1
00:00:01,760 --> 00:00:05,560
All right, well, let's let's go 
to Acts chapter 5, shall we? 

2
00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:10,160
Acts chapter 5. 
Those of you who don't know the 

3
00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,440
story of Ananias and Sapphira, 
maybe you're a little nervous 

4
00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:15,240
now when you heard the the 
reaction there. 

5
00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:18,400
But before we jump into the 
scripture today, I, I want to 

6
00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,800
stay in this moment because this
morning already feels different.

7
00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,720
It always does. 
We have worship together today 

8
00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,720
and we've honored sacrifice 
together today through the flag 

9
00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,600
folding ceremony. 
We have welcomed new members 

10
00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:35,440
into our church family. 
All of it's happening on 

11
00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:37,080
Memorial Day and Pentecost 
Sunday. 

12
00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,360
And as I was thinking about that
throughout this week, I realized

13
00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,840
those things actually have more 
in common than they seem. 

14
00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,440
One of the reasons Memorial Day 
feels so meaningful and so 

15
00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,040
powerful is not just for those 
of us who have lost somebody who

16
00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,640
served while active and, and, 
and, and then lost their life. 

17
00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:59,080
It reminds us of moments that we
honor publicly, but we're grown 

18
00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,840
in moments that were in private.
How do you do that? 

19
00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,000
How do you become somebody who's
willing to serve to the to the 

20
00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,120
point of losing your own life? 
Well, you do it through training

21
00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,800
and through discipline and 
through consistency and through 

22
00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:13,960
showing up. 
And these are all things that we

23
00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:16,000
don't see. 
Have you ever been to a church 

24
00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,520
service where they said stand up
today? 

25
00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,880
If you're just consistent in 
your life and people can rely on

26
00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,960
you, we don't clap for that, do 
we? 

27
00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,880
As a matter of fact, if you try 
to impress your spouse and say, 

28
00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:31,600
hey, I don't do bad things very 
often, can I get a reward? 

29
00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,720
It doesn't go well for you. 
Please don't ask me how I know. 

30
00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,920
Nobody arrives at a moment of 
sacrifice like that in one 

31
00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:45,800
moment, without being prepared 
for it. 

32
00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,520
The moments that eventually 
become visible are always 

33
00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:52,400
developed over time, long before
someone is ready to demonstrate 

34
00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,040
their courage in that way. 
There are ordinary mornings that

35
00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,880
nobody saw, and there are long 
hours where they're working 

36
00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:00,920
their way through things that 
nobody saw. 

37
00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:03,640
And there are moments where 
somebody chose what was right 

38
00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:05,880
without knowing whether or not 
anybody would ever notice it. 

39
00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:08,720
That's what Memorial Day 
remembers. 

40
00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,240
We honor public sacrifice, but 
we honor it knowing that public 

41
00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:15,560
sacrifice was built through 
unseen faithfulness. 

42
00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:18,280
And the more I thought about 
this, the more I realized that 

43
00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,520
Pentecost has something there 
too, when we remember Pentecost.

44
00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:23,800
And for those that don't know, 
it's the day that the Holy 

45
00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,480
Spirit came in. 
It was the day that Jesus told 

46
00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:30,160
his disciples to wait for where 
the the Holy Spirit descended 

47
00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:32,440
with tongues like fire. 
And they heard everybody 

48
00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:33,680
praising God in their own 
languages. 

49
00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,360
They were just all there of one 
mind, of 1 heart, of 1 accord, 

50
00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,880
right? 
And it happens in Acts chapter 

51
00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:41,920
2. 
You don't have to turn there. 

52
00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:44,360
We'll be in Acts chapter 5. 
But if you want to read about 

53
00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:47,560
it, it's an incredible story. 
But let me tell you something I 

54
00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:53,600
learned from Sesame Street. 2 
doesn't happen without one. 

55
00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,360
Acts 1 is what makes Acts 2 
possible. 

56
00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:02,720
And what I mean by that is Acts 
2, I mean, it's so cinematic. 

57
00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,400
You've got a mighty rushing wind
filling the room. 

58
00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:08,680
You picture fire like resting 
over top of people. 

59
00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,640
You can picture Peter preaching 
and thousands responding. 

60
00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:14,440
We picture boldness and power, 
and that's the moment that 

61
00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:16,800
everybody saw. 
But Acts 2 is impossible to 

62
00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,320
understand if you don't 
understand Acts 1, because 

63
00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:23,240
before they all gathered in the 
streets, there were believers 

64
00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:27,200
that were gathered in a room. 
Before there was public boldness

65
00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,520
for the Gospel, there was a 
private dependence on God that 

66
00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,000
that really was the foundation. 
Before there was an outpouring 

67
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,400
that changed history, there was 
just ordinary people who were 

68
00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,440
doing something that didn't look
powerful at all. 

69
00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:42,920
And so this is after the 
crucifixion of Jesus. 

70
00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:45,440
Jesus has now been raised from 
the dead and not only has been 

71
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,720
raised from the dead, he's now 
walked amongst his people for a 

72
00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,560
time and he's now ascended right
back up to the Father. 

73
00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:53,520
So now he's not even walking 
with them. 

74
00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,120
But he said, hey, it's better 
for you that I go, because when 

75
00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,280
I go, then the Holy Spirit will 
come and he's the place. 

76
00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:03,280
He's the source of your power. 
So instead of giving these 

77
00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,720
believers a strategy, what did 
Jesus tell them to do? 

78
00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,720
He said, wait. 
He said, wait, how many of you 

79
00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:14,520
all loved being told? 
Wait, I don't even like being 

80
00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,320
told by TSA, but I don't want to
go to jail. 

81
00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:21,360
All right, so see how much your 
kids like being told wait, hey, 

82
00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:22,520
can we do this now? 
Wait. 

83
00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:25,960
And they go, great. 
What an opportunity to refine my

84
00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:26,600
character. 
Dad. 

85
00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,040
Thanks. 
No, we just, we don't like 

86
00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:31,800
waiting, do we? 
But Jesus said, wait. 

87
00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:37,600
About 120 people gathered in an 
ordinary place and did ordinary 

88
00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,040
things. 
They prayed and they shared 

89
00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:44,200
meals and they talked and they 
remembered Jesus and they waited

90
00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:46,440
without knowing what they were 
waiting for. 

91
00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:50,000
And I, I want you to think about
this because I wonder, I wonder 

92
00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:51,600
if we get tangled up in this 
sometimes. 

93
00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,360
If you were there, you would 
have no clue what it was going 

94
00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:56,840
to look like, right? 
Jesus said, wait here in 

95
00:04:56,840 --> 00:05:00,240
Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit 
arrives, OK? 

96
00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:01,520
What will that look like? 
Jesus? 

97
00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:06,160
Just wait, OK? 
Is it going to look like another

98
00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:07,720
person? 
Are they going to ride in on a 

99
00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:11,000
donkey like you did? 
Is it going to be an angelic 

100
00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:11,960
thing? 
We don't know. 

101
00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:15,080
Have you ever wondered, maybe 
it's just me? 

102
00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:17,760
Have you ever wondered that 
sometimes you pray for God to 

103
00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:21,560
arrive in a fresh new way, but 
you miss it because you think 

104
00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:23,400
you know what it'll look like 
when He arrives? 

105
00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:27,080
And so too often we assume we 
know what it's going to look 

106
00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,560
like when God shows up in our 
life, or when He blesses us, or 

107
00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:31,560
when He comes to make things new
in an area. 

108
00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:33,680
And then he shows up in a 
different way and He may be 

109
00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,440
doing a great work right here 
and you don't even notice it 

110
00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:38,320
because you're looking for it to
happen here. 

111
00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:41,600
Is that not the whole gospel? 
We read about it in the Bible 

112
00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,360
reading this week. 
The cornerstone was rejected by 

113
00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:46,440
the builders because they didn't
recognize him. 

114
00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:49,520
Other scriptures say if they did
know who Jesus was, if they had 

115
00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:51,720
fully recognized him, they 
wouldn't have crucified him. 

116
00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,600
I actually think that's also 
talking about the demonic powers

117
00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,080
that were behind the 
crucifixion. 

118
00:05:57,280 --> 00:05:59,920
If they knew exactly who he was,
they wouldn't have crucified him

119
00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:03,360
because they actually put into 
motion the very work that the 

120
00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:08,600
Father had set to set us free. 
It's important to know that 

121
00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:10,560
these big moments are worth 
remembering. 

122
00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,240
They just don't happen without 
the smaller moments. 

123
00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,400
They don't happen without a 
people that is willing to 

124
00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:20,360
embrace holiness. 
Holiness has not really brought 

125
00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:22,440
up a whole lot these days, and I
don't know why. 

