1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:04,120 So we're going to be in James I, I made it through six more 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:08,320 verses. So you know, well, we will get 3 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:13,080 through it before Christmas and we'll do a Christmas study, the 4 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,160 Christmas Eve study. I encourage everybody to come. 5 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,080 The reason I encourage everybody to come where Christmas falls on 6 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:23,680 a midweek this year. So we won't see each other 7 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:27,160 Christmas Sunday because I mean, we'll be here Sunday, but it'll 8 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,280 be three days after Christmas. So it was a little different. 9 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,840 So everybody come on Christmas Eve and we'll get you out of 10 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:35,720 here. You know, we'll start at 4:00. 11 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,440 We'll be, we'll be done, done by 5:30, but hopefully before that. 12 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:47,720 And so come and just have that fellowship and sing some songs 13 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:53,480 together and laugh with a fun, fun drama. 14 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,720 There was some improvisation. So you know, we get with Aunt 15 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:01,080 Sherry and have that it's I'm looking forward to it. 16 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:03,840 Looking forward to just the fun and the fellowship of it. 17 00:01:05,239 --> 00:01:08,280 So well, like I said, we're going to be in in James 5 again 18 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:13,360 and starting verse 7. Be patient, therefore, brothers, 19 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,920 until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the 20 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:20,960 precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it until it 21 00:01:20,960 --> 00:01:23,600 receives the early and the late rains. 22 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,600 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the 23 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:31,320 coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one 24 00:01:31,320 --> 00:01:34,880 another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. 25 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:39,360 Behold, the judge is standing at the door as an example of 26 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,040 suffering and patience. Brothers, take the prophets who 27 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:45,720 spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those 28 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:51,160 blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard this of the 29 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,720 steadfastness of Job. You have seen the purpose of the 30 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:58,440 Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 31 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,280 But above all, my brothers, do not swear either by heaven or by 32 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:07,280 earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no 33 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,840 be known, so that you may not fall under condemnation. 34 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:16,400 And Lord, I just lift up. I lift up just today, Lord, that 35 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,160 you would speak, that you would fill this room with your 36 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,560 presence. Lord, I thank you for everybody 37 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:23,600 that's been able to make it. And Lord, that you would just 38 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:29,600 keep everybody safe through this season of slick roads and 39 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,880 driving distances and stuff. Lord, and I thank you for just 40 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,240 that we're here and we're not driving back and forth. 41 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:42,240 And I thank you that you, the weather held off until we're 42 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,360 we're here, Lord. And or that you would just speak 43 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,200 to hearts today? Or do you speak to mind that you 44 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,120 would let us see what you have planned for us. 45 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:52,720 And I pray this in Jesus name, Amen. 46 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,880 So my, my funny title today is, and you guys are going to get a 47 00:02:57,880 --> 00:02:59,200 kick out of it. And then I'm going to have to 48 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,800 explain it. Patience, 18 inch bubble head. 49 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:07,440 So in, in my in my, in my life, there's a story in Uganda. 50 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,200 I was, I was riding my motorcycle and I had my 51 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:17,560 headphones in and I was listening to podcast or 52 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,320 something and you like the little bubble head. 53 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:29,840 And they were talking about Seattle was very proud of 54 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,400 themselves. They had they had they had 55 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:36,320 outlawed plastic straws. They were going to save the 56 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,800 turtles. I just saved the turtles. 57 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:42,600 No more plastic straws. Turtles are safe and I got to 58 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,360 listen to a lady talk about that for about 5 minutes about how 59 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:47,640 good they did because they outlawed plastic straws. 60 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:54,040 I'm in Uganda and I'm following a bus and we call them land 61 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:56,440 trains. They they they boogie right 62 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,480 along. But as I'm following this bus, 63 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:07,120 about every kilometer, maybe 2A bottle flies out the window in 64 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:09,240 Uganda. They don't really understand. 65 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,200 And I mean, and it, it is, it is really they just don't, they 66 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:17,360 don't understand that that bottles go on in the ditch. 67 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:19,920 The ditch goes to the Creek, the Creek goes to the river, the 68 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,480 river goes to the ocean or the Mediterranean. 69 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:23,880 The Mediterranean goes to the ocean. 70 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,120 And that plastic mat in the middle of the Pacific is from 71 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:28,240 that bottle they threw out the window. 72 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,120 They don't understand that right? 73 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:37,080 It's not not something that they and that Lady in Seattle, the 18 74 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:40,240 inches around her head, she was making a difference. 75 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:42,320 She's making a difference because she was. 76 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,760 So all the straws in Seattle, you guys didn't know in 77 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:50,280 garbages, they go to landfills. That's just that's just what 78 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:52,520 happens to them. They don't end up in the Pacific 79 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:57,600 Ocean. So now the bottle that's flying 80 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:03,320 out the window in Uganda and Kenya and Egypt and pick the 81 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,400 country, it is probably ending up in the ocean, right? 82 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,280 So when we worry about the 18 inches around our own head, it's 83 00:05:10,280 --> 00:05:13,480 when we're focusing on the things that I see, right? 84 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:21,400 This is look, I can fix it. So that's the when I say 18 inch 85 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:23,560 bubble head, that's what it is. And that's all. 86 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,200 And I mean, as much as I'm going to pick on that girl for the 87 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,200 whole conversation about straws that I thought was epically 88 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:35,600 stupid and I hate paper straws, but I understand her. 89 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:38,880 I do understand where she was coming from because that's what 90 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,600 we do. We worry about the 18 inches 91 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,640 around her own head, right? How is this going to affect me? 92 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:51,560 And, or how is this going to affect my, my family, or how is 93 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:54,120 this going to affect our church or how is this going to affect 94 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,280 our city or how there's going to affect our state? 