Everett Muniz – Be Ye Holy – Class 4 – The Things Which Defile A Man

1
00:00:00,520 –> 00:00:02,840
The high calling of God in
Christ Jesus.

2
00:00:03,120 –> 00:00:07,040
This is his fourth class, and
the subject for this class is

3
00:00:07,280 –> 00:00:11,080
the things which defile a man.
Our reading was taken from

4
00:00:11,080 –> 00:00:14,680
Romans Chapter 7, verses 14 to
25.

5
00:00:15,280 –> 00:00:36,440
Well.
Good morning, everyone.

6
00:00:39,640 –> 00:00:42,960
We’ve titled our fourth session
this morning, The things Which

7
00:00:43,000 –> 00:00:45,320
defile a man, as our brother Ken
has said.

8
00:00:45,320 –> 00:00:47,720
And thank you, brother Ken.
This morning.

9
00:00:47,720 –> 00:00:51,200
In this session, we’re going to
look at these two ways, the way

10
00:00:51,200 –> 00:00:52,840
of holiness and the way of
death.

11
00:00:53,520 –> 00:00:57,000
And to a large extent, this is
very familiar territory for most

12
00:00:57,000 –> 00:00:59,600
of us.
But familiarity has its own

13
00:00:59,600 –> 00:01:03,040
challenges, doesn’t it?
Then we’re going to look at this

14
00:01:03,040 –> 00:01:07,160
idea of the war in our members
and then we’re going to take a

15
00:01:07,160 –> 00:01:10,520
look at the concept of the world
and, and the idea of it being

16
00:01:10,520 –> 00:01:12,520
the Kingdom where human nature
reigns.

17
00:01:12,520 –> 00:01:15,920
And this has been, I know,
growing up, a particularly

18
00:01:15,920 –> 00:01:21,800
useful and necessary emphasis
for me to be reminded that the

19
00:01:21,800 –> 00:01:26,040
world is not something
exclusively out there, that the

20
00:01:26,040 –> 00:01:30,880
world is is very near to us and
we have to be so on guard as we

21
00:01:30,880 –> 00:01:37,280
think about how we interact and
protect ourselves against its

22
00:01:37,280 –> 00:01:40,040
influences.
And then we want to take a few

23
00:01:40,040 –> 00:01:44,160
moments towards the end and look
at a couple of tactics that God

24
00:01:44,160 –> 00:01:49,160
has provided to resist our
nature and the world.

25
00:01:51,960 –> 00:01:56,520
Throughout Scripture, the way of
holiness is contrasted with

26
00:01:56,640 –> 00:01:59,680
another way.
But from God’s perspective,

27
00:01:59,680 –> 00:02:05,840
there are only two ways.
One of them is difficult, and it

28
00:02:05,840 –> 00:02:10,039
has to be entered deliberately
by a narrow gate, but it leads

29
00:02:10,039 –> 00:02:15,080
to joy and to life.
The other way is easy, and it

30
00:02:15,080 –> 00:02:19,200
can be entered by a broad gate,
but that way leads to sorrow and

31
00:02:19,200 –> 00:02:22,440
to destruction.
As the Lord says in Matthew

32
00:02:22,440 –> 00:02:26,120
Chapter 7, beginning at verse
13, enter ye in at the straight

33
00:02:26,120 –> 00:02:29,920
gate, for wide is the gate, and
broad is the way that leadeth to

34
00:02:29,920 –> 00:02:32,280
destruction.
And many there be which go in

35
00:02:32,280 –> 00:02:36,640
there at, because straight is
the gate, and narrow is the way

36
00:02:37,000 –> 00:02:41,040
which leadeth unto life, and few
there be that find it.

37
00:02:42,680 –> 00:02:47,920
Romans 6 builds on this idea of
two ways, and to that concept it

38
00:02:47,920 –> 00:02:58,230
adds the notion of 2 masters.
We see the two ways alluded to

39
00:02:58,230 –> 00:03:02,590
here in verses one to four,
reading from Romans chapter 6,

40
00:03:02,590 –> 00:03:04,750
verses one to four.
What shall we say then?

41
00:03:05,030 –> 00:03:09,080
Shall we continue in sin, that
grace may abound?

42
00:03:09,440 –> 00:03:12,320
Let it not be.
How shall we that are dead to

43
00:03:12,320 –> 00:03:16,400
sin live any longer therein?
Know ye not that so many of us

44
00:03:16,400 –> 00:03:19,600
as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into His

45
00:03:19,600 –> 00:03:22,800
death?
Therefore we are buried with Him

46
00:03:22,800 –> 00:03:26,960
by baptism into death, That like
as Christ was raised up from the

47
00:03:26,960 –> 00:03:32,720
dead by the glory of the Father,
Even so we also should walk in

48
00:03:32,720 –> 00:03:35,920
newness of life.
So on the one hand, we have

49
00:03:35,920 –> 00:03:40,640
continuing in sin, which is
contrasted with walking in

50
00:03:40,640 –> 00:03:44,960
newness of life.
And when we come down to verses

51
00:03:44,960 –> 00:03:49,680
16 to 23, we find that the
Master that’s associated with

52
00:03:49,720 –> 00:03:53,000
the way that leads to
destruction is sin, and the

53
00:03:53,000 –> 00:03:56,920
Master associated with the way
that leads to life is none other

54
00:03:56,920 –> 00:04:00,400
than our heavenly Father.
It’s an interesting thought that

55
00:04:00,440 –> 00:04:05,800
the choice is ours.
God leaves it to us to choose.

56
00:04:06,600 –> 00:04:09,200
We think of this theme running
throughout the word of God.

57
00:04:09,680 –> 00:04:13,520
Moses saying I put before you
life and death, choose life, but

58
00:04:13,520 –> 00:04:18,240
it was a choice.
Joshua saying choose you this

59
00:04:18,240 –> 00:04:22,000
day whom you will serve.
Elijah saying to the people, how

60
00:04:22,000 –> 00:04:24,520
long halt ye between two
opinions.

61
00:04:24,960 –> 00:04:30,640
We have a choice.
God has given us the evidence

62
00:04:30,640 –> 00:04:35,600
and he has asked us to choose
one way that leads to life and

63
00:04:35,600 –> 00:04:39,840
another way that leads to
destruction and the choice is

64
00:04:39,880 –> 00:04:43,440
ours.
How remarkable that it seems to

65
00:04:43,440 –> 00:04:45,440
be such a difficult choice to
make.

66
00:04:46,680 –> 00:04:49,280
When we put it in these terms,
it seems simple, doesn’t it?

67
00:04:49,400 –> 00:04:51,560
Well goodness, it’s a choice of
life or death.

68
00:04:52,840 –> 00:04:56,000
With the young people yesterday,
there’s one in every crowd.

69
00:04:56,280 –> 00:04:58,480
With the young people yesterday
I said, you know, you’ve got 2

70
00:04:58,480 –> 00:05:01,160
choices.
You can go to a nice sunny beach

71
00:05:01,400 –> 00:05:04,200
or you can go to an island with
a volcano that’s about to

72
00:05:04,200 –> 00:05:06,360
explode.
One of them of course picked the

73
00:05:06,360 –> 00:05:10,080
volcano as, as you know, one of
them must.

74
00:05:10,080 –> 00:05:15,000
But nevertheless, it’s a silly
question isn’t it?

75
00:05:15,000 –> 00:05:17,840
Whenever we put it in these
terms, how could we possibly

76
00:05:17,840 –> 00:05:20,640
make any other choice than the
way of life?

77
00:05:22,360 –> 00:05:27,200
And yet, so often we do.
So often we do.

78
00:05:28,960 –> 00:05:34,760
We cannot serve 2 masters.
Or rather, we can try, but our

79
00:05:34,760 –> 00:05:38,800
God is a jealous God, and He
doesn’t tolerate a divided

80
00:05:38,800 –> 00:05:46,280
loyalty in His children.
We are born into ignorance about

81
00:05:46,280 –> 00:05:50,560
the way of holiness, but even
when we’re blessed to understand

82
00:05:50,560 –> 00:05:55,400
it, we can all too readily be
deceived if we rely on our

83
00:05:55,480 –> 00:05:59,920
natural perception.
There is a way that seemeth

84
00:06:00,040 –> 00:06:04,560
right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death.

85
00:06:06,360 –> 00:06:10,480
And so we, Nah, we were one
slide behind.

