back to indexBerean Community Church Sunday Service 10/24/2021
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As we begin our praise, I encourage you to continue to prepare our hearts as we sing 00:13:57.000 |
this next song to render our hearts before the Lord. 00:17:44.000 |
Before we get started, we have an announcement from our sisters. 00:17:52.000 |
Let me do the other stuff and then maybe she'll come in before then. 00:17:56.000 |
Can somebody stick their head out and ask Grace to come in if you're outside? 00:18:06.000 |
Basically, it's a replacement for Halloween at our church. 00:18:11.000 |
And so there's going to be a very brief teaching on that for our children and 00:18:18.000 |
They're still asking for volunteers if you still have interest in creating a 00:18:23.000 |
place of transformation for the children where they can come and play games. 00:18:29.000 |
But the sign up for that day is ending today. 00:18:32.000 |
So if you haven't signed up your children, if you want to do so, 00:18:36.000 |
And they are still taking candy and prizes for that. 00:18:40.000 |
And so if you go to the cafe, and as soon as you go into the left, 00:18:43.000 |
there's kind of like a pile of candy there, and that's not for you. 00:18:48.000 |
So if you want to just drop it off, you can go there and just drop it off 00:18:50.000 |
there, and then they'll use that for this coming Sunday. 00:18:53.000 |
So next Sunday, the time will be from 4 to 6 p.m. 00:18:57.000 |
And then there is an evangelism outing that's taking place on November 6th, 00:19:01.000 |
and our brother Jun-Yim is in charge of that. 00:19:04.000 |
So if you're interested in coming and participating in that, 00:19:07.000 |
All of this stuff is on our website and our church app, 00:19:13.000 |
Our Bible study lab, again, in November 7th, that's happening at 2 p.m., 00:19:19.000 |
and we will be taking an offering for that on November 7th. 00:19:23.000 |
Okay, so Grace has an announcement for our holiday outreach. 00:19:33.000 |
I'm making this announcement on behalf of Women's Ministry for various holiday 00:19:38.000 |
outreach opportunities available to the whole body. 00:19:48.000 |
So with the Thanksgiving and Christmas season quickly approaching, 00:19:52.000 |
it's easy to become consumed with the busyness of family gatherings 00:19:59.000 |
However, I pray that our body would keep in mind to let our light shine for 00:20:04.000 |
Christ by bringing the beautiful message of the gospel to a dark world. 00:20:09.000 |
And I pray that these holiday outreach opportunities will serve as a way of 00:20:14.000 |
engaging our body of Christ out of an overflow of thankful hearts for the love 00:20:22.000 |
So this year we have five ways to engage our church members. 00:20:29.000 |
Olive Crest is a Christian foster children agency in Santa Ana, 00:20:33.000 |
and they have requested therapy kits to be used by counselors during therapy 00:20:44.000 |
which will be handed out to the youth who will be transitioning out of foster 00:20:54.000 |
This year we'll be providing shoebox gifts filled with toys, 00:20:57.000 |
school supplies, and hygiene items for children worldwide. 00:21:01.000 |
And the shoeboxes will serve as a means of reaching out to children globally 00:21:06.000 |
through partnerships with local churches to bring them the good news of Jesus 00:21:14.000 |
where we'll be providing gifts to local children impacted by the incarceration 00:21:21.000 |
We will purchase, wrap, and deliver gifts for these children on behalf of their 00:21:27.000 |
parents in prison to remind them -- to bring the hope of the gospel and also to 00:21:35.000 |
And then the fourth is Orange County Rescue Mission. 00:21:45.000 |
And then the second is an annual magic at the mission event where we would be a 00:21:51.000 |
personal shopper with the children and adult residents at the gift shop that's 00:21:55.000 |
already set up at the OC Rescue Mission, and as well as helping them gift wrap. 00:22:01.000 |
And then the last one, but not least, is a Breein, 00:22:05.000 |
our church service project and homeless outreach. 00:22:08.000 |
You can participate in two ways for this one. 00:22:11.000 |
Number one, you can make donations to put together care packages. 00:22:15.000 |
And then number two, you can go directly out onto the streets to reach out to the 00:22:21.000 |
And please note that for several of these opportunities, 00:22:25.000 |
they have deadlines approaching relatively quickly. 00:22:28.000 |
So we'll be tabling outside weekly in the courtyard for these opportunities 00:22:36.000 |
So please visit these tables for the details. 00:22:46.000 |
Okay, so as she mentioned, if you go outside, 00:22:48.000 |
you'll see all these canopies that are set up to the left as you're coming in, 00:22:55.000 |
So if you go visit there, each one of these ministries are represented in 00:22:58.000 |
different tables, so you can do sign-ups over there. 00:23:05.000 |
And for those of you who are visiting us for the first time, 00:23:12.000 |
It looks like a little birdhouse, but that's the offering box. 00:23:14.000 |
So if you have a physical offering and you want to drop it off, 00:23:17.000 |
you can just drop it off there after the service. 00:23:22.000 |
Gracious Father, you are truly deserving of our praise and worship. 00:23:27.000 |
Help us, Lord God, to consider your word, your spirit, 00:23:31.000 |
and what you've done for us, that our worship, Lord God, 00:23:34.000 |
would be an overflow of gratitude from our hearts. 00:23:37.000 |
Even in our giving, help us to give as an act of worship in spirit 00:23:45.000 |
that as we live in this dark world, as you warned us, Lord God, 00:23:50.000 |
that because of increase of wickedness, that love of most will grow cold. 00:23:56.000 |
Help us, Lord God, to be deliberate in all that we do. 00:23:59.000 |
Even in this giving, may it be an act of worship that honors and glorifies you. 00:25:41.740 |
♪ In your presence all our fears are washed away ♪ 00:26:53.660 |
♪ And in your presence all our fears are washed away ♪ 00:27:47.960 |
♪ And in your presence all our fears are washed away ♪ 00:28:05.960 |
♪ And in your presence all our fears are washed away ♪ 00:34:18.460 |
- All right, if you can turn your Bibles with me 00:34:26.460 |
We're gonna be reading from verse seven through 14, 00:34:31.460 |
but the text that we're gonna be in this morning 00:34:46.460 |
Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God 00:34:49.460 |
and God to you, and considering the result of their conduct, 00:34:55.460 |
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 00:34:59.460 |
Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings, 00:35:01.460 |
for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, 00:35:04.460 |
not by foods through which those who were so occupied 00:35:09.460 |
We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle 00:35:14.460 |
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought 00:35:17.460 |
into the holy place by high priests as an offering for sin 00:35:22.460 |
Therefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people 00:35:25.460 |
through his own blood, suffered outside the gate. 00:35:34.460 |
but we are seeking the city which is to come. 00:35:39.460 |
Heavenly Father, we pray that you would anoint your word. 00:35:43.460 |
May it go forth with power, and with power change our hearts, 00:35:48.460 |
