Rick & Bubba Bible Study Live - July 10, 2019

the Bible study for those you that are watching us on YouTube right now whether that be live or on an archive or maybe you're listening to the Rick and Bubba podcast channel we thank you for being with us today guys welcome back to the room some of you don't know this is a time of year where a lot of vacations going on and some were going in and out but another great group again today we are teaching the pursuit of holiness by jerry bridges this will be installment number 10 if you've missed any of the prior studies you can get those on this same youtube channel if you're watching that or you can get it on the podcast channel if you're listening there you can develop a playlist if i'd make it easier or you can go to burgess ministries.com click on media you'll see the Bible study there under the different media options that we have you can go back over the last four years and listen to any of the series that you would like you can also of course catch some of if you're if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram or the Rick and Bubba show on Twitter or Instagram we always put out the archive every Winston give you a link to it to make it as simple as possible and of course some of you are listening because you're one of the 25 men that cannot handle the modern-day technology and you have it have me text it to you every way but whatever it takes to disciple the men that want to be discipled we are all in do you want to remind you the next man church is coming up that'll be on August the 25th and we will have Greg powers will be here talking to us who who is a professional golfer and then the next day on that Monday we do have our you know our man church challenged golf tournament that's that opportunity if you were not here last week now hopefully you heard it there's an opportunity for you to find two men that you know that maybe are on a journey maybe they're they're not they don't have a church or you know maybe they're still on the journey of salvation you get a chance to caddy for them and they get to play Greystone for free you're their caddy you take care of them they'll get a lunch that will provide and then a dinner as well and they'll hear the testimony from Greg powers and then I'll be there for the dinner to present the gospel and to give you an opportunity to respond to that and all you have to do is serve them and take care of them so if you would like to know more about that I can get you in touch with the people you need to get in touch with you have to do is just contact me and I'm happy to help also before you leave one of our men has put together Harry has put together some DVDs here and these are free you can get these on the way out this is the fourth of July service that David Jeremiah and his church put together and it's a great message and a incredible service and these are yours so they're right here if you want to come grab them on the way out I'll be sure and tell Harry thank you for the times that he does these and provides this for us he's there in the back if you want to see him on the way out so let's open up with a word of Prayer today and let's jump in to to chapter 10 I do want to say this it's a little bit heavy a friend of mine I just got word unfortunately for his family I went through some tough times and it has ended in a way that and if I could just say this to you and I certainly don't want to be sensitive to the situation I've had to go through this walk through just a few times I know some of you have too I know when things get hard don't be a loner don't get out on your own don't let the adversary come in and convince you that that you're somehow doing a service to your family by taking your own life all you're doing if you do that is creating more problems you're not solving any problems so don't buy into that if you get to where you're hurting and you get that bad off man come see us we're here for you let us walk with you I just got news about a couple hours ago that a man that I know took his own life and and and and here we are again now gonna go talk to a wife and talk to some kids and and once again I know that these men get in their minds that that this is solution no this is this is just creating a worse situation and I'm not trying to be insensitive right now but I think when we have these things happen you think I wish I could have said this to him you know you're not doing anything about creating more problems you're not because I know in their minds they think this is gonna solve a problem and this is somehow a way of serving their wife and children but when you put that kind of stuff on your wife and children you're not helping anyone so please don't let don't let that lie come into your spirit and come into your ear you know I I'm not I'm not exempt from that I know what it's like sometimes to feel that that depression and that darkness kind of creep up on us and we look through men in the Bible they went through times of trouble and and depression but that's not where they were supposed to be that God always has a way out and you know what you got to do is learn through this what we're study now is to to lean on Christ to lean on the men lean on your wife and just and just take that and push it away from you don't don't let it get on you and it doesn't good you're not weak because you're struggling with it okay but but don't give in to it okay and I just I just want to make that point because I know there may be people listening watching and they may be some of you in here I mean what don't let that that is not the solution that is not the solution so yet pray for the Jennings family today for a wife and and and children that that are having to go through that right now so we open up in a word of Prayer lord thank you for today thank you for uh the the prompting and of mine certainly and whether I should talk about that today or not Lord I do pray you with the Jennings family all of us joined together here's a wife here's a son here's a grandchild here's a daughter Lord that's that they're hearing news and now in their minds are like why why did this happen why why would why would my husband why would my father do this and Lord once again I see the adversary taking him in out and leaving behind difficulty I pray Lord that this wife though will stand up I know she's a woman of God I know they know the truth I know his son is solid and I pray Lord this would be something that they they are made stronger through it will not be used to take their legs out from under that they'll be reminded of how wonderful you are and that you're always near to the brokenhearted and whatever the problem is Lord you are the answer and Lord we just take that promise and we hold close to it as we boldly step in to unpack your word and we're ready for you to refine us and to teach us and to grow us and to strengthen us by by your word which is here for rebuke it's here for exhaust or exhortation but it's also here to to give us hope and and and to give us the the piece that that that is supernatural as you said in John 16:33 you said this so we'd have peace in this world we will face tribulation you even told us so tribulation should not shock us but you said when it comes to always have peace in our heart because you have overcome the world and we cling and celebrate that promise right now lord thank you for overcoming whatever we face and thank you for defeating our real problem and that's our Redemption and our justification and now today Lord you continue to sanctifies in the name of Jesus we pray amen all right so in chapter 10 the pursuit of holiness you know keep in mind if you're not staying with us you got to have all the pieces of the puzzle because this is a stream of consciousness that's rolling on the process of