1 00:00:00,460 --> 00:00:02,080 What keeps us from having faith? 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:04,620 You know, we know it's so important to 3 00:00:04,620 --> 00:00:06,080 believe in the Lord Jesus. 4 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:07,880 What keeps us from having faith? 5 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:10,780 Something that the Lord's been reminding me of 6 00:00:10,780 --> 00:00:12,140 in this last week, and I want to 7 00:00:12,140 --> 00:00:13,720 mention it because there can be a lot 8 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:15,680 of things that we think about keep us 9 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:20,340 from having faith, but Jesus says something that 10 00:00:20,340 --> 00:00:22,160 is a little bit surprising to me. 11 00:00:23,100 --> 00:00:24,900 We can think maybe what keeps me from 12 00:00:24,900 --> 00:00:27,900 having faith is fear, or what keeps me 13 00:00:27,900 --> 00:00:30,600 from having faith is doubt, or maybe I 14 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:32,080 don't know God's Word well enough, so I 15 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:32,900 can't have faith. 16 00:00:33,260 --> 00:00:35,880 All of those things may be true, but 17 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,940 there's something that Jesus mentions in John chapter 18 00:00:38,940 --> 00:00:41,640 5 that's been coming to my mind, and 19 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,400 I wanted to mention it because I feel 20 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:49,520 there's a special danger to us who, if 21 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:51,380 you're members here of NCCF, one thing I 22 00:00:51,380 --> 00:00:53,640 know about you, by God's grace, you want 23 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,180 to do your part to build the body 24 00:00:55,180 --> 00:00:55,860 of Christ. 25 00:00:56,620 --> 00:00:58,820 You've seen the glory of the body, and 26 00:00:58,820 --> 00:01:01,680 that's a good thing, but there's something that 27 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,540 can prevent us from having faith and from 28 00:01:04,540 --> 00:01:07,020 growing in faith, and it's something that Jesus 29 00:01:07,020 --> 00:01:09,640 warns the Jews of in John chapter 5, 30 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:11,540 and so if you look with me at 31 00:01:11,540 --> 00:01:15,220 John chapter 5, in verse 44, Jesus says 32 00:01:15,220 --> 00:01:15,900 these words. 33 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,380 He says, how can you believe, how can 34 00:01:19,380 --> 00:01:22,480 you have faith, when you receive glory from 35 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,000 one another, and you don't seek the glory 36 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,240 that is from the one and only God? 37 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:29,800 And I thought, could it be said of 38 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:30,000 us? 39 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:31,100 How can you have faith? 40 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:33,440 How can you believe if you receive glory 41 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,960 from NCCF, and you don't seek the glory 42 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:40,800 that is from the one and only God? 43 00:01:41,940 --> 00:01:46,140 Jesus is telling us that receiving glory from 44 00:01:46,140 --> 00:01:49,080 each other is a great barrier to growing 45 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:50,600 in faith, to having true faith. 46 00:01:50,860 --> 00:01:52,840 We can think, I don't want to receive 47 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:54,740 glory from this world, and we can shun 48 00:01:54,740 --> 00:01:56,200 the glory of this world, the honor of 49 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:56,500 this world. 50 00:01:56,580 --> 00:01:57,000 That's good. 51 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:00,780 We must, but have we seen that there's 52 00:02:00,780 --> 00:02:04,720 great danger of receiving glory from one another? 53 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:06,680 I was thinking about how it says in 54 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,300 Hebrews chapter 11, in verse 6, it says, 55 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,240 without faith, it's impossible to please God. 56 00:02:13,540 --> 00:02:14,400 Do you know that verse? 57 00:02:15,060 --> 00:02:16,260 Hebrews 11, verse 6. 58 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:19,060 Without faith, it's impossible to please God. 59 00:02:20,300 --> 00:02:22,160 And I was thinking about combining these two 60 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,460 verses and say, you know, in Jesus, in 61 00:02:25,460 --> 00:02:27,440 John chapter 5, says, how can you believe 62 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,080 when you receive glory from one another? 63 00:02:30,220 --> 00:02:31,980 And we know without faith, it's impossible to 64 00:02:31,980 --> 00:02:32,360 please God. 65 00:02:32,420 --> 00:02:33,720 So one way we could read these two 66 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:37,280 verses together is, how can you please God 67 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:39,880 when you receive glory from one another? 68 00:02:41,700 --> 00:02:45,900 If you seek glory from anyone, if you 69 00:02:45,900 --> 00:02:48,700 seek appreciation from anyone other than the Lord 70 00:02:48,700 --> 00:02:51,320 Jesus Christ, you can't please God. 71 00:02:52,620 --> 00:02:54,740 How can you please God when you receive 72 00:02:54,740 --> 00:02:55,580 glory from one another? 