1 00:00:14,139 --> 00:00:17,359 Welcome to the Lansdale Life Church podcast. 2 00:00:18,379 --> 00:00:24,100 If you're seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, this podcast is for you. 3 00:00:24,900 --> 00:00:27,019 Thank you for joining us today. 4 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:38,140 We are in Judges 1. 5 00:00:40,919 --> 00:00:48,259 And I want to just go back a little bit and set the stage for what we're talking about tonight. 6 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:59,140 The blueprint for nation building was in God's economy from the time that he created the earth. 7 00:01:00,100 --> 00:01:08,420 And when Adam and Eve fell, he knew that he had to bring some type of kingdom introduction 8 00:01:08,420 --> 00:01:14,540 into the world because the world was lost. And we hear stories and we read stories about how 9 00:01:14,540 --> 00:01:19,260 the people were so wicked that he had to come, he had to bring the flood, he had to change 10 00:01:19,260 --> 00:01:28,700 circumstances. And so he brings the 12 tribes of Israel together. And we did talk about nation 11 00:01:28,700 --> 00:01:35,680 building almost a year and a half ago, but just quickly and looking at what he did for the hope 12 00:01:36,979 --> 00:01:43,680 of eternity's sake in the tribes that were associated together, what we'll call an amalgamation 13 00:01:44,540 --> 00:01:49,780 of people that knew the Lord that would be different from the rest of the world. 14 00:01:50,219 --> 00:01:56,359 In other words, a shining light. So he wanted, first of all, for Israel as it lived in Egypt, 15 00:01:56,620 --> 00:02:03,920 what he did, he preserved and multiplied Abraham's descendants. How many people went to 16 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:12,400 Egypt? About 45 or 50, which was really the incipient nucleus. And then out of that, 17 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:19,080 literally millions of people multiplied and it was such that God took care of them. Think about this, 18 00:02:20,039 --> 00:02:30,219 the fact that they didn't have to war because the Egyptian soldiers warred and took care of the army 19 00:02:30,219 --> 00:02:35,759 and expanded the kingdoms and fought. And all they did is live and at some point in time, 20 00:02:35,759 --> 00:02:42,139 they came into bondage. But God protected them almost like a butterfly in a cocoon 21 00:02:42,139 --> 00:02:47,580 so that they could develop and multiply without being killed off in war because they didn't 22 00:02:47,580 --> 00:02:54,060 participate in it. Yes, they became slaves, but in that, God protected them. So we have that as 23 00:02:54,060 --> 00:03:01,439 the first step. And then we have read in Exodus and looked at the journey that they went through 24 00:03:01,439 --> 00:03:08,020 as a part of their redemption. And again, it was delivering Israel from slavery and establishing 25 00:03:08,020 --> 00:03:15,580 the Lord God himself as their God. So that was another step in the creation of this nation. 26 00:03:16,259 --> 00:03:23,500 The covenant nation was formed at Mount Sinai and there was, again, making a covenant people 27 00:03:23,500 --> 00:03:30,460 realize who they were going to serve. They served an almighty God that no other nation knew 28 00:03:30,460 --> 00:03:37,300 of. And remember the story on the mountain. He was so awesome that people were afraid 29 00:03:38,060 --> 00:03:43,680 of the majesty that he presented when he presented himself on Mount Sinai to Moses. 30 00:03:44,319 --> 00:03:50,400 So that was an experience. So now after forming the covenant, there was a formation of worship. 31 00:03:50,860 --> 00:04:00,020 Again, he gave Moses a teaching upon teaching of what to do, how, where, and when so that they 32 00:04:00,020 --> 00:04:06,740 could approach God. So he was building and drawing these people to himself. And then again, 33 00:04:06,919 --> 00:04:13,120 the wilderness formation, we know what that's about, getting the Egypt out of the people of Israel and 34 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:20,120 allowing them to understand what God was all about. And there was testing, discipling, again, 35 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:25,680 teaching, and hopefully that he was successful. And of course he was dealing with the people 36 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:33,740 that were what, stiff-necked and rebellious. And then we enter a victory side of life where we enter 37 00:04:33,740 --> 00:04:40,819 in to the Promised Land and we have conquest. And the conquest that we'll be talking about tonight 38 00:04:40,819 --> 00:04:47,500 is to annihilate all nations within the Promised Land so that they could live free and be a 39 00:04:47,500 --> 00:04:55,399 testimony to God. And that was giving Israel the land that was promised way back when Abraham 40 00:04:55,399 --> 00:05:04,439 first cut the covenant with God. And then again, the tribal confederation, and that simply means 41 00:05:04,439 --> 00:05:12,139 a united for common good, for the tribes to come together as one nation under God. And then we 42 00:05:12,139 --> 00:05:25,379 have Israel living as 12 tribes under God's rule, but without a human king. And we're now being 43 00:05:25,379 --> 00:05:31,480 there, and all of a sudden now they had to possess the land and they had no king. 44 00:05:32,639 --> 00:05:39,379 So we're now coming up to the area of what we call the judges, or deliverers, if you will. 45 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:53,379 God repeatedly would, again, remind Israel of their opposition, of their blessings, and allow 46 00:05:53,379 --> 00:06:00,540 God's principles to be introduced from the judge's standpoint. So judges were essentially God-raised 47 00:06:00,540 --> 00:06:07,860 deliverers and leaders of Israel. Not simply what we call courtroom judges like we would know today, 48 00:06:07,860 --> 00:06:14,199 and it wasn't a continuous dynasty on elected government. When God saw that there was what, 49 00:06:14,819 --> 00:06:20,019 need for correction, he came to the Israelites and he brought one of the judges to them. 50 00:06:20,019 --> 00:06:24,639 So that gives us the backdrop of what the book is about. 51 00:06:25,420 --> 00:06:31,639 Now this book is a very interesting book. Ultimately, it's discouraging because, as you 52 00:06:31,639 --> 00:06:39,379 know, having read parts of it or all of it, that it was a slow degradation of this nation that God 53 00:06:39,379 --> 00:06:45,620 wanted to bless and be apart from the rest of the world as a showcase of his victories. 54 00:06:46,420 --> 00:06:53,500 So the judges served as a bridge between the conquest of Canaan under Joshua and the 55 00:06:53,500 --> 00:06:59,839 establishment of the monarchy which started with Saul. So this is about a 300-350 year period. 56 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:07,079 The 12 judges that we'll be talking about in the weeks to come were more than just a goad 57 00:07:07,079 --> 00:07:13,339 to Israel. They were sent from God to deliver or pull back Israel from their enemies, 58 00:07:13,980 --> 00:07:20,800 lead the people into battle, administrate justice, govern where they needed to govern the nation, 59 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:26,540 and call the people back to faithfulness. That's what the judges physically did. 60 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:34,199 There was 12 of them. This book explains how Israel declined from a nation committed to 61 00:07:34,199 --> 00:07:40,040 following the Lord into one that's characterized by spiritual compromise, 62 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:47,360 moral chaos, and repeated oppression. So we see already what's spelled out before us in these 63 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:53,519 books, and it's a lesson for us to learn. So as the book progresses, Israel increasingly 64 00:07:53,519 --> 00:07:58,860 relied on their own judgment instead of continuing to seek and to obey the Lord. 65 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:05,560 How many of us have often been that road where we seek to have our understanding of what's next 66 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:11,180 and we rely on ourselves rather than on God? I mean, I can say that with two hands in the air, 67 00:08:11,279 --> 00:08:20,279 but I'm holding a mic. Note that it is a sobering account, this book, of what happens when God's 68 00:08:20,279 --> 00:08:26,920 people repeatedly abandon Him after all His love and what He's done in building that nation, 69 00:08:27,220 --> 00:08:34,179 and yet also it displays God's mercy in continually raising up deliverers to speak 70 00:08:34,179 --> 00:08:40,360 into that nation, to remind them why they're together and what the purpose of life is. 71 00:08:40,899 --> 00:08:44,740 So that gives us a background or a handle on what we'll be studying. 