0:01 Amen. Okay, 2 Timothy 4 I'd like to read verses 1 through 5. Um and uh for those of you who were here last week, you remember that we did a uh Phil and I both shared our vision for the church, what the Lord has impressed 0:17 on our heart as uh the direction and the purpose, the goal for us as a local expression of the body of Christ, this gathering of believers. Where are we headed? Where What do we want to see God accomplish in our lives? Now, you'll 0:31 find I think from both Phil and I that that will continue on even though I'd like to continue in 2 Timothy 4, we're still impressed with this that God would continue to um uh I I don't think that we shared as much as was in our hearts last Sunday. 0:47 And uh but rather than continue to just share more vision messages, we'll press on in 2 Timothy 4 and I believe with all of my heart that God will reveal that vision in us in naked living as I think he will for instance, when you guys when 1:00 we all go down downstairs and have lunch together or you have our meet and greet time in between. In all of those things, I think if God really is able to grip our hearts and our spirits with the vision and the purpose for us uh 1:13 individually, in our marriages, uh in our homes, and in this church. As he grips our hearts with it, it will permeate. You know how when you um let's say you you know you you put cologne on. Uh have you ever maybe worn some cologne and then 1:30 uh later on you take the shirt off, if you smell the shirt, it's still got that aroma all on it, that fragrance on it. It's no longer connected to your body, you can take it away and it's still there. I believe that that's the aroma, 1:41 that's the fragrance, the fragrance of Christ first of all, but that spirit of Christ in a specific way in which the spirit of Christ is coming forth as an aroma from us, from you all, all of us together. Will permeate in our lives. The smell 1:57 will be there, the fragrance, the aroma will be there after you leave this building and after we're no longer here together and you interact with each other and you interact with your co-workers and your neighbors and people 2:08 in the in the store that you meet and as you drive on the road, that spirit ought to permeate all of our lives. So, 2 Timothy 4:1-5. I solemnly charge you. Those words I I when I read it again this week, I stopped there. 2:26 I solemnly charge you. You know where they use the word solemn and charge? It's almost like when somebody takes an oath or somebody's taken something very seriously. It's almost like Paul is telling Timothy, "Listen, I've written 2:40 to you a lot in the first letter I wrote to you and I've written to you a lot all these things that we've been studying for the last few months, but now I'm bringing it to a close. I'm about to wrap up. These are perhaps my last words 2:51 to to you, Timothy, and so I solemnly charge you. In the presence of God it's like Paul is taking Timothy, he's talked about application in the church, he's talked about the word of God, he's talked about the the end times, he's 3:09 talked about suffering and then he says, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing he invokes the fact that Jesus Christ is coming back and he says, "I charge you 3:24 Timothy, remember Jesus Christ is going to appear again and his kingdom. What should you do? What is the solemn charge? Paul, let me I'm all ears because you've got my attention. Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. 3:41 Reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction. Why? Because the time will come especially as his appearing nears When they people not the world, Christians I believe. The world is not even interested in hearing 3:59 the gospel. They've got plenty of things that captivate their attention. Paul is warning Timothy that the time will come when people whom you've been preaching to the places where you share God's word, where they loved your teaching, will not 4:13 endure sound doctrine. But wanting to have their ears tickled they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires. And will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 4:33 But you, Timothy, be sober in all things. Endure hardship. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry. I have a feeling we might be in these verses for a while cuz there's so much there. Not today, I mean over the next 4:47 few weeks. We'll see how the Lord leads us. But before we even get there to talking about what this actually means and how the warning I take to my own heart that if I start to turn my ear based on what my flesh desires, then I'm in danger of 5:06 this very thing as a preacher, first of all. And I think Paul is warning Timothy. First of all, he says, "You pay attention yourself, Timothy, that you don't turn your ear." You know how maybe he's talking about people whose ears are 5:18 listening to the truth but that truth that they're listening is in conflict with the desire of their flesh. How they want to do this and they really lust after these things, but their ears listening to the truth. And what will 5:32 happen after some time because of this dichotomy? Dichotomy is just a word that means that there's a kind of a pulling in opposite directions. Here's my ear listening to sound truth that's based on God's word. And here's my flesh that's 5:45 really set on the things of this earth, and my carnal desires, AND MY HEART JUST LOVES these things of this earth. Eventually, what will happen if I allow that to remain is I will turn my ear away from the truth and start to listen 5:58 to these things that will tickle my ears as well. Because I'm already tickling my flesh. I'm already tickling my flesh with the things of this earth and the pleasures and all these wonderful things that are here on this earth. Sometimes 6:09 good things perhaps. Good things that are in excess because my God is my belly. And so I tickle my flesh and tickle my flesh, but my ear is still listening to the truth. The time will come when I'll be sick of listening to the truth and 6:23 I'll find a preacher who will tickle my ears as well. And will and start to he'll he'll still preach the Bible. He'll still read from God's word. But now the word that I'm hearing is tickling my ears and my flesh. Deception is coming. 