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Well, I hope you have a Bible in
your hands. 

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And if you do, meet me in the 
Gospel according to Mark in 

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Chapter 9, as we come to the 
conclusion of this chapter 

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together and trust that the Lord
will indeed speak to us as He 

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always does. 
You know, one of the beauties of

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taking a book and going by 
chapter by chapter, verse by 

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verse, is that you were held 
captive to what the text has to 

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say in that particular day, over
that particular week. 

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And it makes it exciting because
it causes us to see the entirety

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of the Scriptures. 
But it also shows us that God is

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harmonious in his thinking, in 
his will, in his desires for us 

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throughout the Scripture. 
And so I'm I'm excited to come 

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to this text and you might hear 
and see some very familiar 

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thoughts, especially we've been 
coming to Bible study on 

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Fridays. 
But even as we go through these 

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texts and we just do what we 
need to do and see what the Lord

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is saying, in his Providence, he
can also emphasize certain 

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truths. 
It's unplanned, right? 

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It's not that we're trying to 
emphasize these truths, but even

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as we're just honouring the flow
of thought and we see a 

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repetition or an emphasis, take 
heed to that and lean in and 

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say, Lord, we're trying to 
discover all that you're trying 

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to say. 
And here we are in the season 

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where we're seeing and hearing 
very familiar truths at this 

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time. 
And so I'm going to lean in and 

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perhaps you're trying to say 
something to me. 

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Perhaps you're trying to say 
something to us as a church. 

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And I believe that will be 
particularly true as we come to 

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this text beginning in verse 38 
and Mark 9, verse 38. 

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Let's read this together, John 
said to him. 

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Teacher, we saw someone casting 
out demons in your name, and we 

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tried to stop him because he was
not following us. 

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But Jesus said do not stop him, 
For no one who does a mighty 

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work in my name will be able 
soon afterward to speak evil of 

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me. 
For the one who is not against 

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us is for us. 
For truly, I say to you, whoever

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gives you a cup of water to 
drink because you belong to 

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Christ will by no means lose his
reward. 

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Whoever causes one of these 
little ones who believe in me to

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sin, it would be better for him 
if a great millstone were hung 

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around his neck and he were 
thrown into the sea. 

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Father, we submit ourselves to 
the Word. 

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Lord, our hearts are in 
desperate need of your help and 

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understanding your Word. 
And so we pray that you would 

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indeed open our eyes. 
And we pray, Lord, that it would

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materialize in lives molded and 
transformed into the very thing 

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that you desire from us. 
So, Lord, we just pray that 

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there be a particular grace in 
the delivery of this word, and 

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there be a grace in the 
reception of it. 

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Lord, we ask that your presence 
would manifest in our midst and 

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if there's any end goal of this,
that Lord, we would indeed draw 

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closer to you. 
This is our desire and our heart

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cry as a church in your presence
on this day. 

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In Jesus name we pray. 
Amen. 

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Amen. 
In the verses that you and I 

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just read, Jesus pronounces to 
to whoever statements. 

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The 1st is located in verse 41 
where Jesus says for truly I say

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to whoever gives, whoever gives.
And the second one is in the 

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next verse where Jesus says 
whoever causes, whoever causes. 

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And it's in these statements 
that we see Jesus giving, in 

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essence, warnings. 
They're in the format of 

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warnings and they address 
aspects of our relationships 

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with other believers. 
Whoever gives, whoever causes. 

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The one facet you can say 
focuses on how we as believers 

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should serve and serve with 
other believers, and the second 

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deals with the danger of sinning
against or sinning with other 

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believers. 
And this is essentially the 

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format of what Jesus is saying. 
This is the summary Jesus in the

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scriptures that we will discover
and unpack today is giving 

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warnings about serving and about
sinning and the goal of Jesus. 

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Words here are no different than
they were for the original 

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disciples, that in understanding
what He's saying here, we would 

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be renewed in our minds. 
And being renewed in our minds, 

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we would be made more holy and 
acceptable in our spiritual 

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worship. 
So let's deal with these two 

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warnings, shall we? 
Warning number one warning about

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serving. 
Why is John bringing up this 

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random event up? 
At this point? 

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It seems to be a diversion from 
what Christ just finished 

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teaching His own, but upon 
meditation it makes complete 

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sense. 
Let me remind you, because we 

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had a break last week and the 
week before where we left off, 

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Jesus finished saying there in 
verse 37, whoever receives one 

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such child in my name receives 
me. 

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Whoever receives me receives not
me but him who sent me. 

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In other words, however you 
treat the most insignificant, 

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vulnerable weak among believers,
you essentially are doing it to 

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me the way you treat other 
Christians. 

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Jesus is saying, in essence, is 
the way you are treating me. 

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And then all of a sudden, John 
seems to just bring up something

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that doesn't make sense as a 
response to what Jesus just 

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finished explaining. 
He seems to reach back to a 

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recent episode, and he's asking 
Jesus for some clarity. 

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A teacher. 
We saw someone who was trying to

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cast a demon out in your name, 
but we stopped him. 

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We stopped him. 
Why would John bring that up? 

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What's the relevance? 
Here's the relevance. 

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He just heard Jesus saying. 
However you treat other 

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believers, you treat me. 
It seems like John has a very 

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tender conscience because he 
remembers something that just 

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took place. 
He remembers that the disciples 

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stopped, or in other words 
rejected somebody who claimed to

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minister in the name of the 
Lord, and he wants to know 

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whether or not what they did was
correct. 

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Did we mess up in light of what 
you're just saying now? 

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Jesus, did we mess up? 
And what we did with this 

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unnamed disciple, this person 
who was trying to serve you and 

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honor you and the Lord, we 
should thank God is going to 

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give a response to this. 
And the reason why we should 

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thank God for this response is 
because John's concern here 

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might be a concern for believers
today, might be a problem that 

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some believers are dealing with 
today. 

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In what sense? 
While there is some serious 

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servants of Christ who don't 
know how they should relate or 

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identify with other believers 
who are not immediately in their

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context of spiritual service or 
worship, those who are not 

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directly connected to their 
world, to the body of believers 

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that they serve with, how do I 
view others? 

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How do I relate to others who 
might not be part of my specific

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expression of service and honor 
to the Lord Jesus Christ? 

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And there are a variety of 
reasons why people struggle with

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that. 
But let me present to you one 

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simple struggle that some have. 
They have trouble admitting. 

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They have trouble admitting that
God could be at work beyond 

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where they are involved. 
Or worse, worse, worse, worse. 

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You have some people who 
actually believe down deep 

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inside though they would not 
admit it and are convinced that 

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they have monopoly on God's 
power and favor in their arena 

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of influence. 
God is only really working here 

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at NBC, right? 
That kind of thinking, and it 

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can, it can be expanded to 
network of churches or 

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denominations that think that 
way. 

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We have the monopoly of God's 
wisdom, we have the monopoly on 

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God's favor, We have the 
monopoly on God's power. 

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And it can dwindle down to the 
individual believer who 

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constantly measures themselves 
up against other believers who 

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share in the same gifting that 
they have. 

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Maybe you do struggle with that.
Maybe you don't. 

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Regardless, Jesus wants to give 
clarity of how we as believers 

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should identify and relate to 
other believers who might not be

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closely related to your 
day-to-day or weekly spiritual 

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expressions of worship. 
Look what he says here in verse 

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39. 
But Jesus said, do not stop him,

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do not stop him, For no one who 
does a mighty work in my name 

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will be able soon after work to 
speak evil of me. 

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In other words, what the Lord is
saying here is that a person who

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performs acts of mercy that are 
undeniably empowered by me 

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cannot at the same time testify 
against me. 

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What Jesus is trying to say is 
if you want to know who's on 

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your team, just look at the 
fruit. 

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Just look at the fruit. 
If you want to know who's on 

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your team, just look at the 
fruit. 

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Now, I'm fully aware that the 
same Jesus who said this is the 

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same Jesus who warned that on 
the final day you will have 

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many, not some. 
Every time I think about it, it 

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terrifies me. 
Many on that day who will stand 

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before the Lord and argue their 
innocence, argue their 

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righteousness based on the 
performance that they had on 

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earth and the resume that they 
had is quite impressive Prophecy

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and the casting out of demons 
and supernatural endeavors. 

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And Jesus will also say in 
response, I don't know you, I 

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don't know you. 
Have we met before? 

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And I'm also aware that like the
sons of Skeva and Axe, where 

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there are some who take the name
of Jesus as a mere formula and 

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utilize it and do ministry in 
that name, though they are void 

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of the convictions that that 
name demands. 

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But what Jesus is saying about 
this unnamed man who was 

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attempting to cast out a devil 
and was stopped is that he was 

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no phony disciple. 
He was not a wolf in sheep's 

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clothing. 
Now Jesus is is defending him. 

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In a sense, Jesus is confessing 
that he was legitimate, and if 

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you look closer to what John is 
saying on behalf of the 

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disciples, you get a better idea
of what he is dealing with. 

