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Liar, liar, pants on fire.

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Acts 4.32. Now the multitude of those

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who believed were of one heart and one

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soul.

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Neither did anyone say that any of his

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things he possessed was his own, but they

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had all things in common.

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Isn't that amazing?

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The multitude, those who believed, the believers were

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of one heart and one soul, and neither

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did anyone say that his things were his

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own possession.

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Now, this is a good reminder to remind

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you, I remind myself, that our possessions are

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really not our possessions.

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You know, we think this is mine, and

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really we're just stewards.

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Your house, your children, your finances.

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If you look at it as like, Lord,

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you are the owner of this, how can

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I better steward this?

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It will change the way you spend money.

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It will change the way you store things.

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Now we've got too much storage in our

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homes.

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Now we've got garages with storage units.

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Back when my dad bought his first house,

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they didn't even have garages.

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You had a little garage outside, now we've

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got three car garages.

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We put more stuff, and then after that,

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we go and get a storage unit.

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And then we have storage and storage, and

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I know one of the concerns about when

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the churches first came together here was people

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would say, you know, what are they going

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to do with the building?

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And we just recognize this as stewards.

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We're the stewards for the next 20 years

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or whatever God does.

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I'm not retiring early, but whatever God wants

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to do, we are stewards of that.

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So that changes the way you view things.

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It changes, now you've got to save and

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you've got to use wisdom, but we're just

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a steward of what God has for us.

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And that's what the early church had that

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I think many of us are lacking.

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They realized that they didn't own anything.

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It wasn't their possessions.

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They were of one heart and one soul,

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and I find this interesting that unity, unity

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is very common among people when they first

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believe.

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When a person believes in Jesus, they are

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united with all of, oh, you're a believer,

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me too, me too, and I remember back,

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it was 1999, I came back to the

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Lord, and that's what we say, you know,

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if you come back to the Lord, the

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prodigal son, and God radically changed my life,

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and I was so united, and then you

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start meeting people.

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You know, that have been a Christian for

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20 years, you know, and you can't read

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that Bible.

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You know, that's John MacArthur's study Bible.

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He doesn't believe in the gifts.

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Oh, okay, disunity, but you can't read Jack

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Kafer because he does, and then people say,

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oh, you can't read that, and I'm not

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endorsing anybody, I'm just talking about how we

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like to, now, there's nothing wrong with having

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sound doctrine, and pointing out error, and being

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united in the essentials of the faith, but

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we have to be careful when we use

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our certain beliefs, and now that's the gauge

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on which we rate everyone else, so I've

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noticed unity when people are young in the

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faith, and then that unity quickly turns to

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division as we get older, and more mature,

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and more knowledgeable, and some division needs to

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take place, of course, but be careful in

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this area of unity.

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I'm not endorsing those people I just said,

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right?

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I'm telling you, though, that we have to

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respect differences.

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I think it was Augustine, I didn't write

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it down, but to have unity in the

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essentials, and then love in all things, and

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the quote goes on to say other things,

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but we have to be united in the

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essentials.

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What unity involves is putting your own rights

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and opinions down when they need to be

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put down.

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We don't always have to get the last

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word in.

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We don't always have to be right about

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certain things.

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I mean, there's people in this room we

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could get in a long, heated debate on

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eschatology.

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That's the study of end times.

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You could get in a long debate about

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pneumatology, the work of the Holy Spirit.

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You could get in a debate about soteriology,

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about salvation, those who believe in Calvinism, those

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who believe in Arminianism, man's free will versus

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God's sovereignty.

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You can get in debates forever.

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Church government, the structure of church government, congregational

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rule, elder rule, or pastor rule, women in

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leadership, what role, what position, and the Bible

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does speak about these things, but a heart

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that's united wants unity, not fighting and arguing

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and bickering and complaining and causing contention.

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There is, though, a time to stand for

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what is right.

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There's a time to say, you know what,

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I just wrote an article, hopefully, or maybe

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it is in your bulletins, I think Susie

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made copies, five reasons why Christians are divided

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on gay marriage.

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And just a couple days ago, the news

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picked up, there's like 4,000 shares, and

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you'll be amazed that the emails I get

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are from Christians that are mad.

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Pastors that are mad, that have reverend in

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front of their name.

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Sir, you are deceived, is what they tell

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me.

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According to Jude, you are deceived.

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Really?

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I don't know, I mean, you might want

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to read the Bible, it doesn't change.

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And so those things, there are certain things

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that you can't, well, you're right, let me

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just give you that one, and we'll give

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you that one, and we'll give you the

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atonement.

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You can't just keep, you know, you've got

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to stand for something.

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What's the old country song?

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Or you'll fall for anything, right?

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So, but be careful, because I've seen in

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my own heart, I've seen this many times

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before, that that wonderful gift of unity can

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be shattered very easily, and you have to

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work at unity, because it does not come

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naturally.

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It comes supernaturally, by the work of the

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Spirit.

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The Holy Spirit's never divided, remember that.

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33, and with great power, the apostles gave

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witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,

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and great grace was upon them all.

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So unity equaled power.

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Nor was there anyone among them who lacked,

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for all who were possessors of lands or

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houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of

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things that were sold, and laid them at

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the apostles' feet, and they distributed to each

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one as the need arose.

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So a need is different than a want.

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Here's what he's saying, abundance, our abundance should

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take the place of the need or lack

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in the lives of others.

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So you look at your abundance, you look

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at what God has put on your heart,

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and you say, can I give that to

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those in need?

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Verse 36, you ready?

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And Joseph, who was also named Barnabas, or

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Barnabas, I'm sorry, I got the wrong guy

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in my mind.

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Barnabas, by the apostles, which is translated son

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of encouragement, a Levite of the country of

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Cyprus, having land, he sold it, and brought

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the money, and laid it at the apostles'

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feet.

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That's the right way to do it.

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They sold something, they had this land, we

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don't know much about it other than they

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were able to sell it, they brought all

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the proceeds to the church.

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Now that's the right way because the heart

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was right.

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Now let's look at the wrong way to

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do this.

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Acts 5, but a certain man named Ananias,

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with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and

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he kept back part of the proceeds, his

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wife also being aware of it, and brought

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a certain part and laid it at the

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apostles' feet.

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But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled

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your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit,

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and keep back part of the price of

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the land for yourself?

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While it remained, was it not your own?

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And after it was sold, was it still

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not in your own control?

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Why have you conceived this thing in your

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heart?

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You have not lied to men, but to

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God.

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So in a nutshell, piece of property across

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the street, sells for $100,000.

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They say, hey, I just sold a property

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across the street, I want the church to

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have it all, bless you brother, here's $50

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,000.

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Wait a minute, wait a minute.

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What happened?

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You could just say, I sold it for

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$100,000, here's $50,000, I'd like to

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give the church, and that's fine.

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Or give the church $10,000 or give

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a ministry something, it doesn't matter as long

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as you're honest about it.

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What has God put in my heart?

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Here's what I've done.

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But they said, oh, we sold it for

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such and such, but they really didn't.

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They kept all the extra proceeds from that

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sale.

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So, a couple questions.

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Why do we lie?

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Now everybody in this room better be convicted

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on this sermon, I'll tell you what.

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Why do we lie?

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We lie because of fear.

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We lie because we want to get out

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of trouble.

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Right, is that one reason?

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Just yesterday I saw my phone had a

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big crack in the corner.

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Like, how did that happen?

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I didn't do that.

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So I went and started asking my kids,

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right?

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And finally when I narrowed down who did

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it, I went to her.

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She's not here right now, she's next door.

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But I said, you know what?

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If you tell me the truth, you're not

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in trouble.

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What happened here?

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And she goes, hmm.

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I dropped it.

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You know, I dropped it.

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And I wanted to give her the opportunity

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to say, listen, you're not always going to

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be in trouble.

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It's not a good thing.

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You tell the truth.

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Here's what happened.

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Daddy's not upset.

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You know, I'm glad you told the truth.

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But why was she probably going to lie

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if I didn't set it up that way?

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To get out of trouble.

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And that doesn't change from six years old

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to 16 to 26 to 36.

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Husbands, wives.

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Where'd you go?

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I just ran a few errands.

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Just ran a few errands.

271
00:09:12,490 --> 00:09:13,050
That's all I did.

272
00:09:13,910 --> 00:09:14,130
Hmm.

273
00:09:14,550 --> 00:09:16,010
Our credit card statement says Walmart.

274
00:09:16,230 --> 00:09:19,530
Well, $50 at Walmart and $60 at Sports

275
00:09:19,530 --> 00:09:20,790
Chalet and we don't want to get in

276
00:09:20,790 --> 00:09:21,110
trouble.

277
00:09:21,830 --> 00:09:23,930
Right, we just run errands, covers everything.

278
00:09:25,050 --> 00:09:26,030
You're on a fast.

279
00:09:26,170 --> 00:09:26,870
I ran errands.

280
00:09:26,950 --> 00:09:28,450
Why is In-N-Out Burger and Coalstone

281
00:09:28,450 --> 00:09:29,450
receipts in your car?

282
00:09:30,130 --> 00:09:30,750
And we...

283
00:09:30,750 --> 00:09:31,770
But that's...

284
00:09:31,770 --> 00:09:32,910
We want to get...

285
00:09:32,910 --> 00:09:34,250
This is not a funny sermon.

286
00:09:34,370 --> 00:09:35,070
This is online.

287
00:09:35,630 --> 00:09:36,410
It's serious.

288
00:09:36,630 --> 00:09:37,790
And it is serious stuff.

289
00:09:38,250 --> 00:09:39,190
But think about that.

290
00:09:39,250 --> 00:09:40,710
I want to challenge us this morning.

291
00:09:41,070 --> 00:09:42,990
I want to challenge us because these little

292
00:09:42,990 --> 00:09:44,390
things turn into big things.

