Pick It Up: Following Jesus Beyond Sunday

EP 38 It's time to start taking it SERIOUS

• Philip Roberts

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At this very moment what are you doing? Are you constantly refreshing your life with the Word of God? Are you looking for oppurtunities to serve and stay obedient to the Lord? In this week's podcast we discuss multiple topics that revolve around our walk with Christ in which we should take serious! Just like we talked about last week being on Auto Pilot is so easy, but yet the easy route is not always God's route. We need to strive to live a life reflected to Jesus!

2nd Corinthians 6:4 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 

Thank you for joining in for another week and God Bless

Bro. Logan, Bro. Lane, Bro. Philip, Bro. Ryan, Bro. David 

SPEAKER_04

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. Good morning and welcome to another day podcast.

SPEAKER_02

Good morning. Good morning, boys. How are y'all gentlemen this morning?

SPEAKER_04

What y'all laughing at? What you doing, Ryan?

SPEAKER_02

I'm tightening this mic up so I can keep it right here. Boy.

unknown

Boy.

SPEAKER_04

It's late this morning, my bad. Good to have old Logan back with us this morning. Oh, L G down there. Oh, yeah, I'm excited.

SPEAKER_05

Glad to have you, buddy.

SPEAKER_04

He even brought some packages on his way in. I'm done with that. Truck road.

SPEAKER_02

Delivering packages ain't the good news. That's right. Amen. Amen. Y'all should have seen him last week. We had Wiffle ball game out at Group Central. We just started, though. Phillips come on. And this old boy LG pulled up. He wasn't in the UPS truck, but he got out with all of his UPS clothes on. Come out there and started playing with us.

SPEAKER_04

What's up there? 185. Morning. You 107? No, you're not 107 no more.

SPEAKER_02

E-L-A-T.

SPEAKER_03

1016. You hit that uh snooze button. Well, hit the off button says snooze button.

SPEAKER_00

I like talking on the radio. Like walking talk. I like somebody 10-4, man. 104 good buddy. I done 10 forward you, son.

SPEAKER_04

Well, uh, we uh Yeah, we got a good Sunday behind us this past Sunday. We started decorating for vacation Bible school. I told Jordan last night, I said it it is upon us. All the summer events, this is kind of like the kickoff come August 7th, I think it is, that Friday before school starts. I don't even know what it'll look like. I know I'll be sitting in my chair just relaxing and reclined.

SPEAKER_02

So well, I'm gonna tell you, summer kicked off with a bang. Yesterday was the first day of summer, and it was 100 degrees. Oh, I'm telling you. Yeah, it was hot. It was hot. Yeah. But uh I was thankful to be able to come in and out of this building. Yeah. I know there's a lot of people that can't or don't have that luxury.

SPEAKER_04

Yep. But yeah, we're starting vacation Bible school next or this Sunday, 6 o'clock. Spread the word. But Brother David, you were on the fear of the Lord Sunday. Yeah, it was. Is that where we're going this morning? Well, I just read the Lord lead us. I'm not the Lord. Is that what we talked about last week? No, we kind of touched base with it a little bit. We talked about autopilot last week a little bit. Being on autopilot.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah. Everybody can relate to this fear subject, though. But the problem I think exists with the nurse's idea is the vast majority of us do not fear God. When the Bible repeatedly tells us that we are to fear him. But then also the Bible tells us to fear not. You hear that a lot. I think I made the comment. The most popular command in all scripture is that either fear not or do not fear. Because God does not give us a spirit of fear. And then on the other side, it says, multiple times fear God.

SPEAKER_04

Well, you brought up a very good analogy Sunday with your dad, and you knew whenever you got in trouble, your mama, you know, got on to you, whatever, you saw your daddy walking down the driveway, walking down the street, whatever, you knew about to happen.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, yeah. You know.

SPEAKER_00

Go ahead. He didn't even come home from work. I knew. I finna get he was he was fixed to be made known of my shortcomings. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I thought that was funny because when you mentioned all that, both of my boys were sitting on the room. They turned around and looked at me, and I thought to myself, I have made it. Yep. I finally got to that point where they fear me. Wait till your old daddy gets home. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But you know, the the big difference of that is is yeah, I feared my dad, and I feared punishment and discipline he'd bring into my life. But that that fear, it's the combination of that fear and love. All I want. Because I know he loves me. And I know he loves me unconditionally. He loves me enough to set me straight. He loves me enough to discipline me. Loves me enough to correct me. Yep. Therefore, I was afraid. Ain't no doubt about it. I was afraid.

SPEAKER_02

That's the type of fear that you you were afraid, no doubt, but you also, you know, had that thought of, man, I done let him down again. Discipline. Yep. Well, you said that.

SPEAKER_04

That was the greatest motivator for me. You said it twice right there, was you weren't f scared of him. You were fearing the discipline that was coming because you knew you needed to be disciplined because of your actions. Consequences.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, without the discipline, if if I knew that, all right, I know my dad comes home, he's gonna find out tonight I was wrong. Uh, but you know, he's he's a little lenient, if you will. And I know he's not gonna, he's not gonna whoop me, he's not gonna, you know, then that that motivation disappears. Right? And so it's every parent needs to understand that, you know. Just like you said, your boy, both your boys looked at you, yeah, they need to fear you. But they need to recognize and realize that that that fear is coming. That's what motivates them to do right. Yeah. Knowing the back of your mind, well, if I do this, I'm gonna get in trouble. Why don't we approach God that away? If you got a decision to make, well, you know, I I know this is gonna be a sin. I know I'm fixing to mess up whenever I mean put the scenario out there. I decide to go to this party, or I decide to look at this website, or I decide to do any of these different things that we would call sin. And we know it ahead of time. Well, God's not gonna like this. There's your father. Well, do you think you're gonna get away with it? Is that the reason you do it? You know, we we use a lot of time our salvation as a license to sin. Yeah. And that's big time wrong. You're abusing it. Yes, there's grace, and yes, there's mercy, and yes, there's forgiveness, and yes, God will make it all right, and yes, God sees us through the blood of his son. But he is still a father, first and foremost.

SPEAKER_02

They don't give us the right to just do what we want.

SPEAKER_00

Here we go. Well, let's just talk about uh first John chapter three.

SPEAKER_02

First John chapter three.

SPEAKER_00

I'm here. I'm gonna be interested. I'm gonna be interested in some of the NLT wording of this. I'm here. I guess that's the direction the Lord wants to go, huh? That's where we're going. What verse? All of it.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, I got that. I'm ready to gas on it.

SPEAKER_00

Uh well, okay. I hesitate to read the whole thing, you know. What's the knowledge of the thing? What manner of love? We're talking about the love of the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God before the world knows us, but therefore the world knows us not because it knew him not. Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it does not yet appear that we shall what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever commits sin transgresses against the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. And you know, that's what I got highlighted in my Bible, you know. He was manifested to take away our sins, and then there's no sin. Whosoever abides in him sins not. Whosoever sins has not seen him, neither knows him. Little children, let no man deceive you. He that does righteousness is righteousness, or is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that commits sin is of the devil. For the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin. For his seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. Is that talking about an incorruptible seed? Mm-hmm. Huh? What makes us incorruptible? Sin. Blood. Yeah. Sin is what corrupts us. The blood of the world is. Oh, incorruptible. Okay, I gotcha. I mean, 1 Peter. We just talked about this first. I was just thinking about what Peter told us you were not redeemed with corruptible things.

