From Gibberish to Gospel: Aligning Your Life with the Truth of Christ

[00:00:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:00:05] Father, in the name of Jesus, we surrender ourselves to you, Lord, afresh in the news.
[00:00:09] We head in as we finish 2025 and head into 2026. We bow before you, dear Heavenly Father, because we know without you, we can do nothing. But Lord, with you, all things are possible.
[00:00:23] And Father, we don't want to just do stuff. We, dear Heavenly Father, want to be strong in you, you live according to your will and Lord Jesus be at the right time the right place stewarding
[00:00:36] what you have for us I ask your heavenly father that you would allow us Lord to experience still yet the best of you and dear heavenly father that you would encamp around us as a shield
[00:00:49] bless the work of our hands and our faith in you and dear father show us Lord all that we are to do. Now, as we meet together to worship you, I pray that you'd inhabit the praise of your people.
[00:01:02] I pray to your heavenly father that you would grant repentance, grant conviction, grant your father us coming to our senses and escaping the trap of the devil who so seeks to capture us to do his will. But Lord, we are the people that are blood ball. We're the people that are to be
[00:01:19] centered in your will. And Lord, we want to make much of you. So as we worship today, Lord, let our worship be acceptable unto you. Lord, soften hearts, save souls, change lives. In Christ's name we pray. And all God's people said, come on, let's worship.

[00:01:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:01:42] How many of us can testify God's been good to us? How many of us know without a shadow of a doubt

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:06:30] that he doesn't want to be good to us one time? Come on. How many of you have seen God be good to you when you didn't deserve it.
[00:06:42] When you had nothing on the table except sin and brokenness and disobedience and he was still good to you.
[00:06:51] Come on.
[00:06:52] So I ain't getting on us this morning, but there ought to be a little wiggle in our step when we're singing so, so, so, so, so, so.
[00:07:03] Because he is good.
[00:07:05] He's good all the time.
[00:07:07] And we have much to give him glory for.
[00:07:10] guys this is the last church service of 2025 he's brought us safely thus far his plans toward us are not to harm us but to give us a hope and a future the word says if God be for us who can be against
[00:07:28] us come on that we are more than conquerors through him that love us that Philippians 1 say he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion that my God shall supply all of my
[00:07:41] needs according to his riches in glory by christ jesus that if i will trust in the lord with all my heart lean not on my own understanding and all my ways acknowledge him he will direct my path
[00:07:51] that there's not one place that i could go to be apart from his presence the highest of the highs or the depths of sheol his presence is always there his word is a lamp unto my feet a light
[00:08:01] into my path if i will hide his word in my heart i shall not sin against god he is the good shepherd He is the one who leads us besides still waters, who allows us to find rest,
[00:08:15] who leads us in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
[00:08:18] And yea, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil.
[00:08:22] For why?
[00:08:22] He is with us.
[00:08:23] His rod, his staff shall comfort us.
[00:08:27] God has been good to us.
[00:08:30] So when we say God is good, he's all the time.
[00:08:34] Come on, church.
[00:08:35] Let's celebrate him.

[00:08:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:08:36] If you say, serve a miracle working God today, no matter what you're faced with today, no matter what you came with, you don't have to leave the same way you came.
[00:15:17] You can lay it at his feet this morning.
[00:15:20] So right now, I want you to proclaim and you say, well, I've not had a good week, but I got good news for you.
[00:15:26] God is with you whether you've had a good week or not.
[00:15:30] So some of you may sing this in faith this morning.
[00:15:32] You ready?
[00:15:34] So just look at your mouth.
[00:15:35] the scripture said if you can speak to the mountain and it shall be moved amen let's let's speak to it you ready give me praise in this place praise me father i thank you and i praise you that

[00:21:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:21:35] the blood has power even today lord jesus i thank you lord jesus that we think back from the scriptures that the blood is still as powerful as it was the day that you had the israelites lord to
[00:21:49] take that Passover lamb and wipe the blood across the threshold as the death angel Lord had to pass over that they were protected. Lord, I thank you that we're protected in your blood. I thank you,
[00:22:01] Lord Jesus, that the Bible says that without the shedding of blood, there's no forgiveness of sin.
[00:22:05] And you shed your blood on Calvary's cross that we could be forgiven of sin, that we are under no obligation to live in sin. I thank you, Lord, that because of your blood, that Lord Jesus,
[00:22:15] the grave, that sin has lost its sting, that death has lost its victory, that the sting of death, which is sin, no longer has authority over us, Lord, and we now truly are born again because
[00:22:28] of your blood. I thank you, Lord Jesus, that it is just as powerful today as it was over 2,000 years ago when you shed it on Calvary's cross. And dear Father, I thank you that my name and
[00:22:38] those who believe's name is written in the Lamb's book of life by the blood, never to be ever erased, lord jesus i thank you lord that the blood gives us confidence and hope that lord jesus it is the
[00:22:50] threshold father for all things and i thank you lord that it never loses its power i thank you lord jesus that it restores and revives and it reaches i thank you lord jesus for your blood

[00:23:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:23:05] that it never loses its power see you soon my that gives me you see it reaches come on sing it church We thank you that the blood is still the blood

[00:25:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:25:45] and you are King of Kings.
[00:25:47] Heavenly Father, be our King of Kings today.
[00:25:50] Be our Savior, be our Lord.
[00:25:52] Father, we ask that as we enter into this time of continued worship, Lord, that you would speak to us, that you would transform us, that you would change us.
[00:26:00] Lord, that our life would look like you.
[00:26:03] And dear Heavenly Father, that we would bear that Christ-like image and that we would mature.
[00:26:07] And Father, that we would be zealous for the things of God.
[00:26:10] Heavenly Father, work in us.
[00:26:13] Bring conviction.
[00:26:14] Bring repentance.
[00:26:15] Let us come to our senses.
[00:26:17] Let us, Lord Jesus, live in your will.
[00:26:20] In Christ's name we pray.
[00:26:21] And all God's people said, believing.
[00:26:23] Amen and amen.
[00:26:24] Would you find four or five people around you?
[00:26:26] Welcome them to church.
[00:26:39] Man, praise God.
[00:26:40] Y'all enjoy worship.
[00:26:42] Amen.
[00:26:43] Y'all enjoy worship.
[00:26:44] Amen.
[00:26:46] Super grateful, Gary, for the team and everybody.
[00:26:48] slugging away with us to just be back at it.
[00:26:51] They put so much work into all this and super grateful.
[00:26:55] Did y'all have a good Christmas?
[00:26:56] Anybody get anything cool for Christmas?
[00:26:59] Anybody get anything cool?
[00:26:59] What'd you get?
[00:27:00] You get anything cool?
[00:27:01] I did.
[00:27:02] I sure did.
[00:27:03] I got a Hulk Hogan action figure, baby.
[00:27:05] I mean, from back in the 90s and it is gonna stay in the wrapper and maybe when it's time for me to retire, I can sell it and yeah, probably just do something with it,
[00:27:16] tithe on it and then go to dinner.
[00:27:18] So super grateful to have all of you here.
