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Temptation - The World · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

• 0:00
  We're going to continue our series on sin and temptation tonight.
• 0:04
  And that was kind of like more of an intro text, what Ashley just read.
• 0:10
  ! We'll probably be revisiting that next week, but I think it's really good.
• 0:14
  Tonight we're going to talk about the world and what the world is.
• 0:18
  Last week John spoke on Satan, the identity of Satan and his purposes and his desires.
• 0:27
  And this week we're going to talk about the world.
• 0:30
  And in 1 John here, the verses we just read, the word for world,
• 0:37
  it's not talking about the world in terms of like nature, creation, people necessarily.
• 0:42
  It's talking about the world more like a negative way.
• 0:47
  The way that the world is alienated from God because of its sin and because of the sinfulness of man.
• 0:55
  And it has to do with the way of thinking, like an ideology.
• 1:00
  It encompasses false systems of religion, false ways of thinking.
• 1:05
  It encompasses a lot of different things.
• 1:08
  And flip over to Colossians 2 really fast.
• 1:12
  This is just another text to look at.
• 1:16
  But the world and the devil and the flesh are the three things that we have to do with and fight against here in this life as believers.
• 1:29
  And they're not necessarily separated.
• 1:32
  As I said a long time ago, they kind of work together in a lot of ways.
• 1:35
  It wasn't like today.
• 1:37
  It was the devil.
• 1:38
  And yet tomorrow is going to be the world.
• 1:40
  It's all kind of in working together simultaneously to lead us away from God into sin.
• 1:48
  Colossians 2 verse 8.
• 1:51
  A great verse to kind of reference when we're looking at what it means.
• 1:56
  Like the world, the cosmos.
• 1:57
  It says,
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  See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit.
• 2:05
  According to human tradition.
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  According to the elementary spirits of the world.
• 2:10
  And not according to Christ.
• 2:12
  And that word for captive means like robbing, plundering, taking away, taking away from.
• 2:18
  And false ideologies and false ways of thinking, false worldviews can rob you of the joy that you're meant to have as a believer in Christ.
• 2:28
  And knowing Christ and walking with Christ, it alters how you think.
• 2:32
  And if you do that, if you bind to another ideology of the world, you can miss out on so many things that Christ has for you.
• 2:42
  And living in sin.
• 2:43
  And so, when it talks about philosophy here in Colossians, it's not just talking about like an academic class of philosophy.
• 2:51
  It encompassed a lot more back then.
• 2:53
  More of like how you do life.
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  The purpose of life.
• 2:58
  Who God was.
• 2:59
  How you lived every day.
• 3:00
  That's what philosophy really meant more then than like we would think of today.
• 3:05
  Our main text, though, is going to be in the book of Daniel.
• 3:09
  So, turn to Daniel chapter 1.
• 3:13
  I don't know many other books to look at that speak about how to be in the world, but not of it.
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  To be the people of God, but at the same time live in the midst of a very sinful and broken and fallen environment than Daniel.
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  Some of us are just familiar with like Daniel's in the lion den, but you ought to go back and study this book at some point.
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  And really, ring it out.
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  It's so rich and powerful.
• 3:45
  So, I'll give you a background.
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  We're going to be in chapter 1.
• 3:49
  We're going to go through the first few verses.
• 3:52
  We'll read through.
• 3:54
  Right now, we'll read 1 and 2.
• 3:55
  It says,
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  In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
• 4:05
  And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand with some vessels in the house of God.
• 4:11
  And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his God, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his God.
• 4:19
  And to know what's going on a little bit, Judah, do you remember like there was at one point a united kingdom where David reigned as a king and there was this one nation.
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  And then his son Solomon reigned after that and it was one nation.
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  After Solomon died, the kingdom split apart.
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  There was ten tribes that went to the north and that was Israel.
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  And their capital was Samaria.
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  And in the south, there was two, and that was Judah.
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  And their capital was Jerusalem.
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  The northern kingdom had been wiped out by the Assyrians before the Babylonians were kind of on the scene.
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  So Judah remained.
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  But Judah continued to rebel against God and not honor God in the way that they worshipped and with their lives.
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  They confessed Him with their mouths, but their hearts were far from Him.
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  And God constantly sent prophets.
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  He sent Jeremiah.
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  He sent many other prophets to speak to them and say, this is not good.
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  You're rebelling against God.
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  You need to repent and turn back to God.
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  And they continued on in their sin.
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  They ignored all God's warnings.
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  And finally, God gave them over.
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  He judged them for their rebellion.
• 5:29
  And His instrument of judgment was Babylon.
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  It was Nebuchadnezzar.
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  And this is around like 605 B.C., so a very long time ago.
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  So you can go and read about Nebuchadnezzar, even just other literature outside the Bible.
• 5:43
  But he was a real guy.
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  And he took Jerusalem over, conquered the city, and took a lot of the things that were in the temple back to lay before one of his false gods, one of his idols, to kind of just say, you know, look what my God did.
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  And to mock the God of Israel.
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  And so God was judging them for their rebellion.
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  And just to know, like, also kind of what's going on in these first few verses, we'll read the next part right here.
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  And it says, the king assigned them a daily portion.
• 6:28
  Oh, excuse me.
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  Let's give something I did.
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  I apologize.
• 6:31
  No.
• 6:33
  Yeah.
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  Okay.
• 6:34
  Yeah.
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  In verse 3, we begin to kind of see, like, this system that Nebuchadnezzar had in place.
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  It wasn't just, let's just wipe them out and kill them all.
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  Let's absorb their culture into the Babylonian culture.
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  I can't tell you, like, how many ancient cultures I've heard about or read about that existed.
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  And they once were kind of like a proud and powerful people.
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  But at a certain point, they were conquered and they were completely absorbed into a stronger country.
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  Their language was lost.
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  Everything was disappeared, in essence.
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  So, it's very crazy in America, in and of itself, that Israel is even there today.
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  It's nuts.
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  To see, like, it only has to do with God's grace and God's power that's preserved them.
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  Because he has a plan to do some things at that point.
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  And it says in verse 3, excuse me, yeah, yeah, verse 3.
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  The king commanded Athanas, the chief eunuch, to bring some people of Israel, both from the royal family and the nobility,
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  use without blemish and good in appearance, and skill in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding, learning,
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  competent to stand in the king's palace and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
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  The king assigned them a daily portion of food that the king ate and wine that he drank.
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  They were educated for three years.
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  At the end of that time, they were to stand before the king.
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  And among them, among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.
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  And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names.
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  Daniel, he called Belshazzar.
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  Hananiah, he called Shadrach.
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  Mishael, he called Meshach.
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  And Azariah, he called Abednego.
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  So that's going to be kind of our text.
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  But again, like I said, Daniel is the perfect story to see what it's like to belong to God
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  and to have a living, walking faith in the living God, but to live in a totally fallen and hostile environment.
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  So we're going to look at a few things first.
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  But first of all, it's important to have three points.
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  But first, it's important for you to know what Babylon is.
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  And it's not just like an ancient city.
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  A lot of the guys who have gone to war in Iraq, they can go and actually see a lot of the old ruins of Babylon
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  and the palaces that are there.
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  It is a location, but it implies a lot more than a location.
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  Some of you might remember a little Bible quiz here.
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  Way back in Genesis, a long time ago, in chapter 11,
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  God had commanded the people to go and scatter and fill the earth and subdue the earth,
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  and they refused.
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  And instead, they built these massive towers to basically glorify themselves
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  and show the power of their ingenuity.
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  And they actually say, let us make a name for ourselves.
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  A name for ourselves.
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  So in a way, they were trying to show the glory of who man was.
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  And God, remember, He scattered them.
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  At that point, the world had one language.
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  And He scattered them, and He confused their languages, and they couldn't work together.
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  So that was called the Tower of Babylon.
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  And that's where we get Babylon from.
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  And it means like to confuse or to mix or to mingle.
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  And Babylon symbolizes humanity's ambition to dethrone God
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  and make their own name rather than to glorify God's name.
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  It's basically like a worldly city where man tries to exalt himself in the position of God.
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  So that's what it is.
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  It's a way of thinking.
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  It's an idea.
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  It's not just a location.
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  It's a location.
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  It's saying, I'm not going to live for God.
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  I'm going to live for myself.
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  I'm going to make a name for myself.
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  And so here's some of the points I have for you.
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  The first one, and my goal here is to kind of expose kind of a process of the world around us,
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  the fallen world, will try to put you through and expose you to as a believer.
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  And this is going to be a two-part thing.
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  I'll probably finish this next week.
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  This week, I'm going to try to focus more on your identity as a child of God.
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  Next week, it will be a little more, I don't want to say practical,
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  but it will be like things like media or music, the kind of stuff that we are around all day,
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  that kind of stuff, and how it's influencing us.
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  But this is more about our identity as the people of God.
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  So the first point is, the world will try to befriend you.
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  The world will try to befriend you.
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  Look at verse 5.
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  It says,
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  The king assigned them a daily portion of food that the king ate and wine that he drank,
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  and they were to be educated for three years.
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  At the end of that time, they were to stand before the king.
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  Okay?
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  So this was a way of like indoctrinating these guys.
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  And notice that, whether you know it or not, you've been indoctrinated your entire life.
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  Like from, you know, when you started going to school,
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  and the environment you were in, you were told what was important,
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  you were told what to live for, have a good job, you know, get married,
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  make a lot of money, be secure, provide.
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  That's what your goal in life is.
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  And you're told that at a very early age.
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  And that's what you kind of go along hearing.
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  And some of you are even still hearing that today.
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  So, in this text, Daniel and his friends are offered very rich food
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  and all the privileges of being in like a Babylonian court, status, comfort.
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  And their hope is that they can indoctrinate them
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  and kind of wean them off of their way of like belonging to the true God
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  and make them actually think and act like Babylonians
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  and basically just kind of absorb them.
