WEBVTT 00:00:01.362 --> 00:00:02.001 Amen. 00:00:02.001 --> 00:00:07.649 Before you sit down, just let some folks around you know that you're glad that they're here today. 00:00:07.649 --> 00:00:14.477 Amen, amen. 00:00:14.477 --> 00:00:27.131 It is a good day to be in the house of God, amen. 00:00:27.131 --> 00:00:33.472 So good to see everybody here, glad to see some faces I haven't seen in a while. 00:00:33.472 --> 00:00:36.929 It's always good when family comes together. 00:00:36.929 --> 00:00:40.158 Amen, amen. 00:00:40.158 --> 00:00:53.587 And that's one of the things that I love about Connect Church is, even when we're not able to be here every Sunday, when we do show up, we're family and that's a good thing. 00:00:53.587 --> 00:00:59.792 Well, I want to welcome everyone to day number 16. 00:00:59.792 --> 00:01:02.405 We're getting closer. 00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:06.531 Day number 16 of our church is 21 days of prayer and fasting. 00:01:06.531 --> 00:01:17.262 Now I pray, everything is going well and even if you didn't start on the first day of the year, I mean, you know that's okay. 00:01:17.262 --> 00:01:23.703 It's okay Wherever you are, that's where you are and we're glad for that. 00:01:23.703 --> 00:01:28.093 And you may be like I haven't started at all. 00:01:28.093 --> 00:01:40.013 Well, that's okay too, because today is a great day for you to be able to start and just do come along with doing what we are already have started doing. 00:01:40.013 --> 00:01:44.906 Amen, you know it's not about a legal. 00:01:44.906 --> 00:01:47.412 I've got to do this 21 days. 00:01:47.412 --> 00:01:50.367 It has to be these particular 21 days. 00:01:50.367 --> 00:01:51.191 No. 00:01:51.191 --> 00:02:20.965 Prayer and fasting is a time when we set aside our time and focus on God and, regardless of where you are in this, god knows, he knows our hearts, he knows what we have need of, and I think it's awesome that we have the ability to start off the year this way, because it kind of sets the tone for the rest of the year. 00:02:22.127 --> 00:02:28.962 I like to think of it like this and understand I have absolutely zero musical ability. 00:02:28.962 --> 00:02:32.710 Okay, I'm man enough to say that. 00:02:32.710 --> 00:02:35.134 Stephen knows it's okay. 00:02:35.134 --> 00:02:43.480 Okay, I intentionally make sure Josh doesn't pay attention to me when he's up here drumming and I'm up here clapping off beat. 00:02:43.480 --> 00:02:47.592 Okay, because if he looks at me, I'm going to throw him off. 00:02:47.592 --> 00:02:54.109 That's why, if you see me clapping a lot of times, I'm clapping real fast because I'm thinking one of these has got to be right. 00:02:54.109 --> 00:03:15.931 Just being honest, but if we were getting ready to play in a concert that was going to be seen all over the world, would you tune your instrument before the concert or after? 00:03:15.931 --> 00:03:20.943 Doesn't do any good to tune the instrument afterwards. 00:03:20.943 --> 00:03:30.810 So that's why, when we're starting out the year with prayer and fasting, we're tuning our instrument and we are wanting to make the most of 2022. 00:03:30.810 --> 00:03:35.502 Is there anybody here hoping that 2022 just really stinks? 00:03:35.502 --> 00:03:38.568 Looky there, nobody. 00:03:38.568 --> 00:03:39.990 That's a good thing. 00:03:39.990 --> 00:03:41.292 Okay. 00:03:41.292 --> 00:03:55.900 So that's all I have to say about the fasting for right now, but I want to ask another question how are we doing on Pastor Stephen's challenge of 17? 00:03:55.900 --> 00:03:57.163 Three of us? 00:03:59.007 --> 00:04:18.764 The challenge of 17 is simple Five minutes a day in prayer, five minutes a day just giving God praise whether that's with music or just singing praises, whatever that looks like to you and then five minutes of reading God's word. 00:04:18.764 --> 00:04:23.394 Now, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know that's only 15. 00:04:23.394 --> 00:04:27.290 Okay, so we've got two more minutes in here, or two more things. 00:04:27.290 --> 00:04:35.675 The first is doing one random act of kindness every single day for someone. 00:04:35.675 --> 00:04:42.870 Okay, we can all do that, and then invite at least one person to church. 00:04:42.870 --> 00:04:54.591 And guess what, even if they tell you, no, it's okay, because we're still doing our job of inviting. 00:04:54.591 --> 00:04:57.495 That's our job. 00:04:57.495 --> 00:05:11.680 Now, if God tells you to put somebody in the headlock and drag them to church, first of all make sure that's God, otherwise they're going to police, are going to show up and you're going to get dragged away somewhere else, and that would be a bad day. 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:21.420 Okay, so let's just do our best every day to be the best that we can be for God. 00:05:21.420 --> 00:05:23.964 Amen, that's the bottom line. 00:05:24.466 --> 00:05:47.488 So now, moving on to what I feel like God has laid on my heart this morning, I want to share a message with you that I have titled Prefer Six little letters P-R-E-F-E-R, and I also want to give a little bit of a disclaimer. 