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All right, well, you can turn to
Isaiah 27 or Job 41 if you'd 

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like to follow along. 
We'll be there in a moment. 

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Before we talk a lot about what 
we're doing in the future, let's

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talk a little bit about church 
history. 

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It'll mostly be painless, don't 
worry. 

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But way back in the the 1500's, 
the church taught something that

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was very clear from Scripture. 
Stop me if you've heard this 

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before. 
When you sin, you repent that 

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that was that was the end of it.
Have you heard that before? 

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It's a good one, right? 
When you sin, you repent. 

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It's very simple. 
And the Lord made it so simple 

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for us because we can boldly 
approach that throne of grace 

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through Jesus. 
And so we don't even have to go 

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and make animal sacrifices. 
But when you sin, you repent, 

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you return to the Lord and he 
forgives you. 

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That sounds good, right? 
But confessing it to God and 

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receiving forgiveness because of
what Jesus did on the cross 

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wasn't enough over time for some
people. 

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Why? 
Because the truth got twisted. 

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There were church leaders that 
began to promote something 

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called indulgences. 
Nowadays when you hear about an 

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indulgence, it's normally 
attached to some sort of 

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chocolate decadent dessert. 
But back then that was not the 

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case. 
They basically said if you give 

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money to the Church, it will 
shorten your time in purgatory 

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or shorten the time that your 
loved ones have to wait in 

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purgatory before they get into 
heaven. 

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And what is purgatory, you ask? 
Why don't we preach on it? 

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Because it's not real. 
But purgatory, in some 

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theological circles, is this 
place where you go and you wait 

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and you do penance until you 
finally arrive there. 

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But I'm just telling you, I 
don't have time to fully unpack 

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it. 
Why would Jesus look at the 

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thief on the cross and say it 
truly? 

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I tell you today you will be 
with me in paradise if you saw 

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the things that you had to work 
through. 

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You can't earn your way to 
salvation here, and you can't 

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earn it there. 
But the Church found a pretty 

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good gig in that time. 
So here's what they did. 

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They started printing 
certificates to prove that you 

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would have shorter time in 
purgatory. 

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So you could give a certain 
amount of money and they would 

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print a certificate and it would
help you get into heaven fast. 

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Or at least that's what they 
told you. 

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Now, nobody probably set out 
thinking, let's trick people. 

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At first, it seemed like a noble
idea. 

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And I want to go ahead and and 
give you the full context of 

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this because back then, the 
churches needed funds for 

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building projects and missions. 
Does that sound familiar? 

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They even used a few scriptures 
that sounded like it backed it 

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up. 
Like when Zacchaeus gave money 

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to the poor as a sign of 
repentance in Luke 19 if you're 

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familiar with that story. 
Or even when Paul took up 

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collections for the Saints and 
people gave generously. 

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They would use these as examples
on why repentance was attached 

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to giving. 
But then they would flip it 

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around and say, so if you go 
ahead and give, then your 

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repentance will be accepted. 
That's backwards. 

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And I don't think I have to 
unpack the why here on why 

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that's so dangerous or so wrong.
But the closer a lie looks to 

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the truth, the more destructive 
it becomes. 

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So why did people do this for so
long? 

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Well, they did it for so long 
because everybody was doing it. 

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That was one of my favorite, 
like, jokes to make as a kid. 

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You know, don't you want to do 
this? 

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Everybody's doing it. 
But then I found out, like, 

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nobody says that, but everybody 
watches for it. 

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And when you see a lot of people
act a certain way or a lot of 

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people participate in something 
a certain way, then for you, you

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start to say, well, shoot, maybe
I should be doing this too. 

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That's what happened. 
And it locked up the Saints in 

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something they never needed to 
be locked into because something

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that was basic and simple got 
twisted into something that was 

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never meant to be. 
And this happened until there 

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was a young monk named Martin 
Luther. 

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And on October 31st, 1517, he 
went, he nailed his 95 theses to

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the door of Wittenberg Church, 
started what we now know is the 

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Protestant Reformation. 
And this was a movement that 

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called the church back to the 
truth of Scripture in a lot of 

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areas. 
But I want you to really not 

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miss the take away here. 
This happened not because 

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somebody set out to destroy the 
church or tear it down. 

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They just twisted it a little 
bit. 

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They said repentance is good, 
but maybe giving money shows 

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repentance also. 
And then it shifted into maybe 

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giving money can replace 
repentance. 

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So then you ended up in the 
system where instead of going to

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somebody and saying I've sinned 
against you and wronged you, 

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would you please forgive me? 
Instead of going to the Lord and

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saying I've sinned against you, 
I need to repent to you. 

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Now we go to the priest and we 
say, how much to get me off the 

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hook for this? 
You know what that's called in 

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the legal system? 
A bribe. 

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But nobody looked at it that 
way. 

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Then how can something so pure 
get so twisted? 

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It's easy, it's easy, and it all
boils down to our motives. 

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And so instead of worrying about
being clean and right with God, 

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people became worried about am I
going to get in trouble? 

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Will I go somewhere I don't want
to? 

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It's self motivated rather than 
self cleansing. 

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And this is a lot of what we're 
going to talk about today. 

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I'm just reading a couple of the
verses here from Isaiah 27, but 

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we're going to talk about 
Leviathan and what that means 

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today. 
And Leviathan, Leviathan is 

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mentioned in 27 one of Isaiah. 
It says in that day the Lord 

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will take his terrible swift 
sword and punish Leviathan, the 

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swiftly moving serpent, the 
coiling, writhing serpent. 

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He will kill the dragon of the 
sea. 

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Now Isaiah is painting Leviathan
as more than a sea monster. 

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It's a picture of different 
powers that twist and coil. 

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He goes out of his way to 
describe these things, and I'll 

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unpack that a little bit more 
shortly. 

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The whole chapter of Isaiah 27 
is about God restoring His 

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vineyard or His people. 
And so verses 2 through 3 say 

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this. 
In that day, sing about the 

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fruitful vineyard. 
I, the Lord, will watch over it,

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watering it carefully day and 
night. 

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I will watch so that no one can 
harm it. 

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Now this is the difference. 
Leviathan twists and coils 

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around, but God tends to things,
waters and makes things 

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fruitful. 
There's No Fear except for the 

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fear of the Lord, which is the 
beginning of wisdom when you, 

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when you serve the Lord 
Leviathan. 

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Just the picture of Leviathan 
would breed pride and division. 

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And there's another word for 
that chaos. 

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So God produces humility and 
unity. 

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Leviathan always makes the truth
look confusing. 

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But God guards his people and 
promises day and night. 

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I'll watch over you. 
So here's the connection because

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hopefully some of you are saying
what does a twisting sea monster

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have to do with division and 
words getting twisted other than

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having the word twisted in the 
middle? 

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Well, I'm glad that you asked. 
The twisting serpent really is a

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real thing. 
Sometimes it looks like 

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indulgences in the Middle Ages, 
Sometimes it looks like a 

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misheard word in a marriage. 
Sometimes it looks like social 

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media in a post that sparks 
division. 

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The form might change, but the 
spirit is the same. 

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It is chaos in a world that was 
designed to have order. 

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So Leviathan was an ancient 
beast that they believed in 

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Jewish culture that represented 
chaos. 

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And this is important, and I'll 
tell you why because it's not 

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the only place in Job 41. 
We're going to read a lot more 

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of Job 41 than we did in Isaiah.
And this is very important. 

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I want to make sure you know 
where this is placed. 

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How many of you all love the 
story of Job? 

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It's a little painful to go 
through if you've read through 

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all of it, but there's so much 
wisdom in it. 

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It's considered wisdom 
literature. 

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Job was a righteous man. 
The Bible calls him blameless. 

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It doesn't mean sinless, but it 
means blameless. 

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He was clean before the Lord. 
Man, that repentance stuff is 

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good stuff. 
And Job gets attacked with the 

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Lord's not only full knowledge 
but encouragement. 

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He said, go ahead, Job won't 
turn against me. 

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And so the enemy throws the best
that he can at him. 

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And so Job's been suffering for 
chapter after chapter. 

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He's had a lot of physical 
ailments, a lot of financial 

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ailments. 
He's lost a lot of family 

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members, except for the one that
he probably could have done 

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without. 
His wife was less than 

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supportive. 
If you don't know what I'm 

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talking about, read the book. 
And he has begged to have an 

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audience with God. 
He said these friends are 

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unhelpful. 
All they're saying is go and 

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repent. 
If you repent, everything will 

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go well for you. 
That's not the promise of 

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repentance. 
And so finally, he's saying, 

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God, where are you? 
And God shows up to speak to 

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him. 
And many of us, we love chapter 

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42. 
Chapter 42 is what we wait for. 

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However, when the Lord shows up,
he speaks to Job, it says from a

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whirlwind. 
So could you ever imagine 

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saying, God, I want you to 
answer to me for this. 