6:38 As Christ's appearing nears, I believe this is going to happen in the church. In you know, in churches all over in Christendom. Because the devil's goal, I believe, as he nears his time is ending, is he's already got the world. We've said this 6:52 here. You've heard it from this pulpit many times already. He's already got the world in his hands. He's already got half-hearted Christians who really worship the world but claim the name of Christ. He's already got them in his 7:04 hands, I believe. Now whom he's after is the elect. Those who are pursuing GODLINESS AND THOSE LIKE Timothy who or who are listening to Timothy, who love God's word. He says, "I WANT TO GET THEM, TOO. I'm not satisfied with all 7:17 these people that are already both the lukewarm and the cold people in this world. They're already mine. But it's these hot ones, the ones who are really burning with fervency in their passion for God and their love for each other. 7:29 It's those whom I'm after. I'm going to see if I can find a little bit of this desire to have their ears tickled as well. A little bit of this desire that is already in the business of tickling their flesh and their bellies and their desires. That's what 7:42 bellies means, their desires. I want to do this, so I'm just going to do it anyway. Who cares about whether I should really ask God about that? Who cares if I should try to do it in unity with my wife? How Who cares if I should think 7:54 about the good of my children in the desires I I I I partake in? Who cares ABOUT THAT? I I feel like doing this, and this will please me, and this will make me feel good. Let me go ahead and do that. And the danger when we allow 8:06 that to remain in our lives is now we will stop because well well we have this carnal desire, and we're listening to this teaching that's just bringing conviction. I'm still being convicted. Every time I come here on a Sunday or on 8:19 a Wednesday, it's like the Holy Spirit is just probing at that through the word that's spoken. That's my earnest desire is that the the probing and the conviction of the Holy Spirit will never stop as long as you come into this room and hear the 8:31 teaching in this church or on a Wednesday. That's what I'm praying for. And if I have a carnal desire that loves to please my flesh, I the and my prayer for any such in our midst or anywhere, anybody who hears these messages is that the work of the Holy 8:46 Spirit will continue to do that where they will face one of two options. To turn their ears away from this teaching and to listen to teaching that will tickle their ears as well. Or to surrender themselves, and that's the 8:57 better alternative, isn't it? Where I realize, Lord, I love the truth so as to be saved. And you know the warning? I should turn you there. I'm already off track, but let's keep going. Um second Second Thessalonians chapter 9:12 2. Second Thessalonians chapter 2 talks about the end times when the man of lawlessness will be revealed. Have you ever wondered what what will be so alluring about the Antichrist? That's 9:32 this man of lawlessness. What's going to be so attractive that the whole world will be drawn away? We haven't seen a man like that. I mean, we've had great leaders in the history of time, people who who got millions on their side like 9:44 Hitler and Stalin and others like that, but we haven't seen a man quite like the man of lawlessness who will draw the whole world as it were to himself against Jesus. And it's in the context of this man that he says, "How will he do it?" 9:57 How will this deception affect Christians? Verse 10, 2 Thessalonians 2:10. With all the deception of wickedness for those who per- perish. Why? Because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 10:16 When they heard the truth, they did not receive the love of the truth. They didn't love this truth that they heard. The preaching that they heard was a little bit too uncomfortable to them. The seats got hot all of a sudden and 10:26 they decided, "I don't want to receive this love of the truth." Look what happens as a result of it. When we refuse to receive the love of the truth so as to be saved, for this reason God himself sends a deluding influence so that they might believe the 10:43 lie. If God sends a deluding influence where I start to believe the lie, I'm doomed. I mean, the devil's already against me, the world is already against me, my temptations and my flesh is already against me. WHAT ABOUT IF GOD HIMSELF IS 10:55 AGAINST me and is allowing a deluding influence to come over me where I start to believe the lie. I start to believe that I can live have this best of both worlds mentality. Live it up now and you'll live it up in heaven as well. You 11:08 will hear that in Christendom today. A prosperity gospel that says, "God wants you to prosper and wants you to have them and be famous and and have make lots of money and expand yourself and expand your ministry and do this and 11:20 do that." And who cares about sin? You won't hear preaching about sin. And God will