Childish Actions- 1-14 AM 1996

1-14 AM 1996

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

The purpose of the message this morning is this. Our theme this year is taking root downward and doing what? Say it. Bearing fruit upward. Say it again. Taking root downward and bearing fruit upward. Now I've done a little gardening and I told you a little bit about last week. And uh every garden has two things. Uh every garden has weeds and rocks. And uh I don't know if you know anything about gardening. When I first started out, and I'm not gonna get into this in great detail, I used uh a little shovel and got in there, and when I hit a rock, it was a it was a major thing to get that rock out, but I knew this. If you leave those rocks in, roots do not grow well in rocks. Is that right? If we're gonna take root downward, every once in a while we need to de-rock our gardens. Amen. So a couple years later, I got uh someone loaned me a little rototiller, a three and a half, four-horse rototiller, and that thing got in there, a small couple of tills on there, uh, tines on there and blades and started uh getting it up. And boy, I tell you what, those rocks come out a little bit easier, but every once in a while I'd hit one, and I mean you have to sit on there and grind that machine if you've ever used one, it would be bouncing up and down like this, you know. And I was gonna get that rock. Some of them I got, some I didn't. Now, uh this year somebody brought by and said, Pastor, I've got uh the availability if you'd like to use it. I said, Great. It's an eight-horsepower. And this this thing, it it, I mean, and I did some rotor tiller. I mean, look out rocks. This thing, I mean, it only bounces twice, and those things come spitting out and everything. And uh, so I'm gonna start with a shovel, and then uh probably about two-thirds of the meshes, we'll get the four horsepower, and then at the end, if you don't mind, let's get the eight-horse out just a little bit and try to get some rocks out. Why? Because we want our roots to go down better so we can do more for the Lord. Are we okay? You'll know when we get to the eight, believe me. First Corinthians chapter 13. Would you look there? 1 Corinthians chapter 13, but don't leave. It's good for us. 1 Corinthians 13. Here's the basis for the premise of the message. Verse 11. Would you look there, brethren? Verse 11. When I was a what? A child. I spake as a child. Well, why did I speak as a child? Well, I understood as a child. I thought as a child. You see, uh, when we reason like a child and we have childlike understanding, that's the only reason we only way we can speak. Uh, someone gets newly saved and they don't know the terminology, they don't know the words, they don't. They understand the Bible as a child would. And we're supposed to become like little children to be converted, and we understand a child, we start speaking like a child, we reason as a child, but please look what it said. But when I became a man, I put away what? Childish things. You know what adult hates to hear? An adult, and I I am like this too, I don't like to be called a child. Do you know what I mean? Somebody says in the heat of an argument or something like that, well, you're acting like a child. Oh, don't say that. Right? That's kind of grading, isn't it? It's degrading. It takes away dignity. But yet, I don't have a problem when I think about some childish things that God speaks about, and I don't have a problem when my heavenly father says to me, Doug, you're acting like a child. Because he's so much greater than I am, for him as a father to look down on me as a little, as a little uh uh, yes, a purchased possession and say, you know what, you're in the flesh down there, and you're kind of being childish. Grow up a little bit. I don't have a problem with that, would you? So I want you to look at this today, not as a man up here as a pastor, telling you and putting you down in any way, shape, or form as a child, but I'd rather see you, if you would, as the word of God saying, let's look at some childish things that God talks a lot. Look at uh 1 Corinthians 14, you're right there. 1 Corinthians 14, and notice verse 19, I'm sorry, verse 20, verse 20. Brethren, that's us, that's me and you. 1 Corinthians 14, 20, brethren, that's saved people, be not what? Children in understanding. How be it in malice? That's wrong. Anger. And in malice be ye children. Why? Because we're supposed to be simple concerning evil and wise concerning that which is good. Is that right? Romans 16. So the idea is, he says, in malice be children, but in understanding, he says, be what? Men. What he's saying is, let's grow up and let's not let's not think like a child, let's not understand like a child, let's go past childish things. When we were first saved, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the what? Say it. Word, that may we may what? Grow thereby. When we're first saved, we want the milk of the word. And you know, sometimes we're not being able to be fed with meat because we won't be able to bear it. But he says, desire that sincere milk of the word that we may what? Say it? Grow thereby. Look at Hebrews 5. Hebrews 5. I want to show you in just a moment some childish things. Not my opinion, God's opinion. And what I want to do this morning is say, you know what, we're supposed to do this. We're not supposed to understand as a child and think like a child with our reasoning. We're