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[0:00] 14. I wish these visitors that hear me get on these guys, I wish they could hear them get on me. All I'm doing is protecting myself.

[0:14] All of my cogitations and agitations are defensive. Hebrews 12, 14. Follow peace with all men in holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

[0:28] Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God. Lest any root of bitterness springing up troubled you, and thereby many be defiled.

[0:38] Please notice, all this is the same sentence, so it's all connected. Lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

[0:53] And notice there's the period. Starting in verse 14 through verse 16, you go that far before you hit a period.

[1:05] Okay, we do have a 12, 14 through 16. Mentions failing of the grace of God in verse 15.

[1:16] Fail of the grace of God. Do you know there are actually people that teach falling from grace, and they use that as one of the scriptures?

[1:29] Meaning you can lose your salvation. You can't. There's no such thing as falling from grace. This does not say fall out of the grace of God.

[1:40] It says fail of the grace of God. Strange thing. In most places, that word translated fail is translated come up short or fall short.

[1:52] It simply means you lack the grace of God. You don't do what it takes to have it. It's talking about Christians not having the grace of God they need.

[2:05] Let me think of a place where that same word is. Romans 3.23. Quote that for me. Come short.

[2:18] You hear that word come short? Same word right here. It just means you don't have it. You just, you missed it. You don't have it. I looked it up. The definition is to come behind, to fall short, to miss or lack.

[2:33] So it's talking about Christians that they need the grace of God to help them. They don't have it. Now, all these terrible things might fall. See?

[2:44] Any root of bitterness might come along. Others be defiled and people might even get into fornication or become profane and so on.

[2:55] So many bad things can happen if you don't have the grace you need. The grace that we, in time of need. Do any of you use my little idea of thanking God so you can get more grace?

[3:11] Let me see your hand if you really do. Oh, that's wonderful. That's wonderful. Boy, that's most of you. One of the greatest, greatest lessons that God's ever taught me is that lesson.

[3:26] I want to go over it just very quickly. Many years ago, I was just, I was reading Paul's letters for some reason or another and I kept noticing at the beginning of all of them.

[3:38] For instance, Romans 1, 5, 7, 8, 1 Corinthians 1, 3, and 4, Philippians 1, 2, and 3, 2 Timothy 1, 2, and 3, Colossians 3, 15, 16, 2 Thessalonians 1, 2, and 3.

[3:50] I noticed how grace and thanks were together, used together. And I thought, well, that's, I wonder if that's just my imagination, if there's something to it. I grabbed my Greek dictionary and I looked up the word for grace.

[4:06] It's C-H-A-R-I-S pronounced charis. And here's what the man said. He said, from God's viewpoint, it is God's help to man coming down to man when he needs it.

[4:24] From man's viewpoint, it's man's thanks going back up to God for the grace that he's received. And I can't tell you what a thrill I got from that.

[4:36] I thought, man, that is, that's one of the ones. In other words, if we don't thank him, he's not going to give it back to us in the form of grace. That's just all there is to it.

[4:48] And that's the way you fail of the grace of God. You don't have it. You don't have it when you need it. And the reason, as I have understood, is because we haven't been thankful.

[4:59] I sit around all the time trying to think of areas of need in my life, and then I go back in time and try to think of times when God supplied that very thing.

[5:14] That very thing. And I try to thank him as much as I can in the same area that I have a need. I spend much more time saying, thank you, Lord, for in the past providing money than I say, Lord, help me with some money.

[5:33] I spend two or three times more time thanking him for that thing I need that he's given in the past than for asking him for it now. And I'm telling you, man, it's transformed my life.

[5:46] God just, he has just opened up things to me because of that little, that little thing there. And then one day, turn to 2 Corinthians, 4, 15.

[5:57] And don't forget this when mark it somewhere. And for years, for years, I went along thinking, I've got something here. All I've got to prove it, though, is that grace and thanksgiving seem to be used in the same places so often.

