1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:04,160 I don't know about you, but I love this time of year. 2 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:11,240 Yesterday and the day before, when I was dragging all of my 3 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:16,320 Christmas trees out of my garage and setting them up in my house, 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:20,280 all 12 of them, and I still have a few more to go. 5 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,120 I was thinking about the Christmas narrative. 6 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:27,240 You know, whenever the weather turns and it gets a little 7 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:31,040 cloudy and a little cool, the trees got to go up. 8 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,120 And so in my house, they're, they're up. 9 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:39,160 And in the morning when I get up at 4:30, I go out there to all 10 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:41,400 my lights on. It's just me and the Lord and my 11 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:43,760 lights. And it's a great opportunity for 12 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,400 me to commune with him and to read the word of God and to 13 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:52,920 really understand the beauty of the incarnation of Christ, God 14 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,600 becoming man. And I was thinking about the 15 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,880 Christmas narrative because we're studying the life of 16 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,280 adoration in the First Thessalonians, chapter 5, 17 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:07,080 because that's the model life, the life that adores God. 18 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:12,080 And there's no better classic illustration of adoration than 19 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:16,320 the Christmas narrative because adoration begins with with 20 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:20,600 recognition, a recognition of who God is. 21 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:27,360 So the Angel said, do not be afraid, for we bring you good 22 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:31,920 news of great joy. For unto you this day in the 23 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:37,240 city of David there's been born a Savior, who is Christ the 24 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:41,320 Lord. That begins the the adoration of 25 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:47,960 Christmas time, a recognition that the Christ child has come, 26 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:56,280 the Savior has come, the Lord is among us, a fulfillment of 27 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:01,280 Isaiah's prophecy. True adoration always begins 28 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:06,840 with a recognition of who God is, and that recognition then 29 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:12,080 leads to what I think is the greatest of all words and 30 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:19,080 excitation to be with Him. Once the shepherd's heard the 31 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:23,920 word that was given to them, the Bible says they went in haste to 32 00:02:23,920 --> 00:02:26,480 see all that the angels had said. 33 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,880 I don't know how shepherds move in the haste with all of their 34 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,280 sheep. I don't know if they left their 35 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,880 sheep under the care of someone else. 36 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:38,840 I don't know. All I know is that they could 37 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:45,200 not wait to see what the angels had said to them, that there was 38 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,960 this excitation to be with the Christ child. 39 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:56,960 All true adorers of God can't wait to be with God. 40 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:00,920 That's characteristic of everybody in the Scriptures. 41 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,960 That's what a psalmist said. I was glad when they said to me, 42 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,120 let us go to the House of the Lord. 43 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:07,880 Why? Because there's one thing I 44 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:13,280 desire, just one that I may, may dwell in the House of the Lord 45 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:18,320 and behold his beauty. So all those who adore God, 46 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,880 there's first of all a recognition of who he is. 47 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,280 And there's then there's an excitation to be with him. 48 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,200 That excitation to be with him leads to a proclamation about 49 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,160 him. Because the shepherds then began 50 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:37,040 to tell Mary and Joseph and all who would hear everything that 51 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,680 they had heard and seen, they they could not wait to proclaim 52 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:46,120 the good news. So those who adore their God not 53 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:51,680 only recognize who he is and not only are excited to be with him, 54 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:56,000 that they want to proclaim him to others. 55 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:02,160 So there's a, a recognition of who he is. 56 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,120 There's an excitation to, to be with him. 57 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:10,680 There was a proclamation about him, and then all those who 58 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:15,400 adore their God will always be characterized by a meditation 59 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,279 upon Him. And that's when Mary would 60 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:22,560 ponder all these things in her heart. 61 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:29,360 You imagine being 13 or 14 years of age, just having given birth 62 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:34,000 to the Christ child and all that that was involved in their lives 63 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,600 with Mary and Joseph and how there was no room in the end. 64 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,080 And the shepherd's come and proclaim to them all that the 65 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:45,040 angels had said. The overwhelming sense of all in 66 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:49,840 the life of Mary. She would ponder all these 67 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:52,840 things in her heart because those who adore their God, 68 00:04:52,840 --> 00:04:56,680 there's always a a meditation upon him. 69 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:03,560 Once there's a meditation upon him, there was always a 70 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:09,600 satisfaction with him. That's where Simeon comes in, in 71 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:13,120 the Christmas narrative, because he was told by the Lord that he 72 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,120 would not die until he saw the Lord's Messiah, the Lord's 73 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:19,360 Christ. And when he finally holds the 74 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:22,880 Christ child in his arms, he said, now I can die. 75 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:29,840 I've lived to see what I've longed to see, and now I can die 76 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:35,960 because the light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of 77 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:40,400 our people, Israel, has arrived. And there was this great longing 78 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,640 and satisfaction in the life of Simeon that led him to that 79 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:46,600 great and glorious day where he helped the Christ child. 