our minds, and our very lives for the sake of your name. 00:35:57.460 |
one of the questions that I asked on the Facebook, 00:36:00.460 |
just to prepare, I just want to give you a heads up 00:36:03.460 |
that every Saturday night when I'm preaching, 00:36:06.460 |
I'll give a little blurb about what to prepare for the next day. 00:36:12.460 |
So I highly encourage you to take a look at that 00:36:16.460 |
but if you take a look at it, I think it will better prepare you 00:36:19.460 |
to be able to hear the message and kind of know 00:36:27.460 |
there's a bunch of imperatives here to do certain things at the end. 00:36:31.460 |
So if we look at it superficially, it may look like that the author 00:36:37.460 |
and he has a bunch of things that he wants to get off his chest. 00:36:40.460 |
So he's done with the indicatives where he kind of taught the theology 00:36:44.460 |
and gave broad imperatives on what you ought to do, 00:36:50.460 |
and he's run out of time, and he just kind of, 00:36:52.460 |
you know, verse after verse, do this, do this, do this, do this. 00:36:57.460 |
but there is a cohesive unity of what he is saying. 00:37:02.460 |
It's at the end of the letter, and so typically, 00:37:05.460 |
the thesis of the letter is usually in the very beginning 00:37:12.460 |
And so, you know, he made it very clear to pay very close attention 00:37:16.460 |
to what Jesus has to say, and then he goes into Christology 00:37:20.460 |
of who Jesus is, he's superior over everything, 00:37:23.460 |
and then now at the end of chapter 13, he's kind of concluding everything. 00:37:27.460 |
And so the conclusion of what he's been trying to say 00:37:30.460 |
through 13 chapters is really contained in this section. 00:37:34.460 |
And so the verse that kind of wraps up everything 00:37:41.460 |
"Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings, 00:37:45.460 |
for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace." 00:37:48.460 |
That really is a summary of everything that he's been trying to say. 00:37:51.460 |
Remember that the warning that he has been giving us 00:37:57.460 |
How can we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? 00:38:01.460 |
And he keeps saying, "Do not drift, do not drift, do not drift." 00:38:04.460 |
And so in saying that, everything that he says, 00:38:07.460 |
all the imperatives here really tie to that thing. 00:38:09.460 |
Do not be carried away by various strange teachings, 00:38:13.460 |
and make sure that you're grounded and you're anchored in Christ 00:38:18.460 |
And so in doing so, he starts out by telling us in verse 7, 00:38:22.460 |
"Remember the leaders, remember those who led you, 00:38:28.460 |
and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith." 00:38:31.460 |
So later on he's going to talk about submitting to the elders of the church, 00:38:36.460 |
the leaders of the church, but here in verse 7 he says, 00:38:41.460 |
consider the end result, the result of their conduct." 00:38:44.460 |
So he's referring not simply to the leaders that are leading them today, 00:38:47.460 |
but he's talking about the people who have gone before them. 00:38:50.460 |
And the reason why he starts with that is because 00:38:53.460 |
that was the very reason why they were strained. 00:38:58.460 |
some of these leaders were suffering for the gospel 00:39:02.460 |
but as time went by, the suffering would not relent. 00:39:07.460 |
In fact, some of them were actually martyred for their faith. 00:39:11.460 |
And as their leaders started to die off one by one, 00:39:15.460 |
he's telling them, "Remember the result of their faith." 00:39:19.460 |
He's not telling them that, "Look at the perseverance of your leaders, 00:39:23.460 |
that because they persevered and suffered for a little while, 00:39:26.460 |
that God blessed them, answered their prayers, 00:39:29.460 |
they were able to come out of prison, take care of their children, 00:39:36.460 |
He's saying, "Remember those people who have gone before you 00:39:40.460 |
And as a result of that, the fruit that they bore. 00:39:44.460 |
So really, the only person that's going to be encouraged by this text is, 00:39:49.460 |
if you genuinely believe that the end result of suffering, 00:39:56.460 |
because you believe that there's true life in Christ and Christ alone. 00:40:00.460 |
This is not an encouragement for people who say, 00:40:03.460 |
"You know what, look at the leaders and look at how great their life was, 00:40:06.460 |
even though they sacrificed for a short period, 00:40:08.460 |
that in the long run, they had a great life." 00:40:10.460 |
That's not the point that he's trying to make. 00:40:13.460 |
He's actually telling them, "Look at the end result of their life, 00:40:17.460 |
that even as they were martyred for their faith, 00:40:22.460 |
that you ought to look at that and to mimic what they've done, 00:40:28.460 |
because of the suffering of those who went before them." 00:40:34.460 |
And so today, we're going to be looking at the three imperatives 00:40:37.460 |
just in this verse to remember, to consider, and then to mimic. 00:40:42.460 |
But before we even jump into those three imperatives, 00:40:46.460 |
one of the most common criticisms that I have heard 00:40:53.460 |
is that we are too slow in establishing leaders in our church. 00:41:00.460 |
I've heard some people say, "We're slow in establishing leaders 00:41:09.460 |
I've heard some people say that, "I want to keep our power within the family." 00:41:13.460 |
So you have to be a family member in order to be a leader at this church. 00:41:17.460 |
Or another common thing that I've heard is that, "We don't know what we're doing." 00:41:21.460 |
And so we don't disciple people, and therefore that's the reason 00:41:24.460 |
why we don't establish leaders because we don't disciple people, 00:41:27.460 |
and so we don't have enough people coming up. 00:41:29.460 |
And especially as our church grows, that comment may also grow along with that 00:41:39.460 |
But the reason why we are slow in establishing leaders is deliberate 00:41:44.460 |
because whenever you see in the Scriptures when Israel goes astray, 00:41:50.460 |
the first group of people that gets targeted for the judgment of God 00:41:58.460 |
"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture," 00:42:04.460 |
"Therefore, thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds 00:42:08.460 |
'You have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not attended to them. 00:42:12.460 |
Behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,' declares the Lord." 00:42:21.460 |
If you remember, Jeremiah is a weeping prophet because he kept on telling them 00:42:24.460 |
that you're going astray and because you're not honoring God, 00:42:28.460 |
judgment is coming, and foreigners are going to come 00:42:33.460 |
But before he judges the nation of Israel, he says, "No, it's the leaders. 00:42:38.460 |
You're the reason why they are being scattered. 00:42:41.460 |
You're the reason because you're not shepherding. 00:42:48.460 |
"Do not lay hands hastily because some men's sins are obvious." 00:42:52.460 |
And you know, the sins that are obvious are easy to deal with 00:43:00.460 |
meaning that they're really good at covering up, 00:43:03.460 |
and it takes a while to reveal their character. 00:43:07.460 |
And it says those sins that trail behind them 00:43:12.460 |
