Set Thine House in Order

[0:00] thing not because it isn't easy for me to just be amazed that he'd save a wretch like I was but then I got thinking after I got saved I've done some stupid things said some things thought some things and he knew that was going to happen he loved me anyway in other words he knew how sorry we're going to be as Christians sometimes and he gives us chance after chance and his sweet Holy Spirit just convicts our heart and bears what amen that makes me love him even more that makes him appreciate appreciate him even more I've disappointed him I've disappointed myself but he has never disappointed me amen all right do we have this thing on can you hear me all right do we need this good I don't like that staring at me like I didn't break it I saw that don't worry take your Bible tonight go to a second Kings chapter 20 second Kings chapter 20 maybe I should have went to Revelation 3 and read the verse that he wanted me to read then I could go to my real message amen uh second Kings chapter 20 and let's begin reading in verse number one now the Bible says this in those days was Hezekiah sick unto death and the prophet Isaiah the son of

[1:27] Amos came to him and said unto him thus saith the Lord set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live then he turned his face to the wall and prayed unto the Lord saying I beseech thee O Lord remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good uh in thy sight and Hezekiah wept sore and you mark it down folks the Lord remembers all that stuff amen but uh Hezekiah was given some pretty rough news you know when you get to be my age and you go to the doctor you hope everything's gonna be but you know there's an outside chance they're gonna tell you something rough and it happens to friends of mine it's uh happen to some people that I care about right now with some uh diagnoses that are mean rough rough days ahead and and God's a prayer answering God and and sometimes He does and sometimes He answers them differently than we'd hope but Hezekiah was given some pretty definitive news here it says set thine house in order uh for thou shalt die and not live and now He wasn't the first to get news like that He wasn't the last but you like to say a lot of times you get it from a doctor uh but um it's interesting to me and we saw this in verse uh number three his first response to bad news and that's pretty bad right his first response was spiritual uh first thing he said was uh oh Lord remember now how I walked before the end we read it and uh and his second response was carnal it said he wept he wept sore and I don't hold that against him I don't blame him a bit his first response was spiritual his second was was fleshly and the thing about that that jumps off the page at me it's because so often we're the opposite our first response to different things is is is is in the flesh amen and then we get a little grip and the Holy Spirit brings some scripture to memory and things like that we remember God's in control and all that and then we you know but he started out on the right track and uh again maybe the reason that occurred to me is because so many times when I say we sometimes me have have got that backwards and uh it's interesting to me that like Job uh as a guy didn't get mad didn't get mad at God didn't blame God and and I've seen that happen I've seen that happen I heard somebody say many years ago now he says you know it's okay to be mad at God it's okay to get mad get mad at God if you're mad at God about something uh just let him know but bear this in mind always he's right and you're wrong he's patient he'll wait you out but don't you ever confuse yourself into thinking that you haven't been done right by God because he's always right there's a comfort in that to me because maybe because I'm so well aware that I'm not uh like Job he didn't get mad Job got bad news didn't he I mean his oxen asses sheep and camels were all stolen he's a rich guy I don't know how much that was but that was a lot and he lost all that in one day and then his servants were killed amen and uh if that's not enough then all his children 10 children were killed in one day amen talk about a bad day that is a worse day than any of us have ever had any of us can comprehend and it says that verse 22 of Job chapter 1

[5:31] in all this all that uh Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly that's high ground right there I don't know how far in that thing whether it was all my worldly possessions or all my servants let alone my kid would I have uh broke down and said God why but Job never did that he never charged God foolishly and neither had Hezekiah what he did was uh uh uh he reminded God that he had walked like it said in verse 3 it said walked in truth with a perfect heart and done that which was right in thy sight in God's sight not according to his own opinion and I just want to say this today before we move on that's the testimony you want to have when the rough news comes in your life instead of trying to remember all the things that you should have done or the promises that you made that you should have kept confessing let alone the sins that you should have been confessing all along Job had said I mean Hezekiah sound like was on like we mentioned last night was on praying ground and he reminded God about it amen God heard him now verse 4 said this and it came to pass before Isaiah was gone in gone out into the middle court that the word of the Lord came to him saying turn again and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people thus saith the Lord the God of that of David thy father I have heard thy prayer I have seen thy tears behold I will heal thee and on the third day thou shalt go up into the house of the Lord amen

