1 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:03,200 All right, well, let's pray again. 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:09,120 Heavenly Father, as we turn to Your word today and as we look 3 00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:11,880 at the events of this week and what it means for Your church 4 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:14,320 and what it means for your people and what it means for our 5 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:16,480 days ahead. God, I pray, Holy Spirit, that 6 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,800 you would just bless and anoint the preaching of Your word, that 7 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,360 you would strengthen Your Saints by it, that they would have 8 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:29,440 clarity and boldness and resolve and love and conviction and 9 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,320 peace. Lord, we know that you love us. 10 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:38,120 I pray that that love would be made manifest in our hearts 11 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,160 through a deep revelation. I pray that every single person 12 00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:45,040 under the sound of my voice would be able to recognize Your 13 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:46,360 great love that you have for them. 14 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:50,960 Those who are in this room with humble hearts, those who are 15 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:55,600 listening online with antagonistic motives, with 16 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:57,840 enemies, who would even be listening to this sermon at some 17 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,240 later date. God, I pray that you would bless 18 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:05,160 them. I love them in Jesus name. 19 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:09,080 I bless them in Jesus name. And I asked, Lord, that you 20 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:13,760 would deliver them from bondages, from fears, from 21 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,520 biases, from hard heartedness, from confusion. 22 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:19,600 Set them free. Change their motive. 23 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:23,600 Change their heart like you did for me, God, like you did for 24 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,200 all of your Saints. We are people who didn't earn 25 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:28,640 anything. We're people who didn't deserve 26 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:30,280 anything. But by your grace, you gave it. 27 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:35,560 Lord, now again, I pray for those particularly in this room, 28 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:39,680 the family of Salt, the friends of Salt, those who have gathered 29 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:44,760 this morning to honor the Lord, to hear his instruction in his 30 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,200 direction. God, I pray you would make me 31 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,560 accurate. I pray You would make me bold. 32 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,200 Pray you would make me gentle. Pray you would make me kind. 33 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:59,760 Make me the right thing at the right time for your glory, 34 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,200 Jesus, and for the comfort of your flock and for the 35 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,400 strengthening of your flock and for the equipping of the Saints 36 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:07,920 in Jesus name. Lord, we thank you. 37 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:13,920 Amen. Well, we're taking a break from 38 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:17,320 our Matthew series. So I think today was going to be 39 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:21,240 like part 84 or something, but we're taking a break from that 40 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,560 because obviously the tragedy of what took place this week our, 41 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:29,840 our news cycle has been filled with evil acts of wicked men. 42 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,720 School shootings, unfortunately, are a common thing in our 43 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:35,560 nation. So we've seen that, you know, we 44 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,000 saw the the Charlotte subway incident. 45 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:42,040 We saw that wickedness. And we also graphically watched 46 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:45,080 our brother in Christ die in front of his wife and kids this 47 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:47,080 week. Charlie Kirk was a bold 48 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,760 Christian leader, a devoted husband and father, and one of 49 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:52,800 the most influential voices of his generation. 50 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,360 He was fearlessly calling America back to faith in Jesus, 51 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,520 not a generic faith, but faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, 52 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,320 freedom, and truth. Through his work with the 53 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,920 organization that he founded, Turning Point USA, he tirelessly 54 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:10,000 brought that message onto college campuses across the 55 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,720 nation, and he equipped young men and women to stand for truth 56 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,880 and to build virtuous lives. This is not a sermon about 57 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,560 Charlie Kirk, but this sermon is certainly influenced by Charlie 58 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,720 Kirk's murder this week. The more I've learned about him 59 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:23,880 the past few days, the more I've admired him. 60 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,240 I had seen things about him. I'm like, oh, that seems like a 61 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:27,920 faithful brother, you know, keep up the great work. 62 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:30,160 I just seen a bit here and a bit there, a bit here and a bit 63 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:32,640 there. The amount of content I've seen 64 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:35,600 from him this week has just greatly inspired me all the 65 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:37,400 more. And I thought, wow, that man 66 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:39,520 outranks me in a million different ways. 67 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:42,600 And he's 31 years old. What a blessing, what a gift, 68 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:46,200 what a strength, what a force, what a husband, what a father, 69 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:50,120 what a Christian, what a blessing, what a massive loss 70 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:54,360 for us. He was 31 years old and he was a 71 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:58,960 mighty man of God who held views that the overwhelming majority 72 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,520 of Americans held until the 2000s. 73 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:09,720 So you'll often hear him and me and you, all of us were we are 74 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,600 now, we're now called right wing extremists. 75 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,240 If you didn't know you are right wing extremists or you're a 1980 76 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:20,680 Democrat, either one if they're the same thing, or you're a 1994 77 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,680 Republican, but you're also being labeled as a right wing 78 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:27,840 extremist. But that's the nature of truth. 79 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:31,800 Truth stays the same. What was once mainstream 80 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,800 conviction is now called extremism. 81 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:37,960 The truth hasn't changed. The culture has. 82 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,520 And Charlie Kirk told people that some loved him for it. 83 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:43,600 We did. Those of you who knew him and 84 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,400 followed him, and some hated him for it. 85 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,520 But there's two things I learned this week that are important for 86 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,800 you as we take what happened and then make application for it for 87 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,680 us and we look to God's word. One of the things that really 88 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,720 stood out to me was the body of Christ should learn from Jesus. 89 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,560 What Charlie Kirk learned from Jesus specifically is how to be 90 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,040 the right thing at the right time. 91 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:13,520 Jesus had range. Jesus had more than one gear. 92 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,520 He could sing more than one note. 93 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,080 Jesus could comfort the repentant and the fearful, and 94 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:25,720 he could absolutely humiliate the prideful and the hateful. 95 00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:28,920 Jesus had more than one gear. He had range. 96 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:31,320 He could shift gears. I noticed that with Charlie as I 97 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:34,960 watched different footage. I mean, really, really, really 98 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,480 folks who would be very easy to judge visually would walk up to 99 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:40,720 the microphone because his format, you know, he's sitting 100 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:42,720 there in his tent, Someone walks up to the microphone. 101 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,280 He begins speaking with him. Of course, now we see it's, it's 102 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:48,640 thousands and thousands. Years ago, it was 10s of 10s. 103 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:51,200 But he would just dialogue and they they'd woke up and you're 104 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:53,160 like, OK, here comes a Satanist. What are they going to say? 105 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,520 They go, hey, Charlie. So I've really just been trying 106 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,680 to, you know, wonder about this. I'm thinking about that blah, 107 00:05:57,680 --> 00:05:58,720 blah, blah. And he's just like, oh, yeah, 108 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:00,480 good question and engages with them. 109 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:03,920 And it's just a conversation between two decent folks who can 110 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:06,960 engage with one another. And then you'd have antagonists 111 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:09,320 who would come up and he could play along, but he could also 112 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:11,440 shift gears. He could show a wolf, Hey, 113 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:12,640 you're not the only one with teeth. 114 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,640 I have teeth too. And that's the thing that many 115 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:18,560 Christians have failed at doing for years. 116 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:21,200 Conservatism has never conserved anything. 117 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:25,200 Conservatives just continue to back up as the enemy says, hey, 118 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:28,120 you know, remember like 20 some years ago when they started 119 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:29,520 calling us just racists and bigots? 120 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,560 And we're like, Oh my goodness, I don't want to be a racist. 121 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:34,120 Oh my goodness, I don't want to be a bigot. 122 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:35,720 And after a while we realized like, Oh my goodness, they're 123 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:37,080 just lying about everything. OK. 124 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:39,800 But we, we continue to back up and back up and back up. 125 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:41,880 And they were like, how did we get up against this Cliff? 126 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,760 I guess Jesus just wants me to fall over in Jesus name. 127 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,160 No Saints, it's just called taking a step forward. 128 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,240 That's it. We are at war. 129 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:55,320 But the weapons of your my warfare, they're not carnal, but 130 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,440 they are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds. 131 00:06:58,120 --> 00:06:59,920 So you and I are people of prayer. 132 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:02,040 You and I are people still of truth. 133 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:03,840 And the truth is what we should always stand on. 134 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,960 And we should not be afraid to be able to shift gears in 135 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:09,760 conversation when someone reveals to us that they are no 136 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,520 longer in good faith. But we are dealing with what 137 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:18,200 Jesus calls dogs and pigs. Jesus tells us to he says judge 138 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:20,360 not, which is every non Christians favorite Bible verse. 