- 2 days ago
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00:00Solomon continues his admonition and instruction to his son when he says,
00:00:04My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands.
00:00:09For length of days, long life and peace, they will add to you.
00:00:14Let not mercy and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck.
00:00:19Write them on the tablet of your heart.
00:00:22And so if I pray for I have esteem in the sight of God and me.
00:00:27Wow. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
00:00:34Always acknowledge him and he shall correct my path.
00:00:38So Father, we come before you. Lord, it is awesome recognizing that we are at this point of the 21st
00:00:45century
00:00:45and we're reading instruction, exhortation, information, nearly 3,000 years old.
00:00:57And so Father, we love the fact that you're timeless and so we know that your word is timeless.
00:01:05And so God, we pray that today we would be a people serious about learning your truth
00:01:10and then going out and experiencing it.
00:01:13And Lord, much of today, please, Lord, help us.
00:01:15Much of today's teaching is your truth active within us.
00:01:22How can we give away something we don't have?
00:01:25How can we tell people about something we've never experienced?
00:01:29So Lord, we come as a body of believers asking you to just absolutely take over.
00:01:35We pray in Jesus' name and all God's people said, Amen.
00:01:39You may be seated, church.
00:01:41And as you do, I deliberately rolled up my sleeves just a little while ago
00:01:48because that's what I wanted to say in the opening notes,
00:01:51which, by the way, you can scan this QR code
00:01:53and get all the sermon notes right onto your device.
00:01:57And then you can save those to download or into a file
00:02:00and have them for your reference until the Lord comes back.
00:02:05But right at the very beginning, I say something to the effect in my notes,
00:02:08it's time to roll up our sleeves.
00:02:10And the reason why I'm putting it that way is because this is so extremely practical,
00:02:15which shouldn't surprise us regarding the book of Proverbs.
00:02:18It's all about that.
00:02:19But you and I are called to be witnesses.
00:02:22We all, a little less, what, a little, I should say, a little more than a year ago.
00:02:30When was it? September 10th.
00:02:31September 10th, our friend Charlie Kirk was martyred.
00:02:34People don't like to hear the word martyred.
00:02:37They try to avoid that word martyred because it speaks, quite frankly,
00:02:41if you understand the word, it speaks of nobility in the faith that you belong to.
00:02:46If you're martyred as a Christian, there's a sense of nobility in that.
00:02:51And truly it is.
00:02:53Some have said it's one of the greatest callings to be martyred for your testimony for Christ Jesus.
00:02:59And what Charlie stood for was the very testimony of Christ Jesus
00:03:03and his witness and his love for family and for Christ.
00:03:07And it was amazing.
00:03:09That said, he left us a good witness.
00:03:11The word witness and martyr is the exact same word in the Greek language.
00:03:16It means the same.
00:03:16In fact, in the New Testament, when you look up the word witness,
00:03:20you'll see the Greek word martis, where we say martyr.
00:03:25And it simply means for you and I as believers to live our lives on a daily basis right now,
00:03:30in this year, every day, in such a way that we are dying to our own messaging.
00:03:37We are dying to our own story.
00:03:40We are not out to promote self, but in all that, to promote the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:03:46Amen?
00:03:46That how you and I live and announce and speak is all about exalting Christ
00:03:52and bringing Christ to the forefront of our lives.
00:03:55And I must admit, I thank God for the crowd that's here this morning.
00:03:58And I thank God that throughout the day, service after service, there's going to be crowds again.
00:04:04Again, but on the grand scale, there's very few of us.
00:04:08If you look around, there might be a lot of us, but in the grand scheme, there's very few of
00:04:12us in these last days.
00:04:14The Bible makes it clear that people, as we approach the end, are going to depart from the faith.
00:04:20But I pray that you and I personally never witnessed that.
00:04:25I'm happy to report that I only have to answer for this church.
00:04:30I don't have to answer for any other church on the planet.
00:04:33And boy, am I glad.
00:04:36And you guys, God knew how weak I was, so he gave me an amazing group of people to make
00:04:42me look good.
00:04:43You guys, I get all kinds of attention, but it's all because of what you're doing.
00:04:47And I want to thank you for all of that.
00:04:49People think, oh, Pastor Jack, you're doing that.
00:04:51I'm not doing that.
00:04:52I teach the Bible.
00:04:54They go up and do the Bible.
00:04:55You know what that's called?
00:04:56That's called church.
00:04:58And that's who you are.
00:05:00And I thank God for that.
00:05:02I want to put some introductory attention to what we're going to be looking at.
00:05:07Proverbs chapter 3.
00:05:08Watch this.
00:05:09It's pretty cool.
00:05:10And again, it's in your notes if you scan that QR code.
00:05:13Proverbs 3, verses 1 through 6.
00:05:15Note this, everybody.
00:05:17This is a style of teaching that is known as couplets or twins.
00:05:27You'll see it.
00:05:28It'll be obvious.
00:05:29And I put a little help in there.
00:05:31Verse 1 begins with the instruction.
00:05:33What is it?
00:05:34My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands.
00:05:40Look at verse 3.
00:05:41The instruction, let not mercy and truth forsake you.
00:05:45Bind them around your neck.
00:05:46Write them on the tablet of your heart.
00:05:49Look at verse 5.
00:05:50Instruction again.
00:05:51Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
00:05:55Look at verse 6.
00:05:57The instruction, in all your ways acknowledge him.
00:06:01Very powerful.
00:06:02Those are the instructions.
00:06:04Watch the couplet.
00:06:05Next slide.
00:06:06The blessing.
00:06:07So there's the instruction.
00:06:10And if you obey the instruction, then there's the blessing.
00:06:14Listen, everybody.
00:06:15As followers of Jesus, we want the blessing, but we're not too keen on following the instructions.
00:06:21You can't have one without the other.
00:06:23Impossible.
00:06:24It's not going to happen.
00:06:25You've often heard it said in this church, God blesses obedience.
00:06:29And obedience with God is not a heavy deal.
00:06:33It's not a burden.
00:06:34It is an awesome thing because it brings blessing.
00:06:37I want you and I to be addicted to the instruction of God.
00:06:43Why?
00:06:44We don't obey him for the blessing.
00:06:47We obey him because he's God.
00:06:50He alone is worthy.
00:06:51He's holy and he's just and pure.
00:06:53But the beautiful result of that is blessing.
00:06:58Proverbs 3, verse 2.
00:06:59Here's the blessing.
00:07:00For length of days and long life and peace will be added to you or will add to you.
00:07:07Verse 4, the blessing.
00:07:08And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.
00:07:12Verse 6, the blessing.
00:07:15And he shall direct your paths.
00:07:18This is awesome stuff, everybody.
00:07:20This is great stuff in every way.
00:07:22It doesn't matter if you're young or old.
00:07:24This is exactly what we need to be learning about.
00:07:27And I want to say it this way and I'm not being naive when I say it.
00:07:30If we apply these six verses to our life, your life, my life, I think will be pretty amazing.
00:07:36I can only give you a little bit of a report.
00:07:39But from my own life, I can tell you that when I decided not to do it Jack's way, but
00:07:45to do it God's way, it always turns out awesome.
00:07:49It's always amazing.
00:07:50The only thing in my life that's not amazing are the things where I thought I could do this.
00:07:56And I regret that.
00:07:59In life, we want to wait upon God and be led by him.
00:08:03So this is a great instruction.
00:08:05Number one, church, write it down.
00:08:06If you would, it's found in verses 1 and 2.
00:08:09And our first argument, our first point is this.
00:08:11It is start looking back for his good.
00:08:16Write it down this way.
00:08:17As a Christian, look back at your life.
00:08:20Listen, not to be filled with remorse or regret or pain about the past.
00:08:26Because normally in our Christian circles, we always say, don't look back.
00:08:30Forget the past.
00:08:31Forgetting those things that are behind.
00:08:33I understand that.
00:08:34And there's obviously a biblical application to that.
00:08:36What I'm saying is, what God is saying to us here through Solomon, speaking to his son,
00:08:41he's announcing to us to start looking back for his good.
00:08:46In other words, where was God's good in your life even before you became a Christian?
00:08:53This is a discipline.
00:08:55People listen.
00:08:55It's not popular what I'm saying.
00:08:58Because most often we don't want to even look back to the past.
00:09:01And I'm going to ask you to be strong and to look back.
00:09:04And even in the hardships, the abuse, the difficulty, the mayhem of life,
00:09:09can you look for God's, as it were, breadcrumbs along the way?
00:09:14There were things that he was doing in your life.
00:09:16You may not have thought it was good then.
00:09:19But it turned out to be good.
00:09:20I'm going to be very transparent with you in this message today.
00:09:23The very things that I not only hated in my life growing up and had done to me or was
00:09:30exposed to,
00:09:32in the moment, those things I thought were not only horrible,
00:09:38but if you let them have their natural course, you might even despair of life itself.
00:09:45Are you hearing me?
