1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,119 This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,240 Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,400 County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,760 continues teaching through God's Word. 5 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,400 He's come that we might have life and that we might have it 6 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,480 more abundantly. We get a taste of the abundant 7 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:46,560 life. We don't want the life that the 8 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,120 devil has to offer us. But I think too much in the 9 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:54,040 churches in these last days, we have compromised as a community 10 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:58,240 of believers and we got our foot in the heat of God and we got 11 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:00,640 our feet in the death of the devil. 12 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:05,680 And we don't have the capacity to experience life to the degree 13 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:07,720 that Christ has come to give it to us. 14 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,680 Jesus has come to give us life in abundance, a life that 15 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:16,320 without him we could never have. The eternal life that the Bible 16 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:19,240 promises believers doesn't have to start for us in heaven. 17 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:24,440 We can have eternal life right now, here on earth today. 18 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,000 Pastor Clark teaches us that many Christians can't experience 19 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,440 life in the capacity Jesus offers because we've made too 20 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:37,320 many compromises with the flesh. Being lukewarm Christians leaves 21 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:40,640 the door open to the enemy, pushing us farther away from 22 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,480 Jesus. Now here's Pastor Clark in 23 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:47,680 Revelation Chapter 20 with today's edition of Living Waters 24 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,600 of Grace. Our defense is only the armor of 25 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:55,360 God, and the only way we can stand against the Wiles of the 26 00:01:55,360 --> 00:02:02,560 devil is with the armor of God. Verse 11 of Ephesians 6 says put 27 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:05,000 on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against 28 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,960 the Wiles of the devil. This is a definition of Wiles. 29 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:10,560 It's a trick. This is a noun, the trick, a 30 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,120 strategy meant to fold, to trap, to entice. 31 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:18,440 Art. 4 begaling behavior. The verb is to deceive, to 32 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:22,520 entice, to lure away from, into distracting you from the person 33 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:24,360 of Christ. How many of us are facing 34 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,000 distractions every day to move you away from being focused on 35 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:30,320 Jesus Christ? Every one of us. 36 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:35,160 It's a maneuver, a military strategy to trap us, to destroy 37 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,400 us, to ruin our lives. What the devil does? 38 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:42,320 He exaggerates the pleasures of sin while minimizing the true 39 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:44,480 nature and outcome of sin, right? 40 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,640 He makes sin look so alluring, so great, so attractive, but he 41 00:02:48,640 --> 00:02:52,000 never tells us about the horror and the outcome of the 42 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:56,280 consequences of our sin. The devil sees an opening in our 43 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:58,040 lives through our emotions and moods. 44 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,480 The husband's upset, he's bummed out, he's complaining, he's, you 45 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:05,280 know this at his wit's end with everything and all of us guys, 46 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:07,160 we've been there and maybe are today. 47 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:10,840 And the devil sees the mood. He sees the emotions. 48 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,240 This is an opportunity for me to really 'cause some havoc here. 49 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:16,360 See, the devil can't read our hearts. 50 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,000 Only God knows our hearts. But the devil can see the 51 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,160 outcome of our attitudes, our actions. 52 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,960 He's able to distinguish our intentions as we move in our 53 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,360 attitudes. He uses other people to lead us 54 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:35,560 astray. That's why the Bible says have 55 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,480 no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, 56 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,040 but rather reprove them. Light and darkness can't walk 57 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:44,160 together. The Bible says don't, don't be 58 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,040 unequally yoked. So if you're with an unbeliever 59 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,800 and you're a believer, that unbeliever is going to lead you 60 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,360 astray. The master marketing agent in 61 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:58,000 the world today is the devil. He packages sin and need 62 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,080 attractive bundles. He makes things look so good and 63 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,200 so exciting. It tells us in Second 64 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,080 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 11, lest Satan should get an 65 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,360 advantage of us. For we are not ignorant of his 66 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:14,000 devices, his devices, his plots, his schemes, or his clever ways. 67 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,120 Are you ignorant of Satan's devices? 