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Well, go ahead and turn in your copy

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of God's Word to the book of Judges.

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To the book of Judges, chapter 19.

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And as we read, and as I'm sharing

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with you, I want you to ask this

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question.

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How did the situation in Israel become so

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dark?

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People ask that about America.

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People ask that about, you know, you've got

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documentaries on Rome.

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Well, the Bible has a whole lot to

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say about Israel.

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And at different places and different ways, it

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might explain the root problem leading to the

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darkness in a certain way.

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And something devotionally stood out at the start

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of Judges that we're going to look at,

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that I think is going to answer the

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question of how did it get as dark?

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As it does.

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Now before we look at how it got

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that dark, we're going to look at some

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of the darkness here in Judges chapter 19.

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And remember, this is all very applicable for

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us.

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Old Testament history, Paul is very quick in

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1 Corinthians 10 to tell us that these

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things are written down for our example.

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And so it's so helpful to look at

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examples, right?

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Even in parenting, that's one of the things

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you do.

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You might re-illustrate whatever the child did.

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Re-enact it in order for them to

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really recognize, oh, this is what happened.

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You know, the parent said, come.

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And I went and picked up a toy

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and then came.

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I didn't come right away, or whatever.

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You're re-enacting that.

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You want the person to see a visualization

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of what happened.

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And so Paul, he pulls in Israel constantly

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at different points.

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And so this is for us.

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You might say, as we look at Judges

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19, and you might think, you know what,

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this doesn't have anything to do with our

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church.

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There's no sort of darkness to this degree.

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But, we're going to look at where all

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this started, and you're going to realize it

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wasn't that dark initially.

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It got there at some point.

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And I would argue the same thing with

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the churches in Revelation.

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They didn't get as dark as it was

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in some of them.

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Overnight, there was a progressive change to get

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to that state.

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So, Judges 19.

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And let me pray, and then we will

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read from there.

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Father, Lord, we do thank You for history

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that's in Your Word of God.

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Lord, we find great encouragement from history, seeing

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Your utter, incredible faithfulness.

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Finding that not one good promise of the

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Lord our God failed.

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Yet, Lord, we also find in Your Word,

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terrifying, horrible, and dark examples of where sin

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can lead.

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And Lord, we start Your Word out, and

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what do we find?

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We find within one generation, there's already the

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first murderer, because of some sibling rivalry.

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And Lord, we look at Cain killing his

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brother, and it's just shocking.

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Lord, it doesn't shock us enough as it

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should.

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And so Lord, we want to be kept

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from subtle areas of drifting that could lead

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to such darkness.

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So Lord, help us.

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Pray You'd quicken these thoughts from Your Word

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and make them real for Your people this

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morning, and for my own soul.

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I ask this in Christ's name.

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Amen.

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Well, Judges 19.

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We're going to skim a few of these

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verses, and then read eight of them.

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So verse 1, In those days there was

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no king in Israel.

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That's mentioned often.

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Verse 2, this is the whole situation with

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the man with the concubine.

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Verse 2, And his concubine was unfaithful to

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him.

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Or she was playing the harlot.

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Some versions render it.

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Others try to make it sound like she

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just got angry at her husband and she

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left him.

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But the ESV puts she was unfaithful to

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him.

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What did she do?

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Verse 2, She went to her father's house.

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She was there for four months.

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The end of verse 2 says, Then this

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husband arose, verse 3, he went after her

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to speak kindly to her and bring her

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back.

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And so you've got a bad marital situation

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right here, and why is all this being

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put here?

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Well, let's go down.

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He eventually leaves his father-in-law's home.

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And you know, the father-in-law kind

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of kept wanting him to stay longer, longer

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and longer, and they finally left.

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Verse 10, But the man would not spend

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the night.

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He rose and departed.

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And he arrived opposite Jebus, that is Jerusalem.

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He had with him a couple of saddled

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donkeys and his concubine was with him.

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When they were near Jebus, the day was

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nearly over, and the servant said to his

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master, Come now, let us turn aside to

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the city of the Jebusites and spend the

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night in it.

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And look what his master said.

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His master said to him, We will not

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turn aside into the city of foreigners who

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do not belong to the people of Israel,

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but we will pass on to Jebus.

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Now, take note of that.

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You could have stopped somewhere.

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They didn't.

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Why?

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It's a place of foreigners.

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We want to stay somewhere that's owned by

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the twelve tribes.

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We want to stay somewhere that is of

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Israel.

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What's the assumption?

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We stay somewhere where people are of our

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nation.

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How are they going to treat us?

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They're going to speak good treatment, right?

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We're all in this together.

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We're the twelve tribes.

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It's going to be a really good time.

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Well, that's not what we find out.

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In verse 14, They drew near to Gibeah,

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which belongs to Benjamin.

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So you can see, it's part of the

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nation.

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Now, verse 22.

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We're going to read from verse 22 to

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30.

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And we're looking at where this darkness has

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gotten here at this point in Judges.

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As they were making their hearts merry, behold,

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the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded

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the house, beating on the door.

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And no, I didn't just turn in my

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Bible to read about Sodom and Gomorrah.

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Right?

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In Israel, in the city of Benjamin, the

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exact same thing is happening.

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You see?

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Very similar language and situation.

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They said to the old man, the master

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of the house, bring out the man who

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came into your house that we may know

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him.

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And the man and the master of the

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house went out to them and he said

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to them, no, my brothers, don't act so

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wickedly since this man is coming to the

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house.

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Do not do this vile thing.

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Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his

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concubine.

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Let me bring them out now.

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Violate them and do with them what seems

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good to you.

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That's a shocking statement.

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Seems good to you?

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But against this man, do not do this

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outrageous thing.

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Verse 25, but the men would not listen

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to him.

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So the man seized his concubine and he

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made a girl out to them and they

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knew her and abused her all night until

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the morning.

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And as the dawn began to break, they

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let her go.

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And as the morning appeared, the woman came.

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She fell down at the door of the

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man's house where her master was until it

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was light.

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It doesn't seem like the man's watching out

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the window looking to intervene, wondering what he

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can do.

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Verse 27, her master rose up in the

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morning.

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And when he had opened the doors of

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the house and went out to go on

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his way, behold, there was his concubine lying

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at the door of the house with her

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hands on the threshold.

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He said to her, Get up.

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Let us be going.

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But there was no answer.

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Then he put her on the donkey and

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the man rose and went away to his

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home.

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And when he entered his house, he took

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a knife.

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Taking hold of his concubine, he divided her

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limb by limb into twelve pieces and he

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sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.

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Verse 30, And all who saw it said,

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Such a thing...

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We're going to have to look at what

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the thing is.

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It's not the man cutting up the concubine.

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You can tell that from the context.

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It's what the minute Jebeah did.

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Such a thing has never happened.

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This seeking to rape the man, this homosexuality,

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this wickedness has been seen from the day

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the people of Israel came up out of

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the land of Egypt until this day.

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And then the people, all who saw it,

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they're saying, we've got to consider this.

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We need to take counsel about this.

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We need to get together about this and

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we need to speak about it.

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Like something has to happen.

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And that's exactly what continues on in chapter

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20, which we're not going to read chapter

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20, but they get together.

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They do take counsel.

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Verse 7 of chapter 20, Behold you people

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of Israel, all of you, give your advice

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and counsel here.

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They get together.

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They have this counsel.

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Verse 6 of chapter 20, Because they have

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committed an abomination and an outrage in Israel.

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And then even in chapter 20, The tribes

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of Israel sent men through all the tribe

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of Benjamin.

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So that's the tribe where all this wickedness

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happened.

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And they said, what is the evil that

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has taken place among you?

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How did this evil happen?

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And if you know the chapter well, the

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men of Benjamin, they defend Beah and there's

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a war and there's slaughter.

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But brethren, I don't know about you.

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I mean, some of you might even, if

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your kids are in here, you're thinking, I

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don't like this chapter being read with my

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kids in here maybe.

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I don't know.

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That's in God's Word.

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It shows the significant darkness that has gotten

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to this point.

277
00:10:12,150 --> 00:10:14,510
Now regardless of how you might respond today,

278
00:10:15,250 --> 00:10:17,830
my question isn't how do we take this

279
00:10:17,830 --> 00:10:19,250
and how do we respond to it.

280
00:10:19,290 --> 00:10:22,290
We have a document right here saying how

281
00:10:22,290 --> 00:10:24,230
they responded to this outrage.

282
00:10:24,810 --> 00:10:25,130
Right?

283
00:10:25,230 --> 00:10:26,910
And that's something we want to consider.

284
00:10:26,990 --> 00:10:27,890
How did they respond?

285
00:10:28,590 --> 00:10:29,350
And think about it.

286
00:10:29,350 --> 00:10:31,970
It had been maybe about 300 to 400

287
00:10:31,970 --> 00:10:36,610
years if you do the math, since they

288
00:10:36,610 --> 00:10:37,310
left Egypt.

289
00:10:37,410 --> 00:10:40,010
And now at this moment, it's gotten back

290
00:10:40,010 --> 00:10:42,590
to the point where they were seeing the

291
00:10:42,590 --> 00:10:43,770
acts of wickedness.

292
00:10:44,170 --> 00:10:45,030
And look at v.

293
00:10:45,090 --> 00:10:45,470
30.

294
00:10:45,570 --> 00:10:47,970
It reminded them of the land of Egypt.

295
00:10:50,030 --> 00:10:53,890
It took a couple hundred years here and

296
00:10:53,890 --> 00:10:55,390
now it's like, wait a minute, look what

297
00:10:55,390 --> 00:10:55,890
just happened.

298
00:10:56,250 --> 00:10:57,250
Are we living in Egypt?

299
00:10:57,530 --> 00:10:58,210
Remember the guy?

300
00:10:58,310 --> 00:10:59,610
He didn't want to stop at a town

301
00:10:59,610 --> 00:11:01,190
that wasn't a part of Israel, because he

302
00:11:01,190 --> 00:11:03,330
thought he'd get better treatment going to Gebeah

303
00:11:03,330 --> 00:11:05,070
because it was a tribe of Benjamin, right?

304
00:11:06,370 --> 00:11:07,470
Under Benjamin's reign.

305
00:11:08,010 --> 00:11:09,150
And he goes there and looks at the

306
00:11:09,150 --> 00:11:09,990
treatment he gets.

307
00:11:09,990 --> 00:11:14,150
He gets treated like Lot and Sodom and

308
00:11:14,150 --> 00:11:14,630
Gomorrah.

309
00:11:15,350 --> 00:11:18,030
And so we've got this reemergence of profound

310
00:11:18,030 --> 00:11:21,050
darkness centuries later and the people, they're right

311
00:11:21,050 --> 00:11:24,530
to say, consider it, take counsel, and speak

312
00:11:24,530 --> 00:11:25,090
about it.

313
00:11:25,570 --> 00:11:27,570
We've got to do something about it.

314
00:11:29,330 --> 00:11:33,090
So quickly though, because when you look at

315
00:11:33,090 --> 00:11:33,210
v.

316
00:11:33,270 --> 00:11:35,770
30, if you're just reading this and you

317
00:11:35,770 --> 00:11:38,550
say all who saw it said such a

318
00:11:38,550 --> 00:11:39,230
thing has never happened.

319
00:11:39,230 --> 00:11:41,710
You could easily take the it meaning the

320
00:11:41,710 --> 00:11:43,090
guy cutting up the concubine.

321
00:11:44,290 --> 00:11:44,850
Right?

322
00:11:44,990 --> 00:11:46,930
You could think that's the great wickedness.

323
00:11:47,890 --> 00:11:49,870
But just to make sure in your mind

324
00:11:49,870 --> 00:11:51,570
you realize that's not the thing.

325
00:11:52,110 --> 00:11:54,070
I think we get so shocked by that

326
00:11:54,070 --> 00:11:56,410
that we think, oh wow, that must be

327
00:11:56,410 --> 00:11:57,350
what he's talking about.

328
00:11:58,370 --> 00:12:02,150
No, the focus is on Israel, a nation

329
00:12:02,150 --> 00:12:05,050
in Israel, a tribe in Israel acting as

330
00:12:05,050 --> 00:12:06,370
Sodom and Gomorrah.

331
00:12:06,430 --> 00:12:08,810
We see where their anger is directed as

332
00:12:08,810 --> 00:12:09,650
you read on.

333
00:12:10,190 --> 00:12:13,110
The tribes, they rally to avenge the wickedness

334
00:12:13,110 --> 00:12:14,030
and punish Gebeah.

335
00:12:14,130 --> 00:12:16,910
They don't get angry to go punish the

336
00:12:16,910 --> 00:12:18,170
man, the Levite.

337
00:12:18,250 --> 00:12:19,950
The Levite's head is not on the chopping

338
00:12:19,950 --> 00:12:20,370
block.

339
00:12:20,650 --> 00:12:21,670
It's Gebeah.

340
00:12:22,370 --> 00:12:25,470
It's that city where these men sought to

341
00:12:25,470 --> 00:12:27,150
Sodomize this man.

342
00:12:27,310 --> 00:12:30,170
That's where their anger is fueled towards.

343
00:12:31,330 --> 00:12:32,470
And think about this.

344
00:12:33,070 --> 00:12:34,230
This happened in Gebeah.

345
00:12:35,070 --> 00:12:36,270
The city of Benjamin.

346
00:12:36,750 --> 00:12:38,830
Hosea even speaks about it in chapter 9,

347
00:12:38,890 --> 00:12:39,370
verse 9.

348
00:12:39,550 --> 00:12:41,610
They have deeply corrupted themselves.

