1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:05,760 Chapter 2 verses, we're going to get 3 through 6 tonight. 2 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:10,280 First, Johnny is dance. It's kind of funny. 3 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:11,800 I was going through my commentaries. 4 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:14,200 I was telling Faye I was going to, I was going to sit down on 5 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:16,760 Sunday and just read the commentary on 1st John. 6 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:21,240 Chapter 2. It's A and it's commentary 7 00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:27,560 writing and it's like 16 pages, like an Exodus chapter is a page 8 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:31,640 and 1/2 chapter 2 of first John is 16 pages. 9 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:35,000 It's like it's kind of dance. Yeah. 10 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:36,800 I'm not reading all of that. That isn't going to. 11 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,560 I mean, I could read it, but I wouldn't, I wouldn't retain it 12 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,000 because it's so, so. Yeah. 13 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,160 Anyway, so that it. But that isn't a complaint. 14 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:48,920 That's just cool, right? That it's, it's fun to go 15 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,320 through it. So Lord, I just lift up this 16 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:56,200 time together and Lord that you're that you'd be here, Lord, 17 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:01,040 that you'd be speaking, Lord, that I'd get out of the way and 18 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,200 Lord that that you'd be teaching me as well. 19 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,480 Lord, that you would not only be speaking through me, Lord, but 20 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,560 that you'd be teaching me. And Lord that you'd be in our 21 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:15,280 midst, Lord, that you just build us up for the week ahead and 22 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,080 that you would guide and direct. I pray this all in Jesus name, 23 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:23,960 Amen. So verse 3 Now by this we know 24 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:27,080 that we know him if we keep his commandments. 25 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:31,320 He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a 26 00:01:31,320 --> 00:01:33,520 liar and the truth is not in him. 27 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:38,760 But whoever keeps his word truly the love of God is perfected in 28 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:41,440 him. By this we know that we are in 29 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,400 him. He who says he abides in him 30 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:51,560 ought himself also to walk just as he walked and that is so that 31 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:56,600 start off with verse 3 and it's now by this we know that we know 32 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:02,680 him if we keep his commandments and that that no is Gonosco and 33 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:07,440 it's to know absolutely or to know through personal 34 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,000 experience. And that's so some places that 35 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,880 that word is used kind of explain it is Luke 134. 36 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:20,760 Then Mary said to the Angel, how can this be, since I do not know 37 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:22,680 a man. So that gives you an idea of 38 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,280 just that that personal experience, right. 39 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:34,760 But this is like that complete knowing is Mark 529 and this is 40 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:36,800 the lady with the with the flow of blood. 41 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:41,440 And after she touches Jesus's the hem of his garment and it 42 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,840 says immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up and she 43 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:50,320 felt it in her body that she was healed of that affliction. 44 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:55,200 And that felt is that ganosko. So that's so like she knows, 45 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,720 right? It's a it's an internal knowing. 46 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,760 And in the the the cool thing is, it's a lot of times hard to 47 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,080 find words that do cross this line. 48 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:10,840 But ganosko and yata, which is the Hebrew word for that that 49 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:15,760 used as know and it's to know by experience, relationship or 50 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:19,360 encounter. And another place for one is 51 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,160 another one where Adam knew his wife. 52 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:28,880 But Ganos goes to know far beyond not just the book level. 53 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:34,360 It's it's to know, right? It's, it's to experience And how 54 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,120 I explained how I, how I thought that through was. 55 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:42,520 So we're, we're all older now, but we were, we were all young 56 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:48,080 at one time and we had friends that had kids and we had 57 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,920 opinions and then we had kids and we had friends that didn't 58 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:56,320 have kids and they had opinions. And we, you know, in the, in 59 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:01,800 the, your, your 20s, you know, I've got, I've got kids and, and 60 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:03,880 I, I will pick on him. He doesn't watch this, so it 61 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:07,480 doesn't matter. But I had a good friend who he, 62 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:13,840 he told me my children are never going to eat McDonald's because 63 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,440 I think I was stopping and getting McDonald's French fries 64 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:18,920 or something for Alexa and they're never going to eat 65 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:20,839 McDonald's. So because God has a sense of 66 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,800 humor. When he had, he had twins, which 67 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:31,800 wore him down pretty quickly. But I think from age 3 to 5, one 68 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:38,680 of his daughters would only eat chicken Nuggets and had an aunt 69 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,520 that would do. But it's what I mean by that is 70 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:47,840 we can read lots of books about something, but knowing it, being 71 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:49,840 a parent, you learn how to be a parent, right? 72 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:53,320 You, you know how to be a parent once you're in being a parent. 73 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:55,880 And it's not that you're, you're like that. 74 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,920 You don't know everything. But you know what, what this is, 75 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:00,160 right? I know my child. 76 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:09,240 And that's that, that's that idea of Genosko or to Yata 77 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:13,200 something is to absolutely know it, to absolutely understand it. 78 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:18,000 And that if we go back to it now by this, we know that we know 79 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:23,360 him if we keep his commandments. So we we know, we, we absolutely 80 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:28,720 know that we absolutely know him if we're doing what he says. 81 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:36,360 And then second Chronicles chapter 2, verse 12. 82 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,920 And this is talking about Solomon, it says Harem also 83 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:43,880 said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and 84 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:47,080 earth. And he he has given King David a 85 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:51,240 wise son, endowed. And that endowed is that yada 86 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:56,360 word which is to know absolutely endowed with prudence and 87 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,160 understanding, who will build the temple for the Lord and a 88 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:03,760 royal house for himself. And now I have sent a skillful 89 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:09,040 man endowed with understanding Herm, my master Craftsman. 