Without further ado, let's welcome Pastor Eddie. >> I love you, brother. Hey, it's too loud here. You gotta put it down. God has given me a built-in amplified voice, so if you could put it down a little bit, it would be great. Peter, thank you for that introduction. I'll tell you, I love Peter, Pastor Peter.

We were driving up, and it's not his driving, it's his I.K.A. motion sickness. I got a little sick, but we had a great conversation as we were driving up, and we're just reminiscing. We're almost, well, I'm not 50 yet, but we're almost 50 years old. It just seems like, when are that 25 years gone since we were in Biola?

We're just talking about the friends we had, and Peter said it's true. Peter and I, we didn't have many friends in Biola. Because we were Bible majors. Now, you'd think that's funny, but Biola, right, I believe I remember, it stands for Bible Institute of Los Angeles, but when we were in Biola, most of the majors were business majors.

So it should have been called Business Institute of Los Angeles. And we were really the few, the proud, the Bible majors, right? And I remember, I would have discussions in front of the library, and I think Peter and I used to tag team spiritual wrestling, the sufficiency of scripture.

It's like, you're in Biola, right? It's an evangelical Christian university, and I remember we used to have these debates with other majors, or just minors, right? Like, having discussions about defending the sufficiency of scripture. It's like, wow. So we didn't have many friends. It was definitely not because of our looks, because of our convictions.

So anyway, glad to be here. Yes, I am from the Seattle area, but I actually grew up in Southern Cal. Anybody here from Cerritos? Cerritos High? What year? '07. Okay, go Dawns. Anybody else? T. Cerritos High School? All right. Cerritos High School, class of 1987. Wow. Okay. All right.

So I grew up in this area, and when Peter asked me to come and share God's word with you all, I was so excited to be with you all. I understand this is a singles group. I know you're not supposed to say that, right? Okay. Adults in transition between college and marriage life, right?

Okay. So how many single here? I assume almost all of you are single. Okay. How many are -- come on, don't be ashamed. Raise your hands. Okay. I was there. Okay. How many of you are single but you're dating? Okay. Okay. How many are desperate? Raise your hands. Come on.

All right. So obviously, maybe -- what should I share with the singles here? You know, sort of like transition. And I heard that this group is called SAM, right? Single Adult Ministry, right? But if I had the choice, if I was a pastor, I would have called you guys SPAM, because, you know, the Asian theme, SPAM.

Single People Adult Ministry. Okay. Boy, this is a tough crowd. All right. And so relax. Okay? All right. This is not a session retreat about being single and desperate. Okay? This is not going to be about relationships and how to find the right person, because the reality is this, okay?

Ladies and gentlemen, all right, the whole infatuation, okay, of people, especially in the world, who are so preoccupied about the dating life -- let me tell you something. The whole dating life, the whole dating scene is all a lie. It's true. It's true. Because I've been through it. Okay?

My wife and I have been married for 20 -- this November will be 23 years. Okay? And I look at her now, and I remember when I was dating her, she's not the same person. The whole dating life is like -- you know what I mean? It's a lie.

You know, you talk differently, you act differently, you act like you're nice and, you know, you're kind. Right? I mean, it's like -- it's all a lie. It's all a lie. I mean, I wake up this morning -- well, not this morning, but when I wake up nowadays, and I look at my wife, and, you know, hair's like this, and, you know, my breath is kicking in, like, you know, Bruce Lee style, and there are times -- because, like, you know, we're Christians, we would never get a divorce, right?

Because, you know, divorce is -- you know, the Bible doesn't want us to get divorced. It got it. But trust me, the thought of murder I've come across a couple times. But I tell you, I love her more than I did when I was dating her. And so this retreat is not about dating, it's not about pursuing the right person, it's about pursuing Jesus Christ, and not looking for the right person, but becoming the right person.

And if you believe in God's Word, when Jesus says that seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness -- I'm going to put it a little bit down, it's a little bit too much echo, thank you. So, Jesus said that if you seek His kingdom first and His righteousness, and what?

He says, what's the promise? All these things. All these things. All these things. Yes, even a husband or wife should be added unto you. But even that, even if you never get married, even if you never get married, we are called to pursue Christ. We are called to pursue and love Him.

So, take it from Ephesians chapter 5, like Peter read to you this morning, that's what Peter read to you this morning. So, get your Bibles with me to Ephesians chapter 5. The theme verse, the theme focus verse is in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 15. It's not in verse 15.

And let me read the verse again. And so this weekend, this retreat with three sessions together, three types of worshipping and hearing God's Word, I'm going to be covering verses 15 to 21. So, let me read the verse again, starting from verse 15, Ephesians 5. It says, look carefully then how you walk or live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of time because why the days are evil.

Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is and do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery, but be filled with what the Spirit, addressing one another in songs and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to the God, the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

So, this session, this first session today, today or this morning is titled walking by the Word, which is the wisdom of the mind. And then this later afternoon, we'll talk about walking with the Spirit, which is the wisdom of life. And then tomorrow morning, in conclusion, we'll be sharing walking in love, which is the wisdom of the soul or wisdom of the heart.

So, this morning, today, right now, we'll talk about the walking by the Word, which is the wisdom of the mind. There's a process in verse 15. Look carefully, right? It says, then how you walk. It's like taking the time to stop, right? Like remember when you were going to elementary school and there was a cross.

Remember there was a cross guard, it tells you to stop. So, to look both ways before you cross so you won't get ran over. And it's the same principle here. What Paul is saying here is like, there's times in our lives that we need to like, look, we need to stop and look.

And what a great opportunity, like being here, this retreat, stopping your daily, weekly, busy lives. Whether you're still in college, it's okay. All right. Okay. Or you're going back to school or you're working or you're between jobs or whatever you're doing, right? That you take the time to look.

And I want to plead with you this morning, that during this retreat, take the time to examine yourselves. Socrates said this, right? He said that a life not examined is not a life worth living. And so that's what you get so preoccupied with work and life that we don't stop and look to reexamine where you're at and how you're walking or as the Bible calls it, living your life, right?

When the Bible says walk, it means the idea of living your life. And so he says, look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise. And when the Bible always talks about the word wise or wisdom, it's not like philosophizing your life. It's not like, you know, like being able to like come up with great life changing quotes of philosophy.

No. When the Bible talks about wisdom or wise, it is referring to how you live your life, how you live your life. And Paul was going to say it for 16, making the what best use of our time. Best use of our time. I think one of the, how would I say?

I think one of the biggest challenges in the Western developed world is that we are so busy we waste our time. We don't stop to what? Look carefully and examine our lives. But Paul says why? He said, make the best use of your time because why? These are evil.

You know this. I know this, right? You look around. We are living in dark and evil times in Seattle where I live. The number one reason for people to die is opiods, drug overdose. And you know, both California and Washington, marijuana has been legalized and people say, well, legal marijuana is not harmful.

It could be good for medicine. Yeah, I guess we can make the argument. But in many, many cases, marijuana is like a gateway to more addictive and more dangerous and powerful drugs. We are living in evil times. I mean, you talk about like you bet, you know, also the whole pornography industry.

I mean, when Peter and I were growing up, I just got a candle with y'all, right? We had to earn our pornography today, but it clicked of a internet. You could get exposed to all the disgusting, gross, deviant, sexual things that like Peter and I wouldn't, we would never imagine when we were growing up and we are living in evil times in the fact that right, the pornography industry is the leading entertainment industry in the world.

It makes more money than all the Hollywood movies combined together. And that's kind of times we're living in today. You know that right? Divorce rates are high. You know, it just just recently talked about Islamic terrorism. You just impossible that this is crazy. Islamic terrorists ran over people in his car and kill wedding over 90 people were killed in North Carolina.

But there was a right supremacy, not see me on Nazi fascist demonstration and some idiot ran over the crowd of people and killed an individual and you know, and wounded. I think 20 plus people. I mean we are living on some evil dark times. It's just that there's more racism and in the possibility of a nuclear war nuclear.

By the way, if you're concerned about if you're more concerned about global warming, then Isis or Islamic terrorism. Talk to me after. I'm not saying that there's no such thing as global, you know, I mean global warming, but he lasted hour read the Bible. Listen, the world is not going to be destroyed by a flood.

Have you seen a rainbow recently? That was a promise of God, right? Oh, and so what we need to worry about is what God, the God prophets as in Scripture that the earth and the world be destroyed by fire. But anyhow, we are living in difficult times. We're living in evil times.

And then there's many, many other things I could list with you. All the evils of this world. That's why Paul says, therefore, it verse 17, right? And whenever you read the Bible, you come across the word. Therefore, that means what? Because so right? So you need to take heed what the word of God is saying, because Paul just made a argument for us to take action.

Therefore, he says, do not be foolish, but understand what the word of the Lord is. And how do we know the word of the Lord? Is it subjective? And then, you know, again, Peter and I were talking about it too. Like how we had a lot of friends in Biola.

And you know, when we passed, they used to say we didn't have a lot of, you didn't have a lot of friends. Well, we had some good friends. But what happened is, it's interesting how a lot of the guys who went through Biola, went through, you know, being a Bible major.

Many of them are not in ministry anymore. I've got a friend, I were friends for a long, long time. He was also a Bible major. And I don't know what happened. I just don't know what happened from becoming a Bible major, right? Today, like he has to, he has completely rejected the gospel, the deity of Jesus Christ, the doctrine of salvation.