126
00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:24,840
It seems kind of essential to a 
Christian's life. 

127
00:06:24,840 --> 00:06:28,520
It seems like something that we 
are supposed to pursue, but a 

128
00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:31,440
lot of us are waiting for God to
show up in a powerful way, and 

129
00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,280
when we recognize that it's Him,
then we will fall in line with 

130
00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:36,960
what He's doing. 
But I wonder if we would just 

131
00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:39,560
fall in line with what He's 
doing if we would not see his 

132
00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:41,680
power fall in a different way 
already. 

133
00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,360
When we talk about the power of 
the Holy Spirit, I think 

134
00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,600
sometimes we accidentally reduce
him into something he never 

135
00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,040
claimed to be. 
We think that his primary 

136
00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,560
purpose is to make us louder or 
stronger or more gifted or more 

137
00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:56,960
anointed. 
Or God would you just fall so 

138
00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,520
that we can do things for you? 
I can give you a a very, very 

139
00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:03,200
honest and very immature example
of it. 

140
00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:05,840
I remember being a kid and 
saying God, would you make me? 

141
00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,040
This is a real story. 
Like I remember being on my 

142
00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,040
knees in my room praying and 
asking that God would give me 

143
00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:13,840
Holy Spirit powers like the 
Power Rangers. 

144
00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:18,280
Now hear me on this. 
And I told him, God, if you 

145
00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,320
would give me superpowers, I 
will use them for you. 

146
00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:22,840
I don't even know what that 
means. 

147
00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,720
Am I going to go out there? 
Am I going to be like attention 

148
00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,400
center? 
Am I the one who decides who? 

149
00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,800
In my childish mind, I said, 
God, if you would give me power,

150
00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,920
I would do things for you. 
I'm just telling you grown folk,

151
00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:37,960
if you do things for him, he'll 
give you power. 

152
00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:40,080
You probably won't get a 
costume. 

153
00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:45,480
He'll give you power, and we're 
going to talk about that today. 

154
00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:48,680
Because if you cannot receive 
power from God, then what are we

155
00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,160
even doing here today? 
Why didn't you sleep in? 

156
00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:55,160
But if there is power available 
to you, you should know about 

157
00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:56,720
it. 
And so we're going to talk for 

158
00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:00,200
the next month about holiness. 
And it starts with the hidden 

159
00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,560
things in our life. 
Have you ever wondered how often

160
00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,880
we ask for fresh fire? 
But we're just busy protecting 

161
00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:08,800
our old habits and we don't even
realize that the old habits are 

162
00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:13,960
the ones that are gumming up the
works for fresh fire Christians.

163
00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:18,240
Hear me today, Holiness works 
this way. 

164
00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:20,280
Membership. 
For those of you that came into 

165
00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:22,680
church membership today, it's 
not an exclusive thing. 

166
00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,440
Sometimes we'll have somebody 
contact us and say, well, so and

167
00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:27,400
so is attending our church. 
Can you please transfer their 

168
00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:29,640
letter of membership? 
And I always write back and say 

169
00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:32,039
we have no letter of membership,
but they're awesome. 

170
00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:34,840
Be good to them. 
Like it's not an exclusive 

171
00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:37,200
thing, but we want you to know 
who we are. 

172
00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,520
We want you to know how you 
could possibly fit, and we want 

173
00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:42,679
to make ourselves available to 
help you find your spot. 

174
00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:44,760
Right. 
Membership matters because it 

175
00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:47,640
says I want to belong here. 
I want to build something here. 

176
00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:50,520
I want to grow here. 
And that's the way that it works

177
00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:52,520
with Holiness. 
Do you want God to do something 

178
00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,680
new in your life? 
How many of you want God to do 

179
00:08:55,680 --> 00:08:57,280
something in your life, even if 
it's painful? 

180
00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:02,200
How many of you feel really 
uncomfortable putting your hand 

181
00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:04,400
up there? 
Aw, so you've met him. 

182
00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:09,120
OK. 
All right, Holiness, hear me on.

183
00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:13,040
This is only public fruit that 
has grown from hidden roots. 

184
00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:16,880
Open your Bibles to Acts 5 if 
you're not there yet. 

185
00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:18,880
And let's meet Ananias and 
Sapphira. 

186
00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,200
And I do want you to know, 
before we read this, we would 

187
00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:24,280
have looked at these guys and 
been like, these are awesome 

188
00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:26,840
church folk. 
These are great members. 

189
00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,600
OK. 
It says there was a certain man 

190
00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:36,280
named Ananias who with his wife 
Sapphira, sold some property. 

191
00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:40,000
He brought part of the money to 
the apostles, claiming it was 

192
00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,080
the full amount. 
With his wife's consent, he kept

193
00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:46,960
the rest. 
And then Peter said, Ananias, 

194
00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:49,600
why have you let Satan fill your
heart? 

195
00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,000
You lied to the Holy Spirit and 
you kept some of the money for 

196
00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,440
yourself. 
The property was yours to sell 

197
00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,640
or not sell as you wished, and 
after selling it, the money was 

198
00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,800
also yours to give away. 
How could you do a thing like 

199
00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:04,560
this? 
You weren't lying to us, but to 

200
00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:06,520
God. 
Keep in mind guys, this is 

201
00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:08,760
chapter 5 of Acts. 
I just described the Day of 

202
00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:12,000
Pentecost from Acts 2. 
We're not that far down the 

203
00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,560
road. 
As soon as Ananias heard these 

204
00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:17,080
words, he fell to the floor and 
died. 

205
00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:19,920
Everyone who heard about it was 
terrified. 

206
00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,600
I wonder why? 
And then some young men got up, 

207
00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:27,240
wrapped him in a sheet and took 
him out and buried him. 

208
00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:29,640
I remember being a youth pastor 
and acting this out with a 

209
00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:32,960
middle school Group One time. 
I didn't realize how hard they 

210
00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:36,120
were going to flow them throw 
themselves down on the floor or 

211
00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:38,120
how hard they were going to drag
each other out of the room. 

212
00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:42,080
But I'll never read the story 
and not picture them. 

213
00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:46,080
About 3 hours later his wife 
came in not knowing what 

214
00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:50,040
happened and Peter asked her was
this the price that you and your

215
00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:53,000
husband received for your land? 
Yes, she replied that was the 

216
00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,680
price. 
And Peter said, how could the 

217
00:10:56,680 --> 00:10:59,640
two of you even think of 
conspiring to test the spirit of

218
00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:02,200
the Lord like this? 
The young men who buried your 

219
00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,000
husband are just outside the 
door and they'll carry you out 

220
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,280
too. 
Instantly she fell to the floor 

221
00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:12,360
and died. 
When the young men came in and 

222
00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:16,720
saw that she was dead, they said
again, no, they that's just how 

223
00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,800
what I assume they carried her 
out and buried her beside her 

224
00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,560
husband. 
Great fear gripped the entire 

225
00:11:22,560 --> 00:11:25,200
church and everyone else who 
heard what happened. 

226
00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:26,520
Isn't that interesting? 
Great. 

227
00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:29,600
Fear gripped the whole church 
and those outside the church 

228
00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:31,920
that heard about it. 
I don't know if that would be 

229
00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,200
good for membership or not. 
Did you hear that people in that

230
00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,680
church die when they lie about 
things? 

231
00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:41,440
Do you want, do you want to go? 
I don't know, I kind of do. 

232
00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,000
I kind of don't. 
The story is uncomfortable when 

233
00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,480
you actually think about it, and
I have heard it mistaught many 

234
00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:49,080
times. 
I've heard it used as a way to 

235
00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,040
try to guilt people into giving 
and all of that. 

236
00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:54,360
If you assume the issue is 
money, I get it. 

237
00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:58,400
But Peter himself removes that 
possibility almost immediately. 

238
00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:00,480
He tells Ananias that the land 
belonged to him. 

239
00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:02,400
He could have done whatever he 
wanted to it. 

240
00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,320
Even after selling it, he said 
the money was still yours. 

241
00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:09,040
It was yours to steward. 
Nobody forces generosity. 

242
00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:11,720
If you force it, it's it's not 
generosity, right? 

243
00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:14,360
It's shaking somebody down. 
I think that's called extortion.

244
00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,640
Nobody demanded sacrifice and 
nobody was standing at the door 

245
00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:21,840
checking percentages or 
comparing gifts. 

246
00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,920
If Ananias has walked in and 
simply said we sold the land and

247
00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:28,120
we wanted to give this portion, 
there would have been no 

248
00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,440
confrontation at all. 
Maybe it wouldn't have even been

249
00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:32,240
written down in Scripture. 
We wouldn't have even known 

250
00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,000
their names. 
The problem was not that they 

251
00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,880
gave less than everyone else. 
The problem was that they 

252
00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:41,640
presented something externally 
that was not true internally. 

