In this sermon, the preacher discusses the importance of being a light in the world and differentiates between the elements of the world and the elements of God. He addresses practical issues such as materialism, covetousness, clothing, and music, urging the listeners to flee from these worldly influences. The preacher emphasizes the need for sanctification and reminds the audience of God's promise of a way of escape. He also highlights the holiness of God and the significance of being a purchased possession through conversion. The sermon concludes with the message of spreading the love of Jesus and the example of John Bunyan's testimony.

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, EFRA PA 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. Amen. God bless everyone today. Good morning. Here we are at the end of Bible School. Thank you, Brother Mark. I've appreciated that surrender cry to us each day. I appreciate Brother Mark. It's been an honor to minister under him at Living Hope. He's a blessed brother. I think my first meeting I went to after being ordained here was a combined ministers meeting where they were talking about Bible School and they pulled out this schematic of all the things that were involved. And it looked like, I don't know, it's a big chart like this. They have all these things and all these things that do this and that. And it's amazing. It looks like some kind of plans for a country takeover or something. It's amazing. And pray for Brother Mark. It takes a great genius of organization to be able to do that. And it's frankly just amazing that the whole thing gets pulled off each year. It's the grace of God. It's the mercy of God. I also just think, I want to say that I want to let you know that I'm a very unoriginal person. I do. I'm scared to death of ever thinking of anything original. I've been blessed by many people that I've read and even these topics. I feel that all I'm doing is handing over a baton to you that was handed to me. Many people in my life, sermons that I've heard here from Brother Denny and Moe's, from John Dee. Old tape sets here on the same topic. David Brisseau and his books and his influence in my life. Many men have made an influence in my life and I've listened to their teachings. A book that I was studying for this, Separated Unto God, J.C. Wenger. Lots of these different things. And I try to quote so that I can give little pieces of where I got some of these things. And if I've forgotten you and if I've quoted you and didn't give you credit, then I'm sorry. But I just feel like I'm passing the baton. And I believe the same thing has happened throughout all these generations, the time of Christ. I don't want to have anything original. I want to have what Jesus Christ gave us and then hand it over to you. And I want you then to take that baton and hand it over to those others that come after you. And that's my prayer. As we've looked through this week in sort of a bit of a summary here, if I could. You know, we started out with the talking about the holiness of God. It's my heart that as we looked at this thing, that I wasn't just going to present a bunch of dry doctrines or independent thoughts or something, but everything of this would flow from the idea of us being in the presence of a holy God. And that's my burden. It's my cry of my heart. As we looked at that, we thought of these concepts as we read in Isaiah 57, 15. For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabits eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place. We talked about that word holy. We talked about that concept. We talked about how it has been the will of God to always have a people called after his name. A chosen people. We've talked about that. We've talked about how he wants that to be a nation of priests, a holy nation. And the concepts that are involved with that. We've talked about how in the Old Testament it was a certain location, but now we're supposed to be spread throughout as salt and light into the whole world. And you know, a little bit of analogy I thought of that I didn't share with that concept of salt. Do you know salt is a molecule of two atoms? What are the two atoms? Sodium and chloride. Do you know that it is a chemical impossibility to salt to lose its saltiness? Do you know that? And Jesus warned us that if the salt loses its saltiness, it's good for nothing. But it's a chemical impossibility for sodium and chloride together, those molecules, cause the reaction of salt upon our tongue. It's a chemical reaction. So there's only one way for salt to lose its saltiness. And you know what that is? That's right. To have dirt in it. To have dirt. When salt has dirt in it, it no longer has its saltiness. And that's what Jesus is saying to us. He wants us to be salt. He wants us to be light in the world. We spoke of these basic elements that we've seen in the Bible. These elements we talked about the beggardly elements of the world and the elements of God. We spoke on those things. We looked at some of those things in light of those elements and some practical issues. Some practical issues. We looked at materialism, covetousness. We looked at clothes. We looked at things in our home. We looked at music. Now, I've said this before, but let me repeat it to you now. It was not my intention in this week to draw all these lines for you. I think I've said that often enough, but let me reiterate it now. I did not want to hand to you a certain particular standard that I want you to copy in and of itself. My burden, though, is that you, enraptured by the holiness of God and saturated by His principles and His elements that you've heard, add to your faith knowledge, as Brother Denny has said to you. Add to your faith virtue and to your virtue knowledge and to your knowledge and these things, these elements. And as you've seen those things, as Brother John has talked to you about these very fundamental principles, and as we've hit those things and kept hammering on those things, my burden, or shall I say our burden, is not to hand you a particular thing, but that you would, though, take those things and apply them. That you would draw a line. You do draw a line. I don't want to draw your line, but let me ask you. Do you draw a line? Have you drawn a line? If you thought what I said on some of these issues were too extreme, let's say, for instance, the music topic. Oh, he's a little too extreme on this music thing. He doesn't understand rock music. Then I hope at least this. I don't want you to have... Again, you don't have to answer for Dean Taylor on Judgment Day. And you don't have to answer to my standard. But here's what I hope that you have gained from that. Is that looking at the principles and the oracles of God and the elements of God, that taking those things and taking those things like I said, that we should be sober and that foolishness, as it