[7:30] God heard him God is a prayer here in God amen uh no other no other religious system uh worldwide uh would even make a claim like John makes in first John chapter 5 that God hears and God answers and that's our God and there's an example prayer does change things amen and he made a point to say I have heard thy prayer amen and he said I will heal thee he said there in verse 5 number 1 I heard thy prayer number 2 I had seen thy tears I got a message I prayed somewhere along the way uh where are the tears I mean that the problem in our crowd is God hasn't seen any tears for a while we're not weeping over our country we're not weeping over our communities we're not weeping over each other we got enough Bible in us that we just pull out a little notepad and and go down our little checklist when instead of just being genuinely touched with compassion like the Lord and getting on our face and and trying to move God we've just got everything you know categorically also nicely organized because we're Bible believers and we are but I'll tell you what's missing sometimes it's tears God saw his tears heard the prayer saw his tears and said behold I will heal thee and then he finishes verse 5 with these words on the third day thou shalt go up into the house of the Lord amen it looks to me like he healed him he said take a couple days off I know that's rough news don't go to work just eat rest take it easy a couple days but on that third day son you get in church you get in church and he said in verse 6 then and so that's kind of uh uh uh uh what's the word I'm trying to say dependent upon conditional conditional on him you know going up into the house of the Lord he said and I will add to thy days 15 years boy man if he added in my days 15 years right now I'd be really old someday amen uh I will add under thy days 15 years and I will deliver thee that's number that was one thing and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Syria and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake hey boy the Lord isn't he something he not only is going to heal Hezekiah but he's going to take care of some other issues that are right up the road that's how God is he goes above and beyond amen if you're not walking with God you might be saved but if you're not walking with God if you don't love God the way you should and we understand we've got a carnal nature we've got a spiritual enemy we got we got an internal enemy ourselves and we got forces coming from every direction to distract us and they do amen I just want to say this I'm not trying to guilt trip you I'm saying if you don't love the Lord thy God love thy heart and all thy soul and all thy mind you're you're hurting yourself you're selling yourself short you do good to love Jesus because this is the kind of God that we have look how he answered Hezekiah's prayer Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 20 it said now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly I love the wording of the

[11:11] King James Bible I don't know what they do to try to improve on that but you can't improve on that that's poetry exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think and let's face it we're capable of thinking some pretty wild stuff amen both ways good and bad but boy I'll tell you what and it says according to hit to the power that worketh in us are you saved in there tonight that's the power that worketh in you it's the Holy Ghost it's God's power and I tell you what uh when uh when God said to them I'll heal thee and and then and then defend the city I'll bet Hezekiah was real glad right then maybe he didn't think about it real much you know or real much now I'm thinking I'm in Kentucky and maybe he didn't think about it a lot but I'm gonna tell you what when it came to pass right there and God said I'll heal thee I bet you Hezekiah was thankful that he had walked in truth done that which was good amen and I'm gonna tell you something if and when rough news comes in your life you're gonna wish you did or you're gonna be glad you did now one or the other amen we get a hold of that right now and stay on track because he deserves it but that's the best thing you can do for yourself let alone your family let alone a lost and dying world amen serving the Lord's not grievous you got in on the greatest gift ever given and yes that's true and I mentioned it there's a lot of distractions but man if we could keep them things in place and and at bay God will bless you amen so we're talking about what I want to preach on tonight was what he said in verse number one that says the Lord set thine house in order set thine house in order he was uh just given notice in the verse hezekiah king of israel that he was going to die and according to hebrew chapter nine beloved we've been given notice to that we're going to die verse 27 said and as and as it is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment amen so if uh if you got word from uh from uh like the prophet uh isaiah uh you got word from god through a man of god tapped in that i mean direct you are going to die amen if you're told something like that what would you do what would you do and i know you know we would you know boohoo a little bit but uh maybe we should all heed maybe if before we get that kind of news maybe we should heed the Lord's advice to hezekiah and start working on setting our house in order now that's what i want to preach on father i love you tonight and i thank you for grace thank you for these that have come out and i pray and ask lord god let me say something be a help and blessing to somebody in here tonight pray that uh our gathering here is for the right reason that it might put a smile on your face you sure deserve it thank you for the wonderful songs that that praise you and help us to endeavor to live a life that praises you too and i just uh i ask that you let me preach in such a way that uh that uh that you'd be pleased and i pray in jesus name amen amen amos chapter 4 in verse 12 uh reads like this therefore thus will i do unto thee oh israel and because i will do this unto thee he said prepare to meet thy god oh israel