take you up to heaven. This best of both worlds. God will send a deluding influence where they believe a lie. In order that they all may be judged who 11:34 did not believe the truth. This is the same thing that Paul is warning Timothy about back in 2 Timothy 4. The time will come and they will not endure. See, this word endure has a a sense of like I've been listening to this band. 11:50 It's like, why do they always preach about that? Really? Every Sunday come here and it's just I feel more uncomfortable. Now, I'm not talking about condemnation. I hope you never hear the word of condemnation in this church. If you do, please come to talk 12:02 to me if if you hear a word of condemnation from me. I'd like to clarify. I don't believe that there's a spirit of condemnation in Christ at all. There is no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus because the law 12:12 of the spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death. So, if you hear a word of condemnation from me or from any one of us, please come and talk to us as elders and we'd like to clarify or judge ourselves if there was 12:23 a spirit of condemnation in it. But, if you hear the spirit of conviction and that bothers you and if you listen to messages and they bring a conviction and if that bothers you, the spirit of conviction bothers you, then then take heed to these words 12:35 because the time will come when somebody who is bothered by the spirit of conviction and really plea wants to please their flesh, wants to continue to live in an insubmissive way to Christ and to the word that God has given him 12:46 and in response to hating sin and loving righteousness, the time will come when you will get you or I will get sick of this teaching. They will they will they will not endure. They will not be able to put up with it any longer if I could use 13:00 today's language. Sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled will accumulate for themselves teachers for themselves according to their own desires. Now, um I believe that one of our goals as as elders in the church, 13:16 Phil and I and for us as a church, I really believe this, is to is to bring one of the one of the things that I sense that God has given us to contrast between what you will see in a lot of other churches as well. And this 13:29 is I'm not thinking of any particular church. I'm not trying to compare ourselves as better than that, but this is what I see very clearly. But you will find in Christendom this concept of a difference between the clergy and the 13:39 laity. That's a That's a term that just means essentially that in most churches you'll find that the people who whom are called God's servants or people who serve God are the ones who Well, they don't have jobs. They just are paid by 13:50 the church. That's essentially what the devil has convinced Christendom somehow that that's what it means to serve God. Is that you quit your job and you come and be dependent on the church. You'll never find that in God's word at all. In 14:00 fact, you find quite the opposite. That the man who was used most to build churches and to plant churches worked for his own living making tents, Paul the Apostle. So you'll find this this distance as it were between Well, that That's expected 14:13 of him. He is the preacher. Yeah, he should be there. He should study God's word because he's the preacher. He needs to teach teach us. Yeah, he's he's the elder or he's this or he's that. We pay him to do that, so he better be there to 14:24 serve. But me, I'm just a tithe-paying member of the church. I put my tithe in the box and my membership is enrolled in this denomination or that church. So, yeah, I don't really have to live for God that way. I don't have to take time pouring 14:39 into God's word and spending time studying God's word because I don't have to get up and preach on a Sunday morning. So I'm off the hook as it were. And the world is full of off-the-hook Christians or people who have convinced 14:50 themselves that they're off the hook from having to study God's word. Having to hear like we heard a couple weeks ago, having to see God's word as inspiration and see that I cannot live on anything else except God's word. You 15:04 see how that mean that leaves nobody off the hook, not even our children. I'm impressed with the responsibility that we have as parents, fathers and mothers first of all, to teach our children God's word because they are not 15:15 off the hook either. There will come a a time of reckoning when they will see a world that's full of ear-tickling people who love to listen to just the gospel that fits me right. This is me, and I'm not going to change, 15:29 and I pick the gospel or the preacher or the church that fits my ears fits my I mean fits my belly. And so I tune my ears to that. And do you know that the time is coming, my dear friends? I believe it with all of my heart, when 15:40 our children will be tested with that. And if we haven't taught them a value for God's word and and the ability to discern sound doctrine at an early age, they will be fooled. They will be deceived. And this is not to bring fear. This is 15:55 not to mean that I I I panic and I think what's going to happen. It means that I take God's word seriously. I fall on my face and I ask God to give me more of a fear of him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And will he do it? Absolutely. 