293
00:09:45,370 --> 00:09:47,250
This little lie will become a bigger lie

294
00:09:47,250 --> 00:09:48,910
and will become a bigger lie and become

295
00:09:48,910 --> 00:09:49,570
a bigger lie.

296
00:09:50,310 --> 00:09:52,090
We're afraid to get out of trouble.

297
00:09:52,190 --> 00:09:53,150
A poor self-image.

298
00:09:53,150 --> 00:09:55,090
People do lie because they have a poor

299
00:09:55,090 --> 00:09:55,550
self-image.

300
00:09:55,630 --> 00:09:57,350
That's why you often hear name-dropping.

301
00:09:58,030 --> 00:09:59,570
You know, if anybody says name...

302
00:09:59,570 --> 00:10:00,770
You know, oh, I would name-drop.

303
00:10:00,870 --> 00:10:02,290
They drop this name because they have a

304
00:10:02,290 --> 00:10:03,630
poor self-image and they want you to

305
00:10:03,630 --> 00:10:05,550
think more highly of them.

306
00:10:06,510 --> 00:10:07,690
To get our point across.

307
00:10:08,450 --> 00:10:09,690
Don't we lie to get our point across?

308
00:10:10,930 --> 00:10:13,270
This one cracks me up because we upset

309
00:10:13,270 --> 00:10:14,970
a few people when we stopped Saturday night

310
00:10:14,970 --> 00:10:15,490
service.

311
00:10:17,250 --> 00:10:20,630
And somebody said, you know, people are upset

312
00:10:20,630 --> 00:10:22,630
and this, we don't know what's going on.

313
00:10:23,430 --> 00:10:25,210
There's a lot of people who feel this

314
00:10:25,210 --> 00:10:25,490
way.

315
00:10:26,030 --> 00:10:27,830
So I said, okay, I'd like to meet

316
00:10:27,830 --> 00:10:28,890
these lot of people.

317
00:10:28,990 --> 00:10:29,730
Let's sit down.

318
00:10:29,870 --> 00:10:31,450
I'd like to hear what's on their heart.

319
00:10:34,050 --> 00:10:35,490
Nothing else happened from that.

320
00:10:35,550 --> 00:10:36,630
Where are these lot of people?

321
00:10:36,830 --> 00:10:37,810
And that happens a lot.

322
00:10:38,130 --> 00:10:39,570
Well, now there's a lot of people who

323
00:10:39,570 --> 00:10:40,150
feel that way.

324
00:10:40,230 --> 00:10:41,350
No, it's just you and the person you

325
00:10:41,350 --> 00:10:41,990
gossip with.

326
00:10:42,570 --> 00:10:42,970
Often.

327
00:10:43,430 --> 00:10:45,210
And we throw that in there.

328
00:10:45,370 --> 00:10:46,770
We throw, there's a lot of people that

329
00:10:46,770 --> 00:10:47,530
feel this way.

330
00:10:47,670 --> 00:10:48,570
That's lying.

331
00:10:49,050 --> 00:10:51,590
If it's not, that's altering the truth to

332
00:10:51,590 --> 00:10:52,430
get a point across.

333
00:10:52,810 --> 00:10:54,390
I've been guilty of that myself.

334
00:10:54,510 --> 00:10:55,670
You want to bump it up a little

335
00:10:55,670 --> 00:10:55,970
bit?

336
00:10:56,230 --> 00:10:57,510
You know, there's a lot of people here

337
00:10:57,510 --> 00:10:58,330
who don't like this.

338
00:10:58,910 --> 00:11:01,090
No, there's just me and my wife and

339
00:11:01,090 --> 00:11:02,010
maybe somebody else.

340
00:11:02,190 --> 00:11:04,130
And you know, and you bump that up

341
00:11:04,130 --> 00:11:04,790
and that's not good.

342
00:11:04,890 --> 00:11:05,990
That's called lying.

343
00:11:06,150 --> 00:11:06,930
It's deceptive.

344
00:11:07,410 --> 00:11:08,610
And many people do that.

345
00:11:09,090 --> 00:11:09,890
Also selfish.

346
00:11:10,110 --> 00:11:12,630
We lie because we're selfish and we want

347
00:11:12,630 --> 00:11:13,190
our way.

348
00:11:13,490 --> 00:11:15,590
We don't want to be truthful in many

349
00:11:15,590 --> 00:11:16,090
areas.

350
00:11:16,090 --> 00:11:19,770
But this person actually lied to appear spiritual,

351
00:11:19,970 --> 00:11:20,630
in my opinion.

352
00:11:21,350 --> 00:11:23,590
He was saying, here you go, here's a

353
00:11:23,590 --> 00:11:25,230
hundred thousand, or here's fifty thousand.

354
00:11:25,350 --> 00:11:26,430
That's what we sold the land for.

355
00:11:26,650 --> 00:11:27,950
Really, they sold it for a hundred.

356
00:11:28,050 --> 00:11:30,130
So he wanted to appear spiritual.

357
00:11:30,530 --> 00:11:32,770
Look at what we, we're giving you everything.

358
00:11:32,910 --> 00:11:33,990
Aren't we so spiritual?

359
00:11:34,710 --> 00:11:36,830
And God obviously does not like that.

360
00:11:37,510 --> 00:11:40,690
John Piper said, sin, by definition in the

361
00:11:40,690 --> 00:11:43,430
Bible, is not wronging another person.

362
00:11:43,430 --> 00:11:46,790
It is assaulting the glory of God, rebelling

363
00:11:46,790 --> 00:11:47,650
against God.

364
00:11:47,870 --> 00:11:50,510
The world doesn't understand how serious hell is

365
00:11:50,510 --> 00:11:53,610
because they don't understand how serious sin is.

366
00:11:54,990 --> 00:11:57,550
And sin is actually lying to God.

367
00:11:58,470 --> 00:11:59,710
We're lying to God.

368
00:11:59,970 --> 00:12:03,470
Why have you lied against the Holy Spirit?

369
00:12:03,590 --> 00:12:06,070
Why have you lied and conceived this thing?

370
00:12:06,550 --> 00:12:07,350
And it's interesting.

371
00:12:07,550 --> 00:12:08,790
Jesus is the truth.

372
00:12:09,150 --> 00:12:10,790
We are voices of truth.

373
00:12:10,930 --> 00:12:12,010
We live by the truth.

374
00:12:12,010 --> 00:12:13,930
The truth sets us free, so the truth

375
00:12:13,930 --> 00:12:14,710
is a big deal.

376
00:12:15,810 --> 00:12:17,390
This is a huge topic.

377
00:12:17,770 --> 00:12:19,510
This is a huge topic in the Christian

378
00:12:19,510 --> 00:12:22,310
community because we'll tweak things, we'll say things,

379
00:12:22,370 --> 00:12:24,490
we'll have the self-image, we'll alter the

380
00:12:24,490 --> 00:12:26,310
truth, and we walk around and we're actually

381
00:12:26,310 --> 00:12:26,810
lying.

382
00:12:27,470 --> 00:12:28,850
And I believe God wants a deal in

383
00:12:28,850 --> 00:12:30,450
many of our hearts this morning to get

384
00:12:30,450 --> 00:12:33,070
this little root of lying.

385
00:12:33,190 --> 00:12:34,890
It takes on a life of its own

386
00:12:35,370 --> 00:12:37,190
because if you lie about the little things

387
00:12:37,190 --> 00:12:38,730
and you lie about something else, you never

388
00:12:38,730 --> 00:12:39,290
get caught.

389
00:12:39,390 --> 00:12:40,050
It's something else.

390
00:12:40,050 --> 00:12:44,910
And we become liars, and not necessarily all

391
00:12:44,910 --> 00:12:47,410
the time, but we have a tendency to

392
00:12:47,410 --> 00:12:49,510
not tell the truth, and God is not

393
00:12:49,510 --> 00:12:50,430
happy with that.

394
00:12:51,050 --> 00:12:53,090
What about when David sinned with Bathsheba?

395
00:12:53,230 --> 00:12:55,770
He said, Against you and you only have

396
00:12:55,770 --> 00:12:56,490
I sinned.

397
00:12:56,610 --> 00:12:57,390
Wait a minute.

398
00:12:57,490 --> 00:12:59,630
You just got her husband killed, David.

399
00:13:00,450 --> 00:13:01,810
You just had Uriah killed.

400
00:13:02,050 --> 00:13:03,490
You just committed adultery.

401
00:13:03,830 --> 00:13:06,090
What are you talking about, against you and

402
00:13:06,090 --> 00:13:07,210
you only have I sinned?

403
00:13:07,450 --> 00:13:08,930
Well, here's a clarification.

404
00:13:08,930 --> 00:13:11,230
He wronged others.

405
00:13:11,850 --> 00:13:15,130
He did wrong them, but he rebelled against

406
00:13:15,130 --> 00:13:15,750
God.

407
00:13:16,190 --> 00:13:17,710
God said, Don't do this.

408
00:13:17,790 --> 00:13:18,470
He did it.

409
00:13:19,310 --> 00:13:21,070
So yes, he wronged those people.

410
00:13:21,190 --> 00:13:21,870
That was wrong.

411
00:13:22,650 --> 00:13:25,790
But he, Against you and you only have

412
00:13:25,790 --> 00:13:26,510
I sinned.

413
00:13:26,670 --> 00:13:29,950
Because all sin, remember this, all sin starts

414
00:13:29,950 --> 00:13:31,790
by rebelling against God.

415
00:13:31,910 --> 00:13:33,890
I first sinned against God before I sinned

416
00:13:33,890 --> 00:13:37,650
against others because when I'm sinning, in that

417
00:13:37,650 --> 00:13:39,790
process, I'm actually rebelling against God.

418
00:13:39,850 --> 00:13:41,770
And it's an affront to him.

419
00:13:43,370 --> 00:13:45,110
Why has Satan filled your heart?

420
00:13:45,890 --> 00:13:47,310
Why has Satan filled your heart?

