Tiff Country High School in Georgia. Blue devils. All he has is content to present. Any ministry is based upon that. Learning rebound is what kept him going. Worse thing that a believer can do is attept to clean up his old sin nature. If you don’t recover from the sin in your life, you get caught up in the cosmic vortex. Christians being twirled around out of control. Like corn stalks being picked up by a tornado. If they remain there, they get caught up in the sin unto death.

Ezek. 22:30 "'I looked for someone among you who could build walls or stand in front of me by the gaps in the walls to defend the land and keep it from being destroyed. But I couldn't find anyone.

Ezekiel was a Zadikite priest and his wife died and God would not allow him to mourn his wife. He functioned during the exile of the Jews. It is not our business to worry about unbelieves and their behavior. It is the people of God—their spiritual life which determines the direction of the nation. God was looking for one righteous man. If you are a believer in reversionism, then don’t have children, because this life in the U.S. will be horrible.

Birthday 1 is when you were born and B2 is when you believed in Christ. Positional righteousness is ours; but capacity righteousness comes with growth and this gives us stability in our nation. It is the pivot of a nation. When Miriam and Aaron got jealous, God gave Miriam leprosy; Moses had to intervene for her in order to get her over this disease. God does answer the prayers of the mature believers. God is looking for a mature believer, a believer whose heart is filled with doctrine.

Zadok was one of two priests during the time of David. There was Abiathar who tried to get Adonijah installed as king before David died (I Kings 1–2). Solomon exiled Abiathar and Zadok became the priest.

“Sanctify them by Your Word; Your Word is truth.” (John). We are set apart every day as we hear the mind of Christ. “If you love Me, then okay Me.” (I John 5:3). God asks us to be faithful and He has equipped us to be faithful. Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth (Peter).

You purify your souls by obeying the truth. “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected me, I have rejected you.” (Hosea). There is a lot of wind and lightening and thunder; but there is no rain. The Word of God is not being taught; if the Word of God is not being taught, then there is no growing. One place where Rick taught, there was 35 minutes of blabbeing and worthless crap. There was no rain.

A lot of pastors don’t teach the Word of God. False prophets will rise up among the children of Israel and even deny the Master Who bought them. The dogs, the canine clergy. Prophets of deceit. “I am against the prophets who...because they cause the people to stumble with their lies.” Moses had a year and he wrote the book of Deuteronomy during that year. He had a fatal flaw, and his flaw was his temper. The first time it came out, he had to flee the country because he murdered an Egyptian.

Moses misrepresented God when the second water problem came onto the children of Israel. If you misrepresent God, you will not get away with it. Ezek. 33:30–33: "Son of man, your people are talking about you by the walls and in the doorways of their homes. They are saying to each other, 'Let's go and hear the word that has come from the LORD.' Then they come to you, as if they are still my people, and they sit down in front of you. They listen to what you say, but they don't do it. They say that they love me, but in their hearts they chase dishonest profits. To them you are nothing more than a singer with a beautiful voice who sings love songs or a musician who plays an instrument. They listen to your words, but they don't do them. When all your words come true-and they certainly will come true-these people will know that a prophet has been among them." This means that God will always vindicate his man and He will always preserve and promote His man.

MVP = momentum, virtue and poise. God isn’t going to pick out the most valuable player and honor him.

“I know your mama must be so happy” said the woman who interrupted Jesus in His teaching. “Happiness to those who hear and do the Word of God.” Distractions are a tremendous danger to your momentum. Many of our activities are an anesthetic for our empty lives. We spend money that we don’t have on things we don’t need to impress people who don’t matter.

Adversity is a given; stress is an option. You can’t help yourself by worrying. The attacks come from within. You can also get disillusioned with yourself; Satan uses that against us. “You couldn’t be a Christian and keep doing that stuff.” To the extent that we get disillusion with our own failures, we lose our momentum in life.

The Word of God being taught is the greatest treasure in our lives. We can’t sleep during His Word.

The Bible mandates that we let this mind that is in Him be in us as well. Philippians.

Don’t be conformed to this world; be transformed through the renewing of His Word. Grow in gace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some can’t even handle the meat of the word.

Study to show yourselve a workman that is not ashamed. Day by day people were saved. C1 = accurate communication of the Word of God. Him we preach, warning every man, teaching every man; it is to this end that I labor and strive. C2 = You had better be filled with the Holy Spirit and you may not know whether the pastor of the congregation is filled with the Spirit. The pastor’s job is done when he completes teaching from the pulpit. Capture. C3 = Consider what I say. This is where you comprehend it or understand it. This is where your positive volition kicks in. C4 = convert; you transfer this information into your heart by believing it. A different approach to operation Z.

Thessalonica ran Paul out of town. Our job is to show up, shut up and fake it till we make it.

We will be a target for a long time because of the colonel’s ministry. Men all over the US mount pulpits and teach all over America are the ripples. We all have tragic flaws and they show more when as we get older. Moses had a temper and he killed an Egyptian from his temper.

Rev 2:1 To the angel of the church of Ephesus write: He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, says these things.

Rev 2:2 I know your works and your labor and your patience, and how you cannot bear those who are evil. And you tried those pretending to be apostles, and are not, and have found them liars.

Rev 2:3 And you have borne, and have patience, and for My name's sake you have labored and have not fainted.

Rev 2:5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent.

Principles from Renaissance New Testament (Yager)

1. John wrote this to the Ephesus church, but he knew it would be used by others.

2. Jesus Christ held protective custody over the pastor and administrative control over the church.

3. Missed it

4. Our Lord Jesus Christ is very aware of our divine production. Eph. 2:10

5. Lord Jesus Christ was aware of their track record. He knew their thoughts about apostasy and evil. They evaluated those who claimed to be apostles.

6. Patience is mentioned twice. So Jesus Christ knew they were patient. Acts 17:20–37 Paul knew that they would be attacked. Satan first of all sends men into a church in order to corrupt the doctrine.

7. Jesus Christ did not tell them their faith was declining; He says they have forgotten why they are a church. They had lost their motivation. Bob’s love for Jesus Christ was what kept him teaching. The issue is not their production but their motivation. If lose sight of your personal love motivation for Jesus Christ, then you are in trouble, despite our production and knowledge of doctrine. Jesus Christ took the faith-rest drill to its highest state on the cross. The greatest joy is to be in the will of God and to know it. He praises Divine Guidance, one of Bob’s books. Heb. 12:2–3: ...looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest you be weary and faint in your minds. Motivation to persevere, source of dedication to the truth; and something else. We were brought to this church by a love of the Word of God; hopefully, we are here for the same reason today.

Private Questions

1. Who were His half brothers? James and other guys.

2. If you love Him and worship Him, where did He hide out the first few years of His life? Egypt.

3. Over 100 names for our Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible. Name 5: Son of Man, Son of God, Lord of the Armies, Jesus Christ, Messiah, the Great Prophet, David’s Greater Son.

4. Other than His disciples, name 3 people He personally converted: Mary, blind man (who kept saying, all I know, is I was blind and now I can see).

5. Name three miracles that He did. That’s easy.

6. Why did He teach in parables.

7. What two judgements does He reside over in eternity future. The great white throne and final judgment when Satan is thrown into the Lake of Fire. Evaluation of believers.

8. Jesus made seven statements which all began with I am; can I name 3 of them. Before Abraham, I am.

The Guide to the Bible; since Adam, 40 billion people have lived; and 5 billion alive right now. However they have been placed into these two categories—lost or saved. Eternal destiny depends upon their relationship with one man, the Lord Jesus Christ. We go to heaven because we believe in Jesus Christ and nothing else. Those who add making Him Lord are not saved.

Our war with terrorism is muslim based. Muslims don’t believe that Jesus Christ is God and they only believe in Allah, one God. Moon God, Black Rock God. Heb. 6:1: Let all the angels worship Him; but does this contradict the Ten Commandments? Not if He is God. We don’t choose the battlefield; God does; but we can plant the colors. Deut. 6:13 is what is quoted; Moses last book written during the last year of his life. We live in a time continuum. There is no start in the eternal continuum. It is all current. Jesus Christ is the eternity outside of time.

Col. 2:9: anyone who rejects the deity of Jesus Christ rejects the witness of the Bible. He insinuates that all of the witnesses are wrong. Eternal security. This is one of the first things for us to know. If you think you can lose your salvation, then you probably don’t have it, as you are basing the maintenance of your salvation by good works. Your focus needs to be on Jesus Christ. He is the motivation for why we do what we do. Isa. 9:6–7 Micah 5:2 Dan. 9:26–27 and Isa. 53 foretell His death.

4 announcements for his birth. Luke 1:11: And an angel of the Lord appeared to him as he was standing on the right of the altar of incense. And seeing this, Zacharias was troubled, and fear fell on him. But the angel said to him, Do not fear, Zacharias. For your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall neither drink wine nor strong drink. And he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he shall turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.

Simon recognized Him in the Temple. “A light to the Gentiles.” Luke 2:36: Anna saw and recognized Him. The Magia showed up. Ballim the prophet told them about it. Herod found out it and that wasn’t too good. Herod was one sick and evil dude. Herod send out a death warrant to get every child 2 and under. Isa. 11:1 in Galilee and Nazareth. Our Lord matured in wisdom. Etc. Our Lord was a well-rounded child from a well-rounded child.

Why is it important to study the life of Christ? How can you represent someone that you do not know. We aren’t there for technical information but because our personal love for Jesus Christ. Harold Wilmington A Guide to the Bible covers our Lord’s life from beginning to end.

How Does this Relate to Us?

1. Jesus Christ keeps us alive every day. By Him, you exist. Col. 1:16–17?

2. 2Peter 3:11 speaks about when Christ will stop holding it altogether. We are mandated to holy living and godliness. Hagios anastrophe. Operation Z; communication by a pastor; Holy Spirit makes it understandable; you comprehend it; and then you believe it, converting it to spiritual energy. Those ten problem solving devices that are critical in our lives. It is important because, He will make a decision not to hold it together anymore. When the Lord says, “Well done my good and faithful servant” Bob will salute us as well. All of this motivation comes from one thing. Our personal love in Jesus Christ. I know about your faith, your works, your production; but you forgot your first love; go back to it.

Philip, 3:7–12: But whatever things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. But no, rather, I also count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them to be dung, so that I may win Christ and be found in Him; not having my own righteousness, which is of the Law, but through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death; if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I am pressing on, if I may lay hold of that for which I also was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

Our one claim to fame is being related to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I count all things but loss, except for the excellency of Christ Jesus my Lord. Don’t be praying to win the lottery; you don’t have the capacity to handle it. If you pray for the lottery, then that tells you that you have no capacity for it. It is a distraction. Rom. 5:3 Suffering gives us capacity. Jesus Christ is the one thing in our life that we need to succeed. There are none that are righteous; not even one. He gave us His righteousness.

Ginosko is a word used with a noun in v. 10; I want to know the power of His resurrection. This is what we are looking for. We will face evidence testing. We will need to be tested with regards to faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ never tapped out in 33 years (a reference to Navy Seals and how they say I can’t take it anymore).

What Does it Mean to be Occupied with Christ?

1. Most important thing in Paul’s life is Jesus Christ. And knowing the power of His resurrection.

2. This is our personal love for Jesus Christ. 1Peter 1:8: and though you have not seen Him and yet you love Him; and though you don’t see Him now, you believe in Him. Christianity is not a religion but a personal relationship. Don’t think in terms of arrogance; let this mind be in you, the thinking of Jesus Christ. You can’t love Jesus until you know how He thinks. You cannot see Him and you have no idea what He looks like. People don’t make you happy and circumstances don’t make you happy. Our occupation with Christ gives us contentment and motivation.

3. Heb. 12: don’t faint; don’t lose...your soul. Appreciation and understanding of who and what He is. He reconciled us. Between us was a great barrier of sin which separated us from Him. Jesus Christ reconciled us to God; when occupied with Christ, we can see that. We love Him because He first loved us. Gal. 3:13: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law. Jesus Christ may reject us; Only he who does the will of my Father will be accepted. It is the will of God that you believe in His Son. Being in the proximity of truth does not apprehend the truth. Do you come and audit the truth? And not apply it?

Works of production are open and they’ll say, “Didn’t we do this or that?” And He says, “I never knew you.” It is not works but the gospel of Jesus Christ. Reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and He will reject you.

Jesus Christ strengthens us. Some circumstances will seem to be insurmountable. Our strength comes of Christ in us. I love you; continue in My love. The impersonal love of Jesus Christ took Him to the cross. He preferred the cup pass from him. He endured the cross because he had personal love for His father and impersonal love for us.

1Peter 3:15: sanctify Jesus Christ in your hearts. Only our personal love for God give us the right motivation. We may wonder why God is doing and we may not be able to figure it out, but His plan keeps going on.

Eph. 3:19: We come to know occupation with Christ. +H and our final problem solving device. The people in Corinth were occupied with mechanics. Nothing more pitiful than not being able to see yourself as you really are. Sometimes, enforced humility wakes you up. People with unrealistic self image and unrealistic expectations always fall into self destruction. The longer you stay out of fellowship, the more you are trapped in the maze of arrogance. You must have enough humility to admit your sin and get out. A whole generation are trapped in this maze. Completely wrong self image as to who you are. You need to be taught the truth. You shouldn’t care how the pastor treats you; it is never the man; always the message.

Occupation with Christ helps you to avoid the great hazards of life. Need to keep your eyes on Christ; not on man and not on things. We’d be a greasy spot somewhere if it not for God’s sense of humor. Prov. 16:19: better to be with the lowly than to divide your spoils with the arrogant. We are not allowed personal hatred for anyone. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in any man. The more you are occupied with yourself; the more you are not occupied by Jesus Christ. Don’t depend upon others for your motivation. Occupation with Christ is a personal love for God the Son that results in the motivation. For the love of Christ keeps on motivating us and we have reached the conclusion, since one died as a substitute for all, so that all could die with Him.

We have the ministry of reconciliation. Only one motivation. Bible doctrine should be priority number 1; stay filled with the spirit; organize your thinking; learn the mystery doctrine. A Dispensational specificity. You need to do the right thing at the right time. As Gentiles, we were brought into the plan of God. Occupy yourself with Christ. Be concentrating on Jesus Christ. Gal. 4:19: until Christ be formed in you.

Philip. 1:20: According to my earnest confidence than not in one thing should I be ashamed. For me living if Christ and dying I profit.

A member of night stalkers, which is an elite unit. Can be found at nightstalkers.com (or org). They are risk takers. Organized after the failure of eagle claw in 1980 when a mission to rescue 53 hostages. failed. They needed to get onto the scene and then to remove from the scene. 8 Navy sea stallions flew in to join an assault element. Helicopters would be refueled outside of Tehran. 3 developed problems; one pilot got disoriented in the heavy sand. Several died in the ensuirng crash. We did not have a dedicated group to extract. 3 units pulled together.

The Nighstalkers are known as SOAR. They have to fly right and shoot straight. Time on target is +/- 30 seconds. Isa. 6:8: Who shall I send, and I answered, “Send me.” Isaiah was motivated by a grateful heart to a Lord Who had forgiven him. Job 23:10: Job rebukes Eliphaz, saying, “When the Lord has finished testing me, I will come forth like gold.”

7 Requirements of those Asked to be Nightstalkers

1. A risk taker must be willing to take point. He the first out, the first to trip the land mind, the first to be ambushed.

2. A risk taker must follow orders. As a risk taker for Jesus Christ, you must be willing to follow the orders.

3. He must not be afraid to risk it all.

4. He must be dedicated to the mission. Nothing comes before the mission. That is priority #1; even the wife doesn’t know where he goes.

5. The risk taker must not put a premium on security. Are there things in your life that are worth risking everything for? If you want security in things, you are not a risk taker.

6. A risk taker will be marked by sorrow, but he will be defined by joy. Heb. 12:2: Who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame.