says in jesting, should never once be named among us. That taking that thought, you can at least take those extreme examples that I had put out there, although you may say they're extreme, and say, OK, well, I wouldn't do that. Are you at least there? Have you at least drawn some line? Because you see, what Satan wants you to do is mix. You see, the whole Old Testament law, all that about clean and unclean, was to teach you a 4,000 year lesson on clean and unclean. And Satan says, mix it all up together. Make no definition in your mind between the sacred and the profane. Yea, half God said. Let's try to explain it a different way and look at it in a different light. But God said He wants you to come out from among them and to be separate. That's the New Testament. That's what the Bible says. And when you do, He will receive you and be a father to you. And based on those principles, you are to sanctify yourself. So, if today, or if this week, you have at least, not my line, but you have at least started the process of drawing a line somewhere, that's to you, somewhere, then you have, watch this now, you have, in its most literal sense, began the process of holiness. If it's motivated by God's virtue and knowledge, His principles, His grace in your life, He has revealed something to your spirit, and there it is, He wants you then to take the step to say, come out from among them and be separate. You know, the sanctification process that we look at in the Scriptures, the sanctification as we look at these different things, if you remember all through the Old Testament, that word has a meaning. It's not just some mystical consternation of your mind that if somehow you get yourself all contorted and twisted up and enough, then you're suddenly sanctified. It has a very practical working out in your life. And I'm not saying it has to look like me, or look like Lancaster County. I'm not saying that today, but do you hear what I'm saying? It should be saying something to you. The difference here between this two kingdom idea, or the 2 Corinthians Scripture that we've been reading in chapter 6 there, this idea of coming out from among them, this idea of being a separate people unto God, not just separated from sin, but separated to God, this idea of having these things is very practical. Come out from among them and be separate. He lent us elements. The idea, I think, whole denominations have been made on all the differences of doctrines of sanctification. Do you realize that? Entire conventions. Thousands of books have been written. Denominations split. But when you come to this concept, and you see the plain principles of the Word of God, remember what it says in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30? We went through it the first day. Your sanctification is in what? It's in Jesus. The person of Jesus. And when it's in the person of Jesus, that means the person of Jesus becomes the person of you, and you look like Jesus. And when you look like Jesus, you want to apply your life like Him. So, you're here, and you have this person that's here. Let's say you're here, and I've been here, and I still am here in some ways. This person's crying out. He says, what are you doing? He's praying and everything. What are you doing? I want to be sanctified. Well, what does that mean? Well, I don't know, but I want it! You know, this concept of just having this holiness, this mystical thought in our mind, sometimes can be deceptive to us. God makes it here. Okay. The world's out there. In the Old Testament and in the New Testament, it had a practical working out. Come out from among them and be special to Me. In the Old Testament, the difference between the word sacred and the word profane, do you know what they are? It's the word sacred something, and profane just means common. That's a common thing. And here's a special thing. I'll tell you what, I don't know where you are today, but I'll tell you what, if you read biographies of Christians, and you go through time, and you look at anybody, and I don't care who they are, and I don't care where they're from, if they've made an impact for the Kingdom of God, I'll tell you what, if you could go into their life, and you read their biographies, they drew a lot of lines. They did not just go with casual Christianity and see what would happen now, and say, well, I want to have this, and I want to have that, and I want to experience all... No, those people were completely devoted to being a peculiar, special, called out one unto God. Now, don't get me wrong here. You cannot just go and do something and for the outward way, and then expect that to be the holiness of God. Oh, foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? You who have begun in the Spirit, are you made perfect in the flesh? So, I'm not saying that. But the principles and the ways of God have a practical working out in our life. I love a quote from John Wesley. This is not the message. I've got to move on. A quote from John Wesley. It's a powerful quote. And he says this. It's deep, so catch it here. Him talking about how the verse in Romans where it talks about do we nullify the law through grace? And he goes on to say that by faith we establish the law. John Wesley's preaching on this. He says this. The sinner's commandment, thou shalt not, in other words, all the commandments and laws and Scriptures, the sinner's commandment, thou shalt not, all those laws on you, thou shalt not, becomes the saint's promise. Thou shalt not. Praise God. So the law of God still looks different to you. Instead of seeing a condemnation, oh, I'm condemned under the law, through the grace and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Remember His promise. He says in 2 Corinthians 5, coming into chapter 6, that He has become sin for us who knew no sin, that you may become the righteousness of God in Him. Now that is ultimate sanctification. Then applying that into your life, he goes on in chapter 6 to say what? Come out from among them and be separate and I shall receive you and be a Father unto you. And then he says in chapter 7, now sanctify yourself having these promises, dearly beloved. When you understand the holiness of God and this concept of God working the person of Jesus Christ out in your life, it's really very practical. God wants you to continue to come on and to be a holy example to Him. Real quick, the difference. Let's say we talk about our clothes. Clothes are not going to sanctify you. Okay? But a sanctified person wants to do what? Remember, sanctified, that word means something. It's not just some fuzzy thing. It means what? That's right. You're set apart special for God. So you in no way can clothes, putting on clothes, go sanctify a person, but a set apart person is going to look at everything in his life to the principles of God and say, that, not that. That will please my Maker. And that