68 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:21,839 Raise your hand. We all are, we all are ignorant 69 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,320 of his devices. That's why we need the word to 70 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,240 show us what the deal is. If you're not in the word, 71 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:31,280 you're going to be trapped. You're going to be deceived, 72 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:33,880 you're going to be taken out and, and you got to ask yourself 73 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,480 today, how much time am I in the word? 74 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,360 How much am I hungering for the word? 75 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,560 How much am I thirsting for righteousness? 76 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:44,760 How much of my time in my daily life, Monday through Sunday, am 77 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:48,240 I before the Word saying God give me wisdom, give me light so 78 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,520 I don't get deceived by the darkness of the the enemy. 79 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:56,160 Help me to understand so that I can protect my wife and my 80 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:58,840 children. Help me to understand so I can 81 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:02,480 help my brothers and sisters not fall victim to the consequences 82 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:06,600 of the lives of the devil. We're told to have on this armor 83 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,880 of God in Ephesians 6, and many of you are familiar with it. 84 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,520 We had to memorize that in Bible college years ago, that whole 85 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:15,680 book of Ephesians, and I memorize it, but I didn't have 86 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:17,760 the foggiest idea what it was talking about. 87 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,200 That's why, you know, understanding the Bible is just 88 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,120 part of it. The Bible says we're to do the 89 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:29,280 word or we deceive ourselves. But when he tells us to have 90 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:32,640 this armor on him, just to break it out in terms that might make 91 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:36,040 more sense, we're supposed to have this belt that's girded 92 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:39,680 about the belt of truth, and that means that our life is to 93 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,640 be surrounded by the truth. That's why it's important to be 94 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:46,480 in church on Sundays, to be in the Word, whether you want to or 95 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,720 not, whether you feel like it or not, you come because God's 96 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:53,360 going to speak to your heart. He's going to show you what you 97 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:55,920 need to know, and He's going to get you back on track. 98 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:58,040 That's why we have Wednesday studies. 99 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,960 That's why we have intercession. You know, God bless Dave and 100 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:02,240 Janine. They're usually the only two 101 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:05,000 down there praying. And Steve, you wonder where he 102 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:06,400 goes. He's up there in the balcony 103 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,240 praying for me as I'm preaching. And Gary and Cathy out in 104 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:13,040 California at the time that I'm preaching, they're interceding 105 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,640 for this service that the word of God would go forth because 106 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,120 the flesh profits nothing only the spirit gives life. 107 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:23,240 But the more we pray and the more we seek God, the more we're 108 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:27,160 aware of the lies of the devil. Charles Spurgeon people would 109 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:30,120 come up a wonderful man, preacher of God and the Lord 110 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:32,880 moves in that church in Metropolitan Tabernacle and 111 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,600 many, many people were saved and and their lives were transformed 112 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:39,280 and and they would come to Charles after the service and 113 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,000 ask, you know, what is, is the deal here in this place? 114 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,240 Where is the power coming from? How's all this stuff happening? 115 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:47,120 And Charles said, come on, I want to take you down to the 116 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:48,960 furnace room. And they think a furnace room. 117 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,640 What's he talking about? The place where the heat and the 118 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:54,840 fire of God is took him down into the lower parts of the 119 00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:57,920 church. And there was many, many people 120 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:01,320 on their knees praying for the Word of God as it went forth. 121 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:05,080 If we're not praying for the Word of God going forth here, 122 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,560 you'll hear the voice of a fool. You'll hear the voice of a man. 123 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,440 But if you pray and you ask God to work and to move and to 124 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,640 speak, you'll hear God's voice. And that's the only voice it can 125 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:19,440 save and transform our lives. It says our heart is to be 126 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:21,200 covered with Christ's righteousness. 127 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:25,000 The breastplate of righteousness represents the righteousness of 128 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:26,720 Jesus Christ. Our heart. 