7. The risk taker has a lifestyle of trust. Philip. 2:24: I have confidence in the Lord. Paul in prison, and writes back to them in Philip. 2:29: Welcome him, for he came close to death, risking his life for Christ. Paraboueulomai = to throw aside, to cast aside. This refers to casting one’s fears aside. He did not put a premium on his security or his life.

If you can trust God with your life, can you trust Him with the small things in your life. If you can trust God with your life, then you should be able to trust Him with the small details of your life. Are you a risk taker or an excuse maker?

Rick became aware of God at age 11, sent to a school for troubled children. 11 years later, he heard the gospel and believed in Jesus Christ. Had to take a Bible test of 100 questions soon after being saved, after being saved for 2 weeks. Got one right. He asked his pastor about being filled with the Spirit. No help until he heard a tape of Thieme’s. He grew from a baby Christian to a student. At some point in time, we will be called upon to step up and be counted where we are cross-examined. “Satan wants to sift you like wheat” is what Jesus told Peter. At some point, our number will be called, and this will demonstrate to our family and friends what we are made of.

You need a lifestyle of trust at evidence testing. Psalm 31:1–2: In You, O Jehovah, I sought refuge; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me; deliver me quickly, be a strong rock to me, for a house of fortresses to save me. Adversity is inevitable; stress is optional. You never have to have worry, fear, guilt, or any other stress indicator. The psalmist said that he would put his trust in God. My time is in your hands, is a personal sense of destiny. You know that you have an agenda. It is a door and you leave your own agenda behind. That takes the monkey off your back; you don’t have to sweat it any more.

Why you should put your trust in the Lord?

1. He redeemed us. Psalm 31:5. We were under the power and penalty of sin. He freed us from the penalty of sin and broke the power of sin in our life. He Who knew no sin was made sin for us. You do not have to let the old sin nature control your life any more. Your human spirit was dead in tresspasses and sin. Nicodemus, “How can I go back to my mother’s womb and be born a 2^nd time?” Now there is the internal battle. The Bible tells us, do not let sin reign in your life anymore. You can use your volition now to say, “No, I will not do that.” It is easy to choose not to do sins which are obnoxious to you; but what about those you like? You put your faith in the cross; and when you are in fellowship with the Father, you are no longer under the control of the old sin nature. We cannot straighten out our old sin nature, we cannot change the old sin nature. The Christian life is not training the old sin nature not to sin. We have a new nature and we are mandated to function in the Spirit. Most churches simply teach that you put a leash on the old sin nature; you teach it to sin less. However, we are freed from the power and penalty of sin.

2. God knows the adversity that we face. Psalm 31:7: And I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy; for You have seen my affliction; You have known the distresses in my soul; and have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a broad place. God will anchor us, when the storm gets really bad; He will stabilize us at that time. Psalm 89:18: God has escrow blessings for us. We can have a lifestyle of trust for the 7 reasons he has given us (what were those?). You must operate by faith.

3. Arrogance always challenges authority. Authority says this, and arrogance says, “Why.”

4. The most detrimental mistake a person can make in their lives is the reject a legitimate authority. Authority is not always fair. There is fair and unfair authority; legitimate authority makes mistakes. The question is, how do you handle it. Arrogance reacts; humble responds. Bitterness and vindictiveness reacts to authority.

5. Rejcting authority carries with it responsibilities and results.

6. The acceptance of legitimate authority equals blessings individually and nationally.

7. We are all a product of our decisions. We will need to have obedience to authority, and that authority may not even be someone that we like.

Mr. Lindsay wailing on a kid with a belt, because the kid would not read. Turns out the kid could not read. The kid took it, got a degree, and then got a football scholarship to a college. Arrogance cannot respond; but you must learn not to react. God was in business before we got here and He does not need us to go out and straighten everyone out. When a person begins to criticize authority, you end mup making an issue out of the personality.

Parents and pastors teach the norms and standards. The police, etc. enforce these standards.

One of the authorities in our life is the authority of the Word of God. We are mandated to purify our souls in the Word of Truth. We get rid of scar tissue by learning the Word of God and washing away all the residue of sins in our life. In Bible class, every time we come, we are cleansing our souls.

He teaches in the Kusa River Bible Church. Rick has been teaching there, trying to hold it together. In some churches, you handle snakes; there, you must handle bass.

Okneros οκνηρος = to be half-hearted, to lag behind. The believer who does not give it his all.

Points on the Believer who Lags Behind

1. He is a believer who is not fervent in Spirit. He is not boiling with heat. He is cold; at best, he is lukewarm. He is not a risk taker, but an excuse maker. He is the person that made Jesus want to vomit in Rev. 3. Jesus Christ expects 100% dedication to the mission. You may not rebound consistently or immediately. You spend more time out of fellowship than in. You might miss a few classes. Rick is pissed off when he studies his butt off, but you show up whenever you feel like it. You catch a movie; you go fishing. Be sober; watch out! You have an adversary who goes about like a roaring lion. We don’t fight against flesh and blood; we fight against spiritual wickedness in high places. As a half-hearted believer, we will defeated awfully quick. If you love Me, then obey Me. Jesus said, “My mandates are not grievous; and expectations are not difficult.” This person likes the gifts, but not the Giver. He is not consistent. God cannot trust us in time; then He cannot trust us in eternity.

2. Don’t let the good things take you from the best things. Good things are the details of life; best things are Bible doctrine.

Rick Hughes has used the illustration of the Nightstalkers. Mike Durant wrote “In the Company of Heroes.” He was captured by a Somalian warlord and held for many days there. This came about as a result of a fiasco in an attempt to rescue some hostages.

The job of Nightstalkers is to move in and extract personnel. Isa. 6:8: Also I heard the voice of the Lord Who said, “Who shall I send? Who will go for me?” And Isaiah said, “Send me.” There is also the testing in combat verse. Www.nightstalkers.com to find out more information.

Epaphrodites risked his life to bring a love-offering to Paul. Paul said that he risked his life. If you are going to be a risk taker, then sooner or later, we will be called upon for evidence testing. Rick has met many men with the communication gift, but who have not used it. Sometimes a person with this gift, does not teach, as they like money. When our number is called, we must be willing to take the point and willing to risk it all.

We can trust God, as per Psalm 31. The shield of faith. Often fought shoulder to shoulder, shield to shield, as a phalanx. They lock shields in battle. When a man drops his shield, this made the man behind him and next to him vulnerable. We need accurate knowledge of the promises of God. When we drop our shield, not only will we get injured, but those around us as well.

Purify your souls by obeying the truth. The Jewish ladies would take their waste, cry out miano, and throw it out their windows. When you run doctrine through your stream of consciousness, you purify your thinking; you purify your soul. We are told to study; and told to not lag in zeal. We had the doctrine of the half-hearted believer last night (I don’t recall the entire doctrine). This is the lukewarm believer. He comes to Bible class sometimes, when he feels like it. Do you take your spiritual life seriously? As you take your spiritual life, so will your nation go. It is our spiritual life which sustains a nation. Our military would be ineffective without our spiritual life. As goes our spiritual life, so goes the destiny of the US. If you don’t take your spiritual seriously, don’t get married and don’t have kids.

When we go under the 5^th cycle of discipline, it is not going to be nice. If we are not consistent in our growth, we are a detriment to the cross.

Jesus Christ will say, “Follow me.” Akoulatheo is used in discipleship. If we are going to follow Jesus Christ, we will have to develop some sort of momentum in our life. Faith-perception and faith-application. We must hear it and apply it into our life. Some things we can apply easily; they come almost natural to us. However, we have a fatal flaw; an area of weakness. We cannot misrepresent God’s power, His plan or His purpose. We need to have momentum in our lives. We cannot afford to let our guard down. Whatever that personal flaw is in our lives, Satan wants to exploit it. Satan wants to impugn the name of God. We are not allowed to say one thing, but then do something else.

The world will tell us, “You just need to follow your dreams; visualize what you want to be, and you will be it.” Proverbs Whoever chases daydreams, lacks wisdom. When someone follows their dreams, they end up in a frantic search for happiness.

Do not let the physical life take precedence over the spiritual. Just because you are ascetic this does not make you spiritual.

2. Your spiritual life is the key to your spiritual blessing. God wants us to get to the high ground and to follow the colors. You don’t chase after a career, a dream, a woman, etc. You cannot keep going down these dead ends chasing your dreams, and move ahead spiritually.

3. Keep our priorities straight. Satan will give us whatever we want, if we will just forsake the mandates of God. Satan, “Just fall down and worship me...deal or no deal?” Satan was smart enough to convince a third of the angels to worship him. “Go away, you are to worship God and God only.” Satan is the God of this world; he could offer all of these things to Jesus.

4. A risk taker has a humility profile. Humility is the greatest virtue that we can have. When human power and human ability is reduced to zero, and spirituality is increased to the max, that is what humility is. Isolation of sin was one of Bob’s great doctrines. Of course, we have failed.

Humility is not being humiliated (although sometimes God must do that). We need to be able to follow orders, so that we can be a winner, so that we can have an invisible impact. Humility requires some thought. Humility is never inherited. The military can teach you a little of this. You cannot execute the Christian life without humility; you’ll always be asking why?

The risk taker will answer the call of duty out of loyality. Micah 3:2 lists the many problems of Judah. God said, “I am looking for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap so that I would not destroy them, but I could not find one.” God does not need thousands; He only needs a few.

The question is, what has God equipped us to do? God has given us a spiritual gift, and that gift is the function inside our church. We all have a spiritual gift and we are to use that spiritual gift. First of all, we are a saint. We are also servants. We are also mandated to be slaves. Before God, we are a hagios, a saint. We are deaconos.

The mother of James and John came to Jesus and asked that her two sons sit on his left and right hand side when getting into the kingdom. “Are you able to drink of the cup that I must drink of?” Jesus asked James and John. The other 10 disciples were pissed off to hear this. “Who do they think they are to ask this?” “Whoever will be great among you, let him be your servant. Whoever wishes to be first, let him be a slave.” A servant is hired to do a job; a slave is owned. A servant could chose not to be set free after 7 years; he could serve out of love. A hole was punched in his ear. Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ; if we want to follow Jesus Christ, then we need to be a slave. We are owned. And then He set us free. We can go on our merry way, and see God in heaven. However, we can also say, “No thank you, I want to serve you.” The slave is a dedicated of his master’s interest. Matt. 23:11: the greatest among you will be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be abased and he that humbles himself will be exalted. He who is the greatest among you will be your servant; he who elevates himself through elevation will be humbled by exposure.

1. The one that elevates himself, does so by illusion. You have a unrealistic view of yourself. God was in business before we got here and He will be in business after we are gone. The religious types who like to hear people call out, Rabbi, Rabbi. You think people should treat you in a certain way. Show up, shut up and fake it till you make it, is how to work well in Berachah. We live like this, and God will blow our cover. Our little charade, of the great Christian that we think we are, will be blown off the top. He will reveal us through suffering for the real person that we are. James and John actually believe that they deserved being put at His right and left time.

When you are impressed with yourself, you have a problem; God will sooner or later expose what we are. When pressure comes, He will test us.

Risk takers vs. excuse makers in Matt. 8. When Jesus saw the great multitudes of people, He gave the mandate to follow Him to the other side. The large crowds were getting out of control and it was getting dark. They were going to get in a boat and cross the sea. Called the Sea of Tiberius today by the Arabs. Sunday morning will be a study of 3 excuse makers. There will be 3 who will find a reason to bail on Him. The boat shakers are the ones who went. However, there will be a great storm and all these men who have been fishermen all their lives are afraid.

Rick spoke at Yates High School; spoke to 5 groups of 400 each day. Difficult, as he would repeat the message 5 times.

Risk takers vs. Excuse makers: must take point, must be able to risk it all, must be willing to follow orders, these are the kinds of men where death will knock on the door many times; must be dedicated to the mission; marked by sorrow, but defined by joy, a lifestyle of trust, must live by faith. There is obedience to authority. When faced with authority, we cannot react; we must respond. Authority is sometimes unfair, but being able to deal with that is true humility. Keep your mouth shut and take it. Arrogance will always challenge authority; often with the word why. Rejection of authority carries responsibility and results. The risk taker must be willing to answer the call. Ακολουτεω = to follow. Οκνερος = the person who lags behind, the person who does not quite keep up. Don’t lag in zeal, but be ardent in your service to the Lord. The believer who is satisfied with his life and does not realize that Satan has drawn a bead on him. Not consistent in his spiritual life. A non-factor in the angelic conflict. A humility profile. Christians who are hotdogs never learn the protocol plan of God. Being in church does not mean that you impress God. Anyone can be in church out of fellowship, and you will never get anything out of it, including divine rewards.

Matt. 8: Jesus is in the home of Peter, and his mother is sick; He heals her. The crowd grows to great numbers where Jesus in on the shore. So Jesus tells the disciplines that they will leave. They are about to cross 4 miles (the lake is 7x12 miles). The cradle of the gospel takes place right in this general area.

Why did Jesus call so many fishermen to His ministry? Possibly to get transportation. These men made their living on the water.

Mat 8:18 And seeing great crowds around Him, Jesus gave orders to go away to the other side.

Mat 8:19 And one scribe, coming near, said to Him, Teacher, I will follow You wherever you may go. This man certainly recognized Jesus’ intellect. Saw the big crowd.

There is a subjunctive mood in v. 19; “I will follow you, if you go (but you aren’t really going, right?” Jesus can read our minds; Satan cannot. This man did not think that Jesus would leave this huge crowd. He was acting like a follower, but he did not have the heart to follow.

Jesus taught in parables because everything that he taught was being used against Him. People who are negative cannot figure out what he is saying. His disciples would know.

Mat 8:20 And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere He may lay His head. There is no human security in following Jesus Christ. “Foxes have a hole to go to for safety; birds can take to the air for safety; but, I have nowhere that I can rest My head.” There is no tour bus and no reservation at the Hilton. “You aren’t really going to leave this crowd, are you?” “Yes, I am going to leave this crowd.”

Mat 8:21 And another of His disciples said to Him, Lord, allow me first to go away and bury my father. This person had a problem, and he was concerned with the protocol of society. The traditional precedence of a funeral was going to take precedence over Jesus Christ.

Mat 8:22 But Jesus said to him, Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead. If you are going to be a risk taker, and not an excuse maker, then you must be willing to go anywhere at any time. We will all die; we can all bank on that. Our bodies cannot take on immortality. We must have a resurrection body. We have a contaminated body.

There is physical death; spiritual death. We were unbelievers, and we have volition. We have a conscience—norms and standards, which we learned as young children. We learned to acclimate to privacy, authority, etc. Then we learn more in church. Then we have self consciousness. We can stand in front of a mirror and recognize ourselves.

If we have not believed in Jesus Christ, then we are spiritually dead; our spirit does not function. 1John 5:1 He that believes in Christ has been regenerated by God.

Sexual death, e.g., Abraham and Sarah. Positional death is us when we are out of fellowship with God. Under the control of the old sin nature. We are positionally dead. Eph. 2:1 And you were made alive who was dead in tresspasses and sins.

You let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. When Rick presides at a wedding, no one pays any attention; when he presides at a funeral, people listen; they are a little afraid.

“Just hold the boat; I’ve got a funeral to go to, and I will join you later.”

Luke 9:61 And also another said, I will follow You, Lord, but first allow me to take leave of those in my house.

Durant: it is not easy to be the wife of a special operator. A woman in love with such a man, and she knows that she is on a roller-coaster ride. When the beeper goes off, the man is gone. A risk taker answers the call of duty.

Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, No one putting his hand on the plow, and looking at the things behind, is fit for the kingdom of God. Jesus gives the answer. The verb is βλεπω = to glance back. This is a quick glance back. Don’t start to pack and then change your mind. You don’t begin the task and then turn back. You were free from the penalty and power of sin and you moved forward. You might end up on a side road for 10 years, which leads to a dead end. This is an excuse to move forward spiritually.

Now, there were some good men who did get into the boat. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus approached Matthew and said, “Get up and follow me.” And Matthew did.