86
00:06:10,480 –> 00:06:14,720
I apologize.
So here is Proverbs chapter 14,

87
00:06:14,720 –> 00:06:18,640
which we just quoted.
And here we are then in Daniel

88
00:06:18,640 –> 00:06:21,480
chapter 2 and verse 44.
And we come to Daniel 2 and

89
00:06:21,480 –> 00:06:24,320
verse 44 really to circle back
to the point that we made a

90
00:06:24,320 –> 00:06:31,200
moment ago, that there may be
two ways, but there is only one

91
00:06:31,440 –> 00:06:36,920
abiding destination.
The God of heaven will set up a

92
00:06:36,920 –> 00:06:39,560
Kingdom which shall never be
destroyed, and that Kingdom

93
00:06:39,560 –> 00:06:42,640
shall not be left to other
people, but it shall break in

94
00:06:42,640 –> 00:06:48,240
pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand

95
00:06:48,600 –> 00:06:51,840
forever.
So there’s only one destination

96
00:06:52,320 –> 00:06:57,680
that abides forever.
In first John chapter 2 and

97
00:06:57,680 –> 00:07:02,040
verse 17, we’re told that the
world passes away and the lust

98
00:07:02,040 –> 00:07:08,160
thereof, but he that doeth the
will of God abideth forever.

99
00:07:12,440 –> 00:07:16,240
The problem with our natural
perception is that it’s an

100
00:07:16,240 –> 00:07:20,840
extension of a part of us that
is at war with God, a part of us

101
00:07:20,840 –> 00:07:27,760
that is fundamentally unholy.
Those in pursuit of holiness

102
00:07:27,760 –> 00:07:33,600
have a war in our members.
And we know, of course, that our

103
00:07:33,600 –> 00:07:38,080
Heavenly Father diagnosis our
disease in Jeremiah chapter 17,

104
00:07:38,320 –> 00:07:41,920
verse 9.
The heart is deceitful above all

105
00:07:41,920 –> 00:07:44,760
things, and desperately wicked.
Who can know it?

106
00:07:46,520 –> 00:07:50,800
The heart, the human mind,
Trump’s all comers for its

107
00:07:50,800 –> 00:07:53,360
capacity to deceive.
And we are deceived.

108
00:07:53,520 –> 00:07:58,800
We are at risk of deception by
no one so much so as ourselves.

109
00:07:59,040 –> 00:08:05,200
We have an infinite capacity to
deceive ourselves, more so than

110
00:08:05,200 –> 00:08:12,080
I think any of us even fully
realize, certainly more so than

111
00:08:12,080 –> 00:08:17,120
I realize in myself.
We are constitutionally

112
00:08:17,160 –> 00:08:22,000
incapable of being holy without
God’s intervention to show us

113
00:08:22,000 –> 00:08:26,280
how and His continued presence
to guide and sustain our

114
00:08:26,280 –> 00:08:29,520
efforts.
Even when we’re well schooled in

115
00:08:29,520 –> 00:08:33,080
the will and purpose of God,
we’re not insulated from the

116
00:08:33,080 –> 00:08:38,919
push and the pull of our nature.
David’s sin with Bathsheba

117
00:08:38,919 –> 00:08:41,679
stands out as as an obvious
example.

118
00:08:42,440 –> 00:08:45,040
And of course we know that the
Lord testifies to this very

119
00:08:45,040 –> 00:08:48,520
thing he says in Matthew chapter
15 verses 15 to 20.

120
00:08:49,000 –> 00:08:51,680
Then answered Peter, and said
unto him, Declare unto us this

121
00:08:51,680 –> 00:08:55,120
parable.
And Jesus said, Are you also yet

122
00:08:55,120 –> 00:08:58,520
without understanding?
Do you not yet understand that

123
00:08:58,520 –> 00:09:02,480
whatsoever entereth in at the
mouth goeth into the belly, and

124
00:09:02,480 –> 00:09:06,200
is cast into the draw?
But those things would proceed

125
00:09:06,200 –> 00:09:10,360
out of the mouth, come forth
from the heart, and they defile

126
00:09:10,360 –> 00:09:12,920
the man.
For out of the heart precede

127
00:09:12,920 –> 00:09:17,800
evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornications,

128
00:09:18,040 –> 00:09:21,720
thefts, false witness,
blasphemies.

129
00:09:22,280 –> 00:09:24,960
These are the things which
defile a man.

130
00:09:25,680 –> 00:09:29,880
But to eat with unwashing hands
defileth not a man.

131
00:09:31,320 –> 00:09:34,280
Isn’t it the way of our nature
that we become preoccupied with

132
00:09:34,280 –> 00:09:39,520
the thing that is not actually
the problem to to wash the

133
00:09:39,520 –> 00:09:40,200
hands?
Right?

134
00:09:40,200 –> 00:09:43,400
That was the simple thing to do.
We get preoccupied with the

135
00:09:43,400 –> 00:09:44,720
thing that isn’t really the
issue.

136
00:09:44,720 –> 00:09:46,960
Well, certainly washing your
hands is a much easier problem

137
00:09:46,960 –> 00:09:51,840
to solve then an incurably
corrupt heart.

138
00:09:54,920 –> 00:09:57,680
Hopefully, we begin our journey
on the way of holiness,

139
00:09:57,680 –> 00:10:03,760
convinced that we’re terminally
ill and determined to apply the

140
00:10:03,760 –> 00:10:07,040
treatment that God has
prescribed to manage our disease

141
00:10:07,040 –> 00:10:10,680
while we wait for His Son to
administer the cure.

142
00:10:11,520 –> 00:10:16,600
However, over time, by subtle
degrees, that conviction and

143
00:10:16,600 –> 00:10:20,240
determination can fade.
And though we may not actually

144
00:10:20,240 –> 00:10:25,040
say so, somewhere deep down we
imagine that our progress on the

145
00:10:25,040 –> 00:10:29,960
way of life has lessened the
severity of our disease.

146
00:10:31,320 –> 00:10:35,200
You know, in First Peter chapter
3, verses 18 to 22, he relates

147
00:10:35,200 –> 00:10:39,600
the flood of Genesis 6 to 10 to
baptism.

148
00:10:40,880 –> 00:10:44,240
These are two brothers, a newly
newly minted, so to speak,

149
00:10:44,240 –> 00:10:48,200
brother and sister at at our
ecclesia, the niece of brother

150
00:10:48,200 –> 00:10:50,760
Rodger Snyder, who brother
Rodger didn’t grow up in the

151
00:10:50,760 –> 00:10:53,000
truth.
So his niece started coming out

152
00:10:53,000 –> 00:10:57,960
to the seminars and she was
interested in and all throughout

153
00:10:57,960 –> 00:11:01,600
the process, she said that her
husband, he was never really

154
00:11:01,600 –> 00:11:03,480
interested in the church that
she was a part of.

155
00:11:04,480 –> 00:11:09,200
And he began coming when she was
taking more focused preparation

156
00:11:09,200 –> 00:11:13,680
for baptism classes.
And in the process, he said,

157
00:11:13,680 –> 00:11:17,280
well, I didn’t know that I, I
thought it was just a lot of

158
00:11:17,280 –> 00:11:19,000
argument.
I thought that there were a lot

159
00:11:19,000 –> 00:11:21,400
of different things you could
think and they were all

160
00:11:21,400 –> 00:11:23,040
reasonable.
I didn’t know that there was

161
00:11:23,480 –> 00:11:26,760
really good reasons to think one
thing over another.

162
00:11:27,400 –> 00:11:30,360
And so he was drawn in through
the process of her baptism

163
00:11:30,360 –> 00:11:33,400
classes and and they were
baptized together this year at

164
00:11:33,400 –> 00:11:39,000
our Sunday School picnic.
The waters of the flood cleansed

165
00:11:39,000 –> 00:11:42,480
the world outside the ark of
corruption.

166
00:11:43,240 –> 00:11:46,280
But that corruption had stowed
away, hadn’t it?

167
00:11:46,680 –> 00:11:49,720
It was inside the ark.
It was inside Noah and his

168
00:11:49,720 –> 00:11:52,640
family.
In the same way, for all the

169
00:11:52,640 –> 00:11:56,680
power and importance of baptism,
it doesn’t cure us from the

170
00:11:56,680 –> 00:12:01,920
disease that afflicts us.
It certainly prefigures the cure

171
00:12:02,040 –> 00:12:05,560
reserved for those who have
crucified the flesh with its

172
00:12:05,560 –> 00:12:09,520
affections and lusts.
And faithful progress on the way

173
00:12:09,520 –> 00:12:13,840
of life can definitely equip us
to manage our disease.

