1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,840 Father, we thank you for today. We are grateful, Lord, for this 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:05,720 opportunity to spend time in the word of the Lord. 3 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:08,240 You have allowed us this opportunity, Lord, and we are 4 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,440 grateful. Our prayer tonight is that you'd 5 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:14,480 open our hearts and minds to be able to behold the the beauty of 6 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,240 your great name and that Lord, we would understand what it is 7 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:22,560 you'd have us do as your children that we might live in 8 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,760 obedience to You. We are grateful Lord, for the 9 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:30,040 word of God that teaches us, that grows us, that stimulates 10 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,840 us, that motivates us, and that the Spirit of God uses the word 11 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:36,840 of God to move us on to maturity in Christ. 12 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:42,320 For that we are grateful and we thank you in Jesus name, Amen. 13 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:46,120 This past week I had a unique opportunity. 14 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:51,360 We had a homeless man come by the church on Monday and he came 15 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:53,720 by because he needed a place to stay. 16 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:59,400 He had been kicked out of the location he was for alcohol and 17 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:01,440 he had been there for eight months. 18 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:04,800 But because he was drinking, they they kicked him out. 19 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,160 And so he came by the church and of course Peggy asked if I'd 20 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:11,760 love to talk to him. And I said sure, I'd love to. 21 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:16,600 So I came down and talked to him about his situation, why things 22 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:18,960 went the way they did. And I asked him, do you live in 23 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:20,920 the area? He said, well, my wife and two 24 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,120 children, they, they live in West Covina. 25 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:25,960 I said, well, why don't you, why don't you go to their, their 26 00:01:25,960 --> 00:01:28,440 home? So I can't because I've been 27 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:30,840 kicked out of my home. I said, well, when you, when 28 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,320 were you kicked out? I was kicked out two years ago 29 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:37,680 by my wife and by my father-in-law simply because of 30 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:41,840 my alcoholic problem. I said, oh, so you can't go back 31 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:43,120 there because you were kicked out. 32 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,160 You can't go back to the home you were in because you were 33 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,520 kicked out. What do you want me to do? 34 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:49,000 I mean, where do you want me to put you? 35 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,280 I don't know what to do. He says, well, I just need a 36 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,920 place to stay. So I said, well, you know, we 37 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,200 can find a place for you and look for a place and see if 38 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:00,440 there's someone who can take you. 39 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:04,000 And he had in his Bible, he had a beat up Bible. 40 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:08,639 He had a a place that would allow him if we call to maybe 41 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,320 stay. So I took out my phone and 42 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:15,680 called the place and the man said yes, we we do have a bed 43 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:18,160 and yes he could he could come tonight. 44 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,680 I said great, I see he goes well we need to interview him. 45 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:23,840 I said OK, so I put him on the phone. 46 00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:26,840 His name is Ronnie. I sit here Ronnie, this guy 47 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:28,920 wants to interview you. So he interviewed him on the 48 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:33,760 phone and then gave the phone back to me and I said does he 49 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:35,840 pass the interview process? He says yes. 50 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:41,080 Says now our home is in Fontana. I said, well, that's a good 51 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:42,560 thing. I I live in Fontana. 52 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:45,320 That's not a problem. Where, where is the home at? 53 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:46,760 So he told me exactly where it was. 54 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:49,080 I said, what? That's right next to my house. 55 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:53,320 No problem. So I hung up with him. 56 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:55,480 I said, OK, Ronnie, we're going to get in my car and we're going 57 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:58,120 to make our way to Fontana because they have a bed for you 58 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,200 tonight and you can stay there for as long as you want. 59 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,840 He said, really? I said, yeah, so let's get your 60 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,760 stuff and get your coat and get in my car and off we'll go. 61 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:10,880 So we got in the car and I said, hey, you know what? 62 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,800 It's a it's about a 40 minute drive and I probably need 63 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,400 Starbucks to get me home, so how about we go by and get some 64 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:17,920 coffee? He goes, well, I don't drink 65 00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:19,360 coffee, so you don't drink coffee. 66 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,520 He says, no, I said you drink alcohol, but you don't drink 67 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:24,840 coffee. He says, no. 68 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:26,800 I said, we need to change that around for you to help you 69 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,280 understand that coffee is a lot better for you than alcohol is. 70 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:33,000 He says, yeah, yeah, I know. I said, so how about if I just 71 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,200 get you a lemonade? He goes, OK, so I got 72 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:38,520 Frappuccino and got some lemonade and off we went. 73 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:42,040 I said, now we have a 40 minute drive and I said, so I have you 74 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:45,400 as a as a captive audience and, and I'm a preacher. 75 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,200 So I'm going to talk to you about the Lord Jesus Christ for 76 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,120 the next 40 minutes. He said, really? 77 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,480 I said, yeah, for the next 40 minutes I'm going to talk to you 78 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:57,560 about the Lord. And so I very succinctly went 79 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,520 through the gospel with him to help him understand what it 80 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:02,960 means to make a decision for Christ. 81 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,760 What the Bible says in Luke Chapter 9 verse #23 that if any 82 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:09,840 man follow me, let him deny himself, take his cross and 83 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,280 follow me. I said, there's a decision that 84 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,280 you need to make based on what God says in his word. 85 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,959 Outside of that, you need to understand what a Christian is. 86 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:20,240 I said, do you know what a Christian is? 87 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:23,960 He says, well, somebody who who follows God. 88 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:26,880 I said, well, sort of. I said, but let me explain to 89 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,920 you what a Christian is. So I began to define for him 90 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,600 Christianity. Having defined Christianity for 91 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:38,280 him, I, I went on to describe for him exactly what a Christian 92 00:04:38,280 --> 00:04:40,800 is. How he is in Christ, in Christ 93 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,920 is in him. I said, you need Christ in you. 94 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,600 I said, because the only way you can overcome your addiction, the 95 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:49,880 only way you can overcome the alcohol addiction that you have 96 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,600 is through the power of the Spirit of God in your life. 97 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,120 You can't do it on your own. You can go and you can go to 98 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,400 some kind of rehab center, which you have done and you were sober 99 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:01,880 for a while. It didn't last, I said, but 100 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,440 Jesus Christ can do a great and mighty work in your life. 101 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,800 So once you're in Christ and Christ is in you, then the 102 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:09,880 Spirit of God does a a marvelous work. 103 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,360 So I talked to him about what it means to be in Christ. 