You must put a premium on Bible doctrine in your life. Rich young ruler who was told to sell all that he had; and the price to him was too great.

Has there ever been anyone in your life that you trust so completely, that, regardless of the cost, you would follow him. Jesus Christ is aware of everything that we are going through. He will never abandon us; I will never leave you and I will never forsake you. We may quit loving God; He will never quit loving us. Is there a cause you would invest your life in?

If you ae going to trust Jesus Christ and you are going to follow Him, you have to be careful. In the US, you might be told that you need to follow your dreams. Full, lasting happiness is not based upon circumstances. “Is not my Word like a fire?” says the Lord, “Or a hammer, which smashes the rock?”

Next group are going to be the boat-shakers. John 12:26: If anyone serves Me, then let him follow Me.”

What Does it mean to follow Him? (1) It means to follow His instructions. (2) To follow His example. υπογραμας = a tracing, a template. It took our Lord’s 30 years to construct this template, and 3 years to test it. Matt. 29, it is called a ζυγοτ = yoke. “Take My yoke upon you. My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

These men got on the boat, and there was a reason for it. God makes no mistakes in our lives. A great tempest kicks up, and the men there are fishermen; they are used to all of this stuff. This storm was something like they have never seen before. They went from relaxing to reacting. They began to freak out. Fear replaced their thinking; they had been through a lot of storms, but never through a storm like this. Fear sees the problem, but faith sees the solution. You do not solve a problem by creating another problem. Divine solutionis are the only solutions; human solutions are no solutions. The thing that shook them to the core is, they were about to die.

God does not deliver the Christian by cancelling the crisis. God often intensifies the test so that we set aside our human resources and use the faith-rest drill. Orient to grace and adjust. These men panicked; they were afraid. They were afraid of dying. Hebrew 2:14–15: Since, then, the children have partaken of flesh and blood, in like manner He Himself also shared the same things, that through death He might cause to cease the one having the power of death, that is, the devil; and might set these free, as many as by fear of death were subject to slavery through all the lifetime to live.

Death should not be feared. We get a new body and a new life in heaven. We have nothing to be afraid of. In the worst storm these men have ever seen, and Jesus is sleeping.

Mat 8:24 And, behold, a great shaking occurred in the sea, so that the boat was covered by the waves; but He was sleeping. Jesus was not asleep in His deity, but He was asleep in His humanity, being physically exhausted. These disciples were stressed out. They were like the adjitator on a washing machine. These storms can be internal as well. The disciples were not helpless. God would not put them where they could not handle it. God does not do that to us.

The problem was not the storm, but the fear. Jesus knew that over the next few years, that they needed to get over this fear of death. We must get ride of putting a premium on security. This test was designed to release them from the fear of death.

Also, here, prayer was not the solution. The solution was faith. Jesus did not rebuke them for not praying; He rebuked them for not using the faith-rest drill. These men were sinning; ;they were in fear.

Our emotions can function normally or abnormally; but our feelings do not dictate our spiritual life. In today’s society, some groups make you feel inferior because you are not up to their height in emotionalism. “Didn’t you feel it? God is here.” “Well, sure; and He was here the night before when no one was here.” God is imminent and transcendent; He is not local. Emotion does not contain any thought. The Christian life is based on virtue and not emotion.

Mat 8:25 And coming near, His disciples aroused Him, saying, Lord, save us! We are perishing.

Mat 8:26 And He said to them, Why are you afraid, little-faiths? Then rising up, He rebuked the winds and the sea. And a great calm occurred.

These men were impressed with this miracle. When He said, “Stop!” the storm stopped; but there was no real power in the disciples. They did not have the faith rest drill, so God had to intervene. The men marveled; they were blown away.

Isn’t it amazing that the seas and the winds obey Jesus Christ, and yet we don’t?

Mat 8:27 And the men marveled, saying, What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?

Mat 8:28 And He coming to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, two demon-possessed ones met Him, coming out of the tombs, very violent, so that no one was able to pass through that way.

Mat 8:29 And, behold! They cried out, saying, What is to us and to You, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here beforetime to torment us?

An atheist defends his position with faith. “There is not a God, because I don’t believe there is one.” So, where do you place your faith?

When the believer dies, we go face to face with the Father; and the unbeliever goes to hell to be kept until the Great White Throne of Judgment. God knows exactly who we are and where we are. When we die without believing in Jesus Christ, our name is blotted out of the book of life.

“Many will say to Me in that day, did I not do this or that in Your name?” However, the works will cancel out the faith. We must get there by faith alone.

Then God will open up the human good production. God is not impressed with human good. They can be very moral; but they won’t get to heaven. Only one good protects us. The unbeliever will face a holy and just God, and he does not want to face that.

Summaries:

1. If you are going to be a risk taker instead of an excuse maker, you cannot be afraid to follow Jesus Christ. He will not take us where we can’t do; nor will He expect us to do what we cannot do. So many people are just fed cliches for spirituality. “Follow the Lord; give it all. Go to church and pray and read the Bible—will that make you a good Christian.”

2. Faith must be tested. There is a difference between faith perception and faith operation. You must put it to use via positive volition in our lives. Then we face a difficult situation and we use faith application. Orient to grace and adjust. You perceive truth by faith, not by rationalism or empiricism, but by faith. Faith application delivers us from the adverse circumstances; but does not necessarily remove the circumstances.

3. 1Cor. 10:13: No testing has overtaken you that was not common to everyone else; and God will provide us a way out. God will not test us more than we can stand. The disciples did not pass because they focused on the problem, but not on the solution.

4. They tried to solve a problem by creating another problem.

5. Jesus called them short-time trusters. They had the doctrine, but they were not using it; they kept looking at the storm.

6. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.

7. The doctrine that we get every time in Bible class can be used and applied. The Christian life can be lived without stress; it is a new way of life.

We might be told to yield and to surrender; but this means very little. A guy came to Rick before he knew anything and wanted to rededicate, and Rick could not help him.

Humble ourselves, become obedient, as was Jesus. Jesus Himself faced the fear of death. Jesus had to be willing to die, and trust that His Father would resurrect Him again.

There was not one leader in the group of disciples. If we went to Six Flags and paid money, we would not have this good of a ride.

When we have an unrealistic self-image, we have problems and we do not believe that we are treated as we ought to be treated. These messages will be more practical than doctrinal. Total privacy in this congregation; no one knows anything about your life. We’re all in Christ, a position which never changes; we might not be in fellowship, however. A tragedy is to sit in church and be out of fellowship.

The My-Way Highway is the study for today. Studying the book of Judges. As long as Joshua was alive, the people were faithful. However, when he passed away, the Jews revealed some glaring flaws. Judges 2:4

Judges 2:4 –7 As soon as the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to the LORD. When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel.

Judges 2:16–17 Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so.

Judges 2:19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

In the world, people look to a leader to guarantee security and motivation. However, Cursed is the man who trust in man.

Under Deborah, Israel had 40 yeas of peace; under Gideon there was 40 years of peace. 3 chapters about Samson. How did someone with so much potential do so poorly? There is a plan for us do.

Jdg 13:1–5 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, so the LORD gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines."

Difference between the Holy Spirit ministry in the Old and New Testaments. We are born spiritually dead because we have Adam’s imputed sin.

Samson had a good mother and father. Samson went wrong when he went down to Timnath and he saw a Philistine woman. He decided he wanted to marry her. We are not to marry unbelievers. Samson finds an unbelieving Philistine and wants to marry her. God had already said, “Don’t marry an unbeliever.” Samson went from the directive will of God to His permissive will. This woman and her father were later slaugthered by the Philistines.

Jdg 14:1–4 Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, "I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife." But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes." His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.

Jdg 16:1–2 Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here." And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, "Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him."

She is quite different from Rahab, who recognizes the Jews and what their God is like. She feared the God of the Jews; Delilah had no respect for Samson or his God; and no fear. This is like the world and us—we are viewed that way in the world.

Jdg 16:15–21 And she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies." And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. And he told her all his heart, and said to her, "A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man." When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up again, for he has told me all his heart." Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep and said, "I will go out as at other times and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him. And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand."

A bunch of them gathered and made fun of Samson; and Samson rebounds, getting back into fellowship. He calls to the Lord. He asks with one blow to take vengeance on the Philistines. He asks to be guided to the pillars of the building. Then they began to give a little. 3000 died with him. He killed more there then in his life.

Points on Samson

1. Samson was blind way before they put his eyes out; he was blinded by arrogance.

2. Samson was reckless with his position; he was a judge and a leader in Israel; he should have ruled for 80 years.

3. At some times, he had phenomenal strength and at other times, unbelievable arrogance. Paul said someting hout this: I want to do what is right.

4. Samson self-destructed through his lust.

5. He could have ruled for many years with a wonderful life, had he just stayed off the myway-highway.

6. We all have fatal flaws. Do you let it destroy you? Do you let it out of the box and get succked in this vortex

7. God can use us even when we fail miserably. God had a plan but Samson did not follow it. God used him despite his failures.

8. God never took away his voltion.

9. No one could have defeated Samson if he kept his mouth shut and his pants on.

10. Samson had incredible talents and strength and leadership ability; but he had an old sin nature on steroids.

Samuel goes down to the house of Jesse, and he is told that God will identify the son of Jesse who will be the next king of Israel. Jesse brings out 7 of his sons, and Jesse probably feels like he’s won the lottery.

God is not impressed by our exterior; Samuel figured this would be easy. He looks at Elias, and thinks he’s found the right man, and God tells Samuel that this is a loser.

1Sa 16:6–8 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is before him." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."

1Sam. 16:9–11Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here."

1Sam. 16:12–16 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he." Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well."

What impresses God about us? We have Christ’s righteousness in us. God is impressed by that. God likes to look at us and see that +R. God knows what we are thinking. We all fail; we all make mistakes; none of us is perfect. God knows our heart and the desires of our heart. God sees something in this young man that we are still to see.

What did David have that his other brothers did not have? There are two mountains with a dried up river bed in between with the Philistines on one mountain and Israel on the other.

1Sa 17:1–11 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." And the Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together." When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

This is Big Sexy; his armor weighed 20 lbs.; he was over 9 ft. tall; he could dunk a basketball without jumping. He called for Israel to send out just one man. Fear gripped Israel. Goliath did this every day for 40 days and 40 nights. There was not a single person in Saul’s army who understood the faith-rest drill. None would take the initiative and face him. Jesse might be tuned into Fox News or CNN to see what is going on there. Jesse wants to know what is going on, so he sends David out there. He gives supplies to David to take there 15 miles away. David is to find out how they are and to bring proof that they are still alive. David wakes up early, leaves his sheep with a keeper, and he goes as his father commanded him. David is responsible and authority-oriented.

All of David’s brothers are there (well, 3 of them) and they won’t go down. As David speaks to his brothers, Goliath comes out and says the same things, but this time David saw him. The other army men are afraid.

Boxing back in high school when it rained. One big kid and no one wanted to box him. This is the same thing here. David says, “Who is this unsaved Philistine that he should curse the armies of the living God?” David is just a kid and he is shocked. “Just who’s in command?” David’s oldest brother is angry and speaks up. Eliab is willing to fight David. David had to determine whether to fight his brother or to fight Goliath. His brother was lucky. Eliab was not chosen because under pressure, he had no nerve.

Someone goes to Saul and says, “There’s a kid out here asking all kinds of questions.” Saul says to David, “You can’t fight him; you’re a youth and he’s been a soldier for his youth up.” David tells about killing a lion and a bear.

Rich has hunted deer, but never lions. Shoot at a lion and miss, you have problems. A deer will run. The lion will charge. Usually a backup man.

When David tells this, Saul says, “Good deal; get out there and the Lord be with you.” Saul us going to use David to act as a distraction.

David was not accustomed to Saul’s armor, and David walks right down to the middle of the wadi and he kneels down, choosing 5 smooth stones. Goliath comes down and curses David by his God. Eliab might be saying, “Serves him right; runs his mouth and now see what he has got himself into.”

1Sa 17:44–47 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field." Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand."

The giant says, “What, are you going to attack me with some kind of stick?” And David runs toward the giant. Everyone watches, and they see that David is going to throw a rock at him. In the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the courage of the doctrine in his soul, David has his eyes on the solution, not the problem. He lets go of the stone at 5 or 10 or 15 yards away. And people are laughing, “He threw a rock at him.” There is no place where the rock could harm the giant except against his forehead, the only open place on his body.

David ran to where the giant was, grabbed his sword, and cut off Goliath’s head. Then he reached down and picked it up. The deal was, “We will serve you” was off. David ran once the Philistine fell and used his sword against him.

1Sa 17:52–53 And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.

Saul’s army was filled with males, but no men. However, they were looking for a man, and David came along and inspired them. A male lives by his emotions; he does not operate on what the Word of God says. The Bible says, Let this mind be in your which was in Jesus. It is David’s faith in his soul which sustained him. This gave him courage and confidence. A crisis exposes a person for what they really are: a man or a male.

David picked up 5 stones for Goliath and his sons. There were 4 big ugly boys behind Goliath. There were 4 born to Goliath, another reason no Jew stepped forward. There was no fear in David. A real man operates under humility. Arrogant people cannot be taught anything; humble people can. You respect authority and you respond to the Word of God.

Closing Principles

When you’re on the God’s way highway, you are going to be tested; this is how you grow. It may not be the test that you enjoy or like. You’ll be tested on what you learn today. You might lose 20 years along the way, if you go down your own highway. David executed the plan of God; he failed, but he came back.

1. The best looking is not always the best. Ladies, don’t worry about what a man looks like; just worry about how he thinks.

2. The strongest is not always the one with the biggest muscles. Eliab could probably use his sword pretty well. But he had nothing in his soul.

3. God knows what is in our hearts; don’t play games. God knows what is there.

4. The coward diies many deaths.

5. The battle is not always on the battlefield. The battle was in David’s soul; not the battlefield. Will you fear or will you walk by faith and not by sight? We can be extra-ordinary individuals. We have things the Old Testament believers did not have. We may never walk out on a battlefield, but we face giants in every day life. Faith is mixing the promises of God with the absolute confidence in our souls. Jer. 17:10: The Lord searches the heart...

Are you man enough to step out against the giants in your life? The nation Israel was stabilized because one man believed God.

Rick Hughes — guest speaker. When Rick goes to a school, he was to earn his right to be heard; but, in Berachah, that is not the case. Accurate content is used by God the Holy Spirit, and God the Holy Spirit uses that in a ministry.

The Word of God gives us discernment and insight. As we study the Word of God, we learn who we are and why we do what we do. It always begins with your thoughts, and these thoughts bring things into our lives, e.g., actions. The Word of God gives us clear and lucid instructions. These are called the command/intents in Scripture; the imperative mood in Scripture: Grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are required to spiritually grow.

There is a big difference between knowing God and understanding God. When dealing with God, there is always protocol. E.g., some people think that they can pray at any time and under any circumstance, and they think that God will hear them, but He won’t in specific instances. If you want to understand God, you need to understand how He thinks. He does not think like we think.

We think in terms of time and emotion; but God is outside of time and God does not have emotion.

There is nothing that we can do to change God’s love for us. We are a product of the love of God. God has never bailed out on you, even if we have bailed out on Him. I exercise grace and judgment on the earth. Or, the ESV ...but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

99% of the believing world does not even know what God has for them. They do not know about the 39 things which He has given us at salvation. If believers don’t know these basic doctrines, e.g., being filled with God the Holy Spirit, they go nowhere. Their life is worthless. Rick went to a church for a year, and he asked the pastor about the Spirit-filled life, and the pastor said “Go to this conference” and he did, paid $50 for the conference and $29.95 for the book, and still didn’t get it. Then someone gave him a Thieme tape.

Those who do not have any spiritual skills, end up being caricature of Christ; a gross distortion of the original. They do not really represent the character of Christ. No doctrine but having a lot of zeal makes a person into a caricature of our Lord; this makes a person a laughing stock at times. You make a fool out of yourself. Gal. 4:19: My little children, those I have labored so hard for you, until Christ be formed in you. We begin to reveal the character of Jesus Christ in our life.