90 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:13,560 And the idea there is guys, not only not only is knowing him 91 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:20,040 absolutely a by keeping his commandments, but he he gives us 92 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,000 the power to do that, right. So it's, it's both. 93 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,440 And it's not just that like I know something, it's as I'm 94 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:31,160 doing His commandments, as I'm following, as I'm listening, He 95 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,360 is giving me that ability to follow and listen better. 96 00:06:46,690 --> 00:06:50,530 And when we gave our lives to Christ, we stepped into him and 97 00:06:50,530 --> 00:06:53,610 he stepped into US. However that you know, it's I 98 00:06:54,090 --> 00:06:56,690 I've heard it, I've heard it explained numerous different 99 00:06:56,690 --> 00:07:01,210 ways of that we're a sponge in in the ocean. 100 00:07:01,210 --> 00:07:04,970 You know, we're, we're, he's in US and we're in him kind of 101 00:07:04,970 --> 00:07:10,760 thing. But this keeping his 102 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:16,520 commandments is something that is not there's 600 there. 103 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:21,400 We we think of 10 commandments. And if you've ever had anybody 104 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:23,920 teach the 10 commandments, like if you've ever listened to 105 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:27,560 Alistair beg teach them, you can figure out like by halfway 106 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:29,520 through the first one, you're going to miss all of them. 107 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,560 So you can't get all the the 1st 10, but there's actually like 108 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:39,440 613 commandments that the Israelites were supposed to 109 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:43,600 follow rules and regulations. And so is that what it's talking 110 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,120 about when it says keep his commandments It it's not which 111 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:52,560 is good for us in that, but it's it isn't it is keeping his 112 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,680 commandments is resting in the grace. 113 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,280 That doesn't mean that we then go against the commandments. 114 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,920 It is that we're not looking at those commandments right. 115 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:08,160 There are rules. So in my house, when my 116 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:10,040 daughters were in my house, there are rules to be in my 117 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:12,240 house. You know, you, you close the 118 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:14,280 doors, you turn off the lights, this kind of stuff. 119 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:19,920 But the commandments that my, it was, it was me and my daughter's 120 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,480 relationship is what made her my daughter, right? 121 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:26,200 It, it's that we, we knew each other and those are the 122 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:28,040 commandments the Lord's thinking about, right? 123 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:30,680 It's, you got to remember that in the Old Testament, what he 124 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:34,200 was doing is using, if you, if you go through all the 125 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:37,039 commandments, you will see Jesus all over him and where he 126 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:41,159 fulfilled them. But the commandments that we're, 127 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:47,600 we're aimed at and he, he says it later on, but it's to love 128 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,160 God and love others. But if you look at loving God 129 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,800 and loving others, it is doing all the commandments right. 130 00:08:53,800 --> 00:09:02,440 They they line up with that and he says that, but what we're 131 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,840 trying to do is know him, knowing him, listening to his 132 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,520 leading and by grace through faith, obeying his leading. 133 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:14,760 And that's the commandments not and not following our fleshly 134 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:19,120 desires, which is this whole book. 135 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:22,960 Whenever, whenever God isn't doing something, this whole book 136 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:25,400 is about people that are following their fleshly desires 137 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:28,520 and and God reacting to that, right? 138 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,160 That's we can go through it and I can there is, I mean, why is 139 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:34,960 there divorce? Why are the Israelites, why can 140 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,480 they give a certificate of divorce because of their hard 141 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:39,120 hearts. Moses gave them the right to do 142 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,680 that so that they wouldn't leave, leave widows, poor and 143 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:48,240 destitute, right? So it is we are dirt and we are 144 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:51,160 selfish. So outside of Christ we and 145 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:55,120 we'll get into that, but outside of Christ we have nothing to 146 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,360 offer. All we have to offer is 147 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:04,840 following him. Ephesians 21 says, And we're 148 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:08,400 going Ephesians 2, one through 6. 149 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:13,560 And it says, And you He made alive, who were dead in trespass 150 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:17,240 and sin, in which you once walked according to the course 151 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,920 of the world, according to the Prince of the power of the air, 152 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:26,680 the Spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, Among whom 153 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:31,800 also we all once conducted ourselves in lust of the flesh, 154 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:37,440 fulfilling the desires of the flesh of the mind, and were by 155 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:41,120 nature children of what wrath, just as the others. 156 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:46,440 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love, with 157 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:50,800 which He loved us even when we were dead in trespass, made us 158 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:55,880 alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and 159 00:10:55,880 --> 00:11:02,040 raised and raised us up together and made us sit together in 160 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:07,440 heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And if you look at this Paul, 161 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,280 Paul knew the law, Genoskote the law. 162 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:18,800 He knew it, he understood it and he he understood it had no power 163 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:23,720 to do anything but to condemn. And and that is, I mean, that is 164 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:25,120 Paul. That's, you know, the, the 165 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:27,600 Pharisees, we, we pick on them because they're always, they 166 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:31,440 always say, if, if there was a, a drama, whenever they came on 167 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:34,240 stage, everybody would Boo and hiss and Jesus would come on 168 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:40,960 stage and everybody would cheer, because that's the, the Gospels 169 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:43,480 and the, and Acts, what we get to see the Pharisees. 170 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,280 But do you understand? They were they were holy men. 171 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:52,720 They were whitewashed tombs and and unable to do what they were 172 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:55,200 being, but they were the back to Bible group, right? 