Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Speaker A: Romans 8. One applies to everybody else but me, because I think I'm better than that. I think I know better. You know, I wonder, is it a fuller pride?
[00:00:08] Speaker B: But that is.
That one is. But I mean, I think that you gotta remind yourself if you have grown, it won't because of you. It was because of his grace. It was because of his work. And I think that's the one.
Because here's the truth. It can happen to any and all of us.
How are you, Kenny?
[00:00:32] Speaker C: Pretty good, man. Pretty good.
Where you been?
[00:00:36] Speaker B: Where have I been?
[00:00:37] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: I didn't know I've been anywhere this morning.
[00:00:40] Speaker C: No, I haven't seen you like this.
[00:00:42] Speaker B: Morning or this week or this week.
[00:00:44] Speaker C: Where you can.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: Well, I had a funeral yesterday. Were you here?
It's.
No. Well, you know, the thing of it is funerals. People don't realize funerals pretty much eat up your whole day. Yeah, I mean, they really do because you might not think they do, but you got those funeral home, the funeral homes bringing the body in or bringing stuff in. Like yesterday they were here about 9:30. So you're helping them get stuff in. Oftentimes they don't have enough to get the. If it's a casket. But yesterday wasn't. You help lift it and all that. Get it in. And then you got to line up all the video and. Okay, is the music lined up? Is this ready? Is that ready? And so it is a full day. So yesterday the Funeral was at 2.
It was decently long. Funeral had two eulogies and then two songs. So that's going to push it towards 45 minutes.
And then he was buried. He was cremated. But they put his remains on the other side of Andrew. So by the time we drove at 20 miles an hour from here to Andrew. Good gracious. And then got through with the graveside and it was a short one. It was already almost 4 o'. Clock.
[00:01:51] Speaker C: So it was a little gas or something.
[00:01:52] Speaker B: Well, it's just one of those.
[00:01:54] Speaker C: Are you in the procession?
[00:01:55] Speaker B: Yeah, procession. I got to be in the procession. I can't jump ahead. Just go.
[00:01:58] Speaker C: I didn't know you had to. You had to.
[00:02:00] Speaker B: Well, the pastor is the second car in.
[00:02:02] Speaker C: I don't get it.
[00:02:02] Speaker B: Yeah, the cops, the funeral home, van or vehicle, pastor and then hearse.
[00:02:09] Speaker C: Well, I mean, I don't really plan for funeral, so, you know.
[00:02:12] Speaker B: Well, I. I have to quite often. And so by the time I got done down there, it was 4 o' clock and I was like, well, it.
[00:02:19] Speaker C: Takes you more than a dog because you got to prepare. You got.
[00:02:21] Speaker B: Well, there's that too. And usually. Usually you've got. The person didn't just up and pass. Sometimes it's been a week or two. Like blue. I was going to see him once a week, so. So. But. But hey, he's a good felon. I know where he is and man. But at the same time, funerals take a while.
[00:02:40] Speaker C: No money, no ticket, no money, no thank you to Jeremy. I hope you're welcome to go.
[00:02:45] Speaker B: You're welcome to be the bus.
[00:02:47] Speaker C: Credit cards.
Do you take credit cards?
[00:02:50] Speaker B: Don't take credit card. But you can give me 30 by August 8th to be sure.
[00:02:54] Speaker A: August 8th.
[00:02:55] Speaker C: I've worked on it.
[00:02:56] Speaker B: I think that's when the money's due. Yeah. August 8th.
Next year, October.
[00:03:03] Speaker A: Where are they going to be?
[00:03:04] Speaker B: Fayetteville.
[00:03:06] Speaker C: Everything's okay.
[00:03:07] Speaker B: Well, I think it's easier just to go down there.
[00:03:10] Speaker C: I'm going to Charlie Brown.
Got tickets to go to Charlie Brown.
Christmas, maybe.
[00:03:17] Speaker B: Charlie Brown. Christmas Day.
[00:03:18] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:03:21] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Well, who. Who's doing it? Raleigh Memorial?
[00:03:24] Speaker C: No, it's down in Fayetteville.
[00:03:27] Speaker B: I mean, but is there a group that's doing it? Like the.
[00:03:30] Speaker C: This is. It's the. Like the play that runs, I guess.
[00:03:32] Speaker B: Vietnam Theater Players or something?
[00:03:35] Speaker C: No, it's a group that's touring.
[00:03:39] Speaker B: But. What.
[00:03:40] Speaker C: I don't know.
[00:03:42] Speaker B: It ain't like off Broadway like you go see. Yeah.
Yes, I wouldn't mind seeing that.
[00:03:47] Speaker C: Well, you should have let me know. I can get you some tickets, but you'll be way.
I'm sitting in front of a pole.
Renee.
[00:03:55] Speaker B: Just Renee.
[00:03:56] Speaker C: What happened was Renee waited too long. I said, I'm going this day.
[00:04:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:01] Speaker C: She never got back with me. And I got a second email and.
And so I could have got real good seats. Well, I shouldn't say I'm in a poll. No, I was in a poll.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: Right.
[00:04:14] Speaker C: But I bought.
[00:04:16] Speaker B: This is a Crown Coliseum.
[00:04:20] Speaker C: I think it's closer than. It's a gpac.
[00:04:25] Speaker B: They don't have poles in the Coliseum. That's a nice place.
[00:04:28] Speaker C: Now, which coliseum? And if I would have known.
[00:04:31] Speaker B: I think the Crown Coliseum. It used to be. Yeah, it was always the Crown, but rebuilt it and it's a nice little facility down in Fayetteville. And then the Crown Coliseum actually has like the Crown Theater and the Crown Theater. You can go. I've seen concerts there and place. So Unc.
[00:04:48] Speaker C: Pembroke gpac.
[00:04:49] Speaker B: Oh, you're going to Pembroke. That's way. That ain't Fayetteville.
[00:04:52] Speaker C: That's. That's like Lumberton Well, Lumberton's before Fayetteville.
Depends on which. Well, it depends on which way you're going.
[00:04:59] Speaker B: If you're coming south from Whiteville. Well, if you're coming south, it's Tabor city.
[00:05:05] Speaker C: Well, you say south.
What's your location?
[00:05:09] Speaker B: My home.
[00:05:10] Speaker C: Okay, your home.
[00:05:12] Speaker A: My home here.
[00:05:15] Speaker B: Where are you going to be leaving from? Are you leaving from Carolina Beach? If so, you might get Lumberton before you get to Fable.
[00:05:21] Speaker C: We've been there before. Now, I. Probably from the house.
I can get you tickets if you want to go.
[00:05:26] Speaker B: No, I don't want to go to Lumberton. And the folks down there. Well, hey, no, I'm just kidding. Lumber is a great place.
[00:05:31] Speaker C: Well, I won't get you tickets if.
[00:05:33] Speaker B: It'S going to be unfavorable. I'd be interested.
[00:05:36] Speaker C: It's only a like 15 minutes from.
[00:05:38] Speaker B: Oh, it's a little bit more.
[00:05:39] Speaker C: No, it was not.
[00:05:40] Speaker B: I don't know what part. What part of Fayetteville you leaving from? Like the outskirts. Because it takes almost 45 to an hour to get to Fayetteville.
[00:05:48] Speaker C: Sometimes I don't think that. Well, how are you going?
[00:05:53] Speaker B: 45 is where you live.
You're not going to get the Fayetteville in 30.
I used to drive it every day, I promise. And. But I lived. I worked on the other side of Fayetteville, but it took me a while.
[00:06:04] Speaker C: Well, they put four lane highway in there.
[00:06:08] Speaker B: Now.
[00:06:08] Speaker A: Not between here and there though, so.
[00:06:11] Speaker C: I don't know what you're talking.
[00:06:12] Speaker A: Once you get to Fables, we're like now.
