Alright, we had to read there in Genesis 26 and we saw this is essentially Jacob coming to his
where the Lord actually blessed him and and given the same promises that he gave to Abraham.
He's now given it to his son Isaac and we're going to we are definitely going to start
start there in Genesis 26 but this is part four of the works of the flesh series that I've
been working through. So you don't need to turn there. I'll just read it to you quickly
in Galatians 5 19. It says now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variants, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies. We've done all of those so far on the list.
We're up to verse number 21. Envians, murders, drunkenness, revelants. So we've got four things
left in the works of the flesh and such like of the witch I tell you before as I have also
told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
And so we saw that these are works, these are things, these are sins that we can all
do. You know these are works of the flesh. We all have the flesh. We all have the capacity
of doing this flesh and of course to overcome these works we need to obviously walk in the
spirit. And then later in Galatians 5 it talks about the fruit of the spirit and you know
as a continuation of this series it's not really the same series but as a continuation
we're going to be looking at the fruit of the spirit and seeing in contrast the works of the
flesh versus the fruit of the spirit. But the first thing that was mentioned there was
envians. And the first time envy is mentioned in the Bible is there in Genesis 26.
And we're going to have a look at that in a moment. Now one thing that I think some people
have a little bit of confusion of and even myself maybe I sometimes confuse the two topics but we
often think about when it comes to envy we can sometimes mix up covetousness with envy.
They do seem to be very similar and yet they are different. Obviously both covetousness
and envy are sinful things. We should obviously avoid that in our lives. But here's the
difference between the two. They both begin in a certain way where you will compare, you will
look at what you have versus others. You're going to look at what others have and it bothers you.
Now how it bothers you will either cause the sin of covetousness or the sin of envy.
You're looking at somebody, he's got certain things, maybe his possessions, maybe his life,
his status, who knows what it is. You look at what they have and it bothers you.
When it's covetousness it bothers you because you don't have what they have. You say boy I
would like to have what they have. I would like to have his car. I would like to have his house.
I would like to have his whatever, whatever it is right. And so covetousness is more about you.
I want what they have. Envy bothers you differently. It bothers you that they have
what they have. You're like that person doesn't deserve to have what they have and that's what
bothers you. You don't necessarily want what they have. You just think it's not right that
they have what they have. You know I don't like that they have what they have. That's
envy. It's not so much about you but it's about them. How you feel toward that particular
person. That's what envy is okay. So again they both begin very similar with covetousness.
But it's how it bothers you that brings forth that sin of envy.
Now in Genesis 26 we see that God promises you know Isaac all these great things that
he promised Abraham and he starts to bless him and Isaac starts to become very wealthy.
Let's pick it up there in Genesis 26 verse number 12.
Genesis 26 verse number 12 it says then Isaac sowed in the land and received in the same year
and hundredfold and the Lord blessed him. All right so you can see God is coming through
here. This is the one year Isaac just begins to plant and a hundredfold right this guy has
invested one dollar and he's made a hundred dollars. It's got that kind of idea right.
He's invested a hundred dollars. He's made a thousand dollars and so what we can see in
the investment of 13. Is that right? A hundred thousand. No he made ten thousand. That'd be
right. That'd be correct. It's up if it's a hundred fold. Okay ten thousand dollars
like that's the like the Lord is blessing him with the with the farmland.
And then verse number 13 says and the man waxed great that's Isaac and went forward
and grew until he became very great for he had possession of flocks and possession of herds
and a great store of servants and the Philistines envied him. Okay so when they look at Isaac
saying boy I want what Isaac has. No that would be covetousness. What they're saying is we don't
think Isaac deserves what he has. We don't like Isaac. I don't know how he got so much but he
doesn't deserve what he has. Okay and so their problem is with Isaac. They don't like
Isaac but it said the Philistines envied him. So how do they respond with that? It says
for all the worlds which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father
the Philistines had stopped them and filled them with earth. So they're trying to stop his
productivity. Okay obviously in order to water his land and to feed his to give drink of his
cattle and his whatever he's got you know it's coming from these worlds that came from Abraham
and they're like we need to stop this productivity of Isaac. We don't like what he
has so let's put dirt and let's close up those worlds so he can't flourish any further.