95 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,520 And we, we don't, we don't look at the big picture, right? 96 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,360 And James starts off with be patient. 97 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:06,560 Therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord, right? 98 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,360 And in the Christian life, it's about perspective. 99 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:17,440 If we rest in the fact that God is in complete control, then the 100 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,120 world can do nothing to me. I don't have to worry about how 101 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:23,280 it affects me because I know God has it in his charge. 102 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:29,480 He is, he is in control of it. When you think about children, 103 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:33,200 when I was when I was a young man, I did not worry about 104 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,440 whether or not when I hit the light switch, it was going to 105 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:37,080 come on. Never crossed my mind that the 106 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:40,120 lights wouldn't come on. It didn't cross my mind that 107 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:42,120 when I turned the faucet on there would be water. 108 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:48,200 It, it never crossed my mind. Now there was a my mom. 109 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:53,440 I had a single mom and I'm sure in, in my younger years, there 110 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:57,520 were large chunks of time that she spent a lot of time worrying 111 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,680 about that. But I don't worry about that 112 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:02,400 because there was always, there was always electricity, there 113 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:04,440 was always water, there was always food in the fridge. 114 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:10,320 She worried about it, I didn't. So we serve the God of the 115 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:14,000 universe. What does he not have the 116 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:15,600 ability to give us if we need it? 117 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,000 And when we have that perspective and we're waiting on 118 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,200 the coming of the Lord and that waiting on the coming of the 119 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:26,080 Lord. And I like that he says, see how 120 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:28,800 the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, 121 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:33,560 being patient about it until until it receives the early and 122 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,960 the late rains. And for you guys, I would say, 123 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:44,480 Are you ready? So how do you prepare for winter 124 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,480 in Sandpoint? Do you prepare for winter like 125 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:50,520 they prepare for winter in Hawaii? 126 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:55,400 I don't think in Hawaii they have snow blowers and snow 127 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,520 shovels. So I'm going to use my Uncle Pat 128 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:01,960 for an example. So he's got a loader, He's got a 129 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:03,600 loader. He's got a tractor with a snow 130 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,000 blower on it. They used to have a plow truck 131 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:12,120 and coming into the fall, you see the chains go on the loader. 132 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:16,400 You see the the snow blower get mounted on the tractor, right? 133 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:21,320 He's preparing and it's, and, and when he's preparing, there's 134 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:26,280 sun in the sky. It's 60°, it's a nice day, but 135 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:30,880 he's preparing because what's coming and he knows it's coming. 136 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,960 It isn't, you know, do you know the snow is coming, right? 137 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:38,080 That's, that's the, that's the know we have that the Lord is 138 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:43,880 coming, right? And farmers in Uganda, they 139 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:48,480 prepare for rain, right? So they prepare for rain. 140 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:52,040 But it's all trusting the Lord in that because there is the 141 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:56,360 first rain and then the next. So the first rain, they go out 142 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,360 and they can plow their fields, they can break it up and then 143 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:05,000 and then the next they can plant it and then they're waiting for 144 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,560 the rain that's going to grow the field, right. 145 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:13,080 And so it's, it's always that understanding that you're in his 146 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:14,720 control. I mean, that's The thing is when 147 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:18,840 I they're, you know, they're the when we were worried and we, we, 148 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:21,480 we think about that 18 inches around our own head. 149 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:24,680 There's nothing I can do about that 18 inches around my own 150 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:28,240 head, right? I, I can't worry anything into, 151 00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:34,160 into a better situation. I there we, when we, when we 152 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,640 worry about things, we, we lose sight of the Lord. 153 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:40,080 We're, we're not being that patient. 154 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:43,200 But then you go on to verse 8 and it says you also be patient 155 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:48,120 and establish which is just set or fix your heart for the coming 156 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:51,360 of the Lord is at hand. And do we believe that? 157 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,880 Do we believe that before this service is over, Jesus could be 158 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:59,920 here, we could be there, right? And that is that is the the time 159 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:02,120 and time we live in. And guess what? 160 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:06,720 James lived in that time and Paul lived in that time. 161 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:11,920 Peter lived in that time. There are many prophecies about 162 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:15,040 Jesus and, and what it takes for him to come back. 163 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:17,320 But what it takes is for the father to say go. 164 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:25,240 That's what it takes. And Mark 13 verses 3 through 10 165 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:29,160 says, and he set on the Mount of Mount of Olives opposite the 166 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,240 temple. Peter and James and John and 167 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:34,680 Andrew asked him privately tell us when will all these things 168 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:37,320 be? And what will be the sign when 169 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:40,600 all these things are coming are about to be accomplished? 170 00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:45,440 And Jesus began to say to them, see that no one mislead, no one 171 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:48,520 leads you astray. Many will come in my name and I 172 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:52,880 am and say I am he and they will lead many astray. 173 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:56,120 So before we go on, there's a side note that I it's one of 174 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,080 those ones that I look at and go God is just good. 175 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:03,440 Does anybody know the two largest what what the two 176 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:05,800 largest Christian cults in the world? 177 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:10,160 Does anybody know what they are and Mormons. 178 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:14,280 So Jehovah's Witness in Mormons. OK, so if you go to Matthew 179 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:20,680 2426, it says therefore, if if they say to you, look, he's in 180 00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:25,280 the desert, do not go out there or look, he's in an inner rooms. 181 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:31,640 Do not, do not believe it. So Joseph Smith found tablets in 182 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:36,480 a desert and was guided through what they said in the desert. 183 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:41,440 Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus appeared to them in an inner 184 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,200 room. So I just love the fact that he 185 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:49,560 actually just calls them out like Nope, Nope, right. 