00:09:47Life can do that to you.
00:09:48Having survived my B.C. days, you know B.C., right?
00:09:54My before Christ days.
00:09:56By his grace, having survived that, coming to Christ,
00:09:59now I look back at the things that have been in my past through the lens of God's plan,
00:10:06and those are my strengths now.
00:10:10The very things that could have led me to suicide or to some sort of rejection or abuse or violence,
00:10:17God takes those things and he wraps them up
00:10:20and he presents them completely different in your own life
00:10:23for victory for the believer.
00:10:25You heard Barry.
00:10:26By the way, what's our excuse?
00:10:27I think Barry's 84 or 85 years old.
00:10:31Okay, I don't even plan on doing announcements when I'm 85 years old,
00:10:35let alone him driving a global ministry that he does.
00:10:39Wow.
00:10:41Look back at what great things God has done in your life.
00:10:44Look at Psalm 143, verse 5.
00:10:46I remember the days of old.
00:10:49Number two, I meditate on all your works.
00:10:51Number three, I muse on the work of your hands.
00:10:54That means, church, you and I are going to discipline ourselves to remember these things by looking back.
00:11:00It's a good thing to do.
00:11:01It's a good thing.
00:11:02And we see it this way.
00:11:03We see it by stopping and resisting the forgetting of what's good.
00:11:10We have a tendency to forget what is good.
00:11:13Far too many times our human nature will gravitate or remember that which was bad.
00:11:19Well, remember the last 10 years?
00:11:21Yeah, when my car got stolen.
00:11:23Really?
00:11:24I guess your car did get stolen, but that's not what we're talking about.
00:11:28What about the last 10 years that God has brought you through?
00:11:32What about that sickness?
00:11:33What about that relationship?
00:11:34What about that issue?
00:11:35What about those finances or whatever it might be?
00:11:38What about your spiritual growth over the last 10 years?
00:11:41He has brought you through.
00:11:43So we need to stop forgetting.
00:11:45And look what he says in verse 1.
00:11:47In Proverbs chapter 3, verse 1, he says,
00:11:51My son, do not forget my law.
00:11:53Circle the word forget.
00:11:55It means stop it.
00:11:56Stop forgetting.
00:11:58When it says do not, it's in the negative.
00:12:00Stop forgetting my law.
00:12:02It implies that you and I as humans have a tendency to forget what's good and to focus on what
00:12:07is bad.
00:12:08I've said this to you before.
00:12:09I'll say it again.
00:12:11A hundred people in one day, on the same day, can give you a compliment.
00:12:16And one person can say, you know what?
00:12:19You're an absolute nincompoop.
00:12:20You make me sick.
00:12:21I hope I never see you again.
00:12:23And when you lay your head down at night, you are not going to remember the 99 compliments.
00:12:28You're going to remember the one negative cutting statement.
00:12:33Are you not?
00:12:33Why is that?
00:12:35First of all, it proves evidence that we are fallen in nature.
00:12:38And we have this self-destruct mode that plagues us.
00:12:44How do we overcome that?
00:12:45According to the Bible, Solomon tells his son, do not forget the law of God, the guidance of God.
00:12:52We'll see this in a moment.
00:12:53Do not forget my law.
00:12:55And that Hebrew word means stop it.
00:12:57Stop forgetting.
00:12:59It's a discipline.
00:13:00We have to do that.
00:13:01In Psalm 19, verse 7, the psalmist writes,
00:13:06The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.
00:13:10The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
00:13:13Can you say amen to that?
00:13:15I love that.
00:13:16Are you simple?
00:13:17You can become wise.
00:13:20Listen, are you in some way not being successful or led by God in the things that you should be?
00:13:29Listen, turn to him.
00:13:30The very law of the Lord is perfect, the guidance of God.
00:13:34When the Bible here says the law, he's not taking the Ten Commandments and hitting you up over the side
00:13:40of the head with them.
00:13:41He's giving you the Ten Commandments.
00:13:43And for that matter, all the commandments, I even like to go this far.
00:13:46Not only the Ten Commandments, but all the commandments of God, I like to go this far.
00:13:51But everything that is good, that is God, God wants to work it into you.
00:13:57I'm a big fan, I think you know this, of learning to be still.
00:14:01And we'll see it today if I'm faithful to the notes, to be still and discover that he is God.
00:14:06Because I know that I want what is good for me.
00:14:11I often mess up the path to get to that.
00:14:14And I so often pray, God, please keep my hands off of this life of mine.
00:14:21And I don't have my fingerprints to be on it.
00:14:25And I think that's a good thing.
00:14:26I think that's a good prayer.
00:14:29But he goes on to tell us something very interesting.
00:14:31Look at the word forget.
00:14:32It's a powerful word.
00:14:33Huge Hebrew definition.
00:14:35It means to let loose.
00:14:38So do not forget.
00:14:40Don't let it go.
00:14:41Don't let it get away.
00:14:43Remember, it's in the negative.
00:14:45Don't misplace God's word.
00:14:48Word, remember it, retain it, implying to stop letting it happen.
00:14:52To not allow this or that to be that way.
00:14:58Discipline, work to keep his word ever before you.
00:15:02I don't know if people do this anymore, but back in the ancient times when there were Christian
00:15:06bookstores, we used to buy, it was a little plastic loaf of bread, plastic loaf of bread.
00:15:13And inside it had all these promises, daily promises.
00:15:17And we would take them out for the day and we'd put them on, do we still call the dashboard
00:15:24a dashboard?
00:15:25Do we still call it that?
00:15:27Do we?
00:15:29Is that what they're called in a Tesla?
00:15:31A dashboard still?
00:15:33I don't know what they call it, but back in my day, we'd put scotch tape, double-sided
00:15:38and put it there, and we would memorize it.
00:15:42We'd put that word in us.
00:15:44Let God's word guide you and lead you.
00:15:46Don't forget.
00:15:47Don't forget.
00:15:48We will remember so many things that are non-essentials, but we need God's help to help us to remember
00:15:54what is essential.
00:15:55And this is part of it.
00:15:56It's God's desire for you and I to be educated in the things of God so beautifully.
00:16:00Mom and dad, listen up.
00:16:02Grandma and grandpa, for that matter.
00:16:03Hey, kids, listen up.
00:16:05Look at Deuteronomy chapter 6.
00:16:06This is awesome.
00:16:08Deuteronomy chapter 6 says, by the way, this is still true.
00:16:11This is the Old Testament.
00:16:12That means it's really old truth.
00:16:15That means it's endured the time.
00:16:18And these words, which I command you today, shall be in your heart.
00:16:23You shall teach them diligently to your children.
00:16:27That's not expired, people.
00:16:29And shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you
00:16:35lie down, and when you rise up.
00:16:36Verse 8, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as front lengths
00:16:42between your eyes.
00:16:44You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates.
00:16:49One thing after another is summed up in one word in this verse, in this passage.
00:16:55Repeat.
00:16:56Watch this.
00:16:56I'll try to do it without flubbing this up.
00:16:59And these words, which I command you today, shall be repeated in your heart.
00:17:04You shall repeat them diligently to your children.
00:17:06You shall repeat them when you sit in your house.
00:17:09You shall repeat them when you're on the way.
00:17:12You shall repeat them when you lie down.
00:17:14You shall repeat them when you wake up.
00:17:16You shall repeat them as a sign on your hand.
00:17:19And you shall repeat them as a frontlets between your eyes.
00:17:22You shall repeat them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates.
00:17:26You got that?
00:17:27Repeat, repeat, repeat.
00:17:31Immersion in what God has said.
00:17:32And right here, the scripture says, moms and dads, grandpas and grandmas, teach the little
00:17:38ones and repeat it over and over again.
00:17:41How many kids say, I already know that?
00:17:44Doesn't matter.
00:17:45I already heard that.
00:17:46Doesn't matter.
00:17:48Until you do it.
00:17:50Right?
00:17:50Think about it.
00:17:51It's what are we doing?
00:17:53Well, I've gone to church all my life.
00:17:55And what has it done for you?
00:17:58Were you paying attention?
00:17:59Were you applying what you were hearing?
00:18:02Each and every one of us who have a brain will make a consideration as to what we will do
00:18:08with what we hear.
00:18:10And God says the great thing is to learn by repetition.
00:18:15Over and over again.
00:18:17Proverbs, by the way, is tremendously powerful about that very thing.
00:18:20Isaiah chapter 46, verse 9 says, remember the former things of old, for I am God.
00:18:27So God is announcing, you want to understand my way?
00:18:30You want to understand how I work?
00:18:32Remember those things of old.
00:18:34Go ahead and look back and find me in those things.
00:18:37So you have your story.
00:18:39You have your thing.
00:18:41Your testimony.
00:18:43And it would be really good for you to write yourself a note right now and say, my homework
00:18:47today is to go get alone and take this challenge that I'm going to look at my past through God's
00:18:56word, through the lens of God's word that I heard today.
00:19:00And I'm going to draw out things.
