Amid Success and Disaster, We Need REAL CHRISTIANS

In Live Streams, Sermons, Sermons, Sermons by Aaron Cozort

Amidst Success and Disaster, We Need REAL Christians

Automated Transcript

Hello,<inaudible><inaudible> Good morning. And welcome to the Collierville church of Christ virtual service. It is indeed a beautiful day and a beautiful day to worship our Lord. We have a few announcements that I would like to make before we start. First of all, um, Need to be aware that, uh, we will have a meeting Monday night, June 1st at six 30 here at the building with all the men to discuss the reopening of our services and our church.

So jot that down and make sure that you make yourself free for that time. The, uh, sick of our congregation. We need to remember Joan Springer. She suffering from pneumonia. Also Sylvia pass. She had a stoke stroke a couple of weeks ago and is doing well at home. And Joan Springer also seems to be doing some better Need to remember Ruby bread.

She is back home. She’s cancer free and cards can be mailed to her home address. And that is on the bulletin if you’ll pick that up, but, um, I can read it to you. It’s eight 24 West main st. Clinton, Illinois, six one seven two seven. The Potter’s children’s home item for the month of June is dryer sheets,

and you can drop them off and put them on the cart here by the four year Marissa Porter. That’s Jackie Ross’s brother has bone cancer and Corona virus. We need to keep him in our prayers. Eddie’s friend, Vicky Bayham, who is battling stage four. Lung cancer is now in hospice care and her mailing address is also on this. Mmm Mmm.

The sheet. So be sure and pick up one of those some before you go, that’s all the announcements. There are this morning, but I want to go over the order of service. Michael Dale will be leading our singing this morning and, uh, he also will have the hopening prayer. Eric Halvorson will be conducting the communion service. Aaron Cozort will be bringing the message and I will have the closing prayer.

Thank you for tuning in And thank you for being here.<inaudible> Psalm before our opening prayer will be number 736 to Christ. Be true to Christ. Be true To Christ<inaudible><inaudible> Uh, um,<inaudible> the conquest? Uh,<inaudible> To<inaudible><inaudible> Fuck He. Well<inaudible> And, uh,<inaudible> to<inaudible> To Christ.<inaudible> be true. He needs<inaudible> to stand,

uh, against, uh<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> to<inaudible><inaudible> Fuck He, well go away.<inaudible> And uh,<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> To Christ.<inaudible> be true. And no,<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> the<inaudible> To<inaudible><inaudible> Oh boy. He well go<inaudible> And uh,<inaudible><inaudible> through to<inaudible><inaudible> Please bow with me, Our great and glorious father in heaven.

How awesome you, we thank you for this time that we have to come together and sing songs of praise to you and lift up our voices in prayer and know that we are heard. We ask that you be with all of those who are mentioned in our announcements with their sickness and what their families, while they are dealing with the sicknesses of their loved ones.

We ask that you be with those that are at home and you keep them safe and keep us safe here at the worship. And we thank you so much for the Avenue that you’ve given us to be able to continue worshiping in such a time as this. We thank you so much for all of your many blessings Lord in your son’s name. Amen. A song to prepare our minds for the Lord’s supper will be years I spent in vanity Years,

I spent in vanity Years, I spent in van NTEN PRA right?<inaudible> my Lord was<inaudible> no knowing what it was for me. He died on<inaudible>. I’m sorry. No mercy. There was great. And grace was free, Paul God. And there was more to apply to me. Nah, my burden. So found the Liberty. Uh<inaudible> By God’s word at last,

my sin and<inaudible> to my guilty. So then pouring turn to<inaudible>.<inaudible> See. There was great. And grace was free. Oh God. And there was more to PLA Me. Nah, my bird and found Liberty. Uh<inaudible><inaudible> No I’ve game to Jesus. Everything. Hey nah, I gladly own him as my King. Nah, my rap shirts all can’t know me seeing a<inaudible><inaudible> No,

see there was great. And grace was free<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> uh<inaudible><inaudible> Oh, love that drew<inaudible> Oh, the grace that brought it to him, man. Oh the my team golf that God dance man. Uh<inaudible> No. See there was great. And grace was very, Oh God. And there was more to apply to me. Nah,

my burden<inaudible> uh<inaudible><inaudible> The apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians reminds the Corinthian church and us that we are to, as we assemble on the first day of the week, remember the ultimate sacrifice that God and his son Jesus did for us the center here on earth. And that was to give his life for us. Let us go to our God and prayer.

