Numbers Study - 2025-06-04

Welcome to the Lansdale Life Church podcast.

If you're seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, this podcast is for you.

Thank you for joining us today.

All right

So in numbers 4 1 through 49

We're going to be talking about designated Israelites who carried who cared for and carried the tabernacle furniture

Now that may not seem

too interesting

I'm a furniture carrier for the Lord, but we'll find out that there is meaning behind all that and

it truly is something that sets the

Levites apart from the rest of the tribes of Israel

so

Having said that I will just give you a quick outline of which we'll be delving into

the chapter really highlights God's order and holiness and is and if that is certainly a

Familiar scene to us about what it is that we have been learning there is no substitute

For the holiness that he provides

In his kingdom and then the order in which he executes his kingdom very precise

We learned that in everything all the way down to the buttons on the ephod and all the little things that have

transpired over the weeks that we have been talking both in Leviticus and now in Numbers and

It it is it ensures

the tabernacle that would it would be handled with commitment and

Reverence it's something that people commit today

But what I find so often is that when they commit they don't finish very well

And that's disappointing even in Christendom, you know, if you say I'll do that and then it is never executed or carried out

And that is disappointing because you're serving the Lord. You're not serving one another you are but you're ultimately serving him and then the reverence that

We should bring when we approach God and his giftings his

callings his ministry

Even the idea of just praying and you know

We probably have remembered when it was name it and claim it in those days where you just

Demand it things of the Lord and that certainly wasn't the way God's kingdom should have worked

but people thought that and

you know the peace and prosperity movement came and went and so consequently we have a

Need these days to understand if God's moving in

Revelation and restoration in his kingdom here on earth and bringing revival

That is because the reverence that we have the unity that we have to pray for God to move

so the

duties of the

cathites

were again carrying most of the important furniture the ark the table the lampstand and the altar and

those items work to be

Covered by Aaron and his sons before they were transported and we'll get into that question in a little bit

That the people the rest of the Levites

That were to do this administration weren't even to see these things

weren't even to view the ark the table the lampstand and the altar and

they had to be covered by Aaron in which we'll talk about that and

There were strict rules touching or seeing the uncovered holy objects led to death and that's a

Fearsome thing when you think about working around and moving in furniture and all this and all of a sudden you get a glimpse of these

Things, you know, you'd be struck dead

Well again the duty of the Gershonites then their their tasks to carrying out the

Carrying the curtains the coverings and the cords of the temple if you remember the temple it had it had posts

It had curtains both inside and outside and they were supervised by Aaron's son

Ithamar to do these things think about wrapping them up preparing them disassembling them carrying setting them up and getting ready for again

Another pilgrimage and then the duties of the Maronites

They were responsible for all the frames the crossbars the post and the bases of the tabernacle

Which again was the outside perimeter by and large and again

They were under the supervision of the same man. And then finally we end up in

3334 through 49

talking about the qualification of these men being from 30 years to 50 years of age for service and

The number of the Levites were total

8,580 of them. So that's a brief sketch in the outline thereof

so let me kind of just do a

Clarification here and maybe you do and maybe you don't remember all priests were of Levites

But not all Levites were priests

There was the administration which we just covered of those three tribes

But there were the high priests that was the descendant of Aaron Aaron and his descendants in the tribe of Lehi

again

He had the exclusive rights along with his children and their children to perform the

Sacrifices that were required and to enter into the Holy of Holies

So again, we we talk about the word Levite and there's many of them in the administration

They were one of the tribes of Israel, but not all of them

ministered in the Holy of Holies

So the Levites versus the priests now

So we have Levites that are going to do the service and we have the Levites that are priests that are that enter in

Everyone had their specific duty. They performed we just went over that

So the other Levites the non priests if you will

the Cathites and the

garrisonites and the Maricites were again

And

They executed the

Tabernacle duties, but they could not perform those priestly functions

so there is a distinct difference between the two and

We just want to make sure we understand the ground rules

So the roles of the non priest basically those tribes they carried those sacred

Objects they couldn't touch them. They couldn't see them until they were covered by the the high priests and

Again, there was transportation of the curtains and the coverings we said and the Maritites they again had the structural components

So that's again a difference of the the two

Distinct groups of people within the Levites. So now let's pose a question here

What was the significance of being appointed to be a furniture carrier of

Tabernacle furniture

What was the significance of that?

Okay, just you Ron and and Jackie you just do that over here. What is their significance to this?

What is what is that significance?

Because

That's where the priest sits on

Okay, the furniture sits but but why did they do that? What was their calling? Am I just a simple furniture carrier?

Is there more to this?