173 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:57,320 They were the guys. If you'd have met him, if I'd 174 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:00,960 have met him outside of Christ, you'd have said that is a holy 175 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:04,400 man, right? They were they were those guys. 176 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:10,240 And Paul all through. Whenever he's talking about his 177 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:15,120 time as a Pharisee, he didn't, he didn't say I was a hypocrite 178 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:20,520 in the, in the sense that I was out pretending I was doing all 179 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,160 the things I was supposed to do and they were dead. 180 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,040 And you, and you can see a Pharisee of Pharisees of 181 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,640 Benjamite, He, he was, he was that guy. 182 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:33,240 And he's like, and I did it and I did it to the best of my 183 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,080 ability. And it was a complete waste. 184 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:39,320 I, I was completely unable to perform it. 185 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:45,680 And it's why as you go through why Paul gets, as you go through 186 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:51,080 the his epistles, he gets pretty animated with people about 187 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:59,160 trying to serve the law instead of serve the lawmaker, right, 188 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:04,240 Because that's who we're supposed to be after Galatians 189 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:13,960 219 through 21 says for though sorry for through the law, for I 190 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,320 through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 191 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:19,440 I have been crucified with Christ. 192 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:23,680 It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life 193 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:27,200 which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of 194 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:30,280 God who loved me and gave himself for me. 195 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:33,280 I do not set aside the grace of God. 196 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:36,400 For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ 197 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:41,240 died in vain. He said he gets he gets animated 198 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,840 about the law is not where this is at. 199 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:48,400 It's about Christ and what he did on the cross and his ability 200 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,600 to give us the power to do what he asked us to do. 201 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:56,960 This life we now live in the flesh. 202 00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:00,520 We live by faith in Christ. And, and guys, in my hardest 203 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:04,960 times in life, those words are, are words that I, I say under my 204 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:10,120 breath, you know, I, I, I say, I say things when, when I'm having 205 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,160 a horrid day at work or something. 206 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:16,680 And I say I can do, do everything as under the Lord and 207 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:19,280 not to men. And this life I now live in the 208 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:21,480 flesh. I live by faith in the Son of 209 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:23,600 God who loved me and gave himself for me. 210 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:27,600 Because if those two are correct, I got nothing to worry 211 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:30,520 about. I know the guy in charge and I'm 212 00:14:30,520 --> 00:14:35,400 doing not, not what I think is right, but I'm following him. 213 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:40,880 And in following him he, he comes in and he does work in my 214 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,960 life with giving me peace and giving me hope, right? 215 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,320 How do I know that? I know? 216 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:53,360 And this is the joy of life in Christ. 217 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:57,000 He's alive, right? This isn't I I stand up here 218 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,880 every week and I talk to you about being in your word. 219 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:03,600 I talk to you about praying. But this is not Buddhism, right? 220 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,240 Don't say that. It isn't a chant. 221 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:09,560 You don't say the right things. It's not, it's not, it's not 222 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:13,000 being an in Islam where you get up and you pray five times a day 223 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:18,600 pointed towards Mecca. We talk to a living God who 224 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:22,280 wants to talk to you and wants to want you to grow in him. 225 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:24,920 And here's the thing for everybody out there that wants 226 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,000 to talk about, well, I, I've never heard him. 227 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:31,000 If you have given your life to the Lord, you have heard from 228 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,720 him. That's bottom line. 229 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:37,920 The day you gave your life to the Lord, if it was a serious 230 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:40,920 thing between you and him and you actually gave your life to 231 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:45,160 the Lord in your heart. You know that you know, first 232 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:49,600 Corinthians 12/3 says, therefore I make known to you that no one 233 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:54,920 speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus a curse and no one 234 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:58,600 can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 235 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:00,440 That doesn't mean there aren't people out there that are 236 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:06,840 heretics that are calling Jesus Lord that that means that they 237 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:09,840 know what they're doing on the if you've had a real, real 238 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:12,960 conversation, you've heard from the Spirit, right? 239 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:21,560 It's do you do you know that you know, and for me, like I said, I 240 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:29,720 didn't have when I got saved, I didn't have a like ultra 241 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:33,640 spiritual conversion. That was wow, I'm floating in 242 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:37,160 the no, what happened? The the honest to goodness thing 243 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:39,600 that happened was I went home and started reading my Bible 244 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,120 like I got saved. I gave my life to the Lord. 245 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:44,840 I stood up. I, I, I prayed to receive Christ 246 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:50,120 and when I went home, I started, I started reading and everybody, 247 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:53,840 everybody thinks that's OK. What A at that point in my life, 248 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:57,480 at 30 years old, I graduated high school at 18 years old. 249 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,960 And in 12 years I could probably count on one hand how many pages 250 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:07,680 of text I had read, not books, how many pages. 251 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:12,800 So for me to go home and start reading chapters of the Bible 252 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:16,720 was a work God was doing in my life and I and I, whether 253 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:19,319 anybody else believed it or not wasn't important to me. 254 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,040 I knew that's why I was because I didn't read. 255 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:25,680 Not only did I not read, I didn't like to read. 256 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:29,600 So then that I was like, I mean, I went through the Bible. 