[00:27:21] Let me remind you just quickly before we leave today that out in the foyer on this side is Kevin, Cheryl, and Luann and the Rooted in Grace team selling the tickets for the Gold City concert
[00:27:32] for Rooted in Grace and Love and with our own boys, second generation.
[00:27:36] This, all of the proceeds of this are going toward their new mission for the orphanage.
[00:27:42] And they're wanting to hold and host about 300 children.
[00:27:45] Guys, if you know in this area of Peru and Karawassi, sexual abuse and abuse in general is just bad.
[00:27:51] And so the kids that they're ministering to, they're trying to have a place to get them off the streets and better living.
[00:27:56] And so we'd love for you to prayerfully think about that.
[00:27:58] And as well, purchase those tickets, make them gift tickets if you, and invite friends to be a part of that.
[00:28:04] So y'all ready?
[00:28:06] Let's pray this together.
[00:28:07] Pray this with me.
[00:28:08] Jesus, speak to me.
[00:28:11] Draw me close in repentance to you.
[00:28:16] show me my buttons, my triggers. If they are based off of unholy feelings and the wisdom of this world, if they are, rewrite them with gospel truth that I may be yours and I may honor you
[00:28:39] in every season and every situation. In Jesus name we pray and all God's people said, amen.
[00:28:46] I want to ask you guys, as we start the series this morning, about a song.
[00:28:51] Do you happen to know the Italian pop artist Adriano Solanto?
[00:28:57] He wrote a song in the late 60s, early 70s.
[00:28:59] 72, it actually became a number one hit.
[00:29:02] It was called Prisincola Linen Senaia Sio Sol.
[00:29:08] Do y'all remember that one?
[00:29:09] You probably don't know it by the name, but you probably do by the rhythm.
[00:29:13] Jonathan, give us a hit there, bro.
[00:29:35] Anybody?
[00:29:42] All right, Jonathan. Where y'all been? Were all y'all high in the 70s? I mean, come on. I know some of you were. I know your testimony. My kids introduced me to this song because they have a
[00:30:00] listening palate like mine, but they introduced this to me a couple weeks ago when I was writing this series called Buttons, Triggers, and Truth. When I heard the song, I was like, what is going on in the song? And so I did a little research. Adriano said that since,
[00:30:20] he said, ever since I started singing, I was influenced by American music and everything Americans did. So at certain, so at a certain point, because I like American slang, which for a singer is much easier to sing than Italian. I thought it would be, would, I thought that I would
[00:30:42] write a song which would only have at its theme the inability to communicate. And to do this, I had to write a song where the lyrics mean absolutely nothing. Literally in 1972, a pop hit
[00:30:59] of nothing but gibberish. He literally made the song sound like what English sounds to Italians, this close but indeterminable he said I literally wrote a song about gibberish and guys as I was writing this series I thought this is going to be the opening illustration because what I'm afraid
[00:31:25] of is that we are developing in the world in which we live today a Christianity that is gibberish it is a counterfeit Christianity one that has the appearance of faith but it denies the transforming
[00:31:39] power of Jesus Christ. Paul is going to, we're going to see this in our study of second Timothy, when he writes to Timothy in chapter three, verse five, he says that there are those who
[00:31:49] have an appearance of godliness, but they deny the power thereof. Jesus talked to this brand of believer in Matthew 23, and he called them whitewashed tombs that they are clean on the outside, but they are dirty and dead on the inside. And James in James chapter two spoke to
[00:32:07] it like this. He said that faith without works is dead. That a profession without proof is not just second best. It doesn't exist. What does it look like today? A counterfeit Christianity knows the language of Christianity, but not the Lordship of Christ. It attends services, but it resists
[00:32:28] repentance and obedience. It affirms truth verbally, but avoids costly discipleship.
[00:32:35] and counterfeit Christianity values comfort image and culture more than holiness and and being on mission for Christ to state it truthfully Christianity that only looks and sounds right but produces no repentance no obedience and no love is not weak Christianity it's false
[00:32:58] Christianity because it rejects the authority of Christ it resists the work of the Holy Spirit and it avoids the cross where self dies and Christ reigns.
[00:33:10] The biblical contrast though to a real Christianity is that real Christianity changes what we love.
[00:33:17] We start loving what Christ loved and hate what Christ hates.
[00:33:23] Real Christianity, biblical Christianity shapes how we live, not trying to figure out how to shape our beliefs how we wanna live.
[00:33:31] Real Christianity produces fruit over time.
[00:33:34] listen none of us can just because we want to try harder can just poof point just just balloon out into a perfectly ripe tree that is see it has seasonal fruit but each of us are on a journey
[00:33:49] and where God's word is placed in our heart we will bear fruit as we should and it will be fruit that is worth keeping and is worth sharing and real Christianity carries power to save sustain
[00:34:01] and to sanctify if Christ has not changed your life you may admire him but you're not following him if Christ has not changed your life you may admire him but you are not following him and what I'm really afraid of in this generation
[00:34:21] and guys I'm gonna just be real honest with you this is going to be the series that either sends us out as a congregation or lets us hit an exponential growth because there are people that are hungry for truth but coming from beulah i want
[00:34:34] to be sure that we're not developing a faith that is gibberish it sounds almost just like biblical christianity but it ain't got the power to tear out of a wet paper bag i want to be sure that our
[00:34:47] buttons that we're not overrun by buttons and triggers and every disobedient non-truth accepted by believers who should know better, and I ain't mad at nobody, but this will be the series I'm telling you that'll either thin us out or it will cause us to hit an exponential growth.
[00:35:05] And I will do my best as your pastor to Ephesians 4 it, speak the truth in a balance of love.
[00:35:11] But I'm not going to move forward into 2026 worried about pushing all your buttons and tripping all your triggers just because it doesn't fit in with what you have either grown by a perception. You have been taught by devils and dog collars, which you don't really understand
[00:35:26] the word of God and develop some kind of half-cocked ideology that keeps you comfortable and safe in the shadow of the temple or in the shadow of the crucifix. Are you with me, church family? And I want you to grow. I want your buttons to be buttons that are based off of obedience.
[00:35:44] And I want your triggers to be that which trip when you see an opportunity to serve Christ, Whether it's with your friends, whether it's with your spouse, your children, whether it's in this church building, whether it's at work, whether it's in your hobbies, any opportunity you have
[00:35:59] to honor Christ and to glorify him and to serve him in the public. I want that to be your trigger.
[00:36:06] Why? So that we can live our lives on truth. Because Jesus said, heaven and earth will pass away, but my word, what? Last forever. And there is a wisdom that is being placated in this world.
[00:36:19] and it is being baptized in the local church and people are accepting it and it is both unbiblical, ungodly and should never be voted on.
[00:36:29] You should never have to vote on what God has already said to be true in his word.
[00:36:34] Amen?
[00:36:35] So if you have your Bibles, I want you to turn with me to 2 Timothy chapter one.
[00:36:41] We're gonna work our way through this.
[00:36:43] I will jump sometimes as it's pertinent back to 1 Timothy.
[00:36:47] this is the second letter written to Timothy. Let me remind you of who Timothy is. Timothy is like a son in the Lord to Paul. He is a biracial kid who is a believer and through Paul's ministry
[00:37:03] was called to full-time vocational ministry. Paul has this biracial boy circumcised so that he may go first to the Jews and minister to them and then to anyone else that God puts in his path.
