- 1 day ago
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00:00The way of wisdom, which is our theme through the entire book, will save your life.
00:00:05Wisdom will save your life.
00:00:08If you have young people in your life, you want to pray over them that they would have the wisdom
00:00:13of God.
00:00:14The greatest thing that you can do for them is to intercede for them and pray that prayer.
00:00:20God, give wisdom to my children, wisdom to my grandchildren, right?
00:00:24We want to pray for ourselves.
00:00:26We'll see today, James tells us that we need to ask God for wisdom.
00:00:31Because without it, we will not know how to apply the knowledge of God.
00:00:36So we'll read it together. You guys know the drill.
00:00:39I'll read verse 1 if you pick it up in verse 2.
00:00:42My son, if you receive my words and treasure my commands within you.
00:00:46So that you find your ears to wisdom and apply your arms to understanding.
00:00:51Yes, if you cry out for discernment and lift up your voice for understanding.
00:00:58If you see her as silver and search her as a human prejudice.
00:01:03Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
00:01:08The Lord gives wisdom from sound, from knowledge and understanding.
00:01:14Verse 7.
00:01:15He stores up sound wisdom for the upright.
00:01:18He is a shield to those who walk uprightly.
00:01:21He guards the paths of justice and preserves the way of his saints.
00:01:26Then you will understand righteousness and justice.
00:01:30I think that is so key.
00:01:31Then.
00:01:32That's a time stamp.
00:01:33That means only then will you understand righteousness and justice.
00:01:38Equity and every good path.
00:01:41When wisdom enters your heart and knowledge is pleasant to your soul.
00:01:46Discretion will preserve you.
00:01:48Understanding will keep you.
00:01:50To deliver you from the way of evil.
00:01:53From the man who sees the first saints.
00:01:56From those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness.
00:02:02Who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the mercy of the wicked.
00:02:06Whose ways are crooked and who are devious in their paths.
00:02:11To deliver you from the immoral woman.
00:02:14From the subject who supplies her to the first.
00:02:17Who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.
00:02:23For her house to the sound of death and her paths to death.
00:02:28None who go to her return.
00:02:30Nor do they regain the paths of life.
00:02:32So you may walk in the way of goodness and ease of the paths of righteousness.
00:02:38For the upright will dwell in the land.
00:02:40And the blameless will remain in it.
00:02:43But the wicked will be cut off from the earth.
00:02:46And the unpaid will be unruited from it.
00:02:48And all God's people said.
00:02:50Amen.
00:02:51You may be seated.
00:02:55So God is announcing.
00:02:56God is saying.
00:02:58There is justice.
00:03:00There is equity.
00:03:02There is the right path.
00:03:04There is the good way.
00:03:06Down deep inside.
00:03:08Even if you're not familiar with the Bible.
00:03:09You know that that's true.
00:03:11There is a way.
00:03:12In fact I know this about you.
00:03:14Though I may not know you personally.
00:03:15I know this about the God that made us.
00:03:17That he has written onto the human heart.
00:03:20What is the right way and what is the wrong way.
00:03:23We call it a conscience.
00:03:25There is a moral compass.
00:03:27That God has put within the human being.
00:03:30To me I find this fascinating.
00:03:32There is a moral compass that God has engineered within the human being.
00:03:35But as time goes on.
00:03:36People in their lives.
00:03:38And living their lives.
00:03:39Make decisions.
00:03:41And over the course of their life.
00:03:44Whenever they come to that age.
00:03:46We would maybe go so young.
00:03:49As say the age of accountability.
00:03:51Or maybe even sooner.
00:03:53When young kids are beginning to carve a path.
00:03:56As it were.
00:03:57In their minds.
00:03:58Regarding the decisions that they make.
00:04:01That those decisions.
00:04:03That you make over time.
00:04:05Either put you on a trajectory for blessings.
00:04:08Or for cursings.
00:04:11And this is a profound truth.
00:04:13We often don't want to talk about it.
00:04:15Because we live in an age.
00:04:17Where we go to college.
00:04:19Or we go to school.
00:04:20Or we read certain books.
00:04:22Or we are raised in a culture.
00:04:25Where you can do whatever you want.
00:04:27As long as it feels good.
00:04:30But don't worry.
00:04:31There is no ramifications.
00:04:32To the conclusion to what you decide.
00:04:36And that is absolutely false.
00:04:39Whatever you and I decide to do.
00:04:41There is the outcome.
00:04:43And we are not going to escape that.
00:04:45And here Solomon is speaking to his son.
00:04:47About making the right decisions.
00:04:49Having discretion.
00:04:50Knowing that in the world of evil.
00:04:52There is equity.
00:04:54There is justice coming.
00:04:56Sometimes it comes quickly.
00:04:58Sometimes most often not so quickly.
00:05:01But God is the one in control.
00:05:03And this book brings us comfort in this area.
00:05:06We started this last week together with this.
00:05:09Regarding the way of wisdom will save your life.
00:05:11We saw in verses 1 through 5.
00:05:12That we are to wise up.
00:05:14And that is the challenge.
00:05:15By the way.
00:05:16All of the five points.
00:05:17The chapter is divided up into five key points.
00:05:20Wise up.
00:05:21Verses 1 through 5.
00:05:22And we saw this in verses 1 and 2.
00:05:25And that is you and I are to be receptive.
00:05:27To what God gives us.
00:05:28He said to us.
00:05:29My son if you receive my words.
00:05:32And he goes on there to challenge us.
00:05:34Because we are inserting ourselves.
00:05:36Into the hearing of what Solomon is saying.
00:05:40But more than Solomon.
00:05:41Remember what Jesus said.
00:05:42Jesus said to the disciples.
00:05:44Solomon said this.
00:05:46But behold there is one greater.
00:05:48Than Solomon speaking to you.
00:05:50And that in our context.
00:05:52The context would be the Holy Spirit.
00:05:54Speaking to us.
00:05:55And he is saying to us.
00:05:56If you would hang on.
00:05:59Or receive.
00:06:00Take in.
00:06:01Hug.
00:06:01If you would.
00:06:02My word.
00:06:03We are to be receptive.
00:06:04We saw last time.
00:06:05That if we do that.
00:06:06God has us on a way of being complete.
00:06:10The fact that this world cannot complete us.
00:06:12But only God can complete us.
00:06:14I made this statement.
00:06:16It is still true.
00:06:16We will hear it.
00:06:17I think throughout the course of our lives.
00:06:19If we are not paying attention.
00:06:20And that is you can pursue anything and everything.
00:06:23This world has to offer you.
00:06:24And it will not complete you.
00:06:27And what we do.
00:06:29Is we get caught up in thinking.
00:06:30If I just had that home.
00:06:31In Bel Air.
00:06:32Or if I just had that sailboat in Newport.
00:06:35Or if I just had that plane at John Wayne.
00:06:37Or whatever.
00:06:39Your world is complete.
00:06:42But why are those people so incomplete?
00:06:46Why are they still searching?
00:06:49Or what about health?
00:06:52Somebody might.
00:06:53You know.
00:06:53You think about it.
00:06:54There is almost two churches going on here right now on a Sunday morning.
00:06:57There is this one going on.
00:06:59And you can walk about.
00:07:00I am really bad about.
00:07:02I can do yards.
00:07:03You can walk about.
00:07:04Maybe 200 yards away from here.
00:07:07And there is the church of LA Fitness.
00:07:11Going on right now.
00:07:12And they are packed out by the way.
00:07:14They are packed out.
00:07:15And there is people there.
00:07:16I am not.
00:07:16Look.
00:07:17Don't tell your friend.
00:07:18If they are there.
00:07:18I am not beating up on your friend.
00:07:20But what I am saying is this.
00:07:23That there are people investing in that.
00:07:25Which is fine.
00:07:26You should take care of your body.
00:07:27It is God's body.
00:07:28You should keep yourself usable.
00:07:30But there are people who invest in that to the extreme.
00:07:33And they neglect the spiritual.
00:07:35And then they wonder why they are really healthy.
00:07:37But they are so empty inside.
00:07:39So what?
00:07:40They can bench 400 pounds.
00:07:42But their emotions cannot cope with an ounce of difficulty.
00:07:47Who is the stronger?
00:07:49I would vote for you being stronger than any man or woman who can lift so much weight.
00:07:58Only God can make you complete.
00:08:01And we saw that.
00:08:03And so now we jump into this.
00:08:05And it is going to be from verses 6 to 9 today.
00:08:08And the way of wisdom will save your life this way.
00:08:11And by the way, if you are not knowing this, you can take notes.
00:08:14You guys can put the QR code up there.
00:08:18Let me say this.
00:08:19If they have a QR code.
00:08:20I have to tell you something.
00:08:22I have never.
00:08:22In 36 years, I have never had this happen.
00:08:25So this is a miracle today.
00:08:27First of all, it is a miracle that you have any notes that might pop up on that QR code.
00:08:30I am curious to see if you get anything.
00:08:34I am old school.
00:08:35I have always, for years, I would use my notes, pen and paper.
00:08:42And then somebody invented the computer and the printer.
00:08:49And so then I started putting my notes on the computer.
00:08:52I don't remember what century that was, but that happened then.
00:08:56And never had a problem.
00:08:58But I had my sermon all but done for you today.
00:09:04It was all but done because we had a busy week.
00:09:06Like all of you guys, there's graduations going on in our lives.
00:09:08And there's all kinds of things happening.
00:09:10And I sat down yesterday to tune it up.
00:09:14And never had this happen before.