Because that furniture was holy to God. Okay

All right

And so with that there was a calling and an anointing on that furniture. Okay, so let's develop that a little bit

alright

so

These men were entrusted with preserving the holiness of God's dwelling place now, why were they?

designated to preserve the holiness

Yes

Yes

But they weren't originally God wasn't going to ordain them to do this job originally, but look at this

Why because there's zeal for defending God's honor during the golden calf rebellion

caused them because of their loyalty to get God's attention and

So consequently the entire tribe stood with Moses against

diagolatry you can read that we we should have gone over that and

God originally chose the firstborn sons of Israel for this task because of their loyalty

He then shows the Levites

To do the sacrifice to do this service. So again, it was set apart

It was special it was to preserve the holiness of God's dwelling

Now let's bring it back to today. We are interested with his glory

We are to live a set-apart life and to stand for truth and for service

Just like they did there it remember there's a there's the there's the type and the archal type meaning the two

Old Testament and New Testament

So we are what we are charged to do what?

Live a life that is set apart for the service of the Lord

Like the Levites were set apart to do the service and the administration of the tabernacle

This role was not just about transporting objects. It was about honoring God's presence

Which you alluded to and ensuring his dwelling place remain pure and holy

We remember the stories further on down the way what happened to the sons of Israel they didn't adhere to these

Exact laws and what happened they died because they went in the Holy of Holies not prepared. They took foreign fire with them

So again, these are the reasons that they were chosen

There's a sacred responsibility to all that we do and the tabernacle

Also was the dwelling place of God and

Transporting its furniture required strict reverence meaning our responsibility is to reverence him in our being

Not casually come in Lord. I need this or I need that or pray

Centric to your needs but worship him and the sacred responsibility that we now even have because we are considered holy

And we'll talk about a little bit about that in a bit now the symbol of worship

They were carrying the ark the lamb stand the altar and the other furnishings represented Israel's devotion to God

like our devotion to him and

When we're not devoted to God God certainly doesn't use us like if we would be completely devoted to him

So the beati obedience to divine order again something we need to live in each Levite family had

specific duties

Well, you know Gail's over here

She's in charge of the the lamb stand and I think I'll go over and help her

well

if I supposed to take care of the cords and the and the and the other tabernacle things I can't do her job and

That's like the kingdom of God

God calls you with specific ministries to do certain things with your creative being and I can't come in and

Displace you

Because it's your calling

we all have unique callings we all have unique gifts and

Consequently, we have to respect that so each Levite family had these specific duties

Entrusting the holiness of God to be preserved. That was the goal

So now let me ask another question for you

Why was covering the fixtures required before being moved?

Why couldn't the remainder of the Levites see these things?

Again, it's that same thing about the holiness of God and so only

Those Levites that and Aaron especially that were permitted to go into the Holy Place

They were the only ones that were allowed to look upon those things

So nobody else could even look upon them let alone touch them

Think about the anointing that comes with calling

We're all called to do something and

In walking or calling that calling there is an anointing that we walk in no matter what this is in the kingdom of God

And so I can't go over and help again that the example I can't help Gail

Because her anointing for doing what she's doing is different than mine and God when he gave each unique

Responsibility to each grouping of people

You can't go over and get into that anointing because God's not going all out of that

God won't give you grace for that or calling for that now

You may want to do that because gee you have a public ministry and I don't all I do is haul furniture

but there is a

Separation between those that are high priests because the anointing they had they could go into the holy of holies

They could do the worship they could do the sacrifice

But the rest of the Levites as we talked about couldn't so they don't have capacity

To be able to begin to do those things because it wasn't in God's providence

There's a frown on your face thinking

We talked about

Levites

Divided into two groups the Levites that were high priests could go in and out of the temple

The Levites that were carriers of all the furniture and things they couldn't even see the because they had to be covered up

So we're distinguishing why couldn't they see why weren't they allowed to see because they didn't have the anointing for doing that because remember

It goes back to Gail's statement. It's the holiness of God. It doesn't get any more holier than that

Because he visited that place and he dwells in that place

You know, sometimes I think we don't reverence God enough

In the flippant things sometimes we ask selfishly or their attitudes that we have

But God is a holy God and

We have to respect that

so that anointing which anointing I'll define for you is

empowering and

the

Concentration of individuals

Does excuse me the empowering and

Consecration of individuals does not come without the calling of God to fulfill the specific purpose

In other words, like we said we can't walk and someone else was calling

so we got that out of the way what thought comes to me about the

Levites about their ministry was this verse and

And I'm to the point in time in my life where there's no other thing that I'm interested in

I've given up all my hobbies, you know put them aside

You know, you ready to give you a motorcycle up yet? Oh

I'm just kidding. So

Here we are and and this verse really came to me and understood and I understood why they were the way they were

Psalm 84 10 for a day in your courts is better than a thousand years elsewhere

And I would rather be a doorkeeper a simple doorkeeper in the house of God

Then dwell in the tents of the wicked

You know now I engaged in sin and I thought sin was fun for a season

But after a while it got old but God doesn't get old

He renews our passions and our interests for him every day as we as we come before him

So that's that's our verse that kind of connects those two

alright

Let's look at the application for us as individuals in preserving the holiness of God

What does that look like?

