This will be this will be the fun part.
She got up here. Now she's got to get back down.
If you know anything about knees, the up is way easier than
the down. So, so we've been going through
Exodus and I'll be honest, I thought that this weekend I was
like, ah, we'll be, I'll be on a conference.
I have down time. We had a great time of
fellowship and I had nowhere like I think, I think both
nights we went to bed somewhere around midnight.
I know we went, I know on Friday night it was midnight because
somebody stood up and said so it's tomorrow, we should go to
bed. And so so we are not in Exodus
because I couldn't have there was no way I was going to give
you a decent Bible study in Exodus, but shirts came out and
something God's really. So I understand what embrace the
suck means, but I don't want I don't want it to sound like at
any point following Jesus sucks because it doesn't.
And that isn't the that isn't what that is.
So today is it is embrace the joy of suck, which we'll get
into that. We're going to be in Ephesians 4
to start with, and we're going to be Ephesians 417 and read it
real quick. This I say therefore, and
testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the
rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind, having
the understanding, understanding darkened, being alienated from
the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart, who being past
feeling, have given themselves over to the lewdness to work all
uncleanness, cleanness with greediness.
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard
Him and have been taught by Him, As the truth is in Jesus, that
you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which
grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and being
renewed in the spirit of your mind.
And that you put on the new man which was created according to
God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth
with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.
Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on
your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him
labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have
something to give him who has need.
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth but what is good
for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the here.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking
be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one
another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, and even
as God in Christ forgave you. And Lord, I just lift up today.
I lift up this time. Lord, just thank you for this
body. Thank you that you've brought us
together, Lord, and just the love in this room, Lord, and
that you would just be in our midst speaking to us, Lord, that
you would fill us with your spirit that you would guide and
direct us Lord, that you speak through me and to me and I pray
all this in Jesus name, Amen. So the old man in sin and the
new man in Christ and there there is some suck in that right
that we, we as believers before we were believers, right.
The idea of what it what we thought it takes to be a
believer. It's what we think is or what
what a non believer thinks is. I'm not going to get to have all
this fun. And then when you give your life
to the Lord, you find out that my life is nothing but fun
because there isn't all the all the penalty and the the pain
that goes with the mistakes of of the world of living in the
world. But the the new joy is replaces
the old pain through the suck. And I think I, I hope that I can
explain what I mean by that. Paul calls us to put off the old
man that is the corrupt man with its deceitful lusts and put on
the new man that was created by God according to God, right.
And that's the Ephesians 417 where it starts.
And it just says this. I say therefore and testify in
the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the
Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind.
And that is so think of it like this.
If you have a computer and if you've ever done computer
programming or any of that stuff, junk in, junk out, right?
If, if computers don't make mistakes, people make mistakes
and, and break computers, right? And if without a if, if, if you
put good information into a computer, you can get good
information out. But if you put in bad data, you
get bad data. And the futility of our mind,
the way we think outside of Christ is bad data.
It's, it is we, we think like the world, we act like the world
and we get world results, right. No, I've, I've said a lot that
before I was a believer, I had everything that I thought I
needed. If you, if I'd have sat down and
wrote out a, a list of things in my 20s of what I needed to be
happy. I needed a Good Wife.
I needed a nice house. I needed, I needed cars,
particular cars, right? And I, I got those.
I needed, needed a couple of kids and needed a good job.
I had all that and I wasn't happy.
I wasn't miserable, but I wasn't I wasn't at peace.
I wasn't content. I was still, I was still and I
and I recognized it. I guess is the point I didn't
recognize I needed Jesus. I'm not, but I recognized laying
in bed at night that I'm I could not figure out what the next
piece was right. I'd lay in bed, not content,
not, not like, like, not at ease.
And I'd lay in bed going what, what would I, what can I add
right? I, I don't need another car.
I, I, I've got the, how you know, you, I going through all
the things I thought I needed and they weren't the thing.
And then, and then I got saved. And that is a whole
conversation. But what I needed was Jesus, I
needed to put off the old man and put on the new man, right?
And and that is a continuous process that we go through and
our old man does not like it. That's the suck, right?
Is that there is two people living inside you.
And not to be weird or, or strange, but you've got, you've
got your flesh, your selfishness, and you've got,
you've got your spirit, which would be other centered or, or
focused on things of God, right? Things that he wants to do.
And your flesh, your old man does not like that stuff.
I talked about it on a Wednesday night that your old man.
I mean, it's kind of easy to figure out if, if it's God or,
or you is 90% of the time the thing that God wants you to do
is the thing you absolutely don't want to do, right?