SPEAKER_04

But then you go on to verse 20 in 1 Peter chapter 3. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times. You just got done reading that manifest in verse 5 there. Manifested to take away. It's gonna be seen. It's gonna know it.

SPEAKER_02

I'm struggling this morning, keeping up with you. 1 John. I gotta go to my tags. I went to Peter now.

SPEAKER_00

No, those verses. Let me just say this about those verses I read. I say go to 1 John, is this? It's obvious a comparison there that the scripture's making, John is making there. Right. And he just says it, if you commit sin, then you are not his. But is that right? We're all sinners, are we not?

SPEAKER_04

Your brother asked this question. It's been years, it's been two years, probably. Verse nine says. But he's asked this question. He said, All right, you're a saved child of God, right? Are you still a sinner?

SPEAKER_00

Well, it says right there, verse 9, whosoever is born of God does not sin commit sin. How do y'all reconcile it? I'm not gonna give you the answer.

SPEAKER_02

I'm gonna let y'all I'm coming in on the let me think about this. Those who are a child of God do not sin.

SPEAKER_04

It says those who are born of God does not sin.

SPEAKER_00

Verse 8 says, if you commit sin, you are of the devil. So can a child of God sin?

SPEAKER_02

Well, is that part of that pursuit that he's talking about in Peter? Be ye holy. You know, hey, he's motivating us here, encouraging us.

SPEAKER_00

Figure it out, son.

SPEAKER_02

I'm figuring it out there. That's what I'm thinking. You know, uh he's got he's And he's not telling us to pursue anything here. He's saying, hey, you're born of God, you don't see that. That's what I'm saying, but I see that as an encouragement. You know, hey, you said you're a child of God, you gotta live this way. The old things have passed, the new things have come.

SPEAKER_00

So whenever whenever you say this, you you just said it. Whenever you say this, I forget how you said it. Uh you basically can't. You can't sin.

SPEAKER_03

Shall not.

SPEAKER_02

But yeah, we do. He put the biblical word in there. You shall not.

SPEAKER_03

That's that's all in the law. Shall, will, all right.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, it it's it's very, very it can be confusing if you allow it to be confusing. But if you consider the context for which it was written in the tent of John, bringing all this out, talking about our sonship believers. You you gotta see that we are regenerated by the blood of God. We are reconciled unto God by the blood of Jesus Christ. And as I've said it, and y'all know it, when God sees us, He God cannot see sin. He can't look upon sin.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Right? So therefore, without the blood of Jesus covering us, that's how God sees us. Yeah, we sin every day. We do it all the time. And every time God looks at us, he sees the blood of Jesus, which cleanses us from that sin. There's the mercy, and there's the grace, and there's the beauty. And there, my opinion, is the motivation.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I think our issue as Christians, I'll use the word Christian. Our issue is we don't take God serious. Right? That's probably the best way to have this conversation. Yes. We don't take God serious. You said it from the pulpit, and I love I when you get to that point, I just shut my Bible because he finna preach. You shifted in the second gear, Sunday, when you said, uh, what was the word you used? You said, God means business. God means business. That's when you stepped away and went to preaching on him the other day.

SPEAKER_00

Um God means this is serious.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I don't I think we are to the point in our lives where we don't think or we don't take God serious on matters or anything.

SPEAKER_00

You know, I made that comment, I said, God is serious. You know, but I I did not go down this road. I probably will this week since you bring it up. And that is this. God takes this serious, do you? Yeah. And obviously you don't. If you continually and habitually live in sin, then you you don't fear God. You don't take this life that you have seriously. You don't take this redemption you have seriously. I mean, look at what he look at what it costs God to redeem you, the blood of his only begotten son. Yeah. You need to take that seriously. It's serious business to him. It's serious business. Yeah. Yeah. So whenever you do habitually commit sin, my question is this: can you be a child of God? I bring that up a lot. And I don't want to confuse anybody here, but I believe the Bible teaches that there is evidence associated with salvation. There are things that accompany our salvation that give evidence, proof of the fact that we are God's children. We are saved. What does that look like? What is it? What is that evidence? It can only be one thing good works.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Now good works don't save you. Right. It's just evidence of the fact that your walks. You are a bloodbought child of God.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

That's you taking it serious. That's you taking it serious. Yep. Your walk tells you. So does that mean the person who I'm sorry, Philip. No, you're good. The person who isn't taking it serious, that means they're not blood bought. Taking it for granted. Between the sinner and the savior, ultimately. We know that.

SPEAKER_02

You know, there's a lot of us, including myself, for a long time, took took what Jesus did for us for granted. You know, we just see it as a ticket, not an opportunity, you know.

SPEAKER_03

Do you think it's the delayed response from God? Sometimes?

SPEAKER_02

Well, you mean like the delayed.

SPEAKER_03

Like if you if you sin, it's not an immediate consequence.

SPEAKER_02

Well, it's back then, yeah. Long suffering, yeah. Right. Yeah, back then that I don't sin a little bit and it never bothered me.

SPEAKER_03

People don't see the immediate consequence bothering me.

SPEAKER_00

I knew I sinned, but Yeah, if if it was automatic, like my daddy come home, uh I hear that, you know, that belt coming out of them loose. You know, uh it's immediate. I just had a flashback.

SPEAKER_04

And with God, it's like Well I take a minute. I think it's a perfect example. We've been talking about Joseph in the Bible in Genesis in Sunday school in 5th and 6th graders. You take Joseph's brothers, they want to get rid of him, they wanted to kill him ultimately. Of course, I had Reuben, the older brother, said, No, we're not gonna have the blood of our brothers on those hands. But yet, 20 years or so down the road, when Joseph's king of Egypt, you know, and handing out the grain, here comes his brothers wanting some grain, and he calls them out on his sin, and they're like, Who is this guy? They don't even recognize him. But yet they come back to their sin of getting rid of their brother. And they're sorry for it. But it took 20 years, and it took somebody don't even know they knew him, but they didn't know him, to tell them, hey, this is what you did wrong. There's that delayed, kind of delayed reaction, kind of delayed consequences you're gonna have.

SPEAKER_05

I think also you have to think about uh someone living in that sin could also be blinded to the consequence. That's true. As they're dealing with the consequences in their life, they just can't see it. That's right.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's kind of what I was referring to. But you that's good stuff.

SPEAKER_00

Well, you talk about Go ahead, preacher. The this thought of serious. Do you take this serious? I go back to this young man over here, Logan, in a conversation you and I had on the back of a river one day. You remember it. You talked about it last time you were here. But it was impressive to me that how serious you took this. Other words, you realized what this required, the commitment that was required. You know, until he was ready to be serious about it. You know, he wasn't joving off into that. He wasn't just gonna do it haphazardly. And that that comes as a result, I think, of living life and being older, you know, as opposed to an eight or nine-year-old doing this, and you got a you know, a nineteen or twenty-year year old doing this. And then I think you tell me if I get this right, Logan, but whenever you got to that point to where you realized yes, this is I'm ready to commit to this, I'm gonna take this seriously. Here we go. Let's go, God. You know, and you give your life to Christ and rest of history. That's serious. Yeah. You know, that's that's that's that's cool. And that happens in a lot of people's lives even later on in life. You may you may you may live 40 or 50 years of life the way you want to, and then at some point in time something happens, God allows things to happen, got your attention, and you're ready to get serious. It's just unfortunate that you gotta live all those lives regretting so much. Oh, I wish I'd have done this. How many 40 year olds you heard say, I wish I'd have done this when I was 20. You know, you waste so much.