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And then a tornado starts right 
outside of your house. 

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That's scary enough. 
And then it says a voice came to

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him from outside from the 
whirlwind. 

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That said job, I have some 
questions for you. 

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Brace yourself like a man 
amongst the things I never want 

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to hear the Lord say to me. 
That's really high up there. 

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I'm not looking for the guy that
invented trees to ask me to pick

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my own switch is what I'm 
getting at right? 

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However, in 41, here's what the 
Lord goes out of his way to say.

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He says to job. 
Can you catch Leviathan with a 

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hook or put a noose around its 
jaw? 

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Can you tie it with a rope 
through the nose or Pierce its 

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jaw with a spike? 
Will it beg you for mercy or 

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implore you for pity? 
Will it agree to work for you 

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and to be your slave for life? 
Can you make it a pet like a 

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bird, or give it to your little 
girls to play with? 

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Will merchants try to buy it, to
sell it in their shops? 

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Listen to this. 
In verse 8, he says If you lay a

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hand on it, you will certainly 
remember the battle that 

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follows. 
You won't try that again. 

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No, it's useless to try to 
capture it. 

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The hunter who attempts will be 
knocked down. 

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And since no one dares to 
disturb it, then who can stand 

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up to me? 
Who has given me anything that I

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need to pay back? 
Everything under heaven is mine.

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If you go just down to the end 
of this chapter, the last two 

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verses 33 and 34, the Lord says 
this. 

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He says nothing on earth is it's
equal. 

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No other creature so fearless. 
Of all the creatures, it is the 

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proudest. 
It is the king of the beasts. 

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There was chaos, the world was 
formless and void and without 

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shape. 
And then God separated the 

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waters and spoke creation and 
order into existence. 

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Only the Lord himself can cut 
down Leviathan. 

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Here's your connection. 
I want you to pause for a moment

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to make sense out of what we 
just read. 

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Leviathan has talked about like 
an ancient beast, a sea monster 

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that is terrifying. 
Things like fire pouring from 

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its mouth, smoke from its 
nostrils, and its scales being 

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impenetrable. 
It sounds like mythological 

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imagery for a second, but I want
you to know that that is exactly

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the point. 
In the ancient world, every 

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culture had stories of a great 
sea dragon that represented 

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chaos that challenged the God or
gods that they worshipped. 

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Babylonians called it Tiamat, 
the Canaanites called it Lotan, 

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and for Israel it was called 
Leviathan. 

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But there was a difference. 
Whereas this was a rival force 

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that was challenging the God or 
gods that these other cultures 

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worshipped. 
The Jews looked at Leviathan as 

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a created being under God's 
lordship, not something that was

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ever going to take away God's 
power or purposes. 

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But they looked at Leviathan as 
something that God had control 

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over. 
And that's why this is unique. 

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It takes all of this imagery and
redefines it. 

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00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,240
The dragon has always been 
considered some sort of scary 

230
00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,080
thing. 
If you've ever watched, as Jared

231
00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:37,480
preached on a couple weeks ago, 
The Hobbit or The Lord of the 

232
00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,840
Rings, you know about the the 
terrible smog, right? 

233
00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:43,920
But Dragons have always 
represented something that is 

234
00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,080
difficult, impossible to 
overcome. 

235
00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:51,160
But the Jewish people knew that 
the Lord could overcome all of 

236
00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:52,960
it. 
Now, that being said, by the 

237
00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,720
time of Jesus, many Jews 
believed that Leviathan was not 

238
00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:59,680
just a beast of the sea. 
They believed he wasn't just a 

239
00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:01,360
chaotic creature. 
They believed that he 

240
00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:05,240
represented A demonic entity 
that desired chaos in the lives 

241
00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:08,280
of the Saints. 
And I'll tell you this and I'll 

242
00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:09,600
speak a little bit more on it 
later. 

243
00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,160
I can't tell you that there's an
actual demon named Leviathan. 

244
00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:13,960
A lot of people will try to tell
you that. 

245
00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:16,640
I'm just telling you from what I
read in Scripture, I can't give 

246
00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,400
you that. 
But I can confirm 100% it's a 

247
00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:23,360
demonic attack. 
So for the sake of labeling the 

248
00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:26,320
kind of attack, we'll call it 
the Leviathan manoeuvre, right? 

249
00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,920
It's twisting words, and it 
happens in more places than you 

250
00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:32,480
know. 
So whether you see Leviathan as 

251
00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,200
a monster or a metaphor or a 
demon, the point is this. 

252
00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:39,560
The enemy wants chaos in your 
life, and the Lord wants order. 

253
00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:42,600
The Lord has purpose for every 
relationship that you have. 

254
00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,640
The Lord has purpose for where 
you're at, where you work, who 

255
00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:49,520
you're going to see today. 
But the enemy would love for you

256
00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,760
to think that it's pointless. 
The Bible says two things about 

257
00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:54,600
Leviathan. 
First is that you can't tame 

258
00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:57,240
him. 
So I'm going to tell you what I 

259
00:12:57,240 --> 00:12:59,240
feel pretty good after repenting
earlier. 

260
00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:02,040
I can't tame the chaos in my 
life. 

261
00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:05,360
But the other thing that 
scripture tells us is that the 

262
00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:08,160
Lord has a sword that can strike
down this beast. 

263
00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:14,160
So if I want the chaos tamed in 
my life, if I want it smited, I 

264
00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:15,960
have to go to the almighty 
smiter, right? 

265
00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:20,240
We're going to talk about things
that are a little bit behind the

266
00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:21,560
curtains here. 
The first thing we're going to 

267
00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:24,040
talk about is the spirit behind 
division. 

268
00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:26,880
OK? 
Spirit is used in a lot of 

269
00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,040
different places. 
If you notice this, the S is not

270
00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:30,800
capital in the heading. 
That's intentional. 

271
00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:33,320
There's only one spirit that 
gets a capital S, and that's not

272
00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:34,600
the one I'm talking about this 
morning. 

273
00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:37,960
So there's a spirit behind 
division, but we hear about 

274
00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:39,360
spirit all over the place, don't
we? 

275
00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:41,160
Do you remember pep rallies in 
school? 

276
00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:43,440
You know we've got spirit. 
Yes, we do. 

277
00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:46,800
No, you don't. 
That's manufactured. 

278
00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:51,320
You're not really that excited 
about this game, but spirit 

279
00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:53,520
means a lot. 
You've got spirit that means 

280
00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:55,480
you're really a go getter or 
something like that. 

281
00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:57,160
There is a spirit behind 
division. 

282
00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:00,680
Now, most people, we'll talk 
about this in a little bit too, 

283
00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,000
are not trying to actively breed
division. 

284
00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,560
Most people have something 
underneath that that they're 

285
00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:07,560
actually trying to achieve when 
they're divisive. 

286
00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:10,200
But the enemy rarely does a fair
attack. 

287
00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:12,080
This is something I've always 
talked about. 

288
00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:17,120
He always uses a human shield. 
And so if Leviathan represents a

289
00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,360
twisting serpent, the first 
thing you have to recognize is 

290
00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:23,400
that there is also a spirit that
represents twisting things and 

291
00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:26,200
making them feel chaotic. 
I remember getting in trouble 

292
00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,480
when I was a child because my 
mom trusted me to watch my 

293
00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:30,960
little sister. 
And I said, well, I'm watching a

294
00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,760
movie, can she watch it with me?
And she said, yes, I trust you. 

295
00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:37,480
I'm sure it will be fine. 
Famous last words. 

296
00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:40,640
And so, at the tender age of 
five, I introduced my little 

297
00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:50,120
sister to the movie Anaconda. 
I didn't want her to have the 

298
00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,920
nightmares that followed. 
Here's the reality. 

299
00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,560
I wanted to watch what I wanted 
to watch, and I justified it in 

300
00:14:57,560 --> 00:14:59,480
my mind. 
And then somebody else paid the 

301
00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:02,800
price for it. 
We twist things and we make them

302
00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,480
make sense in our head. 
In fact, sometimes when we're at

303
00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:07,560
odds with people, don't we even 
say that? 

304
00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:11,200
Make it make sense to me, 
because sometimes things get so 

305
00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:12,760
twisted in the minds of other 
people. 

306
00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:16,160
I want you to know that the 
enemy will never show up waving 

307
00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:18,360
a flag that says I'm here to 
ruin your relationships. 

308
00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:21,720
He is far more subtle than that.
But since he does hide behind 

309
00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:25,080
human faces and small offenses 
and little misunderstandings 

310
00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:28,520
both on your part and the part 
of others, I want you to know 

311
00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,120
that before long, these are the 
things that grow into walls that

312
00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,760
split families and marriages and
churches, and yes, they can even

313
00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:37,520
split nations. 
And that's what makes this so 

314
00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:40,840
dangerous, because if we think 
that our problem is just people,

315
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,480
we'll keep swinging at people. 
This is a lot of what we talked 

316
00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:45,920
about one week ago. 
We'll fight our spouse. 

