1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,920 This afternoon I just really there's lessons have four 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:09,560 different purposes. Sometimes it's to inform, 3 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:13,040 sometimes it's to encourage people to do what they've been 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,840 informed. And then you have other kinds of 5 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,000 purposes. Sometimes it's just to encourage 6 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:24,400 and of course to give knowledge, let all things be done for 7 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,120 edification. So there's there's different 8 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:33,040 purposes in this afternoon's lesson is a an examination of 9 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,880 direction. Once again, similar to this 10 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,600 morning in one sense, in the sense that I think we need to 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:45,080 recognize God is great and all the songs this afternoon I wish 12 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:46,880 we'd LED. I should have requested that 13 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,680 they be LED this morning because they were all reflecting the 14 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:55,160 greatness of our God. And this afternoon though, I 15 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:59,280 want to talk a little bit about drawing near to God and how to 16 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:01,760 do that. We're going to entitle our 17 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:06,640 lesson borderline living. Borderline means there's two 18 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:10,920 places in the Kingdom of God. But let me tell you where this 19 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,640 illustration comes from and then we'll go from there. 20 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,160 This is a picture of the Australian bite. 21 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:22,080 They called it a bite because it's on the South Coast, the 22 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,880 southern coast of Australia. The size of Australia is about 23 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:31,880 the size of America, but there's only the middle of Australia is 24 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,640 is abandoned. There's the great Simpson 25 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:40,480 Desert, which is horrible. I mean, it is really bad. 26 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,000 It's there. There's places where people can 27 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,920 live and then there's things where there's an area, a big 28 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,520 large area where nothing lives, not even plants. 29 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,560 It's really a a big place in the middle at one time because they 30 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,400 get no water there. They, the Australian government 31 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:03,640 thought about building a mountain over a Mile High to try 32 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,000 to scrape water out of the clouds. 33 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,639 And fortunately there was enough laughter that they finally 34 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,400 dropped that idea. But the whole point is, is that 35 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:15,880 the middle of Australia is nothing but a desert. 36 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:21,640 There is one highway that goes around Australia, around up 37 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,200 north, through the jungle, literally up there. 38 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,560 And then there's one that comes down and it goes down and 39 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:33,040 there's a out near Adelaide and Adelaide comes across the bite 40 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:38,720 into Perth, WA. Now the Bite, there's one road 41 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:43,800 and that there's a road that runs NS from Cooper PD, they 42 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:47,760 call it, which is up north, the whole town in the middle of 43 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,200 there is, there's a big huge rock up there. 44 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,600 They used to call it Ayers Rock, but the town is built 45 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:58,200 underground because it's so hot and literally it's underground. 46 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,680 You, you go underground to get around and that's where the 47 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,160 hotels are and everything. It's really an interesting 48 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,080 place. But the Bite, this is the 49 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:10,720 southern border down here in between Adelaide and Perth. 50 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,400 It drops off. It is that way all around from 51 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:22,000 Adelaide to Perth almost to WA and it's really, it's really 52 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,800 interesting area to see. That's it, that's down the whole 53 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,640 thing where you can hear water. But look where the beach, look 54 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:33,560 at the beach. There isn't 1. 55 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:39,240 And the people who drive across the top up there to get to the 56 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,840 other side, if they say gas, they mean that's the only gas 57 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:46,560 station there is for the next 200 miles. 58 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,640 You stop and get gas, you don't pass it. 59 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,400 That's how desolate that road is. 60 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,280 There were three gentlemen that drove on that southern Rd. 61 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:02,000 between Perth and Adelaide and they're going down this down by 62 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:08,200 the bike to get over there. And they decided to stop because 63 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,240 they were just going on and on and on and they decided to stop. 64 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,040 They pulled off the road and over to a camping area and they 65 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,279 were listening and they heard the water and they said well we 66 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:20,839 better stop, I can hear some water here. 67 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,280 We must be close to edge. Let's just park here for the 68 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:25,640 night. So they parked and they camped. 