104 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,000 If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. 105 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:16,800 Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become 106 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:18,400 new. And I said, you need to become 107 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,080 new. I said, and God is just want to 108 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,640 reshape you. He wants to recreate you into 109 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:26,680 his image. So we talked about that for a 110 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:29,440 little bit and I asked him some questions along the way. 111 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,320 And and then I finally said to him, you need to understand that 112 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:36,560 to be a Christian, you must confess that Jesus Christ is the 113 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:40,120 Son of the living God, that he is the Messiah of God and that 114 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:45,080 he came to die for your sins. So it took me all of the 40 115 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:49,640 minutes on our way to Fontana to talk to him about the Gospel. 116 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:55,960 We got to the end of the our time and I said, listen, you 117 00:05:55,960 --> 00:06:00,440 need to give your life to Christ because that's the only hope you 118 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:04,160 have. He said, well I'm not sure I 119 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,920 want to do that. I said, well, you might not be 120 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:09,440 sure you want to do that. I said, but if you die tonight 121 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:12,840 and you're really in not really good condition, but if you die 122 00:06:12,840 --> 00:06:15,480 tonight, you're going to go to hell and you're going to burn in 123 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:19,720 hell forever. I said, but you can go to heaven 124 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:23,160 if you give your life to Christ. But you need to do that. 125 00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:26,760 And if I was you, I wouldn't put it off much longer. 126 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:28,920 I said, because you have no guarantee how much longer you're 127 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:32,440 going to live. And I said, so you, you know 128 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,480 where my church is and you know what my name is and so you know 129 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:37,600 where we're at. You're more than welcome to come 130 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,800 anytime you you want to come, but I will let you know I'm 131 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:44,280 going to buy you buy you lunch. And then you just need to wait 132 00:06:44,280 --> 00:06:48,360 right here and the the home is going to come by and pick you up 133 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:51,960 right here at Ralph's in in Fontana. 134 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:54,880 And then it'll take you to where you need to be and give you a 135 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:59,640 place to sleep. He says, OK, I said, but you 136 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,720 need to know that all this was providential. 137 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:07,120 So you know what Providence is? He says no. 138 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:10,880 I said, do you know what the sovereignty of God is? 139 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,560 He says no. I said, well let me explain to 140 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,280 you. So I explained it to him. 141 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,680 I said it was providential that you came by the church today. 142 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:22,080 It was providential that the home was in Fontana. 143 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,480 It was providential that that God allowed me to talk to you 144 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:31,720 about the gospel today for 40 minutes without any 145 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,320 interruptions. It was providential that that 146 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:39,520 God has allowed us to engaged in this conversation. 147 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:44,080 This was not an accident. This was a divine appointment. 148 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:48,320 And I'm not sure how many more divine appointments God's going 149 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:52,800 to give you to hear the gospel. He might give you more, He might 150 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:57,560 not, I said. But you need to understand that 151 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:01,560 today is the day of salvation. You can put it off for a day or 152 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:06,360 two or three or four or how long you want, but I can't guarantee 153 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:11,920 that you'll live all those days. I can only guarantee this 154 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:17,200 moment. He says I hear you, but I'm not 155 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:18,920 sure. I, I, I just want to do that. 156 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:22,640 It's OK that that choice is completely yours. 157 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,800 So you know my name, you know where our church is, You're 158 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:31,280 welcome anytime. Basically the whole conversation 159 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:35,120 centered around what is a Christian trying to explain to 160 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:39,440 him, the decision that a Christian makes, the definition 161 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:43,760 of a Christian, the description of a Christian, the declaration 162 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:49,200 of a Christian. I basically summed up in 4 weeks 163 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,480 what we talked about in 40 minutes. 164 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:54,040 And of course you're probably thinking, why can't you just do 165 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:56,720 what you did in four weeks and 40 minutes, right? 166 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,120 But I didn't give him the whole kit and caboodle like I'm giving 167 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,320 you guys. So the bottom line is, is that 168 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:06,320 you walk people through an understanding of what it means 169 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:10,000 to be a Christian. And when you get all said and 170 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,600 done, they they might want to respond, they might not want to 171 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,600 respond. And our job is not to get them 172 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:18,600 to respond. Our job is just to present the 173 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:21,800 gospel. Our job is to show them the way, 174 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:24,560 help them to understand who Christ is. 175 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:27,480 And that's all our responsibility is. 176 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:33,160 We don't save people. We just proclaim the truth to 177 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:36,200 people. God saves people. 178 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:40,760 Ronnie and I had a time of prayer together before we left. 179 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:44,640 I fed him lunch or bought him lunch. 180 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,520 And then I said, I trust that one day you'll give your life to 181 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:52,560 Christ. What is a Christian? 182 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:55,760 I told him. I said, you know, when you 183 00:09:55,760 --> 00:10:03,160 become a Christian, you live no longer for yourself, you live 184 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:07,680 for Christ, and that's just the greatest of all lives. 185 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:10,760 I said right now you're living for yourself. 186 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:14,360 That's why you're an alcoholic and that's why you've been 187 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:16,080 kicked out of your house, and that's why you've been kicked 188 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:18,320 out of the home you're in because you're living for 189 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:24,400 yourself. But a Christian, he lives for 190 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:30,760 Christ, and that simply is the Christian and his dedication. 191 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,960 A Christian is dedicated to living for Christ. 192 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:39,280 Paul said it well in Philippians 121 For to me to live is Christ, 193 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:45,800 and to die is gain. That is the Christian's 194 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:51,160 dedication. He does that simply because of 195 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:57,120 what the Bible says in Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse #15 196 00:10:57,560 --> 00:11:00,440 which says he, Christ, died for all. 197 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:07,080 So they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him 198 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:12,400 who died and rose again on their behalf. 