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There is an epidemic that has 
infected every country in the 

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world. 
Not only every every country, 

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but every culture. 
Not just every culture, but 

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every community, every class of 
people. 

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An epidemic that is infected 
even the churches across our 

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country and in the world, it's 
an epidemic that has not handled

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or dealt with will continue to 
spread from generation to 

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generation. 
And it's interesting to note 

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that that epidemic has been 
going on for centuries, all 

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throughout the history of man, 
and yet so many people don't 

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seem to listen to take notice as
to how to handle that epidemic. 

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It's summed up very simply in in
one verse in the Psalms. 

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It's our topic for today, and by
the time before me it looks like

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it'll be our topic for next week
as well. 

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But the psalmist said this in 
Psalm 12 verse #1 Help Lord, for

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the godly man ceases to be, and 
for the faithful disappear from 

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among the sons of men. 
This epidemic that has infected 

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not just this generation, but 
subsequent or previous 

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generations and maybe even 
subsequent generations. 

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From here on out, the psalmist 
cries, Help Lord, for the godly 

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man ceases to be. 
Where is the godly man? 

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Where has he gone? 
Why can't we find them? 

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Why are they so difficult to to 
uncover? 

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Where is the godly man in our 
countries, our cultures? 

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Where? 
Where's the godly man in our 

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churches? 
Where's the godly man in our 

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families? 
Where are the godly fathers that

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lead their families? 
The psalmist summed up very 

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well. 
Help Lord the godly man. 

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He ceases to be. 
He ceases to be. 

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So not only listen carefully was
it difficult for the psalmist to

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find a godly man, So too it was 
difficult for God himself to 

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find a godly man. 
Now think about that. 

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Listen to what the Bible says in
the book of Second Chronicles 16

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verse #9 For the eyes of the 
Lord move to and fro throughout 

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the earth, that He may strongly 
support those whose heart is 

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completely His. 
But you have acted foolishly in 

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this, that the Lord is looking 
for, for hearts that are devoted

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to Him. 
His eyes run to and fro 

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throughout the earth. 
Where is the man whose heart is 

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completely devoted to me? 
Because I'm going to strengthen 

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that man. 
To the prophet Ezekiel, the 22nd

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chapter, the 30th verse, the 
Lord says, I search for a man 

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among them who would build up 
the wall and stand in the gap 

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before me for the land so that I
would not destroy it. 

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But I found no one. 
Here is the Lord saying, I I'm 

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looking for just one man to 
stand in the gap. 1 godly man to

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be strong, one godly man to be 
steadfast. 1 godly man that will

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do for me what only he can do. 
But I found no one among the 

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leadership in Israel. 
If you go back to the the book 

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of Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 5,
Jeremiah says the same thing, 

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chapter 5 verse #1 Rome to and 
fro through the streets of 

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Jerusalem. 
And look now and take note and 

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seek in her open squares. 
If you can find a man, if there 

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is one who does justice, who 
seeks truth, then I will pardon 

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her. 
Just give me one man in 

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Jerusalem. 
Find one godly man, Jeremiah. 

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If you can just find one of 
them, I will pardon Jerusalem. 

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All I need is 1 godly man. 
And although they say as the 

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Lord lives, surely they swear 
falsely. 

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O Lord, do not your eyes look 
for truth. 

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You have smitten them, but they 
did not weaken. 

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You have consumed them, but they
refuse to take correction. 

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They have made their faces 
harder than rock. 

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They have refused to repent. 
Then I said, they are only the 

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poor. 
They are foolish, for they do 

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not know the way of the Lord or 
the ordinance of their God. 

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I will go to the great man. 
I will and will speak to them, 

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and they know the way of the 
Lord and the ordinance of their 

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God. 
But they too, with one accord, 

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have broken the yoke and burst 
the bonds. 

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I couldn't find one among the 
poor. 

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I couldn't find one among the 
lowly. 

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But let me go and find someone 
among the great men of the city.

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Surely there's a godly man who 
keeps the ordinances of 

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ordinances of God. 
Surely is there's a there's a 

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man in leadership someplace 
that's a godly man that you will

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pardon Jerusalem. 
But there was none, none to 

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find. 
So the psalmist says, help Lord,

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the godly man ceases to be. 
Isaiah chapter 59, verse one. 

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Behold, the Lord's hand is not 
short that it cannot save, nor 

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is his ear so dull that it 
cannot hear. 

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But your iniquities have made a 
separation between you and your 

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God, and your sins have hidden 
His face from you so that he 

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does not hear. 
For your hands are defiled with 

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blood and your fingers with 
iniquity. 

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Your lips have spoken falsehood,
your tongue mutters wickedness. 

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No one soothes righteously, and 
no one pleads honestly. 

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They trust in confusion and 
speak lies. 

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They can see mischief and bring 
forth iniquity. 

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The Lord says, listen, I want to
save. 

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I, I want to redeem. 
I, I, I, I want to protect you. 

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My hand is not so short that I 
cannot save, but your sins have 

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separated you from me. 
Verse 15 Now the Lord saw, and 

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it was displeasing in a sight 
that there was no justice. 