129 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:29,720 Is our heart soft today or is it hard? 130 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,960 The shield of faith, we're supposed to hold it up, and 131 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:40,360 that's having a walk of faith and authority that we are where 132 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,040 we're supposed to be with the Lord so that when the devil's 133 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,840 shooting all his lies and arrows to discourage us and destroy our 134 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:51,600 lives, we can see them bounce off of us because we have the 135 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,960 faith that God has given to us to overcome. 136 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:57,600 We have the helmet of salvation on. 137 00:07:57,600 --> 00:07:59,880 That means that your mind is to be renewed. 138 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,280 You're to have the mind of Christ, right? 139 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:05,840 Spending more time in the Word and in prayer is what causes you 140 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,200 to think the way God thinks. Spending more time in the world 141 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:11,520 causes you to think the way the devil thinks. 142 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,920 We're supposed to have the sword of the Spirit, which is this, 143 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:18,960 the word of God. This is our defense. 144 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:22,120 This is what's able to quench all the lies of the devil. 145 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,520 It says we're to pray always in the power of the Spirit. 146 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:29,880 Pray always. Why? 147 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:31,720 Because the flesh profits nothing. 148 00:08:32,159 --> 00:08:35,039 Only the Spirit gives life. Have you ever started to pray in 149 00:08:35,039 --> 00:08:36,559 your prayer life? And you're just praying because 150 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:37,799 you know you're supposed to pray? 151 00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:39,640 You need to say it to get your conscience, OK? 152 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:40,880 OK. God, I spoke to you. 153 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,120 I prayed with my wife. I prayed with my kids. 154 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,320 I prayed for dinner. I ask God for this. 155 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:48,320 I ask God for that. But I mean praying fervently. 156 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,960 God, help my brothers and sisters, help me. 157 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:56,240 Help us help all the believers in the world today to overcome 158 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:59,080 the lies of the devil. Help us to be salt and light in 159 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:01,320 these last days. Help us not to be the kind of 160 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,000 people that hide the light under the bushel so that no one can 161 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:08,120 understand or see that we have a king, that we serve and that we 162 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:10,600 follow. John 1010. 163 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:15,040 This is from Jesus own words. The thief cometh not, but for to 164 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,560 steal and to kill and to destroy. 165 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:24,840 I have come that you may have life and that you might have it 166 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,400 more abundantly. I'm not going to ask anybody to 167 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:31,120 raise their hands on this one. But some of you know that the 168 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,720 devil has come and knocked on your door and he's doing 169 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,720 everything he can to steal everything you have, to destroy 170 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:43,240 every relationship you have, and to take you out physically, 171 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:49,960 emotionally, spiritually. Some of us here know that He's 172 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,040 come, that we might have life and that we might have it more 173 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,680 abundantly. We get a taste of the abundant 174 00:09:56,680 --> 00:09:58,640 life. We don't want the life that the 175 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,960 devil has to offer us. But I think too much in the 176 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:05,680 churches in these last days, we have compromised as a community 177 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:09,400 of believers, and we got our foot in the heat of God and we 178 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,880 got our feet in the death of the devil. 179 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:16,640 And we don't have the capacity to experience life to the degree 180 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:18,600 that Christ has come to give it to us. 181 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:23,640 The devil shoots thoughts at us like arrows and darts. 182 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,840 And the day he shot thoughts, Clark's a little bit different 183 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:28,920 today. He's a little bit crazy. 184 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:32,960 He's a little bit worked up. I've heard him preach a lot of 185 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:36,400 times that I don't know if I've heard him this intense. 186 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:40,680 So it's probably not a normal Sunday. 187 00:10:40,680 --> 00:10:42,760 So don't really think too much about it. 188 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:48,920 It'll go he'll, he'll come back and be the same, the dead guy we 189 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:53,200 had last week, maybe the same boring guy we had for the month 190 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:55,440 before. I pray that's not the case. 191 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:59,440 But believe me, apart from God's Spirit and apart from these kind 192 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:02,560 of things, we will just have another church like any other 193 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:06,040 church on any given Sunday where we do our quote religious duty 194 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,080 and go home and I'll try to forget about whatever it is that 195 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:13,320 we might have received. God's Spirit has to bring 196 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:17,880 conviction. The devil's work is to influence 197 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:20,800 us to disobey God's truth, just like in Genesis. 