pursuing holiness in our lives and and holiness is something that the Bible does call us to so we want to be very clear about this and I think what's happening and we'll talk about this a little bit with the today the the place of personal discipline and as Jerry even had to confess at one time he thought if he talked about personal discipline or personal action with sanctification that somehow that was sinful because we're suggesting there's something we must do that God hasn't already done we're not saying that at all God has already done what needs to be done but we do have to move to access what he's already accomplished and and we're trying to make this clear and I think one of the things today we'll talk about and I heard Andy blanks say this I had a the pleasure of hearing him teach on Sunday morning and and he made a great point and we're gonna hit these points it was interesting that it's going to be part of our study before we're done but he was talking about he said I believe especially what's happened with men a lot of times is that we're in all of human beings more than we're in all of God I mean if I told you that you're whoever you're in all of which by the way I don't know that we should be in all of any human being you remember Steve Farrar when he came to man church why in the world are you an all or afraid of anyone that gets to take their next breath only if God allows it God allows this guy you're so now would to breathe and you're a more enamored with him than you are God and so and so I mean you know if we found out that your favorite football coach your favorite athlete or your favorite celebrity or whatever the case may be was was in town you'd be more enamored and working around to get there then then you might be if I told you that that the Lord God Almighty was going to show up today so one of the things I think the reason why we're not made holy is we don't have we're not in all of God the way that we should be we're much more impressed with human beings than we are with God and and that's something that has to change and so Paul is writing to young Timothy and Adler I'll get this to you but this will be the verse that we'll use today first Timothy 4:7 if you have your Bible or something with your Bible on it let's listen because we're gonna unpack something that Paul says to young Timothy and first Timothy 4 and then of course in verse 7 he says to Timothy and to us have nothing to do with their reverent silly myths rather and here's the word we're going to land on today train yourself for godliness hmm so so train yourself for godliness train yourself and you know you learn to say that physical training is of some use but when you're training yourself spiritually this holds you know the keys to eternity it's possible to you know to establish convictions regarding a life of holiness even make a definite commitment to that end but yet failed to achieve it you know we talk about this all the time you know you say well I I'm convicted that I should have a life of holiness so I'm believing what you say I'll even make you a commitment that I'm going to do it but then never really do it and he said that's possible Jay Adams put it this way he said you may have salt and tried to obtain instant godliness and this is why they usually fail there's no such thing we want something to give us three easy steps to godliness and we'll take them next Friday and then we'll be godly the trouble is godliness doesn't come that way and the reason why even when you make a commitment I mean look we the next chapter I'm gonna be under so much conviction that I may even think it's do I even need to teach it because we're gonna take on in the next chapter one of the things that that we as a church a lot of times have our freight to just cause sin and that is physical and fitness and and overeating and glutton you know that's coming in the next chapter which I'm gonna really have a blast with that because that's been one of the struggles that I've had my whole life but you know what you know why you know why every workout program that I ever started on every diet that ever started on you know why many times I didn't stick with it because I didn't see instant success I mean this is taking longer than I thought so I guess and I was committed I was sold out to it but I'm like so when when do you start sticking with something we start seeing results well results when it comes to godliness they're not going to be instantaneous now you certainly when you're justified just like the young man I've talked about that it was so excited when he said look I got chills all over my body I'm weeping I'm broken I really do sense the power of the Holy Spirit well that was the beginning for him it wasn't the end now he has the ability to be made holy he's been justified but now he has the ability to be made holy and that certainly could accomplish through God but it is not going to happen instantly think about what we just heard 2 Timothy train yourself so the way to obtain godliness is through Christian discipline uh-oh may cost you something may have to actually do something and so he said this appears to be counter to our emphasis on freedom in Christ and often smacks of legalism and harshness so what we have to be careful of and I mean we went through this and we started the man church system in our church one of the things that I heard early on legitimately I heard early on from some of the people were like this seems a little harsh this is a little right what's reason why we're having man church I mean you we wouldn't have this presentation if you had children and women in the room but when the men got together to be men and to be spoken to like men it's a different tone and some people said this feels a little harsh but you know what we discovered but it was effective now where there's some people that got their faithless heard and didn't come back certainly and does that mean that everything was done perfectly I'm flawed so probably not but I can tell you this there were a number of people that are sitting in this room for years later that that was the tone that they needed to hear and it was the tone I needed here okay so so he said we got to get to the point where every time somebody talks about holiness sanctification altering behavior how you need to do this training we got to stop with the pushback what about freedom in Christ this is legalistic legalism and obedience are not the same thing okay they're not the same thing and I think a lot of times in our paranoia that we're so afraid to be called mean harsh or legalistic that we've been willing to take safety vacation and obedience and throw it out with the trash as we're trying to remove legalism from the church and legalism and obedience and holiness aren't the same thing legalism is something we don't want to be we don't want to have a self-righteous you know when I take my emails now as I'm growing in Christ there was the time when I declared every single email to be a Pharisee if anybody said I was doing something a lot of Pharisee well and then I started realizing no no all of them art how about some of them who are giving you scripture and verse and there your brother or sister in Christ that hears you claiming to be a follower of Jesus and what you did on the show today you shouldn't have done and you didn't listen to them you know swallow your arrogance swallow your pride and quit deeming anybody who tries to tell you you're not doing something right as being a Pharisee now are there still Pharisees yes there are have I been guilty of being a Pharisee probably at times but I bet something else that I'm working on is that is to be sure what even when we're doing this we're doing it with the right heart you know even with the verse that's part of our is it kind of our