349
00:12:42,370 --> 00:12:44,530
And then he has a reference point right

350
00:12:44,530 --> 00:12:46,110
then to refer to, and he says, as

351
00:12:46,110 --> 00:12:47,210
in the days of Gebeah.

352
00:12:47,910 --> 00:12:49,290
He will remember their sin.

353
00:12:49,350 --> 00:12:50,270
He will punish their sin.

354
00:12:51,650 --> 00:12:52,530
That's a point.

355
00:12:52,750 --> 00:12:53,970
You know how the Bible will refer to

356
00:12:53,970 --> 00:12:54,710
Sodom and Gomorrah?

357
00:12:55,430 --> 00:12:57,850
Well, Hosea's referring to this time in Israel.

358
00:12:58,690 --> 00:12:59,990
That's how dark it was.

359
00:13:00,410 --> 00:13:02,850
It became a point of reference for the

360
00:13:02,850 --> 00:13:05,430
depravity that the nation had got to.

361
00:13:05,430 --> 00:13:07,830
And we should be asking, how did it

362
00:13:07,830 --> 00:13:08,550
get to this point?

363
00:13:09,130 --> 00:13:11,370
What's going on here that we would avoid

364
00:13:11,370 --> 00:13:13,350
that as well?

365
00:13:14,750 --> 00:13:16,750
Them exchanging natural relations.

366
00:13:16,950 --> 00:13:19,930
Them having absolute violence towards a person.

367
00:13:20,110 --> 00:13:21,770
And I don't even think that...

368
00:13:22,270 --> 00:13:25,110
There's one other verse in the narrative I

369
00:13:25,110 --> 00:13:26,810
was going to read, but the man who

370
00:13:26,810 --> 00:13:28,730
he stayed at his house wasn't even from

371
00:13:28,730 --> 00:13:29,230
the city.

372
00:13:30,670 --> 00:13:31,570
Which verse was that?

373
00:13:31,630 --> 00:13:33,490
Verse 16 of chapter 19.

374
00:13:33,490 --> 00:13:35,810
Behold, an old man was coming from his

375
00:13:35,810 --> 00:13:36,610
work in the field.

376
00:13:36,710 --> 00:13:39,090
The man was from the hill country of

377
00:13:39,090 --> 00:13:39,690
Ephraim.

378
00:13:40,070 --> 00:13:42,890
He was just sojourning in Gebeah.

379
00:13:42,950 --> 00:13:44,390
You see, he's not even from the city.

380
00:13:45,010 --> 00:13:46,990
This place has gotten to a point of

381
00:13:46,990 --> 00:13:48,870
total darkness.

382
00:13:49,210 --> 00:13:52,070
These acts are so wicked that it brought

383
00:13:52,070 --> 00:13:54,690
about God's divine judgment of fire and brimstone

384
00:13:54,690 --> 00:13:56,530
from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

385
00:13:57,270 --> 00:13:59,030
And this man, he had no angels there

386
00:13:59,030 --> 00:14:01,490
to deliver him from the wickedness of these

387
00:14:01,490 --> 00:14:01,910
people.

388
00:14:02,410 --> 00:14:04,490
Now, is there a great indifference in this

389
00:14:04,490 --> 00:14:05,450
Levite as well?

390
00:14:05,590 --> 00:14:07,450
Yeah, I mean, I don't know about you,

391
00:14:07,470 --> 00:14:10,510
when you read verse 28, he walks out

392
00:14:10,510 --> 00:14:13,950
the door and he says, get up, let's

393
00:14:13,950 --> 00:14:14,590
get going.

394
00:14:15,310 --> 00:14:16,110
It's just shocking.

395
00:14:16,270 --> 00:14:18,410
The same man who spoke kindly to her

396
00:14:18,410 --> 00:14:19,910
in the chapter before to get her to

397
00:14:19,910 --> 00:14:21,630
come back with him is now saying, let's

398
00:14:21,630 --> 00:14:22,010
get up.

399
00:14:23,010 --> 00:14:25,290
This woman, it's like he's treating her like

400
00:14:25,290 --> 00:14:27,810
there was just some boxing match and got

401
00:14:27,810 --> 00:14:29,450
knocked down and it's like, hey, get up,

402
00:14:29,590 --> 00:14:30,530
let's get out of the ring.

403
00:14:30,530 --> 00:14:33,770
I mean, this woman was just severely abused

404
00:14:33,770 --> 00:14:37,670
and harmed and ultimately murdered by these men.

405
00:14:38,590 --> 00:14:41,790
This is an outrageous thing that is happening

406
00:14:41,790 --> 00:14:43,270
right here.

407
00:14:43,310 --> 00:14:46,890
It's absolutely horrible to think about this happening.

408
00:14:52,980 --> 00:14:56,340
Alright, now, as horrendous as that is, what

409
00:14:56,340 --> 00:14:58,160
the man's treatment of the woman is, it's

410
00:14:58,160 --> 00:14:59,920
nothing compared to those of Jebeah.

411
00:15:01,100 --> 00:15:04,360
Now, this Levite then, he cut up sacrifices.

412
00:15:05,380 --> 00:15:08,500
This Levite, who would usually cut up a

413
00:15:08,500 --> 00:15:11,120
sacrifice, he's used to doing that.

414
00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:11,840
What does he do here?

415
00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:13,960
He cuts up his concubine.

416
00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:15,780
He just was at the father-in-law's

417
00:15:15,780 --> 00:15:16,240
house.

418
00:15:17,460 --> 00:15:21,640
He cuts up her body to send one

419
00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:25,400
piece of the body to all of the

420
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:26,280
different tribes.

421
00:15:26,700 --> 00:15:29,040
And I think this implies that there is

422
00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,140
a letter that was attached, right?

423
00:15:32,140 --> 00:15:32,940
If you look at v.

424
00:15:33,660 --> 00:15:37,600
30, all who saw it, they said, well,

425
00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:39,680
let's consider it, take counsel and speak.

426
00:15:39,940 --> 00:15:43,540
Clearly, just receiving some body part isn't going

427
00:15:43,540 --> 00:15:45,320
to make you understand what's going on.

428
00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:46,720
Right?

429
00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:49,760
I think it's implied there was something communicated.

430
00:15:49,980 --> 00:15:51,660
So I look at the body part.

431
00:15:51,940 --> 00:15:54,840
It's like an attachment to the letter in

432
00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:58,340
order to provoke an outrage in the people

433
00:15:58,340 --> 00:16:01,360
to recognize this is as dark as it's

434
00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:02,960
got and we've got to take counsel.

435
00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:04,180
We've got to consider it.

436
00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:05,900
We've got to do something about it.

437
00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:09,000
And that's exactly what it brings about as

438
00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,220
we see in chapter 20.

439
00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:12,400
You know how it is.

440
00:16:12,460 --> 00:16:14,200
You get some email and it has something

441
00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:17,580
in there about the atrocities that are happening

442
00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:19,360
in some foreign country.

443
00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:21,840
Well, that email has pictures attached to it

444
00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:26,380
of kids being brutally harmed or women being

445
00:16:26,380 --> 00:16:27,200
brutally harmed.

446
00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:29,820
That kind of makes that email have a

447
00:16:29,820 --> 00:16:30,600
greater weight to it.

448
00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:32,060
I think that's the whole idea here.

449
00:16:32,340 --> 00:16:34,020
Here this letter is, listen to what happened

450
00:16:34,020 --> 00:16:34,500
in Gabia.

451
00:16:34,780 --> 00:16:36,040
This is happening in Israel.

452
00:16:36,140 --> 00:16:37,560
I stopped her to get hospitality.

453
00:16:37,820 --> 00:16:38,660
This is what I got.

454
00:16:38,940 --> 00:16:40,980
And here this attachment is, this member of

455
00:16:40,980 --> 00:16:44,780
my concubine, for you all to recognize the

456
00:16:44,780 --> 00:16:49,800
absolute darkness and to count on a moral

457
00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,400
outrage being awakened in the people, which is

458
00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:53,320
exactly what happened.

459
00:16:54,420 --> 00:16:55,400
There is an outrage.

460
00:16:56,140 --> 00:16:57,040
They do get together.

461
00:16:57,180 --> 00:16:58,860
They do counsel.

462
00:16:58,860 --> 00:17:01,520
And that is applicable to us, right?

463
00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:06,640
There are certain things that it's kind of

464
00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:08,359
like child training or other areas where you

465
00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:10,480
don't deal with it severely enough, right?

466
00:17:10,540 --> 00:17:13,160
Eli disciplined his sons, but it wasn't severe

467
00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:16,520
enough, so their wicked behavior continued, right?

468
00:17:16,599 --> 00:17:18,280
The same type of thing can happen in

469
00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:20,800
the church or anywhere in life where something

470
00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:22,920
is so severe and you don't have the

471
00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:23,660
right response.

472
00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,740
Well, this guy, it's like he's provoking them

473
00:17:26,740 --> 00:17:28,380
to have a serious response.

474
00:17:28,380 --> 00:17:29,820
I mean, this is Sodom and Gomorrah v.

475
00:17:30,020 --> 00:17:32,960
2.0. We've got to do something about

476
00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:33,420
this.

477
00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:37,300
So there's times that you need to be

478
00:17:37,300 --> 00:17:38,700
a whistleblower, so to speak.

479
00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:40,560
You need to expose the corruption on a

480
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:41,360
grander scale.

481
00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,420
And you need to sound an undeniable alarm.

482
00:17:45,300 --> 00:17:48,400
That's how I take him getting home, thinking

483
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:49,920
about all of it, and he doesn't just

484
00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:50,540
do nothing.

485
00:17:51,740 --> 00:17:55,100
Verse 29, divides his concubine up limb by

486
00:17:55,100 --> 00:17:56,980
limb and sends her to the territories.

487
00:17:56,980 --> 00:17:59,100
And for chapter 20, you can see what

488
00:17:59,100 --> 00:17:59,660
it led to.

489
00:17:59,780 --> 00:18:00,920
It led to war.

490
00:18:01,860 --> 00:18:04,680
Sadly though, the nation's already this dark.

491
00:18:06,140 --> 00:18:08,260
They didn't wipe out all the Benjamites.

492
00:18:09,460 --> 00:18:10,740
They didn't kill them all.

493
00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:12,820
What, 600 were left alive?

494
00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:14,180
And what happened next?

495
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:16,740
They had made a rash oath that we

496
00:18:16,740 --> 00:18:18,580
can't let them marry any of our women.

497
00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:22,120
Remember, this is people supporting what happened at

498
00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:22,540
Gebeah.

499
00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,140
And what does Israel then proceed to do?

500
00:18:25,140 --> 00:18:27,140
Let's get these guys some wives.

501
00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:28,560
And hey, you know what?

502
00:18:28,580 --> 00:18:30,240
There's this one tribe, they didn't actually come

503
00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:30,800
to the battle.

504
00:18:30,980 --> 00:18:32,460
Let's go kill all their men, kill all

505
00:18:32,460 --> 00:18:33,820
their women and their children, but keep all

506
00:18:33,820 --> 00:18:36,540
the virgins and give them to these Benjamites.

507
00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:37,960
And they did that.

508
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,120
How many women did they get?

509
00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:40,040
400.

510
00:18:40,500 --> 00:18:41,340
So they didn't have enough.

511
00:18:41,420 --> 00:18:42,580
They needed 200 more women.

512
00:18:43,060 --> 00:18:45,740
And you know what this dark nation at

513
00:18:45,740 --> 00:18:46,520
this point did?

514
00:18:46,860 --> 00:18:50,760
They sanctioned abduction and kidnapping of women.

515
00:18:51,420 --> 00:18:53,760
And there's this festival going on and they

516
00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:55,160
just tell them to go out there and

517
00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:56,920
kidnap those women and take them away.

518
00:18:57,020 --> 00:18:57,420
And you know what?

519
00:18:57,520 --> 00:18:59,400
As I was reading that, I thought that's

520
00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,380
almost exactly what happened in Israel at that

521
00:19:01,380 --> 00:19:01,840
festival.

522
00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:04,560
Hamas comes into the festival and they start

523
00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:06,820
kidnapping these different women and taking them back

524
00:19:06,820 --> 00:19:07,800
to the Gaza Strip.

525
00:19:08,180 --> 00:19:10,200
I mean, that's what this nation is doing

526
00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,620
to try to keep this one tribe alive.

527
00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:14,000
Imagine.

528
00:19:15,100 --> 00:19:18,340
Imagine all of this happening right here.

529
00:19:18,380 --> 00:19:21,000
All this evil taking place.

530
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:22,920
Verse 21 is where all that happens.

531
00:19:23,020 --> 00:19:24,980
Verse 20, go lie in ambush in the

532
00:19:24,980 --> 00:19:26,060
vineyards and watch.

533
00:19:27,140 --> 00:19:29,060
They're endorsing kidnapping these women.

534
00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:31,460
Well, you had some type of oath, right?

535
00:19:31,460 --> 00:19:32,700
We better not break the oath.

536
00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:34,000
But you know what?

537
00:19:34,020 --> 00:19:35,420
We'll sanction a little trick here.

538
00:19:35,500 --> 00:19:37,060
You can go and just take these women

539
00:19:37,060 --> 00:19:38,580
away from their families and then we're going

540
00:19:38,580 --> 00:19:40,060
to tell the families they can't do anything

541
00:19:40,060 --> 00:19:40,620
about it.

542
00:19:42,100 --> 00:19:42,780
It's dark.

543
00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:44,340
I mean, do you want to live in

544
00:19:44,340 --> 00:19:45,340
this nation at this point?

