1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:01,960 Amen. Amen. 2 00:00:02,760 --> 00:00:05,760 Praise the Lord man. I'm glad y'all got dugout. 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,520 I know it took a few of us a few days but we got dugout and happy 4 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,320 about it. And I had a pastor from Florida 5 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:17,080 contacted me this morning. He said it was 22° in Florida. 6 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:19,160 They just think about canceling church. 7 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,360 He was joking of course. He sent me a picture of some of 8 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:28,760 their kind of weeds and stuff. I had like frost and stuff all 9 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:32,360 over it and he said we threw the sprinkler on that for 5 minutes 10 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,200 so we could have some picture opportunities. 11 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,960 So I sent him back picture front of my house with snow up to the 12 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:41,800 bottom of mailbox and said that we had to cancel last week. 13 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:43,440 He said it when was that picture taken? 14 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:46,280 I said just yesterday he said you having service today? 15 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,280 I said yes Sir, we are. We have service. 16 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:52,160 We're just kind of built a little different. 17 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:54,120 Just built a little different, Amen. 18 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,600 Going to go to Hebrews chapter #12 good to see everybody, Amen. 19 00:00:57,600 --> 00:00:58,760 Zachary. Amen. 20 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,600 Good to see you, Zeke, Good to see you, Amen. 21 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,519 Everybody today, Megan, good to see you, Amen. 22 00:01:04,519 --> 00:01:06,200 In the House of the Lord this morning. 23 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:09,880 Here we are back. Hebrews chapter #12 we have been 24 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,000 in several weeks talking about holiness. 25 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,680 And I want to preface this this morning just a little bit 26 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:19,760 talking about this, because if, if, if you've not yet been born 27 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,840 again of the water and the Spirit, then this doesn't 28 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:26,080 necessarily directly apply to you at this moment. 29 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:30,440 It, it, this is a stage further along in your journey. 30 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,960 Your, your, your concentration is the holy one, like seeking 31 00:01:34,960 --> 00:01:38,240 after the Lord, all right, and to be filled with his Holy Ghost 32 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,160 or his Holy Spirit. But that doesn't mean that this 33 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:42,960 will never apply somewhere in your life. 34 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:46,120 All right, But for others of us who have been baptized to 35 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,040 receive the Holy Ghost, these are matters that are, that are, 36 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:53,040 they're issues of, of, of growth and, and mature and Amen in the 37 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:54,680 Lord. And want to talk about it a 38 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,800 little bit more, a little bit more this morning and see what 39 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,960 the Lord would say to us through the scripture of Hebrews chapter 40 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:06,920 number, Hebrews chapter #12 and verses 14 and 15 today. 41 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:08,880 And I'll try to be mindful of your time. 42 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,240 And we're, we just had a lot of stuff to say today and that's 43 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:13,960 OK. And the Lord's Spirit was here 44 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:18,680 and that is absolutely OK. Listen, if we never get to what 45 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:23,040 we have quote UN quote planned, that's always OK, all right. 46 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,600 But if stuff like that don't happen, then we know we're 47 00:02:26,640 --> 00:02:29,040 somewhere to go, right? We, we have something in in 48 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,360 place. So Hebrews chapter #12 verse #14 49 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:37,440 the Bible says follow peace with all men and holiness without 50 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:42,880 which no man shall see the Lord, looking diligently lest any man 51 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:47,800 fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing 52 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:52,040 up, trouble you. And there, if I thereby many be 53 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:53,960 defiled. Amen. 54 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,840 This morning I want to talk simply along this line. 55 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:02,160 The pursuit, everybody, the say, the pursuit, the pursuit of 56 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:03,480 holiness. Amen. 57 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,120 We're going to pray today and again before we get started, 58 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:07,720 Scott, it's so good to have you today. 59 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,080 Again, we're we're sorry for the things that's going on with I. 60 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:13,800 I'm calling him uncle. He's not my uncle, OK? 61 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,200 But I call him Uncle Jack because that's what Sheila and 62 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,200 that's what Angie call him. So he's just Uncle Jack to us. 63 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:20,920 All right. And so I'm sorry for everything 64 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:22,480 that's going with Uncle Jack and such. 65 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:25,920 And that no doubt has demanded your attention that we're glad 66 00:03:25,920 --> 00:03:28,320 to have you here. Nonetheless, Father, I thank you 67 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:31,040 today, God, for your spirit. I thank you, Lord, for those 68 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:32,560 that have gathered together this morning. 69 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:35,960 God, touch our hearts and minds afresh today by your word. 70 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,400 Help us to lean into it, Lord Jesus, and give priority to you 71 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,440 and the lovely name of Jesus. I pray Amen, the church say 72 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,080 Amen, Amen. You may be seated this morning 73 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:49,560 in Jesus name. Folks, we have already over the 74 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,920 past several weeks spoke a lot about holiness and our holy God. 75 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,280 And that's the reason why we're talking about holiness, because 76 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:00,480 the Bible talks about Him being the Holy One and the Holy Spirit 77 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,760 or the Holy Ghost. And we have a holy God, a holy 78 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,240 word, holy name. It's all throughout Scripture 79 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,360 from Genesis to Revelations. If you were to count the number 80 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,360 of times that is mentioned, it is within the hundreds, if not 81 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:16,480 boarding on thousands of times. But we've established through 82 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,480 Scripture that our God is holy. As a matter of fact, if you want 83 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,040 to establish that, just read the prophet Isaiah and you will see 84 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:25,320 that repetitive throughout that book. 85 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:28,520 And so we have established that. We also established that, you 86 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:32,120 and I, that our natural state when we were first born into 87 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:35,680 this world is just what would be known as a common state. 