[6:11] And I was reading through 2 Corinthians, and I came to 4, 15 and almost shouted. 4, 15 says, For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound, which means abound, to the glory of God.

[6:35] I said, wow, there is a verse that says it. That abundant grace comes through thanksgiving. And that nailed it down, you know, that is absolutely the way you get grace is by being thankful.

[6:50] Now, by the way, when you're thankful, add some praise in there, too, because praise and thanksgiving and psalms are always together. So praise the Lord for his goodness and thank him for it all in the same bread.

[7:04] Scott, you remember Mr. Moose up in North Dakota? I don't think I ever heard him pray that he didn't say, we praise you and thank you, Lord. He always used those two things together.

[7:15] Lisa, do you remember that? He always said, we praise you and thank you, and then he started telling him what he's praising and thanking him for. That is a great way to use your thanksgiving thing.

[7:25] Great way. Now then, turn to, we are in, let's see, in 1 Corinthians, I think it's chapter 4.

[7:37] Turn back there just a moment. I have worried over this like a dog over a bone, trying to figure out if the Israelites that fell in the wilderness, that's not it, it must be 2 Corinthians 4, if the Israelites that fell in the wilderness were saved or lost.

[8:06] That's not it either. Come on, old mind, where is it? Okay, thank you. It's Hebrews 4, okay. Go back to Hebrews 4.

[8:19] Be nice to me now. Be nice. I'm lovable. Read this with me now and watch this.

[8:37] It's the first verse of Hebrews 4. Let us therefore fear, lest the promise being left of us of entering into his rest. Any of you should seem to come short of it.

[8:49] There it is again. That word. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them. But the word preached did not profit them, those Jews in the wilderness, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

[9:06] For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, as I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest. Now, actually, he said, they shall not enter into my rest back in the Old Testament.

[9:19] Although the works were finished and found this in the world, for he spake in a certain place the seventh day on this wise, God did rest the seventh day from all his works in this place again, if they shall, in the Old Testament, it says, they shall not enter into my rest.

[9:33] Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief. Again, he limited a certain day and said today if you hear his voice and so on.

[9:47] Now, that sounds like they were unsaved to me because it said they didn't enter in because of unbelief. But what was it they didn't enter into? Yeah.

[9:59] Well, is the promised land heaven? It's not even a representation of heaven. What is the promised land? Yes, it's a successful Christian life.

[10:10] It's living the life that we're supposed to live here on earth. What is it they didn't enter into? Yeah, the abundant Christian life. These were saved people although that scripture sounds like because it used the word unbelief or lack of faith.

[10:28] It's not talking about saving faith. they didn't believe and so they didn't enter into an abundant Christian life. All right? Now, let me prove that to you.

[10:38] Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. I knew there was something in Corinthians. 1 Corinthians. Now, this is Paul and we think maybe Paul was writing in Hebrews as well.

[11:01] Here's the same subject chapter 10 verse 1 of 1 Corinthians. Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea.

[11:15] Now, look at me. Did those that died in the wilderness pass through the sea? Yeah, that was right back in the first, wasn't it? Were they under the cloud? So, he's talking about even those that didn't make it to the promised land, isn't he?

[11:30] All right, watch this now. They were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea and did all, watch it, did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ.

[11:50] Doesn't that say that they all partook of Christ? Were they all saved? Finally, praise God, finally, I have satisfied myself that those in Hebrews 4 were not unsaved.

[12:08] They, they, they failed of the grace of God to live the abundant Christian life. But they didn't fail of saving faith or grace.

[12:20] They went to heaven. I'm so glad for that. I don't want to think that that whole crowd over 20 years old, 3 million people, that's a large part of them, those over 20 years old, didn't get to go to heaven.

[12:35] They were sorry Christians but God was long-suffering with them. Finally killed them all. That's God's final type of punishment, chastisement.

[12:50] When he whips you and whips you and whips you and whips you and he can't get you straightened out, he takes you home early. Right? So now, you and I can rest in assurance that all 3 million of them or at least most of them at least went to heaven.

