1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,040 Our our study today is we're going to continue in the book of 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:11,840 James and it's don't neglect to lean in and it's really kind of 3 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:13,400 fun. Between her Elizabeth Elliott 4 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:19,800 quote and Aunt Sherry and Spencer's worship today, there's 5 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:25,240 so much that we were worshipping about just enduring and that God 6 00:00:25,240 --> 00:00:29,200 won't give us stuff that isn't going to improve us for his 7 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,040 work. That just God's always working 8 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,920 right? And he is working on each and 9 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:39,640 every one of us every day in the good and the bad in our life. 10 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:45,080 James, we're going to be verses 12 through 18 going on in 11 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:47,400 chapter 1. Blessed is the man who remains 12 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,360 steadfast under trials, for when he has stood the test he will 13 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:55,240 receive a crown of life which God has promised to those who 14 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,480 love who love him. Let no one say when he is 15 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,920 tempted, I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with 16 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,480 evil, and he himself tempts no one. 17 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,720 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his 18 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,280 own desires. And then desire, when it is 19 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,560 conceived, give birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, 20 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,760 brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my brother 21 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,560 or my beloved brothers, Every good gift and every perfect gift 22 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,480 is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom 23 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,960 there is no variation or shadow due to change of His own will. 24 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:33,240 He brought forth. He brought us forth by the word 25 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,160 of truth that we, we should be a kind of firstfruits of His 26 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,480 creation. And Lord, I just, I lift up this 27 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:44,600 time and everybody here and just all that you've done for us, 28 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:46,720 Lord, and all that you're continuing to do every day, 29 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:50,880 Lord, that you would be with us here now, Lord, but you would 30 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:52,400 also be with us when we leave here. 31 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:55,480 That you would be speaking to our hearts that you would be 32 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,240 guiding and directing us or that you'd be putting appointments in 33 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:03,800 front of us to witness to our friends and family and Co 34 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:11,520 workers and the bank clerk, the grocery store cashier, Lord, 35 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,720 that we would just be a light for you, but not because we're 36 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:17,640 trying, Lord, but because we're just reflecting what you pour 37 00:02:17,640 --> 00:02:19,880 into US or and that you would just continue to work in our 38 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:26,000 hearts in Jesus name, Amen. So verse 12 is blessed is the 39 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,120 man who remains steadfast under trials for when he is when he 40 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,560 has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which 41 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:35,680 God has promised to those who love him. 42 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:42,360 And steadfast just means to endure, to last, to continue in 43 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:44,080 the same state without perishing. 44 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:49,480 Enduring is not coasting. It's not, hey, I got saved and 45 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:53,920 now I'm just going to live life and coast through it. 46 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:58,280 It is recognizing the struggle and giving the battle to the 47 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:03,800 Lord, Remembering that trials or testing is a tool God uses to 48 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:06,160 build us into the tools he needs. 49 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:13,720 And the tools he needs are tools to go out and reach the lost, 50 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:15,440 right? I mean, that's the thing you 51 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,000 have to remember about everything that we do here on 52 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,680 earth. After the day I gave my life to 53 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:25,400 the Lord, the reason I am here is so that he can use me to 54 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:30,120 reflect his life to to reach the lost and dying of this world. 55 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:37,840 Hebrews 12 verses one and two goes on and says, Therefore, 56 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:41,760 since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us 57 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:46,240 also lay aside every weight and sin which clings too closely, 58 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,800 and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 59 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,240 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who 60 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:58,520 for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising 61 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,440 the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God. 62 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:07,480 As life comes at us, do we lean into Him and His plan, or do we 63 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,920 whine and complain about what's going on? 64 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:12,600 So then this is when I get to throw myself under the bus. 65 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,560 Faye was talking about setting up a website. 66 00:04:18,399 --> 00:04:21,880 There is, there is setting up a website. 67 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:28,240 There's figuring out tithing. There's dealing with bankers and 68 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:33,760 dealing with our landlord and the lawyers and all the things. 69 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:38,480 And there are so many things as I go through this, as Faye and I 70 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,000 go through this that I don't even know the questions to ask, 71 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,320 right? I mean, when we, we set this up, 72 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:49,800 you know, I, we've done everything we can to be as 73 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,760 forward thinking as we can. So, you know, we had a firm set 74 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:57,080 up the nonprofit so that that he, that's just what that group 75 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:58,480 does. So that's going to be right. 76 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:03,320 And you know, we, we went to sub splash, which is a church based 77 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,960 website giver that sets those up right. 78 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:11,680 But there's so much stuff that we don't know how to do and it's 79 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,040 not Carl's great at his part of it, but it's it's learning, 80 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,880 right? And I am not a tech guy and I'm 81 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:22,440 not a law guy. So things keep coming up and, 82 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:26,080 and I get frustrated and I know that's shocking, right? 83 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:27,600 We never, none of us get frustrated. 84 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:31,920 So as I'm whining, I have, I have a helpmate right over here. 85 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,960 And as I'm whining because I forget what the what the thing 86 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:39,560 was, I'm like this just getting ridiculous. 87 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:44,360 I'm sick of this and my helpmate says, so are you letting are you 88 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,120 letting the devil have this 10 shut up. 89 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:53,240 But but that's the, but that's really, I mean, and that's us, 90 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:56,240 right? When we're as a, as a body, we 91 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,360 should be, we should be encouraging everybody in that, 92 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,960 right, that that God is using everything that's going on in 93 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:08,680 our lives to draw us closer to him and to build, to build the 94 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:12,040 tools he needs. You know, for something like 95 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:14,080 that, as I'm going through it, right? 