You are invited to stop deceiving yourself and let the Word break through your hardened areas to reveal the truth. Come forward today to confess where you have fallen into temptation or rebellion, and receive the encouragement to walk in the righteousness God offers you.
And let's give honor where "honor is due" to Jesus. Lord, we honor you. If
you have a bible, I want you to hold it up. If you have a Bible, if you don't, hold up your Bible app on your phone. Just realize, think Bible app. Don't think, you know, some TikTok or whatever. And just from your heart, you know, pray this with me, but Lord Jesus, let us become what you say about us in this word.
Lord God, let us believe everything that you say that you are in this word because this declares your character and your nature. But also, Lord Jesus, that we get to participate, *2 Peter-1, in that "divine nature"* through these precious promises. So, father, let us raise the level of honor and value for your word. And forgive us, we *repent* where we've put this on the shelf. Or Lord God, we've lowered the level of your word to the level of our experience.
Would we repent for that? And Lord, let us let us pursue you until our experience matches what it says. Everybody say this. I am who this says I am. I am who this says I am.
I can do what this says I can do. I can do what this says I can do. I can have what this says I can have. Thank I can have what this I can have. You, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus. Help me to believe. Believe. Amen. You may be seated.
Man, raising the level of of of value and honor for the word is a big deal. I believe there is revival happening in the American church, but it won't be sustained unless there's a high value for the word and a getting to know and understand and stand on it. Because those new believers, storms will come, and you'll either become stagnant, fall away, or stay sturdy. And that's all dependent on how well you know this thing. And how not just a mental ascent, oh yeah, I understand, I've heard that before, but a daily putting it into practice.
Not just being a hearer of the word and deceiving yourself, *James-1* says. Right? If you're deceived, you don't know you're deceived. That's the whole thing about deception. So, man, understanding the truth of the word so that it breaks away the deception.
The things that you think you're right, but you're not actually right because you hit the sword of the word, hit those deceptive areas, those areas that have been hardened in your own heart, broken up that rock so you can receive the goodness of the gospel in that area of your life. Amen? Amen. Well, my name is David John Phillips. I have the joy and honor of getting to be the pastor here.
There's no place I'd rather be. There's nothing I'd rather be doing. I've been saying that every Sunday for about 7 years now. And I I I mean, I am just so thankful for what God has done and is doing. If you haven't been through Establish yet, I'm sorry because you're missing out on our Slack channels.
You gotta go through Establish to get on Slack a real church, and Slack is kind of like our inside community, and we got this this channel in Slack called our testimonies channel, and that thing is blowing up. I'm just saying, man, every day there are people giving their life to *Jesus* in the community through you guys. Every day there are people being prayed for and healed, or delivered, or wanting to come to church, or testimony of this, answered prayer that, and as I read that channel, I'm like, man, it encourages my faith. So if you're not established in a local body of Christ, man, it's my will that you'd establish here, that you'd get connected to the body of Christ, it's important. And in being connected, you're gonna get a part of the community, and that's important too because you can't have discipleship outside of relationship.
You need to be connected in relationship for discipleship, and that's hard for a lot of people. Right? Because they like being loners, they like doing it their own way, because people are mean, people are unkind, people are this. Well, that's an opportunity to bear fruit in the midst of that. Amen?
It's "iron sharpening iron", and that's why we have we have slack as well, so that you can see testimonies and be encouraged, know the the depths of what's going on, and and get connected. So I'd encourage you, go through that established thing, you can get connected. Amen? Amen. It's on realrealchurch.us.us, our website.
In addition, I wanna reiterate both, you know, she did a good job announcing it. I just wanna reiterate it that the encounter night, you guys wanna come that Friday night. It's gonna be powerful, and then the healing workshop, if if you're skeptical skeptical. If you're skeptical, that's not in the dictionary. So that's if you're skeptical on healing and and what that looks like for today, and whether or not you can actually pray for people and see them healed in your daily life, if me saying that, you're like, I don't know about me, you need to go to that healing workshop.
Because it's part of the promises in scripture that you're missing out on. You know? There's many promises, but because people don't know their word, or when they read it, they read it as if it's a bunch of stories from way back in the day and not applicable for their life, not a mirror that's showing them how to live, they miss out on things that God is inviting you to, to participate, 2 Peter-1, in the divine nature. If you're actually a son of God, that means you have the nature of your heavenly father, and it's everything that he reveals to you is an invitation to participate in that daily, as empowered by the Holy Spirit that lives in you. This is Christianity, the Christian life.
It's way more than a lot of people make it out to be. How many of you guys know that? Alright. How many of you have, in the last few years, either laid hands on somebody and saw them supernaturally healed, or have experienced healing in your own body supernaturally? Raise your hands.