73 00:02:55,900 --> 00:02:57,960 We know that God wants all the glory, 74 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,520 that he's zealous for his name, he's jealous 75 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:01,360 for his glory. 76 00:03:01,820 --> 00:03:03,240 And there's a story in the Old Testament 77 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:04,180 I wanted to mention. 78 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:05,980 It's, I was reminded of it this week 79 00:03:05,980 --> 00:03:07,460 in Judges chapter 7. 80 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:08,500 If you want to look there, it's the 81 00:03:08,500 --> 00:03:09,300 story of Gideon. 82 00:03:10,900 --> 00:03:13,160 And this, and to me, what's, what spoke 83 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,740 to me is how subtle the danger of 84 00:03:16,740 --> 00:03:19,220 receiving glory from other Christians is. 85 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:21,560 If you look with me at Judges chapter 86 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,060 7 in verse 2, we know that Gideon's 87 00:03:25,060 --> 00:03:26,540 army started really big, right? 88 00:03:27,180 --> 00:03:28,820 Children, pay attention please, especially. 89 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:30,580 He had how many people in his army? 90 00:03:30,660 --> 00:03:31,600 Do you remember to begin with? 91 00:03:32,380 --> 00:03:33,320 Does anyone remember? 92 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:36,720 10,000. 93 00:03:38,020 --> 00:03:42,080 Sorry, 32,000, even more, 32,000. 94 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:45,260 And what did it end with? 95 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:47,180 He ended with 300. 96 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:49,580 That's 1% of what he started with. 97 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:51,080 Yes, thank you. 98 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,580 And why did God reduce his army from 99 00:03:54,580 --> 00:03:56,400 32,000 to 300? 100 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:57,180 Does anyone know? 101 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,060 It's in Judges chapter 7 in verse 2. 102 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:05,100 The Lord says, the people who are with 103 00:04:05,100 --> 00:04:08,740 you are too many because Israel would become 104 00:04:08,740 --> 00:04:11,600 boastful, saying, my own power has delivered me. 105 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:14,940 So Gideon, when he's called to serve the 106 00:04:14,940 --> 00:04:16,959 Lord, the Lord makes it very clear to 107 00:04:16,959 --> 00:04:19,160 him, I got to get all the glory. 108 00:04:20,420 --> 00:04:22,380 And I'm going to reduce your army. 109 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:24,240 I'm going to reduce your ability so that 110 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,100 when you win, you won't say, I did 111 00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:27,320 it. 112 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:29,600 You'll say, for sure, God did it. 113 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:31,880 We only had 300 men, right? 114 00:04:32,100 --> 00:04:34,640 So who in all of Israel knew God 115 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,280 wants all the glory in that generation? 116 00:04:37,980 --> 00:04:39,520 For sure, Gideon knew. 117 00:04:40,220 --> 00:04:42,080 He watched God take his army from 32 118 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:43,440 ,000 to 10,000. 119 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:45,220 And then God said, that wasn't good enough. 120 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:46,580 And he reduced it again to 300. 121 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:51,240 Gideon had a great appreciation for God's passion 122 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:52,260 for his own glory. 123 00:04:53,100 --> 00:04:54,720 And yet, what do we see? 124 00:04:54,840 --> 00:04:57,460 Just one chapter later, if you look with 125 00:04:57,460 --> 00:05:02,160 me at Judges chapter 8, in verse 22, 126 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:03,980 it says that the men of Israel, after 127 00:05:03,980 --> 00:05:05,740 this victory over Midian, it says, the men 128 00:05:05,740 --> 00:05:07,560 of Israel said, rule over us, Gideon. 129 00:05:07,980 --> 00:05:09,580 But Gideon said, I'm not going to rule 130 00:05:09,580 --> 00:05:10,920 over you, and my son shall not rule 131 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:12,580 over you, because the Lord shall rule over 132 00:05:12,580 --> 00:05:12,720 you. 133 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:14,320 So we think, that's good. 134 00:05:15,340 --> 00:05:17,280 He knows that God wants to be the 135 00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:18,320 king of Israel. 136 00:05:18,420 --> 00:05:20,380 He doesn't want a ruler other than himself. 137 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:21,420 So that's good. 138 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:23,380 But then look at what Gideon says in 139 00:05:23,380 --> 00:05:24,120 verse 24. 140 00:05:24,980 --> 00:05:27,440 Yet, Gideon said, I would request of you 141 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:28,800 that each of you give me just an 142 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:29,160 earring. 143 00:05:30,460 --> 00:05:32,020 And the way I thought about that earring 144 00:05:32,020 --> 00:05:34,300 is just a token of appreciation. 145 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:35,840 I don't want to rule over you. 146 00:05:35,900 --> 00:05:37,160 I know that God wants the glory. 147 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:38,800 I know God is a great king. 148 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,420 I don't want to be king, but I 149 00:05:41,420 --> 00:05:43,220 would just like a token of appreciation. 