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And he saw that there was no man
and was astonished that there 

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was no man to intercede. 
It's no wonder the psalmist 

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said, help Lord, the godly man 
ceases to be. 

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See, this is an epidemic that 
has infected every country, 

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every culture, every community, 
every church. 

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Where is the godly man? 
Not just any man, but the godly 

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man. 
And the unique thing about this 

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is that God for centuries warned
his people. 

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He warned them over and over and
over again, but they did not 

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listen to the words of the Lord.
Let me show you. 

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Go back with me in your Bible to
the book of Exodus, Exodus 

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chapter 20. 
You know about the 10 

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commandments. 
You know about what God says 

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about. 
There shall be no God than me. 

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I am the one true God. 
You should only worship me, and 

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you should have no other gods 
before me. 

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And how you worship me is very, 
very important because I want 

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you to worship Me in spirit and 
in truth. 

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So the Lord says these words in 
Exodus chapter 20. 

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He says in verse #5 You shall 
not worship them or serve them. 

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For I, the Lord your God, am a 
jealous God, visiting the 

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iniquity of the fathers on the 
children on the 3rd and the 4th 

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generation. 
To those who hate me, God makes 

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it very clear as he gives the 10
commandments to Moses and he and

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he proclaims them to the people 
of Israel. 

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Listen, there's only one God. 
I am the true God. 

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You shall have no other gods 
before me. 

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You should only worship me. 
And when you worship me, you 

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need to worship me the right 
way. 

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Because if you worship me the 
wrong way, it's going to affect 

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your children. 
It will affect the next 

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generation of children and the 
following generation of 

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children. 
So make sure you worship me the 

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right way. 
Why? 

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Because God is saying listen to 
worship God the wrong way or to 

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have another God before the one 
true God. 

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To be an idolater is going to 
affect this generation and the 

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corruption of the father is 
going to be an epidemic that 

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affects the next generation and 
the following generation. 

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Why? 
Because he demonstrated that he 

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doesn't love me but that he 
hates me. 

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Go over to the book of Exodus, 
same book, the 34th chapter. 

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And Moses, he wants to, he wants
to see the glory of the Lord. 

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And you, you know this chapter 
because we've covered it many 

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times over the years. 
And, and, and the Lord says, 

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I'm, I'm not going to show you 
my full glory because you'd be 

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incinerated. 
You, you die. 

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You just can't see me and live 
Moses. 

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So I'm going to hide you in the 
Cliff of the rock. 

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I'll let my glory pass by you 
and let you see the afterglow of

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my glory. 
It says in verse #6 or verse #5 

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The Lord descended in the cloud 
and stood there with him as the 

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Lord called upon the name of the
Lord. 

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Then the Lord passed by in front
of him and proclaimed the Lord, 

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the Lord God, compassionate, 
gracious, slow to anger and 

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abounding, and loving kindness 
and truth, who keeps loving 

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kindness to thousands, Who 
forgives iniquity, transgression

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and sin. 
Yet he will by no means leave 

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the guilty unpunished, visiting 
the iniquity of fathers on the 

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children and on the 
grandchildren to the third and 

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4th generations. 
That 2 verses, verses 6 and 

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seven of Exodus 34 is quoted 27 
times in the Old Testament 27 

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times. 
Because God says, look, you need

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to realize that as fathers, your
corruption is going to have a 

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supreme effect on the succeeding
generations. 

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If you don't live according to 
my word and follow my word and 

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understand what I have said, it 
is going to affect your children

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and your children's children on 
down the line because you've 

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shown that you will not listen 
to me, that you will end up 

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hating me. 
So turn with me, if you would, 

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to the book of Zechariah. 
Zechariah Zechariah comes out of

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captivity with some 43,000 Jews 
from Babylon. 

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And Zechariah's name means God 
remembers. 

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And the book of Zechariah is a 
unique and and special book of 

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prophecy. 
But but the first 6 verses help 

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us understand Israel's problem 
and verse #1 gives us the theme 

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of the book when it says in the 
eighth month of the second year 

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of Darius, the word of the Lord 
came to Zechariah the prophet, 

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the son of Berechiah and the son
of IDU. 

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Berechiah was his father. 
IDU was his grandfather. 

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Berechiah's name means God will 
bless. 

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IDU means at the appointed time.
And Zachariah's whole theme is 

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that God remembers to bless 
Israel at the appointed time and

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he will. 
That's the theme of the of the 

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book of Zachariah. 
It's wrapped up in the names of 

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the young man Zachariah, his 
father and his grandfather. 

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Verse 2 The Lord was very angry 
with your father's. 

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Therefore say to them, Thus says
the Lord of hosts, return to me,

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declares the Lord of hosts, That
I may return to you, says the 

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Lord of hosts, Do not be like 
your father's, to whom the 

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former prophets proclaimed 
saying, Thus says the Lord of 

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hosts, return now from your evil
ways and from your evil deeds. 

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But they did not listen or give 
heed to me. 

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God says, I do not want you to 
be like your Father's. 

