WEBVTT 00:00:05.243 --> 00:00:06.686 Question. 00:00:06.686 --> 00:00:12.270 "Can you explore this topic of fear of men?" 00:00:12.270 --> 00:00:14.584 So that's the topic: fear of men. 00:00:14.584 --> 00:00:17.805 "Now, if a believer 00:00:17.805 --> 00:00:21.774 is free from sin, 00:00:21.774 --> 00:00:24.096 how can one feel so dominated 00:00:24.096 --> 00:00:27.412 by this particular gripping sin?" 00:00:27.412 --> 00:00:28.938 Now, he writes more, 00:00:28.938 --> 00:00:30.669 but I'm going to stop right there. 00:00:30.669 --> 00:00:34.108 I often get questions that are worded like this. 00:00:34.108 --> 00:00:36.074 You say, like what? 00:00:36.074 --> 00:00:39.408 I often get somebody that says to me, 00:00:39.408 --> 00:00:42.137 "I know I'm a Christian. 00:00:42.137 --> 00:00:46.180 Please explain to me how I can be living in sin." 00:00:46.180 --> 00:00:50.295 That approach is common. 00:00:50.295 --> 00:00:52.346 I know I've been regenerated. 00:00:52.346 --> 00:00:53.796 I know I believed. 00:00:53.796 --> 00:00:55.466 I know I'm a Christian. 00:00:55.466 --> 00:00:57.999 And yet, would you please explain to me 00:00:57.999 --> 00:00:59.783 how it is that I can be controlled 00:00:59.783 --> 00:01:02.218 by this un-Christian conduct? 00:01:02.218 --> 00:01:03.880 Those are the kind of questions 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:05.977 oftentimes that you get. 00:01:05.977 --> 00:01:09.847 And it's like, ok, there's a fatal flaw 00:01:09.847 --> 00:01:13.057 in logic there. 00:01:13.057 --> 00:01:15.887 One of the things is this: 00:01:15.887 --> 00:01:18.815 We don't want to just assume we're Christians 00:01:18.815 --> 00:01:20.242 and then ask the question - 00:01:20.242 --> 00:01:21.943 it's like, I know I'm a Christian, 00:01:21.943 --> 00:01:23.735 even though when I look at the Bible, 00:01:23.735 --> 00:01:26.308 the things that the Bible says are true about Christians, 00:01:26.308 --> 00:01:29.265 I don't see are true in my life. So would you please explain to me? 00:01:29.265 --> 00:01:30.404 I know I'm a Christian, 00:01:30.404 --> 00:01:32.133 but how is it that my life can be 00:01:32.133 --> 00:01:34.456 characterized by un-Christian conduct 00:01:34.456 --> 00:01:36.222 when I know I'm a Christian? 00:01:36.222 --> 00:01:38.012 (Incomplete thought) 00:01:38.012 --> 00:01:40.285 And I would like to turn it around 00:01:40.285 --> 00:01:42.750 and say I'd rather you explain to me 00:01:42.750 --> 00:01:44.808 how you can be a Christian 00:01:44.808 --> 00:01:47.411 when your life is full of un-Christian conduct. 00:01:47.411 --> 00:01:49.342 I can't explain that to you, 00:01:49.342 --> 00:01:51.242 because I think what's happening is 00:01:51.242 --> 00:01:54.479 is you are basically starting out 00:01:54.479 --> 00:01:57.278 by a faulty assertion. 00:01:57.278 --> 00:02:00.432 You've got a faulty presupposition here 00:02:00.432 --> 00:02:02.371 that is making your logic bad 00:02:02.371 --> 00:02:03.718 all the way through. 00:02:03.718 --> 00:02:05.396 You want to turn the thing around. 00:02:05.396 --> 00:02:07.143 What you really want to do is say, 00:02:07.143 --> 00:02:10.280 the Bible says that true and legitimate 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:12.321 Christianity looks like this; 00:02:12.321 --> 00:02:15.114 ok, now I'm going to examine my own life 00:02:15.114 --> 00:02:17.128 in light of what the Bible says 00:02:17.128 --> 00:02:18.792 true Christianity looks like. 00:02:18.792 --> 00:02:20.647 If I measure up to the standard, 00:02:20.647 --> 00:02:22.033 that's a positive thing. 00:02:22.033 --> 00:02:25.088 If I don't measure up to the standard, 00:02:25.088 --> 00:02:27.507 that may mean I'm in trouble. 00:02:27.507 --> 00:02:29.833 That's how you want to reason. 00:02:29.833 --> 00:02:32.145 But anyway, we'll go on. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:32.145 --> 00:02:35.047 "As with matters of the soul, 00:02:35.047 --> 00:02:37.728 a short question is hard to compress everything. 00:02:37.728 --> 00:02:39.187 I would like to ask you about 00:02:39.187 --> 00:02:43.309 this deplorable sin of fear of man in general. 00:02:43.309 --> 00:02:45.491 It takes on many words today, 00:02:45.491 --> 00:02:47.509 i.e. social anxiety, man-pleasing, 00:02:47.509 --> 00:02:49.740 seeking glory in this world, etc., 00:02:49.740 --> 00:02:51.818 but strangely is not something talked about 00:02:51.818 --> 00:02:53.893 much in church. 