16:08 Do you think God cares about our children? Do you think that God cares that none of our children in this church I'm thinking of them because they are the most impressionable. I think you and I maybe will discern sound false doctrine when we hear it. 16:19 But what about our children? As they start to grow up and they hear their friends saying about this, "Have you heard this other preacher who's teaching this? Or this other church where they have a wonderful youth group, but this 16:28 is the teaching that you'll get there." What about them? Will they be able to discern false false doctrine? Do you think God cares about our children more than we do? I believe it with all my heart. Do you think he will allow them 16:38 to be deceived? No, if they learn to love the truth and if they've learned that from us. If they learn to love the truth because they've seen examples in Daddy and Mommy that they love THE TRUTH. THEY LOVE GOD'S WORD. DAD'S 16:50 FAVORITE THING TO DO IS to open the Bible and just meditate on it and talk about it. And he's memorized scripture. You know, we we don't want to make a big deal about memorization, but I thought about this. If we said that we'd pay $100 to every person who 17:05 can memorize per verse 2 Timothy chapter 1, would it change how seriously you take memorization of God's word? Now, I'm just taking memorization. I know we have different abilities to memorize. But the effort to meditate on God's 17:20 word, because that's what he talks about in chapter 3. All scripture is inspired by God, and you must know it for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. And if we said as a church, we're on this goal in 17:32 2013, every person that gets up here and memorize and and recites one verse from memory will get $100. Do you think it'll change the way we uh treat God's word and meditate on it and memorize it even perhaps? And meditate more importantly? Absolutely. 17:47 If it does, that means we love money more than we love God. It It means that we fear the things of this world and care for the things of this world more than we care the for the fact that this is the only thing that will feed me spiritually. We're not 17:59 going to do that, by the way. We're not going to be handing out our We don't have the money for that, cuz I know you guys will all do so well. That's why we'll go bankrupt as a church pretty quickly. But, that that's a serious 18:11 word. I I speak it to myself first of all. I I'll tell you honestly, as I've read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and then chapter 4:1-5, I'm embarrassed uh that I heard God's word from the time I was born. And I'm embarrassed to admit before you, 18:29 my dear friends, that I know so little of it. That I haven't valued it enough. Yeah, I have knowledge. I can probably tell you where a lot of references are, but I don't know God's word like I wish I did. And it's brought a seriousness in my 18:41 heart that I will value God's word more. I mean, uh there was a time in my life where I knew statistics of basketball and football players more than you knew God's word. I'm trying to change that. And I hope you are, too. 18:53 I hope that there's a seriousness and a value for God's word in your life where it starts to permeate from you. Where you sit down with each We sit down with each other, and all we want to talk about is God's word. No, I'm I'm not 19:03 talking about artificiality and religiosity. Believe me, I I will still care about sports because I think it's in me, and I love it, and I enjoy it. But, it's never never never going to take precedence over God's word. And my 19:15 Because this is the only thing that will feed me and give me eternal life. That's what I care about. I'm starting to take a greater reverence for God's word. I see, you know what I said about the $100 for it? That's what the Lord told 19:27 me. He says, "Well, Santos, you If you got $100, if you knew that your boss would pay you $100 for every 1 hour that you spent in God's word, I would make time. I would find I'd think, "Man, I could do that. That would really be 19:39 pleasing. Or I could make $100 reading the Bible. I'm going to read the Bible." All of a sudden becomes easy. But, you know what this does FOR ME? IT SHOWS ME WHERE MY PRIORITIES ARE. MY PRIORITIES are sadly still on the things of this 19:51 earth. To my embarrassment, to my shame I say that. But, I have hope. I have seen a God who cares about me and is convicting me through the work of the Holy Spirit ON THE VALUE OF HIS WORD, WHERE I find any way to uh to fill my mind with it. If it's 20:05 through listening to it on the CD where Phil sets us a wonderful example. He spends so much time in his truck. And all he wants to do is listen to God's word. And you see it pouring out of his life here every time he gets up to 20:14 preach, don't you? Don't you covet that life? You value that that love for God's word? I do. So, in Ephesians chapter 4, I wanted to show you whose work it is. I've set the context of God's word and us being permeated for 20:28 God with God's word for what purpose? Because God wants to use you, my dear brother, my dear sister, and my dear child. God wants to use you to build a church. Again, there's this difference in the the world has convinced itself 20:42 into thinking that the work of building the church and spreading the gospel is the work of the evangelist and the prophets and the pastors and the teachers. That's what I want to show you in Ephesians chapter 4. Yes, God has given apostles, you read in 20:55 verse 11. He's given some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and some as teachers. Why? If you read your Bible slowly and carefully, you'll see that it is not their responsibility to build a church. 