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Temptation - Anger · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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And why this is so ungodly is because it goes against the very centerpiece of the Christian faith.
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! And if I ask you what is life about? What is a Christian life about?
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It's the glory of God. Like, everything is centered around the glory of God.
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And He is the focus. And this ideology makes us the focus.
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We're in the center, and we deserve to be in the center.
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So, I should really just... This is kind of a long intro. Sorry, before we get into 1 John here.
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You might ask the question like, what is it that corrupts us, you know, as people?
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A lot of people like to blame their sin on something.
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Like to say, the devil made me do it.
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Or, you know, I'm just a victim of a bad environment.
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But people in society just push me too hard.
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They know how to push my buttons and make me angry and go nuts.
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Even some people, on a more theological level, they want to blame their sin on Adam.
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You know, as if they don't commit their own sin every day.
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And their own hearts are corrupted.
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So, but the reality is, and I'll read you this really fast out of Mark 7.
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And Jesus said, do you not see that whatever goes into a person from the outside cannot defile him?
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And he says, a little later, right after that, all these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.
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We sin because we're sinners.
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So, he lists this long list of sins, descriptions of sins, like sexual immorality, adultery, murder, theft.
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And he says, they all come from within us.
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They don't, we're not corrupted by the outside, we're corrupted inside.
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So, when we sin, it's our deal.
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We, you know, he made me mad.
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No, he didn't.
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I chose to get mad.
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Like he, I can't blame it on him.
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You're responsible for your own sin.
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And so, another idea people have is if I can just remove myself from the world, I'll be a perfect Christian.
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Not true.
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And the reason why is because your sin will follow you wherever you go.
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A lot of people who go on, you know, mission trips, whatever you want to call it, like overseas, including people in history,
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they think that by going to some exotic place and getting involved and pointing their life out, none of their sin will follow them there.
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You know?
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And all of it does, they have to write, they write out the same things.
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Hudson Taylor, who went to China, wrote the very same thing.
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My sin has basically followed me here.
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Every insecurity I had and every problem I had is here with me right now in China.
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It didn't get better.
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So, has anybody ever seen the movie The Village?
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Anybody?
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Some people don't like scary movies, but that's a very interesting movie.
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If you could handle it, I would watch it.
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I think it's pretty clean.
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Here's why.
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It's got like some, you can learn a lot about the way humans are in that movie.
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They're this group of people that move out in the middle of nowhere and basically live like they did back in the 1800s or 1700s.
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And their goal is to, like, remove themselves from an evil and sinful society.
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That's, like, what they want to do.
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They think that by moving away, they can do that.
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But evil pops back up in the movie because humans sin against each other and great evil is committed.
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And they think, like, what happened?
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We tried to build this perfect world and it just fell apart.
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So, our sin will follow us.
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We can be alone in the middle of nowhere and it will be there with us.
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So, we can't blame the world for our sin is where I'm trying to go with this.
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We can't say it's too rough.
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I mean, it affects how I live.
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So, now getting into our text.
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We're not going to necessarily focus on verse 16 because John kind of, he explained that a few weeks ago.
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So, and like I said, this is going to warrant more, maybe a Q&A later.
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But I think I have three points out of this text and then we're going to spend some time on application.
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So, the first one is, we see in verse 15, it says,
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Do not love the world or the things in the world.
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If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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So, the first point is, the world pushes away love for God.
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The world pushes away love for God.
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It reveals our identity.
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You are what you love.
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You are what you take delight in.
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The most, I think, one of the chief ways you can get to know somebody or say, I know that person well.
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You can't really say that unless you know what they desire and what they delight in and what they take joy in.
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So, you are what you love and you're controlled by what you love.
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And love for God and love for the world are at odds.
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They can't coexist.
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It would be like, it would be like saying, I love justice and innocence,
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but I'm glad that that serial killer or that child rapist was set free, even when they openly admitted it.
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You'd be contributing yourself.
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You can't say, I love freedom and liberty, but at the same time, I'm glad that I have some slaves that serve me.
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It's just a contradiction.
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So, God, you can't love him and the world at the same time.
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It doesn't work that way.
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You can't serve two masters, as Jesus would say.
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In Matthew 6, 24, I'll read this to you.
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He says,
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No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
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You cannot serve God and money.
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He uses money in this context.
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So, it reveals who we are based on what we love.
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And, as I said last week, the world will try to befriend you.
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It will try to bring you in and make you comfortable.
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And, we read in James 4, 4,
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You adulterous people, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
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Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
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So, it's important that you understand, like, you can't be all about the world,
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and where all your time and energy and money is just going into it,
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and, at the same time, love God.
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It just doesn't work that way.
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Love for the world diminishes your love for God.
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So, what I want to do here is,
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the first place I want to turn is Philippians 3, verse 6.
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I think I have five places for you to look tonight.
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Philippians 3, 6 through 8.
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Philippians 3, 6 through 8.
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And, I ask you the question,
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we've said this a lot here, but I think it's really, really good.
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It would be good to remind yourself.
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If you could go to heaven right now, like this very instant,
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and go and be in heaven,
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and you could have all the worldly pleasures that you enjoy here to the max,
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and it would be not simple, and it would be okay, not evil.
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You know, all the food, all the sex, whatever you could enjoy here,
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you could have there.
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Like, in the greatest way possible.
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You could go right now.
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Like, would you do it?
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There's just one catch to it.
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Christ is not going to be there.
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You still want to go.
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And, a lot of people make heaven not to be that way.
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I want to go and visit my dead relatives.
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I want to go and, you know,
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just play that golf course I think is going to be up there.
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It doesn't exist.
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Christ is heaven.
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And, the glory of God is what is in heaven.
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And, so, if you can answer that, and you say,
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I don't know if I really want to,
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then you need to take a close look at yourself,
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examine yourself,
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to see if you are a true believer.
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Because, Christ didn't save you so that you could marry the world,
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and marry sin again.
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He saved you for himself.
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And, true faith in him produces love for him.
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So, getting back to this,
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Philippians 3, 6 and 8.
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But, whatever gain I had,
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this is Paul talking,
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whatever gain I had,
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I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
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Indeed, I count everything as loss
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because of the surpassing worth
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of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
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For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things
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and count them as rubbish,
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in order that I might gain Christ.
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And, in this text, he's basically saying,
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whatever I thought was so valuable and so awesome,
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whatever I devoted my life to,
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I now consider refuge,
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dung,
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in comparison to knowing Christ.
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And, that's really the heartbeat of a Christian,
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if you are one.
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Now, we obviously have to struggle with,
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we definitely can get lured by the world,
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but we can't stay in it.
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We have to come out of it.
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We can't love the world like we love Christ.
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It's just a different kind of thing.
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So, we're to use all things for the glory of God
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and things we come in contact with
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and not allow us to consume us.
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So, if you identify yourself with the world,
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you're basically saying and identifying yourself
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as a God-hater,
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someone who is not a part of who God is at all.
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They can't coexist.
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And, this leads into our next point,
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number two,
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is found in verse 17.
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Go back to 1 John, sorry.
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Keep your hand there.
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I'll be flipping back.
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1 John 2, verse 17,
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says this,
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And the world is passing away along with its desires.
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Okay?
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So, the second point is,
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not only will the world try to push away your love for God,
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but it will,
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the world is passing away.
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That's the second point.
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The world is passing away.
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It's fleeting.
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It's going away right now as we speak, even.
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So, from this,
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what do we take out?
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We need to have a,
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a believer needs to have a great concept
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and meditate on this daily.
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an eternal perspective
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that you're going to last forever.
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And,
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that,
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if you invest in this world,
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it's a waste of time.
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Because this world is passing away,
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no one buys stock in a company
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they know is going to get bankrupt.
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Right?
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You don't go and build a house
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on a ship that you know is going to sink.
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You don't take all your riches
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and your money
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and possessions
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and put them in a place
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that you know is going to go get robbed
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and broken into
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and all your stuff is going to be taken away.
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It's foolishness.
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You don't do that.
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So,
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in the same way,
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if this world
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and things in it
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are the most valuable things to you,
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you're going to lose them
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because the world is passing away.
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And if you hold on to it,
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if you hold on to the,
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the world so tightly,
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you're going to perish with it.
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It's like the idea.
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Anybody ever read
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Mubby Dick?
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Getting way back
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in our literature.
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This one,
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the captain of that ship
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was obsessed
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with killing the whale.
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That was his goal.
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And eventually,
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he did it.
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Or he tried to do it.
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And eventually,
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the whale destroyed him.
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He was obsessed with that.
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That was his life goal.
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And he perished with it.
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You know,
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so this is
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a picture of us
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if we try to hold on to the world,
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we'll perish with it.
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So,
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so basically,
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if anyone loves the world,
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love for the Father
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will not be in him
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because all that is in the world
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is not of God.
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That's a summation of this.
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And,
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I'll throw this out there at you.
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In my parents' neighborhood
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a few weeks ago,
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there was a
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really,
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really,
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really expensive
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big house
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that was built
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in their neighborhood.
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And it burnt to the ground
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a few weeks ago.
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And,
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my mom and dad
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had a chance to go over
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and try to minister
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to these people.