[00:06:14] Speaker B: Yeah. You still got to get to 295.
[00:06:17] Speaker C: How far do you think it is?
[00:06:18] Speaker B: What? Pembroke.
From here?
[00:06:21] Speaker C: Fayetteville.
[00:06:22] Speaker B: From Fayetteville?
[00:06:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:24] Speaker B: Where are you leaving from? Fayetteville.
[00:06:26] Speaker C: Are you leaving from Lumberton to Fayetteville? How far you.
[00:06:29] Speaker B: It's every bit of at least 14 miles, 35 miles. So it's a lot longer.
[00:06:36] Speaker C: So obviously you weren't traveling that much to know how much the mileage was.
[00:06:40] Speaker B: I ain't going to Lumperton. I was going to Fayetteville. But I know when I've been admission trips to Lumberton, it's a. It's an hour and a half at least to get down there.
[00:06:49] Speaker C: Well, anyway, we're going.
[00:06:51] Speaker B: All right.
Well, when you're going, what's the day? When are you going?
I loved. I love Charlie Brown Christmas. Is that one of your favorites too?
[00:07:02] Speaker C: They're all my favorite. Yeah. Frosty is snowman.
[00:07:05] Speaker B: Oh, really?
[00:07:06] Speaker C: Yeah. Remember we talked. Oh, yeah, we.
[00:07:07] Speaker A: We talked at length.
[00:07:08] Speaker B: About.
You were quoting. Yeah, but I was like.
[00:07:14] Speaker C: Or Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and the Grinch.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: So you like all those, huh? Yeah, I mean, I like them, but I don't like them like them like that.
I mean, there's. I mean, I'll watch them, and if I miss it, it don't ruin my Christmas or nothing.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: I was telling the kids the other day.
[00:07:29] Speaker B: I know you did.
[00:07:30] Speaker C: So I've got them.
[00:07:31] Speaker B: You're going to watch them in person.
[00:07:32] Speaker C: I got them on dvd.
And also Toy Story went to that movie, too. I mean, the play. Play. Yeah.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: I bet that was good.
[00:07:43] Speaker C: It was Toy Story.
[00:07:44] Speaker B: Now, which Toy Story you like best? One, two, three.
[00:07:47] Speaker C: Christmas Christmas Story. Not Christmas. The Christmas Story.
[00:07:53] Speaker B: The. Shoot your eye out.
[00:07:54] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:07:55] Speaker B: Well, that's not. Toy store.
[00:07:56] Speaker C: I know.
[00:07:57] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:08:00] Speaker A: All right. Well, welcome to the 167. Ken, Ben and Garrett. I think you know we're here, right? I'm not saying that for the audience. I'm saying that to Kenny.
[00:08:10] Speaker C: I'm trying to get my Bible correct.
[00:08:12] Speaker A: Just make sure Kenny knows we're here.
[00:08:13] Speaker B: Looks like you've lost some pages.
[00:08:15] Speaker C: No, this is. What?
This.
[00:08:18] Speaker B: What is that?
[00:08:19] Speaker C: Yeah, this is what we're talking about.
[00:08:20] Speaker B: No, you've lost pages.
[00:08:22] Speaker C: Those are some. What do you mean?
[00:08:24] Speaker A: Well, the page before you got like.
[00:08:26] Speaker C: That's what I was gonna. That's what I was gonna say. But I never used it. But I just had a Bible because I.
[00:08:32] Speaker B: It was that at a dominion.
[00:08:34] Speaker C: Yeah, that's the first one.
I never looked at it, but I was afraid I might forget it. But I didn't.
[00:08:41] Speaker B: There you go.
[00:08:42] Speaker A: That's a big old.
[00:08:43] Speaker B: You did well, by the way. I don't know if I've told you.
[00:08:47] Speaker C: Well, thank you.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: All right.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: So last week, we kind of finished up talking about. Or you brought up Romans 12:2. And Kenny text last night and said. What was the question? I said, I don't think there was a question. We just said we would talk about it.
[00:09:02] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it was.
So. So how do you know how to do the will of God? And what is the best way to do the will of God? And Romans 12:1 and 2, I believe, kind of helps us to know what the will of God is or how to discover the will of God. The pleas and accepting will of God. And it starts with, you know, in light of God's mercy, therefore present your bodies as a living sacrifice. So that's step one. Being transformed by the renewing of your mind. That's step two. And then, so that you may prove what the will of God is. So. So really, it is. So how can I discover the will of God?
I think that's it. It starts with, I'm going to present my body as a living sacrifice. But then you got to change your thinking.
And the best way to change your thinking is the word of God helps to change your thinking. Not being conformed to the image of the world, but being transformed by the renewing of your mind. So how do you renew your mind? I think that is the $24 million question.
[00:10:02] Speaker A: Well, I was thinking about that verse last night a little bit and thinking about the polarizing sides of that. Do not be conformed to this world, but do not be transformed with the renewing of your mind. And I was thinking about how that's.
It's really hard to not have to pick one or the other. You're going to be one or the other. You're either going to be conformed to the world or you're going to be transformed with the renewing of your mind. And you have to be constantly transformed by the renewing of your mind to keep from being conformed to the. To the world.
Little illustration that we're riding home the other day, and I don't remember all the details exactly on this, but somehow or another it was hot outside and we had the air running and Gabe wanted. I think Gabe was cold, so he rolled the window down because I did have. The car was cold.
[00:10:47] Speaker B: I've missed cold.
[00:10:48] Speaker A: Yeah, well, Gabe's like, I'm cold. And he rolls the window down. I'm like, well, don't roll the window down. I'll turn. I'll turn the air off. And he's like, well, what's the difference? I said, well, there's big difference.
[00:10:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:57] Speaker A: And he's like, well, it's hot out there and it's cold in here, and they'll mix together. I said, no, let me. We've got a tiny little bit of cold air here. All you're doing is letting hot air in a world of hot air. And I started to explain the laws of thermodynamics to the boy and that basically they. You. You take hot air and cold air and mix them, and you can't have them stay separate. Right. The air that is going to. Either the way I explain it to him is the air in here is going to get a whole lot hotter. The air out there technically is going to get microscopically colder by getting the cool air out of the car.
[00:11:30] Speaker C: But that's.
[00:11:31] Speaker A: I was thinking about that with us in the world.
When we're in the world, we're either going to be conformed to the world or we're either, you know, going to be.
[00:11:39] Speaker B: Has. Yeah, it's conformed.
[00:11:41] Speaker A: Yeah, we're either going to be conformed to the world that we're in or we have to be transformed by the renewing of our mind to keep from being conformed. Or if you're already kind of living conformed to the world, it takes a transforming of your mind and renouncing your mind, which is what that sanctification process is.
And it's a tough process sometimes.
[00:12:04] Speaker B: And a lot of it is. Think about it. I mean, the Kingdom Way. The Kingdom Way is totally opposite a lot of times of how we move in the natural world.
The Kingdom Way says, don't worry about anything.
The Kingdom Way says, come unto me all you who are or who are burdened and heavy laden. Where we say, oh, I got to put on. I can put one more on and I can keep going, I can keep pushing. I mean, there's so many things that the Kingdom Way is so much different than the world. How about being humble? God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So many ways that are opposite of the way the world works. And so you've got to make sure that you know the scriptures if you're going to transform your mind so that. Okay, now I'm thinking biblically. Now I'm thinking according to what. What he would have me to know.
[00:12:54] Speaker C: Well, I guess the first thing that I'm thinking of is in verse one, we needed to define what is your reasonable service. What is that?
[00:13:03] Speaker B: Right.
[00:13:03] Speaker C: What does that mean?
[00:13:05] Speaker B: Well, I think that is also.
[00:13:06] Speaker A: Because that could be that verse.