The people to whom Paul wrote in Galatia were saved; even those who later went on to be circumcised. Now, these believers were saved forever, but the younger ones who would come up would believe that circumcision was a part of salvationi. Satan is looking 20–30 years into the future, looking to distortions that he could work into the church. Satan hopes to make us into caricature, and a believer who cannot reproduce, even though we act as if we are believers. 2Cor. 11:13: there are among you deceitful workers. They may lie, and say, “You cannot be certain of your salvation until you die.” But, the Bible says, “These things are written so that you know that you have eternal life.” When we come up with weird commandments, like do not drink, do not smoke, do not dance; we are caricatures of Jesus Christ.

There are cosmic evangelists everywhere today. Some are saved who try to lure us into spirituality by works; there will be unsaved ones who try to lure us away from salvation. “Happiness belongs to those who hear My Father’s Word and keep it.” If we can reproduce the character of Jesus Christ, then we can represent Jesus Christ to our own generation.

Many lost people laugh at the Savior because so many believers are ludicrous and absurd. “Now, brother, you know, lying will send you to hell; smoking will send you to hell.” What we receive at Berachah is precisely correct procedure. We avoid the doctrine of demons. These can be very subtle. When you open your mouth and represent Jesus Christ, you had better get it right. He is not our buddy, He is our God, and He is a consuming fire.

Most churches today are Christian entertainment shows. Some just want to go and feel good about themselves; it is all they want. Some want a nice house and others could not care less where they live. To whom much is given, much is required. God judges us according to our production, which can be divine or human good. One is burned and the other is burned. In many churches, they have no idea what human good vs. divine good is all about.

Deut. 4:24: For the Lord your God is a consuming fire... For many of us, we’d be better off with our mouths closed.

Zeal + ignorance = a disaster. The caricature of Christ might have a lot of zeal but they have no doctrine. Rick Hughes attended a pep rally for Jesus the other day; “Men, guard your pea patch” was the message. When someone tells Rick something which is ludicrous or stupid, he asks, “So, how do you do that?” Such people have a lot of zeal, but nothing else. You need discipline to come to Bible class.

Illustration from Roman history. Zeal + no strategy. J. E. Linden, Soldiers and Ghosts. P. 200 the roles of the generals when Rome fought with the Carthaginians.. Hannibal’s war tactics was used, which were hard to match. Rome fought under virtue and discipline. Virtue to them meant manliness, strength in the face of adversity, no fear. Discipline was training and self-control. The Romans had more zeal than they had discipline; more zeal than strategy. Hanibal found the way to defeat the Romans during the Punic Wars. Anyone who delayed a battle was suspect, so they attacked no matter what. They attacked him over level ground instead of over rocky ground, and they lost for that reason. Discipline must be overriding before courage and zeal kick in. With all the zeal in the world, you aren’t going anywhere.

Rick Hughes — guest speaker: He reviews the previous hour: a caricature is a gross distortion of what someone else is. Many believers are caricatures of Jesus Christ.

Emotions may motivate us to be a crusader, but we will be soundly defeated by Satanic strategy. Let this mind be in you, that was in Christ;... He doesn’t call for these emotions to be in us, but people get emotional at church and at worship services, but they are not to run ahead of strategy and discipline. Satan has a strategy about us; he knows us, he knows our old sin nature trends, and he knows ways of defeating us. He wants to keep us from representing Jesus Christ to our generation. It can involve disillusion, or calling us into a different way of thinking. The armor of God begins with the belt of truth, which is the doctrine in our souls. This is where it all starts. Nothing else can be attached without this doctrine. When Paul speaks of lifting up the shield of faith. If I am injured and I go down, and someone else uses their shield of faith to protect us. The enemy laughs at our zeal. He laughs at our emotions. When you let emotions dictate policy rather than doctrine. In a worship service, if we are in emotional hyper drive, we are not growing. Doctrine gives insight to the simple. Satan wants to neutralize us. Many believers are not aware that they have a spiritual life; they do not even know what it is. They are never told from the pulpit that they have a spiritual life. They think that going to church is their spiritual life. As a super-giant Christian they might read some daily devotion in a booklet. Daily devotion should be learning doctrine for an hour a day under the authority of your pastor; not some lame, 15 minute sermon that someone sells you. You might go to a Christian camp and you get all psyched up, but you fall right back into your old ways when you go back to your life. They are confused, but the fact is, you are not growing. Colomel Thieme: Growth is our objective, and it is the basis for all temporal and eternal blessings. As we advance up the hill, Satan will shoot his fiery darts at us. If we can remain disciplined and keep our focus, then perhaps we could reach spiritual maturity and we can have maximum glorification of Jesus Christ in time. We’ve all been defeated. When we get knocked down, we get up again. Satan does not want to be exposed. Satan has maximum strategy against us. The ones who call themselves Apostles of Christ; such are false Apostles and deceitful workers, and it is no wonder, as Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light...bringing in destructive heresies including denying the Lord Who bought them. We can veer off the path; we can veer away. Jer. 6:16: You are standing at a crossroad; ask where is the path which leads to blessing; and if you do so, you will find rest for you soul. Growth to spiritual maturity is the path that we need to be on.

It is amazing how believers cannot recognize evil when they see it. Someone told Rick to attend some retreat. Even demons have enough sense to tell a charade when they see it, but some Christians do not. Why is it that a false angel can spot a charade, but we cannot?

Often, a false sense of respectability. Like Dr. so-and-so coming to speak. If they appeal to emotion with maximum enthusiasm, we get sucked into it.

In Paul’s defense, Thomas Nelson Study Bible in 2Corinthians. Many centuries later, the cast of characters is changed, but the story remains the same. The church continues to be infiltrated by those who had wrong ideas; those who speak with passion and eloquence; and their ideas seem to make perfect sense. Mass communication has brought on the hucksters. Like pastors with a book to sell. It might be a pro-athlete. It might be a business man who claims that God is his inspiration.

Our inspiration is Jesus Christ and the Word of God in our souls. Enthusiasm is great, if infused with doctrine. Emotions can be contagious and they can contaminate othe people when they flow out of us. God the Father lives inside of us; God the Holy Spirit lives inside of us; and we think we need to get more? We think we need to get our emotions involved. What is it that you want to feel? What is it the doctrine doesn’t give you that you think you need? Everyone else seems to be so enthusiastic. People who live like this always go nuts. You can’t live over the top.

Why do Believers Fail to Produce the Assets of Christ.

1. Their relationship with people is more important than their relationship with God. Risk-taker series; I would like to go with you, but I need to bury my father. Luke 9:62: Any man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of heaven. It is Jesus Christ Who is the priority. Learning and applying the Word of God is what we need to do. “If any man is going to come after Me, then let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” We are called to be a faithful ambassador for Christ. With all teachability, with all patience, with all gentleness, bearing one another in love. Don’t turn your back on a believer who has been injured by sin and laying out in the battlefield. Philip. 3:10: that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection... It is not getting rid of a negative mindset. Happiness belongs to those who hear My Father’s Word and keep it. The power is in the Word of God in your soul. That will deal with your life. If these books don’t tell you how to be filled with the Spirit; how to grow. I’ve a really bad old sin nature; mine is on steroids. Most places, the spiritual life is training the old sin nature not the sin anymore. You can’t bring your old sin nature into submission and behave? It won’t happen. The old sin nature is corrupt.

2. They try to execute God’s plan through human power and human dynamics; it won’t work; that is human viewpoint. This means you have no spiritual skills; if you are going to execute the plan of God, then you must get into fellowship and grow through learning the Word of God. Show up, shut up, and fake it until you make it. Hear it and apply it. Is it sensational? No. Is it enthusiastic? No. In the Old Testament, they stood up when they heard the Word of God. You can try to reform the trends of the old sin nature, but that is not the spiritual life. The more you grow in grace, the better that you see what you are.

3. They have a total misunderstanding of the Biblical mechanics of love. A total misunderstanding; they do not understand love. We need to pray for Bobby, the supervisors, the new Love of God booklet. First of all, it has nothing to do with emotions. I pray that you would be rooted and grounded in love. Eph. 3:19: we need to understand the grace of God. We need to control the direction of that love. We need ἑπίγνωσις and wisdom. The discipline and knowing when to use it. As a believer in Jesus Christ, we can’t become emotional, and the river overflow the banks. We are to speak the truth in love. We could receive a year of teaching on the subject of love. This is love, that we walk after His mandates.

4. Another reason why believers don’t represent the characteristics of Christ: they never get consistent Bible teaching. Has consistent Bible teaching been offered to us? 53 + 3 years worth. Did you find a better deal elsewhere? Then why are you miserable and complaining? Why are you having this pity party? Why would you not want to understand God’s plan? If your life is miserable and unhappy, then why would you not want to understand God’s plan for your life? Take My yoke upon you; my burden is easy. Why would you not want to know what your riches in Christ are. I continue to make mention of you in My prayers...and revelation so that the eyes of your understanding might be enlightened.

The instructions give insight to the untrained. When the light cracks through the door, we get to see ourselves as we really are. Then you begin, then you begin to understand the intent of God. 1Peter 2:21: I have left you an example [a tracing, a template],... Rom. 12:3: Don’t think in terms of arrogance, but think in terms of humility, as God has assigned to us a standard of thinking according to His Word. People go to church all the time who are not saved.

B1 is the day we are born and showed up at the hospital; B2 is our spiritual birth, when we believed in Jesus Christ. It is probable that we are in the right place at the right time, but in the wrong way. If there is unconfessed sin in our life, then that needs to be dealt with.

Bobby’s teaching has helped him to avoid syncretism and to avoid becoming a struthious believer. Several weeks ago, Bobby mentioned that we believers have a mission statement in 1Cor. 10:1, and that we ought not to compartmentalize our spiritual lives. Do not bend our lives into human viewpoint thinking. Rick likes these mission statements.

Today, we will get into core values of the well-motivated believer. These values cause us to do what we do. It drives and directs our every decision and our every action. Our core values are in the mind and they influence our daily thinking. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed... The commanders intent is that we not be conformed to this world, but that we are transformed by a complete renovation of the way that we think. Our thinking is to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Marcus is a Navy Seal, and Berachah has a tradition of honoring soldiers. There is a book which tells the story of him and he was on the cover of a July time magazine. He talks about being baptized into one of the greatest fighting units of the armed forces. Seals are some of the toughest guys that we have.

A combat operation went bad and 10 Navy Seals and some 18 from the 160^th were killed on a mountain top in Afghanistan. They died in the line of duty giving a testimony to the brave spirit of our fighting men. Each of these men had a driving force causing them to risk their lives. Their lives are marked by sorrow and defined by joy. They had a set of core values instilled in them, duty honor and country before safety and life. Honor, courage, integrity, loyalty, innovation, train, and fight to win. Like most special operation soldiers, they operate behind enemy lines most of the time. We operate behind enemy lines as well. Spiritual quiet professional. Seal training separates the mentally tough from the physically fit. The body can take almost anything; it is the mind which goes first. These men are often set back by injustice, just like us. So, can we handle injustice in our life? Can we still stand firm when everything else goes wrong all around us.

If we do not apply the Word into our hearts, then we are not striving. The second word means to what we find. Another word do not get caught doing the wrong thing, so that no one has a reason to censure you. You must keep the old sin nature under control and in check. Be reliable; be someone that God can depend upon. Are we that person? We are not to let out old sin natures dominate our lust pattern. When we fail and sin, we give opportunity for Satan to impugn the Word of God in order. We do not have a right to be caught with our hand in the cookie jar. A football player who is known to fumble is not the kind of person we ought to be playing in a game. When God gives us the ball, there are angels in heaven who complain.

Apparently Rick of Tetelesti church in Pittsburgh sent him some points on core values. Our pulse is the dirving dynamic of the mature believer which causes his heart to beat in union with the heartbeat of Christ, so that we have the same love, the same motivation and desire. For me, living is Christ and dying is profit. Col. 3:4: When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you will be revealed in Him. Let’s examine your pulse to see what it is.

Probity = an adherence to the highest principles and ideals. God wants us to be reliable. As we are tested, as we grow, our core values begin to grow. Rom. 5:4: δοκιμη = provenness. Suffering produces endurance and endurance gives us confidence. It is our heritage of believers who believe in Jesus Christ. None of us will have a proven character until we are tested.

Marcus Lutrell’s book. An officer trashed his room and then told him there would be an inspection. “Marcus, the body can take almost anything; but the mind needs to be able to deal with unfairness and injustice.” Nothing separates the men from the boys like injustice; unjust treatment. If we ever think that God treats us unjustly.

I’ve been a good person and I don’t understand why I have to die like this. Someone that Rick talked with. You cannot operate with your own understanding; you must have the mind of Christ. It starts with thinking in terms of humility. No testing has overtaken us as is common to man. We cannot second-guess God when it comes to unfairness. “Why did you put this on me? Why are you testing me here?” God provides the way out; we are a work in progress; let God do it. James tells us so that we may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

You don’t gripe, you don’t complain; you suck it up without excuse. James says we will be mature and complete; we will have no defects in our life.

Growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Continued acknowledgment of the truth. For in Christ, circumcision or uncircumcision does not count as anything. You must have probity to have the thinking of Christ.

Thus says the Lord, do not let the wise man glory in his wisdom, or the strong man glory in his strength, but let the one who glories in this, that he understand Me and that he knows Me. From Jeremiah. We need insight; we must be able to comprehend His plan.

You cannot advance in your spiritual life without knowing some basic doctrines: rebound, faith rest, and growth. We cannot pull the wool over God’s eyes. Some people would be better off just keeping our mouths shut.

The formula for disaster is called artificial intelligence. It is arrogance + ignorance = artificial intelligence. Arrogance can be the zeal of the religious fanatic. Zeal without strategy is arrogance and ignorance.

2 Punic War by J. E. Lindon. P. 200 and the role of the Roman generals. 218–202 b.c. punic wars, and called the war against Hannibal. War with the Phonecians and the Cathiginians. No general could match his army, although they had a more experienced army. Vitrus and disciplinia were the two things important to the Roman army. Hannibal had a simple strategy. If a general knew the tactics were not right, his own soldiers might ignore him. This attitude caused the Romans the greatest defeat. Between 70,000 and 100,000 Roman soldiers killed that day because of zeal without strategy. They attacked without having the proper land protection. Col. 1:9: And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Paul told Timothy, consider this, that you might have synêthis. You pick up this information from here and from here, and you have a river of facts. Hosea 4:6: You have rejected knowledge, which means that the river has ceased to flow.

We are studying the regular beat of the heart of believer and how it beats in conjunction with the hear to Jesus Christ.

L is love or loyalty. Love produces loyalty. If you love Him, you will obey Him. John 14:15: If you love Him, you will keep my mandates. Personal love for the Father is part of the core values in our life. In 1John 2:15: Do not love the world or the things of the world, because anyone who loves the world, has not the love of God in Him. People who love the world are involved in the κοσμς. Our motivational virtue is code of honor. It is the lure of the world. They tell us where we can find lasting happiness, and that is a mirage. The cosmos can be overcome. Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he that believes in Jesus Christ. Those who hear My Father’s Word and keep it. It is not faith + baptism or faith + membership; faith alone in Christ alone.

We are warned about syncretism. Our faith is exclusive. Loyalty and disloyalty are both absolutes. Distractions are a dime a dozen, but most appeal to our lust pattern. Everyone’s lust pattern is not the same; some lust for sex, for money, for power, for recognition. Most of our distractions come from out lust patterns which pull us out of the plan of God. No man can serve two masters; you cannot serve the old sin nature and its dominant lust patters and God. This is a war for what we think; the time will come when we hate the one and hate the other. You cannot serve God and money at the same time. You blend Bible doctrine to fit your needs. You bend to the demands of the flesh and you bend to the desires of the flesh. Loyalty is an investment, a willingness and longevity. Loyalty and disloyalty are absolutes. Where does our loyalty lie? Do our loyalties make us feel uncomfortable? Is there anything in our life that we would sacrifice everything for. Compromise leads to confusion, which leads to capitulation. Is there a limit to loyalty? God will never bail out on us because of His faithfulness. The cosmos system will evangelize us, to get us on the basis of friendship and family. He that loves father and mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. Maybe family wants you to go in for a more conventional church where the pastor must be nice and works like a social director. His function is manipulation and they will undermine your volition for evil. Your loyalty should be to Bible doctrine and not to some person.

