WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.440 A few years ago, uh as president and as a vice president, and before that I traveled for a living. 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:08.080 Um I'm on a lot of planes. 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:14.320 Um and uh years ago there was a particular airline that served Pepsi products. 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:16.640 Uh is anybody a Pepsi product fan here? 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:17.600 Any Pepsi products? 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:18.320 Okay, a few. 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:18.800 Okay. 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:20.719 Um most are what you all coke? 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:21.359 Is that what it is? 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:23.120 This is wow, okay. 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:25.600 Uh that I had to deal with that when I lived in the south. 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:26.960 I didn't know we did that up here. 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:29.199 Um, so I love Pepsi products. 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:32.560 So there's one airline, it's now been bought out, Northwest Airlines. 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:35.039 They served Pepsi, but they also served Mountain Dew. 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:37.280 Now, Mountain Dew was my go-to. 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:40.159 That was my go-to drink, and I love Mountain Dew. 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:45.439 Matter of fact, I look forward to flying on that particular airline because they served Mountain Dew. 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:52.399 So I get on the plane one time and I'm flying, and this the um you know, the flight attendant, that's what we call them stewardess. 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:57.200 The flight attendant comes by and um asks me what I want to drink, and I said, I'll take a Mountain Dew. 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:00.479 And she says, Well, we don't have Mountain Dew, but you can have a sprite. 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:06.959 Now, that's wrong for like a lot of reasons. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:10.719 There's there's moral, ethical, spiritual reasons why that's wrong. 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:13.200 But a couple of them that stands out. 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:15.519 One is that, first of all, Mountain Dew has flavor. 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:18.000 Uh, so that would be that would be one reason why. 00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:26.239 But the second reason why offer me a sprite was so wrong in place of Mountain Dew is because Mountain Dew has caffeine, exactly. 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:31.439 Matter of fact, if you look up uh the sodas that have the least caffeine, you'll see it's all the lemon lime. 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:32.879 All the lemon lime, right? 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:35.359 The second one is um ginger ale. 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:39.359 That's the next thing they offer you when they don't have Mountain Dew or Mellow Yellow. 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:42.079 Um, so why do I say that? 00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:53.120 Many of you follow One Church online, you've been planning your uh day here, you've been thinking about coming here, you've been listening to Greg online, and you showed up today, and Mr. 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:56.719 Sprite walks on the uh the platform. 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:02.079 So um I feel that I feel your pain. 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:03.040 I really do. 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:18.080 Um there's a pastor that I love to listen to online who up in the Cuyoga Falls area, and uh we planned a vacation up there a weekend, but we called and we asked, and they're not supposed to say, but we wanted to make sure that he was actually going to be there on that Sunday. 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:24.159 I didn't want to waste my weekend like in church, um, and get a guest speaker of all playing. 00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:37.280 Um so again, I I I I feel your pain, and um, but I think I'm just coming hot off um when I moved to Indiana Westland, I had to chance for my ordination from the denomination I was in, so Wesleyan. 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:44.000 And so yesterday was my uh ordination transfer service, and I had multiple people laying hands. 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:54.879 And um, of course, today I got here this morning and there was more laying out of hands, and then Shane and Eddie, and I had more hands laid on me than a rugby player in England. 00:02:55.039 --> 00:03:01.120 Um, so I really think that you know the Holy Spirit has something to say today, and we want to enter in. 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:10.240 And before we enter in, I also just want to say part of what I've been feeling this morning is that as we worship, some of us are coming off a really great week. 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:14.240 Um, and we can enter into worship in just a natural way. 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:15.919 Some of us are not. 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:25.280 Um, I'm reminded of Job after finding out that he lost all of his kids, all of his income, all of his property, all of his cattle. 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:36.560 It says in Job chapter 1 at the very end, it says, There and Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and he fell on the ground and worshiped. 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:43.599 Um we can't do real worship in our flesh. 00:03:44.240 --> 00:04:00.879 Um, God gives us grace, and there is certainly grace on you, but there is grace in you, and God is for you, but he also wants to move that grace through you to people around you. 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:02.560 And we're gonna talk about that today. 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:12.719 But I also just want to recognize that as we enter into this time of listening to the word and and seeing what the Lord may say to us, um don't rely on your flesh. 