Bishop Jackie McCullough - A Different Kind of Love - Part 2

on this communion sunday that the blood of jesus was shed to wipe away our sins and to give us access to the throne of god and to position us into the family of god this morning i'm going to ask you to turn your bibles if you have your bibles with you to first john chapter 2 i'll be reading verses 15 through 17. that's first john chapter 2 verses 15 through 17. i will be doing a series from these three verses this is this is part one of the series a different kind of love first john chapter 2 verses 15 through 17 i'll just be dealing with verse 15 today and for the next two times that i preach i'll be dealing with verses 16 and 17. so here begins the reading of god's word love not the world neither the things that are in the world if any man loved the world the love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world and the world passeth away and the lust thereof but he that do it the will of god abideth forever so far the reading and hearing of god's word and the title again as i said before a different kind of love here we are in this first john which is part of first john 2 john 3 john these letters most scholars say that it was written by john who wrote the gospel according to saint john even though there is some dispute as to if he actually wrote these three epistles but we know it sounds like him we know that the things that are mentioned in these epistles are really close to john's heart if it is john the apostle we know that he was on the isle of patmos and we know that he was exiled for preaching the gospel but we also know that he was known as the beloved apostle he was the longest living apostle of the first group of the 12 apostles who walked with jesus he is the one that remained so you're talking about a man in his older years a seasoned man a man who has been in the church and watched the church moved from the time of pentecost unto this point and so he has a lot to say he has a lot to impart and he's still ministering saying to the church my little children and so what is on his heart in this particular epistle he's talking because there has been some false teachers who crept into the church what are these false teachers talking about we call them false prophets but they came into the church and they were teaching the people about the identity of jesus christ differently from what they were taught they were teaching that jesus was not god in the flesh and so they questioned his identity jesus's identity and jesus's purpose jesus's position and jesus is power and when that happens the whole foundation the whole structure of christianity our reason for being in the presence of god our reason for being called christians our reason for salvation now has been torn down so you can see the danger the danger of this church or these people in and around ephesus embracing this particular teaching or considering it or listening to it or comparing it with what they have been taught so john had to step in in these epistles and talk to them and remind them about their salvation experience so these are the foundation blocks that he emphasized in these books love truth sin world life light and paraclete these are the kinds of things that he will discuss in these epistles for our consideration today we're going to talk about john challenging them admonishing them about loving loving god versus loving the world loving the world more than they love god so the first point is he's a father in the faith he's a seasoned man in the faith he has suffered for the faith he was also one of the original disciples that walked with god sat with the lord he was one of the ones that were in the in the in the under circle james peter james and john he was the one that jesus turned his mother over to so you're talking about somebody who was eyewitness you're not talking about somebody that thought about it he said in one of his epistles how we handled him how we touched him how we walked with him so he's speaking from personal experience he was with the word he walked with the word jesus pulled him close to his bosom even out of the three john was the closest so we can trust the heart of john admonishing the church as he did then that same admonition is pertinent to us today this is not pentecostal opinion this is not baptist opinion this is not anybody's slant or twist this is john talking to us because he had been with jesus this is john talking to the first church that is now experiencing multiple opinions and feelings and take on who jesus is that was affecting their foundation and their spiritual walk with the lord so he's a father talking to his children and he says love not the world not of the things that are in the world and this is not a statement it's not a declaration it is an imperative it's a command it is a powerful emphatic advice love not the world and so we need to look at what kind of love he's talking about there are different kinds of love mentioned in the new testament according to the greek language there is a love that is called eris that's a physical love there's a love that is called phileo that is a love for humankind but this love that john is demanding them to experience or not experience is called advocate or abapeo we have heard that and we've heard it used very loosely and very commonly but exactly what does that mean to the believer it means a love that is that has a high regard a high value a high esteem it means concern it means faithfulness towards it is a it's a love that's born out of volition and the word volition means will i will to behave a certain way i am committed to respond a certain way i don't feel it all the time it doesn't bring me the desired results but because of my relationship with the lord i am committed to behave to think and to respond the way he wants me to so this kind of love is a love that is supplied to all levels of relationship it's the highest form of love because we can love people certain groups of people and don't like other groups of people it's called discrimination we can love members of our family but we don't love other people's family we can love our pets our dogs and our cats but we don't necessarily love people but this particular love