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You can change the course of a 
generation, You can change the 

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way things have been by 
understanding that if you just 

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return to Me, if you just repent
of your sins, I will return to 

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you and everything will be 
different. 

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Do not be like your Father's 
because their iniquity has has 

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brought you or did bring you 
into captivity. 

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You were there for 70 years, and
So what you have before you is a

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historical illustration of the 
sins of the Father being part of

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the corruption of the next 
generation that led them through

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the effects of their father's 
sin into Babylonian captivity. 

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He says don't be like them. 
You can be different. 

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You can return to me. 
You can repent of your sins. 

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You, you can follow me. 
But he says your father's didn't

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listen. 
I said the exact same thing to 

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them. 
The same message was given to 

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them that I'm given to you, but 
they did not listen. 

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They would not listen. 
So I love, love Psalm 81 so much

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because in Psalm 81, the Lord 
says in verse #8 here, O my 

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people, and I will admonish you,
O Israel, if you would just 

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listen to me. 
He says, let there be no strange

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God among you, nor shall you 
worship any foreign God. 

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He goes all the way back to 
Exodus chapter, chapter 20. 

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There's only one God. 
There ought to be no foreign 

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gods. 
You're the only worship me. 

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You're not to be an idolater. 
You're not to involve yourself 

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in iniquity. 
I the Lord am your God who 

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brought you up from the land of 
Egypt. 

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Open your mouth wide and I will 
fill it. 

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But my people did not listen to 
my voice, and Israel did not 

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obey me. 
So I gave them over to the 

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stubbornness of their own heart 
to walk in their own devices. 

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Oh, that my people would listen 
to me, that Israel would walk in

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my ways. 
I would quickly subdue their 

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enemies and turn my hand against
their adversaries. 

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Those who hate the Lord would 
pretend obedience to Him, and 

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their punishment or time of 
punishment would be forever. 

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00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:31,480
But I would feed you with the 
finest of wheat and with honey 

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from the rock. 
I would satisfy you. 

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00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:42,120
But they did not listen. 
They would not listen. 

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So God says to the prophet 
Zechariah, tell my people to 

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return to me. 
Tell My people not to be like 

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00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:57,960
their fathers. 
They can turn the course of a 

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00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:03,160
generation by following Me, by 
being godly people, by obeying 

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My word. 
That's all they need to do. 

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00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,240
Return to me and I will return 
to you. 

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00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:11,200
Just listen to my voice, because
your father's did not listen. 

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00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:14,600
They did not heed. 
They did not obey that. 

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That's why we're spending time 
with your children on stage. 

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00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:20,280
Why? 
Because what you're doing right 

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00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:24,760
now is the highest participation
of your worship ever. 

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00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:29,720
You're listening and are you 
listening well to what God says?

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00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:33,840
Are you listening quickly? 
Are you listening expectantly? 

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00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,920
Are you, are you, are you 
listening for God to to speak to

243
00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:39,360
you today? 
Because his word speaks 

244
00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:43,200
profoundly to every single one 
of us in the auditorium. 

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00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,840
And God is saying, if you just 
listen to me, if you just return

246
00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:53,960
to me, if you just repent of 
your sins, that's all I'm asking

247
00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:58,160
you to do. 
That's all He ever asked Israel 

248
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to do for centuries, warning 
them over and over again that if

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you continue in sin, you show 
that you hate me. 

250
00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:12,080
And that corruption will be 
passed to the next generation 

251
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:16,080
because they will feel the 
effects of your sin against me, 

252
00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:19,720
and they will bear the 
consequences of your sin against

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00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:21,880
me. 
And not just that generation, 

254
00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:31,680
but succeeding generations. 
So the Lord says these words, 

255
00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:39,920
verse 5 of Zechariah one, your 
father's, where are they? 

256
00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,480
Great question. 
God doesn't need an answer. 

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00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:47,600
He knows the answer. 
He's asking Israel, do you know 

258
00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,440
who your father's are? 
They're dead. 

259
00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:55,160
They're all dead. 
I mean, if they didn't die when 

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00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,320
Nebuchadnezzar came in and 
sacked Jerusalem and 

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00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:00,560
slaughtered, and then they 
probably died in Babylonian 

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00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:06,480
captivity. 
And therefore understand this, 

263
00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:11,480
ask yourself what happened to 
your father's if they didn't 

264
00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:13,000
die? 
They went into captivity. 

265
00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:14,880
Why? 
I warned them over and over 

266
00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:16,960
again. 
I warned them if I could find 

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00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:20,280
one godly man in Jerusalem. 
I'll pardon your iniquity. 

268
00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:24,160
I'll protect you from from the 
invasion if I just find one. 

269
00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:26,720
But I found none. 
Found none. 

270
00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:32,680
Where are your Father's? 
This is this. 

271
00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:38,960
And the prophets, do they live 
forever? 

272
00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:46,400
No, nobody lives forever, but 
God is talking about the 

273
00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:49,400
impartiality of his judgement. 
Think of think of Moses the 

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00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:53,960
great, the great leader of 
Israel, Israel's quintessential 

275
00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,680
leader. 
They look to to Moses as the 

276
00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,240
leader of Israel, the man, 
right. 

