1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,960 We're going to be in in James 5 again or we're going to be in 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,760 James again in chapter 5. And I am yes, pray for me. 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:11,000 I am really trying to get to finish James next week. 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,000 So then we're just Christmas studies after that till 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:16,640 Christmas is the goal. And then we'll start a new book 6 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:20,600 in the but I only made it through 6 verses. 7 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:22,760 So I'm not confident I'm finishing next week. 8 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:32,720 The so my my funny, funny title today is comfortable 9 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,040 selfishness. And I think we can all kind of 10 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:39,760 reflect on that title. And I know I can. 11 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:45,360 And just loving to be having that life at ease that we have 12 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,560 here. So Lord, I just lift up this 13 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:48,880 time and I lift up everybody here. 14 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:55,480 Or that you would speak to us, that you'd speak to me, or that 15 00:00:55,480 --> 00:01:00,280 you'd work on our hearts, Lord, that you'd guide and direct us, 16 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,800 that you'd fill us with your spirit, that we'd be able to go 17 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:07,960 out and just share you with people of our community and our 18 00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:10,080 families, especially this time of year, Lord. 19 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:14,200 Or that you just put put those that are in need of you in our 20 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,200 path and Lord, that you would give us a heart to share with 21 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:19,600 them and pray this in Jesus name, Amen. 22 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:26,080 So first 3 verses Come now you rich weep and howl for the 23 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:27,880 miseries that are coming upon you. 24 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,400 You rich have rotted and your riches have rotted, and your 25 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:36,360 garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver have 26 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,320 corroded and their corrosion will be evidenced against you, 27 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:44,520 and you will eat your flesh and will eat your flesh like fire. 28 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:47,960 You have laid up treasures in the last days. 29 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,200 So Jesus has another conversation with a lukewarm 30 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:53,680 church. We've all I'm sure heard about 31 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:55,440 it. I know Ben, last year went 32 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:57,760 through all the revelation and I'm sure you spent some time on 33 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:04,640 the lukewarm church in Laodicea. And chapter 3, verse 17 says, 34 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:10,320 for you say I am rich, I have prosperity, I need nothing, not 35 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:14,560 realizing that you are wretched, pitable, poor, blind and naked. 36 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:22,160 And and that's just we'll, we'll beat on this quite a bit, but 37 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:31,360 it's when we get comfortable and being comfortable is something 38 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:37,480 that we then want to defend and that becomes selfishness, right? 39 00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:44,120 Proverbs says it like this. Whoever trusts in his riches 40 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,960 will fall. The righteous will flourish like 41 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,040 a green leaf. And the thing there is is it 42 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:56,640 doesn't doesn't say that whoever trusts in riches may fall or 43 00:02:56,640 --> 00:02:59,880 possibly will fall. It says will fall. 44 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:05,200 So if we don't trust in God and we trust in riches, we're lost, 45 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,560 right? But Paul then goes on in another 46 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:16,000 in another book, Timothy, he tells him it that isn't the only 47 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,120 snare about riches. Coveting being rich is a snare. 48 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:24,680 And and in Uganda, you can see that on a on a different level. 49 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:31,320 But you'll find that whether you have money or you want money, 50 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:36,160 they, they both can be that snare. 51 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:41,560 And Timothy, we've all heard these verses, chapter 6, verse 9 52 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,040 and 10. But those who desire to be rich 53 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:51,880 fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and 54 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,240 harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and 55 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,080 destruction. For the love of money is the 56 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:02,800 root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that 57 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:06,840 some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves 58 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,920 with many pangs. So this is not money. 59 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:13,360 A lot of times people we'll quote and say that money is the 60 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,839 root of all evil and it's not it's the love of money, right? 61 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:21,320 It's when we, when we get money out in front of like money is 62 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:26,600 what's going to make me happy. But when we look at money, it is 63 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,920 a great heart check. It's a good way for us to look 64 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:36,920 at our lives and our our spending habits and see where my 65 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,680 heart is. But a lot of times it's what, 66 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:46,720 what things do I worry about? You know, what is my, what is my 67 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,960 stress and worry isn't money. Is that what I'm worried about? 68 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:58,040 Because I will tell you that I came back from Uganda in 2019 69 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:05,560 and I had no bills to speak of and I had no money to speak of 70 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,120 either, right? I always, when I we paid 71 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,720 everything off in 2018, that was the Dave Ramsey thing. 72 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:14,000 We're debt free. We owe nothing. 73 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,280 Like, I mean, there are a lot of people out there, they can, they 74 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:21,520 can actually claim that, right? They're debt free. 75 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:27,200 They don't own anything. And but with that there is a, 76 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:29,440 there is a piece that comes along with that. 77 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,520 I, that was something I didn't, I didn't worry about money 78 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:38,480 because I didn't have any. And when we, when we recognize 79 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:45,280 that all that we have was given to us by the Lord and, and 80 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:49,240 there's a blessing there, But in money, there is a burden. 81 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:55,320 And very often we, we lose track of that burden because we are 82 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:58,080 focused on the blessing and we, it is a blessing. 83 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:02,600 But when we when we lose track of the burden of the fact that 84 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:09,080 God has given us resources, when God has used the resources of 85 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:13,800 his rich richness to bless the lost and dying, right. 86 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:19,520 But those with riches should walk carefully because rich 87 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:23,240 riches can get comfortable, then we have something to lose. 88 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:26,640 And there is a quote by a guy that I don't, I don't know the 89 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:28,040 guy. I just remembered the quote, so 90 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:30,240 I looked it up. Michael G. 91 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:36,200 Michael Hoth says hard times create strong men and strong men 92 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:39,440 create good times and good times create weak men and weak times. 93 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:47,320 Weak men create hard times. And that is so the cycle of of 94 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:52,400 America and and over the over the centuries, but it's really 95 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,320 the the cycle of the world, right? 