 divine courage. Help us not operate out of 421 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:56,719 feelings or in a reactionary way. 422 00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:01,920 The Lord to be harnessed by the truth, to be filled with the 423 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:05,520 Spirit, to be encouraging to one another. 424 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:15,440 Lord, we pray for an avalanche of courage to crash into your 425 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,440 church. We pray that there wouldn't be a 426 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:23,280 drop of fear, but fearlessness, that there would be a unity in 427 00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:25,920 the church, that there would be a passion for evangelism, that 428 00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:30,560 there would be, Lord, a prophetic power behind every 429 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:38,400 pulpit. Lord, help us to preach the Word 430 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:44,000 in season and out of season, even in these times, as tempting 431 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:52,920 as it may be to not exegete the culture, But we're also aware 432 00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:55,280 that there are headlines and there are events that intersect 433 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:57,200 with the church and are impossible to ignore. 434 00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:01,000 And this is one of those times. And so we pray that you help us 435 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:04,560 navigate through these troubling waters successfully in a way 436 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:08,600 that honors you and blesses you. So, Lord, hear our prayers, hear 437 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,760 our prayers, oh God, this evening as your church, and we 438 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:14,920 pray that you would answer us in a way that would produce fruit 439 00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:16,880 and testimonies. We pray for Charlie Kirk's 440 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:20,280 family. We pray for his wife, his 441 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:25,720 babies, his parents, his loved ones, That you would flood them 442 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:30,040 with peace, Oh Lord, that they would understand that his death 443 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:33,600 was not in vain. That they would know that the 444 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:37,080 dying the Lord is a blessing indeed, and that they will be 445 00:36:37,080 --> 00:36:40,280 reunited with Him again, and that He is indeed in your 446 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:42,640 presence. And that Lord, in your great 447 00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:46,320 wisdom, you did not want him to do anything else beyond that 448 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:48,760 day. He has fulfilled His purpose. 449 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:54,040 Help us fulfill ours. We pray for this nation, so 450 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:58,240 polarized, so divided. Lord, at a boiling point, 451 00:36:58,240 --> 00:37:01,320 anything can happen. But we pray, O God, that your 452 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,640 spirit would hover over this place and that what would come 453 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:06,920 about is a genuine spiritual revival. 454 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:10,520 Somehow, some way, Lord, though this nation deserves great 455 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:13,480 judgment, we pray that you would extend mercy. 456 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:16,400 We asked, Lord, instead, that there would be churches filled, 457 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:20,280 the people who want to be saved, that you would speak boldly as 458 00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:23,880 we heard about John the Baptist at the opening of the service, a 459 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:26,600 nation at that time that was in great turmoil and great 460 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:28,440 corruption politically and even religiously. 461 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:32,160 We ask, Oh God, that you would raise up prophetic voices that 462 00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:34,440 would just preach. Thus says the Lord, the word of 463 00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:38,720 God, Lord. Finally, we ask that though we 464 00:37:38,720 --> 00:37:43,360 are surrounded by a divided nation, the church will not be 465 00:37:43,360 --> 00:37:47,120 divided at this time. Make it airtight in its unity. 466 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:52,200 Make it airtight in its love. May our eyes be set on the true 467 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:56,680 purpose of our presence and our existence here, to proclaim the 468 00:37:56,680 --> 00:38:00,800 truth, to herald righteousness even though we are persecuted 469 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:04,160 for it. So Lord, my prayer with my 470 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:08,000 brothers and sisters is that there would be an innumerable 471 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:11,640 amount of divine appointments in each of our worlds where we will 472 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:13,920 have conversations and opportunities to proclaim the 473 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:15,680 truth. That we would be unafraid to 474 00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:19,120 even ask people how they're doing with the tragedy and the 475 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:22,680 chaos around us, and then to bring the truth to them. 476 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:25,320 Because if we don't, who else will? 477 00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:30,680 We love you Lord, hear our cries tonight for the many things that 478 00:38:30,680 --> 00:38:34,160 need your touch. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 479 00:38:34,760 --> 00:38:36,360 Here's how we proceed in the service. 480 00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:46,840 We have to do war on our knees. This is a turning point. 481 00:38:47,720 --> 00:38:49,800 Really it is. And I know that's the name of 482 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:52,560 this man's organization, but I can't think of a better phrase. 483 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:57,040 It really is a turning point and it could head into a direction 484 00:38:57,040 --> 00:39:05,760 that is better or worse. And so just come before God. 485 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:08,960 I want to make it very open. We're not praying out loud like 486 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:11,400 we do on Wednesday. You can pray with a pocket of 487 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:14,720 people, whoever you came with. You can get on your knees on the 488 00:39:14,720 --> 00:39:17,720 carpet if you'd like, as long as you don't distract anyone. 489 00:39:17,720 --> 00:39:20,240 If you want to remain solo, you can pray solo. 490 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:23,320 But let's just pray. Let's pray for, for Charlie 491 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:29,760 Kirk's family, for the church at large, for this nation, for the 492 00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:33,680 world really who has been seized by this assassination. 493 00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:40,000 And, and let's ask God to use us really to make an impact for his 494 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:42,920 name's sake. I know much more could be said 495 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:45,000 from the pulpit. I know much more can can be 496 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:49,200 touched on. My purpose here tonight is to 497 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:54,960 simply exhort us. And my prayer is that you would 498 00:39:54,960 --> 00:40:00,320 leave here lighter, clear, and with more courage. 499 00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:03,400 So let's just do that. Let's take the next few moments 500 00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:05,560 to pray here. We'll we're going to continue to 501 00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:08,440 sing in a moment and close, but now let's just really pray. 502 00:40:08,440 --> 00:40:10,320 So find someone to pray with. You want to pray in a group? 503 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:11,520 You can do that. If you want to pray on your own 504 00:40:11,520 --> 00:40:13,800 again, you are permitted to do so as well. 505 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:16,800 Music will be playing softly. And let's just seek the Lord 506 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:17,280 together.