80 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:52,840 Because all those who adore their king are satisfied with 81 00:05:52,840 --> 00:05:56,560 their king. So there's a recognition of him. 82 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,520 There is an excitation to be with him. 83 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:05,760 There is a proclamation about him. 84 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:12,480 There was a meditation upon him, there's a satisfaction with him, 85 00:06:14,280 --> 00:06:19,000 and there's always then a presentation to him. 86 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:24,640 That's where the magi come in. In the Christmas narrative, when 87 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:30,240 they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, they 88 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:32,440 bowed before him and presented him gifts. 89 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,520 Because those who adore their God can't wait to present to him 90 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:43,560 the best of what they have. And there's a presentation to 91 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:48,000 him. And then of course, lastly, 92 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:55,760 there is a celebration of him. A celebration of him. 93 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,080 And the whole Christmas narrative is about the 94 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:02,680 celebration of the coming of the King, as spoken of in Mary's 95 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:08,000 song and in Zacharias's song there, there was great joy. 96 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:14,360 And that celebration is is characterized by three specific 97 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:18,000 attitudes. And Paul gives us those 98 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,040 attitudes in First Thessalonians 5, and they're in the Christmas 99 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:25,080 narrative. They're joyful, they're 100 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:30,120 prayerful, and they're thankful. When you look at Mary and 101 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:34,320 Zacharias's song, it's all about the joy that comes, the great 102 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:38,320 Thanksgiving that comes because the Messiah has arrived. 103 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,160 But remember in the Christmas narrative there is there was 104 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:48,960 Anna who was the widow for 84 years and the Bible tells us 105 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:56,320 that she did not cease to serve and to pray night and day in the 106 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,320 temple. She was prayerful. 107 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,040 So when Paul comes along and says in First Thessalonians 108 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:07,200 chapter 5, this is the life of those who adore God, they 109 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:11,080 rejoice always, they're joyful, they pray without ceasing. 110 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:15,200 They they are prayerful and they give thanks in everything they 111 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,000 are thankful for. This is the will of God in 112 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:23,480 Christ Jesus concerning you. This is the, the celebratory 113 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:29,760 nature of those who adore God. But yet there's also things that 114 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:34,760 those who adore God, they do not do, and that's in verse #19 115 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:39,240 they, they do not quench the spirit, they do not stifle the 116 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:43,320 spirit, they do not suffocate the spirit for a variety of 117 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:44,880 reasons. They, they want to make sure the 118 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:47,680 spirits work flows in and through them. 119 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:51,520 They do not quench the spirit. That was last week's sermon. 120 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,280 And they also do not despise prophetic utterances. 121 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:00,480 That's verse #20 of First Thessalonians 5. 122 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:06,880 They do not despise prophetic utterances. 123 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:14,480 They do not look down upon, They do not disregard, they do not 124 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:23,080 disesteem, they do not disrespect the revelation of the 125 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,840 living God. Those who adore God don't do 126 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:29,800 that. They don't want to do that. 127 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:37,720 They don't want to devalue that which is absolutely valuable. 128 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:41,480 That's why the Lord said man shall not live by bread alone, 129 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:44,560 but by every word that proceeds for the mouth of God. 130 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:48,040 That's the value of the truth of God's word. 131 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:49,920 That's the value of His revelation. 132 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:52,600 That's why you treasure God's word in your heart, that you 133 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:55,600 might not sin against him, because you value the word of 134 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,960 God, the revelation of God, the revelation of God spoken, and 135 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:05,480 the revelation of God written, because you know that every word 136 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:10,080 of God is breathed into existence by Him. 137 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:14,400 Second Thessalonians, Second Timothy 316 And that word that's 138 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:18,600 God breathed is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 139 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:21,400 correction, for instruction and righteousness, so that the man 140 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:24,640 of God will be thoroughly equipped, thoroughly finished, 141 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:29,880 furnished to do all that will make him complete and perfect. 142 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:36,600 You value the treasure of the Word of God. 143 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:42,880 That's why Paul said in Acts chapter 20 verse #32 to the 144 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,400 Ephesians elders, I commend you to God in the word of His grace, 145 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:51,640 which is able to build you up. I'm going to leave, but I 146 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:57,120 commend you to the word of God's grace because that's what you 147 00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:01,680 need to build you up every single day. 148 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:05,840 The Thessalonians put out the welcome mat. 1st Thessalonians 149 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:11,160 213 They welcomed the revelation of God, the truth of God's holy 150 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:15,840 word. And Paul says, whatever you do, 151 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:23,080 those who adore God, they do not despise, disregard, devalued, 152 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:32,480 disrespect, think light of the revelation of God's holy Word. 153 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:39,960 Paul would say in in Second Timothy chapter 4, these words 154 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:43,960 to Timothy, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and 155 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:46,520 of Christ Jesus, who is the judge, the living of the dead, 156 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:48,600 and by his appearing in his Kingdom. 