Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000046
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00:01 Music...
00:20 Hello Friends and welcome to another 00:22 Wednesday Night Bible Study here at the 3ABN Worship Center 00:26 in Thompsonville, Illinois 00:27 and we appreciate you taking the time 00:29 to tune in to join us for continuing Bible Study. 00:32 As you know, the theme is... wait... let me just get off 00:36 to tell you... the theme is: 00:37 How to live a... what kind of life? 00:39 Spiritual life in a... what kind of body? 00:41 In a natural body... that's what God has called us... 00:45 every one of us to do... 00:46 live a spiritual life 00:47 but live that life in a natural body 00:50 until the day comes when this body is replaced 00:53 by a glorious and perfect body 00:55 and I'm looking forward to that day... anybody else? 00:56 Audience: Amen. 00:58 Tonight, we want you to follow along in our lesson 01:00 and here's the website that you can go to 01:02 to get a copy of the lesson for tonight, 01:04 go to: ASF.3ABN.org 01:10 and download Lesson Number 14, 01:13 also, Lesson Number 15 01:17 because we're going to be starting a new lesson tonight 01:19 if we can get to that, 01:21 the lesson tonight, we're going to be covering is, 01:23 first of all, The Empowered Life 01:25 and then, How to Live a Servant's Life. 01:29 So, get both of those copies 01:31 and at that website, you can also get copies 01:33 of all the lessons prior to that one, 01:35 if you've missed any broadcast, 01:36 you'll also be able to follow through 01:38 by looking at some of the videos from the prior broadcasts 01:42 but tonight, get your Bibles... invite your friends and families 01:45 if you are a church, gather together and pray with us 01:50 as we invite the presence of God 01:51 and after the prayer, we'll sing our song, 01:53 "Victory in Jesus" 01:55 so let's pray together. 01:56 "Gracious Father in heaven, 01:57 we thank you for the opportunity tonight to open your Word, 02:00 but we pray that we just not open a book 02:03 but we open our hearts. 02:05 We invite your presence to abide with us... 02:08 to strengthen us... 02:09 to speak to us at the point of our need 02:12 and Lord to not only open up 02:15 what is important to us in our understanding 02:18 but plant within us a willing spirit to follow as you lead 02:23 this is our prayer in Jesus' name we pray, amen. " 02:28 Tonight, join us, 02:30 many of you know our song, "Victory in Jesus" 02:32 if you know it by heart, you can sing along with us 02:35 and we always praise the Lord 02:37 because this is our theme, in fact, Victory in Jesus. 02:40 Let's sing the song. 02:42 Music... 02:50 I heard an old, old story, 02:53 How a Savior came from glory 02:56 How He gave His life on Calvary To save a wretch like me, 03:04 I heard about His groaning, 03:08 of His precious blood's atoning 03:12 Then I repented of my sins, 03:16 And won the victory. 03:19 O victory in Jesus, 03:23 My Savior, forever. 03:27 He sought me and bought me 03:31 With His redeeming blood, 03:34 He loved me ere I knew Him, 03:38 And all my love is due Him, 03:42 He plunged me to victory, 03:46 Beneath the cleansing flood. 03:49 I heard about a mansion 03:53 He has built for me in glory. 03:57 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:01 Beyond the crystal sea; 04:05 About the angels singing, 04:08 And the old redemption story, 04:12 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:16 The song of victory. 04:20 O victory in Jesus, 04:24 My Savior, forever. 04:27 He sought me and bought me 04:31 With His redeeming blood; 04:35 He loved me ere I knew Him, 04:39 And all my love is due Him, 04:42 He plunged me to victory, 04:46 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:50 He plunged me to victory, 04:55 Beneath the cleansing flood. 05:00 Amen. Audience: Amen. 05:02 Tonight as we continue in our topic: 05:05 How to Live a Spiritual Life in a Natural Body 05:07 it is: How to live the Empowered Life. 05:10 Let's say it together, "How to live... " what? 05:12 Audience and Pastor: "the Empowered Life. " 05:14 Everything we have needs power. 05:18 The universe is a place where God's power is displayed 05:23 but God does not just want the power of God 05:26 to be displayed in the universe in the sun, the moon, the stars, 05:29 the most important blessing is, 05:32 God wants His power to be seen in our lives. 05:36 As a matter of fact, I'd like to begin tonight 05:38 instead of going to the first question, 05:40 I want to go the book of Romans chapter 1, 05:42 Romans chapter 1, 05:44 I want you to see a very important verse, 05:46 this I would refer to as a transitional verse. 05:50 It allows us to so-to-speak use this verse as a springboard 05:57 because Paul the apostle had a desire 06:00 and one of the things that we have to keep in mind is that 06:05 when we focus on the gospel, which is the good news... 06:09 what is the gospel? 06:11 Audience: The good news... 06:12 we have to make sure that our attitude toward the gospel 06:17 is correct 06:18 because a lot of people know about the gospel 06:20 but our attitude toward the gospel has to be correct 06:23 and let me just lay the foundation. 06:25 People that are in the world... you can walk up to a person 06:29 that does not know Christ... 06:31 you can stand in a crowd of people at 4th of July's... 06:35 4th of July Fireworks Show, 06:37 you could be walking in the mall, 06:38 you could be standing at a counter in the bookstore, 06:42 you could be in a very secular environment 06:46 and in many cases, a person wouldn't hesitate 06:50 to talk to you about the thing that interests them the most. 06:53 I mean, they wouldn't be afraid to talk about that, 06:56 people that want to sell cars or any kind of device 06:59 or maybe real estate, 07:02 or they want to send you or sell you a program... 07:04 for example, the other morning I was at a... 07:06 I remember being in a particular city... 07:09 I want to be very vague on this 07:11 and waiting for the light to change 07:13 and as soon as the light turned red, 07:15 on... in each of the four points of the intersection, 07:20 four guys ran into the streets 07:23 and they had a large stack of cards in their hands 07:26 and they tapped on the cars... 07:28 they had a stack of cards in their hand 07:31 and they tapped on the windows of each of the cars 07:33 and wanting the people to roll their window down 07:36 so they can give them a card 07:37 and when the light turned green, they moved out of the way 07:40 and I could suggest or assume 07:42 that when the light turned red again, 07:43 they jumped in the streets... ran up to the cars 07:46 and were passing out cards 07:48 making sure that everybody that stopped there 07:50 was aware of what they were selling 07:53 but you find in the Christian world today, 07:57 that it's really hard to... 07:59 it's really hard for Christians to stand out 08:02 because unlike the world, we are not really... 08:05 let me use this phrase in the proper way, 08:08 we have to be more diligent 08:10 about getting our product out there 08:12 but this text... this springboard text... 08:16 reveals one of the reasons why Christians are obviously 08:20 blending into the crowd more than standing out. 08:23 The Lord wants Christians to stand out. 08:26 He doesn't want us to blend into the crowd. 