00:02:53.893 --> 00:02:55.099 Some personal context: 00:02:55.099 --> 00:02:57.256 I recently discovered that my struggle 00:02:57.256 --> 00:02:58.947 to communicate freely with people 00:02:58.947 --> 00:03:00.751 without fear for many years 00:03:00.751 --> 00:03:03.014 is directly proportionate to my desire 00:03:03.014 --> 00:03:05.661 to seek God above all things. 00:03:05.661 --> 00:03:08.377 (And that would make sense.) 00:03:08.377 --> 00:03:10.217 I hate this sin, 00:03:10.217 --> 00:03:13.795 yet in my pleading with God for repentance..." 00:03:13.795 --> 00:03:15.211 Can we just stop right there? 00:03:15.211 --> 00:03:17.986 God never tells us to plead for repentance. 00:03:17.986 --> 00:03:22.619 God tells us to repent. 00:03:22.619 --> 00:03:24.742 "I hate this sin, yet in my pleading 00:03:24.742 --> 00:03:26.468 with God for repentance 00:03:26.468 --> 00:03:28.502 and looking to Christ, it seems 00:03:28.502 --> 00:03:32.805 I am only seeking to be cured from such sin - 00:03:32.805 --> 00:03:34.759 the burden of anxiety, without wanting 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:36.267 more of God. 00:03:36.267 --> 00:03:37.985 How can this be?" 00:03:37.985 --> 00:03:39.803 Again, he's asking me questions 00:03:39.803 --> 00:03:42.560 about how can this be. 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:44.772 "I struggle in wondering how can such 00:03:44.772 --> 00:03:47.806 an odious sin be present in a believer's life." 00:03:47.806 --> 00:03:51.062 You see, there's that bad logic again. 00:03:51.062 --> 00:03:53.660 "How is it true repentance 00:03:53.660 --> 00:03:56.453 if every day is just a repetitive struggle 00:03:56.453 --> 00:03:58.792 to turn away from this?" 00:03:58.792 --> 00:04:00.338 Well, it's not. 00:04:00.338 --> 00:04:03.239 (incomplete thought) 00:04:03.239 --> 00:04:05.408 He's asking how can it be true repentance 00:04:05.408 --> 00:04:07.307 as though the first assumption is 00:04:07.307 --> 00:04:08.597 it is true repentance. 00:04:08.597 --> 00:04:11.201 Well, the reality is 00:04:11.201 --> 00:04:13.251 he's describing that which is not 00:04:13.251 --> 00:04:16.556 characteristic of true repentance. 00:04:16.556 --> 00:04:19.752 "In conclusion, it really is exhausting. 00:04:19.752 --> 00:04:22.022 Never have I felt so dominated and controlled 00:04:22.022 --> 00:04:23.674 by any sin as this. 00:04:23.674 --> 00:04:25.725 It pains me that this is bigger than 00:04:25.725 --> 00:04:28.363 the God I profess to believe in. 00:04:28.363 --> 00:04:30.796 Never also have I felt so helpless, 00:04:30.796 --> 00:04:33.939 like one who does not know Christ. 00:04:33.939 --> 00:04:37.549 Yes, it makes me question assurance deeply." 00:04:37.549 --> 00:04:39.614 And it should. 00:04:39.614 --> 00:04:41.435 And so in the end, it sounds like 00:04:41.435 --> 00:04:45.924 his thinking is somewhat on the right track. 00:04:45.924 --> 00:04:49.016 "But in all this, thank you and James 00:04:49.016 --> 00:04:50.382 for reading this." 00:04:50.382 --> 00:04:52.082 (incomplete thought) 00:04:52.082 --> 00:04:54.157 So the end is thankfulness. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:54.157 --> 00:04:56.025 But let's talk about this. 00:04:56.025 --> 00:05:02.930 Aside from his making certain assumptions 00:05:02.930 --> 00:05:08.463 which are backwards, 00:05:08.463 --> 00:05:11.477 (incomplete thought). 00:05:11.477 --> 00:05:15.160 Let's do a bit of a theology of the fear of God. 00:05:15.160 --> 00:05:17.033 Anybody think of any texts 00:05:17.033 --> 00:05:19.023 that deal with the fear of God? 00:05:19.023 --> 00:05:24.085 Or, being a man-pleaser? 00:05:24.085 --> 00:05:27.483 Or, anything of that sort? 00:05:27.483 --> 00:05:29.477 (from the room) Matthew 10:28 00:05:29.477 --> 00:05:32.041 Tim: Matthew 10:28 00:05:32.041 --> 00:05:33.968 Do you have it right there? 00:05:33.968 --> 00:05:36.748 "And do not fear those who kill the body, 00:05:36.748 --> 00:05:38.883 but cannot kill the soul. 00:05:38.883 --> 00:05:41.501 Rather fear Him who can destroy 00:05:41.501 --> 00:05:44.369 both soul and body in hell." 00:05:44.369 --> 00:05:46.096 Then He goes on to say, 00:05:46.096 --> 00:05:47.846 "Fear not, therefore, you are 00:05:47.846 --> 00:05:53.525 of more value than many sparrows." 00:05:53.525 --> 00:05:55.142 Tim: Anybody think of any others? 00:05:55.142 --> 00:05:56.149 (from the room) 00:05:56.149 --> 00:05:58.555 The beginning of wisdom. 