WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.040 Truthfully, I never thought that this day would come. 00:00:11.040 --> 00:00:17.240 And for you who are probably relatively new to this ministry, 00:00:17.240 --> 00:00:18.240 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.759 I had moved down here before my family had moved, 00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:36.619 and I was staying in the parsonage, right, 00:00:36.740 --> 00:00:39.000 the house that is right in front of the church. 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:46.740 And I remember looking out across the field that was there at that time 00:00:46.740 --> 00:00:52.400 with a sober sense of frailty and fear. 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:57.100 I remember distinctly thinking to myself, 00:00:57.100 --> 00:01:00.000 I won't last here six months. 00:01:04.099 --> 00:01:09.500 I had been pastoring in a small rural church in northeastern Ohio 00:01:09.500 --> 00:01:13.520 that, truthfully, when I went there, 00:01:13.659 --> 00:01:16.439 I intended to be buried in that community. 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:22.659 I am one who has believed from childhood on 00:01:22.659 --> 00:01:26.000 that lasting relationships take work but also are worth it. 00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:30.479 I was called by this congregation. 00:01:31.979 --> 00:01:33.759 Judith and I had been members here 00:01:33.759 --> 00:01:39.219 before I was called to the pastorate in northeastern Ohio. 00:01:40.399 --> 00:01:45.639 And so it was the only call I received as a young pastor 00:01:45.639 --> 00:01:47.039 that I attended to. 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:50.960 And I can remember arguing a little bit with God 00:01:50.960 --> 00:01:55.100 and saying I don't want to leave where I was. 00:01:58.540 --> 00:02:01.780 Maranatha was a larger church and a much bigger ministry, 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:05.320 and I truthfully didn't think I would make it for six months. 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:14.539 I am here today because of the grace of God, 00:02:17.099 --> 00:02:22.879 because of the persistent prayers of God's people. 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:28.939 No pastor will ever endure without that. 00:02:28.939 --> 00:02:37.960 I'm also here because many of you over and over again gently admonished me 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:42.680 and corrected and instructed, 00:02:43.319 --> 00:02:47.240 and God gave me a willingness to hear. 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:50.920 As a younger man, I was rather brassy. 00:02:51.620 --> 00:02:53.180 I still can be that way. 00:02:55.219 --> 00:02:57.219 As I'm leaving the home this morning, 00:02:57.340 --> 00:02:58.180 I said to Judith, 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:00.379 please pray for my humility. 00:03:00.540 --> 00:03:01.620 It's a lifelong battle. 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:04.700 And you have ministered to me. 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:09.860 I'm thankful. 00:03:09.860 --> 00:03:18.760 Ah, well, there's a part that I really like to say. 00:03:19.720 --> 00:03:20.600 Turn in your Bibles. 00:03:23.880 --> 00:03:27.140 I trust that John's prayer this morning, 00:03:28.300 --> 00:03:33.160 which I found to be reflective of things that you should pray 00:03:33.160 --> 00:03:36.980 when the Word of God is opened, 00:03:36.979 --> 00:03:40.219 I trust that it will not be the only prayer 00:03:40.219 --> 00:03:44.539 that will take place in the remainder of our time together. 00:03:45.859 --> 00:03:48.699 With that said, I want you to turn to John chapter 17, 00:03:49.259 --> 00:03:51.579 and we're going to look at verse 18 as a frame. 00:03:51.699 --> 00:03:56.939 We're going to think this morning about setting our course for 2017. 00:04:01.299 --> 00:04:04.739 This month, January, the remainder of it, 00:04:04.740 --> 00:04:07.180 at least for the next four weeks, 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:10.320 what is going to happen is I'm going to preach this Sunday. 00:04:10.460 --> 00:04:12.180 Pastor Shearer will preach next Sunday. 00:04:12.600 --> 00:04:14.640 I will preach the Sunday after that, 00:04:14.780 --> 00:04:17.139 and then he will preach the Sunday after that. 00:04:17.500 --> 00:04:19.579 First and third, Kenoyer. 00:04:20.060 --> 00:04:21.900 Second and fourth, Shearer. 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:26.439 After that, we will work on a preaching rotation 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:29.900 that will bring each of us to the pulpit 00:04:29.900 --> 00:04:32.840 roughly about 50% for the remainder of the year, 00:04:32.939 --> 00:04:33.460 give or take. 00:04:33.459 --> 00:04:38.560 Please don't keep a tab on how many times we are in, 00:04:38.659 --> 00:04:39.839 because I just tell you up front, 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:42.459 there's always going to be little hiccups in life. 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:47.639 Pastor Shearer is going to be going to California 00:04:47.639 --> 00:04:49.419 where Sarah's family is. 00:04:49.479 --> 00:04:51.599 They're going to be gone for three full weeks, 00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:54.740 so you may have me for three weeks extra there, 00:04:54.859 --> 00:04:55.579 but bear with it. 00:04:55.599 --> 00:04:56.199 It's all right. 00:04:56.299 --> 00:04:56.879 We'll get there. 00:04:56.879 --> 00:04:58.560 He'll make it up. 00:04:59.899 --> 00:05:09.379 But the purpose of this process of transition 00:05:09.379 --> 00:05:14.759 is an illustration of this congregation's 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:17.040 very deliberate approach to ministry. 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:22.240 And while I am going to address what we would call 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:25.020 strategic initiatives this Sunday, 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:28.420 and Pastor Shearer will follow up with that next Sunday, 00:05:28.780 --> 00:05:31.900 I want you to understand that it is not something 00:05:31.900 --> 00:05:34.040 that we discuss only on this Sunday, 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:36.840 because if you were to think in any frame 00:05:36.840 --> 00:05:40.020 of what has taken place over the last several years, 00:05:40.019 --> 00:05:42.319 you would understand that this congregation 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:47.839 and its prayer life and the energy of your thoughts 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:51.899 and affections in part have been part of a strategic initiative 00:05:51.899 --> 00:05:58.719 of deliberately seeking a man that will take the ministry 00:05:58.719 --> 00:06:02.060 into our next phase and place. 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:05.319 It has been something that we prayed about. 00:06:06.719 --> 00:06:09.979 You as a congregation agreed to over two years ago. 00:06:10.019 --> 00:06:13.659 A search committee that was framed at that time 00:06:13.659 --> 00:06:15.979 spent about two years seeking out a man 00:06:15.979 --> 00:06:18.419 that we would call our senior pastor-elect, 00:06:18.519 --> 00:06:20.719 and God brought him to us about, give or take, 00:06:20.799 --> 00:06:21.620 nine months ago. 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:26.439 That was a strategic initiative. 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:31.259 I can't say that the transition has been finished, 00:06:32.039 --> 00:06:35.439 but I will say that I am thankful for the process 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:38.939 and progress and blessing that it has been to all of us. 00:06:40.019 --> 00:06:44.279 And when Pastor Shearer and I began praying and thinking together, 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:48.699 one of the things that we began to discuss very early in our time 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:50.919 as companions in the gospel was, 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:54.039 okay, what are the things that we believe together 00:06:54.039 --> 00:06:55.939 God wants us to focus on? 00:06:57.699 --> 00:07:02.180 Pastor Shearer, in particular, was the one who set the frame 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:05.839 of the matter of our working at being the kind of neighbors 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:07.139 that God wants us to be. 00:07:08.679 --> 00:07:12.139 And he is going to take next week to kind of dive into that 00:07:12.139 --> 00:07:15.299 in greater detail and lay out an overview 00:07:15.299 --> 00:07:19.699 of what our small group ministries are going to be studying together 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:21.659 for the next 12 weeks. 00:07:23.239 --> 00:07:26.059 Providentially, it will end up that the conclusion 00:07:26.059 --> 00:07:29.759 to the neighboring lessons that we're going to study 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:32.860 are going to land right up against, guess what, 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:39.279 national, spiritual, significant day, Easter. 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:45.079 And I trust that we as a fellowship make our efforts 00:07:45.079 --> 00:07:48.959 and interest in ministering to other people 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:52.399 that God puts us around more than just an event activity, 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:55.899 but something that ends up being part of our DNA 00:07:55.899 --> 00:07:57.239 as a family of believers. 00:07:59.620 --> 00:08:02.719 So as we come to this matter of strategic initiatives, 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:05.839 let me break it down into very, very simple terms 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:09.279 and say, for one, we are committed to follow His instruction. 00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:14.939 We are committed to find the particulars of what He has for us. 00:08:15.139 --> 00:08:18.359 And then we are here also to affirm the affection 00:08:18.359 --> 00:08:21.739 that God wants us to have one for another in the family of God. 