317
00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:48,680
We'll attack our boss. 
We'll cut off friendships. 

318
00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:51,440
And all the while the enemy is 
smiling in the background 

319
00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:54,120
because he's delighted that 
we've done his work for him. 

320
00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:56,840
God is not silent about 
division. 

321
00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,280
I want you to turn to Proverbs 
chapter 6. 

322
00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:01,080
We're going to look at this book
of wisdom. 

323
00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:05,120
May we all walk the way of 
wisdom, even if we screw up 

324
00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,200
along the way. 
Proverbs 6 tells us exactly what

325
00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,480
kind of behavior carries the 
fingerprints of sin, so let's 

326
00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:13,760
read that together. 
If you make your way to Proverbs

327
00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:17,440
6, we'll start in verse 12. 
Listen to this. 

328
00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:20,600
What are worthless and wicked 
people like? 

329
00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:24,080
Well, they're constant liars, 
signaling their deceit with a 

330
00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,000
wink of the eye, a nudge of the 
foot, or a wiggle of fingers. 

331
00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:29,960
What this means is they make 
plans and it's not obvious to 

332
00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:31,920
people. 
So if you've ever tried to 

333
00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:34,760
achieve what you wanted to 
achieve and you've tried hard to

334
00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:39,800
make sure it's not obvious to 
people, not the best decision. 

335
00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:44,240
Verse 14. 
Their perverted hearts plot evil

336
00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,280
and they constantly stir up 
trouble. 

337
00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,440
But they will be destroyed 
suddenly, broken in an instant 

338
00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:55,080
beyond all hope of healing. 
There are 6 things the Lord 

339
00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:58,560
hates. 
No, 7 things he detests. 

340
00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:00,960
That was a close one. 
He almost left one out, right? 

341
00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,240
Tell me how many of these things
are really the passion that we 

342
00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:07,560
fight against in the church 
today? 

343
00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:13,440
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, 
hands that kill the innocent, a 

344
00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:18,000
heart that plots evil, feet that
race to do wrong, a false 

345
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:23,200
witness that pours out lies, and
a person who sows discord in a 

346
00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:26,839
family. 
I don't know about you, but when

347
00:17:26,839 --> 00:17:29,600
I hear the talking points for 
the church today, these are not 

348
00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:32,560
the top things that I hear the 
church going to war against. 

349
00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:36,040
Not saying there's not other 
wars to be fought, but I'm 

350
00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:38,400
telling you that the scripture 
goes out of its way in the book 

351
00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:41,400
of Wisdom to tell you that the 
Lord hates these things. 

352
00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:43,600
You know why? 
We don't fight them. 

353
00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:47,280
We don't hate them. 
We're used to them. 

354
00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:52,640
By the way, when Proverb says 
that there's six things the Lord

355
00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:55,360
hates, no, seven. 
That actually is not sloppy 

356
00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:57,440
writing. 
That is a Hebrew style. 

357
00:17:57,440 --> 00:17:59,480
It was kind of their way of 
saying, hey, pay attention. 

358
00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:01,160
What I'm about to say is really 
weighty. 

359
00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:05,360
By the way, on top of that, what
sits at the end of the list, the

360
00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:08,200
seventh thing, a person who 
shows discord in a family. 

361
00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,040
It's not accidental that that's 
number seven either, because in 

362
00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:13,960
Hebrew writing, the last item 
often carried special force and 

363
00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:16,720
a lot of extra weight. 
It's like God was underlining it

364
00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:18,200
or highlighting it or circling 
it. 

365
00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:20,800
So feel free to do the same 
thing if you'd like to. 

366
00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,760
I want you to know that the take
away is this division is 

367
00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:31,440
detestable to God. 
We're talking disgusting, 

368
00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:35,600
repulsive. 
So pride is evil, lying is evil,

369
00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:39,360
murder is evil, and tearing 
apart relationships carries a 

370
00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:43,080
unique weight. 
That's hard for me as I'm 

371
00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:46,960
preaching it to you, because to 
me I feel like murder seems a 

372
00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:49,160
little worse. 
But here's the thing. 

373
00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,720
What happens to a St. when they 
go to the Lord? 

374
00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,160
Who are they with? 
They're with the Lord. 

375
00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:57,400
There are worse things than 
death. 

376
00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:00,920
That's what the Aladdin movies 
taught me as a child at least. 

377
00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:06,680
Why is tearing apart a family 
more weighty to the Lord than 

378
00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:09,320
the rest of it? 
Because from the beginning God 

379
00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:10,840
created unity. 
Do you remember this? 

380
00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:12,600
There was a man and a woman 
joined as one. 

381
00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:14,840
The man was naming all the 
animals and he said it's not 

382
00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:19,760
good that man is alone. 
And so he created unity there. 

383
00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,200
Man and woman joined as one, and
then there was people called as 

384
00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:25,120
one nation. 
There was a church birthed in 

385
00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:28,000
one body. 
There was division that shredded

386
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:29,280
everything that had been made 
whole. 

387
00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:33,040
And that's what he hates. 
So that's what Leviathan loves 

388
00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:37,120
more than anything, is to twist 
words and fuel pride until 

389
00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:39,320
families and friendships and 
churches just completely 

390
00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:42,160
shatter. 
That is how the enemy works. 

391
00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:44,760
You remember also in the garden,
how did he attack Eve? 

392
00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:50,720
Did he really say that? 
Just try to twist the words God 

393
00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:53,120
really say. 
You can't see that this has 

394
00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:56,000
happened to us. 
By the way, is it true that your

395
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:59,880
friend blah blah blah blah blah,
or maybe we're trying to be 

396
00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:01,520
supportive? 
I can't believe you let your 

397
00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:05,000
husband and all of a sudden 
they're like, well, I didn't 

398
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:06,840
have a problem with it, but 
maybe I do now. 

399
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:12,200
It's small words and they twist 
something that was once OK into 

400
00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:16,880
something that's not. 
The worst part is when we walk 

401
00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:19,040
away thinking that the other 
person is the problem, when in 

402
00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:22,480
reality we've both been played. 
So the spirit behind division 

403
00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:24,800
always thrives when we keep our 
eyes on the wrong enemy. 

404
00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:26,960
And that's why Paul said we 
talked about this last week in 

405
00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:29,080
Ephesians 6. 
We don't wrestle against flesh 

406
00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,960
and blood. 
Let me take you back to American

407
00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:33,320
history. 
Most of us have heard of the 

408
00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:37,280
Hatfields and the Mccoys. 
Their names are almost a joke in

409
00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:39,320
some places now. 
It's shorthand for two families 

410
00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:42,240
that just can't get along. 
But the feud was real. 

411
00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:44,920
In fact, there was a really cool
documentary series several years

412
00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:46,560
ago with Kevin Costner's really 
good. 

413
00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:47,640
I'd recommend it if you can find
it. 

414
00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:51,040
But it happened right in 
America, on the border of 

415
00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:54,760
Kentucky and West Virginia. 
Do you know what one of the main

416
00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:57,440
sparks was that kicked off that 
massive feud? 

417
00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:03,040
And this was a massive feud that
people had started to kill one 

418
00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:06,600
another, that people from each 
family that fell in love with 

419
00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,280
each other couldn't even be safe
dating each other. 

420
00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:11,400
But there was murder that 
happened here. 

421
00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:15,400
Do you know what it was? 
Not moonshine. 

422
00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:17,960
That probably healed a lot of 
their wounds. 

423
00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:19,600
They forgot what they were ever 
fighting. 

424
00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:23,320
I'm just kidding. 
It was a pig. 

425
00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:30,240
A pig, A pig, Unclean animal. 
One of them was accused of 

426
00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:32,520
stealing a hog that belonged to 
the other family. 

427
00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,040
And So what happens in a family,
right? 

428
00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:38,480
I mess with my family, but you 
can't mess with my family. 

429
00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:41,320
And so all of a sudden, they 
just groupthink gathered around 

430
00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:45,000
and started fighting back. 
Before you know it, now it's 

431
00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:46,080
like, well, why are you 
fighting? 

432
00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:48,440
Well, because they attacked and 
they killed my cousin. 

433
00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:49,840
Well, why'd they kill your 
cousin? 

434
00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,160
And if you traced it back, 
incident to incident to 

435
00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:56,400
incident, you would have arrived
at a pig. 

436
00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:02,200
And This is why Proverbs 6 warns
us that God detests a person who

437
00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:06,200
sews discord in a family. 
They would have just bought one 

438
00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:11,640
pig, replenished 1 farm animal. 
Maybe this war that went back 

439
00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:13,440
and forth could have been 
avoided. 