157 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:51,480 Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of 158 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:55,640 season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and 159 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:59,200 instruction. For the time will come when they 160 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:03,680 will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears 161 00:12:03,680 --> 00:12:06,760 tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in 162 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:11,120 accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears 163 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,440 from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 164 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,520 But you, Timothy, be sober and all things endure hardship. 165 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:26,880 Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry whenever, 166 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:32,120 whenever. 1 rejects the revelation of God. 167 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:35,440 There is always a suffocation of the Spirit of God. 168 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:41,240 But Paul is concerned that that those in Thessalonica always 169 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:50,080 truly value that which is true and that is the word of God. 170 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:55,320 But we live in a day and age where where people want to They 171 00:12:55,320 --> 00:13:01,560 want to hear stories about life, but they don't want to hear the 172 00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:08,200 scripture that gives life. We live in a day where where 173 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:15,120 people want to hear social issues addressed instead of 174 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:21,680 sound doctrine applied. We live in a day where where 175 00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:26,480 people want to hear words of comfort, not words of 176 00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:31,480 conviction. We live in a day where people 177 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:34,720 want their ears to be tickled instead of their body to be 178 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:37,560 tackled by the truth of the living God. 179 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:43,520 And that's unfortunate because whether you know it or not, 180 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:48,120 there are people all around us, in churches across the world 181 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:51,720 that despise the revelation of God. 182 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:58,600 And you know what? Unfortunately, there are times 183 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:03,640 in which all of us do, and so I want to show you how that 184 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:06,160 happens so that we don't do that. 185 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:13,440 Remember Esau back in the book of Genesis, Genesis chapter 25, 186 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:21,360 verse #34 it says that Esau despised his birthright. 187 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:32,240 Esau despised his birthright. He considered his birthright of 188 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:42,760 the covenant blessings of God as less important than his fleshly 189 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:51,080 desires. Esau in Genesis chapter 25 would 190 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:56,800 sell his birthright to satisfy his belly. 191 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:04,560 He despised the word of the Lord, and he saw. 192 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:11,280 And all of his descendants represent all those who have 193 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:17,840 decided that the world has more to offer than the word of God 194 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:23,320 has to offer. It's no wonder that God said, 195 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:30,120 Jacob I have loved, and Esau I have hated. 196 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:36,840 Why? Because he despised the Word and 197 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:44,200 desired the world more than the revelation that God had given to 198 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:48,640 him concerning his covenant birthright. 199 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:55,120 But he is just one of many examples in the Bible. 200 00:15:56,560 --> 00:16:02,480 The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 1, These words Proverbs 201 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:08,360 chapter one verse #7 Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 202 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:14,080 Wisdom is the the application of truth and knowledge is the 203 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:18,400 verification of truth. And therefore fools despise the 204 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:21,240 truth of God, because it gives wisdom and knowledge. 205 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:28,080 Proverbs 1/22 it says fools hate knowledge. 206 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:33,080 And then over in Proverbs chapter 23 verse #9 it says, do 207 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:37,480 not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the 208 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:42,160 wisdom of your words. And then over in chapter 19 of 209 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:47,160 the book of Proverbs, the third verse, it says the foolishness 210 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:52,600 of a man ruins his way and his heart rages against the Lord. 211 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,680 Those who despise the the words of knowledge and wisdom and 212 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:02,840 understanding are those whose hearts Rage Against the Lord. 213 00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:07,280 In fact, if you go back to the book of Numbers, the book of 214 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:10,760 Numbers, the 15th chapter, listen to what God says. 215 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,760 He says the person who does not, who does anything defiantly. 216 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:19,040 This is Exodus 15 verse #30 the person who does anything 217 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:23,920 defiantly, whether he is a native or an alien, that one is 218 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:27,800 blaspheming the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from 219 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:29,720 among his people. Why? 220 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:37,280 Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his 221 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:40,480 commandment. That person shall be completely 222 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:45,240 cut off. His guilt will be on him. 223 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,480 God is serious about how we take his word. 224 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:58,480 God demands and God deserves that we keep his commandments, 225 00:17:59,360 --> 00:18:05,200 that we do what his word says that that's why over in in 226 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:11,280 Matthew Chapter 7, as the Lord would conclude His Sermon on the 227 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:15,800 Mount by talking about what it means to to get into the Kingdom 228 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:21,000 and to live like a child in that Kingdom, He concluded with these 229 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:22,960 words. Therefore, everyone who hears 230 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,600 these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise 231 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:28,560 man who built his house on the rock. 232 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:31,800 The rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and 233 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:35,880 slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had 234 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:41,640 been founded on the rock. The rock is the truth of Christ. 235 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,720 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act upon 236 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:50,600 them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 237 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:54,160 The rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and 238 00:18:54,160 --> 00:19:00,440 slammed against that house, and it fell, and great was its fall. 239 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:04,960 See, the foolish man despises wisdom, he despises knowledge, 240 00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:08,680 he despises understanding, he despises instruction. 