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:24.379 I want us to think, first of all, this morning 00:08:24.379 --> 00:08:25.439 about following a command. 00:08:25.659 --> 00:08:28.639 We have some responsibility of recognizing 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:30.500 a responsibility that He's put on us. 00:08:31.099 --> 00:08:32.600 And that's the reason I had you look there 00:08:32.600 --> 00:08:35.000 in John chapter 17, verse 18. 00:08:35.139 --> 00:08:36.740 Let me read the passage for you there. 00:08:37.199 --> 00:08:39.539 As you sent me into the world, 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.720 so I have sent them into the world. 00:08:43.819 --> 00:08:46.620 That little word, as, is one that carries 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:50.199 a tremendous amount of significance and value. 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:52.980 And the reason I say that is because that word 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:57.780 communicates to us just exactly what Jesus meant 00:08:57.780 --> 00:09:01.620 when He said, hey, I'm sending you out into the world. 00:09:03.020 --> 00:09:07.340 We get sometimes lost up in the details of our lives 00:09:07.340 --> 00:09:11.560 and the business of making a living or raising a family 00:09:11.560 --> 00:09:14.840 or seeing to it that our kids receive an education, 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:18.660 and we forget that we are here fundamentally 00:09:18.660 --> 00:09:21.420 for something more significant than that. 00:09:23.019 --> 00:09:26.920 We are here because Jesus saved us. 00:09:27.580 --> 00:09:31.280 And we are here for His agenda and His objective. 00:09:31.920 --> 00:09:33.379 And so when we look at this passage 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:36.860 and we recognize what Jesus is praying for here, 00:09:37.080 --> 00:09:39.300 just hours in front of the cross, 00:09:39.299 --> 00:09:42.079 we understand that these words communicate 00:09:42.699 --> 00:09:45.079 a very significant responsibility 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:47.539 and instruction that He has. 00:09:47.599 --> 00:09:48.559 He's praying for me. 00:09:49.419 --> 00:09:50.339 He's praying for you. 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:51.439 And He says, listen, Father, 00:09:52.219 --> 00:09:54.699 in the same way, that word as means 00:09:54.699 --> 00:09:57.759 in the same way or in the same manner, 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:00.559 for the same purpose, 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:04.039 that You sent me into the world, 00:10:04.199 --> 00:10:06.859 so I have sent them into the world. 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:08.460 So I ask you this question this morning 00:10:08.460 --> 00:10:10.480 just to kind of stop and think about it for a moment. 00:10:10.899 --> 00:10:13.039 When you think about what you're going to do tomorrow, 00:10:13.940 --> 00:10:18.320 how often do you actually stop and realize 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:21.740 that tomorrow is a day that really is to be governed 00:10:21.740 --> 00:10:23.680 if we are thinking biblically 00:10:23.680 --> 00:10:25.940 and we're thinking in the light of eternity, 00:10:26.539 --> 00:10:28.279 tomorrow is a day to be governed 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:31.320 by its value and effect 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:33.840 upon the testimony and the glory of Christ? 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:37.000 That's the way we should be thinking. 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:40.060 When you walk in to work, 00:10:40.780 --> 00:10:42.519 your thoughts should not be, 00:10:42.740 --> 00:10:44.360 okay, how do I get through this day 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:47.019 so I can get to Friday, which is payday, 00:10:47.100 --> 00:10:48.820 so I can have money for whatever it is 00:10:48.820 --> 00:10:49.860 that I'm here to do. 00:10:49.940 --> 00:10:50.460 No, no, no. 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:51.960 When you walk into work, 00:10:52.040 --> 00:10:52.899 you're thinking to yourself, 00:10:53.100 --> 00:10:55.840 this day is a day that I have the opportunity 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:57.720 of lifting up the glory 00:10:57.720 --> 00:10:59.340 and the supremacy of Christ 00:10:59.340 --> 00:11:03.160 and modeling the power of the gospel around me 00:11:03.160 --> 00:11:05.200 in the environment that He has placed me. 00:11:06.280 --> 00:11:07.160 How many of you recognize 00:11:07.160 --> 00:11:09.519 that you are where you are by divine appointment? 00:11:10.500 --> 00:11:11.560 You may think to yourself, 00:11:11.740 --> 00:11:14.160 well, I got it because of my education 00:11:14.160 --> 00:11:16.899 and because I had a better interview than so-and-so. 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:17.580 No, no, no. 00:11:18.560 --> 00:11:19.920 You have what you have 00:11:19.920 --> 00:11:21.000 and you are where you are 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:23.320 because God in His grace and His purpose 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:25.180 puts you there if you're a believer 00:11:25.180 --> 00:11:27.080 for His glory and for His purposes. 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:29.680 I'm not going to spend a lot of time 00:11:29.680 --> 00:11:30.780 on the text here this morning, 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:31.820 but I just want to remind you 00:11:31.820 --> 00:11:33.900 that in blessing us with salvation 00:11:33.900 --> 00:11:35.160 and giving us life, 00:11:35.520 --> 00:11:38.000 it is not so that we can go about 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:41.440 spending our energy for our own glory 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:43.639 and our own significance, but for His. 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:47.020 And so I want to put it here to you 00:11:47.020 --> 00:11:48.280 in very candid terms. 00:11:48.820 --> 00:11:50.680 We are here to do the same work 00:11:50.680 --> 00:11:51.960 that Jesus came to do. 00:11:52.800 --> 00:11:55.140 We are here to do the same work 00:11:55.140 --> 00:11:56.840 that Jesus came to do. 00:11:57.540 --> 00:11:59.240 And I want you to fix that in your mind 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:00.920 as you think about why we are, 00:12:01.080 --> 00:12:02.600 when we gather together here 00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:03.720 as a body of believers 00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:06.280 to sit under the teaching of the Word of God, 00:12:06.560 --> 00:12:09.340 it is so that our minds and our thinking 00:12:09.340 --> 00:12:11.220 can be framed properly 00:12:11.220 --> 00:12:12.740 in the light of the Word. 00:12:14.820 --> 00:12:17.600 There is a natural tendency in all of us 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:19.560 to have our hearts drift away 00:12:19.560 --> 00:12:21.700 from that which God would desire 00:12:21.700 --> 00:12:23.840 be the characteristic of our life. 00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:24.480 I think about that, 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:26.140 the words of the song that says, 00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:27.120 prone to wonder, 00:12:27.240 --> 00:12:29.240 Lord, I feel it. 00:12:30.139 --> 00:12:31.799 Prone to leave the God I love. 00:12:32.939 --> 00:12:34.460 And so we need the reminder 00:12:34.460 --> 00:12:35.659 of the Word of God that says, 00:12:35.779 --> 00:12:37.259 here's what you're here for. 00:12:37.659 --> 00:12:39.659 Here's why I draw breath 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:41.419 and I'm still present here 00:12:41.419 --> 00:12:43.100 among the living and not in eternity. 00:12:43.939 --> 00:12:45.360 And so I want you to think for a minute 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:47.399 just for practical terms 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:49.000 that when you go out the door 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:50.379 tomorrow morning to go to work, 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:51.659 you are going out the door 00:12:51.659 --> 00:12:53.819 not so you can have necessarily 00:12:53.819 --> 00:12:55.559 a second vacation home. 00:12:56.079 --> 00:12:57.179 You're not going out 00:12:57.179 --> 00:12:58.939 so you can spend the rest of your days 00:12:58.939 --> 00:13:00.139 kind of in indolence 00:13:00.139 --> 00:13:01.980 and self-centered ambition, 00:13:01.980 --> 00:13:04.100 but you are going out the door 00:13:04.100 --> 00:13:06.100 to serve the Lord Jesus Christ 00:13:06.100 --> 00:13:08.980 that someday you are going to stand before 00:13:08.980 --> 00:13:11.039 and give an account. 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:15.360 And so when Jesus said these words here, 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:17.599 there in John chapter 17, verse 18, 00:13:18.059 --> 00:13:21.259 just like you sent me, 00:13:22.419 --> 00:13:26.319 can you imagine Jesus talking to the Father 00:13:26.319 --> 00:13:27.360 and saying, hey, you know what? 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:28.639 I'm glad you sent me down here. 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:30.559 I am just having a whale of a time. 00:13:31.319 --> 00:13:33.360 I'm just enjoying the fact 00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:34.439 that everybody loves me. 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:37.200 No, he was actively engaged 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:38.940 in the mission and the ministry 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:40.280 that the Father sent him 00:13:40.280 --> 00:13:41.360 to be engaged in 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:42.360 for the testimony 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:43.620 and the glory of the cross. 00:13:44.860 --> 00:13:46.240 We who are his children 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:49.080 and called to be ambassadors 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:51.320 are here for the same mission 00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:52.280 that he sent us on. 