174
00:12:14,840 –> 00:12:18,160
However, we know that only
becoming partakers of the divine

175
00:12:18,160 –> 00:12:23,520
nature by the grace of God will
we be able to say that we have

176
00:12:23,520 –> 00:12:26,800
escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust.

177
00:12:28,120 –> 00:12:33,960
In the meantime, we can’t afford
to underestimate the seriousness

178
00:12:34,000 –> 00:12:40,240
and the danger of our disease.
And so Romans chapter 14,

179
00:12:40,920 –> 00:12:44,800
Chapter 7, rather verses 14 to
25 aptly describes the

180
00:12:44,800 –> 00:12:51,640
experience of those that choose
to pursue holiness as a war in

181
00:12:51,640 –> 00:12:55,200
our members.
Paul says, For I delight in the

182
00:12:55,200 –> 00:12:59,000
law of God after the inward man,
but I see another law in my

183
00:12:59,000 –> 00:13:03,440
members warring against the law
of my mind and bringing me into

184
00:13:03,440 –> 00:13:06,720
captivity to the law of sin,
which is in my members.

185
00:13:08,280 –> 00:13:14,600
Which of us doesn’t identify
with this experience even in the

186
00:13:14,600 –> 00:13:19,160
little things of life, right.
There’s dessert at the potluck.

187
00:13:19,280 –> 00:13:22,440
We know we’ve probably had
enough to eat already, but it

188
00:13:22,440 –> 00:13:25,840
looks delicious.
It will be delicious.

189
00:13:26,520 –> 00:13:28,840
There’s a part of us that says
just have some.

190
00:13:29,120 –> 00:13:30,760
You’ll make it up during the
week.

191
00:13:30,840 –> 00:13:34,560
You won’t eat.
You’ll, you’ll, you’ll, you’ll

192
00:13:34,560 –> 00:13:37,360
exercise restraint at some
point, right?

193
00:13:39,040 –> 00:13:42,200
We, we feel this all the time.
And that’s, that’s a benign

194
00:13:42,200 –> 00:13:45,960
case, isn’t it?
So often throughout our day,

195
00:13:45,960 –> 00:13:49,600
we’re confronted with occasions
where there’s a choice to be

196
00:13:49,600 –> 00:13:52,280
made.
We can choose a path that honors

197
00:13:52,280 –> 00:13:55,440
and respects our Heavenly
Father, that gives him his due,

198
00:13:55,800 –> 00:13:58,080
or we can choose a path that’s
more comfortable.

199
00:13:59,120 –> 00:14:03,320
And there’s a part of us
constantly lobbying for the

200
00:14:03,320 –> 00:14:13,630
comfortable path.
Clearly Paul felt this struggle

201
00:14:13,670 –> 00:14:17,390
very keenly, as do all those who
pursue holiness.

202
00:14:19,470 –> 00:14:23,720
Here in Romans chapter 8, we’re
told that the carnal mind is to

203
00:14:23,720 –> 00:14:27,280
be carnally minded is death, but
to be spiritually minded is life

204
00:14:27,600 –> 00:14:32,160
and peace, because the carnal
mind is enmity against God, for

205
00:14:32,160 –> 00:14:36,360
it is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be.

206
00:14:38,240 –> 00:14:41,640
And in Galatians chapter 5 verse
17, we’re told that the flesh

207
00:14:41,880 –> 00:14:45,520
lusteth against the Spirit and
the spirit against the flesh,

208
00:14:46,120 –> 00:14:49,600
and these are contrary, the one
to the other, so that you cannot

209
00:14:49,600 –> 00:14:56,320
do the things that you would.
This inherent hatred that Paul

210
00:14:56,320 –> 00:15:00,920
describes of our nature for
holiness is our heritage from

211
00:15:00,920 –> 00:15:05,800
Adam and Eve and the reason that
flesh and blood cannot inherit

212
00:15:05,800 –> 00:15:08,800
the Kingdom of God.
As long as this hatred is

213
00:15:08,800 –> 00:15:12,960
inherent to our nature, we
cannot in the fullest sense be

214
00:15:12,960 –> 00:15:16,840
the holy royal priesthood
suitable for the work of filling

215
00:15:16,840 –> 00:15:22,200
this earth with God’s glory.
But even though we can’t be free

216
00:15:22,200 –> 00:15:25,560
from human nature this side of
the Kingdom, we can be

217
00:15:25,920 –> 00:15:31,880
spiritually minded.
Sin need not reign in our mortal

218
00:15:31,880 –> 00:15:36,360
bodies as Paul commends to us in
Romans chapter 6 and verse 12.

219
00:15:37,160 –> 00:15:41,200
In fact, we know that we must be
transformed in mind now,

220
00:15:41,800 –> 00:15:46,160
delighting in and serving the
law of God in order to be

221
00:15:46,160 –> 00:15:50,880
transformed in body later.
And as we said at the outset,

222
00:15:50,880 –> 00:15:54,360
brothers and sisters and young
people, these are facts with

223
00:15:54,360 –> 00:15:57,560
which we’re all probably really
familiar.

224
00:15:58,280 –> 00:16:01,720
Nevertheless, if someone with
the understanding, maturity, and

225
00:16:01,720 –> 00:16:07,400
demonstrated commitment of Paul
could say, for I do not do the

226
00:16:07,400 –> 00:16:12,040
good I want, but the evil I do
not want is what I keep on

227
00:16:12,040 –> 00:16:16,600
doing, then how could we ever
imagine ourselves less

228
00:16:16,600 –> 00:16:20,120
susceptible to the pull and push
of our nature?

229
00:16:21,360 –> 00:16:24,160
Our knowledge of the truth, for
all that it equips us to

230
00:16:24,160 –> 00:16:27,720
recognize and respond to the
lust of the eyes and the lust of

231
00:16:27,720 –> 00:16:32,800
the flesh and the pride of life,
doesn’t remove the fundamental

232
00:16:32,800 –> 00:16:37,920
corruption of our nature.
And there’s the very real danger

233
00:16:37,920 –> 00:16:42,040
that we are so familiar with
what the Scriptures say about

234
00:16:42,040 –> 00:16:45,840
that nature that it has lost
some of its significance.

235
00:16:46,320 –> 00:16:50,960
Maybe we no longer truly
appreciate just how dangerous it

236
00:16:50,960 –> 00:16:55,000
really is.
Maybe we don’t actually feel as

237
00:16:55,000 –> 00:16:59,640
if we have an enemy to holiness
present with us at every moment

238
00:16:59,880 –> 00:17:04,560
of every day.
Do we truly believe that we are

239
00:17:04,560 –> 00:17:06,599
under the law that Paul
describes?

240
00:17:06,599 –> 00:17:11,480
He says, I find that a law that
when we would do good, evil is

241
00:17:11,480 –> 00:17:16,200
present with us.
Do we believe that to be true,

242
00:17:16,200 –> 00:17:21,480
brothers and sisters?
Do we accept the reality that

243
00:17:21,480 –> 00:17:24,480
we’re suffering from a
potentially fatal disease that

244
00:17:24,480 –> 00:17:28,520
can only be managed by strict
attention to the prescribed

245
00:17:28,520 –> 00:17:32,440
regimen of treatment?
Or are we in denial?

246
00:17:33,960 –> 00:17:37,920
Have we convinced ourselves that
we’re better and no longer in

247
00:17:37,920 –> 00:17:41,080
need of that treatment?
This is a very common problem

248
00:17:41,080 –> 00:17:44,320
in, in the area of mental
health, particularly in the area

249
00:17:44,320 –> 00:17:46,680
of mental health.
But I think for, for men’s

250
00:17:46,680 –> 00:17:49,880
health, maybe generally that
especially men tend to, well, I,

251
00:17:49,960 –> 00:17:52,280
I think I feel better.
So I’m just going to stop taking

252
00:17:52,280 –> 00:17:54,360
that.
Maybe it’s blood pressure

253
00:17:54,360 –> 00:17:58,520
medication, maybe it’s some
other form of, of medication in

254
00:17:58,520 –> 00:18:01,720
mental health.
It can be particularly damaging.