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And they,
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they were like,
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man,
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our whole life has been there.
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You know,
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like it's all gone now.
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And you can just see
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like how
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terrible it is for them
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because that was their life.
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You know,
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it would hurt
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a lot of people,
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but not,
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but particularly people
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who don't have
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Christ as their ultimate treasure.
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And,
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it's,
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it's devastating.
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And,
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so,
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I want to read this out of
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first,
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our Colossians
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3,
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1 through 2 to you.
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It says,
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If then you have been
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raised with Christ,
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seek the things
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that are above
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where Christ is.
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Seated at the right hand
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of God.
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Set your minds
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on things above
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and not on things
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on the earth.
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So,
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a believer needs to have
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an eternal perspective
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that will help you
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battle against
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the things in the world.
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Third point,
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we're kind of moving
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through this,
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is,
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only love for God
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gives eternal life.
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Only love for God
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gives eternal life.
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This is in verse 17.
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Whoever does the will
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of God
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abides forever.
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So,
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loving God
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and obeying God
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and doing His will
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are not
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separate things.
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They,
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they coexist.
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They're together.
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You can't separate
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one from the other.
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You can't say,
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I love God,
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but I'm not going to
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do what He's commanded
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me to do.
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Jesus said
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in John 14,
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if you love me,
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you will keep
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my commandments.
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You will.
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It's an evidence
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of someone
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who truly knows
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who God is.
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and it's a lie
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to say,
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I love God
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and I'm going to
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disobey every
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commandment He's
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ever made.
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1 John says
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that you're a liar.
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It's like blatantly
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said,
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you are a liar
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and the truth
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is not in you.
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So a paraphrase
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of all this
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is,
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if you love
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the world,
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you will perish
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with the world.
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But if you don't
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love the world,
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but love God
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and you do His will,
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you'll live with Him
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forever.
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That's basically
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a summation
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of what we just
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talked about.
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So,
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now,
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kind of getting
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to the harder part.
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And this was
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very hard,
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y'all.
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Like,
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we're going to get
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into some application
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here about
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what a lot of
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this means.
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you know,
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I want to do
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my best to try
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to tread the line
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between law
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and grace will.
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And,
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so,
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this will warrant
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further conversation.
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So we can talk
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about it later.
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Maybe we can have
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a Q&A later.
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But,
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I actually,
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again,
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kind of,
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one book I've read
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that has helped me
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the most,
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learning on how
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to deal with
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possessions
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and things in the world,
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an old school book.
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It's a section
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out of John Calvin's
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Institutes.
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And,
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it's called
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The Golden Book
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of the True Christian Life.
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They just made this
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part of the Christian life.
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And,
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one of these last chapters
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is called
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The Right Use
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of the Present World.
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And,
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this is really,
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really good.
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I would recommend,
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if you've ever read
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anything from Calvin before,
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this is a great place
15:18
to start.
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But,
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he kind of talks about
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how to deal
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with the things
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we have in this life.
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We're going to
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unpack it a little bit.
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Then,
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I have some scripture.
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Then,
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I have some quotes.
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But,
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I'm going to use,
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like,
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this book,
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just kind of as a guide
15:30
to walk through
15:31
some things.
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And,
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first of all,
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in The Right Use
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of the Present World,
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this is what we're
15:38
talking about,
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application,
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he says that
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we must avoid
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two extremes.
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Okay?
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Two extremes.
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The first one
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is legalism.
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And,
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that means basically
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adding extra
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biblical rules
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to things
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that aren't there.
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Your rules of conduct.
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You're being overly
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rigid on this.
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You know,
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adding to the commandments
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of God.
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And,
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God has not said,
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you can't do this.
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And,
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he said that's the first
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extreme.
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And,
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this is what he wrote.
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In their desire
16:13
to correct
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such a pernicious evil,
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they have adopted
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the only method
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which they saw fit.
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Namely,
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to permit
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earthly blessings
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only in so far
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as their absolute necessity.
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You ever heard
16:25
anybody say that?
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Like,
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if you don't need it,
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you don't,
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if it's not a necessity,
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you don't need that.
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You've heard
16:31
that extreme camp before.
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He says,
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this advice
16:36
showed the best
16:37
of intentions,
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but was far too rigid.
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For they committed
16:41
the very,
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excuse me,
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I have my papers mixed up.
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They committed
16:45
the very dangerous error
16:46
of imposing
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on the conscience
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of others
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stricter rules
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than those already
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laid down for us
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in the word of the Lord.
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Okay?
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Then he said,
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according to that camp,
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or according to them,
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it would be scarcely
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permissible
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to eat and drink
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anything but
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bread and water.
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Others saw
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even greater
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extremes
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of being rigid,
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like the man
17:10
from Thebes
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is a historical story,
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who had said
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he threw all his
17:14
treasures into the sea
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out of fear
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that unless they
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were destroyed,
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he himself
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would be destroyed
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by them.
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So he's like,
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he just renounced
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all his riches
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because he was afraid
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they were just going
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to destroy him.
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So he said,
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that's the first camp
17:29
to avoid.
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If you were just like,
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stay away from it,
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it's going to mess you up.
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Don't even get near it.
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You know?
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So that's the first camp,
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legalism.
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The second extreme
17:38
is licentiousness.
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That's a big word.
17:40
That's a scriptural word.
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And it basically means this,
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lacking or regarding
17:46
for legal or moral
17:49
restrictions.
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You know?
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It means like,
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hey,
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God made it for us,
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let's just enjoy it.
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You know?
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And you kind of go
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the other extreme,
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the other side
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of the pendulum.
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And this is what he said.
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On the other hand,
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there are many others
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nowadays who seek
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to prevent,
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to excuse
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and temperament,
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you know,
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keeping things under control
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in the use of external things
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and who desire
18:12
to indulge
18:13
in the lust of the flesh.
18:14
So you've got
18:15
the other camp.
18:16
You've got the one
18:16
Christian group
18:17
that's like,
18:18
don't even go near beer.
18:20
Like,
18:20
don't even look at it.
18:21
Don't even look at it.
18:23
The other camp is like,
18:23
hey,
18:24
God made it for us to enjoy.
18:25
And they let go
18:26
and just get totally wasted.
18:28
That's like the two camps
18:29
you can't be in.
18:31
Neither one of those
18:32
are the correct biblical view.
18:34
So,
18:35
that's the two extremes
18:36
he says to avoid
18:37
that I think are very,
18:38
very wise and shrewd.
18:41
Another point he makes,
18:42
so that's the first one,
18:44
the point he makes,
18:44
and these are going to be guidelines
18:46
for the right use
18:48
of things in the world.
18:49
The second one is
18:51
hindered or assisted.
18:54
Okay?
18:56
Hindered or assisted.
18:58
And he pulls out this
18:59
from scripture.
19:01
Christians are pilgrims,
19:02
are travelers.
19:03
That's the way scripture
19:04
identifies Christians.
19:06
Traveling through this world
19:07
on the way to
19:08
Mount Zion,
19:10
you know,
19:10
the city of God,
19:11
the eternal realm of God.
19:13
Pilgrim's progress
19:13
is a great picture of this.
19:17
So,
19:18
what do you do?
19:19
How do you view the things
19:20
that you,
19:21
a lot of pilgrimages
19:22
were going that way
19:22
and there's so many things
19:23
we're surrounded with?
19:25
How do we like,
19:26
keep going that way
19:27
and not get like,
19:28
oh,
19:28
get over here
19:29
and get totally distracted?
19:31
And in Pilgrim's progress,
19:33
he's going towards,
19:34
you know,
19:35
Zion,
19:36
you know,
19:36
the kingdom of God,
19:37
basically.
19:38
And there's a place
19:39
on the side of the road
19:40
called Vanity Fair.
19:41
and it basically has
19:43
everything you can want.
19:45
Like,
19:46
all the allurements
19:48
of the flesh,
19:49
like it's all there.
19:50
Wherever he wants,
19:51
he could have it.
19:52
And it says that it was
19:52
placed there by,
19:54
basically by Satan
19:55
to distract pilgrims
19:56
on their way
19:57
to going to the city.
19:59
So,
20:00
this is what he says.
20:02
This is what Calvin says
20:03
about this.
20:04
He says,
20:05
the Lord prescribes to us
20:06
in his word
20:07
when he teaches us
20:08
that his servants
20:10
for the present life
20:11
are pilgrims
20:13
in which they are traveling
20:14
towards the heavenly kingdom.
20:16
And here's the application.
20:18
We ought undoubtedly
20:19
to make such use
20:21
of its blessings
20:21
that we are assisted
20:23
rather than delayed
20:24
in our journey.
20:25
So,
20:27
if there's something
20:27
that's not going to be
20:28
beneficial to you
20:29
to partake in,
20:31
shake it loose.
20:32
Get rid of it.
20:33
You want to like
20:33
have things in your life,
20:36
possessions,
20:37
relationships,
20:37
whatever,
20:38
that are going to enable you
20:39
and encourage you
20:40
in your journey,
20:41
not like putting a weight
20:42
on your leg
20:43
and distracting you
20:44
from your ultimate goal.