because you establish them, and you don't really realize what's in them 00:43:16.460 |
until they get squeezed or there's some conflict or there's something wrong, 00:43:27.460 |
we're told not to put people into ministry hastily. 00:43:30.460 |
And he says, "If you do it hastily, you will also share in their sin 00:43:34.460 |
by being hasty in putting people into leadership." 00:43:38.460 |
James 3-1, he says, "Not many of you should desire to be leaders 00:43:44.460 |
because as a leader, you will incur upon yourself stricter judgment." 00:43:49.460 |
We all stumble, but as a leader stumbles, there are greater consequences. 00:43:54.460 |
Instead of stumbling a few people, you will stumble the whole church. 00:43:57.460 |
So he says, "Not many of you should even strive to become leaders." 00:44:01.460 |
I remember years ago, I think it was maybe around the 10th year of our church, 00:44:06.460 |
Dr. Mantoya of Master Seminary was at a church that we were at, 00:44:13.460 |
and a fellow pastor of mine--a fellow pastor, a friend of mine-- 00:44:19.460 |
Dr. Mantoya probably was already in his 70s at that time, 00:44:22.460 |
and so he's been doing biblical ministry for many years. 00:44:25.460 |
So we sat with him and had dinner, and him and I--my friend and I-- 00:44:30.460 |
And the question was, "Now you've seen the harvest, 00:44:33.460 |
and you've been doing biblical ministry for over 30-some years, 00:44:37.460 |
would you be more patient in trying to get more younger guys into ministry, 00:44:42.460 |
or would you be more strict and weed more people out?" 00:44:45.460 |
Without giving a second thought, he said, "I'd weed more people out." 00:44:48.460 |
Now, both of us, we were thinking the same thing, 00:44:50.460 |
but we're younger pastors, and we didn't want to dare to say something like that. 00:44:55.460 |
So we were thinking, and we just kind of nodded our head, and we asked him, 00:45:01.460 |
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 00:45:05.460 |
And so there is always pressure to establish leaders, 00:45:12.460 |
But the reason why our churches are in the condition that we are in now 00:45:16.460 |
is that because the harvest is full, harvest is plenty, 00:45:19.460 |
we just want to plug up whoever, who's the next best person, 00:45:26.460 |
but in the long term, you've destroyed the church, 00:45:29.460 |
because you've got the wrong people in the right place at the wrong time. 00:45:42.460 |
than to have the wrong leadership in the wrong place 00:45:44.460 |
that will lead the church in the wrong direction. 00:45:46.460 |
So we are deliberate in being very slow, keeping accountable. 00:45:51.460 |
We want to make sure that we know the sins that are obvious 00:45:56.460 |
so that the men who are coming into leadership are tested 00:46:00.460 |
through various things, tested at home, tested with their wives, 00:46:04.460 |
possibly with their children, tested when they are criticized, 00:46:14.460 |
the first people that get targeted for judgment are the leadership. 00:46:21.460 |
"Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching. 00:46:25.460 |
Persevere in these things, for as you do this, 00:46:28.460 |
you will ensure salvation both to yourself and for those who hear you." 00:46:34.460 |
Your teaching and your conduct has eternal consequences. 00:46:41.460 |
You will save yourself and save your hearers. 00:46:43.460 |
And that's why he says, "Be careful in establishing leaders." 00:46:50.460 |
In doing so, there's three things that he mentions here 00:46:53.460 |
that we are called to do, that we need to be careful to do. 00:46:58.460 |
"Remember those who lead you who spoke the Word of God to you." 00:47:05.460 |
"Those who led you were the ones who spoke the Word of God to you." 00:47:10.460 |
Those who led you are the ones who spoke the Word to you. 00:47:16.460 |
Today, sad to say, and I think many of you who've hopped from church to church 00:47:23.460 |
will testify that we are in a generation where the Word of God 00:47:31.460 |
I've actually talked to pastors, young and old, 00:47:33.460 |
who have officially said that they don't do Bible study anymore at their church 00:47:44.460 |
I've actually talked to a pastor who sat through, 00:47:47.460 |
or at least went through some of our teaching in the book of Isaiah 00:47:53.460 |
He listened to the teaching that I gave in the book of Isaiah, 00:47:55.460 |
and he said, "They come to this?" That's what he said. 00:48:00.460 |
He's like, "Why? I don't understand. They don't come." 00:48:05.460 |
Sad to say, we live in a generation where the Word of God has been squeezed out 00:48:09.460 |
because if we are too serious about the Bible, the seekers won't come. 00:48:15.460 |
So we've watered down the church, the gospel, the Bible, 00:48:19.460 |
to the lowest common denominator for those who wish to be at church 00:48:26.460 |
so that they can also be welcome and be a part of the community. 00:48:28.460 |
As a result of that, the Word of God has been squeezed out. 00:48:37.460 |
if you don't know the content of the book of Amos, 00:48:39.460 |
I strongly recommend to go do quiet time in this book 00:48:42.460 |
because God speaks to the nation of Israel during a period 00:48:46.460 |
when they were very active in their religious activity at the temple. 00:48:51.460 |
They were done fighting, they were pretty wealthy, 00:48:56.460 |
they were going to the temple and making many sacrifices, 00:48:59.460 |
but yet God says that He is angry with the nation of Israel, 00:49:03.460 |
that in their sacrifices it had nothing to do with God, 00:49:06.460 |
that He actually says that their assemblies are evil assemblies, 00:49:10.460 |
that as they are singing to God, God says, "Take away from me your noise," 00:49:17.460 |
because they strayed away from what God desired. 00:49:21.460 |
And so He would bring judgment to the nation of Israel, 00:49:24.460 |
but at the end, the final judgment of the nation of Israel 00:49:27.460 |
is described in Amos chapter 8, 11 through 12. 00:49:30.460 |
He says, "Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord God, 00:49:33.460 |
when I will send a famine of the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, 00:49:38.460 |
but rather for hearing the words of the Lord. 00:49:40.460 |
People will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the east. 00:49:44.460 |
They will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it." 00:49:57.460 |
You keep hardening your heart from the prophets that I sent to you. 00:50:00.460 |
He said the final judgment is He gives them over, okay? 00:50:03.460 |
Then there's going to be a famine of the word. 00:50:05.460 |
You're going to go look for it to see what God has to say, 00:50:14.460 |
"For you will no longer remember the oracle of the Lord, 00:50:16.460 |
because every man's own word will become the oracle." 00:50:21.460 |
In other words, we're going to be in a relativistic community 00:50:26.460 |
where the word of the Lord is whatever you make of it, 00:50:36.460 |
Not based on the word of God, but your own sense of moral compass 00:50:42.460 |
He said because the word of God has been ignored, 00:50:44.460 |
people are not going to be able to filter to know 00:50:51.460 |
and you have perverted the words of the living God, 00:50:56.460 |
Doctrinal relativism is what's killing the church. 00:51:02.460 |
