Do you have a Plan?

This morning we talk about the Plan! Ultimately God has your ultimate plan already drawn up. It is up to you though to be obedient to that plan. You take Jonah, he was running, hiding and ultimately comfortable even to the point of sleeping through the storm! God WOKE him up because of his disobedience. Then again you take Noah even through the doubts, the mocking he remained faithful unto the Lord! The Lord has prayed for you, that's good! 

31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Matthew 22:31-32 

Thank you as always for joining in for another week!

Bro. Lane, Bro. Zach, Bro. Ryan, Bro. David

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Welcome to the Pick It Up Podcast, the podcast where we'll discuss what it means to pick up your cross and follow Christ. Living a life for Christ takes commitment, sacrifice, and ultimately being obedient to his word. Not only on Sundays, but every day. God's word says it, that settles it. So pray about it, practice it, and proclaim it. Let's get into it.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

It's a good morning. Wake up in a brand new day.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

Whatever, boys. Whatever. You're gonna sing bass Sunday if you bass. Mama saying me and that brother would join right in there.

SPEAKER_03 0:53

Good morning, guys. Good morning, Zach. How are you, sir? Wonderful.

SPEAKER_05 0:59

I ain't used to Zach being on this side of me.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Well, you better get used to it.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

Philip may have lost his chairs pretty comfortable.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Pretty comfortable over there. Yeah. 185 cannot be with us this morning. No, he's chasing calls. Chasing bad guys. So Brother Davey, you good this morning?

SPEAKER_03 1:18

Good, son. I'm saved.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Amen. We uh got through Mother's Day, kind of the first big, I say big services. Well the services are big because they're about God, but first kind of big service of the year, Mother's Day between Mothers. Oh, we had Easter, my bad.

SPEAKER_05 1:36

You forget the resurrection.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Easter, yep. I forgot the resurrection. But dun dun dun dun got done with Mother's Day, had a good service for Sunday for Mother's Day, and then uh started off our Wednesday night services last night. Went well, went great. Watson kind of started off with the sixth graders and ended with the seniors. Yep.

SPEAKER_05 2:02

They ain't kicked out yet, but they're in promotion mode.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

I noticed it was a little more lively and used last night. I could tell the sixth graders were there.

SPEAKER_05 2:15

Well, they were shy and bashful. They didn't talk a whole lot or get involved, but next week's coming. Thank you, Bridger. Uh next week is coming. We're gonna get them involved, put them on the front row. Yeah, there you go. And let them see what it's all about. Be good for them. Amen. We didn't have all of our new sixth graders last night.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

We had missing two or three, but we're getting ready for all of our summer stuff. We just actually got back from Bog Springs church camp this past uh we got back yesterday, went over there for a day and helped Mr. John John Jack over Bog Springs power wash, pressure wash, mow, cut some limbs. So looking good over there, ain't it, Preacher?

SPEAKER_03 3:00

Yep. Young man was doing a good job.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Yep. Yep. Looking forward to camp this year.

SPEAKER_05 3:07

I looked over there at Preacher one time mowing. He was making targets out the yard. Circling. Circling. He had a good point behind that. You don't never have to turn around.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

That's the most efficient way to mow it. I get sick as a dog, but you broke how many how many lawnmower blades did you break over there? I meant to ask John how many lawnmower blades he goes through in a year. A bunch of all them rocks. Yeah. You're mowing rocks, basically. Yeah, boulders. Yeah, them many rocks.

SPEAKER_05 3:32

Them dudes growing too, man. Yeah. They come out of nowhere. They pop about the ground. It's like that one in front of Dollar General. That's something that's cheap growing.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

No, they put that there on purpose. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway. Well, hey, look, let's get in the word of God this morning. What are we going to talk about, Brother David? I know you know you in Peter a little, or not in Peter, but about Peter this morning a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 3:53

Yeah, something online. I'll bring it up, see where y'all want to go with it. Uh it was brought to my attention last night in our Wednesday night Bible study, Brother Norman. And he's such a good teacher, man. Does a great job. You don't have anywhere to be on a Sunday night or Wednesday night at six o'clock. I encourage you to come. Does a good job. But he had uh mentioned uh in his teaching out of Judges, talking about Gideon and Samson. Uh meanway, he was using Peter as an example there. And a conversation that Jesus had with Peter, and uh he just made one comment that caused me to think, well, I never thought about that way. But basically, I'll read you the scripture and then we can I'll get y'all's opinion on what you think. Verse 31 of uh Luke 22 says, And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan had his desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. Y'all know the scripture? Yep. You're familiar with it? The setting is the Passover, the Lord's Supper, right? And we know what's fixing to happen. Jesus knows what's fixing to happen. And uh think about it this way Peter, Simon Peter, and the fact that he goes back and calls him Simon here is another whole thing. But anyway, he uh he's kind of the head disciple, if you will. He's the well, he's the bull and he's the one that speaks up. You know, he's the one that said to Jesus, look, you know, I'll I'll die with you, I'll go to prison with you, I'll do whatever. And Jesus says, Look, you're gonna deny me. Look, son, Satan that has desired to have you to sift you his wheat. And then what he told him next, verse 32, Luke 22, but I prayed for you that thy faith fail not. And then here's what a woman said that really caught my attention when you are converted, strengthen your brothers. It's interesting, isn't it? When you're converted. Now wait a minute. When we think about conversion, when we think about a new babe in Christ. Salvation? Salvation. We associate it with salvation, don't we? Converted. What's y'all's Bible saying? What does your Bible say there? When you have repented and turned to me. Yep. No, it says return to me. Strengthen your body. So the the word is converted here in the King James, but if you look that word up in the Greek, you'll find out that it means exactly what the other ones say. Turned, repented. So it wasn't like this is where he was saved. He what Jesus wasn't saying, when you were converted, when you were saved, Peter. Obviously he's already a child of God. Yeah. He done told him I'm gonna build my church upon this rock. Yep. So what happens? In other words, Jesus just said, look, Satan's desiring you, son, to have you. He wants to sift you. And Peter's like, no, ain't happening. I'm gonna I'm gonna die with you. I'm going with you. I'll never deny you. And we know the story he did deny him. And the fact that whenever he said, when you're converted and strengthened the brothers, it's interesting. Here's what's interesting, interesting to me. Other words, Jesus is saying that look, Peter, Simon, you're going to fail, you're going to deny me. Satan is going to be at work in this, but you're going to repent. You're going to turn back to me. And when you do, strengthen your brothers. And we know he's the one that preached first in Acts chapter 2. And he's the one that was bold in the preaching after that. I mean, it was an instance here to where, yes, he was tempted. Yes, he was tried. Yes, he denied the Lord. Yes, he failed. But he turned back. When he was converted, when he came back to the Lord, then Jesus knew you're going to be able to provide some strength that your brothers and sisters are going to need. So make sense?

SPEAKER_05 7:53

But he does say, So when you have repented and turned to me again.

