1 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:07,440 Our little series we're doing here, Matthew part 67. 2 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:12,080 Turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter 18. 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,160 That's not an apology, just to be clear. 4 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:25,880 I'm, we're in no hurry. Uh, Matthew chapter 18. 5 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:28,880 It was, uh, part 67 in the series. 6 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:37,480 Yeah, Matthew chapter 18. The title of our sermon today is 7 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:46,640 Kill or Be Killed. So imagine being told that the 8 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:51,240 only way you could survive was by cutting off your arm or 9 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:56,200 gouging out your own eye. That's what we're going to see 10 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:57,920 today. This is the warning that Jesus 11 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,920 brings to you specifically about your sin. 12 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:06,880 Here in chapter 18, Jesus starts a sermon and we interrupted him 13 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,240 last week, but we're going to continue with the same thought 14 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,400 today. It started with the disciples 15 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,720 arguing about who's the greatest among us and asking the Lord, 16 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,040 hey, who's going to be the greatest in your Kingdom? 17 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,920 And Jesus moved the goal posts on him real quick and said 18 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,280 you're arguing about being the greatest in the Kingdom. 19 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,680 Let me clarify something. You will never even enter the 20 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:31,920 Kingdom of God unless you become like little children and humble 21 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:34,800 yourselves. So they're thinking, hey, you 22 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,040 know, we know we're all in like we're around Jesus. 23 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:40,400 We're church folks. We we know our sword drills with 24 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,680 our Bible. I mean, we pray, we go to the 25 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:44,560 prayer meeting, we do it like we're literally walking with 26 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,040 Jesus. We know we're good to go. 27 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:47,680 So but who's going to be the greatest? 28 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:49,800 And Jesus said, you have a giant misunderstanding. 29 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:51,560 You'll never even enter the Kingdom. 30 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:53,720 You're talking about what you're going to have for dessert. 31 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,200 You're not even going to have a meal unless you humble yourself 32 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,680 like a little child. So if you missed that sermon 33 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:01,560 last week, go back and listen to it on the podcast. 34 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:04,480 It's very important for all of us to hear and process. 35 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,639 But here Jesus teaches in in chapter 18 as he continues, as 36 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:10,520 he begins and continues this sermon. 37 00:02:10,759 --> 00:02:13,480 Really he has a child with him the whole time, a little child, 38 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,440 a lot like a 2 year old who he brings to his presence. 39 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,280 But then he begins to teach us what Christian community should 40 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,080 look like. So this is an important passage, 41 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,320 maybe one of the most important chapters in the New Testament, 42 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,960 because it's teaching Christians how to be Christians together. 43 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:31,800 How can the church function? How can the church treat one 44 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:33,400 another? What should it look like? 45 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,360 So last week Jesus taught us that we should be childlike, 46 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,560 that we should be humble, that we should not be self seeking if 47 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,640 we even want to go to heaven, and that we can forget about 48 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:45,600 rewards unless we first humble ourselves. 49 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:53,480 In verse 5, if he continued the point, he said that we should 50 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:57,440 treat other believers or how we treat other believers is how we 51 00:02:57,440 --> 00:02:59,360 treat Jesus. That's what he meant when he 52 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:03,200 said whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. 53 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,560 He went on to give a huge warning for anyone who causes a 54 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,960 believer to sin and said that it would be better. 55 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,680 It would be better, not equal to, not worse than it would be 56 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:16,400 better to have a huge millstone tied around your neck and that 57 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,840 thing thrown into the sea and you drowned in the sea, then to 58 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:20,320 cause and lead somebody else to sin. 59 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:22,800 And he continues his sermon without hesitation. 60 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,080 And that's where we pick up here in verse 7. 61 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:31,360 Woe to the world for temptations to sin, for it is necessary that 62 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:36,240 temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptations 63 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,320 come. And if your hand or your foot 64 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,840 causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. 65 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:47,240 For it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than 66 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:50,880 with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 67 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,400 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it 68 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,800 away. It is better for you to enter 69 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:02,320 life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the fire 70 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,840 of hell. God, your word is so heavy and 71 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:08,560 it's so right. It's always the right thing at 72 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,840 the right time. So we ask right now that you 73 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:13,880 would perform the surgery that's needed. 74 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:18,360 And God, I pray that you would take us beyond the the safe 75 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,680 prayer. I pray you would take us beyond 76 00:04:20,959 --> 00:04:23,200 the comfort level that we've been used to. 77 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,400 I pray that there would be real growth. 78 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,960 We're like the athlete who's been working out in the gym 79 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,640 alone forever, forever, forever, forever. 80 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,240 And then one day we have a coach come in and they actually make 81 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:36,480 US lift heavy. They actually make us do things 82 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,600 properly. Holy Spirit, we asked, he would 83 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:42,320 come in and actually see to it that we do what we should be 84 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,160 doing. Actually see to it that we 85 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,240 actually are going into the deep places and that we're allowing 86 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:49,160 your word to penetrate. That we're not being hard 87 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,760 hearted or stiff necked or prideful in any way. 88 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:56,200 Jesus, help us to take your word seriously. 89 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:58,800 God help me to preach it accurately, not to put 90 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:02,120 qualifications where you didn't put qualifications, but to say 91 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:06,880 what's true and what's right because you love your people and 92 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:10,760 because you want to save people from the very real hell and from 93 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:13,760 the very real torment of eternity that we all deserve. 94 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:16,320 But in your grace you have made a way. 95 00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:20,360 So we thank you for grace. We thank you for the grace to 96 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,880 repent and I pray you would grant that to us today in Jesus 97 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:29,160 name, Amen. It is a grace to repent and this 98 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:30,960 is what the Lord calls people to do. 99 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:35,360 Jesus started his ministry with this passage, with this with 100 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,160 this message and he's ending his ministry with this message. 101 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:39,520 Remember the Sermon on the Mount. 102 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,800 That was the first time he had ever said I want you to cut off 103 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,120 your hand. I want you to gouge out your eye 104 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,160 and he didn't give the qualification. 