back to index2021-09-05 Proper Response to God's Grace Pt 2
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If you can turn your Bibles with me to Hebrews chapter 12 verse 25 through 29. 00:00:18.200 |
Reading out of the NASB, "See to it that you do not refuse him who is speaking. 00:00:23.960 |
For those who did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will 00:00:28.480 |
we escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven. 00:00:32.600 |
And his voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised saying, 'Yet once more I 00:00:36.680 |
will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.' 00:00:40.200 |
This expression, 'Yet once more,' denotes the removing of those things which can be 00:00:43.800 |
shaken as of created things so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 00:00:49.160 |
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by 00:00:54.040 |
which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming 00:01:07.600 |
We pray that power of your word would convict and guide us, renew us, strengthen us, Lord 00:01:13.520 |
God, that we may live worthy lives of the gospel that you've given. 00:01:18.080 |
So we pray for your direction, your Holy Spirit to lead. 00:01:21.480 |
Okay, we're going to continue on from what we started last week where we talked about 00:01:29.400 |
what a proper response to the gospel of Jesus Christ is. 00:01:33.160 |
When we say, "Because of God's grace," if we have a wrong understanding of the gospel 00:01:38.280 |
and the grace, we can easily think, "Because of grace, it doesn't matter what I do, that 00:01:43.400 |
we have Christian liberty in Christ, so however I live, even though I ought to live this way, 00:01:48.840 |
but there isn't any consequence anymore because God has covered us with his blood." 00:01:53.840 |
If we have a superficial understanding and possibly an understanding of cheap grace, 00:02:03.000 |
But as grace is grace, the Bible tells us that there is consequence if we refuse this 00:02:10.080 |
And that's what he says in verse 25, chapter 12, we just read. 00:02:13.600 |
It says, "See to it that you do not refuse him who is speaking. 00:02:18.920 |
For if those who did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much 00:02:22.920 |
less will we escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven." 00:02:28.100 |
If God said everything that he said to the old covenant people and they didn't respond 00:02:32.960 |
in a way that they ought to have and there were serious consequences, how much more when 00:02:38.120 |
it's not just a glimpse of him, it was not just a theophany, but God himself speaking 00:02:42.040 |
from heaven that we just say, "Oh, okay, that's what he says, that's what he believes." 00:02:46.000 |
And we just continue to go on living our life any way that we want. 00:02:50.700 |
That's exactly what he was trying to address in the book of Hebrew. 00:02:53.200 |
And that's why I think the book of Hebrew is so relevant to us today because he's not 00:03:01.120 |
There wasn't anything that he was saying that this is the problem, that you guys are guilty 00:03:08.440 |
He said, "Main problem with the audience of the Hebrews was they were just drifting. 00:03:15.600 |
They weren't passionately pursuing Christ anymore. 00:03:21.080 |
And he said, "How can we escape if we simply neglect such a great salvation?" 00:03:27.120 |
That's why I think this is so relevant to us in our generation where you and I practice 00:03:31.480 |
our Christianity because this is our primary challenge. 00:03:36.520 |
Reading the gospel, we become so inoculated by the truth where I just signed off on it 00:03:43.360 |
and then rest of my life I just kind of live like everybody else. 00:03:46.120 |
He says, "See to it that you do not refuse him." 00:03:52.160 |
You don't have to shake your hand and say, "You know what? 00:03:55.000 |
I'm an atheist and I'm going to worship idols." 00:04:00.560 |
In fact, that's not what he's addressing in the book of Hebrews. 00:04:04.740 |
To refuse him, first and foremost, is simply to remain willfully ignorant of the truth. 00:04:14.200 |
Not ignorant because you haven't been taught. 00:04:18.400 |
But simply ignorant because you just weren't interested. 00:04:21.680 |
So many people in our generation has no idea what the Bible says. 00:04:26.460 |
They can tell what the latest album is dropping and what the latest trend is and what athlete 00:04:31.840 |
has what percentage and what batting average. 00:04:34.200 |
They know all of this stuff but they say, "Turn to the book of Hebrews. 00:04:43.400 |