Jesus himself is described as the true temple. We are also called the temple of God

It says in Corinthians. Do you not know that you?

yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you

That's an awesome thought in 1st Peter. It says be holy in everything you do

Just as God is holy. He is the one who chose you

Thus here we go if we are to obey and be holy that simply means that we have to be set apart and

We are to reflect God's holiness

Now I won't ask the showing of hands, but how many times have we failed in reflecting God's holiness?

In our concourse of our spouse our friends

Business and whatever and I'll leave that to you no show of hands

There are no exceptions then to the qualities of holiness

We are the expression of God and his government and we must now honor his sacred nature

That's what the scripture says

So we are to live a lifestyle holiness

So my question that is how can one develop a lifestyle that is holy?

How can we?

mortals that we are

Develop this and he takers

Well, it says in Hebrews as you think about that in Hebrews 10 encourages believers to draw near to God with a sincere heart

That's one aspect

second Corinthians 7 purify yourselves from everything that is

That contaminates the body and the spirit

So you have the idea of drawing near to God because he's holy and that the idea of purify yourselves you do it

So where is the dilemma?

Where is the answer?

Okay, I won't leave you hang

All right, let's look at lifestyle holiness

Let's parse this up and see what this looks like

it is a

process it's not an occurrence of

purification

Well

First of all, there is

part of us as

we come to the Lord as a little child accepting him and

Beginning to know him know his ways know of his ways not necessarily walk in them

but at least know them as we read and as we give ourselves to the Lord and

two offshoots of

that are basically the worship and the reading of his word that bring us to an understanding of who he is and

Then second of all spending time in his presence and we have talked about these things many times

That's what induces you to begin to live the different life

It's the groundwork that's being laid in Christian's life to be able to bring them to maturity

When people don't pray when people don't read the word when people don't worship when they don't spend time

They don't advance in the kingdom. I hate to be harsh, but that's the way it is

God says what if you seek me I will be found

He sought us at salvation. But now he says, okay, here you go. What are you gonna do?

And as you come you begin to be like this little child

The second thing as we begin to grow up we grow in Christ we begin to understand

What he's like his character what he does what he doesn't do what he likes what he doesn't like

I mean, sometimes I get up in the morning. I think I've said this and I say Lord, what do you want to do today?

What's on your what's on your agenda instead of me giving me him mine. What do you want to do?

What do you want me to do just open-ended conversations?

That's the teenager in us as we begin to learn and we begin to understand his precepts in his ways and

Again, we are

nurturing our

Talents

We are beginning to see that we then have

certain qualifications being fulfilled in our life certain ministries certain callings and

We're again being motivated in

Either mentoring or discipleship whatever you want to call that there are various programs that we have in this church to bring you along

to help you to encourage you and as you begin to grow up you begin to be more of an

offense to the kingdom of darkness

now

The third element is shaping the lives that we have

again, this is our adult life and you know those of you that have had children as

Children grow up and they're needy and all they do is poop and yell for food

You know and after a while all of a sudden they've grown up and they're in college and they're independent

They don't need us anymore. Oh, don't we feel lonesome?

But we feel proud that they were able to bring about a transformation in what God wants to do in their life

So this is the adult life. So what attributes begin to develop there?

again

Activating the sphere of influence your influence you each one of us have an influence in

our relationship with friends with people we work with people we have coffee with obviously people in the church

But you want to cultivate that field of opportunity because that's where that's where the missional spirit of God begins to work

Yeah, we can go out and we can go to the hinterlands of the of the Bahamas

I always used to say if God ever called me to be a missionary. I'd like to be in the Bahamas

So he gave me that and he gave me four years in Bermuda, but I wasn't following him

but anyway

We are

Activating that sphere of influence by virtue of beginning to step out of ourselves and our interest in who we are and

begin to relate to people to influence them for Christ and we practice then

Authentic love we now understand what real love is because we've understood from the father

What love is how he has come how we are children of him how we adore him

Sometimes in the morning when I get up and I go into our Sun room. I just Lord. I just love you

You know, sometimes I cry sometimes I don't but you know the expressions that we could have for our father

Because he's really he really is our father

So again, those things are developing and then we have what I call the reproduction cycle of ourselves

living beyond ourselves

Not just having a free ticket to heaven as I have spoken about before but producing more than you consume. I

Mean how many people sit in congregations year after year week after week day after day receive the word of the Lord

And there's nothing wrong with that and you get filled up. But where's the outflow of that?