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The complaint that the disciples
had against this outsider was 

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not about what this man 
believed. 

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It wasn't. 
Look again here in verse 38, 

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John said to him, Teacher, we 
saw someone casting out demons 

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in your name and we try to stop 
him. 

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Why? 
Because he was not following 

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who? 
Us. 

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He was not following us. 
Jesus. 

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He's not part of our group. 
He's not part of our spiritual 

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elite roster. 
Who does this man think he is to

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have the approval and freedom to
do ministry without us first, 

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guaranteeing it? 
He's not part of us God. 

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He's not part of us Lord. 
And so we attempted to stop him.

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And Jesus says don't stop him. 
You made a mistake in doing 

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that. 
And this is so important to 

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determine because what the Lord 
is saying here is not a proof 

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text that we should partner with
absolutely anybody just because 

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they bear the name Jesus. 
Regardless of what they believe.

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Jesus is not giving an 
ecumenical defense. 

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Oh yeah, anybody who has a 
cross, anybody who claims to 

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believe in the Bible. 
Anybody who claims to believe in

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00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:06,200
Jesus and just just go along 
with them and and dismiss 

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everything else. 
That's not what Jesus is 

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teaching what Jesus is teaching 
based on John's own confession. 

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He's not following us, the Lord 
says. 

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00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:22,600
And you perceiving other genuine
Christians, be careful of seeing

200
00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:26,200
them as competitors and rivals 
instead of partners and friends.

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00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:30,040
That's what Jesus is saying. 
Be careful looking at other 

202
00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:34,400
genuine believers and seeing 
them as opponents and seeing 

203
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them as challenges to you 
instead of seeing them as Co 

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00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:42,120
laborers, though they may not be
immediately associated with you.

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This is what Jesus is conveying,
and this is a wonderful place 

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for us to examine our own 
hearts. 

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We have a duty to look at the 
fruit of other people claim 

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Christ, other ministries? 
Other churches? 

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00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,120
Do they have true fidelity? 
Are they truly honorable? 

210
00:12:58,120 --> 00:12:59,920
Do they truly submit to the word
of God? 

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00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:03,320
But what Jesus is saying here is
also a warning, because if we're

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not careful in the name of so 
many things like discernment, we

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00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:12,360
can end up actually fighting 
against other believers, when in

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00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:13,760
fact we should be working with 
them. 

215
00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:19,800
And the disciples are a perfect 
example of how that can happen. 

216
00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:22,720
Again, I told you, what's the 
real reason? 

217
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Here? 
They see that they're not 

218
00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:29,080
following them, but think about 
the context further. 

219
00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:31,040
How is it that they're thinking 
this way? 

220
00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:33,280
Well, they just finished doing 
what? 

221
00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:36,600
Why did Jesus teach about 
receiving Little children? 

222
00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:38,040
Receiving. 
Why do you teach about true 

223
00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:40,200
greatness? 
Because at the end of their 

224
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trip, the disciples were 
fighting amongst themselves 

225
00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:44,000
about what? 
Who's the greatest? 

226
00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:45,560
Who's the greatest? 
Now think about it. 

227
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If they're willing to fight each
other, if they're willing to 

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bring down one another in order 
to exalt self, is it difficult 

229
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to understand that they're 
willing to actually fight others

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outside of their own group? 
It's not difficult. 

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And so there's an issue of pride
here, and it's spilling over 

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into other streams of ministry, 
other people of God. 

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But it's even deeper now. 
Think, think, think, think. 

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Even wider than that. 
What did they try stopping this 

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man from doing? 
Casting out a demon? 

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Remember, they're very specific.
We saw this man trying to cast 

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out a demon, and we try to stop 
him. 

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Well, think again. 
The previous verses, when Jesus 

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came down with the close three 
descending from the Mount of 

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00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:35,880
Transfiguration, he came to the 
disciples. 

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And the disciples failed to do 
what? 

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They failed to cast out a demon.
They failed to cast out a demon.

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00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,520
Jesus teaches them about the 
power of faith and prayer. 

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They go on a trip, They're 
talking about themselves. 

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Who's the greatest? 
And John brings up this incident

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00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,320
where he says we saw somebody 
trying to cast out a demon and 

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we try to stop them. 
I suggest to you that in light 

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of all the evidence that we have
up to this point, that the main 

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00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,520
reason why these disciples try 
to stop this man was because 

250
00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:10,960
they were intimidated by him and
they were jealous of him. 

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00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:16,320
This man could do something we 
could not do. 

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00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:19,960
This man was able to accomplish 
something that we could not 

253
00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:22,840
accomplish. 
So let's try to stop him. 

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00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:30,160
This insecurities bubbling over 
and now is affecting others. 

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00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:38,280
So let's pause from analyzing 
this historical moment and look 

256
00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:40,840
at our own selves. 
Can I ask you a question, my 

257
00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:44,720
beloved brother and sister? 
How do you respond to the 

258
00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:46,720
success of other Christians 
around you? 

259
00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,520
Often times when we hear about 
our relationship with other 

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00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,680
believers and the need to check 
our hearts, it tends to be 

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00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:59,520
overwhelmingly about the need to
reflect in humility in light of 

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00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:01,120
the failures and the mistakes of
others. 

263
00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:03,720
And that's important. 
We need to we need to be gentle.

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We need to be kind. 
We can't be puffed up. 

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00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:10,160
But how often do we hear of the 
need to check our hearts in 

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00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:14,520
light of the inspirationally 
successful and spiritual people 

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00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:21,080
around us that are very 
fruitful, that are very loved, 

268
00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:24,200
that are very much praised and 
sought after? 

269
00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:28,160
What does our heart feel about 
those kind of believers? 

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00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:31,720
That's what the Lord is getting 
at here. 

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00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:36,080
And the disciples need to deal 
with this very quickly. 

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00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:39,760
Because if we don't deal with 
this in our own hearts, if we do

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00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,800
struggle with insecurity, if we 
do struggle with jealousy, if we

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00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:47,120
begin to see people that God is 
using amongst us as opponents 

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00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,760
rather than partners, you know 
what that will end up doing. 

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00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:55,920
If it's unhinged, if it's not 
combated with truth and the 

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00:16:55,920 --> 00:17:01,440
power of the Holy Spirit like 
the disciples in some way, you 

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00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:04,640
will stop it. 
It will so irritate you, it will

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00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:07,560
so eat you up inside that if 
you're not careful, it will go 

280
00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,319
from a feeling to actually 
friction. 

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00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:14,760
And so I don't know how the 
disciples try to stop this man. 

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00:17:14,839 --> 00:17:17,040
I don't know if they just 
interrupted the whole thing and 

283
00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,359
said you got to stop this, 
You're not part of us. 

284
00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:22,079
And down deep inside, the real 
motive of this correction is 

285
00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,760
this guy's bothering me because 
he did something we couldn't do.

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00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:29,400
You know how people can do this 
today? 

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00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,120
They can do it in many ways. 
It can be as seemingly innocent 

288
00:17:33,120 --> 00:17:36,680
as you and I criticizing a 
ministry, criticizing a brother,

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00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:38,320
sister, and the Lord in our own 
church. 

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00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:44,400
Criticizing them to others as a 
way of diminishing the 

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00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:46,680
reputation in order for us to 
look better. 

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00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:51,720
And it can be as aggressive as 
making moves to disqualify 

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00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:55,520
others from ministry so that I 
no longer stand in the shadows 

294
00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:58,560
and I can now shine so that 
other people can see what they 

295
00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:05,360
fail to see and need in me. 
And I'm sure that you're aware 

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00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:08,000
that there are many creative 
ways where we can stop something

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00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:11,640
or someone that God is blessing 
because we realize that we are 

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00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,560
not the vehicle of blessing that
God is using for his glory. 

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00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,320
Disciples try to stop this man. 
What was the real reason? 

300
00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:25,680
It's so obvious. 
They're already dealing with 

301
00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:27,160
their own struggle. 
Who's the best? 

302
00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:29,800
And now there's somebody out 
there that's showing that they 

303
00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:33,600
can actually do what they could 
not do, and it killed them 

304
00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:36,520
inside. 
And Jesus said, don't stop him. 

305
00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,000
What are you doing? 
And one of the ways to combat 

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00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,640
this, because we are all 
susceptible, even the greatest 

307
00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:46,000
servants of God, the most godly 
people, can be visited by this 

308
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,720
temptation to look at others and
to feel threatened by them. 

309
00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,680
But how do I combat that? 
How do I deal with that? 

310
00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:56,640
How do I rescue myself from 
envy, determining my behavior 

311
00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:59,440
and determining the depths of 
relationships I could enjoy, 

312
00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:01,520
instead severing those 
relationships? 

313
00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:07,000
I think one of the ways to do it
is to is to see people the way 

314
00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:10,120
Jesus sees people. 
Look what he says in verse 41. 