139 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:23,160 And then he literally goes in the whole context there to teach 140 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,640 you how to judge. He teaches us what does that 141 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:26,960 look like? And he says, don't give your 142 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,760 pearls to pigs. So we're supposed to determine 143 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:31,720 who pigs are. We're supposed to make a 144 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,480 judgment about this person being a pig. 145 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:37,640 We're supposed to determine who dogs are. 146 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:40,320 Yeah, not with hatred, not with mouse, but to go they've 147 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,960 revealed themselves. So this is something we see all 148 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,080 through Jesus ministry, as I've been preaching through Matthew, 149 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:46,920 I've showed it to you over and over and overlook at Jesus. 150 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:49,280 He shifts gears, he goes, oh, I can be gracious with you. 151 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:51,360 I can be gracious with you. The prideful and the hateful. 152 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:56,040 He goes, boys, you came to humiliate me, but I'm going to 153 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,320 pull the no reverse card on you. And then he would shame and 154 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:00,800 condemn them. That was something I've been 155 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:02,280 very impressed with his scene, Charlie. 156 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:05,280 And you, you see him do it all with a happy go lucky, joyful 157 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:07,960 swagger all along the way. It's not malice, but he's gone. 158 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,240 Oh, I, I can give it to I can give it to you can give it. 159 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,400 I can give it. Christians are not doormats. 160 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:17,200 Christians are people who think Christians are people who tell 161 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:19,080 the truth. Christians are people who can 162 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:22,400 also humiliate demonic arguments and foolish attacks. 163 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:25,400 The other thing that really stood out this week is kind of 164 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:27,960 A2 fold point. First, people really, really, 165 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,440 really hated Charlie Kirk. I didn't realize that to that 166 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:33,679 degree. It would have been one thing if 167 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,120 there was just one hateful murderer who pulled the trigger 168 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:38,960 and then the whole world said, Oh my goodness, that's just 169 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:41,480 wicked and terrible. Or if those celebrating were 170 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:44,640 just anonymous social media accounts, you know, just posts 171 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:47,280 were like, those could be bots, you know, those could be AI 172 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:50,040 generated things. Those might not be real people, 173 00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:53,960 but there have been so many celebratory responses of real 174 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:57,680 people on video. These folks were so excited. 175 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,240 They pulled up their phone and they saw it. 176 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,160 I should record this and I should send it out to the world. 177 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:08,920 That's a real boldness. That's a real enthusiasm. 178 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,000 That's a real joy. They're so excited about their 179 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,640 religion that they will preach their gospel and that they will 180 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,680 continue to enforce the rules of their Kingdom. 181 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,600 We can learn from them there as well that we should be bold to 182 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:25,360 preach and teach and enforce. But this, the celebratory 183 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,880 responses, these are not from like just a bunch of California 184 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:32,080 kids in college. These are teachers. 185 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:34,520 These are politicians. These are news groups. 186 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:37,160 These are computer programmers. These are college students. 187 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:39,640 These were firefighters. These were airline pilots. 188 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:44,960 This was my favorite football team, the Carolina Panthers, one 189 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:47,760 of their like employees. He had posted something as well. 190 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:51,200 And all these people are like, I am proud and I'm excited to say 191 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,200 that I'm happy that this man was murdered. 192 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:57,720 What a wild, wild shock this was for me. 193 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:00,560 These people didn't just decide to keep it in their hearts. 194 00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:02,960 And like, I'm super happy, but I know better than I know. 195 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,360 I know enough to keep it to myself, right? 196 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:09,280 Like that would be, that would be private, and that's between 197 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:11,320 them and the Lord. But they went so far as to 198 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:13,000 record and share their responses with the world. 199 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:16,480 Romans, one says they were filled with all man, all manner 200 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:19,000 of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness and malice. 201 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:21,600 They're full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and 202 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,680 maliciousness. Their gossips, slanderers, 203 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:28,520 haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of 204 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:32,320 evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, 205 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,640 ruthless. Though they know God's righteous 206 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,240 decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they 207 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:44,280 not only do them, but give approval to those who practice 208 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:46,840 them. So they're like, I personally 209 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:48,920 probably would have never gotten to the place where I could have 210 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:52,480 pulled the trigger, but I'm so thankful someone did. 211 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:54,280 These are the lost people of Romans. 212 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:56,920 One, these are all people outside of Christ. 213 00:10:57,440 --> 00:10:59,080 What's shocking about that then, Pastor? 214 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:03,880 Well, that's my point. I've been very naive and I don't 215 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:05,560 think of myself as a naive person. 216 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:08,520 I'm a shepherd. I'm a shepherd of the flock of 217 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,560 God, and I'm not as naive as the flock of God is. 218 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:15,680 As your pastor, I, it is part of my job to prepare you, to equip 219 00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:18,600 you and to help you understand the realities of God's word 220 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:21,560 around you. But I have foolishly been naive 221 00:11:21,560 --> 00:11:24,680 to, to the very reality around us for years. 222 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:27,960 I, I thought I had learned this lesson where I ignore certain 223 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:31,760 red flags so, so many years ago when I was pastoring, if there 224 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,840 would be someone in the church who he could talk the talk, you 225 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,520 know, maybe he knew scripture or she knew scripture and they 226 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,360 could, they could just talk and sound spiritual. 227 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:42,200 I would take that as the evidence. 228 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:46,080 I would, I would accept that as fruit for their life foolishly. 229 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:48,400 And I would look at their family and I would look at all these 230 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:50,520 other things that I see. And I'd be like, that's weird. 231 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:52,800 And I would dismiss the fruit that I would say and I go, well, 232 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:53,680 that's strange. That's true. 233 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:58,200 Because clearly this guy is so legit because he knows his Bible 234 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:01,120 and because he knows how to have spiritual conversations with me. 235 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:04,080 This is the fruit I look at. And I foolishly dismissed other 236 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:05,360 things. And then time goes on and you 237 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,040 go, oh, wait, I had it backwards. 238 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:09,920 This is the fruit. That's the reality. 239 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:13,680 This was the false presentation. Well, basically, I've done the 240 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:15,760 same thing again with the world around us. 241 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:19,560 I didn't realize the degree of hatred, which I even feel stupid 242 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:22,440 saying because it was always in front of us the whole time. 243 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,440 But I thought I still had this. There's like the Anne Frank 244 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:27,640 quote she said. Surely in spite of everything, I 245 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:29,280 still think people are good at heart. 246 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,280 I still had some naivete in me about that perspective and 247 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:36,520 thinking like, you know, I think most folks are all right. 248 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,560 Really. Pastor, outside of the blood of 249 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:45,760 Jesus, well, you know, no, I know, I know that any human is 250 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:48,120 capable of what any other human has ever done. 251 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:52,400 Outside of Jesus. You and I are capable of the 252 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,640 worst thing that any other human has ever done except for the 253 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,040 grace of God. And I wasn't living like that 254 00:12:58,040 --> 00:12:59,520 was true. I wasn't preaching like that was 255 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:00,920 true. I wasn't interacting like that 256 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:03,160 was true. But I have seen more and more 257 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:05,920 I'm going, man, these people are bold. 258 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,000 These people are excited about what they're excited about. 259 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,080 They're they're very passionate and they're very bold about what 260 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:14,560 they're doing, about their sin, about their wickedness. 261 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:17,400 But here is the other thing. And maybe you shifted this gear 262 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:19,320 this week as well. You're like, first of all, man, 263 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:22,120 that's really cruel to how they would celebrate Charlie and his 264 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,320 family in this way. But then you thought the next 265 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:27,840 logical thought. Wait a second. 266 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,520 I am Charlie Kirk? Not exactly. 267 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:37,520 By the way, let me let me help you with another manipulation 268 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:41,440 that the snake uses against you. To say that you like someone. 269 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,240 The enemy will try and make it seem like you must agree with 270 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:49,200 every single word they have ever said, every single action they 271 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:52,040 have ever taken, and every thought they have ever thought. 272 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:54,360 So to unite yourself with anyone is to go. 273 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:58,200 That means you staying with hey hey my my flock. 274 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:00,560 That is a manipulation tactic of your enemy. 275 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,200 Do not play along anymore. This is how we kept backing up 276 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,240 to the Cliff over and over for decades. 277 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:11,200 And as the pulpit stayed silent on these things and the enemy 278 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,280 cleverly said Christians shouldn't talk about politics. 279 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:15,520 And Christians said, oh, we shouldn't. 280 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:19,560 OK, you stick to your Bible. OK, we'll stick to our Bible. 281 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,800 Well, those who read the Bible realized Christians should talk 282 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:25,800 about politics. Politics belong to Jesus. 283 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,480 Everything belongs to Jesus. So now we command the whole 284 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,200 world to repent after our own repentance. 