Transcription
Wonder if we'd get that narrow in our eye. That offense is never an option. That discouragement is over for the rest of my life cuz I'm a Christian. And it's not about me anymore. It's about his kingdom and it's about the expression of Christ through my life to others. My eye single. Watch.
Most people in the church, lot of pastors and leaders, I've had talks behind the scenes with influential people called leaders that don't believe me when I say we can live and not be discouraged. They say, "Brother, you have to face the reality. We're all going to get there. We're all going to be there." And I'm like, "No, you're saying that cuz you're there." And because it's your reality, you think it's truth.
But let me ask you a question. If you're truly discouraged in your life, who's your focus on? Who? So, you're not thinking for the kingdom. And if you were, you might not be discouraged. And what happened could be wrong. It could have been uncalled for. It could have been avoided. It might be unfortunate that ever happened. It doesn't change the facts, but your perspective and your motive changes everything about you.
So, nobody's justified. Nobody's. We're not living in some fairy tale like, "Oh, it's all okay." As if nothing ever is challenging. But when you're living for the kingdom, you don't feel challenged. It's your response. It's automatic.
I don't think God is sitting at a desk of administration watching our lives going, "No. Oh, are you serious? Ah." >> [snorts] >> "No, I really do love them. I really do. I love them." >> [sighs] >> "Oh, I love them. [laughter] I love them. I love them. I love them." Come on. I just think love never fails. It doesn't think evil. It takes no account of the wrong done to it. It's the greatest thing of all. It's love. It's why you're here. To yes, it's the only reason we're on the planet. Divine nature, love, escaping the corruption self void of love. That's in the world through lust. Are you with me?
But also for this very reason giving all diligence, verse five, add to your faith add to your faith virtue. That's a like a moral excellent value. That's just high character. To knowledge, to knowledge self-control. To self-control perseverance. These are all components of love by the way. Perseverance he's just breaking it down. Perseverance godliness, godliness brotherly kindness, and brotherly kindness love.
Now watch this. Watch this. I'm not even sure he believes some of this stuff, but watch this. This is what Peter wrote. For if these things are yours, they're in your life. You have brought them into your life and you've built these things in your life through faith, through prayer, just yielding yourself. And they abound in your life, you will never ever be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For he what? For he who lacks growing in this list that we just read, the person that isn't giving heed to this list and growing in these truths, look who he is. He He who lacks these things is short-sighted even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. What's he saying? The motivation for me to go after THAT LIST IS THE FACT THAT HE FIRST loved me and now I love him. He washed me clean. He forgave me. I'm not the man I used to be. I put off the old. I I ON THE NEW. GO AHEAD AND BRING the new wine cuz it's poured into a new wine skin. Born again, it doesn't mean go to heaven. It's new life. Are you with me? COME ON, IT'S RIGHT HERE.
IF I DON'T HAVE THE INSPIRATION, RICK, TO GROW IN THAT LIST, THE BIBLE, NOT ME, THE BIBLE'S SAYING I'M NOT SEEING SOMETHING I'm supposed to know. And I'm short-sighted even under blindness, AND I'VE FORGOTTEN THAT I'M CLEANSED of my old sins. You know how many people are still living in the memory of their old sins? The feeling, the guilt, THE SHAME, STILL REMEMBER WHEN THEY WERE 10, 12, 15, 18, the thing they knew they'd never do, but they did, and it's 10 years ago, AND IT'S STILL SOMEHOW MAKES THEM FEEL UH IF THAT'S AT ALL IN YOUR LIFE, THERE'S NO WAY YOU HAVE OPEN-FACED, unveiled-faced intimacy with God. Because you don't see yourself the way he does, and that's hindering you from him, and yet he's paying the price to draw you near. Are you all with me? >> [snorts] >> No one loves him first. That's the point of the morning.
Well, we're going to go to this scripture, but I got I got There's one more scripture I'm going to have to read. I'll I'll get it in. I'll squeeze it in. No, no, look. IF YOU LACK THIS LIST, IF YOU LACK THE HUNGER, the pursuit, AND THE DESIRE, HE'S NOT MAKING IT ONE OF THREE THINGS. HE'S NOT GIVING YOU OPTIONS. HE'S SAYING THERE'S ONE REASON. I love how narrow the BIBLE IS. HE'S NOT GIVING YOU MULTIPLE CHOICE. IT'S NOT A, B, C, OR D, AND MAYBE ALL THE ABOVE. HE'S SAYING IF YOU'RE NOT GROWING IN THIS LIST, THERE'S ONE REASON. YOU DON'T SEE YOURSELF CLEAN THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS.