69 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,000 The next morning when they woke up, they were exactly 8 feet 70 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:34,120 from the edge of this Cliff that goes into the water and it would 71 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:38,800 be easy to drive off of that and be never heard from again. 72 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:41,080 It that's why they call it the bite. 73 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,560 It looks like somebody took a bite out of it and there's 74 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,560 nothing there. It's really a quite an 75 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:52,000 interesting place to to live in. Well, so it is with the two 76 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:56,440 kingdoms of our Lord. Sometimes we've been transferred 77 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:59,760 out of the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of his dear 78 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:04,200 Son, and we stopped the camp along the border, and we don't 79 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:08,040 realize how close we are to peril, how close we are to 80 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,560 absolute destruction. And yet those people, you look 81 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,000 at them and you either are grateful and thankful, or you 82 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:19,760 look at borderline living as the way that we often live. 83 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:24,200 We try to live as close to the border as we can get without 84 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:28,240 going over the edge, so to speak. 85 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:33,720 I don't know if many of you don't Myron McKinney, but Myron 86 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:38,840 used to live in the middle of Missouri up there, take pictures 87 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:45,920 and he used to be a shepherd and he said sheep are the stupidest 88 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,760 animals that live. He he said that they are the 89 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:53,960 greatest example of a Christian that he could think of because 90 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:57,360 they're really dumb. He said he went out one day to 91 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:02,280 take some pictures and three of his sheep died sticking their 92 00:06:02,280 --> 00:06:08,280 heads through a square of of a wire fence to try to eat 1 93 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:11,560 sunflower. And three of them, literally, 94 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:15,400 they asphyxiated. They died trying to eat once 1 95 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:19,840 sunflower. He said, Can you imagine digging 96 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:23,640 before you take a breath? Because what you want is that 97 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:27,520 sunflower so bad you're willing to hold your breath and try your 98 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:29,480 best to get that sunflower over there. 99 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:34,360 And I go, yeah, that's a real good example of sins. 100 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:39,480 Sometimes. Sometimes we wake up dead, so to 101 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,560 speak, spiritually, because we're sticking our head to that 102 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,560 fence and trying our best to eat from the stuffs on the other 103 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:47,760 side of the fence. And we do. 104 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:49,720 We die trying. Yeah. 105 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:54,560 Many sheep have tried to live on that border, sticking their head 106 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,360 through the fence, trying to eat that which is forbidden by God. 107 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:04,520 And that's, I think, a perfect example of, of, of us for us. 108 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:09,120 He has delivered us from the power of darkness, the power of 109 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,960 darkness. It chokes us out. 110 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,200 It chokes our spirituality, deceives us. 111 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:19,200 It it we men love darkness rather than light, for their 112 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:21,720 deeds are evil. If our deeds are evil, we don't 113 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:26,400 want to know sometimes. And so the deceitfulness of sin 114 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,960 entraps us and we, we get to thinking, well, it's not that 115 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:33,800 bad, it's not that far. And I'm only going to hold my 116 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,720 breath for so long and then I'm going to get out of this and go 117 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:40,520 back. Well, we have transferred. 118 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:44,960 He has transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love 119 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,680 or the Kingdom of, of those whom we love, in whom we have 120 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:50,520 redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. 121 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,920 Colossians says there are two kingdoms. 122 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:57,760 There's the Kingdom of Satan, the Kingdom of Christ, and are 123 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:02,040 we still on the border trying to stick our head through the 124 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,880 fence? That's not very bright. 125 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:10,600 The power of darkness is great, and we need to get away from it. 126 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:16,160 The Bible tells us in Matthew 7, either by the narrow gate, enter 127 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:19,000 by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way 128 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,240 that leads to destruction. And there are many who go in by 129 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:27,280 it because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way. 130 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:31,680 I like newer translations because it it shows that what 131 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,760 that word really means. Difficult is the way that which 132 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,280 leads to life. And there are few who find it. 133 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,720 God says, I don't want you walking on the edge. 134 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:45,720 I want you to be as close to me as as possible. 