96 00:06:55,440 --> 00:07:02,000 If you watch every, every civilization that has ever lived 97 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:04,400 or it's ever been here went through that cycle, right? 98 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,160 They, they, they built themselves up and then they got 99 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:14,000 to where I mean, you look at Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar and 100 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:21,000 then his his son or grandson that with a, with an army at the 101 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:25,440 gates was having a party in his house or in the in the palace, 102 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,640 right? And and lost Babylon without, 103 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,520 without a shot being fired because they just walked in 104 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,560 under the wall. And that is that that cycle of 105 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:40,600 getting comfortable with our, our riches. 106 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:47,840 But our riches are our riches are of course, multiple fold 107 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,160 right? We in the western world, we, we 108 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,000 are very focused on the financial side of it, in the 109 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,080 comfortableness of that, but we have more comfort than that, 110 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:59,000 right? I have comfort in my 111 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:05,120 relationship with the Lord. But do I want to do I just do I 112 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,920 do I get to that comfortable point where my life is, is good 113 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,720 and my marriage is good and my kids are good and I just tie a 114 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:14,440 knot and say, Hey, I'm good right here. 115 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:19,720 That will go badly, right? It will, it will, it will lead 116 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:25,440 to darkness coming into my life because I, I get to a point 117 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,440 where I think that I have something to lose and then I 118 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,800 want to close my hand around it and hold it something. 119 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:35,559 Of course, you guys have heard me and Faye talk about it, but 120 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,919 it's, it's about everything in my life is in my hand open, 121 00:08:38,919 --> 00:08:43,120 right? And that is complete trust that 122 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:47,280 Jesus has everything that's in my hand and not not spending 123 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:54,040 time worried about the stuff. I mean, but that isn't, that 124 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:56,200 isn't human nature. Can you, this is a, this is a 125 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:58,920 saying that if I said half of it, you guys would finish it. 126 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:04,200 But it's, the more I have, the more I, it doesn't say, the more 127 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:09,840 I have, the less I want, right? It's, and, and that is human 128 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:11,440 nature. The more I have, the more I 129 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:15,160 want. And that goes. 130 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:18,920 So the more, the more Jesus I have, the more I should want of 131 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:22,360 him, right? But the more riches I have, the 132 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:27,200 more rest I should have. And, and that is, you know, 133 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:32,040 something that as believers and I, and I don't think that, I 134 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:38,520 mean, I want to stone somebody. I James really just beats people 135 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:40,720 up because he's he's correcting things, right? 136 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:49,040 I don't believe that that our congregation is, is selfish and 137 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,040 and rich and and horrible, right? 138 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:52,520 That isn't. But that's where we're at in the 139 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,120 book. And and it's a time. 140 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:58,040 It's a time for us just to reflect and say, Lord, is there 141 00:09:58,040 --> 00:09:59,880 any of that creeping in in my life? 142 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,240 Right. It's and that says I'm going 143 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:05,960 through it. I I'll tell you as the teacher, 144 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:11,000 a lot of times I want to, I want to give myself an out. 145 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:17,960 I want to, I want to give you guys a yeah butt or a qualifier, 146 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:20,800 something that says this. Well, it doesn't. 147 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:24,560 It doesn't, it isn't that bad, but but it is right. 148 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:28,440 If we get our eyes, if we get our eyes on stuff at any point, 149 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:33,520 we we line up with weeping and howling and miseries. 150 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,080 If we're not, if we don't have our eyes on the Lord and what 151 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,360 he's doing with the things he gave us. 152 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:45,720 Now, does God want to bless us? Absolutely. 153 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,440 Does he love his children and want to take care of them? 154 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:52,280 Absolutely. In first Corinthians 29, Paul, 155 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,560 Paul says but it but as it is written, what no eye has seen, 156 00:10:56,560 --> 00:10:59,160 no ears heard, nor heart of a man. 157 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:04,880 Imagine what God has prepared for those who love him and he 158 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:10,080 wants to take care of his children, but he wants his 159 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,880 children just to trust that he'll take care of them, right? 160 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:14,880 Which is which is Lord, you've got this. 161 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:16,800 I don't, I don't have to worry about it. 162 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:23,560 He doesn't want to make us brats, right? 163 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:26,640 And I mean, as parents in this room, we understand what that 164 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:28,880 is, right? We understand when you when you 165 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:30,960 spoil your children, then you end up with brats. 166 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:35,160 Well, God wants to to lavish gifts on us, but he doesn't want 167 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:41,440 to ruin us while doing it. We get selfish desires in the 168 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,440 way of his ability to use his resources to not only care for 169 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:51,040 others, but also we miss out on his best plan for my life. 170 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:55,280 You miss out for the best plan in your life because you want 171 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:57,920 what you see and you want it now, right? 172 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,680 And you, you can't see and I, I can't see the future. 173 00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:05,160 I would say God's calculator works better because he knows 174 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:08,640 what to put in it. I don't know what to put in it, 175 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:11,600 but I can see today, right? And I'm like, Oh Lord, but I'll 176 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:13,200 take that now. And he goes, but if you just 177 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:17,120 leave it there, if you just leave it there, it's going to 178 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:21,840 grow. And that's that's where we we 179 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:25,680 start trying to hold on to things and we miss out on his 180 00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:31,880 best plan. Matthew 619 and 20 says do not 181 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:36,360 lay up for yourselves treasures on earth or moths and rust 182 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:38,920 destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 183 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,600 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where 184 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:45,320 neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break 185 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:54,720 in and steal. So I have a have a story of my 186 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:57,880 my little brother James, some boy, you guys will meet him 187 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:03,600 probably 10-15 years ago. He was a single dad and his, him 188 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,120 and his daughter came over for Christmas and they're, they live 189 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:11,440 in Walla Walla and it's hour away, hour and a half away. 190 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:15,000 And we lived at, we, we had a pretty nice house. 