Repairing the Foundations [Enacting Change in Our Lives]

[Music] we're going to complete our study in this session on repairing the foundations there's a verse in psalms that says when the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do it's an important question because we're living in a very unique season many of the ideas and values that have been foundational to western civilization emerged from a judeo-christian worldview they're being destroyed before our very eyes on a daily basis they're being deconstructed at a speed that is dizzying so what are we to do well it's not to blame others it's to humble ourselves before the lord and ask him to help us understand the implications of his truth for now don't be angry it's not fruitful and don't be frightened it isn't helpful begin to quietly say to the lord i trust you help me to see my assignment he will the title for this session is repairing the foundations you know the foundations in any enterprise whether it's a construction project or business or athletics whatever it may be the foundation is essential and i would submit to you that we have some cracks in the foundation there's a shaking taking place and i believe god is the author of that shaking so the cracks aren't surprising i believe the intent is to draw our attention and i believe if we can understand the messaging god will help us we traveled the group of us this week to dallas for the national religious broadcasters convention does that not sound exciting they meet each year normally in february and this year it was delayed because of colvin we met in february of 2020 in nashville at gaylord and and coveted was just barely on the horizon we just had whispers of copenhagen in fact i was asked to do a devotional for a portion of the event one morning there and we'd heard just enough about corona that i i looked at my notes i made a comment that corona sales were down because so many people thought the mexican beer caused the virus you can imagine how well that was received at a religious broadcasters convention you responded much better than they did i promise you but you know the the virus was still such a distant imagination that we were joking about it in public when we gathered this year uh i inter we i interact with people who i've seen regularly over a number of years and before we started that i stopped and and just began to make some notes about the difference in february of 2020 in june of 2021 to be honest it was beyond startling to me because i don't suppose i'd stop to to think about it in that linear of a fashion but in february of 2020 we just had barely begun to hear whispers of the coronavirus there was not yet any visible impact upon us in february of 2020 our economy was flourishing the business forecasts were positive on our southern border we were busy building a fence and illegal immigration was down and for the most part orderly in february of 2020 we were energy independent we were a net exporter of energy in that february schools and universities were in session with no imagination of disruption of any kind we had an election on the horizon in the media of february last year there was a consistent drum beat of failing presidential leadership and in churches here and across our nation it was business as usual this june when i gathered with many of the familiar faces the changes are almost beyond description this is a very abbreviated list i won't take your time with the larger one i built our economy i think it's safe to say is struggling we are energy dependent now depending upon other nations for our energy small businesses are fighting for their very survival our schools have been disrupted and there's no promise of a return to normalcy in the fall we're still trying to sort out what that will look like we are still living through the most almost unprecedented expansion of violence in american cities our border is open on the southern border illegal immigration and illegal activity are taking place at unprecedented levels in the media there's a consistent litany of the excellent presidential leadership i'm not making i'm just there's a difference churches have been dramatically disrupted and there is some increasing awareness i was grateful to come back after interacting with leaders from across the country and say in some sectors there is an awareness and a vitality that was not there a year ago in fact i'll share a bit more about that before we're finished i mean i think that's a that's a very abbreviated summary but i think that's a pretty accurate snapshot of what's happened in about a 15-month window changes of a magnitude that would have been impossible to imagine if someone had showed you a snapshot of those february 1st of 2020. i would submit to you and this is my opinion so you can do but gathered around us are some severe economic storm clouds i've been telling you for a while i don't believe the disruptions are over and uh nothing has emerged that's changed my opinion about that in general as a nation we are working less in spending more that's true both personally and nationally thought influencers are demanding of us equity these days not equality that's fundamentally an economic issue the united states has spent six trillion dollars on the coronavirus and relief effort six trillion with a t it's a lot of zeros our national debt is on track to hit 30 trillion by the end of this calendar year it's unprecedented spending in our history the only thing that would come close to it perhaps was during world war ii when we saw this type of debt accumulation and equally uncomfortable there's growing momentum to move away from physical currency