God, we come to you at this time, thanking you for sending your son Jesus here on earth to live amongst us and to teach us the ways that we need to live to be a Christian. But most importantly, for sacrificing your son on that cool cross at Calvary. And as we take this bread, which represents his body that hung on that cross for us,

let us do it in a manner that is pleasing to you. We do this through your son, Jesus name, Amen God, our father in heaven, as we prepare to take this fruit of the vine represents your son’s blood. That was shed for our sins. Help us to remember what that truly means that your son Jesus was sacrificed and he shed his blood blood that washes away.

The sins that man has. And man creates. We ask that we do this in a loving memory of your son and we are so thankful that your son did this for us. We pray this through your son’s name. Amen. We’d also like to take this opportunity at this time to give back as we’ve been blessed, God, our father in heaven,

we come to you thanking you for each and everything you do for each and every one of us. Every day as we live here on this earth, we know that everything comes from you and it is because of you that we have what we have. And as we prepare to give back a portion of what we’ve been so truly and ritually blessed with, we ask that you help each and every one of us do it with a cheerful heart.

We also ask that you help the men of the congregation here in Collierville make thoughtful, mindful decisions on how to use these funds that are given in your name to better the spread of the, your word and help the lost souls in this world to hear your word so that they have the same opportunity we do. And that is one day. Join you in heaven.

We pray this through your son, Jesus name. Amen.<inaudible> The song before the lesson will be the way of the cross. The way of the cross, I must needs go home by the way of the cross. There’s no other way, but<inaudible> Uh,<inaudible> side of the gate. A lie<inaudible> cross the way of the cross need<inaudible> No,<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> I must needs go on.

And uh, blah, sprinkles went, Hey, save yours.<inaudible> If a climb to the Heights up where the all is at home with Uh huh<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> and it’s sweet to know<inaudible><inaudible> No,<inaudible><inaudible> Then<inaudible> to walk and nah,<inaudible> For my Lords. It’s calm. And I seek my home<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> It is sweet.<inaudible><inaudible> No,

The cross the, Oh, Whoa.<inaudible><inaudible> Always a remembrance or a reminder to myself to check and see if I turned it off or turned it on my way, the microphone, but it’s good to have some with us. Who’ve not been able to get out lately and be with us again. It is always good to have everyone who’s able to join us both in person and remotely.

And we appreciate your presence. Your time spent in worship with those who are, who you are assembled with and the time that you spent in spend in study with us, We began last week with a study about real Christians. We need in this world. Real Christians, Real Christians can be defined in many different ways, but in, in the study from last week and this week we’re defining it in six ways.

Real Christians are those who begin with real communication. We noticed last week that real Christians begin and end their Christianity with the word of God as the sole and single foundation for the truth that they follow. God’s word is truth. Jesus said in John chapter 17 in verse 17, sanctify them by thy truth. Thy word is truth. And he’s speaking to the father,

Jesus declared the truth to be the word of. And so everything that makes a person, a Christian, everything that’s determined in their life by being a Christian is based upon the foundation of the word of God. Real Christians begin with real communication about a real savior who really lived and declared a real truth on how a person can be saved. And we need real Christians and we need that communication again today.

But after we considered the idea of communication, then we noticed first John chapter one, and we noticed, uh, going into first Thessalonians chapter one, the idea of real choices, the choices that make an impact, the choices that determine our eternal destiny, the choices that determine what we will be and how we will live, what we will strive for in what we will do.

Matthew chapter 16, verse 28 G or verse 26, Jesus made it clear that a person can choose whether or not they will have eternity with the father or whether or not they will seek to gain the world. But they generally speaking cannot do both. What will a person have if he gains the entire world and loses his own soul. But then we also thirdly,

spoke concerning real consequences because if we are to be real Christians, we understand there are real consequences to the choices that we make. There are consequences that come when we make the wrong choice, when a person sins and fall short of the glory of God, we notice that that person is in danger of the judgment that person has sin. And that person is standing condemned before God.

And if they do not change, they will stand before God stand before Christ in judgment condemned. And they will stand as one who will not have eternity in heaven as their home, because they did not make the right choice and choices have consequences. But we also noticed that if a person makes the right choice, there are still consequences to be considered. And that is where we’re going to pick up in our study.