SPEAKER_05

That's really where uh the conversation I had with Abby of the me wanting to take over the college class. You know, I I lived throughout the college years without God, without Jesus, and I know what it can do to a person. And then you hear of these 30, 40-year-olds that have the story, the testimony of, well, I got saved at 10 years old, but from 18 to 25, I wasn't living that life. And I'm trying to urge these college kids to understand that uh, like uh Brother Ryan was talking about, we kind of get numbed to the fact we've been saved for so long that you just kind of are just going through the motions. And uh it's very important at this time in your life that you take it very, very seriously. That that blood of Jesus is stained on you. And as you walk through life, you know, you you have to use the the Bible as the word and and salvation, all that as your armor.

SPEAKER_03

You almost want to tell them don't wait like I did. Go ahead and do it, because it's gonna be a good thing.

SPEAKER_00

They need to hear those testimonies. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, they need to hear those testimonies. Absolutely. And I want to say this about that. You can see the the passion and the conviction that Logan is speaking with, or what I speak with on a Sunday morning, as you say, you know, when you get, you know, when you get to that point you were trying to make, God takes this serious. You know, then that person that's listening, you realize that this man believes what he's saying. You know? That's uh I think that's where the authenticity comes. And that young person gonna say, I'm on, I'm gonna listen to this.

SPEAKER_05

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but Lane and I, we went to school with a boy, and he was my best friend. Uh he was my brother. I went everywhere with him. Uh really, really, really great guy. But uh good people don't go to heaven. And as far as I know, and I've known him all my life, I'm not gonna say no names, but uh he lived uh of what you would see your other Christian friends living. That's the type of life he lived, but we didn't go to church, we didn't do none of that. And one day the lights went out, and he passed away at 20 years old, with healthy as an ox, and then just fell over one day. And when I was going through the Bible, I can't help but think of you know, you think of all that you went through and your your testimony and all that, and I think about what if that was me, you know what I mean? And then uh that's why I urge the college kids to not only in your own life, but to be evangelizing, to be talking to your own friends and and get people in church. You never know. That's right.

SPEAKER_00

The urgency. Yeah, yeah. The seriousness. We're dealing with eternity here. That's right.

SPEAKER_03

And I know it's tough for like young people to talk about Jesus to another person. I know it's tough, but even just bringing and say, hey, just come to church with me, it's fine. You know, just that little open the door a little bit. Just open the door. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Let's talk about these. This comes back around right perfectly what you were just talking about a while ago, Brother David. Talking about these works. You talking about people working for their salvation. This Sunday you said this morning, you're either the Bible talks about. How you cannot pay for your salvation. Right? There's no dollar sign. Words too. That's right. But you think about someone who's a saved child of God who's taking it serious. You're going to be able to tell they're saved. You're going to be tell, you're going to be able to tell they're a Christian, they're a believer, they're born of God. And I think about that because like you can go around the room right here and look and say, all right, well, I know Philip, he kind of looks like he's in law enforcement, right? Or you look at look at Logan down there, he's got his UPS gear on. He definitely works UPS. He definitely works UPS, but I can see the sweat stains on his hat right there because he's you can tell he's been sweating, he's been hot, but he's been working towards it. Stay running. Right? You can just tell it. You can just tell it by an appearance. But what about these ones who well, us three are, you know. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Get that walk. Anyway. Everybody has their has that walk about them.

SPEAKER_04

They do. Well, and my whole deal is these ones who use the word, I'm trying to think of the word you used a couple months ago. Um, it just went blank. You were on a series uh a couple months ago about certain believers, and I can't remember what word you used. I don't know where you're going. I'm trying to think of the word. It's like fake Christians, but you use a different word, fake believers. Impersonators?

SPEAKER_02

No, no, no. I know where you're going, but I don't know what the word is. Boy, it just blew up, didn't it? Anyway.

SPEAKER_04

My whole point is these ones who don't take it serious ultimately do not work. You don't see them serving, you don't see them, you they're just like Logan said, they're just going with the flow. They're going through the motions. How do we get them around to that point? I mean, ultimately it's up to the spirit. Ultimately, it's it's gonna be on God. But how can God use us?

SPEAKER_00

Well, is it important for us to be identifiable? Absolutely. Then the way that we are identified is going to be, as you just say, you know, the way you live your life. So when we have that instruction from Peter and God, be you holy for I'm holy, then should that be our motivation to do that? Understanding we'll never attain holiness. Right. You know, there's no way, but it's that effort. It's the pursuit, it's the motivation. We want to look like Jesus. That's what the word Christian means. That's right. Christ likeness. Well, in order to look like Jesus, you gotta know what he looked like. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_03

You said something there, and it kind of reminds me of my journey, my weight loss journey that I've had. So, you know, me not putting in the work or the discipline, I won't see the results.

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_03

To get on again. Right. Yeah. I won't see the results when I'm not participating if I if I'm not doing it. You know, there's days where I don't want to go to the gym. There's days I don't want to, you know, eat right, there's days I don't want to, you know, just get up and go. But if you're disciplined enough, if you're dedicated to doing that, and stay in a routine, you'll see the results. And you don't have to. It's just part of your routine. You just go and do it. And you don't have to think about it no more. I think if you apply that same concept to this Bible, to Jesus, you'll see the results. Oh, you know that. You'll see the you'll see the different walk in people. You'll see the glow. Like I I see when I see LG, I see a different glow in him as he walks. Just coming in church anymore. Like you can see it. And I think people gravitate to that, and some people want that, but they don't know what it costs to do.

SPEAKER_00

And some people want to stay away from it.

SPEAKER_04

Right. Well, I'll say this too, it's contagious. I mean it's contagious towards our families, our wives, everything. It's contagious. You get to you still got to grab it. You still got to do it. You gotta put in the work. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You get you gotta put in the work, or it's not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, you you pour me in along with a few others. You know, when I first started coming to church here, I mean I don't get to, you know, the uh what am I trying to say? The you know, the wanting to read my Bible and coming to church and all that, when I see that and the men around me, uh, it encourages you to want to do them things. You see it in their lives, and so you also want that. It's attractive to you. That's right.

SPEAKER_04

Stuff just ain't handed to you. No.

SPEAKER_03

Nothing's handed to you. You gotta earn it.

SPEAKER_05

One of the routes you was talking about routines. Uh I do uh something pretty simple is there's 31 proverbs in the Bible. Uh 31 chapters. I read a proverb a day for the month. Yeah. And that's it.

SPEAKER_04

I don't think I don't think routine's bad if you're taking that serious. If you're taking that routine serious.

SPEAKER_00

A proverb of a day. Proverb a day. Proverb a day. Memorize. Do your best to. I try, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Quote on Tuckers, if you don't mind. Proverb 22, what does it say?

SPEAKER_03

Get your paper out. Are you back on day two? Proverb two?

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Like if February, if it's got 28 days, you stop at 28, and the next month go back to one.

SPEAKER_02

You don't need them mothers for the month, huh?

SPEAKER_04

Is the word counterfeit Christians? Is that what it is?