440
00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,400
Now my hope is, out of all the 
divisive relationships that we 

441
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:22,400
may collectively have in this 
room today, I hope that none of 

442
00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:25,920
you are fighting over a pig. 
And I hear the jokes right in 

443
00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:30,080
themselves. 
Keep them to yourself and think 

444
00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:32,680
about this. 
How many marriages fall apart 

445
00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:35,120
over small offenses that grew 
because they were never 

446
00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:38,720
addressed? 
How many families stop talking 

447
00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:40,760
to one another over a 
misunderstood comment at 

448
00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:45,480
Thanksgiving? 
How many churches split over 

449
00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:48,000
words that got twisted in pride 
instead of healed? 

450
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,120
The devil doesn't need to invent
new strategies. 

451
00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:53,280
As a matter of fact, he can't. 
He's not the Creator. 

452
00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,800
He just twists words, stirs us 
up, and then lets us go. 

453
00:22:57,160 --> 00:22:59,680
So how do you recognize the 
spirit behind division? 

454
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:02,880
I can tell you somebody who can 
give you some good advice. 

455
00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:07,520
His name is Jesus. 
In John chapter 8, the religious

456
00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:10,440
leaders brought a woman caught 
in adultery, threw her at his 

457
00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:12,600
feet, and they weren't 
interested in justice. 

458
00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:14,680
I want you to really look at 
this differently. 

459
00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:17,840
We're not going to sit on the 
story for a long time, but these

460
00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:21,760
leaders were within their rights
to do what they did, but they 

461
00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:23,800
weren't interested in justice. 
Isn't that something? 

462
00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:26,640
They weren't really concerned 
about her sin. 

463
00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,120
They just wanted to trap Jesus 
with his own words. 

464
00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:31,120
Listen to this. 
It's Leviathan at work. 

465
00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:34,960
In verse 3, we see this as Jesus
was speaking, the teachers of 

466
00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,360
religious law and Pharisees 
brought a woman who had been 

467
00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:40,080
caught in the act of adultery. 
They put her in front of the 

468
00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:44,120
crowd, teacher, they said to 
Jesus, this woman was caught in 

469
00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:46,680
the act of adultery. 
The law of Moses says to stone 

470
00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:48,440
her. 
What do you say? 

471
00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:52,000
And verse 6 could not be more 
clear. 

472
00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,840
They were trying to trap him 
into saying something they could

473
00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,640
use against him. 
But Jesus stooped down and wrote

474
00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:02,760
in the dust with his finger. 
I've already talked about what 

475
00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:03,800
that could have been in the 
dust. 

476
00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:07,360
I'm not going to unpack that 
today, But I will tell you what 

477
00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:10,320
writing in that dust gave him, 
gave him a moment to pause. 

478
00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:16,240
How many of us, when we do get 
attacked, when our integrity 

479
00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:20,120
gets questioned, the first thing
that we do is we answer real 

480
00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:22,600
quick and we know that we're 
going to have to follow it up 

481
00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:26,880
with a I'm sorry for how I said 
that, you know, But man, it's 

482
00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,080
just, you know, I got a hot 
temper or man, it's just when 

483
00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:30,840
people attack my integrity, 
that's the main thing. 

484
00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:36,200
Or that's the thing. 
I can't stand Jesus doodled. 

485
00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:41,920
OK, so the next time somebody 
comes they challenge you, maybe 

486
00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:44,040
just take out a piece of paper 
one second. 

487
00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:49,480
Give yourself a minute to think 
about it. 

488
00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,560
What you say next in these 
conversations is going to 

489
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:57,160
dictate the course of the 
conversation, so it's OK to take

490
00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:00,000
a moment. 
That one really set me off. 

491
00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,280
Hang on, I'm making a big happy 
face right now. 

492
00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:06,960
Jesus didn't take the bait. 
Listen to this. 

493
00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:12,840
The law did speak of punishment 
for sin, but the leaders bent 

494
00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:16,560
the law for their agenda. 
And that's what's hard is when 

495
00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,720
something looks right, it looks 
moral, it looks legal. 

496
00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:22,200
So they twisted the truth into a
trap. 

497
00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:23,520
They weren't seeking God's 
heart. 

498
00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:25,360
They were seeking God's 
leverage. 

499
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:29,520
We do that all the time when we 
drop Scripture into a problem. 

500
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,880
Well, here's why I'm right 
according to Isaiah 23 five. 

501
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,120
I don't know what 23 five is off
the top of my head, so don't 

502
00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:39,200
take that out of context, all 
right? 

503
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:42,720
Don't twist that one. 
Jesus refused to take the bait. 

504
00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:45,360
And you know why? 
Because Jesus knew the law 

505
00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:49,440
better than the the other 
people, but he also knew their 

506
00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:51,480
hearts better than they knew 
their own hearts. 

507
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:54,240
And he didn't let their pride or
their accusations set the 

508
00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:56,320
agenda. 
Instead, he stooped down rope in

509
00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:57,680
the dirt. 
And then he said, let the one 

510
00:25:57,680 --> 00:25:59,520
who has never sinned cast the 
first stone. 

511
00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,480
He's the only one who could have
gotten away with that because he

512
00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,320
never sinned. 
So in one sentence he cut 

513
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,920
through the twisting serpent. 
And that's our model. 

514
00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:12,240
Division will always keep 
showing up, but Jesus will show 

515
00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:16,080
you how to cut through it. 
So what do you do when you have 

516
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:19,400
this spirit of division come? 
How do you know if you're being 

517
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,040
attacked? 
Well, the first thing as I 

518
00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:23,960
talked about is to pause. 
Ask yourself this while you're 

519
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:26,200
pausing. 
Got a slide for that with those 

520
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:29,040
steps. 
By the way, ask yourself, is 

521
00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:31,440
this offence really the issue or
is there something that's 

522
00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:34,120
twisting it into a bigger thing 
than it really is? 

523
00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:37,920
Because Jesus didn't rush to 
respond, and the fact that he 

524
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,400
didn't rush actually saved a 
life in this story. 

525
00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:44,360
Now here's what's crazy. 
I have often found that the 

526
00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:47,440
things that we are preaching 
through pursuing as a church end

527
00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:52,720
up being challenges. 
This morning my kids were angels

528
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:54,520
and you're waiting for the 
sarcastic response. 

529
00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:57,800
They were great, got along 
perfectly, ate their breakfast, 

530
00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:00,120
helped each other. 
And I left the room for 10 

531
00:27:00,120 --> 00:27:07,720
minutes and it all changed. 
And I could hear the tones of 

532
00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:10,440
the voice through the door. 
And as I came out, what they 

533
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,120
were fighting over, it was 
twisting each other's words. 

534
00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:17,440
It went from please don't touch 
this to you're mean to, well, 

535
00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:21,480
you're always mean. 
And honestly, these attacks 

536
00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:22,960
don't change when we get older, 
right? 

537
00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,880
The words, the vocabulary, they 
get expanded, but that's kind of

538
00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:27,720
what we hear. 
And we walk away from them 

539
00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:29,360
saying, man, he thinks I'm 
always mean. 

540
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,320
And so we just talked. 
And I said, guys, I would love 

541
00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:35,880
to sit down and unpack this. 
I'd love to put myself in 

542
00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:38,320
counsellor mode with you. 
But the reality is we got 

543
00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:40,920
church, so why don't we go 
pursue the Lord together? 

544
00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:43,240
And they came in here for 
worship time. 

545
00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:46,040
I think it was beneficial. 
I watched them hug each other. 

546
00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,480
I watched them pursue him. 
I told them to pay special 

547
00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:50,880
attention to the words in the 
songs. 

548
00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:53,400
I said, I don't know what's in 
the songs, but if I know God the

549
00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:56,440
way that I know him, these words
are always designed and those 

550
00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:58,800
worship songs to hit us where we
are if we're seeking Him. 

551
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,280
And man, they left here in a 
better place because I made them

552
00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:05,960
pause and I said, just seek the 
Lord for a moment. 

553
00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,280
It's OK. 
You may say, well, people are 

554
00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,360
going to think like I'm not 
smart enough or that I didn't 

555
00:28:10,360 --> 00:28:12,280
have a good enough argument. 
If I don't say something back. 

556
00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,240
It's called pride. 
All right, Speaking of which, 

557
00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:19,360
number two, look for pride. 
This is hard and you have to 

558
00:28:19,360 --> 00:28:22,080
really force yourself to think 
about this. 

559
00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:25,440
Do you think about being right 
more than about peace? 

560
00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,400
When you're at odds with 
somebody, do you think about how

561
00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:31,440
to be justified? 
Do you think about how to be 

562
00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:34,120
proven that what you saw 
happened or what you experienced

563
00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:37,920
happened more than you think 
about being unified or winning 

564
00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:41,960
back the brother or sister? 
This happens to Christians all 

565
00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:44,160
the time. 
And I'm just telling you, don't 

566
00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,280
take the bait. 
And the last thing is this speak

567
00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:50,120
Spirit LED words. 
Oh, that spirit's capitalized. 