[00:13:08] Speaker C: That could be a lot of things. Right, so.
[00:13:13] Speaker B: Well, I mean, I think that is also answered in verse two. Well, yeah, your reasonable service is to know the will of God, which is good and acceptable and perfect, is your reasonable service.
[00:13:23] Speaker C: Share the Gospel.
[00:13:25] Speaker B: That's part of the will of God.
But it's more than that.
[00:13:28] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely.
[00:13:29] Speaker B: Includes when you talk about the will of God. I mean, your, your whole thing of. You could then bring in first Thessalonians, where this is the will of God for your life, your sanctification. I mean, this is the process of sanctification. So spiritual maturity does involve sharing. Spiritual maturity does involve serving.
Spiritual maturity involves sacrifice. So.
[00:13:55] Speaker C: Well, then we had to define what is the will of God, because I know what we think the will of God is.
[00:14:00] Speaker B: I just did.
[00:14:01] Speaker C: No, well, what I'm talking about what.
[00:14:03] Speaker A: Do we think it is?
[00:14:04] Speaker C: Yeah, our career, most time.
[00:14:06] Speaker B: My happiness. We think it's my happiness.
[00:14:09] Speaker C: That's the father's thing. That's part of it, but not all of it.
[00:14:12] Speaker B: Right? Well, really, the will of God is more than your happiness is your holiness.
[00:14:16] Speaker C: Right.
[00:14:17] Speaker B: And sometimes that may involve a job or a job change or something along that line.
[00:14:23] Speaker C: I guess what I'm getting at is we can't find the will of God for our.
In this verse on what we're going to do and I'm talking about what you're saying profession. We're going to find the. Okay, that's not really stated in here. A lot of people are getting confused. Well, how can I find the will of God? Because what in our mind, the 1% of will of God is what we think is the hundred percent right?
[00:14:52] Speaker B: Or what am I going to do.
[00:14:53] Speaker C: For the rest of my life?
[00:14:54] Speaker B: Or what do I do next?
[00:14:56] Speaker C: And so, and then it does go to.
Part of it is don't conform to this world. And I guess one thing is it's like, but we're in the world, but we're not of the world. I mean that's the scripture. Jesus says, like a boat is in the water, but it's not of the water or on the water, but it's not in. Right. There's no water.
[00:15:23] Speaker B: There's no water in the boat.
[00:15:25] Speaker C: And that's what we try and keep out. We try to keep out the water, the world. And that's your thought process. That's how we think.
You know, don't get sidetracked. And it's so easy to get sidetracked.
Well, it is for me because there's a lot of gray issues.
You know, I kind of know what's right and wrong.
[00:15:49] Speaker B: Right.
[00:15:50] Speaker C: But there's a lot of things that. Is that right or wrong? Right.
It depends.
[00:15:54] Speaker B: Now, you're talking about as far as my actions. Are you talking about as far as thoughts or are you talking about. Because I'm, I'm sitting here saying, yeah, there's a big difference between black and gray and white.
Or as I like to put it, good, better, best. Yeah, that may not. That may be good.
[00:16:10] Speaker C: I'm trying to think of an example.
[00:16:11] Speaker B: I mean, there might be some good things I can do in my life, but it might not be the better or the best option.
[00:16:16] Speaker C: Well, here, I guess this might be a good one is witnessing is how you witness is right God. But you can use the scriptures and you can offend a person or you can use and the way you talk to them.
[00:16:30] Speaker B: Right. Or you can offend by your way you do it.
[00:16:33] Speaker C: That would be a, I guess would be a gray area. How, how.
That's not a really good example. And I hadn't thought about it, but that would be.
It is the will of God to share the gospel, but how you do it is not the will of God.
[00:16:49] Speaker A: Well, how you do it may or may not be like you can, you can share the gospel in a way that is sharing the gospel. I don't, I'm not going to say it, that there's necessarily a bad way to do it, but you can present the gospel in a way that is more offensive than other ways. Some ways that you present it can.
[00:17:05] Speaker C: Be more than others.
[00:17:07] Speaker B: Well, I mean, Peter says, be ready to defend your faith, but with gentleness and respect.
So my argument would be, well, if he tells you to do it with gentleness and respect, is that not.
[00:17:19] Speaker C: But a lot of times we like to. That's a. Sometimes I've seen this. A lot of times we like to use it as a revenge factor against somebody that. Really. Somebody that's done me wrong.
[00:17:30] Speaker B: Well, I'm not sure you've done me wrong.
[00:17:33] Speaker C: No, I'm talking about, well, wait, God's gonna judge what you did?
[00:17:38] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, are you gonna get yours?
[00:17:40] Speaker C: Yeah. And so that's what.
[00:17:41] Speaker B: That's something another.
[00:17:44] Speaker C: And so, yeah, something another we can't say.
And so that would be, yes, you're telling the truth, but no, you're not doing anybody any good at making yourself feel good.
[00:17:57] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:17:58] Speaker C: We, we.
[00:17:59] Speaker A: Doug brought this up last night on the Zoom Bible Study. And I think it's a good thought provoking question. I know that we're going to say the right answer here, and that's fine, but to challenge listeners or just challenge thoughts, whatever.
I'd be curious how many Christians out there, really. How mad would a lot of Christians be if they found out that the guy who shot Charlie Kirk would end up in heaven one day? Like, if he ends up repenting and finding salvation? There's, I think a few people out there, they're being honest with themselves, wouldn't really like that. They don't think that person deserves salvation.
[00:18:33] Speaker B: A lot of.
[00:18:34] Speaker A: But we don't want. We wouldn't say it out loud.
[00:18:36] Speaker B: Part of me is kind of like, I wouldn't be too surprised. I mean, it can happen.
[00:18:40] Speaker C: Yeah, it can happen.
[00:18:41] Speaker B: He took a palm. We say the other church wrestling with that.
[00:18:44] Speaker C: Well, Ted Bundy was a Christian based on family focus.
[00:18:50] Speaker B: Before or after After. Okay, this is this guy.
[00:18:53] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, we've got Domre. Yeah, Repented.
[00:18:58] Speaker A: Jeffrey Dahmer. I didn't know that one.
[00:19:00] Speaker B: I don't know about all that.
We'll see.
[00:19:03] Speaker C: But he got killed in prison.
[00:19:04] Speaker B: Yeah, but we'll see.
[00:19:05] Speaker C: But, yeah, I mean, but I've got.
[00:19:07] Speaker B: Psychological proof here, Paul.
[00:19:09] Speaker C: So the, the, I guess the question is we just don't need.
[00:19:14] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. It ain't yours to judge. And it's also one of. Except for the grace of God go I. So therefore, if it's grace.
[00:19:21] Speaker C: So what does that tell you? That tells me that your sin, your little so called sin is just as bad as murder or whatever. But we don't think of that way. And I understand that because God has given us a certain amount of rules or commandments for the public in general.
Murder or.
[00:19:43] Speaker B: Well, everybody knows that's wrong, even the people who never heard the gospel. But there's enough of the image of God in us to know that's wrong.
[00:19:51] Speaker C: When we think of someone stealing or robbing a bank, we think of them as pure evil.
Right.
But we don't realize how evil our sins were. That's right. So what we're doing, we're comparing ourselves together against somebody else. Yeah, no, how can they.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: But there is, there is that, that, you know, give it. Giving grace at the same time doesn't mean you, you don't, don't carry out justice.
[00:20:17] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:20:18] Speaker B: The law is the law for a reason.
And I think that's where oftentimes we want to, we want to change the law based on, you know. Well, we don't think that's that big of a deal. You know, you can get into a discussion with someone about. And again, let me bring up a hot topic if you want to, but immigration, well, wait a minute. They broke the law. I want to be, I want to be kind, I want to be gracious. At the same time, there are laws. And part of the problem we have is we hadn't enforced the law in 15, 30 years, 20 years. And if you enforce the law, you don't have the problem.