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:54.060 And I want you to recognize 00:13:54.060 --> 00:13:56.080 that in relationship to that command 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:58.540 that we have to be sent for his purposes, 00:13:58.920 --> 00:13:59.940 I want you to understand 00:13:59.940 --> 00:14:01.160 that there is a day coming 00:14:01.160 --> 00:14:02.840 when each of us as a believer 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:04.560 is going to give an account for this life. 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:06.480 How many of you recognize 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:07.660 that such a day is coming? 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:09.480 Think with me just for a moment. 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:10.360 Turn in your Bibles. 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:11.200 You're there in John, 00:14:11.280 --> 00:14:12.019 but I want you to turn 00:14:12.019 --> 00:14:14.580 to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 10. 00:14:14.700 --> 00:14:15.300 Jesus said, 00:14:15.740 --> 00:14:17.639 I'm sending them for this reason. 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:19.540 I want you to recognize 00:14:19.540 --> 00:14:20.800 that the day is coming 00:14:20.800 --> 00:14:23.879 when your energy 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:26.820 and your effectiveness 00:14:26.820 --> 00:14:30.060 in the mission that he sent you for 00:14:30.059 --> 00:14:32.979 is going to be given an account. 00:14:33.059 --> 00:14:34.219 You're going to give an account for it. 00:14:34.619 --> 00:14:37.299 Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 10. 00:14:41.299 --> 00:14:43.599 So whether we are at home 00:14:43.599 --> 00:14:44.899 or away, verse 9, 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:46.959 we make it our aim 00:14:46.959 --> 00:14:48.679 or ambition to please him. 00:14:48.839 --> 00:14:49.219 Question? 00:14:50.699 --> 00:14:51.779 Do you actually stop 00:14:51.779 --> 00:14:52.579 and think about that 00:14:52.579 --> 00:14:54.579 when you are at a baseball game 00:14:54.580 --> 00:14:55.860 and you're engaged 00:14:55.860 --> 00:14:59.740 in rooting on your particular child 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:00.200 and saying, 00:15:00.280 --> 00:15:01.520 man, the most important thing 00:15:01.520 --> 00:15:03.060 is that he hit a home run 00:15:03.060 --> 00:15:05.540 or that he snagged that fly ball 00:15:05.540 --> 00:15:07.220 or that he looked spectacular 00:15:07.220 --> 00:15:08.879 or is your primary man. 00:15:08.980 --> 00:15:10.139 I want to be sure 00:15:10.139 --> 00:15:12.639 that I bring glory to Christ 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:13.420 in what I'm doing. 00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:14.840 How many of you fathers here 00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:16.600 have ever stepped across the line 00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:18.000 and had to ask forgiveness 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:19.100 for getting too wound up 00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:19.740 about the game? 00:15:20.800 --> 00:15:21.680 I'm one of them. 00:15:23.140 --> 00:15:24.259 I have to remind myself, 00:15:24.259 --> 00:15:25.980 this is for the glory of Christ. 00:15:26.860 --> 00:15:27.840 And here in verse 9, 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:28.059 it says, 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:29.039 I make it my ambition 00:15:29.039 --> 00:15:29.779 to please him. 00:15:29.860 --> 00:15:30.360 Verse 10, 00:15:30.980 --> 00:15:31.319 for, 00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:32.779 why do I make it my ambition 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:33.419 to please him? 00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:33.919 For, 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:35.620 we must all appear 00:15:35.620 --> 00:15:37.120 before the judgment seat of Christ 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:38.439 so that each one 00:15:38.439 --> 00:15:39.659 may receive what is due 00:15:39.659 --> 00:15:40.679 for what he has done 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:41.259 in the body, 00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:42.559 whether good or evil. 00:15:42.679 --> 00:15:43.559 The day is coming 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:44.939 when I am going 00:15:44.939 --> 00:15:45.899 to give an account 00:15:45.899 --> 00:15:47.240 and you are going 00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:48.000 to give an account 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:49.259 for the way in which 00:15:49.259 --> 00:15:50.639 you use the life 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:51.439 that he gave you 00:15:51.439 --> 00:15:53.000 and use the abilities 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:53.899 and resources 00:15:53.899 --> 00:15:54.939 the energy 00:15:54.939 --> 00:15:55.840 that he has appointed 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:56.319 to you. 00:15:57.220 --> 00:15:57.959 He's going to say, 00:15:58.039 --> 00:15:58.720 what did you do 00:15:58.720 --> 00:15:59.480 with what I gave you? 00:16:00.259 --> 00:16:00.879 I want you to look 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:01.559 at another passage 00:16:01.559 --> 00:16:02.799 in relationship to this. 00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:03.299 If you will, 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:05.559 go to Romans chapter 14, 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:06.799 go back a little bit 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:08.419 to Romans chapter 14, 00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:09.559 verse 10 through 12. 00:16:10.500 --> 00:16:11.799 Part of what my point 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:12.759 is in relationship 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:14.299 to these different passages 00:16:14.299 --> 00:16:15.500 is that this issue 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:16.819 of being accountable 00:16:16.819 --> 00:16:17.860 to the Lord Jesus 00:16:17.860 --> 00:16:18.659 for my life 00:16:18.659 --> 00:16:21.139 is not just a single statement 00:16:21.139 --> 00:16:22.240 made in one passage, 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:23.519 but it is a theme 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:24.500 running through 00:16:24.500 --> 00:16:25.100 the scriptures. 00:16:26.340 --> 00:16:27.820 Romans chapter 14, 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:30.940 verse 10. 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:34.639 Why do you pass judgment 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:35.240 on your brother? 00:16:35.340 --> 00:16:35.620 Are you? 00:16:35.740 --> 00:16:36.639 Why do you despise 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:37.039 your brother? 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:38.120 For we will all stand 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:39.279 before the judgment seat 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:39.720 of God. 00:16:39.779 --> 00:16:40.460 For it is written, 00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:42.220 As I live, 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:42.840 says the Lord, 00:16:42.919 --> 00:16:44.060 every knee shall bow to me 00:16:44.060 --> 00:16:44.659 and every tongue 00:16:44.659 --> 00:16:45.700 shall confess to God. 00:16:45.700 --> 00:16:47.780 So then each of us 00:16:47.780 --> 00:16:48.759 will give an account 00:16:48.759 --> 00:16:50.140 for himself to God. 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:51.780 The day is coming 00:16:51.780 --> 00:16:52.920 when you, 00:16:53.940 --> 00:16:55.020 when I, 00:16:55.400 --> 00:16:56.720 will stand before the Lord 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:57.660 and give an account 00:16:57.660 --> 00:16:58.920 for our life. 00:16:59.900 --> 00:17:01.400 And in relationship to that, 00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:02.420 I want you to understand 00:17:02.420 --> 00:17:03.700 that we are going 00:17:03.700 --> 00:17:04.420 to be judged 00:17:04.420 --> 00:17:05.120 on the basis 00:17:05.120 --> 00:17:06.160 of the gifts 00:17:06.160 --> 00:17:07.039 that we've received 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:08.240 and the responsibilities 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:09.120 we have. 00:17:09.620 --> 00:17:11.380 And so if Jesus says to me, 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:11.799 Tim, 00:17:12.100 --> 00:17:13.640 I am sending you out 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:14.660 to do basically 00:17:14.660 --> 00:17:15.420 the same thing 00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:16.120 that my father 00:17:16.120 --> 00:17:17.320 was sent out to do. 00:17:19.280 --> 00:17:20.340 How's it going to go 00:17:20.340 --> 00:17:21.920 when he finally says, 00:17:22.020 --> 00:17:22.900 and how did you do 00:17:22.900 --> 00:17:24.140 at the job I gave you? 00:17:24.300 --> 00:17:24.940 And I say, 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:25.620 well, you know, 00:17:25.660 --> 00:17:26.660 I didn't have much time. 00:17:28.520 --> 00:17:29.680 The truth of the matter is, 00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:30.740 is I was really interested 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:31.820 in my retirement home. 00:17:33.360 --> 00:17:35.200 I really didn't have much time 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:36.800 because I was so deeply invested 00:17:36.800 --> 00:17:37.800 in athletics. 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:40.780 I didn't have much time 00:17:40.780 --> 00:17:41.120 because, 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:41.980 you know what, 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:43.600 you made me the way I am 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:44.799 and I really like deer hunting 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:45.379 and so I, 00:17:45.679 --> 00:17:45.879 you know, 00:17:45.919 --> 00:17:46.839 I can't do deer hunting 00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:47.719 and help people move 00:17:47.719 --> 00:17:48.359 at the same time. 00:17:48.439 --> 00:17:48.519 You know, 00:17:48.579 --> 00:17:49.500 I just have to decide 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:50.500 which is more important. 