00:09:17But the whole thing just blew up and vanished away.
00:09:21Gone forever.
00:09:23And that's why, listen, it happened in the Garden of Eden with an apple.
00:09:27And it happened on my table yesterday with an apple.
00:09:31Stay away from apples, folks.
00:09:36And so this morning, whatever you get today is a result of early morning this morning.
00:09:43I got up a little bit after 2 o'clock this morning and asked God for a miracle.
00:09:47So you're going to know by the end of this message if God performed a miracle or not.
00:09:51And I am the lamb going to the slaughter right now.
00:09:56But the next thing would be the fact that God is asking us to show up.
00:10:02Look at verses 6 through 9.
00:10:04He says,
00:10:04For the Lord gives wisdom from his mouth come knowledge, the scripture announces to us.
00:10:11Watch this.
00:10:12An understanding.
00:10:13Verse 7.
00:10:14He stores up sound wisdom for the upright.
00:10:17He is able to shield to those who walk uprightly.
00:10:22He guards the paths of justice and preserves the way of his saints.
00:10:26I love that.
00:10:27Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity, and every good path.
00:10:33So church, if you would, write this down.
00:10:35When God is challenging us to show up, it all starts with this.
00:10:38And that is giving attention.
00:10:40Giving attention to a beautiful reality that God is giving to us right now.
00:10:45And look at verse 6 when it says,
00:10:47For the Lord gives wisdom.
00:10:50The Lord gives wisdom.
00:10:52I've got that underlined.
00:10:53I've got that marked.
00:10:54It's God who gives wisdom.
00:10:57None of us, if you can hear me,
00:10:58none of us are outside of this prayer being answered in our lives.
00:11:05Think about it.
00:11:07You don't have to be wise to get this prayer answered.
00:11:11In fact, you can say to God,
00:11:13God, I'm not wise.
00:11:15I'm foolish.
00:11:16I make all these mistakes.
00:11:19I'm horrible at this thing called life.
00:11:21I want to stop that.
00:11:23I'm asking you for wisdom.
00:11:24And what does the Bible say?
00:11:26The Lord gives.
00:11:27God gives.
00:11:29I don't know how much you believe in the promises of the Bible,
00:11:32but God says in the Bible,
00:11:33I give.
00:11:36We suffer so much lack because we do not believe that God is going to give
00:11:40when he, in my opinion,
00:11:42is announcing the greatest giveaway of all time.
00:11:46Right here.
00:11:47The Lord gives.
00:11:48And we want to make sure that that gets our attention.
00:11:52And so when you look at that,
00:11:53when he announces to us that the Lord gives wisdom,
00:11:56the word gives,
00:11:57it's not that he's,
00:11:58he's not going to drop.
00:11:59Look,
00:11:59he's not going to go like this and he's not going to give.
00:12:01Here's a little bit of wisdom for you.
00:12:03And a little bit of wisdom for you.
00:12:05He doesn't put,
00:12:06you know,
00:12:06like you're all sitting here with thimbles.
00:12:11It is the will of almighty God that you and I have wisdom.
00:12:15And that is awesome.
00:12:18And the Bible here tells us that from his mouth.
00:12:22Now listen carefully.
00:12:23From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
00:12:26Now you do understand that what Solomon is announcing,
00:12:29he's not saying to his son,
00:12:31nor is he saying to us,
00:12:33sit real still and listen until you hear the voice of God.
00:12:38Some of you are saying,
00:12:39well, wait,
00:12:39no, really?
00:12:40No,
00:12:40but hear me out.
00:12:42Not the voice of God.
00:12:44Now some people have said that they heard God speak with a voice.
00:12:50I don't know if I even want to hear that voice of his yet.
00:12:53I don't know if I can handle that.
00:12:56God will speak mostly to his people by,
00:13:00watch,
00:13:01strong impressions of his word upon our psyche or our heart.
00:13:10That's how God speaks to most believers.
00:13:13He can speak to us any way he wants.
00:13:15Look,
00:13:15he spoke to Balaam.
00:13:16How did he talk to Balaam,
00:13:17the prophet?
00:13:19With a donkey.
00:13:21That would be something to see.
00:13:23I actually think that would be cool.
00:13:25I'm not being silly.
00:13:27I think,
00:13:27wouldn't it be great to have an animal talk to you?
00:13:30I mean,
00:13:30a certain kind of animal.
00:13:32Not a snake.
00:13:32That doesn't go over well.
00:13:37But a donkey.
00:13:38That'd be,
00:13:39how many of you remember Mr. Ed?
00:13:41Remember?
00:13:42How old is this group?
00:13:45Just so I'm encouraged.
00:13:47How many of you have never heard of Mr. Ed?
00:13:48Raise your hand.
00:13:51Oh,
00:13:51this is an old group.
00:13:58Man,
00:13:58when I was a little kid,
00:13:59I don't know what they did to make that horse go like this with his mouth.
00:14:02Okay,
00:14:03Wilbur.
00:14:04Remember that?
00:14:07I thought it was amazing.
00:14:08I thought that horse talked.
00:14:12But we talk to our animals.
00:14:14We talk to,
00:14:15and we want them to talk back.
00:14:16Maybe someday.
00:14:17Maybe in the millennium.
00:14:18Maybe in heaven.
00:14:19The animals will talk back to us.
00:14:20I think it's going to be fantastic.
00:14:22But that said,
00:14:23when God speaks,
00:14:25he's going to speak to you in his word.
00:14:28And of course,
00:14:29God reserves the right.
00:14:30We hear,
00:14:30we hear,
00:14:31I've never spoke to anybody who had this happen,
00:14:34but we hear that many in the Islamic world,
00:14:37the Muslim world,
00:14:38predominantly in the areas of Africa,
00:14:39in the Middle East,
00:14:40that there are those who are saying,
00:14:42I heard God speak to me.
00:14:43And Jesus said that he is the way,
00:14:46the truth,
00:14:46and the life.
00:14:47And listen,
00:14:48I don't care about them hearing an actual voice.
00:14:51I'm listening to what was said.
00:14:54Oh,
00:14:54I heard a voice.
00:14:55Listen,
00:14:55people,
00:14:56you know,
00:14:57I heard,
00:14:57this guy's a Christian,
00:14:58or she's a Christian.
00:15:00And she said,
00:15:01he said,
00:15:02that God said this.
00:15:03And it's like,
00:15:04totally contrary to the Bible.
00:15:07You better be careful about that.
00:15:10But if they're saying,
00:15:13if Muslims around the world are saying,
00:15:15Jesus appeared to me and said that he's the way,
00:15:17the truth,
00:15:17and the life,
00:15:18he's the only salvation there is.
00:15:20He died on the cross for my sins
00:15:21and rose again from the grave.
00:15:24I believe that because that is gospel truth.
00:15:28So when God says,
00:15:30I speak to you with my mouth,
00:15:33don't expect some sort of a mystical type of encounter.
00:15:37It could happen.
00:15:38But predominantly for your life,
00:15:41God is going to speak with these incredible impressions.
00:15:43And I say this with all due respect,
00:15:46God knows my heart.
00:15:47When I say this,
00:15:48I would rather have God speak to me
00:15:50the way he speaks to me through his word.
00:15:52Because every time he does,
00:15:54it causes me to have more confidence in his word.
00:15:58And I like that in this world.
00:16:00We were talking about on Wednesday night,
00:16:02how AI is skewing now
00:16:04and bringing doubt into people's lives
00:16:07regarding the Bible.
00:16:09Listen,
00:16:11if it's new,
00:16:12I don't want anything to do with it
00:16:14when it comes to the Bible.
00:16:15By the way,
00:16:16if you don't own a Bible,
00:16:18buy a Bible.
00:16:18Because there's going to be a day
00:16:20when you probably can't get the Bible online.
00:16:24Get a real Bible
00:16:26and read it.
00:16:28Take,
00:16:30why would you take AI
00:16:31when you can take RI,
00:16:35real intelligence,
00:16:36and put it in here
00:16:39rather than artificial,
00:16:40right?
00:16:43Put it in your heart.
00:16:45Hide it in your heart.
00:16:46We looked at that last week.
00:16:47But give attention to that.
00:16:50And then the second thing is this,
00:16:51in verses 7 and 8,
00:16:52is opportunity.
00:16:54In the way of wisdom,
00:16:56God is going to have you and I
00:16:58save the lives that we have been given
00:17:02because we're going to live these lives for his glory.
00:17:05We're going to give up.
00:17:06Listen,
00:17:07we're going to give up our lives
00:17:09that we think we've got to establish for ourselves
00:17:12and do it our way.
00:17:15And God says,
00:17:16no,
00:17:16I want you to give your life up to me
00:17:18and I want you to receive from me
00:17:21the direction for your life.
00:17:23I'm going to guide you.
00:17:24I'm going to lead you.
00:17:24And I'm going to speak to you with my own mouth
00:17:27and I'm going to guide you in the way.
00:17:29And all that,
00:17:31we look for opportunity.
00:17:34God-given opportunity.
00:17:36You may not like what you're about to hear,
00:17:38but it kind of stings.
00:17:41But let's look at verses 7 and 8.
00:17:43And it says this,
00:17:45he stores,
00:17:47God stores.
00:17:50God stores up sound wisdom for the upright.
00:17:55To be upright is not to be sinless.
00:17:59Don't discount yourself to think,
00:18:01well, I'm not sinless.
00:18:03But let me ask you this.