[13:10] These fellows didn't get to see the promised land but that was their punishment for being bad Christians. And another thing, God rarely punishes the devil's kids.

[13:23] Punishes his own kids, doesn't he? Now then, in this scripture here, this is what we're going to look at for just a few minutes. Let's keep reading. But with many of them, God was not well pleased.

[13:36] That's his kids, see? They drank of the rock of Christ but he wasn't pleased with them. For they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples to the intent that we should not.

[13:53] And then he begins to tell us why they didn't make it into the promised land and the mistakes they made when they failed of or came short of the grace of God.

[14:07] This is what they did and he says in these things were our examples look at verse 11 now all these things happened unto them for in samples or examples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.

[14:27] Who is that? That's me and you we're here at the end of the world aren't we? Now those people in the New Testament days thought they were living in the last times and in a certain sense they were last days or the church age but the last of the last days is right now when we are and he said now I'm going to write these things down for those of you that come along thousands of years later in the New Testament age I will show you why they failed of the grace of God.

[14:58] So that you can learn from their example. Best way you can get a lesson is by somebody else's expense. If I can watch Chris and see all the idiotic things he does and I don't have to do them then I can learn from his mistakes and he can learn from mine too see we can learn from each other can't we?

[15:20] And he said I'm going to write these down in this Bible right here for those of you that are coming years later so you won't fail with the grace of God like they did. Now let's look at those things very quickly and see what caused them to miss the promised land right from the mouth of God himself.

[15:37] Verse 6 says they lusted for evil things. Do you know what as I was studying this I got to thinking what is it then that brings grace to help in time of need?

[15:55] How can we get more grace? Thanksgiving. Look at these five things and you tell me if you can be thankful if you're involved in this. The reason these things killed their grace was because it killed their thanksgiving.

[16:10] And you're going around out here lusting for everything are you going to be thankful? Do you lust and lust and lust and get on your knees and say thank God? Of course you don't.

[16:23] You're not thankful when you're living that kind of life. And that's why they failed to the grace of God. These things absolutely rob you of your thankful spirit. They lusted for evil things it says.

[16:37] They internet porn and satanic music and bad literature and bad movies and you can just go on and on and on.

[16:48] You get involved in that stuff and get that evil mess in your life. You're not going to thank God. You're going to be guilty before God. And you're going to fail with the grace of God. And then some of these things mentioned in that first scripture we read are going to happen to you.

[17:03] You might become a fornicator. You certainly become profane. I don't know of a backslider yet in these last days that I've heard of that didn't get to cuss.

[17:13] Isn't that strange? I have made it a point when somebody said pastor you know you need to pray for my uncle or somebody because I think he's away from God.

[17:27] I ask this question. Do you hear him cussing a lot? Oh yeah. In every case people at backslide get profane. It's just proving that scripture.

[17:38] They'll also get bitter. Proving that scripture. Now you get this evil mess out of your life if you want the grace of God because you're not going to be able to thank him and get that grace coming back down.

[17:51] You see that? All right. Very easy to see. Verse 7 now the second thing. Neither be ye idolaters as some of them were as written to people who sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.

[18:06] You know where that happened? At the base of the mountain when he threw the Ten Commandments and broke them. Aaron had said I took their gold and threw it in the fire and out walks his calf.

[18:17] Remember that? You think those people were thankful? Not a way in this world in their partying, naked partying, were they thankful to God for anything.

[18:31] You can't be thankful and do that kind of stuff. They were idolaters. Are you an idolater? Oh you say I don't have a golden calf at my house. that's not the only way to be an idolater.

[18:44] Is it? How else can you be an idolater? Tell me. It's putting anything number one in your life instead of God.

[19:00] And I learned a long time ago God never will be number two. You put something else number one he walks off. You're not going to play second fiddle to anybody. Name something that you can idolize.

[19:15] First thing I think of is children. A lot of people make all kinds of decisions that put God on the shelf because of their children.

[19:28] I learned that and Lisa was the little bitty girl. My little girls get sick on Saturday night. Sunday morning I'm going to prove whether they're my God or God is.