88 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,480 Nothing special per SE, but just just common, good old common 89 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,880 humanity. But according to God's Word, 90 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:47,440 every, every single individual upon this world today has both 91 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:52,000 the opportunity and the ability to become holy. 92 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:58,040 Amen as God is holy and one way that that's tipped off to us in 93 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:00,760 Scripture is because at different times in the Old 94 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:04,400 Testament, even in the New Testament, God admonished the 95 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,320 people. He said be holy. 96 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,400 Now God's not going to say be holy if it was something that 97 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,720 was so far fetched that no one could attain to right. 98 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,880 He's not going to say that unless it's capable of being 99 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,400 done, but he would say be holy. And so we understand that the 100 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:24,400 moment of our new birth, water and spirit right being baptized 101 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:27,480 in the even the Holy Ghost, that the moment of our new birth 102 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:31,640 there, there is a holiness that that we receive a, a borrowed 103 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,400 holiness, if you will, from God and the Spirit that we have 104 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,720 received a spillover effect, if you want to call it that, of 105 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:42,040 God's holiness in our life. But as with all, all things are 106 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,880 traits of God, his love, His Holiness, his patience, so and 107 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:47,760 so forth. All those things that are 108 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:52,480 characteristics and attributes of God, They can become ours 109 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:56,480 through our submission to God and our obedience to God. 110 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,960 All right, particularly to the obedience and our submission to 111 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:03,800 that Holy Spirit, which is God's Spirit that we receive when we 112 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,280 are born again. And so then as we continue to 113 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:12,320 live our lives, how we obey and submit to that holy God and that 114 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:17,920 Holy Spirit then determines the holiness that is revealed to God 115 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:20,680 and other people in our life, what they begin to notice even 116 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:22,840 in our life. And so according to the 117 00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:25,840 Scripture that I read to you this morning, holiness is 118 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:31,320 something that must be pursued. It doesn't just like just kind 119 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,560 of fall onto you or something like take you hostage. 120 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:37,800 Holiness is something that must be pursued. 121 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,520 And that's the reason why in God's Word, we have other places 122 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,920 of Scripture where the Bible says stuff like separate 123 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:52,360 yourselves or, or or Ezra even says that in in in his book and 124 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:53,600 in the book of Numbers that's found. 125 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,360 But also the apostle Paul says, and we've made mention of this 126 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:58,800 more than once in Philippians 212. 127 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:03,120 He talks about us. Work out your own salvation with 128 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,840 fear in trembling, because holiness is something that must 129 00:07:06,840 --> 00:07:10,160 be pursued. What happens is you enter a 130 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:14,160 partnership with God, you enter a partnership with God you, you 131 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,400 kind of joint forces. The Bible talks about even how 132 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,520 we become laborers together with God. 133 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,240 You become a partner with God you, you have the Holy Ghost. 134 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,680 John tells us that that Holy Ghost now is teaching us some 135 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:29,320 things, teaching us some lessons. 136 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:33,000 But how many know, even back whenever you were in school or 137 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,400 in college or maybe even employed somewhere and they were 138 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,560 teaching you some new skills, How many knows that it takes 139 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:43,160 more than just learning and hearing the lesson? 140 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:47,080 It takes applying what you learned, right? 141 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:49,000 It takes applying what you've learned. 142 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:51,000 And so it's going to teach you some things. 143 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:55,360 But then it is up to us as individuals to incorporate those 144 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,480 lessons, incorporate what we have learned in our own lives. 145 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:02,000 And so in the beginning, with Adam and Eve in the garden, 146 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:06,520 holiness wasn't necessarily a pursuit, it was just a given, 147 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,440 because whenever Adam and Eve were made in the image and in 148 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:15,280 the likeness of a holy God, they were from the very start holy 149 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:19,320 man and holy woman. But whenever Adam and Eve sinned 150 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:23,760 and transgressed in that garden, humanity fell not just from God, 151 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,960 but also from that place in that status of holiness that mankind 152 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,840 first had whenever they began. They were holy back then by 153 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:35,799 virtue of creation, but we're not holy by virtue of creation 154 00:08:35,799 --> 00:08:38,640 anymore. The Bible even tells us that 155 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,720 whenever Adam and Eve would have their, their third child, Seth, 156 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:46,000 the Bible tells us in Genesis 5 that Seth was made in the 157 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:51,760 likeness in the image of his father Adam, who was a fallen 158 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:57,560 man, who was a marred man at that moment, unholy man at that 159 00:08:57,560 --> 00:08:59,720 moment. And so Seth takes on, if you 160 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,400 will, and we all do, ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, we're 161 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:09,080 born into a unholy state. We're born into a common state. 162 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:13,920 I born into the world. I started out as a Sinner, I 163 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:17,760 started out being flawed, I started out being marred. 