and to move to digital currencies because we trust the tech world so much i can tell you the one question that i hear most often i've done dozens and dozens of interviews over these last months and they continued this last week and the question i'm asked most frequently from professional christian people people beyond the industry wherever they may be across the country is what can we do what can we do now that's asked by the people who are awake to some degree of spiritual awareness of what's happening there's another segment that are simply saying can we go on vacation now okay can we get back to where we were before but to those who are paying attention what can we do and i've told you before but it bears repeating i'm convinced there's a revolution underway i earned a degree in history and i can tell you this that you know we label revolutions the french revolution and the bolshevik revolution and as i've watched what's unfolding around us i'm confident that when those things were emerging in those places and throughout history in the midst of the turmoil they weren't aware that this was a revolution they didn't know the outcome we put those labels on after the fact and what i think is most important for us to know in this particular revolution is the outcome as of today i believe is still undetermined i can recognize some forces and i have some sense of what their objectives might be but the outcomes i don't believe are yet determined those who initiated the revolution i assure you have determination and focus on their objectives the church and when i say that i mean the people of god not a particular congregation or denomination but god's people god's true people not just those who sit under the umbrella of church buildings or who have a laminated card that says they're a christian but god's people i believe are still largely unaware and unconcerned there are some very notable exceptions but in general i think we're just perhaps beginning to awaken to what's happening and the foundation of all of that if you ask me for a response i would submit to you that america needs a heart change we need a heart change not a political change not an ideological change not a party change not a change from one color state to another color state we need a heart change if we don't have a heart change we will continue to select leaders who are increasingly ungodly we have to have a heart change i would submit to you that we're as a nation and as a people in a far more precarious position than a person with heart disease in need of bypass surgery and i've been with many of those people in the hospital when they've they've had the test and the report comes back we've got to go to surgery now no you can't go home no you can't have three days we have to go to surgery now and i think the circumstances confronting us as a people are more urgent than that america needs a new heart but it has to begin with the church our goal isn't to look through the windows of our buildings and point condemning fingers at others it's to say to ourselves to one another and to the lord lord help us be different psalm 11 and verse 3 is really my text for this study when the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do when the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do i would submit to you it's more than rhetoric or poetic words and the psalms it's a very important question i grew up in a the home of a veterinarian and so when the animal's sick what are you going to do are you going to do doc when i was at home he treated horses so the veterinarian came to you you never knew what you were going to find we'd just pull up to the farm and we'd hear the story and then they'd all i remember i was a kid following along like a little puppy and they'd what are you going to do doc and i'm sitting there thinking what are you going to do doc and it's a question you and i have to respond to when the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do we're not without an answer the scripture gives us a response in ezekiel 36 through the prophet ezekiel god is speaking to his people in this case to the jewish people but it's applicable of equal value to the church he said i will take you out of the nations and i will gather you from all the countries and i'll bring you back into your own land i'll sprinkle clean water on you and you'll be clean i'll cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols i'll give you a new heart and i'll put a new spirit in you i will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh that's the promise god said i can give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you i can take your heart of stone and replace it with the heart of flesh that's the promise in this particular context its first application was to the regathering of the jewish people to their historic homeland the order of action is noteworthy god said i will gather you from all the nations and then i will begin to sprinkle you with clean water i'll bring you back dirty and then i'll begin to clean you up you see god calls us when we're not very interested we're motivated by other things than righteousness and purity and holiness but god in his grace and mercy begins to initiate a response a renewal of redemption and he's doing the same in his church just as certainly as he's gathering the jewish people to that little strip of land he is purifying his church to which most of us have responded you know we're really too interested we think we're ready for heaven we've said the prayer had been dipped in the pool and we're good actually we're pretty comfortable with our level of holiness we're not as wicked as