135 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:51,480 In James Ford verse 8, the Bible says draw near to me, draw near 136 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:54,040 to him and he will draw near to you. 137 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:57,560 Clinch your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts, you double 138 00:08:57,560 --> 00:09:00,840 minded. Double mindedness is our 139 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:04,040 problem. We live in a world where we 140 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:07,080 don't walk by faith. We have to deal with the real 141 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:09,600 world. Our job deals with the real 142 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,480 world. We go Glenn, I got to deal with 143 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,360 the real world. I got day and night and I have 144 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:17,680 hunger and I have all of these things. 145 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:22,760 And we sometimes get deceived into thinking that we're still 146 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,360 in the Kingdom of the flesh and not that of the Spirit. 147 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:28,840 We're not. We've been transferred into the 148 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:32,640 Kingdom of God. We're his children. 149 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,520 And he will knows. He knows what all of our needs 150 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:38,800 are. He knows those things. 151 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:42,440 The Bible tells us in Timothy a verse that I didn't get to quote 152 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:48,640 this morning in Timothy it says verse in chapter 3, second 153 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:52,520 Timothy chapter 3, verse one. But realize this in the in the 154 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:57,800 last days, difficult times will come because men will be lovers 155 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:03,520 of self, self love if you will, lovers of money, boastful, 156 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:10,480 arrogant, revellers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful and 157 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,600 unholy. Now just what I told you this 158 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,040 morning, the spiritual disciplines that God gives us 159 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:22,280 when we come to worship Him are working against this 160 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:26,800 development, the development of being self-centered and 161 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,840 narcissistic and believing that the temporal world is the only 162 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:33,960 real world. The spiritual world, my friend, 163 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:39,680 is very, very real, and we need to draw near to God in this 164 00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:44,400 world, while we're in this world, treacherous, reckless, 165 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,000 conceited, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God. 166 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:55,560 Remember that worship, prayer, Bible study, and the communion 167 00:10:55,560 --> 00:11:01,760 and the collection are designed by God not only for His glory 168 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:07,240 and for the perpetuation of His message, but they're for us to 169 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:12,640 develop a spiritual mind and so draw near to God. 170 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:16,240 Draw near to God. He will draw near to you. 171 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:19,320 We occupy one of three positions. 172 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,720 Clearly in Satan's Kingdom, clearly in the Kingdom of the 173 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:27,760 Son of his love, or trying to live on the border between the 174 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:30,440 two. That's what we don't want to do, 175 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:35,520 try to live on that border. Two kinds of people live on the 176 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,560 border, the citizens of the Kingdom of heaven. 177 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:43,520 I'll let you go, you know, but I love the statement in Exodus 8. 178 00:11:44,680 --> 00:11:48,680 Let my people go. No, no, no, I'm not going to let 179 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:50,560 them go. But here's what I will here it. 180 00:11:50,560 --> 00:11:51,800 Let's compromise. OK? 181 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:57,200 Notice what he says in Exodus 8. So Pharaoh said, I will let you 182 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,240 go. Oh, but he stopped. 183 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:03,960 Here's here's the conditions. I will let you go that you may 184 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:07,160 sacrifice to the Lord your God and the wilderness only you 185 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:12,800 shall not go very far away. Intercede for me. 186 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:17,720 Is that the way some of us are living, trying to live in the 187 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:19,880 Kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of Christ? 188 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:23,440 God says let my view. All right. 189 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:26,280 God set me free for the bondage of sin. 190 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:28,120 I'm free from the Kingdom of darkness. 191 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:30,080 I'm in the Kingdom of the Son of his life. 192 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:32,520 I'm going to work. Really. 193 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:37,120 I'm going to go and worship God, Tried to draw near to God, but 194 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:42,680 the devil says, oh, you can go. Just don't go very far. 195 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,680 Don't become a fanatic about it. Have you ever heard anybody say 196 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:49,200 that to you? Has anybody said that to you? 197 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:53,680 Oh, yeah, you can be religious. But look, don't be a fanatic 198 00:12:53,680 --> 00:12:55,640 about it. Are you? 199 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:57,280 Are you, are you a little bit fanatical? 200 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:01,840 I want you to know I want to be known as a fanatic and so should 201 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:04,720 you used to say I believe in God. 202 00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:08,680 I'm going to act like it. I'm going to walk like it. 203 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:11,040 I'm going to talk like it. I'm going to draw near to God. 204 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:14,280 I'm going to be upset when I need to be upset, righteously 205 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:18,760 indignant about bad language and different kinds of things. 