1 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:04,520 Matthew chapter 18 is where you're going to go in your 2 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:24,560 Bible. So you'll remember we've, uh, 3 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,880 we've turned the corner. Umm, I've heard some scholars 4 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,240 say that they think now at this point, we're in the last month 5 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,280 of Jesus's life. So we're at the finish line for 6 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:35,200 sure. He understands what's about to 7 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:36,840 happen. We're we're most definitely 8 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,920 within the last six months, but some say they think even in 9 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:42,960 within the last month. So he's certainly turned the 10 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:45,240 corner. His whole focus is I am 11 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:48,280 preparing my disciples and I'm preparing myself for the cross 12 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:52,040 and for what comes after. And he's just dealt with Peter, 13 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:54,920 the temple tax situation last week. 14 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:59,800 And now really we go into a powerful sermon again of Jesus 15 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:04,640 where it starts with him asking his disciples a question. 16 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:07,920 Mark actually shows us the same account but gives some different 17 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,080 detail. So in Mark we find that Jesus 18 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,280 asks the disciples, hey, what were you talking about while we 19 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:13,960 were coming up on the road? And then they begin to answer 20 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:16,000 that question. And that goes into this whole 21 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:17,880 powerful sermon that the Lord gives us. 22 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,160 And of course, unfortunately, I'm not as good a preacher as 23 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:23,280 Jesus, so it takes me a lot longer to say the things that he 24 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:25,480 says. And we're just going to take 6 25 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,360 verses today and we're going to stop right in the middle of his 26 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,680 sermon and we're going to pick it back up next week. 27 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,200 Matthew chapter 18 though verse one. 28 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,840 At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying who is the 29 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:40,960 greatest in the Kingdom of heaven? 30 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,560 And calling to him a child. He put him in the midst of them 31 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:48,520 and said, truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like 32 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:51,600 children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. 33 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,800 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in 34 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,920 the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child 35 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:02,440 in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these 36 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:05,760 little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him 37 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:09,360 to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and be 38 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:11,800 drowned in the depths of the sea. 39 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,320 Heavenly Father, we love your word and we honor Your word 40 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:20,040 today as we look at pride, humility, and the Kingdom, that 41 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:22,600 we ask that You would make us humble, and that You would help 42 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,360 us to humble ourselves so that You would exalt us at the right 43 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:27,880 time. But Lord, even if there wasn't 44 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:30,920 an exaltation, I pray that our hearts would be just be so 45 00:02:30,920 --> 00:02:33,360 tenderized. I pray you would make us the 46 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,920 soil that's soft, not the soil that's rocky, not the soil 47 00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:39,840 that's the hard ground, not the soil that has the thorns and the 48 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:41,920 weeds in it. But God make us the soil where 49 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:43,280 you can plant the seeds of your word. 50 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:45,360 And things would sprout and things would grow. 51 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,520 That we would not be eager for status or power or glory or 52 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:53,760 position, but that we would be joyfully thankful to be a part 53 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,360 of your Kingdom and to take our role in it, whatever the Master 54 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,160 would determine that to be. Open the eyes of our hearts 55 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,480 today. Help us to grow in deeper love. 56 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,960 Help us to be more protective of one another so that we would 57 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:08,040 That we really would be our brother's keeper. 58 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:10,600 That we would love him enough to tell him the truth. 59 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,640 That we would love our sister enough to tell her the truth. 60 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,680 And that we would be humble enough to receive the love, the 61 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,600 care, the maintenance, the correction, the encouragement, 62 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,280 the rebuke. Whatever is needed, Lord, make 63 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,640 us childlike in our faith. Make us childlike in our 64 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:30,520 humility. We humble ourselves right now to 65 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:33,760 your word, knowing it'll cut us to the heart, knowing it will 66 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,440 divide between soul and spirit. Mature your church and sanctify 67 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:43,520 us in Jesus name, Amen. At that time the disciples came 68 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:47,280 to Jesus saying who is the greatest in the Kingdom of 69 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,080 heaven? So, you know, just a few verses 70 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,640 back, Jesus told them again, the Son of Man is about to be 71 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,480 delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, they will 72 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:57,960 crucify him and he'll be raised. The disciples are greatly 73 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:01,520 distressed, greatly distressed, but they get over it pretty 74 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:02,200 quickly. Apparently. 75 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:04,240 Now they're arguing about who's the greatest in the Kingdom, 76 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:06,200 who's the greatest, who's the greatest? 77 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:08,120 That's what they were doing. They were arguing along the road 78 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,360 and when they finally arrived in a house in Capernaum, Jesus 79 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:12,080 goes, what are we guys talking about? 80 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,480 While we were walking, you know, I heard y'all put some back and 81 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:19,839 forth going on back there. Well, you know, funny you should 82 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,160 ask. Lord, we, you know, we're just 83 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:27,200 discussing who's the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. 84 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:30,920 Can you relate to that church? I sure can. 85 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,120 Worried about your status, worried about your position, 86 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,520 worried about how you look right. 87 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:38,920 That's all pride is. And there's pride's an 88 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:40,880 interesting thing. We we often think about pride 89 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,200 only as the pride of I want to be seen. 90 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:45,880 Strangely enough, pride is the two sided coin. 91 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:48,800 There's the other side of that coin is don't look at me, don't 92 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,480 look at me, don't look at me, don't look at me, don't look at 93 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:51,960 me. I don't want to be seen at all. 94 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,320 You know, an extreme shyness or an extreme brashness. 95 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:57,560 They're actually both the same pride. 96 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,080 They just manifest differently. Can you explain that, Pastor? 97 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,840 Yeah, the extreme shyness would be an extreme self focused 98 00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:06,400 still, I'm still so concerned about what others would think 99 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:08,240 about me. I don't want to be seen. 100 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,600 So it's easy for us to rebuke the brash one who goes everybody 101 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:13,360 look at me, make it all about me. 102 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,480 I have to get all the glory. But extreme shyness would also 103 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:18,960 be it's not a God consciousness. It is an extreme self 104 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:20,400 consciousness. I'm still very proud. 