And, and if you don't like the law, change the law. That's always been, my argument is, all right, elect officials that are going to change the law, but we got politicians that are too scared to touch it.
[00:21:00] Speaker A: Immigration has been an hour.
This is not a show about immigration, but it's an interesting topic to me because, and this is true in a lot of situations, I think when you get into politics, I think both sides are Wrong. I think the immigration laws are. Are so ridiculously complex that it is.
[00:21:17] Speaker B: You about can't become a citizen.
[00:21:19] Speaker A: I mean, I've known people that have been in the country for 20 years and have been. Have checked every box that they possibly can. They're still on a waiting list.
[00:21:28] Speaker C: It does take a long time.
[00:21:29] Speaker B: So it does.
[00:21:30] Speaker A: So I think that it is ridiculous.
[00:21:32] Speaker B: They got to fix them.
[00:21:32] Speaker A: But that being said, I also don't think that we should just like condone illegal immigrant immigration and not have a process.
[00:21:39] Speaker B: But the thing of it is, is fix the system.
[00:21:41] Speaker A: Fix the system.
[00:21:42] Speaker B: Right. And. And the problem is it's just a messed up system. Yeah.
[00:21:46] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree.
One of the.
I'll start with this. The kids are always good at giving me great illustrations to ponder on. There's one that I've been noticing. I don't think I brought this up on the show, but Gabe and Reese and Christian. I think Gabe and Reese more than Christian, but they're constantly apologizing and sometimes there are things they need to apologize for. A lot of times they're things that I wasn't mad about it in the least. They were, you know, they. They'll say something that's a joke and I'll laugh at it and they'll say, sorry, that wasn't nice. I shouldn't have said that. Do you forgive me? And they always ask me, do you forgive me? Do you forgive me? And I finally told Gabe the other day, I've said this before. I said, you don't ever have to ask me if I forgive you. I always forgive you. And half the stuff that you're apologizing for, I'm not even that mad about. Like, some of them I'm not mad about at all. I laughed at it with, you know, it wasn't, you know, I'm not that strict.
[00:22:33] Speaker B: Right.
[00:22:33] Speaker A: At the same time, I mean, I appreciate their heart and they're concerned for, you know, and trying to make sure they're doing right. But it's just been something here lately that it's just like, I start thinking about that a little bit as. As grace in the way that. And I don't mean to diminish the ugliness of sin by any means.
[00:22:50] Speaker B: Right.
[00:22:51] Speaker A: But sometimes I beat myself up. So let's. Let's forget the ones that I'm not mad about. Let's take the ones that they do that. That really do make me mad. Okay. And then they apologize and I say it's okay. And then they say, do you forgive me? Yes, I forgive. Yes, I forgive you. But then they're still. Are you sure? Are you sure? And they're constantly like they're carrying that with them. You know, they'll apologize four or five times for something I've already said I forgive you for.
[00:23:13] Speaker B: Right.
[00:23:14] Speaker A: Almost to the point that it gets annoying. Not that I don't appreciate that, but it's almost like, yes, I've answered you right.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Yeah, good.
[00:23:20] Speaker C: She.
[00:23:22] Speaker A: And I almost think about that sometimes with the way God sees our sin, because I'm so ashamed and angry and upset at myself for them. And it's almost like I forget that he knew I was going to do it and it wasn't surprising to him. And he. He does know that I'm still human and he does know that I still make mistakes. He does want me to continue grow and try to clean them up. And I'm working on them. But it's one of these things that I just feel like I. I guess I wonder sometimes if I beat myself up over things more than he does and carry them with me more than he does. Romans 8:1 is a good verse to remember for that. And that's been, I know, on. On your mind. It seems here a lot lately, but that's just one that is easy for me to. Almost like I hold myself to a different standard than everybody else. I believe Romans 8:1 for everybody else, but I question it for myself.
And that's something I just have thought a lot about, I guess, lately is that it's. It's that carrying that guilt that we've talked about a few times. But it's something I've struggled with a lot here lately. It's just been. And the ironic thing about it, I don't mean to seem self righteous, but the funny thing about it is that I'm carrying more guilt for these things that seem like minor sins now compared to what my sins were five, ten years ago that I didn't think much of. They're not like major sins in my life. They're just every time I have a little doubt or a little whatever, it's just like I beat myself up over for a week and it just kind of seems like it's. I'm like I'm not giving myself enough grace. But in the past, when I give myself too much grace, that doesn't end up going well either.
[00:24:54] Speaker B: So you want that?
[00:24:57] Speaker C: Yeah, I just. I just think while you were talking, I was just thinking, you know, when I first got saved, I changed the major things, but it seems like.
[00:25:10] Speaker B: I.
[00:25:11] Speaker C: Guess like an iceberg. You chisel away all these things that you think are bad and something comes up again. You know, something keeps, every, every time you think you've gotten over that, something else shows up, something else rises up. So, and I know what you're saying is your sins, and I agree they're not bad sins.
And you, 10 years ago you went, thought nothing of it. But the closer you seem to get to God, it's been my experience that you see things that man, I didn't realize that was wrong or I shouldn't be doing that or I shouldn't be thinking that. So. And it seems like the closer I get God, the more and I get what people are saying when they say I'm just unworthy. And I'm looking at that person. You know, they've been Christians 50, 60 years. What are you talking about? You know, you, you don't do anything wrong. But our, I guess our minds have been so. How should I say this? So away from God, you know, God's holiness is so far up, we so far so high that we can't even imagine how holy God is. And we can't imagine that it's not those big sins. It's just our whole mind is messed up. You know, sometimes I'm thinking about something, you know, that's. And I'm not talking about major sins or just, you know, why in the world they do that. You.
[00:26:37] Speaker B: Yeah, that.
[00:26:38] Speaker C: I don't understand that. And then I, I judge them.
[00:26:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:26:41] Speaker C: On one piece of the puzzle, on a thousand piece puzzle. I judge them because I wouldn't have done that. Yeah. And I don't see the whole picture. So you know, judging is, that type of judgment is wrong and, but I'm not judging. So I mean we know judging somebody when we don't know all the facts or you know, other things, but just thinking about it is wrong. And I didn't realize that. And so every time I think I'm there, something else rises.
You know what I'm talking about?
[00:27:12] Speaker B: I think one of the things going back to, you know, where we started with this was you, you mentioned Romans 8:1. There's therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Where if God forgives you, why can't we forgive ourselves?
But oftentimes we don't and we carry that guilt. But God said I'm forgiven. God says there's no condemnation. God says I'm righteous and just in Christ Jesus. And if I'm righteous and just in Christ Jesus, and God is the final judge who hit the gavel and said, not guilty, why do I still carry that guilt around? And that's what the enemy loves to use. He is the accuser of the brethren, is what he's called in Revelation. He loves to bring up that old stuff and just say, yeah, do you remember. Yeah, mister, you're wanting to grow in Christ. Do you remember what you did the other night, Mr. Grow in Christ. You remember how you responded when so and so cut you off? Oh, Mr. Grow in Christ. You want to be this.
He loves to bring those back because if he can get that guilt and us to carry that guilt and that shame, then we're not walking in the freedom of Christ. And that's what the enemy loves to do. And so what we need to know is, okay, if we truly believe what Romans 8:1 says, and the rest of Romans 8 if we truly believe it, then we should be walking in freedom, not carrying that guilt around.
Now, the other thing that we see that what you're talking about is, okay, the more that I walk, the more I'm seeing these, okay, I thought I dealt with that and deal with this. Well, that's also a part of spiritual maturity, is if you're digging a hole, eventually it starts getting into stony ground. I don't care if you start out in sand. Eventually you get deep enough, you're going to get to rock. You're going to get to some stuff that's hard. Well, imagine that as your spiritual maturity. You're digging a hole, and the deeper you go, the more like Christ you're becoming. Sooner or later you're going to hit some hard stuff.
