Jeff Gelineau - Class 3: Rules & Regulations

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Good morning, everyone. Brother Morgan apologized earlier for bringing you the English weather. Last night, Brother Popol mocked you, which is pretty hard for a man from San Francisco to pick on you for rain. Our baggage arrived late, but we finally brought the California weather to you. We hope that you enjoy yourself. But we've attempted to refocus our eyes to the idea that this message of James and subsequently the message of Jesus as well would have been a radical and different message for the Jews of his day to hear.

2. 0:41

   And hopefully, it challenged us to look at our faith in a different way also. We introduced ourselves to the foil in the story of Jesus, the Pharisees, their legalistic approach to the religion, and we found them not that hard to appreciate and understand. And hopefully, we've received from James a warning to not follow in the Pharisees' footsteps.

3. 1:05

   Even though it's a natural tendency for us humans to do so, James calls us to act unnaturally. We talked yesterday about the idea of faith and works. Not faith versus works, but faith and works. James compliments the teachings of Paul, and they together both show us it's not a matter of one versus the other.

4. 1:29

   It's not a matter of either earning your way into the kingdom by your good works, or not doing any good works at all, because you believe that God is going to give you eternal life no matter what you do. The concept of faith and works that James shows us is that we're motivated to good works because of the salvation we've received through faith.

5. 1:51

   We obey our Heavenly Father, and we strive to fill our lives with works that please Him because we love Him for the great mercy He's shown us. Not because we think that somehow we can earn salvation.

6. 2:07

   We wouldn't even imagine that, right? We wouldn't even imagine that we could ever do enough to earn salvation. But we also couldn't imagine a life not filled with good works, because the wonderful gift that's been given us inspires us to give back to others. I want to spend a few moments today thinking a little further about this idea of faith and works.

7. 2:27

   I want to talk about one of the stepchildren of a works-based legalistic approach to religion. I want to talk about rules and regulations. Although Catholic tradition holds that Peter was the leader of the first ecclesia in Jerusalem, I think it's fairly well supported and commonly believed among Bible students that in fact it was James, the brother of Jesus, who shepherded that early flock.

8. 2:56

   Josephus records that James died by stoning in A.D. 62. So we know that obviously this letter was written sometime before that date. Historically, we know that the Council of Jerusalem, which James would have surely been involved in, recorded in Acts 15, occurred somewhere around A.D. 49. So the best estimate as to when James' letter was written is sometime shortly before that date.

9. 3:28

   Most scholars put the writing of James at about 48 A.D. We don't know exactly when, but we do know who. Remember this verse. It was written to the twelve tribes scattered abroad. It made sense that this brother, with several years of pastoral experience, from an ecclesia well respected by the Jews, would take on the task of writing to the Jews who had been scattered away from Jerusalem.

10. 3:57

    And while it had only been about 15 years since the death of the Lord, James speaks quite often in this epistle about persecution. Now, it probably wasn't the more general Christian persecution that would follow at the hand of Nero and the Romans, but most likely it was persecution related specifically to the fact that these Jews were converting over to Christianity.

11. 4:26

    That doesn't really matter, does it? I mean, persecution is persecution. It doesn't matter where it's coming from. It doesn't matter what the source is. Persecution is debilitating. It's belittling to have your beliefs, your decisions, and ultimately your lifestyle ridiculed and demeaned. Imagine everything that you hold dear, the thing that's most important to you, challenged and condemned, beaten and berated, until you find yourself considering how important it really is.

12. 5:00

    Whether or not you should just give up all of your hopes and your dreams, your faith, to just give it up and try to find peace with those who are persecuting you. Driven almost to the point of abandoning your faith. Because persecution is a constant pain. It's a constant sorrow. A nagging sore that festers and festers and eventually fills your whole life until you break under the burden.

13. 5:32

    And then, this letter arrives from Jerusalem. It's a letter from James. Brother James, the wise elder of the Lord's first ecclesia, is writing to us in this terrible time of sadness and strife and persecution and trouble. We get this letter from James and we tear it open and we open it up. And it comes to verse 2 and it says, Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials.