105 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,520 He didn't explain it any any further and say, no, don't mean 106 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,200 like every concordance that I read says like, no, he it's 107 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:57,120 important to state that no, he wasn't teaching you to cut your 108 00:05:57,120 --> 00:05:58,680 arm off. Like I don't think that's a big 109 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:01,200 problem that we have in the body of Christ. 110 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:03,840 You know, I think if that became a major issue in the church, we 111 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:05,360 could start to write some books about it. 112 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:08,760 But that's not the error that we're usually running into. 113 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,560 But what is Jesus doing? Jesus is finishing his ministry 114 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:16,480 the same way he started teaching and preaching repentance. 115 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,440 This is Jesus. I've told you before, if I was 116 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:23,640 to map out my own sermons and I didn't preach verse by verse and 117 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:25,160 just say, what am I going to do a series on? 118 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:26,760 What should I do? A series on, What should I do a 119 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:28,840 series on? I wouldn't preach on healing as 120 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:30,680 much as the scriptures make me preach on healing. 121 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,720 And I would not preach on sin as much as the scriptures make me 122 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,280 preach on sin, which is why that's the temptation. 123 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:40,440 Whenever you do preach topically, you don't always find 124 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,040 those sermons on sin. I want you to be encouraged. 125 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,360 I want you to be built up. I want you to feel good and I do 126 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,360 want you to be encouraged. I do want you to feel good. 127 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,040 It feels good to feel good, right, Church? 128 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,640 I mean, if I, I felt bad and I felt good, I mean, we all choose 129 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:55,800 feeling good, right? I mean, that's like preferable. 130 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,200 It's like objectively better. And yet I shouldn't feel good if 131 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:03,480 I'm not supposed to feel good. So Jesus is willing to bring 132 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:05,760 that review. Jesus is willing to bring that 133 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:07,800 clarity to us. We talked last week about being 134 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,360 childlike. We need to be childlike in order 135 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,720 to receive what Jesus teaches here because it's a very strong 136 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:15,520 word, but it's a very important word. 137 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:20,640 He says woe to the world for temptations to sin. 138 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:24,760 Woe. We've seen him give woes before. 139 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:28,160 This means doom. This means gloom, this means 140 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:30,000 damnation. This means torment. 141 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:33,280 This means it's bad for you. It this means this is, it's 142 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,800 going to be so bad for you that I feel sorry for you. 143 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:40,840 It's going to be so awful for you that I, I feel pity for 144 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:43,560 what's coming to you. Remember, he pronounced woes on 145 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:45,520 different villages. He pronounced woes on different 146 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:46,920 towns. Woe to you. 147 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:48,400 Woe to you. Why? 148 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:51,600 Because you didn't believe. Because you wouldn't repent and 149 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:53,520 believe, He said. I perform mighty miracles in 150 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:55,160 you. Will you be raised up? 151 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:57,920 No. You'll be brought low and you'll 152 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,880 be judged by others who you thought to be more wicked than 153 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,800 you. Woe to the world for temptations 154 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:09,000 to sin. Sin has infected every single 155 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,120 part of our lives. Sin has infected our minds. 156 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:16,840 Sin has infected our wills. Sin has infected our emotional 157 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:19,480 life. Sin has infected our bodies. 158 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:23,320 Sin has infected our spirits. That's why the Bible calls us 159 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,600 dead. We were dead in our trespasses 160 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:28,640 in our sins. What is sin? 161 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:34,280 Sin is anything done in thought or in deed that is contrary to 162 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:37,159 God's will. Man, that's a big category, 163 00:08:37,159 --> 00:08:39,320 isn't it? Yeah, there's a bullseye and 164 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:43,720 it's really, really small. God's will is the bullseye, and 165 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,960 sin is everything else that misses the mark. 166 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:51,920 Sin is the problem in the world that causes every other problem 167 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,200 in the world. So we could ask ourselves, hey, 168 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,040 what's the biggest problem with whatever the country or the 169 00:08:57,040 --> 00:09:01,600 government or the church or you or your family or whatever, 170 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:04,200 ultimately, we could trace it all back. 171 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:06,800 The short and simple answer is always going to be sin. 172 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:09,760 It's sin. Well, yeah, but that flushes it 173 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:11,480 out like that. Yeah, sure, there's some final 174 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,840 outcomes, also sinful, But the root of The thing is also sin. 175 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:17,600 Sin is the problem of every problem. 176 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,880 It's the root behind the thing that's the thing that we're all 177 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:26,920 facing. Romans 512 says therefore, just 178 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:30,520 as sin came into the world through one man, and death 179 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:34,920 through sin and death, and and so death spread to all men 180 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:38,400 because all sinned. This means that I'm infected. 181 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:41,320 This means that you're infected. This means that we are all 182 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:47,720 infected with sin. Romans 623 for the wages of sin 183 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,080 is death. So this means that sin earns us 184 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:52,760 something. It certainly does. 185 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:54,440 There's a paycheck for all of my sin. 186 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:56,600 There's a payday for all of your sin as well. 187 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:01,400 The payment is death back to verse 7 here in Jesus point to 188 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:04,760 declare woe to somebody is to say you will get severe 189 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:08,080 punishment, you will get severe judgment and I feel sorrow for 190 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:09,520 you because of what's coming to you. 191 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,600 This is how serious sin is. God hates sin and he will 192 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:20,320 destroy sin and sin are together in hell for all eternity, all 193 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:22,400 eternity. There will be no end. 194 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:27,680 Judas, for example, has been in hell for 2000 years, burning, 195 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:29,640 tormented. He will never escape. 196 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:31,760 Today may as well be day one for him. 197 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:34,400 There's no departure from that pastor. 198 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:37,120 That's really discouraging to think about my lost loved ones. 199 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:40,440 Yeah, it sure is for you and for me both. 200 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,600 Welcome to the weight of the reality that we live in and that 201 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:45,760 the Scriptures keep bringing to our remembrance. 202 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:48,440 This is real. Our eternity is real. 203 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,840 Our life here is short, it's brief, it's momentary. 204 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:54,160 I've seen pastors that have stretched a rope across the 205 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:56,040 front of the church before. I've done it before. 