241 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:12,080 And Christ says that man is the foolish man. 242 00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:15,400 He builds his house upon the sand. 243 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,880 There's no foundation there. There's no, there's no solid 244 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,960 rock that's there. But the one who hears my word 245 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:24,400 and acts upon them, that's the wise man. 246 00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:28,320 That man builds his house upon a firm foundation. 247 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:32,640 And when storms come, when the winds blow, when the rains 248 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:35,000 descend upon it, it does not move. 249 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:38,120 It's immovable. Why? 250 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,760 Because he heard the word of God, he acted upon the word of 251 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:43,600 God. He did not despise that word. 252 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,320 He did not reject that word. He did not devalue that word. 253 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:51,080 Instead he valued it, accepted it, believed it. 254 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:59,880 That man stood with foolish man was unable to stand because he 255 00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:05,640 despised and rejected the revelation that God had given. 256 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:09,320 Now you're sitting there thinking, probably when you 257 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:13,760 know, I don't do that. I don't despise the word of God, 258 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:22,760 I don't reject the truth of God. I don't live obstinately against 259 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:25,680 the statutes, the commands of God. 260 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,600 I don't do that. I don't despise prophetic 261 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:34,720 utterances. So let me give you an example, a 262 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:41,960 biblical illustration of how it comes about in our lives. 263 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:46,800 And for the most part, we don't even understand it. 264 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:51,440 We didn't even know what's happening, but it happens. 265 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:54,360 So the Bible gives us illustrations, it gives us 266 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:56,440 examples. These things are written for our 267 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:58,960 instruction. Romans 15 says that we might 268 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,680 understand and have encouragement and have hope that 269 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:05,360 we might persevere. So the the Old Testament is 270 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:10,560 filled with instruction. So let me give you a very common 271 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:12,120 illustration. You're going to know it very 272 00:21:12,120 --> 00:21:15,800 well, but you're going to not not going to know how it comes 273 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:21,000 about unless you know what leads up to the person's rejecting the 274 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:29,080 word of the Lord. And this is probably the most 275 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:35,640 godly man in the Old Testament, and yet he would despise the 276 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:44,040 revelation of God. It's found in the book of Second 277 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:48,440 Samuel, the 11th chapter. Let me read it to you. 278 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:53,920 Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to 279 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:58,360 battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all 280 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:02,000 Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged 281 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:05,600 Rabbah, but David stayed at Jerusalem. 282 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:10,920 Now when evening came, David arose from his bed and walked 283 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:14,600 around on the roof of the King's house, and from the roof he saw 284 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:18,320 a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful in 285 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:22,320 appearance. So David sent and inquired about 286 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:27,640 the woman, and one said, is this not Bathsheba the daughter of 287 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:31,440 Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 288 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:39,080 David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him he 289 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:44,120 lay with her, and when she had purified herself from her 290 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:49,240 uncleanness, she returned to her house. 291 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:58,840 The woman conceived and she sent and told David and said, I am 292 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:04,040 pregnant now. We'll stop right there because 293 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:07,000 you know the story. At least you should know the 294 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,800 story. But you need to understand what 295 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:13,320 led up to everything in David's life. 296 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:22,720 And it begins with laziness. You want to begin to reject the 297 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:26,800 revelation of God. It begins with the laziness, and 298 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:29,880 laziness always leads to idleness. 299 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,920 At the time when kings go out to war, the Bible says David the 300 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:38,880 king did not go to war. But why not David? 301 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:43,680 David was a warrior. He couldn't build a temple 302 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,360 because he was a man of bloodshed. 303 00:23:45,360 --> 00:23:49,560 God said he was Israel's great warrior king. 304 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:54,880 But when kings go out to war, David decided to stay back, not 305 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:56,880 fulfill his responsibility as king. 306 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:04,800 David became lazy, and laziness always leads to idleness. 307 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:11,240 You don't do anything. So he began to wander around his 308 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:18,040 palace, and as he wandered around his palace in idleness 309 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:24,280 because of his laziness, it led to mindlessness. 310 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:32,240 Always happens this way. Elates to mindlessness. 311 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:39,200 Now what evening came? David arose from his bed, walked 312 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:44,200 around the roof, couldn't sleep. But when you don't fulfill your 313 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:46,040 responsibility, you probably can't sleep. 314 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:51,360 David had maybe insomnia, I don't know. 315 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:56,480 But instead of engaging in prayer, because prayerlessness 316 00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:02,920 is always a issue, he engaged in mindlessness and wandered around 317 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:10,000 his his palace on the roof, and from the roof he saw a woman 318 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:15,680 bathing. Laziness always leads to 319 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:18,880 idleness, idleness always leads to mindlessness, and 320 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,440 mindlessness always leads to carelessness. 