We have been so concerned about making the church 00:51:06.460 |
as pleasant as possible to as many people as possible 00:51:11.460 |
that there are no lines today in our generation 00:51:28.460 |
Today, among the evangelicals, the title evangelical, 00:51:34.460 |
they said over 70% believe that you can get to heaven 00:51:40.460 |
So the term evangelical no longer is a description 00:51:45.460 |
It's just a term who profess to be Christians. 00:52:03.460 |
What they mean by that is we're not judgmental. 00:52:10.460 |
We're not overly concerned about every little detail 00:52:13.460 |
of the doctrine because we're about Jesus' love. 00:52:19.460 |
They advertise themselves as being non-doctrinal 00:52:22.460 |
because the worst thing that you can accuse a Christian of 00:52:30.460 |
Usually, you know, I've had many conversations 00:52:32.460 |
with pastors and say, "Oh, we're non-doctrinal." 00:52:34.460 |
I would ask them, "Do you have women preaching 00:52:45.460 |
I said, "Well, I haven't heard that in a while." 00:52:59.460 |
How can you be so narrow and baptize infants? 00:53:01.460 |
How can you be so judgmental and allow women to preach? 00:53:07.460 |
What you mean is doctrine don't matter to you. 00:53:26.460 |
The Trinitarian Jesus that the church has fought for 00:53:30.460 |
People have given their lives because that's what the Bible teaches. 00:53:33.460 |
You're saying about that Trinitarian doctrine 00:53:35.460 |
doesn't matter to you because you're non-doctrinal." 00:53:42.460 |
Christians have fear that being too precise in doctrine 00:53:49.460 |
Doctrines are given to us to divide the church, 00:53:59.460 |
There is no group, there is no individual who is non-doctrinal. 00:54:10.460 |
we had a lady--some of you guys who have been here a bit longer 00:54:13.460 |
will remember--we had a lady who was confessing to be a Hindu 00:54:27.460 |
and about an hour, hour and a half each class. 00:54:29.460 |
It was pretty long, so she sat through all of it. 00:54:31.460 |
As she was progressing, she was starting to confess 00:54:37.460 |
We started to celebrate and say, "This Hindu lady came to Christ. 00:54:45.460 |
we have an assignment where we have to sit down, talk to her, 00:54:51.460 |
One of the leaders sat down with her and began to ask her, 00:54:54.460 |
"Oh, we're so excited about you that you want to become a Christian." 00:54:57.460 |
She said, "Yeah, I want to be a member of this church." 00:55:06.460 |
I said, "How are you a Hindu and a Christian at the same time?" 00:55:11.460 |
Basically, what she did was she took all the different idols. 00:55:21.460 |
She said, "I love that, but I still want to embrace the idols 00:55:26.460 |
We had to basically shut the door and say, "You're not a Christian." 00:55:31.460 |
If you don't embrace the Christ of the Bible, 00:55:38.460 |
We live in a theological relativism where we think 00:55:48.460 |
Let's not be doctrinal because doctrine divides. 00:55:52.460 |
Let me tell you what God says in Jeremiah 23, 16-17. 00:55:59.460 |
Listen carefully or read carefully what he says. 00:56:03.460 |
"Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets 00:56:10.460 |
They speak a vision of their own imagination, 00:56:18.460 |
and as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, 00:56:21.460 |
they say, 'Calamity will not come upon you.'" 00:56:35.460 |
I've never heard anybody come into ministry saying, 00:56:40.460 |
They want to be like Apostle Paul, even if he pours his life out, 00:56:50.460 |
God told him to do strange things to convey the judgment that's coming, 00:56:58.460 |
And the biggest thorn on his side were these false prophets 00:57:02.460 |
that kept on contradicting him, saying, "No, he doesn't speak for God." 00:57:06.460 |
And so, just like Paul warned Timothy that people are going to come, 00:57:10.460 |
and they're going to gather around themselves, 00:57:14.460 |
and when they tickle their ears, what are they telling them? 00:57:16.460 |
"God loves you, has a wonderful plan for your life." 00:57:21.460 |
"God loves you, Israel. You're the apple of his eye." 00:57:25.460 |
But it was given to the right people at the wrong time. 00:57:35.460 |
If they don't turn from their sins, captivity and judgment is coming, 00:57:38.460 |
and the false prophets, in order for their own personal glory, 00:57:42.460 |
in order to be loved by the people, what he's saying is wrong. 00:57:46.460 |
And so God says to Jeremiah, "Do not listen to them. 00:57:51.460 |
Jeremiah 23, 21, he says, "I did not send these prophets, but they ran. 00:57:56.460 |
I did not speak to them, but they prophesied." 00:58:02.460 |
They're telling you what they think you want to hear. 00:58:06.460 |
They're telling you what they think is going to draw as many people to them as possible. 00:58:14.460 |
Jeremiah 23, 30-31, "Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets," he clares the Lord, 00:58:24.460 |
"Behold, I am against the prophets," he clares the Lord, 00:58:26.460 |
"who use their tongues and declare the Lord declares." 00:58:30.460 |
Does that sound anything like what's going on today? 00:58:33.460 |
You know, years ago, it took a lot of work to be a heretic. 00:58:37.460 |
It took a lot of work because you had to be gifted. 00:58:43.460 |
You have to first have a large following locally. 00:58:46.460 |
And you have to have done that for a certain period of time where you have a large following, 00:58:50.460 |
and then people start hearing about you in different cities, 00:58:54.460 |
and then you write a book, you go start going to conferences. 00:58:56.460 |
And so it took a long time for a heretic to rise up in the ranks and then start to have influence. 00:59:02.460 |
Today, you can have a 20-year-old on a blog that got a large following on TikTok 00:59:09.460 |
because he did some silly dance, and then all of a sudden he writes a blog and it becomes popular, 00:59:14.460 |
and then people in his generation listen to it. 00:59:17.460 |
So you have a generation of people who can't filter what the Word of God says 00:59:21.460 |
because the Word of God has been taken out of the church. 00:59:24.460 |
And so today, you can instantly have national and international influence 00:59:30.460 |
because you have a church filled with people who can't tell if this is from God or not. 00:59:37.460 |
They quote the other false prophets, all their books and all their people, 00:59:41.460 |
but they do not know what the Word of God says. 00:59:50.460 |
typically when I meet somebody who's never heard that word, I say, "Oh, what's your church name?" 01:00:01.460 |
And the reason why a lot of people don't know that name is because it is an obscure name in the Bible. 01:00:10.460 |
And even in that verse, it's not a big verse. 01:00:14.460 |
If you look at Paul's ministry, he was in Thessalonica doing ministry, 01:00:18.460 |
and they were considered the model church, remember? 01:00:21.460 |
Their faith is being proclaimed all throughout Macedonia. 01:00:26.460 |
But he had to leave that church because of heavy persecution. 01:00:30.460 |
And in order to protect the church that was in Thessalonica, he runs away from persecution, 01:00:36.460 |
and he happens to land in this obscure little city called Berea. 01:00:41.460 |
And in Berea, he says in Acts 17, verse 11, that's the verse that our church name is, where we take our name, 01:00:49.460 |