Because it's, you know, if it's what's the hardest thing for a
believer to do if you don't happen to have the gift of
evangelism, right, is is to go and you know, I could ask
everybody here the whatever the lost in the 50s that's coming
up. Hey, you guys all want to go out
St. witnessing everybody raise your hand right.
Francis Chan is a you guys don't know him.
He's a pastor, he's had mega churches.
He he teaches at big churches. And he said, you know, a pastor
could call me and ask me to that I need it on Saturday.
I needed to come to his church and he was going to have an
event and there was 10,000 people there and, and he called
me on. He can call me on a Tuesday and
tell me that I'm going to teach on Saturday.
And I'm going to say yes. And, and I'm going to be there.
And then after that event, somebody could walk up to me and
say, Hey, you know, tomorrow we're going to go, we're going
to go door to door and knock on doors and, and talk to people.
You want to come? Well, I'm going to pray about
that, right? It is, it is substantially
easier to stand up here and talk to all of you than it is to go
door to door, right? And the reason is, is that when
I'm talking to all you guys, I may or may not be making a
difference, right? And I, and I'm kind of, but
when, when you're going door to door, right, your flesh wants
nothing to do that because it, it's going to affect eternity,
right? It's going to affect somebody
else's eternity. And, and it's hard for you right
then. And that's that, that's that.
But when you do that, guys, I will tell you when you are, when
you are where you're supposed to be, doing what God wants you to
do, there isn't more joy you're going to get out of life.
And I've said this in the past, sometimes you get there the hard
way. And, and that is that you have
to repent. You know, you lied, you yelled,
you, you did something that was just overt sin and God confronts
you on it and you need to go apologize.
You need to go talk to that person.
You need to return, you know, you stole, you need to return
that, whatever that is. And then, you know, you argue
and you're like, I don't want to do it and you go do it, whether
that's an apology or whatever the repentance is.
When you do that, at that moment, you have a joy that you
because you've just been released, because suddenly you
were exactly where you're supposed to be doing exactly
what God wants you to do. Now you got there the hard way
because you were in sin and had to repent.
But that moment you repented and turned to the Lord.
That's where he wants us all the time, minus the repenting.
He wants us to be walking in that joy in that, in that
obedience. You know, I, the old man cannot
get in and sit down and hold on. He asked it he he stays outside
the truck, right? And and you guys have talked
about that. That's that that's that abiding
life in Jesus is is getting in sitting down and holding on and
trusting him right, But it's Roman 66616.
Do you not know that to whom you present yourself slaves to obey
You are that one slave whom you obey whether to sin leading to
death or obedience leading to righteousness and guys, I can
guarantee that if I asked in here a raise of hands of how
many people knew how to be obedient to sin.
I think everybody raise their hand because I didn't something
I had to learn. I didn't have to learn how to be
obedient to my sin nature right I it just came pretty natural.
You know, when I was, I think I was probably a few hours old
when I started throwing a temper tantrum because I wasn't getting
food, right. I mean, it doesn't take long to
to fold into your selfish side, but obedience leading to
righteousness, right? That's, that's the getting in
the sitting down and holding on. That's, that's trusting the
Lord. And guys, our flesh.
I mean, and I, I don't want to be all, all like Christianese on
that. Our flesh is just our selfish
nature, myself focusedness, right?
The, the, the, the trying to make myself happy and I
guarantee that I will never be able to make myself happy.
You know, it's, it's that delayed gratification whenever,
whenever we try to make ourselves happy on whatever it
is, I'm going to eat, I'm going to eat a bunch of sugar and I'm
going to get a I'm going to, I'm going to have all this energy.
What happens on the other side, right?
I I crash and and that is our that obedience to Christ is that
that when I say embrace the joy through the suck, which is that
obedience to Christ has suck for our self.
And if you read Romans 6, you can go through it.
And I an exercise that I've, I've used and I tell people is
if you go through Romans 6 and everywhere it says sin, you say
self or selfish, you will find that it, it, it aligns pretty
well with our selfish nature, right?
Is, is, you know, slaves of one who, who you obey, whether self
leading to death or obedience leading to Christ, right, which
is a righteousness, which is sin is just that.
It is just selfishness, right? It's missing the mark.
But it's it's 90% of the time it's because I'm I want to I
want what I want and I don't care what God wants and goes on
in verse 25. Ephesians therefore put away
lying each of one each one of you speak truth with his
neighbor, for we are members of one another.