20:45
So,
20:46
that's a really important,
20:47
you know,
20:48
point to make.
20:50
Turn to
20:51
1 Corinthians chapter 7.
20:54
1 Corinthians chapter 7.
21:08
verse 29.
21:11
Verse 29.
21:14
This is a really interesting verse,
21:16
kind of tucked away
21:16
in the New Testament.
21:17
A lot of people
21:18
just breeze over.
21:21
Verse 29 says this,
21:22
This is what I mean,
21:24
brothers.
21:25
The appointed time
21:26
has grown very short.
21:29
From now on,
21:30
let those who have lives
21:32
live as though they had none.
21:33
and those who mourn
21:35
as though they were not mourning.
21:38
And those who rejoice
21:39
as though they were not rejoicing.
21:42
And those who buy
21:43
as though they had no goods.
21:45
And those who deal with the world
21:47
as though they had not,
21:49
no dealings with it.
21:50
For the present form of this world
21:52
is passing away.
21:54
So,
21:54
it's this idea that we
21:55
can't engage the things around us.
21:57
We can,
21:58
you know,
21:59
we can enjoy the stuff
22:00
that God has around us.
22:02
But,
22:02
God is like saying,
22:04
cultivate such a
22:06
eternal perspective,
22:08
you know,
22:08
like a right understanding
22:09
of what the Christian life is.
22:11
And have such a satisfaction
22:13
in Christ
22:14
that you can involve yourself
22:16
with suffering in this world.
22:18
And you can lose it
22:19
and you're like,
22:19
okay,
22:20
I'll move on.
22:21
That's kind of the goal.
22:22
Like,
22:23
you don't want to be like,
22:24
man,
22:24
I lost that.
22:25
I lost that.
22:26
You're going to be able to
22:26
engage with things
22:28
in such a way
22:28
as though
22:29
you are not engaging with them.
22:31
You can just let them go.
22:32
Like,
22:33
if that was the point.
22:34
And,
22:35
it's a very interesting passage
22:37
to look at.
22:38
Something that's not going to
22:39
keep you where you are
22:40
and weigh you down.
22:43
Next point he makes in the book
22:44
is that
22:46
earthly things
22:48
are gifts from God.
22:51
Earthly things
22:51
are gifts from God.
22:53
So,
22:55
the using of temple blessings
22:57
cannot be wrong.
22:58
If,
22:59
if,
23:01
they're directed
23:01
to the same purposes
23:02
for which God created them.
23:05
Okay?
23:06
Because,
23:07
everything that God made
23:08
was good.
23:09
Everything.
23:10
I had a friend of mine
23:11
in seminary
23:12
a while back.
23:14
He said he had to
23:15
write a paper.
23:16
It basically was like
23:17
having to correct
23:17
false teaching
23:18
and that was the kind of goal
23:19
of what this paper was about.
23:21
It was,
23:21
what he had to address
23:23
was somebody who said like,
23:25
well,
23:25
everything God made
23:26
was good
23:27
and therefore
23:28
like we can do
23:29
you know,
23:29
marijuana and drugs
23:30
and like thinking
23:32
about it and saying
23:32
like,
23:32
well,
23:33
because it's good.
23:33
And he had to basically
23:34
kind of explain
23:35
like that's not what's being said.
23:36
Um,
23:38
that's not what we're trying
23:38
to deal with here.
23:41
Like,
23:42
God gave us things
23:43
to enjoy.
23:43
They're gifts from God
23:45
and it's not wrong
23:46
to use them
23:46
if we use them
23:47
for the purposes
23:48
that God intended
23:49
for us to use them in.
23:51
Not taking them
23:51
beyond the border,
23:53
so to say,
23:53
from what he intended.
23:55
This is what Calvin said.
23:57
He said,
23:57
if we study,
23:58
for instance,
24:00
while he has created
24:01
the various kinds of food,
24:03
we shall find
24:04
that it was his intention
24:05
not only
24:06
to provide for our needs
24:07
but likewise
24:08
for our pleasure
24:09
and our delight
24:10
in herbs
24:11
and trees
24:12
and fruit.
24:13
Besides being useful
24:14
in various ways,
24:15
he planted to please us
24:17
by their gracious wines
24:18
and pleasant odors.
24:19
So everything around us
24:20
was meant
24:21
to like elevate us
24:23
to worship the creator.
24:24
See that?
24:25
Like,
24:26
we can delight in these things
24:27
but not taking them
24:29
beyond what he intended,
24:30
obviously.
24:32
While you're in 1 Corinthians,
24:34
flip back to chapter 6
24:35
real fast.
24:36
A very, very helpful verse.
24:39
Verse 12,
24:40
chapter 6.
24:46
Great verse.
24:47
He says in verse 12,
24:51
Paul talking,
24:51
All things are lawful for me,
24:54
but not all things are helpful.
24:56
All things are lawful for me,
24:59
but I will not be enslaved
25:00
by anything.
25:01
See that?
25:02
There's like,
25:02
there's things that are good
25:04
in this world
25:05
that we could enjoy
25:08
and partake in.
25:09
But he says,
25:10
there's some things
25:11
that are just not
25:11
of any benefit to me
25:12
to engage in.
25:13
So I'm going to stay away
25:14
from those things.
25:16
At the same time,
25:16
the things that I do enjoy,
25:18
I cannot allow
25:19
to enslave me
25:20
and control me.
25:21
You see that?
25:22
And like,
25:24
I have some buddies in here,
25:25
they love to smoke
25:25
cigars and pipes.
25:26
I love the smell.
25:28
I wish I could do it.
25:29
But that would not
25:30
be beneficial for me
25:31
because I've had
25:31
a lung transplant
25:32
and my daughters
25:32
would shoot me.
25:34
See,
25:34
like you can't,
25:35
I can't engage
25:35
in certain activities
25:36
because like,
25:37
it would be okay,
25:38
it wouldn't be illegal
25:39
for me to do that,
25:40
but it would not be
25:41
a benefit to me,
25:42
obviously.
25:43
And so there's,
25:45
might not be the best analogy,
25:47
but this is one
25:48
that came to mind.
25:49
So,
25:50
don't be enslaved
25:51
by any good thing.
25:53
Don't take good things
25:54
beyond what God
25:55
intended them to be.
25:57
And don't reject them either
25:58
because earthly things
25:59
are gifts from God.
26:00
So,
26:00
next point,
26:01
I don't know what number
26:03
we're on,
26:03
I don't have numbers,
26:05
is that true gratitude
26:06
will restrain us
26:09
from abuse.
26:10
A true gratitude
26:11
will restrain us
26:12
from abuse.
26:14
So,
26:14
a right understanding
26:15
of God
26:17
and His gifts
26:18
leads us to thankfulness
26:20
and gratitude for them.
26:22
And it allows us
26:23
to be like,
26:23
wow,
26:24
He made this for me,
26:24
I'm going to use it
26:25
for the reason He made it.
26:28
And,
26:29
I'm going to give Him glory
26:31
for allowing me to do this.
26:33
Calvin said,
26:34
we should praise His kindness
26:35
towards us
26:36
in heavenly,
26:38
or earthly matters
26:39
by giving Him thanks.
26:40
You know,
26:41
so,
26:41
He's given us good things,
26:42
but if we abuse them,
26:43
they will backfire on us.
26:46
There's a verse
26:46
in Proverbs 25
26:47
that says,
26:49
if you have found honey,
26:51
eat only enough for you,
26:52
lest you will have your fill
26:54
and you will vomit.
26:55
Like,
26:55
some things taken too far
26:57
are going to,
26:57
like,
26:57
backfire on you.
26:59
So,
27:00
but,
27:01
a right understanding
27:01
of these gifts
27:02
don't hinder you
27:04
from enjoying them.
27:05
You can give glory
27:06
to God
27:07
because of what He's made,
27:09
and it all goes back
27:10
to Him.
27:10
Everything is from Him,
27:11
through Him,
27:12
and to Him.
27:13
It's that idea.
27:14
So,
27:15
here's the rule.
27:17
I think this is like
27:17
the,
27:18
you know,
27:20
the last one that I have
27:21
from Him in this book.
27:24
Basically,
27:24
He says,
27:25
let us live
27:26
in moderation.
27:28
Let us live
27:29
in moderation.
27:31
And,
27:31
that means
27:33
you're not going to be
27:34
one extreme or the other
27:35
in those camps.
27:36
You're not going to,
27:37
like,
27:37
throw away the gifts
27:38
and say,
27:38
they'll corrupt me.
27:40
I don't want to get near them.
27:41
And then you're not going
27:42
to,
27:42
like,
27:42
indulge in them
27:43
to the point of
27:43
sin,
27:44
gluttony,
27:45
and licentiousness.
27:46
You're going to be
27:47
kind of,
27:47
like,
27:47
in the middle.
27:48
The proper balance
27:49
of the right use
27:51
of the things
27:51
in this life.
27:53
And,
27:53
you're going to use,
27:54
but not abuse,
27:55
idea,
27:56
the things in this life.
27:58
And,
27:58
so,
28:00
the gifts that He gives us
28:01
are parameters
28:02
for His glory.