[00:37:19] And as Timothy grows and begins to travel with Paul, he becomes a travel mate alongside of Barnabas, alongside of Silas, alongside of John Mark, alongside of Priscilla and Aquila, alongside of Luke. If you've read the gospel of Acts or the book of Acts, I love to call
[00:37:37] the book of Acts, the gospel of the church, because it's as the church grows. But Paul sends and leaves Timothy in Ephesus. Ephesus, my friends, is Freak Town Mediterranean.
[00:37:52] Ephesus loved their intellect. They have one of the oldest libraries in the world, the library at Celsus. Ephesus loved their technology. They have one of the oldest hospitals in the world. Also, when you go to Cusada Sea, Turkey, you will see they also had
[00:38:10] underground terracotta pipes. They had their own plumbing system throughout the city.
[00:38:18] They loved their technology. Throughout Ephesus, you will find one gymnasium after another. And it wasn't just a place to work out and build muscles. They used the gymnasium like secondary school or high school and junior college. They use it as an opportunity for you to come and work
[00:38:35] on your body, work on your intellect, work on your capacity to argue and to present your thoughts and ideas in the populace. So they loved and were smitten with their image. Throughout Ephesus, there is one sports palladium and sports field after another. They love their athletics.
[00:38:54] And throughout Ephesus, when you travel those ancient roads coming from the main thoroughfare of the port city, you will find cobblestones who have the silhouette of a woman, a foot pointing in the direction and the sign of a coin showing you that if you just keep walking, you'll find
[00:39:12] a house of prostitution. They were smitten with their sexuality. So let's think about that. They love their intellect. They love their technology. They love their image. They love their sports and they love their sex. Who does that sound like? Us. It sounds like the world in which we live and
[00:39:31] pretty much the world that we've lived in since the fall. And now Timothy is a pastor there.
[00:39:38] Timothy is probably a young man. Cody, how old are you? Stand up just for a second. So, so Cody is 18. Bricks, how old are you? Stand up, stand up. So this is, just take a look at
[00:39:53] these turnaround bricks so that people can see you and Cody. So, so we're 18 to 20. Do we have a 22 year old male here somewhere? 22 somewhere, somewhere. Go ahead, Todd. Go ahead. Lord,
[00:40:04] forgive you for a line. 22 times two. Okay. So I love you, bud. Come on, Austin, stand up real quick. All right. So, so think about this kind of capacity of a young man serving in a national
[00:40:19] port city of the Greco-Roman world that was dealing with all the things that they're dealing, a lot like they're dealing with today without media. Now they had media. It just wasn't like ours. Thanks guys. Sit down. Now I'm thankful these guys stood up because they're handsome.
[00:40:36] They're fit. They're athletic. Paul will tell Timothy that bodily exercise profit little, but godliness profits into all things. He's going to tell these good looking young men like Timothy. He says, I want you to flee youthful desires. I want you to pursue me.
[00:40:53] So Timothy has all these pressures coming against him. And we're going to pick up on some of this in the very first part. But as this is a letter to Timothy, it is also a letter that you and I
[00:41:04] can pick up on of who we're to be individually and who we're to be as the church. Let's listen to the word. Now, these first two verses are the introduction. Now, if you're signing up for the
[00:41:15] for the Beulah Academy. That's going to start the first Sunday night in January, 2026. I'm going to teach you things like this. Never overlook the opening and the salutation of a new Testament letter because they're chock full of his store history and theology. Number one, Paul writes
[00:41:37] and says, I Paul or Paul and apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. Paul, number one, identifies himself. Whereas in history, we can find a Saul of Tarsus and we get connected to the guy who wrote two thirds of the New
[00:41:58] Testament. In other words, in the New Testament and the Old Testament, these are not made up names that have no historicity and you can't find them anywhere. As some world religions and contemporary religious movements have in what they call their holy books. I'm mashing buttons.
[00:42:17] I'm not trying to be rude. I'm just telling you, pay attention. Don't overlook this stuff. He calls himself an apostle. Paul was not one of the first disciples, but he is an apostle. What is an
[00:42:30] apostle? An apostle is one who has seen the risen Lord Jesus who raised from the dead on the road to Damascus, which transformed his life. And he says, I'm not just any apostle. I'm an apostle
[00:42:42] of Christ Jesus. Christ is not Jesus's last name. It is the Greek word Christos, which is translated from the Hebrew word Messiah, which is the word for Messiah. He says, I, Paul, who, and even in
[00:42:59] his name is his testimony, because I used to be Saul of Tarsus. I am an apostle, one who has seen the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so by the will of God. My friends, this is a freebie
[00:43:14] here. And this is the kind of stuff that keeps me from being a 20 minute preacher. Okay. How much do you consider the will of God in your life? Now, let me help us this morning. I want everybody
[00:43:27] to just take a deep breath in. All right. And listen, I used to make fun of guys who wore those breathing strips, but I got some for Christmas. I'm just telling you, that's the junk that killed Elvis. You better recognize I've never breathed so deep in my life. They glue them
[00:43:41] to your nose and they throw your nose out and now you can breathe. It's like, I believe I can fly.
[00:43:47] I mean, it's the greatest experience I've had since getting saved. I'm just telling you, it's amazing. Being able to breathe with this deviated septum and my broke nose from fist fighting all these years is a blessing of the Lord. Okay. Back to the point. Here we go.
[00:44:00] the very fact that you can take a breath in means that you're alive which means you are the will of God for if you were not the will of God you would not be here this very moment in your life is a
[00:44:11] moment of the will of God but I wonder how many of us consider the will of God in our life how many of us consider the will of God for your marriage the will of God for your parenting the will of
[00:44:21] God for your singleness the will of God as you walk back into biology class in just a few weeks The will of God is you start your volleyball and your softball and your basketball and your wrestling and all the things that you do,
[00:44:34] your soccer and your travel sports.
[00:44:35] How many of us consider the will of God in our budgeting and what God would have us to do?
[00:44:40] How many of us consider the will of God in regard to our business?
[00:44:44] Guys, I wanna encourage you to sit down before 2026, spend some time, married couples, I wanna encourage you to take a two-day retreat if you can afford it.
[00:44:53] If you can't afford to go anywhere, then then block off time unhindered time at a library at a at a restaurant at somewhere maybe on your back porch with your bible with your budget your bills your yearly calendar everything
[00:45:08] you know is happening with your children everything you'd like to do for vacation everything you want to do in activities and the church and thinking about serving and have a prayer retreat about the will of god for your life in 2026
[00:45:23] before you ever get there?
[00:45:26] How many of us right now can't believe it's the end of 2025?
[00:45:30] I can't.
[00:45:31] Man, it was like the big lead up to Christmas and then it's gone, back at it, right?
[00:45:37] How do we get there?
[00:45:37] We get there by not prayerfully considering the will of God for our lives.
[00:45:42] Now, I'm not saying that we all have been like, no, I never think about the will of God.
[00:45:45] And there may be some of you like, well, Brian, Pastor B, I can't plan everything for the will of God.