08:29 You'll never really know a Christian, in many cases, 08:31 unless some... 08:33 something of that person's life stands out in the crowd 08:36 and I believe that's what Jesus meant when He said, 08:39 "Let your light so shine before men" 08:41 but when you look at this verse, 08:43 one of the reasons why Paul the apostle stood out so much 08:46 is... verse 16 reveals 08:48 what was different about his walk with God 08:50 that should be similar in our lives 08:54 based on his testimony, look at Romans 1 and verse 16, 08:57 And Paul said, "For I am not... " what? 09:01 Audience: Ashamed. 09:02 "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ 09:05 for it is the power of God to salvation... " for how many? 09:10 Audience: For everyone. 09:12 Pastor: for every one who believes 09:13 so here's my point, if we say that we are believers 09:15 should we be ashamed about the gospel? 09:18 Audience: No. 09:19 But... but I see a lot of... now-a-days 09:21 is Christians don't stand out 09:23 as God intends for them to stand out. 09:25 One person once said, 09:26 "I mean... I'm a Christian but I mean 09:30 do I have to tell everybody?" 09:34 Well, in fact, God didn't light the candle 09:37 to put it in the closet, 09:38 He said, "A candle that's lit 09:40 should not be put under a bushel" 09:42 a city that is set ablaze is put on a hill 09:47 so that the world could see it. 09:49 As a matter of fact, if you study the Bible, 09:51 Jerusalem wasn't in a valley, Jerusalem was on a hill. 09:54 You went up to Jerusalem... 09:56 whenever you left Jerusalem, you were going down 09:58 which is synonymous to the spiritual life. 10:00 Whenever we are on our way to that spiritual walk with Christ, 10:03 we're going up 10:04 but whenever we are going away from Christ, 10:06 our lives are going down 10:07 and so, Jerusalem is a city set on a hill. 10:09 The Lord does not want the Christian life 10:11 to be in the valley, 10:13 He doesn't want us to blend in with the world during the week 10:16 and then, struggle to stand out 10:18 when we get together in a spiritual gathering 10:20 so I want to begin by saying tonight 10:23 one of the ways that the life that God has given to us 10:26 is a life that's empowered is we cannot be ashamed. 10:29 Let's say that together, 10:30 "We cannot be ashamed. " 10:32 So if the... if the topic of Jesus comes up, 10:35 that's a topic that we should be glad 10:39 to preach and to talk about. 10:40 Or... or.. or more specifically, it should be good 10:44 if many of us equip ourselves 10:46 so that when we are in a situation, 10:48 we can be one of the first 10:49 to bring up the fact that we are Christians. 10:51 I think somebody once said... 10:53 some people I know... they have their car stacked 10:56 with the pamphlets and things they can hand out 10:59 some people go on airplanes 11:01 and before they leave they leave a pamphlet or a flyer 11:04 inside the magazine, 11:06 I've gone to truck stops and I've seen books there 11:09 and I know, "Hey, a Christian was here. " 11:11 So, God is in essence saying to Christians, 11:13 we need to do a better job 11:16 and not just saying we're not ashamed 11:18 but living a life that lets the world know... 11:21 we are not ashamed of the gospel. 11:23 Can you say "amen" to that? 11:24 So that's what the empowered life really is, 11:26 the foundation to diving into that would be, 11:29 "If we're not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, 11:31 we truly are a believer. " 11:34 But in the day and age in which we live, 11:37 the Lord doesn't need a silent majority. 11:39 He needs a visible... I mean, vocal majority. 11:43 Right? 11:44 Now, a lot of things happened in the news 11:46 and I don't want to date this program 11:48 but I got to mention this 11:51 because it's like hot off the press 11:53 you know, all the world was wondering 11:55 who the next Pope was going to be 11:57 and the multiple billions of followers 12:00 or the billion-plus followers of the Roman Catholic Church 12:03 we're not ashamed to stand out in the rain 12:06 be it all day or all night 12:08 to see who that next person was going to be. 12:11 To see whether or not the smoke was going to be white 12:14 or whether or not the smoke was going to be black 12:17 and I wonder... people are willing to do that 12:20 to see who the next man is going to be 12:23 but Christians that are connected 12:26 more indelibly directly to Jesus 12:28 should be as willing to put ourselves 12:31 in situations where our testimony is as powerful 12:35 as those standing for things that are temporary. 12:39 Right? Look at the question. 12:41 Question Number 11 leads us right to where we're headed 12:44 for our topic tonight. 12:45 Question Number 11: 12:48 What does the Bible describe as the "Message of the Cross?" 12:53 And we're going to go to the book of 1st Corinthians 12:55 chapter 18. 12:57 What does the Bible describe as the message of the cross? 13:03 Okay, 1st Corinthians 1 and verse 18. 13:08 Pause. 13:13 What I like about this question is it has two answers. 13:17 It has two answers, right? 13:19 So the answer... keep in mind 13:21 depending on what side of the fence you fall 13:24 based on this question, the answer could be one 13:28 or the answer could be the other. 13:29 Notice what Paul the Apostle says, 13:31 "What does the Bible describe as the message of the cross?" 13:33 He said, "For the message of the cross is... " what? 13:37 Come on, let's talk about that, are you ready, 13:40 are you guys ready? 13:42 "For the message of the cross is... " what? 13:43 Audience: Foolishness. Pastor: Foolishness... 13:44 and it's on the screen... 13:46 "to those who are perishing, 13:48 but to us who are being saved it is the... " what? 13:53 Audience and Pastor: "power of God. " 13:54 So on one side, if you're not... if you're not saved... 13:58 it's foolishness 14:00 but if you're being saved, it's... what? 14:02 The power of God. 14:04 And notice that... between... we have... 14:07 at our Production Center here at behind stage... 14:11 I want to kind of give you the glimpse 14:12 for those of you who have not been at 3ABN. 14:14 Behind stage we have this little plastic box, 14:17 if you're part of the Production Team, 14:18 you know where I'm headed with this 14:21 and... and it's filled with batteries 14:23 pause 14:25 but unless you have a... unless you have a Tester, 14:30 you cannot tell which battery has power and which one doesn't. 14:35 So, in the box, 14:38 there are two labels that are written on white tape... 14:41 black marker... on the left side it says, "Bad" 14:46 on the right side it says, what? "Good. " 14:48 And... but if you look at the external wrapping, 14:51 they don't look any different. 14:53 Energizer batteries or Duracell batteries in one pile 14:57 Duracell batteries or Energizers in the other pile, 15:02 there's no external visible difference. 15:04 But where do you think the difference lies? 15:07 Somebody tell me. 15:08 Audience: What is on the inside. 15:10 The power of God resides not on the outside alone... 15:13 it's just not seen outside as a visible representation 15:17 but it can only be seen on the outside 15:19 if there's a power of God residing on the... where? 15:23 Inside... 