255
00:18:01,720 –> 00:18:05,840
A person with a disease, a
chemical imbalance that leads to

256
00:18:05,840 –> 00:18:08,800
something like schizophrenia,
takes their medication, they

257
00:18:08,800 –> 00:18:12,920
feel much better.
And so because they feel better,

258
00:18:12,920 –> 00:18:14,560
they say, well, I feel as if I’m
cured.

259
00:18:14,560 –> 00:18:18,800
And they, they stop taking their
medication and they, they suffer

260
00:18:18,840 –> 00:18:24,880
a terrible relapse.
And this same thing can happen

261
00:18:24,880 –> 00:18:27,280
to us, can’t it?
It reminds us in a way of the

262
00:18:27,280 –> 00:18:32,360
cycle of the judges, right?
A steady diet of life infused

263
00:18:32,360 –> 00:18:35,480
with God’s will.
And we begin to feel as if

264
00:18:35,480 –> 00:18:38,440
things are going well.
And because things are going

265
00:18:38,440 –> 00:18:42,400
well, we can get on with what we
want to do and then everything

266
00:18:42,400 –> 00:18:46,520
comes apart.
It’s amazing that we go through

267
00:18:46,520 –> 00:18:48,720
this cycle.
Amazing for the fact that we

268
00:18:48,720 –> 00:18:55,720
keep going through this cycle of
our lives, that it takes us so

269
00:18:55,720 –> 00:19:00,600
long to learn that in fact, we
must continue the regimen of

270
00:19:00,600 –> 00:19:03,200
treatment that our Heavenly
Father has prescribed.

271
00:19:03,200 –> 00:19:09,200
You know, when we think about
diseases, diseases that are, are

272
00:19:09,200 –> 00:19:13,200
particularly scary, there are
many of them, of course, but

273
00:19:13,880 –> 00:19:18,880
there are interesting parallels
between what doctors and, and

274
00:19:18,880 –> 00:19:21,560
patients and those who have have
struggled with it, we’ll call

275
00:19:21,560 –> 00:19:26,560
the big C between cancer and the
disease of human nature.

276
00:19:27,320 –> 00:19:29,920
And of course, we know that
this, this disease of cancer,

277
00:19:29,920 –> 00:19:33,960
I’m not a, a oncologist or
anything like one, but it’s a

278
00:19:33,960 –> 00:19:37,920
family of ailments.
But there are interesting

279
00:19:37,920 –> 00:19:41,680
parallels between this disease,
largely in the fact that

280
00:19:41,680 –> 00:19:44,960
ultimately it’s, it’s kind of in
a sense consumptive, right?

281
00:19:44,960 –> 00:19:48,840
It it wants to grow and grow and
grow until it dominates

282
00:19:48,840 –> 00:19:53,960
everything and in doing so often
times leads to death.

283
00:19:57,480 –> 00:20:00,200
But there’s something
interesting about this disease

284
00:20:00,200 –> 00:20:02,560
in relation, or a few things
rather, that are interesting

285
00:20:02,560 –> 00:20:04,600
about this disease in relation
to other diseases.

286
00:20:04,600 –> 00:20:07,520
Cancer cells are actually.
Native cells.

287
00:20:07,560 –> 00:20:13,200
It’s not an external infection,
it’s an internal malfunction.

288
00:20:16,160 –> 00:20:18,360
Native cells that become
aberrant.

289
00:20:19,600 –> 00:20:23,920
Which makes me think of Matthew
chapter 15 and verses 15 to 20.

290
00:20:23,920 –> 00:20:27,680
That the things which defile a
man don’t come from outside of

291
00:20:27,680 –> 00:20:33,320
us, they come from within.
Our disease originates inside us

292
00:20:33,320 –> 00:20:35,680
rather than an outside
infection.

293
00:20:36,680 –> 00:20:40,440
And though cancer is not an
outside infection, it can be

294
00:20:40,440 –> 00:20:45,720
prompted by environmental
factors, either voluntarily or

295
00:20:45,720 –> 00:20:49,720
involuntarily exposed
environmental factors.

296
00:20:49,720 –> 00:20:53,040
And this puts me in mind of
First Corinthians 15 verse 33,

297
00:20:53,040 –> 00:20:57,640
where Paul tells the Corinthians
that evil communications corrupt

298
00:20:57,680 –> 00:21:01,680
good manners.
Another interesting connection

299
00:21:01,680 –> 00:21:05,280
is that cancerous cells often go
undetected by the body’s immune

300
00:21:05,320 –> 00:21:09,920
system, in part because the
cells are native.

301
00:21:10,560 –> 00:21:15,240
The body’s immune system is is
designed to detect outside

302
00:21:15,240 –> 00:21:22,120
infection and so these cancer
cells are native cells and they

303
00:21:22,120 –> 00:21:25,960
also often actively mask that
they’ve gone rogue.

304
00:21:26,440 –> 00:21:29,440
And this puts me in mind of what
we read in Proverbs chapter 14

305
00:21:29,440 –> 00:21:35,000
verses verse 12 and Proverbs 16
verse 25, that the mind of the

306
00:21:35,000 –> 00:21:38,520
idea that there is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, but

307
00:21:38,520 –> 00:21:41,080
the end thereof are the ways of
death.

308
00:21:42,000 –> 00:21:45,840
The mind is the source of
benign, healthy and diseased

309
00:21:45,880 –> 00:21:50,120
thoughts as well as being the
means of distinguishing the one

310
00:21:50,320 –> 00:21:53,240
from the other.
And so diseased thinking often

311
00:21:53,240 –> 00:21:57,680
goes undetected precisely
because it’s familiar.

312
00:21:59,040 –> 00:22:02,360
We may not be born with an
effective ability to distinguish

313
00:22:02,840 –> 00:22:04,760
healthy thinking from disease
thinking.

314
00:22:04,760 –> 00:22:08,920
But interestingly enough, one of
the, the areas that the

315
00:22:08,920 –> 00:22:11,840
horizons, if you will, of Cancer
Research, as I understand it.

316
00:22:11,840 –> 00:22:14,440
And there is a, a brother on the
East Coast who, who is a

317
00:22:14,440 –> 00:22:16,960
radiation oncologist.
And he and I have have talked

318
00:22:16,960 –> 00:22:20,880
about these things a little bit
just to make sure that that that

319
00:22:20,880 –> 00:22:25,480
I’m not going too far out on a
limb is that they are working to

320
00:22:25,480 –> 00:22:31,480
train and having some progress
at training the immune system to

321
00:22:31,480 –> 00:22:36,400
see it, to recognize it,
training the body itself to

322
00:22:36,400 –> 00:22:40,960
react against certain forms of,
of cancerous mutation.

323
00:22:41,280 –> 00:22:43,560
And this makes me think of the
sentiment that’s expressed in

324
00:22:43,560 –> 00:22:48,480
Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 14,
that we can have our senses

325
00:22:49,320 –> 00:22:54,440
exercised to discern both good
and evil.

326
00:22:56,560 –> 00:23:01,080
And lastly, this idea of of
radiation treatment, you know,

327
00:23:02,760 –> 00:23:05,080
this is one of the treatments
for cancer, which puts me in

328
00:23:05,080 –> 00:23:10,400
mind of somewhat of the way that
light is used as a metaphor for

329
00:23:10,400 –> 00:23:13,120
the word of God, which is the
treatment prescribed by the

330
00:23:13,120 –> 00:23:15,960
great physician to manage our
disease.

331
00:23:16,400 –> 00:23:21,760
In the broadest sense, light is
radiation, and so the treatment

332
00:23:21,760 –> 00:23:25,960
for our spiritual disease is
like cancer in a sense,

333
00:23:26,640 –> 00:23:32,920
radiation therapy.
Now, even when we are able to

334
00:23:32,920 –> 00:23:36,840
acknowledge how poor our
spiritual perception is, most of

335
00:23:36,840 –> 00:23:41,680
us imagine that it stands in
stark contrast to our natural

336
00:23:41,680 –> 00:23:45,280
perception.
We think even if our spiritual

337
00:23:45,280 –> 00:23:48,680
perception doesn’t provide a,
you know, an accurate picture of

338
00:23:48,680 –> 00:23:52,960
reality, surely our natural
perception can be relied on to

339
00:23:52,960 –> 00:23:56,480
provide an accurate picture of
the physical reality.