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  And so, they, we might ask like a lot of nutritionists out there
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  who try to like argue, well, with Daniel and his friends,
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  they didn't eat the king's food and drink his wine
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  and that's an argument for being a vegetarian or something.
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  And I'm like, what?
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  That has nothing to do with that really.
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  But in the text, you should know just like what's going on
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  when it talks about the food.
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  Because it kind of is a, they're making a pretty bold statement
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  when they refuse to partake of this food.
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  To indulge in the food would be to like honor pagan gods
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  because this food was dedicated to the gods of Babylon.
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  And for them to eat of it would be like a way of honoring them
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  in an Eastern, you know, ancient Near Eastern culture
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  and then there today as well.
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  To share a meal with somebody is almost to make a covenant with them,
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  like to befriend them.
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  Say like, okay, we're cool.
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  Let's share a meal together.
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  And so, they were like, we're not going to do that.
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  It's symbolic.
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  So, they refused to do that.
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  And so, I've been trying to really think about the best way to approach this.
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  And I had a book, I don't know if I brought it up here with me,
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  but I don't really need it.
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  It's a book that I read a long time ago when I was in school.
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  It was called The Paradox of American Power.
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  And it was written by a Harvard professor called Joseph Nye.
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  He wrote several books dealing with like diplomacy
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  and international politics and war.
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  And he was the former, I mean, in case you just think of just some other wacky dude out there,
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  he had some pretty crazy experience.
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  He was the former chairman of National Intelligence Council,
• 15:04
  assistant secretary of defense during the Clinton administration.
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  So, he knows a pretty good bit about foreign policy and diplomacy.
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  And in this book, he talked about two kinds of power that nations or states or political leaders try to use
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  when they want to go into another country and move that country towards something,
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  just like we've done with a lot of the places throughout history,
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  recently, Afghanistan, Iraq.
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  So, the two kinds of power are these, and these are helpful to know.
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  We're going to make a spiritual connection to these.
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  The first one is called soft power.
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  Soft power.
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  It means the ability to obtain what you want through attraction,
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  by use of your values, your cultures, your policies.
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  And you go and you try to influence the way they think about things.
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  You teach them about democracy, that kind of stuff.
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  And then another kind of power is called hard power.
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  And that has to do with, like, obtaining what you want through military might,
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  you know, air, land, sea, type things.
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  And you, through a coercion, you try to bend them to your will through force.
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  So, soft power and hard power.
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  An example is like, you know, America goes into a country somewhere,
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  and they want to establish it and secure it and make it a democratic state.
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  That's kind of like their goal.
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  So, soft power would be like, we come there, we try to educate them,
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  we give them our entertainment, our movies, our music, our clothes,
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  and try to show them, you know, what things are like,
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  and kind of like begin to change their way of thinking.
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  And, on the other hand, hard power would be what?
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  It would be like military force, like we've done in a lot of places.
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  And usually, a political force uses both of those, both hard power and soft power,
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  to accomplish that.
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  Two so-called successes would be South Korea and Japan,
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  whether or not they're really successes.
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  But they look very Western now as compared to what they did a long time ago.
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  And Vietnam, not so much.
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  So, we see where both were used there, and it failed.
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  So, hard power and soft power is a good way to think about things we relate to the world
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  and spiritual warfare.
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  But a spiritual application of this is that Satan is using the world system
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  of like a Babylonian way of thinking.
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  He's using both hard power and soft power in the world,
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  and he's using them both against the church.
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  So, he really employs hard power.
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  You could tie that in with like persecution, hostility.
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  Nations like North Korea or China or Sudan,
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  where believers are beaten, imprisoned, killed, exiled.
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  That would be, you know, hard power.
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  Nigeria, places like that.
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  People are facing physical persecution and death.
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  That's the end there.
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  But, let's see.
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  What's a lot scarier here is that Satan hasn't chosen to apply that power here at all.
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  He's chosen something a lot more subtle.
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  He's chosen to use a soft power approach with us here in America.
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  And what is his scheme and what is his goal?
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  How does he apply this?
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  Let me read you a quote by Charles Spurgeon.
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  He said,
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  Prosperity is much harder to bear than adversity.
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  As the finding pot to silver and the furnace to gold,
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  so is prosperity to a Christian.
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  Many a man will pass through trouble and praise God under it.
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  When he who has tried with no trouble will forget his God,
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  decline in grace, and grow almost a worldly.
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  Believe me, there is no greater trial than no trial.
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  And that's really profound.
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  I know that to be true.
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  Think about it.
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  Like, the wealth and prosperity in America,
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  that's certainly not a bad thing.
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  Remember?
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  Like, those things are not called good or evil.
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  That's how we use them.
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  And our fallen natures like to use those things
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  to indulge in our own simple pleasures,
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  to use them for evil and not good.
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  And so the enemy has, like, lulled us to sleep in our prosperity.
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  We've fallen asleep in our liberty.
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  Think about it.
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  Which one would you rather have?
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  Someone's like,
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  I definitely don't want persecution.
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  Please don't send that my way.
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  I'm pretty comfortable where I am.
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  But if you want a closer walk with God,
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  a lot of times,
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  like I would think,
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  if you come to me with, like, a sword or a dagger or a pistol,
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  I'm going to run, like, straight to Christ.
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  You know, I'm going to, like, cling to Him.
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  He's going to love me, protect me, give me peace.
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  Even if I die, I'll die, like, holding on to Him.
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  And, but, if you came up to me and, like,
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  offered me on a platter everything that I could possibly want,
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  everything that my flesh would enjoy,
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  I might pause and think about it like,
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  hmm, you know, that looks really good.
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  So it's very, very, very subtle.
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  So it's the things of the world,
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  a Babylonian way of thinking,
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  like, to help us forget about living for God
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  and then forget about our identity as the people of God
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  and live for ourselves and indulge in ourselves
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  and build our own kingdoms
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  and build up our own names rather than God's.
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  So, the Babylonian way of the world
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  will try to lure you in
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  and get you to do that.
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  Turn to James 4 real fast.
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  We're constantly bombarded by a message
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  that says that Christ is not enough.
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  We have to have Christ plus all this stuff to be happy.
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  Turn to James 4, verse 4.
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  Remember, part of the tactic is
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  the world wants to befriend you,
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  just like we see in our story here.
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  James 4, verse 4.
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  James is telling them how it is.
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  He says,
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  You adulterous people,
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  do you not know that friendship with the world
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  is enmity with God?
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  Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world
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  makes himself an enemy of God.
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  James was written a very long time
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  after Daniel and his buddies were in Babylon.
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  But they knew this.
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  They understood this truth.
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  But hundreds of years before James wrote that,
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  so what did I say?
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  No.
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  We won't compromise.
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  We will not give in to this.
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  We're not going to worship your gods.
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  We're going to remain who we are.
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  So, if you remember,
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  eventually,
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  they bargained with the king,
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  verses later,
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  and say,
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  give us vegetables
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  and all that kind of stuff,
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  and we'll see who does better
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  and performs better,
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  and they actually do.
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  So, the king is cool with that.
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  So,
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  we are the people of the living God,
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  and we can't be friends with the world.
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  The world is not
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  really wanting to be your friend.
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  It's wanting to lure you in
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  and destroy you.
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  So,
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  that's the first point,
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  is the world will try to befriend you.
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  Secondly,
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  second point is,
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  the world will try to tell you
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  what is important.
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  And you need to kind of hold your hand in Daniel,
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  so go back to Daniel,
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  and just kind of keep your hand there.
• 23:18
  We're going to flip back and forth there
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  throughout the night.
• 23:20
  But,
• 23:21
  back in Daniel.
• 23:22
  So,
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  the world will try to tell you
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  what is important.
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  It said,
• 23:26
  the king commanded
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  Athanas,
• 23:30
  the chief eunuch,
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  to bring some of the people of Israel,
• 23:33
  both of the royal family
• 23:35
  and the nobility,
• 23:36
  used without blemish,
• 23:38
  of good appearance
• 23:39
  and skillful and all wisdom,
• 23:41
  endowed with knowledge,
• 23:42
  understanding,
• 23:43
  and learning,
• 23:44
  and competent to stand in the king's palace,
• 23:46
  and to teach them the literature
• 23:48
  and language of the Chaldeans.
• 23:51
  So,
• 23:52
  they only got the very best.
• 23:54
  They got these
• 23:54
  really young,
• 23:56
  strong,
• 23:57
  educated,
• 23:58
  part of the nobility of Judah
• 23:59
  to come and be in the court,
• 24:02
  and in hopes of,
• 24:03
  like,
• 24:04
  changing their worldview
• 24:05
  and absorbing them
• 24:06
  into a Babylonian
• 24:07
  way of thinking
• 24:08
  by teaching them the literature
• 24:10
  and the language
• 24:11
  of the Chaldeans.
• 24:13
  So,
• 24:14
  what's kind of,
• 24:15
  what can you learn here
• 24:17
  about the Babylonian way
• 24:18
  of thinking,
• 24:20
  as opposed to what
• 24:21
  the people of God
• 24:22
  should live for
• 24:23
  and think?
• 24:24
  And it is this,
• 24:26
  and it's so true.
• 24:29
  Satan in the world
• 24:30
  will tell you
• 24:31
  that your beauty,
• 24:32
  your youth,
• 24:33
  and your intelligence
• 24:34
  are the most important things
• 24:35
  to live for.
• 24:37
  And,
• 24:38
  that's why you see
• 24:39
  all these people
• 24:40
  on TV
• 24:41
  just trying to,
• 24:41
  like,
• 24:42
  extend,
• 24:43
  you know,
• 24:43
  trying to live it up
• 24:44
  like they were
• 24:44
  their teens
• 24:45
  and,
• 24:46
  you know,
• 24:46
  young adult life
• 24:47
  when they're 50 and 60.