supposed to put away some childish things. Look at Hebrews chapter 5. And notice what the exhortation here is in verse 12. Now, when we're first saved, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that we can grow there by. But look at Hebrews 5. Brethren, notice verse 12. By the way, you say, I'm not offended. We haven't got to the rototillers yet, amen. Verse 12. For when, for when the time, for when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God. And I'll become such as have need of what? Milk. Milk of the what? Word? Milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is, say it, unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. Please look up here and just understand for a moment. Just because a person has been a Christian thirteen years does not mean that he has become a man or a woman in their understanding of the word of God. If they've not labored in the word and been in it in some type of setting where they're being taught the word, they could still be a babe. Verse 14. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by say the next three words, reason of use. There it is, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. So the whole purpose of the book as we read it concerning milk and meat is that we may grow thereby. And please look up here. When I was a child, I thought as a child, I spake as a child. I understood as a child. But when I became a man, you know what I'm supposed to do? I'm supposed to put away childish things. Let me show you some childish things about the Bible that would have to say that we need to be careful about being children. Look at Galatians 4, please. Galatians 4. Don't be offended now. Stay right now. Stay in that seat. Galatians 4. Some childish things. Not my opinion, God's opinion. Galatians 4. In fact, I'm going to be very careful about putting my opinion in here. Galatians 4. That way when you go away and you say, Well, I don't know if I like the opinion of that preacher, you'll have to go away and you'll say, you know, I don't know if I like what the Bible said. Galatians 4. Now remember, as a child, we're just desire the sincere milk of the Word, but sooner or later we're supposed to leave off the milk and get to the meat, grow on, that we can become men, if you would, women in our understanding. Look at Galatians 4, brother. Look at verse 3. Verse 3. Even so we, when we were what? Children, were in bondage unto the elements of the Word. Now two words go hand in hand, elements and rudiments. Look, if you would, uh, a little bit further down. And notice verse 8, same chapter of Galatians 4. When we're children, sometimes we stay in bondage to the elements of the word. Verse 8, how be it then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, and by the way, I can never pass that verse with saying, Great that you know God, but even better that he knows you. Amen. How turn ye again to the weak and beggarly what? Elements. Whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage. What are the elements? Well, ye observe days and months and times and years. Now, just so you understand what he's talking about there, it would be dealing with religious ritual. Is that right? What? How do we have that? And we won't go there because of the time. Pharisees, the Phariseetical belief, they observed days and months and times and years and rituals, and it was so important, but they missed the weightier matters of who God was and who God is. Is that right? And they didn't discern it and they didn't understand. As long as they kept the days and the months and the times and the years and did the religious ritual, it didn't matter how the rest of their life was. Hey, you would agree with this. Some of us grew up in religious ritual, and we came to church and put our halo on on Sunday morning, and the rest of the week we didn't even hardly think about God. Come on. And I'm not trying to be unkind and don't be offended about that. Maybe you grew up in a religion and you were pretty serious and dedicated. But there comes a time as we grow and as we mature, we put away some of those elements and those rudiments and those rituals. And they're not as important anymore because it's empty and vain. Is that right? What are we trying to do? We're trying to grow. We're trying to take root downward. We're trying to get something established so we can bear fruit upward. Look at Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2. I think we might have just switched to the first rototiller. Colossians chapter 2, stay with me. But we're not going to plow too deep. Colossians chapter 2. And notice if you would verse 20. Verse 20. Elements, rudiments, look it up. It's about the same as far as definition. Colossians 2.20. Wherefore? If you be dead with Christ from the what? The rudiments of the world. Why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances? Touch not. Taste not. Handle not. That's the Phariseeism, is that right? Don't touch this, don't taste this, don't handle. And if you don't touch and you don't taste and you don't handle, then you're spiritual. That's not true. Amen? We that worship God do it in spirit, in truth, and it's not so much touch not, taste not, hand not. Verse 22, which are which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of who? Men. Okay, give me an example. Alright? The disciples went in the cornfield on the Sabbath and they plucked corn. And they ate. Why? They were hungry. Oh, the Pharisees come