96 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,400 When we get to the other side of this, and we will get to the 97 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:18,920 other side of it and everything will run as it's supposed to. 98 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,440 And, and like I tell Carl and Spencer and Andrew every week, 99 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,200 we haven't made any major mistakes yet, right? 100 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,680 We, we seem to, oh, the lights are still on, You know, all the, 101 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:32,800 that YouTube still run. So we've, we've, we've stumbled 102 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:34,960 through the process. And when we get to the other 103 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:39,320 side, there will be learnings that we will have to help help 104 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:41,920 somebody that's going out to start a new church, right? 105 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:44,600 We'll have those, those learnings. 106 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:47,280 And there's other, there's also going to be other learnings that 107 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:50,040 have nothing to do with specifically what we're doing, 108 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:52,040 but things that we learn to endure through. 109 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:58,160 And and it's leaning in right that my, my title is don't 110 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:02,400 neglect to lean in. But it's do we lean in to the 111 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:10,200 struggle? Hebrews goes on to in in verse 3 112 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:14,160 of chapter 12 and says, consider him who endured from sinners 113 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:18,240 such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary 114 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:21,840 or faint hearted in your struggle against sin. 115 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:24,720 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. 116 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,360 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addressed you 117 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:31,800 as sons? My son, do not regard lightly 118 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:36,400 the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when he reproved by 119 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:41,200 him, for the Lord disciplines the ones He loves and chastises 120 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,960 every son whom he receives in all moments. 121 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:47,520 Do we come at the Lord like that? 122 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,560 Do we? Do we understand who He is and 123 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:56,120 how big He is in our lives and how, how in charge He is of my 124 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:58,560 life? Do I trust Him in that? 125 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:03,240 You know, and, and I mean Faye. Faye is a witness. 126 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:07,720 I am really good over the years at saying the Lord's got it. 127 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:13,160 I will tell you this, this season and and there's a 128 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:19,600 spiritual side of that that I am sure right this season is is God 129 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:23,360 testing me to kind of put my money where my mouth is, if that 130 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:28,480 makes sense of I know the right things to say, but I have 131 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:32,159 opportunities like Friday morning getting an e-mail and 132 00:08:32,159 --> 00:08:33,760 going. Are you kidding me? 133 00:08:34,799 --> 00:08:38,039 You know, I have those, but I have the opportunities in those 134 00:08:38,039 --> 00:08:41,720 moments to put that back and say, hey, Lord, you've got this. 135 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:45,280 You are in charge. My hands open, right? 136 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:49,360 It's it's those testings and then recognizing them. 137 00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:53,240 The Lord is always working on those he loves, right? 138 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,360 He's chasing us. He is never willing to say that 139 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,440 that's good enough. You're, you're close enough to 140 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,120 me. He wants us to be closer to him 141 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,880 every day. He wants us to be more in his 142 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:06,880 light today than we were yesterday. 143 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:11,640 There's a, a YouTube guy that says it's not about big changes. 144 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:14,000 It's be 1% better today than you were yesterday. 145 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:17,880 Well, if that works for a guy on YouTube, I'm sure that works for 146 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,400 Jesus, right? The goal is to just be closer to 147 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,200 him today. Spend a little more time with 148 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:26,320 him. Go a little deeper. 149 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:29,480 Don't, don't tie a knot. Attempt to hold on. 150 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:33,000 He is never willing to let us do that. 151 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:37,040 He will. He will Cut the Rope so that you 152 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:41,680 have to cling to Him. God wants to give us crowns of 153 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:45,360 life. He wants to give us strength in 154 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:47,880 our weakness. He wants to give us practice 155 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:53,080 following His plan to stay to stand steadfast knowing He is 156 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:57,680 building the perfect tool for what He has planned in my life. 157 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:03,080 James goes on in verse 13 and says, let no one say when he is 158 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:05,440 tempted, I am being tempted by God. 159 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,680 For God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no 160 00:10:09,680 --> 00:10:13,480 one. On a side note there the 161 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:17,000 question comes up, if God can't be tempted, then when Jesus is 162 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:21,200 tempted, how does that work? And Jesus is tempted in the 163 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:28,200 wilderness, but because he was 100% man and 100% God, he can 164 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:30,560 understand the struggles we go through. 165 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:36,880 Now I will explain exactly how Jesus was 100% God and 100% man 166 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:38,800 right after the rapture. We can meet up. 167 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,960 You can, I'll give you all the, all the insurance and outs with 168 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,120 that. But but that's so don't get hung 169 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:47,680 up on that, that I just don't want you to get hung up on that. 170 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:50,400 He can't be tempted, right? Jesus was tempted in the 171 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:53,080 wilderness and he does understand what that is. 172 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,640 But God can't be tempted. He is. 173 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:05,520 He is good. And there is a difference 174 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:11,680 between testing and temptations. When we are in a testing or a 175 00:11:11,680 --> 00:11:14,440 difficult time in our relationships, at work, or in 176 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:18,560 our money, we we will very often have choices to make. 177 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:22,360 God allows them to build us into the tools he needs to do the 178 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:26,120 work He has for us. Very often, though, temptations 179 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:32,680 are very often given us a way to avoid the trial, avoid the, the 180 00:11:32,680 --> 00:11:36,040 testing. You know, it's, it's doing 181 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:40,560 making a mistake at work and, and you have a choice owning up 182 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:44,360 to the mistake, going in and throwing yourself under the bus, 183 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,560 taking ownership of it or lying about it, right. 184 00:11:47,560 --> 00:11:49,000 There's a there's a temptation there. 185 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:51,880 You know, your flesh wants to just cover it up. 186 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:56,760 That's having those moments of temptation. 187 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,160 I mean, there's, there's, there's temptation in sin, 188 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:01,320 right? There's temptation to, to be 189 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:03,040 where you're not supposed to be looking at what you're not 190 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:04,920 supposed to be looking at. There is there are those 191 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:11,280 temptations and they are serious and God wants to deliver you 192 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:15,520 from them. But very often our temptations 193 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:18,680 are really superficial. They are US trying to just 194 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:21,480 protect me and I get to do what I want to do. 195 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:24,720 And I I get to be selfish. I get to be prideful. 