And he has completely lost trust in the authority of Scripture. But these are the times we're living in. And so we are, we are needed to be reminded to be alert and to watch out. This means what? Discerning what is pleasing to the Lord. What brings most honor and glory to Him.

And again, what? Biblical wisdom is living a life in obedience to God's word. And so what? How do we live in a life that is obedient to God's word, unless we know God's word. God's word, which is inerrant. God's word that will never change, right? Jesus said that heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will never, never pass away.

That we can trust the word of God. And so walking, living in counter-cultural lives, in obedience to Him. Not unwise, but wise, not foolish, but understanding the word of the Lord. Making the best of the time He has given to us. And actually a foolish life is a wasted life.

There's a great book that I recommend you read by John Piper. It's basically titled, "Don't Waste Your Life." Don't waste your life. The question is, how will you live? How will you use your resources, your gifts, your talent, your treasures, your tidings, for the glory of God, for the purpose and advancement of His kingdom?

How? The first thing is this, be a doer of God's word. Turn to James chapter 1. James chapter 1. James chapter 1 verse 19 says this, starting from verse 19. "Know this, my beloved brothers, let any person be what? Quick to hear and slow to anger." That's why I think God has given us two ears and one mouth.

Right? Slow to anger. For the anger of man, right? The anger of man. Anger itself is not bad. There is what we call righteous anger. Jesus demonstrated that, right? When He goes into the temple and He sees God's people, God's people, using the religious system to make a profit by selling birds and all animals for sacrificial and charging them more than it actually cost them because they have sanctified the animals.

And Jesus basically gets pissed off. He throws tables and He gets a whip. That's not the kind of Jesus that we think about, right? We have to think about Jesus as a nice shepherd petting a little lamb. But there's sometimes, right? As a church, as a Christian, we should have some righteous indignation.

Anger at things that God is anger about. Not self-righteous anger. Not man anger. Not man anger that produces what? Unrighteousness, but an anger that produces righteousness of God. That you have to be angry, right? You have to be angry that a government gives Planned Parenthood millions of dollars so they can abort children.

Let me rephrase this. So they can murder unborn children. You know, Peter and I were talking about this, right? Last year, there was a whole, you know, people angry about Black Lives Matter movement. And yes, does Black Lives Matter? Absolutely. Absolutely matter. Because of the death rates in a lot of the inner cities, right?

People are getting killed. It's horrific. It's horrific. The shootings in Chicago, whether in LA, New York. That should bother you. But I ask myself this question. If a society does not care and the life of an unborn child matters, what life matters? Huh? The most sacred, the most innocent being in the mother's womb.

If that life doesn't matter, no life matters. What moral ground do you have to say Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter or Yellow Lives Matter or White Lives Matter? What, what, what? When a child's life doesn't matter. Think about that. That should get you angry, righteous anger, to move you to some action.

Morally or politically. And love that single mother, right? Who's in a struggle and dilemma of having, you know, debating to have an abortion. There are many things I could mention to you what should anger us and righteous. But Paul, Pete James says, "Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness." And we talked about all the evils of the society today.

"And receive with meekness," what? "The implanted Word, which is able to save your souls." The Word of God. So first thing, right? The Word of God is able to save our souls. To save our lives. So this is so important, church. I'm not talking about, okay, behavioral modification. You know what that is?

Behavioral modification. Anybody have pets? Anybody have dogs? Come on, I love dogs. Okay, anybody have cats? Okay, I don't like cats. Because you can't teach them anything. Right? You can't teach them by positive reinforcement. Cats do not -- are somehow in their DNA -- are unable to modify their behavior by award and repetitive actions.

Dogs can. Because I think -- because in one sense dogs are -- what do they call it? People pleasers? Cats, they don't like to please people. That's whatever, right? I had a cat one time. I come in the house, the cat looks at me like, "Whatever." Now we got two little dogs.

One's a half Chihuahua and a miniature pincher. So you can imagine that character, right? Chihuahua, right? And we have a half -- a swallowed up mix, what do you call it? Pommy and Scitcher. And you know my kids now, I love all my kids. I love them now. My oldest is 21.

He's going to be a senior at UC Irvine. Go Anteaters. That's hot. Is that how you do it? That's hot. And then my oldest daughter, she's 20 years old. She goes to UW. Go Huskies. And I got two kids in high school. One's going to be a junior. One's going to be a freshman.

And you know when I come home? That's Korean translation, okay? I just want to be sensitive to the other cultures here. But my dogs, right? Oh, my goodness. That's what I look forward to when I come home, right? Open the door, my dogs are right in front of me.