Be angry and do not sing. Do not let the sun go down on
your wrath nor nor give place to the devil.
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor
working with his hands. What is good that so?
What is good that he may have something to give him who is in
need? Let no corrupt word proceed out
of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that
it may impart grace to the hearer.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour and evil speaking
be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one
another, tender hearted, forgiving one another even as
God in Christ forgave you. And this is not Paul laying out
a self help book. This is Paul laying out a self
death letter, right? This is this is the only way
you're doing those things is if you die to yourself, right?
It's there is when we want to. So when I'm angry, this is a
good, good depiction of how do I know what God wants me to do?
I think I talked about it on Monday or on Wednesday, but when
I'm when I'm listening to somebody and I really, really,
really want to tell them off when I really, when they have
when they have upset me or they are, they're on the opposite
side of something. And that could be whether that's
political, doctrinal, whatever that thing is, and you just want
to tell them off. That is your flesh all day long.
It's when it's when you're, you're having the same
conversation and in the back of your mind, God is saying you
need to say this like, Lord, I don't want to say that I can't
say that. I just can you see the
difference When I really don't want to say it, that's probably
the Lord. That's obedience leading to
righteousness. And when I really, really want
to say it, that's anger leading to sin, if that makes sense.
And and that is and then, but it it's nice because Paul literally
goes through here and and and does give us what looks like a
self help thing. But if you just tried to do it
in self help and not you have to die to self first, right?
If you you know it's steal no longer but go to work, right?
It's and that's stealing time. But it's, I mean, it can be
stealing things, but it's also stealing time, right?
I mean at work, are you, are you status quo, right?
I, I work at when I'm working at Energy Northwest, it is a, it's
a nuclear plant. It's government ran and there is
a it's what it, it's privately ran.
It's privately ran, government regulated and it is just like
government job, right. And people get it in their head
that the money's free. And then guys that wouldn't guys
that working for Watts Construction, Watts Construction
is a owner operator and they show up every day and work their
tails off. And they work from when the when
the start time, they, they take a break at lunch for 1/2 hour,
they work until stop time. And there isn't an argument I
don't have to have like, hey, when we're at work, we work at
Energy Northwest, taking a 45 minute break.
Well, you know, I just felt like it.
It's like, you know, it's, I mean, and it's normal.
That's stealing, right? And are we and that's steal no
longer, right? But everybody's doing it.
So I mean, even for, even for me in that environment, it's hard
to have that work ethic because you're with, you're literally
going to go against the grain of everybody there because when,
when 15 is, you get a 15. I mean, you still get a lot of
breaks because it's government, right?
So you get, you get a 15 minute break at mid between between
when you start and lunchtime, there's 15 minutes, then there's
1/2 hour lunch and a 15 minute afternoon break.
So there's plenty of breaks. But if at 15 minutes I get up
and go back to work, I'm going to get grief, right?
Because I make everybody look bad.
And but that's that's called don't steal right now.
Does my flip? My flesh wants both parts,
right? I'll just sit and look at my
phone till they get up. I'm not doing anything wrong.
I'm just following them. And also my flesh doesn't want
to be that person that is making them all feel guilty, even
though we should all feel guilty, right?
Does that make sense? And so it's Paul's walking
through this. And don't let any corrupt word
proceed from your mouth. You know, that's course joking,
but it's also guys, see, I think it's long enough ago.
So I don't think I'm going to call anybody out in this room.
But Facebook has corrupt words. And when I say corrupt words,
there was probably 2-3 years ago.
America is going to run out of diesel.
There's not they're, they're running out of diesel and there
isn't going to be any fuel, any diesel fuel.
And this is a Facebook thing that was going on, right?
And I had friends, Christian friends that were reposting
that. Do you know what that is?
That's a lie. Might be a neat meme, might be a
neat. It's a lie because you didn't
check it. It never happened.
And when you're on Facebook and you see something that you agree
with, you know, on YouTube and you see something you agree
with, if you're on Instagram and you agree with it, that doesn't
make it true, right? And that, and I mean, that
doesn't mean that doesn't mean that you, you can't agree with
it. But before you're going to
repost it, I would verify it, right?
Because they, you know, that, that it's always funny when
they're saying things like the Internet, you know, they'll make
some comment about the Internet and then they'll put, you know,
Abraham Lincoln quote, right. I mean, and they'll do that for
that joke that guys just 'cause they wrote it, just 'cause it
looks official doesn't mean it's true, just 'cause they say so
and so said this doesn't mean he said that, right?