196 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:26,760 I get to. I always say in America, we're 197 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,160 really good at the. Yeah, but attitude, which is. 198 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:32,680 Yeah, but it's different now. Lord, you know, I mean, 199 00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:34,400 Americans are really, really good. 200 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:38,160 Sorry, this is off notes. We're really, really good at 201 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:42,400 being a free country. Did you know that we are a free 202 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,120 country? We have liberty. 203 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:50,120 Did you know that we are and we do come in that we, we, we have 204 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:51,520 blessed to be born in this country. 205 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:53,920 God doesn't talk about our liberty. 206 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:59,240 He talks about our servanthood. He talks about he talks about 207 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:05,160 being slaves and we are slaves one way or another. 208 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:11,800 We are either slaves to him or slaves to sin, right? 209 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:13,760 There is no there is no middle ground. 210 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:19,000 We are on one side or the other. And as Americans, we want to 211 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:25,120 have our our day in the you know, I'm in charge of my life 212 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:27,840 and it's something we were raised with, right? 213 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:31,880 It's really hard to think that that I'm a slave to anybody 214 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:35,760 because I'm an American. I have liberty to God-given 215 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:41,080 right, but the liberty is a God-given right to follow Him. 216 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,880 But each person, and this is verse 14, but each person is 217 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:57,120 tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. 218 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:02,560 So guys, we blame the enemy for a lot of things, but the enemy 219 00:14:02,560 --> 00:14:07,280 does not have to read minds or be outside of time to 220 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:10,120 effectively tempt us, right? He is. 221 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:14,080 We are weak and simple outside of Christ. 222 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:19,600 We're not if we are not slaves to Christ, if we are not in him, 223 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:25,360 Satan just gets to spin us and turn us and do whatever he 224 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:29,600 wants. Romans 82 says For the law of 225 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:34,360 the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the 226 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,040 law of sin and death. So we're under one of the two 227 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:40,480 laws. We are under the law of under 228 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,280 the law or in Christ. In Christ we can withstand 229 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:47,880 temptation, but outside of his grace and his power, we cannot. 230 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:51,680 I don't have it in me. I talked last week about about 231 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:55,040 when I, when I quit you in Copenhagen, I knew I didn't have 232 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,400 it in me. There are things in this room 233 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:01,000 right now you know you can't beat, but there are other things 234 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:04,600 in this room that you think that I can beat, that I am good 235 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,680 enough and know that you can't outside of Christ. 236 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:16,160 You are unable to win this battle unless you submit it to 237 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:21,240 the Lord. 1st Corinthians 1013 says no temptation has overtaken 238 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:23,720 you. That is not common to man. 239 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:27,480 God is faithful and He will not let you be tempted beyond your 240 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:31,120 ability, but with the temptation, He will also provide 241 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:36,320 the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. 242 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:42,400 So how often do we set ourselves up to sin? 243 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:45,640 How often do we set ourselves up in a temptation? 244 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:51,800 I, the one I, I'm sure you guys have heard the illustration of 245 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:54,840 two teenagers that come to their their pastor and they're like, 246 00:15:55,640 --> 00:16:00,480 we keep falling to our we're sexual sin like, well, the 247 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,120 pastor says, OK, So what? What? 248 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:03,680 Give me, give me an idea what you're doing. 249 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:06,840 And you know, well, you know, the other night we were, we were 250 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:10,280 up on Lookout Mountain and in our car and it was dark and we 251 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,520 were alone and we just, we flipped into sand. 252 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,400 There might have been some steps to get there, right. 253 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:21,440 And we do that. We do that on all kinds of 254 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:22,720 things. We set ourselves up. 255 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,680 So what he's saying in the no temptations overtaking you 256 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:30,520 except which is common to man, but he will not let you be 257 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:33,200 tempted to run. It's really simple. 258 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:34,720 Get out, open the door and get out of the car. 259 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,360 Run first of all, don't go to Lookout Mountain in the dark, 260 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:44,240 but but if you find yourself in a situation, if you're it will 261 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,960 will use alcoholism. If you're an alcoholic and you 262 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:52,920 find yourself in a bar, run. If you're an alcoholic and you 263 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,920 bought a six pack of beer on the way home, throw it out of the 264 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:02,080 window right you you haven't sinned until you sin. 265 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:08,319 Be willing to to run, be willing to escape. 266 00:17:08,319 --> 00:17:09,560 That's what he's saying is there? 267 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:13,839 There is always an option. And then once you've sinned, 268 00:17:13,839 --> 00:17:17,040 what do you do? Run back to him. 269 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:21,119 And I always, I always tell people that no matter how far 270 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:24,800 you've gone, the return trip is one step. 271 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:31,480 Turn around. He's right there when I come up 272 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:35,600 with a reason to not follow what the Lord has plainly stated it 273 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:40,520 will go badly. This is the funny part about how 274 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:45,920 big our God is is God uses it to train me through the suck right? 275 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:50,760 All my choices, all my choices as a believer when I am tempted 276 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:54,800 to choose sin. Even if I choose sin, God will 277 00:17:54,800 --> 00:18:00,800 use it right. It's, it is something that he 278 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:05,960 will continually, if you're going to try and lie, he's going 279 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:09,080 to expose it because you're on his side, right? 280 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:13,400 You're, you're on his team and he isn't willing to let you. 281 00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:15,960 He isn't willing to let you get away with it. 282 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,880 You know, it's, it's the embezzlers of the world, the, 283 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:23,280 the, the adulterers of the world, all the people that are 284 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:28,920 believers in churches that are on the other side doing things 285 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:34,240 that are completely obvious sin there. 286 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:38,600 It's going to come out. It's going to come out because 287 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:42,040 God's not willing. He's not willing to let you 288 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:46,400 wander through life, running it in, in whatever sin you want to 289 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:50,760 run it in or whatever sin I want to run it in and let you just 290 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,560 wander through ruining your life and others, right. 