And after 10, 15, 20, 30 years of being a Christian, they still don't know. 00:04:48.000 |
And it's not because they haven't been taught. 00:04:49.640 |
It just wasn't important enough for them to pursue. 00:04:52.520 |
So we can refuse him by willfully being ignorant of God's word. 00:04:57.280 |
We can be willfully ignorant by studying the word of God and not applying it. 00:05:02.640 |
Like it says in the book of James, you're constantly hearing but not doing. 00:05:12.080 |
It means nothing if you just profess and all it is is a profession and there's no deeds 00:05:17.460 |
So we can refuse him by studying and not applying what the Bible has to say. 00:05:23.160 |
Thirdly, you can refuse him by studying what the Bible says and picking and choosing what 00:05:28.840 |
you want to apply and then certain things that you don't want to apply. 00:05:35.280 |
Obedience only to the things that I want to obey and the things that I don't want to obey. 00:05:39.160 |
I just kind of keep at bay and say, "You know what? 00:05:44.820 |
And so we can refuse him in that way and in every way, every one of the things that I've 00:05:48.600 |
mentioned, the Bible mentions that that is a form of refusing God. 00:05:53.980 |
In 2 Timothy 3, 5 and 7, it says that in the end times, and Paul is warning Timothy as 00:06:00.720 |
a young pastor preparing him to go to the area of Ephesus to fight wrong doctrines because 00:06:06.680 |
all these fellow co-workers are starting to drop out and backslide. 00:06:11.000 |
And he's telling them, he's telling Timothy, "I want you to prepare for this. 00:06:15.720 |
This is what you're going to run into as a pastor." 00:06:19.480 |
He says, "At the end times, you're going to run into people who are holding to a form 00:06:24.960 |
of godliness, although they have denied its power. 00:06:30.840 |
Avoid such men as these, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the 00:06:37.880 |
In other words, they do what you're supposed to do externally. 00:06:41.880 |
They have a reputation of being godly because they know how to play this game. 00:06:44.920 |
They've been in the church for a very long time. 00:06:49.680 |
If they ask you how you're doing spiritually, "I'm doing okay," or "I'm struggling," 00:06:58.620 |
So you have a form of godliness, but you have no knowledge of its power. 00:07:04.240 |
That's the distinction between somebody who's excited about his faith and passionately pursuing 00:07:08.520 |
Christ because you've recognized his power, you've experienced his power, versus somebody 00:07:13.520 |
who's always hearing the sermon but never able to come to the true knowledge of his 00:07:21.560 |
You notice here in verse 7, he says, "Always learning but never able to come to the knowledge 00:07:28.560 |
You notice here, he says, "He's always learning but never knowing." 00:07:39.720 |
That you can study, especially if you're at a Bible-teaching church, we're doing Bible 00:07:43.600 |
study, and you're going through the verses, and you're always learning. 00:07:47.040 |
You're adding knowledge upon knowledge upon knowledge, but you're never coming and encountering 00:07:52.760 |
Christ because we're refusing him in some way in our life. 00:07:58.240 |
We've created this pseudo-Christian life that is completely contrary to what the Bible teaches, 00:08:05.680 |
and so you've accumulated so much knowledge about the Bible, but you don't know Christ. 00:08:13.400 |
You know the distinction between somebody who's learning a lot versus somebody who encounters 00:08:20.240 |
Somebody who has a lot of knowledge, the benefit of having a lot of knowledge, that you know 00:08:27.760 |
So the more that I read, the more that I encounter, the more that I want you to know how much 00:08:31.760 |
I know because that's the benefit of the study. 00:08:36.680 |
But the difference between somebody who's constantly studying and not encountering and 00:08:40.280 |
knowing God is an individual who's always, his knowledge is learning to know Christ. 00:08:48.440 |
And that's the distinction between somebody who's always learning but not knowing Christ 00:08:52.640 |
versus somebody who's learning and encountering Christ. 00:08:55.840 |
Because a person who is learning to encounter Christ, you'll see in their language, they're 00:09:03.760 |
But an individual who accumulates a lot of knowledge are going to make sure that you 00:09:07.640 |
know how much knowledge they have, what books that they've read, people that they know. 00:09:12.520 |