[15:12] and uh so let's just start right here uh since i don't know everybody here and it wouldn't matter if i knew every one of you by name we're going to start right here by saying if you're not saved and i appreciate you're in church on a thursday night a lot of people go to church every day of the week that aren't saved amen if you're in here and you're not saved you are not prepared to meet god no wait no shape or form you're not ready jesus christ said it's a good idea for you to be born again is that what your bible says that king james bible says in john chapter 3 jesus christ said ye must ye must be born again and uh and he meant it and uh and if you're not then you need to be and the good news is you can be uh he didn't make it hard people make it hard religion makes it hard but he said uh use paul to put the verse in act 16 believe on the lord jesus christ and thou shalt be saved and then that verse there in act 16 31 it goes that doesn't just say uh thou shalt be saved that thou shalt be saved and thy house and perhaps tonight we need to revisit this concept of making sure our house is in order first of all that you're saved but also how about your house how about those members of your family how about those in your household there are those that are close to you uh setting your house in order would mean uh doing all you can to make sure they're saved too and you know what there's no doubt anybody's been saved in a church like this very long has reached out invited maybe witnessed to gave a track to uh i hear people say all the time i've tried i've tried i've tried to with my family members son even parents i've tried and and they're just they're rejected it and i just want to say this you better try again you better try again and again and again listen circumstances change in people's life somebody that might have been called to an offer to come to church or a gospel track or even to hear the gospel presented to them somebody that might have been whatever place they were in their life they were called to that year or two couple years later different things happened in their life they might be more open to it don't give up don't try say we knocked on every door in this neighborhood 15 years ago nobody came do you realize that maybe some people have moved in and out you realize that sometimes we got to do things more than once you realize that sometimes god came after us sometimes more than once yes thank god is right amen i had somebody say my loved ones already in the far country brother spurgeon let me give you some advice let me tell you what chris spurgeon did that my dear irish mother amen i was raised in a little church in northern ohio i knew jesus was amen i don't remember hearing salvation was a personal relationship and uh... growing up in the 60s i was more interested in having other kind of relationships i was more interested in getting out there and having a good time and and and and and and i like i probably said here before i'm the one to join the army to get away from my folks so that i didn't have anybody tell me what to do well that's not a good move rebellion will make a fool out of you if you're listening amen and uh... but i went through the military and everything honorably because my dad was a world war ii vet and that was the only kind of discharge that was acceptable to bring home and i did and uh... and uh... and then i got in bike gangs and everything but i love my mom and dad i think god let me get away with some of the things i did uh... without killing me because i did try to honor them and uh... keep things from them and of course you know you find out about your parents they're way smarter than you ever dreamed you know why because they were young once too i don't know what that escaped me for 30 years

[19:15] but uh... but uh... man i was welcome my mom and dad loved me they made me welcome in their house there were things i didn't do in front of them i knew i just knew better i tried not to cuss i didn't you know i there's things i tried not to do that i did do on a regular basis and uh... and uh... my mom would uh... say david you know and and you know there was always something that i was doing wrong and she's trying to help me just like we do you know the bible says you know and i just said look mom and to my shame i said look mom uh... you do what you do i'm gonna do what i do i love you i love coming by you but if you're gonna hit me with all this jesus stuff every time i come then you're not gonna see me as much what a wicked thing for a child to say to a parent and you know i was just like all young people my world revolved around me amen and if the lord lets you live through that phase you'll see how you know wrong that was so my mom she wanted me to come around so she quit talking she quit talking to you about jesus yep yep she didn't quit talking to god about me though but i'm saying i was in the far country you know my mom did she went over my head completely oh you don't want to hear it i know somebody that does and she prayed for 20 years somebody i've been praying for a year two years five my mom prayed for 20 years from when i left home to when i heard the gospel at almost 38 years old and i got saved and she never gave up on me and i mentioned it last night the bible says the effect of firm prayer of a righteous man availeth much my mom and dad were not bible believers they were christians they both got saved in southern california my sister is from where was she born monrovia my mom and dad lived in arcadia and pasadena after the war and uh and uh and got my dad got saved at some kind of tent meeting no i think he got saved at a church in pasadena my mom got saved at a tent meeting singing all that amen before i was even born and uh i just want to say thank god without the bible without the rightly dividing without some of the things that we know they stayed right enough with god with the light they had to get a prayer through for their knucklehead son that was me and it worked and maybe you got somebody on your heart we're talking about setting your heart in order house in order maybe you got somebody on your on your heart and they're in the far country well then just go to god and make sure that you examine your own self enough to make sure that there's nothing between you and god examine your attitudes examine your spirit sometimes we got to get off that thinking prideful high horse of thinking we know more than we do and just weep a little bit for our lost loved ones and you know what at the end of the day guess what maybe your house will uh be more in order than it is right day right today i just know this hezekiah was told set thy house in order and it just seems to me like if you look at that he already had been given the diagnosis and uh it's and i bet he did set his house in order but it just seems like so many things if we just take that kind of spiritual advice as preventive maintenance and get it out get on it ahead of the game you know what i'm saying like i mean like starting at night when the holy spirit puts his finger on something in your life that isn't the way it should be it's time to give it some spiritual attention we i i gotta make lists i'm organized