• 24:49
  the world
• 24:51
  will tell you
• 24:52
  that youth,
• 24:53
  beauty,
• 24:53
  and intelligence
• 24:54
  are the most important things.
• 24:55
  And that's what you should
• 24:56
  vigorously devote
• 24:57
  your life in,
• 24:58
  to being in those things.
• 25:01
  That's what the world
• 25:01
  will teach you.
• 25:03
  You should pursue
• 25:04
  those things.
• 25:05
  So many of you
• 25:05
  are stressed out,
• 25:07
  depressed,
• 25:08
  and lonely
• 25:08
  because you're trying
• 25:09
  to prove yourself
• 25:10
  to others
• 25:12
  and to yourself
• 25:13
  as well.
• 25:14
  And so many of you
• 25:15
  have bought into
• 25:16
  that lie.
• 25:17
  And,
• 25:17
  the more and more
• 25:19
  you can think
• 25:20
  with a different worldview
• 25:22
  that this is not
• 25:23
  who I am.
• 25:24
  I'm not to live this way.
• 25:25
  These are not
• 25:26
  the things that are important.
• 25:28
  Youth,
• 25:28
  beauty,
• 25:28
  and intelligence
• 25:29
  are all going to fade.
• 25:31
  Every one of you
• 25:31
  pretty girls in here,
• 25:32
  you know,
• 25:33
  you might not look so
• 25:34
  pretty when you turn 80.
• 25:36
  You know,
• 25:36
  and eventually when you die,
• 25:38
  you're definitely
• 25:38
  not going to be looking pretty.
• 25:39
  Okay?
• 25:40
  If something can be
• 25:41
  taken away from you,
• 25:43
  it's not worth living for.
• 25:45
  That's what I tell people
• 25:46
  all the time.
• 25:47
  If it can,
• 25:47
  it's not worth it.
• 25:49
  If you can,
• 25:50
  but if you can be
• 25:51
  in a prison
• 25:52
  and be beaten
• 25:53
  and tormented
• 25:54
  and even killed,
• 25:55
  they can't take Christ
• 25:56
  away from you.
• 25:58
  That's like worth living for.
• 26:00
  Christ is,
• 26:01
  is the only valuable thing
• 26:03
  that will last.
• 26:05
  And it can't be
• 26:05
  taken away from you.
• 26:06
  And He won't leave you.
• 26:07
  He won't let go of you either.
• 26:09
  So,
• 26:10
  your youth,
• 26:11
  beauty,
• 26:11
  and intelligence
• 26:11
  are not
• 26:12
  the most important thing.
• 26:14
  So,
• 26:15
  what I'm going to do here,
• 26:17
  right now,
• 26:18
  I'm trying to be careful
• 26:19
  in my language.
• 26:20
  I'm trying to
• 26:21
  just show you
• 26:22
  that I care,
• 26:22
  that I'm not just trying
• 26:23
  to deliver a sermon.
• 26:25
  It's the kind of talks
• 26:26
  that I have to tell
• 26:28
  people every day,
• 26:30
  occasionally
• 26:31
  share with a girl,
• 26:33
  and I have to
• 26:34
  preach this to myself
• 26:35
  every day.
• 26:35
  but,
• 26:37
  I'm going to address
• 26:38
  this girls and guys
• 26:39
  separately.
• 26:41
  But first,
• 26:42
  I have some harsher stuff
• 26:44
  for the guys,
• 26:44
  hopefully,
• 26:45
  later.
• 26:46
  But,
• 26:47
  for girls,
• 26:49
  you need to understand,
• 26:53
  you've heard this
• 26:54
  probably many times,
• 26:55
  but I don't think
• 26:56
  a lot of you understand
• 26:59
  that your worth
• 27:00
  is not
• 27:01
  in your outward appearance
• 27:03
  at all.
• 27:06
  But the world
• 27:07
  would have you
• 27:07
  think that way.
• 27:09
  You're concerned
• 27:09
  with so many things.
• 27:13
  I talked to a girl
• 27:16
  that I'm really good
• 27:17
  friends with,
• 27:17
  and I think that she
• 27:18
  leads a lot of women
• 27:20
  here,
• 27:21
  and Christ Family,
• 27:22
  and on campus.
• 27:23
  And she told me
• 27:25
  a while back
• 27:25
  that probably eight
• 27:27
  out of ten girls
• 27:30
  really, really
• 27:31
  are self-conscious
• 27:31
  about going to wait.
• 27:32
  They're always thinking
• 27:33
  like,
• 27:34
  man,
• 27:34
  I just don't,
• 27:35
  I don't look good.
• 27:36
  I'm constantly,
• 27:38
  I constantly be
• 27:39
  dieting and exercising
• 27:41
  just to slim down.
• 27:44
  And,
• 27:45
  like,
• 27:45
  glamour and fashion,
• 27:47
  some of you spend
• 27:48
  hours in front of a mirror.
• 27:51
  Some of you
• 27:51
  spend so much money
• 27:53
  just to make yourself
• 27:55
  really pretty
• 27:56
  on the outside.
• 27:57
  Here's a journal
• 27:59
  from a girl
• 28:00
  from, like,
• 28:01
  the late
• 28:01
  1990s.
• 28:03
  She said,
• 28:04
  this was like her
• 28:05
  goal.
• 28:07
  I will try to make
• 28:08
  myself better
• 28:09
  in any way
• 28:10
  I possibly can
• 28:11
  to help with my budget
• 28:13
  and,
• 28:14
  with my budget,
• 28:16
  making money
• 28:17
  from babysitting.
• 28:18
  I will lose weight.
• 28:20
  I'll get new lenses.
• 28:21
  I'll get a really
• 28:23
  good haircut,
• 28:24
  good makeup,
• 28:25
  new clothes,
• 28:26
  and all the accessories.
• 28:27
  That's like,
• 28:28
  kind of like a,
• 28:30
  that's what her goal
• 28:30
  was,
• 28:31
  just to,
• 28:32
  in her life,
• 28:33
  was to do that
• 28:34
  at that point.
• 28:35
  all kind of
• 28:37
  magazines
• 28:37
  for teenage girls
• 28:39
  that are indoctrinated
• 28:40
  with this stuff
• 28:41
  at an early age
• 28:43
  and they're told
• 28:43
  this is the most
• 28:44
  important things.
• 28:45
  They're told things
• 28:46
  in, like,
• 28:47
  magazines,
• 28:49
  like Teen Magazine.
• 28:50
  I've never read one,
• 28:51
  so don't think that,
• 28:52
  but,
• 28:53
  like,
• 28:54
  I've seen them around.
• 28:55
  I know they exist.
• 28:57
  And,
• 28:57
  they'll,
• 28:58
  they talk about,
• 28:59
  like,
• 28:59
  the latest fashion styles
• 29:01
  and beauty tips
• 29:02
  and the celebrity gossip,
• 29:05
  all that kind of stuff,
• 29:06
  just to,
• 29:07
  to suck you right in.
• 29:09
  And,
• 29:10
  they have these questions,
• 29:11
  like,
• 29:12
  they send into these,
• 29:13
  magazines,
• 29:15
  where they,
• 29:16
  there are things like,
• 29:17
  you know,
• 29:17
  my mom won't let me
• 29:18
  wear makeup,
• 29:19
  like all my other friends
• 29:20
  and my face
• 29:21
  looks so dull.
• 29:23
  What can I do
• 29:24
  to look more pretty?
• 29:25
  And,
• 29:25
  I'm like,
• 29:25
  oh,
• 29:26
  just,
• 29:27
  you know,
• 29:27
  wash your face
• 29:28
  and exfoliate.
• 29:31
  like,
• 29:31
  that's not going to help.
• 29:37
  Because,
• 29:37
  there's a deeper problem there.
• 29:39
  All that's revealing,
• 29:40
  I mean,
• 29:41
  you're,
• 29:41
  you're told that
• 29:41
  from a very,
• 29:42
  very early age.
• 29:44
  And,
• 29:44
  all it reveals
• 29:44
  is that
• 29:45
  so many of you
• 29:47
  are self-conscious
• 29:48
  and insecure
• 29:50
  and you feel invisible
• 29:52
  and you have to,
• 29:53
  like,
• 29:53
  make yourself visible.
• 29:55
  And,
• 29:56
  some of you
• 29:58
  are depressed
• 29:58
  and lost
• 29:59
  because you feel that way.
• 30:00
  but,
• 30:01
  I want you to,
• 30:02
  to hear this word
• 30:03
  from Proverbs 31,
• 30:06
  30.
• 30:06
  I'll read it to you
• 30:06
  and then we'll turn
• 30:07
  to a different placement.
• 30:09
  It says,
• 30:09
  charm is deceitful
• 30:10
  and beauty is vain
• 30:12
  but a woman
• 30:14
  who fears the Lord
• 30:15
  is to be praised.
• 30:16
  That's very,
• 30:17
  very powerful.
• 30:18
  We've got to just
• 30:18
  commit that on the memory
• 30:19
  and every time,
• 30:20
  every morning,
• 30:21
  just think about that.
• 30:22
  A woman who fears the Lord,
• 30:24
  respects the Lord,
• 30:25
  knows the Lord,
• 30:26
  is to be praised.
• 30:27
  We'll turn to
• 30:28
  1 Peter 3
• 30:31
  really fast.
• 30:34
  Some verses
• 30:35
  for you to meditate on.
• 30:39
  1 Peter 3,
• 30:40
  verse 3.