00:18:05If your life,
00:18:06if in your heart right now,
00:18:09you as a believer,
00:18:11if you understand how big of a sinner you are,
00:18:15but you also realize that
00:18:17since you come to Christ,
00:18:18you're not half the sinner you used to be.
00:18:21You sin less,
00:18:24but you're not sinless.
00:18:26When you were not a believer,
00:18:29go ahead and leave the verse on the screen.
00:18:31When you were not a Christian,
00:18:32you thought you were pretty okay.
00:18:35And then you met Jesus,
00:18:37and then you realized
00:18:38the slightest thought in your mind
00:18:41that is off,
00:18:44nobody's aware.
00:18:46See, before,
00:18:46you used to sin openly.
00:18:48You used to film it.
00:18:50You used to tell people,
00:18:51you know what I did?
00:18:54You don't do that anymore.
00:18:55Now that you're a believer,
00:18:57you have a thought.
00:18:58Look,
00:18:59for those of you who are visiting from out of state,
00:19:01have you been driving California freeways?
00:19:03Sometimes you don't even have to drive California freeways,
00:19:06because mostly it's just parking.
00:19:08You get on the 405,
00:19:10and you just park.
00:19:14But that wears on you.
00:19:17And you have a thought in your mind.
00:19:20Nobody knows.
00:19:22But God says,
00:19:23yeah, you know what?
00:19:25I don't like that thought.
00:19:27And then,
00:19:27you know what you,
00:19:29I know what you think,
00:19:30because it's the same work that the Spirit does in my life.
00:19:32I don't like that thought either, God.
00:19:34I am really sorry about that thought.
00:19:36Lord, that's the old Jack.
00:19:39And I can't stand that about me.
00:19:41Lord, please wash that out of my life.
00:19:43I need to be more patient.
00:19:45When you are not a Christian,
00:19:46you didn't think like that?
00:19:50Paul the Apostle said of himself,
00:19:52he's the chief of all sinners.
00:19:54And when I first read that in the Bible,
00:19:55I thought,
00:19:56aha!
00:19:58He's a liar.
00:19:59How could Paul lie like that?
00:20:01The chief of all sinners.
00:20:03It took me years to grow up
00:20:05more in Christianity
00:20:06to find out,
00:20:07wait a minute,
00:20:08Paul's not the chief of all sinners.
00:20:10You know where I'm going.
00:20:10I see heads nodding.
00:20:12Who's the chief of all sinners?
00:20:15Exactly.
00:20:16It's you.
00:20:17It's me.
00:20:19That's why the believer
00:20:20is not to look at other people's lives
00:20:21and be a sin sniffer and a fault finder
00:20:24in other people's lives.
00:20:27That's massive hypocrisy.
00:20:30People will say,
00:20:31I can't go to church
00:20:32because it's full of hypocrites.
00:20:33That's true.
00:20:36But that goes for all humans.
00:20:39Because to know what to do is right
00:20:41and not to do it
00:20:42makes you a hypocrite.
00:20:44The thing about the church is
00:20:45we know so much
00:20:47that when we trip a little,
00:20:50it's huge.
00:20:52Because we love him so much.
00:20:54It's all love, isn't it?
00:20:55Think about it.
00:20:55It's love-based.
00:20:57It's not like,
00:20:58oh no,
00:20:58I had this bad thought.
00:20:59I'm in trouble.
00:21:00He's going to kick me out of heaven.
00:21:02That's not our thinking.
00:21:04Our thinking is,
00:21:05I had this bad thought.
00:21:06I had this temper.
00:21:07And Lord,
00:21:09I am so sorry
00:21:09because your great love
00:21:11saved me at the cross.
00:21:13You died for me.
00:21:14You washed away that sin
00:21:16and I entertained it.
00:21:17That very thing
00:21:18put you on the cross.
00:21:21God,
00:21:22please forgive me.
00:21:23I confess that sin to you,
00:21:25Lord,
00:21:25and I'm asking you,
00:21:26give me the power
00:21:28to not go that route again
00:21:29or to think that thought again.
00:21:32Versus,
00:21:33that's a relational experience,
00:21:36versus a religious experience,
00:21:38which is,
00:21:39please forgive me,
00:21:40I did this sin,
00:21:41this sin,
00:21:42with no intention
00:21:44of stopping
00:21:46those sins.
00:21:47Are you hearing me?
00:21:48You're just going to do them
00:21:50all week long
00:21:50and go back a week later
00:21:52and ask for forgiveness again.
00:21:53That is called antinomianism
00:21:55and it's completely unacceptable to God.
00:21:58It is to say to yourself,
00:21:59listen,
00:22:00I will sin now.
00:22:03Listen carefully.
00:22:04God calls this sins of the high hand
00:22:07in the Old Testament.
00:22:08God says,
00:22:09I will not forgive these sins
00:22:11that are declared,
00:22:13I'm going to go do this sin
00:22:17tomorrow
00:22:18at eight o'clock
00:22:22and you go and do that
00:22:24and then you ask God
00:22:25to forgive you,
00:22:26the Bible says
00:22:27God will not forgive you
00:22:29and a lot of people
00:22:31bent on religion
00:22:32live that way
00:22:34and there's no power
00:22:35in their life,
00:22:36there's no change.
00:22:39The upright,
00:22:41if you could,
00:22:42don't answer out loud,
00:22:43if you could right now,
00:22:45would you choose
00:22:46to walk perfectly before God?
00:22:50Down deep inside,
00:22:51you know the answer to that
00:22:52and for the believer,
00:22:53it's absolutely yes.
00:22:57You're upright in heart.
00:23:00By faith in Christ Jesus,
00:23:03God turns to you
00:23:04and he cancels out
00:23:05the sin debt
00:23:06that was against you
00:23:07because that's what Christ did
00:23:09at the cross.
00:23:11He died in your place
00:23:12and in my place
00:23:14but when it says here
00:23:15grab the opportunity,
00:23:16he's given opportunity,
00:23:17he's the one that stores up
00:23:19sound wisdom for the upright.
00:23:20He's the one that shields us
00:23:22to walk up rightly.
00:23:24He's the one who guards us
00:23:26on the paths of justice.
00:23:27He's the one who preserves us
00:23:29on the way.
00:23:32Absolutely remarkable.
00:23:33Look at the word store
00:23:34or to store up
00:23:36or stores.
00:23:36To hide safely.
00:23:38Of course,
00:23:39this is the Hebrew word
00:23:41but it makes total sense
00:23:42to us in English.
00:23:43To hide safely
00:23:44or safe within.
00:23:46Treasure up
00:23:47deep inside.
00:23:49To store away
00:23:50for safekeeping.
00:23:51That's very, very
00:23:52easily understood
00:23:53to store.
00:23:55But God is saying this,
00:23:56I have hidden this away
00:23:58and stored this up
00:23:59for you, Christian.
00:24:00For you, Christ follower.
00:24:02Very precious
00:24:03that he announces that to us.
00:24:05But you and I, listen,
00:24:06have opportunities
00:24:07to store up
00:24:08within us
00:24:10that which is good
00:24:11every single day.
00:24:14Folks,
00:24:15you and I have the opportunity
00:24:16every single day,
00:24:18maybe hour by hour
00:24:20to take opportunity
00:24:21to store up
00:24:25what God wants to use
00:24:27or do in our lives
00:24:28because he's just announced
00:24:29to us,
00:24:30I'm for you,
00:24:31I'm going to give opportunity.
00:24:33And so every day
00:24:34of our lives
00:24:35you and I are living,
00:24:36think about
00:24:37in one hour
00:24:38of our lives
00:24:39what opportunities
00:24:40God might bring our way
00:24:41because he has reserved
00:24:43this goodness for us
00:24:45that we can rely upon.
00:24:46That we can get up
00:24:47out of this place
00:24:48and go today
00:24:49and live a bold,
00:24:50strong Christian life
00:24:51because of what he does.
00:24:54And I love that.
00:24:58When we talk about
00:25:01opportunities,
00:25:02I'm going to show you
00:25:03a video here
00:25:04in a moment.
00:25:06We talked
00:25:07in the introduction
00:25:08of this book
00:25:09the wisdom of the world
00:25:13is sensual,
00:25:14the Bible says.
00:25:15The wisdom of the world
00:25:15is demonic.
00:25:18There is a wisdom
00:25:19of this world
00:25:20that is self-serving.
00:25:22It's self-glorifying.
00:25:26The wisdom of the world
00:25:27ends in destruction.
00:25:29And this seems kind of weird.
00:25:30What do you mean
00:25:31the wisdom of the world
00:25:32ends in destruction?
00:25:33I thought it would be wisdom
00:25:34that would end
00:25:34in life and joy.
00:25:37No, that's the wisdom of God.
00:25:38And the two are competing.
00:25:42But at the end,
00:25:43listen,
00:25:43at the end of these things
00:25:45come the conclusion.
00:25:49So you take a course.
00:25:51Maybe you've taken a course
00:25:52and it doesn't matter
00:25:54what it is.
00:25:55You've taken a three-hour course,
00:25:56a three-week course,
00:25:57a three-month course.
00:25:59Maybe it's a three.
00:26:01I don't know.
00:26:01It doesn't matter.
00:26:02You've taken a course
00:26:02and at the end of the course,
00:26:04don't you think?
00:26:04Really?
00:26:05Right?
00:26:05At the end of the course,
00:26:06isn't there like a test
00:26:07or a quiz or something?
00:26:09What's that for?
00:26:11What is the test for?
00:26:17Who said that?