253
00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:44,520
And This is why Peter's words 
are so specific here. 

254
00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:46,080
He doesn't say why did you lie 
to me. 

255
00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:48,120
He didn't say why did you lie to
us. 

256
00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,000
He doesn't even say why did you 
lie to the church? 

257
00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:57,680
He said you have not lied to 
people but to God, which I try 

258
00:12:57,680 --> 00:12:59,880
not to be too judge mental, but 
guys lying to God is one of the 

259
00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:02,800
stupidest things that you could 
ever do. 

260
00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:06,600
This God who invented you, knit 
you together, created you, knows

261
00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:08,480
your personality, knows your 
innermost thoughts. 

262
00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,360
Why would you lie to him? 
Just just admit it, OK? 

263
00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:17,920
All of a sudden, this is not a 
conversation about generosity, 

264
00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:19,880
is it? 
It's a conversation about 

265
00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:22,520
worship. 
It's not really about money at 

266
00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:23,960
all. 
It's presenting one version of 

267
00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,240
themselves publicly while 
knowing that something is 

268
00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:30,320
different privately, and somehow
believing that was hidden from 

269
00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:33,640
people was also hidden from God.
And that's why Peter says 

270
00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:35,320
something else before he 
addresses the money. 

271
00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,680
He says, Why has Satan filled 
your heart? 

272
00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:41,920
Peter understands that moments 
like this don't start in public.

273
00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:45,120
By the time Ananias arrived 
carrying this gift, the real 

274
00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:47,520
moment had already happened 
somewhere, because it happened 

275
00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,160
in a decision. 
What did Ananias have to tell 

276
00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:52,840
himself? 
What did Sapphira have to tell 

277
00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:55,640
herself to justify that they 
were going to do this? 

278
00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:58,520
There was no rule or anything. 
They wanted to seem more 

279
00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:03,160
generous than they were. 
But have you ever got caught 

280
00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:04,800
there? 
Have you ever found that things 

281
00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:07,720
have a way of coming out? 
The Lord really doesn't like 

282
00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:12,440
things to stay hidden, does he? 
This is such an important place 

283
00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:15,280
to begin a series on holiness, 
because holiness and compromise 

284
00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:17,840
both start long before anybody 
sees them, and you get to 

285
00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:20,560
choose. 
They happen in a hidden place. 

286
00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:23,840
So before we move forward too 
quickly and we make Ananias and 

287
00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:27,600
Sapphira into people that we 
would never become, I think the 

288
00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:30,480
scripture here pushes us into a 
harder and and and more honest 

289
00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,200
question. 
Not necessarily what am I doing 

290
00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:36,440
publicly, but what has been 
growing privately in my life. 

291
00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,240
Hidden things are not always 
dramatic sins. 

292
00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:41,960
They don't always explode into 
something where you see a 

293
00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:46,040
spectacular fall from grace. 
Sometimes they're just old 

294
00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:48,960
disappointments that we stopped 
bringing to God, so we took it 

295
00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:51,920
into our own hands. 
Sometimes they're habits that 

296
00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,840
we've found a reason to excuse, 
or motives that we've never 

297
00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,160
examined, or thought patterns 
that we've normalized, and we 

298
00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:58,520
don't even know that they're a 
problem. 

299
00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:01,120
Sometimes they're fears that 
we've protected, like their 

300
00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:04,040
pets, or bitterness that we just
learned to live with. 

301
00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,200
Because everybody gets bitter 
when they get older, right? 

302
00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:09,200
No, Sir, no ma'am, you don't 
have to. 

303
00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,280
Is there anything hidden in me 
that I've stopped inviting God 

304
00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:14,840
into? 
I would ask yourself that before

305
00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:16,840
we move forward because I've 
been asking myself all week, 

306
00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:20,400
please don't let me be alone. 
Is there anything hidden in me 

307
00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:22,280
that I've stopped inviting God 
into? 

308
00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:25,960
Let's talk about holiness. 
Holiness always begins in 

309
00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,560
private, always begins in 
private. 

310
00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:30,720
As a matter of fact, I'd go as 
far as I say, it can't even 

311
00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:34,680
begin in public. 
You can see and experience 

312
00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:36,720
things. 
But to embrace the holiness that

313
00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:40,000
God desires for His children, 
well, I'll just tell you this. 

314
00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:44,080
Turn to Matthew 18 and we'll 
sorry, Matthew 6 and we'll talk 

315
00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:45,960
about it. 
Turn to Matthew 6 and we'll talk

316
00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:48,000
about it. 
One of the reasons I wanted to 

317
00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,720
start the series on this is 
because I think holiness has 

318
00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:53,760
developed a reputation problem. 
As a matter of fact, when 

319
00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:56,520
somebody seems more Christian 
than you and they're offensive, 

320
00:15:56,520 --> 00:16:01,120
we, we used to call them what a 
holy roller, you know, sick 

321
00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,640
burn, you know, thanks for 
calling me holy. 

322
00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:08,400
I, I guess I bet you read the 
Bible a lot. 

323
00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:13,480
I sure do. 
I remember working at Target 

324
00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:15,400
when I was younger and and 
somebody who didn't believe in 

325
00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:17,000
the Lord came in and they were 
like, oh, you're reading the 

326
00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:18,560
Bible, Greatest story ever told,
huh? 

327
00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,960
And I said it changed my life. 
And they went, I'm so sorry. 

328
00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:26,160
No, I'm not trying to make you 
feel bad, but why'd you make fun

329
00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:27,760
of it? 
You know, I don't make fun of 

330
00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:33,560
what you wear. 
So anyway, no, I, I did 

331
00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,360
sometimes that's on me. 
All right, holiness. 

332
00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:39,680
For some people it sounds 
judgmental. 

333
00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:41,800
For some people it sounds 
intimidating. 

334
00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:46,840
How do you achieve holiness? 
Most of us, most of us wouldn't 

335
00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:48,720
use that word when we describe 
ourselves. 

336
00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:52,320
How do you see yourself in your 
spiritual life? 

337
00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:55,000
I'm holy. 
I'm anointed. 

338
00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:00,520
Anointed means set apart. 
Holy means set apart. 

339
00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:04,440
I am set apart for God's use. 
Holy doesn't mean you're 

340
00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:06,599
perfect. 
It means you're set apart. 

341
00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:08,560
That's what this whole series is
called. 

342
00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:12,960
So God has plucked you out and 
chosen you to do things for His 

343
00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:17,040
Kingdom that are unique to you, 
and I would encourage you to 

344
00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:18,920
find what it is. 
We're going to start that 

345
00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:22,319
journey together today. 
When Jesus talks about holiness,

346
00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:25,520
he consistently brings the 
conversation back into places 

347
00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,400
that are so ordinary and so 
personal. 

348
00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:32,640
It is less about stages or 
pulpits or podcasts, and it's so

349
00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:34,080
much more about the secret 
places. 

350
00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:38,000
Even Jesus did what he often 
withdrew to secret places. 

351
00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:41,280
He would go to the wilderness. 
He said look when you pray at 

352
00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:43,520
home in your prayer closet, shut
the door. 

353
00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,440
Even later on when when the 
apostle Paul is talking about 

354
00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:48,160
prayer in a different way, he's 
talking about tongues. 

355
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,800
He said if you don't have an 
interpretation, go home and pray

356
00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:52,360
in tongues to your Father in 
secret. 

357
00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,840
Alone time with the Lord is 
essential if you want to be an 

358
00:17:56,840 --> 00:18:00,080
effective Christian. 
I'm sorry if you want to be a 

359
00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:07,920
holy and set apart Christian, 
Jesus says this Matthew 6 very 

360
00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,440
first verse. 
He says watch out, don't do your

361
00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:13,400
good deeds publicly to be 
admired by others for you will 

362
00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:15,320
lose the reward from your Father
in heaven. 

363
00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:18,920
We'll get to verse 2. 
He says don't do them publicly. 

364
00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:21,920
Do you understand how 
self-centered people are? 

365
00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:27,200
It's it's pretty rough isn't it?
We are so self-centered that 

366
00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:30,360
many of us have read that verse 
and said, I can't tell somebody 

367
00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:33,640
when I donate to a good 'cause I
can't tell somebody that I've 

368
00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:35,320
made a meal for somebody in 
crisis. 

369
00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:39,600
I can't tell somebody if I bless
them because then I'll lose my 

370
00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:41,160
reward in heaven. 
We even joke about it. 

371
00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:42,680
Oh, guess you lost your treasure
in heaven. 

372
00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:46,240
Like the stock market in heaven 
has like, decreased because you 

373
00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:48,280
just said it. 
It's all about the motives here.