00:05:58.555 --> 00:06:00.246 Proverbs 1:7? 00:06:00.246 --> 00:06:05.355 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." 00:06:05.355 --> 00:06:07.448 Tim: We're talking about the fear of man. 00:06:07.448 --> 00:06:08.321 (from the room) 00:06:08.321 --> 00:06:10.651 "Whoever confesses Me before men..." 00:06:10.651 --> 00:06:12.808 Tim: "Whoever confesses Me before men..." 00:06:12.808 --> 00:06:16.222 That's an interesting one. 00:06:16.222 --> 00:06:18.220 Proverbs 29:25 00:06:18.220 --> 00:06:20.271 That's a big one. 00:06:20.271 --> 00:06:22.112 Why don't you quote that? 00:06:22.112 --> 00:06:23.809 "The fear of man lays a snare, 00:06:23.809 --> 00:06:25.808 but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe." 00:06:25.808 --> 00:06:30.249 Tim: The fear of man lays a snare. 00:06:30.249 --> 00:06:32.649 (incomplete thought) 00:06:32.649 --> 00:06:36.333 I often think of a text 00:06:36.333 --> 00:06:38.913 very close to the beginning of Isaiah. 00:06:38.913 --> 00:06:42.089 It's in Isaiah 2 that has to do with this. 00:06:42.089 --> 00:06:44.461 Anybody know the text I'm talking about? 00:06:44.461 --> 00:06:45.815 (from the room) Verse 22, 00:06:45.815 --> 00:06:47.469 "Stop regarding man 00:06:47.469 --> 00:06:49.360 in whose nostrils is breath, 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:50.746 for what account is he..." 00:06:50.746 --> 00:06:52.113 Tim: I remember Paul Washer 00:06:52.113 --> 00:06:54.233 preaching on that text. 00:06:54.233 --> 00:06:56.429 Stop regarding man. 00:06:56.429 --> 00:06:58.786 Another one that jumps to my mind 00:06:58.786 --> 00:07:00.651 is this one: 00:07:00.651 --> 00:07:04.347 It's found in John 5. 00:07:04.347 --> 00:07:07.739 And this is very helpful. 00:07:07.739 --> 00:07:10.987 Because what Jesus says is, 00:07:10.987 --> 00:07:12.854 He looks at the leaders there. 00:07:12.854 --> 00:07:15.203 You remember, He's been seeking 00:07:15.203 --> 00:07:20.910 to make the case for Himself being the Christ, 00:07:20.910 --> 00:07:25.134 and He's putting all this proof; 00:07:25.134 --> 00:07:27.747 all these witnesses before the people. 00:07:27.747 --> 00:07:29.877 And He says, "I say these things so that 00:07:29.877 --> 00:07:31.048 you might be saved." 00:07:31.048 --> 00:07:33.817 But as He's getting toward the end of the chapter there, 00:07:33.817 --> 00:07:36.598 He says this: 00:07:36.598 --> 00:07:43.260 "How can you believe..." who do what? 00:07:43.260 --> 00:07:47.781 Seek the glory of men. 00:07:47.781 --> 00:07:49.403 Receive honor from one another 00:07:49.403 --> 00:07:51.721 and not the glory or the honor 00:07:51.721 --> 00:07:53.450 that comes from God. 00:07:53.450 --> 00:07:54.810 Here's the thing, 00:07:54.810 --> 00:08:02.769 how can you believe...? 00:08:02.769 --> 00:08:04.852 you know what? 00:08:04.852 --> 00:08:08.008 It is an issue of faith. 00:08:08.008 --> 00:08:09.404 It is an issue of believing, 00:08:09.404 --> 00:08:16.180 if you really think about the fear of man. 00:08:16.180 --> 00:08:27.907 How do we overcome the fear of man? 00:08:27.907 --> 00:08:28.962 Faith. 00:08:28.962 --> 00:08:31.349 What is it that you believe? 00:08:31.349 --> 00:08:32.287 (from the room) 00:08:32.287 --> 00:08:36.750 That you are of more value than the sparrows. 00:08:36.750 --> 00:08:40.438 Tim: Well, if you think about Jesus' words 00:08:40.438 --> 00:08:42.202 that you ought not to fear those 00:08:42.202 --> 00:08:44.698 who can kill the body only 00:08:44.698 --> 00:08:47.082 and then there's nothing more they can do to you, 00:08:47.082 --> 00:08:52.668 but fear Him who can what? 00:08:52.668 --> 00:08:55.840 The idea is you're comparing God and people. 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:57.781 Even when you think about Peter 00:08:57.781 --> 00:09:01.143 before the Sanhedrin. 00:09:01.143 --> 00:09:04.854 We ought to obey God rather than man. 00:09:04.854 --> 00:09:08.305 Now man will put pressure on you to obey him. 00:09:08.305 --> 00:09:10.909 The issue is this, 00:09:10.909 --> 00:09:18.735 that you fear him most 00:09:18.735 --> 00:09:24.425 whose approval you seek most. 00:09:24.425 --> 00:09:26.280 That's a reality. 00:09:26.280 --> 00:09:30.872 If you seek the glory of man, 00:09:30.872 --> 00:09:32.898 then you fear man's disapproval 00:09:32.898 --> 00:09:35.739 more than anything else. 00:09:35.739 --> 00:09:37.156 And that's a real issue. 