And they jump, they jump, like they get so excited. And you know what I'm talking about? Those of you who had dogs, dog lovers, come on, say amen. Amen. You know what I'm talking about? It doesn't lie. Like, you know, I don't know about you, Preeta. I don't know when you noticed you were getting old.

Okay, I noticed I was getting old when I started getting gray hair in my nose. What the -- I mean, what the -- Like, it was like five years ago, I started growing, like, gray hair in my nose. It's like, "Juyeo." It speaks the truth. It shows you, right?

It shows us all of our shortcomings, our failures, our sins, because the mirror of the Word of God does not lie. And James says that if anyone is a hearer of the Word and is not a doer, he's like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror, for he looks at himself or herself and goes away at once he gets what he is like.

This is what we call, right, if a person hears God's Word and does not do the Word of God, but just thinks that the Word of God is for your information. The Word of God is not just for your information. The Word of God is for your transformation. But one who just takes the Word of God as information and does not allow it to be what?

Motivate, transform your life to be a doer is a person who has spiritual Alzheimer's. That's what he says to you. Forgets. Goes away and forgets what he was like. But verse 25, but the one who looks into the law or the perfect law, the law of liberty, the Word of God perseveres.

Being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts will be what? Bless it is doing. See God's Word and only God's Word is able to save your souls because the Word of God, right from the beginning of Genesis to the book of Revelation, it's all about Jesus Christ.

And the Old Testament was a shadow foretelling of the coming of the Messiah. The New Testament is the recording of the life, death and the resurrection and the return of Jesus Christ. And that the Word of God points to you and I that the way of salvation is only through the saving grace that we get through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

And so God's Word able to save our souls and then it is able to empower us for moral reform, not graver modification. Then we will hear the word seen as a mirror to our souls. We were able to remember it and do what it says. That's the incentive and the enabling for divine usefulness are from God.

God's Word in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word became what? Flesh Jesus. God provides what he requires in genuine obedience to God's Word. What does it do? It brings, it says freedom and liberty. See people who don't experience like salvation. And if we look at the Word of God, they think it's slavery.

It's bondage. No, but those who are redeemed, right? Those who are saved from sin and from self. We know we understand the Word of God is for our liberty and our blessing on freedom. Verse 26 of James. We're still in James here people. Right? By the way, what time I was supposed to end?

All right. If anyone thinks he's religious, religious, it does not write us. Excuse me, but deceives his heart. This person's religion is worthless. This is very interesting. James here in verse 26 talks about the town in verse 27. He talks about caring and loving those who are orphans and widows.

That is very interesting. And the whole idea that when you read the book of James 2, it talks about that like the tongue is like the smallest part of the body, but it's the most powerful. It's the tongue. It's like a spark of fire that is not controlled with started forest fire.

Right? It's like a rudder and a boat and a ship is a small heart, but as they be, it is the one move and whole ship by smaller rudder. And if the reality is this, okay, that the tongue is only bridled or controlled by the transformation of the heart through the work of salvation, the work of grace in our lives.

And so James says like, right? Be quick to listen and slow to speak because the tongue is a powerful thing. It could hurt people whether through gossip or through anger. But verse 27, okay, this is that the more important year religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the father is to what visit orphans and widows in their affliction.

So my question to you is this, right? Who are the orphans and widows? Let me tell you something very interesting. How many of you guys have been to Korea or visited there? All right. I was stationed there in Korea from 2008 to 2010. Now my wife and my girls, they love Korea because like the shopping is so fun, I guess.

For me, shopping is torture. So that's just who I am, guys. Right? Okay. But after two years of Korea, I was like, I'm tapped out. I've got to get back to the U.S. I mean, I have nothing against Korea. I'm Korean myself. All right. But anyhow, the thing that really blew me away in Korea was the number of orphanages.

Right? I mean, yes, orphanage started in Korea after the Korean War. If you know the history of Korean War, how did Korea was totally devastated. And so because a lot of young children whose parents died or were separated, they end up in orphanages. But today, right, Korea is not a poor country.

It's not a thorough country. But the number of orphans in Korea was just like -- it was like -- I was blown away. Blown away. So actually our third child -- I'm sorry, our fourth child, our son, he's adopted. People don't know he's adopted because he looks Korean. You know, and when they say Koreans, we all look alike, so just kidding.

All right. But I'm just sharing this with you. That can tell you how like, oh, what a great person that I am or my wife and I could be adopting a child. Let me show you how I adopted this child or we adopted this child. So the thing we did in the military, especially as a chaplain, we used to lead what they call a good neighbor program.

It's a good neighbor program, right, because, you know, they wanted to have good relationships with the U.S. military and the community, the Korean community there. And one of the things that we did was to take our soldiers to the orphanage to like just spend time with the kids in the orphanage.