321 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:31,520 Carelessness. He sees a woman bathing, and 322 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:39,160 that carelessness led to lustfulness, says. 323 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:46,720 And the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 324 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:53,680 How does 1 become lustful? Because he's lazy, 325 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:58,320 irresponsible, not fulfilling the duty that God had given to 326 00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:01,280 him, and laziness will lead to idleness. 327 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:06,600 What do I do now that leads to mindlessness, leads to 328 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:14,400 carelessness, and then it leads to lustfulness, and that 329 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:22,360 lustfulness leads always to foolishness says so. 330 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:26,800 David sent and inquired about the woman. 331 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,760 That's just foolish. David, you're married. 332 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:37,600 You have wives, plural. This is just foolishness. 333 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:47,880 And someone said, is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of 334 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:56,320 Eliam, the wife of Uriah? Foolishness stemming from 335 00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:00,640 lustfulness always leads to covetousness, wanting that which 336 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:05,040 is not yours, wanting your your neighbor's wife. 337 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:08,840 Is this not the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 338 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:16,200 Is she not married David? Do you see the downward spiral 339 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:20,640 that David finds himself in because he was irresponsible to 340 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:24,920 begin with? That laziness, that idleness, 341 00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:29,360 that carelessness, that that mindlessness, that lustfulness, 342 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:32,400 that foolishness led to covetousness. 343 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,120 You wanted a woman that was not his. 344 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:44,040 David sent messengers and took her. 345 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:49,240 Covetous always leads to stubbornness, Just complete 346 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,080 stubbornness. I don't want her anyway. 347 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:53,080 I'm taking her. I'm the king. 348 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:59,240 I can have her. I deserve her stubbornness on 349 00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:07,000 the part of Israel's greatest king, Israel's godliest king. 350 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:13,200 That stubbornness led to the next step, which was 351 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:20,000 fearlessness. For it says David sent 352 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:27,080 messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay 353 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:33,120 with her. No Fear, No Fear whatsoever, No 354 00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:37,200 Fear of the consequences, No Fear of the violation of God. 355 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:41,120 He has gone down this spiral so far. 356 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:48,640 That God is not even a thought in His mind led to fearlessness, 357 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:54,800 and that fearlessness led to lawlessness to live as if there 358 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:58,200 was no law. He committed adultery. 359 00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:01,680 He slept with another man's wife. 360 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:09,640 That lawlessness from fearlessness and stubbornness 361 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:14,840 and covetousness led to shamelessness. 362 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:21,120 Shamelessness. When she had purified herself 363 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:29,000 from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 364 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:34,920 No big deal. Just a night of frolicking in 365 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:39,480 the sheets. Shamelessness. 366 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:45,440 Just get up, cleanse yourself, and move on as if nothing ever 367 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:52,880 happened. That shamelessness LED to the 368 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:58,200 relentless passion of unrighteousness. 369 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:07,200 Why the woman conceived. She sent and told David and 370 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:14,200 said, I am pregnant. In this relentless passion of 371 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:18,080 unrighteousness would be the continued spiral of David's 372 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:22,120 life, leading him further and further away from his God into 373 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:26,760 sin by trying to figure out how to manipulate Uriah, how to 374 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:31,920 deceive Uriah, how to ultimately kill Uriah so they could have 375 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:39,520 Bathsheba for himself. This is the king of Israel, this 376 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:45,960 is David. So God sends the prophet Nathan 377 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:53,320 to David and Nathan gives a parable about a very rich man 378 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:59,480 who had tons of sheep, whole flock, and a poor man who had 379 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:05,880 one little you lamb who he loved, cherished and adored. 380 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:12,640 A traveller came to the rich man and said, hey, I, I need one of 381 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:15,720 your when you're lambs. And so instead of taking one of 382 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:21,880 his own, he takes the poor man's only lamb and gives it to the 383 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:26,240 traveller. And Nathan, the prophet of God, 384 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,000 gives this parable to David. And David is incensed. 385 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:34,680 He's angry. In fact, he says his anger 386 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:38,120 burned greatly. Verse #5 of chapter 12, instead 387 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:40,920 of Nathan as the Lord live, surely the man who has done this 388 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:43,760 deserves to die. He must make restitution for the 389 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,680 Lamb fourfold because he did this thing and had no 390 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:48,920 compassion. And Nathan said to David, David, 391 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,680 you're the man. You're that man. 392 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:58,400 David, you're the man who had everything, all you could ever 393 00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:02,960 dream of. You had it all, and you took one 394 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:14,200 man's prized possession. So Nathan said, Thus says the 395 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:15,720 Lord God of Israel, listen carefully. 396 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,600 It is I who anointed you king over Israel. 