164 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,160 Amen. So our human condition today, 165 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:24,200 the moment that we are born, is quite different than what Adam 166 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:28,080 and Eve were created with that. The psalmist David even said it 167 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:33,320 like this in Psalms 38. He says there is no soundness in 168 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:37,320 my flesh or there is no wholeness, which can be another 169 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:40,440 word for holy. There is no wholeness in my 170 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:43,280 flesh. But see, when you are born 171 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:49,600 again, when you are born again, what that does is restore us as 172 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,760 humanity back to a place of holiness like Adam and Eve had 173 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,960 first in the garden before the failure, before the fall. 174 00:09:57,160 --> 00:09:59,840 As a matter of fact, if you look this morning and I'm going to 175 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:02,440 read it, I thought about not reading it, but I'm just going 176 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:04,080 to read it. Sometimes it's good to see it. 177 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,520 And actually, chapter #2 and verse 38, we read in Acts 178 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:11,440 chapter #2 what is essentially the birth of the New Testament 179 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,880 church. And Peter has just spoke a 180 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:17,360 tremendous message to them about the death, burial, and 181 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:19,240 resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 182 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:22,680 And they're wanting to know what they can do because they realize 183 00:10:22,680 --> 00:10:26,320 that they had a hand in putting Christ upon the cross and 184 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,040 crucifying him. And so Peter said to them in 185 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:31,840 verse 38 of Acts 2. Then Peter said unto them, 186 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:36,200 Repent, and be baptized everyone of you, in the name of Jesus 187 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:39,840 Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the 188 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:45,000 gift of the Holy Ghost, Verse 39 for the promises unto you and to 189 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,920 your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as 190 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:51,400 the Lord our God shall call. Look at verse 40. 191 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:58,720 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save 192 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:02,840 yourselves from this untoward generation. 193 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:04,640 So. So Peter has spent a lot of 194 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:08,240 words here in Acts chapter #2 preaching his message as most 195 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:11,720 preachers do. Hey, man. 196 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,240 So he's preached a long time, and he's answered their 197 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:20,080 question. But then these words in Acts 240 198 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:23,360 are the only other recorded words that we have from the 199 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:27,200 apostle Peter here in Acts chapter #2 and it's save 200 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,400 yourselves from this untoward generation. 201 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:34,320 Now that verse begins and tells us that Peter had many other 202 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:38,200 words that he spoke, that he testified and that he exhorted. 203 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:42,720 But look, even those many words that he spoke, he, he, he 204 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:46,160 testified, he exhorted. All these things seem to have a 205 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:48,360 single focus in a single message. 206 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:53,520 And that was save yourselves from the generation that you're 207 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,160 living in. I, I just told you how to get 208 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,680 saved as far as repentance, baptism in Jesus name and then 209 00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:03,160 filling of the Holy Ghost. But now there is part of this on 210 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:05,520 you. You got to save yourselves from 211 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,360 your environment. With many other words, he 212 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:12,320 testified and exhorted with that being the focus to save 213 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:14,440 themselves. That doesn't mean this morning, 214 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:16,920 please understand. That doesn't mean I redeem 215 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:18,960 myself. He redeems me. 216 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:23,920 But after I've been redeemed, I walk a man separate from the 217 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:27,200 influences that used to bind me, right? 218 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:28,480 Amen. Because holiness. 219 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:30,520 Holiness isn't just about lifestyle. 220 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:34,640 Holiness is about ownership. Holiness is our ownership. 221 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:37,760 And the Bible tells us in the book of Timothy we want to know 222 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,280 the mission or the purpose of Christ, His purpose of coming 223 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:43,480 into the world. It tells us plainly that Christ 224 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:47,360 Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 225 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:51,640 That was His purpose. But once we have been saved by 226 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:57,600 his Spirit, he meant that Spirit also aids us and allows us in a 227 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,920 sense, and I say this loosely, to save ourselves, right? 228 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,640 We said it before again, Philippians, that once we 229 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:09,720 receive that spirit, God is working in us, both to will and 230 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:14,200 to do His good pleasure. His spirits working in me to 231 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,280 will, right? How many know there's a 232 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,800 difference between intention and action? 233 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:30,040 Yesterday I intended I'm shoveling spots on the road 234 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,480 because whenever, before the snow came, everybody parked in 235 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,000 the drive and next to the drive so that they could, you know, 236 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,680 clear the road. Well, the roads not completely 237 00:13:37,680 --> 00:13:42,440 clear where we parked. I intended yesterday to shovel 238 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:46,080 the spot for my truck, shovel the spot for my daughter's car, 239 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:49,000 shovel the spot for my son's vehicle. 240 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:55,600 I intended I got out there, measured off the distance of 241 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:59,600 where my truck needed to be parked, and I shoveled and I 242 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:03,760 shoveled and I shoveled. And I was speaking to myself in 243 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:06,880 my mind and said, Paul, are you going to get those other two 244 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,360 spots done today? And by the time I put the last 245 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:15,240 shovel of snow over for my truck and sweat was dripping off my 246 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:20,600 brow and I was breathing a little labored, I went into the 247 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:22,880 house and told my wife and said, you know what? 248 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:25,800 Maybe the kids can shovel their own spots. 