206 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:58,640 Stretch a rope across from in the end, have people hold it up 207 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:01,520 and you make a tiny mark on the marker and you say this is 208 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:03,880 eternity. This is your little time. 209 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,560 This is your 80 years, this is your 20 years, this is your 210 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:09,360 whatever. This is it. 211 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,280 Time is stretching forever in both directions. 212 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:15,160 We have eternity to be with the Lord. 213 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:17,960 Jesus is bringing that reality home. 214 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:20,240 He's saying what man? Who cares what you'd have to 215 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,040 sacrifice for for the eternal gain? 216 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:27,000 Who cares what would matter for the long play instead of the 217 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,840 short play? God hates sin. 218 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:33,440 He's going to destroy sin and Sinner in hell forever. 219 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:36,160 But what is the point Jesus making here? 220 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,800 Woe to the world for temptations to sin, for it is necessary that 221 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:43,080 temptations come. So when Jesus says for it is 222 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:46,000 necessary, what he means is it's inevitable. 223 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:50,720 It's not necessary in the fact that God wants sin to take 224 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:54,000 place, because He doesn't. But what Jesus is saying is it's 225 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,520 inevitable it's going to happen. It's not the kind of thing that 226 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:00,600 anybody can stop at this point because of Adam's sin and 227 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:03,240 because of all of our sin. We're born with this sinful 228 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:05,480 nature. Well, I was led to sin by them, 229 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,360 or I was led to sin by them. I was led to sin by my own 230 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,680 heart. And if nobody else had done it, 231 00:12:10,680 --> 00:12:13,320 I still would have done it. I didn't need to be taught how 232 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:15,440 to sin. I always knew it. 233 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,680 It comes up within me. It's been said that the human 234 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:21,840 heart is an idol factory. So I can destroy a bunch of 235 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:23,640 idols that I have. And next week my heart will 236 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:26,800 start to rebuild another one. It'll start a new idol project 237 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:29,760 that I didn't even see coming. And I go, where'd that come 238 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:33,800 from? It's necessary means it's 239 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:35,720 inevitable that sin will come into the world. 240 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:40,200 But his point is, don't let yourself be a vessel that brings 241 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:42,360 it. Temptation will come to people, 242 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,680 but do not be a vessel for it. That would mean, of course for 243 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:48,120 myself, but also for my influence of you. 244 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:51,600 That would mean you to look out for you, but also watch out for 245 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:55,000 your influence of others. So it's one thing when you sin 246 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,120 on your own, It's another thing when your sin has influence on 247 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:00,560 others. This is a, this is a worse sin 248 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,160 if the Lord's will is the bullseye, the tiny bullseye dot 249 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,360 to miss the mark. There's varying degrees of 250 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,160 missing the mark, aren't there? Yes, there's, there's pretty 251 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:12,800 close to the mark, but still missing the mark, still sin. 252 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:14,760 And there's farther away from the mark. 253 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:16,200 We've talked about this many times. 254 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,320 It it's a common phrase to say, well, sin is sin. 255 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,760 Well, that's a true statement, but I don't think it means what 256 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,960 you think it means because all sin doesn't have the same 257 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:31,200 punishment in the sense that the consequences are different now 258 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,720 and later. Eternity is still sin. 259 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:37,600 Oh, there's still, there's still punishment in hell for eternity, 260 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:40,200 but there's even levels of judgment in the way the Lord 261 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:42,080 will do that. There's mystery there, but 262 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:44,360 there's enough in Scripture that I have, I do have conviction 263 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:48,760 that that there is some sort of measurement that the Lord uses 264 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:52,560 in his punishment. But I know that we burn forever 265 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:57,000 in the lake of fire as sinners and I know that the worm never 266 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:00,680 dies. So these are horrible terrors 267 00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:04,120 that Jesus talks about that he wants to warn people of. 268 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,360 Don't be a vessel for sin. So this means you have authority 269 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:10,120 and you have influence over others. 270 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:14,160 You need to watch carefully how you walk and seek God with 271 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:17,160 humility, with a spirit that mourns over sin. 272 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:19,600 David was a man after God's own heart. 273 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:21,640 It's often said. Did David sin? 274 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:25,840 He most certainly did. But what makes David so unique, 275 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:28,840 what makes David so tender hearted is that very fact. 276 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:31,320 He was tender hearted that when David is confronted with his 277 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:34,920 sin, you see brokenness. When David is confronted with 278 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:36,440 his adultery, you see brokenness. 279 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:39,040 When David is confronted with judgment, you see brokenness. 280 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:41,280 You see humility over and over and over. 281 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:44,120 You don't see a perfect man, but you see a man who will be cut to 282 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:49,520 the heart and say I am guilty. I bear the guilt. 283 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,160 I will pursue the Lord in repentance. 284 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:57,920 We need a spirit that mourns over sin, a spirit that's afraid 285 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:02,600 of sin, a spirit that hates sin. Also, since we know that 286 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,000 temptation is inevitable, what else should we do? 287 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,640 Since we know temptation is coming, we should have a plan 288 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,480 ahead of time. You are going to be tempted to 289 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:14,720 sin. You're going to be pastor. 290 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:16,840 That's a bad confession. No, it's inevitable. 291 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:19,600 It's it's necessary that sin would come. 292 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,360 This is real life. This is not anything you can 293 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:25,680 escape. If Jesus can't escape temptation 294 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,400 to sin, you're certainly not going to escape temptation to 295 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:30,120 sin. I'm certainly not going to 296 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,880 escape temptation to sin. Don't be surprised when you're 297 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,600 tempted. Don't be shocked, man. 298 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,040 Where did that come from? Have you had that experience 299 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:41,720 before? I have, especially if it's a new 300 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:43,480 sin. I think when it's something that 301 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:45,880 you haven't struggled with, when it's something that's not common 302 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:49,240 in your personality or it hasn't been common in your life, when 303 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:53,400 it can get a hold of you, go. That was unexpected and in those 304 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:57,320 moments I, I find it personally, I find it easier to get quick to 305 00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:59,880 repent in those moments because that sin was foreign to me in 306 00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:03,400 some ways. I'm going that was different. 307 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,400 Like I'm so aware of the filth of it because I haven't been 308 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:09,000 stained in that way maybe before. 309 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,920 And now I'm like, this is gross. Lord help me, God, get this out 310 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:14,040 of me. That came, where'd that come? 311 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:16,520 Where'd that come from? Came from in there somewhere. 