Now, keep your hands high. Raise it high. The rest of you, look around. Supernatural this is **supernatural healing**. Either they were healed or they laid hands on somebody else to be healed.
God is doing crazy things in our church, and through the church in the community. And if you just come on a Sunday morning to check it off your box, you're missing out on what it looks like to walk as a son and a daughter of God. And it's my job to equip you to do that. You can put your hands down. To equip you to do that, or to challenge your unbeliefs, so that you take a step back and like, wait a second, does the Bible actually say this or not?
And to just live it out. Follow me as I follow Christ, Paul said. Every 1 of you as believers in Christ should be living such a life that you can tell those around you, follow me as I follow Christ, and you'll do the same things I do an even greater 1 day. Amen? Alright.
You guys ready to dive in today? I am too, because we are back in the Corinthians series. If you you don't know, we have been in the Corinthians series on and off for the last 2 and a half years. We're going verse by verse through Corinthians. God will lead us somewhere else for a little bit.
Like last month, we did the the series on the church, which was important. Did you guys enjoy that? I hope you did. Doctor Landon Galloway did an amazing job last week preaching and finishing up that series. But now, we're back in the Corinthians series, and I just want to invite you into my Bible study, if that's okay.
And hopefully this will be an encouragement to you. I think we have about 75 different directions I want to go. We'll pick 1 or 2, or 5 or 6, and go from there. You guys good? Yeah.
Alright. So picking up where we left off, we're in 1 Corinthians-9, verse 24. And Paul just got done describing his race. That he's called to preach the gospel, and to the Jew, become a Jew, to the Gentile, become a Gentile, To the weak, become weak. To the strong, become strong.
Whatever it takes to incarnate the gospel into the culture that God sent him to. And as a side note and a reminder, Paul says to the Jews, I became a Jew in verse 20. And that's interesting because he was born a Jew. But when he was born again, he became a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, which means he was a citizen in his own mind of the kingdom of heaven before he was a Jew. He was transformed in a new into a new creation, and connected by the Holy Spirit to other believers around the world, and that connection was deeper than his own skin color and his own culture.
So when you give your life to Jesus, you become a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, and that should hold more value and more weight than the color of your skin, or the culture that you come from, or the nation you come from. I'm a citizen of The United States Of America after I'm a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. And I am to incarnate the the king the culture of the kingdom of heaven into the country that God sends me. I say it like this. To the white man, I become a white man.
To the Is that what Paul's saying? To the black man, I become a black man. To the Chinese, I become a Chinese. Right? Whatever it takes, if I gotta learn their language, I gotta learn their language.
To meet them where they're at, so I can incarnate the gospel of the kingdom and impact them. And if you give value and more weight to the color of your skin, or the culture that you were born into, then the kingdom of heaven, you're off. Amen? Or you're just not born again yet, and you need to give your life to Jesus so he can transform your heart. You can understand and see the world through different eyes.
Renew your mind to the reality of who he says that you are, and your place in this world so that you can run the race that he set you on, which is what we're talking about. *1 Corinthians-9*, verse 24, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only 1 receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
When you get born again, when you give your life to Jesus as the Lord of your life, He puts the Holy Spirit inside of you and empowers you to run the race to set your eyes on Jesus. *Philippians-3*. Verse 10. Paul's writing again, that I may know Jesus and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings becoming like him in his death. That's gonna be important for later in the message.
That I may share in his sufferings becoming like him in his death. Why do you come to church? Ask yourself that. Why do you call yourself a Christian? Why really?
Why why do you hang out with other Christians, some of you? Why really? Why do you come here to hear me preach or someone else is preaching on the stage? Why really? Is it so you can have a better day?
Is it so you can hear some leadership principles and maybe add it to your life? Those are good things. Not bad to want a better day. Add some leadership principles or some good moral values to your life. That's not a bad thing.
But that's not the reason that you're in the race. Becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible, I may obtain the resurrection of the dead from the dead. Not that I've already obtained this or I'm already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but 1 thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus. My focus is him.
And in running the race, the race of this life that he put me on when I gave my life to Jesus, my focus is him, and I may get tripped up here and there, but I'm a "fall forward", get back up, and my focus is back on him, and I ain't stopping for the rest of my life, because faith always finishes. I'm in this not so I can have a better day. I'm in this for him, and come hell or high water. Whether I get the answers to my prayer on my time or not, or in this life or not, whether I get the blessings that I want or not, whether I get the job or the calling or whatever that I want or not. I'm not in it for me, because the Bible says anybody who wants to be my disciple must first deny themselves, **pick up their cross**, and follow.
So if your Christianity is more about you, then it's not Christianity, and you've conformed Jesus into a God in your own image. Instead, I'm all in for him. Does that mean I'm gonna have a better day? Absolutely. But I ain't gonna get discouraged and all grumbled and complaining when times are tough, because I'm not in it for me anyway.