Any ministry is built upon the message, not upon the man. Loyalty goes up and down. Is our pastor loyal to study and teaching? Are you loyal to support the pastor. A pastor-teacher is often encouraged by seeing some believers in church. The pastor is encouraged. The question is, will you compromise? Will you seek pleasure in marriage? Will you have the guts to go it alone?

God is not going to put something on us that we cannot deal with. One difficult thing to deal with is the compromise of no-sleep. Some show up dead tired during the week, and many do not allow their sleep requirements to keep them from doctrine. One guy who went to Berachah, who got up 4 am every morning and got off work at 7pm. He did this for 10 years, delivering bread. This is Joe Griffin. Showed up to Bible class every night. It is not different for a pastor than it is for a regular believer.

When a man feels like he cannot do it any more, when he DOR’s, he says he cannot handle it. If any Navy Seal maligns him for a DOR, he will get a great deal of pressure. At Berachah, we have the right to come and go as we please. If we are not in it for the long haul, and if we are not willing to develop a set of core values, then we might need to DOR. Loyalty as a virtue is loyalty to Bible doctrine. Integrity from that doctrine. This is what honor is. This is what makes us an honorable person. It is not about emotional motivation but about doctrinal stimulation in your life. It is what you think, not what you feel. What you think might get you through the week.

Satisfaction. This is a core value in the believer’s life. This is with regard to what God has given to us and that we have no jealousy with what God has given to others. It is not that I speak in regards to need, as I have learned to be content with whatever God has given me. I wish I had a house like that; I wish I had a bank account like that. In the body of Christ, there is no social strata. The richest person in a congregation is the same as anyone else in the congregation, rich or poor. Do not look around and be jealous. Do not be envious. Being jealous of another person’s advantages is sure death. Bitterness will destroy us. Virtue love is never jealous. It is content; it is satisfied. We are not to provoke one another through jealousy. Some are jealous of the power and the possessions which others have. Prov. 21:3–4: Who is able to stand before jealousy? Testing develops capacity in our lives.

James 1:2: count is all joy when you fall into various trials because testing provides spiritual growth. Pleroma ridge; the valley of blessing; as you go up, Satan has a strategy and tactics, and sometimes he does not need to do much, as we may travel down the my way highway. As we move up this road, we are going to be tested and tempted. The devil is not omnipresent; he cannot be in Houston and Washington at the same time. He may occasionally travel to the Middle East. If we cannot have victory over our own sin nature, then Satan does not need to mess with us; he already has us where he needs us. A lack of patience is a lack of contentment.

Is there anything in our life that we would like for God to take out? God, if you would just take this out, I would be happy. Paul had that with his thorn in the flesh. He asked 3 times and God said, “You are asking Me to remove the very thing which keeps you close to Me.” “My grace is sufficient for you.” When that goes away, you don’t need Him anymore. Some people need the pressure on to keep us close to Him. Unhappy people take their unhappiness wherever they go. It is your lack of satisfaction. Is there something you need to add? Pray for me to win the lottery. Winning the lottery will not make your life better. You have a better chance of getting struck by lightning on a clear sunny day than winning the lottery. It will not make you happy. Having money just allows you to be miserable in another part of town. Be satisfied with what God has given us. We are still a work in progress. In this, you greatly rejoice. Satisfaction and contentment have to be a core value.

Expectancy. Eyes forward and eyes up. This is the hope of glory that God has bestowed upon us. We rejoice in this sufferings. The love of God has been poured out into our hearts because the Holy Spirit has been given to us. He cuts away from that sin nature trend which so easily besets us. Expectancy never gets discouraged. It never gets disillusioned. What did we expect at Berachah? Some come and leave; they expect something and it is not. Berachah is a classroom. This is also the body of Christ. God used Berachah to minister to the people of Houston when that soldier died. Expectancy recognizes the human limitations and is not distracted. It does not get discouraged or disillusioned and is not defeated by means of distraction from the objective and from eventual disgrace. Do we expect to receive an inheritance? Rick never knew his father, and his mother passed away without anything. As children, we our heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ. Escrow blessings for eternity and for time. Do we expect the Lord Jesus Christ to come soon?

One person thought, if the US went down as a client nation, there is no nation right now to take its place. Well, what does that tell you? We all expect to die and we all expect to be judged and many expect to receive a reward and we expect to rule with Christ for His Millennial reign. We can also expect Dan. 12:2: And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth, and those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the firmament. This is called the walk of stars in heaven. We will get the translucent jacket of light; a new aristocracy. 1Cor. 15:39: All flesh is not the same flesh. There is the flesh of man, of bird, of fish; and different celestial bodies; and a different glory of the sun and rthe moon. One star differs from another star in glory, also the resurrection of the dead. The Lord Jesus Christ is so full of glory that we would be blinded to see Him. The Apostle Paul saw Jesus Christ in His glory and was blinded. The translucent jacket of light will shine for all eternity. Do we have the confidence that our life will reflect the glory which is Jesus Christ our Lord?

I will praise Him; I will boast in the Lord, so let the oppressed hear. Magnify the Lord with me; let’s praise the Lord together. Those who look to Him for help, their faces will be lightened. Moses when spending time with God shined. We need that set of core values in our life, that our pulse equals His pulse. Probity and understanding.

Rick Hughes has observed that very few churches rebound at the beginning of the church service. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. We have to get out from under the sin nature.

LAG = learn, apply and glorify. Jesus Christ said in Luke 11:2–28: Happiness belongs to those who hear My Father’s Word and keep it.

A friend whose son was invited to an event to have a meaningful worship experience. Enjoy the passion and the splendor of God’s personality. Rick has never known anyone who is brought to maturity in one meeting (one of the promises). He reads some more of this. Most of what young people are invited to attend are garbage. Young people pay money to attend. One key subject, avoiding the hazards of the anointing; how the cultivate of the girls of the Spirit; how to effect healing. Rick mentions this because many of us have children, nephews and nieces. This is the brand of Christianity which is offered up today; praise and worship band, the dynamic and charismatic worship service, etc. These are called youth on fire, extreme worship groups. The Solomel was involved in Young Life and Rick was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. Many young believers are excited by the lure of the supernatural or the idea of having a vision of God. A guy who spent 90 minutes in heaven. The Apostle Paul had a similar experience, but God told him to keep this to himself. This is called the 3^rd Wave doctrine; it is a movement in our nation. Rick has spoken in 5000 assemblies, twice a day in one. Kids are involved in this kind of stuff. 3^rd wave doctrine is under the board. The 1^st wave started in Houston with Charles Barham, who converted Wm Seymour, who migrated to Lost Angeles and he started the Azuza Street meetings, which was the beginning of the Pentecostal movement. Then there was the charismatic movement, the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The 3^rd great movement of the Holy Spirit in America (they don’t want to be called Pentecostals or charismatics); they want to be known as evangelicals who are open to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. They have saturated churches throughout the US. Is there something out there that we are missing?

John 9:31: We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. You can pray your brains out as an unbeliever, and your prayer will not be heard. Are we bonafide worshipers of God and are we doing His will?

To John 4. Jesus was having tremendous success, and some of John’s people were having trouble with this.

John 1:1–4: Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria.

John 4:5–8: So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)

John 4:9–20: The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock." Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true." The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship."

The Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerizim, which is where it was thought that Abraham offered up Isaac.

John 4:21–24: Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

John 4:25–26: The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."

Summary on Jesus and the Samaritan

1. Our Lord gives specific instructions regarding worship. Our God is a God of specifics and consequences.

2. The Samaritans were doing a right thing, but in the wrong way.

3. A true worshiper obeys the protocol plan of God in worship.

4. Worship must occur in Spirit and in truth. There are these two things which are a part of worship. We were born with a body and a soul, but we have no human spirit. When we are born-again, we get a human spirit and the only way for us to worship God is to worship Him in spirit. A believer with unconfessed sin in his life, you are not worshiping. You have quenched the Spirit.

a. If there is no filling of the Holy Spirit, then there is no worship. Satan wants to misrepresent the power of God and the form of worship.

b. The attempt of Satan is to attack truth. When the doctrine is distorted, there is no worship.

5. The issue in worship is not location but execution. The Samaritans were making an issue out of where they worshiped. Satan has always been in the worship business.

a. There were also false prophets among the people, even as there are false prophets among you (2Peter 2:1) who will bring in secret doctrines of heresy and many will follow them and their destructive ways, because the way of truth will be blasphemed, and you will be merchandised. A guy came to Birmingham charged $15 to come to his teaching, there was his book for sell. They were merchandising the truth.

b. His ministers are turned into minsters of light.

c. Prov. 14:13: The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers his steps.

Red Flags to consider:

1. The issue in worship is not personality but perspicacity. It does not matter how amazing the person in the pulpit is, but his message. The personalilt will reconstruct our soul. It is allwabout building

2. Does he charge? If God is in it, then there is no charge. God is not in it if the charges aren’t there. Rick was called over to stand in for a speaker who was not there, and he was asked “How much do you charge?” and it is normal for $2500–5000.

3. Do they teach faith alone in Christ alone?

4. Do they teach the filling of the Holy Spirit? If they don’t, it is the wrong place.

5. Do they emphasize emotions.

6. 25 years ago, it was the power of positive thinking. Dream big. Today, we are down to dreams. We’ve gotta have a dream. Kids are exposed to this. Live your dream. Do not let anyone take your dream from you. Deut. 31: a dreamer of dreams, and God says, “I did not send him.” There is a life beyond our dreams and it is beyond our wildest imaginations. A fool has no delight in understanding.

7. Jer. 9:23–24 talks about this. “You boast that you know Me and that you understand Me.”

Study is a mandate; it is in the imperative mood. When you don’t do that, you are asking for the slapping machine so God may come out and slap you a few times.

Jer. 9:23–24: Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

Many people know God, but they do not understand the person who has saved them. If you want to give pleasure to God, then understand His righteousness and justic.

Knowing God and Understanding God

1. It is possible to know God through faith in Christ, but not understand the Lord. Prov. 18:2: a fool has no understanding. To know God is to be acquainted with Him. The other word is sakah (ש-כ-ה). What is it that I am supposed to understand?

2. We need to understand the He is a God of grace (loving-kindness) or mercy. The keynote speaker was God giving mercy.

3. He is a God of righteousness. +R. The absolute righteousness of God. No matter what you manufacture in an emotional, religious experience, you need to know Who God is. The only person who had +R was Jesus Christ. God imputed to Christ all of my sins. The pipeline opens up; God has the righteousness of God and the Lovingkindness of God and the fact that God is a God of justice. This is a lot of doctrine right here. Justice is the guardian of the righteousness of God. Whatever righteousness of God rejects, the justice of God must judge. If you do not know God, then you will not understand Him. The things of God are foolishness to the soulish man and they cannot be understood. You have to know God in order to understand Him. Ανακρινω = to discern, to evaluate. You must have the Holy Spirit in order to understand these things as well. You will not pick up spiritual phenomena our of fellowship. If you are in fellowship and you are in church, then you can book it. You can understand what is being taught. You can guarantee that the grace of God and His lovingkindness will be known to some degree. You go to some merchandising place, they will sell you Christian sunglasses, a book, a Bible cover, and whatever.

Time is an expression of God’s grace to us. God is expressing His love toward us by being very patient toward you. 1Tim. 1:16: For this reason I have obtained mercy than in me first, Jesus Christ might show long-suffering (the patience of God with us). God invented time and His contact with us in time is His impersonal love for us. Every minute that clicks by is another time for us to understand His righteousness. Jer. 12:1: Righteous are You, O God. Righteousness is the principle standard of approval or disapproval in the integrity of God. Whatever the righteousness of God accepts, the justice of God blesses. What does the righteousness of God accept? Psalm 7:9: our God is a righteous God who examines our inner thoughts and our motives. What if God stopped time for us. God is giving us time. We have time to make an adjustment to the justice of God before the justice of God can adjust itself to us.

Rick of a power bass boat, 21 foot and it will kill you if you don’t know what you are doing. Your car will kill you if you aren’t careful. You cannot get careless. God looks at our heart to know what we are thinking. We are the sum-total of our thoughts. The righteousness of God produces cause and effect. The cause of God is His love and us; and because He loves us, His plan is for grace. Why do all these bad things happen to me? The grace of God makes it possible for us to have an eternal relationship with Him. The cause and effect leads us to the justice of God, the specifics and the consequences. When your pastor stands in the pulpit, he is accountable for every word that he says; and so is Rick. If they misrepresent the plan of God to us, they are in big trouble. This is one reason that Moses got his butt kicked after not calling out for water verbally. “You just misrepresented Me in front of 2 million people.” So, is it critical that we follow the Protocoll Plan of God?

God is a God of justice and righteousness in both the Old and New Testaments. Is there a difference between being familiar and being in awe of God? Neh. 8:8 the law was read and the meaning was explained to the people. A pastor explains to the people what it means. The Bibleis not a novel; it is a textbook. Heb. 12:28–29: Since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us offer worship pleasing to God, devotion and awe. For our God is a consuming fire. Our God is a jealous God (Deut.). It is the same God and he still requires precisely correct procedure. He is a devouring fire. We are to live out our temporary residence here with respect and fear for God.

Warnings

1. Do not play games with God. Lev. 10:1–8: Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD has said, 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp." So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, "Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the LORD has kindled. And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses. And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, 1Cor. 3:16: Don’t you know that you are the temple of God? The Spirit of God lives in us. He pitches a tent in us. Jesus Christ lives in us. We are the Temple in Him. There are people in this room who will die an early death for defiling your temple. You will get sucked into movements like this 3^rd wave stuff. If you go down the my way highway, you will get discipline. You don’t lose your relationship with God; but you have never understood the God you are worshiping, because you brought this strange light into the temple. If you are familiar with God, then you ought to walk out in awe of Him. Do not play games with God, or you will get hurt.

2. Do not get careless when you represent God. We are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a body of Christ, we represent Christ to this community and to this nation. As individuals, we are re-presenting Christ. When you walk out the door and re-present Christ, put your arrogance in your pocket.

3. Do not tempt the Lord. Matt. 4:7: Do not tempt the Lord your God. Or, Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you did at Massa. One of the way you can tempt God is wanting to kill the communicator. Sometimes what that person has to say walks all over your arrogance. If you are going to sing or take communion, you must rebound first. Less than 1 in 100 churches stop to rebound. If you take communion out of fellowship, you are tempting God. How do you test God?

a. First of all, you do this out of stupidity and arrogance. God makes war against the arrogant people but He gives grace to the humble. You might choose a church because it is closer or there are more programs offered. Self -deception is a very subtle thing. Some kid told Rick “You’re teaching everything wrong. You need to tell everyone teaching baptism and going to the right church.” If you have got it right, why aren’t you up there speaking?

b. Another way to test God is trying to take advantage of His grace; abuse the freedoms which He has given to us. You live under the law of liberty.

c. Misquoting, miss peaking, misrepresenting the Word. When you tell a Christin that you need a dream and you need to follow that dream, you are mispresenting God. God has a permissive will and he allows us to do some pretty dumb things; and by our irreverence and our disrespect, we play into Satan’s hand, so that you play into his hand. You forgive him but you will not forgive me? Satan uses us to appeal his sentence. Jer. 8:8 the false pen of the scribe. 1Peter 2:1–5 Jer. 23:25–32. We are part of this local assembly; we are a part of the family of God. Discipline specifics. Is God a God of specifics? “Do anything you want to here, but do not eat from that tree, or you will die.” Specifically we suffer in our lives is because we are getting our fannies kicked. We serve a God of fire, as well as a God of love. He is also a God of justice.