199 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:19,360 Christ died so you would no longer live for yourself, but 200 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:24,040 you would live for Christ. So Paul says for to me, to live 201 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:32,680 is Christ and to die is gain. Paul was dedicated to living for 202 00:11:32,680 --> 00:11:40,240 Christ, not living for himself. But isn't it interesting that 203 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:43,120 everybody lives for someone or something? 204 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:51,560 You you live either for money, power, prestige and fame. 205 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:55,760 You live for recognition, you live for honor, you live for 206 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,360 appraisal. You, you live for yourself. 207 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,800 Everybody lives for someone or for something. 208 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:10,480 But the Christian is unique. He doesn't do that. 209 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:18,760 He lives for Christ. For to me, to live is Christ and 210 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,200 to die is gain. Now do you live for Christ 211 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:22,560 perfectly? No. 212 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:25,800 But you do live for Christ progressively. 213 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,800 That is, you progress in Christ like this because you want to 214 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,240 live more and more like the Christ. 215 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:36,680 But nobody lives perfectly for Christ, this thought of 216 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:40,760 eternity. But you do progress in your life 217 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:46,760 with Christ and for Christ. And so when Paul says for to me 218 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:50,200 to live as Christ and to die as gain, he recognizes that the 219 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:53,360 premise of a great life is to live for Christ. 220 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:57,920 And the promise of a great life is nothing but gain, complete 221 00:12:57,920 --> 00:12:59,480 gain. Why? 222 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:04,280 Because everything for a Christian is gained in glory. 223 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:08,000 The Christian knows that. Because the Christian doesn't 224 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,920 live for the here and now, because he's not of this world. 225 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:16,040 He knows that. She knows that the Christian 226 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:18,720 knows that they're aliens and strangers in a foreign land. 227 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:20,560 They know that they're only passing through. 228 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:23,080 They're living for Christ because they're living for 229 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,400 eternity. They have the value of eternity 230 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:31,440 in mind in all that they do. That's the Christians 231 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:35,040 dedication. He's dedicated to living for 232 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:38,000 Christ. So I ask you the question this 233 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:41,120 evening, who are you dedicated to living for? 234 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:45,440 What do you live for every single day? 235 00:13:45,560 --> 00:13:49,760 What do you wake up for every single day? 236 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,400 What motivates you all throughout the day? 237 00:13:54,400 --> 00:14:00,920 Is it the Christ or is it someone else, or something else? 238 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:06,000 Unfortunately, most of us live only for ourselves. 239 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:12,440 Solomon did. Remember Solomon, please. 240 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:18,080 Yes, he's chapter 2. This was his testimony about his 241 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:20,400 life. Listen to what he says. 242 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:25,360 Verse one I said to myself, come now, I will test you with 243 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:29,920 pleasure. Enjoy yourself. 244 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:34,600 Now we might not say it like that, but that's how Solomon 245 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:36,360 said it. Remember, this is his journal. 246 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:39,800 Those of you who with us who are studying Ecclesiastes, this is 247 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:48,040 the life journal of of Solomon. He lived for himself, it says, 248 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:52,480 and behold, it too was futility. I, I said of laughter, it is 249 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,880 madness and of pleasure. What does it accomplish? 250 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:00,200 I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine 251 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:03,840 while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of 252 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,480 folly until I could see what good there is for the sons of 253 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:10,960 men to do under heaven the few years of their lives. 254 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:19,160 I enlarged my works. I built houses for myself, I 255 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:26,240 planted vineyards for myself, I made gardens and parks for 256 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:31,520 myself and I planted it in them all kinds of fruit trees. 257 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:38,840 I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest 258 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:42,560 of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, 259 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:47,880 and I had a home born slaves. Also AI possess flocks and herds 260 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,840 larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 261 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:56,640 Also I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure 262 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:00,840 of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and 263 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:05,520 female singers and the pleasures of men, many concubines. 264 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,360 Then I became great and increased more than all who 265 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:13,120 preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 266 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:17,280 All that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them. 267 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:22,360 I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was 268 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:28,440 pleased because of all my labor, and this was my reward for all 269 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,000 my labor. Thus I considered all my 270 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:35,400 activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had 271 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:43,080 exerted, and behold, all was vanity and striving after wind, 272 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:47,880 and there was no profit under the sun. 273 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:54,000 Here was the wisest man, the richest man, the king of Israel, 274 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:59,040 who could have whatever he wanted and basically obtained 275 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,920 all that he desired. And after it was all said and 276 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:05,160 done, he said, you know what? It's just nothing but emptiness. 277 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,680 There's nothing there. It's futile. 278 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:15,440 There's nothing of value here amidst all the parks and all the 279 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:19,640 ponds, amidst all the houses and all the money, amidst all the 280 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:23,560 concubines and all the slaves, amidst all the things that he 281 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:27,480 erected and created and he could erect and create anything he 282 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:31,800 desired. None of it fulfilled him. 283 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,480 It was all empty. None of it accomplished what he 284 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:39,920 thought it would accomplish, because the things of this world 285 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:45,280 just don't do that. But Solomon lived for himself. 286 00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:49,840 And for those of us who think that living for ourselves is 287 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:53,200 going to bring us the happiness and the joy of our lives, it 288 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:58,680 does not. Oh, it might break you satisfied 289 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:02,360 for a moment or two, but it doesn't bring you lasting joy. 290 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:07,640 Only Christ can do that. That's why Paul says for to me 291 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:11,280 to live is Christ. He died that I might live for 292 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:13,520 him, that I might no longer live for myself. 293 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:18,600 You have to ask that question. If you're living for yourself, 294 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:23,160 do you really know the Christ? You have to ask that question. 295 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:28,200 If Christ died, said you would no longer live for yourself but 296 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,400 for him. Why is it you keep living for 297 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:34,240 yourself? That's a legit question. 