[23:15] because i am so unorganized my wife says oh you're very organized i write stuff down what she doesn't understand is if i don't make an effort to put things where they belong to to to to uh remember stuff man i'm all over the map amen and i'm gonna tell you what we do we have a tendency to do we put stuff on our little to-do list i don't know about you but i get it to i go home i got a little window at home usually and i got a to-do list and there's things that i that get seen to and there's always some stuff that never gets seen to it's down on the list and time runs out other things happen and i never get to it and you don't put set in your house in order on your to-do list you get on it right now and if the spirit of god bears witness to something going on in this message tonight because i ain't nowhere near done my uh my advice for whatever that's worth would be to give it the spiritual attention it needs because listen there's a reason i don't get briefed about anything in a church amen i get called into churches where pastors are trusting god to speak through the preacher amen there's another there's other crowds they do it completely different man they bring in a preacher an evangelist or another pastor he's like a hitman and give them here's the contract and these are who i want you to go after and this is what i had a guy up in ohio one time called me up there i never met him and uh a little different crowd but a missionary got me in there i've forgiven him since though but uh i get up there on a saturday night and this guy come meets me in a in a hotel meets me in the hotel and says oh that's a person yeah blah blah blah we know these people in common and uh and i want you to do this for sunday school i want you to preach on this and i want you to teach on this preach on this sunday morning preach on this tomorrow night one day one day uh meeting and i have prayed for two weeks about what to preach i am prepared i think i've got the mind of god on this thing amen and uh and i'm totally whatever he's uh asking was you know and i looked at him and says i'll tell you what uh i'll do my best i mean i'm here to serve but i'll do my best to address what you want to address but i'm gonna tell you this right now next time you need a preacher you call somebody that you trust enough to get a hold of god to give your people something that'll help them and glorify god so that uh so that you're not getting all the credit and i never went back and i never called him back he never asked me to come back for about 12 years i got a call a couple years brother's purging this so and so you think maybe i said well i'll write it down and i don't have any openings for that kind of foolishness amen i'll go where god tells me but uh amen we're talking about setting your house in order tonight and uh said is a verb are you impressed that i knew that my wife knows that stuff but i knew that uh said is is a verb it means that there's deliberate action required your house is not gonna set itself in order in other words right as a matter of fact on its own it will devolve into disorder and i just wanna encourage you to start taking the necessary steps to get your house in order because like hezekiah you're gonna die we're all gonna die that's the safest bet there is people say only two things are are are are are 100% death and taxes right for 20 years i didn't pay taxes thank you very much for financing my lifestyle amen but uh boy they're trying to get it back now though i gotta tell you amen yeah i'm sitting at atlanta airport on my way here uh monday night my tax man calls me to tell me you notice that that deadline was in april the extension

[27:16] expired monday night he calls me and says okay here's what here's what you owe and i'm going seriously and like it's two hours to closing you know it's gotta be tranced wirelessly i'm i'm just does anybody feel sorry for me because i guess that's all that was for but uh it's a set and i'm just trying to tell you if you don't make the effort to do this kind of stuff don't make your little note you know we're just note takers i mean take it to heart and make make whatever effort necessary it says thy house thine thine house thine thine is a pronoun amen it's a personal pronoun yeah pronouns are making the news a lot these days especially in california but hey i gotta tell you what started here it's moved all the way across i don't even understand that at all i don't even want to dwell there but i know this thine is a pronoun it means yours doesn't it set thine house in order i was in orlando preaching earlier this year and they got a guy got saved in prison he really did some of them guys really do and uh i had a guy in delaware say uh in ryman's church he said these people everybody they get saved and then they don't they'll promise to come to church they never come to church and and i had just gone there with him and preached some people got saved he was he wasn't happy about that i was happy he said brothers do you think any of those guys really get saved in jail and i looked at him i said isn't that about the dumbest thing you could have asked me amen some of them really do this guy in orlando he really did but he's using a living bible because his mother gave it to him his mother was happy that he's now a christian and uh and she gave him this nice bible she went down to the local christian book tour and you know bought him a nice and uh and he felt loyal there and the pastor had told me you know he's doing good he's coming along wanted me to talk to him because you know birds of a feather jail birds of a feather and uh and uh i said let me see your bible there and he it's a living bible and i says uh and i knew the deal he felt he felt you know that he wouldn't want to be disloyal to his dear mother and and i he showed it to me and i says let me ask you a question have you noticed that when the and i'm preaching every night i'm he's turning to the verses have you noticed that when your preacher is preaching and tells you to turn to verses that your bible doesn't say what his does he goes yes i noticed that and i said doesn't it make sense i just came at it like this doesn't it make sense that maybe you should find out what bible he has and get the same one so that it would make more sense and he went yes it does make sense but here's my problem my problem is uh the the the and everybody says it the archaic words in the king james bible and then i say well like what do you mean for example and they all say the same thing all these years they say the these and the thous yeah thine for example and and i said well i can help you with that he goes you can i said yeah i said it means you dummy it's not deep that's all it means it means you he went wow i said what i suggest is you take that nice bible that your mother gave you and you take that home and you put it back in the box and you put it up on the shelf and you just you know thank god that your mother loved you enough because they didn't know any better but i says uh i suggest you get yourself a king james bible he says well i'll have to do that

[31:17] but then the pastor's walking by and i'd say hey preacher we need a bible here he walked over into the book room and came out and gave the guy a bible it says set thine house it's personal not somebody else's you don't have any any business sticking your nose and how somebody else is running their house you need to set your own house in order amen i used to need me trying to set somebody else's house in order it says that's in matthew chapter 7 and verse 3 go ahead and turn there just for the fun of it matthew chapter 7 lord is very interesting preacher yeah we google illustrations lord doesn't have to do that watch this matthew okay i don't but some people do matthew chapter 7 in verse 3 and the lord says why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye but consider it's not the beam that is in thine own eye a mote i looked it up it means tiny particle i couldn't even see a mote in my own eye a little than someone else's and then he uses that example a tiny particle versus a beam goliath's spear was like a weaver's beam i looked that up too that's about three inches around nine foot tall a beam is a pretty good size chunk of lumber and the lord is making an illustration here that nobody can miss here we are sticking our nose in other people's business with major problems of our own and about that he said in verse 5 thou hypocrite that's one of the biggest insults you could give back then too bad it don't bother us more now than it does thou hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own eye and set thy own house in order you follow me and then thou shalt clearly cast out the mote that shalt see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother's eye if you make sure your house is in order you know what maybe your good example will help someone else get their house in order amen and let me say this too your house needs to be and when I say don't put this on the to-do list your house needs to be in order today