[19:39] Is that right? I bundle them little suckers up. Of course I pray now. Doesn't mean to call you a little sucker. But I would pray that night and say Lord I want you to make her well because I'm going to take her to church.

[19:54] If she's got some kind of terrible disease I'm going to spread it all over that church. Because you've told me to be faithful in church and to teach my children to be. I'm going to take her most of the time.

[20:07] 90% of the time. They'd be well Sunday morning. I don't care how sick they were Saturday night. On those few occasions they weren't I took them. I had a sick room.

[20:18] On very few occasions when I didn't have a sick room I left them in the car. Locked the thing up. Left a little crack so they wouldn't smother to death. But I took them.

[20:31] Who was that I was asking the other day? I was asking one of your kids Lisa. Was it you Esther? Asking if y'all ever missed church. One of you said no I never. Was it you Esther? Have you ever missed church Esther?

[20:44] How many times? You been sick or something? Were you what? Yeah in your hospital. That's the only time right? Elizabeth where are you?

[20:57] Elizabeth answer me. Oh when she was an infant so she doesn't remember.

[21:12] I think it was she it might have been Rebecca or might be one of the younger two. One of your kids. I'm sorry. Okay she's probably the one I was talking to. She said I've never missed church either.

[21:25] Now you can do it see you can do it. And Scott said he hadn't thought about this kind of a teaching when they were infants and they might have kept them home when they were sick when they were little. But we've proved it.

[21:36] This family's proved we're just an ordinary family and you know we're going to have things like you have sicknesses and different things but if you'll make up your mind that you're not going to let anything keep you out of church you get there.

[21:51] And Rebecca's how old? She's 19 years old never missed a service. I've told you many times Lisa missed one and Laura didn't miss any until she was 23 or 24 and had her first baby.

[22:05] And the Lord had her have that baby on the weekend. So if he wants to break the rule that's alright with him do it. I'm not going to fuss at him. I remind him every once in a while. Idolatry is putting anything ahead of God.

[22:20] Be real careful when you make decisions and ask yourself is this putting something ahead of God. Be sure that you don't do that. Not anything.

[22:31] Not anything. Job. And people really excuse that one.

[22:42] Well I've got you know I have to work. God doesn't expect me not to work. Well I'm not going to stand up here and preach to you that it's alright for you to miss church and go to work.

[22:54] I'm going to be your preacher if you do that. And I'm never going to bring it up to you and beat you over the head with it. But if I were you I'd try to find a job where I didn't miss church.

[23:10] If you can't you can't. You can work that out with him. But just be careful and remember that I'm preaching a high standard around here and I'm going to pull it down for anybody.

[23:20] And get up there as close to it as you can. Don't let anything be ahead of you in God. I told you this morning I worked for 10 years and I never missed a Wednesday night and I never missed a Sunday.

[23:33] And that was a stipulation before I ever took a job. And maybe my situation is a little bit different. You know you're maybe the career that you're in you have to work weekends.

[23:47] I don't know I didn't have maybe the same thing you did but I did make it a stipulation when I interviewed. I said now I am a preacher and I cannot work on Sunday.

[24:01] We also have services on Wednesday night and if I take this job it must be under the understanding that under no circumstances will I be called to work on Wednesday or night or Sunday.

[24:14] I'll work all day Wednesday but not Wednesday night and not Sunday. I always made that stipulation. Sometimes they said well I'm sorry sir and I'd say I'm sorry too because they would say I like your your paperwork I think you make a good employee I'm sorry and sometimes they've called me back and said we can't find a better applicant than you and we're going to go along with what you said.

[24:39] We'll let somebody else cover for you on the weekends. But I always did that see but I'm ahead of you a little bit. I was raised earlier than you were and I knew more than you did at the time so you got into a situation when you didn't know that.

[24:55] I understand that. I'm sure God does too but I'm just telling you for the young ones and others don't put anything before God. Don't put recreation before him.