• 30:47
  It says,
• 30:47
  Do not let your adorning
• 30:51
  be external,
• 30:53
  the braiding of hair
• 30:54
  and the putting on
• 30:55
  of gold jewelry
• 30:55
  or clothing you wear,
• 30:58
  but let your adorning
• 30:59
  be the hidden person
• 31:00
  of the heart
• 31:01
  with the imperishable beauty
• 31:02
  of a gentle
• 31:03
  and quiet spirit
• 31:04
  which in God's sight
• 31:06
  is very precious.
• 31:08
  That's amazing.
• 31:10
  That's beautiful.
• 31:12
  That's something
• 31:12
  that can't be taken away
• 31:13
  from you.
• 31:14
  It's the work
• 31:15
  that God has done
• 31:15
  inside of you
• 31:16
  and He's made you
• 31:17
  who you are
• 31:18
  and you found
• 31:18
  your identity
• 31:19
  in Him.
• 31:20
  And because He says,
• 31:22
  you belong to me
• 31:23
  and I love you,
• 31:24
  you don't need to care
• 31:25
  about what any guy
• 31:26
  thinks about you
• 31:26
  at all
• 31:27
  or what anybody
• 31:29
  says about you.
• 31:30
  You're accepted
• 31:31
  in your love
• 31:32
  because of Him.
• 31:33
  I read a really
• 31:34
  tragic story
• 31:35
  about a woman
• 31:39
  in 1980
• 31:41
  named Judith Bucknell.
• 31:43
  She was like
• 31:45
  a lot of women
• 31:46
  today.
• 31:47
  She wasn't like
• 31:48
  her struggles
• 31:49
  weren't unusual.
• 31:51
  She struggled
• 31:51
  with all the stuff
• 31:53
  that most people do,
• 31:54
  getting old,
• 31:55
  getting fat,
• 31:56
  getting married,
• 31:57
  surviving,
• 31:58
  making enough money.
• 31:59
  That's the kind of stuff
• 32:00
  that she had to deal
• 32:01
  with every day.
• 32:03
  She wasn't a prostitute.
• 32:05
  She didn't sell drugs.
• 32:06
  She wasn't on welfare.
• 32:08
  So a pretty normal woman.
• 32:10
  She exercised.
• 32:15
  She wore designer clothes.
• 32:18
  Had an apartment
• 32:19
  that overlooked
• 32:19
  the San Francisco Bay.
• 32:21
  She had a lot of friends
• 32:23
  or so-called friends.
• 32:25
  She had a lot of acquaintances.
• 32:27
  And in 1980,
• 32:31
  she was 38 years old
• 32:32
  and she ended up being
• 32:34
  homicide victim
• 32:36
  number 106 in Miami.
• 32:39
  She was murdered
• 32:41
  during the summer.
• 32:42
  She was stabbed seven times
• 32:44
  and then she was
• 32:44
  strangled to death.
• 32:46
  And she kept a diary
• 32:47
  of her very,
• 32:48
  very lonely life.
• 32:50
  And this is how
• 32:50
  we know.
• 32:51
  This is what
• 32:52
  she was seeking,
• 32:54
  you know,
• 32:54
  to be loved by a man.
• 32:56
  This is what happened.
• 32:58
  She says,
• 32:59
  I'm alone
• 33:00
  and I want to share
• 33:01
  something with somebody.
• 33:04
  Where are all the men
• 33:05
  with the flowers
• 33:06
  and the champagne
• 33:07
  and the music?
• 33:08
  Where are all the men
• 33:09
  who call and ask
• 33:11
  for a genuine,
• 33:12
  actual date?
• 33:13
  Where are all the men
• 33:14
  who would like to share
• 33:16
  more than my bed,
• 33:17
  my booze,
• 33:18
  and my food?
• 33:20
  I would like to have it
• 33:21
  in my life.
• 33:22
  Once before,
• 33:23
  I pass through my life
• 33:24
  in a kind of
• 33:26
  sexual relationship
• 33:26
  which is a part
• 33:27
  of the loving relationship.
• 33:29
  I see people together
• 33:31
  and I'm so jealous
• 33:32
  and I want to throw up.
• 33:34
  What about me?
• 33:35
  What about me?
• 33:39
  What is going to,
• 33:40
  who is going to love
• 33:41
  Judy Buck now?
• 33:43
  I feel so old,
• 33:45
  unloved,
• 33:45
  unwanted,
• 33:46
  abandoned,
• 33:47
  and used up
• 33:48
  and I want to cry myself
• 33:49
  to sleep every night.
• 33:52
  That's,
• 33:53
  a lot of you,
• 33:54
  you feel that way.
• 33:56
  And,
• 33:56
  her heart died
• 33:58
  long before
• 33:59
  she was murdered.
• 34:00
  That's the,
• 34:01
  that's the truth.
• 34:02
  And that's what
• 34:03
  a continual indoctrination
• 34:05
  into the world
• 34:06
  and giving in to sin
• 34:08
  and what sin looks like,
• 34:10
  that's like what
• 34:10
  it will lead to.
• 34:11
  It leads nowhere.
• 34:13
  It leads to,
• 34:13
  to misery and death.
• 34:15
  And,
• 34:16
  you need to be told
• 34:17
  that your value
• 34:18
  is not in your outward appearance.
• 34:19
  It's,
• 34:20
  it's in the hidden
• 34:21
  portion of the heart.
• 34:22
  It says that God
• 34:24
  formed man
• 34:25
  from the,
• 34:26
  from the dust,
• 34:26
  from the earth.
• 34:28
  And he will go back to that.
• 34:29
  I will and you will.
• 34:31
  And,
• 34:31
  there's something,
• 34:32
  there's a spiritual significance
• 34:33
  in that.
• 34:34
  And it's to say
• 34:34
  that your,
• 34:36
  your,
• 34:36
  your worth
• 34:37
  and your value to God
• 34:38
  is not in your outward appearance.
• 34:40
  Because you're going to go back
• 34:40
  to the dust.
• 34:41
  It's something else.
• 34:42
  It's just who you are.
• 34:43
  It's your,
• 34:44
  your spirit inside.
• 34:46
  And here God's made you.
• 34:48
  So,
• 34:49
  don't buy into those,
• 34:50
  those lies.
• 34:53
  It's very easy to do.
• 34:54
  You're told that every day.
• 34:56
  And so guys,
• 34:57
  like the next,
• 34:58
  it's,
• 35:00
  it's,
• 35:00
  it's for us.
• 35:00
  A lot of the girls do what they do
• 35:01
  because we tell them
• 35:02
  that's what we like
• 35:03
  and that's what we expect.
• 35:05
  So I,
• 35:05
  I think the blame
• 35:06
  goes all the way back to us.
• 35:09
  It's,
• 35:09
  it's completely
• 35:09
  our,
• 35:11
  our,
• 35:12
  our issue
• 35:12
  to deal with.
• 35:15
  Some of,
• 35:15
  some of us spend
• 35:16
  hours looking in front of the mirror.
• 35:19
  They might be in the weight room
• 35:19
  and not in the glamour room.
• 35:21
  We,
• 35:21
  we watch ourselves
• 35:22
  work out.
• 35:24
  We,
• 35:24
  we like how we look.
• 35:26
  There's,
• 35:26
  there's two different kinds of guys.
• 35:28
  A lot of times
• 35:28
  there could be more,
• 35:29
  but there's one time
• 35:30
  that they're going live
• 35:31
  is just to work hard
• 35:33
  to,
• 35:34
  to stay athletic,
• 35:34
  um,
• 35:36
  to show off
• 35:36
  and,
• 35:38
  uh,
• 35:38
  to get a good job
• 35:39
  and a good looking wife
• 35:39
  and make lots and lots of money.
• 35:41
  And that's what they're indoctrinated with.
• 35:43
  And they,
• 35:44
  they vigorously pursue those things
• 35:46
  with everything that they are.
• 35:47
  And their,
• 35:48
  their ego is to conquer the world
• 35:49
  and conquer women
• 35:51
  and their power hungry
• 35:53
  and they're bent on making a name
• 35:54
  for themselves.
• 35:56
  So,
• 35:56
  God despises that.
• 35:59
  He hates that.
• 36:01
  And if you keep going that way,
• 36:03
  um,
• 36:04
  it's going to end
• 36:04
  in your eternal ruin.
• 36:06
  Uh,
• 36:06
  your,
• 36:07
  your kingdom is made of sand
• 36:09
  and your glory is fading
• 36:10
  very,
• 36:10
  very fast.
• 36:12
  Um,
• 36:12
  I'm only 29.
• 36:13
  I already feel like,
• 36:14
  man,
• 36:14
  I can't do nothing like I used to do.
• 36:17
  No,
• 36:17
  I know Nathan feels it
• 36:18
  and a lot of us
• 36:19
  who are a little older than you guys
• 36:21
  are already,
• 36:21
  are already feeling it.
• 36:22
  We're not even
• 36:22
  have gray hairs yet
• 36:24
  and we're feeling it.
• 36:26
  So,
• 36:27
  those kind of guys,
• 36:28
  you should know,
• 36:29
  like,
• 36:30
  women are not like toys
• 36:31
  for your amusement.
• 36:32
  They're,
• 36:33
  they're beautiful.
• 36:33
  They're actual people
• 36:34
  and they're creating the image of God
• 36:36
  and you're to,
• 36:37
  to love them
• 36:38
  and honor them
• 36:38
  and protect them
• 36:39
  and not to use them
• 36:41
  for your own entertainment
• 36:42
  and amusement.
• 36:44
  Um,
• 36:44
  it really
• 36:45
  is aggravating
• 36:48
  and
• 36:48
  I have a hard time
• 36:50
  dealing with guys like that
• 36:51
  and I have a hard time
• 36:51
  loving guys like that.
• 36:53
  Um,
• 36:53
  that's probably like
• 36:54
  the hardest time for me
• 36:55
  to sit down
• 36:55
  and actually share
• 36:56
  the gospel with.