SPEAKER_03 7:58

Again. Again. It ain't like he's saved again. That could be confusing. It's converted, turned back. When you've repented. In other words, you're saying you're a saved child of God, but you failed. How many of us have been there and done that?

unknown 8:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 8:11

I mean, I turn to him daily.

SPEAKER_03 8:12

How many of us fail the Lord? We've messed up. I mean, even the individuals that are like the Peters, the leaders of the pack, the main ones. And there's another interesting really thought, think about it. Jesus knew because the conversation had happened between Satan and God, just like he did with Job. You know, he it Job went to him and said, Look, I I'm I'm checking out your servant Job, you know. I really want to try, but you got a hedge about him, and I can't get to him. But if you turn you lighten it up a little bit, I guarantee you I'm gonna get Job to fail. But it's interesting that Jesus knew and Satan was desiring. Yeah. Satan had already been to God. Let me have Peter, let me have Peter, let me have Peter. That's another interesting fact that nothing can get to us before it goes through God. You're a saved child of God, you're a protective child of God. You know, it ain't gonna happen. He's protecting you. And Jesus is looking at him at the end of the table there at the Passover, the Lord's Supper, saying, Son, the devil's hard after you, brother. He's desiring you. He wants to sift you. But you saved. And then he tells him, But I he's gonna get you. That's what He gonna get you. But when you're gonna You're gonna deny me. But when you were converted, strengthen your brothers.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

And before that, he says, I have prayed for you.

SPEAKER_03 9:40

Yep. I never leave you forsaken. Ain't that cool? Think about that thought.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

I don't know it. And I prayed for you. Jesus, the Lamb of God, has prayed for you.

SPEAKER_05 9:49

So your version uses Your version uses the word conversion or converted when you're converted. Well we use that, we think of that word conversion because we think of Paul when you know he was on the road and it uses the word conversion.

SPEAKER_03 10:08

Right? That's right. Yeah, but it's it's a different, it's it's a matter of translation. Yeah. But it means to repent, to turn back to again. I don't know. I heard that last night sitting in Bible study, and it really, really piqued my interest. So I've spent some time looking at.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

That's an interesting thought, and Norman might have brought this up last night, but that part of your faith should not fail. How many people we've been talking about sufferings, you know, in the past couple weeks and everything else when we feel like we hit rock bottom. But how many people go through daily thinking that their faith is failing? How many people go through their lives thinking that their faith is Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:50

And in all time, God's allowing it to strengthen your brothers and sisters. In other words, what's happening in your life right now, and you may see it as a failure or shortcoming, you realize this. One of these days, when you come back to me, I'm gonna use you for good. And I'm gonna strengthen your brothers. How many people listening to us right now could get that right there? Oh, yeah. They know they've they've they've come up short, they they they've beaten themselves up all the time. They're a child of God, they've been away from God, they're not in the will of God. You know, think about this Jesus died for you, and you place your faith and trust in him. He saved you. You're going to heaven, you know that. Realize as our intercessor, and that prayer that he's praying to God, just like he said to Peter, I've done prayed for you, son. So you listen to my voice right now, and you're driving down the road, you're sitting on a tractor somewhere or a track hoe or wherever it might be in an office. Realize that Jesus is praying for you. Yeah. And he knows that desire. All right, think about this. Who does he desire the most?

SPEAKER_05 11:58

The ones living for God. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 12:00

The Peters. No, let me follow me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 12:03

The ones that are hungry for God, I believe.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

What's crazy to me here is, I mean, he he he didn't ask, he didn't ask, you know, hey, let me try him one time. He said, no, I'm gonna sift him like wheat. You ever held grain in your hands? Yep. Shook it around, how it falls through your finger. Like he's I'm gonna put old Peter through the ringer right here, you know.

SPEAKER_03 12:25

You don't even realize it, brother. Yeah. And Peter's that guy saying, look, he telling Jesus, yeah, look, you're wrong, Lord, because I I ain't I'm not gonna fail you. I will not deny you. I'm gonna die for you. Even in the garden, you know, he he he's the one that took the knife and cut the ear off. He's trying to cut his head off. He missed and got the ear. I mean, that was Peter, and then turned around and did exactly as the Lord said, failed him. But how often does that happen in our lives? You take me as a preacher. All right, I got huge responsibility. You know, uh the devil knows that. You think he desires me? Oh, yeah. Absolutely. You think he wants to get to you guys? He knows the influence y'all are having on people. And he's gonna try to get you to fall and fail. But know this Jesus is praying for you. That's good. And you may fail. And you will fail. I ain't gonna say me. I have many, many times. But I can tell you this too, just from experience. When you do turn back, when you do repent, when you do get back to that place where you need to be with Jesus, I guarantee you he will use that to strengthen somebody else.

SPEAKER_05 13:34

No doubt. It makes me think about, you know, the devil ain't after anyone that's sitting idle. You're not doing that.

SPEAKER_03 13:42

Thank you very much. That's always been a kind of a measuring stick, you know. If the devil not messing you, then you then he's not worried about you. Yeah. You take a church that's growing. Mm-hmm. Here comes the devil. That's right. A church that's actually trying to do something for the Lord. You you better watch out. Because it is happening. And realize this, it's not by accident. The Lord knows it. Yeah. And he's intending it for somebody else's benefit. Maybe five years down the road, ten years down the road. But yet it's gonna come back up, and God's gonna use it for good.

SPEAKER_05 14:19

Well, that was the whole reason I guess he was after Job because Job was seen as a what a righteous type guy. Oh, yeah. You know, and and everybody looked at him as had it all together and living for God. My servant Job, yeah. Yeah. And all the other people around him might have been sitting idle.

SPEAKER_03 14:38

So Job never, they told him you need to curse God and die. There's another very cool thought that entered my mind about this whole thing with Peter and Jesus, and Peter denying him. We know the story of our Peter uh Jesus has been arrested. He's at the trial, you know, the mock trial, and they make eye contact. Y'all know that's part of the story, right? Yeah. So Jesus and Peter, Peter's over here in this crowd of folks denying that he even knows Jesus, and he's looking at him, and then those eyes of the Lord cut through.

SPEAKER_05 15:15

Oh Peter.

SPEAKER_03 15:16

Put that old head down.

SPEAKER_05 15:17

Well, you reckon old Peter felt, yeah. I tell you when he felt the worst was at that fire, I believe, when that campfire when Jesus was meeting with them. And he said, Do you love me?

SPEAKER_03 15:31

After the fact. After the fact after the fact. And he told him, feed them, son. Yeah, feed my sheep. And here, here's what you're gonna feed them. You you you have firsthand experience of failure. You know, you have first hand experience of failure. You know what it's like. You know that guilt. You know that, but you also know the forgiveness.