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:20.800 Uh just recognize that God has an appointment for you right now, and um, and that we want to be attentive to that. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:22.480 So let's just uh pray. 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:29.759 Father, uh, during this time, what we have not, I pray you will give us. 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:35.120 And what we know not, uh, I pray that you will teach us. 00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:44.720 And what we are not, through the power of your Holy Spirit, make us for Christ's sake and for his kingdom. 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:45.680 Amen. 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:51.040 So Indiana Wesleyan has a phrase that's called World Changers. 00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:52.800 We have a society of world changers. 00:04:52.959 --> 00:05:08.959 We've inducted people into that for 25 years, people from uh Bill and Glory Gaither, uh Johnny Erickson Tata, um, the uh Tony Dungey, uh just all kinds, Pat Gelsinger of Intel, all kinds of people into the society of world changers. 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:12.560 Part of our, it came from a book by a friend of mine named Bob Briner. 00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:14.319 The book was called Roaring Lambs. 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:21.920 And the idea was how do we as Christians figure out a way to roar uh as sheep? 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:28.319 We are called to be sheep, and how do we interface and interact with the culture in a way that's effective? 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:32.319 And so we go through that, and that's part of our curriculum at Indiana Wesleyan. 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:42.079 Whether you're studying business or biology, or whether you're on the football team or in physics, how do you get yourself ready to impact the culture? 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:56.079 In 1 Thessalonians 5, 23, Jesus, uh Apostle Paul is writing, and he and the Apostle Paul writes, and it'll be up here on the screen, that you are we are created body, soul, and spirit. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:01.120 May the Spirit of God sanctify you fully, body, soul, and spirit. 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:02.560 So we are created. 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:08.720 This is um I know if how many if you're regular with Greg, I wanted everything to be feel comfortable, right? 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:10.480 So I got the blackboard out. 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:12.560 I'm writing on the blackboard. 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:14.560 I can't do anything about this. 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:19.360 This is just it just, you know, this doesn't just happen. 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:26.879 Well, this just happens, but I mean, um, so I'm not gonna be able to make it totally comfortable, but we're gonna we're gonna do our best, all right? 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:29.839 So if you if you know Greg, he likes to write. 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:34.879 So we are made body and soul and spirit. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:38.639 And the goal, so this is God's plan. 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:44.240 Now, first of all, when you came in this morning, you didn't get the choice to walk in with one of these, right? 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:48.480 You didn't get a choice like I'm bringing my body, but I'm leaving my spirit home. 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:51.680 Uh I'm bringing my body, but I'm leaving my soul at home. 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:52.079 Right? 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:58.639 The soul, of course, is from the word psyche or suke, it's it's what we get our word psychiatry from. 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:04.399 But it's your mind, it's your state of mind, it's your frame of mind, it's all your feelings, all your thoughts, right? 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:09.360 But you when you come, you have to bring all three uh with you. 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:21.519 Now, some of you are distracted, I know some of you are sitting here and you're thinking about maybe the seat at the you know the restaurant, or maybe you're concerned about Bryce West didn't really verbally commit to Ohio State this week. 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:28.959 And um, and so your your mind is on other things, but all three came with you uh this morning. 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:30.959 Now, what's God's plan? 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:38.560 God's plan, as it was revealed in scripture, of course, is that you come alive in your spirit when Christ invades your heart. 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:46.800 And God's plan isn't for his son to die in order to uh make mean people nice. 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:51.920 And his and his plan isn't to make good people or bad people good. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:57.680 The plan for God, according to scripture, is that he makes dead people alive. 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:04.319 And scripturally, if you don't know Christ as your Savior, your spiritual condition is one of death. 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:20.000 You are spiritually not alive, and so God's plan is to invade the very eternal part of you, but then work its way out through the other parts. 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:26.720 See, Jesus is the center of it all, but he wants it all. 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:34.559 Jesus paid it all, Jesus is the center of it all, but Jesus wants it all. 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:36.159 So he's not comfortable. 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:40.399 You there's scripture that talks about work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:41.919 Well, what does that mean to work it out? 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:44.159 What does it mean to work out your salvation? 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:54.799 Work it out of your spirit so that it starts to impact your soul, starts to impact how you think, starts to impact your feelings of anxiety. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:57.120 Don't worry about anything, the Bible says. 00:08:57.279 --> 00:08:58.480 Be anxious for nothing. 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:01.360 Well, how can I be anxious for nothing? 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:10.960 Because the Spirit of God is starting to work itself out into the other areas of your life, to the point where you literally are transformed. 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:14.639 The word transformed from the Greek means metamorphosis. 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:16.000 We've heard that word before, right? 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:22.000 A caterpillar turns into a butterfly, and it's totally beyond anything we could have ever imagined. 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:24.399 Well, that's exactly what metamorphosis means. 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:27.120 Meta means totally beyond. 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:29.600 And morph, morph of change. 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:33.360 So it's a it's a total, way beyond transformation. 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:44.240 It's a change that we could have never imagined in our wildest dreams, and that's what God wants to do to the point where what you believe impacts your behavior. 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:53.039 There's actually coherence between what you think up here and what you feel down here in your heart, and then what your body actually does, right? 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:56.399 There was a Sunday school song that we sang years ago. 00:09:56.559 --> 00:10:01.279 Um, oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see, right? 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:03.279 For the father up above is looking down love. 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:06.480 Oh, be careful little ears, what you hear, right? 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:12.559 So there's this whole thing about what we see and what we hear, and there needs to be this coherence. 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:16.480 And when this happens, we're gonna be as witnesses. 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:17.360 Well, how? 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:19.039 What does that mean? 00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:21.919 Well, Jesus says there's gonna be three things. 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:24.960 So you're gonna be one of three things. 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:31.200 So if you look at Matthew chapter 5, in the Sermon on the Mount, we read this you are the salt of the earth. 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:35.360 But if the salt becomes tasteless, how will it be made salty? 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:38.320 Again, I'm reading from the NASB. 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:44.320 Uh, it is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people. 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:46.559 You are the light of the world. 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:49.120 A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:56.799 Nor do man light a lamp and put it under a uh a bushel, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 00:10:56.960 --> 00:10:59.840 So we had that little song, you know, hide it under a bushel. 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:02.879 No, no, hide it under a bushel, no, I'm gonna let it shine. 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:06.879 So the first thing that Jesus says we're gonna be is you are gonna be salt. 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:12.399 Now, I again, because you are comfortable with Greg, I wanted to have I wanted to have things out here, right? 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:15.919 So so you're feeling like I feel like I'm at one church this morning. 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:18.159 Yes, you are, you're at one church. 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:19.679 We're gonna be salt. 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:21.759 Salt's one of these interesting things. 00:11:22.240 --> 00:11:27.200 Back in the day, salt was so important and so valuable. 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:38.240 It comes from the word solarium, where we get the word saline, but salt was actually, because it's the word solarium, we actually get our word salary from from that word. 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:40.159 They paid people in salt. 00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:44.480 Soldiers would receive salt after they served their time in battle. 00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:47.120 So thank you for the being involved in the war. 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:48.080 Here you go. 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:50.399 That's that's kind of how it was just exactly like that. 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:50.799 Here you go. 00:11:50.879 --> 00:11:52.320 And it was in a little container. 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:57.360 Um, salt um is one of the things that Jesus says we're gonna be. 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:03.840 The next thing he says we're gonna be is you are the light of the world. 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:09.360 Now, again, I have a I have a uh hopefully this doesn't there. 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:10.080 You go. 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:12.960 There's on all right. 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:15.120 I have to do that for the cameras. 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:16.799 All right, you are the light of the world. 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:24.399 And the last thing that Jesus says is you are gonna be sent out as sheep among wolves. 00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:26.879 And you're thinking, what does he have underneath here? 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:30.799 There you go. 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:36.559 So, what does this got to do with anything? 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:38.159 You are the salt of the world. 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:42.559 The ministry of salt is contact. 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:48.399 Salt is a contact ministry, it's a relational ministry. 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:52.559 This salt is doing any nobody any good at all right now. 