298 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:39,160 Why don't you live for Christ? Why don't you live to honor him 299 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,960 and to please him and to and to glorify his name? 300 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:45,800 We fight this struggle all the time. 301 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:52,280 And So what does it mean to live for Christ? 302 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:55,440 And how do you know you live for Christ? 303 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:00,160 Well, let me give you a few principles that will help you, 304 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:04,880 that will guide you along the path of living for Christ. 305 00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:15,200 Those who who live for Christ, number one, listen to Christ. 306 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:24,280 Now this might sound elementary or basic, but in order to live 307 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:26,520 for Christ, you got to listen to Christ. 308 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:33,440 You got to hear Him speak. That's why the Bible is replete 309 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:37,240 with commands about he who has ears to hear. 310 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,840 Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 311 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:46,240 Revelation 2 and three Christ would say in Luke chapter 8. 312 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:53,240 Be careful what you hear in Mars gospel, he said Be careful how 313 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:59,280 you hear because if you have ears to hear you need to listen 314 00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:03,840 well. Jesus said in John chapter 5 315 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:09,480 verse #24 He who hears my words and believes in him who sent me 316 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:17,120 has eternal life. Those who live for Christ listen 317 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:20,680 to what He says they want to hear. 318 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:34,240 What Christ has said the Bible says in Luke 9 verse #35 on the 319 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:38,840 Mount of Transfiguration. Peter, James and John hear the 320 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:40,960 thundering voice out of the cloud. 321 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:51,000 This is my beloved son. Listen to him, listen to him. 322 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:59,960 Mary and Martha had their spat in Luke chapter 10 because Mary 323 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:02,880 wanted to sit at the feet of Jesus and and listen to him 324 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,800 speak. But Martha wanted to do the work 325 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:10,520 in the house to prepare the meal and was upset that Mary wasn't 326 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:14,280 helping her. And Christ said to Martha, oh 327 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:20,080 Martha, you are worried about so many different things, but Mary 328 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:24,840 has chosen the good part. Mary has chosen the one thing 329 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:30,480 that's needful, just one. One thing is what's really 330 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,360 needed in your life, Martha. And Mary's chosen that better 331 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:37,400 part. And that is a sit at the feet of 332 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:42,720 Jesus and listen to what he has to say. 333 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,240 That that has always been the theme. 334 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:51,680 You can go all the way back to the book of Deuteronomy, 335 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:58,400 Deuteronomy chapter 6. It says now this is the 336 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:01,200 commandment, the statutes of the judgments which the Lord your 337 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:04,320 God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in 338 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:06,800 the land where you are going over to possess it. 339 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:10,880 Say you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord and 340 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:14,080 your God, and keep all the statutes and his commandments 341 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,200 which I command you all the days of your life, and that your days 342 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:23,560 may be prolonged. Oh, Israel, you should listen. 343 00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:29,440 Listen and be careful to do that it may be well with you, and 344 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:33,840 that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord, the God of 345 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:38,560 your Father's has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and 346 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:42,320 honey. Then the great Shema, which 347 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:46,480 means to hear, hear, O Israel, are you listening? 348 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:54,880 The Lord your God is one. Are you listening Israel later 349 00:22:54,880 --> 00:23:01,800 in in the book of Deuteronomy Chapter 11 verse 26, Moses says 350 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:05,280 see I am sitting before you today a blessing and a curse. 351 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,640 The blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord 352 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:16,080 your God, which I commanding you today, and the curse, if you do 353 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:20,360 not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn 354 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:25,680 aside from the way which I commend you today by following 355 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:30,280 other gods which you have not known, there's a blessing and a 356 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:33,400 cursing. The blessing comes to those who 357 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,760 listen and obey. The cursing comes to those who 358 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:40,440 do not listen. Therefore they cannot obey it. 359 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:44,160 But it's always about listening to what God says, not not 360 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:50,840 listening superficially, not not listening with a, with a 1/2 361 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:55,400 hearted turning to God. He, he wants you to listen with 362 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,840 all of your heart. He wants you to listen intently. 363 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:04,400 He, he wants you to listen wholeheartedly with passion. 364 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,280 He wants you to hang on every word that he says. 365 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,560 But you know what? For the most part, we don't do 366 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,800 that. We go to church or we read the 367 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:18,600 Bible and and we are partially listening. 368 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:23,480 But no, no, we're not really all into listening, you know, And 369 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:27,800 the question comes, why not? In order to live for Christ, you 370 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,120 have to listen to what the Christ has to say. 371 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,920 So therefore, you're all in and on, on what he is saying. 372 00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:42,200 Later in Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse #15 373 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,960 the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from 374 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,040 among you, from your own countrymen, and you shall listen 375 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:52,080 to him. There's coming to prophet Moses 376 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:56,480 says that that's, that's greater than I am from our own 377 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:58,840 countrymen and, and you need to listen to him. 378 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,960 And that's why Luke 9 is so important, because when God says 379 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:03,840 this is my beloved son, listen to him. 380 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:06,720 It was a fulfillment of the book of Deuteronomy, the 18th 381 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:11,000 chapter, that this was the prophet, the prophet, not a 382 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:15,480 prophet, but the prophet that would eventually come, the 383 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,920 Messiah of Israel. Solomon would say in Proverbs 384 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:24,800 chapter one verse #33 he listens to me, shall live securely. 385 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:27,760 Who doesn't want to live securely? 386 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:34,000 He listens to me, will live securely and will be at ease 387 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,360 from the dread of evil. Who doesn't want to be at ease 388 00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:42,080 from the dread of evil? Well, it comes from listening to 389 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,960 what God says. Proverbs chapter 8. 