0011 The Wisdom, Strength, Courage and Action of Proverbs 24 Sermon

This episode explores the importance of wisdom and accountability in building a resilient faith. We discuss Proverbs 24 as a guide for living out Christian values, emphasizing the call for believers to take action against injustice and grow in knowledge and skills.

• Reflections on weather and travel experiences 
• Introduction of Christ Forged Church's mission 
• Importance of community and fellowship 
• Proverbs 24 as a source of biblical wisdom 
• Accountability in personal and spiritual choices 
• The role of knowledge in building a strong life 
• Call to action against injustice and moral issues 
• Emphasis on community support and solidarity 
• Concluding prayer for growth and resilience in faith

Christian Warrior Talk is Sponsored by Trident Shield, your trusted ally in violence preparedness. Trident Shield helps safeguard your loved ones with expert training and consulting. Trident Shield, defending faith through empowered preparedness because together, we save lives."

Chapters

• 0:00 Christ Forged Church Mission and Vision
• 15:18 Building Wisdom and Strength Through Guidance
• 30:09 Wisdom, Judgment, Work, and Communion
• 41:39 Joining the Spiritual Battle

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:39

Happy Lord's Day to you, welcome, welcome, welcome. We're so happy to have you. You know it's a frost, still frosty day here in Tennessee and I heard we're going to get snow tonight. Yeah, that's what my forecast told me. We're going to get more snow tonight. So we're literally in the don't worry, you won't be picked up over there. You don't get picked up till past that, so you're good. You don't get picked up until past that, so you're good.

Speaker 1: 1:05

I was just in sunny San Diego where it was 75 and sunny and with wildfires. But you know, I got to actually see a wildfire and I got to see him put it out and that was interesting and a blessing. It was not windy that day. Thank God it didn't happen. The next day, where those Santa Ana winds were were truly gusting. I don't think they would have got a hold of it because it was just constant 30, 40 plus mile an hour, winds blowing crossways and I can't even imagine it's so dry there. But they also praise the lord. I heard just got rain and it's raining an inch of rain, but now they're worried about mudslides, so and a bunch of other things. But they need rain, so praise the Lord, let's. I'm glad they. They got it and I hope they get some relief there and I hope they all turn to God. So, and and conservative ways, christian conservative ways, there we go. So that's Gus, if you hear him, my son Magnus Luther, the blessing.

Speaker 1: 2:14

Welcome to Christ Forged Church, a home church, community ministry and farm that forges Christian warriors for today's challenges. I've been reading our mission statement. I'm only going to do this a few more times and then hopefully everybody will know what we are and what we are about. Christ Forged Church stands as a training ground for discipleship and a forge for Christian warriors, uniting faith and purpose in every step of the journey. Our mission is to transform men, women and families into fearless Christian warriors through discipleship, biblical truth and hands-on training. We are building a fellowship of believers united under Christ, living out a biblical worldview and advancing his kingdom Goodbye my love. With strength and purpose, we are committed to forging men into biblically masculine leaders, protectors, providers and disciples who stand unshaken in the face of spiritual and worldly challenges. Likewise, we train women as Christ-centered shield maidens, embracing biblical femininity while standing steadfast in faith and purpose, fighting alongside their families. I feel like I might be one of the lone exceptions out there in this, as I see a lot of my Reformed brothers and we are definitely Reformed, lean, heavily Reformed who try to treat their women like delicate flowers and like they're supposed to be in sewing classes and cooking classes, and you know and only that.