[00:45:49] You're right.
[00:45:50] But as you prayerfully consider the will of God for your life, you will become a better steward of what God puts in front of you, the time you have, the opportunities you have.
[00:46:01] You may be able to see your life in a totally new level that you've never seen before.
[00:46:07] Instead of just playing goofy, whatever happens, right?
[00:46:11] You now become a wise servant of the Lord.
[00:46:15] Have you ever considered what the will of God is for your marriage this coming year?
[00:46:19] What's the will of God in your parenting this year?
[00:46:22] What's the will of God in your budget this year?
[00:46:24] What are we gonna include?
[00:46:25] What are we gonna cut out?
[00:46:27] What are we gonna sacrifice for that we can do for the will of God concerning our life in Christ Jesus?
[00:46:33] What's the will of, have you considered the will of God?
[00:46:36] If you own your own company, can we take on five new clients?
[00:46:39] Can we take on 42 new clients?
[00:46:41] Will the cashflow be what we need it to be?
[00:46:44] Are we selling ourselves too short?
[00:46:46] Do you plan in regard to that?
[00:46:47] What's the will of God?
[00:46:49] because here's the deal guys if the will of God is only concerning an hour and 15 minutes on Sunday morning there's a whole lot left to live that's 52 hours out and you do the math y'all you know
[00:47:03] what I'm doing here that's that's that's 52 days a year that you think about the will of God and yet there's over 300 more that you need to consider are you with me Paul understands that
[00:47:18] his very place he's in jail while he's writing this letter and he says this is all by the will of God according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus while he understands the will of
[00:47:34] God he is also celebrating the fact that in Christ you and I have promises that's why I stopped the song and made us re-sing it because why he's been so so good to us over 7,000 promises which are
[00:47:46] yes and amen. I haven't seen every one of those 7,000 fulfilled yet, but I know they're there and I know I can lean on them. And he's not slack concerning his promise as some people count
[00:47:57] slackness, the Bible tells me. So I have promise of this life and the life to come. And where are you leaning on those promises? And that's how he writes to Timothy. And then he addresses him to
[00:48:09] Timothy, my beloved child. This is where Paul considers him like his very own son. And he speaks to him, grace, mercy, and peace from God, the father and Christ Jesus, our Lord. Notice how he addresses him. Do you address people like that? Grace to you. No, we're like, be quiet. I can't
[00:48:29] hear the TV. Oh, who's texting me now? Oh, oh gosh. They're in aisle three. Come on, hurry. If we get in here, we'll never get out of this grocery store. How do we really greet people? This is where he
[00:48:45] models for us, greeting people who are important to us. Grace, God's ridiculous generosity to you.
[00:48:52] Mercy, God's power that keeps him from squashing us like a grape when we mess up. And his peace that surpasses all understanding. Be yours, Timothy. And now watch what he does as he writes to him in verse three. Go forward with me, guys. He says, I thank God whom I what? Whom I believe
[00:49:13] in whom i root for i thank god whom i what this is the point if you believe in god a biblical the biblical god revealed in jesus christ your belief has to move from just a belief to a belief
[00:49:32] that has action called serving do you hear it do you see it the bible tells us the book of james James says, even the demons do believe and tremble.
[00:49:47] So what's the difference in your belief in God and Satan's?
[00:49:51] This is where you will say, I willingly serve the God whom I believe in.
[00:49:58] And Paul isn't interested in just serving him on Sundays.
[00:50:01] He's saying, I serve him with my entire life.
[00:50:05] Even in prison, Paul could have given up, but no, he's writing a letter to Timothy to help him.
[00:50:12] he says as did my ancestors whoa this is a generational faith how many of y'all have a grandma or grandpa papa that lived for jesus and prayed over you and anybody raise your hand real
[00:50:25] quick oh yeah yeah what happened to y'all no no no just kidding making sure you're paying attention right right yeah thank god they prayed for us thank god some of us had the mamas we had that
[00:50:38] went to the altar of the lord grabbed a hold of the altar and called our name and said jesus do something with us the sinner right i'm grateful for my mama he says i thank god whom i serve as my
[00:50:51] ancestors did that i have a handed down i have a generational faith with a what a clear conscience how powerful is a clear conscience it's pretty awesome isn't it how troubling is a unclear conscience or a troubled conscience. Think about it this way. When you have ever gone to serve the
[00:51:20] Lord or do something for the Lord, has the old enemy ever hit the jukebox on all your past sins and made those old familiar songs start playing and stir up your conscience? Anybody? Am I the
[00:51:39] only one. Man, he got a nickel for every one of those, don't he? And when that conscience, when you start thinking about old things and that thought goes, well, I couldn't do this for the
[00:51:50] Lord. I couldn't, I didn't do this. There ain't no way I could do this. When you start thinking like that, does that make you eagerly serve the Lord or shrink back from the Lord? Let me
[00:52:01] illustrate it like Sesame Street. Any of y'all remember? Near, far, right? Anybody remember those days yeah i paid attention i'm not a very smart man but i know demonstrative pronouns right i know my adverbs right which does it do when when your conscience is not clear do you want to be near
[00:52:22] christ do you want to serve christ or you try to get as far away as you can and this is where serving and a clear conscience go together this is where serving the lord in a clear conscience
[00:52:36] How do I get a clear conscience?
[00:52:38] Stop living in sin.
[00:52:44] The promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, sin can't upgrade that.
[00:52:51] And if you know you have sin in your life, 1 John 1, 9 it, that if I will confess my sins, he is faithful and just, and he will forgive me and cleanse me of all unrighteousness.
[00:53:02] As soon as you do them, fess them up.
[00:53:05] Get them out of there.
[00:53:08] And I also wanna tell you guys, I think some of you, as I've spent years now past the counseling people and discipling people, as I run into individuals who have no problem having confessed their sins
[00:53:19] and believing that honestly, Jesus has forgiven them of their sins.
[00:53:22] But here's the issue.
[00:53:24] They need to forgive themselves.
[00:53:27] If you've asked Christ to forgive you of your sins and you genuinely believe he has forgiven you and cleansed you, and little sis, little brother, are you still holding on to that?
[00:53:40] Who do you think you are?
[00:53:43] If Jesus can forgive you, if God Almighty can forgive you, who are you to keep holding on to that?
[00:53:52] Look, I know sometimes it's in standards that you said, I'd never do this, I'd never be in this.
[00:53:56] I said, I would never let this happen in real life.
[00:53:59] But guess what?
[00:54:00] Sometimes stuff happens.
[00:54:02] Life happens sometimes.
[00:54:04] And sin happens.
[00:54:05] Sin either happens, you sin, sin happens to you.