28:04
So,
28:04
sorry,
28:06
turn to
28:06
Proverbs 30,
28:08
real fast.
28:10
Proverbs 30.
28:10
This is another
28:11
really cool passage.
28:13
It's kind of tucked away.
28:14
Proverbs 30,
28:15
verse 7.
28:23
Proverbs 30,
28:24
verse 7.
28:25
It says,
28:27
sorry,
28:29
two things I ask of you,
28:31
talking to the Lord.
28:33
Deny them not to me
28:34
before I die.
28:36
Remove far from me
28:38
falsehood and lying.
28:40
Give me neither
28:41
poverty
28:42
nor riches.
28:44
Feed me with the food
28:45
that is needful for me.
28:48
Lest I be full
28:49
and deny you
28:50
and say,
28:51
who is the Lord?
28:52
Or lest I be poor
28:53
and steal
28:54
and profane
28:55
the name of my God.
28:56
Pretty cool.
28:57
It's this idea of,
28:58
like,
28:59
Lord,
28:59
please help me have
29:00
just enough
29:00
to not make it
29:03
an idol.
29:04
But also,
29:05
don't leave me
29:06
in poverty
29:06
and want to provide
29:07
for what I need.
29:08
It's a good way
29:09
of looking at things.
29:11
So moderation
29:11
is the goal
29:12
of the right use
29:14
of things in this life.
29:15
Not to abuse them
29:17
and not to neglect them,
29:18
but in the middle.
29:20
So,
29:20
I know people
29:22
think about alcohol.
29:23
A lot of other things
29:24
are coming to mind
29:24
right now.
29:25
This might be
29:25
a conversation
29:26
for later.
29:27
But,
29:27
quickly,
29:28
some more application.
29:29
Two random things.
29:30
I feel like I got
29:30
kind of rocky
29:31
here at the end.
29:32
Sorry.
29:33
We'll talk just briefly
29:34
about wealth,
29:36
money,
29:36
and possessions.
29:38
And,
29:39
key text
29:39
we'll look at.
29:40
And we'll have,
29:41
like,
29:41
maybe two other
29:42
places where you
29:43
look at.
29:43
1 Timothy,
29:44
chapter 6.
29:45
This will be a good
29:46
text to look at.
29:49
1 Timothy,
29:50
chapter 6.
29:51
And we're going to
29:52
read this,
29:53
6 through 10.
30:01
This is where
30:02
it really gets picky
30:02
because,
30:03
you know,
30:04
we're picking on
30:05
certain things now.
30:10
1 Timothy,
30:11
chapter 6,
30:11
verse 6.
30:12
Now there is
30:13
great gain
30:14
in godliness
30:15
with contentment.
30:16
For we brought
30:17
nothing into this
30:18
world,
30:18
and we can take
30:19
nothing out of it.
30:21
But if we have
30:22
food and clothing,
30:23
with these we will
30:24
be content.
30:26
But those who
30:26
desire to be rich
30:28
fall into temptation,
30:30
into a snare,
30:31
into many senseless
30:32
and harmful desires
30:33
that plunge people
30:34
into ruin and
30:35
destruction.
30:36
For the love of money
30:37
is the root of
30:38
all kinds of evil.
30:40
It is through this
30:41
craving that some
30:42
have wandered away
30:42
from the faith
30:43
and pierced
30:44
themselves with
30:45
many pains.
30:47
There's a lot
30:47
in that.
30:49
But notice his
30:50
language.
30:50
He's not saying
30:51
that money in and
30:52
of itself is evil.
30:54
He's saying the
30:55
love of money,
30:55
the abuse of money,
30:56
that one side we
30:57
were talking about,
30:58
that one extreme
30:59
camp.
31:00
I've got to have
31:00
money.
31:01
Because with money
31:01
you can have
31:02
anything you want.
31:03
You can have any
31:04
kind of pleasure.
31:05
You can buy
31:05
exactly what your
31:07
flesh wants.
31:07
So,
31:10
we're talking about
31:11
this specifically
31:11
in the confines
31:12
of a believer's
31:13
life.
31:14
Okay?
31:16
There is a
31:17
half-truth
31:18
that I believe
31:20
we live with
31:22
here in the
31:22
American church.
31:24
And it is this.
31:25
It sounds
31:26
something like
31:26
this.
31:27
We glorify God
31:28
with our wealth
31:29
by being thankful
31:31
and enjoying
31:32
all the luxuries
31:33
he allows us
31:34
to buy.
31:35
Like,
31:36
thank you,
31:37
Lord,
31:37
forgive me
31:37
this,
31:37
and now I'm
31:38
going to go
31:38
and spend it
31:39
any way I
31:39
want to spend
31:40
it.
31:41
Because he gave
31:41
it to me
31:41
as long as
31:42
I'm thankful,
31:42
right?
31:43
I'm going to
31:43
go and spend
31:43
it however
31:45
I want to.
31:46
The true part
31:47
of that statement
31:48
is that we
31:49
should be
31:50
thankful because
31:51
God gives us
31:52
every good thing,
31:53
including money
31:53
and possessions.
31:54
He gives us
31:55
those things,
31:55
so that's the
31:56
right part.
31:57
The false part
31:58
is that we
31:59
can glorify God
32:00
by every purchase
32:01
we make.
32:02
Not true.
32:03
It's not true.
32:05
And,
32:06
let me read
32:07
you this quote
32:09
by John
32:10
Piper.
32:11
He says,
32:12
God is not
32:13
glorified when
32:15
we keep for
32:16
ourselves,
32:17
no matter how
32:18
thankfully,
32:19
we ought to be
32:20
using to
32:21
alleviate the
32:22
misery of the
32:23
un-evangelized,
32:24
un-educated,
32:26
un-medicated,
32:27
and unfed
32:28
millions.
32:28
We should be
32:30
using our
32:31
wealth for
32:32
the advancement
32:32
of the
32:33
kingdom for
32:35
the most part.
32:35
That's what he's
32:36
trying to say.
32:37
There are so
32:38
many people that
32:38
need help,
32:40
and I'm
32:41
convinced that
32:41
now,
32:43
more than
32:43
ever,
32:44
Christians in
32:45
America,
32:45
particularly in
32:46
the West,
32:47
they're going to
32:48
be held to a
32:48
higher standard
32:49
by God
32:50
than people in
32:50
the past.
32:51
And the
32:51
reason why
32:51
is because we
32:52
don't have to
32:53
get on a boat
32:54
and go months
32:55
and months to
32:56
somewhere and
32:57
help somebody in
32:58
need,
32:58
we can do
32:59
it by
32:59
clicking and
33:01
sending things
33:02
and helping
33:03
people in that
33:03
regard.
33:05
And so,
33:05
don't say,
33:06
well,
33:06
because I don't
33:06
see these
33:07
people,
33:08
I don't have
33:08
to help them.
33:09
We know
33:09
they exist.
33:10
We know
33:10
they're there.
33:10
We know
33:11
there's misery
33:12
out there.
33:13
And this is
33:14
the rest of
33:14
it,
33:14
what he said.
33:16
This evidence
33:17
that many
33:17
professional
33:18
Christians have
33:19
been deceived
33:20
by this
33:20
doctrine is
33:22
how little
33:22
they give
33:23
and how much
33:23
they own.
33:24
That's what
33:26
identifies this.
33:27
He says,
33:28
God has
33:29
prospered them
33:30
and by almost
33:32
an irresistible
33:33
law of consumer
33:33
culture,
33:35
baptized by a
33:36
doctrine of
33:36
health,
33:36
wealth,
33:37
and prosperity,
33:38
we have
33:39
bought bigger
33:40
than more
33:41
houses,
33:42
newer and
33:42
more cars,
33:44
fancier and
33:45
more clothes,
33:46
better and
33:47
more meat,
33:48
in all matter
33:48
of trinkets,
33:49
gadgets,
33:50
containers,
33:51
devices,
33:52
equipment,
33:52
to make
33:53
life more
33:53
fun.
33:55
That's
33:55
very
33:56
convicting.
33:58
He definitely
33:59
is not saying
33:59
you can't
34:00
buy some
34:00
possession like
34:01
something you
34:02
take to
34:03
light in,
34:03
like a
34:03
fishing pole
34:04
or go
34:05
fishing.
34:05
That's not
34:05
what he's
34:06
trying to
34:06
say.
34:07
He's
34:07
trying to
34:07
say that
34:08
when we
34:08
look at
34:09
most
34:09
Christians,
34:10
particularly
34:10
here in
34:11
America,
34:13
you look at
34:15
what they
34:15
own,
34:16
and then
34:17
you look,
34:17
well,
34:18
you're not
34:18
really supposed
34:19
to do this,
34:19
but if
34:20
you could
34:20
see how
34:21
much they
34:21
give,
34:22
it's like
34:23
nowhere in
34:23
comparison.
34:24
Nowhere.
34:25
They don't
34:25
even touch
34:25
it at
34:26
all.
34:27
We give
34:28
so little
34:28
to the
34:30
cause of
34:30
Christ.
34:31
He can
34:32
say this
34:32
because I
34:33
know that
34:33
Piper lives
34:34
in a very
34:34
poor
34:34
neighborhood
34:35
in
34:36
Minneapolis.