theme verse for our men's ministry and a lot of people use it for men's ministry is first Corinthians 16 13 and 14 and it we love out like the man we we love that we need to be watched well we love all that but we forget at the end he says and be sure everything you do you doing love yeah you know I had it really go until I got to that part now that's kind of taking the steam out of what I was doing but it doesn't say that we don't we don't challenge each other but be sure that it's always the right spirit but we can't be so afraid of not having the right spirit that we don't do it at all how about just do it right just do it right and and so Paul says that we are to train our discipline ourselves to be godly this is a figure of speech that you know was from physical training that the Greek athletes went through you know Paul was always look when he especially was talking to Gentiles he was using a lot of analogies with the Greek athletes that they saw you know that were playing the games and so what he's saying is just like these Greek athletes have to train themselves physically to go for the prize and of course he goes on to say I mean they're doing all this for a trophy I mean that little thing they got I mean it was leaves I mean but but we all know as men especially are women who are competitive we all know it's to say that you won it really doesn't matter what they give you I was the best at what I did or I beat the opponent or I outdid everybody and I'm getting a just reward for my physical work well Paul saying well the same way that happens look we said in first Corinthians 9:25 write that down first corinthians 9:25 everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training and this is the attitude every Christian should have what Paul's took point again he says and even says you know what we just heard from Timothy physical training is of some use but think about it just ends up giving you some benefits and and certainly we should do that but he said but think about why are you not training yourself spiritually because it holds the key to eternal life can we all agree that spiritual training delivers something better than us to put some a little something on top of our head or to get a trophy and I'm and there's nothing I'm not anti competition at all you know that however it can't become that type of training is all that matters to you you know this is the kind of thing is I don't care if my football coach is I'll follow Jesus as long as he wins well what can he be both why don't why don't you have the same commitment to his spiritual health as he does to his physical or his strategy or the what he puts the the athletes through but if we were all honest I should say oh I think some things are changing if some of us were honest if I told you that you're gonna have a football coach that is going to Siple young men from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity and deliver devout followers of Jesus Christ but you're gonna go one in ten and lose to your rival would you still keep him on the scope I mean just be honest he's gonna get fired so that's why we can't look to the world on how we're supposed to do things you know every football coach my father included when they stand before their Lord and Savior and they stand before the great I am they're winning of football games isn't going to mean anything if it didn't point anybody to justification and sanctification it's not gonna matter now I know in this temporal finite world we're living in right now we can't imagine that but I don't know how to break it to y'all God doesn't care who wins the iron boat now he's gonna take the iron boat he's gonna be testing some people and he's gonna and he's gonna be using it and there's gonna be all kinds of things that God's hands in that's going on but he is not for Auburn or Alabama he really isn't I know some of you in shocking if y'all need to be counseled after it I'll stay here and talk to you because you're convinced teach for your team and I'm here to tell you he's not okay what he's hoping is that the people who play the game and coach the game to come to the game don't God die and go to hell now will he use it did he allow it to be created he certainly did was Paul a fan of the games he was certainly it was but what is he telling you but be sure you understand why we're doing this it's just this is all to show you things about your spiritual life and if all you got out of it is some satisfaction for your physical life it's not of a lot about you this is not an ant don't lock your football team just don't worship it and also don't change your standards for your football team and then everything else is a different standard you know it's amazing how how many things will turn a blind eye to as long as our team wins you know and and it that and that's it I mean and so we got we got to get we got to get our mind right when it comes to this and he says so if you if you if you want that kind of excellence in your football team you want that kind of excellence and athletic ability then you should at least want the same excellence in your spiritual life right and and I know we know that but let's let's ask for cess if we if we really practice that first Corinthians 9 22 through 27 if an athlete disciplines himself to abstain I mean obtain a temporal prize look Paul is saying in these verses how much more should we Christians discipline ourselves to obtain a crown that lasts forever what did Paul say at the end of his life to Timothy you remember what he said he ran the race there's another athlete he fought the fight What did he say was gonna get was he was even get the little little thing on the head no was he gonna get a trophy was he gonna get to put the year that he won the championship what'd he say was gonna get the crown of righteousness the crown of righteousness from his Lord and Savior so Paul said ultimately at the end of my life I hope that I've achieved that crown because if I've got anything else but I don't have this I don't have anything that's how he knew he'd run the race world he'd fought the good fight was that he was going to receive his just reward from Jesus is that how you live your life is that how I live my life honestly am I am I working to say that I want to stand before Jesus and I won't hear from him well done or am I still wonder stand before the world and hear well done from them that's okay to have both as long as you didn't compromise Jesus cuz if you got it from Jesus that means that the well done from from the world was something that honored him amen but let me tell you something if you're more enamored with coaches celebrities and athletes then you are Jesus something's dreadfully wrong dreadfully wrong and you're in you're in trouble you've got to make that adjustment because something's wrong because if you're not as a number with Jesus as you are these things then you must not really know Jesus now I'm not trying to question your salvation because that's not my place the Bible tells me clearly that's I'm not the judge but I will tell you this if you're not a number with Jesus either you're lost or you just don't know him the way you should yet is that fair I know it wasn't my life so what does discipline mean what does it mean so he Jerry goes to the dictionary and I thought this was really good listen to this here's what the dictionary says the word discipline means training that corrects molds are perfect the mental faculties our moral character Wow so if I'm pursuing holiness he's calling me to a spiritual training that will correct me will mold me will perfect me into the moral character that holiness demands now God accomplishes it because I can't be holy but Jesus says but I I'm holy so you be holy meaning what I'm holy I'll make you holy you got it but but i