we used to be thank god they didn't have social media back when we were being as wicked as we used to be we can deny it there's not that much evidence but god is calling us we need a new heart folks this is our watch this is our time in the arena this isn't somebody else's story this is our story if we're salt and light and the darkness is growing more intense it's because the light isn't burning very brightly i know it's much more comfortable to point our fingers at somebody else right now that's our national hobby but let's just start with ourselves there's some significant evidence of heart disease in the church in our most recent national election 80 million americans voted for abortion on demand up until the delivery of the child 80 million of us said we think that's a really good idea we want to put people in positions of power to protect that and to give federal dollars to fund it we're just completing gay pride month imagine that a whole month where we display all over our nation how proud we are of rebellion against god's boundaries imagine that imagine how our heavenly father looks at his church in the midst of that imagine if we had adultery pride month a whole month to celebrate pick whichever sin you want imagine a month to say let's celebrate our rebellion there's other evidence that's much closer to home church involvement is at historic lows i don't mean because of covet the trend didn't start just with 2020. particularly amongst young people to which i respond that's a parenting problem that's not the kid's fault we're not at historic lows on kids going on spring break or vacation we're not at historic lows and kids participation in sporting events in fact those things are exploding we're at historical housing church participation because the parents haven't cared enough about it to bring that value to bear in the lives of their children well it's easy to blame the churches but parents see to it that they have fields for their kids to play ball on and the coaches they need to participate we give attention to the things that matter to us there's significant evidence of heart disease the list could go on but i don't think it's necessary i think you get the idea we don't have to look beyond the walls of the church on this one then i would reiterate something i've said to you many times the ungodly are not the primary problem please let's set that aside it's so easy to be angry at somebody else somebody that doesn't worship the way you like the worship or read the bible in the translation you like the reader some reason you've got a little sense of better than embedded in you but the ungodly aren't the problem throughout the story of scripture the problem is not the ungodly god didn't raise up samson to deliver the israelites because the philistines were so wicked they weren't they didn't become subordinated to the philistines because of the philistines righteousness it was the wickedness in the hearts of the israelites and that pattern flows right through scripture the babylonians didn't encircle jerusalem because they had superior military technology they did but on many occasions god defended his people from people with superior numbers or superior technology he depended them defended them with his power but he handed the the ancient israelites over to the babylonians because of the conditions of their hearts and what we're watching is more about the condition of our heart well pastor i don't like that okay honestly i don't like it very much myself but i believe it's an honest representation from scripture and i believe it's a diagnosis of our present condition and if you can't get an accurate diagnosis you can't get a response that's helpful psalm 51 and verse 10 david king david the greatest of all the israelite kings well into his life he's already king he's had many victories and triumphs and celebrations and in psalm 51 david is praying create in me a pure heart oh god and renew a steadfast spirit within me most of us can't imagine that 20 years into our christian journey saying to the lord with any sense of brokenness created me a pure heart renew a steadfast spirit within me we just change churches we go someplace else and get a clean slate create in me a pure heart matthew 15 and verse 8 jesus is speaking this time these people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me jesus is speaking not about the pagan romans who are occupying israel he's speaking to his own covenant people the people in covenant with god their diet is determined by their religious fervor their holidays are because of their religious observance and jesus said they honor me with their lips but their hearts are a long way from me the covenant people of god is it possible that the lord could say that to us could he say to us something like he says to the laodicean church in revelation you're lukewarm you say i'm rich and i don't need anything but i say to you you're blind and naked and pitiful and in need of all things is it possible well i think if we look at the fruit around us it's not only possible we need to be a bit concerned jesus is quoting isaiah in that matthew 15 passage he's quoting isaiah the prophet he lived 500 years before christ to his first century audience in this way jesus is doing a couple of things he's delivering truth to his generation but he's also showing us that the prophets have application for our day it's an important message there's a conflict in our world if you haven't lifted your eyes up above your routine and your to-do list and your dreams and the things you want folks there is a conflict unfolding in the world it's not a new conflict it's been going since