150 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:46,440 Why do I mention this story? 151 00:05:47,020 --> 00:05:54,220 Because it says in verse 27 at the 152 00:05:54,220 --> 00:05:56,320 end, that it became a snare to Gideon 153 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,140 and his household, and Midian rose up and 154 00:05:59,140 --> 00:06:00,500 subdued the sons of Israel again. 155 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:03,060 We see that these just small tokens of 156 00:06:03,060 --> 00:06:06,940 appreciation, even to a man who was impressed 157 00:06:06,940 --> 00:06:08,680 with God's desire to get all the glory 158 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:10,680 and all the credit for his work, these 159 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,440 small tokens of appreciation ended up being a 160 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:15,400 snare, not just to Gideon, but also to 161 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:15,800 Israel. 162 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:19,600 And I think about that when we think 163 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,620 about John chapter five, Jesus says, how can 164 00:06:22,620 --> 00:06:24,200 you believe when you receive glory from one 165 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:24,380 another? 166 00:06:24,460 --> 00:06:25,940 We go, oh, I wouldn't receive glory from 167 00:06:25,940 --> 00:06:26,300 one another. 168 00:06:26,900 --> 00:06:29,040 And so we can think we're okay because 169 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:30,160 we're not interested in getting glory. 170 00:06:30,580 --> 00:06:31,700 But do we want a little bit of 171 00:06:31,700 --> 00:06:32,380 appreciation? 172 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:34,720 It's the same. 173 00:06:34,820 --> 00:06:35,880 Do we see it's the same thing? 174 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,040 And for me, it was really challenging to 175 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:41,400 see that it just starts as a little 176 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:42,360 small token. 177 00:06:43,820 --> 00:06:46,600 If left unchecked though, it doesn't just slow 178 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:47,460 us down a little bit. 179 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:50,260 What's the cost of receiving glory from one 180 00:06:50,260 --> 00:06:50,460 another? 181 00:06:50,540 --> 00:06:54,040 What's the cost, so to speak, of just 182 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:55,520 liking tokens of appreciation? 183 00:06:55,940 --> 00:06:57,580 It's not that we're just slowed down. 184 00:06:58,080 --> 00:06:59,460 Look at Satan. 185 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:02,740 I was reminded of Satan in Isaiah 14. 186 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:04,600 It says that he said, I will ascend. 187 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:06,340 I just, I want more glory. 188 00:07:06,620 --> 00:07:07,920 I want to be like God. 189 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:10,440 And he who was the most glorious of 190 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:13,680 all created beings became the devil. 191 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:16,300 And for us, what we have to see 192 00:07:16,300 --> 00:07:18,780 is it's not just that seeking glory from 193 00:07:18,780 --> 00:07:20,140 men is just going to slow us down 194 00:07:20,140 --> 00:07:20,700 a little bit. 195 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:22,100 And I don't mean glory from this world. 196 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:24,620 I mean, even glory in our church, just 197 00:07:24,620 --> 00:07:26,880 a little appreciation, just wanting to be recognized, 198 00:07:27,020 --> 00:07:28,640 just wanting to be included, just wanting to 199 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:30,980 be asked for help or asked for advice 200 00:07:30,980 --> 00:07:33,940 or appreciated, whatever it is. 201 00:07:34,380 --> 00:07:35,800 It's not just that it's going to slow 202 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:36,280 us down. 203 00:07:36,380 --> 00:07:38,820 It's that if that attitude is left unchecked, 204 00:07:38,820 --> 00:07:40,500 that was the attitude that was in Lucifer's 205 00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:42,020 heart and it was left unchecked. 206 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:43,880 And he was banished from God's presence. 207 00:07:45,180 --> 00:07:47,700 And it produces death. 208 00:07:47,900 --> 00:07:50,320 Whenever we see this desire in our flesh, 209 00:07:50,540 --> 00:07:52,560 just a little bit of appreciation. 210 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:53,300 That's all I want. 211 00:07:53,540 --> 00:07:57,360 We have to have this violent attitude towards 212 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:57,580 it. 213 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:00,220 We have to have a violent attitude and 214 00:08:00,220 --> 00:08:01,760 crush it just like the head of a 215 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:03,200 snake and say, I don't want this in 216 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:03,640 my house. 217 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:04,800 I don't want it in my heart. 218 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:05,720 I want to reject it. 219 00:08:05,820 --> 00:08:06,760 I want to repent of it. 220 00:08:06,860 --> 00:08:08,680 Lord, I want you to get all the 221 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:08,940 glory. 