just kind of thing goes up in your mind. Here's the difference. During the Salvation Army days, in William Booth, he had those guys looking ridiculous. Frankly, he did. He put on his general coat on him, this red general coat, and he had them going out there banging a bass drum and going on preaching the Gospel. And there they were, but they were there in those ridiculous clothes with a purpose set apart for God for the propagation of the Gospel. If we just go and do it outwardly without that purpose of being separated unto God, what do you end up with? Ding, ding. Now, I'm not being rude to the people who stand in front of the Wal-Mart, but still today, the Salvation Army, they still wear a red coat and they stand out there, but they're just ringing a bell. An amen that they collect the money that they have, but it's a far cry from where they were. There's the difference. If these things are done with a holy purpose unto God, they are precious savers to our Lord and to this world. So, I'm not asking you to take my line, but I'm asking you in the authority of the Scriptures, make a line. And when you've started that line, there it is. I'm not going there anymore. Walk in that. Oh, God has shown me so much before my foolish life in the past, that He saved me one step at a time. And He saved me one step at a time. And He's still taking me one step at a time. We look at materialism. We look at materialism and covetousness. And please, stop comparing yourselves among yourselves. We become fools. All of us in our lives, especially as Americans, He wants us to take everything we have and give it unto Him. I've seen some beautiful examples in my life. I know personally of two brothers right now who they themselves have been blessed of God and both those brothers are personally supporting orphanages in foreign countries. Two brothers. If God has poured into you, then be able to pour back. It's a blessing. It's a blessing. As 1 Timothy 17 charged them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good. That they do good. That they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. Remember, all that you have is yours, but be willing for that. And don't be looking at everybody else. Look at your own life. Another thing Satan will try to do if you come into a thing like this is he wants to whisper into you a whole bunch of inconsistencies. And I guarantee you, you come home with me and you're going to see a lot of inconsistencies in my life. I'm trying to be just like you, separated unto God. And I live a life by grace and I keep trying to live my life by the grace of Jesus Christ. But where Satan wants to do is to whisper things. Ah, he's talking about materialism. But did you see? I saw him there at McDonald's with his children getting an ice cream sundae. You know? So, this whole thing about materialism is worthless. Little things he'll whisper into your mind. Oh, they want to talk about modesty. He wants to talk about gold and pearls, but did you see his belt buckle? Yeah, his belt buckle. See? What's the difference there? See? So, all this stuff is worthless. What Satan wants you to do is to compare yourselves among yourselves. You will become fools. And you keep doing this. God has a work in your life. He has a work in your life. And you need to get your mind away from that and get your mind into this idea, though, of what you're reading in 2 Corinthians 6 and 7 and 5. This idea of just being unto God. Okay? Don't take my line, but take a line. Come unto God. This whole idea of sanctification, again, it's so amazing. Practical types of things. You know, again, if your thought of this whole thing is that I'm going to just sit here until something happens. I'll tell you what a Scripture that is most commonly misquoted by young men. I'll tell you this. You know where it is? 1 Corinthians 10, verse 13. Somebody quote it for me. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 13. I'll give you a hint. There hath no... That's right. Thank you, Joel. We quote this Scripture so often. There hath no temptation taken but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. So here's the idea. Let me show you the two different views of sanctification here and where the promises of God give you. Help me be strong! And you're sitting there in front of an Internet when you're attempting to go into all this foolish pornography or something. Help me be strong! And you're listening to a bunch of sensual music and you're wondering why you keep being lost in the flesh. Help me be strong! You're with a girl or you're with somebody you're courting and you know you're in a situation that you shouldn't be in and you're praying to God. I'm going to base that promise. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 13 He promised. He didn't promise that. What did He promise? A way of escape! Flee! Get rid of it! Get it out of your life! That's the promise that you have a way of escape. Do you see the difference? Don't just sit here. Why don't I have strength? Why don't I have a way of escape? Sanctify yourself based on these promises. Get out of there! Get out of there! Alright. So that was a summary. In today's message, I started with the holiness of God. Again, because I didn't want this just to be a bunch of loose doctrine. In this last one, I talk about this purchased possession. If you see in your little booklet, I come to the purchased possession. You know, I've been converted, I guess, coming on 17 years here since the army. 21 years since I joined the army in those days. Lived a life of trying to follow God. I've been in little churches. I've been in many remnant churches just like yourselves. I've been around many radical Christians in my life since my conversion. That's all I've been around since my conversion. Radical Christians. And in this thing, where I'd like to go today, in the short time that we have, I want you to get a concept that everything needs to reflect back on this sweet, if I may call it, sweetheart, if I may even go so far, love relationship with Jesus Christ. And the burden of my heart, as I've seen and I've watched, and several things I've seen cause destruction in people's lives. You know, you watch the youth come up and you watch them fall, and it breaks your heart. As a pastor and as a brother, you see it breaks your heart. This is a topic that I have seen ruin lives, ruin families, ruin churches, that if you miss out on the love of God, the love of Jesus, if you somehow get this whole thing turned around into a bunch of head knowledge of things, and you get all wrapped up in this thing, you'll miss it all. You'll miss it all. You know, when we look at the parables of Jesus, one of the most amazing things in my life is to look at some of these parables. Do you remember the shepherd who goes and finds the one lamb lost? He rejoices when he finds Him. The widow who goes and searches the whole