a week, Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night, and God I just pray that
you would bless the service tonight and use this great chapter in the Word of God to speak
to the hearts of those that are here, Mylon included. Please just use something in the
chapter to stir someone up, bring them closer to you, to give them more zeal and fervor,
and God I just pray that you would speak through me tonight. Holy Spirit, I just pray that
you would fill me as I preach tonight, and in Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Now in James chapter 4, he starts out with a question. From whence come wars and fightings
among you? Come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members? Now he's describing
some problems. He's describing strife that we talked about in chapter number 3. Envians
and strife was a lot of what we talked about in chapter number 3 at the end there. And
he says, where does it come from? What's the problem? Is it the devil that's causing all
the problems? Is it other people that are attacking you that's causing the problem?
He says, no, this is what the problem is. He says, come they not hence even of your
lusts that war in your members? Now the word members in the Bible is talking about body
parts. That's what the word members means. Have you ever heard of somebody, not to be
grotesque, but have you ever heard of somebody being dismembered? That's what it means. Members
are talking about like an arm, a leg, a hand, a foot. He's saying, come they not hence even
of your lusts that war in your members? You lust and desire, I'm sorry, you lust and have
not. You kill and desire to have and cannot obtain. You fight and war, yet you have not
because you ask not. You ask and receive not because you ask amiss that you may consume
it upon your lusts. Now I'm kind of laying a foundation for what I'm going to talk about,
but the word lust in the Bible is the exact, it has two synonyms, okay? Covet is one of
them and one of them is desire. Those three words are used interchangeably in the Bible.
You see quotations of the Old Testament where those words are substituted. Covet, desire
and lust. Lust is an inordinate desire for something that you don't have. It's a burning,
consuming desire to have something that you don't have. It's called lust. Or it's also
called covetousness, one of the Ten Commandments. Thou shall not covet. And the Bible also uses
the word desire. Thou shall not desire thy neighbors, on and on, lists all the different
things. Now there's a doctrine that so many people don't understand. It's a very simple
doctrine in the Bible and once you understand this doctrine, and I've preached on it many
times and I don't mind being repetitious because it's so important, once you understand
this doctrine that I'm going to talk about right now, you'll see it in the Bible over
and over again, especially as you're reading the New Testament. I see this come up in almost
every single chapter. And once you're looking for it especially, you'll see it all the time.
But look if you would at Romans chapter 8. Turn over to Romans chapter 8 and I'll explain
this to you. And he alludes to this a few different times in chapter 4, but he's saying
that the problem, the fighting, the bitterness, the strife, the sin that's in your life, he
says the problem is the lust that's warring in your members. What's the war? Okay if there's
a war, there has to be two sides to this war that are fighting against each other. These
are the two sides. The Bible says the flesh is one side and the spirit is the other side.
And the Bible says the flesh warth against the spirit and the spirit warth against the
flesh. And these two are contrary, one to the other, so that you cannot do the things
that you would, so that you can't do the things that you want to do. Look if you would
at Romans chapter 8 verse number 16. The Bible says the spirit, see the capital S? That's
talking about God, that's talking about the Holy Spirit. The spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God. See if you're saved tonight, you know
you're saved because the Holy Spirit lives inside of you bearing witness with your spirit
that you are the children of God. The next verse says, and if children, then heirs. Heirs
of God and join heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with them, that we may be also
glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation
of the creature waited for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made
subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who had subjected the same in hope.
Now look at this next part. It says because the creature itself also shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know
that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth and pain together until now. Here's the important
verse right here. Verse number 23 the Bible says, and not only they but ourselves also
which have the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting
for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body. So he's saying here that when you
got saved you really got the first fruits of salvation because the moment that you got
saved your body was not saved, your flesh was not saved. Your flesh is the same flesh
that it was before you got saved. Exactly the same. I mean the same things that you
craved and desired and lusted after as the Bible says before you got saved, the moment
you get saved it's not like wow. And you hear these preachers and they're usually preaching
this heresy where you have to turn from all your sins in order to get saved or be willing
to turn from your sins. This is what they get up and say, you know these guys from the
south, you know no offense, but these guys from the south, bless God, when I got saved
I got all the way saved. And they say like, I got saved, I never wanted a cigarette again
and I never wanted to do this again. You know what, you're a liar. You're a liar because
the flesh, the Bible says, cannot be brought into subjection to the laws of God. And the
Bible says that the same flesh that you had before you got saved is the same flesh you
have after you got saved. So you know what, if you like to drink before you got saved,
the flesh still likes to drink. Okay, if you like to listen to rock music before you got
saved, your flesh is still going to like to listen to rock music. You know, you like to
smoke cigarettes before you got saved, you're still going to want it. The next day after
you get saved, you're going to wake up and want to smoke a cigarette. Okay, the next
day after you get saved, you're going to want to watch the same filth on TV because that's
the flesh, the same flesh. I still have the same flesh from before I got saved. The same
stuff that I used to do, any time, if I walk in the flesh, I'd be tempted to do the same
exact things. That tendency is still going to be there. Because there's a war going on,
the Bible says, between the flesh and between the spirit. The lusts that are warring in
your members is that old flesh wants to control you. Now 99% of Christians are controlled
by the flesh. So they're very worldly. They're following just the lust. If it feels good,
do it. Whatever they want to do, they're going to do it. No restrictions. But the Bible says
that when you got saved, a part of you got saved immediately, which is your spirit. Okay?
The moment you got saved, the Bible says God created a brand new creature in you that's
created, and I'll read this for you. Don't turn there for sake of time. But the Bible
says in Ephesians 4.22 that you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, notice that word again, and be renewed in
the spirit of your mind. And that you put on the new man, which after God is created
in righteousness and true holiness. So he says the new man, and follow me, I know this
is a little bit heavy at the beginning of the sermon, but bear with me. But the new
man that was created when you got saved is only your spirit, not your flesh. Your flesh
is the same old flesh. But when you got saved, God took your spirit and created a brand new
creature, a brand new person called the new man, or the inward man, or the spirit. And
that's what the Bible calls it inside of you. Not the Holy Spirit. You also have the Holy
Spirit living inside of you, but you also have a brand new Stephen Anderson in my case.