That's who he says, that in the church, in our generation, our biggest challenge now 00:09:25.560 |
See, God's grace reminds us and challenges us and warns us to live according to what's 00:09:35.840 |
And that's what he was saying in verse 26 and 27. 00:09:38.440 |
His voice shook the earth then, but now he is promising yet once more, I will shake not 00:09:47.440 |
And he's reminding them about when he showed himself at Mount Sinai, where people are terrified 00:09:57.560 |
And as he came and he shook the earth, he says, but now God is speaking from heaven. 00:10:06.320 |
God himself from heaven is speaking to us directly. 00:10:10.080 |
And he says, yet once more denotes the removing of those things which cannot be shaken as 00:10:14.760 |
of creative things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 00:10:20.880 |
You know, this building, some of you guys may remember when we were trying to get into 00:10:26.400 |
You know, we had all these things that we had to do, but most of the things that we 00:10:31.120 |
did to this building to move in here are things that you wouldn't notice, right? 00:10:35.720 |
Because we deliberately bought this building because we didn't want to do a lot of construction. 00:10:41.880 |
So we spent almost, I think about seven, $800,000 fixing this place up. 00:10:47.840 |
Majority of that went to things that you can't see. 00:10:52.600 |
It was because this used to be a plumbing warehouse. 00:10:56.140 |
And so there weren't a lot of people in this room. 00:10:57.840 |
So in order for us to convert this to a church, because of the number of people coming in 00:11:02.080 |
and out, the city had a different requirement for the seismic standard, meaning that it 00:11:07.320 |
has to withhold, you know, the building has to be much stronger than a plumbing building, 00:11:13.120 |
because if an earthquake hits, it needs to be make sure that it doesn't fall. 00:11:17.080 |
So majority of the money went to making holes. 00:11:20.040 |
You know these beams, each one of these beams had to be fortified. 00:11:23.840 |
So we had guys go up there with a drill, maybe about a foot long, and make drills. 00:11:28.280 |
And then we had to have, yeah, we had to anchor it. 00:11:42.440 |
So we had bolts to anchor each one of the, every one of these beams have about eight 00:11:51.760 |
This is all throughout the building upstairs, even in the cafe area. 00:11:54.920 |
So all of that had to be torn down, all the air conditioning, the insulation, all of that 00:12:00.160 |
had to be torn down and then put, and then just put back up. 00:12:04.240 |
That was majority of the construction in this, in this area. 00:12:07.080 |
And so when the inspectors came, they actually had our construction guys go up there and 00:12:12.240 |
take out some of this stuff to make sure that we did it correctly. 00:12:15.680 |
Because the, all the aesthetic stuff about the stage, about the painting, all this, they 00:12:21.080 |
The main thing that they cared about was if an earthquake hit, that because then now this 00:12:25.760 |
is going to be used as a church, we need to make sure that this building is going to be 00:12:30.640 |
So if there's an earthquake, this is the best place to be. 00:12:35.240 |
They tell you normally run outside, I would run back in, right? 00:12:40.200 |
All of that because they want to make sure, especially in California, that if the big 00:12:45.960 |
one hits and it happens to be in the middle of our service, that this building isn't going 00:12:53.640 |
See, when the Bible says, when the passage in Hebrew says that when he comes, he's going 00:13:01.200 |
And he repeats this over and over again in these two verses. 00:13:04.920 |
It's to remind us that everything that we hold, that's not going to stand the test of 00:13:13.960 |
So this morning, what I want to go over is this shaking. 00:13:17.260 |
What did it mean and what was it teaching and what is he referring to? 00:13:21.880 |
So first of all, when there's a violent shake, when God shows up and there's a violent shake, 00:13:27.160 |
it was to remind them of the awesomeness of who God is. 00:13:35.000 |
Exodus chapter 19, verse 18, "Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended 00:13:39.240 |
upon it in fire and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace and the whole mountain 00:13:48.060 |
And then again in Judges 5, 4 to 5, referring to the giving of the law, it says, "The Lord, 00:13:52.320 |
when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the field of Edom, the earth quaked, 00:13:56.360 |