Where do you have opportunity to let that stuff flow out from your being?

And that's important because after a while you get so full

Wasn't that good another sermon Chris preached or I heard something on the radio or this or that. Okay, what good is that doing?

Well, it is building you up but at some point in time you begin to choke in your own saliva

so to speak

there has to be an outlet no matter how small that may be and

Then finally meaningful and relevant

Lifestyles that you communicate and that's where we are at in our community is not

Going and button-holing them because it's their last trip because they're all retired

Yeah, you're going to hell if you don't come to Jesus, you know that that doesn't play these days

What does play is lifestyle evangelism have him for dinner talk with him be friend with them

And as they get to know people begin to come to the Lord. I mean, it's just wonderful. It's it's such an easy thing

There's more clouds and things that come up gail

So so so here we have we have I'm saving you some time on your on your iPhone

You can take pictures at what you want thus in all this a transformation takes place in our lives in

Romans 12 1 it encourages believers to be transformed by the renewing of their mind

Rejecting worldly influences and embracing God's standard

That's what the game is about

Now there are impediments to this life cycle

Because not all of us get through that I'm speaking of Christendom now

There are perhaps sinful practices that you indulge in that are secret sins

Worldly focuses that draw you. Oh, I can't help but I mean, you know, there was was this one lady we were kind to and as she got

More needy and couldn't do things. I was helping her and she would receive

One or maybe two packages from Amazon every day. Her house was full of junk

So we went over there to help her clean out. I will tell you because she's deceased now

So if there's no stories out of school if she had one curling iron, she had eight of them in a drawer

If she had one pocketbook, she had two or three dozen of them

She had clothes with tags on hanging in the closet. She never wore so she was being fulfilled by Amazon

You know that eternal need for something and you see it what I call

It might in my terms garage theology

if you're if you're passing people's homes and their

Garage doors lifted up seldom they have room for cars

It's full of stuff either going into the house or coming out of the house. It's a staging platform

for things and

When you come to the end of life

and you begin to retire and move and

You get rid of things and some people don't ever move into Meadowood because they just can't get rid of their things

So there is a workly worldly focus that inhibits us

second of all

this sinful practice

again, our actions that go against God's will and

Sometimes his moral teachings these behaviors can lead us away from righteous living and consequently we can become

ineffective tools that God cannot use because of our focus

He wants to use you

But he can't

Why holiness?

The objectivity of that the priority of your life

Now another thing if you can't if Satan can't get you drawn back into sin

And getting away from the Lord. Sometimes he'll do just the opposite

He'll create such a false

Spirituality in you that you're no good to your brothers and sisters and I'll cover these things

That's focusing on yourself not the Lord

false spirituality are lies and deceptive actions that can leave emotional scars and

Some of us may have suffered from these things

The result can be abuse and disappointment

Which really destroys lives that otherwise could be tools for God's use

He doesn't use us unless we do you want me to pull these things down or do you want it this way

There

That or do you want this

That okay

Photo shot

All right, okay

All right now

Question in all this we got the life cycle. We know where we're supposed to be. We know the impediments

So, how do we purify ourself?

How do we purify ourself?

Nobody want all we got two. Okay. All right, right on

Well, I would like to rephrase the question more. So like how does God purify us and I would say there's a scripture in my head

But I don't remember it exactly

But I know it's something about the how the word of God purifies us washes us clean by the word

So yeah, I say it's the word of God. All right, you're getting close and you got half the component

Okay

God

Again does work and we'll we'll add to that

Well, we have to

Another sort of like turn over ourselves over we have to yield ourselves completely

So the Holy Spirit can have his way to do whatever he needs to in us

Well, we have to get out of the way

The Holy Spirit

Yeah

Taking heed unto his word and being devoted and being it's not just believing it's

It's got a heart thing to it where you just want to

Take heed and yield and whatever

Let's put some of these things together. So how do we do this?

We do this in two ways

God's role in purification is positional

Hear me. He declares us

Like you said to be holy

God cleanses us through Jesus 1st John 1 7 the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin

So that's where you were probably coming from maybe

God's grace again

transforms our hearts

Ezekiel 36 it describes how God gives his people a new heart and a new spirit

So that's God's proposition

the Holy Spirit

Then sanctifies believers in 2nd Thessalonians

It says that we are saved through sanctifying work of the Spirit of God. So we've got God

We've got the Holy Spirit coming

That's again part of what we're doing and our role in purification and like you said Gail is the

experiential role

We grow into holiness. We are holy

Positionally by God, but we have to grow in that

How do we do that it says we are called to

Purify ourself 1st John 3 3 everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself

Just as he is pure

Jackie you were getting there and some of the thought that you had

Obedience and repentance matter James 4 8 it urges believers to cleanse your hands

You sinners and purify your hearts

So there is two components to this what God is doing has done

Positionally what we have to do by yielding to the Holy Spirit

So the question then how can we fully experience this purity and holiness for ourselves?