105 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,760 I'm a very prideful person. They're not prideful, they're 106 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:25,240 super shy. Well, interestingly enough, 107 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:28,960 that's also pride because they're still self self absorbed 108 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:30,440 and self. But don't look at me why? 109 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:35,000 Because I feel a certain way instead of freedom, you know, 110 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:36,440 both of those people are in bondage. 111 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,280 The one who's who's got to be looked at and the one who can't 112 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:41,400 be looked at. They're both in bondage and they 113 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,480 haven't been set free by the sun to say look at Jesus. 114 00:05:44,840 --> 00:05:48,400 And if I can point you to him, that'll be a good thing as well. 115 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:51,160 But we can relate to the disciples here. 116 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:54,320 Have you ever found your prayers lacking love for Jesus and being 117 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:58,280 consumed with yourself? I have, of course. 118 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:02,040 We want to grow in devotion to him in in a prioritizing him. 119 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,560 You know, obviously, I'm sure afterwards the disciples look 120 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:08,400 back and you go remember the last month as we were heading 121 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:12,880 towards Jerusalem. How stupid, you know, I mean, we 122 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,160 didn't know anything. We were 18, we were 19, we were 123 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,120 20, whatever. But we were with the master in 124 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,680 his last month and everything that was weighing on him and we 125 00:06:20,840 --> 00:06:24,240 and we argued that day about if we were the greatest in the 126 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:26,400 Kingdom, while the greatest in the Kingdom. 127 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,440 God, thank you for your mercy. And they went on faithful and 128 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:34,400 they went on continuing. They went on repenting, and they 129 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:36,240 went on growing. Why is this happening? 130 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:37,920 Though? There's some theories as to why 131 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:39,720 they might be doing this. They could be worried about 132 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:41,160 Peter's victories, that he's had. 133 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:43,600 Peter, the one who walked on water. 134 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:46,320 It's a big deal, right? That's the claim that he's got 135 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:48,880 that nobody else has. Peter, the one who has the 136 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,920 revelation and the confession that Jesus is the Son of God. 137 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:54,280 Are they jealous that they didn't get invited on the 138 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:55,920 mountain that day? What happened up there? 139 00:06:56,280 --> 00:06:57,920 Peter, James and John seem different. 140 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:00,680 They probably rubbed something. And you all don't know what 141 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:01,920 happened on the mountain. What happened? 142 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:03,560 I can't tell you. We can't talk about it. 143 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:05,040 Well, tell her. No. 144 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:06,400 No, you weren't. You had to be there. 145 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,560 So is some of that going on? Do they notice the closeness of 146 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,960 the three? Do they notice the closeness of 147 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,760 John to Jesus? And now are they worried? 148 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:17,920 Is this a competition? Is Peter rubbing it in? 149 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:22,240 In any case, they have an unhealthy desire for glory and 150 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:25,160 for prominence. I don't want you to mishear, so 151 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:26,560 I'll just give this quick disclaimer. 152 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,080 There's nothing wrong with ambition when ambition is 153 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,000 pointed in the right place with the right motive. 154 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:35,600 Christian culture has downplayed and minimized ambition to the 155 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,360 detriment of the body of Christ, unfortunately, and to the 156 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,560 detriment of men in particular, who God made to be ambitious. 157 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:44,160 However, the issues come into motive. 158 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,040 So of course my motives for ambition need to be Kingdom 159 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,520 focused instead of me focused instead of my own glory. 160 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:54,920 So, and, and at the same time, it is a natural thing to want a 161 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:57,200 particular. There are healthy glories and 162 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,240 there are unhealthy glories, but it all comes down to, am I 163 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:02,680 walking out the obedience that the Lord has called me to? 164 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:05,320 So for every man who is ambitious to provide for his 165 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:08,440 household, that's a good and wholesome ambition, that's a 166 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:11,760 good glory that he would like to provide for his wife and he 167 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,120 would like to provide for his children, and he would like to 168 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,160 leave an inheritance to his children's children. 169 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:18,880 Those are the appropriate and righteous glories that the 170 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:21,640 Scripture takes for granted that a man would want to accomplish 171 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:23,880 and achieve. And yet this is not what the 172 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:26,400 disciples are talking about. They're saying who's going to 173 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:29,240 have the position of prominence? Who's going to have the position 174 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,360 of greatness? This is an unhealthy pride. 175 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,200 This isn't the healthy pride and joy you feel. 176 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,559 You go, I cut the grass. Look at those stripes. 177 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:38,880 Job well done. Got a healthy pride and joy. 178 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,480 This isn't the healthy pride and joy of your children. 179 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:45,720 But this is a comparative pride where you're saying I am greater 180 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,600 than, I am greater than, and you are lesser than. 181 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,720 Not just I'm delighting in my victory, not just I'm delighting 182 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:53,960 in what I've been able to accomplish and what the Lord has 183 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:56,400 done through me. That is a sweet satisfaction. 184 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:58,000 And look at what I've accomplished. 185 00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,960 Look at the harvest that the Lord has brought in my life 186 00:08:59,960 --> 00:09:01,280 through His faithfulness and goodness. 187 00:09:01,560 --> 00:09:04,240 That's the healthy celebration of gratitude. 188 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,080 It's different though, when I go look what I've done and compared 189 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:11,680 to Chris. Oh, what was that? 190 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:13,920 Joe Michael? That was filth. 191 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:16,280 That was pride. That was gross. 192 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,800 Who do you think you are? Instead of delighting and 193 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:21,880 receiving what you've got, you compare to others. 194 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:24,160 This is what the disciples are doing among each other. 195 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:27,600 Hey, is it me? Jesus put us in a in a ranking, 196 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:30,960 put us in the order. Show us where we stand in 197 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,880 comparison to one another, not in comparison to the motives of 198 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,160 Christ, which are the only thing we're to compare to. 199 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,640 I'm going to grow up in the head that is Christ. 200 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,600 I want to make sure that I'm beating John, the John Michael 201 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:43,880 of yesterday, instead of anybody else. 202 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:47,520 But what do they feel? They feel that they need to be 203 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:50,640 distinct and we can see ourselves here. 204 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,840 This is where we need people to know us. 205 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,560 Instead of happily taking the seat, the low seat at the table, 206 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,560 we crave the high seat. Ministers can be especially bad 207 00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:03,320 at this. I've witnessed this many times 208 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:05,560 and I have sinned in this way personally. 