WEBVTT 00:00:00.390 --> 00:00:06.870 So we're starting this series, stepping stones, and we're looking at the 10 commandments. 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:10.230 That's what we're going to be talking about over the next couple of weeks. 00:00:10.230 --> 00:00:11.939 And I encourage you to take some notes today. 00:00:11.941 --> 00:00:17.190 I think that it will benefit you when Christie and I moved to Hawaii. 00:00:17.219 --> 00:00:23.940 A number of years ago, we had planted a church in Chicago and I knew it was time for us to leave that church. 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:33.000 And, uh, and so we did, we made that transition, but we, we turned that church over to another pastor and that was going well, but we didn't have anywhere to go. 00:00:33.509 --> 00:00:42.869 And so, uh, previously we had been introduced to the idea of going to Hawaii and, and taking a church that had an existing church that was there. 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:45.390 Uh, but at the time this was about a year. 00:00:45.390 --> 00:00:50.310 But prior to this, I, I, we didn't feel like it was right for us to leave Chicago at that time. 00:00:50.310 --> 00:00:52.229 But now a year later we knew it was time. 00:00:52.231 --> 00:01:02.640 And so we had been preaching at different churches and we were at this church, this great little church in South Carolina that, uh, Orangeburg South Carolina, you might know where that is. 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:04.950 It's like three people on earth that know where that is. 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:07.739 And, and they're all in Orangeburg, ironically. 00:01:07.740 --> 00:01:12.719 And so we're, um, and so we're, we're there and it's, uh, it's a really cool town actually. 00:01:12.721 --> 00:01:23.159 And so we're, we preach for the church and they, and they said to us that the, uh, the elders met with us after the service and said, you know, we really like, what would like for you guys to move here and become our new pastors? 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:27.780 And then the conversation, uh, I just, I just knew it wasn't a right fit. 00:01:27.781 --> 00:01:28.769 I knew it wasn't right. 00:01:29.250 --> 00:01:34.500 And so we got in the car and Christie said to me, Hey, uh, so this isn't it. 00:01:35.010 --> 00:01:36.090 And I said, well, how do you know this? 00:01:36.090 --> 00:01:36.569 Isn't it? 00:01:36.570 --> 00:01:38.420 She said, well, I could see your body language. 00:01:38.549 --> 00:01:42.810 And the, as we were having the conversation, and I could tell that you don't think this is what we ought 00:01:42.810 --> 00:01:43.140 To do. 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:45.260 I was like, okay. 00:01:45.950 --> 00:01:50.599 So she said, why don't you just call them and tell him that we're coming to Hawaii? 00:01:51.650 --> 00:01:53.450 I said, because I don't want to go to Hawaii. 00:01:55.010 --> 00:01:56.090 I mean, I want to go to Hawaii. 00:01:56.090 --> 00:01:57.290 I don't want to move to Hawaii. 00:01:57.950 --> 00:01:59.030 She said, well, why not? 00:01:59.031 --> 00:02:01.939 I said, because it's going to be paradise for six months. 00:02:02.450 --> 00:02:10.520 And then after that, it's just real life, but it's real life in the middle of the Pacific ocean, 3000 miles away from anything else. 00:02:11.030 --> 00:02:14.780 And to go anywhere else, it's going to cost a boatload of money, which we do not have. 00:02:14.781 --> 00:02:17.000 And so I don't want to go. 00:02:17.870 --> 00:02:27.740 And so we went and it was right, but when we got there day number one or two, I don't remember what today. 00:02:27.750 --> 00:02:28.430 It was. 00:02:28.819 --> 00:02:32.599 I got the west Hawaii today, which is the main newspaper. 00:02:33.009 --> 00:02:36.259 And by main, I mean only newspaper in Kona. 00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:39.199 And I opened up the paper. 00:02:39.650 --> 00:02:55.370 And on the front page, on above the fold was the news story of the day they were replacing or refer fishing, refurbishing the stepping stones at the captain cook monument. 00:02:58.430 --> 00:03:12.330 That was number one, leading news story in Kona that we had just moved from Chicago murder was on the front page every day. 00:03:13.620 --> 00:03:16.889 Now we're talking about stepping stones and I just started laughing. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:32.819 I said, can you believe that we have moved to a place where stepping stones is leading news in this place, but that's before understood the importance of stepping stones. 00:03:33.990 --> 00:03:38.939 And now years later, I'm preaching a sermon series on stepping stones. 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:41.520 I didn't know the value then. 00:03:42.599 --> 00:03:45.629 And the, the stepping stones at captain cook monument. 00:03:45.631 --> 00:03:49.110 I'm still not certain why that was front page news. 00:03:49.949 --> 00:03:55.139 But I have discovered that stepping stones matter a whole lot more than I ever thought they did. 00:03:56.550 --> 00:04:00.479 Stepping stones intentionally lead to an injury result. 