but I can say if Jesus say come here I'll make you holy here I say that pass pass know and say go back to the thing that I struggled with did you me you know I don't know your situation one of the things that kept me from taking that that step that I finally took a total submission was I knew that Jesus was gonna take things from me that I wasn't ready to give him I wasn't sold yet that being on the authority of Jesus was better than these things you know what I needed there were things in my life they weren't holy and he was gonna have it Wow because he loved me not because he was against me hey hey get that right God's not against you now he's against you if you if you decide you're gonna try to walk in there unredeemed he can't help it but God is for you he's not he didn't worship you you know there's some of that theology out there God is not a human worshipper however he loves us enough that he went to the cross and that's big you know I think one of the things we get about God's love for us is if you ever have children and once you have children I mean you think to yourself I mean I'm just trying to I'm trying to keep you out what I'm saying is right you know I'm not against you I'm for you I know what wood is gonna serve you better and what's not going to and when you don't do it and you suffer the consequences God's not celebrating that have you ever had that happen with one of your kids you're like man I tried to tell you I had to happen one of mine I mean it was set down across from him he asked me about something I said do this do this and don't do that he didn't do that he didn't do that and he did that but he was a grown man and so he comes back and he says hey this happened this happened this happened I said no who told you that's what was gonna happen you did right but you did it anyway I did and I said and what happened what you said would happen did I do that because I was trying to ruin the fun or did I do that because I loved it now he can reject him does that mean that I push him away and he could never be around me again no because I said hey I messed up I blew it I repent but you know what when it came to the earth repercussions he said what we gonna do about that I said I don't know but it won't include me yeah hey this is your time to fix your mess right and he'll and the Lord does that for us sometimes too doesn't it every time I go to him about the sin in my life that I still have our theory percussion from I've been forgiven praise the Lord but there's earthly repercussions certain things I didn't do his way and guess what it causes trouble and when that trouble happens and I go to him crying about it I hear back from my heavenly father that's on you here's how I said you should have done your life and you didn't do it you're forgiven if you truly repent but the earthly stuff that you made I love you and I certainly pray and things work out but there are certain things I created here on earth that I can't get resolved I can get it to the best it can be you know kind of like an old broken car something I can get it running again and I could even make long trips in it again but it's never quite the same again sin listen to me sin always matters it always matters but it's not unforgivable because what I know is that this is not heaven and what I know is the promises of God like a situation going on right now and some asked about that I said what are you doing I said I'm clinging to the promises of God because I believe it and and so so this discipline and holiness is exactly what it says it is and it cannot be accomplished what next he said you're never gonna accomplish holiness Rick what without the Word of God I got a new it I mean I've got I've got to get in here to know what I'm supposed to do then what I need you know what God said he imagined honestly and anybody had any kind of leadership or anything in a business or whatever y'all know exactly how God feels I heard a guy say this other day I hate to go to meetings that could have been an email no need to call a meeting over somebody could have been an email but why the meetings happen that should have been an email I read it have you ever taken something to said hey guys everybody look at this and you give it to them and somebody comes back and ask you something was on that sheet you ever had that happen is that infuriate you how do you think God feels when we come back going god I don't know what to do about such a said she goes I've got 2,000 years I've had this for you you ever have people pray over things that God's already answered there's no need now certainly you want to pray about what but you know what's covered it quite a bit I wonder how God feels about this I I can tell you he's covered you know and we said what was it last week where there are some areas that are not as clear but he's given you enough clear things did he make decisions on those so so first of all he says that we got it we got a no scripture if you say I'm going to be disciplined to in my holiness and I won't be disciplined then scripture has to be there second Timothy 3:16 what did Paul say to timothy again all Scripture is god-breathed and is useful for don't miss the list teaching here comes the don't call people Pharisees when they're just doing rebuking correcting and training in righteousness or holiness well there's the word training in so this is part of my training yes yes and look we've already destroyed the famous thing Rick I was the king of this I told y'all I'd never read a book since where the Red Fern Grows I didn't like to read don't I tell you all the time my wife loves to read God makes me read it's two different things they don't come easy for me but you know what when I started getting into it and saying Lord you teach me I love this I can't I think it was maybe Scott Dawson the first person ever heard say this one time when he was given a time of decision and I thought this was perfect for the new believer I know that you love me now you teach me love you teach me to love you I don't know you well enough yet you know everything about me I'm just learning about you why do you think Scott said that because John 14 being said if you love me you'll obey my commands hey I've been justified today thank you for that Lord but if I'm going to grow in my spiritual health you got to teach me to love you how do we learn to love him we get to know and what do we get to know him in the word so once I started realizing that this just had so much it's like I said before and every man if you if you don't admit this you just not ready to be clean and that's what we always consume everything we can about whatever we deem of value I don't want here anymore you got bad study habits I use that excuse for years no I need a lot about everything I cared about them and every man does every woman does well research will find out everything will read books about it yeah books will listen to it well consume consume consume consume so if you know more about your football team than you know about your Savior you got that information somewhere why not just have that same devotion to Jesus if you can tell me the starting lineup for your favorite sports team and a seventh-grader y'all looking at that I'm sure it's gonna pan out why don't you tell me the same thing about your Savior why can you not tell me about your Savior that information is available to probably easier to get than that information I don't know how you found that high school you worked at it you know why you worked at it because you love it and there's nothing wrong with that as long as you know more about that you know about Jesus then it's a problem and so we hear Paul saying to Timothy that the Bible is part of training in righteousness Paul says training our discipline and doing righteousness we must