209 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:11,440 Ministers can often need titles like Pastor, elder, apostle, 210 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,200 prophet, minister, reverend, professor, doctor. 211 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:18,240 Instead of happily serving the flock with those gifts from 212 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:21,480 Jesus, they can be used to increase status. 213 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:25,400 Hey, I just want you to know about my status instead of 214 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:27,960 recognizing. Well if that is your office and 215 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,080 if that is your status, then just serve the flock with that 216 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,320 gifting and the flock, your flock will receive it. 217 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:35,560 Your those who aren't of your flock won't receive it, but 218 00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:37,520 those who are of your flock will receive it. 219 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:40,880 But you don't need to argue for position or argue or fight for 220 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,480 power. Keep going here in verse 2. 221 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,560 So how does Jesus solve this? Hey Lord, we wanted to know 222 00:10:46,560 --> 00:10:49,400 who's the greatest in the Kingdom and calling to him a 223 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,560 child. He put him in the midst of them. 224 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,880 So the scripture, when the the language that Jesus uses or the 225 00:10:56,880 --> 00:10:59,280 language specifically that Matthew uses to describe when he 226 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,920 says he calls to him a child, almost everybody believes that 227 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:04,840 this was a little child. So are different words for 228 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:06,520 child. But the word that Matthew uses 229 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:09,720 here is this a little one, probably 2 years old or younger. 230 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,440 So we're in somebody's house and Jesus calls a child to him and 231 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,320 the child comes to him, which of course, what does that imply? 232 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:18,480 Children love Jesus. They love to go to Jesus. 233 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:21,200 Jesus love children. Remember, Jesus is not just what 234 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:23,760 we've seen in movies and in books, just the stoic statue 235 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:28,880 robot person, but he was loving, he was kind, he was gentle, He 236 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:30,120 was the right thing at the right time. 237 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:31,920 So there's some little boy in the room. 238 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:35,800 Some have speculated maybe it's Peter's son, maybe it's somebody 239 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:38,280 else's child. But Jesus goes, hey, come here 240 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:40,960 and he runs up to Jesus. He's happy to be invited in. 241 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:43,960 In Jewish culture at this time especially, children do not have 242 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:47,560 a position of prominence. They are they are not there's 243 00:11:47,560 --> 00:11:49,920 certainly not what they are today where you know, they can 244 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:53,640 become very easily become idolatrous focus for parents. 245 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:58,240 But Israel, ancient Israel had the opposite extreme happening. 246 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:00,920 So Jesus among all these young men who are excited his 247 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:03,440 disciples and they go, who's the greatest, who's the greatest, 248 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,200 who's the greatest? Jesus goes looking at the 12. 249 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:09,240 Let me see who's there. Hey, buddy, come here, come 250 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,440 here. I'm going to teach you who the 251 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:13,400 greatest is. So what does Jesus want us to 252 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:17,200 learn from a toddler? Well, from all of their faults, 253 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:19,640 and there are many right? In a 2 year old, I think we all 254 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:22,160 know this. One thing they don't have is 255 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,760 they don't have ambition. A toddler doesn't seek a title 256 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,200 and a little child doesn't pursue glory. 257 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,640 A2 year old doesn't seek to promote themselves. 258 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:36,280 A 2 year old doesn't compare their status to others. 259 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:38,360 What else do we learn from a 2 year old? 260 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:39,680 They did. They don't depend upon 261 00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:42,840 themselves and they trust fully in their parents. 262 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:45,240 These are the lessons that we're supposed to take from being 263 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:47,440 childlike. Not to be confused with 264 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:49,640 childish, which would just be immaturity. 265 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:52,160 Those would be all the negative traits that we don't want from 266 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:56,320 our 2 year olds. But to be childlike in our trust 267 00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:58,600 and our devotion. And Jesus is making the point 268 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,840 about humility. Mark goes, Mark goes farther and 269 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:03,960 gives even more teaching and instruction on what Jesus said 270 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:05,640 that day. But we're going to stay here in 271 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:10,000 Matthew, so keep going. Verse 3 calling to him, sorry. 272 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,400 Verse 2, calling to him a child. He put him in the midst of them 273 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:18,640 and said, truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like 274 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:22,560 children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. 275 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:27,280 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in 276 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,920 the Kingdom of heaven. This is a heavy, heavy word that 277 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:33,240 Jesus brings to them. This is a firm rebuke. 278 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:37,640 He said unless you turn. So he's saying become a child of 279 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:42,080 God like this, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. 280 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:44,960 He didn't say you won't have high status in the Kingdom of 281 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:47,440 heaven. Make sure you listen to exactly 282 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:49,280 what Jesus said. He didn't say, hey, you have a 283 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:53,160 low spot in the Kingdom. He said you will never enter the 284 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:57,280 Kingdom of heaven unless you are like a child in your faith. 285 00:13:57,760 --> 00:13:59,720 Pastor, you're staring at all of us in our eyes very 286 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:00,840 deliberately. Yes, I am. 287 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:03,000 Are you saying this for me? Yeah. 288 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:04,920 Who else would I be preaching to? 289 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:08,120 This is the warning and this is the rebuke that Jesus brings to 290 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:11,440 them. You must be like a child in your 291 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:14,080 faith or you will never even enter into the Kingdom of 292 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:15,400 heaven. The disciples are arguing about 293 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:16,800 being the greatest in the Kingdom of God. 294 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,040 Jesus reframes them very quickly. 295 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:21,120 It's like they're discussing what they're going to have for 296 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:24,560 dessert after dinner. And Jesus said, you're not going 297 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:27,560 to have dinner unless you do this other thing. 298 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:29,840 You're you're arguing for something that that's never 299 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:31,520 coming. You don't pass go. 300 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:35,280 You don't collect $200. You start here, you don't enter 301 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:37,480 the Kingdom unless you enter the Kingdom like a little child. 302 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:38,840 There's no other way into the Kingdom. 303 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,640 There's no other way in. We know we come in by the name 304 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:46,680 and by the blood of Jesus, but you can't come in by the name 305 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:50,000 and you can't come in by the blood unless you come in as a 306 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:52,200 little child. It is a humility. 307 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:57,400 It is the lack of I am a grown up, I am an adult, which is 308 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:59,320 Jesus saying I don't want you to be that. 309 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:02,440 Yes, in areas of other maturity he does, but in areas of 310 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:06,200 dependency and humility and lack of status and position. 311 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:10,080 You come in and you're nothing. The rich, the poor. 312 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:12,760 Oh, I don't know if you happen to know pastor, but I have a lot 313 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:15,200 of money and we could really tithe pretty large to this 314 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:18,280 church like you and your money perish together. 