And today in a is world, just because you saw so and so say
that in a clip doesn't mean so and so said that in a clip,
right? If you're going to, if you're
going to post stuff, if you're going, you need to go back.
And I'm, I'm kind of on a tangent, but you need to go back
to source documents, source things, right?
You need to go back to the actual event and see it happen
in real time because that's the world we live in is everything
is, especially on social media, it's able to be just
manipulated. And you don't want to be the
one, you don't want to spread lies, right?
I don't want to spread lies, whether I agree with them or
not, right? I mean, I can agree, but I don't
want to, I don't want to be lying about it either.
And so the easiest way to not let any corrupt word leave your
mouth, and this is really for me a lot of times, is to be quiet,
right? I, I, I am Something I do for
Facebook is I screenshot a lot of things because I like them.
I think they're funny, right? That's that's a funny statement,
but I'm not going to I'm not going to share it.
I'm not going to post it, right, But I'll, I'll save it on my
phone just because it's so funny, right?
And, and that is, but that's in in public a lot of times.
And and this is Abraham Lincoln quote.
It's better to better to be quiet and be thought a fool than
to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
He said it better than that, But that is so when we're quiet, if
I, if I'm not saying anything, I can't let a corrupt word leave
my mouth, right? And it's harder to grieve the
Holy Spirit at that point because the Holy Spirit doesn't
want his people that he's filled with to be lying and lying even
on things that, you know, I agree with that and that
supports my view. We're not willing to lie to
support our view, right? That isn't and he definitely
doesn't. And then it says, let all
bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour and evil speaking, but
put away from you. And are we known as believers?
Are we, are we known as being kind to one another, tender
hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave
you, right? That's how we should be known.
And if you think you can do that in your flesh, in your
selfishness, you are mistaken. Outside of Christ, we can do
nothing that I'm talking about the embracing the embracing joy
through the suck is is embracing Jesus and what he did on the
cross, right and the power that he gives us through that right.
You know, and that's Galatians 220 and I use it all the time.
And so I'm hoping you guys are start this is when you can
memorize and you can post this anytime you want to and you can
agree with it is I've been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, the life
that I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of
God, right, because we are still walking around in this body that
I'm saying I'm saying is selfish and evil.
We're still walking around in it and and we have we have work to
do for Jesus, right, that that he has for us to do, but has
surrendered to him. And that is, and the only way to
surrender to him is to die on that cross, right where he died
to, to leave our to leave our old man there and have that new
life. We can't bring the old man ways,
the old man's ways into Christ. It does you, you, you can't.
And America and Americans, we have something that is in our
founding documents and it's, you know, we have this right, the
pursuit of happiness. And guys, happiness is not a
thing. And it is, it is an end of
something, right? And, and if you were, if you
were going for happiness, you'll never get there.
It's like, it's like me with my before I was saved, I had the
house, I had the cars, I had the wife, I had the kids, I had the
job, and I wasn't happy, but I was.
That's what I was in the pursuit of happiness.
And I had all the things that were going to make me happy and
guess what? I wasn't.
So if we seek happy comfort, we will never have joy.
If we seek to follow Jesus and die to our selfish old man, we
will have overflowing joy. And in that joy, there's
happiness. But if what you're if what
you're if, if your initial aim is to go with comfort and happy,
you'll never get there. If your aim is to follow Christ,
then you will have joy, then you will have peace and and Jesus.
Jesus says this point blank and we say it today and we don't get
it because it crosses set up on stages and they sit on stages
and they sit on the backs of buildings and people wear them
around their necks. So they're it's it's a sweet
thing. When Jesus said this, the only
crosses in existence at this time were at the edge of town,
Roman towns with dead bodies on them.
They weren't, they weren't a a religious symbol that said, hey,
that's a nice way to put it. No, they were, they were, you
know, follow me to the firing squad.
Let's hang out with the electric chair, you know, let's get some
cyanide. And this is in Luke 923 and 24.
Then he said to them all, if anyone desires to come after me,
let him deny himself his selfishness and take up his
cross daily and follow me. The only people that took up
crosses were people that were taken to the edge of town to be
hung on them. For whoever desires to save his
life will lose it, But whoever loses his life for my sake will
save it. That's that.
If we're, if we aim at Jesus, we get joy and peace.
If we aim at, at satisfying myself, we get misery and death.
And the thing with the aiming at Jesus is my flesh.
It's going to suck for it, right?
It's it's going to have difficult things.
Jesus in Matthew 1038 says it the other way.