390 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:48,320 Solomon once again says it this way. 391 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:53,520 Heed instruction, be wise, do not neglect it. 392 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:58,840 Then he says, Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching 393 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:01,520 daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts. 394 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:06,440 For he who finds me, finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord. 395 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:10,640 Blessed is the man who listens to me. 396 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:15,760 Blessed is the man who waits daily at the doorposts, who 397 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:19,120 can't wait to hear what God has to say. 398 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:28,000 To live for Christ begins with listening to what Christ has to 399 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:32,600 say. Again, every one of us listens 400 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:39,920 to something or someone. The question is, do you listen 401 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:44,000 to God more? Do you want to hear what God has 402 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,160 to say more than anyone else has to say? 403 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:53,400 That's the important thing. So to live for Christ means you 404 00:26:53,400 --> 00:27:02,560 listen to the Christ #2 Those who live for Christ not only 405 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:09,360 listen to the Christ, but they love the Christ. 406 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:17,640 Notice this, If you listen to him, you will love Him. 407 00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:22,600 And one of the reasons you don't love Him as you should is 408 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:24,520 because you're not listening to what He says. 409 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,960 The key to everything is being a good listener. 410 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:31,320 That's why. That's why Stalin says in 411 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:36,720 Ecclesiastes after 5, when you go near to the House of God, go 412 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:38,920 there. Guard your steps, because you go 413 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:43,840 there to listen. Why do you go to church? 414 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,600 You go to listen. That's why you come. 415 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:53,000 What is God's going to say? What does God's word say? 416 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:55,600 How is God going to speak to me today through His Word? 417 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:00,040 When you draw near to the House of God, guard your steps because 418 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:02,920 you're going there for one reason and one reason only. 419 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,200 You're only going there to listen because Jesus said 420 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:09,120 there's one thing that's needful and you need to hear me speak. 421 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:12,600 And God only speaks through His Word. 422 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,760 So God's word must be preached and proclaimed. 423 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:20,560 So you know what God says? Well, when you listen to the 424 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:26,480 Lord speak, you can't help but love the Lord who has spoken. 425 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:33,400 That's why the Bible says in First Corinthians 1622, if 426 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:39,400 anyone does not love the Lord, let him be a cursed. 427 00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:44,320 Let him be a cursed. That's why Peter says in First 428 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:53,040 Peter 1/8 though you may not see me yet, you love me, may not see 429 00:28:53,040 --> 00:29:00,760 the Christ, but you certainly love the Christ Philippians one. 430 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,240 This was Paul's prayer for the Church of Philippi. 431 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:09,520 He said, and this I pray that your love may abound still more 432 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:16,560 and more in real knowledge. OK, in real knowledge and all 433 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:21,440 discernment. In other words, I want your love 434 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:23,360 to grow. And the only way your love is 435 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:26,600 going to grow is if you grow in the knowledge of God. 436 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:29,120 And the only way you are going to get to know God is if you 437 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,720 listen to him speak. And so I want your love to grow. 438 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,480 And by the way, this should be a pattern for all of our lives 439 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:38,720 when it comes to praying for other people and for our church. 440 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:43,720 When we pray about things that are so superficial, instead of 441 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:49,200 praying for things that are truly spiritual, everyone of us 442 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:52,760 should be engaged in praying, praying that our love would 443 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:57,720 abound more and more in the knowledge of God so that we can 444 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:01,240 have the discernment to be able to decide between that which is 445 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:04,400 good and which is evil. That's what you need. 446 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:09,720 And then he says this so that you may approve the things that 447 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,240 are excellent in order to be sincere and blameless until the 448 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:14,800 day of Christ having been filled with the fruit of righteousness 449 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:19,720 which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. 450 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:22,600 I want you to be able to prove all things. 451 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:27,240 I want you to be blameless for that to happen. 452 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:32,200 Your love has got to abound more and more in the knowledge of 453 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,400 God. So important. 454 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,160 So let me ask you a question. Do you love the Lord? 455 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:41,880 I think everyone of us in the room would say, yeah, I love the 456 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,840 Lord. But the question comes, how do 457 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:48,040 you know you love the Lord? Because if you're going to live 458 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:51,600 for Christ, you got to listen to him and you must love him. 459 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,000 But what does it mean to love the Lord? 460 00:30:56,720 --> 00:31:00,600 That's a great question. It goes way beyond the feelings 461 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:02,880 and emotions that we have for the Lord. 462 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:05,200 There is feeling and emotion in it. 463 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:07,160 But how do you know you love the Lord? 464 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:10,440 Well, let me give you a few ways. 465 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:14,800 You know that one is if you love the Lord, you're going to 466 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:16,720 meditate daily on the Word of God. 467 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:20,560 If you love the Lord, you're going to meditate daily on the 468 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:25,040 Word of God. Psalmist says this way, Psalm 469 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:32,600 119970 how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day. 470 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:39,560 You see, if you love the Lord, you love His Word, because you 471 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:43,040 can't love the Incarnate Word without loving the inspired Word 472 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:47,040 to go hand in hand. In the beginning was the Word, 473 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:50,880 and the Word was God, and the Word was with God, and the Word 474 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:52,360 became flesh and dwelled among us. 475 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:59,840 And the Word of God is the breathed Word of God. 476 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,440 So to love the Lord do you must love His Word. 477 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:05,960 So you will meditate daily upon His word. 478 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:10,560 It says over in verse #127 these words. 479 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:13,440 Therefore I love your commandments above gold. 480 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:16,920 Yes, above fine gold. There you go. 481 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:22,120 Do you love the commandments more than gold, more than money, 482 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:28,320 more than anything else? Verse 163 I hate in the spice 483 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:30,160 falsehood, but I but I love your law. 484 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:34,600 Verse 159 Consider how I love your precepts. 