291 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:56,960 He's going to, he's going to, he's going to confront it, 292 00:18:57,480 --> 00:18:58,960 right? No different than a father would 293 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:05,120 confront his children, right? Galatians 6-7 and eight says do 294 00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:08,200 not be deceived. God is not mocked for whatever 295 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:12,960 one sows that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own 296 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:17,400 flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows 297 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:21,160 to the Spirit, will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 298 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:25,760 When I choose to sin and not turn to God, I reap corruption. 299 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:30,560 There have been, there have been numerous times in my life. 300 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:40,000 I've got many stories, but one in particular that was brutal, 301 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:45,280 brutal heart shack stuff that was just, Lord, please don't 302 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:47,640 make me do this. I don't want. 303 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:52,720 And we're at work out at Hanford and it's me and me and another 304 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:57,280 foreman. And I was rolling next to the 305 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:58,840 building with a little peanut roller. 306 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,240 And as we were trying to finish up on a on a Thursday afternoon 307 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:07,160 and I hit a bump and the cage of the Pennant peanut roller 308 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,680 touched the building. Now it didn't dent the building 309 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,640 did put a mark on the building like a, a black mark. 310 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:16,280 It didn't dent the building. And me and my, me and me and 311 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:21,640 Jason, my, my other foreman, we talked about it and mark my, the 312 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:25,400 Superintendent, he was off site. So if I called him. 313 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:29,320 And this was our conversation. If I called him, he was going to 314 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:32,760 tell me to go report it. If I reported it, this was, this 315 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:37,800 was a shut the job down for three days, epic big deal. 316 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:40,120 And it really wasn't right. We touched the building with a 317 00:20:40,120 --> 00:20:41,320 little paint on it. We can get the paint off. 318 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:43,080 It's not a big deal. We're just going to, we're just 319 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:45,120 going to move through it. It's it's really nothing. 320 00:20:45,120 --> 00:20:48,960 If Mark was here, he would look at it and go, we're good. 321 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:59,640 So we didn't say anything and, and I talked myself into it like 322 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:01,080 we're good. We don't have to say anything. 323 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:06,040 And, and I, my, my, I conned myself. 324 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:10,040 So that was Thursday or Friday and I conned myself until Sunday 325 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:13,320 morning and God said, so you need to tell Mark and I'm like, 326 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:19,520 no, we're not going to do that. So that's a, that's a bad idea. 327 00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:24,600 And so I'd love to say, and on Monday morning, I went and told 328 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:28,600 Mark, no, I mean, me and the Lord, we went back and forth and 329 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:32,560 Wednesday, Wednesday and I'm, I'm like at this point, I'm not 330 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:34,320 sleeping at night. Me and me and the Lord are 331 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:38,800 having long conversations about why I don't have to do this 332 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:44,080 Lord. And at Wednesday at work, I have 333 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:48,160 a kid and I'm standing behind the trench box, my pipe layer. 334 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:50,560 He goes down in the trench box. He steps on a rock and rolls his 335 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:53,760 ankle. And so we're we're on for the 336 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,400 Hanford sites. You got to report everything. 337 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:56,960 So I'm like, we'll just go report it. 338 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:59,760 It's you know, you didn't, didn't die, but it's what they 339 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:01,080 want us to do. So go report it. 340 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:03,720 So we went and reported it. So he's gone the rest of the day 341 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:10,120 dealing with that stuff. And I get a call from Mark at 342 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:13,920 home that night and he goes, what happened today? 343 00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:16,640 And that we'd only got like 200 feet of pipe and we should be 344 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:18,720 getting about 500 feet of pipe. So I thought he was talking 345 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:20,480 about that. And I'm like, well, we had this 346 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:23,480 and that. And if no, what what happened to 347 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:24,880 Tyson? And I'm like, well, he rolled it 348 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:26,480 and he stepped down on a ladder and rolled his ankle. 349 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:28,920 He goes, why did he say he did it walking across the job site? 350 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:33,240 I'm like, I have no idea because that isn't what happened. 351 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:38,960 Well, the back story, Mark knew the Mark knew the truth. 352 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:46,400 Mark listened to Tyson's story. And then I had to come in on 353 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,520 Thursday morning and sign an affidavit that that's what 354 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:53,040 happened, that he was walking across the job site, his friend 355 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:55,960 and ankle and Mark. Mark stood in a room for Nick. 356 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:57,240 Ain't signing that. That's a lie. 357 00:22:57,880 --> 00:22:59,800 Because Mark knew that I don't lie. 358 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:05,480 Mark knew that I wouldn't lie. What was I arguing with the Lord 359 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:10,480 about? And you, Yeah, let's just add 360 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:12,680 conviction on top of conviction, right? 361 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:17,160 That was just like, so now I have to go tell Mark that I did 362 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:19,480 lie because I didn't tell him. I mean, I didn't, I didn't 363 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:21,960 verbally lie, but I held truth back, which is a lie. 364 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:26,360 And he's standing up for me, telling me, telling everybody 365 00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:29,000 how I'm this stand in right places guy. 366 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,360 Yeah. So like I said, the Lord is not 367 00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:35,840 willing. Now the, the fun thing with that 368 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:38,600 is so I'm not sleeping at night. This is a whole big thing. 369 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,480 I get to Mark, I finally get him and I explained the whole thing. 370 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:44,680 I said if you got to give me 3 days off, give me 3 days off, 371 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:46,640 give me whatever you need to do. Just do that. 372 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:49,760 And he goes, Nick, don't worry about it. 373 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:55,400 It it was so you're fine. So to him, it was absolutely no 374 00:23:55,400 --> 00:24:02,120 big deal and I wasted a week of my life on it, right? 375 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:06,480 And so, but, but the Lord wasn't going to let that rest. 376 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:09,200 That wasn't something that I was going to. 377 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,520 I had a like I talked about last week, I was going to come to a 378 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:18,080 impasse where either I was going to do what the Lord wanted me to 379 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,480 do, or I was going to quit listening all together. 380 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:23,120 And that wasn't because the Lord changed. 381 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:25,080 It was going to be my heart, right? 382 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,600 I was either going to listen or I was going to be done right. 383 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:32,040 I was going to harden my heart if I didn't decide to listen. 