00:05:47.488 --> 00:05:56.113 This morning, there may be part of this message, or several parts of this message, that might step on your toes. 00:05:56.113 --> 00:06:06.665 There may be a couple of parts in this message that may actually kick you in the shin in this message that may actually kick you in the shin. 00:06:06.665 --> 00:06:36.500 But just understand, the harder I stomp, the more I kick, the bigger I smile, because my toes have already been stomped on, my shins have already been kicked, and I just want to share some things that God is teaching me with you, amen. 00:06:36.500 --> 00:06:38.382 So, to start off, I want to give a definition for prefer. 00:06:38.382 --> 00:06:55.781 When we look up prefer in the dictionary, it is defined this way to like better or best, okay, to give priority to, to choose, select or pick, or one of my favorites, to single out. 00:06:55.781 --> 00:07:02.720 This definition is going to be very important as we go through the rest of this morning. 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:05.423 I want to give it to you one more time. 00:07:05.423 --> 00:07:14.983 The definition is to like better or best, to give priority to, to choose, select, pick or single out. 00:07:16.766 --> 00:07:26.732 Now, today's key verse that we're going to be bouncing off of is going to be found in the New Testament, particularly the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 30. 00:07:26.732 --> 00:07:30.149 Now, deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Bible, up close to the front. 00:07:30.149 --> 00:07:33.086 It's one of the books of the law. 00:07:33.086 --> 00:07:48.250 It was written by Moses, and Moses had a lot to say to the children of Israel, and I believe that what he said to the children of Israel back then is very applicable to what we need to hear today. 00:07:48.250 --> 00:08:06.752 So chapter 30, verse 19, says this Today I have given you a choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. 00:08:06.752 --> 00:08:20.413 Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make, oh, that you would choose life so that you and your descendants might live. 00:08:20.413 --> 00:08:28.567 There's a lot there, father, as we go through this morning. 00:08:28.567 --> 00:08:38.014 Father, let my words be your words and Father, even if I don't speak the right words, let the right words be heard anyway. 00:08:38.014 --> 00:08:44.451 Father, help me to get out of the way so that your word can come forth. 00:08:44.451 --> 00:08:51.157 And Father, just give us all ears to hear what your spirit would say to each and every one of us today. 00:08:51.157 --> 00:08:54.461 Thank you. 00:08:54.542 --> 00:08:58.589 Choices, choices, choices. 00:08:58.589 --> 00:09:01.234 What is your preference? 00:09:01.234 --> 00:09:05.543 What are you going to choose today? 00:09:05.543 --> 00:09:08.971 Do you want paper sacks or plastic bags? 00:09:08.971 --> 00:09:17.147 Do you want hot tea or iced tea? 00:09:17.147 --> 00:09:26.750 Do you want vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream or any other flavor of ice creams? 00:09:26.750 --> 00:09:29.548 I don't want to limit us on ice cream. 00:09:29.548 --> 00:09:31.365 I don't want to be that guy. 00:09:31.365 --> 00:09:36.591 So ice cream is always a good choice as far as I'm concerned. 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:46.414 And at the end of the day, will somebody please just make a choice on where we're going to go eat today? 00:09:46.414 --> 00:09:52.905 It sounds, it sounds so easy. 00:09:52.905 --> 00:09:55.919 How many of y'all have ever had a discussion where you want to go eat? 00:09:55.919 --> 00:09:56.761 I don't care. 00:09:56.761 --> 00:09:59.168 Where you want to eat, it doesn't matter. 00:09:59.168 --> 00:10:01.592 Okay, I'm going to tell you it matters. 00:10:01.592 --> 00:10:10.000 I'm going to tell you it matters. 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:12.024 It does matter, because I learned this early on in my dating relationship with my wife. 00:10:12.024 --> 00:10:18.865 We were going to school at TJC and we were off at lunch at the same time and I was wanting to treat her. 00:10:18.865 --> 00:10:19.928 I said, well, where do you want to go? 00:10:19.928 --> 00:10:20.990 I don't care. 00:10:20.990 --> 00:10:26.128 No, seriously, where do you want to go eat. 00:10:26.128 --> 00:10:31.349 You tell me, and that's where we're going to go, I don't care, you don't care. 00:10:31.349 --> 00:10:32.490 No, I don't care. 00:10:32.490 --> 00:10:51.350 Okay, so we drove right across the street to Derwiener Schnitzel For those of you who have not had the opportunity to enjoy the delicacies of footlong hot dogs, that was their specialty hot dogs. 00:10:51.350 --> 00:11:06.808 And as I pulled up into the parking lot there and I said, all right, we ready to go in, I noticed a tear starting coming down her aisle and I realized she just lied to me. 00:11:06.808 --> 00:11:12.140 Obviously, it does matter where we go eat. 00:11:12.140 --> 00:11:20.481 So and what you may not have just heard her say was I picked the one place that I knew she didn't like. 00:11:20.481 --> 00:11:21.344 Why? 00:11:21.344 --> 00:11:24.972 Because I was wanting a response of where do you want to eat? 00:11:24.972 --> 00:11:27.966 Just make a choice. 00:11:28.980 --> 00:11:39.816 And so many times God today is telling us quit thinking about every little thing and just make a choice. 00:11:39.816 --> 00:11:52.821 Better move on here other than making the choice to follow Jesus Christ and to make him Lord of your life. 00:11:52.821 --> 00:12:00.081 One of the biggest choices you're ever going to make in your life is am I going to get married? 