421
00:13:48,230 --> 00:13:49,730
And we need to talk about this for

422
00:13:49,730 --> 00:13:51,750
a minute because I taught in James on

423
00:13:51,750 --> 00:13:52,050
Wednesday.

424
00:13:52,170 --> 00:13:53,290
If you were here, you remember this.

425
00:13:53,770 --> 00:13:56,510
But the devil doesn't do, the devil doesn't

426
00:13:56,510 --> 00:13:57,930
make us do anything.

427
00:13:59,210 --> 00:14:01,390
The devil doesn't make you do anything.

428
00:14:01,630 --> 00:14:02,690
You can't blame the devil.

429
00:14:02,870 --> 00:14:04,330
I hope that burst the bubble for some

430
00:14:04,330 --> 00:14:05,090
people this morning.

431
00:14:05,450 --> 00:14:07,230
You can't say there's a deceiving spirit.

432
00:14:07,230 --> 00:14:08,250
There's a lying spirit.

433
00:14:08,330 --> 00:14:09,790
There's a spirit of chocolate in my house.

434
00:14:09,870 --> 00:14:11,790
There's a spirit of, of all the, and

435
00:14:11,790 --> 00:14:13,170
we just, we just cave in.

436
00:14:13,210 --> 00:14:15,430
Now the enemy will, the Bible talks about

437
00:14:15,430 --> 00:14:16,270
deceiving spirits.

438
00:14:16,350 --> 00:14:17,950
The Bible talks about a lying spirit was

439
00:14:17,950 --> 00:14:18,290
sent out.

440
00:14:18,410 --> 00:14:20,210
And there are different ways that the enemy

441
00:14:20,210 --> 00:14:21,850
will come in, but he doesn't make you

442
00:14:21,850 --> 00:14:22,610
do anything.

443
00:14:23,450 --> 00:14:25,150
He simply presents the bait.

444
00:14:25,790 --> 00:14:27,790
Just like a trout, when they see that

445
00:14:27,790 --> 00:14:29,550
little, look at that little, little fish.

446
00:14:29,570 --> 00:14:30,090
It's broken.

447
00:14:30,190 --> 00:14:30,550
It's hurt.

448
00:14:30,590 --> 00:14:31,410
I'm going to go eat it.

449
00:14:32,230 --> 00:14:33,350
And then they eat that lure.

450
00:14:33,490 --> 00:14:34,070
What happens?

451
00:14:34,410 --> 00:14:35,210
Now they're the trout.

452
00:14:35,330 --> 00:14:35,990
Now they're the bait.

453
00:14:35,990 --> 00:14:36,690
Now they're the food.

454
00:14:37,270 --> 00:14:38,150
That's the enemy does.

455
00:14:38,290 --> 00:14:41,450
He just threw, so he probably threw that

456
00:14:41,450 --> 00:14:42,250
idea in there.

457
00:14:42,430 --> 00:14:43,650
I mean, that's a good idea for our

458
00:14:43,650 --> 00:14:44,350
flesh, isn't it?

459
00:14:45,410 --> 00:14:45,770
Hmm.

460
00:14:45,890 --> 00:14:47,210
Yeah, I'll tell the church this and I'll

461
00:14:47,210 --> 00:14:48,830
just, I'll keep the rest and I'll appear

462
00:14:48,830 --> 00:14:50,570
spiritual, but I'll still have money.

463
00:14:51,070 --> 00:14:53,170
So he filled his mind with that, but

464
00:14:53,170 --> 00:14:55,690
he had the choice not to act upon

465
00:14:55,690 --> 00:14:58,750
it and, and resist, lie against the Holy

466
00:14:58,750 --> 00:15:00,670
Spirit and fulfill that.

467
00:15:00,790 --> 00:15:02,330
And isn't that true in all areas of

468
00:15:02,330 --> 00:15:02,690
life?

469
00:15:02,950 --> 00:15:05,370
It's a daily struggle with the flesh.

470
00:15:05,370 --> 00:15:07,970
I mean, at some point, I wish that

471
00:15:07,970 --> 00:15:11,510
that flesh would just die and just be,

472
00:15:11,650 --> 00:15:12,530
just leave me alone.

473
00:15:12,630 --> 00:15:14,130
It's not going to happen on this side

474
00:15:14,130 --> 00:15:14,630
of heaven.

475
00:15:15,590 --> 00:15:17,850
It's, it's so as a word of encouragement,

476
00:15:18,250 --> 00:15:21,310
just because there's that tension or that temptation

477
00:15:21,310 --> 00:15:23,530
doesn't make it wrong or evil.

478
00:15:23,530 --> 00:15:24,730
Like you get these thoughts.

479
00:15:24,810 --> 00:15:26,470
You're like, why did I get those thoughts?

480
00:15:26,510 --> 00:15:27,670
I'm such a bad person.

481
00:15:27,970 --> 00:15:29,190
No, just don't act upon them.

482
00:15:30,130 --> 00:15:33,570
The enemy could plant seeds in your mind

483
00:15:33,570 --> 00:15:34,190
and thoughts.

484
00:15:34,190 --> 00:15:35,550
And I'll tell you just a struggle I

485
00:15:35,550 --> 00:15:36,070
had this week.

486
00:15:36,170 --> 00:15:38,450
It's not a real big one, but hopefully

487
00:15:38,450 --> 00:15:39,050
it'll help some people.

488
00:15:39,150 --> 00:15:40,270
And many of you, some of you, and

489
00:15:40,270 --> 00:15:41,010
I think I mentioned it in one of

490
00:15:41,010 --> 00:15:43,330
the sermons that our neighbor likes to walk

491
00:15:43,330 --> 00:15:45,710
his dog about six feet past my property

492
00:15:45,710 --> 00:15:46,090
line.

493
00:15:46,390 --> 00:15:47,810
And then, you know, it takes place when

494
00:15:47,810 --> 00:15:50,210
people walk dogs and they just, they leave

495
00:15:50,210 --> 00:15:52,110
it there for a week or two and

496
00:15:52,110 --> 00:15:53,150
it builds up, right?

497
00:15:53,950 --> 00:15:56,210
So the flesh is like, I'm knocking on

498
00:15:56,210 --> 00:15:56,690
that door.

499
00:15:57,210 --> 00:15:58,810
I'm not, and the Holy Spirit's like, no,

500
00:15:58,830 --> 00:15:59,650
you're going to get a shovel and a

501
00:15:59,650 --> 00:16:00,570
trash can and be quiet.

502
00:16:01,150 --> 00:16:03,090
No, I'm knocking on that door.

503
00:16:03,130 --> 00:16:03,830
This is rude.

504
00:16:03,930 --> 00:16:04,570
What did they think?

505
00:16:04,810 --> 00:16:06,150
No, you're going to pick up a shovel,

506
00:16:06,330 --> 00:16:06,850
clean it up.

507
00:16:06,970 --> 00:16:09,250
And no, and for two days, for two

508
00:16:09,250 --> 00:16:10,270
days, I didn't do anything.

509
00:16:10,350 --> 00:16:12,390
I just pulled up, saw it, man, pull

510
00:16:12,390 --> 00:16:12,510
it.

511
00:16:13,130 --> 00:16:15,730
Man, there's a struggle because the flesh want,

512
00:16:15,870 --> 00:16:16,150
right?

513
00:16:16,670 --> 00:16:17,710
I am human too.

514
00:16:17,810 --> 00:16:18,910
The flesh want to knock on it.

515
00:16:18,990 --> 00:16:20,330
Who do you think you are?

516
00:16:20,510 --> 00:16:22,270
Six feet away from my, where my kids

517
00:16:22,270 --> 00:16:22,770
are and play.

518
00:16:23,050 --> 00:16:24,170
You know, what are you doing?

519
00:16:24,630 --> 00:16:26,090
But I had to just say, okay, I'm

520
00:16:26,090 --> 00:16:29,230
just gonna grab a shovel and trash can

521
00:16:29,230 --> 00:16:30,170
and just do it.

522
00:16:30,830 --> 00:16:32,210
And then yesterday I saw him walking out

523
00:16:32,210 --> 00:16:32,330
there.

524
00:16:32,430 --> 00:16:33,410
He saw it was clean and he hit

525
00:16:33,410 --> 00:16:36,110
it, he head over across the street with

526
00:16:36,110 --> 00:16:36,570
his dog.

527
00:16:36,890 --> 00:16:38,150
So I'm like, okay, well, I'll take that

528
00:16:38,150 --> 00:16:38,610
for now.

529
00:16:39,050 --> 00:16:40,710
But it's a struggle, isn't it?

530
00:16:40,790 --> 00:16:41,990
It's a daily struggle.

531
00:16:42,370 --> 00:16:44,050
I like to fast before I preach.

532
00:16:44,110 --> 00:16:45,070
I like to fast right now.

533
00:16:45,130 --> 00:16:45,430
I'm fasting.

534
00:16:45,550 --> 00:16:46,310
I don't eat just juice.

535
00:16:46,610 --> 00:16:48,290
And wouldn't you know it, I want to

536
00:16:48,290 --> 00:16:49,650
stop by McDonald's on my way here.

537
00:16:50,050 --> 00:16:52,450
Everything was talking and I usually don't stop

538
00:16:52,450 --> 00:16:54,370
there, but get a coffee, get a pastry.

539
00:16:54,470 --> 00:16:55,530
Oh, that would sound so good.

540
00:16:55,570 --> 00:16:57,310
The flesh is, no, you're not going, yes,

541
00:16:57,370 --> 00:16:57,650
I am.

542
00:16:57,710 --> 00:16:58,170
No, you're not.

543
00:16:58,370 --> 00:16:59,550
And you, who are you going?

544
00:16:59,650 --> 00:17:01,230
So that's what the devil does.

545
00:17:02,050 --> 00:17:05,010
So the devil doesn't make you do anything.

