1 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:13,760 Hallelujah Jesus. God is good and all the time God 2 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:18,840 is good. I want to give honor to God 3 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:24,520 tonight for all that he has done and all that he is going to do. 4 00:00:26,080 --> 00:00:27,680 The world is crazy and messed up. 5 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:32,520 I'm saying more and more news of urgent bad stuff happening so 6 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:36,720 much. But through it all I know God is 7 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:41,880 doing something and I know He will continue to do something 8 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,920 good. I give honor tonight to my wife 9 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,760 and children. I am blessed beyond measure to 10 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:54,320 have such an amazing woman, 2 beautiful daughters and one more 11 00:00:54,320 --> 00:01:00,720 in the oven. So, so just needs to be a boy. 12 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:05,880 That would be great, but I will thank God no matter what. 13 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,000 I want to give honor to pastor tonight. 14 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,840 We are blessed with his anointing and his ministry. 15 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,720 I love to listen to him. I feel like I learned so much 16 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,040 because he goes so deep and I love it. 17 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:26,440 I give honor to our Bishop, especially to his heart. 18 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,480 He's a man I know any of us can go to at any time and know that 19 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:36,240 he will hear and love and pray with us. 20 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:42,960 I give honor to Doctor Mason. I am thankful for his ministry 21 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:47,960 for almost all of my life, how he taught and preached to us and 22 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:50,960 youth. And I can continue to hear him 23 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:56,000 and mighty anointed word even still to to this day. 24 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,520 And I'm so grateful. I give honor to Brother Alex 25 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,360 Mason. He is an anointed minister and 26 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,640 musician and I am blessed to call him my friend. 27 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,240 Tonight I'm going to turn to just to read this one scripture 28 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:17,040 in Genesis chapter 4 and verse #9 I know Genesis, I'm sorry, 29 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:24,840 but it's just one verse, OK. And the Lord said unto Cain, 30 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:31,480 where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not Am I my 31 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:36,720 brother's keeper? And tonight I'm going to speak 32 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:41,840 on this, my brother's keeper. Help me pray. 33 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:44,680 Jesus, thank you for what you've already done. 34 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:46,560 And God, thank you for this word. 35 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:48,840 Pray God you anoint my mind and my lips. 36 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:50,680 God, as I bring forth and minister the word. 37 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,440 God help me to speak as you would have me to speak and let 38 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,000 your word go forth to accomplish that which you would have it to 39 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:57,880 do. And God would give you all the 40 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:02,800 glory and the honor in Jesus name, Amen and Amen. 41 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:10,360 You may be seated personal responsibility. 42 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:18,840 It is a big, big hard thing we all have to learn in our lives. 43 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:24,680 And part of that is learning what our responsibility actually 44 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,200 entitles. Because the harshness of the 45 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,640 lesson comes from the fact that it normally blindsides us when 46 00:03:31,640 --> 00:03:34,440 we learn it. Because we didn't expect to be 47 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,680 the one to have to own up to that much responsibility. 48 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:47,200 And it feels wrong and unfair if I go into a parking lot and I 49 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,880 parked my car and I'm just a little bit outside the lines or 50 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:56,280 maybe just not forward far enough, but I'm in the lines and 51 00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:00,440 someone goes through and bumps my car with theirs. 52 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:07,360 I want to blame them. OK, I wasn't entirely in the 53 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,760 lines, but I was in the lines. Open your eyes. 54 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,320 How did you not see a vehicle? This is not some like little 55 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,399 bitty rock. We're talking about a whole two 56 00:04:16,399 --> 00:04:22,120 3000 LB piece of machinery. And then from their point of 57 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,200 view, why would you park like that? 58 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,160 You know, you can get hit. There's lines here for a reason, 59 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:29,840 Princess. Park inside of them. 60 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:32,320 Let me take some chalk and put it over here for you. 61 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:40,720 And you know we're both right. I don't know legally who would 62 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:46,680 win that battle, but I do know I'm responsible for how I parked 63 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:49,960 my car, even though I don't want to own up to that. 64 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,400 They're responsible for not paying enough attention. 65 00:04:55,240 --> 00:05:00,720 If we had both just been focused on being accountable for our 66 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,120 actions and the potential of what could happen, there 67 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,120 wouldn't have been an accident, we wouldn't be stressed out, 68 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:14,400 everything would have been fine. Now, I'm pretty sure I'm correct 69 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:18,520 in saying that for most of us, if not every single one of us, 70 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:24,480 our first instinct is to blame something or someone else for 71 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:29,440 why we did something wrong. So, you know, sometimes we'll 72 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:34,560 even admit, OK, I was wrong, but it's still natural to want to 73 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,240 share the blame to help justify our actions. 