[33:42] I mean if there's action that needs to be taken you need to start taking it today that book says boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth and we don't have a promise we're going to get another chance to get started but you need to get started now a couple years ago I had two weeks free in July and my wife had planned some events with some of the grandkids and I planned this motorcycle ride and I rode out to Colorado and brother Andrus met me above Denver and we rode up to Redwood National Forest I rode 6,000 miles 4,000 of it alone we had a great time and I'm planning this ride and I'm preaching in Bismarck for Daniel Habman Bismarck, North Dakota I don't know about I don't know 800-900 miles from home I'm coming home on Monday and

[34:43] Tuesday and I'm leaving on Friday and my wife hit me with something I didn't expect she goes you know you're going on this long ride and I don't really know I don't know all the passwords I don't know where the life insurance papers are I don't know how to get into our bank I do all that I don't know how to do any of that stuff and I need to know I want a list and boy that's the last thing I wanted to hear because you know there's some things I didn't want her to know about I'll be clear with you so that you don't get the wrong idea I had some credit card debt that I was trying to work off and I didn't I was trying to get it straightened up before she knew what a mess I'd made of some things okay I just forgiven can I get forgiven now and and boy I tried to skirt that issue and at the same time the Lord's going she's right amen so I said okay okay because there was no way around it so I said I'll do that and I said I'll get the whole list together all the passwords

[35:45] I'll get all the insurance papers medical stuff everywhere I'll put it in the lock box I printed out all the passwords all the things for the credit cards and the bank and everything like that I said I printed it all out on this sheet of paper and folded it up and sealed that envelope and I put it in there with all the medical papers and insurance papers and if something happens to me you know right where it's at and I'll say no please if I got killed in a bike wreck I wouldn't care because you know but I didn't but you know what the Lord spoke to me and I'm going to tell you what I began as soon as that ride was over with eradicating every stinking debt we had because I didn't like the feeling of having something that I didn't want her to know about I didn't like that she would kill me she seems real nice and sweet let me tell you what she's German I don't even want to get her mad I'm just serious amen so I started making an effort to get my own house in order and maybe you know the Lord had me say that because that's exactly what some of you need to start doing and you both need to know where stuff is because you got no promise of tomorrow there's households where the man don't know nothing the woman does everything all the banking and all that and I get that amen and then there's the other way around like me and but I'm going to tell you what if something happens to one of you the other one ought to be we've had some funerals even in our own family my wife lost two brother-in-laws

[37:19] I guess they're my brother-in-laws too two of her sisters buried their husbands and she's actively going through everything trying to figure out what's paid what's coming what's owed what insurance she goes that can be a nightmare well it's not a nightmare if you get a handle on it first amen set your house in order alright did I grieve the Holy Spirit can I keep going now you know let's face it things get out of order maybe all your finances are fine but things do get out of order even in the Bible believers house amen time gets out of order people make time for work I mean they go to work you're supposed to go to work they make time for their hobbies like bow hunting just for an example it just came to mind and people make time to do what they want to do and then you know complain about

[38:20] I have to get up too early to read my Bible or to pray why is it we make time for things we need to do like work or things we want to do but then we say we don't have time to read our Bible or to spend time in prayer or to even come to church every service or be able to volunteer when there's work that needs you understand our time gets out of order it's because our priorities are out of order I heard a guy say oh my preacher does that all he's got to do is think of things for me to do yeah if you're Christian that's what a shepherd is supposed to do keep the sheep busy so they don't walk off the cliff amen amen our problem is you want to add salvation to your list of accomplishments and go to church when it fits in okay but at the end of the day you got a different priority at the center of your life and sometimes it's hard to fit

[39:22] God in and that's the problem if you're saved if you're a child of God if you acknowledge what Jesus Christ did to keep you out of hell he's supposed to be the center of your life and we quoted the verse that's what Matthew 25 verse I think 36 says love the Lord that God with all your heart and all you and you put him at the center of your life and then you fit the other stuff in and you'll find out that there's not room for everything but the things that you let go ain't gonna matter you ain't gonna miss them time gets out of order you guys I preach New York City and New York and California are the same in that there's so much going on and there's a pace and it's just easy to let time get away and I'm trying to encourage you to try to recover some of that if your house is out of order time wise let's say and hey what do you do oh from now on know what you do is you get on your face for God and say God I need your help in this area because that's a problem we try to figure it out on our own and when we fail we say well I'm a sinner