A brand new Stephen Watts. You know, a brand new Dave Burzins, you know, whatever you want
to fill in the blank. When you got saved, God created that brand new creature. And people
will try to say, well, when you get saved, you're a brand new creature, and if this guy
got saved, why does he live exactly the way that he lived before he got saved? He must
not really be saved. No, that's wrong. The Bible says everyone that believeth shall not
perish but have everlasting life. Whosoever believeth. So if somebody believes on Jesus
Christ, confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in their heart that God
is raised from the dead, they shall be saved. But does that mean that they're immediately
going to change? Well, nothing changes. It's not a change that takes place when you get
saved. People say, well, you got to see a change. There got to be a change. Look, it's
not a change. Nothing changed. You got a brand new spirit. That's not a change. That's something
new. You get a new spirit, and you got the same old flesh, and you just started a war
that's going to go on. No change. Change is the wrong word. Okay? The word is a new man
and an old man that are fighting against each other. Now, which one do you think is going
to win? Well, if you feed, if you sow to, the Bible says, like sowing seeds, or if you
feed the flesh, the flesh is going to be in control all the time. If you feed the spirit,
the spirit's going to be in control. No one is 100% of the time controlled by the spirit
because nobody's perfect. The flesh is always going to creep in and take over. Less more
than others, you know, depending on how close to God you are, how much you're feeding the
one. So, if you sit down and watch a bunch of movies on the television, okay, and then
you're pumping your mind with a bunch of rock music from some guy that looks like a pervert.
I mean, good night. I picked up the newspaper the other day, and they showed all the rock
bands that are coming to Tempe for the holidays. I couldn't even believe it. Maybe I've just
been, like, in a bubble for the last three or four years. I mean, these guys were, like,
practically cross-dressed. They looked like a bunch of faggots and sodomites. They're
getting up there, I mean, with all just their faces, like, mutilated with all the piercings.
They got the dark eyeliner, and they were wearing full-blown makeup. And I remember
that a little bit in the 80s, but I couldn't believe how prevalent it was right now. And
it's sick, and it's disgusting. Hey, go ahead and pump your mind with all the garbage that
they're spewing out of their mouth, all the filth that they want to teach you and educate
you, which is just straight out of hell, straight from Satan. Go ahead and fill your
mind with that. But who do you think you're feeding, the flesh or the spirit, when you
listen to that trash? You're feeding the flesh. And you say, Pastor Anderson, I don't know
why I just can't seem to get control of my mind. I don't know why I just keep going back
and doing the same things that I used to do. I keep this, I want to do what's right. Like
Paul said, he said, I want to do what's right with the inward man. But he says, I just find
a war in me that the lust of the flesh is just warring against my spirit. Well, if you
cut off the supply to the flesh, it's going to get weaker and weaker. And then you start
feeding the spirit, you know, reading the Bible, okay, singing the great songs in the
hymn book, you know, instead of listening to that stuff. But reading the Bible, memorizing
the Bible, I mean, think about how strong your spirit will be if you just feed it the
Bible, feed it preaching three times a week in church, feed it the things of God all the
time. It's going to get stronger and stronger and stronger and the flesh is going to be
just starving and dying and withered up and emaciated because you're not feeding it the
garbage that it wants to be fed. Look, your flesh will never like this, excuse me, this
kind of music right here. Never. Your flesh doesn't like this. Your flesh wants the worldly
music. Okay. Your spirit doesn't like the worldly music. The spirit loves these songs.
The spirit loves, to God be the glory, you know, the spirit loves these songs. The flesh
hates them. And you say, you know what, I'm sorry, but I just like my music a little bit
better. I like to listen to Bow Wow and 50 Cent and all this stuff, you know, that's
what I like, you know, that's what I like. Hey, you're always going to like it when you're
in the flesh, okay, but when you sow to the spirit, you'll start to be the new creature.
Now, the moment that you die, the flesh dies and it's gone. And then at the resurrection,
of course, you get a brand new body. And that flesh is a new, brand new, saved flesh just
like your spirit is saved right now. See, the Bible says in this verse, are you still
in Romans 8? Look at Romans 8, 23. It says, and not only they, but ourselves also, which
have the first fruits of the spirit. That's like the beginning that you get right when
you get saved, the spirit, which have the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption to wit, the redemption or salvation, that's
what redemption means, the redemption of our body. He says he can't wait until I get
rid of this stupid flesh that's always causing me to sin, these lusts that are constantly
warring in my members. He says I just can't wait to get rid of this flesh and just have
a brand new body, brand new soul, brand new spirit, and stand in the presence of Jesus
Christ perfect. The Bible says we're going to stand before him blameless and perfect
in holiness. We're going to be like him for we shall see him as he is, the Bible says.
Never sin again. That's why you wonder, well, what's the difference? When you get to heaven,
why are you never going to sin again? Because the flesh is gone and that's the only thing
that's causing you to sin right now is your flesh. You'll never get rid of it. This is
something that you have to battle every day. I mean, you're never going to get to the point
where I've arrived. The flesh doesn't even bother me anymore. I just roll out of bed
and just want to read the Bible and preaching and praying and saying, that's all I want.
It's never going to happen. Every day you have to kill the old man. Every day you have
to render the flesh dead and you have to decide that you're going to put on the new man. Now
it gets easier and the spirit gets so much stronger that it's going to dominate almost
naturally. Whereas most people when they first get saved, I mean the flesh is in the
driver's seat 100% of the time. And you'll see people who get saved and they have no
change in their life. Why? Because they're just in the flesh. They're not reading the
Bible, how do you expect them to change? They're not in church, how do you expect the change?
