1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:05,560 Amen. Praise the Lord, each one of you 2 00:00:05,560 --> 00:00:07,120 tonight. Amen. 3 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:08,760 Glad to be in the House of the Lord tonight. 4 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:10,680 Glad to see all your smiling faces. 5 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:12,840 Amen. I say that by faith, if you're 6 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,079 not smiling, Hallelujah, that you will be before you leave. 7 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:17,920 Amen. We greet our guest tonight. 8 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,840 Welcome, Amen to the First Apostolic Church. 9 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,680 I got a deal for you tonight. I don't know. 10 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:26,520 In the world that we live in, I get all these apps and some of 11 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:28,840 them are subscriptions and they always tell me they'll give me a 12 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,320 7 day free trial. So if you're a guest tonight, 13 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:34,280 I'm giving you a seven week trial. 14 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:40,360 Try us out for seven weeks. And here's the thing, at the end 15 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,760 of the seven weeks, we still won't charge you if you're still 16 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,160 coming. I'm just telling you, we won't 17 00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:47,480 charge you one thing. Amen. 18 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:49,720 We're glad to have you tonight in the House of the Lord. 19 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,080 Hey, man, you want to be turned into the book of Judges in the 20 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,320 Old Testament and also going to be turned into the book of 21 00:00:56,320 --> 00:01:01,000 Matthew in the New Testament. So both Testaments here tonight. 22 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:04,680 Hallelujah. Judges chapter #18 My reading is 23 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:09,240 a little longer than than I was going to say the normal. 24 00:01:09,960 --> 00:01:17,040 I guess we can still say that. Judges chapter #18 verse #7 The 25 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:22,600 Bible says Then the five men departed and came to Leish, saw 26 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,680 the people that were there in how they dwelt careless after 27 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,600 the mandor of the Zidonians, quiet and secure, and there was 28 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:35,480 no magistrate in the land that might put them to shame in 29 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:37,160 anything. And they were far from the 30 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,200 Zidonians, and had no business with any man. 31 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,880 And they came unto their brethren, to Zoar, to Eshtol, 32 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,600 And their brethren said unto them, What say ye? 33 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:49,560 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them. 34 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,840 For we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good, and are 35 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:58,160 are yet still be not slothful to go, and to enter in to possess 36 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,000 the land. When you go, you shall come into 37 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:05,240 a people secure into a large land, for God have given it into 38 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,960 your hands a place where there is no want of anything that is 39 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,440 in the earth. Let's skip down to verse 27. 40 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:18,680 They took the things which Micah had made the priest which he 41 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:23,520 had, and came unto Leish to a people that were at were at 42 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,520 quiet and secure, and they smoked them with the edge of the 43 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:28,440 sword, and burnt the city with fire. 44 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,600 There was no deliverer, because it was far from Zeidan. 45 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,120 They had no business with any man and it was in the valley 46 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:41,320 that lieth by Beth Rehob and they built a city and dewelt 47 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:43,960 therein. They called the name of the city 48 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,360 Dan after the name of Dan, their father who was born into Israel. 49 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:51,400 I'll be at the name of the city was Leish at the first. 50 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:57,400 So this is a story of really the Dane Dan Knights going to get 51 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,800 the city of Leish. I just want to make a little 52 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,200 marker here. This is not a city that was 53 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,320 given to them as their inheritance. 54 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,920 They are going after this city instead of their inheritance. 55 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,760 Matthew chapter #7 I want to read a couple verses of 56 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,000 scripture probably familiar to a lot of people. 57 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:23,680 The Bible says in Matthew 7 these are the words of Jesus. 58 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:31,000 Verse 13 Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the 59 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:35,600 gate, broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. 60 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:40,360 Many there be which go in there at because straight as the gate 61 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:43,960 and narrows the way which leadeth them to life, and few 62 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:51,200 there be that find it This go all tied together when it's all 63 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,840 said and done. And sometimes I feel very 64 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:58,600 burdened whenever I choose a book of the Bible, like Judges 65 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:02,120 to preach from because I know that maybe the familiarity isn't 66 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,080 like the fish and the coin. All right, Something you were 67 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,480 taught in Sunday school. So I'm going to take the work 68 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,720 over here, OK? And I'm going to try to the best 69 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,920 of my ability. But the essence of everything is 70 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:18,320 this, that Dan, the tribe of Dan, was choosing the broad over 71 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:24,160 the straight whenever they sought to choose out Leish. 72 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,080 So a little while tonight, I want to administer this, the 73 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:31,560 illusion of Leish. It's not always what it seems to 74 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:36,120 be, folks. It's not always what it seems to 75 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,960 be. Help me pray right now, Father. 76 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,960 I love you, God. I thank you, Lord Jesus, we need 77 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,000 you, Lord, in this place, God, to the ministry of your word, 78 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:48,280 God, these are the words of life, God. 79 00:04:48,280 --> 00:04:51,040 They're applicable, Lord, to each one of us, God. 80 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,960 They're not archaic, Lord, and ode and not relevant. 81 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:55,920 They are relevant even for today. 82 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:58,480 I pray, O Lord, you have to minister, Lord, through your 83 00:04:58,480 --> 00:04:59,920 word. Touch each and every individual, 84 00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:01,640 every hearer, Lord, that is here. 85 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,840 Touch my mind and my lips, God, to be able to make this plain in 86 00:05:04,840 --> 00:05:08,200 the ears, Lord of those that would hear God, and I thank you 87 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:10,960 and I praise you for it in the lovely name of Jesus Christ that 88 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,920 I pray Hallelujah, Hallelujah in the church, say Amen. 89 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:17,800 You may be seated tonight in Jesus name. 90 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:25,480 The story of Judges chapter #18 is really a story about the law 91 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,360 of attraction. What I mean when I say that is 92 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:33,920 it's really about a place called Leish that draws in a people, 93 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:39,360 namely the Danites, who share in its principles or the lack 94 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,280 thereof. It explains how the very 95 00:05:42,280 --> 00:05:47,640 features that made it appealing to others also made it 96 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:51,600 vulnerable to take over and to further decline. 