72 00:08:46,220 --> 00:08:53,480 So let's take a look at chapter 1, brief outline. Let's get some things out on the table here. 73 00:08:54,019 --> 00:08:59,799 We see that Judah continues the conquest. Now this is in the land. They're going to, again, 74 00:08:59,799 --> 00:09:04,600 hopefully get rid of all the inhabitants of the land and declare the land as righteous. 75 00:09:05,700 --> 00:09:13,100 So Israel seeks the Lord for guidance about going to war, and Judah is chosen to lead that 76 00:09:13,839 --> 00:09:21,320 confrontation, and they gain victories, and they defeated and captured one of the big cities, 77 00:09:21,940 --> 00:09:29,039 and Caleb himself, we talked about that, conquers Hebron, and it says in the last 78 00:09:29,039 --> 00:09:35,259 part of this, I think verse 19 or 20, that Judah took possession of the hill country, 79 00:09:35,700 --> 00:09:44,039 but could not drive out all the inhabitants. So right away, in the beginning of chapter 1, 80 00:09:44,659 --> 00:09:51,080 end of verse 19 or 20, we see that they were unsuccessful, and we'll be talking about God's 81 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:57,279 mandate to these people. Parenthetically, think about this. When God gives you a mandate, 82 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:07,100 when God speaks to your heart, when God begins to minister to you and give you a sphere of 83 00:10:07,100 --> 00:10:14,480 influence, he wants you to accomplish the goals that he has. Now he may define those as the time 84 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:20,779 goes on. Remember, God's plan, he doesn't give you A to Z and say, okay, John, go do it. He 85 00:10:20,779 --> 00:10:25,940 gives you A, and you begin to walk in that, and you begin to see God opens up B and so forth, 86 00:10:25,940 --> 00:10:34,240 and he unfolds his plan. So they did not accomplish the goal that was before them. 87 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:43,399 So now, in verses 21 through 36, another tribe was mentioned, Benjamin, that's number two, 88 00:10:43,879 --> 00:10:50,980 fails to drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem. So now failure is on the scene. Well, that's not 89 00:10:51,259 --> 00:10:58,240 bad. That's two out of 12. But then as it goes on to say, the house of tribes of Ephraim, 90 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:07,960 west Manasseh, captures Bethel because the Lord prevailed. But they failed to conquer them, 91 00:11:08,759 --> 00:11:14,340 and east Manasseh also failed. If you remember, there was east Manasseh, and there was southern, 92 00:11:14,340 --> 00:11:22,559 and they were divided in location, but not as tribe. So as it goes on, it says then Ephraim, 93 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:29,919 which, again, we talked about is number three, Zebulon, number five, Asher, number six, 94 00:11:30,379 --> 00:11:37,080 Naphtali, number seven, and Dan, number eight, each failed to completely drive out the inhabitants 95 00:11:37,639 --> 00:11:45,759 of their allotted territories. So failure was on the scene. Think about this. When God gives you 96 00:11:45,759 --> 00:11:53,519 several things to accomplish, and you go to him, and you've not accomplished them, how do you feel? 97 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:59,340 I feel embarrassed, only because I know that God wants me to do this, this, and this. 98 00:11:59,659 --> 00:12:04,340 All right, Lord, okay, we'll get to that. And then you keep procrastinating and doing. 99 00:12:04,340 --> 00:12:10,279 So little or big here, it's the idea that if he gives you a goal, he wants you to fulfill it, 100 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:17,700 because he is the one that is in charge of our lives. Now, it says further that many Canaanites 101 00:12:17,700 --> 00:12:24,379 remained in the land. Some became forced labor instead of being removed. Was that sufficient for 102 00:12:24,379 --> 00:12:30,660 God? Not at all, because he wanted to annihilate them and get rid of them and get them out of 103 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:36,080 land. And okay, well, we'll make them have forced labor. And then at the last, it says, 104 00:12:36,259 --> 00:12:42,299 and the Amorites pushed the tribe of Dan into the hill country because they wanted to stay 105 00:12:42,299 --> 00:12:50,240 there passionately, and Dan could not get rid of them. So that's a treatise of eight of the tribes 106 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:57,200 not doing the fulfilling of the gospel, or not the gospel, but of the goal that 107 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:02,580 God set before them. And if you remember, we talked about last time that I was together, 108 00:13:02,860 --> 00:13:10,179 the Urim and the Thumen, and we bring that together again where it says up in those yellow words, 109 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:17,620 chosen to lead, and that's how they knew who to do and what to do is because in the breastplate 110 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:24,200 there were two stones. I think they were stones. Nobody really knows. But the answer was yes on 111 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:29,980 one and no on the other. And you had to ask God a question to the priests, am I going to go to lunch 112 00:13:29,980 --> 00:13:34,519 with Bob today? And then he would go in there and he would pull out one and maybe yes or no. 113 00:13:34,899 --> 00:13:41,320 That's the way they communicated, a very cold relationship at best. But that's what the 114 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:46,679 modus operandi was. Now, remember, we talked about Phineas, the high priest. 115 00:13:47,340 --> 00:13:55,679 Again, last time he followed God and his laws passionately. So again, it is presumed at this 116 00:13:55,679 --> 00:14:00,679 point in time, as it's just a data point, that Phineas, the high priest, inquired of the Lord 117 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:09,160 because there was no other hierarchy in place at this point in time. Again, who died? Moses the 118 00:14:09,309 --> 00:14:16,549 leader. Joshua was gone. Now we have all of a sudden these integral people that were, again, 119 00:14:16,710 --> 00:14:22,929 part of the formulation, done away with, gone to heaven, and here we are. Look at this. Look 120 00:14:22,929 --> 00:14:30,769 at these words. Just imagine the idea. Chosen to lead, gained victory, could not drive out, 121 00:14:30,769 --> 00:14:39,970 fails, captures, also failed, each failed. Canaanites remained in the land, pushed the tribe, 122 00:14:40,330 --> 00:14:46,970 the Amorites pushed the tribe of Dan into the hill country. Not what God wanted. 123 00:14:48,429 --> 00:14:56,289 Okay. What God's commands to Israel to do with the nations living in the Promised Land. This 124 00:14:56,289 --> 00:15:03,870 is his original treatise. This is what you are to do. First off, God commanded them to remove 125 00:15:03,870 --> 00:15:11,149 the Canaanite people. In Exodus 23, 31, I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hands, 126 00:15:11,149 --> 00:15:17,889 and you shall drive them out before you. So that was his promise. Is that promise conditional? 