546
00:17:05,810 --> 00:17:07,849
Now, if you give into something and you're

547
00:17:07,849 --> 00:17:09,670
in the world and loving the things of

548
00:17:09,670 --> 00:17:11,970
the world, that influence will be much stronger

549
00:17:11,970 --> 00:17:13,770
than if you're in the word of God

550
00:17:13,770 --> 00:17:16,510
and serving God and fasting and worshiping and

551
00:17:16,510 --> 00:17:18,930
reading his word, then that desire is not

552
00:17:18,930 --> 00:17:20,829
as strong because the enemy doesn't have as

553
00:17:20,829 --> 00:17:22,970
much of a foothold to pull you back.

554
00:17:23,030 --> 00:17:24,349
So that's how the devil works.

555
00:17:24,349 --> 00:17:26,869
He puts in thoughts into your head about

556
00:17:26,869 --> 00:17:27,569
certain things.

557
00:17:27,850 --> 00:17:29,350
Well, how do I know, You compare it

558
00:17:29,350 --> 00:17:30,010
with the word of God.

559
00:17:31,290 --> 00:17:32,870
You compare it with the word of God.

560
00:17:32,950 --> 00:17:33,830
What does this say?

561
00:17:33,910 --> 00:17:34,730
Well, I don't know what this says.

562
00:17:34,850 --> 00:17:36,470
Well, then you better get into this because

563
00:17:36,470 --> 00:17:37,690
if you're not in the word, the word

564
00:17:37,690 --> 00:17:38,390
won't be in you.

565
00:17:39,170 --> 00:17:40,230
That's how it works.

566
00:17:40,650 --> 00:17:41,970
We don't just think that's a pretty good

567
00:17:41,970 --> 00:17:43,330
book we should get to from time to

568
00:17:43,330 --> 00:17:43,650
time.

569
00:17:44,070 --> 00:17:46,910
No, it's a living and Aaron inspired word

570
00:17:46,910 --> 00:17:48,630
of God that's given to guide us and

571
00:17:48,630 --> 00:17:48,910
lead us.

572
00:17:48,970 --> 00:17:50,290
And the more you have of that in

573
00:17:50,290 --> 00:17:51,990
you, the more you know when to make

574
00:17:51,990 --> 00:17:53,850
a right decision or a wrong one.

575
00:17:54,730 --> 00:17:55,870
So just keep that in mind.

576
00:17:56,070 --> 00:17:58,110
Blame shifting is very common when it comes

577
00:17:58,110 --> 00:17:58,590
to lying.

578
00:17:59,030 --> 00:18:00,470
People will blame shift.

579
00:18:00,610 --> 00:18:01,290
They will lie.

580
00:18:01,510 --> 00:18:03,450
Well, if they're lying and they're caught in

581
00:18:03,450 --> 00:18:04,830
a lie, how do they usually get out

582
00:18:04,830 --> 00:18:05,530
of that lie?

583
00:18:05,710 --> 00:18:06,130
You know what?

584
00:18:06,150 --> 00:18:06,470
You're right.

585
00:18:06,530 --> 00:18:07,570
Let me repent right now.

586
00:18:08,410 --> 00:18:09,810
No, they don't say that.

587
00:18:10,090 --> 00:18:12,210
They build a different lie in a different

588
00:18:12,210 --> 00:18:14,010
scenario and a different this and a different

589
00:18:14,010 --> 00:18:14,310
that.

590
00:18:14,490 --> 00:18:16,610
They blame shift or they'll blame the enemy.

591
00:18:17,250 --> 00:18:18,970
People have to, Shane, there's a lying spirit

592
00:18:18,970 --> 00:18:20,390
that will not let me go.

593
00:18:21,070 --> 00:18:22,270
I just have to lie.

594
00:18:22,850 --> 00:18:24,930
Or it's a person, the devil made me

595
00:18:24,930 --> 00:18:25,410
get drunk.

596
00:18:25,530 --> 00:18:26,910
No, you planned it when you left for

597
00:18:26,910 --> 00:18:27,490
Las Vegas.

598
00:18:27,810 --> 00:18:29,010
It's a four-hour drive.

599
00:18:29,070 --> 00:18:30,990
You've got four hours to think about it.

600
00:18:31,150 --> 00:18:32,350
He didn't make you do anything.

601
00:18:32,510 --> 00:18:33,990
You got in the car, you turned the

602
00:18:33,990 --> 00:18:34,750
key and you drove.

603
00:18:36,070 --> 00:18:36,730
Now what are we going to hear?

604
00:18:36,850 --> 00:18:37,930
Now that marijuana is legal.

605
00:18:38,170 --> 00:18:39,850
The devil made me get high.

606
00:18:40,310 --> 00:18:40,610
It's right.

607
00:18:40,690 --> 00:18:42,470
No, it's you made that choice.

608
00:18:42,890 --> 00:18:44,470
So be careful because a lot of times

609
00:18:44,470 --> 00:18:46,070
we want to blame shift or blame our

610
00:18:46,070 --> 00:18:47,930
spouse or blame our children.

611
00:18:48,110 --> 00:18:48,870
I've had a hard week.

612
00:18:48,970 --> 00:18:51,190
I've had a, and that's one way the

613
00:18:51,190 --> 00:18:52,090
enemy will work.

614
00:18:54,430 --> 00:18:56,330
I came across a story talking about the

615
00:18:56,330 --> 00:18:58,310
pull of the flesh and wanting to make

616
00:18:58,310 --> 00:18:59,310
wise decisions.

617
00:18:59,510 --> 00:19:00,750
And it's a story of a little boy

618
00:19:00,750 --> 00:19:01,650
named Alexander.

619
00:19:02,110 --> 00:19:03,830
He was trying to save pennies so he

620
00:19:03,830 --> 00:19:05,330
could buy a baseball bat.

621
00:19:05,870 --> 00:19:07,550
And he was having a very hard struggle.

622
00:19:07,670 --> 00:19:10,150
He said to God, he was praying, he

623
00:19:10,150 --> 00:19:12,410
said, and his mom overheard him praying to

624
00:19:12,410 --> 00:19:13,130
God fervently.

625
00:19:13,270 --> 00:19:15,370
He said, oh Lord, please help me save

626
00:19:15,370 --> 00:19:16,870
my money for a baseball bat.

627
00:19:16,870 --> 00:19:18,430
Please God, help me.

628
00:19:18,530 --> 00:19:19,970
Can you hear a little boy saying that?

629
00:19:20,250 --> 00:19:20,830
I can.

630
00:19:21,450 --> 00:19:22,270
Lord, help me.

631
00:19:22,370 --> 00:19:24,010
Help me save my money for this baseball

632
00:19:24,010 --> 00:19:24,250
bat.

633
00:19:24,290 --> 00:19:26,770
And God, please don't let the ice cream

634
00:19:26,770 --> 00:19:28,130
man come down my street anymore.

635
00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:33,120
That's how it works, isn't it?

636
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,360
He's never gonna win that battle unless he

637
00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:39,340
realizes, oh, I'm supposed to tell that ice

638
00:19:39,340 --> 00:19:40,040
cream man.

639
00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:42,300
No, I'm supposed to make that decision.

640
00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:44,740
So verse five, I'm sorry, chapter five, we're

641
00:19:44,740 --> 00:19:45,820
going to a new chapter now.

642
00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:49,720
Then Ananias, hearing these words, what words did

643
00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:50,060
he hear?

644
00:19:50,180 --> 00:19:52,640
He heard, why has Satan filled your heart?

645
00:19:52,740 --> 00:19:53,340
You're lying.

646
00:19:53,780 --> 00:19:55,380
You're lying to us about this money.

647
00:19:55,820 --> 00:19:58,140
So hearing these words, he fell down and

648
00:19:58,140 --> 00:19:59,540
breathed his last breath.

649
00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:02,600
So great fear came upon all those who

650
00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:03,580
heard these things.

651
00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:06,200
And the young man arose and wrapped him

652
00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:07,900
up, carried him out and buried him.

653
00:20:08,020 --> 00:20:09,000
No wasting time there.

654
00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:12,560
Now it was about three hours later when

655
00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:14,300
his wife came in, not knowing what had

656
00:20:14,300 --> 00:20:16,800
happened, but she knew about the little conspiracy.

657
00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:20,180
She was also going to say, yeah, we

658
00:20:20,180 --> 00:20:21,680
sold it for such and such, but really

659
00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:22,940
they didn't, they're keeping the money.

660
00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,660
So she knew all about this, but she

661
00:20:25,660 --> 00:20:26,560
didn't know that he died.

662
00:20:26,820 --> 00:20:29,140
And Peter answered her, tell me whether you

663
00:20:29,140 --> 00:20:31,280
sold the land for so much.

664
00:20:31,420 --> 00:20:34,220
She said, yes, for so much.

665
00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:36,920
Then Peter said to her, how is it

666
00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:41,020
that you have agreed together to test the

667
00:20:41,020 --> 00:20:41,860
spirit of the Lord?

668
00:20:42,460 --> 00:20:43,600
And I don't know why, but I made

669
00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,820
a note real early this morning on this

670
00:20:46,820 --> 00:20:49,440
and it really jumped out that a lot

671
00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:51,760
of times spouses will enable a liar.

672
00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:55,240
Spouses will conspire.

673
00:20:55,420 --> 00:21:00,320
I know they've got this issue, but they're

674
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:02,700
enabling, they're doing it together because if one

675
00:21:02,700 --> 00:21:04,340
spouse says, this is not right.

676
00:21:04,420 --> 00:21:05,440
I can't put up with this anymore.

677
00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:06,380
You're hurting my family.

678
00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:07,440
I need to take a stand.

679
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:09,280
You can stop that enabling.

680
00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,820
Many times spouses who continue to lie, it's

681
00:21:12,820 --> 00:21:14,080
because they are being enabled.