the heavens also dropped, dripped, even the clouds dripped water, the mountains quaked 00:14:01.360 |
at the presence of the Lord, this Sinai at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel." 00:14:07.880 |
You know, I think most Californians have become desensitized to earthquakes, but if you've 00:14:12.480 |
ever had a family member or friend who doesn't live in California and they come to visit 00:14:18.240 |
or live here for a short period and then a minor earthquake hits, maybe like a 3.0, you 00:14:23.480 |
know, a 3.0 earthquake for most Californians is nothing, right? 00:14:28.120 |
But the idea of the earth shifting, I mean, think about that. 00:14:32.000 |
If you've never experienced that before, the earth, we're not talking about strong winds, 00:14:37.080 |
we're not talking about fire, we're talking about the earth on which your house is built 00:14:42.720 |
I mean, he's reminding them, remember when God showed up and there was a violent quaking 00:14:49.760 |
and that God's presence, even the mountains were shaking in His presence, what do you 00:14:58.800 |
Automatically, when there was a shaking, they realized something serious, something powerful 00:15:04.000 |
was coming, that God's presence alone would shake the very foundations of the earth. 00:15:13.400 |
And yet he says in verse 26, "Yet," do you remember when God spoke from earth, but yet 00:15:19.720 |
once more, "I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens." 00:15:24.840 |
Everything created is going to be tested when it is in the presence of a holy God. 00:15:32.520 |
You know, those of you who've lived in California for a long period of time, you guys remember 00:15:38.020 |
Some of you guys may not have been born by then, some of you are a little bit older. 00:15:42.560 |
1994, at 4.30 a.m. in Northridge, there was a 6.7 magnitude, right? 00:15:49.280 |
They said there was over $77 billion of damage that was done. 00:15:53.440 |
So some of you guys who are a little bit older may remember. 00:15:56.260 |
And during that time, basically California was shut down for a long period, especially 00:16:02.360 |
You know, we had, I knew somebody who just closed on a house, literally two, three months 00:16:06.760 |
before the earthquake hit, and there wasn't a single house that wasn't affected by this 00:16:13.080 |
Either cracked walls or fences were torn down. 00:16:20.920 |
Freeways completely collapsed and you couldn't get around. 00:16:25.840 |
But as bad as that was, the biggest earthquake that I personally experienced was the one 00:16:33.200 |
And the reason why that was more devastating to me was because I was in La Mirada that 00:16:38.360 |
And La Mirada is the neighboring city to that. 00:16:40.520 |
And I was getting ready to go to my Old Testament survey class at 7.45, and the class was at 00:16:46.160 |
8 o'clock, and I just started seeing this shift like that, just like an earthquake. 00:16:54.780 |
And I literally saw the parking lot move like that. 00:16:58.140 |
You know how you have earthquakes that shake and then you have earthquakes that roll? 00:17:03.380 |
And it was rolling and I thought, "Okay, Jesus is here." 00:17:07.800 |
Because like, I've experienced earthquake, but nothing like that. 00:17:11.580 |
And then I saw, if you know Biola, most of the buildings in Biola, at least the older 00:17:17.080 |
And I saw brick buildings curving like that on the parking lot. 00:17:20.940 |
And I'm standing here and I saw cars at the end of the parking lot come up and down like 00:17:26.760 |
Earth is opening up, you know, and I'm ready to meet the Lord. 00:17:30.320 |
I had friends who were already in the class jumping out of the window. 00:17:33.160 |
It was on the first floor, so it wasn't that dangerous. 00:17:38.660 |
And I remember like, "Wow, I've never experienced anything like that. 00:17:45.620 |
As crazy as that was, on the news they said, "You know, this may be a precursor to something 00:17:54.160 |
Because ever since I've been in California, the experts, seismologists have been saying 00:17:59.120 |
the big one is coming and that wasn't the big one. 00:18:03.080 |
Even the 6.7 in Whittier, I mean in Northridge, as big as that was, is that all of these things 00:18:09.320 |
So every time there's an earthquake in California, there's a fear that it's going to trigger 00:18:14.320 |
And if you may have heard about the big one, and if you haven't heard of it, I'm going 00:18:19.040 |
to tell you now so that you don't, you need to be informed. 00:18:23.280 |
They said that this is going to be so big, there's a possibility that California may 00:18:35.600 |