315
00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:13,880
For truly I say to you, whoever 
gives you a cup of water to 

316
00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:17,800
drink because you belong to 
Christ will by no means lose his

317
00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:21,520
reward. 
So again the Lord is re 

318
00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:23,480
emphasizing and revisiting what 
he taught. 

319
00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,680
Before John bring up this 
scenario and he's saying let me 

320
00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:29,000
remind you again of what true 
greatness is in the Kingdom of 

321
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:30,600
God. 
But but it's more than that. 

322
00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:32,200
I believe the Lord is 
communicating something even 

323
00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,560
deeper because he says, for 
truly, I say to whoever gives 

324
00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:40,920
you, whoever gives you disciples
a cup of water to drink because 

325
00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:42,880
you belong to Christ. 
Let's just pause there. 

326
00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:45,840
I love that phrase. 
You belong to Christ. 

327
00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,360
These disciples are so stubborn.
They're so slow and learning. 

328
00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:53,040
They're so irritable in a sense,
just like you and I. 

329
00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,400
And yet Jesus, even in this 
moment, says you belong to 

330
00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:58,760
Christ. 
You still belong to me. 

331
00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:02,040
You know you're not getting it, 
but you still belong to me, 

332
00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:04,200
loving parents. 
You know what that feels like 

333
00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,640
with your children, do you not? 
You don't abandoned them and 

334
00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:11,040
disown them because they're not 
getting it right away, even 

335
00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:14,000
after months or years. 
Here's the Lord saying 

336
00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:18,760
indirectly you belong to me. 
If you struggle in this area, 

337
00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:23,040
realize that God is merciful 
even to you and gracious towards

338
00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:24,960
you. 
But he says here, for truly I 

339
00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:27,240
say to Whoever gives you a cup 
of water to drink because you 

340
00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:30,440
belong to Christ will by no 
means lose His reward. 

341
00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:34,160
Hey, you try to stop a man for 
casting out a demon. 

342
00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:38,080
I'm telling you, never mind that
extravagant thing that even if 

343
00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:42,400
somebody comes and gives you a 
cold glass of water on a hot 

344
00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:48,480
Middle Eastern day, I will see 
that servant and I will keep in 

345
00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:54,160
mind I have to reward him. 
It shows the absolute value that

346
00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:56,160
Jesus has for all of his 
servants. 

347
00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:58,840
It shows how he views all of his
service. 

348
00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:00,840
Significant in the human 
standard. 

349
00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:02,720
Insignificant according to human
standard. 

350
00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,640
Casting out demons or giving out
glasses of water and cleaning 

351
00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:07,720
the tables in the basement after
fellowship. 

352
00:21:08,360 --> 00:21:10,480
I see them and I will reward 
them. 

353
00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:13,640
Wow. 
And the impression that's 

354
00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:18,160
supposed to make on us is, how 
am I supposed to comfortably 

355
00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:22,200
live with the idea that this 
servant of God is a threat to me

356
00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:27,360
or my opponent when Jesus values
them so much, when he esteems 

357
00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:30,320
them so much, when he thinks so 
highly of them, when he will 

358
00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:34,360
reward them? 
Do you want to know how you can 

359
00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:38,400
save yourself from relational 
pain and allowing your problems 

360
00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:41,520
internally because of a lack of 
approval in your own life and 

361
00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:43,520
your own upbringing? 
Or whatever the case may be? 

362
00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,920
Ask God. 
Take the word, staple it over 

363
00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:52,600
your eyebrows and may His mercy 
help you see people the way 

364
00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:54,800
Jesus sees people. 
You know, I read a verse. 

365
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,440
I was reading First Corinthians 
not too long ago, and there was 

366
00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:01,440
a verse that stood out to me. 
And it's it's a it's not even 

367
00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:03,560
the full verse. 
It's the last part of a verse 

368
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,960
that changed me. 
That's what the word of God is 

369
00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:10,720
supposed to do, right? 
It just touched me and 

370
00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:14,280
ministered to me. 
It impacted me on that one 

371
00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,760
Tuesday afternoon, just opening 
my Bible on my desk. 

372
00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:20,080
Can I share it with you? 
Turn with me to 1st Corinthians 

373
00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:22,960
chapter 811. 
Here's what Paul is doing. 

374
00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:26,040
He's speaking to strong 
believers and weak believers. 

375
00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:29,920
The strong believers are those 
who understand their freedom in 

376
00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,600
Christ, and they understand we 
can go to the market and we can 

377
00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:35,560
buy food, that we're dedicated 
to idols because they're not 

378
00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:38,760
really gods and we can eat 
freely without our conscience 

379
00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,720
being disturbed. 
The weak believers are not like 

380
00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:44,360
that. 
You would think that the weak 

381
00:22:44,360 --> 00:22:46,160
believers are those who have 
that freedom and the strong 

382
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,040
believers are those who are a 
little bit more meticulous. 

383
00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:52,360
You know, the weak believers, 
according to Paul, are those who

384
00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:54,800
who see those kind of things, 
and it bothers them. 

385
00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:57,960
How can you be eating that food?
It's halal, right? 

386
00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:01,720
How can you be doing that? 
That's dedicated to a false God.

387
00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:05,120
And Paul's, Paul's trying to 
bring some guidance here, right?

388
00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:06,520
He's trying to give some 
instruction. 

389
00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:10,000
And what he wants to do is he's 
not coming down hard against the

390
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:11,760
weak believers. 
He's speaking to the strong 

391
00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:15,120
believers saying, hey, listen, 
you stronger believers, you have

392
00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:16,960
to understand that though you 
have these rights, there's a 

393
00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,200
greater thing than your rights. 
And that's the law of love. 

394
00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:22,480
It's a law of love. 
And so don't be a stumbling 

395
00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,440
block for the weak believer. 
Don't do things in the name of 

396
00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,560
your right that would cause 
their conscience to be pricked 

397
00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:35,520
and for them to feel disturbed. 
And he says this phrase again. 

398
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:38,160
Why? 
To motivate the believers to 

399
00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,480
live in the law of love, he 
says. 

400
00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:45,080
And so by your knowledge, this 
weak person is destroyed. 

401
00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:53,200
This is the phrase the brother 
for whom Christ died, the 

402
00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,920
brother for whom Christ died. 
That phrase just ministered to 

403
00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:58,960
me so deeply. 
You strong believers understand 

404
00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:02,520
something the person that you're
dealing with here, no matter 

405
00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:06,800
what you feel about them, no 
matter what your criticism is, 

406
00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:09,600
no matter how much they might be
infringing on your spiritual 

407
00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,880
rights, no matter what. 
I want you to frame how you deal

408
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:15,400
with them, how you speak to 
them, how you respond them. 

409
00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,040
In light of this, Jesus shed his
blood for them. 

410
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,000
The eternal Son of God came into
this world and paid a high price

411
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:29,360
for that brother. 
Oh, you might not think highly 

412
00:24:29,360 --> 00:24:32,640
of them. 
Oh, you might be much more prone

413
00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:34,840
and willing to speak down about 
them. 

414
00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:37,960
But understand how Jesus values 
them. 

415
00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:47,880
He bought them. 
If you really believe that, to 

416
00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:52,440
see the great and heavenly value
that Jesus places on that weak 

417
00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:54,800
believer, yes, they might annoy 
you. 

418
00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:00,560
Yes, they might cause you to be 
very much willing to vent to 

419
00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:03,120
others about how annoying they 
are. 

420
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:08,480
But be careful. 
Jesus shed his blood for that 

421
00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:12,680
brother. 
If they truly belong to Christ, 

422
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:16,360
if they truly have conviction, 
if they have fruit, yes, they 

423
00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:18,720
have some weaknesses. 
Remember this. 

424
00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:23,000
Christ bought them. 
When I saw that, I said Lord, 

425
00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:26,160
Amazing. 
It's amazing what your Holy 

426
00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:30,240
Spirit is trying to get in me. 
To see people the way Jesus sees

427
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:34,000
them. 
That will change you. 

428
00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:37,920
That will change you if you 
really believe it. 

429
00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:43,600
So Jesus gives warning about how
we as believers should serve 

430
00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:47,360
with one another. 
Listen, we are all partners in 

431
00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:49,960
this thing, yeah? 
And from time to time, as we're 

432
00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,000
doing the work of the Lord, let 
me give you a heads up. 

433
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:53,440
You might step on somebody's 
tone. 

434
00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:58,280
They might step on yours. 
Jesus shed his blood for them. 

435
00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,000
Forgive them. 
Forgive them. 

436
00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:04,280
Love them. 
Be patient with them. 

437
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:07,960
There is a cross that is stained
with royal blood. 

438
00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:10,240
And there are hands that were 
pierced and feet that were 

439
00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,440
pierced and a side that was 
pierced for them. 

440
00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:16,080
I hope we can see each other 
this way. 

441
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:20,880
Yeah, I hope. 
If not, may the Holy Spirit help

442
00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:22,760
us. 
We are walking in this thing 

443
00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:25,720
together, moving forward 
together, needing one another. 