340
00:23:57,280 –> 00:24:01,800
And in fact, this is promoted by
popular wisdom, isn’t it?

341
00:24:01,800 –> 00:24:06,240
The idea that natural perception
is really the only reliable

342
00:24:06,240 –> 00:24:09,920
measure of truth?
For instance, we rely on our

343
00:24:09,920 –> 00:24:14,640
sight a great deal to help us
perceive and to understand the

344
00:24:14,640 –> 00:24:18,160
world around us, and for the
most part, it’s incredibly

345
00:24:18,320 –> 00:24:22,640
reliable, and that’s why we have
aphorisms like seeing is

346
00:24:22,640 –> 00:24:28,280
believing.
Even so, our physical senses are

347
00:24:28,280 –> 00:24:33,280
much less reliable than we might
otherwise imagine them to be,

348
00:24:35,880 –> 00:24:40,000
and a good deal more limited.
For instance, there’s more light

349
00:24:40,760 –> 00:24:45,040
than we can see.
Ultraviolet light is outside the

350
00:24:45,040 –> 00:24:48,240
visible spectrum of light for
humans, but some insects and

351
00:24:48,240 –> 00:24:51,960
birds are able to see it.
Infrared light is also outside

352
00:24:51,960 –> 00:24:55,120
the sensory perception of
humans, but some snakes and

353
00:24:55,120 –> 00:24:57,520
insects and bats can perceive
it.

354
00:24:58,000 –> 00:25:02,360
In effect, these are aspects of
our reality that are completely

355
00:25:02,360 –> 00:25:06,440
missing to us.
We don’t perceive them with

356
00:25:06,440 –> 00:25:12,040
these natural senses, with, with
we with which we invest such

357
00:25:12,040 –> 00:25:16,240
trust.
And what’s more, it’s not nearly

358
00:25:16,240 –> 00:25:21,480
as difficult as you might think
to confuse even a trusted sense

359
00:25:21,520 –> 00:25:25,160
like visual perception.
So what we want to do for the

360
00:25:25,160 –> 00:25:27,400
next couple of moments is just
illustrate this.

361
00:25:27,560 –> 00:25:31,720
Just do a bit of an exercise
together to illustrate how easy

362
00:25:31,720 –> 00:25:37,520
it really is to deceive a sense
that we trust so much.

363
00:25:38,320 –> 00:25:40,880
And the reason that we want to
do this is to emphasize that if

364
00:25:40,880 –> 00:25:44,240
we can deceive, this sense that
we would normally consider to be

365
00:25:44,480 –> 00:25:48,680
so reliable if we can, if it can
be deceived so easily.

366
00:25:49,240 –> 00:25:56,000
And how much more easily are our
senses deceived with respect to

367
00:25:56,000 –> 00:25:59,320
spiritual things if we are not
guided and directed by the Word

368
00:25:59,320 –> 00:26:05,160
of God?
What does your mind tell you?

369
00:26:05,240 –> 00:26:08,120
Or your eyes?
What do your senses tell you

370
00:26:08,120 –> 00:26:12,640
that you’re looking at?
There are cues.

371
00:26:12,720 –> 00:26:16,040
Our mind processes some of the
things that don’t fit and we

372
00:26:16,040 –> 00:26:19,400
draw conclusions.
But if you just stop that

373
00:26:19,400 –> 00:26:22,320
process for a moment, as if that
were possible, but if you just

374
00:26:22,320 –> 00:26:31,120
try to ignore it, maybe our mind
sees a river and a waterfall.

375
00:26:31,640 –> 00:26:34,120
And so people standing on
something, a rock or a raft or

376
00:26:34,120 –> 00:26:38,960
some such, that’s a chalk
drawing on a flat St.

377
00:26:42,560 –> 00:26:45,840
But it didn’t take much to make
our minds believe that it was

378
00:26:45,840 –> 00:26:50,240
something entirely other, right,
without sort of stopping and

379
00:26:50,240 –> 00:26:51,360
looking at the.
Oh, right.

380
00:26:51,360 –> 00:26:54,720
We have enough visual indicators
around it that we can make sense

381
00:26:54,720 –> 00:26:57,200
of it pretty quickly.
We can see, OK, yeah, there’s

382
00:26:57,200 –> 00:26:59,920
something that’s not right here.
Some of the details not exactly

383
00:26:59,920 –> 00:27:04,040
right.
But at first blush, we imagine

384
00:27:04,040 –> 00:27:06,200
what we see is a river.
And there’s a moment of

385
00:27:06,200 –> 00:27:13,520
confusion, isn’t there?
Another example here again,

386
00:27:13,520 –> 00:27:16,440
there’s a a scene of someone
peering down from some

387
00:27:16,440 –> 00:27:20,520
scaffolding into an area where
somebody seems to have fallen.

388
00:27:21,200 –> 00:27:24,360
And of course, again, it’s just
the sidewalk.

389
00:27:25,720 –> 00:27:30,880
Someone has skillfully drawn a
picture on a flat surface and

390
00:27:30,880 –> 00:27:35,120
created the impression in our
minds of depth.

391
00:27:37,920 –> 00:27:43,400
And so we imagine that what we
truly see is other than what’s

392
00:27:43,440 –> 00:27:46,000
actually there.
That’s how easy it can be.

393
00:27:46,000 –> 00:27:48,080
Now, I’m sure if you ask the
artist, he’d say, what do you

394
00:27:48,080 –> 00:27:50,600
mean how easy it can be?
That took me forever to draw.

395
00:27:53,800 –> 00:27:57,400
But for us right here, right
now, that’s how easy it can be

396
00:27:58,160 –> 00:28:01,080
to deceive our natural
perception.

397
00:28:01,320 –> 00:28:04,960
If it’s that easy to deceive our
natural perception, which we

398
00:28:04,960 –> 00:28:10,360
rely on so much, how much more
easily can spiritual perception

399
00:28:10,600 –> 00:28:12,640
be deceived?
Or can our perception of

400
00:28:12,640 –> 00:28:17,480
spiritual things be deceived if
we’re using natural means?

401
00:28:19,080 –> 00:28:20,800
What?
What do you see here?

402
00:28:21,280 –> 00:28:23,520
I can’t leave this, I can’t
actually look at this very long

403
00:28:23,520 –> 00:28:26,080
because it starts to make me
starts to make my tummy feel a

404
00:28:26,080 –> 00:28:28,640
little weird.
I’m not sure why That’s quite

405
00:28:28,640 –> 00:28:31,040
apart from not feeling well
earlier in the week.

406
00:28:31,760 –> 00:28:34,400
What do you see?
Do you see horizontal lines

407
00:28:34,400 –> 00:28:37,960
parallel to each other or do you
see lines that seem to want to

408
00:28:37,960 –> 00:28:42,840
almost like they’re bending?
Many people see bending lines or

409
00:28:42,840 –> 00:28:45,080
they they see lines that don’t
quite line up.

410
00:28:45,080 –> 00:28:47,760
They’re not parallel to each
other.

411
00:28:48,280 –> 00:28:53,680
Sometimes if we, if we overlay
white lines that sort of expand

412
00:28:53,680 –> 00:28:57,320
beyond the image, it helps the
mind sort of pick up on some of

413
00:28:57,320 –> 00:29:01,800
those additional visual cues and
allows us to see that Oh yeah,

414
00:29:01,800 –> 00:29:03,280
OK, right.
Yeah, they’re all just parallel

415
00:29:03,280 –> 00:29:07,840
lines.
This is how easily our natural

416
00:29:07,840 –> 00:29:11,800
perceptions can be confused.
And if we use them to perceive

417
00:29:11,800 –> 00:29:16,800
spiritual things, we will
consistently fail to do so

418
00:29:17,040 –> 00:29:21,160
correctly.
Which of these two blocks?

419
00:29:21,160 –> 00:29:23,920
You’ll see there’s there’s an A,
it’s a bit faded.

420
00:29:23,920 –> 00:29:27,320
There’s an A and there’s AB.
Which do you think is darker?

421
00:29:30,640 –> 00:29:33,800
Which of the two blocks?
I I won’t ask you to.

422
00:29:34,680 –> 00:29:36,880
Oh, why not?
Who thinks A’s darker?