read scriptures I love this when you go to you can write this down to Ephesians 4:22 through 24 Ephesians 4:23 through 24 and I'm just gonna give you the first what what is the key of these scriptures when Paul is saying to Ephesus you were talked I don't miss that you were taught and then he goes into his dissertation why is he saying that first you've been taught this right I'm not I'm not bringing up something today y'all shouldn't already know I think about the writer of Hebrews oh the writer of Hebrews you know whoever that is but the writer of Hebrews when he says that I'm paraphrasing I keep having to come back and give you milk and you can tell you frustrated by when you should be eating meat right now but I can't give you me because you can't handle it and then he says this some of you should be teaching by now but I have to keep going back to the basic Oracles of God and hey the writer of Hebrews isn't saying that's okay and I understand he's saying it shouldn't be this way I'll tell you one of the reasons why we don't see society look different than it does is because we can't seem to get if we would do the the the Jesus design and this is not a denominational thing whatever but man it was accurate and I've never even thinking it was a little too simple but man it was accurate and we're about doing it again who's your one but back when I was younger and you know not not following Jesus but I can still remember each one reach one if in order to for if we would multiply but like Jesus said make disciples why we're trying to do in this room you should be able to go out and handle the Scriptures instead of one guy or three guys that keep going out trying to get from these big crowds you know one of the reasons why Promise Keepers didn't make it is they said they were drawing these great crowds but they could never get it down to when people left now certainly I know individuals that power that The Promise Keepers are used to radically change their life and I'm certainly a fan of Promise Keepers don't misunderstand me but I'm talking with some of the guys now about what we're doing and I said what do we need to do to keep this thing going of course they love what we're doing about the we love discipleship that doesn't ever stop and they said that's what they never could get going nothing wrong with advance you'll still see me do advance but they said it really got to where the mascot bigger bigger and bigger but they could never quite get the one-on-one and it never quite multiplied that this guy left and discipled that guy and this guy left in the top of that guy and that the people who left became individual evangelist and disciple makers everybody's kept depending on the next event to let them do it you see where that can and it got huge I mean I mean it was huge but if all that hugeness produced hundreds of thousands of devout followers of Jesus why is the world lethwei does so that's that seed thing that Jesus talking about now some of these seeds we throw out and we should but discipleship jesus said make disciples now that doesn't mean that we're evangelism is understood but but once somebody says ok now what we don't treat that as the end we treat that as the beginning and and so that's what we're trying to do so if you uh if you reading the book you can see kind of what he he puts a little diagram in ninety seven about Scripture and and that you were taught and you know then Paul was gonna say to put off your old self to be made new in the attitude of your minds and Ephesians but he said you were taught so how do you set up the records is we have regular intake of scriptures and Anna discipline plan for applying them to our daily lives then our cooperation with the Holy Spirit's clear and then he did the diagram and in the diagram he said so the spirit wrote scripture meaning God breathed we learned that God breathed Scripture then once we learned that God breathed Scripture then we apply it to our lives and we learn how to apply that and then we apply what we've learned and go through our lives so he said the Holy Spirit has already done a good part of his work by providing us with the scriptures to discipline us and as we learn them he will faithfully bring them to our minds as we need them as we face temptation when you get to the point where you'll see some great victory is when you come into a situation and you immediately think what the Bible says about it right and how do you get that reps you may have coached coach while we keep doing this over and over again I said so it'll be second nature to you rep rep rep rep rep rep and you know and I remember it because I nobody struggles with memorizing Scripture with me but you know what you know how I have learned to retain some of it reps so what I don't do I don't want to try to learn a thousand scriptures I go out say I need I'm gonna learn three I'm gonna learn more you know at least I got one that I can recall and then the others if I can't recall them I know where to find them you know well I remember the remember when you first started out or I do somebody says no where does it say that in the Bible that's a lot of books and a lot of pages but it's in there somewhere I'm telling that but but when you get you start figuring out the way the books are set up and you know I certainly can I can get close I mean if you know me I'll say something like I think that's in Timothy 4 first Timothy and then I look in the second Timothy 3 but I was close you know what I mean at least I'm in Timothy now one of them and so but you start getting better right what you start getting better how many of you nobody ever started out doing anything that you know like I talked about with anything you were doing training no you don't start out knowing everything I didn't I didn't know how to run a board I was one of those kind of people of course you know I believed in trying to get the job I remember vividly guy asked me and my first job ever as a DJ says you know how to run this board a few records and I said absolutely I had no idea how to cue record but I got in their spare room drive start trying to figure it out because I just wanted the job but but but so I couldn't run it the first day right how did I learn to run it I studied it I figured I worked it out I work with it and how do men learn visually hands-on let's get my hands on I got to know I learned like this y'all wouldn't believe how much I'm learning teaching this people tell me every time and I appreciate all of our guys at the church hey Rick you know you can take a year off and I can't even how come I said oh I don't know if they need it but I certainly do I know somebody can teach this but if you know what I'm just gonna be real with you I want to get to the point you may see me take a break if I can look you in the eye and say I'll be there as much as you guys are here but see right now if I stopped teaching this would I come see you every Wednesday somewhere I'd like to think I would I would I mean I'd love to say the right thing but but I gotta get to the point where if it all of a sudden we say when do you guys rise up in here and say I'm gonna teach you this next round and we're gonna meet wherever or so you want to be here maybe I'll have you meet here cuz they not be in trouble if I didn't come yeah y'all y'all can find then but I you guys are much you guys are devoted and see you don't have to I've told you that I'll be here to teach so I got nowhere to go but that's kind of countability I need look at how much you guys come when you don't have to and say that shows you see it of some value you see it doing something and I'm gonna tell you something I've been blown away by that I'm out really having and I can't tell how much it encourages me to see you guys deeming this of value in your life it really