312 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:20,320 Get that thing out of you. Maybe it was shot as an arrow. 313 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:23,120 Like we said, I can't stop the bird from flying over my head. 314 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:25,280 But I'm going to make sure he can't land. 315 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:27,240 I'm going to make sure he can't build a nest. 316 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:30,120 I'm not going to make sure. Hey, you seem interesting. 317 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:31,920 Never seen that kind of bird before. 318 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:34,640 Come on down. Let's get comfortable with one 319 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:36,000 another. Whoo. 320 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:39,080 That's a dangerous place. Best time to pull that weed is 321 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:41,800 right at the beginning, am I right? 322 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:45,320 My landscaper guys? I mean, I don't know a lot about 323 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:48,880 work in the land, but I know that much right at the 324 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:51,480 beginning. Now's the time so this thing 325 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:55,360 doesn't become a tree. And God forbid that I start to 326 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:59,240 that, I start to build that this thing builds shade and it starts 327 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:01,680 to influence others. And the time my roots start to 328 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,119 impact someone else and cause and tempt them to sin as well, 329 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:10,119 and tempt them to sin as well. So we know temptation is coming. 330 00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:14,160 Don't be surprised. Don't think you're too holy to 331 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:16,960 be tempted. No one is too holy to be 332 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:21,560 tempted. Ephesians 613 Therefore, take up 333 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,480 the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in 334 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:31,160 the evil day, and having done all to stand firm, take up the 335 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:34,160 whole armour of God. So we do have some defensive 336 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:35,760 measures. I talk to you a lot about the 337 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:38,000 offensive measures of the church, and that's a good thing. 338 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:40,200 And that's right. I think that's an error that the 339 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:42,640 church misses off of. We're not on offense enough. 340 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:46,480 We're just hiding in a hole and waiting on it all to be over. 341 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:50,120 We need to be on offense as a church, but we also need to be 342 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:54,120 aware that our enemy goes around like a roaring lion and he is 343 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:57,600 looking to devour you and he's been at this for a while. 344 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:02,400 If he got Adam, who was holy and literally was without sin, if he 345 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:05,360 could get Adam to do it, how much more me with a sinful 346 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:08,720 nature in those temptations, Pastor, hasn't that been taken 347 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:10,640 away in Christ? It sure has. 348 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:13,600 That's a good point. We've been made new in Christ 349 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:17,240 and our spirit is new, and yet I've got the same old flesh. 350 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,560 So if you get saved today and you had bad breath before you 351 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:22,240 got saved, you're going to have bad breath after. 352 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:25,920 If you had brown hair before, you had brown hair after, and if 353 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:29,280 you had a lot of habits and temptations and ways of living 354 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,440 and ways of thinking, many times those are the things that 355 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:36,080 happened as a sanctification process of growth, maturity, and 356 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:38,840 walking with the Lord, a continual crucifixion. 357 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:43,640 We have to be living sacrifices. So there's some mystery in here 358 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:47,760 where apparently we're made new, perfectly righteous in one 359 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:51,680 sense, and yet why in the world do we have the New Testament 360 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:53,960 letters written to all these churches with all this sin? 361 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:57,200 What is going on? Well, we still have the 362 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,760 capability to sin, and Jesus is warning US against it. 363 00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:07,760 Because if I continue to live in sin, I've revealed that really I 364 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:11,880 was never saved to begin with. Or I may have walked with the 365 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:15,080 Lord for a season, legitimately loving Him and following him. 366 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:20,120 And yet the way you get saved is the way you stay saved by grace 367 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:24,680 through faith. So it's over by faith through 368 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:27,720 the grace of God. And if my faith stops. 369 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:32,640 So pastor, what are you saying? I'm saying not once saved, 370 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:35,920 always saved. I want to make that explicit so 371 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:38,600 there's no mystery or wondering what what point I'm trying to 372 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:41,240 make. Those who endure to the end will 373 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:44,360 be saved. So this is another reason I want 374 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:47,080 to stay on guard. It's not that the Lord isn't 375 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:52,280 strong, it's just that the Lord by his own choosing, has wanted 376 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:55,800 to interact with our faith and our walk and our sanctification. 377 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,560 So we must stand firm. 1st Corinthians 1012. 378 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:04,280 Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he 379 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,160 fall. I'm standing, I'm standing good, 380 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:11,240 but tomorrow's another day. So be confident in the mercy of 381 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:13,840 God for tomorrow. I don't want you to be a fearful 382 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:18,040 church, but also your our enemy. He'll be prowling again 383 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:20,360 tomorrow. So I'm so thankful that you 384 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:23,040 stood firm today. Praise God for it, for his 385 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,120 grace. That was the race of God. 386 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:27,160 But your enemy will be back tomorrow. 387 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,800 He is like a a stray dog. He will keep wandering into your 388 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:34,680 yard and it unless you keep establishing the boundary and 389 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:38,000 keep kicking him out over and over and over and you go, I beat 390 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,560 the devil, Jesus beat the devil. And yet you have to keep 391 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:44,440 enforcing the victory of Christ in your own life. 392 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,120 The devil is and has been defeated. 393 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:51,040 You do have authority, but that authority doesn't just look like 394 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:53,360 shouting at principalities and powers. 395 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:55,960 That authority looks like the authority to walk in 396 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:59,800 self-control and to cut off limbs and to gouge out eyes so 397 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:02,880 that I would prevent myself from being lured by him. 398 00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:06,320 Why? Why would I take it that 399 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:08,560 seriously? Because Jesus said it'd be 400 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:13,000 better to do that than to go into eternity with all of my 401 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:17,880 limbs and myself fully intact. Keep going here. 402 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:21,800 We're in verse 8. The point I will make is yes, 403 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:25,400 the Lord has already taught us elsewhere that sin comes out of 404 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:26,920 our hearts. Remember when they said your 405 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,760 disciples, they eat with unclean hands and they eat unclean food. 406 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:32,520 And Jesus like look, it's not the thing that went into their 407 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,120 mouth that made them unclean. It's the thing that comes out of 408 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:37,000 the heart that makes you unclean. 409 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:41,080 But he's being hyperbolic here or overstating things to make 410 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:43,840 the point. He's saying do whatever it takes 411 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:47,120 to protect yourself and to protect others. 