And so there was the orphanage where I was stationed in Daegu. Anybody been to Daegu? Daegu is like down south. Daegu is like, you know, Louisiana of Korea. Like I can't even understand the Korean. It's like, what the heck? I mean, it's like, you know, they had the Korean, the Korean, oh, like, what?

Like, what? Crazy, right? But in Daegu, there was an orphanage called Love and Hope Orphanage. And this orphanage was started by a Christian after the Korean War. But eventually, this orphanage only took in kids who were, what do you call it, physically handicapped, severe handicap, severe down syndrome or autism, and kids who just couldn't take care of themselves.

And so what happened was at the same time, we had a friend of mine who was in the military, and his wife were there. And they had already adopted a couple of kids before coming to Korea. They adopted a kid from Korea, where they were in the U.S. So they had a Korean boy, and they adopted a girl from Kenya.

So she was, you know, African, I guess, right? And for whatever reason, they wanted to adopt another child. And so, you know, they came out to the orphanage, and they decided to adopt a six-month-old baby girl for one reason, one reason only. It's because she was born without a poop sack.

Some kids are born that way, but there's medical procedure to fix that. But the orphanage didn't have enough funds to do that procedure. But if you adopt a child, if you're a soldier, military, instantly you get into the old medical coverage in the military, in the best of hospitals.

So that's why they adopted this child. And I was a chaplain, and a pastor, and they asked me to come for that official ceremony where they sign the paperwork for the official adoption and everything like that. And they asked me to come and say a blessing for that adoption.

And I was there, and I prayed for that, and it was like I was so convicted. Because, see, this couple, his name is -- why do I forget his name now? His wife's name is Leah Young, and Steve was his name. He had blonde hair, blue eyes. His wife had red hair and green eyes.

And here's a two-white couple adopting a Korean kid. And I was so convicted, after the prayer time, I went to the car, and I was like, "No, forgive me!" I was like drenching with tears. I was like, you know, I don't hear God's voice. I don't speak to Him many times.

But in my heart, in my mind, it's like God is speaking to me, "So what is your excuse?" But at the same time, I didn't know this, but my wife was praying for me that God would change my heart to adopt a child. So long story short, we adopted -- his name is Paul Nam.

But we gave him an American name, Christian. And the reason why we named him Christian is because we told our older kids to come up with a name to raise. And so, you know, one of the kids' name I think was David, and one was John, and one came up with an old Testament prophet named Elijah, you know, trying to be all spiritual.

So we couldn't decide. So you know what? They're all Christian names, so let's name him Christian. But you know, it's not easy. When he was adopted at six years old, came to our home, it was difficult. He was institutionalized. He has what they call abandonment issues. He's not mentally handicapped, but he was born with what they call a clipped hand, missing index and middle finger.

But he's got a thumb! With a thumb, he can do anything, right? And he was also born with split feet, what they call a bird feet. It's cosmetic, but you know, he runs track! He runs track! And it's like, "Blow me away," right? And he was left at our orphanage at the age of less than a week old, for whatever reason.

And we don't know his parents. And now he's our child, but it's not easy. And I share this with you because caring for the needy, caring for the poor, caring for the orphans, caring for the sick, caring for those in prison, it's not easy. But that is what God calls us to do.

That's what God calls us to do. And the word we receive with genuine faith should bring us what? Obedience. Obedience. And James said true religion, true religion, not just church activity, religion that is pure, undefiled before God, religion that is acceptable in praise of God is to care for the orphans and widows.

It's what Jesus said in Matthew 25, is to care for the least among us. Those who are sick, those in prison, poor, disenfranchised. And then James goes on to say in chapter 2, look at James chapter 2, what good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have words, can that faith save him?

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food and you say to them, go in peace, be warm and fill without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is it? So also faith. But think about it. James is talking about just basic essentials.

What is that? Food and clothing. And we don't meet those needs. Right? And by the way, let me say something. It is not the government's responsibility to care for the poor. It's not. And what's happening in the church in America, in the western world, we have advocated that responsibility.

We have given it to the government. And what did the government do? It created more poverty. Just to, just trust me, just to research study, but in the 1960s, the war on poverty, when Lyndon B. Johnson, president, declared war on poverty. And what they did, the government is what?

They think the answer to poverty is what? More money. More money. More money. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. God doesn't call us to give more money. God gives us what? To give our hearts, our hands, our lives to the care of the needy and the poor. That's what God calls us.

That transforms lives. That, what? Transforms communities. To be involved in communities in a world with our hands and our lives. Think about it. If money was the answer, Jesus would have printed a lot of money. Right? He did it. He did it. He came. He gave his life. He washed the feet of disciples.