545
00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:47,120
You want to move there?

546
00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:48,000
This is how the news is?

547
00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:49,240
You guys want to relocate?

548
00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:51,180
To Gabiah?

549
00:19:51,540 --> 00:19:52,100
To Benjamin?

550
00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:53,540
To Israel?

551
00:19:58,180 --> 00:20:02,950
So, how did it end up like this?

552
00:20:04,310 --> 00:20:06,790
And they were even sending people to Benjamin.

553
00:20:07,010 --> 00:20:08,950
I pointed out chapter 20, verse 12.

554
00:20:09,270 --> 00:20:10,010
Similar question.

555
00:20:10,310 --> 00:20:12,510
What evil is this that's taken place?

556
00:20:15,010 --> 00:20:17,030
How did this evil take place?

557
00:20:17,570 --> 00:20:19,090
They're asking that question.

558
00:20:20,940 --> 00:20:23,120
How could such a wicked thing take place?

559
00:20:23,220 --> 00:20:24,800
So I'm asking the same question because they're

560
00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:25,700
asking that question.

561
00:20:25,700 --> 00:20:27,940
And I trust you're asking that question as

562
00:20:27,940 --> 00:20:28,320
well.

563
00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:30,440
So that's when I want to now transition

564
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,520
to look at one of the answers that

565
00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:36,640
I think really stands out that is given

566
00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:40,140
leading in to all of this.

567
00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:41,500
And so turn to Joshua.

568
00:20:41,740 --> 00:20:43,320
Go back to the left.

569
00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:45,920
Joshua 24, and then we're going to look

570
00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:47,040
at the start of Judges.

571
00:21:05,140 --> 00:21:07,980
Everything is not at this point yet right

572
00:21:07,980 --> 00:21:11,120
here, but something stood out devotionally where I

573
00:21:11,120 --> 00:21:12,540
thought this is very interesting.

574
00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,080
This gets brought up at the end of

575
00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:15,480
Joshua.

576
00:21:15,700 --> 00:21:17,080
It gets brought up at the start of

577
00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:17,580
Judges.

578
00:21:17,860 --> 00:21:19,840
This keeps getting mentioned here.

579
00:21:20,700 --> 00:21:22,480
And I think this is application for us.

580
00:21:24,660 --> 00:21:30,570
Joshua 24, verse 29, After these things Joshua

581
00:21:30,570 --> 00:21:32,770
the son of Nun, the servant of the

582
00:21:32,770 --> 00:21:35,370
Lord, died, being 110 years old.

583
00:21:35,430 --> 00:21:38,830
They buried him in his own inheritance at

584
00:21:38,830 --> 00:21:41,770
Timnasera, which is in the hill country of

585
00:21:41,770 --> 00:21:46,390
Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gath.

586
00:21:47,870 --> 00:21:49,250
The hill country of Ephraim.

587
00:21:49,530 --> 00:21:51,370
That's where that one guy came from who

588
00:21:51,370 --> 00:21:52,090
was staying in Gebeah.

589
00:21:52,530 --> 00:21:53,230
Verse 31.

590
00:21:53,370 --> 00:21:54,170
This is the verse.

591
00:21:54,210 --> 00:21:55,010
Look at verse 31.

592
00:21:55,450 --> 00:21:59,050
Israel served the Lord all the days of

593
00:21:59,050 --> 00:22:03,270
Joshua and all the days of the elders

594
00:22:03,990 --> 00:22:09,030
who outlived Joshua and had known all the

595
00:22:09,030 --> 00:22:13,030
work that the Lord did for Israel.

596
00:22:13,890 --> 00:22:15,130
That's interesting.

597
00:22:15,310 --> 00:22:17,450
Some versions they render it all those who

598
00:22:17,450 --> 00:22:21,730
had personally experienced the power of God.

599
00:22:22,050 --> 00:22:23,330
The works of God.

600
00:22:23,730 --> 00:22:26,510
Who personally knew the Lord.

601
00:22:26,690 --> 00:22:27,590
And look at verse 31.

602
00:22:27,790 --> 00:22:28,810
They served.

603
00:22:28,890 --> 00:22:29,910
That word is worship.

604
00:22:30,730 --> 00:22:32,330
They worshiped the Lord.

605
00:22:33,210 --> 00:22:35,890
But it stopped at some point.

606
00:22:36,030 --> 00:22:39,790
What led to the diminishing of the worshiping

607
00:22:39,790 --> 00:22:41,790
of the Lord that is mentioned right there?

608
00:22:42,090 --> 00:22:45,150
Joshua dies, and then all these other people

609
00:22:45,150 --> 00:22:48,590
who were alive and had witnessed firsthand the

610
00:22:48,590 --> 00:22:49,970
power of God, they die.

611
00:22:51,050 --> 00:22:51,890
They die.

612
00:22:52,850 --> 00:23:00,570
Now, let's go further into judges.

613
00:23:01,830 --> 00:23:04,970
Real fast, another version.

614
00:23:05,230 --> 00:23:06,090
Renders verse 31.

615
00:23:06,210 --> 00:23:06,530
Listen to this.

616
00:23:06,730 --> 00:23:11,310
These men had experienced firsthand everything the Lord

617
00:23:11,310 --> 00:23:12,050
had done for Israel.

618
00:23:12,070 --> 00:23:13,970
When you take out the people who firsthand

619
00:23:13,970 --> 00:23:16,910
had experienced the power of God, who walked

620
00:23:16,910 --> 00:23:18,610
with the Lord, who knew the Lord, you

621
00:23:18,610 --> 00:23:19,410
take them out.

622
00:23:20,870 --> 00:23:22,370
Look where Israel ends up.

623
00:23:22,570 --> 00:23:24,610
The interesting thing is when those men were

624
00:23:24,610 --> 00:23:29,370
alive, their influence was powerful enough that a

625
00:23:29,370 --> 00:23:32,250
nation of people was at least going through

626
00:23:32,250 --> 00:23:34,270
the motions and doing the very things that

627
00:23:34,270 --> 00:23:35,930
they supposedly were supposed to be doing.

628
00:23:36,170 --> 00:23:37,650
But you take those men out of the

629
00:23:37,650 --> 00:23:41,950
picture who truly knew the Lord, something right

630
00:23:41,950 --> 00:23:42,870
here that happens.

631
00:23:44,030 --> 00:23:46,190
It seems like their worship it hinged upon

632
00:23:46,190 --> 00:23:50,430
Joshua and the elders who firsthand had experienced

633
00:23:50,430 --> 00:23:51,390
the Lord.

634
00:23:51,750 --> 00:23:53,270
Meaning, they were just going through the motions

635
00:23:53,270 --> 00:23:54,650
like a child with their parents.

636
00:23:54,890 --> 00:23:56,490
You remove the parents and you see what

637
00:23:56,490 --> 00:23:57,690
the child truly desires.

638
00:23:59,170 --> 00:24:00,850
And we see for a younger generation to

639
00:24:00,850 --> 00:24:03,170
continue in the path of the older, they

640
00:24:03,170 --> 00:24:07,230
need to not only inherit the knowledge and

641
00:24:07,230 --> 00:24:09,970
the truth in the head, but the younger

642
00:24:09,970 --> 00:24:13,690
generation has to personally experience and know the

643
00:24:13,690 --> 00:24:16,030
reality of the Lord and know the Lord

644
00:24:16,030 --> 00:24:16,690
Jesus Christ.

645
00:24:16,810 --> 00:24:19,330
Did not Christ say, this is eternal life,

646
00:24:19,410 --> 00:24:21,650
that they might know Me, the one true

647
00:24:21,650 --> 00:24:23,590
God, and Jesus Christ Whom I have sent.

648
00:24:24,110 --> 00:24:25,650
Salvation is to know the Lord.

649
00:24:25,650 --> 00:24:27,090
It's not just in the head.

650
00:24:27,510 --> 00:24:30,190
The Pharisees are a New Testament example of

651
00:24:30,190 --> 00:24:31,470
people who had a lot of intellect.

652
00:24:31,630 --> 00:24:32,950
They had a lot of head knowledge.

653
00:24:33,970 --> 00:24:35,750
And so, you can just have traditions.

654
00:24:35,990 --> 00:24:36,810
You can know truth.

655
00:24:36,890 --> 00:24:39,330
You can look up to good, wise people.

656
00:24:39,430 --> 00:24:41,550
But that is not enough if it isn't

657
00:24:41,550 --> 00:24:44,650
a reality in your own life.

658
00:24:45,190 --> 00:24:47,510
And everything doesn't just nosedive into a crash

659
00:24:47,510 --> 00:24:48,130
right away.

660
00:24:48,670 --> 00:24:51,250
There is a drifting.

661
00:24:51,610 --> 00:24:52,930
And if you look at the start of

662
00:24:52,930 --> 00:24:55,410
Judges, you see what he said right there.

663
00:24:55,470 --> 00:24:56,490
And then you go into the start of

664
00:24:56,490 --> 00:24:57,050
Judges.

665
00:24:57,210 --> 00:24:58,770
We're going to see the same thing mentioned

666
00:24:58,770 --> 00:25:00,530
in a minute, but look at chapter 1.

667
00:25:01,030 --> 00:25:04,070
Look at this issue of partial obedience that

668
00:25:04,070 --> 00:25:05,430
really starts to happen.

669
00:25:06,430 --> 00:25:11,990
Verse 27, Manasseh did not drive out the

670
00:25:11,990 --> 00:25:12,430
inhabitants.

671
00:25:13,370 --> 00:25:14,950
Okay, well, you know Manasseh.

672
00:25:15,570 --> 00:25:16,510
They did that.

673
00:25:16,710 --> 00:25:20,230
Verse 29, Ephraim did not drive out the

674
00:25:20,230 --> 00:25:20,930
Canaanites.

675
00:25:21,430 --> 00:25:23,150
Okay, now it's just two of them.

676
00:25:23,810 --> 00:25:26,590
Verse 30, Zebulun did not drive out the

677
00:25:26,590 --> 00:25:27,050
inhabitants.

678
00:25:27,850 --> 00:25:30,970
Verse 31, Asher did not drive out the

679
00:25:30,970 --> 00:25:31,450
inhabitants.

680
00:25:32,650 --> 00:25:36,170
Verse 33, Naphtali did not drive out the

681
00:25:36,170 --> 00:25:39,970
inhabitants of Bethshemesh or the inhabitants of Bethana,

682
00:25:40,230 --> 00:25:42,250
so that they lived among the Canaanites, the

683
00:25:42,250 --> 00:25:43,330
inhabitants of the land.

684
00:25:43,390 --> 00:25:47,030
Nevertheless, they ended up putting them to forced

685
00:25:47,030 --> 00:25:47,510
labor.

686
00:25:48,390 --> 00:25:52,050
Right in verse 34, the Amorites pressed the

687
00:25:52,050 --> 00:25:53,930
people of Dan back into the hill country

688
00:25:53,930 --> 00:25:55,530
for they didn't allow them to come down

689
00:25:55,530 --> 00:25:56,150
to the plain.

690
00:25:56,970 --> 00:25:59,670
And the Amorites persisted in dwelling in Mount

691
00:25:59,670 --> 00:26:00,590
Geriz.

692
00:26:01,630 --> 00:26:03,270
So you've got this partial obedience.

693
00:26:03,410 --> 00:26:04,470
Then you go to chapter 2.

694
00:26:05,870 --> 00:26:07,570
Now the angel of the Lord, verse 1,

695
00:26:07,630 --> 00:26:09,750
went up from Gilgal, and he said, I

696
00:26:09,750 --> 00:26:11,430
brought you up from Egypt, and I brought

697
00:26:11,430 --> 00:26:12,890
you into the land that I swore to

698
00:26:12,890 --> 00:26:13,750
give to your fathers.

699
00:26:14,010 --> 00:26:15,750
I said I will never break My covenant

700
00:26:15,750 --> 00:26:19,490
with you, and you shall make no covenant

701
00:26:19,490 --> 00:26:21,150
with the inhabitants of this land.

702
00:26:21,270 --> 00:26:23,650
You shall break down their altar, but you

703
00:26:23,650 --> 00:26:25,550
have not obeyed My voice.

704
00:26:25,570 --> 00:26:26,430
So they're not obeying.

705
00:26:26,510 --> 00:26:28,630
They have a partial obedience here.

706
00:26:28,890 --> 00:26:30,490
And then look what he brings up.

707
00:26:30,750 --> 00:26:34,470
Verse 6, When Joshua dismissed the people, the

708
00:26:34,470 --> 00:26:36,490
people of Israel went each to his own

709
00:26:36,490 --> 00:26:38,390
inheritance to take possession of the land.

710
00:26:38,430 --> 00:26:41,150
Verse 7, And the people served the Lord.

711
00:26:41,310 --> 00:26:43,250
He's basically reiterating the same thing.

712
00:26:43,250 --> 00:26:46,830
All the days of Joshua and all the

713
00:26:46,830 --> 00:26:49,890
days of the elders who outlived Joshua who

714
00:26:49,890 --> 00:26:52,930
had seen all the great work that the

715
00:26:52,930 --> 00:26:55,230
Lord had done for Israel.

716
00:26:55,990 --> 00:26:58,970
Verse 10, And all that generation were also

717
00:26:58,970 --> 00:27:01,370
gathered to their fathers, and there arose another

718
00:27:01,370 --> 00:27:05,010
generation after them who did not know the

719
00:27:05,010 --> 00:27:07,450
Lord or the work that He had done

720
00:27:07,450 --> 00:27:08,730
for Israel.