That's what envy is. Looking at others and going I don't think they deserve it.
Now this is a work of the flesh. Come with me to Proverbs 27. Come with me to Proverbs 27
please. Proverbs 27. Proverbs 27. Now envy is is horrible. Okay like like thinking about like
you know I've talked about this on Sunday afternoon. You know the dangers of comparing
one person to another person. Comparing one family to another family. Comparing one church
to another church. You know it's going to destroy the peace you have in your heart.
Okay look obviously the answer to envy is this. If you see somebody flourishing okay
if you see someone doing well and the Lord has blessed them how should you react as a believer?
We should say well praise God that they have what they have right. It should give you joy
especially when a brother or sister in the Lord is succeeding and you can turn around and say
whatever that is right you know boy the Lord has blessed them. The Lord has seen fit to be
kind and and and and you know generous toward that brother and if the Lord sees fit
to bless his brother or sister then I'm going to rejoice in that. That should be the right
response isn't it? But when you take the approach I don't like it. I don't like what he has.
He doesn't deserve it. It bothers you. Boy it's going to create bitterness in your heart
you know and you could even do something as foolish as step out of line and try to stop
that person from flourishing. Look at Proverbs 27 verse number four. It says wrath is cruel
and anger is outrageous. Have you ever lost your temper? I've lost my temper okay and you know you
you might have an emotional response and after that emotional outburst or emotional response
you're like you're kind of embarrassed of yourself going man did I just act that way?
Did I just respond like that? That's not me. That's not what I who I know normally am
but the emotions get it you know like you're not behaving in a rational way.
Well wrath is horrible and anger is horrible but then it says this but who is able to stand
before envy? The Bible is saying the sin of envy is worse than having a short temper
than losing control of your emotions. The sin of envy is worse because it causes you
to be cruel toward other people who the Lord might be blessing. The Lord is shining down
the Lord is shining down and rewarding them for whatever they've done you know and you turn around
and go it bothers me and yet we would all acknowledge that our God is a just God.
His judgment is righteous all the time and you know what when when we aren't aligned with God
there's a problem with us again not with God. Look at Proverbs 14. Come with me to Proverbs 14.
Proverbs 14 verse number 30. Now it could cause you to do like the Philistines something cruel
toward Isaac. It could cause you to do something cruel toward a brother or sister in the Lord
but it's not just what you're doing to others it's what you're doing to yourself.
In Proverbs 14 30 it says a sound heart is the life of the flesh but envy the rottenness
of the bones. The Bible saying here that envy like okay you know when we think of a good heart
obviously it's pumping blood you know it's beating properly that's going to give you life
obviously if you've got heart conditions or a heart attack you can lose your life okay we
understand the importance of the heart but envy can destroy your life. It's the rottenness of
the bones okay I mean not not just envy as an emotional outburst or emotional response
but it's going to cause deterioration in your body. Like I'm going to take that literally
actually because many times when you're stressed and worried and fearful it's it's scientifically
proven that it has physical ramifications on your body okay and envy will do the same.