00:19:02I'm going to ask God to show me things in my life, even my BC life, that he was working
00:19:08in.
00:19:10Now, God has spoiled me tremendously.
00:19:13So watch how this works.
00:19:15I'm being very transparent and open, but I pray that this is an example.
00:19:25I'm a survivor, by God's grace, I'm a survivor of an abortion attempt.
00:19:30It failed.
00:19:34My mom was hospitalized, and after some two or three weeks in the hospital, I was born.
00:19:44And so I didn't know this.
00:19:47Of course not.
00:19:47Of course I didn't know this.
00:19:48I found this out, to me it was an accident.
00:19:52My mom was telling the neighbor lady next door, she didn't know I was in the other room
00:19:56when she was telling her.
00:19:57I was a junior in high school.
00:19:59And, you know, when you're a junior in high school, it's like, well, that's crazy.
00:20:04And you just keep eating your Cheetos and bologna sandwich.
00:20:08It wasn't until later I found out.
00:20:11And I got to tell you, some of these verses I have in this sermon today is because of what
00:20:16they meant to me.
00:20:17That when I found that out, I didn't go on the other side of the room and slap my mom.
00:20:23No.
00:20:24I was too young to process that, and I didn't even really care about it.
00:20:28It wasn't until I became a Christian that I looked back and realized, holy, not holy cow,
00:20:34I probably said holy cow, but we leave that in Egypt.
00:20:42J.V. McGee says, that was Israel following the sacred bull.
00:20:47Did you get that, McGee style?
00:20:52Well, when I realized after becoming a Christian, very, very quickly after becoming a Christian,
00:20:58realizing, oh my goodness, God saved my life when I couldn't even save myself.
00:21:06By the way, have you come to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation?
00:21:11You can't save yourself.
00:21:13You need to come to him.
00:21:16You can't get yourself forgiven of sins.
00:21:19You need atonement for that, and that's who Jesus Christ is.
00:21:22He gives life, both physically and spiritually, forever.
00:21:26Forever, and it's an amazing thing.
00:21:29Here's a nice repeat.
00:21:32It's Psalm 77, verses 5 and 6.
00:21:35I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
00:21:39I call to remembrance my song in the night.
00:21:42I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.
00:21:48Friends, you should memorize this.
00:21:50You should take a picture of that.
00:21:52That's something to remember.
00:21:53Remember, when I consider, when I go back and I span the years of my ancient times,
00:22:00I will deliberately call up to recollection my song in the night,
00:22:07and I meditate within my heart.
00:22:08Think about it.
00:22:10My spirit makes diligent search.
00:22:11Only God can answer your life's problem.
00:22:14Whatever's gone, is it because of your father?
00:22:17Is it because of your mother?
00:22:19Did somebody do you wrong?
00:22:20What's the issue?
00:22:21Take it to God.
00:22:22Do you have issues?
00:22:23We all do.
00:22:24Get in line.
00:22:25We take it to God.
00:22:26Thank God we don't have to get in line to talk to God about it.
00:22:30He's there for us in the most powerful ways.
00:22:35We call upon him, and God takes our lives,
00:22:39and he causes them to be repackaged in his grace and his mercy,
00:22:43and we can be influencers to those that are hurting.
00:22:47God wants to use us.
00:22:49The second thing is this, the latter end of verse one, is that you and I need to grab hold
00:22:54of his good.
00:22:55And when I say grab hold, I mean lay your nails into it.
00:23:00It's time for you and I, I hope you share this passion.
00:23:03It's time for you and I to say to ourselves, I love, I tell you, I love listening to Charles
00:23:08Stanley.
00:23:08Now, Charles Stanley's in heaven, which I'm very glad about, by the way, because he can't change his mind.
00:23:13His sermons are amazing.
00:23:15He's safe to listen to.
00:23:17Dr. Charles Stanley.
00:23:20And I love how Dr. Charles Stanley repeated a great truth from Charles Spurgeon,
00:23:27and that is what we've been talking about.
00:23:30Preach the gospel to yourself.
00:23:33Every day, you and I should tell ourselves the gospel.
00:23:37For God so loved, can you handle this?
00:23:41I don't want to use my own name, because I get tired of hearing my name.
00:23:43Give me a name.
00:23:45Nina.
00:23:47For God so loved Nina, that he gave or gifted his only begotten son,
00:23:54that if Nina believes on him, Nina will not perish, but Nina will have everlasting life.
00:24:01That's what you and I are supposed to do every day with that gospel.
00:24:06You see, Jack, I've been a Christian forever.
00:24:08Every day.
00:24:09Galvanize yourself with that great truth.
00:24:12Remember that.
00:24:13Because the joy of it all is grabbing hold of the good that God has for us.
00:24:18And he says here at the latter end of verse 1,
00:24:20But let your heart keep my commands.
00:24:23So don't forget, but look at the positive.
00:24:27Let your heart keep my commands.
00:24:31Remarkable.
00:24:32The word keep.
00:24:33I love this word, by the way.
00:24:36Do you guys read old books?
00:24:38Maybe I'm a victim of reading old books.
00:24:40You're probably not thinking.
00:24:42When I hear the word keep, I see something in my head.
00:24:46And I'm going to show you a picture of it.
00:24:47So forgive me in advance.
00:24:49But it's accurate.
00:24:49Before I show you the picture, the word keep in Hebrew is seize on or seize onto.
00:24:55Right?
00:24:56To hold in your hand tightly.
00:24:58To watch.
00:24:59To guard.
00:25:00To be preserved by.
00:25:02Protected by.
00:25:03Safekeeping.
00:25:04Watchmen in the watchtower.
00:25:06The keep.
00:25:07Keep my word.
00:25:10Keep my wisdom that he's given us.
00:25:13And lay hold of it.
00:25:15Hang on to it.
00:25:16And be hungry enough to pull it into your life.
00:25:18Can I say it this way?
00:25:19Be violent about it.
00:25:21Be violent about it.
00:25:23Taking the word of God and saying, I'm going to remember this.
00:25:26I'm going to take notes.
00:25:27I'm going to write this down.
00:25:28I'm going to review this.
00:25:30If you and I are not hungry like that, I pray that we get hungry like that.
00:25:34So the word keep, what comes to my mind is a keep.
00:25:38And this is a keep.
00:25:40That's a keep.
00:25:41Did you know that?
00:25:43In ancient English, that's a keep.
00:25:46You say, what do you mean a keep?
00:25:48K-E-E-P.
00:25:50You and I would call it a castle.
00:25:54The castle is the keep.
00:25:58What is the keep?
00:25:59When you go in there, it is fortified.
00:26:02It is strengthened.
00:26:03It's got technologies to protect you.
00:26:06Once you're in there, you are pretty well galvanized against the onslaught.
00:26:13Whatever enemies are coming.
00:26:15That's the keep.
00:26:16I want you to remember God's word this way this morning.
00:26:19That when you take God's word and you grab onto it, this is what you're doing.
00:26:24You are building.
00:26:25Are you guys awake?
00:26:26You guys are building a fortified keep around your very life.
00:26:31Keep that picture in your mind.
00:26:34You are safe.
00:26:35You're guarded.
00:26:36There's a watchman on the wall.
00:26:38Now, hallelujah.
00:26:39That watchman is the Holy Spirit.
00:26:41Thank God for him.
00:26:43Because even the youngest believer, I've seen this happen so many times, and I just rejoice.
00:26:48Because it's just, yet again, proof of God's supernatural work.
00:26:52I've watched a person give their heart to Jesus Christ right here on a Sunday.
00:26:57Sunday, and then they tell me Wednesday that having been saved on Sunday, a cult knocks
00:27:04on their door on Monday, and they don't know anything about the cult.
00:27:09They've never heard of it, but they know it's wrong, and they can't explain it.
00:27:14Pastor Jack, they've knocked on my door before.
00:27:16I didn't pay any attention.
00:27:17Couldn't tell you what group it was, and I didn't care.
00:27:20This time, I cared to avoid them.
00:27:24Like a wall went up.
00:27:26Guess what?
00:27:27That's the Holy Spirit keeping you in the keep, in the grip.
00:27:33And so we turn around, and we grip on to the good of God.
00:27:39It's very, very aggressive, if I could put it that way.
00:27:44We grab on to that.
00:27:45And so, Psalm 119, verse 10, regarding seizing that, or keeping that, or having it.
00:27:54Psalm 119, verse 10 says,
00:27:55With my whole heart, all of me, I have sought you.
00:27:59Oh, let me not wander from your commandments.
00:28:03Now, I have sought you.
00:28:06This is the psalmist crying out.
00:28:09For any of you who think that, well, you know what?
00:28:12I wish I could be like that.
00:28:13But this is the great point to this verse.
00:28:17All of us can say to you that none of us feel sufficient enough that we have sought him enough.
00:28:24I want all of you to know that right now.