412 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,160 Verse 8. And if your hand or your foot 413 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,800 causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. 414 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,600 It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with 415 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:00,800 two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 416 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,000 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it 417 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:05,760 away. It is better for you to enter 418 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,720 life with one eye than with two eyes, and to be thrown into the 419 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,040 hell of fire. No one will be in heaven missing 420 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,080 an arm. No one will be in heaven missing 421 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:16,640 an eye. The point is, it would be 422 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,080 better, though, to take whatever sacrifice necessary. 423 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:23,400 The most extreme problem in the history of the world that causes 424 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:26,080 every other single problem in the world should get the most 425 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:28,080 extreme measures we have available to us. 426 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:30,760 Sin is the biggest problem I've ever faced. 427 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,480 It should get the biggest and most extreme response from me. 428 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:39,200 It is kill or be killed. This is how things work with 429 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:43,800 sin. 22 years ago. It'll be 22 years next month. 430 00:22:44,120 --> 00:22:47,040 There was a Mountaineer. He was climbing in Utah. 431 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:49,920 His name was Aaron Ralston. He was hiking. 432 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,600 He was rock climbing a Canyon called Blue John Canyon. 433 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:55,800 So picture this guy up on this plateau and then there's this 434 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,320 big beautiful crack in the earth and he was just descending down 435 00:22:58,320 --> 00:22:59,920 into it. There's like this big boulder 436 00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:02,400 here, like right at the top. He checked it with his foot, 437 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:03,880 super solid. It didn't move. 438 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,760 So then he begins to start to climb down it, maybe like 15 439 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:08,920 feet or so. And as he's hanging down from 440 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,760 this and get ready to climb down, it shifts and he's 441 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:13,360 tumbling and falling. And it's tumbling and falling. 442 00:23:13,360 --> 00:23:16,120 An 800 LB boulder. And when he lands on the bottom, 443 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:20,160 the 800 LB boulder has crushed and pinned his arm to the right 444 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,360 side of the Canyon. So we're talking to Kenyon. 445 00:23:22,360 --> 00:23:26,480 That's like this big, you know, it opens up, it opens up, it 446 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:28,200 thins out. And now he's pinned here. 447 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:32,520 He says for the first hour, he screamed for about an hour. 448 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:35,720 Anybody ever see the movie 127 hours? 449 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:38,200 So you you're familiar some with that story? 450 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:41,760 It's it's him in that situation. He says he screamed and yelled 451 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:46,640 and cussed and just could just full freak out for about a full 452 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:50,960 hour. And then from that point on, he 453 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:52,400 he tried to chip away at the rock. 454 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,520 He had a multi tool on him. He tried to chip away at the 800 455 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,240 LB boulder. Just desperation, just hope, 456 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:00,000 hopeful. And after a couple hours of 457 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,120 that, all he had was a duller multi tool and realize that's 458 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:06,200 not happening. And then he realized his only 459 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:10,360 other option and he put it right out of his head. 460 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,880 He said, I can't cut off my arm. I'm not doing that. 461 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:18,040 And then one day turned to two and two days turns to three. 462 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:21,920 Dehydration, starvation. He didn't tell anybody where he 463 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:24,600 was going and he wasn't hiking with anybody else. 464 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,880 He left a note for his roommate. They'd said Utah, so it's kind 465 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:30,520 of a big place to search. And they certainly don't know 466 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:32,480 that he's down in a crack in the earth. 467 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:40,800 So day three, day four, day five, he finally realizes I'm 468 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:42,120 close to death. I can feel it. 469 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:46,440 I can feel how close I am. And he finally decides I'm going 470 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:48,120 to do it. Like, why? 471 00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:51,800 Because I can lose this or I can lose everything. 472 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:56,640 This is the perfect example of what Jesus describes for us. 473 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:01,640 So Aaron Ralston, he made that decision on that fifth day, 474 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:06,520 using his dull pocket knife to amputate his own arm. 475 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,160 The problem was, it gets graphic. 476 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:12,920 He gets to the bone and he can't do anything with it. 477 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:19,840 So he has the great idea to pry and tell one there's 2 bones 478 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,000 there and then pry again until 2. 479 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:25,360 His Mama was thankful that he did it. 480 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:28,240 His wife is now thankful that he did it. 481 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:30,080 His children are now thankful that he did it. 482 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:32,520 He has life. He has a good life. 483 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:36,520 He has life at all because he was willing to do the extreme 484 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:38,880 thing, the graphic thing. Pastor, that's graphic. 485 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,520 Jesus was graphic. First, he said in front of 486 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:43,840 little kids, you need to gouge your eye out. 487 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:46,640 And he kept repeating the point. It's better to do this. 488 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:49,280 It's better to do that than to to not do that. 489 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:51,880 It's graphic. It's rough. 490 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:53,440 Yeah. It's almost like Jesus really 491 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:56,360 wants to land the point. It's almost like he really wants 492 00:25:56,360 --> 00:25:58,560 you to believe it. It's almost like he really wants 493 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:02,800 us to know how serious it is. He shows us that there is a 494 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:06,880 choice to be made, and we cannot have it both ways. 495 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:10,920 We cannot keep our sin and live. Pastor, don't we believe that 496 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:15,440 we're saved by grace? We absolutely do, and I'm going 497 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:17,120 to keep reaching the text in front of us today. 498 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:21,160 Of course, we're saved by grace. And yet when I've been saved by 499 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:24,360 grace, I want to walk closer to the Lord. 500 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:28,040 And walking closer to the Lord will mean maturity and 501 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,600 sanctification and more submission to Him. 502 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:33,200 All the days that I walk with Him, there's more submission, 503 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:36,480 There's more holiness. Not in comparison to anybody 504 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:40,280 else, just in comparison to where I was and in comparison to 505 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:43,080 the target, the very, very tiny bull's eye. 506 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:46,400 There's like there's space you throw darts, there's space for 507 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:48,640 like 1 dart to land in the Lord's bullseye. 508 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,360 It's his way. That's the only way Jesus has 509 00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:53,520 been, has been consistent throughout his whole ministry. 510 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:56,960 You can't gain the whole world and keep your soul. 511 00:26:58,120 --> 00:26:59,920 This isn't a new message from him. 512 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:02,360 It's the same one he's been preaching. 513 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:06,600 You cannot manage your sin church. 514 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,320 You have to kill it. That's good. 515 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:13,360 I think I can kind of get kill it, kill it, kill it, yeah, But 516 00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:15,920 I've been managing for so long. You don't believe Jesus. 