Envy is going to destroy your physical body and so this must be a sin that you overcome you have
to overcome it like if right now you're saying you know in your heart you're saying in your
heart boy there is something there is somebody that I'm frustrated at that God's been blessing
them then you this is your sermon you need to overcome it you're not destroying anybody but
yourself okay. So what is the solution to envy? Well come with me to Hebrews 13 quickly
come with me to Hebrews 13. Now like I said covetousness and envy are similar
starts the same way okay so let's just quickly have a look at the solution for covetousness
okay but in Hebrews 13 verse I'm afraid covetousness says I want what they have what's the
solution in Hebrews 13 verse 5 Hebrews 13 verse 5 it says let your cup let your conversation
be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have for he have said I will
never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that's the answer for covetousness we're talking about
envy but I just want you to see that the answer is contentment I'm happy with what I have
you know instead of looking at others God what have you blessed with me with
how have you rewarded me how have you come through and answered my prayers how have you
helped me in life thinking of those things God's love and generosity towards you is going
to help you it's a solution from looking at what others have and say boy I wish I had what
they had. Now the difference between covetousness and envy like I said was covetousness is about
you envy is about them so think about that just logically if the answer to covetousness is
to be content with what you have what would be the answer to envy to be content with what they
have right it's the same idea you know it's kind of starts the same and the answer is the same
but let's look at a few of our scriptures here come with me to Romans 12 come with me
to Romans 12 come with me to Romans 12 in verse 15 Romans 12 in verse 15 and this verse
that we're about to read can be applicable in so many ways but I want you to think about
this regarding envy and you know again look have there been times that I've been envious
absolutely okay a lot of the sins that I read about in the Bible look I'm still sinner today
don't get me wrong but look a lot of the sins that I read about in the Bible
especially when it comes with emotional kind of ideas I've kind of grown out of a lot of those
like like oh when I feel that it's like I can get a a quick uh victory over that sin if it
comes up over me or anything like that and there are some things that just work and they
work really well and in Romans 12 verse 15 it says rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep
with them that weep but let's take that first part God's blessed them God's allowed to flourish
okay in whatever capacity that looks like and they're rejoicing they're like whoa yeah
thank you Lord what's the solution for you rejoice with them say thank you Lord for blessing
brother so and so for blessing family so and so at church thank you Lord for coming through
and giving them what they need in life and look you may not want to rejoice it's not
but it's a commandment rejoice with them that do rejoice it's not an optional thing
you see when you do these things you'll find that your heart will rejoice it's like going soul
winning like I remember when I started soul winning back in my early 20s that I didn't
really want to do it like I'd be honest I just didn't have a love for the lost
and so like I'll knock doors and lose my Saturday and what I think it was Saturday back
then and uh you know and talk to strangers and feel uncomfortable and have these awkward
conversations ah I don't know I'll just I'll do it though because it's a commandment of God
I'll go and tell people of the gospel and then what is it that caused me to love the lost
going soul winning meeting people and realizing whole this is a soul this is a real person
who is on his way to hell and the only way is for God's given me the responsibility to give
this person the gospel and then when you see people reject or be unsure and all of a sudden
your heart goes soft all of a sudden you start loving these lost souls and you think
about what Christ has done for them his payment for their sins the sacrifice
and all of a sudden you love these people like you didn't have it before
but then you do it and that's there it's like when you're envious I don't want to rejoice
just start forcing yourself to rejoice and you'll find eventually with time you'll be
rejoicing every time someone has something good happen happen toward them
can you come with me to Matthew 5, Matthew 5 44, Matthew 5 44
Matthew 5 44
you say pastor what if it's not a brother or sister in the Lord what if it's a work colleague
you know and a wicked work colleague unsaved and you know he's just somehow just going through
life and seems successful and you know well Matthew 5 44 Jesus says but I say unto you
love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them
which despitefully use you and persecute you I love verse number 45 that ye may be the
children of your father which is in heaven for he maketh his son to rise on the evil
and on the good and send the rain on the just and on the unjust you know what I just take the view
if there's some wicked person at work who seems to be doing so well and we know like is by
the way that guy's not living a righteous life well if he's been blessed if the rain has fallen
on his land and is flourishing you know then I'm going to thank God because he's the one
who has rained down uh caused his son to rise on the evil and the good in fact I've got