485 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:41,040 Verse 167 My soul keeps your testimonies, and I love them 486 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:47,440 exceedingly. You know you love the Lord when 487 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:54,480 you meditate daily on the word of God because you can't wait to 488 00:32:54,480 --> 00:32:58,680 hear Him speak another way. You know the Lord is not only 489 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:02,040 that you meditate daily in the Word of God, but you hate fully 490 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:08,560 all that God hates. You know you love the Lord when 491 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:13,280 you hate what God hates. Hate evil. 492 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:21,400 All you who love the Lord, Psalm 97 verse #10 hate evil, you who 493 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:22,920 love the Lord. So if you love the Lord, you 494 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:25,200 hate evil. So you're going to hate fully 495 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:30,000 what God hates. Remember first John chapter 2, 496 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:39,840 First John chapter 2 verse #15 do not love the world nor the 497 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:42,320 things in the world. Why? 498 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:47,640 If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in 499 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,960 Him. You can't love the things of the 500 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:53,920 world, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and 501 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:56,840 the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not 502 00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:58,960 from the Father, but it's from the world. 503 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:02,160 And the world's passing away also its lust. 504 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:08,639 But the one who does the will of God, that person abides forever. 505 00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:15,800 So in other words, you hate what God hates. 506 00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:18,679 It's so important to realize this. 507 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:24,920 We we forget that our love is seen in hating what God hates. 508 00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:29,679 And so we don't love the world, we don't love the things of the 509 00:34:29,679 --> 00:34:34,120 world, we don't love evil. We hate evil because God hates 510 00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:38,639 evil. So when you begin to get down to 511 00:34:38,639 --> 00:34:41,960 brass tacks as to what it means to love the Lord, it means that 512 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:44,320 you're going to meditate daily on the law of the Lord and 513 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:51,679 you're going to hate fully the things that God himself hates #3 514 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,280 if you love the Lord, you're going to imitate authentically 515 00:34:55,960 --> 00:35:01,960 God himself. Ephesians 5 verses one and two, 516 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:09,560 that we are to be imitators of God and walk in love. 517 00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:14,040 So if you love the Lord, you're going to imitate authentically 518 00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:17,080 God himself. You're going to walk in love. 519 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:21,640 This is so important. How do I know you love God? 520 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:24,480 I know you love God because you love your wife as Christ loved 521 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:26,080 the church. That's how I know you love God. 522 00:35:27,720 --> 00:35:29,520 I know you. I know you love God simply 523 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:34,760 because you're forgiving, because the greatest standard 524 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,520 and measurement for your love is the willingness to forgive those 525 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:43,640 who have sinned against you. And so forgiveness then begins 526 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:48,840 to reign supreme in your life. For love covers a multitude of 527 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:52,720 sins, the book of Proverbs tells us, along with first Peter 528 00:35:52,720 --> 00:35:57,120 chapter 4, love. Love does not expose people's 529 00:35:57,120 --> 00:36:00,360 sins. Love covers those sins love 530 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:04,760 forgives. So you want to imitate God, you 531 00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:07,080 want to imitate his forgiveness. You want to imitate his love, 532 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:09,120 you want to imitate his grace and his mercy. 533 00:36:09,240 --> 00:36:11,400 You want to begin to imitate authentically the God you say 534 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:15,280 you you love. You want to be like God, See 535 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:18,000 that? That's what love does. 536 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:19,480 That's how love manifests itself. 537 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:23,560 It manifests itself because I meditate daily on His law 538 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:26,400 because I want to know all there is to know about Him because I 539 00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:29,080 love Him so. And then I'm going to hate what 540 00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:31,960 he hates because I don't want to offend him in any way. 541 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:36,520 And then I'm going to, I'm going to imitate him daily because I 542 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:39,480 want to be like Him. That's how you know you love the 543 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:44,600 Lord. So important and #4 you, you 544 00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:48,400 demonstrate. You demonstrate freely your 545 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:55,760 obedience to Christ. Listen to John chapter 14, John 546 00:36:55,760 --> 00:37:03,120 14 verse #15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 547 00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:06,400 Verse 21. He who has my commandments and 548 00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:08,920 keeps them is the one who loves me. 549 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:13,360 And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will 550 00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:18,440 love him and will disclose myself to Him. 551 00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:22,760 Love is always seen in obedience to the commands of God. 552 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:29,600 I'm going to do what God says. If you love me, you will keep my 553 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:32,240 commandments. If you don't love me, you could 554 00:37:32,240 --> 00:37:34,960 care less about my commandments. You don't want to obey my 555 00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:42,520 commands, but if you love me, you will keep my commands. 556 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:50,400 Another way is that you consecrate holy your life to God 557 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:52,080 above everything and everyone else. 558 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:56,680 So when Christ comes to Peter in John 21, it says, Peter, do you 559 00:37:56,680 --> 00:38:00,520 love me more than these? And we don't know what the these 560 00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:04,080 are in John 21. It could be the other disciples, 561 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:09,760 it could be his business, his fishing business, right? 562 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:15,000 The question is, do you love me more than your financial 563 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:18,000 stability? Do you love me more than your 564 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:20,840 friends? Do you love me more than 565 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:23,840 anything else? Do you love me more than these? 566 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:27,120 He says, of course I love you, Lord, then feed my sheep. 567 00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:31,440 But Christ asked him three times that same question because he 568 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:34,200 wanted to make sure Peter understood that everything about 569 00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:37,560 loving him centers around consecrating your life to him. 570 00:38:37,720 --> 00:38:40,600 And he goes on and talks about how he's going to follow him and 571 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:42,480 how he's going to stretch out his hands where he doesn't want 572 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:43,720 to go. He's going to be crucified. 573 00:38:43,720 --> 00:38:45,800 He's going to die by following Christ. 574 00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:51,240 Those who love the Lord consecrate their lives fully and 575 00:38:51,240 --> 00:38:56,320 freely to him. He means more to them than 576 00:38:56,440 --> 00:38:58,640 everything else, than anyone else. 577 00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:01,200 So ask yourself, do you love the Lord? 578 00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:12,160 Peter denied the Lord, Judas denied the Lord, but Peter loved 579 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:20,760 the Savior, Judas loved himself, and Judas was the son of 580 00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:24,040 perdition. Big difference there. 581 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:29,040 And so you have to ask yourself, do I love the Lord? 582 00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:32,560 Why? This is why I listen to Him, 583 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:38,720 because I get to know Him, and if I listen to Him, I will love 584 00:39:38,720 --> 00:39:41,040 Him. For to me, to live is Christ. 585 00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:50,840 To do that I must listen to him #1 #2 I must love Him, and #3 I 586 00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:56,560 must learn all I can about Him. If you love the Lord, you're 587 00:39:56,560 --> 00:40:00,120 going to learn everything you can about Him, and you'll never 588 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:04,280 stop learning. You'll want to know Him deeply. 589 00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:09,720 Intimately, Daniel 1132 says that people who know their God 590 00:40:09,720 --> 00:40:11,240 will display strength and take action. 