They're not following God's laws, how do you expect them to change? And they're just filling
their mind with all the Hollywood and everything. And it's a sad life because it's a life of
doing the things that you would not, as Paul said. Look, everybody wishes, or at least
should, that they would be a great Christian. I mean they would just read the Bible, win
people to Christ, get people saved. Everybody would like to do that, but they don't do it
because it's hard, because it's difficult. But the only way to do it is if you can subdue
this flesh and if you can walk in the spirit. Think about that, everything you do throughout
the day, just decide, is this feeding the flesh or is this feeding the spirit? Just
think about it that way. And you will not win this battle if you're constantly feeding
the flesh. You're going to lose every time and you're going to constantly find yourself
just sinning and doing wrong and being a failure in life, unless you can get a hold of this
thing of walking in the spirit. Of course, just quickly, I'll read this verse for you,
1 John 3, 9, don't turn there. It says, Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin and he
cannot sin. I mean, for a seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he's born of
God. See, the new creature that God created cannot sin. When you're sinning, it's because
it's the flesh that's sinning. And that's why when you die, you'll never sin again if
you're saved, born again. And so back to James 4, though, I just want you to understand that
going into this chapter. You know, don't sit around saying that somebody's not saved because
they live the same way. What do you believe in, work salvation? Do you think they'll be
able to work their way to heaven or something? They don't get baptized? If you think that
if somebody doesn't get baptized, they must not have really been saved because they didn't
get baptized. You know, why don't you go join the Church of Christ because that's what they
teach. They teach you how to be baptized to be saved. Hey, why don't you go join one of
these charismatic Pentecostal churches then if you think people have to change their whole
life around to get saved. What are you doing in a Baptist church? In a Baptist church,
we believe the Bible and the Bible says, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it
is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also
the Greek without the works of the law, the Bible says. And so, don't ever sit back and
look at somebody and say, well, let's watch him and see if he's really saved. Watch for
what? You're going to look inside his spirit? You're going to put on like x-ray glasses
and see whether the spirit has been changed? You don't know that? Maybe he's just walking
in the flesh 100% of the time. That's why it is possible for somebody to get saved and
have no difference, no works, no change. It's a tragedy that they waste their life and they're
going to get to heaven one day and they'll be happy to be there and they'll be changed
and they'll have the brand new body, brand new soul, brand new spirit, but they're going
to look back and say, good, not! Why did I waste my whole life? What did I do? What did
I accomplish?
Look down, if you would, at the end of the chapter. Look at verse number 14. The Bible
says in James 4, 14, whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your
life? It is even a vapor that appearth for a little time and then vanishes away. He said
your life, your whole life is like the scene that rises off like a tea kettle. He said
it's like a vapor. You see it for a minute and it's gone. It's gone before you know it.
I'm sure if we asked Brother Lawless, who is much older than I am, I'm sure if I asked
Brother Lawless, he'd say, boy, I just flew by his whole life in a way. It blows by faster
than you think. I'm realizing that I'm only 25 years old and I can see that it's starting
to pick up speed.
Think about it. When you're like 8 years old, your mom's like, wait 20 minutes. It seems
like 3 hours. Now if somebody said wait 3 hours, I'm like, sure. Mom, I'm hungry. Wait
10 minutes. You're starving. Now it's like, we're going to eat about 4 or 5 hours. Okay,
because time progressively speeds up the older you get. That's the fact. Maybe it's just
because it's a smaller percentage of your life. I don't know, but it just speeds up
and speeds up and speeds up. And he says in the scheme of things, in an eternity of billions
and billions and billions of years, he says your life is just like that and it's over.
It's nothing. It means nothing. It's going to be gone. And you're going to look back
and say, my whole life was wasted. Why? Because I refused to walk in the Spirit. I refused
to feed the Spirit. I just had to just gratify my flesh like an animal. You know, just whatever
feels good. Gratify my flesh just so I could feel good for that little vapor. When I could
have sowed to the Spirit a little bit and done something of eternal value and as we
talked about on Sunday night, when I get to heaven, I could present those that I've won
to Christ and say, these are the people that I won to Christ. Hey, when I saw you reading
the Bible figuratively speaking, when I saw you, Jesus Christ, hanging on the cross with
the sins of the world on your back, when the blood and the water flowed out of your side
and he said, forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do. When he became sin
for us, when I look at that, I say, you know what? That is important and I'm not going
to let any of it go to waste. If he died for the sins of every man, if he died for the
sins of the whole world, that should mean that he wants the whole world saved. Wouldn't
it be a tragedy? Have you ever thought about this? I philosophize sometimes when I'm reading
the Bible. Have you ever thought about this fact that if Jesus died for the sins of somebody
like Adolf Hitler, who obviously didn't get saved, who obviously is burning in hell right
now beneath my feet, if he died for the sins of Adolf Hitler, Adolf Hitler didn't get saved,
Adolf Hitler is paying for his own sins right now, what a waste. I mean, wasn't it kind
of a waste when Jesus paid for them and then he's paying for them anyway? What a waste.
But Jesus said, no, I'm willing to do that. I'm willing to pay his sins because I want
to give him a chance to be saved. Because, you know, I'm sure that Adolf Hitler was once
a nice little blond-headed boy like I was. Actually, he wasn't even 100% German, was
he? Okay, so, he was half, I don't know, he was Austrian and half Jewish, I think somebody
even told me. But he was dark-haired, he probably wasn't a little blond-headed Aryan
like my kids. I'm kidding, of course. But, you know, he was a cute little boy at one
point, right? He probably was out playing ball, you know, a little Adolf. Come on in.
Adolf, it's dinner time, you know, come on in. Ding, ding, ding, ding. He sat down with
his little sauerkraut and whatever, you know. But you know what? Hey, God loved, God so
loved Adolf that he gave his only begotten son. I mean, it's kind of funny, but seriously.
And if you think about that, I guarantee you that, you know, there was a time when he could
have gotten saved. He probably had some opportunities along the way. And he didn't get saved. What
a tragedy that he's paying in hell, and he willed for all eternity, for the sins that
he committed when Jesus already paid for them. All you have to do is believe and be saved.
But he didn't. Look, what a waste. Do you want the blood of Jesus Christ that he shed
for the sins of mankind to go to waste? Because everybody who doesn't get saved, it's a waste.
So if I see the value of the blood of Jesus Christ, I mean, if I see the value of Jesus
on the cross, the death, burial, and resurrection, if I see the value of the fact that he went
down to hell for three days and three nights and was punished for my sins, if I see the
value in that, I don't want any of it to go to waste. I'm going to get everybody saved
I can. I think if I see somebody say, good night, Jesus paid their sins, what a shame
for that to be a waste. How do you think Jesus feels about the fact that he wasted?
I mean, he died for somebody and they didn't get saved. What a waste. What a tragedy. You
know, Jesus, all throughout the Old Testament, you'll see the sin offering. You saw, it's
maybe a boring part of the Bible to many people. If you understand it, it's not boring at all.