And Luke he says take up his cross and and he who takes up
his cross and this says he who does not take up his cross and
follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds my life, finds his
life will lose it. And he who loses his life for my
sake will find it. That is that that is when I when
the T-shirts and the mugs and the embrace the suck, that is
that losing my life, losing, losing my selfishness for Jesus
to walk with him where he wants to take me.
And I know it's kind of a funny catch phrase, but it is.
It is really truly the life that God calls us to is to give up
what I thought I needed, what I thought I wanted, because I had
it all and it wasn't what I needed and it wasn't what I
wanted. And guys, I wouldn't trade.
I mean, I, I say this all the time and I wish, I wish I could.
There is nothing better, nothing better than being in the will of
God, doing what he wants him to do, wants us to do right.
When you if you go to or if you go door to door and you're
witnessing to people, yes, knocking on the door, waiting.
And then there's then there's hello.
And and then you start a conversation and, and it's
awkward and maybe they say not interested and you go to the
next house and you go to the next house.
Well, I will tell you, not interested once, not interested
twice, not interested three times.
When you get to the forest house, you're just, you're at
that point, you've embraced the fact that they're not interested
and you're willing to listen to it again.
And so then somebody is willing to listen.
And now you're going to talk to them about what Jesus has for
you to share with them, right? And if they get saved, if they
give their life to the Lord, there is you.
You are the rest of your day, the rest of your week, the rest
of your month is made right because not because not not even
because they got saved. That's awesome, but because you
know you were where you were supposed to be doing what you
were supposed to be doing and God used you in it.
And and that is that's that's the goal, right, guys?
It coasting through this world trying not to not to not to do
anything in the name of Jesus is blah.
It's, it's, you know, it's, it's, it isn't, it isn't full of
joy, it's full of mediocrity and you know it.
The only place we get joy is in the spirit, right?
And that's the fruit of the spirit that's abiding.
The powerful joy is Galatians 522 and 23.
But the fruit of the spirit is joy, peace, long-suffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law and
none of those are things that you can produce.
I can't go after joy if I'm not going after Christ, right I
there was it is it is not something you get.
You know it's James, James 1/2, which is the is the verse on the
T-shirt, which is brethren, count it all joy when you fall
into various trials. But first 3 and 4, knowing that
the testing of your faith produces patience, but let
patience have it's perfect work that you may be made perfect and
complete, lacking nothing. So you get joy, you get peace
through the trials, which is why you count it all joy because
that's what that when when you're in the suck, if you
embrace it and say, Lord, I want to go where you want me to go.
I want to do what you want me to do.
There's a joy that you get in that when you're obedient to
him. Peter says it like this first
Peter 1/6 through 9. In this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while, if need be, you have been
grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith,
being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is
tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the
revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you, love though
you, though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice
with joy, inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of
your faith, the salvation of your soul.
He goes on in chapter 4 and says, Beloved, do not think it's
strange concerning the fiery trials, which is to try you as
though some strange thing happening to you, but rejoice to
the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering, that when
His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
If you are a reproach for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the spirit of the glory and of God rests upon you.
On their part, He is a black, He is blasphemy, but on your part
He is glorified. So in America we are we have
been sold a bill of goods and the bill of goods is that the
Christian life is all about stuffing things.
You know that that we are going to be healthy, wealthy and wise.
You know, I think there's a name it and claim it or you know, if
you have enough faith, guys, nowhere in the in the New
Testament and it's not that thing changed.
It's it's there's Jesus. Jesus is our treasure, right?
But in the New Testament, riches are not are not a blessing.
They're a responsibility, right? And and I say that not in a
guilt way, but what happened. They're a burden when when you
have when you have time and money, you have a burden of
using them, not selfishly, not on yourself, right, not not to
try and get happiness, but to follow the Lord.
That doesn't mean we give everything away and we live on
the street. That means that don't think that
because you live in America, you are blessed in Jesus.
Guys, the Chinese church is exactly opposite.
They're, they're an underground church.
They, they, and they're bigger than us, which is embarrassing.
They, their church. I mean, there's a billion people
in China and I forget, I think they have 300 million is what
they think the underground church is.
That's just under the size of America.
I think we're 340 million people or something like that.
So are we, is that there there are that many Christians in
America and why, why does why does the underground church, the
one that is being persecuted and trying to be stamped out bigger
than the blessed church in America?
Why is that? And I will tell you it's because
we do not embrace the suck. We just go through life and and
enjoy ourselves and I'm I am I am not pointing fingers at all
you I am pointing fingers at me as much as I'm pointing fingers
at the church as a whole. We we do not count it all joy
when we fall into various trials.