I'm in it for him. I've been captured. My eyes are on the prize. They're on Jesus Christ, and I ain't slowing down from nothing. Do you know that runners, that in a race all the runners run, but only 1 receives the prize?
So run that you may obtain it. A lot of you know because of a message I preached a while back, but I'm a marathon runner. I'm a marathon runner. God called me a marathon runner 2 years ago. It took me about 6 to 8 months, maybe even closer to a year to even believe that.
And then I started running 2, 3 miles at a time, 4 miles, and I'd quit for a little bit and start back up again. Why? Because God called me a marathon runner. Now, if you look at my history, you'd say, no, you're not. You hadn't run a marathon.
Hear me. But God called me a marathon runner, and I'm on my way. I ran 11 miles yesterday. But I haven't run a marathon yet. So, you might not call me a marathon runner, but God spoke and said to me, you're a marathon runner.
And I believed him at his word, even though it wasn't my experience yet. And because I believed it at his word, it's in here, now I'm in the process of working out what he put in. So I believe it as if it's my reality, and now, because I believe it as if it's my reality, my actions are beginning to show it, more and more now than they did when he first said it. Because I'm working out what he put in. Does that make sense?
Let's look at it again in Philippians. I'm just gonna hit Philippians a lot today. *Philippians-2*, verse 12. Therefore, my beloved, that's Paul writing to the church, real church, my beloved, I love you guys, I really do. But you're also the beloved of the Lord.
As you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with "fear and trembling". Deep respect and awe for what he's done in your life. Caring more about what he thinks than what other people do. Why did I say that I'm a marathon runner to you? Well, if you look at my history, it doesn't look like it.
If I cared more about what you thought than what my history says, I probably wouldn't have said it. But I care about what God says about me, and he said I'm a marathon runner. And I'm on a race, I am living a lifestyle with my eyes focused on what he said about me, believing that so much that I'm taking 1 step at a time, and becoming, my life is is becoming what he has said, and it's already true in my heart. Does that make sense? I'm working out what he's already put in.
Why? Verse 13, for it is God who works in you. Another way of saying that, this was the first ever Greek paper I wrote on this verse, and it was the 1 who works is in you is actually the way that it's written, almost as if it's another name for God. God is the 1 who works. So the 1 who works in you is God, both giving you the desire and the ability to fulfill his good purpose.
So what he does is he gives you a word. First, gospel. It's the word of salvation, and you have to believe it. That word has the grace necessary to empower it in your life. Grace is God's power empowering you to do what you can't do on your own, and to be what you can't be on your own.
When God called me a marathon runner, I never in my right mind thought I would run a marathon. I'm like, what are you talking about? But I had to believe it, and his word to me was wrapped in the grace necessary to accomplish it. Yeah. But I gotta live by grace through faith.
I gotta hear his word and believe it enough to begin to put it into practice in my life, and in the obedience, I'm working out what he put in. Does that make sense? It's the same way. When you hear the gospel, it's the word of God wrapped in the grace necessary to empower you to be who you can't be on your own, and to do what you can't do on your own. And the gospel says, when you give your life to Jesus, he credits his righteousness to your account.
So he looks at you in right standing with him, even though your history says you're not. And it takes faith to believe what he says over what you feel and what you see. But true faith doesn't just hear it and say that. If I never ran a step, then I could say I believe I'm a marathon runner all day, but I'm not really 1. Because those who really believe work it out.
So you heard the gospel of your salvation, and you believe that you're forgiven, and you believe that you're the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Well, do you believe it so much that you're willing to put steps to it? Are you willing to work out what he put in? Because that shows real belief. With no fruit, there's no real belief.
Now, it's not working. You're not earning it. Grace is opposed to earning, but it's not opposed to effort. So you've got to believe it so much that you deny your flesh. "Pick up your cross" and follow, realizing that that word has the power necessary to make you who you can't be on your own.
Righteous. And you look back after 2 years of walking with Jesus, and you're like, man, I look different. I'm not where I will be 1 day, But oh my gosh, His grace has empowered me to do all kind of crazy change. Was it hard every now and then? Yeah.
Was it hard to deny the flesh in ways that I was so used to walking in it? Yeah. But I did, because my eyes were focused on him, and I know I'm gonna reflect whatever I'm focused on. Amen? Yes.
Running the race he's called you to run. Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only 1 receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Don't just call yourself a runner, but actually go do it. Every athlete exercises self control in all things.
Everybody say all things. All things. You realize the Bible doesn't give you an excuse not to have self control in an area? You don't have an out in scripture. Say, oh, yeah.