Speaker 1: 3:42

Whereas I believe that the whole family should be Christian warriors, I believe that we should educate our children on how to defend themselves, our wives on how to defend themselves and the family, our shield maidens, because as men, we fall, we get injured, we go down, we travel, we're out of town. We get injured, we go down, we travel, we're out of town, and I pray that you don't shelter your family and your wife to the point where she cannot defend herself and your family, because that's what we believe in here At Christ Forge Church. We prepare warriors for both spiritual and kinetic warfare, equipping them with the armor of God, the courage of faith and the skills to prevail through fellowship, the refining fire of God's word and the bonds of a united brotherhood. We are creating a godly, loving and resilient community, forged to stand boldly for Christ, advancing his truth and love in every battle and every season of life. But it's simply we're here to be where the rubber meets the road on the front lines of each other's life. Now I know most of you, most of our congregation, is online and our congregation is international. Now we're not big I'm not saying we're big, but I know there are people who tune in for help in understanding God's word, guidance for masculine Christianity, guidance for biblical femininity, guidance for how does this look? And here on our 44 acres, we have a farm and training ground in church where we do that. We have cattle, beef cattle, we have dairy cows, we have egg birds, we have meat birds, we have ducks and turkeys and hogs and everything else in between, and we try to model a resilient biblical worldview of independence from the government and the state and everything else. So announcements are small and short. I'm shorting them for now. So announcements are small and short. I'm shorting them for now.

Speaker 1: 6:06

Christ Forge Locking Shields, which is our Christian fellowship show, will be back to Fridays. Now that I'm not traveling next week, unless I get booked, we're considering on moving that to Saturday at 9, because so many of our clients are choosing Thursday Fridays as their training dates and consulting dates that I am tend to be either in the air or on the road and trying to make it back for the show and I don't want to do prerecorded if I don't have to. You know, I think the beauty of the Christ Forwards Locking Shield is once it gains enough people, that people. I want it to be a call in show. I want it to be where people come for prayer, come for help, come for guidance, come to exchange knowledge, because none of us can know everything. And you know, and I intend to really work on that, and as we grow and as you guys invite people and tell people to come in there, I don't want it to be a one man monologue. I want to interview people and tell people to come in there. I don't want it to be a one-man monologue. I want to interview people and I want to have people coming on there and asking for help or offering help on how they solve challenges in their life, and we can have a discussion on whether it's biblical or not and if it is biblical, how great it is right. So again, christ Forwards Walking Shields is a fellowship show where we discuss all things Christian life, prepping, homesteading, tactics and new stories that will affect us all.

Speaker 1: 7:31

Alright, let's go to prayer, let's go to war. Dear Heavenly Father, lord, we thank you for all of our blessings, known and unknown. We thank you for this amazing Lord's Day where we are commanded to spend time and rest in you. Not just rest, but rest in you, lord. So help us stay focused on you, help us to check our pity parties and our gripes and our groans and all of our pain and suffering and struggles at the door and realize they are quite small compared to all the blessings that we have. The trillions of cells that had to work perfectly just for us to wake up this morning, the countless systems in our body, whether it be our respiratory system, our cardiac system, our saliva glands, our tear ducts, whatever it is that had to work perfectly, that are where we are not suffering right now and where we are blessed.

Speaker 1: 8:32

Lord, we are so thankful for your common grace, the grace you show all mankind, which is your creation. Lord, you didn't have to make earth beautiful, but you did. You didn't have to make the heavens beautiful, but you did. We thank you for that, lord. We thank you for the sun and the moon and the stars. We thank you for this earth, from the mountains to the oceans and everything in between, all the beautiful and amazing plant life and creatures in it that bring us such joy and sustenance and companionship. Lord, we thank you for the people in our lives, everyone made in your image, and we ask you, lord, to help us lead all of them home to you, for all of us know those who are truly lost. Give us the courage and show us, lord, that we are going to be judged if we do not, as we'll see in tonight's text, for not helping those that are marching off to death and those who are stumbling about to ruin. Lord, I thank you for the sunrise and sunset. I thank you for the sound of children's laughter and bird songs in the morning. I thank you for the touch of a loved one, a warm fire on a cold day, a cool breeze on a hot day, the smell of fresh morning rain and good food, cooking, the taste of good food, cooking, the taste of good food and drink. Lord, we thank you for it all, but we pray that this time would glorify you and only you, serve you and only you, and that we and that we would focus only on you. So, lord, may we proclaim you with every breath of our lungs and serve you with every beat of our hearts. In Jesus' name. We pray Amen.