222 00:08:09,060 --> 00:08:10,520 I want to renew my passion for you 223 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:11,240 to get all the glory. 224 00:08:11,260 --> 00:08:12,580 And I want to be really careful. 225 00:08:12,940 --> 00:08:14,780 And what I see with Gideon is even 226 00:08:14,780 --> 00:08:16,700 though God had impressed on him the desire 227 00:08:16,700 --> 00:08:20,340 to get all the glory, this little unconscious 228 00:08:20,340 --> 00:08:21,840 desire for honor snuck in. 229 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:24,720 And he never repented of it. 230 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,080 And yet we can see, I thought, what 231 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:30,840 an amazing difference in the life of Jesus 232 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:31,419 our Lord. 233 00:08:31,500 --> 00:08:33,080 We know so little of his life. 234 00:08:33,659 --> 00:08:35,580 He lived the most glorious life that was 235 00:08:35,580 --> 00:08:37,120 ever lived on the face of the earth. 236 00:08:37,179 --> 00:08:38,460 And all we have are just these few 237 00:08:38,460 --> 00:08:38,960 pages. 238 00:08:41,140 --> 00:08:43,860 90% of his life is not even 239 00:08:43,860 --> 00:08:45,060 almost recorded at all. 240 00:08:45,380 --> 00:08:46,680 And even the three years that are recorded, 241 00:08:46,780 --> 00:08:49,000 it says that if everything was known that 242 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:50,460 could be known, the books of the world 243 00:08:50,460 --> 00:08:51,360 couldn't be filled. 244 00:08:52,020 --> 00:08:53,400 Or the world would be filled up with 245 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:53,720 the books. 246 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:55,260 What can we know for sure? 247 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:58,200 We know very, very little of the amazing 248 00:08:58,200 --> 00:08:59,780 life that Jesus Christ lived. 249 00:08:59,820 --> 00:09:00,780 And what does that show us? 250 00:09:01,340 --> 00:09:02,900 He delighted to be hidden. 251 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,920 He delighted not to get attention, but to 252 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:09,280 be willing to be hidden. 253 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:11,440 And as we heard, I think a couple 254 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:13,380 of weeks ago, Brother Sandeep mentioned to us 255 00:09:13,380 --> 00:09:15,340 that after he fed the 5,000, what 256 00:09:15,340 --> 00:09:15,720 did he do? 257 00:09:16,340 --> 00:09:18,680 Immediately, it says, he compelled the disciples to 258 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:18,820 go. 259 00:09:18,900 --> 00:09:20,360 And he went up on the mountaintop to 260 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:20,580 pray. 261 00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:20,960 Why? 262 00:09:21,860 --> 00:09:23,040 To give God the glory. 263 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:25,060 And that was the immediate response of his 264 00:09:25,060 --> 00:09:25,340 heart. 265 00:09:25,700 --> 00:09:27,200 And I thought, I want to have that 266 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:27,740 same attitude. 267 00:09:27,980 --> 00:09:30,140 Anytime that I want a token of appreciation, 268 00:09:30,140 --> 00:09:33,800 I want that immediate response of, one, reject 269 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:36,280 it and repent, and then immediately give God 270 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:36,580 the glory. 271 00:09:36,660 --> 00:09:38,640 Lord, you deserve all the tokens of appreciation. 272 00:09:39,380 --> 00:09:40,880 Even the crowns, as we saw in the 273 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,040 birthday celebration, the crowns that the elders have, 274 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:44,880 they laid them at the feet of the 275 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:45,120 Lord. 276 00:09:45,700 --> 00:09:47,120 How much more of these little earrings? 277 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:48,600 I shouldn't want any earrings. 278 00:09:48,980 --> 00:09:51,040 Certainly, I don't want a crown, let alone 279 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:51,460 an earring. 280 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:53,560 I want to give glory to the Lord. 281 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:55,360 And Jesus had that immediate response. 282 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:57,720 One thing that blessed me, I was just 283 00:09:57,720 --> 00:09:59,500 kind of using my imagination, but in Mark 284 00:09:59,500 --> 00:10:03,760 chapter 1, I think in Matthew and in 285 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:08,420 Luke as well, there are records of Jesus' 286 00:10:08,700 --> 00:10:09,640 trial in the wilderness. 287 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:11,980 And there's a lot of verses in both 288 00:10:11,980 --> 00:10:13,260 Matthew and Luke. 289 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:14,300 They're very detailed. 290 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:17,760 And that's good, because we benefit tremendously from 291 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:17,880 them. 292 00:10:17,940 --> 00:10:20,120 We wouldn't know that Jesus said, man shall 293 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:21,840 not live by bread alone, but by every 294 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:24,140 word that proceeds from God's mouth, unless Matthew 295 00:10:24,140 --> 00:10:27,320 had diligently documented that interaction. 