277
00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:05,320
But God said to Moses, listen, 
you speak to the rock, do not 

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00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:07,720
strike it, you speak to the 
rock. 

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00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:14,320
And Moses out of anger struck 
the rock, and water still gushed

280
00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:16,760
out. 
God still took care of his 

281
00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:21,720
people. 
But God said to Moses, didn't 

282
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,280
listen to me. 
I told you to speak to the rock,

283
00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,440
not strike the rock. 
But you decided not to speak, 

284
00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:32,400
but to strike. 
No promised land for you. 

285
00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,320
You're done. 
I said. 

286
00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:37,480
Why? 
That's just so harsh. 

287
00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:42,000
It was like you committed 
immorality, adultery, some kind 

288
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,800
of fornication, some kind of 
idolatry. 

289
00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:47,120
Come on, Lord, give Moses a 
break. 

290
00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:52,600
You see, Moses is the leader, 
and leadership requires 

291
00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,480
godliness. 
Leadership requires listening 

292
00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:59,720
and obeying the Lord. 
And leadership requires a higher

293
00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:01,800
accountability than anything 
else. 

294
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,920
And if you fail in your 
leadership, you lead the people 

295
00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:06,880
the wrong way. 
Moses, if you don't listen to 

296
00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:09,920
me, then why should the people 
listen to me? 

297
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:14,640
And because you didn't listen to
my word, no promised land for 

298
00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:17,960
you. 
That's the way it goes. 

299
00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:23,200
And Moses felt the consequences 
of his own sin. 

300
00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:28,080
So God through the pin of 
Zacharias says, where are your 

301
00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:29,560
father's? 
Where are the prophets? 

302
00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:32,200
You know they're all going to 
die because everybody dies. 

303
00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:39,400
But how will you die? 
So he says verse 6. 

304
00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:44,280
But did not my words and my 
statutes, which I commanded, my 

305
00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:49,760
servants, the prophets, overtake
your father's? 

306
00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:55,960
That's just such a great phrase.
Overtake your father's. 

307
00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:02,480
It's a phrase that describes 
being suddenly overtaken by that

308
00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:05,800
which is pursuing you, but you 
weren't aware of it. 

309
00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:10,160
You see a lot, a lot like us 
today. 

310
00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:14,000
We think that the consequences 
of our sin are way behind us, 

311
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:18,000
that they're not going to catch 
up to us, that we can sin and 

312
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,000
get away with it, that we can 
sin and everything will be OK. 

313
00:23:21,120 --> 00:23:23,160
That way behind us are the 
consequences. 

314
00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:25,920
They're not going to catch us 
and then all of a sudden they 

315
00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:29,080
overtake us and we experience 
the consequences of our sin. 

316
00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:37,160
Israel. 
Israel's leaders, the nation 

317
00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:43,120
itself, the fathers, he says. 
I told him I was coming. 

318
00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:45,680
I warned them over and over 
again. 

319
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:47,960
I warned them about their 
iniquity. 

320
00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:50,360
I warned them about the 
consequence of sin. 

321
00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:52,760
But you know what? 
They didn't believe me. 

322
00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,360
They didn't think I was serious.
They didn't think that I would 

323
00:23:57,360 --> 00:23:59,440
do what I said I was going to 
do. 

324
00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:02,520
And in His mercy and his 
patience and His loving 

325
00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:05,080
kindness, He allowed them to 
continue in their sin. 

326
00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,040
He gave them over to their 
stubborn heart. 

327
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:10,560
He allowed them to continue 
going down the wrong path by His

328
00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,800
grace and by His mercy. 
But he warned them, judgements 

329
00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:18,320
coming, you need to follow, need
to repent. 

330
00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:25,080
And they didn't. 
And it overtook them and it 

331
00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:29,320
gobbled them up because they 
didn't think that God was going 

332
00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:30,840
to do what God said He was going
to do. 

333
00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:41,400
And so it says these words. 
Then they Israel repented, 

334
00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:48,520
repented and said as the Lord of
hosts purpose to do to us in 

335
00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:57,200
accordance with our ways and our
deeds, so he has dealt with us. 

336
00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:03,920
They said the Lord is sovereign.
This is how the Lord's chosen to

337
00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:07,280
deal with us. 
This is how he is dealt with us.

338
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,040
He they're they're claiming the 
sovereignty of God, the 

339
00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:12,760
Providence of God in in 
orchestrating all the events 

340
00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:13,960
that have taken place in their 
lives. 

341
00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,120
And and I know you were your 
Bible says repent, but but the 

342
00:25:17,120 --> 00:25:19,880
word really should be returned. 
It should be. 

343
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:24,760
Then they returned and said why?
It's a play on words. 

344
00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,760
If you go back to verse #3 and 
verse #4 God says return to me 

345
00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:31,120
and I will return to you. 
Return to me. 

346
00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:33,520
So it's a play on words. 
Return to me. 