I'm doing good in these areas, but I can just play over here. No. Every athlete exercises self control in all things. And wait a second, the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, meekness, faithfulness, self control. I always add 1 in, take 1 out on accident.
Self control is a fruit of the **Holy Spirit**, which means it's the result of relationship with God. In any area you're lacking self control, that's an area that you're lacking trust in him to follow him, because he's gonna give you the grace for self control. It's a result of relationship with him. You follow me? So where you're lacking self control, that's simply that's not condemnation, that's an alarm bell.
Oh, I need to lean into God in this area. Hear what He says about it, so that I can reflect His promises and His nature in this area. Amen? They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable, that's the prize. Peter talks about the crown.
Second Timothy, Paul talks about the crown of righteousness. Peter talks about the crown of life. Praise the Lord. We're gonna walk with him because we were marathon runners in this life. You get what I'm saying?
So verse 26, I do not run aimlessly. We're about to get into it. Alright? You guys ready? I do not Robert's ready.
He's the woo guy. I do not run aimlessly, and I do not box as 1 "beating the air", but I discipline my body to keep it under control. Discipline is a part of the Christian life. A disciple is a disciplined follower of Jesus. Anybody that's been in athletics or the gym, there's days you don't wanna go to the gym, but you just do it anyway.
Why? Because you died to yourself. You deny yourself, pick up your cross, follow Jesus. That's what it's like in the Christian life. And you you don't wanna pick up your Bible, your flesh is fighting you.
Well, your flesh wars against the spirit so that you don't do what you want. If you're in it for a better day and not for Jesus, then you'll do what you want. And when your flesh doesn't feel like picking up the Bible, you won't pick up the Bible because it's about you and not about Jesus. Now, is a challenge. Right?
So that you can recognize when your flesh is getting in the way, and you can say, wait, stop it. I don't feel like it, but it doesn't matter. I'm gonna pick it up anyway. Why? Not because you're trying to earn something, but because you're so in love with Jesus, you love him more than you love your feelings.
Amen? This is the Christian walk. Requires death to self. So I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as 1 beating the air. I'm just going to take a second because this is going to be something that I hit a lot in the rest of this message.
But you know, back in the day, Paul's referencing the boxers in the Olympics, and the and the runners in the Olympics. The races that they would do, and and a lot of times when they're training, they're they're just shadow boxing. I'm I'm not as good as our boxing coach over here, know, but but they're they're just shadow boxing. Right? That's how they trained a lot.
And he's saying he's not running as 1 that's just or he's not boxing at 1 that's just beating the air. He's not running aimlessly. I just think I should do this, or man, I should I should do this. I think I should do this. I think I should do this.
You ever been around those people in your in your life? They have no plan, they have no vision, and they're just running in multiple different directions? Because they're not following their life coach, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the best life coach you could ever have. He's gonna show you where you're not just wasting effort and energy, but you're actually, every time, you're hitting the target.
Where you're not just running this direction and this direction and this direction, but you're running specific practice races in to prepare you for the next test that's coming. He's the best life coach. He's going to teach you to be the best mama you could ever be, the best dad you could ever be, the best best worker, the best business owner, the best friend. He wants you to be the best that you can be in everything, and he wants you to be even better than you can be. He wants to empower you to be like Jesus.
And it requires denying your denying yourself, picking up your cross and following him, willfully choosing to follow his will, Willfully submitting to his will. You're not a robot. Like, it's that's it's witchcraft that I just open myself up to whatever whatever, you know, any spiritual thing would say. That's witchcraft. And then a demonic spirit comes in and mimics the voice of the Holy Spirit, and you think you think it's God.
No. I'm intentionally focusing on God, on his word, and trusting him, and then he doesn't take over my will, I submit my will to his will just like Jesus did. Not my will be done, but yours. Verse 27, but I discipline my body and keep it under control, because we're in the flesh, but not of the flesh. Amen?
Less after preaching, I myself myself should be disqualified. What qualifies us? *Jesus*. We're qualified by our *faith* in Christ. We're qualified because of our faith in Christ, we know God.
We have a real relationship with him. We're qualified by our relationship with God. What did Jesus say in Matthew-7, verse 21 through 24, I think. 21 through 24. Depart from me, for I never knew you.
There's some people that are trying to run the race, but don't know God. We're qualified by having an **authentic relationship** with God. Those that have an authentic relationship with God because of their faith in Jesus, they will still go through the test and stumble and fall sometimes. But the life coach, the Holy Spirit will challenge them, encourage them, and they will continue to move forward. Those that are not qualified, they were disqualified even before they started.
And the weight of this world, the different things that I'm going to show you in 1 Corinthians-10, those tests will come, and the believers will get back up and keep walking, and the those that are not will fall away, and it will be proof that they were never qualified to begin with. And why does Paul give these examples? Verse 11 of chapter 10, now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction. Verse 1 of chapter 10, for I do not want you to be unaware brothers. So why were these things I'm about to tell you written to you, brothers and sisters in Christ?