444
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,440
And the and the God of this 
Bible can so work in you and I 

445
00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:31,760
that when somebody graduates, 
when somebody's promoted with 

446
00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:33,840
somebody's praise, when other 
people praise them, you don't 

447
00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:37,560
have to act like Saul. 
Saul had no problem with David. 

448
00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:40,480
I mean, Saul even rejoiced that 
David killed Goliath. 

449
00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:42,200
He loved it. 
All of Israel loved it. 

450
00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:44,760
But according to Saul, Israel 
loved that a little bit too 

451
00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,960
much, because the moment that 
the song started going out, what

452
00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:50,880
did they say? 
Saul has slaying his thousands, 

453
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:53,480
but David his what, 10s of 
thousands. 

454
00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:57,880
You know your Old Testament. 
And Saul was bothered by that. 

455
00:26:57,880 --> 00:26:59,680
I had no problem people praising
David. 

456
00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:05,560
But when they start praising 
David more than me, Oh yeah, 

457
00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:07,760
people can love David. 
People can appreciate David. 

458
00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:09,880
But if they love David and 
appreciate David and talk about 

459
00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:13,040
David more than me, now we got a
problem. 

460
00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:17,640
That's flesh. 
That's flesh. 

461
00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:20,760
That's not Holy Spirit. 
Holy Spirit is. 

462
00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,560
Look at what God is doing in 
that person for his glory. 

463
00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:27,000
Hallelujah. 
Do it more, Lord, do it more in 

464
00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:28,200
them. 
And if I can have any part in 

465
00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:30,320
it, let me do it as well. 
But Lord, if you're in your 

466
00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:33,040
sovereignty, choosing them, 
gifting them, opening doors for 

467
00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:39,840
them, then I say yes and Amen. 
That's Holy Spirit warning about

468
00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:43,640
serving how we serve with 
believers, how we serve God 

469
00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,760
alongside believers. 
But now we come to warning about

470
00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:54,200
sinning. 
Put your seatbelts on verse 42. 

471
00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:56,240
Whoever causes now, this is the 
second. 

472
00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:58,560
Whoever. 
Jesus continuing his thought 

473
00:27:58,560 --> 00:27:59,800
here, there's no break of 
thought. 

474
00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:04,320
He's continuing based on this, 
based on this scenario that John

475
00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:06,080
presents. 
Whoever causes one of these 

476
00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:09,920
little ones who believe in me to
sin, it would be better for him 

477
00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,960
if a great millstone were hung 
around his neck and he was 

478
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,800
thrown into the sea. 
Now here's what's happening. 

479
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:21,240
In the same way that there is 
great reward reserved for those 

480
00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:25,160
who do acts of service toward 
other believers, somebody gives 

481
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:28,400
you a cup of glass, a cup of 
water to another because you 

482
00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:29,880
belong to Christ. 
There's reward for them. 

483
00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:32,440
In the same way that there is 
great reward reserved for those 

484
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:37,680
who serve other believers in 
like manner, there is also great

485
00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:41,760
punishment reserved for those 
who sin against other believers.

486
00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:46,600
Jesus, in mentioning the little 
ones. 

487
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:50,320
He's not speaking about actual 
small children, Not primarily, 

488
00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,720
at least. 
Little children is a picture of 

489
00:28:54,240 --> 00:29:03,280
weak, vulnerable, trusting, 
sometimes newer believers. 

490
00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:07,440
This is who Jesus has in mind 
primarily, and it says here that

491
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:10,560
to be responsible for 
intentionally persuading. 

492
00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:12,320
Listen to my words very 
carefully here. 

493
00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:17,200
To be responsible for 
intentionally, intentionally 

494
00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:22,880
persuading or causing another to
stumble is highly offensive in 

495
00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,480
the sight of God. 
So unacceptable is it in the 

496
00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:30,400
sight of our holy God that for 
one to have a selfish or 

497
00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:34,640
careless attitude about their 
sin and its effect on others, 

498
00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:40,880
Christ said it would be worse to
live in that kind of state and 

499
00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:46,080
it would be better for you to 
actually die a horrific death. 

500
00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:52,680
Not my words, The words of the 
Master, for somebody to cause 

501
00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:58,240
one of his children to fall. 
It's better for you to tie a 

502
00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:01,480
giant weight around your neck 
and to be launched into the 

503
00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:05,880
heart of the ocean and to drown 
very strong language. 

504
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,760
And if anybody takes the words 
of of Jesus seriously at this 

505
00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:13,960
point, they would want to know, 
well, how can I avoid the severe

506
00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:16,000
consequences that the Lord is 
alluding to? 

507
00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:20,000
And that's a right response. 
And take heart, because the next

508
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:22,600
few verses will spell out the 
solution to living free from 

509
00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:26,040
this dreadful fate. 
Here's the summary. 

510
00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:29,080
If you and I want to avoid 
leading others into 

511
00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:32,240
unrighteousness, then you first 
have to eliminate the 

512
00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:38,120
unrighteousness in yourself. 
If we want to be protected from 

513
00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:41,480
being the reason why other 
people sin, then Jesus is about 

514
00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:43,520
to explain and you got to deal 
with the sin in your own life 

515
00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:46,600
first. 
So he gives us very, very common

516
00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:52,200
and familiar passage of strong 
Radical Exhortation verse 43. 

517
00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,640
If your hand causes you to sin, 
cut it off. 

518
00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:02,120
It is better for you to enter 
crippled, then with two hands to

519
00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:04,840
go to hell, to the unquenchable 
fire. 

520
00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:07,920
And if your foot causes you to 
sin, cut it off. 

521
00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,880
It is better for you to enter 
life lame than with two feet to 

522
00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:14,280
be thrown into hell. 
And if your eye causes you to 

523
00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:17,440
sin, tear it out. 
It is better for you to enter 

524
00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:21,440
the Kingdom of God with one eye 
than with two eyes to be thrown 

525
00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:25,920
into hell where the worm does 
not die and the fire is not 

526
00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:29,480
quenched. 
Your hand, if it causes you to 

527
00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:37,000
sin, slice it off your feet, 
amputate it your eye, pop it 

528
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:43,000
out, let it shrivel up and die. 
What's Jesus speaking about 

529
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:44,360
here? 
Self mutilation? 

530
00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:47,760
Oh, you have some ancient church
people who believe so. 

531
00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:51,160
No, Jesus is speaking 
metaphorically here, of course. 

532
00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:55,880
And the metaphor here is to 
illustrate the intensity and the

533
00:31:55,880 --> 00:32:03,720
drive and the inflamed ambition 
to go to war with your sin, and 

534
00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:08,160
to identify and find the source 
of any temptation and to kill 

535
00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:11,480
it. 
That's what Jesus is describing 

536
00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:14,280
here. 
And he he takes his time to 

537
00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,760
actually elaborate on these 
different body parts. 

538
00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:20,480
Why? 
To communicate that we must look

539
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:22,920
for all. 
We must scan every part of our 

540
00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:26,720
lives to see What is it that's 
causing me to sin? 

541
00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:29,400
What is it that's pulling me 
deeper Into Darkness and away 

542
00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:31,280
from light? 
What is that thing? 

543
00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:33,360
So here's how you can translate 
it. 

544
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:37,520
If there's anything that you are
doing that's causing you to sin,

545
00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:40,520
cut it off. 
If there's anywhere that you're 

546
00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:43,920
going that's causing you to sin,
never go again. 

547
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:47,200
If there's anybody, this is 
probably the hardest one. 

548
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:51,360
If there's anybody that's 
constantly alluring you and 

549
00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:55,040
tempting you with no sign of a 
tender heartedness towards your 

550
00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:58,880
faith, your God, the truth, 
sever that relationship. 

551
00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:02,600
If there's anything that you're 
eating, tasting, hearing, 

552
00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:09,160
watching, that's entertaining 
sin in your life, more and more 

553
00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:13,160
uproot it, throw it away and 
never turn back. 

554
00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:15,040
This is what Jesus is speaking 
about. 

555
00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:17,000
This is actually the call to 
discipleship. 

556
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:20,600
And you might want to What does 
that look like? 

557
00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:24,080
What is that actually? 
How is that lived out? 

558
00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:27,640
How do I live like that? 
And I thought of one example 

559
00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:30,880
that came to my mind because I 
heard it far back. 

560
00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:34,040
It was a man who was. 
I don't know if he was speaking 

561
00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:37,000
out of this text, but the idea 
of what a true disciple looks 

562
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,240
like, and he gave this example 
of his own life where he said 

563
00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:42,800
that he hates getting a haircut.
I don't know what kind of 

564
00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:45,560
experience he had for him to 
hate getting haircuts, but as an

565
00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:49,320
adult he hates getting haircuts.
He he dreads it, he tries to 

566
00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:52,880
prolong it as much as possible, 
and one day he has to go to a 

567
00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,120
place. 
And it's not his usual place. 

568
00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:56,840
The usual place he went to, it 
wasn't available. 

569
00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:58,920
So he goes to this place and 
there's this young lady who 

570
00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:01,000
offered to cut his hair. 
And so he's a married man. 