the highest form of love can be used in every and any situation when it comes to being a believer and it's the same kind of love that god has to us and for us so here we are it says do not love the world what does what's that what does that really mean when it says do not love the world we're going to find out exactly what it means we know that god loves the world the bible says for god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so is there a contradiction how could god love the world and he's telling us here the apostle is telling us here do not love the world is there a contradiction jesus loved everybody he died for the whole world for people he died for the souls of men and women not that everyone would respond to his death or accept his sacrificial debt but he died for the whole world and we are also told to love the world we are told to love the people in the world we are not told to hurt people or reject people the bible even tells us love your enemies do good unto those who do persecute you but what is he talking about he's talking about the system of the world he's talking about the teachings of the world he's talking about the belief systems of the world he's talking about the philosophies of the world he's talking about the culture of the world okay why because satan is the god of this world lowercase g satan is the god of this world and he has his own value system that is contrary to god let me say that again satan is the lowercase g god of the world the prince of this world the bible says the prince of this world are dark in our understanding darken our minds so that we will not respond to god we don't have the ability to respond to god because we were born with this darkened eyes with a veil covering over our eyes that we were not able to see god want god or respond to god because of the influence of the god of this world and everything that's set up in the world by the enemy everything that's organized orchestrated and planned all those things are contrary to what values in to what is valued in the kingdom of god so now you see the conflict now you see why the the writer is saying to the church hold on to your relationship with the lord if you move away from this now you're open to the distraction and the influence of the world so the world you know ii corinthians 4 and 4 the word of the lord says in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of christ who is the image of god should shine unto them before the light was turned on in us to accept god we all were blinded the bible said we all have sinned and come short of the glory of god so another way of looking at sin is being blind to righteousness being unable to see holiness or to respond to god spiritually that's the same kind of imagery it's only being said in another way and who blinded us we were born that way when adam and eve committed that sin and didn't trust god and broke his law our parents they are our parents they're the the mother and father of the human race we inherited we got that through our loins and through our genes to be born blind and alienated from god that's why jesus had to come but when jesus came and salvation was made available because of what he did on the cross now our eyes are open and now we can be connected to god rightly you see when jesus came now we are out of the darkness of the world into the light now we are moving away from satan's values toward what jesus wants us to value we are moving away from what the world wants and we're moving to work toward what jesus wants for us now we are positioned we are positioned but we are moving but we are not moving backwards we are moving closer to god we're positioned right in him but to get closer to him closer to him that's a desire that he has for all of us now because we're still in the flesh these things that are in us and outside of us are designed to pull us away from him and not closer to him so the admonition is do not be distracted by what's happening in the world the world applauds sin so the church should not applaud sin the world encourages you to up to to be impressed by sin or sinners to be envious of sinners to take your cue from sinners to look to sinners as your role model to look to them now it doesn't mean that you can't learn from a person who is teaching you how to do math and is not saved i'm trying to keep it very clear because i don't want us to think that we're teaching a ridiculous gospel here i want to keep it very simple it doesn't mean that your hairdresser who fixes your hair or braids your hair may not even want god but she knows how to braid here that's not what i'm talking about i'm not talking about you should go around now and just find safe people to do everything for you we're in this world your banker may be an atheist but they handle your account you understand so we're not talking about all of that we're talking about when it comes to your soul when it comes to your belief system and when it comes to the dictates of your life who your hairdresser or your banker should not be able to tell you what to do with your your money and your time if you're walking with the lord and you love him he's the one that tells you what to do he's the one that dictates and tell you how to do with whatever is going on in your life they may give you service they may service you on a certain level your math teacher services you because you need to know math if you want to be an architect your chemistry teacher services you because you need it to become a doctor or a nurse but they don't service your soul so that's what the apostle was saying that we we don't get our dictates from the world we don't envy the world we don't go after the role model of the world we may use their services but they don't determine our value system proverbs 23 and 17 says let not thine heart in these sinners but be thou in the fear of the lord all the day long we are not supposed to wish that we could be like we're not supposed to drool we're not supposed to claim them as our hero or shiro they may give us certain information because of of the grace of god have he has graced the just as well as the unjust with particular knowledge and intelligence and those things should benefit us while we're on this earthly