Assuming, I'm assuming that you are. That you're not in it for you, you're in it for Jesus. As an example, so that areas of your life are not destroyed because of ignorance, so that you're not unaware, so that you understand, and you can recognize the tests that come from the enemy, or the or the the things that the Holy Spirit leads you into because he knows you're ready for it. So that you don't live your life in these areas as 1 that's just beating the air, but you're hitting the target, knocking it out, and going to the next test. Because he wants you to go from "glory to glory".
And every time you go a little further, there's gonna be stronger tests and stronger temptations because you're ready for it. Because he's making you look like Jesus. And if I'm lifting in the gym, and I just stay at 1 35, that's not where I'm at, by the way. But I never put on extra weight or extra reps. I ain't gonna get any stronger.
He's a good father, and he's the best life coach and coach in the gym too. What does the Holy Spirit do? He brings stronger and stronger tests in your life to prove your love is deeper and deeper than you ever thought. Yeah. But he only brings what you're ready for and will always provide a way out.
All you gotta do is walk in relationship with him because you're qualified, not disqualified. Those that are disqualified will be shown because they can't find a way out and they fall away. But you are qualified because you're in relationship with the life coach. You know him. Follow me?
Let me show you real quick. *1 Corinthians-10*, for I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud. This is talking about the Israelites when they came out of Egypt and were going into the wilderness. They were all under the cloud, and they passed through the sea, and were all baptized into Moses. Everybody say Moses.
Moses. They were all baptized into Moses, that's very important, in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual, capital r, rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Now this is hard. Nevertheless, with most of them, God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. They died in the wilderness.
Anything that doesn't happen in faith is sin. Faith is what pleases God, and most of them in the wilderness did not walk in faith and died separated from him, even though they drank from the spiritual rock of Christ, and were baptized into Moses. Let me show you what happened. *Exodus-20*. God gives the 10 commandments.
Moses goes down. Verse 18, *Exodus-20:18*. Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid, and trembled, and they stood far off, and said to Moses, you speak to us, and we will listen. But do not let God speak to us, lest we die. Moses said to the people, do not fear God, or do not fear, for God has come to test you, that you the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.
And the people stood far off while Moses drew near through the thick darkness where God was. They rejected a personal relationship with God for a relationship with Moses, the 1 who had a personal relationship with God. You see it? They were baptized into Moses. Does that mean they were baptized into the law too?
Yes. Absolutely. But they were baptized into they the personal relationship with Moses rejecting their own relationship with God. So they didn't have the 1 that would help them not to box as if they're just boxing the air. They didn't have the 1 that would teach them how to run where they're not running aimlessly.
And so what happened? Let's talk about it. Back to 1 Corinthians-10:6. Now these things took place as examples for us that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be *idolaters* as some of them were as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
Now again, this is an example for you, so that when something like this happens, you can recognize it, and stand up, and go back to your relationship with the heavenly Father that you have because of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, allow him to reinforce that relationship, give you some solid words to light your path so you're following personally. The church is important, guys. Coming here and experiencing the word is important, not just from me, but from all the speakers that we have. However, if you, if your Christianity is based on my relationship with God, when I'm not around, you're gonna do what the Israelites do. If your Christianity is based on your mentor, or your friend, now those things are good.
They should be "pouring gas on the fire" of your heart. But if it's only based on that, when they're not around for too long, you're gonna do what the Israelites did. Because you've rejected a relationship with God personally, and instead went through a man, or went through someone else, or an organization. If your relationship with Jesus is solely based on real church, you're in error. You should come to real church and it pour gas on the fire that's been lit in your heart Monday morning when you were in the word, and Tuesday, and Wednesday when you made that phone call to pray for that person that the Holy Spirit put on your heart, and Thursday when you weren't sure what to do, but you prayed and the Holy Spirit showed you, oh, hit this target.
Because you're growing in relationship personally, And then you come here, and I'm just equipping you to do that. I'm pouring gas on the fire that's already been started in your heart because you realized that when you go to the mountain, you die. And you chose the Israelites, when when they chose, they chose, I wanna stay alive at a distance from God, and only get the blessings that come from the over overflow of Moses' relationship with God. There's a lot of people, they come to church to experience the presence of God through the worship. They give some money in the offering thinking, oh, I give, I'm gonna get blessed.
They open up scriptures so they can get some good principles, but they don't really know him. They only come to church, they'll call, is pastor David preaching? If he ain't if he ain't preaching, man, I'm I'm I'm not coming. Which shows that, man, they're really just in it to get the overflow of my life into them. It's more about what they're getting.