We try our very hardest to not fall into various trials and I
can we can get on any one of our our social media platforms and
see Americans Christians like the sky is falling Chicken
Little that the end is coming guys.
That is a cheer of joy and awesomeness and we do not act
like that. We we act like I mean we're
going to run out of diesel. I got to get a generator.
I have to take care of my no right it we guys, we have the
God of the universe living inside of us who wants to use us
and and in order to do that, he's going to use us in things
that my body don't want to do right, That that is hard.
You know, that's, I mean, so Nick, do you want to stay as a
nuclear supervisor and make hundreds of thousands of dollars
a year or do you want to go be a pastor at a little church in
Sandpoint? I didn't make that when I was
there, but that's where it was going.
So anyway, I just thought I'd that's, that's where it was
going. I wasn't there yet, but but that
was the, you know, we were on track.
That was the plan and, and the American dream.
We were on track online and when I, when I sat down and I and I,
you guys have heard that conversation of, of me doing my
pros and cons list and Bruce just laughing at me and going,
yeah, give that a shot. Which was you can, you can
attempt to do something God doesn't want you to do.
You know, you can, you can look at the pros cons list and go,
you want to just keep making money and, and stay here.
But if God wants you to go to Sandpoint, you're, you're going
to embrace that suck one way or another.
And, and I am right. I, I mean, and, and guys, that
is not you guys suck. That is that my choice was to go
after what my flesh thought it wanted or to follow Jesus.
And at the end of the day, it wasn't a hard choice at all.
It was what I want guys, is I want those moments of knowing
that I know I am exactly where, where I'm supposed to be doing
exactly what I'm supposed to be doing.
And, and I can't do that if I, if I, if I choose myself, if I
choose myself that I'm going to be off in the wilderness until I
decide that I'm going to go where he wants me to go, right.
And and so when I, when you, when you hear clear direction
from him, you need to, you need to accept that even if even if
in that direction there is suck, you know, how is that going to
happen? And this is what I will
guarantee you guys just so you, if you, if you didn't know about
God and money that I've never starved.
I've never been homeless, never. I've never had a had a problem
in that department without saying I always spend the money
right. But he has plenty.
He takes care of me just fine, right?
I don't worry about where, where, where or how it's going
to work because he's always, always taking care of me.
Not because I not because I think I need a bigger house or I
need a newer car or any of that stuff is that he just takes care
of us because he's a good father, right?
And the thing this is my my analogy on we can't know.
We can't know real joy unless we go through pain and thinking
about an analogy, and I hope this one is so.
If you think about a baby and you know, conceived and in the
womb, babies don't cry in the womb, babies don't laugh in the
womb. Babies are comfortable, right?
They are. They are comfortable, they're
safe, but they don't have joy because they have nothing.
They have no, nothing hard. They have no, they, they just
have, they're just there. They're, they're comfortable,
but they don't even know they're comfortable because they don't
know what uncomfortable is, you know, And then they, they, they,
they suddenly there, there is, there's changes in their life,
right? There's suddenly there's bright
lights and they have to figure out how to breathe and there's
diapers and there's diaper changes and there's people
smacking them on the butt and suddenly their life is
disrupted, right? It's this isn't fun.
I don't like this. And and they did you guys have
any babies? Did they let you know that?
Right? Sounds like us a lot of times,
right? So they enter a world that
suddenly sucks, but then, but then there's diapers are
changed, their belly is full and they're in their parents arms.
They're they're exactly where they're supposed to be doing.
They're exactly where they're supposed to be doing exactly
what they're supposed to be doing.
And what do they have at that point?
Complete contentment and they know the difference, right?
And that is, that's what God wants to give us, right?
He wants to give us that, that complete contentment, but not,
not by us trying to get back to floating in, in the womb, right,
But by following him and, and doing the things that it takes,
you know, letting him change our diapers and, and spank us when
we need spanked, right? And but to get us to that, just
content knowing we're, we're supposed to be doing what we're
supposed to be doing, you know, in Acts 55, Peter talks about
because Peter knew he was where he was supposed to be doing what
he was supposed to be doing. And what he was doing was hard.
We, we read it in Acts and it's these guys are just, they're
just mythic guys, right? They just did things.
I mean, how hard could it be? So Peter just went to a
synagogue and told all these guys they're going to hell
because they crucified Jesus and he ended up 5000 of them got
saved. But some other ones were a
little upset. And they haul him off to council
and he's in jail. And then they they beat him and
they tell him not to talk about Jesus anymore.