up and were jumping all over and said, Why are you doing these things? And they looked at them as unspiritual. Is that right? They were living, those Pharisees were living in the elements of the world, the rudiments. Didn't make any difference. Jesus healed on the Sabbath day, and they were all bent out. They got all they got bent out. Why'd you heal that man on the Sabbath day? Well, what's the big deal? Hey, he's he's healed. He used to have an infirmary and now he's healed. And he said, which of you have a sheep that fall in? The ditch won't go and look after him, even though it's the Sabbath day. Is that right? See, they were too caught up in the ritual part of it. Look, if you would at uh verse 23. Which things have indeed a show of wisdom and unwill worship and humility and neglecting of the body. Not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh. So the idea is we're not supposed to be children or childish with ritual. That's not too hard, was it? Was it? But you know, there are some people, maybe not in this room, but there are some people that are still stuck in that and that childish action. They're not growing. I think they are. They say the same liturgy week after week after week. They got it memorized backwards and forwards. They say the same prayer week after week after week. And unfortunately, they're not really drawing closer to God because there's nobody to teach them. Look if you would at uh Ephesians chapter 4. Another childlike action. Ephesians chapter 4. Not my opinion, though. Ephesians 4. Stay with me. Look what he says to us as children. Now we're supposed to mature in this area too. Look at Ephesians 4. And notice if you would verse number 14. That we henceforth be no more what? Say it, please. Children. Well, what's a childlike action? Tossed to and froed and carried about with every wind of what? Doctrine. By the slight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie and wait to deceive. You know, brethren, there are some people who get saved genuinely. They're children of God. And if you if you watch their lives, they're blown over to this doctrine, and then they're blown over to that doctrine, and then they hear something on the television, blown to that doctrine, and they hear something on the radio, and they're blown to that doctrine. And they kind of go on their experience, but they never searched out of the Word of God. And I'm not saying, hey, my first couple of years as a Christian, I was blown around a little bit too. I'd run into something, I'd say, man, I never hit that before. Boy, I've got to study that out and find out what the Bible says about that. And for a while there was confusion. But what he says is we grow up, we're not supposed to be childlike anymore, being tossed to and fro without the slide of hand and craftiness, and someone comes up with this new doctrine and everybody runs to that. And someone comes up with another doctrine and everybody runs to that. Brother, there ought to be stability sooner or later to put roots down. Now study to show thyself approved, is that right? It's going to take some study, and may I say this? Um, you may have someone in your life that you highly respect, and may I say this? But make sure they're giving you scriptures out of the book, out of the Bible, and not just their opinion. I mean, you might have great respect for them, but that doesn't mean they're on track in their doctrines. Amen? It's nothing, there's nothing wrong with someone who says, Well, I believe this. And for you to say, Well, listen, could you show me that in the Bible so I could understand it? Nothing wrong with that. Why? Because some people hear something, they just they like it, and it fits them. Not everything I've learned in here fits me. In fact, a lot of things I've had to be transformed and conformed to this book. Is that right? So the idea is we can be childish sometimes in being blown around in doctrines. Look at 1 Corinthians 3. Stay with me. Haven't got to anything real tough yet, have we? We will in a minute. 1 Corinthians 3. Oh, listen to that sound. You know what that is? Roots. Going right into that heart, that good ground. Amen. Say, I didn't hear it. It's the pages turning on your book, amen? On your own personal Bible. 1 Corinthians 3. 1 Corinthians 3. Now you know this one. I want you to see it. Look at verse 1. Again. When I spake, I spake as a child, he said, I understood as a child. I thought as a child. That's my reasoning. But we're supposed to put away childish things. 1 Corinthians 3, look at verse 1. And I, brethren, so he's talking to save people, could not speak as unto you as unto what? Say it. Spiritual. You know why he says you're not grown up yet. But as unto what? Carnal. Even as unto say it? Babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk. And not with meat. Why? For hitherto you're not able to bear it. Neither yet now are ye able. Boy, I tell you what, that might offend someone. You know what? I had to feed you with milk like you would a little baby, and I couldn't give you meat, you'd choke on it. And uh you're not even able to get the meat yet. Look what he says in verse 3, and he loves them when he says this. For ye are yet what? Say it. What does carnal mean? Fleshly, wouldn't you agree? Worldly. We're caught up in the temporal things. For ye yet carnal. And wouldn't you agree that carnal would be a definition, if you will, a word that would be associated with childishness?