But all throughout the Old Testament, you'll see the sin offering, where they take an animal
and they would kill that animal. If it was someone's pigeons, they'd wring off their
necks or like the bullocks that they would kill and shed their blood and cut out their
insides and so on. It's very gory to read about it in the book of Leviticus and everything
like that. But when these animals are butchered, just remember that that's a picture of Jesus
Christ who was butchered on the cross. That's what it's a picture of. The blood that spills
out on that altar is a picture of Jesus when he shed his blood on the cross. You think
that it was a pretty sight, Jesus hanging around? It wasn't like these paintings from
the Renaissance, some long-haired, queer-looking guy with a little trickle of blood coming
out of his head. It was a brutal sight. The Bible says he had no form nor comeliness that
we should desire. There wasn't anything attractive about him. There wasn't anything good-looking
about him. He's beaten beyond recognition as a human being. It's a disgusting sight.
And he died for the sins of mankind. Don't let it go to waste. Don't let a drop of it
go to waste. Get everybody saved that you can is what I'm saying tonight. And then think
about this. After they killed the animal, what did they do next in the Old Testament?
What did they do? They burned it. It was a burnt offering every time. And you say, well,
I just don't believe Jesus went to Hell. I think Jesus went to Hades. And I've saved
the Greek, and there's Hades and Sheol. And you know what? I don't know where the Sheol
these people are getting all that doctrine, but you know what? Hades and Sheol means nothing
to me. It's called Hell, friend. If you have a King James Bible, it says that Jesus was
in Hell. And I can show you several places that it says that. You can say, well, it was
Paradise. Are you telling me that Paradise is in the center of the Earth next to Hell?
Who booked my ticket for that trip? I don't want to be there. It's stupid. And so, look,
Paradise up in Heaven, the Bible says, clearly up to Paradise, up to the third Heaven. Paradise
in Heaven, Hell is a place of suffering and torment and fire and punishment. And I'm going
to tell you something. Jesus Christ just says thousands and millions of burnt sacrifices
were made for 4,000 years of human history. Every time they lit one of those burnt sacrifices
on fire, it was a picture of Jesus Christ when his soul would suffer in the fires of
Hell to pay for our sins. That's why it was a burnt offering. That's why he said of the
Passover lamb, he said don't boil it, don't seed it, don't cook it any other way. He said
roast it with fire. And the Bible says Christ, our Passover, is offered for us. It's so clear
in the Bible. If you believe the King James Bible is the word of God and you're not listening
to Dr. Fatbottom in some university who tells you, well, Hell doesn't always mean Hell.
Sometimes it's Sheol, sometimes it's Gehenna, and sometimes it's Hades. Tell that guy to
go to Hades because that's what the Bible says about people who change the Bible and
take words out and put words in. He tells them they're going to Sheol. And they'll find
out when they get there what's going on. They'll find out what it's like as soon as they hit
it. But anyway, back to the chapter, I'm getting a little carried away here. James 4, look
if you would at, this isn't even, forget the book of James. Let me tell you what I really
think. James chapter 4, look if you would at verse number 1, 2, and 3. He's pretty much
saying your problem is the flesh, your lust. He says you want to have everything, you know,
you want to have this toy and this DVD and this, this, that, this fancy car and you want
to get the P, the GTP, you know what I mean? You want to get the fancy car and the convertible
and the fancy clothes and everything like that. He says your problem is that you're
just controlled by the flesh. That's why lust dominates your life. Don't be one of
these people that says always, oh man I wish I had this, oh I want this. You know there's
things that we want to have, that's fine, but where it's just everything's about getting
the next fill in the blank. What do you need in life? Having food and raiment let us be
there with content. I've got food, I've got clothes, I've got a nice house. What else
do I need? I've got my Bible. What do I need? What DVD do I need? I've got the KJV. I don't
need a DVD. And so you don't be consumed by lust and when you're always coveting other
things, you always wish you had what everybody else had, it's probably because you're not
controlled by the spirit, you're controlled by the flesh. The flesh is controlling you,
not your spirit. I'm not even talking about the Holy Spirit, I'm talking about your spirit.
Your spirit is not in control. Your flesh is in control, that's the problem. And your
flesh obviously includes a physical mind. And then there's a spiritual mind that's controlled
by the spirit. So understand that when I say flesh I'm not just talking about your physical
mind, I'm just talking about your fleshly, carnal mind. The word carnal means fleshly.
It's an old word for fleshly. The carnal mind, and then the Bible says you need to renew
your mind and you have the spiritual mind. And we're going to see that a few verses down.
And he's saying that instead of praying for what you need and praying for what you want,
he says you just lust after it, you fight in war, you're dishonest on the job, you cut
somebody out of a promotion, you cut somebody out of a promotion, you're stabbing people
in the back. You know these people that will tell negative things to the boss about what
their coworker did? They did like 50 good things, you're not going to report that to
the boss. They messed up one time and you're like, oh yeah, did you hear what Stefan did
on this job? Good night. Cost us like a thousand dollars to repair it. I mean, sometimes you
don't need to just pass on every negative thing. But then when Stefan hits a home run,
sells some big fire alarm system in Redding, like you're going to do, right Stefan? And
sells some big system and installs it all single-handedly, makes all this profit, and
then you just maybe don't even mention it, don't even bring it up. Tell good things about
your coworkers and you'll find that God will lift you up. When you humble yourself, humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He shall lift you up, it says later on in the
same chapter that we're in. And so he says, well prayer, he says the things that you need,
you can pray for them and God will give them to you. The things that you need, but he says
the reason that you pray and God doesn't answer your prayers is because you're asking a miss,
it says in verse number 3, you ask and receive not. Why doesn't God answer my prayer? You
ask and receive not because you ask a miss. He says you're praying wrong. Why? That you
may consume it upon your lusts. He's saying like you're just praying for like a new corvette.
Oh God, you know, give me a dollar an hour raise, please God. God says that's not the
right way to pray, you're praying wrong. You're just trying to consume it on your lusts. Why
do you want a dollar an hour raise? So you can have food and clothes on your back? No,
so you can eat at Chili's again, you know, so that you can eat at Chili's twice a week
instead of once a week, so you can drive a nice car, so that you can have the things
that you're lusting after and desiring to have. He says no, pray for what you need and
don't pray for lusty, lustful, greedy things. He says pray for things that are, you know,
for God's benefit. You know, pray for that. What do you pray for Pastor Anderson? Well
obviously I pray that God will take care of my needs because he wants to do that. I pray
for people to be saved. I pray for you, that you can be strong in your Christian life.