21:08 Why? Verse 12, for the equipping of the saints. For the equipping of every member of the church. Saints literally consecrated ones, holy ones. Are you a holy one consecrated, washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, set apart for God's work? 21:27 That's not just you and Phil and I because we're elders. That's not just anybody who has a public ministry here. It's every single one who's a member of this church. And the apostles and the prophets and the pastors and the 21:38 teachers and the evangelists are given so that everybody else realizes that it's their responsibility to build a church and we all together housewife, littlest child that's able to read and speak God's word. I would say 21:52 it like that. From the weakest to the strongest from the earthly perspective. The These God has given these gifts in the church, people who have that outward ministry for the equipping. It's the same word that Paul uses in 2 Timothy 22:06 chapter 3. The equipping through the word of God, the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ. So, the So, it isn't ministry that builds the church. It's not It's not the preaching. It's not the 22:24 teaching. It's not the apostles. It's not the prophets. That work, if you hear a prophetic word and if you have a gift in the church, it's so that the members of the church can be equipped to build the church. I want to show you another verse in Mark 22:37 chapter 1. I'm spending a little bit time here in in showing how I would I'd like to show you now in the next 10-15 minutes that I have left that God doesn't just allow anybody to build his church. We might all try and we might all have a desire 22:53 to build his church. But God has a process of approval that he takes his people to. Anybody who has an interest in God's word, you're listening to this message and you think, "Lord, yes, I believe this with all of my heart. I 23:03 embrace it. I want to be a part of your work. I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE sometimes and gone sometimes and unpredictable and uncommitted. I don't want that, Lord. I want a life where I'm I've dived in, all in. We heard about that last week. You 23:14 have my life completely. I'm going to pour my life into building this church. And then you say, okay, Lord, I'm ready. He says, well, I need to prove that you're really serious about this and that's what we'll look at today. But I 23:24 want to show you this one more verse in Mark chapter 1. And this is a word of promise. If if you if you like promises, if you like compiling and writing little notes of promises in God's word, here's a promise that you can lay your lay a hold of for 23:38 this year. I hope you will. Mark chapter 1 verse 17. Jesus said to them, follow me and I will make you become fishers of men. I don't know if you've ever saw that as a promise. Yes, there's promises like, I will never leave you and forsake you. I will write 23:54 my laws on your heart. Wonderful promises. What about What about this promise? I will. Whenever you see in God's word, God saying, I will, that's a promise. Here's one of those. Jesus telling the disciples, if you follow me, 24:08 if you are truly my disciple, I will make you become fishers of men. It is the responsibility of every true disciple then to be a disciple maker. Do you see that now? Either Jesus is a liar where I'm saying, well, Lord, I'm 24:26 your disciple, but I don't see rivers of living water flowing out of my life. I don't see that you're using my LIFE TO MAKE OTHER DISCIPLES OUT OF IT. I'M just glad that I haven't fallen into sin in the last couple of days and I'm happy 24:37 about that. But if I believe God's word and if I lay a hold of that promise here in Mark chapter 1 verse 17, I say, Jesus, you promised me that if I became your disciple, if I surrendered all and a disciple is not a light thing. It 24:49 means you give up every single ambition and goal of yours, all your possessions. You don't have a possessive mentality to the things of this earth. Your mind is set on things eternal, and you've become a disciple of Jesus Christ, then you can 25:00 claim this promise. Father, use me. Lord Jesus, use me to make others disciples. That's the Great Commission with which Jesus sent the disciples out. Go into all the world, Matthew 28, and make disciples. I didn't just call you to make sure that 25:15 you stay free from sin. Yes, that's important. But the responsibility when I've called you to be a disciple who follows the master is to see that when the life of Christ flows through me, because I'm being equipped in the 25:26 church, I'm filling my mind with God's word, is now that I'm making other disciples, beginning with your children, parents. God God wants you based on this promise. My prayer for my children is that they will become disciples. I don't 25:39 care if they who they get married to or if they get married at all even, you know, that's a lot of people want their parent their children to get married, or if they have a secure job. Yes, I want all of those things. But that desire or 25:49 that goal and for for them pales in comparison to this one desire I have for them. That they will be disciples. And that God will use me and my wife and all of you in your homes and in this church to make disciples OF EVERY SINGLE ONE THAT 26:03 IS willing to be a disciple that comes into this building. That's our vision as a church. So, it is the responsibility of every true disciple to be a disciple maker. I also believe with all my heart that God tests our tests us and and approves 26:18 us whether he can really use us for his work. It's not a light thing. And we'll see this. I'd like to show you a few examples. And the first test that I'd like to show you is the test of priorities. The first thing that God wants to test in your and 26:31 my