296 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:28,480 So I appreciate that. 297 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:30,040 But I was thinking, I had heard, I 298 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:31,380 don't even know if this is for sure 299 00:10:31,380 --> 00:10:34,080 true, but I had heard that Peter had 300 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:35,800 dictated the book of Mark to Mark. 301 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:38,360 And I thought if Peter, say, you know, 302 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:40,860 he's one of Jesus' closest disciples, one of 303 00:10:40,860 --> 00:10:41,920 his closest friends. 304 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,020 And if he did, in fact, dictate the 305 00:10:45,020 --> 00:10:47,100 book of Mark, I was blessed to see, 306 00:10:47,180 --> 00:10:48,400 if you look with me at Mark chapter 307 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,460 1 in verse 12, there's almost no verses 308 00:10:51,460 --> 00:10:53,260 dedicated to the temptation of the wilderness. 309 00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:55,860 It says immediately, there's just two verses here. 310 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:58,620 The other books, there's like 12, 20 verses. 311 00:10:59,140 --> 00:11:01,100 Here, the spirit impelled him into the wilderness, 312 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:02,580 and he was in the wilderness 40 days 313 00:11:02,580 --> 00:11:03,640 being tempted by Satan. 314 00:11:04,300 --> 00:11:05,740 He was with the wild beasts, and the 315 00:11:05,740 --> 00:11:06,940 angels were ministering to him. 316 00:11:07,540 --> 00:11:09,660 We don't learn any details about the temptation. 317 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:11,100 We don't even learn here that he was 318 00:11:11,100 --> 00:11:11,560 fasting. 319 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:14,660 I thought, wow, to me, it just showed 320 00:11:14,660 --> 00:11:15,680 me a little bit of Jesus' heart. 321 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:17,280 When he talked with his close friends, the 322 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:19,320 details of the trial weren't what was important. 323 00:11:19,780 --> 00:11:21,280 How much struggle he went through. 324 00:11:21,460 --> 00:11:22,380 It's, you know what? 325 00:11:22,680 --> 00:11:23,480 The Lord helped me. 326 00:11:23,700 --> 00:11:25,160 I was being tempted, but the Lord helped 327 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:25,380 me. 328 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:27,620 He strengthened me abundantly. 329 00:11:28,260 --> 00:11:30,160 And I see even what's interesting, again, if 330 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:31,980 it's true that Peter dictated the book of 331 00:11:31,980 --> 00:11:37,000 Mark, in Mark chapter 6, it's there where 332 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:38,480 Jesus is walking on the water, but there's 333 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:40,120 no mention of Peter walking on the water. 334 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:43,120 I thought, wow, what if Peter had really 335 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:44,780 gotten close to Jesus, and he had really 336 00:11:44,780 --> 00:11:47,800 started to the details of my own experience 337 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:48,760 aren't the important thing. 338 00:11:49,140 --> 00:11:51,120 Let some other disciple document the fact that 339 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:52,720 I got to walk on water too, but 340 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:54,580 when I'm having Mark write down my thoughts, 341 00:11:55,100 --> 00:11:55,860 don't put me in that. 342 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:57,000 I don't need honor. 343 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:58,840 I don't want tokens of appreciation. 344 00:11:58,980 --> 00:12:00,000 I don't even need to be mentioned. 345 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:01,200 Where did he learn that? 346 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:02,940 He learned it from Jesus. 347 00:12:03,100 --> 00:12:04,360 He wasn't making a big deal of his 348 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:05,200 trial in the wilderness. 349 00:12:06,180 --> 00:12:07,640 I just, again, I was just using my 350 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,240 imagination, but I love thinking about the difference 351 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:11,560 between Jesus and Lucifer. 352 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:12,960 Lucifer wanted more attention. 353 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:15,540 Even Gideon, who God wanted all the glory, 354 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:17,640 he still wanted these tokens of appreciation, but 355 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,820 Jesus was happy to have most of his 356 00:12:20,820 --> 00:12:21,860 life not recorded. 357 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:23,580 He was happy to what? 358 00:12:23,780 --> 00:12:25,080 He wanted to please his father. 359 00:12:25,180 --> 00:12:25,640 That was it. 360 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:29,720 He only wanted to please his father, and 361 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,520 it's amazing to me, if you think maybe 362 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:34,380 one percent or two percent of Jesus' life 363 00:12:34,380 --> 00:12:38,160 was recorded, how little of a fully surrendered 364 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:40,080 life has to be seen in order for 365 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:40,880 God to shine through. 366 00:12:41,060 --> 00:12:42,540 God was able to shine through Jesus' life 367 00:12:42,540 --> 00:12:44,840 more than anybody else's, and it wasn't because 368 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:46,080 everybody knew all the details. 