191 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:18,640 You know, we had, we had stuff, we had stuff and things and we 192 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:20,760 had, we made enough money that we should have had money in 193 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:26,640 savings and we really didn't. And he came over and he had a 194 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:34,720 77-F-250 four wheel drive, nice truck, bald tires, not kind of 195 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:39,760 bald like bald tires. And I didn't have the money to 196 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,400 put tires on his truck. He didn't ask me to put tires on 197 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:45,280 his truck, but I don't have the money to do it even if I wanted 198 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,160 to. And as his Big Brother, he's 10 199 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:50,400 years younger than me as his Big Brother. 200 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:55,200 It I told, I told my wife that I said, said I never want to be in 201 00:13:55,200 --> 00:14:00,080 that position again, right? That, that I can't that win the 202 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:04,920 opportunity is put before me that I can't do what's on my 203 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:06,680 heart because we don't have the money to do it. 204 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:12,120 And it wasn't because it wasn't because God had not given us the 205 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:14,920 money. It was just the priorities we 206 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,560 had, right? And it wasn't that we were out 207 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:20,600 wasting everything. It was just that we didn't have 208 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:24,000 that priority to have that that kind of money set aside for the, 209 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:29,440 for the ability to bless others. And when, when God puts it on my 210 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:34,120 heart to do that right. And so that would, that was like 211 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:38,960 a a moment in my life that that changed the way I looked at 212 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:42,440 money. It wasn't it wasn't that I, I 213 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:45,560 concern myself on. I don't worry about money. 214 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,800 I do worry about whether I'm doing what I'm supposed to be 215 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,400 doing with it, if that makes sense. 216 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:56,400 It's, it's M because like I said, God loves to, loves to 217 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:58,960 take care of his kids, right? I mean, do you, does everybody 218 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:01,360 here like taking their kids to Disneyland, if that's a thing 219 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,560 for you, or like spoiling their kids and doing fun things, 220 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:06,760 right. So it's not that God does not 221 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:13,120 want us doing fun things, but to be about his business and and 222 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:16,240 having that making sure that you're, you're spending his 223 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:20,960 resources because the this isn't in my notes. 224 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:25,400 So the whole tithing thing, when we look at tithing, tithing is, 225 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,960 is an Old Testament principle that's given 10% and the 226 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:31,120 Pharisees were over the top about it, right? 227 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,440 They tithe their, they tithe their spices, right? 228 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:39,320 They tithe everything tithing is, is just an opportunity. 229 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:41,320 And, and it doesn't have to be 10%. 230 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:44,200 It can be whatever the gut, whatever the Lord puts on your 231 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:47,600 heart. But it's the point of it is when 232 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:53,320 I give, when I give to the Lord, I'm giving, I'm giving 10%. 233 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:57,480 If that's what I'm giving, I'm given 10%, recognizing that he 234 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:00,920 owns 100%. You know, when I first started 235 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:03,640 tithing, and I would imagine many in this room are there, 236 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,400 when I got saved at 30 years old, there was no month left at 237 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,040 the end of the money, right? Or there was no money left at 238 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,320 the end of the month. And then I got to, I was reading 239 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:14,400 and it wasn't even something the pastor was teaching on. 240 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:16,320 I'm reading and I'm like, oh Lord, that ain't going to 241 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:18,320 happen. There is no way I can. 242 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:23,840 Well, I will tell you that he has always done more with 90% 243 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,040 that that is left than I could do with 100% to begin with. 244 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:32,680 And it was, but it was 100% recognizing that may I'm trying 245 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,480 to to explain it in a way that that. 246 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,000 So when I give 10%, it's like fasting. 247 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:43,440 When I give 10% or whatever that number is, when I give that, 248 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:50,640 what it does is it makes me go, OK, so all of it's his and I 249 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:53,720 need him to show up and spend it, right? 250 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:55,800 I don't want to be in charge of it. 251 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:58,360 I mean, I, I still have bills to pay and stuff, but I need to 252 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:01,400 make sure it's, it's a way to recognize every day that hey, 253 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:04,480 Lord, this is yours and you need to use it the way you want to 254 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:06,359 use it. And maybe he wants to use it and 255 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:08,880 buy me a new car. You don't, I mean, I'm not not 256 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,200 all that is, is stuff that God does because he does take care 257 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:16,760 of his children, but it's it's putting that before him as as 258 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,520 part of the plan. But the rest of that tithing 259 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:23,400 plan is you have time in your life, right? 260 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:28,960 And and time and effort and all that is stuff that you need to 261 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:30,400 be putting in front of the Lord, right? 262 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:32,480 Like Lord, how am I using my time? 263 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:35,400 Am I using it? Am I giving to you first? 264 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:37,960 Right. It's and like when, when we look 265 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:41,680 at riches, and especially here in in America, we look at 266 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:46,200 riches. We are, as I get into a little 267 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,880 deeper farther in, but we are the most blessed country that 268 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:56,680 has ever existed on the planet. The I mean no other country has 269 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:01,280 ever had people ruling it the under. 270 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:09,680 I mean that the way we were founded by the people is 271 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:12,240 something that the rest of the world had never heard of. 272 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,280 It wasn't like, it wasn't like America went, well, we're going 273 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:17,280 to do it like them. It was something completely 274 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:21,680 different. And with that, we have a middle 275 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:23,920 class that didn't used to exist, right? 276 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:25,840 It's not. I mean, there was there was the 277 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:29,440 ultra rich and the ultra poor. There wasn't a group of people 278 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,320 that had leisure time like we have leisure time. 279 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:38,240 And so with that, there was a level of blessing that we get 280 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:42,760 to, we get to give others that isn't, isn't from our financial 281 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:45,360 right. We're rich in time, which is 282 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:48,880 something that that like you go to Uganda, they're not they, 283 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,640 it's kind of hard to they're, they're rich in time in a 284 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:55,520 different way. They don't have clocks. 