life is if our priorities are right. And it's not an easy thing. Let me show you. Exodus chapter 33. I'd like to show you in the example of Joshua. Joshua is a wonderful example of a man who grew up under the influence of 26:45 another godly man. That was Moses. Moses was the leader of God's people and uh God used Moses to lead God's people out of Egypt um and through the wilderness for 40 years, but God had according to God's plan, God knew that 26:58 the time would come when he'd have to tell Moses, "Listen, Moses, you are not going to be the one to take my people into the land of Canaan. There's going to be another." And God had his eye. He was looking for who would be this next man who would 27:11 take over from Moses, and he found Joshua. It wasn't just that God randomly picked, "Well, okay, you know what? Why don't you go ahead and lead God's people?" No. There was something God was looking for, a priority that Joshua had, a way of 27:23 living his life that God said, "That's my man." And I want each one of you sitting here for God to be able to point his finger from heaven and say, "That's my man. That's my woman. That's my child who's going to be my disciple maker in this 27:35 town of Loveland and in this church and in this community, wherever you are." Do you see the finger of God pointing and coiling calling you out to do that work? He's going to test you. So, look at how he Look at what we see 27:47 about What was it about Joshua? This is what uh I'd like to impress on you. What was it about Joshua that God saw and says, "That's who I want. I want him." That's the person I want who will build a church. Exodus chapter 3 verse 11. 28:01 In Joshua's case, it wasn't the church, it was a picture of the church, but in verse 11, he says, you know, I want to I don't have time to dwell on the whole story, but essentially, you know, there was this time um we'll 28:11 we'll read verse 9, maybe that that should do it. Um you'll see that there was the camp when they were in the wilderness, there was the camp where the people of Israel camped and lived in the tents. And then the tabernacle, which was the you know, 28:23 the the holy place and the most holy place, that building, and then the courtyard, all of that was set away from the camp. It wasn't part of the camping area. God was showing them that I'm holy and and I can't be a part of your sin. 28:34 If you He knew that they would sin in their camp. And so, they had to come away from that, and outside the camp, they had to make the sacrifices, and the priests could consecrate themselves and go into the holy place. So, it was a 28:44 way, some distance. And it says that in verse 9, Exodus 33:9, whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. But what do the other people do? Here was 29:01 Moses, and they recognized here's this man of God, he gets to talk to God face to face. You and I, we're just we're just the laity. See, that's why I believe that most churches in this still try to apply Old Testament principles, Old Testament ways 29:14 of doing things. There's Moses, the man of God. He's the preacher. He'll He'll speak to us from God. But me, yeah, it doesn't really matter. I don't have to preach God's word, so it's okay. That's the mentality these people had. Moses, 29:23 now, let's not judge them. That was only That was all they could do because God had allowed for that That was God's way in the old covenant. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing, verse 10, at the entrance of the tent, all the 29:36 people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. Here they were in the camp, each person would come at the tent says, God's speaking to Moses. Let's see what God is going to speak to us through Moses. Thus the Lord, verse 11, used to speak 29:49 to Moses face to face. Just as a man speak to speaks to his friend. When Moses was done, when Moses returned to the camp, listen to what Joshua was doing. His servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. 30:06 The tent of meeting where God was meeting with Moses. And I picture My understanding of this verse is that there would be Moses, and Joshua was his servant. And Joshua as his servant would would get as close as he could get as 30:19 God would allow him because of the calling of God over his life, and he'd stand there at the tent and wait for Moses because he was he was Moses' servant. And Moses would be speaking to God, and the people would be over there, 30:30 and then, um, Joshua would not depart from the tent. Now, everybody else, when Moses got done, I picture them going about their everyday life. Oh, the sermon's over. Oh, the message is over. Church service is okay. I can go about go about my 30:43 everyday activities. BUT JOSHUA HAD THE SPIRIT. I think Joshua longed to be Moses. He's like, "Lord, why is it Moses gets to talk to you face to face? I DON'T MIND I know it's great that Moses tells us all your commandments and I 30:57 long to obey them, BUT I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. I WANT THIS RELATIONSHIP that Moses had face to face as with a friend." And that's what God was looking for. The man who would be the next leader of the Israelites was the man who had that 31:10 longing for a personal revelation of God. That's what I have up there. A hunger for the personal revelation of God. My dear friends, God cannot use us to be disciple makers, to raise our children to be disciples, if he doesn't 31:22 see in us first of all a hunger for a personal revelation of God. And if I rely on the preacher on Sunday morning or the Bible study teacher on Wednesday or whenever else to give me that revelation of GOD THAT THEY GOT, 