14. 6:04

    What? What? Count it all joy? What is he talking about? We're being beaten down here. Hasn't he been paying attention? We're being pushed daily into making compromises and decisions that are horrible to have to face. We're feeling the truths and the values that we hold so dear being cast aside by society and spit on.

15. 6:32

    And we're being ridiculed and we're being shamed for even believing in them. What is James doing telling us to count that joy? Because. Because. Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. And perseverance must finish its work so you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

16. 7:01

    See, James is... He's wiser than us. James understands that the most important thing is not whether or not people are picking on you. It's not whether or not you're being prevented from getting promotions at work because of your religious beliefs. It's not whether or not your children are being mistreated at school and passed over.

17. 7:23

    It's not whether or not your neighbors even speak to you or whether or not they spread malicious gossip about you behind your back. The most important thing is the effect that those things have upon you and upon your faith. the most important thing is the development of your faith. What happens outward, outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you.

18. 7:51

    You see, your circumstances are temporary. But your character will last forever. God is looking to develop your faith. God is looking to develop your character. And every problem that He presents us is a character-building opportunity. The more difficult it is, good! The greater the potential for building up that spiritual muscle, that moral fiber.

19. 8:19

    The more difficulties we're asked to face is a reflection of how much God loves us and how much God cares for us. not His abandonment of us, but His trust in us. You see, God only disciplines the ones that He loves. That's hard for us to learn. But it's invaluable for us to understand that sooner or later.

20. 8:45

    Character-building is a slow process, though, isn't it? It doesn't happen overnight. It's not like something happens to you and you say, oh, that's it, I'm better. Look at this last verse in a modern translation. This is the contemporary English version. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything so you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

21. 9:14

    Whenever we try to avoid or escape any difficulties in our life, we short-circuit that process. We delay our own spiritual growth and we actually end up in a worse kind of pain than if we had just faced it and gone through it. We end up with that worthless type of pain that accompanies denial and avoidance.

22. 9:41

    You see, character development is all about praying for God to conform you and not just comfort you. Sure, comforting is nice, but conforming is God's goal. You see, God's more concerned about transforming you into the kind of person He wants you to be than He is concerned about transporting you out of your problems.

23. 10:12

    Character development is hard. I'm not going to lie to you. Bob Lloyd says that nothing, no one likes change except a baby with a dirty diaper. And development, transformation, this is change. It's change from what you've been doing for the past 10 years, the past 20 years, the past 40 years. And no matter what change it is, change is hard.

24. 10:41

    The older we get, the harder it is to change. But it's not impossible. And it is important. The key to a successful transformation is to start from the inside out. That's what we want to talk about today. What happens to us on the outside doesn't really matter. When you look at eternity through God's eyes, none of this really matters.

25. 11:12

    This is a blink. This is something that you'll forget 10,000 years from now. What we experience in this life is not what God intends for us. Let me repeat that one more time because that is one of the most important things I've learned. What we experience in this life is not what God intends for us.

26. 11:33

    So when someone says to you, oh it shouldn't be this way and I can't ever find any happiness and I need to get some time for myself and that's all baloney. What happens in this life doesn't matter. What God intends for us is the next life. To search for comfort, to search for peace in this life is futile.

27. 11:59

    God has something much better than this life in mind for us. So it's a false belief to think that you can somehow be satisfied with this life. That somehow deep in your soul you're going to get fulfillment and satisfaction out of these 80 mortal pain-filled years. And to think that somehow we should just learn to ignore those aches in our soul.

28. 12:29

    We should just learn to ignore that part of us that cries out for something more. I think it's simply an incorrect understanding of God's message to think that if you somehow live correctly if you pray frequently enough if you read often enough if you attend enough Bible classes that you'll be spared the pressures and the worries and the pains and the sadness and the disappointments of this life.