SPEAKER_02

Counterfeit Christians. Counterfeit Christians. That was it. I'm sitting there trying to think of it. Counterfeit Christians. Remember that sermon?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Impersonator, though. I like it. Impersonator. I don't know. My mind's all over the place this morning. I was telling the preacher a while ago, it's hard for me to stay out of Jonah because that's where I'm at, you know, in my personal study in Sunday school. And everything y'all mentioned and talking about right now takes me back to Jonah. And I think that's how God's word, we're talking about God's word being involved. That's how it works, man. It's the living word of God.

SPEAKER_04

It's every week we get out of Sunday school, Ryan, and we're like, man, that Sunday school that's really lined up with sermon. Yeah. And how amazing, and that is, it's amazing, but it shouldn't be shocking because that's how that's what the word of God is. It all just ties back to the words.

SPEAKER_02

Well, no, I'm somehow trying to figure out how I can get up there and talk about this. Because I I bad wanted to get up there and see, show everybody how what I just taught in Sunday school lined up with what he just said all morning. And that's totally the two different books.

SPEAKER_00

But yeah, it means the same thing.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

All right, I I got a direction for us to go down. That's I think it's I think it'd be very uh thought-provoking for everybody listening to us uh because it's it's uh something the question we all have. We're talking about uh living a life that is reflective of Jesus, right? And you can see it in people when they become that. Uh I love the analogy of the comparison that Philip used of his weight loss, you know, what it what you put into it, what you get out of it, basically. Uh think about it from this perspective. Uh and we'll just go with that one right there. And is it it's okay, Philip. You agree, you know, you get up at five o'clock and you spend an hour in a gym. And it's okay. And you can you can go to the Fu Manchu and you can have your feelings.

SPEAKER_04

You feel white rice and orange chicken?

SPEAKER_00

You have your feel of uh buffet. And uh, I mean you put in the work that morning, you just put it back on that afternoon.

SPEAKER_03

You canceled out what you just did.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so there's people who see O Phillip over here working his butt off early in the morning, and then that same person sees him over there at the Food Man Chute, right? What's that person think about Phillip?

SPEAKER_02

Well, you had a weak moment, didn't you?

SPEAKER_00

He just working out so we can eat. You know, or had a weak moment, whatever. Use that same comparison to this. You said uh you notice the difference in OLG over here. You just see it in him, right? He's hungry for the Lord, and that's a good thing. Well, uh, for whatever reason, you you find yourself at a casino somewhere, and there's OLG, you know, carrying that same glow about it.

SPEAKER_04

Ring ring ding ding.

SPEAKER_00

Carrying that same thing, right? It's just like looking to Philip uh working out and at the buffet. You know, you see a Christian in church on Sunday morning, maybe he can teach Sunday school, and lo and behold, either the night before or the day after, there they are holding the the beer in their hand. You see what I'm saying? How in the world how do you reconcile that? What's the difference? And we know it's okay, and everybody, oh, it ain't no big deal. God ain't got no problem with somebody drinking a beer every now and then. You know, we justify it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But what is the significance of that? And there's some scripture that I want to get to uh since 2 Corinthians chapter 6, and I usually mention it whenever I perform a wedding. But that scripture deals with this concept of being unequally yoked.

SPEAKER_03

What do you say? 2 Corinthians chapter 14.

SPEAKER_00

2 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 14. And then take it slow. The very first word. You read the first words of chapter 14, verse 14.

SPEAKER_02

Verse 14 of chapter 6. Don't team up with those who are unbelievers.

SPEAKER_00

All right, don't don't read no more. What does that mean? Don't live both lives. Don't team up with them. Don't team up with them. Don't rub shoulders with them. That means don't go the that that means don't go to the concert. That's the way I read it. Don't team up with them. That means don't don't socially drink with them? Yeah. Are they unbelievers? Is it a sin? Does that what does that mean? Don't don't wait for them.

SPEAKER_02

Unbelievers identify. As a believer, you ought to identify with this, unbeliever identifies with this.

SPEAKER_04

How do you know they're an unbeliever?

SPEAKER_02

Well, if you if you take this verse, keep reading. If you take that verse and just what it just says, there ought to be a line drawn. Yep. If you're a believer, you're over here. If you're an unbeliever, you're over here, because I'm not supposed to act like you.

SPEAKER_00

But you can't tell the difference in our world.

SPEAKER_02

No, you can't.

unknown

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00

Yep. But you can. I mean, he's Philip just said it. You can look at LG and see there's a glow difference about it. Yeah. Well, he's drawn the line.

SPEAKER_02

He's drawn the line. He said, all right, I'm on this side.

SPEAKER_00

Is he taking it serious?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Well, it's like his whole thing.

SPEAKER_00

Get to that point in life where they all right, this is serious. I can't be doing this anymore. I'm going to have to change the things. I change who I hang with. I change what I'm around. I change where I go. I change what I do.

SPEAKER_02

So it's a conversion that took place. You got that right. It's a conversion.

SPEAKER_00

When you are converted, when you are converted, strength your brothers. That's what Jesus told Peter.

SPEAKER_02

I'm going back to Jonah here now.

SPEAKER_00

Well, before you go to Jonah, read the rest of verse 14.

SPEAKER_02

How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness?

SPEAKER_00

Okay. What do we consider to be righteous? What do we consider to be wicked?

SPEAKER_02

Well, you just throw out Jesus and the devil, you know. The righteousness is living holy versus sin. Right? Yep. So it says don't partner it together.

SPEAKER_00

Come on, preacher. I don't want to say it. Well, I'm not going to say it. No, you're going to say it. No one else. Defend too many people. No, you don't. And there are too many people to turn the radio off. If I would say what I was just finna say, I ain't going to say it. They need to hear it. No, it ain't it ain't time yet. It'll come. Keep going. I want to read to you through King James Version. Be not unequally, or be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion has light with darkness. So we get we can understand righteousness and unrighteousness, but we can better understand light and dark. And we understand who's the prince of darkness, right? And we associate evil with darkness. And Jesus, John said that he is the light of the world. So what fellowship has light with darkness? Other words, can Jesus go strolling with the devil?

SPEAKER_02

Well, there it is. Verse 15. What harmony can there be between Christ and the dark?

SPEAKER_00

What can Jesus go strolling with the devil? What gives us permission to do that? If we're Christians, we're Christ-like, we were representing Jesus, we want people to see Jesus in us, then how in the world can we have boat? How can we walk and live like we ain't got no business over?

SPEAKER_02

That's right.

SPEAKER_00

You're running rubber shoulders with unbelievers. You're being unequally yoked. It's really in the context of marriages where this most often comes up. And we'll tell people look, if you're you're fixing to marry this man, he's lost. No, you do not need to be yoked together with this fella or with this lady. Either way alone. I mean, you just can't. Light and darkness, it ain't gonna work. But you can apply that same principle in every every other area of our life. And we ought to take the, and the problem is, is we aren't taking it serious.

SPEAKER_04

Yep. I think you need, I think we're in the.

SPEAKER_00

We say it until we're blue in the face, you know, really.

SPEAKER_02

You done broke your mic and pulled it out and pulled that thing apart. There you go.

SPEAKER_00

I done got unplugged.

SPEAKER_02

I done grabbed it.