it better because I'm saved like I'm going to heaven I'm going to mansions in heaven
if that wicked person flourishes on the earth but dies in the state that he's in
he's going to spend eternity in hellfire so I mean you still have it better
than the wicked or the unsaved who seem to be prospering on the earth
can you come with me to first Corinthians 13 first Corinthians 13 verse number one
first Corinthians 13 and verse number one
first Corinthians 13 verse number one though I speak with the tongues of
men and of angels and have not charity I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling
symbol that's one of the scariest things for me as a preacher because I've got to talk a lot
and I don't want to come across as
as part of preaching again what's he preaching on who knows it's just making a lot of noise
I don't want to be that guy there's a lot of preachers that make a lot of noise
but it says we need charity I need charity love like love I want to be able to preach
not with just authority but with love he says and though I have the gift of prophecy and
understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith so that I could
remove mountains and have not charity I am nothing and though I bestow all my goods to feed the
poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not charity it profit of me nothing
look at verse number four it's important one charity suffereth long and is kind look at
this charity envyeth not charity wanteth not itself is not puffed up but charity envyeth
not that's love if you get envious about a brother or sister or family in church
you're lacking charity you're lacking love it's a lack of love you might say I do love the
brethren no no no if there's envy it's it's there's hatred there's bitterness okay it's
we're commanded to love our brothers okay we're commanded to love our neighbors and that really
is the solution it's not that hard actually right if you just love the way god loves his
people you will not have envy in your life now the next thing after envy was murdered
so come with me to exodus 21 murders exodus 21 and verse number 12 exodus 21 and verse number
12 now today if someone commits murder you know cold-blooded first-degree murder
they're thrown into prison for life they're given a life sentence but how long is a life sentence
20 years 25 probably a quarter well maybe a third I don't know somewhere between a third
and a quarter no is that right of someone's life could be okay but when it comes to murder
okay now again you say pass oh never murder it's called the works of the flesh
there are there are godly men in the bible who committed murder
okay so don't think this is beneath you all right obviously you get in a bad place you get
far from the lord you get full of hatred and bitterness and what have you like when you
lose control when you lose your temper and you wonder how did i do that you could be as
if you don't look after you know if you don't keep that flesh under control you don't know
how far you can go okay we all have the capacity now in exodus 21 verse number 12 it says
he that's smarter for man so that he die shall be surely put to death it doesn't say
shall be put to death it says shall be surely like god is saying this is for sure
okay like there's no way around it this is the proper you know uh um uh justice for
someone who kills a man look at verse number 13 it says and if a man lie not in wait
but god deliver him into his hand then i will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee so verse
number 13 is not first degree murder as we understand this is manslaughter what we call
manslaughter today where it says if a man lie not in wait like it's not premeditated
you didn't intentionally go to murder this person you know you went to cause harm okay you you
you went to cause some type of damage but as a result a person dies well you don't deserve
the death penalty okay but in the old testament days god had certain cities of refuge where they
can flee for a period of time before all you know some people had time to uh cool down from
the anger and and the revenge and all of that but look at verse number 14 but if a man come
presumptuously upon his neighbor that's premeditated to slay him with guile thou shall not
sorry thou shall take him from mine altar that he may die i'm not sure i mean the altar of course
is a reference to the tabernacle where they were doing the sacrifices so it could be where
someone uh you know premeditates a murder goes and kills that man then runs to the altar
god forgive me it doesn't matter it doesn't matter like there is no mercy okay if you've
premeditated first degree murder that person needs to be put to death okay so
murders first of all let's break it down a little bit you know let's let's talk about the worst case
these will be serial killers all right now normally when a man commits first degree murder
just in general it's because they have a hatred for that person they're going to kill
there's something that has developed they've premeditated it they've gone to kill it's
about that person serial killers it's not about a single person serial killers they're
psychopaths or reprobate as the bible says okay their satisfaction murdering is their satisfaction
they enjoy it's not i hate this person therefore i'll kill them they're like i like
the idea of killing people and i'm just going to do it over and over and over and over and
over again it gives them some kick it gives some high look this is reprobate this is you
know this is not the natural man okay you know a believer will not turn into a serial killer