31:35 God perhaps can't use me as a disciple maker. But if he finds in you that after you leave this building, you're like, "Lord, I want a revelation from you of what you just spoke to me." Or you go ahead and read in 2 Timothy chapter 4 31:47 the next few verses says, "Lord, I HUNGER FOR YOU. WILL YOU reveal yourself to me?" That's what Joshua had. God said, "That's my man." He's had a hunger for a personal revelation of God. Another example I want to show you is in 32:00 Philippians chapter 3. Philippians 3, this is the example of Paul. Paul says, "Listen, I was 32:18 a hard worker. Paul says, "I used to be in the service of God." He thought he was in the service of God. Says in verse 4, Philippians 3 verse 4, "If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more. I ought to be able to 32:31 put confidence in the flesh. Why? Because I was circumcised on the eighth day." Listen, here is he's reciting all the things that he felt qualified him to be a servant of God. Jehovah, Jehovah God, the same God who sent Jesus Christ 32:44 as our mediator. He says, "I was circumcised on the eighth day. That's what God I obeyed God. Off the nation of Israel, which is God's chosen people in the Old Testament. Off the tribe of Benjamin." He even knew which tribe he 32:54 was. A Hebrew of Hebrews. As to the law, a Pharisee. And I think he doesn't say that in a bad way. We use the word Pharisee now in a negative connotation. He's saying, "I was a Pharisee." That means I took it seriously. There was a zeal that 33:07 characterized the Pharisees. Cuz then he says in verse six, "As to a zeal, listen, I was so wholehearted about serving God and following him that I actually persecuted those whom I thought were his enemies." Which turned out to 33:19 be the Christians. You see that Paul in his service to God, Jehovah, the God whom he read in the Old Testament, thought, "Well, if any man would come like Jesus and claim to be the son of God and and to have a relationship with 33:31 God as Father, I'm going to persecute them and judge them as the enemies of God and kill them." As to zeal, a persecutor of the church. As to the righteousness of which is in the law, found blameless. And then between verse six and verse 33:47 seven, something happens. But, there's that word but. What do you think happened? You know what happened? He met Jesus on the road to Damascus. But, whatever things were gained to me, I used to serve God so faithfully in that 34:00 way and I used to be so proud of it of what a wonderful service I give to God. And then he says, "I used to count that all as gain and be proud of it. Whatever things were gained to me, I now count as loss for the sake of Christ. 34:15 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus. This is the picture I got when I read these verses again. See, it's kind of like I I think Paul, what happened here when he came on the 34:28 road to Damascus and was born again, he came into a marriage relationship with Jesus. And now the goal of his life was not to do what he thought would be pleasing to God, but he his goal of his life was to do what would be pleasing to 34:39 Jesus. He saw God manifest in Jesus. And he didn't go about trying to figure out what else can I do for God and how else can I be of service to God? Let me do this, let me do that. What does Jesus want me to do? What does Jesus want me to do? Think 34:52 about this like a um a newlywed couple. On their wedding night they they get married and um the night before uh you know, they wake up in the morning and maybe the husband sleep sleeps in a little bit. The wife gets up and says, "I'm going to make my 35:05 uh husband this wonderful breakfast. I'm going to make him uh pancakes and I'm going to make him uh scrambled eggs and I'm going to make him tea and all these wonderful things. She thinks about all the things that she thinks she would 35:17 really like to have for breakfast." And she comes up with this wonderful buffet spread and discovers when her husband walks down that he actually likes his eggs fried. He actually likes coffee. And she's got this wonderful the best 35:32 tea in the world. And he actually likes bacon. He doesn't like sausage. If only she had spent the night before saying asking her husband, "Hey, I want to make you a a a wonderful meal tomorrow for breakfast. What would you 35:44 like to eat?" I don't know you that well. I've just started to come into this relationship with you, but what do you care about? WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO EAT? Do you see that that's what happened to Paul here? He came into a marriage relationship with 35:55 Jesus where the passion of his life WAS NO LONGER WHAT CAN I do for Jesus? Here I am, Lord. What does Jesus want me to do? What is it that pleases him? And this is how we build a church. We're not in the business of finding any good that we can 36:08 do around the earth because there's a lot of it. A lot of it that will become like we heard last Sunday, wood, hay, and straw that would be burned up. Instead, the passion of my life, I lay it out on the table for you and for us 36:19 as a church, I believe it with all of my heart, is to determine what does Jesus want us to do here. When we gather on Sunday and when we gather on Wednesday, what is it, Lord Jesus, that captivates your heart? Let my heart be captivated by that as well. 36:31 Not all the other wonderful, good things that we can do to make a name for ourselves. That would be and you know You know what Paul what Jesus told Paul on the road to Damascus? It's like the husband coming down and seeing this 36:44 wonderful spread and wife telling him eat and he and she says and