[00:54:07] you're around sin and if God is willing to forgive you there may be times you need to take a good look in the mirror and call yourself by name and say Jesus loves you I love you Jesus forgives you
[00:54:20] I forgive you and as many amen amen come on and as many times as it takes until it becomes real until it becomes real and what it'll also do is it'll free you up from letting a button be pushed
[00:54:36] bing bing bing every time somebody wants to talk who is close in your life about how that sin or whatever it was affected them you don't hear it as rejection you now can see i've been healed from
[00:54:49] that my life has been changed from that what do we learn from that so we may discipline ourselves to never go back to that living again and all god's people said amen and now he says and i
[00:55:03] remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day, as I remember your tears. This is how he teaches us how we're to really serve people that love us. Pray for them night and day, day and
[00:55:18] night. Look, if you're a prayer, man, add me and I'm special to you. Add me on that list. Add my family onto that list, right? There's nothing more powerful. Moms and dads, are you praying for your
[00:55:31] kids, husbands and wives? Are you praying for your spouse, business owners, managers? Are you praying for your team? Are you praying for your employees? Are you praying for your church pastoral staff? Are you praying for you? Like these are the things that are important in your
[00:55:47] life. We ought to pray for them. And notice what he picks up in verse four. As I remember your what tears. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. This is where we know Timothy is struggling.
[00:55:59] Now we know from 1 Timothy 4 that there are people that are making fun of Timothy because he's young.
[00:56:04] Paul says, let no one look down upon you because you are young, but set for them an example of the believer in your life and your love and your faith and your speech and in your purity.
[00:56:13] Until I come, give full attendance to the public reading of scripture, to the laying on of hands, to prayer, right?
[00:56:19] So Paul knows that he's like, look, and this is what he's teaching us, students, that with Jesus, age is not a prerequisite for serving the Lord, faith is.
[00:56:30] Faith in a clear conscience.
[00:56:32] Timothy is also probably having a tough time because he knows his mentor and his father and the Lord's in jail.
[00:56:39] He could die at any moment.
[00:56:41] And the other thing I think that Timothy's probably struggling with with all the other things and the buttons and the triggers because every time he teaches, it's all new to them and some of it's old to them and they struggle with it
[00:56:50] is that Paul's not there with him.
[00:56:54] Paul is the kind of guy that is demonstrating the book of Acts.
[00:56:57] Once the Lord tells him to leave, he's gone.
[00:56:59] Some of y'all might understand that.
[00:57:01] You just saw it this week, right?
[00:57:03] Everybody else is hanging out.
[00:57:04] You've been there at the in-laws for an hour and a half, two hours.
[00:57:07] And all the festivities are kind of down.
[00:57:09] You already got the back packed up with the souffle and the ham and the turkey and the presents.
[00:57:15] And everybody else is just milling around.
[00:57:17] You sitting in the car going, ready to go.
[00:57:18] Time to go.
[00:57:20] You don't hang out by the door and wait for somebody to beg you, oh, stay a little while.
[00:57:23] Any of y'all like that?
[00:57:25] It's okay to raise your hand.
[00:57:26] Yep, I knew back there, I knew that was gonna be it, right?
[00:57:28] The rest of us are like, no, we just stay here all day.
[00:57:31] So when Paul leaves, he leaves Timothy in a hot spot, but he believes that Timothy is called by God.
[00:57:40] And so he says, look, I long to see you that I may be filled with joy as I am reminded of your what?
[00:57:49] Sincere faith.
[00:57:51] Timothy has a sincere faith.
[00:57:54] He saw it in him as a young man.
[00:57:55] He saw him as a travel partner and now he sees it in him. This, this faith that chooses to obey God's word, regardless of, of circumstances, emotions, or cultural trends. Now here's what I want you to understand guys. Faith is relational and faith is generational and whatever is handed
[00:58:14] down must be owned. Go forward with me, Jonathan, let me read this and I'm going to come back to that teaching point. He says a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother
[00:58:25] Eunice, and now I'm sure dwells in you as well. So he had a grandmother who was a woman of God.
[00:58:33] He had a mother who was a woman of God. And he says, I've seen that your life is legit and your faith is legit. Our faith is a generational faith. I want to encourage you guys,
[00:58:50] parents right now who are in the throes of it. I want you, the reason I want you to read your Bible is not only so you can walk with Jesus, but so that as you read that Bible, you can take notes
[00:59:01] so that you could give a Bible to your children that have your notes in it. Grandparents, I want to encourage you to read your Bible, but read it and take notes so that when your babies graduate
[00:59:14] college, you can give them your personal Bible that has your notes in it. So Brian, that's awful personal yeah but you know what it'll make you do get you a new bible and start reading it over
[00:59:26] because we all have a tendency to only read the parts of the bible that we really like so we're kind of biblically illiterate and we produce that same biblical illiteracy in our generational faith okay button yeah that was a button right we need to be handing this down
[00:59:47] Students, you guys right now, man, could you imagine my men or my young men? Raise your hand real quick. Could you imagine reading your Bible now and taking notes in it? So not only when you
[01:00:01] ask some girl who has momentary insanity if she will marry you. No, I'm just kidding. Not only could you give her a ring, but what if you gave her your Bible? This is the Bible that has held
[01:00:14] my soul and my purity until i met you oh i just saw girls about melt right now i saw you ever thought of that before you know why because we don't have a button or a trigger for that kind
[01:00:33] of righteousness we're like oh baby your butt's big let me feel on it that's what our world that's your button and we got songs that prove i like big butts and i cannot lie and i if i guarantee
[01:00:46] if i keep wrapping it most of y'all can wrap it with me i'm not hating on us this morning i'm just teaching you do you see how many unholy triggers we have when there are so many holy ones we can
[01:01:00] develop it's different isn't it stone boys it's a different way of thinking isn't it and this is what christ calls us to not only is our faith generational but our faith is relational our faith
[01:01:18] is to be lived out among people there are no there is no biblical private faith nope there are no yeah well pastor me and god we got our own thing worked out i ain't really into this organized
[01:01:37] religion or coming to church but me and god we good nope that ain't biblical nope nope no no no Nope, nope, nope.
[01:01:44] A real faith don't have secret handshakes.
[01:01:48] A real, oh, I'm mashing buttons now.
[01:01:50] A real faith don't have little private entities.
[01:01:53] Real faith is public faith.
[01:01:57] It can be very personal, but it is never private.
[01:02:04] Not biblically, because why?
[01:02:06] When Jesus calls a man or a woman, he calls them publicly.
[01:02:10] Jesus said, if you're ashamed of me before men, I will be ashamed of you before my father in heaven.
[01:02:16] He said, I am to be high and lifted up that I may draw all men unto myself.
[01:02:22] And guess who he chooses to be lifted high up with?
[01:02:25] People like you and people like me, his children.
[01:02:29] It's to be relational.
[01:02:31] And we are to live it out in relationships with others and not all of them have to be believers.
[01:02:37] If you are the only person in your office that is a born again believer, Don't be like, I'm looking for a new job in 20, 20 things because I've known.
[01:02:49] Grow up in the name of Jesus.
[01:02:52] God put you there to win that office.
[01:02:56] Be the best employee you can be.
[01:02:59] Be brilliant at what you do.
[01:03:01] Overflow with the goodness of God.
[01:03:03] Be consistent because you never know when Janet's gonna show up in the break room and go, listen, I see your social media.
[01:03:10] I saw the thing that you posted the other day about marriage.
[01:03:13] Would you please pray for me and Tyrone?
[01:03:17] Would you please pray for us?
[01:03:19] Yes, I will.
[01:03:20] You walk right back to your desk.
[01:03:21] You pull out your little prayer list.