423
00:29:39,400 –> 00:29:42,960
Yeah, I do too, actually.
Who thinks B’s darker?

424
00:29:43,960 –> 00:29:46,680
Yeah, right.
Awesome.

425
00:29:47,120 –> 00:29:48,600
I love an individualist that
way.

426
00:29:48,720 –> 00:29:51,720
OK, well, of course they’re the
exact same color.

427
00:29:52,960 –> 00:29:56,040
You knew that was coming, you
know, or at least you you

428
00:29:56,040 –> 00:29:58,560
thought it might be.
They’re the exact same shade,

429
00:29:58,600 –> 00:30:01,560
right?
And and whereas earlier our mind

430
00:30:01,560 –> 00:30:06,120
was helped by external visual
cues, here it’s confused.

431
00:30:06,120 –> 00:30:11,840
We see shadow and we know that.
We know that what we’re expected

432
00:30:11,840 –> 00:30:16,480
to see is this shadow.
And we, we look around and we

433
00:30:16,480 –> 00:30:19,320
say, well, then yeah, they’re
clearly that one’s meant to be

434
00:30:19,320 –> 00:30:21,120
darker.
It’s just, you know, there’s a

435
00:30:21,120 –> 00:30:24,000
shadow involved and we we make
sense of it in our minds.

436
00:30:24,000 –> 00:30:27,480
And in fact, the reality is
different than the

437
00:30:27,480 –> 00:30:30,880
interpretation, just as we’ve
seen in the other examples.

438
00:30:30,880 –> 00:30:33,280
But, but we get there a slightly
different way.

439
00:30:34,760 –> 00:30:37,880
This last one, I don’t believe
it.

440
00:30:38,120 –> 00:30:43,920
And I’ve and I did it.
I don’t know why this one just

441
00:30:44,840 –> 00:30:49,480
there’s two lines and for the
life of me, the line on the

442
00:30:49,480 –> 00:30:55,480
right is longer.
It just is longer, right?

443
00:30:56,160 –> 00:30:58,640
I’m not sure about your
perception, but my perception is

444
00:30:58,640 –> 00:31:00,120
that the line on the right is
longer.

445
00:31:02,160 –> 00:31:06,840
So we take a line, right?
And I promise you, I’m not doing

446
00:31:06,840 –> 00:31:09,000
any tricks here.
I’m really not.

447
00:31:09,960 –> 00:31:13,120
And the, the only trick is this
is this is the extent of my, my

448
00:31:13,120 –> 00:31:17,080
PowerPoint skills is that I can
make this little red line fly

449
00:31:17,080 –> 00:31:21,600
across the screen and it
overlays the other line exactly

450
00:31:21,920 –> 00:31:25,320
right.
And as I, as, as I was going

451
00:31:25,320 –> 00:31:27,640
through the, the process of
preparation, I’m like, you know,

452
00:31:27,640 –> 00:31:31,040
that just doesn’t satisfy me.
So I felt the need to actually

453
00:31:31,040 –> 00:31:35,360
draw lines across the top and
bottom to prove to myself, even

454
00:31:35,360 –> 00:31:38,760
though I had just proven to
myself that in fact, those lines

455
00:31:38,760 –> 00:31:44,560
are exactly the same size.
So the reason that we look at

456
00:31:44,560 –> 00:31:49,560
these things is, is not to, you
know, simply for a a bit of a

457
00:31:49,560 –> 00:31:53,080
reprieve.
The reason that we look at these

458
00:31:53,080 –> 00:31:58,360
things again is that this is how
easily our natural perception

459
00:31:58,560 –> 00:32:03,480
can be confused.
If we bring that perception to

460
00:32:03,480 –> 00:32:07,600
our efforts to progress along
the way of holiness.

461
00:32:07,600 –> 00:32:12,080
If we try to perceive spiritual
things through natural means, we

462
00:32:12,080 –> 00:32:21,720
will consistently fail to do so.
There is a way that seems right

463
00:32:22,000 –> 00:32:25,880
to a man, but the end thereof
are the ways of death.

464
00:32:27,880 –> 00:32:30,680
Brothers and sisters and young
people, there will never be a

465
00:32:30,680 –> 00:32:35,480
time this side of the Kingdom
when it will be a good idea to

466
00:32:35,480 –> 00:32:39,400
trust our natural perception
where spiritual things are

467
00:32:39,400 –> 00:32:42,360
concerned.
The counsel of the Proverbs in

468
00:32:42,360 –> 00:32:46,880
Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 5
is trust in the Lord with all

469
00:32:46,880 –> 00:32:51,280
thine heart, and lean not unto
thine own understanding.

470
00:32:51,880 –> 00:32:56,400
In all thy ways acknowledge Him,
and he will direct thy paths.

471
00:32:58,200 –> 00:33:01,560
To trust in ourselves, however
much knowledge and experience we

472
00:33:01,560 –> 00:33:05,320
may have, is only to invite
ruin.

473
00:33:06,760 –> 00:33:11,360
If a man like David, who surely
knew better, could be overtaken

474
00:33:11,360 –> 00:33:15,000
in sin with Bathsheba, if Paul
could say that there was a war

475
00:33:15,000 –> 00:33:20,680
in his members, then certainly
none of us can afford to let

476
00:33:20,680 –> 00:33:27,280
down our guard.
So now we’d like to take a

477
00:33:27,280 –> 00:33:30,680
moment and look at this idea of
the world.

478
00:33:31,840 –> 00:33:36,880
The other enemy to holiness that
the Bible talks about is the

479
00:33:36,880 –> 00:33:39,400
world.
We’re told not to love it

480
00:33:39,520 –> 00:33:42,720
because it’s not of the Father
and therefore it will pass away.

481
00:33:43,720 –> 00:33:46,320
But those that do the will of
God will abide forever.

482
00:33:46,320 –> 00:33:51,680
We’re told not even to be on
friendly terms with it because

483
00:33:51,680 –> 00:33:55,640
to do so is to make ourselves
the enemy of God.

484
00:33:56,040 –> 00:33:59,000
That’s I don’t know, I, I’ve
read that over and over and over

485
00:33:59,000 –> 00:34:01,560
again and I, I read that even
today and I’m not sure that I

486
00:34:01,560 –> 00:34:04,840
connect as fully as I should
with that idea.

487
00:34:06,120 –> 00:34:10,360
Friendship with the world is
enmity with God.

488
00:34:11,040 –> 00:34:15,679
It’s a pretty strong statement
that bears, you know, careful

489
00:34:15,679 –> 00:34:20,520
consideration, isn’t it?
We know that the disciples of

490
00:34:20,520 –> 00:34:26,800
Christ have to live in the
world, but we are not its

491
00:34:27,239 –> 00:34:32,120
citizens.
In Jesus prayer for his

492
00:34:32,120 –> 00:34:36,320
disciples he acknowledges that
God had separated them from the

493
00:34:36,320 –> 00:34:40,920
world and in doing so they had
become gods.

494
00:34:41,880 –> 00:34:47,840
They had become His, a
possession claimed by him in the

495
00:34:47,840 –> 00:34:51,760
same way that a parent most of
the time will claim a child.

496
00:34:52,920 –> 00:34:57,520
Occasionally mom or dad might
say your son just did whatever

497
00:34:57,800 –> 00:35:02,680
your daughter, but generally we
claim our children, don’t we?

498
00:35:03,720 –> 00:35:07,000
They are ours.
And this is the work that our

499
00:35:07,000 –> 00:35:08,640
heavenly Father has done with
us.

500
00:35:08,640 –> 00:35:11,480
He has brought us into his
family and made us his own.

501
00:35:12,320 –> 00:35:16,120
It calls to mind the language of
Exodus 19 and of Leviticus 20

502
00:35:16,120 –> 00:35:20,920
and verse 26 as God conveys the
same ideas to to Israel.

503
00:35:22,040 –> 00:35:27,680
But Jesus goes on to ask God to
preserve that separation by

504
00:35:27,840 –> 00:35:32,800
keeping them from evil and
sustaining their sanctification

505
00:35:33,160 –> 00:35:36,920
through truth.
He says, I pray for them.

506
00:35:36,920 –> 00:35:40,400
I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given

507
00:35:40,400 –> 00:35:43,840
me, for they are thine.
I pray not that thou shouldst

508
00:35:43,880 –> 00:35:47,520
take them out of the world, but
that thou shouldst keep them

509
00:35:47,640 –> 00:35:51,560
from the evil.
They are not of the world, even

510
00:35:51,560 –> 00:35:56,400
as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them through thy truth.