he says Why are you persecuting me? Imagine if you as a wife prepared this wonderful spread and your husband comes down from the comes down out of the bedroom and says 36:57 Why are you persecuting me? Why are you trying to make me eat all this STUFF THAT I DON'T really like? That's what Paul Jesus told Paul on the road to Damascus. Why are you persecuting me, Paul? And Paul got a revelation that on 37:08 the road to Damascus so big that his eyes got blind for a few days. He says, "Lord, I'm sorry. I spent all night I stayed up all night." Do you feel like that that you're staying up all night toiling and persevering to be pleasing 37:20 to God and it just doesn't seem to work. THERE'S NO JOY in your marriage relationship with Christ. It's such a burden. I tell you, my dear friend, fall on your face before God and ask Jesus to give you a revelation of what he wants. 37:33 Take his yoke upon you. It's light. The yoke that you're carrying that seems burdensome is probably yours or the yoke that somebody else has tried to put on you. Take his yoke upon you. It's light. And when you find that you're you want 37:47 to make coffee while even though you hate coffee and you hate the smell of it and you hate making poached eggs and you hate ALL THIS YOU'RE CAPTIVATED WITH your husband and as you're making these things that are so difficult to make 37:57 that seem so difficult to make it's filled with joy. And it's filled with an inner strength and a power and you find wow, it's easier for me to make coffee than it is to make tea now. Because I'm doing it for my bridegroom. 38:10 Priorities. This is also what it means to worship. Jesus, when he was offered the kingdoms of heaven by the devil said in response You shall thou shalt it says that he was quoting from Deuteronomy 10, I think. Uh maybe 16, one of those, 10 or 16. "Thou 38:27 shalt worship the Lord and him only shall you serve." That's why I have that sentence there at the bottom. We are not servants of God who worship him. We are worshipers of God who serve him. You see how the priority makes a 38:41 difference? Are you in the business of serving God? And you want to do something for God? And you want to do a great work for God? You want to be an evangelist? You want to go and evangelize this community and hand out tracts? That's good. But first of all, 38:51 you must be a worshiper. You must be one who says, "Lord, until you call me for your purpose and you give me a clear direction in my life, I'm going to stand here at the tent of the meeting until you will meet me face to face and I have 39:01 that relationship as a man to his friend." And then I'll tell you, my dear brother, dear sister, you can go into any part of this world, into the darkest area of this world, and you will find that there's an anointing over it. Why? 39:13 Cuz you're a worshiper of God. Your face is in the dust in the most holy place, and that's where you dwell. You're a worshiper of God who serves him. I know, my dear friends, my dear husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, I 39:25 know it's the passion of your heart, first of all, with your own family to raise them up in the fear of God. And sometimes it can seem overwhelming. I know it. I feel it. I'm desiring to be a worshiper. I know that when I worship God, everything on 39:38 this earth is easy and light. Amen. Are you in a relationship with God that seems heavy and burdensome? "Come to me," he says, "all you who are weary and heavy laden, that have put yokes upon yourselves that are not the yoke I 39:52 intended for you. Come to me and you will learn to fly like an eagle." The message paraphrases that the unforced rhythms of grace. Is grace forced in your life? Oh, man. Battling this temptation. I fell again. Oh, can't pick it up and fight again. 40:11 There I am. I I I spoke that way to my wife again. I was like, "Why, Lord? Why can't I control my tongue? I WANT SO MUCH TO SPEAK LOVINGLY to my wife, but it just seems to come out. Why is my flesh so strong? And believe me, it is a 40:21 struggle. It is a It is a battle. It is a walk. But there is a lightness to it that the Lord wants us to learn. I'm going to end there. I didn't get to do the second part, but we'll do it another time. Priorities. I think this is enough for 40:37 us for today. For us to learn our priorities, to learn to be worshipers of God who dwell in the most holy place. How long However long it takes. Are you in a Are you in a in a rush to go out and do some work for God? Uh 40:52 remember Paul. Like Like the scripture says, remember Lot's wife. Remember Saul of Tarsus, if you will. Remember Saul of Tarsus in your zeal and your desire to do something for God. And you're going to go out and evangelize this and evangelize that. 41:05 Now, listen to me. Paul became more active after he met Christ than before. I believe it with all of my heart. He could travel all over now. And now he's His ministry expanded beyond just Israel. He went into Asia Minor and 41:17 planted churches. The Lord will build your ministry. And I'm not saying that you should sit on your feet sit on your sit down on your chair and and not do anything. I believe God will send you out, but he wants to see that what you care about 41:30 is what he what will please his appetite. How is he building his church? When we make that the passion of our lives, God will use us to do his work, the work that will last. This is gold, silver, and precious stones. This is what will 41:44 last. Heavenly Father, pray you use us as individuals. Use our marriages. Use our homes. Use our children. Use this church, Lord, to do that work which will last for all eternity. Jesus' name. Amen.
