"Contrasts and Contradictions" RESCUE RADIO with Marjorie Cole

WEBVTT

00:00:24.579 --> 00:00:28.419
Rescue Radio, because there's a war for your soul.

00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:31.559
Yes, Father God, we know we're in it, and it's here.

00:00:31.799 --> 00:00:35.499
And we thank you for the peace. We thank you for the protection that you've

00:00:35.499 --> 00:00:36.579
given us in the midst of the war.

00:00:36.659 --> 00:00:40.879
We thank you that your kingdom comes, your will be done on earth,

00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:44.399
in and through all of us, as it's being already done in heaven.

00:00:44.979 --> 00:00:49.019
Lord God, you said, pray, deliver us from evil, keep us from the evil one.

00:00:49.099 --> 00:00:54.079
So we pray, Father, that the evil one who's been just rampant these days will

00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:59.879
be contained and bound and removed, and that your Spirit will move forward mightily in the land.

00:01:00.199 --> 00:01:05.439
Thank you, Jesus, for your decision to die on the cross for us.

00:01:05.859 --> 00:01:09.179
Thank you for saving our lives. Thank you for saving our souls.

00:01:09.339 --> 00:01:14.819
Thank you that you made that option of eternal life available to whosoever will,

00:01:14.839 --> 00:01:19.999
and I pray that today many will receive that option and not go into eternal damnation.

00:01:20.299 --> 00:01:25.719
I bind the powers of darkness that have so blurred and skewed the true concepts

00:01:25.719 --> 00:01:31.079
of what's going on and what's at stake here, that those enemies would be removed.

00:01:31.159 --> 00:01:34.899
The enchantments, the deceptions and distractions would be bound and removed,

00:01:35.059 --> 00:01:40.099
Father, that we can see clearly, lift the fog in our brains and in around us,

00:01:40.179 --> 00:01:41.599
that we will see what's going on.

00:01:41.779 --> 00:01:44.619
I thank you, Jesus, for the truth. You said you shall know the truth.

00:01:44.819 --> 00:01:47.019
The truth will set you free. Thank you for that freedom. Thank you for each

00:01:47.019 --> 00:01:50.499
one who's listening today. I pray that you would encourage their hearts,

00:01:50.639 --> 00:01:54.539
Father God, to walk in the fullness of the things that you have created them

00:01:54.539 --> 00:01:58.779
to experience and walk in the destiny and the fullness of the completion of

00:01:58.779 --> 00:01:59.739
your love in their lives.

00:01:59.799 --> 00:02:03.759
And we thank you, Father, for the promise that no weapon formed against us will prosper.

00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:06.419
We declare that over ourselves, over the remnant, over the church,

00:02:06.539 --> 00:02:11.079
over the righteous, that nothing Satan tries to do through witchcraft or treachery

00:02:11.079 --> 00:02:17.359
or betrayal or deception will deceive or destroy the elect, Father God.

00:02:17.499 --> 00:02:20.959
Those are called that have decided to follow you, Lord God, that you protect

00:02:20.959 --> 00:02:24.839
them, that no word, said, deed, done, or action taken against them will be able

00:02:24.839 --> 00:02:27.939
to be used by the enemy to bring forth any shame, trouble, or reproach.

00:02:28.019 --> 00:02:29.599
We do not agree with the enemy in his plan.

00:02:29.799 --> 00:02:32.359
We agree with you, Lord God, and we declare you are the Lord God.

00:02:32.579 --> 00:02:34.999
Thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.

00:02:35.559 --> 00:02:40.679
Amen. Well, the people have often said that the Bible, We don't believe the

00:02:40.679 --> 00:02:44.299
Bible because the Bible is full of contradictions. Yeah, and paradoxes.

00:02:44.619 --> 00:02:46.559
Paradoxes. But there are no

00:02:46.559 --> 00:02:50.379
contradictions in the Bible. There's different contexts for different...

00:02:50.857 --> 00:02:56.637
Situations and actions that God takes, but there are some contrasts.

00:02:56.777 --> 00:02:59.697
You know, like the two-sided coin, there's a heads and a tails.

00:03:00.057 --> 00:03:03.277
So, there are some contrasts in the Bible.

00:03:03.917 --> 00:03:07.817
That seem to contradict. That seem to contradict, but they really don't.

00:03:08.517 --> 00:03:16.577
Everything in the scripture is complementary. It all blends together in a beautiful unity.

00:03:17.397 --> 00:03:23.277
So we need to see that and recognize that and just be at peace with that.

00:03:23.437 --> 00:03:26.717
The truth sets us free. And the truth is like a two-sided coin.

00:03:26.897 --> 00:03:31.437
There's heads and tails. There's both complement and complete the whole concept

00:03:31.437 --> 00:03:34.137
of the truth. And I think we're going to look at a couple of these right now.

00:03:35.097 --> 00:03:40.337
Because sometimes people get hung on one side. They think it's a right or left

00:03:40.337 --> 00:03:46.057
or, you know, on one side of the spectrum, and they don't realize that you can't

00:03:46.057 --> 00:03:49.217
live over on the left side or the right side and not lose your balance.