00:17:51.959 --> 00:17:52.919 Do you follow that? 00:17:54.259 --> 00:17:54.559 Yeah, 00:17:54.579 --> 00:17:55.539 you think he's going to say, 00:17:55.899 --> 00:17:56.699 attaboy, Tim, 00:17:56.779 --> 00:17:57.679 that's a good guy. 00:17:57.759 --> 00:17:58.659 I really appreciate 00:17:58.659 --> 00:18:00.039 the fact you were self-focused. 00:18:00.939 --> 00:18:01.299 No. 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:03.799 I want you to turn 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:04.480 to one more passage. 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:06.159 Let's get very practical 00:18:06.159 --> 00:18:06.779 about this. 00:18:07.740 --> 00:18:08.859 1 Corinthians 3, 00:18:08.959 --> 00:18:09.619 verse 13. 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:15.500 Each one's works 00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:19.099 will become manifest 00:18:19.099 --> 00:18:20.759 for the day will disclose it 00:18:20.759 --> 00:18:21.939 because it will be revealed 00:18:21.939 --> 00:18:22.699 by fire 00:18:22.699 --> 00:18:24.299 and the fire will test 00:18:24.299 --> 00:18:25.579 what sort of work 00:18:25.579 --> 00:18:27.599 each one has done. 00:18:29.879 --> 00:18:31.199 If the work that anyone 00:18:31.199 --> 00:18:32.599 has built on the foundation 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:33.259 survives, 00:18:33.439 --> 00:18:34.519 he will receive a reward. 00:18:35.379 --> 00:18:37.319 If anyone's work is burned up, 00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:38.559 he will suffer loss, 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:40.460 though he himself 00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:41.240 will be saved, 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:44.819 but only as through fire. 00:18:46.139 --> 00:18:46.559 Hey, 00:18:46.639 --> 00:18:47.599 ask yourself the question. 00:18:50.359 --> 00:18:51.539 When the day comes 00:18:51.539 --> 00:18:52.679 that you will give an account 00:18:52.679 --> 00:18:53.619 for the way you have 00:18:53.619 --> 00:18:55.379 used your life 00:18:55.379 --> 00:18:56.779 and your resources 00:18:56.779 --> 00:18:59.159 are some of the things 00:18:59.159 --> 00:19:00.440 that you have invested 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:01.220 your energy 00:19:01.220 --> 00:19:02.819 and your resources in 00:19:02.819 --> 00:19:03.799 going to amount 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:04.779 to a hill of beans 00:19:04.779 --> 00:19:06.159 in the scope of eternity? 00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:07.079 And the answer is 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:08.500 for some, 00:19:08.619 --> 00:19:08.779 no. 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:10.899 For some, 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:11.159 no. 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:13.659 And so as we think 00:19:13.659 --> 00:19:14.779 about being intentional 00:19:14.779 --> 00:19:15.919 as a body of believers, 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:16.899 it's appropriate 00:19:16.899 --> 00:19:18.159 to call us to the task 00:19:18.159 --> 00:19:18.799 to recognize, 00:19:18.939 --> 00:19:19.039 hey, 00:19:19.240 --> 00:19:20.259 he sent me, 00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:21.220 he sent you 00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:22.220 for the same thing, 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:23.439 for the same purpose. 00:19:24.299 --> 00:19:25.019 My life 00:19:25.019 --> 00:19:26.439 is to draw attention 00:19:26.439 --> 00:19:27.740 to the glory of the gospel 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:28.859 and the power of the cross 00:19:28.859 --> 00:19:30.480 and at the end of the day 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:31.359 what I do 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:32.299 to bring testimony 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:34.000 to the supremacy of Christ 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:35.720 is all that counts 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:36.859 in the scope of eternity. 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:39.759 A little sign 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:40.599 in our home, 00:19:42.119 --> 00:19:43.159 a reminder to me, 00:19:43.879 --> 00:19:44.799 my wife put it up, 00:19:45.259 --> 00:19:45.579 it says, 00:19:45.899 --> 00:19:46.659 only one life 00:19:46.659 --> 00:19:48.179 will soon be passed. 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:49.460 I remember looking at that 00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:50.779 in my early 30s 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:51.139 and think, 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:51.579 what? 00:19:53.659 --> 00:19:54.359 How many of you 00:19:54.359 --> 00:19:55.139 remember being 30? 00:19:56.379 --> 00:19:57.139 How many of you 00:19:57.139 --> 00:19:57.779 aren't there yet? 00:19:58.059 --> 00:19:59.240 For you who aren't there yet, 00:19:59.299 --> 00:19:59.720 you're thinking, 00:19:59.879 --> 00:20:01.000 it will take forever. 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:04.539 I remember looking at that sign 00:20:04.539 --> 00:20:05.079 in my 30s, 00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:06.079 only one life 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:07.240 will soon be passed, 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:08.099 only what's done 00:20:08.099 --> 00:20:09.299 for Christ will last. 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:09.779 And I thought, 00:20:11.099 --> 00:20:11.420 yeah, 00:20:11.619 --> 00:20:12.259 I'm 30. 00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:15.920 A little poem 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:16.640 you can remember 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:18.200 and remind yourself 00:20:18.200 --> 00:20:19.680 that the day is coming 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:20.799 that you will give an account 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:22.140 to the Lord Jesus. 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:23.420 And so, 00:20:23.500 --> 00:20:24.900 with a firm understanding 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:25.480 of the fact 00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:26.240 that you're going to give 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:27.180 an account to the Lord 00:20:27.180 --> 00:20:28.759 and that the things 00:20:28.759 --> 00:20:29.340 that you do 00:20:29.340 --> 00:20:31.240 that have no eternal value 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:32.039 and significance 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:33.600 are not going to last 00:20:33.600 --> 00:20:35.039 and are not going to bring credit 00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:36.000 to His name 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:37.900 nor give you a crown 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:39.380 of glory 00:20:39.380 --> 00:20:39.779 that you can give 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:40.460 to the Lord Jesus. 00:20:41.820 --> 00:20:42.759 Let's think secondly, 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:44.340 one is we're going to be judged, 00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:44.900 but secondly, 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:46.019 I want you to find 00:20:46.019 --> 00:20:46.680 some direction 00:20:46.680 --> 00:20:47.600 for what we do 00:20:47.600 --> 00:20:48.340 in relationship 00:20:48.340 --> 00:20:49.160 to this matter 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:50.100 of accounting 00:20:50.100 --> 00:20:50.920 and responsibility. 00:20:52.480 --> 00:20:53.320 I want you to turn 00:20:53.320 --> 00:20:53.920 in your Bibles 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:56.340 to Luke chapter 10 00:20:56.339 --> 00:20:58.699 verse 25 00:20:58.699 --> 00:20:59.459 through 37. 00:20:59.639 --> 00:21:00.259 I'll tell you 00:21:00.259 --> 00:21:01.439 that next week 00:21:01.439 --> 00:21:02.399 Pastor Shearer 00:21:02.399 --> 00:21:04.359 is going to teach 00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:05.159 on this passage 00:21:05.159 --> 00:21:08.259 in a far more extensive fashion, 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:10.039 but we're looking 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:11.359 at a little text here 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:12.679 where Jesus has 00:21:12.679 --> 00:21:14.000 an attorney come to Him. 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:14.919 Verse 25, 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:15.439 Behold, 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:16.759 a lawyer stood up 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:17.679 to put Him to the test 00:21:17.679 --> 00:21:17.939 saying, 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:18.279 Teacher, 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:20.039 what shall I do 00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:21.299 to inherit eternal life? 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:22.740 Hey, hey, 00:21:22.919 --> 00:21:24.159 what do I need to do 00:21:24.159 --> 00:21:25.720 to be saved? 00:21:27.059 --> 00:21:27.980 And I want you 00:21:27.980 --> 00:21:28.539 to understand 00:21:28.539 --> 00:21:30.379 that in the thinking 00:21:30.379 --> 00:21:31.139 of the majority 00:21:31.139 --> 00:21:31.779 of the culture 00:21:31.779 --> 00:21:33.079 in which this question 00:21:33.079 --> 00:21:33.799 was posed, 00:21:34.259 --> 00:21:34.859 the way in which 00:21:34.859 --> 00:21:35.559 you worked your way 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:36.000 into heaven 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:37.199 was by being a good person, 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:38.419 doing good works, 00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:40.480 doing the right things. 