198 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:25,360 Hath not God said the Eve twisting the Word? 199 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:28,600 And I was thinking as I was preparing for this, I don't even 200 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,040 think that's the tactic the devil has to use anymore to 201 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:32,440 twist the Word. You know why? 202 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:34,720 Because we're not even in the Word, right? 203 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:36,720 Why does he have to twist the Word? 204 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,320 We're not in the Scriptures, we're not studying, we're not 205 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,280 feeding on the Word. So he'll use all kind of other 206 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,880 tactics. A lot of us don't even know what 207 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:47,080 the word says about things anymore because we haven't 208 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:51,640 studied it. And Jesus, he says to all of us 209 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:55,400 today, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things 210 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:59,880 that I say. Now this is a life of obedience. 211 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:02,120 This is what a life of obedience will represent. 212 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,760 You'll be separated unto the Lord. 213 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:12,400 You'll have peace and you'll have well-being in your life. 214 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:15,880 If you're obedient, the Lord will bless you. 215 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:18,400 You will know you're doing His will. 216 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,960 You won't ruin your life. He'll guard your life 217 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:25,120 spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. 218 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,520 He'll give you honor. He'll give you discernment. 219 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:30,160 Some of us are like, what's God's plan? 220 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:32,400 What's His will? If you walk on obedience, I 221 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:37,840 guarantee 100% you will know God's purpose and will for your 222 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:41,360 life. You'll have nothing to fear if 223 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,240 you obey Him. You'll have reduced levels of 224 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:47,000 anxiety. You'll be wise in heart. 225 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:50,640 You'll release God's power in your life and your prayers will 226 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:53,080 have power. The Bible says the fervent 227 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:56,120 prayers of a righteous person avails much. 228 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:02,400 If you're disobedient, you'll be separated from the Lord in the 229 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:05,960 sense of your relationship will be dry and barren. 230 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:08,520 You'll go to pray in the heavens will seem like brass. 231 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:10,200 I'm just like not getting anywhere. 232 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:15,640 There'll be no sense of His presence in your life because 233 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:17,560 you're grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit. 234 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:21,760 You're in danger of shipwreck, meaning your life is on the 235 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,880 verge of complete destruction. Your life will be spiritually 236 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:29,240 wasted at the end when you stand to give an account of yourself 237 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:32,280 at the judgment seat of Christ, where believers go, not the 238 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:34,640 great white throne judgment. We go to the judgment seat of 239 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:38,640 Christ where God will test our works as though by fire, and 240 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:41,960 we'll look at our life and we'll say it was a complete waste. 241 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:45,280 I live for everything but what you wanted me to live for. 242 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:49,360 Lord. Other lives will be in danger 243 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,440 for walking in disobedience. The years that I walked in 244 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:57,080 willful disobedience, I didn't know this at the time, but I was 245 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:02,680 turning my wife and my children over to the devil to work, to 246 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:04,680 get a foothold in the home and the family. 247 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:09,360 If we're in disobedience, our sin effects others. 248 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:12,120 You might think, well, my attitude, my actions, my 249 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,160 bitterness, my complacency, my apathy, my coldness, my 250 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:18,480 lukewarmness doesn't affect anybody else but me. 251 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,040 But no, your life effects everyone else. 252 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,720 If you're living a disobedience, you're hardened to the lordship 253 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:31,680 of Jesus Christ in your life, you've lost all spiritual 254 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:35,200 sensitivity, you have anxiety in your life, you have fear in your 255 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:38,520 life, you have worry in your life, and you have chaos in your 256 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:41,880 life. Abundant life comes from the 257 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:46,840 Greek word parason, meaning exceedingly very highly beyond 258 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:52,240 measure, more a quantity so abundant as to be considerably 259 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:55,320 more than one would expect or anticipate. 