29. 12:57

    That type of thinking doesn't face the painful reality of what life is like and what it's like to be an imperfect sinful human being.

30. 13:10

    So embrace it. Allow yourself to feel those deep longings in your soul that will never really be satisfied until the kingdom. Face those hidden sins in your heart that make it clear how thoroughly unlike Christ you are. And let that pain of disappointed longings and the guilt of those terrible sins drive you to consider the gospel of grace in a new way.

31. 13:38

    I think only then is Christ able to enter your life and to deeply change you from the inside out. Oh sure it sounds easy right?

32. 13:51

    But we don't really want to change do we? I know I don't. we don't want to look too intently into that mirror. That's why I buzz my hair. I hate the darn thing. I don't have to look at it anymore. I shave in the shower without a mirror. That's why I don't get around here because it's too dangerous.

33. 14:17

    It's very natural for us to be like the man who beholdeth himself and goeth his way and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. Remember what James warned us about the first day? But James wants something different for us. He wants something radical and different. Something that lasts longer. Something more permanent.

34. 14:39

    James wants us to look into the perfect law of liberty and continue with their end. That's what James was talking about in that class yesterday. We can't just sit there every day doing the daily readings. He says do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do it. You have to do what the Bible says not just read what the Bible says.

35. 15:07

    Don't merely just come here and listen to what I say. Don't take pages and pages of notes. Change! Become more like what you read. Have the courage to face what's inside of you. Then you'll be able to get at it and with God's help you'll be able to change it. Open up those uncomfortable, those hidden, those ignored, those forgotten parts of your heart and find out what's really there because it's what is in there that shows up on the outside.

36. 15:46

    Oh, you might think otherwise. You might think you're doing a good job of projecting an image. But it's what's in the center and the soul of your heart that the rest of us really see.

37. 16:00

    James does an excellent job of showing us the source of our problems. He says, when tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. Each one is tempted when by his own evil desire he is dragged away and enticed. Who's the big, evil, strong bully that's grabbing you and dragging you away, kicking and screaming the whole way?

38. 16:27

    It's you. It's your own evil desires that drag you away and entice you. It's not external forces that cause us to behave the way we do. It's our own desires, our own lusts that motivate us. It's our hearts and our minds that cause us to act and to think the way that we do.

39. 16:49

    So the answer is clear then, isn't it? If we really want to transform ourselves, if we really want to change, if we really want to change our actions, we have to change our hearts.

40. 17:02

    You can't just change what's on the outside. And here, right here I think, is where we usually slip up. Here is where our fears and our habits and our traditions and our customs get the best of us. In all of our human wisdom and intelligence, we go about attacking this problem completely backwards.

41. 17:28

    Instead of addressing the hearts, we address the actions by setting up rules and regulations. Instead of taking this hard effort of facing our weaknesses and changing from the inside out, we just make up more rules and more regulations. And it's an error to try to make rules in an attempt to change actions.

42. 17:54

    Sure, it's natural. It's very tempting. It's a big appeal of having things black and white, having things right and wrong, very clear. It's the appeal of having simple commandments to lead our lives instead of having to live a life for Christ, whatever that means.

43. 18:19

    My favorite verse in the Bible, Paul says to the Colossians, he says, why do you keep on following rules? Such as, don't handle, don't eat, don't touch. Such rules are mere human teachings about things that are gone as soon as we use them. And look at verse 22. 3. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline, but they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires.

44. 19:00

    You don't believe me, you can read it in the King James too, it says the same thing. Rules and regulations don't have any value in restraining fleshly indulgence. That's what the King James says. Rules and regulations have no effect in conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires.

45. 19:22

    Now we say, I've heard several times that the law was a schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ. What does that mean? I would say, in one very real sense, the law with its complex nature, law full of rules and regulations, was supposed to bring us to realize one thing, and that is that we need Christ.