When we put our trust in Christ alone, we are put into that top circle, “I will give them eternal life and neither shall any of them perish” And if we believe not, yet He abides faithful.

Rick has to, in two hours, just teach something to encourage and gude us. Lt. General Wm Boykin wrote a book “Never Surrender.” Ultra-secret deadly delta force, the first special ops attachment functioning in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency. Sometimes they use an unmilitary type approach. Most of the time, they are in civilian clothes, on and off duty.

Selection and qualification procedure. Boykin had a spectacular 36 year career. In 2007, he retired, functioning under Don Rumsfield. A 30 day assessment and selection program. Those who applied were subject to a very strange selection process. He is at Ft Bragg. At first, I did not feel much like a commando. After a demanding physical training program, we were to just walk around in the mountains with a compass and a rucksack. The proving ground was this, the snowy ground in North Carolina, full ruck sack with a rifle, and temperature is in the teens. Miserable cold which makes you want to amputate your toes. A rendevous point given, and each man had to walk alone and get them by himself. Once the recruit got there, he got another place to go to. Never told what the time limit was, but if you did not make it, you were kicked out. Each march was successively larger, the last one being 40 miles. Apart from the check point, he did not see another human being, but there was a no-speaking rule. Could not use a road. The course was to stretch every man to his limit. Men were lost every day, and a few just quit. Some were injured. Everyday, numbers dwindled.

He once found himself at the top of a mountain, lost, so he prayed, and he walked off the mountain to the RV point. By the 4^th week 109 warriors had shrunk to 25 and he lost 15 lbs. There could be no stopping to rest. Some men would, after the 12^th hour, want to do anything in order to make this stop.

Colonel Beckwith was not right about everything. 8 hour was the hitting the wall point rather than 12 hours. Could I switch off the part of my brain which was screaming to quit. No encouragement from the instructors. Beckwith did not want men who needed cheerleaders. He just wanted to take off his rucksack and lay down and die. He made it in 11 hours and 27 min. The course was designed to test a man’s resolve. Even the British did not know why this test was good, but this test stood for 25 years.

The German’s tested the marksmanship, their ability, their expertise, but they did not test their resolve; but they failed to rescue the hostages from the Olympics.

Do you have the resolve to continue the long walk?

1. Every believers is given a time and a standard; a time to endure the test.

2. We are to redeem the time and live up to the standards.

3. Beckwith was looking for men who could endure hardship, cast out doubt, ignore the circumstances and finish the course. This is analogous to the mature believer. Men and women with the resolve to walk the long march. Time is capitalization; time I capital for us. Teach us to number our days so that we may purchase wisdom. This is divine viewpoint. That is what wisdom is. Σοφια which allows us to keep walking in spite of the difficulty.

4. This type of resolve is determination on steroids.

5. A single-minded determination inside of our soul; God has created something which is marvelous. Some of us are half-dead and some three-quarters dead. Inside our soul, God gave us volition; He gave us the ability to choose. Only we can make freewill choices. God does not require us to be faultless, He requires us to be faithful. Stay the course; do not deviate.

6. In 1Cor. 2:2, the Apostle Paul demonstrated this self-exhortation: I have resolved [chosen] to know nothing among you except Christ Jesus, and Him crucified. We are to re-present Christ as an individual Christian. That is mission priority. That is a single-minded self-determination which takes us to the end. He became a servant (Philip. 2:5). Paul knew his identify; there was no unrealistic self-image. When we believed in Jesus Christ, we began our long walk. Along the walk, we are to take the armor of God and to pick up the shielf of faith, and not to get caught up on the my-way highway.

DNA establishes our physical identity. The real you is what you think. The DNA of our soul is what is in our brain. God can dignify us by what we think. Metabolized doctrine prepares us for the long walk. We may think that the devil will tempt us to sin, but our sin nature will do that. Satan will suck us into some false doctrine, some religious experience; but on the long walk, when the night is cold, you have to go it alone, but with Him in our soul. Test my heart and test my heart is a prayer which asks God to test us. Be careful about praying that. This is not, do you make it to heaven? This is just making it to maturity; heaven is assured. Bob gave us a standard, and when we meet that standard, we move on down the road. Many believers who began at Berachah are not still walking the walk; they are not living up to the standard which was taught them from this pulpit.

We are a citizen of heaven and we have special heavenly privileges. One, we are placed into union with Christ. He has given to all of us in this room the portfolio of invisible assets, enlightened to the mystery doctrine of the church, Christ in us, the Lord of Glory. Paul knew his identify, destiny and ability. I count not myself to have apprehended, but I am resolved to forget those things which are behind me and reach forward to those things which are ahead. We all have a vapor trail; stuff we have done and pray that no one finds out about these. We pray that Satan does not bring up all of our failures. Do you have some concept of perfection? You have a sin nature, and that is not going to leave. Boykin would fall and he would get up and keep moving. The Christian life is a long walk.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and as a believer, learn not to be afraid of death; do not be intimidated by death, or you will be afraid to walk across the street. Your rod and staff are with me. Micah 2:7: To do just, keep your nose out of others business; to love mercy [compassion empathy] when you see someone in need, do you feel compassion or scorn.

Redeeming the time means to purchase, to buy back; there is only so much time that we have and we are not to forsake the standard of doctrine. We need the resolve to stay with this long walk.

Metaphor of the Long Walk

1. Walking circumspectly and not as a fool. Satan wants to neutralize our walk. We are to advance as a mature believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and to re-present Him in our lives. Satan’s objective is to neutralize us so that we don’t finish the walk and that we show up in heaven and we do not hear, “Well done, my good servant.”

2. He must get us to ignore divine mandates.

3. Why would you deliberately ignore divine mandates. We would do this based upon our sin nature. We also do this because we are deceived. Sometimes the fault is ours. We have never been deceived from this pulpit. Bob never contradicted himself, nor were we every confused.

4. God has equipped hundreds of pastors and thousands of believers from this pulpit.

5. If you were Satan, how would you go about to attack people here? Erroneous idea to get us to sin. We have 3 enemies: the world, the flesh and the devil. Our flesh is already tempting us. He will attack us from something which is taught. He will attack our theological weak spot. The spot of doctrine where we are weakest is where he will center his attack to discourage us from fulfilling the long walk. This is why seminary training in the languages is so important to any pastor candidate who is worth his salt. No confuses, no contradictions and no compromise in Berachah.

God is not the Author of confusion, but peace among all the saints. People get theologically corrupted, and that is how they get removed from the way. Doctrines which are strange doctrines which turn us away so that we do not join in their confusion. People do not serve the Lord but they serve their own desires. Rick has never had an original thought everytng he teaches, he learned in Berachah. If it were not for the solid and sound Bible teaching.

Berachah Teaching

1. Paul warns of false doctrine which would circulate. They were still going to be drawn into legalism and the ancient

2. The availability of Bible teaching on the internet has allowed us to listen to multiple pastors.

3. This can be a hindrance ot our spiritual growth.

4. All Berachah is not Berachah.

5. By attacking our theological weak spot, it is an attempt to attack this pulpit. Same foundation for about 60 years. We make sure; we are responsible for our decision. We must know a lie when we hear it; we must know distraction when we hear it. We are responsible for our own spiritual life and nobody else. We are not to walk like a fool, but to walk as a wise person because the days are evil.

Circumspectly Walking

1. Everyone has a certain amount of days to walk.

2. Perpetual control of the sin nature can shorter our days. We can get sucked into the cosmic vortex. We are under the control of our sin nature. We are facing dying discipline and we are sucked up into the cosmic vortex via the sin unto death. We want to reach the high ground of spiritual maturity.

3. It is a lifestyle metaphor to be very careful in the course which we follow. Boykin had a topo map and a compass; he came to crossroads, to creeks, and sometimes he had no idea which way to go, and he sat down and said, “Lord, guide me.”

4. The lifestyle of the fool: he does not delight in understand but only in giving his opinion. God is looking for those who do not just understand Him but know Him. Psalm 119:130: God’s Word gives light and understanding to the naive.

5. Fool refers to a spiritual igorant person. Fools die because they have no wisdom. There are many teens the Rick has met, and there is a little plaque to so and so who lived to be 14 or 15 or 16. They thought they could lie to their parents and not get caught; they thought they could control their car at 120 mph. We have the ability to self-destruct and to do it rather rapidly by making multiple bad decisions in our life which compound problems. Seek good and not evil so that you may live (Amos). Being wise simply refers to us gaining wisdom.

6. 1Cor. 1:24: Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. A plan we could never have thought of a plan like this, to have our son come and die for the sins of the whole world. The death of the innocent lamb to save us, and Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God.

7. The wise believer will redeem the time because the days are evil. If you have wasted years of your life, can you buy years back? Of course. Show up, shut up and fake it till you make it. In Bible class, you are buying days. God will give us time to walk the walk. Samson should have been a judge for 60 years. He only managed for 20 years. Someone always wants to steal your time; some cell phone, something else. Any distraction. Can you prioritize Bible doctrine in your life? Can you come to that point in your life? Prioritizing doctrine is what gives us time. We have a time and a standard, so use it wisely and do not get off course. It is not the man, it is the message. Time does not shout, it just runs out, sooner than you think. You do not have time to chase your tail in circles.

God has given us a pastor and the clear teaching of His Word. The long walk is our resolve to continue the march down the road, where we are taught not to deviate from doctrine. No idea when God will pull the plug, but we have time today. God gives us wisdom and the ability to see ourselves and we are. Who can understand His errands? Only the wise person can. It takes ICE basis and perspicacity. Sometimes it is not about my sin, but it is about the wisdom to discern what is the right way and what is the wrong way. We have this Holy Spirit mentoring to our soul. Listen to Him. You don’t need a pastor who is a friend; you need a source of doctrine. The real question is, will you finish the course.

We are told in Col. 4:5, walk in wisdom toward them who are outside. If you are going to buddy buddy with unbelievers, you are asking to get disillusioned and distracted. This does not cut off contact with unbelievers, but we will only have a few people who we will be close to. Good marriages work because the man and women focus on doctrine as the standard. Boykin wanted men who could succeed on determination and guts. The spiritual life is like that for us who face a crisis.

If you doubt that God does not know your circumstances, then you are making quite an error. Maybe you call out, “I wish I could be just left alone; I don’t want to go to Bible class all the time.” Rick has been caught up in self-pity. Can’t I just go home God? 40 year marriage and I have been gone for 20 of them. The wife tells him of all the things which broke. There are times Rick thought, can’t I just go home? Why is this demand on me? I have to face 200-300 kids who may or may not want to hear me. They do not want to hear the Word of God; they want to go on break. “Can’t I just go fishing, God?” There are times we have been confused and defeated and we thought, God, what is going on? Why can’t I just go and sit down in my nice place of comfort. Not even knowing what the standard was; not knowing what the time limit was.

You cannot be a winner believer if you keep your eyes on yourself. Paul had a trn demon, “Can’t you just take it away?” And God told him, “Just shut up.” The Bible tells us to stay out of bitterness, as it will defile us. We are to stay away from self-pity. Don’t worry about what you will have or not have. Operation self-pity, “I sure would like to go home” when in a hotel. Sure wish I did not have to drive 16 hours Tuesday and Wednesday. Stay out of bitterness, stay away from self-pity.

Peter got to walk on a little water, something that no one else has done. He did great until he put his eyes on the circumstances rather than on Jesus. You cannot finish the walk unless you are distracted or disoriented. You may think it is too hard, but stick with it, one step at a time. Rom. 16:17 demands that we move on and stay away from bad advice.

If you want to keep this long walk up, stay out of the limelight. Study to be quiet minded and stick to your own business. Walk honestly toward those on the outside. The Delta force does not advertise; they just show up and do the job. If you need Bobby to stand outside and shake your hand and say, “Remember what I taught and hang in there this week.” You do not need a cheerleader; you need a pastor.

Whether we live or die, we will belong to the Lord. We may only live 30 or 40 years when we should have lived 80, but we still belong to the Lord.

The writer of Hebrews: do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together. Εκκαταλαπω = to abandon your post, to become a deserter, to go AWOL. When you abandon your post, you are not redeeming the time. The most encouraging thing to Bobby’s soul is to look out and to see people there. When we see people as a teacher, that is encouraging. It is motivating.

There are believers who used to be with Berachah who are not here and those pastors who used to be with this church, and now they are AWOL. All you have to do is come right to Berachah; it may not be flashy and sensational, but it is the most accurate and down-to-earth. It is a long walk.

He walked into Berachah in 1974 and met Thieme and like many of us, and thought he would not like him. In Rick’s wildest imagination, he could not imagine standing here in the pulpit. It used to be so packed, you could not find a seat. Rick had a chair the Kermit Lewis got him to sit in. He played football at one time for Bear Bryant with a system, that, if you stuck with it, you would be a national champion. He was a proven winner. Stick with your pastor. He is a winner. Our adversary goes about like a roaring lioni seeking whom he may desire.

Many of us have children and grandchildren who, throughout their lives, turn away from God, and they act out. You lose rapport with them on a spiritual realm. The question is, what causes this to happen and is there any hope for them?

Media hype about travel to exotic places to find happiness and romance. If you have a weak spot, Satan knows what it is and he will find it. Lust, when it is conceived, brings forth sin, and sin brings in death. Those hauled into the Cosmic Vortex will go to heaven if they have believed in Jesus Christ.

Rick was fishing with his friend Red Berry, and he heard this weird sound. 200 yards from the shore, and corn stalks came down from the sky. The whole lake was covered in corn stalks.

The cosmic vortex is the intellectual, cultural, ethical political climate of an era. The Germans call it the zeitgeist. This means the spirit of the times. We know it as human viewpoint. One of our key verses is 1Cor. 3:19: the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. We have 10 problem solving device and cosmos has their owns. Many people do not want children to be born, and there are these various morning after pills. There is high tech internet dating. There is always the problem with dying. If you are desperate, they can freeze dry you until there is a cure. Man, when left to his own imagination, can come up with some pretty dumb things.

The mother is not mentioned here. There is the importance of personal love and impersonal love. There are two sons, Frick and Frack.

Frack is the youngest of the two. Have you ever had an eyeball to eyeball confrontation with your son? What brought this on? There is an invisible character. There is a cosmic evangelist here, saying to him, "If I was you, I'd tell your old man, I am sick of this one-horse town, and I need to get out of here. Give me my inheritance and let me leave."

Maybe sibling rivalry is involved. One decision can make you or break you. Num. 20:7–13 is one emotional decision which Moses made. You are a believer in Jesus Christ. Frack was too. He was in the relationship, but he was under the control of his old sin nature. He is not going to get back into fellowship with God, so he will be sucked into the cosmic vortex. There is only one thing which will get such a person back.

He demanded his inheritance. Dad has now worked for his children. He probably knew that Frack will probably lose everything. Did he know that Frack had an unseen friend? Probably so.

What you are seeing is the lure of the cosmic vortex as it appeals to the arrogance of an individual. In this case, the cosmic evangelist is recruiting him.

Arrogance justifies why it is okay to reject divine viewpoint and ramble on down the road to ruin. Two verses give us insight. Rick was on this road in 1967 and he would be dead, he thinks, had God not called him. Fishing is interesting, because you can see the fish come up to the bait, and if you twitch it a few times, the fish will strike and he is hooked. Carnal or temporary and fragmented death. The decision to sin puts the believer in the cosmic system. In the cosmic vortex, there is temporal death. You do not get in the cosmic vortex every time that you sin. But if you get out of fellowship and you do not rebound, you will go through these various stages of discipline. If you have a child out of fellowship for awhile, then he is probably in the cosmic vortex. Evil friends corrupt good morals. Frack did not see what was coming. His father may know, but he did not. He packs it all up and down the road he goes. Frick is saying, "Don't hurry back." You do not have to be in another city or another country to be far away. He was on a completely different page in his frantic search for happiness. He is going to go into operation boomerang.