397 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:24,400 David, you're king because I anointed you. 398 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:29,200 God says you're only the king because of me, David, not 399 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:33,560 because you, you killed Goliath, not because people saying your 400 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:35,520 praise. You're king over Israel because 401 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:43,000 of me, and this I who delivered you from the hand of Saul as 402 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:46,840 many times as Saul tried to kill you, you thought you escaped by 403 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:50,800 your own creativity and your own warrior like skills. 404 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:52,880 But you know what? You didn't escape because of 405 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:54,600 that. You escaped because of me. 406 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:59,560 I allowed you to escape David. It was me who protected you. 407 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:07,960 I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives 408 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:14,160 into your care. I gave you everything. 409 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,240 I gave you the House of Israel and Judah. 410 00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:23,200 And if that had been too little, I would have added to you many 411 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:28,600 more things like these. And as if this wasn't enough, I 412 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:33,280 gave you power over Judah, power over Israel. 413 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:36,320 I gave you all the possessions you could ever imagine. 414 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:40,120 I gave you prestige. I gave you the Kingdom. 415 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:45,480 I protected you. I gave you everything. 416 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:50,120 And you know what? I would have given you more, 417 00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:55,800 more. Now listen carefully, verse 9. 418 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:09,320 So why have you, David king of Israel, despised the word of the 419 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:15,040 Lord? It's no wonder Paul says do not 420 00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:19,880 despise the revelation of God. Don't do that. 421 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:28,159 Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His 422 00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:30,920 sight? You have struck down your riot. 423 00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:34,440 The Hittite with the sword have taken his wife to be your wife, 424 00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:37,920 and have killed him and the sword of the sons of Ammon. 425 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:41,639 Now, therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, 426 00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:50,760 because you have despised me. You cannot despise prophetic 427 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:55,800 utterances without despising the God who gave the revelation. 428 00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:01,400 When you despise His Word, you despise the God of the Word. 429 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:06,680 When you despise the inspired Word, you despised the Incarnate 430 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:10,320 Word. You cannot separate the 2. 431 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:16,760 You've despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the 432 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:21,200 Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I 433 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:24,000 will raise up evil against you from your own household. 434 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:28,920 I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them 435 00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:33,080 to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad 436 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:38,520 daylight. Indeed, you did it secretly, but 437 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:44,840 I will do this thing before all Israel and under the sun, that 438 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:48,440 little phrase. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I 439 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:54,040 will raise up evil against you from your own household. 440 00:35:55,480 --> 00:36:00,640 Do you know that so many times as husbands, as fathers, because 441 00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:04,560 we have despised and rejected and disregarded the word of the 442 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:11,840 Lord, there is an evil that rises up in our own homes that's 443 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:14,840 a consequence of rejecting the word of God. 444 00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:20,880 And it did for David. David experienced death, 445 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:26,520 defiance, defilement. He experienced complete and 446 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:30,640 utter disclosure of all of his sins and dishonor. 447 00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:38,440 He says to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. 448 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:44,480 And Nathan said to David, the Lord has taken away your sin, 449 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:48,920 you shall not die. The consequences of adultery's 450 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:54,320 death Consequences of sin The way to sin is death. 451 00:36:56,880 --> 00:36:58,440 But the Lord has taken away your sin. 452 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:06,280 You will not die. However, there's always the 453 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:13,360 However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the 454 00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:17,800 enemies of the Lord, to blasphemy, the child also that 455 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:23,640 is born to you shall surely die. You've given the enemies of the 456 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:28,400 Lord occasion to blasphemy the name of God, because you 457 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:34,000 disregarded, you despised the word of the Lord, which says you 458 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:38,960 shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not 459 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:43,960 lie, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, you shall have 460 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:48,040 no other gods before me. You should worship me and me 461 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:50,760 only. David broke 9 out of 10 462 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:53,440 commandments in one act with Bathsheba. 463 00:37:55,360 --> 00:38:00,120 God says you despise my word, you rejected my word. 464 00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:04,720 So when Paul says this, the First Thessalonians chapter 5, 465 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:08,200 and we think that we're the we're the ones who do not 466 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:13,280 disregard or look down upon or treat lightly the revelation of 467 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:16,480 God. We need to think again and ask 468 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:22,760 ourselves where have I, where have I took the word of the Lord 469 00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:27,200 lightly and not treated it with value and respect and dignity 470 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:36,010 and honor. I could in there, but I'm not 471 00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:46,120 listen to Isaiah chapter 5 which says Therefore, as a tongue of 472 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:50,920 fire consumes stubble, and dry grass collapses into the flame, 473 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:55,200 so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away 474 00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:59,160 as dust. For they have rejected the law 475 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:04,040 of the Lord of hosts and despise the word of the Holy One of 476 00:39:04,040 --> 00:39:09,000 Israel. Isaiah's prophesying 100 years 477 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:13,280 before captivity and tells them from the outset you have 478 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:19,560 despised the Holy One of Israel because you have rejected his 479 00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:24,520 word. And when you turn over to the 480 00:39:24,520 --> 00:39:30,320 30th chapter of Isaiah, listen to what God says. 481 00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:37,120 Woe to the rebellious children, declares the Lord, who execute a 482 00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:43,680 plan but not mine, and make an alliance but not of my spirit, 483 00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:49,880 in order to add sin to sin. Have you ever executed a plan 484 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:55,120 that wasn't God's plan? Have you ever made-up your mind 485 00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:58,320 to do something no matter what God says? 486 00:39:58,720 --> 00:40:02,400 This is Israel. You made a plan. 487 00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:05,560 And what was your plan? Their plan was to go down to 488 00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:10,960 Egypt. Assyria was coming, the great 489 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:16,000 army, the greatest Syrian Army. And so they would flee to Egypt 490 00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:20,200 to gain wisdom and understanding and to gain an alliance. 