He cared and he, what? Spoke up for the needy and the poor. That's what true religion that pleases God. I'm going to go on here. I don't want to go too long this morning. Because we have another session today, right? Two o'clock? All right. But James says here, chapter 2, verse 19, you believe in God, okay?

You do well. But he says, what? Even demons have right theology. Even demons believe that. And actually, demons have a better idea of what the trinity, of the doctrine of trinity, than you and I can even imagine. But they shudder. But their belief in God, right, is not a saving belief.

It's just head knowledge. And that's what, this is what James is saying. That true faith is not head knowledge only, but it is what? The transformation was life. James exposed the nature of faith, that there is a faith that cannot save. It's actually a demonic faith. It's actually a dead faith.

Faith without the evidence of works or deeds is dead. Because it rests only on theology and ideas. But listen, I'm not putting down theology. Theology is very important. Doctrine is absolutely important. And as a church like this church are committed to search the scriptures to have right doctrine, it's essential.

But we can't stop their church. We can't stop their church. I mean, last time I read my Bible, it doesn't say in John 16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his doctrine." But God so loved the world that he gave his son. The incarnation, Emmanuel, God with us.

Because see, faith without works is dead because it rests in ideas, not in life, dependent on him and that reflects the life of Jesus. James is not suggesting that faith plus works equal justification. So I'm not preaching any heresy here. He agrees with Pauline theology that faith alone justifies.

But a true saving faith, a living faith that by its very nature reflects the one on whom our faith rests in. What? Delighting to love one another in tangible, in concrete ways. In Philippians chapter 2, verse 12 to 13 says, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence." It says what?

Work out your salvation. It doesn't say work for your salvation. We don't work for our salvation. That work was complete on the cross, on Jesus when he paid for the salvation for you and I. But it says work it out with what? Fear and trembling. And the promise is so good here, "For it is God who works in you both to will to work for his good pleasure." Amen.

So be a doer of God's work. Point number two. I only got three points so relax, okay? I know one of those guys who has seven points. Or like John Piper who has like 12 points. Be a practitioner of the word. Practitioner of the word. I love that word practitioner.

Who was I talking to yesterday, the other day? Anybody into law? Somebody who was a lawyer. Somebody say who was a lawyer. Raise your hand. Don't be ashamed. I know being a lawyer is not always popular. Okay, cool. All right. But I always have my lawyer friends, okay? Why do you practice law?

I mean, if I don't go see a lawyer, I don't want that person to practice law. I want them to do the law, right? Practice sounds like, you know, you're like still like not really a lawyer, but you still. All right. But my point is this. God calls us to be practitioner of the word.

See, Matthew chapter seven, verse 21, 23 says, Jesus says what? Not anyone who says to me, Lord, Lord. How many of the people sing songs? Lord, Lord. How many people that I know that go to camps and commit their lives to say, Lord, Lord. But Jesus said, not everyone says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.

But what? But the one who does the will of the father. Who's in heaven? And Jesus says on that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, do we not prophesy in your name? Do we not cast out demons in your name and do mighty works in your name?

And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. These are sober, somber words, right? These are all religious activities. These are external activities that people are doing in the name of God. In the day of judgment, they cry out, Lord, Lord. And Jesus said, I don't even know you.

Who are you? Depart from me. You workers of lawlessness. What Jesus is saying here, the mere claim to be a follower of Jesus and the preoccupation to external religious activities. Do not indicate whether one's relationship with God is real. True Christian relationship is discipleship. It is genuine heart transformations, mind transformation, by God's grace and his word.

And that we are people who are beating to God's word. And so he goes on to say in verse 24, everyone then who hears these words of mine and what? Does that hear and what does that? So hearing and doing are two pedals in a bicycle. You ever tried to pedal a bicycle with one feet?

I did one time. I was a kid and back in the days, the cool bike that I used to have. You guys are too young, but people might understand. The swing bike, the swing. Remember the swing bike with the long banana stick? Maybe you were too poor to have one.

I don't know if you. But it was the coolest thing. Right, with the monkey bars. You guys are too young. And I don't know what happened. I think I crashed it. And I hurt my left knee, so I couldn't pedal with my left leg. And I was trying to pedal with my right leg.

Try to pedal your bike with one leg. It's very difficult. And so hearing and doing are like two pedals in a bicycle. Right? It's supposed to go together. And that's what Jesus is saying. That's what James was trying to say. So everyone who hears the word of my and does them will be like a wise man who built this house on rock.

And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on the house. But it did not fall because they had been founded on the rock or the truth or the word of God. And everyone who hears these words of my and does not do that will be like a what?

A foolish man. Remember, that's what Ephesians said, but be wise for the times of evil. Do not be foolish. Foolish. A foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against the house. And it fell and great was the fall of it.