unknown 15:41

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_01 15:41

Amen? Come on, yes or no? I've got to tell you, I'm setting you up. Right now, I don't want to hide anything. I'm setting you up. Carnal is dealing with fleshly, and wouldn't you agree that carnality is childish? Spiritual childishness, not from me to you, but from God to us. Okay, good. For ye are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal? And walk as men, for while one saith, I'm Paul, another I'm Apollos. Are you not what? Carnal. You know what? When I was growing up, uh as a boy in Pittsburgh, 1T, Ohio, a little town of 500, a lot of farm boys growing up there. Where I grew up, and this is now uh 30-some odd years ago, almost 40 years ago, started going to school, if you would. Look up here, please. You know, uh, I was taught something, uh, you don't back down from an argument. And you don't run from a fight. How many of you guys know what I'm talking about? Oh, yeah, you don't you don't run from a fight because when there's strife or there's some type of division, I mean, you get in there and uh, you know, if necessary, you you duke it out, you don't run from a fight. You know what the biggest surprise was to me? When Jesus said, turn the other cheek. That was a huge surprise to me. Because I thought manliness was stand your ground and let them have it, man. Even if they look at you wrong. Be a bully so they won't do anything to you later. And I mean, we walked around and the whole idea was uh don't run from a fight, and and even when I was in the Marine Corps, go looking for a fight, even especially if the guy was a squid. I'm not trying to put anybody down, but I mean it was in those days, it was a big thing, and I'm not trying to be unkind or anything like that, but uh Navy and Marine didn't get along. We ought to get along now. Why? Because Christian to Christian to Christian to Christian, come on. But when I was growing up and I was in the Marine Corps, uh, and and by the way, I can't believe I'm offended you call me a squid. I've been called jarhead and all kinds of stuff. It's no big deal. And worse than that, then I can't repeat. Amen? Come on, I've learned to laugh at myself. How about you? It's no big deal. And uh, but but the idea was manliness was associated with this idea of toughness, but God says, you know what, that is carnal. If you're gonna think of a child, act like a child, you're gonna get in a lot of fights. But in Christianity, he says, listen, uh, there are not gonna be strife and divisions. Why? We ought to turn the other tree. We ought to uh we ought to esteem our brother higher than ourselves. Is that right? There ought not to be fightings and and feudings going on. Our homes should not be a battleground. The bedroom uh for husbands and wives should not be a place where they go to fight. Now, I'm not against if you have an argument, take it into your bedroom, close the door, get it worked out. But it ought not be daily. Amen. Come on. Why? It's childish. It's spiritually childish to have all this strife and division and arguments going on.

unknown 18:56

What?

SPEAKER_01 18:56

Did I hit a rock? Hey, every once in a while, uh, you know, uh, we all look at ourselves and we have to view it and say, Well, I don't like being called childish. Please look up here. I didn't call anybody childish. God looks down on us and his children and says, you know what, your fighting's down there. I didn't put you together to do that. It's childish. Stop thinking like a child. Stop acting like a child. Grow up. Walk away from it. Say you're sorry, eat it. What do you mean, eat it? I mean, even if you're wrong. Just, just, just get it right. Apologize. I'm not gonna apologize if I'm not wrong. Why? What's the big deal? Let's get the eight horsepower out. Look at Galatians 5. Come on, Galatians 5. Why are we doing it? Get some rocks out of the garden so we can grow, brother. For me too. Look at this list. Oh man, this list. Galatians chapter 5. Cloudy. Galatians chapter 5. By the way, if you're in the Navy, look up here. I duly apologize. And I sincerely mean it. I sincerely mean it. I do. What are you laughing at? You should never cliche terms like that. I was trying to make a point. Galatians chapter 5. Now watch this. Remember, carnal deals with what? Flesh. And he says, Are you not carnal? Are you not fleshly? Now we know there's a problem. Look at Galatians 5. Notice verse 17. And you have this problem if you're a Christian. For the flesh does what? It lusts against the capital S spirit. The flesh, our body, our members, our worldly mind, our carnal mind, lusts against the Holy Spirit that's in us. And the spirit against the flesh. What's going on? It's a war. And these are contrary to the one to the other. And by the way, that's one of the ways someone says, How do you know if you're saved? After you get saved, there ought to be somewhat of a war goes on side sooner or later. Especially if you get saved as an adult. Sooner or later, someone says, I'm so confused. I say, Good. Perfect. What do you mean? Perfect. That's just a sign that you probably are getting the right thing and it's genuine. If someone just comes along and gets saved and nothing happens, and there's no war inside, there's no controversy within them, I kind of wonder if anything happened. Amen? So he says the two are contrary one to the other. And so that you cannot do the things that ye, that's me, the old man, would. Now, what are the things I want to do? Verse 19. The old man? Now the works of the flesh are what? Manifest. Here I want to make them known to you. Which are these? Uh first two adultery, fornication. Would you agree with this? Sexual sins. Come on, yes or no? Illicit sex. Sex uh relations, if you should, outside of marriage. Proper marriage. Is that right? Come on, yes or no? Now I'm not trying to hurt anybody, and that's not my purpose or anything, but some rocks or some some, if you would, childish things. It is childish to be involved in illicit sex outside of marriage. That's now stay with me. I'm not making that opinion and don't get offended and go, well, now I'm hurt. Man, if I were if I were a babe in Christ or I've been around for a while, I'd think for someone told me what God thought about it. I mean, it says adultery and fornication, the idea, illicit sex out of marriage, uh, I think it grieves the Holy Spirit. Now I'm gonna say something, I'm not trying to hurt anybody. And uh my wife knows this. When I got saved, I was I didn't know any better. I was living with a gal. I didn't know what I was doing was wrong, really, because it was all relative. And I relatively thought it was okay. After I got saved and I started reading my Bible, and I come across the word fornication, I didn't know what it meant. I got a dictionary and looked it up. And the night that I found out what it meant, I said to her, You have to leave. I don't have been saved a couple weeks. But if it said it was wrong, then it was wrong. Why? Brethren, when we were children, we thought as children. We spake as children, we reasoned as children. But if we're gonna grow and get to the meat, we've got to get the rocks out of our garden. Hey, if you're not gonna make the commitment of marriage, we we shouldn't be living together. You say, well, this is Southern California. What changes the Bible on that? Don't take this wrong. Our children are watching us. And we need to give them a good example.

