1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:01,720 This will be this will be the fun part. 2 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:04,400 She got up here. Now she's got to get back down. 3 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,800 If you know anything about knees, the up is way easier than 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:19,480 the down. So, so we've been going through 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:24,320 Exodus and I'll be honest, I thought that this weekend I was 6 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,120 like, ah, we'll be, I'll be on a conference. 7 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,680 I have down time. We had a great time of 8 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,600 fellowship and I had nowhere like I think, I think both 9 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:36,440 nights we went to bed somewhere around midnight. 10 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,640 I know we went, I know on Friday night it was midnight because 11 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:42,440 somebody stood up and said so it's tomorrow, we should go to 12 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:48,280 bed. And so so we are not in Exodus 13 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:50,720 because I couldn't have there was no way I was going to give 14 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:55,920 you a decent Bible study in Exodus, but shirts came out and 15 00:00:55,920 --> 00:01:00,200 something God's really. So I understand what embrace the 16 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,160 suck means, but I don't want I don't want it to sound like at 17 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,760 any point following Jesus sucks because it doesn't. 18 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,200 And that isn't the that isn't what that is. 19 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:16,120 So today is it is embrace the joy of suck, which we'll get 20 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:18,760 into that. We're going to be in Ephesians 4 21 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:30,800 to start with, and we're going to be Ephesians 417 and read it 22 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:38,040 real quick. This I say therefore, and 23 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,320 testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the 24 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:45,120 rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind, having 25 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:50,800 the understanding, understanding darkened, being alienated from 26 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,800 the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, 27 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,880 because of the blindness of their heart, who being past 28 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:01,880 feeling, have given themselves over to the lewdness to work all 29 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,520 uncleanness, cleanness with greediness. 30 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,960 But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard 31 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:14,680 Him and have been taught by Him, As the truth is in Jesus, that 32 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:18,640 you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which 33 00:02:18,640 --> 00:02:23,760 grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and being 34 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,040 renewed in the spirit of your mind. 35 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:32,480 And that you put on the new man which was created according to 36 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,000 God in true righteousness and holiness. 37 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:39,520 Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth 38 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,920 with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 39 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:46,360 Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on 40 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,680 your wrath, nor give place to the devil. 41 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:53,120 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him 42 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:57,160 labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have 43 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,560 something to give him who has need. 44 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:03,320 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth but what is good 45 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:07,600 for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the here. 46 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,520 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were 47 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:13,360 sealed for the day of redemption. 48 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:18,080 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking 49 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,440 be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one 50 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,240 another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, and even 51 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:28,160 as God in Christ forgave you. And Lord, I just lift up today. 52 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:32,760 I lift up this time. Lord, just thank you for this 53 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,560 body. Thank you that you've brought us 54 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,560 together, Lord, and just the love in this room, Lord, and 55 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,280 that you would just be in our midst speaking to us, Lord, that 56 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,000 you would fill us with your spirit that you would guide and 57 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,360 direct us Lord, that you speak through me and to me and I pray 58 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:56,120 all this in Jesus name, Amen. So the old man in sin and the 59 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:00,760 new man in Christ and there there is some suck in that right 60 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:06,240 that we, we as believers before we were believers, right. 61 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:10,600 The idea of what it what we thought it takes to be a 62 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:15,840 believer. It's what we think is or what 63 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,360 what a non believer thinks is. I'm not going to get to have all 64 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,680 this fun. And then when you give your life 65 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,280 to the Lord, you find out that my life is nothing but fun 66 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,520 because there isn't all the all the penalty and the the pain 67 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:34,960 that goes with the mistakes of of the world of living in the 68 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:41,840 world. But the the new joy is replaces 69 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:47,880 the old pain through the suck. And I think I, I hope that I can 70 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,480 explain what I mean by that. Paul calls us to put off the old 71 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:56,600 man that is the corrupt man with its deceitful lusts and put on 72 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:00,120 the new man that was created by God according to God, right. 73 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:05,160 And that's the Ephesians 417 where it starts. 74 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,200 And it just says this. I say therefore and testify in 75 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:11,120 the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the 76 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:13,960 Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind. 77 00:05:14,840 --> 00:05:17,640 And that is so think of it like this. 78 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:20,960 If you have a computer and if you've ever done computer 79 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,880 programming or any of that stuff, junk in, junk out, right? 80 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:28,280 If, if computers don't make mistakes, people make mistakes 81 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:33,120 and, and break computers, right? And if without a if, if, if you 82 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:35,760 put good information into a computer, you can get good 83 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:37,840 information out. But if you put in bad data, you 84 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:41,320 get bad data. And the futility of our mind, 85 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:45,160 the way we think outside of Christ is bad data. 86 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:50,120 It's, it is we, we think like the world, we act like the world 87 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:54,360 and we get world results, right. No, I've, I've said a lot that 88 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:58,040 before I was a believer, I had everything that I thought I 89 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:00,800 needed. If you, if I'd have sat down and 90 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:06,320 wrote out a, a list of things in my 20s of what I needed to be 91 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:08,640 happy. I needed a Good Wife. 92 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,280 I needed a nice house. I needed, I needed cars, 93 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:14,840 particular cars, right? And I, I got those. 94 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:17,400 I needed, needed a couple of kids and needed a good job. 95 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,760 I had all that and I wasn't happy. 96 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:25,480 I wasn't miserable, but I wasn't I wasn't at peace. 97 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,800 I wasn't content. I was still, I was still and I 98 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,200 and I recognized it. I guess is the point I didn't 99 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:36,360 recognize I needed Jesus. I'm not, but I recognized laying 100 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:40,040 in bed at night that I'm I could not figure out what the next 101 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,040 piece was right. I'd lay in bed, not content, 102 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:47,920 not, not like, like, not at ease. 103 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:53,800 And I'd lay in bed going what, what would I, what can I add 104 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,240 right? I, I don't need another car. 105 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:58,560 I, I, I've got the, how you know, you, I going through all 106 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:00,680 the things I thought I needed and they weren't the thing. 