Uh, today, as we notice this idea of a mid success and disaster, Okay, We need real Christians. Anyone who has seen the news of the last three or four days knows There’s success. And there’s disaster in this country Just yesterday, NASA and space X for the first time in a decade, launched men from this continent into space. And they did it not on a space shuttle,

but on a rocket that will be reused that landed safely and, and the rocket portion will, will go up again. And it is the first space travel by a human that has been on a, a rocket that was created, designed and owned by a private company and not a government. All of these things happen yesterday Right now. That’s that rocket,

if it hasn’t arrived already, I don’t. I forgot the arrival time that it was estimated for, with the space station, but that rocket is in outer space right now, headed towards the space station to dock. And to continue that mission, It was a success. I know people personally who traveled down to Florida to see it go up At the same time as that rocket yeah.

Carries people from this country into outer space, to look into the science and study different things that can only be studied outside this atmosphere and things that could be studied here, but are, but change when the atmosphere changes or when you’re outside of gravity, all of those things are being done. And yet at the exact same time in 30 plus cities around our country,

riots and protests, looting burning of buildings, burning of vehicles, all of it’s going on at the exact same time And amidst the success and disaster in our world today, we need real Christians. We need Christians that not only understand truth, not only understand choices, not only understand consequences, but we need Christians who understand the need for critical thinking. As we consider what God would have us to be as Christians,

God wants people who think critically about their world, about what he has told them, because we know this is true because God based our salvation on communication. And if you have communication without critical thought, without the ability to understand and truly examine what it is that God has said, you don’t have communication. If you take someone who says, I want to be told what to do,

but I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to dwell on it. I don’t want to put it in my heart and mind those people. Aren’t Christians. If you have someone who says, I just want to be spoonfed, everything I need to know. And I don’t want to have to give any effort into what it is. I’ve been told those people.

Aren’t Christians. Christians are those who begin with the communication, but go on to critical thought concerning that communication. Let’s go to Luke chapter 14, Luke chapter 14, Jesus speaks to the multitudes. We’re going to begin in verse 26. He has spoken to them through concerning the great pair or the parable of the great supper. Beginning in verse 15, going down through verse 24,

he has talked about humility. He has talked about their frame of mind, but in verse 26, he begins to talk about what it is, what Rick is required in order to be his disciple. And that’s what a Christian is. A disciple is one or excuse me, a Christian is one who is a disciple, a follower, a person who walks in the steps of Jesus Christ.

And he begins. If anyone comes to me, verse 26 and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters. Yes. And his own life. Also, he cannot be my disciple Notice. First and foremost, the Jesus put an exclusionary system in place. If you will not do what he has told you to do,

you are excluded from what he brought and offered to humanity. Jesus said, if you will not do this, if anyone comes to me and does not do this, they’re excluded from the benefits. He gave people a choice. He gave people the opportunity to think critically about what he was saying and critically about what he was offering. Intel told them that they have to choose to hate,

to love less. Is that word there to hate and love lash. That which belongs to this world In contrast to the next Something I want us to grasp here is sometimes people have a hard time with this passenger. They say, well, I don’t hate my father. I don’t hate my mother. I don’t, I don’t hate my brother. Yeah.

They’re misunderstanding what Jesus is saying. Jesus is placing things that belong to this world and he’s placing those in front of us and asking us, is this what you love? Is this what matters to you most? Because that, which you love is that what matters to you? Most Jesus said in Matthew chapter six, that a person cannot hold to money.

And God, at the same time, either he’s going to have to let go of one of them because he can’t hold onto both of them. And so Jesus here says, here is a father. Well guess what? In this life, that person is your father. But in the same way, in which God speaks marriage and speaks concerning the angels.

How that in heaven, that family relationship of husband and wife no longer exists. It’s an earthly relationship. The same is also true concerning the rest of these relationships. While we still will have an association with one another while we will still have a connection to one another. The relationship that comes by a husband and wife, giving birth to a child and therefore being their mother and father is not the same in eternity.

These are things that pertain to this life. And Jesus says, if you’re going to hold on to, if you’re going to love, if you’re going to not be willing to forsake your father, your mother, your brother, your sister, your wife, your friend, And instead serve me. You cannot be my disciple. Now that takes some critical thinking.

That takes some examination in our hearts and minds to say, am I willing to do that? But he goes on to say this And whoever does not bear his name Cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Jesus makes it clear that there is that consequence that we talked about in the previous point, there is a consequence that comes when someone decides to put him on in baptism.

When someone decides to become part of the family of God. When someone decides to become a brother of Christ, when someone decides to be obedient to the gospel, they choose to pick up Cross. Now this statement was made in a time where even his own disciples are sitting there and they’re not grasping the meaning. They’re not getting the full picture. Jesus hasn’t hung on a cross yet.