00:09:37.156 --> 00:09:38.760 And see, what Jesus is doing is 00:09:38.760 --> 00:09:41.670 He's confronting us with the truth. 00:09:41.670 --> 00:09:45.908 It really has to come down with what you believe. 00:09:45.908 --> 00:09:49.215 You know, I remember situations 00:09:49.215 --> 00:09:51.304 when I worked as an engineer. 00:09:51.304 --> 00:09:55.044 I remember having meetings with my department. 00:09:55.044 --> 00:09:56.734 I remember being in a meeting 00:09:56.734 --> 00:09:58.587 and I remember guys telling 00:09:58.587 --> 00:10:03.616 some bad joke or something, 00:10:03.616 --> 00:10:07.326 and I remember being in that situation. 00:10:07.326 --> 00:10:09.470 And right there, it's: 00:10:09.470 --> 00:10:12.503 Am I going to honor God or am I going to laugh at these guys? 00:10:12.503 --> 00:10:14.895 Am I going to make these guys feel uncomfortable 00:10:14.895 --> 00:10:16.425 by the way I respond right now, 00:10:16.425 --> 00:10:18.252 or am I going to seek God's approval? 00:10:18.252 --> 00:10:20.276 Is it their approval or God's approval? 00:10:20.276 --> 00:10:23.697 And what happens is the scales come out. 00:10:23.697 --> 00:10:25.654 Instantaneously, they come out. 00:10:25.654 --> 00:10:27.803 Whose approval do I seek most? 00:10:27.803 --> 00:10:29.667 Now a lot of that has to do with 00:10:29.667 --> 00:10:32.329 do you really believe God is right here? 00:10:32.329 --> 00:10:34.037 Do you believe He's right with you? 00:10:34.037 --> 00:10:35.973 Do you believe He's watching? 00:10:35.973 --> 00:10:39.096 Do you believe that there's an accounting? 00:10:39.096 --> 00:10:41.683 Do you believe that there's an approval? 00:10:41.683 --> 00:10:44.041 Do you believe that you can grieve Him? 00:10:44.041 --> 00:10:47.876 Do you believe that if you seek man's approval, 00:10:47.876 --> 00:10:51.746 you're going to grieve the Spirit? 00:10:51.746 --> 00:10:54.746 (incomplete thought) 00:10:54.746 --> 00:10:59.127 Do you really believe those things? 00:10:59.127 --> 00:11:02.585 That doesn't mean there isn't fear. 00:11:02.585 --> 00:11:04.479 The thing about fearing God more than 00:11:04.479 --> 00:11:05.718 fearing man doesn't mean 00:11:05.718 --> 00:11:07.653 that the fear of man goes away, 00:11:07.653 --> 00:11:10.830 but it means that when you're confronted by it, 00:11:10.830 --> 00:11:12.804 God gives you a courage 00:11:12.804 --> 00:11:14.064 to do the right thing 00:11:14.064 --> 00:11:15.577 and to believe the right thing 00:11:15.577 --> 00:11:17.878 and to believe that He is worth 00:11:17.878 --> 00:11:21.011 having the approval of more than man is. 00:11:21.011 --> 00:11:22.988 But it really comes down to 00:11:22.988 --> 00:11:24.422 you have to be convinced; 00:11:24.422 --> 00:11:26.276 you have to believe that reality 00:11:26.276 --> 00:11:27.775 when you're confronted with it. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:27.775 --> 00:11:29.167 Look, I don't know anybody - 00:11:29.167 --> 00:11:31.762 maybe some of you can raise your hand and say you know what, 00:11:31.762 --> 00:11:33.592 I really don't care what any man 00:11:33.592 --> 00:11:35.724 or any woman or any child thinks of me 00:11:35.724 --> 00:11:38.054 in any scenario at all. 00:11:38.054 --> 00:11:40.049 I care not at all. 00:11:40.049 --> 00:11:41.770 I doubt there's any like that. 00:11:41.770 --> 00:11:43.197 Why? 00:11:43.197 --> 00:11:45.165 We're social creatures. 00:11:45.165 --> 00:11:47.144 We do like the approval of man. 00:11:47.144 --> 00:11:48.678 You know what the thing is? 00:11:48.678 --> 00:11:54.817 We like to be liked. 00:11:54.817 --> 00:11:57.006 And that's one thing that makes it hard 00:11:57.006 --> 00:11:58.323 about becoming a Christian, 00:11:58.323 --> 00:12:01.018 because you're thrown into a situation - 00:12:01.018 --> 00:12:04.689 I'll tell you, this is one of the tell-tale signs 00:12:04.689 --> 00:12:07.393 of true Christianity - 00:12:07.393 --> 00:12:09.924 is when men and women 00:12:09.924 --> 00:12:11.197 claim they've been saved 00:12:11.197 --> 00:12:13.118 and you throw them (incomplete thought). 00:12:13.118 --> 00:12:15.139 This tends to be such a hallmark 00:12:15.139 --> 00:12:18.748 of the hypocrite. 00:12:18.748 --> 00:12:20.179 They're man-pleasers. 00:12:20.179 --> 00:12:22.572 The hypocrite is a man-pleaser. 