721
00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:13,060
They hadn't personally known the Lord.

722
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:15,460
They didn't know His work.

723
00:27:16,700 --> 00:27:20,840
You remove the people who do, and then

724
00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,100
you see who's really going through the motions.

725
00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:25,680
Or who's just going through the motions and

726
00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,920
who isn't really walking in an intimate way

727
00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,280
with Christ.

728
00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:33,060
And we read these sad words, Judges 2

729
00:27:33,060 --> 00:27:36,240
.17, They soon turned aside from the way

730
00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:39,520
in which their fathers had walked, who had

731
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:41,680
obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they

732
00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:43,840
did not do so.

733
00:27:44,260 --> 00:27:48,200
To me, that's just a scary verse, right?

734
00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:51,300
Especially even being a father, and you think

735
00:27:51,300 --> 00:27:53,900
of trying to instill the truth and the

736
00:27:53,900 --> 00:27:56,560
Gospel in your children, and the last thing

737
00:27:56,560 --> 00:27:59,160
you want to do is you die and

738
00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:02,960
you're the influence holding those children's religion together

739
00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:05,040
and it's not something that they have as

740
00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:06,700
a reality of them in Christ.

741
00:28:07,540 --> 00:28:10,320
And all of a sudden, that restraint is

742
00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:11,320
now removed.

743
00:28:13,740 --> 00:28:15,520
And they go and live in sin.

744
00:28:15,540 --> 00:28:16,380
I've seen that happen.

745
00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:18,540
And some of those people thankfully got converted

746
00:28:18,540 --> 00:28:21,160
at a later point after their parent died

747
00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:21,860
and was gone.

748
00:28:23,060 --> 00:28:23,980
Then look at v.

749
00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:24,720
19.

750
00:28:25,460 --> 00:28:29,100
But whenever the judge died, they turned back

751
00:28:29,100 --> 00:28:30,800
and were more corrupt than their father.

752
00:28:30,900 --> 00:28:32,160
So again, restraint.

753
00:28:32,220 --> 00:28:34,360
When one of the judges is alive and

754
00:28:34,360 --> 00:28:36,060
he's leading, there's restraint.

755
00:28:36,060 --> 00:28:38,500
But you take them out of the picture,

756
00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:41,080
and they're not going to drop any of

757
00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:42,740
the practices or their stubborn ways.

758
00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,220
And so, it's clearly showing that individuals can

759
00:28:46,220 --> 00:28:49,320
end up mechanically adopting their leader's beliefs and

760
00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:54,120
values similar to shadowing their footsteps without genuinely

761
00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:56,440
grasping the convictions for themselves.

762
00:28:58,780 --> 00:29:01,880
That metaphor of shadowing someone's footsteps, it underscores

763
00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:04,780
the idea of you're following closely behind someone.

764
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,520
You're mimicking every move without engaging deeply or

765
00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:10,080
understanding the path you're actually on.

766
00:29:10,820 --> 00:29:13,120
You're following it, but you don't understand it.

767
00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:14,280
It's not personal.

768
00:29:14,900 --> 00:29:17,220
It's just doing something because someone else does

769
00:29:17,220 --> 00:29:18,900
it, not because you really believe in it

770
00:29:18,900 --> 00:29:19,380
yourself.

771
00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:22,520
You could say it's like copying someone else's

772
00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:22,900
homework.

773
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:24,560
You might get all the right answers, but

774
00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:26,040
you're not actually learning anything.

775
00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:27,800
You're getting it in the head.

776
00:29:27,980 --> 00:29:28,940
It's not in the heart.

777
00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:30,360
It's short-term memory.

778
00:29:30,860 --> 00:29:32,800
And the real test is, let's say if

779
00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:34,280
you're a kid at school and someone was

780
00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:36,180
actually copying all the answers, you get the

781
00:29:36,180 --> 00:29:37,980
kid who really knows the material, you remove

782
00:29:37,980 --> 00:29:39,860
him, what's going to happen to the person

783
00:29:39,860 --> 00:29:40,400
who's left?

784
00:29:41,180 --> 00:29:42,880
Do they themselves know that material?

785
00:29:44,100 --> 00:29:46,640
And I would say clearly, to truly experience

786
00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:47,980
and know the Lord is to be truly

787
00:29:47,980 --> 00:29:48,580
born again.

788
00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:49,700
To have genuine faith.

789
00:29:50,460 --> 00:29:53,400
The problem with Israel is we find even

790
00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:55,240
Paul saying most of them died in the

791
00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:56,540
wilderness in unbelief.

792
00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,180
You have a nation of people who are

793
00:29:59,180 --> 00:30:01,880
a part of a physical nation, but most

794
00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:03,900
of them had not been circumcised in the

795
00:30:03,900 --> 00:30:04,180
heart.

796
00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,080
And what does the law even produce?

797
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:10,240
What do we see the law doing in

798
00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:10,940
the New Testament?

799
00:30:11,140 --> 00:30:12,920
It's arousing sin in different people.

800
00:30:13,060 --> 00:30:15,800
Israel kept getting darker and darker because the

801
00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:20,200
majority of Israel did not truly know Christ.

802
00:30:20,260 --> 00:30:21,120
They didn't know the Lord.

803
00:30:22,260 --> 00:30:23,560
They didn't have a new heart.

804
00:30:24,020 --> 00:30:25,500
They didn't have a different spirit.

805
00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:27,160
It says Caleb is a man with a

806
00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:30,060
different spirit because he's followed Me wholly, therefore

807
00:30:30,060 --> 00:30:31,120
he will enter the land.

808
00:30:32,830 --> 00:30:35,750
So this is a caution for our church,

809
00:30:35,850 --> 00:30:36,430
for all of us.

810
00:30:36,490 --> 00:30:39,110
If we forget what it truly means to

811
00:30:39,110 --> 00:30:42,350
be a Christian, or if we drop our

812
00:30:42,350 --> 00:30:44,990
standards of what genuine conversion is and what

813
00:30:44,990 --> 00:30:47,730
is an authentic characteristic of someone who's following

814
00:30:47,730 --> 00:30:50,030
Christ, and we just start adhering to traditions,

815
00:30:50,530 --> 00:30:52,850
we stand a generation away from vanishing.

816
00:30:54,570 --> 00:30:56,690
And look, that happens.

817
00:30:57,110 --> 00:30:59,390
You get churches, they lower what it really

818
00:30:59,390 --> 00:31:00,390
means to be a Christian.

819
00:31:01,190 --> 00:31:06,290
And not to harshly pick on Presbyterians, but

820
00:31:06,290 --> 00:31:08,730
this happens more with Presbyterians because they already

821
00:31:08,730 --> 00:31:11,190
have the idea of our kids are part

822
00:31:11,190 --> 00:31:12,850
of the covenant and in some way they're

823
00:31:12,850 --> 00:31:13,390
good to go.

824
00:31:13,810 --> 00:31:15,990
So they're already lowering a standard right there

825
00:31:15,990 --> 00:31:17,350
where these kids kind of grow up with

826
00:31:17,350 --> 00:31:19,190
some expectation, well, I'm part of God's covenant

827
00:31:19,190 --> 00:31:19,550
people.

828
00:31:20,210 --> 00:31:21,510
It's all going to be okay.

829
00:31:22,270 --> 00:31:23,990
And you look at church history and you

830
00:31:23,990 --> 00:31:25,490
look at those who embrace some of those

831
00:31:25,490 --> 00:31:28,970
views, you don't find generations and generations lasting

832
00:31:28,970 --> 00:31:29,350
there.

833
00:31:29,630 --> 00:31:32,210
You find compromise happening.

834
00:31:32,310 --> 00:31:33,650
I'm not saying that can't happen in a

835
00:31:33,650 --> 00:31:34,230
Baptist church.

836
00:31:34,290 --> 00:31:37,390
It absolutely can if you lower the doctrine

837
00:31:37,390 --> 00:31:39,610
of regeneration and don't talk about what true

838
00:31:39,610 --> 00:31:40,550
conversion is.

839
00:31:41,730 --> 00:31:44,770
But a few leaders can influence a whole

840
00:31:44,770 --> 00:31:47,190
nation, yet the whole nation not have reality.

841
00:31:48,250 --> 00:31:50,270
And I remember getting converted when God saved

842
00:31:50,270 --> 00:31:50,370
me.

843
00:31:50,450 --> 00:31:51,850
That was one of the things I had

844
00:31:51,850 --> 00:31:52,530
to ask myself.

845
00:31:52,690 --> 00:31:54,250
I thought, what if all the men I

846
00:31:54,250 --> 00:31:56,650
really respect became an atheist tomorrow?

847
00:31:57,510 --> 00:31:58,970
Would I still follow Christ?

848
00:32:00,530 --> 00:32:02,690
I played through that scenario in my own

849
00:32:02,690 --> 00:32:03,070
mind.

850
00:32:03,430 --> 00:32:04,590
And the whole point of it was to

851
00:32:04,590 --> 00:32:08,150
ask myself the question, is my knowledge of

852
00:32:08,150 --> 00:32:09,090
Christ personal?

853
00:32:09,870 --> 00:32:11,470
Or have I just heard all this truth,

854
00:32:11,550 --> 00:32:13,550
heard all this doctrine and with joy received

855
00:32:13,550 --> 00:32:15,910
it, but there's nothing in my own soul

856
00:32:15,910 --> 00:32:19,050
of me walking personally with Christ for myself?

857
00:32:22,180 --> 00:32:24,960
And yes, thank God that when you're saved,

858
00:32:25,020 --> 00:32:26,400
you have older Christians and they could be

859
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:29,140
like big trees, that they're sturdier, their root

860
00:32:29,140 --> 00:32:30,920
system is bigger, and when the winds of

861
00:32:30,920 --> 00:32:34,280
trials come, the little trees are being protected

862
00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:36,760
and everything, but eventually when those old trees

863
00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:38,240
die out and all you've got is the

864
00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:40,380
younger generation, you're going to find who really

865
00:32:40,380 --> 00:32:41,160
has a deep root.

866
00:32:41,780 --> 00:32:43,400
But some of those trees, they might topple

867
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:45,220
over with those winds of trials and the

868
00:32:45,220 --> 00:32:46,940
cares of this life and it proved that

869
00:32:46,940 --> 00:32:50,520
the faith there wasn't the real thing.

870
00:32:51,100 --> 00:32:54,080
So do you firsthand know Christ for yourself?

871
00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:56,780
Or do you live off the reality of

872
00:32:56,780 --> 00:32:57,100
others?

873
00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:01,740
When you think about firsthand, firsthand experience, it

874
00:33:01,740 --> 00:33:04,540
refers to knowledge gained through direct involvement.

875
00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:08,700
It's not second-hand sources or accounts.

876
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:13,920
It's a direct involvement of you walking and

877
00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:17,800
knowing and believing in Christ for yourself.

878
00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:22,240
Brethren, it's amazing.

879
00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:25,300
Joshua alive and those elders alive and how

880
00:33:25,300 --> 00:33:26,800
much Israel was towing the line.

881
00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:28,880
And yet, they die off and it's just

882
00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:29,800
like...

883
00:33:31,460 --> 00:33:32,980
vanishes into depravity.

884
00:33:34,420 --> 00:33:36,320
Now this in no way means we don't

885
00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:37,660
tell the works of God to those who

886
00:33:37,660 --> 00:33:38,460
have yet to know the Lord.

887
00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:39,040
We do that.

888
00:33:39,180 --> 00:33:39,780
We better do that.

889
00:33:39,820 --> 00:33:42,360
Listen to Psalm 78, verse 3.

890
00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:45,720
What we have heard and learned, and you

891
00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:47,560
know why we tell people the works of

892
00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:47,780
God?

893
00:33:47,860 --> 00:33:49,640
You know why us as parents should try

894
00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:51,680
to journal and remember the great things God

895
00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:53,800
has done and relay that to our children

896
00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:55,900
and read our children biographies where they see

897
00:33:55,900 --> 00:33:57,580
the great things God did in the lives

898
00:33:57,580 --> 00:33:58,460
of other individuals?

899
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:00,740
And why you should rejoice at the Thanksgiving

900
00:34:00,740 --> 00:34:01,440
prayer meeting?

901
00:34:01,500 --> 00:34:03,220
Or why we should ask for praise requests?

902
00:34:03,540 --> 00:34:05,180
Because that's going to show people as they're

903
00:34:05,180 --> 00:34:07,620
seeing what God is doing, the kids are

904
00:34:07,620 --> 00:34:10,020
going to realize this God has a value

905
00:34:10,020 --> 00:34:10,940
and He is worthy.

906
00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:12,580
He's worthy.

907
00:34:12,900 --> 00:34:14,639
And that might be the very catalyst to

908
00:34:14,639 --> 00:34:16,580
get them to trust the Lord, is they

909
00:34:16,580 --> 00:34:18,980
recognize His faithfulness in your own life.

910
00:34:19,639 --> 00:34:21,120
And so just because there's a danger where

911
00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:22,940
people live off the reality of others, it

912
00:34:22,940 --> 00:34:24,659
doesn't mean you conceal all of that.

913
00:34:25,659 --> 00:34:28,020
But Psalm 78, what we have heard and

914
00:34:28,020 --> 00:34:30,520
learned, that which our ancestors have told us,

915
00:34:30,639 --> 00:34:32,520
we will not hide from their descendants.

916
00:34:32,980 --> 00:34:35,000
We will tell the next generation about the

917
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,780
Lord's praiseworthy acts, about His strength and the

918
00:34:38,780 --> 00:34:40,400
amazing things He has done.