[01:03:23] Lord, I pray for Janet and Tyrone that you would have your hand upon them.
[01:03:26] On the way to Chick-fil-A while I'm eating lunch, turn the radio down.
[01:03:30] I say, Father, in the name of Jesus, I just wanna pray for Janet.
[01:03:33] I wanna pray for her family and for her kids.
[01:03:35] I wanna ask you to work in there.
[01:03:38] See the difference?
[01:03:39] It's relational.
[01:03:41] It's meant to be lived out relationally.
[01:03:43] But we've let every little trigger and every little button by this unholy word keep a world not unholy word unholy world keep us from living out a faith that is intended to be relational it's to be lived out in the church we are the body of Christ are you with me church
[01:03:58] family it's to be lived out listen my young people my singles if you're dating somebody that keeps pouring cold water on the fire of Christ in you that is not your soulmate if they can be all over
[01:04:13] you and be like oh we're just planning our future are you going to Bible study again aren't you taking this Jesus thing a little too serious? That's not you. That ain't for you. Walk away.
[01:04:23] Let it go. Let it go. Verse six. Why does he tell him this? He says, read verse six with me. For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying
[01:04:42] on of my hands. Now, what ultimately Paul's talking about here is that when he came across Eunice. And when he came across, um, Lois and they introduced him to their grandson and their son, Timothy, Paul recognized that Timothy had to call to ministry, full-time vocational ministry.
[01:05:01] All right. And he laid his hands on him. And from that moment, Timothy started traveling with him.
[01:05:06] But guys, what I want you to understand is every believer is called to minister from the gift of God. The gift of God of salvation, the gift of God of the Holy Spirit, the gift of God is his word
[01:05:21] and the gifts of God are the responsibilities that he's placed in your hands, whether it's your business, whether it's your family, your marriage, your children. Maybe it's just having a brother and a mom and a dad right now, a sister. Maybe it's being in the seventh grade or the
[01:05:35] 11th grade, or you're the in-between year, the gap year. It's a gift from God. Are you with me?
[01:05:41] this is where I struggled to recognize my, my calling to God. Because when I got saved, bro, I was leaning against hell's door. Like I, I got used to the temperature of hell being room
[01:05:52] temperature. And when Jesus saved me, the pendulum swung so much. As I began to study the word of God, everything had to change. Like I wouldn't just, I wouldn't just winging my way into glory,
[01:06:01] bro. The pendulum swung y'all. I wouldn't even go watch a movie because I felt like I was wasting And back then, a movie was like $4.
[01:06:08] I was wasting $4 of the Lord's when I could use it for missions or I could buy gas to go preach in Myrtle Beach or somewhere like that.
[01:06:15] I mean, that's what I'm talking about.
[01:06:17] Anybody get me?
[01:06:19] And I understood everything about performance.
[01:06:20] I didn't understand anything about grace.
[01:06:22] So me and my childhood lifelong best friend were riding down the road one day, Clayton King.
[01:06:27] And I'd been reading and studying and traveling and speaking.
[01:06:30] And we're riding down the road from Woodruff back to Fountain Inn where he lived.
[01:06:33] And he said, Burgess, I believe you're called to ministry.
[01:06:36] I said, I know, I'm called to minister to people.
[01:06:39] That's what every Christian should do.
[01:06:41] That's what I'm supposed to do.
[01:06:42] He goes, no, no, no, no, dude, God put something on you.
[01:06:45] I said, I know, I'm doing what every Christian is supposed to do, read our Bible, build a prayer life, get some boldness, change your life by the grace of God and share with everybody you can.
[01:06:56] He said, I know that, moron, but God has called out some of us ahead of the group to point to them to remind those of things.
[01:07:04] I said, well, if everybody was doing what I was doing right now, how many people would be dying and going to hell?
[01:07:10] He said, slim to none.
[01:07:12] But that's still not what I'm saying.
[01:07:14] And we're arguing back and forth.
[01:07:15] I mean, we're childhood friends.
[01:07:16] We'd fist fight and eat spaghetti later that night, right?
[01:07:19] All right, and that's another butt in our world doesn't know anything about.
[01:07:22] Oh, you hurt my feelings.
[01:07:24] Oh, that was easy, because why?
[01:07:26] You live in your feelings, not truth.
[01:07:30] You live in them.
[01:07:32] Truth, truth.
[01:07:35] That's why a mirror is important.
[01:07:37] I leave the gym, I feel like Lou Ferrigno.
[01:07:40] I look in the mirror, I still like Dusty Rhodes.
[01:07:43] That's what I still look like.
[01:07:44] The American dream, Dusty Rhodes.
[01:07:47] That's what the law of God is.
[01:07:48] It is a mirror.
[01:07:49] It helps you understand truth.
[01:07:52] And so it was difficult for me to understand that.
[01:07:54] And then I did realize that God had put an anointing on me and a calling for me to earn my living and to be a lead disciple in a vocational ministry.
[01:08:03] But friends, I'm telling you, every one of us are called to minister and you have a gift from God.
[01:08:09] And he says, and your gift is salvation.
[01:08:12] Your gift is your marriage.
[01:08:13] Your gift are your children.
[01:08:14] Your gift is where you're at right now in life, right?
[01:08:19] And he uses the illustration of fanning into flame, a fire.
[01:08:25] How many of you got fireplaces at your house?
[01:08:27] Talk to me.
[01:08:28] Oh man, I'm jealous.
[01:08:29] I'm jealous of y'all with a godly jealousy.
[01:08:32] Man, at almost 50 years old, I love a fireplace.
[01:08:34] I love everything about it.
[01:08:35] The thought of cutting wood, of making sure it's right and ready, of having it cleaned out, ready.
[01:08:41] I love the smell of it.
[01:08:43] I love the closeness of it.
[01:08:44] I love the intimacy of that fire, right?
[01:08:47] But when that fire goes down, what do you gotta do to stoke it back up again?
[01:08:52] What do you gotta do?
[01:08:54] Yeah.
[01:08:54] How many of y'all are old enough to remember those billows?
[01:08:57] Anybody old enough to remember that?
[01:08:58] That little accordion thing.
[01:09:00] Right?
[01:09:00] That's how I feel some Sunday mornings.
[01:09:02] You know, right?
[01:09:04] You get that billow.
[01:09:05] why? Because it takes oxygen, right? Some of y'all, you don't have the billow. What do you do?