369 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:49,000 It was because the father was well pleased 370 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:50,840 with him, and the little bit that we 371 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:56,180 know is so brilliant, so wonderfully perfect that 372 00:12:56,180 --> 00:12:57,560 it's enough for us, and I thought, could 373 00:12:57,560 --> 00:12:58,260 it be said of us? 374 00:12:58,280 --> 00:12:59,540 We don't want people to know the details 375 00:12:59,540 --> 00:12:59,980 of our lives. 376 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:00,520 We don't need it. 377 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:02,120 We don't need all that to be known. 378 00:13:02,580 --> 00:13:04,020 Let the Lord be honored, and the Lord 379 00:13:04,020 --> 00:13:05,900 can do more to show forth his glory 380 00:13:05,900 --> 00:13:08,800 in our obscurity view than in our getting 381 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:09,540 honor and credit. 382 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,400 It's, I've noticed for myself, I'll say just 383 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:17,180 practically, unconscious honor-seeking can be difficult to 384 00:13:17,180 --> 00:13:18,540 identify. 385 00:13:18,980 --> 00:13:20,380 It can be, and so it can be 386 00:13:20,380 --> 00:13:21,760 natural to say, I'm probably okay. 387 00:13:21,780 --> 00:13:23,520 I don't think I'm seeking honor, so I 388 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:25,900 wanted to share a few practical weeds I 389 00:13:25,900 --> 00:13:28,080 have identified in my own life, so I'm 390 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:29,420 sharing these all from personal experience. 391 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:32,440 I haven't read your diary or overheard any 392 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:33,120 conversations. 393 00:13:33,620 --> 00:13:34,480 This is just for me. 394 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:36,280 What I've noticed, the Lord's shown me there's 395 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:38,020 a little bit of unconscious honor-seeking here, 396 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:40,520 so I wanted to share these practical examples. 397 00:13:41,140 --> 00:13:44,940 If another is asked to do something, do 398 00:13:44,940 --> 00:13:46,860 I feel disappointed that I wasn't asked? 399 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:49,540 It's a little bit of unconscious honor-seeking 400 00:13:49,540 --> 00:13:49,880 there. 401 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:53,040 If I find out that someone got asked 402 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:55,740 for advice or got consulted about something, but 403 00:13:55,740 --> 00:13:58,140 I didn't get consulted, am I bothered by 404 00:13:58,140 --> 00:13:58,400 that? 405 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:01,920 That's a weed of seeking glory from men. 406 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:04,540 If someone gets credit for something that maybe 407 00:14:04,540 --> 00:14:06,520 I helped out with or didn't, but I 408 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:08,580 just wish I got credit, there's a little 409 00:14:08,580 --> 00:14:10,700 bit of unconscious honor-seeking there. 410 00:14:10,780 --> 00:14:11,280 It's a weed. 411 00:14:11,900 --> 00:14:13,960 If I've done something and I don't feel 412 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:17,160 it was sufficiently recognized, that's not even a 413 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:17,740 subtle thing. 414 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:18,860 That's blatant. 415 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:21,020 Do I wish for more recognition? 416 00:14:22,380 --> 00:14:23,880 That's seeking honor. 417 00:14:24,340 --> 00:14:26,840 If I receive correction, am I hurt or 418 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:27,260 offended? 419 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:30,200 Then I'm seeking the honor of man. 420 00:14:31,460 --> 00:14:34,960 If someone says, you know what? 421 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:37,000 I was really blessed from something someone said 422 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:37,820 in the last Bible study. 423 00:14:37,940 --> 00:14:38,420 Is there a hope? 424 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:39,720 I hope it's what I said. 425 00:14:40,340 --> 00:14:41,420 Then I'm seeking honor. 426 00:14:42,300 --> 00:14:45,420 And all of those things, we should rejoice 427 00:14:45,420 --> 00:14:48,000 that the Lord, His kingdom is being accomplished 428 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:48,900 in all those things. 429 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:53,440 We should praise the Lord even if we 430 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:55,560 aren't used, even if we aren't mentioned, even 431 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:56,700 if we aren't appreciated. 432 00:14:57,300 --> 00:15:01,180 And for me, what I realized there is 433 00:15:01,180 --> 00:15:03,380 I lack the heart of a bride. 434 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:09,420 Because if I was truly a pure bride 435 00:15:09,420 --> 00:15:11,320 of Jesus Christ, I would rejoice that His 436 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:14,520 kingdom was going forth, that He saw fit 437 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:16,380 to entrust someone with responsibility. 438 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:17,520 Praise the Lord. 439 00:15:17,660 --> 00:15:20,160 My bridegroom's kingdom is going forth. 