And that is part of the spiritual maturity, is there's going to be things that, okay, God says, I wanted to work with you with your patience for a while, and all of a sudden you think, got that going on. Then. Then it's going to be, well, wait a minute, what about this attitude over here that's less than Christlike. And it may not have anything to do with patience. It may have something to do with anger or bitterness, or it might have something to do with somewhere else. And so oftentimes that's part of that spiritual growth is think about it. I mean, there's a lot that he's got to clean up here. And no matter how long I've been walking with the Lord, and he's right, there's people who've been walking for longer than I've been alive, and they've have a real intimate, close walk with the Lord. And are Spiritually mature. They're still going to be stony ground.
They're still. Because I know my heart, it is a disease and is deceptively wicked above all things. Now, I've been made into a new creation, but that flesh is still there, and I'm always going to be wrestling with it. So I think that's where, again, keep a short sin list. Let your conscience be clear.
And when the enemy begins to bring up that stuff from the past, oh, no, no, no, no, no, that's been washed.
That has been under the blood of Christ. So there's no condemnation. So get that out of here.
And that's again, don't be conformed to the image of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The renewing of your mind takes place by the word of God. So I have to trust that the word of God says if I confess my sins, he is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.
If I truly believe that, then when guilt of something in the past that I've confessed comes in, no, no, no, truth says this. My feelings are wanting to say I'm guilty and the enemy wants me to carry this guilt. No, truth says, that's gone. I can kick that to the curb.
So that's part of that. Being transformed by the renewing of your mind. That's also part of that. Okay, what does the scripture say? And how does that really apply to my life? We love the no condemnation. That means, okay, I'm forgiven, I'm free, I'm going to heaven. Well, there's a little bit more to it than just, there's no condemnation. That means I don't have to bring back past the past. I don't have to live in the past. I don't have to walk into shame of the past. Now, again, I might have done some things in the past that man, I. Man, it just. I hate I did that. At the same time, I'm free today because of Christ.
[00:31:36] Speaker C: Yeah, but sometimes. And what you, what you hit on is we walk. We're supposed to walk by faith and not by sight. But a lot of us tend to. Not all the time, but a lot of us, I would say 99% of Christians sometimes walk by feeling. And that's the problem.
[00:31:56] Speaker B: Well, and that's the thing is that's where truth comes in.
[00:31:59] Speaker C: That's again, if you can train your mind on that truth. And when those feelings come in, well.
[00:32:06] Speaker B: And then you weigh your feelings according to the mind and the truth.
[00:32:10] Speaker C: But it's easier said than done.
[00:32:11] Speaker B: Sure it is.
[00:32:12] Speaker C: Yeah, sure.
[00:32:13] Speaker B: Well, we're emotional people. Yeah, we are. We. We love feeling good. We love that. Versus.
[00:32:21] Speaker C: And that's the tricky part.
[00:32:22] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:32:22] Speaker C: To try to do that.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: I agree.
[00:32:24] Speaker C: I mean, if I'm in church. Yeah, I'm fine.
[00:32:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:32:28] Speaker C: But put me out there and, you know, alone.
Then I start kind of wobbling, you know, because I'll have people encouraging me.
[00:32:38] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:32:39] Speaker C: Or stay fast.
[00:32:40] Speaker B: Just like when you get alone, that's when the enemy is going to love to bring up.
[00:32:45] Speaker C: I'm not talking about sitting home by myself. I'm just talking about being away from godly Christian people.
[00:32:53] Speaker B: But it can also happen there too, though. Yeah, well, I mean, your feelings can come.
[00:32:58] Speaker C: Godly Christians.
[00:32:59] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I get that. But also, I mean, I think that's where you have to be careful. And again, I'm not dogging any particular church or anything, but there are a lot of churches that, man, they're all about the emotion and the feelings, minus the truth, where I think it needs to be a good combination of all three.
It really does need to be a balance because I can go and, oh, I feel good.
If you feel good about yourself coming from church again, I totally get that to some degree, but there should be some measure of that passage hit me a little harder than it should. Or maybe there's something in my life I need to review or that's part man. I mean, there should be a measure of either conforming or conviction or change. I mean, because if I can just go and I feel good and leave.
I don't know that you. You really came face to face with truth, conviction, renewing.
[00:33:53] Speaker A: 1. One thing that I'll say to it is that I'm not.
I heard you several times there say, bringing up the past. I'm not talking about the past. I'm talking about present. I'm talking about in the moment, having a bad day, having a whatever, and you're just sitting there and I'm just beating myself up over it because I'm like, I know better than to feel this way. I know better than to look at the situation this way. I know, I know. I know better just over and over and over.
[00:34:17] Speaker C: I mean, it can be the present to past, present, future.
[00:34:20] Speaker A: Well, and here's.
[00:34:21] Speaker B: And there's nothing wrong with being heartbroken over.
Over. Over a sin or over something you said or did to someone. Right. Nothing wrong with that. I mean, I think that's part of true confession and true repentance is most of the Time there should be a heartbroken. Most of just don't stay there.
[00:34:37] Speaker A: Most of the stuff that I'm talking about are the internal feelings. It's not what I'm saying or what I'm doing. It's the way I'm feeling about a situation or the way I'm viewing a situation, not viewing it from a godly lens.
[00:34:47] Speaker C: Right.
[00:34:48] Speaker A: And it's. I hate to use this analogy for a lot of reasons. For one, I'm. I use golf analogies all the time. And also, it's going to sound like a very arrogant one, but it's a. The best way I can think to describe this, I guess. It's like there's a set that I heard a long, long time ago that like, 1% of all golfers have ever broken 100. Okay? So when I broke 100 for the first time, I don't know if that's true or not, but I think that's a stat I'd heard. So when I probably broke 100 for the first time, I focused on, hey, I'm in the top 1%. That's awesome. I'm really good.
[00:35:19] Speaker B: You can quit there.
[00:35:20] Speaker A: I don't know what percentage of golfers shoot even par, but it would. It feels to me like the closer I get, the better I get. When I was shooting 98 and was in the top 1%, I felt like I was making a good, solid B minus on this grade. Right. Now that I'm shooting even par, I feel like I'm failing, Right. Because now I'm mad that I'm not 68 or I'm not under par. I'm not.
[00:35:44] Speaker C: Whatever.
[00:35:45] Speaker A: And I don't mean that literally talking about playing golf. I'm just saying it's that kind of. As I grow in my faith, the more frustrated I am at my inability to be better objectively. I'm like, I have to. I don't. I try not to do this because this opens way too much pride of. If I look back now versus a year ago, two years ago, three years ago, it's impossible for me to not acknowledge that there's growth.
[00:36:11] Speaker B: And the.
[00:36:11] Speaker A: The sins that I'm committing now are not the same ones. They're not the same frequency, they're not the same level, whatever. But I feel like a worse person now than I did five years ago.
[00:36:22] Speaker C: Yeah, well, that's common to talk about.
[00:36:24] Speaker B: Some just in the present, though, right?
[00:36:27] Speaker A: And we've talked about it several times and. But it's just like each time you.
When we talked about it, the last time I was noticing it a little bit. As I continue to grow, the more I notice it, and it's just the more you. And I think the real challenge for it is I go back to the garden a little bit and how. What happens when Adam was ashamed, he hid. Well, it's the acknowledgment of that sin and that feeling guilty. It puts a barrier between me and God where I don't even approach him the same way. It's not that I'm not still approaching, but it's not with the same heart that I did. Because now I'm more ashamed now than I was a year ago or two years ago. And it can be.