34:37
I know
34:37
pastors get
34:37
paid far
34:38
more than
34:38
he does
34:39
personally.
34:40
He really
34:42
wants to
34:42
be clear
34:43
that all
34:45
the money
34:45
that I
34:46
earn from
34:46
my books
34:47
and all
34:47
that is
34:47
not going
34:48
to me.
34:48
It's going
34:48
to
34:49
expand
34:49
the
34:50
kingdom
34:50
of
34:50
God.
34:50
He lives
34:51
on a
34:51
very low
34:51
paycheck.
34:53
He's not
34:54
doing that
34:54
to glorify
34:55
himself.
34:55
He's trying
34:56
to show
34:56
that money
34:58
and possessions
34:58
is not my
34:59
treasure.
34:59
Christ is
35:00
and I
35:00
don't need
35:00
those things.
35:02
That's really
35:02
kind of what
35:03
the point is.
35:04
He wants
35:04
to glorify
35:04
Christ.
35:06
I really
35:06
think that's
35:07
it.
35:07
God is
35:07
not
35:07
pleasing
35:08
us going
35:08
out and
35:09
making
35:09
any
35:09
purses.
35:10
Thank you
35:11
for that.
35:11
We need
35:11
to be
35:12
deliberate
35:13
about how
35:13
we are
35:14
spending
35:14
our
35:14
money
35:14
to
35:14
alleviate
35:15
the
35:15
unevangelized
35:19
uneducated
35:20
and unmedicated.
35:22
So,
35:23
here's the
35:25
other side
35:25
of this.
35:26
Here's another
35:26
right use of
35:27
our money,
35:28
right use.
35:29
The problem
35:29
is not with
35:30
earning a lot
35:30
of money.
35:31
the problem
35:33
is living a
35:34
lifestyle that
35:34
is maintained
35:35
by that
35:35
amount of
35:36
money.
35:37
So,
35:38
you can go
35:38
out and
35:38
make $200,000
35:39
a year,
35:40
but you
35:41
can't be
35:41
justified
35:41
living a
35:42
$200,000
35:43
lifestyle.
35:45
There's just
35:45
no way.
35:47
And,
35:47
God didn't
35:48
enlarge your
35:49
deposit or
35:52
your bank
35:52
account for
35:53
you to go
35:54
out and
35:54
buy and
35:55
build bigger
35:56
barns like
35:56
the parable
35:58
Jesus gives
35:59
about the
35:59
rich ruler.
36:01
The fool
36:01
who built
36:02
bigger barns
36:02
so that he
36:03
could eat,
36:03
drink,
36:03
and be
36:03
merry.
36:06
So,
36:06
God increases
36:07
our yield,
36:08
not so that
36:09
we'll indulge
36:11
in it,
36:11
but we'll
36:12
take that
36:12
yield and
36:13
give it to
36:13
God.
36:14
And,
36:14
in this
36:15
text,
36:15
in verse 6,
36:17
we read that
36:17
with godliness
36:18
there is
36:19
great contentment.
36:20
So,
36:21
the goal in
36:21
life is not
36:22
to have more.
36:23
The goal in
36:24
life is to
36:24
have less.
36:25
And,
36:26
I read a
36:27
book a long
36:27
time ago
36:28
by this
36:28
Puritan guy
36:29
named
36:29
Jeremiah
36:30
Burroughs.
36:31
And,
36:31
this is
36:31
one of
36:32
his texts
36:33
he used,
36:33
but he
36:33
said this,
36:34
very profound.
36:35
He said,
36:36
contentment
36:37
comes by way
36:38
of subtraction
36:39
and not
36:40
addition.
36:41
The more
36:41
things you
36:42
think you
36:42
need,
36:42
the less
36:43
content you
36:43
are.
36:44
But,
36:44
the less
36:44
you need,
36:45
particularly if
36:45
you have
36:45
Christ,
36:46
you realize
36:46
you don't
36:47
need all
36:47
those things.
36:47
You have
36:48
everything
36:48
in him.
36:50
So,
36:51
the verse
36:53
in Luke
36:54
12,
36:54
I read it
36:54
to you.
36:55
Sell your
36:56
positions,
36:57
Jesus says,
36:57
sell your
36:58
possessions
36:58
and give
36:59
to the
36:59
needy.
36:59
Provide
37:00
yourselves
37:01
with money
37:01
bags that
37:02
do not
37:03
grow old,
37:04
with a
37:04
treasure in
37:05
heaven that
37:05
does not
37:06
fail,
37:07
where no
37:07
thief approaches
37:08
and no
37:09
moth destroys,
37:10
for there
37:10
your treasure
37:11
is,
37:11
your heart
37:11
will be
37:12
also.
37:13
That's
37:13
Luke 12,
37:13
33-34.
37:15
I thought
37:16
I would
37:16
just give
37:17
you some
37:18
examples of
37:19
this.
37:19
Okay,
37:19
guys,
37:19
just really
37:20
fast.
37:21
It's hot
37:21
in here,
37:22
and I
37:22
definitely
37:22
feel some
37:23
heat.
37:24
I'm hot.
37:26
I'm starting
37:26
to sweat.
37:27
But,
37:27
it's too late
37:28
to turn the
37:28
air on now.
37:29
It'll be too
37:29
late.
37:31
I was,
37:31
a while back,
37:32
or a year
37:32
ago,
37:33
I was talking
37:33
to my
37:33
grandmother,
37:34
who lives
37:35
in North
37:35
Carolina,
37:36
and my
37:38
grandmother
37:38
and my
37:40
step-grandfather,
37:41
they're awesome.
37:42
People who
37:42
really love the
37:43
Lord,
37:43
and give
37:44
a lot of
37:45
their life
37:45
away to
37:45
the kingdom,
37:46
and she
37:47
was saying,
37:48
look,
37:48
I'm kind
37:50
of like
37:50
semi-investigated
37:51
by the IRS
37:52
and I'm
37:53
like,
37:53
what?
37:54
And I
37:54
said,
37:55
Grandma,
37:56
what are
37:56
you talking
37:56
about?
37:57
And she
37:58
said,
38:00
well,
38:01
they
38:01
couldn't
38:02
really
38:03
understand
38:03
why 60%
38:05
of our
38:05
income
38:06
was going
38:06
to
38:06
missionaries
38:08
and ministries
38:08
and churches.
38:10
And I
38:10
was like,
38:11
Grandma,
38:11
that is
38:11
awesome.
38:12
She was
38:12
like,
38:12
oh,
38:13
no.
38:13
I'm
38:13
like,
38:13
Grandma,
38:14
that's
38:14
awesome.
38:15
You need
38:15
to take
38:16
that
38:16
and dive
38:16
in it
38:16
and frame
38:17
it and put
38:17
it on
38:17
your wall.
38:18
That is
38:18
amazing.
38:20
And that's
38:21
really,
38:22
yeah,
38:22
they were
38:22
cool.
38:23
They were
38:23
like,
38:23
all right,
38:23
that's
38:23
just weird.
38:24
Why don't
38:24
you guys
38:24
do that?
38:25
It was
38:25
their
38:26
response.
38:27
But the
38:28
goal,
38:28
they know
38:30
they're
38:30
wanting to
38:31
invest in
38:31
eternity.
38:32
It's
38:32
something that
38:33
matters,
38:33
not just
38:35
live up to
38:36
high life in
38:36
retirement,
38:37
but to
38:38
give their
38:38
lives away.
38:40
A guy
38:41
that I
38:41
would
38:43
encourage you
38:42
to look
38:42
into,
38:42
he was a
38:43
Christian
38:43
musician
38:44
named
38:45
Keith
38:45
Green.
38:47
Back in
38:47
the hippie
38:48
days,
38:49
basically.
38:49
Early
38:50
Christian
38:50
music
38:51
pioneer
38:51
guy.
38:52
He had
38:52
a huge
38:52
pro and
38:53
a big
38:54
beer,
38:54
and he
38:54
played the
38:55
piano and
38:55
went to
38:56
town.
38:58
Awesome
38:58
guy,
38:59
though.
39:00
He,
39:01
pretty
39:02
dramatic
39:02
conversion,
39:03
but eventually
39:04
he rolled
39:04
around this
39:05
idea of
39:05
like,
39:06
why in the
39:07
world do
39:07
we charge
39:07
so much
39:08
for our
39:08
concerts?
39:09
Why in
39:10
the world
39:10
do we
39:10
sell
39:12
people
39:12
our
39:12
music?
39:14
He
39:14
basically
39:15
said the
39:15
gospel
39:15
cannot be
39:16
sold.
39:18
You can't
39:18
buy the
39:19
gospel.
39:20
So he
39:20
rebelled
39:22
against the
39:22
Christian
39:23
music system.
39:24
He was
39:24
like,
39:24
I'm going
39:25
to have
39:25
offering
39:25
concerts.
39:26
People
39:26
can come
39:26
and give
39:27
me
39:27
whatever
39:27
they
39:27
want.
39:29
He
39:29
started
39:29
his own
39:29
record
39:30
company
39:30
called
39:30
Pretty
39:31
Good
39:31
Records.