You know that I pray for you that you'll be in church and that you'll read the Bible and
that God will teach you things out of the Bible. I pray for you to have success in your
life. I pray for you to overcome the sin in your life. I pray for these things. Well,
I'm praying for things that are things that God wants and that I want. And then when there's
that agreement, the Bible says you'll get everything you ask for because you're asking
for the things that are according to his will. And so he says you ask and receive not, verse
3, because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts, you adulterers and adulteresses.
Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will
be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. That's a strong verse, isn't it? Whosoever
therefore will be, and will be means wants to be, it's a little bit older English. Whosoever
therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. How would you like somebody
to say you are God's enemy? How would you like to be God's enemy? I mean even if you're
saved, well, you're God's enemy. Boy, isn't that terrible? Now I always wondered, it never
made sense to me when I read this verse, it seemed that the first four words didn't really
fit in. Like I understood the part, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity
with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. That makes
sense to me. But I never understood why he says you adulterers and adulteresses. Why
is he calling you an adulterer? Why is he calling you an adulteress? Because he's saying
that, and you'll see this illustration in the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah, all
throughout the book of Isaiah and also in the book of Hosea, these two things are carried
about. He says that God, and all relationship with God is almost like a relationship in
a marriage. So he says that when they went a whoring, this is what he called it, when
they worshiped other gods, like false religions, the nation of Israel, he said you've gone
a whoring after other gods. He said you're like a woman who leaves her husband and goes
out whoring around. That's what he's saying. That cheats on her husband that's an adulteress.
He said that's what it's like when you're worshiping these other gods to the nation
of Israel. He said you're like my wife that I have a spouse and you're whoring around
with other gods. And that's what he's saying here. He's saying that if you love the world,
if your friendship and your allegiance is with the world, he said that's like a false
god in and of itself. The Bible calls it the god of this world. When you're just loving
everything that the world is pushing, the money, everything's about money, everything's
about toys and what you can have, everything's about the entertainment, the People magazine,
you can read who Britney Spears is partying with and all the wicked sin that she's involved,
all the trash. He says when that's your crowd, when you love that crowd, he says you're like
committing adultery against God because God says I want your attention. Think about this.
Do you think that I want my wife to be on the phone with some other guy all day? I'm
not even saying if she's even cheating on me, so to speak. Physically, but do you think
I want to go into the email inbox and she's got all these guys that she's exchanging emails
with? Would that be acceptable? No way. Oh, hi honey, how you doing? Are you at home?
No, I'm out at the restaurant with John. John took me out to eat today and I'm not talking
about her son, John. Oh yeah, me and Paul, yeah, we went out to eat. We're out at the
Olive Garden. What do you need? Do you think that's going to work? No way. I mean I'm going
to come home and cloud up some rain. I'm going to take Paul and ring his neck like
a birth sacrifice in the Old Testament. I'm going to perform a birth sacrifice on him.
There's no way it's going to work. God says, look, here I am. You're not giving me any
attention. You're palling around. You care more about Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan
than you care about Jesus Christ and God Almighty. He says it's like you're committing adultery.
It's like I feel like you're being unfaithful to me. I feel like you don't even care about
me. You don't want to spend time with me. You want to pal around with everybody else.
And by the way, no, I don't let my wife have male friends. And if you have a brain in your
head, you won't either. You won't let your wife pal around with a bunch of male friends.
Good night. It's retarded what some people do. And then they, oh yeah, you know, like
they've been married for like 20 years and then their spouse commits adultery. Oh, I
never saw it coming. I don't know how it happened. It's like you idiot. You know, she's been
hanging out with the guy for years and you were allowing it. Then you wonder why that
happens. If you don't, if you play with fire, you're going to get burned. So I stay a million
miles away from it. I don't pal around with women and my wife doesn't pal around with
men, period. And then you won't see me driving down the road in a car with some woman that's
not my wife. Oh yeah, we're just driving around. This is business. No, I don't drive in a car
with somebody that's not my wife. No, it's because you're just asking for trouble. You're
creating an opportunity for problems to happen. You say, well, I'm so much above that. I'm
so much better than that. What about the flesh that's still in you that has not been saved
until the resurrection? What about your carnal nature that's still the same? What about the
old man? What happens if you start to drift away from God a little bit? You don't know
what you're capable of. So you better just stay a million miles away from it, my friend.
You say, well, you're all strict and old-fashioned. Hey, I'm just trying to keep myself safe,
distanced from sin. Look down, if you would, a little bit further in the chapter. The Bible
says right here in verse number 7, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. And then look if you would at verse 10. Here's a verse that
ties in with the same idea. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift
you up. See, a humble attitude says, I'm not above sin. I've got the same flesh that I
had before I got saved. I've got the new man, the new spirit, but I'm not above sin. Any
time if I let my guard down, any time I stop fighting. You know, I used to do boxing. You
never let your guard down at all. I mean, you throw a punch, and it's just right back
there. Never let your guard down, because as soon as you let your guard down, the devil
is just right there to just go wham, this left jab right in the face. Because you are
not above sin, the Bible says, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.
Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before the fall, the Bible says. When
you get this haughty, prideful attitude of, oh, I'm such a great Christian. I've been
in church for years. I can handle it. I can handle the DVD. I can handle, you know, driving
around with this woman that's now my wife, and working with her every day, and powing
around with her. We go out to eat together. I can handle it. Good night. I'm not going
to be a minute old sir. Not me. Not the holy, righteous, wonderful Steven Anderson would
never do that. Watch out, buddy, because you're filled with pride and arrogance, and that's
you letting your guard down, and the devil is ready to devour you, the Bible says. But
the Bible says, resist the devil, and he'll flee from you. But do it with a humble spirit
that says, I'm not powerful enough to defeat the devil. I need to just stay away from sin.
I need to protect myself every way I can. He says, resist the devil, and he will flee
from you. Draw an eye to God, and he will draw an eye to you. Now what's that mean?
