Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / Ephesians 5 - 1/18/26 - Pastor Charlie Branch

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Ephesians 5 - 1/18/26 - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

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  Welcome to [music] the podcast of
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  Meadows Baptist Church of Walnut Cove,
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  North Carolina. We're so glad [music]
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  you joined us today. If you enjoy
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  today's message, be sure to subscribe,
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  [music] follow, and share with your
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  friends. Now, let's join Pastor [music]
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  Charlie Branch with a word from God.
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  If you would please turn with me to the
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  book of Ephesians,
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  the book of Ephesians, chapter 5.
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  And uh going to continue just kind of uh
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  thoughts here, just simple things coming
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  up. Just dealing with some uh primary
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  truths in our Sunday school class. just
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  want to be obedient to the Lord. Felt
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  like this is where he led me uh this
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  morning. We'll not be here uh in the
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  worship hour today. Um we'll be in the
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  book of Genesis during the preaching
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  service, but uh the Lord didn't give me
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  liberty to teach uh in the book of
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  Genesis this morning. So, I just want to
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  share uh with you what he put on my
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  heart for Sunday school. And it's always
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  best we just obey him.
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  >> Amen.
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  >> It's always best and I know he's got
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  something for us. So, Ephesians chapter
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  5, I want to begin reading verse 15.
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  Ephesians 5 verse number 15.
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  Paul says, "See then that you walk
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  circumspectly,
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  not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the
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  time, because the days are evil.
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  Wherefore be ye not unwise,
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  but understanding what the will of the
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  Lord is. Be not drunk with wine wherein
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  is excess, but be filled with the
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  spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms
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  and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
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  and making melody in your heart to the
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  Lord, giving thanks always for all
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  things unto God and the Father in the
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  name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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  submitting yourselves one to another in
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  the fear of God.
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  Now I want to read look at these verses
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  that we've read this morning for just a
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  little while and consider that truth
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  that's mentioned in verse number 18 uh
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  where the Bible says he says where and
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  be not drunk with wine we're in his
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  excess but be filled with the spirit and
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  I want to I want to ask three questions
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  if the Lord would help us I want to ask
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  what it what first of all what does it
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  mean to be filled with the spirit what
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  does being filled with the spirit look
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  like and what will the filling of the
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  spirit bring about in my life? And I
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  want to ask and answer those three
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  questions out of this text for just just
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  a little bit of time. And uh I think we
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  many times just because we we're
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  familiar with the church and we're
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  familiar uh with the atmosphere and the
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  order and everything that goes on here,
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  I think we forget of the simplicity of
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  this truth. I think we also forget of
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  the necessity of it. You understand that
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  the Christian life is impossible without
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  this without this truth being a part of
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  your life. If you are not filled with
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  the spirit, you cannot operate as a
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  Christian.
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  >> Right?
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  >> And the necessity of that cannot be
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  overstated.
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  >> And Paul begins here in this thought. He
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  he begins not in the chapter, but with
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  this thought. He begins, if you want to
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  look at the beginning of the chapter,
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  you could say this in verse number one.
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  He says, "Be ye therefore followers of
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  God as dear children." And so that
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  imperatively is the first part of the of
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  being filled with the spirit. We must be
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  willing to follow. And he gives an
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  instruction here in this chapter that
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  we're to walk in love. Uh that we're to
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  walk in light and we're to walk as he
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  leads us in this chapter according to
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  verse number 15. And one writer said it
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  this way in the New Testament. I don't
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  remember exactly who it was that said
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  it, but he said it this way. He said,
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  "If we live in the spirit, let us also
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  walk in the spirit." Now, the truth of
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  that is that if you're saved, you are
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  alive spiritually. The spirit of God has
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  made you alive. Ephesians 2 tells us
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  that you hath he quickened. You have
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  been made alive who were dead in
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  trespasses and sins. And so you are
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  living if you are saved, you are
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  presently living in the spirit of God.
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  You are living by his power. But there's
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  a difference between living in the
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  spirit and walking in the spirit.
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  >> Paul tells us in the book of Romans
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  chapter number eight, he says, "Walk in
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  the spirit and you not you shall not
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  fulfill the lust of the flesh." And so
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  where there's a problem with sin, that
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  means there's a problem with the spirit
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  of God in your life. where there is uh
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  absences or where there are things
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  present that shouldn't be in your life,
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  that's a problem of the spirit of God
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  having control of your life. And so he
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  labels here in this chapter number five,
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  he tells us to walk circumspectly. And
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  that that means to walk carefully. We
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  ought to we ought to be uh careful about
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  where we put our foot to. Amen. And uh
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  that's that's literal and and uh typical
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  as well. see that you walk
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  circumspectly, not as fools, but as
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  wise. Verse 16, redeeming the time
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  because the days of evil. And so, we're
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  to walk carefully, but we're to walk
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  countingly. We're to redeem the time.
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  We're to buy back what we've lost. You
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  see, but because of sin, we lose days,
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  >> right?
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  >> But I'll tell you this, when you live
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  for Christ, you gain.
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  >> Amen. You are adding to what God has
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  already given unto you. And notice what
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  he says again in verse 17. He says,
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  "Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but
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  understanding what the will of the Lord
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  is." So, he's already mentioned in verse
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  15 that a foolish man does not walk
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  carefully. Notice that in verse 15, see
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  then that you walk circumspectly, not as
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  fools. You've ever seen a a drunk
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  stagger around? You know what? They
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  don't walk carefully, do they? That's
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  why they fall down and stumble and step
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  off of things that they shouldn't. Amen.