00:04:02.069 --> 00:04:11.819 If you put stepping stones in your yard, if you install them yourself, you don't just stand there and take a stone and toss it into the yard. 00:04:12.090 --> 00:04:14.400 And wherever it lands there it is. 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:28.560 If you ask somebody and hire someone to install it for you, you don't just say to them, Hey, I'm going to say a random number of stepping stones and I'd like them to go randomly in the yard. 00:04:29.639 --> 00:04:32.519 No you say I'm trying to get from here to there. 00:04:32.819 --> 00:04:37.620 And not only do I need to get from here to there, my stride is about this this long. 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:54.029 And so I want to make sure that, that I can walk from this place where I'm at to the place that I'm trying to get to without having to step on the grass or the gravel or the dirt or whatever it is that this stepping stone, these stepping stones are helping me navigate my way through. 00:04:55.110 --> 00:04:56.699 That's what stepping stones do. 00:04:57.660 --> 00:05:07.050 In fact, in life today, you did not just arrive randomly where you are right now, there were steps that you took along the way. 00:05:07.529 --> 00:05:12.000 Some of those steps were intentional, and some of those steps were accidental. 00:05:12.209 --> 00:05:20.670 And some of those steps were just absolutely passive steps that you were just thrust into, but they got you where you are right now. 00:05:21.209 --> 00:05:23.160 You just didn't appear in this moment. 00:05:23.161 --> 00:05:37.980 And in areas of relationship, you didn't just start in the, in the best relationship ever in the history of the whole wide world in a marriage or in a friendship, you, you didn't just start there. 00:05:38.610 --> 00:05:39.449 It developed. 00:05:40.410 --> 00:05:46.980 And if you're in a very bad relational situation right now, you didn't start your relationship by going, you know what? 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:49.829 You don't like me and I really despise. 00:05:49.831 --> 00:05:51.360 You let's get together. 00:05:53.009 --> 00:05:55.889 No one ever starts a relationship like that. 00:05:56.100 --> 00:05:58.910 There's some that in that way, but that's not how you begin. 00:05:59.389 --> 00:06:07.399 There were steps between where you started and where you ended, and those steps got you to where you are right now. 00:06:07.459 --> 00:06:08.959 How about in a career? 00:06:09.529 --> 00:06:20.120 Some people dream of becoming a CEO of a company, but if you're a CEO of a company right now, you didn't wake up one day and become CEO. 00:06:20.629 --> 00:06:24.050 No, there were steps that got you from here to there. 00:06:24.110 --> 00:06:25.430 Some were intentional. 00:06:25.939 --> 00:06:29.540 Some were the blessings of God, navigating your world. 00:06:31.970 --> 00:06:33.949 Intentionality got you to where you are. 00:06:34.100 --> 00:06:42.439 If you're unemployed right now, there were steps that got you from where you are to where you, where you were to where you are right now. 00:06:43.310 --> 00:06:52.279 He said, well, it wasn't my fault circumstance and situation and choices that different people made may have, may have had. 00:06:52.281 --> 00:06:59.959 It played a major role in where your steps were, but there were steps that were taken to get from there to here. 00:07:00.019 --> 00:07:01.399 How about steps in faith? 00:07:02.389 --> 00:07:06.259 Most of us were not born with 100%. 00:07:06.290 --> 00:07:08.990 Faith filled lives. 00:07:09.529 --> 00:07:14.660 Some of us sitting in the room right now are still not 100% faith filled Wiles. 00:07:15.769 --> 00:07:18.110 You might not even have any faith at all. 00:07:18.110 --> 00:07:27.860 As far as you're concerned, maybe you're a believer today, and maybe you're not a believer, but wherever you are, you took steps to get there. 00:07:28.310 --> 00:07:40.430 Stepping stones along the way, specific places that you let your heart rest your mind, sit your feet, land while looking for your next step. 00:07:41.509 --> 00:07:42.259 It's important. 00:07:42.261 --> 00:07:45.860 What we allow our mind to continue to rest upon. 00:07:46.850 --> 00:07:49.639 It's important where we let our foot land. 00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:54.410 It's important where we let our emotions sit for a while. 00:07:54.411 --> 00:07:59.060 Our heart, if you will, those things are not unimportant. 00:07:59.269 --> 00:08:01.850 They're, they're not an without consequence. 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:05.899 It matters where you place your next step. 00:08:05.901 --> 00:08:09.439 And if you're intentional about these things, you'll progress in life. 00:08:09.440 --> 00:08:15.889 With purpose, with intentionality, with certainty, you'll move toward your dreams. 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:20.089 You'll move into the destination that God has designed for you. 00:08:22.100 --> 00:08:29.060 If you're intentional, you can move into very beneficial destinations. 