257 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:33,280 I went through the Old Testament, which was, you know, 258 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:36,960 you get to let Leviticus and Numbers and as somebody that 259 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:41,520 doesn't like to read, that's so, but that was the kind of thing 260 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:44,200 that he did in my life, right? And I can give you, I can give 261 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:49,000 you moment after moment in my life that he has spoke to me 262 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,120 directly that he has spoke to me through his word. 263 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:55,080 We have we, we serve a God that wants to speak to us. 264 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:58,240 And when he speaks, are we listening? 265 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:02,000 Because that's the that's the kind of commandments when we're 266 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:11,960 talking about that, right? My the John 1421 which you guys 267 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:16,160 have heard dozens of time, which is he who has my commandments 268 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:18,160 and keeps them. It is he who loves me and he who 269 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:19,840 loves me. We are loved by my Father and I 270 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:22,400 will love him and manifest myself to him. 271 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:31,520 That manifest myself to him is if you if you hear from Jesus 272 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:36,160 and you do what he says, He has more to say to you. 273 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,640 It's it's no, I mean I, I say it all the time. 274 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:43,520 It's no different than two kids. One of them wants to learn from 275 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:47,040 you and does what you ask them to do, and the other one could 276 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:48,080 care less. You're talking. 277 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,040 Which one are you talking to? Right? 278 00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:53,600 You're, you're going to, and not because you love either one of 279 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:57,960 them any less, right? It's that I'm this one, I'm this 280 00:18:57,960 --> 00:18:59,680 one. There's fruit in this one's 281 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:01,640 life. I can, you know, whether that's 282 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,120 teaching them how to, how to hunt or teaching them how to 283 00:19:04,120 --> 00:19:07,120 change spark plugs or a tire or whatever that whatever that 284 00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:11,120 thing is, you're teaching them the, the, the, the student 285 00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:14,320 that's willing to listen and, and do what you said, you're 286 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,560 going to pour more into. It's it's that concept. 287 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:28,600 Now know that as I'm talking about commandments and and that 288 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:31,560 it's about what he's saying to us, know that when he's speaking 289 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:36,120 to us, he will never go against his word, right? 290 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:40,200 He, he is never going to say go murder that person. 291 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,160 You can lie to that person, go cheat, go steal, go be prideful. 292 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:45,000 He's not going to say that, right? 293 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:51,960 Those are that he he's going to lead you in in in loving, loving 294 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:58,680 him and loving others in those ways right, and that's Matthew 295 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:06,760 2730302237 is Jesus said to him talking to one of the Pharisees 296 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:10,280 or lawyer says you shall love the Lord your God with all your 297 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:12,480 heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. 298 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:14,920 This is the first and great commandment. 299 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,040 And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as 300 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:20,920 yourself. On these two commandments hang 301 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:24,680 all the law and the prophets. And, and the law of the prophets 302 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:28,400 is, is basically the, the Jewish Old Testament. 303 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:32,240 And that's that they called, they called Moses's book the 304 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:34,920 Law, and they had the Law of the Histories and the prophets, 305 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:47,440 right. So if we are in Christ and we 306 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:49,000 talk about that, that's our position. 307 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,280 When we gave our life to the Lord, we're in Christ. 308 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,440 That means that we are. Christ is love. 309 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:56,800 So we are in love, right? We are not. 310 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,960 Christ doesn't have a tank of love that he gives us to give 311 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:04,640 other people. He is love right now. 312 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:12,160 He is truth as well, right? So love is is that Jesus, if you 313 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:20,320 watch him all through his time here, Jesus loved people and 314 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:24,480 told them the truth. He didn't he didn't love people 315 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:27,640 and lie to them. He loved people and told them 316 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,240 the truth, which which is something that I would tell you 317 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:35,080 that we fail in. I think worldwide as a church, 318 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:40,400 as a the body of Christ of doing, we're either 100% truth 319 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:43,480 and no love or we're 100% love and no truth. 320 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:46,440 And the facts are he's 100% of both. 321 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:52,560 And we're supposed to be telling people the truth in love, right? 322 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,960 And I just, I go back to that the demon possessed guy that I 323 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,800 talked about on Sunday and just remember how much Jesus didn't 324 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:06,440 go after the guy, but he did cast out the demons, right? 325 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:12,200 And that is Jesus every time he meets somebody, you know, when 326 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:16,400 you look at the the woman caught in the very act of adultery is 327 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:21,480 he didn't, he didn't judge her in the sense that he he didn't 328 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:26,200 condemn her. He did, he did judge her sin and 329 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:28,520 said, I don't condemn you either. 330 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,640 Go and sin no more, which means in order for her for him to say 331 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:35,800 go and sin no more, you were sinning. 332 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:39,360 Don't send no more. You know that that's that's what 333 00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:45,800 that is. And we, we as, as that's 334 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:51,080 something we should be not send sniffers, but we should be 335 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:55,120 having honest conversations with people, right? 336 00:22:55,120 --> 00:23:01,040 Having honest conversations because we serve a God that's 337 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:06,920 living and big enough to handle, handle anything in their lives. 338 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:11,440 The whatever. Back when we were having the, 339 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:17,000 the Y and the guy in the in the women's bathroom, I watched the 340 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:21,360 whole town council meeting and there was a lady that stood up 341 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:24,640 right in the middle somewhere. And I mean, I heard they were 342 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:26,760 both sides. I mean, there was a lot of 343 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:31,160 conservative Christian right. There was a couple of the left, 344 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:34,200 but then there was this one lady in this one lady stood up and 345 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:38,800 she just, she, she stood up and said basically, Jesus is 346 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,280 awesome. My life was a train wreck. 