46. 19:47

    Christ. We need a Lord of grace, a Savior of mercy, because no man can keep the law. We cannot legislate righteousness. We cannot regulate sin. The law was supposed to teach us that we desperately need forgiveness and grace, that we have to change ourselves from the inside out, and no amount of rules and regulations, whether laid down from God or devised from men, are going to accomplish that.

47. 20:22

    Now, here's the tricky part. Pay close attention, because I don't want to get disfellowshipped when I get back home. I'm not concluding, therefore, that we have no need for rules.

48. 20:36

    I'm from Southern California. John's from Northern California, right? They think different up there, but down in where I'm from, you know, we like our rules. The grace that we've received from God does not give us freedom to sin. And that is the tension that exists in a Christian's life. This tension exists because human beings are complex.

49. 21:04

    Things are never black and white. I'm sorry, but they're not. If you don't want to be an arranger, brother, don't be one. But if you're going to be one, you're going to have to realize that the issues you face are not black and white. Sister A did not break rule B and therefore gets punishment C.

50. 21:26

    It's completely different for every individual. In the same month, we had two sisters marry out of the truth. One was disfellowshipped, one wasn't. We're not bound by precedent. We're not bound by a constitution. We're bound by the grace of God. We need to understand the walk that they've walked, understand the position they're in, and try to take prayerful action accordingly.

51. 22:00

    I'm not saying we did a good job. The one we disfellowshipped was faithfully coming to meeting every week thereafter for ten years, and now she's back in fellowship, and the one we kept in fellowship left. But that's on them. It's not on us.

52. 22:23

    We want to see things in terms of either you're walking with God or you're not walking with God. Either it's black or white. It's that simple. But that's not really the reality of the situation, is it? The reality of the situation is often more confusing. There are those people in the world who have chosen not to walk with God, and yet do good things.

53. 22:49

    I'm embarrassed daily by people I work with who think of sentimental, loving things to say and to do to support those who are having a hard time. But Bob Lloyd went through this terrible, terrible ordeal medically. I wasn't the one that sent the email around. I'm sitting there working away trying to make a buck, and I get an email from an unbeliever who says, you may not have heard that our founder Bob Lloyd is in the hospital.

54. 23:23

    We're asking everyone to pray for him. Now, I'm more familiar with the other gray person, the person who've chosen to walk with God and yet sins.

55. 23:38

    We looked at the life of Abraham, and I want to consider one more thought about him. When we look at Abraham's life, I think we find this same sort of lesson. James refers to Abraham as a friend of God. We know that his life is recorded for us as an example of faith.

56. 23:55

    Abraham was righteous. He's in Hebrews 11. He's holy and faithful, and I don't want to speak poorly of the man at all. But yet Abraham had his weakness. Abraham had Egypt. Remember, there was a famine in the land, but God had just made this spectacular promise to Abraham. He was going to make a great nation from him.

57. 24:17

    He was going to give this hundred-year-old man a child. He promised him, stand here, look north, east, southwest, all the land that you can see, I will give to you and your descendants. Well, God surely wouldn't have let Abraham die of starvation. Abraham had an opportunity to show his faith in God's promises, and instead he goes down to Egypt.

58. 24:43

    This is never a sign of spiritual strength. Egypt is the world in scriptural terms, and almost always involves going down to get there, a lowering of our standards, a lowering of our morals. principles. This is a bad choice to a tough problem. Choosing the easier path often brings with it many complications. It's easier at the time.

59. 25:13

    You don't have that tough challenge, the issues that could come with it. It's an easier choice. life. But later, there often seems to be problems that spring up in your life when you try to find your own solution to those problems. Following God's path is often a more difficult walk, but much less problems arise.

60. 25:37

    And almost immediately in Abraham's life, after making this choice, things start to get worse, and that's a telltale sign. He realizes that he's put his life in even more danger due to Sarah's beauty.

61. 25:53

    So again, he's presented an opportunity to act faithfully or not. He should have been faithful. But you have to realize he's already headed down the wrong way road. Now I can tell you from personal experience 25 years ago that when you're driving the wrong way on a one-way road, road, it's pretty hard to follow the traffic laws from that point forward.