This is what it means. He says, when you take one step toward God, God will take another
step toward you. So your growth as a Christian becomes exponential, because as you grow,
and as you do a little more, you say, good night. I can't imagine, you know, you preach
all this stuff. I can't imagine living a godly Christian life. I can't imagine a life
without, you know, hours of television on the big screen. I can't imagine it. But if
you draw an eye to God, God will draw an eye to you. And you begin to show to the spirit
a little bit, you'll see that you can do all things through Christ which strengthens you,
the Bible says. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. So what happens?
Somebody gets saved, brand new convert, they just got saved. They just got saved. They
got the flesh and the spirit. Maybe they're excited, like, wow, I think I'm going to start
living for God. Maybe they're not so excited. Maybe they just said, well, it's a good thing
I got saved. I'm not going to go to hell. But maybe they're excited. Well, what's the
first step that God asks them to do after they get saved? He says, you know, get baptized.
So when a person says, you know what, I'm going to obey God. I'm going to get baptized.
They just took a step toward God. God says, I like that. He takes a step toward you. So
now you just grew two steps in one go. And then, you know, God brings something to your
attention, maybe through a sermon that proves from the Bible that something's wrong or you
read something in the Bible yourself that it's wrong. And you say, you know what, I'm
going to quit doing that because the Bible says it's wrong. You take a step toward God,
He takes another step toward you. And it just speeds up the process even more and more and
more and more. So He says, draw nigh to God and He says, draw nigh to you. So what do
you mean, Pastor Anderson, when you say draw nigh to God? Do you mean that I just go out
in the woods somewhere and just kind of feel the presence of God? I just feel so close
to God right now. I just feel like I can reach out and touch it right now. Put your hand
on the screen and you'll feel it too, you know, like one of these charismatic preachers
on TV. But no, He says it in the same verse what He means. He says right here in the same
verse, draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. How am I going to draw nigh to God?
How am I going to get close to God, besides the obvious of reading the Bible, because
this book is God and the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was
God. Besides reading the Bible and fellowshipping with God, which is the most important thing
in the world that you could ever be doing, is reading this book, God's not going to make
you wonder what He means. He says, draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse
your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. He said, that's not how
you draw nigh to me, it's when you get the sin out of your life. The Bible says your
sins have separated between you and God in Isaiah 59. He says your sins put a barrier
between you and God. And He says if you want to draw nigh to God, you're like, let's say
God's over there, okay God I'm going to draw nigh to you, there's something in the way.
And that's called sin, that's separating between you and God. And so you have to remove the
sin and every sin you remove opens up the path for you to get a little bit closer to
God. And so the way to get close to God, the way to draw nigh to God, is to cleanse
your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. So when I remove a little
bit of the sin that's separating between me and God, I can take a step forward. Now what's
God going to do? He's going to take a step forward also. But what's in God's way? The
sin that's separating between me and God. So then I take a sin out of my life, I can
take a step toward God, then what's He going to do? He's going to take a sin out of my
life that's between me and God. That's why the Bible says, every branch in me that bringeth
forth fruit, my Father purges it that it may bring forth more fruit. Purging fruit trees
is when you cut off something that's dead. When you cut off something that's not producing
fruit. When you cut off something that's worthless, that's called purging. Pruning would be our
modern word. So God says, oh wow, great Steve, you quit such and such a sin? Fantastic. Thank
you for taking a step toward me. Now I'm going to take a step toward you. I'm going to help
you get such and such a sin out of your life. And I'll purge you of that sin. Isn't that
what you want? Or you want to continue just living in sin? Then why are you here? Go ahead.
Who's stopping you? No skin off my back. No skin off God's back. But God says, don't you
want to be productive for me in your life that's like a vapor? Don't you want to use
it for something that's of value? Take a step toward me. Come on. Just move one thing out
of the way and take one step toward me. One thing. And then I'll take out the next thing.
And then you'll be even closer. And wow, now I can actually, boy God was so far away before
because we were so far separated. But now that I've taken a step toward God and now
that he's taken a step toward me, boy now I can see him. I can make out his form a little
bit. He's a little bit closer. And boy, the closer you get, the more real God will become.
And then the more exciting it will be to get the next thing out of the way and get even
closer to God and have him get the next thing out of the way and get even closer to you.
That's the Christian might. That's Christian growth. And so the Bible says, draw an eye
to God and he'll draw an eye to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts,
ye devil-minded. Be afflicted and mourn and weep, the Bible says. Let your laughter be
turned to sorrow and your joy to heaviness. See, we live in a day where everything's a
joke. Everything's fun, fun, fun. Ha, ha, ha. And boy, I'm all for joking around. Boy,
you should see us on the job site, you know, joking around. We weren't cutting out, we're
having a good time. And that's all I'm talking about. But you know what the Bible also says
about a pastor? The Bible says the man of God must be grave, sober, temperate. And so
the Bible says in many places, several places. He says that one of the most important attributes
about the pastor is that he's grave. Now what does the word grave mean? Serious. He says
a pastor should be serious. Life shouldn't just be a joke to him. Ha, ha, fun, fun, everything's
a joke. You know, there's some serious things in life. He says that fools spend their, I
don't have it in front of me, but in the book of Proverbs somewhere, it says how fools are
in the house of mirth, you know, but the wise man's in the house of mourning. And he says
let your laughter be turned to sorrow and your joy to heaviness. He says, you know what,
everything's not fun, fun, ha, ha. There's some times when you need to mourn and weep
as a Christian and say, you know what, I'm sad, I'm sorrowful about the sin in my life.
You know, it makes me sad and upset that people are going to hell. It makes me sad and upset
that I'm not doing more for God. He says that kind of godly sorrow worketh repentance, where
you'll repent of some of the sins in your life. I'm talking about as a Christian now.