186 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:53,520 And so, and that's completely a side note to what I'm talking 187 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:58,160 about. But it is many will come in my 188 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:04,000 name saying I am he right. But Matthew, that's Matthew 2426 189 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:07,760 where where he calls out those two going on in verse 7. 190 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,080 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be 191 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,000 alarmed. This must take place. 192 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:16,480 But the end is not yet for nation will rise against nation 193 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,440 and Kingdom against Kingdom. There will be earthquakes in 194 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:22,960 various places. There will be famines There are, 195 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:25,800 but these are but the beginning of birth pain. 196 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,240 So Jesus says no one knows the day or the hour he goes on in 197 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:34,640 here and he'll say that but like the farmer waiting for the rain, 198 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:38,480 we need to stay awake. We need to be ready right. 199 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:48,480 We, we don't, we don't put our I had a had a Kia Soul for many 200 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:52,160 years and it had when we bought it, it was fancy little car. 201 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:57,680 It had 18, it had eighteens and they were like, I think they 202 00:12:57,680 --> 00:13:01,720 were 70 series tires. So they were, I don't remember 203 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:03,600 the series, but they were not, they weren't 70. 204 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:05,560 They were, they look like rubber bands, right? 205 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:11,280 They were there was and that car couldn't get out of a parking 206 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:14,160 lot with those tires on it in a snowstorm like it. 207 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:17,840 I mean it come up against a come up against a ramp out and it's 208 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:23,520 stuck right there. So it in the sun in the as soon 209 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:28,480 as it turned probably I think we by November, I had said with 210 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,640 snow tires on it, different rims, different tires right. 211 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:36,040 And I live in the tri-cities. It very well might not snow, but 212 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:39,480 but we would not have got out of the parking lot had I not put 213 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:43,600 the tires on right. Being prepared, not being caught 214 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:48,920 unprepared. Back in Mark in 13 Jesus goes on 215 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:55,040 and says, but concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, 216 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,760 not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father, but 217 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:03,880 only the Father be on guard, keep awake, for you do not know 218 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:08,440 when the time will come. Is like a man going on a journey 219 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:12,320 when he leaves home and puts his servant in charge, each with his 220 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,280 work and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 221 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:19,440 So Jesus, it's really simple to serve Jesus. 222 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:21,960 He just wants 100% of your attention. 223 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:26,120 He wants 100% of your life, not not Jesus. 224 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:31,040 When you gave your life to Jesus you, you agreed He gets it all, 225 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,360 not he, he didn't. It's not like I have, I have my 226 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:39,880 family box. I have my work box, I have my 227 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,240 sports box, and I have a Jesus box. 228 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,600 When you gave your life to Jesus, He became your box. 229 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:50,280 You are now, you are now in his box, right? 230 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,680 You're now He wants 100% of your life. 231 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:56,440 And coasting through life is not part of the deal, right? 232 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,200 We're supposed to be patient and established in our heart. 233 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:02,640 We're supposed to be fixed and set in the direction that we go. 234 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:10,040 Paul in First Thessalonians 5 gets into it and this is I've 235 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,680 used this in the past, but is it really one of my favorite 236 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:19,280 conversations about the second coming, but about how we are 237 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:23,320 supposed to be ready and it says now concerning the times and the 238 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:26,800 season. Brothers, you have no need to 239 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:31,480 have anything written to you, for you yourselves are fully 240 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,920 aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the 241 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:39,240 night, while people are saying there is peace and security. 242 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:42,480 Then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains 243 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:45,520 come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 244 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:50,360 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to to 245 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:52,520 surprise you like you are not in sorry. 246 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,520 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to 247 00:15:55,520 --> 00:16:01,640 surprise you like a thief, for you are all children of light, 248 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:06,960 children of the day. We are not of the night or of 249 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:09,960 the darkness. So then let not, let us not 250 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:13,560 sleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 251 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:19,160 For those who sleep, sleep at night, or those who get drunk, 252 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:23,160 get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, 253 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:27,520 let us be sober, having put on the breath breastplate of faith 254 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:32,440 and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 255 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:37,880 For God has not disdained us for wrath or destined to us for 256 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:42,160 wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 257 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:47,240 And as believers, we're supposed to be in the light, right? 258 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:50,960 We're supposed to be not hidden under a bushel, right? 259 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:54,320 We are. We're supposed to be salt in the 260 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:58,600 world, which means we're supposed to be out in the world 261 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:05,119 sharing what we know and and caring for people we are. 262 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:11,040 We are to be at work for him and his work is easy, easy for me to 263 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:15,520 stand up here and say, but it is to rest in his grace and do the 264 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:20,240 work he has made us for. And and that will take the rest 265 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,200 of your life to get it right, right. 266 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:26,920 But that is that rest and it's Romans 12/1. 267 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:29,480 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God 268 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,520 to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to 269 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:36,520 God, which is our reasonable service, not our not our extreme 270 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:40,480 service to sacrifice my life for the God of the universe isn't 271 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:44,040 extreme. It's reasonable because of what 272 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:48,480 he's done for us and Colossians 323 is do everything as under 273 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:53,040 the Lord and not the men. And if I'm doing that, then then 274 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:57,480 I'm given that 100% and I'm doing I'm doing all that can be 275 00:17:57,480 --> 00:17:59,880 done. And that isn't a works mentality 276 00:17:59,880 --> 00:18:05,040 of I have to do these things in order to have a relationship or 277 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:09,000 in order to be saved. It is, Lord, you've done so much 278 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,960 for me. You've done so much for me. 279 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:15,400 I want to help you. I want to do what you want me to 280 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:18,400 do it. I think of my grandfather and my 281 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:23,240 grandfather is somebody that I just wanted to make happy. 