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In chains I was bound,

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I was a madman on the run.

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Through the hills

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I wandered.

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I was riding from the sun.

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But truth found me there.

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It was in my darkest eye.

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I traded my black heart for

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Welcome to Tell the Truth, a weekly podcast

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about faith, current events, and life in general,

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brought to you from Mountain View Baptist Church

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live every Monday night at 6PM

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central time.

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And welcome back this week.

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So excited to be back. We've had a

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nice weekend. I think we had a great

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great service yesterday at

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church.

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Wonderful one just wonderful weekend. I've been been

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blessed this week. Been blessed. Amen. How you

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doing this week, brother Dennis?

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Aight.

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Aight?

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Hey. That's Yeah. Yeah. That Aight. That's not

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that bad. And especially considering that we're all

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running on an hour less sleep. Yeah. I

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know. Yeah. Yeah. I'm still trying to catch

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up from that. Man, what a day, though.

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It was gorgeous, wasn't it? Yeah. Habit fever.

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Let's get outside.

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Oh, yeah. Today, I I didn't bother going

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out for lunch. And at one point, I

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had stepped down to the lobby, and I

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just went in and grabbed me a quick

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snack and back up to my desk. And

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I look out, and I'm like, I should

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really have stepped outside.

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Yes. Nice.

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Yeah. How you doing?

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Awesome, man. Had a good day, good weekend.

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I don't know if I told you this

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or not, but I had a grandbaby a

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few weeks ago. Uh-uh. She was at the

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house. Blown away. Yeah. She was at the

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house a few weeks few minutes ago. And

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so

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I I was running a little bit late.

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I didn't see what time it was. So

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yeah.

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Yeah. It's awesome. It's my fault. We're we're

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however long after six it is. Eleven minutes.

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Yeah. No big deal. Yeah. And we're we

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still got we we don't really have any

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listeners yet, so that's okay. They'll just have

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to catch up. That's right. Alright before we

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dive in tonight, man I wanted to kind

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of talk about this a little bit. I

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had written a little blog article back in

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2019, it was the first one I ever

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wrote that that's actually stuck around and still

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out there.

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And it was really bothering me watching the

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way some things were going on in the

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media and the,

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the way stuff just got spin put on

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it.

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And

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I realized it is exactly

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what I'm seeing happen again

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this year with everything going on. Everything

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is the end of the world.

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I mean every story that comes I mean

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it can literally be dog saves family from

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fire in their house. We're all gonna die.

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And I'm like, good lord, people. Calm down.

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You're telling a good story here. Let's make

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it feel good. Right. But it's like we've

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lost the ability to do that.

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And I was thinking about it the other

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day

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and how easy it was.

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And I realized that back then, they were

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they were testing this stuff. The the people

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in Hollywood, the the advertising agencies, all that

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were testing

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how can we put a spin on a

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story.

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And they did it in the most insane

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way I've ever seen because they did it

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on something that didn't matter. They did it

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on movies.

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And if you I don't know if you

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guys remember, movie came out in 2015. It

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was Mad Max Fury Road. And it was

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man, people were so excited to go see

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it. The the fans of that movie series

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were like, yes. We finally get another installment.

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It's been decades, and and everybody was pumped

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and all the trailers had everybody pumped up

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and then people went and saw it and

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they're like,

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it's alright. Yeah. And that was pretty much

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the react. Nobody complained about it. It's just

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their expectations were at a 10 and they

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got a six. And, you know, when you're

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expecting a 10 and you get a six,

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it might as well be a two because

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it's like, oh, that was such a letdown.

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I was expecting something so great. And they

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even commented, they're like, man, you know, Charlize

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Theron was the the main character in it.

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And they're like, she's a great actress. Why

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didn't they do more with her? You know,

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it really upsets us not to see her

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get to do more because she's really good.

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And all you could hear from people was,

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oh, it's just because you men don't like

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women in movies.

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And that was the spin they put on

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it. Now thankfully,

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all the reviews came out before they started

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saying that.

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So when they went back to it, everybody

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was able to go back and reference reviews

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ago. No. They specifically talked about liking that

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character and were disappointed in everything else.

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And so they were able to kind of

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dispel the

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the narrative a little bit,

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but then they turned around you had the

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Ghostbusters movie, you had the Star Wars movies,

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you had the the Captain America or Captain

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Marvel movie that came out, and they really

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hyped those up as being this is this

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is the hero movie for women.

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And then anything negative that was said about

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it's because you don't like women in movies.

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You don't like women in movies.

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And that was all they could say. You

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don't like these women in lead roles. And

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that was all the conversation got about. And

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I'm watching some of the headlines and stuff

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now, and I'm sitting back going, this is

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the same thing.

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This is exactly the same thing.

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I and I said this again in 2019.

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I said Disney was playing a game with

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Captain Marvel. It should have been a blockbuster

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movie with this massive opening weekend

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right in between Infinity War and Endgame. They

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released two movies. They did the

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ant man movie which did okay but they

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weren't you know that movie those movies don't

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do as great as the rest and then

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they did captain marvel and with all the

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hype that movie should have been

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a full blown just

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undeniable success

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and it just came in mediocre

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when the box office came in because nobody

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went to see it because of how much

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they had focused on this is for women,

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this is for women, this is for women,

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this is for women, this is for women,

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and all the guys went well why am

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I going to go watch it?

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And then of course what did they say?

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Oh, it's because all these men hate and

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I watched as the internet blew up back

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then

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and they weren't silenced then, but about two

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years later, this is 2019,

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by 2020, '20 '20 '1,

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if you said anything that opposed that, you

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weren't allowed to post it on Twitter. You

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weren't allowed to post it on Facebook. You

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weren't allowed to say it on YouTube. You

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weren't allowed to all the social media sites

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would remove the reviews where people would talk

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about, no, we wanted this to be really

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good and we were just really disappointed that

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that it was bad and and we really

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don't like the actress because she's made all

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these controversial statements. I mean, she came out

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at a screen actors or, women in film

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awards

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on a film that she had nothing to

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do with. I double checked. I thought, well,

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maybe she had a producer credit. Nope. Nope.

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Absolutely nothing to do with the film. I

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don't care what some 40 year old white

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guy has to say about A Wrinkle in

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Time because the movie wasn't made for him.

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It's like, what what do you care? You

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had nothing to do with the movie, and

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everybody that watched it loved it. The only

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thing that people complained about with the movie

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was fans of the original book were like,

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oh it wasn't

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anywhere close to as good as the book

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and I'm disappointed because I grew up reading

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the book. Like that was the only thing

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anybody said about it. Nobody complained about the

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actors they got and they had some oddball

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casting choices

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and it was just really weird to me

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to watch all of that,

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but everybody would say and they started pointing

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out at the time they were like okay

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go back wonder woman,

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the Alien movies, Stardewoman, the

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Terminator movies, Stardewoman, the,

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the Resident Evil movies, Stardewoman. And they went

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to all these action movies and they're like,

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women star, women star, women star, women star,

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women star, blockbuster movies that made millions.

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We loved them. Why are we complaining about

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this? And I thought man that is so

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sad that I'm now watching the same thing.

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Donald Trump could get up tomorrow

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and just talk about having gas the night

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before and man he's trying to end democracy.

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And churches can get up and preach on,

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hey look, you know, this homosexuality and this

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transgender ideology stuff, we've got to get it

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away from our kids. You're trying to to

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put people in jail. You're trying to remove

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people's lives.

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And it's like,

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woah.

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So

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bring all that up just to say, we

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are now at a state where we are

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allowed to go online now and say, hang

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on. That's not what we believe. We're not

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saying that anybody should be locked up unless

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they've done something.

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Just saying a thing or dressing a certain

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way, we don't want you to go to

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jail for that. But when you go into

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the girl's bathroom and you're a man, we

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want you to get, you know, knocked in

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the teeth for it because you shouldn't be

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doing that. Yeah. That's all we're saying.

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And nobody wants to

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everybody has gotten so conditioned into not saying

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anything against whatever the the leading

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thing is at the time. And I and

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I look back and I'm like, yeah. This

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all started in 2015 with one movie

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and has just slowly because all they did

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was they tested it with every movie after

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that that had women's stars. They tested how

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far can we push this? Can we make

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people

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actually talk about this woman's star? And they

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were able to with Captain Marvel but, and

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you have to understand Disney to know that

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they actually control what you say in interviews

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and in your press junket about the movies

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and stuff.

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All of that scripted. Most people don't realize

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that. And Disney has everybody made a big

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deal about leaks in the early days of

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Marvel. Disney's never once had a leak that

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they didn't know was coming. Approve and tell

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the person to say. They were 100% aware

268
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of all that. It's in the contracts.

269
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Those got leaked a few years back.

270
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They literally hand you a script to take

271
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to interviews when you star in one of

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their movies or their TV shows. Like you're

273
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literally given a script. This is what you're

274
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allowed to talk about. Do not say anything

275
00:09:56,100 --> 00:09:58,279
outside the script. And it's awful.

276
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So they were able to actually manipulate it

277
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and I'm watching them do it again and

278
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now they're doing about stuff that matters. They're

279
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doing it about the transgender ideology, they're doing

280
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it about oh yeah Christians they're really just

281
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against homosexuals and they just want them to

282
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not be allowed to live. And it's like,

283
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no. No. We're we're fine. Just leave us

284
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out of it. You know, you we're we're

285
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gonna tell you that you that you're living

286
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in sin,

287
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but don't involve us with it. And we're

288
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not gonna come after you with pitchforks. We're

289
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not gonna come after you and try to

290
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lock you up. We just we just want

291
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you to leave us alone. We've been nice.

292
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We We'll come after you with the gospel.

293
00:10:32,705 --> 00:10:34,245
Yeah. We'll come after you with the gospel.

294
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We'll tell you the truth, but we're not

295
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gonna come and hunt you down. But just

296
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the the Pierce Morgan interview with Richard Dawkins.

297
00:10:42,465 --> 00:10:43,799
Richard Dawkins, the famous

298
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atheist. He actually made a statement that says

299
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he appreciates

300
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the Christian West because it's

301
00:10:50,759 --> 00:10:53,320
allowed him to have the platform he has

302
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to speak against Christianity.

303
00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,299
And Piers Morgan was asking him questions about

304
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Islam.

305
00:10:59,934 --> 00:11:02,254
And the dude literally looked scared and would

306
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not say a word against Islam. He's evidently

307
00:11:05,295 --> 00:11:07,535
threats. He can't because if you say If

308
00:11:07,535 --> 00:11:09,215
you go on these shows and you say

309
00:11:09,215 --> 00:11:11,615
anything out there on one of these major

310
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networks about it, first of all, you get

311
00:11:13,295 --> 00:11:13,795
deplatformed

312
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like

313
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that. Your interview will not air if you

314
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say something negative about Islam. And then secondly,

315
00:11:21,590 --> 00:11:23,509
yeah, you've got these people especially where he's

316
00:11:23,509 --> 00:11:25,210
from because Richard Dawkins from England.

317
00:11:25,750 --> 00:11:26,809
They are covered

318
00:11:27,429 --> 00:11:28,330
with Islamic

319
00:11:28,855 --> 00:11:31,674
migrants Yeah. That were supposedly all refugees,

320
00:11:32,054 --> 00:11:33,815
but I mean, they're cutting people's heads off

321
00:11:33,815 --> 00:11:36,535
over there because they're saying things. You go

322
00:11:36,535 --> 00:11:38,295
back to the Charlie is what it is.

323
00:11:38,295 --> 00:11:39,654
Yeah. And you go back to the Charlie

324
00:11:39,654 --> 00:11:42,009
Hebdo story, which was, you know, at the

325
00:11:42,009 --> 00:11:44,830
beginning of all of this back in 2010

326
00:11:45,529 --> 00:11:47,289
and you know, that guy lost his head

327
00:11:47,289 --> 00:11:48,669
because he drew a picture

328
00:11:49,289 --> 00:11:52,889
in a the Charlie Hebdo comic strip which

329
00:11:52,889 --> 00:11:55,289
over in Europe is a satire comic and

330
00:11:55,289 --> 00:11:58,065
he literally just did a thing with Muhammad

331
00:11:58,845 --> 00:12:00,524
and he got ganged up on outside of

332
00:12:00,524 --> 00:12:03,004
his college where he taught and they took

333
00:12:03,004 --> 00:12:05,325
his head. It was awful. People like Richard

334
00:12:05,325 --> 00:12:07,745
Dawkins, you know, he's a very smart scientist

335
00:12:07,804 --> 00:12:08,460
guy but

336
00:12:09,420 --> 00:12:11,899
at least he realizes that Christianity has given

337
00:12:11,899 --> 00:12:13,820
him the freedom Oh, yeah. To speak against

338
00:12:13,820 --> 00:12:15,820
whatever he wants to. And we do. We're

339
00:12:15,899 --> 00:12:17,899
we want we want to hear that. I

340
00:12:17,899 --> 00:12:19,660
mean, we we really do. We wanna be

341
00:12:19,660 --> 00:12:22,139
challenged because we understand and I understand that

342
00:12:22,139 --> 00:12:23,740
not all Christians are like that, but most

343
00:12:23,740 --> 00:12:25,495
of us want to have our faith challenged

344
00:12:25,495 --> 00:12:26,855
a little bit because it makes us dig

345
00:12:26,855 --> 00:12:28,855
into the word and get in here and

346
00:12:28,855 --> 00:12:30,294
say, what does it say? What does it

347
00:12:30,294 --> 00:12:31,514
say? What does it say?

348
00:12:31,894 --> 00:12:33,815
And don't be afraid of those challenges. Don't

349
00:12:33,815 --> 00:12:35,014
be afraid of it when people come to

350
00:12:35,014 --> 00:12:37,654
you, but also don't don't take all this

351
00:12:37,654 --> 00:12:39,299
rhetoric, all this stuff that's going on. I

352
00:12:39,299 --> 00:12:40,419
say it every week and I'm going to

353
00:12:40,419 --> 00:12:42,820
keep saying it every week. Do not think

354
00:12:42,820 --> 00:12:44,500
that you're in the minor you're in the

355
00:12:44,500 --> 00:12:46,660
minority and the whole world is against you

356
00:12:46,660 --> 00:12:49,539
because that's exactly what these very, very loud

357
00:12:49,539 --> 00:12:50,840
people want us to think.

358
00:12:51,575 --> 00:12:53,815
We're not the minority. There's a lot of

359
00:12:53,815 --> 00:12:56,534
us and we all are in agreement about

360
00:12:56,534 --> 00:12:57,434
certain things.

361
00:12:57,815 --> 00:12:59,174
Yeah. And we need to be willing to

362
00:12:59,174 --> 00:13:00,455
say it and we need to be willing

363
00:13:00,455 --> 00:13:02,214
to do like we're gonna do tonight and

364
00:13:02,214 --> 00:13:04,294
dive into the scripture nice and deep. Yeah.

365
00:13:04,294 --> 00:13:05,815
But we know we know that we've been

366
00:13:05,815 --> 00:13:07,740
promised that the world hates us. Oh, yeah.

367
00:13:08,139 --> 00:13:10,940
That hated Jesus. Amen. Hate us. Amen. Shouldn't

368
00:13:10,940 --> 00:13:13,580
be a surprise. Yeah. So tonight we are

369
00:13:13,580 --> 00:13:14,559
diving into,

370
00:13:15,019 --> 00:13:17,500
what is our topic for tonight? Crowns. Crowns.

371
00:13:17,500 --> 00:13:18,000
Rewards.

372
00:13:18,860 --> 00:13:20,779
Let's talk about rewards. Now this is one

373
00:13:20,779 --> 00:13:23,195
thing that I hear everybody talk about all

374
00:13:23,195 --> 00:13:25,434
the time and I I hope we're gonna

375
00:13:25,434 --> 00:13:27,754
get into it, a little bit. I don't

376
00:13:27,754 --> 00:13:29,754
know how much, but they say, you know,

377
00:13:29,754 --> 00:13:31,514
oh, man, Christians, you know, it's just you're

378
00:13:31,514 --> 00:13:33,195
gonna do all these good things and and

379
00:13:33,195 --> 00:13:34,794
you get to go to heaven because you

380
00:13:34,794 --> 00:13:36,315
do this good and you you do all

381
00:13:36,315 --> 00:13:36,629
this

382
00:13:37,190 --> 00:13:38,789
you live right and you do this and

383
00:13:38,789 --> 00:13:39,910
you do that and it's like that but

384
00:13:39,910 --> 00:13:41,610
that's not what gets us into heaven.

385
00:13:42,149 --> 00:13:43,910
This is what the living right and the

386
00:13:43,910 --> 00:13:45,269
doing the things we're supposed to do is

387
00:13:45,269 --> 00:13:46,950
about. It's it's about getting a piece of

388
00:13:46,950 --> 00:13:47,450
pavement.