74 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:42,000 Like, OK, OK, I parked wrong, but you should have been paying. 75 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:43,720 You should have. You shouldn't have hit my car. 76 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,560 I shouldn't have parked like that. 77 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,840 If I had just parked correctly, like I knew how to do, this 78 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:55,280 wouldn't have happened. I need to stop focusing on their 79 00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:59,520 part and start thinking what my responsibility, what I did. 80 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:06,360 And this, it's not unique. It's always been there in human 81 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:08,400 history. Adam and Eve did it at the very 82 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:12,000 beginning. Adam blamed Eve for giving him 83 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:16,160 the fruit to eat, and Eve blamed the serpent for tricking her 84 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:20,800 into eating it. But Adam should have led his 85 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:25,360 wife astray from the serpent the moment he heard it speaking lies 86 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:27,760 because he was standing right there. 87 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:31,480 He didn't come up later. And Eve should have trusted what 88 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:34,640 Adam had already told her about the fruit beforehand, that they 89 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:39,040 would die if they eat it above what the serpent told her. 90 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:44,200 They are both fully responsible for their own action and failure 91 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,440 of personally eating the fruit, but they are also both fully 92 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:52,040 responsible for not watching out for each other. 93 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:59,000 Because it's not just that they did the wrong themselves, their 94 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:03,400 responsibility was also to make sure the other person didn't do 95 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:07,920 it. Taking full account of our own 96 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:13,880 actions and reactions goes against our nature, but it is 97 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:18,480 what we are called to do. Someday we will stand before the 98 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:22,800 throne of God to give an answer of ourselves before Him. 99 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:27,160 Every word we have ever spoken will be brought forward. 100 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:30,640 There's not going to be an excuse or reasoning that we are 101 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:34,160 going to be able to use to rightly justify our sin or 102 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:39,800 shortcomings before a God who is perfect, who made us, who knew 103 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,080 our names before we were even in the womb, who knew exactly what 104 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:48,160 we could and could not do. And beyond that, for what we 105 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:52,000 could not do ourselves. He was always our strength. 106 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,640 He knows intimately what we can and can't do. 107 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:03,080 So when we come forward with an excuse, it will die in our 108 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:09,640 throat because we'll realize how much that excuse isn't real. 109 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:16,200 It doesn't justify anything because he already adjusted for 110 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:18,640 all of our shortcomings and made sure a way was going to be 111 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:23,040 possible, even by being our strength when we come up short. 112 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:27,600 There's no justification for my wrong actions. 113 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,480 I'm not responsible for external actions. 114 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:35,679 I'm not saying that what happens to you is beyond your your 115 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:40,159 control. What you do is what we will give 116 00:08:40,159 --> 00:08:50,200 an account for. I can't have an excuse, but I do 117 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:56,760 have grace now. We are called to mortify the 118 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:01,600 deeds of our body, to deny the natural tendencies of our flesh. 119 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:08,080 We are called to take up our cross, to die or repent daily, 120 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:14,120 to fast and to pray, to work out our own salvation with fear and 121 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,360 trembling. Getting ourselves right is the 122 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:21,840 great challenge of our lifetime, to take responsibility for our 123 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:25,480 own actions and to strive for the mark of perfection ever 124 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:29,760 growing in God. And yet, on top of that, we are 125 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:34,840 also called to win other souls besides our own, and on top of 126 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:39,680 that, called to bear one another's burdens and to look 127 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:44,560 out for each other. It's hard enough when you feel 128 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:49,720 like you're already drowning to help someone else to stay 129 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:58,560 afloat, but that's Our Calling. While I work on getting myself 130 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:03,320 right with God, I also have to help my brothers and sisters in 131 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:08,400 Christ to get right with God through my words, my actions, 132 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:17,240 and my witness, my influence. I think we all know that Cain 133 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:21,360 wasn't sincerely or innocently asking God, am I my brother's 134 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:27,120 keeper? I see a more like what am I my 135 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,440 brother's keeper? And he asked with such scoffing 136 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,200 and such frustration and annoyance. 