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:58.720 It has to come into contact with food in order for it to do its job. 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:05.200 And for Christians to do their job in order to be witnesses, we have to be in contact with the world. 00:13:05.679 --> 00:13:08.879 But it's it's it's a it's a contact ministry. 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:16.559 Light, in contrast, is a contrast ministry. 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:24.080 We sing uh Jesus, we speak the name of Jesus uh over darkness, over our enemy. 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:27.840 Well, why do we speak the name of Jesus into the darkness or over darkness? 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:36.000 Because He is the He's the light of the world, and the ministry of sheep is conviction. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:37.679 It's conviction. 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:41.519 This is and it's not just it's a sense of priority. 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:44.559 You are a sheep among wolves. 00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:53.120 Your priority is not to be uh worried about the world as much as you'd be leaning into uh your shepherd. 00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:53.759 Okay. 00:13:54.480 --> 00:14:04.320 So if salt is a contact sport, so we're told with salt, the psalm says, taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:05.759 Taste and see. 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:27.200 Well, salt would have that taste element, so this involves your mouth, the light is what you see, so this involves your eyes and the conviction of sheep, since it's a matter of um uh my sheep, what my sheep hear my voice. 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:31.519 You lean in my sheep hear my voice, so this is your ears. 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:47.919 So just like these three involve a totality of your witness, for instance, you can't view a pornography with your eyes and think that you can have an effective witness and sing worship songs with your mouth, right? 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:57.759 You can't sing worship songs with your mouth, but then gossip and slander your neighbor and tear people down, right? 00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:04.320 There has to be this consistency between what you're listening to, what you're viewing with your eyes, and what's coming out of your mouth. 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:11.200 In order for there to be a consistency between your body, soul, and spirit, there has to be a consistency between your mouth, your eyes, and your ears. 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:17.519 Now, salt as a ministry involves grace. 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:28.240 Salt, when you put salt on food, you don't pop this baby off and and and dump it on your food. 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:30.960 It's something you sprinkle on lightning. 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:35.440 It says you let your words be seasoned as it were with salt. 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:36.080 Right? 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:37.120 With grace. 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:40.320 Let your words be seasoned with salt or with grace. 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:42.399 This is a relational ministry. 00:15:42.480 --> 00:15:44.080 And many of you are really good at this. 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:45.759 This is what you are gifted at. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:47.519 It is a grace ministry. 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:50.480 You love building bridges, you love building relationships. 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:52.080 Salt is all about grace. 00:15:52.240 --> 00:16:03.120 Light, on the other hand, because it contrasts darkness and it contrasts light, is a truth, is a truth ministry. 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:04.480 It involves truth. 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:06.240 So you are filled with grace and truth. 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:07.919 Go back to my plane analogy. 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:11.360 When I fly, I like to have both planes. 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:14.000 I like to have both wings on the plane, right? 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:15.039 Which wing would you like? 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:16.559 Well, I'll like the left wing. 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:20.480 No, Jesus came full of grace and truth. 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:22.559 So you want both wings on the plane. 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.679 The same thing here is we want grace and truth. 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:26.720 But here's the deal. 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:28.879 My generation, I'm 61. 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:34.960 Um, my generation was really good with truth. 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:41.120 We kind of had our doctrines down, we kind of had our disciplines down, we kind of had our lists down. 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:43.519 We knew what we believed, we knew it really well. 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:48.799 The problem, we had we had very good answers for questions that nobody was asking us. 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:52.559 Because we had never built relationships outside the church. 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:54.960 We even had a sign out front of our church, right? 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:57.440 It says, visitors welcome. 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:00.080 The only problem was there were no visitors. 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:08.160 And when they did have enough guts to walk across the threshold, they weren't really welcome because they didn't act like us. 00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:16.720 In fact, they sat in the wrong pew because this you know the pew belonged to Sister So-and-so, and everybody knows you don't sit in Sister So-and-so's pew. 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:19.519 So we were really good with truth. 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:23.920 Other generations that have come behind us are really good with grace. 