107 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:06,120 And then, and then I got saved. And that is a whole 108 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,160 conversation. But what I needed was Jesus, I 109 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:13,240 needed to put off the old man and put on the new man, right? 110 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:17,680 And and that is a continuous process that we go through and 111 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:22,600 our old man does not like it. That's the suck, right? 112 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,680 Is that there is two people living inside you. 113 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:30,680 And not to be weird or, or strange, but you've got, you've 114 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:34,560 got your flesh, your selfishness, and you've got, 115 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:37,960 you've got your spirit, which would be other centered or, or 116 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:41,880 focused on things of God, right? Things that he wants to do. 117 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,760 And your flesh, your old man does not like that stuff. 118 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:49,400 I talked about it on a Wednesday night that your old man. 119 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,280 I mean, it's kind of easy to figure out if, if it's God or, 120 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:56,720 or you is 90% of the time the thing that God wants you to do 121 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:00,040 is the thing you absolutely don't want to do, right? 122 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:05,600 Because it's, you know, if it's what's the hardest thing for a 123 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:09,200 believer to do if you don't happen to have the gift of 124 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:12,840 evangelism, right, is is to go and you know, I could ask 125 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:19,000 everybody here the whatever the lost in the 50s that's coming 126 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,720 up. Hey, you guys all want to go out 127 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:24,800 St. witnessing everybody raise your hand right. 128 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,080 Francis Chan is a you guys don't know him. 129 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:32,480 He's a pastor, he's had mega churches. 130 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:37,679 He he teaches at big churches. And he said, you know, a pastor 131 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:40,799 could call me and ask me to that I need it on Saturday. 132 00:08:40,799 --> 00:08:43,280 I needed to come to his church and he was going to have an 133 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,920 event and there was 10,000 people there and, and he called 134 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:48,880 me on. He can call me on a Tuesday and 135 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:50,600 tell me that I'm going to teach on Saturday. 136 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:52,840 And I'm going to say yes. And, and I'm going to be there. 137 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:57,960 And then after that event, somebody could walk up to me and 138 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,640 say, Hey, you know, tomorrow we're going to go, we're going 139 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:04,720 to go door to door and knock on doors and, and talk to people. 140 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:06,480 You want to come? Well, I'm going to pray about 141 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:10,320 that, right? It is, it is substantially 142 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:15,080 easier to stand up here and talk to all of you than it is to go 143 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:17,480 door to door, right? And the reason is, is that when 144 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:20,360 I'm talking to all you guys, I may or may not be making a 145 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,040 difference, right? And I, and I'm kind of, but 146 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:26,000 when, when you're going door to door, right, your flesh wants 147 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,080 nothing to do that because it, it's going to affect eternity, 148 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:31,400 right? It's going to affect somebody 149 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:34,920 else's eternity. And, and it's hard for you right 150 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:38,960 then. And that's that, that's that. 151 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:43,920 But when you do that, guys, I will tell you when you are, when 152 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,840 you are where you're supposed to be, doing what God wants you to 153 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,640 do, there isn't more joy you're going to get out of life. 154 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:55,080 And I've said this in the past, sometimes you get there the hard 155 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:59,160 way. And, and that is that you have 156 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:01,840 to repent. You know, you lied, you yelled, 157 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:08,240 you, you did something that was just overt sin and God confronts 158 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:09,880 you on it and you need to go apologize. 159 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:11,320 You need to go talk to that person. 160 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,160 You need to return, you know, you stole, you need to return 161 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:17,400 that, whatever that is. And then, you know, you argue 162 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,080 and you're like, I don't want to do it and you go do it, whether 163 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:24,800 that's an apology or whatever the repentance is. 164 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:28,400 When you do that, at that moment, you have a joy that you 165 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:31,480 because you've just been released, because suddenly you 166 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:33,400 were exactly where you're supposed to be doing exactly 167 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:35,960 what God wants you to do. Now you got there the hard way 168 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:38,280 because you were in sin and had to repent. 169 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:42,120 But that moment you repented and turned to the Lord. 170 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:47,160 That's where he wants us all the time, minus the repenting. 171 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:51,840 He wants us to be walking in that joy in that, in that 172 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,880 obedience. You know, I, the old man cannot 173 00:10:55,880 --> 00:11:00,960 get in and sit down and hold on. He asked it he he stays outside 174 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:03,920 the truck, right? And and you guys have talked 175 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:06,000 about that. That's that that's that abiding 176 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:10,120 life in Jesus is is getting in sitting down and holding on and 177 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:14,880 trusting him right, But it's Roman 66616. 178 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:20,240 Do you not know that to whom you present yourself slaves to obey 179 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,760 You are that one slave whom you obey whether to sin leading to 180 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:27,200 death or obedience leading to righteousness and guys, I can 181 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,920 guarantee that if I asked in here a raise of hands of how 182 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:33,600 many people knew how to be obedient to sin. 183 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:36,480 I think everybody raise their hand because I didn't something 184 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:38,600 I had to learn. I didn't have to learn how to be 185 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,920 obedient to my sin nature right I it just came pretty natural. 186 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:46,680 You know, when I was, I think I was probably a few hours old 187 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:48,920 when I started throwing a temper tantrum because I wasn't getting 188 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:51,760 food, right. I mean, it doesn't take long to 189 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:56,040 to fold into your selfish side, but obedience leading to 190 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:59,000 righteousness, right? That's, that's the getting in 191 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,480 the sitting down and holding on. That's, that's trusting the 192 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:04,640 Lord. And guys, our flesh. 193 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,280 I mean, and I, I don't want to be all, all like Christianese on 194 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:11,320 that. Our flesh is just our selfish 195 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:14,280 nature, myself focusedness, right? 196 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,720 The, the, the, the trying to make myself happy and I 197 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:21,160 guarantee that I will never be able to make myself happy. 198 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:26,720 You know, it's, it's that delayed gratification whenever, 199 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,440 whenever we try to make ourselves happy on whatever it 200 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,080 is, I'm going to eat, I'm going to eat a bunch of sugar and I'm 201 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:36,440 going to get a I'm going to, I'm going to have all this energy. 202 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:37,800 What happens on the other side, right? 203 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:48,040 I I crash and and that is our that obedience to Christ is that 204 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:53,320 that when I say embrace the joy through the suck, which is that 205 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:56,760 obedience to Christ has suck for our self. 206 00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:59,640 And if you read Romans 6, you can go through it. 207 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:04,040 And I an exercise that I've, I've used and I tell people is 208 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:08,400 if you go through Romans 6 and everywhere it says sin, you say 209 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:13,960 self or selfish, you will find that it, it, it aligns pretty 210 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:15,880 well with our selfish nature, right? 