97 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:55,480 One begins to wonder why, and I I did when I read this, because 98 00:05:55,480 --> 00:06:00,320 Dan is supposed to be a tribe of Israel, a tribe of the children 99 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,920 of the living God. Begin to wonder why an Israelite 100 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:08,880 tribe would want to fully possess and enjoy the land God 101 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,320 had planned for them. Why wouldn't they want the land 102 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:13,480 that God was given them? Why? 103 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:18,080 Why would they send spies out? They sent 5 spies out to seek 104 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:21,520 out and spy this land of lace. Why would they send out spies to 105 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,680 seek an alternative place or an alternative land? 106 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,960 If God provided them with an inheritance, then wouldn't they 107 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:33,200 want the inheritance that God was providing them? 108 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,440 Why would they look elsewhere when God was giving something to 109 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:40,360 them? Could there be anything better 110 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:44,120 than God's gift to them? Is the questions that go through 111 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:46,560 my mind. And whenever they refuse that 112 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,560 gift and that inheritance of God, that land, were they 113 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:55,880 refusing God in that do do do such actions then in their life 114 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:59,640 mark some type of disharmony that they had with God? 115 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:03,640 Of course, the book of Judges is is a a bizarre book. 116 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:08,080 It records the history of Israel during the time when they were 117 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:13,480 with disharmony with God. Some chapters focus on just the 118 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:17,040 whole nation of Israel, but then there's other chapters that 119 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:21,760 focus on individual tribes like the one in Judges chapter 18. 120 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:25,080 The day nights are living. These are the ones that's one in 121 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:27,080 lace. They are living in a very 122 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:31,200 volatile time in Israel. The Bible says that every man 123 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,120 did that which was right in his own eyes. 124 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:37,960 He didn't have anybody telling him what to do, directing him, 125 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:40,560 or guiding him what to do or how to do. 126 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:45,840 He did what he thought was best. And to add insult to injury, the 127 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:50,080 chapter 18 starts out telling us, as other places and Judges 128 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:55,320 does, that there was no king in Israel in those days that the 129 00:07:55,320 --> 00:08:00,200 tribe of Dan had been given a portion of land in the South in 130 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,920 the book of Joshua. It was a land, an inheritance 131 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:07,600 that God had given to them. They, they, they, they didn't 132 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,680 have to exchange any money for it or anything like that. 133 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,360 It was given to them on a platter. 134 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:17,280 But the Bible describes in the book of Joshua that the Danites 135 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:21,480 basically said that the land inheritance that was given to 136 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:25,760 them was too straight for them. We're not talking about the 137 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:27,240 difference between crooked and straight. 138 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,160 We're talking about too narrow. It was too narrow for them, too 139 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:35,039 restrictive, because the Bible says the Amorites was in the 140 00:08:35,039 --> 00:08:39,080 land and the Amorites had forced them into the hills and we're 141 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,720 not allowing them to come down to the valley. 142 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:45,720 And all of this is quite ironic for them to say that it was too 143 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,640 straight for them and there was too much difficulty with 144 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:50,600 fighting with the enemies in the land. 145 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:55,640 Because Dan is not the smallest of tribes in in terms of numbers 146 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:00,640 out of all the tribes of Israel, but in terms of strength and in 147 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:04,640 terms of ability and in terms of spiritual faithfulness, they 148 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:09,040 often acted like one of the weakest tribes for that matter. 149 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:12,240 We read in Scripture that man that we know Samson, the 150 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:17,000 strongest man in the Bible. He was of the tribe of Dan. 151 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:21,080 And yet here this tribe showcases no fortitude. 152 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:25,800 No, if you will junction to go forth and claim the and that God 153 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:30,720 was giving them rather than having any type of fight in 154 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,920 their spirit against the powerful animites. 155 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:39,200 The Bible tells us that they sought to stretch their border. 156 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:42,720 They sought something a little wider the Bible. 157 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:47,240 I'll read it in your hearing. Joshua 19 and verse 47 and the 158 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:51,040 coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them, 159 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:55,080 meaning it was too straight. Therefore the children of Dan 160 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:59,120 went up to fight against Lashim. Lashim is the exact. 161 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,960 It's a different name, but it's the same city that they took 162 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:03,360 Lash. They are the same. 163 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,320 Lashim and Lash are the same. And took it and smote it with 164 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,600 the edge of the sword, and possessed it and dwelt therein 165 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:15,400 and called Lashim, which is Lash Dan, after the name of Dan their 166 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:17,880 father. Another version of the Bible, 167 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:20,640 easier read as they call it version of the Bible says it 168 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:23,560 like this. But the people of Dan had 169 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:27,400 trouble taking their land. They were there were strong 170 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:31,800 enemies there, and the people of Dan could not easily defeat 171 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,120 them. So the people of Dan went 172 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:38,960 elsewhere, Bible says, and Judges, just bear with me to lay 173 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:43,280 a little foreground here, Judges 1 and verse 34 And the Amorites 174 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:47,160 forced the children of Dan into the mountain, for they would not 175 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:50,000 suffer them to come down to the valley. 