315 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:24,000 You you have to go into the Kingdom of Jesus as a child and 316 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,600 go, I'm nobody. I got nothing, but I can love 317 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:29,040 the Lord and I can love his people. 318 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:31,400 What would the Master have for me now? 319 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:33,960 What would the King like for me to do? 320 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,920 What would please you, Lord? Whatever makes you happy. 321 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:40,840 That's what makes me happy. I can vanish into obscurity. 322 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:44,600 As long as that pleases you, then I'm pleased. 323 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:47,760 You want me to have a position of prominence and influence. 324 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:50,160 If that pleases you, Lord, then I'll be pleased. 325 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:52,880 Please protect me, though, if that's what you call me too. 326 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:57,200 Please keep me safe from the the pride and the temptation. 327 00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,600 That's easily going to come in that situation. 328 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:05,440 It's also amazing that Jesus didn't say when they when they 329 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:07,360 asked who's the greatest in the Kingdom, he didn't just say. 330 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:13,200 You're looking at him like the Holy Spirit who inspired Moses 331 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,440 to write the words. Moses was the most humble man in 332 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:19,200 all the world. In other places, Jesus doesn't 333 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:22,960 shy away from his title, his deserved glory, his eternal 334 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:25,280 reign. But here Jesus, our great God 335 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:28,240 and Saviour, anointed by the Father with the Holy Spirit, 336 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,520 tells them whoever humbles themselves like this child is 337 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:33,760 the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven, Just the wisdom of 338 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:35,400 Jesus. He would have been absolutely 339 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:36,720 right to say who's the greatest in the Kingdom? 340 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,680 I am. I am the Son of man, the one who 341 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:43,520 will reign over the Kingdom forever and ever and ever. 342 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:46,800 I'm the greatest in the Kingdom. But he says whoever would be 343 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,920 greatest, and Mark, he says whoever would be greatest, let 344 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,200 him serve. Let him be the servant of all. 345 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:55,080 And that's why Jesus is the greatest in the Kingdom, because 346 00:16:55,440 --> 00:17:00,480 the greatest in the Kingdom came and he served all of us by 347 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:02,880 forgiving us, by rescuing us from sin. 348 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:07,680 True Kingdom greatness is childlike humility, childlike 349 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:11,720 belief, childlike trust, childlike love, childlike 350 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:17,119 obedience, childlike dependence. And of course, no one is more 351 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:20,079 humble than Jesus. How so? 352 00:17:20,079 --> 00:17:21,720 Well, first of all, he became human. 353 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:26,160 Like we said last week, He emptied himself so already for 354 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:27,880 him to do that, it's incredible then. 355 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,440 But then Scripture says he became obedient. 356 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:35,640 How obedient even unto death. What kind of death? 357 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:38,520 Not just any death, a humiliating death on a cross 358 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:42,480 that he didn't deserve. But you're going to hold a 359 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:46,560 grudge against somebody because why? 360 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:49,480 Because of your own pride, because they sinned against me. 361 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:52,840 But who are you? Who do I think I am that I get 362 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:54,560 offended at a stranger on the Internet? 363 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:57,960 But they lied about me and they did. 364 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:01,640 That happens to me all the time. And I and if I get offended and 365 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:03,600 I go, who are you? Who are you? 366 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,280 Who are you, hotshot? Who are you that it matters? 367 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:10,640 Instead of the Lord's glory, instead of his priority, His 368 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:12,800 priority? Can I be like a little child 369 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:13,400 though? Can I go? 370 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:15,160 I can take the low spot at the table. 371 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:17,920 I can overlook a slight. I didn't even get the joke. 372 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:19,800 Joke's on you. I don't even know what you're 373 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:21,560 talking about. It went over my head. 374 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:24,080 Why? Because I don't have time for 375 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:25,600 that. I don't have room for that. 376 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:27,680 This is what Jesus is saying. A little child's life. 377 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:29,640 Little children are quick to forgive, aren't they? 378 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:33,040 Don't they move on quick? They're just going, OK, it's 379 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:34,440 over. You bit me. 380 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:36,800 We scream together. I bit you back. 381 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:38,560 All right? 5 minutes later we're playing 382 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:40,480 together. What would happen if I bit you? 383 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:43,560 Church, would you forgive me? Can we play together in 5 384 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:45,320 minutes? Probably not. 385 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:49,280 I mean, I don't know if I'd forgive you in 5 minutes if you 386 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:51,360 hit me. It'd be tough. 387 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:53,360 Why? Because we've become hardened. 388 00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:56,520 We become adults instead of childlike. 389 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,720 Quick to forgive, quick to believe, quick to be humble. 390 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,040 Why? Because I have an unhealthy. 391 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:06,560 Like the Disciples, I have an unhealthy and inappropriate view 392 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:09,200 of myself. I think of myself more highly 393 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,520 than I ought and that is why I'm so offended when you sin against 394 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:16,160 me because do you know who I am? You've sinned against me. 395 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,080 That's a big deal because I'm my favorite person. 396 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:22,960 So instead of realizing I'm just, I'm just here. 397 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,040 The two year old goes. There's other people of 398 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:26,880 prominence around here. Daddy and mommy get the 399 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,800 prominence. I'm loved and I need love, but I 400 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,040 don't think of myself more highly than I ought. 401 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:34,880 I'm treated like the two year old. 402 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:37,440 I'm loved, I'm cared for, but I don't have a position of 403 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:39,280 prestige. I don't have a high position of 404 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,920 honor. Jesus says, I want you all to be 405 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:43,680 like that, see yourselves as love. 406 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:45,880 Someone sinned against you. I can forgive them. 407 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:47,840 I mean, they shouldn't have. It was wrong. 408 00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:49,840 I don't minimize it. It's a big deal. 409 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,520 Their sin is so bad that Jesus had to die for it. 410 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:56,680 And still, because they sinned against me, I can also release 411 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:02,560 them. You need to be like a little 412 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:06,040 child because adults. Why? 413 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:07,840 Because adults can't be told anything. 414 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:14,400 Adults are set in their ways. Adults are cynical, Adults can't 415 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:19,480 be corrected, adults can't be coached, adults aren't 416 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:22,280 submissive. All the things that a 2 year old 417 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:27,840 is, I can differ, I can yield, I can forgive. 