00:12:00.081 --> 00:12:06.894 And if I am going to get married, whom am I going to get married to? 00:12:06.894 --> 00:12:10.849 How many of y'all know that that's a very big choice. 00:12:10.849 --> 00:12:16.850 That's not a choice that you just go nah, they'll do. 00:12:16.850 --> 00:12:40.631 No, please don't do that, okay, because then if we have a whole lot of people that do that, then in just a short amount of time, pastor Steve and and miss Jesse are going to have a whole lot of counseling sessions set up and you're going to make their job really, really hard. 00:12:40.631 --> 00:12:47.331 So it's important if we do choose to marry, who are we going to marry Now? 00:12:47.452 --> 00:12:53.331 I think that everyone knows that the marriage relationship is a complex relationship. 00:12:53.331 --> 00:12:54.134 Would you agree? 00:12:54.134 --> 00:13:29.113 And if you're not sure, if the marriage relationship is a complex relationship, it's because you're not married yet, because most of the time, how many of you know, opposites attract, and when opposites start spending a lot of time together, there tends to be a lot of rubbing and disagreements I'm not going to say arguments, but maybe some loud, vocal discussions. 00:13:29.113 --> 00:13:36.451 And things may not always be peaches and cream. 00:13:36.451 --> 00:13:40.229 There may be a few bumps along the way. 00:13:40.229 --> 00:13:47.330 For things to work, there has to be good communication, amen. 00:13:47.330 --> 00:14:10.506 For things to work, there has to be a give and take from both sides and ultimately, preferably Jesus needs to be right in the center of the marriage, because even with Jesus in the center of the marriage, there's still going to be some friction sometimes. 00:14:10.506 --> 00:14:14.038 Okay, it's just going to happen. 00:14:14.038 --> 00:14:16.063 That's just the way life works. 00:14:17.006 --> 00:14:27.813 And now, if you've ever been to a wedding, you may have heard something that sounds something like this I now take you to be my lawfully wedded wife. 00:14:27.813 --> 00:14:31.711 I promise to love you in good times and in bad. 00:14:31.711 --> 00:14:36.020 I promise to take care of you in sickness and in health. 00:14:36.020 --> 00:14:43.629 I will honor you all the days of my life, preferring you above all others. 00:14:43.629 --> 00:14:57.370 Okay Now, I've been at weddings where they didn't say in sickness and in health. 00:14:57.370 --> 00:15:07.030 I've been in weddings where they didn't say a lot of this stuff, and I heard someone ask the groom say well, hey, what do you think? 00:15:07.030 --> 00:15:16.489 He said I think everything's good and be good as long as you don't get sick, or as long as this doesn't happen. 00:15:16.489 --> 00:15:20.768 See, it's a choice. 00:15:20.768 --> 00:15:21.371 We all have choices to make. 00:15:21.371 --> 00:15:21.951 It's a choice. 00:15:21.951 --> 00:15:23.534 We all have choices to make. 00:15:23.534 --> 00:15:30.388 Prefer you above all others. 00:15:31.159 --> 00:15:38.374 When Pamela and I got married, she told me that it was no longer appropriate for me to have a girlfriend. 00:15:38.374 --> 00:15:43.226 How narrow-minded, right? 00:15:43.226 --> 00:15:50.948 But that was one of the stipulations If we were getting married, she was the only one. 00:15:50.948 --> 00:15:52.192 And guess what? 00:15:52.192 --> 00:15:53.764 She is the only one. 00:15:53.764 --> 00:16:06.346 And here's the thing I read in the Bible all these different folks that had a bunch of wives Okay, every single one of them also had a bunch of wives. 00:16:06.346 --> 00:16:09.769 Okay, every single one of them also had a bunch of problems. 00:16:09.769 --> 00:16:12.952 Okay, does that mean it's the woman's fault? 00:16:12.952 --> 00:16:23.876 Absolutely not, because if it had been one woman married to different men, there would still have been a bunch of problems. 00:16:23.876 --> 00:16:30.955 Okay, the marriage relationship is one man with one woman. 00:16:30.955 --> 00:16:32.000 Okay, and that's more than I can handle. 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:38.083 Okay, you know, I tell people all the time everybody has a cross to bear. 00:16:38.083 --> 00:16:41.931 I just happened to be Pamela's, so she puts up with me and I'm very grateful for that. 00:16:43.575 --> 00:16:47.844 But building a true, strong, committed relationship is not about ease. 00:16:47.844 --> 00:16:49.366 How many of you know that? 00:16:49.366 --> 00:16:58.972 It's not about convenience, because walking day in and day out with someone is very often not easy. 00:16:58.972 --> 00:17:04.627 It is very often not convenient, often not convenient, but that's okay. 00:17:04.627 --> 00:17:06.231 It takes work. 00:17:06.231 --> 00:17:15.699 It takes give and take and a willingness to work through conflict. 00:17:15.699 --> 00:17:16.560 We have to work through the conflict. 00:17:16.580 --> 00:17:21.268 And for gentlemen, I'm just going to give you a little bit of advice here. 00:17:21.268 --> 00:17:39.065 There is a verse in the Bible that says something to the effect it is better to be on the rooftop in the middle of a hailstorm than live in a house with a quarrelsome woman. 00:17:39.065 --> 00:17:43.923 Now that can be flipped the woman can be up on the roof in the hailstorm and the man can be quarrelsome. 00:17:43.923 --> 00:17:49.471 Okay, point is, if you're in the middle of an argument, don't break that verse out. 00:17:49.471 --> 00:17:55.145 It will not go well with you. 00:17:55.145 --> 00:17:59.970 Okay, it's not going to have that calming effect. 