347
00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:35,840
He says, why? 
I want you to return to me 

348
00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,040
physically from Babylon, which 
they had done. 

349
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:43,120
Now I want you to return to me 
spiritually and repent of your 

350
00:25:43,120 --> 00:25:47,120
sins and follow me and serve me.
It's a play on words. 

351
00:25:47,120 --> 00:25:49,960
And he says, I need you to 
return back to me. 

352
00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:57,960
And they said we return, we 
repent because what you did was 

353
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:01,920
true, what you did was right. 
God, you are sovereign. 

354
00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:05,080
You warned us and we did not 
obey, we did not listen. 

355
00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:11,080
And we need to follow you. 
And the book of Zachariah is all

356
00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:15,840
about how God remembers, 
remembers to bless his people, 

357
00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:24,400
Israel at the appointed time. 
The unfortunate thing is this is

358
00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:30,520
that what they said did not hold
true over time and they continue

359
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:33,160
to depart from the true and 
living God. 

360
00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:36,840
Oh yeah, they went back to 
Jerusalem and they rebuild the 

361
00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,400
walls around the city and they 
rebuilt the temple and they were

362
00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:42,520
back there. 
But when the Messiah came, they 

363
00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,600
they completely missed him and 
they just did not want that king

364
00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:48,320
to rule over them. 
So they crucified him. 

365
00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:57,880
And so they continued in their 
non repentant state, but God had

366
00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:04,120
warned them over and over again.
Today I ask you this question on

367
00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:10,720
this Father's Day 2025, are you 
a godly man? 

368
00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:18,560
If God was to search our church,
would he find a godly man? 

369
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:25,200
If you was to search your 
family, would you as a father be

370
00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:30,640
a godly father? 
Would you be a godly man in your

371
00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,720
workplace? 
Would you be a godly man in your

372
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:42,000
school, in your classroom? 
Would you be that godly man that

373
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:46,680
if God searched for, he'd say, 
that's the one whose heart I 

374
00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,960
want to strengthen. 
That's the one who will stand in

375
00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:55,320
the gap for me. 
That's the one who intercede on 

376
00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:57,520
behalf of his family, on behalf 
of his people. 

377
00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:09,840
To me, that's the man, the hope.
The hope is that a generation 

378
00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:18,760
can be turned by 1 godly man 
following Christ and honoring 

379
00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:23,960
him. 
I I've told the story a numerous

380
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:29,480
times of of my father who was 
raised by an alcoholic father 

381
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:33,520
and mother. 
And so he very easily followed 

382
00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:39,200
in his father's footsteps and 
became an alcoholic and became a

383
00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:42,360
train smoker like his father 
was. 

384
00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:47,120
In fact, he he drank so much 
that on the eve of his wedding 

385
00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:51,600
to my mom, he was so drunk that 
my mother had to take him home 

386
00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:53,920
and almost decided not to marry 
him. 

387
00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:56,160
Glad she didn't make that 
decision. 

388
00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:00,360
I wouldn't be here. 
But they got married the next 

389
00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,800
day anyway. 
And soon after they were 

390
00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:08,080
married, my my father realized 
that in order to change the 

391
00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:11,040
course of a generation, 
something had to change his 

392
00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:15,080
life. 
He was called overseas during 

393
00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,680
the Vietnam War. 
He gave his life to Christ in a 

394
00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:24,480
charismatic camp in Thailand led
by two women pastors believe it 

395
00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:30,000
or not, who took him aside and 
said you need to know the Lord. 

396
00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:35,560
He gave his life to Christ, came
back from the Vietnam War, 

397
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:38,880
changed man. 
At the same time. 

398
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:45,600
My mom was in in Washington, KS,
small town, about two hours from

399
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,000
Topeka, KS. 
If you wanted to know. 

400
00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:49,800
If you don't care, that's OK 
too. 

401
00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,440
And she was giving her life to 
the Lord by a Baptist preacher. 

402
00:29:56,520 --> 00:30:00,040
You can imagine the conflict 
that arised when my father came 

403
00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:03,240
back with all these charismatic 
ideas and my mom was saved by a 

404
00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:06,440
Baptist preacher. 
Nonetheless, it all worked 

405
00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:11,040
itself out and God was good. 
So in case you want to know, my 

406
00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:14,440
roots are in the charismatic 
church. 

407
00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:18,720
All that being said is that my 
father knew that he had to 

408
00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:20,800
change the course of a 
generation to do so. 

409
00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:27,480
He gave his life to Christ. 
And you know, I think of my dad 

410
00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:29,560
and I think of, wow, what a, 
what a godly man. 

411
00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:34,280
He was just such a godly guy. 
He wasn't a great man. 

412
00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:38,000
He wasn't a popular man. 
He wasn't a prominent man. 

413
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:43,560
He was a faithful, godly man who
wanted his family to know the 

414
00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:44,680
Lord. 
That's it. 

415
00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:47,840
He had two kids, one daughter, 
one son. 

416
00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:51,560
That's it. 
And his greatest joy was to know

417
00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:53,520
that his children walked in 
truth, that was that was 

418
00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:56,440
everything to him. 
That's what he wanted. 