house until she finds the coin. She rejoices and is exceedingly glad when she finds it. She tells all her friends about it. And the father who receives the prodigal son. He rejoices and grabs his robe and his shoes and he has a fatted cap and he's so happy. Well, the subject or the star of each one of those parables is our Lord. He's rejoicing. He's happy. He loves and He wants you. And yes, this holy God, which I cannot comprehend, that fear and the majesty and the holiness of God. I cannot. I'm not worthy to talk about it. I can't comprehend it. But even more so, I can't comprehend the love of God. It's so precious. And any religion that will take you away from that feeling, if you find yourself in your life and you're just talking about a bunch of doctrines over and over again, if you're getting all worked up and there's times, yes, when God will need to put things in our life, but at the core of it, if your heart has turned away from the love of God, you could lose it all. He wants to have the sweetheart, if I may say that, relationship. I believe He's given us the relationships with our wives and our husbands as an example to us of the kind of devotion and love that He wants to have for you. John Dee told us, the heart was created to love. And in Romans 5, verse 5, there's a profound thing there. In Romans 5, verse 5, it says that the love of God is shed abroad in our heart. Now, it doesn't say that you're influenced by the love of God or that you're looking at how lovely God is and it makes your heart twit, you know, whatever. But it actually gives the idea of what Brother Denny is talking about, the partaking of the divine nature. He is imparting an attribute of God in your heart. And it says it's shed abroad. It's all over your heart. It's shed abroad. The love of God. God loves you. God loves you. So I put the Scripture there on the back. Look how precious this is. I mean, look how precious that is. And Moses went up unto God and the Lord called unto him out of the mountains. Just imagine it. Moses saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel. Remember? Remember what we did that time? You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I just took you up on an eagle's wings. And I just flew you right to Myself. I flew you to Myself. Now therefore, if you'll obey My voice indeed and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me. You know, you have treasures. And God gives us these things of humanness so that we can understand God. We are created in His image, remember. And so we understand what a treasure is. And God said, if you'll do this, if you'll just be in My covenant, if you'll just stay with Me, you'll actually be God's treasure. I mean, think of it. A little treasure. Then you shall be a peculiar treasure to Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you're supposed to go tell Israel. A treasure. A heart is made for love. Have you ever seen those posters? I love those posters that have all the names of God on them. You ever seen those? And they have all these different qualities. I just love those. I'm going to get one of those someday. But as I look at those, or maybe I should draw one. What I should do is I should make one one day. Then I can meditate on each one of those attributes as I write them down. But the name that I usually see left out of all of those things is the name Jealous. In Exodus 34-14, He says, when He's telling us not to have idols, God, whose name is Jealous. You know, I almost want to put that right in the center. Jealous. Jealous? Well, what do you mean? How could God be jealous? Isn't that a sin? Not the way God has it. Because it goes back to this possession. This possession of My people. And I am jealous that My people would worship Me. He says, don't leave this covenant. Oh, how shall you escape if you neglect so great a salvation? Jealous. Brother Denny gave this to us. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. That doesn't mean in order. As long as I'm first, everything else is okay. He's right. What it actually means in the Hebrew there is in My presence. The word is paunim. In My presence. The same word is used in Genesis 3-8 where it says Adam and his wife hid themselves from the paunim of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. His presence. It's the same word used for our favorite revival Scripture. It is. A lot of people are crying for revival. Listen to this in 2 Chronicles 7-14. If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek paunim, My presence, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land. He doesn't want anything else. It's God in His presence. Thou shalt have no other gods in My presence. And the psalmist tells us you can go to a lot of hiding. The heights of heaven. The bottom of the sea. His presence is pretty big. So if in this process, if in this process, you're young. We've pumped a lot of exciting things into your life, but if you notice also a theme that's come through out of Brother John Dee and Brother Denny. We've talked about fellowship. We've talked about brethren. We've talked about loving the brethren. And we've talked about these things because it's not just a bunch of dry meanness. He doesn't just want you all to walk out like this. That it should come out of this love-heart relationship with Jesus. I know everybody agrees with that. Everyone would say that. But let me give you just some traps that people get into. The traps for the radical Christian. The traps for the radical Christian. In 2 Corinthians 11-2, Paul says this, I feel a divine jealousy for you. There he goes, talking about that attribute of God and being a jealous. But listen to the words. And again, I think we've come numb to these words because they're used so common, but they're intimate words. I feel a divine jealousy for you. 2 Corinthians 11-2 I feel a divine jealousy for you for I betrothed you to Christ to present you as a pure bride to her one husband. But I'm afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Oh, this heart... I'm afraid I did this whole thing out of loving Jesus. And you being a bride. He used those analogies of the bride. We have this incredible relationship that God gave us of man and a wife as an example of the most ultimate relationship we have of our brideness to God. And he says, this is where I left you and now I'm worried that some people are messing that up. People are messing that up. You know, when we become radical Christians, Satan is there. There's a ditch on one side which is going into the world and not separating ourselves. The other ditch is to go on this side and to stand in pride, to stand in factious, to stand in schism. And I'll tell you what, the testimony of radical conservative churches through the history is full of these things. It's full of these things, people. Satan gets us on the other side. Either way. A typical expression sometimes