Speaker 1: 10:31

If you guys can't sit still and quiet, you've got to go in the other room, okay, so all right. So now let's go to you. May not? You may be new to Christianity and you may not be great at prayer. I am definitely not great at prayer.

Speaker 1: 10:49

There are times where I am sitting in my room, at my table, at my desk on my knees, or lying in my bed where I fumble about without any like. How can I go before the creator of the universe, the maker of DNA, the maker of everything, with what I have to say and ask, and I feel like a clumsy fool. I feel again that I have no place there. And that's a good thing, because that's your humility. Just know that God does desire you and you should go to him humble, because you are undeserving, but he loves you still. And coming to him with that kind of humility, well, that's the beginning of wisdom. That's the beginning of wisdom. So when you get on your knees, I am a child of the living God and I demand these things. I will. You know, I want the Ferrari, I want this, I want that. Jump, jump, god jump. Where we get into trouble. We get into a lot of trouble. Now, if you're going to war for somebody, go to war against the forces of darkness and command God's legions and ask him to intervene boldly and we're talking about ourselves and our own needs. That should be the last thing, right? That should be the last thing.

Speaker 1: 12:25

So God gave us Emmanuel in here in his word on how to pray, in Matthew 6, 9 through 13. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Our Father, that's who we're talking to. Our Heavenly Father, who created everything. Hallowed be thy name. Holy, separate, special, unique, only you. Thy kingdom come. Your kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Meaning eradicate sin. Give us this day our daily bread. Give us what we need, not more than what we need, just give us what we need. Forgive us our debts, forgive us our sins, as we forgive our debtors, as we forgive those who have sinned against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. That is another way, but sometimes the most powerful prayer is the simplest, like my daughter's prayers which shake the universe and move mountains, because there's no doubt, there is only belief and honesty and transparency and simplicity. Just know that. You need to be in prayer.

Speaker 1: 13:55

All right, so let's get into today's message. We're going to be in Proverbs 24, and today I'm not going to be reading out of the ESV, I'm going to be reading out of the LSB, the Legacy Standard Bible. So go ahead at home, open your books to Proverbs 24. Doing our forging challenge where we do, you know where. Every day, we do something in faith family, fitness, fundamentals, finances. And part of what I've been doing is reading a proverb every day a Old Testament, a New Testament and finish with a psalm. And the proverbs have been blowing me away, no matter how many times I read them. If there's one thing you're going to read every day, read a proverb. Or if you're going to read two, read a proverb and read a Bible verse the proverbs. If you just did the proverbs, your life would be infinitely better and less sorrowful and full of blessing. But as we look at who we are and what we're trying to be as Christian warriors, as defenders of the weak, protectors of our home as we look at faith, family fitness, finances and fundamentals.

Speaker 1: 15:18

Let's go to Proverbs 24, which the title, which is in the LSB but not in the ESV. This is not inspired by the Word of God. They just called it this my son, fear Yahweh, which is fear the Lord One, do not be jealous of evil men and do not desire to be with them, for their heart meditates on destruction and their lips talk mischief. So, right away, god is starting these Psalms, this message, by telling you not what to do. He's going to tell you how to build a kingdom. He's going to tell you how to build a kingdom. He's going to tell you how to build your house, and the first thing he's going to tell you is don't look at wicked people and how the world does it. That is not going to work and there will be accountability to that, which he's going to go into later.