00:28:26To those of us, to those of you, whoever you might be, who's seeking God more than anybody else in
00:28:32this room,
00:28:33you keenly are aware that you're not seeking him enough.
00:28:37We're never seeking him enough.
00:28:40But that's the Christian battle.
00:28:42Keep moving.
00:28:43Oh, but they said this, and they tweeted that, and they printed this, and oh, stop it.
00:28:49Come on, really think about it.
00:28:52But when things get very serious, opinions will not matter.
00:28:56When things get really serious, only what God has instructed us will matter.
00:29:03In fact, listen, being at the bed of those that are passing from this world into the next world,
00:29:09none of them say, Pastor, can you read me the headlines of the L.A. Times?
00:29:15No one has ever said that.
00:29:17No one has ever called for their checkbook or their bank balance.
00:29:20When they're dying, nobody says, can you remind me how much money I'm leaving to my family?
00:29:26Now, the family might say, can you remind us how much money he's leaving to the family?
00:29:33But I've never seen that.
00:29:35Never, never, not once.
00:29:36In 50 years, I've never had somebody who's dying say, hey, how much property do I own?
00:29:41Can you remind me?
00:29:42No, no, no.
00:29:43Listen, heaven or hell, when they come to that line, they are very focused on what's next.
00:29:50Things get real serious.
00:29:53And that's actually a great thing.
00:29:55It's a beautiful thing.
00:29:57But you want to be grabbing and laying hold of and hanging on to that which is good, that which
00:30:02is of God.
00:30:03We're going to blow through some verses here real quick.
00:30:05Colossians chapter 3, verse 1.
00:30:08Colossians 3, verse 1 tells us this.
00:30:09If then you were raised with Christ, speaking of the believer, seek those things which are above, where Christ is,
00:30:16sitting at the right hand of God.
00:30:17That's where our identity is.
00:30:20Remember that.
00:30:21Christian, listen up.
00:30:23If you need this, just write it on your arm.
00:30:28Seek those things that are above, where Christ is seated, because that's where you're at.
00:30:31That's where your name is written.
00:30:33That's where you really live.
00:30:35Stop being controlled by this world and the laws, as it were, of this world.
00:30:40The law of the jungle.
00:30:42I would put it that way.
00:30:44Where the world operates this way.
00:30:47God says, listen, why don't you pull up on the yoke, get above the clouds, and level off where I'm
00:30:52at.
00:30:53Above all the storm, above all the darkness, above all the fray, God says, nope, this is where you really
00:30:59live.
00:30:59Seek those things that are above.
00:31:01Position yourself where the things of God are safe.
00:31:06Jesus said, treasure up for yourselves these things in heaven.
00:31:10That's where your hope might be.
00:31:13Not in the things of this world.
00:31:15He says in Psalm 19, verse 14.
00:31:18Psalm 19, 14.
00:31:20He says, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O
00:31:26Lord.
00:31:27My strength and my redeemer.
00:31:29Isn't this beautiful?
00:31:30Great verses.
00:31:32Great instruction.
00:31:34Psalm 121, verse 7.
00:31:36Psalm 121, verse 7.
00:31:38The Lord shall preserve you, keep you, from all evil.
00:31:44Hey, listen, some of us need to hear this.
00:31:47The Lord shall preserve you, keep you, from all evil.
00:31:51He shall preserve you, keep you, your soul.
00:31:57The soul, the soul, mostly referring to your mind, your thinking.
00:32:02Listen, when we get overwhelmed by what's going on, our minds are tormented.
00:32:07And God doesn't want that.
00:32:09He wants our minds to be calm.
00:32:12And let's be honest.
00:32:14You and I allow into our minds what we allow.
00:32:17And we need to stop and ask ourselves, why am I allowing this in?
00:32:22God says, listen, flood your mind with my word.
00:32:25Watch what happens.
00:32:28Last week after service, somebody came up to me and they made a comment about their life.
00:32:33They just, hey, you know, our lives are kind of sideways.
00:32:38So, are you a Christian?
00:32:40Yes.
00:32:41Where's your Bible?
00:32:44That's, I told you before, you do not want to have counseling with me.
00:32:47It's, you're, you're at service, you didn't have, you don't have a Bible?
00:32:53This is a Bible church.
00:32:55Get a cookbook or something, fake it, but.
00:33:02Best, get a Bible.
00:33:03Oh, yeah, yeah, okay.
00:33:06So, why is your life sideways?
00:33:07Well, we don't know.
00:33:08Are you reading the Bible?
00:33:10Uh, no, not really.
00:33:12Well, no wonder why your life's sideways.
00:33:15This world will make your life sideways.
00:33:19God's word will straighten you up and prop you up and keep you up, give you hope and instruction.
00:33:28But it's like putting food right in front of somebody.
00:33:31You know, when you're sick, you don't feel like eating food, but the doctors tell you, you got to eat.
00:33:36And they always, you know, they'll always say something like that.
00:33:39If you don't eat this, we're going to have to do this other thing.
00:33:43And then it's like, you know, put a shovel in my mouth.
00:33:45Just, I don't want the other thing to happen.
00:33:47So, feed me.
00:33:49God, listen, when we feed upon the word of God, we're, we stop being anemic and we start finding the
00:33:55supernatural way of thinking,
00:33:57the supernatural way of living that surprises us more than anybody.
00:34:04That's why I'm, I've always had a hard time with Christians who are proud Christians.
00:34:09How can you be a proud Christian?
00:34:11It's so, can I say this?
00:34:13Is anybody in here?
00:34:16I'm going to say the word in it that my grandson told some friends of theirs.
00:34:21My grandma says the S word.
00:34:24That's my wife, Lisa Mimi.
00:34:26And the, our grandson told some neighbors of theirs.
00:34:30My Mimi uses the S word.
00:34:32Now, Lisa was just, I do not use the S word.
00:34:41And he said, yeah, it's the, you, mm-hmm, stupid.
00:34:45That was the, that was the S word.
00:34:48So, I have to be careful.
00:34:49We have to be careful.
00:34:51Listen, we have to be careful not to be stupid to the things of God.
00:34:57Everything he has given to us, but we have to eat it before we can have any muscles, spiritually speaking.
00:35:05We've got to take that in.
00:35:08Second Thessalonians three, verse three tells us,
00:35:11but the Lord is faithful, thank God,
00:35:14who will establish you and guard you, keep you, garrison around you, be the keep from the evil one.
00:35:23That's what you and I need.
00:35:24Remember that castle you saw a moment ago?
00:35:26That keep?
00:35:27Put yourself inside that.
00:35:29God's trying to show us a picture.
00:35:31You're inside that, and I'm around you.
00:35:34You're my child.
00:35:36I'm your protector.
00:35:37God is saying, you don't have to do this on your own.
00:35:40I'm your provider.
00:35:41I'm the one that's your redeemer.
00:35:43I will be your keep.
00:35:46And I love that.
00:35:48Finally in this, before we move on,
00:35:501 John 5, 18.
00:35:51This is epic.
00:35:521 John 5, 18.
00:35:54Listen up.
00:35:56We know that whoever is born of God does not sin.
00:36:00The word here in Greek, so you don't lose heart,
00:36:03it means that you do not continue sinning in that sin.
00:36:09In other words,
00:36:11God breaks the stronghold of that sin in your life.
00:36:15It no longer dominates you.
00:36:17It's fading away.
00:36:19The sun is coming up,
00:36:20and the night is fading away.
00:36:22When you walk with the Lord,
00:36:24this verse is working in your life,
00:36:25for we know that whoever is born of God,
00:36:28born again,
00:36:29does not sin.
00:36:30Doesn't make intentional plans to go sin.
00:36:33They don't pick up the...
00:36:37I was gonna say day timer.
00:36:38What do we use this day and age?
00:36:42They don't grab the calendar
00:36:43and make plans for this big sin next month.
00:36:47Yes, I'd like to reserve sin for next month, please.
00:36:51The Christian can't think like that.
00:36:53The temptation might come into the mind,
00:36:55but they can never act on it.
00:36:58They don't want to.
00:36:59They want to run from that.
00:37:00But he who has been born of God
00:37:03keeps himself,
00:37:05and the wicked one does not touch him.
00:37:07Say amen.
00:37:08Oh my gosh.
00:37:10If I'm gonna say,
00:37:11Lord, I wanna follow after you.
00:37:14I've seen your way.
00:37:15I know my way.
00:37:17I wanna walk with you, God.
00:37:18I wanna be born again.
00:37:19You make that decision today.
00:37:21Or maybe most of us,
00:37:22if not all of us,
00:37:22are born again by the Spirit of God.
00:37:24What is our passion?
00:37:25I don't wanna be lost in my past.
00:37:28I wanna take my past
00:37:29and see the victories of God over my past.
00:37:32And when I look ahead
00:37:33from this moment forward,
00:37:35I know this,
00:37:36that God is faithful,
00:37:37and he's gonna keep me.
00:37:39And he's gonna keep you.
00:37:40He's faithful to do that.