249 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:35,920 Now, Zach, I had an intention of doing all three, but my action 250 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:39,120 was only doing one. Scripture said that Christ 251 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:43,080 speared in US doesn't only help us to will to intend, but also 252 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:51,440 to do his good pleasure. And so with that, this, this, 253 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:55,160 this saving ourselves from the influence of our generation is 254 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:59,080 is what we would call holiness that's becoming matured, or what 255 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:02,560 the Bible would call perfected. It's not perfect, but it's on 256 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,320 the journey becoming better. And again, it doesn't happen 257 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,360 automatically. It's more than just an 258 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:13,680 intention, it's also an action. All right, again, it doesn't 259 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:16,000 automatically happen. But the OR the Lord wouldn't say 260 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:21,760 be holy because that word be is actually defined as become holy. 261 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:25,080 That's a statement. Become holy, that's a statement. 262 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:27,200 Amen. And so that's the reason why we 263 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:32,400 bring to our text of verse #14 the Bible says follow peace with 264 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:36,960 all men and holiness. That word follow means this in 265 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:38,400 your Bibles, in the New Testament. 266 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:44,800 It means to pursue, pursue the direction of, to follow eagerly, 267 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:49,800 to endeavor earnestly to acquire, to follow that peace or 268 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:54,960 that holiness, to earnestly endeavor to acquire or to pursue 269 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:59,360 the direction of Amen. And so with that, I understand 270 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:03,800 today that our pursuit of holiness isn't passive. 271 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,920 The word pursuit within itself underscores it's not passive, 272 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:13,920 but our pursuit isn't isn't casual for peace with men and 273 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:16,640 for holiness with God. What will you allow me just a 274 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:18,640 little bit today? I don't want to get too deep 275 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:22,920 Amen in here today, but I just want to give some explanation. 276 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:27,160 The verb there follow or pursue. It's translated pursuing a lot 277 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:30,480 of other versions, but it's meaning follow is even pursue. 278 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:32,480 And now this is just some language stuff. 279 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:34,080 I know we're not all English majors. 280 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:36,280 We don't study Greek, but just let me explain. 281 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:40,400 This word follow is in what's called the present tense, active 282 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:44,080 voice, imperative mood. I know in English we're a little 283 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:46,240 bit more simple, but I'm telling you, we have mood. 284 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:48,320 We have mood in our English language too. 285 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:52,440 It's in the tone that we speak. But nonetheless, it's it's in 286 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:54,640 the present tense at the voice imperative movement. 287 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:57,440 What does that mean? Let me tell you, whenever this 288 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:00,400 word follow being in the present imperative, this is what it 289 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,960 means. It means the action is not 290 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:07,640 optional, but it's necessary. Got it. 291 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:11,599 And being in the present tense, it also means this, that this 292 00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:15,680 pursuit is a lifelong task. It's always happening in the 293 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:18,480 present. There's not a day that I'm not 294 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,680 in pursuit of Amen, the holiness of God. 295 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:27,000 As a matter of fact, it's this very word follow that that it's 296 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:30,200 used. It comes from imagery of hunters 297 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:33,320 and imagery of predators that are tracking their prey. 298 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:36,920 The pursuit. It's from the imagery of a 299 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:40,880 runner that's in a race and he's running and he's getting close 300 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:42,720 to the finish line. Some of you all seen it. 301 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:45,200 I know we're about ready coming to the Winter Olympics right 302 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:46,800 now. But in the Summer Olympics, when 303 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,320 they're running and there's someone that's even close and 304 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:51,160 they're getting close and they're wanting to beat a time, 305 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:53,720 what do you see them? Do you see them stretch out 306 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,720 their chest toward that finish line? 307 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:58,920 Because they're trying with everything within them to 308 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,720 stretch to meet that mark? That's what that word follow is 309 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:04,640 talking about in the book of Hebrews. 310 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,600 Following peace. We're, we're with all men 311 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:10,920 pursuing holiness, Amen, And to God, Amen. 312 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:14,920 And so the question is then, why in the world, why is a pursuit 313 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:16,320 even necessary? Why? 314 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:18,760 Why should we put forth so much effort? 315 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:21,640 Amen, and becoming holy. Amen. 316 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:24,360 Why? I'll tell you why, because there 317 00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:30,120 is a lot about the holiness of God that is unnatural to the 318 00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:36,640 world that we live in. Amen goes against the grain of 319 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:41,320 society. And I say this gingerly and 320 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:43,240 respectfully, but it ruffles feathers. 321 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:47,520 It's counterculture, Amen. And it should be. 322 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:53,160 The Bible tells us God's ways are higher than our ways, right? 323 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:57,240 It's grounded in something more profound and more enduring 324 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,640 principles. In many ways, holiness is 325 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,200 counterintuitive. Huh. 326 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:07,240 It seems at odd sometimes. Amen to our flesh. 327 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,360 Our flesh doesn't want to engage in it, huh? 328 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,680 Sometimes for for the human mind, it might seem old 329 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:18,880 fashioned or out of step with just modern society, Amen. 330 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:23,240 But it is the target is the go of every born again believer, 331 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,720 Amen. We started a race, yes, Amen. 332 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,480 And here's what I know about starting your journey and your 333 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:32,280 relationship with God. We spoke about it a few weeks 334 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:33,920 ago. That lion that's looking at you 335 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:38,240 on the holy highway, he wants to influence your direction. 336 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:40,880 He wants to influence your pursuit. 