517 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:21,640 You don't believe Jesus. It's a lack of love for him that 518 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:25,600 causes me to think that way. We can't pray, deliver us from 519 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,000 evil and then not be willing to walk in obedience in the way 520 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:30,640 that he wants to deliver us from evil. 521 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,160 God just miraculously move this 800 LB boulder. 522 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:37,800 God told you to cut your arm off. 523 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:39,720 That's what He's telling you to do right now. 524 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:42,320 Well, I just wish the Lord would. 525 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:44,360 Well, you can wish a lot of things, and you can hope for a 526 00:27:44,360 --> 00:27:47,320 lot of things, but the Lord has given us a command. 527 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:49,800 You cannot negotiate with temptation. 528 00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:55,400 You have to amputate it. It seems unthreatening when it's 529 00:27:55,400 --> 00:28:00,040 just temptation, but then you start to tolerate and it becomes 530 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,000 sin. You cannot see the infection 531 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:06,440 that's happening under the skin. It happened underneath first 532 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:08,080 before it showed up on the outside. 533 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:10,920 And once you finally see it on the surface, it will be too 534 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:13,520 late. Or the worst of all, you won't 535 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:17,080 care. That will be the judgment of God 536 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:19,680 against you when you don't even care. 537 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:23,160 We've talked about that before. What's the judgment of the Lord? 538 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,720 What's the unpardonable sin? It was the fact that you could 539 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:29,160 get to the point where He no longer extends the grace of 540 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:32,280 repentance. Did God make you do it? 541 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:34,440 No, you made you do it with your own hard heart. 542 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,160 And the Lord says, I've been pulling, I've been pulling, I've 543 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:40,200 been pulling, I've been pulling. And you continue to just say no 544 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:44,840 and give God the middle finger. And God says this is the 545 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:46,800 judgment. I'll let you have everything 546 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:54,360 that you say you wanted. James chapter 1 verses 14 547 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:59,080 through 15 says each person is tempted when he is Lord and 548 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:03,680 enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it is 549 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:08,720 conceived, gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown 550 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:12,720 brings forth death. So here we have the the whole 551 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:17,640 process of temptation to sin. And then so there's degrees of 552 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:20,800 sin, sin when it's fully grown. So there's a sin that's not 553 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,920 fully grown, but then sin that's fed. 554 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:26,040 Are you feeding that thing? I'm feeding you. 555 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:27,080 I feed you. I feed you. 556 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:29,560 So the person who feels as if they're managing your sin, 557 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:32,320 you're not managing your sin. You're feeding the lion that 558 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:35,880 will one day eat you. That's all you're doing. 559 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:38,320 It's a cute little lion. It is a cute little lion cub. 560 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:41,200 He can't hurt me. I know he can't, Not yet. 561 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:42,880 But you're going to keep feeding him. 562 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:46,080 You get you don't manage sin. Sin is managing you. 563 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:50,560 If you're not careful, crouches and waits to destroy. 564 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:55,680 In Scripture, we often see repentance referenced as someone 565 00:29:55,680 --> 00:30:00,400 repenting in sackcloth and ashes, sackcloth and ashes. 566 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:05,160 So sackcloth was like a goat's hair garment and it was wildly 567 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:08,720 uncomfortable and it was not worn for any sort of fashion 568 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:11,400 purpose. And the ashes have to do with 569 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:15,880 just a humility and a filth. So I would go to the ash pile, 570 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:17,600 go to the fire that's gone extinguish. 571 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:20,680 You know how bad ash stinks. You know how bad it is. 572 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:22,240 So I've gone. I've gone. 573 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:25,920 Now I've put on sackcloth. And everybody's noticing why. 574 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:30,040 That was the whole point. This was a public repentance. 575 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,800 I want you to know this is the purpose. 576 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:35,160 I am embracing shame in front of you. 577 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:38,840 I am humbling myself. Not like, oh, I'm just going to 578 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:40,520 deal with this between me and the Lord. 579 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:42,480 Oh, yeah. Like you've been dealing with it 580 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,840 between you and the Lord for 20 years, and you're still not free 581 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,600 of it because you're not willing to go to the measure that will 582 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:52,680 actually free you of it. But in sackcloth and ashes. 583 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:56,080 I rub it in my hair and I rub the ashes on my face, and people 584 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:58,840 say they're not going. Oh, good for him. 585 00:30:58,840 --> 00:30:59,920 He's walking in repentance. It's. 586 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:01,200 Yeah. What'd you do? 587 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:03,480 I'll tell you everything. Oh, that's really bad. 588 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:05,600 Yeah. It's worse than you know, It's 589 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:07,920 worse. God forgive me. 590 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:14,240 God have mercy on me. It's a public repentance to my 591 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:20,040 shame and praise God also to my forgiveness and to my salvation 592 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:22,160 and to my freedom from the thing that I was. 593 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:25,480 Well, I'm going to manage it. I'm going to manage it and I'm 594 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:27,560 going to do all the measures that feel safe. 595 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,000 I'm going to chip away at the boulder with my multi tool. 596 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:31,640 That's how I'll get out of this mess. 597 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:36,160 You can't. You can't manage it. 598 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:38,760 Sackcloth and ashes, what's the point? 599 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:43,720 It's maximized humiliation, not a little bit, not a baby step 600 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:46,760 towards repentance. How do I maximize my humiliation 601 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:50,840 for this thing? This is why we're supposed to be 602 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:53,080 like little children, not worry about how you look. 603 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:57,240 Sackcloth and ashes. Repentance is a real repentance. 604 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:00,920 It is not a private repentance. And it brought change and it 605 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:05,680 brought breakthrough. Look at Nineveh, Jonah comes in 606 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:09,200 40 days. The heaven will be destroyed. 607 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:10,960 What do you say? He's kind of mumbling. 608 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:13,440 He doesn't really wants to hear. 40 days and then of will be 609 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:15,960 destroyed. 40 days and then of will be destroyed. 610 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:20,800 Oh my goodness, God have mercy. And the king of that city and 611 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:23,000 the whole city, nobody's going to eat. 612 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:27,040 Nobody's going to drink. Everybody put on sackcloth and 613 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:30,520 cover yourself in ashes. Maybe the Lord will relent. 614 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,720 Did the Lord change his mind? The Lord loves repentance. 615 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:36,800 The Lord is gracious and kind and merciful. 616 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:43,120 And the Lord says, OK, King Ahab, filthy, filthy, filthy, 617 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:48,120 wicked, wicked, wicked man, sends the prophet. 618 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:51,040 You're going to die. Ahab repents and sack, claws and 619 00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:53,480 ashes, humbles himself, humiliates himself. 