How does this mechanical thing work out you were going through this and you were thinking that you know

I could see your mind working and and how does that all come about?

Do I give the answer now or anybody?

Okay, all right that had some of it

Surrender yourself surrender. Yeah, so God you the Lord of my life. Okay. Yeah. All right came the president

So I'm surrendered I give my life

Yeah, I

I also want to just

Go back and finish out something here about can I just do something here a minute? It says some in Ezekiel

No, no, I think in Ezekiel where he says I'll give you a new heart with new and right desires and then in it

it also says

He enables us by the Holy Spirit

And I'll tell you I can't do anything without his enabling power. Yes. It's his grace

But I have to yield to it as I think my sister is saying the word of God is just the Spirit of God

It's the Holy Spirit and it really is that enabling grace that he

gives me

Revelation from the Bible, which is the written word into us as the spoken word

Okay

Yes, very much so

All right. Anybody else? Oh, yeah, Ron

Well, I think we can have all this stuff in our mind

But until we transfer it down to our heart

it's not going to mean anything and

You know, I think that's a

Something that we have to live with and you know, the Holy Spirit

His job is to glorify Christ

Yes

So, let's put some of these more piece some of these pieces together for those of you that came in later

I'm drinking in front of you. I don't I'm not trying to be not polite, but I just had a

An implant done it was two and a half hours of surgery and 23 stitches. So I'm kind of like

Wandering around here

All right

Please pray for me

All right. Here we go

Our part in this

Experiential purification starts in the conscience

So the conscience consists of beliefs

Values

thoughts and

emotions

The outworking of that which we see in people's lives is the behavior and action

So there is subconscious and conscious

Now here's a verse of Scripture for you

If it'll come up did it freeze I

Hope not

There we go, okay, we unfroze it and we'll put it in presentation mode again

so

here's a verse of Scripture in

Second Timothy 3 16. It says this all Scripture will empower you by instruction and

Correction giving you strength to take the right way

So the Scripture

Has these things embedded in them?

It instructs us it gives us guidelines

It also gives us correction. Oh, you shouldn't do this and do that and it gives examples of how in

Correction God came to his people and then it gives us strength to be able to be encouraged whatever things

We're going through whatever difficulties were going through

He gives us strength. Not always do we get delivered from?

but we have strength to walk through whatever that may be and

again

To take the right way

There's a fork in the road Lord. I need your answer. Is it right or is it left?

He's gonna give you that way the right way so now how do we do that? How does that work?

Well, let me give you an example of these things that are our subconscious. What's on the inside of us?

the beliefs

Are an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists

It could be that it doesn't exist, but that's what your belief is and I'll give you an example of this Alex

I'm going to use Alex as a as an example Alex tries to master new tasks, but fails

You know, he he has this desire. He has his belief that he can do it, but he fails all the time

Next are values values are beliefs that

reinforce an individual's behavior and decision-making

I believe this just like Alex now avoids new tasks because he doesn't believe he can do it

There's something happened inside

The

Thoughts that he has are

ideas or opinions produced by thinking

boy, don't we think too much sometimes or

Occurring suddenly in the mind. Oh, we got to do this and do that

Friend of mine went out and bought a a new Dodge Ram pickup eight years ago

And he was on unemployment and he somehow he got the the okay and he brought the he was proud of it

And I went over there. Yes, how are you gonna pay for this thing? Oh, it'll be alright

Well in two months, it was on his lawn for sale and it was foreclosed, you know those sudden impulses and

Like Alex, which is our example now

Has thoughts of self-doubt

Leading to I know I'm not capable of doing these things his thought processes

His conscience is working on him

Now what our emotions our emotions are a natural state of mind coming from one's

Circumstances mood and relationships with others

Alex feels frustrated and now ashamed and embarrassed that he can't do these things

So we have all these things underneath of us

vying

Fighting disagreeing

And then behaviors are those things above ground which everybody else sees

The way in which one acts or conducts oneself especially toward others now Alex delays or

Or procrastinates making decisions and deadlines and his stress increases

so now it's manifest to others and

The actions the actions are the act of or process of doing something typically to achieve an aim

Alex settles for less

Decline social invitations

promotions and literally closes down

Because why he had these under thoughts underneath of him inside of him now

How

Do we overcome these sinful practices?