347 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:45,800 My life was a train wreck. And he met me and he cleaned it 348 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:48,240 up. And if you're here tonight and 349 00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:51,960 you have a train wreck, he would love to meet you where you are 350 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:56,280 and clean that up. That's that's who we are guys 351 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,520 that outside of Christ, Nick's a train wreck outside of Christ 352 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:03,920 phase a train wreck. That's just the facts because 353 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:09,320 outside of him not in his will not following him we we have 354 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:19,880 nothing to offer but do we recognize the spirits voice and 355 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:25,880 that's something I I really want to hit on tonight is because 356 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,440 this is a relationship because we're talking about his 357 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:30,240 commandments and knowing what they are. 358 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:34,400 How do we know I'm there there is there is devotional life. 359 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:35,880 We need to have a devotional life. 360 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:39,080 We need to be in our word right. We need to be praying. 361 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:43,480 But do you recognize the spirit's voice right. 362 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:49,320 And when I when I say that if you look at Acts 16, six, and 363 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:54,720 this is just that perfect picture of Paul's Paul, Paul and 364 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:59,400 his traveling companions knew who the Spirit was and knew his 365 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:03,000 voice. Now when they had gone through 366 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:09,240 Pergamon or Pagia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden 367 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:11,840 by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 368 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:17,840 After they had come to Messiah, they tried to go in to Pathania, 369 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:19,760 but the Spirit did not permit them. 370 00:25:20,360 --> 00:25:26,080 So passing by Messiah, they came down to Toros, and a vision 371 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:29,720 appeared to Paul. In the night a man of Macedonia 372 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,120 stood pleading with him, saying, Come over to Macedonia and help 373 00:25:33,120 --> 00:25:35,080 us. Now after he had seen the 374 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:39,880 vision, immediately he sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that 375 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,360 the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. 376 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:48,480 So the Lord is telling him not to go to Asia and preach the 377 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:53,040 gospel. Well, that must be the enemy or 378 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:55,880 the Lord's telling him not to go to Bithynian and preach. 379 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:58,720 Well, that must be the enemy, but he knew. 380 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:02,680 But Paul and his companions knew the Spirit's voice, right? 381 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,400 They they knew how to take leading from him. 382 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:08,280 It isn't just that, hey, we're supposed to go do this thing. 383 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:16,120 So we're going to push through my story about that is first 384 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:19,000 time I went to Uganda, didn't know the Spirit's voice thought 385 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:24,680 I did. We were, we had a, we had a gung 386 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:26,880 ho group. It was a great time. 18 of us. 387 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:31,960 We had a we were doing a vacation Bible school and soccer 388 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:34,000 camp. And it was it was a lot of fun. 389 00:26:34,360 --> 00:26:41,360 And when we first got to Pajuli, Pajuli was the ending of a 390 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:49,840 government camp and there was bare minimum 1200 kids with very 391 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,480 few adults. And we had a great time. 392 00:26:54,520 --> 00:27:00,920 And our plan was to do the do the soccer camp. 393 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:06,400 And then we were going to show the Jesus film in a choli that, 394 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:11,880 you know, when it got dark and there was a storm coming, there 395 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:14,720 may have been a whole bunch of uneasy feelings that we were all 396 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,600 ignoring because we're doing this for Jesus and it's going to 397 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:20,640 be fine. We're going to do this for 398 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,880 Jesus. OK, So when it got dark, no, it 399 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:26,360 wasn't fine. We we had no business being out 400 00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:33,600 there in the dark with 1200 kids that were just like mischievous 401 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:37,040 kids everywhere. And then add a whole lot of the 402 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:42,240 enemy that the truly Satan had had control of northern Uganda 403 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:46,040 for 23 years. And and I say that at a level 404 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:51,760 that it was for the next after we we retreated in and locked 405 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,120 everything down for the next 4 years. 406 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:59,440 We did nothing after dark when we went nothing. 407 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:02,400 Now I can walk around, I can walk around put Julie in the 408 00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:05,560 dark and I'm fine. But it was there was an 409 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:09,600 oppression that and it wasn't because Jesus was weak. 410 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:19,000 It was because Nick's not smart and that's there is a knowing 411 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:23,120 our Lord's voice, right? And, and that takes a lot of 412 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:26,160 time to us getting quiet. And that was something I can 413 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,040 tell you that as much as we were there on a mission trip and we 414 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:31,280 were having a lot of fun, we probably did not have a lot of 415 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:34,920 quiet in our life that day. Nobody got hurt. 416 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:39,120 It was definitely eye opening and scary. 417 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:42,480 We could, I could explain it, just know it was definitely a 418 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:44,200 moment. Rocks were thrown. 419 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:49,840 There was it was good times. But Paul knew the Spirit's voice 420 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:53,480 and, and we're supposed to be about that, right? 421 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:56,480 And like I said, that that has to do with our devotional life. 422 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:59,000 That has to do with being in your Bible. 423 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,400 That has to do with prayer. That has to do with, with 424 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:09,000 fellowship and worship and witnessing and, and when you 425 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:13,360 hear God's voice, right, fun thing about God's voice. 