00:17:59.970 --> 00:18:05.305 Just saying that that was free, that wasn't even in my notes. 00:18:07.060 --> 00:18:21.477 But in my relationship with Pamela I must choose daily whether I'm going to think about me, me, me, or am I going to think about us? 00:18:21.477 --> 00:18:37.787 It's not about what's right for me, but what's right for us, and sometimes I choose right, other times not so much. 00:18:37.787 --> 00:18:39.488 Why? 00:18:39.488 --> 00:18:47.737 Because I can tend to be a very stingy person, a very me first person, if I'm not careful. 00:18:47.737 --> 00:19:03.688 Some times back, billy Graham and his wife were being interviewed and the interviewer asked Mrs Graham, what was it like to be married to Billy? 00:19:03.688 --> 00:19:07.154 And she had all these glowing things to say about her husband and that was awesome. 00:19:07.154 --> 00:19:12.952 And then the interviewer asked well, did you ever think about divorce? 00:19:12.952 --> 00:19:16.463 Mrs Graham sat. 00:19:16.463 --> 00:19:19.300 She thought for a minute she goes. 00:19:19.300 --> 00:19:26.019 Divorce, no Murder, yes, yes. 00:19:26.019 --> 00:19:35.099 Why? 00:19:35.099 --> 00:19:36.201 Because from time to time there is conflict. 00:19:36.221 --> 00:19:41.407 Now, in a relationship with friends and family, we also have to choose how much time we spend with them. 00:19:41.407 --> 00:19:42.849 How many of you know that? 00:19:42.849 --> 00:19:52.383 Okay, some friends in some family, being around them, build us up. 00:19:52.383 --> 00:20:05.651 Some of the friends or people we call friends in some of our family have a tendency, sometimes, maybe a lot of time, to wear us down. 00:20:05.651 --> 00:20:09.224 Okay, we've all got that. 00:20:09.224 --> 00:20:11.786 Nobody's immune from that. 00:20:11.786 --> 00:20:25.875 But here's the thing Are you allowing friendship and extended family to interfere with the marriage relationship? 00:20:25.875 --> 00:20:32.569 That's something we have to think about. 00:20:32.569 --> 00:20:37.267 Where's the priority going to be? 00:20:39.162 --> 00:20:57.330 And if you have that relationship with a friend or family member that is always trying to separate you from what God has for you, whether they realize that's what they're doing or not, how many of you know it might be time to have a tough conversation? 00:20:57.330 --> 00:21:07.815 The reason they call it tough love is because some of the conversations we have to have with others can be tough. 00:21:07.815 --> 00:21:10.346 They can be hurtful. 00:21:10.346 --> 00:21:14.471 There is a chance someone could be offended. 00:21:14.471 --> 00:21:29.487 Can you imagine that in the day and time that we live in, somebody could be offended by something that we said, regardless if it was true or not, anybody ever seen that? 00:21:29.487 --> 00:21:49.471 Yep, now this might mean that you might not be able to spend as much time with some of the negative attitudes and the negative influences that some of the friends or family bring to the table. 00:21:51.580 --> 00:21:56.092 Now, does that mean we do away with those friends, do away with those family members? 00:21:56.092 --> 00:22:02.087 Maybe that sounds kind of harsh, doesn't it? 00:22:02.087 --> 00:22:12.547 But there may be times that, instead of spending time with them, we spend time praying for them. 00:22:12.547 --> 00:22:28.609 There may be times that we need to pray for us in our interactions with them, because how many of you know my brother, my sister? 00:22:28.609 --> 00:22:32.993 They're not responsible for my actions and reactions. 00:22:32.993 --> 00:23:10.931 Sometimes I just need to be the bigger person and not let myself get involved with some of their drama or be very sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is telling me and speak this little bit and shut up, or just start out with shut up, because there are times that I just need to keep my mouth shut, and how many of you know that sometimes that doesn't happen? 00:23:10.931 --> 00:23:44.486 You know, but we just have to be sensitive and there are times that, at least for a season, we may have to say bye to some folks, and that can be hard, especially when this individual is a lifelong friend or is a family member that you know needs help. 00:23:44.486 --> 00:23:52.006 But until they're ready to receive the help, they're not going to receive it. 00:23:52.006 --> 00:23:55.153 I mean, that's just a fact. 00:23:57.220 --> 00:24:00.750 Moses said choose blessings or curses. 00:24:00.750 --> 00:24:14.493 Now that seems like an easy choice, but I want you to remember that our enemy, the devil, is very, very good at dressing up curses to look like blessings. 00:24:14.493 --> 00:24:18.650 The Bible calls him an imitator of light. 00:24:18.650 --> 00:24:27.292 What that means in a business standpoint is he makes the outdoor window look very, very inviting. 00:24:27.292 --> 00:24:36.450 Because you're like man, if the outdoor window looks this good, how awesome must this store be inside? 00:24:36.450 --> 00:24:47.472 And then, when you get inside and the door closes behind you, you realize real quick uh-oh, I done made a mistake. 00:24:52.320 --> 00:24:58.713 The devil wants us to think that your choices will have zero ill consequences. 