plane but they are not the ones we look for as a role model of holiness of righteousness of goodness of long-suffering of mercy of what god wants in his kingdom for our lives okay but we are beings we are being tempted all the day long the advertisers you understand the marketing people television internet entertainment sports always pulling us distracting us to make the things that they offer preeminent in our lives to the point where the love of god is being challenged there's a competing force for our time there's a competing force of competing forces for our devotion competing forces for our value system competing forces for what we think god wants and what we think we should have constantly being pulled in every direction and as pastor george says you cannot serve two masters you've got to have to decide one you will love one and hear the word you will prefer the other you will prefer one above the other the two cannot coexist at the same time the preeminence of the world's value and god's value cannot sit side by side in your soul or in your thinking or in your decision so in general the satan leads us all of the plans of the world the flesh and the devil is to draw us and seduce us away from worshiping god as john calvin says the human heart is an idol factory if we're not careful we will constantly have little idols popping up over here and there when the world pulls at us it is to inject in us an idol something that is more important something that is preeminent something that is so distracting that we forgot to pray something that is so overpowering that we forgot to submit to the lord something that is so overpowering that we find is more sensible intelligent than what the word says this is a trick of the enemy ladies and gentlemen i don't care how much you raise your hand and we when you come out of that particular state know there is a plan afoot and the plan of foot is not to take your car the devil doesn't need a car it's not to take your house those are just the the implements he use he uses to get your attention or to get you discouraged or to get you weakened in faith the main thing he wants is your faith in the lord this is what jesus said to peter the one who walked closer somebody said well that's not me i know how to walk with god all right well let's look at peter he was closer to jesus physically than you are and he walked with jesus and he he was close to jesus all the way up to the end to the closely to the end of his three-year discipleship program he was discipled personally by jesus and at the table at the table of breaking bread jesus looked at him and said peter the enemy desires to have you that he might what sift you as wheat that means that the enemy asks for you just like job he asked for you so and he says and what was the 32nd verse what does it say but i have prayed for thee that your what faith not your shipping industry not your relationship but that your faith failed not because that's what he's after he's after your faith he's after your belief system he's after you the kingdom values your faith fail not that when you are converted and strengthened when you come out of this that's what he wants he wants your faith he asks for your faith but because i prayed for you you're coming out of it so don't think that you're not being asked for don't don't be so smug that you're not being asked for and so the the the this fatherly exaltation is to say that you know there's a competition after your faith now he's going to go to point two point two was the f one was the fatherly exhortation point two is the father's love we're talking about god's love here not john's love and this love is generated by the father god's love is generated by god so let's look at this it says in first john 2 15 if any man love the word the world the love of the father is not in him it literally means if anyone continues to love the world if anyone lives loving the world if anyone is sold out in loving the world then the love of the father is not in him how did that love for god get in us since we weren't born with it since we can't get it through education since we can't get it through culture because we don't even know we need it we were born not even knowing that there was anything wrong with our love we didn't even think that we needed to love god because we were so in love with ourselves so where did we get this love for god uh this love for god comes when god puts his love in us it is what we received from him not what we brought to him is what we received from him we were not born with the capacity to agapeo him we weren't even born with the capacity to file him we were born with the capacity to be hostile towards him so where did we suddenly wake up and even want to spend time with him even want to raise our hands and worship him either want to read the scripture or make major decisions to please him where did that come from that was generated by god himself when he brought us to him he gave us that ability ladies and gentlemen first john 3 and 1 god's word says behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of god therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not behold what kind of love the quality of love the different kind of nature of love that the father has imparted to us put in us that we should be called the children of god so this love has been put in us by the father this love for his word love for truth love for righteousness loves to make hard choices to choose him above to choose him above to choose him above to choose him above our comfort our feeling god gave us that ability you understand and this is why we can love him so this particular area is that the love of god is in us it means that that we don't love god rather the love of god came and dwelt in us because god give it gave it to us and that love should be the ruling principle of our lives that is the should be the continual ruling principle ruling means as our our um junior deacon sam edie says it should be the governing principle of our lives everything that we do should be governed by the love of god inside of us it should rule and navigate us through every situation no matter where we are or what we're going through so it's impossible then it's