00:03:49.377 --> 00:03:56.337
You have to walk in the revelation of the truth to walk in balance and walk in stability.

00:03:56.737 --> 00:04:03.957
And I just think of the angels on the night Jesus was born, when they appeared to the shepherds.

00:04:04.097 --> 00:04:08.857
And what they were singing was this, Glory to God in the highest,

00:04:09.057 --> 00:04:12.557
and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.

00:04:13.137 --> 00:04:16.177
Well, we haven't had peace since then.

00:04:17.277 --> 00:04:20.957
Not much goodwill toward men. Not much before that and not much after that.

00:04:21.097 --> 00:04:24.457
But we can have peace in our hearts, and I think that's where the peace begins.

00:04:24.737 --> 00:04:31.157
Right. Well, let's look at this. In Isaiah 9, verse 6, this is the prophecy

00:04:31.157 --> 00:04:36.837
concerning Jesus Christ. for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,

00:04:36.997 --> 00:04:39.237
and the government will be upon his shoulder.

00:04:39.257 --> 00:04:41.837
Oh, hallelujah, when that happens. Amen, amen.

00:04:42.017 --> 00:04:47.377
And his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

00:04:48.057 --> 00:04:51.517
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

00:04:51.757 --> 00:04:56.297
So he's the ruler of peace, the bringer of peace.

00:04:56.757 --> 00:04:59.437
But then there's another part of this that,

00:04:59.913 --> 00:05:05.953
seems to be contradictory. Right. He says, I've come, well, it's in Luke for

00:05:05.953 --> 00:05:08.953
one, and then in Matthew as well. Go ahead and read that in Luke.

00:05:08.993 --> 00:05:14.613
He says, I came to send fire on the earth and how I wish that it were already kindled.

00:05:15.073 --> 00:05:17.413
This is Luke 12, 49.

00:05:17.933 --> 00:05:23.613
But I have a baptism to be baptized with and how distressed I am until it is accomplished.

00:05:23.933 --> 00:05:29.393
Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you not at all, but rather division.

00:05:29.913 --> 00:05:33.533
For from now on, five will be in the house. One will be divided,

00:05:33.733 --> 00:05:35.313
three against two, and two against three.

00:05:35.553 --> 00:05:39.373
The father will be divided against the son, and the son against the father,

00:05:39.453 --> 00:05:41.153
the mother against the daughter, the daughter against the mother,

00:05:41.333 --> 00:05:45.873
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

00:05:46.033 --> 00:05:54.913
So what he is really saying here is the Prince of Peace, that he has come to—he embodies peace.

00:05:54.933 --> 00:05:59.593
He is the God of peace. He brings peace to our souls. He brings peace to our relationships.

00:05:59.853 --> 00:06:04.373
He calms the anxiety. He gives us wisdom. He removes the confusion.

00:06:04.393 --> 00:06:07.473
But at the same time, he recognizes Satan is the divider.

00:06:07.653 --> 00:06:09.833
And Satan's plot is to divide and

00:06:09.833 --> 00:06:14.413
conquer, to set us up in opposition to ourselves, to each other, to God.

00:06:14.593 --> 00:06:17.613
And so that division creates weakness. And so, therefore.

00:06:17.873 --> 00:06:22.673
Jesus is warning us that these divisions, these painful divisions in relationships

00:06:22.673 --> 00:06:27.993
where there's going to be mother against child and father against a son and

00:06:27.993 --> 00:06:31.773
all these kinds, that's where we are right now.

00:06:31.913 --> 00:06:34.813
We're in the middle of the end days.

00:06:34.993 --> 00:06:39.753
And so, the offenses, the lawlessness, the bitterness. And see how this division

00:06:39.753 --> 00:06:42.033
in families has only been more recent.

00:06:42.033 --> 00:06:46.653
I mean, yes, there's been squabbles and bitterness all along and bloodlines

00:06:46.653 --> 00:06:51.933
and things like that because of injustices and lost inheritances and all kinds of things.

00:06:52.093 --> 00:07:00.993
But this widespread animosity, bitterness, disrespect, whatever you want to

00:07:00.993 --> 00:07:03.713
call it, between human beings is just...

00:07:04.162 --> 00:07:09.902
Where we are right now, it's widespread. And so he's telling us that this is

00:07:09.902 --> 00:07:14.582
a sign not only of his coming and of the end, but it's also part of that truth

00:07:14.582 --> 00:07:16.962
coin because there's going to be this division.

00:07:17.122 --> 00:07:21.002
There's going to be the bitterness on the one side. And yet Jesus Christ himself is the Prince of Peace.

00:07:21.362 --> 00:07:24.662
Yeah, and he says, people are going to hate you. He says, they hated me.

00:07:24.962 --> 00:07:28.162
Now, some people really love Jesus, obviously, thank God.

00:07:28.622 --> 00:07:30.562
And some people just hated him.

00:07:31.302 --> 00:07:36.562
Still today. Mostly religious people hated him, the ones that were bound in

00:07:36.562 --> 00:07:39.722
law and tradition. Well, they were insecure and jealous and worried about their

00:07:39.722 --> 00:07:41.202
positions. Yeah, exactly.