SPEAKER_05 15:55

Oh, that's exactly what he was offering. Amen. You know. Restoration. Have you ever you ever let someone down and know it? The Lord, you ever let the Lord down? Let's look at it between me and you, you or something like that. You know, if I ever let you down, personally, just let you down, how awkward the feeling is when you come around. It's almost like, oh man, I don't want to go around him because I know I let him down. Don't you know how Peter felt that day at that campfire with those fish? That was all, the only thing on his mind, and Jesus just looked at him at that campfire and said, Do you love me? Well, yeah, you know I love you. He said, Asked him three times because he denied him three times.

SPEAKER_03 16:39

The the the person I didn't think I'd say this. Okay, it happens in life, in ministry, when a person studies and grows and maybe even teaches and preaches. You take a uh a teacher, a Sunday school teacher, and uh they do it for years and they they get a little bit uh I don't know any other word used other than this, kind of cocky, you know what I'm saying? And they start getting this idea that they're better than somebody else. Well, I know the answers. And I'm right, and I know I'm right, and you can't convince them any otherwise.

SPEAKER_04 17:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

They never would entertain the thought that the devil may be sifting you. Because think about Peter. Peter knows he told them, uh, I'm not, I'm not giving you wrong, Lord. I mean, I mean, people have been corrected by the truth of the scriptures, and yet because of their pride, because of their they think they're up here a little bit spiritually. What does the Bible say? Take heed because you're gonna fall. And I've seen we're seeing that happen in some lives around us right now. To where there's men in particular, you know, that uh unbeknownst to themselves, Satan has desired them because they're in positions of leadership. They got a lot of people following them, they got a lot of people watching them, looking up to them. And Satan knows if I can get to them, I can cause them to fall because of their pride, because of their arrogance.

SPEAKER_05 18:17

I can take a whole family with me.

SPEAKER_03 18:19

I can take, yeah. I can split a church. Yep. If I can get to this one guy right here. That's right. But know this Jesus is praying for you. And something's gonna happen where you're gonna fail and you're gonna realize that you failed, and you're gonna repent. You're gonna you're gonna be converted. And then when you are, strengthen your brothers.

SPEAKER_05 18:48

Tell them where you messed up pretty much and say, hey.

SPEAKER_03 18:51

Be honest about it.

SPEAKER_05 18:52

Yeah. Humble.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

You think Peter ever did? The reason he was able to preach in Acts chapter 2 and on because his boldness is because of his experience. He lived it. And those of us, I mean, that's often the way it happens in all of our lives. We experience it. And we need to use those experiences for the honor and glory of God.

unknown 19:14

Man.

SPEAKER_03 19:15

That's that's I'm talking way too much. No, that's good. I get on here and I dominate, I apologize, and then hear from these boys. That's kind of cool. Verse 33. He said, He said to the Lord, I'm ready. I'm ready to go with you, son, both to prison and death. And then Jesus says, I'm telling you, son, you're gonna deny me three times. Before the cock grows, three times. You're gonna deny me.

SPEAKER_05 19:40

I can honestly say I've looked over, like you said, that verse that we you just going over examining. I ain't even looked at it that way.

SPEAKER_03 19:49

Well, you think about you think about providence, you think about prophecy. This is prophecy, this is Jesus' saying.

SPEAKER_05 19:57

You're going to do this.

SPEAKER_03 19:58

You're going to do this, son. But I'm going to use it for good. Strengthen your brother. When you're converted, when you come back to me. When you repent.

SPEAKER_05 20:08

And Jesus knew he would come back.

SPEAKER_03 20:10

And he did.

SPEAKER_05 20:11

Because he even told Peter, what was it before this, that you're the rock?

SPEAKER_03 20:17

He was saved.

SPEAKER_05 20:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:20

There's an interesting thought right there. Can you be saved and sifted?

SPEAKER_05 20:28

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 20:29

100%.

SPEAKER_05 20:30

Is sifting looking for weaknesses? Testing of your faith. Testing of your faith, checking for the weaknesses in your life.

SPEAKER_03 20:38

Yeah. Yeah, what's true and what's not. Let's get out of all the bad stuff.

SPEAKER_05 20:44

Puritan. You know, purifying.

SPEAKER_03 20:47

And Satan's thoughts is the opposite of that. You know, he he wanted to get all the good stuff out of the way.

SPEAKER_05 20:55

So you you got God, you got Jesus and the devil pursuing you with all they got. The way I look at that.

SPEAKER_03 21:05

Well, Jesus has done found you.

SPEAKER_05 21:07

Well, he's done found you, but he's he's he's holding you. But the devil's after you just as much.

SPEAKER_02 21:14

I think there's another point here that we can look at that I mean, there's no there's no question here at that Peter loved Christ. I mean, we see that all the time, and he was very vocal about it and outspoken about it, and there's a lot there about Peter, and we saw what he did in Acts, you mentioned that earlier. Um you're gonna fail. Yep. You know. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

And let me ask, let me go one step further. Who are you gonna fail?

SPEAKER_03 21:44

Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 21:45

But yeah, and then but like he says there, your faith is not gonna fail. That's right. Your faith should not fail.

SPEAKER_03 21:51

Your faith can't fail.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

That's right. Ultimately. Because you're all ultimately you're gonna fall back on that faith. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

You have that faith there in Christ when you fail. Yeah, that's good. When your human, you know it. That's right. You got this. That's right. Like, hey, all I got to do is turn back to the Savior.

SPEAKER_03 22:18

You know, seek forgiveness and mean it. Right. And the Bible tells us he is faithful and just to forgive us. If you confess it, if you'll turn, if you'll repent.

SPEAKER_02 22:30

And you know, that's the funny thing, and I just picture in my mind the devil sifting Simon here, you know, Simon Peter. And when he turns to God, what that makes the devil feel, you know. Because all he's hoping for is that he gets you down and that you stay there. That's right. You know. If he can keep you there. Yeah. He's wanting to keep you there. And all it takes is you just simply turn back to the Savior. I've said it every time. I can just picture the devil with his hat on his head throwing it to the ground. Dang on it. Dang on it. I had him, boys. I had him down. I had him wood.

SPEAKER_03 23:08

Slat with a wet squirrel.

SPEAKER_05 23:09

Yep. I've said it a hundred times in here, you know, but that thought of you can be a hundred miles away from Jesus and one turnaround, and there he is. He's right beside you.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

I'll never leave you, he said.

SPEAKER_05 23:22

We're leaving him. He ain't never left us.

SPEAKER_03 23:25

Amen. Yeah, Peter, Peter left him, Peter denied him. Jesus never did. And never will.

unknown 23:31

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 23:32

It's good stuff. It's encouraging, man. It's kind of both ways. It kind of freak you out when you think about it. Oh, I'm gonna be sifted. You know? I know it's coming. And uh, but I also know this God's gonna intend it for good. So you're kind of like, well, I'd I'd rather live life just not ever being tempted or tested by the devil. But then you're not serving Jesus.

SPEAKER_05 24:00

Well, just be idle then.

SPEAKER_03 24:02

Yeah, you're not serving Jesus.