419
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:01,120
He changed the course of a 
generation. 

420
00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:05,600
He would go back and, and 
witness to his father and before

421
00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:09,440
his father died that that that 
man who was an alcoholic, that 

422
00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:15,520
man who was a train smoker for 
for 60 plus years, 70 plus 

423
00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:19,040
years, gave his life to Christ 
before he died. 

424
00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:27,040
His mother, she never did, but 
his stepmother did. 

425
00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:33,200
She gave life to Christ. 
But he was so bound and 

426
00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:36,400
determined to change the course 
of a generation that he, he 

427
00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:39,760
wanted to do whatever he could 
possibly do to, to make sure his

428
00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:45,320
children knew the Lord and 
followed the Lord and honored 

429
00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:50,000
the Lord. 
And I praise the Lord for a 

430
00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,280
father who was a who was a godly
father. 

431
00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:55,560
I didn't know him very well when
he was ungodly because I was too

432
00:31:55,560 --> 00:31:59,960
young. 
Only memory I have of my father 

433
00:31:59,960 --> 00:32:04,480
is sitting with him in church 
and him singing at the top of 

434
00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:06,080
his lungs. 
And my dad had a good voice. 

435
00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:09,360
And I was asking, why do you 
sing so loud? 

436
00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:14,320
Dad, why do you sing so loud? 
He was leaning over sick because

437
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:16,280
I love the Lord. 
Start singing son. 

438
00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:21,640
And and he would sing loud, but 
he changed the course of 

439
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,280
regeneration. 
I say that because so can you. 

440
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:34,520
There's always hope, and the 
hope to cure that which infects 

441
00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:44,040
churches, countries, cultures, 
and communities is a godly man. 

442
00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:53,480
Just one, Just one. 
And I wonder if you're that kind

443
00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:56,560
of man. 
I have an outline. 

444
00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:01,080
I not going to get through it 
today. 

445
00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:06,400
I'll do it next week. 
But let me give you the point #1

446
00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:07,720
because I do have a couple of 
minutes left. 

447
00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:16,960
Ask yourself, am IA godly man? 
I'm going to give you the 

448
00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:21,520
characteristics of a godly man. 
Number one. 

449
00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:27,320
He goes to God incessantly in 
prayer. 

450
00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:36,120
He goes to God incessantly in 
prayer. 

451
00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:50,000
Listen to what the psalmist said
in Psalm 4, verse 3. 

452
00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:56,560
But know that the Lord has set 
apart the godly man for himself.

453
00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:00,760
Isn't that great? 
God has set apart the godly man 

454
00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:08,360
for himself and the Lord years 
when the godly man calls to him.

455
00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:17,760
Nick great, the Lord hears when 
the godly man calls to him. 

456
00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:23,159
How about Psalm 32 verse #6 
Therefore let everyone who's 

457
00:34:23,159 --> 00:34:28,159
godly pray to you in a time when
you may be found surely in a 

458
00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:30,920
flood of great waters, they will
not reach him. 

459
00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,040
You are my hiding place. 
You preserve me from trouble. 

460
00:34:34,199 --> 00:34:37,080
You surround me with songs of 
deliverance. 

461
00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:42,800
Let everyone who is godly come 
to you in a time of need. 

462
00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:48,920
See, the godly man knows that in
order to maintain his godliness,

463
00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:54,360
there is a a communion with God 
that needs to be present, that 

464
00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:56,679
he wants to commune with his God
on a daily basis. 

465
00:34:56,679 --> 00:34:59,080
He wants to to pray without 
ceasing. 

466
00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:03,560
First Thessalonians 516, 
Ephesians chapter 5, James 

467
00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:05,680
chapter 5. 
The effectual fervent prayer of 

468
00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:09,080
a righteous man availeth much 
there there's a fervency there 

469
00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:11,840
there's a, there's a, a tenacity
that's there. 

470
00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:14,000
There's a, a commitment to 
prayer. 

471
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:17,320
Oh, prayer is such a, a taxing 
work. 

472
00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:22,520
It's not easy. 
Satan wants to keep you off of 

473
00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:28,600
your knees because if he keeps 
you off of your knees, he can, 

474
00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:32,280
He can tempt you in ways that 
will cause you to fall greatly. 

475
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:39,040
And our Lord wanted his men to 
pray, so he taught them how to 

476
00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:41,480
pray. 
He always was praying. 

477
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:47,400
And a godly man is one who who 
goes to God incessantly in 

478
00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:52,600
prayer. 
Job was a godly man. 

479
00:35:54,800 --> 00:36:04,800
Job was a unique man. 
He was unlike others. 

480
00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:17,280
Job was the kind of guy that 
that understood godliness, It 

481
00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:23,840
says in Job one there was a man 
in the land of us that the man 

482
00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:28,640
was not an ordinary man. 
The man was an extraordinary 

483
00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:33,920
man. 
There was a man in the land of 

484
00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:39,120
us, and the whole book of Job 
was about this man, Job, and how

485
00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:46,080
God is sovereign over his life, 
whose name was Job. 