440 00:15:20,780 --> 00:15:23,520 That if someone is trustworthy to get advice 441 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:26,560 from, praise God, my bridegroom's kingdom is going 442 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:26,880 forth. 443 00:15:27,180 --> 00:15:30,720 If someone blessed someone else, praise God, right? 444 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:32,160 His kingdom is my kingdom. 445 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:34,040 And if His kingdom were my kingdom, I 446 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:36,680 would be rejoicing regardless of who gets, especially 447 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:37,500 when he gets credit. 448 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:39,940 And anytime I find I want that credit, 449 00:15:40,260 --> 00:15:42,280 what it should reveal to me is I'm 450 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:43,280 not a pure bride. 451 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:48,160 I'm not totally, I was thinking about, you 452 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:49,540 know, what would you think if you heard 453 00:15:49,540 --> 00:15:53,720 of a couple where the wife always wanted 454 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,160 to invite people over for dinner because she 455 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:57,960 loved getting compliments on her cookie? 456 00:15:59,990 --> 00:16:02,110 She's always inviting people because it feels great 457 00:16:02,110 --> 00:16:04,570 to be complimented. 458 00:16:04,730 --> 00:16:06,330 I think we'd say there's probably something wrong 459 00:16:06,330 --> 00:16:06,970 with that marriage. 460 00:16:07,090 --> 00:16:08,770 I don't know what the issue is, but 461 00:16:08,770 --> 00:16:10,430 there's probably something wrong with that marriage. 462 00:16:10,510 --> 00:16:12,490 But then if you learned her husband was 463 00:16:12,490 --> 00:16:18,630 the most appreciative, loving husband imaginable, what would 464 00:16:18,630 --> 00:16:19,030 you say? 465 00:16:21,210 --> 00:16:23,570 Why is she wanting other people's compliments? 466 00:16:23,710 --> 00:16:25,770 If her husband is complimentary, isn't that enough 467 00:16:25,770 --> 00:16:26,130 for her? 468 00:16:26,550 --> 00:16:27,490 What would it show you? 469 00:16:27,590 --> 00:16:28,370 What would it show me? 470 00:16:28,730 --> 00:16:31,110 She's not really satisfied with her husband's love. 471 00:16:31,870 --> 00:16:34,170 She's not really satisfied with her husband's affection. 472 00:16:34,910 --> 00:16:37,010 And for me, what do I need? 473 00:16:37,870 --> 00:16:39,970 I need to be truly married to and 474 00:16:39,970 --> 00:16:41,210 devoted to Jesus Christ. 475 00:16:41,310 --> 00:16:43,190 I need to hear his voice. 476 00:16:43,790 --> 00:16:44,890 You know, like it says in the Song 477 00:16:44,890 --> 00:16:46,830 of Solomon in chapter four, it says, let 478 00:16:46,830 --> 00:16:48,610 my beloved come into his garden and eat 479 00:16:48,610 --> 00:16:49,910 of its choice fruits. 480 00:16:50,550 --> 00:16:51,570 It's all for him. 481 00:16:51,810 --> 00:16:52,570 It's all his. 482 00:16:53,530 --> 00:16:54,610 You know, I need to hear and I 483 00:16:54,610 --> 00:16:56,430 need to ask the Lord, Lord, help me 484 00:16:56,430 --> 00:16:58,030 hear your voice of appreciation. 485 00:16:58,490 --> 00:17:00,250 Help me delight to hear your voice. 486 00:17:00,690 --> 00:17:02,810 In Romans chapter eight, it tells us that 487 00:17:02,810 --> 00:17:04,790 the Holy Spirit testifies with our spirits that 488 00:17:04,790 --> 00:17:05,990 we are children of God. 489 00:17:06,310 --> 00:17:07,849 As we've heard so many times from Brother 490 00:17:07,849 --> 00:17:11,310 Sack, Jesus heard the voice from heaven saying, 491 00:17:11,470 --> 00:17:13,530 this is my beloved son in whom I 492 00:17:13,530 --> 00:17:14,250 am well pleased. 493 00:17:14,550 --> 00:17:17,609 I believe he was totally satisfied with that. 494 00:17:17,730 --> 00:17:20,329 He didn't need anybody else to hear it. 495 00:17:20,410 --> 00:17:22,069 He didn't need appreciation from anyone else. 496 00:17:22,410 --> 00:17:23,770 And he had heard, I don't think that 497 00:17:23,770 --> 00:17:25,210 was the first time he heard his father's 498 00:17:25,210 --> 00:17:25,470 pleasure. 499 00:17:25,930 --> 00:17:27,830 I believe he lived a life where he 500 00:17:27,830 --> 00:17:30,090 was convinced of his father's pleasure, good pleasure. 501 00:17:31,090 --> 00:17:33,030 And that was just one example that we 502 00:17:33,030 --> 00:17:35,090 got to eavesdrop in on, so to speak. 503 00:17:35,430 --> 00:17:37,370 But Jesus Christ was totally satisfied. 504 00:17:37,690 --> 00:17:40,670 And for me, I want to mourn when 505 00:17:40,670 --> 00:17:42,770 I see how little I am satisfied with 506 00:17:42,770 --> 00:17:44,510 my bridegroom's appreciation. 507 00:17:45,230 --> 00:17:46,890 I want to say, Lord, let me hear 508 00:17:46,890 --> 00:17:47,550 your voice. 509 00:17:48,910 --> 00:17:50,370 I want to hear your voice. 510 00:17:51,270 --> 00:17:55,030 When a jealous thought arises, when some pleasure 511 00:17:55,030 --> 00:17:56,970 at some thought of, you know, a job 512 00:17:56,970 --> 00:17:59,690 well done or pity, self-pity at correction 513 00:17:59,690 --> 00:18:01,510 comes, I want to reject them in the 514 00:18:01,510 --> 00:18:02,490 name of Jesus Christ. 515 00:18:03,130 --> 00:18:05,750 I want to despise them and stomp on 516 00:18:05,750 --> 00:18:07,830 the weed and pull the weed out completely. 517 00:18:08,290 --> 00:18:09,470 I want to tell the Lord in my 518 00:18:09,470 --> 00:18:10,730 heart, I don't agree with that thought. 519 00:18:10,810 --> 00:18:11,490 I hate that thought. 