SPEAKER_05 24:04

Oh, we you know, I love the the thought of, I don't know, the character of Peter. I th we talked about it last night. Yeah, the fact that, you know, Jesus asked his disciples at one time, who do they say I am? Man, they started popping off names. You're Jeremiah, you're John the Baptist, you're this person, this person, you know. And he pretty much looked at Peter and said, Well, who do you say I am? You know? Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You know.

SPEAKER_03 24:34

So then Jesus says, I'm gonna build my church right there.

SPEAKER_05 24:38

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 24:39

On that thought.

SPEAKER_05 24:41

So Peter had strong faith and yet weak at the same time.

SPEAKER_03 24:45

Matthew 16, by the way.

SPEAKER_05 24:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:49

Yeah, Peter was Peter was that individual, you know.

SPEAKER_05 24:52

Well, that's what I told the last night was kind of recognition for the seniors. And I said, My goal is when you walk out of this room, you know, when you graduate, and when you walk out of here, I want you to be able to look at anybody and tell you who Jesus is to you. You know. Yep. He ain't just anybody, he's the Messiah. The Son of the Living God.

SPEAKER_02 25:16

Amen. Hey, we're on the subject of Peter real quick. We're talking about, and I'm I've got my pad open right here in John 21, where he's telling Peter, Do you love me? He asked him three times, Do you love me? And then he tells him, feed my sheep. All right, well, verse 18 has kind of got me for Luke, because I've it says, Most assuredly I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and you walked where you wished. But when you were old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. I get that. I understand that. But the next verse is what throws me for Luke. Well, that's talking about death. Yes. Yeah. And oh man, I lost my place. There you go. It says, This he spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. Say it again. He said, This he spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And so I, you know, I get it. I get 18. 18 says when you're young, you know, you and I'm thinking this is, hey, we we do as we wish, you know. But I think the meaning there is that you got to die to Christ there. And you go where you do not wish. So where you're where your sinful nature wants to go, you're dead in Christ there. I am I getting that right here. I think so. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:52

I think so.

SPEAKER_02 26:53

That's been a verse, you know, sometimes you just things jump out of the page on you, you know, and I've read through read through this several times.

SPEAKER_03 27:02

Well, it it's the way I what it says to me, it's similar to what we read there when he when Peter, when he told Peter, look, you're gonna you're he's prophesying. Right even his death, you know, and even in that death, you know, you're gonna you're gonna be able to glorify me. You know, all these things. And Peter's, listen, think about it. If you're that person sitting there and you're hearing these words, you're thinking, I can't look that far out. I don't want to look that far out. I want to look at tomorrow and the next day, maybe in the next week, but don't I don't want to look to death. I don't want to think like that. But yet Jesus is thinking way ahead of us. Right. When he told Peter, look, you're gonna you're gonna deny me, son, but it's gonna be okay. He already knew that, because I never leave you. Even in death.

SPEAKER_05 27:56

Because eventually you're gonna die for me.

SPEAKER_03 27:58

Even in death, yeah. It's gonna be okay.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

Yeah. You brought up the garden while ago. Do you think Jesus had that in his mindset when he said, Not my will, but your will be done before he went to the cross, before he got arrested. Oh my goodness. He sat there weeping, what'd it say, blood, right? And agony.

SPEAKER_02 28:21

Sweating great drops of blood. Well, it makes sense there, because verse 19 talks about by what death that he would glorify God. So he's going to glorify God by dying to himself. And then he follows that up and says, when he spoke this, he said to him, Follow me.

SPEAKER_03 28:43

And what's significant about it even into death, follow me.

SPEAKER_05 28:50

Where do you find that about Peter and his death? I mean, as far as the way that he was crucified.

SPEAKER_03 28:58

History?

SPEAKER_05 28:59

It ain't in the Bible. I didn't know if it was Yeah. You know, the hist historians say that he was uh crucified upside down. Upside down. Because he didn't deserve the same I you know, he didn't want to die the same way Christ did.

SPEAKER_01 29:17

It's a far cry from denying, amen.

SPEAKER_05 29:19

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 29:20

I got 2 Timothy chapter 2 pulled up, because that's where we're about to start in on Sunday night. But it says there in verse 11, this is a faithful saying, For if we died with him, we shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

Even in death. We talked about that last week with old Stephen Kelly cookie, right? And uh one of y'all asked him the question, how do you deal with so much death? You know, in hospice care. And his answer was, I don't have a problem with it. But I I know from personal experience, I had a tremendous problem with it until I experienced it firsthand in my parents and with a grandchild. I mean, then death takes on a whole different light after you've experienced it. And uh in those moments you really find yourself uh questioning, right? You know, this hurts too way too much. Yeah. And uh but not long after that it it becomes a beautiful reality. And the whole all the scriptures that you read then on about death is a is a completely different picture. And therefore that that enables, you know, maybe older people like myself to deal with it differently. Yeah, to approach it differently.

SPEAKER_01 30:50

Well, you know, I've I've made this comment to y'all multiple times of you know, I have not experienced death firsthand as far as you know, family. I mean, I've had grandparents pass and stuff like that, but not really experiencing here. I am in the soul business, and I mean we see it on a monthly basis, you know, but yeah, it's a different Yep.

SPEAKER_03 31:14

Jesus didn't he didn't shy away from the subject at all.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

You realize it comes with reality, I guess. When it's your family's, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:24

All the if you think about prophecy, Jesus foreseeing a denial, foreseeing a failure, foreseeing even death, that brings new light to us that he knows. He knows all of us are gonna die. And how we're gonna die. This life. But that's the reason he came to defeat that that one thing. Absolutely we could have that one enemy that that had to rule over the earth, which is death. And that's how he was able to say, Oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory? Thanks to be to God which gives us victory to our Lord Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 15.

SPEAKER_05 32:04

But while we are alive, we got a job to do. No doubt about that. Amen. Even though that he knew where to be. Peter was gonna die and how he was gonna die, and that his death was gonna bring uh honor to him, he told him, he said, feed my sheep. You got some time left, boy. Feed my sheep.

SPEAKER_03 32:29

Let's tell let's uh let's go down the road. You you made me think of something there. Let's let's talk about this a little bit because I think a lot of people are dealing with it, but they don't recognize it. And that's war and the devil. And the fact that he brings up Satan here, that uh it's a very, very, very real adversary that we all face, and whether it's through temptation or trial or whatever, uh, and that's the vast majority of the people listening to us, even existence, you know, that's what especially the child of God is his war. And the descriptions are there, from Job to Peter mentions that, you know, he's an adversary, walking about seeking whom he may devour, all these kinds of things, you know, and and where we get in trouble is when we lose sight of the fact that this is very, very real, and uh the adversary is very, very real, and he does desire to sift us on a daily basis. We have the advocate Jesus up there praying for us, but just the fact that we do acknowledge the fact that we are in a fight, that we're in a war is huge. They teach you that in the military. I mean, if you disrespect or don't acknowledge your adversary, your enemy, then you don't stand a chance. That's right. You have to be prepared to fight. You have to be prepared to go to war because it's coming. The temptations are coming, the trial's coming. The devil, God's gonna allow the devil to get you, to sift you, you know. But it's intended for his good. And if he can just somehow process those thoughts and see it when it happens, then you have a far better chance of being victorious. Yeah. Over over the attack.