The key to winning the battle for holiness is our conscience our conscience speaks to us

Good or bad people that don't know the Lord have a conscience

So don't reject what your conscience is trying to tell you. It's your warning system within your soul your spirit

That's what speaks to you

The Holy Spirit works through your conscience to communicate to your inner voice

See now

Let's add to that in first Timothy you will be faithful and have a clear conscience

Some people have made a mess of their faith because they didn't listen to their conscience

That's the word. That's not me

So

How do we get from the word through the conscience and change our attitudes and ways?

The conscience is not equipped

Or acquainted with the law of God or the Word of God. It's just a tool inside of us

It's a mechanism of the human soul

Everybody has this the funk to function properly. It must have right information

Now this is where this all comes together

The conscience doesn't produce its own values

It absorbs its values from the Word of God, that's why we read that's why we assimilate

It can only let light into the soul having the right information if we don't give it information

It's gonna go its own way

So holiness now back to our theme

comes because of the process of the Word of God

Through the Holy Spirit, which is the means in which to make alive that Word of God

Informing our conscience and then our conscience informs us as a person to do the things we should do

Does that make sense to you?

It's it's kind of a long process but

Summing it up if we don't read and we don't pray and we don't we're not available

We won't have a changed conscience if we don't allow the Holy Spirit to work in our life

Our conscience won't change will still have these underlying thoughts the conscience can go bad or can go good

it's for us to determine where we are going who we are going to listen to and

How we are going to edify ourselves and build ourselves up so that we can be conquerors in Christ

so now our first

Impediment to

Lifestyle holiness which won that pie chart was sinful practices

They are in the heart of all regenerate people

All unregenerate people have sinful practices part of Adam was put in this when we were born before we were born

I said our Jeremiah 17 the hardest deceitful above all things and desperately wicked

Who can now it and I love these people in TV? Well, you're a kind person you do meaningful and you're gonna be okay and

And all this and you know that that's nice, but that's not going to get you where you want to go

Because we're deceitful inside

Like I tell my wife and she doesn't like it. Everybody's black on the inside dark

You know, there's there's a darkness in there. It's it's only because God regenerates us

Romans 8 7 the mind governed by the flesh is hostile toward God. It doesn't submit to God's law

Nor can it do so it doesn't have it's neither. There's no ability there. Oh

Universal God you just you know you pray and you know, you go here and you you know, you meditate there

All roads lead to home. No, all roads don't lead to home. We know that there is a specific road. It's narrow. It's not wide

Romans 7 14 Paul describes the struggle of sin

Emphasizing that apart from Christ people are enslaved to sinful desires

We can't get away who we gonna be a slave to the Lord or Satan

There's no freedom is there?

Now I don't want to be free when on this side of life

Okay, again, here's our conscience. We talked about that

Here's our subconscious. We have all these things inside us

fear regrets stress anger greed jealousy obsession addiction and

They're below the surface

These are emotions

We

Can hide them

And

those weaknesses and flaws

That we hide other people won't see

And as long as they dwell in the subconscious

We can create what I call

Sunday morning great you come in the door Sunday morning and I preach preach it

How you doing? You say great, right? Yeah, so what's on the inside there, right? We don't know that

You know, we don't have an x-ray to look in there ah

He was out late last night and you know, whatever. I mean, I'm just I'm picking on you. I'm sorry. All right, okay

So Sunday morning specials are okay. We all showered and we're already us men we shaved

Partful part of us. Oh, it would look good. What's on the inside?

This secret life

Puts up roadblocks

To true fellowship. I will tell you that again and again

It stops us from deep relationships. It stops us from participating in small groups

it again

Doesn't want to get close to other Christians because they may find out

There's something on the inside something it's not dealt with

So left unchecked with all these things

We're not dealt with in layman's terms. They will eventually manifest themselves in the conscience and then become

Behaviors and attitudes they perk up to that level. Remember our arrows going up

Now they are seen and felt by others

the hostility of other people to us the love of other people to us or

Those needs that other people every time I some people you come up to oh, I have this need

Okay. Well, you didn't ask how I was

Not that they have to but they're all concerned about themselves all the time. All right

now hence in our

Sinful attitudes and now these practices that we have it brings distance between us and the Lord

Our resistance to being invisibly governed by the agape God

limits us from living in his freedom

Galatians 5 1 Christ has set us free. This means we are really free indeed when we walk in God's

Boundaries life really works for us. It works for us. It works for us. You can see it here

Here we are gathered together in a church in the middle of the week. Some of us work. Some of us didn't

But we're here we were drawn here. We want to come here

Okay, let's define these things

All right fear

Debilitating trait excessive or selfish desire for more

God's remedy or enabling trait is courage confidence and peace

Regret is miss chances and mistakes and the opposite to those satisfaction contentment and fulfillment

Stress as we talked about the state of mental and emotional pain

Again, God's economy. It's calmness

relaxation and peace

Anger is displeasure annoyance and hostility and God's enabling trade is joy

patience and forgiveness

greed is an intense and selfish desire and

God's economy generosity selflessness and

moderation

jealousy

resentment

insecurity fear of loss and in God's economy contentment trust and

admiration

obsession again is

persistent intense

preoccupation on things the obsession in the kingdom of God is avoiding extremes and thoughts and behaviors and

then addiction is chronic condition characterized by compulsive engagement and

Again moderation in all things the Bible says self-control building meaningful relationships instead of seeking escape through addiction

So now question

What outcomes have you experienced from a character change in your life?