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  >> But he mentions it again in verse 17.
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  This same type of unwis lack of wisdom
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  is present. Look what he says by a man
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  that does not know what the will of God
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  is. He said be you not unwise but
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  understanding what the will of the Lord
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  is. And that understanding means to take
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  hold of. You see we we talk about a lot
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  of times and the will of God is not a
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  mystical thing. Let me put that out
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  there to you. Okay? If you do what the
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  Bible says is the will of God, you are
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  in the will of God.
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  >> Right?
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  people talking about, well, I don't know
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  what the will of God, you know, young
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  people, it was, you know, I don't know
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  who the will of God is for my life as a
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  spouse, man, woman. I don't know who it
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  is. Well, if you do what God says is the
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  will of God,
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  >> what'll happen is you'll wake up and
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  you'll find yourself one of these days
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  in the will of God,
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  >> right?
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  >> Married to the right person, living the
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  right life. Because if you follow the
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  principles of this book, Amen, you're
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  not going to miss that. You're
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  >> right. And I think sometimes we we
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  mysticize things way too much. We want
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  God to put it on a page of scripture and
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  say, "This is the man. This is the woman
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  that I'm supposed to marry." But he's
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  not going to do that. He does. He's not
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  going to write it in the sky. He's not
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  going to tell you a name in your in your
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  dreams. Amen. It just does not work that
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  way. But this is what we do. We line
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  that person up with the word of God. I
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  don't know why I'm talking about this,
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  but I just feel led to. Amen. We line
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  that person up with the word of God.
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  What does their character say?
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  >> How do they measure up with the
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  scriptures character-wise? What is the
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  condition of their life?
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  >> What is the uh I guess you would say
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  what is the contrition of their spirit
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  unto the Lord? How how surrendered are
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  they to the will of God? If you ask them
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  if they're willing to do whatever God
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  wants them to do and go wherever God
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  wants them to go, would they say yes?
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  That's the most important thing. Because
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  somebody who is unsurdered and
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  unsubmitted is not going to be submitted
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  or surrendered to you. Right?
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  >> And so I notice here in the text, and
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  I'll say more about that in a minute,
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  but he says we're to be not unwise, but
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  understanding what the will of the Lord
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  is. There's some things that we should
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  know about. And the will of the Lord is
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  the most cut and dry thing in the
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  scripture. You know, there's many things
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  the Bible says. You can look 1
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  Thessalonians 5, this is the will of
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  God, or 1 Thessalonians 4, this is the
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  will of God. even your sanctification
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  that you should abstain from
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  fornication. He he labels that
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  specifically that though it is the will
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  of God for children of God to abstain
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  from sexual sin.
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  >> Right?
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  >> In everything give thanks. 1
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  Thessalonians 5. For this is the will of
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  God in Christ Jesus concerning you. And
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  the list goes on. But notice in this
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  text there's a statement here. He begins
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  describing first of all we consider here
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  this uh will of God. be be not unwise,
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  but understanding what the will of the
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  Lord is. There's a grasp that we should
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  have. And then he goes right into verse
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  number 18 with that connecting word
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  there. And be not drunk with wine. We're
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  in his excess. But be filled with the
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  spirit. Every connotation of walking in
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  the will of God and living the Christian
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  life in the Bible, it is a life of
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  discipline.
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  >> It is a life of control. It's a life of
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  character. It is a life that's lived
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  privately more than publicly. The
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  Christian that you are is the person
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  that you are when nobody else is
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  watching. You're
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  >> right.
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  >> And I'll say for myself as well as um
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  all the rest of us, most of the time
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  we're not as good Christians as we seem
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  to be, are we?
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  >> Right.
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  >> Amen. And so we've got room to grow.
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  Notice what he says here. There's a
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  contrast that he labels in verse number
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  18. and be not drunk with wine where in
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  his excess but be filled with the
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  spirit. So this is an emphasis on
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  control. This contrast is labeled here
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  just as the it's a contrast in the
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  difference of character but it's a
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  comparison in the in the in the likeness
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  of control. Notice that be not drunk
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  with wine. So the comparison here is the
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  control but the difference is character.
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  You look at what a drunk person have the
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  way they operate. They're controlled.
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  But what what are they doing? They're
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  controlled to wickedness.
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  >> They're controlled to things that are
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  going to defile them. They're controlled
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  unto perversion. That's why he says it's
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  excess. There's a there's an there's a
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  measure of sinfulness. Be not drunk with
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  wine where is excess, but be filled with
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  the spirit. And so the same manner that
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  a drunk man is controlled by his
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  alcohol, we are to be controlled by the
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  spirit of God.
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  >> So what does that tell us? Number one,
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  the control of the spirit's inward.
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  Amen.
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  >> A drunk man, he didn't get drunk by
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  looking at a glass of wine, did he?
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  >> Right?
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  >> He had to intake it. If you're going to
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  be controlled by the spirit, you've got
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  to have an intake,
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  >> right,
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  >> of the spirit of God. How do you get
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  that?
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  It's the word, isn't it? So what you
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  intake is what you're going to be
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  influenced by. So he says here in the
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  text, but be filled with the spirit. So
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  there's not only here that there's an
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  intake, but this influence is a filling.
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  It means to be completely filled up.
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  That word filling there means to be
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  completely controlled. It has the image
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  of this. You think about a uh if you
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  took this water bottle here and it was
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  full, you would say that that thing's
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  filled. It'd be filled completely to the
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  top. You are a container.
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  Yes.