285 00:18:55,520 --> 00:19:01,920 So it changes everything they do now, but it's but we are we are 286 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:10,320 rich in our ability to spend time on people and and Satan and 287 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:14,880 the enemy has been very good at finding ways for us to fill that 288 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,800 time with busyness and and being busy with it. 289 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,280 So just that was completely off my notes. 290 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:25,360 But that is time is as important as money, right? 291 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:31,880 It's we have lots of time here in America to spend on people 292 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:41,800 and and God has that has that for us and in Acts 20 verse 35, 293 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:45,000 it says in all things. I have shown you that by working 294 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,720 hard in this way, you must help the weak and remember the words 295 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:52,880 of the Lord Jesus, who he himself said it is. 296 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,280 It is more blessed to give than to receive. 297 00:19:56,600 --> 00:20:02,400 So I always tell people that and let me try to fix everything 298 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:03,760 that I say a lot because I hear it. 299 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,560 And then I'm like. Sound like a broken record, but 300 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:13,240 it's when I when I went to Uganda and when we were doing 301 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:16,000 short term mission trips and then we lived there. 302 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:21,800 I will guarantee you that I was more blessed by being able to be 303 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:25,640 there and pour into people than I was ever able to bless anybody 304 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:30,120 while there, right? So when Jesus says it is better 305 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:33,800 to give than to receive, he knew what he was talking about. 306 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:39,480 One beyond, beyond, beyond measure. 307 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:43,360 And I and I, I asked the dads in the rooms and probably the moms, 308 00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:44,840 but I'm a dad. So I'm going to ask the dads in 309 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:51,440 the room, what is funner? Is it funner to get the gift 310 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:53,920 that you want? Or is it a Christmas? 311 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:57,040 Or is it funner to see your your wife and children light up 312 00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:01,040 because they got that you got them the gift they want, right, 313 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:03,840 way better to get. I mean, I would much rather find 314 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:09,960 the perfect gift to give someone than to get the perfect gift 315 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:14,000 right? And and that's that's Jesus's 316 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:16,800 heart, right? He I mean, obviously he gave 317 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:22,360 more than anybody, but his heart for us used to be out giving and 318 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:26,360 having having that be our our default, right. 319 00:21:26,360 --> 00:21:33,160 The pastor Steven in the tri-cities says that his default 320 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:38,040 answer is yes. Now there might be a reason that 321 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:42,120 he has to say no, but his default answer is yes. 322 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:47,160 So it isn't no and then talk me into yes. 323 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:53,720 It's when you ask him his, his desire is to say yes. 324 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,720 Now there might be reasons. You know, somebody comes up to 325 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,000 me and says I need $1000. It might be no, I ain't got 326 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:02,280 $1000, right? In Uganda, there's a point where 327 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:05,920 I was teaching in the Sermon of the Mount and there is a .1 of 328 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:07,440 those times. I'm trying to find wiggle room. 329 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:12,000 There's a point where I'm teaching Sermon of the Mount and 330 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,960 Jesus says if someone asks you for a loan, give it to him. 331 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:18,480 And there's all kinds of qualifiers I could put with 332 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:23,240 that. The, and I'm the, when I'm 333 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:25,200 teaching in Uganda, I'm the guy with white skin. 334 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,760 I may not be the richest guy in the room, but I look like the 335 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:30,560 richest guy in the room. So if I'm going to stand up 336 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:33,680 front and say, if someone asks you for a loan, give it to him. 337 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:38,200 I very well could have a line of people that come up afterwards. 338 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:43,000 And I really like to find a qualifier that says, but you 339 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,440 know, you got to look at stewardship and that except when 340 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:48,040 you look at that section and Sermon on the Mount, it's right 341 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:52,280 after he gets done talking about blessing your enemies. 342 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:55,960 So it has nothing to do with the qualification of the first 343 00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:00,960 asking for the loan, right? It has to do with if you have, 344 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:03,760 if you have and they need meet that need. 345 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:11,160 And so it is a one of those that very often I try to find, I try 346 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,520 to find wiggle room. I try to I try to figure out a 347 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:18,320 way that I don't have to listen because I'm human and Lord, 348 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:20,040 please don't make me. But he is. 349 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:26,040 He's very clear on on his desire to use each and every one of his 350 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:29,120 children to bless the world around us. 351 00:23:35,230 --> 00:23:39,030 Because if you think about when, when we when we look at this set 352 00:23:39,030 --> 00:23:41,790 of verses, we talk about, we think about money. 353 00:23:42,470 --> 00:23:47,830 But what is more valuable, my bank account or my relationship 354 00:23:47,830 --> 00:23:53,800 with Jesus, right. And now I may meet somebody's 355 00:23:53,800 --> 00:24:01,480 needs with stuff and things, but it but if all I'm doing is 356 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:04,800 meeting their needs with stuff and things, then I am not 357 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,680 meeting their needs. You know, when I'm in Uganda, 358 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:19,640 that is one of my biggest if, if I and you guys will get to come, 359 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:24,080 I'm I'm sure I will take in the next, in the next decade, many 360 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:26,320 of you will be in and out of Uganda. 361 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,520 When you get there, you're going to see all the things that 362 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:32,280 Ugandans do that are not like we do it. 363 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:38,160 And there there are some things that are not like we do it and 364 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:39,800 they actually are better. And there's some things that are 365 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,240 not like we do it that are just painful to watch. 366 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:47,880 And we because we're doers, right? 367 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,160 I mean, genetically, I think the, the, the pilgrims and all 368 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:53,600 them that came, came over, they were into doing things. 369 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,760 So genetically, I think we have doer as powers going to do 370 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,200 things we want. We want to improve the way you 371 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,160 live. Well, that is not what I'm there 372 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,280 to share in Uganda. It doesn't mean that that I 373 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:11,280 can't, I can't offer, offer help and and guidance, but that isn't 374 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:14,200 why I'm there. And I can, I can show you when 375 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:18,560 you drive up and down the road from Kitkun Delira and I can 376 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:25,600 show you dozens of ministries that came to show them how to 377 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:30,000 live better. And when those people did, we're 378 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:34,680 done with their work and passed on or, or went back to their 379 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:37,280 home countries. Those missions failed. 