15:24 Acts 1:8... He says, "If you are born again, 15:27 if you are a follower of Christ, you shall receive power" 15:30 so, if we say we have the power of God residing in us 15:34 should not the power of God make a difference 15:36 on the outside of us... yes or no? 15:37 Audience: Yes. 15:38 Pastor: There should be a difference, 15:40 not just a difference in what we say but how we live. 15:42 So write the answer down, 15:44 "What does the Bible describe as the message of God?" 15:47 Foolishness to the perishing, 15:49 power of God to those being saved. 15:52 Foolishness and the power of God. 15:54 Put foolishness on the left 15:56 and the power of God on the right. 15:58 The power of God should always appear on the right 16:01 and that's an amazing text here 16:03 because depending on whatever category you may be in, 16:06 that's how the answer comes to the forefront. 16:09 If you don't know Christ, you don't want to know Christ, 16:11 then the message is foolishness, 16:13 there are those individuals 16:14 that would not even think about going to a church service, 16:17 because they say, "What's happening at the service?" 16:20 "Oh, there's a sermon this weekend. " 16:21 "I don't want to hear a sermon. " 16:23 To them the message is what? Foolishness... 16:27 but for those that are hungering 16:29 and thirsting after righteousness, 16:31 they're not just hungering and thirsting 16:33 for something transient, 16:34 they are going to be filled by what? 16:36 By what? The power of God... 16:40 the power of God is being revealed to them. 16:43 First in a message 16:45 but if you abide that and allow that to affect 16:47 and impact your life the way you live, 16:50 then the power of God will be revealed 16:52 and I tell you what... 16:53 the Christian life is not an easy life. 16:55 It's not just a life of testimony, 16:57 it's not just a life of baptism, 16:59 it's not just a life of church attendance. 17:01 It's a life of transformation 17:04 and unless the transformation takes place, 17:06 then the power of God cannot be experienced. 17:08 Isn't that right? 17:10 Let's go to the next question, Question Number 12, 17:12 Question Number 12 17:14 "What did Paul describe as the reason 17:18 we are able to represent Christ?" 17:20 What did Paul the apostle describe 17:24 as the reason we are able to represent Christ? 17:28 What did he describe? 17:31 And we're going to go to 2nd Corinthians 13 and verse 4, 17:34 all right, 2nd Corinthians 13 and verse 4. 17:38 Pause. 17:41 Here's how he describes the reason 17:44 why we are able to represent Christ. 17:47 Okay, look at the verse together. 17:50 It says, "For though He was crucified in weakness, 17:55 yet He lives by the power of God. 17:59 For we also are weak in Him, 18:01 but we shall live with Him by the... " what? 18:05 power of God toward you. 18:08 So, the reason he describes that we are able to represent Christ 18:11 is what? 18:13 The power of God. 18:14 I was stringing lights together, 18:20 we use lights for all different kinds of things, 18:22 one of the things... I went to an exten... 18:25 I went to a I wouldn't say a hardware store, 18:28 I went to Home Depot... that's that's a hardware store, 18:30 that's another statement to say that's a hardware store, 18:32 it's a place where... 18:34 you know, guys love to spend hours in Home Depot, 18:37 women... they don't really like Home Depot very much. 18:39 Most women don't, 18:41 I can't make that a blanket statement 18:43 but in a Home Depot, I was... 18:45 I have a power cord and when I travel, 18:47 I plug in my microphone wherever I go 18:50 but I can't always tell whether or not it's on 18:52 so what I did was, 18:53 I bought one of those little short extension... 18:56 they call them piglets, piglet tails, 18:59 and when you plug it in, it glows, 19:02 that is, it has either a red light... an orange light 19:06 a green light, 19:07 depending on whatever color you buy, 19:08 so I bought all the ones that would radiate an orange light 19:12 because sometimes if I'm in a distance, 19:14 the only way that I can tell that my microphone 19:17 or my computer is plugged into a living socket, 19:20 is that thing glows 19:21 and I travel to different places 19:23 and I don't always find living sockets, 19:26 they look like they're sockets, 19:27 they look like they're supposed to work 19:29 but until you plug something in 19:30 and the... and the current passes through it, 19:32 and the plug glows, you'll never know 19:34 whether or not that socket is alive. 19:37 So also it's the same thing with the Christians, 19:39 unless we connect ourselves to a living... 19:42 and how does Jesus describe that? 19:44 Go with me to John chapter 15, you see, we... 19:47 we sometimes talk about this 19:48 but there's a connection that has to be made, 19:50 there's a connection that enables us 19:53 to have the power of Christ resident in our lives. 19:58 I know when my computer is plugged in 20:00 because the plug glows orange, 20:03 if it's not plugged in, it doesn't glow, 20:05 As a matter of fact, I... 20:07 I had my computer plugged in a few weeks ago 20:10 in a socket and what I didn't realize is 20:13 when I turned the wall switch off, 20:15 it also turned off the socket, 20:18 and I thought... all night my computer was charging 20:20 and I woke up the next day, it was at two percent, 20:23 I said, "What happened?" 20:24 And I realized... when I turned the light off, 20:28 I also turned the socket off. 20:29 So, you got to make sure the connection is... 20:31 let me just say this, 20:32 before I read this text, we have to keep this in mind, 20:34 whenever we are connected to Christ, we are connected... 20:37 and I'm going to use this phrase very... 20:38 we are connected to a living source of power. 20:41 Audience: Amen. 20:43 I don't want to use the word "Socket" to refer to Christ, 20:45 we are connected to a living power source. 20:48 No disconnect right there. 20:50 Notice what Jesus talks about, John chapter 15, all right, 20:54 and I'd like to start with verse 4. 20:58 He says, what's the first word? 21:03 Audience: Abide. 21:04 Pastor: Abide... how? 21:06 in me... do you see the connection? 21:07 "abide in me and I in you 21:11 as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself" 21:16 unless it does what? 21:17 "unless it abides in the vine neither can you... " 21:22 unless you do what? 21:23 "abide in me" 21:25 so... so how good is a computer if it has no power source? 21:28 How good is a television monitor 21:29 or anything that needs a power source, 21:31 how good is it if it is not connected 21:33 to a living power source. 21:35 If there's no current flowing through... Jesus says, 21:38 "neither can you unless you abide in me. " 21:41 And I tell you, 21:43 when you think about how difficult the devil makes it 21:47 for Christians to... to be productive, 21:49 when you read the parable of the sower in Matthew chapter 13, 21:53 you discover that 75 percent of those 21:58 that receive the sprinkling of the seed were unproductive. 22:01 Only 25 percent were 22:04 and when you look at the categories there 22:06 that kept the person from being unproductive, 22:08 and I'm trying to put this in a practical setting, 22:10 is, we as Christians have to keep in mind 22:12 that as God's Word is being spread abroad in our lives, 22:16 we have to make sure that our hearts are receptive soil 22:20 because some soil was instantly receptive 22:24 but it had no depth. 22:26 Some soil was hard and it couldn't penetrate 22:33 others started growing but it grew up among thorns 22:38 that choked its growth process and it died along the way 22:42 and produced absolutely nothing. 