337 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,440 And sometimes it'll come from strangers, sometimes it'll come 338 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:47,720 from family members. Sometimes it'll come from Amen. 339 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:50,560 A lot of different ways it or places it can come from. 340 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:54,640 But but the ridicule the the ostracizing, if you will, the 341 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:59,120 adversary tempting you to try to stop short of your mature 342 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:02,320 journey of holiness, trying to convince you, you know what? 343 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:04,200 You, you, you, you, you, you, you. 344 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:06,520 You're holy in most all of your conduct. 345 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:10,640 That's good enough. Hey, man, so This is why we got 346 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,080 to commit to pursuing hey man with great determination and 347 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:17,160 keeping in mind, you know what, we're not the first ones to 348 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,880 travel this road. We're not the first ones to 349 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,360 travel this road. There is others that have 350 00:20:23,360 --> 00:20:28,560 already completed the course. Again, it's not the journey of a 351 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:30,400 moment, it's the journey of a lifetime. 352 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:34,920 The Bible says in Hebrews 12 and verse one, it says wherefore sin 353 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:38,040 we also are compassed about. And let me pause for a moment. 354 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:42,080 This verse #1 just follows up Hebrews Chapter 11, which is the 355 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:44,080 Great Hall of Fame chapter of faith. 356 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:48,080 Who by faith, you know that that that Abraham started on a 357 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:49,400 journey, didn't know where he's going. 358 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,480 By faith, Sarah, by faith, you know, Noah built an ark by 359 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:54,800 faith, by faith, by faith. Some received their dead to 360 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:57,720 life, to life again. So it's talking about all these. 361 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:01,040 We were compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses of all 362 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:04,440 these individuals that by faith did this, by faith did that. 363 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:07,240 These are people that have finished the course, so to 364 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,080 speak. And they're in the audience, 365 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,560 ladies and gentlemen. And Amber, they're rooting you 366 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:15,600 on whether you can hear them or not, because they see you in 367 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:18,240 your race. And they they understand the the 368 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:20,280 difficulty that you're having in your race. 369 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,080 And if you could hear them from the sidelines, they're saying 370 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:26,600 keep up. Yeah, just a little further. 371 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:33,240 You can make it. I know you're tired. 372 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,120 I know your body doesn't like this. 373 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:39,880 We have a great cloud of witnesses. 374 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:42,480 Amen. That by faith have already 375 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:44,760 completed their course. And so it says. 376 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:49,400 Let us lay aside every way and the sin which so easily besets 377 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:53,720 us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. 378 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:58,160 Keep pursuing, keep following. I know sometimes it feels like 379 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:00,520 the finish line is just still always ahead. 380 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:03,480 But folks, one of these days we're going to hear. 381 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:07,240 Enter on into the joy of the Lord, my good and my faithful 382 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:10,960 servant, and it'll be worth every long mile, every 383 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:14,480 heartache, and every trial. It'll be worth it all. 384 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:18,000 One of these beautiful happy days. 385 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,440 Amen. And if it wasn't enough to have 386 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:26,240 that witness, have the witness of Christ Jesus, God manifested 387 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:31,280 in the flesh, verse 2. Look into Jesus, the author, the 388 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:36,600 finish of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, joy 389 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,080 was before him. But the race that He was in, he 390 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:44,280 had to endure some things. He endured the cross, the 391 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:48,320 despising, the shame, sat down at the right hand of the throne 392 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:50,000 of God. We got to keep running the race. 393 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:54,600 We got to keep pursuing. Hey man, consider even Him who 394 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:58,080 had the joy that was before him, but he had to endure some 395 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,120 things. So that's the reason why the 396 00:23:00,120 --> 00:23:03,440 Apostle Paul tells us in Corinthians to cleanse 397 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:08,680 ourselves, Speaking of our spirit and our flesh, therefore 398 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,720 perfecting or maturing holiness. Amen. 399 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:13,680 We got some skin in the game, folks. 400 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:18,120 We got some skin in the game. The Bible says the apostle Peter 401 00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:21,520 said in first Peter 115, he said holy in all manner of 402 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:24,360 conversation. Again, the the New International 403 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:27,040 Version says be holy in all you do. 404 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:30,600 The new living translation says be holy in everything you do. 405 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:37,360 I can never equal God's holiness here below, but I can't aspire 406 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:40,440 to be like him in the highest degree of holiness possible 407 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:44,640 while I'm still yet limited by this O humanity, Amen. 408 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,800 And that's what we strive for. Now look, moving on here, back 409 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:54,160 with our Scripture text in Hebrews chapter #12 verses 14 410 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,120 and 15. So we have a responsibility. 411 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:01,400 Matter of fact, we have a couple of responsibilities, but they 412 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:03,680 really concerned the same pursuit. 413 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:08,360 We have a responsibility toward other people, to the best of our 414 00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:13,960 ability, to pursue peace with all men, to pursue peace with 415 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:16,480 them, and we have a responsibility toward God of 416 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,440 pursuing holiness. Let me take this and I'll 417 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:24,000 explain it. Our pursuit of peace with men is 418 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,520 in essence a pursuing of holiness with me. 419 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:30,200 Here's the reason why I say that. 420 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:36,200 Because we can't claim to live a holy life if we're always at 421 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:44,600 odds with the people around us. Amen. 422 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:48,160 So we're talking about a couple responsibilities, but it's 423 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:52,440 still, it's the same pursuit. It's a holy pursuit, a vertical 424 00:24:52,440 --> 00:25:00,000 one, and a horizontal one first. John 420 says, If a man say, I 425 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:04,640 love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. 