176 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:54,560 So Dan's problem at this time was the issue that a lot of 177 00:10:54,560 --> 00:10:58,960 tribes was up against during taking their inheritance that 178 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,880 God had given them. God had given it to them. 179 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:08,480 But these tribes still had some opponents and inhabitants that 180 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:12,240 needed to be driven out of the land and conquered. 181 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:16,000 There's still some previous inhabitants that needed to be 182 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:22,600 pushed out of the land that were there competing for the land. 183 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:25,600 And so there were many of the tribes that drove out the 184 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:27,920 inhabitants. There were many tribes that 185 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,160 said, God gave me this land, it's going to be mine. 186 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:34,040 You have no part in this land anymore, take your exit and so 187 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:36,600 on, so forth. But there were others that did 188 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,160 not. That's the reason why we read in 189 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:43,040 the book of Judges phrases like this over and over again. 190 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:48,160 The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites, neither 191 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:52,040 did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Besheen. 192 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,560 They did not utterly drive them out. 193 00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:58,640 Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites, or Zebulon drive 194 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,400 out the inhabitants, or Asher drive out the inhabitants of a 195 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:06,840 Co, for they did not drive them out, neither did Neptalite. 196 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,840 It's another tribe did not drive out the inhabitants of 197 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,040 Beshemesh. What are you saying tonight? 198 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:18,000 The day nights, the Bible says were unable to conquer the 199 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,440 inhabitants in their assigned land. 200 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,560 Or if I can take it more like this, they didn't take the 201 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:28,040 initiative to do it. They didn't take the initiative 202 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,240 to do it. What Dan was looking for was a 203 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:35,920 land that was unguarded, an abundant land, a easy land, a 204 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:39,760 land that he could go in with turnkey and just inherit the 205 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:43,760 land without a fight, without a struggle, without any 206 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:46,640 opposition. Just a land that he could have, 207 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,960 didn't have to worry about war, didn't have to worry about 208 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,040 expectations, didn't have to worry about anything. 209 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:57,840 Just go in the land and take it. And as a result of that, since 210 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:06,760 things were hard, he looked for a softer target, a easier way. 211 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,280 He failed to trust God for his victory. 212 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:14,880 Ladies and gentlemen, what I'm saying tonight is this. 213 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,360 I will not deny, even as Jesus said in the New Testament 214 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:22,880 Scripture, that the gate sometimes is straight and the 215 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,120 way is narrow. But here's the thing that I've 216 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:29,040 come to understand in my Christian experience and that is 217 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,720 this. Sometimes it becomes more 218 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:37,800 straight and more narrow when I try to harbor things in my life 219 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:46,000 that I should long time have dismissed Because all of those 220 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,080 extra unnecessary things, you know what they do? 221 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:54,640 They occupy space and claim things in my land that should be 222 00:13:54,640 --> 00:14:00,040 mine alone to enjoy someone say Amen. 223 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:03,560 The Bible says because of that which was in the land that 224 00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:07,440 should have been disbanded from the land, that now here is the 225 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:11,480 tribe of Dan just living in a certain sector of the land 226 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:14,960 because what they should have put out of the land is living in 227 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:17,920 the other sector of their land. So not only did they get 228 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:21,080 something that was narrow and straight to begin with, but it's 229 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:24,320 even more narrow and more straight because they've not 230 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,920 driven out the adversary of the land. 231 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,160 Sometimes it felt a little bit more restrictive than it should 232 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,640 have because they're trying to fit more in a narrow space than 233 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:39,480 what should actually be there. And so Dan takes the position. 234 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:43,240 I'm not willing to fight for it. I'm not willing to go to battle 235 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,560 for it. No, I'm just going to find a 236 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:50,320 land that's more broad, that has more space, that's an easier 237 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:54,040 path that doesn't present a struggle or a challenge. 238 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:00,440 Hey, man, you know, there's something amazing. 239 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,360 We were just talking this morning about the, the, the 240 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,400 necessity of baptism. And you know, everyone of the 241 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:10,160 Day of Pentecost was admonished to repent and be baptized in the 242 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:12,640 name of the Lord Jesus Christ and received the gift of the 243 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:14,800 Holy Ghost. And the Bible declares 244 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:19,440 emphatically that that was for everyone, that the promise of 245 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:23,520 the Father was for them. We even have the recorded words 246 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:26,840 of Peter's message. Amen to the people concerning 247 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:29,640 this. However, the Bible also tells us 248 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:34,720 in that same chapter that there were also many other words that 249 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,400 we don't have record of. There were many other things 250 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:42,920 that we don't have written in the book of Acts chapter #2 but 251 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:46,320 we do understand their intent for the multitude. 252 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:51,720 The Bible says in Acts 2 and verse #40 and with many other 253 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:57,400 words did he Peter testify and exhort, saying, save yourselves 254 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:02,600 from this untoward generation. I am here telling us today that 255 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:07,600 yes, salvation is of the Lord and salvation is for everyone, 256 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:12,840 and salvation is my entrance into the straight date and into 257 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:16,800 the narrow West. But there are some things and 258 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:21,360 some inhabitants and some other words that even Peter shared 259 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:24,360 whose intent of the instructions was this. 260 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:28,080 We got to be aware that there are some things that we got to 261 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:31,200 save ourselves from. There are. 262 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:36,600 There are some battles that even after you come to know the Lord 263 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:40,440 that you still need to fight. There are some temptations 264 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:42,360 you're still going to have to ignore. 