[25:07] Don't you take a vacation somewhere where there's not any church anywhere. and don't go somewhere and you're far from home and say well you know I don't have to go to church.

[25:19] Yes you do. That's why we have you bring me an excuse. Bring me a bulletin from the church. That's just to make you be careful to do it see.

[25:31] It's accountability isn't it. Don't put anything ahead of God. Nothing. And you can fill in the blanks anything else you think of. Now then in Colossians 3 5 it says covetousness is idolatry.

[25:46] What is covetousness? Wanting what the other fellow has. So you say I'm not an idolater. I don't put work. I don't put kids. I don't put recreation.

[25:57] Anything ahead of God. Yeah and you're sitting over there wishing you had a car like your neighbor. Or you're saying boy we got a little house.

[26:07] I wish I had a bigger house. It's not going to talk. Is that idolatry? Bible says it is doesn't it? You ever wear your clothes best you have and somebody comes along and outshines you and you get a little bit jealous and wish you had a dress pretty as hers or you know that's idolatry.

[26:31] Covetousness. I'm saying hey all I'm all I'm doing is showing you how we fail to the grace of God. God. And the Lord said I'm going to put this in the Bible for you that come along in the end time so you know what happened and why those people didn't get to go in the promised land.

[26:45] Now then if you're an idler and idol worshiper can you be thankful? No. I'll tell you what you get covetousness in your heart and try to thank God. Do it.

[26:56] It doesn't fit. Fit does it? I am not satisfied and content with what I have. I want what somebody else has. Thank you Lord. You're so good to me. It doesn't fit.

[27:08] A covetous heart cannot be a thankful heart. Number three. Fornication. Verse eight. Neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed. Fell in one day. Twenty three thousand.

[27:20] Immorality and impurity are always destructive on many levels. You better stay away from sexual sin brother as if it were a cobra because it's going to reach up and kill you in a lot of levels.

[27:38] This is just one level where it's going to keep you from being grateful and keep you from getting God's grace. He'll bust your head for a lot of other reasons when you get into sexual sin.

[27:49] You just be real real sure of that and run from it. He says in the Bible flee fornication. There's a lot of things he says to fight.

[28:00] He never says fight that. He says you get yourself out of there. Sort of like Joseph did. You get out of there. If you have to leave your coat in your hands you go.

[28:12] I wish young people could learn things like this from us older codgers. I wish you kids would listen to me. I wish all of you would listen to me. All you young guys.

[28:24] Boys keep your cotton picking hands off of the girls. just don't touch them. And you dating couples God bless you if we got some in here.

[28:37] That came to mind so we must have some. I can think of one. You keep the six inch rule at all times. Don't you ever touch him or her.

[28:52] If you're not careful the longer you date the more familiar you'll get. Sometimes she might be sitting beside you and just sort of lay her head over your shoulder.

[29:02] That is a ball of fire. You stay away. You keep your hands off each other. You better look at this like a serpent.

[29:15] The devil can reach up and grab you with that quicker than anything. Be real careful about any kind of immorality. Well you know my dad and mom were not pure before they married.

[29:29] They got away with it. You let them tell you what kind of misery they've had because of it. You hadn't fallen in their footsteps and you'll have your misery the rest of your life too.

[29:42] It carries its own penalty. Besides the other penalties you get from the law of sowing and reaping. I know a lot of kids that are loose because they say well dad was loose.

[29:57] Mom you know mom told me she didn't have this kind of teaching when she was young. She didn't know any better. So that gives you a right to go against the Bible.

[30:07] Is that right? What kind of thinking is that? You're not married. You stay away from each other. Or God's going to get you. And it's my duty to tell you that.

[30:19] Not because I don't like you. Because I love you. And I buried a whole lot like you. You just mess with that. You're messing with fire. And the Lord is not going to.

[30:30] If you're his child he's going to put up with it. He's merciful and gracious and long suffering. But you better be careful about fornication. Did you know that it says in Hebrews 13 4.