He says that godly sorrow that you have where you're sad and you're upset like the man was
where that verse comes from in Corinthians where it says godly sorrow worketh repentance,
it's talking about a man in the church who was committing a wicked sin. And he was sorrowful
about it, he was sad about it, and he changed and he stopped doing it. He repented of that
sin and quit doing it. And so there's a time that sorrow and sadness, then the world says
don't ever be sad, don't ever be sorrowful, don't ever mourn, don't ever weep. Fun, fun,
ha, ha, laugh, laugh. You know, God says there's a time to mourn, there's a time to weep, there's
a time to be sorrowful and be afflicted. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
it says in verse 10, and he shall lift you up. And he kind of switches subjects here
and says speak not evil one of another brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brethren judgeth
his brother speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law. And if thou judgeth the law, thou
are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver who is able to save and to
destroy, who art thou that judgethth another, he says. Now he's talking about you judging
another man. Now why does the Bible say that if I judge my brother and speak evil of my
brother, that I'm speaking evil of the law and judging the law? Here's what the Bible
says. Who art thou that judgeth another man's servant? To his own master he standeth her
fault. Now, do I have the right to judge my employee here, Stefan? Absolutely. You know,
I mean I can look at his performance and say, this is garbage. Or I can say like, man, you're
doing a great job, Stefan. Fantastic. Great work. Do I have the right to do that? Yeah,
because I'm his boss at work. Okay. Now, does my boss, Tim Foley, does he have the right
to say to me, Steve, your performance is horrible. You're doing a terrible job. This is what
I want you to change. Does he have the right to say that? Absolutely, because he's my boss.
Does he have the right to correct me? Sure. But do I have the right to correct him and
tell him, let me tell you all the things you need to change about your company. Here's
a list. Correct me. And talk to me in the morning when they're all done. Okay. No way.
That's a good way to lose your job. And if, let's say I was working side by side with
somebody and we're of equal authority. We're working side by side. Let's say I'm the manager
of this branch and he's the manager of this branch. It's not my job to say, look at what
you're doing. You need to straighten this out and be in judgment of him. Because the
Bible says to his own master, he stand at their fault. He answers to an authority figure.
See, it's not your job to look around at other people in this church and to tell them, you
know what? This is what you're doing wrong. Straighten it out. It's not your job to do
that. Don't judge other people is what he's saying. Now, is this saying that you shouldn't
judge people that you're in authority over? No. He says, don't judge another man's servant.
He's saying, don't judge people that are not under your authority. Now, am I supposed to
judge my children? Absolutely. If I don't judge my children, they're going to turn into
monsters. Am I supposed to judge and be in charge of my wife? Yes. The Bible says wives
obey your husbands in all things. And so on and on, the Bible teaches that women and children
are in subjection and authority to a man. Is my wife to judge me and tell me, let me
give you the ten things that you're bad about as a husband. Can you fix these? When did
he give me that list? Was that yesterday? You know, what's up with that? No, but the
point is, look, it's not her job to do that. Who do I answer to? God. Jesus Christ. That's
who I answer to. Who does she answer to? Me and Jesus Christ. Who do I answer to at work?
Tim Foley. And then above him, I answer to Jesus Christ. Who does Tim answer to? Just
Jesus Christ, because he's the owner of the company. You see how this works? It's not
very popular, but it's a chain of command in the Bible. And God says, don't judge people
that are on some other chain that you're not even on. Don't look at people all the
time and correct them and critique them. And you know, we get this from our Oprah Winfrey
mentality, from the Jerry Springer mentality. You know, you watch something on the Jerry
Springer show, God help you if you watch it. I mean, I don't watch it. I was, get this,
okay. Obviously, I've never sat down and watched the Jerry Springer show in my life. I was
working on an alarm the other day. Somebody had the Jerry Springer show on the TV. I just
heard it from my ear. And it was the filthiest thing I've ever heard in my life. I couldn't
even, I mean, I couldn't hear half of it, thank God, because it was beep, beep, beep,
beep, beep. You know, and all this, whoo, you know, yeah, beep, beep, beep, beep. And
they're doing this. But what is the whole purpose of the Jerry Springer show? You know,
Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil, whoever these idiots are. The whole purpose is, you watch other
people, like, hash out their problems, publicly, their private problems, their marriage problems,
their, and then what happens? Somebody in the audience stands up and they give them
the microphone. Somebody has nothing to do with it. Somebody doesn't know anything about
the situation. They hand them the microphone and they get up, girlfriend, I can't believe
you're still with him. You could do so much better than him. And everybody's like, whoo,
drop that zero and get you a hero, honey. And they're like, whoo, yeah, you go girl.
Hey, they don't even know anything about it. And so when you watch that garbage on TV,
you're training your mind to just, whenever you hear about any situation, you have to
decide, well, this is what I would have done different. This is what I would have done
better. This is what he did wrong, this is what they did wrong. You know, think about
the war in Iraq. You know, whether you're for or against the war in Iraq, sometimes
it bothers me the attitude that people have where they just sit back and watch the thing
on TV and say, well, they should be doing this and this different and this. You don't
know all the intelligence. I mean, let's face it, you don't know. And there are opinions
that I have about it, but you don't know all the intelligence. You're not there on the
battlefield. You don't know what's going on. But everybody just sits back and thinks they're
the expert because we're trained to just judge everything and to judge everybody. Look, judge
the area of your life that God has given you to judge. Judge your family, judge your
children, judge your employee, you know. But don't judge everybody else's area, don't worry
about it. And don't speak evil of your brother and don't judge your brother. The Bible says
he that speaketh evil of his brother and judges his brother speaketh evil of the law and judges
the law because you're judging the book that created this chain of authority. If you say,
well, you know what, my husband is wrong and he's a bad husband, let me tell you what he
did wrong, or even just thinking in your mind, my husband's a bad husband, this is
what he does wrong. What are you doing? You're speaking evil of the God who ordained your
husband to be your husband. Because the Bible says the power is to be ordained of God. There
is no power but of God, the power is to be ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisted
the power, resisted the ordinance of God. And they that resist shall receive themselves
damnation. What's it saying? If you say, my husband's a piece of trash, then what you're
saying is that God ordained a husband to be over you that's a piece of trash. And you're
speaking evil of this book, you're speaking evil of the law. You don't like that, but
that's the truth. That's a fact. If you say, my boss, good night, he's such a jerk, you're
speaking evil of the law. Because the Bible says that that boss is ordained by God. The
chain of command is ordained by God. So when you criticize your authority figures in life,
your boss, your husband, your dad, your mom, when you criticize them, when you criticize
people that are over you, you criticize the police officer, ouch. That's a tough one.