Speaker 1: 16:11

So again, when you see lifestyles of the rich and famous and lifestyle of everyone else out there who's doing things, and you're like man, I'm really struggling. One, look at the accountability in the mirror and say what decisions have you made that put you where you're at? Have you been leaving, living a godly life? Have you been working hard, have you been making good decisions and hold yourself accountable? Because most likely you put yourself where you're at? But as we look and we see how the wicked does things, it's easy to admire strength, even when it's wicked strength. To look at Vladimir Putin and how he runs things and how he's a warrior and we had Joe Biden, who was a joke leading our country and we're like man, putin's a dictator and, yeah, he does horrible things, but at least he's a man, at least he's strong, at least he's a competent individual. But God is saying no, no, no, no, don't even be jealous of what they have.

Speaker 1: 17:27

By wisdom a house is built and by discernment it is firmly established, and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. You are first called to seek wisdom and knowledge, and that will fill your house with preciousness and pleasant riches. The Bible does not think that riches, in having possessions, is a bad thing. In fact, for most of the Old Testament, if you were in poverty, it was considered a curse of God upon you. Your family was separate from God, made horrible decisions, left you no inheritance and totally set you up for poverty, or you were in sin and you were being punished. That's how they viewed it in the Old Testament world. But here we're seeing that wisdom. You know Solomon, when asked for wisdom, he didn't ask for riches. God offered him everything and he asked for wisdom, and that brought everything. And that's what this proverb is getting into Now, here, in verse 5, a wise man is strong and a man of knowledge strengthens his power, for by guidance you will make war, and in abundance of counselors there is salvation.

Speaker 1: 18:56

Okay, so let's break down five and six. A wise man is strong and a man of knowledge strengthens his power, for by guidance you will make war. In an abundance of counselors, there is salvation. A wise man is strong, okay. Does that mean that a wise man has to be physically strong? No, if he's incapable, but if he's capable, he should be strong. Okay. Does that mean that a wise man has to be physically strong? No, if he's incapable, but if he's capable, he should be strong. If you're capable of being strong, you should be strong.

Speaker 1: 19:28

As I sit here in my deconditioned state from injuries and many bad decisions and an overly busy life and a lot of excuses that I can throw up here, there is no excuse for it. I should be strong. I should be functional, I should be fit. Why? Because that makes me the best asset for my family, the best vessel for the Holy Spirit, the most potent of warriors, the most potent of warriors, and makes my body a blessing instead of a curse. And as we get older, you will pay the penalties for the life you lived beforehand, all the checks you wrote out, yeah, seal team, 16 years, ground and pound on your knees and your ankles and your back and parachuting, accidents and shoulder separations, slamming off of ships and all the abuse you have. Comes home and you can't be the same as you were before, but you can evolve different. So now I am no longer trying to be the strongest limit weight lifter Like I don't want to. I won't say I don't want to bench 500 pounds anymore, because benching 500 pounds is a lot of fun. But you know four or five is good enough, right, and with preps and staying functional and being more flexible, carrying less weight, being healthier, less pain on my joints All of us are like that, all of us as we get older.

Speaker 1: 21:09

Unless that is your thing, some guys, that's their thing. Every day they're looking in the mirror, they're six pack and they're doing whatever, and they're disciplined there. Every day, they're looking in the mirror at their six-pack and they're doing whatever, and they're disciplined there. We all have our own pitfalls, whether it's bad family strife or lack of relationships. Fitness, financials are terrible. We don't have any skills that are valuable to help anyone or our faith is bankrupt. So be strong Strong physically, that's the fitness part that we talked about.

Speaker 1: 21:48

And then knowledge strengthens his power. Grow in your skill set. If you're not doing something that is valuable. Again, I say this almost every weekend learn it, learn it. Don't know how to sow? Go learn how to sow, you'll be valuable. Don't know a trade? Start learning how to do a trade. You can learn anything on YouTube For free. You can learn anything on YouTube. There is no excuse. You want to start farming? Start doing it. Do you want to start raising animals? When Lauren and I got here, we knew nothing. We knew nothing, and now we are raising multiple types of livestock. We've learned a lot of lessons. We've had a lot of bumps and bruises. Could we have done a better launch? Yes, but how many. Could we have done a better launch? Yes, but how many people could have done a better launch and didn't launch Because of their timidity, because of their cowardness, because of their quest for comfort and we're going to talk about that later on.