511
00:35:56,600 –> 00:36:05,640
Thy word is true.
So we have those that are gods

512
00:36:06,400 –> 00:36:11,200
who are journeying toward life,
who resist sins, attempts to

513
00:36:11,200 –> 00:36:16,600
reign in their mortal bodies,
and those who are dead in

514
00:36:16,600 –> 00:36:21,120
trespasses and sins, who walk
according to the course of this

515
00:36:21,120 –> 00:36:24,320
world, according to the Prince
of the power of the air.

516
00:36:24,320 –> 00:36:28,520
The spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience,

517
00:36:29,200 –> 00:36:33,640
among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in

518
00:36:33,640 –> 00:36:36,440
the lust of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the

519
00:36:36,440 –> 00:36:40,120
flesh and of the mind.
And we’re by nature the children

520
00:36:40,120 –> 00:36:45,960
of wrath, even as others.
The picture that emerges is of

521
00:36:46,040 –> 00:36:53,120
two kingdoms, the Kingdom of God
and sins Kingdom, where human

522
00:36:53,120 –> 00:36:56,880
nature reigns uncontested in men
and women.

523
00:36:58,920 –> 00:37:01,440
We have received an incredible
calling.

524
00:37:02,400 –> 00:37:06,280
The disciples of Christ have
been called out of death, out of

525
00:37:06,360 –> 00:37:11,400
sins Kingdom into life and the
Kingdom of God.

526
00:37:13,960 –> 00:37:19,040
But once again, there is a real
danger, a real and present

527
00:37:19,080 –> 00:37:21,920
danger for those who have
received this high calling.

528
00:37:22,280 –> 00:37:26,400
It’s comfortable to imagine that
the world only describes things

529
00:37:26,400 –> 00:37:28,600
outside of ourselves and our
community.

530
00:37:29,160 –> 00:37:31,240
The world is something out
there.

531
00:37:32,760 –> 00:37:35,760
There’s a danger that those who
have been called out of the

532
00:37:35,760 –> 00:37:40,400
world imagine they now live in
an unassailable impervious

533
00:37:40,400 –> 00:37:44,320
fortress that cannot be
overtaken by enemy invasion,

534
00:37:44,320 –> 00:37:49,320
rather than a city under
constant siege where the enemy

535
00:37:49,320 –> 00:37:51,800
will stop at nothing to take
control.

536
00:37:52,920 –> 00:37:56,240
Since Kingdom is always looking
to expand its borders by

537
00:37:56,240 –> 00:38:00,600
whatever means possible, it has
an army stationed on the border,

538
00:38:00,720 –> 00:38:04,560
it sends in spies to foment
rebellion, and it has an embassy

539
00:38:04,760 –> 00:38:08,840
inside every last one of
Christ’s disciples.

540
00:38:10,640 –> 00:38:14,160
At the same time that the world
tries to force regime change,

541
00:38:14,880 –> 00:38:18,400
it’s constantly trying to open
up diplomatic relations, much in

542
00:38:18,400 –> 00:38:23,120
the way of countries today
sending the special forces and

543
00:38:23,160 –> 00:38:26,480
the diplomats in.
At the same time, the world

544
00:38:26,480 –> 00:38:30,600
believes that we should be able
to cooperate to achieve mutually

545
00:38:30,600 –> 00:38:36,240
beneficial goals, but the
reality is that no such goals

546
00:38:36,400 –> 00:38:40,520
exist between the citizens of
God’s Kingdom and those in whom

547
00:38:40,760 –> 00:38:47,520
sin rules uncontested.
We cannot serve 2 masters, but

548
00:38:47,520 –> 00:38:51,600
that’s one of many lies that our
nature and the world would have

549
00:38:51,600 –> 00:38:55,920
us believe.
Here again, the exhortation is

550
00:38:55,920 –> 00:39:01,800
to humility and vigilance.
The world is not out there, it’s

551
00:39:01,800 –> 00:39:05,360
at the gates, trying to tunnel
under the walls and trying to

552
00:39:05,360 –> 00:39:11,440
convince us that we share common
cause that can be a basis for

553
00:39:11,440 –> 00:39:14,520
cooperation.
And this will always be true

554
00:39:14,520 –> 00:39:17,520
until we are finally changed in
nature by the grace of God,

555
00:39:17,760 –> 00:39:22,280
which again underscores the need
for humility and vigilance.

556
00:39:23,520 –> 00:39:27,040
Those who arrive at Zion with
songs and everlasting joy upon

557
00:39:27,040 –> 00:39:32,280
their heads have been strangers
and pilgrims in the world.

558
00:39:34,800 –> 00:39:38,600
So with that, we would like to
turn our attention to a couple

559
00:39:38,600 –> 00:39:43,760
of tactics that God has provided
to resist our nature and the

560
00:39:43,760 –> 00:39:46,480
world.
And to begin with, it’s

561
00:39:46,480 –> 00:39:50,280
important to point out that only
the only reliable foundation for

562
00:39:50,280 –> 00:39:55,000
our efforts to resist our nature
and the world is the Word of

563
00:39:55,000 –> 00:39:57,360
God.
When our Lord was tempted in the

564
00:39:57,360 –> 00:40:01,040
wilderness, His resistance is
characterized by this threefold

565
00:40:01,040 –> 00:40:04,440
refrain, is it not?
It is written.

566
00:40:05,520 –> 00:40:08,960
The only way that we can resist
the deception of human nature

567
00:40:08,960 –> 00:40:12,120
and the world is by being well
schooled.

568
00:40:12,600 –> 00:40:16,640
In the truth of God,
unfortunately, where truth is

569
00:40:16,640 –> 00:40:25,360
concerned, we are leaky vessels.
I think that’s for me why this

570
00:40:25,360 –> 00:40:30,480
this principle and concept of
remembrance is so essential.

571
00:40:30,800 –> 00:40:34,000
It’s such a critical and
important idea, and it’s infused

572
00:40:34,000 –> 00:40:36,000
throughout the pages of
Scripture.

573
00:40:37,920 –> 00:40:41,120
It’s easy for me to miss the
profound significance of what

574
00:40:41,120 –> 00:40:44,800
Peter says here in Second Peter
chapter 1 and verse 12.

575
00:40:45,720 –> 00:40:50,280
Even though he believes his
audience knows the things that

576
00:40:50,280 –> 00:40:56,240
he’s saying and is established
in the present truth, he

577
00:40:56,240 –> 00:41:01,880
considers it negligence.
Negligence to pass up an

578
00:41:01,880 –> 00:41:05,760
opportunity to rehearse those
truths with them.

579
00:41:06,920 –> 00:41:10,000
It calls to mind the language of
Deuteronomy 6, which exhorts

580
00:41:10,000 –> 00:41:13,920
Israel to incorporate the Word
of God into every aspect of

581
00:41:13,920 –> 00:41:18,640
their daily lives, lest they
forget the Lord.

582
00:41:21,280 –> 00:41:24,040
That’s when we’re most
vulnerable to human nature and

583
00:41:24,040 –> 00:41:27,680
the world, when we have
forgotten the Lord that brought

584
00:41:27,680 –> 00:41:30,760
us out from the House of bondage
to sin and death.

585
00:41:32,320 –> 00:41:35,160
Reading from Deuteronomy chapter
6, verses 6:00 to 12:00.

586
00:41:35,680 –> 00:41:38,520
And these words which I command
thee this day shall be in thine

587
00:41:38,520 –> 00:41:40,280
heart.
And thou shalt teach them

588
00:41:40,280 –> 00:41:44,360
diligently, and to thy children,
and shalt talk of them when thou

589
00:41:44,360 –> 00:41:48,000
sittest in thine house, and when
thou walkest by the way, and

590
00:41:48,000 –> 00:41:50,320
when thou liest down, and when
thou risest up.

591
00:41:50,680 –> 00:41:53,880
And thou shalt bind them for a
sign upon thine hand, and they

592
00:41:53,880 –> 00:41:56,360
shall be as frontlets between
thine eyes.