137 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:41,680 But the question is still there and echoes throughout eternity 138 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:43,920 asking of us the same thing today. 139 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:47,880 Am I my brother or sister's keeper? 140 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:53,840 I can't answer to God for you and I can't control your 141 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:57,440 actions, so are you my responsibility? 142 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:06,880 Yes, even as natural born siblings are told to avoid 143 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:11,120 acting in certain ways or talking in certain ways to avoid 144 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,120 being a bad influence to the younger ones and are also 145 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,080 expected to look after the younger ones when mom and dad 146 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,920 are away. Even in the same ways, we are 147 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:25,680 expected to be mindful of our words and actions and to look 148 00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:30,840 out for one another. I may not be responsible for the 149 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:35,960 saving of your soul or for controlling your actions, but I 150 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:44,120 am called to watch out for you. Galatians 6-1 and two, brethren, 151 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:49,160 if any man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, 152 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:54,080 restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering 153 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:56,440 thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 154 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:01,720 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of 155 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,280 Christ. When I see my brother falling, 156 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:10,320 it is my responsibility, my God-given duty, to reach out to 157 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:18,880 him and help him get back up. I am to bear his burden with 158 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:24,080 him, crying with him, praying together, being a listening ear, 159 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:28,600 reaching out in love when he messes up, or at the very least, 160 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:34,240 and perhaps the most important, being there that he knows I am 161 00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:39,920 there so that he knows he is not alone. 162 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:47,240 His fall was not my fault, but my hands should be there to lift 163 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:50,880 him back up again and to remind him of the love and grace of 164 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:54,800 God, to be the voice encouraging him to get back to where he 165 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:59,320 knows he needs to be. I'm not blind to the sin he 166 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:04,120 committed, but neither am I blind to the grace of God that 167 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:08,840 is greater than that sin because I have needed it several times 168 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:12,560 myself. My helping hand is not a seal of 169 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:17,800 approval for his sin, rather it is the grace of God reaching 170 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:24,440 through me to my brother. We are the hands and feet of 171 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,880 Christ, not only to the spreading of the gospel to the 172 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:31,680 whole world, but to the uplifting and encouragement of 173 00:13:31,680 --> 00:13:33,560 our brothers and sisters in Christ. 174 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,880 Galatians 610. As we have therefore 175 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:44,640 opportunity, let us do good, and to all men, especially unto them 176 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:48,880 who are of the household of faith, the greatest good we're 177 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:53,360 going to do for each other is to rise up and be each other's 178 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:58,720 keeper. To not focus just on my own walk 179 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:03,400 with God, but that I'm also mindful of your walk with God 180 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:08,240 and your walk with God. The purpose of the church is to 181 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,800 bring us together so that we aren't alone. 182 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:17,760 But it's also more than just providing encouragement, help. 183 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:23,920 It's also about not letting the things we do and say just in our 184 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:27,760 daily lives 'cause our brother to lose faith. 185 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:34,760 I remember being in church camp. I was 1415. 186 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:39,200 I was fairly young and I was in a dorm room with a couple of 187 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:42,640 guys. I was 1718 and I wasn't the only 188 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:45,920 1415 year old. There was a few of us, but the 189 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,200 conversation came up, you know, what would you do on your last 190 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:50,480 day of earth? Typical stuff. 191 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:57,480 And the first thing every older guy said was get laid and 192 00:14:57,480 --> 00:14:59,840 repent. That was the very first thing 193 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:09,240 the impact that has on younger guys 1415, because when you see 194 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:13,000 the older guys in church, you think you should be able to 195 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,280 think I should be able to follow them and be LED, right? 196 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:23,480 In this case, the focus was on gratify your flesh first and 197 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:27,720 then your spirit. They weren't telling me that's 198 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:31,560 what I needed to do. They were just being an 199 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:40,600 influence and not aware of it. So it's not just about using our 200 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,680 words to actually actively provide encouragement and 201 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:48,320 support when we can. It's also just our passive 202 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:52,080 support, our witness and encouragement on a daily basis. 