591 00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:13,640 Let me ask you a question. Do you display strength and take 592 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:17,200 action? If you don't display strength, 593 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:18,280 you probably don't know the Lord. 594 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:23,520 If you display weakness and fragility, you probably don't 595 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:28,400 know the Lord. Daniel says if you know the 596 00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:32,480 Lord, you will display strength and you will take action. 597 00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:35,000 You will do great exploits for God. 598 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:37,600 Why? Because the knowledge of God 599 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:40,320 does something in your life that moves you and motivates you to 600 00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:42,040 live for the glory and honor of His Kingdom. 601 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:49,040 And the power of God within the life of a person catapults them 602 00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:53,760 to action. So important to realize this. 603 00:40:56,360 --> 00:40:59,920 There's something about knowing God and learning about God. 604 00:40:59,920 --> 00:41:09,840 It it is, it is a pursuit, a pursuit that is impenetrable. 605 00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:14,480 In other words, you're, you're never going to know God fully 606 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:18,800 this side of eternity. Psalm 145 says his greatness is 607 00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:21,720 unsearchable. You're never going to find it 608 00:41:21,720 --> 00:41:25,120 out. So, so knowing God is 609 00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:29,240 impenetrable because he's infinite and you're finite, so 610 00:41:29,240 --> 00:41:31,440 you're never going to fully come to know him, but there's this 611 00:41:31,440 --> 00:41:36,000 passion behind the pursuit of him to learn all you can about 612 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:39,200 him because he's your God, He's your savior. 613 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:45,600 He's the the God that you love. Knowing God is life's most 614 00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:52,680 impenetrable pursuit, but it's life's most impressionable 615 00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:57,720 pursuit. Nothing will change your life 616 00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:03,960 more than knowing the Lord God. Listen what the Bible says Over 617 00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:10,600 in the book of Colossians, Colossians chapter 1, Paul says 618 00:42:10,600 --> 00:42:12,400 this. For this reason, since the day 619 00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:15,120 we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to 620 00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:19,280 ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all 621 00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:22,320 spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will 622 00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:24,320 walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. 623 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:26,880 You can't walk in a manner worthy of the Lord unless you 624 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:29,600 know who He is. You got to learn all you can 625 00:42:29,600 --> 00:42:33,320 about Him. You'll please Him in all 626 00:42:33,320 --> 00:42:34,640 respects. You'll bear fruit. 627 00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:36,520 You'll increase in the knowledge of God. 628 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:39,080 You'll be strengthened with all power according to His glorious 629 00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:40,440 might. For the attaining of all 630 00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:43,440 steadfastness and patience, joyously give me thanks to the 631 00:42:43,440 --> 00:42:47,080 Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance, 632 00:42:47,240 --> 00:42:49,200 inheritance of the Saints in light. 633 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:54,120 That's what God does. There's something about it, 634 00:42:55,720 --> 00:42:58,400 there's something about learning about God that that just 635 00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:02,240 catapults you into another sphere of living because 636 00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:05,040 everything about your life centers around living for 637 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:08,280 Christ, knowing that dying is gain. 638 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:15,920 Back in the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah says this, and Jeremiah 639 00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:21,120 Chapter 9 verse #1 Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a 640 00:43:21,120 --> 00:43:25,520 fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain 641 00:43:25,520 --> 00:43:32,080 of the daughter of my people. He wept for Jerusalem. 642 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:35,240 He went for Israel. Why? 643 00:43:35,360 --> 00:43:37,800 Because Israel was once a strong nation. 644 00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:43,920 Israel was God's people. Israel was was going to be used 645 00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:45,880 by God in a great and mighty way. 646 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:50,080 But now he begins to weep bitterly over Jerusalem. 647 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:56,080 He says the verse 20 that I had in the desert a wayfarers 648 00:43:56,080 --> 00:44:01,560 lodging place that I might leave my people and go from them. 649 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:07,920 He said, oh, if I, if I just had a home, if I, if I had a condo 650 00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:11,520 in Palm Springs, I would go there. 651 00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:16,080 If I had a house in Tahiti, I would go there. 652 00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:20,760 If I had a condo in Maui, I would go. 653 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:27,400 I would go anywhere to escape what I'm facing right now. 654 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:35,160 So he says these words for all of them are adulterers and 655 00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:40,080 assembly of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like 656 00:44:40,160 --> 00:44:43,400 their bow. Lies and not truth prevail in 657 00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:47,400 the land, for they proceed from evil to evil. 658 00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:51,480 I don't want to be around evil. I don't want to be around liars. 659 00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:53,240 I don't want to be around adulterers. 660 00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:54,680 I don't want to be on treacherous mid. 661 00:44:54,680 --> 00:44:57,680 So if I can escape and go someplace other than where I'm 662 00:44:57,680 --> 00:45:03,680 at, I would do that. He couldn't, but if he could, he 663 00:45:03,680 --> 00:45:07,480 would. So what was the problem that he 664 00:45:07,480 --> 00:45:12,720 tells you? And they do not know me, 665 00:45:12,920 --> 00:45:19,360 declares the Lord. That was a problem in Israel, 666 00:45:21,080 --> 00:45:24,160 Hosea tells us. They were destroyed for lack of 667 00:45:24,160 --> 00:45:28,440 knowledge. They just did not want to learn 668 00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:33,600 all they could about their God. It cost them desperately. 669 00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:41,480 It cost them tremendously because He would not learn all 670 00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:46,840 they could about their God. To live for Christ simply means 671 00:45:47,240 --> 00:45:48,920 that you listen to all that He says. 672 00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:52,720 And once you listen to Him, you can't help but love Him. 673 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:56,360 And the more you love Him, the more you want to learn all you 674 00:45:56,360 --> 00:45:59,480 can about Him. So you know you love Him when 675 00:45:59,480 --> 00:46:01,120 you just can't get enough of Him. 676 00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:08,280 Have you had enough of God? Are you bored with God? 677 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:12,640 Are you done with God? Those who want to live for 678 00:46:12,640 --> 00:46:16,760 Christ, they want to live to know all they could about Him. 679 00:46:18,400 --> 00:46:22,320 And know this, once you learn about Him, this is number 4. 680 00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:31,080 You lean upon Him, you lean upon Him, you trust Him, right? 681 00:46:31,080 --> 00:46:39,600 All your energies, your life is just thrust upon God. 682 00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:51,040 You can't help but trust Him. The psalmist in Psalm 50, verse 683 00:46:51,040 --> 00:46:53,320 #15 says, Call upon me in the day of trouble. 684 00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:58,440 I shall rescue you, and you will honor me. 685 00:47:00,120 --> 00:47:07,040 In Psalm 56, verse #3 when I'm afraid, I will put my trust in 686 00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:11,600 you. I'll lean upon you in God, whose 687 00:47:11,600 --> 00:47:14,400 word I praise. In God I put my trust. 688 00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:18,400 I should not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? 689 00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:23,440 How about this Proverbs chapter 18? 690 00:47:26,320 --> 00:47:30,800 Proverbs chapter 18, verse #10 The name of the Lord is a strong 691 00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:34,560 tower. The righteous runs into it and 692 00:47:34,560 --> 00:47:38,240 is safe. The name of the Lord, the 693 00:47:38,240 --> 00:47:42,320 character of God, the nature of God, is a strong tower. 694 00:47:43,360 --> 00:47:48,200 It's a place of refuge, and the righteous can't wait to run into 695 00:47:48,200 --> 00:47:57,480 it for safety, for protection. Verse 11 A rich man's wealth is 696 00:47:57,480 --> 00:48:04,520 his strong tower. This is this, and like a high 697 00:48:04,520 --> 00:48:12,800 wall in his own imagination. Oh, how wise that is. 698 00:48:15,160 --> 00:48:22,840 A rich man's strong tower is his wealth, his riches, his 699 00:48:22,840 --> 00:48:27,720 financial stability. The righteous have a strong 700 00:48:27,720 --> 00:48:29,960 tower, and that is the name of the Lord. 701 00:48:31,240 --> 00:48:34,240 They run to the strong tower and they are secure. 