the book opened in genesis chapter three and verse one in the garden that's really early in the story in genesis chapter three in verse one it says the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the lord had made and he said to the woman did god really say did god really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden folks that's the essence of what we still battle did god really say that do you really think god meant that or is that just pastor's interpretation i think i'll look for another translation well that's just that verse doesn't minister to me did god really say how many times in places in our lives have we set aside what we understood about scripture because it was inconvenient in the moment it didn't give us what we wanted it didn't bring the license to us or the liberty to us or the opportunity to us it was it felt a little restrictive so in one way or another we responded just as satan did in the garden did did god really say do you think god really meant what he said do you really think god meant he said when you eat of that tree you'll die maybe he was just messing with you i know somebody else that ate from that tree and they didn't die they looked like to me they were having a good time they made a cobbler did god really say folks we're talking about outcomes that are going to shape our children and grandchildren's lives if we don't get this right and this is not a 10-year equation the next 18 to 24 months are going to be pivotal and i don't it doesn't have anything to do with elections what we're living in is not sustainable the cratering of truthfulness in the public square the fear the fear to tell the truth because of the implications upon your life it's easier not to think about it it's easier not to apply yourself it's easier not to pay attention because if you pay attention and apply yourself you're going to reach some conclusions and the conclusions are awkward so i just rather not think about it did god really say it didn't stop there luke chapter 4 some of you prefer the new testament satan is tempting jesus he's just been baptized in the jordan river pretty triumphant moment there's a voice from heaven that says this is my son i'm pleased with him the holy spirit descends upon him empowers him for the next season of his life leads him into the wilderness for a time of prayer and seeking god and at the end of that 40-day period satan himself comes to tempt jesus the hubris of that is is off the chart can you imagine tempting jesus satan had seen him in his glory now he imagines he has him in a weakened condition because he's got an earth suit and he's subject to all the frailty and the limits that come with our physical bodies he gets tired and hungry and hot all the frailty that our emotions bring to us the tug that they put on us and he comes to tempt him three temptations the first one is verse three luke four the devil said to him if you are the son of god sounds a lot like the garden doesn't it did god really say if you are really the son he knew very well he was the son of god if you were the son of god tell this stone to become bread please note the devil put temptations before jesus not because of jesus failures but because of satan's nature sometimes we get a little confused and conflicted because we're tempted and there are very real temptations put in front of us and we feel the pull and we're battling those temptations and we're thinking how can it be there's something in me that's still so affected by that but jesus himself is tempted not because of his failure it's satan's nature to try to bring destruction to god's people and his purposes please understand he wants to destroy you jesus said it in john 10 10 the thief comes only it's not in your notes but it is in the book the thief comes only to steal to kill and destroy you know the story jesus answered him with the word but if you're the son of god perform a miracle like satan doesn't know he can perform miracles i promise you that he does in mark chapter 1 the very first chapter of mark's gospel jesus goes into the synagogue in capernaum and there's a demonized man there and the demon and the man begins to cry out why have you come to torment us satan and his whole kingdom know what jesus is capable of in verse 5 it says the devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world and he said to him i will give you all their authority in splendor for it's been given to me and i can give it to anyone i want to so if you worship me it'll all be yours worship the wrong thing and you'll gain power and pleasure that temptation hadn't gone out of style reprioritize your life change your agenda i'll make you happy i'll bring you contentment looks that temptation is alive and well on planet earth it's alive and well within the church well but i've said the sinner's prayer pastor worship the wrong thing in verse nine the devil led him to jerusalem had him stand on the highest point of the temple if you're the son of god he said throw yourself down for he won't let go of that if you're the son of god thing it's not like he has new tricks he's just pretty effective with the ones he's got if you're the son of god throw yourself down from here temptation to live recklessly the angels have been given an assignment to watch over you you're not here alone the host of heaven are watching over you you escaped me in bethlehem when i killed all those male babies the wise men got warned her i got to you before i killed those babies there have been multiple attacks on jesus life satan knows very well he's trying to encourage him to be reckless to tempt him to be reckless you understand that fearless