285 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:33,800 God forgive us for our foolishness in the church, for 286 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:36,960 our laziness in the American church, for our ignorance of 287 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:42,360 your word. But we realized that if these 288 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:45,160 people thought this way about this kind of person, I'm that 289 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,800 kind of person, I have those perspectives. 290 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:50,280 I believe what he believes. I mean, I don't know everything 291 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:53,080 he believes, but but I believe, I believe what he believes. 292 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:55,080 I think we would have been best friends. 293 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:59,560 So if you rejoice that way over his death, I know exactly how 294 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:02,600 you feel about mine. I know exactly how they would 295 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,200 feel about yours. That's not a, that's not an 296 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:07,720 unfair twist of things, is it? That's a straight line, logical 297 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,040 step. I hate him because he believed 298 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:11,200 this. Well, I believe all that. 299 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:13,840 By the way, you should tell your friends and family members that 300 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,440 you believe those things too, especially the ones, by the way, 301 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:18,720 has anyone had had that happen in your personal life, not just 302 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:20,800 online, but you've seen your own friends and family members say, 303 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:24,400 well, I think he had it coming. I don't throw it in their face, 304 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,640 but just say, hey, just so you know, like I share those beliefs 305 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:30,840 and convictions. Generally speaking, I absolutely 306 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:33,360 show those beliefs and convictions and let them sell it 307 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:34,520 for themselves. You don't have to paint them 308 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,360 into a corner, but let them know. 309 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:40,360 Let them know where you stand. Well, I don't want to create. 310 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:42,720 You don't want to what? Create strife. 311 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,080 You're not the person of strife. You're the person of truth and 312 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:47,720 grace. And we call people to be people 313 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:50,240 of truth and grace, but that can only happen as they come to, as 314 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:55,480 they come to Christ. So the other thing we realize is 315 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,760 if this many people are willing to talk about this publicly and 316 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:01,000 celebrate their joy over it, how many aren't? 317 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:03,600 How many still feel it? But just so like, I know better 318 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,680 than to say it, right? So we're just gaining some 319 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:09,320 perspective here. I, I took the red pill in a 320 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:11,600 whole new way this week. So for those of you who've seen 321 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:15,080 the movie The Matrix, it's a, you don't have to see the movie, 322 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,160 but the guys presented with the red pill or the blue pill. 323 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:19,960 The red pill represents the truth. 324 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:22,920 You can take the truth and you're going to know everything 325 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:24,800 about reality, but it's going to hurt. 326 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:27,480 There's a lot of pain and suffering involved in it, but 327 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:30,960 it's the truth. It's how things actually are. 328 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:33,920 Or you can take the blue pill and you'll go back to being 329 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:35,200 ignorant. You won't know anything. 330 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,560 So I've been red pilled in multiple areas of my life over 331 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,000 the years I've been red pilled, for example, when it comes to 332 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:44,480 understanding masculine and feminine and how how masculine 333 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:46,880 feminine should actually work in a relationship compared to what 334 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:50,200 demonic feminism has taught us about how masculine feminine 335 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:51,960 should work in relation. That was a red pill moment ago. 336 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:53,880 That is reality. This is how it works. 337 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:55,560 It's good, true, and beautiful actually. 338 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:56,800 We're hanging in that, thankfully. 339 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:00,760 But I was red pilled in a new way because again, I'm just 340 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:06,760 realizing the hatred of these people isn't just hyperbole like 341 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:09,720 I thought it was. I thought all their rhetoric was 342 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:11,280 just rhetoric. I thought they were just like 343 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:13,480 trying to make an extreme point. They're like, they're racist and 344 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:14,720 they're bigots. I'm like, OK, they know we're 345 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:16,440 not, but they're just trying to. They're fired up. 346 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:17,920 Fair enough. And we would dismiss all the 347 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:20,480 stuff that they would say. They would say they're Nazis and 348 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:21,920 they're this and this. We're like, OK, they don't 349 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:24,119 actually mean that. They're just mad. 350 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:26,319 Fair enough. I like, we just gave such 351 00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:29,200 allowances and we kept making such a like, they don't mean 352 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,360 what they're saying. Turns out they literally did. 353 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,480 Like, I thought I thought they were just saying stuff. 354 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:37,800 So I was being really gracious with it all. 355 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:40,560 And like, oh, wow, they, they actually believe that. 356 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,000 OK, wow, how how stupid I was. They were constantly telling me 357 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,160 who they were and I refused to believe them. 358 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:51,040 I saw that I had been very naive about my countrymen. 359 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:56,400 So like we said, how they feel about someone's murder who you 360 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,320 share the same beliefs with is how they would feel about yours 361 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:00,920 as well. Pastor, what are you doing here? 362 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:04,120 I am opening this the sheep's eyes so you have reality and 363 00:18:04,120 --> 00:18:06,760 understanding as we continue to look to the hope. 364 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:12,080 First, John 3 says we should not be like Cain, who was one of the 365 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:15,760 evil who was, who was of the evil 1 and murdered his brother. 366 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:19,440 And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil 367 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:23,560 and his brothers were righteous. That is why Cain murdered Abel. 368 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,320 I believe that's why Charlie Kirk was murdered, for his faith 369 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:30,920 in the Lord Jesus Christ and for his conviction to say, oh, this 370 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:32,440 is true. No, this is true. 371 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:34,760 This is what reality looks like. No, this is what a man is. 372 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:37,240 This is what a woman is. They can't become the other. 373 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:39,320 No, no, this is, this is what's true. 374 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,080 Jesus is king. No other religion can be true 375 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:44,840 because Christ insists that it's not. 376 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:49,120 This is how reality works. This is what should happen as an 377 00:18:49,120 --> 00:18:53,320 outflow of the scriptures. So whenever you're the voice of 378 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:56,480 conviction for someone else, when they're resisting God, they 379 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,480 hate you for it. I want you to shut up because I 380 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,440 want you to stop bringing the conviction that I feel for it. 381 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:05,800 If you're right, that brings a terrible weight and burden upon 382 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,000 me. Now the good news for them is 383 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:10,320 that the good news was in the message as well. 384 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:12,320 There is a heavyweight. There is a terrible weight and 385 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:13,800 burden upon you just like there is on all of us. 386 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:16,320 And Jesus comes and says, I'll lift it off of you. 387 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:18,000 The truth is He didn't put it on you. 388 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:22,400 Sin and shame put it on you. The law of God reveals to you 389 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:24,560 that it's on you. That's what the law of God does. 390 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:26,640 The law of God says you're actually being crushed by 391 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:29,360 £1,000,000. You go, I hate the law of God. 392 00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:31,640 No, no, no, no, no, no. Don't hate the law of God. 393 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:34,080 Well, I never saw this weight crushing me before until you 394 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:36,360 brought the law of God. Don't hate the law of God, 395 00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:38,040 friend. Hate the sin that's crushing 396 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:39,640 you. The law of God has just 397 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:41,800 clarified it for you. It's like hating your doctor. 398 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:44,680 I've had all this going on in my life and your doctor says I can 399 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:46,320 tell you what's going on, this is your problem. 400 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:49,040 I hate you, Doctor. No, no, no, no, no, no. 401 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:50,400 Let's attack the problem together. 402 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:54,160 By the way, I have the cure and I'm happy to give it to you and 403 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:56,360 it's free. And his name is Jesus. 404 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:02,080 I hate you, doctor, and I hate your cure because I love my sin. 405 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:08,640 Why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil 406 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:11,240 and his brothers were righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, 407 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:15,160 that the world hates you. We know we have passed out of 408 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:17,760 death into life because we love the brothers. 409 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:21,880 Whoever, whoever does not love abides in death. 410 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:27,160 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that 411 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:30,000 no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 412 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:35,360 New Testament Bible stuff here. If you hate, you are a murderer, 413 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,440 and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 414 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:42,640 So how do we respond to hatred and martyrdom? 415 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,080 We look to our shepherd, Jesus. Now I'll take you to Matthew. 416 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:48,000 There had to be a Matthew in the sermon, right? 417 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:52,000 Matthew chapter 10. Go there with me. 418 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:07,480 Starting at verse 16, we're going to read all the way 419 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:09,280 through 39, but I'm going to teach as I go. 420 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:15,120 Behold, this is Jesus talking. Behold, I am sending you out as 421 00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:19,600 sheep in the midst of wolves. Wow, that's encouraging Lord, 422 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:23,200 but He's honest. He's honest right from the get 423 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:25,000 go. He never did a bait and switch 424 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:26,400 with us. He said, I'm telling you 425 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:28,600 reality. Jesus gave the red pill the 426 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,520 whole time. No false comfort, real comfort, 427 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:37,720 powerful comfort. Be as wise as serpents and as 428 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:41,600 innocent as doves. The body of Christ has often 429 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,920 been as innocent as a dove and as foolish as a sheep. 