impossible to have the world loving the world and loving christ or loving god to exist at the same time it's impossible for light and darkness to coexist together and the conflict that you and i have is when we allow ourselves to stray away from this ability to love god more than the world something comes to distract us something comes to have us take our eyes off who god is or who he is in our lives or what he's saying and it comes to compete whether and it comes at a time when perhaps we're not watching or we're stressed or whatever or we're going through or we're disappointed those are the times that we have to watch the enemy asks for us if i do this he's going to choose that if i do this he's going to she's going to choose that she's not going to choose you because that's not what she likes she's not going to choose you god you see what i'm saying peter never thought he would deny jesus my mother always said don't ever say never and that's not just old school that's a fact he never thought that he would blatantly three times and do it with such passion and curse to deny jesus when he just got through saying don't just wash my feet wash my hands watch my whole body because we still don't know that in us lieth no good thing this is why the the the the writer is exhorting us and admonishing us watch out there's something precious in you that the enemy wants you to trade off and so here's my conclusion when we entered into the kingdom of god we became new creatures yes right now you and i who were saved we are new creatures in christ jesus that's a fact positionally that's where we are nobody can take that position for from us second corinthians 5 and 17 therefore if any man be in christ be into christ he is a new creation all things are passed away and behold all things are becoming new and that's what that word means that we are becoming new it's this becoming stage that we are in as a believer that we have to be aware of it says we are now citizens of the kingdom we're citizens of another kingdom our values are different because we are believers we are not citizens of this of this world you know when i first came here to america i my parents and i lived here with a green card which is too well which constantly said to the government wherever we go that we are not citizens of america that we don't have the same kind of legal rights and privileges we're allowed some privileges but are not legally part set up set up as a part of america as an american citizen and that's the same thing with the kingdom we are legally in a new kingdom we are citizens of the new kingdom we are here on earth as pilgrims we're immigrants we're not legally set up and many of us think that we you see that's the conflict we want to be we will we don't want to be immigrants of the world we don't want we don't want to be big pilgrims the old the people in the older church used to sing about pilgrims traveling through you don't hear no traveling through in our modern songs because we actually think that this world is it we're so entrenched in this world we're so enamored by this world we envied the world we envy the sinners we ended their power we and here's the key word we ended their visibility we envy their voice we ended the attention that they get we envy the public affirmation we're so enamored with that that's why facebook and blogging and all of that because we envy that position we want that position we want that self-recognition and those are the things that bring conflict when it comes to loving god and loving what he values philippians 1 and 27 says only let your conversation be as it becoming the gospel of christ that whether i come and see you or else be absent i may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel in other words paul is saying to the church at philippi you've gotten the gospel and when i come back to see you and hear i want to make sure that you're still walking that you're still walking in the kingdom life that your values are still the same okay luke 12 33 says sell that he have he's talking to his disciples and he's saying this is what it takes this is part of the discipleship sell what you have and give alms provide yourselves bags with wax not old a treasure in the heavens that fail it not wear no thief approach it neither moth corrupted for where your treasure is there will your heart be also in other words don't become so attached don't become so entrenched and so connected and my mother would say pine pine after the world you know long for certain things and if you don't get it you just feel like you're not alive you're not living don't live in that because listen where your treasure is what and the word treasure the whatever is valuable to you that's where your heart lands the heart will tell every time because take that away from you take that away from me take that particular thing that particular person change that situation and look at the reaction and it will tell you how important it is if it's taken away from you if it's taken away from me if it's not coming out the way i expect watch the reaction and it will say that's where my treasure is now this is not for anybody to judge this is for you to judge yourself that's all if it's that important for you to be that hysterical it means too much and nothing should mean so much that it disrupts you emotionally and have you bent out of shape can't function falling apart affecting you physically emotionally you're mentally that you're no use to the kingdom oh god help my soul today oh my my my my my my my my my that god can't depend on you because you're so bent out of shape that if somebody calls you for prayer you i can't i can't right now i can't get it together right now i need time i need time no because the treasure was touched you see touch the treasure this is what defines me this is my value this is how i rate myself this is what this is what i want people to see about me this is how i want to be perceived this is how i want to come off i want to come off like this and if i don't have all of this i can't come off like that and then people won't love me and they won't light me and they won't see me this way and when the lord comes in and destroys and turns that upside down because remember