426 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:16,920 If he's, if he's speaking to you, you got to know the God. 427 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:20,960 God is specific. He's going to tell you 428 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,960 specifically. And the reason that I'm telling 429 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:25,960 you he's going to tell you specifically is he wants the 430 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:27,640 blame. We were kind of joking about 431 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:31,320 that earlier, but God, it's, it's like with the building, 432 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:33,440 right? If if we bought the building, 433 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:35,960 God wants the blame for the building, right? 434 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:41,360 He wants he wants to be if you look at Gideon, the reason that 435 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:44,400 the reason that he started with 30,000, shrank down to 10,000 436 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:47,160 and got down to 300 was because God said no, you still have too 437 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:52,400 many you'll, you'll claim you did this and that's that's God. 438 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:55,200 He's if you ask you, if you hear him ask you to do something 439 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:57,200 ridiculous, that's probably God. No, I'm kidding. 440 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:06,080 That's I always and then is it something that you can do right? 441 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:08,960 Is there a he's he's going to ask you to do a step right. 442 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:12,040 It's when when I got told I was going to build a water line 443 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:15,000 across Africa, my actionable step was that we're going to go 444 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:19,320 get my, my passport. That was the next step, right? 445 00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:21,920 Didn't mean I was going to get on a plane to go to Africa, but 446 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:25,400 I had AI had a next step. And then there was a next step, 447 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:29,720 which was OK. So now, now we're going to start 448 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:33,840 paying attention anytime mention anytime somebody mentions 449 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,600 Africa, we're going to we're going to be paying attention to 450 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:38,000 that. And there was just a process, 451 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:45,400 right? God, like a good boss, gives 452 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:50,000 directions for growth, right? He, he wants us to grow. 453 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:55,280 You know, he wants us to grow at loving him and loving others. 454 00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:59,440 And like I said, is that, you know, that's where we start. 455 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,160 And you don't have to do the day you gave your life to the Lord. 456 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:08,160 No, without a shadow of a doubt that what he wants you to do is 457 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:12,720 to love him and love others. That's that's just the facts and 458 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:16,720 loving. I touched on it, but loving is 459 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:22,200 doing the best for the other person, not doing the thing that 460 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:26,640 makes the other person happier right now that isn't love. 461 00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:30,040 That's that's actually a lot of times the opposite of love 462 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:32,080 right. Watch spoil. 463 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:34,520 You know, look at spoiled children or other things that 464 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:37,960 if, if you're not willing to do the hard things with them right 465 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:39,920 now, they're going to have a, they're going to have a harder 466 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:46,520 life. And then God always leads us to 467 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:48,440 hope. And I, I heard, I heard a 468 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:50,320 definition that I just loved for hope. 469 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:54,280 That is absolute confidence that produces strength. 470 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:58,120 We can have hope in the God we serve, right? 471 00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:03,080 Because if he asked me to do it, I don't, I don't have to figure 472 00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:07,400 out how to do it. The next step, you know, 473 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:10,200 Elizabeth Elliott quote, just do the next thing. 474 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:17,760 And when I, when I say that is I don't have to figure out how to 475 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:19,280 build a water line across Africa. 476 00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:22,560 I don't have to figure out how to buy this church. 477 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:24,720 I don't have to figure that stuff out. 478 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:29,720 I have to be willing, willing and ready to do anything you 479 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:34,760 asked me to do in the process of those things, but I don't have 480 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:40,760 to, I don't have to be the, the point of so we have to do this, 481 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:44,360 this and this, right? He's, he's got a plan for that. 482 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:49,160 And I guarantee you, you, I can look at my life and I can tell 483 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:52,240 you that my ability to plan and his ability to plan, he's way 484 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:55,560 better at it, right? When I, when I get out in front 485 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,400 with my plan, all that means is I got to go back and go the 486 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,120 other way, right? Because I'm usually ahead of him 487 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:04,600 when that happens. So I trying to stay behind him 488 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:06,480 and say, OK, Lord, how do you want to do this? 489 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:12,600 That's when I went to Uganda and we were less than a month from 490 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:19,160 going and we had $200.00 of, of guaranteed support. 491 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:24,480 And my board was a little freaked out and like, what are 492 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,240 you going to do? And I'm like, we're not going to 493 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:29,600 starve. I didn't know how we were going 494 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:31,480 to get home because we had plane tickets to go. 495 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:32,520 I didn't know how we're going to get home. 496 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:36,000 But I also knew that God wasn't going to send us over there to 497 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:40,080 starve because there this was an absolute we were supposed to go. 498 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:43,840 This wasn't, wasn't a guess. This was absolutely we were 499 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:47,560 supposed to go. And by the time we, we were 500 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:50,800 getting on the plane to go, our budget that we had figured out 501 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:53,960 because our board had us figure, I think we needed, I think we 502 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:56,400 needed $1800 a month and it was all covered. 503 00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:05,240 But it was not my problem, if that makes sense. 504 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:07,960 And, and I was just talking to my board last night. 505 00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:11,280 That doesn't mean that I don't worry about things because I do, 506 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:13,639 I try to give it all to the Lord. 507 00:34:13,639 --> 00:34:17,360 But I, I have those moments that I'm like, so I know this is your 508 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:18,960 problem, but am I doing this right? 