Jesus, hasn’t gone to the cross yet. And Peter, even that very night will declare to Jesus. It’s not going to happen the way you say it will. And Jesus will say, get behind me, Satan. The cross was an image. They knew they understood. And they had seen people on them Cross, but they had not yet seen their Lord on the cross.

Jesus said, if a man will not bear his name Cross, He cannot be my disciple. So notice first and foremost, that Jesus sets in contrast This life and eternity. And he says, if you want to be my disciple, you’re going to have to choose. If you’re going to be a Christian, you have to choose eternity Over this life.

We need Christians that are critically or who think critically concerning that, which is eternally focused. But then if you begin in verse 28 and go down through verse 33, you’ll notice that they need to think with a focus on eternity, with truth. As the standard many will say, I’m focused on eternity. I’m living for God. I want to do what’s right.

I don’t want to be what God wants me to be. I don’t want thinking every day about living for God, living for Jesus, but they spend no time at all. Examining the truth. They spend no time at all. Examining what it is that God actually said. The Jesus actually said they want to live for their version of Jesus. Their version of God,

their version of the truth, but not the truth itself. Notice Jesus is for which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost. Whether he has enough to finish it less after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish it all who see it begin to mock him saying this man began to build and was not able to finish or what King going to make war against.

Another King does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000 or ELs while the other is still a great way off. He sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that. He has cannot be my disciple. Say Aaron, where where’s the,

where’s the standard of truth here. I’m confused. This is a parable about counting the cost. This is a parable about the odds against you. When you determined to be a disciple of Christ. Yes it is. But what standard do you use to examine what it will cost? See, this is the thing. When someone sets out to build a great house,

he might set out to build a tower or a great house and he can go examine what it’s going to cost because somebody has already built it. Somebody has come before him, who’s built a tower, who’s built a house and he can go talk to that individual and he can go talk to those builders. And he can say, what’s the rate going to be?

How much of the material is going to be, how much is this going to cost me? He has a standard by which to gauge his cost. The King who has 10,000 soldiers Who has seen his soldiers, who has trained his soldiers, who has examined his soldiers and tested his soldiers and knows their value, knows their training can then evaluate by looking at that other army of 20,000.

Do I have the power to go up against that army? It involves critical thinking. It involves examination and involves thinking about God’s word. What did God say? It would cost. Now Here in this passage, Jesus says, if you’re not willing to forsake everything and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. That’s good as an encapsulated thought. But if we go throughout the old and new Testament,

we can begin to see what it costs. Other people. We can see what it costs. Abraham. It cost him his home, his nation, his family, and all those places that he had dwelled in his life until he was 75 years old. And he departed and went into another country. It costs, uh, Daniel being willing to stand up and say,

I’ll die instead of forsaking your law. God I’ll die, but I will not desecrate myself. I will not go against the law. I will not file myself. I will do what God has told me to do. He looked at his life and said, if this is what’s forfeit to be obedient to God, then that’s what I have to give.

When we think critically about the word of God, we examine that. Jesus said, If you are not willing to forsake everything, You can’t be my disciple. Yeah. And yet Jesus never asked of us what he didn’t do Because Jesus left his home in heaven. Jesus left his place with God. Jesus lowered himself below angels and took on flesh and lived and died So that you and I might have salvation.

And do you not think that he first counted the cost Before he made that choice, But then consider as well in verses 34 35. Okay. Then when it comes to critical thinking and real Christians, Those Christians have to make an impact. Those Christians have to have an influence. Verse 34, Jesus says salt is good, but if the salt has lost its flavor,

how shall it be seasoned? Okay. And this statement that follows it Okay. Is interesting because I think we generally take the, the Matthew version of this quotation In this, in, in the sermon, on the Mount and maybe ignore this version. It is there it is neither verse 35 fit for the land nor for the dung Hill. But men throw it out.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear Jesus said this salt, that’s lost. Its savor, lost its value, lost its active property Either to season that, which is all that, which is his food or to preserve that, which might decay salt. This lost its capacity to function. He says, it’s not even affecting on the dung Hill.