282 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:27,760 I wanted him to be I if there is anybody that has ever walked the 283 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:32,560 earth that I just wanted to say well done, it would it would 284 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:39,440 have been him, right is that I was doing it right and not 285 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:41,240 because he would love me any less. 286 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:43,640 There was a whole lot of times that he loved me. 287 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:46,240 He loved me a lot and I was a complete moron. 288 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:52,400 And that's why we serve the Lord. 289 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:55,920 That's why we give him 100%. Not because there is a work 290 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:58,400 mentality that says if I don't do this, I'm not saved. 291 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:00,480 If I don't do this, I don't get this. 292 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,640 That isn't it. We're we're 100% awake and we're 293 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:09,240 100% focused on his work because we love him that much. 294 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:18,640 And our perspective is he is living and is coming back to 295 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:23,920 judge those who won't turn. So we should be out about his 296 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:28,600 business telling as many people as can be told that that there's 297 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:33,800 a God that loves them so much that he wants that relationship 298 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:37,560 with him. In verse 9, it goes on and says 299 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:40,520 do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you 300 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:42,880 may not be judged. And behold, the judge is 301 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:49,160 standing at the door. James is just reminding us to 302 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,440 lead with love and not grumbling, you know, and Paul 303 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:58,360 Philippians says do not sorry Philippians 214 and 15 do all 304 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:00,240 things without complaining and disputing. 305 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:03,360 That you may become blameless and harmless children of God 306 00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:07,400 without fault, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, 307 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:11,200 among whom you shine as lights in the world. 308 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:18,840 Jesus in John 1334 and 35 says this. 309 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:24,240 A new commandment I give you, that you love one another just 310 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:28,360 as I have loved you. You also are to love one another 311 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,920 by this all people will know that you are my disciples if you 312 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:35,600 have love for one another. So how important it is, how 313 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:39,760 important is it that we in the in the body of Christ love one 314 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:45,920 another, right. I mean, Jesus did not say if you 315 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:50,280 feel like it. He said a new commandment I give 316 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:57,160 you to love one another and if our eyes and heart stay focused 317 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:04,000 on Christ and I don't get into my fields, you know, and and 318 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:08,440 start thinking that a brother or sister is in sin and I don't 319 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,960 like them because they're in sin and I get mad at them. 320 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,600 Do you understand when somebody's in sin, especially in 321 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:21,440 the body. If you if you see somebody that 322 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:26,080 that is is backslidden, falling away, doing something that is 323 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:33,640 leading them away from the Lord, your job is to confront them, 324 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:37,360 but not confront them in a I'm right, you're wrong, you 325 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:42,560 stinking rotten Sinner. It is to confront them hat in 326 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:45,080 hand, like Jesus going after the lost sheep. 327 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:50,040 All right, you know, we've talked about Matthew 18 before 328 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:54,440 that that that isn't that that church discipline is not a I'm 329 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:56,000 going to beat you over the head with the Bible. 330 00:21:56,520 --> 00:22:04,640 It's it's dude or or friend, you're you're going the wrong 331 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,120 way, you're off, you're off track. 332 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:11,880 And and I see this in your life and and this is not a 333 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,800 conversation to have. Hey, I saw so and so and they're 334 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,200 doing this wrong. No, this is a conversation 335 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:22,080 between you and them, right? And and having that having 336 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:27,360 enough love to confront right? Do you love your children that 337 00:22:27,360 --> 00:22:30,000 much? I would tell you, I would say 338 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,840 good parents love their children that much, right. 339 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,800 When you see your children doing things that they shouldn't be 340 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:40,960 doing, you know, and, and it's not out of you. 341 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,000 You don't hate your children when they're doing it wrong. 342 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:46,560 You want to correct them. You, you stay up night worried 343 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:48,920 about them. Do we have that heart for the 344 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:53,640 for this body, but also for other, for other congregations 345 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:55,640 Guys, this is this is a body, right? 346 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:58,200 This is the body of Christ in British Sandpoint. 347 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:05,200 But all over, all over Sandpoint, North Idaho, America 348 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:07,640 and the world, there is a body of Christ. 349 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:14,760 And do we love them enough to to lovingly confront when needed, 350 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:20,280 but love them and not and not get stuck on our way of 351 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,360 thinking, but but being the word, you know, that's, that's 352 00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:29,280 that that story about my pastors in Uganda and us all getting 353 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:32,960 together and, and really hashing out what the, you know, 354 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:35,720 everybody has a bent. Whether we like it or not, we 355 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:40,000 all are bent because we have the way when I'm reading, when I'm 356 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:42,920 reading the word, what I see, but that doesn't mean that I am 357 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,440 why it's really important. You guys are taking the, the 358 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,960 word of God that's being taught, not Nick's words, right? 359 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,200 You want you want to, you want to be brilliant and digging into 360 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,520 it and seeing what it says, right? 361 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:59,320 You want to, you want to be about his word and we can always 362 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:04,040 agree on his word if we're honest about it, right? 363 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:11,560 We can come to an agreement and then you go on in in Philippians 364 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:15,760 and it says or actually you go back. 365 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:18,720 That's verses one and three one through 3. 366 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,640 Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any 367 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:25,480 comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any 368 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:31,240 affection and mercy fulfill my joy by being like minded, having 369 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,720 the same love being of 1 accord and of one mind. 370 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:40,400 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition, conceit, but 371 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:44,080 in loneliness of mind. Let each esteem others better 372 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,760 than themselves. So that is the epitome of 373 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:52,840 getting outside the 18 inch bubble around your head, right? 