919
00:34:41,199 --> 00:34:42,960
He established a rule in Jacob.

920
00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:44,340
He set up a law in Israel.

921
00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:46,719
He commanded our ancestors to make His deeds

922
00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:49,860
known to their descendants so that the next

923
00:34:49,860 --> 00:34:53,360
generation, children yet to be born, might know

924
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:54,060
about them.

925
00:34:54,300 --> 00:34:56,660
They will grow up and tell their descendants

926
00:34:56,660 --> 00:34:58,900
about them.

927
00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:00,080
I mean, are we doing that?

928
00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:03,060
That's one application here.

929
00:35:03,080 --> 00:35:03,780
You know what you could do?

930
00:35:03,980 --> 00:35:05,420
You could all the more talk about the

931
00:35:05,420 --> 00:35:07,760
Lord, talk about His praiseworthiness, talk about His

932
00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:10,760
deliverances, testify to His name before your kids,

933
00:35:10,860 --> 00:35:14,380
before brethren in this church, not grumble, not

934
00:35:14,380 --> 00:35:15,820
be anxious, not complain.

935
00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:18,100
That's what the Israelites did and it spread

936
00:35:18,100 --> 00:35:20,480
like a canker sore to all the other

937
00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:21,140
individuals.

938
00:35:22,300 --> 00:35:25,060
How long did Moses have to be gone

939
00:35:25,060 --> 00:35:27,620
for Israel to decide that there's someone else

940
00:35:27,620 --> 00:35:28,360
worthy to worship?

941
00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:30,420
Forty days.

942
00:35:31,180 --> 00:35:33,300
And they were impatient with the delay and

943
00:35:33,300 --> 00:35:34,500
they went up to Aaron and they said,

944
00:35:34,600 --> 00:35:36,880
get up, make a golden calf for us

945
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:37,880
to bow down and worship.

946
00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:39,660
Forty days.

947
00:35:39,740 --> 00:35:40,340
Isn't that incredible?

948
00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:45,320
Joel 1 says tell your children about it.

949
00:35:45,340 --> 00:35:47,520
Have your children tell their children and their

950
00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:49,060
children the following generation.

951
00:35:49,060 --> 00:35:51,380
So yes, we've got to be taking the

952
00:35:51,380 --> 00:35:53,820
truth and communicating it to the younger generation.

953
00:35:54,420 --> 00:35:57,320
As Paul said in 2 Timothy 1, I'm

954
00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,100
reminded of your sincere faith, Timothy, a faith

955
00:36:00,100 --> 00:36:03,700
that first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and

956
00:36:03,700 --> 00:36:04,740
your mother Eunice.

957
00:36:05,460 --> 00:36:06,200
Now listen to this.

958
00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:10,120
And now I am sure it dwells in

959
00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:10,740
you as well.

960
00:36:12,580 --> 00:36:13,840
Paul is certain.

961
00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:17,720
The true, saving faith and the knowledge in

962
00:36:17,720 --> 00:36:20,100
the walk with the Lord Jesus Christ that

963
00:36:20,100 --> 00:36:22,600
Lois and Eunice had, Paul could look at

964
00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:24,780
Timothy and it was evident enough in his

965
00:36:24,780 --> 00:36:27,300
life that he was sure that that dwelt

966
00:36:27,300 --> 00:36:27,740
in him.

967
00:36:28,100 --> 00:36:29,180
It wasn't just head knowledge.

968
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:30,620
It wasn't just going through the motions.

969
00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:32,360
It wasn't just cheating on someone's homework.

970
00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:34,780
It wasn't just following someone else's footsteps.

971
00:36:35,180 --> 00:36:37,460
But Timothy was going in his own path,

972
00:36:37,820 --> 00:36:39,520
he and the Lord Jesus Christ.

973
00:36:42,740 --> 00:36:45,760
But Judges 2.10, all that generation that

974
00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:48,320
gathered to their fathers, there arose another generation

975
00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:49,440
who didn't know the Lord.

976
00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:50,860
They didn't know His words.

977
00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:54,540
They hadn't experienced His goodness themselves.

978
00:36:55,080 --> 00:36:57,040
They didn't feel deeply moved by how great

979
00:36:57,040 --> 00:36:57,380
He is.

980
00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:00,840
They didn't feel thankful for worshiping Him for

981
00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:02,280
the amazing things He had done.

982
00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:04,120
There's a generation that forgot God.

983
00:37:04,300 --> 00:37:06,260
But they didn't know they were forgetting God.

984
00:37:07,420 --> 00:37:10,160
By the fact they didn't annihilate the Canaanites

985
00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,380
and they didn't fully drive them out, right

986
00:37:12,380 --> 00:37:13,740
there you knew they forgot God.

987
00:37:14,580 --> 00:37:15,940
Where on earth do you get the idea

988
00:37:15,940 --> 00:37:17,440
that you're supposed to wipe out all of

989
00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:17,540
them?

990
00:37:18,260 --> 00:37:19,740
Don't you remember what others have done who

991
00:37:19,740 --> 00:37:20,740
didn't fully annihilate?

992
00:37:21,580 --> 00:37:22,940
That's what the Lord told them to kill.

993
00:37:23,020 --> 00:37:24,180
Don't you remember what happened to them?

994
00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:27,880
It's easier once the first group, well, they

995
00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:29,260
didn't drive them fully out, so you know

996
00:37:29,260 --> 00:37:30,340
what, I guess we don't really have to

997
00:37:30,340 --> 00:37:31,240
drive them fully out.

998
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:34,180
It just trickles down.

999
00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:37,240
It corrupts the nation as a whole.

1000
00:37:38,020 --> 00:37:39,960
So brethren, this is a call here to

1001
00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:42,260
truly pursue God.

1002
00:37:43,380 --> 00:37:44,880
We're not going to coast in on the

1003
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:46,440
coattails of any other person.

1004
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:48,220
It's going to be you and the Lord

1005
00:37:48,220 --> 00:37:50,120
Jesus Christ on that great day of judgment.

1006
00:37:50,380 --> 00:37:51,380
I'm going to be there.

1007
00:37:52,100 --> 00:37:53,240
It's not going to be you all.

1008
00:37:53,340 --> 00:37:54,380
It's going to be me and God.

1009
00:37:54,460 --> 00:37:56,180
It is appointed for James Jennings once to

1010
00:37:56,180 --> 00:37:57,440
die and after that, the judgment.

1011
00:37:58,280 --> 00:38:01,020
And all of my thoughts, my motives, of

1012
00:38:01,020 --> 00:38:02,520
my heart, they're going to be disclosed.

1013
00:38:02,620 --> 00:38:04,860
And if Paul, the mighty apostle, would even

1014
00:38:04,860 --> 00:38:06,960
say he doesn't judge himself yet, he says,

1015
00:38:07,100 --> 00:38:09,060
let the Lord judge me on that great

1016
00:38:09,060 --> 00:38:09,440
day.

1017
00:38:09,780 --> 00:38:12,220
Because Paul recognized some things in his life

1018
00:38:12,220 --> 00:38:13,820
might not appear to be what they really

1019
00:38:13,820 --> 00:38:14,160
are.

1020
00:38:16,060 --> 00:38:17,580
But it didn't mean he didn't have confidence.

1021
00:38:17,720 --> 00:38:18,060
He did.

1022
00:38:18,100 --> 00:38:19,720
He said, I don't know of anything against

1023
00:38:19,720 --> 00:38:20,300
myself.

1024
00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:22,260
But we've got to pursue God.

1025
00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:24,600
Think about it in this way.

1026
00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:25,880
In your house, you've got some sort of

1027
00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:26,940
background noise, right?

1028
00:38:26,980 --> 00:38:28,000
You move into a new home.

1029
00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:30,600
They already have a fridge.

1030
00:38:30,720 --> 00:38:31,900
Wow, that fridge is really loud.

1031
00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:34,280
It kind of draws your attention, right?

1032
00:38:34,940 --> 00:38:36,860
Well, what happens five months in?

1033
00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:39,860
It doesn't draw your attention anymore.

1034
00:38:39,940 --> 00:38:41,420
You're not thinking about how to fix it

1035
00:38:41,420 --> 00:38:42,640
unless you did fix it.

1036
00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:44,800
It becomes background noise.

1037
00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:45,640
Well, it blends in.

1038
00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:49,320
Things that used to bother you, your neighbor's

1039
00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:51,960
barking dog, is now background noise.

1040
00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:55,900
Brethren, that's what happened in Judges with so

1041
00:38:55,900 --> 00:38:56,560
many of these people.

1042
00:38:57,420 --> 00:38:59,360
It was at the forefront when Joshua was

1043
00:38:59,360 --> 00:38:59,620
there.

1044
00:39:00,020 --> 00:39:01,700
But you start taking all these old leaders

1045
00:39:01,700 --> 00:39:03,160
out who it was a reality to them.

1046
00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:04,440
They spoke about it in a way where

1047
00:39:04,440 --> 00:39:05,880
they really believed what they were talking about

1048
00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:07,160
and they really believed what they were saying.

1049
00:39:07,380 --> 00:39:08,600
And you strip all that out of the

1050
00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:10,620
nation and all of a sudden, it's not

1051
00:39:10,620 --> 00:39:12,500
drawing attention like it used to to their

1052
00:39:12,500 --> 00:39:12,820
souls.

1053
00:39:12,820 --> 00:39:15,300
It's not awakening them as it was.

1054
00:39:16,140 --> 00:39:18,000
It no longer commands their attention.

1055
00:39:18,620 --> 00:39:21,240
It's lost its ability to command your attention.

1056
00:39:21,540 --> 00:39:23,080
You and I don't want that to happen.

1057
00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:24,880
We don't want that to happen where you

1058
00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:27,480
read about the divine, powerful works of God

1059
00:39:27,480 --> 00:39:29,480
in the Scriptures, and it doesn't have any

1060
00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:30,780
impact upon your soul.

1061
00:39:36,450 --> 00:39:38,010
This is an issue of whether or not

1062
00:39:38,010 --> 00:39:39,550
you and I see the Lord as worthy

1063
00:39:39,550 --> 00:39:40,050
to worship.

1064
00:39:40,710 --> 00:39:42,390
That's what happened to Israel when Moses has

1065
00:39:42,390 --> 00:39:43,150
gone 40 days.

1066
00:39:43,730 --> 00:39:45,910
They had hearts that wanted to worship something.

1067
00:39:45,910 --> 00:39:47,450
And he's taken so long.

1068
00:39:47,510 --> 00:39:49,030
I noticed this worship of a golden calf.

1069
00:39:49,170 --> 00:39:50,850
How stupid as that is that they did

1070
00:39:50,850 --> 00:39:51,150
that.

1071
00:39:51,430 --> 00:39:52,150
They didn't do that.

1072
00:39:52,870 --> 00:39:54,050
It only took 40 days.

1073
00:39:54,510 --> 00:39:56,830
And they'd just seen miraculous deliverances and Red

1074
00:39:56,830 --> 00:39:57,550
Sea split in half.

1075
00:39:57,750 --> 00:39:58,990
How on earth do you do that?

1076
00:40:01,190 --> 00:40:03,210
That shows how much we need reminders.

1077
00:40:08,180 --> 00:40:09,580
Turn it back a couple pages.

1078
00:40:09,700 --> 00:40:10,580
Joshua 23.

1079
00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:12,440
You see, this is really an issue of

1080
00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:12,740
worship.

1081
00:40:13,460 --> 00:40:16,520
This is really about worshiping and serving the

1082
00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:16,720
Lord.

1083
00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:20,200
In these verses, the ESV renders it serve.

1084
00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:23,220
But many versions render it worship.

1085
00:40:24,860 --> 00:40:28,700
Your heart is prostrate and bowing down to

1086
00:40:28,700 --> 00:40:30,980
that which you find is worthy of your

1087
00:40:30,980 --> 00:40:32,060
heart's affections.

1088
00:40:33,140 --> 00:40:33,400
Right?

1089
00:40:34,760 --> 00:40:40,870
Joshua 23.11 Be careful, very careful therefore,

1090
00:40:41,010 --> 00:40:42,850
to love the Lord your God.

1091
00:40:43,810 --> 00:40:45,390
For if you turn back and cling to

1092
00:40:45,390 --> 00:40:47,790
the remnant of these nations, and then he

1093
00:40:47,790 --> 00:40:48,570
goes on right there.

1094
00:40:48,630 --> 00:40:49,750
You see the issue there?

1095
00:40:50,010 --> 00:40:50,870
Careful to love.

1096
00:40:50,930 --> 00:40:53,330
Verse 24, I am about to go the

1097
00:40:53,330 --> 00:40:54,810
way of all the earth, and you know

1098
00:40:54,810 --> 00:40:56,810
in your hearts and souls, all of you,

1099
00:40:57,190 --> 00:40:58,850
not one word has failed.

1100
00:40:58,990 --> 00:40:59,830
I mean, they knew it.

1101
00:40:59,850 --> 00:41:01,270
He's saying you guys know it.

1102
00:41:01,630 --> 00:41:03,570
Not one word has failed of all the

1103
00:41:03,570 --> 00:41:05,850
good things the Lord your God promised concerning

1104
00:41:05,850 --> 00:41:06,230
you.

1105
00:41:06,830 --> 00:41:08,370
Everything has come to pass.

1106
00:41:08,630 --> 00:41:09,990
Not one of them has failed.

1107
00:41:10,610 --> 00:41:12,130
You'd think that would be enough for them

1108
00:41:12,130 --> 00:41:14,450
to trust God once He's dead.