00:37:42He'll never, never give up.
00:37:45And then also this,
00:37:47verse two tells us
00:37:49that as we are called to be influencers
00:37:52and we start looking back
00:37:53for God's good in our lives,
00:37:55we learn this in verse two,
00:37:56that we receive his good.
00:37:58We receive the good of God.
00:38:01And look at verse two.
00:38:02So, verse two tells us this.
00:38:05Here comes the blessing.
00:38:06That was the instruction.
00:38:08Now, the blessing for length of days
00:38:09and long life and peace
00:38:11will be added to you.
00:38:13Now, I should spend the whole rest
00:38:15of the day on this,
00:38:16but I'm gonna ask you
00:38:18to research this more
00:38:19in detail on your own.
00:38:22It's kind of obvious,
00:38:23but I must mention
00:38:25a few things on this
00:38:26before we move on.
00:38:27Receive his good
00:38:28for your life.
00:38:29And friends,
00:38:30especially young people today,
00:38:32listen to this.
00:38:33Look at the word length.
00:38:35Length.
00:38:36The word length means
00:38:37this is what God wants for you,
00:38:38to be long,
00:38:40continuous,
00:38:40and enduring.
00:38:42Made able to be productive,
00:38:44fruitful,
00:38:45prolonged,
00:38:46extended.
00:38:46This is what God wants
00:38:48for your life.
00:38:49Listen how sweet this is.
00:38:52When parents or grandparents
00:38:53tell little ones,
00:38:57I told you,
00:38:59listen,
00:38:59whatever you do,
00:39:00don't do this thing.
00:39:05And they think
00:39:06that you're quenching them out.
00:39:09Why?
00:39:09Why can't they do it?
00:39:10You can do 99 other things,
00:39:12you just can't do this thing.
00:39:14All of a sudden,
00:39:15they don't care about
00:39:16the 99 things.
00:39:18They only care about
00:39:19the thing they're not allowed to do.
00:39:21And then you tell them,
00:39:22the reason why
00:39:23I don't want you to do that
00:39:24is because you could get hurt.
00:39:29Did you hear,
00:39:30and this is one of those things,
00:39:33I felt so bad
00:39:34when I saw this on the news.
00:39:35I think it was up in Santa Cruz.
00:39:36Did you see where the mom,
00:39:39the mom knew
00:39:40that the little three-year-old's gift
00:39:43was arriving by Amazon.
00:39:46And so the Amazon guy
00:39:48put the package down on the ground
00:39:51and the mom opens the door
00:39:53and tells little junior,
00:39:55hey, go get your package,
00:39:57it's your gift.
00:39:59Do you know what I'm talking about?
00:40:01And the little three-year-old
00:40:03runs down the walkway at the house
00:40:05and picks up the bag
00:40:06and turns around
00:40:07and the mom screams,
00:40:10but the baby doesn't get it.
00:40:11The baby's excited about the gift.
00:40:13It's his birthday.
00:40:14It's his birthday gift
00:40:14arriving from Mr. Amazon.
00:40:17Well, under the package
00:40:19was a Pacific
00:40:23rattlesnake
00:40:24and nailed that little baby
00:40:26in the back of its calf.
00:40:29And they, of course,
00:40:30they had to get the baby saved
00:40:31at the hospital
00:40:32and all that kind of stuff.
00:40:34But you think for a moment.
00:40:36That's the last thing
00:40:37that that mom had in her mind.
00:40:40The mom intended
00:40:41all of it to be good.
00:40:43She intended
00:40:43all of it to be sweet.
00:40:46And it is interesting
00:40:47the Bible refers to Satan
00:40:49as being a snake.
00:40:52And that poor little kid,
00:40:53I, like you,
00:40:54rehearsed it in my mind
00:40:55over and over again.
00:40:56Man, that kid's not going
00:40:57to want any more gifts.
00:40:58Boy, is that kid
00:40:59going to remember their birthday.
00:41:01But if that kid
00:41:02got locked into thinking
00:41:03that's how all birthdays are,
00:41:05are you hearing me?
00:41:07That's not how all birthdays are.
00:41:09That's an exception.
00:41:11It was sad.
00:41:12It was terrible.
00:41:14But the kid survived.
00:41:16And eventually, I'm sure,
00:41:18he got his little Amazon gift.
00:41:21The point is this.
00:41:22Life will bite.
00:41:26God never intended
00:41:28evil to ravage your life.
00:41:30That's not his plan.
00:41:32Read his book.
00:41:34He created everything,
00:41:36including Adam and Eve,
00:41:37and said it's all good.
00:41:39Until self-will,
00:41:42pride, ambition,
00:41:45we allowed into our life.
00:41:47God wants good for you.
00:41:50And Solomon's communicating
00:41:51to his son,
00:41:52I want this good for you.
00:41:53So when I tell you no,
00:41:55it's not to bum you out.
00:41:57Either no,
00:41:58don't ever do that.
00:41:59Or no,
00:41:59you're not old enough yet.
00:42:01Or no,
00:42:01wait till you get married.
00:42:03But I'm giving you guidance.
00:42:05And why?
00:42:05Because I love you.
00:42:06But the little,
00:42:07listen,
00:42:07on our end,
00:42:08like the child,
00:42:09we're thinking,
00:42:10you just want to take
00:42:11all the fun out of life.
00:42:14God wants to save our lives.
00:42:17And what does he do?
00:42:19He says,
00:42:20follow me,
00:42:21listen to me.
00:42:22You'll have a long life.
00:42:26Your life will be fruitful
00:42:27and productive.
00:42:28Now all of our days
00:42:29are numbered by the Lord.
00:42:30You're going to die
00:42:31on the day that God has ordained.
00:42:32Did you know that?
00:42:33I don't know if you guys know.
00:42:34I don't know if all of you know that.
00:42:37But you should know
00:42:37it's in the Bible.
00:42:38God's numbered your days.
00:42:39And he's not going to tell you
00:42:40the number, by the way.
00:42:41Can't God tell me
00:42:42how many days I have left?
00:42:43Nope.
00:42:45You'd mess it all up.
00:42:48God knows.
00:42:51And the length of your life,
00:42:53God wants your life
00:42:54to be productive
00:42:55and fruitful
00:42:56and meaningful.
00:42:58In other words,
00:42:59God wants you,
00:43:00watch,
00:43:01to be a true influencer
00:43:02to the culture around you
00:43:04because you yourself
00:43:05have been transformed
00:43:06by the influence
00:43:07of God himself.
00:43:09He has changed you.
00:43:11And because now
00:43:12you're different,
00:43:13you live for him now,
00:43:15it's not only a joy
00:43:16in a blast
00:43:17and wild
00:43:18and amazing,
00:43:19but other people
00:43:20want in on it.
00:43:22I think that's
00:43:23the best witness ever.
00:43:24I don't mean
00:43:25to disparage this.
00:43:26I'm probably going
00:43:26to get letters,
00:43:27but I don't mean
00:43:27to be mean about it.
00:43:28I'm not being mean.
00:43:30Only in the West
00:43:31do crusades work.
00:43:33I don't even know
00:43:35how much so.
00:43:36Crusades.
00:43:36Do you know crusades?
00:43:37Do you know
00:43:37the greatest form
00:43:38of evangelism
00:43:39was what's known
00:43:40as friendship evangelism?
00:43:41Did you know that?
00:43:43If you go do
00:43:44a crusade in Africa,
00:43:45it doesn't work.
00:43:46If you do a crusade
00:43:48in Europe,
00:43:49it doesn't work.
00:43:49Nobody comes.
00:43:51If someone's going
00:43:52to come to Christ
00:43:53in those nations,
00:43:54they will watch you
00:43:55for weeks,
00:43:56months,
00:43:56or years
00:43:58and then make
00:43:59the decision
00:43:59based upon
00:44:00how you live your life.
00:44:02Why?
00:44:02Because they're looking
00:44:03to see if the power
00:44:04of what you preach
00:44:05has influenced
00:44:05your life.
00:44:07I like that.
00:44:08I really do.
00:44:10It's a good thing.
00:44:12We want to receive
00:44:13the good
00:44:13that he's given us.
00:44:16But he wants
00:44:17that life of ours
00:44:18to be a length
00:44:20and he says long.
00:44:21Look at the word
00:44:22long here.
00:44:23Are you guys bored?
00:44:24Okay.
00:44:25You sound bored
00:44:26because you're so quiet.
00:44:27So it's hard
00:44:28to see all of you
00:44:29because the light,
00:44:30I only see some of you
00:44:31because it's very bright.
00:44:32But I didn't know
00:44:34if I was all alone
00:44:35here this morning.
00:44:37The root meaning
00:44:38is this,
00:44:39to change
00:44:40or to alter,
00:44:41to make different
00:44:42from what was
00:44:42to be,
00:44:43meaning that
00:44:44without God
00:44:45life is shortened.
00:44:46Ooh.