430 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,800 He said, I want you to be. You are like sheep in some ways, 431 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:50,160 he said. But listen to me, sheep. 432 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:52,800 You need to be wise like a dove. All these animal references. 433 00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:55,680 Sheep are historically stupid animals. 434 00:21:56,120 --> 00:21:58,640 Very dumb. They do things to get themselves 435 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:00,120 in trouble. They do things to get themselves 436 00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:01,440 sick. They do things to get themselves 437 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:03,000 lost. They do things to get themselves 438 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,160 killed. Fair enough. 439 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,760 Jesus. Bit of a jab you took at us 440 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:09,240 there. But it's well deserved. 441 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:12,440 But then he says, so be as wise as a serpent. 442 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,120 Snakes are wise. Snakes are crafty. 443 00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:18,920 Snakes are hard to hit. They're Serpentine. 444 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,720 But many Christians stand up and go, I'm right here, I'm right 445 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:26,440 here, shoot me instead of having wisdom even in conversation, to 446 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:30,280 be Serpentine, to not play into your enemies traps and to not 447 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:34,080 walk ignorantly like a sheep into traps that are deliberately 448 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:36,080 set for you. Jesus went like a lamb before 449 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,440 the slaughter at the cross. But in conversations and in 450 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,840 theological interactions, he did not walk and March right into 451 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:45,880 every trap set for him. He walked into zero traps set 452 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:54,840 for him, innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will 453 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,480 deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 454 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:00,360 and you will be dragged before governors and kings. 455 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:05,040 For my sake, oh Jesus, I'll do anything for you to bear witness 456 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:08,040 before them and the Gentiles when they deliver you over. 457 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:10,640 Do not be anxious of how you are to speak or what you are to say, 458 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,560 for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 459 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:16,280 For it is not you who speak, but the spirit of your father 460 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:18,600 speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother 461 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,520 over to death, and the father, his child, and children will 462 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:23,920 rise against parents and have them put to death. 463 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:33,080 Do what Jesus, brother against brother, father against child, 464 00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:36,840 children against parents, and have them put to death. 465 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:40,200 Believe your Bible, believe your Bible. 466 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:43,680 It has happened. Just because it's not happening 467 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,840 in this moment doesn't mean it won't again. 468 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:50,120 But it has happened, and you will be hated by all. 469 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:52,080 Why? For my name's sake. 470 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,200 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 471 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,720 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. 472 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:01,560 For truly I say, you will not have gone through all the towns 473 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:03,400 of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 474 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:07,240 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his 475 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:09,600 master. It is enough for the disciple to 476 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,680 be like his teacher and the servant like his master. 477 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:14,200 If they call the master of the house beelisable. 478 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,680 So he said, if they call me the master, if they call me Satan, 479 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:20,040 how much more will they malign those of his household? 480 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:23,960 How much more will they talk poorly of you Christians Get 481 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,040 used to it. Well, we are used to it, frankly 482 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:29,640 I think at this point. But understand it, understand 483 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:32,360 it, recognize it, and don't try and defend it. 484 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,040 You're not dealing with a reasonable person. 485 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:37,680 You're dealing with someone who hates you, someone who wishes 486 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:40,440 for your death. Get your feelings hurt. 487 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:44,320 Love them, pray for them. Bless those who persecute you. 488 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:46,920 They hate you. They hated him first. 489 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:51,320 He told us they would. So have No Fear of them. 490 00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:54,640 For nothing is covered that will not be revealed. 491 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:56,720 Nothing is hidden that will not be known. 492 00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:01,360 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light what you hear 493 00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:05,120 whispered proclaim on the housetops, or on a college 494 00:25:05,120 --> 00:25:09,080 campus with a microphone, or on YouTube, or on your social media 495 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:14,520 account, or at the water cooler. Wherever you can, whatever the 496 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:18,840 consequence. And it will be worth it. 497 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:24,480 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. 498 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:28,960 Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 499 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:31,800 Are not 2 sparrows sold for a penny? 500 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:34,840 And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father. 501 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:37,120 But even the hairs on your head are all numbered. 502 00:25:37,120 --> 00:25:41,840 Fear not, therefore you are of more value than many sparrows. 503 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,800 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I will also 504 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:49,120 acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. 505 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,560 Hallelujah, what a promise. Acknowledge the Lord Jesus 506 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:56,040 Christ as your Master, as your King, as your God, as the one 507 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,000 who saved you. And he said, I will acknowledge 508 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,120 you before my Father in heaven. You want that, my friends? 509 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:04,080 You want the Lord Jesus Christ to turn to the Father and say 510 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:09,000 they are ours. They have come through my name 511 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:12,880 and through my blood. Verse 33 But whoever denies me 512 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:16,840 before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in 513 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:19,280 heaven. What a tragedy and what a 514 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:22,560 terror. Do not think I have come to 515 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:26,040 bring peace to the earth. I've not come to bring peace, 516 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:30,520 but a sword, for I have come to set a man against his father, 517 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:33,520 and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law 518 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:36,360 against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be 519 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:41,400 those of his own household. I didn't write that in there. 520 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:42,440 That's been there the whole time. 521 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,360 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of 522 00:26:46,360 --> 00:26:48,280 me. Whoever loves son or daughter 523 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:49,800 more than me is not worthy of me. 524 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,960 Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of 525 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:55,840 me. Whoever finds his life will lose 526 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:57,920 it. Whoever loses his life for my 527 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,720 sake will find it. They hate Jesus. 528 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:03,160 That's why they hate his servants. 529 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:06,800 Jesus really loves you, and you are secure in him. 530 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,520 When the people of the we're the people of the cross and we still 531 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:13,520 have good news, we are not a people of despair. 532 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:17,640 A people who will live forever have No Fear of death. 533 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:20,960 A people who will live forever cannot be intimidated. 534 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:23,360 I'll kill you. I'll shoot you. 535 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:29,240 Oh, Oh, no, Oh no. I'll be with my great God and 536 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:31,520 Savior. Is it a tragedy? 537 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:35,200 It still is because it's a wickedness and the innocent 538 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:38,000 blood cries out. Charlie Kirk's innocent blood 539 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:41,520 cries out for justice. Thankfully, they have arrested 540 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:45,720 his killer and we pray that his killer would repent and come to 541 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,120 the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. 542 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:50,480 That is exactly what should happen. 543 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,720 And then the state should execute justice because that's 544 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:57,000 the office of the state and that is the responsibility given to 545 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,760 the state. And then when the state executes 546 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:04,400 justice, Tyler Robinson would enter into the eternal glory of 547 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,960 the Lord Jesus Christ to be greeted by Charlie Kirk to say 548 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:10,920 welcome into the Kingdom. I didn't earn anything to get 549 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:12,840 here. You didn't earn anything to get 550 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:15,440 here. Praise Jesus. 551 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:19,400 What a peculiar people you are, Christians, to love your enemies 552 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:21,600 and to want to see them blessed, and at the same time to 553 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:25,760 understand God's Word is right and just and perfect and final 554 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,680 in all areas of authority, in the household, in the 555 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:40,400 government, and in the church. Go to Romans chapter 12 to your 556 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:48,920 right in your New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, 557 00:28:48,920 --> 00:29:01,760 Romans, Romans 12, and verse 14. Bless those who persecute you. 558 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:05,400 Bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice. 559 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:08,680 Weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one 560 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,080 another. Do not be haughty, but associate 561 00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:13,480 with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 562 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:16,640 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is 563 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:19,720 honorable in the sight of all, if possible, so far as it 564 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:21,760 depends on you, live peaceably with all. 565 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:25,720 Beloved. Never avenge yourselves, but 566 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:30,000 leave it to the wrath of God. For it is written, vengeance is 567 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,800 mine. I will repay, says the Lord. 568 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:35,520 That's why we pray for our enemies, God. 569 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,000 Save them from your vengeance. Save them from your vengeance 570 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:41,360 and also Lord, and if they won't repent, bring your full wrath, 571 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:44,640 God, Bring your wrath and crush your enemies, Lord. 572 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:47,040 But we don't take that into our hands. 