let's put it that way okay so let's just take that one out of the out of the list there
and then of course we've got first degree murder and that's premeditated murder intended
to end someone's life okay now as i said you know the right justice you know in australia
and in the whole world is death penalty that is the right justice okay and the fact that
someone gets 25 years in prison is just it's it's it's a it's like laughing at the
commandments of god the laws of god like it's not the answer it's not the solution
then we've got second degree murder manslaughter like i said intend to cause harm but not death
i don't know let's say you hate someone you push them down the stairs
all right i'm gonna push them down the stairs and you know they fall in a bad way and they die
that wasn't your intention you just wanted to hurt them something like that and they pass
away that is a second degree murder or manslaughter and then you've got third degree
murder and this is death caused through negligence so this is like drink driving
you didn't intend to go and kill someone but you're just so stupid you're so negligent you
get behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol have an accident you cause a death
somewhere that is called third degree murder and uh or just just being just being silly let's say
you know you you got a friend that can't swim and you push him into a lake as a joke you push
him into the lake and he can't swim and he drowns you know that would be kind of like
the idea of a third degree murder now people mock the bible when it comes to this idea because
they're like oh man if you're putting someone to death for murdering and you're saying the
death penalty is the right answer then aren't you committing murder there by putting that person
to death or how about when god would send the armies of israel to go fight against the
philistines or some other enemy and you know all the other people in the land of caitlyn that
were destroyed and wiped out isn't that murder and i i saw on like when you look this up
people always mock and they say oh the the biggest serial killer in the bible is god himself
they mock god like that now obviously even in our society we don't call certain death of
human being murder okay murder is essentially unlawful killing that's what you know if you
were to say what is murder it's unlawful it's illegal killing but there is lawful killing
okay and so if you're going to put someone uh to death with a death penalty where they've
gone for the legal procedure and that is the outcome that is not unlawful killing that is
lawful killing so that is not murder okay or if uh a nation goes to war with another nation
and you're a soldier and you shoot another soldier on the enemy lines and they die that's
not murder and you know your your nation went to war all right and so uh that would be that
would fall again under lawful killing and the other one when it comes to lawful killing is
a matter of self-defense like if someone's trying to hurt you and you're protecting yourself
and it causes them to die in that process that again is lawful killing but come with me to
first john chapter three first john chapter three first john chapter three first john chapter three
please because even though we're capable of murder because we've got the flesh i think it's
very unlikely that you're going to do it okay it's probably very unlikely that i will do it
i hope it never ever happens okay
but we have committed murder and in first john chapter three verse number 14 first john
chapter three verse number 14 it says we know that we have passed from death unto life
because we love the brethren he that loveth not his brother abideth in death look at verse
number 15 whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer have
eternal life abiding in him the bible's saying here that if we hate a brother in the lord
like i say there's someone in church that i hate god says you're a murderer now it's not
first degree murder second degree murder third degree murder it's not serial killing it's
obviously a higher standard you know i'll never kill anybody i reckon you killed in here though
within you committed murder when you hate somebody and we're instructed by god to love
our brethren say pastor i don't know if that's my brother in the lord well i want to take a
default position and love them anyway because i'm supposed to love my enemy all right i don't
want to hate that person just in case no no because god might very well be saying you're
guilty of murder murder in the heart okay and you know i always love the new testament because
we read all these laws in the old testament and they're good laws the whole point of the law
is to teach us how to love god and to love our neighbors all right when you boil down
all the commandments of god down to two and it's like yeah yeah yeah okay but then when
jesus christ comes on the scene in the new testament he raises the standard and goes
well what matters what also happens here and what happens here is just as important
look at verse number 16 hereby perceive we the love of god because he laid down his life for
us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren so instead of wanting death for our
brethren we ought to i'd rather die for them i'd rather cause we're not going to be able to
die for our brothers and sisters sins but the idea is i'd rather serve them like if someone's
going to benefit between a squabble between me and them i'll let them benefit i'll lose
you know i'll serve them i'll lower myself like christ laid down his life for me then he
says in verse number 17 and whoso hath the world's good and see if his brother hath need