571
00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:02,560
He has children, And he got his 
haircut. 

572
00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:04,400
And he enjoyed a lovely 
conversation with this woman. 

573
00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:09,159
And something happened to his 
heart because when he realized 

574
00:34:09,159 --> 00:34:10,960
that he needed to get his hair 
cut again, he was actually 

575
00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:14,360
really excited about it this 
time, really excited about it 

576
00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:16,600
because he thought, you know, I 
can talk to this woman. 

577
00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:18,800
I really enjoyed my conversation
with this woman. 

578
00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:21,120
So he goes again. 
And then from there, he 

579
00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,080
developed this kind of friendly 
relationship. 

580
00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:26,199
But now he's like, looking 
forward to getting his hair cut.

581
00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:31,159
And he realized something's 
wrong. 

582
00:34:32,679 --> 00:34:36,480
Something's wrong here. 
I should not be feeling this way

583
00:34:36,679 --> 00:34:39,199
about someone who is not my 
wife. 

584
00:34:39,199 --> 00:34:42,080
So you know what he did? 
He never got his haircut there 

585
00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:47,000
again. 
He cut it off. 

586
00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:51,239
If your hand causes you to sin, 
you cut it off. 

587
00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:54,440
If your foot is causing you to 
sin, you cut it off. 

588
00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:58,000
If your eyes causing you to sin,
you pluck it out. 

589
00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:05,000
That's just one example of many 
of what a true disciple does, 

590
00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:08,160
and perhaps that was helpful. 
But maybe what's unclear to you 

591
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:10,320
and I is the caution here about 
hell. 

592
00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:14,320
Hell is mentioned here because 
having a great millstone tied 

593
00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:17,080
around your neck and being 
thrown into the sea is better 

594
00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:20,680
than going to hell. 
Hell is a real place. 

595
00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:22,760
Hell is a dreadful place. 
Hell is an eternal place. 

596
00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:26,440
I know that liberal theologians 
would have you believe 

597
00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:27,400
otherwise. 
No, no, no. 

598
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:31,160
Hell is real, Heaven is real, 
and hell is just as real. 

599
00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:36,760
God created both and it is a 
place of unquenchable fire. 

600
00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:40,120
It is a place of internal and 
external torment and is a place 

601
00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:43,760
where God will express his 
eternal wrath and justice 

602
00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:46,160
against those who have denied 
the gospel. 

603
00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:51,200
That that's clear. 
We believe that is a church. 

604
00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:55,000
But what again might be unclear 
is what does the warning about 

605
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:59,520
hell have to do with followers 
of Jesus Christ who have been 

606
00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:02,640
saved by grace? 
Jesus is speaking to his 

607
00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:08,400
disciples, and so some would use
this as a proof text to say what

608
00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:11,880
you can lose your salvation. 
You can lose your salvation. 

609
00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:15,640
Moment you lie, your name is 
erased, the book of life. 

610
00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:18,120
And you do better that week, 
it's written back again. 

611
00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:21,960
You get into a little scuffle or
you get irritable because you 

612
00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:23,920
didn't have breakfast and 
somebody's taking too long and 

613
00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:27,240
you want to go out for lunch and
so you throw a little tantrum 

614
00:36:27,240 --> 00:36:29,040
and God forbid you get hit by 
now. 

615
00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:31,280
You were saved before that, but 
now you're not saved. 

616
00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,080
That's not salvation. 
That's not the power of the 

617
00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:38,800
gospel. 
Not because I feel something 

618
00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:41,040
about that truth. 
It's because I'm convinced that 

619
00:36:41,040 --> 00:36:43,240
the truth says if he saved you, 
he's keeping you. 

620
00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:50,560
What about the verse, though? 
What about the verse? 

621
00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:53,760
There's a warning here. 
If you don't deal with sin, 

622
00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:59,440
you're in danger of Hellfire. 
And I believe the best way to 

623
00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:02,760
explain this is in this 
following thought. 

624
00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:07,320
If someone does not have the 
radical attitude and approach in

625
00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:10,240
dealing with their sin and the 
way Jesus just described. 

626
00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:14,080
If one is unbothered or 
unconcerned about leading other 

627
00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:17,800
true followers of Christ away 
from the will of God, if their 

628
00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:21,920
sorrow in their disobedience is 
merely for worldly reasons and 

629
00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:26,520
God is not in the equation, then
such a person may not be a 

630
00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:32,200
believer to begin with. 
And that person, no matter what 

631
00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:35,320
kind of creed they adhere to 
concerning the person of Jesus 

632
00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:37,640
Christ, is in fact in danger of 
hell. 

633
00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:40,480
You know what you learn from 
this? 

634
00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:43,520
One of the strongest marks of a 
person who is truly born again 

635
00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:46,560
of God. 
One of the strongest marks 

636
00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:49,840
according to Jesus standard of 
the discipleship is this. 

637
00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:55,400
That a true follower of Christ 
is known by how they view and 

638
00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:57,680
how they tolerate sin in their 
daily lives. 

639
00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:02,520
That's how you identify a true 
Christian. 

640
00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:07,040
One of the main marks I present 
to you not what you say merely 

641
00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:10,520
about Christ, not how much you 
like Christian worship music. 

642
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:13,680
No, no. 
The one of the strongest marks 

643
00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:17,160
that you belong to Jesus. 
Don't tell me about Jesus. 

644
00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:21,720
Let's talk about sin. 
Let's talk about your sin. 

645
00:38:21,720 --> 00:38:23,600
Let's talk about sin. 
How do you feel about sin? 

646
00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:26,040
What's your attitude towards 
sin? 

647
00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:30,360
Show me the scars of you going 
to war with sin. 

648
00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:36,480
Because Jesus said if you really
belong to me, this is what you 

649
00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:40,160
will live like. 
And yes, we stumble along the 

650
00:38:40,160 --> 00:38:41,800
way and yes, we do miss make 
mistakes. 

651
00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:43,760
So if you're hearing this and 
you said I've made mistakes with

652
00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,600
my hands, I've done wrong things
with my feet, I have looked at 

653
00:38:46,600 --> 00:38:50,720
things that I should not have 
looked at, that's possible for a

654
00:38:50,720 --> 00:38:53,800
Christian to do. 
The case that I am making here 

655
00:38:53,800 --> 00:38:56,120
is what's your attitude toward 
it, though? 

656
00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:01,600
What does it make you feel? 
What does it do in here? 

657
00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,960
That's what makes a difference. 
And so if you can say with 

658
00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:09,440
confidence now I hate my sin. 
I want to go to war with sin. 

659
00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:11,200
Why? 
Because I love my Lord more than

660
00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:13,920
anything. 
I want to honor him and worship 

661
00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:14,800
him. 
He saved me. 

662
00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:19,000
How can I drink from this cup 
when he himself drank the cup of

663
00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:21,800
wrath on behalf of my soul? 
How can I? 

664
00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:25,480
And even in those seasons where 
you might struggle and you feel 

665
00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:29,320
weak in your spirit, down deep 
inside, you know this is not 

666
00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:32,640
where I'm supposed to be. 
A person who's not a Christian 

667
00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:36,120
doesn't think like that. 
A person who's not a Christian 

668
00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:37,600
can even hear a message like 
this. 

669
00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:41,320
And you have plans to send this 
week and nothing is going to 

670
00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:45,280
stop you. 
You have every reason to be 

671
00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:51,400
fearful. 
Because if you don't seek to go 

672
00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:55,200
to war with sin that visits you 
or a limb tries to grow again 

673
00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:56,800
and drive you into another 
direction. 

674
00:39:56,800 --> 00:39:58,680
If and you see that you're 
saying, oh, you're back again, 

675
00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:01,640
I'm going to war with you once 
more until I give my dying 

676
00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:03,840
breath. 
You have every reason to sit 

677
00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:11,000
back and tremble right there. 
The message of hell, Where did 

678
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:15,080
it go? 
I've had people tell me. 

679
00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:17,760
Not too many people, but people 
still who have told me, you 

680
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:20,840
know. 
I want to be using hell too much

681
00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:24,720
to motivate people. 
Hey, hey. 

682
00:40:24,720 --> 00:40:25,720
I'm not coming. 
Do you think? 

683
00:40:25,720 --> 00:40:27,400
I just came up here, so you 
know, I think I'm going to talk.

684
00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:30,480
This is Jesus. 
This is Jesus. 

685
00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:33,760
Clearly, Jesus knows something 
more than you. 

686
00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:40,720
For him to speak about hell as a
motivator, to pursue salvation 

687
00:40:40,720 --> 00:40:42,840
and to pursue holiness in 
Christ. 

688
00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:45,720
Who? 
What did Jesus save you and I 

689
00:40:45,720 --> 00:40:47,320
from? 
A lonely life. 

690
00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:53,880
A prosperous life as a result of
your salvation. 

691
00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:57,720
A disease free life. 
What did Jesus? 