211 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:21,640 Is, is, you know, slaves of one who, who you obey, whether self 212 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,840 leading to death or obedience leading to Christ, right, which 213 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:29,280 is a righteousness, which is sin is just that. 214 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,760 It is just selfishness, right? It's missing the mark. 215 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:38,720 But it's it's 90% of the time it's because I'm I want to I 216 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:44,480 want what I want and I don't care what God wants and goes on 217 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:46,880 in verse 25. Ephesians therefore put away 218 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:50,480 lying each of one each one of you speak truth with his 219 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,840 neighbor, for we are members of one another. 220 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,800 Be angry and do not sing. Do not let the sun go down on 221 00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:00,400 your wrath nor nor give place to the devil. 222 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:04,000 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor 223 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,680 working with his hands. What is good that so? 224 00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:10,920 What is good that he may have something to give him who is in 225 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:13,480 need? Let no corrupt word proceed out 226 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:17,480 of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that 227 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:19,400 it may impart grace to the hearer. 228 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,880 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were 229 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:24,320 sealed for the day of redemption. 230 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,320 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour and evil speaking 231 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:30,960 be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one 232 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,600 another, tender hearted, forgiving one another even as 233 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:38,840 God in Christ forgave you. And this is not Paul laying out 234 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:42,680 a self help book. This is Paul laying out a self 235 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:46,640 death letter, right? This is this is the only way 236 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:50,760 you're doing those things is if you die to yourself, right? 237 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:57,040 It's there is when we want to. So when I'm angry, this is a 238 00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:02,000 good, good depiction of how do I know what God wants me to do? 239 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:07,040 I think I talked about it on Monday or on Wednesday, but when 240 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:09,360 I'm when I'm listening to somebody and I really, really, 241 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:13,240 really want to tell them off when I really, when they have 242 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:17,080 when they have upset me or they are, they're on the opposite 243 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:19,640 side of something. And that could be whether that's 244 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,760 political, doctrinal, whatever that thing is, and you just want 245 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:28,000 to tell them off. That is your flesh all day long. 246 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:32,040 It's when it's when you're, you're having the same 247 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:36,800 conversation and in the back of your mind, God is saying you 248 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:40,360 need to say this like, Lord, I don't want to say that I can't 249 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,640 say that. I just can you see the 250 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,800 difference When I really don't want to say it, that's probably 251 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:49,240 the Lord. That's obedience leading to 252 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:51,320 righteousness. And when I really, really want 253 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:55,280 to say it, that's anger leading to sin, if that makes sense. 254 00:15:55,280 --> 00:16:00,880 And and that is and then, but it it's nice because Paul literally 255 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:04,520 goes through here and and and does give us what looks like a 256 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:06,360 self help thing. But if you just tried to do it 257 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:10,120 in self help and not you have to die to self first, right? 258 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:14,200 If you you know it's steal no longer but go to work, right? 259 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:18,800 It's and that's stealing time. But it's, I mean, it can be 260 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:21,120 stealing things, but it's also stealing time, right? 261 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,440 I mean at work, are you, are you status quo, right? 262 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:32,480 I, I work at when I'm working at Energy Northwest, it is a, it's 263 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:35,200 a nuclear plant. It's government ran and there is 264 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:39,400 a it's what it, it's privately ran. 265 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:43,040 It's privately ran, government regulated and it is just like 266 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:46,800 government job, right. And people get it in their head 267 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:52,640 that the money's free. And then guys that wouldn't guys 268 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:55,640 that working for Watts Construction, Watts Construction 269 00:16:55,640 --> 00:17:01,120 is a owner operator and they show up every day and work their 270 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:04,560 tails off. And they work from when the when 271 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:09,079 the start time, they, they take a break at lunch for 1/2 hour, 272 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:12,599 they work until stop time. And there isn't an argument I 273 00:17:12,599 --> 00:17:16,680 don't have to have like, hey, when we're at work, we work at 274 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:20,160 Energy Northwest, taking a 45 minute break. 275 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:21,599 Well, you know, I just felt like it. 276 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:26,599 It's like, you know, it's, I mean, and it's normal. 277 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:32,560 That's stealing, right? And are we and that's steal no 278 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:35,600 longer, right? But everybody's doing it. 279 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:39,240 So I mean, even for, even for me in that environment, it's hard 280 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:42,080 to have that work ethic because you're with, you're literally 281 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:46,920 going to go against the grain of everybody there because when, 282 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,480 when 15 is, you get a 15. I mean, you still get a lot of 283 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:51,440 breaks because it's government, right? 284 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:55,520 So you get, you get a 15 minute break at mid between between 285 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:58,040 when you start and lunchtime, there's 15 minutes, then there's 286 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,760 1/2 hour lunch and a 15 minute afternoon break. 287 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,600 So there's plenty of breaks. But if at 15 minutes I get up 288 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:09,120 and go back to work, I'm going to get grief, right? 289 00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:10,480 Because I make everybody look bad. 290 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:16,120 And but that's that's called don't steal right now. 291 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,600 Does my flip? My flesh wants both parts, 292 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:19,800 right? I'll just sit and look at my 293 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:22,400 phone till they get up. I'm not doing anything wrong. 294 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:26,560 I'm just following them. And also my flesh doesn't want 295 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:30,280 to be that person that is making them all feel guilty, even 296 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:32,480 though we should all feel guilty, right? 297 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:35,320 Does that make sense? And so it's Paul's walking 298 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:38,880 through this. And don't let any corrupt word 299 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:42,080 proceed from your mouth. You know, that's course joking, 300 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:46,040 but it's also guys, see, I think it's long enough ago. 301 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:48,640 So I don't think I'm going to call anybody out in this room. 302 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:55,160 But Facebook has corrupt words. And when I say corrupt words, 303 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:57,480 there was probably 2-3 years ago. 304 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:00,160 America is going to run out of diesel. 305 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,720 There's not they're, they're running out of diesel and there 306 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,560 isn't going to be any fuel, any diesel fuel. 307 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:09,400 And this is a Facebook thing that was going on, right? 