and shut off up his bowls of bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of
god in him my little children let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in
truth and hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him
so we've looked at envians we've looked at murders let's go to drunkenness
come with me to isiah 28 please isiah 28 and i'm not going to spend too much time on drunkenness
simply because i've preached a sermon not that long ago on alcohol and drunkenness but i'm
going to pull out just a few other verses that i didn't turn to in my previous sermon
just for some other thoughts and of course drunkenness is we all know what it is being
intoxicated drinking alcohol and this is a work of the flesh i mean i don't know i you know
when i was a teen i tried this substance and i hate it i i guess i just didn't give myself
enough time but it tells me the fact that drunkenness is something that my flesh wants
then i've even though i find it disgusting i still don't want to even come close to that
stuff like i don't want to even be tempted and go i can handle it if i just take one sip
i can handle it no no no because my flesh is weak my flesh is my flesh is going to want
the drunkenness now this is a passage it is a little bit symbolic obviously but when it comes
to isiah and this passage in particular isiah 28 isiah is speaking of the northern kingdom
of israel and how wicked they had become and god describes them like this in isiah 28 verse
number one woe to the crown of pride to the drunkards of ephraim so ephraim was the biggest
tribe in the northern kingdom of israel and god many times to just reference the entire northern
kingdom you know he usually calls it israel but many times just calls it ephraim but it's
describing the whole uh northern kingdom it says to the drunkards of ephraim whose glorious
beauty is a fading flower which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome
with wine now i know this is spiritual he's speaking about our nation as a whole but i'm not sure
it's also literal i'm sure the people on this land were getting drunk in fact the bible says
later on that they definitely are look at look drop down to verse number seven isiah 28 verse
number seven it says here but they also have erred through wine and through strong drink
are and through strong drink are out of the way look at this the priest and the prophet
have erred through strong drink the religious leaders are getting drunk
they're swallowed up of wine they're out of the way through strong drink
they err in vision they stumble in judgment like these are the people that you know the
people of the land are supposed to go to for spiritual counsel spiritual direction and
they're drinking the alcohol look at verse number eight for all tables are full of vomit
and filthiness so that there is no place clean
now it's important i realize as i was preparing the sermon i realized there in i-28
how important it is to teach my kids and our kids to not touch alcohol to stay away from this
stuff from a young age like they may not fully understand the concepts and the disaster that
that can cause but when you look at verse number nine as you continue it says whom shall he
teach knowledge and whom shall he make to understand doctrine he says how can we give
these people wisdom these drunkards like what's the answer to this it says them that are weaned
from the milk and drawn from the breasts little children we need to give little children this
knowledge we need to help little children understand this doctrine to stay away from
alcohol stay away from drunkenness from beer and wine and spirits and whatever else they call
it parents we need to teach our kids like we might think well i mean my two-year-old's not
going to hit the pub these you know oh you know they're not at age so they're probably going
to get rejected anyway so it's all good so they get to a certain no no we can start teaching them young
teaching them young the dangers of alcohol verse number 10 for precept must be upon precepts
precepts upon precepts line upon line line upon line here a little and there a little
as we teach our kids we need to give them step by step slow okay uh you know and teach them
so they fully understand you know the dangers of alcohol come with me to psalm 69 actually come
with me to ephsians 5 for the sake of time come with me to ephsians 5 and i'm going to
read to you from psalm 69 verse number 4 it says they that hate they that hate me without
a cause are more than the hairs of mine head they would destroy me being mine enemies wrongfully
and almighty then i restored that which i took not away the psalmist is saying here that he's got
enemies no surprise many of the psalms are like this but i want you to understand what the
enemies are saying about him in verse number 12 it says they that sit in the gates speak
against me and i was the song of the drunkards one reason a righteous man of god is being
persecuted is because the wicked are getting drunk okay drunkards and you know what's going
to cause you to despise righteousness holiness god's word what's going to cause you to despise
a brother or sister or family serving faithfully trying to live like christ is getting drunk
it messes your discernment messes your heart and before you know it you're mocking the
righteousness of others you're mocking god's laws and god's word drunkenness has an effect
on our spiritual discernment on what is right and what is wrong i'm sure you're at church
because you want to grow and learn and be more christ-like you need to stay away from the