491 00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:23,960 And Egypt in the Bible always represents the world. 492 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:31,520 And God is condemning Israel, His people, because they decided 493 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:36,400 to trust an alliance with the world instead of the authority 494 00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:44,080 of His Word. That's what Israel did over in 495 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:47,680 chapter 31 verse #1 it says woe to those who go down to Egypt 496 00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:52,680 for help, cursed to be anybody who goes to the world for help 497 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:56,440 and rely on horses and trust in Chariots because they are many 498 00:40:56,520 --> 00:40:59,680 and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they do not 499 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:03,040 look to the Holy One of Israel nor seek the Lord. 500 00:41:04,320 --> 00:41:12,200 So often we we depend upon human resources for our strength, but 501 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:15,720 don't trust in the Lord. And God says curse it. 502 00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:20,720 Are those who do that. Shame on those who do that. 503 00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:28,080 Verse 2, it says of chapter 30, you proceed down to Egypt 504 00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:31,200 without consulting me. You ever done something without 505 00:41:31,200 --> 00:41:34,840 consulting the Lord? Maybe the second service people 506 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:39,160 do, but not first service people, right to take refuge in 507 00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:42,320 the safety of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of 508 00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:44,280 Egypt. You're seeking shelter in a 509 00:41:44,280 --> 00:41:47,360 shadow. Shadow has no substance. 510 00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:52,800 You're trying to seek shelter from that which has absolutely 511 00:41:53,080 --> 00:41:58,240 no quality of substance whatsoever to shadow, can't 512 00:41:58,240 --> 00:42:01,440 protect you, can't watch over you. 513 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:07,840 The problem is you think it can. Therefore, the safety of Pharaoh 514 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:12,320 will be your shame in the shelter, in the shadow of Egypt, 515 00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:16,080 your humiliation. You will be absolutely 516 00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:22,120 humiliated because Egypt and Pharaoh cannot do anything. 517 00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:26,520 The world cannot save you. The world cannot protect you. 518 00:42:27,840 --> 00:42:31,560 It cannot. For six, the Oracle concerning 519 00:42:31,560 --> 00:42:35,760 the beasts of the Negev through a land of distress and anguish, 520 00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:39,920 from where come lioness and lion and Viper and flying serpent. 521 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:43,480 They carry their riches on their backs of their donkeys and their 522 00:42:43,480 --> 00:42:47,920 treasures on camels humps to a people who cannot profit them. 523 00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:54,400 Even Egypt, whose help is vain and empty, there's just nothing 524 00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:57,320 there. You're you're about to embark on 525 00:42:57,320 --> 00:43:00,520 the dangerous desert, you're filled with lions and fiery 526 00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:01,840 serpents. You're going to be filled with 527 00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:04,760 anguish and distress. Because when you decide to make 528 00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:08,320 a plan without consulting God, there is nothing but anxiety, 529 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:10,880 There's nothing but worry, there's nothing but problems, 530 00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:14,200 there's nothing but distress, there's nothing but turmoil. 531 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:25,600 God tells them in advance, so he says in verse #8 now go write it 532 00:43:25,600 --> 00:43:30,040 on a tablet before them, and describe it on a scroll, that it 533 00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:34,320 may serve in the time to come as a witness forever. 534 00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:37,880 Isaiah, write it down, put it in stone. 535 00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:41,400 Everybody needs to read this and understand this. 536 00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:45,520 It's a witness forever. Please write it down because 537 00:43:45,760 --> 00:43:51,800 everybody needs to know verse 9, that this is a rebellious 538 00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:56,640 people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the 539 00:43:56,640 --> 00:44:00,320 instruction of the Lord, who say to the seers you must not see 540 00:44:00,320 --> 00:44:03,000 visions and to the prophets you must not prophesied. 541 00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:08,120 To us what is right, speak to us pleasant words, prophecy, 542 00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:10,880 illusions. Get out of the way. 543 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:14,760 Turn aside from the path. Let us hear no more about the 544 00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:18,720 Holy One of Israel. We don't want to hear about 545 00:44:18,720 --> 00:44:20,960 holiness. We don't want to hear about 546 00:44:20,960 --> 00:44:25,200 justice and righteousness. Just tell us things that aren't 547 00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:27,800 true. Tell us things that aren't 548 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:31,760 right. Just tickle our ears, tell us 549 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:34,240 things that won't bring conviction to our lives. 550 00:44:34,320 --> 00:44:38,000 We don't need to hear all that people who say that are in their 551 00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:39,920 rebellious state. That's why they don't want to be 552 00:44:39,920 --> 00:44:41,520 convicted by the word of the Lord. 553 00:44:45,240 --> 00:44:49,080 Here's the clincher verse. Well therefore, thus says the 554 00:44:49,080 --> 00:44:56,520 Holy One of Israel, since you have despised the Word and have 555 00:44:56,520 --> 00:45:00,400 put your trust in oppression and guile, and if you lied upon 556 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:05,480 them, therefore the iniquity, this iniquity will be to you 557 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:10,240 like a breech about to fall, a bulge and a high wall whose 558 00:45:10,240 --> 00:45:13,800 collapse comes suddenly in an instant. 559 00:45:15,560 --> 00:45:18,040 You will be broken in a moment of time. 560 00:45:19,680 --> 00:45:27,360 Because you despised the revelation of God, the Word of 561 00:45:27,360 --> 00:45:34,040 the Lord, you've disregarded it, you've devalued it, you've dis 562 00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:38,200 esteemed it. You, you have looked at the word 563 00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:40,880 of the Lord as as nothing. It means nothing. 