265 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:49,280 There are someone say, man, there are some areas of this 266 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:53,560 promise space that we still need to contend for. 267 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:59,120 Did not Jude right in his day and say, I was going to write to 268 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:02,920 you about the common salvation? But rather than write to you 269 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:08,280 about that, I need to pivot and tell you to earnestly contend 270 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:13,400 for the faith because there's ungodliness and ungodly people 271 00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:21,560 that's creeping in and you got to fight what you saying to we 272 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,560 can't allow ourselves to be driven or forced off the land 273 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:32,320 that God has given us. But Dan, rather than fighting, 274 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:39,200 he conceded and during this time with the judges. 275 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:47,040 This is Leish situated at the northernmost part of Israel. 276 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:52,960 It's setting at the headwaters of the Jordan River and the 277 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:59,560 foothills of the Mount of Hermon is lace at the headwaters of the 278 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:02,000 Jordan. It has all this fertile ground. 279 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:05,680 It's good for agriculture. It's good if you will, for 280 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:08,520 settlement. It it is known for its green 281 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:13,000 fields and it's fertile soil. It has abundance of waters, the 282 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,760 headwaters of Jordan, the dew that would come down from from 283 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:20,600 Herman and the says that I read to you in verse 7 that the 284 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:26,000 people dwelt careless after the manner of the Zeidodians, quiet 285 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:28,440 and secure. Now careless doesn't mean the 286 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:32,520 way that we would interpret it reckless or or or or or sloppy. 287 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:34,640 Amen. But it's more of a old English 288 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:38,800 definition that they they were careless in the way they lived 289 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,480 without care. They didn't have a worry in the 290 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:44,440 world. They were unsuspecting and they 291 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:47,440 patterned themselves after the Zeidonians. 292 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:51,520 That was their heritage and they were people that were quiet and 293 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,440 secure. They were people of wealth and 294 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:56,920 prosperity. They were people that had 295 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:59,920 fertile lands. They lived a sophisticated city 296 00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:03,120 life of culture. They experienced everything 297 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:06,560 there was to experience, and they didn't have any walls. 298 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:10,840 As a matter of fact, the contemporary English version of 299 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:14,920 the Bible even tells us concerning lace that this town 300 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:19,040 had no walls. We get this from other places of 301 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:21,480 Scripture and Ezekiel 38 and verse 11. 302 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:25,000 The Bible says, And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of 303 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,440 the unwalled villages. I will go to them that are at 304 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:34,800 rest, that dwell safely, all of them which dwelling without 305 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:37,640 walls, having neither bars nor gates. 306 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:40,400 In other words, Ezekiel was saying those that say that they 307 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:45,200 are secure and dwelling, if you will in safety and at rest are 308 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:51,800 those that have no walls. But in the near East like 309 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:57,520 Jericho and AI, usually cities had defenses, fortified walls 310 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:01,560 but not not Leish. They don't have any walls. 311 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:03,760 Can I, can I put it in terms like this? 312 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:08,600 Lace don't have any walls. It has no city boundaries 313 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:17,280 because they're not worrying. No, that they have an unwary 314 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:19,000 confidence. They don't have any walls. 315 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,160 They don't have any gates because cities that had walls 316 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,560 and gates, they're going to be, they're going to be vigilant, 317 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:26,520 right? They're going to have people on 318 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:29,240 the walls called Watchmen looking for danger. 319 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,040 And there's people going to be guarding the gates and, and 320 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:34,440 there's all these things. They'll have weapons ready for 321 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:38,600 attack, but not Leish. The Bible says concerning this 322 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:44,160 city of Leish that they were far from the Zidonians and they had 323 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:50,200 no business with any man. Leish lived in isolation. 324 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:56,920 They're far from Cydonian, a place that could have had wars. 325 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,720 But they didn't have to worry because they were far from that. 326 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:05,160 There's no alarms ringing at Leish, no wars to fight at 327 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:08,600 Leish, no defenses to man at Leish. 328 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:12,640 They were far from any trouble, and so they felt safe from any 329 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:14,840 trouble. They didn't need any walls, the 330 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:18,280 Bible says. The spy says the land was very 331 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:21,480 good. Verse 10 tells us it lacked 332 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:25,960 nothing. Now that why wouldn't Dan want a 333 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:33,840 place like that? Fertile, rich, no worries, no 334 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:37,920 competition, no struggle, no challenge. 335 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:41,080 I mean, anyone would want to visit that and live there. 336 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:46,520 Lush streams, lush, lush harvest, every available perk in 337 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:48,880 the world. Anything that the world could 338 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:51,600 offer would be found at Lace. Amen. 339 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:56,880 No accountability, no war, no worries, no restrictive 340 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,680 guidelines. No one is responsible for 341 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:02,680 anybody else. Live and let live. 342 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:11,880 Lace looks like the ideal life, but Luke's can be deceptive. 343 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,640 Everything is not as it seems at Leish. 344 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:20,840 It's about doing OK. Then I'd sent out five spies. 345 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:24,640 They came to Leish and found everything they were looking 346 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:27,400 for. See, they're in the compromise 347 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:29,760 spot themselves because their way was too straight. 