374
00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:51,360
When he says don't do your good 
deeds publicly, he's saying 

375
00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:54,320
don't do them in a way that 
you're doing it to be admired. 

376
00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:58,520
OK, we've got multiple trips on 
the mission field today. 

377
00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:02,080
When you post a picture with a 
hungry kid because it makes you 

378
00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:04,520
look like a good Christian, it 
doesn't. 

379
00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,960
Spoiler alert, most people 
aren't going to leave a comment 

380
00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,040
and say, wow, you're so generous
and amazing, but they're like, 

381
00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:13,400
that's uncomfortable. 
I wonder if that kid can see the

382
00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:17,360
picture, go there and serve. 
Post pictures. 

383
00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,560
Post pictures, yes, but your 
motive in doing it, what is it? 

384
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,760
What is it? 
OK, verse 2 because we found a 

385
00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:26,960
way to make it about us. 
If we don't brag about it, it's 

386
00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:29,080
like we purposely don't brag 
about it because we think we're 

387
00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,440
going to get a raise in heaven. 
Verse 2, When you give to 

388
00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:35,640
someone in need, don't do as the
hypocrites drew blowing, blowing

389
00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,160
trumpets in the synagogues in 
the streets to call attention to

390
00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:41,040
their acts of charity. 
I tell you the truth, they have 

391
00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:42,840
received all the reward they'll 
ever get. 

392
00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:46,240
But when you give to someone in 
need, don't let your left hand 

393
00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:47,600
know what your right hand is 
doing. 

394
00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,520
Give your gifts in private and 
your Father who sees everything 

395
00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:53,440
will reward you. 
It's like, it's like we feel 

396
00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:55,920
like if somebody finds out we've
done something good, we've 

397
00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:58,280
failed. 
No, you're just not supposed to 

398
00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:00,600
be bragging about it. 
It's not your identity. 

399
00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:02,800
You wouldn't even be able to 
bless somebody if you didn't 

400
00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:06,000
have breath in your lungs. 
And he goes on to say this, when

401
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,080
you pray, don't be like the 
hypocrites who love to pray 

402
00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,040
publicly on street corners and 
in the synagogues where everyone

403
00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:13,160
can see them. 
I tell you the truth. 

404
00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:15,200
That is all the reward they'll 
ever get. 

405
00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,000
Sometimes we read that and we 
say we can't pray publicly. 

406
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,200
No, you can, but you probably 
shouldn't make it long. 

407
00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:25,040
Verse 6. 
When you pray, go away by 

408
00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:27,160
yourself. 
Shut the door behind you and 

409
00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:30,040
pray to your Father in private. 
Then your Father, who sees 

410
00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:33,200
everything, will reward you. 
What's interesting about Jesus's

411
00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,640
teaching here is that he doesn't
criticize the practices 

412
00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:38,520
themselves. 
Giving is good. 

413
00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:41,640
Prayer is good. 
These are both healthy parts of 

414
00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:43,800
spiritual life. 
But the issue that Jesus 

415
00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:45,960
confronts is not your obedience 
to do them. 

416
00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,640
He is confronting your need to 
have an audience as you do them,

417
00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:52,960
and he's describing people who 
are doing good things but doing 

418
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,120
them in a way that depends on 
being seen. 

419
00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,920
In other words, these believers 
are finding and building their 

420
00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,600
identity on if you think that 
they're a good Christian or not.

421
00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,040
Do you think I'm a good person? 
Do you think I do more harm than

422
00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:07,120
good? 
Do you think that I'm serving 

423
00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:09,720
God in a good way? 
Do you think there's more that I

424
00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:11,920
could be doing? 
Have you asked these questions 

425
00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,960
to God? 
That's the one who knows 

426
00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:16,520
everything. 
Yeah. 

427
00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:17,920
We just see a snapshot of 
people. 

428
00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,240
For many of us, we only see each
other about an hour and a half 

429
00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:22,720
on a Sunday. 
Maybe you're gifted enough to be

430
00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:25,440
friends on Facebook and you can 
see the highlight reels that we 

431
00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:28,160
all post. 
Nobody posts their picture when 

432
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,360
they're puffy eyed and they woke
up and they forgot to take their

433
00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:34,040
makeup off the night before. 
Most people don't post when 

434
00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:36,040
they're like, look at this 
stupid thing I did when I 

435
00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:38,880
crashed into a pole. 
Like nobody posts the things 

436
00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:42,920
that they're not proud of. 
So instead of using that as some

437
00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,600
sort of measuring stick, why 
don't you go to the Lord and 

438
00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,480
say, am I becoming who you want 
me to be? 

439
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,720
From here, he goes into a 
demonstration on how to pray. 

440
00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:57,600
But if you could just go forward
to verse 16, so Matthew 616, he 

441
00:21:57,600 --> 00:21:59,760
then even goes into the practice
of fasting. 

442
00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:06,120
The holiest people fast, right? 
If you don't know what fasting 

443
00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:11,800
is, it's awful. 
It's so fruitful. 

444
00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,440
Fasting is the act of depriving 
yourself of food. 

445
00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:17,600
Typically there are other ways 
to fast and that's not what this

446
00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,520
message is about. 
But you deprive yourself of food

447
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,840
and instead you feast off of the
bread of life. 

448
00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:25,720
You seek the Lord and you go to 
Him. 

449
00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:28,800
During these times you would 
feed the flesh to exercise and 

450
00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:30,920
remind yourself of your 
dependence on Him. 

451
00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,720
It is not for the weak of heart.
Literally. 

452
00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:36,280
I mean you have a medical 
condition. 

453
00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:38,640
Take that into consideration. 
There's other things we can do, 

454
00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,640
but also spiritually. 
I'm telling you, there is such 

455
00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:46,400
great fruit that comes from 
fasting and here's what Jesus 

456
00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:49,760
says about it. 
When you fast, don't make it 

457
00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:54,160
obvious as the hypocrites do, 
for they try to look miserable 

458
00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:57,400
and disheveled so people will 
admire them for their fasting. 

459
00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:02,680
I tell you the truth, that is 
the only reward they will ever 

460
00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,400
get. 
But when you fast, comb your 

461
00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:08,680
hair and wash your face. 
See, Jesus is a fan of hygiene. 

462
00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:13,400
Then no one will notice that 
you're fasting except your 

463
00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,480
father, who knows what you do in
private. 

464
00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:17,960
And your Father, who sees 
everything, will reward you. 

465
00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:19,800
Remember that? 
You remember being a kid, and 

466
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,120
you'd see somebody with a cookie
or something you wanted, and you

467
00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:26,760
would just go, right. 
And you wanted them to know that

468
00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:31,560
you wanted it. 
Are you OK? 

469
00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:32,760
Yeah. 
Thanks for. 

470
00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:39,360
I'm just hungry. 
Guys, this is what we do 

471
00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:41,920
spiritually. 
That's what we do spiritually. 

472
00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:43,360
And then we flip it around 
again. 

473
00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:46,760
I used to have a member on staff
who who every so often when we 

474
00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:48,080
were like, hey, do you want to 
go to lunch with us? 

475
00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:49,800
He was like, I can't. 
And we were like, oh, did you 

476
00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:50,400
bring lunch? 
No. 

477
00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:52,640
Oh, do you have other plans? 
Yeah. 

478
00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,320
I just can't. 
Finally, one day I'm like, are 

479
00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,560
you fasting? 
Yeah, I'm fasting. 

480
00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:01,960
But I I didn't want people to 
know because, you know, the 

481
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:03,880
scripture of my father rewards 
me in secret. 

482
00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:06,600
That's not what it's talking 
about. 

483
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:09,560
You, you. 
You made it weird. 

484
00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:12,840
Hey, do you want to go to lunch 
with us? 

485
00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:14,440
Actually, today's my day to 
fast. 

486
00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:16,480
Totally get it. 
You know what you actually did? 

487
00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:19,320
You made me a tempter instead of
telling me that you were 

488
00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:21,560
fasting. 
I was like, come on, we're going

489
00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:22,800
there. 
They've got great wings. 

490
00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,680
They got chocolate cake. 
I'm like the devil in the 

491
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:29,760
wilderness over here, right? 
I'm not trying to be that guy. 

492
00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:32,120
Just say you're fasting. 
Totally get it. 

493
00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:33,600
I've got my own spiritual 
disciplines too. 

494
00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:35,920
But if you're telling me because
you want me to be like, wow, 

495
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,080
you're fasting again, your 
motive is off. 

496
00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:40,360
It's the hidden place that I 
don't have access to. 

497
00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:45,520
Only you and the Lord do Church.
This is where Holiness becomes 

498
00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:46,960
much more hopeful than you 
think. 