22:43 and when you think about those things 22:45 that choke our growth as Christians, 22:47 is sometimes... the Bible says, "The deceitfulness of riches 22:50 the cares of this life, the trials of this world, 22:53 sometimes become the focal point of the Christian's life, 22:56 that strangles them from their growth. 22:59 So, what am I saying in this particular... 23:02 in this particular setting... 23:04 we may be connected to the vine, 23:06 but we cannot allow the trials and difficulties 23:10 and challenges of life 23:11 to disconnect us from our only source of survival. 23:15 Right? 23:16 Look at the next verse, verse 5 in John 15, 23:20 He says, "I am the vine, you are the branches: 23:23 he who abides in me, and I in him, bears... " what? 23:28 "much fruit: for without Me you can do... " what? 23:32 "nothing. " 23:34 Once again, can we do anything without Christ? 23:38 Audience: No. 23:39 Now what about our 28 Fundamentals? 23:41 What about all of our doctrinal beliefs? 23:42 Isn't that enough? 23:43 What about all of our Institutions and our schools 23:47 and our colleges and our medical facilities? 23:50 Isn't that enough? 23:51 He said, you can lump all that together 23:53 and all together it becomes unproductive 23:55 if it is not connected to Christ. 23:59 And not on a singular-weekly basis, not on a 7th-day basis, 24:03 but on a 7-day basis 24:06 and I would... 24:08 I would tell you, we have to be really, really careful 24:10 because Paul also talks about guarding our walk with Christ. 24:16 Guarding our lives on a day-by-day basis 24:18 because you know, you can get so busy 24:20 that you can forget to connect to Christ 24:23 and then, what happens? 24:25 As we go through the day, 24:27 going through the motions of Christianity 24:29 and realizing that it's like, 24:31 it's like trying to find water in the desert. 24:35 You're digging all day long 24:38 and you're finding absolutely nothing 24:41 because you did not consult the water of life 24:44 at the beginning of your day 24:45 but when you begin your day with Christ 24:47 and I want to be very practical tonight 24:49 because we could be rushing through the lesson, 24:51 but when you begin your day with Christ, 24:52 you'll discover that the life does become empowered 24:55 and so I don't know, I don't want to ask the question 24:57 but I want to just throw it out there, 24:59 how many of you... don't raise your hands... 25:00 but how many of you watching this broadcast 25:02 or listening to it... 25:03 how many of you have a morning devotional life? 25:06 Pause. 25:07 If you don't have that, 25:09 you're doing everything on your own power, 25:11 you may be good at what you do, 25:13 but you'll find that you will dry up early in the day 25:15 and all of a sudden, all of the activity becomes meaningless 25:18 because your life is void and empty 25:20 and you sit down tired and exhausted 25:22 and the thoughts of Christ 25:24 never entered your mind during the day. 25:26 You got to begin your day... 25:28 that's why with all the technology now-a-days 25:31 each of us could have it on our iPad 25:33 or... or whatever device we have, 25:35 it's a Droid or whatever device you have, 25:38 your computer, your laptop, 25:39 your cell phone, 25:41 it's so available to us now-a-days 25:42 that we should not ever be without some source 25:45 of getting nourishment for our minds and our lives 25:48 and when is the best time to get it... somebody tell me. 25:51 Early morning... in the morning... 25:55 if you try to get manna after the sun rises, what happens? 25:58 Ain't going to find it. 26:00 If you don't spend that time with Christ 26:02 before you do anything else, 26:04 you're going to find yourself exhausted 26:06 and you're going to say, "Why Jesus, do I feel so empty?" 26:09 He will say, "Because I'm not in you... 26:11 that's the... that's the major reason... 26:14 I'm not there. 26:16 But if Christ is connected to your life, 26:18 you'll find that the empowerment does come. 26:21 So, that's why he says, I want to read this text again, 26:23 "For though He was crucified in weakness, 26:26 yet He lives by... " what? "the power of God. " 26:30 "For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him 26:34 by the power of God toward... " who? 26:37 "toward you. " 26:38 So, here's the question, 26:39 "What does Paul describe as the reason 26:41 we are able to represent Christ?" 26:44 Together again, "The power of God. " 26:46 Let's not take that for granted, 26:47 that's something that's by faith, 26:49 we've got to connect with that 26:50 because there's no signs outside saying, 26:52 "Stop here for the power of God. " 26:54 The power of God is available to us where we live. 26:57 The power of God is available to us on our knees. 27:00 The power of God is available to us in our devotional life. 27:04 All right, Number 13. 27:06 Right along, Number 13. 27:09 "How does the Bible describe 27:11 the reason why we are able to prosper?" 27:13 I really like this one, go to Deuteronomy 8, 27:16 turn there with me, Deuteronomy chapter 8, 27:19 I pulled out a certain portion of it 27:21 but I want to make this practical 27:23 because the power of God is not just available 27:26 for your spiritual life, 27:27 but it's for your temporal life also. 27:31 God wants to be in every area of our lives. 27:36 Deuteronomy 8 and I want to start with verse 10, 27:42 then we're going to eventually get to verse 18, 27:43 and when we get to verse 18, I want to... 27:45 as a matter of fact, I'll read verse 18 27:47 and then I'll go back to verse 10. 27:48 Okay, let's read verse 18 as our answer is there. 27:51 "How does the Bible describe the reason 27:53 why we are able to prosper?" 27:54 Here's what's on the screen 27:56 and it says, "And you shall remember the LORD your God, 28:00 for it is He who gives you... " what? 28:03 "power to get wealth, 28:05 that He may establish His covenant 28:10 which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. " 28:14 So, now, who gives us power to get wealth? 28:16 Audience: God. 28:18 Okay now, so now, let's make it very practical. 28:20 How is that power revealed on a daily basis. 28:23 Pause. 28:27 Huh, say it again. 28:29 With life... first and foremost with life. 28:32 Secondly, with what else? 28:34 Audience: Relationship with the Lord. 28:36 Relationship with the Lord, 28:38 let's get... okay, say it again... 28:39 life and health, right? 28:42 Two of the most practical things... 28:44 now what would you rather? 28:46 Let's go ahead and... 28:47 we're going to make this very functional today. 28:49 What would you rather have if you had only two choices, 28:54 wealth or health, what would you rather have? 28:57 Audience: Health. 28:58 People say that, 29:00 even the wealthy man will eventually say that but... 29:03 but... but when it comes to the world, 29:05 the world's mindset is, "Give me wealth" 29:07 but I say, "Give me health" 29:09 if I can get health, I can get wealth. 29:12 This text says, "God" 29:14 now let's go back to verse 10 okay, 29:16 in Deuteronomy chapter 8, 29:17 if you have your Bibles, Deuteronomy 8, 29:19 let's start with the verse 10, 29:20 the Lord had to remind His people, 29:22 He made a covenant with them 29:24 and the covenant was not to be forgotten 29:26 no matter how prosperous they became 29:29 but some of them became very prosperous 29:31 and forgot God and then He reminded them, 29:33 "Wait a minute, without me you don't even have that wealth, 29:36 you don't... you wouldn't have that wealth 29:38 if you didn't have the health I gave to you. 29:40 and that's why they had wealth because they had health. 