really does so he says so then will you'd know how to handle daily situations he said he'll work in us to strengthen us but we must respond to what the Holy Spirit has already done if we expect him to do more so we see that we must discipline our lives for a regular healthy diet diet of the Word of God now I know now we're to the point we're a little bit a little bit of a rub because you're going Rick well what what's the plan I wish we had a better person for this and look at some of the stuff Gerry's talked about because I'll tell you something it's hard for me to say here's my plan for a diet of the word because my plan is not as structured as maybe some of you need you know some people say well do you have a certain time of day yes and no I basically study Scripture when I can you know I make time for it but I don't have a set time like I don't certainly I pray every morning and I get up and I row through the things that God's later in my heart before I go to work and I'll certainly read a page of Oswald Chambers and then once he convicted convinces me I'm lost then I have to get back into more prayer because yeah that has got to be the hardest daily devotional that's ever been written who is this guy I mean he's coming hard how about the other day when he was he was telling me to fret man just shows how wicked I am what I mean I mean I know we're not supposed to be anxious but I'm wicked if I'm anxious yeah it's just another sign show you how off you're you know if we were not supposed to fret and I suppose fret about anything if you fret that just shows how wicked you still are how much work you got to do I'm like well this is a weird July 4th that was the July 4th one but but anyways so go look at July 4th read it read Oswal July 4th they say it's mean yeah you talk about so pharisee but anyway so uh hey he wasn't very old either I mean this guy but anyway if you've never read date of devotion that's one little thing you can do because there's always scripture in it there's a verse for you to learn devotions are very helpful especially for men but I tell you one of the things that I would say I like some of these plans that give you a proverb a psalm an Old Testament and New Testament if you I like that or I like getting in one book and just kind of going through it through the one book of the Bible if I do a scatter pattern I find myself really not landing and moving forward like I need to I get I get too much going on you know and if you if I would say to some of you if you just want to be introduced to Jesus and we're gonna do this I think the next round after we finish this I think we're just going off through the Gospel of John because this is you know the different Gospels all have a different you know part on the team the Gospel of John is saying here's Jesus this is who Jesus is and this is what he's done and this it's a it is a book they're all about Jesus but you know what I mean this is more of a here's everything you need to know about Jesus and so so I think that's what we're gonna do next so the Gospel of John is a great one but I would just say this my dad used to say something about honey I think he was right he said I hear all these people talking about when to go hon let me tell you when to go hunting I said when when's the best time that he said when you can he said so what what I would do is say I'm gonna study Scripture when I can now some of you may need something a set time everyday but my schedule my job's weird you somebody I've known this trying to have lunch with me sometimes they'll say how does third you look and I say we'll see you know it just it's just it's a little fluid you know I don't have a set day like a lot of you do so what I try to do is I'll just find time to sometimes it's in the middle afternoon sometimes it's at night I love Saturday mornings if I don't have anywhere to go I love to get up and get a cup of coffee and I usually get this together on Saturday and lay it out and study scriptures but what I would say is don't overwhelm yourself I'm not so sure sometimes these goals set to Bible studies or there's nothing wrong with it but don't get to the point we're just trying to check it off your list I've done that before and I promise you if you ask me what I just read I continue I got my homework done but I don't know what I read so so I think most men do better and you may be different to take little nuggets and really chew on them as opposed to taking these like some of you they're trying to stop with your kids at night please don't set your kid down to do a 45-minute devotion before they go to bed you've lost them sit down and try to find a point you want to make with them before they go to bed and and try to keep it to about five five to five to seven minutes okay you don't have to do some dissertation you know for them to see that it matters to daddy and daddy's taking time before I go to bed to pray with me and maybe take one nugget he wants us to to talk about for we go to bed okay a lot of men fight on this kind of stuff because they put they make it too big too quick now you may find that as you mature that you go I think I just read through an entire book of the Bible okay that'll come but don't start with that because I think it'll only frustrate you okay so just just take it in and come up with a system and that system we talked about last week is very helpful so another thing that you think about says you read scriptures he said nothing to help us is to meditate on it now I really push back on that a little bit because that's to meditate but but but but the bible does call that so here's what he means he said about meditating ask yourself these three questions and I love this on page 101 what does the passage teach concerning God's will for a holy life what does it teach so think about that and these questions are on page 101 so you can you can find them yourself so it says so what what does it teach me about a holy life and I want to apply it that's meditating on it how does my life measure up to the scriptures specifically where and how do I fall short be specific a lot but he says that don't generalize what I said about men whatever you want to do please do not tell think that men get it do not stay general do not stay gray stay real specific I think I'm struggling on the scripture in my life for what reason be specific then third what definite steps of action do I need to take to obey and so so it says be wise about picking the Bible study time don't do it why are you sleepy look I can't do it before I go to bed you know why I fall asleep I'm sharper in the morning once I get going but I don't taste that I use sharper to get into the word you know like sometime in the middle of the day or in because it's afternoon fades for me I kind of start falling away a little bit that's why I usually am most productive on on days that I don't have to be anywhere I can get up and get in the word so be wise about picking a good spot of study time and how about this plan plan out what you're gonna do and plan what you're gonna do but maybe for some of you it is maybe maybe it said maybe you don't you know Andy and I did these how to be a man books they're 40-day devotionals one of them are eight characteristics the Bible talks about of what a man should be the other one or eight men of the Bible to emulate it's one page with a few questions but it's not gonna waste your time it's meat it's not fluff you know maybe something like that is a good way for you to get started but don't just say today around some time I'm gonna grab some part of the Bible and I'm gonna look at it it's not gonna be effective you wouldn't try anything else that way so don't treat the most important part of your sanctification that way either he said reading the Bible yourselves study scripture