692
00:40:58,240 --> 00:41:05,240
Jesus saved you from hell. 
He saved you from hell. 

693
00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:08,920
People will be going to hell if 
they don't repent and believe 

694
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:10,880
so. 
I have every right. 

695
00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:13,360
I know we like to put hell in 
the peripheral of our thinking. 

696
00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:15,680
And like, yeah, we're orthodox 
Christians, so we have to 

697
00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:18,480
mention it. 
No, no, I like to think about it

698
00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:20,560
because I know Jesus saved me 
from it. 

699
00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:23,320
I'm delivered for I have all the
more reason not to rejoice. 

700
00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:25,920
He saved me from my sin. 
He did save me from a lonely 

701
00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:28,240
life. 
He did save me from a life 

702
00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:29,440
that's void of purpose. 
He did. 

703
00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:32,040
But he also saved me from 
eternal punishment. 

704
00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:37,520
And I'll put an extra note to 
your singing, extra strength in 

705
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:39,280
your voice. 
I'm safe from wrath. 

706
00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:42,960
I'm safe from separation from 
God's glorious and loving 

707
00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:49,480
presence. 
So Jesus says here this is what 

708
00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:53,400
a true disciple looks like. 
And then he concludes something 

709
00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:55,760
with something quite 
interesting, one that has caused

710
00:41:55,760 --> 00:41:57,280
much of debate in terms of 
interpretation. 

711
00:41:57,280 --> 00:42:02,120
Look at verse 49 for everyone 
will be salted with fire. 

712
00:42:03,240 --> 00:42:05,880
Now if you have the King James, 
the new King James, it would 

713
00:42:05,880 --> 00:42:09,200
read with an addition that yes, 
everyone will be salted with 

714
00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:11,840
fire, but that that there will 
also be a seasoning of salt on 

715
00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:14,320
sacrifices. 
Something along those lines. 

716
00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:18,560
And the reason why the ESV and 
the NASB omit that phrase 

717
00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:21,200
whereas the King James and the 
new King James includes it, is 

718
00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:25,680
because those two word for word 
translations, right? 

719
00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:28,560
People ask what's the best 
translations get the translation

720
00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:32,520
that seeks to translate the 
closest thing to the original 

721
00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:35,160
language. 
You have word and paraphrase, 

722
00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:39,040
translations, NIVNLT, and then 
there are word for word 

723
00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:43,040
translations, ESVNASV, King 
James, New King James. 

724
00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:47,520
And why am I doing this? 
Because the ESV and the NASB, 

725
00:42:47,720 --> 00:42:51,480
they're getting their source of 
manuscriptal evidence and 

726
00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:54,640
translation from a different 
family of manuscripts, some that

727
00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:57,680
are much older than the ones 
that the King James and the new 

728
00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:00,840
King James derived from two 
different families of 

729
00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:02,640
manuscripts. 
Well, do we have contradictions 

730
00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:04,680
here? 
No, just slight variations of 

731
00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:06,400
certain verses, including this 
one. 

732
00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:09,240
Nothing that will deal with 
doctrinal major foundational 

733
00:43:09,240 --> 00:43:13,280
truths. 
I argue that even if you have 

734
00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:16,000
the ESV, which we preach from, 
you can still come out with the 

735
00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:18,880
same understanding that you 
would if you have the King James

736
00:43:18,880 --> 00:43:22,160
of the new King James. 
What does Jesus mean when he 

737
00:43:22,160 --> 00:43:24,400
says for everyone will be salted
with fire? 

738
00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:26,480
Well, let's deal with the 
context. 

739
00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:29,640
Up to this point, he's been 
talking about hell with 

740
00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:34,560
unquenchable fire, eternal fire.
So the fire he's speaking about 

741
00:43:34,560 --> 00:43:37,560
here cannot be disassociated 
with the judgment. 

742
00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:41,280
OK, that's clear. 
So is Jesus saying everybody is 

743
00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:45,400
going to hell for everyone will 
be salted with fire. 

744
00:43:47,240 --> 00:43:49,520
Well, can't mean that. 
Then we're all in trouble. 

745
00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:55,400
Let's pack up and go home. 
What helps is verse 50 where he 

746
00:43:55,400 --> 00:43:59,760
says salt is good, salt is good.
But if the salt has lost its 

747
00:43:59,760 --> 00:44:02,720
saltiness, how will you make it 
salty again? 

748
00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:05,200
Have salt in yourselves and be 
at peace with one another. 

749
00:44:05,720 --> 00:44:11,800
So the salted with fire here in 
verse 49 does mean everyone will

750
00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:14,760
be salted with fire. 
But with what kind of fire? 

751
00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:19,800
There is a fire of unquenchable 
eternal judgment. 

752
00:44:20,240 --> 00:44:22,520
But clearly in Jesus. 
Next thought. 

753
00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:25,440
Next point in describing the 
quality of life of believers. 

754
00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:29,200
There is a salting with fire. 
Listen very carefully. 

755
00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:35,040
That is purging and purifying. 
It's a purging and purifying 

756
00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:41,080
fire that as a result of that 
work creates in you a new inner 

757
00:44:41,080 --> 00:44:47,400
and even outer substance. 
So there's no neutrality, right?

758
00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:51,480
Everyone is going to be salted 
with fire in the same way that 

759
00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:53,840
there's no neutrality in where 
you stand with Jesus Christ. 

760
00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:55,920
Let me remind you here, verse 
40. 

761
00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:58,680
Go back to verse 40 quickly. 
For the one who is not against 

762
00:44:58,680 --> 00:45:01,120
us is for us. 
No middle, huh? 

763
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:03,200
No. 
Yeah. 

764
00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:04,480
Jesus is a nice guy. 
OK? 

765
00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:05,520
Is he Lord? 
No, He's. 

766
00:45:05,520 --> 00:45:07,040
No, no, no, you're you're 
against him. 

767
00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:11,160
Oh, Jesus is a prophet. 
But Jesus is a good teacher. 

768
00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:14,040
OK? 
Are you for him or are you 

769
00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:15,320
against him? 
There's nothing in between. 

770
00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:17,720
There's no third option. 
There's no neutrality with the 

771
00:45:17,720 --> 00:45:20,000
person of Christ. 
I'm either on his side or I'm 

772
00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:22,600
against him. 
No matter how nice you are about

773
00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:25,600
him, he has determined the 
standard of which you are for 

774
00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:28,320
him, and anything outside of 
that standard, you're against 

775
00:45:28,320 --> 00:45:29,880
him automatically. 
None. 

776
00:45:29,880 --> 00:45:33,840
My rules, The rules of the 
perfect Lord. 

777
00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:37,640
Everyone will be salted with 
fire. 

778
00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:39,160
Everyone. 
Everyone. 

779
00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:43,240
And the one will be salted with 
eternal fire for the rejection 

780
00:45:43,240 --> 00:45:46,040
of Christ. 
The other is for those who have 

781
00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:48,080
received Christ and their 
inheritance. 

782
00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:52,160
Is that the Holy Spirit does a 
burning work in you. 

783
00:45:54,520 --> 00:45:58,600
He melts and molds and cleanses 
and purifies. 

784
00:45:58,600 --> 00:46:02,840
And the result of that burning 
work is that you become 

785
00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:05,120
something else. 
And one of the things that you 

786
00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:08,280
and I are is salt. 
Salt. 

787
00:46:08,760 --> 00:46:10,600
He continues this metaphor with 
salt. 

788
00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:16,880
Salt is good. 
But if the salt has lost its 

789
00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:19,920
saltiness. 
Jesus taught about you and I in 

790
00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:21,320
the Sermon on the Mount. 
We know it. 

791
00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:23,360
We have teachers about it, we've
memorized it. 

792
00:46:23,360 --> 00:46:25,680
It's second nature, almost, or 
true nature. 

793
00:46:27,480 --> 00:46:30,160
You are the salt of the earth. 
You are the light of the world. 

794
00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:32,400
Salt light. 
Same idea. 

795
00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:33,480
Are you speaking about 
believers? 

796
00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:37,160
Being salt. 
But as much as you and I inherit

797
00:46:37,160 --> 00:46:41,400
this life of being salt in the 
world, which means that there's 

798
00:46:41,400 --> 00:46:43,840
a preventative power, there's a 
healing power, There's a 

799
00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:48,360
flavoring power, there's a 
responsibility on our end. 

800
00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:51,920
Yes, we received that because he
has salted us. 

801
00:46:53,720 --> 00:46:56,880
But we have a responsibility 
because, look what he says. 

802
00:46:57,200 --> 00:47:00,720
If the salt has lost its 
saltiness, it's possible for me 

803
00:47:00,720 --> 00:47:04,720
as a believer to lose those 
properties, those heavenly 

804
00:47:04,720 --> 00:47:06,680
properties that make me who I am
as a Christian. 

805
00:47:07,440 --> 00:47:10,240
Then he goes on to say, have 
salt in yourselves. 