418 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:32,080 But adults, we have other ways, we have other rules and and 419 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:35,560 everybody goes along with it. We all work at it together, so 420 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:38,320 it keeps this system going. We have to come back to the Word 421 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,000 and Jesus goes. I want to show you what 422 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:44,160 greatness looks like. Who is teaching you? 423 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:47,960 This is the question I want you to answer in your own heart and 424 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,200 in your own head. Who do you submit to? 425 00:20:51,360 --> 00:20:53,360 What I'm doing is I'm helping you to assess whether or not 426 00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:56,760 you're childlike, and if you're not good news, we can repent. 427 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:00,200 Who do you submit to? Who can correct you? 428 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:03,960 Well, you can pastor. Well, that would be a good thing 429 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:07,320 as long as it's true. But for many people, their 430 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:09,440 pastor isn't actually their pastor. 431 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:12,320 Many people only have a preacher. 432 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:16,280 Am I only your preacher or am I actually your pastor? 433 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:18,360 Because there's actually a huge difference between those two 434 00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:20,800 men. Preachers are men who you will 435 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,400 allow you to give, who you will allow them to give you a sermon. 436 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:28,000 Preachers, that's all they're allowed to do. 437 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,360 A pastor is someone who can actually give you correction. 438 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:35,080 Most people want a sermon, but they won't allow a conversation. 439 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,960 They'll sit through a message, They'll nod along. 440 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:41,320 They'll even say Amen. They want information. 441 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:43,600 They want inspiration. Sometimes they even want 442 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,600 conviction. But the thing they really don't 443 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:52,120 actually want is transformation. They're adults. 444 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:57,600 They're not children. They're not childlike in their 445 00:21:57,600 --> 00:21:59,160 faith. A sermon from the pulpit is 446 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:02,600 fine, but a correction across the kitchen table? 447 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:07,280 How dare you, preacher? You think I'm childlike? 448 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,240 Well, I was praying and hoping that you would be. 449 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:11,320 I'm going to go find a loving church. 450 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:15,160 Well, if that's your standard of love, I have no doubt that 451 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:16,880 you'll find exactly what you're looking for. 452 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:21,480 But wherever you end up, make sure you obey Hebrews 13 when 453 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:24,280 you get there. Hebrews 13 is where it tells 454 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:26,000 you. Remember your leaders. 455 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:27,680 He's referencing the the church leaders. 456 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:31,000 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you, the word of God. 457 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,680 Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their 458 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:37,440 faith. Obey your leaders and submit to 459 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,600 them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who 460 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:43,760 will give an account. Let them do this with joy and 461 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,200 not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 462 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,400 So these are the commands that that God gives to the people of 463 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:55,320 God, to His church. And again, church culture builds 464 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,800 around people who just want to feel like adults, people who 465 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:01,000 don't want to be childlike, which is why church hopping is 466 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:04,040 just such a prominent thing in the United States because 467 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:06,960 anytime there is ever any correction in the church, and 468 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:09,840 not just from the pastor, but from one another, Saints just 469 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:11,360 over the breakfast table together. 470 00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:13,640 Hey, brother, I need to talk to you about this thing. 471 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,680 I feel judged. Well, you are judged. 472 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:19,600 That's literally what I just did. 473 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,760 I just was making a judgment, an assessment, and I want to help 474 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:25,000 you and encourage you. I'm going to go find a place 475 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:26,720 where I'm loved. You were you were just being 476 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:28,920 loved. You were just being loved. 477 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:32,000 I was just loving you. Well, I'm going up the road. 478 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:36,080 So that's a what what just happened there? 479 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:38,440 I I, I was dealing with an adult, somebody. 480 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:40,480 How dare you? Do you know who I am? 481 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:42,520 I'm not childlike. I'm not able to receive. 482 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,320 I mean, pastor, you can kind of like sprinkle some stuff in on 483 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:48,440 all of us during a sermon, but don't you like pastor me? 484 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:53,360 Like do do good sermons, give me a service to invite some friends 485 00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:54,960 to. But like, you're not going to 486 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:59,720 shepherd my soul or to your brothers and sisters or to 487 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:01,720 people in your small group or in your Bible study. 488 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:04,120 Hey, dude, that's none of your business. 489 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:05,720 What do you mean? That's another business? 490 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:07,440 They're loving you. They're looking out for you. 491 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:08,680 Well, they could have done it better. 492 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:10,920 That might be true, too. Hey, you know what? 493 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,080 Let's work on that later, later. But that's not the point we're 494 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:16,440 making right now. Later, you can come to them and 495 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:18,640 go, hey, in the future, you think you could maybe approach 496 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:20,520 me like this instead of that. Thank you. 497 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:22,400 But not in the moment. Because in the moment you need 498 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:25,640 to take your medicine. And it's almost like maturity. 499 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:27,720 It's almost like sanctification. It's almost like growing up. 500 00:24:28,120 --> 00:24:30,880 This is the difference between transformation and I just want 501 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:33,280 information. I want information. 502 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:35,880 I want inspiration. Every now and then I'll take 503 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:38,960 some conviction to go, oh, that was a good word. 504 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,960 But transformation actually requires that my life looks 505 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,400 different and I'm not the same person I was 12 months ago. 506 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:52,920 And I'm actually going. I'm walking in obedience. 507 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,680 I have an obedience in my life and there are people who I'm 508 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:59,840 accountable to for these obediences and there's things 509 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:03,440 that I'm confessing to people about these obediences and I 510 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,320 have a tenderness to the Lord. Welcome to child likeness. 511 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:08,360 One thing about a 2 year old is they're going to be a different 512 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:10,200 person in a year, aren't they? That's so true. 513 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:13,720 That's so true. If we're not humble like 514 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:16,800 children, we will never even enter the Kingdom of heaven. 515 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,880 So don't make the mistake of thinking that this is next level 516 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:23,000 Christianity. This is literally entry level 517 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,080 Christianity. There is no Christianity without 518 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:28,760 child likeness. Now there's pride that gets 519 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,040 repented of, which we'll we'll go on to talk about, but we need 520 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:36,120 to understand the difference between pride and humility and 521 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:37,760 Jesus's standard for the Kingdom. 