00:07:41.522 --> 00:07:45.902
And so we're at this place right now where there are people that really take

00:07:45.902 --> 00:07:48.442
a stand for the Lord in their family.

00:07:48.662 --> 00:07:52.382
And some of you maybe have been through that. Maybe you came out of a certain

00:07:52.382 --> 00:07:56.022
religious tradition. Then you really got to know Jesus and love Jesus.

00:07:56.022 --> 00:08:00.942
And people are just grieved because of, you know, oh, you've got religion or

00:08:00.942 --> 00:08:03.642
you've joined a cult or something like that.

00:08:03.982 --> 00:08:08.722
So it's at the place right now where there is misunderstanding.

00:08:08.722 --> 00:08:13.562
A lot of times there's that division because there's misunderstanding.

00:08:13.882 --> 00:08:17.342
Well, and that's purposeful. People are in darkness. It's the difference between

00:08:17.342 --> 00:08:21.282
if you've come into the light, you're going to be opposed by the darkness.

00:08:21.542 --> 00:08:22.862
That's what Jesus said too.

00:08:23.782 --> 00:08:30.962
But the root of that is the enemy's bitterness against God, and all he has left

00:08:30.962 --> 00:08:33.242
is to sow discord among brethren.

00:08:33.922 --> 00:08:39.782
And we see that among brethren even, and we see almost shockingly in these last

00:08:39.782 --> 00:08:46.302
days, even things that we would seem to think all would agree are good or honorable or righteous.

00:08:46.302 --> 00:08:52.742
I mean, the enemy is able to bring a twist even to the things that appear godly

00:08:52.742 --> 00:08:59.962
and good and set up wars about it and dissension among even the brethren. So here's the deal.

00:09:00.589 --> 00:09:06.249
In this Jesus Christ coming as the Prince of Peace, that peace has got to begin in our souls.

00:09:06.429 --> 00:09:09.789
It has to begin in our own relationship with God and with ourselves.

00:09:09.929 --> 00:09:13.309
We have to be reconciled to ourselves. It has to be reconciled to the fact that

00:09:13.309 --> 00:09:16.349
we are not what we do. We're not what people say we do.

00:09:16.749 --> 00:09:22.889
Yes, we did bad things many times, but those things were instigated by the enemy who deceived us.

00:09:23.029 --> 00:09:26.349
And we have to recognize that's not who I really am. Who I really am is who

00:09:26.349 --> 00:09:29.989
God says I really am, and I am his son or daughter created in his image.

00:09:29.989 --> 00:09:35.849
And these sins and wicked things that we've done are not befitting a son or a daughter.

00:09:35.969 --> 00:09:39.289
So when we reconcile back into the truth of who we are, we come back into the

00:09:39.289 --> 00:09:42.349
peace of who we are, then the Prince of Peace can live in us no matter what

00:09:42.349 --> 00:09:45.949
is going on out there, which is the only place you can secure your peace is

00:09:45.949 --> 00:09:48.009
in your relationship with yourself and God.

00:09:48.169 --> 00:09:54.029
Yeah, peace is found, true peace is found in Jesus Christ and Romans chapter

00:09:54.029 --> 00:09:57.689
five, verses one and two, therefore being justified by faith.

00:09:57.689 --> 00:10:04.009
In other words, being put in a position that you, just as if I'd never sinned,

00:10:04.109 --> 00:10:09.709
you know, by faith in Jesus Christ, because we're saved because of his righteousness not ours.

00:10:10.509 --> 00:10:16.949
We're justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

00:10:17.149 --> 00:10:21.029
That peace with God, there's not that hostility that we have toward God.

00:10:21.209 --> 00:10:25.669
God is not hostile toward us. He loves us and everything like that,

00:10:25.769 --> 00:10:29.269
but our own sin, our own rebellion,

00:10:29.789 --> 00:10:37.469
we're inspired by Satan to come into a hostility toward God.

00:10:37.629 --> 00:10:43.369
But when we have peace with God, though we have through whom we have access,

00:10:43.509 --> 00:10:47.929
through Jesus Christ, we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand

00:10:47.929 --> 00:10:50.609
and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

00:10:50.689 --> 00:10:55.209
Well, this is the decision we make, though. We have to step out of the narrative,

00:10:55.569 --> 00:10:59.269
the world system, the snake pit, the God of this world, all the things that

00:10:59.269 --> 00:11:04.729
he has used to program us, to barrage us, to create sin and discord inside of

00:11:04.729 --> 00:11:10.289
us, and repent and receive the revelation, the reconciliation of Jesus Christ.

00:11:10.409 --> 00:11:13.169
That's what this is talking about. This is available to everyone.

00:11:13.549 --> 00:11:17.389
There is no respecter of persons with God, young, old, rich, poor.

00:11:18.009 --> 00:11:21.829
We all have to come the very same way. And that is through Jesus Christ,

00:11:22.009 --> 00:11:26.169
through his blood sacrifice, his atoning sacrifice for our sins.

00:11:26.269 --> 00:11:30.689
And a lot of people, they know about Jesus and maybe they've heard of salvation,

00:11:30.689 --> 00:11:32.949
but they really don't know how to enter into it.