260 00:14:55,480 --> 00:15:00,120 Isn't that the kind of life you want to have unto him who is 261 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:04,360 able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask 262 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:07,880 or think, according to the power that works within us. 263 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:12,120 Jesus promised us a life far better than we could ever 264 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:16,680 imagine. And Jesus says our life doesn't 265 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:19,000 consist in the abundance of the things we possess. 266 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:24,680 And many of us have compromised with what we spend our money on. 267 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:29,000 And we've gotten this to try to find life, and we've bought that 268 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:33,880 to try to find meaning. We've done this to try to find 269 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:37,360 excitement. And Jesus is like shaking his 270 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:39,840 head. When will you just come to me? 271 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:42,040 Because I'm the one that gives you life. 272 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,960 Come to me that you might find life and that you might find it 273 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:51,320 more abundantly. That's why the apostle Paul said 274 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:55,760 that Christ is our life and as a group of Christians, as a body 275 00:15:55,760 --> 00:16:00,600 of believers here, God wants us to find Christ being our All in 276 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:04,960 all our everything, our focus. You know, you get a couple 277 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:07,680 people in this church. I know we have many more than a 278 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:10,840 couple. You guys are amazing, but just 279 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,520 get a few people that are saying I don't want that anymore. 280 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:16,400 I want what he wants. I don't want my will. 281 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:19,400 I want God's will. I don't want to walk in two 282 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:21,280 worlds. I don't want to compromise. 283 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:24,080 I don't want to be cold. I don't want to be indifferent. 284 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:26,720 I want to do what God says. I want to say to my husband, 285 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,840 honey, we got to do what the word says and, and the father of 286 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:32,560 the husband says, guys, we're going to do what God's word says 287 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:35,920 regardless of the consequences. We're going to stake everything 288 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:39,280 we are, everything we have on the lordship of Jesus Christ in 289 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,560 our home. We're going to be as Joshua 290 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:47,000 said, As for me in my house, we will serve the Lord. 291 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:54,240 Colossians chapter 3, as we begin to conclude here, it says 292 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:56,800 if you then are raised with Christ, seek the things which 293 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:59,080 are above where Christ is sitting on the right hand of 294 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:01,000 God. And I want to have some prayer 295 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,760 today, guys, and I pray this altar is filled with us and I'll 296 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:07,880 be here myself. I mean, we got to really say I 297 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:12,200 want to be seeking what's above, not on things on the earth. 298 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:15,319 And believe me, the way the church is today and these last 299 00:17:15,319 --> 00:17:18,000 days, the heat is not up, it's down. 300 00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:20,920 And so pastors are trying to figure out how we can fill our 301 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:24,920 churches up and make the people feel good and feel comfortable. 302 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:29,280 And meanwhile, what's happening in the church today is that 303 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:31,080 there is a famine for the word of God. 304 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:34,080 And so we're trying to make everybody feel OK. 305 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,440 Well, you really don't have to seek what's above. 306 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:39,680 Seek, you know what's below. We're all doing that. 307 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:41,400 We're all the same. We're all in the same boat. 308 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:44,200 You know, we don't have anybody around us making us. 309 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,680 What would you call uncomfortable? 310 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:50,880 Paul says seek the things which are above where Christ is 311 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:51,960 sitting at the right hand of God. 312 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:54,600 So one of the prayers today is we come to praise that Lord. 313 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:56,680 I don't want to keep seeking what's below. 314 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:59,600 Give me grace and help me. And guys, I know it's hard. 315 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:03,320 I want to seek what's above. I'm sick of seeking what's below 316 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:05,560 because all it's doing is ripping me off. 317 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:09,200 Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth. 318 00:18:09,360 --> 00:18:11,760 How many of us have our things on this earth? 319 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:14,760 Raise your hand. We do. 320 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:20,120 Our minds are on the things of this earth, for you died and 321 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:22,160 your life is hidden with Christ and God. 322 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:25,640 When Christ, who is our life appears, and you also will 323 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:29,760 appear with him and glory. Therefore put to death your 324 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,400 members which are on earth. The fornication. 325 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:34,080 That's the sex outside of marriage. 