00:08:29.689 --> 00:08:42.049 If you're passive about these things, about taking the steps and establishing them, then you'll randomly stumble toward often detrimental destinations. 00:08:43.309 --> 00:08:46.519 Very few people stumbled their way into. 00:08:46.549 --> 00:08:46.879 Awesome. 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:51.450 Yes, I don't know what happened. 00:08:51.451 --> 00:08:53.039 I just got up one day and I was awesome. 00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:59.179 And it's been that way since does not typically happen. 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:12.799 And if you think it happened, you got bigger problems than, you know, there were stepping stones and here's the reality of life. 00:09:13.070 --> 00:09:19.970 And I want to speak specifically to younger people right now, maybe younger in age, but could also be younger. 00:09:19.971 --> 00:09:26.779 It just an experience, a clearer understanding of the path is often gained looking backward. 00:09:28.460 --> 00:09:40.730 So when we've gone a little further down the path and we look back behind us, we can see the stepping stones and we can see how one stone led to the next stone, which led to the next stone. 00:09:41.870 --> 00:09:50.539 And when we're younger, younger, and experience or younger in age, sometimes when those that have gone before us are saying, Hey, let me help you get here. 00:09:51.320 --> 00:10:05.210 Let me help direct your steps for you, whether it be a parent or whether it be a coach or whether it be a teacher or whether it be a pastor, we can sometimes kind of bow up and, and say, well, wait a minute. 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:06.649 I am my own person. 00:10:06.740 --> 00:10:08.509 I can find my own way. 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:17.809 And we think, well, they're just controlling or they're just mean, or they just want their way, or they don't recognize that I am my own person. 00:10:17.811 --> 00:10:20.779 All of those things come to all of our minds. 00:10:21.409 --> 00:10:30.559 It's interesting when we're thinking that we often think we're the first person ever to think that, but almost everybody has thought those things at one point or another. 00:10:30.710 --> 00:10:41.419 And the reality is you just have something, someone that's gone a little further down the path and, and, and it's all, it's difficult at times to see the path clearly in front of you. 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:45.559 But once you've gone there, you can look behind and it becomes more clear. 00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:53.750 And so a parent, a teacher, a coach, a pastor will be saying, Hey, I can see clearly how stepping here led to this result. 00:10:53.750 --> 00:10:56.509 So if you can avoid that, let me help you do it. 00:10:58.769 --> 00:11:00.100 There's stepping stones. 00:11:00.490 --> 00:11:02.080 And the path is Cleaver. 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:07.240 Only God can see the end from the beginning. 00:11:08.529 --> 00:11:13.629 He can chart the right path forward before we ever begin the journey. 00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:19.029 And when Israel was becoming a nation, God was charting a path for them. 00:11:19.690 --> 00:11:26.200 He was saying, Hey, listen, you've been slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years, you've never had to make your decisions. 00:11:26.350 --> 00:11:29.590 You'd never had to tell, say where you're going or what you're going to do. 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:34.809 Your steps have been designed and declared to you by your masters. 00:11:35.019 --> 00:11:38.710 And, and you've not had to navigate your own world. 00:11:38.740 --> 00:11:43.090 It's been navigated for you by the declaration of those who own you. 00:11:43.750 --> 00:11:45.220 And now I'm changing that. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:47.200 You're my children. 00:11:47.950 --> 00:11:51.429 And now I'm, I'm going to begin charting a course for you. 00:11:51.639 --> 00:11:58.659 That's going to allow you to a mighty nation on this earth and have a great relationship with me. 00:11:59.350 --> 00:12:01.659 And so he took them through the red sea. 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:03.879 He took them across part of the wilderness. 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:08.559 He kept them at Sinai and he said, let me give you the commandments. 00:12:08.561 --> 00:12:10.210 And let me give you the law. 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:12.789 The 10 commandments. 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:31.120 He gave them 10 stepping stones stones, that if they would step in that those places and walk in that direction, it would lead them to become everything that God designed them to be declared them to be and wanted them desired for them to be in life. 00:12:31.690 --> 00:12:36.730 And as a nation, they would have peaceful lives with others. 00:12:37.029 --> 00:12:42.129 They would have prosperity as a people, and they would have a strong relationship with God. 00:12:42.130 --> 00:12:43.990 They were the 10 commandments. 