520 00:18:11,530 --> 00:18:12,330 I reject it. 521 00:18:12,330 --> 00:18:14,310 And I want to seek for you to 522 00:18:14,310 --> 00:18:16,310 tell me in my spirit this, you're my 523 00:18:16,310 --> 00:18:16,930 beloved son. 524 00:18:17,010 --> 00:18:17,790 I'm well pleased with you. 525 00:18:17,930 --> 00:18:19,570 And Lord, would you please let my heart 526 00:18:19,570 --> 00:18:23,090 be totally satisfied with your appreciation. 527 00:18:23,610 --> 00:18:25,930 I don't want any tokens of appreciation other 528 00:18:25,930 --> 00:18:27,290 than those which come from the Lord. 529 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:33,880 The last verse that I'll mention is Matthew 530 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:34,760 chapter 6. 531 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:36,020 Maybe we can just end with that. 532 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:38,220 Jesus here is, it's in a Sermon on 533 00:18:38,220 --> 00:18:40,540 the Mount, and Jesus has been speaking about 534 00:18:40,540 --> 00:18:41,920 how there are Pharisees. 535 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:45,580 There are people who pray to be noticed 536 00:18:45,580 --> 00:18:49,220 by men, and who give alms to be 537 00:18:49,220 --> 00:18:51,120 noticed by men, and who fast to be 538 00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:51,880 noticed by men. 539 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,480 And we see there that the problem is 540 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:56,500 our intention. 541 00:18:57,220 --> 00:18:59,520 Whose attention do we want? 542 00:18:59,900 --> 00:19:01,120 Whose attention are we seeking? 543 00:19:01,220 --> 00:19:03,220 And there's a verse here in Matthew chapter 544 00:19:03,220 --> 00:19:04,940 6, verse 22 that blessed me. 545 00:19:05,140 --> 00:19:08,060 It says, the eye is the lamp of 546 00:19:08,060 --> 00:19:08,540 the body. 547 00:19:08,540 --> 00:19:11,720 So then if your eye is clear, or 548 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,580 single-minded, if you're single-minded, your whole 549 00:19:14,580 --> 00:19:16,020 body will be full of light. 550 00:19:16,580 --> 00:19:19,080 And I thought that's a wonderful promise to 551 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:19,580 grab a hold of. 552 00:19:19,620 --> 00:19:22,220 If your intentions are pure, if what you're 553 00:19:22,220 --> 00:19:24,780 only looking for is God's approval, if you're 554 00:19:24,780 --> 00:19:27,020 not interested in, and you're not receiving glory 555 00:19:27,020 --> 00:19:29,540 from anyone else, then your whole body will 556 00:19:29,540 --> 00:19:30,380 be full of light. 557 00:19:31,300 --> 00:19:32,720 And so to me, it's a good question 558 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,320 to say, whose attention am I seeking? 559 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:38,600 Do I want the Lord to be looking? 560 00:19:38,700 --> 00:19:40,000 If the Lord is looking, if the Lord 561 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,940 is pleased, that's enough. 562 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:46,140 I'll end with the verse I started with, 563 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:47,100 John chapter 5. 564 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,960 If you receive glory from one another, and 565 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,200 don't receive glory from God, you cannot have 566 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:54,580 faith. 567 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:57,760 And if you receive glory from one another, 568 00:19:57,900 --> 00:20:00,720 it's impossible to please God. 569 00:20:03,340 --> 00:20:06,200 It was a serious warning to me. 570 00:20:07,220 --> 00:20:08,780 And I pray that the Lord would help 571 00:20:08,780 --> 00:20:11,460 us to really be tuned to his frequency, 572 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:13,960 to only to seek the glory that comes 573 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,900 from God, and to reject the glory that 574 00:20:16,900 --> 00:20:17,640 comes from man. 575 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:19,780 It's good for us to show glory. 576 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,140 It says many times, we bestow abundant honor 577 00:20:23,140 --> 00:20:24,060 on the member which lacks. 578 00:20:24,140 --> 00:20:26,800 So for sure we should show honor, but 579 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,280 receiving glory, receiving honor, I'm not interested. 580 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,300 Bestow abundant honor on those who've taught you, 581 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,020 and those who've led you, definitely. 582 00:20:34,500 --> 00:20:36,320 Bestow abundant honor on the member which lacks, 583 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:36,780 definitely. 584 00:20:37,120 --> 00:20:38,780 But when it comes to receiving it, I'm 585 00:20:38,780 --> 00:20:40,080 not, I don't want it. 586 00:20:40,660 --> 00:20:42,100 I only want the honor and the glory 587 00:20:42,100 --> 00:20:42,980 that comes from God. 588 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:45,340 If that's true, then we can grow in 589 00:20:45,340 --> 00:20:45,660 faith. 590 00:20:45,740 --> 00:20:46,820 If we grow in faith, then we can 591 00:20:46,820 --> 00:20:48,580 be confident the Lord will give us the 592 00:20:48,580 --> 00:20:50,700 grace to make our whole body full of 593 00:20:50,700 --> 00:20:52,560 light, that we can please the Lord every 594 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:54,200 bit as much as Jesus did, who showed 595 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,680 us the perfect example of what it means 596 00:20:56,680 --> 00:21:00,220 to be totally concerned with, and totally consumed 597 00:21:00,220 --> 00:21:01,280 with, pleasing his Father. 598 00:21:01,820 --> 00:21:02,880 I pray that the Lord would help us 599 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:03,040 all.