308 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:14,160 And I had friends, Christian friends that were reposting 309 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:15,600 that. Do you know what that is? 310 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:19,080 That's a lie. Might be a neat meme, might be a 311 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:21,640 neat. It's a lie because you didn't 312 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:23,040 check it. It never happened. 313 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,920 And when you're on Facebook and you see something that you agree 314 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:31,320 with, you know, on YouTube and you see something you agree 315 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:35,880 with, if you're on Instagram and you agree with it, that doesn't 316 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:39,680 make it true, right? And that, and I mean, that 317 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:43,600 doesn't mean that doesn't mean that you, you can't agree with 318 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:45,840 it. But before you're going to 319 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:50,480 repost it, I would verify it, right? 320 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,040 Because they, you know, that, that it's always funny when 321 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:58,440 they're saying things like the Internet, you know, they'll make 322 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:00,800 some comment about the Internet and then they'll put, you know, 323 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:06,440 Abraham Lincoln quote, right. I mean, and they'll do that for 324 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,080 that joke that guys just 'cause they wrote it, just 'cause it 325 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:13,480 looks official doesn't mean it's true, just 'cause they say so 326 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:18,360 and so said this doesn't mean he said that, right? 327 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:22,520 And today in a is world, just because you saw so and so say 328 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:27,240 that in a clip doesn't mean so and so said that in a clip, 329 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:29,440 right? If you're going to, if you're 330 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:31,960 going to post stuff, if you're going, you need to go back. 331 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:34,400 And I'm, I'm kind of on a tangent, but you need to go back 332 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,160 to source documents, source things, right? 333 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:40,480 You need to go back to the actual event and see it happen 334 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:44,080 in real time because that's the world we live in is everything 335 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:49,600 is, especially on social media, it's able to be just 336 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:51,400 manipulated. And you don't want to be the 337 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:53,440 one, you don't want to spread lies, right? 338 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:55,480 I don't want to spread lies, whether I agree with them or 339 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:58,600 not, right? I mean, I can agree, but I don't 340 00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:00,760 want to, I don't want to be lying about it either. 341 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:07,720 And so the easiest way to not let any corrupt word leave your 342 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:12,240 mouth, and this is really for me a lot of times, is to be quiet, 343 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,360 right? I, I, I am Something I do for 344 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:22,600 Facebook is I screenshot a lot of things because I like them. 345 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:25,960 I think they're funny, right? That's that's a funny statement, 346 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:28,000 but I'm not going to I'm not going to share it. 347 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,120 I'm not going to post it, right, But I'll, I'll save it on my 348 00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:32,640 phone just because it's so funny, right? 349 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:39,280 And, and that is, but that's in in public a lot of times. 350 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:42,520 And and this is Abraham Lincoln quote. 351 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:46,120 It's better to better to be quiet and be thought a fool than 352 00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:47,600 to open your mouth and remove all doubt. 353 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:54,480 He said it better than that, But that is so when we're quiet, if 354 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:56,720 I, if I'm not saying anything, I can't let a corrupt word leave 355 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:01,040 my mouth, right? And it's harder to grieve the 356 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:04,000 Holy Spirit at that point because the Holy Spirit doesn't 357 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:08,840 want his people that he's filled with to be lying and lying even 358 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:10,800 on things that, you know, I agree with that and that 359 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:14,120 supports my view. We're not willing to lie to 360 00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:17,200 support our view, right? That isn't and he definitely 361 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:18,720 doesn't. And then it says, let all 362 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,680 bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour and evil speaking, but 363 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:26,440 put away from you. And are we known as believers? 364 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:30,600 Are we, are we known as being kind to one another, tender 365 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:34,840 hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave 366 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:38,160 you, right? That's how we should be known. 367 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:41,680 And if you think you can do that in your flesh, in your 368 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:46,760 selfishness, you are mistaken. Outside of Christ, we can do 369 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:51,240 nothing that I'm talking about the embracing the embracing joy 370 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:54,480 through the suck is is embracing Jesus and what he did on the 371 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,720 cross, right and the power that he gives us through that right. 372 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:05,240 You know, and that's Galatians 220 and I use it all the time. 373 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,320 And so I'm hoping you guys are start this is when you can 374 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:10,040 memorize and you can post this anytime you want to and you can 375 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,160 agree with it is I've been crucified with Christ. 376 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:14,960 It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, the life 377 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:18,360 that I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of 378 00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:22,040 God, right, because we are still walking around in this body that 379 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,600 I'm saying I'm saying is selfish and evil. 380 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:29,000 We're still walking around in it and and we have we have work to 381 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:33,880 do for Jesus, right, that that he has for us to do, but has 382 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:37,840 surrendered to him. And that is, and the only way to 383 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:43,200 surrender to him is to die on that cross, right where he died 384 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:48,280 to, to leave our to leave our old man there and have that new 385 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:53,560 life. We can't bring the old man ways, 386 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:59,280 the old man's ways into Christ. It does you, you, you can't. 387 00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:08,960 And America and Americans, we have something that is in our 388 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:14,000 founding documents and it's, you know, we have this right, the 389 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:20,240 pursuit of happiness. And guys, happiness is not a 390 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:24,760 thing. And it is, it is an end of 391 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,000 something, right? And, and if you were, if you 392 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,800 were going for happiness, you'll never get there. 393 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:35,640 It's like, it's like me with my before I was saved, I had the 394 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:39,040 house, I had the cars, I had the wife, I had the kids, I had the 395 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:42,240 job, and I wasn't happy, but I was. 396 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,880 That's what I was in the pursuit of happiness. 397 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:47,520 And I had all the things that were going to make me happy and 398 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:48,240 guess what? I wasn't. 399 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:55,360 So if we seek happy comfort, we will never have joy. 400 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:59,720 If we seek to follow Jesus and die to our selfish old man, we 401 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:04,160 will have overflowing joy. And in that joy, there's 402 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,560 happiness. But if what you're if what 403 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:11,720 you're if, if your initial aim is to go with comfort and happy, 404 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:15,720 you'll never get there. If your aim is to follow Christ, 405 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:21,600 then you will have joy, then you will have peace and and Jesus. 406 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:27,720 Jesus says this point blank and we say it today and we don't get 407 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:32,360 it because it crosses set up on stages and they sit on stages 408 00:25:32,360 --> 00:25:34,320 and they sit on the backs of buildings and people wear them 409 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:37,000 around their necks. So they're it's it's a sweet 410 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,600 thing. When Jesus said this, the only 411 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:43,040 crosses in existence at this time were at the edge of town, 412 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:45,240 Roman towns with dead bodies on them. 413 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:51,320 They weren't, they weren't a a religious symbol that said, hey, 414 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:54,680 that's a nice way to put it. No, they were, they were, you 415 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:56,320 know, follow me to the firing squad. 