573 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:50,000 To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. 574 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:52,400 If he's thirsty, give him something to drink, for by doing 575 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,800 so you will heap burning coals upon his head. 576 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:59,560 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 577 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:04,800 So we love our enemies. We do not pretend that we don't 578 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:08,440 have enemies, though we do not trust our enemies. 579 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:12,400 That is not the command. We do not submit to our enemies, 580 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:15,320 That is not the command. We do not help our enemies 581 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,040 succeed. That is not the command. 582 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:22,040 We seek peace by calling our enemies to repentance. 583 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:24,760 That is the only way there can be repentance. 584 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:26,520 That's the only way there can be unity. 585 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:28,640 That's the only way there can be reconciliation. 586 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:32,400 So our enemies, they're saying, hey, let's all tone it down. 587 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:36,040 Ain't no let's all ain't no let's all tone it down. 588 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:39,440 We will meet you at the cross. That's the only place I'll meet 589 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:40,920 you. That's the only fairground. 590 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:43,000 I'll meet you. But I'm not going to pretend 591 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:44,880 that there's truce or appeasement. 592 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:48,800 If you want unity, we can have it come to the cross of Jesus. 593 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:51,480 That's why I'm staying planted. I belong to Jesus. 594 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:54,840 You can come to Jesus, but light can have no fellowship with 595 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:57,200 darkness. So come to the light. 596 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:00,200 It's not my team, it's just Jesus. 597 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:02,480 And I've joined his team. And you were invited. 598 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:03,800 You are welcome. You're called in. 599 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,760 And then they can rebuke the doctor for pointing out the 600 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:08,400 sickness and the illness and the disease. 601 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:12,200 But many will repent. Many will respond. 602 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:14,400 We see that in Charlie Kirk's ministry. 603 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:17,920 You see that there for all the hate. 604 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,640 I hope you've also seen some of the beautiful testimonies. 605 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:25,040 I've seen photographs of people said I was a trans this and now 606 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:28,760 here's me married to my husband, a man born a man, me born a 607 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:30,800 woman. And here's our babies and we 608 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,640 love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ because Charlie spoke to 609 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:36,280 me with such kindness. Yes, the hateful right extremist 610 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,560 bigot, that guy, he spoke to me with such kindness. 611 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:42,560 I've seen black people share videos of how Charlie encourage 612 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:44,440 them and bless them and encourage them in their work. 613 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:48,880 Charlie, the extreme right wing racist, all these things they're 614 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,840 going to continue to accuse, but many people will respond to you 615 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:54,800 with graciousness because Jesus said the harvest is ready. 616 00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:59,840 It's the laborers that are few. Continue to stand for truth, but 617 00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:03,480 recognize that you need wisdom. You don't want to help your 618 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:06,040 enemy succeed. This is the only way we can have 619 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:08,400 unity under the name and the blood of Jesus. 620 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:10,840 That is the place where there can be reconciliation. 621 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:13,520 Anything else would be betrayal of Christ. 622 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,240 We must stop backing up and take a step forward. 623 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:17,520 How do we take that step forward? 624 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:24,680 Tell the truth. Tell the truth and be winsome. 625 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:26,840 Charlie was winsome in the right way. 626 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:30,240 Scripture commands us to be winsome in our speech, but then 627 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:33,520 of course our enemies turn that and say, you must all look and 628 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:36,440 act and behave like Mr. Rogers at all times. 629 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:40,600 And that is not who Jesus was. That is not who Charlie Kirk 630 00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:42,440 was. But of course, our enemies who 631 00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:45,520 don't love the word of God will use the word of God against 632 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,520 sweet and innocent Christians who don't know better because 633 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:50,800 they're still in a chore. And the enemies will say, your 634 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:52,920 Bible says this. And Ingrid, Christians will go, 635 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:56,080 Oh my goodness, I want to obey my Bible, all the while being 636 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:58,960 manipulated by the snake. He tried to use the scripture 637 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:02,040 against Jesus too. He probably knows the scripture 638 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:06,160 better than you and I, but he's a twister, a manipulator and a 639 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:11,800 liar. Ephesians 426 commands us be 640 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:16,800 angry and do not sin. I feel so angry, Pastor. 641 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:20,960 That means you have a sense of justice like God who is just. 642 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:24,560 You should be angry. And now point your anger to 643 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:27,440 righteous action. Point your anger to holy 644 00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:29,760 boldness. Do not let it rot into 645 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:33,600 unforgiveness. You don't need to repent of your 646 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:35,160 anger. You need to repent of doing 647 00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:38,360 nothing with your anger. That would be a problem or doing 648 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:42,560 the wrong thing with your anger. Surrender to God. 649 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:47,520 And this really can be a turning point for us and a turning point 650 00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:50,400 for our nation. Prophetically, that's what 651 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:52,480 Charlie's ministry was called. That's what that organization 652 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:55,560 was called, Turning point. And by God's grace, this will 653 00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:59,200 actually be a turning point for our nation where naive 654 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:04,120 Christians like myself go. Man, I thought I understood 655 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,560 things clearly. And I got a whole another level 656 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:09,520 of revelation and understanding on where we really are and 657 00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:13,560 what's really taking place now. And I want to be even more bold. 658 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:15,440 I want to be even more outspoken. 659 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:19,840 Don't hear bold with offensive, although being bold will create 660 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:24,840 massive offense because we know that you are at war with another 661 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,560 religion, even though they that many of your enemies would say 662 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:28,960 they don't have any religion at all. 663 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:32,679 They do in every country, every religion. 664 00:34:32,679 --> 00:34:36,159 They're always speech laws and they're always laws to protect 665 00:34:36,159 --> 00:34:38,800 the gods of that country and the gods of that age and the gods of 666 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:40,639 that day. Our, our nation is no different. 667 00:34:41,400 --> 00:34:45,840 So that's why they wanted to label truth telling as violence. 668 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:49,199 They wanted to say that that's sin against our gods. 669 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:54,000 That's sin against our idols, our idols of self, the idols of, 670 00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:59,560 of mostly it's just the idol of self, of, of what I want, what I 671 00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:01,120 believe is best, what I believe is true. 672 00:35:01,720 --> 00:35:03,320 So they want to silence your speech. 673 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:04,440 That's why they called it violence. 674 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:08,760 By the way, it was so important for the enemies of the cross to 675 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:12,520 say that speech itself is violence. 676 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:17,440 Follow the logic, if I can say that your speech is actual 677 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:21,800 violence, I can now justify my actual violence against you and 678 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:24,800 I can say I'm I'm in self-defense because you did 679 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:29,080 violence to me with words. But it feels that way because 680 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:31,160 the word of God cuts to the heart and the truth cuts deep. 681 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:33,520 So I understand. But you can no longer be 682 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:35,400 gasoline and manipulated by your enemies. 683 00:35:35,720 --> 00:35:37,600 You can no longer be told that you're full of hate speech. 684 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:40,320 You can no longer be told those things by people who don't love 685 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:43,120 and follow Jesus, who try and tell you who Jesus was and what 686 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:46,480 he was like. That's foolishness, to trust 687 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:48,800 your enemies and to take them up on their offers. 688 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:53,520 So surrender to God. And this really can be a turning 689 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:56,840 point for all of us. So what does surrender look 690 00:35:56,840 --> 00:35:59,760 like? What are we supposed to do now? 691 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:03,800 We're supposed to walk in obedience to God in all given 692 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,280 spheres of our lives, and that's where we're going to go with the 693 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:09,120 rest of our message. I'm going to hit the three 694 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:11,240 different spheres and what you should do, what action you 695 00:36:11,240 --> 00:36:13,040 should take. The three spheres of authority 696 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:15,640 that Jesus has established in the earth. 697 00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:17,720 If we had a little diagram, we would actually even have some 698 00:36:17,720 --> 00:36:20,680 overlap between them, but they are still distinct. 699 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:23,520 Those 3 spheres you've heard me talk about many times. 700 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:26,120 That's the household. That's one sphere of authority. 701 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:28,760 It has particular authorities that the others do not. 702 00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:31,960 The church, that's another sphere with another particular 703 00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:33,320 authority. It has authorities that the 704 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,240 other two spheres do not. And the government that is a 705 00:36:36,240 --> 00:36:40,360 Jesus given, God assigned to the earth sphere of authority, and 706 00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:43,200 it has particular roles and assignments that the others do 707 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:45,520 not. And yet all three speak to one 708 00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:48,880 another and are supposed to work under submission of Jesus 709 00:36:49,080 --> 00:36:51,880 together for the flourishing of people and for the establishing 710 00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:55,280 of God's will on the earth, our first sphere of influence. 711 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:56,760 What are we supposed to do, Pastor? 712 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,800 What are we supposed to do? Now I understand more clearly 713 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:04,760 how much the world hates me. I understand more clearly the 714 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:06,960 world that the the war that we were a part of. 715 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:11,080 What do we do with it? Pastor and sphere #1 the 716 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:13,440 household. The best thing and the right 717 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:17,360 thing to do is obey God by shepherding your own household. 