426 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:09,920 For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how 427 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,800 can he love God whom he hath not seen? 428 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:17,640 And this commandment have we from him that he who loveth God, 429 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:22,800 love his brother also. Yeah, I think sometimes we fall 430 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:26,000 in the trap. Oh, holiness, just concerns 431 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,600 where we go, what we do, adornment, whatever. 432 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:31,920 But whenever we just take it as all that, then we divorce it 433 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:37,400 from our interaction with people, saved people, unsaved 434 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:42,280 people stranger to us people, enemies to us. 435 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:47,960 Lord, I knew I was going to be getting in the snow. 436 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,320 You know, here this morning. I just, I just knew I was going 437 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:52,400 to be getting in the snow. Hey, man, these two 438 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:56,280 relationships, they're not exclusive. 1 leans upon the 439 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:58,320 other. They are in many ways 440 00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:02,120 inseparable. We see this, God has established 441 00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:05,280 this from the from the very beginning, whenever He gave His 442 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:08,640 law to the children of Israel, whenever he came with Mount 443 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,560 Sinai, Moses came with those commandments tucked under his 444 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:13,280 arm. Those 10 commandments that you 445 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:15,640 have, you know, in your household or on your wall or 446 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,040 posted in your yard, those 10 commandments. 447 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:22,160 He was doing an intermingling of the law between our relationship 448 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,480 with mankind and our relationship with Him. 449 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:27,000 Whenever you read those 10 commandments, you're going to 450 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,520 read about those first four commands are all God oriented, 451 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:32,520 right? Thou shall not have any other 452 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:34,880 gods before me. Thou shalt make it to yourself 453 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,640 any graven image, right? Thou shall not take the name of 454 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:41,440 the Lord thy God in vain, right? That thou shalt remember the 455 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:43,280 Sabbath day and keep it holy, right? 456 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,240 God orientation. But you read the other commands 457 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,520 like thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not 458 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:51,000 bear false witness against your neighbor. 459 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:58,000 That's me and you. God was establishing His 460 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:01,040 Holiness on 2 platforms, vertical and horizontal. 461 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:03,600 Amen. Matter of fact, in the New 462 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:06,160 Testament, someone came to Lord want to know which, which were 463 00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:09,600 the most important, the greatest of commands and he explained to 464 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:12,920 them and please understand, we see the 10 commands, we think 465 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:15,800 that's all. But in the Jewish era of life, 466 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:21,920 they had 612 commandments. Someone say that's a lot, 612 467 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:26,600 commandments and Jesus says all of that basically hinge on these 468 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:30,000 two. Love the Lord your God with all 469 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,080 of your heart, your mind, your soul, your strength. 470 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:37,720 And the second is likened to love your neighbor as yourself. 471 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:41,320 The NLT says it like this in Mark 12/31. 472 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:46,320 And the second is equally important, meaning loving your 473 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:48,800 neighbor is equally important to loving God. 474 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:55,640 Our peace with man and our holiness with God are both 475 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:58,280 expressions of that self, same love. 476 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:00,760 Now look, this is what Jesus said. 477 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:03,240 It's interesting to me you see it there in Mark 12/31. 478 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:09,880 He says there is none other commandment singular greater 479 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:14,480 than these. That's more than one, but he 480 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:22,200 seen them as one command. There's no other commandment 481 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,560 greater than these. They're viewed as one. 482 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:29,480 Look what Jesus said in Matthew 523 and keeping track of time. 483 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:34,960 This is that whole thing. Now follow men with peace, 484 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:39,120 holding this with God. Therefore he says this is Jesus 485 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:41,520 speaking. Therefore got a red letter 486 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:42,760 Bible. It's jumping out. 487 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:50,080 Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there 488 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:54,720 remembers that thy brother hath aught against thee, follow me 489 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:56,840 here. If you come to your altar with 490 00:28:56,840 --> 00:29:01,120 your gift, if you come trying to pursue your holiness with God, 491 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:08,960 but you remember you're not at peace with man, he says, leave 492 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:13,680 your gift at the altar and go your way, and first be 493 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:18,080 reconciled. Make peace with man because 494 00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:21,120 that's an aspect of holiness on the horizontal plane, he said. 495 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:23,440 And then come back and offer your gift. 496 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:28,000 Everybody following me, OK, Amen. 497 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:30,480 Then come back and offer your gift to God. 498 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:38,640 And so it's a 2 prong pursuit, following peace with men and 499 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:47,120 holiness with God, without which no man shall see the Lord or the 500 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:48,640 Word. See, there's no one will 501 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:51,920 experience the Lord. Amen. 502 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:54,480 Look what verse 15 says. I'm just a little bit longer 503 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:55,600 now. I'll let you out of here. 504 00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:58,720 Amen. Got to start your car anyway. 