BECAUSE IF I SEE MYSELF CLEAN THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS, THEN I'M OVERWHELMED BY THE BEAUTY OF FORGIVENESS. SO, I DON'T EVER want to live in unforgiveness, CUZ IT NEVER BRINGS LIFE, IT BRINGS DEATH, AND I HAVE LIFE CUZ HE FORGAVE ME. IT MAKES ME WANT TO FORGIVE. THE REASON PEOPLE HAVE TROUBLE WITH UNFORGIVENESS, THEY'VE NEVER SEEN THE BEAUTY OF BEING CLEAN. SO, THEY CAN'T SEE PEOPLE FOR WHAT THEY'RE CREATED TO BE, THEY CAN ONLY SEE THEM FOR WHAT THEY DID WRONG. THERE'S NO CHRISTIAN ON THE EARTH THAT COULD BE STUCK IN UNFORGIVENESS IF HE KNOWS HE'S FORGIVEN. THE BIBLE SAYS THE MAN THAT DOES IT IS EVIL AND WICKED. I FORGAVE YOU OF EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER DONE. OUGHT YOU NOT HAVE FORGIVEN HIM OF WHAT HE'S DONE? COME ON. IT'S NOT JUDGMENTAL, IT'S SOBERING. IT'S SAYING IF I'M STRUGGLING WITH UNFORGIVENESS, IT'S NOT TRYING TO FORGIVE. IF YOU'RE TRYING TO FORGIVE, YOU'RE IN UNFORGIVENESS. IT'S SEEING THAT I'M forgiven and believing it. And getting washed clean through the blood and standing alone when nobody's looking and lifting my hands and knowing I'm clean in his presence and have total access to him cuz he loves me. You get it? >> [panting] >>
And all of A SUDDEN I SEE MYSELF WHAT? REALLY CLEAR. I see myself the way he does. You quoted it, Matt, when you got up here earlier. Love your neighbor. Very important that I see myself the way he does so I see you clear. Cuz if I see you the way I see me and I don't see me the way he does, then I see you the way I see me. That's not good. That's why we have a hard time with each other. That's why we pick and choose and whether we'd like to admit it or not, we get clicky. We have favorites, we avoid certain people cuz they bother us, even their personality and first impressions is a challenge. Oh, y'all know I'm telling something here. And we decide who we're going to like and who we're not and who we'd like to be close to and who we'll kind of conveniently avoid. Well, there's Well, there's just something about them. Did you ever know Yeah, I know Oh, see see? And then you get talking in the car. And now you got them labeled and stereotyped and they're that person. It just kind of rubs you the wrong way. Boy, you ought to be glad God's nothing like you. Cuz if you rubbed him the wrong way, you're done. And you try to come to him and he you'd rub him the wrong way and the more you try to come to him, the more you'd be far away. Ain't that something? And it just proves that God is nothing like we relate to what's normal. It all got perverted and we should get born again and that's a far cry from praying a prayer to go to heaven.
Look at this. Look at this. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent. Verse 10. More diligent. To make your call and election sure. Uh-oh. I wonder if we believe this stuff. For if you do these things, add this to your Add this list to your life and see him this way. If you do these things, you will never stumble. I'm not sure we believe that because we preach stumble. We preach stumble. We expect to stumble and when we stumble, we're hardly convicted cuz that's us. We're just stumble-ers. But my Bible says I'll never stumble. Try to preach that in the average CHRISTIAN CHURCH. BLASPHEMY! HERESY! FALSE TEACHER! HYPER-SPIRITUAL! AIN'T FACING REALITY! NOPE, just reading his Bible. Just reading his Bible, you see? You'd be amazed how many people that go to church would crucify Jesus today. Tons of people that think they know him would crucify him. It's evident just because of the way people handle each other. And for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For this reason because of the outcome. Look at the dividends of living this way.
For this reason, I'm not negligent to remind you always of these things. See, you think I preach the same stuff all the time. I got it from these men. LOOK. TO REMIND YOU ALWAYS OF THESE THINGS, though you know and are established in this present truth that I just wrote about. Is Peter saying this? You see it? BUT I'M NOT NEGLIGENT, EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW IT AND YOU'RE ESTABLISHED IN THIS PRESENT TRUTH. LOOK AT THE next verse. Yes, I think it's right as long as I'm alive in this body to stir you up by reminding you so you don't let life speak louder than truth, get caught up in old feelings, let something matter that's not going to matter at all. I'm [snorts] not GOING TO STOP REMINDING YOU, knowing that shortly I'm going to HAVE TO PUT OFF THIS BODY JUST AS THE LORD JESUS showed me.
Moreover, I will be careful to ensure Does this important to Peter what we just read? Come on, I'M MAKING A POINT. IS THIS IMPORTANT TO PETER? MOREOVER, I WOULD AND WHO BETTER TO TAKE it from but Peter who denied [laughter] HIM, CURSED AND SAID HE NEVER KNEW HIM, GOT RESTORED by the love of God and got renewed on the beach, looked at the Sanhedrin and them people and said whether it's right to listen to you or God, you be the judge, but I can't help. Yeah? And all of a sudden he ain't denying nothing. He's standing there ready to give up his life. WHY? CUZ HE SAW NOW AND HE'S FILLED with that Holy Ghost. Yeah? And Peter's a changed man. Everybody always relates to Peter before Christ died. What about the Peter after Christ died? What about the Peter in the book of Acts? He ain't nobody to make jokes about. People always joke about Peter and people say, "Well, I think I'm more like Peter." And they're TALKING ABOUT THE PETER BEFORE CHRIST WAS RAISED. Look at this Peter. Moreover, I'll be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after I die. That's what that means. Well, he did a pretty good job. And here we are today and got these things in front of us.