Speaker 1: 22:52

For by guidance you will make war, and the abundance of counsel is there is salvation. This is talking about getting counsel, getting your war counsel. Before you make a good decision, pray, go to the Lord for the counsel. Say Lord, help me with this decision. And you may say something like this put wise, discerning people in my life to guide me in this. If you don't have a war counsel yet, if you've done the work and you've built a war council of people that you trust, who know all your weaknesses, you know all theirs bring your decisions to them and use them as a sounding board.

Speaker 1: 23:33

You are not the finger. It doesn't have to not talk to the brain to do something. In fact, the brain has to tell the finger to move. Now we have certain things as reflexes. You go to the doctor's office. They tap your knee and your knee jerks. You don't want to be reflexively doing everything in your life. You want your brain to be deliberately doing this, because sometimes reflexes can be catastrophic. So go to wise counsel. Go to wise counsel.

Speaker 1: 24:06

Wisdom is too exalted for an ignorant fool, meaning that wisdom is too high for an ignorant fool. He can't understand it. He does not open his mouth in the gate. Now that I think and again I'm not sure on this and I've been reading some things is saying that at the gate of towns. That is where business was done, that is where important things were said. That is sometimes where government back in the day, where all business was run, and the fool there does not open his mouth at the gate because he has nothing to say, he can't figure out what to say and therefore nothing good happens for him.

Speaker 1: 24:44

Now here we go. One who deliberately thinks to do evil men will call a schemer, meaning often you earn the reputation you have If you've done people bad and you are a jerk have. If you've done people bad and you are a jerk and you have paid and done wickedness, paid out evil and wickedness to others, then you're going to be known as a schemer. The scheming of folly is sin and the scoffer is an abomination to men. And we've seen that the scoffer is an abomination to the Lord in other verses. If you are slack in the day of trouble, if you are weak in the day of trouble, your strength is in trouble, meaning if the day of trouble comes and you're not prepared, you are in trouble. You didn't prepare right, you weren't ready, you weren't braced, you weren't trained up.

Speaker 1: 26:06

Now here is something that jumped out at me and I can't believe I didn't see it before. Something that jumped out at me and I can't believe I didn't see it before Deliver, though, like again, I'm going to say something here later on that everyone quotes. I have never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever heard a pastor quote this, because it's dangerous and it's action-oriented Deliver those who are being taken away to death and those who are stumbling to the slaughter. Oh, hold them back. Do you hear that? Deliver those who are being taken away to death. Free those who are being taken away to death and those who are stumbling to the slaughter. We are called to set free to battle to save those who are being taken away to death, like during World War II and other injustices around the world and we'll talk about the second part of that when we don't and to those who are stumbling to the slaughter, those who are going to eternal death. Those are the unsaved.

Speaker 1: 27:31

That's some of what's going on here, but it's also other things. If you see somebody who's drinking and they're about to get in their car and go kill themselves. And somebody else, you're called to stop them. If someone's about to try drugs that they may never wake up from and go down a dark path, you're called to stop them. And on and on and on, ordered to stop them, but we don't want to offend them. Someone who's getting ready to do things to the unborn we don't want to offend them. There they are stumbling and they are leading someone to death as well. Yet we sit at home comfortable. I'm not doing it. So therefore it's not that bad.

Speaker 1: 28:27

So what does God say about those of us who know and don't do anything? So therefore it's not that bad. So what does God say about those of us who know and don't do anything? If you say, behold, we do not know this, does not he who weighs the hearts understand Meaning? God knows your heart. The day you stand before God, when you get to heaven, he's going to know everything you ever thought, why and why you did everything. There is no deception. He can't see. And does he who not guards your soul know? The Holy Spirit knows exactly. That's why Jordan Peterson said he's never seen anyone get away with anything ever Ever. They may have gotten away with anything ever Ever. They may have gotten away with it from the law, but their conscience and their soul crucify them. And will he not render to man according to his work? God will judge you for what you didn't do, what you knew and didn't do. Could you have helped and you didn't? Could you have saved lives, but you didn't? That's something we all need to get more action-oriented on, and why we are Christ Forged Church. We are here to give you the skills Shooting, fighting, discipling, growing, survival skills, whatever you want. We are here for this.