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  >> Your what does what does Paul say? He
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  said your body is the temple
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  >> right
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  >> of God. Ain't that right? That's what he
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  said. He said it's the temple of God.
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  You're not your own. You're bought with
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  a price. Therefore, glorify God. What
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  did he say? In your body, in your
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  spirit, which are the Lord's. And so, if
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  you're a container, amen, you are
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  controlled by what you're filled by. So,
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  he says, be filled with the spirit, the
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  spirit of God. That is the control of
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  the Holy Ghost in our life. And so the
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  contrast is seen in our character that
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  we're to not be controlled by the flesh,
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  but we're to be controlled by our faith,
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  to be filled with the spirit. Then
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  there's a connection here, and this is
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  what I want to get to, okay? You say,
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  "Preacher, I already know all this
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  stuff." You probably do, but it's good
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  to remember it. Amen. It helped me just
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  reading over it again. Notice what your
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  Bible says. The last part, notice the
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  last punctuation of verse number 18. You
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  see that little punctuation there? You
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  know what that does?
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  That connects connects this text
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  together to verse number 19. It's a
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  continued statement. Be not drunk with
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  wine where his ex says. And tell me, all
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  right, I get this wrong all the time. Is
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  that a colon or a semicolon?
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  Somebody tell me.
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  >> Semicolon. That's what I thought. Okay,
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  I didn't want to embarrass myself and be
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  wrong. Okay, but it's a semicolon. Now,
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  notice it again in our text. It's
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  mentioned there. Verse 18. Be not drunk
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  with wine where is excess. semicolon
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  connected but be filled with the spirit
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  again semicolon verse 19 speaking to
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  yourselves and psalms and hymns and
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  spiritual songs.
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  Okay. So what it means number one to be
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  filled with the spirit what it means to
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  be filled with the spirit is for the
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  scriptures and the spirit of god to have
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  complete and total control of your life.
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  the way that your brain operates the
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  limbs of your body. That is the control
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  that the spirit of God is to have over
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  every outlet of your life,
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  >> everything. And so that's what it means
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  to be filled with the spirit. Well, what
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  does it look like to be filled with the
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  spirit? Well, notice what he says in
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  verse 19. It's connected statement.
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  Speaking to yourselves in psalms and
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  hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
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  making melody in your heart to the Lord.
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  Now, remember I just said it was inward,
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  didn't I? that alcoholic, he has to take
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  that alcohol inside of him. He doesn't
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  get drunk looking at the glass. Amen. No
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  more than you can be spiritual looking
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  at that book. Amen. Amen. That's right.
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  Look what he says again. Notice it in
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  verse 19. Speaking to yourselves,
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  okay? Now, that's not craziness. All
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  right? But it's an internal meditation.
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  It's the internal ministry of the
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  scriptures and the spirit in your life.
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  speaking to yourselves. Notice what he
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  labels in the verse. Speaking to
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  yourselves in psalms and hymns and
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  spiritual songs. Now, of course, we know
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  what Paul was writing about here. They
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  didn't have the New Testament. Amen.
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  They had the psalms, the spiritual
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  songs, the hymns that are mentioned here
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  is what David wrote and what Moses wrote
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  and what the prophets wrote. It was a
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  meditation on the word of God.
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  >> We know that the Hebrew language, that
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  language, every letter has a musical
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  notation. And you can look that up in
• 14:38
  history, you'll find that. And that's
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  the way that the Hebrew boys learned the
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  first five books of the Bible. They
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  would sing it and they could quote the
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  entirety of the penetuk because they
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  could sing it. That's that's not that's
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  not something that's that's unknown.
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  That's something that we're very
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  familiar with. And so when he says
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  speaking to yourselves, first of all,
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  that means there must be a meditation on
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  the word alone. I want I want to
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  emphasize this. Okay? Notice what he
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  says first. He says speaking to
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  yourselves. So that emphasizes first of
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  all speaking is just words, isn't it?
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  There's no measure of music. There's no
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  tune put to that. But speaking is just
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  words. And so that tells me primarily
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  that we're to be meditating on the word
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  by itself.
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  >> All right. Then notice what he says
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  again. Speaking to yourselves in psalms
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  and hymns and spiritual songs. So
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  there's speaking, then there's singing.
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  Singing. That is the the uh this the the
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  heart producing worship. Now I don't
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  want to dive too deep in this. I I I I
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  wrote some things down here and I don't
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  want to get too far off with this. Okay,
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  but singing is will take control of your
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  life.
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  >> Right?
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  >> You say, "What do you mean by that?"
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  Well, what you allow yourself to listen
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  to.
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  >> What you sing with
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  >> is what you're going to intake is what
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  is what you're going to find your life
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  patterns itself to. You're right.
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  >> This is why it's so important for our
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  children that we influence to them that
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  worldly music is bad for their health.
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  >> Amen. All types of. And I'll say this
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  myself. I'll be honest with you. I love
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  music. And I struggle with this for many
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  years as a young man. I love all types
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  of music. And that's not right.
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  >> You'll never hear preachers say that in
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  the pull pit. But I'm telling you the
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  truth. That's the flesh in me.
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  >> And so here's what happens when you
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  allow that stuff. You go into a
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  restaurant and you hear a song you not
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  listened to in 5 10 years, however long
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  it's been, or before you got saved, you
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  know what happens? You can immediately
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  remember by that tune.
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  >> You're right.
• 16:39
  >> Before they ever say a word, you can
• 16:40
  remember what the song is.
• 16:43
  >> Don't act look at me like I'm crazy.