00:24:58.713 --> 00:25:08.733 The devil may say something along the lines of it's okay, god knows what you're going through right now. 00:25:08.733 --> 00:25:09.237 It's okay. 00:25:09.237 --> 00:25:12.929 It's okay, god understands. 00:25:12.929 --> 00:25:16.366 It's no big deal. 00:25:16.366 --> 00:25:25.311 And let me explain this to you just real quick in case you don't know or maybe you've forgotten. 00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:33.733 Anytime you hear the voice of the devil, he is always lying to you. 00:25:33.733 --> 00:25:37.108 The Bible calls him the father of lies. 00:25:37.108 --> 00:25:39.007 There is no truth in him. 00:25:39.007 --> 00:25:45.012 If there's no truth in him, anything coming out of him has got to be a lie. 00:25:45.012 --> 00:25:48.307 It's got to be a setup. 00:25:48.307 --> 00:25:50.445 So be on guard for that. 00:25:50.445 --> 00:25:56.150 The devil wants us to think there's no consequence. 00:25:56.150 --> 00:25:59.563 How many of you know, there's consequences for every choice. 00:25:59.563 --> 00:26:08.402 We make Good choices, good consequences, bad choices, bad consequences. 00:26:08.402 --> 00:26:11.226 And it's up to us. 00:26:11.226 --> 00:26:14.070 What are we going to choose? 00:26:14.070 --> 00:26:17.175 What are we going to prefer? 00:26:19.861 --> 00:26:23.551 I want you to think about a large banquet table for just a minute. 00:26:23.551 --> 00:26:25.787 I know we're in the middle of a fast. 00:26:25.787 --> 00:26:40.852 Please bear with me, but whether that's a wedding feast, whether that's a Thanksgiving feast, whether that's a Thanksgiving feast, whether that's a 4th of July, let's just have a good time with our family, family reunion, kind of thing. 00:26:40.852 --> 00:26:44.990 I want you to think about the table that would be set out. 00:26:44.990 --> 00:26:52.953 Let's just for a minute pretend that cost is absolutely no problem. 00:26:52.953 --> 00:26:58.530 Everything that you want is already paid for. 00:26:58.530 --> 00:27:04.252 All you have to do is decide to choose what you want on the table. 00:27:04.252 --> 00:27:06.385 Is it going to be steak? 00:27:06.385 --> 00:27:10.530 Is it going to be some kind of exotic something? 00:27:10.530 --> 00:27:15.165 What are we going to choose? 00:27:15.165 --> 00:27:17.987 All kinds of choices. 00:27:17.987 --> 00:27:20.467 Is it going to be a taco bar? 00:27:20.467 --> 00:27:23.006 Is it going to be a sushi bar? 00:27:23.006 --> 00:27:27.711 Is it going to be lined with the favorite Italian dishes? 00:27:27.711 --> 00:27:31.890 Is it going to be pizzas? 00:27:31.890 --> 00:27:32.414 Is it going to be burgers? 00:27:32.414 --> 00:27:32.940 Is it going to be pizzas? 00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:38.739 Is it going to be burgers? 00:27:38.739 --> 00:27:49.799 Is it going to be a huge table or tables of desserts? 00:27:49.799 --> 00:28:05.945 And just for the sake of argument, let's just go ahead and say that everything that is going to be made is going to be made with the freshest of ingredients and is going to be cooked to the absolute optimal level that you personally enjoy. 00:28:05.945 --> 00:28:11.674 That is the table of blessing that God wants to give us. 00:28:11.674 --> 00:28:14.308 That sounds like a good deal to me. 00:28:14.308 --> 00:28:22.825 Okay, for the sake of argument, we're going to put that table over here on this side of the room today, and everybody on this side of the room said amen. 00:28:22.825 --> 00:28:24.667 Okay, you guys over here. 00:28:27.452 --> 00:28:29.142 Now we're going to look at the table of curses. 00:28:29.142 --> 00:28:45.539 This is what our enemy is going to prepare for us, and today we're going to think about some of the specialties that come from our enemy's roadkill cafe. 00:28:45.539 --> 00:28:54.755 So let's just take a look at some of the delicacies our enemy wants to put out for us. 00:28:54.755 --> 00:28:58.788 Maybe he wants to set out a rack of raccoon. 00:28:58.788 --> 00:29:02.307 Maybe a slab of lab? 00:29:02.307 --> 00:29:05.526 Okay, this is going to get worse. 00:29:05.526 --> 00:29:09.750 Maybe poodles and noodles. 00:29:09.750 --> 00:29:12.866 Doesn't that sound scrumptious? 00:29:12.866 --> 00:29:21.220 Maybe a possum pot pie? 00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:22.422 Okay, maybe a smidgen of pigeon. 00:29:22.422 --> 00:29:23.742 Maybe some snake and bake? 00:29:24.083 --> 00:29:25.865 Everybody loves a good casserole, right? 00:29:25.865 --> 00:29:29.648 Maybe it's? 00:29:29.648 --> 00:29:37.037 It's that skunk splat soup with that special aroma. 00:29:37.037 --> 00:29:41.288 Maybe it's the flat cat cakes. 00:29:41.288 --> 00:29:43.365 Maybe it's the out of luck duck. 00:29:43.365 --> 00:29:45.905 Everybody loves bacon, right? 00:29:45.905 --> 00:29:48.305 How about some of that centerline bovine? 00:29:48.305 --> 00:29:53.689 Okay, maybe it's the rigor mortis tortoise. 00:29:53.689 --> 00:29:59.948 Maybe a smear of deer, or maybe it's just the Monday night special? 00:29:59.948 --> 00:30:01.352 Guess this mess. 00:30:01.352 --> 00:30:04.509 And if you can guess what it is, it's yours free. 00:30:04.509 --> 00:30:15.595 And, as always, there is never, ever any extra charge for a little fur or a little gravel mixed in. 00:30:18.141 --> 00:30:24.025 Now, that is the table that is set out over here, the table of curses. 00:30:24.025 --> 00:30:28.526 Sorry, guys, let's be honest. 00:30:28.526 --> 00:30:34.404 If it were that simple blessings and curses how many of you know that's an easy choice? 