00:12:43.990 --> 00:12:53.139 As we know them now carved upon stone tablets as God was acting with purpose and on purpose. 00:12:54.220 --> 00:12:57.940 So he outlines these things and he says, now, now live by them. 00:12:57.940 --> 00:13:01.090 And so we're going to look at the first two commandments today. 00:13:01.210 --> 00:13:03.759 And throughout the series, we'll look at the different commandments. 00:13:03.760 --> 00:13:06.970 So let's, let's read the first two Exodus chapter 20 verse. 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:18.340 Number two says, I am the Lord, your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of, you shall have no other gods before me stepping stone. 00:13:18.341 --> 00:13:23.379 Number one, you shall not make for yourself a carved image, stepping stone. 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:30.159 Number two, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is an earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 00:13:30.190 --> 00:13:49.570 You shall not bow down to them nor serve them for I the Lord, your God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers, upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. 00:13:51.009 --> 00:13:54.549 So God is describing himself to his people. 00:13:56.200 --> 00:13:58.990 He's saying, I want you to recognize that I am your God. 00:14:00.100 --> 00:14:01.929 I am God. 00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:03.730 And what did I do for you? 00:14:03.730 --> 00:14:04.960 I delivered you from. 00:14:05.409 --> 00:14:09.639 He's kind of, he's kind of, uh, stating his, his resume. 00:14:09.669 --> 00:14:10.299 If you will. 00:14:10.301 --> 00:14:17.830 He's saying, this is why I have the right, the privilege of declaring these things to you. 00:14:18.070 --> 00:14:19.899 And this is why you ought to listen to me. 00:14:20.980 --> 00:14:25.059 Almost every child has heard this and almost every parent has said this. 00:14:25.090 --> 00:14:29.919 At some point we've said to our children, Hey, I know what you're saying. 00:14:29.921 --> 00:14:33.759 I hear what you're saying, but let's put this relationship into perspective. 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:35.139 I am the parent. 00:14:35.590 --> 00:14:36.370 You are the child. 00:14:36.429 --> 00:14:37.899 I brought you into this world. 00:14:45.389 --> 00:14:45.389 [inaudible] 00:14:45.450 --> 00:14:47.159 Everything you have belongs to me. 00:14:48.779 --> 00:14:51.320 The clothes on your back, belong to me. 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:53.419 I know you're strong. 00:14:53.450 --> 00:14:54.710 I know you're an individual. 00:14:54.711 --> 00:15:04.879 And I know you got all this and more, and I know you're bad to the bone, but if you leave this house with what you own, I'll loan you, your toothbrush, but nothing else. 00:15:05.990 --> 00:15:07.220 And you're going to pay me back. 00:15:09.409 --> 00:15:14.120 I don't know too many parents that have that part, but anyway, I fought it before. 00:15:14.120 --> 00:15:23.299 I don't know that I've ever said it, but, but what we're telling them is let's, let's get, let's bring some perspective to the situation until this moment in your life. 00:15:23.330 --> 00:15:29.690 Everything that you have has been provided by me, not because I had to, because I love you. 00:15:30.950 --> 00:15:32.990 Not, not because you could demand it. 00:15:33.019 --> 00:15:37.009 You could demand nothing, but because I love you. 00:15:38.149 --> 00:15:47.690 When you were a child, when you were a baby, when you were a toddler, when you were in elementary school, everything you enjoyed was by my grace. 00:15:48.830 --> 00:15:53.899 You had no right to it, but I loved you enough to give it to you. 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:57.500 And I want to give it to you, but let's understand. 00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:03.649 God's saying to Israel, I am God, and I've done this for you. 00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:06.889 And then he continues the process. 00:16:07.190 --> 00:16:08.600 He says, I'm a jealous God. 00:16:08.750 --> 00:16:11.809 When we think jealousy today, we think envious or possessive. 00:16:12.230 --> 00:16:16.820 It's a bad thing, but that's not what he's talking about here in the original language. 00:16:16.850 --> 00:16:19.039 That's not how that word would have been used. 00:16:19.190 --> 00:16:21.799 He would have been saying, I'm passionate about you. 00:16:21.980 --> 00:16:23.809 I'm enthusiastic for you. 00:16:23.811 --> 00:16:28.490 I'm, I'm dedicated to your good, that's what I am toward you. 00:16:28.610 --> 00:16:33.080 So I'm going to fight for you to have a good life for you to have good things in your life. 00:16:33.259 --> 00:16:35.120 I'm going to be passionate about this. 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:38.480 And so I'm defining who I am and who you are. 00:16:38.750 --> 00:16:41.179 And then he says, hating me brings tragedy. 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:43.250 Why does hating God bring tragedy? 