he said, "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica." 01:00:56.460 |
They were the church in Macedonia, but they were more noble-minded, and only one thing is mentioned. 01:01:03.460 |
"For they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were true." 01:01:10.460 |
Apostle Paul said these were more noble-minded. For what reason? 01:01:17.460 |
You can imagine if you were an apostle and you come in and said, "The Word of God says this." 01:01:21.460 |
It's like, "Does it really say that? How dare you question me? 01:01:26.460 |
I'm an apostle. I've been stoned, dragged into prison, shipwrecked, 01:01:34.460 |
Inside, he says, "They were more noble because their authority was from the Word." 01:01:41.460 |
And he said they were more noble in character because they questioned. 01:01:45.460 |
That their strength, their foundation, their authority came from the Word of God. 01:01:50.460 |
That's where they were more noble-minded. That's why we decided to choose that as our church name. 01:01:56.460 |
Apostle Paul says in Acts 20, 29-31, I'm not going to read that passage for the sake of time, 01:02:03.460 |
but as he is headed toward Rome, knowing that he's going to be in prison, 01:02:08.460 |
he spends the night with the elders of Ephesus, and he tells them that, 01:02:13.460 |
"After I leave, savage wolves are going to come in, introducing heresy to you." 01:02:23.460 |
Be alert. They're going to come, and they're going to savage your church. 01:02:28.460 |
You know what the savage church that he's referring to, you know what the heresy he's referring to? 01:02:32.460 |
He's talking to Judaizers. Judaizers were basically Jews who embraced Christianity 01:02:39.460 |
without letting go of their Jewish past. So on the surface, it doesn't look that bad. 01:02:44.460 |
They believe in Christ. They believe in the Atonement. They believe in the Resurrection. 01:02:48.460 |
They believe in the church, but they just refuse to let go of their past. 01:02:52.460 |
So they say, "Well, you still have to be circumcised. You still have to keep the Sabbath. 01:02:56.460 |
You still have to keep the dietary laws." But Apostle Paul says of that in Galatians, 01:03:01.460 |
"If anybody comes to you, preaches a different gospel than what I preach to you, let him be anathema." 01:03:06.460 |
Even if it's me or an angel of God. If they contradict the Word of God in the gospel, let him be anathema. 01:03:14.460 |
Anathema basically means to be accursed, condemned. 01:03:18.460 |
The modern understanding of that would be to go to hell. That's what that means. 01:03:23.460 |
It was the severest judgment that you can give, and Apostle Paul says that twice. 01:03:29.460 |
And you know who he rebukes with that? Apostle Peter. 01:03:34.460 |
Apostle Peter is the most respected apostle among the apostles. 01:03:39.460 |
I mean, if there's anybody that you would want to excuse, and not to shame publicly, 01:03:44.460 |
it would be an Apostle Paul, Apostle Peter. But he calls him out publicly. 01:03:49.460 |
Because even Apostle Peter is not above the gospel. 01:03:53.460 |
Because he was in leadership, that his confrontation, he refused to sit with the Gentiles to eat. 01:03:58.460 |
That's all he did. He just wouldn't eat with the Gentiles. 01:04:03.460 |
Because he was concerned about the Judaizers. That was very influential in the church. 01:04:07.460 |
That somehow, that he's going to be shunned by them. 01:04:10.460 |
And the other one, Barnabas. Barnabas was the one who stood up for him, when other people couldn't believe him. 01:04:17.460 |
How can this guy who was trying to kill us and murder us, how can he be representing us? 01:04:22.460 |
Barnabas stood up and he testified. He's like, no, I can vouch for him. 01:04:26.460 |
Genuine conversion happened. So these two men, if there's any two people that Apostle Paul would have been afraid 01:04:33.460 |
to question publicly, it would have been Peter, it would have been Barnabas. 01:04:46.460 |
That the word of God has to be held up higher than any man. 01:04:51.460 |
And so Peter and Barnabas were called out for eternity in the book of Galatians, 01:04:57.460 |
that they compromised. And by doing so, they may pervert the gospel. 01:05:04.460 |
That the word of God, this gospel of God has to be placed above any human being. 01:05:16.460 |
The first one you probably thought, oh, Pastor Peter didn't get enough sleep. 01:05:20.460 |
So he's probably said that wrong. Gospel of James. 01:05:23.460 |
I know there's James, I don't know if it's the gospel, maybe he's saying it wrong. 01:05:30.460 |
Now let me ask you, if you're sitting here and you did not know that this is not in Scripture, 01:05:39.460 |
you shouldn't have strong opinions about what the word of God says or does not say. 01:05:46.460 |
You do not know the content of what the word of God says. 01:05:48.460 |
You do not know the content of the word of God, period. 01:05:51.460 |
You should not have strong opinions, I don't think God says that. 01:05:56.460 |
Again, we live in a generation of so many opinions with so shallow understanding of the word of God, 01:06:02.460 |
and this is the reason why so many bad doctrines are coming into the church. 01:06:11.460 |
If you did not know that this is in Scripture, and you're a younger Christian, 01:06:16.460 |
you don't need to be ashamed. Because part of why you commit to the church, 01:06:20.460 |
why you give yourself to the teaching every week, is so that you can learn. 01:06:24.460 |
But the problem is, when you become a Christian in this generation, 01:06:27.460 |
your learning period is very short, and then after that you become a teacher. 01:06:36.460 |
We need to understand what the word of God says. 01:06:39.460 |
A lot of the things that you may be thinking is right or wrong may be a quote from other people. 01:06:47.460 |
They just are very articulate. They just have a large following. 01:06:51.460 |
They wrote a bestseller, so therefore they have a voice in our generation. 01:06:55.460 |
But you do not know what the word of God says. You and I must be Bereans. 01:07:00.460 |
If our knee-jerk reaction to any doctrine makes us feel uncomfortable, 01:07:04.460 |
the next question should be, "Is it biblical?" 01:07:07.460 |
Not, "I don't like it," or, "I like it." Is it or is it not biblical? 01:07:11.460 |
And if we're not able to answer that question, we should not have strong opinions. 01:07:18.460 |
But having said that, we live in a generation where we are more than willing to excuse bad doctrine if they have good life. 01:07:30.460 |
You see someone say, "They teach weird things, but look at their church. 01:07:34.460 |
Look how many people came to Christ. Look how influential they are." 01:07:38.460 |
So because they are very influential, we excuse bad doctrine. 01:07:45.460 |
I mean, that's how the church has become what it is today. 01:07:50.460 |
We must never excuse bad doctrine because of who they are. 01:07:57.460 |
Even Apostle Paul, even Barnabas, even an angel, he says, "Let him be anathema." 01:08:03.460 |
Because once the word of God is perverted, then the church gets perverted. 01:08:09.460 |
But having said that, we should never excuse their conduct because they have good doctrine. 01:08:16.460 |
He says to consider the result of their conduct and mimic them. 01:08:21.460 |
Consider. The word "consider" here is not just casually look. It means to intently examine. 01:08:27.460 |