203 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,080 Because it's not always the direct hits that kill someone's 204 00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:59,320 faith. That's true. 205 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:03,080 Often times it's just us, us not caring enough about our witness 206 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,080 to each other, that leads someone away. 207 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:13,160 Romans 14 and 13. And then I'll turn to Hebrews 10 208 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:17,560 and 24. But Romans 14 and 13, let us not 209 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:21,200 therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this rather 210 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:26,440 that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in 211 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:30,320 his brother's way. Hebrews 10/24. 212 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,880 Because that Romans was about not being the stumbling block, 213 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:38,480 you know, not not tripping someone on purpose. 214 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:41,560 And this is the other end of the spectrum. 215 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:46,400 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good 216 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:50,760 works. So it's about not being the 217 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:55,840 issue. And beyond that, guiding to 218 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:57,280 love. You know, when you provoke 219 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:00,920 something and provoking a bear or something, normally it's in a 220 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,880 bad way. You know you're provoking 221 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:08,480 someone that's only to anger. You're pushing on someone to do 222 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:10,359 something or to have a certain response. 223 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:16,000 And in this God is causing, calling us to provoke unto love 224 00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:21,880 and good works. Because you have eyes on you. 225 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:26,839 You don't realize how many there are, but you have eyes on you. 226 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:30,200 And so where are we leading them? 227 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,960 Because it's my responsibility to influence my brothers and 228 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,760 sisters to love to do that which is good and holy. 229 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:43,200 If you only see me entertaining my flesh, whether it's just 230 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,480 through looking lustfully at somebody or gossiping about 231 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:49,160 somebody or stealing candy bars from a store, because it's a 232 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:53,240 small thing that doesn't matter. It does. 233 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:54,720 I'm not saying it doesn't matter. 234 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:59,440 That's only going to encourage you to entertain the desires of 235 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:06,200 your own flesh. Or if I know, let's say for 236 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:09,400 example, I know you have a conviction against energy 237 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:16,960 drinks, just for example, and I know that it's a struggle 238 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:22,560 spiritually for you, but I decide that's your problem, 239 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:27,320 that's your conviction, I don't care and I'm going to drink it 240 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:31,000 in front of you anyway. I may even offer one just out of 241 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,120 spite because I really don't agree with your conviction and 242 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:35,400 it doesn't bother me the same way. 243 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:38,440 Maybe it's not a spite. Maybe I'm just not thinking 244 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:40,880 about it and there I am drinking one in front of you. 245 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,960 But whether it's on purpose or it's just by not thinking about 246 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:51,400 it on accident, I am still being the wrong type of influence. 247 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:57,240 I am becoming a stumbling block to you, potentially leading you 248 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,520 to sin, leading you to go against your conviction. 249 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,760 And the nature of sin is not the list of do's and don'ts. 250 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:06,120 Don't. The nature of sin is just 251 00:19:06,120 --> 00:19:09,640 pulling you from God. And if you have a conviction 252 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:13,960 from God telling you to do something and you're ignoring 253 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,640 that conviction, you're pushing yourself further from God. 254 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,840 I can't be the wrong influence that encourages you to keep 255 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:25,200 doing that. What I need to do is put myself 256 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:31,160 aside because I am my brother's keeper and I'm going to put that 257 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:33,240 drink away. I'm going to pour it out. 258 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:34,800 I'm going to not bring it around you anymore. 259 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:36,480 I'm not going to talk about it anymore. 260 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:39,120 I'm going to make sure I do everything I can, even if it's 261 00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:43,160 inconvenient, to make sure I'm not a stumbling block. 262 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:53,160 Our duty as Christians is to make sure every action points to 263 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:57,360 Christ, that every single person in our lives will be influenced 264 00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:00,680 from sin and to love and good works. 