702 00:48:34,240 --> 00:48:36,080 They they are safe, they are protected. 703 00:48:36,200 --> 00:48:40,560 But the rich man, he runs to his imagination, his imaginary 704 00:48:40,720 --> 00:48:47,680 tower, his finances, his stability, his strength. 705 00:48:50,040 --> 00:48:57,000 What is your strong tower? What is your fortified city that 706 00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:02,000 you run to, that you lean upon, that you trust in? 707 00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:08,880 For some it's their their degree, their education, that's 708 00:49:08,880 --> 00:49:14,000 their fortified city. For others it's their four O 1K 709 00:49:15,040 --> 00:49:23,880 That's their fortified city. For others it's a friend, 710 00:49:26,160 --> 00:49:31,600 husband or wife. But for the righteous it's the 711 00:49:31,600 --> 00:49:36,200 name of the Lord. That's the strong tower, 712 00:49:37,320 --> 00:49:43,120 Psalmist said. When I am afraid, I trust in 713 00:49:43,120 --> 00:49:45,200 you. That's it. 714 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:53,880 I just lean on the Lord. Psalm 44, six says I do not 715 00:49:53,960 --> 00:50:01,800 trust in my bow. What he doesn't say is 716 00:50:01,800 --> 00:50:04,600 important. He doesn't say I throw my bow 717 00:50:04,640 --> 00:50:09,240 away. I don't trust in my bow, so I 718 00:50:09,240 --> 00:50:11,560 throw it away. No, he still has his bow. 719 00:50:12,760 --> 00:50:15,400 See, you can still have riches, you just can't trust in riches. 720 00:50:15,720 --> 00:50:17,960 You can still have friends, you just can't trust in your 721 00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:20,240 friends. You can still be married, just 722 00:50:20,240 --> 00:50:24,760 not trust in your marriage. You got to trust in the name of 723 00:50:24,760 --> 00:50:27,640 the Lord. You can't lean on your own 724 00:50:27,640 --> 00:50:30,480 understanding. You got to trust in what God 725 00:50:30,480 --> 00:50:35,280 says and who He is and those who who love Him and have learned 726 00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:37,920 all they can have. The reason you lean on Him is 727 00:50:37,920 --> 00:50:40,040 because you learned about His omnipotence. 728 00:50:40,160 --> 00:50:43,000 You've learned about His omnipresence, His omniscience. 729 00:50:43,120 --> 00:50:45,480 You've learned about the fact that He's the mighty God, the 730 00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:47,680 Almighty God. You learn about His forgiveness, 731 00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:49,880 His grace, His mercy. Do you learn about Him? 732 00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:56,320 You can't wait to lean on Him because of who He is and because 733 00:50:56,320 --> 00:51:00,040 of what He does. That's what it means to live for 734 00:51:00,040 --> 00:51:04,280 Christ. That's how Paul lived his life. 735 00:51:06,400 --> 00:51:09,840 He lived the life that honored the Lord. 736 00:51:11,080 --> 00:51:15,000 And those who live for Christ, they, they listen to him, they 737 00:51:15,000 --> 00:51:20,920 love him, they learn about him, and they lean upon him. 738 00:51:23,120 --> 00:51:28,920 JC Rile in his book on the holiness of God, says this about 739 00:51:28,920 --> 00:51:33,400 those who love God. This is really good, he says. 740 00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:37,200 Let it never be said that we cannot find out whether a 741 00:51:37,200 --> 00:51:41,920 Christian really loves Christ. You ever wonder whether or not 742 00:51:42,400 --> 00:51:43,640 people know you love Christ or not? 743 00:51:44,360 --> 00:51:49,680 This year, Rao says, Let it be known never, never be said that 744 00:51:49,680 --> 00:51:52,000 we cannot find out whether a Christian really loves Christ. 745 00:51:52,080 --> 00:51:54,880 It can be known. It may be discovered. 746 00:51:55,840 --> 00:52:00,560 The proofs are already in your hand. 747 00:52:01,640 --> 00:52:04,880 You have heard them this very day. 748 00:52:05,960 --> 00:52:11,880 Love to the Lord Jesus Christ is no hidden secret, no impalpable 749 00:52:11,880 --> 00:52:16,240 thing. It is like light, it will be 750 00:52:16,240 --> 00:52:21,120 seen. It is like sound, it will be 751 00:52:21,120 --> 00:52:24,080 heard. It is like heat. 752 00:52:25,480 --> 00:52:33,640 It will be felt where it exists. It cannot be hid where it cannot 753 00:52:33,640 --> 00:52:39,880 be seen. You make sure, be sure that 754 00:52:39,880 --> 00:52:43,760 there is no love at all. That's just so good. 755 00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:47,400 If you love the Lord, like light, you see it. 756 00:52:48,040 --> 00:52:51,720 Like heat, you feel it. But if you can't feel it and you 757 00:52:51,720 --> 00:52:54,800 can't see it and you can't hear it, there is no love that's 758 00:52:54,800 --> 00:52:56,800 there. Now. 759 00:52:56,800 --> 00:53:01,600 I didn't say that JC Rile, a much smarter man than me, a much 760 00:53:01,600 --> 00:53:04,080 more intelligent man to me, a much better preacher than me, 761 00:53:04,840 --> 00:53:09,280 understood the love of God. People say, well, I I love the 762 00:53:09,280 --> 00:53:15,080 Lord, but you don't ever see it. You don't ever hear it, but they 763 00:53:15,080 --> 00:53:18,000 say it. Just because you said it means 764 00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:21,320 nothing. Can you feel it? 765 00:53:21,320 --> 00:53:22,640 Can you see it? Can you hear it? 766 00:53:23,840 --> 00:53:27,240 That's when you know someone really truly loves the Lord. 767 00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:32,880 So Paul says for to me to live is Christ and to die his game. 768 00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:35,920 How do you know you live for Christ? 769 00:53:36,640 --> 00:53:37,920 How you listen to everything he says. 770 00:53:38,880 --> 00:53:42,720 Can't wait to hear him speak. Once you hear Him speak, you 771 00:53:42,720 --> 00:53:44,720 just fall deeper and deeper in love with Him. 772 00:53:45,720 --> 00:53:47,440 And the more you love Him, the more you can't wait to know 773 00:53:47,440 --> 00:53:49,160 about Him. So you just keep learning all 774 00:53:49,160 --> 00:53:51,560 you can about Him, and the more you learn about Him, you just 775 00:53:51,560 --> 00:53:54,600 lean upon Him all the time. Just trust Him day after day 776 00:53:54,720 --> 00:53:57,040 because there's nothing else you can trust in because He's 777 00:53:57,040 --> 00:54:08,040 everything. To live for Christ means you 778 00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:12,680 look to Him for everything and no one else. 779 00:54:14,120 --> 00:54:19,640 You look to Christ, your gaze is away from everything and 780 00:54:19,640 --> 00:54:23,240 everyone, and you look to Christ alone. 781 00:54:24,280 --> 00:54:28,480 Looking into Jesus. Hebrews 12 the author, the 782 00:54:28,480 --> 00:54:31,600 originator and finisher of our faith. 783 00:54:33,160 --> 00:54:38,080 Consider him right If Hebrews tells us that that we look to 784 00:54:38,080 --> 00:54:43,200 Christ, Why? Because He is the originator of 785 00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:47,360 our faith, and we turn our eyes away from the things of the 786 00:54:47,360 --> 00:54:49,440 world and look completely upon Him. 787 00:54:49,560 --> 00:54:57,480 And once you look toward Him, you long for Him to return, just 788 00:54:57,480 --> 00:55:00,880 long for Him to come back. So what Paul would say in second 789 00:55:00,880 --> 00:55:04,720 grade 2nd 4 verse #8 that the crown of righteousness is for 790 00:55:04,720 --> 00:55:09,040 all those who who love his appearing, who long for Him to 791 00:55:09,040 --> 00:55:15,760 come back, and those who who live for Him long for him to 792 00:55:15,760 --> 00:55:20,680 return. So Paul says, for to me to live 793 00:55:20,680 --> 00:55:25,240 is Christ, and to die is the greatest of all gains. 794 00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:30,600 How do you live for Christ? Well, you listen to what He 795 00:55:30,600 --> 00:55:36,440 says, you love Him for who He is, you learn all you can about 796 00:55:36,440 --> 00:55:42,640 Him, you lean upon Him, you look to Him, and you long for Him. 797 00:55:43,240 --> 00:55:48,240 Why? Because if you don't, you're 798 00:55:48,240 --> 00:55:51,840 lost without him. You're completely lost without 799 00:55:51,840 --> 00:55:54,520 the Christ. And Paul knew that. 800 00:55:55,800 --> 00:55:59,520 That's why I gave his life to Christ, because he was lost 801 00:55:59,520 --> 00:56:04,040 without him. But with him you were found. 802 00:56:04,800 --> 00:56:09,360 You're in Christ, you're his child. 803 00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:12,880 That's the Christians dedication. 804 00:56:14,280 --> 00:56:17,240 He is dedicated to living for Christ and not for himself. 805 00:56:19,160 --> 00:56:22,880 He is living dedicated to living for Christ and not for the world 806 00:56:22,880 --> 00:56:28,080 or anything else. He is sold out to live for 807 00:56:28,080 --> 00:56:28,880 Christ. Is that you? 808 00:56:30,600 --> 00:56:36,520 What is a Christian? Christian is known by his 809 00:56:36,520 --> 00:56:38,400 dedication. Let's pray. 810 00:56:39,160 --> 00:56:42,720 Father, we thank you for tonight chance to be together to look 811 00:56:42,720 --> 00:56:46,240 into Your word once again. Truly, you are a great God. 812 00:56:47,280 --> 00:56:50,040 You've allowed us to have a brief moment where we can look 813 00:56:50,040 --> 00:56:52,040 into the Word of God and examine our lives. 814 00:56:53,440 --> 00:56:58,960 I pray for everyone in the room that Lord, they would truly live 815 00:56:58,960 --> 00:57:02,320 for Christ. They'd ask themselves, who am I 816 00:57:02,320 --> 00:57:04,800 living for? What am I living for? 817 00:57:06,440 --> 00:57:09,040 They might examine their lives in light of what Your word says 818 00:57:10,040 --> 00:57:14,200 and ask, am I, Am I living for Christ or myself? 819 00:57:14,960 --> 00:57:19,840 Do I listen to all that He says? Do I listen in such a way that I 820 00:57:19,840 --> 00:57:22,960 just love Him more and more? So much so I just want to learn 821 00:57:22,960 --> 00:57:25,400 all I can about Him. I just can't get enough of Him. 822 00:57:26,160 --> 00:57:28,520 And the more I learn about Him, I just lean completely and 823 00:57:28,520 --> 00:57:35,480 totally upon Him for everything. I look to you, no one else that 824 00:57:35,480 --> 00:57:37,240 long to be in Your presence one day. 825 00:57:38,840 --> 00:57:43,440 May that be each and everyone of us, Lord, as we seek to do your 826 00:57:43,440 --> 00:57:47,480 will and glorify your name until you come again, as you most 827 00:57:47,480 --> 00:57:50,280 surely will, in Jesus name, Amen.