00:26:18Who said what did you learn
00:26:20right there?
00:26:22It's to prove
00:26:23or to reveal
00:26:24what is it that you learned.
00:26:26That's what a test is for.
00:26:28Because the test,
00:26:29listen,
00:26:29you're sitting down
00:26:30to take the test.
00:26:32So I mentioned graduations
00:26:33and so many of us
00:26:35are going to graduations
00:26:36at this season.
00:26:37I get it.
00:26:37Here's the thing.
00:26:40Those kids were tested
00:26:42to determine
00:26:43if they can walk or not.
00:26:45Right?
00:26:46Does that still happen
00:26:46in California?
00:26:47You're tested
00:26:47to see if you can walk or not?
00:26:50I don't mean walk.
00:26:51You know what I mean by walk.
00:26:54At the end,
00:26:55there's always a test.
00:26:58By the way,
00:26:59a little side note.
00:27:00There is a test
00:27:00in Christianity
00:27:02at the end.
00:27:04But it's not what you know.
00:27:09Oh, you did good.
00:27:15Isn't that beautiful?
00:27:16Think about how...
00:27:20Because, you know,
00:27:21the mathematician
00:27:22who's in the room right now
00:27:23is thinking,
00:27:23oh, I hope it's a math test.
00:27:28And the person
00:27:29who is maybe
00:27:30an astrophysicist
00:27:33or something
00:27:33is maybe thinking,
00:27:35oh, I hope it's all about space.
00:27:37No.
00:27:40No, it's not about anything
00:27:42that you have
00:27:42your strengths in.
00:27:46Like anything in life.
00:27:48Did you know
00:27:48there's a lot of
00:27:49really, really smart people
00:27:50that are way smarter than us
00:27:52who know way more than us
00:27:53but they don't have our jobs?
00:27:56Do you want to know
00:27:57why that's true?
00:27:59Because you've got your job
00:28:01most often,
00:28:02most always
00:28:02by knowing somebody.
00:28:04even if it's somebody
00:28:05saying,
00:28:06you should go apply
00:28:07at that company
00:28:09all the way up to
00:28:12how is it that you work here?
00:28:14My dad owns the company.
00:28:17Right?
00:28:20Well, how did you get into heaven?
00:28:22Well, I was able to memorize
00:28:2466 books of the Bible.
00:28:27That'd be nice
00:28:28but that's not going to be
00:28:29on the test.
00:28:30By the way,
00:28:30it's only one question
00:28:31on the test.
00:28:34Who's Jesus?
00:28:37If you know
00:28:37who the biblical Jesus is
00:28:39and I have to say biblical
00:28:40because the Jesus
00:28:41of the Bible
00:28:41is not the Jesus
00:28:42of the Koran.
00:28:44The Jesus of the Bible
00:28:45is not the Jesus
00:28:46of the cults.
00:28:49He's not the Jesus
00:28:50of Hinduism
00:28:51or Buddhism
00:28:52or Shintoism.
00:28:55There's only one Jesus
00:28:58and he's the Jesus Christ
00:29:00of the Bible.
00:29:02And the Bible
00:29:02makes that very clear
00:29:03and there's one answer
00:29:05to get into eternity
00:29:06and that is Jesus Christ.
00:29:11I have to make this up
00:29:12because we don't know
00:29:13but if God was to ever
00:29:14ask the question,
00:29:15why should I let you
00:29:16into my heaven?
00:29:17The answer is Jesus.
00:29:20It's not like,
00:29:21well, I've been pretty good.
00:29:24Every time I think
00:29:25that thought,
00:29:26I hear a,
00:29:27you remember the gong show?
00:29:28I hear a gong being rung
00:29:30and the door opens up
00:29:31and the guy falls
00:29:32right through the floor.
00:29:35A test reveals
00:29:39what you've been investing in.
00:29:43I want you to watch this video.
00:29:45Pay close attention.
00:29:46Listen carefully.
00:29:49This week,
00:29:50we are taking a closer look
00:29:51at education in America
00:29:52as reading and math scores
00:29:53have plummeted
00:29:54across the country.
00:29:55Let's go to Mark Mayer.
00:29:56He joins us from our nation's capital
00:29:58with more.
00:29:58Good morning, Mark.
00:29:59Lawrence and Ainsley,
00:30:00good morning, friends.
00:30:01The bottom line is sobering.
00:30:02American students
00:30:03are in a decade-long
00:30:04learning recession.
00:30:05Kids today performing worse
00:30:07on math and reading tests
00:30:08and it turns out
00:30:09this is just not a problem
00:30:10left over from the pandemic.
00:30:12The educational project
00:30:13at Stanford examined
00:30:14math and reading scores,
00:30:15giving a detailed view
00:30:16at how school districts
00:30:17are performing.
00:30:18It found 83% of schools
00:30:19losing ground on reading,
00:30:2170% losing ground on math,
00:30:23and these losses date back
00:30:24before the pandemic.
00:30:26Experts tell us
00:30:27these latest test scores
00:30:28should be a wake-up call
00:30:29and that this is truly
00:30:30a nationwide issue.
00:30:33But what we see
00:30:34with this decline
00:30:35over the past 12 years,
00:30:36this is a big picture trend,
00:30:38is that it's evident
00:30:40across all 50 states
00:30:42we're seeing this
00:30:43and the gap between
00:30:44the top and the bottom
00:30:45is evident in 49 states
00:30:48and the vast majority
00:30:49of urban districts
00:30:50that we're looking at.
00:30:51So what's to blame?
00:30:52Well, the answer varies
00:30:53depending on who you ask.
00:30:55The decline appears
00:30:55to have started
00:30:56in the mid-2010s
00:30:57just as kids found
00:30:58easier access
00:30:59to smartphones,
00:31:00tablets, and high-tech.
00:31:01This is also around the time
00:31:02the No Child Left Behind Act
00:31:04was replaced.
00:31:05In the Bush administration,
00:31:07there was a lot of attention
00:31:09to education
00:31:09that continued
00:31:11into the Obama administration,
00:31:13but it's really,
00:31:14in the last,
00:31:16I'd say, 12 or so years,
00:31:19education hasn't been
00:31:20a high-profile national issue.
00:31:22And I think that,
00:31:23you know,
00:31:23in an indirect way
00:31:24may be part of the problem.
00:31:26This is also an issue
00:31:27that extends beyond
00:31:28just public schools,
00:31:28private schools
00:31:29are dealing with this too.
00:31:30People, though,
00:31:30are paying attention
00:31:31and looking at
00:31:32all possible solutions.
00:31:33Lawrence and Ansley?
00:31:34I gotta tell you,
00:31:37I gotta tell you,
00:31:38the gentleman from Stanford,
00:31:39I actually disagree
00:31:40with his assessment
00:31:41for this reason.
00:31:42If you know your Bible,
00:31:44who's responsible
00:31:44for the education
00:31:45of your child?
00:31:47Is it the government
00:31:48or is it the parents?
00:31:49The Bible says,
00:31:51God says the parents
00:31:52are to instruct
00:31:53their children.
00:31:54Okay?
00:31:55And so when he says,
00:31:56well, you know what,
00:31:57this, this,
00:31:57I understand where
00:31:58he's coming from
00:31:58and I'm not denying
00:31:59what he's saying
00:32:00is not true.
00:32:01What I'm saying is,
00:32:02it's built upon
00:32:03a flawed system.
00:32:05We entrust our kids
00:32:07to be educated
00:32:07by people we do not know.
00:32:10And the conclusion
00:32:11has been what?
00:32:12America leads the last.
00:32:16Our education system
00:32:18has failed unilaterally
00:32:19across all 50 states
00:32:22since 2010.
00:32:25Maybe even before.
00:32:27But did you hear
00:32:28the warning?
00:32:28He said,
00:32:30the advent of the smartphones.
00:32:32If I was writing
00:32:33that story,
00:32:34I would have said,
00:32:35of course,
00:32:35politically incorrect,
00:32:37since the advent
00:32:37of smartphones
00:32:38in the hands
00:32:39of children still learning
00:32:41has resulted
00:32:42in them being dumb kids.
00:32:44Smartphone,
00:32:45dumb kids.
00:32:46I don't mean dumb
00:32:47like an insulting word,
00:32:48dumb.
00:32:48I mean dumb
00:32:49where they can't
00:32:51think critically.
00:32:52When you ask a child,
00:32:54maybe even an adult,
00:32:55why is that the case?
00:32:57You want to stump,
00:32:58listen,
00:32:59you want to stump somebody
00:33:00when they say,
00:33:01this is this.
00:33:02Ask them,
00:33:03why is that so?
00:33:06When your school teacher
00:33:07says,
00:33:08this is the way it is,
00:33:10two plus two equals
00:33:12seven in California.
00:33:16If some child
00:33:18raised their hand
00:33:18and said,
00:33:19why is that true?
00:33:23If they answer back
00:33:24and say,
00:33:25because,
00:33:26that's not an answer.
00:33:29We got a problem,
00:33:30everybody.
00:33:32According to that report,
00:33:34we can't even say
00:33:35that we've got knowledge.
00:33:36We have devices
00:33:38that have knowledge.
00:33:41According to that report,
00:33:42that was a nationwide report.
00:33:45Stanford chimed in on it.
00:33:46the American child
00:33:48cannot do math
00:33:49and cannot read.