384 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,080 And that's where we are all the time, right? 385 00:24:34,360 --> 00:24:37,840 The Lord's speaking to you. If he stops speaking to you, you 386 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:42,320 need to be worried, right? If that, if that would have went 387 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:45,040 blank and all of a sudden the Lord isn't talking to me about 388 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:48,560 that, I wouldn't have felt like I won the conversation. 389 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:50,960 I didn't know him what happened, right? 390 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:53,440 I didn't know him that I know what I'm supposed to do when I 391 00:24:53,440 --> 00:25:05,320 need to go do it. The when we get in trouble, it's 392 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:07,720 like hiding from the suck, right? 393 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,400 I mean, that was me trying to hide from the suck of telling 394 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:17,080 Mark it's it's hiding from the discipline of the Lord when I 395 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:19,000 choose to. And then and what happens is I 396 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,680 choose to walk farther and farther away from the Lord when 397 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:26,000 that happens, if I'm trying to hide from it and then and that 398 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:32,040 makes me a slave to sin. And that's Romans 16 through 18. 399 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:36,040 And you guys have heard, I've heard, sorry, Romans 616 through 400 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:37,880 18. And I've used this a lot. 401 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:42,280 But do you not know that if you present yourself to anyone as 402 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:47,040 obedient slaves, you are a slave of the one whom you obey, either 403 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:49,960 of sin, which leads to death, or obedience, which leads to 404 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,360 righteousness? But thanks be to God that you 405 00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:57,040 were once slaves of sin, having become obedient from the heart 406 00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:01,000 to the standard of teaching which you were committed, and 407 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:04,200 having been set free from sin, you have become slaves of 408 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:06,800 righteousness. And that's the day you gave your 409 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:11,720 life to Jesus. He gave you the ability to 410 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:13,600 follow Him. That's that. 411 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,920 That's the thing about being a slave to Christ is that you're a 412 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:21,120 slave to Christ, but what you're a slave to is, is being willing 413 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:23,600 to follow Him. And He's going to give you the 414 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,800 power to do it, but you have to be willing. 415 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:33,400 And the day we gave our life to Christ and called Him Lord, we 416 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:35,840 agreed to be his slave and follow him. 417 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:41,360 You were forgiven and all things became new that day. 2nd 418 00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:45,120 Corinthians 517 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new 419 00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:48,280 creation. Old has passed away and behold 420 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:56,520 the new has come. But like all new things, if not 421 00:26:56,520 --> 00:27:00,160 care for what happens to him. Had a friend's daughter, was 422 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:05,760 given a brand new Honda Civic and she came over to my house. 423 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:09,800 I was where I was working on lots of, I was doing youth group 424 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:11,440 stuff, so lots of cars and stuff. 425 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:15,560 And her dad, the divorced family. 426 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:18,840 So the dad had bought her this car and maybe it wasn't brand 427 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:23,480 new, but it was, it was newer. And I bought her this car and, 428 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:28,520 you know, dropped it off and she lived at her mom's house and it 429 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:32,760 had a noise. So in the time she had owned the 430 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:35,680 car, she didn't know how to pop the hood. 431 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:37,120 She'd had it like a year and a half. 432 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:40,200 If you have the car for a year and a half and you haven't 433 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:46,200 pumped the hood, could be some, could be some neglect going on, 434 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:48,400 right? Maybe some maintenance is 435 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,640 needed. She burned that car up for lack 436 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:59,160 of oil, and that's neglect. That doesn't mean it wasn't a 437 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:00,920 new car. Doesn't mean it wasn't a nice 438 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:06,640 car, but it was neglected. I was actually talking to Uncle 439 00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:09,440 Pat on the way. We were joking about him being a 440 00:28:09,440 --> 00:28:11,240 teacher and not being a teacher and that stuff. 441 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:13,880 And something I've learned from him over the years. 442 00:28:14,120 --> 00:28:16,360 You know what you want to do in your life. 443 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,680 Want to be in the Word. Want to be in the word every 444 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,480 day. Just just open it. 445 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:25,120 I mean, if you don't have time to read chapters and chapters, 446 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,080 just be in it. Read today. 447 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:31,040 Ask the Lord to speak to you, right? 448 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:34,440 He'll show you stuff. Don't neglect that. 449 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:36,920 Be in prayer, don't neglect that. 450 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:45,280 And Hebrews 2-3 says, how shall we escape if we neglect such a 451 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:48,400 great salvation? It was declared at first by the 452 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:52,640 Lord and it was attested to by those who heard. 453 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:56,160 And neglect just means to fail to do something, either by 454 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:59,600 accident or on purpose. So the girl that didn't pop her 455 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:01,560 hood, that was an accident. She didn't know. 456 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:06,120 She literally didn't know there was all I mean should no no 457 00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:10,920 knowledge of how a car runs. You just turn the key on it can 458 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:13,840 involve responsibilities not using available available 459 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:16,560 resources or choosing not to take action when you should. 460 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:22,320 So how much of that is is marks our Christian life not using 461 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:26,400 available resources. You know Peter Peter when he was 462 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:29,480 sinking shortest prayer in the Bible. 463 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:34,880 Lord save me, you know that's that's something we need to get 464 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:38,040 good at is when I'm about to fail. 465 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:44,560 Lord save me from me a lot. The when we ignore our 466 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:48,640 salvation, when we ignore what the Lord has done, it always 467 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:54,480 reminds me truly does the funniest dentist office like 468 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:58,280 little picture on the wall said don't brush your teeth, don't 469 00:29:58,280 --> 00:29:59,680 floss your teeth. Just ignore them. 470 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:08,320 They'll go away and right. And that is that is truth and 471 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:10,560 and that has to do with our relationship with the Lord. 472 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:14,200 He's not willing to yell. He's not willing to scream at 473 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:16,240 us. You know, as parents, a lot of 474 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:19,440 times when our kids aren't listen, listening, we get louder 475 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:23,000 and we scream and yell and the Lord is he. 476 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:25,480 He's going to put things in your path that make you turn to him. 477 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:28,120 He's not going to yell at you. There's going to be a louder 478 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:32,120 voice in your ear. It's just going to be that he 479 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:35,320 loves you and he wants the best for you and you need to turn. 480 00:30:44,070 --> 00:30:47,830 It's I don't want to neglect my relationship with his son. 481 00:30:48,590 --> 00:30:50,670 The gift of being filled with the Holy Spirit. 