00:16:43.429 --> 00:16:49.220 It brings tragedy, just like hating parents brings tragedy because of a parent wants to cut you off. 00:16:49.250 --> 00:16:54.799 They can, because if a parent doesn't want to meet that need, they don't have to. 00:16:55.370 --> 00:16:57.649 If a parent wants to discipline, they can. 00:16:57.799 --> 00:17:00.980 And God says, if you hate me, it's not going to go well for you. 00:17:00.980 --> 00:17:06.049 But if you will love me, then it will bring great blessing in your life. 00:17:06.890 --> 00:17:09.799 But then he does something that we don't like. 00:17:09.800 --> 00:17:13.849 And he correlates loving him with keeping his commandments. 00:17:14.690 --> 00:17:19.880 Jesus said, if you love me, keep my, yeah, it's the seaward commandments. 00:17:20.930 --> 00:17:22.579 We don't like that. 00:17:22.789 --> 00:17:26.720 We don't like this idea of obeying, but here's, here's the big idea today. 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:33.349 The first step to eternal success is worshiping only God worshiping only God. 00:17:33.351 --> 00:17:36.859 And I have three thoughts for us today and thought, number one is this. 00:17:36.890 --> 00:17:40.250 God alone is divine. 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:44.450 God alone is divine. 00:17:46.250 --> 00:18:01.190 Now the language here in some translations almost lend itself to the understanding that I am one of the gods, choose me over the other, but in the original language, that is not how it's written. 00:18:02.119 --> 00:18:02.869 It is. 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:05.000 I am God. 00:18:05.029 --> 00:18:06.950 There is no others. 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:09.440 And I am your God. 00:18:09.650 --> 00:18:13.130 God is one, not one among many. 00:18:14.750 --> 00:18:21.500 Now, why is that important to understand it's important, because think about how Israel has just come out of the nation of Egypt. 00:18:22.009 --> 00:18:24.859 Age Egypt is a polytheistic nation. 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:28.339 They believed in many different gods. 00:18:28.700 --> 00:18:36.500 And so after being there for many generations immersed in the Egyptian culture, yes, Israel would have known their history. 00:18:36.650 --> 00:18:45.109 They would have known that they are the people of Abraham, uh, people of the God, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they would have had a connection to that. 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:51.529 But just like modern culture has such a profound influence on the church today. 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:57.049 So would have Egyptian culture had an influence on Israel in that day. 00:18:57.289 --> 00:19:00.769 Today you have people that are walking away from biblical truth. 00:19:00.890 --> 00:19:09.589 They're trying to explain why the Bible's okay with things that the Bible clearly says are not okay because they're trying to appease culture. 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:17.420 They're trying to ease the tension between what scripture says and what God declares and what culture has decided. 00:19:18.890 --> 00:19:22.880 And so we try to make it match when it don't match. 00:19:23.539 --> 00:19:28.490 And so God is saying to Israel, I want you to recognize that I alone am God. 00:19:28.490 --> 00:19:30.259 Now, now they were polytheistic. 00:19:30.260 --> 00:19:39.049 The Egyptians were, and many of the religions around the world of, from generation to generation and many different cultures are polytheistic. 00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:45.619 Why does humanity to lean toward polytheism polytheism is the belief in many gods? 00:19:45.950 --> 00:19:47.960 Well, here's why I believe that is true. 00:19:48.410 --> 00:19:51.769 Many gods gives power to the consumer. 00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:56.000 The consumer says, ah, there are many gods. 00:19:56.210 --> 00:19:57.650 They court me. 00:19:57.819 --> 00:19:59.809 They show me what they offer. 00:19:59.810 --> 00:20:01.339 They show me what they can deliver. 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:06.799 And they show me what it's going to cost me to be a devoted or a follower of that. 00:20:06.800 --> 00:20:07.160 God. 00:20:07.309 --> 00:20:08.900 And I get to choose. 00:20:09.019 --> 00:20:10.039 I get to choose. 00:20:10.040 --> 00:20:14.210 If I'm going to follow this God that God or that other God they'll be the God that I'll worship. 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:15.950 The other gods can be there if they want it to be. 00:20:15.951 --> 00:20:19.309 But that's the one that I'm going to worship because it fits me. 00:20:19.310 --> 00:20:23.000 We really, we really kind of jive and get along to people say jive anymore. 00:20:23.210 --> 00:20:26.930 I don't know that I've ever said jive in my entire life until just now. 00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:29.779 And so y'all are here for the very first time. 00:20:29.780 --> 00:20:39.529 And so it's very exciting moment when we get to say, I connect with that God, and what they require of me, I'm willing to deal with. 00:20:39.529 --> 00:20:44.930 And so, and so that consumer mentality is in there. 