unknown 23:43

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_01 23:45

And there shouldn't be a fence because I'm saying to you, let's clean up the garden a little bit so we can grow some roots. I appreciate some of our couples who've come to this church and they came in and they were living together and they came to me and said, Pastor, what do you think we should do? And I said, Well, it'd probably be good if you separate and then uh go through some type of pure courtship. And then if you're still interested and believe it's God's will, then we'll we'll set it right. And there's been a number who have. That's character. That's maturity. Amen. Hey, wait a minute. You know what I thought when I was growing up? Part of manhood was to be involved with that as much as possible. Unfortunately, some girls think it's a big thing to lose their virginity as soon as possible. You say, I don't know anybody like that. Talk to some teenagers in the in the world. It's out there. Where are they going to get the example if we don't say something about it? Don't tell me they're going to get it in the media. They're trying to downplay it and say, well, it's going on anyway, so just make it safe. I'm sorry, I got a problem with that. Make it abstinent. Make it pure. That'll make it safe, and that'll bring you back under God's blessing. Now, I'm not saying God's going to curse someone if there's someone in here living together. But but let this be a seed that's planted. You know what the problem is? That commitment. You know what I mean? Like one woman, one man, all the time I have to live on the earth. I want you to know, I used to have hair. Do you understand what I'm saying? Nothing wrong with digging a little bit and putting away childishness. You say that's just your opinion. Study your book. It's not my opinion. And by the way, I'm not going to judge you in the end. Look what he says. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness. You know, uh, now don't take this wrong because it's a it's a definition. Where I grew up in my community, we used to say that person's loose. You look up lasciviousness in a Webster's dictionary, it'll say looseness. You know what? Loose with their morality. Uh flirtatious. That's what that's all about. Shouldn't be going on. Especially if we're grown up a little bit as daughters and sons. We're supposed to treat each other with purity. And by the way, you and I both know here we are in Southern California, just out there in the world because someone wears a wedding ring doesn't mean they're not going to flirt. It shouldn't be that way among God's people.