499
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:50,480
Holiness doesn't start when you 
finally feel like you look like 

500
00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:53,160
you've got it all together. 
Holiness begins the minute that 

501
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,480
you stop managing your 
appearances, whether you're 

502
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,560
bragging about it or you're 
trying to bury your head in the 

503
00:24:57,560 --> 00:24:59,640
sand. 
It's not about you, it's about 

504
00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,520
him. 
And so the second that you can 

505
00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:05,000
take this off and you can start 
just making sure you're doing 

506
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,040
exactly what the Lord would have
you do, he'll start changing you

507
00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:09,560
in ways that other people will 
notice. 

508
00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:15,200
I'm going to tell you, I, I, I'm
not a huge sports fan, but I 

509
00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:19,720
have my teams and I've not 
followed my NBA team since 

510
00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,440
around 2012 because I cheer for 
the Knicks. 

511
00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:27,200
But if you are following the 
Knicks, they're doing something 

512
00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:30,880
that they've never done before. 
They are on a 10 game-winning 

513
00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:35,000
streak. 
Listen, they've not made it to 

514
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,400
the championship since 1999 and 
they've not won a championship 

515
00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,880
since the 70s. 
So if you think it's funny to 

516
00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:46,400
cheer for them, you can address 
them at your sermon, OK? 

517
00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:51,040
But listen, watching it, it was 
like, I can't believe that 

518
00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,240
they're doing this. 
They really are believing in 

519
00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:56,800
themselves. 
Sports stories are inspiring to 

520
00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,880
me, even if I don't follow it. 
I can only name one player on 

521
00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:01,720
the Knicks. 
I'm not a hardcore sports fan, 

522
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,480
but I'm just telling you that 
sports stories are so inspiring 

523
00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:08,280
sometimes because they have 
these very clear cut images of 

524
00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:10,600
overcoming things. 
Because when you win a 

525
00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:13,480
championship, you can see it. 
In our lives, we don't see it as

526
00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:16,360
much when somebody overcomes a 
porn addiction or somebody 

527
00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:20,760
overcomes their alcoholism or 
they reconcile with their spouse

528
00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:22,920
or something. 
Like, it's harder to have it 

529
00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,360
broadcast like a golden trophy 
in a giant gaudy ring that costs

530
00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:29,880
more than your house. 
But one of my favorite stories 

531
00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:34,600
about basketball comes from 2012
in the United States. 

532
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,200
Olympic basketball team was 
prepping for the London 

533
00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:39,360
Olympics, and there was a 
younger player on the team. 

534
00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:42,800
His name was DeMar DeRozan, and 
he shared this because it 

535
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,120
changed the way he thought about
greatness in the sport. 

536
00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:49,680
And he was there, and he was on 
the Olympic team, and he 

537
00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:51,200
couldn't sleep. 
And so about four in the 

538
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:55,400
morning, he texted somebody else
on his team, Kobe Bryant, And he

539
00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:57,400
said, hey, do you want to get a 
workout in before the rest of 

540
00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,080
the team shows up for workouts? 
And Kobe texted back almost 

541
00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:01,480
immediately and said, meet me at
the gym. 

542
00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:04,760
And this guy, I mean, he 
thought, wow, I'm going to go 

543
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,880
train with Kobe Bryant. 
And I'm up even before Kobe 

544
00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:10,160
Bryant. 
And, you know, other people are 

545
00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:11,640
going to show up and they're 
going to see that we were 

546
00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:13,080
training and we were working out
early. 

547
00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:15,040
And so he gets to the gym, and 
Kobe Bryant's already there. 

548
00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:17,760
And as he looks at him, he sees 
how sweaty this man is. 

549
00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:21,000
And he realizes, oh, he was 
already in the gym when I texted

550
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:25,680
him. 
And so later in that day, the 

551
00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,960
full team gathered for practice.
And DeRozan, he noticed 

552
00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:30,720
something else that surprised 
him about Kobe. 

553
00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:33,080
Kobe was moving like somebody 
who just started in his day, 

554
00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:35,840
like he had not just burned 
hundreds of calories training 

555
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,520
before everybody else. 
And when he talked to Kobe 

556
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,880
Bryant about it, he said he 
started hours before DeRozan got

557
00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:44,000
there and he still practiced for
hours after he left. 

558
00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,400
But he had been doing this for 
some time now. 

559
00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:50,640
If you wake up tomorrow at 2:00 
AM and you do a workout, do not 

560
00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:52,720
expect to have full energy at 
2:00 PM. 

561
00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:57,080
But Kobe was in a system where 
he was training and he was 

562
00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:59,800
eating and he was feeding 
himself in a way that was all 

563
00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:03,280
complementary to it because he 
realized this was his lane. 

564
00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:06,440
This is something he needed to 
do, so he needed to be prepared 

565
00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:08,280
for it, whether people saw him 
or not. 

566
00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:11,920
Most of us, we see highlight 
reels for players like Kobe was.

567
00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:16,400
DeRozan realized in that moment 
that what looks extraordinary in

568
00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:18,720
games is actually ordinary and 
private. 

569
00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,960
So Kobe Bryant's only able to do
these huge plays in public 

570
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:27,160
because he's practiced in places
that nobody's cheering for him. 

571
00:28:27,360 --> 00:28:31,040
There is no crowd, there are no 
buzzers, there are no opponents.

572
00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:33,240
But he has to go through the 
grind. 

573
00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:36,920
That story stayed with me 
because I think a lot of times 

574
00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:39,120
we watch people in public and we
just assume that we're seeing 

575
00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:41,040
greatness happen in real time. 
But you're not. 

576
00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:44,040
You're only seeing the fruit of 
a hidden root. 

577
00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:48,680
I think Jesus is getting at 
something similar here. 

578
00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:50,800
Holiness is not built in public 
moments. 

579
00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,320
If you are somebody who goes to 
your private place and you pray 

580
00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:56,480
to the Lord, you speak to the 
Lord, you invest your time with 

581
00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:58,960
the Lord, you're interceding for
your family and the Lord. 

582
00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,640
You know, I've actually found 
that the more I pray for my 

583
00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:03,760
family, the less I'm snappy with
my family. 

584
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,120
It's almost like I realized just
how much they matter to me. 

585
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:11,400
I've realized that the more that
I go and I soak in the time of 

586
00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:17,120
the Lord, it changes me. 
And instead of me trying to be a

587
00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:19,800
better man, be a better father, 
be a better pastor, be a better 

588
00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:24,200
husband, be a better whatever, 
instead of trying harder, I just

589
00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:27,160
become something and I only get 
to do it because he's the one 

590
00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:31,640
that initiated it. 
I'd like to ask a question and I

591
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:33,160
really want you to ponder it for
a moment. 

592
00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:35,200
Don't say it out loud though. 
Well, I mean, I guess you can. 

593
00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:40,120
Who am I to tell you what to do?
Do you think change is possible 

594
00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:43,840
for a Christian? 
I mean, that's the right answer.

595
00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:49,280
That's the VBS class answer. 
If you don't believe change is 

596
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,800
possible, what are you even 
doing pursuing the Lord? 

597
00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:55,720
If holiness is only for people 
who already have it all 

598
00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:58,280
together, then none of us even 
belongs in this room. 

599
00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:02,160
If transformation is impossible,
then prayer becomes for show and

600
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:03,880
church attendance becomes your 
routine. 

601
00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:06,360
So you get a perfect attendance 
sticker at the end of the year 

602
00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:07,480
or something. 
Do we do that? 

603
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,240
Anybody get stickers? 
Well, it's because you don't 

604
00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:12,400
have perfect attendance. 
I'm just kidding. 

605
00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:17,080
I'm just kidding. 
Listen, I'm just saying maybe 

606
00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:19,640
the way that we've been 
combating the darkness through 

607
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:24,200
our own life is by trying harder
or having sin management instead

608
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,400
of releasing it to him. 
The entire story of Scripture 

609
00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:29,120
pushes back against that idea. 
God has always been in the 

610
00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:31,240
business of changing people. 
Read through the Old Testament. 

611
00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:35,240
Abraham becomes faithful. 
Moses becomes courageous. 

612
00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:39,120
Peter becomes consistent. 
Paul became humble. 

613
00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,120
The disciples in Acts became 
people who looked completely 

614
00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:45,840
different from what they had 
looked like before. 

615
00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,760
And the whole point of following
Jesus is not pretending that 

616
00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:50,960
you're whole. 
It's believing that he can make 

617
00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:53,680
you new. 
If you are already looking shiny

618
00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:56,040
and new, what is He there to 
renew? 

619
00:30:57,120 --> 00:30:59,840
Holiness is just choosing to 
keep bringing those hidden 

620
00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:02,760
places into His presence because
that's when we show that we 

621
00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:04,640
actually believe He can do 
something about it. 