and reckless are not the same thing this last year we've gone to school on that there's some of us that want to say i'm not paying any attention to any of this that's reckless while at the same time there's lots of voices trying to manipulate us with fear that had very little to do with facts we needed god's wisdom all of us we've needed to learn to listen and pay attention it was we we've had a graduate seminar in listening school i hope you participated because the next time that the course is open the stakes will be higher this conflict is described in genesis and in in luke and in the temptation narratives in the gospels this conflict continues to be lived out in the 21st century we see it everywhere we look we see it in the news reports we see it on the television programming we see it in how our celebrities and influential people did god really say did god really mean that or is that just some pastor's interpretation or are you still reading that outdated book are you in such an antiquated position in your intellectual development that you're listening to the writers from antiquity did god really say show me a miracle if there's a god let's make some bread out of rocks today or i know a way to power and pleasure without all that god stuff there are many voices inviting us away from godliness and holiness may i ask you a very personal question and please don't answer now you'll need to reflect a bit but who's leading are you taking direction from [Music] what's the primary voice and i don't mean a person's voice who's charting your course so there's a conflict in the world around us that's as old as the world around us but there's also a conflict within us and when i say within us i mean within the body of christ within the born-again spirit-filled the legitimate the true church there's a conflict within us we've got to acknowledge it or we will succumb to it if we don't acknowledge the conflict we're powerless against it we're not able to help one another it's too easy to deny it and well you know i'm beyond that i'm too mature for that i've got too much experience but that's not what the scripture says in romans chapter 7 and verse 25 1 paul is writing he said i find this law at work when i want to do good evil is right there with me we would say that differently we find this law at work when you want to do good it seems like there's evil right there with you paul makes it personal in my inner being i delight in god's law but i see another law at work in the members of my body waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law it's sin at work within my members paul describes it in terms of combat language there is a war being waged in my mind again i don't want you to respond here but i think we have to acknowledge that there's a war within us folks it doesn't go away with age you know parents have a concern for their teenagers and i understand they're they're emerging from the protection of their parents and stepping into the world and responsibility for the first time but all the challenges that come with adolescents stay with you right until you're done let me better we may become better at hiding them but there's a war within us first peter chapter two the big fisherman he says dear friends i urge you as aliens and strangers in the world to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul your soul is your mind your will and your emotions he's writing to believers he calls them friends he says you're aliens and strangers here you're just visiting you're on a temporary visa you don't really want to learn the language and become familiar with the favorite foods he said it's a temporary assignment your home is someplace else but while you're here you're going to have to abstain from sinful desires but i need to tell you about that he said there's going to be a war waged within you we've got to help one another encourage one another spur one another on it says in hebrews to good works ever been on a horse with a spur it elicits a response [Music] so i want to take the time we have left and really step one layer below this and see if we can understand the biblical diagnosis why this problem exists and what is the foundational solution this is essential not just for our personal lives but for us as advocates for the gospel of jesus because if we aren't but if we don't become more effective advocates the the foundation will crumble we've had the privilege and the luxury for a while for several years of being focused on the extraneous aspects of our faith how to find a more blessed space in god's economy how to orient our lives so they're more pleasing to us we haven't had to have much attention on standing or defending the the the more aggressive language of the scripture really wasn't necessary for us to flourish we could secure our futures for the most part within our own influence but that season seems to be slipping past us there's a biblical diagnosis in romans 3 and verse 10 it says as it is written there is no one righteous not even one there is no one who understands no one who seeks god all have turned away and they have together become worthless there is no one who does good not even one he's quoting from the psalms the psalm he's quoting from says the fool says in their heart there is no god it's a foolish statement but it's prevalent on planet earth it has been for a long time and it's flourishing right now channel surf a little bit on television there's channel after channel that's screaming at us there is no god your throats are open graves their tongues practice deceit the poison of vipers is on their lips their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness their feet are swift to shed blood ruin and misery mark their ways in the way of peace they do not know there is no fear of god before their eyes the summary of that's in romans 3 23 it's the theme of that whole third chapter but the summary statement is all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of god everybody nobody escapes we're all sinners folks the biblical perspective on the human condition is that we are fallen we are broken it's a fundamental foundational cornerstone of a biblical worldview and don't imagine you can be a christ follower without a biblical worldview you can't hold it together it's the filter through which you see the world and interpret the world and in this time when deception is flourishing and truth is hard to find your filters need to be very clearly identified we're all sinners every one of us now we look at other people go well i didn't sin like that don't you love that situational sinners i went to the hospital one time to pray for a man was facing serious surgery i got there the evening before and i wasn't certain about his faith he didn't didn't attend our congregation and i hadn't been close to him in proximity but i had had was a friend and i said i wouldn't want anybody to undergo the surgery that is in front of you in the morning without being certain you were ready to to meet god can we talk about that and without hesitation first he told me where he went to church the label of the church he attended and i said well that's great but membership cards won't be checked at the pearly gates and his next statement was i'm a whole lot better than the man that lives across the street he was a smart person successful person educated by every marker a flourishing person then i said well you know i'm grateful for that i don't know the person across the street but i'm grateful but i said that's not the standard we have a sin problem this man has spent his whole life in church he'd hired multiple pastors he's a board member and completely unaware of the impact of sin it's an epidemic in our nation the outcome of sin the reason it's a problem the reason you need to understand you're a sinner the bible tells us what sin leads to every time inescapably it's not a mystery it's not hidden romans 6 23 the wages of sin is death sin leads to death please no it doesn't say god's judgment of sin is death the unbridled outcome of sin is death when jesus said satan the thief comes to steal to kill and destroy he was telling you the outcome of sin wages of sin not god's response to sin the reason god hates sin isn't because he's trying to limit your joy it's not because he's prudish the reason god hates sin is he understands that sin destroys his creation because the one who orchestrated the fall hated him he rebelled against the authority of god and he led the rebellion on planet earth and adam joined him and death came to all humanity the reason we say please don't engage in sin we're not trying to bring criticism or judgment or harshness we're saying it's going to lead you to a destructive place and if we could be honest and have an open mic we've got enough personal testimonies we could underscore that the wages of sin is death romans 5 and verse 12 just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin and this way death came to all men because all sin it's reiterated the solutions introduced in hebrews 9. it says in the same way he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle he's talking about moses we just read leviticus all that sprinkling remember your toe and your ear the balls and the candlesticks and the altar and the laver and the whatever i mean you're reading leviticus thinking it takes a lot of time to be holy well in the same way he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies in fact the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness you see god is just so he can't just by divine fiat set aside our sin it would violate his own justice so the sin has to be paid for and the outcome of sin is death so the the the resolution for sin requires the shedding of blood the tabernacle was a precursor to the temple the temple was a precursor to you and me that in the new testament the revelation is don't you know that your body is a temple of the living god if everything in the tabernacle had to be sprinkled with blood the temple had to be anointed before service don't you understand that we have to be sprinkled we can't earn our way to heaven we can't say well you know we're a bit more sociologically enlightened we've progressed beyond the notion of sin i'm pretty sure god hasn't changed in fact he tells us he hasn't we've got to understand when we look at the world the fundamental underlying challenge isn't ideological or sociological or economic or political we have a sin problem but if the church doesn't believe it who will say it if we don't want to talk about sin if it's awkward and inconvenient and uncomfortable in fact it is an awkward truth the implication of sin and there are many and i i brought you an abbreviated list for the most part these are rejected today in our culture the implication of sin is that there's absolute truth there's right and wrong and it can be known very uncomfortable message that there's a judge of all the living and he's going to pass judgment say it's my life yes it is and god has given each of us free will but he's also reserved for his right the right for himself to preside in judgment over what we do with our lives because he's the one that gave us life and the determination of our eternity and our role in eternity will have to do with our appointment with the judge and another