718 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:22,400 Well, I cannot overstate this point. 719 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:26,720 This is where we will gain the most ground. 720 00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:30,760 The other two are also incredibly powerful. 721 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:32,760 But this is where I should say this way, not where we'll gain 722 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:34,440 the most ground. This is where you have the most 723 00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:36,440 influence. First of all, personally, right 724 00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:39,760 away, it's yourself. I think this ought to have. 725 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:42,360 I think man, the church needs to this and they needed this. 726 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,720 Well, first of all, you and your own household are the best place 727 00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:48,680 for you to glorify God. It's where you have maximum 728 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:53,280 authority to make it. So this is your best advertising 729 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:55,720 as well. For the Kingdom, yes, this is 730 00:37:55,720 --> 00:37:58,520 the best way to so that people can look at your life and go 731 00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:02,200 man, like maybe I do disagree with everything they say, but I 732 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:05,960 look at the fruit and I go, man, that's some good fruit though, 733 00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:07,920 and I would like to enjoy some of that. 734 00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:09,880 Your own life is your best advertising. 735 00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:13,240 You shouldn't take financial advice from a broke person. 736 00:38:13,240 --> 00:38:15,320 You shouldn't take fitness advice from an out of shape 737 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,400 person. You should look the part if 738 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:21,840 you're selling those things. And if we're selling the gospel, 739 00:38:22,600 --> 00:38:24,840 we should look the part. We should look like, look what 740 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:27,680 the gospel does, look what it does in a household, look what 741 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:30,160 it does in an individual, look what it does in my personal 742 00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:32,160 life. We should look the part with 743 00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:34,040 richness and with beautiful fruit. 744 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:38,520 What does that look like? It looks like a deeply loving 745 00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:42,040 and joyful marriage. Deeply loving and joyful 746 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:44,240 marriage. It will take work, it will take 747 00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:48,000 effort, It will take deliberate action, but it's a Kingdom 748 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:50,040 manifestation. It will look like children who 749 00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:55,720 are well loved and disciplined, Well loved and disciplined. 750 00:38:55,720 --> 00:38:57,600 It will look like joy in your home. 751 00:38:59,240 --> 00:39:02,880 It will look like enjoying the presence of God, not only the 752 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:05,280 principles of God. So it's not a household that 753 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:07,960 just says this is the rule, this is the rule, this is God's rule, 754 00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:11,480 this is God's rule. Well, that's, that's good, but 755 00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:14,560 we won't emphasize his presence. The presence of God will always 756 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:17,880 lead you to the principles of God, but it's possible to have 757 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:20,320 the principles of God without having the presence of God. 758 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,320 We want both. And in your personal life, in 759 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:25,560 your own household, this is what you should be prioritizing. 760 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:27,680 This is what you should be focusing on. 761 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:30,160 Double down your efforts to build up your marriage. 762 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:32,560 Double down your efforts to build up your own personal 763 00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:34,720 devotional life and your own personal walk with the Lord. 764 00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:38,120 Double down your efforts to grow and mature in all the ways that 765 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:39,760 you know the Lord is speaking to you. 766 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:43,640 Back to that point of surrender. What I need to surrender and 767 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:45,520 then I need to go to another level. 768 00:39:46,040 --> 00:39:48,920 And then again I said these overlap and the second sphere, 769 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:52,440 the church, what should the church do? 770 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:56,920 The church should obey God and by preaching the gospel with 771 00:39:56,960 --> 00:39:59,720 urgency. And when I say the church, I 772 00:39:59,720 --> 00:40:03,640 don't mean the Sunday gathering, I mean also you. 773 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:06,040 So the first one was you. The second one's you just like 774 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:09,200 the first one was me as a as a man, a husband and father. 775 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:13,160 The second one is me, yes, as a pastor, but that's that's not my 776 00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:15,040 primary. My primary is I'm a Christian. 777 00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:18,760 As a Christian, I need to be preaching the gospel with 778 00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:21,080 boldness and clarity and with love. 779 00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:25,400 This is the mission. To preach the gospel is loving. 780 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:30,240 To preach the gospel is caring. To preach the gospel is kind. 781 00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:33,280 And yes, we understand it's offensive. 782 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:37,440 You got to tell people you're so bad that Jesus had to die for it 783 00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:38,800 and you deserve eternity and help. 784 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:43,160 But wait, I wasn't finished. There's good news, by the way, 785 00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:47,120 that's true about me too. And the grace of God has been 786 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:49,520 extended to us. We've got to get that whole 787 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:53,800 message out, the whole part part A and Part B, not just Part B, 788 00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:56,600 not just God loves you and is a great plan for your life and 789 00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:59,680 like cool, thanks God. I guess I'll continue on my day. 790 00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:03,000 Hang on a second. All have sinned and fallen short 791 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:06,440 of the glory of God. You've got to confess your sins 792 00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:08,800 and come to him. Repent, for the Kingdom of 793 00:41:08,800 --> 00:41:12,080 heaven is at hand is the message that Jesus preached. 794 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:15,160 I don't know what Mr. Rogers preached, but I do know what 795 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:19,600 Jesus preached, and repentance was always the primary part of 796 00:41:19,600 --> 00:41:33,390 his message. Go there for and make disciples 797 00:41:33,390 --> 00:41:37,230 of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of 798 00:41:37,230 --> 00:41:40,870 the Son of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all 799 00:41:40,870 --> 00:41:43,870 that I have commanded you. And behold, I'm with you always 800 00:41:44,070 --> 00:41:47,080 to the end of the age. We're to go into all nations. 801 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:51,400 We are to make nations and ethnic groups and everybody. 802 00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:54,560 We're to teach them to obey Jesus. 803 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:57,360 That's Jesus's command. We're not to go around and 804 00:41:57,360 --> 00:42:01,120 suggest to people, hey, really think you ought to consider 805 00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:03,160 this. Hey, really think you ought to 806 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:06,080 now in in your wisdom of your relationships. 807 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:07,480 That might be a way you actually say what? 808 00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:09,840 Hey, hey friend, I really want to give some pushback. 809 00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:11,040 We want to give some encouragement. 810 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:14,200 I really hope you'll consider. I did that in the mall recently. 811 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:17,560 I was in a store, got talking to the cashier, and we just got 812 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:20,680 chatting back and forth. He was a Muslim and he had a lot 813 00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:22,000 to say. And he really didn't come up for 814 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:23,560 air. So he just kind of talked the 815 00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:24,760 whole time. And I kept waiting and waiting 816 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:25,760 and waiting and waiting and waiting. 817 00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:27,720 Eventually I realized, have some wisdoms, young Michael. 818 00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:29,680 He's not going to stop. He was friendly. 819 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:32,680 I enjoyed him, He enjoyed me, but he wasn't going to stop. 820 00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:34,680 So I had to interject because I had to leave. 821 00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:37,600 And I said, hey, hey, can I drop a Pebble in your shoe? 822 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:39,680 Because he was saying different things about different 823 00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:41,920 religions, all kinds of inaccuracies and false things. 824 00:42:41,920 --> 00:42:44,960 And he's like, Oh yeah, we all serve God and not true. 825 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:47,440 So I said, can I put a Pebble in your shoe? 826 00:42:47,440 --> 00:42:48,680 And he goes, sure. I said, I have to go. 827 00:42:49,240 --> 00:42:51,520 So this is a that was a winsome and gracious approach, right? 828 00:42:51,520 --> 00:42:53,200 I didn't just say, hey, everything you said is wrong. 829 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:54,680 You're an idiot, you're going to hell. 830 00:42:54,840 --> 00:42:58,080 Muhammad was a pervert, which all this, those things might be 831 00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:02,240 true, but that's not necessarily the the necessary approach, is 832 00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:03,400 it? Right. 833 00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:05,680 So I said, can I put a Pebble in your shoe before I go? 834 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:08,960 And he goes, sure, sure. I said, so you said this and you 835 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:10,680 said this and he had made some claims about Christ. 836 00:43:10,680 --> 00:43:13,960 I said, well, I would encourage you to go look up the exclusive 837 00:43:13,960 --> 00:43:17,280 claims that Jesus made. I said, because all of these 838 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:20,880 religions, Islam, here's how you get to heaven, right? 839 00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:23,280 There's a particular way he goes, yeah, I said Judaism, 840 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:25,240 there's a particular way they can make it, Buddhism. 841 00:43:25,240 --> 00:43:27,800 And you know, I said in Christianity there's a 842 00:43:27,800 --> 00:43:30,280 particular way. I said some of those have some 843 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:32,080 overlap. Christianity overlaps with none 844 00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:33,600 of them. I said. 845 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:35,760 Jesus made exclusive claims about who he was, I said. 846 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:38,320 I said I have to go. I said, but you have to process 847 00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:38,920 that. I said. 848 00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:41,080 You got to chew on that. I had a little bit of rapport. 849 00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:43,480 He liked me. You could resent will he won't 850 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:43,880 he? I don't know. 851 00:43:43,880 --> 00:43:46,640 I prayed and and I trust and hope that he will. 852 00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:49,880 So don't misunderstand. When we talk about boldness, 853 00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:52,080 we're not talking about deliberate rudeness. 854 00:43:52,600 --> 00:43:55,440 He, he had no way showed teeth. He was a very gracious 855 00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:58,080 conversation. So I didn't have to go, Oh, stop 856 00:43:58,080 --> 00:43:59,960 right there, you snake. I didn't have to do any of that. 857 00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:01,440 I was just able to relate to him. 858 00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:03,520 Hey, nice story you got here and so on. 859 00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:06,960 But preaching the gospel is our assignment. 860 00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:08,960 And we have to preach Christ crucified. 861 00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:12,880 We have to preach Christ risen, not tomorrow, but today. 862 00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:16,280 We have to preach now. Not like you don't need to wait. 863 00:44:16,280 --> 00:44:18,440 And like, I need to become a more mature Christian. 864 00:44:18,760 --> 00:44:20,920 Well, we all need to become more mature Christians. 865 00:44:20,920 --> 00:44:23,640 So I love the sentiment there. But don't think that you're 866 00:44:23,640 --> 00:44:25,800 supposed to wait. Don't think you were going to 867 00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:28,720 graduate into I'm ready for evangelism. 