127 00:15:23,230 --> 00:15:35,110 Yeah, because why? What was the stipulation? Yeah. So the leading of the Lord was such that 128 00:15:35,110 --> 00:15:39,970 they started to compromise in their own thoughts, and we'll get into that. God wanted them to 129 00:15:40,210 --> 00:15:48,309 destroy all the religious influences. Deuteronomy 12.23. You shall, again, surely destroy all the 130 00:15:48,309 --> 00:15:56,009 places where the nations, serving their Gods, and you shall tear down their altars and burn 131 00:15:56,009 --> 00:16:03,549 their ashram, meaning the wooden cult objects that they worship, with fire. They didn't do all that. 132 00:16:03,549 --> 00:16:10,370 They did some of it. Well, Lord, I started your accomplishments. I'm doing what you asked me to 133 00:16:10,370 --> 00:16:15,289 do. Well, how long ago did he speak to you? And are you doing that? Are you actively doing 134 00:16:15,289 --> 00:16:22,490 what his bidding is? God commanded them to not intermarry with the Canaanites, to dilute 135 00:16:23,389 --> 00:16:29,590 the population. In Deuteronomy 7.3, it says, you shall not intermarry with them. In other words, 136 00:16:29,590 --> 00:16:36,669 they were only to marry within the 12 tribes of Israel. God commanded them not to practice 137 00:16:36,669 --> 00:16:45,129 the Canaanite worship and religious rituals. In Leviticus 18.3, do not practice the customs of 138 00:16:45,129 --> 00:16:52,289 Egypt and those of Canaan. So there were certain limitations that he put on them for their own 139 00:16:52,289 --> 00:16:59,250 protection. Now, if anybody was cheated with a lozinger, and once you want to have an extra 140 00:16:59,250 --> 00:17:05,109 one here, okay, you can have it. So my voice will go if I don't get something to soothe it. 141 00:17:06,250 --> 00:17:21,650 All right. God commanded certain Canaanite nations to complete destruction. Deuteronomy 7. You must 142 00:17:21,650 --> 00:17:29,309 destroy them, get rid of them, whatever. And then God commanded them not to make any covenants or 143 00:17:29,309 --> 00:17:38,789 treaties with the Canaanites. In Exodus 23.32.33, you shall make no covenant with them and their 144 00:17:38,789 --> 00:17:47,910 Gods. Don't let them stay in your land. They will trap you into sinning against me and worship 145 00:17:47,910 --> 00:17:55,849 their Gods. So here we have a very damning statement. This is what you need to do. You 146 00:17:55,849 --> 00:18:01,970 need to annihilate them and push them out. That's just like our life. John, this is what you need 147 00:18:01,970 --> 00:18:08,450 to do here. And then you think about it and then you want to, well, you know, I have so many friends 148 00:18:08,450 --> 00:18:14,250 or maybe this and maybe that. And then you start to compromise and think and you want to save face 149 00:18:14,250 --> 00:18:19,430 and you hymn around. You don't do what God wants you to do. That's the same thing here except it 150 00:18:19,430 --> 00:18:25,549 was nations that they were dealing with. It's just like on our own heart. Will we do what God 151 00:18:25,549 --> 00:18:33,690 wants us to do? That's the question before us. Will we exercise our authority in any given 152 00:18:33,690 --> 00:18:42,089 situation that God puts us in and calls us to do? So now let's make this statement. Practical 153 00:18:42,089 --> 00:18:48,450 obedience is still disobedience. Well, I got half of them out. Is that good enough? No, that's not. 154 00:18:48,829 --> 00:18:56,450 All of them to be destroyed and pushed out. Joshua was really the glue, the last remnants 155 00:18:56,970 --> 00:19:03,430 of the 12 tribes holding them together as a nation. After his death, things changed. 156 00:19:04,009 --> 00:19:10,269 And we buried Joshua and now we're into judges. And the judges were there to try to reconcile 157 00:19:10,269 --> 00:19:18,430 and bring the people back to the original intent to be pure before the Lord. Israel's 158 00:19:18,430 --> 00:19:26,029 cycle of sin began to slowly accelerate as they got into the land. Oh, the land's good. Remember, 159 00:19:26,150 --> 00:19:31,390 it was on land with milk and honey. They didn't have to start vineyards. They didn't have to 160 00:19:31,950 --> 00:19:36,789 build houses from start. They moved in and inherited all the people that they 161 00:19:36,789 --> 00:19:49,569 pushed out of the land. So slowly, life became good, as it were. And as we remember earlier, 162 00:19:50,029 --> 00:19:59,049 we remembered that in chapter 23, I think of the last, let's see where we went, into 163 00:20:00,389 --> 00:20:08,430 Joshua, that the land rested. So he wanted them to rest. Okay. So let's talk about them moving in. 164 00:20:08,569 --> 00:20:16,390 Here they are. What is the cycle that began so slowly but then accelerated through this entire 165 00:20:16,390 --> 00:20:24,069 book? First, there's sin. Practicing idolatry. If you remember in one of my teachings, 166 00:20:24,069 --> 00:20:30,349 actually, when they left Egypt, they took a blanket of a God and they took a God, and they 167 00:20:30,349 --> 00:20:35,009 were continually worshipping that even when he did all these miracles. Other people were 168 00:20:35,009 --> 00:20:42,109 doing things. It wasn't a pure sense of them 100% committing. And we did a graph. About 169 00:20:42,670 --> 00:20:49,089 one in eight served the Lord passionately. The rest of the people were just kind of gone 170 00:20:49,089 --> 00:20:54,049 long. And as you know the story, they criticized Moses very quickly when things didn't happen 171 00:20:54,049 --> 00:21:02,390 their way. Okay. Judgment then comes. That's the spiritual compromise that they experienced. 172 00:21:03,170 --> 00:21:09,329 And they fell prey to their enemies. Oh, but dad, this is a beautiful woman. I love her. 173 00:21:09,549 --> 00:21:15,789 But she comes from across the river in another tribe. Bless me. Nothing was said. 174 00:21:15,789 --> 00:21:23,629 The marriage had started. The assimilation slowly but surely of destruction and annihilation of the 175 00:21:24,849 --> 00:21:33,990 Israel that we know. So then deliverance cries for help, rather. They were oppressed. They cried out, 176 00:21:34,549 --> 00:21:42,230 Lord, help us. They cried to God for help. And who came? God showed up. He brought deliverance. 177 00:21:42,230 --> 00:21:50,710 God in his mercy would send a deliverer, a judge, in this case. So this cycle keeps going around. 178 00:21:50,970 --> 00:21:54,950 They repent. They say, okay. And how many of us ever came to God and said, Lord, 179 00:21:55,190 --> 00:22:01,329 I'll never do that again if you get me out of this? That's what I call Agnew plea bargaining. 180 00:22:01,609 --> 00:22:07,250 If you know Vice President Agnew way back when, and I date myself, he plea bargained to maintain 181 00:22:07,250 --> 00:22:11,950 his vice presidency condition that he would do this and this if they only wouldn't remove him. 182 00:22:12,230 --> 00:22:17,609 So sometimes we plea bargain to the fact that, Lord, I will do this. I'll never do this again. 183 00:22:18,769 --> 00:22:26,470 And long behold, sin in our life takes over once again and we find ourselves at the cross saying, 184 00:22:26,470 --> 00:22:33,390 Lord, forgive me. And that is truly a cycle that many people live in. Okay. 185 00:22:34,470 --> 00:22:41,109 Question now. Why do you think Israel remained united during Joshua's leadership? 186 00:22:41,830 --> 00:22:46,250 Now, see, it's broken. He's dead. They buried him. They're into the land. They're rested. 187 00:22:47,210 --> 00:22:52,470 New form of leadership. Judges. No king. 188 00:22:58,110 --> 00:23:00,569 Why is that? Oh, Gail. Good. Go ahead. 