[01:09:09] You get that old poker out, right? What do you do? Yeah, you did it. She's like, she's sword fighting. Right? Yeah. She's, she's stoking it back and forth. Why? So that oxygen can hit those
[01:09:23] embers. And, and then when you put a new log on there, what will it do? And this is where Paul helps us understand that every one of us who is a believing individual has the possibility of
[01:09:36] letting our gift and our calling wane. And this is the command of God for us to, let me ask you this. How many of you who've lived for the Lord a little while have ever gotten bored in your walk
[01:09:51] with Jesus? God's not going to strike you dead. Okay. Look, I've been walking with Jesus for a long time. I can translate verbs from different languages. I can, I've read just about every theological work there is uh yeah there are times that sometimes i go through the motions
[01:10:09] until the holy spirit goes hey what are we doing here this ain't elevator music we're just riding the ups and the downs here with entertaining ourself with gibberish this is power so you guess what you gotta do how do you do that and what's the word of god
[01:10:26] how much time do you spend in god's word the word of god will light a fire in you see because when you read the bible it reads you it's a it's a sharper sharper two-edged sword than any other
[01:10:38] sword and it divides the indivisible in you and when you read god's word it's an encounter with god almighty you say i don't understand it that's not an excuse lord help in the name of jesus
[01:10:48] mash that butt don't you trigger me like that no you can buy a 65 study bible i spent hundreds of thousands of dollars getting the education in fan it into flame fan it into flame by getting rid of
[01:11:03] sin in your life or the people that are in your life who are saying aren't you taking that a little too far you say well what about if that's my spouse i ain't saying get a divorce but here's
[01:11:12] what i'm saying if you're the only one at your house student wife husband you're the only one at your house that's serious about jesus christ don't you dare let the cold water committee wane your fire blow that thing into red scalding hot because why there's going to be a cold winter
[01:11:34] They need your fire.
[01:11:36] They're gonna be a dark day.
[01:11:38] They're gonna need your light.
[01:11:39] They're gonna be something that they need.
[01:11:41] Now, you can't chase one another around the house with the embers.
[01:11:44] Yeah, I'm gonna burn you if you don't get right with Jesus.
[01:11:46] Right?
[01:11:48] Don't do that kind of crazy stuff.
[01:11:50] But this is where you gotta be careful who's pouring water on your fire.
[01:11:55] And listen, just because somebody in your household is holding you accountable for consistency doesn't mean they're pouring water on you as well.
[01:12:03] If you have a hard time with accountability, you need to get near the cross and let that button go that you hear it as rejection and let it be the most if you listen let me re-say it like this if you have somebody in your life that loves you
[01:12:20] enough to call you to accountability that's not a trigger that's a treasure it's a treasure my friend it's a treasure if you have somebody that is trying to re-center you in Christ and say no
[01:12:34] no, this is what we need to be doing. That is not a hot button. That is a treasure of the Lord.
[01:12:41] Sure. It might hurt. You might get in your feelings, but guess what? You've had indigestion before. Listen guys, I'm going to tell you straight up. This isn't just for you. This is for me.
[01:12:57] As your pastor, there are times it's tough and it's normally not the world. Sometimes it's you guys shepherding you is difficult it's the only job I know where people who don't know the Bible couldn't spell Habakkuk much less find it and have
[01:13:27] never read it and don't pray can tell me how to do my job hello who can't even manage their own household budget trying to direct me on how to manage a budget with millions of dollars hello and there are days that I feel the and that's when
[01:13:52] the Lord. I'm not going to let y'all hear how tough the Lord does, but the Lord likes to yoke me and pimp slap me around. Gospel slapped me. I'll say that's better. That's better.
[01:14:06] Gospel slapped me around a couple of times. Oh, yes, sir. Yes, sir. And get that fire burning hot again. That's where y'all get tickled. Parker will say sometimes I'm so grateful Parker to stand in the pulpit with me. He'll say, pastor's been on vacation. Y'all better
[01:14:24] get ready for it. Because when I'm on vacation, I'm going just as quick and as diligently as I can, because why? I want you to experience the best of God. Here's what I'm saying with this.
[01:14:37] The greatest neglect to your calling is not opposition from the world, but personal neglect, personal neglect. Wherever you neglect the gospel in your life, and hear me guys, the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, it needs to be in your teenage years, man. Students, hear me.
[01:14:55] this message in this book is not for 40 plus. It's for anybody who believes in Jesus.
[01:15:03] So the gospel needs to be in your teenage years. I'm telling you straight up, young ladies, the gospel of Jesus Christ will crush girl drama. The gospel of Jesus Christ will crush girl drama.
[01:15:18] And mama, if you are participating in girl drama, you are a spawn of Satan.
[01:15:25] in the name of jesus repent hold your daughter to gospel truth and don't give into it stop oh that was a big button right there wasn't it some dudes like i've been telling y'all she's
[01:15:43] satan y'all won't listen to me you get saved too that was a big button right there that's a trigger no no no stop that mess don't live in that stop opening the door to satan and worldly
[01:15:56] wisdom. Look, if somebody doesn't want to be your friends because of the clothes you wear, and you don't know anything about the robe of righteousness, that is truly my life. If we can't be friends because we play on two different volleyball teams, what you going to do when we
[01:16:16] get to heaven? Cross the street of gold just because I was there. Because if you are, one of us ain't making it. Hello? You guys that get mad in church and be like, I'm going to go to another
[01:16:31] church and you're a believer and i'm a believer and we die the same day and both of us show up lay our crowns at the feet of jesus and you see i'm there and you're mad at me
[01:16:42] because guess what i push one of your buttons when you see me are you gonna cross the street of gold just to avoid me because if you are one of us ain't making it and i got plans that i'm gonna be
[01:17:01] there now watch how this shifts relationships this means let's say for instance don and i might not agree on something but don has the holy spirit in him and i have the holy spirit in me this means
[01:17:17] that mine whether don and i agree or not the the real issue is what's the integrity of mine in his relationship because we are brothers in Christ forever, which means I can't just pop off and
[01:17:33] say whatever I want to to Don, nor meet him or go home and go, do you know what Don did?
[01:17:39] And he go to Nanny, you know what Brian did? And gossip because what? Gossipers are God haters.
[01:17:45] They're in the same line in the New Testament from Colossians and first Corinthians.
[01:17:49] this means that we are able to viably intelligently talk about how we may have a difference and maybe we get along and we agree on everything but you know what we still have the capacity to yoke one
[01:18:05] of them go hey it's holding you accountable so that that kind of relationship transfers to when both of us get to heaven and most believers don't even know that that's why there's so many Baptist churches in Iredell County, nobody should die and go to hell. Most of them weren't because
[01:18:22] God told them to start them. It's because they got mad because guess what? Their button got pushed and they're still as dead as they were before they ever started a new church.
[01:18:33] Oh yeah, that was a trigger. That was a trigger. The gospel has to be in your marriage, the sacrificial life and death of Jesus Christ on both parts. The gospel has to be in your
[01:18:51] parenting? How were we raising disciples of Christ? The gospel has to be in my budget.
[01:18:58] How can I steward the blessings that God has put in my hands in the good times and in the bad times so that we are prepared? The gospel makes you prepared. The gospel needs to be in your business.
[01:19:09] Look, whether I'm digging holes or wrenching or I'm HR-ing or I'm plumbing or whatever your business is, you can still do your work as unto the Lord and have hard conversations and expect your employees to get to work on time. Do you see that? So, but wherever you neglect the gospel in
[01:19:30] your life, all you will be left with is buttons and triggers and unholy feelings that do not come from faith nor build up your faith. And the Bible says, whatever it is that not come from faith is
[01:19:42] sin so let's ask ourselves this question at this moment before we close this sermon how much of my buttons are really my sinful flesh how much of my triggers are built by the wisdom of this world
[01:20:00] which is ungodliness watch what he says i close with this he says for god read it with me church gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control that word fear is not just phobos
[01:20:20] it's the word cowardice tell me about a coward what does a coward do come on y'all watch kenny y'all listen to kenny rogers coward of the county what do they do they hide they run they will never
[01:20:36] ride the truth train because they cannot handle the attention that truth brings and the accountability.