00:21:43.459 --> 00:21:44.819 And Jesus answered him 00:21:44.819 --> 00:21:45.480 in essence 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:46.240 and said what? 00:21:46.359 --> 00:21:46.659 He said, 00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:46.959 You know, 00:21:48.179 --> 00:21:48.819 you are to love 00:21:48.819 --> 00:21:49.599 the Lord your God 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:50.399 and to love your neighbor 00:21:50.399 --> 00:21:51.139 as yourself. 00:21:52.459 --> 00:21:53.119 The first 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:54.179 and second commandment. 00:21:54.180 --> 00:21:56.140 It's interesting 00:21:56.140 --> 00:21:56.740 to see there 00:21:56.740 --> 00:21:57.519 in verse 29, 00:21:57.700 --> 00:21:58.039 but he, 00:21:58.220 --> 00:21:59.860 desiring to justify himself, 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:00.720 what does it mean 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:01.140 when it says 00:22:01.140 --> 00:22:02.240 to justify himself? 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:04.720 What he was trying 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:05.259 to do 00:22:05.259 --> 00:22:06.060 was set 00:22:06.060 --> 00:22:07.080 very specific 00:22:07.080 --> 00:22:07.740 boundaries 00:22:07.740 --> 00:22:09.080 on just how 00:22:09.080 --> 00:22:10.920 loving he really was. 00:22:12.100 --> 00:22:12.320 Hey, 00:22:12.360 --> 00:22:12.840 everybody smile 00:22:12.840 --> 00:22:13.320 just for a minute 00:22:13.320 --> 00:22:14.060 because I'm talking 00:22:14.060 --> 00:22:14.460 to you. 00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:15.980 Huh? 00:22:16.080 --> 00:22:16.519 You listening? 00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:18.500 There are some people 00:22:18.500 --> 00:22:19.460 we're great at loving. 00:22:19.460 --> 00:22:22.240 Did you know 00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:24.160 that the Lord Jesus 00:22:24.160 --> 00:22:25.779 intends to bring people 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:26.680 into your sphere 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:27.380 of influence 00:22:27.380 --> 00:22:28.640 that you are really 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:29.500 going to struggle 00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:30.059 at loving? 00:22:31.380 --> 00:22:32.059 How many of you 00:22:32.059 --> 00:22:32.740 learned that already? 00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:34.880 And how many of you 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:35.539 learned that 00:22:35.539 --> 00:22:36.880 when you do your best 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:37.480 to push them 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:38.259 out of the circle, 00:22:40.220 --> 00:22:40.559 hello, 00:22:41.480 --> 00:22:42.680 Jesus hates a vacuum 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:43.799 and he replaces them. 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:45.980 Does that make sense? 00:22:45.980 --> 00:22:48.860 Sometimes we try 00:22:48.860 --> 00:22:49.500 to push them out 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:50.440 by being snarky. 00:22:50.759 --> 00:22:51.460 Sometimes we try 00:22:51.460 --> 00:22:52.079 to push them out 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:52.940 by just avoiding. 00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:54.599 They're all different 00:22:54.599 --> 00:22:55.420 kinds of strategies 00:22:55.420 --> 00:22:56.720 and he keeps on 00:22:56.720 --> 00:22:58.700 bringing replacements. 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:01.880 The attorney was saying, 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:02.559 okay, okay, 00:23:02.620 --> 00:23:03.700 I get this loving deal 00:23:03.700 --> 00:23:05.480 but can I draw 00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:06.279 a little circle, 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:07.700 us four and no more 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:08.259 kind of thing? 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:09.339 There are some people 00:23:09.339 --> 00:23:10.079 I do love. 00:23:10.299 --> 00:23:10.440 Oh, 00:23:10.500 --> 00:23:11.500 I'm really good at it. 00:23:14.620 --> 00:23:15.860 And so what happens 00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:16.679 we find here 00:23:16.679 --> 00:23:18.179 when this guy 00:23:18.179 --> 00:23:19.279 puts his foot in his mouth 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:20.899 and tries to justify himself 00:23:20.899 --> 00:23:22.419 that Jesus tells 00:23:22.419 --> 00:23:23.240 a little story. 00:23:23.339 --> 00:23:24.099 Now you always know 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:24.599 you're in trouble 00:23:24.599 --> 00:23:25.979 when Jesus uses a story. 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:26.519 Isn't that right? 00:23:27.679 --> 00:23:27.819 Huh? 00:23:27.899 --> 00:23:28.959 You got that one figured out? 00:23:29.179 --> 00:23:30.439 He's trying to ding you 00:23:30.439 --> 00:23:30.899 and he's trying 00:23:30.899 --> 00:23:31.779 to do it gently. 00:23:33.159 --> 00:23:33.500 Okay? 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:34.039 It's like, 00:23:34.859 --> 00:23:35.159 Bubba, 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:36.659 you're not getting this one 00:23:36.659 --> 00:23:37.399 so I'm going to use 00:23:37.399 --> 00:23:38.099 a little story 00:23:38.099 --> 00:23:38.699 to kind of let 00:23:38.699 --> 00:23:40.139 the thing sink in. 00:23:41.139 --> 00:23:42.859 And Jesus tells the story 00:23:42.859 --> 00:23:44.740 about the good Samaritan. 00:23:45.859 --> 00:23:47.379 who actually 00:23:47.379 --> 00:23:49.679 steps in 00:23:49.679 --> 00:23:52.240 where two other individuals, 00:23:52.399 --> 00:23:52.859 a priest, 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:53.959 if anybody 00:23:53.959 --> 00:23:55.899 had formal responsibility 00:23:55.899 --> 00:23:57.339 to show mercy 00:23:57.339 --> 00:23:59.639 to a wounded fellow Jew, 00:23:59.819 --> 00:24:00.599 it would have been 00:24:00.599 --> 00:24:01.759 a priest 00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:03.219 and a Levite. 00:24:04.179 --> 00:24:05.199 You follow that? 00:24:06.379 --> 00:24:07.479 I got to tell you, 00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:08.539 when it comes to moves 00:24:08.539 --> 00:24:08.959 on Saturdays, 00:24:10.179 --> 00:24:11.839 pastor will be there. 00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:13.720 One of the reasons 00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:14.779 that I'm going to be there 00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:15.579 and Pastor Shearer 00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:16.299 and Pastor Andrew, 00:24:16.679 --> 00:24:17.419 it's not because 00:24:17.419 --> 00:24:18.459 we're paid to do it, 00:24:18.659 --> 00:24:20.019 but we are examples 00:24:20.019 --> 00:24:21.059 to the flock of God. 00:24:21.119 --> 00:24:21.859 Does that make sense? 00:24:22.859 --> 00:24:23.980 I shouldn't expect you 00:24:23.980 --> 00:24:24.519 to do something 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:25.599 that I'm not willing to do. 00:24:25.659 --> 00:24:26.299 Now I'm telling you, 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:27.299 I'm at the point 00:24:27.299 --> 00:24:28.220 where I don't carry 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:29.039 washing machines 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:29.819 like I used to. 00:24:30.939 --> 00:24:31.500 And that's why 00:24:31.500 --> 00:24:32.699 I like heavy lifters. 00:24:32.859 --> 00:24:33.079 Do you know 00:24:33.079 --> 00:24:34.000 who a heavy lifter is? 00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:35.199 The guys between, 00:24:35.319 --> 00:24:36.259 I was reading this morning 00:24:36.259 --> 00:24:37.639 in my devotions 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:39.259 where that the Levites, 00:24:39.620 --> 00:24:40.740 they started working 00:24:40.740 --> 00:24:42.259 at 25 and they quit at 50. 00:24:42.340 --> 00:24:42.840 Does anybody know 00:24:42.840 --> 00:24:43.620 why they did that? 00:24:44.420 --> 00:24:46.100 That was the heavy lifting phase. 00:24:47.580 --> 00:24:49.259 Some of you are maybe 24, 00:24:49.420 --> 00:24:50.340 but I give you an exemption. 00:24:50.520 --> 00:24:51.100 You can go ahead. 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:54.460 Join the crowd. 00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:58.660 The point that I want you 00:24:58.660 --> 00:24:59.759 to recognize here 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:00.440 in this passage 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:02.240 is that this business 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:03.820 of who we love 00:25:03.819 --> 00:25:07.359 is something that 00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:08.700 he has charged us 00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:10.359 with a responsibility to. 00:25:10.919 --> 00:25:12.139 And the way we go about 00:25:12.139 --> 00:25:13.259 doing that love 00:25:13.259 --> 00:25:14.019 is something 00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:15.079 that's pretty significant. 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:15.639 He wants us 00:25:15.639 --> 00:25:16.539 to recognize this. 00:25:16.939 --> 00:25:18.519 The story of the Good Samaritan 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:19.619 is an illustration 00:25:19.619 --> 00:25:21.220 of just how far 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:23.419 biblical love takes us. 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:23.980 And by the way, 00:25:24.200 --> 00:25:25.019 who is it that we're 00:25:25.019 --> 00:25:26.079 responsible for loving? 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:27.799 Not just those 00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:28.519 that we're familiar 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:30.299 and friendly with, 00:25:30.419 --> 00:25:31.319 but all those 00:25:31.319 --> 00:25:32.639 that God puts in our path. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:34.259 And so as you look 00:25:34.259 --> 00:25:35.120 at this passage, 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:37.520 you recognize 00:25:37.520 --> 00:25:38.920 that the responsibility 00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:40.160 we have of loving 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:41.340 and serving other people 00:25:41.340 --> 00:25:42.759 is something that is 00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:44.540 far more significant 00:25:44.540 --> 00:25:45.720 than we may think. 00:25:46.540 --> 00:25:47.600 I want you to recognize 00:25:47.600 --> 00:25:49.620 that often what you do 00:25:49.620 --> 00:25:51.680 precedes what you say. 00:25:52.840 --> 00:25:54.020 And the way in which 00:25:54.020 --> 00:25:54.800 we behave 00:25:54.800 --> 00:25:56.220 and serve one another 00:25:56.220 --> 00:25:57.940 is a gospel testimony 00:25:57.940 --> 00:25:59.380 long before we have 00:25:59.380 --> 00:25:59.980 an opportunity 00:25:59.980 --> 00:26:01.040 of actually sharing 00:26:01.040 --> 00:26:01.900 the truth 00:26:01.900 --> 00:26:03.340 of how salvation 00:26:03.340 --> 00:26:04.160 is only through 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:05.140 the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:26:05.259 --> 00:26:05.960 Do you understand that? 00:26:07.080 --> 00:26:08.259 Most of the time, 00:26:09.060 --> 00:26:10.320 people come to Christ 00:26:10.320 --> 00:26:11.220 not because of 00:26:11.220 --> 00:26:12.220 drive-by witnessing. 00:26:12.420 --> 00:26:13.620 What does drive-by witnessing 00:26:13.620 --> 00:26:14.420 reference? 00:26:16.680 --> 00:26:17.780 Truth of the matter is, 00:26:17.820 --> 00:26:18.240 I'll tell you, 00:26:18.259 --> 00:26:19.080 I remember in India 00:26:19.080 --> 00:26:21.920 when we would go out 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:23.600 in the cars, 00:26:23.700 --> 00:26:23.960 and there weren't 00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:24.640 very many cars 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:25.380 when I was growing up 00:26:25.380 --> 00:26:25.680 in India, 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:26.340 I can tell you that, 00:26:26.339 --> 00:26:27.740 and just the car 00:26:27.740 --> 00:26:28.659 driving down the road 00:26:28.659 --> 00:26:29.659 was a media event. 00:26:31.099 --> 00:26:31.839 And we thought 00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:32.480 that one of the 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:33.339 very efficient ways 00:26:33.339 --> 00:26:34.299 of passing out tracks 00:26:34.299 --> 00:26:35.039 was to just kind of 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:36.299 take a wad of them 00:26:36.299 --> 00:26:37.419 and kind of fan them 00:26:37.419 --> 00:26:38.839 out in the slipstream 00:26:38.839 --> 00:26:39.419 of the car. 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:40.659 Do you know what 00:26:40.659 --> 00:26:41.439 happened with tracks 00:26:41.439 --> 00:26:42.000 when you put them 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:42.720 out the window 00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:43.899 in a slipstream of a car? 00:26:44.839 --> 00:26:45.980 Today, we would call it 00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:47.119 littering here in America, 00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:48.159 but out in India 00:26:48.159 --> 00:26:49.019 was track passing. 00:26:50.379 --> 00:26:50.799 I mean, 00:26:50.839 --> 00:26:51.659 hundreds of them, 00:26:51.660 --> 00:26:55.560 people would pick them up. 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:56.940 I'm not real sure 00:26:56.940 --> 00:26:57.660 what they did with them, 00:26:57.759 --> 00:26:59.380 but we passed them out. 00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:01.640 I've got to tell you something. 00:27:02.740 --> 00:27:04.740 Drive-by ministry like that 00:27:04.740 --> 00:27:07.740 is grossly ineffective. 00:27:08.660 --> 00:27:09.259 You follow that? 00:27:13.500 --> 00:27:14.519 People don't need that. 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:17.220 What people need 00:27:17.220 --> 00:27:18.300 is they need to see people 00:27:18.300 --> 00:27:18.779 that are willing 00:27:18.779 --> 00:27:19.940 to be good Samaritans 00:27:19.940 --> 00:27:20.580 to the needs 00:27:20.580 --> 00:27:21.500 that people have 00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:22.539 and it is when 00:27:22.539 --> 00:27:24.099 we are being good Samaritans 00:27:24.099 --> 00:27:24.900 that God opens up 00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:26.000 the gospel opportunities. 00:27:28.579 --> 00:27:29.759 So I want you to stop 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:30.359 and realize 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:30.980 that when you look 00:27:30.980 --> 00:27:31.640 at this passage 00:27:31.640 --> 00:27:32.599 and we're going to deal 00:27:32.599 --> 00:27:33.200 with this matter 00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:33.920 more carefully, 00:27:34.279 --> 00:27:35.819 in this coming year, 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:38.640 we want our fellowship 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:40.319 to be more intentional 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:41.339 in our efforts 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:42.500 to meet the needs 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:43.819 of people who need Jesus. 00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:46.960 I want it to be something 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:48.539 that is a conversation point, 00:27:48.619 --> 00:27:49.680 not just for talking, 00:27:50.079 --> 00:27:51.359 but because we're sharing 00:27:51.359 --> 00:27:52.279 things that we're going 00:27:52.279 --> 00:27:53.500 to be praying about together, 00:27:53.819 --> 00:27:56.199 that we are ministering 00:27:56.199 --> 00:27:56.719 to our neighbors. 00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:57.479 Let me ask a question 00:27:57.479 --> 00:27:58.019 just for a second. 00:27:58.099 --> 00:27:59.199 How many of you can name, 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:00.959 let's try this, 00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:02.539 just raise your hands 00:28:02.539 --> 00:28:02.979 if you can, 00:28:03.219 --> 00:28:04.240 how many of you can name 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:07.000 at least six different families 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:08.019 that are within 00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:09.459 eyeshot of your home? 00:28:10.399 --> 00:28:11.579 Just six. 00:28:12.119 --> 00:28:12.479 Six. 00:28:12.619 --> 00:28:13.740 You can name 00:28:13.740 --> 00:28:15.599 six different families 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:16.219 that are within 00:28:16.219 --> 00:28:17.579 eyeshot of your home. 00:28:17.579 --> 00:28:19.279 I'm not going to have you 00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:19.740 raise your hands 00:28:19.740 --> 00:28:20.199 on this one. 00:28:20.639 --> 00:28:21.240 How many of you 00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:21.919 are consciously 00:28:21.919 --> 00:28:22.579 and deliberately 00:28:22.579 --> 00:28:23.519 praying for those 00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:24.439 six different families? 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:24.859 Would that be 00:28:24.859 --> 00:28:25.419 an appropriate thing 00:28:25.419 --> 00:28:25.720 to do? 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:28.259 How many of you 00:28:28.259 --> 00:28:29.299 are actively engaged 00:28:29.299 --> 00:28:31.139 in doing acts 00:28:31.139 --> 00:28:31.839 of ministry 00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:32.740 and service 00:28:32.740 --> 00:28:34.539 that show them 00:28:34.539 --> 00:28:35.619 that you love them 00:28:35.619 --> 00:28:37.139 and are interested in them? 00:28:38.879 --> 00:28:39.579 By the way, 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:41.839 we've only had one snow 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:42.899 so far this year 00:28:42.899 --> 00:28:43.599 that was worthy 00:28:43.599 --> 00:28:44.579 of my snowblower. 00:28:44.579 --> 00:28:47.579 But guess what 00:28:47.579 --> 00:28:48.000 I was doing 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:48.759 with my snowblower 00:28:48.759 --> 00:28:50.240 after I got it 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:50.779 fired up? 00:28:51.299 --> 00:28:52.059 Oh, we have three 00:28:52.059 --> 00:28:53.939 snowblowers in the garage 00:28:53.939 --> 00:28:54.439 that we're trying 00:28:54.439 --> 00:28:55.019 to give away. 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:56.559 There's no cost 00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:57.099 associated. 00:28:57.199 --> 00:28:57.919 Just take them. 00:28:58.460 --> 00:28:58.740 Done. 00:28:59.879 --> 00:29:00.659 After I got it 00:29:00.659 --> 00:29:01.059 fired up, 00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:01.799 I'm scampering up 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:03.720 and down the neighborhood. 00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:04.639 Guess what I'm doing? 00:29:06.159 --> 00:29:06.819 Blowing snow. 00:29:07.159 --> 00:29:07.980 Why am I doing that? 00:29:08.500 --> 00:29:09.139 Because I'm a 00:29:09.139 --> 00:29:09.819 Baptist pastor. 00:29:11.199 --> 00:29:12.899 No, because God 00:29:12.899 --> 00:29:13.399 wants me to be 00:29:13.399 --> 00:29:13.960 a Samaritan. 00:29:14.860 --> 00:29:15.819 And by the way, 00:29:16.120 --> 00:29:17.200 those activities 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:18.900 end up being things 00:29:18.900 --> 00:29:20.039 that resonate 00:29:20.039 --> 00:29:21.140 significantly 00:29:21.140 --> 00:29:22.360 in the lives 00:29:22.360 --> 00:29:23.220 of unbelievers 00:29:23.220 --> 00:29:23.779 because they want 00:29:23.779 --> 00:29:23.980 to know, 00:29:24.120 --> 00:29:24.960 why are you doing this? 00:29:27.880 --> 00:29:28.720 So when we think 00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:29.420 about the direction 00:29:29.420 --> 00:29:30.299 for this fellowship, 00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:31.539 one of the things 00:29:31.539 --> 00:29:32.360 that we are going 00:29:32.360 --> 00:29:33.120 to work at, 00:29:33.460 --> 00:29:34.140 we are going 00:29:34.140 --> 00:29:34.980 to recognize 00:29:34.980 --> 00:29:36.220 that Christ brought us 00:29:36.220 --> 00:29:37.039 here into this world. 