682
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:16,220
The spouse, even though they don't like it,

683
00:21:16,620 --> 00:21:18,960
will kind of support it, kind of back

684
00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:22,580
them, kind of, you know, well, you know

685
00:21:22,580 --> 00:21:23,200
what I'm saying, right?

686
00:21:23,740 --> 00:21:25,420
I mean, we don't want to put our

687
00:21:25,420 --> 00:21:26,580
spouse down in front of others.

688
00:21:27,620 --> 00:21:29,700
We've learned that many times before looking through

689
00:21:29,700 --> 00:21:30,000
the scriptures.

690
00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:32,100
We don't want to constantly, you know, badge

691
00:21:32,100 --> 00:21:33,840
or anything, but at some point when you're

692
00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:35,220
at home alone, you gotta say this is

693
00:21:35,220 --> 00:21:35,560
enough.

694
00:21:35,700 --> 00:21:36,460
Enough is enough.

695
00:21:36,820 --> 00:21:39,500
I cannot keep conspiring with you on this.

696
00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:41,740
I know your heart's not right in these

697
00:21:41,740 --> 00:21:42,160
areas.

698
00:21:42,780 --> 00:21:45,100
So they agreed together to test the spirit

699
00:21:45,100 --> 00:21:45,620
of the Lord.

700
00:21:46,140 --> 00:21:47,940
And he said, look, the feet of those

701
00:21:47,940 --> 00:21:49,960
who have buried your husband are at the

702
00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:52,140
door and they will carry you out as

703
00:21:52,140 --> 00:21:52,460
well.

704
00:21:54,100 --> 00:21:57,200
Then immediately she fell down at his feet

705
00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,260
and breathed her last.

706
00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:01,720
And the young men came in and found

707
00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,440
her dead and carried her out, buried her

708
00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:05,180
by her husband.

709
00:22:05,340 --> 00:22:07,820
So great fear came upon all the church

710
00:22:07,820 --> 00:22:10,420
and upon all who heard these things.

711
00:22:13,050 --> 00:22:14,670
Now, that's where the question came in at

712
00:22:14,670 --> 00:22:15,390
the beginning of the sermon.

713
00:22:15,570 --> 00:22:17,170
Why did God do this?

714
00:22:18,530 --> 00:22:19,990
Because if that happened today, I don't know

715
00:22:19,990 --> 00:22:21,050
how many people would be sitting here this

716
00:22:21,050 --> 00:22:21,350
morning.

717
00:22:22,630 --> 00:22:23,450
I mean, think about it.

718
00:22:23,730 --> 00:22:25,450
Oh no, I'm never like that.

719
00:22:25,750 --> 00:22:27,210
How many people would really be here?

720
00:22:27,290 --> 00:22:28,390
Would this place be empty?

721
00:22:29,290 --> 00:22:29,990
What happened?

722
00:22:30,410 --> 00:22:31,590
Well, a couple of things I want to

723
00:22:31,590 --> 00:22:31,930
look at.

724
00:22:32,010 --> 00:22:33,210
If you look at from, if you go

725
00:22:33,210 --> 00:22:36,790
back from the flood to the children of

726
00:22:36,790 --> 00:22:39,570
Israel in the promised land, to let's say

727
00:22:39,570 --> 00:22:42,470
King Herod, to Ananias, there's a lot of

728
00:22:42,470 --> 00:22:45,190
times that God did smoke people, like smoke,

729
00:22:45,290 --> 00:22:45,510
killed.

730
00:22:45,790 --> 00:22:48,030
He would remove them from office quickly.

731
00:22:48,170 --> 00:22:49,470
He would kill entire armies.

732
00:22:49,870 --> 00:22:50,570
He flooded the earth.

733
00:22:50,730 --> 00:22:52,550
So there are times that you see God

734
00:22:52,550 --> 00:22:54,850
intervenes and does things like this.

735
00:22:55,670 --> 00:22:57,330
Now, we have to remember that his justice

736
00:22:57,330 --> 00:22:58,670
cannot sleep forever.

737
00:22:59,390 --> 00:23:01,150
His justice cannot sleep forever.

738
00:23:01,270 --> 00:23:03,190
I believe it was Thomas Jefferson who said,

739
00:23:03,290 --> 00:23:05,750
I tremble for my country when I realize

740
00:23:05,750 --> 00:23:07,770
that God is just and that his justice

741
00:23:07,770 --> 00:23:08,790
cannot sleep forever.

742
00:23:09,210 --> 00:23:10,830
They even realized that a couple hundred years

743
00:23:10,830 --> 00:23:12,570
ago, even today, even the early church.

744
00:23:13,150 --> 00:23:15,990
So in my opinion, again, commentaries are divided.

745
00:23:16,910 --> 00:23:18,770
I'll go through a lot of different issues,

746
00:23:18,910 --> 00:23:20,550
but I have a feeling that this is

747
00:23:20,550 --> 00:23:22,930
an area that God had convicted them in

748
00:23:22,930 --> 00:23:23,230
before.

749
00:23:23,390 --> 00:23:25,810
I don't think they were these righteous, holy,

750
00:23:25,910 --> 00:23:27,770
good people in the church and that, wow,

751
00:23:27,830 --> 00:23:29,170
they just blew it one day and just

752
00:23:29,170 --> 00:23:30,370
kind of told a little fib so they

753
00:23:30,370 --> 00:23:30,890
keep more money.

754
00:23:31,170 --> 00:23:33,390
I think there was a pattern there, a

755
00:23:33,390 --> 00:23:35,670
pattern of lying, a pattern of deception.

756
00:23:35,670 --> 00:23:37,770
And I think God said enough is enough.

757
00:23:38,390 --> 00:23:40,570
I'm removing this, especially the early church.

758
00:23:40,750 --> 00:23:42,210
I'm removing that for the church.

759
00:23:42,330 --> 00:23:43,770
Some people say, and which I agree with

760
00:23:43,770 --> 00:23:45,610
too, is God was setting the example.

761
00:23:45,750 --> 00:23:47,350
He was building the foundation of the church.

762
00:23:47,470 --> 00:23:48,630
Nope, that's not gonna happen.

763
00:23:48,950 --> 00:23:50,530
Great fear goes upon the whole church.

764
00:23:50,630 --> 00:23:51,490
You better live holy.

765
00:23:51,630 --> 00:23:52,950
You better walk righteously.

766
00:23:53,070 --> 00:23:54,750
You better not build the church on these

767
00:23:54,750 --> 00:23:55,710
types of foundations.

768
00:23:56,990 --> 00:23:58,670
So that could be one area as well.

769
00:24:00,090 --> 00:24:03,150
But the practical application for us is don't

770
00:24:03,150 --> 00:24:04,350
tempt or test God.

771
00:24:05,210 --> 00:24:06,910
Don't tempt or test God.

772
00:24:07,130 --> 00:24:09,490
If we are continuing to lie, it's by

773
00:24:09,490 --> 00:24:12,410
God's sheer grace and mercy that he allows

774
00:24:12,410 --> 00:24:14,890
us to keep breathing or to keep being

775
00:24:14,890 --> 00:24:16,450
involved in ministry or to keep doing things.

776
00:24:16,570 --> 00:24:17,970
It's by sheer grace and mercy.

777
00:24:18,310 --> 00:24:20,910
We can't keep testing that and tempting God

778
00:24:20,910 --> 00:24:21,550
in that area.

779
00:24:22,790 --> 00:24:26,510
I remember 1911, hearing a quote, I found

780
00:24:26,510 --> 00:24:28,790
it again, in 1911, this was said in

781
00:24:28,790 --> 00:24:32,370
1911, not even God himself could sink this

782
00:24:32,370 --> 00:24:32,670
ship.

783
00:24:32,670 --> 00:24:36,440
You know what they're talking about?

784
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:39,100
An employee for the Titanic said that, right?

785
00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:40,460
The morning of its launch.

786
00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:42,500
Not even God can sink this ship.

787
00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:46,160
Well, hmm, we can look back now and

788
00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:46,700
know what happened.

789
00:24:46,780 --> 00:24:48,460
And that's what we don't want to do.

790
00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:51,300
So the practical application, in my opinion, would

791
00:24:51,300 --> 00:24:53,140
be that we don't want to tempt God

792
00:24:53,140 --> 00:24:53,760
in this area.

793
00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:56,140
If we know that lying is a problem,

794
00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,300
if we know we are lying, we're using

795
00:24:58,300 --> 00:25:00,340
maybe the church for certain things, we're using

796
00:25:00,340 --> 00:25:04,940
people for certain things, we're conniving and being

797
00:25:04,940 --> 00:25:07,060
sneaky and we're lying, that needs to end.

798
00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:09,940
We can't keep allowing this to be in

799
00:25:09,940 --> 00:25:11,440
the church or in our families.

800
00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:15,740
We have to say, God, I want help

801
00:25:15,740 --> 00:25:17,080
in this area, but you have to confess

802
00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:17,480
it.

803
00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:19,320
And this is one of the hardest sins,

804
00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:21,240
because liars, what do they do?

805
00:25:21,300 --> 00:25:21,800
They lie.

806
00:25:22,220 --> 00:25:23,640
So how do you get a liar who

807
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,360
lies to confess and repent when their whole

808
00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:27,600
pattern is lying?

809
00:25:28,620 --> 00:25:29,560
It's very difficult.

810
00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:32,120
God has to just open their eyes.

811
00:25:32,660 --> 00:25:33,280
Open their eyes.

812
00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:35,040
Yesterday, when I was talking to Randy, we

813
00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:36,420
were talking to these atheists, I'm like praying,

814
00:25:36,660 --> 00:25:38,840
Lord, you've got to open these eyes.

815
00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:41,300
You've got, this makes no sense.

816
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:43,640
No, I took a little Tabasco thing and

817
00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:45,800
said, now, obviously, a person made this, right?

818
00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:48,020
Oh, of course, well, well, then how much

819
00:25:48,020 --> 00:25:49,120
more of the human body?