62. 26:20

    Once concessions are made to your own worldly self-interest, further demands are sure to come, making further concessions almost inevitable. It's really hard to sort out your problems when you're in the middle of them. So don't get in the middle of them. Envision the situations before they arise. In your marriage, in your ecclesia, in your work, in your community, trust your faith in God's ability to save you.

63. 26:52

    And don't put yourself in harm's way. Abraham shifts the danger over to Sarah. You see, in trouble, in panic, in times of crisis, we don't make good decisions. How Abraham's conscience must have racked him every time Pharaoh brought him a gift. Oh, your sister, she's beautiful. Here, have a hundred dollars.

64. 27:17

    But God protected Sarah. God protected Abraham. And God plagued Pharaoh. And Pharaoh figures it out, and Abraham finally goes up out of Egypt. Was it his choice? No, he got kicked out of Egypt. Saved from a terrible situation, Abraham starts fresh again. You see, faith is like a muscle. You stretch it, you break it down, but it gets built back stronger.

65. 27:43

    You don't want to do this, it's painful. But God does it to us. We have to learn how to take advantage of it. But lest you think he learned from this situation, several years later, he does the same thing again. He goes down to Egypt again. Like all of us, I think, Abraham had moments when his faith was weak.

66. 28:04

    Abraham had problems learning the lesson, and he confronted the same mistake over and over again. But, he had dedicated his life to serving his God. He knew that God would justify him, regardless of his imperfections. Abraham believed in a God of mercy.

67. 28:28

    From Abraham, we see quite clearly that walking with God doesn't mean that once we're baptized, we're never going to sin again. The point is that now we live for a higher purpose. Unlike the millions, the billions of those around us who live for nothing else than the petty, rudimentary, base elements of the world, we have a reason, a meaning, a purpose for our existence.

68. 28:56

    We serve the living God who has saved us by his grace. Sure, we're going to continue to fall after baptism. But the things we do in weakness do not define us. Our mistakes, our slip-ups, our errors, are not who we are.

69. 29:19

    The sins in our life are not our goal. That's who a sinner is, a person whose goal is to sin. The sins in our life are simply impediments on the way toward our goal. Works will not save us, but faith without works is dead. Our sins are not the end of hope for us, but we have to have faith in God that he will extend his mercy to us and forgive us.

70. 29:49

    We have to believe that we can be forgiven. I don't know how many people I've talked to who really don't feel they can be forgiven for what they've done.

71. 29:59

    You know, I've been divorced three times and the person I'm living with I'm not even married to. I was baptized 30 years ago, but how is God ever going to accept me? How, you know, really what they're saying is what they've done is so bad that even God can't forgive them. Our young people feel this way.

72. 30:22

    Because they look at you projecting your image of righteousness, not letting your true honest self be seen, and they think, oh, I could never be like him. I can't get baptized. I'm too much of a sinner. I'm not good enough to get baptized. We need to tell them that Christ came to die for the sinners of this world, not the righteous.

73. 30:49

    That they are bad enough that they need to get baptized, not to wait until they're good enough. No matter what we've done, we have to believe that we can be forgiven. If we repent, if we turn from our evil ways, God is ready to reach out to us. The father of the two sons was standing there at the door looking out.

74. 31:16

    And when that son came around the corner, he ran out to meet him. If we want to change, we need to reach out to God. So rules are important in an orderly society, but rules will never save us. Rules and regulations have no value in changing our evil desires. So what does? Well, it's this concept of inside out.

75. 31:40

    Let me spend a few minutes and explain to you what I mean. It's a concept that you all understand when it comes to our lifestyle and our conversions. But it's something I think we need to apply to more parts of our life. There are three essential, this is my, you know, John gives you the physics lessons.

76. 32:01

    I'm going to give you my pop psych lesson. There are three essential types of longings that each person feels deep in their heart. The first and most important are what we're going to call crucial longings. the desires that must be met to make life even worth living. We were designed by God to live in a relationship with God.