Hebrews 12.2, that same word is translated, "Fix your eyes on Jesus." 01:08:32.460 |
Intently look upon them. 1 John 3.1, same word, "Behold." 01:08:37.460 |
"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us." 01:08:40.460 |
Look and examine carefully. Look at what they preach. Look at how they live. 01:08:47.460 |
See if it's consistent. See if their theology and their life is consistent. 01:08:50.460 |
You can have a great sermon and have a lousy life. 01:08:54.460 |
And you can have a great life and have lousy, lousy theology. 01:09:03.460 |
Matthew 7.15 says, "Beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." 01:09:14.460 |
The Bible clearly says, when deception comes, it's going to come in the name of righteousness. 01:09:21.460 |
It's going to come saying that this is from God. 01:09:26.460 |
The most destructive things that come into church are people who are very well respected in Christian community. 01:09:34.460 |
So therefore, if you do not know the Word of God, if you're not growing in understanding of what the Word of God says, 01:09:41.460 |
when these ravenous wolves come, what's going to end up happening is, "I like that guy. I like this guy." 01:09:48.460 |
So whatever your prejudice is, that's what's going to blind you to go down that path. 01:09:58.460 |
The filter is your own sense of right, your own sense of wrong. 01:10:01.460 |
So if you have a picture of God, He loves unconditionally, and He would never judge. 01:10:08.460 |
So whatever sounds harsh to you is not from God. 01:10:13.460 |
Or you can err on the other way. You know what I mean? 01:10:16.460 |
Jesus flipped over tables, so He's flipping over tables every day. 01:10:23.460 |
And we can err on either way when the filter isn't the Word of God. 01:10:30.460 |
But having said that, does their life match what they preach? 01:10:36.460 |
Well, what does He mean? What conduct? What are some of the things that we should be looking for? 01:10:41.460 |
Well, we don't have to look far because Paul describes it in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. 01:10:46.460 |
He was being accused of being a false prophet, and so in defense of the gospel that he was preaching, 01:10:58.460 |
So therefore, they need to pay attention to what he says. 01:11:03.460 |
1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 1 through 4, he says, 01:11:07.460 |
"For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, 01:11:10.460 |
but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi. 01:11:14.460 |
As you know, we had the boldness in our gut to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. 01:11:21.460 |
For our exaltation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit, 01:11:24.460 |
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, 01:11:28.460 |
not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts." 01:11:32.460 |
So the first thing that he says is, every time Apostle Paul defends his ministry, 01:11:41.460 |
Well, how do you know? How have they been approved that they're not speaking in error, 01:11:45.460 |
that they're not doing this for their selfish gain? 01:11:50.460 |
that they ended up sacrificing everything, even their life, preaching this gospel. 01:11:56.460 |
but he says the evidence of their own heart was proven by their willing to sacrifice and to suffer. 01:12:06.460 |
So if a man comes to you and his whole purpose is to gain people, more people to come to his church, 01:12:13.460 |
then immediately he's going to be tempted to tickle your ears. 01:12:18.460 |
Because if I say anything that's offensive, some of you may leave. 01:12:22.460 |
If we do anything in the church that doesn't attract the seekers, then they're going to leave. 01:12:28.460 |
So first thing that he says, in every instance where Apostle Paul defends himself, 01:12:35.460 |
Look at what we sacrifice. Look at people who died in preaching this gospel. 01:12:44.460 |
You know, usually when a young man says he wants to go into ministry, 01:12:49.460 |
one of the first things that I warn him about is, are you ready to suffer for Christ? 01:12:56.460 |
Different people may suffer in different ways, but you need to be willing to suffer. 01:13:02.460 |
If you're going into ministry, and this is not true only of people who are going into ministry, 01:13:06.460 |
but if you're going into ministry, you have to come into ministry and say, 01:13:13.460 |
Every other family, they'll choose churches based upon what they think is best for their family. 01:13:20.460 |
Do they have Sunday school? Or is there a good women's program? 01:13:24.460 |
Is there good marriage counseling? Are there good things, the Bible being taught? 01:13:28.460 |
And so when you look at the totality of the church, is this somewhere that my whole family could benefit from? 01:13:35.460 |
There's nothing evil, there's nothing wrong or doctrinally wrong about any of that. 01:13:39.460 |
But if you're going into full-time ministry, you don't choose church based upon what you think is best for your family. 01:13:45.460 |
You choose church based upon where the greatest need is. 01:13:57.460 |
The greatest need may be in an area where there is lack of churches. 01:14:00.460 |
The greatest need may be in churches where they don't have proper leaders and teaching. 01:14:05.460 |
So we choose based upon the greatest need for that area, 01:14:10.460 |
which may mean greater suffering for your children, greater hardship for your wife. 01:14:16.460 |
They may not have people that are your age that are in that place. 01:14:21.460 |
So you may not have the community that you desire. 01:14:24.460 |
But if you're coming into ministry thinking, "I can only serve God if my children are taken care of, 01:14:29.460 |
my bills are paid, my wife is taken care of, and we have the perfect Sunday school, 01:14:32.460 |
and so in that context I want to preach the Lord with boldness." 01:14:37.460 |
Then you do not want to go into ministry because you have to come into ministry saying, "Here am I. Send me." 01:14:43.460 |
And so Apostle Paul says the proof that his heart was in the right place 01:14:47.460 |
was that he was willing to suffer and die for the cause of Christ. 01:14:51.460 |
Secondly, that his primary concern is not praise of men. 01:14:56.460 |
"For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with pretext of greed. 01:15:01.460 |
God is witness. Nor do we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, 01:15:05.460 |
even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority." 01:15:18.460 |
Because Paul says to Timothy to preach the word in season and out of season. 01:15:23.460 |
If you are only willing to preach in season, in season meaning when people are thanking you, 01:15:28.460 |
and praising you, and there's benefits, and you see fruit, 01:15:31.460 |
and that's the only time you're willing to preach the clear word of God, 01:15:34.460 |
then you cannot lead because there are many times when it's not in season. 01:15:38.460 |
That because of what you say, people may leave. 01:15:44.460 |
And as a result of that, you're going to suffer. 01:15:49.460 |
Because you're not going to have the financial means to take care of your family. 01:15:52.460 |
But if you are a man pleaser, you cannot lead. 01:15:55.460 |
Because leader means you have to lead in season and out of season. 01:15:59.460 |