265 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:04,400 If we're aware that someone is struggling with something, we 266 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,960 don't tempt them with it. The freedom that we have in 267 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:11,720 Christ does not give us the liberty to cause others to fall. 268 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:16,040 Yeah, I'm free to drink and energy drink, but that doesn't 269 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:20,040 mean I can just ignore the responsibility and drink it in 270 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:21,840 front of you and cause you to fall. 271 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:27,040 And every single thing we should have the interest of our 272 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:32,560 brothers and sisters in mind. And I'm not denying that it 273 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:38,760 feels like a lot too much even to be your brother or sister's 274 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:41,880 keeper. God knows it's hard enough 275 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:46,880 trying to focus on getting myself right, let alone focusing 276 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:53,480 on what my witness is like to those around me, but we are the 277 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:57,520 only Bible most people are ever going to read. 278 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:02,360 A lot of those people may still be lost right now. 279 00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:07,280 They may not be my brother in Christ, but I can invest in my 280 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:12,680 future brother in Christ to be the Bible they need to see. 281 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:18,640 Let them see Jesus through me so that someday they might be 1 and 282 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:22,280 I was the right influence to them to help win over my brother 283 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,120 in Christ. They're not my brother yet, but 284 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:27,360 I'm still their keeper for the future possibility. 285 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:36,880 Sometimes we're the only godly influence in a brother's life. 286 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,840 They may not relate to anybody else in the church because we're 287 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:45,200 all different, so that's fine. They may go home to a lost 288 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:50,800 family, we may not even know how much of an influence we are on 289 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:55,960 them. And we for sure are some of the 290 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:59,400 first influences on the lives of the children around us. 291 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:05,920 God forbid we lead souls astray because we entertained our flesh 292 00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:09,960 rather than God's will, rather than rather than being mindful 293 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,240 of the impact we have on each other. 294 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,720 We can't just decide our witness doesn't matter as much as our 295 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:26,880 own desires, or even decide how they look at me doesn't matter 296 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:29,040 because they're their own person. 297 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:35,160 I guarantee you have never not been influenced by somebody. 298 00:22:36,360 --> 00:22:40,640 It is impossible to go through life and not take influence from 299 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:45,040 others. For better and for worse, you 300 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:50,600 are that influence. It is true though. 301 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,000 Every person is responsible for their own actions. 302 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:57,080 You have to give an account. I have to give an account. 303 00:22:57,080 --> 00:23:00,600 You have to give an account. Yeah, sure, that's right. 304 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:06,200 But we can be held liable with the person if we don't do our 305 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:11,320 part to steer them correctly. I don't remember the exact 306 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:16,200 scripture, but even Sodom and Gomorrah will rise up in 307 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:20,400 condemnation against this generation because with what 308 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:25,160 we're doing today and what God is doing in our midst today, 309 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:29,400 Sodom and Gomorrah would have already repented by now. 310 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:48,240 And yet our generation has not. If we are not a part of helping 311 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:53,360 in their salvation, we are a part of helping in their sin. 312 00:23:55,080 --> 00:24:00,640 We can deny facts and truth all we want, but the fact remains, 313 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:07,440 we will always be the influence. And you know, I don't want those 314 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:11,720 of old that have been condemned in their sin to stand up against 315 00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:19,120 me and say before God, God, you know, I would have already done 316 00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:22,680 the right thing by now. But Zach McGee didn't. 317 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:32,720 James 519 and 20 Brethren, if any of you do err from the 318 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:38,000 truth, and one convert him, let him know that he was converted. 319 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:42,720 The Sinner, from the error of his way, shall save a soul from 320 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:47,440 death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. 321 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:55,080 When I see my brother or sister going astray, as a brother I 322 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:57,400 ought to be the one reaching out to them. 323 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:05,800 We are not allowed to just sit back in our pews, sit back in 324 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:12,760 our own salvation and turn a blind eye. 325 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:21,600 Because we are our brother's keeper. 326 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:31,160 If they leave the faith and none of us reached out, none of us 327 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:37,120 were the influence to point them back to Christ, we will give an 328 00:25:37,120 --> 00:25:42,480 answer for why we did not do our part to save this soul from 329 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:45,640 hell. Because that's forever. 330 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:48,640 This is not saving someone from a Boo Boo. 331 00:25:49,120 --> 00:25:52,560 This is not saving someone from a temporary lifetime mistake. 332 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:58,800 This is saving someone from a burning hell for eternity. 