I don't know. It's just something that I've started to really take inventory of, I guess, a little bit because I don't feel the same closeness with God probably recently that I have. And that comes and goes a little bit. We've talked about that a little bit, too. But it's. I just feel so much. I feel terrible because I'm not seeing things the way I should see them. But at the same time, it's its progress over where it was.
Pick a time ago, a year ago, two years, whatever. But it's just I. And I think it comes. But what I have down in my notes is I may have my own answer. To me, it almost feels like a sort of a form of pride. It reminds me of when I was. I'd get mad and throw golf clubs when I was 13 or 14. Guys would say, you're not good enough to get that mad over that shot, you know. But I think sometimes it's. Yes, I don't. I think Everybody else.
Romans 8:1 applies to everybody else but me, because I think I'm better than that. I think I know better.
You know, I wonder, is it a form of pride?
[00:37:54] Speaker B: But. Well, that is.
But I mean, I think part of it, too is as I'm listening to this and trying to. Trying to think through this whole process is to some degree how much of this is a heightened sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
Because that's another sign of maturity, is you're going to be more in touch with the Holy Spirit. That. Okay, the little things that wouldn't have even hit the radar screen now appear as, hey, there's a giant, you know, tomcat flying right at us.
The little things that would have been, oh, okay, I'm just going to, you know, make a. Make a crude joke here in the past now becomes, oh, why would I do that? And so there is a heightened sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as well, that when he begins to show us, I mean, is that. Is that kind of what we're talking about here or is it something else?
[00:38:50] Speaker C: Well, yeah, I actually think so.
[00:38:52] Speaker A: I mean, I think so. I mean, I think that's kind of a. We're. I'll get mad about things now that I get. I got mad about a year ago. A year ago, I didn't think there was anything wrong with being mad and upset about him. And now I do think there's something wrong with me would be me being mad and upset about it.
[00:39:06] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:39:07] Speaker A: It's just like there's. There might have been 10 things that I worried about in a week, and I didn't have any conviction at all about worrying about those 10 things. Now there's two things left that I'm worrying about in a week, and that drives me nuts, that I can't hand those over and that I'm still worrying about them.
[00:39:21] Speaker B: And again, that's the stony ground principle. But I think that's also that height sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that, you know, okay, again, it's easy to say, look back over a year, I'm doing pretty good. I've grown. At the same time, the Holy Spirit continues to say, but there's this one area.
[00:39:39] Speaker A: And see, I can't let myself look back at. Look how I've grown very often because my pride really wants to take that and do something with it.
[00:39:45] Speaker B: So I've got. I think that's where again, you remember that you got to remind yourself, if you have grown, it won't because of you.
[00:39:52] Speaker A: Right.
[00:39:52] Speaker B: It was because of his grace. It was because of his word. And I think that's the one.
Because here's the truth. It can happen to any and all of us that it's easy to want to take credit for something. It's easy to say, oh, look what I've done, or, you know, and I, hey, case in point, man, I had had some of that happen this past Sunday. And I'll, I'll share, but we'll come back to that. But, but as far as this point we're talking about. Yeah, you, you can never get to the place to where you're feeling like, okay, I've done this. Because when you do. Yeah, you, you just. Now you're going to be convicted for, for pride, or hopefully you would be. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:40:31] Speaker A: Well, I'm so scared of pride.
[00:40:33] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:40:34] Speaker A: And it's certainly not that I don't still have it. I'm Showing a lot of it here.
[00:40:37] Speaker B: Well, I think, I think everybody should be.
[00:40:39] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:40:39] Speaker A: But it's. It's one of those things that I don't want to. And I'm also guarded against self righteousness.
[00:40:45] Speaker C: And I.
[00:40:45] Speaker A: And it's. I know I show it sometimes. I know I show self righteousness a lot of times. And it drives me nuts when I do it. But at the same time, it's like that it becomes a little bit like being a Pharisee, a little bit. I'm. I don't want to make any mistakes, so I start to become legalistic, so I don't have to have any conviction at the end of the day for anything I did. But there's a few that you can't help.
[00:41:05] Speaker B: You begin walking on eggshells.
[00:41:07] Speaker A: I'm walking on eggshells 24 7.
[00:41:09] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:41:10] Speaker A: Yeah. And it's just. And it's hard to have the. I think that's the thing that I'm saying that's missing. It's. It's not that I don't feel the presence of God, I just feel the conviction presence. And it's, it's robbing me of the.
[00:41:20] Speaker B: Joy a little because I'm walking on the eggshells. Truly, though, you're not walking in freedom, right? Because it becomes, oh, what am I going to do to mess up? And I think that's where a lot of it, where this started with, even with your kids, is, do you forgive me? Do you forgive me? Is because they can't walk or they're not enjoying the freedom of, hey, my dad loves me. And, yeah, I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry, I ain't got to ask, do you forgive me? Because I know you do.
You're my dad, you're my father. And same way with God.
I've confessed it legitimately, repented. I know I'm forgiven. I don't have to keep asking or keep going back and saying, you know, and again, that's where. That's the freedom that comes from knowing who God is, how he works, what he does and those kind of things.
[00:42:08] Speaker A: A lot of the ones, though, that are there, again, they're the mindsets. A lot of the sins that I used to were action. Sins that I had more control over. I did it. I apologize.
[00:42:19] Speaker B: That's the stony ground, right? You can get rid of action sometimes.
[00:42:22] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:42:23] Speaker B: The attitude. That's why when Jesus talked about, you know, you've heard in the law, thou shalt not murder. But I'm taking it a step further. You hate or call someone a fool. Yeah. Oh, wait a minute now. We don't go on a whole nother step of, you know, thou shalt not commit adultery. Okay. I'm cool with that. Nor lust after another one.
[00:42:42] Speaker C: Whoa.
[00:42:42] Speaker B: Now, we don't go into intent. Yeah. And intent is the hard part because again, that's the mind. That's the renewing of your mind.
[00:42:50] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:42:51] Speaker B: And that's where it gets hard. You're right. That is the stony ground, though.
[00:42:54] Speaker C: It's like.
[00:42:55] Speaker A: Well, because I can't repent. And I mean, I am. You can repent.
[00:42:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:42:59] Speaker A: And. But you can repent and know you're going to do it again tomorrow. But because you didn't mean to do it this time.
[00:43:06] Speaker B: Right.
[00:43:06] Speaker A: You know, it's just. It's one of those things that it's. And I think it. On some level, it does remind you of grace. And that the only way I'm going to be able to overcome this is really his grace.
[00:43:16] Speaker B: And that's. That's where, you know, that's. That's a tough. That statement. That's a tough one because repentance is. I confess it and I'm sick of it. I don't want to go back knowing that. Okay. Eventually, sooner or later, it'll probably happen again.
[00:43:30] Speaker A: But when you didn't mean to do it this time when it was one of those things that you. You. You're trying your very best not to. Well, see, that's part of the problem is I'm trying my very best.
[00:43:40] Speaker B: And that's what I'm trying out is. Wait a second. Yeah.
Don't mean to. Again.
Self effort versus walking by the spirit. Yeah. And again, I know it sounds like. Okay, that seems like what I keep going to. Walking by the spirit, walking in freedom. But that's it. Yeah. I mean, that's. That's the whole gist of it.
[00:43:59] Speaker C: It's like lying.
You know, when I first got saved, lying was wrong, but that really. But as I've grown, still is. It's not really the lie, but it's the deception behind the heart. Yeah. That's the way it goes back to the sin.
[00:44:16] Speaker B: Yeah. We. We want to look at the action as the sin, but really we got to go to the very. We need to go to the root of the sin. And it's a heart that's either sick or a heart that wants to.
[00:44:26] Speaker C: That's where the.
[00:44:27] Speaker B: That. That's it.