And when they left there, we'll just pick it up in verse 40, it
says, and they agreed with him, which is the the council had
agreed to had agreed to basically set set them free.
But it says when they called for the apostles and beaten them,
they commanded them they should not speak in the name of Jesus
and let them go. So Peter and John.
So they departed from the presence of the council
rejoicing. They were counted worthy to
suffer the shame for his name. And daily in the temple and in
every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus
Christ rejoicing. They were counted worthy to
suffer shame for his name. Anybody.
That's something we look for. I mean, and I'm, I don't want to
be the I'm not trying to beat this group.
I'm just saying as Americans, right in the country we live in,
is that what we're known for? Are we known to be people that
are rejoicing because we are counting, we are suffering for
his name or are we whiners? I whine.
I mean, I'm not going to be, you know, and that's embracing that
suck and embracing the fact that we count it joy, right?
It is when we lose sight of the goal and the goal is to go
closer to him, period. And in growing closer to him,
you know, as as you get closer to the sun, to the light, more
of your darkness is shown, right?
More of the darkness in me, more of the more of my selfishness is
revealed the closer I get to him because he's brighter and
brighter the closer I get, you know, and that you know, that's
why I like old dead guy. Can't remember which ones.
Did you know that I am and Paul is this same guy that the longer
Paul was with him, the longer this guy that I, I can't
remember. I feel less holy today than the
day I got saved because the longer I've been with Christ,
the more rotten I see that I actually am.
You know, when I tell everybody that the only good thing about
me is Jesus Christ, guys, that's, that is not some that is
not a Christian thing that I just say up here, I, it is a it
is a fact. If you think you brought
something to Jesus except garbage to be cleaned up, you're
wrong. You know it.
We didn't bring our we didn't he, we didn't bring 50% of
myself and say, Lord, you know, 50% of me is pretty garbagey and
I was wondering if you'd clean that up.
No, I'm all garbage. The only thing I brought was my
need for him and Jesus. And we went through this at
Easter. But Jesus really covers this and
he, he just wants to do what the Father wants him to do.
All we're supposed to want to do is what Jesus wants us to do.
And the first thing we have to do is die to ourself that that
Colossians or Galatians 220 is and then the life we now live in
the flesh lived by faith in him and knowing that he's got a
plan, you know, and and being like he was here, not my will,
Lord, but yours be done. You know, before we went to the
cross. But as an American once again,
we have this idea of what blessing is right.
And when you read when you read the Beatitudes and we can go
through them real quick and and we've all heard different Bible
studies on them. But as I'm going to read these
and is this what blessed is this when you think of blessing
someone, when you think of of being blessed, is this what you
think of? Because this is what Jesus, this
is being blessed. Then he opened his mouth and
taught them saying, and this is Jesus speaking just to be clear,
so there's no confusion. Somebody didn't get this wrong.
He said it. Blessed are the porn spirit for
theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for
they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they
shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of
God. Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom
of heaven. Blessed are are you when they
revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against
you falsely for my name's sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad,
for great is your reward in heaven for sold they persecuted
the prophets who were before you.
Let's see. Blessed are you when they revile
and persecute you. Blessed are you That's that's
not not condemned, are you, you know not not you blessed are you
when when you when you are reviled and persecuted because
you have been counted worthy to suffer for his name, right.
That's what Peter says, you know, blessed are the pure in
heart for they, they shall see God.
How do you want to see God? You want you want him to you
know that's John 1421. He who has my commandments and
keeps them, it is he who loves me and he who loves me be loved
by my father and I will love him and manifest myself to him.
I will show myself to him. You know, when blessed are the
peacemakers. Is that is that how we feel on
on that different social media platforms or how we feel when
we're we're talking to people? Are we peacemakers or are we pot
stirrers? Because it's fun, you know, it's
and that I'm not apologizing for the message, guys.
It was I'm I'm just saying I don't want you guys to feel like
I'm beating you up. I'm I am 100%.
This is one of those message and this what you get when I, when I
do a message it at the end of the night and I'm I'm just going
through it is, is that you just get what I what what God beat me
up about right? You get what when I'm reading
what I'm getting and, and this is the facts, guys.
He, he wants to use us and in order to use us, we need to be
dead. And in that dying, there is a
joy that I get out of serving him because I get to see him do
amazing things in my life. Very often our problem has to do
with perspective, right? And our perspective is
horizontal. It's, it's how does it affect me
here? And I, I use when I'm in Uganda
and you know how much the politics in Uganda affect me?