348 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,560 But when they come to Leish, they find a city without 349 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:38,480 boundaries. Bible says a city without a 350 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:43,000 magistrate. There's no governance that Leish 351 00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:47,800 and a city that's isolated from friend or foe. 352 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:50,720 They're only responsible for themselves. 353 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:58,080 But the very things Brother Fred that attracted the Dan Knights, 354 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:03,840 these undisciplined people that attracted them, are the very 355 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:08,200 things that made Leish the most vulnerable as well. 356 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:13,360 All of those those supposed perks that the denied saw were 357 00:23:13,360 --> 00:23:20,000 also the vulnerabilities of Lace because Lace is wide open. 358 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:24,360 Lace is without limits and boundaries. 359 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:28,720 And I'm sure think about it, that gives a pretty good feeling 360 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:37,120 of freedom when you have no boundaries, no limits, Great 361 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:39,480 feeling of freedom that you have for sure. 362 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,680 That feels better than the pressure of an adversary in the 363 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:47,000 land of your inheritance when there's some places you can't go 364 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:50,160 to and you're cramped all up in your promise allotment. 365 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:54,320 Hey, man, you're not being regulated to some mountain at 366 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:56,560 this moment. You're not being kept from a 367 00:23:56,560 --> 00:24:01,520 valley at this moment. I'm sure lay still carefree, but 368 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:07,040 it was really care less because they had a false sense of 369 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:14,280 security at lace. Can I tell you tonight straight 370 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:21,120 or narrow, straight or broad. Some gravitate toward a boundary 371 00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:26,360 less life. Don't give me a life with 372 00:24:26,360 --> 00:24:29,320 boundaries. Don't give me a life with, with, 373 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:33,800 with limits or guidance. Don't, don't just give me the 374 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:37,240 life that that keeps every appetite I have unchecked. 375 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:42,840 It's alright. Every appetite that I have 376 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:46,080 unchecked that just allow me some compromise. 377 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:48,600 Allow me some areas that are Gray. 378 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:52,080 Allow me spots where moral lines can be blurred. 379 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:55,880 No, no, it's not freedom. It may feel like freedom, but 380 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:58,000 it's not freedom. It's vulnerability. 381 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:01,120 Because only with boundaries and limits and things of like that, 382 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:04,760 do you have protection, Do you have safety, real safety? 383 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:08,240 Do you have safeguards? And then we want the rivers or 384 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:11,080 We love the Wabash River. But if you take that river and 385 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:15,120 you remove the limits of its banks, you remove the boundary 386 00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:17,760 of its banks. Here's a river that will bring 387 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,960 life and water to various areas. Hey, man. 388 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:24,920 But if you remove its banks, you'll flood the same land 389 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:28,320 that's supposed to help. We all like the warmth of a fire 390 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:32,280 in a fireplace or a hearth. But if you remove the limits and 391 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:36,680 the boundaries of the earth and the fireplace, that same fire 392 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:40,560 can consume. Yes, we need walls and yes, we 393 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:45,720 need borders and limits. There's protection found in 394 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:49,840 that. So there's no king at that time 395 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:53,440 in Israel. And evidently that lack of 396 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:58,040 governance trickled on down into this framework of society here 397 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:02,520 because the Bible says they had in verse 7 no magistrate. 398 00:26:03,360 --> 00:26:07,680 There was no governor. The people were self governing. 399 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:11,400 Again, everybody was doing what was right in their eyes. 400 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,320 They had no magistrate. Look what the Scripture says in 401 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:16,160 verse 7. They had no magistrate in the 402 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:20,160 land that might put them to shame in anything. 403 00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:26,120 You know what that means? They can get away with anything. 404 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:31,760 There's nothing there that's going to check them or make them 405 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:39,960 feel bad or improper. There's no ruler in the land, so 406 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:43,880 there's no one to restrain them, or might we say correct them. 407 00:26:44,120 --> 00:26:51,880 There's no one to govern or enforce laws, and that sounds 408 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:54,200 appealing. Choose your speed. 409 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:59,000 Stop at the sign if you want to or not go through it on yellow. 410 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:07,240 All of that sounds very appealing until you're like, for 411 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:10,280 instance, a Old Testament character by the name of Saul 412 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:17,120 that the Bible records Sister Cox on the night before a battle 413 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:20,600 where he would be battling on the mount, the Bible says, 414 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:26,280 called Gilboa. He's afraid, Scripture says, and 415 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:30,680 his heart is greatly trembling. Scripture says, and the Bible 416 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:34,960 says that he sought the Lord but got no answer, not even by 417 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:40,000 dreams, not by prophets, not by the ordinary ways that they 418 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,840 would get it. And he begins to remember, and 419 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:46,440 we remember things about Saul, how the only altar that Saul 420 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:50,240 ever built, he never finished. Oh, he never. 421 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:55,760 And we began to read how in all the days of Saul, they never 422 00:27:55,760 --> 00:28:00,160 inquired of God at the ark of the Covenant, but now on the 423 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:03,880 brink of a battle. Here is a man that is afraid and 424 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:08,120 trembling, and now he's willing to break his own law. 425 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:11,920 He had said there should be no, no soothsayers and no witches 426 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:14,480 and people, familiar spirits in the Lamb. 427 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:18,760 But now he's willing to break that own law and go visit a 428 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:21,680 witch. The Bible says of endure because 429 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:27,360 he wants to conjure up a spirit of an old prophet, an old judge, 430 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:31,000 an old magistrate, if you will, called Samuel. 431 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:34,560 And at that moment you know what Saul was wanting in his life. 432 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:36,800 He was. He's wanting somebody to tell 433 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:43,320 him what to do. He's wanting somebody to tell 434 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:47,040 him what to do. I'm afraid I'm unsure. 