522 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:40,000 Let's keep going. Follow him here in verse 5 and 523 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,160 6. Whoever receives one such child 524 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:47,400 in my name receives me. But whoever causes one of these 525 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:52,440 little ones to believe in, who believes in me to sin, it would 526 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:55,000 be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around 527 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,960 his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 528 00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:00,160 He continues his point in verse 7. 529 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,320 Read ahead this week, read his whole sermon so that you can get 530 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:04,960 the whole context and the whole weight of it. 531 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:08,360 But we're going to take those verses next week on their own. 532 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,760 Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. 533 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:14,480 But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to 534 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:17,960 sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone 535 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:22,000 fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the 536 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:23,880 sea. So when Jesus says, But whoever 537 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,800 receives this little child, he's actually making a shift here 538 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:29,920 from a literal child. And now he's teaching his 539 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:33,640 disciples that anyone who causes spiritual children to sin, 540 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:37,240 anyone who causes a spiritual child to sin, there will be a 541 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:41,080 terrible penalty for them. And in case everyone isn't clear 542 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:44,280 on his earlier sentiment, he clarifies for his disciples. 543 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:48,360 And like we said, never entering the Kingdom of heaven. 544 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:51,520 Man. Sounds like the Kingdom 545 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:53,880 standards are strict. Yeah, he told us that in Chapter 546 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,440 7. Narrow is the way that leads to 547 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:58,520 life. Wide is the path that leads to 548 00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:00,280 destruction, Man. It's. 549 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,680 But it seems like really narrow. Yes, it is. 550 00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:06,000 We have to keep reminding ourselves that God loves 551 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:07,400 everybody. He sure does. 552 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:13,520 But his standard is narrow. I love everybody, but my 553 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:15,800 standards for my wife are very narrow. 554 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:17,960 You have to be Natalie Clark. That's it. 555 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:19,440 It's the only person you could be. 556 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,280 You seem confused. Oh, OK. 557 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:27,320 Just taken aback. Oh, you have to be her to be my 558 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:28,360 wife. That was the point. 559 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:32,480 Got it. You sure? 560 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:37,440 You get it? OK, so you can love the whole 561 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,280 world, and you should. But you have certain standards 562 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:41,640 for certain relationships, don't you? 563 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:44,400 And the Lord has a certain relationship and a certain 564 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:48,200 standard for His bride. God does love the world, and God 565 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:50,200 did send His Son to save the world. 566 00:27:50,360 --> 00:27:52,680 And here's how. You will be saved by the name 567 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:56,360 and by the blood of Jesus, but you won't receive and you won't 568 00:27:56,360 --> 00:27:58,720 respond to the name and to the blood of Jesus unless you're 569 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,120 actually childlike in your faith. 570 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:08,720 Whoever receives this little child, he explains that there is 571 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:12,120 going to be a harsh penalty for stiff necked people who cause 572 00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:15,560 any humble Christian to sin. So here's who he has in mind. 573 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:17,760 Now, he's not talking exclusively about a little 574 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:20,000 child, but he's saying now for anyone who has adopted this 575 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:23,160 attitude and the spirit of humility about them, he says, in 576 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:26,360 fact, the judgement will be so bad for the guilty, it would be 577 00:28:26,360 --> 00:28:28,920 better for them. They will wish that they had 578 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:31,280 been drowned. So the millstone, it's this big 579 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:33,520 stone, It's got a hole in the middle of it and it's used to 580 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:36,000 grind things. So they're taking it around. 581 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,120 They're doing different, different work with it for the 582 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:40,360 grain. It's very, very, very heavy. 583 00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:43,680 This thing is tied to your neck and you're thrown off the ship. 584 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:45,920 She's saying that would be ideal for you. 585 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:48,800 You would wish that that be your penalty compared to what would 586 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:51,920 come for one who, who, what? Let's get clear on the 587 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:55,160 standards. Who leads someone else, one of 588 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:59,840 the tender Saints of Jesus, into sin while the shepherd takes 589 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:02,040 seriously the care for his flock, doesn't he? 590 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:06,400 The other point is that we should protect each other from 591 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:07,520 sin. How? 592 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:11,480 One way we mentioned last week is to surrender our liberties. 593 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:14,680 I've got all these freedoms. But we said, hey, if Jesus would 594 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,440 pay a debt that he didn't owe because of love, how much more 595 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,080 can we do The same? But I, I deserve this thing. 596 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:24,280 You deserve a lot, that's fine, but you're willing to give it up 597 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:26,640 out of love because you know that that could cause your 598 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:27,880 brother or your sister to stumble. 599 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:29,000 If you don't know, you don't know. 600 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:33,000 But if you do know, you do know. What else can we learn here? 601 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,680 We also need to avoid more deliberate sins. 602 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:39,280 Maybe you're prone to gossip. Maybe you run your mouth to a 603 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:43,120 weaker but pure believer who isn't strong enough yet to tell 604 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:45,880 you to stop. Maybe you're better with words 605 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:49,120 and quicker on your feet and you skillfully manipulate your 606 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,440 spouse into doing what you would have them do instead of what God 607 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:55,720 would have them do. Maybe you lead your boyfriend or 608 00:29:55,720 --> 00:30:00,520 girlfriend into sexual sin. The lambs have a shepherd and he 609 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:03,760 gives a serious warning. Do not overlook it and do not 610 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:06,040 dismiss it. Repent. 611 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:10,360 What does repent mean? Repent does not mean to say I'm 612 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:13,120 sorry. Repent means to change 613 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:16,360 direction. Repentance is not saying I'm 614 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:20,760 real sorry about that wreck that I caused on I 64 W Repentance is 615 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:25,400 saying I'm literally going to exit and get on I-64 E and I'm 616 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:27,000 not going to return to my old ways. 617 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:29,720 I have changed direction entirely. 618 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:33,720 I said I was sorry. That didn't do anything really. 619 00:30:34,280 --> 00:30:36,640 And if you are sorry you will repent. 620 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,760 But repentance and saying sorry aren't the same thing. 621 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:43,960 Behavior shift, behavior change to go. 622 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:48,800 Lord, help me to pursue and actually go in the direction 623 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:53,200 that you've called me to go in. So do go and say to your brother 624 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:56,480 and sister that you're sorry and tell them that you're turning 625 00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:00,360 your car around and then keep going in the right direction. 