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:29.440 They have relationships, they are great at building relationships. 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:39.759 The problem is that when it comes time to speak truth into that relationship, it gets a little hard. 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:43.440 So we give away truth for grace. 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:47.599 We gave away grace for truth. 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:52.240 And Jesus says, You need to be full of grace and truth. 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:55.039 Well, I'd rather err on the side of grace. 00:17:55.359 --> 00:17:57.359 Well, I'd rather err on the side of truth. 00:17:57.519 --> 00:18:00.319 I'm not sure why erring is the goal. 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:01.279 Right? 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:03.119 I'm not sure why erring is the goal. 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:04.960 So we need to be full of grace and truth. 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:09.279 Now, with sheep, the priority here is love. 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:14.000 And what I want to say about that is that this is primarily love for the shepherd. 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:15.680 This is love for the shepherd. 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:19.759 It's also love for the sinner, it's also caring, compassionate love for the world. 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:22.799 But the primary love is for the shepherd. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:30.160 In order for you to be able to discern the voice of the shepherd, my sheep, hear my voice. 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:40.319 But if you don't have as your first priority the shepherd, if the father isn't the number one priority in your life, other voices are going to be able to get to you. 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:46.160 Other voices are gonna be speaking into your life, and you won't be able to hear the voice of the shepherd. 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:55.680 Now, here's the deal we have an enemy. 00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:58.799 I believe in a literal Satan. 00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:03.440 I don't believe in the force, despite the popularity of Star Wars. 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:07.359 Um I don't believe in a force, I believe we have an actual enemy. 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:11.920 Now, here's the other thing people who are lost are not the enemy. 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:17.440 They may be victims of the enemy, but they are not the enemy. 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:20.960 We have one enemy, and that's Satan. 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:25.680 Satan has no creative power, he has no capacity to create. 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:31.519 What he does have the power to do is see something and mimic it, or see something and twist it. 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:33.839 But he doesn't have the capacity to create. 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:38.400 So, for instance, Jesus is the uh lion of Judah. 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:42.319 Satan goes around like a roaring lion. 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.200 This is this is where we get into this participation part. 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:52.000 Um those of you who don't come from a tradition where the uh congregation speaks back, you'll catch on. 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:52.720 All right? 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:56.880 Those of you who come from that tradition, it's time for you to show up. 00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:05.759 Um Jesus is the bright and morning star, and Satan is referred to as the morning star. 00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:11.279 Now it's really interesting that only Jesus is referred to as the bright and morning star. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:19.440 See, Satan's capacity, he has the capacity to be a morning star, but not the bright morning star. 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:21.200 And so he mimics it. 00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:26.880 Satan goes around as an angel of light, and Jesus is the light of the world. 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:27.519 He mimics. 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:38.799 Matter of fact, if you study your end times theology, if you're into Daniel and Revelations and all that kind of stuff, you will find that Satan actually has a true uh trinity. 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:42.720 Now we believe in the Trinitarian God, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:46.319 We believe that God is three, literally three in one. 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:47.759 That's what God is. 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:50.000 So God is a trinity. 00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:52.000 Satan has a trinity. 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:57.680 He has the beast that we read about in Revelations, he has the Antichrist, and he has a prophet. 00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:00.000 So Satan has a trinity. 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:01.359 God is a trinity. 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:04.880 It's so much lesser than that's even embarrassing for Satan. 00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:08.240 Um, where did he get the idea? 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:11.359 Where would Satan get the idea of a trinity? 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:14.160 Well, he used to live in heaven. 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:17.680 He used to actually worship around the throne. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:22.000 He has seen it, so he knows how to twist it and pervert it. 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:25.519 So Satan has a plan too. 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:33.519 And not surprisingly, when it comes to our witness, it would look a lot like this plan, but only in reverse. 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:35.200 So what's Satan's plan? 00:21:35.359 --> 00:21:42.720 If God's plan is to start with that eternal part of you, you know, you don't have to clean up your act to come to Jesus. 