00:33:51But they know
00:33:51all about
00:33:54Beyonce
00:33:55and
00:33:55they know all about
00:34:01condoms
00:34:01and
00:34:05it's a pretty sad day
00:34:07when we have more
00:34:08in our
00:34:11history books
00:34:12to Marilyn Monroe
00:34:13than we do
00:34:14to George Washington
00:34:15and that is a fact
00:34:16I happen to have
00:34:17that book,
00:34:17seventh grade.
00:34:22It's vitally important
00:34:23what it is
00:34:23that you're sowing
00:34:24into your life
00:34:25as a believer
00:34:28and as a non-believer,
00:34:29what are you doing?
00:34:30As a non-believer,
00:34:31I'd like to say to you today,
00:34:32why are you not
00:34:33a Christ follower yet?
00:34:36I want to make sure
00:34:37you understand,
00:34:38we're not asking you
00:34:38to become
00:34:39a church follower
00:34:41and we're not asking
00:34:41to become
00:34:43anything else
00:34:44other than
00:34:44a Christ follower.
00:34:45Don't follow
00:34:46some man,
00:34:47some system.
00:34:51But
00:34:53why are you
00:34:54not following
00:34:54Jesus?
00:34:57It's quite remarkable.
00:35:00And you know,
00:35:02we think that
00:35:03we're getting
00:35:05more enlightened,
00:35:06I don't think so.
00:35:07Did you see
00:35:07what happened
00:35:08in Canada
00:35:08this week?
00:35:10Canada voted
00:35:11and passed
00:35:12a law.
00:35:13It's now law.
00:35:15You cannot
00:35:15publicly
00:35:16pray.
00:35:19You cannot
00:35:20preach the gospel.
00:35:21By the way,
00:35:22they didn't say
00:35:22you cannot preach.
00:35:23They said
00:35:24you cannot
00:35:24preach the gospel.
00:35:26You cannot
00:35:28evangelize
00:35:28in Canada
00:35:29publicly.
00:35:30Canada.
00:35:32Canada.
00:35:37How long
00:35:38do you think
00:35:38it's going
00:35:38to take
00:35:38before America
00:35:39gets to that
00:35:40moment?
00:35:43I want to
00:35:44read you
00:35:44this quote
00:35:45that's here.
00:35:47To lack
00:35:48the knowledge,
00:35:49the knowing,
00:35:50that you are
00:35:50in need of
00:35:51wisdom and
00:35:52discernment
00:35:53is to already
00:35:54be in a state
00:35:55of deception
00:35:56or deception
00:35:57decline
00:35:58or in the
00:35:58declining
00:36:01path of deception.
00:36:02What follows
00:36:04is the evidence
00:36:05of being deceived.
00:36:06So when you
00:36:07think I don't
00:36:08need wisdom
00:36:09and knowledge,
00:36:10I don't need
00:36:10any of this,
00:36:11I don't need
00:36:12to read the
00:36:12Bible,
00:36:13it's an old
00:36:13book.
00:36:15Watch out
00:36:15because we're
00:36:17being lied to
00:36:17if we think
00:36:18like that.
00:36:19There's a war
00:36:19out for your
00:36:20soul,
00:36:20people.
00:36:22Satan's real
00:36:23and he hates
00:36:23your guts.
00:36:25God loved me.
00:36:26He does love
00:36:27you.
00:36:27God loves you.
00:36:29You can say
00:36:29hallelujah to that.
00:36:30Satan hates
00:36:32you.
00:36:34And he tries
00:36:35to make you
00:36:35dumb to the
00:36:36things of God.
00:36:38The word,
00:36:39that word
00:36:41shield
00:36:42is a wonderful
00:36:44word.
00:36:44This is what
00:36:45God does.
00:36:46Watch,
00:36:46God is to be
00:36:47sound,
00:36:48efficient wisdom,
00:36:49abiding success.
00:36:51When he shields
00:36:52us, he delivers
00:36:53us helpful,
00:36:54resourceful insight,
00:36:56great success.
00:36:57When God says,
00:36:58look, he says
00:36:58right in the world,
00:36:59he's going to
00:36:59shield us.
00:37:00We need that.
00:37:03I need that.
00:37:04There's a tendency
00:37:05to become discouraged
00:37:06in this life.
00:37:08I need his shield.
00:37:11Go try to get
00:37:12strength.
00:37:12When you get
00:37:13discouraged,
00:37:14do you ever find
00:37:15encouragement from
00:37:16the world?
00:37:16Even, listen,
00:37:17even when it's
00:37:18human friendship,
00:37:20I get it.
00:37:20When our friends
00:37:21come up and they
00:37:21say things like
00:37:22this, what do we
00:37:23do?
00:37:23When we don't
00:37:24know what to
00:37:24say, we say
00:37:26things like this,
00:37:27it's going to be
00:37:27okay.
00:37:29You know, we
00:37:30do say that.
00:37:31We all say
00:37:31that.
00:37:32Oh, what?
00:37:33Oh, that
00:37:34happened?
00:37:35Whoa.
00:37:37Hey, buddy,
00:37:38it's going to be
00:37:39okay.
00:37:42I think we're
00:37:42saying that for
00:37:43us more than
00:37:43we are saying
00:37:44it for them.
00:37:46But I know
00:37:47this, the world
00:37:48cannot comfort
00:37:49us, but God
00:37:51will say to
00:37:51us, I'm
00:37:53working here.
00:37:55I'm doing
00:37:56the work.
00:37:57Look, I need
00:37:57to remind
00:37:58myself of
00:37:58that right
00:37:59now.
00:38:02I'm doing
00:38:03the work.
00:38:04Lord, I want
00:38:05an explanation.
00:38:06I want to
00:38:06know.
00:38:07He's not
00:38:09like a slot
00:38:10machine or a
00:38:11Santa Claus.
00:38:12You don't rub
00:38:15the crystal ball
00:38:16and out comes a
00:38:17biblical answer.
00:38:19I saw a great
00:38:20thing the other
00:38:21day.
00:38:21We're in
00:38:21Seal Beach.
00:38:24And there
00:38:24was a
00:38:27psychic, you
00:38:28know, a
00:38:28psychic store
00:38:29front.
00:38:33And they
00:38:34went out of
00:38:35business.
00:38:36They were out
00:38:36of business.
00:38:37And I
00:38:38thought, how's
00:38:41that possible?
00:38:42They're a
00:38:43psychic and they
00:38:44went out of
00:38:44business.
00:38:45Couldn't they
00:38:45see that
00:38:45coming?
00:38:52And I
00:38:53love the fact
00:38:53that he
00:38:54guards us.
00:38:54He not
00:38:55only shields
00:38:55us in this
00:38:56walk of
00:38:56ours with
00:38:57God, but
00:38:58he guards
00:38:58us.
00:38:59This is a
00:38:59beautiful
00:39:00meaning that
00:39:01God has
00:39:01promised you
00:39:02and I.
00:39:02This is why
00:39:03we can walk
00:39:04in life and
00:39:06be saved in
00:39:06life.
00:39:07This is God's
00:39:08doing to be a
00:39:09guardian.
00:39:10Don't you want
00:39:10God to be your
00:39:11guardian?
00:39:12I live like
00:39:13this.
00:39:13I live for
00:39:14this.
00:39:14And look,
00:39:15this gets
00:39:15awesome.
00:39:16To be a
00:39:17guardian, a
00:39:18watcher, to
00:39:20be a
00:39:20protector,
00:39:21implying that
00:39:22the Lord is
00:39:23all around
00:39:24you.
00:39:26Isn't that
00:39:26great?
00:39:28I love
00:39:29that.
00:39:30That he is
00:39:31the watcher
00:39:31in the
00:39:32watchtower
00:39:33watching over
00:39:35you.
00:39:35So he's the
00:39:36one.
00:39:37Listen, when
00:39:37we're sleeping,
00:39:38he's the one
00:39:39scanning the
00:39:39horizon, so to
00:39:40speak.
00:39:41He doesn't
00:39:42have to look
00:39:42for something
00:39:42coming.
00:39:43He knows
00:39:43all things.
00:39:44He's trying
00:39:44to communicate
00:39:45a truth to
00:39:46our hearts.
00:39:47God is
00:39:47saying, as
00:39:48you're laying
00:39:48down or as
00:39:49you're living
00:39:49life, I'm
00:39:50watching.
00:39:52I'm watching
00:39:52over you to
00:39:54protect you, to
00:39:55guide you, to
00:39:56guard you.
00:39:58I love that
00:39:58about him.
00:40:00Mark this
00:40:00verse down.
00:40:01It's Psalm
00:40:02128.
00:40:03Psalm 125,
00:40:04excuse me.
00:40:05Those who
00:40:06trust in the
00:40:07Lord are like
00:40:09Mount Zion,
00:40:10mount Zion, which
00:40:11cannot be
00:40:12moved.
00:40:13Wow.
00:40:15By the way, why
00:40:16does it say that
00:40:18Mount Zion cannot
00:40:19be moved?
00:40:21Because the
00:40:22Bible says it's
00:40:23the city of the
00:40:23great king,
00:40:25God.
00:40:29But abides
00:40:30forever as the
00:40:32mountains surround
00:40:33Jerusalem, so the
00:40:34Lord surrounds his
00:40:35people from this
00:40:37time forth and
00:40:37forever.
00:40:38Now, obviously
00:40:38that's a promise
00:40:39to Israel, but
00:40:40the Bible tells us
00:40:41in the New
00:40:41Testament that all
00:40:42the promises of
00:40:43God are yes and
00:40:44amen for the
00:40:45believer.