626 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:03,840 This is what humility and child likeness is that Jesus is after 627 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:06,160 in you. That's how to be great in the 628 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:08,200 Kingdom. I do want to be great in the 629 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:11,240 Kingdom. I do, and the Lord tells us that 630 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:13,840 we can. He tells us to store up 631 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:15,560 treasure. The Lord is not opposed to 632 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:17,640 storing up treasures. The Lord is not opposed to 633 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:20,160 greatness. It's just that His ways are 634 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:23,200 right side up compared to the world which is upside down, and 635 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,120 my flesh which always messes it up. 636 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:31,600 If you're truly mature, then you know how sinful you are and 637 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:34,360 you're very aware of your need. The longer you walk with the 638 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:36,880 Lord and the more closer you get to Him, the more you go. 639 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:40,280 This sin in me, Oh, there's pride in me. 640 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:43,840 Oh, this, this stuff that keeps creeping up. 641 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:47,080 The more you walk with them, the closer you get, the more you 642 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:48,720 feel it, the more you're aware of it. 643 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,520 If you only think that you're mature, then you won't even 644 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,240 remember the last time that you were genuinely wrung out before 645 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:57,440 the Lord in humility and prayer. That's the difference. 646 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:00,880 One of those shoes fits you Saints right now. 647 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:03,000 One of those fits I can't really remember the last. 648 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:07,200 I mean, because I'm so that's a warning light to say the least. 649 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,360 It's not just a warning light. Your engine is out of oil 650 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:13,080 completely. But the mature Saints, they know 651 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:16,000 and they go, God help me, God help me. 652 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:19,680 They're praying mature prayers. They're they are praying flesh 653 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:24,720 murdering prayers, things that I don't even want to pray this 654 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:27,760 prayer, but they say it because their spirit is willing, even 655 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:30,560 though the flesh is weak. That's what maturity looks like. 656 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:34,400 Oh my goodness, this feels like it's called consecration. 657 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:36,600 It's called being a living sacrifice. 658 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:41,480 It's called being a 2 year old saying not my will but your will 659 00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:44,560 be done. And this is hard stuff, but 660 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:47,120 Jesus did it first. He modelled it. 661 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:50,160 Our God has not asked you to do anything he hasn't already done. 662 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:53,520 He has modelled it for you. He will give you the will and 663 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:54,920 the desire and the strength to do it. 664 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:57,960 But his assessments are true. His assessments are right. 665 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:00,760 I can't weasel out of them and you can't either. 666 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:03,680 We can't squirm away from this one and go, oh, I don't think 667 00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:05,680 I'm childlike. Then just test yourself. 668 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:08,200 Who can correct you? Who can correct you across the 669 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:10,280 kitchen table? Well, this is podcast. 670 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:12,440 No, no, no, no, no, no, no way too easy. 671 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:14,960 Oh, there's this sermon. There's this YouTube all like, 672 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:18,960 no, way too easy. Who can get up in your business 673 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:23,120 and bring encouragement? Oh, anybody can encourage me. 674 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:25,560 That's good. Who can bring you some 675 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:27,520 suggestion? Oh, I'll take, I can take some 676 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:29,600 suggestion. Who can bring you some rebuke? 677 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:34,320 Well, I mean, you know, here comes the stiff necks. 678 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:37,040 Well, I mean, you know, as you know, it depends. 679 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:38,960 Well, it does depend. Absolutely. 680 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:41,040 Like we're not just open to the whole world. 681 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:45,560 Like I said, I take a lot of criticism, we'll say from the 682 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:47,600 Internet and not it's not all created equal. 683 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:51,360 But Ken Cramer, when he speaks, I say, yes, Sir. 684 00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:54,240 When Alex Feliciano speaks, I say, yes, Sir. 685 00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:56,320 There are a few other men of God in my life. 686 00:33:56,400 --> 00:34:01,920 When they speak, when I get that text message, I go, oh, Lord, 687 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,080 give me medicine, keep me safe. What a protection, what a gift, 688 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:08,520 what a love, what a blessing. This is the kindness and the 689 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:12,000 mercy of God. God, please keep me safe. 690 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:15,239 One of the prayers I've started praying and this is one of those 691 00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:18,239 that the flesh doesn't even like it and every time I pray it, the 692 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:22,480 flesh is like don't say that is Lord. 693 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:28,040 I wrote it down but not here for you today because I wasn't going 694 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:31,360 to share it. But I pray that the Lord would 695 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:38,679 not allow my influence or my reach in any way, whether it be 696 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:43,120 with the sermons of the church or the influence of the church 697 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:45,719 or the influence of the family captain, the business that I 698 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:49,719 own, that my influence and reach wouldn't increase beyond and 699 00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:53,679 that it would never outpace my love for the Lord, my maturity 700 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,679 and my sanctification. So if there's a ceiling on my 701 00:34:56,679 --> 00:35:01,480 reach and my influence in any way as a pastor or as a as a 702 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:04,800 coach to men who wants to see Kingdom things, I pray that it 703 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:06,760 would always have the ceiling on it that it could never 704 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:10,360 breakthrough of my love for God, my maturity and my 705 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:12,880 sanctification. So if I stay in one place for 706 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:16,760 the rest of my life, praise God for that protection, but also 707 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:20,280 shame on me that I never grew in maturity, wisdom, sanctification 708 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:22,760 and love for him. But my flesh goes no, no, no, 709 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:26,240 I'd like to outpace that. What a fool I would be to to 710 00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:28,000 wish for that. What a fool. 711 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:32,400 I could lose my very soul and I don't want to because I'm scared 712 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:34,240 of Jesus, but because I love Jesus. 713 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:37,840 God keep me humble, make me childlike. 714 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:41,840 But that's a hard prayer to pray for the flesh and the flesh 715 00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:44,880 doesn't like that at all. So what? 716 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:49,000 This is what Jesus called us to. We're going to close. 717 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:50,960 I'm going to take you to James chapter 4. 718 00:36:06,630 --> 00:36:11,830 And James chapter 4. I want to read verses one 719 00:36:11,830 --> 00:36:22,550 through 10. I thought James left my Bible 720 00:36:22,550 --> 00:36:33,520 there for a minute. What causes quarrels and what 721 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:38,360 causes fights among you? Is it not this that your 722 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:42,720 passions are at war within you? You desire and you do not have 723 00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:45,640 so You murder, you covet, and you cannot obtain. 724 00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:48,160 So you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do 725 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:51,800 not ask. You ask and you do not receive 726 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:55,680 because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions. 727 00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:59,640 You adulterous people, do you not know that friendship with 728 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:04,160 the world is enmity with God? This is a pastor writing this 729 00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:08,080 letter, not a preacher. Therefore, whoever wishes to be 730 00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:11,000 a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 731 00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:14,520 Or do you suppose that it is to no purpose that the Scripture 732 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:18,520 says he yearns jealously over the Spirit that He has made to 733 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:22,560 dwell in US? So pastor brought strong rebuke, 734 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:27,480 very strong rebuke. And now verse 6. 