Luke 15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the portion of goods that is coming to me." And he divided his living to them.

Frack had a tendency to live on the wild side. We are all born with sin natures, but we do not all have the same trends. Some have a lust for money, for sex, for power, for approbation. He had a number of vices. If your child or grandchildren have such a trend, the cosmic vortex will take them there. Often this happens between high school and college. A long period of time out of fellowship and someone says, "Let's go to this great party. It's going to be a lot of fun." All you need to do is stick your nose into the cosmic vortex one time, and it sucks you in. It will take off to parts unknown. It is an amazing thing. It is a mirage of the cosmic system.

"If I could just get out of here; if I could just leave." "If only I can go to Cat Mandue" a song from the 70's (some southern rock band). This time, he will not be able to blame it on his brother or father. 90% of what you suffer is on you. Life is all about making decisions and each decision affects what happens in our future lives.

Rick trotted on down to New Orleans with 2 friends. They ended up down there with no money, and they had to sell their spare tire to get back home.

Luke 15:13 And not many days afterward, the younger son gathered all together and went away into a far country. And there he wasted his property, living dissolutely.

He spent all of his money, and there was an economic disaster. No one could tell him that he was wrong. There is the invisible cosmic evangelist has probably deserted him by now. Frack is about to face enforced humility. God makes war against the arrogant but He gives grace to the humble. God can put enough pain into your life so that you will either recover or you will react. Enforced humility is designed to shock you back to reality. You can respond to it or react against it.

He cannot even beg for food, because there is a famine in the land. He cannot go to his friend's house because his friend is broke too. So now, he needs to get a job. And what kind of a job is there. Some kids think, "I'll just do whatever and dad will bail me out." He was starving, in a strange place, with no money and no friends. This is the first awakening. He is recognizing the seriousness of the situation. If you do not recognize this, you will die the sin unto death. You do not have to be a child to be caught in the cosmic vortex.

Luke 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land. And he began to be in want.

Maybe he has a sign saying, "Will work for food." So someone comes along and says, "How about you slop the hogs for me?" Rick talked to a guy out of fellowship for sometime, and he said, "I've been eating noodles for two weeks."

Steps in the Cosmic Vortext

1. What was the motive? The motive was self-justification. I deserve this. My big brother picks on me; my dad makes me do too much work. He justified to himself why it was okay to ask for his share of the inheritance. They justify why their sin was not sin. Self justification was what took him into the cosmic vortex.

2. Self-deception was his flaw, which caused him to think that he could handle his resources. It is amazing how children think that they are smarter than you (which is true when you are 90). And if you bail them out, they get right back into the same jam again. If I could just get a little money to pay for the auto repair or whatever, that things will be better. If you think that you can handle what Satan throws your way, you are kidding yourself.

3. So now he has gone to self-indulgence, and this trend led to his downfall.

4. Self-induced misery.

5. He has an unrealitstic self-image, unrealistic thinking, and the next step is self-destruction.

Luke 15:15–16 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. And he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, and no one gave to him.

Enforced humility has beat him down to genuine humility. He is starving, broke, and a mess. He is eating pig slop. I am a fool. He came to himself. He responded to discipline. He could have reacted with bitterness.

God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. This is a volitional decision. It starts by recognizing that you have blown it. When the resources are gone, and no one is there to take the call to bail them out. Stay out of it. Let God discipline them. Let God bring these things to pass. This father did not chase down this kid. He knows what is going to happen. He is worried about his child, but this child is being awakened by God. Your intercession and prayer is what is needed.

Lack of fellowship is lack of provision. There is a point of no return. If you react and do not respond. He is not starving. God put him where there is food. How long will it take you to realize that you have gone from the penthouse to the pighouse and you are now eating slop? The rate of forgetting has exceeded the rate of learning. Scar tissue is built up in his soul. No situational awareness. Hitting the bottom is the only way to get out of it. That is where the arrogance and the pride has to be broken. You may not understand, but God loves your children more than we do. So we cannot change anyone but ourselves. No matter who the agent of change is, you cannot change anyone but yourself. Do not react to their reaction. Be aware that once they are in this cosmic vortex, they will reverse their priorities. They will not thinkn about you too much. You may even see a complete change of personality. Do not react and do not take it personally. It is very dangerous to be in the cosmic vortex.

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father abound in loaves, and I perish with hunger!

A review of some of the previous few verses. This cosmic vortex. "I will never leave your nor forsake you." You will not lose the relationship with God. A sin places you under the control of the sin nature. You can stay there or get out. If you stay there, in perpetual carnality. Then you are subject to being sucked into the cosmic vortex. This is where enforced humility comes into play. There is suffering and pain in your life, and you can, at that time, respond, and get out of the cosmic vortex. Responding is naming your sins; reacting is justifying why you have done what you have done.

The worst thing that you can do is bail your kid out in this situation. There will be times when you have to turn your child over to God. They will never learn genuine humility if you never bail them out.

Luke 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you

Luke 15:19 and am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.

The dad might be watching this road every day, hoping that Frack would return. When his father saw him, he ran out to meet him.

Luke 15:20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

Luke 15:21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you, and am no more worthy to be called your son.

The kid probably had lousy stinking clothes and no sandals or worn out sandals. This is a perfect picture of us returned to our Heavenly Father after being out of fellowship. In the cosmic vortex, there is a lot of pain. What does it take to wake you up and make you realize that you are in trouble.

He recently spoke a the funeral of Miss Alabama who died of an overdose. She thought that she could find God. She kept getting higher. Trapped in the cosmic vortex and died the sin unto death. She was married to a doctor living in Dallas but could not leave the drugs alone.

The father certainly wanted to go to his son all along; it would do not good to go to the son. He had to let his son come to him.

The self righteous son is working on his John Deere (or whatever he is driving).

Luke 15:22–240 But the father said to his servants, Bring the best robe and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf here and kill it. And let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.

There is no impersonal love here. His older son, the self righteous one, in the cosmic vortex, who had a trend toward legalism. He would never have done that.

Luke 15:25 And his elder son was in the field. And as he came and drew near the house, he heard music and dancing.

The father goes out to reason with the other child. Different children require different approaches.

Luke 15:27 And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him safe and sound.

Luke 15:28 And he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and entreated him.

Frick seems to know what Frack has been doing. Frick is now judging Frack. The father is explaining why this is okay. Frick did not feel appreciated.

"Come on, you have never even bbq'ed a goat for me. I have been the perfect son." If we say we have no sin, then the truth is not in us. If it was not for the grace of God, we would all be grease spots. We do not know what happened to this pouting older brother. We do not know the end of this story. The older brother had inordinate self-esteem. Spirituality does not come through asceticism but it comes from rebound. You might be spiritually immature, but you can be spiritual based upon rebound.

Rick was taught to act and talk spiritually when he was young. He drove around in a cheap car and had one suit because anything else would be excess.

Luke 15:29 And answering he said to his father, Lo, these many years I have served you, neither did I transgress your commandment at any time. And yet you never gave me a kid so that I might make merry with my friends.

A Summary

Rick knows about Carbine Williams who got 80 grand in one night in New York City. You get out of the cosmic vortex, you rebound or you believe in Jesus Christ. You admit your sin or you will die in your sins. The longer time you are in the cosmic vortex, the more scar tissue that you build up. Always looking for happiness, always blaming someone else.

1. The person in the cosmic vortex has rejected Bible doctrine. Maybe your parents brought you to Bible class. The minute you say, "I don't need it" or you put a bigger priority on what your friends say or what you see, you lose touch with reality in your life.

2. They have gotten involved with the cosmic system. A cosmic evangelist pulls them in. They are under demon influence. 1John 2:15–16: Stop loving the world, if anyone keeps loving the world, there is no reciprocal love in him. Stop being obedient to the cosmic vortex commands. You will love the Father or you will love the cosmos. This is the strong pull or the strong influence of the world luring believers into human viewpoint thinking. It is characterized by a frantic search for happiness. It is not difficult to see it when your own child is in the cosmic vortex. And you know that you cannot get them out of it. Only God's discipline can break their pride or arrogance.

3. The door in is arrogance, the door out is humility.

4. Satan begins to exploit believers by means of their own arrogance when you are in the cosmic system. You think you are so cool and you have got it all together and Satan is exploiting you like a ping pong ball. He is playing you. You have the arrogance that you think you can handle it.

5. If you stay in the cosmic vortex long enough, you react against God.

6. You become more and more divorced from reality and you reject Bible doctrine. "I know, I've heard it." What else can you do?

7. Temporal carnality is not being trapped is the cosmic vortex.

8. Perpetual carnality puts you in the cosmic vortex.

9. Because the believer is miserable and under discipline and looking for a way out, there will always be a way out. Or, your misery is intensified. Things speed up; circumstances speed up and you cannot get a handle on it. You cannot tell the difference between right and wrong any more.

10. The cosmic vortex is a place of demon-influence.

11. Once you are in the cosmic vortex, the plan of God for you will cease. You are dead in the water.

Luke 15:30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you have killed for him the fattened calf.

1. Any believer trapped in the vortex is in long-term carnality.

2. They cannot be distinguished from an unbeliever.

3. The basis for their decisions is total human viewpoint.

4. Those with lascivious trends move into immoral degeneracy and those with self righteous trends take you into moral degeneracy.

5. The sin unto death is real. There are believers in Jesus Christ who will die today because they have been sucked into the vortex. Whoever hates the reproof of God will die. He holds the key to our next breath? God the Father. You will flirt with death in the cosmic vortex?

6. They will respond with humility or react with arrogance.

7. If they react to discipline with bitterness or rebellion, then you can kiss them goodbye. It won't be long. Prov. 21:1`7–18: How often are they like straw swept away by a whirlwind (a vortex). Satan destroys us by luring us into the cosmic system. You may get so sick of living with yourself you might even kill yourself.

For Parents

1. You plant the gospel early and they will get saved early.

2. Teach them divine norms and standards and the Royal Family Honor Code and the protocol plan of God.

3. Children must see that Bible class is essential for mom and dad together. Grandparents when possible. If the child sees one likes it, but the other does not, they will migrate to the negative volition rather than the positive volition. You need to show your love of the Word of God together. Negative volition follows the negative parent.

4. Coming to Bible class does not make you a role model. The application of what you learn is what makes you a role model. That proves to them that you believe it. Authority can be fair and unfair. Nothing will discourage a young person more than unfair authority. It is you having unreal expectations about them. Provoking your children to wrath is unfair discipline. Do not have a bad day and take it out on your kids. You must be temperate, fair and firm with your children. They must see that Mom and Dad love and apply doctrine.

The cosmic vortex is always out there. It is the call of the wild. It is saying, this is where the fun is. But it will boomerang. You can blow it and go right back in, or stay out. You can only change yourself. You are responsible to God for your decisions. God has graced you out with a qualified pastor. You learn to apply it. You live doctrine when you walk out the door. You do this as a young person as well. The lure of the world will always be there.

Satan will play you like a puppet and laugh when you die. Look at what is going on in the world today, and you will see it spinning out of control. You can see the invisible cosmic vortex picking people up and dumping them out all over, under broken homes, or into prison, or in drug addiction. It takes them to a place where they cannot take it.

Luke 15:31 And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.

Luke 15:32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

A coach grabs Rick at a school in Georgia. A kid in the back, “Big Rick, what does the Bible say about fornicating?” Rick answered this. This kid went into the military and the girl went into the mission field.

Generation.com is this new generation. He is www.bigrick.org (.com is a BBQ guy).

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, you have a relationship which will never change. “Neither will any man pluck them out of My hand.” If you are out of fellowship with God, there is a sin you have not named to God, and you can sit in church and not get it. The Holy Spirit cannot mentor us if we are under the control of the old sin nature.

We get caught up into this cosmic vortex if we stay out of fellowship for any amount of time. When a Christian gets caught in the vortex, it will take them far down the road; and the prodigal son will come to himself. “I will go home to my father and admit my sin.”

Rick is going to take us further down this road. The my way-high way. A prep school teacher coined this phrase. Ken Hamm of a creation organization has determined that in middle school or in high school, most kids lose their faith. This disease has destroyed the church in Europe; many churches in England have been turned into rock climbing places, etc. Nations have lost their roots. England was a cornerstone of Christianity, is a nation of lost souls. Regular church goers in England is around 6%. Our question is, what is the solution?

1. As a client nation, we are custodians of the canon of Scripture. We are to guard the Scripture. We guard it, we teach it, we preserve it from the attack of the enemy. The enemy seeks to discredit it. Satan wants to create doubt in the minds of America today. He wants young people to doubt the accuracy of the Bible and the relevancy of the Bible today. There has to be a timeline, and this is why our church was founded on dispensationalism.

2. We are custodians of our children as well. Prov. 22:6: Train up a child in the way he should go so that when he is old, he will not depart from it. Deut. 6:4 Hear, O Israel; the Lord is One; you will love your God with all your soul and all your strength.

If we are to oppose the trend of England and Europe, it must begin in the home. You must expose them in the home to the teaching of the Word of God. They must learn to espouse virtue love ethics. Kids can entertain themselves; they are not looking to be entertained. They are looking for the truth. It is better to have a few who understand the Word of God than a lot who know nothing. Luke 12:48: To one to whom much is given, much will be expected. We are to guard the Word of God and to guard our young people. This congregation has been entrusted with 53 years of Bob’s ministry and 5 of Bobby’s. Have you focused on the gifts and forgotten Who the Giver is? You cannot become preoccupied with the good life. It is on our watch that Satan is capturing young people. The defining tactic of the enemy is doubt. He wants our young people to doubt the Bible. No different than Gen. 3:4 “You will not die.” Satan always tries to get man to doubt the veracity of the Word of God. Satan is the father of lies; he has, in his crafty way, to instill doubt in the woman. Satan is a liar and the father of all lies. The whole world system is based on a lie. 2Cor. 11:3 as the serpant deceived Eve with his craftiness, you have been deceived. The battle is in your thinking. God wants to see what we are thinking, not what we are wearing. The batlle is for the mind.

The Doctrine of Doubt

1. Doubt means to lack confidence in, to have uncertainty in. If you are uncertain about God’s plan, then you have doubts.

2. If it is true that children learn from parents, and they do, could it be possible that parents who lack confidence in the Word of God that they foster doubts in the minds of their own children? If you don’t teach your children to have confidence in God’s plan, then that is child abuse. You are putting a child into the world who has no way out.

3. If behavior is the result of belief, then the American culture does not believe the Bible. Satan has successfully infect us with the disease of doubt, which causes young people to disengage from church.

4. When doubt comes, departure follows. The Bible is no more true than any other book.

5. The reason your children and grandchildren do not go to church is, they do not believe it to be true or it is not relevant to their lives. If the Bible is not true, the conclusion that what the Bible teaches is not relevant. John 7:41 doubt is expressed about Jesus. First and foremost is to teach that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all mankind. What do you think of Christ? “Do you believe that Christ is your Savior?” “Yeah, but what about all these other religions.”

6. The doubt that our children have may come from the lack of virtue love ethics in our own lives. Do your children see you judge? Do your children see you maligning others? Do your children see jealousy? Do they see pettiness or bitterness in your life? If you doubt the relevancy of the Bible in your own life, what will your children think? They hear what you say, but what you do... These people draw near to me with their mouth, but their hearts are far from Me. Youth today don’t believe it because you don’t believe it. We have become caricature of Christ whether than a represented of Christ.

7. Many of the young people that Rick meets have been churched, they think the Bible is filled with errors; they think that it contradicts itself. God would not tell us to do one thing in one place and something else in another. God is immutable; not us. Many kids think the writers made some mistakes. There were no mistakes made.

8. Doubt created on 3 fronts:

a. Is the Bible the Word of God?

b. Doubt is created on the human issue. Your children or friends say, why do you say one thing, and do another.

c. Doubt is created on the educational issue. Science disagrees with the Bible (or so they are told). When they are led to believe that school is the real stuff and the Bible is just filled with stories.