• 16:46
  >> You're right.
• 16:46
  >> You know I'm right about that.
• 16:48
  >> And so what this does here, when we
• 16:51
  place that song, when we put the
• 16:53
  scripture to a song, it's designed to
• 16:55
  make an imprint on our mind. Well, the
• 16:58
  devil has t taken that
• 17:00
  >> and turned it and the music industry is
• 17:03
  pretty much the biggest industry in in
• 17:05
  the world basically.
• 17:06
  >> It's what he uses to control the minds
• 17:08
  of untold millions. But he tells us
• 17:11
  we're to be singing. And so that means
• 17:13
  there's a measure of uh this singing
• 17:15
  that we're to be doing. It has to be
• 17:17
  done properly. I'll deal more with this
• 17:19
  in the future here at the church, but I
• 17:21
  just want to get get this off my heart
• 17:23
  this morning. So they're speaking,
• 17:26
  they're singing, then they're sounding.
• 17:27
  Look what he says in verse 19. And
• 17:30
  spiritual songs, singing and making
• 17:31
  melody
• 17:33
  in your heart to the Lord. And so all of
• 17:37
  this is connected.
• 17:40
  Truth must be spoken. We would agree
• 17:42
  with that.
• 17:43
  >> All right. But truth must be sung. And I
• 17:46
  think what we've lacked in this day and
• 17:48
  time is a lot of churches have built
• 17:50
  their ministry off of singing.
• 17:52
  >> Come on.
• 17:53
  >> But you know what? A lot of singing is
• 17:54
  not doctrally right.
• 17:55
  >> All right.
• 17:56
  >> So, you know what happens? As the
• 17:57
  singing drifts, then the preaching
• 18:00
  drifts.
• 18:00
  >> Yeah.
• 18:02
  >> And as the singing influences the rest
• 18:04
  of the service, the preaching has to
• 18:05
  follow along with the singing. But you
• 18:07
  see, that's never the way it was meant
• 18:08
  to be. You're
• 18:09
  >> right.
• 18:09
  >> The preaching is meant to influence
• 18:11
  everything else.
• 18:12
  >> And if the singing doesn't line up with
• 18:14
  the preaching, or and I'll say this, or
• 18:16
  if the singer doesn't line up with the
• 18:18
  preaching.
• 18:18
  >> Yeah. Come on.
• 18:20
  >> That's a negative influence.
• 18:22
  >> Yeah. If it, and let me just say this,
• 18:24
  okay? If a singer is not faithful to
• 18:26
  church and they come in and sing a song
• 18:28
  about the faithfulness of the Lord,
• 18:29
  well, that doesn't that make them a
• 18:31
  hypocrite? You're
• 18:31
  >> right.
• 18:32
  >> If they can't get to church on time, if
• 18:34
  they're not faithful to church is here
• 18:36
  as often as they can, we get in the
• 18:37
  choir and sing about how good it is to
• 18:39
  be saved, how much we love the Lord when
• 18:41
  we're not even faithful to church the
• 18:43
  three times a week that we have it.
• 18:44
  >> Come on.
• 18:46
  >> How serious are we about it?
• 18:48
  >> That's good.
• 18:48
  >> Well, he says here in the text that this
• 18:50
  is a constant thing.
• 18:52
  Notice the last last punctuation. Verse
• 18:56
  19. You see it again. Still connected.
• 19:00
  >> Notice verse 20. Giving thanks. What's
• 19:03
  that next word?
• 19:05
  >> So all of this is connected to that
• 19:06
  little word always. It ought to be a
• 19:09
  constant thing in our heart. There ought
• 19:10
  to be a song in our heart at all times.
• 19:14
  >> David said, I believe it's Psalm 34 and
• 19:16
  verse number one, he said, I'll bless
• 19:18
  the Lord at all times. at all times.
• 19:21
  Now, I'm going to deal with that verse
• 19:22
  in just a minute. But this sing, the
• 19:25
  speaking, the singing, the sounding in
• 19:27
  our life, the ministry that we have,
• 19:29
  first of all, is personal.
• 19:32
  You've got to get your thought life
• 19:33
  straightened out.
• 19:35
  >> You will never be effective in the work
• 19:37
  of God. See, this here's the thing about
• 19:38
  it. God will give you victory. I'm
• 19:40
  thankful God has allowed me I've I've
• 19:43
  been been blessed to have a measure of
• 19:45
  victory in my thought life. And God's
• 19:46
  blessed me, and I thank him for that,
• 19:48
  and I praise him openly for that. I'm
• 19:50
  thankful that I can re my thoughts in
• 19:52
  and be able to control those things. But
• 19:54
  you know what? That's an everyday thing.
• 19:55
  >> Yes.
• 19:56
  >> There are days that I don't have control
• 19:58
  of it like I should.
• 19:59
  >> There are thoughts that I have. There
• 20:00
  are thoughts that you have that you
• 20:02
  think, man, that's that's really good
• 20:04
  for a saved person to think that.
• 20:07
  >> But I'll tell you, we've got people in
• 20:08
  this day, and I know y'all don't believe
• 20:09
  this. I know y'all here for Sunday
• 20:10
  school this morning, but there's people
• 20:12
  in this day and time that think it's
• 20:13
  okay to let their thoughts run wild.
• 20:15
  You're right.
• 20:16
  >> They think, "Well, as long as I don't
• 20:17
  act on it,
• 20:18
  >> as long as I don't do something wrong or
• 20:20
  say something wrong, my thoughts, that's
• 20:22
  okay. I can get by with that."