482 00:30:51,670 --> 00:30:55,270 If there's anything in my life I allow to create a create a 483 00:30:55,270 --> 00:31:01,550 shadow in my life, you know it. It's am I being lured and 484 00:31:01,550 --> 00:31:06,360 enticed by my own desires because sin will finish its work 485 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:10,640 if I don't repent. If we don't repent, God is not 486 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:15,240 willing to let let you or me go quietly into the night. 487 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:24,160 He will, He will chasten you. He wants you to turn. 488 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:29,520 But if we don't turn James in verse 15 says, then desire, when 489 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:33,440 it is on, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin and sin when 490 00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:35,600 it is full grown, bring forth death. 491 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:41,280 That's where it ends up not not unlike not putting oil in a car. 492 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:44,760 Sooner or later the car just quits. 493 00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:50,320 As a believer, we must always remember we are not up for the 494 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:53,760 fight. We're not up for the fight 495 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:56,800 against temptation or sin. I don't have it in me to win 496 00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:59,880 that battle. We will miss. 497 00:31:59,960 --> 00:32:02,240 It will happen. The closer you get in your 498 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:06,960 relationship with Jesus, the more you will be able to see. 499 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:12,720 The farther from the mark we've reached right the the the 500 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:17,800 dirtier I see myself, the closer I get to the Lord, I can see 501 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:24,080 like some of my motivations, some of my just quiet sin that I 502 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:26,960 didn't even recognize was sin when I first became a believer. 503 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:35,040 Paul talks about it or sorry in first Timothy says this is a 504 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:40,040 trustworthy saying and deserves of deserving of full acceptance 505 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:45,200 that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I 506 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:50,440 am the foremost right. Paul recognized his position. 507 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:57,480 Paul doesn't say, oh, well, this is just how God may be. 508 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:01,600 You know, Adam in the garden said the woman you gave me 509 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:08,920 because it was God's fault. There's nothing in nothing that 510 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:12,080 no sin in my life that I can turn and say, Lord, this is how 511 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:13,600 you made me. It's me. 512 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:16,680 Me and Faye were talking about some of the the sins out there. 513 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:19,360 You know, some of the addictions out there and what we call them 514 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:24,680 is addictions of disease. There's a lot of addictions out 515 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:31,920 there that that so we we fund at a a lot, we advertise for the 516 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:36,560 disease, right. Alcoholism is a disease that is 517 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:41,760 a multi million dollar, $100 million a week business that we 518 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:44,640 fund, right. So maybe it's not a disease, 519 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:49,920 maybe it's just sin and we're free built for it. 520 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:52,560 But that's because we're pre built for sin. 521 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:58,280 We're either on we're either in Christ or in sin. 522 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:04,520 So it's it's not something that Paul at any point points at God 523 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:07,400 and says, and God made me this way so I can't be changed. 524 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:14,639 Romans 718 and 19 and this is Paul and I'm sure you guys know 525 00:34:14,639 --> 00:34:19,560 this this part. For I know that nothing good 526 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:22,320 dwells in me that is in my flesh. 527 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:26,080 For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to 528 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:29,120 carry it out. For I do not do the good I want 529 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:32,400 to, but the evil I do not want to do what is what I keep on 530 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:35,440 doing. And everybody says Amen and 531 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:41,120 that's me. But if you go on to verse 24, 532 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:47,239 Paul says wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this 533 00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:50,560 body of death. Thanks be to God through Christ 534 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:55,600 Jesus our Lord. So when I myself serve the law 535 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:59,520 of God with my mind but my flesh, I serve the law of sin. 536 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:05,520 The point is, the only way we win is in Christ our position. 537 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,400 And I I listen to a guy that that his his congregation when 538 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:12,480 he handed you guys don't do this, but his congregation 539 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,000 whenever he says what is your position, they say in Christ, 540 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:19,960 because if we're in Christ, we are protected. 541 00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:25,240 We we move like he moves. We're shielded from what the 542 00:35:25,240 --> 00:35:27,320 enemy can do. The enemy can do nothing to me 543 00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:30,880 in Christ, just like the rain can't get me wet in the 544 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:37,560 building. And but Paul completely 545 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:40,480 understood his need, his need for grace. 546 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:45,760 The more time Paul spent with Jesus, the more he understood 547 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:48,360 his need for more time with Jesus. 548 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:52,320 Do we understand that, that there's never a point, like I 549 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:54,400 said at the beginning, there's never a point that we just tie a 550 00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:58,560 knot and say, I'm close enough. You know, that we did when I did 551 00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:01,120 high school ministry, high schoolers very often. 552 00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:05,200 And, and I think they're just more honest about it very often 553 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:09,720 want to know how far can I, how close can I get to sin before 554 00:36:09,720 --> 00:36:13,120 it's sin? That is never the question 555 00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:16,760 because we are sinners saved by grace. 556 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:23,520 And it's how close can I get to Jesus because I'm already a 557 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:25,480 Sinner. So it's not a matter of well, 558 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:27,840 how far until I'm sinning? Well, you're already a Sinner. 559 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:32,680 You need Jesus and you need what he does in your life. 560 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:39,320 We never arrive. We're always moving towards 561 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:42,320 Christ or away from Christ this side of the grave. 562 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:50,720 We will have a choice until the day we die because our our free 563 00:36:50,720 --> 00:36:54,120 will was so important to our Lord and Savior that he died on 564 00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:59,920 a cross for you guys get that that when we talk about liberty 565 00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:02,640 and and I have rights. He did give us liberty and 566 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:10,680 rights because if I'm God and I am not my attitude, my son died 567 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:14,240 for you, you will accept him, period. 568 00:37:14,720 --> 00:37:18,320 There isn't a conversation. We're not, I'm not letting you 569 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:20,280 choose. He died for you. 570 00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:25,480 You will accept that because that's what's best for you, 571 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:27,480 right? To accept that. 572 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:29,640 That's what's best for you. And he did the work. 573 00:37:29,640 --> 00:37:31,800 So now accept it. And that's not what the Lord 574 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:35,000 does. It's a it's a choice we get to 575 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:42,240 make. When we think Christianity is a 576 00:37:42,240 --> 00:37:47,640 rule book, we don't understand what what Jesus did on the 577 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:51,200 cross. When we think that I have to 578 00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:55,520 follow a set of rules instead of coming to the Lord and having a 579 00:37:55,520 --> 00:38:01,080 relationship with Him, I used marriage the other day. 580 00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:06,400 Marriage is not a set of rules that you follow. 