333 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:04,200 And in that place they will never know the love or peace of 334 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:08,600 God again. We have to be serious about 335 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:15,000 this. Galatians 6/1 Brethren, if any 336 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:20,520 man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, those who 337 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:25,400 are mature in Christ, restore such a one in the spirit of 338 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:30,520 meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 339 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:35,360 And because I said mature in Christ, don't think you don't 340 00:26:35,360 --> 00:26:41,320 qualify. You're further along in Christ 341 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:47,480 than you are aware of as my children age. 342 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:54,720 Even though Grayson won't be an adult for a long time, she is 343 00:26:54,720 --> 00:27:00,160 more mature than Julie and understands and knows more 344 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:05,160 things than Julie. I would expect her if she sees 345 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:10,520 Julie about to jump off of something too high that she 346 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:12,440 would make the attempt to stop her. 347 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:18,400 If she doesn't, Grayson will get in trouble for not trying to do 348 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,120 the right thing and Julie's hurt. 349 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:28,520 Ye, which are spiritual. Restore such a one. 350 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:33,800 You're further along in God than you realize we ought. 351 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:35,880 We often times think we're not enough. 352 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:38,360 You know, we under undersell ourselves. 353 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:40,960 We don't have a high opinion of ourselves. 354 00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:45,920 We think we look ahead and just see how much further there is to 355 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:49,720 go. But I'm looking at everybody 356 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:55,600 here right now, and I'm looking how far back the old you is 357 00:27:56,080 --> 00:28:03,480 because of how far you've come. And every single person here has 358 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:09,320 come so far and can win souls and can be a holy influence. 359 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,600 You're not perfect, I know that, but that's OK. 360 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:18,920 That's not what people need. We just need a brother or sister 361 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:21,440 in Christ who is willing to look out for us. 362 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:30,600 But if a man be overtaken at a fault, restore such a one in the 363 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:36,560 spirit of weakness. This means, and I believe a lot 364 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:39,560 of us have been guilty of of it over the years, at least once or 365 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:43,040 twice. We don't talk bad about them 366 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:48,000 when they're not here anymore. We don't talk about how I'm not 367 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:49,440 surprised. They weren't really committed 368 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:52,920 anyway. They were going to backslide any 369 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:58,120 moment. No, when we see our brother or 370 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:02,880 sister falling away from grace, that is our time to lovingly 371 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:06,880 reach out to be the support and the encouragement. 372 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:11,280 And if that doesn't work with actual reaching out with words, 373 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:16,280 the witness and the example that they need to see to get back to 374 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:23,200 God. We need have to be the reason 375 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:25,280 people find it easy to come to church. 376 00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:31,040 When they come and taste and see the Lord is good they will see 377 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:37,200 He is good. But we have to be the ones that 378 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:43,280 make it easy to be here. Be that brother or sister in 379 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:50,280 Christ, the holy example that the younger you needed to see. 380 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,600 Sometimes we can even self paralyze our own selves by 381 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:00,920 overthinking of the right way to do or say something. 382 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:06,000 But all anyone really needs is just to see someone who is 383 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:11,880 consistent and faithful in service and more importantly 384 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:17,760 outside of church. Again, not perfect, but 385 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:24,600 genuinely growing in Christ. James 516. 386 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:28,400 Confess your faults one to another. 387 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:34,080 Those are big words. Those are hard words. 388 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:38,840 And pray one for another, that ye may be healed. 389 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:44,000 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 390 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,200 Those first few words are hard not because of what the words 391 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:53,000 are, or even necessarily because it's hard to admit things, 392 00:30:53,960 --> 00:31:01,400 though it is. It's hard because are we worth 393 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:08,280 having someone confess to us? Are we honorable and trustworthy 394 00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:13,440 enough that they know they can tell us I messed up in this 395 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:18,600 specific way? And they know that in US they 396 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:23,960 will find prayer and love and support and that no one else 397 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:27,280 will hear from my lips what that fault was. 398 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:35,240 I have to be a safe space for my brother where he can admit his 399 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:40,400 faults but also know he's going to get the prayer and support he 400 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:44,480 deserves. My responsibility is to be so 401 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:49,600 faithful and consistent in God that he has No Fear of my 402 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,040 judgment or possibility of gossip. 