735 00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:33,320 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says God opposes 736 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:36,640 the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 737 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:39,520 Submit yourselves therefore to God. 738 00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:42,600 Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 739 00:37:43,240 --> 00:37:46,160 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 740 00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:50,840 Cleanse your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you 741 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:55,400 double minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. 742 00:37:55,920 --> 00:38:00,120 Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 743 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:03,760 Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you. 744 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,360 How many books have you seen over the past 20 years written 745 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:10,040 by a big famous Christian pastor, preacher guys about 746 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:11,840 turning your laughter to mourning? 747 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:17,520 Trying to count them all up. How many you have so far? 748 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:22,240 At least zero. I don't know of any, right? 749 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,440 All my all my favorite Youtubers, all your favorite 750 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:27,720 Instagram preachers. I mean, I don't, I don't. 751 00:38:27,720 --> 00:38:29,480 Do they have that sermon series? Is that coming? 752 00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:34,000 Maybe next month. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. 753 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:37,880 James is writing to Christians. Purify your hearts, you double 754 00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:41,720 minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. 755 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:43,680 Let your laughter. Why are they? 756 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:44,960 Why? Why should their laughter be 757 00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:46,320 turned to mourning? He's talking about because 758 00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:48,680 they're not repentant. He's saying you're cluelessly 759 00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:50,240 and foolishly living in your sin. 760 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:52,360 He's saying you need to turn and repent. 761 00:38:54,120 --> 00:39:00,560 Blessed are the broken hearted. Blessed are those who mourn, for 762 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:02,800 they shall be comforted. You're already laughing and 763 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:04,400 rejoicing. There's no comfort coming for 764 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:05,600 you. This is as good as it gets. 765 00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:10,120 The pleasure and the delight of your sin, your empire of dirt. 766 00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:13,440 Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy be turned 767 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:14,520 to gloom. Why? 768 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:16,800 For repentance. Humble yourselves before the 769 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:20,720 Lord and He will exalt you. God will exalt you. 770 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:22,320 God's not going to leave you there. 771 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:25,920 But it will require genuine humility, genuine repentance, 772 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:29,880 genuine lowliness. Not the safe lowliness that all 773 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:33,800 adults are comfortable with. Not the private lowliness, but 774 00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:36,560 the personal lowliness in relationship. 775 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:40,240 Where I'm where I'm being inspected, where I am being 776 00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:44,080 assessed, where I am being judged by those who love me, but 777 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:45,800 those who will give me the medicine that I need. 778 00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:53,080 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way 779 00:39:53,080 --> 00:39:55,840 is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter 780 00:39:55,840 --> 00:39:58,920 by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the 781 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:02,600 way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 782 00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:06,800 God, I pray that you would make us childlike. 783 00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:12,240 Lord, pride is such a an ugly and tricky thing. 784 00:40:12,240 --> 00:40:15,080 What can get through it? Accept your word and I know Your 785 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:17,360 word has come and cut to the heart this morning. 786 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:21,440 I pray that for every St. and for everyone listening under the 787 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:26,160 sound of my voice to recordings in the future or any other time. 788 00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:30,120 Lord, I pray that that we would have the response, not that they 789 00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:34,040 had to Steven when they gnashed their teeth at him, but they 790 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:36,800 would have the response when Peter preached and they said 791 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:41,280 what must we do to be saved, nor make us childlike and make us 792 00:40:41,280 --> 00:40:44,200 delight in it or would help us to enjoy the low position. 793 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:46,320 There's such a freedom in taking the low position. 794 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:51,080 All the pressure comes off. Things get simple again. 795 00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:54,920 We get to love you. We get to seek counsel. 796 00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:57,320 We get to seek help. We get to seek wisdom. 797 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:00,200 We get to be the learner. We get to be the listener. 798 00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:06,400 We get to be the low man and we get to be taken care of. 799 00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:11,880 We get to be dependent and we get to be blessed and received 800 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:13,480 from the shepherd who always provides. 801 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:16,080 Lord, I thank you for your mercy. 802 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:20,240 That's new every day for the humble hearted, for those who 803 00:41:20,240 --> 00:41:22,600 are already childlike in their hearts and childlike in their 804 00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:24,920 faith. Lord, I pray that you would keep 805 00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:27,440 them humble and soft and also make them strong. 806 00:41:28,440 --> 00:41:33,960 Give them a, give them a wise child's instinct, not a not a, 807 00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:37,720 not a naivete that would cause them to be destroyed by the 808 00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:41,960 devil and God. I pray that we would be 809 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:44,680 protective of our brothers and sisters, that we would be 810 00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:47,760 watchful over them. First of all, to protect them 811 00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:51,400 from our own flesh, to protect them from ourselves, from our 812 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:55,560 own temptations, from the own opportunities that we could lead 813 00:41:55,560 --> 00:41:57,360 them into sin. God protect us from it. 814 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:00,240 Oh, we don't want the punishment, we don't want the 815 00:42:00,240 --> 00:42:03,600 penalty. And we also want love to be our 816 00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:08,080 greatest motive. Help us to care for one another 817 00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:11,160 well, to feel a tender affection towards one another. 818 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:16,760 Lord, I pray you would enrich the fellowship of Salt Church. 819 00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:23,560 I pray that you would sanctify us and mature us, that you would 820 00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:26,600 draw us closer to each other, that you would bring us to to 821 00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:29,400 one another's dinner tables more frequently, to one another's 822 00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:31,920 living rooms. That you would bring us into 823 00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:35,520 meaningful conversations. That you would bring us into 824 00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:39,480 delightful fellowship full of encouragement, full of 825 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:44,360 testimony, full of prayer. Not only correction, but 826 00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:47,080 certainly including the very thing that we would always seek 827 00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:51,800 to avoid, correction. The good physician who will 828 00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:54,080 bring us the medicine and the right thing at the right time. 829 00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:58,480 Make us healthy, make us strong. Help us to walk in, in love. 830 00:42:59,720 --> 00:43:02,600 We love you. God, we thank you for your word. 831 00:43:03,440 --> 00:43:05,880 We thank you for conviction. And God, we pray that you would 832 00:43:05,880 --> 00:43:09,440 bring transformation. Help us to obey in Jesus name, 833 00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:14,840 Amen. And now the Lord bless you and 834 00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:18,160 keep you. The Lord make his face Shinedown 835 00:43:18,160 --> 00:43:20,320 upon you, and be gracious to you. 836 00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:24,080 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you great 837 00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:27,320 peace in Jesus name, Amen.