You don't have to say it's any one of these things

But what is the character change? What were you and what are you now?

See I I I I I I I go down in here and

And my big thing is obsession

Persistent intense preoccupation had to do things. Well, I learned that that's not the kingdom of God

So he changed me. How did he change me? He brought me down to nothing

He took my business away, you know, and all the stories that you heard about that and I had nothing at the age of 49 zero

and then God rebuilt me and

gave me an opportunity to redeem that time both spiritually and

emotionally and financially

So that's my short story

What is your short story?

What are the example that you had that got what is evident now that you didn't have?

Nobody wants to talk. Okay. All right

Yeah, I go

I got one sure. Let's go. No mine was addiction. I was addicted to nicotine and

nicotine

Yeah, big time and

Oh at least three or four day

Well, maybe not maybe not but maybe not quite so much but enough enough

But I did what what really broke me was a wonderful thing is the Holy Spirit cuz I did when I became a Christian

Is when I became convicted? Yeah. All right. Yeah, and so I tried to do it myself John for three years

I tried to stop smoking myself. I think I had a pack and all my friends houses just in case I couldn't

I

Did I have my little stash and in none of that stuff worked and I started smoking

Cigarillos and cigars anything that would you know, not cigarettes. Well, anyway

Make a long story short when the Holy Spirit got ahold of me

That's what it really was because I had to really come to a place where I had to realize that

That he addiction was and I it was idolatry for me for me. It was an idol

I love the cigarettes more than God

I wanted them more than I mean

I'd be very angry if the kids when they put pinholes in my cigarettes and I couldn't get a draw

I'm Roger for you to go though. Yeah, they go the drug store and get cigarettes for me

It was pretty bad for a period of time, but then the Lord just deliver me

But you know what? He delivered me by the Word of God

And it was a story of Jehoshaphat

When he I just saw it and saw me. He was just totally helpless

There wasn't a blessed thing he can do the enemy was surrounding him

I did I really felt that I was a surrounded by the evil one, you know

And he's just put laid on his face in this and he said, you know, I can't do this

This is too much and the Lord says well, that's not your problem

It's my problem and he says that the addiction to get over addiction is to submit to me daddy

And I did and he says and I remember the words he used was this battle daddy isn't yours. It's mine

I have done it for you. This is part of your salvation

I have done everything for you and that's I believed it and I was set free

And that's when wow, that's probably good 56 years ago

Well as another story is they were they were healed yeah back to when I was 18, yeah, okay good

Anybody else any admissions, you know, I had a friend that I was working with in one of our churches

He was an Indian fella and then he used to smoke and now he said he'd like you

I'm gonna give up smoking and he flushed his cigarettes down the toilet. He found some extra

He took a puff and he threw it in the toilet. Well a day went by and he came home from work

He was so destitute

He took that cigarette out of the toilet dried it off and had to smoke that just to get that nicotine

You know and it wasn't until he gave it to the Lord that he that he was delivered from that. Yeah

Yes, scale

So mine is kind of kind of all of the above but it's

It comes from being a woman and having to submit yourself to a husband that you don't really trust

hmm, so

You know, there's a passage in first Peter I think he talks about women having to

You really have to put God first and trust him and

then you can trust your husband because he's under God's authority and you have to be able to put that in the right order and

It took me years to be able to do that. It took me to husband number three to be able to do that

but

He knows all about it

but

my my first husband was a narcissist and

You can't live with a narcissist happily. Uh-uh. My second husband was

an alcoholic and he gambled and

so we couldn't always pay our bills and

So it was really real. I had a lot of anxiety and then I also had a lot of anger towards them

because they're they were making my life more stressful and

unhappy, so

You really it really all comes back to your relationship with God that has to come first

Yeah, so until I learned to do that, I was dealing with all that garbage

Not we not us he is the deliverer, okay, so

The second impediment to a

Lifestyle holiness is false spirituality and I'll zip through these things because I know that this doesn't affect you

Or this isn't you false spirituality are practices or beliefs that appear to be spiritual but lack

authenticity depth and true

Transformation it can manifest itself in many ways

Projection projecting oneself as having great spiritual knowledge or gifting

I've seen that many times manipulation some individuals or groups distort spiritual teachings because of their personal bias

Superficial practices

Engaging in spiritual activities or even gifts without true understanding of the gift and the Holy Spirit in the guidance of that gift

And that's dangerous. Obviously

Or

deficient emotions

instead of facing them

Asserting one's presence controlling conversations

Directing them to establish their own credibility to feed their egocentric life. So that's what false spirituality look like

What's the motivation behind these practices?