806
00:47:10,520 --> 00:47:12,840
So are you commanding me to do 
something that's outside of my 

807
00:47:12,840 --> 00:47:15,200
power? 
By the grace of God, he helps 

808
00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:16,760
you. 
But I have a conscious decision 

809
00:47:16,760 --> 00:47:18,680
to make. 
As a believer, I am to be a 

810
00:47:18,680 --> 00:47:21,800
salty person. 
Not in the negative sense. 

811
00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:26,880
I am to be a salty person. 
So you've heard it, Christians. 

812
00:47:26,880 --> 00:47:29,920
I'm ending here. 
You've heard it your whole life.

813
00:47:29,920 --> 00:47:32,040
If you've been a believer your 
whole life, you are the salt of 

814
00:47:32,040 --> 00:47:33,800
the earth. 
You're the light of the world. 

815
00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:37,360
And we, we know the the 
interesting studies about here's

816
00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:39,560
what salt does, naturally 
speaking, here's what light 

817
00:47:39,560 --> 00:47:40,800
does. 
And then we parallel that with 

818
00:47:40,800 --> 00:47:43,160
spiritual truth. 
Wonderful, but have you ever 

819
00:47:43,160 --> 00:47:45,480
asked a question? 
But what does it actually mean 

820
00:47:45,480 --> 00:47:50,080
to be solved? 
I know what Real Salt does, and 

821
00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:52,200
you can make clever points of 
what that translate into 

822
00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:54,720
spiritually, as Christians we 
heal the world. 

823
00:47:54,720 --> 00:47:56,880
As Christians we prevent the 
world from erosion as that's. 

824
00:47:57,120 --> 00:47:59,840
But what does it look like? 
Like how has it lived out? 

825
00:48:01,800 --> 00:48:05,720
Have you ever thought what Jesus
is about to say? 

826
00:48:06,120 --> 00:48:09,840
Because Jesus here explains one 
of the qualifiers, one of the 

827
00:48:09,840 --> 00:48:11,640
realities of what it means to be
solved. 

828
00:48:11,720 --> 00:48:13,440
Have it? 
Has it ever come to your mind 

829
00:48:13,440 --> 00:48:15,360
and your interpretation of what 
it means to be the salt of the 

830
00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:16,120
earth? 
You ready for this? 

831
00:48:16,440 --> 00:48:19,320
Have salt in yourselves and be 
at peace? 

832
00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:26,000
Be at peace with one another? 
What does it mean to be salt? 

833
00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:27,720
Be holy? 
You don't swear. 

834
00:48:27,720 --> 00:48:30,080
You don't do this. 
That's what it means to be salt.

835
00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:32,840
Being salt means many things. 
You know what Jesus has in mind 

836
00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:34,760
in describing what it means to 
be salt? 

837
00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:40,720
Out of all the things he could 
have said, being at peace with 

838
00:48:40,760 --> 00:48:44,760
one another, what makes 
Christians salt? 

839
00:48:45,640 --> 00:48:50,040
How we deal with one another. 
That's that's what makes the 

840
00:48:50,040 --> 00:48:53,400
world say, wow, there's flavor 
here. 

841
00:48:54,080 --> 00:48:56,960
Wow, there's healing here. 
Wow. 

842
00:48:56,960 --> 00:48:59,000
There's preservation here. 
Wow. 

843
00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:00,480
There's something different 
here. 

844
00:49:00,800 --> 00:49:04,000
How is it measured? 
Being at peace with one another?

845
00:49:06,120 --> 00:49:08,160
So we have a full circle here, 
do we not? 

846
00:49:08,880 --> 00:49:10,480
You have the disciples fighting 
one another. 

847
00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:11,880
And there's another. 
Guy's like let's get him. 

848
00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:13,200
Hey, you cast a demon. 
We couldn't. 

849
00:49:13,200 --> 00:49:14,280
But you know what? 
You're not part of us. 

850
00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:15,640
That's the reason why you can't 
do ministry. 

851
00:49:15,960 --> 00:49:17,520
And Jesus brings into full 
circle. 

852
00:49:17,520 --> 00:49:20,800
Hey, disciples, you've been 
called to be salt. 

853
00:49:21,080 --> 00:49:22,960
You want to know how you're 
going to be effective as salt. 

854
00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:27,800
Get along. 
Get along now. 

855
00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:31,240
Here's we can go into the next 
hour which I will not do to you 

856
00:49:31,400 --> 00:49:33,440
to talk about what it means and 
how it is that we can be at 

857
00:49:33,440 --> 00:49:34,920
peace with one another. 
Look at us here. 

858
00:49:35,120 --> 00:49:36,800
I mean, I rejoice every time I 
come here. 

859
00:49:36,800 --> 00:49:38,720
Every single time. 
The different faces, the 

860
00:49:38,720 --> 00:49:41,280
different colors of skin, the 
different backgrounds, the 

861
00:49:41,280 --> 00:49:43,240
different ages. 
It's amazing here. 

862
00:49:43,240 --> 00:49:45,680
This is really a miracle. 
How is it that we can gather 

863
00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:49,040
here with all the variety and 
get along? 

864
00:49:50,960 --> 00:49:53,240
Because we're here under the 
banner of the Lord Jesus Christ 

865
00:49:53,480 --> 00:49:55,280
that's why. 
But let's get practical here, 

866
00:49:55,280 --> 00:49:57,360
because even people under the 
banner of what do they do? 

867
00:49:57,360 --> 00:50:00,400
They step on each other's toes 
and they're intimidated by one 

868
00:50:00,400 --> 00:50:01,720
another and oh, you're doing 
this. 

869
00:50:01,720 --> 00:50:06,280
And I know. 
Let's turn to James. 

870
00:50:06,280 --> 00:50:09,600
In closing, I'll give you a 
summation of how we can know 

871
00:50:09,600 --> 00:50:11,960
perpetual peace. 
And as a result of perpetual 

872
00:50:11,960 --> 00:50:16,400
peace, we can know saltiness and
true witness in this very 

873
00:50:16,400 --> 00:50:30,760
depraved age. 
James and James Chapter 3 and 

874
00:50:30,760 --> 00:50:32,640
this has come up recently in our
Bible study. 

875
00:50:32,640 --> 00:50:36,680
That's why I opened up with how 
I opened up, because this will 

876
00:50:36,680 --> 00:50:39,000
be very familiar to those who 
attend on Fridays. 

877
00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:43,280
I brought this up recently and 
perhaps the Lord wants us to 

878
00:50:43,280 --> 00:50:47,440
hear it again. 
Look here at verse 17. 

879
00:50:48,800 --> 00:50:52,280
But the wisdom from above is 
first what word do you see? 

880
00:50:53,320 --> 00:50:57,200
Pure. 
Pure is first pure, then. 

881
00:50:57,320 --> 00:50:59,920
Now look what happens as a 
result of purity. 

882
00:51:00,680 --> 00:51:03,760
The next thing following pure is
then what? 

883
00:51:04,240 --> 00:51:06,200
Peaceable. 
Peaceable. 

884
00:51:06,600 --> 00:51:09,520
So James is describing the fruit
of heavenly wisdom. 

885
00:51:10,080 --> 00:51:12,120
And the first thing that he says
is that heavenly wisdom will 

886
00:51:12,120 --> 00:51:15,600
produce in you as a believer, 
Purity, purity. 

887
00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:18,200
And then following purity. 
Notice what he says. 

888
00:51:18,840 --> 00:51:20,920
Peaceable. 
It's peaceable. 

889
00:51:21,040 --> 00:51:24,000
Not just internal peace, but 
relational peace. 

890
00:51:24,880 --> 00:51:26,680
You ready for this? 
How can I know? 

891
00:51:26,680 --> 00:51:29,280
Peace? 
Please pay attention, please. 

892
00:51:30,280 --> 00:51:32,080
How can I know peace in my 
marriage? 

893
00:51:32,600 --> 00:51:35,400
How can I know peace in my 
friendships? 

894
00:51:35,560 --> 00:51:37,640
How can I know peace with my 
relatives? 

895
00:51:37,720 --> 00:51:42,160
How can I know peace in my 
church, in the ministries that 

896
00:51:42,160 --> 00:51:44,400
are part of, in my church, with 
the church as all? 

897
00:51:44,400 --> 00:51:47,240
How, how, how, how, How? 
You need purity. 

898
00:51:50,200 --> 00:51:54,160
You need purity. 
You can't have peace unless 

899
00:51:54,160 --> 00:51:56,640
there's purity. 
So what do you mean purity? 

900
00:51:56,640 --> 00:52:05,720
Like sexual purity, modesty, 
honesty, the purity that James 

901
00:52:05,720 --> 00:52:09,520
has in mind is the opposite of 
what he describes in verse 16. 