alcohol it's going to pervert your judgments it's going to pervert your understanding look
at eph 5 verse 18 and be not drunk with wine we're in his excess but be filled with the spirit
don't we all want to be filled with spirits well it says here if you drink wine if you
have alcohol in your system you're not going to be able to be fueled by the spirit
you'll be filled with spirits those drinks i think they've got spirits for a reason
so pass i just i just oh man i grew up this way you know it's out
i'm french you know whatever it is
you know what look i kind of understand you know sometimes when you're trying to overcome a sin
a bad habit the easiest way to overcome that bad habit is to replace it with another habit
okay so what's the habit that you want to change what what habit you want to introduce
to your heart into your life so you don't turn to the alcohol you know when you're starting
to get tempted man i just want to open that bottle of wine or you know i'm just thinking of
going down to the pub and picking up you know getting myself a i don't know i don't know
because i'm scooter i'm trying to think of words i don't know this is what you do instead
this is what you replace it with verse number 19 speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the lord you say i just want
to pass pass i don't want to get so drunk that i'm throwing i just want to get tipsy
so i get excited be happy all right get happy singing praises to god take the hymnal home
if you're addicted to alcohol take a hymnal home and sing to the lord and praise god be excited be
happy in the new man not in the works of the flesh that's how you replace it
verse number 20 given thanks always for all things unto god and the father in the name of
our lord jesus christ submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of god that's the answer
oh man i'm you know i'm having a withdrawal symptoms and in my beer
this is what you take this is what you open and i don't know this him revive us again we
praise thee oh god boy i feel like a bee uh for the son of thy love for jesus who died
and is now gone above hallelujah thine the glory hallelujah amen hallelujah thine the glory
revive us again that's the answer to your drunkenness
drunkenness and then we've got rebellions revelins revelins okay now revelins the last
one on this list is often defined as partying okay now there's nothing wrong with a birthday
party okay or a christmas party or whatever it is right okay but obviously a certain type of
partying is the issue now with revelins it's basically to celebrate in a i looked this up
in a few dictionary definitions to celebrate in a righteous sorry righteous riotous to celebrate
in a riotous manner with a large group of people i looked up the etymology of the word
and the old french uh that the word comes from is the same word that we get rebellious or
rebellion it's actually the same it's the same kind of etymology root word okay so it's about
celebrating but with a rebellious lifestyle getting drunk right uh being sensual uh it's
essentially you know you know sensual dancing and all that kind of stuff it's essentially the
partying clubbing scene that we think about today that's what revelins is all about okay
now come me to first peter chapter four first peter chapter four first peter chapter four
first peter chapter four
you know i just again i don't want to be the hero of my stories
it's my life experience you know being saved at a young age makes such a difference
teaching your kids the will of god the love of god the word of god makes such a difference
i'm not saying your kids will never go out in the world and make mistakes but
they're going to be limited when they have the holy spirit of god
working in them waking them up chastising them when it's needed
you know these are things i'm sure you've tried some of you have tried to
try to go to these clubbing scenes when you're a certain age whatever
what am i doing here my friends are like let's go and whatever i'm here the music's loud
it's dark i can't even see your face we can't even talk because it's that loud in here
and i just don't feel good in here i feel like i'm grieving my lord being here
that's why it's so important that we teach our kids the word of god
even when the temptations come you're like well let's try i don't know let's do this thing
you know there's going to be something within that says this is wrong
okay so in first peter chapter four verse number three just some further examples of of what
revelins is about first page before verse number three it says for the time past of our life
may suffice us to have wrought the will of the gentiles so it's all about past lives and
maybe some of your past lives are like this when we walked in lasciviousness lusts
excess of wine revelins banquetins and abominable idolatries and banquetins again nothing wrong
with banquets but under this category of course this is a drunk banquetins and you know
just uh just feeding the flesh of man as much as possible and then it says in verse number four
like that that should be our past life that should be our past life it shouldn't be something
where you're still look are we going to struggle with it sometimes if that's my what i'm used to
of course because you've got the flesh still the flesh is still here okay but for believers
as you grow and you mature you know as you learn the word of god and his ways you say you
know what that was i don't want to do that anymore that's the past you know what if i want
to get together with a group of people i'm going to church instead all right that's the answer
all right but it says in verse number four wherein they think it's strange that you run