416 00:25:56,320 --> 00:26:00,000 Let's hang out with the electric chair, you know, let's get some 417 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,760 cyanide. And this is in Luke 923 and 24. 418 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:08,000 Then he said to them all, if anyone desires to come after me, 419 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:12,360 let him deny himself his selfishness and take up his 420 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:16,120 cross daily and follow me. The only people that took up 421 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:20,320 crosses were people that were taken to the edge of town to be 422 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:26,400 hung on them. For whoever desires to save his 423 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,440 life will lose it, But whoever loses his life for my sake will 424 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:31,720 save it. That's that. 425 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:36,160 If we're, if we aim at Jesus, we get joy and peace. 426 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:41,640 If we aim at, at satisfying myself, we get misery and death. 427 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:48,040 And the thing with the aiming at Jesus is my flesh. 428 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,080 It's going to suck for it, right? 429 00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:53,920 It's it's going to have difficult things. 430 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:57,640 Jesus in Matthew 1038 says it the other way. 431 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:01,240 And Luke he says take up his cross and and he who takes up 432 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,640 his cross and this says he who does not take up his cross and 433 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:09,240 follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds my life, finds his 434 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,520 life will lose it. And he who loses his life for my 435 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:17,440 sake will find it. That is that that is when I when 436 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:23,520 the T-shirts and the mugs and the embrace the suck, that is 437 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:30,440 that losing my life, losing, losing my selfishness for Jesus 438 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,240 to walk with him where he wants to take me. 439 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:40,680 And I know it's kind of a funny catch phrase, but it is. 440 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,680 It is really truly the life that God calls us to is to give up 441 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:52,040 what I thought I needed, what I thought I wanted, because I had 442 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,120 it all and it wasn't what I needed and it wasn't what I 443 00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:57,400 wanted. And guys, I wouldn't trade. 444 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:00,720 I mean, I, I say this all the time and I wish, I wish I could. 445 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:09,080 There is nothing better, nothing better than being in the will of 446 00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:12,040 God, doing what he wants him to do, wants us to do right. 447 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:15,800 When you if you go to or if you go door to door and you're 448 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:20,880 witnessing to people, yes, knocking on the door, waiting. 449 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:23,320 And then there's then there's hello. 450 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:27,480 And and then you start a conversation and, and it's 451 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:30,800 awkward and maybe they say not interested and you go to the 452 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:32,240 next house and you go to the next house. 453 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:36,080 Well, I will tell you, not interested once, not interested 454 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:37,640 twice, not interested three times. 455 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,560 When you get to the forest house, you're just, you're at 456 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:43,000 that point, you've embraced the fact that they're not interested 457 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:44,480 and you're willing to listen to it again. 458 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:47,800 And so then somebody is willing to listen. 459 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:50,920 And now you're going to talk to them about what Jesus has for 460 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:54,040 you to share with them, right? And if they get saved, if they 461 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:56,120 give their life to the Lord, there is you. 462 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:59,640 You are the rest of your day, the rest of your week, the rest 463 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:05,880 of your month is made right because not because not not even 464 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:13,800 because they got saved. That's awesome, but because you 465 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:16,640 know you were where you were supposed to be doing what you 466 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:18,800 were supposed to be doing and God used you in it. 467 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:24,480 And and that is that's that's the goal, right, guys? 468 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:31,120 It coasting through this world trying not to not to not to do 469 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:36,200 anything in the name of Jesus is blah. 470 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:43,040 It's, it's, you know, it's, it's, it isn't, it isn't full of 471 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:48,160 joy, it's full of mediocrity and you know it. 472 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:51,920 The only place we get joy is in the spirit, right? 473 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:53,840 And that's the fruit of the spirit that's abiding. 474 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:58,000 The powerful joy is Galatians 522 and 23. 475 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:00,840 But the fruit of the spirit is joy, peace, long-suffering, 476 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:02,640 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, 477 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:07,200 self-control. Against such there is no law and 478 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:12,280 none of those are things that you can produce. 479 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:17,800 I can't go after joy if I'm not going after Christ, right I 480 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,880 there was it is it is not something you get. 481 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:28,440 You know it's James, James 1/2, which is the is the verse on the 482 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:30,720 T-shirt, which is brethren, count it all joy when you fall 483 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:35,120 into various trials. But first 3 and 4, knowing that 484 00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:40,200 the testing of your faith produces patience, but let 485 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:44,440 patience have it's perfect work that you may be made perfect and 486 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:52,080 complete, lacking nothing. So you get joy, you get peace 487 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:56,800 through the trials, which is why you count it all joy because 488 00:30:56,800 --> 00:31:00,560 that's what that when when you're in the suck, if you 489 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:02,960 embrace it and say, Lord, I want to go where you want me to go. 490 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:04,440 I want to do what you want me to do. 491 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:09,560 There's a joy that you get in that when you're obedient to 492 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:16,720 him. Peter says it like this first 493 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:21,400 Peter 1/6 through 9. In this you greatly rejoice, 494 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,920 though now for a little while, if need be, you have been 495 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:28,840 grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, 496 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,680 being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is 497 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:37,080 tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the 498 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:41,760 revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you, love though 499 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:46,680 you, though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice 500 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:51,760 with joy, inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of 501 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:54,240 your faith, the salvation of your soul. 502 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:59,680 He goes on in chapter 4 and says, Beloved, do not think it's 503 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:05,760 strange concerning the fiery trials, which is to try you as 504 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:10,040 though some strange thing happening to you, but rejoice to 505 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:13,480 the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering, that when 506 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:17,800 His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 507 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:22,640 If you are a reproach for the name of Christ, blessed are you, 508 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,440 for the spirit of the glory and of God rests upon you. 509 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:31,960 On their part, He is a black, He is blasphemy, but on your part 510 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:38,120 He is glorified. So in America we are we have 511 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:46,440 been sold a bill of goods and the bill of goods is that the 512 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:51,240 Christian life is all about stuffing things. 