564 00:45:42,080 --> 00:45:45,440 You think you won't experience the consequences of rebellion. 565 00:45:45,800 --> 00:45:48,680 You think you won't experience the consequences of sin. 566 00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:53,520 But you have turned against Me, and you have not regarded my 567 00:45:53,520 --> 00:45:56,160 word as holy. And you don't want to hear from 568 00:45:56,160 --> 00:45:58,640 me, the Holy One of Israel, any longer. 569 00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:05,120 You have despised my word. You have despised me. 570 00:46:07,960 --> 00:46:11,640 Verse 14, whose collapse is like the smashing of a Potter's jar, 571 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:16,320 so ruthlessly shattered that assured will not be found among 572 00:46:16,320 --> 00:46:21,840 its pieces to take fire from a hearth or to scoop water from a 573 00:46:22,200 --> 00:46:25,280 system. In other words, there will be no 574 00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:32,800 redeeming value in what is left of you because you despise my 575 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:38,800 word. Verse 15 here's hope for thus 576 00:46:38,800 --> 00:46:44,240 the Lord God the Holy One of Israel said in repentance and 577 00:46:44,240 --> 00:46:49,240 then rest. You will be saved in quietness, 578 00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:59,920 and trust is your strength. But you were unwilling. 579 00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:08,040 The hope is given. Repentance, rest, reliance, 580 00:47:09,040 --> 00:47:12,160 returning to me. Come back to me. 581 00:47:13,600 --> 00:47:18,560 Trust me, believe in me, hope in me. 582 00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:26,440 But you would not. You weren't willing and you said 583 00:47:27,640 --> 00:47:34,240 no, no, for we will flee on horses. 584 00:47:35,200 --> 00:47:37,920 It's no problem. We can run away from the 585 00:47:37,920 --> 00:47:40,240 Assyrians. We'll flee on horses. 586 00:47:40,680 --> 00:47:45,360 The Lord says therefore you shall flee, and we will ride on 587 00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:48,000 swift horses. And the Lord says, therefore 588 00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:51,440 those who pursue you shall be swifter. 589 00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:54,360 You think you can run from your enemy? 590 00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:57,960 You think that you can take care of yourself without me. 591 00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:02,200 You think that you can flee from your enemy without them catching 592 00:48:02,200 --> 00:48:04,680 you? No way. 593 00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:06,960 Think again. You got it wrong. 594 00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:10,040 As fast as your horses are, theirs are faster. 595 00:48:10,120 --> 00:48:12,440 As smart as you are, they are smarter. 596 00:48:12,560 --> 00:48:20,400 You need me, but you are unwilling. 1000 will flee at the 597 00:48:20,400 --> 00:48:23,720 threat of one man. You will flee at the threat of 598 00:48:23,720 --> 00:48:28,400 five until you are left as a flag on a mountaintop and as a 599 00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:32,280 signal on a hill. In ancient times, they they 600 00:48:32,320 --> 00:48:35,960 would communicate by putting flags on hills so people would 601 00:48:35,960 --> 00:48:38,320 know the condition and situations that people are 602 00:48:38,320 --> 00:48:40,480 facing. And so he's saying you will be 603 00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:43,320 like a flag on a hill. Everybody will know of your 604 00:48:43,320 --> 00:48:45,960 condition, that you were defeated, that you could not 605 00:48:45,960 --> 00:48:48,800 stand, that you are unable to conquer the enemy. 606 00:48:48,880 --> 00:48:53,200 It will be known by everybody who sees the flag on the hill. 607 00:48:55,600 --> 00:48:58,000 There's hope though. Verse 18. 608 00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:02,640 Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore 609 00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:04,920 He waits on high to have compassion on you. 610 00:49:06,400 --> 00:49:10,720 For the Lord is a God of justice, and how blessed are all 611 00:49:10,720 --> 00:49:15,120 those who long for him. There's always hope. 612 00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:19,000 God is such a a graceful, merciful God. 613 00:49:19,160 --> 00:49:21,720 He there's always hope. Just just return to me. 614 00:49:21,880 --> 00:49:23,400 Oh, I long to be gracious to you. 615 00:49:24,160 --> 00:49:27,400 I long to have compassion on this is what the Lord wants to 616 00:49:27,400 --> 00:49:30,640 do. You see, it's, it's not him. 617 00:49:31,600 --> 00:49:37,080 It's us and our sinfulness, our rebellion and our turning away 618 00:49:37,080 --> 00:49:41,360 from the law of the Lord and see, it doesn't mean that much. 619 00:49:42,080 --> 00:49:45,960 No big deal. God's not that serious about it 620 00:49:45,960 --> 00:49:48,880 anyway. He'll let it slide. 621 00:49:49,440 --> 00:49:53,200 He's a loving, graceful God. He is. 622 00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:59,840 But he's also God of wrath and God of justice and the God of 623 00:49:59,840 --> 00:50:03,320 holiness who wants his people to be holy. 624 00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:12,280 So Paul comes along in this long list of adoration and says those 625 00:50:12,280 --> 00:50:18,520 who adore their God will not disregard, disrespect, despise 626 00:50:18,720 --> 00:50:22,240 disesteem, treat lightly as if it doesn't matter. 627 00:50:22,480 --> 00:50:27,800 The revelation of God, it won't do that. 628 00:50:30,440 --> 00:50:33,360 And yet so many times we find ourselves in that situation. 629 00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:40,440 And when you do, guess what the God says in quietness and rest 630 00:50:40,440 --> 00:50:44,480 will be your strength. I long to have compassion upon 631 00:50:44,480 --> 00:50:47,360 you. Just return to me. 632 00:50:48,040 --> 00:50:52,560 Just come back to me. It's all He says. 633 00:50:53,280 --> 00:50:56,560 You come back to me and you long for me. 634 00:50:59,120 --> 00:51:02,040 Everything will be forgiven and we can move on. 635 00:51:02,040 --> 00:51:05,320 I don't know where you're at today. 636 00:51:06,880 --> 00:51:10,240 I don't know if you have disregarded and despised the 637 00:51:10,240 --> 00:51:12,960 word of the Lord. I have no idea, only the Lord 638 00:51:12,960 --> 00:51:16,320 knows. But there was always hope for 639 00:51:16,320 --> 00:51:19,760 those who do. Because you see, those who love 640 00:51:19,760 --> 00:51:22,240 the Lord, they, they don't despise His Word, they, they 641 00:51:22,240 --> 00:51:24,840 desire His word and they delight in His word. 642 00:51:27,160 --> 00:51:28,520 And that's where God wants you to be. 643 00:51:29,640 --> 00:51:32,640 And my prayer for us as a church is that that would be 644 00:51:32,640 --> 00:51:36,520 characterized by each and every one of us who are here, that we 645 00:51:36,520 --> 00:51:41,720 would not leave today without a supreme desire to delight in the 646 00:51:41,720 --> 00:51:44,480 truth of God's Word and make a commitment. 647 00:51:44,480 --> 00:51:48,920 Lord, I do not want to despise the revelation that you've given 648 00:51:48,920 --> 00:51:52,080 to me because it reveals everything I need to know about 649 00:51:52,080 --> 00:51:58,440 who you are and what you did. And because of all that, Lord, I 650 00:51:58,440 --> 00:52:02,720 want to adore you as my God. Let's pray. 651 00:52:04,640 --> 00:52:06,120 Lord, God, we thank you for today. 652 00:52:07,240 --> 00:52:09,960 We are so grateful for the word of the Lord. 653 00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:15,000 Forgive us, Lord, for not treating it as we should, 654 00:52:16,400 --> 00:52:20,520 because in despising the Word we despise the Holy One of Israel. 655 00:52:22,160 --> 00:52:24,520 So our prayer, Father, is that we would be the kind of people 656 00:52:25,440 --> 00:52:29,080 that truly long to live for the glory of their king. 657 00:52:31,160 --> 00:52:34,320 Lord, help no one to leave today without understanding that You 658 00:52:34,320 --> 00:52:39,040 long to be gracious to them. You long to show compassion upon 659 00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:46,040 them if they would be willing to come to you and to repent and to 660 00:52:46,040 --> 00:52:51,720 rest and to rely on you alone for everything. 661 00:52:53,000 --> 00:52:55,560 That's the way you work, Lord, and you are a great God and we 662 00:52:55,560 --> 00:52:58,880 thank you for that. So move us in that direction, 663 00:52:58,880 --> 00:53:03,560 Lord, that we might honor you and never dishonor the name of 664 00:53:03,560 --> 00:53:08,000 our God. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.