77. 32:31

    And if we don't have that relationship in our life, our life is profoundly empty. Nothing else besides a divine relationship can fill that hollow core. nothing can satisfy our crucial longings except the kind of relationship that God offers. Every human being, no matter who you are or how you are brought up, you will feel empty and hollow inside unless you've reached out and connected with the Heavenly Father.

78. 33:05

    The next sect of important longings are what we call critical longings. There are other important desires that we have in our life that are not as important as our deep longings for God, but they're critical nonetheless. Meaningful human relationships are critical to our happiness. The desire to be loved, to be respected by your mate or by a friend is at the top of most people's lists.

79. 33:39

    the desire to see your children remain close to you and to live happy, productive lives. Critical longings are the legitimate and important desires for quality relationships that add immeasurably to the enjoyment of living. God did not design us or intend us to be alone. He said it's not good for a man to be alone.

80. 34:05

    God understood that we need to connect with people in this life to truly appreciate and fathom the importance of life. Victor Hugo, a good French author, said to love another person is to see the face of God. The third category that fills our life are what we call casual longings. All the other material relationships in our life fall into this category.

81. 34:30

    The things that we spend so much time with. If a longing or a desire in our life does not centrally involve that which can be supplied by another human being, then we refer to it as something that's casual. It might be important or it might be trivial. Having a roof over your head, having food in your stomach, those are important things, but they're things.

82. 34:57

    And it might be trivial, like the style of the dress or the cut of the hat or the cut type of car. It's something you have to fundamentally provide for yourself because it's something that isn't satisfied from a relationship with another person or isn't satisfied from a relationship with God. When casual longings are not satisfied, we experience discomfort.

83. 35:26

    But when critical longings are not satisfied, we experience something entirely different. When we feel that no one really cares about us, that no one loves us, we experience true pain. Discomfort can be tolerated. But loneliness and rejection are the kind of deep sorrow that empties the soul of energy. You know, you don't sit around the house with the lights off, you know, just sulking because you didn't get the green shirt.

84. 36:01

    Nice one, huh? But you sit around the house sulking because no one loves you. Because no one's called. No one's written. A life with a connection to God is a life with purpose. And a life without a connection to God is a life without hope. Do you understand the principle? It's kind of clear.

85. 36:25

    These three layers. Three fairly simple concentric circles that define the levels of depth of the human condition. So, let's apply this to our lives. If you stick with me, we're going to get back to rules and regulations, don't worry. We're going to talk about how all this connects, at least in my mind.

86. 36:45

    Firstly, there are two fundamentally different ideas about how to approach life represented here in these circles. One holds that you address the longings in your life from the outside in. First, you develop a stable and healthy lifestyle. Second, you work on building long-lasting and valuable relationships. And third, then, you can concentrate on any kind of relationship with God.

87. 37:19

    That seems weird saying that, doesn't it? And it doesn't make any sense to you. But think, this is what our kids are taught by their guidance counselor. Go to college first. Get a good job first. Get a house. Get a mortgage. Get yourself set up with the car that you want. Right? Attend to all of your things.

88. 37:45

    And then what? Get a wife. Get a husband. Right? Then you start working on your critical relationships. After two or three wives later, when you find one that sticks, then, and only then, you can start to give back to your community. Maybe join some faith-based charity group, or maybe even attend a church on a regular basis.

89. 38:12

    The other way, of course, is what I think the right way. Doing it from the inside out. First, you work on your relationship with God. God. And once you've developed fellowship with God, then He will bring into your life other people who share this same type of relationship. And you can enjoy fellowship with these other people.

90. 38:39

    And after you've focused your life on worship of your Father and fellowship with other believers, then, and only then, will God bless you with the satisfaction of the other things that He knows you need in this life also. Right? You're familiar with the concept, seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added unto you.

91. 39:01

    So, it's a simple application you see in everyday life that we can understand. And hopefully, you'll see in this model, it's better to build a life from the inside out than it is to build it from the outside in. Now, let's talk about applying the same concept to the problems in our lives.