You couldn’t even throw it on the refuse. And it had an impact on that. That’s how little it has value. Jesus says it’s worthless. It won’t affect anything. And a Christian who has no influence who will not affect anything is only that way because he’s not forsaken. Oh, Here’s the reality. When someone does what Jesus describes in the previous verses when he first sakes and loves less father,

mother, brother, sister, wife, husband, when he is willing to go through and count the cost before he takes on this task of being a disciple of Christ. When he does those things, he will not be without influence. He will stand in stuck such stark contrast to the world that he will always leave an impact. It is the individual who wants to be the disciple of Christ,

but doesn’t want to change. Doesn’t want to live. The life of a Christian does not want to bear his cross. That will never have an impact because while he may claim to be a disciple of Christ, he looks just like the world And lives just like the world. Now it’s interesting that here in the end of this chapter, as we have the chapter divisions in our English Bibles,

Jesus ends with he that hath an ear to hear, let him hear In all of this. Jesus encapsulates it right back to the standard of truth. And is it not interesting then in chapter 15 in verse one, then all the tax collectors and sinners drew near to hear him, Jesus told them you better count the cost. You better examine what you value in this life.

And you better be willing to cast it aside for eternity. And those who were the teachers weren’t interested. And those who were the righteous men weren’t interested. And those who were of the schools and those who were of the lawyers and those who were of the priests, weren’t interested<inaudible> But the publicans and the sinners, They said, wait a minute, I don’t have anything worth keeping because I’ve ruined my life.

They understood need, they understood loss. They understood what they didn’t have. And they understood that eternity Was something to be valued. The scribes, the Pharisees, they looked at what Jesus said and they despised it. And they despised the people who would hear him. We need Christians who are real Christians who think critically about eternity, who think critically about truth,

who think critically about having an influence, but then consider as well. Real Christians are people with real character. Now they may not start out that way. I want to make that abundantly clear that sometimes Christians start out very different than the way they end up. And they’re supposed to even a person who seems like a good person, the way the world views it.

A good person becomes a Christian. And if they are serious and they think critically about their life, they’re going to change. You don’t have a person who walks around in sin for years and decades, who immediately having walked out of the waters of baptism and says, well, I can guess I can go back to exactly the way I was not. If he’s counted the cost,

not if he’s examined eternity, not if he knows what it means to be a Christian, because he’s just laid a completely new standard on his shoulders to live in accordance with God’s will. But here were these individuals who were sinners. Here are these individuals who were tax collectors. Here are these individuals who were cheaters and liars and thieves. And they’re going to become people who have real character.

And they’re going to be those kinds of people because they’re Christians. Now we’re going to go to an old Testament passage. We’re going to examine this idea from an old Testament foundation, because in Psalm 15, the question is asked by the Psalmist who can abide in the house of the Lord. Now this question is asked speaking concerning the tabernacle speaking concerning the dwelling place of God speaking concerning the,

uh, the fellowship of God under the old Testament. But the answer hasn’t changed. If you go and take these things that we read of here, you can find every single one of them in the new Testament. They’re encapsulated though, right here in Psalm 15 in verse one Lord who may abide in your tabernacle. So here’s the, here’s the premise of the discussion in this Psalm,

in this song who gets to dwell with God Who may dwell in your Holy Hill, verse two. He who walks and works righteousness and speaks the truth in his heart. As the Psalmus writer begins notice he talks about the morals of an individual, the morals that make up the character of a person here. This person is one who walks uprightly. This is the idea of one who held himself upright,

who stands erect because he is not bowed down by sin. He’s not bowed down by shame. He’s not cowering because he’s doing evil. He’s not in the shadows because he’s doing wrong and seeking the life and the blood and the wealth of others. He’s standing upright. He who walks up rightly Okay, And works righteousness. It’s not enough to be one.

Who’s going to dwell with God. It’s not enough to just not do evil. Okay? It’s not enough to just not be out in the streets. Rioting last night and stealing and, and, and taking what belongs to others and burning down what belongs to others. It’s not enough to just not do that. Conversely, you have to work righteousness. There’s not just the things that we’re not supposed to be doing.

There’s the things that we are supposed to be doing, But he goes on and he says, he speaks the truth. This goes straight back to that idea of real Christians begin with real communication. That truth, that belongs to the word of God. He speaks it, but he begins notice in his heart. There are sadly those who speak the truth And yet don’t believe it.

Yeah. They speak the truth all day long, because maybe that’s where their paycheck comes from. They speak the truth because they want others to do something. You know, Jesus said concerning the Pharisees that they were, those who the people should listen to and do what they said. But his condemnation was that they would lay heavy burdens on the people, but wouldn’t use one little pinky to lift those burdens themselves.