206 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:23,480 I'm going to be drawing near to God always. 207 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:26,800 Now, I don't mean act like a freaky. 208 00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:30,640 I'm just saying don't be. That's well, it's one of the 209 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:34,800 great satan's greatest phrases. Yeah, go worship God. 210 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:39,560 Just don't go too far. That's borderline living. 211 00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:44,040 Don't. Don't buy into it. 22 areas 212 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:46,160 along the border that Christians need to watch. 213 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:49,320 Areas where the line is clearly marked. 214 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,160 It's clear. There's no doubt about it. 215 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:59,200 It's right there and between honesty and dishonesty. 216 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,480 There's some people who are dishonest about where the line 217 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:04,920 is and they don't need to be recompense. 218 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:07,320 No man evil for evil. Provide the things honest in the 219 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:10,600 sight of all men. We need to be honest all the 220 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,120 time. We need to be straightforward, 221 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:18,560 not deceitful like sin is. We need to be faithful. 222 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:25,880 You know, sometimes our friends out in the world are hungering 223 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:30,560 and thirsting after righteousness too, but we're 224 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:35,760 almost trying to cover up our spirituality, and they have 225 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:39,880 nobody to follow because we're trying to cover it up. 226 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:43,640 We're trying to deceive people. Don't do that. 227 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:46,880 Let people know whose side you're on. 228 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:50,560 Let it be faithful. You know, I was taking 229 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:56,600 introductory psychology at school and my professor was a 230 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:02,840 well, he was a jewel of a person and he enjoyed destroying the 231 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:06,600 faith of many young people that had never had their faith tested 232 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:10,160 in this class before. He delighted in it. 233 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:15,080 And I was defending them at every chance that I got. 234 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:16,960 AI got out. You guys don't know about 235 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:19,680 apologetics. There's a a greater defense you 236 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:21,120 can give for this and everything. 237 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:23,960 And I was fighting my teacher and finally came time for the 238 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:31,440 midterm and I wrote my thesis against his and I said, listen, 239 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:35,840 you're not very helpful person. And I just wrote about what the 240 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:37,600 truth is. He come up to rides. 241 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:39,120 He said, Glenn, come here, I want to talk to you. 242 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:44,560 I went, well, here goes. My grade is going down the tubes 243 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:48,480 and everything. He said, were you considering 244 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:52,640 psychology or sociology as a as a career choice in life? 245 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:54,840 And I said, well, I'm considering it. 246 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:58,240 He said, I'm here to tell you, I'm giving you an A on your 247 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:01,840 midterm paper. That's good, he said. 248 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:07,240 But I want you to know that's generous because you're going to 249 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:09,560 have be fighting this the whole time. 250 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:14,200 You're going to be fighting people like me the whole time. 251 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,000 He says. I am going to be in on your back 252 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:19,880 and I'm going to be testing you all the time. 253 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:23,720 Now, in Oregon, there was only 8% of the people that really 254 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:26,920 actively exercise their faith at all. 255 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,680 And he felt like he was the, you know, but he's the big guy and 256 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,840 he knew what he was going to do. Here's my point. 257 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:40,360 I was in his face about faith and he respected that for a 258 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:44,280 little bit and had enough guts to warn me that I was going to 259 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:48,080 have a hard time getting the paper chase after getting the 260 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:51,320 certificate that I wanted to have in this class. 261 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,160 All I'm telling you is that was one of the greatest compliments 262 00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:01,360 I ever had is whenever somebody says to you, I'm glad you're an 263 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:06,520 authentic person that will stand up for their faith and you're 264 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:10,400 not like everybody else. Your faith is different than 265 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,760 everybody else's, my friends. That's a compliment. 266 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:18,599 That's something wonderful. That's when you stand fast. 267 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,720 You're giving a light to others in darkness, to others that need 268 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:25,880 that encouragement. I'm telling you, you don't live 269 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:27,720 on the border. Don't try to compromise your 270 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:30,440 faith. Stand fast and stand up for what 271 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:34,840 you believe and let let the devil he loves darkness. 