Speaker 1: 30:10

Now some more wisdom Verse 13. Eat honey, my son, for it is good. Indeed, the honey from the comb is sweet to taste, and know that wisdom is thus for your soul. If you find it, then there will be a future and your hope will not be cut off. Equating honey in the honeycomb, an absolute delight and treat in the ancient world, today we have super sweeteners and all these things, but getting honey in a honeycomb at the risk of bees and hornets and other things, right Saying it's great, but wisdom is the honey for your soul.

Speaker 1: 30:55

And then some more correction here in verse 15. Do not lie in wait, o wicked man, against the abode of the righteous, do not destroy his resting place. And this is the part that every Christian light person likes to read, and they read it at every recovery center, everywhere and everywhere else. For the righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked will stumble in calamity, alright. So yes, you're going to fall and you're going to get up, if you're righteous, because you've got God to help you get up, always to get up. My question is why did you fall? Did you fall helping others? Because I guarantee you the Lord will pick you up from that.

Speaker 1: 31:42

When your enemy falls, do not be glad and when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice. There are wicked people out there who find joy in other people's suffering, and God is telling us right now to not find joy in that. That when an earthquake hits Afghanistan or people that are traditionally our political enemies, there is no place for us to find joy in that. God commands us not to, and it warrants it, lest Yahweh see it and it be evil in his eyes and he turn his anger away from him to maybe you. But do not threat because of evildoers. Do not be jealous of the wicked, for there'll be no future for the evil one. The lamp of the wicked will go out when you see people who you know to be evil, who have good lives and we talked about this in the beginning and it's closing here again almost not closing, but it's reiterating it again Know that the wicked do not escape judgment. God will deal with them and you need to worry about you.

Speaker 1: 33:03

Verse 21,. My son fear Yahweh and the king. He's talking about the Davidic king appointed by God. Do not associate with those who change, for suddenly their disaster will rise, and who knows the upheaval that comes from both of them. Verse 23, these are also sayings of the wise. Here is some governing and some things about your house that apply so much to today. To show partiality in judgment is not good. He who says to the wicked you are righteous, peoples will curse him and nations will be indignant with him. But those who reprove the wicked, it will be pleasant and a good blessing will come upon them. Those who reprove the wicked, it will be pleasant and a good blessing will come upon them. Is that not what just happened here, where Joe Biden pardoned his family and a bunch of traitors Calling the wicked righteous? Have we not seen justice totally thwarted? But to those who approve the wiki, they will be pleasant and a good blessing will come upon them. He kisses the lips who responds to the right words.

Speaker 1: 34:24

Establish your workouts. So here's another one. This has to do with work ethic 27. There's only a few more. So hang in there, establish your work outside and make you ready for yourself in the field, and afterwards you shall build your house. So, ancient world. The house is where you lived, but outside is what provided for your family and what provided for the house. God is saying before you build the house, build what's going to fund the house. Build what's going to provide for the family that's in the house. Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, nor deceive with your lips. Do not say as he did to me, so I shall do to him. I will render to the man according to his work. God will render according to his work.

Speaker 1: 35:19

I passed by the field of the sluggard by the lazy person and the vineyard of the man lacking a heart of wisdom, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles and nestles, that's, thorns and pricklies that we have here. Nettles have covered its surfaces and its stone wall has been torn down and I beheld, I set my heart upon it and I saw and I received discipline Meaning. God is now talking to him in his heart. He's saying this and he's knowing what's caused it A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, then your poverty will come as a robber and your want like an armed man. Those are the words of the Lord. Proverbs are so wise. You just read these things and you just man. If I just listened to that, I would have no very little suffering in my life.