00:11:33.029 --> 00:11:36.609
So if you are listening today and you have people like that in your world that

00:11:36.609 --> 00:11:41.209
don't know what it means to be saved or how to get saved, I think that's probably

00:11:41.209 --> 00:11:43.229
one of the stumbling blocks. It is simple.

00:11:43.469 --> 00:11:47.369
It's just whosoever believes in their heart, confesses with their mouth that

00:11:47.369 --> 00:11:51.529
Jesus Christ died on the cross, rose from the dead, and is coming back,

00:11:51.729 --> 00:11:55.069
believes and confesses this is the...

00:11:56.232 --> 00:11:59.112
The key. The way. The way to salvation. The way to Jesus.

00:11:59.912 --> 00:12:03.712
Because you're surrendering to him, saying, okay, I can't save myself.

00:12:03.972 --> 00:12:08.412
He who seeks to save his life will lose it. And so you're surrendering.

00:12:08.532 --> 00:12:13.012
This means we have to stop and realize that we're lost, first of all,

00:12:13.092 --> 00:12:16.952
that we can't keep going this way. We are running out of gas. We don't have enough.

00:12:17.412 --> 00:12:23.092
We've lost the map. We don't know where we're going. And so we want this guide,

00:12:23.372 --> 00:12:27.272
the Holy Spirit to come and guide us, live inside of us. And so this is the beginning of peace.

00:12:27.412 --> 00:12:31.692
And so when people are out of sorts with themselves, don't like themselves,

00:12:31.852 --> 00:12:34.592
are mad at themselves, that's when their body becomes sick also.

00:12:34.752 --> 00:12:37.872
Or when they're mad or blaming other people or making excuses,

00:12:38.332 --> 00:12:43.872
they're just delaying the process of the folly that Satan has put upon them

00:12:43.872 --> 00:12:46.572
to walk into their own death. Those are death traps.

00:12:47.332 --> 00:12:50.672
Yeah, so we come into that peace regardless of what's going on,

00:12:50.732 --> 00:12:56.572
even if we have opposition from family members. like Jesus talked about,

00:12:56.732 --> 00:12:58.012
we have a misunderstanding.

00:12:58.432 --> 00:13:01.492
He knew what the devil was going to do. He knew the devil was going to separate us.

00:13:01.692 --> 00:13:05.872
Because Jesus said, by their love, they shall know them. You shall know that

00:13:05.872 --> 00:13:07.272
they are my disciples by the love.

00:13:07.592 --> 00:13:11.252
And so Satan hates the love. He hates the unity. He hates the kindness.

00:13:11.512 --> 00:13:17.092
He hates the hope and the bearing one another's burdens. He hates all of that unity. He hates it.

00:13:17.392 --> 00:13:20.312
And so Jesus prepares us by saying, there's going to come a story.

00:13:20.412 --> 00:13:23.692
He says, I am the dividing line. I am the plumb line.

00:13:24.332 --> 00:13:28.372
Once I come into the world, everything now, nothing is going as usual.

00:13:28.492 --> 00:13:29.412
You have to make a choice.

00:13:29.632 --> 00:13:34.212
He gave us that option. So he is the turning point and the beginning for all

00:13:34.212 --> 00:13:37.612
of mankind to turn back from destruction to him.

00:13:37.792 --> 00:13:42.332
But he also knew that we would be very, very conflicted in that turning around.

00:13:42.492 --> 00:13:46.372
And he said, Paul writes, he said, if as much as lies within you,

00:13:46.532 --> 00:13:49.352
do whatever you can to be at peace with all men.

00:13:49.852 --> 00:13:53.232
Do what you can to get along with. sometimes you just can't get along with somebody

00:13:53.232 --> 00:13:55.972
because of the opposition, the attitude of their heart.

00:13:56.072 --> 00:14:01.452
But we don't go back because if we're opposed, we don't go into bitterness or

00:14:01.452 --> 00:14:02.992
unforgiveness or anything like that.

00:14:03.312 --> 00:14:09.152
That's not the way of peace. But what Jesus said, the peace that he came to

00:14:09.152 --> 00:14:11.912
bring, this is what he said in John chapter 14.

00:14:12.332 --> 00:14:16.012
He was talking to his disciples about, you know, he's going to go.

00:14:16.412 --> 00:14:20.732
He's leaving for a minute. He's going for a bit, and he's going to the cross.

00:14:21.952 --> 00:14:25.752
He's going to die. He's going to rise again. He's going to return.

00:14:25.992 --> 00:14:29.492
But then he said, in the meantime, he says, I'm sending you the helper.

00:14:29.672 --> 00:14:35.112
I'm sending you the Holy Spirit. In John 14, verse 27, here's what he says.

00:14:35.252 --> 00:14:39.292
Peace I leave with you. Amen. My peace I leave with you.

00:14:39.920 --> 00:14:44.400
I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you.

00:14:44.660 --> 00:14:48.740
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

00:14:48.860 --> 00:14:54.020
So he says, I'm going to give you a legacy of peace. It's not the world's peace.

00:14:54.220 --> 00:14:59.040
It's just like, oh, we're not, there's a pause in the fighting. Yeah.

00:15:01.100 --> 00:15:04.120
A lasting peace is not that.