272 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:37,320 He's not going to stay where your light is. 273 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,720 He's going to flee. Resist the devil, the Bible 274 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:45,920 says, and he will flee from you. So I'm telling you, if you're 275 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:47,760 honest and you're straightforward and you're 276 00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:52,320 faithful, you will accomplish what God wants you to do and you 277 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:54,880 will accomplish putting the devil to flight. 278 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:58,920 You will. And that's why we need not live 279 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:01,640 on the border. Don't live on that border at 280 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:04,680 all. Be there's a difference between 281 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:08,240 stealing and honest labor. Let him who stole steal. 282 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:12,360 No longer that I I use this passage to talk about how to 283 00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:17,040 read with emphasis. No, the passage doesn't read. 284 00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:21,080 Let him who stole steal no longer let him labor. 285 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:23,880 You can read it that way, you know. 286 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:25,240 Yeah. I want you to get at it. 287 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:30,320 No, I want you to steal no more, but let it labor with his hands. 288 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:32,680 In other words, you have to read it with the proper inflection. 289 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:35,120 Working with his hands. What is good that he may have 290 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:37,000 something to give to him who has need. 291 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:40,720 There's a purpose. Whenever you accumulate wealth, 292 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,480 as long as it's not self-centered or about yourself 293 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:45,760 esteem, you use it for the glory of God. 294 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:51,440 You view it as a talent. As a talent, thankfully, I know 295 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:55,640 some very rich people. I know some very rich people. 296 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:00,240 But guess what? They are humble people who 297 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,280 recognize their wealth is a stewardship from God. 298 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:06,320 And that is a wonderful place to be. 299 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:08,960 And that's what we're talking about here. 300 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:13,400 We need to be faithful no matter what our talent might be. 301 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:19,160 Notice between lying and the truth, we need to not be 302 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:24,120 vacillating and obtuse is what I call this. 303 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:28,760 Don't be as vague as you possibly can be. 304 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,520 Don't be that way. Speak the truth in love. 305 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,920 You can speak the truth in love. You know. 306 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:44,040 Here's what I always say. If somebody offers you a mint, 307 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,280 take it Now. That's what I mean. 308 00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:52,400 That's the nicest way they can tell you. 309 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:56,960 You have bad breath. Take the mint. 310 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:01,480 The Christians, we can tell one another the truth, but we can 311 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:05,400 speak the truth honestly. We can say, I don't know if 312 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:09,040 that's the proper way to go. I think we maybe need to 313 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,240 consider that. Have you prayed about that? 314 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:16,200 We can talk without being bossy, without being overly taking 315 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:18,520 control. We could be thoughtful with 316 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:21,360 people and say, is that a spiritual? 317 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:24,480 Is that the spiritual? Is that drawing near to Christ? 318 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:29,080 You know, and ask those kinds of questions, but don't be vague. 319 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:35,720 Don't be lying. A lie is when you tell somebody 320 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:39,040 they're all right when they're not all right. 321 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:44,960 That's the most horrible lie a Christian can tell is that oh, 322 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:46,320 you don't need to worry about it. 323 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:49,760 You need to can be concerned about it. 324 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:55,440 That's not loving to love somebody to hell to tell 325 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:59,960 somebody not to check if they're in the wrong vein. 326 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,600 That's not loving. That's not Christ like behavior. 327 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:08,320 A Christian would tell somebody if they're going to be lost and 328 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:10,480 would share that would be concerned. 329 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:15,000 Pray and help somebody counsel them, for we're members one of 330 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:17,880 another. We need to be concerned about 331 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,680 each other. There's a difference between 332 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:24,680 fornication and marriage. Nevertheless, because of sexual 333 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,640 immorality, let every man have his own wife and every woman 334 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:31,160 have her own husband. First Corinthians 7 two, it's a 335 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:35,240 sin to live in fornication, to live as if you're married. 336 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:38,000 When you're not married, get married. 337 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:40,640 That's what 1st Corinthians 7 tells. 338 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,800 Let every man have his own wife and every woman have her own 339 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,480 husband. Stop living in sin. 340 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:52,280 Try to draw near and close to God encourage each other and we 341 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:55,840 need to not put make a distinct we need to make the distinction 342 00:21:56,160 --> 00:22:00,960 and say this is this is not permitted in in the Kingdom of 343 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,640 heaven areas where the lines clearly marked areas where the 344 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:09,040 lines not so clearly marked. Yes, sometimes the area is in 345 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,840 modesty. We he wants women to adorn 346 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:14,160 themselves in modest apparel, moderate apparel. 