unknown 26:44

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 26:45

Then he goes on. Are we doing okay? I'm not uh come on. Uh, if you can see my heart, I'm not trying to hurt anybody. And I understand, well, this would be better for Sunday night or Wednesday night. No, I think it's good for this morning. It helps some people to bear some roots downward, to get some roots downward, bear some fruits upward, and have something that's meaningful in their life. I'll tell you what, there's a peace that passes all understanding that can come upon us when we start getting some of the rocks out of our darkness. Look what he says about 20. Idolatry. That's uh a covetousness, is idolatry. Is that right? Uh witchcraft of 1 Samuel 17, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. It's childish to be rebellious. Go on, hatred, uh, variants, emulations. What's emulations? Okay, I'll give you emulations. Uh in grade school, two guys who are rivals showing off. Pitted against each other for the popularity of someone else in the classroom. Did you have a rival when you were growing up and that that man or that woman, I mean, you were rival against each other, and you always try to outdo that person? A rivalry is what emulations is all about. Rivalries should not be going on in church. There shouldn't be rivalries. For example, a husband and a wife should not be to each other for their children's affection. Is that right? I mean, I I wouldn't it it wouldn't cross my mind to put my wife down in front of my children. It's just wrong. Amen? And and I don't have a problem if every once in a while my wife says, Well, you know, that's the way daddy is, and that's okay. And listen, uh, that's just, he's got a lot of good points. I wouldn't have a problem with that, but I had a problem if she if she was putting me down to the children. That wouldn't be right. That's emulating, that's rivalries. We're as a team. We're not rivals. I'm not trying to outdo her and so they're there they love me more than her. They're gonna love me in a different way than they're gonna love her. I'll guarantee you they're gonna respect me in a different way, they're gonna respect her. They're gonna honor her in a different way than they're gonna honor me. So there doesn't need to be that. Uh emulation. Uh, wrath, that's anger, strife, uh, seditions. Do you know what seditions are? By the way, these are all childish, childish things. Why? Because they're works of the flesh, and we know carnality is childish. Now, you say, well, that sounds like you got it all together. Oh no. No, no. As I study this list, I start seeing some things in there, and I say, boy, I need to take care of that. Lord, I'm convicted about that. I'm childish in that area. I need to I need to work on that. Look what he says, brethren. Uh, notice what he says, uh, seditions. What's a sedition? I'll tell you what a sedition is. Um in grade school, the uh the teacher leaves the classroom. And what ensues is an insurrection. Have you ever been in those? Yeah, Mike, I heard you. Mike, yeah. Mike, Mike, stand, Mike. I want you to Mike, stand real quick. I heard Mike. Everybody look. I want you to meet a former leader of insurrections in his grade school. Amen. Amen. You may see him, but you might. Come on, don't you think? Oh, yeah. How many know Mike and would probably agree with that? Oh, yeah. And that's just my opinion. I may be wrong, but I don't think so. I troll not. The idea, though, is uh the the teacher leaps sedition. Uh uh, it it's it's a it's a it's kind of an insurrection, a riot, if you would, ensues. It ought to be that in Christian community. It's childish. It's childish. Well, a a faction of the the church starts getting at a different faction of the church and they start having this battle. That's childish. Amen. That's what it says. Sedition. Heresies, that we already talked about being tossed and fro window every doctrine. Envyings. I don't think I have to, I've preached on that many times. Uh murders. You say, boy, we don't have any murders. Hating our brother without a cause is murder. Jesus said so. Look at this next one. And don't take this over. Drunkenness. You know what? Here it is again. I read that over and I thought, you know what God says about drunkenness? It's childish. It's fleshly, it's childish. Now, Brett, look up here. When I grew up, by the time I was uh, well, I don't even want to tell you the age, but 11 or 12, it was a big thing to go out and everybody got their six-pack. And I thought that was part of manliness. Up to this point in time, as far as I know, my children don't even have never touched or tasted or smelled beer. Or alcohol. They might have smelled it somewhere. But I remember I remember Heather one time, Heather Feather, our uh 10-year-old, she smelled it one time, she said, Ew, what's that stinking smell? And I said, uh Heather, that's that's alcohol, like you know the term drunkenness? That's what people drink. She says, Ew, gross.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

I said, Amen to that. I hope when she's 30, she's still saying, ew, gross. But we but I grew up, and in my understanding, it was manliness. In the Marine Corps it was manliness. But it's not, it's childishness. Don't be offended by this statement. They've got it termed now alcoholism is a disease. Now, wait a minute. I'm not trying to be on car. You say, well, the doctors say that. That's okay, but what does God say? I think God would term it as childishness. Well, what do you do with people that are addicted? They get saved. And God takes that desire away and cleans them up. There's some people in here that used to be able to be termed alcoholics, but they don't even touch it now. They don't even want to touch it now. They don't have a desire for it now. Why? When I was a, I spake as a child, I thought as a child, I understood as a child, but you know what? Now my understanding's different. I gotta put away childish things. It's time to grow up. Time to grow up. Why? I want to be pleasing in the eyes of God. Not in the eyes of men so much, because you know what? I know this. Meekness in the eyes of men is thought of as weakness. What do you mean, meekness? Restraint. Meekness, uh, a quiet spirit, able to bridle the tongue. Meekness. All those by the world's you know what they're looking for? To them, uh, uh, uh, uh, a he man is. I mean, he's just kind of flirty and outgoing and just says what he thinks and always has an opinion, and he can hold his liquor and he doesn't run from a fight. You know what God says about all that? Childish. Childish. You know what God says is important? Meekness. Turn away from a fight. Restrain yourself. Hold back. Vengeance is mine, I'll repay, saith the Lord. I'll recompense the tribulation of those that trouble you. You don't have to worry about that. Walk away from it. That way it's up to him whether he does it or not. Don't get up and leave. Oh, I don't see anything wrong without going out and tying one on once in a while. Tying wet on. That's childish. Well, that's just your opinion. Study your book. I could show you a hundred references to liquor in this Bible. That is wrong.