• 20:25
  >> I want to remind you something. God
• 20:27
  knows your thoughts,
• 20:28
  >> right?
• 20:28
  >> And sin is not just anything I say or do
• 20:31
  that displeases God. But it's anything I
• 20:32
  think, say, or do that displeases God.
• 20:35
  >> Comes back to a a great truth about
• 20:38
  Christ. You know, people talk about
• 20:39
  Christ. Well, it was possible that he
• 20:41
  could have sinned. People say that, and
• 20:43
  they're wrong. Here's why they're wrong.
• 20:45
  Because if Christ could have sinned, you
• 20:47
  know where he would have sinned first?
• 20:49
  In his thoughts,
• 20:50
  >> right?
• 20:51
  >> What do you think about the Messiah
• 20:53
  having bad thoughts?
• 20:57
  >> He couldn't sin.
• 20:59
  >> There was no g in his mouth. There was
• 21:01
  no wickedness in his mind.
• 21:04
  >> He had to be completely and perfectly
• 21:07
  pure.
• 21:09
  And so, you know what? God gives us a
• 21:11
  victory in this life. He gives us
• 21:12
  control over our tongue. Amen. If any
• 21:14
  man seemth to be religious, James said,
• 21:16
  "Brideth not his tongue." He said, "This
• 21:18
  man's religion is in vain." That's what
• 21:19
  he said. And so God gives us a victory
• 21:23
  over our tongue. He gives us victory
• 21:24
  over our hands, how we live our life,
• 21:26
  what we do, our actions. He gives us
• 21:28
  victory over what we say. But I'll tell
• 21:30
  you this, what you going to deal with
• 21:31
  for the rest of life is your mind.
• 21:33
  >> Right? And
• 21:34
  >> Paul said to the Corinthian church this
• 21:36
  way. He said, "The weapons of our
• 21:37
  warfare are not carnal, but they're
• 21:38
  mighty through God to the pulling down
• 21:40
  of strongholds, casting down
• 21:41
  imaginations." Where's imaginations?
• 21:44
  And every high thing that exaltth itself
• 21:47
  against the knowledge of God, those high
• 21:49
  things are what gets here, it's what
• 21:52
  controls us. Adrien Rogers said it this
• 21:54
  way. He said, he said the the brain and
• 21:57
  he said the brain and the mind is like
• 21:59
  the relationship to a piano of a piano
• 22:01
  to a pianist.
• 22:04
  >> And I like what he said about it. He
• 22:05
  said, "Some of us have got a grand piano
• 22:07
  and some of us have got to spin it."
• 22:10
  Y'all didn't get that. Amen. Some of you
• 22:12
  did, but
• 22:14
  but the truth is, amen, the brain is
• 22:16
  what controls your body, but the mind is
• 22:19
  what tells the brain to do.
• 22:23
  How are you living your life?
• 22:26
  This truth here, what are you meditating
• 22:28
  on? That is in the mind.
• 22:30
  For with the heart man believeth under
• 22:32
  righteous. With the mouth confession is
• 22:34
  made under salvation. That heart, your
• 22:36
  mind, all of that's connected. It's the
• 22:38
  same.
• 22:40
  You look up that word heart there in the
• 22:42
  book of Romans. It literally translates
• 22:44
  to the word mind. Well, people, you
• 22:46
  know, people say, "Well, I I just, you
• 22:48
  know, I had an a I made a profession and
• 22:51
  I just, you know, I intellectually
• 22:53
  believed."
• 22:55
  Well, you can't believe in Jesus without
• 22:56
  believing in him intellectually.
• 22:58
  >> Faith cometh by hearing. Where do you
• 23:00
  what what hears? The mind through the
• 23:02
  ears hears. So, you can't separate
• 23:05
  salvation from the mind. Faith cometh by
• 23:08
  hearing. hearing by the word of God.
• 23:10
  Without knowledge, there is no
• 23:12
  salvation.
• 23:13
  >> Amen.
• 23:13
  >> And you don't have to have all
• 23:14
  knowledge. Amen. But we know that a man
• 23:17
  must know a few things. He must know
• 23:19
  number one, he's a sinner. Amen.
• 23:21
  >> Where's knowledge? That's here.
• 23:23
  >> Yeah.
• 23:25
  >> Knowledge. Must know that you're a
• 23:27
  sinner. Must know that Jesus is the
• 23:29
  savior. And must believe the gospel.
• 23:31
  >> Right?
• 23:32
  >> You have to know those things. And so,
• 23:35
  we can't separate that. Look what he
• 23:37
  said again. And he said, "Be not unwise,
• 23:38
  but understanding." That's knowledge.
• 23:40
  That's receiving. That's grasping what
• 23:43
  the will of the Lord is. We ought to
• 23:45
  know more today than we did yesterday.
• 23:47
  >> Right?
• 23:48
  >> And so he tells us here that our
• 23:50
  consideration. He he gives us the
• 23:52
  contrast verse 18, the connection is
• 23:55
  that little semicolon. And then there's
• 23:57
  the consideration here of how we ought
• 23:59
  to live our life. We ought to be
• 24:00
  speaking to ourselves, psalms and hymns
• 24:03
  and spiritual songs, singing and making
• 24:05
  melody in your heart to the Lord. I'll
• 24:08
  be honest with you, you may not be able
• 24:09
  to carry a tune in the bucket, but if
• 24:11
  you're saved and you're filled with the
• 24:12
  spirit of God, you will have a song.