347 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:18,920 That's what we have to try to not be gender bending 348 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:23,320 Christians. We need to be men and women, 349 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,440 especially in this age. Especially in this age. 350 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:33,000 We need to try to be the best men and women that we can be. 351 00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:35,720 And that's what I'm trying to say. 352 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:40,160 Yes, it may be vague because somebody, some apparel here 353 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:42,680 might not be appropriate in a foreign country. 354 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:46,080 And sometimes in a foreign country, their parable might not 355 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:51,600 be appropriate in our country. But we can live as men and 356 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,240 women. Masculinity and femininity is 357 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,280 something that we should have awareness of. 358 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:02,160 And yeah, it's sometimes vague, sometimes it's conditional, but 359 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:04,960 sometimes it needs to be known and appropriate. 360 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,080 Masculine and feminine does not even nature itself teach you. 361 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:10,440 If a man have long hair, it's a dishonor to him. 362 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:13,160 But if a woman has long hair, it's a glory to her for her hair 363 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:16,640 is given to her for covering. This is scriptures. 364 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:20,840 It reads this way because God wants us to be aware that we're 365 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,960 not speed supposed to be messing around in this area. 366 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:32,440 Try to be as masculine or as feminine as you can be in the 367 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:35,400 Christian graces and they're opposites. 368 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:39,840 We should know what it is. Faith, virtue, knowledge, 369 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:43,720 self-control. New American Standard says 370 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:47,120 perseverance. Not patience, perseverance, 371 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:50,440 holding on, not holding back, but holding on. 372 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,080 Godliness, brotherly kindness and love. 373 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:57,640 These are the virtues that we should strive for and teach our 374 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:01,480 children to strive for. We've got to help them to grow 375 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:05,200 in their faith, to recognize the limits that God's constraints 376 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:09,600 that God puts on them, and help them to be faithful in keeping 377 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:16,800 their word and keeping the appropriate things of God in our 378 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:20,680 in our lives, things about which we may have doubt. 379 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:24,720 We must choose the safe path, the Bible says. 380 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:27,360 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats because he does not 381 00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:30,480 eat from faith. Faith is the assurance of things 382 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:33,640 hoped for, a conviction about saying things not seen. 383 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:36,720 Hebrews 11 / 1. If we can't have that kind of 384 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:42,320 conviction about something, then step back and maybe reconsider. 385 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:48,680 But try to be confident in the right things in the in the walk 386 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:51,800 that we have, because we're trying to walk not on the 387 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:55,800 borderline, but as close to the middle as we can get. 388 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:01,480 We need to walk by faith, for whatever is not from faith is 389 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,040 sin. The Bible says in Romans 14 and 390 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:07,080 verse 33 there's two kinds of people. 391 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:10,440 Once again, they're citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and 392 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:12,280 citizens of the Kingdom of Satan. 393 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:17,360 Many live their lives near the Kingdom of God, but never in it. 394 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:21,920 Notice what Jesus says and the on in Mark 12. 395 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:27,160 In Mark 12 verse 32, listen to what it says to the scribes. 396 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:29,280 He said to them, well said teacher, you've spoken the 397 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:31,520 truth. For there is one God and there's 398 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:35,360 no other but He, and to love him with all of your heart, with all 399 00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:39,840 his understanding, with all the soul, with all the strength, and 400 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:43,160 to love one's neighbors, oneself as more than all the whole burnt 401 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:46,400 offerings and sacrifices. This is a response somebody's 402 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:51,520 given Jesus. Now when Jesus saw, listen, when 403 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:57,440 Jesus saw that the answer that he answered wisely, he said to 404 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:02,600 him, you are not far from the Kingdom of God. 405 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:09,200 He still wasn't in it, but he wasn't far from it. 406 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:15,720 He said you're not far from the Kingdom of heaven, my friends. 407 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:17,600 That's what we need to be is not far. 408 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:22,040 We need to be constantly drawing as close to God as we can get. 409 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,040 Nevertheless, even among the rulers, many believed on him. 410 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:27,760 But because of the Pharisees, they did not confess. 