[30:42] Marriage is honorable and all but. And the bed is undefiled. But of fornicators and adulterers. God will judge. It didn't say maybe.

[30:55] Will judge. Be careful about that. And in Matthew 5 28. He even raises the bar a little higher. He says whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart.

[31:11] You think heart adultery is as bad as regular adultery? No I don't think it is. I think it's bad. I don't think hate is as bad as murder.

[31:24] But they're very similar. Both of them are bad. So just keep your eyes to yourself. Turn your eyes away if you have to.

[31:36] Brother Griffin teaches this all the time. He tells you how he has to turn his eyes. And how careful he is. Well you get that now. All of you get that. We've got an age in which the women do not know how to cover their bodies.

[31:51] bodies. And these young girls have no idea what they're doing. They don't have any idea of the power that their little that their little scantily clothed bodies have to put bad thoughts in men's minds.

[32:05] They have no idea. You know I don't know how a woman feels. A woman doesn't know how a man feels. So you got to take our word for it. There is nothing on this earth like the magnetism of a woman's body for a man's eyes.

[32:22] Even calls it the lust of the eyes in the Bible. And the proverb says the eyes of a man are never satisfied. You can have ten ill-clad women walk by and look at six of them and say that's all I need.

[32:40] Is that right fellas? No your tongue's out about your chin is about the tenth one and you're wishing there were ten more. You know how we are.

[32:51] We're wicked all the way down to the roots. You got to be careful about that and you got to control it. He put it in here and he said this is why they failed in the grace of God.

[33:05] You can't go around lusting after women and thank God. Can't do it. Man I didn't mean to do this tonight. I meant to teach. Alright the next one is verse nine is tempting God.

[33:23] Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them did. And they were destroyed of serpents. You remember that story how you had to put the brass serpent up. And they were tempting the Lord about man I think as if I recall.

[33:39] God can't set a table in the wilderness and so on. Don't you ever say anything about whether God can or can't. God can do anything he wants to do.

[33:51] And it's not for our little pea brains to try to figure out whether he can or can't. Or whether he ought or ought not. It's not our place. And you're getting into some dangerous territory.

[34:04] Is God among us or not? That's what they said. Watch it. He'll be among you like a bunch of bees here in a minute if you're not careful. You better.

[34:15] When you're addressing him you put. You take your hat off. You get a little bit humble about it. It's not time for us to say well I wonder where he is.

[34:26] You may find him. He doesn't want the creature to rise up and get in the face of the creator. See. Tempting God.

[34:38] You step out in front of a semi and say well I'm a Christian God take care of me. He might get a good preacher for your funeral. Don't you tempt God to take care of you.

[34:56] One of the heroes of my life was Lester Roloff. And they wasn't a better Christian on the face of the earth. I'm convinced of that. He took that old airplane and he said I've got it.

[35:08] I've got it. And he had done it before. He had you know he'd been reckless with that thing. One preacher got out of it and said well Lester I've never arrived with you again.

[35:20] You're reckless. And on that fatal day when they had these tornadic winds up in the air. Back big storm and he had an appointment.

[35:31] He put four or five little girls or at least I think they're all girls that were in a singing group in that little airplane and flew right into that storm. And God did not he did not take care of one of his favorite people.

[35:48] Those tornadic winds tore the wings off of that plane at 3,000 feet. And it was like a bullet. That fuselage was like a bullet going to the ground.

[36:03] They found him with his big Bible across his chest. He'd already figured out he'd messed up. I don't care who you are. If he won't take care of Lester Roloff he's not going to take care of you either if you tempt him.

[36:14] Don't you don't you try to you know put put God in a bad circumstance just to see if he'll do it. You can't do that.

[36:26] That's what Jesus did with that's what the Satan did with Jesus. He said well you get up on the pinnacle of the temple and jump off. God will give the angels charge over you to keep you safe. And Jesus said it's written thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

[36:41] That's the way he answered him and he could have said I'm his son. And I'm not going to tempt him. You think we ought to?