intently and he says and the other thing is memorizing key passages he said but but we do need to meditate on it joshua 1:8 don't let the book of the law depart from your mouth meditate on it day and night don't you hate when scripture uses the exact words you're trying to avoid it says meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it so Joshua says the reason why you do it this way what so you'll be able to follow it how many of you can follow instructions that you don't know I can't a fact I've tried that you are see some things I tried to put together because I you know what I don't like to read the directions say yeah and I'll toss it aside and I'll look at the parts and I think I have it every if you ought to sing the time I pulled the handle on a lawnmower I'm not following the instructions and the thing fell apart in the driveway I mean and I mean you talk about in fear I told the guy I wanted to display I didn't want have to put it together and and I came back and I had grease all of me my knuckles were bleeding and I was like that and I was just sweat running down there and I came in toting pieces of and the guy said go get him to display I told you I wanted that display so what does meditation mean thinking about it and I plaster to our life you know where you can tell you where I like to spend time talking to the Lord driving driving man pop in a Bible study pop in just the Bible on audio I use the guy with the English accent he holds my attention pretty good and and that's a great wait time to meditate on scripture or maybe just think something that you want I mean I actually have had some really deep prayers and thought about things while I was driving I love to get caught up while I'm driving look trust me other than written Bible there's nothing on the radio anyway you know what I mean so so just yeah now if it's between 6:00 and 10:00 central time hold what you got the the objective our meditation is application what it's first to become obedient to Scripture this is a this is going to require discipline it's going to require us being corrected some training we're gonna have to break bad habits we'll have develop new habits remember what this scripture this has taught me and it's really true and that way you just kind of take with don't get overwhelmed by what's coming at first of all God's provided all the power you need to win you just got to access that power but remember this so you don't get frustrated so I like people to tell me is this gonna be bad it's gonna be hard if I say it actually will be and a lot of times when I start a guard wasn't as hard as I thought wasn't because they got really built up as being really hard I think what I hates when people act like something's easy and then it's not you ever had that happen I had that happen another day I looked up and I was supposed to do something trying to do better with my physical health I looked at myself I don't look too bad I was wrong it was really really bad once I got in the middle of it and hey Rick that's ten rounds ten I thought we were doing it once and I thought oh my gosh we're not doing much today and I said I gotta rip up my stuff and they say no way you're finished I said what do you mean they said I said I'm done I did what you said they said have you done it 10 times I said 10 tops you ought to mean and then say I wish I'd have known 10 then I'd have known what I was getting into so I could pace myself so understand that that it there think about all of our sinful habits where they were developed well our new habits go have to be developed too okay it's not going to happen overnight this one does not mean a you know I'm not doing that anymore I love that when he said that because I said well I ain't doing that anymore and I can remember I can't handle this without such a different animal when your son is actually in the room with you but that I can remember when I had some habits when I was younger that I kept telling everybody how we're gonna do anymore you're the meaning they were the start laughing at me maybe I had a bad experience what do I see it ain't doing that anymore but I didn't do anything to ensure that I wouldn't do it anymore that's the key you can't just announce it because nothing's changed well you're in a moment right now where you maybe saw a bad repercussions for what you did and you think well this is this is my golly that's over but you didn't do anything to be sure that that you would write back to the same people went out with the same people went to the same places and what happened did it again and that's because the announcement meant nothing because you did change anything I'm sure there's a lot of amens in here if you if you understand what I'm talking about so you got a change what you're doing and you actually have to have some structure you got to have some plan training and one of the things they're helping me with with on one of the things I'm dealing with that it's been sent in my life like I said is the lack of my physical health and and and trying to control my weight and all this you know what the guys who help me out to say and they're starting to encouraged me now the other day I came down there and went and did something for fourth of July you know what they say where's old rig Oh red would have been here today he did called say well the holidays here I don't think I'm gonna come today they said they said they said oh new red got here but over he wouldn't be here would have to know or it wouldn't be here and so they keep referring back say see you making progress you're doing better and so so one of the things that he talked about he said on page on page 101 the most important part of the process is specific application of the scripture to specific life situations I think that's great get specific scriptures and apply them to specific problems or things in your life he said do not be prone to vagueness you know so you know are you are you are you gonna do this well in general he said be very specific and try to drop out of your life if you want a discipline being so vague I'm you know I'm gonna do somewhat better you know what I'll try well that I plan to no that's that's not that's not being resolved and certainly I've done all those things so this is me teaching you from my own experience he said we must avoid these general commitments to obedience and instead aim for specific obedience to specific instances he says we deceive our souls when we grow in knowledge of the truth without specifically responding to it this is good well you can learn all you want to learn it but if you can't apply to didn't do us any good does and you can find that right that verse this down to go look at what James said in James 1:22 and he said also be careful be careful about spiritual pride meaning that we start thinking that we're stronger spiritually than we really are and put ourselves in bad situations that's 1st Corinthians 8:1 jot that down so and he was talking about you know like for an example he said you're meditating on what the Bible says about love in 1st Corinthians 13 which is a great chapter and he says you realize the importance of love and you also see the practical out workings of love love is patient and kind and does not envy and you ask yourself am i impatient or unkind or envious to anyone you take your name you ask yourself this question look we got to say something at our house this happens a lot with Scripture and with sherry night stops a lot of problems well you remember that time this is just like that time you know what want to say the other love keeps no record of wrongs first reaching 13 but we do but he said love doesn't so if you keep hammering people on stuff you know what Paul says but you know real love because if you loved them you wouldn't keep a record of