That's how big the San Andreas Fault is going to be, that we can be a gigantic Hawaii. 00:18:43.600 |
So what happened was after the '87 earthquake happened, after the '94 earthquake happened, 00:18:51.520 |
I know there's a mass exodus right now because of political reasons, but it was nothing like 00:18:58.160 |
Back then people were packing up their bags and moving to Colorado, wherever, outside 00:19:04.040 |
Thankfully so, because they were saying that California was going to crack. 00:19:09.960 |
So how can you possibly invest in anything here if the earth is going to crack? 00:19:15.360 |
How can you possibly purchase a house if the house can be broken when the earthquake hits? 00:19:20.760 |
What can you possibly, what are you going to build here if the earthquake is going to 00:19:26.200 |
So out of fear, in order to live, people packed up everything and left. 00:19:32.000 |
Obviously, it's been many years since that has happened, but every time there's an earthquake, 00:19:41.520 |
It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. 00:19:44.200 |
So those of us who lived through that, we've become desensitized. 00:19:51.520 |
It's been many years, 20, 30 years have already passed. 00:19:54.920 |
I'm sure it'll happen, but maybe not during my lifetime." 00:19:58.560 |
Those of you who've never heard this before, you know, it's like, "Oh my gosh, is this 00:20:08.600 |
Because the author of Hebrews is reminding us that no matter how great of an earthquake 00:20:15.160 |
you may have experienced in the past, when Jesus comes in his full glory, whatever human 00:20:21.920 |
history has experienced is going to pale in comparison. 00:20:25.320 |
For some reason, we have presented the gospel in such a way that Jesus is still this meek, 00:20:32.440 |
humble servant who's on his knees looking for people's feet to wash. 00:20:43.600 |
Because Revelation is just as important as the Gospel of John. 00:20:48.960 |
When he comes in his glory, he's not coming as a humble servant. 00:20:52.720 |
He's coming as the King of kings and Lord of lords. 00:21:02.080 |
And when he comes, the Bible says, "The earth will shake." 00:21:07.240 |
And this shaking is going to be much greater than what happened in Mount Sinai. 00:21:11.720 |
In Revelation 6, 12, it says, "I looked when he broke the sixth seal, and there was a great 00:21:16.680 |
earthquake, and the sun became black and sackcloth made of air, and the whole moon became like 00:21:23.080 |
Revelation 11, 13, "And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the 00:21:27.960 |
Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. 00:21:31.280 |
Seven thousand people were killed, and rest were terrified, and gave glory to God of heaven." 00:21:40.960 |
And yet it says God was receiving the glory, right? 00:21:49.440 |
They knew in the presence of God's glory, all this was happening because of his presence, 00:21:56.800 |
In Revelation 16, 17-20, "And the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air." 00:22:04.480 |
"And a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, 'It is done.'" 00:22:10.960 |
"And there were flashes and lightning sounds and peals of thunder, and there was a great 00:22:15.200 |
earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth. 00:22:21.640 |
So great an earthquake was it, and so mighty." 00:22:26.200 |
So there is trembling throughout the judgment, and then it ends with the greatest trembling 00:22:35.600 |
He says all of this to reveal that God in his full glory will come. 00:22:44.280 |
We know that the earth, when it shakes, it deserves all of us. 00:22:49.880 |
And some people are willing to pack up and go somewhere else. 00:22:55.440 |
But yet, do we believe that when he comes, that anything that you and I have experienced 00:23:03.720 |
So when there is a quaking in the Bible, it is to remind us of the awesomeness of God's 00:23:09.720 |
But secondly, when a quaking happens, the Bible says that it is to test and to purify 00:23:17.280 |
and make sure that all the non-essentials are shaken off. 00:23:21.200 |
In Hebrews 12, verse 27, this expression yet once more denotes the removing of those things 00:23:26.980 |
which can be shaken as the creative thing, so that those things which cannot be shaken 00:23:35.960 |
God allows some shaking in our lives at times to cause us to take a second look and see 00:23:48.200 |
That's why we have all these things that are placed in so that when the earthquake comes, 00:23:59.800 |
Even though it's all there, all the preparation has been made, the city would not allow us 00:24:03.160 |