389
00:13:48,070 --> 00:13:50,684
First of all, the crown is it it's

390
00:13:50,845 --> 00:13:52,365
gold a gold crown made out of, you

391
00:13:52,365 --> 00:13:54,205
know, paving stones. That is. It's the same

392
00:13:54,205 --> 00:13:55,804
thing they paved the streets with. It it's

393
00:13:55,804 --> 00:13:58,764
nothing special. It's nice. It sounds really glitzy

394
00:13:58,764 --> 00:14:00,284
to us on this side. We get on

395
00:14:00,284 --> 00:14:01,804
the other side, yeah, it's gonna be nice

396
00:14:01,804 --> 00:14:02,365
to receive,

397
00:14:03,004 --> 00:14:05,565
a reward to say thank you, but it's

398
00:14:05,565 --> 00:14:08,039
nothing. It's nothing compared to who's giving it

399
00:14:08,039 --> 00:14:09,559
to us and where we're standing and what

400
00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:12,200
we're seeing and what we're experiencing. The crowns

401
00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:13,500
are the least

402
00:14:14,039 --> 00:14:16,759
of what we're doing and Christianity is the

403
00:14:16,759 --> 00:14:17,659
only faith.

404
00:14:18,394 --> 00:14:20,634
There's no reward for being good. Well, the

405
00:14:20,634 --> 00:14:22,014
things about rewards is

406
00:14:22,394 --> 00:14:24,715
God is so good that he's gonna reward

407
00:14:24,715 --> 00:14:26,235
us for doing what we're supposed to do

408
00:14:26,235 --> 00:14:29,115
anyway. Yeah. And and the the crowns are

409
00:14:29,115 --> 00:14:30,894
are just something that we're gonna

410
00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:34,000
get as a reward to be able to

411
00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,799
give something back to him. Yeah. Yeah. And

412
00:14:36,799 --> 00:14:38,639
and we spent last week, you know, talking

413
00:14:38,639 --> 00:14:40,960
about, you know, the judgment of believers. Right.

414
00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:42,480
And this is the kind of the flip

415
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:43,600
side of that a little bit. See. The

416
00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:45,654
judgment seat of Christ was was more about

417
00:14:45,654 --> 00:14:47,595
reward It is. Than it is about punishment.

418
00:14:47,654 --> 00:14:48,875
Absolutely. Absolutely.

419
00:14:50,375 --> 00:14:53,175
So Crown and I I've done a study

420
00:14:53,175 --> 00:14:55,894
about this several years ago. A preacher friend

421
00:14:55,894 --> 00:14:57,675
of mine had asked me. He'd had several

422
00:14:58,210 --> 00:14:59,590
week studies and,

423
00:15:00,929 --> 00:15:02,929
several weeks of studies with different preachers, and

424
00:15:02,929 --> 00:15:03,970
he said, hey. I want you to do

425
00:15:03,970 --> 00:15:04,470
one,

426
00:15:05,009 --> 00:15:05,750
on crowns

427
00:15:07,090 --> 00:15:09,350
and, our own rewards. And so,

428
00:15:10,129 --> 00:15:10,629
anyway,

429
00:15:11,250 --> 00:15:12,615
I dug into it. And,

430
00:15:13,254 --> 00:15:13,815
the crown

431
00:15:14,534 --> 00:15:17,034
the Greek word is is stephanos. And,

432
00:15:17,575 --> 00:15:19,414
it's funny that that's that's the word for

433
00:15:19,414 --> 00:15:21,174
it because the word derived from the story

434
00:15:21,174 --> 00:15:21,754
of Stephen,

435
00:15:22,934 --> 00:15:24,855
who was a a martyr for the cause

436
00:15:24,855 --> 00:15:27,870
of Christ. And so the word really actually

437
00:15:27,870 --> 00:15:30,029
means it's a badge of honor or a

438
00:15:30,029 --> 00:15:31,409
badge of royalty.

439
00:15:31,789 --> 00:15:33,949
In the Greek games, it was a a

440
00:15:33,949 --> 00:15:35,009
symbol of victory,

441
00:15:36,509 --> 00:15:38,605
made from a wreath of garland, and it

442
00:15:38,605 --> 00:15:40,285
was placed upon the winner's head.

443
00:15:40,605 --> 00:15:42,285
You know, and that and so that's that's

444
00:15:42,285 --> 00:15:43,184
what that is.

445
00:15:43,644 --> 00:15:45,404
This is what you see on the statues

446
00:15:45,404 --> 00:15:46,445
and stuff from,

447
00:15:46,924 --> 00:15:49,485
the the Greek statues where they're they're wearing

448
00:15:49,485 --> 00:15:51,345
those Yeah. Those garlands. Those,

449
00:15:52,389 --> 00:15:54,870
yeah, that red wreath. Yeah. Yes. That's what

450
00:15:54,870 --> 00:15:56,389
that that's where the word come from. They

451
00:15:56,389 --> 00:15:57,830
called it that's that's where they,

452
00:15:58,549 --> 00:16:00,070
it derived from. And,

453
00:16:00,549 --> 00:16:02,970
but first Corinthians nine twenty four says,

454
00:16:03,589 --> 00:16:05,269
know you not that they which run-in a

455
00:16:05,269 --> 00:16:08,075
race run off, but one receiveth a prize.

456
00:16:08,134 --> 00:16:10,554
So run that you may obtain.

457
00:16:11,495 --> 00:16:13,575
And so, you know, we're gonna talk about

458
00:16:13,575 --> 00:16:15,414
a few that's first Corinthians nine twenty four,

459
00:16:15,414 --> 00:16:17,014
but we're gonna talk about a few crowns

460
00:16:17,014 --> 00:16:17,514
tonight.

461
00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:20,139
You know,

462
00:16:20,519 --> 00:16:23,079
we'll we'll get into verse 25 maybe later,

463
00:16:23,959 --> 00:16:25,659
if we have time. But,

464
00:16:26,199 --> 00:16:28,199
but, yeah, I mean, in an athletic event

465
00:16:28,199 --> 00:16:29,899
where there can only be one winner,

466
00:16:30,679 --> 00:16:31,819
contrary to that,

467
00:16:32,875 --> 00:16:34,475
you know, our kids are being told today

468
00:16:34,475 --> 00:16:34,975
that

469
00:16:35,835 --> 00:16:38,075
that everyone's a winner. Right? This is one

470
00:16:38,075 --> 00:16:39,274
of the things that I brought out in

471
00:16:39,274 --> 00:16:41,754
the study. We, if you if you play

472
00:16:41,754 --> 00:16:43,915
a baseball game, if your kids are playing

473
00:16:43,915 --> 00:16:45,514
tee ball, if your kids are playing soccer,

474
00:16:45,514 --> 00:16:47,269
if your kids are playing football, whatever, when

475
00:16:47,269 --> 00:16:49,589
they're little pee wee, you know, they wanna

476
00:16:49,589 --> 00:16:51,929
give trophies out to everybody. Well, guess what?

477
00:16:51,990 --> 00:16:54,730
Everybody's not a winner, right? Yeah. But,

478
00:16:55,669 --> 00:16:57,909
we it's a little bit different in heaven,

479
00:16:57,909 --> 00:17:00,870
right? If we're standing before the judgment seat

480
00:17:00,870 --> 00:17:01,449
of Christ,

481
00:17:02,654 --> 00:17:04,174
those of us who have,

482
00:17:04,575 --> 00:17:06,414
lived our life for him are gonna save

483
00:17:06,414 --> 00:17:06,994
a reward,

484
00:17:08,015 --> 00:17:10,734
for for living for him, for trusting in

485
00:17:10,734 --> 00:17:12,335
him as savior, and for the things that

486
00:17:12,335 --> 00:17:13,154
we've done.

487
00:17:13,694 --> 00:17:15,214
And so there's gonna be more than one

488
00:17:15,214 --> 00:17:17,650
winner there, and we're all winners through Jesus

489
00:17:17,650 --> 00:17:19,809
Christ. Right? Yeah. Yeah. We all see him

490
00:17:19,809 --> 00:17:21,730
face to face. That's a big victory there.

491
00:17:21,730 --> 00:17:24,210
Amen. Amen. Yeah. So what a what a

492
00:17:24,210 --> 00:17:25,509
wonderful thing. So,

493
00:17:26,690 --> 00:17:27,990
in a spiritual race,

494
00:17:28,849 --> 00:17:30,894
all of us can we can all win

495
00:17:30,894 --> 00:17:32,115
a prize. But, anyway,

496
00:17:34,335 --> 00:17:36,914
so first thing first one, crown of life.

497
00:17:37,055 --> 00:17:37,555
Right?

498
00:17:38,414 --> 00:17:39,394
Crown of life.

499
00:17:40,575 --> 00:17:42,974
Crown of life is mentioned in Christ's letter

500
00:17:42,974 --> 00:17:44,670
to the church in in Smyrna,

501
00:17:45,210 --> 00:17:45,950
in Revelations

502
00:17:46,330 --> 00:17:47,789
two nine and ten.

503
00:17:48,730 --> 00:17:51,470
And we gotta remember that the church was

504
00:17:51,529 --> 00:17:52,750
still very active

505
00:17:53,130 --> 00:17:55,769
and involved on the earth in chapter two.

506
00:17:55,769 --> 00:17:57,974
Right? I mean, we this church is not

507
00:17:57,974 --> 00:18:00,375
gone until chapter four. We see the the

508
00:18:00,375 --> 00:18:01,835
church in heaven there. And

509
00:18:02,375 --> 00:18:02,875
so,

510
00:18:03,414 --> 00:18:05,894
the church of Smyrna was now was known

511
00:18:05,894 --> 00:18:09,015
for its suffering and the church that was

512
00:18:09,015 --> 00:18:10,075
a martyr for

513
00:18:11,869 --> 00:18:12,690
for Christ.

514
00:18:13,230 --> 00:18:15,650
And so this is significant because the church

515
00:18:15,950 --> 00:18:18,029
that was dying for the cause of Christ

516
00:18:18,029 --> 00:18:20,670
would receive a crown of life. That's what

517
00:18:20,670 --> 00:18:22,830
that that's what that crown is for. It's

518
00:18:22,830 --> 00:18:24,130
it's it represents

519
00:18:24,445 --> 00:18:25,904
suffering that you have here.

520
00:18:26,845 --> 00:18:29,085
And and I I don't have time to

521
00:18:29,085 --> 00:18:31,025
go through all these, but, I mean,

522
00:18:31,484 --> 00:18:33,404
That one also shows up in James one.

523
00:18:33,404 --> 00:18:35,664
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely.

524
00:18:37,085 --> 00:18:38,545
So, I mean,

525
00:18:39,009 --> 00:18:41,089
those who went through tribulation, those who went

526
00:18:41,089 --> 00:18:41,589
through

527
00:18:42,049 --> 00:18:42,549
poverty,

528
00:18:43,730 --> 00:18:46,289
those who have been have been blasphemed for

529
00:18:46,289 --> 00:18:46,950
for just

530
00:18:47,329 --> 00:18:48,309
speaking out.

531
00:18:49,970 --> 00:18:52,525
You know, Satan has attacked them. So there's

532
00:18:52,525 --> 00:18:54,285
just so many there's so many things that

533
00:18:54,285 --> 00:18:56,684
we see, especially that we've seen that church

534
00:18:56,684 --> 00:18:59,005
go through, and then we we've seen the

535
00:18:59,005 --> 00:19:01,884
church go through. Right? From Nero to Domitian

536
00:19:01,884 --> 00:19:05,724
to Trajan to Marcus Aurelius to Savarius to

537
00:19:05,724 --> 00:19:06,224
Maximus.

538
00:19:06,740 --> 00:19:08,900
All these different kings that come against the

539
00:19:08,900 --> 00:19:11,880
Lord and come against Christianity through the years

540
00:19:12,259 --> 00:19:14,820
and and actually martyred and killed Christians. And

541
00:19:14,820 --> 00:19:16,180
just like we were talking about a minute

542
00:19:16,180 --> 00:19:18,500
ago, I mean, people being beheaded for the

543
00:19:18,500 --> 00:19:19,400
cause of Christ.

544
00:19:21,014 --> 00:19:22,855
We don't see a lot of suffering here

545
00:19:22,855 --> 00:19:23,514
in America,

546
00:19:24,134 --> 00:19:25,974
you know, for the cause of Christ. I

547
00:19:25,974 --> 00:19:26,474
mean,

548
00:19:26,855 --> 00:19:29,274
it might it might hurt you financially sometimes.

549
00:19:29,414 --> 00:19:30,474
It might hurt you,

550
00:19:30,934 --> 00:19:33,335
you know, getting a job or or your

551
00:19:33,335 --> 00:19:36,019
feelings yet. But but, I mean, you know,

552
00:19:36,019 --> 00:19:37,859
we really don't know what it's like. I

553
00:19:37,859 --> 00:19:40,420
get my post taken off social media. Ow.

554
00:19:40,420 --> 00:19:41,960
Yeah. Yeah. Personal.

555
00:19:42,420 --> 00:19:43,240
Yeah. Man,

556
00:19:43,539 --> 00:19:46,420
we don't know it yet. No. You know,

557
00:19:46,420 --> 00:19:47,880
I I feel like if we

558
00:19:48,259 --> 00:19:50,519
if this generation lives long enough,

559
00:19:52,474 --> 00:19:52,794
that,

560
00:19:53,355 --> 00:19:55,194
that we'll see some of it. Right? I

561
00:19:55,194 --> 00:19:57,914
mean Yeah. Yeah. We're not immune. And this

562
00:19:57,914 --> 00:19:59,775
was that was one of the things that,

563
00:20:00,315 --> 00:20:02,075
I think it was Bill Maher when he

564
00:20:02,075 --> 00:20:04,234
he had his big epiphany of, oh, I

565
00:20:04,234 --> 00:20:05,674
might be on the wrong side about some

566
00:20:05,674 --> 00:20:06,494
of these things.

567
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:08,679
You know, one of the first things was

568
00:20:08,679 --> 00:20:11,160
when he was having a conversation about Islam

569
00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:13,179
and about how people were treated over there.

570
00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:14,839
And he had a guest on a show

571
00:20:14,839 --> 00:20:16,440
that was really arguing that y'all don't know

572
00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:18,599
what you're talking about. People aren't being beheaded

573
00:20:18,599 --> 00:20:20,039
over there for disagreeing with him. And he's

574
00:20:20,039 --> 00:20:22,164
like, wait. What are you talking about? Yeah.

575
00:20:22,164 --> 00:20:24,804
They are. On TV. It's like yeah. They

576
00:20:24,804 --> 00:20:28,004
they literally record it and and transmit it

577
00:20:28,004 --> 00:20:30,565
live Yeah. And put it on their, their

578
00:20:30,565 --> 00:20:32,984
TV stations and stuff and celebrate it.

579
00:20:33,569 --> 00:20:35,409
We have nothing like that here. So it's

580
00:20:35,409 --> 00:20:37,089
real easy for us Americans to kind of

581
00:20:37,089 --> 00:20:39,409
get complacent. Yeah. And and I get it.

582
00:20:39,409 --> 00:20:40,769
I get why some of you are thinking,

583
00:20:40,769 --> 00:20:42,450
well, it's not that bad because we don't

584
00:20:42,450 --> 00:20:44,130
see it. Yeah. But you need to pay

585
00:20:44,130 --> 00:20:45,669
attention because it could be

586
00:20:46,115 --> 00:20:48,755
way, way worse. Oh, yeah. And and, these

587
00:20:48,755 --> 00:20:51,075
beheadings that most of us see, if you're

588
00:20:51,075 --> 00:20:53,154
lucky, they just take a sharp sword and

589
00:20:53,154 --> 00:20:55,075
they just sweat whack your head off. Yeah.

590
00:20:55,075 --> 00:20:56,755
But what happens with most of them is

591
00:20:56,755 --> 00:20:57,734
they take a dull

592
00:20:58,130 --> 00:21:00,049
saw and saw your head off while you're

593
00:21:00,049 --> 00:21:02,370
still breathing. Dull knife and it Yep. Get

594
00:21:02,370 --> 00:21:04,309
all the way through. Yeah. A machete.

595
00:21:05,009 --> 00:21:06,690
But, you know, I mean, you you still

596
00:21:06,690 --> 00:21:09,090
you still see things like in the story

597
00:21:09,090 --> 00:21:11,110
of Stephen that we were talking about earlier.

598
00:21:11,250 --> 00:21:12,755
You you know, Stephen,

599
00:21:13,214 --> 00:21:15,295
he looked up into heaven. Right? And and

600
00:21:15,295 --> 00:21:17,454
he's seen the face of Jesus. Man, what

601
00:21:17,454 --> 00:21:19,934
a what a powerful thing. And and the

602
00:21:19,934 --> 00:21:22,575
peace that passes all understanding came over him.

603
00:21:22,575 --> 00:21:24,460
Paul got to Yes. Who was Saul at

604
00:21:24,460 --> 00:21:26,220
the time. He got to watch that. There

605
00:21:26,299 --> 00:21:28,140
there's no way that that didn't have an

606
00:21:28,140 --> 00:21:30,160
effect on him that, you know,

607
00:21:30,940 --> 00:21:32,700
he had he had to went home thinking

608
00:21:32,700 --> 00:21:35,019
about that. Yeah. Who was he talking to?

609
00:21:35,019 --> 00:21:36,220
Who was he looking at? Yeah. And I

610
00:21:36,220 --> 00:21:38,024
think the holy spirit comes over people when

611
00:21:38,024 --> 00:21:39,544
they're when they're in that position too, you

612
00:21:39,544 --> 00:21:41,784
know, that just lights you up. Just lights

613
00:21:41,784 --> 00:21:43,484
you up. Absolutely. Absolutely.