you belong to him so he's not going to let you stay like that forever he's going to come and turn the whole thing he's going to turn over the apple car he's going to come after that treasure every time if the treasure is centered around his word his value his system his kingdom he's coming after the treasure i don't know how i'm not here to determine how so here is some of the things now we how do we how do we continue he's exhorting them how do we continue continue to walk in the love of christ to walk in what is important to the kingdom and not be so easily strayed not that we won't fall not that we won't slip but so easily trade off you see what i'm saying and that whatever you ask us we won't feel like he's taken he's killing us this is killing me this is killing me right now just giving let me just explain this to you you're supposed to die so stop saying it's killing me you're suppose you're supposed to say thank god for the killing you understand for you're crucified with christ nevertheless you live those are not horrible words if you don't die you can't live if you don't die to yourself you can't live in him that that that's that's it right there a seed cannot bring forth fruit unless it first goes into the ground and dies and then you can expect some fruit so so if it's killing me to say oh thank you jesus glory to god because what's happening is i'm getting ready to live differently i'm getting ready to bring forth a different kind of fruit so he goes a step further in john 12 25 saint john 12 25 he says anyone who loves his life or loveth loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal you know um what he's saying is if you don't hate this earthly worldly life if you find it so fascinating so intriguing so attractive so meaningful the culture the preference all of the influences of this world that we find so intriguing so entertaining so moving it moves you it dictates it guides you if we're just so enamored or so caught up in all of that it's going to impair our spiritual growth did you hear what i'm saying it's going to impair that's why the bible says wherefore lay aside every weight and every sin that's a what easily what beset you what does beset means slow you up that's what it means it means slow you up from running with agility and with ease this thing is just this thing is just slowing you down keeping you from moving further as a matter of fact it's just caused many of us to just halt same conversation same thing same thing same thing something something is easily besetting now we all get beset we're humans we get upset beset means upset late you know hindered offended whatever we all get that way but but but easily is the operative word there it that means it it it happens too frequently and it happens too quickly that's all it means a little feather beset a sneeze beset somebody looking that's too easy that's too easy for the love of god you see when you have the love of god you're not it's not so easy it's when our love for the lord is being suppressed be ignored because we want something else so badly that we're easily you see when you love them strongly you're not so easily god you help me right here hey hey help me just give me a minute i just want i need a minute i need a minute i need a minute right here glory to god when that love starts digging deep into our soul it doesn't mean we won't get offended or hurt but it's not so easy every minute every second every situation so the deeper the love the longer it takes to beset you that's why paul said none of these things moved me now he didn't say none of these things hurt me because he's human but he said none of these things moved me see that's another situation right there so you can be hurt and still moving ahead because the love of god knows how to pour in the oil and the wine so you you have to you have to have this passionate desire for god and how do you how do you do that by dealing with the idols that's how the enemy distracts he holds up something that he knows we feel is essential if you remember that's the word that was used in the early part of the pandemic when the governor was saying we are going to open up places that are essential which means everything else is consequential it's not unimportant for the churches to be open but some some things are essential necessary necessary so anything that you feel is absolutely necessary for you to be or for me to be the devil knows that he may not know everything but he knows that the flesh knows that the lusts of the eyes the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life they all know that and that's what they that's where that's where the idol finds a place to rest it's adultery because it's worship anything you worship you obey that's all if i worship some things and when worship means devotion it means adoration it means making time spending time if i worship if i worship my sorrow if i worship my grief i will not receive the joy of the lord even though the joy of the lord is there i don't want to hear it don't tell me about no joy of the lord isn't that what jacob said jacob refused to be comforted they were trying to comfort him about benjamin and his son he refused to be comforted because what is i'm worshiping something else how can i worship and love god the word the ability to worship god is there but right now just let me worship this it's called idolatry and that's what john was calling them out of don't make anything in the world that important that it competes with your devotion to god so coming down to my final three scriptures and i am finished first corinthians 10 31 whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever you do do all to the glory of god to all to the glory of god first corinthians 10 7 through 14 it's a couple of verses but may i read this to you to close out this sermon neither be adulterers talking to the church as were some of them as it is written the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play neither let us commit fornication he's talking about in the past you're talking about the children of israel you're talking about the people in noah's time let's look at them but needle let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and twenty thousand