374 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:56,040 Seeing things from other people's point of view. 375 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,560 You know what Pastor Steven in the tri-cities talks about 376 00:25:02,360 --> 00:25:05,120 someone getting their feelings hurt by somebody else and now 377 00:25:05,120 --> 00:25:08,800 they have a big rift. Well, this you, you have those 378 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,000 conversations and, and the guy that got his feelings hurt, the 379 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,720 guy who hurt his feelings didn't even know that he did anything 380 00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:17,840 right. He was he, he didn't hear him. 381 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:22,000 He had, you know, he had an upset stomach, something he was 382 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:25,400 in a bad mood. And now there's a rift because 383 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:27,520 they're not willing to talk to, you know, the, the guy with a 384 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:28,800 hurt feeling isn't talking to him. 385 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:34,320 And those are that's, that's the 18 inches around her own head, 386 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:36,120 right? How does it affect me? 387 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:40,920 How you know know everybody in this room, guys, everybody in 388 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:45,920 this room, including Faye and I, have stuff going on in our 389 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:50,920 lives, right? And you say our lives are much 390 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:54,560 bigger than the two hours that we spend together on Sunday. 391 00:25:55,360 --> 00:26:00,320 Now as a body, we can love each other, but understand that we 392 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:03,200 should be, we should be having real conversations with each 393 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:08,400 other so that we can love each other through the sucks of life, 394 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,000 right? So life has hard things in it. 395 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:14,720 And especially this time of year with, with the holidays, there's 396 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:21,160 family drama and there's past drama and all that stuff that 397 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:25,360 comes up around the holidays. And as a body, we should be 398 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:29,040 loving on each other and not just in my own head about my own 399 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:35,920 stuff, right? And and to remember that The 400 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:42,480 funny thing when it says the judge is standing at the door, 401 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:46,160 when I get in my fields and start thinking I got some, I got 402 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:49,040 some standing to judge somebody else. 403 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:54,840 It is. I always picture the angels and 404 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,520 their thoughts of us. Adam was made out of dirt. 405 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:03,600 And so we're just dirt walking around, right? 406 00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:07,320 And so when I get judgey, I'm just judging dirt, but I'm dirt. 407 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:09,880 So dirt, judging dirt. It's kind of funny, right? 408 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:14,560 And but that's really, that's our standing right there. 409 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:22,200 There is one judge and he is so much bigger than me and you. 410 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:27,200 And so when we recognize that that I don't have to judge, 411 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:30,520 right? I, I don't have to be the, the 412 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:34,480 end all. I can just love people into the 413 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:36,840 Kingdom and not in a mushy way, right? 414 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:42,280 Love is love is not the the current definition of love is 415 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:45,120 just affirm everybody and tell everybody that what they're 416 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:50,560 doing is great. Well, if if my son or daughter 417 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:54,600 or best friend is in the dark and running for a Cliff that's 418 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:58,920 300 feet deep, 300 feet down, the loving thing is not to 419 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:03,080 affirm their choice. The loving thing is to tackle 420 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:07,560 them right and stop them from running that way. 421 00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:13,280 That so so love is not the, the, the the mushy. 422 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:18,320 It is doing the best for the other person, right? 423 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:21,960 Not the best for me, not not what makes me happy, but doing 424 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:24,720 the best for the other person and caring for them. 425 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:31,160 So that isn't a judging thing. That is a being being a 426 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:36,400 community with each each other and and knowing the people that 427 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:40,160 you do like with and being willing to have those hard 428 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:43,680 conversations if they're necessary, but also the the 429 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:45,600 encouraging conversations when they're necessary. 430 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:51,280 Verse 10 and 11 as an example of suffering and patience. 431 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:55,200 Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 432 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:58,600 Behold, we consider those blessed who remain steadfast. 433 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:01,840 You have heard of the steadfastness of Job and you 434 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:07,000 have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is 435 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:11,400 compassionate and merciful. So we'll get, we'll get to Job 436 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:14,240 here in a minute. But I'm, I'm thinking of Elijah 437 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:17,240 and how much how much he is like us. 438 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:25,120 And it's Elijah at the end of this. 439 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:29,080 I'll read a passage but it but before we get there Elijah at 440 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:34,880 this point has held back the rain been fed by Ravens, then by 441 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:38,160 a widow with a forever full jar of flour and a bottle of oil. 442 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:42,280 He then raised her son from the dead challenged aid had the king 443 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:46,720 called down fire from heaven. He then executed all the 444 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:50,560 prophets of Baal prayed for the rain to return and it did. 445 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:55,680 Then the queen threatened him. He he loses hearts and runs off 446 00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:58,960 that sound like anybody you know God does amazing things, amazing 447 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:00,360 things, amazing things, amazing things. 448 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:01,800 Lord, how am I going to pay my bills? 449 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:09,080 That is that's us. But then then it goes on. 450 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:14,640 He was fed by an Angel and that food sustained him for 40 days 451 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:17,120 and nights. The journey that he took and we 452 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:23,600 catch up to him in a cave in first Kings 19 starting verse 453 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:26,480 11, it says then he said go out and stand. 