509 00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:22,159 And am I doing this wrong? You know, and so, but those are 510 00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:24,760 conversations that I get to have with the living God. 511 00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:28,199 Does that make sense? I mean, we when you're when 512 00:34:28,199 --> 00:34:30,760 you're in any other religion, you don't get to have that 513 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:33,360 conversation with a living God. You get to have. 514 00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:40,719 I hope I did enough. And Jesus is that now in in 515 00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:49,520 saying that, yeah, he who says I know him and does not keep his 516 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:52,360 commandments is a liar. And the truth is not in him. 517 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:59,160 So the simple truth is, if I am in Christ and he gave me clear 518 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:04,600 direction, either by written word or by conviction, and I 519 00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:10,800 choose to be outside of his direction, it doesn't go well, 520 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:18,520 there's there is one and and I've taught it numerous times. 521 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:21,160 My my favorite guy in the Bible is the guy named Uriah the 522 00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:26,600 Hittite, which I could get into. But first Kings 15 five says 523 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:31,240 because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had 524 00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:34,640 not turned aside from anything that he commanded him all the 525 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:38,800 days of his life except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 526 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:43,840 And what did David do in the matter of Uriah the Hittite and 527 00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:48,960 and you can listen to 100 Bible studies and listen to adultery 528 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:53,520 and murder and manipulation. No, he stuck his fingers in his 529 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:56,640 ears and went La La, la, La La. I don't want to hear it, Lord, 530 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:01,360 that's that's the sin. I'm not listening. 531 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:05,640 I'm not doing it. And that is anything that he can 532 00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:10,400 so it says and had not turned aside from anything that he 533 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:15,520 commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter 534 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:18,320 of Uriah the Hittite. And when he got to Uriah the 535 00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:23,400 Hittite, God put David's sinned and we all sin. 536 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:31,920 David's sin God called him on it in a big neon light and David 537 00:36:31,920 --> 00:36:44,120 tried the cover up game and then and that's James 417. 538 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:48,480 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to 539 00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:53,920 him it is sin. David knew 100 percent, 100% he 540 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:59,880 was in the wrong, 100% that he'd been caught, 100% that God said 541 00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:03,560 fix it and he chose to kill Uriah the Hittite instead. 542 00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:12,000 And Fast forward to months down the road that Uriah the 543 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:15,600 Hittite's dead, Bathsheba's living in the castle, and in 544 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:23,320 walks Nathan. And Nathan shares a story with 545 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:29,160 Nathan, the prophet shares a story with David, and David has 546 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:32,320 another choice. And what David does in Second 547 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:36,800 Samuel 1213, it says so. So David said to Nathan, I have 548 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:41,240 sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, the 549 00:37:41,240 --> 00:37:44,560 Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die. 550 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:53,520 That's the turn David turned and and he was as far as any of us 551 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:57,320 from the Lord, and then he turned right. 552 00:37:57,560 --> 00:38:01,440 And it isn't that God condemned him to hell in that middle time. 553 00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:05,880 It's that he was outside of the Lord's will for his life. 554 00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:12,000 And he was he was in, he was outside the protection of the 555 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:16,000 Lord, if that makes sense. He's he when you're out sinning, 556 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:26,280 God is going to use whatever is needed to get your attention and 557 00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:29,120 the question I guess in in this something that that kind of hit 558 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:31,680 me. Do we do we have the Nathan's in 559 00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:35,160 our lives that are willing to come and ask us those questions 560 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:39,320 right, 'cause 'cause that was I always you look at Nathan and 561 00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:42,480 that's not an easy conversation. I'm going to go to David. 562 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:46,360 You know, the Call Saul killed his thousands, David killed his 563 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:48,520 10s of thousands, the guy that killed Goliath. 564 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:52,560 And I've got to go. I got to go confront him and I 565 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:54,040 got to confront him about his sin. 566 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:58,440 And do we have those people in our lives that are willing to 567 00:38:58,440 --> 00:39:00,560 have those conversations if they need, if they need to? 568 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:07,160 And then verse 5. But whoever keeps his word, 569 00:39:07,240 --> 00:39:10,760 truly the love of God is perfected in him by this. 570 00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:14,560 We know that we are in Him and this is the root right? 571 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:20,840 We our relationship grows as we grow in Christ. 572 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:26,560 Our know of Christ grows right, but He continues to perfect us. 573 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:30,480 We will never be perfect, right? There is never going to come a 574 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:33,920 time this side of heaven that we are perfected, but He will 575 00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:39,520 continue to perfect us. He will continue to refine us, 576 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:41,800 right? He will continue and and doing 577 00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:46,120 that is, you know, if you ever, if you've ever seen a Crucible, 578 00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:49,280 which is what they heat metal in, it's not a comfortable 579 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:54,840 place, right? Our job as as believers is not 580 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:59,160 to get saved and then become comfortable in our lifestyle. 581 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:04,080 Our our job as believers is to continue to grow in our 582 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:13,080 relationship with Christ. John 1422 So this is right after 583 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:15,920 my favorite verse. Judas not Ascarius said to him, 584 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:19,960 Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not 585 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:22,440 the world? And Jesus answered and said to 586 00:40:22,440 --> 00:40:27,000 him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will 587 00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:31,760 love him, and we will come to him and make our home with Him. 588 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:36,120 He who does not love me does not keep my words. 589 00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:39,960 And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father who 590 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:44,000 sent me. So are we keeping His word or 591 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:48,720 not keeping His word, right? That that is a direct, direct 592 00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:51,720 gauge on my love for my Savior, right? 593 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:59,760 And when I say that I do you make excuses for your sin and I, 594 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:02,920 and I don't think there's there. I don't think we're in here and 595 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:06,400 people are, are, are sleeping around and lying and cheating 596 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:09,280 and stealing. Do you make excuses for your bad 597 00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:11,320 attitude? Do I make excuses for my bad 598 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:13,600 attitude? Do I make excuses for my pride? 