• 36:58
  And,
• 36:58
  um,
• 37:00
  turn to this,
• 37:01
  Jeremiah 9,
• 37:02
  a verse,
• 37:03
  a verse for you guys
• 37:04
  and for everybody else too,
• 37:05
  but,
• 37:06
  uh,
• 37:06
  Jeremiah chapter 9,
• 37:08
  go to verse 23.
• 37:14
  So,
• 37:14
  what is,
• 37:14
  so what is,
• 37:15
  what is God,
• 37:16
  what does He value
• 37:17
  in a man?
• 37:18
  Jeremiah 9,
• 37:21
  verse 23.
• 37:23
  It says this,
• 37:24
  Thus says the Lord,
• 37:27
  Let not the wise man
• 37:28
  boast in his wisdom,
• 37:30
  let not the mighty man
• 37:31
  boast in his might,
• 37:33
  let not the rich man
• 37:34
  boast in his riches,
• 37:36
  but let him who boasts
• 37:37
  boast in this,
• 37:39
  that he understands
• 37:40
  and knows me,
• 37:42
  that I am the Lord
• 37:43
  who practices
• 37:44
  steadfast love,
• 37:46
  justice,
• 37:46
  and righteousness
• 37:47
  in the earth.
• 37:48
  From these things
• 37:49
  I delight,
• 37:50
  declares the Lord.
• 37:52
  So,
• 37:52
  a man who knows God,
• 37:53
  a man who fears God,
• 37:55
  loves God,
• 37:56
  walks with God,
• 37:57
  and wants to live
• 37:57
  and die for God.
• 38:00
  That is what
• 38:01
  a man is.
• 38:03
  So,
• 38:03
  that,
• 38:03
  that one power-hungry,
• 38:04
  egotistical man,
• 38:06
  there's another kind of
• 38:07
  a breed that really develops,
• 38:08
  particularly like in an
• 38:09
  amusement-centered culture,
• 38:12
  is the lazy
• 38:13
  and apathetic man
• 38:14
  who,
• 38:14
  his goal is just
• 38:15
  to abuse himself
• 38:16
  to death.
• 38:18
  To always have,
• 38:19
  he's the guy
• 38:20
  who spends hours
• 38:20
  sitting in front of
• 38:21
  Xbox,
• 38:22
  watching TV all day.
• 38:24
  That's his goal,
• 38:24
  just to get home
• 38:25
  and do that.
• 38:26
  To get my stuff done,
• 38:27
  just isolate myself.
• 38:29
  And,
• 38:29
  I don't want
• 38:30
  problem with nobody,
• 38:31
  I just want to chill
• 38:31
  and just be relaxed
• 38:34
  for the rest of my life.
• 38:36
  And,
• 38:37
  those guys,
• 38:38
  you should know
• 38:38
  that men
• 38:39
  were not made for that.
• 38:41
  You weren't made
• 38:41
  for laziness
• 38:42
  and sitting on your butt
• 38:44
  all day.
• 38:45
  Men were made
• 38:46
  to work,
• 38:48
  fight,
• 38:49
  labor,
• 38:49
  and conquer
• 38:50
  for God
• 38:51
  and his kingdom.
• 38:53
  To go out
• 38:54
  and to live for him
• 38:56
  and to share the gospel
• 38:58
  and to lead others to him,
• 39:00
  to serve him
• 39:02
  for the glory of God.
• 39:04
  Another verse
• 39:05
  I'll read to you
• 39:06
  if you don't have to turn there.
• 39:07
  It's worth going back
• 39:07
  and reading.
• 39:09
  It's in 2 Samuel
• 39:10
  chapter 10.
• 39:12
  And in this text,
• 39:13
  David is starting
• 39:14
  to be surrounded
• 39:15
  with a lot
• 39:16
  of different enemies
• 39:17
  and he sends
• 39:18
  his main dude,
• 39:20
  Joab,
• 39:21
  who is a pretty
• 39:23
  awesome dude.
• 39:24
  He's a warrior
• 39:25
  if there ever was one.
• 39:26
  And he took some
• 39:27
  pretty beastly guys
• 39:28
  with him
• 39:29
  and they went
• 39:30
  to the battlefield
• 39:31
  and they were surrounded
• 39:32
  on both sides.
• 39:34
  And Joab
• 39:34
  told him,
• 39:36
  his buddy,
• 39:37
  he said,
• 39:37
  you take some men
• 39:38
  and go fight those guys.
• 39:39
  I'll take some men
• 39:40
  and go fight those guys.
• 39:41
  And if you need help,
• 39:42
  I'll come help you.
• 39:44
  And if I need help,
• 39:45
  you come help me.
• 39:46
  And this was his line.
• 39:48
  And I say this
• 39:49
  because this should be
• 39:50
  our mentality
• 39:51
  for the kingdom of God.
• 39:54
  Very awesome verse.
• 39:55
  I think people should memorize.
• 39:57
  Guys should memorize.
• 39:59
  They knew what they should do
• 40:00
  and they trusted
• 40:01
  in the sovereignty of God
• 40:03
  and they just went right at it.
• 40:06
  This is what he said.
• 40:07
  And this is what he told
• 40:07
  his guys.
• 40:08
  He said,
• 40:08
  Be of good courage
• 40:10
  and let us be courageous
• 40:12
  for our people
• 40:13
  and the cities of our God.
• 40:15
  And may the Lord do
• 40:16
  what seems good to him.
• 40:18
  That was kind of like
• 40:19
  his thing.
• 40:21
  Let's go
• 40:21
  and let's go
• 40:22
  and let's do battle
• 40:23
  for our people
• 40:25
  and the cities of our God.
• 40:28
  That's what we are made for.
• 40:30
  We are made to live,
• 40:32
  to work,
• 40:33
  to conquer
• 40:34
  and live for
• 40:34
  the kingdom of God.
• 40:35
  Not to waste hours
• 40:37
  sitting on our butts
• 40:38
  watching television
• 40:39
  and playing Xbox.
• 40:41
  So there's
• 40:42
  two different kinds
• 40:43
  of guys there
• 40:44
  in a lot of ways.
• 40:45
  I'm sure there's others,
• 40:46
  but there are two
• 40:47
  that I see a lot.
• 40:49
  And
• 40:49
  which leads us
• 40:51
  to our third point.
• 40:54
  We'll deal with
• 40:55
  some more of that
• 40:55
  other stuff later
• 40:56
  about how the world
• 40:56
  tries to
• 40:57
  indoctrinate you
• 40:58
  and tell you
• 40:58
  what's important.
• 40:59
  Number three,
• 41:00
  the world will try
• 41:01
  to make you
• 41:02
  forget
• 41:04
  who you are.
• 41:07
  The world will try
• 41:08
  to make you
• 41:08
  forget
• 41:09
  who you are.
• 41:11
  And I'll go back
• 41:11
  to Daniel.
• 41:16
  Daniel,
• 41:17
  I'm going to look
• 41:17
  at verse
• 41:18
  six and seven here.
• 41:21
  It says,
• 41:22
  Among these
• 41:23
  were Daniel,
• 41:23
  Hananiah,
• 41:25
  Mishael,
• 41:26
  and Azariah
• 41:26
  of the tribe
• 41:27
  of Judah.
• 41:28
  And the chief
• 41:28
  of the eunuchs
• 41:29
  gave them names.
• 41:30
  Daniel,
• 41:30
  he called
• 41:31
  Belshazzar.
• 41:32
  Hananiah,
• 41:33
  he called
• 41:33
  Shadrach.
• 41:34
  Mishael,
• 41:35
  he called
• 41:35
  Meshach.
• 41:36
  And Azariah,
• 41:37
  he called
• 41:38
  Abednego.
• 41:39
  So this isn't
• 41:40
  just like a
• 41:40
  cool thing.
• 41:42
  I don't know
• 41:42
  any name.
• 41:43
  You know,
• 41:44
  we can go to
• 41:44
  some countries,
• 41:45
  you know,
• 41:46
  other places
• 41:46
  in the world,
• 41:46
  like give me
• 41:47
  an American name.
• 41:47
  What an American name?
• 41:48
  It's not like
• 41:49
  a cool thing
• 41:50
  like that.
• 41:51
  This is another
• 41:51
  way of like
• 41:52
  indoctrinating them
• 41:53
  and changing
• 41:54
  the way they
• 41:55
  thought.
• 41:56
  Taking their
• 41:57
  minds off of
• 41:57
  God and who
• 41:58
  they were as
• 41:59
  the people of
• 41:59
  God.
• 42:00
  It was a way
• 42:01
  of brainwashing
• 42:02
  foreigners to
• 42:03
  the ways of
• 42:03
  Babylon.
• 42:05
  And think about
• 42:06
  this.
• 42:06
  These guys
• 42:07
  were part of
• 42:08
  the nobility
• 42:09
  of Judah.
• 42:10
  They were like
• 42:10
  the royal,
• 42:11
  you know,
• 42:12
  of that royal
• 42:12
  line.
• 42:13
  And as
• 42:14
  people who
• 42:16
  are saved
• 42:17
  and who know
• 42:17
  Christ,
• 42:18
  we are part of
• 42:20
  like the nobility
• 42:20
  of Christ.
• 42:21
  We are joint
• 42:22
  heirs with
• 42:22
  Christ.
• 42:23
  We are a
• 42:24
  part of a
• 42:25
  spiritual,
• 42:26
  far greater
• 42:27
  nobility than
• 42:28
  something this
• 42:28
  world could
• 42:29
  offer.
• 42:30
  And that's
• 42:30
  who we are.
• 42:32
  And their
• 42:33
  names,
• 42:35
  there's a
• 42:35
  Hebrew name
• 42:36
  connecting them
• 42:37
  to the
• 42:38
  living God,
• 42:39
  the true
• 42:39
  God.