454 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:30,360 This is Lord, stop talking. Go out and stand on the mountain 455 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,880 before the Lord. And behold the Lord passed by, 456 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:37,800 and a great and strong wind tore into the mountain, and broke the 457 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:39,600 rocks into pieces before the Lord. 458 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:42,040 But the Lord was not in the wind. 459 00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:45,040 And after the wind was an earthquake, But the Lord was not 460 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:47,360 in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, the 461 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:50,040 fire a fire. But the Lord was not in the 462 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:53,640 fire. And after the fire a still small 463 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:56,480 voice. So it was when Elijah heard it 464 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:01,600 that he that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and 465 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:03,440 stood in the entrance of The Cave. 466 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:07,440 Suddenly a voice came to him and said, What are you doing here 467 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:13,480 Elijah And Elijah, why this picture you have in this 468 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:17,800 conversation? I have been very zealous for 469 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:22,040 you, Lord God of hosts, because of the children of Israel have 470 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:25,760 forsaken your covenant and tore down your altars and killed your 471 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:29,080 prophets with the sword. I alone am left and they seek to 472 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:31,640 take my life. Can you hear the, can you hear 473 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:36,560 the whining in that right now? What I love is the Lord does 474 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:39,600 not, does not respond to the complaint. 475 00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:43,400 He just tells him to get up and go to work. 476 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:48,400 Then the Lord said to him, go, return on your way to the 477 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:52,840 wilderness of Damascus, and when you arrive, anoint Hazel as king 478 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:56,600 over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the 479 00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:01,040 son of Nahum as king over Israel, and Elisha the son of 480 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:07,800 Shaphith of Abel Mahon you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 481 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:13,720 It shall be that over whoever escapes the sword of Hazel, Jehu 482 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:16,920 will kill, and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will 483 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:23,840 kill. And then verse 18 God says And 484 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:31,760 by the way, yet I have reserved 7000 in Israel, all whose knees 485 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:36,920 have not bowed to bail and every mouth that has not kissed him. 486 00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,000 Oh, and by the way, you are not by yourself. 487 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:45,920 I've got 7 other 7000 others you know. 488 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:50,320 And this is just the Lord going and I mean Elijah has done 489 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:53,920 amazing things and he has faith that I could I could pray for. 490 00:32:55,560 --> 00:33:03,200 And then like, not unlike I get right, but I've done all this 491 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:05,640 stuff. Lord, no, you haven't. 492 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,680 I have right. That's the thing. 493 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:14,400 God does the work. We just we are, we are the 494 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,040 gloves that he fills up to do the work. 495 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:19,960 I mean, do your is your have your gloves ever bragged at you 496 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:24,240 about all the all the wood they chopped right or or the cars 497 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:28,360 they fixed? You know now that the glove is 498 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:34,000 is necessary in some cases, but without the hand in it, there is 499 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:42,080 no nothing's getting done. So Elijah's just a, a fact that, 500 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:46,400 like I said, dirt acts like dirt and has since since he made 501 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:51,400 Adam. If we go on to Job, and this is 502 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:53,880 so if you think of Job, everybody, whenever anybody 503 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:56,000 brings up Job, you, everybody gets a little nervous. 504 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:58,040 So we're going to study Job. That's nerve wracking. 505 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:06,800 But Job is God's champion, like God bet on him. 506 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:10,679 You know, Satan showed up and said, I'm, I'm walking around 507 00:34:10,679 --> 00:34:13,679 seeing who I can mess with. And God says, have you 508 00:34:13,679 --> 00:34:17,120 considered my servant Job because he can beat you up now, 509 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:19,239 he didn't say it that way. He's just said, can you have you 510 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:23,560 considered my servant Job? And then when we we get all 511 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,639 through it, you can imagine the day that Satan went down to 512 00:34:26,639 --> 00:34:31,760 attack Job, all of the heavens is watching because God said Job 513 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:34,520 can win. And we've seen we've seen Satan 514 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:36,400 do all kinds of things. So we got to see how's this 515 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:39,960 going to work out. And how it worked out is after 516 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:44,560 Satan attacked him at first he said, and he said naked, I come 517 00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:47,360 from the from my mother's room and naked shall I return. 518 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,920 The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. 519 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:54,120 Blessed be the name of the Lord in all this Job did not sin or 520 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:59,720 charge God with any wrong and then then he gets really sick. 521 00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:04,200 It's covered in tumors. After another conversation 522 00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:06,640 because Satan's like, well, you cheated because you kept a hedge 523 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,800 around his hell. So he said, no, go do that. 524 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:12,280 And then Job's wife and everybody picks on her. 525 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:15,240 But I want you to remember that before I read this, that Job's 526 00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:21,000 wife also in this lost all of her children. 527 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:26,000 You know, we, we talk about Job, but in this she lost everything. 528 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:28,360 Job. This is, you know, I mean, 529 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:30,600 there's a there's a comic comedian out there. 530 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:32,320 That's like, who would want Job's wife? 531 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:38,920 I would tell you that Job's wife is just broken and I wouldn't, I 532 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:44,720 wouldn't judge her too harshly. Then his wife said to him, do 533 00:35:44,720 --> 00:35:49,000 you still hold fast to your integrity, curse God and die? 534 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,760 Verse 10 But he said to her, you speak as one of the foolish 535 00:35:53,760 --> 00:35:56,720 women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from 536 00:35:56,720 --> 00:36:00,160 God and shall we not accept adversity in all this? 537 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:03,880 Job did not sin with his lips. Now when you go through the book 538 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:06,440 of Job, if you go through it, he will get to whining. 539 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:09,800 It will happen. So I'm not holding him up there. 540 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:16,800 But this is at the end in verse 42 after after some reckoning 541 00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:20,840 with the Lord and the Lord saying do you do you remember 542 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:25,320 who I am and Job like I can just imagine the being Job in that 543 00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:30,800 and and hiding under a rock. But verse 42 or sorry, chapter 544 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:35,120 42, verse 10 and the Lord restored the fortune of Job and 545 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:38,200 then he had and when he had prayed for his friends and the 546 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:41,480 Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 547 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:45,240 And at the at the end, Job did get twice as much as he had at 548 00:36:45,240 --> 00:36:47,960 the beginning. But I want you to understand 549 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:52,440 that in God's story, Job didn't get his kids back. 550 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:57,200 Now he may have had more kids, but he didn't get those kids. 551 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:02,440 Those kids were those kids were with God, right? 552 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:06,360 So he did suffer loss. It wasn't God didn't say, oh, 553 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:10,160 redo and and back up to the beginning and say that was just 554 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,800 a where we were out of time. So now we're going to go back 555 00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:14,400 and you just get to live the life you had. 556 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:20,720 He lost those servants, those men and women died, right. 