wrongs for the rest of their life especially if they change to the offer and when you go and via the book of you'll pull that out well we'll just set each other hey love keeps no record of wrong word we learned that from the Bible and and and and you know and then of course you can ask the question like if you're doing something as a husband or as a father and you see what scripture says about that and you're not doing that then you know that that there's a problem so other thing you talked about you know he gives some more examples we won't get into all that but I do want to talk about some of the things that you know when you when you look at some of the things that Jonathan Edwards says and we've talked about these a little bit in some of our past studies but he's had a lot of great things say like we said last week where he said he wouldn't do anything you know if he knew this was going to be the the last moments of his life if you if you weren't doing the last hours of your life then you shouldn't do them at all but anyway he says you can you can readily see that structured training and holiness is a lifelong process so don't miss that so a necessary ingredient of discipline is what perseverance man if there's one word that we got you got a persevere man press home don't don't give up any training physical mental or spiritual is characterized at first by what failure we fail more often than we succeed but if we persevere we gradually see progress - we are succeeding more often than failing this is true as we seek to put to death particular sins at first it seems we're making no progress don't let this frustrate you so we become discouraged and we think what's the use I can never overcome this sin and that's exactly what Satan and the adversary or your flesh wants you to think Jonathan Edwards he resolved what we said never do anything he'll be afraid of in the last hour of his life also said this resolved we must be resolved never to give over nor in the least to slack in my fight with my corruptions however unsuccessful I may be at first glance you think about what John Jonathan say and he said if he resolved never to do anything he shouldn't do then why is he talking about giving up the fight regardless of how unsuccessfully maybe he just told us in the last chapter that he was resolved that he was never gonna do anything he wouldn't do in the last hour of his life and now he's saying I don't give up if I fail well he says even even Jonathan Edwards never didn't stick to it but you'll find in a later chapter we'll get to that but I thought Gerry made a good point and we need to learn this just because you fail doesn't mean you're a failure a failures who gives up says I give into it again now then you're a failure but to fail you just you dust yourself off you say the commitment stands I didn't make it on the commitment this time I'm on my face I'm in the scripture and I'm moving forward look I hate to keep using this analogy but it's one of my you've heard this about any health regimen look if you go off the go off the rails then get up tomorrow and get back home don't just say well it's over that's it can never do couldn't do it never could never could you you continue to get back to the standard that we are called to proverbs 24:16 for though a righteous man falls seven times write this one down this is good proverbs 24:16 for though a righteous man falls seven times he rises again and listen to this but the wicked are brought down by calamity they can't take it those who give up that's how the wicked eye acts but a righteous man though he falls seven times he keeps getting up press home yeah better look does she self off get back into the authority of Christ get back under the will of God and say I messed up I repent and how about this whatever I did they got me this situation I ain't gonna do it anymore right only the wicked give up when they face calamity so the person who has discipline himself toward holiness may fall many times listen to me but he does not quit don't ever quit it's difficult you know why go back to CS Lewis your flesh now the nose it's got a fight going you may start doing enough that the demons say this person is worthy to rattle you know think about what Jesus said to Peter hey Satan just petitioned my father to sift you like wheat and I'm praying for you praying for me how about don't let it happen but what was he praying that you won't give him and even if you do watch what Peter did he didn't know but he didn't pass that test but did he give up and what did Jesus do when he brought him over to the shore hey come here do you love me yes feed my sheep do you love me yes Lord tend to my lambs do you love me Lord you know all things so you know I love you and feed my he denied him he denied him he denied him jesus said forgiving forgiving forgiving you and I are good now I will give you the Holy Spirit and you're going you're going you're gonna finish well it's gonna be ugly and you're gonna be martyred but I won't ever leave you don't give up don't give up only the we could give up so when Paul talks about himself and Matthew 7 we always want to say I love him jerry said we want to skip 7 and get to 8 he says but Paul says in 7 for I want to do what I do not do and what I hate to do I did it he's not saying that he did that he just gives in he just says hey it's a struggle believe it or not the Apostle Paul says in my sanctification process I still feel sin right beside me but but and when I mess up I just I just changed what I was doing and it's often our experience too and I like this and we'll close the truth is the more we see the holiness of God and as law revealed to us in Scripture the more we recognize how far we Sh we sure we fall Isaiah was a prophet walking in righteousness and God's commandment yet when he saw the Lord in holiness he was compelled to cry out what woe is me woe is me I am ruined from a man of unclean lips I live among the people of unclean lips so remember as the growing knowledge of God's holiness is made aware to us they'll be also a growing in the practice of holiness that gap sometimes between our knowledge of who he is and who we are is going to also make us assess just how sinful we really are think about Jobe thinking about Jobe blameless up right after the suffering before I'd heard of you but now we've become so close I actually see you and remember this is after he got the resume from God do you tell the water what to do who are you to question me now at the beginning of job he's blameless and upright compared to other people but not compared to God and what the job's say after he saw God suffering and I repent and ashes and dust now that I've seen who you really are I have come to complete clarity only even though the world sees me as blameless and upright compared to you how dirty I still AM it's our repent and ashes and dust that's our attitude because the holiness of God compared to us there's such a gap it's not gonna come easy but it is attainable if we just won't quit and keep seeking for God to mature us and to train ourselves spiritually and demand excellence from our spiritual wall the way we do for everything else in our life that we deem of any value let's pray thank you for today lord thank you for the message thank you for the conviction and thank you for the time together Lord I cannot even put into words how valuable this time together is with these men every week and I pray you'll continue to to teach us and refine us in the name of Jesus we pray amen all right guys thank you for hey don't forget these DVDs if you want them something good to have in your arsenal you you you

Channel: Rick & Bubba

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Length: 65min 31sec (3931 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 10 2019