620 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:57,520 The Lord comes to the prophet. He goes, hey, man, you see how 621 00:32:57,520 --> 00:32:59,920 he's humbled himself? I'm not going to do what I said 622 00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:02,200 I was going to do. I'll do it to his son and to his 623 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:04,840 son's generation. Pastor, that doesn't seem fair. 624 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:08,360 Good news. His Son can repent, you can 625 00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:12,200 repent, you can turn from it, But the Lord saying the cup of 626 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:14,160 wrath has filled up, it will be poured out. 627 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,560 Sin is inevitable, judgment and wrath is inevitable. 628 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:19,440 Oh, except for the grace of God. Amen. 629 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:22,080 But the grace of God is not cheap. 630 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:26,760 It costs Jesus everything. And it will cost you your arm or 631 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:31,680 your eye, it will cost you pride, it will cost you your 632 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:32,760 way. Yes, Amen. 633 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:39,400 Luke 1810 through 14, two men went up to the temple to pray. 634 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:44,680 Jesus tells us 1A Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 635 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:50,840 So already in his listeners ears they're going the good guy and 636 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:54,640 the bad guy, the Pharisee and the tax collector, every Jewish 637 00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:57,720 listener soon as they heard that story like oh the tax collector, 638 00:33:57,720 --> 00:33:59,760 we hate those guys. Bunch of traitors. 639 00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:02,240 And they were they did betray their own people. 640 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:05,920 They were greedy. They were they were thieves. 641 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:10,040 All the things Jesus even tells us we're going to get later in 642 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:14,159 in chapter 18 and he's going to say, hey here you actually when 643 00:34:14,159 --> 00:34:16,080 people don't repent eventually I want you to treat him like you 644 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:18,840 treat a tax collector. Jesus said to treat him how 645 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:19,800 you're already treating these other. 646 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,040 We'll get there. Don't make me preach at sermon 647 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:26,280 yet Two men went up to the temple to pray 1A Pharisee and 648 00:34:26,280 --> 00:34:29,800 the other a tax collector. The Pharisee standing by 649 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:34,159 himself, prayed this God. I thank you that I'm not like 650 00:34:34,159 --> 00:34:39,960 other men, extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even like this 651 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,880 tax collector. I fast twice a week. 652 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:49,840 I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector standing 653 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:54,719 far off would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his 654 00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:58,680 breast, saying, God be merciful to me, a Sinner. 655 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:03,240 Jesus says, I tell you, this man went to his house justified 656 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:06,560 rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself 657 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:10,760 will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. 658 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:16,840 This is a loud repentance. We need loud repentance again in 659 00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:20,520 the church today. That's what revival is not. 660 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:22,920 There's a bunch of prayer meetings happening and 661 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:25,840 everyone's attending. OK, there's a bunch of worship 662 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:28,920 services, They're preaching 4 sermons a day, and the church is 663 00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:31,560 packed. Is there allowed repentance? 664 00:35:31,720 --> 00:35:34,280 No. Then it's not bad. 665 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:38,360 But it's not revival. Because revival is just the 666 00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:41,120 ultimate glorification of the Lord and the ultimate 667 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:44,200 humiliation of everybody else, which is all the gospel ever 668 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:47,080 does anyway. If the gospel doesn't crush your 669 00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:48,760 ego, then you don't have the gospel. 670 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:51,920 If Jesus isn't the hero, then you don't have Jesus. 671 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,520 You have something else. You have some God you've created 672 00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:58,880 in your own mind. Loud repentance is real 673 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:02,440 repentance, for sure, because there's nothing safe about it. 674 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:05,600 It just puts me low, puts me in the bottom. 675 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:09,680 It puts me desperate. It reveals that I actually 676 00:36:09,680 --> 00:36:15,960 believe that eternity is coming, that there is a hell to pay, and 677 00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,280 that I really believe Jesus's words about the dangers of my 678 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:22,920 sin. Sin is not passive, and we're 679 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:26,360 closing. Your sin will kill you unless 680 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:28,480 you kill it in this life or in the next. 681 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:32,240 What a tragedy, what a nightmare, what a horror. 682 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:35,800 It's too terrible to think about, but it is an important 683 00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:39,160 thought experiment, which is why Jesus even tells parables about 684 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:42,960 a man who's burning in hell and he's saying, I wish somebody 685 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:45,000 could just dip their finger and cool my tongue. 686 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:50,960 But what a worse tragedy to go to hell when you thought you 687 00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:57,120 were going to heaven. Many will say, Lord, Lord, and 688 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:02,480 he'll say, I never knew you. Yeah, I don't know who that's 689 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:03,600 going to be. It couldn't be me. 690 00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:07,360 The humble heart says, God, is it me? 691 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:10,680 God, bring me close. God, what sin is there? 692 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,440 What barriers are there? What, what games am I playing In 693 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:17,000 my heart, in my mind? What does it look like? 694 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:21,960 What do I need to do? Is there anything that I'm 695 00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:26,600 keeping from you? What do you need to amputate in 696 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:29,680 order to protect yourself against temptation and sin? 697 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:31,920 What measure? Here's the better question. 698 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:35,640 What measure haven't you been willing to take to be free from 699 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:37,040 the thing that you say I want to be free from? 700 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:39,680 That's the measure that it's going to take. 701 00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:42,880 If you wanted freedom, you'll do the thing that you've been 702 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:45,320 unwilling to do because that's the one it's going to cost. 703 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:50,080 Aaron Rouston was like, I'm getting close to death, OK, 704 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:52,680 What's the point of just dying here in this cave? 705 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:56,680 Time to lose the arm. But he wasn't convinced until he 706 00:37:56,680 --> 00:37:59,640 felt death. And that's everybody's problem. 707 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:02,600 God's word isn't enough. They're going, oh, I'll get that 708 00:38:02,600 --> 00:38:04,880 straight later. You think so? 709 00:38:04,880 --> 00:38:09,520 You hope so. You wish what measure seems too 710 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:12,880 extreme for you. Identify that measure and know 711 00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:14,640 that that is the measure that it will take. 712 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:21,680 This is too extreme. Jesus says enter by the narrow 713 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:24,880 gate, for the gate is wide and the way is easy. 714 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:27,640 That leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 715 00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:31,440 He put it everywhere. This is not one text. 716 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:33,960 This is all the message and ministry of Jesus. 717 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,080 What will it take? The Holy Spirit's putting His 718 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:41,640 finger on something right now for you. 719 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:48,200 I don't know what it is. I don't have to, but He's 720 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:49,720 putting His finger on something right now. 721 00:38:49,720 --> 00:38:51,520 Just give it to Him. Do it. 722 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:54,280 Commit to that obedience. It's yours, God. 723 00:38:55,720 --> 00:38:57,680 I don't want to give that up. Give it up. 724 00:38:58,240 --> 00:39:00,920 Give it to him. I don't want to make that phone 725 00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:03,400 call. I don't want to confess my sin 726 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,880 to that person. I don't want to whatever. 