You have to stand for truth in season and out of season. 01:16:02.460 |
Whether it empties the church or gathers the church. 01:16:09.460 |
Our primary goal is not to fill this room with as many people as possible. 01:16:22.460 |
If they hate Jesus and they love you, you are not a servant of Christ. 01:16:28.460 |
If they have no interest in Christ but they're very interested in you, 01:16:34.460 |
If preaching Christ drives many, many people away, 01:16:43.460 |
The second test is, is he a man pleaser or is he a representative of Christ? 01:16:52.460 |
But we prove to be gentle among you as nursing mothers tenderly cares for our own children. 01:16:57.460 |
Having so fond an affection for you, we were well pleased to impart to you 01:17:01.460 |
not only the gospel of God but also our own lives. 01:17:05.460 |
And then he says our labor and hardship, how working night and day 01:17:13.460 |
And then at the very end, verse 11, he says he treated them as father would his own children. 01:17:23.460 |
You know, in the Western culture that you and I are in, 01:17:28.460 |
you know, it's almost like business, like how much should a pastor get paid? 01:17:32.460 |
And I remember I had a classmate who spent the whole semester 01:17:36.460 |
doing a paper on how much should a pastor get paid? 01:17:43.460 |
He really, you know, that could have been a book. 01:17:49.460 |
At the end of the day, I'm like, of all the things that you could have written 01:17:53.460 |
and dedicated your semester about, that it was about that he had interest in. 01:18:01.460 |
I mean, there was a need for that, but it was just like, oh, you know, 01:18:04.460 |
that was something that he was very, very interested in. 01:18:11.460 |
make sure your job description is very clear, 01:18:14.460 |
that you're going to go there and teach, you're going to do this, 01:18:16.460 |
and then so that you're not responsible for this and that. 01:18:18.460 |
And, you know, every once in a while, somebody, a younger pastor would ask me, 01:18:28.460 |
You know, I get that question every once in a while, right? 01:18:40.460 |
This is true of mothers and fathers, but mothers in particular. 01:18:51.460 |
I make breakfast, do the laundry, make sure the kids don't kill themselves, right, 01:18:59.460 |
Is that an accurate description of what you do? 01:19:04.460 |
Can you describe what a mother does for their children? 01:19:10.460 |
Because sometimes you're a chauffeur if they need rides. 01:19:21.460 |
If they have problems, you become the counselor. 01:19:25.460 |
If they wear unmatching socks, you become their designer. 01:19:32.460 |
If they don't comb their hair right, you become the hairdresser. 01:19:36.460 |
You become whatever you need to become based upon what they need. 01:19:46.460 |
I know plenty of ladies who refuse to cook until they have their child. 01:19:51.460 |
"Oh, why? How come the women have to cook? Why don't the men cook?" 01:19:54.460 |
And then they have their kid and all their feministic thing that they grew up in goes out the door because your kids. 01:20:03.460 |
And all of that, all of the secular philosophy goes out the window because you need to care for your kids. 01:20:09.460 |
And again, I'm not saying that this is true just of moms. 01:20:13.460 |
The description is no different from a husband. 01:20:20.460 |
If you are a leader, if you are a pastor, there is no job that you don't come into ministry saying, "I'm going to do this," and everything else is your problem. 01:20:31.460 |
A leader is the one who loves as Christ loved. 01:20:34.460 |
You become all things to all men, but by all means to save some. 01:20:40.460 |
You can't come into ministry saying, "I'm going to do this and I'm not going to do that. 01:20:43.460 |
I'm going to preach, but I'm not going to take care of the toilet. 01:20:46.460 |
I'm going to teach, but I'm not going to work with the children." 01:20:49.460 |
You become whatever you need to become because you love the church and you want what the church needs. 01:21:01.460 |
Sometimes it's not in season, so there's greater sacrifice, and sometimes there's rewards. 01:21:09.460 |
But he says Paul describes his ministry in that way. 01:21:15.460 |
He says, "Observe, consider carefully that their doctrine and their life lines up," 01:21:21.460 |
and then he says to mimic that faith, mimetus. 01:21:25.460 |
In our generation, it almost seems arrogant to say, "Follow me." 01:21:33.460 |
I know some people who have been burned by their previous leaders. 01:21:37.460 |
I had a friend who was burned himself, and he said, "I follow Christ, but I follow no man." 01:21:47.460 |
I fully understand that because when I was a young man, I got converted by a church-- 01:21:52.460 |
not a church, a parachurch ministry in Los Angeles. 01:21:59.460 |
I dropped everything because I wanted to be in their fellowship. 01:22:03.460 |
Eventually, my parents moved from Burbank to Orange County, and I couldn't attend that ministry anymore. 01:22:12.460 |
I remember just being away, and I was struggling, and I couldn't get down to L.A. 01:22:19.460 |
Then I met the pastor because they were playing volleyball or some tournament, 01:22:26.460 |
I remember meeting him, and I was so excited to say hello to him 01:22:29.460 |
because I haven't seen him in a couple of years because I couldn't go down to L.A. 01:22:34.460 |
I remember he came up to me, and he grabbed my hand. 01:22:37.460 |
I was so excited to say hello to him. He grabbed my hand, and he said, "You traitor." 01:22:44.460 |
I looked into him. He was hurt that I wasn't coming, and he said, "You're a traitor. 01:22:48.460 |
You're a traitor because you stopped coming to our ministry." 01:22:54.460 |
I was so devastated by that because he meant everything to me. 01:22:59.460 |
I got saved through his ministry, through his preaching. 01:23:02.460 |
I was discipled. I gave up everything to go to their Friday night prayer meetings 01:23:06.460 |
and to have that man call me a traitor, it devastated me. 01:23:11.460 |
When the next ministry came around, the campus ministry, 01:23:14.460 |
my former disciple asked me, "Hey, do you want to be discipled?" 01:23:22.460 |
I remember the very first thing I said to him, 01:23:25.460 |
"I want to be discipled by you, but I don't want to be part of your ministry. 01:23:29.460 |
I don't want to commit to this ministry because I don't want that happening again." 01:23:33.460 |
It's just personal between me and you, but don't ask me to join this ministry. 01:23:37.460 |
It took me years for me to get over that hump because I was so discouraged 01:23:47.460 |
Today, it sounds arrogant to even say, "Follow me. You're just a man." 01:23:52.460 |
Look at how often Paul says this, Hebrews 6.12, 01:23:56.460 |
"So that"--this is not Paul, but in Hebrews-- 01:23:59.460 |
"so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who, 01:24:02.460 |
in faith and patience, inherit the promises." 01:24:05.460 |
1 Corinthians 11.1, "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ." 01:24:09.460 |
1 Corinthians 4.16-17, "Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. 01:24:13.460 |
For this reason I have sent you to Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, 01:24:17.460 |
and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ." 01:24:20.460 |
Philippians 3.17, "Brethren, join in following my example. 01:24:23.460 |
Observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us." 01:24:26.460 |