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:48.549 When there's many gods one, God means he has all the power. 00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:52.420 And the only option I have is to submit to him. 00:20:53.829 --> 00:20:57.130 I don't really have another option because he is God and I am not. 00:20:57.670 --> 00:21:00.279 Therefore he is greater and I am lesser. 00:21:00.940 --> 00:21:05.880 Therefore, if I'm going to be right with him, then submitting to him is the only option. 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:08.339 It's the only option. 00:21:09.509 --> 00:21:17.700 And so stepping stones, this stepping stone puts us on the path to real relationship relationship. 00:21:17.701 --> 00:21:24.509 Isn't real until there's a commitment until there's a commitment to say that I choose you over all others at Christie. 00:21:24.510 --> 00:21:25.710 And I've been married 24 years. 00:21:25.711 --> 00:21:27.599 And if I had said to Christie one day, you know what? 00:21:28.049 --> 00:21:29.579 I really love you. 00:21:30.119 --> 00:21:34.890 I love you so much in relationship to how I love so many other people. 00:21:35.980 --> 00:21:40.349 And, and I just there's, there's about 15 different people that I really love and you're one of them. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:44.130 So let's just, let's just build this relationship. 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:46.140 I don't think we would be married for 20. 00:21:46.230 --> 00:21:51.690 I don't think we would have been married at all much less for 24 years because she would have said, no, no, no, no. 00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:53.730 That's not the kind of relationship I'm looking for. 00:21:53.910 --> 00:21:56.789 I'm looking for a commitment in relationship. 00:21:56.910 --> 00:21:58.829 And now that relationship becomes real. 00:21:58.830 --> 00:22:03.180 But, but we as consumers, we like many options. 00:22:04.380 --> 00:22:09.039 We liked the need and the desire to be ours, not there. 00:22:09.849 --> 00:22:11.859 You might be an avid sports fan today. 00:22:11.950 --> 00:22:16.480 We have a lot of sports fans in the church, a lot of sports fans, online, lot of sports, sports fans all over the world. 00:22:16.690 --> 00:22:20.589 And if you're a sports fan, good for you, I enjoy sports myself. 00:22:20.890 --> 00:22:23.140 And so here's the thing about sports though. 00:22:23.470 --> 00:22:24.640 It really is about me. 00:22:25.390 --> 00:22:29.349 If they're not on playing at a convenient time, I'm not there. 00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:34.769 If they're, if they raise the rates to go to the game more than I'm willing to pay, then I don't go it. 00:22:34.770 --> 00:22:47.920 You know, if they're having a down year and a bad time and maybe their finances aren't working out really well, you know, the manager doesn't call you and say, Hey, listen, we need you to pay triple for your ticket because we really need to pay these players what they're worth. 00:22:48.130 --> 00:23:01.000 And, and so if you'll just come in and kick in a little extra for the good of the team, then will, you would just say, this is a weird call and hang up the phone because you're not really there for them. 00:23:01.420 --> 00:23:04.450 You're there as long as they entertain you. 00:23:05.380 --> 00:23:09.160 And if something else matters more in that moment, then you go do that. 00:23:09.160 --> 00:23:09.819 Instead. 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:11.799 It's the same way with restaurants. 00:23:12.490 --> 00:23:13.509 We show up to a restaurant. 00:23:13.510 --> 00:23:20.410 If they don't cook it the way we want it, when we want to, if they make us wait too long for it, if the services and how we like it, et cetera, et cetera, we say, you know what? 00:23:20.411 --> 00:23:21.640 There are other restaurants in town. 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:22.720 I'm just going to go there. 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:25.809 It's a consumer mentality. 00:23:26.769 --> 00:23:28.089 Shopping's the same way. 00:23:29.650 --> 00:23:30.700 It's not about them. 00:23:30.701 --> 00:23:32.859 It's about my need, about my wants. 00:23:33.789 --> 00:23:36.369 Uh, family and friend relationship changes a little bit. 00:23:36.970 --> 00:23:43.750 It starts off all about the baby because the baby just sits there and screams until you make it stop. 00:23:44.380 --> 00:23:48.200 They cry and the parents go, what can I do to stop this from happening? 00:23:48.859 --> 00:23:55.130 But as the child matures a little bit, eventually the parents starts teaching the child how the child can interact with the parent. 00:23:55.880 --> 00:23:58.849 And then eventually it gets even older and more mature. 00:23:58.851 --> 00:24:05.660 And then eventually there's actually mutual respect that happens with between parents and adults. 00:24:05.900 --> 00:24:12.769 It's happened with my family, my parents, and myself, and I'm watching it happen between me and my sons. 00:24:13.220 --> 00:24:17.450 And it's a beautiful thing, but there's a, there's a mutual benefit that happens. 