SPEAKER_00

If y'all can see me, I don't really throw the I'm serious about this. If you can hear the cord, man. I'm so serious about this. And uh yet people do not take me serious. And it ain't about me. It's about the word of God.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

It's so clear of how we need to be different. That we are strangers, we are pilgrims, we are, as as the people in the scriptures here, we are in exile. We are living in a country that is not our home. And we are going to be rescued. We are going to be redeemed. We are going to be taken into this land of ours that Jesus is preparing for us. When do when do people let me tell you? You're in line, Ryan.

SPEAKER_02

Take a number.

SPEAKER_00

That's the whole thing with this whole idea that that Peter, when we when I'm preaching out of 1 Peter here, that's that's the concept. These people that he were talking to when this was written 2,000 years ago, that is them. They're in exile, they're living in the Roman Empire somewhere. You know, they've been uh they're they're not in Jerusalem, they're not in what we would call to be the holy lands. They're foreigners, sojourners, and he's telling them, as long as you live in here, as long as you live in this life, this is the way you need to live it. Here's why. Yeah. And he he puts out that motivation. And uh he keeps telling them, look, don't fear, I know you may be in fear because you're living in this foreign country, and maybe you aren't accustomed to their ways, you know, but here's what you need to do. And he lays out the process of this and how you live. And you go back to starting verse 13, prepare your mind. You remember that? Prepare your minds for action. You know, forget about these things that you used to do. You know you don't need to do this, then don't do that. Be ye holy as I'm holy. As obedient children, stay away from these things. Right? And he just is continuing along those lines, and then he gets to that verse 18 and 19 where he makes his final argument. You're bought by blood. Here's your motivator, here's the reason. I'm done preaching. I'm sorry, but uh I you just gotta take this serious. And people don't take this seriously serious.

SPEAKER_04

They don't. It ain't okay. My whole deal is I'm about to speak, preacher. There we go. My number number five, you're up. All right, here we go. Are you take these people who won't play devil's advocate? Because there are gonna be people who don't play devil's advocate towards these verses right here. Talking about not being teamed up with unbelievers. Or how they come to how they how are they gonna come to know that the Lord is their Lord and Savior if me as a believer doesn't go to them? Don't go to them and tell them about it. So you're telling me to be, don't have any business with them. They're over here, we're over here. How are they gonna know about Jesus Christ if I don't ever go over there to them? Can I answer it? Or are you looking for an answer?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, go ahead. Yeah. So this is what I think. I think he, and I go back to that line that's drawn in the sand. I'm not gonna cross over that line. Not everybody on this side of the line is living perfect or going to have a perfect life, you know. These are sinners and these are sinners. They're both sinners. We're both sinners. Right. But everybody on this side of the line is doing everything they can, you know, to live for God. And not that their life is gonna be perfect, but they can see the joint.

SPEAKER_00

Well, what I'm saying is everybody else here is gonna be drunk, but not me.

SPEAKER_02

Well, what I'm what I'm saying is here is I'm thinking of that verse, and I can't think of the the where it talks about how a tree is growing by the river, is like a man living for God, he's gonna grow, right? But with that living by the river, that tree, there's gonna be wind, there's gonna be, you know, storms, there's gonna be damage, but yet I'm still living for God, and through every trial we have, there's joy. That's what God tells us to have joy in trials, right? Well, if that line is drawn, everybody on the other side of it that's living a certain way as an unbeliever, you know, where they're supposed to be in line, they're unbeliever and believer. Well, how are they gonna know? That's your question. How are they gonna ever get to that on the other side of the line? I think they ought to see the way we're living and say, man, that's working for them. That's working for them.

SPEAKER_00

I want I want what they got.

SPEAKER_02

I want what they got.

SPEAKER_03

Let me add something there.

SPEAKER_00

I think Logan probably said that about Abby, their first early relationship, you know. She's this girl here different.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

She got something I ain't got.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's what the the first time I asked her out, uh, that was the thought process of like, you don't never hear, I'm tired of living this way of, you know, always drama and and all this mess. You don't, I don't even know what Abby's doing. You know what I mean? Like, you don't ever hear about Abby being a part of no nothing going on. I was like, I just need some peace in my life. Yeah. And there it went.

SPEAKER_03

Take it number 50. You gotta look. There it went. Yep. I won't I want to add something to what y'all just said about, you know, the believer, the line, and anyway. So as a police officer, you go through, you've rest so many folks, you know the people that are doing drugs, you know the people where they're addicted to these things, and you will you try to help them, but they can't see through it. And it comes a point to where you're not gonna be able to do it enough to get them to see what you're trying to tell them until they want to do it. Yeah, it's gotta be them to do it. You can't make you can't force them to do it. You can't force them to quit those habits. You can't force them to do anything until they want to to see it. That's the only time it's gonna happen. There's gonna be a man. You're gonna have to draw that line.

SPEAKER_00

There's gonna be a man shares testimony Sunday, I think. I don't know if he'll share this part of it or not, but he's been to prison seven times. Seven times. And like you said, until he gets in his own mind, something causing me to keep coming to prison. And he'd been blaming it on this world, it's unjust, unfair world. It ain't my fault being never wrong. And then whenever he finally realized I'm the problem. Yep. Jonah, I'm the problem. I'm the man. I need to make some changes here. Ain't nothing gonna change until they get to that point. Yep. So that's our motivation is to get them to that point. And the way you get, my opinion is the way you get them to that point is continue to give them the truth. Because that's the only thing that's gonna pierce the heart. Yeah, keep working on it. That's the two-edged, that's the double-edged sword, right? Is the word of God. That that has the capability of piercing the soul. Not us and our lifestyles and our examples. We can live as best as we want to live. And we can be the greatest example, and there's that line, and they see us, and they see that, but it's the word's gonna make the difference.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_00

And anybody, I guarantee you, if Justice shares his testimony, he'd tell you that. That's that's the difference maker. Chad would tell you that too.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I'm gonna throw this in. I've been trying to get it. All right. Jonah, Nineveh. All right. Nineveh, Jonah went there to tell him, and I think the words. The very words that Jonah went to and said is in 40 days, God's gonna wipe y'all clean. Fizz and take y'all out. He's finna destroy this place. And it didn't take but that for them to say, the king himself said, we finish and change some things around here. And he didn't just use the words, I'm sorry, God, and walk away from it. He just walked away from it. Right? He turned over a new leaf. Even, he even, it tells us in Jonah that even the animals changed their ways, right? He said, we are getting away from our wicked lives, and hopefully God will change his mind toward us. And he did. Right? Amen. So my thought is if you're out there and you're trying to figure out how to get to this other side of the line, I'll just say it like that. I want to be like this. I mean, it's encouraging me. This is encouraging me, and I want to get there. Don't just use your words. Don't just say, I'm going to do better. But turn from your wicked ways. That's what changed God's mind toward them. They just didn't voice, hey, I'm sorry, God.

SPEAKER_00

Genuine repentance.

SPEAKER_02

But yeah, genuine repentance. The uh there was a shift change in their lifestyle. A shift change. They just didn't voice it. They just didn't feel the guilt and say, I'm going to change some things, and it never happened. Hold on, pick a number, preacher. I got three of them in front of me. But they said, hey, we're fishing, we're fishing turn rents around. Turn words and tactic.