189 00:23:01,809 --> 00:23:07,029 Because when Joshua first took over as leader, he said to the people, 190 00:23:07,829 --> 00:23:12,329 I've decided that my family is going to follow after God. You need to make the same decision, 191 00:23:12,349 --> 00:23:15,970 whether you're going to follow God or go your own way. What are you going to do? 192 00:23:16,589 --> 00:23:19,289 And they they decided to side with him and go with the Lord. 193 00:23:20,609 --> 00:23:25,150 But that was as long as he lived. But once he was dead, that leadership was gone. 194 00:23:25,309 --> 00:23:31,470 That's right. That word is then obedience that he did. He did the bidding of God. 195 00:23:32,149 --> 00:23:37,009 And all of a sudden now he's gone. And now we have to fend for ourself. Yes. 196 00:23:38,789 --> 00:23:44,029 I do. I think it is also his obedience, but I think it was Joshua and Caleb believed God. 197 00:23:45,069 --> 00:23:48,549 They were the only two that believed him and obeyed and went into the promised land and 198 00:23:48,549 --> 00:23:53,509 and said, yeah, we can we can win this. And they did. They had faith. 199 00:23:55,049 --> 00:24:00,170 And all of them said yes and amen. No, they didn't, right? No. They spent another 40 years 200 00:24:00,170 --> 00:24:04,529 marching around the wilderness, getting the getting the people that denied the power of God 201 00:24:04,529 --> 00:24:10,349 dead and buried in the sand until a new generation came up. Any other thoughts? 202 00:24:12,750 --> 00:24:16,990 Oh, yes. OK, now I can only go back so far here. 203 00:24:19,230 --> 00:24:24,430 I'm just I'm just a little confused. I understand God as a loving, peaceful man. 204 00:24:25,390 --> 00:24:31,950 And it appears to me he pushes death to anybody doesn't believe in him. 205 00:24:32,630 --> 00:24:35,289 Is that am I correct? That was the old that was the old covenant. 206 00:24:36,569 --> 00:24:45,130 Now, couldn't be like a change of heart as far as converting them rather than killing them. 207 00:24:45,250 --> 00:24:49,609 I mean, killing them is a heart is very harsh and it doesn't and it doesn't really appear 208 00:24:50,570 --> 00:24:56,569 to be aligned with our truth. Well, we're speaking from the new covenant, 209 00:24:57,210 --> 00:25:03,470 which is a forgiving God and merciful. He wishes that all would come to him. 210 00:25:04,750 --> 00:25:11,589 And remember, when we come, we have the Holy Spirit to abide within us to become a different 211 00:25:11,589 --> 00:25:18,470 person. Think about the Israelite in the old covenant. All they were when they brought their 212 00:25:18,470 --> 00:25:25,670 sacrifices is reminded of their sin. There was again, there was atonement. But then every year 213 00:25:25,670 --> 00:25:33,049 they had to come about and remind themselves of sin. So the quality of that life was not the 214 00:25:33,049 --> 00:25:39,829 quality of life in the Holy Spirit that you and I have. It was a law that was invoked so that 215 00:25:39,829 --> 00:25:44,569 they would follow. And we know that God said, OK, that doesn't work. We're going to do away 216 00:25:44,569 --> 00:25:48,970 with that. I'm going to send Jesus down and bring forgiveness to the entire world. 217 00:25:49,869 --> 00:25:56,309 So now we live on the side where there is what? There's no condemnation in Christ Jesus. There is 218 00:25:56,309 --> 00:26:01,730 love. There is peace. There's meaningful. And he doesn't want anybody to perish. He certainly 219 00:26:01,730 --> 00:26:08,829 doesn't. It says what? In the Bible that none should perish, right? So there's a difference 220 00:26:08,829 --> 00:26:14,009 between the old covenant and the new. All I can say is this, that I am glad and I hope you are 221 00:26:14,009 --> 00:26:21,549 too, that you live in the new covenant and have the blessings and the power and the anointing 222 00:26:21,549 --> 00:26:30,630 in your life to withstand the drawing of these things. Canaanite women, Asherah poles of worship, 223 00:26:31,369 --> 00:26:36,730 Gods of fertility and all that goes along with that. We have the power within us. They did not. 224 00:26:37,450 --> 00:26:43,789 I make a comment on the annihilation of the peoples. I was watching a documentary when Saul, 225 00:26:44,150 --> 00:26:50,029 King Saul, was told to kill the Amalekites, all of them, fox herds, babies. And he didn't. 226 00:26:51,130 --> 00:26:57,049 Well, of course, Esther comes into play with Haman. Well, the documentary showed that 227 00:26:57,049 --> 00:27:04,210 Yasser Arafat was a descendant of all that. And he was a terrorist. It shows you that God, 228 00:27:04,210 --> 00:27:08,150 it makes God look bad, but he knows what he's doing, getting rid of the people. 229 00:27:08,490 --> 00:27:14,670 Well, remember, he is righteous. He cannot live where there's sin. And so he once, through his 230 00:27:14,670 --> 00:27:21,450 power, through Jesus Christ, to bring us to purity so that we can fellowship. Until that happens, 231 00:27:21,549 --> 00:27:26,390 we can't fellowship. But the Old Testament was such that what? They had to bring their 232 00:27:26,390 --> 00:27:31,349 offering yearly. They had to repent. They had to go through all that. So now, December, 233 00:27:31,349 --> 00:27:38,210 I think 13th, was their celebration. They all did that. Okay, from December 14th, on through the 234 00:27:38,210 --> 00:27:42,890 whole year until, I'm going to go about my own way. So that's pretty hard to do 235 00:27:42,890 --> 00:27:49,210 when you think about it, in trying to live the righteous life as was required of them. 236 00:27:50,730 --> 00:27:52,150 Okay. Yes, Debbie? 237 00:27:52,869 --> 00:27:58,269 I was just going to say, I think sometimes, because we're so removed from it, 238 00:27:58,269 --> 00:28:05,089 it's hard to remember that this was really harsh. But it was harsh because God was trying to 239 00:28:05,089 --> 00:28:11,369 establish a nation set apart, a nation that was holy that the rest of the world could look at 240 00:28:11,369 --> 00:28:19,650 and understand who God was. And it sounds contradictory to have him push people out, 241 00:28:19,950 --> 00:28:24,509 and there was so much murder and mayhem back then. And I don't know, 242 00:28:24,509 --> 00:28:30,390 I've been in conversations about, was there a bloodlust in men back then? Whatever it was. 243 00:28:31,069 --> 00:28:38,349 But for us to not take a moment, just realize that this was really harsh, 244 00:28:39,769 --> 00:28:49,269 just makes us more appreciative of who Jesus is. And we can live as that city on the hill now, 245 00:28:49,269 --> 00:28:51,630 even though we still struggle with all the same things. 246 00:28:52,270 --> 00:28:58,609 Think about this. He's merciful now, but what happens when people leave this life? 247 00:28:59,569 --> 00:29:03,710 There is a judgment. There is a decision that we make now. If we don't make it, 248 00:29:03,990 --> 00:29:10,190 we are destined for eternity without God. That's a horrible feeling to think. All of us that know 249 00:29:10,190 --> 00:29:15,930 what salvation is, and as we walk in it, thank you, Lord, that we know where we're going when 250 00:29:15,930 --> 00:29:22,150 we die. If we die a natural death, if we die in a car accident, God forbid, 251 00:29:22,490 --> 00:29:29,349 if we die of extenuating circumstances, we know where we are going. There is no question. 252 00:29:29,650 --> 00:29:34,269 And that is blessing to us on the inside to know that. 253 00:29:34,990 --> 00:29:35,829 Okay. 254 00:29:40,570 --> 00:29:48,390 Because, again, my input, his Godly leadership, beginning with his personal obedience, 255 00:29:49,470 --> 00:29:56,549 was what we were talking about. That's what Gail said. Joshua 11.15 says this of Joshua. 