They would speak the truth, but they wouldn’t practice it. This person begins by speaking the truth in his heart. But he goes on. He who does not backbite with his tongue nor does evil to his neighbor nor he takes, nor does he take a reproach up against his neighbor. This is an individual who looks at this evil. He looks at gossip and he says,

I’m not doing that. He looks at backbiting. He says, I’m not going to participate in that. He looks at one who takes up a reproach against his neighbor. And the idea here is he’s bearing false witness. He’s willing to stand up and lie against someone. Even though he knows it’s not true. That’s the kind of person God says, you’re not going to abide with me.

You’re not going to dwell on my house. But then in verses verse four, we have this individual who will bind with God has real character because he has a criteria. Not only for his morals, that is this book. He sets a criteria. He sets a standard and he lives by it. But he has a criteria for his influences, Not here,

meaning his influence on others. But those, he surrounds himself with those. He brings into his inner circle. Those, he listens to those. He wants to hear from when he’s making a decision, when he’s deciding a path forward, those he vets, he examines these individuals, whether or not they’re worthy of his attention. Notice in verse four in whose eyes a vile person is despised.

But he honors those who fear the Lord, Someone who says, you know what? I need somebody around me who says, yes. When I say, I want to do something. Now, if he has a counselor, who’s near him, who always says yes, when he wants to do something, is that person speaking the truth? No, he can’t be because none of us are right.

A hundred percent of the time. None of us are right all of the time. So if we want a yes, man, who always says, yes, we want a liar in our presence. If we want someone who tells us what we want to hear, instead of telling us the truth, we want a liar in our presence. And we honor that person with closeness and fellowship with us.

So many leaders, so many Kings, so many examples in the old Testament are found to be those who surrounded themselves with false prophets, surrounded themselves with evil counselors, surrounded themselves with people who told them what they wanted to hear, because they were only interested in themselves. But if we’re the kind of person God wants us to be, if we’re the kind of person who will bind with him,

we’re the kind of person who looks at a person like that and despises it. We’re looking kind of person who looks at one who does evil. And we despise the evil that they do. We don’t bring them close to us. Now that’s to be set in contrast and in view of, we’re also not to become the scribes and the Pharisees, the scribes to the Pharisees looked at an individual who was evil.

And they said, we despise the evil. That person does that. Person’s a sinner. We won’t go near them. We won’t eat with them. We won’t talk to them. We won’t teach them. We won’t help them. They are evil. Yeah. That wasn’t, Jesus’s consideration. There’s a contrast said here between the one who is willing to hear the word of God,

whose life is on the wrong path, but they’re willing to repent. And one who is in grained in that evil, and you’re not trying to help them out of it. You’re trying to stick with them in their evil. We are to be a contrast. That is the second part, but he honors those who fear the Lord. But then notice in verse the end of verse four,

and in verse five, there’s a third criteria for one who has real character. And that is his criteria for decision making. And this one’s not an easy pill to swallow. This is one that as, as human beings, as those who are very naturally somewhat self centered and focused on ourselves, this one’s not easy. As a matter of fact, I think this is one of the hardest commandments in all of scripture,

especially in the realm of business Because the Holy spirit inspires the Psalmus to write he who swears to his own hurt and does not change. What’s that mean? That means someone who, for instance, in a business transaction says, here’s the price of an item. Okay. And they make an agreement with someone that that’s going to be the price of the item.

And then they walk next door and have a conversation with someone and someone next door off For them twice. The amount of money. Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait, um, let, let me go back over to this guy right over here. And we’ll we’ll renegotiate because now the D the price is double. No,

no, no. That’s not the kind of person who abides in the house of God. The one who dwells in the house and presence of God, the one who has fellowship with God is the one who swears To his own hurt and doesn’t change. He said, well, wait a minute, I’m going to lose money. I’m going to lose money on this deal.

The price has changed. The situation has changed. We need to renegotiate. I know The one who swears to his own hurt and does not change. Okay. You’d tell someone you’re going to do something. You tell someone you’re going to give them something. And then the situation changes And you don’t pull it back. Even if it hurts you to do it because your care and your concern is for the other person above yourself,

Your care. And your concern is your relationship to God above yourself. You know, remember Jesus spoke about people who would swear by the temple, But then they’d swear by the gold in the temple. And they’d consider the swearing by the gold of the temple to be of importance Than the swearing by the temple itself. And if you swore by the gold of the temple,

you were more bound to that promise than if you Just war by the temple. And Jesus said, let your yes. Be yes. And your no be no. He who does not put his out his money at your usery, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent command. In the old Testament law That among the Israelites, they were supposed to one who had much was to lend to one who had Little and was in need.