00:40:46God will surround
00:40:48you.
00:40:48Listen, you need
00:40:49to live like that
00:40:50today.
00:40:51When you go out, I
00:40:52want you to think
00:40:52about yourself being
00:40:54like a bubble
00:40:55wrapped, bubble
00:40:57wrapped, guarded
00:40:58by God.
00:40:58When you go out
00:40:59there, then the
00:41:01enemy is going to
00:41:02shoot darts, lies,
00:41:07evil, whatever
00:41:08comes.
00:41:09Think about this.
00:41:11The Lord God
00:41:12Almighty is guarding
00:41:13you just as he's
00:41:14promised to guard
00:41:16Zion.
00:41:18You shall not be
00:41:19moved.
00:41:21Marty Gatts sings
00:41:22that great song.
00:41:23It just popped into
00:41:24my head right now.
00:41:25I shall not be
00:41:26moved.
00:41:30Amen.
00:41:31Look at Psalm 37.
00:41:33This is epic.
00:41:34We hit Psalm 37
00:41:36verse 4 last week,
00:41:38but this is the
00:41:38whole of it, or
00:41:40most of it.
00:41:41Do not fret
00:41:42because of
00:41:42evildoers.
00:41:43Translation, the
00:41:44actual word is do
00:41:45not fret because of
00:41:46Gavin Newsom is
00:41:47actually the Hebrew
00:41:48word.
00:41:49I'm kidding.
00:41:51Maybe I'm not.
00:41:54Nor be envious of
00:41:56the workers counting
00:41:57votes.
00:41:58No, just kidding.
00:42:02For they shall soon
00:42:03be cut down like the
00:42:04grass and wither as
00:42:06the green herb.
00:42:07Trust in the Lord
00:42:09and do good.
00:42:11Wow.
00:42:12Listen, no matter
00:42:13what the world does
00:42:13people, we are to
00:42:14trust in the Lord
00:42:16and do good.
00:42:19Why?
00:42:19Because there are
00:42:20people who will do
00:42:21wickedly.
00:42:22Why?
00:42:22Because that's what
00:42:23they do.
00:42:24And that's what
00:42:25they're going to do
00:42:26until they come to
00:42:26Christ if they do.
00:42:28But look, we're not
00:42:29to point at them.
00:42:30We're to trust in
00:42:32the Lord and do
00:42:33good.
00:42:34Dwell in the land
00:42:35and feed on what?
00:42:37His faithfulness.
00:42:38Delight yourself also
00:42:40in the Lord and he
00:42:41shall give you the
00:42:41desires of your
00:42:42heart.
00:42:43Commit your way to
00:42:44the Lord.
00:42:45Trust also in him
00:42:46and he shall bring
00:42:48it to pass.
00:42:50Oh, I love that.
00:42:51He shall bring forth
00:42:52your righteousness
00:42:53as the light and
00:42:55your justice as the
00:42:57noonday.
00:42:58Look at this next
00:42:59verse.
00:42:59Rest in the Lord.
00:43:04Oh, just, you just
00:43:06want to fall into
00:43:07his arms and wait
00:43:10patiently for him.
00:43:11That's the hard
00:43:11part.
00:43:12Do not fret.
00:43:14Don't get angst
00:43:15because of him who
00:43:17prospers in his way
00:43:18because of the man
00:43:20who brings wicked
00:43:21schemes to pass.
00:43:23Wow.
00:43:25Cease from anger,
00:43:27forsake wrath,
00:43:28do not fret.
00:43:30How many times is he
00:43:31going to say this to
00:43:32us?
00:43:32It's almost like we
00:43:33have a problem with
00:43:34it.
00:43:35It only causes harm.
00:43:38For evil doers shall
00:43:39be cut off but those
00:43:40who wait on the Lord
00:43:41they shall inherit the
00:43:42earth.
00:43:44For yet a little
00:43:45while and the wicked
00:43:46shall be no more.
00:43:49Indeed, you will look
00:43:51carefully for his
00:43:52place but it shall be
00:43:54no more.
00:43:54Thank God for that.
00:43:55You won't be able to
00:43:56find the place of his
00:43:57wickedness.
00:43:59But God says to those
00:44:00who trust him, notice
00:44:01the qualifier.
00:44:03Did anywhere along that
00:44:04road that we just
00:44:05learned, did God say,
00:44:07now you be super,
00:44:08super right on and
00:44:09righteous.
00:44:09Do we want to be?
00:44:10Yes.
00:44:11But it's not based upon
00:44:12our grade.
00:44:15It's based upon our
00:44:16personal relationship
00:44:17with him.
00:44:18Hebrews chapter 13
00:44:19verse 14.
00:44:20You guys okay?
00:44:21Hebrews 13, 14 says,
00:44:23for here we have no
00:44:26continuing city but we
00:44:29seek the one to come.
00:44:30Speaking of Abraham,
00:44:32speaking of the
00:44:32believer, did you know
00:44:34that you and I, we are
00:44:35seeking God's eternal
00:44:37city even though we're
00:44:38here right now.
00:44:40We're not looking for the
00:44:43end to be some great
00:44:46retirement program.
00:44:47We're looking for the
00:44:49end to be God's eternal
00:44:52presence forever.
00:44:54And he talks about
00:44:55paths, the paths of
00:44:56justice.
00:44:59And we want to be very
00:45:00aware.
00:45:00Look at the word justice.
00:45:02It's a word, we don't
00:45:03see much justice in the
00:45:05world today.
00:45:07All judgment.
00:45:08The word means all
00:45:09judgment.
00:45:10It relates to God.
00:45:11To enforce the
00:45:13ordinances.
00:45:13This is God's rule.
00:45:15To bring the perfect
00:45:16execution of the law in
00:45:18pure judgment.
00:45:19judgment to do
00:45:20right.
00:45:21Abraham, remember when
00:45:24Abraham was questioning
00:45:25God and God said I'm
00:45:27going to destroy Sodom
00:45:28and Gomorrah.
00:45:29And you remember
00:45:30Abraham starts out and
00:45:31he starts, will you
00:45:32destroy it for 25?
00:45:33Will you destroy it for
00:45:3510?
00:45:35And God says look, I will
00:45:38not destroy it even if
00:45:39there's 10 righteous.
00:45:41Which means there
00:45:42wasn't because God
00:45:43wound up destroying it.
00:45:46Abraham said, shall not
00:45:48the Lord of all the
00:45:49earth do right?
00:45:52Friends, in this world
00:45:53around us today, you
00:45:54have to remember with
00:45:55all of what's going on,
00:45:57don't fret because God
00:45:58says I will do right.
00:46:01See our problem, my
00:46:02problem is, but God
00:46:03you're not doing it the
00:46:04right way that I think
00:46:06is the right way.
00:46:07If you do it the way I
00:46:08think is right, then
00:46:09that's the right way.
00:46:10So can you do it my way
00:46:11so I can feel better
00:46:12about it?
00:46:13And God says I'm not
00:46:14going to do it that way.
00:46:16I'm going to do it my
00:46:17way because I'm holy
00:46:18and pure and I'm the
00:46:19only one who can
00:46:21exercise and issue
00:46:24justice.
00:46:25No one else is equipped.
00:46:27They can't do it.
00:46:30And he goes on in this
00:46:31verse, you're looking at
00:46:32verse 8, it says that
00:46:35and preserves, technically
00:46:36it's and he preserves
00:46:38the way of his saints.
00:46:42Don't cut yourself out
00:46:44on this one.
00:46:44To be a saint is to
00:46:47trust in the Lord Jesus
00:46:48Christ.
00:46:48I'm not making that up.
00:46:50You say, wait, I thought
00:46:50you have to go through
00:46:51the Catholic Church, you
00:46:52got to do miracles.
00:46:53Yeah, no, that's not
00:46:54the answer.
00:46:56The word saint is
00:46:57applied to all those who
00:46:59trust in Christ.
00:47:00Throughout your entire
00:47:01scriptures, old, new,
00:47:04the believer is referred
00:47:06to in scripture as a
00:47:07saint.
00:47:07Isn't that amazing?
00:47:08You say, man, I have a
00:47:09hard time with that.
00:47:10So do I.
00:47:11But that's what God
00:47:12says.
00:47:13Paul, I'd like to see,
00:47:14I would love to talk to
00:47:16Paul when he's writing
00:47:17his letter to the
00:47:18Corinthians, first
00:47:20Corinthians, to the
00:47:21saints that are at
00:47:22Corinth.
00:47:23If you knew anything
00:47:25about the Corinthian
00:47:28culture, it's so bad
00:47:30it would make Vegas
00:47:31blush.
00:47:33But Paul goes on to write
00:47:35about, in first
00:47:36Corinthians, about the
00:47:38believers in Corinth, and
00:47:41it's like, are you
00:47:42kidding me?
00:47:43That's the last, I
00:47:45would never go to that
00:47:46church.
00:47:47And Paul opens up and
00:47:49says, to all the saints
00:47:51that are in Corinth, and
00:47:53you're saying, what in the
00:47:55world?
00:47:55Guess what?
00:47:57They were messed up.
00:47:58They had a lot of
00:47:59problems, but they had
00:48:01been born again.
00:48:02They had a lot to
00:48:03overcome, folks.
00:48:04They were in a culture
00:48:05that, I've been to
00:48:06Corinth, Greece, maybe
00:48:07some of you have, and
00:48:08when you go to that
00:48:09archaeological site, we,
00:48:11I mean, I didn't want
00:48:13Lisa to look at a few
00:48:14things.