Why should you come to church? You're coming to church because you're honoring the 1 that you're in love with. Because it ain't about you anymore. You're laying your life down. You're you're pouring gas on other people's fire while you're here, while they're pouring gas on yours.
Serving 1 another, not making it about you having a better day. So what did the Israelites do? They backed away. Why? Because it required them to die.
What did Jesus say? No 1 can be my disciple unless first they deny themselves pick up their cross and follow me. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I've been crucified with Christ. It ain't about me no more.
That's the true Christian life. It starts with self denial, not selfishness. And there's too many in the American Christian church. It's all about me, me, me, me, selfishness. I wanna hear what I wanna hear.
It's about my preference when I go to church, and I want to get what I want to get. That's not Christianity. Those people have backed away from the mountain so that they can get what they want out of the man of God or the church and and the culture that they like. But if it requires denial of self and death, they're not going. They're not approaching.
And that's what the Israelites did. That's why they perished in the wilderness. They couldn't live by faith because faith requires hearing him. And they heard Moses. Faith requires relationship.
Knowing the Holy Spirit who's gonna show you what target to hit because I'm not gonna be around all the time. You can call me, that's good. Praise the Lord. I wanna help. It's called discipleship.
But if I'm your Holy Spirit, I'm not perfect. He is. So what happened to the Israelites? What did they do? *1 Corinthians-10*, it shows us 4 different things they did.
And all 4 things, you'll be tested with. All 4. You might fail, but because you're a marathon runner, because you're the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, and you really believe that, you're gonna get back up even if you fail. You're gonna fall forward. Right?
If you've been failing in this area and you just become aware of it because I'm showing you, you're gonna get back up, and you're start hitting the target instead of being there aimlessly, and then lean more into relationship with God and lean more into his word. Amen? Amen. So where did they fail? Number 1.
I feel like I'm a real speaker now. I have a point. 0.1. 0.2. Anyway.
Verse 7, do not be *idolaters* as some of them were. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. That's coming from Exodus-32. The golden calf. What happened?
Well, verse 1, when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves to Aaron and said to him, up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what's become of him. So the man that they were baptized into, the 1 that they heard the voice of the Lord through because they didn't have a personal relationship, he was gone for 40 40 days on the top of the mountain. So he when he was gone for a while, they're like, hey, we need to make "God in our own image". What did they do?
Aaron said to them, take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives and sons and your daughters and bring them to me. So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in the ears, everybody say the ears. Ears. And brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it in a graving tool and made a golden calf.
And they said, these are your gods, o Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the Lord or before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord. And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. That's what was quoted in 1 Corinthians-10.
Let me paint a picture of what happened here. The man of God through whom they had a relationship with God, through him, was out of the picture for about 40 days. They're like, where'd he go? So easily distracted and forget what God's done for them, because they have no relationship with him personally. So what happened?
Hey, Aaron, make us some gods. And he said, take off the golden earrings that you have. Why golden earrings? Why is that important? Every detail in the bible is important.
Because, whatever you've been listening to, that's what you worship. Whatever you listen to the most in your life, wherever your attention is, that's what you have affection for. *Romans-8:9*. Watch this. You, however, are not of the flesh, but in the spirit.
If in fact the spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. Verse 5. For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the "things of the flesh". But those who live according to the spirit, set their minds on the things of the spirit.
So you have the Holy Spirit. Living by the spirit means I'm setting my mind on what the Holy Spirit's saying, which means I'm listening to him. Whatever you're listening to the most is what your mind's gonna be set on, and that's what your life is gonna reflect. Those 40 days, they weren't listening to Moses, they were remembering what was in the past in Egypt. You know how I know?
They made those golden earrings, what they were listening to, into a calf. There was a god in Egypt called Apis, which was a calf. Guess what he represented? It's kinda crazy. You guys okay?
He represented strength, prosperity, life, death, and resurrection. So it was like Yahweh, it was like God, but it was tainted because they didn't have personal relationship with him. So they formed him into a God that they were familiar with to follow, and called him Lord. A lot of people going to church. A lot of people open up Bible every now and then, listen to the preacher, experience some good spiritual drink from Christ during worship, but have forsaken a personal relationship with him for the relationship that their Christian friends have with him.
And they go hang out with them to get the overflow. But then when it gets really hard, they take off their earrings, what they've really been listening to, what their mind's been focused on in fashion of God in their own image, and what they've been comfortable with. And it looks like Christianity, and they say, oh, I'm a Jesus follower, but they're not really, because they don't really know him. And so, tough times come, and the proof's in the pudding. Make sense?
I'm not telling you this to condemn you. Say, that's you. I'm telling you this so that you're not unaware. So that you're aware that that will be the temptation of your flesh, but you're not of the flesh. You're in the flesh, but not of the flesh.