326 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,400 Stop it. If you're doing it, stop it. 327 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:41,040 Uncleanness, passion, evil desire, greed, covetousness, 328 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,760 which is idolatry. Because of these things, the 329 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:47,560 wrath of God is going to come upon the sons of disobedience, 330 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,200 in which you yourselves also once walked when you lived in 331 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:57,320 them, but now you yourselves are to put off all these anger. 332 00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:00,520 If you guys are living in anger, you got to put it off. 333 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:02,880 If you're living in wrath, you got to put it off. 334 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:06,280 If you're living in malice or blasphemy or filthy language, 335 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:09,880 get it out of your mouth. If you're lying to one another, 336 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:12,720 if you're lying to God, if you're lying to one another, 337 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:16,320 stop it, since you've put off the old man with its deeds and 338 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:19,040 put on the new man which is renewed in the knowledge 339 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:21,040 according to the image of him who created him. 340 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:26,040 It says in verse 12, therefore, is the elect of God and an elect 341 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:29,840 means a chosen of God, which the majority of us here today are 342 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:33,680 believers. I, I know it says holy and 343 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:38,040 beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness and 344 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:40,680 long-suffering, and you might be going through something right 345 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:42,880 now that you don't know how you're going to have the 346 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,640 patience to deal with it. God says long-suffering comes 347 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,680 from the spirit. And so, Lord, as I abide, as I 348 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:52,240 look to you, as I surrender my will, my life to you, I will 349 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:56,600 have all the patience in the world to wait upon you bearing 350 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:59,560 with one another. Don't give up on each other. 351 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:02,200 Don't make threats against one another. 352 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:04,920 Don't say, Clark, if you preach another message like this, I'm 353 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:06,600 never coming back to the church again. 354 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:09,920 Hang in with me. Forgive one another. 355 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:13,040 If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ 356 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,200 forgave you, so you also must do. 357 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,120 If any of us in here in the church have an attitude against 358 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:20,200 anybody, we need to forgive each other. 359 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,800 And above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of 360 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:27,000 perfection. Love covers a multitude of sins 361 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,080 and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you are 362 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,000 called in one body, and be thankful. 363 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,840 I love this. Let the word of Christ dwell in 364 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:40,520 you richly, and all wisdom right, teaching and admonishing 365 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,840 one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing 366 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:45,760 with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 367 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,480 That's what Rick and the team does every week. 368 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:54,280 And whatever you do in Word of deed, do all in the name of our 369 00:20:54,280 --> 00:21:01,000 Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him the 370 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:02,800 Christian home. Wives, submit to your own 371 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:06,600 husbands as fitting to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do 372 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:08,560 not be bitter toward them. Husbands, if you're bitter 373 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:11,720 toward your wives, deal with it. Let the devil's stronghold be 374 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:13,760 broken in the name of Jesus today. 375 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,160 Let the Lord have freedom. The only thing that's going to 376 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,960 keep you from coming up here today is your pride and your 377 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:21,640 arrogance, your indifference in your hardness of heart. 378 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:26,160 Let it go. The word is convicted all of us 379 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,600 today. Children, if you're here today, 380 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:31,880 obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the 381 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:33,560 Lord. If you're not obeying your 382 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:35,800 parents, you got real heartache ahead of you. 383 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:38,760 Fathers, don't provoke your children unless they become 384 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:42,720 discouraged bondservants. Obey in all things your masters 385 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:46,040 according to the flesh, not with eye services, men pleasers, but 386 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,640 in sincerity of the heart, fearing God. 387 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:51,840 So at work we're working for people maybe we don't like, we 388 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,760 don't respect to drive us nuts. Hey, that's not the issue. 