[01:20:45] God didn't give you a spirit of cowardice. He gave you a spirit of power. If fear is controlling your obedience, it is not the spirit of God who is leading you. But as a believer, you have real
[01:21:05] power, the power of the Holy Spirit inside of you. You have the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead alive in you. Ladies and gentlemen, there ought to be a different energy level in us.
[01:21:17] There ought to be a different level of hope. He said, God gave us not only, he didn't give us a spirit of fear, but he gave us a spirit that has power and a spirit of love. As a believer,
[01:21:27] you and I are to be compelled by the love of God. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5, we are compelled by the love of Christ Jesus is that what's really compelling you the reason I don't do this because I'm compelled by the love of Christ the
[01:21:41] reason I do this is because I'm compelled by the love of Christ the reason I can't agree with you is I'm compelled by the love of Christ the reason why I can't accept what the world is saying about this is because I'm
[01:21:50] compelled by the love of Christ the reason I want to serve God is because I'm compelled by the love of Christ the reason why I want to extend an olive branch and seek forgiveness and reconcile this relationship is because
[01:22:00] I'm compelled by the love of Christ.
[01:22:02] Wherever you're not compelled by the love of Christ, we talked about this the other night, right?
[01:22:06] What happens to the fire that's in you?
[01:22:08] It wanes and you get careless and you're just like, nah, they'll figure it out.
[01:22:12] I don't need to work in their life.
[01:22:13] I don't need to talk to them.
[01:22:14] But when that fire is burning, baby, woo, that old flame keeps burning stronger, right?
[01:22:22] When that flame is burning for the right stuff, there's power in your life.
[01:22:27] and he gave us self-control.
[01:22:32] Self-control is the last fruit of the Holy Spirit.
[01:22:35] Here's my point.
[01:22:36] You, back up, back up, back up.
[01:22:42] You will know you are led by the Spirit when self-control permeates every area of your life.
[01:22:49] The Holy Spirit isn't just you so we can say amen and clap in a good sermon or raise our hands during worship.
[01:22:55] The Holy Spirit helps you get to work on time.
[01:22:58] The Holy Spirit helps you do your job.
[01:23:01] The Holy Spirit helps you pay your bills on time.
[01:23:04] The Holy Spirit helps you go to bed at a good time so you're not worn out for the next day.
[01:23:10] The Holy Spirit helps you not open your mouth when you shouldn't.
[01:23:16] And when you do open your mouth, say the things that are fitting and helpful and bless and hold accountable.
[01:23:22] The Holy Spirit manifests himself in our life in a lot of fruit, but one of the most powerful fruit he manifests himself in is self-control.
[01:23:32] And that's from late night bowls of cereal to, are you about to gossip?
[01:23:37] Not listening to it, not listening to it.
[01:23:42] You'll know you're led by the Holy Spirit when the self-control permeates every area of your life.
[01:23:47] So what are you saying to us, pastor?
[01:23:49] I'm glad you asked.
[01:23:51] Go for it, my gentlemen.
[01:23:53] In this sermon series, I wanna ask to let our buttons, I want us as Beulah to let our buttons be anything that stands against Christ.
[01:24:03] Too long, our buttons have been everything that agrees with the world. Oh, I can't believe pastors. You know, them Christians, I can't believe, oh, bing, bing. That was easy. That was easy. That was easy. I want our buttons to be
[01:24:17] rewritten so that when we see things that stand against Christ, we go, oh, you have my attention now. I'm praying that through this series, that our triggers may be any moment that I can be
[01:24:32] obedient to Christ. Any moment that I can be obedient to Christ. That's my trigger. Not all, Oh, Oh, not raising my hand. Nope. Did that before. I'm never doing that again.
[01:24:47] This happened to us the other day. We were shopping, trying to get our kids shopping done for Christmas. Yes. We waited until the last minute on some stuff because we were serving and I'm standing in the middle of books a million. I'm looking to see what devotionals they have,
[01:25:01] looking to see what they got on the rack, what people are buying. All of a sudden this guy in this woman come in and i could pick up on a few things about them i felt it in my spirit and they
[01:25:12] were like i don't know what bible to get they just happened to be in an idol in the aisle with a bible pro siri right alexa oh brian my name is brian hey my name is brian um you didn't ask for this
[01:25:28] but the esv study bible is a really good bible the new king james study bible is a really good bible the NIV from 1984 is a really good Bible. You didn't ask for it. Really? Can you point it out?
[01:25:40] Yes, I can. Can you describe it to us? Yes, I can. Well, before long, I find out that this lady that I'm standing here talking to went to church, but believes everything. And I'm like, ma'am,
[01:25:52] normally I would be like, I know Angie's like, we're never going to get our shopping done.
[01:25:58] but she wasn't she was right there with me i said ma'am you believe the bible yes i believe the bible is the word of god then i need you to hone in on john 14 6 jesus says i'm the way the truth
[01:26:15] and the life no man comes to the father but by me ma'am i don't want this to offend you but it might you cannot believe in everything and still believe john 14 6 at the same time jesus is particular she
[01:26:29] She goes, thank you.
[01:26:31] Then she wanted information about the church.
[01:26:33] She might be here, if you're here today, come by and see me.
[01:26:35] If you're watching, send me an email if I missed your buttons.
[01:26:39] Let your triggers not be everything that upsets you to where you're just like, I can't listen to this.
[01:26:44] No, if you get triggered that way, figure out what you're wrestling the flesh with.
[01:26:48] Figure out if it's a personal preference that has held you back or if it's real gospel truth.
[01:26:53] But let your triggers be wherever you can serve the Lord.
[01:26:56] That's why it's important to be financially sound.
[01:26:58] Why?
[01:26:59] Because if I'm standing with somewhere and I need to lay out some cash.
[01:27:03] Woo, baby, we tithing, I'm already tithed.
[01:27:06] Now, I got mad cash stubbed down in my wallet.
[01:27:09] Now, I know when your kids are young, it's hard to have mad cash, it really is, because them little mad jokers eat all that cash, right?
[01:27:16] But that's why it's important to be like that.
[01:27:18] That's why it's important to know the Word of God.
[01:27:19] I don't know what to say, I don't know what to say.
[01:27:21] Study, why?
[01:27:24] So that you can have the conviction that you will live by the truth of God, not by the ways of this world, not by unholy feelings, not by a way that seems right to you.
[01:27:38] But the Bible warns me the end is destruction.
[01:27:43] Let our buttons and our triggers be based on truth.
[01:27:47] And all God's people said, did you pray this with me?
[01:27:50] Jesus, rewrite my buttons that I would stand for what you stand for.
[01:28:01] I would love what you love.
[01:28:04] that my walk with you would not be gibberish, retrain my triggers, that I would be so sensitive to the Holy Spirit that wherever I can be obedient to you and serve you, let me build my life.
[01:28:31] Man, I love you, church family.
[01:28:32] Happy New Year.
[01:28:33] God bless you.