486
00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:48,920
And that man was blameless, 
upright, fearing God and turning

487
00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:51,120
away from evil. 
That's a godly man. 

488
00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:57,120
Seven sons and three daughters 
were born to him. 

489
00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:01,600
His possessions were also or 
also were 7000 sheep, 3000 

490
00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:05,320
camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 
female donkeys, and very many 

491
00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,080
servants. 
And that man was the greatest of

492
00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:14,200
all the men of the East. 
The great man sons used to go 

493
00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:19,200
hold a feast in the House of 
each one on his day, and they 

494
00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:21,920
would send and invite their 
three sisters to eat and drink 

495
00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:24,520
with them. 
And when the days of feasting 

496
00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:29,360
had completed their cycle, Job 
would send and consecrate them, 

497
00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:33,800
rising up early in the morning 
and offering burnt offerings 

498
00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:35,640
according to the number of them.
All. 

499
00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:40,720
For Job said, Perhaps my sons 
have sinned and cursed God in 

500
00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:48,400
their hearts. 
Thus Job did continually he 

501
00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:53,840
would OfferUp burnt offerings on
behalf of his children. 

502
00:37:55,200 --> 00:38:00,080
He would pray for his children. 
Burnt offering symbolize a a 

503
00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:03,760
total surrender. 
In other words, he was he was 

504
00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:06,160
surrendering all of his children
to the Lord. 

505
00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,320
These are your children. 
God, you gave it to me. 

506
00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:12,240
I'm going to offer these burnt 
offerings because the offering 

507
00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:15,680
is going to be totally consumed 
because I have totally giving my

508
00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:18,680
children to you. 
Little did he know that God 

509
00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:23,880
would take and snatch his 
children from him in an horrific

510
00:38:23,880 --> 00:38:28,120
store. 
Didn't know that in advance. 

511
00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:30,440
We know because we read the 
story. 

512
00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:35,080
But Joe didn't know said God, 
these children are yours. 

513
00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:37,600
I'm offering up to you are 
offering them up to you because 

514
00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:41,120
if they have sinned, Lord, I I 
want to, I want to plead with 

515
00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:42,840
them. 
I want to intercede on their 

516
00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:47,840
behalf, as was told in the 
prophet Isaiah. 

517
00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:52,360
Is there anyone to intercede on 
behalf of those who commit 

518
00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:56,920
iniquity? 
Job says I'll intercede. 

519
00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:02,480
Is there a man who was standing 
in the gap whose heart I was 

520
00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:04,040
strengthened? 
Job says I'll be that guy. 

521
00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:08,960
I'll do that. 
I'll live an upright life, a God

522
00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:11,920
fearing life, a blameless life. 
And I'm going to turn away from 

523
00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:14,360
evil and I'm going to pray for 
my family. 

524
00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:17,720
I'm going to pray that God 
raises them up and strengthens 

525
00:39:17,720 --> 00:39:20,840
them. 
And little did he know that God 

526
00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:25,840
would take them all away. 
But in all this, Job did not 

527
00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:28,520
sin. 
Nobody turned his back on the 

528
00:39:28,520 --> 00:39:34,640
Lord Jesus because he was a 
godly man, a man of prayer. 

529
00:39:36,240 --> 00:39:40,200
Interesting that that nobody who
came to to minister to Job ever 

530
00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:44,800
prayed with Job before Job. 
They came to give him a counsel,

531
00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:47,520
but they were miserable 
counselors. 

532
00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:51,880
But none of them sat and held 
his hand, mainly because it's 

533
00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:55,040
too full of sores and pus and 
and nasty stuff. 

534
00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:57,160
They didn't want to hold his 
hand for fear that they might 

535
00:39:57,160 --> 00:40:00,680
get what he had. 
Then we get too close to Job. 

536
00:40:01,880 --> 00:40:03,440
But none of them offered a 
prayer for Job. 

537
00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:07,160
But at the very end of the the 
Book of Job, it says. 

538
00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:12,800
And Job prayed for his friends. 
And when Job prayed for his 

539
00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:17,560
friends, God turned the 
captivity of Job. 

540
00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:23,800
God turned the captivity of Job 
when he prayed for his miserable

541
00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:28,640
comforters, when Job got his 
eyes off of himself. 

542
00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:29,920
Because that's what godly men 
do. 

543
00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:31,920
They get their eyes off of 
themselves. 

544
00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:34,040
They get their eyes on everybody
else around them. 

545
00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:37,880
They forget about their needs, 
their pain, their problems, and 

546
00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:40,120
they pray for others. 
And that's what Job did. 

547
00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:46,800
And God turned everything in 
Job's life around when he prayed

548
00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:51,720
for his friends. 
That's just a great testimony. 

549
00:40:52,960 --> 00:40:57,800
It's just speak volumes to us 
not to be so consumed about our 

550
00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:00,560
problems and our pain. 
And believe me, none of you had 

551
00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:03,440
the pain that Job had. 
None of you have the isolation 

552
00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:05,600
that Job had. 
None of you had the problems 

553
00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:07,880
that Job had. 
None of you have lost everything

554
00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:10,080
like Job did. 
None of you have. 