SPEAKER_05 34:08

I don't know how to say this, but the the further you go into to war, you know, the deeper it's gonna get, the harder somewhat it's gonna get. But yet the more peace it is in it. You know, it goes back to those trials and having peace through your trials. Because you're drawing closer to God. And you see whatever you're going through, it's gonna honor him, glorify him in the end. You know?

SPEAKER_01 34:33

It's almost like you take one trial, you get through it, and then you're into another trial. You almost ask yourself the question well, you've made it this far. You made it this far in war. Why quit now? Yeah. Why just throw in a towel now?

SPEAKER_05 34:45

Well, I I think of a guy I talk I was talking to yesterday, and he's got a plan, you know, and he's ready to get back home and serve God. Well, you can st you can definitely serve God wherever you're at. Yeah. And the fact of wherever you are serving God, it's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough serving God. But the faith, the the ability to study and and learn, and it's all there. You need to rely on what what you have. I don't know if that's making sense.

SPEAKER_03 35:20

That makes sense. It does make sense. One thing that sticks out in my mind is consistency. Yeah. And uh, all right, we want it to become easier. These serving the Lord, making decisions is going to benefit and glorify God, not us. You know, this isn't gonna benefit me financially, this isn't gonna benefit this, all right. I have a plan, but it's far more important for us to consider the fact that God has a plan. That's right. And us to get in on God's plan. You see, the the problem we have is we want God's blessing upon our plan. And when we'd realize that if we would seek to get into the will of God and his plan for us, that's where that's where heaven is heaven on earth is experienced. That's where peace and contentment and satisfaction and success all is realized, is when we are in the plan of God.

SPEAKER_05 36:16

And a lot of times when we fall flat on our butt is when we usually say, All right, God, what's your plan? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:23

We're trying to work our plan a lot of times, and it ain't working out too good for us. Well, you come to the preacher, you make the phone call, you say, Well, what do you think about this? And we give them the truth, which most times they don't want to hear it. Yeah, right. And that is, well, let me tell you, if you would be consistent in this, instead of being wishy-washy, okay, this week I'm on fire for the Lord, I've heard something recently, and then here comes Satan, he sifts you, and you get right back down. You just keep getting you getting beat up over and over and over and over and over again. You're having these temporary victories. But for these temporary victories to become lasting and difference makers is commitment. You gotta make the commitment and stick to it.

SPEAKER_05 37:07

Well, it's easy to do. Hold on. Oh, no, give me a second. It's easy to be smiling for four minutes over here. He's about to beat his knee off the middle of it. Uh it's easy to see that we're in spiritual warfare all the time.

SPEAKER_01 37:21

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 37:22

Spiritual warfare. All right, Lane. That's what you gotta say.

SPEAKER_01 37:26

No, uh, go back to what you just said, Arthur. You know, can you be can you be in the will of God? Can you be living for God if you're not in the word of God? We just had this conversation downstairs.

SPEAKER_03 37:39

Go hand in hand.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

You know, we're in a generation, our generation cannot sit still or cannot Yeah, you can't be idle. We can't be idle. We gotta be listening to something.

SPEAKER_03 37:49

You're looking at something, you're listening to something.

SPEAKER_01 37:51

Right. You know, is that something the word of God? Or are you listening to some word of man? That's right. Well, I go back to what I just said, the faithful saying that Paul just told Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2, he ends 13, if we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. But then he goes into verse 14. Remind them of these things, Timothy, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hears, but be diligent to present yourself, approve to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Yeah, you can't separate the two. No, you can't. He's telling Timothy here, man, look, remind these people, these people at the Church of Ephesus, hey, you've got a job to do. And it's not to strive about the words of these false teachers, the ones who are teaching these things that have no meaning, no profit to you at all. But yet you're you, you yourself present yourself and approve workmanship, approved workmen to God, dividing, rightly dividing the word of truth. And so you can't do that in your life if you're not in the word of God. If you're not can't go to war if you're not prepared. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 39:04

So we have uh we have uh senior Sunday coming up, right? This Sunday. And Watson and I are gonna share the pulpit a little bit. And uh the scripture I'm going to is out of 1 Peter, and I love the way the King James says it, just kind of cool, kind of resonating. Gird up the loins of your mind, right? Gird up. We know what that means. I'm gonna explain that to these teen these, well, they're teenage young adults, graduates now. But basically, without getting into it, it's talking about you need to have a plan. And uh I think the big point I think I'm gonna make is this well, there's there's plans. Your plan and God's plan. God already has a plan. Yeah, Jesus had a plan for Peter way before Peter ever realized it. And uh the the portal part is to get get these two in line, you know. And when you're in tune with the word of God, you're in tune with the will of God, then the plan of God is going to meet and match yours. And but that's a good place to be right there. When when your efforts and your plans, whether you're in college, whether you're out of college, whether you're in career or whatever, is lining up with the Lord's, oh my goodness. That's the place you want to be. And how do you get there? That's what Peter wrote. There, it would gird up the loins of your what? Mind. Mind. That's where I was going right here with Romans 12. Oh, yeah. Be not conformed to this world, be you transformed by the annuity of your mind. That's right. Ain't that it?

SPEAKER_02 40:34

Well, you gotta, and that's gotta be a daily thing too. Yep. You know, you gotta die to yourself daily, you know. And that's how you make good habits. And you said you mentioned consistency earlier, and that stuck out in my mind, you know. And you said, and this made perfect sense right here. We want God to bless our plans.

SPEAKER_03 40:55

That's true.

SPEAKER_02 40:56

You know, all right. Well, that's that's very selfish. That's not thinking about kingdom, you know, let your kingdom come, you know. We're not asking ourselves, what does God want of me today? You know, every day, you know. That's changing the way you think.

SPEAKER_03 41:15

That's your that's renewing your mind. That's right.

SPEAKER_05 41:18

Would you would you say our mind is our weakest not being conformed to the world?

SPEAKER_03 41:22

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_05 41:23

Well, I was just gonna ask, do you would you say our mind is one of our weakest parts of our flesh? You know doubt about it. You know, it will lead you astray quicker than anything.

SPEAKER_02 41:33

That's where a lot of that spiritual war exists right there. In your mind. You know, yep.

SPEAKER_03 41:37

Gird up the Lord, you prepare your mind. I like the next words he says there in 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 13. Gird up the Lord your mind, be sober. Be dead. That's what it says right there. Just be sober. Yep. And Lord, what in the world do we have in this world in which we live? We have intoxicated people everywhere. Not just intoxicated with Budweiser, not just intoxicated with some kind of appeal or drug, you know, or but whenever you are intoxicated, then your mind is not where it ought to be. So whenever Peter wrote those words, that's exactly what he intended. Don't be influenced by anything else. Have the self-control to realize that whenever we are influenced by other things, whether it be a beverage or a drug or anything like that, then that that's making us vulnerable to the attack of the devil. He says, but be be ready. The worst thing in the world can happen in the military is for all you soldiers to be intoxicated or to be drunk. How are you gonna fight?