29:43 Look at verse 10, 29:45 He says, "When you have eaten and are full, 29:48 then you shall bless the LORD your God 29:52 for the good land which He has given you. 29:56 Beware... " what's that word? 29:59 "Beware... " verse 11... 30:01 "that you do not forget the LORD your God 30:03 by not keeping His commandments, 30:06 His judgments, and His statutes 30:08 which I command you today, 30:10 lest when you have eaten and are full, 30:13 and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 30:17 and when your herds and your flocks... " 30:20 let's say stocks and bonds today 30:22 when your 401K or 403 B whatever you have... 30:26 when your investments 30:27 "and your silver and your gold are multiplied, 30:30 and all that you have is multiplied; 30:35 when your heart is lifted up" 30:38 that is... becomes proud, "Look at all the stuff I have. " 30:42 "And you forget the LORD your God 30:46 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 30:48 from the house of bondage; 30:50 who fed you through that great and terrible wilderness, 30:54 in which you... in which were fiery serpents 30:57 and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; 31:03 who brought water for you out of the rock of flint; 31:06 who fed you in the wilderness with... " what? 31:09 "manna which your fathers did not know, 31:13 that He might humble you... that He might test you, 31:17 to do good in the end... then you say in your heart... " 31:21 whose power? 31:23 'My power and the might of my hand 31:27 have gained me this wealth. '" 31:29 That's the danger, 31:31 when you think that it's your strategic plan 31:34 your careful consulting of financiers and accountants 31:38 that have made you wealthy, God said, "Pause... " 31:42 because... because Babylon that great Empire was very wealthy 31:46 and God had to cut Nebuchadnezzar's knees off 31:48 to help him realize, "Wait a minute, I set you up, 31:51 I can bring you down. " 31:53 God can bless us and He can withdraw our blessing 31:55 and when we forget that He's the source of the blessing, 31:58 then verse 18 comes in, 31:59 "And you shall remember the LORD your God, 32:04 for it is He who gives you... " what? 32:06 "power to get wealth, 32:08 that He may establish His covenant 32:10 which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. " 32:15 So, the answer to Number 13, 32:18 "How does the Bible describe the reason 32:19 why we are able to prosper?" It is the... what? 32:22 It is the power of God 32:24 and you could put health, you could put life, 32:26 you could put clear mind, 32:28 fit body, however you want to describe that 32:31 without God's power, we could be sickly and unhealthy 32:35 and money won't mean anything. 32:37 You know, I've never met people that... when their... 32:39 when their lives are slipping away... 32:41 I've never went to the bedside of a person in a hospital 32:46 that says, "I need a better car" 32:47 when they... when they... 32:49 when they get the terminal diagnosis. 32:51 I've never heard a person say, "You know what? 32:54 I wish my house had more square footage" 32:55 when they... when they cannot find the medical answers 33:00 for their dilemma 33:01 so you got to put that in perspective. 33:03 All those things that are temporary, 33:05 wood, stone, brick, metal, 33:07 no matter how many miles per gallon it gets, 33:09 God is saying, "Don't forget Him" 33:11 because He is the One that gives you power 33:13 to get all those things 33:14 to be able to accomplish good investments, 33:17 stabilize your family but in the end, 33:20 don't glorify the things... always give glory to God. 33:23 Number 14, moving right along. 33:26 Okay, "Where do we get 33:30 the most valuable source for Christian living?" 33:35 Where do we get the most valuable source 33:39 for Christian living? 33:40 Huh... Audience: resource. 33:42 Pastor: the most valuable resource... thank you... 33:44 for Christian living. 33:47 The most valuable resource for Christian living. 33:49 2nd Samuel 22:33, 33:51 2nd Samuel is a wonderful book. 33:53 As a matter of fact, that's where you find the... 33:56 this phrase "Speak Lord, for your servant heareth. " 33:59 But notice, the answer... and you know the answer 34:02 but I want you to always tie the answers to the Scriptures 34:05 one thing you can be sure of here at The Sharper Focus 34:08 is that we're going to use the Bible 34:10 because it's easy to give people answers 34:11 off the top of our heads 34:12 but if we use the Bible, 34:14 we can always have a point of reference 34:15 that's why we have connected everything here 34:18 to the Word of God. 34:19 Here is the answer, 2nd Samuel 22 and verse 33 34:22 and the Bible says, 34:24 let's read this together, this is short text, 34:26 are you ready? 34:27 Here we go, it's on the screen. 34:29 "God is my strength and" what? 34:32 "and power and He makes my way" what? 34:35 "perfect. " So, things work out... 34:39 the Bible says that's how it's going to be with God... 34:42 that's how things are going to be when we follow God. 34:45 Did He not say... what's some of your favorite texts? 34:48 And I think right now to connect with this, 34:50 I can hear Romans 8:28 resonating 34:53 in the back of our minds 34:54 and we know that... how many things? 34:56 "All things work together for good to those who love God 35:01 and are the called according to... " what? 35:03 "His purpose. " 35:05 So thereby we connect with the testimony of Samuel, 35:08 God is my strength, it's going to work out, 35:10 it may not look like it right now 35:13 but He'll make my way perfect, 35:15 God's going to work it out, amen. 35:18 So do we... do we belong to the Lord? 35:20 Do we belong to the Lord? 35:22 He's going to make the way perfect. 35:23 Be patient, God is going to work it all out 35:26 but you got to commit your way to the Lord. 35:28 When we do our committing, 35:29 when we commit our ways and hearts to the Lord, 35:32 He will give us the desires of our heart 35:34 that are in harmony with His will. 35:36 I was listening to a Christian song 35:38 as I was driving the other day 35:40 and it kept... it kept emphasizing 35:43 the... the whole chorus was, "God loves me just as I am, 35:47 God loves me just as I am" 35:49 and I got the message 35:50 that God is not going to try to change anything about you 35:53 pause 35:54 and that to me was kind of half of the message. 35:56 He does love us just as we are, isn't that right? 35:59 But does He leave us the way He finds us? 36:01 Audience: No. 36:03 There's not a person that Jesus met 36:06 that He left the way He found them 36:08 unless they made the decision not to accept 36:13 what He offered to them. 36:14 The rich young ruler was one that came to my mind, 36:16 we call him "rich young ruler" 36:18 but he was a young man with a lot of possessions 36:19 and he went away with all of his possessions sorrowfully 36:23 because he didn't want what Jesus was offering to him 36:27 and you know what? 36:28 Let's think about the wealth side... the Lord said, 36:31 "He would have given him a 100 times more than he had, 36:33 that is... possession wise in this life 36:36 and in the world to come, he would have had eternal life. 36:38 But the reason why God doesn't ever... 36:40 that God doesn't hang out a carrot... 