neither let us tempt christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents we're talking about the children of israel that tempted the lord and they were dropping like flies until moses hold up the serpent on the pole he's giving them a history let's look at what loving the world and loving idols will do neither murmur that's idolatry murmuring is adultery as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer now all these things happen unto them for examples that means all of those things happen for our learning they are written for our what admonition our warning upon whom the ends of the world are come wherefore let him that thinketh he stand take heedless he fall there have no temptation taken you but as such as is coming to man but god is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able but with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may able to bear it where from my daily beloved flee from adultery flee from loving the world the love of god is in you we have the ability to love him but it doesn't mean because we're still cloaked in flesh that we will not be prone to wander so while we are commanded to love the people of the world we shouldn't go around and hate people or try to hurt people we are to be weary of anything that competes with god for our highest affection we are not to hate people somebody says that you say don't love the world so i'm going to talk to my son no no that's not what the world the word is saying it's not saying hate people he said hate anything in any form that it comes suggestions relationship entertainment money sex anything that comes to compete with what our highest affection for god our love for the lord that's what we should hate that's what we should hate i you know you i've known you for years and we've gone shopping together and we have this and that or whatever but right now what you're asking me to join you in doing or to approve what you're doing is going to interfere with my highest affection and my highest affection is towards god what's happening right now is trying to provoke me to respond the way i used to respond but i'm not going to respond that way even though you want me you're pushing me to do that but i'm going to respond differently not because of you but because of my highest affection towards god i want you to understand ladies and gentlemen this is more than just a clap and a jump this is a lifestyle and you have to know what's going on in your life as a christian and how this father of the faith wants us to live and to be aware so that our love to the lord will move from higher heights and deeper depths move to higher heights and deeper nets and how do we do that we do like colossians 3 3 1-3 colossians 3 1-3 and this is my final scripture if you then be risen with christ so ask yourself what does it mean if i then be risen with christ the same way god rose from jesus rose from the dead is the same the same process of resurrection quicken that thing come to life dead body come to life jesus was physically dead he was physically dead he was not in a coma he was physically dead but his body was quickened his spirit his spirit came in his dead body and he rose so if that's what happened to us when jesus spirit got inside of us our dead spirit our dead life that had no feeling for god no response to god came alive you understand if that's what happened to you that's who i'm talking to today seek those things which are above that means you have the ability to seek the holy spirit quickened you from death to life from light from darkness to light from being an enemy of god to a friend of god if that's what happened to you the song said i remember the day you know how to say she used to testify i remember the day and i remembered it well when my soul got snatched from a burning hell oh my my do you remember the moment that the light came on and even after you're saved do you remember moments when that quickening power turns on a scripture in your life or takes you into a worship and makes you sense the presence of god and the nearness of his love and the comfort of his arms and and the power of change if that's what's happening to you then you have the ability to what seek those things which are above and not be so easily attached to the world it's in you and then where christ sitteth on the right hand of the father keep your eyes on him listen to him who is alive and well working out your life for you and then it says set your affection listen to me and i'm truly finished you know how you have your affection set on something to eat you know the other day i i ate a little something and i left some of it because i wasn't hungry and i didn't want any more and i said you know i said to the person and and you know put it you know put it away for me and then i'll eat it later and so later on you know all all in my mouth i could taste it my mind was set on it you know what i'm saying because i had you know your taste bud starts drooling for it and and i said to the person can you know can i have it now and they say i gave it away now now listen to me listen to me right here um uh my flesh started i felt my flesh leaving me and going somewhere you know i felt my flesh traveling to another direction and i had to bring myself in and said you know come on mccullough it's only a piece of you know what i'm saying it ain't the end of the world but that's how quick why did i respond like that because i had my mind set oh my my my my my ladies and gentlemen this flesh ain't nothing to play with you can't sleep on this thing here over a little piece of something something i was and i remember in the past i remember in the past i would have a major breakdown what what what what what what my fate what it would somebody would have to go get some listen i would have my mind set on it but it just it just dawned on me and furthermore i don't eat late at night so it was wrong time wrong something the holy ghost was just telling me going upstairs drink someone and go to bed but but but i had my mind set and i'm showing you that that that kind of example to know how you can get so set on something that even though it's not right for you or it's going to take you away your affections set on it you