• 42:40
  And Daniel
• 42:42
  means Yahweh
• 42:44
  is our
• 42:45
  judge.
• 42:46
  Pretty
• 42:47
  powerful.
• 42:48
  It means
• 42:48
  like God
• 42:48
  will always
• 42:49
  do what's
• 42:49
  right at all
• 42:50
  times.
• 42:50
  those are
• 42:52
  the name
• 42:52
  he was
• 42:53
  given means
• 42:54
  Baal,
• 42:55
  protect the
• 42:56
  king,
• 42:56
  the false
• 42:57
  God.
• 42:58
  He was
• 42:58
  given that
• 42:59
  name.
• 43:00
  Hananiah
• 43:01
  means Yahweh
• 43:02
  has been
• 43:03
  gracious to
• 43:03
  us or
• 43:04
  has been
• 43:04
  good to
• 43:05
  us.
• 43:07
  Shadrach,
• 43:08
  the name he
• 43:08
  was given
• 43:09
  was called
• 43:10
  command of
• 43:11
  Akut,
• 43:12
  another
• 43:12
  pagan
• 43:13
  god.
• 43:16
  Mishael,
• 43:17
  it says,
• 43:18
  it means
• 43:19
  who is like
• 43:20
  our God
• 43:21
  or who
• 43:21
  is equal
• 43:22
  to God
• 43:22
  or Yahweh.
• 43:25
  His name
• 43:25
  Meshach
• 43:26
  was called
• 43:27
  Abednego,
• 43:31
  a servant
• 43:32
  of Nago
• 43:33
  who was
• 43:33
  the god
• 43:33
  of vegetation.
• 43:36
  And
• 43:37
  Azariah
• 43:37
  means Yahweh
• 43:39
  has helped
• 43:40
  us.
• 43:42
  And
• 43:42
  so
• 43:43
  they were
• 43:45
  given these
• 43:45
  new names
• 43:46
  to basically
• 43:46
  change who
• 43:48
  they were
• 43:48
  to make
• 43:49
  them think
• 43:50
  differently
• 43:50
  because their
• 43:51
  names reminded
• 43:52
  them every
• 43:53
  day,
• 43:53
  like,
• 43:53
  I belong
• 43:53
  to the
• 43:54
  living God.
• 43:54
  I serve
• 43:55
  the true
• 43:55
  God.
• 43:56
  I'm a son
• 43:57
  of the
• 43:58
  real God,
• 43:59
  the living
• 43:59
  God.
• 44:00
  And so
• 44:00
  they changed
• 44:01
  their names.
• 44:02
  So,
• 44:04
  what's profound
• 44:04
  here,
• 44:05
  guys,
• 44:05
  is like,
• 44:06
  there's many,
• 44:07
  many other
• 44:08
  people that
• 44:08
  are taken,
• 44:09
  you know,
• 44:09
  thousands
• 44:09
  of Jews
• 44:11
  were taken
• 44:11
  into captivity
• 44:12
  in Babylon.
• 44:13
  many of
• 44:14
  them.
• 44:15
  And
• 44:16
  only these
• 44:16
  names are
• 44:17
  the ones
• 44:17
  recorded or
• 44:18
  remembered
• 44:19
  by people
• 44:20
  that wrote
• 44:21
  these down,
• 44:22
  you know,
• 44:22
  and told.
• 44:24
  It's the ones
• 44:25
  that Daniel
• 44:25
  wrote later.
• 44:26
  And
• 44:26
  so,
• 44:28
  it means
• 44:29
  that they
• 44:29
  were just
• 44:30
  like absorbed
• 44:30
  into the
• 44:31
  Babylonian
• 44:32
  culture.
• 44:32
  They became
• 44:33
  like Babylonians.
• 44:35
  And
• 44:35
  that's very,
• 44:39
  very scary.
• 44:40
  Years and
• 44:41
  years later,
• 44:42
  okay,
• 44:42
  like hundreds
• 44:42
  of years
• 44:43
  later,
• 44:43
  Cyrus conquered
• 44:45
  Babylon.
• 44:46
  He was from,
• 44:46
  you know,
• 44:47
  the Persian,
• 44:48
  the Persian king,
• 44:49
  the Medo-Persian
• 44:49
  empire.
• 44:50
  And part of
• 44:51
  his policy
• 44:52
  was like,
• 44:53
  let all the
• 44:54
  other people
• 44:54
  go back to
• 44:54
  their homeland.
• 44:56
  And that's a
• 44:56
  good way to
• 44:57
  control them,
• 44:58
  you know,
• 44:58
  cooperate with
• 44:59
  them,
• 45:00
  give them,
• 45:00
  you know,
• 45:00
  back their
• 45:01
  homeland.
• 45:02
  As long as
• 45:02
  they like show
• 45:03
  homage and
• 45:04
  give us money
• 45:04
  and respect us
• 45:06
  and obey our
• 45:07
  commands,
• 45:07
  that's cool,
• 45:08
  but let them
• 45:08
  go back to
• 45:08
  their homeland.
• 45:09
  So,
• 45:10
  he allowed
• 45:10
  all the Jews
• 45:11
  to go back
• 45:12
  to Judea
• 45:14
  and to
• 45:14
  Jerusalem.
• 45:15
  And that's
• 45:16
  where you get
• 45:16
  the books of
• 45:16
  like,
• 45:17
  you know,
• 45:18
  Esther,
• 45:18
  Nehemiah,
• 45:19
  Ezra,
• 45:20
  that's where
• 45:21
  those books
• 45:21
  kind of come
• 45:22
  into play.
• 45:23
  And in
• 45:24
  Nehemiah,
• 45:26
  something really
• 45:27
  crazy you
• 45:29
  could pick up
• 45:29
  on is that
• 45:31
  he noticed
• 45:33
  that a lot
• 45:33
  of the children
• 45:34
  that were there,
• 45:35
  they didn't even
• 45:36
  know the language
• 45:37
  of Judah.
• 45:38
  they had been
• 45:38
  taught the
• 45:39
  language of
• 45:40
  all these
• 45:40
  other nations
• 45:41
  that were in
• 45:41
  and they
• 45:42
  had broken
• 45:43
  God's law
• 45:44
  about intermarrying
• 45:45
  because that
• 45:46
  was the way
• 45:46
  of God
• 45:47
  preserving his
• 45:47
  identity.
• 45:48
  It's like,
• 45:49
  it'd be like
• 45:49
  a believer
• 45:50
  marrying a
• 45:51
  non-believer
• 45:51
  today.
• 45:53
  And eventually,
• 45:54
  like your kids
• 45:54
  don't know,
• 45:55
  like the language
• 45:56
  of the living
• 45:57
  God,
• 45:57
  they speak the
• 45:58
  worldly language
• 45:59
  and the
• 46:00
  language of,
• 46:01
  you know,
• 46:02
  building your
• 46:03
  own kingdom,
• 46:03
  the language of
• 46:04
  Babylon.
• 46:05
  And this is
• 46:06
  what he said,
• 46:06
  Nehemiah 1324,
• 46:08
  he says,
• 46:09
  half of their
• 46:10
  children spoke
• 46:10
  the language
• 46:11
  of Ashdod
• 46:12
  and they
• 46:13
  could not
• 46:13
  speak the
• 46:14
  language of
• 46:14
  Judah,
• 46:15
  but only the
• 46:16
  language of
• 46:17
  each of the
• 46:17
  people.
• 46:19
  So,
• 46:20
  the point
• 46:21
  here is like,
• 46:22
  will you
• 46:23
  last?
• 46:24
  And,
• 46:25
  will you
• 46:26
  last?
• 46:28
  Will you
• 46:28
  remain the
• 46:29
  people of
• 46:29
  God or will
• 46:30
  you be
• 46:30
  absorbed by
• 46:31
  the culture
• 46:31
  and ideology
• 46:33
  of the
• 46:33
  world of
• 46:34
  the Babylonian
• 46:35
  way of
• 46:36
  thinking?
• 46:39
  Fraternity
• 46:40
  people,
• 46:40
  sorority
• 46:41
  people,
• 46:41
  will you
• 46:42
  be renamed?
• 46:43
  Will you
• 46:43
  take on a
• 46:44
  new name?
• 46:44
  Like,
• 46:45
  yeah,
• 46:45
  this is who
• 46:45
  I am most
• 46:46
  of the time.
• 46:47
  They call me
• 46:48
  this and
• 46:49
  that's who I
• 46:50
  really am.
• 46:50
  I find my
• 46:51
  identity in
• 46:51
  that persona
• 46:53
  or in that
• 46:53
  way of
• 46:54
  thinking,
• 46:55
  you know.
• 46:56
  People in
• 46:56
  the military,
• 46:57
  who's going
• 46:57
  to influence
• 46:58
  who?
• 46:59
  You know,
• 46:59
  a lot of
• 47:00
  people are
• 47:00
  going to go
• 47:00
  there and
• 47:01
  I'm going
• 47:02
  to be
• 47:02
  Jesus in
• 47:02
  that place
• 47:03
  and maybe
• 47:03
  three months
• 47:04
  later,
• 47:04
  they're like,
• 47:05
  man,
• 47:05
  I made a
• 47:06
  bad call.
• 47:07
  They're
• 47:07
  influencing me
• 47:08
  far more
• 47:09
  than I'm
• 47:10
  influencing
• 47:10
  them.
• 47:12
  And years
• 47:13
  and years
• 47:14
  now,
• 47:14
  when you
• 47:15
  look into
• 47:16
  the future
• 47:16
  after school
• 47:17
  and all
• 47:17
  that,
• 47:18
  will you be
• 47:18
  speaking like
• 47:19
  the language
• 47:19
  of the people
• 47:20
  of God
• 47:20
  or will you
• 47:21
  be totally
• 47:22
  off?