256 00:29:57,190 --> 00:30:05,690 Joshua left nothing, nothing undone of all that God had commanded Moses. So there again, 257 00:30:05,869 --> 00:30:11,029 that's the difference. Well, I almost did. Well, there's some people in the land that 258 00:30:11,029 --> 00:30:18,049 we made a covenant with. That's okay. We got 90% of them. No. What he wanted was annihilation, 259 00:30:18,910 --> 00:30:25,190 freedom in that land to be the example to the world. And Joshua, because of his closeness 260 00:30:25,190 --> 00:30:32,170 following God and his example, people followed in those footsteps. But now he's gone. 261 00:30:33,170 --> 00:30:39,289 So another question. Why is it dangerous for God's people to depend only on a human leader 262 00:30:39,289 --> 00:30:44,829 rather than maintaining a personal relationship with God? Why is that? 263 00:30:49,389 --> 00:30:56,609 What happens to us? What could happen to us? You know, I'm depending upon Chris's faithfulness 264 00:30:56,609 --> 00:31:02,390 to the kingdom of God to get me through. When I ask prayer for him, I know he'll pray for me. 265 00:31:03,990 --> 00:31:04,890 Is that it? 266 00:31:07,710 --> 00:31:13,450 I think we all know that we all have to depend on the Holy Spirit to guide each one of us 267 00:31:13,450 --> 00:31:18,369 personally. And God is an individual God, and he has a plan for each one of us personally, 268 00:31:18,390 --> 00:31:25,069 and he has a command for each one of us. And we have to follow that not a person who doesn't 269 00:31:25,069 --> 00:31:36,490 know our heart, but God does. If we don't follow God, and we follow man only, we could wind up 270 00:31:36,490 --> 00:31:45,650 like Jim Jones's followers. I mean, we have to study the Word of God and talk to the Lord daily 271 00:31:45,650 --> 00:31:55,230 and follow his lead and not a man's. And when leadership tells us something different than what 272 00:31:55,230 --> 00:32:01,910 we see in the book, who do we follow? The book. Because that is different than what is the 273 00:32:01,910 --> 00:32:10,309 abiding truth that we have. Okay. So we have that. Let's see what else I come up with. 274 00:32:12,430 --> 00:32:19,170 Uh-oh. All right. Human leaders are imperfect. Great disappointment sets in if they fail. 275 00:32:19,730 --> 00:32:24,329 Well, I'll never go back to that church again because they failed me. 276 00:32:25,089 --> 00:32:30,569 Depending upon a leader stunts your growth because you're depending upon him, 277 00:32:30,569 --> 00:32:37,430 not the personal relationship. Because I have a relationship with Chris, but he does not know the 278 00:32:37,430 --> 00:32:43,710 intents of my heart like the Lord does. So he can only go so far in his discipling and his mentoring 279 00:32:43,710 --> 00:32:52,529 of me, but God, he deals with us what? Room after room in our heart, and hopefully if we allow him, 280 00:32:52,829 --> 00:33:00,329 turn that darkness into light. Okay. And personal relationship with God is the only thing 281 00:33:00,329 --> 00:33:08,430 that lasts. Well, let's see. We won't talk about Chris going before me, so we won't do that. Okay. 282 00:33:10,210 --> 00:33:15,950 All right. What were specific failures of the Israelites? Let's take a look at that. 283 00:33:17,849 --> 00:33:23,690 Israel, again, practiced idolatry. They always did. They never gave it up, at least in some parts. 284 00:33:24,490 --> 00:33:29,829 They worship Baal and the Asherah poles and Gods. In Deuteronomy 7.3.4, 285 00:33:30,170 --> 00:33:37,970 for they would turn away your sons from following me and serve other Gods if you began to do that. 286 00:33:38,870 --> 00:33:48,990 Compromise as subtle as it may be. Influencing Israel morally. This is, again, through temptation. 287 00:33:49,630 --> 00:33:57,509 They practiced temple prostitution. Imagine that, prostitution in the temple. They practiced sexual 288 00:33:57,509 --> 00:34:06,789 immorality. They practiced child sacrifice. They practiced occult practices. And they practiced 289 00:34:06,789 --> 00:34:15,190 fertility rights and rituals. All these things they did outside of the worship that was still 290 00:34:15,190 --> 00:34:23,690 in the temple. Spiritual compromise. Again, Israel adopted pagan practices. They continued foreign 291 00:34:26,410 --> 00:34:32,449 presence, continued foreign presence, excuse me, brought constant temptation and conflict. 292 00:34:33,809 --> 00:34:37,230 How many know people that have gotten into situations where one couple, 293 00:34:37,570 --> 00:34:42,590 when they got married, one person knew the Lord and the other didn't? That becomes difficult 294 00:34:43,670 --> 00:34:49,989 because you are pulling one way, wanting to follow God, and the other person may not be 295 00:34:49,989 --> 00:34:57,269 committed to where you want to go. That's that constant challenge. Israel intermarried with 296 00:34:57,269 --> 00:35:03,829 other tribes. They married Canaanites. They adopted their customs. In Judges 3, 5, and 6 says, 297 00:35:03,949 --> 00:35:10,250 they took their daughters to themselves for wives and served other Gods. Taking the daughter 298 00:35:11,050 --> 00:35:17,630 is one thing. And then as it comes, she comes into your tent. She brings her idols. What do you do? 299 00:35:17,730 --> 00:35:25,210 How do you respond? And so forth and so on. They, again, repeated wars and oppression took place 300 00:35:25,210 --> 00:35:33,630 because of this. The tribes regrouped, rebuilt, and attacked Israel again and again and again. 301 00:35:34,450 --> 00:35:43,690 Judges 2, 2, and 3, they shall become thorns in your side and their Gods shall be a snare to you. 302 00:35:43,710 --> 00:35:48,050 That was the prophetic application there of the scripture if they didn't follow him. 303 00:35:49,750 --> 00:35:58,730 Now, another question. In your estimation now, did Israel become indistinguishable from the 304 00:35:58,730 --> 00:36:04,010 surrounding nations? Were they just like them? What do you think about that? 305 00:36:12,829 --> 00:36:19,909 Could you tell them differently? Could you tell them apart, saved, unsaved? 306 00:36:20,809 --> 00:36:26,630 I wouldn't say they're exactly the same because the people knew they were different, you know, 307 00:36:26,630 --> 00:36:32,489 like at least in theory they had another God. Like it might have seemed like they adapted 308 00:36:32,489 --> 00:36:39,349 or adopted a lot of the same culturally cultural and religious, but they were still different. 309 00:36:39,690 --> 00:36:48,409 Like they knew they're different, you know. Well, it is totally agnostic and a foreigner 310 00:36:48,409 --> 00:36:54,230 in your own land. Israel comes along. A hundred is there. Where is Israel in that number? Just 311 00:36:54,230 --> 00:37:02,590 a distance of thought. Yeah, maybe 50, 50 percent, something like that. 50, like half in, half out. 312 00:37:04,610 --> 00:37:05,650 Anybody else have a thought? 313 00:37:09,070 --> 00:37:13,150 All quiet tonight. All right, let me show something to you. 314 00:37:14,349 --> 00:37:19,170 It may be surprising to you what God thought of Israel. 315 00:37:19,170 --> 00:37:29,369 Well, the very nations Israel was commanded to drive out had become a, again, a moral 316 00:37:32,589 --> 00:37:44,010 comparison that God wanted to get rid of, and it described Israel in the light of that. 317 00:37:44,010 --> 00:37:51,489 Ezekiel 5, 7, therefore, thus said the Lord God, because you have multiplied disobedience 318 00:37:52,410 --> 00:38:00,829 more than other nations that are all around you. More. Not even, not as bad. 319 00:38:01,670 --> 00:38:11,630 2nd Colossians 33, 9, Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations around them had done 320 00:38:11,630 --> 00:38:18,989 whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. They were actually worse, why? Because 321 00:38:18,989 --> 00:38:27,489 they knew of a better covenant. They knew God. They knew of him. And now they backslid, 322 00:38:27,670 --> 00:38:34,929 and he said, you're worse than the nations. Now, let's look at a summary table of resistance 323 00:38:34,929 --> 00:38:43,250 fighting that came along because they compromised. The Midianites destroyed Israel's crops time and 324 00:38:43,250 --> 00:38:47,289 again. They'd come in, and they'd raid the land, and they'd destroy them, and they wouldn't have 325 00:38:47,289 --> 00:38:53,969 enough to eat, and they were pestilence. And Judges 6, Israel became so afraid that they 326 00:38:53,969 --> 00:38:58,230 hid in caves. Oh, my gosh, here come the Midianites again. They're going to destroy us. 327 00:38:58,269 --> 00:39:01,969 Let's go hide. They were actually afraid. What happens if they would have destroyed the 328 00:39:02,150 --> 00:39:06,750 Midianites? They wouldn't have had this problem. A constant thorn in the side of Israel. 