00:30:34.404 --> 00:30:36.942 That's an easy choice. 00:30:36.942 --> 00:30:44.882 Now, as entertaining as that is, the choice between blessing and curses should be obvious. 00:30:44.882 --> 00:30:51.672 And I've just got to say this God only wants the best for us. 00:30:51.672 --> 00:31:01.064 God's not going to lay out the snake and bake. 00:31:01.064 --> 00:31:05.492 He's not going to lay out fur and gravel mixed in with His food. 00:31:05.492 --> 00:31:12.736 That's not going to happen. 00:31:12.736 --> 00:31:21.663 God wants us to really and truly live our best life. 00:31:21.663 --> 00:31:23.105 That's what he wants for us. 00:31:23.105 --> 00:31:25.849 God wants us to choose Him. 00:31:25.849 --> 00:31:29.494 God wants us to prefer Him. 00:31:29.494 --> 00:31:42.002 He wants us to choose or prefer his way of doing life. 00:31:42.002 --> 00:31:43.866 And when we do that, good things happen. 00:31:43.866 --> 00:31:56.093 Amen, good things happen when I look over in the book of Joshua, chapter 24, verses 14 through 15, it says this so fear the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly. 00:31:56.660 --> 00:32:04.030 Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshipped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. 00:32:04.030 --> 00:32:07.890 Serve the Lord alone. 00:32:07.890 --> 00:32:20.515 But, uh-oh, but if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose this day whom you will serve. 00:32:20.515 --> 00:32:33.971 Would you prefer the gods of your ancestors, the ones that they serve beyond their Euphrates, or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? 00:32:33.971 --> 00:32:48.626 But then Joshua makes a very bold statement and says but as for me and my family, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 00:32:51.721 --> 00:32:54.730 Bottom line we all have a choice to make. 00:32:54.730 --> 00:32:58.890 I have to choose for me who I'm going to serve. 00:32:58.890 --> 00:33:03.230 My wife has to choose for her who she is going to serve. 00:33:03.230 --> 00:33:07.971 My kids have to choose for themselves who they are going to serve. 00:33:07.971 --> 00:33:12.631 I cannot force my kids to serve God. 00:33:12.631 --> 00:33:17.371 I can put them in a position that they're going to hear the word of God. 00:33:17.371 --> 00:33:27.588 I can put them in a position that they are going to know the difference between good choices and bad choices, but ultimately it is their choice. 00:33:27.588 --> 00:33:30.807 What do they prefer? 00:33:30.807 --> 00:33:34.486 We all have a choice to make. 00:33:34.486 --> 00:33:35.829 Amen, amen. 00:33:37.580 --> 00:33:43.834 Joshua is telling, not asking the people of Israel to make a choice. 00:33:43.834 --> 00:33:47.910 He's telling them to get off the fence. 00:33:47.910 --> 00:34:03.166 He is basically saying figure out who you are going to worship and go in 100%. 00:34:03.166 --> 00:34:08.125 Okay, you may want to pick your feet up here for this next bit, or it's not going to matter. 00:34:08.125 --> 00:34:11.208 It may kick you in the shin, so you're not really safe either way. 00:34:11.208 --> 00:34:21.070 Today it may sound something like this Quit playing church. 00:34:21.070 --> 00:34:28.780 Quit playing church. 00:34:28.780 --> 00:34:46.802 Quit playing out in the world all month long doing anything and everything that your little heart desires, and then show up on one Sunday morning out of the month just to make sure your fire insurance is still up to date. 00:34:46.802 --> 00:34:58.548 Come on, are we playing church or when we leave here? 00:34:58.548 --> 00:35:08.119 Is there absolutely no difference that anybody on the street can see between us and anyone else they meet. 00:35:08.119 --> 00:35:38.114 Let me ask you this If I were going to put you on trial today for being a Christian, just think back the last two weeks If, unknowing to you, I had someone following you around with a camera videoing everything that you did, everything that you said and even everything that you thought. 00:35:38.114 --> 00:35:51.592 If I were to come into a court of law and lay that evidence down, do I have enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian? 00:35:51.592 --> 00:36:07.304 Evidence to convict you of being a Christian, or would there be overwhelming evidence that you're just another sinner? 00:36:07.304 --> 00:36:14.871 I had to ask myself that same question, not real sure that I have a solid answer, sadly enough. 00:36:14.871 --> 00:36:23.565 Choices, preferences what are we going to do? 00:36:23.565 --> 00:36:33.751 There's a problem when we make the attempt to play church. 00:36:33.751 --> 00:36:38.518 There's a problem when we make the attempt to play church. 00:36:38.518 --> 00:36:54.753 In the book of Revelation, chapter 3, verses 15 and 16, and this is the Apostle John writing in a letter to the church of Laodicea I know your works that you are neither hot nor cold, or cold nor hot. 00:36:54.753 --> 00:36:58.550 I would wish you were cold or hot. 00:36:58.550 --> 00:37:11.391 So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. 00:37:11.391 --> 00:37:15.769 Doesn't that bring warm, fuzzy feelings to your heart. 00:37:15.769 --> 00:37:18.820 Ooh, I get to be vomited up. 00:37:18.820 --> 00:37:25.905 No, that's just nasty Any way you look at it. 00:37:25.905 --> 00:37:29.548 That's nasty, now lukewarm. 00:37:29.548 --> 00:37:34.733 That's playing church, hello. 