SPEAKER_05 42:43

When your mind's on something else.

SPEAKER_03 42:44

When your mind's on something else. That's right. And the devil knows that. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 42:50

All right. That's good.

SPEAKER_03 42:51

We're getting all excited here, ain't we?

SPEAKER_05 42:53

That's good.

SPEAKER_03 43:01

Well, it got quiet. I know you want to keep going. Yeah, it got quiet. Crickets, that's it.

SPEAKER_05 43:10

Well, you know, it it you need motivation, son.

SPEAKER_03 43:14

Yeah. You got what's going to motivate these 18, 19 year olds to live a life that's reflective of the glory of Christ and not the world. To not seek the w wisdom, to not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the new. What's going to motivate them? Peter addresses that. He says, the revelation of Jesus Christ. I'll just read the whole verse. Gird up the Lord's your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. We don't realize, my goodness, at the peering of Jesus, you know. In the end, it's coming. It's coming. You know, we're here for a little while. We are our this life is like a vapor. Appears for a little time, but eternity is a long time. A whole lot longer than these 70, 80 years you got on this earth. So we tell people these. people all the time. Look, try not to be conform to this world. Try not to see that that all there is is this because it's not. Jesus says I'm going to paper place for you. And it's going to be everlasting and it's going to be eternal and it's going to be glorious and this and it's going to be revealed on these days. Hope for that. That's the motivator. What's motivating me to have the mind of Christ? What's motivating me to be vigilant, to be alert, to be used to God. Knowing that one day I'm going to see Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 44:34

I got to add something right here. And just because I I've always loved the simplicity on how Phil Robertson explained this and put this. Alright. He's touched millions and if you haven't seen him look this up your motivation was he would always say you got a better idea. You know? If all you know to the lost person, you know, and we're talking about what happens after death. He said I've heard him say you found a better better way you come up with anything better? That's the best thing I've found. You know you got a bl better plan let me know.

SPEAKER_03 45:13

You know I mean yeah you you prove to me something different and uh we'll talk about it. But right now this is what I ain't nothing ever been proved different. That's right. Why in the world wouldn't you live for that unto that. That's right.

SPEAKER_05 45:30

Unto the revealing the revelation appearing in Jesus that's how that's how the people of faith I tell you what direction I'm kind of going Sunday morning for my five minutes you're going to allow me to speak, preacher is obedience.

SPEAKER_03 45:47

That's verse 14 huh?

SPEAKER_05 45:49

Yeah. Just the simple fact of not going back into your old lifestyle. You know you're you get you're new. You gotta be obedient in this don't slip.

SPEAKER_03 46:03

Yeah don't slip he talks about lust of the flesh we have our own desires our own our things you you put yourself in a mind if we've all been there 18 years old the lust of the flesh. Oh my goodness I'm I'm out of high school I'm on my own freedom here we go start living life.

SPEAKER_02 46:23

Yeah you are you're going to start paying bills and yep you've been starting living life all right your life is over you think it's just beginning and I'm going to I'm going to tell you I it it wasn't that long long ago for Olaine and me Ryan you it's been a little longer for you preach when you're going to talk about you. But I think we all sit here and remember that far removed being 18 you know we all sit here and we kind of chuckled you know looking back thinking about us at 18 we see these 18 year olds now graduating and we kind of chuckling like yeah life's finna get you you know but I I legitimately thought out of the 50 people that chuckled at me when I was 18 went nah I'm going to be I'm going to be different. That's right. That's right. Nah not for me. Ain't gonna happen to old Zach boy was I wrong.

SPEAKER_05 47:13

You had that Peter attitude no I ain't denying you that's right yeah and you know how much regret we have now for our 18 through 20 something years you know we should go back just start over on all that but would you say our faith was tested through that period yeah no doubt.

SPEAKER_03 47:33

The number of times I've went back to those times yeah to to benefit somebody else's life share a story. Right. You know I've been there done that no I know where you at you know I know what alcohol can do for you.

SPEAKER_05 47:46

I know what addiction is well that was the years of my life that I was running man I was running full speed ahead or whatever you say you know away from life I was doing everything I could to to be I say live a normal life you know I knew God wanted me to do something else and I was trying to get away from it and and no doubt it showed up in my life and finally I believe the Lord put someone in my life that helped line me out on that.

SPEAKER_02 48:19

Yeah I put it I put it off I ran think I think about Jonah a lot as far as how hard I ran away sometimes you know and said no we're gonna do this my way for a little while.

SPEAKER_01 48:31

Zach and then you go to Nineveh yeah you go to Nineveh Zach Oh y'all don't get me started that's where I'm at in Sunday school right now.

SPEAKER_05 48:37

A rise Zach and then you go to Nineveh that was told to him twice arise find yourself in the belly of the well yep yeah okay okay Lord okay Lord well you know I I made that picture to the teenagers Sunday morning I said you know these pop-up books I've heard it before these pop-up books kind of mess us up I kind of give them the Pinocchio story with with Pinocchio sitting in the well you know y'all seen that cartoon and that's kind of the way we picture Jonah just kind of hanging out in the whale's mouth now that boy went through some stuff you know he went through hell on earth and the whale you know the the stomach of the whale it wasn't easy on him God got his attention how many days was he there right was it three days three days and three nights most of us can't sit in inside our air conditioned homes for three straight days and three nights I'd been seasick guaranteed I'd been chunking the fish that were in that well that's what I told the teenagers from the acid to whatever you know it's just it wasn't good yeah and it wasn't an easy time God had to wake him up and he had to put him through something to to wake him up the boy done ran out or got on a boat and went totally opposite way. He down there sleeping in the bottom of a boat he was living comfortably in a storm. Yeah yeah everybody else was threatening and and trying to figure out what's going on here. Why are we fissing a die in this storm and here old Jonah was sitting down there asleep.

SPEAKER_03 50:13

Can you think of a Bible character that didn't go through some stuff?

SPEAKER_02 50:17

Mm-mm that didn't run and get sifted let me ask you this that didn't go through stuff that burdened them because you take Noah Noah never saw it as an obstacle he saw it as an opportunity to be obedient to the Lord.

SPEAKER_01 50:32

You talk about the word obedience Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Alright reckon Noah ever went through a little persecution accused I think about when we go to the ark when they have on one of those floors they have where you can sit down and watch a video and they have where it's a play or whatever. Oh yeah that interview yeah and they're sitting there that those interview guys are mocking Noah. But yet he's just hey that's what the Lord's called me to do mock me if you want but how long did it take to build the ark?

SPEAKER_05 51:04

Long time you better go back watch that video again 100 years?