557 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:24,960 So that was that all really happened and it really affected 558 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:31,320 Job. And then God's plan is, is for 559 00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:34,440 the best, but have confidence in his plan. 560 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:39,680 His plan is not for me to live a life of sunshine and rainbows. 561 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:44,520 His plan is, and I, I say this every week, is that as many as 562 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:47,880 can go to heaven, go to heaven and spend eternity with him. 563 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:56,360 And he will get the most out of the life that I have, right? 564 00:37:58,240 --> 00:38:03,000 It is it is if I give my 100%, if I give all I've got for him, 565 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:07,280 He will get the most out of it. I won't it that that doesn't 566 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:10,080 mean that my life it. Like I said, there's a song out 567 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:14,400 there that I'm sure Brandon has nose and I can't remember all of 568 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:20,200 the verses, but it it says he works everything together for my 569 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:21,600 good. I hate that song. 570 00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:28,320 Like like, like I mute the because it is it is as 18 inches 571 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:34,040 around my own head a song as you can come up with right the the 572 00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:37,200 starving children in Africa. God can work everything for my 573 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:39,600 good. Can you please tell me how 574 00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:42,920 that's for my good, right. Do you see how that that it's. 575 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:44,640 He works everything together for my good. 576 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:49,960 No, that is a selfish statement. He works everything together for 577 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:53,680 the good, for those who love him, right. 578 00:38:53,920 --> 00:39:01,520 And what is the good right that he's coming back and he is going 579 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:05,480 and he is a a righteous and fair judge. 580 00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:12,120 Yeah, just and last, and I like this because those are some 581 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:14,440 serious stuff that James has said. 582 00:39:14,720 --> 00:39:21,040 But verse 12 says, but above all, my brothers, do not swear 583 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:25,960 either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your 584 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:32,560 yes be yes and your no no. So that you may not fall under 585 00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:36,080 condemnation. And the the reason I like that 586 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:38,600 because James does put that emphasis on it, but all he's 587 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:41,400 doing is repeating words that came out of Jesus's mouth. 588 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:46,840 In Matthew 5 it says, but I say to you, do not take an oath at 589 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:51,320 all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by earth, 590 00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:55,040 for it is it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the 591 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:59,360 city of the great king. And do not take an oath by your 592 00:39:59,360 --> 00:40:02,000 head. For you cannot make one hair 593 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:06,160 white or black. Let what you say be simply yes 594 00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:09,040 or no. Anything more than that comes 595 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:12,680 from evil couple of oaths that we should remember in the Bible 596 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:14,600 that are that are that went badly. 597 00:40:14,720 --> 00:40:20,920 I'm sure Acts 2312 is the men that were going to kill Paul and 598 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:23,840 it says and when it was drought, when it was day, some of the 599 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:27,560 Jewish Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath 600 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:30,760 saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had 601 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:34,640 killed Paul. Now a couple things could have 602 00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:39,080 happened. Either they starved to death or 603 00:40:39,360 --> 00:40:43,720 they or actually three days, they probably ran out of water, 604 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:50,360 but they didn't kill Paul. And that was a rash oath because 605 00:40:50,360 --> 00:40:53,120 Paul got taken off to jail and they couldn't get to him even if 606 00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:57,240 they wanted to. But for Samuel 1424 it's Saul 607 00:40:57,360 --> 00:41:00,520 and we know about him and his rash oaths and different things 608 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:04,800 he did and the men of Israel. Sorry verse 14 or chapter 14 609 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:09,160 verse 24 and the men of Israel were distressed that day for 610 00:41:09,160 --> 00:41:13,360 Saul had placed the people under an oath saying cursed is the man 611 00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:17,720 who eats food until evening before I have taken vengeance on 612 00:41:17,720 --> 00:41:20,160 my enemy. So none of the people tasted 613 00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:22,240 food. Anybody remember what happened? 614 00:41:22,240 --> 00:41:27,120 Actually, because his son Jonathan didn't hear the didn't 615 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:29,920 hear the oath. So he ate honey. 616 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:32,440 So then the Lord was serious, right? 617 00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:36,240 That's the part about oaths that you have to be careful with. 618 00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:38,520 And I'll get into one that you guys are going to remember. 619 00:41:38,520 --> 00:41:43,520 But when you when you make an oath and you stamp his name on 620 00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:50,600 it, he expects you to listen. You, you said it, you're bound 621 00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:54,240 by it. So you want to be careful on 622 00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:56,840 what you're saying God said, right? 623 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:02,200 So Joshua 9 and this is a example of that because, oh, 624 00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:05,560 back, sorry, back in the, the Saul and Jonathan. 625 00:42:05,880 --> 00:42:14,000 So it, it came to a head that somebody had broke this oath and 626 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:17,560 Saul had to figure out who had done it. 627 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:22,080 And it got all the way to Jonathan and he's like, Oh no. 628 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:24,560 And then he was going to kill Jonathan. 629 00:42:24,560 --> 00:42:28,520 And because he had made an oath. There's there's another one in 630 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:31,280 Judges where a dad kills his first born daughter because he 631 00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:33,880 made an oath. Oaths are not things that the 632 00:42:33,880 --> 00:42:37,880 Lord is a big, big fan of it. When you when you go through all 633 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:41,720 the oaths in the Bible, they're usually more of a that kind of 634 00:42:41,720 --> 00:42:45,480 picture is guys saying things that you don't have control of, 635 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:48,600 right. I don't have the, I don't have 636 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:50,400 the power to make things come true. 637 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:56,960 So anyway, in Joshua 9, the con was on. 638 00:42:57,160 --> 00:42:59,760 And this is Gibeon, right? You know, if you guys haven't 639 00:42:59,760 --> 00:43:01,600 read Joshua and you don't know what I'm talking about, what 640 00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:06,480 kind of go through really quick, but Gibeonites were very crafty. 641 00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:09,760 They came up with all kinds of ways to con the Israelites. 642 00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:11,920 They they made it look like they were coming from a long ways. 643 00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:15,560 They didn't want to die, so they came up with a plan to make it 644 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,000 look like they weren't from Canaan, they were from somewhere 645 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:19,160 else, and then they were going to make. 646 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:22,880 Then Joshua would make an oath with them and they'd be safe. 647 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:27,440 Now, what was Joshua's defense about being conned? 648 00:43:27,800 --> 00:43:32,560 It'd be the same one we have. He could always ask the Lord. 649 00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:39,840 But we'll, we'll see how they did in 9/14. 