And what is what is Jesus saying? What is the rain falling? What is the floods came and the wind blew? What is what is he trying? It's called life. It's called life. Life is hard. Life is difficult. That's why you like my kids. I love them. Right. And you want to show to them or protect them.

I'm going to phrase this as a parent. You love them. You want to protect them. But I never try to shelter them. Because life is harsh. That is hard. Right. And if you grew up in a household where you were special and you were delicate flower and you were a snowflake and life happens, you don't know how to handle it.

And what Jesus is saying is that life has a way of beating down on you. Right. Life has a way of beating down on your faith. Life has a way of it's like a storm that keeps hitting you and sometimes it will come like a flood and wind blowing on your life.

But if you build your life on hearing and doing God's word, not just hearing, but doing you're building a house on the rock. You're building a house on the rock. I don't know if you've seen that happen, but I've seen it because I'm almost, well, I just realized I'm going to be half a century years old.

Wow. Actually, don't tell this to my wife. My wife is a year older than me. And so she just, we just celebrate her 50th anniversary. And I said, honey, you still look beautiful for a half a century. You're a woman. And she didn't know how to take it. But anyways, I said, happy birthday.

But you know, in my, in my short time in this life, I've seen people, masses of people who are in church, who've heard and been under great teaching and preaching. And you know what happened? They fell away from the faith. And that's when they lost their salvation. I don't believe you can lose your salvation.

Right? You just were never saved. Cause you were just hearing. You were just hearing. You were just hearing. And he's, listen, if you're just hearing and not doing, you have spiritual constipation. You are spiritually sick. God calls us to what? Be hearers and doers. Right? Two pedals on a bicycle.

Two pedals on a bicycle. Be a hearer and doer. And when Jesus finished this saying, the cross were astonished at his teaching. Why? Why was he astonished at his teaching? Why? Because you see religious people think being religious is being just religious. It's just going to church. It's just meeting the basic requirements.

And I'm not knocking church. Right? I'm not knocking the whole like membership class in church, which is good. You have to go through that. Right? You have to go in a church that I think, you know, it's encouraged you to go through membership. Yeah. But religious people only fulfill membership requirement.

Hello. Come on now. Come on now. Okay. God is not just calling us right to just meet the membership requirements that the church comes up with. But God is calling us a life of sacrifice, a life of obedience, a life, you know, a little crazy slide. Let your faith right.

Be courageous. People take some risk. Wow. Wow. What I mean by risk, I don't mean, you know, reckless risk. I'm talking about like God has put something in your heart. Okay. And you trust the Lord, no matter what the cost might be. And you obey him. You obey him.

But see the crowds were astonished because Jesus called for action. Not just religious activity. But he was teaching them as one had authority and that's not as other scribes. It's a true follower of Jesus is one who puts into practice being a practitioner of God's word and every day in every area of your life, whether school, finance, relationship, life, because Jesus and his word is the final authority.

We submit and obey to him in his word. See, you understand if you say Jesus is Lord, if you say Jesus is Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, and you don't put practice of his word, you can't say his Lord. Does that make any sense? Then you can't say his Lord when you're not going to just submit to his authority in his word.

So be a practitioner. Finally, be a proclaimer, right? To be a doer, be a practitioner and be a proclaimer of God's word. Turn to second Timothy. Now in the context here, if I could quickly give you context, Paul's writing to Timothy, a pastor, how to pastor a church, right?

But I think the principles here that we could apply to everyone. Second Timothy chapter four, verse one through eight, it says, I charge you in the presence of God and of Jesus Christ, who is to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing in his kingdom. What did he tell Timothy to do?

Preach the word. What? Preach the word. What? Preach the word. What? Preach the word. Preach the word. Preach the word. Preach the word. Preach the word. Preach the word. The word actually preach means to proclaim out loud the word of God. Okay, just, just, it's a philosophical discussion. You know, the difference between preaching and teaching.

Preaching is the proclamation of God's word. Teaching is the explanation of God's word. And if you have a pastor like Pastor Peter, who didn't do both, man, that's a blessing. That's a gift. But it says here, preach the word. Be ready in season, out of season. What does that mean?

It means what? No matter if it's popular or unpopular. Preach the word. Reprove, rebuke, patience in teaching. Why? For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching or sound doctrine. But having itchy ears, they will accumulate or accumulate for themselves teachers who suit their own passions.

It's interesting. Like today in America, you know, it just tells you, right? That the spiritual condition in America. And don't ever, church, don't ever, ever equate the size of a church or the health of the church. Come on now. Because the biggest church in America is a church in Houston.