568
00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:53,760
Look at that. 
Winning the argument is not the 

569
00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:56,600
goal, and you may say, well 
you're not in the argument than 

570
00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:58,520
I am. 
You're right, I got my own. 

571
00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:02,520
Winning the argument is not the 
goal, building the Kingdom is. 

572
00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:05,680
You will never shame somebody 
into a deeper relationship with 

573
00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:07,760
the Lord and you'll never shame 
them into the Kingdom. 

574
00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,000
You'll never shame them into 
unity with you. 

575
00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:13,360
If you do shut them down and 
they're quiet about the problem,

576
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:17,360
it's going to burn like a coal 
and it's called resentment and 

577
00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:22,960
it'll pop up over time. 
Speak spirit LED words even if 

578
00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:25,800
you disagree, even if you 
disagree. 

579
00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:28,720
Actually, let me say this, 
especially when you disagree. 

580
00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:33,080
My wife and I, we don't agree on
everything, but we're clear when

581
00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:35,120
we disagree. 
And there are some things we can

582
00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:38,760
agree to disagree on. 
But I think for us, it's always 

583
00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:41,440
more important that we have 
unity in our marriage, unity in 

584
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:43,240
our family than if we win an 
argument. 

585
00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:45,320
And I can speak for both of us 
on that. 

586
00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,720
I did good that time, baby. 
Did I say what you wanted me to?

587
00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:56,760
All right. 
Look, I know I crack jokes when 

588
00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:58,600
I preach. 
I try to alleviate some of the 

589
00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:00,640
tension. 
But liberty, I want you to hear 

590
00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:02,160
me on this. 
This is real. 

591
00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:05,160
I know this sounds like good 
relationship advice or whatever.

592
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:09,960
It's war, and you may not view 
it as war, but that doesn't mean

593
00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:12,800
that the devil doesn't. 
And as long as you don't look at

594
00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:14,640
it this way, you're not going to
fight it. 

595
00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,160
Families are at stake. 
That woman's life was spared in 

596
00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:19,400
the story I just shared with 
you. 

597
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,560
Marriages are at stake. 
Your friendships are at stake. 

598
00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:25,240
And if we don't recognize that 
spirit behind division, we'll 

599
00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:27,360
just keep fighting people that 
were never our enemy. 

600
00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:32,080
But there is one tactic you can 
use if you really do want to 

601
00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:35,280
settle all of these problems, 
one that is a bigger and more 

602
00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:37,520
powerful weapon than all of the 
others. 

603
00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:40,840
But it's not what we go to. 
And it's called humility. 

604
00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:47,840
There is power behind humility. 
I'll unpack some more of what 

605
00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:49,440
the Lord said to me in the weeks
to come. 

606
00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:53,240
But several weeks ago, before I 
went to Albania, I was talking 

607
00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:55,240
to the Lord and just praying 
over things. 

608
00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,520
And I felt like the Lord led me 
into a series on spiritual 

609
00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,840
warfare. 
And for me, I thought, OK, I can

610
00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:03,800
do that. 
I would like to know what demons

611
00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,400
are specifically attacking 
Liberty and are specifically 

612
00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:10,520
attacking me because I'm looking
up some of these other demonic 

613
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:13,120
entities or whatever. 
And I said I would like to know 

614
00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,520
what these specific attacks are.
And so I asked the Lord to use 

615
00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:19,240
my discernment to give me wisdom
and give me the names. 

616
00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:22,040
Would you like to know so we can
fight together? 

617
00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:26,800
Well, the Lord said those names 
don't matter as much as the name

618
00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:31,000
of my son. 
And I went, yes, Sir. 

619
00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,440
What do you say back to them? 
And here's why, because some 

620
00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:37,120
people will go down a rabbit 
hole with this. 

621
00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:39,960
I'm giving you Leviathan as an 
attack or as a system that comes

622
00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:41,840
against people. 
But what I'm telling you is 

623
00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:45,040
those names don't matter as much
as the name of Jesus. 

624
00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:46,800
It's the name of Jesus that has 
power. 

625
00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:49,680
Jesus was the most humble person
who ever lived. 

626
00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:52,600
And so in the name of Jesus, we 
come against the enemy. 

627
00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:56,640
They know who they are. 
So in the name of Jesus, we come

628
00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:00,240
against them. 
By the way, I wonder what it 

629
00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:03,280
would be like if we focused more
in the name of Jesus than the 

630
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:05,280
name of the people that upset us
too. 

631
00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:11,400
Lord, would you bless them? 
And I'm not talking about bless 

632
00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:14,200
their heart. 
I'm talking about Lord, would 

633
00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:18,000
you pour out your favor in a way
that you are undeniable to them.

634
00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:22,040
Think about it in your heart of 
hearts, these people that irk 

635
00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:25,040
you, that bother you, that 
question you, that set you off, 

636
00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:28,360
that make you angry. 
This is a real question, but 

637
00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:31,440
just answer it internally, OK? 
Do you want them to suffer? 

638
00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:36,880
Do you want them to physically 
be sick and ill and hurt? 

639
00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,560
If you don't, that's what I'm 
talking about. 

640
00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:43,240
If you do, take that to the 
Lord, right? 

641
00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:47,520
But if you don't, then speak the
blessings of the Lord over them,

642
00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:49,160
not as rewards for what they're 
doing. 

643
00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:52,920
Speak Jesus over them. 
If they're more and more like 

644
00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:54,840
Jesus, they're not going to irk 
you as much. 

645
00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:56,280
You ever thought about it like 
that? 

646
00:32:57,600 --> 00:32:59,680
When the Lord said that to me, 
it really stuck with me. 

647
00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:03,480
Because the truth is this Demons
don't back down because you know

648
00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:05,560
the right vocabulary. 
They don't back down because you

649
00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:07,880
know their name. 
Could you imagine that? 

650
00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:13,000
Demon starts attacking you and 
you can tell you're in a season 

651
00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,680
of spiritual war and you turn 
around and you're like, listen 

652
00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:18,040
up, Eugene. 
Yeah, that's right. 

653
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:22,600
I know your real name. 
Just kidding. 

654
00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:25,240
Once, you know, I took a moment 
to think real hard if there was 

655
00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:29,160
a Eugene that I knew here, not 
looking to give somebody a bad 

656
00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:31,200
Sunday. 
It doesn't work. 

657
00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:33,320
But when they start to attack 
you and you turn around, you're 

658
00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:35,920
like in the name of Jesus. 
They're like, I already know 

659
00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:41,160
where this is going. 
The Bible says humble yourself, 

660
00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:43,280
resist the devil and he'll flee 
from you. 

661
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:46,400
Not just resist the devil and 
he'll flee from you. 

662
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:50,480
You ain't that strong. 
But if you humble yourself, it's

663
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:53,160
totally different. 
And that's what humility really 

664
00:33:53,160 --> 00:33:54,880
is all about. 
Let's go to Philippians chapter 

665
00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:57,640
2. 
I want you to know this, that in

666
00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:01,440
in the days of Jesus, the Jews 
looked at humility not as 

667
00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:03,640
weakness, but they looked at it 
as the stance of somebody who 

668
00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:05,120
really knew their place before 
God. 

669
00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:07,600
And especially the early 
Christians, it was strength that

670
00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:10,280
was under submission. 
And so to humble yourself was to

671
00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:14,400
bow before the God who rules the
heaven and the earth and to 

672
00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:16,400
acknowledge his authority 
instead of your own. 

673
00:34:16,679 --> 00:34:20,520
And This is why Jesus endorsed 
humility over and over and over 

674
00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:23,320
again. 
Humility whispers, Lord, I need 

675
00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:27,159
you when we would rather not 
even ask somebody for help when 

676
00:34:27,159 --> 00:34:28,800
we're tied on a bill or 
something like that. 

677
00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:32,679
And so the early church 
recognized humility as not just 

678
00:34:32,679 --> 00:34:36,120
a good characteristic, but as a 
weapon to be used in spiritual 

679
00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:39,600
warfare. 
Leviathan feasts on pride, 

680
00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:42,520
twists and divides us. 
But humility cuts off his food 

681
00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:45,800
supply. 
So pride always invites the 

682
00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:48,320
serpent to come in, but humility
chokes him out. 

683
00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:51,560
So this is not just something 
that we need to do to be better 

684
00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:53,800
Christians. 
It's something we need to do to 

685
00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,719
push back against the enemy. 
And Paul gives some advice in 

686
00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:59,720
Philippians 2 that we can't 
afford to miss, even if we've 

687
00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:02,040
heard it a dozen times. 
I would challenge you to listen 

688
00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,440
like it's your first time. 
Let's have ears to hear. 

689
00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:06,800
Listen to this in Philippians 2 
in the first verse. 

690
00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:09,960
Is there any encouragement from 
belonging to Christ? 