435 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,520 I don't know what folks. It's not wise not to have a 436 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:53,000 magistrate. We need direction. 437 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,320 We need guidance. Saul was in a place. 438 00:28:55,520 --> 00:29:01,920 I wish I had somebody that would give, but it's too late. 439 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:06,000 Hey man, Samuel told him from the depths of a grave. 440 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:08,560 Amen. That tomorrow you're going to 441 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:12,160 die. The day that you needed a 442 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:14,600 magistrate wasn't the day before the battle. 443 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:18,200 You needed one when you did all these other things you should 444 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:20,840 have been doing. You needed somebody that had a 445 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:35,520 voice. Sound trade them without it 446 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:49,040 unless you need it. Hey man, he needed governance. 447 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,680 We need governance. We need the law, we need all 448 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,040 these things. The Bible says in Galatians that 449 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:57,120 the law is our schoolmaster. Which brings us to Christ. 450 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,560 The law tells us, you know what, you're not right, you're not 451 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:02,960 living up to the standard, you're missing out. 452 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:05,320 You're you're, you're not where you need to be. 453 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,360 But the law couldn't fix that. But it points us to Christ, the 454 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:11,360 one who can. We need something that shows our 455 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:14,640 errors, that can point us to the one who can correct our errors. 456 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:25,960 We need a magistrate governance. Thirdly, Laish. 457 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:33,160 It was far from Zeidan. It's not not doesn't it a part 458 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:36,640 of the Confederation or strong ties with Zeidan. 459 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:44,520 Whereas it might have been nice not to be answerable to anybody 460 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:51,200 or answerable for anybody. That left Leish in a isolated 461 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:54,240 state. But the Bible also tells us 462 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:57,720 there in verses 27 and 28. What that meant was this. 463 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:00,680 It also left them without a deliverer. 464 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:09,120 They're without a deliverer because they might have some 465 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:13,120 loose attachments to Zidonian. These are people that's along 466 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,280 the Mediterranean coast over in the the Middle East. 467 00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:21,200 That lace is far from that. Lace is about 50 to 60 miles 468 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:24,840 from that, and there's a lot of hills and mountains and valleys 469 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:27,640 between them and it. You know what that meant? 470 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:31,600 That even if they wanted to send a messenger for help, or if the 471 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:36,000 Zeidonians want to send the army to aid them, it would take to a 472 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:40,480 week to several days before a messenger could ever ask for 473 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:43,520 help and then for a army to ever make it back to lay. 474 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:48,560 So in essence, they were left without a deliverer due to their 475 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:54,440 isolation. They were too far away from 476 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:59,040 Zidon to call for help. And they didn't make it easy for 477 00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:03,600 Zidon to aid them because where they were positionally, they had 478 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:07,080 no deliverer. They were too far from their 479 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:10,800 greatest ally. They had no deliverer. 480 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:15,160 Can I put it in terms that sometimes we make prayer distant 481 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:18,240 and our walks with God distant, Amen. 482 00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:21,720 And our commitments distant. But, folks, if that's the case, 483 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:25,040 if you're living far, all that means is you're going to be left 484 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:29,880 in alert when you need them at hand To God's people and to 485 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:34,400 those who have made him Amen #1A priority in their life. 486 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:39,280 He said That God, David said God is a refuge and a strength, a 487 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:53,480 very present help in trouble. These day nights, says Leish, is 488 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:58,840 very good. But Brother Fred, that's a mixed 489 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:02,920 up mind. Danites looking at a land and 490 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:12,720 giving a very human evaluation. These people are drawn to that 491 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:21,840 place because these people are like that place there. 492 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:30,400 Bible says in verse #10 that it was a large land people secure a 493 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:33,800 place where there is not any want of anything that is in the 494 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:36,840 earth. Here's what I know. 495 00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:40,600 When I get comfortable and feel like life supplies everything I 496 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:43,560 need, you know what that causes my humanity to do? 497 00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:58,850 Stop depending on God. I would say that more people 498 00:33:58,850 --> 00:34:04,210 lose out with God when everything is peachy. 499 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:10,639 The job's right, the house is great, the vehicles are there. 500 00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:15,520 No illness in the body Because why do would I need God? 501 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:26,480 I got everything I need. Then I says that's the type of 502 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:29,760 place we want. That's the type of place we 503 00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:33,199 want. For all the attractiveness of 504 00:34:33,199 --> 00:34:36,679 lace, that lack of accountability of their actions 505 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:39,320 just really left them wide open for attack. 506 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:42,080 And that's what happened. The Scripture even admonishes us 507 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:46,120 as Christians in 1st Corinthians 10 and 12 that whenever, 508 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:50,639 wherefore, let him that thinketh he stand, Take heed lest he 509 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:53,600 fall. It's the church in Latosia that 510 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:55,719 said, you know what? We don't need anything. 511 00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:59,520 We don't need anything. But the Bible says they were 512 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:03,040 blinded to the reality of the fact that they were miserable, 513 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:05,880 they were poor, that they did need something. 514 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:09,320 Whenever the dandites take over, and they did, the Bible says 515 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,520 they slayed the people with the edge of the sword and they burnt 516 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:14,320 the city. Ladies and gentlemen, all of 517 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:19,560 this happened just in one day. And they no sooner did that, but 518 00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:24,960 the Bible says they're setting up a graven image in Leish, 519 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:28,040 Amen. They have a larger land now. 520 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,920 It's not as straight, not as strict, not as narrow. 