380 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:42,560 And the reason they failed was because they, they were not, 381 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:45,400 they, they weren't focused on the thing that was important. 382 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,680 They were focused on doing it like we do it in Germany or 383 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:51,240 doing it like we do it in America. 384 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:59,360 And it was the only when we, when we did, we have a school 385 00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:03,560 there and the church and we have like a few churches, but I'm not 386 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:07,760 in charge of any of it. And none of it was, none of it 387 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:12,040 was new heritage from America coming over and telling them how 388 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:15,120 to do stuff. It was new heritage from America 389 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:21,560 going over and partnering, partnering with Ugandans to help 390 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:30,000 them tell people about Jesus. And because of that, when, when 391 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:34,720 we failed and, and came home, the mission didn't fail, right? 392 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:39,560 I, I, it, it continued on and it's, it's stronger today. 393 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:44,200 The the school is, is thriving, but it's thriving because it's a 394 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,840 village school that's, that's ran by it's it's, it's like a 395 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,600 it's like here, right? Is that you can, you can't 396 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:55,200 organize, you can't organize what you guys have had for the 397 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:58,640 last five years, but you have or 5 to 16 years. 398 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:01,840 But it's you guys love each other and you take care of each 399 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:03,320 other and you watch over each other. 400 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:09,120 And that's something that isn't isn't because you have a big a 401 00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:10,840 big church with all this organization. 402 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:12,880 You you just care for one another. 403 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:16,360 And that is what the Lord has. That's what our hearts supposed 404 00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:18,640 to be all the time. And I think I'm off that soapbox 405 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:38,760 to remember God is never impressed when I'm in my flesh, 406 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:42,480 when I'm in my when I in my when I'm comfortable and selfish. 407 00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:46,960 It in it ends badly for me, right? 408 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:50,880 Just just like, just like with our children when they are being 409 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:55,760 selfish and when they're being selfish and self-centered, we 410 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,040 can see the damage that they're had that they have in their life 411 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:01,800 from that. And that's, that is the Lord 412 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:04,920 that isn't that God doesn't want to let us be comfortable in 413 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,360 richness. He doesn't want us to be 414 00:28:07,360 --> 00:28:12,040 comfortable in money thinking that is what's going to make us 415 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:15,200 happy because it will always, always fail. 416 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:22,560 And when we focus on riches, I miss the blessing that we get. 417 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:27,200 And then this is my America thing that I was talking about 418 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:33,080 is America is it had a time of prosperity that was unimaginable 419 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:37,440 even 100 years ago. And the amazing things that have 420 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:39,280 been done in the Kingdom in that time, right? 421 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:42,440 I mean the the amount of missions that went out of 422 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:48,120 America in the great awakening in that time with with Moody and 423 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:53,400 even with what's our what's our big evangelist that I just went 424 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:55,640 blank. He just passed away. 425 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:57,280 Billy Graham. There we go. 426 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:00,760 Billy Graham. But so the amount of work that 427 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:05,760 has been done by people that didn't get comfortable right. 428 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:09,360 I mean, you look at she Faye reads about Elizabeth Elliott 429 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:14,160 and her husband and the other men on that beach, right? 430 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,200 They were on purpose, not comfortable. 431 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:19,840 They were they were going out for for Jesus. 432 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:30,600 But America big a big capital a America became focused on 433 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,200 keeping the blessing, not what caused the blessing, because 434 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,400 what caused the blessing was people being others focused. 435 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:41,720 And I, I say that so you think about the founding fathers and I 436 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:47,600 would let you today hand pick 50 men, hand pick them. 437 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:52,200 You can, you can go research and hand pick 50 men from all over 438 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:56,200 the country. And you put them in a room and 439 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,600 you tell them to write a document. 440 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:04,440 That is what is is as unselfish and well written as the 441 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:09,720 Constitution. And it's undoable because they 442 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:16,560 actually, those men walked in that room rich and powerful and 443 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:19,320 they walked out of that room with less money and less stuff 444 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:26,000 because they, they were doing what was best for the country, 445 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:31,760 not was best for them. And they they had that attitude. 446 00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:35,280 And then what what we get in America a lot of times is we get 447 00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:41,520 I want what America can give me without recognizing what it took 448 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:46,280 to make America what it is. The the make of America great 449 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:53,480 slogan is when you when you actually understand it and 450 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:58,400 understand the heart behind it, It is a it is, it is a well, 451 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:03,800 well stated, right. But that isn't what everybody 452 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:05,920 gets. And I don't mean, I don't mean 453 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:08,640 that isn't what the left understands about make America 454 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:10,480 great. I think, I think there's a lot 455 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:15,440 of a lot of the right that doesn't, doesn't understand that 456 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:20,040 make America great is not make America more comfortable, right? 457 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:25,640 It's make America great means that we're doing a better job 458 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:28,840 taking care of vets and the homeless and the widows and the 459 00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:34,000 orphans and those in need. As a, as a country, as a whole, 460 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:36,920 we are, we are out caring for people. 461 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:41,560 When we, when we look at the rest of the world, we are out 462 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:45,960 standing against evil. That's make America great. 463 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,360 It isn't, it isn't put up taller. 464 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:52,600 I mean, and I'm not against the wall in America or in, in 465 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:56,960 Mexico, but it's not put up bigger walls and keep everybody 466 00:31:56,960 --> 00:32:02,040 away from us because that's like, that's like us as a, as a 467 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:05,000 church body going out in the woods and, and making a commune, 468 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:06,760 right? Those get weird. 469 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:10,440 That's what happens, right? You get, you get self focused 470 00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:13,240 and self-centered and just try to make yourself comfortable. 471 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:19,480 And and that making America great is going to be when when 472 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:23,160 we get focused on on those things, right? 473 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:25,760 When making Sandpoint great again. 