to come into this building unless the preparation has been made, but it hasn't been tested. 00:24:08.380 |
The Bible says that God allows smaller tremors in our life to test the quality of our faith. 00:24:16.160 |
In 1 Peter 1, 6-7, in this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, 00:24:24.700 |
So that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even 00:24:29.640 |
though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory, honor and revelation 00:24:37.520 |
When the great judgment day comes, the only thing that's going to matter, the only thing 00:24:43.160 |
that's going to save us, the only thing that's going to have value is the quality of our 00:24:48.880 |
faith, which is going to cover us from the wrath that is to come. 00:24:54.600 |
So he allows us to experience the tremors to test the quality of our faith. 00:25:01.080 |
Like I said, this building has been prepared for a greater seismic, you know, if it does 00:25:13.680 |
My house has been tested and it's tested all the time. 00:25:16.320 |
The reason why it's tested is because we live next to a train track, right? 00:25:20.040 |
We've been living next to a train track for over 10 to 12 years. 00:25:23.440 |
And so when you first live next to a train track, like it's kind of disturbing. 00:25:28.000 |
And I don't think that's a place that a lot of people would like to live because your 00:25:34.240 |
I've gotten so used to it, like I don't even notice. 00:25:37.200 |
In fact, unless the earthquake is anything below 4.5, I don't even wake up because I 00:25:45.520 |
But that house that we live in is constantly shaking. 00:25:50.860 |
I know it's a Metro with people on it because it moves fast and it's pretty light. 00:25:55.140 |
And it comes and it shakes for a little while like this and then it's gone. 00:25:57.880 |
But I know when those freight trains come, you know, it's long, slow moving, heavy, and 00:26:06.740 |
And whatever conversation we have, we have to stop for a second. 00:26:14.700 |
You know, most houses, especially the newer ones, you buy it and then, you know, in the 00:26:23.460 |
It's your house, just kind of the weight of the house just kind of settling and the slight 00:26:29.180 |
You know, so if you're a new house owner, you know, that's what happens to a house. 00:26:33.340 |
It takes years and the house just kind of settles, right? 00:26:39.100 |
I've lived in other houses, but I usually don't hear any creaks in our house because 00:26:43.900 |
whatever creaking settling is going to happen, it's happened. 00:26:51.580 |
Now, we haven't been tested by a magnitude of that size, but the small tremors does nothing 00:26:59.660 |
And homes in California are better built for that reason because we're used to tremors. 00:27:05.740 |
And, again, I don't want to go sidetracked, but there's a reason why Californians don't 00:27:14.340 |
All of this to say, the Bible is telling us that in the end when Christ comes, all things 00:27:21.620 |
And the only thing that survives from this test is going to be in eternity with him. 00:27:29.440 |
To invest in things that's going to stand the test of time when Christ comes. 00:27:36.660 |
God allows certain things to happen in our life to test. 00:27:39.620 |
But you know what I found out through the years, that the greatest test all throughout 00:27:43.900 |
history hasn't been the hardships, the persecutions, and the difficulties. 00:27:50.420 |
You know, when this pandemic hit, even non-Christians were praying. 00:27:54.860 |
I heard rap stars, you know, like most vulgar lyrics saying, "We need to pray. 00:28:03.380 |
Even non-Christians who have no faith in God, when hardship comes, know that they need something 00:28:13.560 |
The greatest testing of our faith, I found, that most people, a lot of people, don't make 00:28:23.060 |
When our bills are paid, and things are good, and family is good. 00:28:28.460 |
And we see that same pattern in the Old Testament. 00:28:32.900 |
When the Israelites had the greatest problem was when bills were paid, when they didn't 00:28:44.180 |
And as soon as they forgot God, they started slipping into idolatry. 00:28:54.540 |
You know, one of the benefits of this pandemic is it's forced us to look at things that are 00:29:00.580 |
And who knew toilet paper was so essential, right? 00:29:02.980 |
But it's like toilet paper somehow is essential. 00:29:10.900 |
And then as a church, we have to take a step back and ask ourselves, how essential is our 00:29:19.620 |