00:15:04.360 --> 00:15:10.320
A brief, shaky pause in the fighting. That's the world's idea of peace.

00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:18.560
There's no peace unless you have peace in your heart and be connected with Jesus

00:15:18.560 --> 00:15:20.480
Christ who is the Prince.

00:15:20.680 --> 00:15:27.760
The Prince of Peace. And so, again, okay, so that is the resolution of that first conundrum.

00:15:27.940 --> 00:15:31.020
How can there be peace when there's so much division?

00:15:31.280 --> 00:15:34.980
Well, you know, because both sides are operating here.

00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:40.100
So, understanding that Jesus Christ reconciles us, brings us to peace,

00:15:40.180 --> 00:15:41.220
we can live in peace with Him,

00:15:41.560 --> 00:15:46.980
we can live in peace as much as possible with all men, but also that there is

00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:50.020
that division that comes because of the conflict.

00:15:51.398 --> 00:15:55.798
That's how we know the peace of God. Yeah, and then again, in the context of

00:15:55.798 --> 00:16:01.638
our relationships here, there's another contrast that we can look at, a comparison contrast.

00:16:02.098 --> 00:16:06.778
And again, looking at the context, what's going on around this?

00:16:06.898 --> 00:16:10.418
What is the setting? What is the situation? What time is it?

00:16:10.798 --> 00:16:15.158
Like in Ecclesiastes, that's something to really ponder.

00:16:15.658 --> 00:16:18.598
We've shared a lot about, you know, don't set up boundaries,

00:16:18.598 --> 00:16:21.078
but it's a matter of what time is it?

00:16:22.398 --> 00:16:28.998
And we can only know that by the Spirit of God, by the Word of God, by the Spirit of God.

00:16:29.098 --> 00:16:34.018
But here's another example of a… Conundrum.

00:16:34.358 --> 00:16:36.858
A contrast in Scripture, okay?

00:16:37.438 --> 00:16:43.158
So he says in 1 Corinthians 9, 19, For though I am free from all men,

00:16:43.178 --> 00:16:48.398
I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.

00:16:48.398 --> 00:16:51.958
And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win the Jews.

00:16:52.218 --> 00:16:58.518
And to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law.

00:16:59.018 --> 00:17:04.078
To those who are without law, that would be pretty much the pagan Gentile world,

00:17:04.658 --> 00:17:09.958
kind of like where we are today, is without law, not being without law toward

00:17:09.958 --> 00:17:16.158
God, but under law toward Christ, that I may win those who are without the law.

00:17:16.158 --> 00:17:20.378
And he says, to the weak I became as weak that I might win the weak.

00:17:20.598 --> 00:17:28.318
I have become all things to all men that by all means I may save some. And hold on.

00:17:28.498 --> 00:17:32.598
In Galatians, the same man who's talking in Corinthians says,

00:17:32.838 --> 00:17:40.138
in Galatians chapter 1, he says, verse 10, For do I now persuade men or God?

00:17:40.298 --> 00:17:47.418
Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

00:17:48.464 --> 00:17:54.324
So he's saying that this man-fear, man-people-pleasing thing that,

00:17:54.324 --> 00:17:58.784
you know, has gripped so many of us to keep the peace and keep,

00:17:58.844 --> 00:18:01.564
you know, things, you know, reasonable.

00:18:02.124 --> 00:18:06.704
He says, that's man-fearing. He says, if I'm pleasing men, seeking to please

00:18:06.704 --> 00:18:10.484
men, how do I be the servant of God, of Christ?

00:18:10.644 --> 00:18:13.724
And so here he's saying, on the one hand, I do all these things,

00:18:13.864 --> 00:18:16.984
become all these things, that I might by all means win some to the,

00:18:17.024 --> 00:18:20.484
you know, to the weak. I become weak to the whatever, all that you just read.

00:18:20.604 --> 00:18:22.944
But here he's saying, now, how do you reconcile that?

00:18:23.144 --> 00:18:26.964
How do you reconcile a man who says, I'm not going to practice man fear and

00:18:26.964 --> 00:18:31.284
people pleasing because that would put those people as an idol before the Lord

00:18:31.284 --> 00:18:33.064
Jesus Christ, and I would not be his servant.

00:18:33.384 --> 00:18:40.404
So this fear of man, fear of man is one of the concepts that he's dealing with in Galatians.

00:18:40.564 --> 00:18:47.144
But in Corinthians, he's talking about what? He's talking about not compromising

00:18:47.144 --> 00:18:52.824
the message, but adapting the message, the message of Jesus Christ.

00:18:53.164 --> 00:18:56.924
So he's not adapting himself, and he's not changing the message.

00:18:56.924 --> 00:18:59.624
He's just changing the way he presents the message.

00:18:59.644 --> 00:19:04.744
Yeah, I mean, you're going to talk to a farmer probably a little different than

00:19:04.744 --> 00:19:09.764
you would talk to a mechanic or a teenager.

00:19:09.764 --> 00:19:15.664
Or you talk to them a little differently than you would a senior citizen in a nursing home.

00:19:17.644 --> 00:19:24.604
It's just understanding the context in which you're presenting this unchangeable message.

00:19:24.744 --> 00:19:27.104
And understanding the people you're talking to also.