00:44:47Without God
00:44:48life is shortened,
00:44:49premature,
00:44:50aborted,
00:44:51to die a premature death.
00:44:54Yikes.
00:44:55We do know this.
00:44:58I've had friends
00:44:59who died prematurely
00:45:01because they wouldn't
00:45:02obey God.
00:45:03They just kept
00:45:04messing around
00:45:05with drugs.
00:45:08and they knew
00:45:09they weren't supposed
00:45:10to but they kept
00:45:11doing it
00:45:11and they went
00:45:12head on
00:45:13into a telephone pole
00:45:15and went,
00:45:16I believe they went
00:45:17to heaven.
00:45:17They struggled
00:45:18with it
00:45:19but they had
00:45:20this addiction.
00:45:22They died
00:45:23prematurely.
00:45:25You ever seen
00:45:26people,
00:45:26they say,
00:45:26well,
00:45:27hey,
00:45:27how you doing?
00:45:27How you doing?
00:45:28Hey,
00:45:28so how old are you?
00:45:29And,
00:45:30you know,
00:45:30somebody says,
00:45:31oh,
00:45:31you know,
00:45:31I'm 49
00:45:33or whatever
00:45:33and you go,
00:45:34oh my goodness,
00:45:35you look like
00:45:35you're 25,
00:45:36that's amazing
00:45:37or you say
00:45:37somebody else
00:45:38says like,
00:45:39yes,
00:45:39somebody,
00:45:40how old are you?
00:45:41Oh,
00:45:42I'm 29
00:45:43and you're like,
00:45:45yikes.
00:45:47The dude looks
00:45:48like he's 60.
00:45:50His face looks
00:45:51like a catcher's mitt.
00:45:55You know what I'm saying?
00:45:56It's like,
00:45:56where have you,
00:45:57I mean,
00:45:57you don't say this
00:45:58but just like,
00:45:58where have you been?
00:46:01Your face looks
00:46:02like a road.
00:46:03It looks like
00:46:03you've been beat up,
00:46:04been left for dead
00:46:05somewhere.
00:46:06What's happened?
00:46:07Rough life.
00:46:09Rough life.
00:46:13Doesn't have to be
00:46:14that way.
00:46:15God wants to use us
00:46:16and he wants to use us
00:46:17all,
00:46:18you know,
00:46:18listen,
00:46:19all the days of our life.
00:46:20Again,
00:46:20I have to keep going back
00:46:21to Barry McGuire's
00:46:22announcement.
00:46:26If Barry was here
00:46:27right now,
00:46:27he's not here today,
00:46:28Barry would tell you
00:46:28that God has been
00:46:29so good to him
00:46:30all his life
00:46:31because he's always
00:46:32put Jesus first
00:46:33and you might say,
00:46:34well,
00:46:34yeah,
00:46:34well,
00:46:35yeah,
00:46:35it's easy
00:46:36to follow God
00:46:38when you have
00:46:39the biggest wax,
00:46:41car wax product
00:46:42in the world.
00:46:43No,
00:46:44that happened
00:46:45after he put Jesus
00:46:47first.
00:46:48The start
00:46:49was not like that
00:46:54and it's so cute
00:46:55because he's the one
00:46:56that says,
00:46:57I don't care about
00:46:57that stuff,
00:46:58that stuff just
00:46:58causes me
00:46:59to do full-time ministry.
00:47:02He's got God first.
00:47:03Put God first.
00:47:05You know what?
00:47:06Pastor Chuck Smith
00:47:07put it this way.
00:47:08It's not a gigantic quote.
00:47:10It's just brilliant.
00:47:12Chuck Smith said,
00:47:13keep yourself usable.
00:47:15Isn't that perfect?
00:47:17Just keep yourself usable.
00:47:19Here I am, Lord,
00:47:21and God can use you.
00:47:24It's a great way to live.
00:47:25Deuteronomy 30,
00:47:27verse 19 says,
00:47:28Deuteronomy 30,
00:47:2919 says,
00:47:30I call heaven and earth
00:47:31as witnesses today
00:47:32against you
00:47:34or putting you on notice
00:47:35that I have set before you
00:47:37life and death,
00:47:38blessing and cursing.
00:47:40Therefore,
00:47:40choose life.
00:47:41The God of the Bible says,
00:47:42choose life
00:47:43that both you
00:47:44and your descendants
00:47:45may live.
00:47:46Can we give God
00:47:47a hand for that?
00:47:48That is the will of God
00:47:50that you live your life
00:47:52for the glory of God.
00:47:53What I don't like
00:47:54is he says,
00:47:55choose,
00:47:55because I don't want to choose.
00:47:57I want him to tell me
00:47:58what to do.
00:47:59But he doesn't want that.
00:48:01He wants me to obey him
00:48:02out of love.
00:48:03Choose today.
00:48:04And so my prayer is,
00:48:05oh God,
00:48:06please don't let me
00:48:07ever choose wrongly.
00:48:09Keep me from me.
00:48:12And he goes on
00:48:13to tell us,
00:48:13and peace
00:48:15will add
00:48:16or be added
00:48:17to you.
00:48:18Peace will add
00:48:19to you.
00:48:21Wow.
00:48:22And this is the word
00:48:23shalom.
00:48:24You know that word already.
00:48:25Shalom.
00:48:26Well-being.
00:48:29The actual technical word
00:48:30is welfare
00:48:31or to fare well.
00:48:33Welfare.
00:48:34Be at peace.
00:48:35Be at rest.
00:48:36Be calm of body,
00:48:38soul, and spirit.
00:48:38Be calm.
00:48:40Do you love that?
00:48:42John chapter 14,
00:48:44verse 27,
00:48:44Jesus said it.
00:48:45He was the personification
00:48:46of shalom.
00:48:48Jesus says,
00:48:49shalom I leave with you.
00:48:50My shalom I give to you.
00:48:52Not as the world gives.
00:48:54Why?
00:48:54Because it takes it back.
00:48:56Do I give to you?
00:48:57Let not your heart
00:48:58be troubled,
00:48:59neither let it be afraid.
00:49:00The opposite
00:49:01of your heart
00:49:02being troubled
00:49:03and afraid
00:49:03is shalom.
00:49:05If you have shalom,
00:49:07your heart
00:49:07will not be troubled.
00:49:12Secondly,
00:49:12in this church
00:49:13is in verses
00:49:14three to four,
00:49:15and that is
00:49:16recognize
00:49:17what his plan is.
00:49:18We see this
00:49:19when we possess
00:49:21what he has for us.
00:49:23Recognize it
00:49:24and possess it.
00:49:25It says in verse three,
00:49:27which is an instruction now,
00:49:28let not mercy
00:49:29and truth
00:49:30forsake you.
00:49:32Mercy is that great word
00:49:33that God says to you,
00:49:35I will give you mercy.
00:49:37We want to pray
00:49:37for the mercy of God.
00:49:38I have to tell you privately,
00:49:40I've been praying
00:49:40for God's mercy
00:49:41to be upon America
00:49:43at this time.
00:49:44Very troubling,
00:49:46troubling moment
00:49:47the United States
00:49:48is in at this moment.
00:49:49And
00:49:51only God.
00:49:52And I'm praying,
00:49:53God,
00:49:54please
00:49:54be merciful to us,
00:49:56though we do not deserve it.
00:49:57Mercy
00:49:58is not getting
00:50:01what you deserve.
00:50:04Mercy
00:50:04is when
00:50:05your child
00:50:05commits some crime
00:50:06against you,
00:50:07right?
00:50:08They break the dish
00:50:09or whatever you told them
00:50:10not to do,
00:50:11and you
00:50:12tell them,
00:50:13go to your room.
00:50:13I'll be there in a minute.
00:50:15And they go to the room
00:50:15and they're crying
00:50:16and they're freaking out
00:50:17because they can hear you
00:50:19sharpening the,
00:50:22and they hear you
00:50:22coming down the hallway
00:50:23and you open the door
00:50:25and you say to them,
00:50:27get in the car
00:50:27right now.
00:50:30And they're thinking
00:50:31like you're going to go
00:50:31drop them off
00:50:32at the end of the pier.
00:50:34They get in the car,
00:50:35they're mortified.
00:50:37Do you know
00:50:38what you did today?
00:50:39Yes.
00:50:40What was it?
00:50:41I broke the plate.
00:50:42Why did you break the plate?
00:50:43I dropped it.
00:50:44But why were you holding it?
00:50:46I know I wasn't supposed to.
00:50:49That's right.
00:50:50And then you pull up
00:50:51at Baskin-Robbins
00:50:54and they're wondering,
00:50:56what's happening?
00:50:58And you say,
00:50:59listen,
00:50:59I should let you have it
00:51:01for what you did,
00:51:03but God treats us
00:51:05with mercy
00:51:05and look,
00:51:06kid,
00:51:07take it in
00:51:07because you're not going
00:51:08to get another break
00:51:09like this for many years.
00:51:11I am not going
00:51:12to give you
00:51:12what you deserve.