614
00:21:44,345 --> 00:21:46,105
And, you know, so and I think we

615
00:21:46,105 --> 00:21:48,345
should be willing to suffer. Right? Yeah. And

616
00:21:48,345 --> 00:21:50,024
if you're if you are, if you have,

617
00:21:50,024 --> 00:21:51,784
if you're listening and you have suffered or

618
00:21:51,784 --> 00:21:53,380
you know someone suffered

619
00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:55,519
with the cause of Christ, then, man, I

620
00:21:55,519 --> 00:21:57,680
I just just know that you got a

621
00:21:57,680 --> 00:21:59,779
crown of life waiting on you, you know.

622
00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:02,080
Now your reward is coming, you know, for

623
00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:03,840
for what you've done, for standing in the

624
00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:05,460
gap, for for for,

625
00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:07,365
for being a voice, right,

626
00:22:07,845 --> 00:22:10,184
when when nobody when no one else would.

627
00:22:10,244 --> 00:22:13,285
That's right. That's right. And, that reminds me

628
00:22:13,285 --> 00:22:14,724
of, you know, Jesus talked a lot about

629
00:22:14,724 --> 00:22:16,884
treasure in heaven. Right? Yeah. He said, sell

630
00:22:16,884 --> 00:22:18,244
all you got. He told the one guy,

631
00:22:18,244 --> 00:22:19,765
sell all you got, you'll have treasures in

632
00:22:19,765 --> 00:22:21,779
heaven. But he got rejected.

633
00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:24,720
Yeah. Yeah. Right? Yeah. That's right. Well, that

634
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:26,880
that goes back to our, you know, do

635
00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:28,599
you have a choice or not? Yeah. Absolutely.

636
00:22:28,599 --> 00:22:30,240
If you can reject him, you can also

637
00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:32,319
accept him. That did. That's it. Yeah. Because

638
00:22:32,319 --> 00:22:35,434
rejection is a choice. Yeah. Yeah. So,

639
00:22:35,974 --> 00:22:38,375
yeah. So so, man, what an awesome thing

640
00:22:38,375 --> 00:22:39,434
to look forward to.

641
00:22:39,815 --> 00:22:40,554
You know,

642
00:22:41,174 --> 00:22:43,575
suffering is is not something that you may

643
00:22:43,575 --> 00:22:45,194
necessarily seek out.

644
00:22:46,214 --> 00:22:48,134
But but if you're if you've committed your

645
00:22:48,134 --> 00:22:50,490
life to Christ, you're gonna face suffering. Right?

646
00:22:50,650 --> 00:22:52,569
In some way, shape, form, or fashion, no

647
00:22:52,569 --> 00:22:54,690
matter how small or how great it is.

648
00:22:54,690 --> 00:22:55,049
But,

649
00:22:56,490 --> 00:22:58,829
the second crown second crown is the incorruptible

650
00:22:58,970 --> 00:22:59,470
crown.

651
00:23:00,170 --> 00:23:02,269
First Corinthians nine twenty five,

652
00:23:02,585 --> 00:23:04,744
and every man that striveth for the mastery

653
00:23:04,744 --> 00:23:07,464
is temperate in all things. Now they do

654
00:23:07,464 --> 00:23:10,045
they do it to obtain a corruptible crown,

655
00:23:10,184 --> 00:23:11,884
but we an incorruptible crown.

656
00:23:12,825 --> 00:23:15,644
The corruptible or or the, incorruptible crown

657
00:23:16,025 --> 00:23:18,890
is for endurance. Right? I mean, you keep

658
00:23:18,890 --> 00:23:20,890
going. Paul said, I fought a good fight.

659
00:23:20,890 --> 00:23:22,009
I've kept the faith.

660
00:23:22,490 --> 00:23:24,329
I finished the race. You know? I finished

661
00:23:24,690 --> 00:23:27,210
he he he he he crossed the finish

662
00:23:27,210 --> 00:23:29,049
line. You know? He he was he was

663
00:23:29,049 --> 00:23:30,890
ready to go. At that point in that

664
00:23:30,890 --> 00:23:33,150
time, he was ready to go. And and

665
00:23:34,005 --> 00:23:36,085
this this is that crown where you look

666
00:23:36,085 --> 00:23:36,585
back

667
00:23:37,684 --> 00:23:40,005
on your life and you say, you know,

668
00:23:40,005 --> 00:23:42,164
did I did I really do what I

669
00:23:42,164 --> 00:23:44,404
was called to do? Did I carry out

670
00:23:44,404 --> 00:23:46,244
my ministry? And this goes back to last

671
00:23:46,244 --> 00:23:48,509
week too. You know? When we talk about,

672
00:23:48,830 --> 00:23:51,250
the judgment seat of Christ. It's gonna be

673
00:23:51,950 --> 00:23:53,950
that's gonna be one of the reasons you're

674
00:23:53,950 --> 00:23:56,269
standing there. Right? I mean, are you gonna

675
00:23:56,269 --> 00:23:59,309
receive this incorruptible crown, this crown that that

676
00:23:59,309 --> 00:24:01,730
that you had endurance, that you stayed,

677
00:24:02,705 --> 00:24:06,244
in the race. And and, Matthew six nineteen,

678
00:24:06,625 --> 00:24:08,384
lay up not for yourselves treasure on earth

679
00:24:08,384 --> 00:24:10,384
where moth and rust doth corrupt, where thieves

680
00:24:10,384 --> 00:24:11,285
break and steal.

681
00:24:11,744 --> 00:24:13,845
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

682
00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,400
where neither moth or rust doth corrupt, and

683
00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:18,400
and where thieves do not break in to

684
00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:20,480
steal. For where your treasure is, there will

685
00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:21,539
your heart be also.

686
00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:23,519
So, you know, what what are you doing?

687
00:24:23,519 --> 00:24:25,279
What are you doing with what God's given

688
00:24:25,279 --> 00:24:27,984
you? Yeah. And that's that goes that takes

689
00:24:27,984 --> 00:24:30,065
me back when we're studying this in Sunday

690
00:24:30,065 --> 00:24:33,105
school, but Hebrews chapter six, you know, people

691
00:24:33,105 --> 00:24:34,704
like to use this as where you can

692
00:24:34,704 --> 00:24:36,804
lose your salvation, but this is about rewards.

693
00:24:36,865 --> 00:24:39,105
Yeah. This is about finishing the race Amen.

694
00:24:39,184 --> 00:24:41,424
And and and going stronger because he just

695
00:24:41,424 --> 00:24:43,430
kinda gotten on to him a little bit

696
00:24:43,430 --> 00:24:45,349
about you you're still drinking milk, you ought

697
00:24:45,349 --> 00:24:47,509
to be eating meat. That's right. Grow up.

698
00:24:47,509 --> 00:24:49,509
Yeah. And and he's he's trying to get

699
00:24:49,509 --> 00:24:51,509
him scare him a little bit. So you're

700
00:24:51,509 --> 00:24:54,090
gonna lose your assurance, your hope, your rewards,

701
00:24:54,150 --> 00:24:55,590
all these things if you go back to

702
00:24:55,590 --> 00:24:57,615
Judaism. That's right. But so many of us

703
00:24:57,694 --> 00:24:59,615
in this day and age leave the church

704
00:24:59,615 --> 00:25:01,234
and go back to just

705
00:25:01,775 --> 00:25:04,095
self worship, I guess. Yeah. We go back

706
00:25:04,095 --> 00:25:05,694
to do what we wanna do and when

707
00:25:05,694 --> 00:25:08,015
we wanna do it. Right. That's exactly right.

708
00:25:08,015 --> 00:25:09,855
Well, it's going back to self worship and

709
00:25:09,855 --> 00:25:12,194
it's going back to what's comfortable.

710
00:25:12,509 --> 00:25:14,769
Yeah. Because I mean it is true.

711
00:25:15,070 --> 00:25:17,309
We do not know suffering for the cause

712
00:25:17,309 --> 00:25:19,490
of Christ here in America. We really don't.

713
00:25:19,549 --> 00:25:21,789
Not in my lifetime and not in any

714
00:25:21,789 --> 00:25:23,170
of y'all, any of our lifetimes.

715
00:25:23,869 --> 00:25:24,369
But

716
00:25:24,670 --> 00:25:25,970
we get so complacent

717
00:25:26,414 --> 00:25:27,695
and then we get to the church and

718
00:25:27,695 --> 00:25:29,134
there are things that we're called to give

719
00:25:29,134 --> 00:25:31,134
up. There are things that we're called to

720
00:25:31,134 --> 00:25:33,295
not do. There are things that we're called

721
00:25:33,295 --> 00:25:35,535
to step away from. The stumbling blocks out

722
00:25:35,535 --> 00:25:38,275
of there. Yeah. We just go back because

723
00:25:38,494 --> 00:25:38,994
man,

724
00:25:39,599 --> 00:25:41,200
wallowing in our sim was just I mean,

725
00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:43,359
it's just comfortable. Yeah. We've gotten used to

726
00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:44,960
having all that mud on us and grime

727
00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:47,200
on us like pigs. Yeah. Pig in the

728
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:49,359
mud. Right. That's it. That's it. That's that's

729
00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:50,900
what we are so many times.

730
00:25:51,759 --> 00:25:54,414
But, you know, what what that's the question

731
00:25:54,414 --> 00:25:56,034
I think we gotta ask ourselves.

732
00:25:56,494 --> 00:25:58,014
That's the question we need to ask our

733
00:25:58,014 --> 00:25:58,994
brothers and sisters

734
00:25:59,375 --> 00:26:01,474
is, you know, what are you working towards?

735
00:26:01,855 --> 00:26:04,095
What's what's your end game here? You know?

736
00:26:04,255 --> 00:26:05,855
If you're a child of the king, if

737
00:26:05,855 --> 00:26:06,755
you've been saved,

738
00:26:07,210 --> 00:26:09,130
then then what is it that that you're

739
00:26:09,130 --> 00:26:10,809
working? What are your goals? Right? Do you

740
00:26:10,809 --> 00:26:12,970
have goals set in your Christian life? I

741
00:26:12,970 --> 00:26:14,890
mean, we get so ambitious in this life.

742
00:26:14,890 --> 00:26:17,450
We'll set goals for our careers. We set

743
00:26:17,450 --> 00:26:19,309
goals in sports. We set goals

744
00:26:20,234 --> 00:26:20,634
for,

745
00:26:21,194 --> 00:26:23,194
vacations. Right? You know, I wanna see I

746
00:26:23,194 --> 00:26:25,035
wanna I wanna visit all 50 states. I

747
00:26:25,035 --> 00:26:27,115
wanna be in this many countries, you know,

748
00:26:27,115 --> 00:26:27,434
before,

749
00:26:27,914 --> 00:26:30,634
before I die. So, you know, we set

750
00:26:30,634 --> 00:26:34,015
goals in in in possessions, cars, and houses,

751
00:26:34,154 --> 00:26:35,775
and and all these things.

752
00:26:36,690 --> 00:26:38,869
We we try to attain these things,

753
00:26:40,210 --> 00:26:41,509
and not necessarily

754
00:26:42,049 --> 00:26:42,549
wrong,

755
00:26:43,730 --> 00:26:46,369
to set those goals, but if we put

756
00:26:46,369 --> 00:26:48,690
them ahead of what's real and what's lasting,

757
00:26:48,690 --> 00:26:50,529
then what are we doing? Right? I mean,

758
00:26:50,529 --> 00:26:52,505
what do we live this life for? Because

759
00:26:52,505 --> 00:26:54,825
it's just that little that little speck in

760
00:26:54,825 --> 00:26:56,845
eternity that we're living right now,

761
00:26:57,544 --> 00:26:59,224
and then and then we got forever to

762
00:26:59,224 --> 00:27:01,144
go. And what's gonna what's gonna carry us

763
00:27:01,144 --> 00:27:03,144
through that? I mean, of course, Christ is,

764
00:27:03,144 --> 00:27:04,990
but man, I just don't wanna walk into

765
00:27:04,990 --> 00:27:08,109
heaven and say, Yeah. You've done done a

766
00:27:08,109 --> 00:27:10,109
couple of things. I gotta hear about the

767
00:27:10,109 --> 00:27:12,109
hair on my chinny to my chin. Yeah.

768
00:27:12,109 --> 00:27:13,789
Yeah. I just slipped at the gate, you

769
00:27:13,789 --> 00:27:16,910
know. Yeah. Yeah. Well, welcome home. Good for,

770
00:27:17,390 --> 00:27:20,454
making it. Yeah. Yeah. Or welcome home, my

771
00:27:20,454 --> 00:27:21,674
good for nothing servant.

772
00:27:22,454 --> 00:27:24,454
Yeah. Yeah. Come in there chugging like a

773
00:27:24,454 --> 00:27:25,994
car running out of gas. Yeah.

774
00:27:26,774 --> 00:27:29,015
You know, break in right through there. No.

775
00:27:29,015 --> 00:27:30,714
If you'd exercised a little.

776
00:27:31,255 --> 00:27:32,910
Yeah. But You know, and by the way,

777
00:27:32,990 --> 00:27:34,670
that's another thing that we we don't think

778
00:27:34,670 --> 00:27:35,490
about sometimes.

779
00:27:35,789 --> 00:27:37,490
We talk about running the race.

780
00:27:37,789 --> 00:27:39,549
If you wanna go run a marathon, you're

781
00:27:39,549 --> 00:27:42,769
not gonna do it if, your exercises included

782
00:27:42,830 --> 00:27:44,269
finding out how many potato chips you can

783
00:27:44,269 --> 00:27:45,630
shove in your mouth every night before you

784
00:27:45,630 --> 00:27:47,384
go to bed. Yeah. You know, jump into

785
00:27:47,384 --> 00:27:48,825
it. That's a bunch. You've got to go

786
00:27:48,825 --> 00:27:50,664
out. Yeah. A bunch of I mean, it's

787
00:27:50,664 --> 00:27:52,424
half a bag for me. I can I

788
00:27:52,424 --> 00:27:53,945
can usually get a get a bag in

789
00:27:53,945 --> 00:27:56,825
there, but you've gotta go and train? You've

790
00:27:56,825 --> 00:27:59,384
gotta go and and do the the short

791
00:27:59,384 --> 00:28:01,420
runs. You've gotta do that that, you know,

792
00:28:01,420 --> 00:28:03,580
quarter mile and and stuff like that over

793
00:28:03,580 --> 00:28:05,580
and over. And you talk to runners. Have

794
00:28:05,580 --> 00:28:07,500
you have you ever actually watched people that

795
00:28:07,500 --> 00:28:10,220
train for running? Yeah. Goodness. They will when

796
00:28:10,220 --> 00:28:12,220
they're starting out, will run these real short

797
00:28:12,220 --> 00:28:12,720
distances

798
00:28:14,025 --> 00:28:14,525
repeatedly

799
00:28:15,225 --> 00:28:18,345
for days and months and years on end

800
00:28:18,345 --> 00:28:20,825
sometimes as they're getting themselves into shape and

801
00:28:20,825 --> 00:28:22,904
just adding a little more distance and it

802
00:28:22,904 --> 00:28:25,065
starts out, it might be, like I say,

803
00:28:25,065 --> 00:28:26,549
a quarter mile And then they get up

804
00:28:26,549 --> 00:28:27,589
to a half and then they get up

805
00:28:27,589 --> 00:28:28,789
to a mile and then they get up

806
00:28:28,789 --> 00:28:29,990
to a mile and a half and then

807
00:28:29,990 --> 00:28:31,849
then two miles and it takes

808
00:28:32,549 --> 00:28:34,950
anywhere from months to years. I get it

809
00:28:34,950 --> 00:28:37,450
but there's something basically wrong with them. Yeah.

810
00:28:37,500 --> 00:28:38,329
I'm not sensational.

811
00:28:38,894 --> 00:28:40,815
Y'all y'all won't even believe this, but I

812
00:28:40,815 --> 00:28:42,755
ran track my ninth grade year.

813
00:28:43,855 --> 00:28:46,414
Yeah. Cross country. So yeah. Oh, wow. Oh,

814
00:28:46,414 --> 00:28:48,894
yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just my ninth grade year,

815
00:28:48,894 --> 00:28:51,295
though. So I decided that wasn't for you.

816
00:28:51,295 --> 00:28:53,039
Yeah. I was a slow white boy. I

817
00:28:53,119 --> 00:28:54,420
I could do it, you know.

818
00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:56,960
I I I thought, man, running is something

819
00:28:57,119 --> 00:28:58,480
it just came to my senses and I

820
00:28:58,480 --> 00:28:59,840
was like, running is something you do to

821
00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:01,859
get in shape for another sport. Yeah.

822
00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:04,000
And my son used to run track in

823
00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:05,440
high school, man. He used to run the

824
00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:07,855
100 meter and 200 meter. Yeah. One day

825
00:29:07,855 --> 00:29:09,454
they didn't have anybody to run the 400

826
00:29:09,454 --> 00:29:11,454
meter. Yeah. And he said, okay. Fine. I'll

827
00:29:11,454 --> 00:29:13,535
do it. He'd he'd never run the 400

828
00:29:13,535 --> 00:29:15,775
meter, never grained for the 400 meter. And

829
00:29:15,775 --> 00:29:17,615
so he just thought, I'm just gonna do

830
00:29:17,615 --> 00:29:19,134
this. And he took off out of the

831
00:29:19,134 --> 00:29:21,154
gate just wide open and he was like,

832
00:29:21,535 --> 00:29:23,389
so far ahead of everybody. It was pathetic.