[40:26] I fail God never fails it says in all thy ways acknowledge him what if we just you know got him in on it then he'd get the glory you'd get the benefit amen that was pretty good I can't believe I did it where's my pen I'm gonna circle that amen people make and sometimes they don't make time for their own family amen that's out of order it's good to have friends very good but I'm gonna tell you what if you committed to a marriage man or woman that's your first priority after Jesus Christ duties don't conflict you have children my preacher told me in Bible school he said if you want to find out from man he's talking if you want to find out how selfish you are I mean we all have our little facade and our ministerial walk and everything and you can hear when preacher people pray they're in

[41:29] Bible school because they got a ministerial tone and all that and I'm not making fun of it I just see it and he said this no matter how spiritual you think you are at this point in your life he's talking to single guys you want to find out how selfish you really are get married because then there's someone else that's dependent upon you dependent upon your money your time everything you've got to start sharing your life and if you're if you don't get a handle on that you'll regret it you'll be bummed out you'll get bitter and I'm going yeah makes sense and then he said if you really want to find out how selfish you are start having kids because buddy they are dependent upon you for everything and if you're not willing to meet that challenge amen that's not fair to them amen we got to make a point we got to make an effort the devil works hard to keep our lives in disarray he can't get your salvation but he can get just about everything else amen and we need to keep our house in order when it comes to time and then money you know

[42:48] I think I mentioned it last night people find the time and they find the money for what they really want and then sometimes the household that they're commanded to provide for takes the back seat Bible says in 1 Timothy 5 and 8 but if any provide not for his own it says especially of those for those of his own house he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel that's like hypocrite that is an insult that is not a compliment amen it's a compliment when a Muslim jihadist calls us infidels right on you better believe it on their way of thinking but it isn't good to be considered one if you're a child of God you've denied the faith what if Jesus Christ denied you amen all right so and like

[43:49] I say money priorities get out of order when it comes to what we want to do what we want to drive what we want to go versus the needs of our family and when I got saved I got a Corvette I had three Harleys I had a monster truck and I got saved and had to change line of work because well for obvious reasons and all that stuff one at a time and six months after I got saved I have sold all that stuff and I'm driving a baby blue Ford Fairmont I can't even remember what it was it was the nerdiest car I ever owned in my life four door sedan four cylinder with an exhaust leak and I had this nice vet and I'm like it's got an exhaust leak and I'm thinking what am I doing I'm going to tell you what I'm doing I'm providing for my family I'm getting my priorities lined up I'm willing to make the sacrifices that need to be made and amen

[44:54] God honored it sometimes we don't want to give up some things that are you know that are more important to us than we should in light of our family but even if you got that under control we're supposed to we're supposed to support the work of God we're supposed to help missionaries we're supposed to be able to help others in need and I know people that would love to chip in on offerings or help a missionary but they can't because their finances are out of order I'm just trying to get you to provoke you to think and maybe get some things in order that aren't let me just say this too let's go directly to meddling okay all this stuff is like yeah you're right let's go to meddling if there's things going on in your home I'm glad you're all in church everybody looks real nice and spiritual no demonic spirit that I can sense and I I've probably seen more than some of you but that doesn't mean everything's going on in your home the way it should be and I just want to say if there's things going on there that shouldn't be your house is out of order friend and you need to get it in order let me give you a verse a couple things that apply to men

[46:10] Ephesians go ahead go there Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 32 and the reason this verse has been driven into my brain is because my wife reminds me of it a lot less than she used to I mean I was a bike gang guy you know she'd ask me a question I go what and she goes that's not kind and I'm going what you know and really I'm doing a lot better but don't ask her but I am it says this in Ephesians 4 32 and be kind one to another contact as other Christians be kind one to another tender hearted oh we're famous for that aren't we we're King James Bible believing militant but that's King James Paul line gun barrel straight doctrinally to the New Testament believers saved by grace you faith that says be kind one to another tender hearted then it says forgiving one another and so much more no that's a different verse forgiving one another even as

[47:20] God for Christ's sake has forgiven you so this ain't what I'm preaching on but if you got a grudge you got a grudge against somebody you can't get over it you can't forgive them here's why you have forgotten what God did for you because nobody's ever done nothing and nobody in there that even begins to compare with what your sin did to Jesus Christ and that's in there and that's written like that you'll find it again in Colossians to help us keep it again in perspective amen but what I'm saying is this and I didn't know this I came out of the military and the bike gangs and and boy you get saved and you start really trying to be the husband this isn't my case so I'm talking to men women need kindness children need kindness they really do I get reminded of it too much because that's not my nature and I want it to be amen and here's the problem is some of us are kinder to other people than we are those in our own household we get short amen

[48:33] I left a meeting one time in Norfolk Virginia and I was riding my wife and I we were going back to the campground wherever our motor home was and we were there fellowshipping for a half hour after and she's talking to the ladies because I call her Mrs.