00:51:15I'm going to exercise
00:51:17grace
00:51:19and give you
00:51:20what you do not deserve.
00:51:23I'm not going
00:51:23to give you
00:51:24what you deserve,
00:51:25but I will give you
00:51:26what you don't deserve.
00:51:27Mercy in one hand,
00:51:29grace in the other
00:51:30is how God deals with us.
00:51:33You know how good
00:51:34he is to us every day?
00:51:35Watch this.
00:51:37You know how good
00:51:37he is with us every day?
00:51:38I don't know.
00:51:39I don't see it.
00:51:40Well, that was my
00:51:41opening argument.
00:51:42Stop and look back.
00:51:44Can you breathe?
00:51:45Yes.
00:51:46Praise God for that.
00:51:48Can you walk?
00:51:50Yeah.
00:51:51Be thankful.
00:51:52Are you hungry?
00:51:54No, actually,
00:51:54I'm trying to lose weight.
00:51:56Be grateful.
00:51:59Somebody called this
00:52:00Calorie Chapel.
00:52:08The hospitality,
00:52:09the beautiful
00:52:10hospitality ministry,
00:52:11they'll feed you.
00:52:12The guest speakers come.
00:52:14They just can't handle
00:52:15all the food.
00:52:16And a speaker
00:52:19had once said,
00:52:19this is,
00:52:20look at this,
00:52:21this is Calorie Chapel.
00:52:23That's kind of cute.
00:52:25But God wants to bless us
00:52:26and if we walk
00:52:27in his way,
00:52:28it's no big deal.
00:52:31You want to possess
00:52:32what God has for you.
00:52:33The Bible says
00:52:34in Malachi chapter 4,
00:52:35verse 2,
00:52:36it's a great,
00:52:37great,
00:52:37wonderful verse,
00:52:38Malachi.
00:52:39If you're Italian,
00:52:39it's Malachi.
00:52:41The only Italian
00:52:42in the Bible.
00:52:43I'm kidding.
00:52:44It's Malachi.
00:52:45But to you
00:52:46who fear my name,
00:52:47to you who are
00:52:48in awe of my name,
00:52:50the sun,
00:52:51S-U-N,
00:52:52of righteousness
00:52:53shall arise
00:52:54with healing
00:52:55in his wings.
00:52:56Did you catch that?
00:52:56Sounds like a contradiction.
00:52:58Did you see it?
00:52:59Did you catch it?
00:53:00It's not S-O-N.
00:53:02It's S-U-N.
00:53:04But watch this.
00:53:05But to you
00:53:06who fear my name,
00:53:07this is God speaking,
00:53:09the sun of righteousness
00:53:10shall arise
00:53:11with healing
00:53:11in his wings.
00:53:12This is attributed
00:53:13to the Messiah,
00:53:15the anointed one.
00:53:16It's not the sun
00:53:17as the burning
00:53:19satellite ball
00:53:20that it is,
00:53:21the sun,
00:53:22he's talking about
00:53:24when the morning comes,
00:53:26hope is renewed.
00:53:27You know how you suffer
00:53:28at night when you're sick?
00:53:29Doesn't it seem like
00:53:30night times forever
00:53:31when you're sick
00:53:32and you can't wait
00:53:33to see the breaking
00:53:33of the day?
00:53:34It's like,
00:53:35oh, finally.
00:53:38If you are in awe of God,
00:53:39if you determine today,
00:53:41that's it,
00:53:41I'm gonna make God
00:53:42my prime love,
00:53:45my one and only love.
00:53:48God says,
00:53:49the sun's gonna rise
00:53:50like hope in the morning
00:53:51and oh,
00:53:52guess what?
00:53:53There'll be healing
00:53:54in his wings.
00:53:55What does that mean?
00:53:56I don't know.
00:53:58What does it mean to you?
00:54:00He's the healer.
00:54:01What do you need healed?
00:54:02I know what I need healed.
00:54:04What do you need healed?
00:54:06That's who he is.
00:54:08And it's great.
00:54:09It's wonderful.
00:54:11Psalm 139 verse 17 and 18 says,
00:54:15Psalm 139 verse 17 and 18 announces,
00:54:18how precious also are your thoughts.
00:54:20To me, oh God,
00:54:21how great is the sum of them.
00:54:23If I should count them,
00:54:24they would be more in number
00:54:27than the sand.
00:54:30Wow.
00:54:32When I awake,
00:54:34I'm still with you.
00:54:36I love how he's saying this.
00:54:38Watch this.
00:54:41When I,
00:54:41when I wake up,
00:54:44I'm still with you.
00:54:46He's not talking about,
00:54:49as I was sleeping,
00:54:50I made sure that I stayed with you, God.
00:54:52No, no, no.
00:54:53He's saying,
00:54:54as I was sleeping,
00:54:55I'm so thankful, God,
00:54:57that when I woke up,
00:54:58I'm still with you.
00:55:00Are you hearing this?
00:55:01We're gonna have to end,
00:55:02we have to end with this,
00:55:03I think, I think.
00:55:05No, you guys are really nice,
00:55:07but I,
00:55:09I'm in big trouble.
00:55:13How precious also are your thoughts.
00:55:15To me.
00:55:16Listen,
00:55:17if you're in the house,
00:55:18if you're watching right now,
00:55:19God says,
00:55:22I know the thoughts I think toward you.
00:55:24Jeremiah 29, 11,
00:55:25I know what I think about you.
00:55:26Now, I don't know what you think
00:55:28when you hear that.
00:55:29God says,
00:55:29I know what I think about you.
00:55:30How do you hear that?
00:55:32Do you hear God say,
00:55:34I know what I think about you.
00:55:37Did you know
00:55:39that even when we were lost
00:55:41in our trespasses and sin,
00:55:42and the Bible says we were wicked,
00:55:46he loved us.
00:55:47Now, it does say in the Bible,
00:55:49you have to be honest,
00:55:50it does say in the Bible,
00:55:51God is angry with the wicked every day.
00:55:53You know, the wicked,
00:55:54they're lost.
00:55:56There was a day
00:55:57when I was in the camp of the wicked.
00:56:00And then he got a hold of me,
00:56:02and this is how he did it.
00:56:02He showed me how wicked I was.
00:56:06You want to see something?
00:56:07Not particularly, no, God.
00:56:09I'm fine.
00:56:10No, I'm going to show you something.
00:56:12Jack, this is you.
00:56:14And if I were to graphically display it,
00:56:16it would have been black pages.
00:56:19This is you, Jack.
00:56:23When he shows you you,
00:56:25when he reveals to you
00:56:27who you are on the inside,
00:56:33it's like being gutted,
00:56:35I would imagine.
00:56:36If you're a fish,
00:56:37it's like having your insides taken out.
00:56:41And your first normal response is,
00:56:45yeah, God,
00:56:45do you see all that darkness in there?
00:56:47That's what people did to me.
00:56:50That's hurt.
00:56:51And you give all of your self-defense.
00:56:54I did it.
00:56:55I gave all of my self-defense.
00:56:57Well, God, I'm angry
00:56:59because that's what they did to me.
00:57:01I did those things
00:57:02because that's what that group did to me.
00:57:04And I did that
00:57:05because I never had this.
00:57:08You know what?
00:57:09He never said, liar.
00:57:12He never said, enough.
00:57:14He never said that to me.
00:57:16You know what he did?
00:57:18He waited.
00:57:19He just waits.
00:57:22Basically, I'm fast-forwarding now.
00:57:24Are you done, Jack?
00:57:27Yeah, I think so.
00:57:29I'll let you know if I find something else.
00:57:33And one of the hardest things,
00:57:35listen, a lot of that stuff gets cleaned up quick.
00:57:38Do you know what really is hard and hurts?
00:57:40And it's a part of our sanctifying experience
00:57:43with Jesus and the Holy Spirit
00:57:45is what I call justified hurts.
00:57:50Did somebody rob you?
00:57:52Somebody leave you?
00:57:53Did your husband or your wife abandon you?
00:57:55Did you come home and the house was empty?
00:58:01If we don't know God well,
00:58:03we will turn and blame him
00:58:05for what someone did to us.
00:58:09Which is an exhibit
00:58:11of having profound faith
00:58:13that is darkened.
00:58:15Because, listen,
00:58:16it's profound faith
00:58:17because you're turning to God
00:58:19and you're holding him responsible
00:58:20for something that he's not responsible for.
00:58:24But it's dark faith.
00:58:26How come you didn't stop this, God?
00:58:30And then God says,
00:58:33they wouldn't let me
00:58:34into their heart
00:58:35and into their life.
00:58:37If you think this hurts you, Jack,
00:58:40it hurts me infinitely
00:58:41more than it hurts you.
00:58:43You don't even know how this feels.
00:58:46How can it hurt you, God?
00:58:47You're in heaven
00:58:48and I'm stuck down here
00:58:49because I feel everything perfectly.