521 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:34,880 They don't have any accountability, any rules, no 522 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,960 magistrate. They have a larger land, Amen. 523 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:41,800 And now no boundaries, no magistrate, no deliverer. 524 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:46,040 They're setting up an idol God, the Bible says in Judges 1830, 525 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:49,880 and the children of and set up the graven image. 526 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:52,560 So now they're practicing idolatry. 527 00:35:56,160 --> 00:36:02,400 Let me state it like this. When you lack boundaries and a 528 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:10,680 magistrate governs and you are far from a deliverer, you open 529 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:11,520 yourself up. That's right. 530 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:16,760 Yes, Sir, the things you would thought you would never open 531 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:21,360 yourself up to the possibility of an idol. 532 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:28,080 Idolatry which is absolutely opposing the God at lace. 533 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:33,240 That's what no boundaries, no magistrate and no deliverer 534 00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:38,120 brings you. It starts there, but it don't 535 00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:43,840 end there. Who might not hear me right now. 536 00:36:44,720 --> 00:36:47,560 I've had people set across from me and you know what they were 537 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:51,400 towing around with? Give me the boundary list area. 538 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:54,960 Give me a more broad area. I'm telling you from experience 539 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:57,440 from the past, just almost 15 years of being here. 540 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:01,760 I've sat there in the room and they have, if you will, touched 541 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:03,880 around with having no magistrate. 542 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:08,000 I don't need any governance. I don't need any guidance saying 543 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,840 all these different things. That's where it starts, but 544 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:14,920 that's never where it stops. Those type of things will open 545 00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:19,280 you up as it did late for someone to come in, set up an 546 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:21,280 item. They'll do things they never 547 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:24,440 thought they would have done. But when you live your life with 548 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:28,840 no governance, no boundaries, far from your deliverer, you 549 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:32,560 open your yourself up to the inevitable. 550 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:38,480 No, no, no, no. Look here. 551 00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:41,040 I'm getting there, folks. I'm sorry, I'm getting there. 552 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:44,200 But the Bible says Elisha will become the city of Dan. 553 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:47,400 It's there in the Scripture text that we read to you in verse 29. 554 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:50,520 You'll become the city of Dan. Dan took it. 555 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:52,600 He renames it after himself, the tribe. 556 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:55,400 You'll become one of the cities. It's in your Bibles. 557 00:37:56,560 --> 00:38:00,560 This Elisha will become one of the cities that King Jeroboam 558 00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:08,880 will place later, a golden calf. It's in your Bibles first Kings 559 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:12,560 12 verse 28, Whereupon the king, this is king Jeroboam of Israel, 560 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:16,880 took counsel and made two calves of gold and said to them, It is 561 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:19,160 too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. 562 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:24,800 Behold, by Gods little GODSO Israel, which brought me up out 563 00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:26,840 of the land of Egypt. See, that's what they said when 564 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:29,920 they made the golden calf at the full of the mount too. 565 00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:35,080 And he set the one in Bethel and the other put he in. 566 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:42,360 That's large land, that's no boundary land, that's no 567 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:45,720 magistrate land, that's without a delivery land. 568 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:51,640 That's where our idols already setting said he set the other up 569 00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:54,720 and down, and this thing became a sin for the people went to 570 00:38:54,720 --> 00:39:00,600 worship before the one, even unto Dan, Jeroboam was 571 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:03,920 presenting to the people. It's too much to put in these 572 00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:06,880 terms. It's too inconvenient for you to 573 00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:10,960 travel all the way to Jerusalem to worship. 574 00:39:13,240 --> 00:39:17,080 He's talking Dan's language because it was too convenient, 575 00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:20,400 inconvenient for them to fight for their inheritance too. 576 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:27,680 So let me make it convenient for you. 577 00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:31,040 We wouldn't want to be the sweat to come on your brow. 578 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:40,160 It's too much work, too much sacrifice for all of that. 579 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:43,680 So the Dan mentality rears its head. 580 00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:45,920 Too much work. Oh, yeah. 581 00:39:45,920 --> 00:39:48,560 It was too hard to fight against any adversary. 582 00:39:48,560 --> 00:39:50,480 My inheritance it it was too straight. 583 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:52,680 And so he sets up a golden calf right there. 584 00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:55,040 Again. This is the same type of image 585 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:58,720 that Moses found at the base of the mountain after he got the 10 586 00:39:58,720 --> 00:40:01,960 commandments. Let's pause here for a moment. 587 00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:03,960 Just take this in 10 commandments. 588 00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:05,960 Thou shall not have no other gods before me. 589 00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:08,960 Thou shall not make into the any graven image. 590 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:11,120 Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not kill. 591 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:16,000 That's huh, Right? Thou shall not murder all the 592 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:17,840 commandments. What's it sound like to you? 593 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:25,360 Boundaries, A magistrate, even Bishop. 594 00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:26,720 There's a delivery laced in that. 595 00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:29,880 Because before the commandments ever start in Exodus 20, which 596 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:33,000 many Jews believe, this is the first commandment that the Lord 597 00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:37,920 says, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of 598 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:41,560 the land of Egypt and out of the House of bondage. 599 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:47,120 What is that deliverance? He follows up the with the 600 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:51,280 boundaries and the government's after reminding them that he was 601 00:40:51,280 --> 00:41:00,360 their deliverer. And So what began as a people 602 00:41:01,200 --> 00:41:03,480 then? No boundaries, no magistrate, no 603 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:06,400 deliver. Even now in the city of Leish, 604 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:10,960 it invites idolatrous practices looking for easier in a route 605 00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:16,360 divided this end and ultimately it disintegrated into a nation 606 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:20,480 without any covenant faithfulness as recording the 607 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:25,520 Book of Kings. And it all started with Dan 608 00:41:25,520 --> 00:41:29,400 saying that place is too straight for us. 609 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:40,520 Too little too straight. Amorite's not suffering us to 610 00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:43,920 come to the valley. It's interesting Lace was in the 611 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:48,360 valley and the Bible says this I'm headed toward folks judges 612 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:52,760 and I know I covered a lot of ground Judges 18 verse 28 and 613 00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:55,880 there was no deliver because it was far from Zeidong. 