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:43.200 Right? 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:46.079 You don't have to take a bath to get clean. 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:51.200 You come to Jesus as you are, just as I am without one plea. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:53.759 You come to Jesus as you are. 00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:59.599 Now he loves you too much to leave you that way, but you don't have to get your act cleaned up. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:07.359 Because the reality is, you will never get your act cleaned up enough to be acceptable to a holy God. 00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:08.160 Never. 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:14.160 So don't waste time trying to get your act together in some way that you'll deserve salvation. 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:18.240 Right now I'm going to tell you, you'll never deserve salvation. 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:21.279 So don't waste your time at that level. 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:25.440 But Christ wants to invade the spirit part and work its way out. 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:30.880 Well, Satan's plan is to start out here with your body. 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:34.160 And he starts getting you involved in habits. 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:40.799 He starts getting you involved in things that start pulling you in, things that aren't pleasing to God. 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:50.960 He starts pulling in with your body, addictions, lifestyles, habits that are not scriptural, that are not holy, that are not part of his plan for your life. 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:53.200 Now, what's the importance of that? 00:22:53.440 --> 00:23:02.640 What happens with us as Christians sometimes is that we are confronted with an issue in our life and we ask the question, is this a salvation issue? 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:04.400 Is this really a salvation issue? 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:05.839 It'd be like with my wife. 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:13.200 If for you may have heard this illustration, but if take Lena, for instance, if she were to say, Johnny, I've been tired. 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:14.319 I've been working all day. 00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:16.240 Can you do the dishes tonight? 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:19.759 And I go, Well, is this a divorce issue? 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:24.319 I'm like, Well, no, it's not a divorce issue. 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:27.279 Well, you're not gonna divorce me if I don't do the dishes. 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:29.519 No, well then I'm not gonna do it. 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:33.359 And then the next day she says, Could you fold the laundry? 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:35.200 I've washed it, I dried it, it's on the bed. 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:36.880 I just, can you fold it for me? 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:38.960 And and I'm gonna, I got something I'm doing. 00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:41.200 I'm going to the girls' basketball game tonight. 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:43.599 And I said, Well, is this a divorce issue? 00:23:43.759 --> 00:23:46.000 It's like, well, no, it's not a divorce issue. 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:47.759 Well, then I'm not gonna do it. 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:50.799 How long would that relationship last? 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:51.599 Not very. 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:55.359 My wife and I don't believe in divorce, but she might believe in homicide. 00:23:55.599 --> 00:24:01.759 Um and so, and so either way, the relationship's gonna end, right? 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:03.839 Um, it's not gonna end well. 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:15.680 We treat Jesus worse because we start getting into certain things, certain habits, and when we're confronted on it, um we say, um, is this a salvation issue? 00:24:17.599 --> 00:24:20.240 Well, if it's not a salvation issue, then I can keep doing it. 00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:21.279 Wow, it's so good. 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:21.759 Right? 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:23.839 And then later on we're getting to something else. 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:25.440 Is this a salvation issue? 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:27.279 Well, I don't know. 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:28.559 I'd probably not know. 00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:30.640 Well, then I could keep doing it. 00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:38.079 And Satan starts weaving that into our life, but his plan is not to this isn't the big plan. 00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:40.400 You think his big plan is an addiction? 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:42.160 That's the big plan for your life. 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:44.559 You think he's he wants you addicted to something? 00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:45.839 That's the big plan. 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:50.559 He wants you to be a gossiper, he wants you to be anxious, he wants you to be a worry word. 00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:52.240 That's Satan's big plan. 00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:53.200 It's not. 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:59.920 His plan is to start with the physical to the point where he starts impacting your soul and your psyche and your mind. 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:01.519 Now all of a sudden you're anxious. 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:03.119 Now all of a sudden you're worried. 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:05.599 Now all of a sudden you start doubting your heavenly father. 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:08.079 Maybe God isn't good all the time. 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:10.400 Maybe all the time he isn't good. 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:12.640 Maybe God isn't really in charge. 