00:37:34.733 --> 00:37:43.403 And how many of you know, if we plant weeds, guess what's going to grow Weeds? 00:37:43.403 --> 00:37:47.309 Got to be careful what we're planting. 00:37:47.309 --> 00:38:01.922 We live in a day and time when we need to make a serious decision when it comes to the things of God are we in or are we out? 00:38:01.922 --> 00:38:04.626 I've got a good friend of mine named Alex Reyes. 00:38:04.626 --> 00:38:10.554 He was a buddy of mine when I was going to church at Church on the Rock in Quitman many years ago. 00:38:10.554 --> 00:38:20.329 We had the awesome privilege of going on several mission trips together where we were helping to build churches. 00:38:20.329 --> 00:38:35.690 Anytime he saw me on a Sunday morning, without fail, he would come up and ask one question, three little words Are you in, are you in? 00:38:35.690 --> 00:38:46.385 The first time he asked, I responded with the question in for what I mean valid question. 00:38:46.385 --> 00:38:52.898 But his response has stuck with me some 30 years. 00:38:52.898 --> 00:39:01.298 If you have to ask whether or not you're in, you're not in. 00:39:01.298 --> 00:39:14.936 Alex and I, like I said, we had the opportunity to go on several different mission trips together. 00:39:14.936 --> 00:39:20.054 Those were some of the most awesome trips I've ever been on. 00:39:20.054 --> 00:39:29.114 They weren't vacations, it wasn't about me, it was about God. 00:39:29.114 --> 00:39:35.708 It was about doing something for somebody else that they couldn't do for themselves. 00:39:35.708 --> 00:39:45.489 That's a pretty cool thing to do, and it was the people that we were with that made the trips memorable. 00:39:45.489 --> 00:40:02.719 We were helping to build a church for people that I didn't know, and we were building a church that they couldn't afford to build. 00:40:02.719 --> 00:40:05.708 Our churches had. 00:40:05.708 --> 00:40:21.858 A couple of us had partnered together to send money and laborers to a place that desperately needed a church home, a physical building for people to come in and meet and hear the Word of God preached to them. 00:40:21.858 --> 00:40:27.574 And we went and we did just that. 00:40:27.574 --> 00:40:39.130 So anytime someone asks me if I'm in, my answer is simple yes, yes, I am. 00:40:39.130 --> 00:40:48.411 I want to be in, I want to be a part of what God is doing. 00:40:48.411 --> 00:40:51.476 I don't want it to be about me, I want it to be about Him. 00:40:51.476 --> 00:41:10.005 When I think of those trips to Mexico, or the trip that I was so blessed to get to go down to Honduras with Charlie and Judy Mills, my in-laws and I didn't know Danny was going to be here today. 00:41:10.005 --> 00:41:19.887 Danny, thank you, thank you, thank you for setting up that trip to Honduras all those years ago, for setting up that trip to Honduras all those years ago. 00:41:19.887 --> 00:41:38.856 It was during that time that I had the opportunity to go in and help teach some children's leaders in a small church of 25,000 members, how to do street evangelism. 00:41:38.856 --> 00:41:43.052 How to do street evangelism Myself and Judy and Charlie. 00:41:43.052 --> 00:41:45.597 We went in dressed as clowns. 00:41:45.597 --> 00:42:16.105 Now, when I say dressed as clowns, I mean everything that implies Bright hair, big hats, bright colored clothes, red nose, big shoes, clowns and we were showing people how to use simple illusions, how to use the things around us to share the love of God with people on the street. 00:42:16.105 --> 00:42:19.389 It was a pretty cool time. 00:42:19.389 --> 00:42:25.400 And what's so funny about that trip to Honduras, about the trips to Mexico? 00:42:25.400 --> 00:42:32.539 I was under the illusion that I was going there to bless somebody else who really needed the blessing. 00:42:32.539 --> 00:42:39.336 You talk about arrogant, pious thinking. 00:42:39.336 --> 00:42:41.329 That's where I was. 00:42:41.329 --> 00:42:53.873 But when I went and got my eyes off of me and put my eyes on somebody else, incredible, incredible things happened. 00:42:53.873 --> 00:43:10.213 The focus was on serving others and every time I went and thought I was going to be the one doing the blessing, I was the one receiving the blessing. 00:43:10.213 --> 00:43:12.527 Why? 00:43:12.527 --> 00:43:15.594 Because that's just how God works. 00:43:15.594 --> 00:43:18.784 Amen. 00:43:18.784 --> 00:43:30.094 We were able to share the love of Christ with people that we didn't know, and we were the ones that ended up blessed as just part of that. 00:43:30.094 --> 00:43:38.378 Now, as I said earlier, I can be an extremely selfish person, but if I'll quit looking at me, put my eyes on God. 00:43:38.378 --> 00:43:48.965 But if I'll quit looking at me, put my eyes on God, awesome opportunities begin to present themselves. 00:43:48.965 --> 00:43:58.972 So often we walk around with our heads down, looking at the ground, instead of looking up at where God wants us to go. 00:43:58.972 --> 00:44:03.360 We need to learn the art of putting God first. 00:44:03.360 --> 00:44:10.152 How many of you know that's the very first of God's Ten Commandments have no other gods before me. 00:44:10.152 --> 00:44:13.793 If no other god is before him, that means he's first. 00:44:13.793 --> 00:44:15.699 Amen, amen. 00:44:15.699 --> 00:44:46.157 And I'm just going to say this just as a side note you have not truly lived until you have walked through a bus terminal, a very busy bus terminal, in another country, dressed as a clown, dressed as a clown, and where we happened to be there in Honduras. 