833
00:29:23,389 --> 00:29:25,029
Yeah. And I thought, man, he's got a

834
00:29:25,029 --> 00:29:26,710
shot here but man, he was gassed by

835
00:29:26,710 --> 00:29:28,470
the 100 meter line. Yeah. And everybody's just

836
00:29:28,470 --> 00:29:30,309
like blowing by him, you know. Yeah. He

837
00:29:30,309 --> 00:29:32,630
wasn't he wasn't thinking about that that that

838
00:29:32,630 --> 00:29:33,210
that endurance

839
00:29:33,909 --> 00:29:35,450
part is is

840
00:29:35,775 --> 00:29:37,934
Exactly. And that that's what preaching life. Right?

841
00:29:37,934 --> 00:29:40,255
It's not sprint. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. It's

842
00:29:40,255 --> 00:29:43,134
it's pace yourself. I mean Yeah. And not

843
00:29:43,295 --> 00:29:46,575
and I I I'm kinda fearful to even

844
00:29:46,575 --> 00:29:48,494
say that, though, the way the Christians are

845
00:29:48,494 --> 00:29:50,179
today because it's like, that's all I'm doing.

846
00:29:50,179 --> 00:29:51,420
I just do you know? I'm such a

847
00:29:51,579 --> 00:29:53,420
I didn't have to do anything. Yeah. When

848
00:29:53,420 --> 00:29:55,599
I'm when I say pace yourself, I mean,

849
00:29:55,740 --> 00:29:57,740
continue to do the work of the Lord

850
00:29:57,740 --> 00:30:00,079
every single day. Right? Get stronger.

851
00:30:00,619 --> 00:30:03,599
Steady. Get steady and keep going. Keep going.

852
00:30:03,740 --> 00:30:05,595
Well, and that's that's one of the reasons

853
00:30:05,595 --> 00:30:07,595
I'm afraid that a lot of Christians end

854
00:30:07,595 --> 00:30:08,095
up

855
00:30:08,634 --> 00:30:11,195
getting so burned out. Yeah. Because they don't

856
00:30:11,195 --> 00:30:13,914
they don't pace themselves. They come in. They

857
00:30:13,914 --> 00:30:16,255
get saved. We we don't do the discipleship.

858
00:30:16,315 --> 00:30:17,914
We've talked about that over and over and

859
00:30:17,914 --> 00:30:19,755
over again. We don't do the discipleship and

860
00:30:19,755 --> 00:30:21,590
then they just they're out of the gate

861
00:30:21,590 --> 00:30:24,309
wide open, but we do. We got Sunday

862
00:30:24,309 --> 00:30:26,470
schools, man. Yeah. That's true. Is that true?

863
00:30:26,470 --> 00:30:28,549
Awesome. Yeah. That's true. But I mean, you

864
00:30:28,549 --> 00:30:29,910
know, they come out, they're out of the

865
00:30:29,910 --> 00:30:31,289
gate wide open and

866
00:30:31,830 --> 00:30:33,750
they take on responsibility and they take on

867
00:30:33,750 --> 00:30:34,816
another responsibility and take on another responsibility and

868
00:30:34,816 --> 00:30:36,494
take on another responsibility and then three years

869
00:30:36,494 --> 00:30:38,095
later, they're out of church. Yeah. And you're

870
00:30:38,095 --> 00:30:39,474
like, why why did they drop

871
00:30:39,775 --> 00:30:42,335
out? Well, goodness. They're exhausted. Yeah. They they

872
00:30:42,335 --> 00:30:43,474
took on everything

873
00:30:43,775 --> 00:30:44,515
day one

874
00:30:44,815 --> 00:30:46,494
when what they need to do was get

875
00:30:46,494 --> 00:30:48,734
in Sunday school, come to the discipleship, come

876
00:30:48,734 --> 00:30:51,450
to the training, learn Yeah. And get get

877
00:30:51,450 --> 00:30:53,609
the meat, get the food. If you train

878
00:30:53,609 --> 00:30:55,849
for sports, you played football, you know how

879
00:30:55,849 --> 00:30:57,210
that goes. What are you supposed to do?

880
00:30:57,210 --> 00:30:59,210
You gotta eat well, you gotta you gotta

881
00:30:59,210 --> 00:31:01,049
have meals, you know, the night before your

882
00:31:01,049 --> 00:31:02,650
game so that you have something to play

883
00:31:02,650 --> 00:31:04,845
on the next day. Yeah. Same thing with

884
00:31:04,845 --> 00:31:06,525
us as Christians, we gotta have the food,

885
00:31:06,525 --> 00:31:08,605
getting the word. Get my herbs. That's it,

886
00:31:08,605 --> 00:31:11,005
that's it. And you know, and and we'll

887
00:31:11,005 --> 00:31:12,704
we'll get out there and we'll say,

888
00:31:13,085 --> 00:31:13,904
I I mean,

889
00:31:14,845 --> 00:31:16,525
I'm I'm burned out, I'm burned out, I'm

890
00:31:16,525 --> 00:31:18,704
burned out. And yes, that's the church's fault.

891
00:31:21,059 --> 00:31:22,740
And what we've gotta do is learn how

892
00:31:22,740 --> 00:31:25,220
to disciple. You know? We gotta learn how

893
00:31:25,220 --> 00:31:26,259
to disciple. We we

894
00:31:27,619 --> 00:31:29,720
the problem that I see sometimes

895
00:31:30,740 --> 00:31:31,480
is that,

896
00:31:33,194 --> 00:31:35,595
we need bible study, we need we need

897
00:31:35,595 --> 00:31:38,255
Sunday school, we need all those things,

898
00:31:38,794 --> 00:31:39,294
but

899
00:31:40,075 --> 00:31:41,914
we can't have the same people in there

900
00:31:41,914 --> 00:31:44,234
fifteen years down the road either. Right? I

901
00:31:44,234 --> 00:31:46,394
mean, there's gotta be there's gotta be a

902
00:31:46,644 --> 00:31:48,819
okay. We're we're, you know, we're on the

903
00:31:48,819 --> 00:31:50,339
milk. We're on the milk. We're on the

904
00:31:50,339 --> 00:31:52,099
milk. Let's get some solid food. Let's get

905
00:31:52,099 --> 00:31:54,179
some solid food. Let's get some solid food.

906
00:31:54,179 --> 00:31:55,940
Let's move our way up to a steak.

907
00:31:55,940 --> 00:31:57,539
You know? Let's move our way up to

908
00:31:57,539 --> 00:32:00,599
something good. I like it. Yeah. Something meaty.

909
00:32:01,484 --> 00:32:03,644
But then And then and then at some

910
00:32:03,644 --> 00:32:05,805
point in time, you've got to use that.

911
00:32:05,805 --> 00:32:08,045
Right? That doesn't that doesn't mean that you

912
00:32:08,045 --> 00:32:09,964
stop learning. That doesn't mean that Right. That

913
00:32:09,964 --> 00:32:12,045
you you know, you you're not you're not

914
00:32:12,045 --> 00:32:13,884
getting in a bible study here or there

915
00:32:13,884 --> 00:32:16,204
or somewhere, maybe on a different level or

916
00:32:16,204 --> 00:32:18,789
whatever. I don't know. But but I think

917
00:32:18,789 --> 00:32:20,950
what happens is it's just like, how long

918
00:32:20,950 --> 00:32:22,710
do you stay there? And so I I

919
00:32:22,710 --> 00:32:24,629
think that's something the church has gotta has

920
00:32:24,629 --> 00:32:26,629
gotta learn to, to work on too, you

921
00:32:26,629 --> 00:32:29,684
know, is, is encouraging people. Hey. Look. I

922
00:32:29,684 --> 00:32:31,444
I love you being in bible study. I

923
00:32:31,444 --> 00:32:34,164
love everybody in bible study, you know. But

924
00:32:34,164 --> 00:32:35,524
but at some point in time, you guys

925
00:32:35,524 --> 00:32:36,964
say, okay. Now now where do we go

926
00:32:36,964 --> 00:32:38,325
from here? Take it to work. Yeah. I

927
00:32:38,325 --> 00:32:40,005
see it. I see it. Take that home.

928
00:32:40,005 --> 00:32:42,490
Yeah. Teach a Sunday school class. Oh, and

929
00:32:42,490 --> 00:32:44,490
and maybe you're on Sunday school in Sunday

930
00:32:44,490 --> 00:32:46,190
school on on Sunday

931
00:32:46,650 --> 00:32:49,049
teaching and you're in Bible study on Wednesday

932
00:32:49,049 --> 00:32:50,730
night, or maybe you're in Bible study on

933
00:32:50,730 --> 00:32:52,970
Wednesday night, or or vice versa, whatever, you

934
00:32:52,970 --> 00:32:54,910
know. And one of the the best things

935
00:32:55,184 --> 00:32:56,244
that I've ever

936
00:32:56,944 --> 00:32:59,605
advice I was ever given fairly early on

937
00:32:59,984 --> 00:33:03,024
was, are you sitting still? Yeah. You know,

938
00:33:03,024 --> 00:33:04,464
when when you talk about, you know, we

939
00:33:04,464 --> 00:33:06,404
say, oh, well, you know, I'm pacing myself.

940
00:33:06,625 --> 00:33:08,849
No. Are you sitting still? Because if you're

941
00:33:08,849 --> 00:33:11,490
sitting still, you're not pacing yourself. You're quiddling

942
00:33:11,490 --> 00:33:12,230
your thumbs.

943
00:33:12,769 --> 00:33:15,349
But if you're moving and if you're going,

944
00:33:15,650 --> 00:33:18,130
you can do that at a pace that

945
00:33:18,130 --> 00:33:19,509
is comfortable enough

946
00:33:19,890 --> 00:33:21,890
that you're actually able to grow while you're

947
00:33:21,890 --> 00:33:23,914
doing it. But that means doing things like,

948
00:33:23,914 --> 00:33:25,275
oh, well, we're going to come to Sunday

949
00:33:25,275 --> 00:33:26,494
school on Sunday mornings.

950
00:33:27,275 --> 00:33:28,714
It takes sacrifice to that. You got to

951
00:33:28,714 --> 00:33:29,994
get up early. Yeah. And we're going to

952
00:33:29,994 --> 00:33:32,075
come to Sunday school. Okay. Well, I've done

953
00:33:32,075 --> 00:33:33,914
that for a couple of weeks. Alright. Well,

954
00:33:33,914 --> 00:33:35,355
you know, or a few months or a

955
00:33:35,355 --> 00:33:37,619
year, something like that to get yourself grounded

956
00:33:37,619 --> 00:33:39,139
depending on whether or not you had Sunday

957
00:33:39,139 --> 00:33:40,980
school growing up because, hey, some adults coming

958
00:33:40,980 --> 00:33:42,039
in here, they got nothing.

959
00:33:42,339 --> 00:33:44,019
Let's let's get them in here for at

960
00:33:44,019 --> 00:33:47,059
least six months of actual bible study before

961
00:33:47,059 --> 00:33:48,740
we throw them to the wolves. And then

962
00:33:48,740 --> 00:33:50,419
when the church says, hey, we need somebody

963
00:33:50,419 --> 00:33:51,159
to do this.

964
00:33:51,744 --> 00:33:54,325
Yeah. Volunteer. Yeah. Volunteer. And

965
00:33:54,704 --> 00:33:55,204
church,

966
00:33:55,585 --> 00:33:57,984
make sure you've got somebody to help that

967
00:33:57,984 --> 00:34:00,544
new Christian. Absolutely. And and and I know

968
00:34:00,544 --> 00:34:02,464
that's an uncomfortable thing when you're the person

969
00:34:02,464 --> 00:34:04,065
in charge of this thing that's being done,

970
00:34:04,065 --> 00:34:06,720
but sometimes that means you gotta step in

971
00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:08,320
with that new Christian and say let me

972
00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:09,280
help you out. I think it's one of

973
00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:12,159
the big challenges is, finding finding ways to

974
00:34:12,159 --> 00:34:14,719
mentor younger guys. Really? Young girls. Right? They

975
00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:16,880
find the things outside the church Right. Where

976
00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,599
where they you're living out real life stuff.

977
00:34:19,599 --> 00:34:21,840
Yeah. And and seeing how you react to

978
00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:24,815
things. I started working on something yesterday, last

979
00:34:24,815 --> 00:34:26,574
night when when they had the ladies bible

980
00:34:26,574 --> 00:34:28,275
study. I just went in my office and

981
00:34:28,335 --> 00:34:29,474
just kinda put together

982
00:34:29,775 --> 00:34:32,094
a a little PowerPoint, but, and I talked

983
00:34:32,094 --> 00:34:33,315
to Tyler about this.

984
00:34:33,614 --> 00:34:35,375
We we had done this a a year

985
00:34:35,375 --> 00:34:36,195
or two ago,

986
00:34:36,574 --> 00:34:38,309
a little version of it, and and it

987
00:34:38,309 --> 00:34:39,769
I thought it worked really good.

988
00:34:40,550 --> 00:34:42,230
I wanna do a I wanna do a

989
00:34:42,230 --> 00:34:43,289
a plugged in Sunday.

990
00:34:43,829 --> 00:34:46,150
And, because a lot of times people visit

991
00:34:46,150 --> 00:34:47,369
in the church, they're,

992
00:34:48,150 --> 00:34:49,289
they're they're looking,

993
00:34:49,590 --> 00:34:51,829
you know, maybe for a church or whatever,

994
00:34:51,829 --> 00:34:53,534
or then they join the church. They don't

995
00:34:53,534 --> 00:34:54,974
know what the church has to offer. You

996
00:34:54,974 --> 00:34:56,894
know? What is this what what Sunday school

997
00:34:56,894 --> 00:34:58,414
classes do you have? Do I wanna be

998
00:34:58,414 --> 00:35:00,094
in an all men Sunday school class? Do

999
00:35:00,094 --> 00:35:01,934
I wanna be in a, you know, a

1000
00:35:01,934 --> 00:35:03,614
young married Sunday school class? Do I wanna

1001
00:35:03,614 --> 00:35:05,135
be in an all women Sunday school class?

1002
00:35:05,135 --> 00:35:06,594
You know? What's my age group?

1003
00:35:07,179 --> 00:35:08,860
What missions do y'all do here, do I

1004
00:35:08,860 --> 00:35:10,699
wanna work in the foster care closet, do

1005
00:35:10,699 --> 00:35:12,460
I wanna work at the food pantry, you

1006
00:35:12,460 --> 00:35:14,880
know, there's all kind of things and so

1007
00:35:15,579 --> 00:35:16,719
what I wanna do,

1008
00:35:17,099 --> 00:35:18,885
to get people plugged in,

1009
00:35:19,445 --> 00:35:21,284
is is we're gonna have a Sunday coming

1010
00:35:21,284 --> 00:35:22,505
up in in April,

1011
00:35:23,445 --> 00:35:23,925
where,

1012
00:35:24,405 --> 00:35:25,605
we're gonna do it out in the life

1013
00:35:25,605 --> 00:35:26,585
center, and,

1014
00:35:26,885 --> 00:35:28,724
I'm gonna let I want every Sunday school

1015
00:35:28,724 --> 00:35:29,224
class,

1016
00:35:29,764 --> 00:35:30,264
to

1017
00:35:30,885 --> 00:35:32,505
to set up a little boost,

1018
00:35:33,204 --> 00:35:34,949
and just, you know,

1019
00:35:35,329 --> 00:35:36,949
it doesn't have to be elaborate,

1020
00:35:37,570 --> 00:35:40,289
but, you know, just showing what material you're

1021
00:35:40,289 --> 00:35:42,369
using. If you're using a certain Sunday school

1022
00:35:42,369 --> 00:35:44,610
book or or what your study is right

1023
00:35:44,610 --> 00:35:46,369
now, tell them a little bit about the,

1024
00:35:46,369 --> 00:35:48,244
you know, if it's like Dennis and me

1025
00:35:48,244 --> 00:35:49,545
in Sunday school class.

1026
00:35:50,005 --> 00:35:51,445
You know, this is what we're studying. This

1027
00:35:51,445 --> 00:35:52,885
is what we're doing. This is where we

1028
00:35:52,885 --> 00:35:53,385
meet,

1029
00:35:53,765 --> 00:35:55,625
you know, and and this might be something

1030
00:35:55,684 --> 00:35:57,125
that you're interested in.

1031
00:35:57,445 --> 00:35:58,105
You know,

1032
00:35:58,565 --> 00:36:00,405
the the person over the food pantry, the

1033
00:36:00,405 --> 00:36:01,465
person over the

1034
00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:04,539
the foster care closet, over missions,

1035
00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:07,320
and just each one have a table set

1036
00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:08,140
up around,

1037
00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:11,160
around the outside perimeter there. We'll have church

1038
00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:13,079
in there that Sunday. And then as soon

1039
00:36:13,079 --> 00:36:16,119
as church dismissed, then then encourage those people

1040
00:36:16,119 --> 00:36:17,784
to go and say, okay. Look. Here's what

1041
00:36:17,784 --> 00:36:18,724
the church has

1042
00:36:19,025 --> 00:36:21,105
to offer you. And maybe maybe it's a

1043
00:36:21,105 --> 00:36:22,864
way to get, you know Yeah. If we

1044
00:36:22,864 --> 00:36:24,864
just get one person plugged in, you know,

1045
00:36:24,864 --> 00:36:26,964
that that that wasn't before.