505 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:01,440 Someone says I already did it from my view. 506 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:07,720 Well OK, fancy Pansy, sorry some of us still got to turn it over 507 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:14,760 with a key, I mean short of rubbing 2 wires together to get 508 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:19,600 it going. Sometimes I just you know the 509 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:21,360 Hebrews. The writer of Hebrews then 510 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:26,600 admonishes us after all, that following men follow peace with 511 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:29,000 men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord, 512 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,800 looking diligently lest any man fail. 513 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,480 Look in diligent, unless any man failed the grace of God. 514 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:39,440 This tells me, you know, whenever I ignore these 515 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:42,960 imperatives of holiness among men and holiness with God, then 516 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:45,520 I could be falling short of God's grace. 517 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:49,560 I could be trampling up on God's grace. 518 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:53,360 He didn't save me for the purpose of just keep doing what 519 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:56,320 I always did. He saved me for the purpose of 520 00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:58,760 realigning me on a trip in the journey. 521 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,680 Amen. That is per His good pleasure. 522 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:06,040 He doesn't want you mistreating your fellow man that who's also 523 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:08,480 been created by God in the womb just like you. 524 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:13,960 And I don't want to be a little sticker, but that crosses over 525 00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:22,160 race, ethnicity. I know, I know, God, why you 526 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:25,200 have me doing this. I know slavery has ended a long 527 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:28,960 time ago, but it's still ruling some of the hearts of Americans. 528 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:38,280 That's not following peace with man. 529 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:48,640 There's one blood, the scripture says, Well, that's for another 530 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:53,640 day, right? So our pursuit of holiness is 531 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:56,920 part of our faith. Hebrews 11/6 tells us for he 532 00:31:56,920 --> 00:31:59,560 that comes to God must believe that he is and he is a rewarder 533 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:04,040 to them that diligently seek or follow pursue him. 534 00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:07,880 And when we seek him, when we seek everything that he is and 535 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:11,120 everything that he has to offer, we're also seeking then His 536 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:14,680 Holiness. You stand with me today, someone 537 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:20,560 says I got hope. This little boy went to his 538 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:23,520 aunt's house. He was visiting her, and as they 539 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:27,000 were sitting there and he and his family and some other guests 540 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:30,520 were visiting there, there was a basket that she started to pass 541 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:34,080 around, had all kinds of different types of fruit in 542 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:37,840 amber, and it was passed around and went by the first time. 543 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:41,240 And this little boy, his name's Charlie, he reached in there and 544 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:45,520 he grabbed out an apple. Well, the basket came back 545 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:49,160 around to Charlie, you know. So he reached in all kinds of 546 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:53,320 fruit, Jen, he reached in and he pulled that apple once. 547 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:55,680 You know that that basket came around about a third time. 548 00:32:55,680 --> 00:33:00,960 There's Charlie just smiling. All kinds of fruits for the 549 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,240 Reese. I mean, it was the checkuterie 550 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:07,320 fruit board inside of the basket that looked like a Reese 551 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:10,920 checkuterie board. And what does Charlie do now? 552 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:15,560 Having three times passed by, he pulls out an apple. 553 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:18,640 His aunt finally looked at him, a little bewildered and puzzled. 554 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:21,880 And she says now Charlie, I hope you'll get satisfied with the 555 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:25,720 apples. And he said, I am satisfied with 556 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:27,800 apples. That's the reason why I don't 557 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:29,240 take any of the other kind of fruit. 558 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:37,200 To Charlie, nothing else in the basket existed because he was 559 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:40,920 satisfied with his pursuit of apples. 560 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:48,160 Folks, when your pursuit becomes so laser focused that there's 561 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:54,520 nothing else in the basket that will deter you from a God-given 562 00:33:54,520 --> 00:34:00,120 desire He's placed in you for just more and more and more of 563 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:02,400 Him. Amen. 564 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:05,320 Who asked our musicians to come again? 565 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:08,880 Folks, this holding, you know, we, I wish I could tell you it's 566 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:10,360 just an event, but it's not an event. 567 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:15,679 It's a daily pursuit. It's a daily pursuit, a daily 568 00:34:15,679 --> 00:34:20,199 pursuit with the people around me, the daily pursuit with the 569 00:34:20,199 --> 00:34:28,320 Lord above me, and I'm pursuing it because his Spirit is already 570 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:32,800 at work in my life. So the question is not, is that 571 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:35,560 holiness of God available to me? No, no, no, no, no, no. 572 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:39,920 The real question is, will me, Paul McGee, having received the 573 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:44,480 Spirit of God, will I cooperate with what God's attempting to do 574 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:48,199 in my life? Because he has plans for you 575 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:52,520 that far exceed where you're presently standing. 576 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:56,719 He has plans for you. He wants to move you beyond the 577 00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:59,640 start line. He wants to move you beyond the 578 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:02,840 first mile marker. He has plans for you. 579 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:06,960 And he is hoping that someday you're running with your chest, 580 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:10,200 you know, poked out because you're in such pursuit. 581 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:12,920 You're eager and willing and wanting. 582 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,000 Amen to cross. We are in a race. 583 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:20,880 Amen. For holiness today, Hallelujah. 584 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:23,720 Hallelujah if we bow our heads in this place. 585 00:35:23,720 --> 00:35:27,760 God, I love you right now. Lord, I love you, Jesus. 586 00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:29,880 I love you, Jesus. I love you Jesus. 