unknown 34:33

Yes, it's right.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

You say, well, well, well, I'm just feeling terrible. But just get the rocks out and then throw them out of the garden. Why? Why why let them you don't you don't till up rocks and then lay them on top of the soil. You know what a rock does sooner or later? With rain and everything, it works its way back in. You take that rock and you you make a rock pile and you get it out of the garden. You know what my boys are good at? They're great at picking up rocks. Dad tills them up and they pick them up and move them, amen? I did it when I was a boy. Now I'm passing on the blessing, amen? Learn to work with their hands. We got a big, we got a couple of rock piles. You don't leave them down there. Why? The sooner or later they work themselves back in. And by the way, don't go away and say, oh man, I am a terrible person. I am just, I am, I am wicked. You know what? Best way to need an elephant? One bite at a time. Take a little bit at a time. Pick out one or two or fifteen and just go. I'm just kidding. Just pick out one or two and say, I'm gonna work on this. And you know what you need? You need to run two by two. You need to get Christian fellowship. It'll help you. Oh, you know what? You can find Christians out there that will agree with you. In fact, they'll hear this tape and they'll say, that's just his opinion. And you come, you come to our church and we'll love you. You know what I'm doing right now? I'm loving you. Sometimes Paul said, the more he'd love you, the less you'd be loved. Okay. Now look what it says a little bit further. Notice what it says, uh, verse 21, envyings, murders, drunkenness, uh, revelings. You know what reveling is? I'll give you, I'll give you one word. Carousing. Uh that's what that's what was going on in the classroom when the teacher turned his back, her back, his back. That's what Mike did when the teacher turned his back, her back. I'm just kidding. That's carousing. Uh it's a that's uh carousing is like uh flipping paper uh spit wads at people in the in the classroom. Rubber bands and paper clips. Yeah. That's carousing. That's causing uh causing a little bit of uh uh uh uh uh uh of uh not being able to focus on what's going on in the classroom. That's uh that's all the little things that went on behind the scenes in the classroom. It's carousing a little bit. You know what it is? Please look up here, it's childish. I hope our single men don't go out carousing. I hope they don't wear a halo at church on Sunday morning but Saturday night. If they were out carousing. If that's going on, may I say, uh don't be looking at our daughters. Oh, you say you're judging. He that's spiritual judges all things. And if there's someone carousing, I I want you to know that uh I'm not gonna I'm not gonna put my stamp of approval on on anything as far as, well, you know I'm interested in this girl. Well, get your act cleaned up, buddy. Because that girl, we we somebody's been working with her for a long time, like her parents. Now, can girls carouse? You heard the laughing. I didn't laugh. Sure they can. Everything's murders, drunkenness, revelings. And just in case we missed any, and what? Such life. So that kind of covers it all. Now, brother, please look up here. Uh I'm not trying to hurt anybody to say, well, man, what if someone's in here and they're not saved? May I say this to you? If you're saying to yourself, I'll get cleaned up, then I'll get saved, you got it backwards. You just have it backwards. And that's the way the world thinks. In religious ritual, I get cleaned up and then God accepts me. Wrong. He takes us just like we are. And then he begins to sanctify and purge us and clean us up. I'm going to tell you that in that list right there, if you would have looked at me at 24 years of age before I got saved, I'm going to tell you I'm batting close to 100%.

unknown 38:44

Come on.

SPEAKER_01 38:47

And if I would have tried and got cleaned up, and then God take me, I would have still been working on it. I would have died working on it.