00:44:46.157 --> 00:44:56.594 Most of their police were military, which means they had automatic weapons that they were standing around in the bus terminal with. 00:44:56.594 --> 00:45:26.405 And here we come, bouncing through what's up, and they're looking at me like, hmm, I think I'm going to shoot somebody today, but it was the clown suit, the big red nose, the bright orange hair, the big cat in the hat style tiger print hat that drew some attention. 00:45:26.405 --> 00:45:32.793 But it was when we had the opportunity to share the love of made. 00:45:32.793 --> 00:45:35.755 That's where the difference was made. 00:45:35.755 --> 00:45:50.907 When we were there in Honduras, we did several of the outreaches. 00:45:50.907 --> 00:46:14.838 Part of what Danny does is he goes into regions and he teaches people how to use puppets, how to use storyboards or what we used to call the old felt boards, how to be a mime or a clown, and all of this to work together to share the love of Jesus to people on the street. 00:46:14.838 --> 00:46:21.916 I don't remember how many people were in attendance there in Honduras. 00:46:21.916 --> 00:46:27.398 I know that there were several hundred people there children's, workers from all around the area. 00:46:27.398 --> 00:46:34.592 One of the things that was going on, like I said, was the felt boards. 00:46:34.592 --> 00:46:52.318 We had a huge stack when I say stack, I mean like three foot tall, laid flat stack of big pieces of cardboard that we were cutting into specific sizes to be able to use as felt boards. 00:46:52.318 --> 00:46:55.233 At the time I was working for Brookshire's. 00:46:55.233 --> 00:46:56.806 I was a stalker. 00:46:56.806 --> 00:47:11.778 God used the abilities that I used every day at work for his glory, because part of what I was doing was cutting straight lines for these boards. 00:47:11.778 --> 00:47:27.827 Never wastes an opportunity Never. 00:47:27.827 --> 00:47:30.554 When we were going down to Mexico the first trip, we went down and we went in a van we called Old Blue. 00:47:30.554 --> 00:47:32.458 We called her Old Blue because she was old. 00:47:32.458 --> 00:47:41.192 The dash in between where the driver and passenger seat was worn almost completely off, it had big indention in it. 00:47:41.192 --> 00:47:50.344 We always joked around saying, yeah, that indention is there because we've had to lay hands on this thing so many times and pray that we were going to get to where we were going. 00:47:50.344 --> 00:48:01.001 And we took that and we went down and we built churches and we built churches. 00:48:01.001 --> 00:48:06.713 And I'm not saying all this stuff about what we've done and where we've been is a way of saying, oh, look at me. 00:48:06.713 --> 00:48:13.469 I'm simply saying when God asks you the question, are you in? 00:48:13.469 --> 00:48:25.259 And you say yes, he will open the door to opportunities to minister that you would never, ever have otherwise. 00:48:25.259 --> 00:49:12.052 And for me the scary thing is if I had told God no any one of those times that I've had the opportunity to go, I look at so many things I would have missed out on To see the glow on somebody's face out on the street who has been miserable, beat up, beat down, that whenever they stop and watch a clown or a puppet or someone share the love of Jesus, and that light bulb go on and their life, you know, is forever changed and you had a part of that. 00:49:12.052 --> 00:49:30.875 There's no amount of money you can put on that and the cool thing is we don't know how many people that received Christ right there. 00:49:30.875 --> 00:49:33.775 I remember one deal that we did there in Honduras. 00:49:33.775 --> 00:49:36.132 We had a pretty big gathering of people. 00:49:36.132 --> 00:49:42.097 We had nearly 100 people that one evening give their heart to Christ for the very first time. 00:49:42.097 --> 00:49:59.034 There's no way any of us know how many people they went and told and how many people they went and told, and how many people they went and told and it was because a group of people said yes. 00:49:59.034 --> 00:50:02.603 We said yes, we said yes. 00:50:02.603 --> 00:50:08.034 But how many of you know you don't have to go outside the country to share the love of Jesus. 00:50:08.034 --> 00:50:12.434 You may just have to walk across the street. 00:50:12.434 --> 00:50:19.934 You may be able to stay in your backyard and just talk to somebody over a fence. 00:50:19.934 --> 00:50:30.338 It may be as simple as just sharing with somebody at the dinner table where you work. 00:50:30.338 --> 00:50:44.153 There are going to be opportunities that God puts in our life and I'm grateful for everyone I've said yes to. 00:50:44.153 --> 00:50:50.773 I've been talking with Pastor Stephen, I've got a couple of connections that we may be able to do. 00:50:50.773 --> 00:50:59.778 Some more of this Excuse me Boots on the ground, hands to theplow, kind of opportunities. 00:50:59.778 --> 00:51:08.996 Now, I'm sorry to say, most of these opportunities, at least right now, are going to involve just the men as far as the ones going. 00:51:08.996 --> 00:51:14.317 It doesn't mean the women can't participate, because we need participation from everybody. 00:51:14.317 --> 00:51:18.135 Even if you can't go, can you help somebody else go. 00:51:18.135 --> 00:51:34.498