474 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:31,040 Mark talked about it. I don't know the last time you 475 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:37,200 taught that how we're going to make Sandpoint great again is by 476 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:41,120 taking care of people right from this little building, this 477 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:45,560 little group, people going out and be in our community 478 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:49,960 community and taking care of people, meeting their needs 479 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:52,480 where they're at. And guys, that is not a 480 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:57,600 comfortable thing to do. It's being being out putting 481 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:03,920 yourself out to do that you takes you have an emotional cost 482 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:08,960 that's there. You have a a financial cost, but 483 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:15,400 it's not comfortable right when you when I ask people to stand 484 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:20,680 out front and share Jesus with people walking by, that isn't 485 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:23,480 comfortable right when you're when you're telling people that 486 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:27,720 they're that outside of Christ, they're going to spend eternity 487 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:31,480 separated from him and in hell. That isn't that is not a 488 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:36,600 comfortable conversation, but it is a necessary conversation, 489 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:38,640 right? If you love people. 490 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:50,800 And being willing to spend my, my riches, my, my, my gifts, my, 491 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:57,160 my dealing with the spirit to spend that on others is why 492 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:03,400 we're still here. And then James goes on some more 493 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:06,880 just because he hasn't beat us up enough in verse 4 and talks 494 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:11,120 about stinginess. And it says, behold, the wages 495 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:15,360 of the laborers who mow your fields, which you kept back by 496 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:19,880 fraud are crying out against you in the cries of the harvesters 497 00:34:20,239 --> 00:34:22,280 have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 498 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:29,040 So Nehemiah is probably my when I when I read this, I'm like, 499 00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:33,320 that's that's what Nehemiah ran into in chapter 5 of his book or 500 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:37,560 his his story Chapter 5 of Nehemiah. 501 00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:42,840 Nehemiah has a whole group of Jews that have been that have 502 00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:45,520 been brought out of Babylon. They are, they are, they have 503 00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:49,480 been saved out of Babylon and they're now in Jerusalem a lot 504 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:51,800 like James. James is talking about the 505 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:54,560 talking to the 12 tribes of the dispersion. 506 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:58,800 So, so he's talking to the Jews that that are probably believe, 507 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:01,120 they're probably all believers. They've they've, they've left 508 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:03,480 Jerusalem, they've fleed the persecution. 509 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:09,440 And in Nehemiah, Nehemiah has, has, has won a lot of victories. 510 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:12,360 He has, he has been sent out by the king. 511 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:15,440 So that was a a prayer victory. He had, he went and surveyed the 512 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,480 walls. He, he started the building of 513 00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:20,000 the walls. Then he then he was stood in 514 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:25,000 attack, finished building the walls through unity of his, of 515 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:29,560 his people. And then chapter 5 hit him 516 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:33,960 between the eyes and I mean, and, and the level of disgust 517 00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:38,000 that I can imagine he had of just, are you kidding me? 518 00:35:38,720 --> 00:35:42,720 And this is something that we want to be careful of, 519 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:45,440 obviously. And that's all the way through 520 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:46,800 this. That's what I'd really, that's 521 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:49,320 what I'd really challenge all of us is that I don't think that we 522 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:54,280 are all stingy, miserable, horrible people. 523 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:57,560 I just think this is a time for us to be careful that we aren't 524 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:00,000 comfortable in our in our comforts, right? 525 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:06,760 But Chapter 5, and I put this in the new Living translation just 526 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:08,800 because it's easier to read through this whole thing. 527 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:11,920 But Chapter 5. But about this time, some of the 528 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:15,560 men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow 529 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:18,160 Jews. They were saying, we have such 530 00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:21,240 large families, we need more food to survive. 531 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:24,680 Others said we have mortgaged our fields and vineyards and 532 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,480 homes to get food during the famine. 533 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:32,320 And others said we have had to borrow money on our fields and 534 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:36,560 vineyards to pay our taxes. We belong to the same family as 535 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:40,560 those who are wealthy and our children are just like theirs. 536 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:43,920 Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough 537 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:47,040 money to live. We have already sold some of our 538 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:51,720 daughters and we are helpless to do anything about about it, for 539 00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:54,840 our fields and vineyards are already mortgage to others, 540 00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:58,400 Nehemiah says. And when I heard it, heard these 541 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:03,880 complaints, I was very angry. And Nehemiah has come and given 542 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:09,920 everything he has and then and then he hears that they are that 543 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:16,840 that his nobles are persecute are actually doing what they 544 00:37:16,840 --> 00:37:20,480 were building a wall around Jerusalem to stop others from 545 00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:23,080 doing. And he goes on to say in verse 546 00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:27,200 7, after thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles 547 00:37:27,200 --> 00:37:30,520 and officials and told them you are hurting your own relatives 548 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:32,680 by charging interest when they borrow money. 549 00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:36,120 Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. 550 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:40,640 At the meeting I said, we are doing all we can to redeem our 551 00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:44,840 Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to Pagan 552 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:48,120 foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. 553 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:53,280 How often must we redeem them? And they had nothing to say in 554 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:55,800 their defense. Then I pressed further. 555 00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:59,800 What you are doing is not right. Should you not walk in the fear 556 00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:03,360 of God in order to avoid being mocked by the enemy nations? 557 00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:11,040 And this is just one of those that as as believers to to be 558 00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:19,680 caring for each other, but to not use to not use the world and 559 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:26,360 its its cultural norms to justify the way we act, right? 560 00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:28,520 That's because that's really, although all the guys in 561 00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:32,200 Nehemiah and Nehemiah, as they were doing, was just running 562 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:33,880 life like it's supposed to be run, right? 563 00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:36,000 Well, they borrowed money and I get interest for the money they 564 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:37,240 borrow. And if they can't pay the money 565 00:38:37,240 --> 00:38:39,000 back, I get their children for slaves. 