1046
00:36:27,505 --> 00:36:28,005
But

1047
00:36:28,545 --> 00:36:29,764
I want to be

1048
00:36:30,410 --> 00:36:32,890
I want to be proactive about about making

1049
00:36:32,890 --> 00:36:33,390
disciples.

1050
00:36:33,769 --> 00:36:35,530
I do. That's what it's all about. I

1051
00:36:35,530 --> 00:36:38,090
wanna be proactive about that. Yeah. But but

1052
00:36:38,090 --> 00:36:39,710
it is, man. It's it's about

1053
00:36:40,170 --> 00:36:41,390
it's about endurance.

1054
00:36:42,885 --> 00:36:45,684
First Peter one three through seven. Blessed be

1055
00:36:45,684 --> 00:36:47,125
the god and father of our lord Jesus

1056
00:36:47,125 --> 00:36:50,025
Christ, which according to his abundant mercy,

1057
00:36:50,724 --> 00:36:53,385
hath begotten us again under a lively hope

1058
00:36:53,525 --> 00:36:55,525
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the

1059
00:36:55,525 --> 00:36:58,025
dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled,

1060
00:36:58,359 --> 00:37:01,099
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for

1061
00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:02,920
you, who are kept by the power of

1062
00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:04,619
God through faith and the salvation,

1063
00:37:05,079 --> 00:37:07,099
ready to be revealed in the last time,

1064
00:37:07,159 --> 00:37:08,699
wherein you greatly rejoice,

1065
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:10,380
though now for a season,

1066
00:37:10,755 --> 00:37:13,414
if need be, you're in heaviness through manifold

1067
00:37:13,474 --> 00:37:13,974
temptations,

1068
00:37:14,355 --> 00:37:16,594
that the trial of your faith being much

1069
00:37:16,594 --> 00:37:19,234
more precious than, than that of gold that

1070
00:37:19,234 --> 00:37:19,734
periseth,

1071
00:37:20,275 --> 00:37:23,074
though it be tried with fire, might be

1072
00:37:23,074 --> 00:37:25,809
found under praise and honor and glory at

1073
00:37:25,809 --> 00:37:27,670
the appearing of Jesus Christ.

1074
00:37:28,929 --> 00:37:30,389
So keep going. Right?

1075
00:37:30,690 --> 00:37:33,889
Keep going. Don't stop. Don't stop. Should be

1076
00:37:33,889 --> 00:37:34,389
moving

1077
00:37:34,929 --> 00:37:35,429
forward

1078
00:37:35,809 --> 00:37:38,025
every single day. Yeah. And it's it's not

1079
00:37:38,025 --> 00:37:39,445
a perfect walk either.

1080
00:37:40,304 --> 00:37:42,625
It's not I'm all of a sudden a

1081
00:37:42,625 --> 00:37:44,864
saint now, you know, and a lot of

1082
00:37:44,864 --> 00:37:46,465
churches think of saints in a whole different

1083
00:37:46,465 --> 00:37:47,844
way than the Bible does.

1084
00:37:48,144 --> 00:37:50,625
But you're going to fall down. You're going

1085
00:37:50,625 --> 00:37:52,769
to drop the ball sometimes. But you know

1086
00:37:52,849 --> 00:37:53,989
that we have a mediator.

1087
00:37:54,289 --> 00:37:56,690
Yeah. That we have an advocate, that Jesus

1088
00:37:56,690 --> 00:37:57,190
Christ

1089
00:37:57,730 --> 00:37:59,409
is pulling for us, man. And the father

1090
00:37:59,409 --> 00:38:00,849
is cheering us on and all we need

1091
00:38:00,849 --> 00:38:02,449
to do is get back up. Amen. Get

1092
00:38:02,449 --> 00:38:04,710
back up and keep walking. Amen. Right? Because

1093
00:38:05,025 --> 00:38:06,625
a a disciple is not somebody that never

1094
00:38:06,625 --> 00:38:08,144
falls down. It's somebody that never stops getting

1095
00:38:08,144 --> 00:38:10,704
back up. That's right. Salvation is just the

1096
00:38:10,704 --> 00:38:12,304
beginning of the whole thing. It is. I

1097
00:38:12,304 --> 00:38:14,144
mean, it really is. If and I know

1098
00:38:14,144 --> 00:38:15,824
we've talked about this before, but if you

1099
00:38:15,824 --> 00:38:17,409
look back and you say, well, that's the

1100
00:38:17,409 --> 00:38:19,969
greatest thing that ever happened to me. Well,

1101
00:38:19,969 --> 00:38:21,889
in a sense, yeah, I get it. You

1102
00:38:21,889 --> 00:38:23,650
know, I I mean, we got heaven, of

1103
00:38:23,650 --> 00:38:25,329
course. So you can't I can't, you know,

1104
00:38:25,329 --> 00:38:27,590
make make that a light subject,

1105
00:38:28,530 --> 00:38:30,545
but my gosh, the things that God has

1106
00:38:30,545 --> 00:38:32,644
done in my life and I have experienced

1107
00:38:32,704 --> 00:38:34,784
and I have seen Yep. With my own

1108
00:38:34,784 --> 00:38:35,764
eyes and and,

1109
00:38:36,065 --> 00:38:38,625
you know, oh my goodness, man. It's just

1110
00:38:38,625 --> 00:38:39,924
a powerful I mean,

1111
00:38:41,119 --> 00:38:43,119
you're not as close as you're ever gonna

1112
00:38:43,119 --> 00:38:45,039
be that day that you get saved to

1113
00:38:45,039 --> 00:38:46,019
the Lord, right?

1114
00:38:46,559 --> 00:38:48,559
If you are, then there's an issue, there's

1115
00:38:48,559 --> 00:38:50,400
a problem. Yeah. And it's, you know, we're

1116
00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:52,079
all we're all kids growing up, you know.

1117
00:38:52,079 --> 00:38:53,360
I see. And I couldn't tell you how

1118
00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:55,394
many times I've touched that hot stove eye,

1119
00:38:55,394 --> 00:38:57,315
Right? Yeah. Yeah. I've been going up over

1120
00:38:57,315 --> 00:38:58,675
and over not to touch it, but he

1121
00:38:58,675 --> 00:39:00,835
ain't touching it. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But

1122
00:39:00,835 --> 00:39:02,914
but God's grace, man. Yeah. He is so

1123
00:39:02,914 --> 00:39:04,914
good. He's a good father. A good, good

1124
00:39:04,914 --> 00:39:05,414
father.

1125
00:39:05,715 --> 00:39:08,380
Thank you. Thank you that when when I

1126
00:39:08,380 --> 00:39:10,059
I keep trying and then I mess up

1127
00:39:10,059 --> 00:39:10,559
again,

1128
00:39:11,099 --> 00:39:12,940
that that's not the end. Right? I can

1129
00:39:12,940 --> 00:39:14,460
I can keep trying again? Getting up is

1130
00:39:14,460 --> 00:39:15,980
that perseverance that we're talking about. It really

1131
00:39:15,980 --> 00:39:18,139
is. You know, I I saw a a

1132
00:39:18,139 --> 00:39:19,280
little clip on

1133
00:39:19,820 --> 00:39:22,079
somewhere the other day that said, you know,

1134
00:39:22,219 --> 00:39:22,719
moms

1135
00:39:23,235 --> 00:39:25,075
spend a lot of time just loving on

1136
00:39:25,075 --> 00:39:27,315
their kids and and fixing the boo boos

1137
00:39:27,315 --> 00:39:29,315
and making them feel better, but a dad

1138
00:39:29,315 --> 00:39:30,994
teaches the kid how to get up and

1139
00:39:30,994 --> 00:39:32,914
and move on Yeah. And keep going and

1140
00:39:32,914 --> 00:39:34,994
how to survive. And that's exactly who our

1141
00:39:34,994 --> 00:39:37,235
good father is. He's teaching us how to

1142
00:39:37,235 --> 00:39:38,454
get up and keep going

1143
00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:42,239
if we let him. Yeah. Right? Yeah. Yeah.

1144
00:39:42,239 --> 00:39:44,339
Yeah. I just I don't know why.

1145
00:39:44,639 --> 00:39:46,639
A a flashback in my mind when Ryan

1146
00:39:46,639 --> 00:39:47,359
was playing,

1147
00:39:47,679 --> 00:39:49,359
eight, nine year old baseball, and this is

1148
00:39:49,359 --> 00:39:50,799
this is the year they start pitching to

1149
00:39:50,799 --> 00:39:52,559
each other instead of the coach pitching to

1150
00:39:52,559 --> 00:39:54,775
them. Right. And these kids are wild, throwing

1151
00:39:54,775 --> 00:39:56,375
balls up there at the home plate, man.

1152
00:39:56,375 --> 00:39:58,535
It's it's it's awful. Ryan hated it. You

1153
00:39:58,535 --> 00:40:00,295
know, it's like he's dodging pitches more than

1154
00:40:00,295 --> 00:40:02,614
he's hitting anything. And this one kid, the

1155
00:40:02,614 --> 00:40:04,454
coach's son, was up there and he got

1156
00:40:04,454 --> 00:40:06,135
hit pretty hard right in the side, you

1157
00:40:06,135 --> 00:40:08,140
know. And he's down on the ground, he's

1158
00:40:08,140 --> 00:40:10,300
hurting, he's just writhing around, his dad comes

1159
00:40:10,300 --> 00:40:11,760
over, get up.

1160
00:40:15,420 --> 00:40:15,920
Yeah.

1161
00:40:16,300 --> 00:40:18,059
You know, it's like, man, this is not

1162
00:40:18,059 --> 00:40:19,739
a picture of my heavenly father. I don't

1163
00:40:19,739 --> 00:40:21,934
believe. Yeah. Nope. Yeah. No. He comes over

1164
00:40:21,934 --> 00:40:23,695
and holds his hand out and says, alright.

1165
00:40:23,695 --> 00:40:25,775
Let's get up. Yeah. Come on. Now, keep

1166
00:40:25,775 --> 00:40:26,675
going. Yeah.

1167
00:40:27,295 --> 00:40:28,974
But, yeah. The the funny thing was that

1168
00:40:28,974 --> 00:40:30,755
video was and

1169
00:40:31,215 --> 00:40:33,135
and when I saw it, I thought, that

1170
00:40:33,135 --> 00:40:33,875
feels familiar.

1171
00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:36,079
Not only because of my kids, but because

1172
00:40:36,079 --> 00:40:36,900
of me.

1173
00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:39,920
Was a, dad walking along this little path

1174
00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:41,360
and there were these there was like a

1175
00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:43,360
string out there. Not a barbed wire fence

1176
00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:44,880
or anything, just a string in the path.

1177
00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:47,440
It was three three little strings that, he

1178
00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:48,960
had to step over to keep going down

1179
00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:50,625
the path. Well, dad just steps over, and

1180
00:40:50,625 --> 00:40:51,925
this little kid comes up,

1181
00:40:52,704 --> 00:40:53,985
and he can't figure out how to step

1182
00:40:53,985 --> 00:40:55,585
over it. Well, you know, of course, it's

1183
00:40:55,585 --> 00:40:56,704
tall enough. All he has to do is

1184
00:40:56,704 --> 00:40:58,144
just go under it. He'll be fine. But

1185
00:40:58,144 --> 00:40:59,905
that kid's trying his best to do what

1186
00:40:59,905 --> 00:41:01,184
dad did and step over it, and dad

1187
00:41:01,184 --> 00:41:02,760
just stand there looking at him. Well, a

1188
00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:04,519
few minutes into it, he gets all tangled

1189
00:41:04,519 --> 00:41:06,599
up in it and he's all looks like

1190
00:41:06,599 --> 00:41:09,800
a marionette flipped over there. Dad walks over,

1191
00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:11,880
untangles him, picks him up, sets him right

1192
00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:13,559
back down on the other side of it,

1193
00:41:13,559 --> 00:41:15,239
and then steps back and goes, alright. Come

1194
00:41:15,239 --> 00:41:17,295
on. Try it again. Yeah. And and did

1195
00:41:17,295 --> 00:41:18,815
that, like, two or three times before the

1196
00:41:18,815 --> 00:41:19,954
kid goes, oh, wait.

1197
00:41:20,735 --> 00:41:22,175
And picks him up and walks under me.

1198
00:41:22,175 --> 00:41:24,355
He's like, and dad's and me and

1199
00:41:24,655 --> 00:41:26,574
just and I thought, oh, man. Talk about

1200
00:41:26,574 --> 00:41:28,655
a picture of god. The kid succeeded. Dad

1201
00:41:28,655 --> 00:41:30,730
doesn't just go, alright. Good job. He starts

1202
00:41:30,730 --> 00:41:32,969
clapping. He starts cheering for that little kid.

1203
00:41:32,969 --> 00:41:34,969
Man, that was awesome. You did great. And

1204
00:41:34,969 --> 00:41:37,210
I'm thinking, yeah. That's exactly what God does

1205
00:41:37,210 --> 00:41:39,610
with us. Yeah. Here. I yeah. I've let

1206
00:41:39,610 --> 00:41:41,550
you I've lifted you out of the mess.

1207
00:41:41,769 --> 00:41:44,144
Now I've showed you how to avoid it.

1208
00:41:44,605 --> 00:41:47,025
Come on. He knows that we're but dust.

1209
00:41:47,164 --> 00:41:48,944
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. He does.

1210
00:41:49,484 --> 00:41:50,545
He does. Yeah.

1211
00:41:51,964 --> 00:41:52,464
So

1212
00:41:52,764 --> 00:41:53,824
crown of righteousness.

1213
00:41:54,125 --> 00:41:56,394
Righteous third thing. Crown of righteousness.

1214
00:41:57,069 --> 00:41:59,089
Second Timothy four six through eight.

1215
00:41:59,469 --> 00:42:01,170
For I am now ready to be offered,

1216
00:42:01,789 --> 00:42:03,789
and the time of my departure is at

1217
00:42:03,789 --> 00:42:05,949
hand. I've fought the good fight. I've finished

1218
00:42:05,949 --> 00:42:08,429
my course. I've kept the faith. Henceforth, there

1219
00:42:08,429 --> 00:42:10,030
is laid up for me a crown of

1220
00:42:10,030 --> 00:42:10,530
righteousness,

1221
00:42:11,295 --> 00:42:13,775
which the lord, the righteous judge, shall give

1222
00:42:13,775 --> 00:42:16,514
me at that day, and not me only,

1223
00:42:16,574 --> 00:42:19,934
but unto all them also that love his

1224
00:42:19,934 --> 00:42:21,714
appearing. So when

1225
00:42:22,014 --> 00:42:23,694
you when you look at what Paul is

1226
00:42:23,694 --> 00:42:25,155
saying here, Paul is saying,

1227
00:42:25,869 --> 00:42:28,530
if you could stand here at this Rome

1228
00:42:28,670 --> 00:42:29,650
chopping block,

1229
00:42:30,190 --> 00:42:32,130
and you could watch this big burly

1230
00:42:32,429 --> 00:42:36,190
soldier lifting up his blade and and and

1231
00:42:36,190 --> 00:42:38,690
just getting ready to chop off my head,

1232
00:42:39,105 --> 00:42:41,105
you would see a a a bloody and

1233
00:42:41,105 --> 00:42:42,244
a messy scene.

1234
00:42:43,025 --> 00:42:44,784
But if that's all you saw, you missed

1235
00:42:44,784 --> 00:42:46,545
it. Right? I mean, you missed the whole

1236
00:42:46,545 --> 00:42:48,724
thing. Paul was ready to die

1237
00:42:49,585 --> 00:42:51,525
so that Christ may be exalted.

1238
00:42:51,905 --> 00:42:52,784
Right? I mean, they

1239
00:42:53,344 --> 00:42:53,844
you

1240
00:42:54,159 --> 00:42:56,000
if you've seen that, if you've seen the

1241
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:57,460
calmness, if you've seen the,

1242
00:42:58,079 --> 00:43:00,820
the the the readiness to leave here,

1243
00:43:01,119 --> 00:43:04,000
Paul said in in Philippians two seventeen, yay,

1244
00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:06,000
and if I be offered, poured out as

1245
00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:08,960
a drink offering upon the sacrifice of of

1246
00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:11,815
service of your faith, I joy and rejoice

1247
00:43:11,815 --> 00:43:12,454
with you all.

1248
00:43:13,095 --> 00:43:15,335
So what he wanted to do, Paul wanted

1249
00:43:15,335 --> 00:43:17,035
his life to be poured out.

1250
00:43:17,414 --> 00:43:19,914
When you hear that that drink offering thing,

1251
00:43:20,295 --> 00:43:22,934
it's like it's like water being poured out

1252
00:43:22,934 --> 00:43:24,715
of a pitcher on the hot coals.

1253
00:43:25,139 --> 00:43:26,980
What happens when that when when it hits

1254
00:43:26,980 --> 00:43:29,559
those coals? It turns into vapor. Right?

1255
00:43:30,260 --> 00:43:32,099
And and Paul's saying that's what I want

1256
00:43:32,099 --> 00:43:34,099
my life to be like. I want it

1257
00:43:34,099 --> 00:43:35,380
to be something that,

1258
00:43:36,260 --> 00:43:38,755
that that just diminishes. Right?