You criticize the police officer, when you criticize the guy down at the city of Phoenix
who charged me $1400 for a fire alarm permit, and you criticize him and call him names,
that's wrong. He says you're judging God because God's the one who put him in authority. Don't
ask me why. There's some things that we have to wait until heaven to find out. I don't
know why that guy's in charge down there, but the point is, don't speak evil of your
brother, don't speak evil of another man's servant because you're judging God. Because
you're judging the system that God put in place of authority. And so it's hard for all
of us. I just used an illustration that kind of hurts me. It's close to home for me. And
so it's something that all of us have to keep in mind. Next verse, let's hurry up and finish
because we're toward the end of our time here. But the Bible says, speak not evil one of
another in that verse. And then it says, there's one law giver, verse 12, who is able
to save and to destroy. Who art thou that judges another? Who do you think you are?
You know everything? Judging everybody else's business? Mind your own business is what he's
saying. And then he says, go to now you that say today or tomorrow we will go into such
a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain. Whereas you know not what
shall be on tomorrow. For what is your life that is even a vapor that pureth for a little
time and then vanishes away? For that Yahweh saith the Lord will, we shall live and do
this or that. But now you rejoice in your boastings. All such rejoicing is evil. Here's
what he's saying. You're boasting. What's boasting? Bragging. He's saying you're boasting
about things that you're going to do. We're going to go into this city. We're going to
open up a branch of Redding, California. You know, we're going to sell all these fire.
We're going to make all this money. He says, you don't even know what's going to happen
tomorrow, let alone a year from now. You know, and apply this spiritually. Boy, I tell you
what? 2007, I'm going to be reading my Bible every day. I'm going to be praying every day.
I'm going to be out soul winning every single week. I'm going to be winning souls. I'm going
to quit this sin. I'm going to quit that sin. I'm going to quit this sin. You don't even
know what's going to happen tomorrow and you're going to tell me that you're going to do all
that in 2007? Why don't you start doing it right now? This is the only day that you know
you have is today. You don't know what's going to be on tomorrow. You know what? Don't just
blow off your mouth about how you're going to do all these great things. Boy, in two
months from now, I'm going to have all my finances squirted on me, totally out of debt.
Yeah, right. You're going to be in debt the rest of your life, okay? Let's face it, I'm
sorry, but it's true. I mean, a lot of things come up and you don't know what's going to
happen. Maybe you will, maybe you won't. Don't blow off your mouth about the future and don't
always think about how you're going to serve God in the future. Think about how you're
going to serve God now, because this is what you know you have is today. How many souls
are you going to win by the end of 2006? Don't tell me about 2007 you're going to be some
great soul winner. Hey, win somebody the Lord in 2006. Tell me how you, oh man, wait until
January 1st rolls around. I'm going to get on that Bible reading chart, Genesis 1 through
3. It's like I've already read it. I mean, I know I'm going to read it. And then, boy,
on the 2nd of January it's going to be Genesis 4 through 6. It's 7, 8, 9 on the 3rd, 10 through
12. Hey, look, when you get into February, you're in Leviticus, then come talk to me,
okay? Then tell me how you're going to read the Bible every day when you're reading Numbers
and Deuteronomy. I'm going to tell you something. If you don't read the Bible now, you're never
going to read the Bible. If you don't start soul winning now, it's just going to get harder
and harder for you to start soul winning. If you don't get into this thing now and jump
in with both feet head first, the longer you wait to get right with God, the harder and
harder it's going to get because your flesh is getting stronger every day. And so God
says, don't boast about tomorrow. Boast not thyself of tomorrow, the Bible says in the
book of Proverbs, for thou knowest not what a day shall bring forth. You have no idea
what's going to happen. You don't know about the car crash that might happen tomorrow.
You don't know about getting laid off from work tomorrow. You don't know about the sickness
you're going to get tomorrow. You don't know. Remember that God holds your life in His hand.
And don't blow off your mouth about what you will do or what you're going to do or what's
going to happen. Just live today the way that God wants you to live. Do what you're
supposed to do. Close your mouth. Don't talk bad about other people. Don't blow off your
mouth about how wonderful you are and all the great things you're going to do. Mind
your own business. Just you and God. Just live your life pleasing to God now. Not tomorrow,
but today. And He says, therefore, to Him that knoweth to do good and doeth not to
Him it is sin. He says, if you know what's right to do, and I'm going to tie these last
two verses together and I'll close with this. He says, you don't know what's going to happen
tomorrow. You don't know if you're really going to do the great things that you're boasting
about. And then in the last verse He says, therefore, to Him that knoweth to do good
and doeth not to Him it is sin. You say, well, I know I'm supposed to be a soul winner, so
that's why I'm starting 2007. See, you're rejoicing and you're boasting is number one.
And number two, you know to do good. And you're doing it not. It's a sin. He says it's a sin
to wait to do what you know you should do. Well, I know I should quit thus and so. That's
why I'm quitting in two months. I'm going to quit. You know to do it now. It's a sin
not to do it now. Or you say, well, I know I'm supposed to read the Bible. That's why
I'm going to start on January 1st in Genesis 1 through 3. Look, you know to do it now.
You say, is it a sin when I steal because I'm doing something wrong? I'm hurting somebody?
Yes. But God says it's equally a sin when you know that you're supposed to do something
and you don't do it. Or if you put it off. He says that's a sin. We talk to these people
all the time. I'm so willing to say, I just believe you have to ask forgiveness for all
your sins every day to go to heaven. Good night. Now think about this verse. Not only
all the things you're doing wrong are a sin, all the things that you're not doing that
you're supposed to be doing, everything that God is telling you you should be doing and
you're not doing it, that's a sin too. That's why all of us, truth be told, sin everything
day, myself included. Because there's things that I'm not doing that I should be doing
and things that I am doing that I shouldn't be doing. And so don't boast about tomorrow.
Decide tonight. Decide today. I'm going to get the sin out of my life. I'm going to take
another step toward God. I'm going to do the things that I'm supposed to do and in 2006,
these last few days, I'm going to have a part in that 200 saved. I'm going to have a piece
of that. I'm going to get to know God. I'm going to read the Bible. Let's bow our heads
and have a word of prayer. Father, thank you so much for loving us and thank you for even
wanting to take a step toward us. God, the sinful creatures that we are, Father, I just
thank you so much that you care about each one of us and want to be our friend and want
to know us. And you've given us a purpose and meaning to our life, dear God, because
we have something that we can do for you that matters for all eternity. We can win souls.
We can love you. We can know you.