566 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:45,160 That's what we do. And we don't get to act like the 567 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:49,040 world that isn't our we get to act different. 568 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:52,200 We don't get to be out for ourselves. 569 00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:56,400 We don't get to be unloving, uncaring and say it's just 570 00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:59,920 business. We get to be different. 571 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:05,680 And but in doing that, that changes lives. 572 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:11,080 You know, as you've all heard my stories about Bruno, my safety 573 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:21,160 guy in in the Tri-cities and Bruno isn't comfortable in he 574 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:26,440 because a safety guy at Energy Northwest, there's 1300 people 575 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:32,000 and he could sit in his office and write rewrite procedures and 576 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:37,720 go to meetings and he'd be fine and they'd they'd be happy with 577 00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:40,720 him. But that's Bruno wouldn't be 578 00:39:40,720 --> 00:39:43,160 comfortable with what God gave him, which is keeping people 579 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:46,400 safe. And he does that be by being out 580 00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:51,040 with guys and and questioning them on their not. 581 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:55,680 And you'd have to know Bruno to know how how good he is at his 582 00:39:55,680 --> 00:40:01,560 job of making people care about their own safety. 583 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:08,680 And as believers, we are supposed to be out making people 584 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:12,840 care about their eternity. And that isn't comfortable, 585 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:15,400 right. That isn't something that, but 586 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:20,240 it is necessary. And if we're not doing that, 587 00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:22,760 then we're just here taking up space. 588 00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:27,480 And that, that's a harsh thing to say, but that is if we're not 589 00:40:27,480 --> 00:40:32,160 if, if what I do and during outage, it is literally what I 590 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:37,520 do, if what I do is get up, go to work, come home, go to bed, 591 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:42,800 why am I here? And in 10 years and 15 years and 592 00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:48,120 20 years, if that's all I'm doing, then I am. 593 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:55,600 I'm no better than then the this group of guys that is just God 594 00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:58,720 gave me something and I'm supposed to be Hornet out into 595 00:40:58,720 --> 00:41:01,640 people's lives. And what I'm doing is just I'm 596 00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:06,520 saved, I'm good. And that what we're supposed to 597 00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:13,400 be giving the world is his life and God is always watching, 598 00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:20,640 loving others and caring for their needs is his plan for his 599 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:24,920 body. It isn't, it isn't that his plan 600 00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:28,600 for his body is that we raise a bunch of money and we go out and 601 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:31,520 give it away. I mean, that happens. 602 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:34,760 And that can be that can be a use. 603 00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:41,040 But his plan is that as a as a big, big body, we're affecting 604 00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:44,120 our community, but as individuals that we're out in 605 00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:48,960 the community pouring into those we know and and not getting 606 00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:52,760 comfortable. And like I said, that isn't guys 607 00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:55,920 the easiest thing to do. And I think we're Americans over 608 00:41:55,920 --> 00:41:58,560 the years where we lost our school system, where we've lost 609 00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:01,680 so many things is the easiest thing to do is where do I send 610 00:42:01,680 --> 00:42:04,080 the check? Right. 611 00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:07,600 It's it is missions. There's, I tried to find the 612 00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:12,280 story, but there is a story of Hudson Taylor and it is, it's in 613 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:15,040 his, it's in a book called The Spiritual Secret. 614 00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:22,560 But he came to America and he came to America and he was 615 00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:26,880 coming to spread the word about China, Inland Mission and 616 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:30,800 raising up missionaries. And after, I don't remember how 617 00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:34,560 long he'd been here, but he raised more money than he had 618 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:38,120 ever raised. And that's all. 619 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:42,480 Americans are very generous. They gave lots of money, but no 620 00:42:42,480 --> 00:42:44,800 one was no, he wasn't getting any missionaries. 621 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:47,520 He wasn't getting anybody that wanted to go right. 622 00:42:47,920 --> 00:42:50,120 He's getting lots of money and no and no workers. 623 00:42:50,720 --> 00:42:56,640 And he went to the went to his fundraising board and said give 624 00:42:56,640 --> 00:43:01,200 it back. I know, I know how to go to 625 00:43:01,200 --> 00:43:08,200 China with no money and workers and God take care of the money. 626 00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:13,520 I don't know how to go to China with money and no workers. 627 00:43:14,200 --> 00:43:15,960 So I don't need the money if you're not going to send the 628 00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:20,280 workers. And that is just a amplification 629 00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:25,160 of really God's heart, right? Money is not, I mean, we, we are 630 00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:32,600 a money focused country and society, but money's cheap guys 631 00:43:33,240 --> 00:43:38,080 and it's not He could care less. He's got it all and if he wants 632 00:43:38,080 --> 00:43:41,560 to move it around wherever he wants to move it, it's his to do 633 00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:46,640 right. But time I can't make any more 634 00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:53,120 of that emotions or my comfort. This is all stuff that really 635 00:43:53,120 --> 00:43:58,120 costs costs, right? And so when we're looking at 636 00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:02,320 this be be thinking that way. When I say comfortable 637 00:44:02,440 --> 00:44:08,000 selfishness, right, it's is me being comfortable what I'm 638 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:18,240 holding on to and this is this is what we're supposed to be 639 00:44:18,240 --> 00:44:20,240 doing. The day I gave my life to Jesus, 640 00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:25,080 he came in and has changed my desire right? 641 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:30,640 Because outside of him I can find find short term comfort and 642 00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:36,080 selfishness that he paid for. So when I'm outside of Christ 643 00:44:36,080 --> 00:44:43,800 being selfish, that sin he paid for on the cross and any and in 644 00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:46,400 Isaiah, Isaiah tells us that we're going to act like that 645 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:49,480 right? It says 53, six and seven. 646 00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:52,000 All we like sheep have gone astray. 647 00:44:52,280 --> 00:44:56,240 We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid on 648 00:44:56,240 --> 00:45:00,320 him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, He was 649 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:05,240 afflicted, He was open and he yet he opened not his mouth like 650 00:45:05,240 --> 00:45:08,880 a lamb that has led to the slaughter and like sheep that 651 00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:11,880 before it shears is silent. So he opened not his mouth. 652 00:45:11,880 --> 00:45:17,680 So when I when I lean back on my comfort and my I want to I want 653 00:45:17,680 --> 00:45:23,000 what I want. I'm, I'm encouraging the 654 00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:32,960 infliction that was on my Lord at the cross and I'll explain 655 00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:36,400 exactly how it all works when we get to heaven and we'll all 656 00:45:36,400 --> 00:45:44,000 actually know at that point. But as every sin that I commit, 657 00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:48,720 every sin that I have committed, He paid for. 658 00:45:49,760 --> 00:45:53,600 Every sin that I am going to commit, He paid for. 659 00:45:54,640 --> 00:45:59,200 And so when I'm comfortable sinning, I'm comfortable with 660 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:06,560 the abuse that he took for it. And being comfortable is not a 661 00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:12,040 sin until you rely on that comfortable, unless that 662 00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:14,040 comfortable is before Christ, right? 663 00:46:14,040 --> 00:46:16,400 But I want to be comfortable more than I want to serve you, 664 00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:19,160 Lord. And it's the selfishness side of 665 00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:27,910 it. First, Peter 223 through 24 says 666 00:46:28,550 --> 00:46:31,190 when he was reviled, he did not revile in return. 