00:12:22.572 --> 00:12:26.443 He appears holy in certain situations, 00:12:26.443 --> 00:12:28.704 because you're watching him. 00:12:28.704 --> 00:12:31.115 And he wants to appease you. 00:12:31.115 --> 00:12:32.776 But I'll tell you, you take him 00:12:32.776 --> 00:12:35.481 and you throw him on a bar stool, 00:12:35.481 --> 00:12:37.183 and he'll appease the people there. 00:12:37.183 --> 00:12:38.870 You throw him in the workplace, 00:12:38.870 --> 00:12:41.422 and you have a guy tell a dirty joke at work, 00:12:41.422 --> 00:12:43.508 he'll appease. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:43.508 --> 00:12:45.354 I remember Craig telling the story 00:12:45.354 --> 00:12:48.498 about checking out a piece of machinery 00:12:48.498 --> 00:12:51.055 from a tool crib - a tool of some kind 00:12:51.055 --> 00:12:52.107 he was checking out. 00:12:52.107 --> 00:12:54.538 And the guy there used the Lord's name in vain, 00:12:54.538 --> 00:12:56.942 and Craig said something to him 00:12:56.942 --> 00:13:00.576 about not using the name of the Lord thy God in vain, 00:13:00.576 --> 00:13:04.123 and the guy went off on him. 00:13:04.123 --> 00:13:06.328 Craig was shocked how badly the guy 00:13:06.328 --> 00:13:08.830 went off on him. 00:13:08.830 --> 00:13:11.055 And that's the thing. 00:13:11.055 --> 00:13:13.466 Sometimes people will go off on you. 00:13:13.466 --> 00:13:15.897 Or sometimes you'll just be shunned. 00:13:15.897 --> 00:13:18.663 Sometimes you'll be the outcast. 00:13:18.663 --> 00:13:22.585 Sometimes it's just the smirk on people's faces. 00:13:22.585 --> 00:13:26.972 Sometimes it's just not being included anymore. NOTE Paragraph 00:13:26.972 --> 00:13:30.626 See, it all comes down to, 00:13:30.626 --> 00:13:31.667 you know what? 00:13:31.667 --> 00:13:35.829 I want the approval of my Lord 00:13:35.829 --> 00:13:39.199 more than I want their approval. 00:13:39.199 --> 00:13:40.594 And that's really the issue. 00:13:40.594 --> 00:13:43.655 It tests - to the hilt - 00:13:43.655 --> 00:13:45.732 it tests what we believe. 00:13:45.732 --> 00:13:46.996 It's powerful. 00:13:46.996 --> 00:13:49.487 And there in John 5, that's the issue. 00:13:49.487 --> 00:13:53.640 Jesus said I don't seek the glory of man. 00:13:53.640 --> 00:13:55.558 And that really needs to be the place 00:13:55.558 --> 00:13:57.722 we as Christians are. 00:13:57.722 --> 00:13:59.710 Yes, there's a place to seek approval 00:13:59.710 --> 00:14:00.942 in the sense that 00:14:00.942 --> 00:14:04.349 you know, you want to be a good worker at work. 00:14:04.349 --> 00:14:05.933 But you know what, when your boss 00:14:05.933 --> 00:14:08.659 wants you to do something wrong? NOTE Paragraph 00:14:08.659 --> 00:14:10.526 My brother-in-law Rick, 00:14:10.526 --> 00:14:13.643 his boss wanted him to cheat 00:14:13.643 --> 00:14:20.794 on the item list/inventory 00:14:20.794 --> 00:14:22.674 on these shipments that come in 00:14:22.674 --> 00:14:24.485 on these pallets, 00:14:24.485 --> 00:14:25.872 and he resigned. 00:14:25.872 --> 00:14:26.839 I'm not doing it. 00:14:26.839 --> 00:14:30.054 His boss told him, "you are going to do it." 00:14:30.054 --> 00:14:32.477 There was a time they had to take inventory 00:14:32.477 --> 00:14:35.490 on something and his boss had been 00:14:35.490 --> 00:14:38.913 wrongly inventorying things for a long time, 00:14:38.913 --> 00:14:41.061 and he told Rick, you are going to do it. 00:14:41.061 --> 00:14:44.204 And Rick said I'm not going to do it. 00:14:44.204 --> 00:14:48.332 This is where we get put to it. 00:14:48.332 --> 00:14:51.004 How can you believe? 00:14:51.004 --> 00:14:53.481 See, that's the thing. 00:14:53.481 --> 00:14:56.753 What's Jesus saying there? 00:14:56.753 --> 00:14:58.695 Think about those words. 00:14:58.695 --> 00:15:00.621 How can you believe 00:15:00.621 --> 00:15:05.377 when you seek the glory of man? 00:15:05.377 --> 00:15:15.686 (unintelligible) 00:15:15.686 --> 00:15:18.678 It's like loving God and money. 00:15:18.678 --> 00:15:21.141 They're conflicting loves. 00:15:21.141 --> 00:15:22.931 They're conflicting interests. 00:15:22.931 --> 00:15:24.770 (Incomplete thought) 00:15:24.770 --> 00:15:29.394 It's like, ok, I'm there in the engineering meeting, 00:15:29.394 --> 00:15:34.254 and a guy says something that's wicked, 00:15:34.254 --> 00:15:37.658 and everybody else is laughing. 00:15:37.658 --> 00:15:39.417 How am I going to respond? 