You've been born again. You're a new creation. So when that temptation happens, stand on the truth of his word. Deny the flesh, and pick up your cross and follow Jesus. You guys all right?
Y'all wanna hear the second 1? Come on. Alright. Point number 2. I'll go fast on these, because I'm running out of time.
I really will. No, no, for for real. Yeah, for real, for real. Okay. Verse 8.
The second 1, we must not indulge, this is so you are not unaware. We must not indulge in sexual immorality, as some of them did, and 23,000 fell in a single day. What's that 1 talking about? Numbers-25. Let me paint the picture of what happened.
Okay. And by the way, sexual immorality is a *temptation* that will hit you or most of you, especially because we live in America, and that's 1 of the principalities that's over this nation, drawing people. I mean, you can see it. Don't let your kids listen to Taylor Swift. Don't call yourself a Christian and listen to her new music.
I'm serious. Look at the lyrics of the new music that came out. And if you're like, oh, this pastor is Yeah. Because I'm for real. I'm standing on righteousness, and I'm challenging you to do the same thing.
And if you're letting that stuff go into your ears, guess what? When times get tough and I'm not around or whoever you're leaning on is not around, you're gonna conform a God in your own image and follow that culture instead of the culture of the kingdom. Be careful what you have your attention on. Don't be unaware. Don't be ignorant.
Don't be half in and half out. Let's go all in. Come on, Ezra. Because really that's the only way. Amen?
Yes. I'm not mad at you. I love you. That's what I'm telling you. So what happened in Numbers-25?
Basically, the Israelites were going through, and they're about to come up against Midian. And the king of Midian, Balakk, knew they had all heard about what had happened in Egypt and and all the stuff. They knew they were going down, like, God of the universe is on their side. This is bad. So Balakk calls Balaam a prophet that was tainted in it for the money.
And he he calls Balaam, he says, hey, I want you to curse them. And so they go up on a mountain overlooking the tribes of Israel. And overlooking Balaam can't curse them. You know why? When he looked at them, the tribes, by the way, if you dig down deep, the tribes were actually set in a picture that looked like the cross.
The different tribes, their camps were set in a way that looked like the cross. I don't have time to show you. You gotta take my word for it and do some digging. Getting the word. Now, so he looked and he saw the cross, and the cross, because of the cross, no curse can come against us.
So so Balaam tries to curse him and he can only bless him. And then the king's like, I paid you to curse him. He's like, God. He says, curse them. And he tries to curse them, and he can only bless them.
Why? Because of the cross. Right. Amen. And so Balaam, wanting the money, says, hey, king, I know I can't curse them.
They're God's people. So send your women in, and when they commune with your women, their hearts will be linked to, and they'll begin to worship your idols, and it will take them out from under the blessing of God. And so, that's exactly what the king did. He sent the women in. I'm not saying women, you're evil.
Okay? But sexual immorality is, And I've seen way too many brand new baby Christians give in to their girlfriend or their boyfriend saying, oh, but this is okay. And because they give in to those little things, their hearts are turned away, and they end up falling away for a time, or running away because it was never real to begin with. Sexual immorality is an idol. And what does what does what what what is the warning for?
While Israel lived in Shittim, they were stuck there because of this. Sexual immorality will cause you to get stuck in the same place. The people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself with Baal of Peor, meaning that's the god of of the Midianites.
Why? Because they were whoring themselves with the women. Okay? Sexual immorality will cause you to yoke yourself with an idol. Don't do it.
And the Lord said to Moses, take the chiefs of all the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel. Why? Because the leaders weren't doing their job in warning them, disciplining them. You got you got people warning you and disciplining you, challenging you in your life into purity? They're being good.
Right? If you're a leader, you have influence over some people, and they're messing up, you better have some straight conversations with them, because if you don't, you're not loving them well. And God will discipline you. Discipline your kids. Cause if you ain't, you ain't loving them well, and God will discipline you.
And the Lord said to Moses, take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel. And Moses said to the judges of Israel, each of you, kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal Of Peor. How? Through sexual immorality. And behold, 1 of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family in the sight of Moses, in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
While Phineas, the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand. Watch this. This is crazy. And he went after the man of Israel into the chamber, so they were together. And he pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman, through her belly.
Thus, the plague on the people of Israel was was stopped. Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were 24000. And the Lord said to Moses, Phineas, the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, and that he was jealous with my jealousy. The guy with the spear, God commended him. So that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy, therefore say, behold, I give to him my "covenant of peace", and it shall be to him and his descendants after him the covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.
Praise the Lord, we're under the new covenant, not the old covenant. God's still a righteous judge, but he pierced Jesus for us. Nevertheless, *sin* is still just as ugly and nasty. And in your own life, spiritually do what Phineas did. In your own life, take a spear to anything in you that is causing you to sin.