00:58:56And when you have him
00:59:00do that to your life,
00:59:05like Tozer says,
00:59:07he is like the dentist
00:59:09that your mother makes you go see.
00:59:13You're not aware
00:59:14of any problem with your teeth,
00:59:16but he says the dentist
00:59:17will take his probe
00:59:19and he will poke each tooth.
00:59:22And Tozer said,
00:59:23why can't he just let
00:59:25sleeping dogs lie?
00:59:27Isn't that a great word?
00:59:29Why does every time
00:59:31I go to the dentist,
00:59:32I'm fine,
00:59:33but he finds something
00:59:34in my mouth
00:59:35that's not fine.
00:59:37Because that's his job.
00:59:39And he's got to make a payment
00:59:40on his Porsche.
00:59:46And when he finds
00:59:49that painful tooth,
00:59:54Tozer says,
00:59:55he grabs hold of it
00:59:56with his tool
00:59:59and he yanks it out,
01:00:03root, blood, and all.
01:00:05That's pretty graphic.
01:00:08You know what?
01:00:08God does that to us.
01:00:11He's not going to yell at you.
01:00:13He's going to point things out.
01:00:16Some things are easily
01:00:17surrendered to him.
01:00:19Other things,
01:00:21he'll take hold of them
01:00:23like a bad tooth.
01:00:27And it hurts.
01:00:29But friends, listen.
01:00:30It's best to cooperate with God
01:00:32and have him take care of it
01:00:34with one visit.
01:00:37What's worse
01:00:38is when God says,
01:00:39well, because you kept
01:00:40squirming around,
01:00:42you kept resisting me,
01:00:44you kept like,
01:00:45I have to go to the bathroom.
01:00:46You kept interfering
01:00:47the whole thing.
01:00:50You'll have to come back
01:00:51next week
01:00:51and then next month
01:00:53and then for the next five years
01:00:55because you won't let me,
01:00:56you won't cooperate with me.
01:00:57Just lay still.
01:00:59I would rather,
01:01:00listen,
01:01:01you have to listen to me
01:01:02because I'm old.
01:01:02I went through this.
01:01:04You have to receive this.
01:01:06You're supposed to show
01:01:06your elders respect.
01:01:07Here it comes.
01:01:09Just be still.
01:01:11Let him pull it.
01:01:12Let him take hold of it.
01:01:13He's going to grab it.
01:01:15And let him take it out.
01:01:16Just hang on.
01:01:18Because when it's over,
01:01:19it's over.
01:01:21And a new life begins.
01:01:22And a new purpose.
01:01:24And you can live freely.
01:01:27And that work
01:01:28that he's done in you,
01:01:30your ministry is born.
01:01:32Your ministry is born.
01:01:35Because you can now turn to somebody
01:01:36because you have a testimony
01:01:37and you can say,
01:01:38hey, listen.
01:01:40Do you know God?
01:01:41Yeah, I know God.
01:01:42Yeah, well, okay, listen up.
01:01:45This is what God did for me.
01:01:47And you will influence them
01:01:49to think deeper thoughts about God.
01:01:53Your testimony
01:01:54will cause others
01:01:56to even consider
01:01:58if they even know
01:01:59the same God
01:02:00that you know.
01:02:02So I close with this.
01:02:03You can stand.
01:02:03I close with this.
01:02:07A couple of weeks ago,
01:02:08I sat down with,
01:02:10as I mentioned,
01:02:11I think I mentioned this recently,
01:02:12but I sat down
01:02:13with Pastor Sun
01:02:15who, please pray for him
01:02:16because as he returns
01:02:17back to South Korea,
01:02:19he's going,
01:02:20he's,
01:02:21they have found something else
01:02:23that they don't like about him
01:02:24and they're going to put him in prison.
01:02:27I don't know if you saw him
01:02:28that Wednesday night
01:02:29when he was here.
01:02:31But,
01:02:31by the way,
01:02:32everything that he's guilty of,
01:02:35this church has done.
01:02:38He's guilty of calling out sin
01:02:42and the new Korean government
01:02:44forbids that.
01:02:45He's guilty of saying,
01:02:47all of you need to vote
01:02:48for those who best represent
01:02:50a Judeo-Christian worldview.
01:02:52He's got all these charges against him.
01:02:54When I looked at the charges against him,
01:02:58I thought I was looking at
01:03:00a South Korean Paul the Apostle.
01:03:05Everything they're suing
01:03:06to imprison him about
01:03:08is godly.
01:03:10And then it dawned on me,
01:03:12if our government changes
01:03:13but little,
01:03:15but just a little,
01:03:17you and I,
01:03:18I know I will,
01:03:19be in jail.
01:03:20Maybe you too.
01:03:22At least,
01:03:22if you're not with me,
01:03:23come visit.
01:03:30But the influence of God
01:03:32cannot be
01:03:34cannot be denied.
01:03:36God is on the move.
01:03:39The world is going crazy.
01:03:41He said it would.
01:03:42He said that nations
01:03:43are going to be
01:03:44reaching a level of perplexity
01:03:46with no answers out.
01:03:47We're almost there.
01:03:50Don't lose heart.
01:03:52But the people around you,
01:03:53they're losing heart.
01:03:54The people you work with
01:03:56and live with.
01:03:56Know this.
01:03:58Because you have
01:03:59Christ in you,
01:04:00the hope of glory,
01:04:02ask God how you can share.
01:04:05God has his unique way
01:04:06of using you
01:04:07in the lives of those
01:04:08who you know.
01:04:10Father God,
01:04:10we surrender ourselves
01:04:12to you this morning.
01:04:13We ask you,
01:04:13Father,
01:04:14that you would make us ready.
01:04:19I'm reminded,
01:04:20Lord,
01:04:21last night of watching
01:04:24that fighter jet pilot
01:04:26taxi that
01:04:27fighter jet
01:04:28into position
01:04:29as they
01:04:29got ready
01:04:31to put it
01:04:31under the catapult
01:04:32of that aircraft carrier.
01:04:34The wings
01:04:35folded down.
01:04:36They hooked
01:04:37that front
01:04:39landing gear
01:04:40onto that
01:04:41hook
01:04:41that would catapult him
01:04:42off the end
01:04:44of that ship.
01:04:46Checks all
01:04:47of the controls.
01:04:49Checks the throttle
01:04:50and the power
01:04:51percentage output.
01:04:52He is in
01:04:53takeoff mode
01:04:54and then he just
01:04:56relaxes.
01:04:57He salutes
01:04:57and he relaxes
01:04:58and from that moment
01:04:59he's just there.
01:05:01He's just there
01:05:01until he goes.
01:05:02And that ship
01:05:03throws that
01:05:05fighter jet
01:05:06off the end
01:05:07of the nose
01:05:08of that ship.
01:05:09And away
01:05:10goes that
01:05:11fighter jet.
01:05:14Lord I pray
01:05:15that you would
01:05:18receive us
01:05:18right now
01:05:19as we put
01:05:19ourselves
01:05:20into position.
01:05:21We say
01:05:21together
01:05:21as a church
01:05:22Lord I'm
01:05:23in alignment
01:05:23with your
01:05:24will.
01:05:24I'm asking
01:05:25you Lord
01:05:25to be my
01:05:26strength
01:05:27my throttle
01:05:28my power.
01:05:29I'm asking
01:05:29you Lord
01:05:30God
01:05:30to be my
01:05:31propulsion.
01:05:33And Father
01:05:34I pray
01:05:34that you
01:05:34would catapult
01:05:35us out
01:05:36into the
01:05:36world.
01:05:38Father
01:05:38that we
01:05:39might do
01:05:39what you've
01:05:40called us
01:05:40to do
01:05:41so that
01:05:41we might
01:05:42live a
01:05:42fulfilled
01:05:43long
01:05:44productive
01:05:44life
01:05:45that brings
01:05:46you honor
01:05:47and glory
01:05:47and Father
01:05:48that when we
01:05:49come to the
01:05:50end of our
01:05:50lives
01:05:52we will be
01:05:53okay
01:05:54with that
01:05:55time.
01:05:56We won't
01:05:56have any
01:05:56regrets.
01:05:58We can say
01:05:59yep
01:05:59I'm good
01:06:00with this.
01:06:01It's time
01:06:01to go home.
01:06:03It's time
01:06:04for my
01:06:04life
01:06:07to be
01:06:08given back
01:06:08into your
01:06:09safekeeping.
01:06:10glory be
01:06:11to the
01:06:11Lord
01:06:11Jesus
01:06:11Christ
01:06:13crucified
01:06:13on the
01:06:14cross
01:06:14and
01:06:14resurrected
01:06:15from the
01:06:15dead
01:06:15that we
01:06:17might have
01:06:17salvation
01:06:18in him
01:06:18and him
01:06:18alone
01:06:19and all
01:06:19God's
01:06:20people
01:06:20said
01:06:20amen.
01:06:21God bless
01:06:22you church.
01:06:23Amen.
01:06:23Amen.
Comments