00:19:27.904 --> 00:19:30.904
Know who you're talking to. And the thing is, the first thing is,

00:19:31.064 --> 00:19:34.964
if you're going to do public speaking, you've got to know who your audience is.

00:19:35.064 --> 00:19:39.244
Right. You know, and so— Well, think of all the stories Jesus told about sheep

00:19:39.244 --> 00:19:41.564
and shepherds and things, because there's a lot of sheep and shepherds.

00:19:41.724 --> 00:19:45.724
He related to everybody. And then there were fishermen, so he was telling fishermen stories.

00:19:45.984 --> 00:19:52.024
So he was telling the same message, just using a little bit more relevant understanding

00:19:52.024 --> 00:19:53.664
concepts for the various audiences.

00:19:53.764 --> 00:19:57.564
And that's what Paul's talking about in 1 Corinthians 9.

00:19:57.804 --> 00:20:04.984
Now, another thing, then the flip side of that in Galatians is he says,

00:20:04.984 --> 00:20:07.324
I'm not here to be a men pleaser.

00:20:07.464 --> 00:20:10.524
I'm not here to give in to the opinions that.

00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:16.060
Of people. I'm not here to, how can I say it?

00:20:16.080 --> 00:20:18.520
Yeah, well, he goes on to say in Galatians, as I was reading there,

00:20:18.940 --> 00:20:23.340
he says, But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached

00:20:23.340 --> 00:20:26.120
by me is not according to men.

00:20:26.260 --> 00:20:31.100
He's saying, I didn't pick this up from Peter and Paul and the people at Jerusalem.

00:20:31.280 --> 00:20:34.700
He says, For I neither received it from men, nor was I taught it.

00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:38.800
Or in other words, go to school to learn it. But it came through the revelation

00:20:38.800 --> 00:20:42.820
of Jesus Christ. You know, when Paul got saved or knocked down and converted

00:20:42.820 --> 00:20:46.820
and came to him in his senses, he actually took off for about three years into

00:20:46.820 --> 00:20:48.040
the desert and he was quiet.

00:20:48.180 --> 00:20:52.720
He didn't go and try to figure all this out and quickly connect with the big

00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:54.580
head honchos in Jerusalem.

00:20:54.900 --> 00:20:59.640
And so he took it. So the gospel that he received became his.

00:20:59.840 --> 00:21:02.880
I mean, it was, you know, when you get saved, the gospel.

00:21:03.180 --> 00:21:05.580
It was clean and straight. Right. Because it was right from the Lord.

00:21:05.580 --> 00:21:09.640
It came by revelation. that came of Jesus Christ.

00:21:09.840 --> 00:21:14.040
Well, I remember one time that, you know, how you receive the gospel,

00:21:14.040 --> 00:21:17.180
who brings you the gospel, the person, the situation, the church.

00:21:17.980 --> 00:21:20.460
The way that comes to you.

00:21:20.600 --> 00:21:23.220
Sometimes we connect with those people.

00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:28.060
We become very dependent upon them. We become very respectful. That's good.

00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:33.680
But at the same time, we almost, you know, revere them more than the Lord Jesus

00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:35.000
Christ and the gospel that they

00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:39.040
presented. Maybe even they presented the gospel in a very twisted way.

00:21:39.540 --> 00:21:45.840
But nonetheless, our allegiance is not to them, but is to the Lord God and to

00:21:45.840 --> 00:21:50.360
the purity of the word, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because there was an example, too, in Corinth.

00:21:51.340 --> 00:21:56.900
Some were saying they were divided unnecessarily. Some of the people in the

00:21:56.900 --> 00:22:02.640
church were saying, I am of Paul, I am of Paulus, I am of Christ.

00:22:02.900 --> 00:22:07.460
They were divided. They all had their favorite preachers, and they said,

00:22:07.540 --> 00:22:10.620
well, we're following our favorite preacher here.

00:22:10.780 --> 00:22:15.820
No, Paul says, that's not it. We're just servants by whom you believe. That's it.

00:22:16.060 --> 00:22:19.060
Your focus has to keep on Jesus Christ.

00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:24.220
And I really believe, too, that if we are still trying to man fear and people

00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:28.820
please, if we're still doing that, we're really not walking in the fullness

00:22:28.820 --> 00:22:32.320
of the power of knowing the relationship we have with Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

00:22:32.320 --> 00:22:37.620
We have to put people in their place, so to speak, and their place is not in front of.

00:22:37.980 --> 00:22:41.280
And so many of us operate in fear. Well, I can't say that if I say that.

00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:46.260
At the one point, you know, there may be wisdom in not saying something at a

00:22:46.260 --> 00:22:47.900
certain place in a certain situation.

00:22:48.220 --> 00:22:51.020
There may be the Holy Spirit saying, don't say anything, silence,

00:22:51.220 --> 00:22:54.780
you know, don't, they're not ready to hear, don't throw your pearls before swine.

00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:59.920
There are places, everything has a time and a season. And so we are walking

00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:04.880
in the counsel of the Holy Spirit who's guiding us and so you may say nothing

00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:09.540
and that may not be man fear or people pleasing it may be the direction of the Holy Spirit,

00:23:10.034 --> 00:23:13.114
So don't allow the enemy to continue and say, we are such a coward.