411 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,800 If they knew they should have, lest they be put out of the 412 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:32,880 synagogue, they didn't want the consequences. 413 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:37,000 They should have had enough courage to speak the truth like 414 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,840 Felix now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control and 415 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:44,080 judgment to come. Felix was afraid and answered. 416 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:46,600 Go away for now. When I arrive, a convenient 417 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:49,800 season, a convenient time, I will call for you. 418 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:53,320 Yeah, but we don't think he ever did. 419 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:56,520 Then the GREEP has said to Paul, you almost persuade me to become 420 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:58,800 a Christian. Yeah, sometimes we're almost 421 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:02,200 persuaded, but we just never really make the commitment. 422 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,880 Not everyone who says to me this is one of the scariest passages 423 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:09,040 in the Scriptures, Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of 424 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:13,360 heaven, but he does the will of my Father, which is heaven. 425 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:21,400 We got to do what we know is right, try to get, try to get as 426 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:25,600 close as we can to the Lord, not as close to the border, but as 427 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,480 close as we can to the Lord. Moses got close enough to see 428 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:30,920 Canaan, but he didn't get to enter. 429 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:34,520 In foolish versions could hear the Lord through the door, but 430 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:37,960 they couldn't go in. The rich young ruler was close 431 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:42,240 enough to lack only one thing, but he didn't get in. 432 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,600 Where do you live? I just want to. 433 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:47,280 I just want to encourage you folks. 434 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:52,360 We need courage. We need courage and faithfulness 435 00:27:52,360 --> 00:27:57,000 and commitment to be successful in this generation or we are 436 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:00,240 going to be overwhelmed and dismissed as irrelevant. 437 00:28:02,120 --> 00:28:05,000 We need to be relevant because the Lord is relevant. 438 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:09,760 What he did was expensive. He gave his life so that others 439 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:14,120 could be saved. Don't disrespect that sacrifice. 440 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:18,840 Be faithful. Confess His name proudly, 441 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:23,880 confidently. See how close you can get to the 442 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:27,120 Lord, not how close you can get to Satan. 443 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:30,160 The Lord is the one you need to thank. 444 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:33,880 Lesson. George, today I kept you awake. 445 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:35,320 I'm successful. I'm glad. 446 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:37,240 I'm happy. I kept you awake. 447 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:42,600 That was my objective. Thank you very much. 448 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:48,280 But do you agree with me that we need courage? 449 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:52,680 Do you agree with me that we need to see how close to the 450 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:55,600 Lord we can get and how far away from the border? 451 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:59,800 All those guys that were driving by the bite, there was no 452 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:03,640 lights, only their headlights and they couldn't see out in 453 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:06,000 front. They were getting close and all 454 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:07,160 they could do was hear the water. 455 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:10,480 Do you hear the water? Do you hear the water? 456 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:12,320 Are you going to slow down? Are you going to stop? 457 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:14,880 Are you going to drive right off the edge? 458 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:21,600 Let's see if we won't stop and be faithful to the Lord as best 459 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:26,000 we can. You know, this year, I, I'm, I'm 460 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:30,280 over 70 anymore. I know I don't look like it, but 461 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:37,000 the point I'm getting at about all this is that I'm fearful for 462 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,200 the kids. I don't see very much courage 463 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:44,880 anymore. I don't see courage and really 464 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:48,720 bothers me. Courage. 465 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:52,840 Brothers and sisters, we need parents that are willing to be 466 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:55,880 courageous in their stand for the Lord. 467 00:29:56,880 --> 00:30:00,880 Let's, let's not, let's get away from borderline living. 468 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:05,880 Let's get away from that. If you stand in need of 469 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:08,280 obedience tonight in your faith, repent of your sins. 470 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:11,720 Luke 13, three, confess his name if you haven't, Matthew 1032, 471 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:14,640 and be baptized for the remission of your sins 472 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:21,120 courageously, faithfully. If you're a Christian, you've 473 00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:26,480 fallen away because you've been intimidated your faith. 474 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:30,480 It's time to confess your faults and pray and ask God to 475 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:36,480 forgiveness if you need to. But for all of us, it's time the 476 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:41,720 church stopped borderline living and tried to see how close we 477 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:47,080 could come to walking with Jesus with no question where we stand. 478 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:52,200 If you stand in need of changing your life in some meaningful 479 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:54,120 way, come while we stand in, while we see.