39:32
He had
39:35
a sign
39:35
that said,
39:36
would you
39:36
like to
39:36
buy Keith
39:37
Green's
39:37
new
39:37
album?
39:38
You
39:38
can't
39:39
!
39:39
It's not
39:39
for sale.
39:39
So he
39:41
would just
39:42
rely on the
39:44
Lord to
39:44
provide.
39:46
Sometimes
39:46
people would
39:46
send in
39:47
money for
39:47
one album.
39:49
It might
39:49
have been
39:50
just a few
39:52
dollars,
39:52
but they
39:52
would send
39:53
him $1,000
39:53
for one
39:54
album.
39:54
What you're
39:56
doing is
39:56
awesome.
39:56
We want
39:57
to support
39:57
you.
39:57
Somebody
39:58
else would
39:58
say,
39:58
we can't
39:59
afford it
40:00
at all.
40:00
That's
40:01
cool.
40:01
You can
40:01
have it.
40:02
So what
40:03
it shows
40:03
is money
40:04
and success
40:05
was not
40:06
his God.
40:06
He knew
40:07
there was
40:07
something
40:07
more
40:08
important
40:09
with
40:09
that.
40:09
So we
40:09
need to
40:09
be just
40:10
tactful
40:11
on how
40:11
we spend
40:12
our money
40:12
and how
40:13
we use
40:14
it.
40:15
And so
40:16
two pastors
40:19
that do
40:19
this,
40:20
one is
40:20
John
40:21
Piper,
40:21
but the
40:21
other one
40:21
is John
40:22
MacArthur.
40:22
They both
40:23
don't take
40:24
any money
40:24
from the
40:25
hundreds of
40:26
books that
40:27
they write.
40:27
They don't
40:28
do that.
40:29
They don't
40:29
charge
40:29
out the
40:31
wazoo just
40:31
to show
40:32
this isn't
40:32
why we're
40:33
doing this.
40:33
And the
40:35
guy who
40:35
wrote that,
40:36
Randy Alcorn,
40:37
wrote that
40:37
book I had
40:38
over here.
40:40
A while
40:40
back,
40:41
someone accused
40:41
him of
40:42
trying to
40:43
make a lot
40:43
of money
40:44
off the
40:44
books he
40:44
was selling.
40:45
He was
40:46
like,
40:46
really?
40:46
Okay.
40:47
I was
40:47
giving all
40:47
of this.
40:48
So all
40:49
his money
40:50
also goes
40:50
to other
40:52
ministries
40:52
and things.
40:53
He doesn't
40:53
get one
40:54
dime for
40:55
his books.
40:56
So those
40:57
are just,
40:58
we just
40:58
need to be
40:58
deliberate and
40:59
clear about
41:00
why we're
41:01
spending money.
41:01
And here's
41:03
an analogy
41:04
I had about
41:06
possessions that
41:07
I read from
41:08
Randy Alcorn.
41:09
Imagine that
41:10
you were from
41:11
another country,
41:12
Rispick,
41:12
England,
41:13
and you
41:15
came to
41:15
America on
41:16
a visa to
41:18
work here.
41:19
And you're
41:20
just going to
41:20
be a temporary
41:20
residence,
41:21
right?
41:21
Like America
41:22
is really
41:22
not your
41:22
homeland.
41:24
And you're
41:25
going to work
41:26
for this
41:26
company.
41:26
You really
41:27
don't know
41:27
how long
41:28
they're going
41:28
to have you
41:28
there.
41:29
It's just
41:29
a question
41:30
mark.
41:31
So,
41:33
when I
41:33
tell you,
41:34
if you
41:35
spend your
41:35
money here,
41:36
you can't
41:36
take anything
41:37
you bought
41:37
back to
41:37
England with
41:38
you.
41:39
You only
41:39
can wire
41:40
money to
41:40
England.
41:42
So,
41:43
if that
41:43
was true,
41:44
you would
41:45
be absolutely
41:45
foolish to
41:47
spend all
41:48
your money
41:48
here.
41:49
Because you
41:49
couldn't send
41:50
any of it
41:50
back to your
41:51
wife and
41:51
family that
41:52
was there,
41:53
back in
41:54
England.
41:54
You would
41:54
just waste
41:55
your money.
41:55
But you
41:55
would constantly.
41:56
You would
41:57
probably live
41:57
in a very
41:57
low-income
41:58
place,
41:59
just kind
42:00
of just get
42:00
by,
42:01
you're
42:01
going to
42:01
live it
42:04
up.
42:04
Because you'd
42:05
want to
42:05
wire all
42:06
your money
42:06
back to
42:07
England where
42:07
it would
42:07
last.
42:08
That's a
42:09
great analogy
42:10
of our
42:10
spiritual lives.
42:11
It's stupid.
42:12
We're not
42:12
going to
42:12
stay here.
42:13
This isn't
42:14
our home.
42:14
It's like,
42:15
let's invest
42:15
in eternity.
42:16
So,
42:17
scripture gives
42:18
us principles
42:18
in which we
42:19
can evaluate
42:19
decisions like
42:21
that.
42:22
So,
42:23
okay,
42:25
that's money
42:25
and possessions.
42:26
And that's
42:27
such a huge
42:27
conversation.
42:29
So you might
42:29
ask,
42:29
what do I
42:30
do with my
42:30
two homes?
42:30
I've got
42:31
one here and
42:31
I've got
42:32
one in the
42:32
lake.
42:32
What do I
42:33
do?
42:33
Is that
42:33
evil for
42:34
me to have
42:35
that?
42:36
And the
42:36
right question
42:37
is not
42:38
that.
42:39
It's to
42:40
ask,
42:40
do I
42:41
really need
42:42
both homes
42:43
or how
42:46
am I going
42:46
to use
42:46
that lake
42:47
house for
42:47
the kingdom
42:48
of God?
42:49
How can I
42:50
glorify God
42:50
with that
42:51
house that
42:51
I have?
42:53
And it's
42:55
funny to see
42:55
how simple
42:56
we really
42:56
are.
42:56
We can
42:56
really
42:56
trick
42:57
ourselves.
42:58
I'll invite
42:59
the youth
42:59
ministry
42:59
once a
43:00
year to
43:00
swim.
43:01
What do
43:01
you think?
43:01
Yeah,
43:02
great job.
43:03
That doesn't
43:03
justify your
43:04
house.
43:05
I'm sorry.
43:06
You need to
43:06
be able to
43:06
use it for
43:07
the kingdom.
43:09
And so
43:10
that's the
43:10
question you
43:11
need to
43:11
ask.
43:11
How can I
43:12
glorify God
43:13
with this
43:13
purchase or
43:14
what I
43:14
have?
43:15
How can I
43:15
do that?
43:16
And if
43:16
you're really
43:16
being sensitive
43:17
to the
43:17
spirit,
43:17
he'll tell
43:18
you like
43:18
yes or
43:19
no,
43:19
but someone
43:20
else can
43:21
come up
43:21
and say
43:21
that's evil
43:21
for you
43:22
to have
43:22
that.
43:25
I actually
43:25
have a
43:25
friend that
43:26
a few
43:27
people here
43:27
know.
43:29
He supports
43:29
me in
43:30
ministry.
43:30
His name
43:31
is Jason
43:32
and he's
43:32
a dentist
43:33
from
43:33
Pauwassee
43:34
up in the
43:35
mountains.
43:35
He actually
43:36
went here.
43:36
He was in
43:37
the Corps.
43:38
I think he
43:38
was in
43:38
Sigma Chi.
43:39
He actually
43:39
married a
43:39
KD.
43:40
They both
43:40
support me
43:41
here.
43:42
It's pretty
43:42
funny.
43:43
But for a
43:44
while,
43:45
I could tell
43:46
when I first
43:46
met him years
43:47
ago,
43:47
this guy
43:47
loves the
43:48
Lord,
43:48
but he
43:48
just has
43:48
some
43:49
pumped up
43:50
theology
43:51
on finances
43:53
and wealth.
43:54
He's more
43:55
like,
43:55
I'm going to
43:55
build a big
43:56
barn and
43:56
just enjoy it
43:57
and God's
43:58
going to
43:58
give it to
43:58
me.
43:59
I knew
44:00
that his
44:00
heart was
44:00
right.
44:01
So eventually
44:02
he read a
44:03
book by
44:04
Randy Alcorn
44:04
and he was
44:05
like,
44:06
man,
44:06
this is stupid.
44:07
I don't
44:07
want to build
44:07
up my
44:08
kingdom here.
44:08
I want to
44:08
invest in
44:09
eternity.
44:10
He sold
44:10
his lake
44:11
house.
44:11
He sold
44:12
one or two
44:12
crazy cars
44:13
he had.
44:14
He just
44:15
wants to
44:15
give to the
44:15
kingdom now.
44:16
He has such
44:16
a giving
44:17
heart.
44:18
He even
44:18
tells me,
44:19
anybody you
44:19
know that's
44:19
living on
44:20
Denise
44:20
support,
44:21
let me
44:21
know.
44:22
I want to
44:22
support him.
44:24
He supports
44:24
a lot of
44:25
people other
44:25
than me,
44:26
but we don't
44:27
need that
44:27
stuff.