None. I don't when I'm there, I, I
know who the president is. I know all the corruption.
I don't, I'm telling people about Jesus.
That's what I'm there for. I'm not on the news cycle.
I'm not watching Bobby Wine, I'm not watching the 70.
I'm not frustrated about the decisions they're making at the
council meetings. I'm not I'm there sharing,
sharing with Jesus, sharing people, sharing Jesus with
people. There we go.
And that is because I'm, I'm outside my comfort zone, because
I'm, I'm in a third world country and it's obvious I'm in
a third world country. And when I say it like that,
what I mean is, is that when I walk out my front door, it is
obvious I'm different, right? I am there.
There is not AI don't have the luxury in Uganda of hiding in
comfort not because not because they won't they they will give
me a pass right. That is one thing in Uganda that
Americans and I will just beat us to death on this because it
is embarrassing that Americans in Uganda and and probably most
of the western world, but I deal with Americans.
There's a few things that Ugandan will ask you.
Do you need a nap? 2:00 in the afternoon.
Do you need a nap? No, I'm good.
I got this. You don't fear the dust because
I ride in the back of the trucks.
We're known guys. It is embarrassing.
As Americans, we are not weak, feeble people.
But when we go to when we go to third world countries, we're
used to our comforts and suddenly we're known to be weak
and feeble guys. We are not weak and feeble
people. We're really not.
I mean, we conquered. We conquered a continent.
And somehow the comfort of what what we have done has numbed us.
And we're trying to be happy instead of trying to be full of
joy. Paul, Paul in Philippians 314 to
21. Remind is reminding the
Philippians I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward
call of God in Jesus Christ. Therefore, let us, as many as
are mature, have this mind, and if in anything you think
otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us
walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind.
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so
walk as you have us for a pattern for many walk, of whom I
have told you often and now tell you, even weeping, that they are
enemies of the cross of Christ, Who in the whose end is
destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in
their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also
eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will
transform our lowly bodies, that it may be conformed to His
glorious body according to the work by which He is able even to
subdue all things. Guys, I don't want to be known
as a people whose God is their belly and whose glory is their
shame. And I want to be known for
pressing for that goal, pressing in, pressing into that suck,
right, which which is talking to people at work, which is talking
to people. Sharing Jesus with people is not
what your flesh wants to do. It is not what my flesh wants to
do. And technically at this point in
my life, it is my job. And when I'm out at the grocery
store, it's still not, I mean, it, it's I can be intimidated by
a 12 year old girl. I mean, you ever sat next to a
somebody on the airplane? That's like the 12 year old
girl. I'm intimidated to share Jesus
with her. It's like, so I'm just pressed
forward to that goal because the goal gives us joy when we're
aimed in that direction. And God knows how to form it
form us, right? He knows what we need every day
to take us where He wants us to go.
Are we willing to go? There it is the the end of this
guy's is let the old die in the suck so that the new can live in
joy, right? Our old man has no business,
right? The Second Corinthians 5/17 5:17
For all things have passed away. Behold, all things have become
new. I just paraphrase that, but all
things have become new, right? He has he has work for us to do
and in order for us to do it, we have to let our selfishness die,
forget about comfort and go for joy.
The good stuff, right? It's good stuff.
I was going to say, I hope you guys, this was definitely my
conviction last night as I was going through this of just
looking at my life and and the the places and the things that
that I have in them. That, and I'm like I said, this
is not because God does not want to give us good things and that
we don't get a go to Silverwood and do Schweitzer and do that
stuff as a by product of just following him.
But if your goal is to try and fill your life up with
entertainment, it's a it's a worthless life and you will be
you're, you won't get joy. There is no joy in that.
There's just floating around in nothingness.
It's kind of what if you look at our country, if you look at the,
the younger generation and, and just the generation growing up
that is living in video games and, and do it.
They're they're trying to fulfill things with empty
instead of with solid and solid hurts.
Solid takes some suck, but it's what's real.
So Lord, I just lift up today. I lift up this Time, Lord, I, I
just thank you that you're willing and able to take dirt
each and every one of us and use us, Lord, if we're willing, the
Lord that's make each one of us willing.
Lord, help us to help us to just give that to you, Lord, that we
would even be willing to be made willing, Lord, but that you
would you would renew our desire for you and renew our desire to
just be out about your business. Lord guide and direct us and
thank you for everybody here in Jesus name, Amen.