329 00:39:08,429 --> 00:39:15,389 The Philistines. The Philistines became Israel's greatest enemy during Judges and into the days of 330 00:39:15,389 --> 00:39:21,530 Samuel and David. They were always warring against Israel in some form or fashion. 331 00:39:22,030 --> 00:39:29,829 They oppressed Israel during Samson's lifetime. The Ammonites and Moabites repeatedly attacked 332 00:39:29,829 --> 00:39:36,929 Israel because they had never been fully subdued. They were not a conquered nation. In some 333 00:39:36,929 --> 00:39:46,909 instances, we read in the book of Judges, going ahead a little bit, that they conquered and 334 00:39:46,909 --> 00:39:51,750 made slaves. Okay, that's one thing. But here, some of them weren't even conquered at the point 335 00:39:51,750 --> 00:39:57,050 of time of being made slaves, so there was always a resistance, always a fight going on. 336 00:39:57,690 --> 00:40:06,349 They, again, caused repeated oppression to Israel. So this is the commonality or the result of what 337 00:40:06,349 --> 00:40:13,889 we now have. So what does this oppression teach us about the long-term consequences 338 00:40:13,889 --> 00:40:21,510 of spiritual compromise? Apply it to your own heart. So we compromise. Well, the Lord still 339 00:40:21,510 --> 00:40:28,050 loves me. He gave himself up for me. I didn't finish all of his plan, but that's okay. 340 00:40:29,570 --> 00:40:35,329 What about that? You're shaking your head no? No, because he's going to discipline you and 341 00:40:35,329 --> 00:40:40,869 bring you back. He's always trying to draw you to him. In one form or another? Yeah, and if he 342 00:40:40,869 --> 00:40:47,449 sees you swaying, he's going to do something to get you back. Yeah, right? We deserve it. Yeah, 343 00:40:48,010 --> 00:40:57,329 all right. Any other thoughts? All right. Okay. Thank you. Thank you for your participation. 344 00:40:59,970 --> 00:41:08,989 And another question. Why is it easy? Now, this gets a little bit testy. Why is it easy to forget 345 00:41:08,989 --> 00:41:21,650 God's faithfulness after a season of blessing? We're just like the Israelites, right? In some form 346 00:41:21,650 --> 00:41:30,170 of fashion. Yes. You're going to have to go that half mile there and get that mic. Thank you. 347 00:41:30,349 --> 00:41:34,530 Just in my opinion. All right. That's okay. Every moment is a blessing. 348 00:41:35,050 --> 00:41:42,010 People tend to forget that. You know, you wake up super excited. We have 75 trillion cells. You 349 00:41:42,010 --> 00:41:48,630 know, each cell has 24,000 life units. They never make a mistake. And their goal is to keep you 350 00:41:48,630 --> 00:41:53,389 happy. That's their only goal in life. So we have relationships that don't work. It doesn't 351 00:41:53,389 --> 00:41:58,550 really matter. Your body loves you so much. We have diseases in this world. It doesn't 352 00:41:58,550 --> 00:42:04,289 really matter. Body's using its forces to protect you. Every moment is a blessing. That's 353 00:42:04,289 --> 00:42:08,989 why it's really hard because people tend to forget our own blessings and what God has given 354 00:42:08,989 --> 00:42:19,989 us as our truth. We come to a custom to what God's done for us. Have we not? Yeah. And then 355 00:42:19,989 --> 00:42:29,889 sometimes we expect it. Roger. We get comfortable. Oh, yes. Life is good. Easy chair. Bills are paid. 356 00:42:30,690 --> 00:42:38,550 Yeah. Don't need the Lord today. All right. Yes. Yes. Thank you for sitting in the front row. 357 00:42:40,769 --> 00:42:46,829 I think sometimes when times are easy, people can think that they can do it without them. 358 00:42:47,670 --> 00:42:53,389 Yeah. All right. I got this, God. Yep. Yep. They think that 359 00:42:54,529 --> 00:42:57,650 they can do it on their own strength and not rely on his. 360 00:42:58,369 --> 00:43:05,550 So the question that we ask ourselves, I ask you, you ask your significant other or whatever, 361 00:43:06,230 --> 00:43:12,550 can you exist the life that you have now without the Lord? Absolutely not. I mean, 362 00:43:12,570 --> 00:43:18,130 it may not change in the first week or month or maybe year, but things will deteriorate as we are 363 00:43:18,130 --> 00:43:24,849 seeing here in the life of the Israelites. It's a story that can be retold and retold 364 00:43:24,849 --> 00:43:31,469 generationally. Okay. Let's do a comparison with Israel and us. 365 00:43:34,469 --> 00:43:42,329 Israel sinned. We know that. We began to drift from God through compromise and neglect, 366 00:43:42,329 --> 00:43:49,690 and we'll talk a little bit about what that is. Israel received oppression from the enemy. 367 00:43:50,870 --> 00:43:57,809 We walk in the consequences of our choices. We have struggles. We have broken relationships. 368 00:43:58,210 --> 00:44:07,550 We begin to lose our joy. Okay. We begin to lose our peace. We begin to lose the presence of God. 369 00:44:07,690 --> 00:44:15,070 And that's a very subtle thing, losing the presence of God in your life. Israel cried out for help. 370 00:44:15,070 --> 00:44:25,530 And so we recognize our need to repent. We confess our sins, and we seek God's forgiveness and help, 371 00:44:26,070 --> 00:44:34,190 just like the Israelites. Deliverance by judges. Remember, judges were people like you and I. 372 00:44:35,190 --> 00:44:42,829 They have feet of clay. But God provides help through Jesus Christ, his word, and others. 373 00:44:42,829 --> 00:44:48,710 They encourage and guide us back to him. You see, the strength of the relationship now 374 00:44:48,710 --> 00:44:56,650 has changed from old covenant to new covenant. Peace returns. All is good. And we walk in 375 00:44:56,650 --> 00:45:02,610 repentance and obedience. God restores fellowship, peace, and spiritual strength. 376 00:45:03,449 --> 00:45:08,769 And then the cycle starts all over again. And then they drift. And then cautiously, 377 00:45:08,769 --> 00:45:16,369 if we become spiritually complacent and neglect our relationship that we have with the Lord, 378 00:45:16,570 --> 00:45:26,650 we fall into our old patterns, unfortunately. Question. Why are we often unaware 379 00:45:27,570 --> 00:45:34,530 that we are drifting spiritually? What's that look like? Can I say today publicly, 380 00:45:34,530 --> 00:45:38,949 oh, I'm drifting from the Lord? I would never say that, because I don't think that. 381 00:45:39,550 --> 00:45:44,550 I think part of it is what you see around you. Like I noticed, like when people go to the 382 00:45:44,550 --> 00:45:49,150 football parties, the Super Bowl parties, you find yourself, you know, you're saying, 383 00:45:49,210 --> 00:45:52,989 I'm only going to watch a game. But you don't know how that'll pull you eventually, 384 00:45:52,989 --> 00:45:56,849 and you get camaraderie in that kind of atmosphere. You know what I mean? 385 00:45:56,849 --> 00:46:04,670 I had a friend, a very close friend, his daughter married a somewhat successful 386 00:46:05,590 --> 00:46:14,650 banker. They bought a farm in South Jersey. She was passionately for the Lord. I married them. 387 00:46:15,889 --> 00:46:21,650 And in a year and a half, because he liked horses, they would go to jockey races with the jockey, 388 00:46:21,730 --> 00:46:25,409 you know, the thing. Well, after a while, they didn't go. And what they did Sunday morning, 389 00:46:25,409 --> 00:46:31,409 Saturday morning is get in their SUV, pull a couple of horses and the buggies and all that, 390 00:46:31,510 --> 00:46:37,050 and they were having one great time. And I just wanted to ask them, does this satisfy what you 391 00:46:37,050 --> 00:46:43,469 started out to be as a Christian family? And I just saw that slide slowly begin to take place, 392 00:46:43,710 --> 00:46:47,630 the influences that we have. Yeah, it really is. 393 00:46:49,550 --> 00:46:52,590 One thing we have to remember, too, is that we're in a spiritual battle. 