• 47:23
  The world
• 47:24
  is that
• 47:24
  deceptive.
• 47:25
  It'll pull
• 47:25
  you right in.
• 47:27
  It's very,
• 47:27
  very good.
• 47:29
  It's so
• 47:29
  subtle.
• 47:30
  There's things
• 47:30
  that look
• 47:30
  good,
• 47:31
  but they're
• 47:31
  not God.
• 47:32
  It's not
• 47:33
  the blatant
• 47:33
  things.
• 47:34
  It's the
• 47:34
  things that
• 47:35
  are not
• 47:36
  evil in
• 47:36
  themselves
• 47:36
  that we
• 47:37
  turn into
• 47:37
  evil.
• 47:39
  So,
• 47:40
  don't be
• 47:40
  renamed.
• 47:41
  Don't be
• 47:41
  absorbed in
• 47:42
  the Babylonian
• 47:43
  way of
• 47:43
  thinking.
• 47:44
  Last text
• 47:45
  we'll look
• 47:45
  at,
• 47:45
  Deuteronomy
• 47:46
  7.
• 47:49
  Deuteronomy
• 47:49
  7.
• 47:50
  Turn there.
• 47:54
  And like I
• 47:54
  said,
• 47:55
  guys,
• 47:55
  next week
• 47:55
  we'll try
• 47:56
  to look
• 47:56
  at some
• 47:56
  more of
• 47:56
  the everyday
• 47:57
  things that
• 47:58
  we engage
• 47:59
  in that
• 48:00
  the world,
• 48:01
  the system
• 48:02
  of the
• 48:02
  world,
• 48:02
  and Satan
• 48:03
  uses to
• 48:03
  actually
• 48:04
  change the
• 48:04
  way we
• 48:05
  think.
• 48:11
  Deuteronomy
• 48:12
  7.
• 48:13
  And you
• 48:14
  should know
• 48:15
  like in
• 48:16
  this context
• 48:16
  God is
• 48:17
  speaking to
• 48:18
  the people
• 48:19
  of Israel
• 48:19
  that he's
• 48:19
  brought out
• 48:20
  of Egypt.
• 48:21
  But they
• 48:22
  were God's
• 48:23
  chosen people.
• 48:25
  At that point
• 48:25
  he chose
• 48:26
  that nation
• 48:26
  to manifest
• 48:27
  himself to
• 48:28
  and to
• 48:29
  give us
• 48:29
  commands to
• 48:30
  not necessarily
• 48:30
  to save
• 48:31
  them all
• 48:31
  because a
• 48:31
  lot of
• 48:31
  them
• 48:32
  were
• 48:32
  about
• 48:32
  against
• 48:32
  God
• 48:32
  and
• 48:32
  were
• 48:32
  killed
• 48:33
  but
• 48:34
  to
• 48:35
  manifest
• 48:35
  himself
• 48:35
  as
• 48:36
  God
• 48:36
  to
• 48:36
  them.
• 48:37
  And in
• 48:39
  the same
• 48:39
  way,
• 48:39
  believers
• 48:40
  are the
• 48:40
  people of
• 48:41
  God.
• 48:41
  We are a
• 48:42
  chosen race,
• 48:43
  a royal
• 48:43
  priesthood,
• 48:44
  a holy
• 48:44
  nation,
• 48:45
  a people
• 48:45
  for God's
• 48:46
  own possession.
• 48:48
  This is
• 48:48
  who we
• 48:48
  are.
• 48:49
  So we
• 48:50
  need to
• 48:50
  understand
• 48:51
  a lot
• 48:52
  of it
• 48:52
  is an
• 48:52
  identity
• 48:53
  thing.
• 48:53
  We must
• 48:53
  understand
• 48:54
  who we
• 48:55
  are.
• 48:55
  You have
• 48:55
  to be
• 48:56
  told
• 48:56
  every day
• 48:56
  this is
• 48:59
  who I
• 48:57
  am.
• 48:57
  I belong
• 48:58
  to Christ.
• 48:59
  He bought
• 48:59
  me with
• 48:59
  his blood.
• 49:01
  I'm a
• 49:02
  part of
• 49:02
  his body.
• 49:03
  He's my
• 49:03
  savior.
• 49:04
  I love
• 49:04
  him.
• 49:05
  I want
• 49:05
  to follow
• 49:05
  him and
• 49:06
  live for
• 49:06
  him.
• 49:07
  This is
• 49:07
  who I
• 49:07
  am.
• 49:08
  I'm a
• 49:08
  new
• 49:08
  creation.
• 49:09
  The old
• 49:09
  is gone
• 49:10
  and the
• 49:10
  new
• 49:10
  has come.
• 49:11
  You have
• 49:11
  to think
• 49:11
  that way
• 49:12
  every day.
• 49:14
  And if
• 49:15
  you don't,
• 49:15
  you're
• 49:15
  going to
• 49:15
  begin to
• 49:16
  buy into
• 49:17
  this thing
• 49:17
  that your
• 49:18
  worth and
• 49:18
  your value
• 49:19
  and all
• 49:20
  that is
• 49:21
  found in
• 49:21
  another
• 49:22
  place
• 49:22
  outside of
• 49:23
  God,
• 49:23
  the one
• 49:23
  who actually
• 49:26
  listen to
• 49:28
  this.
• 49:28
  This is
• 49:29
  Deuteronomy
• 49:29
  7,
• 49:30
  verse 6
• 49:31
  and 9.
• 49:34
  Yeah,
• 49:35
  verse 6
• 49:35
  through 9.
• 49:36
  It says,
• 49:37
  For you
• 49:39
  are a
• 49:39
  people
• 49:40
  holy to
• 49:41
  the Lord
• 49:41
  your God,
• 49:43
  set aside,
• 49:44
  you know,
• 49:45
  set aside
• 49:45
  for God.
• 49:47
  The Lord
• 49:48
  your God
• 49:48
  has chosen
• 49:49
  you to
• 49:50
  be a
• 49:50
  people for
• 49:51
  his
• 49:51
  treasured
• 49:51
  possession
• 49:52
  out of
• 49:53
  all the
• 49:54
  peoples who
• 49:55
  are on
• 49:55
  the face
• 49:56
  of this
• 49:56
  earth.
• 49:57
  It is
• 49:58
  not because
• 49:59
  you were
• 49:59
  more than
• 49:59
  number than
• 50:01
  any other
• 50:01
  people that
• 50:02
  the Lord
• 50:02
  set his
• 50:03
  love on
• 50:04
  you and
• 50:04
  chose you,
• 50:05
  for you
• 50:06
  were the
• 50:06
  fewest of
• 50:07
  all the
• 50:07
  peoples.
• 50:08
  So in
• 50:08
  other words,
• 50:09
  it wasn't
• 50:09
  how cool
• 50:09
  you are.
• 50:10
  It wasn't
• 50:11
  what you
• 50:11
  could do.
• 50:12
  It wasn't
• 50:12
  how beautiful
• 50:13
  you were on
• 50:14
  the outside.
• 50:15
  It didn't
• 50:15
  matter.
• 50:16
  It didn't
• 50:16
  matter.
• 50:17
  That's not
• 50:17
  why God
• 50:17
  chose to
• 50:18
  set his
• 50:18
  love on
• 50:19
  you.
• 50:20
  Verse 8,
• 50:22
  But it
• 50:22
  was because
• 50:23
  the Lord
• 50:23
  loves you
• 50:24
  and is
• 50:25
  keeping the
• 50:26
  oath he
• 50:27
  swore to
• 50:27
  your fathers
• 50:28
  that the
• 50:29
  Lord has
• 50:29
  brought you
• 50:30
  out with a
• 50:32
  mighty hand
• 50:32
  and redeemed
• 50:33
  you from the
• 50:33
  house of
• 50:34
  slavery and
• 50:35
  from the
• 50:35
  hand of
• 50:36
  Pharaoh,
• 50:37
  the king
• 50:37
  of Egypt.
• 50:38
  Know
• 50:38
  therefore the
• 50:39
  Lord your
• 50:39
  God is
• 50:41
  God,
• 50:42
  the faithful
• 50:43
  God who
• 50:43
  keeps covenant
• 50:44
  and steadfast
• 50:45
  love with
• 50:46
  those who
• 50:46
  love him and
• 50:47
  keep his
• 50:47
  commandments to
• 50:49
  a thousand
• 50:49
  generations.
• 50:50
  the Lord
• 50:53
  has,
• 50:54
  I mean you
• 50:54
  should know
• 50:54
  this as
• 50:55
  well,
• 50:55
  like slavery
• 50:57
  in Egypt
• 50:58
  and Moses
• 50:58
  and Pharaoh
• 50:59
  and all
• 50:59
  that,
• 51:00
  they were
• 51:00
  types and
• 51:01
  prefigures
• 51:02
  of a
• 51:03
  greater slavery
• 51:03
  like their
• 51:04
  bondage in
• 51:04
  Egypt was
• 51:06
  a picture of
• 51:06
  a greater
• 51:07
  slavery that
• 51:07
  every human
• 51:08
  has and
• 51:08
  that's the
• 51:09
  bondage of
• 51:09
  sin.
• 51:10
  We all
• 51:10
  have that
• 51:11
  and Pharaoh,
• 51:13
  you know,
• 51:14
  pretty bad
• 51:15
  do but
• 51:15
  nothing compared
• 51:16
  to Satan.
• 51:17
  So in the
• 51:17
  same way we
• 51:18
  were slaves,
• 51:19
  we were
• 51:19
  slaves,
• 51:20
  to sin,
• 51:21
  we were
• 51:21
  dead in
• 51:21
  sin,
• 51:22
  we were
• 51:22
  rebels
• 51:22
  against
• 51:22
  God,
• 51:23
  hostile
• 51:24
  towards
• 51:24
  God,
• 51:25
  God only
• 51:25
  had wrath
• 51:26
  focused on
• 51:27
  us and
• 51:28
  we were,
• 51:30
  it says in
• 51:30
  scripture that
• 51:31
  we belong to
• 51:31
  the devil.