Speaker 1: 36:21

So so we like to do the Lord's Supper here every week and unfortunately last week we had somebody who really enjoyed my hard preaching, but unfortunately they're a Catholic. And the second I didn't say that this wafer was Christ's finger or arm and that I was drinking his blood, which is obviously preposterous. Nothing magical happens here. We're committing to the Lord. You know again, I don't believe in Mary worship and many of the other heresies of the Catholic Church, and so you know they watched for all this time and then ripped us apart as they walked out the door. God bless them. I hope they come back. I hope we have a lot of things that we can agree on, but we believe in the Lord's Supper.

Speaker 1: 37:11

So first let's look at 1 Corinthians 11, 27 through 32. This is for legitimate baptized Christians, if you do that, and Christians who are repentant of their sin. This is a chance to clean your account, to get a full accountability, to judge yourself and then go to God. Verse 20, or 1 Corinthians 11, 27 through 32,. Whoever, therefore, eats of the bread or drinks of the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and the blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body and eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died, but if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the word.

Speaker 1: 38:05

So now I want you to close your eyes and I want you to think of today's message and the things that we keyed in on, and see where you are falling short of the Lord. Where are you not following his wisdom? Where are you not dying to self? Who are you helping? What death are you stopping? What stumbling are you stopping? Are you providing dying to self? Who are you helping? What death are you stopping? What stumbling are you stopping? Are you providing for your family?

Speaker 1: 38:33

These and all your other sins? Think about them and repent of them, repent of them. Before you do this, then remember what he did for you. Remember the price that was paid and the wrath that was poured out upon him. Yes, the physical, but more the wrath of God was poured out onto our Lord and Savior to pay for our sin. And then he rose victoriously from the grave, defeating death, to sit at the right hand of the Father. He rose victoriously from the grave, defeating death, to sit at the right hand of the Father. Now, as they were eating, jesus took bread and, after blessing it, broke it and gave it to the disciples and said Take, eat. This is my body, go ahead and eat. And when he took a cup and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many, for the goodness of sins, and drink, heavenly Father, lord, we thank you. We thank you for the wisdom of your word. We thank you for the gift of our relationships in the body.

Speaker 1: 39:42

Lord, many are so critical of the church, not realizing that we are all the church. If you are a Christian, you are so critical of the church, not realizing that we are all the church. If you are a Christian, you are the church. Lord, help us to make the church better. Help us to make the church the way you wanted it and not what society has made it. Help us to model the appropriate church. Help us to be lights in the world. Help us to be grateful and courageous. Help us to step out from our comfort and to not sleep and fold our hands. Lord, help us to be hungry for wisdom and to strengthen ourself in all ways.

Speaker 1: 40:26

Lord, I pray a prayer of protection for this fellowship and congregation who are listening now, watching now or who may be listening or watching later. I pray that same blessing of protection and peace for the persecuted church, for the victims of North Carolina, tennessee and elsewhere Florida, I mean and California. Pray for the persecuted church, for our troops overseas, our first responders at home and our veterans of yesteryear. I pray that the world would be protected from going into World War III. And lastly, I pray for my beloved America. I pray that she would return from her sin, humble herself, hit her knees, seek your face, and that you would see her and heal her, and that we would be one once again, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Lastly, I pray for our President Trump and for our leaders, that he would use them to do great things in your name and that you would get all the glory, lord.

Speaker 1: 41:40

So now I call this congregation to attention, to put on the full armor of God, strap on the shield of faith, pick up the sword of the Spirit and to join the shield wall, locking shields to the left and right as we march forward and take ground for your kingdom, for your glory. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. Now I'm going to torture you with some of my singing here. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise Him above. Ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, son and Holy Ghost. Amen. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. God bless you. I love you and I'll see you next week.