SPEAKER_00

What difference did it make if it was genuine? Who was determined whether it's genuine or not? God. Yeah. Yeah. Ultimately. And we can look and see. So, well, that wasn't real. Yeah, they made a profession of faith or they changed away, but it wasn't genuine. Yeah. You know, it wasn't genuine conversion. It's between the sinner. It's God could the only one who can make a determination. And whenever God knows the heart and God sees that it's right, hang on, it's gonna get good.

SPEAKER_02

So you take them. When God went to Jonah about this, he was angry. It talked about God being angry. But the minute that he seen that they were genuine with their repentance, they just didn't say, I'm sorry, God, but they changed their life, he got compassionate.

SPEAKER_00

Compare that to you and your sons. Talon messes up. You done got mad. As his daddy. Yeah. As God got angry, you done got mad at him. Mm-hmm. How'd you keep going? How'd you handle that?

SPEAKER_02

All right. I I shared this in Sunday school. I said, I used Tanner because Tanner's in there. I said, Tanner, you know, you can mess up and do some crazy things and this, and you can come to me and say you're sorry. I'm gonna be mad about it. I'm still I'm angry. But you can come to me and say you're sorry, and I'm like, yeah, right. Yeah, right. You're just telling me that so I'll feel better or whatever. But until I seen, see a difference in you, until I see that, wait a minute, this boy truly meant he was sorry. You know? Genuine. Genuine about it.

SPEAKER_00

He's serious.

SPEAKER_02

He's serious. Yeah, that's exactly right. Then I'm like, hey, I'm gonna have, I'm gonna be show some compassion toward this kid.

SPEAKER_04

Let me tell y'all this story. That just perfectly fits right here with Elliot. The other night, Elliot's been getting up, and we've been putting him in bed. And for an hour straight, he gets up. Goes to the bathroom like three times before he goes to sleep. Or the other night I done told him, Elliot, do not get up as another time. Or I'm coming in here, I'm I'm whooping your butt. I can hear his door crack open. And boy, I throw my, I throw my lever in my recliner down, I start heading down that hallway, and I get down there, he's just puppy eyes to me. He said, Daddy, I just love you. You go, I'm sorry, Daddy. I said, Go get your butt in that bed and don't go. He lay there for a second, and then of course we got his monitor and his camera sitting right there. And he says, Daddy, he knows I'm looking at it. He says, Daddy, I do love you. Man, this breaks your heart, but you can see that Genius, he knew I was serious. I done had enough, right? Oh well, I done missed that. But this goes back to what I've been trying to say for the past 30 minutes. Um, these ones who condone it, preacher. Let's talk about the word condone. Because there are multiple, multiple. And I'm gonna I'm just gonna I say I'm tired of it. We're all tired of it. There's ones in this church that condone certain actions of even believers in this church, or ones who claim to be believers, and they continue conduct to condone it, and it's not getting any better. It's not. Because ultimately it's not genuine repentance.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's a it's a it's a what do you call it? A uh disease. Counterfeit.

SPEAKER_04

It's counterfeit. Yeah. But you have you have these ones who are gonna condone certain sins because ultimately they're not that bad. Maybe they'll see that I'm not doing that sin, but I'm still around them. I'm gonna be a huge testimony in that aspect.

SPEAKER_02

Picking and choosing what they want to do. What side of the line are you on?

SPEAKER_00

It's a whole lot easier from a minute ministry's perspective, it's gonna be a whole lot easier on you not to fight that fight.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, don't put yourself in that position.

SPEAKER_00

Because you're gonna be disappointed.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Because these people are gonna let you down. The very person you thought, uh, I never would have thought they'd have done that. Watch out.

SPEAKER_01

Yep.

unknown

It's coming.

SPEAKER_05

And you get accused of uh, we're sitting here talking about the fear of the Lord, how it's changed your life. You get accused of fear mongering. You know, oh, you're just trying to scare me into this. That's true. But like you have no problem with a tornado warning. That's true. You have no problem with evacuating your town before the hurricane hits. This uh it brings me to uh Matthew 7, uh verse 21 to 23, when it talks when Jesus is talking about true discipleship, and we all know it. Uh, not everyone who calls out to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day, many will say, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, perform many miracles in your name. But I will reply, I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws. And if you take that personally and take the fear of the Lord, it should affect it. That line will be drawn for you. Yep.

SPEAKER_04

And you ask you to ask yourself the question. I should be serious. You gotta ask yourself the question. You just said it right there, the will of the Father. If you don't do the will of the Father, you will not, I will not, you know, you won't be able to call me Lord, Lord. What's the will of the Father? You know what the will of the Father is, it's to be obedient to Christ. It's to stay true to his word, not to condone the ones that are only unequally yoked.

SPEAKER_05

We're not fear-mongering. We just love you enough to tell you.

SPEAKER_04

Right, say that word right there, fear mongering. I quit on that.

SPEAKER_05

Fear mongering.

SPEAKER_00

Well, you you mentioned it lane the will of the Father, you know. And that's what Jesus said there. You know, you you're gonna say to me, Lord, Lord, do you know how to do this, do this, do this, do this. I never knew you. Well, how do you identify that person? How do we identify that person? The one that's not doing the will of the Father? The one who's gonna hear the words, depart from me, I never knew you. How do we identify that person? I don't know if we can identify that. We don't have any much options. I think the same way as you identify one who's a believer. Our works is how we're living our lives. That's exactly right. You can't deny it.

SPEAKER_02

But yet in that same verse it says, Well, we did this and we did that for you. You know?

SPEAKER_00

They keep fooling themselves. So one day they hear the word, I don't know what you I never knew you. You wasn't bought by my blood. You wasn't serious, you didn't take it serious. You know, it makes sense. You were playing games at the foot of the cross.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And God is serious about this. You better fear me. Do we fear God?

SPEAKER_02

What worries me about that verse is there's gonna be people that get there one day and say, Well, I did this in your name. And it may be very little, right? But they in their mind they think, well, this ought to get me here. You know, and then you they're gonna have people that come up there and say, Well, I preached the majority of my life, right? I done this and I done that, and he's still gonna say, I never knew you. I never knew you. See ya. And and so that's why I say, you know, we there's a lot of people in this world that may look at someone and say, they've got to be saved. But deep down inside, they're not. You know, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. There's you know, I did this, you know, there's nothing that we can do to uh satisfy God. You know, to only only Jesus' blood can do that. So whether you you quit drinking or whatever you think that is gonna get you into heaven, you know, that you have to first come to Jesus at the cross, and then the rest will come into play.

SPEAKER_00

Very true.

SPEAKER_05

That's that's that conversion. Don't think putting the beer down is it. Or, you know, not just alcohol, but of course that whatever's a new creature sin you have. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you're transformed. Yeah, there's a new creature, regenerated is a better word.

SPEAKER_03

Conversion starts at the cross in the tomb. That's right. You don't have to clean yourself up for Jesus. Jesus will clean you. So whatever sin is haunting you, don't think that you have to fix it before you go to him. You go to him and he'll fix it for you.

SPEAKER_00

Well, isn't that the sad thing? Here we are. The vast majority of our podcast this morning is dealing with Christians who aren't acting or believing, or they're they're they're equally yoking themselves with unbelievers. You know, we spend a majority of our time getting these Christians out of the way of the cross.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

To get a lost person to the cross. As Philip just said, you you got to call, you got to come to the cross. Amen. And then he'll change it. And don't you worry about trying to clean your act up, your life up. And where we're talking about cleaning up those who already claim to be blood bought. That's what's frustrating on the side of the ministry. Is we spend more time getting Christians out of the way. But people can't see the need to come to Jesus because they say this. Well, they ain't no dear, they ain't no different than I am. That person calls themselves a believer or a Christian. They go to that church down there at Shady Grove, but they ain't no different than I am. They live in the same way I am. The only difference is maybe they go to church for an hour a week.