820
00:25:49,740 --> 00:25:51,380
How much more of the universe and the

821
00:25:51,380 --> 00:25:54,180
oxygen, the hydrogen, all these elements that sustain

822
00:25:54,180 --> 00:25:54,500
life?

823
00:25:54,580 --> 00:25:56,940
Well, if you give it 4.5 billion

824
00:25:56,940 --> 00:25:57,920
years, that could happen.

825
00:25:57,920 --> 00:25:59,580
You can't just say, if you give it,

826
00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:01,380
because they say 12 billion or 5 billion,

827
00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:02,640
you can't just say, well, if you give

828
00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:03,760
it enough time, no, it won't.

829
00:26:04,020 --> 00:26:05,680
If you leave that rock out there, it's

830
00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:07,360
not gonna be an elephant in 20 years

831
00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:08,480
or 5,000 years.

832
00:26:08,540 --> 00:26:09,140
It's not.

833
00:26:10,340 --> 00:26:12,000
But there's blindness there.

834
00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:15,200
I'm listening, how could anybody believe this?

835
00:26:15,260 --> 00:26:16,080
Oh, my Lord.

836
00:26:16,460 --> 00:26:18,160
But there's blindness, there's blindness.

837
00:26:18,980 --> 00:26:20,420
They don't want there to be a God,

838
00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:21,800
many times.

839
00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:25,340
If there's a God, then there's moral accountability.

840
00:26:25,340 --> 00:26:27,560
Then I've been wrong all these times, all

841
00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:28,180
these years?

842
00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:29,460
How could I be?

843
00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:32,200
And that's what the issue, there's spiritual blindness.

844
00:26:32,540 --> 00:26:34,600
So if you know, that's what I wanna

845
00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:36,620
do at the end of the service also,

846
00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:39,320
is pray for those we know who struggle

847
00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:40,900
in this area, whether it's a spouse, whether

848
00:26:40,900 --> 00:26:43,200
it's kids, whether it's ourselves.

849
00:26:43,740 --> 00:26:45,620
We need to pray in this area that

850
00:26:45,620 --> 00:26:47,480
spiritual blindness is removed.

851
00:26:48,460 --> 00:26:50,500
Because you're not gonna just talk someone into

852
00:26:50,500 --> 00:26:50,720
this.

853
00:26:50,820 --> 00:26:52,540
God has got to move on their behalf

854
00:26:52,540 --> 00:26:53,480
and show them.

855
00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:55,140
That's one of the points of preaching.

856
00:26:55,140 --> 00:26:56,360
And looking to God's word.

857
00:26:57,980 --> 00:27:00,940
Psalm 32, David, he was keeping silent about

858
00:27:00,940 --> 00:27:01,340
his sin.

859
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:03,600
Do you know David kept silent for about

860
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:07,240
a year on this massive sin of killing

861
00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:08,900
another man and taking his wife?

862
00:27:09,580 --> 00:27:11,600
And Psalm 32 says, when I kept silent,

863
00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:14,380
my bones grew old through my groanings all

864
00:27:14,380 --> 00:27:14,980
day long.

865
00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:16,680
For day and night, your hand was heavy

866
00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:17,300
upon me.

867
00:27:17,700 --> 00:27:20,040
My vitality was turned into the drought of

868
00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:20,340
summer.

869
00:27:20,780 --> 00:27:22,600
Think about that, where are some of you,

870
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:24,180
can you relate to this spiritually?

871
00:27:24,700 --> 00:27:26,340
Your bones even hurt.

872
00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:29,060
Day and night, God's hand is heavy upon

873
00:27:29,060 --> 00:27:29,200
you.

874
00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:32,040
Your vitality has turned into a drought of

875
00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:32,360
summer.

876
00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:34,200
You're just dead spiritually.

877
00:27:34,420 --> 00:27:36,120
You're moody, you're upset.

878
00:27:36,500 --> 00:27:37,700
You're just angry.

879
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:39,260
What's going on?

880
00:27:39,300 --> 00:27:41,060
It's because when we're caught in this sin

881
00:27:41,060 --> 00:27:43,440
and we allow it to continue and fester

882
00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:45,940
and build, it will destroy us spiritually.

883
00:27:46,500 --> 00:27:48,760
We'll have this huge weight and we'll just

884
00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:50,620
be grumpy and moody.

885
00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:53,700
And because we're not supposed to carry this

886
00:27:53,700 --> 00:27:56,080
weight, we're supposed to repent and confess and

887
00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,640
give it to Christ to carry it.

888
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:01,260
My yoke is easy, he says, take it

889
00:28:01,260 --> 00:28:01,820
upon you.

890
00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:04,520
Confess your sins, I will carry that load

891
00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:05,000
for you.

892
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:08,540
But when David finally confessed, he acknowledged, it

893
00:28:08,540 --> 00:28:10,140
says, I acknowledge my sin to you and

894
00:28:10,140 --> 00:28:11,520
my iniquity I have not hidden.

895
00:28:11,940 --> 00:28:14,680
I have said, I will confess my transgressions

896
00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:16,900
to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity

897
00:28:16,900 --> 00:28:18,540
of my sin.

898
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:21,920
You know, I keep, ever since we started

899
00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:23,700
the sermon, I kept wanting to read these

900
00:28:23,700 --> 00:28:25,060
excerpts and I was holding to the end,

901
00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:26,040
I just wanna read them now.

902
00:28:26,120 --> 00:28:27,860
I think this might open the eyes for

903
00:28:27,860 --> 00:28:28,580
some people.

904
00:28:29,140 --> 00:28:31,980
I just pulled this off of online secular

905
00:28:31,980 --> 00:28:34,400
sites about compulsive lying.

906
00:28:35,420 --> 00:28:39,140
This person, Lexus Clark, wrote, though compulsive liars

907
00:28:39,140 --> 00:28:42,320
often take extreme care to keep others under

908
00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:44,300
the spell of their deception, once in a

909
00:28:44,300 --> 00:28:46,900
while, the web of lies unravels and the

910
00:28:46,900 --> 00:28:48,920
liar is seen as without any of his

911
00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:49,820
dishonest walls.

912
00:28:50,060 --> 00:28:52,720
When this occurs, the liar works quickly and

913
00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:56,520
frantically to rebuild those walls, constructing more lies

914
00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:58,700
in order to rebuild himself into what he

915
00:28:58,700 --> 00:29:00,220
was previously seen as.

916
00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:04,140
This often involves elaborate stories of being falsely

917
00:29:04,140 --> 00:29:08,020
accused, constructing lie after lie with the intention

918
00:29:08,020 --> 00:29:10,340
of defending his or her supposed innocence.

919
00:29:10,780 --> 00:29:13,420
If this method, as well as any other

920
00:29:13,420 --> 00:29:17,200
attempts, fail, then the compulsive liar is forced

921
00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:19,180
to tell the truth, but he or she

922
00:29:19,180 --> 00:29:22,840
will often do it with a great display

923
00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:26,260
of anxiety or nervousness or they're uncomfortable.

924
00:29:26,540 --> 00:29:29,320
They'll finally admit it, but there's just something

925
00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:29,880
about that.

926
00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:31,560
You agitated that.

927
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,000
Truth about deception wrote this, I have been

928
00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:36,860
married to a compulsive liar for more than

929
00:29:36,860 --> 00:29:37,840
25 years.

930
00:29:38,420 --> 00:29:40,280
The lies range from simple ones that had

931
00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:44,580
no apparent point to very complex deceptions made

932
00:29:44,580 --> 00:29:45,500
to achieve a goal.

933
00:29:45,500 --> 00:29:48,920
When confronted, she would deny lying, misdirect the

934
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:52,000
conversation and verbally attack me and try every

935
00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:54,280
approach imaginable to avoid the truth.

936
00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:56,840
If pursued long enough, she may tell the

937
00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:58,720
truth, but with a great deal of resentment.

938
00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:01,760
Anyone who has been shocked or devastated by

939
00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:03,920
the actions of a liar knows the shame

940
00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:04,580
that follows.

941
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:07,120
You are outraged, but deep inside, you feel

942
00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:10,600
stupid and naive for having misjudged someone's character.

943
00:30:11,540 --> 00:30:14,000
It can be deceptive and painful and downright

944
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:14,540
confusing.

945
00:30:15,500 --> 00:30:17,220
That's what lying does to families.

946
00:30:18,180 --> 00:30:20,300
And the word of God is saying, stop

947
00:30:20,300 --> 00:30:22,360
it, stop it.

948
00:30:22,780 --> 00:30:24,840
As believers, you have the ability to say,

949
00:30:24,900 --> 00:30:26,980
God, I need to work in this area.

950
00:30:27,340 --> 00:30:28,680
And if the truth be told, I would

951
00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:29,980
say it's a majority of this room.

952
00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:32,800
No, Shane, well, did you know backbiting is

953
00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:33,120
lying?

954
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:37,280
Slander, gossip, those are all forms of lying,

955
00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:40,740
embellishing, creating a reality that's not there.

956
00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:42,560
That's all lying.

957
00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:45,460
That's not being honest, that's being dishonest.

958
00:30:46,020 --> 00:30:47,580
And I believe this is a huge area

959
00:30:47,580 --> 00:30:49,060
that God is wanting to work in our

960
00:30:49,060 --> 00:30:50,140
lives and in the church.

961
00:30:50,740 --> 00:30:52,400
So back to this question of why did

962
00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:53,880
God kill these people?

963
00:30:54,580 --> 00:30:56,900
Other than what I just said, another answer

964
00:30:56,900 --> 00:30:57,560
is sovereignty.

965
00:30:58,180 --> 00:30:59,820
Sovereignty plays a role in this.

966
00:31:00,660 --> 00:31:02,000
We don't know why.

967
00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:03,640
We just know that God had had enough.

968
00:31:03,820 --> 00:31:05,240
I believe that he warned them time and

969
00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:06,940
time again, the conviction of the Holy Spirit,

970
00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:07,760
they were believers.