unknown 38:54

Come on.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

Much better to humble yourself and throw yourself before a living God and say, I've messed it up. I've got some things in me that I wish weren't there. It's carnal, it's childlike, it's childish. And I want to, first of all, I want to be like a little child and I want to accept your forgiveness. Because he says we've got to be like little children to come to him in a humble way. And I want to get, I want to get saved. I want to get forgiven, and then I want to be put on the on the road to getting cleaned up. And that's what the Holy Spirit does. He begins to clean us up. It wasn't a wonderful thing. You look over that list and you say, you know what? I used to have that desire and I don't anymore. That's the glory to God. He did that. Now don't let you know what? Every once in a while in my garden, I hit a rock and that thing does not want to come out. On this eight horsepower I have now, it's got two gears. Low and high. It's got reverse too. I just not don't use that. I know. You don't go backwards, you go forwards, amen? So uh so you put it in low and you get going. Now, when I hit a rock, you say, well, gear that thing down and just not me, man. When I hit a rock that doesn't want to come out, I put it in high. Put that there and put it down. And that rock sooner or later dislodges and come out. And we got rocks that don't want to come out. We. We got things in there that doesn't want to come out. We reason it out and we say, well, I'll never get rid of that one. We rationalize it. But may I say, I used to think that way maybe, maybe five, six, seven years into my salvation, but now I know God is able to take anything away. He is able to take any sin and take it away and clean me up. You say, then why aren't you sinlessly perfect? Because in some areas I'm still childlike. I still think as a child sometimes. There's still a carnal part of me that I have to be careful about. How about you? Now where are we at? Galatians? Look at the solution here, real quick, please. And pick up, you're in Galatians 5, and I'm almost finished. Look at the time. Slipped away already. And nobody's left. What a blessing. You're in Galatians 5. Hold right there. Let me show you one other scripture. I want to show you Galatians 5 somewhere and then 2 Corinthians 6, and we'll close. 2 Corinthians 6. Galatians 5, 2 Corinthians 6. And don't go out of here and say, I feel rotten. Go out of here and say, you know what? Man, I need to get some rocks out of my garden. Galatians 5, 2 Corinthians 6, look at Galatians 5, real quick. Galatians 5. In 2 Corinthians 6. Now we we just verse 18. I skipped it purposely. Look at verse 18. If ye be led of the Spirit, that's the key. If we're led of the Spirit. You know it says walk after the Spirit, verse 16. Look at it. This I say then. Verse 16. Walk in the what? Spirit. You know, if we walk in the spirit, we're not going to be childlike as much. And ye shall not fulfill the lust of our flesh. Look at verse 24. Verse 24. And they that are Christ have what? They've crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. And brethren, that's what we need to continue to work on if we're going to take root downward. One last scripture. Look at 2 Corinthians 6, and we're finished for today. This morning. 2 Corinthians 6. And I appreciate you staying. And I'm not trying to hurt anybody. So look at 2 Corinthians 6. Please look up here just for a moment. I remember Beauford, South Carolina, was where I received Christ as Savior. Went into a little church down there a couple weeks, heard the preaching and everything. And you know what? I gotta tell you that the first couple of messages I heard from this preacher down there, I was angered. Very angry. Why? Because he was telling me, and I said, Well, he's got no right to tell me what to do, and I don't care what he thinks, anyways. But you know, I came back the next week. Because I knew he wasn't doing it, trying to say, well, you know, I'm this and you're not. He didn't have that attitude. He was just trying to get me right with God, and I knew it. I just didn't like it. You don't have to like church all the time. Really? You say, Well, I come to church to like it. Well, you know what? Let me tell you how to like it. Take the message, take the scriptures, make some changes, and you'll like it. Really? Don't change the book, change the life. Amen? That's what we've been doing for years. I like church. I like the book most of the time. And the parts I don't like are the parts that hit me. But I know it's gonna make me better in the long run. Amen? Why go to a why to go to a situation or a, and I'm not trying to put other churches down, we're not the only church in town, but why to go to a church that that they just never say anything that would potentially even think of offending? That's not gonna help me to grow. On the other side, I don't think we ought to go to church is ugly all the time.

SPEAKER_00 43:52

And just, you know, rah, you don't do it like mine.

SPEAKER_01 44:00

There's a balance somewhere, amen? Now, 2 Corinthians 6. Look at verse 17. Wherefore? Well, what's the wherefore? Well, look at verse 14. Be ye not unequally what? Yoked, together with what? Unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion hath light with darkness? You know what he's saying there? You better be careful who you get yoked to. Friends, relationships. Then he says, verse 17, you can read that on down. Wherefore? Come out from among them. Be ye separate, saith the Lord. What do you mean, separate? I don't mean to change the verbiage, but when you separate us unto the Lord, people are going to look at you and say, You're different. You're different. Be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the what? The unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my what? Sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Brother, I want to get closer to God, and I know you do too. That's why you're in church. I want my life, my family's life, to take root downward and bear fruit upward. Please look up here. Every once in a while, we need to take a look at some rocks and get them cleaned up. Last statement, and I'm finished. Maybe you know someone and they're struggling. Maybe as you look, you say, boy, God's cleaned me up a lot, but I know someone, they're struggling. Let's not forget that as we grow, and as we mature, stay with me now. As we grow and mature, we're supposed to have intercessory prayer. Maybe for someone who's a little younger in the Lord. Maybe for someone who's not even saved yet. And again, if you've never received Christ as your Savior. You're spinning your wheels if you're trying to clean up your life first. And then get saved. Come to Him just as you are right now. With all the all the baggage and all the stuff, and you say, Well, look at me though. Well, you don't know what we used to be. He'll take anybody. Hey, he looked at that demoniac in the tombs. Clean him up. He can do it. And then watch him begin to take our childish thoughts and turn them into more mature thoughts and reason and understanding as we grow.