*Jesus* said, gouge out your eye. Meaning, don't blame the woman for how she's dressed, and for your sin. Instead of gal instead gouge out your own eye if it's messing you up. Whatever it takes to pierce it, leave the phone. Whatever it throw the phone in the water if that's what it is, men.
Pierce the thing with a spear. Whatever it takes to flee from sexual immorality so you don't give your life and your heart to idols, and end up thinking that you're good, but fashioning a God in your own image, instead of walking in relationship with the 1 that you were supposed to. You guys alright? I don't know. I got 2 more.
I don't have time. I was wrong. I'll just I'll just tell you what they are and encourage you to go look at them. We must not put to Christ or put Christ to the test as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents. That 1, they were walking in the wilderness and they didn't like the fact that they didn't have the meat and the leaks and the stuff from Egypt.
They were remembering what they had and complaining about what they didn't. And Jesus was giving them manna from heaven, and they called it the worthless bread. And Jesus called himself the manna that fell from heaven. So be careful in your own life that you don't get so stuck on the future or the past that you forget to be grateful for what he's given you now. And you begin to loathe the worthless blessings in your heart that Jesus himself gave to you as an aspect of his character because you're so focused on what you don't have instead of grateful for what you do.
Because it's anathema to him. I would start being grateful because he's given you exactly what you need for this season. So I want you to be thankful and steward that well, and when you're faithful with a little, God will give you more. And then the last 1 is nor grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. These were the ones that grumbled against God's chosen leadership.
That's something we don't like to talk about in American church. Submission means coming under the mission of the 1 that God's put you with. Whether it's in the home, in the church, at your job, wherever it is. If if you're under leadership, God put them there. Don't have a "rebellious heart".
Cora, Dathan, and a Byram, those were the 3. And they diminished God's chosen leadership, God's delegated authority. And if you diminish God's delegated authority, you're diminishing God because he's the 1 that delegated it. And rebellion was the thing that got Satan kicked out of heaven. So it's an anathema to him.
So what did he do? He caused the the ground to swallow up those whole families and the the families that did that, all of it. Praise the Lord again, we're under the new covenant. But this wasn't even what it was talking about. The people grumbling and complaining wasn't that.
The people grumbling and complaining was right after that and they said, Moses, you shouldn't have disciplined them. You were wrong. And they grumbled and complained against Moses for God's discipline against those people. Be careful you don't speak bad about things you don't understand. Because it's rebellious, and that's not part of the kingdom.
These things happen to them as an example, but were written down for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands, "take heed", lest he fall. In my life, I've been following Jesus for 34 years, and a man I wanna in in life with him, I see myself as a toddler. And Lord, I I need you to help me stand in everything Amen. And keep a humble heart.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. But with the temptation, he will also provide a "way of escape" that you may be able to endure it. Not so that you may be able to just escape, but endure. Why?
Because in the endurance, you're being made strong. And the word for temptation is also the word for test. So no test or temptation. He will always provide a way out, meaning he'll be the coach that's showing you what thing to hit so that you're not just beating the air. He'll be the coach that's showing you which way to run so that you're not just running aimlessly, but you're accomplishing the race he set before you and preparing for the next test so you can pass it.
Amen? I asked the altar team to come forward because I'm done. 8 minutes behind, but I'm done. And I wanna say this, whether you are 1 if if if you're 1 that has just fallen in 1 of those 4 areas, the listening to the wrong things and not strengthening your relationship with God daily, repent and start strengthening your relationship with God daily and getting the word. These guys are up here.
I know we got more on the altar team. If we can have more of the altar team come, that'd be great. Courtney, come on. These guys are up here to help minister to you and encourage you forward. Maybe you're 1 that's fell into sexual immorality, excusing it as if it was okay.
It's not. But man, Jesus paid the price to forgive you, wash you clean and pure, and encourage you by the Holy Spirit to walk it out. So they're here and if you need to confess, they're here to remind you of who God says that you are so that you can walk in righteousness. Amen? Amen.
Maybe you're 1 that you've been complaining about what you ain't got and feeling all discouraged and down. Bible doesn't give you an a right or an out to feel discouragement anytime. He says, be encouraged. Why? Because you trust him, and you're enjoying the process of walking with him and not complain about what you don't have because you're in relationship where you are.
Amen? So if that's you, they're here to encourage you. And the last 1, if you've been in rebellion, that's a hard 1 because it's it takes a gut check to pride to come out of rebellion. But I pray that happens. And if you if you don't know Jesus, man, he loves you.
Following him is amazing. And he doesn't want you to get caught in these traps where your life is all cut up. He wants to walk with you in righteousness and peace and joy. He loves you. Come forward, they'll lead you into a relationship with