513 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:56,040 You know that that we are going to be healthy, wealthy and wise. 514 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:02,160 You know, I think there's a name it and claim it or you know, if 515 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:06,520 you have enough faith, guys, nowhere in the in the New 516 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:09,200 Testament and it's not that thing changed. 517 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:14,080 It's it's there's Jesus. Jesus is our treasure, right? 518 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:20,240 But in the New Testament, riches are not are not a blessing. 519 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:26,280 They're a responsibility, right? And and I say that not in a 520 00:33:26,280 --> 00:33:31,440 guilt way, but what happened. They're a burden when when you 521 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:37,000 have when you have time and money, you have a burden of 522 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:44,800 using them, not selfishly, not on yourself, right, not not to 523 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:47,360 try and get happiness, but to follow the Lord. 524 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:49,640 That doesn't mean we give everything away and we live on 525 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:53,600 the street. That means that don't think that 526 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:57,560 because you live in America, you are blessed in Jesus. 527 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:03,640 Guys, the Chinese church is exactly opposite. 528 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:05,840 They're, they're an underground church. 529 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:10,120 They, they, and they're bigger than us, which is embarrassing. 530 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:14,639 They, their church. I mean, there's a billion people 531 00:34:14,639 --> 00:34:20,000 in China and I forget, I think they have 300 million is what 532 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:21,960 they think the underground church is. 533 00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:26,080 That's just under the size of America. 534 00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:30,320 I think we're 340 million people or something like that. 535 00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:34,239 So are we, is that there there are that many Christians in 536 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:40,080 America and why, why does why does the underground church, the 537 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:44,920 one that is being persecuted and trying to be stamped out bigger 538 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:49,040 than the blessed church in America? 539 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:51,760 Why is that? And I will tell you it's because 540 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:58,200 we do not embrace the suck. We just go through life and and 541 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:01,800 enjoy ourselves and I'm I am I am not pointing fingers at all 542 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:04,840 you I am pointing fingers at me as much as I'm pointing fingers 543 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:11,640 at the church as a whole. We we do not count it all joy 544 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:13,280 when we fall into various trials. 545 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:17,800 We try our very hardest to not fall into various trials and I 546 00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:24,480 can we can get on any one of our our social media platforms and 547 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:29,040 see Americans Christians like the sky is falling Chicken 548 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:32,600 Little that the end is coming guys. 549 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:39,120 That is a cheer of joy and awesomeness and we do not act 550 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:43,160 like that. We we act like I mean we're 551 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:45,360 going to run out of diesel. I got to get a generator. 552 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:54,240 I have to take care of my no right it we guys, we have the 553 00:35:54,240 --> 00:35:59,560 God of the universe living inside of us who wants to use us 554 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:03,640 and and in order to do that, he's going to use us in things 555 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:08,840 that my body don't want to do right, That that is hard. 556 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:14,400 You know, that's, I mean, so Nick, do you want to stay as a 557 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:18,360 nuclear supervisor and make hundreds of thousands of dollars 558 00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:22,520 a year or do you want to go be a pastor at a little church in 559 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:24,840 Sandpoint? I didn't make that when I was 560 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:26,040 there, but that's where it was going. 561 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:29,160 So anyway, I just thought I'd that's, that's where it was 562 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:33,280 going. I wasn't there yet, but but that 563 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:34,960 was the, you know, we were on track. 564 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:40,160 That was the plan and, and the American dream. 565 00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:47,920 We were on track online and when I, when I sat down and I and I, 566 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:51,040 you guys have heard that conversation of, of me doing my 567 00:36:51,040 --> 00:36:54,520 pros and cons list and Bruce just laughing at me and going, 568 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:58,280 yeah, give that a shot. Which was you can, you can 569 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:00,520 attempt to do something God doesn't want you to do. 570 00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:04,560 You know, you can, you can look at the pros cons list and go, 571 00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:07,280 you want to just keep making money and, and stay here. 572 00:37:08,240 --> 00:37:10,480 But if God wants you to go to Sandpoint, you're, you're going 573 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:12,040 to embrace that suck one way or another. 574 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:16,960 And, and I am right. I, I mean, and, and guys, that 575 00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:23,760 is not you guys suck. That is that my choice was to go 576 00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:27,160 after what my flesh thought it wanted or to follow Jesus. 577 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:33,440 And at the end of the day, it wasn't a hard choice at all. 578 00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:41,880 It was what I want guys, is I want those moments of knowing 579 00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:44,440 that I know I am exactly where, where I'm supposed to be doing 580 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:45,720 exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. 581 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:53,680 And, and I can't do that if I, if I, if I choose myself, if I 582 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:56,160 choose myself that I'm going to be off in the wilderness until I 583 00:37:56,160 --> 00:38:00,400 decide that I'm going to go where he wants me to go, right. 584 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:04,760 And and so when I, when you, when you hear clear direction 585 00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:08,880 from him, you need to, you need to accept that even if even if 586 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:13,640 in that direction there is suck, you know, how is that going to 587 00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:15,960 happen? And this is what I will 588 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:19,240 guarantee you guys just so you, if you, if you didn't know about 589 00:38:19,240 --> 00:38:22,400 God and money that I've never starved. 590 00:38:22,600 --> 00:38:26,320 I've never been homeless, never. I've never had a had a problem 591 00:38:26,320 --> 00:38:29,040 in that department without saying I always spend the money 592 00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:31,000 right. But he has plenty. 593 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:34,080 He takes care of me just fine, right? 594 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:37,560 I don't worry about where, where, where or how it's going 595 00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:41,240 to work because he's always, always taking care of me. 596 00:38:41,240 --> 00:38:46,080 Not because I not because I think I need a bigger house or I 597 00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:50,360 need a newer car or any of that stuff is that he just takes care 598 00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:54,400 of us because he's a good father, right? 599 00:38:55,680 --> 00:39:00,680 And the thing this is my my analogy on we can't know. 600 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:10,160 We can't know real joy unless we go through pain and thinking 601 00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:15,360 about an analogy, and I hope this one is so. 602 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:21,560 If you think about a baby and you know, conceived and in the 603 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:25,240 womb, babies don't cry in the womb, babies don't laugh in the 604 00:39:25,240 --> 00:39:29,480 womb. Babies are comfortable, right? 605 00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:32,560 They are. They are comfortable, they're 606 00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:37,720 safe, but they don't have joy because they have nothing. 607 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:40,880 They have no, nothing hard. They have no, they, they just 608 00:39:41,080 --> 00:39:44,760 have, they're just there. They're, they're comfortable, 609 00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:48,080 but they don't even know they're comfortable because they don't 610 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:56,200 know what uncomfortable is, you know, And then they, they, they, 611 00:39:56,840 --> 00:40:01,000 they suddenly there, there is, there's changes in their life, 612 00:40:01,440 --> 00:40:04,920 right? There's suddenly there's bright 613 00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:08,560 lights and they have to figure out how to breathe and there's 614 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:12,480 diapers and there's diaper changes and there's people 615 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:17,440 smacking them on the butt and suddenly their life is 616 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:22,760 disrupted, right? It's this isn't fun. 617 00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:26,320 I don't like this. And and they did you guys have 618 00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:27,760 any babies? Did they let you know that? 619 00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:30,480 Right? Sounds like us a lot of times, 620 00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:33,280 right? So they enter a world that 621 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:40,840 suddenly sucks, but then, but then there's diapers are 622 00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:46,600 changed, their belly is full and they're in their parents arms. 623 00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:50,200 They're they're exactly where they're supposed to be doing. 