Okay. But there was a command and there was a strict regulation. You don’t charge them interest. Now in our financial society today, you’d have a hard time trying to find someone who’s going to take that deal. Wait a minute. I’m going to lend you money at no interest. Now contrast. Now you can see advertisements up one side and down the other for 0% interest right now.

Well, read the fine print. What does it say every day? You’ve got the loan. We’re calculating the interest, and if you don’t pay it off by that date, all the interest from day one till now gets hammered on you all at once. It’s not really a 0% interest loan. It’s a 0% interest loan if you pay it off in time,

But the interest is still being calculated. The commandment under the old Testament law for one Israelite to another is you land to one who has need, because they have need, and you don’t charge them extra. You lend because God has blessed. You see the person who does not put out his money at usury is one who knows it’s not his money. It’s God’s.

And he’s just the steward of it, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. So a real Christian is one who has, is one who thinks critically about God’s word and what it’s going to cost him to be a disciple of Christ, but also one who has a criteria for his morals, for his influence, for all of these other things,

but then consider as well. A six. Then finally, real Christian has real confidence. A real Christian is one who, because of the communication from God has real confidence, assurance and hope for eternity turned to Hebrews chapter 12 and Hebrews chapter 12. The Hebrew writer is writing in contrast to the Day and time of the Israelites. When they came out of Egypt,

when they came to Mount Sinai, and he’s going to set a contrast between the Israelites at Mount Sinai, as God spoke to them, notice the central focus of communication. God has delivered a message, and we’re going to see the Hebrew writer summarize their reaction verse 18 for you have not come to the mountain that may be touched. And that burned with fire and to blackness and darkness and Tempest and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words.

So that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. He draws a picture of Mount Sinai. Remember at the very beginning, when they approached Mount Sinai, God said, no one goes on the mountain. No one comes up Moses alone, you come up to me. But all the people, anyone touches the mountain,

they will die. And then God began. And in Exodus chapter 19 to speak to the people of Israel directly, and they saw the thunderings. They are, they heard the thunderings. They saw the lightning, they saw the fire. They saw the mountain, turned to Ash. They saw all of these things and they heard the voice of God. And they went to Moses and said,

make it stop. We are too afraid for God to be in our presence, to speak to us directly. You go up on the mountain, you get his word and you bring it back to us. And the Hebrew writer says we’re not Okay At the mountain Where we stand to hear God. And we see the thunder and, or hear the thunder and see the lightening and see all of these things and see the fire.

We’re not in that position. He says, verse 24, they could not endure what was commanded. And if so much, as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow. And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling. Even Moses was afraid, but you have come to the Mount Zion And to the city of the living,

God, the heavenly Jerusalem to an innumerable company of angels, Okay? He says, you’re not coming to that earthly mountain of Sinai. You’re coming to Zion. You’re coming to the place of the kingdom. You’re coming to the spiritual mountain of God. He says to a general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven to God, the judge of all,

to the spirits of just men made perfect to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of the sprinkling that speaks better things than that. Of Abel. He says, you’ve come to a place to a mountain where their salvation, where there’s the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. You go back to chapter 10 and you’ll find the offering of Christ created the new and living way through the watery grave of baptism.

And that sprinkling, that purification that comes from a spiritual sprinkling of the blood of Christ over our sins, using the old Testament representation of the day of atonement. He says, you come to that place. You come to that kingdom. And when he goes on to say, see that you do not refuse him, who speaks for, if they did not escape,

who refused him, who spoke on earth much more? Shall we not escape? If we turn away from him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth. But now he has promised saying yet, once more, I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. Now this yet once more indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken and of the things that are made,

that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. What are the things that cannot be shaken, Eternal things. This is a contrast, just like Jesus’s statements. This is a contrast of this life versus the next, the things that cannot be shaken aren’t made with men’s hands. And they aren’t made out of this rock and dust and earth and universe. They are spiritual in nature.

He says, therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom, which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrew writer makes it clear that there’s hope there. Salvation. There’s grace. This is all been given by God. And it cannot be shaken. It cannot be destroyed.

It’s not like the kingdom that the old Testament Israelites received that then they gave up because they went back against God and God took it away and gone destroyed it. It’s not like that kingdom. It’s a kingdom that will never fall, But he says we still have to serve him. And then you go over to first Peter chapter one and connect the sprinkling of Hebrews 12 with a sprinkling here.

Because in first Peter chapter one in verse two, he speaks concerning these Christians and Peter writes. They are elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the father in sanctification of the spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. We’ve got the second category of people here. We’ve got Christians and he says, blessed, be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who according to his abundant mercy has been gotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead. He says you were once dead. You’ve been born again. And you’ve been born again to a hope, That real communication that came from God, the same God who spoke at Mount Sinai, the same God who is a consuming fire.