00:15:39.417 --> 00:15:41.366 (incomplete thought) 00:15:41.366 --> 00:15:44.949 Where's my love? 00:15:44.949 --> 00:15:50.677 What is it that I desire most here? 00:15:50.677 --> 00:15:54.714 And Jesus talked about it. 00:15:54.714 --> 00:15:57.616 Eric brought up the text. 00:15:57.616 --> 00:16:00.453 Before men - what we do before men. 00:16:00.453 --> 00:16:02.153 How we proclaim Christ. 00:16:02.153 --> 00:16:03.714 How we testify to Him. 00:16:03.714 --> 00:16:07.928 How we stand for Him before men. 00:16:07.928 --> 00:16:09.329 That's a real issue. 00:16:09.329 --> 00:16:10.957 And it comes down to the truth. 00:16:10.957 --> 00:16:13.215 It comes down to what you believe. 00:16:13.215 --> 00:16:17.895 That's really the issue. NOTE Paragraph 00:16:17.895 --> 00:16:19.373 (from the room) 00:16:19.373 --> 00:16:21.857 I also think it comes back 00:16:21.857 --> 00:16:23.819 to the validity of the walk. 00:16:23.819 --> 00:16:27.413 I was talking about earlier today 00:16:27.413 --> 00:16:29.221 Luke 22 00:16:29.221 --> 00:16:33.887 and how Christ commanded Peter to pray, 00:16:33.887 --> 00:16:36.295 and he slept instead, 00:16:36.295 --> 00:16:39.338 which led him to follow at a distance, 00:16:39.338 --> 00:16:41.287 and following after that, 00:16:41.287 --> 00:16:45.097 he denied the Lord before a servant. 00:16:45.097 --> 00:16:46.922 And I think it just goes back to 00:16:46.922 --> 00:16:48.540 our personal walk with the Lord 00:16:48.540 --> 00:16:51.058 on a daily basis. 00:16:51.058 --> 00:16:53.279 If we don't have that intact, 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:55.590 there's no power going forth 00:16:55.590 --> 00:16:58.197 in the workplace or at school 00:16:58.197 --> 00:17:01.197 or at Walmart or wherever we're at. 00:17:01.197 --> 00:17:03.583 I mean, I've seen significant difference 00:17:03.583 --> 00:17:05.535 in my own walk when there's days 00:17:05.535 --> 00:17:08.101 where I've spent little time in the Word, 00:17:08.101 --> 00:17:10.037 and I go to work 00:17:10.037 --> 00:17:12.188 and face the same situation 00:17:12.188 --> 00:17:16.689 where I'm denying the Lord in a certain way. 00:17:16.689 --> 00:17:18.464 Versus on another day when I spent 00:17:18.464 --> 00:17:19.919 quality time with Christ, 00:17:19.919 --> 00:17:21.294 and then go to work, 00:17:21.294 --> 00:17:23.487 face the same trials and the same temptations, 00:17:23.487 --> 00:17:24.814 but I overcome it. 00:17:24.814 --> 00:17:27.519 So I think it just comes back to 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:29.739 your daily walk with the Lord. NOTE Paragraph 00:17:29.739 --> 00:17:31.461 Tim: Well, if we think about this 00:17:31.461 --> 00:17:33.473 being a matter of faith - 00:17:33.473 --> 00:17:36.911 faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ. 00:17:36.911 --> 00:17:39.666 There's a reality that when a person 00:17:39.666 --> 00:17:42.503 is prayerfully in the Word 00:17:42.503 --> 00:17:46.435 and then he goes off into this world, 00:17:46.435 --> 00:17:49.779 the Spirit grips people's minds with truth. 00:17:49.779 --> 00:17:52.248 That truth is prevalent. 00:17:52.248 --> 00:17:53.484 It's before your eyes. 00:17:53.484 --> 00:17:55.458 It's there. It's fresh. 00:17:55.458 --> 00:17:57.119 The Spirit makes it so. 00:17:57.119 --> 00:17:59.352 And it tends to be powerful. 00:17:59.352 --> 00:18:02.774 And it's not like Christians don't hesitate, 00:18:02.774 --> 00:18:05.787 but you know, when the Word is fresh 00:18:05.787 --> 00:18:08.022 and it's there and it's vivid, 00:18:08.022 --> 00:18:13.496 it's constraining - it's compelling. 00:18:13.496 --> 00:18:15.882 Yeah, you're not going to do well 00:18:15.882 --> 00:18:18.466 in this battle if you're not in the Word 00:18:18.466 --> 00:18:21.295 and your faith isn't being constantly 00:18:21.295 --> 00:18:24.305 stirred by the Word, by the Spirit of God 00:18:24.305 --> 00:18:28.258 using the Word in your life. 00:18:28.258 --> 00:18:30.065 One more before we end. NOTE Paragraph 00:18:30.065 --> 00:18:30.781 (from the room) 00:18:30.781 --> 00:18:32.951 (unintelligible) make a distinction 00:18:32.951 --> 00:18:35.332 for, say a new convert may get confused on this, 00:18:35.332 --> 00:18:37.818 but like in Galatians 1:10 it says, 00:18:37.818 --> 00:18:39.679 if I'm still trying to please man, 00:18:39.679 --> 00:18:41.669 I would not be a servant of Christ. 