1Tim. 6:20: Timothy, guard the Good News which has been entrusted to you. Turn away from pointless discussions and the claims of false knowledge that people use to oppose the Christian faith.

10. Doubt is the absent of faith. He who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Without positive volition it is impossible to attain the approval of God. He who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seeks him out. Wouldn’t it be interesting if you found out that the time you spent in Bible class that this time was tacked on to the end of your life. You can only find it It take courage to step out on faith. Notice the words seek and reward. The greatest treasures are those who seek God’s will. If there is only one thing that you must teach your children and grandchildren is how to know the will of God. It is the question Rick is asked over and over again. One Alabama Senator asked Rick how do I know this is what I ought to do? Seek first the heaven of God, then all of these things will be added to you. Therefore, I say do not be anxious for your life, about what you will eat or drink or put on your body. Is not the body more than food and clothing? Notice the birds; doesn’t God feed them? If God so clothes the flowers of the field, shall He not much more clothe us? So do not be anxious about what you eat or wear. Seek first the kingdom of God, and these things will be added to you. God will handle the details of life. You worry about priority #1: where will I get doctrine today and where will I get it tomorrow? Who sustains your life everyday? When you get sick, do you pray to God or to yourself?

Rick saw a movie Into the Wild and it was based on the story of one man’s search for truth. He pursued truth, having given away all of his things. He wanted to walk to Alaska and enter into a real existence. In 20 months, he was on a path of self-discovery. When he reached Alaska, he was insufficiently prepared. He read a book and ate the wrong thing, and poisoned himself. He wrote, happiness is only real when shared; and that is a lie. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not share the cross with anyone. The greatest happiness that we will ever enjoy is when we are in the center of the will of God. It is not hard to understand why people doubt the relevancy of the Bible. Kids see our failures, so they doubt us. Kids are looking for someone to love them, even when they fail or disappoint them. God never fails us.

13. Thomas just wanted proof beyond a reasonable doubt. He did not believe that Jesus appeared to the other disciples. Jesus is not going to come back and appear to us in order of rus to believe. Thomas wanted some kind of reasonable proof. If you were given proof beyond reasonable doubt, would it change you? No. The rich man in hell said, “Someone send someone to my family.” Do you need a personal appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, then look around this congregation. To live is Christ, and to die is profit. Your kids are supposed to see Christ in you. Can you have absolute confidence in Christ’s Word? Can yoiu go beyond a reasonable doubt?

Luke 7:40 Jesus spoke up, "Simon, I have something to say to you." Simon replied, "Teacher, you're free to speak." So Jesus said, "Two men owed a moneylender some money. One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. When they couldn't pay it back, he was kind enough to cancel their debts. Now, who do you think will love him the most?" Simon answered, "I suppose the one who had the largest debt canceled." Jesus said to him, "You're right!" Then, turning to the woman, he said to Simon, "You see this woman, don't you? I came into your house. You didn't wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You didn't give me a kiss. But ever since I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You didn't put any olive oil on my head. But she has poured perfume on my feet. That's why I'm telling you that her many sins have been forgiven. Her great love proves that. But whoever receives little forgiveness loves very little." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven." The other guests thought, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace!" There was no doubt in this woman Who Jesus was; and she also knew who she was. She knew He could forgive her. She had complete confidence that He was the Messiah.

Back in the 60's and 70's you had to come an hour and a half early to get a seat. There were hundreds of kids who lived in Berachah barracks next door. They came to Berachah for truth and they knew that God would provide for their needs when they got here. They knew that God would prosper them, protect them and bless them.

If there is anything which Satan tries to do, it is to fill believers with doubt about Berachah Church. Everyone of these kids were taken care of. Priority #1 is to seek the Word of God. Primary negative volition is refusing to assemble for the Word of God.

Berachah taught what the Bible meant and how it related to them. If you walk out of Berachah Church and have no practical application, then you did not listen. Why do you not understand My speech? You are of your father the devil. You want to do the works of your father the devil.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world, because if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The cosmic vortex will take you away. Col Thieme said, The cosmic system is a trap to enslave the human race; it is a factory for losers.

2. Most people are tired of Milquetoast messages; they want something which is sharper than two edged swords. Many times, instructors don’t believe that kids will not listen to Bible teaching for 45 minutes. Martin Luther said, if I profess allegiance to the whole Bible except for that portion which the world and the devil are attacking...I need to be steady on all the battle fronts. You have to stand where Satan is attacking.

No archeological discovery has ever overturned any single Bible reference, by Gluek. Even Time Magazine had Score one for the Bible and the walls of Jericho fell suddenly. Over 300 Bible prophecies alone about Jesus. We must teach the authenticity of the Bible. The Bible is worthy of acceptance, trustworthy, authentic. 1500 years by over 40 different authors.

3. We must teach the authority of the Scriptures. This translates from the pages to the pulpit. When the Bible is being taught, then you are hearing the Word of God. If the Bible is accurate, authoritative then why don’t you obey it? The Bible can liberate us and enhance our lives. It all goes back to negative volition.

It asks too much of me? Is it asking too much for you to love someone? “If you love Me, keep My commandments; they are not overly burdensome.” Or, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

Many believers shorten their life because they move into the sin unto death. They have enough courage to go to Alaska and live in a bus all winter long, but not enough courage to believe in the Word of God. Some will never figure it out; they just head down the my-way highway. Some will kill themselves because it is harder to live than it is to die.

Our children need to understand how can we know what the will of God is. There eis a way to know it.

The empty lifestyle of reversionism. Heb. 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, God the Holy Spirit can empower us, but we have to make the choice. The weight here is an oppressive load. What would you carry around that would discourage you? If you have an invisible monster in your past, you can lay that aside. No matter what you have done. Whatever you did before coming to know Jesus Christ as Savior, it is blotted out and it is all gone. As a new person, you are supposed to move forward; you are not to go back and revisit the sins of the past.

Living with guilt is the first letter. It was taken from a newspaper. Melissa Putney, 14 years old and 9 months pregnant. In rural Maryland, she committed suicide by kneeling before a train. The weight of guilt.

The failure to isolate past sins will bring you down. Satan will manipulate you. We all have too many sins to talk about. When you get on your self righteous high horse, and say, “Thank God, I never...” When God says to lay aside every weight and every sin. This passage refers to us, breaking the grip of sin in our lives. The sin which easily defeats us; our very own lust pattern; our very own old sin nature trend which we have. We may not have a trend toward power lust, alcohol lust, or whatever, we are to lay this sin aside. Do not let sin control you. Unless you put forth a volitional effort, you will go right back to it. There must be volitional involvement here. You have a sin nature. We have to die in order to rid our bodies of the sin nature. You cannot live a successful Christian life while loaded down with guilt and arrogant self-determination. The solution is to renovate your thinking. Stop thinking of yourself in terms of arrogance [arrogance always reacts to authority], [= stop rejecting authority] when you go negative toward the authority of the Word of God, you pull the pin on the grenade and you implode. We have the mind of Christ. The only way to move from an arrogant mindset to humility is by doctrinal application.

The person with humility looks into the mirror and sees himself as he really is. The arrogant person does not see who he really is. God the Holy Spirit is the spiritual opthomologist, and he can fit us with lenses so that we can see ourselves for what we really are. This gives us the ability to see ourselves as we really are. We can take off the lens of subjective thinking.

One possible scenario

1. When you got saved, you are born-again. 2 births and 1 death or 1 birth and 2 deaths. We all get saved in a point in time.

2. When that happens, we are placed into the royal family of God by means of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We are placed in Christ by means of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

3. At that point, we may have joined a church. We may have even gone through water baptism.

4. Maybe you have parents or grandparents who were tapers who listened to these weird tapes and you are introduced to this church.

5. Somewhere along the line, you got distracted, you reacted, and you stopped listening.

6. Maybe you think you were smarter than your parents. In your lens of subjective thinking, you ignored their advice; you ignored their pleas. Now your life is a wreck. You cannot get and hold a good job; you always need financial assistance, everyone is against you, and most of your friends are in the same boat.

Paul will show us the process going from a hero to a zero. What exactly is this gentile lifestyle? Ephesus is near present-day Turkey, and famous for the temple of Artemus (Diana).

His 2^nd daughter showed Rick how you take a rose vase and she filled it with kleenex, lit it on fire, and then put a hardboiled egg on top (no shell) and the egg was sucked inside by the vacuum.

Human viewpoint thinking and satanic propaganda. The hot air of human viewpoint and the cold air of Satanic thinking, and out of this is the perfect storm which spawns the cosmic vortex, catching the believer in a cycle of cosmic despair. We need to capture the minds of our children. We need to give them the mental capacity to have virtue love in their lives. When there is no doctrinal frame of reference.

The mind is where you stage things. However, spiritual information in your mind simply means that you understand it. Once you move into subjective human viewpoint thinking, you will not be able to comprehend anything. You will not be able to think; only to feel. What is shut down is the proper use of your emotions. You will live by what you feel. This means you will look for entertainment, and the Bible is not entertaining when it tells you that you are about to die the sin unto death.

We have become such a visual society and not a word-based society, that even pastors try to reach people in this way.

Eph.. 4:17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility [= vacuum] of their minds.

It is much harder for the believer, because they have the restraint of the Holy Spirit; but their minds can still become a vacuum.

If you stop coming to Bible class, if you no longer listen to tapes, if you no longer read your Bible. If this is true, then there is no Biblical inventory of ideas on hand, and you are exposed constantly to human viewpoint all around you. How will you know the counterfeit gospel? How to you recognize doctrines of demons? You won’t. You will compromise and capitulate and you will not know that you have done it.

A second letter. A young girl where Rick spoke. She was raised in a Christian home. She had high morals and high values. Then she started going out on the weekends and drinking with friends. It went too far. She lost her virginity at a party and she was too drunk and she does not even know who it was. She knew what was right and wrong, and yet she gave in. Her standards were compromised by sin. Continued girlfriends saying, “You mean you’ve never done it before?” They told her that everyone was doing it. Her understanding was blacked out. It started with drinking and it ended up with fornicating. Let no one say that, if I am tempted, I am tempted by God, because every man is drawn away by his own lusts, and sin leads to [temporal] death.

The sin nature does not cause us to sin; it tempts us; Satan does not cause us to sin, he tempts us. This person is not functioning on thought but on feelings. The sin nature does not have the ability to keep us from the cosmic system. If we have no inventory of ideas and no doctrine in our soul, we have nothing to protect us. We shut down the very thing which protects us. The one thing which protects us from destroying ourselves.

The heart becomes hard. Πτοροσις = calloused. When the heart gets like that, you are in bad shape. The hardening of the heart or the calloused heart. The Holy Spirit has been quenched and grieved and you depend upon your depraved old sin nature to protect you. What a dumb move on your part; you just killed yourself!

Eph.. 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

Your conscience. You have norms and standards there, learned when you are very young. Your parents teach you hygiene-wise. They teach you about the flag and country. They give you the norms and standards which carry you in life. Then you go to church and you get some Biblical norms and standards.

It starts with one volitional decision; your temptation is fired out. Down it comes and you say yes. And the conscience filters this. And you force it through these filters. These filters are designed to stop us from destroying ourselves. Then there is guilt and you hope your parents don’t find out; and then you lie. After you do this for awhile, these filters become clogged up. You don’t mind lying so much anymore. You have betrayed your own spiritual life. You have no sense of right and wrong. You are just on a frantic search for happiness. If you cannot be happy in the spiritual life, how can you expect to be happy in the carnal life.

3^rd letter. From someone on death row. He finally found peace and happiness. He was raised in a Christian home. He had a good grasp of right and wrong, played sports, and went to military school. The 2^nd semester began and he met drug-users, which he had avoided completely; but these seemed fine, and he began to try drugs. This destroyed his norms and standards. He experimented with larger doses and more drugs. Eventually, they began to commit crimes to get drugs. They began to transport drugs and his criminal activity was extensive. He believed all that was right was wrong. He believed that the laws against drugs were wrong. Then he got involved with the occult. He thought the occult would make him happy. Too blind to see that his own bad decisions kept him where he was and eventually put himself on death row.

All people are capable of destroying our lives when we walk away from that which God has given us to stabilize our lives.

Eph.. 4:19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

Scar tissue Points

1. Scar tissue of the soul is known as hardness of the heart. No rebound, no recovery, trapped in the cosmic vortex. This as a result of long-term out of fellowship.

2. Blackout of the soul precedes or is coterminous with scar tissue of the soul. You soul has mentality. Your ability to think, reason, and comprehend. Your soul has a conscience and a self-conscious. God gives you a conscience in order to protect yourself. You use your volition to go negative, and you begin to follow the sin nature trend. He bought into Satan’s lie hook, line and sinker. Once that lust pattern starts up, you lose comprehension and norms and standards are eroded away.

3. Once the mind blacks out, that means there is no light coming in, the result is, the vacuum opens up, and all of the Satanic propaganda floods in to destroy your heart. Once your heart is hardened and past feelings, then you are destroyed from within, as a result of your own bad decisions. You cannot blame your parents, your friends or your decisions, and you will be held accountable.

4. A loss of perceptive ability. You cannot perceive what you are doing. You do not realize what is happening to you. This happens over a period of time. There will be tinges of convinctino, but you will shake them off. There person you know and love changes to someone you do not even recognize.

5. The norms and standards are destroyed and the conscience is shut down. Heb. 3:7. This is the time for you to get things in order, or you are dead; you are done for. Now is the time to act upon what you are hearing.

6. Maximum scar tissue means discipline and loss of blessing in time and in eternity with the eventually sin unto death. Does God love you? He does. How does He demonstrate His love for us? Discipline. This gives us enforced humility because we do not have enough genuine humility. Today may be your warning. You thought that nobody knew and you show up, and it is like God is speaking to just you. You can learn it the easy way or you cna learn it the hard way. Prov. 15:10 He who hates the reproof of God will die. When you get bitter toward God and you think God is sending you a raw deal, then you are done for.

second set of principles

1. As a believer, you either react or respond to discipline.

2. If you get disillusioned, if you become hypersensitive, it will lead to frustration and permanent carnality. Hypersensitivity means you think Rick knew you were coming. No one ratted you out. You thought that if you did this, you would have a great life, but you have made a royal mess of your life.

3. You are not taking in the Word of God. That is the result. You are going it alone in the devil’s world. You see no need for this church, or doctrine or the Bible; “I’ve got a friend I talk to.” They’ll tell you, “I’ve destroyed myself with it, but you can do it.” You really think that you can match wits with Satan.

4. Your distractions and hypersensitivity have made you a sitting duck. 1Peter 5:8: the devil is wandering around looking for someone to devour. This reversionistic lifestyle.

5. Your reaction to circumstances and your distraction from doctrine has led you to make a tragic mistake. You left the shelter or the protection of God’s shelter. You walked away from it. You left the shelter or protection of your Father.

6. You are alone. You will lay in your bed at night and you will say,”I am so miserable.” These things will eat you up inside. You will seek to get rid of this loneliness. You will chase the details of life. Your frantic search for happiness. Your lust for pleasure has superceded your love of the truth. You are a lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God.

7. Operation backfire; your misery will be intensified. It will suck you down and destroy you. You walked right into it. The emotions you have left, will flair up and kick into overdrive. You will be like a bungie jumper, with no consistency, no confidence in your life.

8. You are about done. Your negative volition is locked in. You have become indifferent to all types of Bible teaching. Your sole focus is on yourself and a frantic search for happiness. “I am so miserable and I am so lonely” and there is no way to put it all back together.

9. The scar tissue forms as you continue to grab things and try to put them into your life and they do not fit. You keep compromising everything that you ever believed in.

10. Everything that you held dear and important, all previous priorities have all been reversed. What was once worthwhile is now worthless to you. This is the point of no return and you have become a hater of God, the antichrist, the disciple of the devil. The believer in the empty lifestyle of reversionism. Reverse process reversionism.