Well, oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead

Nope. Nope

See if you had a computer I'd send you this whole file Oh

Well, I'll send it to you

Okay, what spirituality look like and I will then this is the last page so hang on here

First of all, do not look to man for your answers, but look to God

It's Chris. It's the elders. They're shepherds. They're under shepherds. They watch out for you. They pray for you

We have different things different people do in the body that support you and mature you and help you get going in life

But we don't look to man as the answer. It's ultimately God

Isaiah says stop trusting in mere humans who have but a breath in their nostrils

Psalm 118 says it's better to trust in the Lord than put confidence in men

Don't try to use God for your own means

Bigger plans bigger ministry bigger house. It just shows you how

Much you have not grown up. You need need need want want want

Be yourself be real and do not think more of yourself than you should because all we are is humble servants

Please allow your character to honor God in all things

How I reflect his character reflects on him

Well, if that's Christianity in the way you are I don't want it right, you know that we've heard that before

Yeah

Genesis 17

Jehovah said to Abraham I am the Almighty walk before me and be perfect

Perfect in this case simply means doing the best of your ability and as you want to represent God accurately

Not yourself in point but accurately and

Then always remember he that you choose your that you don't choose your own path

He chooses his path that he wants you to take now whether you yield to that that's up to you

Romans 9 20

But who are you all man to talk back to God show what is formed say to him who formed it

Why did you make me this way?

Realize that you cannot make room for yourself in your ministry. Only God promotes your ministry the more you push

The less he supports you

walk humbly

recognize your own flaws embrace growth and always seek his truth and

then maintain a deep sense of peace joy and

contentment which comes from spending time with him and

Continually live life with that again a forgiving heart to all who cross your path good bad or otherwise

Luke 6 do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn. You'll not be condemned

Forgive and you will not and you will be forgiven

so in the last question

What does true spirituality look like to you and because of the well I can do two minutes

What's this look like? What's true spirituality mean to you? I told you what I think spirituality is in these six points

What's spirituality if you define it in words? What is it?

Tough one, it's ten after eight John. Why do you ask such deep penetrating questions, right? I want to go home

So do I my teeth hurt

My 23 stitches hurt. Oh

It was awful two and a half hours in the operating chair

No yesterday. I

Don't want to go there. I came home grumpy. I would admit that you can ask my wife

So what's what's it look like what spirituality look like

Give me one little one little thing. Oh, yeah

So I would have related to the last slide that you had about like all those character traits

I would say it's like being calm having peace

Because I was before that I would stress out a lot

I think I was like the counter negativity

So he used to stress out because I was playing God

You know in my own life and trying to take things into my own hands and getting upset that things weren't working out

The way that I wanted to you know wanted to work out, but I had to realize, you know, I'm not God

I'm not Jesus and to just take that back seat

Let him handle it and when you change my character to be humble and just to submit to his will not do my own will

Everything I started to have a lot more peace and faith and security. So yeah

You learned that at such a young age. I didn't learn it at your age

Yes, I

Think making him number one priority in your life, okay, and that's how life works for me when I

Made Jesus as the Lord my Savior. So things start to work out

Do we supposed to you know not on my own strength, but you know with God's presence in my life

So yeah, so just making him in the moment purity. Yeah father daddy, right? Yeah, that's it

All right

Anything else? All right, yeah

I'm just acknowledging the fact that my life doesn't belong to myself any longer

Because if I've had asked Jesus into my heart, then he's supposed to be Lord of my life

And so whatever I do, whatever I think whatever I say, it should be honoring to him because he's in charge of my life now

Doesn't it give you a rest to know that instead of striving and thinking and doing all right

Any last questions?

Okay, John say the benediction so we can leave. Okay, we will Lord. Thank you for this time of fellowship

Lord we trust that

We learned something from your word tonight

something that we can talk in our hearts and build upon and

Yet again become more holy as you are holy

Lord, we know that your demands for holiness come with love and patience and

Father not with a whip or a cane

Or a struggle as was stated but because of your love to us

Your peace that you put in our hearts that passes all understanding

Lord God, we do. Thank you that we can put you there you're on the throne and

Dearly beloved we honor you for who you are. Oh God in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for your time

Thanks for joining us at Lansdale Life Church as we praise God and discuss his word

Don't forget to join us for worship lives Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Eastern on YouTube

Be blessed and have a great day