of a radical new remnant type Christian is this. Okay, for two weeks you've prayed two hours a day. Okay? You just finished the Inbounds. You read it 14 times. You're all charged up. And you're going to have a prayer life like that. So you pray two hours a day. Well, by the second week, you're at church and there you have and you've kind of thought that everybody should be living at this point. So you stand up and you judge everybody else and you say anyone who's not living by this thing is completely off. And suddenly you're realizing that you're living right now in where you want to be. And if you just be this way enough, you'll make it happen. God wants you to do those things. He wants you to grow, but in that grow with humility. Grow with love. Because what happens so many times is that two months later you'll say, how's your prayer life? Oh, I haven't prayed in a long time. It happens over and over. And then those words were spoken. You don't get them back. Every word will be held accountable to us. Those who say they're strong should take heed lest they fall. The Bible gives us those principles. The love of God needs to be what just flows out of us. Flows out of us. Remember the testimony of John Bunyan, the writer of Pilgrim's Progress. John Bunyan grew up a very religious person. He used to ring the bell in the church and worry that the bell would fall down on him and he'd go to hell. He was always paranoid about wanting to live a holy life to God. And he tried in his testimony for years. Someone once told me for seven years continually coming to God and getting this thing right. Okay, this is what I need. I'm going to do that. And he tried again. And he did that for seven years trying different things. And you know what finally converted John Bunyan? All that and he had no fruit in his life. All that and he had nothing to show the righteousness of God or what he has done in his life. And then one day he was out and he was listening and there was a little garden lattice. And he was there and they didn't know he was here. And he was outside. I don't know what he was doing on this side, but he started eavesdropping. What are they talking about? And he was listening. And girls, do you know what those ladies were talking about? They weren't complaining about the pastor's wife. They weren't complaining about something or another. They weren't gossiping. They were talking about their love of Jesus. And suddenly he just heard this innocent, sweet, bubbling over love of Jesus and he was converted. He came to church. He gave his life to God. And the rest is history. He couldn't be stopped. He became a preacher. Went out on the streets and preached the love of God. And in prison, we know what happened. He gave us the Pilgrim's Progress. Amen. Why? If those girls would have been gossiping, what would have happened? History would be different. What do we talk about? What do we talk about when we're in hospitality at someone's home? What do you say when you see your brother? Are you gushing over with the love of Jesus? If you're not, it's a check to us. It's a check. John Wesley, a priest of the Church of England, a young priest in his thirties, on his way to Georgia. While he's there, there's this huge storm in the boat. Huge storm twisting and tossing all over the place and people start to panic. And John Wesley himself, he already had the Oxford time. He already was called a Bible moth and a Methodist and had all these things in his life. But while he was there and this thing was twisting and turning and all this, and he thought he was going to die and everybody was screaming. The main mast cell was breaking off and they thought we were going to die. He looked over at all this rain and storm and what did he see? What is that? And it was a group of Moravians kneeling down and singing. What are they doing? When he finishes, he goes to them and says, weren't you afraid to die? Oh, no. We were not afraid to die. We're ready to meet our Lord. Okay, but your children? Your children were singing. Aren't your children afraid to die? Oh, no, sir. Our children are not afraid to die. It smote his heart. He wrote in his diary, I'm going to the Americas to save the Indians, but who shall save me? While he was there, he took those Moravians. He learned German for this purpose, it says. His diaries. I learned German so that I could translate those hymns. And when he translated those hymns, he saw something in those hymns that he had never experienced before. This lovey relationship with Jesus. And he translated 30 hymns while he was in German there. And he was just sitting there and as you go through his journal, he talks about all the different things and these words and these expressions and this love relationship of Jesus just started to smote his heart. Finally, one of the Moravians asked him, do you have an assurance of salvation? I know that God is Lord. That's not what I ask you. And he kept asking him certain things. Finally, it was another Moravian missionary when he got back to England as a miserable wreck running from a messed up courtship relationship and everything else of the law. Got back to England a total wreck. And that's when he met the Lord. And these things finally, this love of God was burning in his heart. Oh, let me tell you something. You could be here today with just a head knowledge that John Bunyan had or John Wesley had. Oh, our Jesus. Our Jesus. I love Jesus. I love Him with all my heart. He wrote one of these things as he translated from one of the Moravians there. This is what he wrote in Georgia. Could you imagine him there? What does the German say here? I'm going to translate that. Thou hidden love of God whose height, whose depth, unfathomed no man knows the love of God. I see from far Thy beauteous light. Inly I sigh for Thy repose. My heart is pained, nor can it be at rest till it finds rest in Thee. Let me tell you something. It's a good quote. We didn't mean it for the church, but it certainly applies. It's a good quote from Samuel Johnson. It's this. Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. What does that mean, Dean? I'll tell you. Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, Samuel Johnson said. He meant it politically and it certainly applies politically, but it applies to the church too. We have our causes. We have our hobby horses. Brother Denny has a wonderful sermon you need to hear called Him or It. Anything can be an it. Anything. Sanctifying your life. Going back to the Bible. Wanting to be godly. Having a godly home. Anything that's good and right can become an it to us if it's not Him. If it's not Him. So, this idea. This idea of having our cause. Patriotism. You know, even a church can be divided. You know, you have those who are more mission-minded and you have those who are more church-minded and you know, they have this thing. You have those who are this-minded for the home and this-minded for this and you kind of go and invite Him over for dinner and not Him and all these things and Satan will destroy churches over that. I've seen it. Beware the leaven of the Pharisees. Let me tell you. You don't have to be wearing plain clothes or whatever to call yourself a Pharisee. There's a Pharisee in every circle. I don't care if you're in the most liberal church. They have their Pharisees. Those who are standing for their little causes and their little thing and they're looking down on everybody else. It's in everything. So, don't think you can escape it by going off into some sort of liberal church. The leaven of the Pharisee wants to destroy that relationship with God. And it can happen in any setting. Jesus condemned both the ones... I just mentioned how we can divide in two camps. Here's a mission camp and a church camp. Listen to this. In Matthew 23, verse 15. Hypocrites! For you can pass sea and land to make one proselyte, one convert, and when he is made, you make him two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves. You're just going there. You're spreading this stuff. You're going all over land and sea for your cause. But it's not God. It's not God. To the church, those who are going to get all zealous for certain things in the church in John 16 too, they shall put you out of the synagogues, and they shall put you out of the synagogues Yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think he doth God a service. You know, as I've gone through these things, as I've watched people become radical Christians and things, the hardest task of a pastor, the hardest task is to get across to you is this. To put your dukes up to come out of the world and to fight against those things of the world, but then to be able to put it down when you come to the brotherhood. It's hard. It is hard. There's a quote I've often liked. He gave it for marriage, but I use it for the church. Josh McDowell says, you go into your marriage, and this certainly applies to marriage. You go into your marriage with your eyes wide open. You spend the rest of your marriage with your eyes half shut. That doesn't mean you overlook sin, but you just let a lot of things roll off your back. It's the same way with the church. Yes, I do believe, and you know we're not just teaching that none of this doctrine matters. That's all we've been teaching all week. But, but, yes, discern. Look. Look at the principles of the Word of God. Look at these things. Does it follow Jesus? Does it look like Jesus? And then when you're there, be at peace. Dwell as a brother with them. Be a brother. You know, I've seen a lot of people, and it's sad. I've seen, I can't tell you how many corpses, spiritual corpses, I have seen through the years fallen to the wayside because they never learned to be a brother. Because somewhere this leaven, and they were right on an issue, but now they're completely on their own and their family is a wreck and their life is going nowhere. They're trapped in some sort of theological cage. Like an animal. And Satan's just laughing. I'll never forget one of the best statements I've heard on this idea. Rick Leiby said once at a leadership conference. He's talking about the idea of just being out there on your own somewhere. He says, I don't know why it is, but when you're out there on your own, you just tend to get weird. You just tend to get weird. It's true. We need each other. You need to be able to... Okay, I see your point. And I'm promising you, it's so many times, or I say to you, if there's so many times that you can see these things, that after a long time, you start to actually see your brother's perspective. But at the time, Satan wanted you to be a brother. Be a brother. And how does that happen? Well, if the heart is towards Jesus, it'll make a big difference. But if the heart is towards Jesus, You know, if you're making your decisions in life, and all these things Brother Denny has told us, and John Dee has told us these principles and how you guide your life. If you make your decisions in your life, you should not... I don't think, especially if you are a priest in the Old Testament since, then your life is a sacrifice and a ministry to God. Everything you do is a ministry to God. Let me just give you a hint. Make your choices after following God. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God. So, if you're going somewhere, to go somewhere for a secular job, and then finally you get there, and you get there, and you say, Okay, we're here. I got a raise for being out here. I wonder if there's any believers around here. I wonder if there's a fellowship. Oh, there's no fellowship. Okay. Be careful with that. If God has led you out there to plant a church, well, amen. Praise the Lord. Sometimes we use that as an excuse. We said to you, and I've repeated it to the point that it becomes a little bit ridiculous here, that I'm not trying to give you lines or particulars that you're going to answer before God over. We've said the idea that God needs to write these things on your heart. You need to see these things for yourself. But let me say this. That's true. But in this whole idea of brotherhood again that we're stressing, but when you come to a brotherhood, guess what? You've got a concern and they've got a concern. Okay? And although none of those things we want to look at that are your way before God, but there is a sense of laying down your own things to be able to be in a brotherhood. Do you remember the testimony of Paul and Timothy? Now there was some brotherhood. Timothy, I know in Acts 15 we just said that circumcision means nothing. We have an official statement here that says circumcision means nothing. But it's Acts 16 now, and we've got to go down to Jerusalem. Would you mind if I get a flint knife and we go ahead and circumcise you just because of the brotherhood there? It doesn't mean anything. But there was brotherhood. But the same person also though, mind you, rebuked Peter to his face. It doesn't mean to be just wishy-washy or these things. But it does mean for us to be able to bow our hearts. To bow our hearts. There's so many things. We come into offenses and everything, and we want to demand our rights and demand our way. There's a Scripture that really has helped me through the years in 1 Corinthians 6-7. And talking about my offenses. 