36:42 I remember years ago when I used to watch "Little Rascals" 36:44 anybody remember that? 36:46 You may not know what the Little Rascals are overseas 36:48 if you're watching from a foreign land, 36:50 but it was a little Show... 36:51 black and white Show of little boys and girls... 36:53 they were all probably single digits or maybe 11... 36:56 I don't know if anybody was 12 years old 36:57 but they were little chubby... 36:59 they used to call them, "Our Gang" 37:01 a bunch of unruly little children 37:02 but they would come up with things that just made us laugh 37:05 and everything was in a child's way 37:07 but I... I'll never forget this 37:09 they... they had this donkey they had, 37:12 they couldn't get him to move 37:13 and they were trying to go somewhere 37:16 and they had a wagon connected to this donkey 37:19 and they could not get this donkey to move 37:23 until one of the little chubby kids says, "Feed him. " 37:27 Audience: Laughter. 37:29 "What does a donkey like?" 37:31 "Anything... feed him... " 37:33 and so, before the cartoon ended... 37:35 not the cartoon, before the Program ended, 37:37 one of the kids came up with a brilliant idea... 37:41 put a carrot on a long stick 37:44 and put it on the donkey's head 37:46 and put it far enough in front of him so he couldn't reach it 37:49 so he'll think that by walking... 37:52 the faster he walks, he'll eventually catch the carrot 37:55 and that's how they got to the lake. 37:56 Audience: Laughter. 37:58 He never caught the carrot 37:59 because they put it out in front of him, 38:01 See, they found a way to motivate him 38:03 and that's how it is sometimes. 38:05 God's got... but God doesn't hold a carrot out in front of us 38:08 and say, "If you follow me, I'll give you a carrot. " 38:10 Audience: Laughter. 38:12 We got to follow God not by sight but by what? 38:15 Audience and Pastor: Faith. 38:17 So many people... 38:19 there'll be a lot more followers of Christ 38:21 if we had a sign out in the church, 38:23 "God will give you a 100 times more than you have right now 38:27 if you simply follow Him. " 38:28 Can you imagine that? 38:30 We'd have a lot of millionaires, 38:32 they want to be 100 millionaires. 38:35 Pause. 38:36 If you had a 1,000 dollars, 38:38 you say, "God will give you a 100 times more" 38:40 people will come in and have 100,000 dollars... 38:41 they will follow God for the things that are sightful 38:44 rather than those things that are based on faith. 38:46 So, God doesn't say, 38:48 "I'll give you anything you want but just follow me. " 38:50 He says, "If you follow me, 38:52 if you're willing to take up your cross, 38:54 crucify self... follow me... 38:57 then let me work on the other blessings. " 39:01 You know the story, some of you know the story. 39:03 I don't know if... I don't think it's true 39:05 but it serves the purpose right here, 39:07 the Lord was trying to get His disciples to follow Him 39:10 and... and He told each of them at the beginning of the journey 39:13 that... pick up a stone 39:15 and the lazy ones picked up little tiny pebbles 39:18 and when they got to the end of their journey... 39:21 this is just an... this is an allegory... 39:22 this is not in the Bible, and the... and the... 39:24 as the saying goes, 39:26 when they got to the end of their journey, 39:27 there was... they were hungry 39:30 and the Lord turned that little stone into piece of bread 39:33 and some of them had a little muffin. 39:34 Others had a big loaf of bread. 39:37 That's just an allegory... this is not... 39:39 once again... this is not in the Bible, 39:41 so, the greedy ones that were lazy realized, 39:45 "Ah, if only I had taken up a larger stone, 39:48 I would have had more bread for lunch. " 39:51 So now, on their way back, the Lord says... what? 39:54 "Pick up a stone. " 39:56 Now what do you think those that had a pebble took? 39:59 Man! they took a big stone with them 40:01 and when they got back to the end, they said, 40:05 "Well, aren't you going to give us something to eat?" 40:07 And the Lord said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, 40:10 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. " 40:13 See, that's an illustration that I connected 40:15 to that text in the Bible. 40:17 It's not a real story but my point is made there. 40:19 Don't serve God for the loaf of bread... 40:22 serve the Lord because you do... what? 40:25 "You love Him" right? 40:26 Audience: Yes. 40:27 That's why the next lesson is, "A Servant's Life" 40:31 A Servant's Life... all this about dying to self. 40:34 Let's put this together. 40:36 Dying to self... walking in the newness of life, 40:39 serving God not only in obedience to His Commandments 40:43 but serving Him through the... the... the consecrated life... 40:47 the transformed life... then the empowered life... 40:52 it's all leading somewhere. 40:54 It leads to the next natural topic we're going to talk about 40:57 is: after God empowers you, then He puts you to work. 41:01 God doesn't... God doesn't let me use... 41:06 do you start up your car and drive it into the garage 41:08 and leave it on? 41:09 Audience: No. 41:11 Don't even try that 41:12 because the carbon monoxide will remind you... 41:15 it's not a good thing to do. 41:16 God does not empower us to sit us down, 41:20 God empowers us to get us moving. 41:23 Right? 41:25 He did not pour out the Holy Spirit 41:27 on the day of Pentecost 41:29 for the disciples to go to Jerusalem and go to bed. 41:31 He sent them to Jerusalem to turn the world upside down. 41:35 Right, so where I'm headed with this whole thing 41:38 about how to live a spiritual life in a natural body... 41:40 you have to keep in mind 41:41 the spiritual life is a life not just of declaration, 41:44 but the spiritual life is a life of preparation 41:47 and consecration and then mobilization. 41:53 Now I don't know how... I didn't write that down 41:55 that just came up that way. 41:57 God does not... 41:59 God does not get us saved to put us on a shelf. 42:05 Right? 42:07 God is my strength and power and He makes my way perfect. 42:11 He gets us perfectly ready for the work that is ahead of us. 42:15 Look at the next question, Number 15, 42:18 moving right along... 42:20 "How does the Bible describe God in times of conflict?" 42:26 How does the Bible describe God in times of conflict? 42:32 Pause. 42:34 2nd Chronicles 25:8 42:36 by the way, you find in the Old Testament many battles, 42:39 the children of Israel faced many battles. 42:41 They faced battles from Egypt all the way to Canaan 42:45 and along the way, God reminded them continuously 42:50 and with many shows of His power, 42:52 that no matter what the battle is, 42:55 if they still trust the Lord, 42:58 if they commit themselves to Him, 43:00 He'll bring them through whatever conflict lies ahead. 43:03 Notice what He said to them here in 2nd Chronicles 43:06 chapter 25 and verse 8. 43:07 "How does the Bible describe God in times of conflict?" 43:12 Here's what the Bible says, "But if you go, be gone! 43:17 Be strong in battle! 43:19 Even so, God shall make you fall before... " what? 43:24 "the enemy; for God has power to do... " what? 43:28 "help and... " also to do what? 43:31 "overthrow. " 43:33 When you read the... 43:34 when you read the battle of this story, 43:36 you'll find that the Children of Israel 43:39 had a couple of battles that backfired. 