• 24:14
  >> Yes,
• 24:14
  >> you will. You say, "Preacher, what is
• 24:17
  it?" Well, I can tell you this songs
• 24:18
  that I've had is these old hymns, man.
• 24:20
  God blessed me with those things in the
• 24:22
  middle of the night.
• 24:24
  I mean, you think about the verses that
• 24:26
  uh I think that verse comes to my mind
• 24:29
  often times. Thou will keep him in
• 24:30
  perfect peace. His mind is stayed on
• 24:32
  thee because he trustth in thee. That's
• 24:34
  a that's a song. That's a that's a
• 24:35
  spiritual song. Brings comfort in
• 24:38
  darkness. Look what he says in verse 20.
• 24:41
  I want to deal with this for a minute
• 24:42
  and I'll be done. Giving thanks always
• 24:44
  for all things unto God and the Father
• 24:48
  in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 24:50
  Now, you've probably heard me say this.
• 24:51
  I know you've heard other people say
• 24:53
  this. The Bible never says give thanks
• 24:55
  for all things. It just says in all
• 24:57
  things give thanks.
• 24:59
  >> Well,
• 25:01
  I hate to tell you this, but right there
• 25:02
  it doesn't say that, does it? Notice it
• 25:05
  again. Giving thanks always for all
• 25:11
  things.
• 25:13
  Now, I understand our lives are rid are
• 25:17
  are riddled with junk. That's right.
• 25:20
  >> We are victims of sickness,
• 25:23
  many times of Satan, always of sin.
• 25:26
  Somebody say amen right there. And so
• 25:29
  because of that, we look at a situation
• 25:31
  and we think to ourselves, these deep
• 25:33
  dark places in our life, how can we give
• 25:36
  thanks for that?
• 25:39
  Well, I want you to notice the verse
• 25:40
  again.
• 25:42
  Look what he says. Giving thanks always
• 25:44
  for all things. What's the next two
• 25:46
  words?
• 25:47
  >> God. unto God. You know how you can look
• 25:51
  at every event in life that takes place
• 25:55
  and be thankful for it is realize that
• 25:59
  God is on the back side of that thing.
• 26:01
  >> Yes.
• 26:02
  >> Working it. What did he say? For all
• 26:03
  things work together for good to them
• 26:06
  that love God, to them who are the
• 26:07
  called according to his purpose. You
• 26:09
  understand the world doesn't know this
• 26:11
  kind of thankfulness,
• 26:12
  >> right?
• 26:13
  >> We can give thanks for all of things.
• 26:15
  You say, "Preacher, what about the
• 26:17
  murders and martyrs and all of that
• 26:18
  stuff?" Them people, them martyrs, they
• 26:20
  went to their dying breath with
• 26:22
  thankfulness on their lips. You
• 26:24
  remember, you look there in the book of
• 26:25
  Acts, the apostles there, Acts chapter
• 26:27
  4, when when Peter and John were called
• 26:29
  in there to stand before the Sanhedrin
• 26:31
  said they marveled that they were
• 26:32
  unlearned and ignorant men. And they
• 26:34
  threatened them, said that they speak no
• 26:36
  more in the name of Jesus. And you
• 26:38
  remember what happened when they left?
• 26:39
  They left rejoicing
• 26:41
  >> and thanking God. Why? Because they were
• 26:43
  counted worthy. You're right.
• 26:45
  >> To suffer.
• 26:47
  Do you realize the sufferings of your
• 26:50
  life? God has entrusted you with that.
• 26:52
  >> You're right. Come on.
• 26:54
  >> You ever thought about that? Think about
• 26:56
  all Job went through. You know what God
• 26:58
  was doing? He was entrusting him with
• 27:00
  that trial.
• 27:01
  >> Yes.
• 27:02
  >> Cuz you know what? He knew what was
• 27:03
  going to come out on the other side.
• 27:04
  >> Amen.
• 27:05
  >> The worst things in your life, when you
• 27:08
  choose to view them from the eye of
• 27:10
  God's providence, there is nothing that
• 27:12
  you cannot thank God for.
• 27:13
  >> Yeah.
• 27:15
  I believe that. That's what it says,
• 27:17
  ain't it? He said, "Giving thanks
• 27:19
  always." That means all the time,
• 27:22
  unceasing,
• 27:23
  giving thanks always for all things.
• 27:26
  That means there is nothing. You know
• 27:28
  what this is? You know what this is?
• 27:29
  This is sincerity.
• 27:32
  >> Giving thanks always. That's that's
• 27:35
  constant. That's eternal. We'll be
• 27:37
  giving thanks when we leave here. Amen.
• 27:39
  When we get to heaven. But he goes
• 27:40
  beyond that. He says for all things unto
• 27:43
  God and the father. So that is our
• 27:45
  sincerity before God. No we may not be
• 27:48
  thankful outwardly though we know we may
• 27:50
  be broken on the outward from the
• 27:52
  circumstances or situations of our life.
• 27:55
  But the Bible says we can give thanks
• 27:57
  for all things.
• 27:58
  >> Amen.
• 28:00
  >> Come on.
• 28:01
  >> When you realize that every event
• 28:03
  happens in your life.
• 28:04
  >> Yes.
• 28:07
  I'm so thankful that you've said this to
• 28:09
  me so many times, but every event
• 28:10
  happens in your life has to come through
• 28:12
  and by the providential hand of God.
• 28:14
  >> You're right.
• 28:15
  >> No matter how bad, no matter how awful,
• 28:18
  no matter how much you hate it
• 28:21
  >> in the flesh, it had to come by his
• 28:23
  hand. You know what you can do? You can
• 28:25
  say, "Thank you."