44:28
I don't
44:29
need two
44:29
houses.
44:31
That's just
44:32
the way he
44:33
manifested the
44:35
gospel in
44:35
that reality.
44:36
moving on
44:37
really fast.
44:39
Sorry,
44:39
this end is
44:39
just kind
44:40
of rocky,
44:40
but media,
44:43
music,
44:44
television.
44:45
Let's talk
44:46
about that
44:46
just for a
44:46
minute before
44:47
we kind
44:48
of close.
44:51
We are
44:52
surrounded
44:53
with so
44:53
many things
44:54
that we
44:54
can just
44:55
pretty much
44:56
amuse
44:56
ourselves to
44:57
death.
45:00
C.S.
45:00
Lewis argued
45:01
that our
45:02
capacity for
45:03
real joy has
45:04
been shriveled
45:05
to nothing.
45:06
he said
45:08
this,
45:09
if we
45:09
see that
45:10
our Lord
45:11
finds our
45:12
desires too
45:13
strong,
45:14
it is not
45:15
said that,
45:15
that God
45:16
does not
45:16
find our
45:17
desires too
45:17
strong,
45:18
but too
45:18
weak.
45:19
And he
45:21
talks about
45:21
how,
45:23
I mean,
45:23
this is a
45:23
famous quote,
45:24
we are
45:24
half-hearted
45:25
creatures
45:25
fooling
45:26
about
45:26
with
45:27
drink
45:27
and
45:27
sex
45:28
and
45:28
ambition
45:28
when
45:29
infinite
45:29
joy
45:30
is
45:30
offered
45:30
us
45:31
like
45:31
an
45:31
ignorant
45:31
child
45:32
who
45:33
just
45:33
goes on
45:33
making
45:33
mud pies
45:34
in the
45:34
slum
45:35
because
45:35
they
45:35
cannot
45:36
imagine
45:36
what is
45:38
meant by
45:38
an offer
45:38
at a
45:39
holiday
45:39
at the
45:39
sea.
45:40
We are
45:40
far too
45:41
easily
45:41
pleased.
45:42
So,
45:43
we have
45:44
so many
45:44
little
45:44
things
45:44
on our
45:45
phones
45:45
and
45:45
internet
45:46
and TV
45:47
that we
45:47
can just
45:48
pretty much
45:48
amuse
45:48
ourselves
45:49
to death.
45:50
And those
45:50
are really,
45:51
really puny
45:52
joys,
45:53
to be honest.
45:54
They're there
45:54
for a minute
45:55
and they're
45:55
gone.
45:56
And if we
45:56
didn't have
45:57
this mass
45:58
media around
45:59
us,
45:59
we would
45:59
be bored
46:00
to death.
46:00
We would
46:00
just hate
46:01
life.
46:02
But the
46:03
thing is,
46:04
there's so
46:04
many new
46:04
things out
46:05
there,
46:05
you can
46:05
go from
46:05
one new
46:06
thing
46:06
to the
46:06
other.
46:07
Pretty
46:07
much
46:07
for the
46:07
rest
46:07
of your
46:08
life,
46:08
probably,
46:09
and just
46:09
be amused.
46:11
So,
46:12
begin praying
46:13
against this
46:13
idea that I
46:13
want life
46:14
to be fun
46:15
and cool.
46:17
What you
46:17
really want
46:18
is for life
46:19
to be
46:19
meaningful
46:19
and rich
46:21
and purposeful
46:22
in what you
46:22
do in life
46:23
and what
46:24
you give
46:24
your life
46:25
to and
46:26
live for
46:26
those things
46:27
and life
46:28
changing
46:28
type things.
46:30
So,
46:31
here's
46:31
something that
46:32
I'm not ashamed
46:33
to say this
46:34
I guess now,
46:34
but that
46:35
Mark Driscoll
46:36
kind of does
46:37
to kind of
46:37
deal with.
46:38
media
46:39
and things
46:41
like that
46:41
and a lot
46:42
of things.
46:43
He says
46:43
that you
46:43
either receive,
46:45
reject,
46:46
or redeem
46:46
things
46:46
that you
46:47
come in
46:47
contact
46:48
with.
46:49
Number one,
46:50
receive.
46:51
There's many
46:52
things in
46:52
culture
46:53
and around
46:53
us that
46:54
we can
46:54
enjoy
46:55
through the
46:55
glory of
46:56
God.
46:56
It's clean,
46:56
it's not
46:57
simple,
46:58
and we
46:58
can delight
46:59
in those
46:59
things
47:00
and see
47:02
the beauty
47:02
of God
47:03
and what
47:03
we use
47:04
and delight
47:06
in those
47:06
things.
47:07
To his
47:07
glory,
47:07
that's
47:07
what
47:08
Calvin
47:08
said
47:08
a minute
47:08
ago.
47:10
The second
47:10
thing is
47:12
reject
47:12
things.
47:13
There's
47:13
many
47:13
things
47:14
that
47:14
are
47:14
blatantly
47:15
simple
47:16
that you
47:17
cannot
47:17
do to
47:18
the glory
47:19
of God
47:19
no matter
47:21
what.
47:21
and media
47:23
intended
47:25
to glorify
47:25
sin
47:26
and the
47:28
worldly
47:28
way of
47:28
thinking
47:29
is not
47:29
something
47:29
you can
47:30
redeem
47:31
or fix.
47:32
There's
47:32
some
47:32
of every
47:33
kind of
47:34
genre
47:34
of music.
47:34
There's
47:35
rock,
47:36
there's
47:37
country,
47:37
there's
47:37
rap,
47:38
there's
47:38
some
47:38
lyrics in
47:39
those that
47:40
some of
47:41
you guys
47:41
just need
47:41
to throw
47:41
away.
47:42
There's
47:42
nothing
47:42
you can
47:43
redeem
47:43
about
47:44
them.
47:44
They're
47:44
very
47:44
blatantly
47:45
sinful
47:46
about
47:47
sex
47:47
and
47:48
unmarital
47:50
sex,
47:50
sleeping
47:50
around,
47:51
drugs,
47:52
partying,
47:52
loose life.
47:53
And that's
47:53
what you
47:54
don't need
47:54
to...
47:55
Music
47:55
is powerful.
47:56
If you
47:56
listen to
47:56
that stuff
47:56
long enough,
47:57
it'll affect
47:58
your mind.
47:58
I promise.
47:59
It's been
47:59
proven.
48:02
And there's
48:02
just some
48:02
things that
48:03
you can't
48:04
watch on
48:05
TV.
48:06
I don't
48:06
care what
48:07
you say.
48:08
You can't
48:08
watch the
48:09
hangover
48:09
of the
48:10
glory of
48:10
God.
48:10
It's just
48:11
like that.
48:11
You can't
48:12
make movies
48:13
like that,
48:14
like a
48:14
God
48:14
glorifying
48:15
king.
48:15
Apart from
48:16
just learning
48:16
how lost
48:17
and sinful
48:18
man is,
48:19
which you
48:19
just got to
48:20
look into
48:20
yourself to
48:20
see that.
48:21
You don't
48:21
need to
48:21
watch a
48:22
movie.
48:23
So some
48:24
of us
48:24
need to
48:25
go home
48:26
and kind
48:26
of cleanse
48:26
some of
48:27
the stuff
48:27
out of
48:27
our DVD
48:28
and music
48:28
collection.
48:29
This is
48:29
not glorifying
48:31
to God.
48:32
So Paul
48:33
said in
48:34
1 Corinthians
48:34
10,
48:35
whether you
48:35
eat or
48:36
drink or
48:36
whatever you
48:37
do,
48:37
do it
48:37
all for
48:38
the glory
48:38
of God.
48:40
Do it
48:40
all,
48:41
even the
48:41
smallest
48:41
things.
48:42
And,
48:43
you know,
48:45
when it
48:45
comes to
48:46
TV,
48:48
it's just
48:48
a choice
48:49
of yours,
48:49
okay?
48:50
This is just
48:51
something that
48:51
we kind of
48:52
do at our
48:52
house,
48:52
me and
48:53
Josh and
48:53
John.
48:54
We don't
48:55
have cable,
48:55
we don't
48:56
have satellite,
48:56
because I've
48:59
found in my
49:00
personal life
49:00
that it
49:01
sucks me
49:01
in.
49:02
Like,
49:03
I will spend
49:03
so much
49:04
time watching
49:05
things,
49:06
and I
49:06
won't be
49:07
spending my
49:08
life on
49:08
what really
49:09
matters at
49:09
all.
49:10
I'll just
49:10
be,
49:10
you know,
49:11
clearing my
49:12
time away.
49:14
And I'll
49:15
just be
49:15
obsessed,
49:15
just amusing
49:16
myself to
49:16
the grave.
49:17
So I've
49:18
chosen not to
49:19
have that.
49:19
I don't
49:19
ever want
49:20
that.
49:20
I have a
49:21
DVD player,
49:21
and I do
49:22
watch movies,
49:23
but occasionally
49:24
there's something
49:25
you want to
49:25
watch,
49:26
a game,
49:26
you can go
49:26
somewhere else
49:27
and watch it,
49:27
or you can
49:28
watch it on
49:28
the internet.