599 00:41:13,920 --> 00:41:17,840 Do you know when somebody cuts me off, whatever that thing is, 600 00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:26,680 do we make, do we say it's OK for me to sin on that thing 601 00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:34,960 because it's how God made me or I, I just want to, or I have the 602 00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:38,760 freedom to do it? Am I, am I just casual about the 603 00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:46,760 things he's asking me not to do? Or am I casual about not doing 604 00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:48,360 the things he is asking me to do? 605 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:56,160 Right. And we should never be OK not 606 00:41:56,160 --> 00:41:57,800 doing what the Lord is telling me to do. 607 00:41:58,360 --> 00:42:03,520 And I and I say that that means if you read it, if you read it 608 00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:06,120 and you don't, you know, I don't, I don't like that verse. 609 00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:08,160 Figure out if it's you or the verse. 610 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:13,120 Figure out, figure out if if you don't understand what it said 611 00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:16,240 and it says something different than you understood and OK, now 612 00:42:16,240 --> 00:42:18,400 we're good. Or if it says something that you 613 00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:23,720 completely disagree with, you need to change, right? 614 00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:29,080 And that's important because you'll find that when you and, 615 00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:31,720 and we're going to get into the abiding in the branch and the 616 00:42:31,720 --> 00:42:35,200 vine and all that, but you will find that a tree is not steered 617 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:39,480 by a branch. A branch is directed by the 618 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:44,760 tree, right? And John 4 or 15 four, abide in 619 00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:47,920 me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit 620 00:42:47,920 --> 00:42:51,720 of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless 621 00:42:51,720 --> 00:42:54,360 you abide in me. I am the vine, and you are the 622 00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:57,520 branches. He who abides in me and I in Him 623 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:00,920 bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. 624 00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:06,400 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and 625 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:10,280 is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the 626 00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:13,360 fire, and they are burned. If you abide in me and my words 627 00:43:13,360 --> 00:43:17,400 abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done 628 00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:21,840 for you. By this my father is glorified 629 00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:25,480 that you bear much fruit. So you will be my disciples and 630 00:43:25,720 --> 00:43:29,480 and that that one part in their words, if you if you ask what 631 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:33,840 you desire, well, if you're abiding in Christ, what you 632 00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:38,880 desire is what he desires. So therefore the answer is yes, 633 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:42,160 right? That's that is that's how that 634 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:45,160 goes. If if if what I want is to grow 635 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:49,600 closer to him and my my all my prayers are focused on that 636 00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:58,720 right is is doing more getting closer following him more than 637 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:03,600 than his answers are going to be yes and Amen continually right 638 00:44:07,120 --> 00:44:12,680 the going back and we'll read through it real quick starting 639 00:44:12,680 --> 00:44:15,440 in verse 3. Now by this we know that we know 640 00:44:15,440 --> 00:44:20,040 him if we keep his commandments. He who says I know him and does 641 00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:23,880 not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in 642 00:44:23,880 --> 00:44:26,960 him. But whoever keeps his word truly 643 00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:30,960 the love of God is perfected in him by this we know that we are 644 00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:34,080 in him. He who says he abides in him 645 00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:37,040 ought himself also to walk just as he walked. 646 00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:46,840 And the assurance that we get from this is that if we follow, 647 00:44:47,400 --> 00:44:53,200 he will lead us. And, and the truth is, if we 648 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:57,600 rebel, we are lying to ourselves and the truth is not in US. 649 00:44:58,400 --> 00:45:03,640 And and the the thing with that is God isn't going to leave us 650 00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:09,000 there. Revelation 319 says as many as I 651 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:14,080 love, I rebuke and chasten, therefore be zealous and repent. 652 00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:16,600 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 653 00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:20,880 If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in 654 00:45:21,160 --> 00:45:23,680 to him and dine with him and he with me. 655 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:28,520 So as we, as we look at those, as we, as we look at those 3 656 00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:33,520 verses or 4 verses, guys, don't, don't dwell on the one that 657 00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:38,440 says, says that if you don't know, if you're not keeping his 658 00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:40,000 commandments, you're a liar and the truth. 659 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:45,160 And then you hold on the fact that we serve a living God who 660 00:45:45,320 --> 00:45:51,040 can speak to you and can do the work that he's asking me to do 661 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:54,960 that he's asking you to do. He's giving us the power to do 662 00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:56,920 it. It isn't, it isn't grit your 663 00:45:56,920 --> 00:45:59,760 teeth. Like I said a couple weeks ago, 664 00:45:59,760 --> 00:46:02,920 this isn't about gritting your teeth and reading your Bible and 665 00:46:02,920 --> 00:46:06,240 praying and being in fellowship and worshiping and going out 666 00:46:06,240 --> 00:46:08,240 witnessing. If you are doing that, gritting 667 00:46:08,240 --> 00:46:11,160 your teeth, that is a burden and we and you will burn out. 668 00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:14,880 But if you were reading your Bible because you want to know 669 00:46:14,880 --> 00:46:18,560 the guy that wrote it better, if you are praying because you want 670 00:46:18,560 --> 00:46:24,080 to hear from him and be directed from by him, then he's going to 671 00:46:24,080 --> 00:46:26,800 speak to you. If you are, if you're in 672 00:46:26,800 --> 00:46:30,920 fellowship with his body so that you can that you can build up 673 00:46:30,920 --> 00:46:34,240 those that need built up and be built up by others, right. 674 00:46:34,240 --> 00:46:37,080 If you're worshiping the Lord and and just crying out to him 675 00:46:37,080 --> 00:46:42,400 and just are amazed that we get to serve a living God and and 676 00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:44,240 witnessing. If you're just out sharing with 677 00:46:44,240 --> 00:46:48,880 people who this God is right? If you're doing that stuff with 678 00:46:48,880 --> 00:46:53,560 that heart, then then this is is easy. 679 00:46:54,240 --> 00:46:57,080 But if you're doing it with a works heart, all those same 680 00:46:57,080 --> 00:47:01,960 things are burdensome, burdensome and and you will burn 681 00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:06,760 out, right? So take the assurance from those 682 00:47:06,760 --> 00:47:12,600 4 verses that we can know that we know because we serve a 683 00:47:12,600 --> 00:47:15,960 living God. And Lord, I just thank you for 684 00:47:15,960 --> 00:47:21,560 everybody here, and I thank you for this time and I thank you 685 00:47:21,560 --> 00:47:25,920 that you are here with us, Lord, or two or three are gathered. 686 00:47:26,720 --> 00:47:28,560 But Lord, that you filled us with your spirit. 687 00:47:29,440 --> 00:47:32,920 You feel everybody here that you give us appointments out in the 688 00:47:32,920 --> 00:47:36,680 world to just be speaking to people. 689 00:47:37,320 --> 00:47:39,760 Lord, that you would guide and direct, that you would guide our 690 00:47:39,760 --> 00:47:42,200 thoughts, that you would give us your ears to hear, that you 691 00:47:42,200 --> 00:47:43,720 would give us your words to speak. 692 00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:47,000 And Lord, I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.