00:18:41.669 --> 00:18:44.121 But then in 1 Corinthians 10, 00:18:44.121 --> 00:18:46.428 Paul says I try to please everyone 00:18:46.428 --> 00:18:47.929 in everything I do. 00:18:47.929 --> 00:18:50.107 Now, he says not seeking my own advantage, 00:18:50.107 --> 00:18:53.196 but some new Christian, they read 1 Corinthians 10, 00:18:53.196 --> 00:18:55.120 and it says I try to please everyone. 00:18:55.120 --> 00:18:56.724 And then in Galatians 1:10, 00:18:56.724 --> 00:18:58.748 it says if I'm trying to please man, 00:18:58.748 --> 00:19:00.140 I'm not a servant of Christ. 00:19:00.140 --> 00:19:02.108 I think you kind of already hit on this, 00:19:02.108 --> 00:19:03.804 but what's the big difference there 00:19:03.804 --> 00:19:05.423 between both of those verses 00:19:05.423 --> 00:19:06.630 in what Paul's saying? NOTE Paragraph 00:19:06.630 --> 00:19:09.180 Tim: Well, obviously, there's a time 00:19:09.180 --> 00:19:12.462 to please God when it offends men. 00:19:12.462 --> 00:19:14.374 And then there's a time 00:19:14.374 --> 00:19:19.837 to make sacrifices for the sake of 00:19:19.837 --> 00:19:24.710 proclaiming the Gospel which pleases God 00:19:24.710 --> 00:19:27.747 and pleases the men that you're preaching to. 00:19:27.747 --> 00:19:30.395 For instance, when you think of Paul 00:19:30.395 --> 00:19:32.326 addressing the Corinthians, 00:19:32.326 --> 00:19:37.389 he did things like not accept money 00:19:37.389 --> 00:19:38.800 to please men - 00:19:38.800 --> 00:19:40.246 to put men in a place where 00:19:40.246 --> 00:19:43.210 he wasn't creating a stumbling block. 00:19:43.210 --> 00:19:44.950 Basically, when he's talking about 00:19:44.950 --> 00:19:47.539 pleasing man in that case, 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:50.170 he's not talking about pleasing them 00:19:50.170 --> 00:19:52.423 while he's disobeying God. 00:19:52.423 --> 00:19:54.550 He's talking about pleasing them in a way 00:19:54.550 --> 00:19:57.232 that pleases God, because it promotes 00:19:57.232 --> 00:19:58.938 the Gospel. 00:19:58.938 --> 00:20:01.442 And basically, are we not told 00:20:01.442 --> 00:20:03.427 that as much as possible we should 00:20:03.427 --> 00:20:05.190 live at peace with all men? 00:20:05.190 --> 00:20:08.201 That is a way that God is pleased with 00:20:08.201 --> 00:20:11.008 as we're seeking to live with man in peace 00:20:11.008 --> 00:20:12.505 as much as possible. 00:20:12.505 --> 00:20:14.891 But what happens is we get confronted 00:20:14.891 --> 00:20:19.483 by situations where the two are in conflict - 00:20:19.483 --> 00:20:22.368 pleasing God or pleasing man. 00:20:22.368 --> 00:20:23.971 They're not consistent. 00:20:23.971 --> 00:20:26.828 And when they butt heads - 00:20:26.828 --> 00:20:30.018 when it's pleasing God or pleasing man 00:20:30.018 --> 00:20:32.940 and you can't do both, 00:20:32.940 --> 00:20:35.770 that's where Jesus is saying 00:20:35.770 --> 00:20:39.300 that you need to testify of Him before men, 00:20:39.300 --> 00:20:41.636 and you need to proclaim Him before men. 00:20:41.636 --> 00:20:44.031 You need to stand for what's right before men. 00:20:44.031 --> 00:20:46.411 And you need to not fear man. 00:20:46.411 --> 00:20:47.899 The issue is this: 00:20:47.899 --> 00:20:51.085 when pleasing God brings the scowl of a man, 00:20:51.085 --> 00:20:53.142 or even brings the sword, 00:20:53.142 --> 00:20:55.406 where they can kill your body. 00:20:55.406 --> 00:20:58.793 (incomplete thought) 00:20:58.793 --> 00:21:00.979 You know, in all of it, 00:21:00.979 --> 00:21:03.067 you want your eyes on the Lord. 00:21:03.067 --> 00:21:04.467 Ok, what pleases You? 00:21:04.467 --> 00:21:07.026 Does pleasing You please my parents? 00:21:07.026 --> 00:21:09.956 I mean, pleasing You is pleasing my parents right now, Lord? 00:21:09.956 --> 00:21:12.304 Yes. Ok, I'm going to please my parents. 00:21:12.304 --> 00:21:13.331 My parents are happy. 00:21:13.331 --> 00:21:15.581 (incomplete thought) 00:21:15.581 --> 00:21:17.107 What it means to be a Christian 00:21:17.107 --> 00:21:19.738 and to obey the Lord is making my parents happy. 00:21:19.738 --> 00:21:21.617 But He also said He's bringing a sword. 00:21:21.617 --> 00:21:24.639 There's times I look to Him and He says you need to go to the left. 00:21:24.639 --> 00:21:26.085 And it's like, ok, I look at my parents 00:21:26.085 --> 00:21:27.465 and they're scowling because they don't want me 00:21:27.465 --> 00:21:28.991 to go to the left, but I look at the Lord 00:21:28.991 --> 00:21:30.152 and He's saying go left. 00:21:30.152 --> 00:21:31.140 Ok, I go left. 00:21:31.140 --> 00:21:33.342 Now the sword comes in the family 00:21:33.342 --> 00:21:34.422 and there's division. 