581 00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:08,520 It's a relationship with your spouse. 582 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:11,880 Right now, there are there rules in marriage. 583 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:16,840 Yeah, but that isn't what makes the marriage good. 584 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:21,920 It's a relationship that you're not cheating on one another is 585 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:26,000 just a well, that kind of a byproduct, right, of loving one 586 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:29,920 another. And but it's I don't, I don't 587 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:33,040 concentrate every day on following the rules of marriage. 588 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:36,920 I concentrate on loving my wife. I concentrate on that 589 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:42,160 relationship and that's the relationship we're supposed to 590 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:44,640 have with Jesus. Concentrating on the 591 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:52,680 relationship. So Jesus says come and rest and 592 00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:57,960 Satan says go to work, right? Satan wants you to focus on the 593 00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:00,360 rules. He wants to make Christianity a 594 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:04,440 religion and not not a relationship. 595 00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:11,120 Ephesians 610 says, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his 596 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:13,840 strength, or in the strength of his might. 597 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:17,040 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand 598 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:18,360 against the schemes of the devil. 599 00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:23,200 And then remember, we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, 600 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,040 but against rulers and against authorities and against cosmic 601 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:29,720 powers over the present darkness, against the spiritual 602 00:39:29,720 --> 00:39:35,720 forces of evil in this heavenly and, and to remember that that 603 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:40,040 we are unable. I mean, I, I will continue to 604 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:45,960 say this about leaning in to what Christ does in our life and 605 00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:48,640 how we do that is having a better relationship with him 606 00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:52,680 today than I did yesterday. Because if at any point I think 607 00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:56,280 I can stand the enemy, the enemy starts in like at a Little 608 00:39:56,280 --> 00:39:59,080 League game. Imagine I haven't been to a 609 00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:03,360 Little League game in probably a decade plus. 610 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:05,360 But especially a middle school game. 611 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:07,920 Does everybody remember what happens when the batter's up and 612 00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:11,440 the pitcher's getting ready to pitch all the, all the, the 613 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:13,920 whole outfield in the infield saying hey, bata, bata, Bata, 614 00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:16,600 Bata, swing Bata and then laughing when he misses, Right. 615 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:24,280 Well, the enemy is, is doing very similar to us. 616 00:40:24,280 --> 00:40:26,880 He's, he's tempting, tempting, tempting, tempting. 617 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:30,680 And then there's sin and they're laughing. 618 00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:34,240 And then he then he says, hide it, hide it, don't tell anybody. 619 00:40:34,760 --> 00:40:37,200 And then, then, then he's got you where he wants you. 620 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:40,000 And he just says Sinner, you're just a Sinner. 621 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:43,120 God, give up. You're a loser. 622 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:47,960 God doesn't use losers, you're useless. 623 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:53,520 Die. That's his method, right? 624 00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:59,120 His method is to tempt you to get you to sin, to get you 625 00:40:59,120 --> 00:41:02,600 alone, to get you separated, to make you walk away. 626 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:08,200 So how do we, how do we defend against that? 627 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:15,400 How do we defend against sin? First John 19 and I do tell you 628 00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:17,800 go, go to 1st John. Read, read the chapter. 629 00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:22,400 But verse 9 says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and 630 00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:25,640 just forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all 631 00:41:25,640 --> 00:41:29,880 unrighteousness. Get along with the Lord. 632 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:32,920 Talk to him about where you're at, if there's anything, if 633 00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:36,600 there's any shadow in your life. This is something I do on a 634 00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:42,640 daily basis. That is Lord, is there anything 635 00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:48,400 between me and you keeping short accounts. 636 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:52,200 That's that's when you keep short accounts. 637 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:56,320 The enemy gets out of your ear. He he has nothing to whisper. 638 00:41:57,560 --> 00:42:03,320 We're we are unable to fight the battle right without the Lord. 639 00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:06,960 It is an unwinnable battle. I've I've used the the other day 640 00:42:06,960 --> 00:42:10,120 when I was here, I was using the story about a three-year old 641 00:42:10,120 --> 00:42:13,600 fighting a grown man, but it's actually a three-year old 642 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:16,720 fighting a a middle school bully. 643 00:42:17,360 --> 00:42:18,840 Does a three-year old stand a chance? 644 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:25,880 But if Bob his dad is here, does the middle schooler stand a 645 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:31,160 chance? That's Jesus, right? 646 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:35,280 Is Jesus, the middle school bully got no, nothing on him, 647 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:38,600 right? He just takes him out. 648 00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:42,120 But if the three-year old puts up his fists and decides he's 649 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:44,000 going to fight the the bully, how's that go? 650 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:46,960 Right? And that can be a tough 651 00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:48,200 three-year old and it doesn't matter. 652 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:54,280 He loses every time. We are that we. 653 00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:56,240 That's where we're at in this battle. 654 00:42:59,440 --> 00:43:02,600 Verse 16 says do not be deceived, my brothers, my 655 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:06,680 beloved brothers, as soon as Satan gets us in a conversation 656 00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:12,440 about you or someone else, we have already lost. 657 00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:17,080 If you think about if you think about conversations with Satan 658 00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:21,680 in the Bible, Michael the Archangel didn't even spend time 659 00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:24,760 talking to Satan. He simply said the Lord rebuke 660 00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:27,080 you. And Jude 19, it says, but when 661 00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:31,040 when the Archangel Michael contended with the devil was 662 00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:34,120 disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to 663 00:43:34,120 --> 00:43:37,400 pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said the Lord 664 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:40,320 rebuke you. So that's, that's Michael the 665 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:44,240 Archangel. But the one I love that I found 666 00:43:44,240 --> 00:43:48,360 the other day and I just it's it's better than Michael the 667 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:51,080 Archangel. The Lord won't even discuss you 668 00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:56,840 with Satan. Zechariah 3 starting in verse 669 00:43:56,840 --> 00:43:59,640 one, it says then he showed me to Joshua the high priest 670 00:43:59,640 --> 00:44:03,920 standing before the Angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his 671 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:07,200 right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, the 672 00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:12,680 Lord rebuke you, O Satan, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem 673 00:44:12,680 --> 00:44:16,000 rebuke you. Is not this a brand plucked from 674 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:18,520 the fire? Now Joshua was standing before 675 00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:20,640 the Angel clothed with filthy garments. 