1259
00:43:39,194 --> 00:43:41,855
He mentioned it again in Exodus and Leviticus

1260
00:43:42,074 --> 00:43:44,154
that the wine was taken and poured over

1261
00:43:44,154 --> 00:43:44,894
the sacrifice.

1262
00:43:45,434 --> 00:43:47,135
As soon as it was poured out

1263
00:43:47,514 --> 00:43:49,054
on the hot coals, it evaporated,

1264
00:43:49,630 --> 00:43:51,309
and it went up into smoke. It was

1265
00:43:51,309 --> 00:43:53,949
barely seen, but Christ was glorified in the

1266
00:43:53,949 --> 00:43:56,429
drink offering. Right? Christ was the one getting

1267
00:43:56,429 --> 00:43:57,969
the glory. The water,

1268
00:43:58,349 --> 00:44:00,349
the the it it would just went into

1269
00:44:00,349 --> 00:44:02,474
a mist and disappeared, And that's what Paul

1270
00:44:02,474 --> 00:44:04,315
was saying. He said, I I wanna live

1271
00:44:04,315 --> 00:44:06,074
my life for him. I wanna do everything

1272
00:44:06,074 --> 00:44:07,835
I can for him, but it's not so

1273
00:44:07,835 --> 00:44:09,434
that Paul can be seen so that they

1274
00:44:09,434 --> 00:44:11,194
can say, look what Paul did. Look who

1275
00:44:11,275 --> 00:44:13,355
Yeah. Who Paul was. Look how powerful he

1276
00:44:13,355 --> 00:44:14,795
was. Look how good he was. Look how

1277
00:44:14,795 --> 00:44:16,859
smart he was. That he said, no. I

1278
00:44:16,859 --> 00:44:18,059
want I want it to be poured out

1279
00:44:18,059 --> 00:44:20,299
like a drink offering that just burns up

1280
00:44:20,299 --> 00:44:22,219
into a mist, but God gets the glory

1281
00:44:22,219 --> 00:44:24,139
for it all, for everything that I've done.

1282
00:44:24,139 --> 00:44:25,819
Yeah. I've I've always prayed out about my

1283
00:44:25,819 --> 00:44:27,420
job, man. I've I've been I've out kick

1284
00:44:27,420 --> 00:44:29,099
my coverage for a lot of years work,

1285
00:44:29,099 --> 00:44:29,505
man.

1286
00:44:29,904 --> 00:44:32,144
And I've always thought, you know, God just

1287
00:44:32,144 --> 00:44:34,144
keeps blessing me in this thing over and

1288
00:44:34,144 --> 00:44:35,585
over and over again. And I come out

1289
00:44:35,585 --> 00:44:38,005
smelling like a rose in some crazy situations.

1290
00:44:38,625 --> 00:44:41,284
And I keep thinking, Lord, you've been glorified

1291
00:44:41,344 --> 00:44:43,204
somehow that they don't see me in this.

1292
00:44:43,424 --> 00:44:45,519
And even if it's on that day, you

1293
00:44:45,519 --> 00:44:47,119
know, people will see me and go, God

1294
00:44:47,119 --> 00:44:49,199
did all that through him. Amen. It wasn't

1295
00:44:49,199 --> 00:44:52,159
it wasn't him. Amen. Because, man, I I

1296
00:44:52,159 --> 00:44:53,839
don't know what I'm doing half the time,

1297
00:44:53,839 --> 00:44:55,059
you know? Yeah.

1298
00:44:55,679 --> 00:44:58,480
Yeah. Just playing this game. Right? Yeah. Playing

1299
00:44:58,480 --> 00:45:00,179
this game and and and

1300
00:45:00,704 --> 00:45:03,204
and running this race. So Yeah. I mean,

1301
00:45:04,065 --> 00:45:05,985
thank you, Lord, for for letting us be

1302
00:45:05,985 --> 00:45:07,744
a part of it, for Amen. For wanting

1303
00:45:07,744 --> 00:45:08,965
to use us, but

1304
00:45:09,345 --> 00:45:11,525
to God be all the glory. Yeah. Amen.

1305
00:45:11,585 --> 00:45:13,525
To God be all the glory. Amen.

1306
00:45:14,864 --> 00:45:15,364
So

1307
00:45:16,119 --> 00:45:17,659
Paul was willing to be,

1308
00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:20,199
not to be lifted up or not to

1309
00:45:20,199 --> 00:45:21,500
be seen because

1310
00:45:22,039 --> 00:45:23,099
he loves Jesus,

1311
00:45:23,559 --> 00:45:25,719
and that's what that's what the crown this

1312
00:45:25,719 --> 00:45:28,039
crown's all about. Right? It's for those who

1313
00:45:28,039 --> 00:45:30,440
love Jesus. It's a crown of righteousness. It's

1314
00:45:30,440 --> 00:45:31,179
his righteousness

1315
00:45:31,554 --> 00:45:34,034
because our righteousness is filthy rags. Yeah. So

1316
00:45:34,034 --> 00:45:35,954
it it's a crown that says, look. I

1317
00:45:35,954 --> 00:45:37,414
live my life for the lord.

1318
00:45:37,715 --> 00:45:39,635
I I I didn't I didn't say look

1319
00:45:39,635 --> 00:45:41,394
at me, but I said look at him.

1320
00:45:41,394 --> 00:45:43,175
Yeah. Keep your eyes on him.

1321
00:45:43,700 --> 00:45:44,360
I pray

1322
00:45:44,660 --> 00:45:46,579
I pray that my ministry is that. I

1323
00:45:46,579 --> 00:45:48,820
pray that my that my work is that.

1324
00:45:48,820 --> 00:45:51,300
I pray that everywhere I go that that

1325
00:45:51,300 --> 00:45:53,619
I don't get in my own head. Right?

1326
00:45:53,619 --> 00:45:55,539
That I don't that I don't think that

1327
00:45:55,539 --> 00:45:57,735
I'm something that I'm not. You know? And

1328
00:45:58,055 --> 00:46:00,295
and, usually, there's somebody there to humble me

1329
00:46:00,295 --> 00:46:01,994
pretty quick. You know? Usually, my wife.

1330
00:46:03,575 --> 00:46:05,175
If I get to thinking that, but that's

1331
00:46:05,175 --> 00:46:07,414
that's that's what Paul was saying, man. This

1332
00:46:07,414 --> 00:46:08,555
this crown of righteousness,

1333
00:46:09,655 --> 00:46:11,429
I mean, he saved me. I I didn't

1334
00:46:11,429 --> 00:46:13,750
do it. Right? This salvation that I have

1335
00:46:13,750 --> 00:46:14,969
is because of him.

1336
00:46:15,349 --> 00:46:17,030
I I done nothing to deserve it. I

1337
00:46:17,030 --> 00:46:18,949
just accepted the free gift that he give

1338
00:46:18,949 --> 00:46:20,630
me. Yeah. And we're longing to see him

1339
00:46:20,630 --> 00:46:23,050
too. Right? Yeah. With this. Yeah. Amen.

1340
00:46:23,909 --> 00:46:25,050
Amen. Amen.

1341
00:46:28,054 --> 00:46:30,375
Crown of glory. Crown of glory. You know,

1342
00:46:30,375 --> 00:46:32,875
we're going through these kinda fast tonight, but,

1343
00:46:33,974 --> 00:46:36,214
crown of glory. First Peter five two and

1344
00:46:36,214 --> 00:46:36,714
four.

1345
00:46:37,094 --> 00:46:38,934
Feed the flock of God which is among

1346
00:46:38,934 --> 00:46:39,674
you, taking

1347
00:46:40,119 --> 00:46:43,420
the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly,

1348
00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:45,500
not through filthy liquor,

1349
00:46:45,880 --> 00:46:48,460
but of a ready mind, neither as being

1350
00:46:48,679 --> 00:46:50,940
lords over god's heritage, but being

1351
00:46:51,239 --> 00:46:51,739
examples

1352
00:46:52,280 --> 00:46:53,019
to the flock.

1353
00:46:53,715 --> 00:46:55,655
And when the chief shepherd shall appear,

1354
00:46:55,954 --> 00:46:57,894
he shall receive a crown of glory

1355
00:46:58,195 --> 00:46:59,575
that fadeth not away.

1356
00:47:01,235 --> 00:47:03,094
So shepherding here suggests

1357
00:47:04,035 --> 00:47:05,414
provision, it suggests

1358
00:47:05,715 --> 00:47:06,215
protection,

1359
00:47:06,675 --> 00:47:07,974
it suggests supervision,

1360
00:47:08,594 --> 00:47:09,175
it suggests

1361
00:47:09,929 --> 00:47:10,429
discipline,

1362
00:47:11,050 --> 00:47:11,550
instruction,

1363
00:47:12,010 --> 00:47:12,750
and direction,

1364
00:47:14,329 --> 00:47:16,809
and these are to be performed in in

1365
00:47:16,809 --> 00:47:19,449
a positive way and to be done humbly

1366
00:47:19,449 --> 00:47:22,250
and and by example through through love and

1367
00:47:22,250 --> 00:47:22,750
sacrifice.

1368
00:47:23,530 --> 00:47:25,204
It it is it is to be done

1369
00:47:25,204 --> 00:47:26,425
by by leading

1370
00:47:26,724 --> 00:47:28,804
and not driving. Right? That's what a good

1371
00:47:28,804 --> 00:47:31,525
shepherd does. He leads. He says, come on.

1372
00:47:31,525 --> 00:47:33,765
Follow me. And the sheep know that that

1373
00:47:33,765 --> 00:47:36,804
guy that's that's that's leading them, he he's

1374
00:47:36,804 --> 00:47:38,719
got our best interest at hand. Right? Yeah.

1375
00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:40,980
He feeds us. He leads us to,

1376
00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:44,179
to to good water. Right? To green grass.

1377
00:47:44,719 --> 00:47:46,579
He he he restores us,

1378
00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:50,239
in in a physical way, but then that

1379
00:47:50,239 --> 00:47:52,400
good shepherd that we serve restores us in

1380
00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:54,844
the spiritual way. Right. And and that's what

1381
00:47:54,844 --> 00:47:56,684
that that's what that crown of glory is

1382
00:47:56,684 --> 00:47:57,824
that that we're,

1383
00:47:58,684 --> 00:48:00,445
that not only are we being led by

1384
00:48:00,445 --> 00:48:02,684
the good shepherd, but we're able to shepherd

1385
00:48:02,684 --> 00:48:05,309
other people too in by example, by the

1386
00:48:05,309 --> 00:48:06,670
things that we do, by the way that

1387
00:48:06,670 --> 00:48:08,829
we live, by the the things that the

1388
00:48:08,829 --> 00:48:10,210
way we carry out our lives.

1389
00:48:10,590 --> 00:48:12,430
Yep. Yep. Amen. I was looking at,

1390
00:48:13,070 --> 00:48:14,910
David Jeremiah, had these laid out too, and

1391
00:48:14,910 --> 00:48:16,430
he said this he talks about this would

1392
00:48:16,430 --> 00:48:18,050
being given to faithful shepherds,

1393
00:48:18,565 --> 00:48:21,204
pastors, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, ministry team

1394
00:48:21,204 --> 00:48:23,605
leaders, and more. It's anybody that answers the

1395
00:48:23,605 --> 00:48:25,625
call of leadership. Yeah. You know. Amen.

1396
00:48:25,925 --> 00:48:28,184
Being that example. Amen, amen,

1397
00:48:28,804 --> 00:48:29,304
amen.

1398
00:48:29,684 --> 00:48:31,550
And I think this, you

1399
00:48:31,849 --> 00:48:32,750
know, again,

1400
00:48:33,210 --> 00:48:36,110
whatever you do in whatever capacity. Right? Exactly.

1401
00:48:36,570 --> 00:48:38,809
Yeah. Again, if it's driving the bus or

1402
00:48:38,809 --> 00:48:40,890
sweeping the floor, man, if you're doing it

1403
00:48:40,890 --> 00:48:42,269
for the glory of God,

1404
00:48:42,905 --> 00:48:45,244
that's something that you're gonna get. I mean,

1405
00:48:46,184 --> 00:48:48,824
And your job. Right? Yeah. You can boss

1406
00:48:48,824 --> 00:48:50,664
over a few people. That's it. You'd be

1407
00:48:50,664 --> 00:48:52,984
that example, that leader. And and and by

1408
00:48:52,984 --> 00:48:54,045
being a good leader

1409
00:48:54,425 --> 00:48:55,565
in in this aspect

1410
00:48:55,864 --> 00:48:57,840
is by being a good servant. And I

1411
00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:00,400
mean, by showing other people, like, okay. This

1412
00:49:00,400 --> 00:49:02,000
is a way this is a way that

1413
00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:03,619
that you need to do it.

1414
00:49:04,160 --> 00:49:05,760
I had a guy that, that I worked

1415
00:49:05,760 --> 00:49:06,079
with,

1416
00:49:06,720 --> 00:49:08,079
growing up when I was in the natural

1417
00:49:08,079 --> 00:49:09,680
gas industry and and,

1418
00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:10,880
man, he,

1419
00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:13,140
there were several several

1420
00:49:14,214 --> 00:49:16,534
really hard workers, smart men that worked in

1421
00:49:16,534 --> 00:49:18,454
in that industry with me, but this guy

1422
00:49:18,454 --> 00:49:20,695
was the guy that, man, no matter what

1423
00:49:20,695 --> 00:49:22,534
it was, he wasn't gonna ask you to

1424
00:49:22,534 --> 00:49:25,094
do anything that he wouldn't do himself. I

1425
00:49:25,094 --> 00:49:26,934
mean, you about had to push him out

1426
00:49:26,934 --> 00:49:27,675
of the way

1427
00:49:28,199 --> 00:49:30,599
to to, you know, to keep him from

1428
00:49:30,599 --> 00:49:32,440
jumping in a ditch or whatever it was

1429
00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:33,820
that was going on. You know?

1430
00:49:34,199 --> 00:49:35,800
He was just that guy. He was gonna

1431
00:49:35,880 --> 00:49:37,480
he's gonna get in there. He's gonna do

1432
00:49:37,480 --> 00:49:39,400
it, and he's gonna lead by example. And

1433
00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:41,639
I learned so much from him. Man, so

1434
00:49:41,639 --> 00:49:42,539
much from him.

1435
00:49:43,525 --> 00:49:45,045
And and and that's what I that's what

1436
00:49:45,045 --> 00:49:46,405
I wanna be. That's what I wanna be

1437
00:49:46,405 --> 00:49:47,864
in my spiritual walk and,

1438
00:49:48,164 --> 00:49:50,644
with my kids. I hope I've been somewhat

1439
00:49:50,644 --> 00:49:51,144
that,

1440
00:49:51,525 --> 00:49:54,344
leading by example. You know? And and sometimes

1441
00:49:54,405 --> 00:49:56,260
I sometimes I think, I don't know how

1442
00:49:56,260 --> 00:49:58,019
good I've done. And sometimes then they'll say

1443
00:49:58,019 --> 00:49:59,940
something, and they'll be like, dad. You know?

1444
00:49:59,940 --> 00:50:02,019
And I think, okay. Thank you, lord. Maybe

1445
00:50:02,019 --> 00:50:03,940
maybe I've got something through their head. Yeah.

1446
00:50:03,940 --> 00:50:06,099
Well, that's that servant leadership. Right? That's just

1447
00:50:06,260 --> 00:50:08,260
you remember when, was it James and John

1448
00:50:08,260 --> 00:50:10,155
came and asked for, you know Yeah. Bots,

1449
00:50:10,155 --> 00:50:11,994
not using I see it. Yeah. Yeah. Who

1450
00:50:12,075 --> 00:50:14,075
who'd be the greatest? Jesus whoever wants to

1451
00:50:14,075 --> 00:50:15,515
be the greatest, be the least. I see

1452
00:50:15,515 --> 00:50:17,035
it. I see it. You could be the

1453
00:50:17,035 --> 00:50:19,434
servant of all. That's right. That's right. So

1454
00:50:19,434 --> 00:50:21,355
that that crown of glory is for those

1455
00:50:21,355 --> 00:50:24,250
who who labored in ministry and done it

1456
00:50:24,250 --> 00:50:25,069
all because

1457
00:50:25,609 --> 00:50:27,710
they wanted to serve the the chief shepherd.

1458
00:50:29,929 --> 00:50:31,849
This is ministry where you get your hands

1459
00:50:31,849 --> 00:50:34,089
dirty. Right? I mean, this is this is

1460
00:50:34,089 --> 00:50:36,675
not not for the the faint hearted. This

1461
00:50:36,675 --> 00:50:38,515
is for those who just dive in and

1462
00:50:38,515 --> 00:50:39,255
don't care.

1463
00:50:39,715 --> 00:50:41,635
And, yeah, it's hard. Yeah. It's tough.

1464
00:50:42,195 --> 00:50:43,875
But I'll teach that eleven, twelve year old

1465
00:50:43,875 --> 00:50:44,855
boys class today.

1466
00:50:45,795 --> 00:50:47,795
You will? Did you just did you just

1467
00:50:47,795 --> 00:50:49,474
accept it? No. No. I was reading the

1468
00:50:49,474 --> 00:50:51,339
script here. I think I think I think

1469
00:50:51,339 --> 00:50:53,199
I had it wrote down somewhere maybe.

1470
00:50:53,779 --> 00:50:54,279
No.