1109
00:41:14,450 --> 00:41:16,470
And it wasn't.

1110
00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:42,320
Chapter 24, verse 14, And

1111
00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:45,880
therefore, fear the Lord and worship Him, serve

1112
00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:48,560
Him in sincerity and in faithfulness.

1113
00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:50,900
And then the evidence you're doing that is

1114
00:41:50,900 --> 00:41:52,080
you put away the gods, right?

1115
00:41:52,100 --> 00:41:53,940
If you're saying you worship God and you're

1116
00:41:53,940 --> 00:41:56,060
holding on to false idols and sin, it's

1117
00:41:56,060 --> 00:41:56,740
not sincere.

1118
00:41:56,940 --> 00:41:57,560
That's his point.

1119
00:41:57,660 --> 00:41:58,520
Pretty simple, right?

1120
00:41:59,420 --> 00:42:01,620
Verse 14, there's a true repentance.

1121
00:42:01,780 --> 00:42:02,900
There's an evidence of that.

1122
00:42:04,500 --> 00:42:06,760
Verse 21, And the people said to Joshua,

1123
00:42:06,940 --> 00:42:08,320
No, but we will serve the Lord.

1124
00:42:08,380 --> 00:42:09,960
See in this dialogue here, they're saying we

1125
00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:10,920
are going to serve the Lord.

1126
00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:13,480
And then Joshua said to the people that

1127
00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:14,800
they're not going to serve the Lord.

1128
00:42:15,820 --> 00:42:17,740
Verse 19, he says that you're not able

1129
00:42:17,740 --> 00:42:18,580
to serve the Lord.

1130
00:42:19,760 --> 00:42:21,360
And then that's when we led into verse

1131
00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:22,820
31 that I already read.

1132
00:42:23,260 --> 00:42:25,080
They served all the days of Joshua.

1133
00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:26,900
My point is, it's an issue of worship.

1134
00:42:27,080 --> 00:42:28,820
It's an issue of who do you find

1135
00:42:28,820 --> 00:42:31,340
worthy and valuable of serving.

1136
00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:34,860
It's not just does the older generation find

1137
00:42:34,860 --> 00:42:37,620
the Lord worthy of serving and valuable, but

1138
00:42:37,620 --> 00:42:38,580
do you yourself?

1139
00:42:39,720 --> 00:42:41,580
And I thought this is actually very similar

1140
00:42:41,580 --> 00:42:42,460
to Romans 1.

1141
00:42:43,120 --> 00:42:44,460
It definitely connects.

1142
00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:47,900
Okay, homosexuality is now in Israel.

1143
00:42:48,020 --> 00:42:48,800
How did they get there?

1144
00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:49,760
And you could say, well, they didn't give

1145
00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:50,720
thanks to God, right?

1146
00:42:50,780 --> 00:42:52,800
Romans 1 says they don't give thanks.

1147
00:42:52,880 --> 00:42:53,760
They don't honor God.

1148
00:42:53,760 --> 00:42:56,080
God gives them over to depravity and they

1149
00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:57,420
exchange natural relations.

1150
00:42:57,940 --> 00:42:58,680
Well, it's the same idea.

1151
00:42:58,760 --> 00:42:59,620
It's an issue of worship.

1152
00:43:00,660 --> 00:43:01,060
Right?

1153
00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:02,640
They don't give thanks.

1154
00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:05,300
And they don't honor God.

1155
00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:07,860
And God responds and He gives them over.

1156
00:43:07,980 --> 00:43:09,260
Well, that's exactly what happened to the judges.

1157
00:43:10,920 --> 00:43:12,600
I'm not going to worship this God.

1158
00:43:12,740 --> 00:43:13,760
He's not faithful.

1159
00:43:14,300 --> 00:43:15,400
I'm going to question Him.

1160
00:43:15,420 --> 00:43:16,480
I'm going to grumble at Him.

1161
00:43:16,540 --> 00:43:19,520
I'm going to be anxious and question Him.

1162
00:43:20,060 --> 00:43:22,960
Matthew 6, Jesus connects anxiety to unbelief.

1163
00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:24,680
That's what the devil wants us to do

1164
00:43:24,680 --> 00:43:26,300
to doubt the character of God.

1165
00:43:27,660 --> 00:43:29,760
The moment you and I can't thank the

1166
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:36,650
Lord, brethren, if you can't thank God, you

1167
00:43:36,650 --> 00:43:38,590
can end up at the end of the

1168
00:43:38,590 --> 00:43:39,190
book of Judges.

1169
00:43:40,270 --> 00:43:41,530
Just not thanking God.

1170
00:43:45,490 --> 00:43:46,770
That's the whole point of Romans 1.

1171
00:43:46,850 --> 00:43:47,530
They don't honor God.

1172
00:43:47,590 --> 00:43:48,270
They don't give thanks.

1173
00:43:48,350 --> 00:43:49,130
God gives them over.

1174
00:43:50,030 --> 00:43:51,190
You know how important it is that you

1175
00:43:51,190 --> 00:43:55,370
thank the Lord and thank Him for trials

1176
00:43:57,170 --> 00:43:59,410
rather than we grumble?

1177
00:44:00,930 --> 00:44:02,410
So what does this mean for you and

1178
00:44:02,410 --> 00:44:02,590
I?

1179
00:44:05,590 --> 00:44:07,910
First, to know the Lord, we must face

1180
00:44:07,910 --> 00:44:08,330
trials.

1181
00:44:08,490 --> 00:44:11,710
Look at Judges 2.22. This is very

1182
00:44:11,710 --> 00:44:13,550
interesting.

1183
00:44:13,790 --> 00:44:15,750
He says, I will no longer drive out

1184
00:44:15,750 --> 00:44:18,250
before them any of the nations that Joshua

1185
00:44:18,250 --> 00:44:19,190
left when he died.

1186
00:44:19,290 --> 00:44:20,650
Why am I not going to drive the

1187
00:44:20,650 --> 00:44:21,290
nations out?

1188
00:44:21,330 --> 00:44:24,050
Verse 22, in order to test Israel by

1189
00:44:24,050 --> 00:44:24,350
them.

1190
00:44:24,910 --> 00:44:27,030
Whether they will take care to walk in

1191
00:44:27,030 --> 00:44:28,570
the way of the Lord as their fathers

1192
00:44:28,570 --> 00:44:31,790
did, or whether they will not.

1193
00:44:34,220 --> 00:44:37,180
God allows these nations to remain to see

1194
00:44:37,180 --> 00:44:38,020
what they're going to do.

1195
00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:40,740
You think of your trials like that?

1196
00:44:41,480 --> 00:44:43,340
There's trials that you've got, that I've got.

1197
00:44:44,020 --> 00:44:45,760
God has that there to see.

1198
00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:48,040
Do we find Him valuable of worship?

1199
00:44:48,580 --> 00:44:51,640
Do we personally know this Christ and find

1200
00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:52,480
Him worthy?

1201
00:44:53,860 --> 00:44:55,540
Isn't that what James 1.3 says?

1202
00:44:55,620 --> 00:44:58,040
The testing of your faith produces what?

1203
00:44:58,580 --> 00:45:00,340
Unbelief and doubt and morbidity.

1204
00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:01,800
What's it say?

1205
00:45:02,240 --> 00:45:05,960
The testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

1206
00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:09,100
Trials have a purpose.

1207
00:45:10,180 --> 00:45:12,040
You and I have to personally experience the

1208
00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:12,320
Lord.

1209
00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:13,360
And you know what?

1210
00:45:13,420 --> 00:45:15,520
I can read every biography on planet earth

1211
00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:17,300
of every missionary who got martyred.

1212
00:45:17,500 --> 00:45:19,020
And I can read the whole Old Testament.

1213
00:45:19,140 --> 00:45:20,880
And I can read everything about the Apostle

1214
00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:22,540
Paul.

1215
00:45:22,540 --> 00:45:23,220
Not law.

1216
00:45:23,320 --> 00:45:24,000
Apostle Paul.

1217
00:45:24,300 --> 00:45:25,460
10,000 times over.

1218
00:45:25,640 --> 00:45:27,500
Does that mean I'm still going to have

1219
00:45:27,500 --> 00:45:29,200
to experience something to know the Lord?

1220
00:45:30,120 --> 00:45:31,680
God's going to still have to test me.

1221
00:45:32,360 --> 00:45:33,700
I can hear of others' tests.

1222
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:35,080
I can hear of others' trials.

1223
00:45:35,380 --> 00:45:36,580
I can read about them.

1224
00:45:36,940 --> 00:45:38,580
And yes, I can glean from that that

1225
00:45:38,580 --> 00:45:39,300
God is faithful.

1226
00:45:39,560 --> 00:45:41,040
Wow, if I face that, I can trust

1227
00:45:41,040 --> 00:45:41,440
God.

1228
00:45:41,820 --> 00:45:42,560
I don't have to doubt.

1229
00:45:42,660 --> 00:45:43,080
Look at Him.

1230
00:45:43,120 --> 00:45:44,640
Look at how He delivered this person right

1231
00:45:44,640 --> 00:45:44,920
there.

1232
00:45:47,270 --> 00:45:48,810
But we're still going to have to personally

1233
00:45:48,810 --> 00:45:51,250
experience the Lord in the face of our

1234
00:45:51,250 --> 00:45:54,990
trials so that He doesn't become background noise.

1235
00:45:55,230 --> 00:45:57,410
When a trial happens, certain truths from the

1236
00:45:57,410 --> 00:45:59,290
Bible that were starting to become background noise,

1237
00:45:59,450 --> 00:46:00,890
it's like they get amplified all of a

1238
00:46:00,890 --> 00:46:01,070
sudden.

1239
00:46:01,150 --> 00:46:02,370
It's like loud again.

1240
00:46:02,850 --> 00:46:05,370
And you're gripped with the reality of that

1241
00:46:05,370 --> 00:46:05,830
truth.

1242
00:46:05,990 --> 00:46:08,210
That's the means of God to keep us.

1243
00:46:09,010 --> 00:46:10,430
We even looked at that at Grace Group.

1244
00:46:10,510 --> 00:46:12,350
God putting a thorn in Paul's flesh to

1245
00:46:12,350 --> 00:46:15,510
make him weak because the Lord's power is

1246
00:46:15,510 --> 00:46:16,910
manifest when we're weak.

1247
00:46:17,030 --> 00:46:18,350
I mean, the Lord has a purpose of

1248
00:46:18,350 --> 00:46:19,390
giving you a thorn.

1249
00:46:19,390 --> 00:46:21,370
And you're asking Him to remove it.

1250
00:46:21,470 --> 00:46:22,750
And the Lord is saying, no, it's actually

1251
00:46:22,750 --> 00:46:23,530
for your good.

1252
00:46:23,790 --> 00:46:25,350
And the moment you get content and you

1253
00:46:25,350 --> 00:46:28,270
rejoice in the thorn, whatever it might symbolize

1254
00:46:28,270 --> 00:46:29,770
in your life, then you're going to find

1255
00:46:29,770 --> 00:46:30,810
a nearness to the Lord.

1256
00:46:33,500 --> 00:46:35,460
So another thing, what can I do to

1257
00:46:35,460 --> 00:46:36,180
know the Lord more?

1258
00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:39,380
Well, Psalm 78 said, make known His deeds.

1259
00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:41,360
Brethren, we want to be a people who

1260
00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:42,640
make known the deeds of God.

1261
00:46:42,740 --> 00:46:44,960
When you're at Grace Group or somewhere and

1262
00:46:44,960 --> 00:46:46,920
one of us asks you, does anyone have

1263
00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:48,520
something that you want to praise God for

1264
00:46:48,520 --> 00:46:49,060
this week?

1265
00:46:49,060 --> 00:46:51,040
Or anyone have a testimony of some way

1266
00:46:51,040 --> 00:46:52,320
that God has delivered you?

1267
00:46:53,340 --> 00:46:54,760
Don't just look at that and say, oh

1268
00:46:54,760 --> 00:46:57,240
yeah, I'm shy, I don't want to share

1269
00:46:57,240 --> 00:46:57,460
that.

1270
00:46:57,560 --> 00:47:01,020
That right there can be used to stir

1271
00:47:01,020 --> 00:47:03,040
up and show an impact to all those

1272
00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:04,260
other people there and help them in a

1273
00:47:04,260 --> 00:47:05,260
way that you might not see.

1274
00:47:05,520 --> 00:47:07,580
And if you shut your mouth, because you're

1275
00:47:07,580 --> 00:47:08,720
going to take the card if you have

1276
00:47:08,720 --> 00:47:11,720
a shy personality, you might be preventing others

1277
00:47:11,720 --> 00:47:14,200
from being edified and exhorted and their hearts

1278
00:47:14,200 --> 00:47:16,200
from being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

1279
00:47:16,280 --> 00:47:17,440
I mean, we've got to exhort one another

1280
00:47:17,440 --> 00:47:18,040
every day.

1281
00:47:18,040 --> 00:47:20,180
We need each other speaking the praises of

1282
00:47:20,180 --> 00:47:23,300
the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives and

1283
00:47:23,300 --> 00:47:25,140
telling others of what He has done.

1284
00:47:30,470 --> 00:47:32,510
Who knows what the year 1900 is known

1285
00:47:32,510 --> 00:47:32,790
for?

1286
00:47:36,170 --> 00:47:36,490
Anyone?

1287
00:47:39,010 --> 00:47:41,830
The year 1900 is the year that 2

1288
00:47:41,830 --> 00:47:45,770
,000 Chinese Protestant believers were killed, 93 missionaries

1289
00:47:45,770 --> 00:47:48,170
were martyred, and 74 of their children were

1290
00:47:48,170 --> 00:47:48,550
murdered.