389 00:21:56,080 --> 00:22:00,160 Our issue is to serve God in that job, not with looking with 390 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,800 what people are going to say about us, but we're serving God 391 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:07,000 to glorify him. And it says, and whatever you 392 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:13,720 do, do it hardly as to the Lord and not unto men, knowing that 393 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:17,160 from the Lord you will receive your reward of the inheritance 394 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:22,120 for you serve the Lord Christ for he who does wrong will be 395 00:22:22,120 --> 00:22:25,960 repaid for what he has done. And there is no partiality. 396 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:30,080 I think this is a really important time today, guys, let 397 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:33,680 the strongholds be broken. The devil has created enough 398 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:37,400 havoc in our lives, hasn't he, in our homes, our marriages and 399 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,120 our families. And maybe you're OK today. 400 00:22:40,120 --> 00:22:43,200 Maybe like everything, you're, you're on track with God and and 401 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,840 this sermon, you might say, well, Clark, I heard you today 402 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:48,480 and I understand what you said, but I don't have any issues. 403 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:51,000 I'm living 100% like the word says. 404 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,000 And so, well, that's great. If you're there, I'd like to 405 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,400 talk to you and tell me how you're making that happen. 406 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:00,200 But if you are, I mean, if it's well with your soul and I pray 407 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,720 it is, then pray for some other people today. 408 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:05,160 Come up and pray for some other families. 409 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:08,480 Pray for people that aren't here today or people you know in your 410 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:10,520 life that are getting torn up by the devil. 411 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,680 You know, Jesus, when he looks from his throne, that's like 412 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,720 when he looked over the city of Jerusalem, he wept, didn't he? 413 00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:20,400 He was broken. He saw the people as being sheep 414 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,360 without a shepherd. As a church, you know, 415 00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:25,880 everything that we do isn't just about us. 416 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:28,320 It's about the city that we're in. 417 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:31,480 It's about our families, our neighbors, our relatives. 418 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,160 It's about the broken relationships and families, 419 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,800 lives everywhere. And what happens is when we 420 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:41,120 pray, God sees our brokenness. He sees our humility and what he 421 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:43,200 does. He breaks the strongholds and he 422 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,880 causes us to begin to walk in a new way, a whole different way 423 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:51,040 of life. We are digging into the Book of 424 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,480 Revelation here on Living Waters of Grace. 425 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:57,440 Pastor Clark is tackling this challenging book as we try to 426 00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:00,760 discern the messages that are within its pages. 427 00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:05,320 There's so much imagery and at times you're not always sure 428 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,520 what's literal and what's metaphorical. 429 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:12,040 At one point there's a reference to an adulterous woman riding on 430 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:14,320 a beast. And as someone else mentioned, 431 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,800 at one point it almost sounds like a rodeo from hell. 432 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:23,120 And in actuality it kind of is. You learn about the downfall and 433 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:27,120 demise of a sinful and rebellious world, falling down 434 00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:32,600 in worship to someone who is the anti hero, the enemy, Satan 435 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:37,920 working his insidious ways into the minds of fallen people. 436 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:43,600 It's sad and it's heartbreaking, but it's a classic story of good 437 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,920 versus evil. Thankfully, we know how this 438 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:52,640 story ends. Jesus wins, Jesus reigns, and 439 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:55,680 evil is conquered once and for all. 440 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:00,480 We pray and trust you've received Jesus as your Savior. 441 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:04,480 But if you haven't, don't wait until the events in Revelation 442 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:06,920 become what's happening on the streets. 443 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,520 None of us wants you to be there at that time. 444 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:15,440 Instead, we'd love for you to be with us in heaven as we 445 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:20,960 celebrate the marriage supper with Jesus as his bridegroom. 446 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,480 To get a better understanding of where we are in the Book of 447 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:28,840 Revelation, to listen to any messages before or after this 448 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:31,840 one, you can find them at our website, 449 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:37,000 calvarychapelonline.com. That's it for today's edition, 450 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,840 but we hope you'll want to hear Pastor Clark teach more from the 451 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:44,480 Book of Revelation. It can be exciting to think 452 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:48,160 about the future for believers, but it can feel a bit harrowing 453 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:51,720 for those who don't believe. Come hear more next time on 454 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:53,440 Living Waters of Grace.