• 51:32
  We did his
• 51:33
  will,
• 51:33
  we carried out
• 51:33
  his will
• 51:34
  before we
• 51:34
  were in
• 51:35
  Christ.
• 51:36
  And it
• 51:36
  says that
• 51:38
  he brought
• 51:38
  us out
• 51:38
  with a
• 51:39
  mighty hand
• 51:39
  and redeemed
• 51:41
  us.
• 51:41
  And he did
• 51:42
  that through
• 51:42
  Christ.
• 51:43
  So he
• 51:44
  bought us,
• 51:44
  he delivered
• 51:45
  us out of
• 51:46
  slavery and
• 51:46
  death and
• 51:48
  gave us
• 51:48
  himself,
• 51:49
  gave us
• 51:49
  Christ to
• 51:50
  be our
• 51:51
  all in
• 51:51
  all and
• 51:52
  he can't
• 51:52
  be taken
• 51:53
  away from
• 51:53
  us.
• 51:54
  And he
• 51:55
  did this
• 51:56
  purely out
• 51:57
  of grace.
• 51:58
  We did
• 51:59
  not deserve
• 51:59
  it,
• 52:00
  just like we
• 52:01
  just read
• 52:01
  here.
• 52:02
  Purely out
• 52:03
  of grace.
• 52:04
  He loves
• 52:05
  you,
• 52:05
  not because
• 52:06
  you're awesome
• 52:06
  and cool.
• 52:07
  He loves
• 52:08
  you just
• 52:08
  because he
• 52:10
  chose to
• 52:10
  for no other
• 52:11
  reason.
• 52:12
  Because it
• 52:12
  brought him
• 52:13
  favor and it
• 52:14
  glorified him
• 52:15
  to love
• 52:16
  something that
• 52:16
  was so
• 52:16
  unlovable.
• 52:18
  And it's
• 52:19
  not that
• 52:19
  God just
• 52:20
  is love
• 52:20
  or has
• 52:21
  love or
• 52:22
  is loving.
• 52:23
  It means
• 52:24
  that he is
• 52:25
  in his very
• 52:25
  nature,
• 52:26
  he's love.
• 52:27
  He defines
• 52:27
  love.
• 52:28
  So therefore
• 52:29
  he is loving.
• 52:30
  It comes
• 52:31
  out of who
• 52:31
  he is.
• 52:32
  And the
• 52:33
  Lord saved
• 52:34
  us and
• 52:34
  called us
• 52:35
  his people.
• 52:36
  And we're
• 52:37
  to live for
• 52:38
  him.
• 52:38
  We're not
• 52:39
  to be
• 52:39
  absorbed into
• 52:40
  the culture
• 52:41
  and way of
• 52:42
  thinking of
• 52:43
  Babylon in
• 52:44
  this world.
• 52:45
  And it's
• 52:46
  going to be
• 52:46
  an everyday
• 52:46
  fight.
• 52:47
  It's not
• 52:47
  going to be
• 52:47
  over until
• 52:48
  Christ comes
• 52:49
  back and
• 52:49
  cleans house.
• 52:52
  So we
• 52:53
  need each
• 52:53
  other.
• 52:53
  We need to
• 52:53
  be reminded
• 52:54
  of these
• 52:54
  truths.
• 52:55
  So next
• 52:56
  week we're
• 52:56
  going to
• 52:56
  talk more
• 52:57
  on the
• 52:59
  things that
• 52:59
  surround us
• 53:00
  every day
• 53:01
  and try to
• 53:02
  prepare a
• 53:03
  difficult thing.
• 53:04
  Pray for me
• 53:04
  and John as
• 53:06
  well as we
• 53:06
  kind of tread
• 53:07
  this line
• 53:08
  between law
• 53:09
  and grace.
• 53:11
  You know,
• 53:12
  like we can't
• 53:13
  be like,
• 53:13
  hey, stop
• 53:14
  doing that.
• 53:14
  Stop doing
• 53:15
  that.
• 53:15
  Stop it.
• 53:16
  That's not
• 53:16
  the point.
• 53:17
  There's some
• 53:17
  things that
• 53:18
  can be used
• 53:19
  for the glory
• 53:19
  of God and
• 53:20
  we need to
• 53:20
  be aware of
• 53:21
  those things.
• 53:22
  And some
• 53:22
  things we
• 53:22
  should stay
• 53:23
  just blatantly
• 53:23
  away from.
• 53:25
  And so
• 53:25
  we'll talk
• 53:27
  about some
• 53:27
  of that next
• 53:28
  week.
• 53:30
  So yeah,
• 53:31
  let's be the
• 53:32
  people of God
• 53:33
  and encourage
• 53:35
  each other,
• 53:35
  remind each
• 53:36
  other about
• 53:36
  who we are
• 53:37
  every day.
• 53:39
  And so
• 53:40
  let's pray
• 53:41
  and then we'll
• 53:41
  just kind of
• 53:42
  respond to
• 53:42
  just the time
• 53:43
  of singing.
• 53:44
  And Father,
• 53:48
  you are
• 53:51
  worthy to be
• 53:52
  praised.
• 53:52
  You are
• 53:52
  worthy to
• 53:53
  of our lives
• 53:57
  and our
• 53:57
  energies,
• 53:58
  everything we
• 53:59
  are.
• 53:59
  And even if
• 54:00
  you led us
• 54:00
  to death,
• 54:02
  you're worth
• 54:02
  dying for
• 54:03
  and shown
• 54:05
  to be
• 54:05
  magnificent
• 54:06
  in the way
• 54:07
  we die.
• 54:08
  and Father,
• 54:10
  if we have
• 54:11
  you,
• 54:11
  nothing can
• 54:12
  take you
• 54:14
  away from
• 54:14
  us.
• 54:15
  You're
• 54:16
  holding us
• 54:17
  with your
• 54:17
  powerful right
• 54:19
  hand and
• 54:20
  no one will
• 54:22
  snatch us
• 54:22
  out of your
• 54:23
  hand.
• 54:24
  And if we're
• 54:25
  in Christ,
• 54:26
  we cannot be
• 54:26
  condemned.
• 54:28
  Father,
• 54:29
  we praise you
• 54:31
  for not just
• 54:31
  leaving us
• 54:32
  in darkness
• 54:32
  and in a
• 54:34
  place of
• 54:35
  misery in
• 54:35
  the world.
• 54:37
  But for
• 54:37
  calling us
• 54:38
  out and
• 54:39
  saving us,
• 54:41
  bringing us
• 54:42
  into the
• 54:42
  light and
• 54:43
  making us
• 54:44
  your people,
• 54:45
  making us
• 54:45
  your children
• 54:46
  and delighting
• 54:48
  in us and
• 54:48
  giving us
• 54:50
  new names
• 54:52
  as your
• 54:52
  sons and
• 54:53
  your daughters
• 54:54
  and help
• 54:57
  us to be
• 54:57
  reminded that
• 54:58
  Lord and
• 54:58
  the price
• 54:59
  that it was
• 55:00
  to bring us
• 55:00
  to that
• 55:01
  place,
• 55:02
  the precious
• 55:03
  blood of
• 55:04
  Christ.
• 55:05
  And he
• 55:06
  bought us
• 55:06
  and purchased
• 55:07
  us with
• 55:07
  his own
• 55:08
  blood.
• 55:09
  And we
• 55:10
  are his
• 55:11
  and we
• 55:11
  are the
• 55:11
  church and
• 55:12
  we belong
• 55:13
  to him
• 55:14
  exclusively,
• 55:15
  not to have
• 55:16
  any other
• 55:16
  lovers.
• 55:18
  And Lord,
• 55:19
  we are also
• 55:19
  called to each
• 55:20
  other and we
• 55:21
  need each
• 55:22
  other to
• 55:22
  remind
• 55:23
  ourselves of
• 55:24
  the gospel
• 55:24
  every day
• 55:25
  and to
• 55:25
  fight the
• 55:26
  good fight
• 55:27
  that's in
• 55:27
  front of us.
• 55:28
  And Lord,
• 55:29
  help us to
• 55:30
  remain your
• 55:32
  people and
• 55:33
  to live like
• 55:33
  your people
• 55:34
  while we
• 55:34
  are here on
• 55:35
  this earth
• 55:35
  until you
• 55:37
  come back
• 55:37
  or you
• 55:38
  take us
• 55:38
  to be
• 55:39
  with you,
• 55:40
  to set our
• 55:41
  minds on the
• 55:42
  eternal and
• 55:42
  the unseen
• 55:43
  rather than
• 55:43
  the seen
• 55:44
  and the
• 55:45
  temporal,
• 55:45
  to be
• 55:45
  strangers
• 55:46
  and pilgrims
• 55:48
  and aliens
• 55:49
  and travelers
• 55:50
  in this earth
• 55:51
  and not to
• 55:51
  become settlers.
• 55:53
  And to
• 55:55
  keep our
• 55:55
  hope and
• 55:56
  our joy
• 55:58
  fixed on
• 55:58
  Christ.
• 55:59
  And Lord,
• 56:01
  we love
• 56:01
  you and
• 56:01
  praise you.
• 56:02
  Thank you
• 56:02
  for your
• 56:02
  word that
• 56:03
  reveals this
• 56:04
  truth to
• 56:05
  us.
• 56:05
  And may
• 56:07
  we just
• 56:07
  continue to
• 56:08
  think of
• 56:08
  these things
• 56:09
  tonight and
• 56:10
  in the
• 56:10
  coming days.
• 56:12
  In Christ's
• 56:13
  name,
• 56:13
  Amen.