593
00:41:56,640 –> 00:41:59,560
And thou shalt write them upon
the posts of thy house, and on

594
00:41:59,560 –> 00:42:02,480
thy gates.
And it shall be when the Lord

595
00:42:02,480 –> 00:42:06,440
thy God shall have brought thee
into the land which he swear

596
00:42:06,440 –> 00:42:10,400
unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob, to give the

597
00:42:10,400 –> 00:42:13,760
great and goodly cities which
thou buildest not, and houses

598
00:42:13,760 –> 00:42:17,160
full of good things which thou
fillest not, and wells dig which

599
00:42:17,160 –> 00:42:21,080
thou digest not, vineyards and
olive trees which thou plantest

600
00:42:21,080 –> 00:42:24,280
not, when thou should have eaten
and be full.

601
00:42:24,880 –> 00:42:31,440
Then beware, lest thou forget
the Lord which brought thee

602
00:42:31,440 –> 00:42:34,800
forth out of the land of Egypt
from the House of bondage.

603
00:42:36,440 –> 00:42:40,280
So we have to constantly
rehearse the truths God has

604
00:42:40,280 –> 00:42:45,520
revealed to remain mindful of
the great and precious promises

605
00:42:45,520 –> 00:42:49,040
to which God has made us heirs
through Jesus Christ and faith.

606
00:42:49,680 –> 00:42:53,600
Otherwise, if we permit
ourselves to be mindful of that

607
00:42:53,600 –> 00:42:57,520
country from which we’ve been
called out, then we will find

608
00:42:57,640 –> 00:43:05,600
opportunity to return.
Another point that has been, I

609
00:43:05,600 –> 00:43:09,000
think, very helpful to Sister
Amanda and I is the idea that

610
00:43:09,000 –> 00:43:12,520
human nature cannot be overcome
in our own strength.

611
00:43:12,880 –> 00:43:16,400
We cannot fight the flesh with
the flesh.

612
00:43:17,000 –> 00:43:20,320
We can only gain victory over
our nature through faith in God

613
00:43:20,320 –> 00:43:22,720
and active obedience to His
will.

614
00:43:23,640 –> 00:43:26,480
That seems to be central to
Paul’s message in Galatians

615
00:43:26,480 –> 00:43:30,000
chapters 5 and 6.
If we would not fulfill the lust

616
00:43:30,000 –> 00:43:33,640
of the flesh, then we need to
walk in the Spirit.

617
00:43:34,720 –> 00:43:38,320
To truly understand the import
of this exhortation, it seems

618
00:43:38,320 –> 00:43:41,400
helpful to look at the character
of the section in which it

619
00:43:41,400 –> 00:43:44,800
appears.
The exhortation to walk in the

620
00:43:44,800 –> 00:43:50,200
Spirit seems to be part of of a
section of Galatians that begins

621
00:43:50,200 –> 00:43:54,520
in chapter 5, verse 13 and ends
in chapter 6 and verse 10.

622
00:43:54,520 –> 00:43:59,240
It is bracketed, if you will,
framed by the principles of

623
00:43:59,240 –> 00:44:02,480
service generally and serving
our brothers and sisters in

624
00:44:02,480 –> 00:44:08,400
Christ, particularly Romans
chapter 12, verse 21 exhorts us

625
00:44:09,200 –> 00:44:14,280
to be not overcome of evil, but
to overcome evil with good.

626
00:44:15,280 –> 00:44:18,400
And it’s in a very similar
context to the one we find here

627
00:44:18,400 –> 00:44:23,160
in Galatians chapters 5 and 6.
And so a powerful tactic in our

628
00:44:23,160 –> 00:44:27,840
efforts to resist our nature and
the world is to take advantage

629
00:44:27,920 –> 00:44:31,720
of the myriad of opportunities
that we have to serve our

630
00:44:31,720 –> 00:44:34,840
Heavenly Father by serving one
another.

631
00:44:36,760 –> 00:44:41,440
See, our focus can’t exclusively
be on rejecting evil.

632
00:44:42,120 –> 00:44:47,400
It has to be on embracing and
doing good with the

633
00:44:47,400 –> 00:44:51,560
understanding that the honest
pursuit of good includes the

634
00:44:51,560 –> 00:44:55,360
rejection of evil.
We need to be about our Father’s

635
00:44:55,360 –> 00:45:00,840
business doing truth, because
truth is a thing to be done.

636
00:45:02,000 –> 00:45:04,880
He that doeth truth cometh to
the light.

637
00:45:05,800 –> 00:45:10,240
If we walk in darkness, we lie
and do not the truth.

638
00:45:15,320 –> 00:45:19,040
But if we commit ourselves to
resisting our nature and the

639
00:45:19,040 –> 00:45:22,720
world, there is an incredible
future in store for us.

640
00:45:23,360 –> 00:45:26,640
We’ve touched on one vision of
that future in Isaiah chapter

641
00:45:26,640 –> 00:45:31,040
35, where the redeemed come to
Zion on the way of holiness with

642
00:45:31,040 –> 00:45:33,560
songs and everlasting joy upon
their heads.

643
00:45:34,520 –> 00:45:37,920
One of the interesting features
of the way of holiness mentioned

644
00:45:38,760 –> 00:45:44,640
in Isaiah 35 is that no lion or
any ravenous beast shall go up

645
00:45:44,920 –> 00:45:47,840
there on.
And this puts me in mind of the

646
00:45:47,840 –> 00:45:53,080
fact that if we are steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in

647
00:45:53,080 –> 00:45:57,880
the work of the Lord, then there
will come a time when we’ll no

648
00:45:57,880 –> 00:46:02,960
longer have to fear this
ravenous, beastly nature that we

649
00:46:02,960 –> 00:46:08,640
bear.
Though we may be stalked, as it

650
00:46:08,640 –> 00:46:12,560
were today along the path of
holiness, by our nature, a time

651
00:46:12,560 –> 00:46:16,960
is coming when we can be set
free once and for all.

652
00:46:17,400 –> 00:46:20,360
But that’s a freedom that we
have to want, brothers and

653
00:46:20,360 –> 00:46:23,240
sisters.
We have to want to be free of

654
00:46:23,240 –> 00:46:29,880
our nature and to work against
it today, in that day when we

655
00:46:29,880 –> 00:46:34,680
are finally and completely set
free in that day, sorrow and

656
00:46:34,680 –> 00:46:38,840
sighing will flee away, and the
redeemed will be filled up with

657
00:46:38,840 –> 00:46:42,680
the joy and the gladness of
those whose liberation is

658
00:46:42,680 –> 00:46:48,400
finally complete.
So in our session tomorrow,

659
00:46:48,400 –> 00:46:53,920
we’re going to take a look at
the the need for balance in our

660
00:46:53,920 –> 00:46:58,120
approach to this challenge of
progressing along the way of

661
00:46:58,120 –> 00:47:00,800
holiness.
It is absolutely essential that

662
00:47:00,800 –> 00:47:05,360
we hate the flesh, but it is
also essential that we learn to

663
00:47:05,360 –> 00:47:08,120
identify with our Heavenly
Father.

664
00:47:08,920 –> 00:47:12,720
He is the head of our family and
we are cultivating a family

665
00:47:12,720 –> 00:47:17,040
resemblance, aren’t we?
And so we need to learn to

666
00:47:17,080 –> 00:47:22,280
identify with him.
We’re going to look at the ample

667
00:47:22,280 –> 00:47:26,360
’cause that we have to be strong
and of good courage and

668
00:47:26,360 –> 00:47:30,000
exhortation that we find in the
Scriptures for many of those who

669
00:47:30,000 –> 00:47:32,560
were journeying along the way of
holiness.

670
00:47:32,760 –> 00:47:38,000
Be strong and of good courage.
And that same sentiment is is

671
00:47:38,000 –> 00:47:42,760
expressed by God to you and I.
We’re going to look at this idea

672
00:47:42,760 –> 00:47:47,760
of our Heavenly Father as both
righteous judge and a loving

673
00:47:47,760 –> 00:47:50,560
Father.
It is not as though God is one

674
00:47:50,560 –> 00:47:53,120
thing or the other thing, or
more of one and less of the

675
00:47:53,160 –> 00:47:56,640
other, but that he is both of
these things together.

676
00:47:58,360 –> 00:48:02,120
And then finally, we’re going to
look at our part in God’s work

677
00:48:02,160 –> 00:48:05,800
of transformation.
And so with that, I will say

678
00:48:05,800 –> 00:48:08,640
thank you again and turn things
back over to Brother Ken.