394 00:46:53,070 --> 00:46:59,409 And that the devil wants us to get us far away from God. He wants us to fail in our relationship 395 00:46:59,409 --> 00:47:05,570 with him. He wants us to just not even consider him and put ourselves first. That's our worst 396 00:47:05,570 --> 00:47:12,250 temptation is our pride of ourselves. And so it's easy to slip into that and the Satan will 397 00:47:12,250 --> 00:47:16,269 just take advantage of that and put temptation in front of us that we're going to find that 398 00:47:16,269 --> 00:47:19,769 it's something we really want to do, and we're not even thinking about it. 399 00:47:20,410 --> 00:47:27,809 So true. So true. Any other thoughts? Yes, Debbie. 400 00:47:28,269 --> 00:47:33,309 There's a song that some people might remember. This was back in the 90s from Casting Crowns. 401 00:47:33,349 --> 00:47:38,210 It was called A Slow Fade. And the words were, if I remember right, 402 00:47:38,909 --> 00:47:46,610 it's a slow fade when you give yourself away. It's a slow fade when black and white turn to gray. 403 00:47:47,349 --> 00:47:54,150 And then it was just like, thoughts invade, choices are made, and it's a slow fade. 404 00:47:54,630 --> 00:48:02,010 And that's what I believe that's how that demonic realm tries to get us distracted. 405 00:48:02,690 --> 00:48:08,429 Yeah, it's unfortunate. We all have friends that have been passionate for the Lord, 406 00:48:08,690 --> 00:48:12,409 and we can look back on their lives and see them begin to slide. 407 00:48:13,010 --> 00:48:19,050 There's one thing that you have to remember as your sphere of influence increases in God. 408 00:48:19,530 --> 00:48:24,489 When God opens doors of service to you, and you do things, and you have an awareness, 409 00:48:25,070 --> 00:48:30,730 and people are aware of your ministries of whatever that may be, all the more Satan wants 410 00:48:30,730 --> 00:48:35,630 to come in and grab that and pull that away from you because then that, well, 411 00:48:35,710 --> 00:48:41,090 look at John Kratz. He used to be blah, blah, blah. Whereas if you're neutral at best, 412 00:48:41,650 --> 00:48:46,309 there's no occasion for Satan to really come and annihilate your wellbeing, 413 00:48:46,929 --> 00:48:50,309 because you're not doing plus or minus. You're in neutral position. 414 00:48:51,050 --> 00:48:54,670 You know, I was also, you know, saying that, I'm thinking, I should say that 415 00:48:55,250 --> 00:49:01,449 some time ago, my husband and I canceled our cable, because I saw something by Billy Graham 416 00:49:01,449 --> 00:49:08,710 that said that Satan will flash across your mind media, TV, magazines, and books. 417 00:49:08,710 --> 00:49:11,690 He says he'll try as hard as, especially if you're trying to follow the Lord, 418 00:49:11,769 --> 00:49:18,730 he's going to be more aggressive. And I found that tearing off the TV and isolating myself 419 00:49:19,269 --> 00:49:24,730 and being with Jim and beating the Lord every day, the stronger you get, 420 00:49:25,010 --> 00:49:29,630 the more the armor gets thicker. Do I make sense? You know what I mean? 421 00:49:30,690 --> 00:49:34,630 But I find that because of the way the world is and where you work, 422 00:49:36,009 --> 00:49:38,510 it's hard to have camaraderie. Yes, it is. 423 00:49:38,670 --> 00:49:44,070 Very hard. We have to know that when we walk in the room of a series of unsafe people, 424 00:49:44,150 --> 00:49:50,510 that we are the one with the authority. It's how we use it. It's interesting to understand 425 00:49:51,730 --> 00:49:56,230 today what goes on in the world. And I said to my kids when they were young, 426 00:49:56,349 --> 00:50:00,010 you know, there will be some day that we will have to turn this TV off, 427 00:50:00,050 --> 00:50:02,650 instead of just governing you and all this. Well, long behold, 428 00:50:02,650 --> 00:50:09,250 I think there is two programs a week, two hours a week that we watch our TV, you know. 429 00:50:09,630 --> 00:50:11,449 And I saw something in poster that said, 430 00:50:11,530 --> 00:50:14,829 the greatest moment that I could see is people are weirdos. 431 00:50:15,730 --> 00:50:18,970 Yeah. Yeah. Just don't take... 432 00:50:21,610 --> 00:50:27,710 Yeah, right. Yeah, that's good. Yeah. And I will confess, 433 00:50:27,710 --> 00:50:34,789 yes. My one hour of TV is, everybody loves Raymond. I just love that show. 434 00:50:37,789 --> 00:50:40,710 Yes. Yeah. 435 00:50:41,789 --> 00:50:47,809 I think personally, this is some personal. I really am more aware when I spiritually drift away, 436 00:50:48,590 --> 00:50:51,989 when I just don't really obey the conviction. Yeah. 437 00:50:52,389 --> 00:50:54,510 Because this is the Holy Spirit that keeps me on track. 438 00:50:55,230 --> 00:50:58,150 I don't try to keep on track. I know He keeps me on track. 439 00:50:58,650 --> 00:51:02,650 I really know that when I intentionally do that, I'm in trouble. 440 00:51:03,929 --> 00:51:08,730 Well, you have said a lot. You know when God's dealing with you. Now, 441 00:51:08,750 --> 00:51:13,789 what happens with that awareness as it drops off? You don't know after a while. 442 00:51:14,670 --> 00:51:18,590 And consequently, the only real thing that keeps us tight is to be yielded 443 00:51:19,309 --> 00:51:28,130 passionately enough to have a relationship, an abiding peace, and an awareness of Him working 444 00:51:28,130 --> 00:51:34,630 in your life hourly so that you walk that walk and He can whisper in your ear. 445 00:51:34,909 --> 00:51:40,710 Because how many realize that very few times that God comes down and shouts to us, 446 00:51:41,349 --> 00:51:49,429 no, the inner small voice speaks to us. And if we're so busy doing all those important things, 447 00:51:49,469 --> 00:51:55,190 the less we are apt to hear that. Yes, sir. 448 00:51:59,550 --> 00:52:03,110 Uh, just reading the Bible. Yes. 449 00:52:03,610 --> 00:52:09,610 I feel closest to Him when I'm reading it every single day. And if I take even one day off, 450 00:52:10,710 --> 00:52:18,309 I can even, I feel it. And I just, it just starts a terrible cycle. So I just feel like 451 00:52:18,309 --> 00:52:24,889 reading the Bible every single day, making sure that you make that a habit is, it really is. 452 00:52:26,409 --> 00:52:34,550 See what happens when we read, we then assimilate the word, we hear it, we read it. 453 00:52:35,509 --> 00:52:45,809 Then the Holy Spirit takes that word, the essence of the word, and speaks into our conscience. 454 00:52:46,730 --> 00:52:55,230 Our conscience begins to be reformatted and speaks to our flesh. And our flesh then begins to yield 455 00:52:55,230 --> 00:53:02,250 so that God is in control. So where did it start? The word, the prayer, the meditation, 456 00:53:02,250 --> 00:53:11,409 the waiting, all those things fortify things that the Spirit can use to come in and abide in your 457 00:53:11,409 --> 00:53:16,130 life and control your life. We already know that the Spirit should be on top and the salt's underneath. 458 00:53:16,610 --> 00:53:31,809 And when that flips, that's a war and a battle. How do we keep that from happening? You said the 459 00:53:31,809 --> 00:53:39,190 presence in our life cripples our ability to hear God. Why no presence? What happened? 460 00:53:40,090 --> 00:53:47,070 Because we allow the sounds of life to draw down and out the still small voice within us. Think 461 00:53:47,070 --> 00:53:57,449 about this. Debbie and I are talking in a tone like this and there's a radio playing. And as we 462 00:53:57,449 --> 00:54:04,489 meander through life and as we are not aware, and things may get louder in our communication, 463 00:54:04,730 --> 00:54:10,030 not indifference, but just in the passion of life and the communication, and we don't hear it and 464 00:54:10,030 --> 00:54:15,750 the volume keeps going down and down and down. After all, you don't even hear it. God wants to 465 00:54:15,750 --> 00:54:20,170 speak to us, but the still small voice doesn't get louder. There's only one time in my life that 466 00:54:20,269 --> 00:54:27,449 God audibly gave me a word. And I can remember it as this freshest yesterday. The single word 467 00:54:27,449 --> 00:54:35,070 was move. And that's when my wife started to get difficulty with MS. We had a very large vault 468 00:54:35,070 --> 00:54:42,210 house, wonderful five bedrooms, three beds, the whole bit. And it basically was a two income house. 