implication is no one is excused nobody gets a pass nobody nobody you will never make a case so compelling so emotional so fraught with the injustices you have endured that you will cause god to agree with you and your sin it won't happen and the last implication i'll give you is that god is just you can trust him he's given us a pathway forward but it's not a designer path you can't choose your own there's not many ways to god there's not many approaches there's many translations you can read there's many ways you can worship there are many things that we argue about in church world that are secondary or tertiary but there's a handful of things that cannot be negotiated so i don't believe that well you're entitled there's implications of sin they're rejected by most there are indications of rebellion and i'm i'm sorry to say it seems to me these are taught broadly they're being pumped into us on a daily basis especially our young people the first is that we're inherently good all human beings are just inherently good based on what reading of history [Music] i mean it's a wonderful thought but the data won't support it we are not inherently good we're broken it's an expression of rebellion i will not acknowledge i'm a sinner i will not acknowledge there is truth i will not acknowledge a creator it's rebellion don't treat it casually when you hear it don't accept it with a smile and a wink it's destructive it will lead to destruction there's another indication that's just about as prevalent through cooperation we can solve all problems again based on what observation do you read animal farm all animals are equal pigs are more equal there's just really not much evidence in history that we're going to cooperate cooperate to solve problems we'll cooperate to gain power and then find reasons to exclude those we don't like there's a third indication and it's equally prevalent god is oppressive you don't want to become one of those religious people it's going to limit you it's going to take away your opportunities it's going to rob you of your fun who's sad the bible's honest it says of moses in hebrews 11 that he chose to suffer mistreatment with the people of god rather than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season and what makes something tempting is that the enticement is is pleasant in the moment but the enticement doesn't give you the revelation of the outcome does that make sense and when you're facing a temptation understand you're not stupid the temptation is that there's something more pleasant in the moment your way your will whatever it may be but if you choose that path the outcome is bitter it's the the beauty and the gift of this book it tells us the ending at the beginning you can choose it's an open book test and the the fourth indication i'll give you of the rebellion and again it's broadly celebrated you could be the captain of your own faith what's the poem invictus no never mind i won't quote poetry that'd scare you oh she don't want to be the captain of your fate you want to joyfully announce that jesus is lord but that battle lives within the church now if that truth is awkward you need to know jesus victory in romans 5 and verse 19 it says just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous that if sin came to all humanity through the fall of one how much more can righteousness come to all of us in fact in romans paul goes on to say if if the sin of that one man brought sin to all of us that the grace of god is even greater because there's generations of sins that have taken place since the the garden and through the righteousness of one man all of that sin can be set aside washed away amen that's why jesus is the answer for the world today it's why he is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father except him then in ephesians 1 and verse 7 it says in him in christ we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of god's grace so if we're willing to acknowledge we have a sin problem here's the amazing news we can be washed clean in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins nobody has to bear that punishment but this message has got to be shouted from the housetops we've got to tell it in our schools and in our neighborhoods and on our ball fields we've been hiding it we need jesus pride month [Applause] what are we doing i got four minutes how do we affect change what do we do well it starts personally this is the good news the power of one christ in you is the hope of the world we don't have to occupy the seats of power the one in us occupies the seat of power [Music] we've been stressing over the wrong things folks but it starts with us it starts with your words in john 3 and verse 3 jesus said i tell you the truth you know by now when you see that phrase right hang on because what's coming you don't expect i tell you the truth no one can see the kingdom of god unless he's born again not if you're born in the right family not if you worship in the right building not if you eat the right foods no one unless you're born again romans 10 tells us the how if you confess with your mouth that jesus is lord and believe in your heart that god raised you from the dead you'll be saved because it's with your heart that you believe in are justified it's with your mouth that you confess and are saved ii corinthians the same message slightly different image it said if anyone is in christ he's a new creation a new birth the old has gone that's the hope we have for the world without apology or shame or embarrassment you could be like this i can god let me and he'll let you in we don't have to understand it all remember what we said we