43:41 One of the ones that I remember very well 43:44 was when they went to the Battle of Ai... 43:46 you remember that? 43:47 How do you spell Ai? A i 43:49 they went to the battle of Ai 43:52 but there was among the people of Israel 43:56 one person who had disobeyed God 44:00 does anybody remember this man that lived in the camp? 44:04 Audience: Achan. 44:05 Achan in the camp. 44:06 And the Lord said to them, "Don't go out of this... 44:09 don't go out and fight" God knew 44:12 but they had just won such a great battle against a huge army 44:15 they thought, "Ai is just as small as its name. " 44:20 Ai... 44:22 Audience: Laughter. 44:23 "So, if we beat this huge army, man! we will wipe out Ai, 44:28 wouldn't even be a problem. " 44:29 "But if you go be gone! Be strong in the battle! 44:33 Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; 44:37 for God has power to help and to overthrow. " 44:40 And what happened in the battle of Ai? 44:42 They got whipped... 44:44 they lost a lot of men in battle. 44:45 And the fact of the matter was, their hearts were not... 44:49 there was someone in amongst their army 44:51 that was... whose heart was not right before God 44:53 that's why it's important, not just some of us to say, 44:57 "Well, I'm doing okay but some of our church members 45:00 are really not living right" 45:01 you know the incorrect living of one 45:03 could affect the success of so many others. 45:06 God wants them all to be dedicated 45:08 and so when you follow the answer, 45:10 when you put the answer down, 45:12 "Where do we get the most valuable resource 45:14 for Christian living? 45:15 Where do we get it from? 45:17 We get it from God. 45:18 God has power to help 45:20 and God has power to do what? Overthrow. 45:23 One of the misconceptions about the children of Israel is this 45:26 that God prospered them in everything. 45:29 God prospered them when they were obedient, right? 45:33 He prospered them when they followed His plan for obedience 45:36 because God does not bless the disobedient. 45:39 God does not bless those who are wayward, 45:41 God does not bless those who are in rebellion. 45:44 As a matter of fact, in Isaiah 1 verse 19 He says, 45:46 "If you are willing, you will eat of the good of the land 45:49 but if you refuse and rebel, 45:50 you'll get devoured by the sword. " 45:52 God wants us to be obedient. 45:54 Let's go to Number... Let's go to Number... what? 45:57 Number 16... 45:58 Number 16... okay... 46:02 "What do we do well to remember 46:05 when faced with life's challenges?" 46:08 What do we do well to remember 46:10 when faced with life's challenges? 46:14 Okay, wonderful transition to the next question. 46:20 Wonderful transition. 46:22 Jeremiah 32 and verse 17, what do we do well to remember 46:26 when faced with life's challenges? 46:28 And the answer is... I want us to read this one together. 46:32 Let's say that first word, "Ah, Lord God! 46:37 Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth 46:43 by Your great power and your... " what? 46:46 "outstretched arm. 46:48 There is... " what? 46:50 "nothing too hard for You. " 46:53 That nothing is too difficult for Thee. 46:57 When you are faced with hard times... 47:01 when you are faced with challenging times, 47:04 you've got to remember 47:05 that there is nothing too hard for God. 47:08 What do you say, church? Audience: Amen. 47:10 Absolutely nothing, 47:11 the reason why we sometimes come up against a wall 47:15 is because we think, "Oh, God give me time... 47:19 I... I need to work on a few things here 47:21 before I put this in Your hand. " 47:23 No, if we put it in God's hand, 47:25 all the things that need to be worked out will be worked out. 47:28 I've had people that... you know... 47:30 you can always tell when things are going wrong 47:33 because they disappear for a while 47:35 and I said, "Well, where were you?" 47:37 "Trying to get some things together before I came back. " 47:40 "But did you get them all together?" 47:42 "Still working it out. " 47:44 "Well, if you had come back a long time ago, 47:46 who would have worked it out?" 47:48 God would have worked it out 47:50 because if He can stretch out the heavens by His great power 47:53 and made the heavens and the earth by His great power 47:56 and His outstretched arm, 47:57 there is nothing too difficult for God. 48:00 So, the transformed life... 48:01 or the empowered life happens 48:03 because if God could do all that that surrounds us, 48:06 we are small and very difficult... 48:09 sorry... very easy project... project in the hand of God, 48:12 nothing difficult for God 48:14 but what God gets us ready for is the next topic 48:18 and I'm going to dive into that tonight 48:20 with the time that we have left. 48:21 Look at our study for the next topic, 48:23 "How to live a... " what kind of life? 48:25 Audience: Servant's Life. 48:26 How to live a... what kind of life? 48:29 Ah... how to live a what kind of life? 48:32 Audience and Pastor: Servant's life. 48:34 God does not empower us to put us back on the shelves. 48:38 God does not fill us with batteries 48:41 for our light to go out, 48:43 God does not put fuel in our gas tanks... 48:46 our spiritual gas tanks for us to be... just to a show a car 48:50 God fills us for a specific reason 48:54 and you know what I like about this? 48:56 I'm going to begin... I'm going to dive right into this, 48:57 to the first question here because it shows 49:00 that there is a reason why God calls every one of us... 49:03 there is a reason why God sets us free. 49:06 He doesn't just set us free 49:07 for us to be lights on a Christmas tree, 49:09 glowing for the glory of God, 49:11 but He sets us free for a specific purpose. 49:14 Long before God made the nation of Israel great, 49:17 long before they got into the Promise Land, 49:21 there was a reason why God set them free. 49:25 Here's Question Number 1... ahh... Lesson 15 49:29 so you should have Syllabus Number 15 that you downloaded. 49:34 "What request did God make of the Pharaoh of Egypt?" 49:40 What request did God make of the Pharaoh of Egypt? 49:46 And I... I did this little... 49:48 we're going to go to Exodus chapter 9 and verse 1. 49:50 I did this little exercise in my Bible actually, 49:54 I highlighted how many times the Lord said this 49:57 and I don't want to take a whole lot of your time 50:00 but the ones that I can come up with is... 50:03 I'll tell you what the answer... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... 50:11 yeah, 7 times the Lord made this statement. 50:15 In other words, seven means what? 50:19 Perfection. 50:20 Seven times the Lord made this request. 50:22 Here is the answer, Exodus 9 and verse 1, 50:25 "What request did the Lord make to the Pharaoh of Egypt?" 50:27 Here it is: Then the LORD said to Moses, 50:30 "Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, 50:33 'Thus says the LORD... " LORD capital... 50:37 "God of the Hebrews" 50:39 let's read the last part together, 50:41 "Let My people go, that they may... " what? 50:45 "serve Me. " 50:47 Now, I want you to let that sink in just a few seconds... 50:51 think about it, 50:52 meditate on it after the program, 50:54 but God does not let us go that we may just sing to Him 50:59 or that we may just study, 51:01 He doesn't just let us go that we may attend church, 51:05 He sets us free that we may do what... Church? 