00:29:37.140 --> 00:29:37.819 He kept us here. 00:29:38.140 --> 00:29:38.700 He brought us 00:29:38.700 --> 00:29:39.340 to salvation 00:29:39.340 --> 00:29:40.579 and we are here 00:29:40.579 --> 00:29:41.740 for the well-being 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:43.220 and the gospel testimony. 00:29:43.220 --> 00:29:44.640 And so how are we 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:45.059 going to go about 00:29:45.059 --> 00:29:45.360 doing it? 00:29:45.380 --> 00:29:45.779 We're going to 00:29:45.779 --> 00:29:46.819 minister people's needs. 00:29:46.940 --> 00:29:47.539 We are here 00:29:47.539 --> 00:29:48.839 to show his heart. 00:29:49.420 --> 00:29:50.100 We are here 00:29:50.100 --> 00:29:51.279 to show his heart. 00:29:52.079 --> 00:29:53.640 And this coming year, 00:29:53.819 --> 00:29:55.019 consciously and deliberately, 00:29:55.460 --> 00:29:56.500 we are going to 00:29:56.500 --> 00:29:58.240 consciously set aside 00:29:58.240 --> 00:29:59.180 time. 00:29:59.660 --> 00:30:00.279 We're going to be 00:30:00.279 --> 00:30:01.079 engaged in 00:30:01.079 --> 00:30:02.980 activities that are 00:30:02.980 --> 00:30:04.100 going to allow us 00:30:04.100 --> 00:30:04.700 to minister 00:30:04.700 --> 00:30:05.960 more directly 00:30:05.960 --> 00:30:06.980 in the neighborhoods 00:30:06.980 --> 00:30:08.259 that he has put us in. 00:30:08.259 --> 00:30:10.640 give you an illustration. 00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:13.359 On July the 4th, 00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:15.339 it is a big holiday weekend 00:30:15.339 --> 00:30:16.900 here in our community. 00:30:16.920 --> 00:30:17.440 Isn't that right? 00:30:18.579 --> 00:30:18.839 I mean, 00:30:18.879 --> 00:30:19.960 I live on the west side 00:30:19.960 --> 00:30:20.400 and people, 00:30:20.519 --> 00:30:20.900 I'm not sure 00:30:20.900 --> 00:30:21.720 if it's gunfire 00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:22.900 or firecrackers, 00:30:23.059 --> 00:30:24.440 but I got to tell you, 00:30:24.599 --> 00:30:25.379 it goes on 00:30:25.379 --> 00:30:26.539 for a solid week 00:30:26.539 --> 00:30:27.000 and a half. 00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:27.960 Judith is in the nursery, 00:30:28.059 --> 00:30:28.720 but she'll testify. 00:30:28.859 --> 00:30:29.140 She says, 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:30.660 is that gunfire 00:30:30.660 --> 00:30:31.839 or is that firecrackers? 00:30:31.919 --> 00:30:32.539 I don't know. 00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:35.419 But July the 4th 00:30:35.419 --> 00:30:36.819 is a great time 00:30:36.819 --> 00:30:39.279 to invite people 00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:40.119 over for a barbecue, 00:30:40.339 --> 00:30:40.599 right? 00:30:41.240 --> 00:30:41.539 Okay? 00:30:41.939 --> 00:30:43.019 It's a great time 00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:44.059 to build relationship. 00:30:44.419 --> 00:30:45.019 Memorial Day, 00:30:45.139 --> 00:30:45.679 Labor Day, 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:46.879 there are times 00:30:46.879 --> 00:30:48.119 that we are going 00:30:48.119 --> 00:30:48.740 to consciously 00:30:48.740 --> 00:30:49.759 and deliberately focus 00:30:49.759 --> 00:30:51.419 on how do we develop 00:30:51.419 --> 00:30:52.819 closer relationships 00:30:52.819 --> 00:30:53.639 with our neighbors. 00:30:54.859 --> 00:30:55.339 Why? 00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:56.319 Because we're here 00:30:56.319 --> 00:30:57.659 to show his heart 00:30:57.659 --> 00:30:58.959 and to minister to people. 00:30:59.559 --> 00:31:00.339 The other thing 00:31:00.339 --> 00:31:00.720 that we're going 00:31:00.720 --> 00:31:01.779 to focus on this year 00:31:01.779 --> 00:31:03.619 is to affirm 00:31:03.619 --> 00:31:04.599 our distinction 00:31:04.599 --> 00:31:06.799 as a group of people 00:31:06.799 --> 00:31:07.539 that know Christ. 00:31:08.139 --> 00:31:08.799 I want you to look 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:09.299 in your Bible. 00:31:09.440 --> 00:31:10.139 You're there in Luke, 00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:10.619 but I want you 00:31:10.619 --> 00:31:11.079 to turn over 00:31:11.079 --> 00:31:12.359 to John 17, 00:31:12.519 --> 00:31:13.200 verse 23. 00:31:14.779 --> 00:31:15.920 John 17, 00:31:16.119 --> 00:31:16.799 verse 23. 00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:21.759 Here's Jesus praying, 00:31:21.879 --> 00:31:22.460 I in them 00:31:22.460 --> 00:31:23.139 and you in me 00:31:23.139 --> 00:31:24.019 that they may become 00:31:24.019 --> 00:31:25.119 perfectly one 00:31:25.119 --> 00:31:26.039 so that the world 00:31:26.039 --> 00:31:26.619 may know 00:31:26.619 --> 00:31:27.859 that you sent me 00:31:27.859 --> 00:31:28.500 and love them 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:29.700 even as you love me. 00:31:29.859 --> 00:31:30.379 Now, I want you 00:31:30.379 --> 00:31:31.579 to have an underline 00:31:31.579 --> 00:31:33.299 that you place 00:31:33.299 --> 00:31:34.199 under that little statement 00:31:34.199 --> 00:31:35.019 so that the world 00:31:35.019 --> 00:31:35.480 may know 00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:36.359 that you sent me. 00:31:37.639 --> 00:31:38.899 How will the world 00:31:38.899 --> 00:31:39.500 know 00:31:39.500 --> 00:31:41.659 that the Father 00:31:41.659 --> 00:31:42.539 sent Jesus? 00:31:44.139 --> 00:31:45.339 In that passage, 00:31:45.740 --> 00:31:46.819 how will the world 00:31:46.819 --> 00:31:47.259 know 00:31:47.259 --> 00:31:48.139 that the Father 00:31:48.139 --> 00:31:49.099 sent Jesus? 00:31:50.419 --> 00:31:50.819 Banner? 00:31:52.980 --> 00:31:54.079 Public testimony? 00:31:56.019 --> 00:31:57.119 Passing out tracts? 00:31:57.119 --> 00:31:57.179 Pass. 00:31:57.699 --> 00:31:58.000 No. 00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:00.359 It will be the way 00:32:00.359 --> 00:32:01.319 in which we get along 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:01.939 with one another 00:32:01.939 --> 00:32:02.779 in the family of God. 00:32:02.839 --> 00:32:03.259 Isn't that right? 00:32:04.859 --> 00:32:05.619 How many of you 00:32:05.619 --> 00:32:06.000 have noticed 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:07.099 that some of the neighbors 00:32:07.099 --> 00:32:07.639 that you have 00:32:07.639 --> 00:32:08.699 really don't like each other? 00:32:08.799 --> 00:32:09.419 Have you noticed that? 00:32:11.619 --> 00:32:12.399 I'm amazed 00:32:12.399 --> 00:32:14.919 at how quickly 00:32:14.919 --> 00:32:15.939 people in my neighborhood 00:32:15.939 --> 00:32:16.879 are ready to tell me 00:32:16.879 --> 00:32:17.359 other things 00:32:17.359 --> 00:32:18.119 about my neighbors 00:32:18.119 --> 00:32:19.119 that I don't need to know 00:32:19.119 --> 00:32:23.099 and how irritated 00:32:23.099 --> 00:32:23.639 they are 00:32:23.639 --> 00:32:24.319 at the fact 00:32:24.319 --> 00:32:25.139 that when they walk 00:32:25.139 --> 00:32:25.779 their dogs, 00:32:26.139 --> 00:32:27.039 their dogs don't have 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:27.859 social etiquette. 00:32:29.199 --> 00:32:29.659 Did you read 00:32:29.659 --> 00:32:30.219 the tea leaves 00:32:30.219 --> 00:32:30.659 on that one? 00:32:32.119 --> 00:32:34.179 And they're concerned 00:32:34.179 --> 00:32:35.659 about the way 00:32:35.659 --> 00:32:36.099 some people 00:32:36.099 --> 00:32:36.899 mow their lawns. 00:32:37.000 --> 00:32:37.199 I mean, 00:32:37.279 --> 00:32:38.259 do I need to know? 00:32:38.839 --> 00:32:39.259 No. 00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:42.680 The unbelieving world 00:32:42.680 --> 00:32:44.000 is at odds 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:44.980 with each other 00:32:44.980 --> 00:32:46.000 all the time. 00:32:47.700 --> 00:32:49.019 And the thing 00:32:49.019 --> 00:32:50.039 that should characterize 00:32:50.039 --> 00:32:50.740 believers 00:32:50.740 --> 00:32:52.539 is that we have 00:32:52.539 --> 00:32:53.519 relationships 00:32:53.519 --> 00:32:54.460 that are marked 00:32:54.460 --> 00:32:55.299 by affection 00:32:55.299 --> 00:32:56.619 and by unity. 00:32:58.940 --> 00:33:00.059 So what's it going 00:33:00.059 --> 00:33:00.579 to take 00:33:00.579 --> 00:33:02.819 for us to have 00:33:02.819 --> 00:33:03.859 a better testimony 00:33:03.859 --> 00:33:05.480 to the unbelieving world? 00:33:05.539 --> 00:33:05.960 Let me kind of 00:33:05.960 --> 00:33:06.779 rattle off a quick one. 00:33:07.400 --> 00:33:08.000 Number one, 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:09.339 by being quicker 00:33:09.339 --> 00:33:10.299 to show our love 00:33:10.299 --> 00:33:11.500 and not in going 00:33:11.500 --> 00:33:12.480 out gossiping. 00:33:12.519 --> 00:33:13.019 How's that one? 00:33:13.059 --> 00:33:13.420 Can you write 00:33:13.420 --> 00:33:13.880 that one down? 00:33:13.960 --> 00:33:14.940 Just tag it there. 00:33:15.880 --> 00:33:16.519 Be quicker 00:33:16.519 --> 00:33:17.299 to show our love 00:33:17.299 --> 00:33:18.099 and not going 00:33:18.099 --> 00:33:18.819 out gossiping. 00:33:18.880 --> 00:33:19.900 Galatians chapter 6 00:33:19.900 --> 00:33:20.579 verse 1 and 2. 00:33:20.660 --> 00:33:20.940 Does anybody 00:33:20.940 --> 00:33:21.700 know what it says? 00:33:22.960 --> 00:33:23.579 It says, 00:33:23.700 --> 00:33:24.039 when you see 00:33:24.039 --> 00:33:24.980 a brother overtaken 00:33:24.980 --> 00:33:25.539 in a fault, 00:33:26.539 --> 00:33:27.220 you don't bring it 00:33:27.220 --> 00:33:27.960 up in a prayer room. 00:33:28.799 --> 00:33:29.380 What do you do? 00:33:30.779 --> 00:33:32.420 You go to that person 00:33:32.420 --> 00:33:33.779 alone and let him 00:33:33.779 --> 00:33:34.720 know the concern 00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:35.619 that you have. 00:33:36.619 --> 00:33:37.640 I said to the deacons, 00:33:37.640 --> 00:33:38.860 yesterday morning, 00:33:38.940 --> 00:33:39.160 I said, 00:33:39.220 --> 00:33:39.620 you know what? 00:33:40.040 --> 00:33:40.920 A pastoral ministry 00:33:40.920 --> 00:33:41.620 would be easier 00:33:41.620 --> 00:33:42.440 if God's people 00:33:42.440 --> 00:33:43.640 consistently practiced 00:33:43.640 --> 00:33:45.320 Matthew 18 verse 15. 