667 00:46:31,190 --> 00:46:34,230 When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued and 668 00:46:34,230 --> 00:46:38,680 truck continued entrusting himself to him who judges, 669 00:46:38,680 --> 00:46:43,360 judges justly. He himself bore our sins, and in 670 00:46:43,360 --> 00:46:49,000 his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to 671 00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:51,640 righteousness. By his wound we have been healed 672 00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:54,320 and that's that's the gift He's given us. 673 00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:58,480 Right Is that he died for my sin. 674 00:46:58,560 --> 00:47:02,440 He didn't keep them, but then he gave me power over my 675 00:47:02,440 --> 00:47:06,480 selfishness. He gave me power that when he 676 00:47:06,480 --> 00:47:11,360 asks me to go be uncomfortable and get outside myself, he gave 677 00:47:11,360 --> 00:47:14,400 me the power to go do that if I'm willing, if I'm willing to 678 00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:19,360 back in James in five and six, it says you have lived on earth 679 00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:22,800 in luxury and self indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in 680 00:47:22,800 --> 00:47:26,120 the in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered 681 00:47:26,120 --> 00:47:29,200 a righteous person. He does not resist you. 682 00:47:32,720 --> 00:47:34,760 We don't want to be I don't want to be known as that. 683 00:47:34,760 --> 00:47:38,080 I don't want to be known that I'm the comfortable guy and I'm 684 00:47:40,760 --> 00:47:46,880 I'm just, I have luxury and I am self indulgent and I'm OK with 685 00:47:46,880 --> 00:47:50,200 the Lord paying for that because he paid for that. 686 00:47:50,200 --> 00:47:54,320 You know, it's there's AI can do all things through Christ who 687 00:47:54,320 --> 00:47:59,040 strengthens me. And so he he forgives my sin. 688 00:47:59,040 --> 00:48:00,480 So I'm going to go out and sin some more. 689 00:48:01,760 --> 00:48:06,440 The darkness in that statement is being is is accepting that 690 00:48:07,200 --> 00:48:11,600 I'm willing to add more to his pain and he doesn't get that 691 00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:13,320 pain today. But however it works. 692 00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:16,960 He got it all then. But when I, when I agreed to add 693 00:48:16,960 --> 00:48:19,960 to it, that's that's me here agreeing. 694 00:48:22,120 --> 00:48:23,520 Do we love our Lord more than that? 695 00:48:23,520 --> 00:48:27,720 We love our Lord enough not to be comfortable. 696 00:48:28,560 --> 00:48:30,800 Am I am I willing to be uncomfortable for him? 697 00:48:30,800 --> 00:48:34,200 And you can think back on martyrs or or missionaries over 698 00:48:34,200 --> 00:48:38,960 the over this, but I mean the things in our lives that make us 699 00:48:38,960 --> 00:48:42,680 comfortable. Are we willing to not focus on 700 00:48:42,680 --> 00:48:49,520 them first? Peter 317 and 18 for it is 701 00:48:49,520 --> 00:48:54,440 better to suffer for good for doing good. 702 00:48:55,440 --> 00:48:59,920 If that should Oh sorry for it is better to suffer for doing 703 00:48:59,920 --> 00:49:02,520 good. If that you should be God's 704 00:49:02,520 --> 00:49:07,560 will, then for doing evil, that should be God's will then for 705 00:49:07,560 --> 00:49:09,920 doing evil. For Christ also suffered once 706 00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:20,560 for sin and righteous for no sorry for Christ also suffered 707 00:49:20,560 --> 00:49:24,160 once for sin, the righteous, for the unrighteous, that he might 708 00:49:24,160 --> 00:49:28,720 bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh of me being 709 00:49:28,720 --> 00:49:34,080 made alive in the spirit. And that is we're supposed to go 710 00:49:34,080 --> 00:49:38,680 to the cross every day and die to self, which means die to die 711 00:49:38,680 --> 00:49:43,320 to focus on comfort. And then we go out and share 712 00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:45,840 with the world what he's done in our lives. 713 00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:52,480 And it's it's a world full of sinners guys, and we're supposed 714 00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:57,000 to be out sharing the good news and opportunity just to go 715 00:49:57,000 --> 00:50:00,280 through what that is right when you're talking to somebody and 716 00:50:00,280 --> 00:50:04,280 you've got your story because that's you know, your testimony 717 00:50:04,280 --> 00:50:10,160 is that. But Romans 323 says for all of 718 00:50:10,160 --> 00:50:16,160 sin and fall short of the glory of God and Jesus is the son of 719 00:50:16,160 --> 00:50:20,600 God and he was born born of a virgin on or 2000 years ago and 720 00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:22,960 he paid for all of our sin on the cross right. 721 00:50:23,600 --> 00:50:25,600 And this is stuff we can we can walk him through. 722 00:50:25,600 --> 00:50:29,880 But those are those are facts. Romans 58 says, but God showed 723 00:50:29,880 --> 00:50:33,320 his love for us that that while we were still sinners, Christ 724 00:50:33,320 --> 00:50:36,840 died for us. So take him take him through 725 00:50:36,840 --> 00:50:38,320 that. And this is that this is Romans 726 00:50:38,320 --> 00:50:41,360 wrote if you guys haven't heard it, but it's and what I deserve 727 00:50:41,840 --> 00:50:44,840 is death. But I was saved by his work on 728 00:50:44,840 --> 00:50:50,440 the cross and that's 6 Romans 623 and it's for the wages of 729 00:50:50,440 --> 00:50:54,240 sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ 730 00:50:54,240 --> 00:50:57,800 Jesus our Lord. Now this is where this is where 731 00:50:57,800 --> 00:51:03,120 you can get them because all of that is in our world. 732 00:51:03,200 --> 00:51:06,480 We can get the idea that, well, you know, there's the Buddhists 733 00:51:06,480 --> 00:51:10,120 believe one thing and the Muslims believe something and 734 00:51:10,120 --> 00:51:17,880 the Hindus believe something. And on the third day, he proved 735 00:51:17,880 --> 00:51:19,840 who he is by rising from the dead. 736 00:51:19,840 --> 00:51:25,320 And that can be proven in secular, in secular history 737 00:51:25,320 --> 00:51:31,000 books from, from the 1st century, Jesus rose from the 738 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:37,560 dead and that proves who he is and that he, what he said. 739 00:51:38,160 --> 00:51:41,120 And the difference when you're having those conversations is 740 00:51:41,120 --> 00:51:43,520 that you should be in the background, in your in your 741 00:51:43,520 --> 00:51:45,600 head, you should be praying because the Lord is the one that 742 00:51:45,600 --> 00:51:48,800 can do the speaking, right? It isn't you doing the time and 743 00:51:48,800 --> 00:51:51,560 you're going to be you're going to be there and you're going to 744 00:51:51,560 --> 00:51:54,600 be talking. But but the one that is working 745 00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:57,800 on him is the living God that lives inside you. 746 00:52:01,200 --> 00:52:05,760 John 112 says, but to all who did receive him, who believed in 747 00:52:05,760 --> 00:52:08,680 his name, he gave the right to become children's of God. 748 00:52:10,160 --> 00:52:14,440 And he desperately wants a relationship with not only 749 00:52:14,440 --> 00:52:17,160 everybody in this room, but everybody in Sandpoint, 750 00:52:17,160 --> 00:52:20,440 everybody in Idaho, everybody in America, everybody in the world. 751 00:52:20,800 --> 00:52:26,560 And he is willing to keep us as uncomfortable as is required to 752 00:52:26,560 --> 00:52:28,720 reach as many of them as possible. 753 00:52:32,440 --> 00:52:37,080 And he gives us the grace, gives us his grace to withstand that, 754 00:52:37,680 --> 00:52:40,920 to be uncomfortable and filled with him. 755 00:52:41,240 --> 00:52:44,880 Ephesians 289 says For by grace you have been saved through 756 00:52:44,880 --> 00:52:48,160 faith, and this is not your own doing. 757 00:52:48,240 --> 00:52:52,600 It is a gift of God, not as a result of words so that no one 758 00:52:52,600 --> 00:52:57,160 may boast and then do they want it. 759 00:52:58,440 --> 00:53:01,240 It is simple as saying Lord save me a Sinner. 760 00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:06,720 Romans 10/9 says because if you confess with your mouth that 761 00:53:06,720 --> 00:53:11,000 Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised him from 762 00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:15,280 the dead, you will be saved. And that is something that each 763 00:53:15,280 --> 00:53:19,960 and every one of us should be able to share with people that 764 00:53:19,960 --> 00:53:23,440 you have the God of the universe living inside you and he wants 765 00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:27,760 out into the world. He wants to he wants to flow out 766 00:53:27,760 --> 00:53:31,080 of each and every one of us. He wants us to say like Peter 767 00:53:32,560 --> 00:53:35,120 silver and gold, I have not, but in the name of Jesus, rise up 768 00:53:35,120 --> 00:53:42,240 and walk there are there are lost and dying people and I say 769 00:53:42,240 --> 00:53:46,280 that every week. But do you know him? 770 00:53:47,880 --> 00:53:53,200 Do you work with them? And what they don't have is 771 00:53:53,200 --> 00:53:57,920 Christ. What they need is him and what 772 00:53:57,920 --> 00:54:02,040 we have is him. That's the richest. 773 00:54:02,040 --> 00:54:07,440 He wants us pouring out. Are we too comfortable to pour 774 00:54:07,440 --> 00:54:10,520 that into our world? And that's. 775 00:54:16,640 --> 00:54:20,480 It's my heart for sampling, heart for you guys. 776 00:54:21,160 --> 00:54:29,360 So Lord, I just lift up this time and lift up just just us, 777 00:54:29,560 --> 00:54:34,280 Lord, that you would fill us with your spirit guide and 778 00:54:34,280 --> 00:54:35,720 direct us. Lord, that you would bring 779 00:54:35,720 --> 00:54:43,240 people into our lives, that you would help us, help us to pour 780 00:54:43,240 --> 00:54:47,280 out into our community, help us to share with people all that 781 00:54:47,280 --> 00:54:48,880 you've done and all that you want to do. 782 00:54:50,040 --> 00:54:55,520 Lord, that your light would, would just erupt from this 783 00:54:55,520 --> 00:55:01,360 building, Lord, and just just flow out of here in a, in a 784 00:55:01,360 --> 00:55:03,360 mighty way. Lord, then you would, you would 785 00:55:03,360 --> 00:55:06,720 guide and direct. And I pray this all in Jesus 786 00:55:06,720 --> 00:55:07,760 name, Amen.