691
00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:13,560
I have asked this question by 
the way, before Lord, I gave my 

692
00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:15,920
life to you and it was really 
easy at 1st and then it got 

693
00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:17,880
harder. 
Is there any encouragement to 

694
00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:19,320
what I'm going through right 
now? 

695
00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:22,920
So he says, is there any comfort
from his love, any fellowship 

696
00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:26,280
together in the spirit. 
Paul says, are your hearts 

697
00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:29,960
tender and compassionate? 
Then make me truly happy by 

698
00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:33,320
agreeing wholeheartedly with 
each other, loving one another 

699
00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:37,440
and working together with one 
mind and purpose that feels 

700
00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:40,960
impossible. 
He says in verse 3, don't be 

701
00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:46,000
selfish, don't try to impress 
others, be humble, thinking of 

702
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:47,480
others as better than 
yourselves. 

703
00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:51,120
Don't look out only for your own
interests, but take an interest 

704
00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:54,520
in others too. 
You must have the same attitude 

705
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:58,400
that Christ Jesus had. 
But I got to be honest with you 

706
00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:00,640
and I thought I was done talking
about after last week. 

707
00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:03,560
I'll just mention it briefly, 
especially in light of Charlie 

708
00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:06,760
Kirk's death, the ongoing 
tension in our country, I feel 

709
00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:08,760
like I've seen a whole lot of 
the exact opposite. 

710
00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:12,920
And I've watched people, I have 
watched good God fearing people 

711
00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:15,720
on both sides dig trenches 
instead of building bridges. 

712
00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:18,160
I've heard Christians say I 
don't even know if they're 

713
00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:20,040
really a Christian because I 
don't see the fruit. 

714
00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:24,920
I'm so sorry if this is 
something you've said, because 

715
00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:26,720
it's something I've thought 
before too, but it is such a 

716
00:36:26,720 --> 00:36:29,760
nasty thing to say. 
We have become the salvation 

717
00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:32,280
police deciding who's in and 
who's out, who's really saved. 

718
00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:35,360
And I just have to tell you, I I
can't be a part of that anymore.

719
00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:38,440
That's not Our Calling. 
It's not humility. 

720
00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:40,560
That's pride that is wrapped up 
in religion. 

721
00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:42,760
And we found a way somehow to 
make it worse. 

722
00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:46,400
And so we're Christians. 
That means that we are supposed 

723
00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:48,480
to be little Christ. 
We're supposed to represent 

724
00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:51,200
Jesus out there, and that's the 
Great Commission. 

725
00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:54,040
It's preaching the gospel, it's 
making disciples, it's loving 

726
00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:56,880
people, even and especially the 
ones that drive us crazy. 

727
00:36:56,880 --> 00:36:59,080
And it's pointing people to 
Jesus instead of dragging them 

728
00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:00,880
through the court of public 
opinion. 

729
00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:05,440
And so you can look at the fruit
and use your own discernment for

730
00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:08,120
your personal relationships. 
It's wise do that. 

731
00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:10,920
But when you look at somebody 
who you already don't like and 

732
00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:13,800
you have now magnified all of 
their worst possible 

733
00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:15,680
characteristics and you're like,
I don't even know if they're 

734
00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:19,400
really saved because they said 
blah blah blah, y'all. 

735
00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:21,440
We're going to be real surprised
when we get to heaven one day 

736
00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:25,760
and we look around, we might be 
surprised in both directions 

737
00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:30,200
who's there and who's not. 
The reality is this. 

738
00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:33,040
If we can't humble ourselves and
start to see others as more 

739
00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:36,920
valuable than our own personal 
comfort or politics or pride, we

740
00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:39,840
are playing on the devil's 
playground and we're letting 

741
00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:43,080
Leviathan twist us into exactly 
who he wants us to be, which is 

742
00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:45,240
divided and prideful and 
powerless. 

743
00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:47,600
It's a really nasty combo, isn't
it? 

744
00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:50,840
But when we do humble ourselves,
when we stop pretending to be 

745
00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:53,360
the judges of someone else, it 
changes. 

746
00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:56,920
So one more piece of American 
history for you. 

747
00:37:56,920 --> 00:38:01,880
There's lots of history today. 
Let's go back to 1865, good old 

748
00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:05,360
President Abe Lincoln. 
Abe Lincoln was known for a lot 

749
00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:08,400
of things, but I'll tell you as 
he was there for the 

750
00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:13,000
inauguration, it's got a quote 
that I think should probably be 

751
00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:14,880
known more than the Gettysburg 
Address. 

752
00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:19,840
But I want you to know, the 
Civil War had spent 4 long years

753
00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:21,160
raging. 
It was almost over. 

754
00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:22,960
It was very obvious that the 
North was going to win. 

755
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:27,920
At this point, more than 600,000
lives had been lost in America, 

756
00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:32,520
and everyone expected Lincoln to
take a victory lap. 

757
00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:35,880
They expected him to boast, 
condemn the other side, and 

758
00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:38,080
maybe pour a little salt in the 
wounds so that they know who's 

759
00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:41,240
boss. 
But that's not what he did. 

760
00:38:41,240 --> 00:38:44,640
Instead, this is what Lincoln 
said, because he said this, he 

761
00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:47,400
said he admitted that both the 
North and the South prayed to 

762
00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:50,800
the same God and read the same 
Bible, even though each side 

763
00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:53,360
believed God was on their side. 
He refused to claim moral 

764
00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:57,200
superiority. 
And here's his direct quote with

765
00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:03,800
malice toward none, with charity
for all, with firmness in the 

766
00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:05,560
right. 
As God gives us to see the 

767
00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:09,800
right, let us strive on to 
finish the work we are in, to 

768
00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:13,920
bind up the nation's wounds, to 
care for Him who shall have 

769
00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:18,960
borne the battle, and for his 
widow and his orphan, and do all

770
00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:23,600
which may achieve and cherish a 
just and lasting peace among 

771
00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:29,000
ourselves and with all nations. 
This is humility. 

772
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:30,840
Do you know what he's talking 
about there? 

773
00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:32,560
He says take care of the orphan 
and the widow. 

774
00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:36,200
Why? 
Because 600,000 lives had been 

775
00:39:36,200 --> 00:39:38,240
lost in this war. 
You think there weren't orphans 

776
00:39:38,240 --> 00:39:40,760
and widows on both sides? 
And I can't help but remember 

777
00:39:40,760 --> 00:39:42,600
what the Bible says. 
If you want to know what true 

778
00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:46,000
religion is, anybody remember 
that one? 

779
00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:48,440
It's to take care of widows and 
orphans. 

780
00:39:49,240 --> 00:39:51,760
It's to take care of those who 
can't help themselves. 

781
00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:56,640
It is to take that favor that 
the Lord has given you and use 

782
00:39:56,640 --> 00:40:00,720
it for the Lord's purposes. 
Most people. 

783
00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:03,240
Said we'd get back to this. 
I want you to know this and I'm 

784
00:40:03,240 --> 00:40:04,800
saying it to you so I'll also 
remember it. 

785
00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:08,360
Most people have no malice 
towards you. 

786
00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:12,200
Most people don't sit there and 
think about ways to ruin your 

787
00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:15,440
life. 
Most people don't wake up, have 

788
00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:18,640
their bowl of cereal and think, 
how am I going to ruin fill in 

789
00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:23,040
the blanks day today. 
Most people are not plotting 

790
00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:27,320
your downfall, but most people 
are consumed with their own 

791
00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:30,440
desires and their own fears and 
their own anxieties and their 

792
00:40:30,440 --> 00:40:32,920
own frustrations and their own 
shortcomings. 

793
00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:36,800
Some people are selfish. 
Some people are just self 

794
00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:39,760
motivated. 
But either way, the focus is on 

795
00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:41,320
themselves. 
And so I'm just telling you that

796
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:44,560
if you want to live differently,
if you want to look like Christ,

797
00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:47,680
you can't let self be the word 
that defines your motives. 

798
00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:50,960
I want you to think about the 
disciples that Jesus chose. 

799
00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:53,320
I don't have a lot of time to 
unpack all of this, so I'll just

800
00:40:53,320 --> 00:40:55,720
highlight two of them. 
We got Matthew, the tax 

801
00:40:55,720 --> 00:40:58,480
collector, a man who worked for 
Rome, worked for the government,

802
00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:00,720
not even Jewish government. 
He's a sell out. 

803
00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:06,200
And then you have Simon the 
Zealot, who belonged to a 

804
00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:09,240
political group that wanted to 
overthrow Rome by force. 

805
00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:14,600
Sometimes, sometimes I will hear
both conservatives and liberals 

806
00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:17,400
say that we can't be united with
someone who stands against our 

807
00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:20,520
very way of life. 
But look at these two guys. 

808
00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:24,640
You have a political assassin 
and a pawn of the oppressive 

809
00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:28,680
regime, and Jesus chose them 
both and stuck them on his team.