624 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:52,160 They're exactly where they're supposed to be doing exactly 625 00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:53,040 what they're supposed to be doing. 626 00:40:53,040 --> 00:40:54,960 And what do they have at that point? 627 00:40:55,720 --> 00:40:59,560 Complete contentment and they know the difference, right? 628 00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:03,800 And that is, that's what God wants to give us, right? 629 00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:07,560 He wants to give us that, that complete contentment, but not, 630 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:14,160 not by us trying to get back to floating in, in the womb, right, 631 00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:18,600 But by following him and, and doing the things that it takes, 632 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:22,080 you know, letting him change our diapers and, and spank us when 633 00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:26,120 we need spanked, right? And but to get us to that, just 634 00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:28,680 content knowing we're, we're supposed to be doing what we're 635 00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:34,280 supposed to be doing, you know, in Acts 55, Peter talks about 636 00:41:35,640 --> 00:41:38,040 because Peter knew he was where he was supposed to be doing what 637 00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:40,360 he was supposed to be doing. And what he was doing was hard. 638 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:45,440 We, we read it in Acts and it's these guys are just, they're 639 00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:48,680 just mythic guys, right? They just did things. 640 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:53,320 I mean, how hard could it be? So Peter just went to a 641 00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:57,400 synagogue and told all these guys they're going to hell 642 00:41:57,400 --> 00:42:02,360 because they crucified Jesus and he ended up 5000 of them got 643 00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:03,640 saved. But some other ones were a 644 00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:05,480 little upset. And they haul him off to council 645 00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:10,160 and he's in jail. And then they they beat him and 646 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:12,640 they tell him not to talk about Jesus anymore. 647 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:19,520 And when they left there, we'll just pick it up in verse 40, it 648 00:42:19,520 --> 00:42:22,800 says, and they agreed with him, which is the the council had 649 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:29,000 agreed to had agreed to basically set set them free. 650 00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:34,120 But it says when they called for the apostles and beaten them, 651 00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:37,240 they commanded them they should not speak in the name of Jesus 652 00:42:37,240 --> 00:42:39,880 and let them go. So Peter and John. 653 00:42:39,880 --> 00:42:42,240 So they departed from the presence of the council 654 00:42:42,240 --> 00:42:45,160 rejoicing. They were counted worthy to 655 00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:49,200 suffer the shame for his name. And daily in the temple and in 656 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:52,440 every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus 657 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:57,560 Christ rejoicing. They were counted worthy to 658 00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:00,400 suffer shame for his name. Anybody. 659 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:05,080 That's something we look for. I mean, and I'm, I don't want to 660 00:43:05,080 --> 00:43:07,680 be the I'm not trying to beat this group. 661 00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:11,200 I'm just saying as Americans, right in the country we live in, 662 00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:15,080 is that what we're known for? Are we known to be people that 663 00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:18,320 are rejoicing because we are counting, we are suffering for 664 00:43:18,320 --> 00:43:22,120 his name or are we whiners? I whine. 665 00:43:22,240 --> 00:43:28,440 I mean, I'm not going to be, you know, and that's embracing that 666 00:43:28,440 --> 00:43:32,400 suck and embracing the fact that we count it joy, right? 667 00:43:33,720 --> 00:43:42,680 It is when we lose sight of the goal and the goal is to go 668 00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:46,960 closer to him, period. And in growing closer to him, 669 00:43:47,240 --> 00:43:54,960 you know, as as you get closer to the sun, to the light, more 670 00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:57,360 of your darkness is shown, right? 671 00:43:57,360 --> 00:44:02,600 More of the darkness in me, more of the more of my selfishness is 672 00:44:02,600 --> 00:44:07,600 revealed the closer I get to him because he's brighter and 673 00:44:07,600 --> 00:44:13,600 brighter the closer I get, you know, and that you know, that's 674 00:44:13,600 --> 00:44:16,360 why I like old dead guy. Can't remember which ones. 675 00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:20,120 Did you know that I am and Paul is this same guy that the longer 676 00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:22,360 Paul was with him, the longer this guy that I, I can't 677 00:44:22,360 --> 00:44:25,240 remember. I feel less holy today than the 678 00:44:25,240 --> 00:44:28,560 day I got saved because the longer I've been with Christ, 679 00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:33,520 the more rotten I see that I actually am. 680 00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:36,160 You know, when I tell everybody that the only good thing about 681 00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:39,600 me is Jesus Christ, guys, that's, that is not some that is 682 00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:45,840 not a Christian thing that I just say up here, I, it is a it 683 00:44:45,840 --> 00:44:49,000 is a fact. If you think you brought 684 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:52,440 something to Jesus except garbage to be cleaned up, you're 685 00:44:52,440 --> 00:44:54,520 wrong. You know it. 686 00:44:54,680 --> 00:44:57,920 We didn't bring our we didn't he, we didn't bring 50% of 687 00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:01,280 myself and say, Lord, you know, 50% of me is pretty garbagey and 688 00:45:01,280 --> 00:45:02,600 I was wondering if you'd clean that up. 689 00:45:04,040 --> 00:45:06,920 No, I'm all garbage. The only thing I brought was my 690 00:45:06,920 --> 00:45:13,280 need for him and Jesus. And we went through this at 691 00:45:13,280 --> 00:45:18,520 Easter. But Jesus really covers this and 692 00:45:19,600 --> 00:45:22,920 he, he just wants to do what the Father wants him to do. 693 00:45:23,600 --> 00:45:27,560 All we're supposed to want to do is what Jesus wants us to do. 694 00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:32,880 And the first thing we have to do is die to ourself that that 695 00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:40,120 Colossians or Galatians 220 is and then the life we now live in 696 00:45:40,120 --> 00:45:43,640 the flesh lived by faith in him and knowing that he's got a 697 00:45:43,640 --> 00:45:47,040 plan, you know, and and being like he was here, not my will, 698 00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:50,400 Lord, but yours be done. You know, before we went to the 699 00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:54,920 cross. But as an American once again, 700 00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:57,840 we have this idea of what blessing is right. 701 00:46:00,920 --> 00:46:03,720 And when you read when you read the Beatitudes and we can go 702 00:46:03,720 --> 00:46:07,280 through them real quick and and we've all heard different Bible 703 00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:09,760 studies on them. But as I'm going to read these 704 00:46:09,760 --> 00:46:15,800 and is this what blessed is this when you think of blessing 705 00:46:15,800 --> 00:46:19,160 someone, when you think of of being blessed, is this what you 706 00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:21,360 think of? Because this is what Jesus, this 707 00:46:21,360 --> 00:46:26,280 is being blessed. Then he opened his mouth and 708 00:46:26,280 --> 00:46:30,040 taught them saying, and this is Jesus speaking just to be clear, 709 00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:33,240 so there's no confusion. Somebody didn't get this wrong. 710 00:46:33,240 --> 00:46:36,400 He said it. Blessed are the porn spirit for 711 00:46:36,400 --> 00:46:40,080 theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for 712 00:46:40,080 --> 00:46:43,400 they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they 713 00:46:43,400 --> 00:46:46,840 shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and 714 00:46:46,840 --> 00:46:49,640 thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. 715 00:46:50,240 --> 00:46:53,040 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 716 00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:59,480 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they they shall see God. 717 00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:02,640 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of 718 00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:04,640 God. Blessed are those who are 719 00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:08,080 persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom 720 00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:10,720 of heaven. Blessed are are you when they 721 00:47:10,720 --> 00:47:15,160 revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against 722 00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:20,360 you falsely for my name's sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, 723 00:47:20,360 --> 00:47:25,000 for great is your reward in heaven for sold they persecuted 724 00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:26,960 the prophets who were before you. 725 00:47:27,880 --> 00:47:30,520 Let's see. Blessed are you when they revile 726 00:47:30,520 --> 00:47:38,040 and persecute you. Blessed are you That's that's 727 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:44,920 not not condemned, are you, you know not not you blessed are you 728 00:47:46,240 --> 00:47:49,440 when when you when you are reviled and persecuted because 729 00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:53,000 you have been counted worthy to suffer for his name, right. 