1 Corinthians 6-7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you because you go to law one with another. Listen to this principle. Are you saying I'm supposed to be a doormat? People say, well, you don't expect me to be a doormat. I do. Why do you not rather take wrong? You know, he's trying to get somebody there who can judge you and do these differences. Yeah, y'all are fighting over this, and we'll send somebody over there and we'll talk about this problem and talk about that problem. But let me give you a little bit better way. Why do you not just rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves and be defrauded? Well, that's not fair. No, it's not. It goes back to the theology of martyrdom. The theology of suffering. It's not fair. But there's such a release in it. I had a man in my house. We were helping off the streets. And we were helping him, and he said that, you know, we were helping him with everything. Getting him out of debt with his car. Getting him his tickets paid. Getting him almost out of jail and all these different things. And he said, well, don't worry, because my last landlord, I didn't get my deposit back, and I'm going to take a lawyer and I'm going to sue him. And me and this other brother I was with said, you know, I've found a principle in my life. Just let it go. Just let it go. You'll find so much peace. And you know what? God will return that to you. It happens over and over again. You'll be in one of these situations. You will. You'll feel defrauded. Well, let it go. And let it be a cross of Jesus unto you. It says in Romans 15, this principle of coming together as a brotherhood, we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell on me. You know, these things that happen when we get our eyes off the love of Jesus and into these different things. You know, these lusts of the flesh, these rudiments of the world, those elements. Remember like adultery and fornication, Galatians 5.19. Idolatry and witchcraft. But there's another one that can have a scriptural facade. Variance, emulation, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying. All those things can be done within the church. The dividing of the brethren. Oh, you think you're so right. And believe me, I know what it's like to have to come out of somewhere and there's times for that. Yes, there's times for that. There's times when reformation is needed. There's a time when brothers will need to get together and say, you know, we just don't feel comfortable going this way. And there's times in history when that is needed. But I guarantee you it's happening too much. And the strifes and the emulations and the heresies. Let me tell you, some things that we decide on as a church, as a brotherhood, are gray. But let me tell you, strife, emulation, division, faction is not gray. You'll go to hell. That's serious. An early Christian quote from a bishop in Lyons, France. Irenaeus, writing around the year 150, has this quote. Listen to it. He shall judge, that's the spiritual man, shall judge. He shall judge those who give rise to schism. Divisions. Who are destitute of the love of God. And who look to their own special advantage rather than to the unity of the church. And for trifling reasons, or any kind of reason which occurs to them, cut in pieces and divide the great and glorious body of Christ and so far as in them lies, positively destroys it. Men who parade, who go around talking about peace while they give rise to war and do in truth strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. For no reformation of so great importance can be effected by them as will compensate for the mischief arising from their schism. Now, again, let me qualify it. There's times when you will need to in history. There's times when you do. There's absolutely times the reformation needed to happen. And 200 years after this, when Constantine did what he did, they had to do some things. But check your heart. If you have to do something, then check the way you're doing it. There's an interesting quote from Cyprian talking about how people write back in letters and say this or that and all this. This is in Epistle 68 of Cyprian. These things of the pure conscience of my mind and of my confidence in my Lord and my God I have written at length. Listen to this and think about it next time you write someone a letter, a hot letter. You have my letter and I have yours. In the day of judgment, before the tribunal of Christ, both will be read. It's the church in Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2. You've got an amen, pressing on church there who's about to mess up. Revelation 2 verse 1, unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write this, These things saith he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, and who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, know thy works and thy labors and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, and that thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and hath found them liars, and hath borne, and hath patience, and for my namesake hath labored and hath not fainted. Praise the Lord that we could be a church like that. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly and I will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. It has to be through the love of God. Welsh Revival. You know how the Welsh Revival started? J. Edwin Orr tells a story that he received from Martin Lloyd-Jones. A minister named Joseph Jenkins was there and he had a little youth meeting, a lot like this. And just like this, in 1904 this is, Joseph Jenkins asked the youth, What does Jesus Christ mean to you? A young man stood right up and he said, Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. And he said, well good, good. But that's not what I asked. What does Jesus Christ mean to you? Then suddenly a young girl by the name of Flory Evans, three weeks converted, stood up. And she said, I love Jesus with all my heart. And it's reported there in their diaries and things that something happened there. Suddenly we left the theoretical and we got in love. And that sweet, innocent girl who said, I just love Jesus with all my heart, just flowed. And it says that when Seth Joshua got to there, that he got to that area that the whole place was already aflame for God. Just ripe and ready for Evan Robertson to come and he brought in the Welsh Revival. But the start was just the sweetness of being in love with Jesus. Being in love with Jesus. I'm going to end with several passages about how much Jesus loves you. I've got about 30 here. I'm going to quickly read through. So just sort of step back there and listen. This is God's love to you. I came across this list. It's a blessing. It's a blessing. You may know me, but I know you even more. I know you when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139. Do you know that the very hairs of your head are numbered? I know you that well. In Matthew 10. You see, you were made, Genesis 1, you were created in My image. And in Me you live and move and have your being. I knew you even before you were conceived and I chose you when I planted creation. Ephesians 1. Jeremiah 1 before that. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139. And I knit you together in your mother's womb. I brought you forth on the day that you were born. And in 1 John 3.1, don't forget that verse, it's My desire to lavish My love on you. Oh, what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we should be called the sons of God. Oh, what different kinds of love. I just want to love and lavish you. That holy God wants to love and lavish you simply because I'm your Father. I offer you more than any earthly father could. Matthew 7. And I am the perfect Father. Matthew 5.48. Every good gift that you receive, everything good in your life, has come from Me, James 1. For I am the Provider and I will meet all your needs, Matthew 6. Seek Me first. My plan for your future has always been filled with hope, Jeremiah 29, because I love you with an everlasting love. My thoughts towards you are countless as the sands of the seashore. My good thoughts about you are as countless. You can't number them as the sands of the seashore. Psalm 139.17 I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3.17 I am a God and I am going to look over you and just sing. Our God sings about us. He sings. Our God is singing. You are treasured possession. Remember Exodus 19. I desire to establish you with all my heart and with all my soul. And I want to show you great and marvelous things, Jeremiah 32 and 33. If you seek Me with all your heart, I promise you, you will actually find Me. Deuteronomy 4 Delight in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart, Psalms 37 and Philippians 2 says, and I will give you those desires. I am able to do more than you could possibly ever ask or even think about. I can do more for you than you could ever think about, Ephesians 2. For I am your great encourager, 2 Thessalonians 2. I am also the Father who comforts you in your troubles, 2 Corinthians 1. When you're brokenhearted, come close to Me, Psalm 34. As a shepherd carries the lamb right close to his bosom, Isaiah 40, that's the way I want to carry you like a lamb to my bosom. One day, I'll wipe away every tear from your eyes and I'll take away every pain you have suffered on this earth, Revelation 21. I am your Father and I love you and I sent you My Son. He is the expressed image of Me, Hebrews 1. He looks like Me. He came to demonstrate that love for you, not against you. And you tell Him that I am not going to count your sins on you because of Him. He has not imputed your sins unto you, 2 Corinthians 5. Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled, 2 Corinthians 5. His death was the ultimate expression of My love. I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love, Romans 8.31. He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall we not with Him also freely give us all things? If you receive the gift of My Son, you receive Me, 1 John 2. And nothing will ever separate us from the love of God. The love of Me. Come. Come. In Revelation 5, we get a picture. There's silence in heaven. Who's worthy to open the book? No one's worthy. And there's silence. And there's crying. And the angel says, oh, don't cry. Look. The Lamb. The Lamb that was slain. Oh, and they worshipped Him and they praised Him. That's what we're going to be doing for eternity. Singing and worshipping Jesus. In the marriage feast in Revelation 19, all these analogies about the marriage feast in Revelation 19. Behold, the marriage feast of the Lamb. Look, the bride has made herself ready. Come. So, I went through this week and I wanted to start with the holiness of God. And I wanted to go through these very practical things because I believe that God gave us Jesus as an example. That we want to be like Jesus. But through His grace, not a stitch, not a single thing can you do apart from Him. Nothing. But through Jesus, He wants to do these real things in our lives. He has this idea of you wanting. He says, for this cause, I have come into the world for His kingdom. And He has a purpose. He wants you, as Paul says in Romans 15, 15, remember, to offer up the Gentiles as a sacrifice. And He wants you to offer up your own life. He's told us to look to Him for everything that He has in our life that we don't have to seek after those things as the world has sought after them. He's told us to forgive one another. And He's told us that He can do these things in our life. So, in closing, can we stand? And I'm going to close in a prayer. Now, I said at the very beginning, I don't want to just give you these things, but I want to effect an entire different paradigm. I want to get into an entirely different way of thinking. Now, with all this way of thinking about what God has done, who He is, and what He desires, I'm going to lead us in a prayer based on the Lord's Prayer. I'll pray it. You pray silently with me. But with all that we've gone through, I want you to just think about these things that Jesus said. We'll pray like this and we can get a little glimpse of His heart. Let's pray. Our Father... Oh God, we notice You said, Our Father. You want us to come together as Your people. The Our of the Our Father. And You're a Father, Lord. A Father. You said if we would come together to You and come out of them, that You would be a Father to us. Our Father. And we're going to stand on that promise. You said it. I believe it. If I do these things, You'll do that. Our Father. Oh, and You're so above us. Our Father who art in Heaven. Oh, You're high and lofty, Lord. You're high there, Lord. Our Father who art in Heaven. Holy. Hallowed be Thy name. Hallowed be Thy name. Holy. Thy name is who You are. Thy kingdom come. You said that's for the reason You've come into this world. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth just like it's there. We want to live by the same thing, the same way, the same love, the same devotion, just like it is in Heaven. God, give us this day our daily bread. We're saying that. We want You to provide for our needs. We want to look to You for our needs, Lord. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, Lord. Oh, Father, we feel totally undone before Your sight. Forgive us our sins. And yes, Lord, as we forgive others, God, help us to have that forgiving spirit for others. Forgive us our sins as we forgive others. And Lord, we need help. Lead us not into temptation. You said to Your apostles, pray that you do not come into temptation. Lord, we're praying that. You're saying this as often as we pray for our bread. You're praying. You told us to pray that we would not come into temptation. Lord, that's what we're praying. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power. The kingdom. Yours is the kingdom. You are it. The kingdom of God is before us. It is You. The kingdom and the power and the glory. All glory to You. Not to me. Not to anything I accomplish. Nothing. Where is the boasting then You said? It is You. It is excluded. It is all in the person of Jesus Christ. And the glory be unto You. The kingdom and the power and the glory. Oh, God. In Jesus' holy name we pray, Amen. Amen. You may be seated. May God receive the glory.