902
00:52:09,840 --> 00:52:16,200
Look at verse 16 for where 
jealousy and selfish ambition 

903
00:52:16,200 --> 00:52:21,400
exist, there will be disorder 
and every vile practice that's 

904
00:52:21,400 --> 00:52:26,560
the opposite of peace. 
So the purity that James has in 

905
00:52:26,560 --> 00:52:31,120
mind is that which is in us, 
that is void of jealousy and 

906
00:52:31,120 --> 00:52:34,040
selfish ambition. 
That's what purity is according 

907
00:52:34,040 --> 00:52:37,200
to James in this context. 
So how can I know peace in my 

908
00:52:37,200 --> 00:52:39,040
marriage? 
How can I know peace in my 

909
00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:40,360
church? 
How can I know peace in my 

910
00:52:40,360 --> 00:52:42,080
business partnerships? 
How can I know peace? 

911
00:52:42,080 --> 00:52:45,360
How can I know peace? 
Well, all the parties involved 

912
00:52:45,640 --> 00:52:50,080
have to be free from jealousy 
and selfish ambition. 

913
00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:57,440
You have to be free from that. 
It's an attitude thing. 

914
00:52:57,440 --> 00:52:59,440
It's an outlook thing. 
It's a thing just like the 

915
00:52:59,440 --> 00:53:01,240
disciples who are what? 
Struggling with the very things 

916
00:53:01,240 --> 00:53:07,160
James is talking about, selfish 
ambition and jealousy and Jesus.

917
00:53:07,160 --> 00:53:10,800
Like, hey, you're supposed to be
at peace with one another. 

918
00:53:10,920 --> 00:53:12,760
That's what makes you salt in 
the earth. 

919
00:53:13,280 --> 00:53:14,680
And you know how that peace is 
achieved. 

920
00:53:14,880 --> 00:53:16,320
You got to get that thing out of
you. 

921
00:53:17,080 --> 00:53:20,560
You got to be cleansed from this
ambition. 

922
00:53:20,560 --> 00:53:24,560
Self seeking, self exalting, 
self praising, self loving 

923
00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:29,240
attitude that has to die and 
listen when that dies. 

924
00:53:29,240 --> 00:53:32,480
When we crucify that in our own 
hearts, day by day, day by day, 

925
00:53:32,480 --> 00:53:35,160
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
you know what we receive as a 

926
00:53:35,160 --> 00:53:37,240
result. 
The reward of that peace. 

927
00:53:39,040 --> 00:53:42,320
Peace. 
You want to talk about church 

928
00:53:42,320 --> 00:53:43,400
split? 
You want to talk about church 

929
00:53:43,400 --> 00:53:45,760
friction? 
A lot of the times it's not 

930
00:53:45,760 --> 00:53:48,320
because of doctrinal issues. 
Those are legitimate reasons to 

931
00:53:48,320 --> 00:53:53,880
have confrontation. 
Most of it is about selfish 

932
00:53:53,880 --> 00:53:57,840
reasons, personal preferences, 
issues about this and that. 

933
00:53:57,840 --> 00:54:00,600
You did this, you did that, and 
things are destroyed. 

934
00:54:00,600 --> 00:54:03,080
There's no peace. 
I'll tell you why there's no 

935
00:54:03,080 --> 00:54:07,600
peace because there's no purity.
And you know what the beauty 

936
00:54:07,600 --> 00:54:11,200
about this wisdom is that James 
talks about, that results in 

937
00:54:11,200 --> 00:54:13,680
purity, that results in peace 
and gentleness, and open to 

938
00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,560
reasons full of mercy. 
When you go back to verse five 

939
00:54:16,560 --> 00:54:21,960
of chapter one, if any of you 
lacks wisdom, let him ask God. 

940
00:54:26,280 --> 00:54:28,920
Lord, I'm honest enough to say 
before you that as a servant of 

941
00:54:28,920 --> 00:54:33,200
yours, I have not taken heed 
about your warning of how I 

942
00:54:33,200 --> 00:54:35,560
should serve and serve with 
other believers. 

943
00:54:37,720 --> 00:54:39,440
It's because I have these 
issues. 

944
00:54:39,560 --> 00:54:44,200
Can you give me this wisdom that
gives me this purity, that gives

945
00:54:44,200 --> 00:54:50,200
me this peace? 
That's what this is all about. 

946
00:54:51,800 --> 00:54:55,120
These disciples who wanted to be
effective and wanted to be great

947
00:54:55,760 --> 00:54:58,600
would not be able to go very far
because they didn't have salt in

948
00:54:58,600 --> 00:55:00,040
themselves. 
And why didn't they have salt? 

949
00:55:00,040 --> 00:55:02,200
Because they didn't have peace. 
And why didn't they have peace? 

950
00:55:02,200 --> 00:55:06,280
Because they lacked purity. 
This can save your marriage. 

951
00:55:07,720 --> 00:55:12,040
This can save your marriage. 
Both parties need to be pure, 

952
00:55:13,240 --> 00:55:15,440
free from jealousy, free from 
selfish ambition. 

953
00:55:15,560 --> 00:55:19,200
This can save your friendships. 
This is why is there always 

954
00:55:19,200 --> 00:55:20,960
tension and drama in your 
friendships. 

955
00:55:21,560 --> 00:55:24,240
Probably because there's lack of
purity in it somewhere. 

956
00:55:24,240 --> 00:55:26,520
At one party or both not being 
pure. 

957
00:55:26,840 --> 00:55:28,840
Same with the church. 
May God preserve us. 

958
00:55:29,560 --> 00:55:31,520
May God cleanse us. 
May God heal us. 

959
00:55:31,520 --> 00:55:34,320
Do you receive like this? 
Listen, don't get down. 

960
00:55:34,960 --> 00:55:38,840
Be excited. 
Wow, peace is possible, but it 

961
00:55:38,840 --> 00:55:43,360
can only come from purity. 
Can we ask God for this purity 

962
00:55:44,080 --> 00:55:46,280
in our ministries? 
And again, our marriages and our

963
00:55:46,280 --> 00:55:49,280
friendships and our businesses? 
Lord, please. 

964
00:55:50,320 --> 00:55:53,560
We've heard your warning about 
serving and about sinning. 

965
00:55:54,240 --> 00:55:57,320
And if you're in this place and 
you don't have the strong 

966
00:55:57,320 --> 00:56:01,880
confidence that yes, I have this
radical attitude toward my sin, 

967
00:56:02,120 --> 00:56:04,920
I hate my sin. 
I loathe my disobedience. 

968
00:56:05,320 --> 00:56:07,200
Then ask the Lord to change your
heart. 

969
00:56:07,560 --> 00:56:11,160
Ask the Lord to open your eyes. 
Ask the Lord to see how 

970
00:56:11,160 --> 00:56:14,080
beautiful and awesome He is. 
That would make everything else 

971
00:56:14,080 --> 00:56:19,120
seem so disgusting and evil in 
light of His Majesty. 

972
00:56:19,640 --> 00:56:24,440
Father, as a church, we've heard
your word, and we sincerely pray

973
00:56:24,440 --> 00:56:27,720
right now, no matter how tired 
or hungry we might be. 

974
00:56:27,720 --> 00:56:30,000
In this moment, we give you our 
reverence and prayer, and we 

975
00:56:30,000 --> 00:56:37,000
ask, Lord, help us be salt, 
Strengthen the purity of this 

976
00:56:37,000 --> 00:56:40,120
Church. 
Help us be at peace with one 

977
00:56:40,120 --> 00:56:40,880
another. 
Help us. 

978
00:56:40,880 --> 00:56:44,480
Never forget that the way to 
peace is purity, and the way to 

979
00:56:44,480 --> 00:56:49,480
that purity is you depositing a 
way of thinking known as wisdom.

980
00:56:50,720 --> 00:56:54,880
Lord, we rejoice in you and we 
want to be more like you. 

981
00:56:54,880 --> 00:56:56,400
And that's our request and 
praying. 

982
00:56:56,520 --> 00:56:59,840
Change us deeply. 
Do surgery in US whatever needs 

983
00:56:59,840 --> 00:57:01,600
to happen for us to be more like
your son. 

984
00:57:02,720 --> 00:57:04,560
We thank you, Lord, for this 
time as a family. 

985
00:57:05,000 --> 00:57:06,840
We give you glory and thanks in 
Jesus name. 

986
00:57:07,160 --> 00:57:08,040
Amen. 
Amen. 

987
00:57:08,320 --> 00:57:11,480
Church, let's stand. 
Let's worship this God. 

988
00:57:11,800 --> 00:57:15,560
And if you need to even pray, 
say, Lord, I heard you, I want 

989
00:57:15,560 --> 00:57:17,880
to be more like you. 
Please do that work. 

990
00:57:17,880 --> 00:57:19,120
And I want to leave here 
different. 

991
00:57:19,120 --> 00:57:20,640
He's here. 
He hears us. 

992
00:57:20,640 --> 00:57:23,920
He's a good God. 
You belong to Christ. 

993
00:57:24,480 --> 00:57:26,760
You belong to Him. 
He doesn't give up on us in our 

994
00:57:26,760 --> 00:57:30,080
weakness. 
He keeps us and perfects his 

995
00:57:30,080 --> 00:57:30,760
work in US.