92. 39:21

    The problems in the lives of our family members. The problems in the lives of our brothers and sisters in the Ecclesia. When something in a relationship breaks down, when someone gets hurt, when people are failing and falling, when sin rears its ugly head, what do we do? We usually set up some rules and regulations to try to stop the problem.

93. 39:51

    Our ecclesial guidelines and our member handbooks grow and grow and grow as we print up more and more paper to make sure that these kind of things never happen again. We have a member handbook at Simi Hills. It's loose leaf because you just got to keep adding stuff on to the back of it.

94. 40:10

    We had a sister who went through surrogate motherhood. That wasn't in the handbook. You know, let's talk about that. Let's make a policy. What does Ecclesia think when an unmarried sister gets pregnant due to artificial insemination? What's going to be our policy? Sometimes it just gets silly, doesn't it? Rare and odd things happen that are singularly unique.

95. 40:37

    And someone wants to make a rule to address it. Right? So, Sunday morning, a meteor falls out of the sky, landing in the parking lot, blocking the entrance to the front door.

96. 40:51

    Causing us to temporarily use the side door until we can have an excavation company come remove the meteor. What happens next business meeting, May 17th? I propose that we had two more doorkeepers to the side door in case we're unable to use the front door for any reason. Right? You know, these odd, unique things happen and we think, we need to have a rule to address that.

97. 41:19

    Too many times, we try to address our problems from the outside in. Problems arise and the first thing that we tend to address are the things, the symptoms, the outward results of those problems. I'll give you an example. I'm feeling terribly lonely and depressed. So what do I do, sisters? I go shopping.

98. 41:48

    Right? Or the rest of you don't go shopping. What do you do? You eat. Right? You're depressed. I'm going to eat. Or maybe I'll go watch a movie. Right? Escape.

99. 42:01

    And how do we address that? We try to address those problems by setting up rules. The husband tells the wife, oops, wrong one. The husband tells the wife, you can't go shopping anymore. I'm cutting you down to $400 a week. Oh, I can't live on that. Right? The overeater puts himself on a strict diet.

100. 42:23

     That's it. No more. I'm not going to have any more popcorn and chips ever again. Right? The parent says, no more TV in this house. Right? They take it and they throw it in the dumpster. We continue in this pattern of trying to use things to address the problems that inevitably come up in life because this is life.

101. 42:43

     It's not the kingdom. This is reality. This is mortality. Things are going to happen. You're going to get depressed. You're going to get lonely. You're going to get sad. You're going to get sick. You're going to get unhappy. And we continually try to use things to address those problems. And the more we do that, the more rules we need to regulate the usage of these things.

102. 43:06

     Now sometimes, thankfully, we get past that point. Sometimes we don't. Sometimes, thankfully, we get past that point. And sometimes it doesn't even apply to everyone. Some people don't even like to go shopping. Some people develop past that materialistic stage. They realize that things are never going to make them happy. So what do they do?

103. 43:26

     They turn to people. I'm feeling lonely or depressed. I don't want to eat or shop or watch a movie. So what am I going to do? I'm going to go visit a friend. I'm going to give someone a call, right? I'm going to send someone an email. Focusing on relationships is much healthier.

104. 43:49

     It's better for you than focusing on things. But, this has a downside also, doesn't it? Because you're having a relationship with another human. Relationships are therefore imperfect. Humans are frail. They're full of sin. It's even more depressing to put your trust in another person and then have that person betray your trust, hurt your feelings.

105. 44:17

     Gossip about you. Let you down. You can't believe Jeff just called me. He's all depressed. What a loser. I can't believe what's going on. And then that person, you can't believe she just called me and told me that Jeff just called him and he's a loser. You can't believe, right? And then, you know, Sunday morning you come in and everyone looks at you like, are you okay brother?