So we were wrestling through all of this when the non-Christian world says the church is 00:29:27.300 |
But they didn't get mad at them saying that because they don't believe God. 00:29:31.380 |
So to them, liquor stores are essential because liquor can calm you down. 00:29:37.120 |
So when they have hardship and they're freaking out, you know, go to the liquor store and 00:29:41.340 |
get some liquor and then put it in their body to calm them down. 00:29:50.700 |
People who don't know Christ will label the church non-essential because it's not doing 00:29:56.080 |
anything other than giving you a security blanket to make you feel better. 00:29:59.700 |
At least liquor, there's something tangible that you're doing. 00:30:04.820 |
The shocking thing was so many churches just embrace that. 00:30:11.100 |
What is essential in our life that we need to hold on to and fight for and to pursue 00:30:18.300 |
that when Christ comes that we will not think that we wasted our lives? 00:30:24.500 |
We are being tested constantly to see what is essential? 00:30:31.960 |
What is going to test the shaking when Christ comes? 00:30:37.280 |
I remember years ago, you know, he was pretty young then. 00:30:42.600 |
And it was during a period when there was the ear piercing. 00:30:46.200 |
I'm not just talking about any ear piercing, but you pierce and then you make it into a 00:30:49.840 |
size of a pencil and then the next stage is to make it a nickel size and then the next 00:30:58.980 |
I think it's been maybe about 17, 16, 17 years ago. 00:31:02.660 |
And so, you know, this guy, he was in a band and he already had a hole in there that was 00:31:10.640 |
And he asked me, what do you think about making it larger to a quarter? 00:31:15.860 |
And I said, you know, I don't have any particular problem. 00:31:19.460 |
There's no Bible verse I'm going to quote you and say you can't do that. 00:31:22.460 |
But let me just give you some worldly wisdom as an older brother. 00:31:30.060 |
And you're part of a band, so maybe that kind of fits your MO, but you're not going to be 00:31:42.200 |
Everything that was cool when we were younger is very dorky today. 00:31:52.980 |
But there's going to come a time when you're going to walk up one day and then you're going 00:31:57.340 |
to see a big hole that you can't close up and you're not going to think it's cool, but 00:32:05.020 |
So I know you don't understand, you may not agree with what I say now, but I told him, 00:32:10.340 |
you're 20 years old, 10 years ago when you were 10, what do you think? 00:32:16.860 |
Are there things that you said and did and valued when you were 10 year old that as a 00:32:24.300 |
So yeah, there's a bunch of stuff I did when I was 10 years old. 00:32:31.940 |
Do you think that you have reached the peak of your maturity at the age of 20, that another 00:32:36.660 |
10 years from now when you're 30, that you're not going to look back at the things that 00:32:41.020 |
you did when you were 20 and then say, well, that was dorky, that was dumb, it was so cool 00:32:48.500 |
then, but at a 30 year old, and you think that stops at 30? 00:32:55.540 |
You think you can wake up when you're 40 and look back at things that you did at your 30 00:32:58.860 |
and then realize like, oh, I wish I had this knowledge then. 00:33:05.300 |
All our life, we're not at our final destiny. 00:33:08.100 |
So things that were so important at that period of our life, it doesn't stand the test of 00:33:20.180 |
The things that seem so important at that moment is going to seem like nothing in the 00:33:29.460 |
And so as a 20 year old is wise to listen to a 30 year old and 30 year old is wise to 00:33:33.780 |
listen to a 40 year old, 40 year old, why is this still 50 year old and on and on and 00:33:40.060 |
That's why he said, do not refuse him because God knows what's going to stand the test of 00:33:47.660 |
And all that we have been entangled with and concerned about in the end may not even matter. 00:33:56.420 |
So pursue the things that matter, pursue the things that you're not going to regret in 00:34:00.460 |
10 years, 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, 1,000 years later, that you're not going to look 00:34:04.980 |
back at this, that short period of time that you and I are living and miss that comes and 00:34:10.540 |
goes and to forfeit the blessing that God has for us in eternity. 00:34:17.860 |
When he comes in full glory, a radical change of values are going to happen when we are 00:34:26.420 |
All that after the violent shaking of his coming, only true faith, only the things that 00:34:35.340 |