[00:44:28] Speaker C: It's not.
[00:44:29] Speaker B: You got it.
[00:44:30] Speaker C: Not really the lying, but it's. Why were you lying? Yeah, that's right. You got deceiving. That's really the heart. That's really the heart of it. Yeah. We don't realize. We. We see things.
Actions. When I first got saved, it was like the actions is a lie is a sin. It's not what I'm thinking.
[00:44:51] Speaker B: Right.
[00:44:51] Speaker C: But really it's what I'm thinking which leads to that action. Yeah.
[00:44:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:44:57] Speaker A: Well, it's because the.
The actions can be controlled easier than the thoughts can.
[00:45:01] Speaker C: That's the renewal when you get to.
[00:45:03] Speaker A: That thoughts part of me that's.
[00:45:05] Speaker B: And therein lies what. Why legalists look so good. I can. I can not look bad with. I can make. Make myself as far as. Oh, I don't do that. I don't do that. Yeah, yeah, but I don't do it. It's the heart. Yeah. And that's. That's the whole.
[00:45:19] Speaker C: But over time, you know, you don't want to.
I just know you. You don't want a lot and so you don't.
I mean, the thought.
Thoughts aren't as bad as they were years ago.
[00:45:34] Speaker B: Right.
Well. And I think that's where, you know, you think about passages of God desires truth in our innermost parts. And that's where you begin to say, all right. The innermost parts again, think about that stony ground. That's where he wants that truth. So.
[00:45:47] Speaker C: Yep, you're right.
[00:45:48] Speaker B: Of.
Of. You know, I don't. I don't want to have a deceptive heart.
[00:45:53] Speaker C: Well, I found. Thank you for seeing me. I was right. But I found that the Bible.
[00:45:59] Speaker B: And I did too. I was giving.
Lord have mercy. I tell you what, you haven't got any more questions? I wanted to.
[00:46:08] Speaker C: No, that's it.
[00:46:08] Speaker B: All right.
[00:46:09] Speaker C: Oh, what's that?
[00:46:12] Speaker B: That's my notes for tonight.
[00:46:14] Speaker C: Oh, okay. I thought it was something you were gonna read out.
[00:46:16] Speaker B: No, but this is the. Tonight's lesson is the first international man of mystery.
Who is he?
[00:46:27] Speaker C: Male.
[00:46:27] Speaker B: Male. Who?
Mel. Elliot. No, shout out.
[00:46:34] Speaker C: What was it?
[00:46:34] Speaker B: Melchizedek. He is the first international man of mystery.
[00:46:38] Speaker C: But I didn't read that. I was just.
But that just.
I've always wondered.
[00:46:43] Speaker B: We're looking at Hebrews 7 tonight and it's funny, the writer of Hebrews is actually going to spend more time unpacking, basically what happened in about six verses in Genesis 14 and build a whole doctrine of our faith on it.
[00:46:58] Speaker C: Do you think it was Noah's son, Shem?
[00:47:00] Speaker B: No.
[00:47:01] Speaker C: Okay. I mean, that's a theory I've heard.
[00:47:04] Speaker B: He would have to be very, very old.
[00:47:05] Speaker C: He was very old, very old. But he was still alive when Abraham.
[00:47:10] Speaker B: But Abraham was. Wasn't a spring chicken either. So even if he was born, that'd be a.
[00:47:16] Speaker C: Be a long or 30 years.
[00:47:17] Speaker B: I don't think it was sham.
[00:47:19] Speaker C: I mean that's what I'm. I only know.
[00:47:22] Speaker B: No, nobody does.
[00:47:23] Speaker C: But I've seen Commentary saying that.
[00:47:25] Speaker B: But for the, for the writer of Hebrews to take what just happened in Genesis 14 with Abraham's just come from a rescuing his nephew lot and a blessing, a tithe, there's all kinds of stuff going on there.
It could have been anybody that was alive during that time, but I doubt it.
[00:47:46] Speaker C: But it's just.
[00:47:47] Speaker B: We don't know it was Melchizedek. Yeah, and his name means king of righteousness, king of peace.
But he was a type of. He was not a pre incarnate Christ or a Christophany, so to speak.
King of Jerusalem, King of Salem. You're right, King of peace.
So anyway, the reason it's important is. And that's the thing is tonight I'm going to talk about Melchizedek, but tripping on it's not as much about Melchizedek of who is Jesus then? Because he is a priest in the order of Melchizedek, the Levitical priest and shoot, the writer of Hebrews knows the Levitical system was never meant to take away sin.
But Melchizedek, who's a different order of the Levites, Jesus is.
He is like Jesus.
The fact that he is our king of righteousness and our king of peace.
[00:48:42] Speaker C: Does he only appear in Genesis? I'm not talking about Hebrews, but in the Old Testament.
[00:48:46] Speaker B: Well, Psalms he's referenced, but he only appears live and in person.
[00:48:51] Speaker C: I mean his name.
[00:48:52] Speaker B: Yeah, his name is Genesis. Psalms is written. There's a psalm about Melchizedek and mentions his name.
[00:49:00] Speaker C: What Psalms was that?
[00:49:02] Speaker B: Google, I promise you, is in the Psalms.
[00:49:04] Speaker C: No, I mean I'm. I'm curious.
[00:49:06] Speaker B: In fact, he is the only character I know of that there's more written about him in the New Testament than the Old Testament. That's pretty fascinating because I mean we saw him in Hebrews 5, we're seeing him in Hebrews 7.
So why you got here?
[00:49:23] Speaker C: And maybe you wouldn't believe this.
[00:49:26] Speaker B: What is it? Psalm 22, 101, 10. 110, verse 4. How about that?
[00:49:31] Speaker C: I didn't know that.
[00:49:33] Speaker B: In fact, before I got in here I was. I was actually somewhere else.
That's a great statement.
But. But I was somewhere else and I was actually thinking about, you know, the more that I studied the book of Hebrews, I believe he was more a study of the Psalms than he was even of Genesis and Exodus and Leviticus. Because he is constantly, I mean Melchizedek is in the Psalms. And so part of me is okay, has he been spending more time in the Psalms or is it just the writer of Hebrews knows the whole Old Testament pretty well. I think that's it.
[00:50:08] Speaker C: And who is the writer of Hebrews?
[00:50:10] Speaker A: No one knows.
[00:50:12] Speaker B: Your guess is as good as mine.
[00:50:13] Speaker C: Well, could be Paul, could be Apollos, it could be Barnabas, it could be a lot of them.
[00:50:18] Speaker B: Could be Luke.
[00:50:20] Speaker C: It'd be Luke.
[00:50:21] Speaker B: It's probably unrighte likely, but I don't.
[00:50:23] Speaker C: Think he does follows.
[00:50:26] Speaker B: Well, he has Lukean qualities. He does.
Now again, Luke wasn't a Hebrew so he probably doesn't know the intricacies of the Jewish law, but he could learn them.
[00:50:35] Speaker C: But how in the world did we get Hebrews when the criteria, and I don't mean to go into a rabbit hole, but how can we get Hebrews with the criteria was you had to know Jesus personally, you had to be one of his disciples. And how did the Hebrews get in there if we don't know who the author is going to knew Jesus?
[00:50:55] Speaker B: I think it goes back to the sheer quality of matches up with all the canon and it's theologically correct. I mean there's a lot of stuff that goes on there. You know what I'm talking about. Yeah, but it was a book that was pretty much accepted by the early church. Even they didn't know who wrote it. Or maybe they didn't think it was.
[00:51:15] Speaker C: One of the criteria, but maybe they.
[00:51:18] Speaker B: Did know and just didn't think about putting a name on it.
[00:51:20] Speaker C: Yeah, the fact I like it Hebrews.