[36:54] If the weather's real bad don't drive out there into it. Don't tempt him. Be a little bit careful. Use good common sense.

[37:08] I did it one time in my ministry. I was 25 26 years old. And church voted me out and I was on the right track of making that church a lot better than it was if they'd just listen to me.

[37:21] And I was young and stupid and in a denomination nobody taught me like I were taught in the independent Baptist. And I said okay Lord that's what you do to your preachers you get you another one.

[37:34] I'm done. went home with a chip on my shoulder. And a church I don't know how they found out so quickly the next day a church in East Texas called me and said we understand you're without a church we want you to come out and candidate for pastor.

[37:52] And I was mean to that guy. I was mean to him. I said sir you're you got rocks in your head I don't know who told you that I'm not I'm not in the market for anybody's church.

[38:05] I mean that's why I talked to him. Now I'm getting dangerously close. But God knows that I didn't have a bullhorn like you have standing up here warning you about this kind of stuff.

[38:18] I wasn't taught that kind of stuff. And God was merciful. And brother that same day my best buddy from college drove up in my yard and he said you and I are going to a Bible conference.

[38:31] You need some preaching. How did he know? God told him. He drove me to Dallas Texas and Jack Howells got up and preached.

[38:42] No time to quit. Ezekiel's wife died and he got up in the morning and kept on going. Some little pipsqueak in here has quit on God.

[38:54] Nailed me to the back wall of the balcony. Ate my lunch. God came after me like Jesus came on the seashore to bring Peter back into the fold.

[39:07] God brought him a little old pipsqueak like me. Not worth anything. And he came and preached a sermon right to me and pulled me back. And finally before that sermon was over I said dear God I'm sorry.

[39:22] You'll let that man quit preaching. I want to get back in the ministry. I made a dive for that altar and I was the first one in it and me hadn't even finished yet.

[39:34] And right on my face right there in that altar in the Galilean Baptist Church in Dallas Texas right there. I made a vow to God. I said I don't care what happens to me.

[39:46] I don't care what happens to me. I'll never quit you. I'll never quit you. I'll never get in your face again. I'll never act like I'm smart as you are.

[39:58] Not me. I'm a little older now. I still haven't quit him. Don't tempt God. He's merciful. But you can go too far.

[40:10] Verse 10 says neither murmur ye. Some of them murmured. I'm not sure I'd put that in the same category as some of these other things committing fornication or being idolaters you know lusting after everything but God did.

[40:28] God said you griping and complaining is just as bad in my eyes as the rest of it. We've got some complainers and grippers. Every church does.

[40:38] You're probably some of you guilty of that aren't you? Don't like the way things are going? You gripe and complain huh? God sends a problem into your life for your own growth and your own good and you fuss about it.

[40:52] What he's talking about. Murmuring and complaining. You may not be guilty of one through four but have you ever complained of your circumstances or the treatment you've been receiving or anything else came along that you didn't like?

[41:12] It's easy for us to complain isn't it? I've got written here it angers God to send us needed adversity and then have us complain about it.

[41:23] He knows best. Whatever he whatever's in your life came across his desk. He approved it for your good. Look either you're either you're right to complain or or Romans 8 28 wrong.

[41:39] They can't both be right because it says all things work together for good to them that love God. So. First Thessalonians 5 18.

[41:54] And I'm on the last two lines isn't this good. And everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Right there he didn't say for everything he said in everything.

[42:07] Isn't it strange that he said give thanks. Isn't it strange that he said in everything whatever comes in your life you be sure and give thanks.

[42:17] You know why he put that in there? Because that's the way you get grace to overcome the very thing he put in your life. So something happens you don't like some some situation in your life.

[42:30] Thank God. Even thank him for it if you can. Because it is an avenue of his blessing. But if you can't thank him for it just thank him for something.

[42:42] But be thankful. And when we get into these sins that those people that kept those people out of the promised land you cannot have grace. You'll fall short of the grace because you can't be thankful in those situations.

[42:58]  That's my sermon. You believe it? I. You.