And that's why he says in John chapter 6, 27, do not work for the food which perishes, 00:34:41.660 |
but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give to you 00:34:45.420 |
for on him, the father, God has set his seal. 00:34:52.960 |
To pursue the things that God has ordained for eternity, not for the moment. 00:34:58.200 |
You know, I mentioned tattoos in the first service and I had to push back. 00:35:12.480 |
I don't have anything against tattoos, but it applies to tattoos, right? 00:35:29.420 |
And I've seen people with tattoos that have meanings. 00:35:33.500 |
I'm military guys who's lost their, you know, their fellow soldiers or people who've lost 00:35:38.820 |
I've seen things with meaning, but there's a lot of things that you're going to put on 00:35:41.180 |
your body that's not going to look too good, right? 00:35:49.820 |
I'm just telling you from an older brother in Christ, give it a little bit more thought, 00:35:57.460 |
What's cool today, and I'm only picking on tattoo, but that applies to everything in 00:36:03.500 |
What seems cool today for the moment is going to pass. 00:36:10.900 |
It's the homes that we purchase, the clothes that we buy, the experiences that we want, 00:36:19.580 |
the accolades of people, the next stage of our job, in our career, the opinions of men 00:36:35.460 |
So therefore, he says to invest in things that are eternal. 00:36:38.500 |
And there's four things that the Bible says that will stand the test of time. 00:36:46.580 |
He's the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. 00:36:49.820 |
So if we're going to be concerned about building anything, if we're going to be pursuing anything, 00:36:55.860 |
And that's why it says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall 00:37:05.860 |
First Peter 1, 24, 25, "For all flesh, like grass, and all its glory, like the flowers 00:37:15.900 |
And this is the word which was preached to you." 00:37:18.940 |
This is why we emphasize the word so much in our church, because everything else that 00:37:27.700 |
But God's word that he has ordained a thousand years ago, two thousand years ago, six thousand 00:37:33.240 |
years ago, still remains to be proven to be true today. 00:37:40.020 |
The church of God, when Jesus says, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will 00:37:45.820 |
That's why we commit to the building of the church, more than anything else. 00:37:53.560 |
He's going to make sure that it's going to stand the shaking of time. 00:37:57.480 |
So therefore, to commit to what he has committed to, the building up of the body of Christ. 00:38:03.360 |
And third and finally, your salvation and my salvation is secure in Christ. 00:38:10.640 |
In Romans 8, 37-39, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through him who 00:38:17.680 |
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 00:38:21.500 |
things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created 00:38:26.080 |
things, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our 00:38:31.480 |
Our identity in Christ is secure, if our faith is proven to be genuine. 00:38:38.920 |
And that's why when the disciples came back, and they were rejoicing over the fact that 00:38:45.560 |
They were excited, just common fishermen went back, and they were able to cast out demons, 00:38:50.920 |
And Jesus says, "Great, and you're going to see greater things. 00:38:53.360 |
But if you're going to rejoice over everything, rejoice that your name is written in the book 00:39:03.540 |
Sometimes you will see fruit, sometimes you will not. 00:39:06.760 |
Sometimes you will experience peace, sometimes you will not. 00:39:16.240 |
He said, "When you hear the voice of God, do not refuse him who speaks from heaven. 00:39:26.920 |
So my prayer is that no matter what we are going through, no matter what we are distracted 00:39:31.720 |
by, that there's a need for us to constantly test, are the things that I am pursuing temporary 00:39:41.880 |
Are the things that I am so concerned about temporary things? 00:39:45.400 |
Are the things that I spend all my money on, are they temporary? 00:39:49.840 |
Am I genuinely pursuing the things that will last the test of his coming? 00:40:02.800 |
So again, as our worship team comes, if we can take a few minutes to come before the 00:40:17.320 |
Are they things that are eternal or are they things that are temporal? 00:40:22.120 |
Lord search me and know me, see if there's any hurtful ways in me. 00:40:26.520 |
And ask the Lord to reveal these things so that we may continue to follow Christ, not