587 00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:33,240 Hey man, Sir, ma'am, if you don't know the Lord today, 588 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:35,920 you'll know the Lord today. Or you're like, well, I have a 589 00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:40,080 cursory knowledge of the Lord. Listen, he wants you to know 590 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:44,960 him, not just in a, a, a compilation or or building up of 591 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:48,640 just knowledge about him. He wants you to know Him by 592 00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:51,360 experience. In scripture there was knowledge 593 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:53,880 that was knowledge like you got from books and learning for 594 00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:56,440 somebody telling you something. But there was also knowledge 595 00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:59,080 that was known as exponential knowledge, meaning it was 596 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:01,480 something that you experienced and that's how you gained it. 597 00:36:01,720 --> 00:36:04,640 The Lord wants you to have a knowledge of experience with 598 00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:07,200 Him. Experience His power, experience 599 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:10,600 his spirit, experience his annoying, experience His 600 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:12,920 presence. Not just to move on your life, 601 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:16,280 but to move in your life. You can have that today, You can 602 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:18,960 have that today. But feeling the Lord is not 603 00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:22,160 something that just needs to be regulated to when you come to a 604 00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:28,600 church house. You can feel Him at home. 605 00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:32,960 You can experience Him on the job anywhere that your life 606 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:35,520 takes you once you've been filled with his spirit. 607 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:39,720 It's like the on board teacher. It's the on board presence of 608 00:36:39,720 --> 00:36:42,240 the Lord, Amen. And it's capable of it. 609 00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:45,200 If you already have the Holy Ghost and already been baptized 610 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:47,880 today, If you're a St. in this church and you have been for 611 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,440 years and you're like Brother McGee, I've been struggling a 612 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:53,960 little bit running the race. I've been struggling a little 613 00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:57,200 bit and running the race or, or I've I've not yet reached the 614 00:36:57,200 --> 00:37:01,600 other mile marker and I just just, sometimes it feels like I 615 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:03,600 just don't have the wherewithal to get there. 616 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:06,720 Folks, you, you've been filled with the spirit God spirits 617 00:37:06,720 --> 00:37:09,000 going to aid you. God spirits going to help you, 618 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:12,800 your will and your action, your will and your action. 619 00:37:12,920 --> 00:37:16,440 All you got to do is just submit to it, be obedient to it, 620 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:18,920 Hallelujah. Give yourself over to it. 621 00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:21,280 Hallelujah. Let that be the focus of your 622 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:25,400 life. God, I want to be what you want 623 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:29,160 me to be. I'll say yes, Lord, I'll say 624 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:32,600 yes, Lord, here am I God, I'm going to follow. 625 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:35,120 And Lord, it's not just about how I'm going to hold my 626 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:38,440 relationship with you, but I'm going to treat my, my fellow 627 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:42,320 Saints and men and women of God with, with, with respect. 628 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:46,920 I'm going to Lord, I'm going to just have a certain type of 629 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:49,920 action, Lord, toward people that don't know you. 630 00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:52,440 I'm going to respect them. I'm going to respect the 631 00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:55,680 stranger, God. We don't have no connection, but 632 00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:58,800 I'm going to be respectful God, enemies, God, that would even 633 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:02,400 speak against me. I'm not going to return hatred 634 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:10,440 for hatred and scorn for scorn. And I'm going to pursue peace 635 00:38:11,240 --> 00:38:14,320 with men and I'm going to pursue holiness with God. 636 00:38:14,720 --> 00:38:17,960 We got responsibilities. It's a solitary pursuit. 637 00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:20,720 Can you start praying to the Lord right now in your own way? 638 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:24,480 Start talk to God. He loves to hear our voice. 639 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:27,560 He loves to hear our voice. Just start talking to Him where 640 00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:30,880 you are because you know where you are better than anybody 641 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:32,720 else. If you're having problems with 642 00:38:32,720 --> 00:38:35,680 your relationship with with mankind, Amen. 643 00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:38,760 With that aspect of the pursuit of holiness, you need to talk to 644 00:38:38,760 --> 00:38:41,440 God about it right now. If that's hindering you from 645 00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:44,000 offering your gift to the Lord because you don't have peace 646 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:46,240 with men, then you need to talk to God about it. 647 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:49,600 If you find yourself that you have a hard time not slandering 648 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:55,440 and tail bearing and gossiping and backbiting, then you, you, 649 00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:58,960 you need to take that holiness issue to the Lord and say God 650 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:03,080 touch me anew Lord, touch my mouth, touch my tongue, touch my 651 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:05,200 mind. Help me Lord not just to be 652 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:08,920 lashing out about everybody, about me, Lord who were created, 653 00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:11,880 Lord Jesus that you created Lord in their mother's womb. 654 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:13,840 Help me God. Lord to show love and the 655 00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:17,000 compassion toward mankind. Whether they have the same skin 656 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:20,680 color me, whether they don't Lord Jesus, whether I agree Lord 657 00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:24,000 God with their political platform or whether I don't help 658 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:28,360 me God to follow peace. Come on, Sir, ma'am, let's just 659 00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:31,560 be vulnerable here for a moment. Let's just be vulnerable here 660 00:39:31,560 --> 00:39:33,640 for a moment. Hallelujah. 661 00:39:33,840 --> 00:39:37,440 There's so much more to our holy God and His Holiness than than 662 00:39:37,440 --> 00:39:39,840 just again than what we do and the dormant all those things. 663 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:43,680 It's it's how we treat people. It's how we treat people. 664 00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:47,000 Sham that out of the Osaye brethren. 665 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:48,960 Sister Mason, if we can sing right now. 666 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:50,760 Hello. Just be mindful the Lord you 667 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:53,480 need if you need to repent today, this altar is here for 668 00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:55,960 you. Repentance not just a one time 669 00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:57,440 matter. Repentance is a daily 670 00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:00,880 maintenance thing, God. I've had some afterthoughts, 671 00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:03,640 Lord, about some things that I've said I've done, actions 672 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:05,920 I've taken, or maybe it's actions I didn't take that I 673 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:08,920 should have. Lord God, forgive me, help me 674 00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:12,200 Lord, do better. Help me, Lord Jesus, to step 675 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:15,120 back on the path, and help me, Lord God, that that path would 676 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:16,560 be straight before my feet.