Philippians 4.9, "The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, 01:24:30.460 |
practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." 01:24:33.460 |
1 Thessalonians 4.16, "You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, 01:24:36.460 |
having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit." 01:24:40.460 |
2 Thessalonians 3.9, "Not because we do not have the right to do this, 01:24:43.460 |
but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, 01:24:50.460 |
It sounds--again, it sounds like, "Why? It's biblical to say, 01:24:55.460 |
'Hey, don't follow me. I'm a sinner just like you.'" 01:24:58.460 |
And so we excuse all kinds of behavior, all kinds of lifestyle, in leadership, 01:25:03.460 |
because we think it's humble. We think it's biblical. 01:25:07.460 |
And so the standard that we have in leadership is no different than the rest of the church. 01:25:13.460 |
And so because the church is growing and there's a greater need, 01:25:16.460 |
we're going to pick whoever to fill that hole. 01:25:19.460 |
If you're old enough, if you're experienced enough, you get in that position, 01:25:22.460 |
and then some men's sins are obvious, some men's sins trail behind them. 01:25:30.460 |
you end up kicking a can down the road that's going to ruin the church later on. 01:25:39.460 |
He says, "Follow me." A leader must be able to say, "Follow me as I follow Christ." 01:25:56.460 |
Test the Word of God. Test the life of the leaders. 01:26:00.460 |
And if there is something that needs to be questioned, 01:26:03.460 |
if there's two or three, if there's an agreement, 01:26:08.460 |
because the damage will be severe if you do not." 01:26:16.460 |
And I know that's a sore spot to some of you because you really looked up to Ravi Zacharias. 01:26:20.460 |
Here's a man who spent 30, 40 years of ministry influencing internationally. 01:26:36.460 |
He himself said, as he was sexually assaulting people, 01:26:40.460 |
the excuse that he gave was, "Because I'm being used greatly for God, 01:26:50.460 |
"We don't want to disturb the international community. 01:26:53.460 |
If they find out what he is like behind the scenes, 01:27:00.460 |
So they excused. This was not an indiscretion. 01:27:02.460 |
This was not just somebody who was tempted and fell for the minute. 01:27:08.460 |
This was a pattern in his life where his public life and private life 01:27:16.460 |
But yet, the church completely ignored what was obvious. 01:27:22.460 |
Because there were, after he died, people started coming out 01:27:25.460 |
and realizing, "How did he keep this buried?" 01:27:31.460 |
Testimony after testimony after testimony started coming out. 01:27:34.460 |
And they just kept it under wraps because they didn't want to ruin his ministry. 01:27:40.460 |
But now that after he has died, all of it has surfaced, 01:27:44.460 |
and the ministry has crumbled, and I think the impact of that is much worse today 01:27:49.460 |
than if it had been revealed when he was alive. 01:27:54.460 |
He says, "Not many of you should become leaders 01:27:57.460 |
because leaders will be under a greater scrutiny. 01:28:02.460 |
Because when the leaders fall, so will the church." 01:28:06.460 |
Now having said that, he said, "Well, thank God I'm not a leader." 01:28:13.460 |
But it is important for me and the leaders of our church 01:28:16.460 |
to watch our doctrines and our life carefully. 01:28:19.460 |
You're all leaders, especially the men, in your own homes. 01:28:24.460 |
Your family will rise and fall based upon your leadership. 01:28:28.460 |
In our community, wherever you are, as you are watching me 01:28:31.460 |
and as I'm doing my best to lead you to Christ, 01:28:34.460 |
there are non-Christians in your life who are looking to you to represent Christ. 01:28:38.460 |
And so you must also watch your life and doctrine carefully 01:28:41.460 |
because if you do so, you will save yourself and also those who are around you. 01:28:56.460 |
Your doctrines matter, and your life matters. 01:29:04.460 |
Anyone who tells you otherwise does not know the Word of God. 01:29:14.460 |
Again, let's take a few minutes to come before the Lord in prayer. 01:29:19.460 |
Anything I said that disturbs you, I challenge you. 01:29:26.460 |
Don't make what you hear from here to be the final authority in your life. 01:29:33.460 |
Look up the verses that I gave that you didn't like. 01:29:36.460 |
See if what I'm saying is taken out of context. 01:29:39.460 |
See if I have a hobby horse that I keep pounding on that really isn't biblical. 01:29:45.460 |
Examine what you hear so that your authority doesn't come from this pulpit, 01:29:50.460 |
from your own personal lives, but from the Word of God. 01:29:54.460 |
But if you find it to be true, if you find what the Word of God says is true, 01:30:02.460 |
and we must commit ourselves to follow what the Word of God says. 01:30:06.460 |
Let's take some time to pray and ask the Lord of the harvest 01:30:13.460 |
Harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 01:30:16.460 |
So let's take some time to pray as we ask the Lord to examine us. 01:31:28.460 |
And for those seated outside, if I could ask that everyone remain seated 01:31:32.460 |
so that everyone can see the lyrics for "Praise." 01:31:59.460 |
first and last the same, the name above all names. 01:32:06.460 |
Crowned in majesty, glorious prince of peace, 01:32:13.460 |
throne of God's right hand, the world at His command, 01:33:22.460 |
sacrifice to death for us to find our breath. 01:33:29.460 |
You write the words to save, to overcome the grave, 01:35:52.460 |
Heavenly Father, we pray that Your Spirit that You've given 01:35:57.460 |
to us, Lord God, would continue to groan on our behalf. 01:36:04.460 |
not to turn from Your Word to the left or to the right. 01:36:07.460 |
Help us, Lord God, to follow You and to love You, 01:36:14.460 |
We pray, Father God, that the examples that have gone before 01:36:16.460 |
us, men and women, Lord God, who gave their lives, 01:36:19.460 |
that we may have Your Word to spread the gospel to the 01:36:24.460 |
Help us, Lord God, to consider carefully the end result of 01:36:29.460 |
their lives, Lord God, that we may mimic their faith, 01:36:32.460 |
that these men and women who have so boldly stood up for the 01:36:37.460 |
gospel, that we would continue that tradition in our 01:36:41.460 |
generation, that no matter how difficult life may become, 01:36:50.460 |
Help us, Lord God, not to be short-sighted for this short 01:36:53.460 |
period of life, Lord God, where we come and go like a mist. 01:36:59.460 |
that we may see eternity, that all things that we do, 01:37:05.460 |
strive for, the things that matter in eternity. 01:37:08.460 |
So we pray that You would continue to purify our church, 01:37:11.460 |
bring revival in our generation, that as the world becomes more 01:37:15.460 |
and more wicked, that we will become brighter and brighter, 01:37:24.460 |
that Christ may be exalted, that our neighbors and our friends 01:37:27.460 |
and our family members may know that there is hope in the name 01:37:33.460 |
For that end, I pray that You would send us wherever You send 01:37:36.460 |
us, that may we be the light that You have called us to be. 01:38:18.460 |
An empty grave is there to put my Savior's lips. 01:39:02.460 |
And life is worth the living just because He lives.