00:24:17.690 --> 00:24:21.890 But when the relationship is with God, it is only one way. 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:25.640 It always benefits only me. 00:24:25.970 --> 00:24:28.819 And it is always on his terms. 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:32.089 He is all and he needs nothing. 00:24:33.109 --> 00:24:35.119 So I can bring nothing to him. 00:24:35.121 --> 00:24:40.970 I can offer him nothing that he needs from me and he can demand everything from me. 00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:42.829 But what he does is bless me. 00:24:45.259 --> 00:24:57.710 So th th this isn't a reciprocal relationship from the point of need, Like a friend or family relationship could be, and it's not a consumer relationship because I can't back out. 00:24:57.711 --> 00:24:59.210 I can say, he's not God. 00:24:59.211 --> 00:25:00.799 I can say he doesn't exist at all. 00:25:00.890 --> 00:25:03.259 And it changes literally nothing about him. 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:07.670 It only changes how I interact with him. 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:12.289 And so it's not a reciprocal relationship. 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:20.420 And a real relationship says you alone are God recognizing that you alone are God and enables us to take the next step. 00:25:20.839 --> 00:25:24.349 So sometimes people say, well, you know, I'm a child of God and I know the Bible. 00:25:24.351 --> 00:25:26.660 So I'm going to approach God boldly. 00:25:26.869 --> 00:25:29.359 I'm going to approach his throne boldly. 00:25:29.539 --> 00:25:31.099 And I would agree with you that you should. 00:25:31.101 --> 00:25:35.299 And you can, if you're a child of God, you can approach his throne boldly. 00:25:35.300 --> 00:25:40.789 But Hebrew says we boldly approach the throne of grace. 00:25:42.529 --> 00:25:50.839 And the reason we approached the throne of grace boldly is because number one, approaching the throne of grace means I know that I'm not worthy. 00:25:51.349 --> 00:25:54.589 And I need the grace of God poured out into my life. 00:25:55.640 --> 00:25:59.779 But I approached the throne of grace boldly because he has offered us relationship. 00:25:59.900 --> 00:26:03.440 The scripture says that Jesus understands our infirmities. 00:26:03.441 --> 00:26:04.849 He understands our issues. 00:26:04.970 --> 00:26:06.259 He understands where we're at. 00:26:06.349 --> 00:26:14.450 And so when we approach him and we approach him humbly as approaching a throne, needing I in, I am in need of grace. 00:26:14.569 --> 00:26:17.269 He says, oh, you need my grace. 00:26:17.329 --> 00:26:19.190 I'll give you my grace. 00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:21.049 I'll pour out my grace. 00:26:21.050 --> 00:26:35.690 And he says, I can come boldly before him because I can know for a certainty that if I call him father and he calls me son, then I can be bold in my response, knowing that he will pour out his grace. 00:26:37.309 --> 00:26:42.259 Isn't that a beautiful thing, knowing that his grace is complete and it's new every morning. 00:26:43.230 --> 00:26:55.559 So there's no chance that if I be, if I come before his throne of grace, that he will not pour out grace, or he would re withhold grace from me, Jesus sympathizes with us. 00:26:56.309 --> 00:27:12.180 The boldness that we have coming before his throne is due to the relationship that we have with him, the relationship that we have with him, and we miss this step, the step of him being God and God alone. 00:27:12.509 --> 00:27:33.299 When we elevate anything over God, when we prioritize things with our time or, or our resources or our attention, or our memory at the expense of what God defines as important, maybe we, we elevate our family over our faith. 00:27:35.589 --> 00:27:40.829 Nah, you, if you know me at all, if you've listened to me, teach at all, you know that I, I talk about family all the time. 00:27:40.830 --> 00:27:41.910 I'm big on family. 00:27:41.911 --> 00:27:50.279 I think family is vitally important, but family, no matter how great my family may be, my family is not the thing that will get me into heaven. 00:27:51.779 --> 00:27:54.000 My awesome family is not the Fe. 00:27:54.119 --> 00:27:56.579 And my relationship with my family is not the thing. 00:27:56.730 --> 00:27:59.519 That's going to allow me to have great connection with God. 00:27:59.520 --> 00:28:00.420 No, it's faith. 00:28:01.829 --> 00:28:02.819 It's my faith. 00:28:03.180 --> 00:28:10.950 And I know people that will walk away from their faith in order to appease their family, thinking that family is important. 00:28:10.951 --> 00:28:13.619 But what we can do is make family God. 00:28:15.059 --> 00:28:18.900 How about this sports over spiritual things. 00:28:22.500 --> 00:28:22.500 Yeah. 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:23.599 Pastor Micah. 00:28:23.601 --> 00:28:25.220 That is great preaching right there. 00:28:25.221 --> 00:28:26.299 That's just really good. 00:28:28.279 --> 00:28:30.410 How about work over worship? 00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:34.759 How about wealth over generosity? 