810
00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:33,080
By every human measure, these 
two should have hated each other

811
00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:36,240
politically, should have hated 
each other socially, culturally,

812
00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:39,240
they were enemies, and Jesus 
brought them to the same table. 

813
00:41:41,640 --> 00:41:44,600
I want you to see that Matthew 
and Simon could be united under 

814
00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:47,680
Christ and I want you to walk 
out if you're today dreaming 

815
00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:51,280
about who you might be able to 
be united with in Christ. 

816
00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:55,120
Not an agreement on everything, 
Not saying everything they do is

817
00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:57,960
OK, but I wonder if there is 
somebody in your life that loves

818
00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:01,280
the Lord but does a whole lot of
things differently that you 

819
00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:04,200
could walk out that path with 
and build the Kingdom. 

820
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:09,440
Guys, this is our job. 
It's our job and we can't let 

821
00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:11,440
petty things stop us from doing 
our job. 

822
00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:14,080
Why didn't you work with this 
person that I put in front of 

823
00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:15,440
you? 
Because He's mean to me. 

824
00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:19,240
God, He talks about me when I'm 
not there. 

825
00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:24,200
Do you see how weird it sounds? 
All right, how do we grow in 

826
00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:25,760
humility? 
There's four real steps to grow 

827
00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:27,720
in humility, and they're all 
fun. 

828
00:42:27,720 --> 00:42:30,360
Don't worry. 
First of all, pray for God's 

829
00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:34,880
perspective. 
We know this, we know this, but 

830
00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:37,560
we don't do it. 
We know it, and it's a great 

831
00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:40,520
teaching point, but most of our 
prayers when we're in division 

832
00:42:41,240 --> 00:42:44,160
is not God. 
Show me, Show me what they're 

833
00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:45,800
seeing. 
Show me what you're seeing from 

834
00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:48,360
here, because there's normally 
three sides to everything, 

835
00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:50,680
right? 
There's side A, side B, and then

836
00:42:50,680 --> 00:42:53,960
there's God's side. 
Pray for God's perspective. 

837
00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:57,200
You may see things that you 
missed at 1st and then choose to

838
00:42:57,200 --> 00:42:59,680
listen first. 
I know you got a lot to say. 

839
00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:02,840
Told you I was going to be 
speaking to myself too. 

840
00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:06,240
Humility always listens before 
it speaks. 

841
00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:09,640
Speaking to James, I mentioned 
that book earlier. 

842
00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:12,880
Be quick to listen and slow to 
speak and slow to get angry. 

843
00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:15,120
You know how you can be slow to 
get angry if you're quick to 

844
00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:19,000
listen and you're slow to speak?
Doesn't mean you don't get a 

845
00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:20,080
voice. 
It doesn't mean you don't get to

846
00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:23,040
speak, but listen first. 
So when there is division, go to

847
00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:25,720
them and say, all right, I'm 
sensing something. 

848
00:43:27,240 --> 00:43:29,600
But before I get defensive and 
tell you all about why I did 

849
00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:36,440
what I did, I want to hear how 
it hit you #3 here's your, your,

850
00:43:36,520 --> 00:43:38,440
your biggest challenge of the 
day that I'll circle back to 

851
00:43:38,440 --> 00:43:40,160
momentarily. 
Celebrate others. 

852
00:43:41,720 --> 00:43:46,080
Intentionally celebrate others 
on purpose. 

853
00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:50,360
OK, this is important. 
Do you know how much of culture 

854
00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:53,480
would change if we went out of 
our way to encourage and edify 

855
00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:57,600
and build up people? 
It would change dramatically, 

856
00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:01,040
because I'll tell you why. 
If you started encouraging 

857
00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:04,120
everybody and everybody started 
encouraging you, you would never

858
00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:06,040
feel like you have to keep up 
with somebody. 

859
00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:09,520
You would never start to feel 
like you need to cover up the 

860
00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:11,760
fact that maybe you're 
struggling in a certain area. 

861
00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:14,440
Well, they all seem like they're
doing well and they worship God,

862
00:44:14,440 --> 00:44:16,120
so obviously the flaw must be in
me. 

863
00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:19,840
No, no, no, Pull the man of God 
out of your friends. 

864
00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:22,240
Pull the woman of God up out of 
your friends. 

865
00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:26,240
Speak life into them. 
When you start celebrating other

866
00:44:26,240 --> 00:44:29,800
people intentionally, it's a 
whole lot easier to deal with 

867
00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:32,200
your own mess. 
And you won't compare yourself 

868
00:44:32,200 --> 00:44:34,320
as much either. 
And the last thing is to confess

869
00:44:34,320 --> 00:44:37,880
your pride quickly. 
And if you forget all of those 

870
00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:41,400
words, there's only three and #4
remember the word quickly. 

871
00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:44,600
And I'll tell you why. 
Because the longer that you hold

872
00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:47,600
on to pride, the more that it 
becomes justifiable. 

873
00:44:47,600 --> 00:44:50,160
The more that it puts down 
roots, the more that leviathan 

874
00:44:50,160 --> 00:44:52,600
coils around, tightens that 
grip. 

875
00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:56,600
Confess it quickly. 
There's lots of times I have a 

876
00:44:56,600 --> 00:44:59,200
conversation and I'll close my 
door and I'll just go to the 

877
00:44:59,200 --> 00:45:01,920
Lord and say, well, Lord, I felt
pretty prideful right there. 

878
00:45:02,880 --> 00:45:06,080
I need you to take it from me 
and I'm going to tell you 

879
00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:07,400
something. 
That pride will get taken from 

880
00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:08,600
you eventually, one way or the 
other. 

881
00:45:08,600 --> 00:45:10,160
You might as well be a part of 
that process. 

882
00:45:11,600 --> 00:45:14,520
So humility is a weakness. 
It doesn't make you a doormat. 

883
00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:18,720
It is strength. 
But celebrating others, choosing

884
00:45:18,720 --> 00:45:20,680
to listen to them, and praying 
for God's perspective will 

885
00:45:20,680 --> 00:45:23,080
change a whole lot. 
And so today we've talked about 

886
00:45:23,080 --> 00:45:24,880
the twisting serpent, the spirit
behind division. 

887
00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:27,080
But since we were recently in 
Philippians 2, I would like to 

888
00:45:27,080 --> 00:45:29,880
read a little bit more of it. 
I got 2 scriptures for you 

889
00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:34,720
before you're out of here. 
The next verse in chapter 2. 

890
00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:41,640
So starting in verse 6, this is 
what Paul says about Jesus, our 

891
00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:44,960
model. 
Though he was God, he did not 

892
00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:47,160
think of equality with God as 
something to cling to. 

893
00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:51,520
Instead, he gave up his divine 
privileges and he took the 

894
00:45:51,520 --> 00:45:55,480
humble position of a slave and 
it was born as a human being. 

895
00:45:56,560 --> 00:45:59,640
When he appeared in human form, 
he humbled himself in obedience 

896
00:45:59,640 --> 00:46:03,160
to God and died a criminal's 
death on a cross. 

897
00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:08,560
Therefore, God elevated him to 
the place of highest honor and 

898
00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:12,320
gave him the name above all 
other names, that at the name of

899
00:46:12,360 --> 00:46:15,720
Jesus every knee should bow in 
heaven and on earth and under 

900
00:46:15,720 --> 00:46:18,800
the earth, and every tongue 
declared that Jesus Christ is 

901
00:46:18,800 --> 00:46:21,200
Lord to the glory of God the 
Father. 

902
00:46:22,200 --> 00:46:26,240
Jesus didn't defeat the enemy by
force or by twisting the 

903
00:46:26,240 --> 00:46:28,200
scenario. 
He conquered through humility 

904
00:46:28,200 --> 00:46:31,200
and obedience and the cross. 
And the last scripture I have 

905
00:46:31,200 --> 00:46:32,800
for you is this. 
I want you to hear the heart 

906
00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:35,800
that Jesus has for you and I in 
John chapter 17. 

907
00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:42,280
Here are the words of Jesus. 
He says I am praying not only 

908
00:46:42,280 --> 00:46:46,200
for these disciples, but also 
for all who will ever believe in

909
00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:47,440
me. 
Through their message. 

910
00:46:48,680 --> 00:46:52,520
I pray that they will all be 
one, just as you and I are one 

911
00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:57,960
as you are in me, Father, and I 
am in you, and may they be in US

912
00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:00,480
so that the world will believe 
you sent me. 

913
00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:04,800
He says I have given them the 
glory you gave me so that they 

914
00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:08,000
may be one as we are one. 
I'll pause for a second. 

915
00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:10,640
Do you understand that? 
He has given us the glory of 

916
00:47:10,640 --> 00:47:11,680
God. 
We're believers, we're 

917
00:47:11,680 --> 00:47:15,360
Christians, we carry His glory, 
but there was purpose to us 

918
00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:18,280
carrying the glory, and instead 
we hold on to this glory and 

919
00:47:18,280 --> 00:47:19,960
we're like, look how shiny it 
is. 