That real communication brought a message of hope. Okay? And he says to an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God, through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed. At the last time in this, you greatly rejoice though. Now for a little while, if need be,

you have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold. That perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to praise honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love though, you do not see him yet. Believing you rejoice with joy, inexpressible, and full of glory,

receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. We have real confidence as Christians, because we know there’s a kingdom that’s not been made with men’s hands. There’s a kingdom that we’re a part of. And we’re citizens of that is not a vis world and will never fall. And inside that kingdom is grace and salvation. And inside that grace and salvation,

we have a living hope on inheritance that cannot be taken away. Okay? And ultimately inside that kingdom, through the sprinkling of the blood of Christ, through the washing of water to wash away our sins, first Peter chapter three, verse 21, we have the salvation of our souls.<inaudible> Amidst the successes and disasters in the world. Today. We need real Christians.

We need Christians who have a foundation of truth, whose choices are choices, determined by God whose consequences they understand whose critical thinking causes them to examine what they face and move forward with God and serve him only Whose character cannot be shaken, cannot be disassembled by the world and its temptations. But instead they set a criteria for their morals, their influences for their choices.

And then they live knowing they have a confidence that this life is what’s most important, but they have a hope of blessedness of boldness to enter into eternity saved by the blood of Christ. If that’s not the kind of Christian you are, whether you’re here in this audience or somewhere else, listening to this message. If that’s not the kind of Christian you are,

You can change that today. If you are looking at your life and saying the disasters that occurred last night, pale in comparison to the sins, I’ve committed. That doesn’t matter because Christ offers you salvation and redemption and hope, but it’s only available through the word of God. It’s only available when the terms and conditions set upon that salvation offered by Christ are met,

and it’s only available when a person does what God says and stops doing what they say. You’re outside the body of Christ. You enter into the body of Christ. You enter into salvation. You receive that sprinkling of blood. Having heard the word by believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God by repenting of your sins, Romans chapter 10, confessing the name of Christ.

As Paul stated in that passage and being immersed in water for the remission of your sins. Being buried to rise up, to walk in newness of life, Romans chapter six, and then you begin walking the path of righteousness. You begin living the life we’ve talked about. Let me warn you. You better count the cost first because there is a cost for being a disciple of Christ.

If you’re outside the body of Christ, or if you’re a member of the body of Christ and you’ve turned away from him. If you’ve gone back to the world, if you’ve let go of that hope or you’ve changed your priorities, why not come home? If you have need of the invitation, the invitation is open here and now the invitation is open.

Every hour of every day, you can contact us. You can come and meet with us. You have need of the invitation. The invitation is open to you to be obedient to Christ. We appreciate your time and your attention. Now I’m going to turn the services back over to Michael<inaudible>. Before our closing prayer will be lift him up, lift him up.

Oh. To reach a mass is man up every day.<inaudible> An answer. Jesus gave a fuck. And by being lifted up from the earth, well, None<inaudible> Lift him. Uh, I have Tim Sterling speaks from it.<inaudible><inaudible> Mmm.<inaudible> from the, uh, well, Man<inaudible> Oh, the Whoa. There’s hungry for the being<inaudible><inaudible> up on them too.<inaudible><inaudible> daddy said.

Mmm. Oh man.<inaudible> Lift him.<inaudible><inaudible> Silly speak Stromae. Nah<inaudible>. And by being lifted up from the earth. Well<inaudible> Man.<inaudible> Lift him up. I live as a Christian<inaudible><inaudible> Then. And man, well gladly follow him. Who wants to have a<inaudible> Man?<inaudible> They have Tim, Uh, Lift him Speak Stromae.

Nah.<inaudible> Mmm. By being Lyft did, uh, from the, uh, well, Man,<inaudible> Let us pray. Heavenly father we’re indeed grateful for this privilege. We’ve had to assemble to study a portion of your word that Aaron has so eloquent, eloquently presented to us, help us to truly be the Christians that he has outlined for us.

As we prepare to depart, we’re mindful of those that were mentioned that were sick. We pray that you will grant them a speedy and complete recovery. Be with those that have lost loved ones, comfort them. As only you can, as we depart or mindful of our sins, we pray that you will forgive them as we truly repent and turn from him.

Bring us all back at the next appointed time. Last each of us, according to her several needs this, we pray in your son Jesus’s name. Amen.