676 00:44:20,640 --> 00:44:24,080 And the Angel said to those who were standing before him, remove 677 00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:27,680 the filthy garments. And to him he said, behold, I 678 00:44:27,680 --> 00:44:31,480 have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you 679 00:44:31,480 --> 00:44:34,720 with pure vestment, which just means priestly robes. 680 00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:38,640 This is God telling Satan to hush it. 681 00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:42,720 You have no, you have no standing here to talk. 682 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:49,600 You have no standing to accuse. You have no standing if we're in 683 00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:51,760 Christ. That is the conversation. 684 00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:57,760 The Lord, the Lord doesn't have to debate with Satan. 685 00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:03,120 He just says shut up, he's mine, shut up, she's mine. 686 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:11,160 And our contribution to that Jonathan Edwards, another old 687 00:45:11,160 --> 00:45:16,840 dead guy, you contribute nothing to your to your salvation. 688 00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:19,920 Accept the sin that made it necessary. 689 00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:23,640 And this is that this is that picture Joshua. 690 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:27,760 Joshua has Joshua's not Joshua's in the room, but he's not in the 691 00:45:27,760 --> 00:45:30,720 conversation. Josh was clothed and filthy 692 00:45:30,720 --> 00:45:33,840 garments, but he's not even in the conversation. 693 00:45:36,320 --> 00:45:40,480 Zach goes on in verse 5 and says, And I said, let let them 694 00:45:40,480 --> 00:45:43,560 put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on 695 00:45:43,560 --> 00:45:45,280 his head and clothed him with garments. 696 00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:51,200 And the Angel of the Lord was standing by. 17 and 18. 697 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:54,080 And James says, every good gift and every perfect gift is from 698 00:45:54,080 --> 00:45:57,160 above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom 699 00:45:57,160 --> 00:46:02,080 there is no variation or shadow due to change of his own will. 700 00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:05,400 He brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a 701 00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:07,800 kind of firstfruits of his creation. 702 00:46:07,800 --> 00:46:10,840 And today they were talking one of the songs they were talking 703 00:46:10,840 --> 00:46:16,080 about that we were like scarlet. And that's Isaiah 118 says, come 704 00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:19,520 now, let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins 705 00:46:19,800 --> 00:46:22,880 are like scarlet, they shall be made white as snow. 706 00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:26,960 They are red like Crimson, they shall become like wool. 707 00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:33,400 And and like with Joshua, this is not God saying do this and 708 00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:37,440 get that God has a free cleaning plan. 709 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:41,000 Thank you. I think I've talked about it 710 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:50,000 before, but when GA Jesus didn't die for my sins, I love saying 711 00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:51,240 that because it makes everybody look up. 712 00:46:54,880 --> 00:46:59,320 He did pay for him, but he threw him as far as E is from the 713 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:02,520 West. He died from me he died. 714 00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:05,160 He died so me and him could have a relationship. 715 00:47:06,760 --> 00:47:10,520 No, no different than if I buy, if I buy a car and it's filthy, 716 00:47:10,560 --> 00:47:12,080 I didn't buy the dirt on the car. 717 00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:15,560 I did pay for the dirt on the car, but I'm going to clean the 718 00:47:15,560 --> 00:47:18,160 car and I'm not going to save the dirt. 719 00:47:20,360 --> 00:47:24,080 That's that's what Jesus did for us and he did it. 720 00:47:24,720 --> 00:47:28,920 He did it because of what he did on the cross, not because of 721 00:47:28,920 --> 00:47:32,160 what I do, right? I don't contribute anything to 722 00:47:32,160 --> 00:47:38,040 that part of it. And back in Zechariah verses 6 723 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:41,400 and seven, it says in the Angel of the Lord, solemn, solemnly 724 00:47:41,400 --> 00:47:45,160 assured Joshua. Thus says the Lord of hosts, if 725 00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:49,640 you will walk in my ways, keep my charge, then you shall rule 726 00:47:49,640 --> 00:47:53,240 my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the 727 00:47:53,240 --> 00:47:57,080 right of access among those who are standing here. 728 00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:02,960 So look at that difference. Do we notice what God, what 729 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:05,920 God's promise isn't? It isn't. 730 00:48:05,920 --> 00:48:09,120 God is not telling Joshua, if you do these things, I will save 731 00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:12,320 you. He's already saved Joshua. 732 00:48:13,680 --> 00:48:17,800 What he's telling Joshua, If you do these things, if you, if you 733 00:48:17,800 --> 00:48:22,160 follow me, if you listen to my commandments, I will give you, I 734 00:48:22,160 --> 00:48:27,480 will give you power over those principalities and powers. 735 00:48:27,480 --> 00:48:30,240 I will give you the ability to go out and change the world. 736 00:48:31,280 --> 00:48:33,880 I will. I will make you a judge, a 737 00:48:33,880 --> 00:48:41,160 leader of my court, but that's out of obedience that's that's 738 00:48:41,160 --> 00:48:46,040 out of leaning in and not neglecting the salvation right 739 00:48:46,040 --> 00:48:49,200 of of really accepting that it's about that relationship with the 740 00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:52,560 Lord. John 1421 And you guys hear, you 741 00:48:52,560 --> 00:48:55,960 guys will hear this redundantly because it is a it is, it is 742 00:48:56,000 --> 00:48:59,480 really the picture that I love of the Lord, whoever has my 743 00:48:59,480 --> 00:49:02,440 commandments and keeps them. It is he who loves me and he who 744 00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:04,680 loves me. We loved by the Father and I 745 00:49:04,680 --> 00:49:08,240 will love him and manifest myself to him. 746 00:49:10,160 --> 00:49:16,000 If I listen to the Lord, if I follow his, his convictions and 747 00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:20,200 I I move the direction he wants me to move, he will show himself 748 00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:23,720 in my life. He will become more real every 749 00:49:23,720 --> 00:49:33,440 day and it is that simple. And I don't, I don't know where 750 00:49:33,440 --> 00:49:38,760 everybody is here today. I don't know if where. 751 00:49:42,680 --> 00:49:45,280 I don't know if you're in sin. I don't know if you're if you're 752 00:49:45,280 --> 00:49:47,960 walking with the Lord. I know a bunch of you are. 753 00:49:47,960 --> 00:49:52,000 I know a bunch of you love him with all your heart, but have 754 00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:56,920 that conversation. There's only one way and Jesus 755 00:49:56,920 --> 00:49:59,840 says I'm the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the 756 00:49:59,840 --> 00:50:04,600 Father except through him. And that means I don't get to go 757 00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:08,720 outside of Christ and spend time with him. 758 00:50:09,760 --> 00:50:14,320 I only get to spend time in I get to spend time with Jesus in 759 00:50:14,320 --> 00:50:18,800 Christ in Jesus, right. It is a I'm either surrendered 760 00:50:20,120 --> 00:50:22,360 or I'm not. There's a, a Psalm in the Old 761 00:50:22,360 --> 00:50:26,560 Testament that tells you that if you're not a believer, if you're 762 00:50:26,560 --> 00:50:29,520 not following Jesus, your prayers are bouncing off the 763 00:50:29,520 --> 00:50:30,760 ceiling because then you're listening. 764 00:50:34,760 --> 00:50:42,720 And that is the prayer he's listening to is Lord, save me, 765 00:50:44,600 --> 00:50:48,400 Lord, come in and fill me. I'm a Sinner. 766 00:50:49,320 --> 00:50:50,800 That's the prayer he's listening to. 767 00:50:52,040 --> 00:50:55,160 Like Joshua, there is nothing we bring except filth. 768 00:50:56,520 --> 00:50:58,400 But he will clean us and give us new clothes. 769 00:51:00,480 --> 00:51:03,680 All we have to do is ask, believing he is able. 770 00:51:04,800 --> 00:51:08,520 Romans 10/9 says because if you confess with your mouth that 771 00:51:08,520 --> 00:51:11,960 Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him 772 00:51:11,960 --> 00:51:14,360 from the dead, you will be saved. 773 00:51:14,560 --> 00:51:21,760 It is that simple. So not not giving a call today, 774 00:51:23,520 --> 00:51:28,200 but I am asking you to talk to the Lord where you at? 775 00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:32,560 Where's your heart at? And and that's you've been a 776 00:51:32,560 --> 00:51:35,080 believer for 20 years. You've been a believer for 50 777 00:51:35,080 --> 00:51:39,360 years or you have no idea that what Jesus has done in your 778 00:51:39,360 --> 00:51:47,680 life. It's this simple, Lord, what do 779 00:51:47,680 --> 00:51:49,600 you have? What do you want me to do? 780 00:51:49,920 --> 00:51:57,040 Speak to my heart. And Lord, I just I lift up 781 00:51:57,040 --> 00:52:00,840 everybody here and I lift up just the the fact that you do 782 00:52:00,840 --> 00:52:05,440 cleanse us, Lord, that you do fill us with your spirit that 783 00:52:05,440 --> 00:52:11,600 you clean us, that you wash us white as snow. 784 00:52:12,840 --> 00:52:18,880 Lord, be with us today. Be with us in the conversations 785 00:52:18,880 --> 00:52:24,680 and the fellowship we have, but Lord also be be with us in the 786 00:52:24,680 --> 00:52:26,400 world, be with us in the community. 787 00:52:26,840 --> 00:52:30,880 That we would be that light for you Lord, that we would reflect 788 00:52:30,880 --> 00:52:37,640 what you have for us, and that you give us appointments and 789 00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:39,200 pray. All this in Jesus name, Amen.