920
00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:22,760
I'm going to heaven. 
I must be on the right side of 

921
00:47:22,760 --> 00:47:24,320
this and they're on the wrong 
side. 

922
00:47:24,320 --> 00:47:28,040
But He wants us to be 1. 
Father, I want these whom you 

923
00:47:28,040 --> 00:47:30,320
have given me to be with me 
where I am. 

924
00:47:30,960 --> 00:47:34,480
Then they can see all the glory 
you gave me because you loved me

925
00:47:34,480 --> 00:47:36,040
from even before the world 
began. 

926
00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:38,520
Verse 25. 
A righteous Father. 

927
00:47:38,520 --> 00:47:41,080
The world doesn't know you, but 
I do. 

928
00:47:42,160 --> 00:47:44,000
And these disciples know you 
sent me. 

929
00:47:44,320 --> 00:47:47,560
I've revealed you to them, and 
I'll continue to do so. 

930
00:47:48,240 --> 00:47:51,000
And then your love for me will 
be in them and I will be in 

931
00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:55,440
them. 
Talk to my kids about this this 

932
00:47:55,440 --> 00:47:59,480
morning. 
When we pray, do we ask for what

933
00:47:59,480 --> 00:48:01,880
we want? 
Yes. 

934
00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:04,400
Would you heal? 
Fill in the blank. 

935
00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:05,800
Would you bless? 
Fill in the blank. 

936
00:48:05,800 --> 00:48:07,280
Would you fix? 
Fill in the blank. 

937
00:48:07,520 --> 00:48:10,240
It's OK. 
He loves to hear his kids come 

938
00:48:10,240 --> 00:48:13,360
to him, But we're pretty focused
on getting what we want in 

939
00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:15,280
prayer. 
But now that you've just heard 

940
00:48:15,280 --> 00:48:18,920
this prayer that Jesus made, I 
would just ask you, do you think

941
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:20,440
Jesus is getting what he asked 
for? 

942
00:48:21,800 --> 00:48:23,440
Do you think he's getting what 
he wanted? 

943
00:48:24,120 --> 00:48:28,720
He asked that God would bless us
and give us his glory so that 

944
00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:31,000
the world would see and so that 
we could be 1. 

945
00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:34,840
And I know that today is a rough
message, but I want you to know 

946
00:48:34,840 --> 00:48:37,480
this. 
You can do this, I can do this. 

947
00:48:37,480 --> 00:48:39,560
I need you to encourage me and 
tell me I can do it. 

948
00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:42,960
We do not do this in our own 
strength, but we do it because 

949
00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:45,600
the name above every name is the
name that's over us. 

950
00:48:46,400 --> 00:48:48,960
And the one who prayed for unity
is in you and is in me. 

951
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:52,440
And so His love enables what 
your and my willpower can't. 

952
00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:58,720
So I'm just going to do this. 
Not everybody needs to stand up.

953
00:48:58,720 --> 00:49:01,720
But if, if this is for you, if 
you're holding on to bitterness 

954
00:49:01,720 --> 00:49:04,920
or offensive Leviathan has 
twisted words in your heart or 

955
00:49:04,920 --> 00:49:07,680
in your relationships, would you
just stand up so we can pray 

956
00:49:07,680 --> 00:49:11,520
over you today? 
Bitterness and offence is a hard

957
00:49:11,520 --> 00:49:14,600
thing to carry, but most of us 
have dealt with it at some 

958
00:49:14,600 --> 00:49:24,950
point. 
Father, we love you and we trust

959
00:49:24,950 --> 00:49:27,390
you, but we do not understand 
you all the time. 

960
00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:31,720
And so for those of us 
especially that are in divisive 

961
00:49:31,720 --> 00:49:34,440
relationships or we have trouble
of letting go of something that 

962
00:49:34,440 --> 00:49:37,160
has wounded us, maybe some of 
us, we've been carrying this 

963
00:49:37,160 --> 00:49:40,760
bitterness for decades. 
Father, we want you to get what 

964
00:49:40,760 --> 00:49:43,040
you want. 
And when you sent your son, he 

965
00:49:43,040 --> 00:49:46,800
prayed that we would be of 1 
heart and one mind, that we 

966
00:49:46,800 --> 00:49:49,760
would have your love in us. 
So I'm asking for your love to 

967
00:49:49,760 --> 00:49:51,680
burn away all of the anger and 
the offence. 

968
00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:54,440
You know what it's like to be 
wronged, you know what it's like

969
00:49:54,440 --> 00:49:58,000
to be misunderstood, you know 
what it's like to feel unheard, 

970
00:49:58,000 --> 00:50:00,480
and you know what it's like to 
be persecuted in ways that we 

971
00:50:00,480 --> 00:50:05,240
never will. 
But Father, we love you and 

972
00:50:05,240 --> 00:50:07,000
because we love you, we love 
them. 

973
00:50:07,360 --> 00:50:09,640
I ask for you to not just remove
this bitterness and this 

974
00:50:09,640 --> 00:50:13,000
offence, but God, would you 
actually replace it with genuine

975
00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:15,880
affection for these people that 
have wronged us? 

976
00:50:16,080 --> 00:50:18,720
Would you give us your 
perspective and give us your 

977
00:50:18,720 --> 00:50:21,880
ears to hear so that we can be 
tender and responsive and 

978
00:50:21,880 --> 00:50:24,960
sensitive to your Spirit? 
Father, we don't want to be on 

979
00:50:24,960 --> 00:50:27,360
the winning side of earthly 
dynamics. 

980
00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:30,440
We want to be on your side in 
Kingdom matters. 

981
00:50:31,600 --> 00:50:34,120
So please, God, reproduce your 
Spirit in US. 

982
00:50:34,120 --> 00:50:37,880
Give us a fresh outpouring of 
your Holy Spirit and let us walk

983
00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:41,920
into these relationships changed
and free and able to hear you 

984
00:50:42,080 --> 00:50:45,240
and do your will in the name of 
Jesus, Amen. 

985
00:50:47,200 --> 00:50:49,800
The last thing I'll tell you and
you can stay standing because 

986
00:50:49,800 --> 00:50:51,200
the rest of you are going to 
stand in a moment. 

987
00:50:54,720 --> 00:50:56,240
Got a little Catholic for a 
moment, didn't we? 

988
00:50:56,240 --> 00:50:58,000
Up, down, up, down. 
Just just kidding. 

989
00:51:00,560 --> 00:51:02,760
Here's the challenge for all of 
us this week, and I really mean 

990
00:51:02,760 --> 00:51:03,920
this. 
This is not like, oh, what a 

991
00:51:03,920 --> 00:51:06,080
good idea. 
I want you to choose one person 

992
00:51:06,080 --> 00:51:08,320
every day this week to encourage
with your words. 

993
00:51:08,720 --> 00:51:10,680
I want you to speak life and 
bless them. 

994
00:51:10,680 --> 00:51:13,320
I want you to build up and not 
tear down, whether you do it 

995
00:51:13,320 --> 00:51:16,040
through a text message or 
Facebook or face to face. 

996
00:51:16,280 --> 00:51:20,200
I'm challenging every person in 
this room to find one person at 

997
00:51:20,200 --> 00:51:23,680
least that you can encourage 
every single day this week. 

998
00:51:23,960 --> 00:51:26,080
And I want to hear your stories.
I'm going to be posting about 

999
00:51:26,080 --> 00:51:27,240
it. 
I'm going to be asking those of 

1000
00:51:27,240 --> 00:51:29,600
you that I know about it. 
I want to hear your stories on 

1001
00:51:29,600 --> 00:51:31,960
how you've been able to 
encourage and edify other people

1002
00:51:32,120 --> 00:51:34,000
in ways that you've never been 
able to before. 

1003
00:51:34,320 --> 00:51:36,640
Let's bring the lost home. 
Let's make the lonely a little 

1004
00:51:36,640 --> 00:51:37,600
less lonely. 
Amen. 

1005
00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:39,440
Send me your stories when you 
get them. 

1006
00:51:39,440 --> 00:51:41,920
I want to hear them. 
Because next week we're talking 

1007
00:51:41,920 --> 00:51:45,000
about the attack of the demonic 
entity Belial. 

1008
00:51:45,440 --> 00:51:46,920
It's called the weight of 
worthlessness. 

1009
00:51:46,920 --> 00:51:50,200
And if you have ever wondered if
you matter, if you've ever felt 

1010
00:51:50,200 --> 00:51:53,880
like your story doesn't matter, 
or like you're invisible and you

1011
00:51:53,880 --> 00:51:56,400
feel like other people matter so
much more than you, you won't 

1012
00:51:56,400 --> 00:51:58,400
want to miss next week. 
But the rest of you stand up so 

1013
00:51:58,400 --> 00:52:00,520
we can give God all the praise 
and all the glory today.