622
00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:07,360
So if Holiness is here in 
private, I'm just going to give 

623
00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:08,960
you one step on this. 
I think one of the first 

624
00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:11,480
practical things we have to do 
is become more interested in our

625
00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:15,680
own hearts than everyone else's.
It's one of the easiest ways to 

626
00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:17,880
avoid growth is to become 
experts and everyone else's 

627
00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:21,000
hidden places while remaining 
strangers to our own. 

628
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:22,840
And we start evaluating people's
motives. 

629
00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:24,240
And I'm going to tell you it's 
hard. 

630
00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:26,360
I'm not giving you something 
that's easy to do. 

631
00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:28,920
I'm not giving you something 
that's easy to do. 

632
00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:31,240
Every so often, I'll be in a 
conversation and I'll say 

633
00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:33,240
something like, yeah, sometimes 
it can be lonely. 

634
00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:34,920
You know, being a pastor, it's a
great thing. 

635
00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:36,680
It's a good blessing. 
And sometimes you're not sure 

636
00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:37,920
who to talk to. 
And normally you'll hear 

637
00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:39,720
something like, well, look, if 
you ever need someone to talk to

638
00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:43,320
you, I'm here for you. 
And in my head, it's constantly 

639
00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:44,840
a battle. 
I'm just being transparent with 

640
00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:47,800
you because I think everybody 
means it in the moment. 

641
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:50,400
But as time goes on, when 
there's unmet expectations, it's

642
00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:51,960
a harder thing to wrap your head
around. 

643
00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:54,320
Pastors are people, and they 
screw up all the time. 

644
00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,520
I'll give you a lot of examples 
after this if you want. 

645
00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:01,600
But listen, a lot of times we 
become so focused on what 

646
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:03,920
somebody else is doing. 
This is why gossip magazines 

647
00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:05,680
thrive. 
This is why reality television 

648
00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:07,160
thrives. 
We're like, man, at least I'm 

649
00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:10,080
not that guy. 
No, you are. 

650
00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:16,640
You just don't have a camera. 
Romans 3 says we have all sinned

651
00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:18,600
and all fallen short of the 
glory of God. 

652
00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:22,280
Doesn't it? 
Take my word for it if you 

653
00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,880
haven't read it. 
Meanwhile, the one heart that 

654
00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,040
God has actually given you 
responsibility for sits 

655
00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:31,200
unexamined way too often. 
I'm not saying wisdom and 

656
00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:32,680
accountability don't matter. 
They do. 

657
00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:34,800
But I am saying that there's 
something freeing about 

658
00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:37,240
remembering that you can't 
repent for somebody else. 

659
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:40,640
And since you can't repent for 
somebody else, why would you 

660
00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:45,680
obsess over their sins? 
But you can repent for you, and 

661
00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:48,800
you can surrender for you. 
You can't confess for somebody 

662
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:51,120
else, But the only hidden place 
you can do something about is 

663
00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,080
your own, and that changes the 
prayer from God. 

664
00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:56,440
Show me what's wrong with them 
so I can be safe into God. 

665
00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:59,360
Show me where you still want to 
work in me. 

666
00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:02,600
Holiness begins in private. 
But you know what else begins in

667
00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:05,040
private? 
Compromise. 

668
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:08,720
Same spot, same location, your 
choice. 

669
00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:12,920
I think a lot of us imagine 
compromise is something that is 

670
00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:14,640
dramatic. 
It's when we hear about this big

671
00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:17,920
fall from grace, the public fall
of somebody, or we see a 

672
00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:20,120
decision and we think, how could
somebody even get there? 

673
00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:22,640
Have you ever had this thought, 
man, I would never be like that 

674
00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:24,680
person? 
And then a few years goes by and

675
00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:29,360
you're like, oh, I guess, I 
guess I could be like that 

676
00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:31,040
person. 
Even Scripture says when you 

677
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,040
restore somebody, do it in a way
that is gentle and humble, 

678
00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:36,800
knowing that you could fall 
victim to the same things. 

679
00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:41,160
OK, most of us think compromises
when there's this one dramatic 

680
00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:42,960
failure. 
But how do you get to the place 

681
00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:44,960
that a dramatic failure can 
happen anyway? 

682
00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:48,240
Old Testament, we're going to go
to Second Kings chapter 5. 

683
00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:51,600
Think about how this works in 
ordinary life. 

684
00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:55,720
Very few people destroy their 
health because of one meal. 

685
00:33:56,640 --> 00:33:58,880
There's not a lot of marriages 
that fall apart because of one 

686
00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:01,800
conversation and not a lot of 
friendships that end because 

687
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:03,040
there was just one 
misunderstanding. 

688
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:05,200
Normally there were smaller 
moments that happened long 

689
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,159
before the larger ones. 
Decision gets delayed or a 

690
00:34:08,159 --> 00:34:10,800
thought gets entertained or a 
frustration gets protected 

691
00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:13,400
instead of resolved. 
And so that's what makes this 

692
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:15,400
next story so interesting. 
When you're going to meet this 

693
00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:18,639
guy named Ghazi, we're not 
meeting somebody who's far from 

694
00:34:18,639 --> 00:34:20,239
God. 
He is in the ministry. 

695
00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,639
He had served under Elijah who 
had a double anointing from his 

696
00:34:23,639 --> 00:34:26,679
mentor Elijah. 
So he is like serving somebody 

697
00:34:26,679 --> 00:34:30,000
who's got a double portion of 
God's blessing from this 

698
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:33,360
powerful prophet Elijah. 
And what you have is you have 

699
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:34,920
this situation. 
There's something that happened 

700
00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:38,159
with this guy named Naman. 
Naman is not somebody who really

701
00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:39,840
was given any sort of honor to 
God. 

702
00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:42,360
And he responded the way a lot 
of people do once he does 

703
00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:45,280
receive something from the Lord 
and he gets healed and so he 

704
00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:47,960
gets something life changing. 
So Naman wants to give something

705
00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:49,679
back. 
It's normal when somebody does 

706
00:34:49,679 --> 00:34:51,440
something great for you. 
Don't you want to give something

707
00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:53,560
back? 
Like it's a natural thing, even 

708
00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:56,920
if it's not from a good place. 
Oh, no, you can't buy my meal. 

709
00:34:56,920 --> 00:35:00,160
I'm the one who buys meals now. 
I'll get you next time. 

710
00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:02,360
Hey, here's a random thought. 
How about we don't make it 

711
00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,080
transactional when we hang out? 
If you want to bless me, bless 

712
00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:05,960
me. 
If I want to bless you, I'll 

713
00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:07,520
bless you. 
And let's not make it a tit for 

714
00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:08,880
tat. 
You know what you do? 

715
00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:10,960
You make them wonder about going
to lunch with you next time 

716
00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:12,600
because they're like, is it my 
turn? 

717
00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:17,080
No, no, no, that's not why you 
go. 

718
00:35:17,720 --> 00:35:20,040
What happens here is Naaman 
wants to give something back and

719
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:23,800
Elijah refuses. 
Elisha refuses because he wants 

720
00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:26,640
Naaman to understand that the 
grace of God is not something 

721
00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:29,880
that can be bought. 
The blessings of God are free. 

722
00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:32,960
They don't come with conditions.
The moment should have ended 

723
00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:34,120
there. 
It would have been a beautiful 

724
00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:36,280
story about healing and humility
and God's goodness. 

725
00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:39,320
But Scripture suddenly moves our
attention away from Elisha and 

726
00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:41,000
Naaman. 
And check this out starting in 

727
00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,320
verse 20. 
Ghazi the servant of Elisha the 

728
00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:48,480
man of God said to himself, My 
master should not have let this 

729
00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:51,120
Aramean get away without 
accepting any of his gifts. 

730
00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:56,320
As surely as the Lord lives, I 
will chase after him and get 

731
00:35:56,320 --> 00:36:00,480
something from him. 
So Gehazai set off after Naman. 

732
00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:02,800
Do you think that his real heart
here, do you think he's really 

733
00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:04,720
concerned with with what is 
right? 

734
00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:08,520
Oh, he got a he he owes this. 
I'm going to go get this for for

735
00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:12,040
my master Elisha. 
No, that's just what he said. 

736
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:15,080
When Naman saw Gehazai running 
after him, he climbed down off 

737
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:17,080
of his chariot and went to meet 
him and he said, is everything 

738
00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:19,960
all right? 
Gehazai says yes, but my master 

739
00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:23,000
has sent me to tell you. 
Oh, now we're lying. 

740
00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:27,120
My master sent me to tell you 
that two young prophets from the

741
00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:29,440
Hill Country of Ephraim have 
just arrived. 