• 28:25
  >> Amen.
• 28:27
  >> This what you want for me. This is what
• 28:28
  I want for myself.
• 28:29
  >> Amen.
• 28:30
  >> That'll help you. Amen. Amen.
• 28:32
  >> Lord, if this is what you want for me,
• 28:35
  this is what I know I need. Know my
• 28:37
  flesh doesn't like it, but I'll take it.
• 28:39
  >> Amen.
• 28:39
  >> And I'll thank you for it. That's easy
• 28:42
  preaching, but that's hard living.
• 28:44
  >> Amen.
• 28:45
  >> Notice verse 20 again. Giving thanks
• 28:48
  always for all things unto God and the
• 28:50
  Father in the name of our Lord Jesus
• 28:53
  Christ. That's why we pray in Jesus
• 28:55
  name.
• 28:55
  >> Amen.
• 28:56
  >> You give thanks. You give thanks in
• 28:57
  Jesus name. Verse 21. Notice this and
• 29:00
  I'm done.
• 29:02
  submitting yourselves one to another in
• 29:04
  the fear of God. Now, we men, we love to
• 29:06
  get to verse 22. Wives, submit
• 29:08
  yourselves unto your own husbands as
• 29:09
  under the Lord. We love that. Amen.
• 29:12
  Women, don't get nervous on me, okay?
• 29:14
  I'm going to help you right here. All
• 29:15
  right, listen to what he says in verse
• 29:17
  21. Submitting yourselves one to another
• 29:22
  in the fear of God.
• 29:25
  A Christian is to live a completely
• 29:28
  subdued and submitted life. You say,
• 29:30
  "What do you mean by that?" To every
• 29:32
  believer that you come across, it
• 29:35
  doesn't matter how long they've been
• 29:36
  saved, doesn't matter uh how long you've
• 29:39
  been saved or anything to do with your
• 29:41
  life, if they're saved and you're saved,
• 29:43
  you ought to be able to submit unto them
• 29:45
  if they're right with God and you're
• 29:46
  right with God.
• 29:47
  >> Right?
• 29:48
  >> They're not going to ask you to do
• 29:49
  anything that's outside the will of God
• 29:52
  if they're right with God. And you're
• 29:53
  not going to ask them to do anything
• 29:54
  that's outside the will of God if you're
• 29:56
  right with God. So, you know what that
• 29:57
  creates?
• 29:59
  Fellowship,
• 30:00
  >> right?
• 30:00
  >> You know why we don't have fellowship in
• 30:02
  this day and time? Because people ain't
• 30:03
  willing to submit themselves.
• 30:05
  >> You're right. Come on.
• 30:07
  >> I will submit to any believer who is
• 30:09
  desiring to follow God the same way that
• 30:11
  I want to.
• 30:15
  I know that sounds crazy, but that's
• 30:17
  what he says. Submitting yourselves one
• 30:19
  to another. You say, "Preacher, how can
• 30:21
  you do that?" Well, the Holy Ghost is in
• 30:23
  control of me. And if you're saved, that
• 30:26
  Holy Ghost, the same one, is in control
• 30:29
  of you.
• 30:30
  >> So, you know what? He's going to tell
• 30:32
  you the same thing he would tell me. And
• 30:36
  so, the submission comes into this
• 30:38
  factor in verse 21 when he says,
• 30:39
  "Submitting yourselves one to another."
• 30:41
  How can you do that? Well, you can
• 30:43
  submit because there's been surrender.
• 30:45
  Look what he says. Submitting yourselves
• 30:47
  one to another. What's that last phrase?
• 30:50
  In the fear of God. You know why?
• 30:54
  There's no fellowship. Why? There's no
• 30:56
  submission between brethren in the
• 30:57
  church because there's no fear of God.
• 30:59
  >> Come on.
• 31:02
  >> There's no obedience to him and his
• 31:03
  commands. Only when you are obedient,
• 31:06
  man, I'm telling you, I'm telling you,
• 31:08
  there is nothing greater in this life.
• 31:10
  And I'm thankful that I've got to
• 31:11
  experience this with a handful of people
• 31:13
  down through my life, but being able to
• 31:15
  sit down and talk with somebody that is
• 31:18
  completely surrendered to the will of
• 31:20
  God. They have completely submitted
• 31:22
  their life unto Christ. And I in that
• 31:25
  same moment I've prayed and asked God,
• 31:26
  cleanse me of all sin and obviously they
• 31:28
  have. And we sit down and have
• 31:30
  fellowship and we can talk about
• 31:32
  anything and everything completely
• 31:34
  submitted one to another. They can give
• 31:36
  an idea to me. I can give an idea to
• 31:39
  them. And we can receive truth because
• 31:41
  the boundary is the will of God.
• 31:43
  >> Amen.
• 31:45
  >> You see, people think we're in a prison.
• 31:48
  But I'll tell you this, when you get in
• 31:49
  the will of God, it's just like walking
• 31:51
  through a through a forest
• 31:54
  path and opening into an open field and
• 31:57
  finding out that the sun does shine on
• 31:59
  the other side of this. That there is
• 32:01
  light and there is joy and there is
• 32:03
  blessing.
• 32:04
  What happens to us? We get so focused
• 32:06
  sometimes on just getting there. We
• 32:08
  don't like the narrow path that it takes
• 32:10
  to get there.
• 32:11
  >> Yes.
• 32:13
  >> Bible still says straight is the gate.