51:08 Say together, "Serve Him. " 51:10 A life without service is a life that's still in Egypt somewhere 51:15 because when they were in Egypt, they could not serve God 51:18 but when He led them... when He freed them from Egypt, 51:22 from Egypt... His intention was 51:24 to turn them into the greatest nation of servants for God 51:29 but as you know, through the wilderness, 51:32 some of the plans of man changed 51:34 and many of those that God had slated for service 51:37 died off in the wilderness 51:39 because their focus became themselves 51:41 and not the cause of God. 51:43 Got to guard against that because day by day 51:45 if your motives are not the same... 51:47 that is... being a servant of God, 51:49 then the motives that are around you, 51:51 can end up pulling you in and defeating the plan of God 51:56 so here is the answer, 51:57 "What request did God make of the pharaoh of Egypt?" 51:59 "Let my people go that they may serve Me. " 52:02 Okay, let them go that they may serve me. 52:05 we cannot serve God and Egypt. 52:07 There are a lot of people that are in the world 52:09 that talk about God, you know, somebody once said... 52:12 you go to a club or a bar and people when they're drunk 52:14 they talk about God but they ain't serving God... 52:17 you see, and don't get distracted by people 52:20 that are in the world that are not Christians 52:23 that are really nice people because some people say, 52:25 "Well, there are people in the church that are really... 52:27 they say they serve God but they're... 52:29 sometimes they're not so nice 52:30 and people in the bars and the clubs are better. " 52:33 Don't get deceived by that, there's no... 52:35 there's no battle there, 52:37 when you're... when you're living for the world, 52:40 Satan has no reason to try to fight against your growth 52:42 but when you're living for Christ, 52:44 there's a whole lot of battle going on there. 52:47 Keep praying as God carries out His work 52:49 in the lives of His children. 52:51 Okay, God set us free that we may serve Him. 52:55 Look at the next question, Question Number 2, 52:58 and we have about five minutes or so, 53:01 we're going to go as far as we can tonight. 53:03 Question Number 2, "What was the message 53:06 that Jesus delivered to Satan in the wilderness?" 53:09 See... see... I want you to get the connection, 53:12 God was about to set the children of Israel free 53:15 and put them in the wilderness 53:17 and the purpose of the wilderness journey 53:20 was to get them ready for service. 53:22 Now the battle comes to Jesus as He is in the wilderness, 53:27 now I want you to get the parallel here, 53:29 the children of Israel... 53:30 many of them failed in the wilderness 53:32 so the devil now comes to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. 53:36 What did Jesus say to the devil? 53:39 What message did He deliver to him? 53:41 Matthew 4 and verse 10 is where the answer is found. 53:44 Right, Matthew 4 and verse 10, here it is. 53:48 In the interest of time: Then Jesus said to him, 53:51 "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 53:56 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and... '" what? 54:01 "Him only you shall serve. " 54:05 Now, this text may seem like a pretty rudimentary 54:10 and pretty average text, 54:12 but when you read the writings of Paul the apostle, 54:14 you'll discover that many Christian leaders... 54:16 many Christians today 54:18 are not serving God for the right reason. 54:21 There's this thing called the Prosperity Gospel, now-a-days 54:24 that motivates people to serve God 54:26 because God's going to "give you your bank account 54:29 or increase your portfolio or make you wealthy 54:32 or you're going to get yours... " 54:34 God is not a... God is not JC Penney's or Macy's 54:38 some people are serving God for materialistic gain 54:42 and you get these... you get the prosperity gospel 54:45 and you see all these preachers with four houses and six houses 54:48 and many, many cars and all this material wealth 54:50 and golden staircases lead to their houses, 54:53 you see all this material wealth 54:55 and many people think that that's why we should serve God, 54:58 no... that's not the reason to serve God. 55:00 so when He says, "Him only you shall you serve" 55:03 you'll discover that one of the commandments 55:06 forbade people from serving anything else. 55:09 The second commandment... 55:12 when there were idols and images in their lives, 55:14 and idols take on many forms today, 55:16 whenever there's something in your life 55:18 that you're serving more than you're serving God, 55:20 then, Satan has found a way in 55:22 to distract you from serving God. 55:25 Jesus said, "The only one that we should serve 55:28 is the Lord God, 55:29 the only one that we should worship is the Lord God, 55:32 the only one that we should serve is the Lord God. " 55:34 So what is the message 55:35 that Jesus delivered to Satan in the wilderness? 55:37 Only serve God... 55:40 only serve God. 55:43 We find the apostles had challenges 55:47 and I... in my mind I'm thinking of these things, 55:50 because the people... the New Testament Church 55:53 as it began to grow... 55:54 the apostles... whose primary purpose was to preach the gospel 56:01 the people were trying to get them distracted 56:03 by doing all the other functions of the... of the church... 56:06 and Paul said... and the apostles... 56:09 in agreement, 56:11 why should I leave the preaching of the gospel 56:15 for waiting tables? 56:17 Pause. 56:19 See, God does not want those called to share the gospel 56:22 to be distracted by the rudimentary things of the world 56:25 He wants our minds and specifically of those preachers 56:28 and teachers that He called... 56:29 He wants specifically their minds to be focused on 56:31 the carrying forth of the gospel message. 56:34 All right, let's get in one more 56:36 before we're done tonight, if we can, 56:38 "How does David the patriarch describe our service to God?" 56:43 How does David the patriarch describe our service to God? 56:48 And when we read this text, 56:50 I want to read it the way that David wrote it. 56:52 I want to read it with the attitude he had in mind 56:55 when he wrote it. 56:56 Psalm 100 and verse 2, I had on the screen verse 3, 57:02 but it's Psalm 100... I believe it's verse 2. 57:05 Correct me if I'm incorrect, here it is, 57:08 together, let's read this together, 57:10 "Serve the LORD with... " what? 57:13 "gladness... 57:14 come before His presence with... " what? "singing. " 57:17 Serve Him... how Church? 57:19 "With gladness" you got to be glad. 57:21 If God has done so much for us as He has, 57:24 we should be glad to serve Him. 57:26 There should be no... 57:28 "Well, do I have to serve Him this year?" 57:29 "Okay, what does He want me to do?" 57:31 "What office does He want me to hold?" 57:34 "Do I really have to serve Him?" 57:35 "Ah, man, I have been serving for so many years, 57:37 can I rest this year?" 57:39 You know, Brothers and Sisters, 57:40 there is no Rest Area for the Christian 57:42 when it comes to service, am I telling the truth? 57:44 Audience: Yes. 57:45 You rest when you die. 57:46 "That they may rest from their labors 57:48 and their works do follow them" 57:50 until then, we keep serving God with gladness 57:52 so, here at Sharper Focus, keep trusting the Lord 57:54 and those things that don't make sense... 57:57 if you serve God and do it gladly, 57:59 one day, they'll come into a sharper focus. 58:02 God bless you. |
Revised 2018-11-28