106. 44:39

     I heard you were depressed. Right? And all of a sudden, what do you feel like? right? The person whose strength is based on relationships, sooner or later is going to get let down. No one is perfect and therefore no friendship or no human relationship will ever be perfect. Some are better than others, but every one of them has its weaknesses because they're based on human beings.

107. 45:10

     Lord willing, that disappointment won't ruin us but it will eventually drive us to God. These two painful and often painfully slow realizations come up. The realization that there is no happiness in things and setting up rules don't make the problems go away. and the realization that while people are nice to have around, relationships are not perfect.

108. 45:38

     And even the best relationship will eventually disappoint us. These two realizations cause people to turn to God. People only then find that religion is the solution to their problems. the whole thing is backwards. The whole thing is wrong.

109. 46:02

     When problems arise and we're drawn to address them, we should address them from the inside out. First, we need to look at our relationship with God. Look first at what's going on in your mind. What are your feelings towards the Father? Father? Your religion has to involve more than just going to meeting, paying your 10%, singing the songs, and going home.

110. 46:33

     This means more time around the Word of God. It also means even more than that. I'm not the person who tells the person who's virtually crippled by their problems. Just read the Bible more and you'll be okay. I think reading the Bible is crucial.

111. 46:56

     But I think there are several other things that are just as important. And I think the first is meditation. Not sulking, not worrying. Sitting there and concentrating and thinking about a problem is called worrying. Sitting there and concentrating and thinking about the Word of God is called meditation. Deep and honest reflection on what has brought you to the point that you're at today.

112. 47:21

     Some focused thinking on what you've read in the Word of God and some honest thought about what the Word means to you in your life. I'd follow that with listening to God. It's not that God verbally speaks to us like He did to Noah, but find some quiet time to just be still with your thoughts.

113. 47:40

     Open yourself up to the possibility that God is trying to get a message through to you. You've been so busy running around you haven't had time to hear it. And prayer, of course. Prayer is the most important part. We'll talk about that on Friday. Once you get honest with yourself, you really begin to be honest with God.

114. 48:00

     Your prayers can change and they can change you, transform you. So after we've spent some time focusing on our relationship with God, bringing our problem to Him, making our religion an active and important part of our life and not just a ritual, then, and only then, are we able to reach out to other people for help.

115. 48:22

     Turn to people who you know are wise and who you see have successfully battled the issue that you're facing. Cultivate relationships that are healthy and God-centered. Focus on fellowship with brothers and sisters who can help you. Look around you to find those who are successfully fighting these types of battles that you are and seek their counsel and guidance.

116. 48:45

     Connected to this would be confession. We'll talk about confession tomorrow when we talk about prayer. But confession has to be to the right person, a holy person, a righteous person. Opening up to someone else is the key to really getting at the root of the problem. It's often too easy to lie to yourself, but a good friend will see through it.

117. 49:08

     And it's at this point, and only at this point, that you can safely turn to things. Once we've positioned ourselves in a good relationship with God and refocused on what religion really means to us, once we've reconnected with our brothers and sisters and received the benefit of fellowship that God has planned for us, then we can begin to fill our lives with the things that we enjoy, the things that give us pleasure, things that God has given us.

118. 49:36

     God created those things for our enjoyment. God brings him pleasure to see us enjoying them, like a parent giving their child a toy and sitting there and watching them play with the cardboard box it came in. You just appreciate seeing your child happy. It's only then, after you've centered your life from the inside out, that you can go shopping, or have a nice meal, or watch a movie.

119. 50:03

     it's only then that rules and regulations have any place in our life at all. It's only when we've reigned in our desires through transforming ourselves into disciples of Christ from the inside out, that we can ever really control ourselves. So paradoxically, it's only when we don't really need any rules and regulations that rules have any value for us.

120. 50:35

     Rules and regulations have their place in an orderly society and a healthy ecclesia, but rules and regulations have no effect in checking the indulgences of the flesh. Only a change, a transformation from the inside out, can truly help us battle our sins, our desires, our temptations, and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world.

121. 51:03

     Thank you.