00:23:13.214 --> 00:23:14.334
You should have said something right there.

00:23:14.474 --> 00:23:19.174
Because some people, they bite that hook, and they think they have to tell everybody

00:23:19.174 --> 00:23:23.134
the whole gospel and preach it in their face and shove it down their throat.

00:23:23.434 --> 00:23:28.234
And this is not wisdom. He who wins souls is wise. So you have to know where

00:23:28.234 --> 00:23:30.554
they're at, what's relevant.

00:23:30.654 --> 00:23:33.554
You really need wisdom in how to start that conversation.

00:23:33.974 --> 00:23:37.914
You may start it with a question. You may start it with an observation with

00:23:37.914 --> 00:23:42.674
them. But what you really want to do is know your audience, know where they're

00:23:42.674 --> 00:23:45.194
at, know where they're hurting, and love them.

00:23:45.374 --> 00:23:51.494
The real power of not fearing man but fearing God is knowing the love of God

00:23:51.494 --> 00:23:53.954
that God has for you and your love towards people.

00:23:54.174 --> 00:23:58.454
So when you love people, that doesn't mean you have to become a doormat to everything

00:23:58.454 --> 00:24:00.734
they need. Actually, there's got to be a lot of wisdom in that,

00:24:00.734 --> 00:24:02.094
too, and we'll get to that in a minute.

00:24:02.714 --> 00:24:07.434
But what time is it? Is it time to go the second mile, turn the other cheek,

00:24:07.434 --> 00:24:09.054
or not even eat with them?

00:24:09.134 --> 00:24:13.354
So there's a lot of things. You can't say, okay, it's always this,

00:24:13.574 --> 00:24:20.734
or it's always that, or give me the three-step program to winning this or doing that.

00:24:21.554 --> 00:24:28.174
It's life. It's life. You have to be involved in your life and know that you're

00:24:28.174 --> 00:24:31.674
involved with Jesus Christ in His life, and then also through that ministry

00:24:31.674 --> 00:24:32.734
to the people around you.

00:24:34.454 --> 00:24:40.114
Ecclesiastes 3, verse 1, To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

00:24:40.434 --> 00:24:45.074
So really in all things, it's like, you know, what time is it?

00:24:45.254 --> 00:24:50.434
And a question too, like, okay, why am I doing this? What does Jesus want me to know here?

00:24:50.614 --> 00:24:54.914
Am I doing this because I feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to tell them the

00:24:54.914 --> 00:24:56.194
gospel, to speak this word?

00:24:56.534 --> 00:24:59.594
I mean, yes, there's going to be more and more of that boldness coming out,

00:24:59.734 --> 00:25:01.794
I'm sure, because there's more urgency.

00:25:01.994 --> 00:25:05.894
But at the same time, there's a time to be quiet and a time to speak.

00:25:06.054 --> 00:25:11.554
And, you know, maybe you're living with someone who is very adamant against the gospel.

00:25:12.174 --> 00:25:17.634
And, you know, all you do is, you know, create, you know, strife. Uritate them. Yeah.

00:25:18.474 --> 00:25:23.014
And then we go back to this concept where, you know, we preach the gospel,

00:25:23.174 --> 00:25:29.594
but Jesus also said that your light so shine before men. Now, lights don't speak.

00:25:30.094 --> 00:25:34.614
Lights just reveal. And so when you're in that place where you cannot speak,

00:25:34.674 --> 00:25:38.334
or your words are rejected, or they're misunderstood, or they're thrown back

00:25:38.334 --> 00:25:41.394
in your face, or it's throwing pearls before swine.

00:25:42.226 --> 00:25:46.586
Then you get to be a light and just be then that light and let your light so

00:25:46.586 --> 00:25:49.166
shine with joy and peace and praise.

00:25:49.406 --> 00:25:55.646
And remember, in every situation, there's no law against thanking God and rejoicing.

00:25:55.746 --> 00:25:57.566
And we're coming into the season of thanksgiving.

00:25:57.746 --> 00:26:02.246
So in everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

00:26:02.386 --> 00:26:07.206
And even in things that are difficult or unfair or scary or deadly,

00:26:07.566 --> 00:26:11.686
in everything, when you give thanks and you rejoice, You're actually saying,

00:26:12.066 --> 00:26:13.566
God, I believe you've got this.

00:26:13.726 --> 00:26:16.026
I don't have to fret. I don't have to become anxious.

00:26:16.286 --> 00:26:20.506
It's not my problem. You've got this. So thanksgiving and rejoicing are your

00:26:20.506 --> 00:26:26.046
two best friends when it comes to putting words out of your mouth when a situation happens.

00:26:26.526 --> 00:26:30.206
Rejoice and be thankful and be gentle to all men. Okay.

00:26:30.586 --> 00:26:35.466
I just want to read this, and there's someone that really needs to hear this today.

00:26:36.166 --> 00:26:41.366
In 1 Peter 3, be wise, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands.

00:26:41.546 --> 00:26:43.366
That doesn't mean be a doormat.