SPEAKER_01 51:13

No it was like no how long did Noah we were talking about 300 and some odd year. Don't say it. You don't make me flip through my table out real quick. Yeah that's my King James Bible give me a second hey while he's looking up that I'll make another comment about Jonah.

SPEAKER_05 51:38

Jonah made the statement to them guys them sailors he said throw me over he knew it was me. It's me I'm the reason you're going through this great storm just throw me overboard. And this is what I got out of that Jonah rather die at that point than repent. He was at the point where he just throw me over I'm not even going to ask God for forgiveness in this just throw me over. I'd rather die than to do what God asked me to do. No reckon he knew he was going to get swallowed you know about 20s Yeah he didn't have a he's talking about a plan. He didn't have a plan he said just throw me over I'm gonna die it wasn't no plan of man the seas bellowing and doing this number he knew if he I'm the problem yeah I'm the problem just throw me over and I'll just die instead of saying Lord I'll go do what you want me to do.

SPEAKER_03 52:28

So his plan was to die and God said no I got you bubble let me tell you a story of a very influential man who one day stood before a church and said I'm the problem wasn't the pastor just a man member of the church stood before the church said I'm the problem I know I'm the problem I'm standing in the way of God blessing this church I'm the problem throw me out right that wasn't the way it worked out he was converted as Peter right Jesus says son you're gonna be converted you're gonna come back to me and when you do strengthen the brethren and this man swallowed his pride who he was and said I'm the problem publicly and got right with Jesus got right with the Lord got right with the church and the doors come off you talk about the windows of heaven opening up and I mean one man when one man got right with the Lord who was very influential man in that church the doors blew I like how you talk about Shazam that's that's significant. And I know that because I lived it seen it witnessed it seen it firsthand I know that's how that works. Now let's let's pull that down to the to the home level that was for a church you take one person in a home who is living contrary to God and rebellious towards God prideful whatever because of who you think you are if you would have the what's the word the guts to to do like Jonah and say I'm the problem or stand before that church I'm the problem stand before your family or your wife or your children or whatever it might be I'm the problem and get right with God and He will forgive you He will restore you and here you've been seeking for the happiness you've been seeking for the contempt of your family you want it back it could be right there.

SPEAKER_05 54:37

All right look I'm gonna roll with this for a second what you're saying right there one man one man get things right can change everybody's life that's right all right you take Jonah for a second all them sailors was sitting there wondering they done prayed to their gods Lord nothing changed nothing took place when they threw Jonah over the boat out in the water the b the Bible says it immediately calm don't you know them fellas sitting around and looked at each other and said wow it was like this God the Lord they called him the Lord the Lord they had to have a different outlook on who God was at that moment. Amen how's that gonna happen in your church well I'm just thinking about you personally if God's telling you to do something and you ain't doing it you're running the totally opposite way not living in his will but the moment you say I'm wrong throw me overboard or the moment you say I got to get this right because other people are watching me how many lives are going to change because of you. The impact that you sitting out there at work wherever you may be I I think about Jonathan Duke and Wayne you don't know how many people's asked me about him about his life change you know or Chad or someone like that.

SPEAKER_03 56:05

Yeah they people see it and they want it you know they're like wow this this is real deal this is good stuff yep most of them's acting like a jury they're sitting there watching think he's gonna mess up he gonna mess up he gonna mess up he gonna fail it's all hypocrisy it ain't genuine it ain't real can't be well that's motivation for that one individual say you watch you watch see what my God can do that's exactly right and there therefore there's us there's us as those those encouragers those we're fanning the flames we're trying to stir up the gift that we know that exists same way Paul did with Timothy go down that road but I think you're exactly right one one fella uh getting right change the world I guarantee it and is that you I mean uh those people listen to us is that you you need some things you've been praying seeking the will of God you think well God's not blessing me or God's not blessing my marriage or God is not answering our prayers could it be because you are the problem you need to step up and say yeah okay you think about Jonah we don't know the beginning of that and how Jonah Jonah may have been in prayer Lord show me what you want me to do you know put me in your will keep me in your will and then when that plan came about Jonah's like nope I ain't doing that one yeah I'll get on the ship and go a totally different direction I had a man one time that just couldn't figure it out you know just could not figure out why that why the problems of his family it was showing up in the lives of his children this and that and uh he finally became transparent with God and admitted some problems that he had and it was wasn't public it's private. I was just gonna tell you what pornography is what it was and whenever he finally renounced that and made a genuine effort to turn from that and turn towards God knowing that it wasn't the will of God knowing that this was causing problems I'm the problem and was able to defeat that overcome that man you talk about it seeing a change in an entire family. Oh yeah all because of one fella got right mainly the leader. And who do we say earlier who's the devil gonna attack the devil's gonna attack the leader.

SPEAKER_05 58:32

Man you that's a whole nother sermon right there for men and the fact that God's gonna hold you responsible us responsible for the direction your family's going.

SPEAKER_01 58:42

We know we we talked about it yesterday why do we do baby baby dedication we got baby dedication coming up Father's day it ain't baby dedication why do we do it on Father's day though? Because of the influence a lot of people do it on Mother's Day like I seen a lot of picture pictures do it on Mother's Day but why do we do it on Father's Day?

SPEAKER_03 58:58

Because that father's gonna be that leader that father's gonna be that head of that household ought to be let me say that should be but we think about uh formation of our children they are formed right spiritually even formed and we we we take that very seriously don't we and we it we'll invest in a three and a four and a five year old what some churches think y'all crazy. Right and not realizing that little Elliot at three and four years old you're forming a human being and as one writer put it terrorist experienced and went through spiritual formation. Terrorist and we wonder why in the world would an 18 year old or 20 year old as a terrorist you know commit suicide in order to blow somebody else up doesn't make a lot of sense that's formation. That's the way they was raised that's what they thought. And we know the the the hands that form you know mothers and fathers parents in general but I would say prominently the role the responsibility the one who's going to answer to God for that is going to be the daddy.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:06

You're the spiritual leader in that home God built you that way I got a funny go ahead I'm about to go ahead it goes back I'm back in um you done got me hooked on Jonah you better hurry because we got an hour an hour. I pretty much said it while ago talking about the sailors but it says it right here in verse 16 the sailors were awestruck by the Lord's great power and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him all because of what one man realized. Well Jonah went in that water that ocean calm down they were in awe about what the Lord can do. Yeah they went ahead and immediately said I'm done with these other gods Lord G gods but Jonah must serve the real God. So when you live right and act right and do right think about the lives you can change goes back to that old saying you may be the only Jesus someone ever sees I know y'all were kind of on a different subject at that point but I I can't get that off my mind.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:16