1291
00:47:49,650 --> 00:47:49,830
Right?

1292
00:47:49,850 --> 00:47:51,270
The Boxer Rebellion in China.

1293
00:47:51,390 --> 00:47:53,710
Up until that point, Hudson Taylor, he had

1294
00:47:53,710 --> 00:47:55,530
taken comfort in the fact that in 32

1295
00:47:55,530 --> 00:47:58,270
years, not one missionary had died from violence

1296
00:47:58,270 --> 00:47:59,490
from the Chinese.

1297
00:48:00,150 --> 00:48:03,650
And here, in one year, 93 died, 74

1298
00:48:03,650 --> 00:48:04,510
of their kids.

1299
00:48:05,150 --> 00:48:07,870
One of them, Lizzie Atwater, a young pregnant

1300
00:48:07,870 --> 00:48:08,250
woman.

1301
00:48:08,610 --> 00:48:10,090
Here she's facing this trial.

1302
00:48:10,190 --> 00:48:11,150
She's going into this.

1303
00:48:11,230 --> 00:48:12,510
It's her and the Lord.

1304
00:48:12,990 --> 00:48:15,370
And she writes this letter, August 3, 1900,

1305
00:48:15,950 --> 00:48:17,790
Dear ones, I long for the sight of

1306
00:48:17,790 --> 00:48:19,690
your dear faces, but I fear we shall

1307
00:48:19,690 --> 00:48:20,730
not meet on earth.

1308
00:48:20,970 --> 00:48:23,490
I'm preparing for the end very quietly and

1309
00:48:23,490 --> 00:48:23,890
calmly.

1310
00:48:23,890 --> 00:48:26,230
The Lord is wonderfully near, and He will

1311
00:48:26,230 --> 00:48:27,110
not fail me.

1312
00:48:27,550 --> 00:48:28,030
You hear that?

1313
00:48:28,030 --> 00:48:28,810
He won't fail me.

1314
00:48:28,950 --> 00:48:31,470
I was very restless and excited while there

1315
00:48:31,470 --> 00:48:33,370
seemed a chance to live, but God has

1316
00:48:33,370 --> 00:48:34,590
taken away that feeling.

1317
00:48:35,090 --> 00:48:36,950
I now just pray for the grace to

1318
00:48:36,950 --> 00:48:38,730
meet the terrible end bravely.

1319
00:48:38,970 --> 00:48:40,490
The pain will soon be over.

1320
00:48:40,670 --> 00:48:44,750
Oh, the sweetness of welcoming love above.

1321
00:48:44,830 --> 00:48:46,930
In 12 days, she wrote some more.

1322
00:48:46,950 --> 00:48:47,890
I don't have time to read that, but

1323
00:48:47,890 --> 00:48:50,570
12 days later, her and her unborn child

1324
00:48:50,570 --> 00:48:52,590
and six missionaries are hacked to death by

1325
00:48:52,590 --> 00:48:54,010
a bunch of guards in 1900.

1326
00:48:54,550 --> 00:48:56,090
And you read about all of that and

1327
00:48:56,090 --> 00:48:57,470
you hear about these trials and you find

1328
00:48:57,470 --> 00:48:58,690
God was faithful to them.

1329
00:48:58,750 --> 00:48:59,990
They personally knew the Lord.

1330
00:49:00,790 --> 00:49:01,910
They walked with Christ.

1331
00:49:02,230 --> 00:49:04,930
They found His promises to be such that

1332
00:49:04,930 --> 00:49:07,510
you can trust Him when you're standing in

1333
00:49:07,510 --> 00:49:07,970
the furnace.

1334
00:49:10,230 --> 00:49:12,110
It's not a matter of in that moment

1335
00:49:12,110 --> 00:49:12,990
believing that.

1336
00:49:13,150 --> 00:49:15,010
You've got to be walking in that way

1337
00:49:15,010 --> 00:49:15,850
prior to that.

1338
00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:19,740
We're about out of time.

1339
00:49:19,900 --> 00:49:29,080
What does it mean for you and I?

1340
00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:32,060
We need to pass the baton well in

1341
00:49:32,060 --> 00:49:34,480
our church, and I'd say this, in our

1342
00:49:34,480 --> 00:49:34,880
parenting.

1343
00:49:35,980 --> 00:49:37,560
We don't want to be people who make,

1344
00:49:37,660 --> 00:49:39,900
as they call it, making little Pharisees.

1345
00:49:41,120 --> 00:49:44,540
Making kids who it's all about rules and

1346
00:49:44,540 --> 00:49:47,020
regulations and laws and you can see all

1347
00:49:47,020 --> 00:49:49,920
that happened with the Gotherdite movement from that.

1348
00:49:50,060 --> 00:49:51,060
You see what it created.

1349
00:49:51,840 --> 00:49:53,860
It created a generation bitter at the God

1350
00:49:53,860 --> 00:49:55,220
of the Bible, because they had the God

1351
00:49:55,220 --> 00:49:57,500
of the Bible wrongly represented to them, because

1352
00:49:57,500 --> 00:49:58,640
it wasn't about Christ.

1353
00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:00,700
It wasn't about personally walking with the Lord

1354
00:50:00,700 --> 00:50:02,180
Jesus Christ and knowing Him.

1355
00:50:02,340 --> 00:50:04,180
It was about all manner of external dos

1356
00:50:04,180 --> 00:50:05,300
and don'ts and all of that.

1357
00:50:05,500 --> 00:50:07,020
And that has the appearance of stopping the

1358
00:50:07,020 --> 00:50:08,780
indulgence of the flesh, but it is of

1359
00:50:08,780 --> 00:50:09,400
no value.

1360
00:50:10,540 --> 00:50:11,880
So you and I, we've got to look

1361
00:50:11,880 --> 00:50:12,740
at our parenting, right?

1362
00:50:13,700 --> 00:50:16,120
You will have an impact, either for good

1363
00:50:16,120 --> 00:50:18,320
or for bad, on your children in your

1364
00:50:18,320 --> 00:50:18,900
own life.

1365
00:50:19,160 --> 00:50:20,520
The same goes for me.

1366
00:50:20,860 --> 00:50:22,760
So we want to pass the baton well.

1367
00:50:23,680 --> 00:50:25,500
Maybe what you need is a renewal.

1368
00:50:25,500 --> 00:50:27,080
What do I mean by renewal?

1369
00:50:27,180 --> 00:50:28,820
You need your own walk with Christ to

1370
00:50:28,820 --> 00:50:31,360
be revived in your own life.

1371
00:50:31,780 --> 00:50:33,480
You remember Josiah when they found the book

1372
00:50:33,480 --> 00:50:35,400
of the law and they read it?

1373
00:50:36,580 --> 00:50:38,500
Remember the impact it did upon that man?

1374
00:50:39,200 --> 00:50:40,840
He said, go inquire of the Lord for

1375
00:50:40,840 --> 00:50:42,680
me, for the people concerning the words of

1376
00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:43,820
this book that have been found.

1377
00:50:43,900 --> 00:50:46,040
I mean, he was struck by the Word

1378
00:50:46,040 --> 00:50:48,100
of God in such a way.

1379
00:50:48,760 --> 00:50:49,940
Listen to Duncan Campbell.

1380
00:50:50,480 --> 00:50:52,440
God used Duncan Campbell in a mighty way

1381
00:50:52,440 --> 00:50:53,340
in different revivals.

1382
00:50:53,340 --> 00:50:55,220
But look at a point that he got

1383
00:50:55,220 --> 00:50:56,280
to in his own life.

1384
00:50:56,960 --> 00:50:59,520
He described his heart condition as a barren

1385
00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:01,500
wilderness in which it had been for years.

1386
00:51:01,980 --> 00:51:03,480
He felt that he had to make a

1387
00:51:03,480 --> 00:51:05,080
move from his present situation.

1388
00:51:05,740 --> 00:51:07,880
This was a great crisis of his life.

1389
00:51:08,900 --> 00:51:10,480
You see, it's not enough just I've been

1390
00:51:10,480 --> 00:51:12,420
walking with the Lord near in the past

1391
00:51:12,420 --> 00:51:13,800
and I had reality then.

1392
00:51:14,040 --> 00:51:15,240
It's got to be maintained.

1393
00:51:17,200 --> 00:51:20,160
Campbell was preaching at a conference on having

1394
00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:21,600
a deep spiritual life.

1395
00:51:21,720 --> 00:51:24,280
He says this, as I sat listening to

1396
00:51:24,280 --> 00:51:28,280
Dr. Fitch giving his last message, I suddenly

1397
00:51:28,280 --> 00:51:31,420
became conscious of my unfitness to be in

1398
00:51:31,420 --> 00:51:32,000
the pulpit.

1399
00:51:32,540 --> 00:51:34,940
I saw the barrenness of my life and

1400
00:51:34,940 --> 00:51:35,340
ministry.

1401
00:51:35,740 --> 00:51:37,080
I saw the pride.

1402
00:51:37,540 --> 00:51:39,120
That's what led to it.

1403
00:51:39,940 --> 00:51:41,280
The pride of my own heart.

1404
00:51:41,540 --> 00:51:44,680
How very humiliating it was to discover that

1405
00:51:44,680 --> 00:51:46,860
I was proud of the fact that I

1406
00:51:46,860 --> 00:51:49,240
was booked to speak at five conventions that

1407
00:51:49,240 --> 00:51:49,580
year.

1408
00:51:49,580 --> 00:51:51,840
That night, in desperation on the floor of

1409
00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:54,520
my study, I cast myself afresh on the

1410
00:51:54,520 --> 00:51:55,300
mercy of God.

1411
00:51:55,560 --> 00:51:57,720
He heard my cry for pardon and cleansing.

1412
00:51:58,040 --> 00:52:00,800
And as I lay prostrate before Him, wave

1413
00:52:00,800 --> 00:52:03,720
after wave of divine consciousness came over me,

1414
00:52:03,960 --> 00:52:05,800
and the love of the Savior flooded my

1415
00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:06,240
being.

1416
00:52:06,500 --> 00:52:08,260
And in that hour, I knew my life

1417
00:52:08,260 --> 00:52:10,220
and ministry could never be the same again.

1418
00:52:10,520 --> 00:52:12,520
If any small measure of God has been

1419
00:52:12,520 --> 00:52:15,040
pleased to use me, it all is because

1420
00:52:15,040 --> 00:52:16,020
of that night.

1421
00:52:16,020 --> 00:52:19,080
Then he goes on, the author, Campbell remembered

1422
00:52:19,080 --> 00:52:22,460
that his young daughter Sheena had asked him,

1423
00:52:23,200 --> 00:52:25,520
Daddy, God used you in revival in the

1424
00:52:25,520 --> 00:52:25,980
past.

1425
00:52:26,300 --> 00:52:28,080
How is it that you don't see revival

1426
00:52:28,080 --> 00:52:28,600
now?

1427
00:52:29,240 --> 00:52:31,720
The question devastated him.

1428
00:52:32,280 --> 00:52:35,620
Alone with God that night, he saw thousands

1429
00:52:35,620 --> 00:52:37,800
from the highlands and the islands of Scotland

1430
00:52:37,800 --> 00:52:38,680
going to hell.

1431
00:52:39,240 --> 00:52:40,380
He had to go to them.

1432
00:52:40,740 --> 00:52:42,580
There, in the presence of God, he went

1433
00:52:42,580 --> 00:52:44,760
through an upheaval of enormous dimensions.

1434
00:52:44,760 --> 00:52:47,300
This was a pivotal point in his life.

1435
00:52:47,600 --> 00:52:48,700
The battle was on.

1436
00:52:48,960 --> 00:52:50,560
It was a night of encounter with the

1437
00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:51,020
Almighty.

1438
00:52:51,260 --> 00:52:54,080
God touched his life again and restored him

1439
00:52:54,080 --> 00:52:55,740
to full fellowship and blessing.

1440
00:52:56,300 --> 00:53:01,940
He would ever after say how glad he

1441
00:53:01,940 --> 00:53:04,800
was that God was the God of new

1442
00:53:04,800 --> 00:53:05,840
beginnings.

1443
00:53:06,640 --> 00:53:09,360
Look, that experience he had was unique and

1444
00:53:09,360 --> 00:53:10,780
it might not be the same thing, but

1445
00:53:10,780 --> 00:53:11,400
you get the point.

1446
00:53:11,660 --> 00:53:13,000
You had a man who God had used

1447
00:53:13,000 --> 00:53:14,320
in many ways and he was getting in

1448
00:53:14,320 --> 00:53:16,060
the season for years of dryness.

1449
00:53:16,240 --> 00:53:17,500
It was to the point he didn't even

1450
00:53:17,500 --> 00:53:19,560
recognize it like Samson, the Spirit of God,

1451
00:53:19,640 --> 00:53:20,960
had left him and he was unaware of

1452
00:53:20,960 --> 00:53:21,060
it.

1453
00:53:21,280 --> 00:53:22,520
He could get up there in a pulpit

1454
00:53:22,520 --> 00:53:24,200
at a conference and he could preach at

1455
00:53:24,200 --> 00:53:26,560
these five conventions and here, the Spirit of

1456
00:53:26,560 --> 00:53:28,820
God, that one meeting just shows him this

1457
00:53:28,820 --> 00:53:29,960
isn't real in your life.

1458
00:53:30,020 --> 00:53:30,600
It's up here.

1459
00:53:30,880 --> 00:53:32,880
You're just following in the steps of another.