868 00:44:28,720 --> 00:44:30,640 No, no, no. That was the invitation. 869 00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:32,760 Day one. Come and follow me. 870 00:44:33,160 --> 00:44:35,480 Why? I'll make you fishers of men. 871 00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:38,480 That's why That's the invitation from day one. 872 00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:42,200 So if you're in Christ, you are now qualified to make disciples. 873 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:44,720 You are now qualified to say, hey, I don't know everything. 874 00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:47,120 I got tons of stuff like, I can't, I don't have the 875 00:44:47,120 --> 00:44:49,760 intellect of Charlie Kirk. The more I've watched it, I'm 876 00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:51,680 like, dude was brilliant. What do you have a photographic 877 00:44:51,680 --> 00:44:54,240 memory? Anybody comes up with anything 878 00:44:54,240 --> 00:44:56,520 and they're like, so let's talk about the crime statistics. 879 00:44:56,520 --> 00:44:58,640 And he's like, no, actually in 2000, such and such, this 880 00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:01,080 decision for the FBI, I'm like, bro, what? 881 00:45:01,920 --> 00:45:04,240 That's wild. And he can do it with anything. 882 00:45:04,240 --> 00:45:06,040 And then he could talk to Ukraine and he could talk 883 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:07,120 theology. And then he could talk. 884 00:45:07,120 --> 00:45:10,560 No, the Greek word actually says, well, good grief, you're 885 00:45:10,560 --> 00:45:13,000 not Charlie Kirk. OK, there's not going to be 886 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:14,520 another 1. And I also prayed that there 887 00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:19,320 will be 10 million of us. So don't pressure yourself. 888 00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:20,560 I got to sound like Pastor Joe Michael. 889 00:45:20,680 --> 00:45:22,800 I got to sound like someone somebody's going to be asking me 890 00:45:22,800 --> 00:45:24,160 a question I won't know the answer to. 891 00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:26,720 And then they'll think that that somehow disposes the whole 892 00:45:26,720 --> 00:45:28,720 Bible. Hey, my, my dear and precious 893 00:45:28,720 --> 00:45:31,040 St. That is a tactic that the enemy 894 00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:33,720 is using against you to keep you silent. 895 00:45:34,360 --> 00:45:38,960 The power of God is the gospel. The gospel is the power of God. 896 00:45:39,280 --> 00:45:41,720 It is the power. It's not the intellectual 897 00:45:41,720 --> 00:45:45,440 argument, it's not every, it's not all the detail that Charlie 898 00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:48,400 was able to expose because as you saw in many debates, he was 899 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:51,280 able to point it out. And then they go, I still hate 900 00:45:51,280 --> 00:45:53,520 you. What? 901 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:55,840 How could you hate him? He just showed you everything 902 00:45:55,840 --> 00:45:57,480 point by point. How could you hate him? 903 00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:01,560 Because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. 904 00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:06,680 Not FBI, not FBI crime statistics, not what Putin said, 905 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:10,640 not what Ukraine did, not what Trump said, not what Trump did, 906 00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:14,760 not what Fox or CNN, not any of the data or the facts of what 907 00:46:14,760 --> 00:46:16,960 took place. It's not the power to change 908 00:46:16,960 --> 00:46:18,600 someone's life. It's not. 909 00:46:19,240 --> 00:46:22,440 I just feel like if I could reason with people, you can't 910 00:46:22,440 --> 00:46:25,360 because it's spiritual. Stop believing that it's not 911 00:46:25,360 --> 00:46:28,360 spiritual. That is the flaw that we're 912 00:46:28,360 --> 00:46:29,840 believing that it's not spiritual. 913 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:32,880 And we're still thinking that the gospel is like some foolish 914 00:46:32,880 --> 00:46:35,160 thing and it is foolishness to those who are perishing. 915 00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:38,160 And God says, I wonder if my Saints will believe me and 916 00:46:38,160 --> 00:46:40,000 preach the message of a bloody cross. 917 00:46:40,720 --> 00:46:45,080 And the postmodern era where everyone is super educated and 918 00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:48,320 everyone's so smart. Well, my Saints actually go and 919 00:46:48,320 --> 00:46:51,160 say Jesus died on a bloody cross for our sins. 920 00:46:51,320 --> 00:46:54,120 And he really does love you and he really will rescue you and 921 00:46:54,120 --> 00:46:55,720 give you a new identity and a new life. 922 00:46:55,720 --> 00:46:59,320 And he'll heal like traumatic wounds in your soul and physical 923 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:02,000 wounds in your body and restoration to your mind and 924 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:04,240 bring peace to you. That's really all I got. 925 00:47:04,240 --> 00:47:05,920 I don't know a lot more than that right now. 926 00:47:05,920 --> 00:47:08,880 I'm really new in the Lord, but I know He's done it for me and I 927 00:47:08,880 --> 00:47:11,720 know he'll do it for you. Can will you just submit and 928 00:47:11,720 --> 00:47:14,800 surrender to the Lord Jesus? Will you please let me pray with 929 00:47:14,800 --> 00:47:18,160 you? I've never done it like that. 930 00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:21,320 Well, maybe that's why we're getting what we're getting, 931 00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:22,920 because we've been doing what we've been doing. 932 00:47:25,520 --> 00:47:28,520 Preach the gospel with urgency. That's what we're supposed to do 933 00:47:28,520 --> 00:47:33,480 as the church. And then in our third sphere of 934 00:47:33,480 --> 00:47:38,000 influence, the government. What are we supposed to do? 935 00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:40,640 I'm not the government. Maybe some of you are in public 936 00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:42,600 office. If so, you're part of the 937 00:47:42,600 --> 00:47:44,560 government. Praise God for that. 938 00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:46,600 But what are we supposed to do with our government? 939 00:47:46,840 --> 00:47:51,960 We are supposed to press our government to obey God because 940 00:47:51,960 --> 00:47:54,960 the government was instituted by God, and the government should 941 00:47:54,960 --> 00:47:57,720 be in submission to God. Amen. 942 00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:03,520 And we're closing for these next couple minutes. 943 00:48:03,520 --> 00:48:05,600 I'm going to go to Romans again. Romans 13. 944 00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:11,120 Our government quoted it to us over these past few years, many 945 00:48:11,120 --> 00:48:14,560 in our godless government. Suddenly we're quoting Romans 946 00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:18,440 13, which is quite ironic because I want to say, oh, do 947 00:48:18,440 --> 00:48:21,080 you believe that the Bible is the authoritative word of God? 948 00:48:21,080 --> 00:48:22,880 And they go, no, but you're supposed to do so. 949 00:48:22,880 --> 00:48:24,080 Do that. Do what this verse says. 950 00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:28,880 How clever of you, Satan. No, I think I'll interpret the 951 00:48:28,880 --> 00:48:31,360 Scripture with the Scripture, and I think I'll apply it 952 00:48:31,560 --> 00:48:35,880 appropriately. Romans 13, verse one. 953 00:48:36,160 --> 00:48:39,720 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. 954 00:48:40,360 --> 00:48:42,080 That's all CNN gave us a few years ago. 955 00:48:42,920 --> 00:48:45,520 That's it. Obey the government. 956 00:48:45,840 --> 00:48:49,360 For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist 957 00:48:49,360 --> 00:48:52,560 have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the 958 00:48:52,560 --> 00:48:56,320 authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist 959 00:48:56,320 --> 00:49:01,520 will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to 960 00:49:01,520 --> 00:49:04,560 good conduct. So the authorities established 961 00:49:04,560 --> 00:49:10,360 by God are not a terror to good conduct, but they're a terror to 962 00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:14,080 bad conduct. This is the establishment of the 963 00:49:14,080 --> 00:49:19,320 Lord's authority in government to be a terror to bad conduct, 964 00:49:19,560 --> 00:49:21,600 not to be a terror to good conduct. 965 00:49:21,600 --> 00:49:24,760 By the way, the establishment of the household is where husbands 966 00:49:24,760 --> 00:49:28,600 and fathers rule, households like Jesus, so that everybody 967 00:49:28,600 --> 00:49:32,240 wins, so that men win, so that women win, so that children win 968 00:49:32,360 --> 00:49:35,120 and everybody flourishes. That's the authority established 969 00:49:35,120 --> 00:49:38,000 in the household, the authority established in the church, the 970 00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:40,520 church's responsibility. What power does the church have 971 00:49:40,520 --> 00:49:42,000 in the earth? Jesus said this. 972 00:49:42,000 --> 00:49:44,520 This realm of authority tells you what the truth is. 973 00:49:44,960 --> 00:49:48,080 This realm, the body of Christ, tells the household and the 974 00:49:48,080 --> 00:49:50,480 government which way is up and which way is down. 975 00:49:50,720 --> 00:49:53,040 The church says this is the way. That's north. 976 00:49:53,320 --> 00:49:54,520 We established that last week, Ryan. 977 00:49:54,520 --> 00:49:57,080 That's N. We established this is north, 978 00:49:57,200 --> 00:49:59,080 this is South, this is east, this is West. 979 00:49:59,160 --> 00:50:00,520 So the government doesn't get to go. 980 00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:02,080 Well, we've actually changed the compass. 981 00:50:02,120 --> 00:50:04,080 You don't do that. You don't have the authority to 982 00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:06,720 do that. Your responsibility is to punish 983 00:50:06,720 --> 00:50:08,600 the evil doers and to reward the righteous. 984 00:50:08,600 --> 00:50:11,400 That's what Jesus gave to you. The church will tell you when 985 00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:12,760 you've outstepped that jurisdiction. 986 00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:15,200 The church doesn't execute people, do they? 987 00:50:15,800 --> 00:50:17,640 The household doesn't execute people do that. 988 00:50:17,640 --> 00:50:18,960 Jesus didn't give him that authority. 989 00:50:19,240 --> 00:50:21,160 It's not their jurisdiction and it's not their place. 990 00:50:21,400 --> 00:50:23,200 The church can excommunicate people. 991 00:50:23,640 --> 00:50:25,280 As a pastor, I have that authority. 992 00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:28,520 When a believer continues to live in unrepentant sin, we go 993 00:50:28,520 --> 00:50:29,840 to them with compassion and grace. 994 00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:32,320 But eventually, if they continue to harden their hearts, we say 995 00:50:32,560 --> 00:50:35,960 you're excommunicated because we love you, because we want you to 996 00:50:35,960 --> 00:50:39,160 feel this pain of separation so that you will repent. 997 00:50:39,280 --> 00:50:42,680 We refuse to pretend you are a part of us because that would be 998 00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:45,680 a damnation to your soul, and we hope that you will genuinely 999 00:50:45,680 --> 00:50:50,240 repent and be saved. And the household establishes 1000 00:50:50,240 --> 00:50:52,640 care, establishes love. It's where marriage is 1001 00:50:52,640 --> 00:50:54,880 established. It's where children are nurtured 1002 00:50:55,040 --> 00:51:03,280 and discipled. Would you like to have No Fear 1003 00:51:03,280 --> 00:51:06,560 of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you 1004 00:51:06,560 --> 00:51:10,080 will receive His approval. This is God's design for 1005 00:51:10,080 --> 00:51:11,800 government. This isn't how government always 1006 00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:16,240 works, is it? Verse 4 For he is God's servant 1007 00:51:16,280 --> 00:51:20,560 for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, 1008 00:51:21,360 --> 00:51:23,400 for he does not bear the sword in vain. 1009 00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:28,080 He is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's 1010 00:51:28,080 --> 00:51:31,160 wrath on the wrongdoer. This is your New Testament 1011 00:51:31,160 --> 00:51:33,800 Christians. Therefore 1 must be in 1012 00:51:33,800 --> 00:51:37,080 subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the 1013 00:51:37,080 --> 00:51:40,840 sake of conscience. For because of this, you also 1014 00:51:40,840 --> 00:51:43,120 pay taxes. For the authorities are 1015 00:51:43,120 --> 00:51:45,760 ministers of God attending to this very thing. 1016 00:51:45,960 --> 00:51:49,600 Pay to all what is owed them taxes to whom taxes are owed, 1017 00:51:49,760 --> 00:51:53,800 revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, 1018 00:51:53,920 --> 00:51:59,560 honor to whom honor is owed. Rulers are not supposed to be a 1019 00:51:59,560 --> 00:52:02,040 terror to good conduct. They're supposed to be a terror 1020 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:03,760 for bad. That is the responsibility of 1021 00:52:03,760 --> 00:52:06,080 the state. Jesus has given the state the 1022 00:52:06,080 --> 00:52:09,760 authority to kill human beings when appropriate. 1023 00:52:09,880 --> 00:52:11,400 When the state determines appropriate. 1024 00:52:13,000 --> 00:52:14,720 Would you like to be free from fear of the state? 1025 00:52:15,120 --> 00:52:18,040 Don't break the law. I hope I don't get pulled over 1026 00:52:18,040 --> 00:52:19,840 today. Don't speed. 1027 00:52:20,600 --> 00:52:21,960 You know we've all had that effect, right? 1028 00:52:22,120 --> 00:52:25,000 Drive past the cargo. What do we feel? 1029 00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:25,600 Fear. Why? 1030 00:52:25,600 --> 00:52:27,080 Because we were breaking the law. 1031 00:52:29,200 --> 00:52:30,800 He bears not the sword in vain, though. 1032 00:52:30,800 --> 00:52:32,720 He is God's servant for your good. 1033 00:52:33,400 --> 00:52:34,640 That's why he's going to pull you over. 1034 00:52:34,640 --> 00:52:36,640 Hey, that's dangerous. We've just, we've decided. 1035 00:52:36,640 --> 00:52:38,120 We've determined. This is dangerous. 1036 00:52:38,120 --> 00:52:40,480 This isn't good. That's what he's supposed to do. 1037 00:52:40,760 --> 00:52:41,880 He doesn't always do it that way. 1038 00:52:41,880 --> 00:52:44,440 That's what he's supposed to do. The household isn't always 1039 00:52:44,440 --> 00:52:47,000 functioning perfectly, but God's design for it is perfect. 1040 00:52:47,320 --> 00:52:49,280 The church doesn't always function perfectly, but God's 1041 00:52:49,280 --> 00:52:53,680 design for it is perfect. If you do wrong, be afraid. 1042 00:52:54,200 --> 00:52:56,440 He has a sword. It's not for show. 1043 00:52:57,320 --> 00:53:02,160 It's to cut someone's head off. So this should be your great 1044 00:53:02,160 --> 00:53:04,680 area of interest when it comes to your government. 