You find what about no what about Noah I mean I finally found it I've been waiting because I couldn't find out well a AI will tell you Google will tell you an estimate okay and it re and look look our listeners need to hear this for real. Come on with it um this is the word right that's right it's yeah AI isn't the word because I'm I'm gonna prove to you AI isn't always right this ain't artificial this ain't artificial this all Google will tell you 120 years and it's based upon Genesis 6 verse 3. All right then the Lord said my spirit will not put up with the humans for such a long time for they're only mortals in flesh and their future their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years. Hey look I'm here to tell you that's not even talking about the it has nothing to reference that's God being fed up with the way people are acting and he said now you're not gonna live to be 500 and 700 years old no more. But what I will tell you is that Genesis 5 verse 32 says that Noah was 500 years old he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth and that's when they suggested that construction began yeah yeah and then it says in Genesis 7 verse 11 when Noah was 600 years old on the seven yeah on the 17th yeah verse six excuse me noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth 100 years 100 years roughly roughly between 120 between 120 years.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:48

I like the way you said that Zach fed up with the way they live no y'all not gonna live this long no more right done done done with it and you know I'm gonna tell you that's answered another question I've often thought about you know how do people live to be that long then you know well I've always had a theory about this and y'all probably laugh or tell me I'm wrong but God made us perfectly right he he made humans perfect in the beginning they had the best of the best right and they were going to live forever because God made them perfectly when God builds something perfect it's perfect.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:26

Then we got involved with that yeah so I think it took that long of a time for us to start downgrading God's perfectness. Does that make sense? I mean we've been slipping ever since yeah and at that time when God made something so perfect it took us this long to get it unperfect.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:50

Well my point my point with Noah back then and I know we got into the particulars but it wasn't my point my point was is that look at the faith of Noah there. Yeah you know oh yeah stuck to it I mean even though the Bible doesn't say all right well it took him 76 years six months and three days we can tell we but we know it was around a hundred years one hundred years most of us ain't gonna live to be a hundred build a boat for a hundred years Noah must not have had that ADD stuff I can't even build a table without walking away from it looking for something else to do.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:30

I don't know you know he done stuck to it for that long amen it's like the other day at Bog Spree Ryan started washing on that on that power wash here come Bo. Bo said, come on Ryan airline take the power wash and he lit finish it boys oh man we are five minutes over an hour we uh when he go around table kind of last little discussion I've got something I need to say or not say but I got a prequel verse to finish this up so Zach got anything to say wake up every day and build your ark. Even if they laugh at you how long is it going to take you to build your ark?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:10

Even if they laugh at you build your family.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:14

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:15

Build build your sanctuary build your your place that's going to house your children it's gonna keep you safe from the storm you want it right it may take you a while to get there. That's right I guess that was my final word I'm still going right go ahead I go back to Jonah.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:35

Be someone that's gonna make a difference be that man that's gonna change some lives.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:43

Well question I was gonna ask a while ago when we started about talking about Jonah and stuff and didn't even know that them guys Jodan Jonah definitely get did they harden their hearts when they heard the Lord's voice. Noah didn't he just remain faithful. Jonah did yet in the end you know but I read Read that verse in Hebrews chapter 3. It says that why that is why the Holy Spirit says, Today, when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts, as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracle for forty years. So I was angry with them. I said, Their hearts always turn away from me. They've refused to do what I tell them. So in my anger I took an oath, they will never enter my place of rest. But then I go back to what Brother David brought up with Peter and Luke chapter 22, 23. Says there in verse 12, Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters, make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day while it is still today, so that none of you will be deceived by sin and harden against God. Are you hardening the Lord's voice when you hear it? Hardening your heart. Are you hardening your heart?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:54

And so much that you get comfortable and can sleep through the warfare.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:59

Yeah. Because I mean, he said they'll never enter my wrist. I took an oath. They want to harden their hearts. They want to do what they don't want to do what I tell them to do. They will never enter my wrist. Define heart for these people listening. Well, I thought about that while ago we we brought up mind. You know, what's the most deceiving part of your your body or your flesh, you know, your mind. Your heart as well. Your heart will just your soul. No, I wouldn't say it is. Your soul is not.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:28

Your heart can deceive you.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:30

Is it that thing beaten in your chest? That's what everybody's thinking when you say heart.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:34

Yeah, that's the thing beaten in your chest.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:36

That will deceive you? That's not your soul. Think about it. What is a soul? Definition of soul, it's who you are. It's all of you. That's the way God made us. And that's the only part of you that's never gonna die. The soul will never die. Rest of your day, that heart is beaten in you're gonna die. That's all right. That heart doesn't stop. So that's when he's talking about the transformation of your heart, renewing of your heart, renewing of your mind. Yeah, it's that's that part of you you can't see that we all have in us and we know it. That's what we're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:09

I don't know. I think we just I think we've gotten to a point this morning or two. It's just we talk about plans and everything else, and ultimately what's your plan? Has it got God in it? Or is it God's plan?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:22

Do you have a plan?

SPEAKER_01 1:08:24

Yeah. You may not, but God does.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:27

He had one when he made you.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:29

Yep. Well, once again, we always appreciate you listening in. I think we hit 2,500 downloads last week, so we're grateful for that, grateful for our listeners. We're gonna keep on rocking and rolling, Lord willing. So, y'all got anything? We got anything coming up? Look good. Hey, we I want to go ahead and we got about two weeks away. We got a Memorial Day cookout. Sure do. Our biggest fellowship of the year kind of deal. We're gonna have fireworks.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:58

Ordered six cases of ribs and five cases of chicken quarters.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:03

I'm gonna make some homemade ice cream.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:05

Did you shoot fireworks last night? Did we shoot fireworks? Somebody shot fireworks about 8 30 last night. Wasn't me. Within the area distance to my house. I was in bed. I was just curious. I heard them going off thinking, hmm. True. We practicing. Well, it could have been an AR-15. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:24

But anyway, yeah, y'all look forward to that. February 23rd, I believe. Or February gosh, dog. May 23rd, I think it's that day. That Sunday night, Sunday evening. So y'all make plans for that. It'll be fun. Anyway, brother David, you want to close us out this morning? Let's do it.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:38

Let's pray. Father, we sure love, we sure do love you. And we thank you, Lord, for the love that you always demonstrate to us in Jesus. Thank you for reminding us through your word, through your scripture, God, that uh although it may seem that uh the war is is daunting and heavy and very real, the devil's after us, God, that Jesus goes before us. Just the thought in my mind, God, that he's praying for me, it's amazing. And God, I think everybody who's listening to this needs to realize that, God, if they're a child of God, then they have that advocate, Jesus, the right hand of God, advocating for them. So we live in that, Father. We know, Lord, that uh all these things are going to pass. We know that it's all temporary. And we look forward to the day, Lord, to where uh Jesus is revealed to us face to face. Help us, God, to live a life that's honor-glorifying unto you. We pray, God, your blessing upon these words of ours this morning, this podcast. And those that are listening, God, we just pray that you might use this some way, shape, form, or fashion, God, to convict them, Lord, and maybe lead them uh ultimately to saving knowledge of Jesus. And those who know Jesus, God, lead them to live a life that's pleasing and honor-glorifying unto you. Thank you, Lord, for all you do for us in Jesus' name. Amen.