730 00:47:53,240 --> 00:47:56,720 That's what Peter says, you know, blessed are the pure in 731 00:47:56,720 --> 00:47:59,480 heart for they, they shall see God. 732 00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:03,480 How do you want to see God? You want you want him to you 733 00:48:03,480 --> 00:48:07,400 know that's John 1421. He who has my commandments and 734 00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:10,520 keeps them, it is he who loves me and he who loves me be loved 735 00:48:10,520 --> 00:48:14,360 by my father and I will love him and manifest myself to him. 736 00:48:15,120 --> 00:48:19,520 I will show myself to him. You know, when blessed are the 737 00:48:19,520 --> 00:48:22,080 peacemakers. Is that is that how we feel on 738 00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:25,240 on that different social media platforms or how we feel when 739 00:48:25,240 --> 00:48:29,040 we're we're talking to people? Are we peacemakers or are we pot 740 00:48:29,040 --> 00:48:34,080 stirrers? Because it's fun, you know, it's 741 00:48:34,320 --> 00:48:38,440 and that I'm not apologizing for the message, guys. 742 00:48:38,440 --> 00:48:41,080 It was I'm I'm just saying I don't want you guys to feel like 743 00:48:41,080 --> 00:48:43,560 I'm beating you up. I'm I am 100%. 744 00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:46,840 This is one of those message and this what you get when I, when I 745 00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:51,440 do a message it at the end of the night and I'm I'm just going 746 00:48:51,440 --> 00:48:54,720 through it is, is that you just get what I what what God beat me 747 00:48:54,720 --> 00:48:57,880 up about right? You get what when I'm reading 748 00:48:57,880 --> 00:49:02,400 what I'm getting and, and this is the facts, guys. 749 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:07,800 He, he wants to use us and in order to use us, we need to be 750 00:49:07,800 --> 00:49:11,400 dead. And in that dying, there is a 751 00:49:11,400 --> 00:49:16,200 joy that I get out of serving him because I get to see him do 752 00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:34,570 amazing things in my life. Very often our problem has to do 753 00:49:34,570 --> 00:49:40,730 with perspective, right? And our perspective is 754 00:49:40,730 --> 00:49:44,530 horizontal. It's, it's how does it affect me 755 00:49:44,530 --> 00:49:50,240 here? And I, I use when I'm in Uganda 756 00:49:50,240 --> 00:49:54,440 and you know how much the politics in Uganda affect me? 757 00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:58,560 None. I don't when I'm there, I, I 758 00:49:58,560 --> 00:50:01,080 know who the president is. I know all the corruption. 759 00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:03,000 I don't, I'm telling people about Jesus. 760 00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:06,000 That's what I'm there for. I'm not on the news cycle. 761 00:50:06,680 --> 00:50:09,520 I'm not watching Bobby Wine, I'm not watching the 70. 762 00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:12,120 I'm not frustrated about the decisions they're making at the 763 00:50:12,120 --> 00:50:15,520 council meetings. I'm not I'm there sharing, 764 00:50:15,640 --> 00:50:18,440 sharing with Jesus, sharing people, sharing Jesus with 765 00:50:18,440 --> 00:50:19,160 people. There we go. 766 00:50:20,160 --> 00:50:27,160 And that is because I'm, I'm outside my comfort zone, because 767 00:50:27,160 --> 00:50:30,240 I'm, I'm in a third world country and it's obvious I'm in 768 00:50:30,240 --> 00:50:32,400 a third world country. And when I say it like that, 769 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:35,720 what I mean is, is that when I walk out my front door, it is 770 00:50:35,720 --> 00:50:39,200 obvious I'm different, right? I am there. 771 00:50:39,480 --> 00:50:46,360 There is not AI don't have the luxury in Uganda of hiding in 772 00:50:46,360 --> 00:50:50,800 comfort not because not because they won't they they will give 773 00:50:50,800 --> 00:50:53,680 me a pass right. That is one thing in Uganda that 774 00:50:53,960 --> 00:50:58,840 Americans and I will just beat us to death on this because it 775 00:50:58,840 --> 00:51:04,680 is embarrassing that Americans in Uganda and and probably most 776 00:51:04,680 --> 00:51:06,640 of the western world, but I deal with Americans. 777 00:51:07,480 --> 00:51:09,240 There's a few things that Ugandan will ask you. 778 00:51:09,240 --> 00:51:13,480 Do you need a nap? 2:00 in the afternoon. 779 00:51:13,480 --> 00:51:15,280 Do you need a nap? No, I'm good. 780 00:51:15,560 --> 00:51:19,520 I got this. You don't fear the dust because 781 00:51:19,520 --> 00:51:20,880 I ride in the back of the trucks. 782 00:51:22,640 --> 00:51:24,840 We're known guys. It is embarrassing. 783 00:51:24,840 --> 00:51:28,520 As Americans, we are not weak, feeble people. 784 00:51:29,720 --> 00:51:33,600 But when we go to when we go to third world countries, we're 785 00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:36,840 used to our comforts and suddenly we're known to be weak 786 00:51:36,840 --> 00:51:38,560 and feeble guys. We are not weak and feeble 787 00:51:38,560 --> 00:51:40,680 people. We're really not. 788 00:51:40,800 --> 00:51:43,840 I mean, we conquered. We conquered a continent. 789 00:51:45,920 --> 00:51:52,960 And somehow the comfort of what what we have done has numbed us. 790 00:51:53,720 --> 00:51:56,960 And we're trying to be happy instead of trying to be full of 791 00:51:56,960 --> 00:52:04,400 joy. Paul, Paul in Philippians 314 to 792 00:52:04,400 --> 00:52:07,440 21. Remind is reminding the 793 00:52:07,440 --> 00:52:12,440 Philippians I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward 794 00:52:12,440 --> 00:52:19,400 call of God in Jesus Christ. Therefore, let us, as many as 795 00:52:19,440 --> 00:52:24,600 are mature, have this mind, and if in anything you think 796 00:52:24,600 --> 00:52:27,240 otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 797 00:52:27,520 --> 00:52:31,960 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us 798 00:52:31,960 --> 00:52:35,360 walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind. 799 00:52:35,360 --> 00:52:40,520 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so 800 00:52:40,520 --> 00:52:46,480 walk as you have us for a pattern for many walk, of whom I 801 00:52:46,480 --> 00:52:51,840 have told you often and now tell you, even weeping, that they are 802 00:52:51,840 --> 00:52:56,120 enemies of the cross of Christ, Who in the whose end is 803 00:52:56,120 --> 00:53:00,880 destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in 804 00:53:00,880 --> 00:53:03,800 their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. 805 00:53:04,480 --> 00:53:09,040 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also 806 00:53:09,040 --> 00:53:12,800 eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will 807 00:53:12,800 --> 00:53:16,440 transform our lowly bodies, that it may be conformed to His 808 00:53:16,440 --> 00:53:20,880 glorious body according to the work by which He is able even to 809 00:53:20,880 --> 00:53:24,680 subdue all things. Guys, I don't want to be known 810 00:53:24,680 --> 00:53:28,960 as a people whose God is their belly and whose glory is their 811 00:53:28,960 --> 00:53:36,000 shame. And I want to be known for 812 00:53:36,000 --> 00:53:41,760 pressing for that goal, pressing in, pressing into that suck, 813 00:53:41,760 --> 00:53:45,600 right, which which is talking to people at work, which is talking 814 00:53:45,600 --> 00:53:49,600 to people. Sharing Jesus with people is not 815 00:53:49,600 --> 00:53:52,480 what your flesh wants to do. It is not what my flesh wants to 816 00:53:52,480 --> 00:53:54,120 do. And technically at this point in 817 00:53:54,120 --> 00:53:59,960 my life, it is my job. And when I'm out at the grocery 818 00:53:59,960 --> 00:54:05,480 store, it's still not, I mean, it, it's I can be intimidated by 819 00:54:05,480 --> 00:54:10,320 a 12 year old girl. I mean, you ever sat next to a 820 00:54:10,680 --> 00:54:13,200 somebody on the airplane? That's like the 12 year old 821 00:54:13,200 --> 00:54:14,520 girl. I'm intimidated to share Jesus 822 00:54:14,520 --> 00:54:20,400 with her. It's like, so I'm just pressed 823 00:54:20,400 --> 00:54:25,000 forward to that goal because the goal gives us joy when we're 824 00:54:25,000 --> 00:54:29,480 aimed in that direction. And God knows how to form it 825 00:54:29,720 --> 00:54:33,640 form us, right? He knows what we need every day 826 00:54:34,960 --> 00:54:36,840 to take us where He wants us to go. 827 00:54:36,840 --> 00:54:40,760 Are we willing to go? There it is the the end of this 828 00:54:40,760 --> 00:54:46,920 guy's is let the old die in the suck so that the new can live in 829 00:54:46,920 --> 00:54:50,840 joy, right? Our old man has no business, 830 00:54:51,840 --> 00:54:56,880 right? The Second Corinthians 5/17 5:17 831 00:54:57,720 --> 00:55:00,560 For all things have passed away. Behold, all things have become 832 00:55:00,560 --> 00:55:05,120 new. I just paraphrase that, but all 833 00:55:05,120 --> 00:55:09,400 things have become new, right? He has he has work for us to do 834 00:55:10,280 --> 00:55:14,720 and in order for us to do it, we have to let our selfishness die, 835 00:55:16,200 --> 00:55:18,560 forget about comfort and go for joy. 836 00:55:20,080 --> 00:55:22,240 The good stuff, right? It's good stuff. 837 00:55:22,720 --> 00:55:26,800 I was going to say, I hope you guys, this was definitely my 838 00:55:28,520 --> 00:55:31,640 conviction last night as I was going through this of just 839 00:55:32,160 --> 00:55:36,280 looking at my life and and the the places and the things that 840 00:55:37,600 --> 00:55:40,040 that I have in them. That, and I'm like I said, this 841 00:55:40,040 --> 00:55:43,720 is not because God does not want to give us good things and that 842 00:55:43,720 --> 00:55:47,640 we don't get a go to Silverwood and do Schweitzer and do that 843 00:55:47,640 --> 00:55:53,080 stuff as a by product of just following him. 844 00:55:53,360 --> 00:55:55,600 But if your goal is to try and fill your life up with 845 00:55:55,600 --> 00:56:00,680 entertainment, it's a it's a worthless life and you will be 846 00:56:00,800 --> 00:56:06,200 you're, you won't get joy. There is no joy in that. 847 00:56:06,960 --> 00:56:11,760 There's just floating around in nothingness. 848 00:56:11,920 --> 00:56:15,000 It's kind of what if you look at our country, if you look at the, 849 00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:19,560 the younger generation and, and just the generation growing up 850 00:56:19,560 --> 00:56:23,600 that is living in video games and, and do it. 851 00:56:23,600 --> 00:56:28,560 They're they're trying to fulfill things with empty 852 00:56:29,360 --> 00:56:32,560 instead of with solid and solid hurts. 853 00:56:33,000 --> 00:56:37,040 Solid takes some suck, but it's what's real. 854 00:56:37,440 --> 00:56:41,720 So Lord, I just lift up today. I lift up this Time, Lord, I, I 855 00:56:41,720 --> 00:56:49,960 just thank you that you're willing and able to take dirt 856 00:56:51,600 --> 00:56:55,240 each and every one of us and use us, Lord, if we're willing, the 857 00:56:55,240 --> 00:56:58,400 Lord that's make each one of us willing. 858 00:56:58,400 --> 00:57:03,000 Lord, help us to help us to just give that to you, Lord, that we 859 00:57:03,000 --> 00:57:08,960 would even be willing to be made willing, Lord, but that you 860 00:57:08,960 --> 00:57:16,000 would you would renew our desire for you and renew our desire to 861 00:57:16,000 --> 00:57:23,320 just be out about your business. Lord guide and direct us and 862 00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:26,320 thank you for everybody here in Jesus name, Amen.