SPEAKER_05

Last time I was on this podcast, I talked about hypocrites of the church. You know, in we were talking about influencers and how uh people of the church can influence you to not go to church because you see how they live and it's like, wow, it's not changing their lives. And you don't want to stand in the way of somebody coming to Jesus because that was probably some of yours, Logan, if you think about it.

SPEAKER_00

You know, because of what how you were raised and what you've seen in your life, you had a you had some trust issues, you know, with people, and you you realize I I'm I'm uh I I'm I got to know for sure. You know, before I can get serious about this and commit the rest of my life to this, I'm gonna know. And you began to see the difference. Yeah, yeah, and that that made the big difference, you know, for you. Which ultimately say, okay, I'm thinking to fall down here before the cross and and let this blood take care of me, and then I'm gonna I'm gonna go from there. And here we go. You know. But uh you had to get that hypocrisy out of your way. You had to get those people out of your way. So y'all help us out. I say help us out, help Christ out, the cause of Christ out. We're living in these last days where I believe that the return of Christ is inevitable and it's near, and there are a whole bunch of people who are not ready to stand before this judge, that they're gonna stand before one of these days, and uh they've got to recognize that the only thing that can cleanse them and wash them and make them right in the eyes of God is the blood of Jesus Christ. That's right. Amen. So help us.

SPEAKER_04

He almost wish you say that you know you keep saying getting these people out the way. We worry more about getting people out the way when we need to be worrying about putting the cross in their way so that they can get to the they can get to the Savior.

SPEAKER_02

All right, so that'd go what I think. That makes sense.

SPEAKER_04

No.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I don't want to seem like a Pharisee here. So, so listen, listen. We've been preaching, and you know, don't hang out with these people. Don't Jesus hung out with sinners. We're all sinners. Jesus hung out with sinners, and Pharisees would say, why is he hanging out with them if he's claiming to be there?

SPEAKER_04

He walked in and said, Hey here we go.

SPEAKER_02

Why is he hanging out with them if he claims to be this, right? But Jesus went and hung out with them with intentions. Yeah. Not to just hang out. Yeah. He went and hung out with them to get them to him.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. I think that's what I was trying to say a while ago is you got these people. We mentioned a while ago, someone said it, you know, we have no business being with these people over here. We need to be on our business right here. Yeah. Well, if our business is the Lord's business and it's Jesus' business, then ultimately that business is going to roll into bringing these people to this business. Yeah. I mean, let's talk about business for example. A lot of business going on. A lot of business going on. How are you going to bring people to your business?

SPEAKER_03

There's a difference in going to the party and hanging out and then having intention when you go to that business.

SPEAKER_04

That's right. Your biggest, biggest tool in business is advertisement. Well, how are you going to advertise Jesus? In the way you live. That's that simple. The way you live.

SPEAKER_02

Well, and why you bring them to you bring up that party, I think it's wise to just me personally, I think it's wise just to have to go.

SPEAKER_04

Right.

SPEAKER_02

You know? They know where I stand. They know even if I wasn't a pastor.

SPEAKER_04

If you go to that party and they're drinking or doing drugs or whatever, you're condoned of that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

In a sense.

SPEAKER_02

And you may use the comment, well, I ain't drinking. Well, you're there. Okay. But you can reach those people. You can reach those people when they're sober. That's right. You're not going to reach those people when they're drunk. Yeah. You need to reach those people when they're sober.

SPEAKER_04

That's right.

SPEAKER_02

So when you say, well, I can go to a party and not drink, you ain't doing a bit of good. Yeah. You know, they don't care what you're doing because they're drunker than who to think. You know? So you reach those people on God's terms, not theirs. If that makes sense.

SPEAKER_03

It does. I got a question for you.

SPEAKER_00

Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be partnered with wickedness? How can light have how can light live with darkness? What harmony can there to be between Christ and the devil? Right? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? He's talking about the union of marriage, obviously, but the same principle applies. Oh, yeah. And yet we hear that argument all the time. Oh, I go. I'm not going to do what they're going to do, but I'm going to go.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I'm just going to tell you, it tells us right here, God's not going to team up with the unbeliever.

SPEAKER_00

We have so much instruction on how to deal with the devil and how to fight this spiritual warfare. And one of the greatest things he says is abstain. Keep from it. Stay away from it. Abstain from the appearance of all evil. So how can you say, well, it ain't going to hurt nothing to go. You know? I can go to the horse races. That don't mean I gotta gamble. Well, what in the world are you doing at the horse races? Don't tell me that.

SPEAKER_04

I like watching the horses running a circle, preacher.

SPEAKER_00

I just like looking at the horses. Yeah, it costs you something. Look at them horses.

SPEAKER_04

I'm gonna tie that my winnings, preacher.

SPEAKER_00

I don't mean to pick on the horse races. You know what I'm saying? That's just an example. Lottery, too. You gotta rise above it.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, what about the lottery, preacher?

SPEAKER_00

Because here it is on Facebook. You take a picture of Facebook, look at me here here on Saturday. You know, I'm down here in the winter circle at door traces. Yeah. But look at me here on Sunday. I'm up here preaching. What y'all gonna think about that?

SPEAKER_02

Y'all ask Preacher what he what he thinks about the lottery. He'll go back to what his mama said.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

What his mama said. If she wants money, she said the devil done had this long enough.

SPEAKER_00

Lord Preacher done had to buy them for her.

unknown

She made me.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I'm 40 years old. She made me go in the convenience store and get her whatever it was. You know, I had to go buy her lottery.

SPEAKER_02

She said the devil done had it.

SPEAKER_00

I can't do it. She said, I'm your mama going and get me one.

SPEAKER_03

I'm guilty. All right, Pastor, I gotta ask you a question.

SPEAKER_04

The last question.

SPEAKER_03

She did not win the lottery, by the way. What LG just read while I go to Matthew.

SPEAKER_04

That's how you don't pick up his Bible and look at it.

SPEAKER_03

Well, he gotta put his reading glasses on after that one. Look at it. Lord, Lord, you have I have we have not prophesied. Have I not prophesied in your name? Yeah. All right. Cast out demons in your name. How many demons do you cast out, preacher?

SPEAKER_00

I never have cast out a single demon. Yeah. I never have. Right. Now how has the Lord used me in my words in my presence? I have no idea. That's a thing. But there are people in our society that says, I have. They've taken credit for it.

SPEAKER_03

Well, I was gonna say, what what do you some people have a different perspective when they when they see that? They see, you know, the movie demons casting out, you know, but addiction. Is that would that not be a demon? You see people healed.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, these these uh these habitual sins.

SPEAKER_03

Right. You see people healed when they were you know diagnosed with stage four cancer, and you know I mean why I guess where I'm getting at is God works in those ways that you see this cast out demons in your name. That's a different perspective. I mean, you get a different perspective in that. No.