727 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:08,440 I don't want to delete that app. I don't want to get that 728 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:13,600 software. I don't want to repent in that 729 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:15,840 relationship. I don't want to repay that 730 00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:22,880 money. You know what's extreme? 731 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:26,760 An innocent man being murdered on a cross is extreme. 732 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:34,400 God becoming man is extreme because sin is so extreme. 733 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,960 Jesus sacrifices himself. How much more can we just be 734 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:43,160 living sacrifices who obediently get on the altar like Isaac 735 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:47,520 before Abraham? Son, here's what God wants then. 736 00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:51,880 That's what I want, daddy. I don't understand it, but I'll 737 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:52,600 do it. Daddy. 738 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:58,520 I humbly entrust my present and my future to my father. 739 00:40:01,760 --> 00:40:03,000 This is safe. This is good. 740 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,320 This is what holiness actually looks like. 741 00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:10,600 We often reference playing church and then there's stronger 742 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:13,800 churches like salt. Thank God they go, oh, I think 743 00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:16,720 we're not like those American churches that play church and 744 00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:19,640 thank God we're not. And there, there, there are many 745 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:22,640 good churches, but then there's still, it always comes back down 746 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:25,600 to me, though. But what am I doing? 747 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:28,040 I'm thankful that I've got a good church. 748 00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:29,480 I'm thankful that I've got a good pastor. 749 00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:32,400 I'm thankful that, that we prioritize the word and prayer 750 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:34,160 and fellowship and, and we're, we're kind. 751 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:38,320 But, but man, am I false? Am I false? 752 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:44,840 Is there anything false in me? God, I'm scared of going to 753 00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:47,440 hell. I'm scared of Jesus. 754 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:51,720 But so many people, they have No Fear of God in their eyes. 755 00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:57,520 Well, I thought God loves me. He does, He does which is why he 756 00:40:57,520 --> 00:41:01,880 warns you about the torment where he will burn you forever. 757 00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:05,000 All the things are true at the same time. 758 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,280 It's a both and message. It's not an either or. 759 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:11,040 God so loved the world that he gave his only son. 760 00:41:12,240 --> 00:41:14,120 Why? Because we're already condemned. 761 00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:19,200 We're condemned already. If you read past John 3 verse 16 762 00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:22,880 you find we're condemned. The status is you're pre doomed. 763 00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:30,400 So ask God right now if he hasn't already put his finger on 764 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:33,080 something. For revelation, for conviction, 765 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:36,680 and for strength to take the fullest action possible. 766 00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:40,360 You know how Olympians train? They train to win the gold 767 00:41:40,360 --> 00:41:42,560 medal. People don't train to just 768 00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:44,360 qualify to make it to the Olympics. 769 00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:47,960 You want the maximum, you want the best, and you want the 770 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:50,160 highest. We want the most. 771 00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:54,200 And the other thing that the Scripture teaches us in this 772 00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:57,080 moment, Jesus makes it sound like we're giving something up, 773 00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:04,400 but at the same time we're not because we're gaining the better 774 00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:08,280 thing. Our flesh thinks we're losing, 775 00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:10,440 but the Lord is offering us a feast. 776 00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:15,200 He's saying, hey, give up the Lucky Charms and come look at 777 00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:19,040 the table that I've set for you. And we're going, Oh, but the 778 00:42:19,040 --> 00:42:22,000 sugar, the dopamine, the food dies. 779 00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:25,800 The marshmallows. Yeah, I know technically it's 780 00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:30,880 edible, but it'll kill you compared to the feast in the 781 00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:32,840 table that I've set for you. I'm going to keep your cup 782 00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:35,640 overflowing. I'll set a table for you in the 783 00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:38,560 presence of your enemies. And it'll be real food. 784 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:42,440 It'll be real nourishment. It'll be real sustenance. 785 00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:47,600 It'll be a real nutrient. We can never sacrifice, even 786 00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:49,280 though we're talking about sacrificing. 787 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:52,120 It's a ridiculous principle to think you and I could ever 788 00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:55,360 sacrifice because that implies I gave something up that was 789 00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:58,600 valuable. And I don't have anything as 790 00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:02,920 valuable as the thing that I get, which is him sacrifice for 791 00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:04,240 the Lord. Who am I? 792 00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:07,560 What is my life? Jim Michael sacrificed himself 793 00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:09,600 that day and laid down his life for all these people. 794 00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:14,000 Who am I? What do I, I, I get Jesus. 795 00:43:14,200 --> 00:43:17,120 OK, I, I don't think I sacrificed anything. 796 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:24,280 We want to do the fullest action possible, to live in freedom and 797 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:27,920 to live with the relief that comes from living in holiness. 798 00:43:28,320 --> 00:43:31,840 Holiness is a relief, a clean conscience. 799 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:36,800 You sleep good at night. God, I love you. 800 00:43:37,240 --> 00:43:40,320 God help me. This is not extra credit Church. 801 00:43:41,360 --> 00:43:43,760 This message from Jesus is not an extra credit message. 802 00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:45,720 This is not a Navy SEAL Christianity. 803 00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:48,560 This is entry level. You will never even enter the 804 00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:51,680 Kingdom unless you be like little children. 805 00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:56,960 God, what does my sackcloth and ashes need to be? 806 00:43:57,120 --> 00:44:02,880 What does my freedom look like? Lord, your ways are perfect. 807 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:09,120 You're so good. You are good, better than we 808 00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:12,400 think, and there's nothing we could really sacrifice. 809 00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:17,480 You command us to be a living sacrifice and still we know God, 810 00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:22,960 that we need to crucify the flesh and that we are so clever. 811 00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:25,120 We're so clever. I'm so clever at making 812 00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:32,120 justifications and and squirming away from the loving guidance, 813 00:44:32,120 --> 00:44:34,000 the loving finger of the Holy Spirit. 814 00:44:34,600 --> 00:44:41,760 Who would say this needs to go? God, I pray that you would fill 815 00:44:41,760 --> 00:44:46,680 us with the Holy Spirit and with power, a power that cleanses, a 816 00:44:46,680 --> 00:44:51,360 power that draws us nearer to you for loving fellowship, for 817 00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:54,720 sweet affection, for humble hearts. 818 00:44:57,360 --> 00:45:03,080 God, see your children this morning and truly bring us and 819 00:45:03,080 --> 00:45:15,160 grant us repentance. Whatever is needed, I pray for 820 00:45:15,160 --> 00:45:18,880 every believer that they would walk out their obedience fully 821 00:45:18,880 --> 00:45:23,080 and completely. Carry out whatever you've called 822 00:45:23,080 --> 00:45:25,760 them to. They will lead to their life and 823 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:34,560 their joy. We thank you for being so 824 00:45:34,560 --> 00:45:39,360 gracious and so patient with us. We should all be in hell 825 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:42,480 already, but for the grace of God we would be. 826 00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:49,680 Thank you for mercy for God help us to not take it for granted. 827 00:45:53,800 --> 00:46:04,480 I plead the blood of Jesus over your people in Jesus name and 828 00:46:04,480 --> 00:46:07,480 now the Lord bless you and keep you. 829 00:46:08,920 --> 00:46:13,160 The Lord make his face Shinedown upon you, and be gracious to 830 00:46:13,160 --> 00:46:15,760 you. The Lord lift up his countenance 831 00:46:15,760 --> 00:46:21,800 upon you and give you great peace in Jesus name, Amen.