650 00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:42,280 It says. So the men took some of their 651 00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:44,760 provisions. So they checked out what they 652 00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:46,360 were doing. You know, their clothes are old, 653 00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:48,200 their food's rotten. They must be. 654 00:43:48,440 --> 00:43:53,480 But it says, but they did not ask counsel from the Lord. 655 00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:59,400 So they, they then make an oath and it says 1st 15 says. 656 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:02,840 And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to 657 00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:05,200 let them live. And the leaders of the 658 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:08,600 congregation swore to them and they swore in the name of the 659 00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:11,800 Lord, which we'll get into, but they didn't ask the Lord first. 660 00:44:12,200 --> 00:44:14,120 They didn't have, they didn't have marching orders from from 661 00:44:14,120 --> 00:44:19,960 the Lord. And it goes on verse 18. 662 00:44:19,960 --> 00:44:23,440 But the people of Israel did not attack them because sorry, when 663 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:27,280 they found out that they were only three days away in Canaan, 664 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:29,400 it says. But the people of Israel did not 665 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:32,960 attack them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to 666 00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:35,160 them by the Lord the God of Israel. 667 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:39,200 Then all the congregation murmured against them, against 668 00:44:39,200 --> 00:44:41,960 the leaders, but the leaders said to all the congregation, we 669 00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:46,360 have sworn to them by the Lord the God of Israel, and now we 670 00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:49,680 may not touch them. Did you guys remember that? 671 00:44:49,680 --> 00:44:52,360 They were sent to Canaan to wipe everybody out? 672 00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:59,200 And then they made, then they made a covenant in the name of 673 00:44:59,200 --> 00:45:01,600 the Lord that they wouldn't wipe these people out. 674 00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:05,520 And now the Lord's like, well, you screwed that up because you 675 00:45:05,520 --> 00:45:09,240 can't wipe them out now, because if you do, you're going against, 676 00:45:09,240 --> 00:45:11,520 you're going against me. And it, you know, and, and 677 00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:13,520 that's where we as people want to do this. 678 00:45:13,520 --> 00:45:15,720 Well, but Lord, we didn't mean it. 679 00:45:16,040 --> 00:45:20,240 But Lord, when they, when they say they, they lied, right? 680 00:45:20,240 --> 00:45:27,040 So I get, I get a pass, right? So you get a pass because you're 681 00:45:27,080 --> 00:45:29,560 you need to pray before, not after. 682 00:45:31,320 --> 00:45:35,640 You know, some of the things that we do, you know, we say, 683 00:45:35,720 --> 00:45:40,040 well, the Lord told me or the Spirit said I should do this or 684 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:42,720 the spirit said you should do this, that that's a good one, 685 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:47,720 right? I for years I've been going to 686 00:45:47,720 --> 00:45:53,160 Uganda and the thing I don't do and you can it to the point of 687 00:45:54,800 --> 00:45:58,920 sometimes probably fault I do. I will not put words in the 688 00:45:58,920 --> 00:46:02,400 Lord's mouth that he didn't say, you know, I am completely 689 00:46:02,400 --> 00:46:07,760 confident 100% that I am where I'm supposed to be doing what 690 00:46:07,760 --> 00:46:11,360 I'm supposed to be doing. God called me to Sandpoint. 691 00:46:11,360 --> 00:46:14,560 He called me to this church. I can say that because me and 692 00:46:14,560 --> 00:46:18,680 him had lengthy conversations and, and I have the verses to 693 00:46:18,680 --> 00:46:20,480 back it up. I have the notes to back it up. 694 00:46:20,480 --> 00:46:22,280 Idiot. I know that I know I'm where I'm 695 00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:23,800 supposed to be doing what I'm supposed to be doing. 696 00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:29,680 And I can say that, but I, I have bunches of plans for 697 00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:32,480 bridges. I have bunches of ideas for 698 00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:36,280 outreaches and ministry. Now, I'm not saying the Lord 699 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:39,080 told me all those things. They're just ideas. 700 00:46:40,320 --> 00:46:42,960 So I'm not going to put his stamp of approval on every one 701 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:45,360 of my ideas. Do we do that right? 702 00:46:45,920 --> 00:46:49,600 Like that's, that's something you want to be very careful of. 703 00:46:49,600 --> 00:46:55,480 When I started going to Uganda and spending time there and we 704 00:46:55,480 --> 00:46:58,440 were doing 2 and we're doing about two trips a year. 705 00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:02,120 And the answer when I was getting ready to, you know, we 706 00:47:02,120 --> 00:47:06,000 were planning a trip was the answer was yes, unless there was 707 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:09,640 a reason for it to be no. But I didn't tell people that I 708 00:47:09,640 --> 00:47:12,720 was called to go to Uganda in six months. 709 00:47:12,880 --> 00:47:16,360 You know, when I came, when, when we came here, had I told 710 00:47:16,360 --> 00:47:22,200 everybody in the Tri-cities and in Uganda and everything the 711 00:47:22,200 --> 00:47:26,920 Lord told me that we are going to travel and do outages and we 712 00:47:26,920 --> 00:47:29,600 are going to be in Uganda 3 to 6 months a year. 713 00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:33,120 Now have I shared that that was my plan? 714 00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:36,920 Yes. Did I ever put God's stamp that 715 00:47:37,120 --> 00:47:39,000 this is what you're going to do? No. 716 00:47:40,680 --> 00:47:44,400 And that's, that's that because if I had, if I had said, well, 717 00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:46,000 the Lord told me that I'm going to go. 718 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:48,640 So I'm going to spend 6 months in Uganda and I'm going to work 719 00:47:48,640 --> 00:47:51,280 for six months. And that's his plan for my life. 720 00:47:51,480 --> 00:47:55,320 So as of today, what does that make the Lord or me? 721 00:47:56,280 --> 00:48:03,040 A liar, right. And so don't, don't stamp his 722 00:48:03,040 --> 00:48:09,360 name on it as, as he said, unless he said, right? 723 00:48:09,600 --> 00:48:12,280 I mean, because there are times in Joshua in the story Joshua 724 00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:18,520 that God absolutely said. And at those moments you want to 725 00:48:18,520 --> 00:48:21,560 stand for that. Like I, I can stand up here and 726 00:48:21,560 --> 00:48:24,920 tell you that I was called to stand up here. 727 00:48:26,200 --> 00:48:29,280 And if I wasn't called, I wouldn't be here, right? 728 00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:34,480 So I, I have that confidence. But how do we get out of the 18 729 00:48:34,480 --> 00:48:37,560 inches around our own head? I mean, closing is we need to be 730 00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:44,760 patient, focusing on the fact that the Lord is coming, right? 731 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:50,160 We establish our hearts in that because the Lord is at hand. 732 00:48:50,160 --> 00:48:54,000 He could be here at any moment. And he's a living God who wants 733 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:57,440 to speak to us. Don't grumble against one 734 00:48:57,440 --> 00:48:59,160 another. The judge is standing at the 735 00:48:59,160 --> 00:49:01,520 door. So any judge, any grumbling we 736 00:49:01,520 --> 00:49:05,080 have, we can talk to the Lord and he can take care of it. 737 00:49:07,960 --> 00:49:14,160 We need to remain steadfast and just be fixed and settled in 738 00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:19,280 that I've I've seen the purpose of the Lord and that the purpose 739 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:23,000 of the Lord we we talk about it is to shine his light into our 740 00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:26,000 community. And that's just by reflecting 741 00:49:26,000 --> 00:49:28,760 him. And then let your yes be yes and 742 00:49:28,760 --> 00:49:34,600 your no be no. So that my funny title of 743 00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:43,520 patience 18 inch bubble head. Tell yourself that patience God 744 00:49:43,520 --> 00:49:45,360 is coming. Patience. 745 00:49:45,360 --> 00:49:48,480 Don't worry about yourself. God is coming. 746 00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:53,880 He God is the author. I am a bit player. 747 00:49:55,720 --> 00:50:00,120 He has a story and I'm in it now. 748 00:50:00,120 --> 00:50:03,960 His bubble is the universe and eternity. 749 00:50:05,600 --> 00:50:09,080 My bubble at best is at the horizon. 750 00:50:09,840 --> 00:50:15,680 And today, right now, and if I'm focused on only my bubble, I 751 00:50:15,680 --> 00:50:19,680 will trip through life because I can't see what he sees. 752 00:50:21,600 --> 00:50:25,280 If I lean into the hill and trust his plan and let him lead. 753 00:50:25,760 --> 00:50:28,600 There is absolutely nothing this world can do to us. 754 00:50:32,040 --> 00:50:33,520 Flores, thank you for everybody here. 755 00:50:33,520 --> 00:50:35,000 Thank you for this time. I thank you. 756 00:50:35,400 --> 00:50:39,560 I thank you that your bubble is that big, that you are the God 757 00:50:39,560 --> 00:50:45,160 of everything and that you watch over each and every one of us 758 00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:48,360 Lord, and that you would you would use this body in this 759 00:50:48,360 --> 00:50:54,200 town, that you would use it not only in just Sam Point proper, 760 00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:58,000 but in all the surrounding areas, or you would just be 761 00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:01,640 speaking into people's lives. Guide and direct us Lord, and I 762 00:51:01,640 --> 00:51:03,120 pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.