469 00:54:44,289 --> 00:54:51,210 And we moved into 1200 square feet. It was a pink house. It was ugly. My wife cried. She said, 470 00:54:51,329 --> 00:54:56,630 is this all we got after all these wonderful things? Yeah, well, that's what it is. But out 471 00:54:56,630 --> 00:55:01,869 of that, we reformatted the whole house. We loved it. But it was a one income house. She 472 00:55:01,869 --> 00:55:05,909 didn't have to work. So it took the pressure off her. And that one word before we moved, 473 00:55:05,909 --> 00:55:13,869 one winter day, I heard move. Oh, okay. All that we did, yeah, move. So then, okay. 474 00:55:14,570 --> 00:55:23,670 So we moved in November. Joni was a lover of roses. We had about 21 custom rose unique things 475 00:55:23,670 --> 00:55:28,949 that were in our garden. And in November, when we made settlement, I dug the roses up, 476 00:55:29,190 --> 00:55:35,630 went over to Home Depot and got two bags of soil, went over to a hardware store and got one 477 00:55:35,630 --> 00:55:41,869 and got enough that I replanted the roses in November just because the Lord told us to move. 478 00:55:42,130 --> 00:55:46,650 And so we were obedient. And then life changed for us because then she did not have to work. 479 00:55:47,010 --> 00:55:52,650 And that's the one word that I heard that God spoke to me. One word, move. Okay. 480 00:55:57,850 --> 00:56:05,869 So what starts the process of spiritual decline? When generations, now we have it, 481 00:56:06,250 --> 00:56:12,349 generations are without knowledge of God. And the example is not there any longer. Remember, 482 00:56:12,789 --> 00:56:20,210 Moses is gone. Joshua was gone. And his commands, they fall into a downward spiral of sin, 483 00:56:20,210 --> 00:56:29,050 defeat, judgment, and despair. Like Israel, we may begin to lean toward comfort. You, 484 00:56:29,230 --> 00:56:36,170 I think you said it, Roger, comfort. We all love that instead of sacrifice. Entertainment, 485 00:56:36,550 --> 00:56:43,769 we covered that, TV, instead of worship. Success. Well, I'm out of that ballpark. 486 00:56:44,569 --> 00:56:50,730 All right. Never got there. Never will. Retired. Okay. Instead of obedience. 487 00:56:52,289 --> 00:56:57,349 Material possessions. And when we moved from that beautiful house, my wife cried. And it wasn't 488 00:56:57,349 --> 00:57:01,889 that she held onto these things, but it was her home. I mean, I could live in a shack. 489 00:57:02,670 --> 00:57:08,949 You know, guys don't need a lot. Just, you know, a meal full of food, you know, on a shirt 490 00:57:08,949 --> 00:57:13,329 or whatever. But women, that's important to them. And God bless her for that. 491 00:57:14,489 --> 00:57:21,690 Self-reliance instead of dependence upon God. Approval of people. Oh my gosh. How many have 492 00:57:21,690 --> 00:57:28,849 been there? You know, need to make things right. Look good. Here I am. Instead of approval of God. 493 00:57:30,129 --> 00:57:35,670 Business that crowds out prayer. Reading God's word. Thank you. 494 00:57:38,429 --> 00:57:47,690 These other things and the leanings and the desires choke off our devotion to God. 495 00:57:48,849 --> 00:57:57,789 Now, this is where we take a look at what it means. What Israel tolerated around them eventually 496 00:57:57,789 --> 00:58:05,789 took root within them. Well, I'm strong in the Lord and it won't affect me. 497 00:58:06,349 --> 00:58:14,889 Okay. That's fine. We'll see. What we allow to compete with God today can then eventually 498 00:58:14,889 --> 00:58:27,769 take God's place in our hearts, unfortunately. What is the difference between judges and the 499 00:58:27,769 --> 00:58:32,829 enemies? Jesus delivers us from the power and the penalty of sin. 500 00:58:34,409 --> 00:58:40,429 The judges eventually died because they were flesh. They came and they went. They were sent 501 00:58:40,429 --> 00:58:50,650 by God. There were 12 of them. Jesus lives forever. Hebrews 724, but Jesus will never die. 502 00:58:50,650 --> 00:58:58,769 And so he will be a priest forever. The judges brought temporary peace. 503 00:59:00,750 --> 00:59:08,150 Jesus gives lasting peace. John 1427, I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. 504 00:59:08,590 --> 00:59:14,269 It isn't like the peace that the world has to give. Just like you said, you know, all these 505 00:59:14,269 --> 00:59:21,170 wonderful things, they're about that deep, aren't they? So don't be worried or afraid. 506 00:59:22,230 --> 00:59:27,530 Final slide. Our goal then is different than those people outside that door. 507 00:59:28,889 --> 00:59:36,590 It's not to repeat the cycle that we see in Israel's life. Our highest purpose is simply to 508 00:59:36,670 --> 00:59:44,030 glorify God. That's what he wants, to glorify him. 1 Corinthians 10.31, whatever you do, 509 00:59:44,210 --> 00:59:51,429 do all to the glory of God. And to glorify God simply means to honor him by our thoughts, 510 00:59:52,150 --> 01:00:00,230 our words, our actions and attitudes so that his character can be seen in and through our lives. 511 01:00:01,030 --> 01:00:06,469 And rightfully so, some of the people in the world have said, well, if that's Christianity, 512 01:00:06,610 --> 01:00:12,630 I don't want it. Because we as Christians have failed many different times from a corporate 513 01:00:12,630 --> 01:00:20,909 standpoint of what we represent Christ to be. All right. Any questions and any thoughts before we 514 01:00:20,909 --> 01:00:28,929 close? Yes. One thing that, you know, like when Charlie Kirk was doing a lot of his speaking 515 01:00:29,490 --> 01:00:36,130 and people who, some of them got up there and said they were raised with God. And I said, 516 01:00:36,210 --> 01:00:42,010 when I sat there and listened, it all came down to people quarreling. They're not reading God's 517 01:00:42,010 --> 01:00:47,010 word. If they read his word, they wouldn't be quarreling, would they? No, I think you think, 518 01:00:47,070 --> 01:00:51,710 right? But no, yes, right. That's for sure. But if they knew their Bible, there wouldn't 519 01:00:51,710 --> 01:00:57,289 be a thing with many questions. Yeah. The mentality of the word is shallow in the 520 01:00:57,289 --> 01:01:02,050 American experience. You think of some of the stories you may have read, I remember one 521 01:01:02,050 --> 01:01:07,469 longer time ago. There was this one person in North Korea that had one page of the Bible. 522 01:01:07,989 --> 01:01:13,789 She reread and reread and reread and reread that one page, and she was a warrior for the Lord, 523 01:01:13,989 --> 01:01:20,730 just from one page of the Bible. It's amazing. Lord, we thank you for your word to us tonight. 524 01:01:21,449 --> 01:01:26,590 We thank you that we can reflect on a covenant that was lacking, 525 01:01:27,789 --> 01:01:35,530 but the covenant that you have given us, Father, is a wonderful, wonderful masterpiece that you 526 01:01:35,530 --> 01:01:42,269 created. And the thing that is most important, Lord, that we thank you so much for is the giving 527 01:01:42,269 --> 01:01:49,329 of your life that we can be free from disease and sin. We thank you for that, for each person 528 01:01:49,329 --> 01:01:56,730 in here. Thank you for giving us that hope above all hope, that when we leave this flesh, 529 01:01:56,730 --> 01:02:02,090 we are present with you. And we ask that as we go our way, Lord, that you'll be with us. 530 01:02:02,590 --> 01:02:08,590 These words will help us. The book of Judges will point us in the direction that we understand 531 01:02:08,590 --> 01:02:15,110 you to be, and that is a merciful God. So we give these teachings to you in the name of Jesus. 532 01:02:15,570 --> 01:02:18,090 Amen. God bless you. Amen. 533 01:02:22,230 --> 01:02:29,050 Thanks for joining us at Lansdale Life Church as we praise God and discuss His word. Don't forget to 534 01:02:29,050 --> 01:02:36,889 join us for Worship Lives Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Eastern on YouTube. Be blessed and have a great day!