[48:50] Fellowship because she's like really friendly I work at it you know and so I'm nice and she's nice by nature no no she's German but she's nice and she asked me something on the way and I kind of responded I know I'm the only man that's ever done this and I'm confessing a lot tonight aren't I my response to her was kind of short kind of not very and you know what she said you know what that lady that you guys think is so spiritual you know what she said to me she said you don't talk to your friends like that and man I don't know how God got that spear from the third heaven all the way second heaven through the windshield without breaking it and she was right and some of us treat our friends treat our associates more kindly than we treat our own family and that's just a fact of life and here's another one child of

[49:58] God that's out of order and if that's your problem that needs some spiritual attention amen and I'll tell you something else so I'm 101 verse 3 man David said this I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes and I won't dwell here long but I will say this if you're looking at things you shouldn't be looking at on the internet boy I'll tell you what we used to preach against television why would we even bother mentioning television there's stuff that can be in front of your face with a click that'll never be on television and if you're looking at stuff you shouldn't be David says I'll set no wicked neither shall it cleave unto me do you not understand that garbage in stays in and if you're looking at stuff you almost say it ten more times if you're looking at stuff you shouldn't be looking at you're out of order child of

[50:59] God and you need to get on your face somewhere and start asking God to help you with that and he will but man it is amazing to me how how the devil has made so gained so much ground Christian men and boys too that would never get caught dead at at one of them porno bookstore joints I wouldn't call it an adult bookstore that an adult never get caught dead in one of them places and they're looking at stuff and what they think is the privacy of their own home and I'm here to tell you and I'm going to remind you of something you ought to know the Bible said the eyes of the Lord in every place the only evil and the good and God sees it and God's not happy with it but again you're hurting yourself you're hurting your testimony you're hurting your family and if you're doing it you're out of order your house is out of order and you need to quit it and I get it you know you hear the psychologist the Christian psychologist it's an addiction well you better you better get in on the one step program you know these programs that 12 step program

[52:19] I drank for 20 years whiskey drunk and I didn't go to a 12 step program I went to a one step program I stepped down into the presence of the king and I didn't get up until he gave me some help and I've noticed I visit that place often and maybe you need to get God in on whatever it is you're battling everything isn't easy everything isn't a snap of the fingers but you better get started going to the right place for help whatever it is now men seem to have more problem in those areas but that's not exclusive I know some women I mean the world I came out of the women were rougher than some men I know and women look at things they shouldn't do so if you're doing it you better quit it you better quit it because why because your house is out order you got an appointment with your maker and you're going to answer for it amen what you're supposed to be answering for is what have you done with Jesus

[53:21] Christ to reach somebody with the glorious gospel that's what you should be giving account for at the judgment seat of Christ and King James Bible believers are going to be backed up giving account of stuff that they should have known better that's how we are I'm trying to give you a heads up tonight amen all right but ladies ladies not to be left out because you know it's so important to be fair first Peter go there first Peter chapter 4 men go there too now here is some common sense first Peter chapter 4 and verse 15 it says this but let none of you suffer as a murderer would you amen that yeah that's not good right or as a thief that's not good amen

[54:25] I don't know what that thief stole on those two thieves on Galgoth I don't know what they stole but they got capital punishment for it it said let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or as an evil doer you know who the author of evil is don't you I mean that's the devil amen but let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evil doer and everybody here say amen and Ray Charles can see that bad but the verse doesn't stop there or as a busy body and other men's matters amen so let me say this mainly to the ladies I think if you're so curious about other people's lives that you can't stay off social media you're out of order amen and if you're gossiping if you're on social media and you're inserting your little two cents about a preacher or a Christian or about a church or about anything that it could anyway be confused with being offensive to the gospel of Jesus

[55:30] Christ you got a problem and that's going on all across the body of Christ and I've seen it split churches I've seen it put families in disarray because people can't keep their stinking nose their fingers their mind off of other people's issues every thought that comes into your mind I know you're real smart but every thought that comes into your mind doesn't need to be on the world wide web where there's lost people watching us where the devil has got lost people watching us and he's saying see they're supposed to be Christians look at them we're not supposed to be as an excuse to turn people away from Christ amen if that's your issue if that's your problem I'm not at for a show of hands you know whether it is or not amen I figured out how to handle social media

[56:31] I don't touch it I don't go near it and thank God my wife feels the same way we're busy enough amen I keep her busy she keeps me busy and we don't you do your thing we'll do ours and then we'll try to bring some glory to Jesus Christ I'm going to amen myself in a minute first we're talking about your house in order it says in first Corinthians 14 and 20 let all things be done decently and in order the opposite of order is chaos chaos ought not be the description of any Christian home but I've seen somewhere that is exactly what's going on let me say it like this children young children teenage children no children are supposed to dictate the spirit of a Christian home it's like the tail wagging the dog amen man one of my daughters has got a boxer and the dog is massive for a boxer but they got no tail they got no tail and every boxer I've ever seen if you see one and they're glad to see you this dog is real friendly got a bark man but he's real friendly got that big old