00:28:36.650 --> 00:28:40.789 And let me give you some questions that you can ask to test your test, your priorities. 00:28:40.970 --> 00:28:41.329 Here you go. 00:28:41.330 --> 00:28:42.019 Here's some questions. 00:28:42.289 --> 00:28:45.619 What do you skip to make time for the other? 00:28:48.109 --> 00:28:48.680 What do you say? 00:28:48.681 --> 00:28:52.279 You know, I'll, I'll catch that next time because this is the priority. 00:28:55.730 --> 00:28:56.930 How about this question? 00:28:57.049 --> 00:29:01.220 What gets your full attention versus getting your multitasking attention? 00:29:03.019 --> 00:29:19.650 Now, if you're with us online right now, I'm not trying to pick on you, but I've had people tell me the reason why I really love church online, because while I'm in church, I could eat breakfast and I can read the news and I can, okay. 00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:22.170 And my mind can be many different places. 00:29:22.289 --> 00:29:24.480 Now, what gets your actual focused attention? 00:29:26.190 --> 00:29:26.880 Don't bother me. 00:29:26.881 --> 00:29:28.200 My son's up to bat right now. 00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:35.700 Your son's on playing T-ball I know it's the most important thing in the world right now. 00:29:37.170 --> 00:29:40.829 Your son playing T-ball is the most important thing in the world. 00:29:40.900 --> 00:29:41.680 Not knocking it. 00:29:42.670 --> 00:29:45.519 I'm just saying where's your focus. 00:29:45.520 --> 00:29:46.930 Okay, Mike, next question. 00:29:48.039 --> 00:29:51.160 What are you faithful to supporting versus hit or miss about it? 00:29:53.789 --> 00:29:57.990 Yeah, that I don't miss, but this, okay. 00:29:58.859 --> 00:30:01.920 We miss the step elevating anything over God. 00:30:02.369 --> 00:30:04.559 And those are some good questions to test your priorities. 00:30:04.560 --> 00:30:05.099 How about this? 00:30:05.190 --> 00:30:06.869 We hit the step. 00:30:07.289 --> 00:30:11.220 When his priority becomes the factor that makes our decisions. 00:30:12.660 --> 00:30:17.549 I was going to do this, but then I saw in the word that God's priority is that, so that's what I'm going to do. 00:30:18.779 --> 00:30:23.430 I was going to go in that direction, but I saw in the word of God that his priority is this. 00:30:23.431 --> 00:30:24.660 So that's what I'm going to do. 00:30:26.190 --> 00:30:27.930 God alone is divine thought. 00:30:27.931 --> 00:30:30.000 Number two, God defines himself. 00:30:31.049 --> 00:30:38.069 He says, no carvings or likenesses of deity, Jehovah being the one, true God, any other God, being a lie. 00:30:38.970 --> 00:30:44.130 God often defines himself through scripture, through his work, through his word, through his power. 00:30:45.029 --> 00:30:47.259 But why does God define himself often? 00:30:48.519 --> 00:30:50.619 Because your control, what you define. 00:30:52.029 --> 00:31:04.089 If you to be the definer of the thing, you get to control, what the thing does, you get to control how big it is, how little it is, how great a reach it has, what it looks like, what its appearance is. 00:31:04.480 --> 00:31:06.700 You get to decide a whole lot of stuff about it. 00:31:06.730 --> 00:31:09.519 If you are the definer of the thing. 00:31:09.520 --> 00:31:19.900 And so we created them and the image informs our definition, or our definition informs the image in Romans. 00:31:19.901 --> 00:31:24.160 It says that they glorified God, not as God, they weren't thankful. 00:31:24.460 --> 00:31:26.380 But then they began to create idols. 00:31:26.381 --> 00:31:31.299 They carved idols out of four footed beasts and creeping things and all this kind of stuff. 00:31:31.420 --> 00:31:37.839 And, and we say, well, Hey, you know, I don't have any forefoot of the beast idols around my house that I bow down to. 00:31:37.840 --> 00:31:39.400 I haven't carved any lately. 00:31:39.401 --> 00:31:42.339 And you know, that order of the wood hasn't come in yet. 00:31:42.340 --> 00:31:43.059 So we're good. 00:31:43.060 --> 00:31:43.660 Right? 00:31:45.309 --> 00:31:48.160 Well, we might make idols out of different things. 00:31:50.140 --> 00:31:57.319 You say, Hey, uh, I'm, I'm holding this picture of who this is, but I have no relationship with that thing. 00:31:57.740 --> 00:32:35.990 And the Renaissance people started painting pictures of, of Jesus and, and Jesus was fair and blonde headed and blue eyed and looked like no Jewish person from Israel in the history of ever, if you are dedicated to worshiping a white Jesus, you're disappointed because this is, he is Jewish from Israel and get the, the painters were defining something. 00:32:36.980 --> 00:32:41.839 And so for many years, I've actually people, Bible studies within my lifetime. 00:32:41.990 --> 00:32:46.970 And I've said to them, uh, you know, Jesus, the Bible says that he was not beautiful. 00:32:47.059 --> 00:32:48.950 And I've had people say, wait a minute. 00:32:49.009 --> 00:32:50.740 Every picture I've seen of him as well, beautiful. 00:32:55.269 --> 00:33:01.000 That's because you have an artist's rendering of their imagery of Jesus, but that wasn't Jesus. 00:33:01.779 --> 00:33:03.549