00:26:43.766 --> 00:26:48.566
Doesn't mean put up with being beaten or anything like that.

00:26:48.926 --> 00:26:56.746
That even if some do not obey the word, they without a word may be won by the conduct of their wives.

00:26:57.106 --> 00:27:03.126
When they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear, do not let your adornment

00:27:03.126 --> 00:27:07.986
be merely outward, or arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel,

00:27:08.266 --> 00:27:14.066
but rather let it be the person of the heart with the incorruptible beauty of

00:27:14.066 --> 00:27:15.706
a gentle and quiet spirit,

00:27:16.286 --> 00:27:19.366
which is very precious in the sight of God. Right.

00:27:19.586 --> 00:27:23.546
So, Lord, I'm praying right now for— Many.

00:27:23.626 --> 00:27:29.146
There's a wife here, maybe several wives, that you have a husband that is not

00:27:29.146 --> 00:27:31.606
believing that, not where he should be.

00:27:31.906 --> 00:27:36.206
Maybe he's mistreating you. Maybe he's just kind of ignoring you.

00:27:36.526 --> 00:27:42.306
But I would just pray that you, by the grace of God, and don't feel the pressure.

00:27:43.072 --> 00:27:49.212
Just love Jesus and let the Lord God lead you. Be your comfort.

00:27:49.472 --> 00:27:54.132
Be your comfort, be your strength, and just keep praying for him,

00:27:54.632 --> 00:28:01.572
believing for him, and just let your light so shine that your godly character,

00:28:02.112 --> 00:28:09.392
and don't be just nagging, don't be just bugging, but there's times where you do speak the truth.

00:28:09.392 --> 00:28:13.592
You know, you speak the truth, but you're not just railing on them all the time.

00:28:13.692 --> 00:28:16.952
But maybe you just speak the truth sometimes through your actions and through forgiveness.

00:28:17.532 --> 00:28:20.352
Lots and lots and lots of heaps of forgiveness. Lots of forgiveness,

00:28:20.952 --> 00:28:22.992
but God will give you words to say, too.

00:28:24.212 --> 00:28:27.752
And also recognize, don't feel sorry for yourself. That's not from heaven.

00:28:27.972 --> 00:28:31.232
What you want to do is recognize that whatever, for all of us,

00:28:31.652 --> 00:28:34.852
whatever trial, whatever pressure, whatever situation you're in,

00:28:35.432 --> 00:28:41.312
God has designed it for optimum pressure and temperature to create and forge

00:28:41.312 --> 00:28:43.332
the image of Jesus Christ in us.

00:28:43.492 --> 00:28:47.372
So there's pressure and there's heat to bring us, to make us more like Jesus.

00:28:47.512 --> 00:28:49.792
So you're not going to get out of the trial, out of the battle.

00:28:49.952 --> 00:28:54.612
We're in it, but we can rejoice in it. So Father God, we thank you for each

00:28:54.612 --> 00:28:58.252
one who's listening today for giving them courage and encouragement and give

00:28:58.252 --> 00:29:03.752
them an understanding of the things that seem to be perplexing and contradictory,

00:29:04.212 --> 00:29:07.632
like going the second mile, turning the other cheek, or not even eating with them.

00:29:07.792 --> 00:29:14.112
The question is not what the line is, what the boundary is, but the question is, what time is it?

00:29:14.172 --> 00:29:18.132
So help us to understand and hear from you and understand and know what time

00:29:18.132 --> 00:29:22.052
it is in our lives and to spend our lives not feeling sorry for ourselves,

00:29:22.172 --> 00:29:27.552
not feeling ripped off, not feeling angry or agitated, but feeling grateful

00:29:27.552 --> 00:29:32.652
to you, Lord God, for your divine peace and protection over us, Father, in Jesus' name.

00:29:33.232 --> 00:29:40.252
Amen. Amen. Well, you've got a wonderful book called Doing Relationships God's Way. Oh, yeah.

00:29:40.452 --> 00:29:46.772
And there's a lot of situations in there that you talk about that are very difficult, you know.

00:29:47.472 --> 00:29:53.592
And so it doesn't pull any punches. It just makes a lot of things clear about

00:29:53.592 --> 00:29:59.292
relationships that are strained. And there's one chapter in there about living with difficult people.

00:29:59.572 --> 00:30:03.392
Yeah, that's right. And there are a lot of difficult people we are forced to live with.

00:30:03.532 --> 00:30:09.312
So, yeah, it's Doing Relationships God's Way. You can get it on Amazon, you know, where that is.

00:30:09.452 --> 00:30:13.612
Or you can go to liferecovery.com and, you know, get your copy.

00:30:14.232 --> 00:30:19.992
It's a very amazing, it's an amazing book to give you lots of insight,

00:30:20.132 --> 00:30:26.252
a lot of encouragement, a lot of understanding about how to live with, you know,

00:30:26.432 --> 00:30:29.392
with yourself, how to reconcile with yourself.

00:30:29.652 --> 00:30:32.272
You have to live with yourself and love yourself before you can live with and

00:30:32.272 --> 00:30:35.472
have relationships that are of inequality with other people.

00:30:35.652 --> 00:30:38.892
So God bless you guys, and we'll talk to you again soon.