SPEAKER_00

It's a uh and you're right, the way we consider that is from Hollywood and what we consider to be a demon, and somebody casting somebody rolling around on the ground, foaming at the mouth, and you say in Jesus' name and come out of them kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I'm not I'm not gonna say God's not capable of that, because we do have evidence of it in scripture, especially with Jesus. Uh and even at the hands of the apostles. But I don't believe God today has given any human being alive the ability to do that in their own strength. I don't. I believe in one day that existed on this earth, but I don't think it exists today. Now, is God still capable of doing that? We've seen too many examples of it. But who is that crowd that you're I think that's the question you're asking? Who is what does this look like? All right when they say, have I not cast out? I think Jesus is using the scenario, you know, look what I've done. And then he just making a point, but it ain't about what you've done, it's what I did. That's right. That's right. So ultimately that's where he was trying to get them to.

SPEAKER_04

I think too, I I know what you're saying there, Philip. And I think another question you have to ask yourself, and I think this goes for all believers, but too with pastors, we deal with more wild as the devil, of how he's working through other people, working through our sheep, if you would, working through working through the world, working through our people, than our own selves, if that makes sense. We're having and that's where it comes up with teaming up with believers, the importance of that. Coming alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ. Because when these times do come, these demons, as you're talking about, do come, you know who to go to. You know who ultimately fall at the knees of Jesus, right? Or fall at the feet of Jesus.

SPEAKER_00

Well, you don't want to tell them the truth to the extent to where they're offended enough to where they might change churches, do you?

SPEAKER_04

Right.

SPEAKER_00

No. You're gonna run them off. Well, you keep harping on this long enough, you're gonna run us off. I'm tired of hearing it. I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do on Sunday. They ain't coming to church, and you know, y'all gonna run me off.

SPEAKER_03

I'll say as a pastor.

SPEAKER_00

That is a genuine fear of a pastor.

SPEAKER_03

I know as a pastor, how frustrating also is it when you're when you you're preaching these sermons and you know people are living this way, you see them in there, they just walk out like nothing's ever said to them. You get used to it.

SPEAKER_00

I texted uh I texted a man about 5 30 yesterday morning. Yeah, and he had sent me some a text, and it was just uh it was one of them onesophysis. On the sapor. It's one of those individuals. And he wouldn't he wouldn't even worry about it. He wasn't here Sunday night. But he just sent me a phone. What did you say?

SPEAKER_03

He's speaking Spanish.

SPEAKER_00

He just sent me a text encouraging me. He said, I then that's what he said. I just want to encourage you. And uh the words that you have spoken here recently in sermons and whatnot have really spoken to my heart and and they've made a difference. And we need to get together sometime. I'm gonna share some things with you of what God's been doing in me and my life and my wife's life, and da da da. But that very morning, on Monday morning, I entertained those thoughts of quitting, as you said. How first, how hard is it not to ever see results, not to ever see fruit. Yeah, and often you entertain those ideas, God's done with me. Yeah, you know, I've been I've been doing this a long time, God done with me. I'm ready to move on, finna go buy me a truck or something, get me a job, go on the road, you know, real estate. You have those thoughts because it is so tiring and taxing to over and over and over and over and over again, and yet you don't see it. Yeah. But then you get word that, yeah, somebody's seeing it. Yeah. Then you realize I can't quit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

All right, final encouraging words. Philippo. Go fishing. Yeah, go fishing.

SPEAKER_03

Different type of fishing though. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

All right, my turn. Yeah. So if I can give some encouragement to you this week, um, and this is what I've learned recently, and I've been texting a few people that's listened to this podcast, you know, and trying to overcome and trying to do better and trying to live a life, I would say this God is an angry God, a just God, but he's also a compassionate God. Right? And God came into this world, and it tells us in John 3 17, God sent his son into the world to not judge it, but to save it, right? So God didn't send his son to destroy the world, he came to restore it. Right? God didn't come to destruct, but to reconstruct. Jesus came to show. Mercy and not condemn. Right? So my encouragement to you is no matter where you're at right now, realize God is here for you. If you're the one holding that beer wanting to get better, if you're going down this one road, if you you say you're on this side of the line, but you're living like the other side, God come to fix you. He didn't come to destroy you, he didn't come to mess you up, he didn't come to point fingers, but he came to fix you.

SPEAKER_04

He didn't come to condemn this world and might be saved.

SPEAKER_02

You're not so far out there, you're not too far that he can't relate and pick you back up and get you on the right track. My encouragement.

SPEAKER_05

LG. I would just encourage you to take your eternity serious. I know it's sometimes it's hard to see as we live our day-to-day lives. You know, I'm about to get on a UPS truck and drive and know which direction I'm going and who I'm delivering to and all that. And sometimes it's hard to keep the the eternity side of it in view. So Matthew 7, uh talking about true disciples, of, you know, I don't want to hear them words. I never knew you. It's a motivator, isn't it? That's right. And I want it to motivate and and encourage me to live for the Jesus that died for me. That's right.

SPEAKER_00

I'll just tag what Logan said there. Make sure you're blood bought. Let that sink in. You hear these words and you're hearing us talk this morning, it's thinking to end, but consider that thought. Am I blood bought? And then think of the cost of that. And think of the the the value that your soul is to God. And don't you think he loves you? And and keep make that comparison. And I'll keep using Ryan and his boys. You know good and well Ryan Ryan loves his boys and and Timmy, his children. There ain't you can't put words into what a father's love for his children. That same love exists with God and us and you. God loves you that much. As Ryan shared a while ago, he didn't come to condemn, he came to save, he came to redeem, he came to rescue. Yes, it cost him his son. Yes, he had to shed his blood, he had to suffer and die. That's the cost of sin. But accept that and ask the question if I'm blood bought, then let's get serious about this. Let's get serious about this. Every time you are contemplating making a move or committing a sin or doing something that's unchristian, unchrist-like, just turn your hand over, look at the balm of your hand and see blood there. Yep. There's the blood on your hands. With that, I'll be quiet.

SPEAKER_04

I think mine would be more of a reminder kind of deal. Kind of on the same lines. Is uh in Colossians chapter 3 it says this, that then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God, set your mind on things above, not on the things of this earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

SPEAKER_00

So important our mind. Setting our mind on the things above. So important. Think on these things.

SPEAKER_01

Yep.

SPEAKER_00

Think on eternal things.

SPEAKER_04

Yep. All right. Once again, we appreciate y'all joining in for another week. Y'all ready to get busy today? Yeah, I guess. Vacation Bible school.

SPEAKER_02

I want to keep on rolling, but we'll I'll save it. Shut her down.

SPEAKER_04

Who's closing us out this morning? I feel it. All right, here we go.

SPEAKER_02

Lord, I love you, God, and I know the ones sitting at this table do as well, Lord. We we all come to you and want to honor you and glorify you and our walk and our studies and our everyday lives, God. We want to draw that line. We want to live on the certain side that you want us on, God. We struggle, we fail. Everybody listening to this has their faults, God. But you are the one. You are the God, you are the comforter, the healer, the one that can overcome and has overcome the world. So help us as believers, help us as Christians to walk the walk you walked, God. And teach us, guide us, and direct us to be the men and women you want us to be. God, I pray for every soul listening, Lord, that your spirit will connect with them and lead them down this road. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Contributor

Philip Roberts

Host
Contributor

David Jacks

Co-host
Contributor

Lane Self

Co-host
Contributor

Ryan Watson

Co-host
Contributor

Zach Craig

Co-host