00:33:45.580 --> 00:33:46.120 Does anybody know 00:33:46.120 --> 00:33:47.080 what that passage is? 00:33:47.960 --> 00:33:49.120 If you've got a problem, 00:33:49.220 --> 00:33:49.640 do what? 00:33:50.820 --> 00:33:51.620 Ask a neighbor 00:33:51.620 --> 00:33:52.420 to pray with you 00:33:52.420 --> 00:33:52.960 about it. 00:33:54.280 --> 00:33:55.500 Tell three other people 00:33:55.500 --> 00:33:56.480 so they can kind of 00:33:56.480 --> 00:33:57.620 share with you 00:33:57.620 --> 00:33:58.300 their concern 00:33:58.300 --> 00:33:59.160 and their similarity. 00:33:59.320 --> 00:33:59.800 No, no, no. 00:33:59.980 --> 00:34:01.060 Go talk to that person 00:34:01.060 --> 00:34:01.880 privately and say, 00:34:01.980 --> 00:34:02.120 hey. 00:34:02.119 --> 00:34:05.539 So we're going 00:34:05.539 --> 00:34:06.079 to work at that. 00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:08.500 We're going to work 00:34:08.500 --> 00:34:09.839 at helping one another 00:34:09.839 --> 00:34:11.039 not let things fester. 00:34:12.380 --> 00:34:13.299 We're going to work 00:34:13.299 --> 00:34:14.639 to be conscious 00:34:14.639 --> 00:34:15.319 and deliberate 00:34:15.319 --> 00:34:16.139 in encouraging 00:34:16.139 --> 00:34:16.699 one another 00:34:16.699 --> 00:34:17.659 to love each other. 00:34:18.819 --> 00:34:20.460 In 1 John chapter 3 00:34:20.460 --> 00:34:21.139 verse 14 00:34:21.139 --> 00:34:22.539 and again in 1 John 00:34:22.539 --> 00:34:23.679 chapter 4 verse 20, 00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:25.579 the apostle makes 00:34:25.579 --> 00:34:26.139 this very, 00:34:26.279 --> 00:34:27.139 very clear connection 00:34:27.139 --> 00:34:28.880 that the thing 00:34:28.880 --> 00:34:29.820 that proves 00:34:29.820 --> 00:34:30.880 the authenticity 00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:32.440 of our conversion 00:34:32.440 --> 00:34:33.500 is not 00:34:33.500 --> 00:34:34.640 our theological 00:34:34.640 --> 00:34:35.460 quiz score 00:34:35.460 --> 00:34:38.760 but our genuine 00:34:38.760 --> 00:34:39.320 affection 00:34:39.320 --> 00:34:40.480 for one another. 00:34:40.860 --> 00:34:41.500 And by the way, 00:34:41.800 --> 00:34:42.360 when there is 00:34:42.360 --> 00:34:43.180 genuine affection, 00:34:43.340 --> 00:34:43.880 one of the things 00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:45.079 that characterizes 00:34:45.079 --> 00:34:46.039 that genuine affection 00:34:46.039 --> 00:34:47.780 is that we tell 00:34:47.780 --> 00:34:48.880 the truth in what? 00:34:49.680 --> 00:34:49.960 What? 00:34:50.539 --> 00:34:51.260 In love. 00:34:52.539 --> 00:34:53.860 We don't let the sun 00:34:53.860 --> 00:34:54.840 go down on 00:34:54.840 --> 00:34:56.800 our wrath. 00:34:56.800 --> 00:34:59.140 I've got to tell you 00:34:59.140 --> 00:34:59.600 one of the things 00:34:59.600 --> 00:35:00.400 that blows me away. 00:35:00.940 --> 00:35:01.560 When I hear about 00:35:01.560 --> 00:35:02.400 a believer that has 00:35:02.400 --> 00:35:03.300 had some problem 00:35:03.300 --> 00:35:04.400 festering with another 00:35:04.400 --> 00:35:07.180 believer for decades, 00:35:09.360 --> 00:35:10.539 a situation where 00:35:10.539 --> 00:35:11.380 a person was not 00:35:11.380 --> 00:35:12.080 willing to go into 00:35:12.080 --> 00:35:13.440 a room to work 00:35:13.440 --> 00:35:14.380 on a project 00:35:14.380 --> 00:35:15.360 with another person 00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:16.080 because the person 00:35:16.080 --> 00:35:16.640 in that room 00:35:16.640 --> 00:35:17.320 they were irritated 00:35:17.320 --> 00:35:17.700 with, 00:35:17.900 --> 00:35:19.840 that's not effective 00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:21.220 gospel living. 00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:21.539 Amen? 00:35:23.640 --> 00:35:24.320 And we're going 00:35:24.320 --> 00:35:24.920 to work at that. 00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:26.080 And all God's people 00:35:26.080 --> 00:35:26.320 said, 00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:27.039 yes, 00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:28.400 that's a good idea. 00:35:29.860 --> 00:35:30.700 Let's try that again 00:35:30.700 --> 00:35:31.260 because I know I'm 00:35:31.260 --> 00:35:31.820 a little enthusiastic 00:35:31.820 --> 00:35:32.460 about that 00:35:32.460 --> 00:35:33.360 and you guys are 00:35:33.360 --> 00:35:33.860 coming close to 00:35:33.860 --> 00:35:34.380 going to sleep. 00:35:35.160 --> 00:35:36.019 Let's try that again. 00:35:36.720 --> 00:35:37.460 We're going to work 00:35:37.460 --> 00:35:37.820 at that. 00:35:38.100 --> 00:35:38.500 Yes! 00:35:42.500 --> 00:35:42.900 So, 00:35:43.320 --> 00:35:44.680 if you have a problem 00:35:44.680 --> 00:35:45.340 with me, 00:35:45.620 --> 00:35:46.320 and I'll give you 00:35:46.320 --> 00:35:46.960 an opportunity, 00:35:47.660 --> 00:35:48.840 not on purpose. 00:35:49.720 --> 00:35:50.800 If you have a problem 00:35:50.800 --> 00:35:51.420 with me, 00:35:52.380 --> 00:35:54.180 don't tell everybody 00:35:54.180 --> 00:35:54.480 else, 00:35:54.559 --> 00:35:56.220 come and tell me. 00:35:56.320 --> 00:35:58.340 And, 00:35:58.340 --> 00:36:01.220 if I come to you 00:36:01.220 --> 00:36:01.740 and I'm having 00:36:01.740 --> 00:36:02.820 a problem with Jack, 00:36:03.940 --> 00:36:05.180 so you understand this, 00:36:05.380 --> 00:36:06.320 if I come to you 00:36:06.320 --> 00:36:06.760 and I'm having 00:36:06.760 --> 00:36:07.740 a problem with Jack 00:36:07.740 --> 00:36:08.960 and you figure out 00:36:08.960 --> 00:36:09.460 that I'm having 00:36:09.460 --> 00:36:10.220 a problem with Jack, 00:36:10.360 --> 00:36:11.100 what you say, 00:36:11.240 --> 00:36:12.720 Jack's my friend. 00:36:13.360 --> 00:36:13.880 I'm using him 00:36:13.880 --> 00:36:14.460 as an illustration 00:36:14.460 --> 00:36:15.780 so that you don't go out 00:36:15.780 --> 00:36:16.440 and put on something 00:36:16.440 --> 00:36:17.100 on Facebook 00:36:17.100 --> 00:36:17.900 about Jack and I 00:36:17.900 --> 00:36:18.860 not getting along together. 00:36:18.960 --> 00:36:19.400 I had to stop. 00:36:20.340 --> 00:36:20.600 Well, 00:36:20.640 --> 00:36:21.600 we'll try Pastor Saul too. 00:36:21.780 --> 00:36:22.660 Jack and Pastor Saul, 00:36:22.720 --> 00:36:23.180 I'm talking to you 00:36:23.180 --> 00:36:23.840 about both of them. 00:36:23.840 --> 00:36:25.760 you say, 00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:26.180 Pastor, 00:36:27.160 --> 00:36:29.700 here's the standard thing 00:36:29.700 --> 00:36:31.579 God's people need to say. 00:36:32.700 --> 00:36:33.400 How did it go 00:36:33.400 --> 00:36:34.180 when you talked to Jack? 00:36:34.539 --> 00:36:35.260 Let's try that. 00:36:35.820 --> 00:36:36.460 How did it go 00:36:36.460 --> 00:36:37.300 when you talked to Jack? 00:36:37.420 --> 00:36:38.220 I'll say it slower 00:36:38.220 --> 00:36:38.880 so you can get it. 00:36:39.340 --> 00:36:41.539 How did it go 00:36:41.539 --> 00:36:43.660 when you talked to Jack? 00:36:44.280 --> 00:36:45.539 You guys are with it. 00:36:46.320 --> 00:36:46.539 Hey, 00:36:46.539 --> 00:36:47.920 I'm going to get 00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:48.719 to retire early. 00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:50.779 You get this 00:36:50.779 --> 00:36:51.460 Matthew 18, 00:36:51.539 --> 00:36:52.320 15 thing down, 00:36:52.380 --> 00:36:53.059 it won't be a problem. 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:54.639 I can go out 00:36:54.639 --> 00:36:55.599 and deal a whole lot more 00:36:55.599 --> 00:36:56.259 with people 00:36:56.259 --> 00:36:57.179 that don't know Jesus. 00:36:57.279 --> 00:36:57.440 Amen? 00:37:00.440 --> 00:37:01.519 There are some of us here 00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:02.360 that need to be convicted 00:37:02.360 --> 00:37:03.480 about not being doing this 00:37:03.480 --> 00:37:03.880 right now. 00:37:04.279 --> 00:37:04.659 Do you understand 00:37:04.659 --> 00:37:05.079 that point? 00:37:08.659 --> 00:37:09.519 Why would a pastor 00:37:09.519 --> 00:37:10.300 preach on something 00:37:10.300 --> 00:37:11.179 that has no relevance 00:37:11.179 --> 00:37:12.960 to the God-fearing people 00:37:12.960 --> 00:37:13.519 that he stands 00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:13.980 in front of? 00:37:13.980 --> 00:37:16.920 I don't want this 00:37:16.920 --> 00:37:17.420 to be a problem 00:37:17.420 --> 00:37:18.219 in the future, beloved. 00:37:19.579 --> 00:37:20.639 And all God's people 00:37:20.639 --> 00:37:21.480 said, 00:37:22.219 --> 00:37:22.440 Amen. 00:37:23.480 --> 00:37:24.099 Let's close. 00:37:32.619 --> 00:37:33.019 Father, 00:37:33.840 --> 00:37:35.420 I think about the words 00:37:35.420 --> 00:37:36.039 of Zechariah, 00:37:36.119 --> 00:37:36.800 not by might 00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:37.539 nor by power, 00:37:37.619 --> 00:37:38.579 but by my spirit, 00:37:38.740 --> 00:37:39.300 saith the Lord. 00:37:39.300 --> 00:37:40.360 You intend 00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:41.420 for us to be 00:37:41.420 --> 00:37:42.139 a godly, 00:37:42.320 --> 00:37:42.740 holy, 00:37:42.739 --> 00:37:44.979 gospel-passionate 00:37:44.979 --> 00:37:45.359 people 00:37:45.359 --> 00:37:46.439 that were drawn 00:37:46.439 --> 00:37:47.179 out of the pit, 00:37:47.539 --> 00:37:47.939 ruined, 00:37:48.299 --> 00:37:48.659 broken, 00:37:50.119 --> 00:37:51.119 called to be servants 00:37:51.119 --> 00:37:52.259 of the living God, 00:37:53.099 --> 00:37:54.639 to live holy, 00:37:55.239 --> 00:37:55.759 passionate 00:37:55.759 --> 00:37:57.819 lives 00:37:57.819 --> 00:37:58.919 for the glory 00:37:58.919 --> 00:37:59.539 of Christ, 00:38:00.679 --> 00:38:01.899 loving the lost 00:38:01.899 --> 00:38:03.239 and loving one another. 00:38:03.399 --> 00:38:04.439 And we are convicted 00:38:04.439 --> 00:38:07.239 that we need to grow 00:38:07.239 --> 00:38:07.959 in this area 00:38:07.959 --> 00:38:08.679 this year. 00:38:08.679 --> 00:38:10.679 we ask for the power 00:38:10.679 --> 00:38:11.259 of the spirit 00:38:11.259 --> 00:38:12.839 to break our hearts 00:38:12.839 --> 00:38:15.179 and to energize us 00:38:15.179 --> 00:38:15.919 for the testimony 00:38:15.919 --> 00:38:16.579 of Christ. 00:38:17.559 --> 00:38:19.179 We ask this in Jesus' name. 00:38:19.619 --> 00:38:19.859 Amen. 00:38:19.859 --> 00:38:19.960 Amen. 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:19.960