started in ezekiel he said i'm going to gather them from the nations and then i'll begin to sprinkle water on them that's who he's gathered us folks from the trash heaps and the distant places oh we know how to put it together we can dress up and come to church and sit there politely look like we got it together baloney or train wrecks and then god begins to clean us up we're in process better look at the person on your right and say i thought you needed a little cleanup most of you didn't even move you missed an opportunity those are our words and the power they have god's word has a greater authority in your life some of you struggle we think i don't like to read i don't read god's word folks if you're not putting it in your heart now while you have the freedom to do so you are forfeiting a season to gain strength ii timothy 3 verse 16 all scripture is god-breathed and is useful for teaching rebuking correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of god may be thoroughly equipped for every good work all scripture is useful we're reading numbers even numbers is useful don't be skipping numbers you'll miss the talking donkey you at least want to be as smart as a donkey the donkey saw the angel of the lord the donkey was smarter than the prophet that's another sermon i can't do that one right now read your bible systematically intentionally purposefully hebrews 4 12 the word of god is living and active sharper than any double-edged sword it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit joints and marrow it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart it's hard to know your heart it is we can convince ourselves of about anything but if you will take time to to just if you'll spend time in the word of god he will help you know your heart and sometimes it'll be so you can repent sometimes it'll be so you can rejoice he will help you looks there are so many voices for ungodliness and immorality and wickedness and selfish ambition and indulgence you need god's perspective a few minutes on the weekend at church isn't enough you need a god perspective we are in a crisis there's a revolution afoot and the outcome is going to be determined by the people of god now what are we going to do are we going to hurry back to the routines we were aggravated because they got interrupted are we planning our next strategy or will we say to the spirit of god here i am i'll own this space i'll stand for your truth i will tell the truth to my neighbors or my family or my co-workers or whomever the lord opens the door for what are we going to do we've played church too long we filed in and acted like we had an infinite amount of time to sort it out and we could behave whatever way we wanted to and the creator of heaven and earth has reminded us lately no you don't the things that provide comfort and convenience for us could be gone in a moment i pray they're not i don't enjoy discomfort and inconvenience but i want to be prepared to respond in this season [Music] and i want you to be prepared we can do this it's not a frightening time it's an exciting time it's harvest time you know it says in the scripture that they would have never crucified the lord if they had known he was going to be raised from the dead the devil overplays his hand our nation has a history of awakenings you know why we need to awaken because we kept going to sleep god's people in the book there's a there's a repetitive cycle of restoration after they wandered off the path don't wring your hands say god it's time to to realign to recompen recommit to repent to change we're not conceding the field we're going to change then watch what god will do amen i brought you a prayer why don't you stand with me i was going to invite you forward but the truth is we all need to come forward [Music] so why don't we pray where we are god knows the condition of our heart i think we can read this prayer together i like that opportunity because i think it's something you can take with you and and revisit if you choose you know things that you care about you think about more than once and and outcomes that you're really trying to achieve you talk about more than once so a prayer that captures a concern in your heart is worth praying more than once let's read this together heavenly father create in us a pure heart and forgive us for our rebellion and stubbornness open our eyes to see our condition deliver us from deception we choose to turn away from all ungodliness and to seek you without reservation pour out your spirit upon us grant us a willing spirit and guide us in paths of righteousness apart from you we have no hope but in you we are more than conquerors may the glory of the lord be displayed in our lives and in the name of jesus exalted throughout the earth amen hallelujah [Music] hey this is pastor alan thank you for watching this video if you enjoyed it like it and most importantly share it with your friends if you want to be notified when there's new content when we post new material if you'll just subscribe to my channel and hit the bell you'll get the notification most of all i pray god blesses you as you continue on your spiritual journey and open your heart to the lord god bless you

Channel: Allen Jackson Ministries

Views: 60,468

Rating: 4.539535 out of 5

Keywords: Pastor Allen Jackson, allen jackson ministries, world outreach church, alan jackson, sermons, preachers, how to be saved, Finding Jesus, pastor allen jackson sermons, Repairing the Foundations, Enacting Change in Our Lives, change, growth, spiritual warfare

Id: njEnn5eCwgg

Length: 55min 1sec (3301 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 02 2021