00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:14.240 Maybe there are other gods. 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:23.119 Maybe, maybe, maybe I, maybe, and you start feeling these feelings and worrying these thoughts, and this starts controlling your soul. 00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:26.079 Why am I downcast, oh my soul? 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:29.119 Well, David, you committed adultery. 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:33.119 You murdered your best friends because you got his wife pregnant. 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:36.799 What do you mean, why am I downcast, oh my soul? 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:38.559 Look what you did. 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:43.680 But the big plan wasn't to get Bathsheba pregnant. 00:25:43.839 --> 00:25:45.440 That wasn't the big plan. 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:49.680 Satan is after the eternal part of you. 00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:52.720 He's after your spirit. 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:59.839 God starts with the spirit, and he tells you to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 00:26:00.160 --> 00:26:04.640 Satan starts out here, but he's going for the jugular. 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:08.640 He wants that eternal part of you. 00:26:09.119 --> 00:26:15.119 So what I would say to you is there's a danger in some of these ministries. 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:19.359 There's a danger in some of these ministries and to be on the lookout for it. 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:24.319 For salt, the danger is contamination. 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:29.839 If salt becomes contaminated, it's useless. 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:35.359 In fact, it's so useless, the only thing it's good for is to be thrown under your feet. 00:26:35.519 --> 00:26:41.680 Now, I don't have the full bag here because I'm not, Greg, and I wanted to lift up the whole bag. 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:50.079 But you can buy this bag of 50-pound salt for about the same price as you can buy this. 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:58.160 This is healing, this is preserving, this season, this enhances, and it only takes a pinch. 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:05.519 The only thing this is good for is to throw out on your driveway and walk on it and drive over it. 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:13.039 Because when you become contaminated, the only thing your witness is good for is to be thrown out and trampled under feet. 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:17.519 You've lost the capacity to be a witness if you become contaminated. 00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:21.279 The problem with light is concealment. 00:27:24.319 --> 00:27:26.000 The problem with light is concealment. 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:36.960 So we don't, um, he may not be able to snuff your light out, but his plan, I'm gonna do this quickly, is to cover it up. 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:42.880 So you are in relationship with people who need a word from the Lord. 00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:47.599 They need a piece of truth, not your truth, they need the truth, right? 00:27:47.839 --> 00:28:00.079 They need something from Scripture, they need something from God, and you are the person who's built the bridge, you are the person who's been showing grace, and now it's time for you to show up and for you to speak up. 00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:18.640 But you don't want to ruin things, and so you start hiding your light, you start concealing your light, and a light that's completely hid is about as effective as a light that doesn't really even exist. 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:26.079 The danger with sheep is contentment. 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:31.519 The danger with sheep is contentment. 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:35.519 We are to be in the world, but not of the world, scripture says. 00:28:35.839 --> 00:28:47.759 But what we do is we start to put on sheep's clothing, but we're not really living the life. 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:55.680 You see, Samson, he had an Israelite head when he when he had long hair. 00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:59.200 He had an Israelite head, but he had a Philistine heart. 00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:00.720 Right? 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:13.680 The reason Samson kept getting tempted by Philistine women is because Samson had a problem with Philistine women. 00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:24.720 Everything Samson accomplished for God, he did it out of anger and in response to him being mistreated over Philistine women. 00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:31.680 And if you don't have something healed within you, Satan will sharpen that as a tool and use it against you. 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:40.400 And we become so comfortable in the world, we become so contented that we really are living the same life. 00:29:40.640 --> 00:29:44.319 Except we do something different for one hour on Sunday. 00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:49.440 But other than that, our priorities don't look really any different. 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:54.559 Now, if you are involved in some habits, let me just say this. 00:29:55.759 --> 00:30:04.880 You're not, I said that Satan wants to disqualify you, but the great thing about grace is that God is a God of second, third, and fourth chances. 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:06.960 And you may have blown it. 00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:15.440 What I want to say to you is that you can't alter your past, but you can bring your past to the altar. 00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:27.839 And you can start this process to where there is coherence. 00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:29.839 What's the greatest commandment? 00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:36.799 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:37.519 Right? 00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:40.880 Body, soul, and spirit. 00:30:41.119 --> 00:30:43.279 Body, soul, and spirit. 00:30:43.599 --> 00:30:46.559 Um, we're gonna live our life with two convictions. 00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:49.039