971
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:10,260
Now in our own lives, we may not

972
00:31:10,260 --> 00:31:12,140
die when we do this, but we lose

973
00:31:12,140 --> 00:31:13,060
spiritual power.

974
00:31:13,500 --> 00:31:15,300
We lose insight and we lose wisdom.

975
00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:17,880
Our walk with the Lord is severely hindered

976
00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:19,860
when we do this.

977
00:31:23,300 --> 00:31:25,580
Another reason is possibly for fear purposes.

978
00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:28,620
Twice it says, so great fear came upon

979
00:31:28,620 --> 00:31:31,220
all the church and upon all who heard

980
00:31:31,220 --> 00:31:31,920
these things.

981
00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:35,340
See, there's nothing wrong when a church from

982
00:31:35,340 --> 00:31:36,900
time to time fears something.

983
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:39,460
We should fear Almighty God.

984
00:31:39,940 --> 00:31:42,420
We should fear his power, his presence.

985
00:31:42,580 --> 00:31:43,940
We should fear things.

986
00:31:43,940 --> 00:31:47,160
We should fear having sin exposed so we

987
00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:47,480
repent.

988
00:31:47,620 --> 00:31:49,340
That's one of the processes and that's one

989
00:31:49,340 --> 00:31:50,740
of the reasons for Matthew 18.

990
00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:52,880
If you look at Matthew 18 on church

991
00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:55,840
discipline, first you go to somebody and you

992
00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:58,060
discuss why they're caught in a sin.

993
00:31:58,380 --> 00:32:00,200
They don't agree, they don't understand.

994
00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:02,540
You bring a couple people, a couple witnesses,

995
00:32:02,700 --> 00:32:05,280
maybe some elders, you've gotta go back to

996
00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:05,680
your wife.

997
00:32:05,780 --> 00:32:07,000
Stop living with your girlfriend.

998
00:32:07,380 --> 00:32:08,100
This is wrong.

999
00:32:08,500 --> 00:32:09,880
We cannot allow this.

1000
00:32:10,060 --> 00:32:11,480
Please, we're pleading with you.

1001
00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:12,680
We're pleading with you.

1002
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:14,400
You do not allow this to continue.

1003
00:32:14,660 --> 00:32:16,080
And if he just mocks it and mocks

1004
00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:17,240
it and mocks it, then you bring it

1005
00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:17,920
to the church.

1006
00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:19,660
And you say, listen, we love this person

1007
00:32:19,660 --> 00:32:21,900
enough to, we have to disfellowship.

1008
00:32:22,340 --> 00:32:24,660
We have to cut ties because they are

1009
00:32:24,660 --> 00:32:25,440
tainting.

1010
00:32:25,540 --> 00:32:26,340
They are affecting.

1011
00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:27,980
They are that leaven, the leavens of bread.

1012
00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:30,200
We love them enough to pray for restoration.

1013
00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:32,700
And you expose the sin and people are

1014
00:32:32,700 --> 00:32:33,100
scared.

1015
00:32:34,220 --> 00:32:35,140
People are scared.

1016
00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:38,520
I remember, I wonder if we were able

1017
00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:40,720
to send out a massive text saying, you've

1018
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:45,230
been found out, you better get home and

1019
00:32:45,230 --> 00:32:45,730
hide it.

1020
00:32:45,930 --> 00:32:47,270
How many people would run for cover?

1021
00:32:48,370 --> 00:32:50,090
Because that's what a lot of times God

1022
00:32:50,090 --> 00:32:52,330
will use fear to redirect people.

1023
00:32:52,650 --> 00:32:54,810
You see Christian leaders falling on the news,

1024
00:32:55,130 --> 00:32:55,510
fear.

1025
00:32:55,930 --> 00:32:57,050
Men, get your house in order.

1026
00:32:57,390 --> 00:32:58,510
You see another person fall.

1027
00:32:58,650 --> 00:33:00,190
Women, get your house in order too.

1028
00:33:00,410 --> 00:33:03,030
Coming underneath your husband's leadership and praying for

1029
00:33:03,030 --> 00:33:03,390
your kids.

1030
00:33:03,710 --> 00:33:06,210
And fear can be a great motivator.

1031
00:33:06,570 --> 00:33:09,290
I fear crossing that line when somebody's driving

1032
00:33:09,290 --> 00:33:10,730
65 miles an hour.

1033
00:33:12,540 --> 00:33:14,740
And I pull up to people even on

1034
00:33:14,740 --> 00:33:15,160
the freeway.

1035
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:15,660
It's amazing.

1036
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:17,720
They're driving with their knees.

1037
00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:20,000
Shane, why are they doing that?

1038
00:33:25,650 --> 00:33:27,550
And you fear those kind of people.

1039
00:33:27,910 --> 00:33:28,510
You fear.

1040
00:33:29,230 --> 00:33:30,190
What, is that what happens?

1041
00:33:30,830 --> 00:33:32,350
I'm the only one that sees that?

1042
00:33:32,450 --> 00:33:32,630
No.

1043
00:33:33,170 --> 00:33:34,950
People are texting every stoplight.

1044
00:33:35,030 --> 00:33:35,690
You'll watch now.

1045
00:33:36,050 --> 00:33:36,990
Cars, it's green.

1046
00:33:37,070 --> 00:33:38,290
The cars are still staying there.

1047
00:33:38,750 --> 00:33:39,570
What are they doing?

1048
00:33:40,750 --> 00:33:42,050
Oh, shoot, it's a green light.

1049
00:33:42,150 --> 00:33:42,550
No, go.

1050
00:33:42,970 --> 00:33:44,130
And you'll see these things.

1051
00:33:44,130 --> 00:33:47,710
And so you hear, and texting actually, they're

1052
00:33:47,710 --> 00:33:49,250
coming out with more ads now that shows

1053
00:33:49,250 --> 00:33:50,430
how dangerous that is.

1054
00:33:51,050 --> 00:33:53,830
So fear, God, we use fear to redirect

1055
00:33:53,830 --> 00:33:55,910
and to refocus us.

1056
00:33:55,950 --> 00:33:57,150
So this could have been what he was

1057
00:33:57,150 --> 00:33:57,530
doing.

1058
00:33:58,650 --> 00:34:00,030
So here's the exposure.

1059
00:34:00,290 --> 00:34:02,530
Again, that should prompt us to repentance.

1060
00:34:02,670 --> 00:34:04,830
If you have a problem in this area,

1061
00:34:04,950 --> 00:34:06,770
like David, don't keep silent.

1062
00:34:07,389 --> 00:34:09,110
Don't keep hiding from God.

1063
00:34:09,270 --> 00:34:10,429
It's heavy upon you.

1064
00:34:10,489 --> 00:34:12,489
God is using this type of sermon to

1065
00:34:12,489 --> 00:34:13,429
bring conviction.

1066
00:34:13,429 --> 00:34:15,110
You're spiritually dried up.

1067
00:34:15,550 --> 00:34:16,630
All you have to do, like David said,

1068
00:34:16,730 --> 00:34:19,250
acknowledge my sin and my iniquity.

1069
00:34:19,350 --> 00:34:20,429
I have not hidden them.

1070
00:34:20,530 --> 00:34:22,389
God, I'm bringing them to you.

1071
00:34:22,690 --> 00:34:24,350
This should cause our prayer room to be

1072
00:34:24,350 --> 00:34:25,150
full next door.

1073
00:34:25,750 --> 00:34:27,469
This should cause our prayer room to be

1074
00:34:27,469 --> 00:34:28,030
full next door.

1075
00:34:28,070 --> 00:34:29,710
After the service, I'm coming to you, God.

1076
00:34:29,850 --> 00:34:31,010
I need help in this area.

1077
00:34:31,130 --> 00:34:32,550
Or I'm praying for somebody.

1078
00:34:32,730 --> 00:34:34,010
I'm praying for my spouse.

1079
00:34:34,130 --> 00:34:35,270
I'm praying for my kids.

1080
00:34:35,530 --> 00:34:37,530
I'm praying for somebody to see the light

1081
00:34:37,530 --> 00:34:39,310
because they don't see the light very easily.

1082
00:34:40,350 --> 00:34:41,730
And I wanna just, while we're talking about

1083
00:34:41,730 --> 00:34:43,610
that, if you go next door and everybody's

1084
00:34:43,610 --> 00:34:45,210
tied up praying with somebody, did you know

1085
00:34:45,210 --> 00:34:46,449
you can grab the person next to you

1086
00:34:46,449 --> 00:34:47,070
and pray with them?

1087
00:34:47,790 --> 00:34:49,670
It doesn't say, when Pastor Shane is with

1088
00:34:49,670 --> 00:34:51,710
you and two or more are together, there

1089
00:34:51,710 --> 00:34:52,610
I am.

1090
00:34:53,230 --> 00:34:55,590
Or an elder, now you should go to

1091
00:34:55,590 --> 00:34:56,790
the elders and have them pray with you

1092
00:34:56,790 --> 00:34:59,290
and for healing and anointing and different things.

1093
00:34:59,590 --> 00:35:01,330
But you can just grab somebody and let

1094
00:35:01,330 --> 00:35:02,110
me pray for you.

1095
00:35:02,190 --> 00:35:04,830
If you've been a Christian and you wanna

1096
00:35:04,830 --> 00:35:06,270
pray with somebody, you can do that.

1097
00:35:06,370 --> 00:35:07,850
You don't have to wait for somebody necessarily.

1098
00:35:07,970 --> 00:35:09,930
You can pray with them and there's power

1099
00:35:09,930 --> 00:35:11,350
in that because there's fellowship.

1100
00:35:11,350 --> 00:35:12,150
There's coming together.

1101
00:35:12,290 --> 00:35:13,010
There's unity.