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  >> That's for salvation. But that's also
• 32:17
  that's also for your life.
• 32:19
  >> It's a narrow way. People can call us
• 32:23
  narrow-minded if they want to, but I'll
• 32:24
  tell you this. I might be narrow-minded
• 32:26
  here, but I can tell you in my heart
• 32:28
  when I get out in them that field of
• 32:30
  grace,
• 32:32
  >> submitting. I'm tell you this husband
• 32:35
  marital bliss. The greatest marital
• 32:37
  bliss that you'll ever experience is
• 32:39
  when your wife is submitted to the will
• 32:41
  of God and you're submitted to the will
• 32:43
  of God and you two can love one another.
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  You're right.
• 32:46
  >> Perfectly.
• 32:47
  >> Come on.
• 32:48
  >> Being willing to do whatever and go
• 32:50
  wherever God asked you to.
• 32:53
  >> And I'm thankful that I've got to
• 32:55
  experience that.
• 32:57
  >> That's the greatest blessing of life. I
• 32:59
  think that is
• 33:01
  in this text. He begins dealing with
• 33:03
  that in verse 22. That's why he starts
• 33:05
  dealing with the marriage. But I want to
• 33:06
  remind you all of this is connected.
• 33:09
  What was the question?
• 33:11
  What does it mean to be filled with the
• 33:12
  spirit of God? What does it look like?
• 33:14
  Well, let me ask you, how much of your
• 33:17
  mind is filled with a song?
• 33:20
  >> I'll be honest with you, and I I say
• 33:21
  this not boastfully at all, but I'm
• 33:24
  thankful that God has put enough word,
• 33:26
  enough song in my mind that I have to
• 33:28
  willfully push it out.
• 33:30
  >> Yes.
• 33:30
  >> To try to find something else that that
• 33:33
  serves the flesh. That's not boastful.
• 33:36
  I'm just telling you the truth. God puts
• 33:37
  it in. If you want it, he'll do it.
• 33:39
  >> You're right.
• 33:40
  >> He'll put it in there. He will. But I'll
• 33:44
  say this. What's it going to bring in
• 33:46
  your life? It's going to bring
• 33:47
  fellowship.
• 33:48
  >> Yes.
• 33:50
  >> What does being filled with the spirit
• 33:53
  mean? It means to be controlled by the
• 33:55
  spirit, led by the scriptures, means to
• 33:57
  be completely filled up. What does it
• 34:00
  look like? Well, you have a song.
• 34:04
  You have the scriptures on the inside.
• 34:06
  Your mind, your inward is is filled with
• 34:09
  the word of God and with the witness of
• 34:12
  the spirit. What's it going to bring?
• 34:13
  It's going to bring fellowship. It's
• 34:15
  going to bring submission. And it'll
• 34:17
  bring joy. Amen. I tell you what, that's
• 34:19
  what I want.
• 34:22
  >> This what I decided. I decided this. And
• 34:24
  it ain't been that long ago I decided
• 34:25
  this. I decided that I'm going to be
• 34:27
  submitted to his will. If nobody else in
• 34:29
  my life is,
• 34:31
  >> I'll do whatever he asked. Here's the
• 34:33
  thing about it. Until you make that
• 34:35
  resolve, God can't use you.
• 34:37
  >> Right.
• 34:38
  >> Amen. You got to be completely submitted
• 34:41
  to his will. Kenneth Wu said this. He
• 34:43
  said, "Subjecting oneself to another is
• 34:46
  the opposite of self assertion, the
• 34:49
  opposite of an independent autocratic
• 34:50
  spirit. It is the desire to get along
• 34:53
  with one another, being satisfied with
• 34:56
  less than one's due, a sweet
• 34:58
  reasonleness of attitude." I don't know
• 35:01
  about you, but that's about the best
• 35:02
  definition I've ever heard of that. A
• 35:05
  sweet reasonleness of attitude. Ain't
• 35:08
  ain't reasonable people nice to be
• 35:10
  around. Amen.
• 35:11
  >> Christian people ought to be more
• 35:12
  reasonable than anybody.
• 35:14
  >> Amen. Father, thank you for this day.
• 35:16
  Thank you for this time. Lord, help us
• 35:18
  to be filled with the spirit. Lord, you
• 35:20
  told us in your word if we live all if
• 35:22
  we live in the spirit, let us also walk
• 35:24
  in the spirit. Lord, please give us
• 35:25
  strength to do that. Lord, help us not
• 35:28
  have confidence in the flesh, Lord, our
• 35:30
  own or anybody else's. Lord, let us
• 35:33
  trust in you. We love you. Thank you for
• 35:35
  loving us. Bless the worship hour. We
• 35:37
  give you thanks for what you do because
• 35:38
  we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. God bless
• 35:42
  you.
• 35:42
  >> Thank you for joining our service
• 35:43
  [music] today. We'd love it if you join
• 35:46
  us in person the next time you are able
• 35:48
  at Meadows Baptist Church. Our [music]
• 35:51
  physical address is 2988 Stewart Road in
• 35:54
  Walnut Cove, North Carolina. Our service
• 35:58
  times are Sunday school at 10:00 a.m.,
• 36:00
  Sunday morning worship at 11:00 a.m.,
• 36:03
  Sunday [music] evening worship at 6:00
• 36:05
  p.m., and Wednesday evening Bible study
• 36:07
  at 700 p.m. For more [music]
• 36:09
  information, visit us at
• 36:11
  meadowsbaptisturch.com.
• 36:13
  Thanks again for tuning in.
• 36:16
  [music]