1471
00:50:54,859 --> 00:50:56,400
No. It did come to my mind.

1472
00:50:58,380 --> 00:51:00,139
Thought I got out of it. Yeah. That's

1473
00:51:00,139 --> 00:51:00,880
not true.

1474
00:51:02,859 --> 00:51:05,099
But but it's it's it's a mystery where

1475
00:51:05,099 --> 00:51:06,994
you're where you go where you're called to

1476
00:51:06,994 --> 00:51:10,515
go. Right? And and the mystery where you're

1477
00:51:10,515 --> 00:51:12,135
you're living out your testimony

1478
00:51:12,434 --> 00:51:13,655
for the word of God.

1479
00:51:14,195 --> 00:51:16,035
And and I believe that the crown of

1480
00:51:16,035 --> 00:51:18,195
glory means that one day we'll get to

1481
00:51:18,195 --> 00:51:20,434
share in his glory. Oh, yeah. Right? I

1482
00:51:20,434 --> 00:51:22,570
mean It's his. Right? Yeah. It it it's

1483
00:51:22,570 --> 00:51:24,570
all his. We get to share it in

1484
00:51:24,570 --> 00:51:25,309
his glory.

1485
00:51:25,690 --> 00:51:27,469
J Vernon McGee asked the question,

1486
00:51:28,329 --> 00:51:29,389
what is glory?

1487
00:51:29,849 --> 00:51:32,489
How big is glory? What shape is it?

1488
00:51:32,489 --> 00:51:34,894
What color is it? How big is it?

1489
00:51:35,035 --> 00:51:36,974
When we look at that

1490
00:51:37,355 --> 00:51:38,735
at the vast universe

1491
00:51:39,035 --> 00:51:40,094
and how unfathomable

1492
00:51:40,954 --> 00:51:43,054
it is for us to even comprehend,

1493
00:51:43,515 --> 00:51:45,355
I believe we can start to get an

1494
00:51:45,355 --> 00:51:47,929
idea of the vastness of his glory and

1495
00:51:47,929 --> 00:51:49,369
what we will get to take a part

1496
00:51:49,369 --> 00:51:51,690
in one day. Man, think about that. What

1497
00:51:52,250 --> 00:51:55,050
you know? And and I went through several

1498
00:51:55,050 --> 00:51:56,969
verses there. What shape is it?

1499
00:51:57,690 --> 00:51:59,550
You know, just just just describing

1500
00:52:00,010 --> 00:52:02,494
all these all these wonderful things. So

1501
00:52:03,914 --> 00:52:06,414
Good stuff. Good stuff. Yeah. Yeah.

1502
00:52:07,674 --> 00:52:08,654
Crown of Rejoicing.

1503
00:52:09,514 --> 00:52:10,414
Crown of Rejoicing.

1504
00:52:10,875 --> 00:52:11,855
The fifth one.

1505
00:52:12,875 --> 00:52:15,355
This is a this is a soul winner's

1506
00:52:15,355 --> 00:52:15,855
crown.

1507
00:52:16,839 --> 00:52:17,900
This is a crown,

1508
00:52:18,920 --> 00:52:20,780
when Ray Bolts sang the song,

1509
00:52:21,159 --> 00:52:23,099
thank you for giving to the Lord.

1510
00:52:24,440 --> 00:52:27,239
That's that's that's really what what it's talking

1511
00:52:27,239 --> 00:52:29,079
about. Right? I mean, when you get to

1512
00:52:29,079 --> 00:52:31,019
heaven one day and you get to see,

1513
00:52:32,625 --> 00:52:34,704
the fruits of your labor. Right? Because you

1514
00:52:34,704 --> 00:52:36,304
may not get to see it all now.

1515
00:52:36,304 --> 00:52:38,304
You know, you have no idea how many

1516
00:52:38,304 --> 00:52:39,985
people you how many people you've touched, how

1517
00:52:39,985 --> 00:52:42,085
many people how many lives you've changed.

1518
00:52:43,025 --> 00:52:45,184
But but, man, there's so many things that

1519
00:52:45,184 --> 00:52:46,565
we can look forward to

1520
00:52:47,130 --> 00:52:49,289
after we leave this world. And and, of

1521
00:52:49,289 --> 00:52:50,969
course, one of those is is seeing our

1522
00:52:50,969 --> 00:52:52,269
savior one day, but,

1523
00:52:52,889 --> 00:52:55,449
but, man, that that's that crown that that

1524
00:52:55,449 --> 00:52:57,529
crown of rejoicing is something that we get

1525
00:52:57,529 --> 00:53:00,875
to celebrate. Right? Oh, wait. You're here. You're

1526
00:53:00,875 --> 00:53:03,195
here. You you did hear me. Right? You

1527
00:53:03,195 --> 00:53:05,114
did listen to me. Yeah. I I did

1528
00:53:05,114 --> 00:53:07,195
have an effect on your life. Praise God.

1529
00:53:07,195 --> 00:53:08,974
You know? Yeah. To him be the glory.

1530
00:53:09,195 --> 00:53:11,114
So And we don't know. We don't we

1531
00:53:11,114 --> 00:53:12,635
don't have a clue what we might do

1532
00:53:12,635 --> 00:53:14,409
and where we might be and it affects

1533
00:53:14,409 --> 00:53:16,650
somebody's life. Yeah. That's why we always need

1534
00:53:16,650 --> 00:53:18,730
to be on our game. Yeah. Right. Amen.

1535
00:53:18,730 --> 00:53:19,230
Amen.

1536
00:53:19,530 --> 00:53:22,489
God be. I still can't get over coming

1537
00:53:22,489 --> 00:53:24,030
back from that mission trip

1538
00:53:24,570 --> 00:53:26,985
last year and that little late little little,

1539
00:53:27,224 --> 00:53:28,744
lady that we ran into there in the

1540
00:53:28,744 --> 00:53:30,045
restaurant on the way back

1541
00:53:30,505 --> 00:53:32,265
just came over and just just that, hey,

1542
00:53:32,265 --> 00:53:34,345
are y'all are y'all a church group by

1543
00:53:34,345 --> 00:53:36,664
any chance? Because there's just something about the

1544
00:53:36,664 --> 00:53:39,565
way you're acting. Yeah. There's something about

1545
00:53:40,429 --> 00:53:42,589
the joy we're seeing. There's just something about

1546
00:53:42,589 --> 00:53:44,829
y'all and and can can I leave you

1547
00:53:44,829 --> 00:53:46,829
all this little this little Jesus that I've

1548
00:53:46,829 --> 00:53:48,269
got? I mean, handed us all one of

1549
00:53:48,269 --> 00:53:50,750
those little little Jesus figurines. She's like, I

1550
00:53:50,750 --> 00:53:53,089
just want I just I just wanna Yeah.

1551
00:53:53,089 --> 00:53:55,690
Her husband. Do that. Her husband was a

1552
00:53:55,690 --> 00:53:58,579
pastor and Yeah. Yeah. And that was that

1553
00:53:58,579 --> 00:54:01,179
was so incredible. Mhmm. Yeah. For for I

1554
00:54:01,179 --> 00:54:03,491
mean, you're just out at a restaurant. Yeah.

1555
00:54:03,491 --> 00:54:05,619
Goodness. Yeah. You know, and and I'm also

1556
00:54:05,619 --> 00:54:06,739
seeing god work,

1557
00:54:07,059 --> 00:54:09,539
especially on mission trips. I always tell everybody,

1558
00:54:09,539 --> 00:54:10,900
look. You might we may go on a

1559
00:54:10,900 --> 00:54:11,719
mission trip,

1560
00:54:12,019 --> 00:54:12,519
and

1561
00:54:13,059 --> 00:54:15,219
you just don't see a lot happen. I

1562
00:54:15,219 --> 00:54:16,760
mean, you just I mean,

1563
00:54:17,405 --> 00:54:19,324
most of the time, you'll see something happen,

1564
00:54:19,324 --> 00:54:21,565
but but sometimes you may not. Right? You

1565
00:54:21,565 --> 00:54:23,085
may go on. You say, when that I

1566
00:54:23,085 --> 00:54:25,644
I and nobody got saved or, you know,

1567
00:54:25,644 --> 00:54:27,664
nobody's life was changed or whatever.

1568
00:54:28,125 --> 00:54:29,964
And but I always say when a church

1569
00:54:29,964 --> 00:54:31,425
that will pour into missions,

1570
00:54:33,260 --> 00:54:35,360
you may you may be in Africa somewhere

1571
00:54:35,659 --> 00:54:37,739
serving the Lord. Well, guess what God's gonna

1572
00:54:37,739 --> 00:54:39,340
do? He's gonna do something back home at

1573
00:54:39,340 --> 00:54:41,579
your church. Yeah. I mean, he's gonna reward

1574
00:54:41,579 --> 00:54:43,579
you for that. Right? I mean, for those

1575
00:54:43,579 --> 00:54:45,579
who who who will work for him, who

1576
00:54:45,579 --> 00:54:46,994
diligently seek him.

1577
00:54:47,555 --> 00:54:49,635
Yeah. We're sowing seeds. Right? You know, like

1578
00:54:49,635 --> 00:54:51,795
Paul said, you know, Apollo's planted and I

1579
00:54:51,795 --> 00:54:53,315
watered and that kind of stuff. It it

1580
00:54:53,315 --> 00:54:55,235
it not just one person that goes out

1581
00:54:55,235 --> 00:54:56,355
and then all of a sudden all these

1582
00:54:56,355 --> 00:54:59,235
people accept Jesus. Right? Yeah. Yeah. It's it's

1583
00:54:59,235 --> 00:55:01,559
years, man, in some people's hearts of just

1584
00:55:01,800 --> 00:55:03,800
growing. That is And and that's the thing.

1585
00:55:03,800 --> 00:55:05,400
You might be the one that all all

1586
00:55:05,400 --> 00:55:07,400
you're doing is planting the initial seed. I

1587
00:55:07,400 --> 00:55:09,000
see it. And then it's it's a bunch

1588
00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:10,519
of other people coming behind you that are

1589
00:55:10,519 --> 00:55:12,360
gonna water it. Yeah. And keep watering it

1590
00:55:12,360 --> 00:55:14,699
and throw some fertilizer on there. And Yeah.

1591
00:55:15,079 --> 00:55:17,244
Yeah. Yeah. And and then you get to

1592
00:55:17,244 --> 00:55:17,985
that part,

1593
00:55:19,005 --> 00:55:21,485
that one day you stand there and and,

1594
00:55:21,485 --> 00:55:23,244
you know, somebody walks up to you. I

1595
00:55:23,244 --> 00:55:25,485
mean, I just I think about that song,

1596
00:55:25,485 --> 00:55:27,085
you know, Ray Bolts didn't turn out real

1597
00:55:27,085 --> 00:55:28,800
great, but when I think about that song,

1598
00:55:30,160 --> 00:55:32,160
you know, because you taught my Sunday school

1599
00:55:32,160 --> 00:55:33,219
class, I'm here.

1600
00:55:33,519 --> 00:55:35,599
Because you were part of, of that prison

1601
00:55:35,599 --> 00:55:37,760
ministry, I'm here because you went on that

1602
00:55:37,760 --> 00:55:39,679
mission trip, I'm here because you gave me

1603
00:55:39,679 --> 00:55:41,519
that Bible, I'm here because you invited me

1604
00:55:41,519 --> 00:55:43,784
to Bible school, I'm here because you lived

1605
00:55:43,784 --> 00:55:45,484
out Christ in front of me.

1606
00:55:46,025 --> 00:55:48,585
I'm here, you know, and and on and

1607
00:55:48,585 --> 00:55:49,964
on and on and on.

1608
00:55:50,344 --> 00:55:52,105
If we're just willing to be used by

1609
00:55:52,105 --> 00:55:54,284
the Lord, he'll use us. Right? Yeah. Yeah.

1610
00:55:54,664 --> 00:55:55,164
Availability

1611
00:55:55,625 --> 00:55:57,944
is what he wants. And mindfulness, right? Yeah.

1612
00:55:57,944 --> 00:55:59,679
It don't just be Yeah. Like, oh, there's

1613
00:55:59,679 --> 00:56:02,159
an opportunity. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Walk through

1614
00:56:02,159 --> 00:56:04,000
Walmart and start looking for stuff, and you'll

1615
00:56:04,000 --> 00:56:06,079
see it probably. Right? Amen. I'm bad, man.

1616
00:56:06,079 --> 00:56:07,760
I've got the blinders on everywhere I go.

1617
00:56:07,760 --> 00:56:09,039
I'm going to my thing. Oh, I know.

1618
00:56:09,039 --> 00:56:11,039
Get that done, go here. Yeah. Yeah. But

1619
00:56:11,039 --> 00:56:12,974
we just gotta pay attention. Yeah. Yeah. Most

1620
00:56:12,974 --> 00:56:14,335
of the time, we're we're in such a

1621
00:56:14,335 --> 00:56:16,095
hurry. It's like, oh, but don't see anybody.

1622
00:56:16,095 --> 00:56:17,075
I know. Yeah.

1623
00:56:17,775 --> 00:56:19,695
I mean, nobody will stop me here, you

1624
00:56:19,695 --> 00:56:20,195
know.

1625
00:56:21,055 --> 00:56:23,615
And so yeah. But, man It's so easy

1626
00:56:23,615 --> 00:56:25,535
to we we just have, you know, 50

1627
00:56:25,535 --> 00:56:27,454
other things lined up behind whatever we're doing

1628
00:56:27,454 --> 00:56:29,250
right now. Yeah. It is a busy busy

1629
00:56:29,250 --> 00:56:32,369
busy. Yeah. Amen. Amen. Well Again, that goes

1630
00:56:32,369 --> 00:56:33,030
back to

1631
00:56:33,410 --> 00:56:35,010
you gotta be running a marathon, not a

1632
00:56:35,010 --> 00:56:36,369
sprint. Yeah. I see it. And it it

1633
00:56:36,369 --> 00:56:38,130
applies to all of our life. That's it.

1634
00:56:38,130 --> 00:56:39,650
Because you wanna run you wanna run the

1635
00:56:39,650 --> 00:56:41,170
race that you're supposed to run-in Christ, that

1636
00:56:41,170 --> 00:56:42,289
means you can't have a bunch of other

1637
00:56:42,289 --> 00:56:44,184
stuff crowding for your time. That's it. Yeah.

1638
00:56:44,184 --> 00:56:45,964
I see it. Sometimes you just gotta

1639
00:56:46,505 --> 00:56:49,065
either move things around or drop some things

1640
00:56:49,065 --> 00:56:51,385
or say, okay. You know, what's what's more

1641
00:56:51,385 --> 00:56:53,304
important in my life right now?

1642
00:56:54,025 --> 00:56:55,545
And I and, man, I see I see

1643
00:56:55,545 --> 00:56:57,545
so many Christians getting involved in so many

1644
00:56:57,545 --> 00:57:00,000
things that that take them away from church

1645
00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:02,019
and take them out of church. And Yeah.

1646
00:57:02,559 --> 00:57:04,659
It's sad. It's sad. It is.

1647
00:57:05,039 --> 00:57:06,820
All in all in the the,

1648
00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:10,800
the voice of, oh, man. Just enjoying time

1649
00:57:10,800 --> 00:57:12,559
with my family or just doing this, just

1650
00:57:12,559 --> 00:57:14,639
doing that. But, man, what better place to

1651
00:57:14,639 --> 00:57:17,054
be is and then in church Yeah. With

1652
00:57:17,054 --> 00:57:18,815
your family. Had a guy in Sunday school

1653
00:57:18,815 --> 00:57:20,414
share with me. He said, you know, before

1654
00:57:20,414 --> 00:57:22,094
he started coming to church with his wife,

1655
00:57:22,094 --> 00:57:22,255
he,

1656
00:57:22,894 --> 00:57:24,735
he said he had this brilliant idea. So

1657
00:57:24,735 --> 00:57:26,655
why don't we do something as a family

1658
00:57:26,655 --> 00:57:27,715
on Sunday morning?

1659
00:57:28,255 --> 00:57:29,775
And I was like, all of a sudden,

1660
00:57:29,775 --> 00:57:31,679
oh. Wait. That is We can go to

1661
00:57:31,679 --> 00:57:32,179
church.

1662
00:57:32,719 --> 00:57:33,219
Yeah.

1663
00:57:34,639 --> 00:57:36,900
Sunday. I don't have to work that day.

1664
00:57:37,920 --> 00:57:40,480
Man, it's it's, you know, it's a day

1665
00:57:40,480 --> 00:57:42,480
of rest. Where did I get that from?

1666
00:57:42,480 --> 00:57:44,260
I don't know. But, yeah, let's

1667
00:57:44,765 --> 00:57:47,565
let's go play foosball on Sunday. No. Let's

1668
00:57:47,565 --> 00:57:50,605
go to church, dude. Let's go to church.

1669
00:57:50,605 --> 00:57:52,565
Let's be a man of God. Let's Yeah.

1670
00:57:52,684 --> 00:57:55,585
Let's, man, let's let's do something. I mean,

1671
00:57:55,724 --> 00:57:58,045
hey. Go on your camping trips. Go to

1672
00:57:58,045 --> 00:57:59,164
the river. Go to go,

1673
00:57:59,930 --> 00:58:02,010
to Six Flags. Go to The Bahamas. You

1674
00:58:02,010 --> 00:58:03,849
know, whatever. You go, you know, go do

1675
00:58:03,849 --> 00:58:06,010
those things. Enjoy those things from time to

1676
00:58:06,010 --> 00:58:09,289
time. But but, man, be let church be

1677
00:58:09,289 --> 00:58:12,045
your mainstay. Let let God be your yeah.