[57:58] I don't even are we live streaming no but his dog's got no tail and it trying to wag his tail but it don't have one and it whole body's just wiggling around that is disgusting and that's the tail wagging the dog that's funny but when children dictate what goes on in a home because of their actions they just make it unbearable it's chaotic that's not funny that's not funny at all that's out of order amen so listen I would like to recommend a great book on child rearing amen it's called the King James Bible that King James Bible says train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it you want me to tell you something you know when I had instructors in paratrooper school 50 years ago those guys they didn't teach us to jump out of airplanes by taking us into a classroom and handing out pamphlets and putting a blackboard up and saying this is what you do no they went outside with us and they pushed us and they trained us and you train by example it doesn't say teach your children it says train in other words if you're not going the way you should go yourself you ain't training nobody else right either that's what that book says amen didn't need

[59:31] Paul chapel or dr spock or didn't need anybody like that to come up with a book to cleverly change what the king james bible said for 400 years i will amen that hold it right there amen brothers okay moving on it also says in proverbs 22 which is diametrically opposed to political correctness it says verse 15 foolishness is bound in the heart of a child anybody want to amen that that's it let's try it again foolishness is bound in the heart of a child that wasn't that much better just two of you were louder but i'll take it but it says this but the rod of correction shall drive it far from them yeah but they say yeah they've been wrong a lot they're wrong about that that works that's what the bible says that'll keep your house in order amen i didn't like getting whooped it didn't take too many time for me that'd be a dumb thing to keep doing amen amen hezekiah was told set thine house in order and he already gave his testimony in his response to that he said i walked in truth with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight but even though he had that testimony and maybe many of you do too if god set that house in order to me that must mean there were some things in his life that needed some spiritual attention and surely there is for you and i too you may have many things very much in order but you know the invitation is simple ask yourself would the lord have to tell you that would the lord would the lord if you're honest say you got some things that need some spiritual attention your car the idiot light comes on amen you'd probably go get an oil change amen your tires low you'd put air in it i mean right well there's things in a christian's life that need spiritual attention that are more important than any of the other things that you think you're doing and you got it all under control and we let things get out of control and we tuck the king james bible under our under our arm and we stroll into church a couple times a week and we have a list of things we don't smoke we don't drink right we got and then we do this yes we and that's thinking religion this is personal this is a personal walk with jesus christ and buddy if you don't keep on top of it let me say it one more time i'll get out of the way there are forces at hand that are very good at derailing us we're so quick to point out what other the other crowds or other people are doing wrong and they don't have a fraction of the light we got but it's easier isn't it to point the finger when god gives us an opportunity and maybe after a message like this to get on our face and say god i need some help in some areas and if you don't need any help in any areas you are deceived friend let's stand if you're in here and you're not saved i don't know everybody but if you're in here and you're not saved your house is not in order you need to get your sins forgiven jesus christ made it possible and said if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord jesus and believe in thine heart that god hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved he could not have made it any easier then what's the hold up flesh our flesh doesn't want to submit our flesh doesn't want to admit we're wrong our flesh is worried about what it may have to give up our flesh will say you're doing good enough well that's are you saved because we've got an appointment

[63:32] with death and we've got an appointment with judgment and we don't know when that is and it'd be good to be ready if we could get our house in order maybe you could say lord thank you for helping me with this this this than this now what would you have me to do and he just might let you do something for him maybe let you help somebody else get somebody else's house in order you say brother you said it's not our job to get other people's house in order what if they're not saved what if there's people in your life that would go to hell you've got the key you've got the answer don't you think it'd be good try to show them what they're lacking like somebody did you let's take a few minutes head bowed eyes closed set thine house in order good advice

[64:41] I've taken it got some things in order that weren't a couple years ago and what I found out was this isn't like okay did that got that done got the t-shirt it's an ongoing thing because the flesh doesn't quit the devil doesn't quit the world doesn't quit and Christians aren't supposed to quit quit trying to nurture a testimony that's pleasing to Jesus Christ so that we can be a vessel meat for the master's juice because he deserves it and gotta throw this in he'll bless it too it's the best thing you can do for yourself I'm glad that God put some people in my life who preached it straight and lived it in front of me so that when I was faced with challenges like I put out here tonight

[65:45] I couldn't come up with an excuse yeah that's all well and good but when I looked at their lives they were setting the example that is followable and none of us are perfect we know that but man this is something to strive for if you're in here and you're not saved I pray you get saved if you'd like talk to me head bowed and eyes closed maybe slip your hand up say brother Spurgeon would you pray for me anybody like that I'd sure like to pray for you I won't dime you out if you're not saved I'd love to pray for you and if you are I'm not going to pray for you not going to do it I'm going to encourage you to get down here and pray for yourself and why wouldn't you do that I'm a fan of the old fashion altar call I didn't care what people thought when I was a biker I don't care what people think now

[66:47] God deals with you respond may it be truly good to be able to say it was good to be in the house of the Lord not just checkmark Thursday night but as this fall revival Father thank you for grace and please bless this invitation as the pastor comes those that are praying and just may we be found pleasing in your sight because we want to be we wouldn't be here tonight if we didn't want to be but part of that is being sensitive to the preaching of your word forgive me where I went off course and