555
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:15,840
And yet Job got his eyes off his
own self and said I need to pray

556
00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:18,440
for my friends. 
And boy, God turned all that 

557
00:41:18,440 --> 00:41:24,600
around and said, Job, you're the
man because he prayed 

558
00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:28,320
incessantly. 
What a godly man. 

559
00:41:29,720 --> 00:41:36,680
How about you, do you go to God 
incessantly in prayer on behalf 

560
00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:40,160
of your wife, your children, 
your family? 

561
00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:44,440
We, we gathered together on 
Sunday mornings and we, we bow 

562
00:41:44,480 --> 00:41:46,640
together on our knees. 
And you have your children 

563
00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:50,120
bowing together with you. 
You have your wives bowing 

564
00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:53,840
together with you in the Pew as 
you go and beseech the Lord of 

565
00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:57,680
mercy. 
Well, what a great opportunity 

566
00:41:57,680 --> 00:42:01,440
when it comes to worship to have
your family together in church, 

567
00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:06,240
bowing down before the throne of
God and praying to God, asking 

568
00:42:06,240 --> 00:42:07,960
God to do a great and mighty 
work. 

569
00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:10,280
But that's just the beginning. 
That's just the impetus. 

570
00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:13,600
That's the trampoline that leads
you into more prayer with your 

571
00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:18,720
family and for your family. 
That's what the godly man does. 

572
00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:26,160
He prays incessantly because he 
knows that prayer is everything.

573
00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:31,760
He can't change his children, 
can't change his marriage. 

574
00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:33,240
He can't change his work 
environment. 

575
00:42:33,240 --> 00:42:36,960
He can't change anything. 
He can influence some things, 

576
00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:39,000
but he can't change. 
And only God can change. 

577
00:42:40,080 --> 00:42:43,560
God doesn't. 
So the godly man recognizes 

578
00:42:43,560 --> 00:42:47,040
that, says so he goes to God, 
says, Lord, you know how to do 

579
00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:50,240
this, You can do it. 
So I'm going to let you do it, 

580
00:42:51,520 --> 00:42:54,600
but I need you to do what only 
you can do. 

581
00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:59,200
And he prays to God. 
That's a godly man. 

582
00:43:00,600 --> 00:43:16,840
He goes to God incessantly in 
prayer #2 got to come back next 

583
00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:18,920
week. 
So if you brought your Father on

584
00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:20,760
Father's Day, bring him back 
again next week. 

585
00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:24,120
If he was with your other 
brother or sister today, you can

586
00:43:24,120 --> 00:43:28,240
bring him back next week. 
But let me pray with you. 

587
00:43:28,240 --> 00:43:36,640
Can I do that, Father? 
I pray for the men of our 

588
00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:41,280
church. 
They'd be godly men. 

589
00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:49,480
I pray, Lord, that they would 
recognize that their ungodliness

590
00:43:50,880 --> 00:43:57,480
only infects their children 
negatively, but their godliness 

591
00:43:58,560 --> 00:44:05,520
will affect them positively. 
So I pray for every man that's 

592
00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:09,520
here today, men who are fathers,
men who are grandfathers, men 

593
00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:15,280
who want to be fathers. 
I pray, Father, that you would 

594
00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:20,360
raise up godly men. 
Job was a godly man. 

595
00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:26,880
He attended no church. 
He attended no men's ministries.

596
00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:31,120
He read no books on ministry for
your family. 

597
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:40,880
All he had was you. 
He listened and obeyed and 

598
00:44:40,880 --> 00:44:44,360
follow through. 
His accountability was you. 

599
00:44:45,840 --> 00:44:48,200
It wasn't another person or 
another group of people or a 

600
00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:51,080
church. 
His accountability was you, and 

601
00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:56,760
he was blameless, upright, God 
fearing and turning away from 

602
00:44:56,760 --> 00:45:01,200
evil. 
They prayed for his children. 

603
00:45:03,440 --> 00:45:06,400
Lord, I pray for the men of our 
church. 

604
00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:13,960
You'd raise them up to be strong
men of God, men who who don't 

605
00:45:13,960 --> 00:45:19,640
back down from those who would 
come against their God. 

606
00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:25,960
Men who would stand strong 
amidst adversity and conflict, 

607
00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:31,360
men who would be pure and holy 
before you. 

608
00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:39,520
Lord, you're a great God, and 
you warned Israel over and over 

609
00:45:39,520 --> 00:45:42,520
again about the sins of the 
fathers. 

610
00:45:43,560 --> 00:45:49,160
They just did not listen. 
Lord, we have in illustration 

611
00:45:49,160 --> 00:45:56,360
all throughout the Old Testament
that tells us beware, listen to 

612
00:45:56,360 --> 00:46:04,480
the words of the Lord, return to
him, follow him, obey him, and 

613
00:46:04,480 --> 00:46:09,680
see what God will do. 
That's my prayer for for every 

614
00:46:09,680 --> 00:46:10,320
Man today.