1678
00:58:12,364 --> 00:58:14,204
Yeah. Yeah. But but we all do that.

1679
00:58:14,204 --> 00:58:16,125
You know, well, they can't you'd rather do

1680
00:58:16,125 --> 00:58:18,444
this or that, you know. Yeah. Yeah. It's

1681
00:58:18,444 --> 00:58:20,045
so easy to fall out of. It is.

1682
00:58:20,045 --> 00:58:22,045
It is. And you you get you get

1683
00:58:22,045 --> 00:58:24,444
on that path and it's just like, Satan

1684
00:58:24,444 --> 00:58:26,780
says, I'm gonna make this even easier for

1685
00:58:26,780 --> 00:58:28,380
you. Oh, yeah. I'm making a little bit

1686
00:58:28,380 --> 00:58:29,659
better, a little bit better, a little bit

1687
00:58:29,659 --> 00:58:31,179
better. I can worship God in a bass

1688
00:58:31,179 --> 00:58:33,659
boat, man. Yeah. Yeah. That's what we that's

1689
00:58:33,659 --> 00:58:35,659
what we talked about last Wednesday, you know,

1690
00:58:35,659 --> 00:58:36,320
on the,

1691
00:58:37,260 --> 00:58:39,980
the the, travel ball stuff, man. Yeah. Yeah.

1692
00:58:39,980 --> 00:58:40,639
Oh, preacher,

1693
00:58:41,340 --> 00:58:43,474
you you would love it because we have

1694
00:58:43,474 --> 00:58:44,755
a five minute devotional.

1695
00:58:45,155 --> 00:58:47,735
On Sunday. You know? A thirty second prayer.

1696
00:58:47,795 --> 00:58:50,535
Yeah. Yeah. And we're at church.

1697
00:58:53,315 --> 00:58:54,055
Oh, lord.

1698
00:58:54,434 --> 00:58:56,339
We had to do it at 4AM this

1699
00:58:56,339 --> 00:58:58,579
morning. The kids were asleep because we had

1700
00:58:58,579 --> 00:59:00,980
a a game that started at 05:30, but,

1701
00:59:00,980 --> 00:59:02,759
yeah, you know. Oh, man.

1702
00:59:03,259 --> 00:59:03,759
And

1703
00:59:04,739 --> 00:59:06,179
You know, that that's part of the judgment

1704
00:59:06,179 --> 00:59:07,539
seat of Christ. You're gonna look back with

1705
00:59:07,539 --> 00:59:10,739
these regrets, man. Yeah. Just just why didn't

1706
00:59:10,739 --> 00:59:12,894
I do more? Yeah. I get so distracted.

1707
00:59:12,954 --> 00:59:14,635
All these people that think they poured into

1708
00:59:14,635 --> 00:59:15,775
their kids and they

1709
00:59:16,795 --> 00:59:18,974
nothing. Yeah. Nothing to show for it. Yeah.

1710
00:59:19,034 --> 00:59:21,114
Man, if you wanna pour into your family,

1711
00:59:21,114 --> 00:59:22,394
if you wanna pour into your wife, if

1712
00:59:22,394 --> 00:59:24,829
you wanna pour into your kids, then pour

1713
00:59:24,829 --> 00:59:26,909
the word of God open. Yeah. Do it

1714
00:59:26,909 --> 00:59:28,590
do it do it at home. Do it

1715
00:59:28,590 --> 00:59:29,170
at church.

1716
00:59:30,030 --> 00:59:32,269
Man, just just let that be your let

1717
00:59:32,269 --> 00:59:34,030
that be your mainstay. You know? Just be

1718
00:59:34,030 --> 00:59:35,789
treasure in heaven. You don't have treasure here.

1719
00:59:35,789 --> 00:59:37,250
I see it. Yeah. I mean,

1720
00:59:37,755 --> 00:59:39,835
that's the thing. He he wants good things

1721
00:59:39,835 --> 00:59:41,994
for us here. Yeah. He doesn't promise us

1722
00:59:41,994 --> 00:59:43,514
that it's gonna be easy. Don't get me

1723
00:59:43,514 --> 00:59:45,034
wrong. I know we're gonna have pain and

1724
00:59:45,034 --> 00:59:47,835
suffering. Absolutely. But but, man, there's also joy.

1725
00:59:47,835 --> 00:59:50,230
Right? There's Yeah. In the Lord. Peace. The

1726
00:59:50,230 --> 00:59:52,550
peace that passes all understanding. Yeah. And I'll

1727
00:59:52,550 --> 00:59:54,150
I'll I'll tell you right now. One of

1728
00:59:54,150 --> 00:59:54,890
the biggest

1729
00:59:55,269 --> 00:59:58,090
regrets I have looking back at the decisions

1730
00:59:58,150 --> 01:00:00,650
I've made and everything in my life

1731
01:00:00,950 --> 01:00:02,250
is that I didn't insist

1732
01:00:03,505 --> 01:00:04,244
on church.

1733
01:00:04,545 --> 01:00:07,344
Yeah. I didn't insist on it. Yeah. Things

1734
01:00:07,344 --> 01:00:09,824
didn't turn out great. Yeah. But I'd I

1735
01:00:09,984 --> 01:00:11,664
you know, and I look back and I'm

1736
01:00:11,664 --> 01:00:13,344
like, yeah. It didn't matter how tired I

1737
01:00:13,344 --> 01:00:15,505
was. Didn't matter that I was exhausted. It

1738
01:00:15,505 --> 01:00:17,619
should've been, look, we're we don't care where

1739
01:00:17,619 --> 01:00:20,099
we go, we're going Sunday morning. Yeah. Yeah.

1740
01:00:20,099 --> 01:00:21,380
Let's get up and go. Yeah. This is

1741
01:00:21,380 --> 01:00:23,539
a gas station, man. Yeah. We gotta pull

1742
01:00:23,539 --> 01:00:25,559
in here and fill up. Yeah. It really

1743
01:00:25,940 --> 01:00:27,719
is. It really is, man. I've been

1744
01:00:28,739 --> 01:00:30,820
and the lord's been moving lately. Gosh, I've

1745
01:00:30,820 --> 01:00:33,335
just I've just been such a sweet spirit,

1746
01:00:33,335 --> 01:00:35,034
and and I can see God,

1747
01:00:35,815 --> 01:00:38,234
just growing our people and our church and,

1748
01:00:38,614 --> 01:00:40,454
and adding to us. And I'm I'm so

1749
01:00:40,454 --> 01:00:42,934
thankful for that. Thank you, lord. It's Yeah.

1750
01:00:43,094 --> 01:00:45,815
Nothing that all you've done, but it's all

1751
01:00:45,815 --> 01:00:47,909
about you. And I'm so thankful for that.

1752
01:00:48,389 --> 01:00:48,889
Amen.

1753
01:00:49,829 --> 01:00:50,969
Philippians four

1754
01:00:51,909 --> 01:00:52,889
one through four.

1755
01:00:53,269 --> 01:00:56,250
Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and long for,

1756
01:00:56,630 --> 01:00:58,010
my joy in crown.

1757
01:00:58,469 --> 01:01:00,549
So stand fast to the Lord, my dearly

1758
01:01:00,549 --> 01:01:02,554
beloved. I beseech you, Eudius,

1759
01:01:03,094 --> 01:01:04,474
and beseech you, Sinta,

1760
01:01:04,855 --> 01:01:07,494
that they be of the same mind of

1761
01:01:07,494 --> 01:01:10,454
the lord. And I entreat thee also, true

1762
01:01:10,454 --> 01:01:11,594
true yoke fellow,

1763
01:01:12,534 --> 01:01:14,454
help those women which labored with me in

1764
01:01:14,454 --> 01:01:17,360
the gospel with Clement also and with other

1765
01:01:17,360 --> 01:01:19,519
my fellow laborers whose names are in the

1766
01:01:19,519 --> 01:01:20,340
book of life.

1767
01:01:20,960 --> 01:01:21,460
Rejoice

1768
01:01:21,920 --> 01:01:24,739
in the Lord always. Always I say

1769
01:01:25,039 --> 01:01:25,539
rejoice.

1770
01:01:26,239 --> 01:01:27,460
Rejoice because

1771
01:01:27,920 --> 01:01:30,820
lives have been changed. Amen. Right?

1772
01:01:31,304 --> 01:01:33,945
I mean rejoice because lives have been changed

1773
01:01:33,945 --> 01:01:36,905
because because people have been saved. I say

1774
01:01:36,905 --> 01:01:38,125
unto you that likewise

1775
01:01:38,664 --> 01:01:40,664
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner

1776
01:01:40,664 --> 01:01:43,065
that repenteth, more than over 99

1777
01:01:43,065 --> 01:01:43,885
just persons

1778
01:01:44,184 --> 01:01:45,085
with no repentance.

1779
01:01:45,750 --> 01:01:47,690
So when you lead somebody to the Lord,

1780
01:01:48,150 --> 01:01:50,550
there's joy in heaven. Right? Amen. There's joy

1781
01:01:50,550 --> 01:01:52,550
in heaven. So and I I hope you've

1782
01:01:52,550 --> 01:01:54,869
I hope you've experienced that. I I hope,

1783
01:01:55,190 --> 01:01:57,429
I hope each person that's listening is and

1784
01:01:57,429 --> 01:01:59,110
and I'm not saying this to to make

1785
01:01:59,110 --> 01:02:00,824
you feel bad if you haven't, but,

1786
01:02:01,545 --> 01:02:02,824
I want you to think about, have you

1787
01:02:02,824 --> 01:02:04,984
led someone to the Lord? Right? Ever. Have

1788
01:02:04,984 --> 01:02:06,984
you led someone to the Lord? And if

1789
01:02:06,984 --> 01:02:08,984
your answer is yes, when is the last

1790
01:02:08,984 --> 01:02:10,905
time you led someone to the Lord? That

1791
01:02:10,984 --> 01:02:12,984
think about that. And again, you may not

1792
01:02:12,984 --> 01:02:14,125
always see the results,

1793
01:02:15,380 --> 01:02:16,900
but when's the last time you put the

1794
01:02:16,900 --> 01:02:18,820
effort in? When's the last time you said,

1795
01:02:18,820 --> 01:02:20,420
you know what? I'm gonna witness to that

1796
01:02:20,420 --> 01:02:22,420
person in Walmart. I'm gonna say something to

1797
01:02:22,420 --> 01:02:23,300
them. I'm gonna

1798
01:02:24,180 --> 01:02:26,900
if they if if Lord let someone pass

1799
01:02:26,900 --> 01:02:29,195
me by, I'm gonna I'm gonna pay attention

1800
01:02:29,335 --> 01:02:31,515
and I'm gonna seize that opportunity

1801
01:02:32,055 --> 01:02:33,815
and and I'm gonna I'm gonna be a

1802
01:02:33,815 --> 01:02:35,974
light in a lost and dying world. So

1803
01:02:35,974 --> 01:02:38,315
that's what he's called us to be. Yep.

1804
01:02:38,535 --> 01:02:40,474
It is. It is. And

1805
01:02:41,480 --> 01:02:43,480
we as Christians, we need to we need

1806
01:02:43,480 --> 01:02:44,839
to put in the work. We need to

1807
01:02:44,839 --> 01:02:46,940
put in the work. Run run the marathon.

1808
01:02:47,000 --> 01:02:48,920
Yeah. Get ready to run the marathon. The

1809
01:02:48,920 --> 01:02:50,599
last two things I wrote on this on

1810
01:02:50,599 --> 01:02:52,279
this little study, and I've skimmed through it

1811
01:02:52,279 --> 01:02:53,179
tonight, and,

1812
01:02:53,799 --> 01:02:55,594
but last two things I wrote, I I

1813
01:02:55,594 --> 01:02:57,194
said, I want us to understand a couple

1814
01:02:57,194 --> 01:02:58,094
of things here.

1815
01:02:58,635 --> 01:03:00,635
Yes. We're gonna receive a reward for our

1816
01:03:00,635 --> 01:03:01,694
work for the lord,

1817
01:03:02,154 --> 01:03:04,154
and I do believe we will get to

1818
01:03:04,154 --> 01:03:07,054
experience it throughout all eternity, those those rewards.

1819
01:03:07,690 --> 01:03:08,750
But number two,

1820
01:03:09,449 --> 01:03:12,010
what in the world are we doing wearing

1821
01:03:12,010 --> 01:03:12,590
a crown?

1822
01:03:13,210 --> 01:03:14,510
There is one king,

1823
01:03:14,809 --> 01:03:17,050
one worthy to sit on the throne, one

1824
01:03:17,050 --> 01:03:18,969
worthy to wear the crown, and his name

1825
01:03:18,969 --> 01:03:21,944
is Jesus. Amen. And anything that I might

1826
01:03:21,944 --> 01:03:23,324
attain or gather,

1827
01:03:23,625 --> 01:03:24,605
I will gladly

1828
01:03:25,065 --> 01:03:27,545
give back to him who deserves honor and

1829
01:03:27,545 --> 01:03:29,804
glory forever and ever. Amen.

1830
01:03:31,704 --> 01:03:32,444
Amen. Amen.

1831
01:03:32,960 --> 01:03:36,420
That is that is such a wonderful thought.

1832
01:03:38,319 --> 01:03:40,079
Let's be laying up our crowns. Let's be

1833
01:03:40,079 --> 01:03:41,859
laying up our treasure where it belongs.

1834
01:03:43,359 --> 01:03:45,465
It's not here. Yeah. It's not in the

1835
01:03:45,465 --> 01:03:47,305
things. It's not in the stuff. Things and

1836
01:03:47,305 --> 01:03:50,125
stuff are nice, but it's all his. Amen.

1837
01:03:50,184 --> 01:03:52,184
All of it is his anyway and we

1838
01:03:52,184 --> 01:03:53,164
can't forget that.

1839
01:03:53,785 --> 01:03:56,345
Brother Dennis, you pray us out tonight? Yep.

1840
01:03:56,345 --> 01:03:58,744
Father in heaven, thank you. Thank you for,

1841
01:03:59,420 --> 01:04:01,099
all the things that you give us. You

1842
01:04:01,099 --> 01:04:03,660
you are constantly blessing us, father, when we

1843
01:04:03,660 --> 01:04:04,960
don't even deserve it.

1844
01:04:05,579 --> 01:04:07,099
And all the grace that you pour out

1845
01:04:07,099 --> 01:04:09,200
on us every day, father, we love you

1846
01:04:09,739 --> 01:04:11,579
and we praise you for the things you've

1847
01:04:11,579 --> 01:04:13,500
done, the things we know you're gonna do.

1848
01:04:13,500 --> 01:04:15,255
And father, we praise you even more

1849
01:04:17,255 --> 01:04:17,396
for who you are, that you are goodness,

1850
01:04:17,396 --> 01:04:19,494
you are kindness, you are love, you are

1851
01:04:19,494 --> 01:04:20,474
all these things

1852
01:04:21,174 --> 01:04:22,714
that our heart longs for.

1853
01:04:23,414 --> 01:04:26,134
Father, I pray for everyone listening that they

1854
01:04:26,134 --> 01:04:28,154
would have heard us tonight and

1855
01:04:28,694 --> 01:04:31,619
be driven be driven to to go work

1856
01:04:31,619 --> 01:04:33,299
for you again if they're not doing it

1857
01:04:33,299 --> 01:04:35,299
now. Father, to come back to you if

1858
01:04:35,299 --> 01:04:36,679
they're drifted away.

1859
01:04:37,539 --> 01:04:39,299
Father, to draw closer to you if they

1860
01:04:39,299 --> 01:04:41,780
are already close to you and father that

1861
01:04:41,780 --> 01:04:43,480
we can never be close enough.

1862
01:04:44,315 --> 01:04:46,474
Lord, bless each person within the sound of

1863
01:04:46,474 --> 01:04:48,734
my voice. In Jesus' name, amen.

1864
01:04:49,914 --> 01:04:51,934
Special thank you to Carter Pridmore,

1865
01:04:52,234 --> 01:04:54,255
Brian Harris, Waverly Henderson,

1866
01:04:54,635 --> 01:04:57,750
Tatum Harris Spears, and Josie Bartain for our

1867
01:04:57,750 --> 01:04:59,769
theme song, Truth Set Me Free.

1868
01:05:00,070 --> 01:05:02,489
I've been Tyler Goes on production and audio.

1869
01:05:02,869 --> 01:05:04,869
We hope you can join us live next

1870
01:05:04,869 --> 01:05:06,570
Monday at 6PM central.

1871
01:05:06,869 --> 01:05:07,929
Thank you for listening.

1872
01:05:09,664 --> 01:05:10,164
There.

1873
01:05:10,784 --> 01:05:13,045
It was in my darkest eye.

1874
01:05:13,585 --> 01:05:16,465
I traded my black heart for joy, for

1875
01:05:16,465 --> 01:05:19,045
something real, something with power.

1876
01:05:21,105 --> 01:05:21,605
Truth

1877
01:05:22,144 --> 01:05:23,284
set me free.