403 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:59,440 My relationship with God is not just for me, it is also from my 404 00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:04,000 brothers and sisters when they are feeling weak, just like you 405 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:06,680 are for me when I'm feeling weak. 406 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:12,240 How many of you come in here every service with a raging 407 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,920 fire, just ready to run, dance and shout, and you just whoa, 408 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:23,720 ready to go every time. No hands Good, because most of 409 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:27,440 the time we're not. But we get in here and we see 410 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:31,880 others who are, and there's plenty of times I came in just 411 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,760 feeling like a wet blanket. But as I see my brothers and 412 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:39,720 sisters in Christ worshiping and I don't even know if they're 413 00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:41,960 feeling it or not, they may just be going through the motions, 414 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:43,920 doing their best because they don't feel it either. 415 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:47,960 But I see the worship and I see the fire, and that influences me 416 00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:53,760 and has helped me. We need each other. 417 00:32:55,400 --> 00:33:01,880 We give each other fire. If you are looking for someone 418 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:06,520 to pray for your need or for your struggle, who would you 419 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:10,000 consider and why would you consider them? 420 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:17,280 Be that person where you are so loving and helpful and 421 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:21,280 encouraging that even in the midst of their sin, your brother 422 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:25,080 or sister in Christ is able to come to you for prayer and help 423 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:28,560 without fear. Not just because you are some 424 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:35,320 spiritual giant, but because you are faithful and they know that 425 00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:39,320 you love like a brother. You love like a sister. 426 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:43,480 If I'm a musician, you could go ahead and come. 427 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:49,200 I'll be coming to a close, a priority. 428 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:55,520 The priority for a soldier in the middle of a battlefield is 429 00:33:55,520 --> 00:34:00,760 not to focus on preserving his own life, his home or his 430 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:05,200 family. His duty is to stand beside and 431 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:09,320 defend. Put all of his focus to lay down 432 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:12,280 his life for the brother beside him. 433 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:18,239 But why? How could the brother beside him 434 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:22,360 be more important than his home and his family and making sure 435 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:24,400 he lives long enough to see them again? 436 00:34:26,280 --> 00:34:31,880 How does making his brothers in arms such a priority better 437 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:37,320 protect the ones he loves? It's because by focusing on 438 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:41,480 defending his brother and making sure that they stand together, 439 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:48,159 they create an an effective wall of the fence for both of their 440 00:34:48,159 --> 00:34:53,120 homes from the enemy. A lone soldier is not a threat, 441 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:58,560 but when there is a wall of soldiers fighting as one unit, 442 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:04,000 defending each other, not letting each other fall, there 443 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:06,320 is no chance for the enemy to breakthrough it. 444 00:35:07,720 --> 00:35:13,120 If we stand beside one another and keep each other praying and 445 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:18,240 worshipping together, we create a strong spiritual defense 446 00:35:18,240 --> 00:35:21,360 against the enemy that will safeguard our family and our 447 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:24,200 homes, our community and each other. 448 00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:29,720 It will safeguard those who are coming into the faith and are 449 00:35:29,720 --> 00:35:33,200 still too young and weak to put up a a strong defense 450 00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:38,200 themselves. Yet the enemy wins by causing 451 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:41,160 division and picking us off 1 by 1. 452 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:48,440 But he has no chance against a unified church where every 453 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:51,800 single one keeps their brother and their sister. 454 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:57,000 It takes a lot of effort to always be mindful of those 455 00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:02,160 around you and to own up to all of your responsibility, because 456 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:06,640 that's a lot. But the answer to Cain's 457 00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:12,520 question is yes, I am my brother's keeper. 458 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:19,760 If we can go ahead and stand. And this altar is open tonight. 459 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:22,200 If you want to be up here, if you want to be in your Pew, in 460 00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:26,720 the Pew, it's fine. I just ask that instead of 461 00:36:26,720 --> 00:36:32,400 praying for yourself, focus instead on each other. 462 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:37,480 Pray for a brother, for a sister, just one or many. 463 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:40,800 Whoever comes to mind. Pray for them instead. 464 00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:44,640 Pray for the needs, Pray for healing, Pray for unity among 465 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:48,120 us. Pray for the backslider, but 466 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:54,280 pray for each other, because as the word says, pray one for 467 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:59,320 another that ye may be healed. It didn't say pray for yourself, 468 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:04,200 it was telling everyone else to pray for everyone that you may 469 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:07,880 be healed. Because the effectual fervent 470 00:37:08,240 --> 00:37:12,080 prayer, that prayer that goes, that doesn't give up, that is 471 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:18,240 passionate of a righteous man. Every person who was born again, 472 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:21,560 a person who is living for God, not the perfect one, not the 473 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:27,840 pastor. You availeth much. 474 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:30,640 Let's pray.