00:48:15I just, like, let's,
00:48:16hey, let's go over here
00:48:17and see, there's some
00:48:18Pepsi right there.
00:48:21I mean, it's bad.
00:48:23They have unearthed
00:48:24idols that they used to
00:48:25worship in those days.
00:48:26It is so pornographic.
00:48:29And Paul goes, to all the
00:48:31saints, what happened?
00:48:33God called these pagan
00:48:35worshipers out of a dark
00:48:36world.
00:48:37They weren't perfect, but
00:48:39they were in route in
00:48:41their walk, in their
00:48:41journey with Jesus
00:48:42Christ.
00:48:44And yes, even in that
00:48:45book, Paul challenged
00:48:46them to walk in wisdom
00:48:47and the knowledge of God.
00:48:50Paul told them that the
00:48:51Holy Spirit would come
00:48:52and indwell them as
00:48:53believers and guide them.
00:48:55First Corinthians chapter
00:48:5612.
00:48:57Remarkable.
00:48:59And awesome.
00:49:01How does God, I'll wrap
00:49:02this up soon, how does
00:49:04God preserve us in the
00:49:05way as saints?
00:49:06You're going to want to
00:49:07write this down.
00:49:08Very familiar, I would
00:49:09think, to most of you,
00:49:10Philippians 1, 6, it's
00:49:11still in the Bible.
00:49:12You want to check from
00:49:13time to time.
00:49:14Is Philippians 1, verse
00:49:156 still in the Bible?
00:49:17And thank God it is.
00:49:18And it is this, being
00:49:19confident.
00:49:20The word is in the
00:49:21continuous present tense,
00:49:24which means be being
00:49:26confident.
00:49:27It means that the
00:49:28believer never has to
00:49:30stop being confident.
00:49:33Is that falling on deaf
00:49:34ears this morning?
00:49:36Please hear this.
00:49:38Don't answer.
00:49:39But if you say that you
00:49:41are a follower of Christ,
00:49:42the Bible says, then be
00:49:45confident.
00:49:48And the only reason why
00:49:50you wouldn't be is
00:49:51because you are trying to
00:49:52be confident in yourself.
00:49:54Be confident in him.
00:49:57Watch.
00:49:57Be being confident of
00:50:00this very thing.
00:50:01Oh, what is it?
00:50:02What is it that fuels my
00:50:03confidence?
00:50:04That he who has begun a
00:50:07good work in you will
00:50:09complete it until the day
00:50:11of Jesus Christ.
00:50:13You can clap at that.
00:50:16Once he starts to work, he
00:50:18will not stop.
00:50:19You say, well, I've been a
00:50:20Christian for 50 years and I
00:50:21haven't progressed much.
00:50:23That's because of you
00:50:24messing up that.
00:50:27But he won't stop.
00:50:29How about letting go of the
00:50:30wheel?
00:50:31Let him drive?
00:50:33And see what happens.
00:50:35I can't do that.
00:50:36You can, but you won't.
00:50:39So you're going to be a
00:50:40stunted little Christian the
00:50:42rest of your life until you
00:50:44let your hands off and say,
00:50:45Lord, take it.
00:50:47You know, it's funny.
00:50:49These analogies.
00:50:52Do you own a Tesla or a
00:50:54self-drive vehicle?
00:50:59I see.
00:50:59Do you see what I see?
00:51:01Do you see people driving?
00:51:04And they've got their, I
00:51:05guess their face is facing
00:51:06the, the, the detectors or
00:51:10whatever the, because if their
00:51:11eyes go somewhere else, the
00:51:12thing goes, hey, hey, you're
00:51:13not looking straight ahead.
00:51:14Hey.
00:51:16But they got a book.
00:51:18They have a book.
00:51:20And they're driving their
00:51:21Tesla or their electric thing.
00:51:26When's the last time you've
00:51:27been to downtown LA or Santa
00:51:29Monica?
00:51:31You got it.
00:51:32It's terrifying.
00:51:34It's a Waymo, right?
00:51:37What is that?
00:51:38What is that?
00:51:39Waymo.
00:51:41This car goes by.
00:51:43And there's nobody in it.
00:51:47And it's supposed to be the
00:51:48way of the future.
00:51:50Really?
00:51:51Because we were there a
00:51:52couple of weeks ago and we
00:51:53saw one in the left-hand
00:51:55turn lane.
00:51:56To go left.
00:51:58It decided to go right.
00:52:00Oh, yes.
00:52:03Waymo.
00:52:05They're going to change it to
00:52:06Waymo.
00:52:09But people drive these
00:52:10vehicles.
00:52:11Yeah, it's good.
00:52:11It's good.
00:52:12Yeah, whatever.
00:52:13Hey, how's it going?
00:52:15And then I say, trust God
00:52:16and you go, oh, I can't do
00:52:18that.
00:52:23Thou trustest in Tetla.
00:52:26Too much, yes.
00:52:29Jude chapter 1, verse 24.
00:52:32Now to him who is able.
00:52:35Yes.
00:52:36To keep you from stumbling
00:52:38and to present you faultless
00:52:40before the presence of his
00:52:41glory with exceeding joy.
00:52:44That's in the Bible, folks.
00:52:45God is the one who is able
00:52:47that when he starts that good
00:52:49work in you, he will complete
00:52:50it until the day of Jesus
00:52:51Christ because he's the one
00:52:53that's working within you.
00:52:54And it's, listen, it's his
00:52:56desire to present you before
00:52:59himself with exceeding joy.
00:53:03You're not going to be, listen,
00:53:05to the believer, you're not
00:53:06going to be in heaven just,
00:53:09man, I hope nobody notices
00:53:10me.
00:53:11Oh, you know, I've just, the
00:53:14Bible says that God is going
00:53:15to open up a grand, a broad
00:53:18entrance into the kingdom of
00:53:19God.
00:53:21You say, yeah, but I thought
00:53:22the Bible said narrow is the
00:53:23way.
00:53:23Narrow is the way.
00:53:25Narrow is the way.
00:53:26And when you get to the
00:53:27finish, the beautiful response
00:53:32is that God opens up the
00:53:34entry gates and you walk in.
00:53:41Wow.
00:53:43Psalm 138, verse 8.
00:53:45Psalm 138, verse 8 says,
00:53:47the Lord will perfect that
00:53:49which concerns me.
00:53:51Bring to pass.
00:53:53Your mercy, O Lord, endures
00:53:54forever.
00:53:55Do not forsake the work of
00:53:56your hands.
00:53:57Did you hear David's heart?
00:53:59God keep working.
00:54:00He is going to keep working.
00:54:02The slightest, the slightest
00:54:05work that God has begun in your
00:54:06life.
00:54:07He said he's going to complete
00:54:08it.
00:54:09Cooperate with him.
00:54:10Don't resist him.
00:54:15Hebrews chapter 10, verse 31
00:54:16says, it is a fearful thing to
00:54:19fall into the hands of the
00:54:20living God.
00:54:21I put that verse in there,
00:54:23popped into my mind, and I
00:54:25think about, Lord, that just
00:54:26seems out of context to me, but
00:54:27you brought it to my memory in
00:54:29putting this together this
00:54:30morning.
00:54:31What is this?
00:54:33Paul the apostle said that.
00:54:34I believe it's Paul.
00:54:35It doesn't matter.
00:54:36That wrote Hebrews.
00:54:37It's a fearful thing to fall
00:54:39into the hands of the living
00:54:40God.
00:54:42So do we have a contradiction
00:54:43in the Bible?
00:54:44It's a fearful thing to fall
00:54:45into the hands of the living
00:54:46God?
00:54:47Or are we safe and secure in
00:54:48Christ?
00:54:49The answer is both.
00:54:51When it says it's a fearful
00:54:53thing to fall into the hands of
00:54:54the living God, it means that
00:54:55you are going to meet God
00:54:56someday, and he's not a
00:54:57human.
00:54:58That's right.
00:55:04God is spirit, and Mary had a
00:55:09little lamb 2,000 years ago in
00:55:11Bethlehem, the lamb of God who
00:55:14takes away the sins of the
00:55:15world.
00:55:15God became human skin so that we
00:55:19could relate to him, and he
00:55:27lived that perfect life that you
00:55:29and I could never live, and
00:55:32because you and I are sinners,
00:55:34we're all S-I-N positive, we do
00:55:35it because it's within us.
00:55:37Christ goes to the cross, takes
00:55:40that penalty, and then on the
00:55:44third day, he's resurrected from
00:55:45the dead for our justification.
00:55:47What does that mean,
00:55:48justification?
00:55:48It means because Christ rose from
00:55:50the dead.
00:55:51After he paid the price, it's not
00:55:54finished, you know.
00:55:55On the third day, he rose again
00:55:57from the dead.
00:55:58Which, listen, when he rose again,
00:55:59when, in fact, when he died, by the
00:56:02way, his death empowered the New
00:56:05Testament.
00:56:06Just like when you die, someone's
00:56:08going to read your testament.
00:56:11Your testament, if you have a will,
00:56:14it's worthless right now.
00:56:15Did you know it's worthless?
00:56:18If you have a will, you say,
00:56:19Pastor, don't say that.
00:56:20I just paid thousands of dollars to
00:56:22get my will done.
00:56:23It's worthless.
00:56:24It's worthless.
00:56:26Something's got to happen for that
00:56:28piece of paper to become powerful.
00:56:30Anybody know what that is?
00:56:32You've got to drop dead.