742
00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:33,760
He would like 70 lbs of silver 
please emphasis me and two sets 

743
00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:37,680
of clothing to give to them. 
By all means, take twice as much

744
00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:40,560
silver and name it insisted. 
And he gave him two sets of 

745
00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:44,120
clothing, tied up the money in 2
bags, and sent two of his 

746
00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:46,200
servants to carry the gifts for 
Gaysay. 

747
00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:50,040
But when they arrived back at 
the Citadel, Gaheze, I took the 

748
00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:51,920
gifts from the servants and sent
the men back. 

749
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:54,800
And then he went and hid the 
gifts inside the house. 

750
00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:57,080
Man, we got some hidden things 
here, don't we? 

751
00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:01,200
And when he went in to see his 
master, Elijah asked him, where 

752
00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:05,360
have you been, Gaheze I He said,
I haven't been anywhere. 

753
00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:10,800
But Elijah asked him, don't you 
realize that I was there in 

754
00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:12,640
spirit? 
That's scary. 

755
00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:16,880
When Naaman stepped down from 
his chariot to meet you, is this

756
00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:19,880
the time to receive money in 
clothing, olive Groves and 

757
00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:22,440
vineyards, sheep and cattle, and
male and female servants? 

758
00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:26,080
Because you've done this, you 
and your descendants will suffer

759
00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:30,480
from Naaman's leprosy forever. 
And when Ghazi left the room, he

760
00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:33,000
was covered with leprosy. 
His skin was white as snow. 

761
00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:37,240
What I want you to notice is not
where Ghazi ran. 

762
00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:41,000
It's not what he took. 
Even what I want you to notice 

763
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,000
is what it says at the very 
beginning of what we read in 

764
00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:46,360
verse 20, Geheza said to 
himself. 

765
00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:49,680
And that little phrase changes 
the whole story because 

766
00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:54,160
compromise began before his feet
moved, before he chased Naman 

767
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:55,880
down, something happened 
internally. 

768
00:37:55,880 --> 00:37:58,480
Before he reached for something 
on the outside, he gave himself 

769
00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:01,360
permission internally. 
Before there was action, there 

770
00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:03,440
was an agreement that he was 
justified in this. 

771
00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:06,600
So I'm just telling you all This
is why this point matters so 

772
00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:08,200
much. 
Holiness and compromise begin in

773
00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:11,000
the same place, in private, in 
your thought life. 

774
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:13,520
They both begin in moments that 
nobody else gets to see. 

775
00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:17,680
But I would just ask you, what 
have you been convincing 

776
00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:22,080
yourself is not a big deal? 
What is it you say to yourself? 

777
00:38:23,280 --> 00:38:24,680
There's no word from the Lord 
here. 

778
00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:28,640
It's this circular reasoning of 
Gehezai, counseling Gehezai into

779
00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:32,120
what Gehezai wants to achieve. 
So Gehezai listens to Gehezai. 

780
00:38:32,240 --> 00:38:36,920
It's a lot of Gehazai. 
I don't have time to dive into 

781
00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:39,480
the whole story, but back when I
had my massive failure, when I 

782
00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:42,160
was working in Top 40 radio, 
it's because I had accepted 

783
00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:45,280
gifts from record labels. 
And the reason I did it was 

784
00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:47,640
because I told myself, well, I 
don't really make enough money. 

785
00:38:47,880 --> 00:38:49,120
That's what everybody in radio 
says. 

786
00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:51,120
You know what I found out? 
That's what everybody in every 

787
00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:55,160
industry says, right? 
And so because of it, I 

788
00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:58,840
justified accepting a gift even 
though I was told I shouldn't do

789
00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:01,080
it. 
Such a kid thing to say. 

790
00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:06,200
Everybody else was doing it, and
so I justified it, Blake said to

791
00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:09,200
Blake's self. 
That's what I did. 

792
00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:11,880
But that's just me. 
Here's a couple different kinds 

793
00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:14,480
of compromises that people 
sometimes talk themselves into 

794
00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:16,960
just at random. 
Well, my spouse hasn't noticed 

795
00:39:16,960 --> 00:39:18,760
me in months. 
The flirting isn't serious. 

796
00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:23,280
I've had a hard season. 
I deserve this. 

797
00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:28,840
Everyone exaggerates on resumes.
I'm not gossip. 

798
00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:30,680
I'm not gossiping. 
I'm processing. 

799
00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:36,960
Was that nervous laughter? 
OK, All right. 

800
00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:41,360
I know we're not married, but we
act married. 

801
00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:47,720
I'm not addicted. 
I'm stressed, so I can stop 

802
00:39:47,720 --> 00:39:53,400
whenever I want, right? 
It's only emotional. 

803
00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:56,560
It's nothing physical. 
Nobody gets hurt if nobody 

804
00:39:56,560 --> 00:39:59,760
knows. 
This is just who I am. 

805
00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:03,880
I know what the Bible says, but 
my situation is different from 

806
00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:08,840
how things were back then. 
I'll start over again on Monday 

807
00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:15,240
or maybe January 1st. 
And what should be terrifying? 

808
00:40:15,240 --> 00:40:18,600
How about this one? 
God understands, buddy. 

809
00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:22,000
He does. 
Do you. 

810
00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:27,840
If compromise starts privately, 
defeating, compromise also has 

811
00:40:27,840 --> 00:40:31,560
to start privately. 
I think it's one of the hardest 

812
00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:33,800
truths to accept is that 
compromise usually survives 

813
00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:36,760
because we keep treating it like
it's a behaviour instead of an 

814
00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:38,320
agreement that we've made in our
mind. 

815
00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:40,920
Most of us already know what we 
should stop doing. 

816
00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:43,560
So a couple steps on this. 
The harder question is, what 

817
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:47,280
this story that we are listening
to, what has it made us believe 

818
00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:49,160
that makes compromise feel 
reasonable? 

819
00:40:49,640 --> 00:40:51,680
That would be the first thing. 
What is the narrative that you 

820
00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:53,720
told yourself? 
Ghazi didn't just take money. 

821
00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:55,840
He convinced himself that it 
made sense. 

822
00:40:56,440 --> 00:40:57,800
You know what Elisha should have
said? 

823
00:40:57,800 --> 00:40:58,720
Yeah. 
Yeah. 

824
00:40:58,720 --> 00:40:59,720
You should have been honoring 
God. 

825
00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:01,240
And he healed you anyway. 
So you know what? 

826
00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:05,200
Fork over some silver. 
Sort of like an ancient Judas, 

827
00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:06,480
right? 
We can use that for the 

828
00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:07,880
ministry. 
You didn't use it for the 

829
00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:11,400
ministry. 
Most compromise becomes possible

830
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:13,360
after a sentence forms in our 
hearts. 

831
00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:14,960
And I'm just asking you to 
examine. 

832
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:16,800
What is that sentence? 
I deserve this. 

833
00:41:16,800 --> 00:41:19,000
Nobody will know. 
I've sacrificed enough. 

834
00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:22,960
I've paid my dues. 
One of the most practical things

835
00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:25,760
you can do this week is to stop 
fighting your actions for a 

836
00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:27,720
moment. 
Yeah, I know your actions need 

837
00:41:27,720 --> 00:41:30,080
to be addressed as well. 
They all do for all of us. 

838
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:34,240
Stop looking at your actions and
start interrogating the 

839
00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:35,480
agreements you have in your 
mind. 

840
00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:39,720
What have you justified? 
And when you find it, I'm just 

841
00:41:39,720 --> 00:41:41,840
telling you, the only way this 
is going to help is if you don't

842
00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:44,360
defend it or explain it. 
You need to drag it kicking and 

843
00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:47,880
screaming out into the light. 
Drag it out like like Ananias 

844
00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:51,400
and Sapphira, because compromise
loses a lot of power when it's 

845
00:41:51,520 --> 00:41:54,640
introduced to honesty. 
And if you're having trouble 

846
00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:56,800
holding that down on your own, 
well, the second thing I would 

847
00:41:56,800 --> 00:41:59,760
recommend is to remove the 
secrecy in your life before you 

848
00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:03,000
try to remove the struggle. 
A lot of us feel like we need to

849
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:05,160
get rid of the struggle, and 
then we'll go to somebody else 

850
00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:07,600
who's had the struggle, and then
we'll connect with them over 

851
00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:09,600
that. 
And then we'll be able to share 

852
00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:13,320
stories of how we overcame men 
in this room who have been in 

853
00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:14,920
the Conquer ministry. 
Is that how that works? 

854
00:42:15,680 --> 00:42:18,560
You do it on your own, or do you
go to them and you help fight it

855
00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:21,960
together? 
There are men that have gone 

856
00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:23,240
through this program in here. 
I promise. 