1102
00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:17,880
And here's probably where I guess my heart

1103
00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:21,620
is most broken about this topic is Revelation

1104
00:35:21,620 --> 00:35:25,540
21.8. If you believe the Bible, then

1105
00:35:25,540 --> 00:35:26,380
you believe this.

1106
00:35:27,940 --> 00:35:30,800
The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers,

1107
00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,380
the sexual immoral, those who practice magic arts,

1108
00:35:33,460 --> 00:35:34,280
the idolaters.

1109
00:35:34,940 --> 00:35:36,580
People are saying, oh, praise God, that's not

1110
00:35:36,580 --> 00:35:36,860
me.

1111
00:35:38,700 --> 00:35:41,240
But then it says all liars will go

1112
00:35:41,240 --> 00:35:43,560
into the fiery lake burning with sulfur.

1113
00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:45,940
This is the second death.

1114
00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:48,440
That's serious.

1115
00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:49,840
You can hear a pin drop.

1116
00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:51,580
Yeah, you should hear a pin drop because

1117
00:35:51,580 --> 00:35:53,040
this is very serious.

1118
00:35:56,020 --> 00:35:58,580
Unbelieving, idolaters, fornicators, all these things.

1119
00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:01,440
A liar will be cast into the fiery

1120
00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:03,440
lake of hell and be separated from God.

1121
00:36:03,500 --> 00:36:04,460
This is the second death.

1122
00:36:04,740 --> 00:36:05,720
What's the first death?

1123
00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:07,220
The first death is when you take your

1124
00:36:07,220 --> 00:36:08,740
last breath and the second death is when

1125
00:36:08,740 --> 00:36:10,540
you go before God and there's judgment and

1126
00:36:10,540 --> 00:36:13,520
you're cast away into hell because of lying.

1127
00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:16,720
Now people say, oh, wow, how does this

1128
00:36:16,720 --> 00:36:16,920
work?

1129
00:36:17,020 --> 00:36:19,600
Because I do lie and I, Shane, what's

1130
00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:19,980
gonna happen?

1131
00:36:20,180 --> 00:36:21,580
This is actually not as hard as you

1132
00:36:21,580 --> 00:36:21,980
think.

1133
00:36:23,500 --> 00:36:26,000
Lying in this sense is an habitual pattern

1134
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:26,560
of lying.

1135
00:36:27,580 --> 00:36:29,600
You know it, it's who you are.

1136
00:36:29,780 --> 00:36:31,160
You've decided that's your MO.

1137
00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:32,600
That's how you're gonna operate.

1138
00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:34,120
You don't care what God's word says and

1139
00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:36,120
you're going to continue to be a liar.

1140
00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:39,360
It's not that liars actually go into hell

1141
00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:42,320
or adulterers or fornicators or all these other

1142
00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:42,660
things.

1143
00:36:43,180 --> 00:36:46,200
It's their lifestyle shows that they don't have

1144
00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:47,480
a relationship with God.

1145
00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:49,960
So that's why there's a whole list of

1146
00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:53,840
things, whole list of things from homosexuality to

1147
00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:56,860
lying to adultery to stealing, all these things.

1148
00:36:56,960 --> 00:36:59,280
If this is a habitual pattern and you

1149
00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:00,700
say, I don't care what God's word says

1150
00:37:00,700 --> 00:37:02,400
about it, it doesn't really matter to me.

1151
00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:03,380
This is who I am.

1152
00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:04,980
This is who he's made me to be.

1153
00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:07,140
Then whether you're a liar, whether you covet,

1154
00:37:07,260 --> 00:37:08,720
whether you're in the black magic or the

1155
00:37:08,720 --> 00:37:11,360
occult or whether you cheat and you, no

1156
00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,060
matter what it is, you will be cast

1157
00:37:13,060 --> 00:37:14,960
away from God because you don't have a

1158
00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:16,140
relationship with him.

1159
00:37:16,860 --> 00:37:19,100
But the person, there are Christians who struggle

1160
00:37:19,100 --> 00:37:19,780
with lying.

1161
00:37:20,460 --> 00:37:21,560
They struggle with it.

1162
00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:22,280
God, help me.

1163
00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:24,020
It reminds me of an analogy I think

1164
00:37:24,020 --> 00:37:25,540
I gave here when I first started speaking

1165
00:37:25,540 --> 00:37:28,120
of the pig and the lamb.

1166
00:37:28,720 --> 00:37:30,500
The mud represents sin.

1167
00:37:31,460 --> 00:37:33,580
The pig goes and wallows in the mud

1168
00:37:33,580 --> 00:37:35,460
and enjoys it and leads other people in.

1169
00:37:35,900 --> 00:37:38,440
But the lamb hates its miserable condition when

1170
00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:40,400
it's caught in the mud and it desperately

1171
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:41,220
wants out.

1172
00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:45,840
So on one hand, I wanna severely warn

1173
00:37:46,500 --> 00:37:48,680
those who don't truly know God.

1174
00:37:49,260 --> 00:37:50,000
And they are a lying.

1175
00:37:50,100 --> 00:37:51,260
They don't drink, they don't do this, but

1176
00:37:51,260 --> 00:37:52,080
they are a liar.

1177
00:37:52,260 --> 00:37:53,200
They've never repented.

1178
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:55,240
They don't have genuine faith that it's crystal

1179
00:37:55,240 --> 00:37:57,520
clear that you are not on God's side.

1180
00:37:58,340 --> 00:38:01,120
But I also wanna encourage those who struggle

1181
00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:03,020
with lying.

1182
00:38:03,340 --> 00:38:05,440
It's no different than struggling with any other

1183
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:05,820
sin.

1184
00:38:05,820 --> 00:38:07,860
That disposition to sin.

1185
00:38:07,980 --> 00:38:08,680
You're a liar.

1186
00:38:09,460 --> 00:38:10,960
Another person is adulterer.

1187
00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:12,200
Another person is hooked on porn.

1188
00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:14,140
Another person can't stop drinking if their life

1189
00:38:14,140 --> 00:38:14,580
depended on it.

1190
00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:15,960
Another person's about ready to order some more

1191
00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:17,860
Oxycontin and be hooked for the next two

1192
00:38:17,860 --> 00:38:18,080
months.

1193
00:38:18,380 --> 00:38:20,400
The struggles are struggles are struggles.

1194
00:38:20,860 --> 00:38:21,660
But what do you do?

1195
00:38:21,740 --> 00:38:22,760
You don't say, oh, well, that's the way.

1196
00:38:22,820 --> 00:38:24,120
No, you say, that's not right.

1197
00:38:24,180 --> 00:38:26,080
I'm taking that to the cross this morning.

1198
00:38:26,340 --> 00:38:27,720
Like David, I'm crying out.

1199
00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:29,500
I acknowledge my sin to you and I

1200
00:38:29,500 --> 00:38:30,640
acknowledge my iniquity.

1201
00:38:30,940 --> 00:38:32,300
I've been hiding them from you.

1202
00:38:32,340 --> 00:38:33,900
God, I give you this area of my

1203
00:38:33,900 --> 00:38:34,100
life.

1204
00:38:34,180 --> 00:38:35,100
Please cleanse me.

1205
00:38:35,100 --> 00:38:36,260
Let me confess it.

1206
00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:38,080
Let me bring it to the surface because

1207
00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:40,360
sin can't keep growing when it's confessed.

1208
00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:41,560
Trust me.

1209
00:38:42,180 --> 00:38:44,880
Sin loves that little darkness, just grows in

1210
00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:45,280
that darkness.

1211
00:38:45,380 --> 00:38:46,680
But when you come like to the prayer

1212
00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:48,220
room or you come, you stay here during

1213
00:38:48,220 --> 00:38:50,220
worship and you tell Lord, I need help

1214
00:38:50,220 --> 00:38:50,940
in this area.

1215
00:38:51,340 --> 00:38:52,760
And this is an area I think most

1216
00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:53,680
people need help in.

1217
00:38:56,180 --> 00:39:00,460
Embellishing, gossiping, backbiting, hurting, saying, oh, everybody feels

1218
00:39:00,460 --> 00:39:00,820
this way.

1219
00:39:00,900 --> 00:39:01,780
Well, no, they don't.

1220
00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:04,420
And we built this image of lying.

1221
00:39:04,420 --> 00:39:06,100
And a lot of churches don't want to

1222
00:39:06,100 --> 00:39:06,540
address it.

1223
00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:07,860
You think a lot of churches are gonna

1224
00:39:07,860 --> 00:39:09,460
read that verse tomorrow or today?

1225
00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:10,580
I used to think I'm Saturday night.

1226
00:39:10,820 --> 00:39:12,740
But they're gonna read that verse tomorrow that

1227
00:39:12,740 --> 00:39:15,560
liars will be cast into hell if a

1228
00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:17,120
person is a liar.

1229
00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:18,880
And all they do is lie and lie

1230
00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:19,560
and lie.

1231
00:39:20,240 --> 00:39:21,180
And they don't wanna repent.

1232
00:39:21,380 --> 00:39:22,720
That's a scary spot to live.

1233
00:39:22,820 --> 00:39:24,460
See, me personally, I don't wanna live my

1234
00:39:24,460 --> 00:39:25,700
life with the question mark there.

1235
00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:28,820
I don't, oh my gosh, I don't know.

1236
00:39:28,940 --> 00:39:29,480
Am I saved?

1237
00:39:29,540 --> 00:39:30,040
Am I not saved?

1238
00:39:30,100 --> 00:39:30,660
You know.

1239
00:39:31,060 --> 00:39:33,740
You know if you've genuinely repented of your

1240
00:39:33,740 --> 00:39:34,020
sin.

1241
00:39:34,580 --> 00:39:36,880
So if this is a mark, if lying

1242
00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:39,340
is a mark of your life, I just

1243
00:39:39,340 --> 00:39:41,860
ask you to confess this morning and say,

1244
00:39:41,900 --> 00:39:43,040
Lord, this is an area I have to

1245
00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:44,360
work in, I need to work in.