00:56:35When you die, that piece of paper
00:56:38takes total control.
00:56:41No wonder why God has written in his
00:56:44word in the book of Jeremiah, I'm
00:56:46going to complete the old covenant,
00:56:49and I'm going to make a new covenant.
00:56:51And that new covenant is what God
00:56:53says, I'm going to write on your
00:56:54heart, on the tablets of your heart.
00:56:58And God calls that, we know that it's
00:57:00the revelation of not just the Old
00:57:03Testament, which promises, but the
00:57:05New Testament records the fulfillment
00:57:07of the promise, a testament.
00:57:10Remarkable and awesome.
00:57:14But think of this.
00:57:16God, it is a fearful thing to fall
00:57:18under the hands of the living God.
00:57:23God, but as a believer, it is a
00:57:26reverential thing.
00:57:28When we fall into the hands of the
00:57:30living God, he enters, he takes us,
00:57:34receives us, walks us into eternity,
00:57:37and we're safe.
00:57:39Do you know what's worse than this?
00:57:41To not fall into the hands of the
00:57:44living God.
00:57:47To not.
00:57:49So why would anybody do that?
00:57:51Because of pride.
00:57:55Verse 9 ends here.
00:57:58Show up by giving yourself to him.
00:58:00Then you will have understanding and
00:58:03righteousness and justice and equity in
00:58:06every good path.
00:58:09The world says that matters to them.
00:58:12I don't believe the world.
00:58:13The world says that all these things
00:58:16matter.
00:58:17I don't think so.
00:58:18Because only God knows the definition of
00:58:21these things.
00:58:23I'm going to ask you right now to just
00:58:25close your eyes, bow your head.
00:58:27I don't want anybody moving around.
00:58:28It's distracting.
00:58:30I'm going to ask people right now to
00:58:32make a decision for the Lord Jesus
00:58:33Christ.
00:58:34And I don't want you to be wanting to
00:58:37get out of here.
00:58:38And so you're going to, someone's
00:58:39thinking about, do I accept Jesus?
00:58:41And you step on their toes.
00:58:42And it happens.
00:58:44I hear about it.
00:58:45You'll make it.
00:58:48This is a holy moment right now.
00:58:53When God says in his word, receive it.
00:58:59Jesus Christ said, behold, I stand at
00:59:01the door and knock.
00:59:02If any man will open up, I will come
00:59:03in and be with him.
00:59:06Sup, the word is.
00:59:08Eat, be, one with him.
00:59:10But the Bible says our sins have
00:59:12separated us from God.
00:59:17The Bible tells us if we believe that
00:59:19Jesus Christ died on the cross for our
00:59:21sins and rose again from the dead, and
00:59:23if we believe that in our heart and
00:59:25confess that with our mouth, we shall
00:59:26be saved.
00:59:29The Bible says all have sinned and
00:59:31come short of the glory of God.
00:59:33The Bible also says, whosoever.
00:59:40Whosoever would trust in his son, Jesus
00:59:42Christ, will have everlasting life.
00:59:44While heads are bowed and eyes are
00:59:46closed, I'm going to ask you right now,
00:59:50as I look across this audience today.
00:59:55If you were to die today, do you have
00:59:57the confidence that you'd go to heaven?
00:59:59Do you know the answer?
01:00:01You heard it earlier.
01:00:03Can you say it and be honest about it,
01:00:06that you are trusting in Jesus and him
01:00:08alone?
01:00:12If you know that you're a sinner, you know
01:00:15that you've offended the almighty God in
01:00:17your life, even by thought, certainly by
01:00:24deed.
01:00:25And you're this thing.
01:00:26One of the great evidences is you're
01:00:28hoping and you're praying to who I don't
01:00:30know that God never finds out.
01:00:33He already knows.
01:00:35And he's calling you this morning, give
01:00:37it all to me and start by giving me your
01:00:40life.
01:00:41If that's you today, heads bowed, eyes
01:00:43closed, Christians be praying.
01:00:45Will you slip your hand up wherever you're
01:00:46at and you're saying, Pastor Jack, that's
01:00:47what I'm doing today.
01:00:49God bless you in the front.
01:00:50Anyone else?
01:00:51Raise your hand high so I can see it on
01:00:53the aisle.
01:00:53God bless you.
01:00:54God bless you right here.
01:00:56The Holy, in the back, God bless you.
01:00:57The Holy Spirit is speaking to you.
01:00:58You've got a little bit of anxiety going
01:01:00on.
01:01:00You know you should do this, but there's
01:01:03something inside of you saying, don't
01:01:04do it, don't do it.
01:01:05Isn't it amazing?
01:01:06Just a few seconds ago, a little war
01:01:07started inside of you.
01:01:09God bless you, way in the back.
01:01:11A little war started and you're having
01:01:14an argument with yourself.
01:01:15I should do this.
01:01:16No, don't do this.
01:01:17You look silly, but I want to go to
01:01:18heaven.
01:01:19Oh, do it later.
01:01:20Do it tomorrow.
01:01:21Do it next Sunday.
01:01:22You don't even know if you'll see the
01:01:24sunset today, folks.
01:01:27Anyone else right now?
01:01:30Be honest with God and with yourself.
01:01:32If there's a tornado going on inside of
01:01:34you about this, all of a sudden there's
01:01:35this conundrum, this war, this knot.
01:01:39That's the Holy Spirit speaking to you.
01:01:41God bless the two of you right there.
01:01:45Anyone else who has not yet raised your
01:01:47hand, today you're saying, I want Jesus
01:01:50to take my life.
01:01:52Awesome.
01:01:53God bless you.
01:01:58Church family, let's all stand together.
01:02:00All of us stand together.
01:02:05Now, some of you, maybe some of you are
01:02:08a Christian and you've wandered away and
01:02:10kind of gotten off the path.
01:02:12We saw the word path quite a few times
01:02:14today.
01:02:15And God is speaking to your heart and
01:02:17saying you need to get on the path.
01:02:18You need to get back.
01:02:21Let's pray this prayer together.
01:02:22Let's pray this out loud.
01:02:23Those of you who raised your hands,
01:02:25I'm going to ask you to pray this prayer
01:02:27out loud because we're going to obey
01:02:29what Romans chapter 10 says.
01:02:30If we believe in our heart, we're going
01:02:32to confess it with our mouth, right?
01:02:36So that very conviction, the Bible
01:02:40calls it, that you are feeling right
01:02:44now, it's a feeling where God has
01:02:46caught me.
01:02:47I'm in the spotlight of God.
01:02:50There may be a couple thousand people
01:02:53here in this room right now, but you
01:02:54feel like you're the only one.
01:02:56That's the Holy Spirit speaking to you
01:02:59because you're precious to him.
01:03:03But right now you are going to get that
01:03:05sin life removed and the Holy Spirit's
01:03:08going to come in and take possession of
01:03:10you.
01:03:11Some of you might feel something.
01:03:14I've had people tell me they've had
01:03:16this various, when they prayed, they
01:03:17felt like warm water being poured on
01:03:19them.
01:03:19That's great, but it's not based on
01:03:21feelings.
01:03:22When I, when I prayed that prayer almost
01:03:2450 years ago, I didn't feel anything.
01:03:28It's not based on feelings.
01:03:29Aren't you glad?
01:03:31It's based on what he has provided and
01:03:35what you decide to do with him.
01:03:37So let's pray.
01:03:38Heavenly Father, I come to you now in
01:03:44Jesus name.
01:03:46I'm asking you to forgive me.
01:03:48I'm asking you to forgive me.
01:03:49Wash me clean.
01:03:52Because today I confess Jesus Christ as my
01:04:00crucified Savior and my resurrected Lord.
01:04:06And I receive him now.
01:04:09And I receive him now.
01:04:10Thank you, God.
01:04:11Thank you, God.
01:04:12In Jesus name.
01:04:13In Jesus name.
01:04:14Amen.
01:04:15Amen.
01:04:16Amen.
01:04:16Family, listen.
01:04:19I'm going to, I'm going to do this because
01:04:23of time.
01:04:24Those of you who raised your hands, I'm
01:04:26just going to do this based on honor
01:04:30system.
01:04:31If you raised your hands today, if you
01:04:33don't have a Bible, we want to give you a
01:04:34Bible.
01:04:35It's in that little room just to my
01:04:36right.
01:04:37There'll be pastors to give you a Bible.
01:04:39You can come forward as people are
01:04:40leaving.
01:04:42If you have a Bible, we still would love
01:04:44to give you some material on where to
01:04:45begin your walk with Jesus.
01:04:48Because it matters.
01:04:50If you live anywhere in the area, either
01:04:52come to this church or find a Bible
01:04:54teaching church.
01:04:55You don't have to come here, but find a
01:04:57Bible teaching church.
01:04:59It matters.
01:05:03God bless you.
01:05:04The Lord fill you.
01:05:05May he overwhelm you with his goodness and
01:05:07his favor.
01:05:09And may in everything of your life this
01:05:11week, may you, may you not miss anything
01:05:14that he's doing.
01:05:15May he show you a beautiful sunrise or
01:05:19sunset.
01:05:20May he show you that amazing moment.
01:05:22May you sense that remarkable thing that he
01:05:25does to all of us from time to time where
01:05:27you just are overwhelmed for a millisecond of
01:05:31time that God is with you.
01:05:33There's nothing like it.
01:05:35May God hug you this week in his word.
01:05:39In Jesus' name and all God's people said,
01:05:42Amen.
01:05:42God bless you.
Comments