A guy named Joe Osteen. Now first of all, I tell people, don't ever trust a preacher who has perm hair and perfect teeth. But all seriousness, what does he teach you? Preach health, wealth, and happiness. Health, wealth, and happiness. Did Jesus ever preach that? Well, follow me because I make you happy, healthy, and wealthy.

The last time I read the Bible, Jesus is what? The cross, the cross is not happy. But whole Western culture, the whole, you know, developed society. It's about what is our pursuit of life? It's what? Happiness. Happiness. Peter, I don't know what you teach your young couples about getting married.

When I counsel young couples, I tell them, listen, marriage is not for your happiness. It's not. It's not. And if you think that going into marriage and getting married and the goal is happiness, you are setting yourself up for failure. Failure. You know what marriage is for? Not happiness, but holiness.

But holiness produces happiness. But if you produce happiness and not holiness, right, you always end up disappointed. Why? Because when two people get married, I promise I'm talking about marriage, right? Forgive me. I'm trying to get a point across here. When two people get married, we're both Christians. And you want to marry, if you're a Christian, you want to only marry a Christian.

Right? And how do you know they're a Christian? Just observe their lives. Okay? Just see their attitudes. Are they quick to repentance? Are they humble for the word of God? Are they eager to serve? Do they have a heart for missions? And the poor and the sick? And the widows and orphans?

Anyway, my point is this, okay? But even with all that, there's that sinful nature. Trust me. All right? And like my wife and I, man, what marriage does, it forces us. It makes us deal with our sinful nature. Because why? You can't hide. You can run and get a divorce.

But if you're committed to that marriage, oh my goodness. There's so much like work of holiness. And trust me, my wife, she's a great preacher. She's not a pastor. But she is able to convict me all the time. All the time. All the time. Did I get that? All the time, all right.

Okay. But that's what marriage does. Right? Marriage causes you to look into your selfishness. Because, man, I tell you, man, one of the things about being married is it's so easy to fall into selfishness. I remember like -- I think you got married before I did, Peter, right? Okay.

Yeah. I think so. But I think I had kids before you, right? Because I didn't mess around when I got married. Amen. All right? I think my wife just had -- we had two kids and they were like 15 months apart, right? And, you know, I remember those days, man.

And it's like sometimes it's a blur, right? Like kids and diapers and oh, my gosh. And, you know, in the middle of the night, babies do cry. And I could hear the baby cry. But I would pretend I was sleeping. And then with that, bam! Right? God gave her the sharpest elbow.

But marriage produces -- causes us to write, to deal with our sin and produces holiness, which produces what? Happiness. And Paul says here to preachers and for all of us to be recognizing time because there will be times when people will not endorse on that. But for teachers, there will be preachers who preach what people want to hear, not what they need to hear.

And we'll turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into the myths. But as for you, right? It's not just for preachers, but it's for all of us. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry of what God has given you.

God has called us, right, not only to be proclaiming of God's word through our words, but through our lives. That is what it means to live a wise life under the authority and under the wisdom of scripture. I don't know about you, my prayer, and I hope that our prayers, each of us, prayer will be like the prayer of Paul, in the life of Paul, when he says in verse 7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." And like I said, not everyone is called to be a pastor or teacher, but we are all called to what?

Be proclaimers of God's word through our works and our deeds and our lives. In conclusion, turn with me to Psalms 119, verse 1. Psalms says, "Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord." Verse 2, "Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways." "You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently, O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes, then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on your commandments." "I will praise you with my upright heart when I learn your righteous rules, I will keep your statutes, do not utterly forsake me." This is a great, great verse.

Verse 9, "How can a man, a young man, keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word." "With my whole heart I seek you, let me not wander from your commandments." "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." And so walking by the word, it starts what?

With your heart. Examining your heart. It starts with realizing that our heart is evil. Our heart, we can't change our heart. We can't do it through behavioral modification. It's when we cry out to God and give our hearts to him, cry out for salvation, redemption. And through that, God changes our heart and by changing our heart, God creates a heart that loves the word, that seeks the word.

And by doing so, we walk by his word. A life of wisdom is a life that walks with his word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you. We thank you for this time, Lord, and the truth of your word. And Lord, our prayer, like in Psalms 139, "Search us, O God." "And know our hearts." "Try us and know our thoughts." And Lord, see if there's any grievous way in us and lead us, God, in the way of salvation through your son, Jesus Christ.

Lord, we pray that for all of us who are here this retreat, that we would take the time to examine our hearts. Examine where our hearts are. Examine where our hearts are hungry or thirsty for the word of God. And Lord, we don't want to waste our lives, this short life that we have in this earth.

But Lord, we want to live a life that is pleasing to you, according to your everlasting word. And so Lord, you do that work in us. Draw us to you. Help us to see your son through the clarity of your scriptures. That we may be like him. We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.