49:29
But I just
49:31
know that I
49:32
can't handle it.
49:33
I know that
49:33
it's too much
49:33
for me.
49:34
Like Paul said,
49:35
things are
49:36
lawful,
49:36
but not all
49:36
things are
49:37
going to be
49:37
beneficial to
49:38
me.
49:38
I can't
49:39
handle it.
49:39
And it's
49:40
proven.
49:41
When I go
49:41
home to my
49:42
parents'
49:42
house,
49:43
like,
49:44
turn on
49:44
TV and
49:45
watch Walker
49:46
Texas Ranger
49:46
or something,
49:47
and I'm
49:47
like,
49:47
I threw
49:48
this out.
49:50
I thought
49:51
I'd
49:51
throw that
49:51
out there.
49:53
I love
49:53
it when he
49:53
gets surrounded
49:54
by like 10
49:54
dudes,
49:55
and I'm
49:57
like,
49:58
so we
50:02
got receive,
50:03
reject,
50:04
or redeem.
50:05
Okay?
50:06
Redeem is the
50:06
last one.
50:07
So there
50:08
are a lot
50:08
of things in
50:09
fallen culture
50:11
that they
50:12
have stolen
50:12
and perverted
50:13
that were not
50:15
bad things
50:16
at all.
50:17
So believers
50:18
need to take
50:18
those things
50:19
and show
50:19
them the
50:20
world and
50:21
what was
50:21
their intended
50:21
purpose,
50:23
what God
50:24
created them
50:25
for just
50:26
the other
50:27
day.
50:27
Like,
50:28
I like
50:29
rock,
50:30
you know,
50:30
different kinds
50:31
of rock.
50:32
There's a lot
50:33
of it I have
50:33
to trash
50:34
because it's
50:34
not beneficial
50:35
at all.
50:37
But Nickelback,
50:39
the rock band
50:40
Nickelback,
50:41
has a song
50:42
called
50:42
It's the
50:43
Damage Your
50:43
Last Day.
50:44
I listened to
50:45
it the other
50:45
day and it
50:46
was like
50:46
solid.
50:47
I couldn't
50:47
believe it.
50:47
These guys
50:48
probably aren't
50:49
believers,
50:49
I'm pretty sure.
50:50
And they're
50:51
like singing
50:51
a song that
50:52
is exactly
50:52
a perspective
50:54
of what a
50:55
believer should
50:55
have.
50:56
And so,
50:57
you know,
50:58
you can redeem
50:58
them.
50:59
That's what
50:59
this really
50:59
means.
51:00
This is what
51:00
these lyrics
51:01
really mean.
51:03
So,
51:04
there's all
51:05
kind of
51:05
questions I
51:05
know,
51:06
but if it's
51:07
controlling you
51:08
and infiltrating
51:09
your mind
51:09
and making
51:09
you think
51:10
worldly and
51:10
sinful and
51:12
pulling you
51:12
away from
51:12
God,
51:13
like,
51:14
move away
51:14
from it.
51:15
It's really,
51:15
really tricky.
51:17
It takes time
51:18
to learn how
51:18
to do.
51:19
And none
51:20
of us
51:20
do it
51:20
perfectly.
51:21
But,
51:22
last thing
51:22
we'll look
51:23
at,
51:23
look at
51:23
1 John
51:24
chapter 5
51:25
real fast.
51:26
Let's read
51:26
this.
51:26
It's a good
51:26
summation of
51:27
what we've
51:28
been talking
51:28
about.
51:37
1 John
51:38
chapter 5
51:38
verse 3.
51:43
This sums
51:44
up all
51:45
we've been
51:45
talking about.
51:46
For this
51:46
is the love
51:47
of God
51:47
that we
51:49
keep His
51:49
commandments,
51:50
like we
51:50
just said.
51:51
And His
51:51
commandments
51:52
are not
51:52
burdensome.
51:54
And why
51:54
are they not
51:54
burdensome?
51:55
It's because
51:55
we love
51:56
Him.
51:56
It's our
51:56
joy to
51:57
follow Him.
51:58
For
51:58
everyone who
51:59
has been
51:59
born of
52:00
God
52:00
overcomes
52:01
the world.
52:03
And this
52:03
is the
52:04
victory that
52:04
has overcome
52:05
the world,
52:05
our faith.
52:07
Who is it
52:08
that overcomes
52:08
the world
52:09
except the
52:09
one who
52:10
believes that
52:12
Jesus is the
52:13
Son of God?
52:14
So,
52:15
because of
52:16
Christ,
52:17
we can,
52:17
like,
52:18
walk through
52:18
this world
52:19
and be
52:20
in it
52:20
and not
52:21
of it,
52:21
not reject
52:23
it or not
52:23
become like
52:24
it,
52:24
but we can
52:24
actually live
52:25
here for
52:25
the glory
52:25
of God
52:26
and make
52:26
an impact
52:27
for His
52:28
kingdom
52:28
here.
52:29
And if we
52:30
are born
52:31
of God,
52:31
we will
52:31
overcome.
52:32
There's a
52:32
promise there.
52:33
So,
52:34
let it be
52:34
said that
52:35
we went
52:36
through this
52:37
life and
52:37
weren't
52:38
lured and
52:39
we don't
52:41
become like
52:42
the water
52:42
around us,
52:43
but we
52:43
impact it
52:43
for the
52:44
glory of
52:44
God.
52:45
I know
52:45
it's kind
52:46
of late,
52:46
guys.
52:46
We'll kind
52:47
of,
52:47
I think we
52:48
should respond
52:49
in song.
52:49
We started
52:50
late tonight,
52:51
but this
52:52
definitely warrants
52:53
more conversation
52:54
on now,
52:54
so we just
52:55
kind of pop
52:56
the lid and
52:57
kind of give it
52:57
to you tonight.
52:58
But talk to
52:59
John,
53:00
talk to me,
53:00
Dan,
53:02
anybody else
53:04
that's here,
53:04
but let's just
53:05
kind of close in
53:06
prayer and then
53:07
we'll have Alex
53:07
come up and
53:08
lead us in
53:09
song.
53:09
Father,
53:12
I'm overwhelmed
53:14
at this topic
53:14
and I know
53:15
there's so
53:15
many things
53:16
in my life
53:18
that I need
53:18
to make war
53:19
on and
53:19
take out
53:20
of my
53:20
life.
53:22
Lord,
53:22
may I never
53:23
be so
53:24
comfortable
53:24
to think
53:24
that everything
53:26
that I have
53:27
or ways
53:28
that I spend
53:29
my money
53:29
that I'm
53:31
beyond
53:31
reproach.
53:32
I want
53:33
to live a
53:35
life that does
53:35
reflect that my
53:36
treasure is in
53:37
you and not in
53:38
things I have
53:39
or things
53:40
that I
53:42
delight in
53:43
every day
53:43
but in
53:44
you and
53:45
everything is
53:45
a springboard
53:47
to worship
53:47
and leads me
53:48
to thanksgiving
53:49
for what
53:50
you've done
53:50
and,
53:52
Lord,
53:53
may Christ
53:54
be our
53:55
ultimate
53:56
treasure.
53:57
He's the
53:58
only thing
53:58
worth living
54:00
for.
54:00
He's completely
54:01
worthy.
54:02
He can
54:02
satisfy our
54:03
soul and
54:05
He's the
54:05
one thing
54:06
that can't
54:06
be taken
54:06
away from
54:07
us.
54:08
Everything
54:08
else that
54:09
we live
54:09
for will
54:11
be taken
54:11
away from
54:11
us,
54:12
but Christ
54:12
cannot be
54:13
and I
54:14
pray that
54:14
we would
54:15
live for
54:15
Him and
54:16
die for
54:17
Him.
54:18
We would
54:19
be satisfied
54:19
in Him and
54:20
He would
54:20
allow us to
54:21
navigate this
54:22
world and
54:23
not be
54:24
pulled into
54:25
its sinful
54:26
ideologies and
54:28
ways of
54:28
thinking,
54:29
that we
54:30
would be
54:30
strangers and
54:32
pilgrims and
54:33
travelers here
54:34
heading towards
54:35
eternity and
54:37
glorify you
54:38
in our
54:38
decisions and
54:40
what we
54:41
do.
54:42
Lord, I
54:43
pray that
54:43
this has
54:43
been a
54:44
honoring to
54:44
you and
54:44
if I've
54:46
erred, I
54:47
pray that
54:47
you would
54:47
show me.
54:49
I'm pretty
54:50
convinced of
54:51
what your
54:51
word says.
54:54
Lord, we
54:54
love you to
54:55
help us to
54:55
apply to
54:57
this.
54:57
If we
54:57
leave here
54:58
and don't
55:00
take anything,
55:01
we are in
55:03
sin.
55:03
We're to
55:03
be not
55:04
just hearers
55:05
of the
55:05
word, but
55:05
doers and
55:06
to be
55:07
obedient.
55:09
May we
55:09
help each
55:10
other in
55:10
this process,
55:11
Lord.
55:12
In Christ's
55:13
name, amen.
55:13
Amen.