614 00:41:55,880 --> 00:42:00,520 Speaking of Lesh and they had no business with any man any Lesh 615 00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:07,520 was in the valley that lieth by Beth Rehab and they built a city 616 00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:12,000 and do what they're in and they will call it Dan Bob tells verse 617 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:17,720 29, which at first was Lesh. Here's what I'm getting at Beth 618 00:42:17,720 --> 00:42:23,600 rehab that they camped beside that lieth here next to lation. 619 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:30,480 This valley Beth rehab means this House of the Broad Street 620 00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:38,920 or the Broad Place. Rehab itself means Broad Place, 621 00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:43,440 open, square wide. St. 622 00:42:44,840 --> 00:42:51,120 Dan left the straight for the broad. 623 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:59,040 Please note that in the New Testament, when Jesus is talking 624 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:04,240 about the two ways, He's really not giving anybody an option. 625 00:43:04,240 --> 00:43:10,840 That's right, because he starts out saying emphatically enter in 626 00:43:11,040 --> 00:43:20,400 the straight gate. Dan's left the straight for the 627 00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:24,000 broad. Listen to Pastor night, because 628 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:29,800 by the time we reach the Book of Revelation Chapter 7, and 629 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:35,120 there's the ceiling of the 144,000 to 12,000 from each 630 00:43:35,120 --> 00:43:40,960 tribe, there's a tribe there. Ephraim now, or Manasseh rather. 631 00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:46,160 Do you know who you don't find? You don't find Dan. 632 00:43:49,840 --> 00:43:54,000 You don't find Dan being sealed among the others. 633 00:43:57,280 --> 00:44:02,160 I want the broad Give me no boundaries, give me no 634 00:44:02,160 --> 00:44:07,400 governance, give me a far distance from any deliverer, 635 00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:13,760 turns into adultery, turns into a golden calf that Moses dealt 636 00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:17,680 with with the 10 Commandments. It turns into a lack of a seal 637 00:44:19,800 --> 00:44:23,120 in the Book of Revelation of saying he's mine. 638 00:44:28,080 --> 00:44:31,840 You stand with me tonight. Layish burned in a day. 639 00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:36,520 In a day. But the idolatry of Dan lasted 640 00:44:36,520 --> 00:44:44,000 for centuries. So the illusion of Lacia's, this 641 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:50,160 is not what it appears to be. Yeah, it's not what it appears 642 00:44:50,160 --> 00:44:52,520 to be. I know we get things in our head 643 00:44:52,520 --> 00:44:54,680 sometime. Only if and we put in all the 644 00:44:54,680 --> 00:45:01,280 little things if, you know, we need the boundaries, we need the 645 00:45:01,280 --> 00:45:05,800 governance, we need, we need a deliverer. 646 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:09,120 I've said on this night, I don't want to end on the unhappy note, 647 00:45:09,120 --> 00:45:10,520 right? Everybody's sad and depressed 648 00:45:10,520 --> 00:45:13,040 and leave here and have to go eat a gallon of ice cream. 649 00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:22,900 Just get over it. The story of elation, Dan, it's 650 00:45:22,900 --> 00:45:26,060 not just a warning. But tonight I believe it's an 651 00:45:26,060 --> 00:45:32,780 invitation. Dan abandoned the land of God 652 00:45:32,780 --> 00:45:36,100 because he thought it was and felt it was too straight, too 653 00:45:36,300 --> 00:45:41,120 too restrictive. Reach for the Broadway, the easy 654 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:44,840 inheritance, so to speak. Again, it led to centuries of 655 00:45:44,840 --> 00:45:49,120 idolatry. But the positive twist on this 656 00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:56,720 for us is this tonight we are not bound to repeat Dan's story. 657 00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:02,800 We're not bound to repeat Dan's story. 658 00:46:03,880 --> 00:46:07,640 Jesus has called us in the New Testament to the straight gate, 659 00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:13,240 to the narrow way, not because we're the Fred. 660 00:46:13,240 --> 00:46:16,240 He wants to rob you of all the joy that you even have coursing 661 00:46:16,240 --> 00:46:20,680 through your body. No, but because he wants to 662 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:23,920 protect you. He wants to guide you. 663 00:46:24,720 --> 00:46:30,760 He wants to deliver you into an everlasting inheritance. 664 00:46:31,400 --> 00:46:35,040 The broad looks attractive. Anything a person would want in 665 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:40,920 the world, but the end thereof is death and destruction. 666 00:46:40,960 --> 00:46:44,680 Jesus says straight looks restrictive. 667 00:46:45,400 --> 00:46:51,040 Straight looks small, but it opens up to a clearing of 668 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:57,320 everlasting life. They Knights wanted a land they 669 00:46:57,320 --> 00:47:01,200 didn't have to fight for. I got good news for you. 670 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:05,080 God has a promise that he's willing to fight alongside you 671 00:47:05,720 --> 00:47:08,240 for. So what are you saying tonight, 672 00:47:08,240 --> 00:47:10,680 pastor? I'm saying stay within the 673 00:47:10,680 --> 00:47:14,360 boundaries, stay within the limits. 674 00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:20,480 Honor the deliverer who helps govern your life, and always 675 00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:26,040 keep close to the refuge. Never, never be far from the 676 00:47:26,040 --> 00:47:29,360 refuge. Can we bow our heads tonight? 677 00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:35,200 I'm urging us do not settle for the illusion of Laish when the 678 00:47:35,200 --> 00:47:43,560 promise of God is before you, because eternity is on the line. 679 00:47:43,560 --> 00:47:48,560 Ladies and gentlemen, the seal of God's ownership upon our 680 00:47:48,560 --> 00:47:52,840 lives is upon the line. Ladies and gentlemen, He is the 681 00:47:52,840 --> 00:47:54,960 straight gate. He is the narrow way. 682 00:47:55,400 --> 00:47:59,760 And I'm telling you tonight, He is worth every battle, every 683 00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:03,920 sacrifice, every step that I must take. 684 00:48:06,800 --> 00:48:10,440 It's rewarding in Him. This altar is open tonight for 685 00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:15,000 anyone that may be at a place in the road that they are in deep 686 00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:20,440 contemplation between the straight and between the wide, 687 00:48:20,920 --> 00:48:24,240 between the narrow and between the prod. 688 00:48:24,640 --> 00:48:27,440 I wish you would hear the admonition of the Lord tonight. 689 00:48:27,720 --> 00:48:29,960 He's telling you the option is this. 690 00:48:30,240 --> 00:48:36,680 Enter in the straight date, enter in the straight gate. 691 00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:40,640 And if it feels like it's too straight, maybe there's some 692 00:48:40,640 --> 00:48:44,400 things that you need to dismiss from your life that's taken up 693 00:48:44,400 --> 00:48:47,040 space in the inheritance that he's asked for you. 694 00:48:47,480 --> 00:48:50,760 Maybe there's some things that set up camp in your life that 695 00:48:50,760 --> 00:48:53,040 doesn't need to try to coexist with you. 696 00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:56,240 You need to give them their eviction notice in your life. 697 00:48:56,440 --> 00:48:59,280 Perhaps tonight he's pulling for you. 698 00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:06,480 Yeah. There's safety in the Lord 699 00:49:06,480 --> 00:49:10,240 tonight. There's safety in the Lord 700 00:49:10,240 --> 00:49:13,000 tonight. He is my deliverer. 701 00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:17,920 He is my governor. He sets the limits of my life. 702 00:49:18,360 --> 00:49:21,080 But I find a freedom in the limits that he said. 703 00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:24,720 Don't you understand that? Adam and Eva, had they only 704 00:49:24,720 --> 00:49:28,320 grown comfortable with the limits? 705 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:29,840 He said. He says you have the whole 706 00:49:29,840 --> 00:49:36,920 garden and you can eat of every tree in the garden except that 707 00:49:36,920 --> 00:49:40,600 of knowledge of good and evil. And if you allow yourself, the 708 00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:44,240 enemy of your soul will have you concentrate on the one tree you 709 00:49:44,240 --> 00:49:48,080 can't partake of, and overlook all the other trees you can't 710 00:49:48,080 --> 00:49:49,120 partake of.