857
00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:24,680
Guys, what do you do? 
Do you do it together? 

858
00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:28,840
Yeah, right. 
So we remove the secrecy. 

859
00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:31,000
The guys who sign up for 
Conquer, it's not even secret 

860
00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:33,480
that they're in the Conquer 
program because they lean on one

861
00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:35,520
another. 
They call one another, they 

862
00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:37,960
support one another. 
And that should not be something

863
00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:39,720
that only happens in the Conquer
ministry. 

864
00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:42,240
That's something that should 
happen within the Christian 

865
00:42:42,240 --> 00:42:44,560
ministry, within the life of 
believers. 

866
00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:48,200
If you can remove the secrecy, 
it instantly loses so much of 

867
00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:50,920
its power because now you're not
the only one fighting it. 

868
00:42:51,760 --> 00:42:53,800
And the third thing I would just
challenge you to do is this. 

869
00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:57,640
Not just obedience, but I would 
challenge you to practice costly

870
00:42:57,640 --> 00:43:02,160
obedience before you need it. 
One of the reasons compromise 

871
00:43:02,160 --> 00:43:04,880
feels powerful is because we 
didn't make the first hard 

872
00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:07,400
decision early on. 
We made the first hard decision 

873
00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:10,760
in the middle of our temptation.
Holiness grows differently. 

874
00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:12,840
So decide ahead of time who you 
want to be. 

875
00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:16,040
Create convictions before the 
pressure arrives. 

876
00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:19,240
I would challenge you to choose 
generosity before money gets 

877
00:43:19,240 --> 00:43:22,000
tight. 
Choose honesty before you're in 

878
00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:25,200
an awkward conversation. 
Choose your boundaries before 

879
00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:27,040
real attraction starts to 
appear. 

880
00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:29,840
Choose prayer before you're in a
crisis. 

881
00:43:30,160 --> 00:43:31,880
I'm not saying that these 
problems won't come. 

882
00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:33,600
I'm just telling you you will be
better equipped. 

883
00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:35,280
Just like Kobe Bryant at the 
Olympics. 

884
00:43:35,680 --> 00:43:38,040
Except the battle you're 
fighting is actually more 

885
00:43:38,040 --> 00:43:42,520
important than the Olympics. 
As we close this today, I just 

886
00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:44,560
think the thing that I keep 
coming back to is how different 

887
00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:47,000
holiness looks than most of us 
probably expected. 

888
00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:50,640
Holiness is not about being 
strange or weird for Jesus. 

889
00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:53,160
If you are strange or weird, 
don't blame that on Jesus. 

890
00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:55,640
That is. 
That's just us, right? 

891
00:43:56,240 --> 00:43:59,360
Holiness is allowing God into 
places that you used to protect 

892
00:43:59,360 --> 00:44:03,520
and trusting him to change who 
you are privately so that you 

893
00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:06,160
will also be changed by what 
people see visibly. 

894
00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:09,200
That only matters if this 
happens first. 

895
00:44:09,720 --> 00:44:11,920
Hidden places are not dangerous 
because they exist. 

896
00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:14,440
We've all got them. 
Every person in this room has a 

897
00:44:14,440 --> 00:44:17,680
private place, a hidden place. 
It only becomes dangerous when 

898
00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:20,400
you stop inviting God into those
hidden places in your life. 

899
00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:24,440
That's what makes the story of 
Ananias and Sapphira so crazy. 

900
00:44:26,080 --> 00:44:28,480
I believe that God still changes
people. 

901
00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:31,600
Ananias and Sapphira didn't fail
because they struggled. 

902
00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:34,800
They failed because they chose 
their appearance over surrender 

903
00:44:34,800 --> 00:44:37,560
to the Lord. 
They chose to manage the 

904
00:44:37,560 --> 00:44:39,880
perception that others had of 
them instead of their own 

905
00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:42,280
hearts. 
And I believe that hidden places

906
00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:44,160
can become holy places if we let
them. 

907
00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:47,880
I believe habits can change. 
I think that your thought 

908
00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:50,080
patterns can change. 
And I believe that bitterness 

909
00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:52,440
can lose its grip. 
I think you are somebody who can

910
00:44:52,440 --> 00:44:55,280
learn to smile so often that you
forgot what it was like to carry

911
00:44:55,280 --> 00:44:58,960
a grudge. 
I think it's possible, and many 

912
00:44:58,960 --> 00:45:01,240
of us know it's possible in our 
head, but in our heart, we don't

913
00:45:01,240 --> 00:45:05,080
even want to try. 
Challenging you today to try, 

914
00:45:05,440 --> 00:45:08,800
and it's going to hurt. 
And that means that we don't end

915
00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:11,800
today by making promises. 
We end by asking God to come 

916
00:45:11,800 --> 00:45:14,280
into our places instead of 
saying, all right, God, that was

917
00:45:14,280 --> 00:45:16,960
a motivating sermon. 
From now on, I'll never do it 

918
00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:18,560
again. 
Don't do that. 

919
00:45:18,640 --> 00:45:21,520
You have set yourself up to be 
disappointed in yourself. 

920
00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:25,400
Don't make an outward promise by
something that you can't cash, 

921
00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:27,840
you can't back up. 
What I challenge you to do is 

922
00:45:27,840 --> 00:45:31,080
ask God back into it. 
This might be one of the most 

923
00:45:31,080 --> 00:45:33,040
dangerous prayers that we're 
going to pray together in all of

924
00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:34,400
Scripture. 
And I'll get there in a moment, 

925
00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:36,080
but would you all stand up? 
Because we're going to do this 

926
00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:37,880
together and then we're going to
end in worship. 

927
00:45:39,280 --> 00:45:43,800
This is a scripture written by 
David in the Psalms, and David 

928
00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:46,160
doesn't say, God, show me 
everyone else. 

929
00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:48,960
He says, search me, test me, 
show me, lead me. 

930
00:45:49,720 --> 00:45:52,240
That prayer takes courage 
because it assumes that there 

931
00:45:52,240 --> 00:45:54,320
are things in us that we don't 
fully see yet. 

932
00:45:55,360 --> 00:45:58,000
Next week, as we continue this 
series on Set Apart, we're going

933
00:45:58,000 --> 00:45:59,800
to talk about what it means to 
have a guarded heart. 

934
00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:03,320
Doesn't isolate you or cut you 
off from other people, but it 

935
00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:06,160
will actually help you manage 
other relationships a whole lot 

936
00:46:06,160 --> 00:46:08,440
better than you do. 
What we've got here is Psalm 

937
00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:13,440
13923 through 24. 
Do we have the whole scripture 

938
00:46:13,440 --> 00:46:14,800
up there? 
I thought I added it, but I may 

939
00:46:14,800 --> 00:46:18,600
not have. 
Don't have it. 

940
00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:20,760
OK, I'm going to read this out 
loud for all of us. 

941
00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:25,560
It's 2 verses if you want God to
search your heart and show you 

942
00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:28,120
areas that need to be addressed 
that you might not be aware of, 

943
00:46:28,120 --> 00:46:31,560
I'm going to tell you about two 
years ago I did this and it was 

944
00:46:31,560 --> 00:46:34,960
a very painful season, but I 
came out the other side so much 

945
00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:37,760
healthier, so much freer. 
And I'm going to read this for 

946
00:46:37,760 --> 00:46:39,280
you. 
If you want the Lord to, to, to 

947
00:46:39,280 --> 00:46:41,040
answer this for you, I don't 
know, put your hands out or 

948
00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:42,840
something. 
Make a make a visible act that 

949
00:46:42,840 --> 00:46:45,160
you want this. 
David writes this. 

950
00:46:45,160 --> 00:46:51,040
Search me, oh God, and know my 
heart, test me and know my 

951
00:46:51,040 --> 00:46:54,680
anxious thoughts. 
And verse 24 says, point out 

952
00:46:54,680 --> 00:46:58,640
anything in me that offends you 
and lead me along the path of 

953
00:46:58,640 --> 00:47:01,440
everlasting life. 
Father, we're just asking for 

954
00:47:01,440 --> 00:47:04,200
you to not only give us grace 
and our anxiety and our anxious 

955
00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:08,960
thoughts and the places we fall 
short, but would you also point 

956
00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:10,720
out anything in us that offends 
you? 

957
00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:13,680
We're not worried about the 
things that offend other people,

958
00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:15,400
Father. 
I'm not even worried about what 

959
00:47:15,400 --> 00:47:18,880
offends us about ourselves. 
Show us what is offensive to 

960
00:47:18,880 --> 00:47:22,200
your Spirit and help us get it 
out of the way so your spirit 

961
00:47:22,200 --> 00:47:25,560
can take its place. 
In the name of Jesus, Amen.