[00:51:22] Speaker B: The fact that the early church accepted it tells me that, okay, it belongs in the canon. Yeah, that's, you know, this is not a late, late, late written book. No, but I don't know if we've discussed it on here. I'm trying to think. We've been, we've been doing this for a while, so a lot of times I can't remember if we actually talked about this or I wanted to just throw out the idea of. And again, I'm not saying it is, I'm not saying it isn't. I think this is something we wrestle with and come back either next week or we can answer it today. Is all right, is there. Have we talked about Christian karma? Is There a such thing as Christian karma?
[00:52:01] Speaker A: Yeah. I never heard of that one.
[00:52:02] Speaker B: Oh, well, good. I think that's. I'll leave that. That's a good thing with a thought of. I know, I know. We think karma is definitely. That's something having to do with Hindu as.
And so therefore shouldn't be anything at all.
I'm not convinced that's the. And maybe I don't use the word karma, but I think there's some things we need to look at in the scripture that.
Such as be not deceived. God is not mocked. You will what? Do you know how the rest of it goes?
You will reap what you sow.
[00:52:35] Speaker C: I didn't know where you were.
[00:52:36] Speaker B: So is that not karma? I mean, again, I know it's not karma, but is it. But. But it's retribution that's going so. So God is not mocked. You'll reap what you sow. Look at the proverbs. Time and time again. It talks about if a man does this, this and this, you can expect this, this, and this. I mean, I just. There is a. Maybe it's the law of retribution or maybe it's the law of. And I'm not saying I'm getting into karma. Yeah. Because grace kind of trumps that. Because I know what I deserve.
[00:53:08] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:53:08] Speaker B: But at the same time, six, seven. Your actions carry. Yeah. Your actions carry consequences.
And so I'm not saying that again. I just submit it out there for us to consider, for us to wrestle with. And again, that's part of the 167 is, hey, we want you to be thinking and not just, oh, no, it's a dirty word. I know it is. I don't want. I don't want to call it karma. I want to call it something else. But what I'm saying is, is there some measure of it?
[00:53:39] Speaker A: Well, that's definitely something I want to think on and talk about next week. Sure.
[00:53:42] Speaker B: I don't think it's something I answer.
[00:53:43] Speaker A: I'm not going to answer it off the cuff.
[00:53:44] Speaker B: I've been discussing. I think it's thinking about it for. For years. Yeah. And I know every time I bring it up to somebody, you can tell no. And I'm real quick to say hawk tight. Now, let's look at Galatians. Let's look at. And again, I'm not living my life based on that of. Okay, I better do two good, good actions today so that I can get two good returns. That's not how I'm living my life. But I do know that scripture kind of teaches there is a reaping of sowing. Yeah. The scripture does teach. You test me in this. You give and it's blessing.
Yeah. I'm just. Obedience. Blessings. Yeah.
[00:54:21] Speaker C: Something I would like to talk about. Yeah. Maybe next week.
[00:54:25] Speaker B: No, I've already taken next week. What you get. You're looking too weird.
[00:54:28] Speaker C: I will do it today.
[00:54:32] Speaker B: Man. For some reason. Let me before you do that. Some reason. I. I just have the sudden urge. I want to push up so bad I can't stand it.
[00:54:40] Speaker C: A what?
[00:54:40] Speaker B: A push up. Push up.
[00:54:42] Speaker A: Ice cream.
[00:54:42] Speaker C: Ice cream. Yeah. Okay. You have to clean.
That's what I thought you were, you were talking about.
[00:54:48] Speaker B: But go ahead.
[00:54:50] Speaker C: My question is, and I've been thinking about it a lot, mostly here after this weekend.
Can you be a Christian and still being living in sin?
[00:55:02] Speaker B: Well, I mean, we're going to sin.
[00:55:05] Speaker C: Yeah. We're going to say things that are wrong in the Bible.
Are you shooting at the wrong? That's the question.
[00:55:15] Speaker B: My first answer is yes, you can. I mean you would hate it and you would, you would want conviction of.
[00:55:23] Speaker C: It online or whatever you read. You know, this church believes in this and that, this and that, but you know is wrong. And part of their doctrine are they are Christians.
[00:55:37] Speaker B: Maybe the best, best way to answer that is. Okay, maybe you need to define okay by, by the word of God, not how do you define who a Christian is then? Okay.
Can a Christian continue to sin? Yeah. Yes. At the same time, I mean, look, I mean we're going to, I'm on, I'm going to pick some low hanging fruit.
There's some Christians that I know them well and hey, they're godly people. In fact, some of them are preachers. They're just as gluttonous. Boy, they eat, they won't. They don't know how to control themselves when it comes to eating. So that's living in sin, is it not? Because the gluttony is a. I mean I don't think it always has to be this great big, big, big, big because again, because we categorize that. But sin is sin, right? So. So therefore he must not be saved.
[00:56:24] Speaker C: He's a God, just.
[00:56:26] Speaker B: Yeah, but I don't agree with that. I'm just saying if you're going to hold to that.
[00:56:30] Speaker C: But you're not living, you're not living.
[00:56:33] Speaker B: To the fullest of the abundant life.
[00:56:35] Speaker C: That's not the best God has for you guys.
[00:56:38] Speaker B: Sure, yeah, I get that.
[00:56:40] Speaker A: I think those two topics right there, we can, that can make up next week's show. I think by itself. I mean I don't think that's a. I can go on a lot we. I think a lot on that. On those two or that one especially.
[00:56:51] Speaker B: So tune in next week.
[00:56:52] Speaker C: Yeah, I've got to be out so I'll be back Wednesday.
[00:56:58] Speaker B: All right. What you doing?
[00:56:59] Speaker C: I mean I'm going to the beach. I'm going to Charlotte. I'm just, you know, all kinds of.
[00:57:04] Speaker B: Oh, you're going to Charlotte for.
[00:57:06] Speaker C: I already did that. I had to work last weekend there.
Did his door.
[00:57:13] Speaker B: All right.
[00:57:15] Speaker C: Threshold and nice. Put in some dimmers for him and just, you know, just.
[00:57:20] Speaker A: All right, we'll get some. We'll figure it out. We'll get together sometime.
[00:57:23] Speaker C: Bye.
[00:57:24] Speaker B: Bye.
[00:57:24] Speaker C: Next week I'm going to go to.
[00:57:30] Speaker B: So did you find it? No.
[00:57:31] Speaker C: I don't even know how to spell it. Me.
[00:57:33] Speaker B: What?
Mel. Mel. C H I Z E D E K What song mentions Melchizedek?
[00:57:46] Speaker C: What's your favorite part in the Christmas story?
[00:57:51] Speaker B: I like the fragile part.
[00:57:53] Speaker C: That's good.
[00:57:54] Speaker B: And I, I, I've actually fallen in love with. At the end when they go bolings at the bowling alley.
[00:58:01] Speaker C: Yeah, that's a killer one. That's what I love.
[00:58:03] Speaker B: That's great. And do you know they did not that just little tidbit. They did not tell the wife that what they were going to be bringing out. So that was her real reaction. They did not tell her that was going to be a duck head.
[00:58:14] Speaker C: And it showed.
[00:58:16] Speaker B: So that. And then I love it when they. When the boy's nose is pressed up against the window at the very beginning the Christmas parade where Mickey Mouse gets, you know, harassed by all the monkeys from wizard of Oz. I mean look man, I love that love love that movie. It's just.
[00:58:33] Speaker C: I know it stays on our tv.
[00:58:35] Speaker A: We get past about Thanksgiving or something and the kids start watching like home alon.
[00:58:39] Speaker B: I gotta have. I gotta get past Thanksgiving. Yeah, yeah.
[00:58:41] Speaker A: Thanksgiving's my. I don't do it before that.
[00:58:43] Speaker B: Once you get Halloween then they're ready for Christmas.