00:21:34.422 --> 00:21:36.554 But see, all the time my eyes are on the Lord. 00:21:36.554 --> 00:21:38.362 That's what Paul's talking about. 00:21:38.362 --> 00:21:40.952 Paul's talking about, ok, his eyes are on the Lord, 00:21:40.952 --> 00:21:43.179 when it has to do with what's being encountered 00:21:43.179 --> 00:21:44.910 over there in the Galatian churches, 00:21:44.910 --> 00:21:47.637 you've got Judaizers who are in opposition 00:21:47.637 --> 00:21:50.078 to the truth of God and the Gospel of God, 00:21:50.078 --> 00:21:52.420 and he's going to stand for the Gospel 00:21:52.420 --> 00:21:54.802 even though it offends all these other people. 00:21:54.802 --> 00:21:57.117 Now in another case, with the Corinthians, 00:21:57.117 --> 00:22:00.051 it's a matter of - to not make any obstacle 00:22:00.051 --> 00:22:03.167 for the Gospel, I'm not going to take any money 00:22:03.167 --> 00:22:04.448 when I preach the Gospel. 00:22:04.448 --> 00:22:06.053 And God's pleased with that too. 00:22:06.053 --> 00:22:07.295 My eyes are on the Lord. 00:22:07.295 --> 00:22:08.979 And so, when following the Lord 00:22:08.979 --> 00:22:10.993 is going to put me in opposition to men, 00:22:10.993 --> 00:22:11.747 so be it. 00:22:11.747 --> 00:22:14.241 When following the Lord is going to put me at peace with all men, 00:22:14.241 --> 00:22:15.399 so be it. 00:22:15.399 --> 00:22:17.374 Some seasons are going to be one. 00:22:17.374 --> 00:22:19.419 There are times He will make our enemies 00:22:19.419 --> 00:22:20.624 to be at peace with us. 00:22:20.624 --> 00:22:22.158 And there are other times that 00:22:22.158 --> 00:22:24.806 even the closest people will be at war with us. 00:22:24.806 --> 00:22:27.134 And we just have to keep our eyes on the Lord all the time. 00:22:27.134 --> 00:22:29.344 That's another reason we need to be in His Word. 00:22:29.344 --> 00:22:30.333 We need that Word. 00:22:30.333 --> 00:22:32.141 We need to be renewing our minds 00:22:32.141 --> 00:22:33.972 with that Word all the time. 00:22:33.972 --> 00:22:34.895 All the time. 00:22:34.895 --> 00:22:36.662 Because everything about this world - 00:22:36.662 --> 00:22:40.836 this world is given to man-pleasing. 00:22:40.836 --> 00:22:43.420 And if you're not constantly in the Scriptures; 00:22:43.420 --> 00:22:44.587 constantly in the Word; 00:22:44.587 --> 00:22:46.561 constantly renewing your mind, 00:22:46.561 --> 00:22:48.224 you just end up thinking worldly. 00:22:48.224 --> 00:22:50.188 And the worldly way is to please. 00:22:50.188 --> 00:22:51.755 It's to dress to please. 00:22:51.755 --> 00:22:53.214 It's to act to please. 00:22:53.214 --> 00:22:55.927 It's to put on a show to please. 00:22:55.927 --> 00:22:57.394 It's to get the applause. 00:22:57.394 --> 00:22:58.560 It's to get the smile. 00:22:58.560 --> 00:23:01.249 It's to get the approbation of mankind. 00:23:01.249 --> 00:23:05.318 That's what the world does. 00:23:05.318 --> 00:23:10.489 And even more, it's to get the jealousy 00:23:10.489 --> 00:23:11.660 of other people. 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:13.515 It's to get the envy of other people. 00:23:13.515 --> 00:23:15.810 It's to outdo other people 00:23:15.810 --> 00:23:17.667 so that they admire you 00:23:17.667 --> 00:23:19.043 and they want what you have 00:23:19.043 --> 00:23:20.439 and they covet what you have 00:23:20.439 --> 00:23:21.848 and they covet your spouse 00:23:21.848 --> 00:23:23.061 and they covet your house 00:23:23.061 --> 00:23:24.516 and they covet your vehicle. 00:23:24.516 --> 00:23:27.280 It's just living with this mindset all the time 00:23:27.280 --> 00:23:30.878 of other people, other people, other people. 00:23:30.878 --> 00:23:32.964 I mean, even as a preacher, 00:23:32.964 --> 00:23:37.263 it's like, ok, this thing can hit you 00:23:37.263 --> 00:23:38.352 at any level. 00:23:38.352 --> 00:23:39.831 You're going into the pulpit. 00:23:39.831 --> 00:23:43.557 Is my primary objective: I want to please the Lord? 00:23:43.557 --> 00:23:44.695 You look at men. 00:23:44.695 --> 00:23:46.508 There's lots of preachers that preach 00:23:46.508 --> 00:23:48.661 the way they do because 00:23:48.661 --> 00:23:51.474 that guy might not give as much. 00:23:51.474 --> 00:23:53.861 They might leave the church. 00:23:53.861 --> 00:23:58.046 At every level, we're confronted by this.