not with them to the same excess of riot speaking evil of you you know your friends
that you used to do these things with when you're like guys i don't do that anymore they're
gonna think what's this guy's it's gone strange ah he's found religion he's become a jesus
follower or something like this right and look it's not nice when your friends reject you and
they mock you and they laugh at you but it's the right thing you're pleasing the lord and
look at this first on five about about those people that are mocking you it says who shall
give a pounce to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead you know people have
mocked you for your faith are going to one day stand before god and give an account god's
gonna say why did you mock my sons my children what kind of answer they're gonna get i don't know
man what speaking to the creator so you know okay it feels bad being mocked you know you
don't know you don't what you don't drink anymore you don't party anymore all right you're
not committing fornication or or adultery anymore what's wrong with you and they're mocking
oh man i feel the pressure i don't know they should make them happy be reminded that one
day they're gonna have to give an account straight to god for how they're treating you
it's gonna be worse for them again they look like they're having fun looks like they're
partying it up man they're gonna sink they're gonna they're gonna want the just the the
floor to swallow them to give an account to god for the way they've treated you trying to
live a righteous life come with me to one more passage roman chapter 12 roman chapter 12
verse number one
now when it comes to revelins of course it's just given to all the lusts of the flesh
and just doing whatever the body wants and i want you to remember this as god's people
okay now i know this flesh is wicked and it's sinful and it's not going to inherit the
kingdom of god god's going to give me one day a new resurrected body but it's the body
that i have right now god wants me to serve in this body that i have right now
even though we have this war that happened that you know between the spirit and the flesh
that we we have within ourselves but please be reminded as all these works of the flesh
you know but again revelins but anything to do the flesh please remind yourself this
in romans 12 one i beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of god that you present
your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto god which is your reasonable service
look god has bought our bodies these bodies belong to god even though they're in a sinful
state okay but where to present our bodies a living sacrifice you know jesus was a sacrifice
that laid down his life he experienced death god's not asking you to die but he's asking as you
live can you give your bodies as a sacrifice in return can you live what sacrifice just leave
holy all right what else was there holy acceptable make sure that whatever you decide
to do with your life say lord is this acceptable to you
it says it's your reasonable service it's saying like god's not asking too much from you
because this is this is reasonable this is more than reasonable god saved your soul
he's giving you a future home in heaven he's giving you the new man the holy and the
holy spirit and his word can you just put some of that into practice it's reasonable
live lives that are holy don't give into the lust of the flesh verse number two says
and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of god
you know in order to change what our bodies desire it says we need to
renew our mind we need to work on what is happening here it's kind of what i said to you
before about old testament commandments much about what we do in the body then god
come jesus christ comes along the new testament and says yeah but what about your mind what
about your heart okay well if we want to change what this body desires we need to change
what is happening up here in our brains filling this brain with you know hollywood
filling this brain with the world you know what's going to happen your body's going to want
to do what the world does but you fill this mind with the bible you memorize scripture you
know you think about others and their needs and when you think about others when you're
reminded of someone you go i better pray for that person they have this need and you go
before god and like i said when you have a desire to pick up the the beer or to smoke
the cigarette you take god's words and you sing god's praises you change what's happening here
okay and a lot of the times in order to do the renewing up here it's also what's going
obviously through here okay and for the eyes you know making sure that your eyes are on things
that are pure and righteous and holy that's going to then change your body so you struggle
we struggle and pass it with something in my flesh you gotta do all the work up here let god
change you let god's word refresh you and cleanse you and and and guide you and you know
you turn around say lord i'm in the wrong and you're on the right help me lord i know god will
answer a sincere prayer we're saying god my flesh is struggling too much this is a sin that
i just can't overcome lord help me he'll help you title for the sermon was works of the flesh
we've gone through all of them works of the flesh part four okay we've gone through all of
them and brevin i hope you know every now and again we just need to go and just smash on smash
on sin and please never turn around and go ah pass i've got it all settled while you
still have this flesh you can fall into all those sins so please be aware let's pray