actually live it to visualize it even before you get it you start tasting it you start working it because your mind is set on it that's what he wants for you to continue to love him is take your setting off the world see and set it on the lord that's the only way we're going to grow in this that's the way how you're not going to be hampered if you know if you're grown if you want your growth not to be stunted and you want to move from glory to glory you got to set you got to set take your listen take your mind off certain things and we can you know you can have your mind set on something to the point where you actually visualize it even though you don't get it and you may never get it but you're still living with it you know what i'm saying that's why jesus said to them it's not about the physical act of adultery adultery happened when you first look and i'm i'm not going to stay on there very long because i know you always say i end up there but i just thought i would just go there you know what i'm saying uh you you you don't the act you you can have a whole physical somatic reaction and ain't nobody been there you all know that's true i i didn't mean i know y'all don't want me i don't want to get into details and all that but you know what i'm trying to say because it's set it means so much and and that kind of setting you know it don't even last long it's a vapor you know it it it ain't you know what i'm saying it comes and and it goes it just goes you know and and if something happens to upset the whole thing and you find out it wasn't nothing in the first place we set our minds on things that are not even valuable things that don't last things that don't really nurture the soul things that don't set us up for what god has for us is a hindrance so love not the world i know the world got a lot to say and many times it sound good it sounds so cliche it's it just rolls off our tongue in such a cute glib way that it just gives us a certain kind of edge you know what i'm saying but he didn't do anything for the soul you see because all that the devil has to offer cannot be compared to the love that god has dropped in the treasure that he has dropped inside of you so love not the world don't be bamboozled not even for a minute don't be fooled but all of those things come to pull us away from the lord i am thine o lord i have heard thy voice and it told thy love to me but i long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to thee draw me nearer nero near a blessed lord near a blessed lord to thy precious please [Music] but i long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to be draw me [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] near a blessed floor to [Music] let my [Music] i will [Music] hear a blessing [Music] now we have talked a lot about the love of god today and that is a gift that god gives us to love him if you are out there and you have never experienced this love or desire to surrender your life to him i'm just going to pray this prayer you can prayed along with me if i believe that there's somebody out there who feels a pull or a tug i want this love i i don't know much about it but i want to surrender my life to the love of god i want to be loved like that i want that capacity to love in my life just repeat after me lord jesus lord jesus you said in your word you said in your word that if i that if i confess with my mouth confess with my mouth the lord peace the lord jesus and believe in my heart and believe in my heart that god raised jesus that god raised jesus from the dead from the dead i shall be saved i shall be saved and right now and right now i confess with my lord i confess you as my lord i thank you for loving me i thank you for loving me for saving me for saving me and accepting me and accepting me and lord i'm asking you to put this person in the right church the right group the right people so that they can grow in you give them the word of god if they don't have the bible provide a bible for them so that they can grow and learn more about your love and how they can love you more than they love themselves in jesus name amen and for those of you here who really want to get closer to the lord we just need if you want to raise your hand and say listen the enemy is pulling at me pulling at me and i just want god to really help me to get past these situations i'm constantly prone to choose me for them to choose you i'm constantly prone to choose the values of the world and the values of the kingdom if that's you you might need a little prayer today just raise your hand we all attempted we all are prone to wander so just raise your hand right now wherever you are and we will take i will take time out to pray with you you know we don't have a line where we can have lay hands or whatever and maybe that's good that sometimes we're just looking for the hand but we're not looking for the prayer the prayer of intercession so father we thank you for every hand we know that we're in this flesh and we are in this world and there are times when we are prone to stray or to make choices that will compete but what you desire it happened to the men of old it's happening to us now but you promised god that you would help us we're asking for help lord we know that our faith is on the line are we asking you to help us to make a god choice more so than a worldly choice a family choice a culture choice a preference choice or a pain choice help us to make a god choice in jesus name amen amen god bless you thank you so much for joining us out there on social media we'll be back here at 6 30. please come back and worship with us god bless you on behalf of bishop jacqueline e mccullough and the beth rafa family thank you for joining our live stream service visit us online at bethprofit.org where you can submit your prayer requests give into the work of the ministry and connect with our church family via social media god bless you richly and we look forward to you joining us again [Music] so [Music] [Music] do you

Channel: Bishop Jackie McCullough

Views: 1,544

Rating: 5 out of 5

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Id: xzMZH58_9Ds

Length: 66min 27sec (3987 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 21 2021