1045 00:53:05,240 --> 00:53:07,600 Government is supposed to carry out God's wrath on the 1046 00:53:07,600 --> 00:53:11,360 wrongdoer, but your government, our government, largely fails at 1047 00:53:11,360 --> 00:53:14,520 doing so. This is the problem. 1048 00:53:15,680 --> 00:53:19,600 Where does this show up? We have open borders and lawless 1049 00:53:19,600 --> 00:53:22,080 immigration. This exposes the innocent to 1050 00:53:22,080 --> 00:53:24,200 danger. It is immoral. 1051 00:53:25,480 --> 00:53:29,880 It is immoral. We protect criminals, victims 1052 00:53:29,880 --> 00:53:32,040 are ignored. The we could go unpunished. 1053 00:53:32,680 --> 00:53:37,400 Our government allows legally for the murder of unborn 1054 00:53:37,400 --> 00:53:40,400 children, human beings made in the image of God. 1055 00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:44,360 Our government thought they could redefine marriage. 1056 00:53:44,920 --> 00:53:47,520 That wasn't your jurisdiction. What on earth are you talking 1057 00:53:47,520 --> 00:53:49,360 about? Should have said the church. 1058 00:53:49,840 --> 00:53:52,680 Who on earth do you think you we're the government? 1059 00:53:53,200 --> 00:53:56,840 And Christians naively think the government is the sphere over 1060 00:53:56,840 --> 00:53:59,040 everybody. The government's over the church 1061 00:53:59,040 --> 00:54:00,320 and the government's over the family. 1062 00:54:00,760 --> 00:54:03,480 Well, when it comes to right doing and wrongdoing and 1063 00:54:03,480 --> 00:54:06,600 prosecution, sure. But in another sense, the church 1064 00:54:06,600 --> 00:54:08,040 is over everybody with the truth. 1065 00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:10,640 In another sense, the family's over everybody with authority to 1066 00:54:10,640 --> 00:54:12,240 raise and disciple their own children. 1067 00:54:15,440 --> 00:54:18,240 And yet there could be some overlap in these areas. 1068 00:54:20,360 --> 00:54:22,040 The state can't redefine marriage. 1069 00:54:22,040 --> 00:54:23,760 You didn't define marriage. You don't get to redefine 1070 00:54:23,760 --> 00:54:25,240 marriage. That's God's creation. 1071 00:54:25,680 --> 00:54:27,960 That's the church's institution. We'll handle that. 1072 00:54:28,080 --> 00:54:30,600 Get out of it. Well, we'd like to award people 1073 00:54:30,600 --> 00:54:32,040 for being married. As the government, we've 1074 00:54:32,040 --> 00:54:34,840 recognized that we should reward the righteous, and we see how 1075 00:54:34,840 --> 00:54:37,680 this is a social benefit. By all means, go for it. 1076 00:54:37,960 --> 00:54:40,000 That makes sense. That's within your jurisdiction 1077 00:54:40,000 --> 00:54:42,480 to do so. But you don't get to change and 1078 00:54:42,480 --> 00:54:45,000 say what that looks like and who is married and who isn't. 1079 00:54:45,960 --> 00:54:50,520 The church will let you know our government has incredibly 1080 00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:54,240 ridiculous debt and reckless spending, enslaving future 1081 00:54:54,240 --> 00:54:57,120 generations because of their stupidity and wickedness. 1082 00:54:57,800 --> 00:55:01,080 And they have the failure to wield the sword in the state of 1083 00:55:01,080 --> 00:55:02,560 Virginia. They have removed the death 1084 00:55:02,560 --> 00:55:05,120 penalty entirely. The thing that Jesus has given 1085 00:55:05,120 --> 00:55:08,920 to our state in particular, our state said no, Jesus, we know 1086 00:55:08,920 --> 00:55:11,640 better than you. We won't be doing that ever 1087 00:55:11,640 --> 00:55:13,360 again in this state, is what they said. 1088 00:55:13,720 --> 00:55:17,120 So murderers live in victim's blood, cries out for justice. 1089 00:55:19,040 --> 00:55:24,760 What are we supposed to do beyond the obvious of voting in 1090 00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:28,760 the way that is most righteous? You need to know that Christians 1091 00:55:28,880 --> 00:55:33,280 should be political because everything belongs to Jesus. 1092 00:55:33,680 --> 00:55:37,440 We're not silent or quiet. We're not only political, but we 1093 00:55:37,440 --> 00:55:40,520 are definitely political. We're people who interact with 1094 00:55:40,520 --> 00:55:43,600 all areas of life. We care about everything and we 1095 00:55:43,600 --> 00:55:46,440 know that God's ways are best, so we want his Kingdom to come 1096 00:55:46,440 --> 00:55:48,360 and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. 1097 00:55:48,640 --> 00:55:51,440 And if they call you a Christian nationalist for saying that, 1098 00:55:51,960 --> 00:55:54,800 don't worry about it. It's an irrelevant label. 1099 00:55:55,160 --> 00:55:58,280 You can just continue to go. All I know is I don't want 1100 00:55:58,280 --> 00:56:00,640 people to be able to get on a subway and get their throats 1101 00:56:00,640 --> 00:56:04,400 sliced open by someone who's been arrested 14 times and then 1102 00:56:04,400 --> 00:56:07,120 released again. That's what I know. 1103 00:56:07,120 --> 00:56:08,760 Well, none of us want that. Well then. 1104 00:56:09,000 --> 00:56:11,760 But the way we vote at the ballot box determines the 1105 00:56:11,760 --> 00:56:15,040 policies of the people who will enact wickedness or 1106 00:56:15,040 --> 00:56:17,680 righteousness. So voting does matter. 1107 00:56:18,160 --> 00:56:21,400 It does matter a lot. But what else? 1108 00:56:21,600 --> 00:56:24,320 Don't just stop at voting. I'm not going to stop at voting. 1109 00:56:24,600 --> 00:56:29,640 I've been largely ignorant to my government, it's processes, my 1110 00:56:29,640 --> 00:56:32,040 legislative leaders, and I no longer will be. 1111 00:56:32,960 --> 00:56:36,240 I believe it has been an ignorance, but a sinful 1112 00:56:36,240 --> 00:56:39,240 ignorance on my part. And I will no longer just sit 1113 00:56:39,240 --> 00:56:42,480 back and just wait for things to happen and only vote in 1114 00:56:42,480 --> 00:56:44,720 elections. I've even been outspoken leading 1115 00:56:44,720 --> 00:56:47,560 up to elections. I'll continue to do so, but I 1116 00:56:47,560 --> 00:56:49,920 will no longer just sit back and do that. 1117 00:56:50,240 --> 00:56:52,760 I will get engaged. How are you going to do it, 1118 00:56:52,760 --> 00:56:54,120 pastor? I'm learning. 1119 00:56:54,480 --> 00:56:58,160 I'm learning like literally now about what to do and how to do 1120 00:56:58,160 --> 00:57:00,320 it, how to make progress. What would it look like? 1121 00:57:00,320 --> 00:57:02,760 I don't, I'm not committing my life to being a political 1122 00:57:02,760 --> 00:57:06,960 activist, but I do need to take my appropriate role as a citizen 1123 00:57:07,240 --> 00:57:10,440 of Middlesex County, as a citizen of the state of 1124 00:57:10,440 --> 00:57:13,440 Virginia, as a citizen of the United States. 1125 00:57:13,800 --> 00:57:16,680 And I haven't done that to the strength and degree that I need 1126 00:57:16,680 --> 00:57:19,040 to and I feel responsible to do to do more so. 1127 00:57:19,040 --> 00:57:22,280 So as I learn and grow, I'll continue to share news. 1128 00:57:22,280 --> 00:57:24,920 If any of you say, pastor, I'm farther along that path, Let me 1129 00:57:24,920 --> 00:57:27,080 help. By all means, clue me in, fill 1130 00:57:27,080 --> 00:57:28,360 me in, show me what that looks like. 1131 00:57:28,360 --> 00:57:30,760 I'm eager to learn. But that's what repentance looks 1132 00:57:30,760 --> 00:57:32,960 like. We've been confronted with the 1133 00:57:32,960 --> 00:57:35,640 reality of death, of hate and of evil. 1134 00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:38,640 We've seen it on our screens. We felt it in our own hearts. 1135 00:57:40,520 --> 00:57:41,920 Where is the hope? What do we do? 1136 00:57:42,920 --> 00:57:47,080 Rule well your own household. Rule well yourself, preach the 1137 00:57:47,080 --> 00:57:49,920 gospel, it is the power of God unto salvation. 1138 00:57:50,160 --> 00:57:55,440 And yes, be political. It all belongs to Jesus and the 1139 00:57:55,440 --> 00:57:58,160 outcomes that you want are going to bless everybody. 1140 00:57:58,200 --> 00:58:01,360 Even people who hate Jesus are going to be blessed by the 1141 00:58:01,360 --> 00:58:05,680 rulership of Jesus on the earth when the Saints rise up in power 1142 00:58:05,680 --> 00:58:08,640 and in strength. So where is the hope? 1143 00:58:08,760 --> 00:58:10,560 The only answer is in Jesus Christ. 1144 00:58:11,560 --> 00:58:13,920 And what does that mean? He's not an idea. 1145 00:58:14,080 --> 00:58:17,240 He's not a philosophy. I'm not saying, oh, just hope in 1146 00:58:17,320 --> 00:58:19,160 Jesus. No, there's a mechanism of 1147 00:58:19,160 --> 00:58:23,520 salvation. God's grace is given to you when 1148 00:58:23,520 --> 00:58:26,840 you put faith in Christ. And this is what brings the 1149 00:58:26,840 --> 00:58:28,520 miracle of the new, of the new birth. 1150 00:58:29,120 --> 00:58:32,000 He is not a philosophy. He is the living king of the 1151 00:58:32,000 --> 00:58:35,280 universe, and he's still saving people and making them new. 1152 00:58:36,360 --> 00:58:40,640 Romans has multiple passages that walk us through this. 1153 00:58:41,640 --> 00:58:45,640 Romans 323 says for all have sinned and fall short of the 1154 00:58:45,640 --> 00:58:47,760 glory of God. That includes me. 1155 00:58:48,240 --> 00:58:52,600 That includes you. Romans 623 for the wages of sin, 1156 00:58:53,200 --> 00:58:57,200 there's a payment. The wages of sin is death, but 1157 00:58:57,200 --> 00:59:01,400 the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1158 00:59:02,080 --> 00:59:04,920 That was bad news at first. We switched to good news. 1159 00:59:04,920 --> 00:59:08,720 Thank you God. Romans 58 But God shows his love 1160 00:59:08,720 --> 00:59:12,840 for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for 1161 00:59:12,840 --> 00:59:16,440 us. Christ died for us. 1162 00:59:17,680 --> 00:59:22,320 John 316 Jesus himself for God so loved the world that he gave 1163 00:59:22,320 --> 00:59:25,680 his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not 1164 00:59:25,680 --> 00:59:30,520 perish, but have eternal life. So what do you do? 1165 00:59:30,520 --> 00:59:34,600 What must I do to be saved? You repent, you turn from sin, 1166 00:59:34,920 --> 00:59:38,800 you trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you, and you confess Him 1167 00:59:38,800 --> 00:59:44,280 as Lord. When you do that, He does the 1168 00:59:44,280 --> 00:59:46,840 real work. You do, the surrender. 1169 00:59:47,200 --> 00:59:51,000 He does the breakthrough. He makes you a new creation. 1170 00:59:51,400 --> 00:59:53,720 Old things passed away. All things become new. 1171 00:59:53,720 --> 00:59:58,520 He brings new desires. He brings a new actual life, a 1172 00:59:58,520 --> 01:00:01,200 recognizable life, a recognizable difference, with 1173 01:00:01,200 --> 01:00:04,360 recognizable desires that shift and change. 1174 01:00:08,320 --> 01:00:13,080 Romans 10/9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, 1175 01:00:13,080 --> 01:00:15,680 and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, 1176 01:00:15,920 --> 01:00:21,840 you will be saved. I I don't know if Charlie Kirk 1177 01:00:21,840 --> 01:00:24,360 meant a lot to you or if he meant very little to you if you 1178 01:00:24,360 --> 01:00:27,120 didn't know anything about him until this week, but this is the 1179 01:00:27,120 --> 01:00:31,240 hope that he lived with and died with that Jesus is Lord. 1180 01:00:32,200 --> 01:00:35,600 Charlie is secure. He is conscious right now in the 1181 01:00:35,600 --> 01:00:39,680 presence of God with my grandfather who I miss with your 1182 01:00:39,680 --> 01:00:44,800 loved ones who died in Christ, secure in the eternal presence 1183 01:00:44,800 --> 01:00:46,880 of God. We got lots of questions about 1184 01:00:46,880 --> 01:00:49,160 the beauty and goodness of heaven, but we know it's 1185 01:00:49,160 --> 01:00:53,320 incredible. Don't leave here without Christ. 1186 01:00:53,320 --> 01:00:56,480 Don't leave here still in your sin, you can really come to 1187 01:00:56,520 --> 01:01:00,400 Jesus, the crucified risen Lord, and you will find forgiveness. 1188 01:01:00,520 --> 01:01:03,280 You will find eternal life. You will find a fellowship of 1189 01:01:03,280 --> 01:01:07,040 believers who love you and say welcome, welcome. 1190 01:01:07,360 --> 01:01:09,720 We didn't. Well, we might just be a few 1191 01:01:09,720 --> 01:01:12,240 steps ahead of you on the timeline, but that's it. 1192 01:01:12,720 --> 01:01:14,480 Jesus has done everything else for us. 1193 01:01:14,840 --> 01:01:16,600 We all come into the Kingdom the same way. 1194 01:01:17,160 --> 01:01:21,400 You'll find the love of God that no murder, that no hate, that no 1195 01:01:21,400 --> 01:01:24,920 death can ever take away. You can join the eternal Kingdom 1196 01:01:24,920 --> 01:01:27,680 and his eternal people and worship the eternal King. 1197 01:01:27,680 --> 01:01:31,280 Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the love that you have 1198 01:01:31,280 --> 01:01:35,440 shown us through your Son Jesus Christ, that while we were still 1199 01:01:35,440 --> 01:01:42,960 sinners, Christ died for us. God, I pray that everyone under 1200 01:01:42,960 --> 01:01:48,120 the sound of my voice would trust you, would believe on you, 1201 01:01:50,960 --> 01:01:54,320 would confess their sins to you, and be made new by you. 1202 01:01:57,440 --> 01:01:59,040 I want to lead you in a prayer church. 1203 01:01:59,360 --> 01:02:01,960 Maybe you've prayed this with all your heart before. 1204 01:02:02,360 --> 01:02:05,800 If so, you can pray it again with me now. 1205 01:02:06,600 --> 01:02:09,240 If you've never prayed it with all your heart and actually 1206 01:02:09,240 --> 01:02:11,400 surrender to the Lord, I want to clarify. 1207 01:02:11,400 --> 01:02:13,880 You're not just repeating after me to repeat after me. 1208 01:02:14,320 --> 01:02:17,040 I believe many people have repeated a prayer like this one 1209 01:02:17,200 --> 01:02:20,160 to no effect. They've used their vocal cords 1210 01:02:20,160 --> 01:02:23,960 as the air moved through their esophagus to no effect. 1211 01:02:25,360 --> 01:02:28,320 But if you are surrendering your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, 1212 01:02:28,560 --> 01:02:31,000 then you are about to receive the full grace of God. 1213 01:02:32,280 --> 01:02:35,960 That is a miracle, that is a gift, and that is a 1214 01:02:35,960 --> 01:02:41,160 resurrection. So let's pray like this. 1215 01:02:41,160 --> 01:02:47,080 Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus to turn 1216 01:02:47,080 --> 01:02:50,720 from my sin, to turn from my wickedness. 1217 01:02:52,080 --> 01:02:54,200 I have sinned and fallen short of your glory. 1218 01:02:56,480 --> 01:03:01,360 I see that I deserve death, but I see your free gift. 1219 01:03:01,360 --> 01:03:05,040 I see your free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. 1220 01:03:07,040 --> 01:03:12,160 You died for me, Jesus. You suffered like you committed 1221 01:03:12,160 --> 01:03:16,040 my sins so that I could have your righteousness. 1222 01:03:17,520 --> 01:03:21,680 But you loved me. You came for me and now I 1223 01:03:21,680 --> 01:03:24,360 believe in you and I trust in you. 1224 01:03:25,400 --> 01:03:30,640 I confess with my mouth. I believe in my heart that Jesus 1225 01:03:30,640 --> 01:03:35,800 is Lord, that he's been raised from the dead and that he is now 1226 01:03:35,800 --> 01:03:38,800 my King and my sins are forgiven. 1227 01:03:39,760 --> 01:03:44,800 I have a new life, a new purpose, a new destination, and 1228 01:03:44,800 --> 01:03:49,080 a new mission. God, I love you, I love you, I 1229 01:03:49,080 --> 01:03:50,520 love you. I belong to you. 1230 01:03:50,520 --> 01:03:54,720 Help me to lead myself. Help me to lead myself to lead 1231 01:03:54,720 --> 01:03:56,240 my household, to lead my household. 1232 01:03:56,600 --> 01:03:59,760 Help me to preach the gospel. Help me to preach the gospel. 1233 01:03:59,760 --> 01:04:03,000 Help me to lead my government. Help me to lead my government to 1234 01:04:03,000 --> 01:04:05,720 obey you more. I surrender. 1235 01:04:05,720 --> 01:04:09,040 I surrender in Jesus name, Amen.