1460
00:53:33,160 --> 00:53:35,540
It's not a personal, experiential walk with the

1461
00:53:35,540 --> 00:53:36,460
Lord Jesus Christ.

1462
00:53:36,580 --> 00:53:39,880
And here God decks his pride and draws

1463
00:53:39,880 --> 00:53:40,360
him near.

1464
00:53:40,360 --> 00:53:42,640
And so that's good news for us.

1465
00:53:43,340 --> 00:53:45,040
The Lord is not one to leave us.

1466
00:53:45,760 --> 00:53:47,840
So, one other thing I think.

1467
00:53:47,920 --> 00:53:48,940
I've got a couple more minutes.

1468
00:53:51,760 --> 00:53:54,060
What can you do more in your own

1469
00:53:54,060 --> 00:53:57,460
life to know the Lord in a deeper

1470
00:53:57,460 --> 00:53:57,840
way?

1471
00:53:58,640 --> 00:54:00,400
Yes, be in this book.

1472
00:54:00,860 --> 00:54:03,360
Yes, love the brethren, specifically those who are

1473
00:54:03,360 --> 00:54:06,160
difficult to love in the church.

1474
00:54:07,480 --> 00:54:08,740
Like me, probably.

1475
00:54:11,120 --> 00:54:12,500
And my son Boaz.

1476
00:54:14,760 --> 00:54:17,020
But, I was just listening last night, laying

1477
00:54:17,020 --> 00:54:21,080
in bed, chapter 11 of Hudson Taylor's biography.

1478
00:54:21,280 --> 00:54:22,160
And you know what Hudson did?

1479
00:54:23,540 --> 00:54:25,420
He wanted to go to China so bad.

1480
00:54:26,420 --> 00:54:30,000
But he thought, if my faith fells over

1481
00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:31,540
there, it's one thing for it to be

1482
00:54:31,540 --> 00:54:32,400
a trial here.

1483
00:54:33,340 --> 00:54:34,680
And so he put a test.

1484
00:54:35,460 --> 00:54:37,020
He determined he was never going to remind

1485
00:54:37,020 --> 00:54:39,500
his boss to pay him.

1486
00:54:40,500 --> 00:54:41,400
He wasn't going to do it.

1487
00:54:41,440 --> 00:54:42,300
He was going to pray.

1488
00:54:42,660 --> 00:54:44,680
Every time his boss forgot to pay him

1489
00:54:44,680 --> 00:54:47,640
on a quarterly basis, he would pray for

1490
00:54:47,640 --> 00:54:49,040
God to provide.

1491
00:54:49,480 --> 00:54:51,440
And it's a lot longer in context.

1492
00:54:51,560 --> 00:54:53,920
But it's just remarkable the test of faith.

1493
00:54:54,060 --> 00:54:55,440
And after he went through all of that,

1494
00:54:56,600 --> 00:54:58,760
he ended up giving all his money away

1495
00:54:58,760 --> 00:55:00,600
to a family that he was initially reluctant

1496
00:55:00,600 --> 00:55:01,980
to and then he couldn't get food, he

1497
00:55:01,980 --> 00:55:02,820
couldn't pay his rent.

1498
00:55:03,380 --> 00:55:04,660
And you know what the Lord did?

1499
00:55:05,000 --> 00:55:08,260
His boss then remembered he needs the money,

1500
00:55:08,260 --> 00:55:10,000
and then Hudson's all excited and then he

1501
00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:11,140
says, oh, but I already sent it all

1502
00:55:11,140 --> 00:55:11,720
to the bank.

1503
00:55:12,260 --> 00:55:13,260
And so Hudson wasn't going to have the

1504
00:55:13,260 --> 00:55:14,680
money for that day and he was praying.

1505
00:55:15,540 --> 00:55:17,220
And one of the richest men that was

1506
00:55:17,220 --> 00:55:19,060
a client came at 10 at night.

1507
00:55:19,640 --> 00:55:21,060
Who gets a rich man at 10 at

1508
00:55:21,060 --> 00:55:22,160
night to come pay a bill?

1509
00:55:23,200 --> 00:55:24,300
The Lord does.

1510
00:55:24,580 --> 00:55:26,620
And that man paid the bill and then

1511
00:55:26,620 --> 00:55:30,040
the person Hudson worked for, he went and

1512
00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:31,480
he gave him that money and Hudson was

1513
00:55:31,480 --> 00:55:32,700
able to pay all of his bills.

1514
00:55:33,000 --> 00:55:34,940
And he realized at that moment, he knew

1515
00:55:34,940 --> 00:55:36,480
God can be trusted.

1516
00:55:36,960 --> 00:55:39,500
And so think, brethren, are there ways in

1517
00:55:39,500 --> 00:55:42,100
your life that you could more trust the

1518
00:55:42,100 --> 00:55:43,660
Lord and step out in faith?

1519
00:55:44,300 --> 00:55:46,800
It almost sounds presumptuous to say I'm not

1520
00:55:46,800 --> 00:55:47,940
going to remind my boss to pay me,

1521
00:55:47,960 --> 00:55:48,580
I'm just going to pray.

1522
00:55:49,660 --> 00:55:50,720
Is that presumptuous?

1523
00:55:50,860 --> 00:55:52,540
Doesn't the Bible talk about God controlling the

1524
00:55:52,540 --> 00:55:53,080
hearts of kings?

1525
00:55:55,620 --> 00:55:57,660
So, I thought that's a creative thing Hudson

1526
00:55:57,660 --> 00:55:58,300
Taylor did.

1527
00:55:59,180 --> 00:56:00,720
And it drew him nearer to the Lord.

1528
00:56:00,920 --> 00:56:02,820
He wasn't walking in the footsteps of someone's

1529
00:56:02,820 --> 00:56:03,340
biography.

1530
00:56:03,880 --> 00:56:05,560
He was creating his own biography as he

1531
00:56:05,560 --> 00:56:06,680
walked with the living God.

1532
00:56:08,650 --> 00:56:09,410
Let's pray.

1533
00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:20,650
Father, Lord, we don't want that to happen.

1534
00:56:20,770 --> 00:56:26,580
We don't want the Joshua's and the leaders,

1535
00:56:27,580 --> 00:56:29,440
those who walk near to God, to die

1536
00:56:29,440 --> 00:56:30,440
off in this church.

1537
00:56:30,940 --> 00:56:33,240
And then the younger generation, they don't drive

1538
00:56:33,240 --> 00:56:35,140
out the inhabitants of sin in their heart.

1539
00:56:35,220 --> 00:56:36,700
They don't cut off the right hands that

1540
00:56:36,700 --> 00:56:37,480
caused them to sin.

1541
00:56:37,760 --> 00:56:40,680
They lose a radical desire for holiness.

1542
00:56:41,180 --> 00:56:41,820
For love.

1543
00:56:42,280 --> 00:56:44,020
Lord, what an emphasis You put on loving

1544
00:56:44,020 --> 00:56:44,580
one another.

1545
00:56:46,320 --> 00:56:49,220
Lord, that city in Gibeah, they didn't love

1546
00:56:49,220 --> 00:56:49,700
that man.

1547
00:56:49,760 --> 00:56:50,620
They didn't love that woman.

1548
00:56:50,700 --> 00:56:52,000
They were selfish animals.

1549
00:56:52,680 --> 00:56:54,540
And that man threw his concubine out like

1550
00:56:54,540 --> 00:56:55,780
a piece of meat for a bunch of

1551
00:56:55,780 --> 00:56:56,180
wolves.

1552
00:56:56,600 --> 00:56:57,520
Lord, we look at that.

1553
00:56:57,580 --> 00:56:58,360
It's so dark.

1554
00:56:58,480 --> 00:56:59,300
It's so disgusting.

1555
00:56:59,480 --> 00:57:00,340
It's so depraved.

1556
00:57:00,800 --> 00:57:02,120
And yet, Father, here we've looked at the

1557
00:57:02,120 --> 00:57:02,780
beginning of it.

1558
00:57:02,800 --> 00:57:03,880
These men died off.

1559
00:57:05,420 --> 00:57:07,200
And the generation had not seen the works

1560
00:57:07,200 --> 00:57:08,680
who didn't personally know the Lord.

1561
00:57:09,620 --> 00:57:10,920
Look where they ended up.

1562
00:57:10,980 --> 00:57:12,240
Lord, we want to personally know You.

1563
00:57:12,240 --> 00:57:14,960
We want You to prove Yourself faithful in

1564
00:57:14,960 --> 00:57:16,740
our lives as we walk with You, Lord.

1565
00:57:16,760 --> 00:57:19,000
We want to know You in a personal

1566
00:57:19,000 --> 00:57:20,100
and an intimate way.

1567
00:57:20,280 --> 00:57:21,780
And so, Lord, I pray You would do

1568
00:57:21,780 --> 00:57:24,640
certain things in my brothers' and sisters' lives

1569
00:57:24,640 --> 00:57:25,560
for them.

1570
00:57:26,360 --> 00:57:27,940
Lord, I know as a parent, there's times

1571
00:57:27,940 --> 00:57:30,400
that I want to get alone with one

1572
00:57:30,400 --> 00:57:32,580
of my kids and maybe pray or take

1573
00:57:32,580 --> 00:57:33,700
them somewhere and talk.

1574
00:57:33,780 --> 00:57:36,120
It's just me and them.

1575
00:57:36,760 --> 00:57:38,500
It's not all six of them.

1576
00:57:39,420 --> 00:57:41,380
And Lord, we're thankful for the times when

1577
00:57:41,380 --> 00:57:42,980
we're all gathered and You draw near.

1578
00:57:43,940 --> 00:57:46,280
Lord, I pray You would draw near.

1579
00:57:47,020 --> 00:57:50,260
Not in some false emotional false fire, but

1580
00:57:50,260 --> 00:57:52,880
Lord, a real drawing near as Romans 8

1581
00:57:52,880 --> 00:57:55,820
.16 says, Lord, the spirit bearing witness with

1582
00:57:55,820 --> 00:57:57,420
their spirit that they are a child of

1583
00:57:57,420 --> 00:57:57,660
God.

1584
00:57:57,740 --> 00:57:59,280
Lord, where You just pull out the papers

1585
00:57:59,280 --> 00:58:00,900
and You just put it right in their

1586
00:58:00,900 --> 00:58:02,940
face and You show them, You are my

1587
00:58:02,940 --> 00:58:03,820
adopted child.

1588
00:58:04,100 --> 00:58:04,640
It's done.

1589
00:58:04,740 --> 00:58:05,280
It's finished.

1590
00:58:05,380 --> 00:58:07,380
It's the real deal, Lord, that they would

1591
00:58:07,380 --> 00:58:09,440
experience the witness of the Holy Spirit in

1592
00:58:09,440 --> 00:58:09,900
their heart.

1593
00:58:10,220 --> 00:58:11,980
That there would be an inner reality of

1594
00:58:11,980 --> 00:58:13,800
knowing that You are their Father.

1595
00:58:14,180 --> 00:58:15,120
That You love them.

1596
00:58:15,780 --> 00:58:18,280
Lord, is that something too small to ask

1597
00:58:18,280 --> 00:58:19,800
that You would do for Your people, Lord?

1598
00:58:19,820 --> 00:58:21,500
That it would give us a greater boldness

1599
00:58:21,500 --> 00:58:23,560
in our own lives to honor You in

1600
00:58:23,560 --> 00:58:24,520
every way we can?

1601
00:58:25,420 --> 00:58:26,440
And so, Lord, do help us.

1602
00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:28,580
Help us, Father, to be like Eunice and

1603
00:58:28,580 --> 00:58:31,560
Lois and so instill the truth in our

1604
00:58:31,560 --> 00:58:33,060
kids that we can look and we can

1605
00:58:33,060 --> 00:58:35,700
say, I'm sure that faith dwells in them.

1606
00:58:35,700 --> 00:58:39,060
Lord, not maybe or whatever, but there's a

1607
00:58:39,060 --> 00:58:39,860
certainty of it.

1608
00:58:40,700 --> 00:58:41,520
So, Lord, help us.

1609
00:58:41,560 --> 00:58:42,600
Help us to walk with You.

1610
00:58:43,600 --> 00:58:45,080
Lord, help us to stand in all of

1611
00:58:45,080 --> 00:58:46,240
Your works to worship You.

1612
00:58:46,320 --> 00:58:48,400
Lord, You are worthy of worship and praise.

1613
00:58:48,560 --> 00:58:50,920
Lord, forgive us the times we don't worship

1614
00:58:50,920 --> 00:58:51,800
You as we ought.

1615
00:58:52,160 --> 00:58:54,360
Father, we don't hold You in honor as

1616
00:58:54,360 --> 00:58:54,860
we should.

1617
00:58:54,940 --> 00:58:55,780
We don't give thanks.

1618
00:58:55,880 --> 00:58:57,300
Lord, there's times we don't thank You.

1619
00:58:57,380 --> 00:58:58,940
We don't give thanks.

1620
00:58:59,500 --> 00:59:00,660
Lord, I repent of that.

1621
00:59:00,700 --> 00:59:02,340
Help us to be a thankful people, a

1622
00:59:02,340 --> 00:59:04,540
people who wants to praise You among the

1623
00:59:04,540 --> 00:59:08,020
great congregation, to lift our lips in praise

1624
00:59:08,020 --> 00:59:09,320
of You because You're worthy.

1625
00:59:11,000 --> 00:59:13,240
Lord, show us more of Your worthiness.

1626
00:59:14,340 --> 00:59:16,660
We thank You in Christ's name, Amen.